Go to ywamafricom.org

NEW WEBSITE FOR AFRICOM

2011-08-01T10:42:00.000+02:00

We're pleased to announce the launch of ywamafricom.org which showcases some of the great work of YWAM in Africa as well as being the new host for our blog. Please visit the contact us page to let us know your thought on the new website and any other comments you have on the website.

Important: If you get our blog entries by RSS or other feed, please update it to ywamafricom.org/blog.

Feeling isolated...?

2011-07-14T12:14:00.004+02:00

It is always good when you feel needed! In our eagerness to get out there and help others, share the gospel and generally reach out to others, we can often become islands, feeling isolated and alone. Jesus gave thanks to the father when the 72 "returned with joy..." (Luke 10:17). We are meant to share in the joys and share in the sorrows of our fellow missionaries, and give all thanks and praise to God. However, for many, there is a feeling of isolation and loneliness and efforts are made to press on with little-to-no feeling of support from the rest of the mission.
You would think that this only applies to individuals in remote places, but this can happen to whole schools and training establishments. It can happen to students and staff alike. It can happen to anyone and it creeps up on you. Just yesterday, we had a visit from a YWAM leader into our office. He was reporting on what God is doing and wanted to hear about some of the things that were going on around the continent. We welcomed him in, and he shared of the isolation that his family felt out 'on the mission field'. He said that they didn't have a visitor for 2 years and during that time they felt like they were forgotten. He brought this feeling to the regional leader, who encouraged him to be pro-active; he encouraged him to 'be the change'. And he did. Along with a team of young people, they are travelling around South Africa, visiting YWAM locations and hearing the stories, and sharing their own stories. There is mutual encouragement, which will be taken back with them to report on the great things that God is doing.
This is part of the vision of YWAM AfriCom and it is so good to see friends like this, who recognise the isolation that can be felt and can see the importance of sharing information and stories. We know that we cannot share all the stories or be in all the places where YWAM works across this vast continent. That is why we are encouraged by friends like this, who embrace the need to hear from others and the willingness to listen and learn. God is doing something in this continent to connect mission work. It's certainly an exciting time!

YWAM Yei, South Sudan

2011-07-12T09:12:00.001+02:00

South Sudan is going through a transition period. Bryan Whitlock a Ywamer recently travelled up to Yei to find out what is going on there...

YWAM Yei, South Sudan from YWAM AfriCom on Vimeo.

What's holding you back?

2011-07-06T12:56:00.002+02:00

At YWAM AfriCom, our heart is to serve those who work in YWAM in Africa so that they can feel better connected, that their work does not go unnoticed and that they can learn from others in the mission. Sometimes it's good to reflect on what holds us back. At a recent mission gathering, known as the Go conference run in Mossel Bay, South Africa, there was a talk on what holds missionaries back, or takes them out of missions. Hans Oines, who was at the conference summarised the main points we need to consider:

1-Bitterness and un-forgiveness with other missionaries is a killer because relationships keep us afloat, we need to be balanced and healthy with our expectations towards one another.

2- Keep short accounts. We must say when we are offended and forgive. We must be quick to forgive and apologize. We have to protect our relationships with one another and those we are called to serve.

3-Disappointment with God is another thing that shuts missionaries down. We are to move in obedience and it is costly. We have the wrong kind of expectation if we think that we will have open doors and everyone is safe. We should obey regardless of the cost. We need to have the character to follow Jesus no matter what the cost.

Why not share your experience of being held back, or being released from bitterness/disappointment in missions on the YWAM Africa Facebook page? Just go to https://www.facebook.com/pages/YWAM-Africa/127366240649036

Pledges sought

2011-07-01T13:46:00.003+02:00

As we enter into a new season for YWAM in Africa, here in the communications team we are excited about the projects that we have planned. God is guiding us to venture into new places and embrace new projects. We are equipping missionaries in the field with what they need to communicate, whilst hearing their stories and championing some of the great things that are being done there. In this picture we ventured into a rural location in Angola to find an Angolan YWAMer preaching and teaching in a village, making disciples and baptising new believers. From this visit, working alongside many different ministries, we were able to produce materials that built a better understanding in the region of what God was doing. We were also able to build partnerships between YWAM and other agencies.

For those that have been following us over the past months and years, will see that we are now starting to build on the projects that have been successful.

Right now, as our administration changes and we are preparing for what God has instore for the next season, we are looking for friends who will be willing to journey with us. Most important for us at this time is prayer and support pledges. We want to be accountable to a support team which values YWAM and wants to see more breakthrough in Africa. With that we are going to need friends who are willing to stand in the gap, financially and otherwise, so that we can complete what we have been called to do.

If you are willing to be a prayer partner and would like to pledge how you will support YWAM AfriCom to connect ministries in Africa:

please email
info@ywamafricom.org

(e.g. I am willing to commit to praying once a week for guidance for the team or I pledge $15 per month towards this ministry).

Connecting Africa

2011-06-10T10:45:00.006+02:00

Imagine working for years in isolated circumstances. Your calling is to reach tribes in rural Africa with the gospel. Faithfully you go and serve, build relationships and work in a people group that is not your own, adopting customs and cultures that are alien to you and embrace life there. Your contact with the 'outside world' is limited to visits back to the big cities for meetings with other missionaries, or the ocassional visit from a leader. However, your knowledge of what is happening in the broader picture for the mission is limited. Easily you start to question what you are doing in relation to others.

Is anyone else out there doing what I'm doing?
Does anyone else have the difficulties I'm facing?

All too often, missionaries leave their 'posts' because of burnout or isolation. That isolation is not usually because there aren't people around them, it is because they are not connected with others who are doing and feeling the same way.

That is why it is so important to build a communications network where those working across Africa in places away from their 'home' and extended family can feel connected to others in similar circumstance. They need a place to share their stories outside of their immediate circumstance and they need to be valued by others in the mission.

God has laid on our hearts, in AfriCom, the vision to support all who serve in YWAM. We visit projects in far-flung places, we collect stories and share them, we make videos to champion the work done by the unsung heroes of faith and we teach the wider body of the mission how to build their own links with each other.

It is our vision that every ministry location in Africa should be connected to one another and thereby feel valued and part of wider work of the mission.

It might not seem like much to many of us, but the magazine we produce bi-annually, known as Djembe, is highly prized by those that receive it. Our running costs are relatively low, but to distribute a few copies of each magazine to some of the remotest locations is a costly exercise. But something that, from our own experience is well worth doing. People donate their time and energy into gathering stories, writing, designing, translating and producing the magazine. In other contexts we could just publicise it online. However, in our context, a physical magazine showcasing the work done by YWAMers on this continent is invaluable and something that we cannot compromise on. However, it does lead to the problem of printing and distribution costs. This is usually around $3,000 per edition. We would value, so much, if friends could pledge a donation today to support us in the production of the current edition which has been produced and is just waiting to be printed. We have raised a third of our costs so far, so we are just asking anyone to donate to enable this to happen.

In YWAM AfriCom we work to serve YWAM any and every YWAMer who lives and works in Africa. We do not receive corporate funding; we get our support from friends who value what we do.

By sponsoring this magazine, YOU can know that you are helping connect ministries together and build a holistic mission to fulfil the Great Commission together.

Best foot forward

2011-06-06T15:57:00.004+02:00

Peter Clemison writes:

This morning was the first meeting of the new group of elders for YWAM AfriCom which is made up of five longterm, well established YWAM staff who have a passion for Africa. This group has committed to meet with the AfriCom team once a month to help us as we grow and develop the ministry to serve YWAMers in Africa.

During this transitional time, as the baton is handed from one to another, it has been an opportunity to look at some of the achievements that have been made since its inception in 2002. If you look at YWAM being the decentralised movement of training, outreach and community ministries in many different locations across Africa, it is amazing to think that this small team of communicators has achieved so much. I can really see God's hand on guiding and developing this team. YWAM has been organic in its growth, focusing on where God is leading, rather than slow strategic planning. Therefore building a culture of communication and developing an

understanding of the value of communications in a missions context has been a great challenge.

Yet, the AfriCom team has developed a communications focus in YWAM that has equipped so many missionaries serving in Africa with what they need to communicate – through schools and workshops, seminars and events. It has connected some very isolated missionaries on this continent with one another and helped develop a culture of communication which has led to partnerships being formed which otherwise would not have existed. It has also championed the 'under dog' – the quiet unassuming ministry that presses on toward their goal.

As I look to take on the co-ordinating role in this team and I look to continue to serve this vast continent, I know that I must trust God to guide the team in developing the plans for the future. That is why I am so glad that the team has the elders in place to speak prophetically into AfriCom and be an accountability for us in the future.

I am excited about the future of AfriCom. Communications in missions can often be misunderstood and overlooked, yet when it is done effectively , so much can be achieved.

YWAM leaders from South Africa meet in Bethlehem

2011-05-17T09:51:00.006+02:00

Autumn in South Africa is a time for refreshing and gathering together of those that lead YWAM training locations and ministries in southern Africa. Over the weekend of 6-8th, about 50 of us gathered in Bethlehem (no, not that one! – Bethlehem, South Africa). It was a chance for us to share our stories, each one part of the larger story that is YWAM's work in this part of the world.

In the cool, misty, remote location of YWAM's training centre in Bethlehem we were singing and dancing to songs with hand and arm actions to warm our bodies as we worshipped God. Though cold outside, the atmosphere in the main hall was warm and inviting with lots of family jokes and banter among old friends. As the meetings got underway, each ministry in this region had a chance to share with the group the ways they are working to meet the needs of the communities where they live, along with the main things that they are facing this year. Some shared about great challenges, whilst others shared about exciting new beginnings.

YWAM Durban surprised us all when they told of their rescue home for cats (currently housing 100 felines) which – apparently – has opened doors into the community that would never have been there otherwise. Another unusual story came from a YWAM ministry which began working with the police to bridge relations between the community and church pastors, who had been getting into trouble from parents of school children who objected to their work within schools.

It was inspiring and encouraging to hear and share the myriad projects that are being done as part of Youth With A Mission's engagement in the communities of South Africa. Our work as a YWAM communication team means that we focus on building connections between diverse Youth With A Mission ministries, and on championing them by telling their stories. Meeting with the leaders from this part of Africa was another reminder of what an honour this is!

Inter-agency Networking

2011-05-11T10:29:00.002+02:00

When we started AfriCom, the first regional communication team for Youth With A Mission, it felt like we were creating something completely new. And we were, for our organization. Communication had either been dealt with at a local level - more or less competently - or, when it came to our public face, at an international level from the United States.

Those first years were a combination of experimentation, building connections with leaders in the organization, being told what we were trying to do couldn't work, and then seeing the first small signs of success. It was hard and sometimes messy. But we were convinced it was important and we enjoyed it enough to keep going!

Last week Miranda and Peter went to JOhannesburg to meet with the communication directors for Africa from Wycliffe, Africa Inland Mission and the International Baptist Mission. We have been discussing how the unique 'personalities' of our organizations have led us to pursue communication in specific ways on their behalf. We have exchanged ideas. We have been impressed by what one another is producing - beautiful stories from Africa in video, written and photo form. We have identified ways of partnering with one another, together supporting the work of each of our missionary groups in Africa.

We learned that we are not alone. That others have walked this road before us and have made the road smoother for those that follow behind. That this great mission which we have all given our lives to - making Love and Life known - can only be done as we work together.

Who do you network with and how does this encourage and inspire you?

AfriCom team offers training in Maputo

2011-04-26T21:33:00.003+02:00

AfriCom in Maputo from YWAM AfriCom on Vimeo.

Several of the AfriCom team recently traveled from Cape Town to Maputo in Mozambique to offer a week-long Effective Communication Workshop. This workshop is designed to enable volunteer missionaries to communicate more effectively with missions partners and with other agencies, in this way rendering their work more sustainable.

This clip summarises the workshop and the response of the participants. As you watch it, you'll become very aware of one of our primary challenges as a communication team for Africa: multiple languages!

With many thanks to those whose generous donations made this field trip possible.

Outreach to Issore, South Sudan

2011-04-14T14:07:00.002+02:00

Outreach to Issore, South Sudan from YWAM AfriCom on Vimeo.

Venturing into the unknown

2011-04-12T15:30:00.004+02:00

Recently two members of the AfriCom team, Bernine Stewart and Lydia Smit travelled up with Bryan and Adelson – some friends from the YWAM Muizenberg base – into Uganda and Sudan. Bernine reflects on the journey and her experience travelling into remote Africa...

The idea of doing good things in the world, living a better story and making the world a better place is a bold and courageous goal, a goal in which those who are not satisfied with the norm dream of making a difference. But what happens when the realistic requirements of these dreams hit you in the face like a hailstorm? Details. Petty details to mountainous details. Visas, boarder crossings, raising support, accommodation, sickness, culture shock, rejection, cultural differences, new foods, war, death, and treacherous travel.

After having slept on the Johannesburg airport floor for the first night, Lydia and I then met up with Bryan and Adelson and proceeded to Kampala in Uganda. We stayed there for a night and then started our journey to South Sudan. We took an 8 hour bus ride to Kit Gum where we met up with Bosco, one of the guys from the Arua base pioneering the work into Sudan. We dropped off all of our stuff other than what we would need up in the mountains. After that we took a taxi truck which
the guys had to sit in the back with all our stuff. This section of the trip was only about 3 or 4 hours but the last part the road was terrible. Back home this road would be considered impassable but somehow this truck managed. As we were driving the sun went down, the road got worse and my mind started racing. I kept thinking “What am I doing?! Where am I going?! I can't handle this!”. Remembering the words I once said about wanting to go to dangerous places, wanting to live a life that would mean something, wanting to love the unlovable and my response to that was yeah, “in theory that sounds so noble and yet in reality, this is crap!”

I was heading into a dark and unknown place, watching as rats ran through the grass in front of the truck. I would glance out the window up to the stars and internally cry out “Where are You taking me!?”

As we reached the unofficial Ugandan border a man wrote our names and information in a notebook and then we were allowed through the branch gate. Then we arrived at the Sudan border and as we drove up they started yelling at us and told us to turn off the truck and then a man with an AK47 walks up and we told him our names and information and were allowed to pass through another branch gate. Continuing on for quite some time we finally pull into Lobone and find the hut where we would be staying. Thoughts of dread continued until I got out of the truck and one of the first people to greet me was a 22 year old, 5 foot nothing (1.5m tall), cute little brunette who happened to be from Pinocha, Alberta (about a 30 minute drive from my home town Airdrie). In that moment I felt God say If she can be here, so can you. Ashley and her husband, Carl, welcomed us into their hut and allowed Lydia and I to stay there because they had just recently managed to kill all
the rats. Thank you, Jesus.

So, I found myself sleeping on a mat under a mosquito net in a hut in a remote village in South Sudan wondering how on earth I got there. As I had mentioned in my last post it used to take me an hour to work up the courage to pee in a port-a-potty – here I had no choice. I used to be a picky eater – here I had no choice (hence eating bush rat which is the equivalent of a massive gopher). I used to be afraid of the dark – here there was no electricity. I used to take drinking water for granted – here I saw its irreplaceable value.

Two days later we packed up our few belongings and started our 7 hour trek up to the even more remote villages. It was hot. Extremely hot. I really had wished I had maybe gone to morning workouts in Harpenden (UK) or maybe taken it a little easier on the biscuits. And yet, I loved it! Something in me rose up and I didn't even really struggle. This had to have been God.

When we finally reached the top we met the people who have always lived in this village. The same village which the SPLA would hide out in during the war. The Issore people spend most of their time brewing alcohol and getting drunk. They wore an expression of hopelessness. Here we prayed for the sick, prayed for the spiritually oppressed and then had a dance party with the whole village. It was such a surreal moment for me. Looking back it was one of those moments where I was standing in the middle of it all, my thoughts racing and yet everything else moving in slow motion. As though it had to slow down for me just to take in all the vibrant colors, foreign and exotic sounds, pure unpolluted smells, and the undeniable presence of God.

Chief Olwen Omona said “It looks like God is opening a light to my people because this has never happened. Even our own government has rejected us. For you to come is proof to me that God is beginning to see us. I welcome you with all my hands. If you come, I am sure the people will learn from you. They want to know of God but there is no one who will teach them. Thank you...may you open our eyes.” That made it all worth it.

After our time in Lobone and Issore we started our journey on to YWAM Arua (unaware at the time that it would take us 24 hours to complete) and having arrived in Arua it felt like we were in a 5 star resort. After the long day of travel I saw my designated foam mattress bunk bed and in my eyes it looked like a king size memory foam mattress with down filled duvet.

God is good.

Missions Communicators in Sudan

2011-03-22T14:24:00.004+02:00

An update from our missions communicators in Arua, northern Uganda; working into South Sudan in preparation for shooting video footage to mobilize people, prayer and resources for the work of YWAM there.

"We were received by old friends of YWAM in Kampala and then met up with with our small outreach team in Lobone, South Sudan for our first location. It was great to be a united team of eight people from various nations coming together for Christ to be made known in the remote hills of this long neglected people. From the base in Lobone (YWAM is beginning a work on a plot there now), it is a several hour hike into the first village of the Issore region, and each village is quite a distance apart from any other. We were able to spend two nights, three days there, and we really sensed more of what God wants for this people. We are grateful to William and Bosco, who will carry on the work there even as we go away. We can see God touching many to come and serve alongside them in this needy region and we know the production of the video will move many as well."

Since receiving this communication, we have also heard that one of the team was detained by Sudanese authorities for an afternoon and only released after paying a fine. His crime? He had unwittingly taken a photograph of an army barracks. Missions communicators need to be savvy to make it in Africa!

What challenges are you aware of in your own communication? How are you working to overcome them? Have you been touched by videos and stories from remote places like Issore? How were you moved to get involved in some way?

