John Paul Vicory

Lent starts in a week.

Different denominations celebrate or observe Lent in a variety of ways. As I was growing up, my parents took (often dragged) my sister and I to church. I never remembered observing lent, and I am not sure if I ever have. This year, however, that is going to change.

Traditionally, the 40 days of lent represents the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness being tempted by the devil at the beginning of His public ministry. Why they chose to have it be the 40 days leading up to Easter Sunday, I don’t really know, but I am sure there is some tradition that many people have fought and died over. Lent is a tradition. Some argue that it is a pointless tradition not based in the Bible at all. During Lent, observers give up, or fast something that they are generally accustomed to, some take it to the point of fasting everything but liquids.

Even the number 40 has significance in the Bible. Not only is it the number of days that Jesus fasted in the wilderness, but it is a number repeated throughout the Old Testament. Moses spent 40 days on Mt. Sinai meeting with the Lord, then spent 40 years in the Sinai Desert with the Israelites. God made it rain on the earth for 40 days during Noah’s time. Elijah’s walk to Mt. Horeb took 40 days and 40 nights. It’s also the number of days God gave to Ninevah to repent of their sins. People even believe that Jesus spent 40 hours in the grave from Friday afternoon to Sunday morning.

This year, I made the decision to observe Lent. It may be the first time that I have, but I have recently had this urgency to do so. I want to invite you to going with me this season to observe it. I’m not going to ask you to give up food, or sugar, or alcohol, or any dietary “fast”.

I am going to invite you to give up something that all of us are accustomed to – Ignorance. We are all guilty of omitting from our minds many of the issues that are close to God’s heart. Jesus spent 40 days resisting the devil’s plans for His life and I want to spend the next 40 days resisting the devil’s plans for this world.

I am committing to spend only 15 minutes every day of Lent to researching and praying about issues such as Human Trafficking, HIV/AIDS, Orphans, Foster Children, the treatment of Widows, Poverty, Racism, and Violence and telling people about it. 15 minutes a day adds up to 10 hours over the course of 40 days. I firmly believe that with these 15 minutes a day, God can break our hearts for issue of injustice in the world, and use us to do something significant. I am hoping that this will create a hunger to know, learn and share even more.

There are so many evils that we have the power to do something about. Ignorance is our greatest enemy because it is so easy to be unaware of what is really going on, even in our own cities and countries. To help combat this ignorance, I am willing to send a copy of the 30 Days of Prayer for the Voiceless Booklet to each family that responds and commits to spending 15 minutes a day in research, prayer, and awareness.

When Jesus laid out His mission statement in Luke 4, He proclaimed that the Spirit of God was on Him to bring the Good News to the poor, proclaim that the captives will be released, the blind will see, the oppressed will go free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come. As followers of Christ, this is our mission too, and if you aren’t a follower of Christ, this is what being a Christian is truly about.

Give up Ignorance for Lent. If you would like to commit 15 minutes a day, either comment on the blog or email me at john.vicory@gmail.com and I will be in touch on where to research and how to get the copy of the 30 Days of Prayer for the Voiceless Booklet to you as quickly as possible.I have seen the way that people’s lives are transformed through the eye-opening experience going through this book can be. I don’t want you to miss out.

Lent starts in a week from today (next Wednesday), so let me know!

In Christ, who gave everything.

John Vicory

Fear gripped my heart, but reached its fingers much deeper in the very essence of who I am… I could smell the sulfur and feel the heat from the evil on my face as I heard the boy’s uncontrollable shrieks. Was this how the disciples felt the first time they had encountered an evil spirit after Jesus had told them they had authority over every evil? I had spent the entire week learning about the Power of the Holy Spirit and how he is alive today, just as he was in the book of Acts. We had been challenged to set Acts as the standard for our lives and our relationship with the Spirit of God who was within us. I had prayed that I would expect to do things like the apostles did… now it was real.

I waited and watched Kate walk to the back corner of the Ferry. Everyone who had been in that area were on their way out because of the repulsion that the boy brought to their comfortable ride. Sarah Jo and I soon followed and came upon a gipsy boy of about 12 writhing in the carpeted isle. Kate had received very broken English that the boy was starving, but his body wouldn’t let him eat. I sat with Kate at the boys head and Sarah was at his feet. We asked if we could pray for the boy, but as soon as we did the boy started getting violent, throwing shoes and eventually hitting himself in the face with his fists. We instantly laid our hands on him and commanded the evil spirit to leave his body in the name of Jesus. We did so for a few minutes, but then prayed the peace of Christ would overflow in his spirit. Others from the track had come over at this point when all of the sudden, he stopped screaming. He opened his eyes and they were bloodshot and glazed, but as we were watching because white and clear. I caressed his dirty head and hair with my hands repeating the name of Jesus over his life. Finally we sat him up and he was finally able to eat.

