YWAM Arua Kings kids 2012

“I have fought the good fight, 
 I have finished the race, 
 I have kept the faith”
2 Tim 4:7

Welcome, worship, word, work it out was the order of each day. To develop personal survival skills swimming skills were taught. Only  5 of the 60 children could swim before. Five more learned that day.

     We celebrated at the end of the week by inviting parents for a  celebration and opportunity to see the activities and work of the kids. 

Adventure Day before the trek of discovery on the base and to personal survival swimming 

Sign language workshops for those wanting to support their deaf neighbours

Ad: At the end of December we enjoyed two day visits at the ‘Arua Youth Camp’. The deaf have not previously been involved with this event and we thought they were missing out so offered to take them for a couple of taster day visits. We took turns to offer communication support. Another local signer, Jonathan, circled , helped too.






Several hearing youth asked for a sign workshop so Lydia, inset, and Jonathan, circled, gladly obliged. The deaf, Lydia, Godfrey and Molly interacted well throughout the teaching. We hope more of the deaf have the motivation to join a similar programme next year. We want to thank the camp organisers for being very inclusive and we hope more of the hearing participants will have be as inclusive as their leaders have. 

Community Sun Run and Walk

In the Refiner’s Fire: The “For Tomorrow” Tribe..

…leader, Alfred, was introduced to our Go Camp team because he provided the land on which YWAM Labone has founded its new base. His gesture was only gradually accepted by his tribe members, and he has had to defend it many times. His own tribe wanted quick results. He swiftly led us up the mountain above.
The ‘For Tomorrow’ tribe are key partners for YWAM Labone and their name has made a big impression on me. Here, systemic poverty forces the vast majority, who live at subsistence level, to focus on today’s needs -a “For Today’’ tribe mentality, despite dwindling reserves. Personal needs of adults are often met at the expense of their children’s - tomorrow’s adults.

YWAM Labone staff want to partner for long-term solutions to deep issues. I’m realising even more now that a “For Tomorrow” Tribe way of thinking is vital amongst deaf and hearing educators, community and political leaders with vested interests wherever we live. I have also felt challenged to have even more of a tomorrow tribe mentality.

If I as a guest here in Arua, take today what is meant for tomorrow I steal my future. I have to keep seeking sustainable choices in our diet , fuels & plans. Scripture reminds me of the living God’s invitation for us to go further and join His ‘For eternity’ tribe– a tribe who wants to be transformed and to be life transformers, by His Word & Spirit. Ad

Titus 1v 1-2 
Greetings from Paul, 
a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. 


I was sent to help God’s chosen people have faith 
and understand the truth that produces a life of devotion to God. 


This faith and knowledge make us sure that we have eternal life. God promised that life to us before time began
—and God does not lie.

Signs & Wonders – Claudine & Boniface

Helen: Panic stricken Boniface left home three days before his wife, Claudine, experienced the traumatic birth of their son Isaac. The next day her father in law, Benjamin (centre picture) received a call saying “he’s relapsed, you’ll find him in a ditch on the Congo border.” Before leaving, Benjamin pleaded with the hospital to take his son in - again!

Katie and I visited the baby first. He was perfect and mum was doing fine after her ‘section’. Mother in law Benedicta, was so proud and we took photos of the three generations nestled together perched on the bed. Then the trauma…

Benedicta led us to a nearby small room where her son lay, with Benjamin caring, in cramped conditions. Boniface slipped in and out of consciousness as he panted for air. The battering was evident across the whole of his body.

Katie felt called to pray aloud and I was most grateful. She described a picture of Jesus carrying Boniface and as she did so I felt he had two stark choices; to accept Godly guidance in his life or die.
Boniface is still in a critical condition. His parents are YWAM staff who have supported their son over three years of drug addiction. They have sought help for their only son and continue to support both him and his wife. Our heart goes out to them.

News from the family:

Jerome(dictated to dad): 
Hi everyone. I’m really glad I’ve finally passed my driving test because it opens up more paid and varied farming work opportunities for me. I’m really looking forward to warmer weather because working for long spells in cold temperatures has gone on for too long now! I’ve lambed quite a few sheep on my own now. It’s quite messy and often a tight squeeze the ewe often needs help with to deliver the new-born lamb. I’m glad to assist.

