Message from Bek's team...

Uganda/DR Congo YWAM Herrnhut Outreach Update
January 22, 2007
Bunia - Ituri Region, DRC

We have recently flown into Bunia, DRC, the main city in the northeast of Congo where the fighting originally began in 1998. We flew the 30 minute Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) flight from Aru, a small, but thriving border town just 20KM away from its sister city in Uganda, Arua. We have spent the last two weeks working with YWAM Uganda, specifically the Arua branch in the northwest corner of Uganda. We were ministering in a primarily Sudanese refugee camp named, "Rhino Camp", numbering around 30,000 refugees. Many of the people under 20 were born in Uganda and do not know anything besides Rhino Camp, but are still certain that their homes are waiting for them in southern Sudan as soon as the UN sends them back. Despite the poor conditions, including no vegetables, no fruit, occasional meat, 100+ degree heat, and dusty "smoke water" for ten days, we were able to have ministry that united denominations, criticized religious, half-truths, brought drunks to Jesus, believers to repentance and recruited, challenged and encouraged believers to a more full trust of our Lord and Savior, Jesus.

We have now begun to fulfill the primary purpose of our trip, time in the war-torn regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo. We have found a beautiful base camp in Bunia, with CECA 20, the French speaking church begun by the African Inland Mission around 1918. We live across the street from the Congolese equivalent of the CIA, who has already attempted to make us pay "taxes", but thanks to our watchful pastors and the guidance of a German missionary who has lived and worked in Congo more than 26 years, their plans did not succeed.

However, not all of our neighbors are against us. We also find ourselves perfectly placed near an ex-child soldier rehabilitation center, where the kids get a chance to learn a new trade, a trade to replace their past profession. All we had to do was ask and we found another organization that will be perfect for ministry. There is a center for young women who have innocently and foolishly suffered in the wake of unleashed violence in this region and now find themselves young, untrained mothers, hopelessly alone in the world. No one is safe, except those with authority. Both police and rebel soldiers are to blame. Only last night, Adam, our youngest team member at 17, threw a football with a 15 year-old boy who not only showed Adam the scar on his head from a bullet, but let him also feel it with his fingertips. We know our Father has plans for this boy.

Every person we meet everyday, in every place, every face, every waving hand, every sparkling set of dark eyes and every smiling mouth has seen, tasted or been touched by this terrible violence in the last decade. The pain is still seen as we drive through the city and see the remaining bullet holes in the one-story, tin roofed, concrete buildings. The roads show the wear and tear of war-torn countries we occasionally glance over in the evening news. Little known to us, the holocaust of the Nazis and the Gulag's of the Soviets are still occuring all over the world. In this region alone, the Ituri region, more than an estimated 3 million were killed between '98 and '03.

Today as we sat with the local church leaders in Bunia, we discussed our involvement in open-air evangelistic events, youth camps, prison visits, radio ministry, internal refugee aid, counseling, healthcare, teaching, training and equipping of the church with YWAM's discipleship methods. The opportunity is so plentiful, if only there were more willing people! Even the weakest in faith and the most stupid of believers would be strong, intelligent and wise here!

We are excited and fulfilled to see why our Lord has directed our steps here and what He has prepared for us. We have already seen Him teach us new things we never could have imagined without making this trip. We have seen our borders and limits pressed beyond what we knew was possible. He alone is wise, faithful and trustworthy!

Please pray for God's mighty Spirit to work in us and be in our relationships. Please pray that we will be able to completely surrender to His plans for us. Please pray for love, trust, faith, obedience, sincerity and of course, more and more love to rest in our hearts and words.

We need Bibles and discipleship materials for the thousands of Arabic speaking Sudanese believers in Rhino camp and supporters willing to help begin a farming project. The project will specifically aid the church in their difficult situation (The food ration from the UN is 8KG/month, which is enough for one adult. Many families are attempting to stay nourished on this ration.) as well as employ those who specifically wish to run forwards with Jesus and attend a Discipleship Training School (DTS, costing ~$300).