The girl that Kate had been speaking to about the boy and his family grabbed her violin and had taken off as soon as the evil spirit had left the boy. Kate ran after her and looked for her literally everywhere (but the men’s restroom) to at least get her name, but she couldn’t find her.

After a little amount of time, a group of people came to us and asked us to leave because we were at our destination (the boat was still taking passengers to another island). We quickly shared as best as we could about Jesus and his love that set the boy free, but the language barrier was difficult to get past and we had to leave. Those of us who were there know that the Kingdom was present on that day and now we have confidence that He wants to move today, just like he did in Acts.

Will we continue to be used? God wants to use those who are willing to walk in obedience to his leadings, so the question is; will be obedient? I also want to encourage you to be obedient to where the Spirit is leading you. Are you ready to be used by him? It will take some sacrifice of comfort and pride, but it is well worth it when you see with your own eyes the physical and spiritual freedom that is found in Christ. I challenge you to ask God how he wants to use you every day, but to be confident that he will use you. Walk with open eyes to what he wants you to do and expect him to bring people your way who need a revelation of Christ.

- Oh yeah… I am in Turkey; after visit to Corinth, the island of Chios, and a short drive through Izmir to Selcuk. We were even able to visit ancient Ephesus on Wednesday. It is beautiful here; the people are warm, but the weather isn’t. Pray that we will be open for being used to do even more by God in proclaiming the name of Jesus here. Turkey is 99% Muslim, but like I said, the people here are very courteous and hospitable.

[Columns of an ancient temple in Corinth]

[The last remaining pillars in the temple of Apollos, Corinth]

[The entrance to the Celsus Library in Ephesus]

[Carla and Tim reading an Epistle of Paul close to where it was read for the first time]

That about does it for this week. I want to say thank you for those who are sending encouragement and words that you get from the Holy Spirit. Its great to see what God is saying to you.
in Service to Christ
John Paul

11-11-07

Blog Update –

Who would have thought that studying the Bible would be so involved? When we started, I didn’t really know what to expect. A couple of days ago, I turned in a 60 page paper on the Gospel of Mark. Later that day, a few peers and I started into Luke by doing our first of 5 readings as well, just so we might be a little ahead of the work for this week.

Sure, it may be intense, but so much was revealed to me while taking section after section of the text, researching the ancient Greek words, and formulating both an interpretation relevant at the time and in our lives today. I am not, by any means, an expert and probably will never be, but I can’t believe how much closer I feel to the Father as a result of the study.

In other news, Brandi, who was in Compassion DTS and also a friend from Colorado, went to a Christian university in the States called Harding University. After the first blog update she emailed me informing me that Harding had an overseas program in the same town of Porto Rafti. Please understand that since we have been here, we haven’t seen any tourists or native English speakers. I wrote Harding in Arkansas and told them who I was and my relation to Brandi. Within a day, Jerry, the director of the Harding program here, had emailed me. I stopped by to see them and meet some of the 23 American students that reside here. We were pleasantly surprised when Jerry invited all of us to their campus for pizza and ice-cream last night… on them! It was such a blessing for us to be able to make connections with some other Christians in Greece, sharing stories and encouraging each other. They will leave on Monday to spend a week and a half in Israel. When they get back, we will be leaving, but it was good to be able to connect with them.

It was actually an answer to prayer as well. I had prayed the day that I sent out the blog update, that a valuable connection would be made, a divine appointment made. I was feeling a little disconnected from the community in Porto Rafti and didn’t have any connections to anyone. Needless to say, that God answered my prayer and I am excited to see what God has for the newly established relationship in the future. A few of us are going into Athens today for church with the students and staff. It is an international church which could also provide some valuable ministry partnerships in the future. God knows.

While studying the Bible, and Jesus’ life, I noticed that before Jesus made decisions or actions, he would spend time in prayer. I thought that maybe we could start praying for the future trip to Turkey. There are only about ten to twenty thousand Christians in all of Turkey. There is also some unrest and civil war in Turkey, but we won’t be anywhere near that. It would be a blessing if prayers could also be started for the time there and the travel from Athens by boat to Turkey. I really want the light of Christ to shine bright in Turkey and that connections could be made for future work with Not Alone. He can do some amazing things, and I want to be prepared as well.

Until next week, God bless! If you have any feedback, let me know!

John Paul

[Whom will you serve?]

“I was coming home from school and the G’s [Gangsters] took my phone; they put their gun on me”. – Anda

He said it without any surprise or novelty; as if it happens every day. Wait… it does happen every day. Over the last year, Anda and Michael have had 4 phones stolen by local gangsters in the Gululetu township.

