“..if..”

.. Is a word in the bible I’ve often overlooked. But Boram (left), our fellow student , kept wearing an ‘if’ t-shirt that tuned me in to seeing ’if’  in scripture. The word  ‘if’ now reminds me of God’s profound gift of free-will. 

For much of my youth I would prefer to be told what to do rather make  to my own decisions.  I feared making the wrong choice. I was torn between my strong desire to please YHWH (the Lord) and doubting if His spirit’s nudges were better than my fickle desires.
   
The book of Job has  shown me afresh that YHWH longs for us to recognise and imitate His unconditional love. In the book of Job YHWH blesses and gives free-will to all, including his accusers. Yet YHWH satisfies His merciful & just nature at his own expense. I can demand justice of others but  if others/my Maker  demand the same justice of me, e.g. time management…
   
Job has shown me that the Lord  entrusts us  IF we actively trust Him ,his  commands, promises as Job did, regardless of his circumstances. This led to Job’s and YHWH’s ultimate vindication before their accusers. Four simultaneous trials in one book. A literary masterpiece. Adam

In the Refiner’s Fire– Water for Life

 

Adam: Water for Life was a YWAM team from Hawaii that came to train staff and local plumbers and community development workers in simple, cheaper and more effective ways to harness store and clean rain-water.  They helped Deaf Connections repair a bore hole used by a deaf and hearing community. We have also written a proposal to help that community transform the time they queue for water to more productive purposes, e.g. increased parent-child bonding/farming

We toured the local water treatment works to see the untreated river water, (right), that they make drinkable and distribute.  I saw strong similarities between the processes and partnership needed to achieve this and the processes (way, truth and lifestyle) I believe Jesus asks me to enact in my life  to experience his ‘living water’ that will make me a purer channel of his peace. cleansing and strengthen my ‘love’ for God & others. 

Signs & Wonders – White Rhinos

 Adam: Its hard to pick out particular memorable moments over the past three months because their have been so many. YWAM Arua marked its ten year anniversary with a large gathering of people who have been a part of its development over the past decade. 

A slide presentation charted the development of the staff community, the base and its ministries. And it all materialised from nothing from several verses and pictures a small team of YWAM staff felt God impress upon them back in 2001. 

Thank you John & Vikki, Sharon, Sam and Agnes. When we met Sam & Agnes in Uganda for the first time in 2007, Helen and I felt God was calling us to be a ’bridge of healing’, between the mostly separate worlds of W Nile’s deaf and hearing.

         Related, obliquely perhaps, is the plight of mankind’s relationship with the white rhino, mistakenly described by a colour rather than correctly by the fact that it has a wider mouth than its cousin the black rhino. Both animals are in fact grey! 

The word ‘wide’ was mistaken as ‘white’ by a prominent public figure and has been used ever since! I and Austin’s team recently visited Uganda’s White Rhino Sanctuary on our way back to Entebbe. The Sanctuary,  is midway through a twenty year plus project to breed them for gradual re-integration into parts of Uganda where they hope they will flourish. 

For me, there seemed to be some interesting parallels between the Rhino Sanctuary’s re-integration work and ours. In both cases ignorance been a major cause, but the near extinct ‘animal’ in our case has been interdependence. 

Our breeding program therefore is to co-create communication and D/H sensitisation tools that foster opportunities where D/H are happy to live, learn and earn serve together.

In the Refiner’s Fire: Looking back on our outreach in Kitgum

On out team’s arrival in Kitgum we shared and agreed expectations for living in our host’s house. Each morning team members explained what they had discovered from meditating on their given Proverbs verse with the team . The verses pin-pointed +ve and –ve attitudes we have seen in our own life experience. We started to see benefits of changing our attitudes to each other or to the wider community were they were unhealthy

     Highlights of the whole Kitgum outreach occurred in the final week. Our team organised two well-organised and well-attended seminars with delegates from five local denominations, the special needs primary school and a secondary school too. One seminar was on marriage enrichment and the other was on bringing the bible alive through drama. We are grateful to the Refugee Law project who offered their well-equipped venues. I was also very moved on seeing a deaf youth’s hearing family happily allow their deaf son and I to teach them sign language together in their home. Afterwards, several of us produce a wall display, above right, to help the family practice.

     Then, several days later, our team hosted  a farewell party that was attended by 55 local partners we served alongside. Many paid tribute to the unity and interdenominational nature of our team and its wide range of skills.      Some of the students were surprised to hear such tribute, having found it difficult to volunteer in a strange town in activities they’d never done before.

     I was really encouraged to receive our local partners’ appreciation for two reasons. Firstly, because it took the team two weeks to transition from Labone and the different leadership team and style they had had there. Secondly, because it had initially been uphill struggle to encourage many team members to adapt to serve the needs Kitgum presented them with. It was far more developed than Labone & YWAM has not been there before.

       For me our individual growth has been more apparent as I look back, typified by greater appreciation of other cultures, ages, denominations, communication styles, effective teamwork and conflict resolution -  amongst  staff as well as amongst students. Areas for growth in these areas are also clearer. Future partnership is emerging

Thank you Lord, YWAM Arua Leadership, staff and students and Kitgum partners. Reign in us, precious Lord.. Ad

In the Refiner's Fire:......Only a Shadow.......

…  I recently asked fellow staff and their children to pair up and trace the outline of the shadow cast by the side profile of each other’s head. The idea that evolved amongst Some of these pairs then asked if the rest of their family could also included so that a display could be made. It then struck me that if these side profiles were created for each YWAM Arua staff’s family, they could make an attractive, low cost visual introduction for visitors entering the base dining hall.

   The finished displays, developed by the ladies above, are much appreciated by the base’s many visitors and most staff. But a few staff members were initially disappointed because 1. the drawer was either not attentive or not gifted enough, or, 2. the model too fidgetty, or  c. because the person was shocked to see what their side profile was really like.   

   As I thought about these reactions & references to shadows in scripture I felt God remind me again that...

1.… my study of his character determines the accuracy with which I present him to others.

2.… in the same way shadows mark time as they move, God numbers my days.

3.… in the same way shadows can only shield me from the sun’s glaring heat if stay within them, God can only protect me to the extent that I live under the guidelines he’s provided for my health, relationships and growth spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally and socially.

4.… if God is likened to an agile eagle whose wings its young need to stay under, then likewise I believe I

need to grasp and move with the panoramic vision and plans God longs for all his creation to embrace.

. Psalm 36:7
How priceless your faithful love is!

Important and ordinary people alike find safety in the shadow of your wings    

In the Refiner’s Fire: Ang Tulay…

… is a Philaippino phrase that means “the bridge”. It is an emotional healing program that was originally developed for traumatised children/youth in the Philippines to help them  journey from their pain towards healing. YWAM Uganda leaders were so impressed that they asked  Its founders, a ministry called Precious Jewels to come and teach their YWAM staff about it. So, in the month of April, an Ang Tulay, came to Arua to run this program for staff and students. Because Adam and Helen had to prepare Laurence for his exams I, Katie, went to the week-long session in their place.

   
Each day was a new subject that unwrapped the dark, hidden, and hurting parts of our hearts to bring healing through Jesus Christ. We worked through our problems with various activities, talking in small groups, and prayer.  I realized that I had more grief, sadness, and pain in my life then I was aware of.  It has pushed me to seek deeper healing in my Saviour.  The purpose of my going was to gain more knowledge of how to mentor youth that are deaf because many of them are often rejected the community and their families. There were many lives that were immensely touched that week and will continue to be touched through the program of Ang Tulay.               Katie

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.