"Mars Hill really Rocked…" Last update from Greece!

[One of the most amazing sunsets ever, Porto Rafti, Greece]

Thank you, Dan Shannon, one of our speakers this week, for that lovely quote. As part of our teaching this week, the entire class and our speakers took a trip to Athens to spend the day around the Acropolis area, including the Areopagus (Mars Hill). A couple of us had spent some time there before, but one of our speakers, David Hamilton, gave some stellar background information on the area and the lifestyle of Athens at that time.

[First Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece]

It was the center of the world for the arts, education, and contemporary thought. The philosophers could gather around the monumental temples in the center of the city and toss around ideas of democracy, science, and life. We read Acts 17 where Paul walks in to the center of town and makes his voice and the Gospel that it carries known. They called him an idiot and threatened him with his life (Socrates had been put to death for introducing foreign gods). Even in the face of them, he spoke to them with the authority of the Holy Spirit. It was the first time the Gospel had been shared there, and he was all by himself

[Acropolis Panorama at Night, Athens, Greece]

To gaze on these amazing buildings and to have insight into their structure and intricacies, there is no wonder that people worshiped those whom the buildings were built for. At one time in the Parthenon (the largest, most prominent temple to the goddess Athena Parthenon), there was a giant statue made of pure gold, diamonds, pearls and other precious jewels. These people held their gods in such high esteem, but why? In polytheistic cultures, people live in fear of the gods. They fashion their lives around pleasing them and bribing them with elaborate sacrifices and practices. When bad things happen, a god is mad at them so further action needs to be taken. The gods were always trying to do bad to them. As David Hamilton so eloquently put it, “Religion was a minimizing of fear not an establishment of hope.” So Paul waltzes in and challenges them by saying that there is an Unknown God, and that is a God that cares deeply about them; enough to send his Son to them to be the last sacrifice. This was revolutionary for them, a God that cared? A God of Grace?

Now, there are many lessons that I took away from not only from the teaching, but my time walking around the Acropolis.

The first is that the idolatry of the Greek culture was immensely beautiful. These buildings brought out emotion and awe, and who they stood for brought awe as well. They were still false gods, but they were, and still are attractive. Even now, there are so many things that are attractive to us, pulling us, but aren’t things of God. We start to worship materialism and set up mere humans in the places of importance in our lives. That’s just the tip of the iceberg with all of the things we place in the high places of our lives… But, just as with the buildings in the Acropolis, the things of this world will come to ruin. No matter how fast we work, or how much we maintain, they will always be temporal, no matter how great the appear. We can use the illustration for idolatry and sin in our lives; it might look great for a time, but in the end, it all turns to dust.

The philosophers must have looked at Paul like he was crazy; pointing to the vast buildings just beside them as testimony of their god’s greatness. But the God that Paul shared with them on that day in Athens is the same God that is alive and well today, dwelling in the lives of his people. He truly does last forever and it has been proven time and time again throughout the history of the world. When our hearts and lives aren’t built on the foundation of Jesus Christ, they will crumble to dust.

The second lesson was just as valuable. Like I said before, the people lived in constant fear because there was no way to please the multitude of manic, compulsory, selfish, immoral, and illusory gods. Paul submits to them that there is a God who actually cares for them and will extend perfect grace to them, not by a manner of bribery, but acceptance and revelation. So many times, even as Christians, we come with this thought of God like the Greek pagans did… If I do this for you, God, will you be satisfied; can I go to heaven? We have this mental block that he doesn’t really want the best for us; that our plans are more effective than his; that our comfort is of utmost importance. We believe the lies of the enemy that God is angry with us and will never accept us with our imperfections…

Well, I felt like this is what God was telling me earlier this week, even before going to Athens…

Then the angel showed me myself standing before the angel of the Lord. The Accuser, Satan, was there at the angel’s right hand, making accusations against me. And the Lord said to Satan, “I, the Lord, reject your accusations, Satan. Yes, the Lord, who has chosen him, rebukes you. This man is like a burning stick that has been snatched from the fire.”

My clothing was filthy as I stood there before the angel. So the angel said to the others standing there, “Take off his filthy clothes.” And turning to me said, “See, I have taken your sins, and now I am giving you these fine new clothes.” [Zechariah 3:1-4]

God is not far off, distant, and angry. He desires to take us as we stand before Him, filthy and unrefined. He cannot wait to extend his grace to us, but it does cost us something. We have to tear down the idols that we have and embrace him as the only Lord of our lives.

Last year around this time in my DTS lecture phase, I finally was able to co
me to this point. I realized that I had built my life on idols and didn’t know God. Those idols came crashing down and I found myself standing before God, afraid, but as my only hope. My clothes were black with sin, charred and filled with the smell of smoke. Satan stood there bringing accusations of all kinds which I had believed for so long. The Creator of the universe silenced him by extending his grace to me and I found myself renewed and clean; now standing before my Father.

