Posts Tagged: compassion

Uncategorized — 2 Comments
20
Jan 08

Leaving Cairo, through Sinai, Into Jordan & Israel

Off of the busy streets in Cairo, it felt like I was stepping into a different world, a ghost town of sorts. The City of the Dead is a large portion of the city around the Citadel in the middle of Cairo that serves as a large cemetery for Cairo. Tombs are all around, but there is also a large number of people that live in the City of the Dead. Then, we kissed Cairo goodbye for a few weeks while we traveled through some more of the Middle East.

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[A Small Section of City of the Dead with Citadel in the background]

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[Tombstone]

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[Overgrown Tomb]

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[unlocked doors]

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[Shaping stones to rebuild an old mosque in City of the Dead]

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[Young People are still Young People doing Young People things]

Driving through the deserts of Egypt and Sinai, I was overwhelmed by the beauty. I have always had this fascination with the desert, almost as if there is something in me that longs for it. Rugged and beauty, unreservedly rich with earth and sky is basic to understanding makes sense to my mind. My soul wishes for my flesh to be the same; empty of my life so that God can breathe true everlasting life into the wasteland I was born as. I wand to be void, a vast open plain God can send the water of life through and plant lush green pastures. With the emptiness of me comes openness for Him, the Creator and Sustainer.

We crossed under the Red Sea and made our way to the eastern portion of the peninsula to Dahab – diving capital of the Gulf of Aqaba. We used it as a base from which to travel to Mt. Sinai (or at least where they think Mt. Sinai is) and the Bedouin camping trip.

As a school, we have been searching for injustices, hardly noticing that they are everywhere around us. The Bedouin’s have been taken advantage of for centuries by everyone. The Egyptian Government barely recognizes their existence, withholding education for their children and further social betterment for their futures. Their grazing land once extended from the Southern tip of the Sinai all the way up past the Dead Sea. Now, the remnant of Bedouin’s left are restricted to pockets of deserts and instead of being a great presence are now limited to the tourism industry. Most of the Bedouin’s that I have spoken with have been working in the industry since before they were 10, never attending school but learning broken English from all of the tourists. Musa, the guide for our hike up Sinai, has hiked up the mountain every day for 20 years, sometimes even twice a day to ensure provision for himself and his family. A 23 year-old Bedouin, Jamaa (in English means Friday), our guide for the overnight in the desert had been working in tourism since he was 7. He has no voice for his people in the government because there are no ears to hear him. There isn’t anyone to understand that he wants a better future for his family, his children, and himself as well.

It may seem a bit silly to us as a Western Culture, but Camel racing is huge in the Near East, especially in Saudi Arabia, the epicenter of Arab Culture. The Bedouins in the Sinai and up through the mid-east are traditionally nomads and have been using camels for traveling and lively-hood for generations. They still stick to this tradition, oftentimes boys will raise a camel with them throughout their childhood into the adult years. They are small and light, perfect for the races in the Saudi Peninsula. Because of this, they are oftentimes sold or stolen for a short-lived career in the racing business. On these long distance races, most of the children (from 4-10 years old) are trampled under the camel’s feet unable to meet the exhaustive demands of the race. This is something not confined to the Sinai Bedouins, but in Jordan, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, and Afghanistan; even as far as countries like Bangladesh. The as of July 2007, The UN doesn’t have a comprehensive report of the injustices done to these children and other trafficked children across these regions. Read a report from the Pakistan Times on this issue and all of the UN articles broken HERE. (http://www NULL.pak-times NULL.com/2007/07/01/camel-jockey-innocent-victims/)

Does this break the heart of anyone? Would anyone be willing to dedicate their lives to see this type of treatment of the innocent end? Maybe you are the one God wants to use.

This isn’t about a global movement, but an internal one that stretches across the face of the earth; the internal movement towards the perfect love of Christ. A move spawned from a revelation of the heart of the Father – His love for them – and His love for the world. A love that sacrificed His Godhood coming to earth to be nailed to a cross for us to say, ‘I love You’. Once that love is laid hold of, the amount of love would flood the cities of Denver, Santa Barbara, NYC, London, Addis, Cairo, Dubai, Beijing, Tokyo, and Sydney. Love would lay siege and take captives; captives bound to Christ – lives changed forever by the realization of Grace. He came for you, He came for me, and that is enough for me and all of us to give everything, every breath, to that love; a
love that I cannot fathom the depths of. Love took my life and it died to take yours as well.

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[Looking North from Jebel Musa (traditionally Mt. Sinai)]
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[Musa, A Bedouin Guide on the Mountain that bears his name]

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[We had to get off of the camels to get down the slope... Oasis we slept at seen in the distance]

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[On the way to Close Canyon]

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[Near the Entrance to Close Canyon]

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[Making Tea before Dinner]

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[Near the campsite]

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[White Canyon]

Next we headed by ferry to Aqaba, Jordan then further by bus to Wadi Musa, the city at the mouth of an ancient wonder of the world, Petra. Driving from Aqaba to Petra was reminiscent of the drive between my hometown of Denver and Santa Barbara during my Westmont days. The moon illuminated the coarse crags of the desert landscape; stars blinking at me, distracting from the monotony of the road in front of me. Clusters of stars on the horizon turn into streetlights from small towns or fruit vendors open late in the summer air.

I see Moses leading 3 million people through this type of terrain. At the night the temperature drops below zero, but during the day, the sun beats down relentlessly through cloudless skies. I might have slept where they did next to a freshwater oasis. The Bedouin’s graze their heard of goats and the occasional camel there now; sometimes entertaining the intermittent tourist looking for the “realistic Bedouin experience”. What a harsh environment to wander in for 40 years. I could spend more time there, I think (but maybe not 40 years… who knows). I enjoyed every moment of it. It is amazing for me to experience.

Walking through the canyons and caves of Petra was amazing, so rich in color and history. We also went to Mt. Nebo where Moses gazed out over the Promised Land, and where the Lord called him home as recorded in Deuteronomy. From the summit of the small mountain we could see the northern tip of the Dead Sea, into Palestine, and if the haze would have cleared, into Israel as well.

