In Gulu (Heaven)

I knew this would be hard. I’m trying to describe my time in Uganda and words fail to adequately express what I’d like to simply just experience. I’m in Gulu and I guess one of the few things I can say is that it is a huge honor to be amongst all of the Acoli I have had the privilege to visit.
Yesterday, Matt and I went with a small group to a vilage that once was a IDP (internally Displaced persons) camp to 20,000. while many have returned to survive on land outside the camp, there are still some living there and they work as a community to care for one another. We got to meet some of them and hear their story and how they are working together on farm land. There is a women’s c-oop that not only meets their own needs, but other in the community. For instance, they identify kids in their village who do not have the money for school fees and use some of their profits to provide for that kid.
We got to meet the elderly man who gave the land for he camp.
I am humbled that my presence, and our willingness to hear and tell their story, should be a blessing to them.
They gave me the Acoli name Lamaro.
Sunday night, we visited Zion Project’s house for the Congolese girls. They had been trafficked in and abandoned to survive through prostitution before they were loved on by Sarita (ZP founder) and Miriam (house mom). I didn’t think about that when I was there. They are simply wonderful. They welcomed us in by worshiping with us with lively music and dance and joy.
The Acoli house…
I expect that when we get back, Julius and Opio and other kids will be greeting us at the gate and hanging on to us. I love the kids and the girls (their mothers). They have been so sweet and eager to love and wonderful. I am trying to find ways to interact and share love. I’ve been trying to learn acoli and have opportunities to make them laugh, like asking to help sweep and cook, being silly, taking pictures together.
I am trying to learn to receive more.
There has been some challenges…and many learning opportunities. I have more, but I’ll stop here for now.
Apwoyo Yesu. Thank you, Jesus.

Please Pray For/ With Us (support pt. 2)

(See Prayer Support below for other prayer requests and more about the trip)

Well, it’s getting close. wow. Our Father is good.

I love the way He has created the body of Christ to be and function- we are to be so connected… we are not to function independently of one another, any more than a finger can function without the rest of the body.
Prayer is an incredible way that we not only partner with the Holy Spirit and with Jesus in His work of intercession, but with one another. All who are praying over us and the people of Uganda are part of this. I’m excited to think of all the other connections within the Body that we shall encounter in Gulu these three weeks. Matt has been meeting people who minister in Gulu or are somehow connected to Gulu in so many places…and we haven’t even reached Uganda yet.

Our desire is to be completely open and led by God in what we do there (Basically: we go to Uganda. We love and be loved)
Pray for Matt and I as people are giving us words through prayer about a direction in ministry there that Matt wasn’t expecting.
I will continue to ask that people pray that Matt can make connections with pastors in Gulu.
I talked to the director of Zion Project, Sarita Hartz for two hours yesterday to talk about what I, and Matt, could possibly do with the girls. We’re among the first volunteers with ZP.
I will be living with the girls and their children and the house mother- a very rare and precious opportunity.
The things she desires for these are things that are very much on my heart as well as well as many of my friends in ministry. She wants to see revival of intimacy with God and passion.
She wants the girls to overcome the spirit of religion that seems to be prevalent in most of the church there to seek and enjoy a intimate relationship with Jesus, with the Father, and with the Holy Spirit. She desires them to listen to and hear God and live, pray, and worship lead by His Spirit.
I have the invitation to kind of do some discipleship with the girls: have bible studies, pray with them, encourage them to hear God’s voice through activities, walk in who they are in ministry to others, such as going out and praying for people in hospitals, and simply enjoy His presence. My desire is that through our time together, we all will develop a lifestyle of being present with and enjoying the persons of God in deepening intimacy.
Sarita’s vision is that those who volunteer at the house come and impart to the girls out of the gifts and passion they carry. She also would like people to pour into the house mothers who do so much. I’m bringing myself. I’m bringing art supplies. We’ll see where this goes =)
Matt and I desire to empower the girls by giving them opportunities to teach us, so pray that we will be conscious of ways to encourage that and other ways we can empower them.
Sarita mentioned that ZP hasn’t had much time to focus on educating the little ones and encouraged us to do educational activities with them. Pray for that. Matt got some children’s books.
The Congolese girls are learning English. I wanted to learn some Swahili and Acoli. There may be an awesome opportunity to learn from and encourage each other that way.