At 19 years old, Michael and Anda have tremendous pressure placed on them by the gangs in their township to conform and join the gang; starting a sick and endless cycle of violence and drug abuse that lands thousands of teens in prison each year. Instead, the two have their applications in for college beginning next year and are the star players for a Football Club [soccer for Americans] in Guguletu. Because of the choice to stay in school, stay off of drugs and alcohol, and even play soccer, they have been called everything except men due to the overwhelming numbers of teens involved in gang activity. Children as young as 14 (the lowest I have heard) are carrying around guns and knives and commit murder in townships like Guguletu and neighboring Nyanga every day. The murder rates in these two communities are through the roof and everyone is affected. In 2003/2004 (April to March), the murder rate was over 2.4 per 1,000 (in contrast to Aurora, CO where I live had .09 per 1,000 people [which is worse than the national average]. Where is the hope in Guguletu?

Simply trying to do something positive with their lives, Anda and Michael are breaking the mold in their communities. They are truly a light in the darkness. I was able to spend the night with these young men and talked with them for hours about their lives and what its like to spend every day in Guguletu. I fell in love with them and their township as a result. While there are so many things that are wrong and dangerous, the beauty of Guguletu is overpowering. We seem to concentrate on the statistics of the bad rather than on the statistics of the good; the statistics of Hope. For some reason people think that we are crazy for going there, but in my mind we are crazy for not going there. In the midst of the most hopeless situation is where we find the true hope that Christ brings. Churches like JL Zwane have been there for years, doing the good work; reaching out to a community in need when no one else will. JL Zwane, a church with a congregation numbering in the hundreds, has gained international recognition for their community work in areas like Child Development, Teen Programs, the JL Zwane Football Club (of which Anda and Michael are part of), and one of the most HIV/AIDS community programs in Western Cape [which is absolutely necessary considering Guguletu and Nyanga have a HIV prevalence rate of 29.1% (2005)].

I first heard about Anda, Michael, and JL Zwane from a Westmont alum named Justin Zoradi. He had traveled to South Africa in 2006, leading a youth related ministry. The impact that Anda and Michael (and their coach/mentor, Eric “Ace” Kombela) was enormous. Justin returned to the States and started a Non-Profit Organization called “These Numbers Have Faces”, their first and pioneer project being the JL Zwane Football club. I knew that Justin had been here and that he had started this organization, so I gave him an email asking if I could help out with pictures and updates. He set me up with ACE who has been an amazing host. He even let 4 young women from our team stay with him and his wife while I stayed with Michael and Anda.

The experience was outstanding and eye-opening. Walking the same streets with the boys turned my mind around to the conditions that they were living in. When the girls weren’t around, many men would come up to me and vent their hate (sometimes justly) at white people. There wasn’t much I could do except for listen silently, hoping that by finally letting it out towards a white person would help with the healing process. After they were done, I would try to explain who I was and why I was there; mostly to no avail. We even met a few gang members on the street as we were walking back to Michael’s house from Anda’s. They (Michael and Anda) said that it was okay because “We grew up with these ones and know them”. The smell of delicious Bar-ba-que filled the air and there were sounds of music being played from all around. Open fires, cooking the meat, blazed along the road illuminating the words, “Japan” or “Gaza” (local gangs) tagged on most of the walls. At the end of the night, after talking, after eating; the boys showed me to my room where we all fell asleep… in the same bed. Since there are so many people per house in townships, its not uncommon for 3 or 4 people to share 1 bed. A unique and heartfelt experience (since sharing a bed with friends is like sharing one with family).

If we continue to focus on the negative in the world, how will we ever see past that to the amazing beauty that is buried just beneath? I would encourage you to find the beauty in your own community, in the “inner-city” areas, and especially the homeless shelters. So often we go to these places to “be Jesus” to them, when in reality, it is his face that we see in them. Sure, there will be some uncomfortable and possibly even dangerous experiences associated with these areas, but I believe that even just one person hearing about the Hope that is found in Christ is worth my life.

Matthew 25:37-40 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ ⁴⁰“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

Thank you so much for those who were praying during the time in the township. If you would like to be placed on the Prayer list, contact me and I will add you!

May God guide your steps in every area of your life and mine

John Paul Vicory

Check out These Numbers Have Faces on line here or in the Links Section on the Right!

[Hard Times Never Kill]

[Where Michael and Anda Sleep]

[Anda's House]

[Anda Stealing the Ball]

[Michael Heading against Manchester (They won 3-0)]

[Michael]

[Anda]

[Anda and Michael]

[The Pulpit at JL Zwane]

Reflecting upon the last few weeks, I realize now that it has been a blur. Everything happens so fast. It is hard to believe that I leave the country yet again on Tuesday morning at 8. Harder to believe is the fact that I probably won’t see the beautiful city of Denver, and many family members and friends for another 17 months…

Expectations are ideas that creep into my head of what the future holds… Not only with regards to my life on the Track, but with regards to my ideas about what will take place here so out of my control. Is there a better place to be than there? Out of control? I am reminded of the parallels of Paul’s thoughts when he explained in his second letter to the Corinthians that in His weakness, Christ has the most power. When I am furthest from control, He can have the most. And his arms are the safest place that I could ever be.