Laurence: 
Hello. Firstly, the rabbits are breeding better now, with two out of three successful litters this month. This is because we have let them burrow naturally in their two new enclosures. Dad’s friend Hamid gave us a pair of special breed rabbits this week.

We have a made a deaf-hearing football team with kids from the base and Eruba primary, and have registered for some tournaments. We are not very good but we are trying to learn to stay in our positions.
Maria & Jerome come this w/e which should be good.

Maria: 
Seems incredible how fast the term is passing by! My exams went fine. I've already been given new essays to write! One of my modules this semester has been about Comparative Politics (looking at different forms of government etc around the world). I've found that more interesting then previous ones. I've recently started a new job which involves market research and its definitely been pushing me out of my comfort zone!

Next weekend will be my birthday and so the various parties along with a visit from my boyfriend should make it a fantastic week :) Looking forward to my Boat Club rowing camp and my Uganda visit in Easter. it'll be nice to get away, even if it is to see the rest of the family :P x

Dec.2011/Jan.2012 Mission Update

As you learn more about Christ,  your nature will become more like him. 

 When people are part of Christ, there is no difference between … …Greek people and Jews… …people who are circumcised or not.      

 … people from various societies. ...between slaves and free people. 

Christ is the most important person. 

And Christ is in all Christians.’

Colossians 3:10b-12 , Easy English Bible

    Helen: Happy New Year to you. We've done a lot of ministry this Christmas but it has been lovely for the most part. We are blessed to be a blessing and I hope we are being. Time now for reconnecting with our wonderful friends back home.

    We received 10 Christmas Cards.  Thank you for these, they were a huge encouragement. Your prayers, texts and emails also encourage us enormously. Please forgive us failing to reply promptly if at all. We’ll do our best. Lots of love and blessings to you all too.

    Adam: Visiting Maria and Jerome briefly was really special  and reassuring. Each hosted me for a night and we enjoyed a couple of  meals out together as well as sorting out some planning issues, such as flights for them to visit us in April. It was lovely to briefly catch up with many family and friends. Thanks to all of you who helped in us all your unique ways. 

In This Update

Eruba Primary/All Saints Infants cultural exchange.

Encouraging Arua’s Deaf/Hearing Leaders to plan jointly

Equipping ourselves with more Ugandan sign vocabulary

Equipping bi-lingual teachers of deaf/hearing with IT skills.

Families celebrate their deaf son/daughters’ achievements

Adam in the Refiner’s fire:  The plumb line

Helen’s Signs and Wonders: Surprises.

News from the family 

Eruba Primary/All Saints Infants children try each others everyday food/toys/messages and stories.

Adam: During my brief visit to England in November I re-visited all Saints Infants School in our home town to bring them some examples of home-made African toys and musical instruments. I also showed photos of the deaf and hearing children at Eruba primary school tasting English-style food and happily looking at the story books, pictures, stationary and messages Helen had brought from All Saints children in September. All Saints Infant school have asked me to take a copy of their latest class story book and show the actions they make as they read it..

Encouraging Arua’s potential lead deaf and hearing interdependency advocates to plan jointly …

… began in December. We invited them  to share their visions, plans and expectations of each other. We shared our own too and this is clarifying more sharply where there is common vision, and therefore what teamwork is really possible. Progress is not easy for a number of reasons. However, we will persevere. We believe these meetings will provide a broader perspective for us all on current opportunities, issues, and solutions. Adam

Equipping bi-lingual teachers of deaf/hearing with IT skills.

Ad: Four local hearing and deaf teachers of the deaf (ToDs) a youth leader and a social inclusion volunteer attended the IT training we coordinated recently. They were ably support-ed by the four deaf we trained in IT last year.

    Here Ayub, in the foreground was demon-strates how he is producing some football signs worksheets. Hearing ToD Margaret, next to him, then asked if he could help her reproduce similar resources for netball.    These are now well underway.

     Such partnerships are so exciting to watch and are paving the way for some sports interdependency sensitization events we hope to support later this year.

Equipping our-selves with more Ugandan sign vocabulary.

Helen: In early December Adam and I spent three days learning from experienced Ugandan National Deaf Association (UNAD) sign-language instructor Moses. He would like us to train him how to co-develop illustrated sign-language resources this year too.