OTHER THINGS TO PRAY INTO:
Now before we leave- pray for peace to guard our hearts and minds. No anxiety! About anything!! I personally have a lot of work to and will be working until the night before I leave. I need clarity, self-control, energy, basically good time management to get things done. Matt is leaving in two days. We need peace going into this great big thing (and peace throughout).

-I ask for wisdom and discernment in our interactions with all of the people. I have been counseled to be careful to make sure I understand what people are possibly asking or saying, so as to avoid misunderstanding that could lead to unintended commitments. We need to handle wisely requests for help.

Things to pray into concerning the area and for us-
I was made aware of two evil spirits over the area. The spirit of Jezebel- greed, corruption of power, a spirit of religion that wants to kill the propetic and prayer.
The orphan spirit- includes a spirit of rebellion but also a demand for attention.

-I really want to be sensitive to how God leads me in supporting Matt (we’re a team, after all)- whether it’s praying, speaking up about something I think God’s giving me, listening, giving him space, etc. Sometimes the more difficult thing for me is to step back and let it be just God and he that deals with a difficult situation.
I ask for prayer for him in leading and supporting me.

-Can I repeat the health thing from the last blog again? My digestive tract has been so sensitive lately. I don’t want either of us to have to use the immodium pills I bought nor our traveler’s insurance.

-I ask for wisdom, that we know how we are to use the resources we’ve been given.

-With that, more financial blessings for Matt. The support has been so incredible for both of us….but I know that he still hasn’t reached his fundraising goal.

-’Little’ stuff: That my luggage gets there with me. That commuting and traveling goes as smoothly as possible (literally).

The Day My God Died

YouTube is now posting full movies. this is the documentary, THe Day My God Died, An unforgettable look at young girls in Bombay whose lives are shattered by the child sex trade.

Go to the youTube page to see it “full screen”

Prayer support

(see for overall info on the trip and explanations of stuff)

In 18 days, I’ll be joining my friend Matt in Uganda. we’re both going to be in Gulu for about three weeks, where we will be partnering with the ministry Zion Project and basically going where God leads us.
He will be heading there on July 6. I will leave on July 8, right after I’m done with the July 9 edition of the Sentinel. I will get to Entebbe, Uganda on July 10 (yep, 23 hour trip, plus time zone difference). We will stay over night in Kampala and then enjoy a rough 7 hour ride by public bus to Gulu =)
Our plan is to start off slow and simple with ministry tasks, as we adjust to the culture and time and whatever else we experience. We’ll be painting the house for the Congolese girls…and then just respond as God leads us. We really hope to go to an Internally Displaced persons camps, where the majority of the Northern Ugandan people have been forced to live. We also want to connect with the church there and ministries in Gulu. Matt will have the opportunity to join with the community’s pastors in daily prayer meetings.

See Matt’s support letter for more on his thoughts

The latest I heard, I am invited to live in the house with the girls (the former girl soldiers) and their babies.

I’ll write more, but I wanted to share some items for prayer. Use the info we’ve been sharing to ask God what to pray and listen and feel free to contact me, if He gives you anything to share with us =)
-Preparation for the trip.
Things need to happen…whether it is packing, making sure I have all necessary documents, listening to God concerning any element of this trip, making sure people know I’m going who ought to know, etc.
Matt had an opportunity to talk to Sarita (the founder and missionary with Zion Project) about the trip and I will, too, to gain an understanding of what we need to know and communicate about the opportunities we have. I would like wisdom for us and discernment in preparation and use of time.
I need to get a lot of things done before the trip, such as preparing articles to run in the newspaper while I’m gone, making sure bills are paid, taking care of responsibilities with the CitB prayer ministry. I also want to make time for people as I should.
I also don’t want to cram in tasks at the last minute or be stressed!
We still need to raise a bit more support for the trip. I fully trust His provision, though.