God has been teaching me that the Christian life is not necessarily one of One decision, but more of a hallway. We have to take the step into the doorway of the hall, but still have Life to walk through. Each step along the way affects the direction that I take in the future and sometimes I need to be picked up and put back on track again because there are distractions along the way. So, because making Christ my Lord is such a continual process, it requires almost a constant re-evaluation of my stance, path, and direction. Not only a re-evaluation, but a response to what God is showing me about myself. Action is key.

The last few months have been such a blessing to me. You, who supported the vision raised over $10,000 on behalf of the Orphans and future missions. The Not Alone Benefit Photography Show was just the beginning. Offers for more assistance and even building teams continue to pour in. God knew what he was doing that day when he introduced me to the vision. It continues to be his, but I am honored to be a part of it.

He has also led the way to share his heart for the world with America, on the tour and more recently when I was invited to speak at Metro State College in Denver. I had written a formal speech to take up my 20 minutes, but ended up sharing from the heart on my experiences in Africa, finishing with a call to action even in the secular environment. The overarching message of the summer is that there is Hope in a seemingly Hopeless situation. God continues to be the source of that Hope and encouragement for a world that is dying. Praise be to Him!

So now what? I am excited… Excited to see what He continues to do in and through me. It also comes with almost a sense of sadness. Sadness because I do value the relationships and friendships that God has given me here, back home. But those same relationships in his hands and surrendered to him are in the proper place. I have confidence that when we walk in His ways, we can never go astray. Philippians 4:19 [The same God who takes care of me, will take care of you!]

I look forward to sharing more experiences of my upcoming travels with you along the way. Who knows what will happen this time? Thank you for your faithfulness to reading and the encouragement that you provide as well. It is an interaction that I don’t take lightly, and one that I take with Joy!

May God richly bless your lives.

In Him,

John Paul

[Love is the Movement]

[Journal Entry: 8.11.07]

Sometimes I try to grasp onto any semblance of control in my world around me. This time, there is nothing to cling to; to rely on. I feel the most out of control that I have ever been. Why can’t I live my life this way? Why can’t I see that this is what I have been praying for all along? Why do I have fear in the midst of it?

John 6:16-21 tells of a time when the disciples were cruising in a boat and a storm came upon them. They were terrified, thinking that it was the end for them. All of the sudden they see Jesus, their redeemer walking on the water. He gets within range and says, “Don’t be afraid, the ‘I AM’ is here.” – The absolute most comforting phrase I could ever imagine.

This may seem like a difficult time in my life and in the lives of some of those around me. The waves are daunting and threaten to wreak havoc on our lives. I doubt whether or not that I can stand and am terrified. BUT, the ‘I AM’ is here. The power that raised Christ from the dead is within me. He calms the waves of doubt and discouragement within me and gives my boat a firm place to land.

Even though it has been a little bit of a difficult time in some respects it has been an incredibly fulfilling time in others. I am sure this is not a new scenario to me, but this is one of the first times that i have identified it in my own life…

God has been doing some amazing things and has been putting some pretty amazing people in my life along the road. Each time something works together, I am reassured that this is what the Lord has been calling me to do and I am confident in his plans.

Overall, people have been receptive to the work that the orphanages are doing in Ethiopia and Uganda, and it is amazing to see how God has been implanting his heart into the lives of others as they look into the faces and eyes those that He loves.

Things have also been moving with PhotogenX as well. I have booked my ticket around the world in faith that God will provide.

I have also been looking into starting a non-profit called NOT ALONE. Not Alone would be a ministry based on advocacy. A group of photographers, artists, and journalists would travel the globe to areas where social justice issues are thick. We would find grass-roots ministries that help with the issues and serve them for a season. At the same time, we would gather information and art as well. From there, we would put together a tour similar to the one in progress but on a larger scale. On this side, there will be another group with skills in business, marketing, and event planning that would set up the shows in various locations.

The goal and mission of Not Alone would be to raise awareness for Social Justice Issues and partner with the grassroots ministries and non-profits to make a change. Kind of like what happened with St. Ameria’s Orphanage in Uganda. Because of a few people took time to visit, we were able to share our experiences with others. Those others were touched, and some even support the orphanage on a monthly basis. We would be the ones to find these places and stand with them, connecting them to others around the world who care and could provide resources.

What are your thoughts?

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbDErRf-LD4]

This week’s update will be a little bit shorter than usual because of the amount of time that I actually have to work on it. The Conference starts TODAY and we are still running around trying to get everything set up and in best order. But even amidst the busyness and sometimes confusion, it has been a week of great blessing.

[Alex looking over the Nile. In the Back is the platform i jumped from (Bungee)]

First of all, our school leader and close friend John Bills came on Monday and I had the honor of picking him up from the Flight Hotel in Entebbe. It was so great to see him and the rest of the team feels the same. Since then he has been speaking into our lives, giving us guidance and a listening ear. He has taken us out to dinner, watched movies with us, and has provided strong stability for us in this remaining week. He is scheduled to speak at the conference and is hosting a few seminars in the afternoons as well.

