Touching down in Capetown, South Africa, I couldn’t believe I was going to be in this beautiful continent for the next month, and again in the months to come. I am sure that it will be filled with different memories and experiences, and look forward to them with all of my heart.

Capetown is like nowhere else I have been in Africa so far. It is actually hard to believe that I had been so close to a place like this only 4 months previous. The weather is cool, windy, and sometimes rainy (the kind that doesn’t include a lot of precipitation and no lightning); unlike Uganda: hot, humid, and prone to downpours with lighting that you think is going to strike you in the head (and the thunder so loud that you think it did).

The people here are a mix of black and white. There are many tribes (like Zulu) that add to the black population, and many “tribes” (like Afrikaans) that add to the white population. Most everyone keeps to themselves, but some are outgoing. The poverty isn’t as blatant and neither are the range of diseases that were found in Ethiopia and Uganda. That isn’t to say that there aren’t the diseases, they just aren’t in the open as much. South Africa still has the highest percentage of HIV infections in the world, and not as much awareness advertising (that I have seen).

As far as the town where we reside, Muizenberg is the location where surfing was introduced to South Africa. I didn’t really know what the living situation would be, but I never expected that we would be only blocks from the beach (I go there every morning). The area also boast the highest population of Great White Sharks in the world. Some of you may have seen documentary features on the Discovery Channel about the sharks that jump out the water to feed; yeah, that’s here off the coast a few kilometers at Seal Island. They do have a shark spotting system here though, which is good for the hundreds of surfers that frequent the breakers.

The PhotogenX team is a little bit smaller than once anticipated. Over 50 were accepted to the program, but now there are only 25 that will be traveling to each place. Probably about 18 have been here most of the time with the DTS portion, and a few joined later (like myself).

I am excited to see what transpires over the next nine months especially. There are some high hopes and great ideas developing, and the overall spirit of the school is positive. I am glad that there is still a huge emphasis on Injustice, which is part of my passion as well. Many of the ideas that I have in my head is what other people have been thinking and processing as well. Its good to fellowship with others who have similar dreams.

I also have a few picture and words about St. Ameria’s in Uganda. PICTURES!!! There has also been expressed interest in sending a YWAM team down there to get some much needed construction accomplished. It continues to amaze me that the work is continuing there. It will be such a blessing to return one day and see all the Lord has done there through people like you.

I want to thank those of you who attended the Not Alone Benefit Photography Show and supported the orphans. I have been in contact with the administration from each of the orphanages and they will be getting the transfers soon! They are very excited even though they don’t know how much they will be getting.

The whole vision for Not Alone is also going ahead. It may not seem like it for a while, but I know that the time spent here and now will influence the future vision. People have been pretty excited to hear about it and what God has done. For now, I am surrendering the vision to the Creator who will continue to mold and form it into what he wants it to be. That is the best place for it!

I haven’t decided yet which day that I can update the blog, so hang with me for a few weeks. Since the travel will be sporadic, the blog-updates may be as well! Thank you for your patience. I appreciate the feedback, as usual, and am honored that you would share this experience with me!

Love and Blessings in Christ

John Paul Vicory

[Love is the Movement]

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.

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

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!

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

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.

[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.

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.

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.

[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!

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.

May God richly bless you!

John Paul

(The football (soccer) field that some of us run around some mornings)

It kind of seems like it has been a long week, but when I look back, it flew by. We were assigned what we would be doing in preparation for the upcoming conference so we just started with our tasks. The responsibilities are broken down into three major areas: Communication, Program, and Logistics. I am on the Communications team with Jonathan and Gina. I am also going to working with Microsoft Access to database all of the people that register. Although we all were assigned to different aspects of the conference, we will all need to be working together closely to accomplish this task. Please pray that we will be unified and that we will not become easily overwhelmed by what lies ahead of us.

We have spent much of the last week in meetings, but also in prayer. We really want this time to be dedicated to the Lord. Even though we have the conference ahead of us, we all want to keep in mind the most important thing in life, our relationship with the Lord. It will be very easy to become distracted and even complacent in our relationship with God because of the busyness associated with the conference.

(The building where the conference will be held [not quite finished yet])

I have been reading this little book called “The Pursuit of God” by A.W. Tozer this last week. Even though I am only half way through it right now, I strongly recommend that everyone read it. It was written a long while ago, but the descriptions of the church and the body of believers as a whole still rings true. It’s a very short book and an easy read, but I’m sure that it will change your life, just like it has changed mine. Here are a couple of paragraphs that have impacted me so far…

“When religion has said its last word, there is little that we need other than God himself. The evil habit of seeking God-and effectively prevents us from finding God in full revelation. In the ‘and’ lies our great woe. If we would omit the ‘and’ we shall soon find God, and in Him we shall find that for which we have all our lives been secretly longing” (p.21)

“God is so vastly wonderful, so utterly and completely delightful that He can, without anything over than Himself, meet and overflow the deepest demands of our total nature, mysterious and deep as that nature is” (p.43)

We also went to the Kingfisher again this weekend. It was a chance for us to spend some time beside Lake Victoria, but also a time where the Program team could plan something and work together to accomplish the goal. It was a huge success (even though the meat was extremely tough and sinewy). After we had all had our fill of beef, coleslaw, fruit salad, and chipote (pronounce chi-pot-ie) we gathered together and prayed for each team member individually. A few of us stayed behind until dark to have some quite time with the Lord before going back to the base.

(Rob and Ruth getting ready for the Bar-b-Que)

(Fishermen on Lake Victoria, and children commissioned by their parents and communities to carry water for long distances back to their homes) [check out Halfway There Water Project ]

There are some other team members which I don’t think I have announced yet. Their pictures will be posted later, but here are their names for your prayer lists and your thoughts:

Tom: from South Africa, he has been on base here at Hopeland for the last 2 years.

Job: a native Ugandan who spent a considerable time in Northern Uganda at a base in Soroti.

Lucy Burrows: the conference coordinator (our boss) from the U.K. who has been involved in the international HIV/AIDS crisis for some time now.

There is a website for the conference if anyone is interested in checking it out.

YWAM Global HIV/AIDS Conference

or, Click on the Image Below!

Thank you for your continued prayers and support, they are definitely felt and appreciated by all of us. Keep then coming!

Also, if you have any words of encouragement for the team, please feel free to leave a comment on the bottom of this blog and I will be sure to pass the word along to the individual or the whole team.
Thanks again!

Grace and Peace through Christ our Lord,

John Paul Vicory

1 Corinthians 15:58

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.

(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.

(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.

(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