Learning in New Haven

Hello, friends! We are nearing the end of the Institute portion of the NEGII project. It’s been a whirlwind of activity as we have begun to familiarize ourselves with some of the historical, social, political, and spiritual issues surrounding this type of cross-cultural work. Already the team is being knit together in partnership, and we have felt incredibly privileged to hear from such a top-notch lineup of speakers. Here is a very brief overview:

Jim Tebbe, Urbana director and InterVarsity’s VP of Missions, spoke to us about the changing context of world missions. He helped us to think critically about some of the common pitfalls of various missions paradigms—long-term missions that concentrate power in non-local leadership, the “new mission compound” of short-term American teams, etc.—and provided us with a thoughtful (and challenging!) framework with which to think about the project that has remained with us through the week.

Betty Bigombe—who, among other highly distinguished credentials, has been the chief mediator and peace negotiator in Uganda’s ongoing northern conflict—helped us to understand more of the 20-year history of this war and the extremely complex issues involved. She also detailed the psychological manipulation of an estimated 88,000 children who have been abducted from the region and forced to fight for the Lord’s Resistance Army, as well as her role in peace negotiations with LRA leaders over the past 10+ years. The region has been in a ceasefire since early 2007, though formal peace negotiations have recently come to a standstill.

Jeff Neal is the co-founder and president of World in View, a grassroots capacity-building organization that supports indigenous leadership and community development programs in several African nations. Jeff introduced us to some of the stark realities of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa, and the thoughtful, sustainable work that organizations like World in View are doing. He also talked about meeting Christ in the midst of two-thirds world poverty—he described being “born again, again” when he discovered God’s heart for justice and the poor—encouraging and inspiring us from his unique and transformational experiences overseas.

I will not likely have time to blog about our final speaker, Lamin Sanneh, before we depart the country, but we are very excited to hear from him tomorrow! He is a world-renowned author, thinker, and Christian leader who has written extensively on issues surrounding missions, gospel translation, and the relationship between the West and the global church. It is an incredible privilege to meet with him face-to-face. He will be speaking on the topic of “Current Issues in Global Christianity.”

For your viewing pleasure, here are some other snapshots from the week:


Next up: We depart New Haven around 3AM (YIKES!) on Thursday and head for JFK. We will spend a brief 24 hours in London studying the impact of colonialism on Africa before traveling on to our final destination. The first portion of our time in Uganda will be a week in Kampala working alongside Come Let’s Dance, a ministry serving street children and families in underprivileged neighborhoods of the city.

Thank you so much for your prayers and your interest in our journeys…Much more to come!

NEGII Institute: Day 1

Hello friends! I am happy to report that the team arrived safely in New Haven, CT yesterday, and that the Institute portion of the project is well underway. Here is a picture of our happy team, together at last!


For the next four days we will be learning, growing, and preparing for this adventure through a jam-packed lineup of world-class speakers and teachers, cross-cultural training simulations, and opportunities to reflect on what God is doing in each of us, and in the team as a whole.

Like any good InterVarsity experience, we began our time together with some good food, lively tunes, and—of course—several ice-breaker games. The favorite by far was the “write a 3-sentence skit to be acted out by another group” game. This writing of this particular skit was significantly influenced by Tom S’s 7-year-old son, Isaiah:


(In case it wasn’t immediately clear, Nancy and Tracy are demonstrating the awesome power of crime-fighting “Bionicals.”) All in all, a great first evening.

Today, Sunday, has been a full day of spiritual development with times spent in prayer, Scripture, a two-hour retreat of silence, and worship at a local church. Pastor Ken Janke, who will be with us all week to help us think about our development as a team and what God might be doing in us as we prepare, led us in a discussion this morning of various ways to encounter God as a team. One way is to practice what he calls “Mutual Christ”—in other words, to share what we know and experience of Christ personally with the group, so that each individual’s picture of Jesus will be stretched and expanded throughout the month. What a rich picture we will surely paint together!

Later in the morning, Jim Tebbe, Urbana Director and InterVaristy’s VP of Missions, led us through a manuscript Bible study of the book of Ruth. Here you can see Yeona deep in thought.


After a very engaging “communal discovery” style discussion, Jim shared his thoughts on Ruth as a book about the Mission of God. In Matthew’s genealogy of Christ, Ruth and three other non-Jewish women are included. Not only is this a beautiful foreshadowing of the New Covenant—the unity of Jew and Gentile in and through Jesus—but it is also a striking reminder that the Mission of God will go forward at all costs. No matter the unfaithfulness of humans (marrying outside the Jewish community was forbidden by God), God accomplishes his purposes anyway—and even brings honor to these women in the process as they are welcomed into his family and given a crucial role. As Jim put it, “God…and no Plan B.”

