Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Sept./Oct. 2010 Mission Update








Learning lessons. Looking forward

• Students continue to team-build and visit local people in need,right up to beginning of their 3 month field placement,
• Mixed hearing/deaf teams on YWAM ARUA’s Discipleship Training School have just left for needy areas of S. Sudan, Uganda, & Congo.
• Ugandan Sign Language teaching videos completed for Bible book names and for several new signed worship songs.
• Several base supporters have helped replace most of the stolen funds for extending sister base YWAM Yei’sschool buildings. Do continue to pray the thief/thieves come(s) forward.
• Signs and Wonders. At the Refinery
• Our youngest son Laurence returns

These Months’ Focus:
• Co-leading a DTS team to Laboni, S. Sudan (A)
• Jerome recovering from a fresh bout of Malaria
• Recommencing home-schooling (H & A)
• Finalising Outline Programme up until April 2011.

Students continued to team-build right up to beginning of their 3-month field placement




.. through team challenges such as an making an un-crushable paper structure using just 10 A4 sheets and paperclips.

They also continued to visit local people in need, such as TB patients to talk, pray with and bring food parcels as all patients are expected to provide their own food.

Prayer had a real sharpness and focus as at least one patient would die between one visit and the next.

Laboni, south of Torit, S Sudan,



Adam is co-leading a mixed hearing/deaf team team of 11 students and 5 of their dependents here for four weeks, where YWAM Arua has local contacts.

The following extract from a previous YWAM team visit report shows the felt needs: “In Pamaikongo the tone was no different, speaker after speaker echoed the need for intervention and change. Mark Odwar spoke with a lot of bitterness as he recount how they have suffered in the hands of the lords resistant army of Kony, and the Dinkas, he seems to believe that even God might have forgotten them since the government has also neglected them. He cried for Blanket as the place is very cold at night, health centre, schools and teachers, and cooking utensils.

Peter Maksoda who is the chief of the place recounted the effects of war upon them and said “we were destined for extinction then through the war but we are still destined now through natural calamities as diseases, famine and ignorance”.

One particular young man from Lakulo ayweri said ‘ we are so divided because we don’t have anything that brings us together, we therefore kindly request you to come and build us a church so that we can learn to live in unity.”

Ugandan Sign Language teaching videos for Bible book names and several new worship songs completed with Pastor Fred. from Kampala Deaf Bible school.






Pastor Fred and I had a fun and productive week together learning from each other and compiling some badly needed resources.

We plan to meet again to continue this work and document more specialist biblical sign vocabulary such as characters and concepts.

Pastor Fred really encouraged our deaf students too.

More hearing relatives met and encouraged–More Buddy sign workshops planned

I was glad to meet more hearing relatives, even if only distantly related, to hear their accounts of their family’s history and to help them to see themselves as vital partners with the deaf we support too.

One mother visited us, and then one of our deaf students, Phillam, took me to meet his family (pictured) near the Congo border.

Heavy rain delayed our return, by motorbike, till after dark after which the 9 mile journey was like motocross in many parts! One puddle we spluttered though was up to our knees! Phillam’s extended family and neighbours including numerous non-signing deaf would like us to bring a team for some buddy workshops. We are planning others in Maracha and Okollo shortly.

Signs and wonders I noticed this month included.. …:

.. a bus leaving Arua, bound for Kampala, 6 hours drive away, in the pouring rain, with no front wind-screen except a motorbike helmet over the driver’s head. Forward seats were occupied!

.. a motorbike cruising with a brightly-painted coffin strapped sideways on its rear seat/rack.

.. An ‘improved’ breed chicken whose skin split open at 3 months because they grow so fast! Ad.

At the Refinery -What’s challenging me -Finding the balance (Helen)

To put God first. You might think that being involved with missions that I always put God first. Well in reality I still mostly go my own way and God becomes an addition to my routine rather than the driver. My aim is to really know god more and be a better kid; ok old kid.

Secondly I want to be an honourable Mum, wife and teacher. It’s not on the school curriculum as such but basic bibilical understanding is what I think the boys need more of and they agree. ‘Teach a child in the way they should go and they will not depart from it.’ Says a well known proverb. ‘parents do not exasperate your children’ says Proverbs. I desperately want to inspire Laurence and Jerome as I teach them and I want to honour Nicholas Chamberlain Technology College through making best use of the resources they have kindly given us.

As a long distance mum I am encouraged that with prayer and petition i/we can improve our relationship with Maria and encourage her to reach her God given potential. I know she deserves all the encouragement she can get. We learnt a lot whilst home schooling Maria but this year not only does Maria have year 2 of her A’s but some resitsto raise the level of her grades from last year. I am just so grateful that Maria has compassionate, gifted teachers that are guiding her through. Thank you NCTC staff so much if you read this.

Thirdly the wife bit. Well perhaps this should come second. I wouldn’t be here being blessed in this deaf ministry if it were it not for Adam and his hearing loss. My call I believe is to be scaffolding. Its not very glamorous I know but actually the more I accept the role the more enjoyment I get from supporting Adam in this very special ministry.

The deaf love Adam and I know he is doing a great work and he and the deaf need a lot of practical and emotional support which I feel I am learning to give. The more I give the more I receive. I know it’s an old cliché but it’s true. As scripture says it’s better to give than to receive.

It seemed like a timely connection when a deaf tailor met up with a business woman, Irene, at a business convention in Arua. Irene agreed to take on the deaf tailor for a trial period. However, after less than a fortnight, I had the unpleasant job of signing to the deaf youth that she would not be continuing in the newly offered job.

The deaf youth struggled in a number of ways, with punctuality; she even missed some days completely and her standard of work was below what was needed. Whilst I gave some initial sign support to this deaf youth and her family it quickly became apparent that the youth was in the wrong work place. Her employer Irene recognised that she needed to think more carefully about the implications of appointing someone with a disability.

At the end of the meeting Irene explained she was exploring the possibility of running a government sponsored vocational training course for people with disabilities. This was really encouraging because the forms were very detailed and required the submission of details for special needs provision and sign language interpretation.

All in all I believe this was a good but painful learning experience for us all. I will continue to follow up and encourage Agnes. Irene has asked her to continue to pop in to the tailoring business so that she can observe the other tailors and learn from them. H.

Children’s News Sept 2010

Laurence: Hi, I'm back in Uganda now. England was good, seeing family and friends, going to the Edinburgh Festival and Karting for my birthday. Jerome, Dad and I went to watch Uganda beat Angola 3-0 at the national stadium. Home schooling and no lie-ins are a jolt to my system!

Jerome: Learning about keeping rabbits now. On Malaria treatment again ..

Maria: New part-time job starting soon. Looking at English and Politics university courses.