Posts tagged emails

This weekend we said goodbye to DTS. I didn’t think it would be as hard as it was, as I have been looking forward to getting on with life and the things God has placed on my heart to do. But when it came to saying goodbye to the first group of people leaving, the realisation that this time was over hit home. I have absolutely loved my time on DTS and have learnt so much that I don’t even know how to express in words. As a group we have really grown together and have a deep and genuine love for one another. This has been a totally unique experience in my life and something that I really wish could last forever. However life moves on and we all have things we have to do so it is unrealistic to think it could be any other way. I am just grateful for the time we had.

One of the things I have been hoping to get out of my time on DTS was to figure out how I should be using my life. I have felt the need to do something which makes a difference in peoples lives but struggled to understand how that fitted with what I would consider my strongest talent – creating software. As I asked God about what I should be doing I felt he wanted me to use this talent to help other people and also to be a bridge for me into new things. Over the course of the last two months I have been continuing to seek God about this and my thoughts have become much clearer as to what I need to do.

I have become convinced that businesses primary purpose is to serve those involved – clients, staff and the community. Business is also a great way to do something which can grow and have a large and effective impact. So after much thought I am going to start a business whose primary aim is to serve the community. It will be a software company that spends much of its resources training primarily high school drop-outs in the art of software development and then employs them in the business.

Mission Statement
To equip young people with skills that will enable them to become valuable contributors to the marketplace and local community.

There are two key points here. Firstly that they will be trained in skills that are marketable and valuable. I have spent the last 7yrs honing my skills and in the process I have learnt a lot about software and how to make myself valuable in whatever workplace I am in, this is some of what I will be able to teach. Secondly they need to become valuable contributors to the community. This will not just be training and a job for these people, but also a time where we can share together about life our problems, how we deal with them and so on. I want to be able to understand where they are at and also impart some of the things I have learnt.

I know that this is going to be extremely hard, In fact I am sure it will be the hardest thing I have ever done, but the potential impact is considerable. I know it is a worthwhile endeavour and I believe it will be successful – but even if it isn’t it still has the opportunity to impact peoples lives for the better and I believe that is Gods heart and so whatever the cost to me it is a risk I am willing to take.

So this is a brief overview of my general plan for the next five years. I have already talked to a few people who can see potential partnerships for various aspects and I am hoping some more people will come along for the ride!

Some travel news. I am going to be in NZ for a month from mid January for my sisters wedding. After that I go to the states for a month – going snowboarding at Lake Tahoe, meeting up with some friends and so on. Will be back in the UK mid March.

But before I get started with that I have a one month contract in Farnham – an hour south west of London. It was pretty amazing how I got this job, I uploaded my CV to a job website and 5mins later (literally) I got a phone call from an agent. Turned out I had precisely the skills they wanted and the introducing paragraph of my CV impressed them enough that they decided to take me on for a month (which was all I am available for) even though they wanted someone for longer. I am so thankful for getting something so quickly – now all I need is a place to stay!

Till next time.

Before we left Arua for Soroti we had two unplanned days so we all packed into the 4WD and drove for 3 hours to Murchison Game park the largest in Uganda at 4,000 sqm. We spent the next two days sitting on the roof of the car desperately looking for lions. On day 2 we had one of the rangers come with us but all we found was a carcass from the last nights kill. The park was beautiful though and we saw quite a few elephants and herds of giraffe. The park is divided in two by the nile and we went on a cruise up stream to see the waterfall, on the way we saw lots of hippos and crocodiles. On the way back a storm was brewing and the sky started turning black – I love a stormy sky so enjoyed taking it in and getting a few shots on the camera.