Deep stuff. Much more at a later date. I am off now for some silent retreating…

Adventures in Packing: The Essentials

Hello friends and family! Thanks for checking out our blog. As this is my very first post, and you will be hearing from me a lot over the next month, I should probably introduce myself. I’m Sarah, one of the staff for the NEGII project—or, I should say, one of the Sarahs on the NEGII staff team. So you can call me Sarah C.J. A tiny little bit about me: I’ve been on staff with InterVarsity in RI for five years. I’m married to Greg. This is my second time to Uganda (I studied abroad in Kampala in 2002) and my third time in Africa. In my spare time I like to work on house projects, create things, and marvel at the birds that come to our birdfeeders. You could say I’m a pretty meticulous packer. More on that later…

First, a little more about the team. We have an amazing team of IVCF staff and students from around the New England Region, and I wanted to quickly introduce everyone. The co-directors for the project are Tom B. and Tom S. Tom B’s wife Nancy will also be joining us! The other fabulous staff are Sarah S, Tina, Maghan, and my hubby Greg. And here are the students: Kelly (UConn), Meredith (Brown), Teresa (UMO), Becky (UNH), Danielle (UNH), Abby (UNH), Miranda (BU), Katie (BU), Marie (BU), Tracy (Wellesley), Amanda (Wellesley), Tatiana (Harvard), Ken (MIT), and Yeona (MIT). What a spectacular group!

Those of you that feel inclined, please feel free to pray for each of these students and staff by name throughout the month. ☺

So…for my first post, I thought I would give some brief reflections on packing. Like I said, I’m a pretty thorough packer. I have been making lists and crossing things off for a couple weeks now. We were asked to limit our packing to one half of a medium-sized suitcase and one small backpack—the other half of our suitcase will be filled with supplies. As you might imagine, when part of the personal half will be taken up by sheets, a blanket, a towel, and a pillow, clothing and other belongings are limited to the bare essentials! This can be challenging, but it is such a great exercise for those of us—myself included—that have become deeply attached to our “stuff.”

Here are a few of the things I consider “essentials” for travel in East Africa: Sturdy shoes, Ultrathon bug cream (34% deet!), anti-diarrheal tabs, a good flashlight (mine’s a headlamp), and hand sanitizer.


As I’ve been packing, however, I’ve realized that about 99% of my pre-departure energies have been focused around these physical preparations. But what about my spiritual packing, so to speak? What are the “essentials” I need to ask Jesus to fill up the bags of my heart with—today, and throughout the trip?

So, like any good packer, here is my spiritual packing list. I am sure it is not complete—feel free to add other “essentials” in a comment or two.

*Openness to God’s work in the world, and in each of us
*Daily confidence in the presence of Christ with us
*Agape Love—for the team, for our Ugandan brothers and sisters
*Humility
*Flexibility & Grace
*Compassion
*Selflessness
*Honesty & Trust
*Confidence in the power of God to bless, redeem, and heal
*The Whole Armor of God
*Our unique Spiritual Gifts
*The Word of God, a light to our feet

Lord Jesus, would you fill me and each of the team members to overflowing with these “essentials” as we prepare for this adventure. Amen!

Money given for Land and Teen Leadership

The Internship has just received monies that will allow us to to expand our ability to serve in both Kampala and Gulu (the north)

Leadership Seminar for Teens

Money was given towards a leadership seminar with local youth in Kampala  June 2-6

We will be able to feed and train these teenagers in Godly leadership and character development

Feeding program in IDP camp in the north

Money was given that will allow us to do a feeding program in one of the IDP (Internally Displaced Camps) north of Gulu, the war torn area in northern Uganda  June 8-17

Rebuilding the village of Lukodi

Monies have been given so we can begin clearing, planting and fencing in the land for the new village of Lukodi which was destroyed by the LRA during the war.

Lamin Sanneh will be speaking on Wednesday!

Lamin Sanneh has officially agreed to speak to the New England Global Issues Institute on Wednesday May 28.  Lamin is Professor of Missions and World Christianity at Yale Divinity School.  His books include West African Christianity and Translating the Message (The Missionary Impact on Culture)

Lamin is a world renown expert on the Church in Africa and has been a prophetic voice in the academic world in proving the positive impact of Christian mission on culture.

10 Days to go

The New England Global Issues Internship meets in New Haven 10 days from now.

We will start the learning process from leading authorities.

Jim Tebbe, director of Urbana, will lead us in understanding the new thinking in missions

Betty Begumbe, UN negotiator for the peace talks in northern Uganda, will be helping us to understand the issues of war.

Conrad Mandsager, Director of Child Voice, will help us understand our work with former child soldiers

We fly out of JFK the morning of May 29 and on May 30 meet with Mike Morris at Westminster Abby (at the Wilburforce grave site) for a discussion on the effects of the British Empire on present day Africa.

Our Living Accommodations

12 Days Until Departure!

Hi Everyone!
Welcome to the InterVarsity Uganda Team '08 Blog! This will be a way for you to check our status and get updates from us while we are in Uganda. It should be updated probably once a week while we are gone. Thanks for visiting!