If this is similar to your story, I would love to talk about it further. Like I said and my life testifies, God wants us to be in communion with him as His children. And, I want to challenge you all to examine your own lives and see if there are things that, although they may seem beautiful, you have built to unworthy places in you life. We can see from the story of the Greek gods, that they won’t stand a chance.

That’s it for now, until Turkey, may the Lord bless you and keep you

In Him

John Paul

"Midnight on the Beach in the Mediterannean"

[Written a couple of days ago]

“It’s all Greek to me”… Literally. I have been here for almost a couple of days now and I still do not know how to say hello in Greek. If I read it on a sign or something like that, I still wouldn’t know how to pronounce it… Greek is hard. I have a greater respect for the people at Westmont who were studying Greek (even though its not the same type of Greek).

The time here has been amazing so far. We are a little farther away from the beach than we were in Muizenburg, but the weather is much mellower. For one, there is not wind, and therefore sand, pelting you in the face from all angles. There are also not as many waves, since the beach is situated in a port. The water is warmer, and there are no Great Whites threatening to eat the swimmers. Overall, it is beautiful. The town that we are in is called Porto Rafti, about an hour (public transport) from downtown Athens.

As I think about the next few months, excitement overwhelms me. The amount of studying that we will be doing is a lot, but it will be great to learn, in depth, about the New Testament. In a couple of weeks we will be going to places like Corinth to walk in the steps of Paul, getting a better understanding of the context of the early Church.

I hope to learn more about what the social climate is in Greece as well. Since it is so close to Turkey and the Arab world, I am imagining that the diversity will be astounding. Whenever multiple cultures come together, there is always an interesting dynamic.

This morning Tim, Carla, and I got up early (even though it’s Saturday) to take pictures of the sunrise; which happens to be around 7:30 in Greece. Since the waves aren’t as crazy, and the wind isn’t blowing seawater into my lens, it turned out to be quite an enjoyable experience. I look forward to many more. The new background for the blog is from the shoot this morning… I couldn’t help but praise the Creator…

“All the earth shall worship You

And sing praises to You;

They shall sing praises to Your name.” – Psalm 66:4

I have been appointed to Communications for the PhotogenX Round the World Track. I am excited about the prospect because of my experience with blogging, and because I really like to do it. During the week, I will be collecting stories and information from the team and sending out the updates once a week. Pray that I will be able to keep up with what’s going on and accurately convey the spirit of the team with the updates. I am honored with the opportunity.

Going to Greece

Its hard to believe that less than a month ago I was touching down in Capetown, South Africa. Whats even harder to believe is that at 7:00 this morning, I will be taking off for Athens, Greece.

So much has been experienced here; Photography classes, new living circumstances, Township experiences, and even beach life. Looking back, time has flown. I look forward to what is coming next and even the future beyond that, Lord willing.

Wow. I just realized that this will be an extremely short blog update, but I guess that will happen occasionally.

Internet in Greece won’t be as available, but that makes updating more exciting for me. We will be in the town of Porto Rafti right outside of Athens. We have been blessed by being beside the ocean (I am not quite sure how close yet) so that should make for some great landscape shots.

I have mixed feelings leaving Muizenburg. The time here has been amazing. I had tears in my eyes a few days ago when i had to say good-bye to Michael, Anda, and Eric as they dropped me off here for the last time. My life was changed by them and the experience that I was able to have in Guguletu. Experiences that I will never forget and fondly remember. I have been in contact with Justin of “These Numbers Have Faces” and he is thrilled about what is happening here. I am excited that we will be able to provided him with some pictures and stories on what is happening this side. To read more about “These Numbers Have Faces” visit their website by clicking on the link on the right hand column.

Some of you have been asking about donation information. I included a link in the right-hand side that will be beneficial. Thank you so much.

Until Greece, my God guide your steps…
John Paul Vicory

Update from All Over

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]

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.

So, on Thursday the 12^th, 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!

[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

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

The Chapter is Over… The Next is Beginning!

[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.

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

New Life at Hopeland

What a week of changes; not only for our team, but for the base in general. Honestly, this last week was the best week I have had in a while. We were extremely busy, but focused on the issues and tasks at hand. It brought us together as a team.

It was Tara’s Birthday on Monday as well, so we got together and watched Sleepless in Seattle (I couldn’t make it through the whole thing) and ate bananas roasted with chocolate. It was so good! We were even able to use a projector for the film, so we didn’t have to huddle around a laptop.

We went to Sam Kisolo’s house this week for a time of fellowship. Sam has 15 children… That’s right, 15. Four of the kids are his by birth, the others have been adopted by Sam in response to the tremendous need for parental care in Uganda. In some ways, Uganda is extremely blessed with resources, fresh water, and help from many international NGO’s. Uganda also has some tremendously complicated problems. So many parents have died from the AIDS pandemic and many also from the war areas. It is also very common for me to have more than one wife. They also value having many children. So, the end result is so many children, and not enough people to take care of them. Even, Job, a member of our team from Gulu, has four children of his own and takes care of his niece as well. The story is the same all over Uganda. On one hand, it is sad that children aren’t getting taken care of by their parents, on the other, it’s a miracle that they are cared for by family or people like Sam.

