My greeting comes to you from England! With the African outreach over, I am now finally able to send an update. God has brought me through some amazing adventures - and I'm so grateful! My letter may be lengthy, but I hope you'll have time to read what I have to share.
Where to begin? Sharing the good news of Jesus on remote islands of Uganda… interceding in Muslim Morocco… debriefing in beautiful Spain… or wrapping up our school in the land where Jesus lived… There is much to tell! Here are a few highlights…
On Bussi Island in Lake Victoria we had the privilege of living in huts at an orphanage called Osanidde. Our arrival was exactly how I had stereotypically envisioned African missions – white missionaries arriving by boat to a remote village where the shore was filled with beautiful black children calling out to us, growing in excitement as we approached. We were dressed modestly, complete with umbrellas to block the hot sun. As I stepped out of the boat kids surrounded me with hellos and hugs. "We have been praying for you!" one of the young girls exclaimed, "We are so glad you've come! Jesus loves you and so do I!" These little believers were so full of love it was almost shocking. I was so taken aback by their immediate acceptance and affection for me. As the days passed we discovered that every day of the week these 160 kids get up at 6AM to begin worship to the Lord. These little Ugandans need no adult supervision as they led themselves into praise, thanksgiving, and prayer. In the evening they again came together for devotions and more worship before bedtime. These children showed me a new level of true passion for Jesus and relationship with Him.
The commute to "work" every morning was by boat to another island. Our group consisted of a few local evangelists and my team of seven. Not long after our arrival we would set up a sound system with worship music playing loudly through the speakers. Many of the people in these village communities had never seen so many white people, let alone heard the message we had to bring, so it didn't take long to draw a crowd. By song, dance, drama, testimonies, preaching and teaching we would share the good news of God's salvation through His Son, Jesus. At the end of our "crusade" we would offer an invitation to those who wanted to make this commitment and believe in Jesus Christ. People came forward, sometimes only one or two, at other times over 20! Soon after the prayer we gave opportunity for these new believers to be baptized right there in the lake. Often my teammates from California, Isai and Matt, would be the ones to baptize the people. It was fantastic to see people genuinely draw close to the Lord for the first time. No one in my team had ever experienced anything like this before. Although being a part of the crusades was very exciting, I hope and pray that God will strengthen the pastors that are there as well as send more people to disciple these young Christ-followers long term. We also held kids crusades, equipping seminars, planted a church, handed out Bibles, held a women's conference, and simply enjoyed the wonderful fellowship of our brothers and sisters in Uganda. It was quite an amazing and inspiring experience for me! (Would you like to volunteer at this ministry? Check out: http://www. pleadthecause.com/ The food is spread thin amongst the children because they currently have more kids in need than they have money to support. Want to feed hungry children? Contact Brent for more info!)
Morocco was the complete opposite of Uganda when it came to spiritual openness. The country is almost entirely Muslim. During our time there we interceded for the nation and looked for opportunities to serve others. One night in Casablanca we were walking to dinner and decided to invite anyone who came across our path on the way there. Our dinner guests that evening consisted of a woman found begging on the side of the road with her daughter, a Rastafarian/hippie guy, and a jewelry shop owner. I had a great time attempting to communicate with them over tagine (flavorful chicken and vegetables Moroccan style) and hobbes (flat bread). At the end of the meal Alison asked to pray for each of them. The woman seemed quite moved that we would take interest and gave us a list of things to pray for her. Later that night back at the hostel, we discovered that the rasta guy was the local drug dealer and the begging woman did not actually have a daughter and had borrowed the girl from someone else in order to beg. To me, it was such a Jesus moment! He would often dine with those who were despised or outcast. One of many lessons I learned from that evening is that anyone could take the same initiative we took that night over dinner. So, who will be dining with you tonight? (I can't help but put a little challenge out there. It's what I do!)
