A Bridge of Healing to the Nations

YWAM, Arua - A base living up to its mission.

     God gave us a wonderful opportunity to get to know and bless the families of the local YWAM missionaries in Uganda, Africa. The area we visited, and hope to return to full time, is in the northwestern corner of the country near the borders of Southern Sudan and Eastern Congo. Those countries have experienced much war in recent years and we met many from Sudan and Congo whose lives were greatly affected; yet these dear people hope to return to those countries to minister to the unreached people who have, like themselves, suffered the atrocities of the war.  Sadly their churches have very little to give to support any worker. These families live by faith, trusting God for all their needs.

     Joyce’s father was shot when she was 14. She left school and found work to help her mother support her nine siblings through school. She and her husband, Emma, (short for Emmanuel) with their three girls, want to reach out to the Issori tribe in Sudan who were abused by the LRA and later rejected by area tribes as traitors. The Issori people have been misunderstood and are in great need after years of isolation. The YWAM team started building relationships with them, and is now seeing some come to faith in Jesus.

     Elida’s father died when she was 4 years old and she, her mother, and village lived continually on the run from the rebels, the LRA, in Southern Sudan. They would hear gunshots and take off for the bush to hide. Raided many times, they would lose the little they had and they constantly had to search for food and water. She never learned to read and write. Now, as the mother of five sweet girls, she and her husband Mario long for their children to have a better life. They are hoping to one day go to the Congo and share their hope of Jesus with those who are still harassed by the LRA. (We don’t know Mario’s early years but he was a pastor of a church and a translator of the Baka language with Wycliffe’s SIL before becoming the YWAM Discipleship Training School leader. He is now a part of the base’s leadership team.)

     John Toburo, and his wife Alice, are powerful witnesses for Jesus. They and their 12 children live in the local village, near the YWAM base, in a brick hut with a thatch roof that leaks. Nearly 60 years old, he has lived there all his life. He saw many flee during the wars and now sees many new people come settle in their poor village. As the pastor of the small village church, he has a great love for his people. (He also leads the Discipleship Training School at the base.)

     All of these families live on very little. Joyce’s and Elida’s families live in very simple rooms (just bedrooms) on the base. They try to supplement their income by baking little cookies to sell. Outside their doors, we would sit and visit as they washed clothes by hand and cooked on little charcoal fires. We were so very impressed with the love and friendship they and their sweet children showed us. They are a joyful, contented people and we rejoiced at their testimonies of thanks to God.

     God made it very clear to us that we were sent to help these beautiful, godly ministers. All three of these Arua staff families, need help to send their children to school.  Because of the wars and the living conditions there, they as parents, were unable to get much, if any education. English is Uganda’s national language and children are required now to go to school at the age of three. The government school is not free, is very crowded and does a poor job teaching.

 

     The village school, Little Angels, run by Christians, is trying hard to do a good job with their few resources. We were able to visit all the classes and talk to the director who now emails us as a friend. By faith, we started the process of sponsoring the 13 children of these three families at Little Angels.

     Joyce and Emma’s three girls could no longer afford to attend the government school. They are so thrilled to now be at the local village school. The girls had to run home each day several miles to eat lunch and run back for the afternoon classes. Their middle daughter never ate lunch because she was afraid to run home by chance she would be late to get back. Now they can be near and have their lunch provided at the new school.

     Elida and Mario’s five daughters, and a niece they support, are able to stay at the village school where they by faith started this February. The very day we felt God tell us to help these families, Mario had gone also by faith, to the school and told the director that God would provide. He gave the director his $50 needed for his visa (He is from Sudan and needed that money to stay in the country) and said that God would supply the rest. The next morning, the Base director of YWAM told him of our plan. He came rejoicing to us and together we went to the school and paid all his girls fees for the first term. (We gave him his visa money as well.) God answered their prayers!

     John and his family’s youngest four children, Richard, 7; Malyamungu meaning “all wealth belongs to God”, a boy, 6; Gloria, 5; and Francis, a boy, 3; never went to school. His other seven children attend the government school, but there was no money left for the little one’s education. Now the little ones can attend the school near their home.

     They are required to start young so they can learn English. In a world where there are few jobs and people live without the basic essentials, it is good for them to get the best schooling possible. 

     At Little Angels , the discipline is excellent and the children politely recited their lessons. They receive a lunch and uniforms, which are a blessing for these poor families. Their buildings are just shells of brick with open windows. Each class has a blackboard and benches and a few posters. Only some children had a notebook and pencil. We saw no books, but all were so happy to attend.

     We visited the schools several times, as we enrolled each family, but as we walked through the village to the school, we saw so many more children who could not attend. Some were dressed in filthy rags. Some little ones had no clothes at all. Some wee ones screamed at the sight of white people; others came shyly toward us to stare. As we smiled and said hello, as we held out our hands to shake theirs, they giggled and all the other children would run over to have their hands shaken as well.

     The Muslim children would take our hands and place them on their foreheads then kiss our hands. Some would bow or curtsey, or hold their forearm as they shook our hand as a sign of respect. If only they all could be given an opportunity to go to school.  How we long to bless them all in the name of Jesus.

     If God lays it on your heart, we would love to have you come along side of us to see these children and missionary families supported. (Please call 573-459-2375 or email us patrickdharr@hotmail.com for more information.)