Building communication at a local level

2011-03-18T14:55:00.003+02:00

This week, some of the AfriCom team in Cape Town travelled to nearby Worcester to meet with the newly formed Communication Team at the YWAM centre there. Our connection with YWAM Worcester was strengthened at the end of last year, when we ran a week-long Effective Communication Workshop for their staff. Since that time we have visited monthly to help the communication director in her quest to mobilize a team to work alongside her in serving the communication needs of the ministry and training staff in her YWAM location.

This week we were hugely encouraged to meet 6 new Com Team members (currently all part-time) including a writer, photographer, videographer and video conferencing expert. What a great team, each person highly motivated to launch communication initiatives that will help connect missionary staff at this thriving training and ministry centre, as well as promote their work among the local community as well as nationally and internationally.

This sort of consultation and support is one of the ways regional Com Teams like AfriCom can help strengthen the work of YWAM at a local level. To find out more about how we can help YWAM in your location, email info@ywamafricom.org.

YWAMers fear armed conflict in Ivory Coast

2011-03-15T12:54:00.004+02:00

In Ivory Coast, a nation currently under threat of civil war, YWAM has a history of discipling individuals and building communities. As well as the 6 month Discipleship Training School, YWAM Côte d'Ivoire has offered training in Christian counseling and supports a number of local pastors through their church ministries work. At times like these, when communities are under a high degree of stress, pastors and church leaders provide a steadying anchor for individuals and families who fear for their own safety.

North and south Ivory Coast have been divided since 2002 when ethnic, religious and economic disparities caused conflict that meant a united nation was not sustainable. Last year's presidential election was the first in a decade and came as the result of a lengthy peace process. In that election, Mr Ouattara, a muslim northerner, won a slender victory that has since been declared invalid by supporters of Mr Gbagbo in the south. Many international organisations, however, including the UN, African Union and EU, have recognised Mr Ouattara as the winner.

Whilst it is being reported that civil war is not inevitable, what we hear from YWAM staff on the ground indicates that there is a lot of fear that the situation is escalating towards armed conflict. "If war is unleashed" wrote Richard, YWAM leader in Ivory Coast, "there will be serious loss of life since both sides are ready to give their all for their leader."

Every day large numbers of the population are leaving the city of Abidjan for the countryside; whilst in the west of the country people are fleeing to Liberia and Guinea. The UN refugee agency reports that over 450,000 people have fled their homes because of the current crisis.

For now, although some YWAM staff have already left the country for Ghana or Togo, most YWAMers are in the city of Abidjan and for now are staying. This decision is being reassessed daily as the situation unfolds. YWAM teams in neighbouring countries stand ready to receive their fellow missionaries if evacuation proves unavoidable.

For more information about the current state of affairs, go to a news website such as this.

For Marta and the women of Mozambique

2011-03-08T11:25:00.005+02:00

Marta Alige was a pioneer. She was one of the first generation of girls to grow up educated in peacetime Mozambique, and one of the first generation of Mozambican missionaries. When she finished school, instead of moving to the city looking for work, she was trained by Youth With A Mission, and spent the rest of her short life working as a frontier missionary in the isolated Zambezi delta.

For ten years YWAM Marromeu has worked in this delta region. Education has always been a huge felt need for the Mozambicans there, living far from the nearest schools. YWAM leaders, Shephen and Caitlin Mbewe, both trained schoolteachers, are committed to develop education in this area, where poverty and illiteracy are rife.

Several years ago, after completing her DTS in Marromeu, Marta began the first primary school in the delta. Her husband Pedrito lived with her in the delta, running a small first aid post. Slowly, with the held of a fellow YWAMer, Tiago, and a government teacher, Marta developed the school. Steady progress has now been made in teaching literacy, though the number of simple books in the local Sena language is limited.

Many outreach teams have also helped with the literacy programme, flown into remote delta villages by helicopter, generously provided by Mercy Air. With the motto, ‘Wings of love to people in need’, South Africa’s Mercy Air has accelerated the speed with which the YWAM team is able to travel, reducing three-day canoe trips to 30 minutes.

Tragically, in late 2010, Marta Alige died, after complications during a Ceasarean Section. Still today, two decades after Mozambique’s civil war ended, one in thirty seven Mozambican women die in childbirth. Thankfully Marta’s story does not finish here, however. The work she started has been continued through the lives of three teenage YWAM girls.

Caitlin, and her three daughters, Nyasha, Kudzai and Tatenda, wanted to do something special to remember Marta. They translated a traditional African folk tale into Sena, doing the artwork themselves. ‘Why does the eagle steal the hen’s chicks?’ has now been published, dedicated to the memory of Marta.

The book was recently given to children living in the delta, who Marta had taught. Fifteen-year old Nyasha comments, “Everyone loved it. Even the ones who could not read could follow the story by looking at the pictures, and could recognize words in the story from the vocabulary pages. It was so exhilarating! Everyone was so disappointed when the story came to an end - it made me wish I had more books. I want to bring reading alive for them."

The day after giving the books out in Luawe, Caitlin visited Bumbani, another village in the delta, to check on the progress of the reading scheme she had introduced earlier in 2010. She found that many of those attending the programme could already read all the word cards that she had provided. Now their great need is books.

Recently, Caitlin made an emergency trip to South Africa. Whilst there, some wonderful partnerships began. She met Anne Herbert, the Outreach Coordinator for Mercy Air, with 27 years experience teaching primary education. More people heard about the Sena literacy programme and began donating their time and skills. A team from South Africa are now creating a ‘Classroom in a box’, containing practical literacy materials that can be easily carried into remote areas.

Today the Mbewes are busy translating further African folk tales into Sena, as easy readers for the learners. Enthusiastic artists from supporting churches in the United Kingdom are helping with culturally appropriate artwork. Plans are afoot to publish short bible stories and challenging books that will help build a biblical worldview.

A generation of Mozambicans living in the Zambezi delta now have the opportunity to learn to read and write. For the women in particular, education offers the possibility of radical transformation. Marta did not have formal training, only 5 years of primary school. It was Martin Luther King who said, "One does not need a degree to serve." Marta proved that to be true, she served the children of the delta with love and devotion, and her short life will bear much fruit.

For more information, contact Mercy Air or YWAM Marromeu via email: mbeweshephen@yahoo.co.uk

AfriCom's latest video: about YWAM Angola

2011-03-04T21:28:00.000+02:00

YWAM Angola from Miranda Heathcote on Vimeo.

Communication projects lead to life-saving partnerships

2011-02-23T11:26:00.008+02:00

Some time ago AfriCom partnered with a YWAM video production ministry called Media Village to produce a promotional video for our team in Marromeu, a remote town along the east coast of Mozambique. The video was shown widely in an attempt to mobilize people, prayer and resources to help the YWAM team fulfill their vision to see community transformation in this delta region at the mouth of the Zambezi river.

As a result of seeing the video, a ministry called Mercy Air decided to partner with YWAM Marromeu. The goal of Mercy Air is to provide safe, professional and cost effective aviation service to the wider humanitarian aid and mission community in southern Africa. They agreed to fund quarterly helicopter visits to Marromeu to enable the YWAM team to visit the remote communities in the delta region that could otherwise only be reached via days of difficult boat travel. By visiting these communities more regularly, YWAM has been able to establish literacy and health care projects for people who previously had no access to any such facilities, as well as to develop bible teaching programs.

On one visit, Mercy Air was able to help save the life of a local man who was bitten by a crocodile. This is common enough accident in this marshy land of waterways, and in many cases a croc bite so far from medical care results in death. Watch this clip and join with us in rejoicing at the long term difference one video can make, in the life of this man and his family, and for the whole community!

AfriCom goes to Sudan

2011-02-21T16:06:00.003+02:00

AfriCom exists to serve YWAM in locations all around Africa and our next exciting opportunity to connect with YWAM in the field is coming up! At the end of next week Lydia, our editing and production coordinator, will be traveling to South Sudan along with Bernine, a photography intern.

The two team members have a lot of ground to cover in their 3 week trip. Flying to Kampala, Uganda, they will make their way by bus into Sudan. They will begin background research for a mobilization DVD about the community development work of YWAM in Issore, a remote collection of seven villages. Traveling from there to Yei, where YWAM Sudan has an established work in partnership with the team from Arua, Uganda, Lydia and Bernine will work on the production of podcasts, photography projects and articles about the experiences of the YWAM staff during this time of transition in Sudan, as the south secedes from the north.

The vision of AfriCom is all about connecting remote YWAM teams such as these with their fellow YWAMers around Africa and throughout the world. By developing these connections, using communication, we are able to mobilize people, prayer and resources to help make the work of YWAM more effective. This trip is a wonderful opportunity to champion the unsung heroes on the ground by telling of the positive and sustainable changes taking place in communities because of what they do.

Before returning to Cape Town, Lydia and Bernine will visit Jinja, in Uganda, to meet with our fledgling Communication Team working for the East Africa region. These face-to-face meetings are rare and precious opportunities to encourage and develop our other communication team members, through coaching, planning and evaluation.

In order to not put extra strain on the YWAM teams in Sudan and Uganda, both Lydia and Bernine are raising their own funding for this trip. They have been generously supported with donations by their missions partners. $1,000 is still required to make this trip possible.

If you would like to be a part of helping us to strengthen the work of YWAM in Sudan and Uganda, it's very simple to make a donation: Please visit the project page on our Given Gain website.

University of the Nations: a vehicle of hope

2011-02-14T11:45:00.004+02:00

Last week, YWAM in Cape Town had the great privilege of hosting the international leaders of the University of the Nations. In town for their strategy and planning meetings, the leaders also took time to join the local YWAM community for times of worship and staff development.

Tom Bloomer is the international provost of the UofN. As he stood in front of volunteer missionaries from at least 5 YWAM training centres, he encouraged them to think long-term about their missionary calling. Youth With A Mission is known for its opportunities for short-term volunteers. What is less well-known is that we also have tens of thousands of missionaries who have been working for many years with YWAM, all following the same call to 'Make God known' among the nations of the world.

After recently celebrating a half century of sending missionaries around the world, YWAM has been asking what we need in order to be effective for the next 50 years. Tom addressed this question from a personal angle.

What is it, Tom asked, that will keep a missionary going through years of inevitable ministry challenges? He asserted that it is hope that will help us to continue our work over the long haul and, as he looks back on almost 40 years as a YWAMer, he is himself testimony to the power of hope to build perseverance and tenacity.

Hope, Tom pointed out, is the foundation for faith. "Tell me where you've stopped praying," he said, "and I'll tell you where you've lost hope."

Taking the story of Lazurus' death as his starting point, Tom looked at the question of unanswered prayer. In spite of Lazurus' sisters sending for Jesus, He did not arrive until days after their brother's death. Jesus didn't answer in the way they expected and neither did He explain His delay; it is this lack of explanation that can most offend us, Tom argued. He admitted that we are all tempted to bury our hope when God doesn't seem to answer our heart cries; this can become a hard place in our hearts. Indeed, many end up leaving the mission field for this very reason; prayers for finances, healing or for loved ones remain unanswered and people leave disheartened. Nowhere is this more true than in Africa.

Tom asked why Jesus wept at Lazurus' tomb, and argued that it was perhaps out of sorrow that Mary and Martha were not able to wait through more than 4 days of unanswered prayer before doubting His ability and desire to help them. "When we pray," Tom argued, "we are trusting God. When He doesn't answer, He is trusting us." He reminded us of Jesus' response to the grieving sisters: "Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?"

In closing, Tom connected our personal need for hope with the ministry of the University of the Nations. He reflected that one of the principal callings of YWAM's university is to bring hope to communities, to demonstrate to people that the reality of Christ's resurrection has a redemptive impact on all of life. And if the university is to truly be this vehicle of hope, then each of us need to be living with hope at the core of our attitudes and behaviours.

In what ways has your hope has been challenged? How have you renewed your hope? In what ways can you see your YWAM ministry offering hope to the communities in which you work?

So you think you know what's happening in Sudan?

2011-02-01T09:36:00.003+02:00

(Photos by Philip B)

It would be hard to have avoided the momentous news coming out of Sudan in recent weeks. As part of the peace accord signed in 2005, north and south Sudan agreed to hold a referendum to allow the people of the south to vote on whether to secede from the north. Last month they voted overwhelmingly in favour of independence.

Much has been and is being written about this historical period in the story of the nation. But there are other tales to tell, other lives God is weaving together in the tapestry He is creating for His glory in both the north and the south of Sudan. The following story was relayed in the e-news bulletin of YWAM's frontier missionaries:

"8-wells" is a joint project started in 2010 to spread the good news of Jesus throughout northern Sudan. It incorporates distribution events, book exhibitions and "Marches for Jesus". For the latter, a bus has been outfitted with a sound system and generator. A worship team rides in the bus and sings during the entire March, accompanying the rest of the participants who are on foot. In every bus station and market place and wherever lots of people are gathered, the March pauses, and the gospel is openly proclaimed. The marchers give a free copy of the "Gospel of Luke" to everyone along the way.

The organizers are gearing up to have a "March for Jesus" in 25 locations in northern Sudan, during which 1 million copies of the "Gospel of Luke" will be distributed. Through the combined efforts of 80-100 churches and agencies, God has provided nearly a quarter of a million US dollars to fully fund this project.

As a further demonstration of God's love, believers in northern Sudan responded to flooding in the area of Shandi. They filled two trucks with food, blankets and medicines and a third truck with 40 young people to help distribute the items. After initial resistance, local authorities agreed for the believers to handle the distribution themselves. One thousand bags were prepared to give to needy families, each containing flour, oil, sugar, lentils, pasta noodles, tea, biscuits, rice, a blanket and medicines, along with a printed copy of Psalm 23 and an explanation that the bag was a gift from the evangelical Church of northern Sudan for the people of Shandi. The participants felt the presence of God very strongly as they gave out the bags to the flood victims." (Story by Mark Fadely)

Pray for Sudan. Pray for the formation of a the new nation in the south, for it to function along godly lines of governance and for there to be forgiveness towards those who have perpetrated violence in the land for so long. Pray also for the north, that through God's kindness - as demonstrated by His people - many would be drawn to know and love Him.

To learn more about YWAM's frontier missions work, visit their website. You can also find locations where YWAM training centres offer the School of Frontier Missions by searching on www.ywam.org

Latest Djembe magazine is out!

2011-01-24T13:25:00.002+02:00

Last week, winging their way from the printers in India, came the latest editions of YWAM Africa's magazine. A djembe is a West African drum and the magazine is so-called because it reports the rhythms of YWAM in Africa. With stories from around the continent, this is a great means of connecting with other parts of the YWAM Africa family, and a great resource for prayer for the continent.

If you are part of a YWAM ministry in Africa, you should find print editions of the magazine at your local YWAM training centre (base). You can also find an electronic version of the magazine here. Share this resource with your supporters as a great way of introducing them to the broader YWAM work, of which you are a part! Thanks to the work of committed translators, the magazine features every article in English, French and Portuguese - so share it far and wide.

To email us with feedback, or to submit a story for the next edition, contact: lydias@ywamafricom.org

We do it for them

2010-12-02T10:33:00.002+02:00

Early next year south Sudan will hold a referendum that may result in the independence of the south of the country from the north. This referendum was part of the peace agreement of 2005 and is set to take place on 09 January. We recently received an email asking us to help mobilize prayer for an end to the harassment of citizens currently seeking to register for the referendum. There is fear that the intimidation may result in clashes and even prevent the historical referendum from taking place.

In the midst of this reality we have YWAM Africa staff continuing their ministries in both the north and the south of the country. The team in Yei, where this photo was taken, have already suffered many difficult situations due to the conflict in the country. For a long time they would have to leave the base at night due to the fear of raids; within this context they continued to offer discipleship and vocational training. Only more recently have they enjoyed a level of peace that has enabled them to develop their team, their campus and the work they do.

These quiet heroes are why we do what we do. The key words of our AfriCom statement of purpose are: connect, champion and change. We want to strengthen YWAM staff like those in Yei, by connecting them with other YWAM teams in their region and across the continent, giving them a sense of the greater family around them who are praying and supporting them. We want to champion them, telling their stories in such a way that others are inspired to pray for them, to make donations towards their work and even to go and serve alongside them for a time. We want to help them bring change in their communities by offering training that equips them with communication skills to be more effective; that enables them to build ministry partnerships with others using those same skills.

One of the ways we do all this is through the magazine we produce for YWAM in Africa. In the magazine we feature stories about people like those in Yei and we tell those stories in French and Portuguese, as well as English, so that all our Africa teams can make use of the magazine. We stick with a printed magazine because many of our teams work in places like Yei where the Internet is not adequate for them to easily access websites, or is too expensive. We mail multiple copies to each YWAM base and the staff receive the magazine for free.

We have heard that as they look at the photographs and read the stories, the letter from the leadership team, and the information about upcoming events and resources, our hard-working staff feel encouraged. They feel part of a bigger 'missionary tribe', they know others are working as hard as they are to see God's kingdom come in their communities, they know they are being prayed for and are not forgotten. We know that many use the magazine to show to their supporters, or to potential students, because it helps put their work in the context of a bigger picture.

All this costs money! We have taken responsibility to raise finances to fund the magazines production and distribution - we want to offer it to our heroic staff members as part of our vision to connect, champion and change. We are raising money primarily through the placing of ads in the magazine and these ads are a great way to build a partnership with the fantastic work YWAM teams are doing in Africa.

Whether you are part of a YWAM ministry centre, or represent a company and would like to partner with us to strengthen those who are change-makers in Africa, get in touch. If you are an individual and would like to make a donation towards the magazine, do contact us: info@ywamafricom.org

Remember ... we do it for them!

Effective Communication Workshop

2010-11-15T16:49:00.002+02:00

Last week AfriCom team members ran an Effective Communication Workshop at the Worcester training centre, 2 hours drive from Cape Town.

We had a wonderful time with our 17 participants, most of whom spoke English as a second language.