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[Sunset on the Ferry from Dahab, Egypt to Aqaba, Jordan]

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[We had quite the cloud show]

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[Part of the Aqueduct through the canyons of Petra]

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[Treasury, Petra]

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[Treasury, Petra]

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[Mt. Nebo, looking over the Jordan Valley]

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[Monument of the Snake on Mt. Nebo]

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[One of the Police walking through the canyons of Petra]

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[Monastary, Petra]

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[Monastary, Petra]

We arrived in Jerusalem late Saturday night. When we awoke Sunday morning, we discovered that the Damascus Gate to the Old City is 100 meters to the left of our doorstep. I can’t say much about the current situation here because I don’t know much about it. I have my ideas and analogies, but I don’t want to say a whole lot while I am still out of the “know” zone. Walking through the old city, I could feel the tension in my chest; two people groups, one divided in their own land – families spread over a tall concrete and iron wall, and another fighting to protect the boundaries declared 4000 years prior. The youth are caught in the middle, some following the example of violence set before them some craving coexistence and peace for an enmity older than both of their presences in this small strip of land.

More pictures of this land to follow.

Thank you for reading and I hope that your days are blessed.

In Christ,
John Paul

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28
Dec 07

From Bulgaria with Pictures and Love

[Standing in front of my Bulgarian home]

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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I have written on Human Trafficking in the past, but now, I will make it possible for you to do something about it. A good friend of mine helped with a benefit recently called LOVE 146 (http://www NULL.love146 NULL.org/). Please visit the Website. I guarantee that you will feel something after reading the girl’s story. Trafficking is not far off. Even here around the neighborhoods that I am living in, people are being sold and stolen and taken to other countries to be used as Sex Objects. Read about the projects that LOVE 146 is undertaking, including the one to encourage CRAIGS LIST to take off the ‘Erotic’ tab from the ‘Services’ section of its website. Oftentimes, people offering these kind of services use trafficked people to make them money. I encourage you. Take part in this, it is so close to God’s heart for the broken and oppressed.

Snow, sub-zero, temperatures, and an extension of our family met Tim, Aaron, and I in Bulgaria where we would spend Christmas. Krassimere, Basim (Victor), and Mamma Mitchka have been so great to us here. We are never hungry, always full, and always warm.
We have traveled around to some different villages around Pazardhik, Bulgaria and have spent time here as well, visiting families, friends, and churches. I don’t think that I could have asked for a better Christmas. We leave here in a couple of days, and it will definitely be a sad departure.

[Victor]

[Krassie and Family (Krassie is between Aaron and I)]

[The boys with Mamma Mitchka]

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[Speaking in a Roma Church]

[Praying for the sick (Victor's Cousin)]

[The three of us singing Silent Night on Christmas]

Tim and I went to a mountain village called Borovets today and actually got to do some snowboarding. We are both into snowboarding back in the States, so it has been something that we have missed. Last year we didn’t have a chance to go because we were doing a DTS and heading to Africa for Christmas. It was such a fun day and so beautiful as well. Most of the day was spent above tree-line in full view of Musala, the tallest peak in Bulgaria (about 10,000 ft). The pictures included are from a camera phone (which I am so grateful for, since I didn’t have to bring my big one)

[The high lifts at Borovets]


[That's the flag of Bulgaria]

Before we went to Bulgaria, we, and Carla as well, spent a few days in Istanbul, Turkey to take in the sights. The Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque were incredible, we spent the entire afternoon in the Hagia taking pictures. I would recommend anyone to visit if you can. The museum (no longer a church or mosque) has some beautiful mosaic work from Byzantine times as well as Arabic Style art.

[Interior of Hagia Sophia... much better than the outside]

[Chandelier]

[The paint from the Muslim era has been scraping off, revealing magnificent mosaics of Byzantine Christianity]

[The Blue Mosque at night reflected in a pond]

[Blue Mosque, sideview]

[Blue Mosque]

[Istanbul. i love this picture]

[Istanbul again]

Over the past couple of weeks, I have had some time to reflect on this last year. At this time in 2006 I was just arriving in Ethiopia. My life had recently changed and I had finally accepted God’s plan for my life. Ethiopia was just the beginning. Most of you knew me before my life was changed, and what God has done with me so far. Its hard to believe all of the people He
has put in my path, the countries He has called me too, and the projects He has enabled me to take part in. I am truly grateful to Him… It is no longer I who lives, but Christ who lives in me. Praise Him for His Amazing Grace.

I added another sidebar element called “Needs”. Please check it out and pray about what you can do; even if what you can do is committing to pray! Thank you so much for reading the blog. I am honored to be able to have the opportunity to share this with you. I pray that you are blessed by it.

In a few days, we go to Athens to fly to Cairo, pray for traveling mercies as well as protection, favor, and divine appointments when we are there!

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15
Jul 07

Not Alone Denver

It has been about a month since the last update, so I thought that I would write a blog entry and fill everyone in on what has been happening and what will hopefully happen in the near future.

The last 2 months have been pretty crazy, even though I have only been in the States for a little over a month now. When I first got the vision for this show, I really had no idea how involved it would be until I got back home. There was money to raise for the trip, venues to book, sponsors to find, prints to make, details to tie up, and finally, the event to put on. God has really paved the way for these shows to go through, first of all, blessing me with Cierra, a friend from DTS. She has really been the influencer behind the event, all I really did was print out some pictures. He has also given us favor with countless individuals and companies. If I were to list all of the amazing things that he has done, you probably would stop reading because the text would go on for pages.

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So, on Thursday the 12th, the first show of the Not Alone Benefit Photography Tour kicked off in Downtown Denver at JC’s Ground. I would say probably 150 people showed to support the orphans in Africa. Family and friends came, but I would say that I probably didn’t know the majority of the people that were there. There was even a young man from Zimbabwe that has been living in Denver for a short time. I won’t tell the amount that was raised, because I want to save it for the end of the tour, but it was so encouraging. I really didn’t expect what happened, with the amount of people and money that was given. It was great to see people moved by the social and physical damage that is going on in Africa. To Him be all glory!

Thank you as well to all of you who helped make the Benefit a reality!