Personally, John Bills has helped me tremendously in my walk with God. I know that the same is true for many others as well. God has gifted him with His Father’s heart and is a tangible example to so many of His unconditional love. God has changed many lives through John and we are so grateful to have him here with us again.

The second immense blessing was more of a personal one for me because it involved Muluwork, the YWAM director from Ethiopia, surprising me by showing up yesterday. He had registered for the conference, booked a plane ticket to Nairobi from Addis Ababa, then an overnight bus from there; all on faith. I really wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to come or not and had prepared myself for the worst. God provided and I was able to share in the blessing as well!

The third blessing came at St. Ameria’s Orphanage. Alex and I were able to go one final time on Friday and took with us John Bills and April Bang. April had told me that there was some people back home that were more than willing to give for different ministries here in Africa, and St. Ameria’s was able to benefit greatly from those gifts. They were lacking money to set up a proper account that they would be able to receive international transfers. Now, they have that money and a great deal more. I will be in contact with them if anyone wants more information on how to give to them or pray for their needs as well. This is just the beginning of the blessing for St. Ameria’s. They have been so faithful in God’s command to take care of the orphans and the oppressed and now know without a shadow of a doubt, that God is faithful.

This last 3 months has been quite the roller coaster… and we all had blindfolds on; not knowing what to expect from one moment to the next. This next week, our eyes will be uncovered to what we have been working so hard to accomplish. We all believe that this conference will be a platform for God to be able to share his heart for AIDS to YWAM and to the rest of the world. This conference will change things. We are so honored to be a part of it, even just to be here for this gathering of those who want God’s heart will bless my face off.

On some of the downtime that we have had, I have been able to put together this slideshow highlighting the ministry that we were a part of as a whole school (this goes back a couple of months). Not only is it a highlight, but also a challenge to YWAM and those who claim to follow Christ. Please watch it and share it with those you know. I will post the URL below so that you can send the link to everyone through emails and text messages.

Well, that should be about it. I did go bungee jumping over the Nile River last Sunday after I updated the blog. Since I was the first one of the day to jump, the jumpmaster couldn’t gage whether or not he would be able to dip me in the Nile. It didn’t happen, but it was still a great experience.

I hope that I will be able to update the blog next week, but it may be on Monday from Dubai. We will see what happens. Thanks again for reading and for sharing this experience with me. I am truly blessed by the feedback that I receive from you.

Please pray for the conference this week. Our work is almost done, but this is just the beginning of the work against AIDS and the stigma and shame that is associated with it. AIDS doesn’t have to kill our brothers and sisters, but it is up to us to care.

In Christ Alone,

John Paul

Crunch Time… With a Smile

With the YWAM HIV/AIDS Global Gathering starting in two weeks from today, everything and everyone is going crazy. Rightly so, we have a lot to do and a lot more to plan.

[Alex and his hedgehog friend... they aren't as fast as Sonic]

Sunday started off great with the blog update, it was good to get everything off of my chest. Thank you to those who responded with your encouraging words and feedback, it is always good to hear.

In the afternoon, Jessie’s dad, Robin, held a men’s self-defense class. I think that I mentioned it last week, but her dad is on the SWAT team back in Indiana. Since we have been stepping up security on the base, it was a great lesson for us. It was also fun to see the muscular and intimidating Tongan men writhing in pain when Robin would pull a seemingly insignificant move on their pressure points. It also made me feel a little bit safer around them knowing that I have at least a little bit of a chance… probably not.

[Some of us getting pwn3d (owned) during the self-defense training]

We were able to spend some more time with Kim (Jessie’s Aunt, but also one of our DTS staff) as well. Most of us have had a bit of a rough time the last couple weeks feeling overwhelmed with the task. We have also put our focus on the goal of the conference and lost sight of the overall lessons that God is trying to teach us in the meantime. It was great to hear input from Kim and process through with her what we are thinking and feeling. Jessie’s parents and Kim left this morning, but it was such a blessing to have them with us for this time.

This week, Jonathan came back from a week with his parents in Kampala and the surrounding areas. His parents are with the Orphan Justice Mission and were on assignment this last week in Uganda. Jonathan had a great time with them in all of their ministry opportunities. He had some great stories of God’s Grace and Love as well.

When he came back he found out that the three remaining men on the team were moving to a different room. It was a bit of a surprise to us, and honestly, we didn’t handle it very well at first. We were already stressing out and then we had to move from a comfortable cooler room to one that is not as comfortable and definitely not as cool. We even had to make our own screens out of duct tape and an old mosquito net in order to open the windows. We are closer in proximity to the Tongan men, so it has been nice to get to know them better. We are afraid that they will want to use their newly acquired self-defense techniques on us though… Just kidding, they are great guys, very passionate about the Lord.