Beginning with Interpersonal Communication and moving through Writing, Photography, Public Speaking, Fundraising and Use of Social Media, the aim was to equip these missionaries with skills to enable them communicate more effectively; in their teams, with their ministry partners and with other parts of Youth With A Mission.

We had great feedback at the end of the week, so it seems the workshop hit the spot when it comes to people's training needs. Communication is such a big part of a volunteer missionaries job and so many feel ill-equipped to do it well. A special highlight was to find that many participants found the teaching brought a measure of healing to them, especially for those who had been discouraged in the areas of fundraising and communication within their teams.

It was also special for us to partner with Wycliffe's Africa communication team. Heather Pubols joined us to teach on Use of Social Media and we are looking forward to more opportunities to support one another in missions communication.

For the AfriCom staff members running the workshop was encouraging and motivating. Needless to say we are keen to offer simnilar workshops in more locations: contact us to invite us to your region!

Global Communication Meetings

2010-11-15T16:37:00.002+02:00

A little bit of a catch-up is needed!

Back in October, Tim and Miranda left the rest of the team holding the fort in Cape Town and travelled to Harpenden, England, to participate in YWAM's Global Communication meetings.

This was a time for YWAM staff from around the world, those who are contributing to YWAM's global communication pieces, to meet for a time of evaluation and goal-setting. One of the highlights of the gathering was the opportunity it provided to remind one another of why we are all engaged in communication in a missionary context.

If communication can be likened to the nervous system of the body, it is clearly there to serve the body and to enable the body to do what it needs to do; to fulfil its functions. In the context of YWAM, the purpose of the body of missionaries around the world is, 'To know God and to make God known'.

Communicators might be IT savvy, social networking addicts with cameras and gadgets hanging off them (the lucky ones, anyway!) but YWAM communicators have a heart for missions that drives and enlivens everything they do.

Being amongst this international group gave Tim and Miranda the opportunity to see again the big picture of how communication tools and training can enable missionaries, both new and experienced, to make God known around the world the more effectively.

What a privilege to be a part of this!

Celebrating YWAM family

2010-09-10T13:02:00.003+02:00

Stefaan Hugo has been the leader of the YWAM training centre in Worcester, South Africa, for the past 12 years. This week, amidst much celebration for the faithfulness of God over more than a decade, he handed over this leadership role to Bruno Guntelach who will partner with his wife, Judy.

Twelve years ago the Worcester training centre started in an old hospital, which the 15 staff members set about transforming into classrooms, accommodation and meetings halls. Today there are over 150 staff members and the centre is training people from many different nations, to work in diverse ways to take the message of Jesus to the communities of Africa and beyond.

One of the ministries at YWAM Worcester is a language training school. Many missionaries come from nations such as Brazil and Korea to learn English in order to be able to take news of God's salvation to other nations. Nilto is one such Brazilian graduate of the school who is now working in Maputo, Mozambique, where a new YWAM ministry has recently been established. In the riots in that city last month, Nilto was able to get news about the situation to those outside Mozambique, in order for prayer and practical help to be mobilized. He is one of many people who have been equipped to serve in other African nations through the work of YWAM in Worcester. They describe themselves as a 'gateway to Africa and the world'.

Over 40 nationalities came together to celebrate the foundations of this YWAM campus and to dream of the future growth and fruitfulness possible as they work together. Bruno Guntelach, originally from Switzerland, took on the symbolic mantle of authority from Stefaan Hugo, as leaders from YWAM in the region, as well as community leaders, welcomed him in this new appointment and prayed for him and his family.

There has been a long partnership between the YWAM training centres in Worcester and Muizenberg (the location of our communication team for YWAM Africa projects). It was wonderful to celebrate with staff and students and to look forward with them to all that is to come.

Make YOUR communication more effective!

2010-08-18T10:03:00.002+02:00

It has been said that communication in Youth With A Mission is like the central nervous system in a body; when it is functioning well, the whole body works more effectively. If you are a staff member, how about your role in this body called YWAM? Whether you are a foot, or a hand, or a mouth: Are you able to function as effectively as you would like to? Do others know enough about your ministry, and you about theirs? Could you share information more effectively than you do now?

Just as the nervous system requires the ongoing provision of certain nutrients in order to work as it should, so we need ongoing training to help us communicate as well as possible.

If you think your communication could use a top-up of nutrients, then we have just the thing for you!

The Effective Communication Workshop (ECW) is a week-long workshop for YWAMers interested in learning more about communicating effectively in a missions context, and in practising some very practical skills. This workshop will be offered from 7 – 13 November 2010, at the Worcester base in South Africa, and is open to staff members from anywhere in the region. Everyone who attends should leave the workshop with a broader understanding of communication and with an increased competence in communication skills.

We will give an overview of communication in a missions context, as well as covering public speaking, interpersonal communication, writing newsletters and articles, use of photography and video, and support-raising.

For an application form, email us at ywamafricom@gmail.com - We look forward to you joining us. Let’s get our communication highway up to full speed!

AfriCom in Angola

2010-08-11T09:19:00.002+02:00

Tim writes: Four of our team have just returned from a very full and satisfying road trip to Angola.

Full is an understatement: we drove a crazy nine thousand kilometres, much off road – that’s 135 hours in the car, an average of nine hours driving every single day. We visited seven Youth With A Mission locations - spread out over several provinces - shot twenty hours of video, and interviewed dozens of people, working 18-hour days for two weeks. We travelled as far north as Cabinda, above the mouth of the Congo River, and our total distance driven could almost have reached Cairo.

Satisfying is also an understatement: being a missions communicator is always exciting, but especially so when we get to tell the stories of ordinary people, doing quite extraordinary things. Often these people are unheard of, living in remote places, like those YWAM staff members we met working with isolated tribes in Angola’s low-lying savannah.

Angola is going through huge changes. Forty years of war ended eight years ago, since then oil has been discovered and the economy is growing fast. The infrastructure destroyed by guerrilla war is being rebuilt, roads are being tarred, new buildings are shooting up.

YWAM Angola is going through similar changes. A small team of Brazilian missionaries arrived in the country in 1991, at the height of the war. Their early years were spent in relief work, food distribution and training Angolans. Three Brazilian YWAMers died in the country in those early pioneering years. Several YWAM ministries have been thriving for more than a decade, in particular church planting and community development work among various tribes, and work among children at risk in one of the poorest communities in Lobito. These ministries have now bought land and are beginning the process of building training locations where they can teach other Angolans the skills they’ve learned over the years of work.

Given the changes in YWAM Angola it was a superb time to be travelling in the country. We visited each location, and now have footage to edit a promotional video for the YWAM teams. YWAM Angola is at the stage of moving to a new level in terms of training and multiplication. We trust that the video will help them publicise their work to raise funds, personnel and prayer.

Back in 1999, my small group leader on our Discipleship Training School in Cape Town was Brazilian, Ismael. He was in Cape Town for a year learning English, taking a break from work in Angola. Now he is YWAM Angola’s national director and he accompanied us on our trip. It was great to spend time with Ismael, to have hours to talk, and to see his leadership style up close. Most inspiring is to see the fruit of Ismael and Sibeli’s twenty years of sacrificial work in Angola. Many of the Angolans they trained are now full-time missionaries, training others.

Sixteen years ago Inacio was in the army, struggling with a drink problem. He wandered drunk into a church service, and left feeling called to full-time missions. Within months he had joined YWAM and begun working with street kids in Lobito. He married Mila and adopted eight street kids, bringing them up alongside their four biological children. Inacio started a school for neighbouring children, which the city mayor has called the best childrens’ project in the city. Today, local businesses are so impressed with the work that most of their food comes for free – Inacio showed me three freezers full of fresh fish! Every fortnight a tanker delivers water to the site, given freely by the mayor. Today, they are building a school on a new plot of land. They also plan a vocational training school, a clinic, and a training centre for people working with children at risk.

Inacio and Mila’s large family is growing up. One son is now being trained in South Africa for further work with YWAM. Another is a skilled welder, and is helping on the school construction site. Just a decade ago they were both street kids, rummaging for food in rubbish dumps.

It was inspiring to meet several Angolan YWAMers like Inacio. During this season of economic boom he has the potential to find a high-paying job. Yet he continues to follow his calling, putting faith into action. His vision to build and train others is contagious. He’s leading by example.

It was great to travel with three other AfriCom-ers. As none of them had visited Angola before it was a baptism of fire all round! In the hours on the road we had plenty of time to talk, argue, make-up again, and get to know each other much more deeply than in the office. I love my job ;-)

More YWAM news available

2010-07-21T11:42:00.002+02:00

For those of you who pop in here for stories about Youth With A Mission, you should also check out the podcast site where you will find YWAM news from around the world. You may even find the odd mention of AfriCom ;-)

New addition in Cape Town

2010-07-01T15:51:00.001+02:00

Hello from Muizenberg! My name is Jillian Vasquez and I am the new journalism intern at YWAM AfriCom. After an epic 48 hour journey from Seattle, I arrived in Muizenburg, Cape Town, baggage in tow, about one week ago. I couldn’t be more excited to be here, living out something God has planned for me! I recently graduated from college with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism/Public Relations, and sought a meaningful post-graduate experience. That led me to South Africa and the wonderful people of AfriCom. Being able to combine my faith with my work is a total blessing, and I am so grateful.

Before joining YWAM, I served at my university’s Newman Catholic Campus Ministry and the Campus Christian Fellowship, where I really came to know God and the power He can have in one’s life. Finding that faith and accepting Christ my freshman year of college really paved the way for the next four years. Now here I am in Muizenberg, working with an enthusiastic group, living with my sister Noelle, and working to strengthen the YWAM missionaries across the continent through storytelling and communication.

I look forward to exploring the Cape Town markets, mountains and other sights. I feel quite at home already!

Great Opportunity!

2010-06-28T14:36:00.000+02:00

Looking for a worthwhile place to invest your organizational abilities? Look no further!

Opportunity for administrator/office manager
AfriCom, YWAM’s communication team for Africa, is offering an amazing opportunity for an administrator/office manager. Based in Muizenberg, South Africa, this is a key role in coordinating the work of AfriCom around the continent.

This person will offer general administrative support to the team, organizing events and developing effective systems to help manage a growing and dynamic ministry. There is also scope for him/her to participate in teaching and presentations and of course to travel widely to meet with teams and attend events throughout Africa.

Communication Teams in YWAM
Back in 2004, during a time of prayer, YWAM’s Global Leadership Team received the insight that the organization had an ineffective central nervous (communication) system.

Lynn Green, the International Chairman of YWAM, explained “That picture of a healthy body is the ideal picture of what our goal is … in reconnecting all our communication cells. Communication is vital to the Kingdom of God and to God’s purposes.”

Motivated by this insight, YWAM has mobilized communication teams to seek creative ways for YWAM ministries to effectively and efficiently communicate with one another. For Africa, God clearly spoke of multiplying communication teams across the continent.

AfriCom
The AfriCom core team is based in Muizenberg, South Africa. We are developing three regional AfriCom teams, in South Africa, Nigeria and Uganda.

AfriCom facilitates YWAM’s Africa projects by mobilizing people, prayer and resources, enabling YWAM teams to play a sustainable and transformational role in their communities. We do this by working closely with YWAM leaders to gather information from around the continent and communicate about YWAM’s work in Africa through print, web, video, text message, data and face-to-face presentations.

YWAM is committed to sharing knowledge across the continent. “By sharing information, we enable ministry teams to be better resourced,” said Lydia Smit, AfriCom Missions Communicator. “It is a way of empowering isolated communities with information that they can use to make informed decisions.” Missions communicators play a key role in attracting resources and staff to support needy projects.

If you have good administrative skills and enjoy diversity, if you are an excellent problem-solver and like to shape your own job, playing a part in a variety of exciting projects, then this could be the place for you!

Our current office manager leaves at the end of 2010. We are looking for a replacement to start anytime from October 2010 onwards.

Interested?
Contact Miranda Heathcote at ywamafricom@gmail.com for more information.

Introducing Peter Clemison

2010-06-23T10:56:00.005+02:00

YWAM AfriCom is pleased to welcome Peter Clemison to the team at our Cape Town office. He is joining us with a specific focus on fundraising. Though fresh from a Discipleship Training School at the Muizenberg YWAM base, Peter is no stranger to the world of communications and missions. Before joining YWAM, he worked for Scripture Union England and Wales as their marketing and fundraising manager. Peter brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience from the Christian charity sector and is well versed in raising awareness for mission work around the world.

"I am living here in Cape Town with my wife, Becky. She too has taken a position within YWAM under the ministry to prevent trafficking, known as Justice ACTs. This is our first time to live in South Africa (outside of DTS), so we're just aclimatising ourselves to missionary life in the rainbow nation!

"It's wonderful to join such an enthusiastic team of communicators for mission. YWAM is doing so much across this continent. Even here in Cape Town, the YWAM bases have seen an exponential growth in ministry. AfriCom is the team tasked with linking all the Africa mission work together and bringing that to the wider world of YWAM. I'm looking forward to building relationships with the diverse ministries across Africa and sharing what each one is doing."

A global communication network

2010-05-24T12:52:00.003+02:00

The great thing about being part of YWAM's network of Communication Teams is the way it puts us in touch with what's happening in missions all around the world. In YWAM communications, no matter where we are in the world, we all share the goal of strengthening our missionaries and enabling them to do their Kingdom work more effectively; whilst mobilizing people, prayer and resources for the ongoing need to take the message of Jesus to the nations. This week Miranda is in Harpenden, UK, to work with communicators on the International Chairman's Team who have been managing our international website ...

For the past 8 years, AfriCom has been working to serve the YWAM missionaries in Africa. We have been producing communication tools - magazines and videos, bulk text messages and so on - as well as offering communication training, all to facilitate the work of our missionaries and to help them reach out to the communities of this continent. We love to hear that missionaries feel more connected to the rest of our global missions movement as a result of what we do, that they are able to access information that makes their work easier, that they can find information in their own language; we love to champion the work they are doing by telling others their stories (check out the latest story here). We also love to hear that more people are praying for the nations of Africa, that more people are giving towards missions and that more people from around the world are taking steps to visit Africa themselves, whether short or long term, to play their part in taking the message of the Kingdom to others.

Increasingly, we have had the opportunity to take this passion for good missions communication beyond the borders of our continent. When we see the difference improved communication makes for our missionaries in Africa, we are keen to be part of similar efforts in other parts of the world. This month marks a significant development in the scope of our work as we take on the gathering of news and stories for YWAM's primary 'face' on the web, www.ywam.org.

We are thrilled to be serving believers around the world who have an interest in engaging in some way with missions, and who visit our site to find out how to pray, give or go. We are looking forward to having our Com Team network contribute stories, translations and development ideas. And it's fun to think that from the tip of Africa we can be championing missionaries serving in communities all over the world!

Training for better Communication

2010-05-10T12:02:00.003+02:00

One of the things that Com Teams do to support YWAM missionaries is to offer them training in communication. Here at AfriCom, we have made a number of short courses available - in newsletter writing, fundraising, photoshop and short story writing, to name a few. The primary training strategy by Com Teams globally, however, is the week-long Basic Communication Workshop, or BCW (everything in YWAM gets shortened to an acronym, it's part of our corporate culture!).

The Basic Communication Workshop is just that: basic. It is a week of training for any and all YWAMers on communication skills that will help them to be more effective as a missionary in their context. The course touches on interpersonal communication - how to resolve conflict, how to be aware of cross-cultural issues, how to chair a meeting, or communicate a decision - which are commonly issues relating to functioning within one's missionary team and with those amongst whom you work.

We also focus on more 'concrete' skills, such as writing and photography, or design skills - those things that relate to functioning in partnership with one's sending church, or to promoting one's ministry.

As you may be aware, YWAM staff members all work voluntarily - even the president! This means that every missionary forms partnerships with family members or people from their churches who feel their part in missions is to give so that others can go. This strategy has led to amazing growth for us as a mission; YWAM is the one of the largest missionary organizations in the world, working in over 150 countries with over 16,000 staff, all whom rely on God’s provision and a team of people behind them.

This makes communication a crucial part of every YWAMers job. As our financial partners bless us, we want to also bless them by keeping them up-to-date with news from our area of ministry and by helping them to feel a part of our work. Photos, stories and videos are all great ways to do this and increasingly there are very helpful Internet tools available too. Oftentimes, people are very keen to bring a new aspect to their communication - to add a blog or a website to their normal newsletter - but they're not sure where or how to start. The BCW enables them to dip their toes in the water and before long they are swimming!

Although the BCW is short - more of an introduction that a comprehensive course - it is a useful way to boost both enthusiasm and capacity for this all-important aspect in the life of a missionary. Staying in touch with supporters can be fun, dynamic and encouraging and - when it is done well - missionaries find that their supporters want to give more than money, often taking on home-based projects to help the ministry, or planning a visit to get involved on the ground.

Com Teams have run Basic Communication Workshops all over the world; from Argentina to Russia, from Uganda to Thailand. This year, AfriCom is planning to run one in South Africa, as well as our more advanced 3-week workshop in Tanzania.

For more information, or to get involved, email us at ywamafricom@gmail.com

Communicators help YWAM celebrate 50 years

2010-04-14T20:04:00.002+02:00

In case you missed it, YWAM is celebrating 50 years of missions work this year! Throughout the year there are special events being held in every region of the world, giving YWAM staff, students, alumni and supporters the opportunity to look back on the milestones of the last half-century and give thanks for all that has been accomplished.

Everywhere where there is a Com Team, the members of those teams are taking this great opportunity to support their YWAM community at these events. Some are offering their practical skills to help make the celebrations run smoothly through taking care of all the technical details of showing video, maintaining good quality sound and even producing name-tags. In other places - such as in Uganda next month - Com Team members will be producing a photographic time-line of YWAM's story in their region and producing other visual pieces to help celebrate 50 years of missionary endeavour.