The day after we got back from safari we left for Soroti. We stayed here for two weeks and helped out with some of the ministries here. One of them is a bank, or rather 50 banks! It is a savings and loan program and they help small communities, of around 30, to start a bank where they make weekly, mandatory deposits. If they have an emergency they can borrow money for it (interest free), but they have to pay it back. They can also take loans for businesses that they want to start or expand, these they pay interest on. The bank runs for around 18 months at which point it is dissolved and the profits split amongst its members. If they choose they can then start the bank again. This is a great way for the people to start saving money and enables them to deal with uncertainties better as well as improve their income through business. YWAMs involvement is only in making sure they run the bank according to the rules and getting more people started up. It is a pilot program at this stage but it looks like they are going to start implementing it in more places.

Last Sunday we were invited to attend a wedding. Three couples from the local baptist church were getting married, they had combined their services and celebrations in order to cut costs as it is quite expensive to put on that kind of event. It was not your normal mass wedding though as each person was already married – they just hadn’t had a ceremony before. In fact they had all been married at least 20 years! There was another twist as well, the ceremony was followed by an ordination of 14 local pastors who were to become reverandts. And not only that but it was also the churches 13th anniversary, so that was also celebrated. We arrived for the service early as we were told we would be running a kids program beforehand – as is so often the case we were given inaccurate information and that did not happen, so instead we waited patiently for the service to begin. At around 9am the MC announced that “the program would begin at 10 which means 11 sharp”. We were relieved when it did in fact begin at 10 but were somewhat concerned that it was not finished at 3pm. We were promised about an hour and a half earlier that we would be picked up in 20mins. When we called to find out where our ride was we were asked whether we wanted to wait until they served lunch! Unsurprisingly we left as soon as possible!

We have also been helping with a mobile clinic. This involves sitting on the back of a ute for an hour and a half getting covered in dust and a sore bum, after which we count out pills for prescriptions which a nurse writes after asking the patient what their symptoms are. It is a really basic level of care, but it is a lot better than nothing. The most common thing to treat is malaria and worms.

There is a pre school, a primary school and two orphanages that YWAM runs, so we have been painting swings and slides and merry-go-rounds. Their playground is now much more colourful. The girls have been helping out at the orphanage with night shifts. I have no desire to work with babies but thankfully there are plenty of girls who go gaga over them!

On Monday we took another bus. This time to Kampala where we got a taxi to drive us the last 40km to Entebbe. Along the way we got a flat tyre, this was the first problem we have had with any vehicle we have been in – quite amazing considering how hard they have to work here. We got out of the van and saw there were a bunch of kids around so we started playing games with them and shared some stories and encouraged them with their dreams. It was really cool because our official outreach time was over, but it felt like the natural thing to do in that situation. I am happy about that.

We spent our last day in a guest house in Entebbe. It was pure luxury – indoor hot showers, flushing thrones and WI-FI internet!! We spent the day debriefing and reflecting on our time here. Then on Wednesday we made the 8hr flight home.

It is good to be back but it is a little sad that this time is nearly over. It has been an amazing learning and growing experience that I would thoroughly recommend. The challenge now is to continue living out what I have learnt. I have a pretty clear idea of where I am headed from here which I will tell you about in the coming weeks. For now though.. goodnight.

After a 25hr journey we arrived in Arua, Uganda. We left Nairobi at around 8pm and drove on the bumpiest road I have ever been for the next 9hrs until we arrived at the Ugandan border. I don’t think anyone got any sleep, and I was very glad to get off. At the border we were greeted by about 100 men on bikes offering to take our gear across for us – like I was going to give my bag to a stranger in the dark. It wasn’t far to walk but then we had to wait for a couple of hours to get through customs and then to find transport to Kampala so was about 7am by the time we left.

We got a van, tied all our luggage onto the roof and then we all squeezed inside – 13 of us because we were travelling with the base leader from Arua and his wife and friend. 6hrs of lovely smooth road and one crossing of the Nile later, we arrived in Kampala. I cant believe how good the roads are here, they are almost as good as western roads. I don’t know what went wrong in Kenya! In Kampala we fought traffic and carbon monoxide poisoning to find the bus which would take us north to Arua.

