YEA Update EASG 20th April 2008

  Programme update April 2008
22 April. Tigers Club visit (am) Burundi planning meeting (pm)
23 April. Mukono/ Mabira planning visit for CIST
27 April. Ian/Collin to Tororo till 30th (Refugee camp)
30 April. Uganda Youth Forum conference planning.
3rd to 4th May. Ian to lead KBC services.
4th to 9th May. Team to Mbirizi - Compassion Discipleship - 3 projects.
6th to 11th May. Ian to Kenya (NAYNET supper 9th May)
13th to 16th May Uganda Youth Forum National Conference in Kampala
23rd May to 10th July Ian in UK and Belgium
9th July Zach Blunden-Codd to Uganda
29th July to 15th August Christians in Schools Team (CIST) visit Uganda and work with YEA team.

  NEWS UPDATE
We are awaiting the personal reports from the team on the activities of the past month. These will
appear on the website when they are received. We have been grateful for the various ways to
keep in communication as the challenges of power cuts continue to frustrate Skype or emails and
the mobile phone battery requires recharging when electricity is on. This month has also been
marked by a recurrence of Ian’s skin infection, riots in Kampala and Nairobi, and rebel attacks in
Burundi. The team and volunteers are encouraged and strengthened by the support provided
through the various prayer chains, both telephone and email, in the UK, in Belgium and other more
distant lands. We praise the Lord that He has brought them all through safely, and that His love
and saving grace has touched many lives through their ministry briefly touched on below:

  TORORO IDP CAMP.
Collin has paid more visits to the temporary IDP camp for the Kenyans to provide a further series of
training on a number of occasions over the last few weeks. It was hoped that the displaced
Kenyans would return to their homes but Collin reports that the refugees will be moved to a real
resettlement camp at Kiryandongo, near Masindi, on the road to Gulu, in the west of Uganda
anytime soon. Interestingly the Anglican Bishop of that area (a neighbour of Ian’s at a previous
house) is interested in starting to work with them and Collin has met with him to see the way
forward. This is also a new link for YEA into the churches in that area.

  GULU: YEA + INDA TEAMS
Meanwhile, Alex and the YEA team had a successful time in Gulu over the Easter weekend and
following this, the INDA youth team arrived from Kenya and went on to Gulu to work mainly in the
IDP camps with the young people and children. They returned at the end of last week to spend two
days at YEA HQ for debrief, unfortunately arriving into the riot situation in Kampala. Arrangements
had to be changed to keep them as safe as possible and as the security situation had improved
over the weekend, the team left Kampala on Monday morning to return to Kenya. However, on
their way back, the Kenya riots flared up again, closing some of the highways through Kenya.
Eventually they arrived home safely and we praise God for His protection. Thank you for praying
for them. We praise God too that one of the Kenyan youth gave her heart to the Lord on returning
home to Nairobi.

  BUJUMBURA, BURUNDI
To add to the Ugandan and Kenyan troubles, we heard on Friday that there has been a rebel attack
in the suburbs of Bujumbura where some of our friends live. Florent (YEA friend from Bujumbura) is
with Ian in Kampala at the moment so he is keeping in regular contact with home. Ian is also in
contact with Simon Guillebaud from Greatlakesoutreach (GLO) one of YEA newer partners in
Burundi. See http://www.greatlakesoutreach.org/ for a video profile of Burundi and information
about GLO. It is good for us to be more informed about this new area of work.

  CAMPSITE
An experimental camp is to take place week beginning 21st April when volunteers will use it as a
base for a working party to do the manual work of landscaping and general tidying up. As the cost
of the log cabins has increased they are considering building thatched round huts as alternative
more permanent accommodation than the tents.

  VEHICLES
The current vehicle has had to have a new gearbox and battery but is now working well.
Silver has been expecting news of the possible second vehicle but the Kenyan troubles seem to be
making this progress very slow.

  GENERAL
Ian reports that the cost of living has risen again and in relation to the % of the monthly support
spent on the different items this in real terms, represents a rise of approx 30%. He writes: “This
does not mean we are spending 30% more money (we don't have it to spend!) It means we have
cut back on spending generally to accommodate the price rises.”

  ALEX
There was disappointment for Alex and the Belgium church when his visa application was rejected.
However, Alex will now be available in Uganda to work full time for YEA while Ian is in the UK. The
reason for the rejection will be investigated and hopefully a further application will be made.

  PRAYER
Some have shared a sense that, with the recent security issues in Kenya, Kampala and now in
Bujumbura plus the recent increasing work in the IDP camps, YEA appears to be operating in a less
'ordinary' situation than before (if anything in EA can ever be called 'ordinary'!). Ian comments:
“I agree the dynamics of our work is changing. Some of this is out of our control. (e.g. political
unrest in the countries we are working in) others are within our control (e.g. we can choose whether
or not to work in a refugee camp)”. He mentioned that the Word for KBC this weekend is "Are you
doing what is good or what is right?" Ian goes on to say “With the YEA change of dynamics we are
increasingly involved in uncomfortable work in more difficult environments that would appear to be
right. In other words God appears to be clearly guiding us in that direction. It would be too easy at
the moment to limit our work to easier, more comfortable places and miss Gods heart for our
ministry.”
Please pray for the YEA team and volunteers in Uganda and for the Trustees here in the
UK/Belgium that we hear clearly what the Lord is saying in this situation. We want to be guided by
Him not circumstances and to be focussed on the specific purpose for which He has called YEA into
being. It would be all too easy to say “Yes” to the many invitations the team receive – they may be
good opportunities, but are they ‘right’ in the Lord’s plans?
We value your interest, prayers, personal and financial support for the team and God’s work they
have committed themselves to do. Your partnership is vital to enable the work to continue.
  Thelma Edwards, 20th April 2008.