Thursday night we had a team dinner again. Since our team has enlarged due to the Tongan team joining us, we had resorted to getting our meals in the dining room and then coming back to the meeting room to eat together. So Thursday because Robin and Pam were cooking, we had hamburgers, sausages, and fries… It was absolutely amazing. I could only eat one burger and one sausage, but some of the other members of our team had 3 or 4. There was so much food, it was great. I don’t think I had felt full since being in Uganda until that night.

[Yum Yums]

Friday morning, we had another sports day with the staff and students on base. The DTS team is leaving on outreach tomorrow, so it was their last Friday on base. The SBS (School of Biblical Studies) students joined them in some competition against the staff on base. Everyone involved had a great time of fun and fellowship, but at the end of the day, I am pretty sure that the staff (of which we are included) came out on top!

[Tara probably got the ball...maybe...maybe she was getting past... oh well, we won]

All day yesterday was spent up at the office. The prayer room is located on the second floor of the administration building, and it needs to be finished by Tuesday morning, so Ruth, Tara, and Sarah took over and whoever else was left (Alex, and I) pitched in a bit to help as well. It looks more than a hundred percent better now, but there is still a bit of work to be done on it yet. Next week I will show the finished product of the prayer room and also the common room which was also finished this week.

[Everyone hard at work in the prayer room]

Earlier I mentioned the SBS students. The last couple of weeks, I have been getting to know a few of the men a little bit more. There are 3 from Sudan, 1 from Kenya, and 1 from Tanzania. I have been getting to know the 3 from Sudan, and their stories are great, but sometimes sad at the same time. They are from Southern Sudan. Their country is constantly being torn apart North and South. Muslim Arabs reside in the North of the country, and the dark tribes reside in the south where the land looks much like Uganda, rich and green. I have been learning how The north has been taking the resources of the south (including gold and oil) and leaving hardly anything to the people in the south. Then, they bribe them to be able to stay in power in the government. And then there was the genocide at Darfur. There are northern groups hired to take out the southerners. There is hope on the horizon though. In 2011 there will be a vote throughout Sudan to see whether or now there will be a new country formed called New Sudan. The Arabs don’t want this, of course, because they gain so much from the relationship, but it is bad for the southerners. If you are Muslim in northern Sudan, you get paid much more than a non-Muslim would, but a Christian gets paid even less that a non-religious person. Its an evangelistic tactic that is used as well.

Look into everything that happens in Sudan. There has been fighting for more than these men can remember. Everyone is affected. Some northerners are already trying to bribe the southerners for hearts in the 2011 vote. Please do research and be praying as well.

I also found out something about Southern Sudan that I didn’t know before as well. George Bush has done a lot for Southern Sudanese and so has Condoleezza Rice. Since they have done so much for them, the Sudanese have been honoring them by naming their children “George Bush” and “Condoleezza Rice”.

I hope to be able to see my new friends in Sudan at some point in my life. It has been so interesting and moving to get to know them and their heart for the Lord and for their people. I can see the desperation as well as the hope in their eyes.

There actually hasn’t been a whole lot else going on this week.

As far as the benefit photography tour goes, please keep your eyes and ears open for some venues, and start telling people about it. I think by next week, I am going to have the dates nailed down, some cities don’t have places yet though! Ah, crazy!

Please continue praying for us here, we really appreciate it. I especially want to thank those from the First Baptist Church where Robin (Jessie’s dad) is the pastor. We were thoroughly blessed by having him this week and were blessed as well with the gifts that you sent with him. They helped us immensely! God Bless you!

And for everyone else, if you know a missionary, drop them a line or a letter if you can. It is so much more than words to them I am sure.

May God richly bless you! Until next week…

Luke 10:2-3
In Christ,
John Paul

Yes, it’s true; there is less than a month until the YWAM HIV/AIDS Global Gathering here at Hopeland. The weeks are flying by and preparations are getting in order. We work hard all week and then rest up and get the soreness out of our bodies on the weekends. This week, in addition to slashing a field and lighting it on fire, we dug trenches and did landscaping for water drainage near the conference hall. I am glad that this week has come to a close.

Some of you have asked what I actually do here for the conference so I guess I will take you through a typical day. I get up at 6:24 every morning and spend some time alone to watch the sunrise and read the Word. At about 7:30 the bell rings for breakfast, so I go and grab my two rolls and a cup of tea. Then we probably have a meeting or something like that but start getting to slashing at about 8:30 or 9. That lasts most of the morning, but after I take a shower and head up to the office. I am in charge of the registration for the conference and communication with those who have registered. I book people who send faxes or register on the website and add their information to a database. I keep track of travel dates, accommodation, and payment as well. That usually takes up some time and I usually have to finish up work after lunch. Sometimes we have meetings in the afternoon (for our conference team and for base staff as well). After all of that, we usually get back to work slashing or burning fields and stuff like that. Many nights we have more meetings, but on the nights we don’t, we usually play some cards, watch movies with some people or just sit around and talk while listening to music. There is not a whole lot else to do out here except all that…

We spent a whole week clearing a massive field of grass, weeds, trees, and a lot of other plants. Those who had been on the base a couple years had never seen it cleared. It would be a good planting field, so hopefully they will put it to good use. We could tell it hadn’t been cleared in s while because there were layers of dead grass and these vines that would get in the way of everything. It was tough, but we had some help from our Tongan friends who have practically dropped everything to help us get ready for the conference.

