Our 1st Trip to Arua!!!

We finally got to see the place we are moving to in just a two months! It is definitely a change from Kampala. Far from being westernized, much slower pace of life, bikes instead of cars… pretty much what you would think of when you think, “Africa.” We even got to see a few elephants and baboons on the way, and we crossed the Nile River to get there! (can you find the elephant to the left of the tree? Click picture to enlarge:)

The Vision:
On the way to & from Arua, we had a total of 16 hours in the car with our teammates, Billy & Joanna Coppedge, and our field director, Jon Mayo, so we were able to have a lot of good discussion and clarification on what our time in Arua is going to look like. Our field director’s main expectation from us for the 1st year in Arua is that we build relationships with people and begin discipling a few people in hopes that they will be the foundation for the pastor training ministry. Africa is a lot different from America, in that it takes a lot of time to build trust and gain someone’s respect. Therefore, we cannot just move into a town and start recruiting pastors.
Jon Mayo’s vision is that we befriend and disciple 8 to 10 key men who can one day be leaders of churches that will come from our pastor training program and reach into Sudan and Congo. This same model has worked in the southern part of Uganda where they churches grew from just 2 and four years later are still growing at 135 and counting. That’s some good old Kingdom mathematics!!!

One of the key places we are hoping to target for recruiting is the Nile University in Arua. This is a great opportunity for our to meet potential pastors who have some formal education, which most Ugandans lack. While visiting Arua we were able to meet with the Provost (pictured to the upper left) of Nile University. He was very hopeful we could work together to help the university student’s branch out in their formal education and was excited to have some potential American professors. There is the possibility for campus ministry, work teams, being able to openly teach Bible and theology and Christian Ethics. Who knows how the Lord will use this new friend. We are excited about the potential ministry opportunities and trusting the Father to lead as we walk in the Spirit. Also please pray we find a house in Arua.

(Billy, Joanna, Jon Mayo, John & Erica in Arua)