MAF SA Newsletter Vol.5 No. 4 2022

FROM CHILD SOLDIER TO RESILIENT PROVIDER

JA scene that has stayed with me was one from a documentary about the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) child-escapees in Uganda. They were hiding inside sewage drains, terrified of being abducted by the LRA. As many as 40,000 children, known as the “night commuters”, would flee their village homes each night to sleep or hide in the relative safety of towns. This particular group of children was using torches to study whatever tattered notebooks they had left from school, determined to educate themselves in a bid to secure an otherwise very fragile future. Their hunger for education left a permanent mark on my memory.

MAF has recently flown passengers working for Four Corners, an organisation instrumental in meeting the educational needs of thousands of Acholi children in Gulu. Although the LRA was pushed outside the borders of Uganda back in 2005, their mark of trauma in northern Uganda since 1987 has been left on the generation that was taken and forced to become child soldiers.

MAF Pilot Hansjoerg Schlatter flew a group visiting from churches in Georgia and Alabama to hold a 10-day women’s conference at Abaana’s Hope, a 30-minute drive from the Gulu airstrip.

Story by Jill Vine

Photos by Four Corners

“I am so thankful to God for everything that He has done for me, for without Him and without this ministry I would not be alive.”

One of our passengers, Rebecca Cummings, told us about the conference. “The theme of our ladies’ conference at Living Stones Community Church was ‘Jesus Christ is Better’. We had the honour of sharing this great news from Hebrews 12 with over 200 women. Pilot Hansjoerg and the MAF team could not have been kinder or provided a smoother flight from Kajjansi to Gulu to allow our team from the United States to partner with the ladies from Living Stones Community Church to host the conference. We are so appreciative of the service MAF provides, allowing short and long-term missionaries to reach hard-to-reach people groups.”

“I was taken by the LRA when I was a young girl. I decided one day to escape. The soldiers came to find me, but I told them I wanted to go home to my mother.”

Somehow Grace was able to break free from the LRA, but when she returned to the village, she was forced to beg to find food for her family.

While in Gulu, Rebecca was also able to meet the lady her family has been sponsoring for many years. Grace was an ex-child soldier struggling to survive when she was found by Four Corner’s ministry.

“My injuries from the war were so severe that I was unable to work the land or sell anything for money. Then Four Corners found me. I began working for them and my life changed completely. I’ve been able to provide for my five children’s schooling and food and have bought my own land.

I am so thankful to God for everything that He has done for me. For without Him and without this ministry I would not be alive and would not be here today.”

Four Corners has implemented a multi-faceted ministry made up of Living Stones School, a child development programme, a women’s refugee centre, and Abaana’s Hope, which offers pastoral training and sponsorship. Each one has been designed to take the local community in Gulu from vulnerability to strong sustainability. Their mantra stems from Matthew 28 vs 19-20: “As you go make disciples of all the nations baptising them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”

Four Corners also understands that westerners are not the answer to Africa’s problems, but rather training up local pastors, and mentoring and empowering them with the aim to eventually hand over.

Photo P.5: Passenger, Rebecca Cummings met Grace for the first time who her family have been sponsoring for many years .

Four Corners President, Yancy Carpenter, acknowledged the partnership MAF has had with Four Corners over the last 10 years. “Jesus is worthy of worship from every tribe. Four Corners Ministries exists to communicate and demonstrate the gospel of Jesus to underequipped and unreached people groups. We are grateful for MAF for flying us many times over the last decade in northern Uganda and South Sudan to make disciples of all nations. May God continue to use His servants at MAF and FCM for His glory through the fulfilment of the great commission.”

Global media are overflowing with sad news. We are encouraged that at MAF we witness daily outstanding testimonies of partners working together for Jesus to restore broken lives.

Photos P.5: The conference: MAF fly in passengers working for Four Corners who exist to communicate and demonstrate the gospel of Jesus to underequipped and unreached people groups many who were impacted by the LRA in Northern Uganda. Photo P.5: Grace, and one of her family members.

Photo P.5: Gulu Women’s Conference leaders.