November 2012: Mission update

Ad: Re-uniting with Helen after 6 weeks was like a second honey-moon! I found a place for us to chill together for 10 days. We had a super view of Lake Victoria and hired some sailing dinghies like we did when we were dating!

Laurence has reverted to home-schooling with us from half-term because he couldn’t settle at his school.

Developing our 2011 –13 strategy is underway with our local partners and will be published a.s.a.p.

This week, Deaf driving student Aziz, circled, passed his test in Kampala. The final preparations were an intensive two days spent completing medical checks and reassuring the examiners of the deaf student driver’s legal rights.

I would like to record my appreciation to what has been a team success and the invaluable support of national deaf association staff, the head of Ntinda deaf school and Jonah, our interpreter on the day. Interdependence was the key!

Encouraging Deaf boarders to know that God wants us to practically demonstrate our concern for others needs.

At Eruba deaf unit’s Sunday service I recently saw Phillam, circled, one of the deaf DTS graduates from last year leading the deaf boarders’ Sunday service and coaching them to produce a great bible drama on faith and action. His growing confidence, joy and desire to encourage younger deaf is really infectious!

Deaf boarders, like the boy, framed, also excitedly showed me his favourite passage from the illustrated bibles he’d been given. Fellow deaf graduate Godfrey has also co-produced some great bible-dramas recently.














Helen is planning a cultural exchange lesson this week as part of an on-going link with All Saints Infant school in our home town.

Encouraging Rhino Camp Parish community to value each other as God does

Ad: I went with our pastor, Rev Allan, special Needs Coordinator for our region, West Nile, and a team of deaf and hearing to Rhino Camp on the White Nile. Rev. Allan is supporting the local pastor efforts to sensitize his community to the equal value all people have in God’s eyes. All the the team members were examples of local deaf have succeeded in gaining communication, academic and vocational skills and jobs, and how deaf-hearing marriages can work.



Both pastors have asked me to plan a community sign workshop weekend to which families with deaf members or neighbours are being invited, following the first census of such families!

Equipping advocates

The deaf youth who successfully completed the IT training last year have been working on the production of carpentry, football signs. Both these topics and the driving signs should be put to use by the end Nov.

Signs & Wonders: Compost and Composure!

Well, one of this month’s memorable events was attending a seminar explaining how a newer latrine design is helping to prevent human sewerage contaminating shallow bore-holes nearby when the water table is high. Instead it produces smell-free compost fit for the garden after 12months! Handling the compost a step of faith!

Another challenge was learning to depend on our motorbike indicator light to show the way home when the headlamp failed last weekend in the pitch dark town-centre. My eyes had just enough time to recover from its dazzling flashes and get a brief glimpse of the kerb and potholes before being plunged momentarily back into pitch-black! Helen shone her phone-torch over my shoulder as we vigilantly crawled home, grateful we hadn’t had to push the bike for 2 miles over uneven tracks!

Then one sat afternoon after, we simultaneously watched Man U. and Arsenal’s matches in a bar, Laurence dropped his phone as he left. When we called Laurence's phone, the guy who answered then demanded 10% of the phone’s value in return for handing it over. Once the barman’s watchman arrived he relented. Meanwhile the Arsenal fans in the bar seemed to get more joy from Man City’s successive goals against Man. U. than their own team’s victory! – Slightly to my annoyance!

One of my final chuckles of the month was trying to work out why my toothpaste tasted like shampoo. I later discovered that in my desperation to get some sleep after 12 hours on a bus to Jinja YWAM base I’d coated my toothbrush with sun-block! Adam:

Helen in the Refinery

‘Be patient, patient patient.

Observe, pray and still be patient’.

This is what the quiet voice inside me is saying.

Reconnecting with old friends, the kids ministries and Eruba deaf unit has been so positive. However since returning to Arua I have been challenged by many things including; mosquitoes; heavy rains; some deaf community issues which I am presently unpacking; and finally there’s the challenge of good parenting.

But yesterday when I and a small team visited the TB ward at a Arua hospital and took time to listen to the patients my priorities became clear. As we prayed and I saw the patients silently suffering my eyes filled with tears and I felt the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit in that place. It’s all about connections with our gracious Father. Six patients died last week in that TB ward.



The Refiner’s Fire is honing me in the areas of prayer and patience, and I am so grateful.

Helen. Ps 27:14

Newz from Our Uth: Putting down roots!

Maria: Having moved to and settled into university life things are starting to calm down marginally but are still pretty crazy!


I managed to nab myself a job in a local pub; its the first time I've done any kind of bar work and so was a bit daunting at first but I now seem to have got the hang of it and know the regulars!



At uni I've joined the Rowing and Athletics clubs and have had a load of fun with them; a lot of fancy dress has been involved!

So far, SOOOOO GOOD! :D 
 
 
 
Jerome: Hi! Hi everyone! This month has been pretty awesome. I raised about £150 through a sponsored bike ride for Bedworth youth group. It was 125 miles long and it took 10 and half hours.


I've been going to the gym regularly and doing my college work. I got a destinction in my first assignment so I'm very pleased with that. I have booked my first driving lesson this Saturday and really looking forward to it.

I'm working on a goat farm about 20 miles away from college with about 2500 goats in milk. Its a really interesting and unique farm and I'm sure I will learn a lot from it.


Laurence: Hello. I am very glad to be out of the international school. It was the social aspect which was the worst; I just didn’t really get on with anyone, and it was an extremely boring lifestyle. When my mum arrived we went sailing on Lake Victoria at Entebbe. It was quite good fun.


In Arua I’ve begun to make a small wind turbine prototype using a 10 litre jerry can and bicycle bearings. Once we find the most efficient method, we’ll move onto a 20 litre can.




I went to Jinja with my Dad and William, our gardener, for an agriculture/bible course. I only went to some of the sessions, because the rest of the time I had to do home-schooling. Some of it was interesting

As for Arsenal, if I’m honest, I was starting to doubt the future - but now even our subs are great. Thomas Vermaelen is one of the best centre backs in the world, and his return has already had a positive impact. Man. City look very strong, but I think their lead will not last. Some Arsenal fans here have converted to Man. City, but they’re not taken seriously.

Deaf Connections Ministry, YWAM Arua: Draft Programme:Nov 2011 - March 2012

Encouraging deaf and hearing Christians: Nov 2011: Bible drama and deaf biographies: ongoing Dec: Planning for DTSs in 2011/12 H/D Youth Camp tbc Jan 2012: Go Camp for 16-25s Kings Kids Week for deaf and hearing June - Oct: Discipleship Training School 2012 Empowering interdependency advocates who can support, teach, train or employ deaf/hearing: Nov 2011: Biblical Agricultural Training for future garden produce income generation scheme for local deaf/ hearing Cultural Exchange Lesson at Eruba, Footbll match. TBC Dec: IT Course for Teachers of deaf Needs Assessment Update at Paranga Developing 2011 –13 Strategy Jan 2012: 21st/22nd S/L Workshop: Rhino Camp Parish TBC Census of deaf people at Vurra Parish Feb: Weekly S/L Workshop for staff: Arua Primary School TBC S/L Workshop: Offaka TBC Equipping fellow advocates to develop sign-language resources for these new advocates Nov: Carpentry signs Football Signs Driving Signs Dec: Ad & Helen Sign-language course Bible book signs Feb: Health signs Visits/ visitors Jan: friend Walt visits from UK March: Maria & Jerome visit from UK tbc April: Friends Paul & Chris visit from UK tbc