It was great to be on the final leg of the journey – only 8hrs left! It took a while to get out of the city but once we did it was clear road ahead. Well until it started pouring with rain! This is real tropical rain as well so it was bucketing down. Not long after the rain started we came across an overturned lorry, not an uncommon sight here. We also met the speed bumps. These things are lethal. The bus would slow right down but when we hit them we would still get shot out of our seats! It probably didn’t help that we were sitting in the back, but it was fun – at least for the first few until my organs started to be repositioned..

We crossed the Nile another 2 times before the sun went down. I started noticing flashes of light in the distance, I wondered whether that was artillery as we were going past a conflict zone. But it turned out to be lightning. It got a lot more intense, lit up the entire sky and did not stop for hours. Around 9pm we finally arrived in Arua! It was great to get off the bus. Unfortunately it left before everybody got their bags! So we chucked all the bags we did get onto the 4 wheel drive that came to get us and then 9 of us climbed onto the back and we took off after the bus! It was quite surreal after 36hrs or so of no sleep to be standing on the back of a car chasing a bus. We did catch up and got the missing bags back.

We got to the base and had a late dinner, posho and beans, that is pretty much all we eat now. Posho is like mashed potato except super sticky and denser and the beans are just delicious!

After dinner I had the best shower ever! There is a small structure outside with walls and no roof. The shower is just cold water from a tank perched above. What is so great is that you get to look up and see all the stars. I have never seen them like this before there are so many and they are so bright and you can see the milky way. I can see now why people are so into astronomy.

So we had a few days off before starting ministry. We went to a church a school and a prison. At the first two I shared about some things that have become important to me since starting DTS. During one of the weeks (of DTS) we asked God to show us anything about ourselves we believed that was not true. God showed me that deep down I believed that I thought I was not capable of doing some of the things I have wanted too. During this time He told me that I was in fact capable. This sounds pretty basic stuff but when you are dealing with your own beliefs it is quite a big deal! So one of the things I spoke about is how we are all capable of more than we think.

The second topic was dreams. People here are not good at thinking long term. All they think of is where their next meal is coming from. So I shared with them the power of dreams and how God wants to give them dreams and use them to do great things.

We have spent the last week in a village called Vura. We were hosted by Bishop Ona of the Zion Methodist church. Everyday we went out to do ministry. We went house to house and talked to people, we shared our testimonies at the market and we finished the week with an open air crusade type thing where we did dramas sang songs and preached the gospel. It was a lot of fun. I no longer have any fear of getting up and talking in front of people, I’ve had to do it so many times with no preparation that it is easy – although we have had to speak through a translator which gives plenty of time to think on the spot!

On Saturday it was Julianas 18th birthday so we surprised her with the gift of a pig! We slaughtered it, gutted it and cooked it and feed around 40 people. When I say we I mean our hosts, we weren’t allowed to do anything. So we had this big feast and we even baked a birthday cake in a mud brick oven (it came out perfect). The Bishop loves ceremony so it was very formal, Juliana was presented to the crowd (along with two matrons), many speeches followed along with eating lots of pork and rice.

We are now back in Arua and have spent some time sharing with the local kids and speaking at schools and the prison again. On Monday we are leaving for Soroti for our last 2 weeks of outreach.

Well that’s all for now folks..

Last time we talked I was heading off to Bedford to help out with a kids camp. Everything went really well and we had a great time. The camp only went for 2days so it was not much time to build relationships with the kids, it would have been nice if it was a bit longer. But 12 kids decided to start following Jesus so that was really great to see! I managed to make my knee even worse than it was – we were playing British Bulldog and one of the kids tackled me, I fell over and landed on my knee which promptly swelled up like I was a cartoon character that had been hit on the head! I had to spend the rest of the day with an icepack on it, and I haven’t been able to do much more than walking since, although recently it has been better.