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(http://i14 NULL.photobucket NULL.com/albums/a311/johnkwali/blog3 NULL.jpg)[All photos courtesy of Matt Loevenguth]

I leave tomorrow for the next leg of the trip, which will be Chicago and Toronto. I still don’t know what to expect from these places, but I know that people need to see what is happening and get involved in some way. Please pray that people’s hearts will be open to see these children as God sees them. You can also check the Benefit’s website for more information…

Not Alone Benefit Photography Tour (http://www NULL.matt28 NULL.com/notalone)

I have also been accepted to another school from YWAM that I have mentioned in previous posts. It’s called PhotogenX Around the World, and it starts this September in South Africa. From South Africa a team of us will travel to Egypt, Sinai, Israel, Ethiopia, Spain, Morocco, the Netherlands, and Costa Rica before going to Kona, HI for more training. The whole program is 17 months long with only short breaks for Christmas and New Years. The focus of the school will be on social justice in the areas visited, how to capture and record injustice to portray an accurate display for the rest of the world, learn about the different cultures that we are immersed in, and to learn more about the Word of God. The program comes with an Associates of Arts in photography too, which isn’t a bad deal, and a portfolio from across the globe, which is amazing.

I have been particular about not asking for support on the blog, and there is a reason for it. I want to make sure that I am providing insight and information with no strings attached. The blog isn’t a gimmick for raising financial support for myself and I would like to keep it that way. So, if you are interested in the next program that I will be involved in and how you can help, please contact me (at the email address on the side) and we can discuss further. If you aren’t, then there is no pressure, I still need as much prayer as I can get!

I will continue to update the blog on my future travels so stay tuned!

God Bless!
Servant of Christ
John Paul

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1
Jun 07

The Chapter is Over… The Next is Beginning!

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[Flyer for the Denver Show!!!]

It has been two+ weeks since the last blog update, and less than a week since I have been home. I wanted to be sure that told everyone about the conference the last week in Uganda and some of my experience in being back home in the Western World.

A quick update from St. America’s before I continue. Someone, who will remain anonymous, has agreed to pay 1500 US Dollars for the children at the orphanage to get bunk beds! This is such an answer to prayer because previously they had all been sleeping on thin straw mats on the floor, practically and literally on top of each other. God is so good, and it is such an honor to be a part of it! Mark visited one last time before he came back to the states and discovered that they had named the three houses after him (Mark Weaver), Alex, and I. My eyes welled up with tears after I heard the news.
Their international account is also set up, which is a huge blessing from God. We are using a YWAM account set up by John Bills to enable people to get tax-deductable receipts. If you want to donate, make checks payable to YWAM (or Youth with a Mission) and don’t make any indications of St. Amerias on the check. Put a note that says, “African Orphans Fund, St. Ameria’s Orphanage” on it, and send the envelope to
YWAM Los Angeles
11141 Osborne Street
Lake View Terrave, CA 91342

The conference was powerful to say the least. Some of the days were spent without power, some were spent without water, but the fellowship evident among the attendees was powerful. Even people with no background in HIV/AIDS work came to the conference to get a better understanding. They left with so much more; a deep understanding of the daunting task, and even a deeper appreciation for those who have been involved with this fight for so long.

One of the most powerful sessions was the day the First Lady of Uganda spoke, although it wasn’t her speech that was so necessarily powerful. After all the Ugandan dignitaries and officers had gone, we were left without power yet again, but this time was different. It was a Wednesday night and on the schedule was a memorial for those who had lost their lives to HIV related illness that had been a part of YWAM. Attendees were asked to bring a ribbon, a foot in length, to the conference for this memorial service. We tied the ribbons together to get an idea of how HIV was affecting the YWAM community. This helped all of us realize the importance of HIV/AIDS work in all of the world. Staring at the countless strands of ribbon, many couldn’t handle the emotions of remembering those that they had lost. Some had been small babies and children, some had been friends and mentors of many years. I am not sure there was a dry eye in the entire place. We are all affected.

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The week finished off great! Everyone I talked to said that it was one of the best conferences that they had been to despite the power and water outages. It wasn’t anything that the preparation team did though, it was all about God bringing together people who have a passion for the same thing, seeing Gods heart in this world. It was encouraging for them to be there and see that they really aren’t alone in this fight. Please don’t let this blog be the end of your experience with HIV/AIDS. Take measures to educate yourself and those around you to what is going on in the world. Investigate different areas where you can be personally involved in this mission that is so close to God’s heart.

As for me? This may be the last blog update for a while. It has been a great journey is sharing my thoughts and experiences with you, and a great blessing to receive the encouragement and prayers that we did from you.
I am already over my head in work trying to set up these Benefit Photography Galleries across the States. Please continue to pray that I will get everything done that is on my heart and that God will provide for the overwhelming expense that it is going to be. I really know that God wants to do a lot for these different ministries that will benefit. If you would like to be involved in anyway, please let me know!
The set-up for the benefit has changed slightly. Instead of dealing with percentages of donations and all of that, there will be different tables set up highlighting the different ministries. People will be able to write checks and give cash to the ministries of their choice. My images will be available to be purchased and donations will be accepted for me and the needs of the Tour as well.
The benefit tour will be called “Not Alone” and will be in the following cities on the following dates.

Denver, Colorado: July 12th
Chicago, Illinois: July 19th and 20th (20th Lord Willing!)
Toronto, Ontario Canada: July 21st
Ellensburg, Washington: July 31st
Seattle Washington: August 3rd
Santa Barbara, California: August 22nd and 25th
Visalia, California: September 1st

There are also bookmarks with one of my pictures available from Halfway There Water Project. Click on the bookmark to go to the site where they are all available!

Go to the Bookmark Section

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

(http://halfwaythere NULL.org/en/resources NULL.html)

Okay, so that is it from me, at least for now. I would just like to encourage you all to look into the issues that are going on all over the world. There is more to life than meets the eye, especially in the Western World. It is part of our responsibility to take action, changing our world even if it means one person at a time. This can mean supporting someone who is in missions, getting involved in community based ministry, or getting out there into the world yourself! I guarantee that you will find unparalleled fulfillment in it.

Please continue to pray for me and for the rest of the team as they readjust to the places that they left 9 months ago. Its not as easy as it seems for us. The difference between these two worlds is staggering. Continue to provide feedback as well; I would love to hear your thoughts!

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Take care, and God Bless
A servant of Christ,
John Paul

Uncategorized — 5 Comments
6
May 07

May 6th, Uganda… Take a Minute

5-6-07

With only a few weeks left until the conference, we are in need of much prayer. It’s crunch time and there is so much to do here. Another person has left the team. Gina left Wednesday to spend some time at home. We will miss her, but now are even more focused than ever. We are down to a solid crew who are very hard-working. The Frontier Missions group from Tonga have also been such a vital part of our team. The common room is in its final stages of remodeling and the grounds are looking good. There is even a ping-pong table (a board with a net) in the common room now which “Pila Ping-Pong” is usually dominating.