There are certain consequences that come along with clearing a field. This week, we saw more snakes than all the weeks leading up to this one. I had to kill 4 snakes (very humanely of course) this week because we had destroyed their home. I don’t really like having to do that, but they were a venomous viper called the burrowing viper or mole viper. They make their homes in the tall grass. Since there are so many little children on the base, it is probably good that they are no longer a threat. I feel bad though, because in a perfect situation, I would like to have relocated them or something… God created them and they do serve a purpose, but I guess the circumstances weren’t and aren’t very ideal. When I was back in the States, I did take for granted the way that we take care of where we live… for the most part. We have trash and recycling systems, and we are getting better at sustainability and conservation. There is so much trash here and people don’t seem to bat an eye when someone throws plastic bags out the windows of their vehicles (that are way under safe emissions standards). Fires are used to get rid of unwanted plant waste even though they could use it for compost, and most cooking is done on coal. I think that there is a lot of room for improvement; for the sake of their country and their homes.

Alex and I were originally going to go to Tanzania, but some problems came up with my visa and there was also a highway robbery occurred in Kenya as one of our team members was on her to Jinja from Arusha, Tanzania a couple of weeks ago. We were going to visit a few bases in Tanzania and Kenya to advertise the conference as well as to go to a few Masai tribes to do evangelism and HIV/AIDS education. Since it didn’t work out, we gave a few bucks to a staff member of the DTS who is from Tanzania when he went to visit his family a couple of weeks ago. He got back this week and brought us some gifts! This is the type of covering that the Masai people wear in Northern Tanzania and Southern Kenya. The Masai people are very interesting and have been highlighted on the Discovery Channel and all over National Geographic ever since I can remember. They are such a strong people and are known for their killing of lions. Look them up online or something. They are so interesting. HIV/AIDS has an opportunity to thrive in the Masai people because of the polygamy, sleeping around, and FGM as well. Not many agencies are offering testing to this people and missionaries have to earn the respect of the tribal leaders before they will listen to them about these harmful practices. Earning that respect could take years…

Rachel Donnely also felt like it was the right time to go home, so she said goodbye to the base on Wednesday and flew out of Entebbe on Thursday. She should be back home by now. We’ll miss you too Rachel! It may seem like our team has dwindled, but as I said before, the Tongan team doing their Frontier Missions School have joined us for this time and have been such a help. Their attitudes are great and they work so hard. It has helped all of us to work even harder as well!

It has been a great week of reflection on this last 6 months since my journey started in Hawaii. I have been reading through my old journals from the last year and been realizing how much I have grown and matured. I am not saying that I have reached “it” or “there” by any means, but comparing myself to who I was when I started, I am completely different. God has completely transformed me. It is all about him. I really like being in Africa and doing ministry. The only hard part is that I feel so different that I want to tell everyone that I know, especially those back home. I want to tell people about the fulfilling life that I have found in Christ. I thought that I was a Christian before I came out here, but I had no idea of what being a Christian was!

Plans for this summer are going well, but I am having a hard time finding venues for the showing. If anyone has any suggestions, I am very open to hearing about them. I came across a verse the other day that explains why I am going to do all of this…

Proverbs 31:8-9 “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice.”

So please be praying about the Conference, or team, and the Benefit Art Shows this summer. Also, if anyone has any experience/contact/hook-up with matting and framing, I would be grateful! Thank you for reading again, and like before, if you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or prayer requests, I would be happy to hear from you.

Thanks again and God Bless

John Paul Vicory

Welcome back to Uganda! It has been a busy week, but it’s nice to have this day of rest, even though it involves walking long distances to go to church in the morning. It has been a fulfilling but difficult week for most of us out here, but God is still faithful and so good!

The bugs at the Hopeland Base are getting out of control. Its season for lake flies to be around and they are annoying. They get into everything and through the screens in doors. They fly all around any lights and then they die. The next morning we have piles and piles of them everywhere. It’s unlike anything I have ever seen! They also have this type of flying ant or something that the locals love to eat (especially fried!). They will pick them up off of the ground at dusk when they take to the air. They lose their wings very quickly and then they crawl around on the ground, lay eggs and die. By the way; Alex, Mark, and I also tried them…

The communications team spent the week creating response letters to all of the classes of registration. Gina and Jonathan are very proficient at proof reading and coming up with creative ideas that get points across in clear and concise ways. The letters are still awaiting the final say by our team leader, Lucy. They will hopefully be sent out starting this next week. We also worked on a brochure that will be presented by the national leader of YWAM Uganda to some government representatives that will be invited to the conference. The brochure explains YWAM as a whole and what the conference is aiming to do. Pray that it is received well and that the government officials will participate in the event. Another object we worked on all week was revising the website. We went through and proof-read most of the pages.