We spent the following week living in a Church in Bedford. It was the first time I had ever slept, showered and had meals in a church and it was a lot more fun than I expected. We had the sound system to play with, projector to watch movies on and an auditorium to play creative games we devised. During the week we went out on the streets and talked to random people and got involved in some local projects like a cafe for teenagers. One day we did a free car wash, it poured with rain so the few people who did stop stayed in their cars. Unhappy with only washing a few cars we started giving a way tea and biscuits to passers by.. which turned into giving it to people in their cars as they drove by! We had people running across the street at a busy roundabout handing out tea – even to a car with a couple of cops and someone they had arrested in the back! The last night of the week we put on a program for some of the kids from the camp. It was just a bit of a get together and a nice opportunity to see them again. We did a skit and a dance which was all a bit cheesy – but it was our first time performing together so wasn’t too bad! Some photos of the camp and Bedford are here.

Since then we have had many more lectures. A particular highlight was Godly Relationships where we looked at how families are structured, how issues get passed down from generation to generation and how to stop that. We also spent a week in Notting Hill (again living in a church) learning about evangelism. It was quite different to what I expected and really portrayed evangelism more like discipleship – showing people Gods love for them and helping them to get closer to Him. In the afternoons we went out onto the streets to practice starting conversations and trying to steer conversations towards God. I can’t say I was very good at the latter, but I at least enjoyed making conversation with random people and in situations I normally wouldn’t bother.

So now it is time for outreach! Our team has been split in two. 7 people are going to Milano Italy.. and the other 10 of us are going to Kenya, Uganda and possibly Sudan! Everyone is quite excited – I usually save mine for when I arrive in a new place.. we leave on Tuesday so not long to go now We have been practising some dramas which has been fun. We are doing one to the song Everything by Lifehouse. Hopefully it will look something like this version on youtube. I am playing Jesus but hopefully won’t be wearing that tunic thing! The drama is quite intense but has a pretty powerful message. I imagine we will take a video of us doing it at some point so that should be nice and embarrassing!!

Well not too sure when I will be in touch next, hopefully at least before we get back on Nov 26.
Please pray for safety for our teams and open hearts for the people we meet.

I thought it was about time that I sent an update about what I am up to.. it has been a while!
In July I moved from London to Harpenden (30mins north of London) to live at the Youth With a Mission base. I am studying to complete a DTS (Discipleship Training School, like Bible College) and am here until the start of December.

I had some reservations about coming to live on the base (I thought it was going to be a bit like living in some kind of hippy commune!) but within a few days of arriving I knew it was the right thing to do. There are 13 others in the School ranging from 17 to 27 and we all live in one building. Luckily everyone is easy to get on with because we spend all day every day together! The base itself has around 30 permanent residents and we get to hang out with them quite a lot which is fun.

We have had a real variety of things going on so far. For the first 5 weeks we had 4 hours of lectures a day with a different theme and speaker each week. The base ran a conference called Re Engage for two weeks and we attended that as well. It was a pretty intense schedule but we got to hear some really great speakers (and messages).

The biggest thing I have gotten out of this time so far is how important and relevant the Bible is to daily life. There is a module in the course called “The Old Testament Template” which looks at what God has to say about how to run a country. We looked at what the Bible says about topics as diverse as the things we take for granted like sanitation all the way up to economics and separation of powers in government. I feel very lucky to live in a country where these principles have generally been applied.

We have just been up to Liverpool for the weekend and had a short outreach to the people attending the Matthew Street Music Festival. It was a fun time and we did some crazy things.. Like holding up a sign in a busy street that said “Free Prayer”. When someone approached us we either prayed for a specific need or prayed that God would show us how He designed that person. People were so encouraged that some of them went and got their friends and we had a queue of people waiting to be prayed for!

Tomorrow we are going to Bedford to help at a camp for 80 underprivileged kids. There will be shooting, archery, kayaking and more. They come from backgrounds that just can’t afford to do this kind of thing normally so it is an exciting time for them. We will be there to help run things and to encourage the kids and share with them about our lives and what God is doing in us. It should be a lot of fun.

I have tons of photos of Liverpool and the rest of my travels here: http://dereke.smugmug.com/gallery/5810574_v6akM