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Jessie’s parents arrived in Uganda this week to spend some time with us. Her Aunt, Kim, who was also staff on our DTS came as well. It was so good to see Kim again and to meet a part of Jessie’s family. They didn’t come empty handed either. They gave us some much needed relief in the form of food and games. They also brought some much needed tools that will benefit the conference preparations greatly. It will also be a big blessing for the base after we leave too. They have been such a blessing to me and the whole team. Jessie’s father, Robin, is a pastor (and a member of the SWAT team) in the city where Jessie is from. His church surprised him by sending him and his wife all the way out here to be a blessing to us. Not only did they buy the plane tickets, but they provided all the money for the tools, food, and even electric/gas powered grass-cutters. It will reduce our slashing time and effort to a great extent.

[I will include a picture of Jessie's parents and Kim in next week's update]

Personally, it hasn’t been the greatest week for me. I have spent a lot of time looking at past journals to see where I have come from. That is the whole purpose of journaling, but I didn’t realize what the effect was. When we look at where we have come, we are left guessing where we are going. I had some choices to make inside myself of who I am and who I am becoming. I feel like I have been called to be a missionary; which is great, but it comes with some consequences. A few examples: time with my family and friends, financial burdens, potential health hazards, and bodily harm; even death. Am I willing to evaluate the risk and follow what I believe that I am supposed to do? The more I thought about it, the more I realized that this type of life is the way that all Christians are supposed to live. Not that everyone is supposed to be a missionary in foreign countries, but we are all supposed to be missionaries in our world. The cost of discipleship is not a topic that is covered in many churches, but it is one that should be looked at regardless. Being a Christian shouldn’t be easy; we are called to give out entire lives to Christ. Its not like we are just inviting him in to be a friend, we are inviting him to be in control of our lives, it is the basics of salvation. Making Jesus Lord comes with all the costs that I mentioned before and even more. I know that it should be an easy decision, but to be honest, it’s not that easy. When I have the choice of saying yes and giving all of those things up or living a comfortable life with a comfortable job, not having to worry about my very life, I get caught up thinking, “what if?” But then I try to get eternal perspective, but my mind is too weak to comprehend eternity. It all comes down to faith. Faith that if I do the right thing now and surrender my life to Christ, then there is hope for the brightest future imaginable – Eternal Life.

I had a huge wake-up call and example this week. I was forwarded an email by my uncle about persecution in the modern world. The article was from Resurrection (Easter) Sunday and highlighted the death of 3 Christians in Turkey (Smyrna specifically, the first place where believers were called “Christians”). These men were not only killed, they were tortured gruesomely because they were Christians. I will not go into details here, but knowing them made me picture them in my mind to this day. Not only did I picture them, but I tried to put myself in the position of those being tortured. Am I willing to take my faith to that level? Am I willing to go through what those men went through because of a belief? I can only hope that I would be able to. I can only pray that God would draw me so close to him; that it wouldn’t even have to be a decision. That I would be so Kingdom obsessed, that I would go to the places where the light of Christ is needed the most no matter what could happen. That I would be obedient even in the face of death… or worse… torture. [Email me if you would like a copy of the article]

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One Thursday we also had a day of prayer and fasting for YWAM as a whole, but focused on the “Hot-Spots” where there is persecution going on, or where the Good News is being rejected. There is a list of countries that I could provide for you who are interested, please let me know. Some of the big ones are Brazil, Iran (the Middle East in general), and many African countries. We learned that last week in Sudan a DTS outreach team from Egypt was fired upon while driving out of a church compound. 3 people were killed (local Sudanese) and a few of the students were injured. The driver had the wit to keep driving out of danger and to a hospital. A couple of years ago, 9 people were killed in Nigeria in a bus accident. A base in Tanzania keeps promoting base leaders who die soon after they are established. Some YWAM staff in India have been suddenly getting sick and dying within minutes with no cause. There are events like this happening all over the world, but many more in these “hot-spot” areas. Please pray for determination for missionaries everywhere, and that we would not have a spirit of fear in any situation.



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[map from Release International click the map to find more info!]

The base also experienced power surges that took out some computers the internet, and my external hard drive with all of my pictures from Ethiopia and many from Uganda as well. I am praying that it only took out the power supply and that all of the information is safe on the drive itself. I thank God that my computer is still safe. But it has made my job a lot more difficult seeing as most of the work I do is over the internet. I guess until the problem is fixed, I will be making many more trips into Jinja town to use the internet. Hopefully by midweek, the internet will be fixed and we will have a better idea of how many office computers we do and do not have. Pray for patience; that all of us will keep a level head and Christ-like attitude when things aren’t working out.

Tara,
Alex, and I visited St. America’s again yesterday. It was to visit the children, but also to tell the headmasters of the orphanage that international transfers aren’t available with the type of account that they have. It was bad news to deliver, but I know that the Lord works everything out to those who love him. I trust him, but will continue to pray that the door will be open to get the home some much needed help. They are so grateful for prayers and the love that we have shown them, but we can only explain that it’s nothing we can do, but Christ through us. We are grateful for the opportunity to share our lives and what time we have with them.

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We haven’t really had any team building experiences with our new, larger team yet since things have been so busy. Last night (Saturday), we decided to have a feast with meat! The Tongans have cooking pigs down to an art, so they displayed their workmanship by roasting a pig while others made potato salad, cooked Talapia (a native fish from Lake Victoria), sweet potatoes, cassava (an edible root), and curried meat topped off with ice cream and fruit salad. I am sure that we have never eaten better on base. It was so good and the fellowship was even better. Jessie’s parents brought a few baseball gloves so a few of us played catch, while others sat around the roasting pig and talked. At the end of the night, everyone was satisfied, what a blessing. A few of us non-Tongans also tried some parts from the pig that we had never had before like the tongue, ear, nose, brain, and Tara and I partook of the eye ball as well.

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I guess that brings this blog to a close. Please continue to pray for us out here and be sure to let me know if we can pray for any of you about anything. We know from experience the power of prayer. If you want to discuss anything, please let me know, I am more than willing to engage in a conversation, even if it is over text. If I don’t get back to you right away, I will eventually.

