Hospital Ministry

As an RN back home in Canada I was naturally drawn to the hospital ministry that has just begun here at YWAM Arua. This coming Friday will be the third week, and as much as there are some hurdles to cross, I believe that God wants us to be there and that He will do some amazing things through the team for both the patients and the staff.

Last Friday when we arrived, the staff were busy and did not have a lot of time to spend with us. Now, for a type A North American girl, you would likely not be surprised if I told you that this annoyed me a little bit. Surprisingly enough, even to me, I was not annoyed. I sensed God's presence and His words to my heart saying "Trust me Cheryl, you are all meant to be here because I sent you here".

We were able to spend time with some of the staff, we prayed with them and spoke truth to them from the word. This is amazing to me, because at home you would not be allowed to preach the gospel like that, and even if you were, people would not be open to hearing it. They were open and seemed touched by our willingness to share and pray with them.

After our time with the staff we walked through the ward, laying hands on and praying for patients and family members, it was awesome, the Holy Spirit was doing something BIG. We were all feeling it. I am excited to see what God will do in that ward. I should tell you that we will primarily be working on the TB ward as this is where the Arua leadership team felt this ministry needed to begin. This can be a daunting place as patients are very sick and infectious, but it is where God wants us and so with grateful hearts and masks we will enter those rooms knowing that the Holy Spirit is there doing His work through us.

Another aspect of this ministry is handing out food for patients. We have done some research and know what TB patients require the most and will do our best to provide these foods. I believe God in this area also, He knows, He will provide, He is in control.

I will be sure to keep you updated on all of the exciting things that God will do.

Blessings,
Cheryl Cook

Introducing......

Hi there! I would like to introduce myself to you, my name is Cheryl Cook and I have come to Arua from Brockville, Ontario, Canada for the CDTS. The young girl in the picture (yes, we are both young, but one is much younger than the other!!)is my daughter, Mackenzie. Mackenzie has joined me here and will do her studies through homeschooling curriculum which I will be needing much prayer for....just putting that out there for anyone who may feel led. I won't bore you with my life story, but I will tell you that since I was a young child, I have had a heart for Africa. My heart for Africa, and my love of Christ is what led me here to Arua to take the CDTS. I have been asked to update the Arua blog once weekly as part of my community responsibility here, and I have cheerfully accepted the challenge. I hope that these posts will give you a glimpse into our world, and perhaps inspire some of you to take this journey of discovery with God as I have.

I feel that it is an important thing to mention, especially to those who are perhaps deciding whether or not to embark on a journey such as this, that all of the staff are so welcoming and supportive. Not once since I arrived here, have I felt alone or without someone to talk to. As you can imagine, life in Arua is a little bit different from my life in Canada, and I feel that I can be open about the challenges that I have faced and will certainly continue to face as the 6 months go on. For this support and encouragement, I am truly thankful.

Now about the school. In total there are 15 of us here as CDTS students, we are all different, and all have something God given to offer. Of the 15, there are 4 deaf students, it is a real blessing for all of us hearing to learn some sign language and they have all been very gracious.

Last week was our first week going out and serving in our chosen ministry. I have naturally gravitated to the hospital ministry as I am an RN at home but I hope also to be involved with the prison ministry if time allows. I will post more detailed info about each ministry on another post.

For now I will end. Please know that again, I will do my very best to convey important information as well as allowing you all to experience a little bit of what we are experiencing here in Arua.

Blessings,

Cheryl Cook