-In Uganda
Pray that we will grow in intimacy with the Father, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus. Prayer for responsiveness to Him and His leading and His love, above all
Prayer for us and for Matt’s and my relationship, preparing and working together in Uganda. We are, in a very real sense, as siblings. He’s my big brother and I am so glad to be part of this with him. Matt will be leading and will be looking out for me as my pastoral support. I want to support him as well, as an intercessor for him, as a listening ear, as his sister, and friend.
This trip is going is potentially going to be very rough emotionally. I am for the first time going to to Uganda and I know it will likely be hard for me to see what I’m going to see and experience what I may experience. I am going to have to learn to respond to heartbreaking situations with love and wisdom, which may not always be the way I want to respond.
This will be new for us, doing a ‘mission trip’ together, and that without other friends with us. I am more likely to be the annoying sibling =) I’m glad for the friendship we have, and the way we respond to one another out of our relationship with God. I want whatever challenges we face working with each other to bring growth.
Pray for doors to open for relationships with the church there.
Pray for our relationship with the girls and their children. We will likely not be communicating to each other much through language (though I’m learning some Acoli for fun and honor toward the Acoli), but that doesn’t matter…love is expressed non-verbally in many ways.
Pray that we would be aware of, and step into, every open door for the gospel in word and action.
Pray for protection from illness and spiritual attacks.
Pray for opportunities to join with the church in bringing spiritual breakthrough, healing (of the land, of the community, of lives) and the Kingdom of heaven into places where it is not. Did I mention that Gulu means heaven in Acoli? =)
Pray for quick recovery from jet lag =)

Uganda Trip Support Letter

Hello Friends!

As noted in the previous post, I’m going to Uganda in less than three weeks. I’ve uploaded my support letter, which will give you some info about this trip (and it has pictures). Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. I will be posting some prayer requests very soon

Zion Project Support Letter

Going to Uganda!

I am going to Uganda!
Wow. it’s still sinking in, I think. It may feel more real once the plane tickets are purchased.
I’m planning to go to the Gulu district of Uganda, in East Africa, July 8 through July 29.
I had deeply desired to go to Africa since I was young. Over the past couple of years, God has drawn my attention to Northern Uganda, who are dealing with the fall out of 23 years of attacks and child abductions by the rebel Lord’s resistance army. In the last year and a half, I had been meeting weekly with my friends Stephanie and Matt to seek God’s heart for the people of Northern Uganda as well as other people within the nations within Africa, especially East Africa, and He has shown me so much of His heart for the people with whom I hope to spend time this summer.

I will be part of a team of three, Matt and a student named Tom Martin, that will be partnering with the organization Zion Project. We will be working among former female child soldiers and their children, a group of Congolese girl refugees and their children, and the community of Gulu.
We are currently discussing the specifics of our ministry in Gulu with the founder of ZP, but I think that most of it will be known as we walk with Him in Gulu. We will start the first week by painting the Congolese girl’s home and will be attentive to what He is doing and how we can partner.
I am looking forward to spending time with the girls and their children and sharing in Jesus’ love. I am hoping for opportunities to meet with other Ugandan brothers and sisters, share encouragement, join in minstry with them, and join in prayer for Gulu. I look forward to spending this time with Jesus.
This is also an exploratory trip for me gain a clearer understanding of God’s heart and His will for me and for Uganda. (As it is for Matt, as well).

I greatly desire the support of those who read this through prayer and encouragement.
We are still raising funds and if anyone would like to support me or the guys, feel free to contact me at dinubareporter@yahoo.com.

For more info on Zion Project, go to zionproject.org
Invisible Children also has a lot of info on what has happened in Northern Uganda regarding the LRA, the abducted children and the displaced Acoli people of North Uganda.

Coming Together To Be Abducted For The Abducted

Note: this is happening in 100 cities around the world. check out where it may be happening near you.
originally printed in the Dinuba Sentinel on April 16, 2009