As far as the benefit art gallery goes, I have conformation for a venue in Visalia, California. If you have any information or know any venues where I could hold the show and you live in Chicago, Seattle, Denver, Las Vegas, or Santa Barbara/Los Angeles I could definitely benefit from it. If you want any more information on the benefit art show, please contact me.

Thanks for reading and may God richly bless you!

A servant of Christ,

John Paul

Uncategorized — 3 Comments
15
Apr 07

The Week of the Slash –or- Spared in Kenya

This week has been extremely busy. We have all began to realize how much work needs to be done here at Hopeland. Since there is so much work, we decided on Monday that we would slash twice a day for the remainder of the week. Slashing is not necessarily an easy task, so the week has been pretty tiring. Most of us have blistered fingers, sore hands, and weary arms, but we did get a lot of grass cutting done. I would have taken more pictures, but either I was slashing or too exhausted to get the camera. We still had all of our other responsibilities to take care of as well, so the week was full of work. In some ways it was hard, but I really feel like we accomplished quite a bit. A few of us have become rather experienced at slashing from the whole thing as well and Tara, Alex, and I all have our own slashers.

We had a team member join us this week and we are all pretty excited about it. She is Sarah, a Nigerian girl who was doing here SBS (School of Biblical Studies) in Arusha, Tanzania. While Alex and Ruth were on outreach, they met up with Sarah and became quite close with her. Another girl named Sarah came with her, but she left this morning to begin the long trip back home to Washington State.

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[Sarah (WA), Sarah (Nigeria), and Ruth... photo compliments of Ruth]

The story of how they got here is very extreme, but God’s glory and protection can be seen through the whole thing. So they left on Wednesday night (the 11th) to get here. They ran into some visa problems getting into Tanzania, but eventually were let through on transit visas. Not long after they had passed the border, they came to a road block. One man boarded and went to the back of the bus. Then other armed men came aboard and emptied the first 4 or 5 rows of people and took them outside (including women and children). Then they proceeded to command all the money from all of the passengers. Sarah (from Washington) was one of two white people on the bus, but she quickly covered her head with a blanket so she wouldn’t be targeted. An elderly German man was sitting two rows in front of the Sarahs and was not complying with the robbers orders. The men holding up the bus walked out and their commander walked in and shot the German man twice, one in the arm and one in the chest. While he was bleeding everywhere, the men continued to shake down the bus for money and valuables. The German was still being defiant and saying things like, “look what you have done to me”, and “why are you doing this?” The Sarahs were able to hang on to their passports and a little bit of money as well. The men ended up leaving (without raping anyone, thank God) and soon the Sarahs were headed back to the Kenya/Tanzania border. They stayed there for a while answering questions. The German had been cleaned up and the bullets had gone all the way through, so he was going to be okay as well. They were there for a couple of hours and then escorted for a couple hours into Kenya. It wasn’t a restful night because there were many other roadblocks that night as well, but thankfully they were all police roadblocks. We finally saw them late Thursday night and they were thankful to be safe. God’s protection had been with them the whole time. We are so glad that they are safe as well. It’s so good that they are here, Sarah already adds a lot to the team by here presence.

Alex and I had originally planned on going to Tanzania and Kenya to speak to YWAM base leaders about the conference and to visit some of the Masai villages in Tanzania around Mt. Meru and Kilimanjaro. We knew that Sarah would be joining us as well, so we were going to bring her back here to Hopeland, Jinja. Because of some frustrating visa problems in Uganda, we were unable to go. First we were upset, but now that we know the scenario of what we would have come back through that night, we have quite a different perspective. Sometimes we don’t understand why we go through certain obstacles, but God knows and he cares… If we only knew everything that he spared us from… reminds me of 4 flat tires coming back from Bahir Dar in Ethiopia (read the blog here). We are thankful for his grace in sparing Alex and I from that situation. Who knows what would have happened. Needless to say, Alex and I won’t be going to Kenya anymore.

Another scary incident happened to me yesterday (Saturday) in Jinja. We were there getting some cash from the ATM and getting an actual breakfast from a café. On our way back to the special hire taxi, we stopped at a supermarket to get a couple snacks. I stayed outside and was watching a group of Ugandan people gathered in an intersection. I watched for a few minutes and proceeded to ask someone that had come from the scene what was going on. He told me that they were confronting a thief. I stayed on the opposite corner for a while when, all of the sudden, one of the accused took off running down the street toward me. He jolted past me evading many Ugandan men trying to tackle him. He ran out of sight, but was back about 5 minutes later in the custody of the angry mob. The crowd gathered around again when all of the sudden, a sedan screeched to the middle of the intersection and the man was forced inside. 2 other people were in custody in the back as well and the car was off in a hurry. I was taking pictures of the man being arrested, and after the attention was off what was going on in the street, a few of the bicycle taxi drivers directed their attention onto me. Alex and Jonathan were still in the supermarket so I was all alone. One of the taxi drivers proceeded to threaten my life by mock slitting his throat then pointing at me. Others did the same, so I hurried back to the supermarket to hide out. I was tense, paranoid, and anxious for the rest of the day…

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[The scene on Saturday afternoon in Jinja]

Our team hosted a base-wide fun-night on Friday, and we had a great time. Some of the games included musical chairs; limbo;
a form of rock/paper/scissors involving men, women, and gorillas; and jumping through hoops. It was a really fun night, the only casualties were a few chairs and Pila’s (one of the Tongans) shoulder being dislocated… He was fine and came back to play some more games. Everyone had a blast and it brought the base together to be more unified, which is always good in the body of Christ.

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[Ruth and Gina displaying some of their limbo talents at fun-night]

There was also a sad event that happened on the base this week. It started out great because one of the base cats had kittens on Wednesday. Many of the girls would visit them everyday and marvel at their cuteness. During fun-night on campus, many of the people were getting bitten by soldier ants on their way to the DTS classroom where the fun-night was held. The next day, Saturday, there were so many soldier ants everywhere. The base cat was also walking around meowing at everything that moved and looking for affection with everyone she came across. Rob finally discovered that an entire colony of soldier ants had found her new litter and had eaten them alive. The four kittens were covered by ants, all of them dead. They kittens hadn’t even opened their eyes yet. It was a gruesome sight to behold. I took pictures, but I will not post them here due to the unnecessary graphic nature. I wouldn’t have thought that ants could do such things, but I guess huge colonies can come through small communities and clear them out, taking down cattle and even babies if they are left behind.