Here in Cape Town our team has been working on a commemorative magazine of YWAM's history in Africa. It has been an incredible project, with more contributors than any other project we have undertaken. The willingness of so many people to get involved means that we have successfully produced the very first compilation of YWAM's story on this continent ever! From design, to photos, to stories, to translation in French and Portuguese, to printing and mailing - everything has been done in partnership with very special people from around the world. Today boxes of those magazines are being mailed from India, where they were printed, to YWAM centres around Africa. At every 50th celebration in Africa YWAM staff will receive complimentary copies of the magazine.

We are thrilled to give these special gifts to the unsung heroes out there - Jo or Jenny YWAMer, giving their time and their energies to see sustainable change come to their communities. As they read the stories of those who have gone before them, may they be strengthened to persevere.

After all, we are not only celebrating what has passed ... we are eagerly anticipating what is still to come!

Communication from West Africa

2010-03-19T14:14:00.002+02:00

You may have heard on the news about the violence taking place in Nigeria. AfriCom staff have been working with local leaders there to compose a news piece from the perspective of the Youth With A Mission staff on the ground. The article has just been posted on our international website.

Day 2 update from CRIT consultation 2010

2010-03-12T11:32:00.000+02:00

CRIT Communication Consultation 2010

2010-03-12T11:03:00.002+02:00

Every year the YWAM communication network collaborates to hold an international consultation and this year it is being held in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Alongside the consultation, a Basic Communication Workshop (BCW) is offered to YWAM staff to help them improve their ability to communicate effectively on behalf of their ministry projects, and at a personal level.

Tim and Lydia are attending CRIT from the AfriCom office in the south, and the team in East Africa is represented by Vikki and Charles, with Anne going from West Africa. It's a wonderful opportunity for the AfriCom network to connect with one another in person and to consult about communication strategy for this continent, as well as to share ideas and challenges with people from around the world.

This year there has been a strong emphasis on frontier missions, that is mobilizing and supporting YWAM workers in areas where few people have the opportunity to hear the Christian message. In Africa the leadership team have agreed to jointly promote mobilization into the central part of the continent, where we have very few YWAM teams. Life is hard in these places so communicators can play a role, not only in telling people about the need and the opportunity there, but also in strengthening those who do decide to work there. We can do this by helping them stay connected with the wider YWAM body, equipping them with skills to develop prayer and funding partnerships and letting others know about their work by producing articles and video clips. As always, frontier missions is most effective over the long term when done as part of a multi-faceted team. We hope to see a Communication Team developed at CRIT this year that will be specifically tasked with supporting the work of YWAM's frontier missionaries around the world.

Serving the Africa Leadership Team

2010-02-05T11:20:00.002+02:00

This week Tim is in Mali where he is attending the annual meetings of both the Field Service Team (FST) and the Africa Leadership Team (ALT). Regular readers will know that Tim is currently coordinating the work of the FST, a loose affiliation of ministries united by their focus on serving the needs of our YWAM missionaries working in Africa. This year the group once again looked at strategies to develop leaders, as well as ways to mobilize more YWAM teams into the challenging central region of the continent.

Every year a member of our team joins the ALT in order to give them communication support. This includes posting daily reports on-line so that YWAM staff in Africa are kept updated on the decision-making processes of the leaders. You can view these daily reports on the YWAM Africa website.

Introducing Christabel Lwiindi

2010-02-05T10:54:00.003+02:00

As a YWAM communication ministry seeking to develop a network of communication teams throughout Africa, we do our best to connect with any staff members whose responsibilities include those related to communication. Christabel is one such staff member; she is based in Worcester, South Africa and attached to the southern regional leadership team, specifically to Stefaan Hugo as the Regional Director. Christabel is originally from Zambia and is trained as a journalist, so she brings great experience to her role, both of the region and of communication. She is supported administratively by Judy Guntelach who helps enormously by maintaining the database and sending out emails that need to reach YWAM staff throughout the region.

Miranda and Evelien really appreciated their opportunity to meet with Christabel recently, and are looking forward to working together in the coming months. If you are playing a similar role somewhere in Africa, or you know someone who is doing so, we encourage you to get in touch, so that by working together we can strengthen YWAM's communication capacity more effectively than we can when we work alone!

Email us at: ywamafricom@gmail.com

Communication mobilizes Prayer

2009-11-05T04:52:00.003+02:00

One of the really wonderful things that has happened as Youth With A Mission has paid attention to our internal communication over the last few years has been the global monthly Prayer Days. On the first Thursday of every month, YWAM staff around the world join together around a theme and pray. As Com Teams we have the privilege of helping to put together the reading material that directs people's prayers.

This month we are praying for the great nation of China. Back in August, Tim attended the Global Leadership Meetings in Switzerland and was able to conduct some interviews with leaders that were later incorporated into the prayer material for this month.

Today Miranda is in Perth, Western Australia, where YWAM staff have been taking initiative in China for some time, offering training opportunities to believers there. Staff from around Australia joined together this morning to pray, lifting before God their longings for that nation. We can be sure that as our global mission does the same from our thousands of locations, people will be drawn to go to China, others will commit themselves to continued prayer, still others will give towards training and development initiatives in that nation.

All because we paid attention to our communication!

Down Under

2009-11-04T10:29:00.002+02:00

Miranda is currently visiting YWAM in Perth, Western Australia, where staff and leaders from around the country are gathering for their national conference. She is there with Sugi, coordinator of AspaCom, the Com Team for YWAM Asia/Pacific, of which Australia is a vibrant part.

There are many skillful communicators working as part of YWAM Australia. Some of the campuses have their own communication or media teams, or ministries like Create International who use media to spread the message of Jesus. The goal of this visit is to connect with as many of these people as possible, to let them know what is going on in the YWAM world in the area of communication, and to invite them to come to the communication consultation in Thailand next March.

Regular followers of this blog will know that CRIT, our annual consultation for YWAM communication staff, has become an engine for communication development for the YWAM region in which it is held. Asia/Pacific is a very diverse region and we currently have a handful of communicators working in various locations. We hope that as a result of the 2010 event we will mobilize more people into regional Com Teams as well as creating a network of trained people who can more effectively serve the needs of the mission in this part of the world.

YWAMers in Australia are well-placed to be a part of this initiative ... Miranda and Sugi are meeting with them in Perth to make sure that happens!

Mission Communicators

2009-11-04T10:12:00.005+02:00

There is space in the diverse world of missions to use all our gifts and talents. We often meet people at communication workshops who prior to that encounter had not realized that writers, photographers, designers and illustrators could use their talents to serve the purposes of God.

Today I met Nathan, working with Create International here in Perth, Western Australia. Nathan is a talented illustrator and he has been working on presenting the message of Jesus in pictorial form. He has recently completed 7 stories, the original designs for which have been translated into video format with voice-over in Arabic and other languages, downloadable to ipods or cell phones. His art thus becomes a fantastic tool for a missions worker to share the message of Jesus in an appropriate way.

It is awesome to see people working on projects that give them opportunity to share their passion and skills with others ... plugged into something that makes them come alive and brings life to the people around them. Being a missions communicator offers that opportunity to some incredibly talented people ... if you want to be one of them, contact us!

Global Communicators

2009-11-04T09:52:00.003+02:00

Wow, things are busy and exciting in the YWAM communication community these days! This network of people committed to strengthening our mission's internal and external communication includes something called the Global Communication Team. AfriCom's very own Miranda is a member of this team and she was with the rest of the crew at YWAM Harpenden recently for their annual meeting.

These guys discuss some of the big picture communication issues and opportunities facing YWAM. Currently they are overseeing the revamp of our global web presence and hope to go live with the new and improved ywam.org site by the end of year. This year they also discussed issues of security as we serve and protect the needs of YWAM teams in various parts of the world.

The opportunity presented by social media, like Facebook, is something that needs revisiting every year and at this meeting the team tried something new: a live Q&A session with YWAM's International Chairman, Lynn Green, on Facebook. This was great fun and certainly bears repeating, hopefully with different ones of our key leaders. You can read the transcript of that Q&A here.

Connecting a global organization like YWAM is hard work at times ... know what I'm saying?!

News from AfriCom-East

2009-10-05T16:16:00.001+02:00

Hello everyone and Mulimutya from all of us here in Uganda.

The Com team has been getting busier by the day and things are getting more and more exciting.

We have been making bi-weekly bulletins for the Hopeland base, keeping everyone up to date on what’s going on here and giving communication tips.

Last Saturday, the base had a love feast and over 100 people were present; before hand, we(com team) had put together four videos emphasizing the value of communications; so we were given time during the love feast to make a presentation. I shared a bit about communications, showed a PowerPoint presentation that contained pictures of the new students, some staff, some base houses, funny things like base dogs, the com team members and ended with the words “Value Communication”.

Sadly our audio got messed up as soon as we played the communications video we put together, so we had to stop the video as we couldn’t seem to fix the problem; but the impact of the little we could present on the people was still great.

People were very excited afterwards and came up to us asking questions about communications, AfriCom, and communications teams.

After a long 11 hour drive from Arua (Northern Uganda) Vikki Wright arrived here in Jinja to meet with the Com team here.We met in the blue room at central house here on Hopeland to discuss the future of Com teams in Uganda; Dr Tim Latham, the base leader, and Sandra Merriman the base leader of the TORCH base in town were both at the meeting. They are both also on the National Leadership Team of Ywam Uganda.

We agreed to write stories for the Jubilee celebration of Ywam next year, we also talked about getting pictures for a visual documentary we will display next year as part of the celebration.

Roles with proper clarification were assigned to all of us and we are now working on getting the work done. Getting stories of what God has done and is doing here, pictures that reflect that, and a lot more!

This is really exciting and we thank God for the work he has begun here, knowing that he is faithful to perfect it!

YWAMers gathered For Such A Time as This

2009-09-25T12:16:00.004+02:00

YWAM staff, students and international leaders gathered together for a week long workshop from 7th to the 12 of September. This was for the 2009 University of the Nations Workshop taking place in four different locations, Switzerland, South Africa, Ukraine and Egypt. The theme for this year’s workshop was “For Such A Time As This” based on the story of Esther.

Lydia and Pam participated with the South Africa gathering in Worcester. An estimated 2000 people were recorded to have taken part in this event around the globe. The four locations connected together via Genesis and shared the richness in their cultures bringing the international feeling to life. In the opening ceremony Loren Cunningham talked about the foundations God has laid for 49 years and challenged the mission to continue dreaming whilst pursuing intimacy with God.

For five days we took part in the daily cooperate meetings where we pursued God together for where he was taking us as a mission and individuals. There were definitely challenging times, as we explored the endless opportunities God is calling YWAM to. Alongside the morning sessions, afternoon were filled with workshops, to further teach and uplift on 10 different topics to choose from daily. One of the workshops was the Communication workshop that AfriCom facilitated. The emphasis was on the value and potential of good communication within the mission. AfriCom also assisted a team that were responsible for daily reporting the conference on the U of N website. With so many gathered, networking opportunities were endless and it was great to work with some potential communicators and photographers in the mission.

Lydia said one of the highlight of the workshop for her was when many stood up together to signed the Jubilee covenant. Illustrating the heart of many who wants to serve God earnestly and be committed to be part of seeing the Great commission fulfilled.

One the last day of the conference a large map of the world was unfolded in the meeting hall. And after a message from Loren Cunningham a torch was simultaneously lit in each of the four locations. This flame was then passed on from candle to candle that each person held. The evening ended with prayer for the nations as people walked on the world map. For indeed we have been chosen for such a time as this to pray and go spread the gospel to all nations of the world.

Check out www.uofnworkshop.com for more stories and updates on the five days.

All about YWAM Com Teams

2009-09-20T21:01:00.003+02:00

To find out more about the role Communication Teams like AfriCom play in Youth With A Mission, check out this short video. If you like it, you'd like to find out more, or you simply want to make a comment, let us know by clicking on the comment icon below.

Another Networking Opportunity

2009-09-04T15:01:00.007+02:00

The last part of August you might have missed besides our everyday office work comes in pictures. These are photos taken at the YWAM Nation2Nation gathering in Cape Town. Nation2Nation is a ministry of YWAM mobilising people from all nations to celebrate our diversity and unity in Christ. In additon to the great program,one of our very own Pam took the stage, performing a drama and an Afro dance. She has been practising a few dances with UP4THETASK a performing arts ministry on the YWAM training centre here in Muizenberg and it was nice to support and see her in action.

Talking about networking and partnerships, Pam and Lydia are packing their bags this weekend in preparation for the seminar that AfriCom will be facilitating at the UofN here in South Africa. Evelien leaves for the Netherlands in a few hours for a break. Will suffer some Evelien withdrawal symptoms and glad it’s only a little over a month she will be away

Meanwhile, in Argentina ...

2009-08-21T21:04:00.002+02:00

While AfriCom has been busy getting a newsletter printed and posted, and connecting with the YWAM staff in the south central region, LatinCom has hosted their first corporate gathering since the global communication consultation that was held there in April 2008. Com Team members from around the Latin American continent met together in Buenos Aires to pray, discuss strategy and to connect with one another. Miranda was able to meet with them via Skype to bring a greeting from Com Teams internationally and to field questions. It was great to 'drop in' on our fellow Com Team members in South America and particularly to see the Portuguese-speaking Brazilians and Spanish-speaking Latinos seeking to work more closely together on behalf of their continent.

Com Teams in South America have developed differently to those in Africa. From the beginning of LatinCom we have had representatives in a number of countries and the challenge has been to coordinate the work of those individuals as part of a Com Team strategy to support the work of YWAM in that part of the world. In Africa we have always had the core team working together from one location, with a common strategy, but we have had to work hard to mobilize regional teams for different parts of the continent. We have a lot to learn from one another and in both parts of the world we are seeking to work more closely with YWAM's communication training that takes place through the College of Communication that is part of the University of the Nations.

LatinCom, we wish you the very best as you serve YWAM in South America! Thanks for allowing us to connect with your gathering, it was great to 'see' you all :-)

South Central Africa Regional Conference

2009-08-19T15:05:00.007+02:00

You could hear the sound of a drum resounding through the South Central region of Africa. People came from the North, South, East and West, for one purpose; to be reunited as a family.
On the 9th of August, YWAM South Central Africa gathered for their annual two years regional staff conference in Livingstone, Zambia. Altogether they formed a family rich in diversity and flavour, living throughout Angola, Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi.

YWAM South Central Africa is rich in its assortment of ministries, but this was not the centre of the conference. The message of the conference was simple, ‘together for the harvest’, and the focus was to rest and to be set free from bondages and fears that withhold us from walking in our full potential serving God. To be unified as a region and together reach these nations for God.

Words of encouragement were spoken. “We are people of labour, people of turmoil, but the number one in spiritual warfare is to rest, rest for strength.” Jonathan Mumbi, director of YWAM Zambia said on the first day. This set the tone for the conference.

Guest speaker of the week was Don Gillman, base director of YWAM Taiwan. He inspired us with his message and challenged us with his life stories and questions. A few of his questions were, how far are we willing to go for the gospel, what fears are keeping us from the will of God, what is true obedience and what are our value systems?
Through the daily preaching there was a calling to come back to the heart of God to find rest, to be strengthened, and to receive Gods grace in the middle of struggle or victory. To come back to a place where we “Obey the Father and not the need of men.” (Oswald Chambers).

With teachings in mind, fellowship in the heart and a cup of tea in hand, YWAM South Central Africa together tackled their fears and discussed their value systems.

At the end of the conference people were returning to their homes, encouraged and prepared for the task before them.

Lydia Smit

Bits & pieces

2009-08-15T17:31:00.003+02:00

Some of the advantages of having our office next to the YWAM Muizenberg base are easy networking and opportunities to hear stories without having to travel far.
We also get to be part of the cool things happening under their roof and participate in ministry and events. The most recent event we attended was the Catalyst 9 gathering in Cape Town. Catalyst 9 is part of an YWAM international outreach which takes place in different cities around the world. What a great way to find out what the YWAM teams are doing in and around the city of Cape Town in partnership with local churches.

This week Evelien and Pam are in the office. The Heathcote family is in the UK for a well deserved break. Lydia is in Livingstone, Zambia where she is attending the South Central Africa staff conference. Check the blog next week to read about her time there.

Djembe, the YWAM Africa newsletter that we produce from our office went out this week. If you are on our mailing list check your mail box, if you would like to receive a copy please let us know.

Meet Vikki

2009-07-31T14:39:00.004+02:00

This is Vikki Wright, an awesome American YWAMer working in the north of Uganda with her British husband and three kids. We first got to know Vikki and John through Tim's visits to their rural YWAM campus to teach on Discipleship Training Schools. It took us a while to realize that she has a love of writing, and a little longer to draw her into YWAM communication through the writing of stories from her region. Back in May this year, Vikki joined us for CRIT and her desire to incorporate communication into her ministry in a greater way began to take form.

This week, as we met at the East Africa regional staff conference, it became clear that Vikki really carries the vision for developing communication more effectively in the region. In addition to that, she is a respected part of her base leadership team and well-known to the regional leaders, which makes it easier for her than for others to dialogue with the leaders on communication issues.

With the blessing of the leaders, Vikki has expressed a willingness to be the coordinator for AfriCom East, which she will do with help from Sandra Merriman who is geographically closer to the group of communicators located in Jinja, Uganda. That group is also being ably facilitated by Agnes, one of the graduates of our 2009 School of Field Journalism. Together these women will make a great team as we keep moving towards the goal of building more effective communication to, from and around East Africa. Welcome to the team!

Growing AfriCom in East Africa

2009-07-31T14:24:00.002+02:00

This week Miranda has been in Tanzania, East Africa. She's been enjoying the buzz of attending a YWAM regional staff conference, always a great opportunity to meet a lot of YWAMers from a number of countries without having to go to each location! Meeting together in Arusha at the foot of Mount Meru were staff from Ethiopia, Chad, DR Congo, Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, and Rwanda, not to mention those from Tanzania itself. There was a wonderful atmosphere of celebration as the crowd of around 300 recounted the faithfulness of God in all their myriad activities around the region.