Five more families celebrate their deaf son/daughters’ vocational training achievements in building and driving …

… and would like to join us in recording our appreciation to all our partners including vocational training centre partner West Nile Ecumenical VTC for their continuing willingness to train deaf alongside their hearing students. 

We are working together to improve this opportunity even more next February by providing further communication support for all students and staff. We hope to offer new deaf students access to carpentry too. Access to the driving course will not be available because we cannot sustain the current additional costs  needed to test deaf student drivers. 

Helen’s Signs & Wonders - Surprises

Ruth (left), the deaf lady who was baptised last year and Aliisha (centre), the deaf Muslim lady who is so committed to attending church, came to our Sun Run on 27th. Unfortunately they arrived after the event. Ruth had walked all the way from by the airfield and probably set off at 7.00am - the same time we started the fun run! 

When she arrived on foot at 9.00am she was in time for the ‘bring and share breakfast.’ We enjoyed a laugh together.

Exemplary time management by the deaf for our Kings Kids planning meeting was encouraging; however I had a challenge because the interpreter was late! Eventually she and more hearing turned up and we had useful deaf awareness training followed by planning. We hope to have a total of 40 mixed deaf and hearing for our Kings Kids week commencing 16th Jan. 

Our friend, Walter, also a  UK YWAMer who is deaf in one ear is coming to join us on staff so we look forward to that.

Christmas Day we had a surprise visit from Ivan. He   cycled 10km on an oversized bike with bare feet in order to greet us and thank us for supporting him through Eruba Deaf Unit. Ivan came to the Kings Kids programme last year and as a result of seeing his enthusiasm to learn we spoke to his mother and Pastor and agreed a financial partnership to get him into deaf school. He is doing well. It was a blessing to see him and to share some time together. The kids on the base were so friendly to him which reflects the increasingly warm welcome that the YWAM base gives to deaf visitors. H. 

Adam In the Refiner’s Fire: The plumb line

Our YWAM Arua base theme for 2012 is “raise  the standard”. We really want to model this as people,  and across our programmes with our local partners. For me this means focussing on quality not quantity.

   Consequently we expect to run fewer programmes, but all of  which are underpinned by  written agree-ments. We have drawn these up to clarify and agree expectations since false assumptions can easily arise in cross-cultural team-work.

9 “Zerubbabel will lay the foundations for my Temple, and he will finish building it. Then you will know that the LORD All-Powerful sent me to you people. 10 People will not be ashamed of the small beginnings, and they will be very happy when they see Zerubbabel with the plumb line, [a] measuring and checking the finished building. Zechariah 4:9-11 (ERV)

News from the family:

Maria:  A lot has been going on this semester at Uni. As part of the Boat Club (rowing) I competed in the Northern Universities Indoor Championships and was pleased to come 2/22 in the Lightweight category and 13/69 in Heavyweight. 

   I've continued training with the Athletics club and am preparing for the BUCS Cross Country race in February. My work at a local pub is going well and it's safe to say I can pull a decent pint! 

   Over Christmas I'm travelling a lot and so hope to see many of you, apologies to those I can't! In January I'm Skiing in Avoriaz with Uni. so am most definitely looking forward to that! (well bar the 23 hr coach trip! :P) Wishing you all Merry christmas and happy new year!!!   

Jerome: Happy Christmas! I've just finished my first term at college and I'm really enjoying it. I've made plenty of friends and established a few farming contacts!

    I'm traveling around this Christmas and its nice to have a break.

    I will be lambing just after new year so that should be exciting.  

Laurence:  Hi. I've been playing football every evening on the base with some kids, its usually good fun.

    We have been thinking more about the wind turbine, which we are going to use a bike wheel for. Unfortunately yesterday my friends left for America basically until I go back to England which is annoying. Some of the kids on the base are also moving to Kitgum, 8hrs travel away, because their parents are helping to start a new base from Labone, S. Sudan. Dad went there last year.

  It’s only the mid week 10.45 EAT arsenal matches I can’t watch (unless it’s a very big game)and we are doing well. The arsenal- wolves game is about to start. I hope Van persie beats Alan Shearers goal scoring record and Thierry Henry is signed.

    Walter a family friend is coming to visit really soon which will be good, as is it is nice to have visitors. We’ve just had a litter of 8 rabbits. The one shown became sick and we tried to save it but it later died..