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[Poor Mother Cat]

That’s about it for this weekend. Please continue praying for the team and for this conference. We are beginning to feel that the world, even the YWAM Christian world is not ready to take on God’s heart for HIV/AIDS. We believe that we should be overwhelmed with people trying to sign up and get here for this conference. I guess it’s a good indicator of the spirit of the fight against AIDS.

I am also starting to promote a ministry called Halfway There Water Project (http://halfwaythere NULL.org) based out of San Diego in the US. The ministry is raising money for drilling projects in Africa to provide clean, drinkable water to areas who have none. If you would like to support this ministry, please click on the link to the right of the page. Their website contains some staggering statistics and information about the water situation in most of Africa.

Please also be praying about the support tour that is taking shape for the summer. God Bless.

In Christ Alone,
John Paul

Uncategorized — 3 Comments
8
Apr 07

Easter Sunday in Uganda

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I hope that everyone has/had a great day remembering the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

At HopeLand, Jinja, a few of us gathered together this morning on the lower part of the base for a sunrise service. Of all the places on the base, there is none more fitting for a sunrise, than where we were this morning. The breathtaking sunrise it self spoke volumes of who God is. I don’t know how anyone could withhold praising God after seeing his beautiful creation.

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This week has been a bit of an interesting one. It started off with one of our team members leaving to go back home. Jack’s sister is getting married in Ohio and Jack felt that he should be there for it. It has been hard losing a member of our team, but the Lord has his hands on all of our steps. Please pray for Jack because it was hard for him to leave as well. We love you, Jack!

The rest of the week was quite successful. There are 40 people (not including our team) registered for the conference now from all over the world; India, Netherlands, Korea, the US, China, Burkina Faso (in Africa), and many other countries as well. All the teams are busy in different areas of the base. A few of our team members, Ruth, Jessie, and Tara, have been working with the base hospitality team in welcoming a DTS outreach from South Africa and one from the US that will be here later this week. There has been a little bit of delay in setting up the conference bank account here in Jinja, but we hope to have the problem resolved this week. Pray that we will be met warmly by the banking staff and that we will be able to set up the account without further impediment.

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[Some base beautification... photo - Jonathan Stoner]

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[My feet after a couple hours of slashing (see above)]

We had a day of fun as a base on Good Friday. Gina, Ruth, and a Tongan named Sakias organized the whole thing, splitting up the teams, getting the games going, and even participated. We did everything from the three legged race, to rice-sack relays, football, and even volley-ball. There were 4 teams: Simba (lion in Swahili), the Reds, Thunder, and the Rainbows… yeah… Simba and the Reds both racked up 29 points each and tied for first place… the rainbows didn’t do so well, but they won a very important award, the Spirit Award…

It was a lot of fun and brought the base together as a whole. Friendships were made and good times were had by all.

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[some of my teammates attempting to untie themselves]

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[Pila (Tonga), Maggie (UK), Rachel (Australia), and Tara (US)]

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[Emma Msaki (Tanzania) and Tim (South Africa)]

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[Ruth wrapped in a flag from the UK after a heated volleyball game]

There was also some work done on various team members’ hair this week. Alex and I got our hair cut pretty short. Mine was cut by Pila (a Tongan on base) and I cut Alex’. Jessie and Tara got their hair braided with extensions in town on Saturday as well… It’s been a crazy week.

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That’s about it for this week. I have a couple of prayer requests and updates as well.

Please pray for our team and work will start getting really thick this month. We will need to work together to accomplish a lot of work and the strength to push through, even when we may not feel like it.

Please also pray for breakthroughs with the benefit photography shows that will happen this summer. The plan, as of now, is to do at least 4 major shows: Denver, Las Vegas, Santa Barbara, Seattle (and Ellensberg, WA), and Chicago. If you know anyone that would be willing to help me out in those cities please let me know.

Thank you so much for your prayer and support.

In Christ Alone

John Paul

Uncategorized — 6 Comments
1
Apr 07

Less than 2 months until the conference.

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket (http://photobucket NULL.com)

Happy April! I can’t believe the year is ¼ over already… and that there is less than two months until the conference.

This week we have experienced a range of emotions. I went with Lucy to pick Ruth up from the airport last Tuesday. It is really great to have her back. She adds a lot to our team and I guess I might not have realized it until she was gone for the 10 days. She was able to share about her time in London and was really blessed by God for the entirety of her trip.

Other than that, it has been a busy and hectic week. We all really feel that there is some kind of block on our work; like we are fighting against something. There is so much going on here at the base that isn’t really related to the conference, but affects it and our progress greatly. Please pray that we will be able to stay focused on the Word of God, His promises, and our personal relationships with him. It’s hard to explain such things…

The preschool was broken into by little girls this week and the managed to take off with a lot of equipment, lesson plans, books, and toys. They also bit Job’s wife as she was trying to stop them. It was in the middle of the day and they were the same girls that took some dog shampoo from our girl’s room earlier this week. Since the base is so large and spread out, its hard to keep tabs on everyone that is on base. The grass was long around the school building, so our team spent some time slashing at it on Friday…

Like most weeks, we had a team dinner on Thursday night thanks to Rachel and Rob. It was vegetarian spaghetti and garlic toast topped off with chocolate pudding (don’t ask me where they got it)… So Good. I haven’t had garlic toast since Ethiopia when Anna made it weekly. The team dinner is starting to become a bit of a competition, so I am eager to see who raises the bar next week.

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket (http://photobucket NULL.com)Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket (http://photobucket NULL.com)

We also went out to a place called “2 Friends” in Jinja-Town on Friday night as a team. It was a great time of fellowship and a great time to get to know each other better. We all shared about some embarrassing moments from our lives, some movies that we felt embarrassed about tearing up over, and other random things. We all needed that time to get a fresh breath of air. It was amazing (and so was the Jack’s Chicken Tikka pizza that Alex and I split).

Since there wasn’t too much that happened this week because of all the craziness, I will tell you what I am doing, thinking, praying about, and reading.

