What do you think of our new look?

Thanks to Aaron Musch

(YWAM kid from the Atlanta base,
short-term volunteer to YWAM Arua,
website designer and all around cool guy)
who designed our header photo,

Nicole MacIver

(YWAM Arua staff on furlough in Canada at the moment)
who initiated the blog in the first place,

Esthermay Goosen,

(amazing woman of God based in the USA
with a servant heart and unlimited patience for tweaking blog designs)
who designed the template,
advised on the background design,
and helped with lots of other bits and pieces,

and a little bit of input from Vikki Wright

(long-term YWAM Arua staff,
writer and mother of 3)
who put it all together
and still has hair remaining...

...we now launch the new look for the YWAM Arua blog!!! Yay!

We hope it captures the heart and vision of our base...

to be a bridge of healing to the nations.

As it's still under construction, most of the tabs don't have any info in them yet (ie...DTS info, What to pack, etc.) so please be patient with us! We'll get some data in there soon.

Aaron is also designing a website for the YWAM Arua base, which you can follow the progress of at www.ywamarua.weebly.com

We're excited to see our base join the 'high-tech' world of blogs and websites! To us this is a major achievement!

Be blessed as you follow the latest news and activities happening here in the heart of Africa!

Building bridges

YWAM Arua has always seen short-term teams as part of our long-term vision. We host outreach teams from other YWAM bases and churches around the world. Just in the last month we've had teams from Germany, South Africa, and the USA.

This team is a combined Discipleship Training School, and School of Worship, outreach from the Tyler, Texas base.

They joined hands with an outreach team from the School of Frontier Missions in South Africa to make a physical representation of the Vision of our base.

We believe God has called YWAM Arua to be a bridge of God's healing to the people of West Nile, Southern Sudan, North Eastern DR Congo, Central African Republic and beyond by rebuilding broken lives, restoring hope, and equipping the church for the discipling of the nations.


Eventually we plan to build a permanent footbridge here that will be a physical reminder of the task God has given us to reach the hurting and lost with His unfathomable love.

What a privilege to parter with Him in bringing hope to the hurting, and what a joy to do it with people from all around the world.

Thanks to all the teams and visitors who give their time, skills and resources to join us...we couldn't do it without you!

Waiting for a new arrival...

Esther Kiyingi is a Ugandan missionary to Sudan, and a close friend of YWAM Arua.

Esther and her husband Martin, first came to Arua in 2003, and stayed with the YWAM team as they prepared to follow God's call to go to Sudan. After one month in Arua, the Kiyingis moved to Yei, Southern Sudan, and planted a church called Christian Missionary Fellowship International (CMFI). CMFI is an evangelical ministry involved in preaching the Word of God, planting churches and making disciples all over Sudan.

Currently CMFI reaches out to the community around Yei with education and health projects. Esther is a doctor and is able to use her medical skills to bless the local community and open hearts to Jesus.

CMFI has also started a nursery school (preschool) and a Primary school, and are in need of more teachers, especially in the preschool.

At the moment, Esther is in Arua with us at the YWAM base awaiting the birth of their baby. In 2004, Esther came down to deliver from Arua, but sadly, the baby died. They named her Joy and took her back to be buried at their new home in Sudan. It was an extremely difficult time for them, but Esther believes it helped them to be more accepted in the community, as many of the Sudanese women have had miscarriages or had babies die. Sharing that common ground of loss bridged a cultural gap between Esther and the Sudanese ladies, and united them as women. Now we pray that they will grow in their relationship, and that one day they will be united in the Spirit as sisters in Christ.

Please pray for Esther as she nears the time of delivery. The baby is due Wednesday, the 25th, but even as I took this picture this morning, Esther said she was feeling contractions. Whether they are the 'real' ones, or whether she still has some days to wait, we ask that you stand with us in prayer for her and the baby's health and safe delivery.

For more information about their ministry in Sudan, e-mail: emfisudan@yahoo.com

Thank you for your prayers!

Another brick in the wall

Susan and Kotomor friends

Deep in the heart of northern Uganda, in the middle of a war-ravaged land, a team of eleven young people shod their feet with the Good News and proclaimed the love of God.

Formerly the stomping ground of the rebel group, the Lord's Resistance Army, Pader district in northern Uganda remains traumatized by more than 20 years of terror. Internally Displaced People (IDP) Camps sprung up around the region to provide some semblance of security for the thousands of people forced to abandon their farms and homes and flee to safety.

But these IDP Camps have faced serious challenges of lack of proper sanitation, poor hygiene, overcrowding, and limited facilities.

Kotomor IDPs

YWAM Jinja, Uganda, heard about the situation in these camps, and decided to do something about it. They took up the challenge to provide education for the hundreds of children left idle without a school. In 2007, they began to build the Kotomor Primary School.

Our team of passionate young people gave their holiday time to partner with the YWAM Jinja team and minister into this needy area. One brick at a time, they contributed to the construction of the school by the sweat of their brow.

Pour in the mixture...

Press it down...

Keep pressing it down, even if it takes 3 of you...

...and stack the finished product ready for the builders!

One heart at a time, they showed love to the people of Kotomor, carrying their children, playing football with them, and sharing with them the Good News of Jesus Christ, through preaching, dramas and home visits.

No, they're not fighting...it's a drama!

Susan and a precious baby

Modern technology connects the IDPs to the rest of the world

This short outreach may seem insignificant to some, but to the people of Kotomor, it was another reminder that they are not forgotten.

And to our team of young people, it was a chance to see God work through them and in them as they were obedient to His voice, and accepted His call to be part of the Great Commission.

Well done, GO Campers, and may God continue to bless you as you serve Him.


And to the rest of the readers, please continue to lift up the people of Kotomor in prayer, that God's will shall be done in them and that area as it is in Heaven. Amen.