But Miranda was not just there to enjoy the inevitable vibe of a YWAM gathering. She had an ulterior motive! This was an opportunity to follow up on the progress made at CRIT towards forming a regional Com Team, an AfriCom East if you will :-) Attending this conference was well-worth it ... together with the regional leaders and the staff with a interest in communication, Miranda helped to form both a structure and an immediate concrete goal for the team. She is hoping that this will help both those who are already keen to be involved and those who may be mobilized around the practical project that was decided on.

This project is one that could be adopted by other regions in the continent, or even by other parts of the world. It centers around gathering stories and historical information in preparation for YWAM's 50th anniversary celebrations next year. Communication teams globally have planned to produce a celebratory magazine to be made available at all the 50th anniversary events, an opportunity for YWAM International to tell their stories. So communicators (and others who don't yet know they are communicators!) in East Africa are all set to unearth a treasure trove of stories and to share them with the world ... what better way to launch a regional Com Team?!

Com Teams and Training

2009-07-07T13:13:00.002+02:00

Those of you who have been following the journey of our YWAM Communication Team know that in the first quarter of this year we ran a School of Field Journalism through YWAM's University of the Nations. This was a new experience for us, having focused up until that point on production projects as part of our communication service to the organization.

This morning we spent some time evaluating how well we felt the school had contributed to AfriCom's overall vision and purpose: was it worth the effort and resources required to run a 3 month residential course such as this? If so, is the School of Field Journalism the most appropriate school for a Com Team such as ourselves, or would a Communicating for Missions school be more appropriate?

The SOFJ had some great outcomes. In several ways running the school clearly benefited our coverall vision, which is to connect YWAM in Africa to one another, to YWAM internationally and to other interested parties. We recruited a communicator for the East Africa region and one for the core team in South Africa. We also had a number of YWAM-related stories published and saw graduates go on to get involved in helping to strengthen other YWAM ministries in the area of communication. By partnering our field assignment phase with a Basic Communication Workshop and a Communication Consultation we were able to maximize the impact of the school and help the students get a taste for strengthening the mission using their communication skills.

In addition to this, there were some outcomes that were beneficial to our broader goal of acting as champions of YWAM in Africa and of the continent itself. By running a journalism course we were able to introduce students to the African context and worldview, to develop connections with others who are experts in this area and to promote an engagement with the issues facing this continent in particular. One of our longer term visions is to become part of establishing a resource center for Africa and perhaps the School of Field Journalism could play a role in this?

When we think about training we believe that shorter, field-based training opportunities best serve the needs of this continent. Indeed we had a number of students who struggled to pay their fees throughout the School of Field Journalism; many others inquired about attending the school but were unable to do so because of a lack of finances. Running the Basic Communication Workshop in Uganda showed us, if any further proof were necessary, that taking training to the staff reduces overall costs to them and makes the training more accessible to a greater number of people.

So perhaps a training strategy that creates space for both longer and shorter training opportunities is called for? We are potentially looking towards running a residential school, such as the SOFJ,somewhere in Africa once every 24 months, in addition to running a shorter 6 week communication workshop in another location 12 months later. This would develop into a 24 month cycle, enabling us to invest in as many people as possible with the limited staff team we have available.

Our thoughts turn to other YWAM Com Teams around the world and we wonder whether some of the lessons we are learning could benefit them too. Perhaps in future we'll see more of a strategic partnership growing between YWAM's College of Communication and the field-based Com Teams such as ourselves? There is both a need and an opportunity to work together to see people equipped with communication skills and YWAM served through the use of those same skills.

Strengthening YWAM Communication

2009-06-30T15:52:00.002+02:00

One of the ways the AfriCom team works to strengthen YWAM communication is through contributing content to websites and blogs that promote YWAM ministries in different parts of Africa and the world. This week, some of our writing has found its way onto the blog for the YWAM center in Arua, northern Uganda. In fact, this was part of the work produced while our School of Field Journalism students were in East Africa.

Take a look - let's be part of increased traffic to another great YWAM Africa site!

Zambia, Zimbabwe & the UN Millennium Development Goals

2009-06-24T12:57:00.002+02:00

I’ve just returned from a 7000km round trip to Lusaka, via Bulawayo and Livingstone. As always it was wonderful to travel in Zimbabwe and Zambia and to be with other YWAM missionaries. This was a mixed trip – teaching on two DTSs, spending time with other team members from the Africa Field Service Team, and travelling with Kobus van Niekerk, our YWAM Africa Director.

The Lusaka YWAM base is running a Community Development focused DTS, and I had the chance to team-teach on the fascinating subject of Worldview. A frequently used analogy compares society to a tree, where the roots determine the fruit. The tree’s hidden root system is the complex belief system and worldview that determines society’s values and behaviour. The tree’s fruit – the natural consequences of behaviour within society – are therefore a product of the ways that society views the world.

We’ve begun a working discussion within the FST about the UN Millennium Development Goals, and it was interesting to spend some time in Zambia considering these from the context of Worldview and belief systems. The MDGs address some of the bad fruits of society. The eight goals are worthy aspirations, aiming by 2015 to:
1) Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2) Achieve universal primary education
3) Promote gender equality and empower women
4) Reduce child mortality
5) Improve maternal health
6) Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
7) Ensure environmental sustainability
8) Develop a global partnership for development

These issues are a result of numerous conflicting causes, including Worldview. It is not enough to simply promote gender equality, the root belief systems that assume male superiority have to be challenged and replaced with a truly biblical perspective on gender. Only when the roots of the tree change will the fruit naturally improve.

I’ve returned from Zambia with a desire to champion YWAM ministries which tackle the needs raised by the MDGs – for example pre-school education and initiatives to provide clean water. But I also see the need to be part of the study and dialogue which questions ‘what are the belief systems in society that lead to these issues?’ The UN goals are excellent, and biblical, but if there is anything to learn from 50 years of international aid, it is that aid does not work. Throwing money at these 8 specific goals will not change Africa, changing the belief systems that cause the problems will.

Tim Heathcote

Getting Shipshape

2009-06-18T14:08:00.003+02:00

What's the first thing you have to do when your entire team has been 'on location' for 2 months? Clean, obviously!

Next you have to follow up all those outstanding emails, put all your notes into some sort of order, list all action points ... and get your head down!

And that's where we're up to right now in the AfriCom South Africa office. But at least we have clean windows ;-)

Being Team in Uganda

2009-06-17T14:45:00.001+02:00

As we sat in the room commonly called the “blue room” here on Hopeland, we laughed at how as a Com Team we don't have a single cent to our name, yet we have so much to do. We began to think of how we could be useful on the base and what we could do to help improve communication here without necessarily needing money for it. We agreed to go and clean up the office and the administrative block on Friday the 12th of June at 5pm.
After all, we thought, when guests come to YWAM Hopeland they make all their enquiries at the office and all sorts of meetings are held there; so the office must always look neat and welcoming, and at the same time represent YWAM properly.
So we began making plans and getting excited about doing that, at least we would be able to do something that didn't require money immediately. We could just clean the windows, sweep and mop the floors for now; then think about re-painting it later.
On June 12th, a text message was sent to all Com Team members here asking them to remember our work duty at the office that evening. Yes we would get things done and assist the base in that way!
I was typing away a formal report that had to be completed within a week, when I decided to take a break and check out my Facebook page :). I saw my friend, Jeanine's, status and it said something like “I am very happy because we members of the Com Team here on Hopeland are going to clean up the office now”. The status had been updated over 45mins ago, then it suddenly hit me “Sarah, you are supposed to be cleaning up the office now!!!” I flew off my bed and ran to the office, by then it was 6pm and they were already done sweeping and mopping! I felt so silly!
“Miss communicator” as they call me, who sends messages reminding others to be punctual and remember that we are working ‘as unto God’ had forgotten to show up for work duty! The others just laughed at me and took it all in good faith but I learnt one thing from that experience; you cannot do it alone, you always need others.
Even though I didn't show up, my team-mates were there and they faithfully did the work we were all supposed to do as a team. That's what it's all about isn't it? Working together as a team and not trying to do it all alone because one person cannot!
T-Together, E-Everyone, A-Achieves, M-More!

By Sarah Adeyinka, YWAM Hopeland, Jinja, Uganda.

AfriCom set to grow

2009-05-14T14:31:00.002+02:00

If you had visited Hope Land base in Jinja, Uganda, over the past few weeks you would have noticed a buzz about the base, a cheerful intermingling of people from all over the world as old friends greeted one another and new friendships were formed. You might have noticed two guys huddled over a computer as one taught the other how to use Photoshop, or groups doing interviews to camera, as nearby someone clutched the new/old laptop they had just been given, hoping they could figure out how to use it!

It’s not a catchy name (Communication, Research & Information Technology) but for the past 6 years CRIT has been helping people to catch the vision for effective communication; communication that builds relationships in such a way as to help YWAM become stronger all over the world.

There is a tendency for us to think about communication as the things we do in order to communicate – the articles we write, the websites we run, the logos we design or the footage we capture. Of course, it is all those things, but at root it’s about building understanding among us, getting us connected to one another. It’s about who we are and what we value.

This reality was foremost in our minds as we converged on Hope Land base at the end of April. On the technical side, we had no idea if there would be power cuts during the showing of our video or Powerpoint presentations; we wondered if the speed of Internet access would allow any of us to stay in touch with loved ones or keep up with our emails. But most of all, we knew that we were to be a very multi-cultural group and in that context we were desperate to focus on connecting people to one another, not just to the Web.

CRIT has always been a very interactive event. It’s not a conference or a training time but a time for discussing together some of the communication challenges we face as a mission and together seeking creative solutions. There is a wonderful dynamic when people with less-developed communication skills, but lots of experience of the challenges, sit down with people who have been working in communication for a while. To walk around and observe CRIT working groups is to see a beautiful picture of our incredibly varied and diverse missionaries standing alongside one another, of being harnessed together with a common purpose. At the end of this year’s event Larry Wright, a pillar of YWAM’s International Communication Network, commented “We’ve taken some real practical steps to build the communication highways in YWAM, and we’ve done that together.” It was a highlight this year that there was a marked flow between our times of praise, prayer and devotion and the practical outcomes of the working groups. As Tim Heathcote, a member of AfriCom, enthused “We’ve talked about healing the nervous system, but here we’ve really seen that happening and it’s beautiful.”

For some participants the healing was also very personal. Jeanine is a Burundian YWAMer who works at the primary school on Hope Land base. Along with around 30 local and regional staff members, she took part in the week-long Basic Communication Workshop that preceded CRIT. Having been impacted by both the practical and values-based components of the workshop she decided to also attend CRIT, where she played a key role in the working group focused on developing Communication Teams. Jeanine’s comment touched us all: “I have received more healing over these 2 weeks than at any time in my life, even during my DTS.” When we value communication we value people, we respect them, we say, ‘I care about you, your contribution is important.’

Agnes Ichodu is one Ugandan YWAMer for whom CRIT will lead to some very real changes. She worked in the same working group as Jeanine, discussing with several others the communication challenges faced by YWAM in the region of East Africa. Together they decided that this region needs its own communication team and that they – with their newly acquired skills – could help get things started. Agnes, previously a primary school teacher, did her DTS last year in the north of Uganda and more recently completed the School of Field Journalism in South Africa. She says, “CRIT meant a lot to me because through it I came to know so many people who are working in communication, or who want to. In East Africa so many programs have failed because of poor communication and there are so many good things happening that we don’t hear about, for the same reason. A Communication Team brings hope to the region because so much more can be done when we communicate well.”

Communicating well is the overall goal of CRIT – whether on our bases, across regions or as a global missionary movement. And this year we all took another small step towards making that a reality.

By Miranda Heathcote

Farming - a mission field

2009-05-13T14:59:00.003+02:00

This year Sam Abuku will turn fifty. He can look back on over twenty-five years in full time ministry in Uganda, but knows that he must prepare carefully for his future. There are few grandparents in YWAM Africa, and Sam reflects on the reason - as people enter their forties the rising costs of children’s educations, weddings, and fears for the future forces many to leave the mission at this stage. “If we are to do all that God has put in our hearts we need to think and prepare. I have two hands and a head, I have to creatively think about how to sustain my family in the future, or I could become bitter at the Church if my support dries up. This is the biggest challenge facing us in YWAM Africa.”

Sam and his wife Agnes pastored churches in Soroti for twenty years. After years of partnering with YWAMers they did a CDTS in Harpenden in 2002. Upon their return to Uganda they spent six months in Soroti, processing with their church their desire to join YWAM. The church released them to help pioneer the YWAM Arua base, and has supported them financially ever since. With their years of experience, and having raised seven children, Sam and Agnes are now a backbone to the thriving Arua base. Their heart for leadership development and family ministries is seen in all that they do and teach.

The Abuku family have talked openly about the challenges of living long term in YWAM. Together they have come up with a family plan to build security for their future and influence other families. The financial support from the Soroti church covers the Abuku’s staff fees and children’s schooling. Any extra gifts have been used to slowly build the family home in Soroti town. “We have never been in a position to save money, but have chosen instead to invest in land and houses.” Now that the town house is nearing completion it can be rented out. The finances from this will start to fund the real family vision, which lies 40km out of town in the village.

Here Sam has bought over 60 acres of fertile land, and begun to build the family farm. They are calling it ‘Mairomu Kaga’ (Christ family concern programme). Five acres of maize have recently been planted, and this year they hope to plant three acres of pineapples, an acre of orange trees, and develop some beehives. In the town house the Abukus will stockpile maize bought in the village, later in the year when prices have risen they plan to sell at a profit to the UN. If all goes to plan several huts will be completed on the land to house workers.

Whilst Sam and Agnes continue to live and minister in Arua, their eldest sons, who have diplomas in Development Studies and Business Administration, will work at establishing the family farm. In the future they dream of poultry, a large fruit orchard, and a family home. The farm should provide a secure income for the family, a solid investment for the future, and be a model for how the extended family can live and work. Sam and Agnes have already run Holy Trinity Brompton’s ‘Marriage Course’ in Arua, and plan to use it on the farm. They envision the farm as a place where families and couples can stay, be discipled in marriage and family life, and learn about sustainable development within the rural African context. Outreach teams from Community Development schools could teach and invest in the lives of local leaders and rural farmers.

This holistic vision for the extended family to disciple other families within the home environment has come after years of discussion and prayer within the Abuku family. With hard work and God’s favour it has the potential to provide a YWAM family with long tern financial security, and be a rich source of blessing to others. Sam and Agnes will also have modeled how to wisely and intentionally grow into grandparents within YWAM Africa.

By Tim Heathcote

Breakfast in Uganda, lunch in Sudan, tea in the Congo…

2009-05-13T14:50:00.002+02:00

We left the YWAM base early, and thumped along the bumpy dirt road to Koboko, close to the Sudanese border. Four people, shoulder-to-shoulder in the back of an old Peugeot, dust billowing around our faces, chickens, goats and cyclists scattering in every direction as we jolted past. Breakfast was a stand-up snack of hot chapattis, freshly cooked at a roadside stall.

Two hours later we had crossed into Sudan and reached the border-town of Kaya. Dozens of heavily loaded trucks lined the road, waiting for clearance to continue up to Juba, the main city of New Sudan, as the bottom half of Sudan is called. Pouring rain welcomed us, and the potholed red-dirt road quickly turned to a running stream. Our host Tijwog met us and took us for lunch in a small restaurant. Posters cut out of magazines lined the walls: Barack Obama surrounded by photos of ‘Africa’s strong Presidents’, with centre-stage given - to Pam’s delight - to Robert Mugabe. Lunch was a delicious feast of keserah – a dustbin-lid sized chapatti-style staple, made of maize flour – with five various sauces ranging from a Dinka-meat dish called sheiya, red and spicy, to an intestines and ochre sauce, green and slimy.

Tijwog took us on a tour of the ‘Prayer Mountain’ where he lives, showing us the primary school, small radio station, and various vocational training programmes he runs with Bedpiny, his wife. I first met Tijwog and Bedpiny three years ago, when they were students on Arua’s Crossroad’s Discipleship Training School. The Sudanese couple had lived for years in Cairo, pastoring in a large international church, before moving back to war-torn southern Sudan as missionaries to their own people. Now they own 60 acres of land, on a granite outcrop with spectacular views of the region, just outside Kaya. The visionary couple have sacrificially pioneered a range of projects, and are desperate for partnerships with others to help their work move to another level. Ironically, they find if far harder to raise finances now that the war is over, just when the rebuilding work is actually possible. People give to war zones, and whilst the Darfur refugee camps in the west capture the world’s attention, southern Sudan is being forgotten.

Having had breakfast in Uganda and lunch in Sudan, Tijwog jokingly announced that we needed to take tea in the Congo. So we drove in his Pajero deeper into Sudan, until we reached the Congolese border, just before a small town called Bazi. Tijwog lives in the south-westerly corner of Sudan, where the corners of Uganda and the DRC all meet. The Sudan-Uganda border was a bustling place, full of travellers and trucks. The Congolese border, by contrast, was a bush-affair: a simple metal boom across the mud track, the customs and immigration officials sitting in two small grass thatched mud huts. We greeted the officials, and were allowed to cross into the DRC briefly to chat with some soldiers. Arabic greetings switched to French as we introduced ourselves. Pam, the Zimbabwean, was once again greeted with delighted exclamations of ‘Robert Mugabe!’ and asked ‘so you are the one who chases away the whites?’

Driving along a little way, we stopped in Bazi. The houses on the east of the road lie in Sudan, those on the west in the Congo. So we turned left into the Congo, entered a tea-shop, and drank chai - black, hot and sweet as honey.