This last week I finally turned in my application for a YWAM program coming up in September of this year. I have been taking pictures for a while, but have received no formal training; everything has been picked up along the way. A ministry within YWAM called PhotogenX is starting a photography DTS. This DTS is about to start this April and will run the normal length of a DTS. After that session is finished they are starting another session called “round the world”. It’s a track that starts off in India in September of 07’ and continues around the world, going to every inhabitable continent. From India, the tour goes to Egypt, Israel, Turkey, Greece, Chad, Southern Africa, Germany, Venezuela, then to Kona, Hawaii. We will stay there for a few months and then go on outreach again. Throughout the course of the tour, we will be learning many things. We will be taking photography classes, a school of biblical studies, graphic communications courses, as well as learning about the cultures that we are immersed in. Since we are going to a wide array of places, the program is lengthy; it doesn’t end until April of 09’. This may seem like a long time, but when I was hearing about the program back in Hawaii, it seemed to be perfect for me. I love to travel, take pictures, help people, and learn about different cultures and traditions. I will also get an associates degree in Photography and have a published work at the end.

I know that this is the next step that God wants me to pursue. With the hope of going on this track comes a dream for this coming summer. I have been thinking about setting up some benefit photography shows in a few cities across the states. This is all tentative right now, but I have been thinking about setting one up in Denver, Las Vegas (Alex is going to help me with that one since he lives there), Santa Barbara/Ventura/Los Angeles (somewhere in that area), and Chicago (Ruth is also a photographer/painter so it would be a joint showing). I would be going to all of these cities to share about my trip and raise money for some of the orphanages that we have been working with in Ethiopia and Uganda.

What do you think?

Also, let me know if you would like to be involved in the process. Please pray for clear direction and guidance.

Click for PhotogenX Track Outline



Click for PhotogenX Track Overview (places and dates)



In Christ Alone

John Paul

Uncategorized — 2 Comments
25
Mar 07

This week in the "Pearl of Africa"

Another week gone by. Thanks again for looking at the blog, it is very encouraging to know that there are people who know about what we are doing and are standing with us in prayer.

Part of the YWAM HIV/AIDS Global Gathering is taking a trip to a local ministry right outside of Jinja. It is a ministry under YWAM called To.RCH (Together Restoring Community Hope) located in a village called Kangulumira. TORCH is split into three ministries and all of our team members had the opportunity to partner with TORCH in the recent weeks. We were all invited (on different days) to go out into the community and do home visits to people who are HIV positive. Last Friday was my turn to go. So Gina, Jonathan, and I left early Friday morning and traveled for about an hour total to reach Kangulumira.

When we arrived, we took a tour of a health Clinic operated by YWAM called KIHP (Kangulumira Integrated Health Project). Doctor Tim (who lives at the Hopeland base as well) is the doctor there and sees about 30 patients a day. It was heartbreaking to see all of the sick people, but encouraging knowing that there are people who are doing something about them. God has been providing for this project for about 10 years now. Each month, they don’t really know where the money is going to come from to continue the work, but God has been faithful to provide.

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[The KIHP Health Clinic]

We left on foot and ended up spending a large portion of the day walking between the different homes that we visited. All along the way there were children who loved to have their picture taken and enjoyed walking hand in hand with us as we walked down the path, even if the attention only lasted for a few minutes.

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The first woman we visited, Florence, lived with her husband and one of her sons. She had 4 children, but didn’t know the status (HIV positive or negative) of any of them. Only 1 of her sons lived with her and her husband was not the father of the boy. Her husband was HIV+ as well, but wasn’t around when we visited. Honestly, when I first saw her, I was a little taken back. After she had contracted the virus, some kind of legion had formed over the left side of her face and ended up taking her left eye. Most of the left side of her face was covered with a scar. I can’t imagine the kind of life she has had up until the moment that we met.

One of the first things that came up was the topic of being “born again”. [There is a big difference between being a Christian and being Born-Again. Christianity is a lot like many other religions, where people don’t become one, they are born into it. Thinking about it, I find that this definition of Christianity may be true all over the world.] She wanted to know more about what it meant to be born again, so I told her the story about the Creator of the Universe, Jesus Christ, and what he did for her on the cross. I asked her what she thought about salvation and accepting Jesus as her personal Savior; she said that “she needed it”. I had never come across someone being so open to the Gospel before. She was so sincere in her faith that I knew the Holy Spirit has really convicted her heart. It’s also great that Lavissa (a counselor from KIHP that does the home visits) was going to be going back there on a regular basis to encourage her in her new found faith.

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[Florence]

The second woman was a Muslim woman named Alima and she was beautiful. I noticed a spark in her eyes and smile the moment we arrived. She was even playing and joking around with her children and neighbors. In a way, I didn’t even want to tell her that we were working with HIV because it didn’t seem like the virus was an issue in her life. Her husband had died when their youngest of 4 children wasn’t even a year old. She had known someone working at KIHP that had been encouraging her to get tested, get the children tested, participate in lectures, and apply for income generating activity (IGA) grants. She had done so and now she has started a little bit of a business raising chickens. The youngest child is the only one enrolled in school and she hopes to enroll the others as well once she starts generating more income. We also talked to her about her ARV medication (AntiRetroViral) and it seemed like she had the complicated system of taking the medication down pat. She was willing to show us her medication, so I asked her if I could take a couple pictures of her with them. She was more than willing and wanted me to take photos of all of her children as well.

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[Alima and one of her daughters]

The third lady was Judith; the only one that was born again (when we arrived at least), but was also the only one that wasn’t on ARV treatment. She had received some IGA money as well and now owned a small shop (which was also her home) that she sold bananas and coal out of. Her 13 year-old also lived with her in the dark shop. She was scared to take the ARV meds because she had heard that if you stop, they will be even worse for your body and that you would pretty much die quickly. Part of this fea
r is legitimate because taking the medication outside of the guidelines can be very bad for your body. But like we have seen so many times, taking ARV medication the right way is more than possible and could extend her life drastically. Once she gets into the habit of taking it, it could be as simple as clothing herself daily. Please pray that she will be confident and bold in taking measures to extend her life and be there for her child.

It was a great day and there were so many opportunities to take pictures of some neighborhood children. We walked a long way and were rewarded by seeing some great sights of the countryside. Much of the land that we walked through was used for growing pineapples and bananas, and some was used for growing some other important crops like plantains, chili peppers, cassava, beans, and some other fruits and vegetables as well. I had never really seen a pineapple so young!