My team and I debriefed the outreach in Malaga, Spain. The base place we stayed at was perfect for reflection and rest. We spent 3 days looking back over this season of outreach, thanking God for all that happened, and reflecting on how we had grown both individually and as a team. On the last day our morning was filled with grateful worship and praise to God before praying for one another and what lies ahead for each of us. During that time I started to really see what awesome growth and maturity that had occurred in the lives of each of these students I'd been praying for, mentoring, challenged by, and served. My passion in all of this was to encourage and facilitate opportunity for the students to go deeper in their relationship with the Lord as they see Him throughout the world. I had hoped these young disciples would meet with and know Christ in ways they had not previously even considered. I saw each student fight through areas of immaturity, choose to serve and love God in dynamic ways, and develop into people who truly reflect Jesus Christ. I also realized how many rough areas of my life had been exposed and God allowed those areas to be worn down. You know how the book of Proverbs says we must sharpen one another like "iron sharpens iron"? Well, that means there will be friction! When steel clashes to be sharpened there are often sparks. It was so true of our outreach season. Sometimes there were sparks as we sharpened one another, but in and through that, God developed deeper character in every one of us. The vision for our team was to bring HOPE and JOY to the missionaries and people of Africa - and I truly believe we saw that happen. The greater vision of our "Around the World" school is that young people (generally from Western cultures) could work alongside Western missionaries in the field and see that it is entirely possible God could use them in the same way. In every place we visited we worked with wonderful people who had inspiring life stories of following and living for Jesus. They loved our team so much that they would attempt to have us leave one of our teammates behind!
Israel was a delight for me as this was the first place I had visited before, and also the completion of the 2007 school. Last year I graduated with my DTS in Jerusalem, so as soon as I arrived I was able to navigate my way through the loud, busy streets of the Old City where we stayed. We met up with the rest of our school, including the school leader, Melanie, and the Oxford base director, Chris and his wife, Sus, at our hotel. A week of touring brought us the sites of the Dead Sea, Masada, all of the Old City (Garden Tomb, Wailing Wall, Blue Mosque, Church of the Holy Sepulcher), the Mount of Beatitudes, Peter's house in Capernaum, the Sea of Galilee and more. During our time in Jerusalem we had some final lectures and presented our outreaches to the whole school. On September 20 the staff team and I graduated 15 students from the Discipleship Training School (DTS) on the Mount of Olives. I had a deep joy and satisfaction as Alison (my co-leader) and I handed Matt, Sarah, Anna, Isai, and Heidi their certificates of completion. Knowing all they had been through and how much God had done in their lives, I was SO proud. It was all worth it!!!
While we were in Tel Aviv for staff debrief Israel celebrated Yom Kippur, the Jewish New Year. This meant that all of the country was basically shut down in reverence for this special day. Jewish people take this time to look back over the past year and repent of their sins before God. It's a time of reflection and remembrance and it fit perfectly with where I was in my own life. Debrief was fairly restful as the beach was 2 blocks from our hostel. However I'm finding some real decompressing now that I'm in England. Here I am visiting my friends Rachel & Michel, and Hans & Katy. Both couples are newly-weds and each American/British mixed! Ahead lies a week in Pennsylvania visiting family and then my arrival in Nashville in the end of October. Home sweet home, here I come!
What's next? …one of the first questions I'll soon face. My plan is to return to YWAM Oxford (New Zealand) in 2008 to staff another DTS and complete my Basic Leadership School (BLS). I am passionate about all 4 of the schools we are running in Oxford: January - "Around the World in 80 Days" (AW80), April - AW80 (smaller school), July – Snowboarders ministry, and October – Backpackers ministry. Since I would be happy doing any one of those, I'm seeking the Lord for guidance. In the meantime you can find me in Nashville catching up with friends and family while working and preparing for another season of staffing.
I must send out another BIG THANK YOU to everyone who has supported me throughout this staffing season. Here is a personal praise report: all of my financial deadlines (staff/outreach fees) were paid on time and I was well taken care of as I traveled through New Zealand, Africa, and Israel. God continues to go above and beyond my expectations! He is an amazing provider. It's hard to describe what a huge blessing it has been to NOT be stressed about money at every step of the way. Not only were my needs totally provided for, but I also had the opportunity to sow into the lives of others as I traveled throughout Africa – and that is my favorite part! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to all those who gave your time in prayer and finances to support me. I've been in excellent health, seen God protect my team and me in many ways, and taken many opportunities to extend the Kingdom of God on earth. THANK YOU for being a part of making this all possible!!!
I look forward to hosting another evening get together to display and tell more about what I experienced during this 2nd Around the World Outreach with YWAM. This year I took more videos in hopes of bringing you a better understanding of where on earth I've been!
Thank you for taking the time to read this. It comes to you jam-packed full of blessings!
Sending love & joy,
Julie Anna
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