As darkness closed in on us later, high up on the peak of Tijwog’s granite mountain, we sat in his house listening to some of his story. The night was windy and very cool, so we all opted not to take a cold bucket bath, deciding instead to sleep covered in the red-dust of three different countries.

By Tim Heathcote

Journalism student reporting from Southern Sudan

2009-05-13T11:42:00.002+02:00

I found myself on a mountaintop with the border of Uganda on the horizon, the Congo behind me and the vast canvas of Sudan to my right. The land was green and lush, satisfied with the evening rain. In the distance I could see the tin roof of the “Christ Ambassadors' School”, a school that has become a glimmer of hope to many young children. I knew this was a very strategic place, and to be able to be there was special in a unique way.

The mountain is known as the 'Prayer Mountain' and is owned by a former YWAMer who, together with his wife, had the vision to start a school there in the midst of war. Their heart is to educate children, teaching them biblical principles so that their generation can be transformed. This is the only Christian school in the district and has become well known for the excellent standard of education on offer. This has come at a cost for Tijwog and his wife Bedpiny, for this is not just a ministry but a lifestyle of service; they have invested time, money and their lives fully to see this work established. The school started out small when they began taking in children to stay in their own home. Some of the children are orphans; some of them are Muslim; they decided all are welcome. This ministry - that started from such a simple vision – is now giving 243 students, including 43 boarders, a Christian education.

Times are hard. Many rejoiced when the war ended in Southern Sudan in 2005, but this has resulted in donations from international aid organisations to the school stopping. Ironically it is harder to run the school in peace than in war. Tijwog and Bedpiny are unable to shoulder the costs of running the school themselves. In order to survive they have started charging school fees, thus limiting access to good education to those who can pay, preventing destitute children from attending school. And what future is there without an education in the world today? Tijwog and Bedpiny admit that if a child is sent away from school twice for lack of funds and still returns, compassion overwhelms them and they allow the child to return to school for free.

Alongside the chatter of happy children, another voice can be heard on this mountain of prayer. Tijwog had the idea to start a radio station, one that is able to broadcast beyond the borders of Sudan because of the elevation of the transmitter. Tijwog hopes that this solar-powered radio station will reach people from the district with the gospel, and with local news. He also hopes to use some of the finances raised through advertising to support the school. It is a good partnership, although there is a need for radio broadcasters with formal training, and equipment.

I felt privileged to get a glimpse into this unique work in Sudan, to see what can be accomplished when people persevere despite the odds. People like Tijwog and Bedpiny are the precious jewels of the Kingdom of God, whose worth and work cannot be measured.

By Lydia Smit

On Air

2009-05-12T10:29:00.001+02:00

“Newsroom, Marie speaking”
The words sound unreal, I’m actually working at a radio station!
Working with radio has always been an underlying passion inside of me. I had no knowledge or experience with it, but decided to give it a shot to gain an understanding. I got the opportunity to do an internship at the Christian radio station in Muizenberg, South Africa with Radio CCFM 107.5 after my lecture phase at the SOFJ. The environment was just as hectic as I thought. I was immediately placed in front of a computer in the newsroom. Fresh press releases were handed to me to rewrite in my own words to be read for the next news bulletin. I became responsible for news other people hadn’t even heard yet. My primary concern was that I had only written for print media. We had done a week in the school on Radio Broadcasting. The first thoughts I could remember from the radio week at this moment were “Write as I speak, Write as I speak.” I have now been a radio intern for 4 weeks and everyday consists of multiple recordings of interviews over the phone. I also edit the sound bite, rewriting news and practising my own voice to eventually be live on air. I believe my time here is going to equip me with the knowledge and experience I need for the future.

Change of Perspective

2009-05-07T10:28:00.001+02:00

Doing the journalism school here in South Africa changed my thinking and perspective. I learned many new things.
I am working with YWAM Kickoff, the team that is in charge of coordinating and mobilizing teams wishing to come to South Africa next year. The main attraction will not be the World Cup, but our main attractions are all South Africans and visitors who will be present here. We want to be in different cities, trying to cover the entire South Africa, through the different teams that are coming from different countries.
My job is to communicate with all these teams that are willing and have the desire to help in different areas. I am in charge of the whole Latin American area, making contacts, sending information and creating a network to stay connected. I am also working on the creation of an information pack for people to have fresh information on events and outreach objectives. I am designing the newsletter and I write some articles for it. I am thinking of ideas to help and improve the materials we have already and creating others.
The work is just starting, there is plenty to do. Because of this work, my plans have changed and I am going to stay another year here in South Africa.
The journalism school was only the beginning. Now it all depends on what I have learned and will continue learning.
For all of you, Cristian Urrutia from Muizenberg, South Africa.
Dedicated to my father on his birthday.

Journalism in Jozi

2009-04-24T19:05:00.003+02:00

By Xetsha Ayanda Hlongwane

I left Cape Town three days after the lecture phase heading for Johannesburg. I wanted to meet potential donors, so as to raise funds for the outreach to East Africa. I had tried to raise support for the outreach before, but, to my surprise, nothing had come up. I told God that I would take the first step of going to Johannesburg and since He is my partner, He would take the second one of taking me to Kampala, Uganda. But unfortunately, He did not take the second step.

I fought against God about the unsuccessful trip. Then He reminded me how I had been seeking some other opportunities, in case I did not go to East Africa. This to him was a sign of failing to trust Him completely for the provisions of finances. He taught me that I should not create alternatives when I trust Him for something. But then He assured me to stay in Johannesburg till He says I move.

In this big city, I meet a lot of people from all over Africa and beyond. I interview them in a relaxed atmosphere after work and hear both tense and interesting stories. These stories are usually about what they expected to find in Egoli (as Johannesburg is popularly known by fortune seekers) against what they actually found on the ground.

I have already spoken to five different people from three different nations; Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe. Most of them, especially from the first two countries, came to the city because of its popularity as a city of gold. The guys agree on the fact that drama starts unfolding on the way, from seeing headless bodies or seeing heads without bodies to watching helplessly your sister is gang raped.

They tell me that it works as a vaccine against more inhumane lifestyle in the Hillbrow and Berea flats in Jozi (seems like Johannesburg has many names, maybe its because of it hosts a variety of lifestyles), where a two bedroom apartment can host up to 20 inhabitants. I am told it’s a norm for a foyer to be a bedroom of up to eight people, then if they are married or sexually immoral the kids in that particular apartment must get used to the sight of a couple being intimate.

I do not know what to say to these guys who have lost all humanity and cannot see anything more than a sex toy in an average woman. I wish I could do something to change their newly adopted lifestyle quickly, but I know just talking to them makes a difference and, with time, God will make a way. I am glad I did SOFJ for I now ask intelligent questions and my writing has improved a lot. I do not struggle to get people to talk, thanks to the skills I acquired during the school.

From Uganda

2009-04-24T19:03:00.001+02:00

On the Ground by Lydia Smit, South Africa

Nothing can compare to the sights and sounds of Africa. It has been a year since I have been in central Africa. There is a strange familiarity to the old (but comforting) bucket shower after a day’s travel and being cushioned in by a mosquito net for a night’s rest. I realised again my love for simplicity.

When we landed in Entebbe, Uganda, a sunset serenaded us into our new-found destination. I loved the thought that in the distance there were fishermen going out for the late catch of the day. In my heart the journey to come here started long before I placed my feet on Ugandan soil.

At the end of last year, God placed it on my heart to do a School of Field Journalism (SOFJ) through a ministry called Africom. This ministry is focused on communication within YWAM projects around the continent of Africa. At the time, I did not know exactly what I should do with the skills I would acquire with the school, but I had it on my heart to tell stories: stories of Gods testimony in the lives of people, situations, stories of tragedy, and hardship but also restoration. So much is happening around the world and many times the immensity of its beauty is lost for it is not shared and celebrated.

I knew that this school included a practical outreach that was designed to serve different YWAM ministries within the continent as well as to communicate what is happening in this part of the world.

Just after the three month lecture phase I was to fly to Uganda, but I still did not have the funds, I just knew I was to go. So all I could do is pray, visit friends, and wait as my departure date arrived. But a word echoed in my heart , a word I had received just before I was to leave, “I will never leave you of forsake you”(Psalm 18:30) God's way is perfect! The promise of the LORD has proven to be true. He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him. I took God at his work and did everything I could to prepare for the trip.

God came through for me! Monday morning, the day I was to fly, I received the ticket that would take me to Uganda that same afternoon.

Now, I have been in Uganda for two weeks. It is hard to explain the beauty of this place. God’s faithfulness has not ceased. There is so much God is doing through YWAM here, as well as through individuals. And it has been a blessing to see it. I have learned it is better to walk in faith than to trust in your own human effort.

Happy Endings

2009-03-23T15:42:00.003+02:00

Twelve weeks gone already.
From Worldview with Landa Cope, to learning to design a magazine and record a radio broadcast, we have trudged through the various media and concepts that make up the field of journalism. We’ve laughed; we’ve cried . . . we’ve filled a bookshelf with our work.

Looking back, towards the beginning of the school there were various expectations. Ice cream socials, dance parties and fiestas? No, rather a time of dedicated writing and development, sharing experience and ideas, awakening new thoughts and creativity and exploring what it means to be a Kingdom Communicator. Over the weeks, staff and students found God speaking identity to them, as well as challenging them to the core. We have celebrated students' first publications and worked at developing skills that will prove vital to work in the field as communicators.

Looking ahead, there are still mountains to overcome. Field assignments are still being prayed over, finances prayed in and staff beginning to journey to various destinations, as this page turns and reveals another piece of the story. This is our time to be sent forth as communicators, carrying the heart and will of God to various locations and returning as compassionate storytellers, scribes of the work God is doing in the earth.

The lecture phase of the school is ending on a high note with a week of study in television, before graduation on Friday. As we all look back over the first quarter of this year and think about the things God spoke in the beginning, we are excited and pleased with life and His faithfulness. It is a happy ending, one that brings a sense of joyful completion to just a small piece of the puzzle.

View from Here

2009-03-17T17:13:00.004+02:00

A smattering of photos from the students, taken during our week studying photo- journalism.

Q & A with Jonathan Russell, Photojournalism Teacher

2009-03-03T20:44:00.003+02:00

Q: Where do you call home and why?

A: A combination of places. I feel like my long-term home is in Paris, but, yet, the world is my home. I’ve not been at a consistent place for so long that I don’t have the convenient ability to think of one place as home. Plus, I have friends and family all over the world.

Q: How long have you been a photographer?

A: Professionally, about 10 years, starting with small projects. I began to be more serious 4-5 years ago.

Q: What is the most important thing about photojournalism?

A: That’s a semi-loaded question – I think it is a combination of factors. Our responsibility is accurate and honest reporting. Yet, also our responsibility is to care and not just be a bystander, but try to effect a change.

Q: What is the goal of photojournalism?

A: If you ask 10 different photojournalists, you will get 10 different answers. My goal is to make a difference in the lives of people and also to educate others about events happening in the rest of the world; to serve who I am photographing, and also serve those who the photos are distributed to.

Q: If the students this week were to take just one thing away from your teaching, what would you want it to be?

A: To make it more than just about the image.

Q: What is the hardest thing you have learned as a photographer?

A: I am a very technological person. My personal struggle has been to go beyond the technological side and be more personal – to take images that matter not in the technical sense, but affect people’s lives as I take and as I share them.

Q: How has God used photojournalism to speak to you?

A: A lot of ways! He has spoken to me through different photojournalist’s work and their approach. He has spoken to me through images of great hope and joy, but also images of great suffering and sadness. In my personal experience He has opened doors using photography to get me into places and give me things to do to interact with people and, in a sense, validate my presence there. In those times he has taught me about humanity and creation, his idea of perfect love and his idea of what things really matter.

Q: What question do you get the most when people find out you are a photographer?

A: Film or Digital? And my response is, “both.”

Q: What historical event do you wish you could go back and photograph?

A: Mary’s explanation to Joseph! Actually, there are just too many to narrow down and all across the spectrum: Milestones in technology, great miracles God did, portraits of individuals who have had a great influence in art or entertainment, or even a photo expose of the various processes the likes of DaVinci.

Q: Who are your favorite photographers?

A: Ansel Adams, James Nachtwey and Henri Cartier-Bresson

Q: Besides your camera, what is your most valuable tool?

A: My Swiss Army Knife!

Q: What is the future of photojournalism?

A: I am not sure because it will be a reflection of society. The things that need to be photographed will be directly related to where our society is and I don’t have an answer to that. As far as the technological side, it doesn’t matter.

SOFJ Movie Review

2009-02-23T19:59:00.001+02:00

What do you get when a British Television Personality and a resigned US President sit down to discuss conspiracy and foreign policy? The SOFJ found out during a class field trip to the cinema.

Frost/Nixon, directed by Ron Howard and written by Peter Morgan, is based on the 1977 television interviews between David Frost and Richard Nixon concerning Nixon's presidency and the Watergate scandal. While there is debate on the historical accuracy of the theatrical performance, the lessons learned by aspiring journalists, such as the importance of preparation and maintaining direction of the interview, remain intact.

Throughout the film the team of Nixon advisors coach the former president on possible directions of questions and responses. Meanwhile, the Frost Team researches and studies every move Nixon made as president and tries to nail him in a much anticipated confession of wrong-doing. While Frost loses the grip on the interview in the first sessions, allowing Nixon to take control and dodge the real issues, he regains control in the last bit and . . . you'll have to watch for yourself to find out!

All in all we give the movie and good mark for entertainment, and a great mark for usefulness (and fun) for a School of Field Journalism!

--
Darcie

The X files

2009-02-09T15:59:00.002+02:00

Based on an interview with SOFJ student, Xetsha Hlongwane, from Zimbabwe.

Xetsha , or "X" as we like to call him, came to the SOFJ from Zimbabwe, where his family still lives. Amidst political instability, humanitarian crisis and experiencing the bias of local newspapers, X looked for a chance to build his skills and abilities of communication to help his parents and community.

"I was disgusted about the way local journalists would report," X explains, "For example, with cholera, the papers wouldn't have anything. Thousands would die and they wouldn't say anything. I thought if I could be a writer myself I could write about issues that affect people."

X comes from a family that supports orphans in Zimbabwe. His parents run a home in a small community taking care of about 80 orphans and children. Before coming to Muizenberg he was part of communicating the needs of the ministry to donors and sponsors. While thousands have fled his home country, X says his parents just couldn't
leave. "I love Cape Town, it is a great place to be, but it will never be home. There will always be that element that misses home."

The church in Zimbabwe is attempting to be a safe place for the people and address issues facing the country, X says what keeps them going is faith and prayer. "It is difficult to address issues that are illegal. For example, border jumping. . . it is not right, but people don't have options. [What they do] it's their only source of income." Pastors in Zimbabwe are finding it difficult to address the issues like not having proper travel documents and money laundering without leading people to be jobless and starving. In addition, X explains that all pastors have to pray before teaching and be well versed with the law, "You really have to be led by God and rely on Him because you never know who would be listening and there is so much you just can't say."

"We are just hoping," says X, "there is hope in the people."
Xetsha is considering doing more studies in communication in the future.

Darcie Nolan

On the Beat

2009-02-02T19:12:00.002+02:00

SOFJ took to the streets of Cape Town this week. The assignment? Cover an annual Pro-Life demonstration downtown. With notebooks, questions and cameras, students boarded a train Friday morning at False Bay Station and set out, ready to put to practice classroom teaching on interviewing, photography, slants and newsworthiness.

The National Day of Repentance is held yearly to bring awareness and protest the legalization of abortion in South Africa, which happened February 1, 1997. This year, organizers staged a solemn funeral procession through downtown Cape Town, ending at the Parliamentary Gates in a Prayer Vigil. Students of the SOFJ met with coordinators, participants and onlookers, took photos of the event, and wrote both a
news article and an editorial piece on what they saw.

SOFJ Staff Member, Adam Jeske, commented, "After four weeks in the classroom adrift on theory, they did a great job out in the swirl of real life, producing some quality stories and images."

The coming weeks in the SOFJ hold more practical experience as students begin to tackle investigative journalism practices. Students will work with a team to research and investigate an issue pertaining to South Africa. At week's end, presentations from each group will be used to decide which topic goes on to be made into a documentary piece, which a magazine feature piece and which an internet blog piece.

Is our world view biblical?

2009-01-20T19:58:00.002+02:00

With great privilege, the SOFJ has spent the last two weeks receiving
teaching and inspiration from Landa Cope, Founding International Dean
of the College of Communication for YWAM's University of the Nations. She is highly sought to speak to politicians and business leaders around
the globe about the Bible's practical applications in all domains of
society.

Landa brought a challenging word to the students, encouraging them to
gain God's perspective as it is revealed in Scripture. She also taught
the importance of asking good questions and being bold in the
proclamation of Truth.

The week prepared the students for writing their first big assignment
over the weekend. Each student focused on an issue of their choice and
brought a Biblical worldview to the piece, while still writing for
mainstream media. Topics such as prostitution, Sharia Law, farming,
and human trafficking were all explored in the light of God's word and
His principles.

We look forward to continuing our study on news-worthiness this week
and meeting with the God of Communication!

Building Globally

2009-01-13T16:37:00.006+02:00

The SOFJ is in full swing! Eleven students representing nine nations have come together to dive into the field of journalism and share hearts and visions for communication in Africa.
Here are two of the inspiring stories that brought students to this course:

Emmanuel
Petauke, Zambia
DTS 2006 in Zambia

Admiring a number of the BBC correspondents, such as former Focus on Africa editor Robin White and columnist Steven Sacker, Emmanuel was inspired to become a journalist through contemplating the genocide in Rwanda and realizing media's influence. He says, "I would like to acquire all the necessary skills for front-line reporting. I feel like doing it from those areas that are hard hit by war or natural disaster."
As the first to move out of Zambia, he is supported by a proud family who expect great things.