The event team organized the team meal on Wednesday night and it was delicious. We don’t get to eat much meat on base, so Wednesday night team dinner is a highlighted meal. The program team also took a trip into Jinja to get a tour of the hotel that some of the guests will be staying in. I had the opportunity to go as well to take photographs for the website. They will be posted shortly. Rob has also been working hard trying to get most of the finances sorted out for the conference.

I have been in Uganda for a month now and I was beginning to feel a little bit down. Don’t get me wrong, it’s beautiful here and setting up the conference is great, but I felt like my faith was failing me. I realized that I was having the kind of faith that James warns us about in his Epistle. He says that faith without works is dead, exactly how I was feeling. I desperately needed the Lord’s refreshing peace again so I asked him to do something powerful in my life this week. On Wednesday afternoon after taking photos at the hotel, I went to a favorite coffee shop in Jinja called The Source Café. This is where God decided to answer my prayer. I met a man named Mark Weaver. He has been in Uganda for a couple of months now and actually did a Snowboarders DTS in Colorado. We started talking and he told me his story of how he came to Uganda. It involves winning the Showcase Showdown on the Price is Right that included 2 cars. He sold both and looked up orphanages in Uganda on the popular search engine, Google… I asked him if Alex and I could meet up with him on Saturday and go to some orphanages with him. He is actually living at one called Canaan Children’s Home (www.canaanchildrenshome.org) and does evangelism in the surrounding community. Alex and I went with him on Saturday to an orphanage outside of Jinja called St. Ameria’s that completely took me by surprise and broke my heart at the same time. Many of you may have heard of “Invisible Children”, a documentary focusing on the displaced children due to a constant war in Northern Uganda. The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) abducts children and forces them to be child soldiers and teaches them to kill. The children are completely brainwashed. The orphanage that we went to on Saturday had many children from Gulu in the North where much of the fighting and abductions take place (Gulu was the main town featured in “Invisible Children”). These children don’t have parents because the LRA killed them. They fled to surrounding cities, even Jinja. A woman set up the orphanage in 1994 with 4 children and now has over 300. These children sleep like sardines packed in a can wherever there is room. The orphanage doubles as a school but the buildings are unfinished and falling apart because they have practically no funding. Hardly anyone knows about this place.

[The boy's room with all the boys in it]

One of the most powerful and sad times in my entire life came on Saturday when some of the children started singing a song about AIDS had killed their parents. This little girl, Helen soloed and had a voice like an angel but had tears running down her face. I felt so bad because they were singing the song for us but could hardly get the words out of their mouths because they were all weeping. The last line of the song; “Where are you God, I did not choose this kind of life”. It was heart-wrenching. This is only 1 orphanage among countless others in Africa. So many stories… so many hurting children who need the love of the Father.

Later that evening as the sun was setting, Mark took us to Canaan Children’s Home for a few minutes before heading up to the hills to do some door-to-door evangelism. The contrast between Canaan and Santa Maria’s was so vast I could hardly believe it. We went from those having no beds even to those who had complete buildings, running water, a medical clinic, mosquito nets, and even pet dogs. It was a great example of how an orphanage should be funded. It gave me hope for St. Ameria’s.

The evangelism in the hills was amazing as well. A few Muslim people and some others as well came to know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. They were so open to the Gospel. They had never heard it before and they were about 20 minutes walking/hiking from where the Canaan Children’s Home was (which is about 30 minutes outside of Jinja; not on the main road). He is so faithful and Alex and I were so honored that He would speak through us that day. We were completely strengthened by exercising our faith and we felt empowered to do more with our “free time”.

Please pray for the ministries we visited on Saturday, especially St. Ameria’s. I can see the desperation in their eyes as they shared with us. I could see the need when I walked past their buildings that looked like they were going to fall over at a moment’s notice.

My uncle Forest is visiting Rwanda this week as well. Please pray for safety for him as well as favor with those he is going to work with. He has been on my heart for a while now and I am sure that he would appreciate your prayers of support as well.

Continue to pray for unity on our team, we have met opposition on every side this last week from people getting sick, to computers crashing (not mine praise God), to mis communications. These are all things that can tear us apart and get our eyes off of the Lord and His plans for us. We need strength and rest. Ruth also left for England late on Saturday for 10 days to attend a family wedding. Pray that the Lord gives her back to us soon and safely.

My prayers go out to you as well, that our God will strengthen you and be your peace this week. God Bless!

His Servant,

John Paul

(All images captured by John Paul and are not edited in anyway)