There was a new addition to the team this week as well. P’toni and Lupe, a Tongan married couple that are leaders of the Frontier Missions Outreach, had a baby girl on Thursday night! They had been planning on going to Kampala on Thursday for a couple of weeks because the baby wasn’t actually due for another 2 weeks. They ended up leaving on Wednesday and it is a good thing. Both mother and child came back to the base on Friday and are both doing extremely well.

Like I said, it has been a very busy week. We have all been working everyday and then occasionally relaxing during the evening. Many times there are things to do during these times as well. Since the DTS left for outreach, there hasn’t been as much help in the kitchen so we have all had to take double shifts in order to get all of the food out on time. It takes away from the conference work, but it enables us to build relationships with others on the base as well. I was able to spend a considerable amount of time in conversation with the men from Sudan who are doing their SBS here. I am still blown away by their stories. I appreciate those who have been looking into what is happening all over the world as far as oppression goes. The more that we know, the more we can do to help!

I have to make an apology to the readers of this blog. There have been so many times when I wanted to share what I had been thinking, but was afraid. Afraid of people and what they might think of me. During the course of this week, though, I have been discovering that it doesn’t matter what I am thought of as long as I am being obedient to God in what I say in the blog, no matter if only my mom and dad read it. There is so much that I have been wanting to say, but have been disobedient is saying it. Because of this I am sorry.

One of the reasons that I started this blog is to encourage people to take action. When we live our lives in a way that resembles Christ, we have no other options. Christ himself stated his mission when he was back in Nazareth at the start of his ministry. He was in the temple as he often was. When he went up to read the scripture, the book of Isaiah was handed to him. This is what he said (from Luke 4:18-19)

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

As this was his call, it is ours as well. Does this in any way do any damage to the world? Of course it doesn’t, but there are so many people that aren’t doing anything about it. In the US and Western we can be so comfortable with life. Many of us want our children to get the best education that they can get so that they can life a “comfortable and satisfying” life, free from worry. In reality, we should be sending them to school to be witnesse
s to Christ and to discover ways to help God’s creation (humans especially). The rich young ruler followed all of the laws, he loved God and loved his neighbor, but was unwilling to sell what he had to give to the poor, the last request that Jesus had for him to be called a disciple. Are we willing to pick up the Bible and follow Christ’s teaching and his life, no matter what actions that we have to take?

I don’t say all of these things because I am mad or disappointed. I say them because I have discovered the fulfillment that comes from following his command to GO! (Luke 10:3). I am not perfect or “there” or anything like that, but these aren’t my words; Jesus is the one that spoke them. I need them just as much as anyone. There is no doubt; I am a sinner, truly unworthy of salvation or any blessings that I have. But, God is good, and he is faithful when we are not. I say this not to condemn, but to encourage you. If we get (understand) what is in the Bible, we will understand that we are called to live in a completely different way from the world. Not only will we understand it, we will do everything we can to live the life that Christ wants us to live.

I have heard some people saying that they don’t feel like God has called them to anything, when the New Testament, especially the Gospels, is full of Jesus’ “calling”. When we step out and try some of the things that he wants us to do we have nothing at all to lose! In fact, Jeremiah 29:11 says that he has plans for wholeness, not for harm; and a hope for the future, that we will one day be united with Christ. We really have nothing to lose, plus, when we are helping others we open doors for them to share in salvation. When you have next to nothing here on earth, and dying seems better than living, a hope for a future is something to get excited about. I know that hope is something I take for granted in the midst of all of this “stuff” on earth that distracts me.

Anyway, the point is, that we all need to be doing something! James talks about how faith without obedience to the works that Christ called us to is dead! I thought that by coming to Africa, I could get away from this because I was going to Africa, but it has been especially hard here in Uganda to do those things that God wants; to give even a glass of water or a little cookie to someone in His name. We can all be getting involved. Pick up your Bible and discover for yourself what he asks you to do.

Thank you for reading another entry. Please continue to pray for us in this remaining week until the conference. The conference begins next Sunday, but I will try to upload a new entry before all of the activities start. Please pray that this conference will be a success, not it terms of how many people show up, but in the amount of fruit that comes from it. We know God has great plans!

Also pray that the team will be able to stay focused on what God has us here for and not to look forward to the time we leave in a way that distracts us from the present.

In Christ

John Paul

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.

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]

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.

[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.

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.

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

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.

[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 11^th) 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…

[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.

[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.

[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 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

Easter Sunday in Uganda

Happy Easter to Everyone!

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.

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.

[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.

[some of my teammates attempting to untie themselves]

[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.

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