Marie
Boras, Sweden

Born and raised in Sweden, Marie (pictured above with desk-mate, Lydia) joined YWAM in 2004. After her DTS she staffed several schools in Australia and led Discipleship Training Schools.
Following her heart for writing, a recommendation from a South African friend and a stirring for Africa, she came to the school to gain practical skills and learn more about the African countries that have interested her for so long. Marie says the most challenging part of the school will be putting everything into practice that will be learned during the three month lecture phase.

Other students include:
Solomon, Nigeria; Rivka, Venezuela; Micah, United States; Cristian,Argentina; Darcie, United States; Xesha, Zimbabwe; Lydia, South Africa; Nicolas, Nigeria and Agnes, Uganda.

--
Darcie Nolan

Building team around communication

2009-01-11T11:59:00.003+02:00

One of the highlights of Week 1 of the SOFJ was the team-building events. Bec Gibbons, from the EuroCom team, happened to be in Cape Town for a few days on vacation and she agreed to come and facilitate some activities with her friend, Linda. It was great to get the school off to a good start and to observe the different communication and interaction styles of staff and students.

We have 8 different nationalities represented on the school, which makes for some interesting cross-cultural communication! The team-building times provided a safe environment for some of these differences to show themselves, and an opportunity to process together. Sometimes the classroom might not feel quite so safe, so this was great.

Not only do we have a new student body, but our staff team needs to bond too. Five of our school staff have worked together as part of AfriCom but four are new to the team. Bec and Linda spent an afternoon with us as staff and we had a lot of fun, observing our differences and commonalities.

Relating well is all about communication!

School of Field Journalism begins!

2009-01-05T14:39:00.003+02:00

Today saw the official opening of the School of Field Journalism that we are running as part of the Communication faculty of the University of the Nations. We welcome 10 students from places as diverse as Venezuela, Sweden, Zimbabwe and Nigeria.

As part of our first day of vision casting for the school, we were thrilled to have Landa Cope join us. Landa is the founding Dean of the College of Communication and she was instrumental in designing curriculum for the original School of Journalism. It was great to hear from 'the horse's mouth' how this training program came into being and how she sees its future.

Landa will be with us this week teaching on '360 degree thinking'. It will be a challenging week of recognizing how little objective or biblical Truth we can claim to know - about the world or about ourselves - but it will be a rich week of learning and processing. She is also with us next week to continue teaching on issues relating to a biblical worldview.

For those readers who would like to support us in prayer, we have a special request: in Week 3 of the school we hope to host Veronica Schaab who pioneered the School of Journalism in Argentina. Although it will be very strategic for her to be part of our training program, both she and us are struggling to raise the finances for her plane ticket. Please pray for financial provision - thanks!

Partnering with the School of Communication Foundations

2008-11-11T16:26:00.002+02:00

In the middle of October Martial spent some time in Rwanda. It's a little overdue, but here's his version of events:

"The first aim of the trip to YWAM Kigali was to teach for a week on their first School of Communication Foundations(SCF). The school was designed to equip students with public-speaking skills and the writing of research papers. At the end of the 12 weeks students should be able to complete a 15 page research paper on an Unreached People Group(UPG) of their choice. They need to write on three 'spheres' as they relate to that particular group of people. The first sphere is family, with the student choosing two others spheres on which to focus their research. They will also research the worldview of this UPG.

I was invited by Susi Shar, the school leader from YWAM Burtigny, Switzerland. YWAM Burtigny has long had a focus on communication teaching and more recently they have decided to develop training partnerships with YWAM bases in Africa - which is good news for us! My topic for the week was "General Research Paper Writing" and I was asked to bring a biblical perspective to the subject. To be able to teach on research, I had to do my homework, my own research paper! After some weeks of preparing, I was able to pile some information into my 'internal hard drive' by doing a thorough research project on UPGs, gathering some information to be able to better help the students. If I was to teach the students how to write a thesis and a hypothesis and to support those with the strongest argument in an essay, I would have to give them some practical hints; it took me some solid preparation time.

The teaching went well, according to the feedback I received from students and staff. The only thing I struggled with was addressing a group mix genders and constantly referring to them as 'guys' which offended some the girls! Don't forget, I learned English all over the world ... I guess I picked up 'guys' from my American friends :-)"

We are hoping to continue to develop more training partnerships with YWAM centers like the one in Burtigny, Switzerland. In this way we hope to develop more communicators to help us serve YWAM's work across Africa.

Guest Blog - Debra Buenting from YWAM's International Communication Network

2008-10-30T14:40:00.001+02:00

Miranda and I have been in meetings this week as part of an ad-hock YWAM Global Communication Team. We are working to advise and lead YWAM in issues surrounding communication in our mission. Miranda invited me to submit a guest post to her blog, so I welcome the opportunity to briefly consider communication with you.

The word communication comes from the Latin word, "communis." By looking at other words that come from the root, we get an insight into what communication really is. Common, communion, communicable, commitment, committee, community.

Communication is the primary means we have for connecting with others, for creating and maintaining relationships. We have at our disposal complex forms of language (which includes both spoken and written), as well as the language of gestures, facial and other physical expressions, non-verbal vocal sounds, and as our choices in clothes, cars, art, furnishings and many other things that reflect our unique personalities and communicate who we are.

In the beginning God spoke the world into existence. Just as God communicated and the world came into being, so we create realities when we communicate. As communication scholar Quentin Schultze (2000) wrote in his brilliant book, Communicating For Life: Christian Stewardship in Community and Media, “When we communicate, we create, maintain, and even change shared ways of life…Every time we communicate we creatively exercise God’s gifts by contributing good or bad practices of culture.”

It is helpful to view communication as THE tool for building relationships. The Bible is a record of God relating with individuals and societies and them relating with Him. It is often called God’s love letter because it is a primary tool we have for learning what He is like and how He relates to us.

We know that Jesus was a great communicator. He was unimpressed with the power structures of His day by those who used communication to dominate and conquer. Jesus demonstrated alternative a lifestyle as He loved those that society considered unlovely. He touched. He spoke words of forgiveness and healing. He encouraged. He gave up power to model servanthood. And instead of writing systematic volumes of theology or trying to implement His ideas through religious or political power structures, He told parables. Parables are nothing more than compelling stories that rely on indirect communication to share ideas and facilitate redemption.

Jesus used the technologies available to him during His time on earth. Remember when we took the boat a little way out so He could address the crowd? He was using the water as His megaphone to amplify His voice.

Jesus healed people’s bodies and spirits. When He healed the deaf and dumb, He was also healing their ability to communicate in a culture that made it difficult for people with physical challenges.

God created you to be a communicator. When you do it well, you are being who God made you to be and are helping redeeming a central element of the universe.

Blessings, Debra Buenting

I can't say it any better

2008-10-28T18:23:00.002+02:00

I (Miranda) am at the Global Communication Team meetings in Harpenden, UK, this week. I will post more in the next couple of days about what this team is all about and some of the issues we are discussing.

In the meantime, do check out this post from a friend currently in Zimbabwe. She summarises some of the communication challenges for people working in a country in crisis such as this. Remember: we still have YWAM staff working in Zimbabwe!

EuroCom meets in the Netherlands

2008-10-24T12:34:00.001+02:00

This week Martial has returned to Cape Town from Kigali, where he was teaching on the School of Communication Foundations ... more from him in a little while. In the meantime, Miranda has been attending meetings at YWAM Heidebeek in the Netherlands. People from the International Communication Network have come over from the States to be with YWAM communicators from all over Europe to discuss the ongoing development of EuroCom, the communication team for YWAM Europe. She writes:

EuroCom came together 3 years ago, starting from a very different point to the one AfriCom experienced 3 years before that. Whereas we started with a core team in one location and now have the challenge of building the network around the continent, they started with a group of communicators located in different parts of Europe and now need to create a core team that can coordinate a common communication strategy for the whole field. This week's meetings have been crucial because Jeff Fountain, the Field Director for this part of the world, is transitioning out of his role in the next 12 months and we want to have EuroCom in a solid place before the next director is in post.

The discussions started out a little 'murky', as is often the case in situations where a number of different players with different perspectives first come together. But as we worked through the agenda we found some clarity. One of our main goals was to develop greater understanding between the communicators and the leadership and in this it was very helpful to have those from ICN bring their perspective and paint the bigger picture of YWAM's communication strategy. It helped for me to describe the journey AfriCom has been on since 2002 and to highlight the main lessons we can draw from the way our Com Team has developed. Our other main goal for these meetings was to identify a core team coordinator for EuroCom and to describe the structure of the network across Europe. This we also succeeded in doing, identifying Rodney Blevins here at Heidebeek as the coordinator. The strength of having him in this role is the good working relatonship he already has established with Jeff.

There were a number of very techie people at these meetings. This is a great strength of the particular group of communicators we have in Europe and there is potential for them to help enormously in finding technical solutions to some of the communication challenges we have in other parts of the world. For a big picture person like me I tend to find the tangents of detailed discussion surrounding IT solutions a little tedious; I like to keep everyone focused on why we do what we do. But hey, we need both and we had a very talented group together for these meetings ... I for one am inspired to keep plugging away at helping YWAM to communicate more effectively!

AfriCom at UniQuip

2008-10-15T08:28:00.001+02:00

This week AfriCom has been participating in a UniQuip event being held at the Muizenberg training center. UniQuip is a University of the Nations initiative to help develop YWAM staff around the world by offering a series of training modules as well as corporate teaching times. At the event this week, hosted by Maureen Mernard, we have trainers from the International DTS Center and other experienced teachers offering modules in subjects ranging from public speaking to running a successful outreach.

Events such as these are great opportunities for a Com Team such as ourselves to network with others to help strengthen YWAM staff. Large gatherings are also an ideal environment to catch up on stories coming from the various ministries represented. This week Miranda is helping to run a module on Marriage, Family & Ministry - a look at how to balance the needs and demands of parenting and marriage within a ministry context. The group is a wonderful mix of African, Asian and Western staff members and leaders, which has led to colourful discussions about how we see the roles of men and women when it comes to family commitments. By the end of the week we hope to walk away with some deliberate changes in mind to help both men and women function in more of the fulness of what God has called them to as individuals and as a family team (well, that's the plan!).

And while we are energized by these meaningful and important discussions, Martial is in Kigali, Rwanda, teaching on the School of Communication Foundations. He's having a great time with the small group of 7 students. We are excited about this partnership with YWAM Burtigny, a base well known for their communication training, and with YWAM Kigali, a strategic center in East Africa.

Southern Africa Conference

2008-10-14T08:45:00.001+02:00

At the end of September 220 YWAMers from over 20 bases or ministries gathered together to attend the YWAM Southern Africa mainland conference. These meetings are geared to strengthen, encourage and motivate through teaching, worship and fellowship.
Evelien attended the conference on behalf of AfriCom and found that her conference experience gave her a great opportunity to meet with God, and with other people. The bases and ministries represented all gave presentations that together created a wonderful picture of what is going on in the mainland region of YWAM Southern Africa. There is a wide variety of ministries spread throughout South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland and Botswana, all with great stories to tell ... so keep reading the blog for more! The venue at the Kruger Park base was beautiful, peaceful and close to nature.

Sarah Lanier was the guest speaker for the week. Sarah is the author of "Foreign to Familiar", a book which focuses on intercultural communication; her teachings were extracted from both the pages of her book and personal experiences.

Staff members who attended the conference each took something home with them - a story from another location that inspired, encouraged and motivated; a teaching that brought clarity on working cross culturally; or a reminder to stop and evaluate one’s ministry. We hope they also took home a sense of excitement about the upcoming School of Field Journalism and Communication Consultation (CRIT) … and that, when back in their respective locations, they look at their pretty promotional postcards, are reminded of Evelien’s presentation and seriously consider joining us for one of these great opportunities!

Making Connections

2008-09-29T10:20:00.006+02:00

Working as a Com Team is all about building connections. Last week Pamela was once again out 'on location' at a church missions fair where, together with staff members from the Muizenberg base, she promoted the work of YWAM in Africa. She took the opportunity to use the promotional materials published by the International Communication Network based in Colorado Springs, USA, showing short videos and giving out many brochures. This gave her the chance to chat with many of the interesed people, to answer their questions and to seek to connect them with our work around the continent.

This week Evelien is the one out of the office. She has joined about 200 staff from YWAM South Africa at their staff conference, being held close to Kruger Park (they are camping so we hope they are safe from the lions!). Evelien will be promoting the School of Field Journalism and the CRIT consultation next year. Since we are hoping to see a regional Com Team emerge for southern Africa in the near future, both of these will be strategic opportunities for potential communicators from this region ... so we hope that Evelien gets the message through, above the roars of the animals at Kruger!

Photographic Fundraising

2008-09-29T10:03:00.004+02:00

It makes sense to use the skills we have to raise finances and Martial has been taking this seriously. Over the last weeks he and his wife Lea have been working hard to prepare for a photographic exhibition. In fact most of the team have been involved: Tim made frames, Pam helped to set up the venue, Evelien served drinks at the opening night and Miranda acted as the MC. Held at a local coffee shop, Martial has framed several of his best shots taken in various locations around the world over the past half dozen years. Lea also created postcards and greeting cards of the prints for sale.

The opening night was a great success, with many visitors gathering at the coffee shop for a drink and to peruse the photos. Mounted with short descriptions of the story behind the shot, guests also enjoyed hearing from Martial as he described the context of some of the photographs. The exhibition runs for the next week and we are looking forward to hearing that many sales have been made: well done Martial!

Provision for Teaching Trips

2008-09-29T09:35:00.002+02:00

Over the last weeks we have been looking ahead towards a couple of trips and praying like crazy that financial provision would miraculously arrive. One of the great privileges of being a Com Team is the opportunity we have to connect with YWAM teams around our region of the world and wherever possible to visit them to offer teaching, to research stories, to shoot video clips or to support them in other 'communication-related' ways.

In October Martial has been invited to teach for a week on the School of Communication Foundations being run in Kigali, Rwanda. This is a key opportunity for us to partner with others working in communication training and this school is the result of a special link between the team in Burtigny, Switzerland, and the team in Kigali. It is a wonderful opportunity for Martial to build connections in YWAM East Africa where we will be holding the Field Assignment phase of our School of Field Journalism.

In December Evelien and Miranda will be traveling to Lichinga, Mozambique where they will be teaching for one week on the Foundational Leadership School on communication and administration.

It really is a challenge to finance trips such as these, much as we love to visit the bases. We do have a few supporters who are committed to sending donations to AfriCom and these monies usually cover our monthly overheads such as rent and electricity. Traveling around Africa is expensive - especially in places like Mozambique where flights inside the country are not open to much competition - and most often we fund these flights through our personal support. This is not ideal and we would prefer to build up our level of regular financial support so that we can more easily budget for these expenses. YWAM Com Teams are not centrally funded and each is responsible for generating finances for their work.

Anyway, having worried, prayed, trusted and prayed some more we felt led to send a gift to another YWAMer just getting started in communication ministry. We knew the principle of generosity should be at the centre of our journey of trust for our own finances, not as a formula but to demonstrate a heart attitude. Shortly after we did this we received two large donations that have together provided for the upcoming trips: hooray! Tbis is wonderful news: celebrate with us!

Minding the technological Gap

2008-09-09T10:21:00.002+02:00

Yesterday I received the email pasted below. It is from a YWAM staff member working on the Buvuma Islands of Lake Victoria in Uganda, East Africa. She is writing about the move to change YWAM's international magazine from a print edition to an e-zine. I post this here because Catherine sums up one of the reasons why we need Communication Teams in places like Africa:

"Thank you for all your hard work on the new YWAM E-Zine magazine. I know it has taken tremendous effort. I therefore offer my contribution with extreme care because I don't want to discourage you. But the truth is you are not reaching as many people as you think. I know for a fact that most of the staff of YWAM Uganda do not have Internet access and the speed of our connection certainly does not allow us to view your magazine. So we are all out of the picture, again! We had an HIV & AIDS global gathering in 2006 but the only way to attend was to apply on-line. Very few of the staff had registered so finally a lady from UK who is on staff printed out a bunch of application forms and gave them to people. After they filled them out she just gave the whole lot to the organizers in person. And the whole idea of doing Go Manual surveys on the Internet is a constant source of frustration to us.

There are also many YWAM locations that do not have electricity. For instance we live on a remote island on Lake Victoria in Uganda. It has been a month since I was able to do emails and it requires a trip to stay overnight (and I have three small children).

I appreciate that Lyn Green wants to focus on healing the nervous system of YWAM. That is really needed. However, I don't feel the Internet is the best route for the majority of the YWAM staff in the field. I know printed media is expensive but it was the best way to make sure all the staff read the YWAMer magazine here. The National Office just left copies in the waiting area of the office and people read them. Now hardly anyone can read the computerized one."

In our capacity as bridge-builders we have to face issues such as these ... to find funds to print a magazine and post it to YWAMers in Africa; to phone people and fill in their YWAM surveys for them; to tell YWAM around the world the challenges staff deal with on a daily basis, as well as their triumphs and success stories. What a privilege to do this for people like Catherine!

College of Communication gathering

2008-09-08T14:10:00.002+02:00

Last week we were able to participate in the meetings of the College of Communication, one of the faculties of YWAM's University of the Nations. The meetings were hosted in Kona, Hawaii, at the main U of N campus, and with the help of video conferencing 11 other locations were able to take part.

We were included in these meetings by virtue of the fact that we are now not only a YWAM Communication Team but also U of N school leaders. We felt very much like the new kids on the block, given that we have yet to actually graduate any students, but this gathering was the ideal opportunity for us to be introduced to some of the movers and shakers in the College of Communication.

There are YWAM communication schools running all around the world, in locations as far apart as Australia and Sweden, Hawaii and South Korea, Nigeria and India. In these U of N accredited schools, both small and large, students can train in general subjects such as Communication Foundations, or specialised subjects such as Digital Film-Making. We are proud to add Field Journalism to that list!