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Alex and I decided to go back to St. America’s on Saturday. There is something about that place that just captures me. There was a new soccer (football) ball in the team kit that was left over from outreach, so we decided to take it with us. We had to travel there by ourselves because Christopher (from last week) had some work for school, so he couldn’t accompany us this time. We didn’t even know the town where the orphanage was, but we managed to make a few calls and find out where it was. When we got there, about 25 children and the headmistress were waiting for us by the side of the road. It’s obvious that they don’t get very many western visitors.

We climbed up the hill and saw the boys playing soccer with a very small rubber ball that was tattered and flat. I was very relieved that we had brought the new one for them. When I took it out of my backpack and handed it to one of the teachers, the children started cheering and clapping… leaving me almost in tears. It was probably the first time that they had received a football like that.

We went into the office for about twenty minutes and it felt like an oven in there. We wanted to get some information about the orphanage and it’s budget to see if anyone would want to partner with them in getting some adequate buildings and food for the children(Email me if you are interested in some more information). We also wanted to just play with the kids and try to love them Christ’s love as much as possible. We both realized that the love we show will never look or feel like His love, but at least we can try. So after our office session we went outside to get some football in.

While we were in the office, someone had gone and actually put some air in the ball (we don’t have any pumps), so they were ready to play. Alex and I decided to be goalkeepers on opposing teams because we were both only wearing slippers (the children went barefoot on the sometimes rocky surface). It was a lot of fun out there except when we let the ball get by us on accident. The look in our teammates’ eyes was that of utter disappointment that we, their supposed friends, would have a hand in their possible loss. I hardly wanted to play after the first goal was scored on me because I didn’t want the kids to hate me if we lost. The game ended in a tie though, so it was okay!

The whole time we were playing, I was praying that they would be able to take their mind off of their situation for the hour or two that we were playing. That maybe, they would see a simple gift like a soccer ball as a gift from God; that there is more to life than sadness and suffering; that even though they didn’t choose the life the live (as they sang the previous week) there is still hope in it.

Please continue to be faithful in praying for us, we really rely on your prayers. Please pray for the various ministries that we are getting involved with as well, that God will continue to provide for them. Pray for the three homes that we visited this week as well, that the Holy Spirit will continue to comfort and minister to them.

My uncle Forest is still in Rwanda, but he is scheduled to leave this week. Please pray that he will be able to finish the business in an efficient manner, and that we will have traveling mercies as he heads back to London and then home to Colorado.

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May God richly bless you!

John Paul

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Mar 07

With Blistered Fingers!

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Our first week at the Hopeland Base in Jinja is almost over. It is much different than I had originally expected. Before we got here I thought that it would be a lot like the base in Ethiopia, which had only 2 people living on base (besides our team). There are three schools running here and over 50 people on base.

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(Jonathan, Jack, and Rob before going into Jinja, Jonathan and Tara walking down a local road)

The base here is so beautiful. It is so lush and green. The campus is pretty big, but reminds me of where we were during lecture phase in Hawaii; Makapala. Its kind of outside of towns and cities and has a lot of open land. Many places on campus have a view of Lake Victoria…. One of the most spectacular views on base is from the soccer field at the bottom of campus. One of the first mornings we were here, a few of us went down there to jog and I was blown away by the beauty. The sun had just risen and was the biggest I had ever seen it. I will try to get a picture of the view for next weeks blog update, so hang tight.

For the community base clean up on Friday, we spent the morning with these tools called “slashers” slashing one of the fields of grass. All of us have blisters now because we aren’t used to that kind of work, but I’m sure that our hands will toughen up because we will probably doing the slashing every Friday. It was a great workout, however, and my muscles are still a little bit sore.

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(Slashing Day… it was a little rough for us)

We haven’t been too busy this last week because we only had orientation to do. So we spent our time in various ways: going into Jinja (we are a few minutes outside of it), working out in the mornings, having brief meetings in the evenings, one-on-ones with Lucy, a bit of base management as a community, and yesterday (Saturday) we went to a resort on the shores of Lake Victoria called Kingfisher for a day by the pool.

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(Gina, Rob, Tara, and Scott [another staff member at Hopeland] at the Kingfisher pool)

Base life is different here than in Ethiopia as well. Since there are so many people, meals are prepared for everyone and served as soon as the bell rings. Alex and I learned pretty quickly that if you don’t heed the bell, you may not eat! Now every time we hear that bell, we run to the line. We have a cup of milk tea with 2 rolls every morning for breakfast (similar to what we fed the children at the feeding center for breakfast at Hope Enterprises in Ethiopia), but we have also bought some fruit, bread, peanut butter, and jelly to supplement our diet when we get hungry.

Alex, Jonathan, and I went to a church this morning called Abundant Life Church of Kikera (Kikera is the nearest town to the base; about 30 min. walk). We went with a staff member from Uganda in the DTS School whom Alex had met in Arusha, Tanzania. There weren’t many people who attended, and it was a bit hard to understand the pastor because the translation was pretty much sandwiched on top of the English, but it was still amazing to see how God works in the lives of the people here. It will never cease to amaze me. The minute I got there two kids came over and grabbed both of my free hands and held them through the whole worship service, testimonies, encouragement, and announcements.

During the last week, we have only begun to know our team leader, Lucy Burrows, in a better way. Like I mentioned, she had one-on-ones with all of us and found out about who we were and what God was doing in our lives. She found out that I was the only one with Microsoft Access experience (thank you, Mike at Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History) and was pretty excited about that. She had convened with one of her good friends and intercessor back in the UK before she came out and also had stuff to share with us about what she had received from the Lord. Some of what she had received was precisely what I had communicated to her in my one-on-one (she shared at the end of it), so it was very encouraging to me because I had never met her before. God revealed to her exactly who I was and who I am wanting to become. God is so good!

This next week we will be going through some team building exercises and planning out what we will be doing for the next three months. It will be a key week in the grand scheme of our future at the Hopeland Base, so please pray for clarity of vision, teamwork, and unconditional love especially in this next week. Please continue to pray for our team members that have already gone home that they may continue to experience the Lord in new and powerful ways and that they may be witnesses to God’s glory! Thank you so much for your prayers, we see the effects of them in a powerful way at our end. I pray blessings over you for your faithfulness.

John Vicory

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