By Brandi Nuse-Villegas
Family photographs belonging to Dinuba residents hang pinned with hundreds of others. Circles quickly drawn around individuals indicate those who have been abducted.
The scene, although simply symbolic, is meant to point people to a vivid reality that a group of Dinuba residents, and people throughout the world, are trying to change.
On April 25, Dinuba resident Stephanie Seitz and Matt Naylor, several other local residents, and hundreds of activists joining with the organization Invisible Children will congregate at the People’s Church parking where they will be “abducted,” and made to walk to a camp on the Fresno State campus, two miles away, where they will stay, and not leave, until a high profile person shows up to rescue them. Each of the abducted are identified with markings on a family photos that are hung together at camp.
The act, part of an event called “the Rescue,” is meant to symbolize the very real and ongoing abduction of young children in Northern Uganda by the brutal rebel group, the Lord’s Resistance Army. The LRA, led by Joseph Kony, has been fighting against the Ugandan government for 23 years and has gained international attention for its brutal acts of murder, rape, and mutilation in Northern Uganda, South Sudan, and Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as the kidnapping of children. The attacks have been particular severe in the past several months after the East African governement launched attacks on the LRA.
Invisible Children has organized ‘the Rescue’ in a hundred cities around the world to call on those who can do something to effectively bring all of the abducted children home and put an end to Kony’s reign of terror.
Stephanie and Matt are two of eight team leaders who are organizing the Fresno event. At the Fresno site, over 600 people are expected to come and be “abducted” as a public statement on behalf of child soldiers.
Matt, who visited former female child soldiers and their children in Uganda in December, shared his heart and why he is involved. “The tragedy of the LRA is more than that there are children who are abducted and forced to kill – it is also the unthinkable trauma of babies born out of sexual abuse in rebel camps. Bombing of the LRA camps will only end up killing child soldiers, child mothers, and risks killing infants conceived by the brutal rape of abducted girls who are given as ‘wives’ to much older rebel commanders. If governments are going to be involved in bringing an end to the Lords Resistance Army – it needs to be a well thought out strategy that rescues those who are only part of that rebel group because of fear and brings justice to those who are responsible for the abductions and atrocities. That sort of government action is the call of ‘The Rescue.’”
Those in the leaders’ teams also include Dinuba Presbyterian Church member Tom Martin and Dinuba Christian Church member Brandi Nuse-Villegas. Other Dinuba residents are expected to come as participants.
Stephanie is organizing letter writing to political leaders and artwork, which will be encouraged at the Rescue event. Matt is heading up a clean-up team to ensure that the location provided look “as good or even better” than before the activists came.
They welcome locals to participate in the event, even if they cannot attend. The event requires many supplies to be lent or donated.
For more information on the event, the child soldiers and the LRA, and Invisible Children, visit invisiblechildren.com.

Child maid trafficking spreads from Africa to US

According to this article The trafficking of children for domestic labor in the U.S. is an extension of an illegal but common practice in Africa. “Around one-third of the estimated 10,000 forced laborers in the United States are servants trapped behind the curtains of suburban homes, according to a study by the National Human Rights Center at the University of California at Berkeley and Free the Slaves, a nonprofit group. No one can say how many are children, especially since their work can so easily be masked as chores.”

One of the saddest quotes was from a little 10 year old girl, who worked up to 20 hours a day without a day off.
“It never occurred to her to run away.

‘I thought this was normal,’ she said.”

Chains Shall He Break

‘O Holy Night’ has been my favorite carol since I was a child. The music was the most beautiful of the Christmas carols to me. I also loved the lyrics and as I grew older, I realized more and more the potency of the words. It captures the hope, as well as the love and joy, that was realized and is continuing to be realized in Jesus’ incarnaton.

I also realized recently how beautiful and powerful is the call to worship Him
Next time you hear the song (or read below), listen and meditate on these words:

O Holy Night
O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of our dear Saviour’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
‘Til He appear’d and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! O, hear the angels’ voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born;
O night divine, O night, O night Divine.

Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother;
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,
His power and glory evermore proclaim.
His power and glory evermore proclaim.

Note: My current favorite version is Sara Groves’, which can be heard at myspace.com/saragroves on her playlist

ANOTHER post today? Yeah, and another thought on justice and mercy

It occurs to me that I need to write out my mental struggles with mercy and justice. I know that in God’s love, the two go together.
While I mull over my thoughts, I found a blog of an awesome woman named Cassandra, through the blog of the most awesome man I know, who happens to be in Uganda at the moment (more info here). Cassandra is working to help reintegrate child soldiers (those kidnapped and forced to fight) in Sudan through Global Children’s Movement and is currently working in Northern Uganda. The link to her blog will go to her thoughts on justice and mercy.