The gathering will become an annual affair as the college leadership team seek to bring greater connection to the different expressions of the college around the world. If this sounds familiar that's because it's yet another response to God's word to us as a mission to work towards greater health throughout our organisational body by promoting better communication.

And that, dear readers, is why we are here!

Trip to Uganda & Rwanda: Update

2008-09-01T13:22:00.003+02:00

Evelien writes:
The first two weeks of August Tim, Henk (who works with DTS at YWAM Muizenberg) and I travelled to Uganda and Rwanda. Our mission: Tim was invited to teach at the DTS in Arua (Uganda) and in Kigali (Rwanda). We also spent two nights in Jinja (Uganda), for an interview with Sam Kisolo, the national leader, and to talk about the Communication Consultation that will take place in Jinja in April 2009.

For me it was great to discover a new part of Africa by travelling around by bus; we spent hours travelling from one place to another. I certainly enjoyed the views of nature and African life. And if you are looking for banana paradise, you can find it in Uganda and Rwanda!

It was great to connect with the different YWAM bases, to see how they live, and to get to know staff and students a little bit better. It was really encouraging to see the involvement of the bases in Arua and Kigali in the community.

In Kigali, Rwanda, the YWAM team is doing some amazing work in the local community: a primary school, vocational training, projects with widows, HIV-AIDS, ex prostitutes, orphanages and many more ministries.

Of course we communicated about communication! Good communication makes a difference. Having so many different ministries in the local community also means having lots of stories and testimonies. But how can we make sure all these stories will get ‘out there’? There is such a need for communicators. Communicating these stories, about what God is doing in Africa, will make a difference! Come and do the School of Field Journalism in January 2009!

Communication tools

Internet is a great communication tool. However, travelling throughout Africa shows that access to internet is not as common as it is in other parts of the world. Even though there is internet available in Africa, there are lots of places where the connection is very poor. It can easily take half an hour to read 2-3 emails. In some places the YWAM staff members have to travel to an internet café first to check their email. Thinking about “My Facebook” in rural areas? Sounds nice, but you can forget about it.

For us as AfriCom and everyone who wants to work on better communication, this means that we need to think of different ways to communicate with our YWAM family in Africa.

YWAM offers Medical Students Outreach Opportunities in Africa

2008-09-01T11:37:00.003+02:00

A group of university students gathered together last week at the Tygerberg medical campus, in the northern suburbs of Cape Town, for a week-long mission conference. There were 18 different Christian organizations exhibiting, sharing and presenting their work. YWAM Africa's work was represented, along with All Nations, MAF, Doctors Without Borders, Open Doors, Mercy Ships, Life Winds, SIM and others. Floyd Mc Clung, director of All Nations, and Brian Sanders, from Underground Network church in the US, were the guest speakers.

AfriCom's Pam Kudiwa was glad to spend her birthday week behind the YWAM stand. “In the midst of the diversity of ministries I could see a beautiful portrait of what God is doing across Africa, painted by different brushes but inspired by One. Standing beside our YWAM Africa stand my mind could not help but think of how much creative freedom there is to network as organizations that are working for the same cause. This networking resulted in me collecting many ministry pamphlets, and holding conversations that did not just end with 'What is DTS' but with questions about what other organizations are doing and how we can partner together.”

Besides their busy schedules, filled with studies and hospital work, an impressive number of students passed through the missions stands seeking for more ways to get involved in the world around them. Medical students whose passion is to pursue God's purposes showed their willingness to take time to do short term outreaches, and others just browsed for information. One group of medical students - whose only free time is in two months tim- are giving up their chance for a holiday to have a mission adventure with YWAM in Mozambique. They heard about the opportunity to cross the Zambezi River to bring medical supplies to an isolated village and jumped at the chance: “Can you please find out if we can go in October and November? We will organize our own transport and whatever else it will need for us to get there” Conrad said.

What a privilege to be a Communication Team for YWAM's work when there are so many willing volunteers just waiting to be informed and mobilized!

Celebrating the Nations

2008-08-18T15:53:00.003+02:00

Here in Muizenberg the communication adventure remains alive. Martial and Pam joined together with the staff and students at the Muizenberg base for the global YWAM Prayer Day that takes place every first Thursday of the month; the theme for this month was the Christian Magna Carta.

After the prayer time there was a celebration dinner at which more than 20 nationalities were represented. The celebration was marked with food from different nations across the globe, ranging from main meals to deserts. The food combinations were just amazing. Pam was not feeling too well, so had to enjoy the aroma without benefiting from the taste.
However, what she missed at the meal table she made up for on the dance floor: the meal was followed by a dance party, with performances from the YWAM kids.

Starting this weekend Pam is teaming up with Virmz Largo (staff from the Muizenberg base) for a mission conference at Tygerberg college campus, in the north of Cape Town. They will be exhibiting YWAM's work around Africa, sharing the platform with other mission organisations based in Africa. There will be many opportunities to hear what others are doing across the continent and to talk to students who are interested in missions opportunities.

Trip to East Africa

2008-07-30T11:38:00.003+02:00

On Saturday Tim and Evelien leave for 2 weeks to Uganda and Rwanda. They'll be flying into Entebbe and taking a bus on Sunday to Arua in the north of Uganda. There is a YWAM base there where Tim will teach on the Discipleship Training School for the week. His subject is Worldview, which he loves teaching and he invariably ends up having great discussions about things like gender, leadership and even attitudes towards work. Evelein is going with him and she will teach a couple of evening sessions to give an overview of the Bible. Accepting invitations to teach on DTS has always been a great way for us to make contact with bases around the continent.

It'll also be fun for Tim and Evelein to be at the base for YWAM's international prayer day, which takes place once a month. All the information about the prayer day - the theme for the month, teaching notes and so on - are available on a website, which can put them off-limits to staff around Africa with limited Internet access. Our team emails a short, easily downloadable version of the notes and sends out sms messages to as many staff as we have cell phone numbers for. So if they need a reminder to visit the Internet cafe, or to ask their leader for a print-out of the information, they can do so ahead of time. This is one of the ways we are trying to be part of bridging gaps within YWAM.

From there they will take a bus to Jinja where we have a large training and ministry centre (shown above) and where YWAM's national director for Uganda is based. There are a couple of reasons for spending the weekend in Jinja - no, not because the source of the Nile is there, nor because you can do great white-water rafting on the river! Firstly, the YWAM staff in Jinja have for some years been running great HIV/AIDS-related projects. We are in the process of producing a video for YWAM staff around Africa, promoting healthy practices and attempting to reduce the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS. Needless to say, we do have HIV+ staff members; how we live together in community in a way that honours and respects one another is a critical issue. Tim and Evelein will be recording a couple of interviews with staff and leaders at the base for use in this video.

Secondly, next year we are hosting YWAM's annual communication consultation at the Jinja base. Visiting will give Tim and Evelein (especially her as she'll be doing much of the logistical administration) a chance to get together with the staff members there who will be helping us to host the event by organising housing, catering and so on. Hopefully by meeting face-to-face now we can avert some misunderstandings later ;-)

On Sunday they leave Jinja for Kigali in Rwanda. Again, Tim will be teaching on a DTS, this time on the subject of Missions. He's a great mobiliser and passionate about the subject, so it should be a good week. Kigali is where the regional director is based, so this visit will also be a chance for Tim to discuss with him our plans for next year. We are running a School of Field Journalism in South Africa and after 3 months of lectures we'll go to East Africa for a 2 month field assignment. Our students will join us for the communication consultation in Jinja and then go to different locations around the region in twos and threes. It's good that Tim and Evelien can meet with Method (the regional director) to discuss which locations they can go to; currently we're thinking of Sudan, Burundi and DRC.

Their final assignment will be to interview Method and his wife, Mary, who is the base leader in Kigali. For the last few years our team has been producing a news bulletin/magazine for YWAM in Africa. We've had a bit of a lapse for the last year due to lack of staff time and in this time the producers of the global YWAM magazine, the International YWAMer, have decided to convert to an e-zine. Given that we know it will be difficult for many of our staff around Africa to receive an e-zine and check out all the incorporated web links, we are going to amalgamate our Africa bulletin with the global magazine and continue to print and mail copies to bases around Africa. The first edition is due out at the end of August and obviously there'll be a time-delay between the e-zine going out and our print version being ready. Anyway, the theme of the first edition is Communication (there'll be an article about AfriCom!) and this trip is the ideal opportunity to interview Method and Mary for an Africa-focused article.

Then Friday it's back to Entebbe to sleep over and catch an early flight back to Cape Town via Johannesburg. Our two intrepid team members will no doubt be bushed, but they'll have accomplished a lot ... which makes the 2 weeks away from home very worthwhile!

Face Lift

2008-07-25T15:36:00.003+02:00

Our office has a new look - we have painted the walls and done a few touch ups here and there. It looks great: the result of amazing team work!

The whole team is together for a few more days and we are trying to make the most of it. At the end of next week Tim and Evelien are teaming up for a two week teaching trip to Uganda and Rwanda. This will also be an opportunity for them to do some preliminary research and organisation for YWAM's CRIT communication consultation next April and for the field assignment for the students of our School of Field Journalism. There will definitely be more news about their trip in future updates.

Visa requirements in Africa change constantly and one has to stay up-to-date with any new hoops that need to be jumped through! On previous trips to Uganda visas could be obtained very simply at the port of entry. A few days ago we discovered that our travelers will have to obtain visas from Pretoria before they leave. One of the requirements is a letter from your employer confirming that you are going on holiday!

Other news:

Martial and Lea have been back from their honeymoon for 2 weeks now; it's great to have Martial back in the office. Over the weekend we joined them for lunch in their new home. Thanks to technology we managed to share their wedding day by video - that was part of the lunch :-)

Student and staff applications are starting to come in for the School of Field Journalism next year. We continue to have a sense of anticipation as we brainstorm and prepare for that time.

Consolidation

2008-07-16T12:20:00.004+02:00

It is cold here in Cape Town and the tendency is to want to hunker down indoors, to try stay warm and to simpy keep things ticking over. Is that what God is saying, though? In fact, we sense that we are in a season of consolidation, a time to strengthen our foundations so that we can sustain growth for the future.

What does this mean for us as a ministry? One area we need to strengthen is that of 'strategic partnerships' relating to finances, prayer and counsel. We are looking at setting up a not-for-profit organisation to help us separate personal and ministry finances and to make fundraising more straightforward.

We are trusting God to help us, over the next few years, to develop a network of communication workers around Africa. Next year will be a critical time in our development, as we host the School of Field Journalism and the global YWAM communication consultation (CRIT) ... a time where we hope to see multiplication of communication workers for the continent. In order to grow effectively our foundations must be strong. May we make the most of the next 6 months as we prepare for the next season!

Impact World Tour Comes to South Africa

2008-07-09T21:31:00.002+02:00

Last Monday Evelien traveled to the YWAM training center in Worcester, 2 hours drive from Cape Town, to attend a fundraising banquet for Impact World Tour South Africa. It was great for her to connect with the YWAM staff at this large base, as well as to learn more about this huge evangelistic campaign.

Mark Anderson, International Director for YWAM campaigns, was the speaker of the evening, explaining the concept of IWT and plans for South Africa.
“Impact World Tour (IWT) presents the Gospel in 21^st century relevant ways, using elements of the culture itself to deliver the message of Jesus. The results are startling. Our history has proven that around the world large numbers of people are responding to Christ. We’ve seen approximately 10% of those in attendance in developed nations make public commitments. In less-developed nations, the response is many times even greater.”

The Impact World Tour is coming to South Africa in 2011, with an action packed presentation that will capture young people right across this region with a message of hope in Jesus Christ. Teams made up of skateboarders, BMXers, dancers, cultural artists and athletes will perform their acts.

Team Xtreme International plan to blow audiences away with their amazing feats of strength and athletic prowess. Ripping whole telephone books in half, bending steel bars, blowing up hot water bottles till they burst, shattering stacks of concrete bricks, and other displays of power and might, apparently leave audiences breathless and screaming for more (we can imagine!).

Change is the only Constant

2008-06-27T14:13:00.002+02:00

The lack of blog posting is not an indicator of inactivity here at AfriCom. In fact, there's a lot going on ... especially in the personal lives of our team members.

Martial is currently in Switzerland, where he and Lea were married 2 weeks ago. They are enjoying their honeymoon and their time with Lea's family. As a team we are thrilled for them both as they embark on this special journey together.

The Heathcote family are also entering a new season with the recent arrival of their newly adopted daughter, Emmanuelle. She is settling into the family well and the transition has so far gone smoothly for them all. They are enjoying a 'sort of' paternity leave, popping in and out of the office as other considerations allow.

The common factors in both areas of change is the melding of different races and cultures, and the building of family. We are trusting that the lessons we learn in our personal lives will give us understanding and authority in our ministry lives, as we seek to build bridges between people and strengthen the sense of family across YWAM Africa.

YWAM Leaders for Africa to meet

2008-05-28T11:10:00.003+02:00

Starting today the Executive Group of YWAM's Africa Leadership Team are holding their annual meetings. The larger team will join the Executive from Sunday evening, meeting together throughout next week. Leaders will travel from all over the continent to represent their regions or ministry areas.

Three of the AfriCom team members will be present at the meetings, taking the opportunity to connect with the leaders during their breaks. This gives us a chance to ask them in person for information updates. Miranda will also attend the meetings to act as an observer/communicator, posting daily updates on the YWAM Africa website so that staff members can follow the meetings from their locations.

This year we will take the opportunity of having the leaders all together to promote the School of Field Journalism and the Communication Consultation we are hosting next year. In this way we hope to encourage the leaders to appoint staff members from around the continent to attend these two key events. We believe their is the potential for a communication explosion in YWAM Africa, if we publicise these opportunities well.

Our annual month of prayer for Africa begins on Sunday. Prayer Guides have been mailed to each YWAM base in Africa, and we will also take extra copies to the leaders for them to distribute to their contacts. Meeting with them on the day the Prayer Month begins will be an ideal moment to launch the Prayer Guide and to pray together.

Invariably these meetings are very busy, with a packed agenda and many side meetings. Please pray for the Leadership Team to have wisdom, clarity of thought and unity in their decision-making. Pray for AfriCom to be an encouragement to the leaders and for good buy-in to the communication opportunities.

Trouble in Cape Town

2008-05-27T12:00:00.004+02:00

This week South Africa is in turmoil as native-born Africans have turned against expatriate Africans, claiming their presence in the country robs them of jobs and housing. As violence has broken out in communities all over South Africa, people have fled their homes to congregate in hastily constructed camps.

Not far from where our communication team has its offices has sprung up the largest refugee camp in the Western Cape. We have been visiting daily, volunteering to help with food distribution and tent construction, but also hearing people's stories and taking photos. On Monday we joined with staff and students from the YWAM center in Muizenberg for their time of intercession, informing them about the refugee camp and mobilising people to help out.

Meanwhile our email inbox is filling up with stories from other parts of the country, from YWAM teams that are not simply going to places to help the refugees, but who are living and working amongst them. Their stories need telling as well, because in the face of division there are stories of unity across races, in the face of desperation there are stories of hope and in the face of hardship compassion is being demonstrated by the people of God.

Appropriate Technology

2008-05-20T16:17:00.004+02:00

This week we have been joined by Greg who is connected to Mission Builders, a YWAM ministry based in Montana, USA. With many years experience in project management and a good understanding of the unique realities of a YWAM environment, Greg is a very insightful guy to help us process through our goals and overall direction.

This is something we have come back to multiple times, since it's always good to revise previous plans and ask the tough questions to help us check if we are on track. Similarly, when new staff members join - as Evelien did in February - some group dialogue is needed to ensure we all share the same priorities and sense of direction; that we all know why we do what we do, the way we do it.

Now half-way through this planning process we are identifying aspects of our vision that require a different approach to the one we have had. Our staff members from Africa have been reminding us again of the importance of creating a sense of family across YWAM ministries in the continent and we have discussed how a truly personal approach is needed to build a strong sense of belonging. As communicators we can get carried away with high tech solutions, while it is perhaps the most 'basic' technology that is the most appropriate. Is it time to think of putting the laptop aside for a moment and hand-writing personal letters to the leaders?!

Planning time for School of Field Journalism

2008-05-13T14:57:00.003+02:00

Having gotten our initial 'ducks in a row', this week we have been tackling the details of the curriculum for the School of Field Journalism. We have agreed with the YWAM training center in Muizenberg to host the school on their premises, which is a wonderful opportunity to partner with them, and have agreed on a January 2009 start. We are hoping for 15-20 students who will join the greater student body at YWAM Muizenberg, made up of people attending the Discipleship Training School and the School of Biblical Studies. There sure will be a buzz around the place at that time!

We have been having lively team discussions this week as we seek to build up an overview of the 12 weeks of the lecture phase. We want to have a schedule that reflects the passion we have for our African context, as well as equipping the students with research, writing and media skills so that they can go out into the field and relay the stories they hear about how God is at work around this wonderful continent.

Our team discussions are always spirited affairs; we are a group of strong and opinionated people! It is great to see how we pass through a process of earnest discussion, disagreement and debate (yes, and sometimes digressions too!) and finally arrive at a place of agreement. Invariably our conclusions are way more creative and insightful than if we had taken the easy route of no conflict! We are all committed to the process and ultimately having fun: what could be better?!

Day of Prayer for Zimbabwe

2008-04-25T22:00:00.003+02:00

A desperate cry from the hearts of Zimbabwe screams across the world. It calls upon all Christians of every denomination in every nation to focus their prayers on the critical situation in a nation experiencing dire distress and teetering on the brink of human disaster. Let the cry for help touch your heart and mind. Let it move you to do what You can immediately to ensure this DAY OF PRAYER takes place in your country and neighborhood, whether in churches, halls, homes or elsewhere: Sunday 27th April, 2008.