Preparing for an Adventure (and, what's with the title?)

Greetings, friends and fam! Welcome to my new blog (which is the first I've ever made - hence the poor quality). As some of you know (and as many of you do not), last spring I had the incredible opportunity to take part in a two-week mission trip to Uganda with my high school (Eastern Christian) and the short-term missions organization Touch the World. That trip proved to be a momentous influence on my life, specifically in three ways. First, holding with the cliche that follows any short-term mission trip, my eyes were opened. I witnessed suffering and fear that I had never previously imagined possible. For the first time, I could identify with the psalmist: "How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever?" (Ps. 13:1). By observing and living with the victims of war and terror, I gained the valuable first-hand experience that no National Geographic can convey. Second, I was burdened with the guilt that pervades the First-World society of the West. I have never considered affluence a sin (nor do I now), but I now recognize that affluence in the face of human suffering is an injustice that is intolerable in the eyes of God (more on this later). For months after the trip, I felt the weight of this injustice bear down upon me, and I was quick to criticise the over-consumptive behavior and ignorance of myself and my companions (much to the chagrin of my friends!). For better or for worse, the feeling of guilt has faded over time, and it has become harder and harder to recall the suffering that once touched me so deeply. Yet, I take joy in the fact that the conviction remains. Finally, the trip instilled in me a passion for the weak which has continued on to this day.

It has been over a year since I returned from Uganda. Speaking to you now as a freshman studying philosophy and history at Cornell University, I can say that hardly a day has gone by that I haven't ruminated on my experiences in Africa. After a year of thinking deeply about what it really means to follow Christ - for everyone, and for me personally - I have decided to go back to Uganda for the summer (May 23 - August 18) to serve the underpriveleged of the world-system, with the hope that service, sustained thought, and meditation on the Word will enable me to better fulfill God's calling in my life.

I will be returning to Uganda as a "missions intern" under the guidance and tutelage of Jesse and Andrea Kroeze, the directors of Touch the World Uganda. Along with Jesse and Andrea, I will be working alongside other interns, Ugandan staff members, and short-term teams from the States. While the projects I will be working on have not been fully prepared yet, I do know that I will be working in two communities: Saint Mary-Kevins Orphanage in Kampala, and the village/IDP camp of Adak in the northern district of Gulu. Activities at the SMK orphanage my include teaching, construction, and evangelism. At Adak, where it appears I might be spending the majority of my summer, I may be involved with community development research and surveys in order to aid the village inhabitants in their recovery from the civil war that has devastated the region for decades. In due time, I will provide a fuller account of planned activities, as well as an introduction to these two communities and the issues they face.

As I prepare for this summer (which, astonishingly, is only about a month away!), I ask that you all might pray for me and the work that lies ahead. I will certainly be challenged physically, mentally, and spritually in everything I do in Uganda. Pray that God might use me to bring some tangible, beneficial change to the communities in which I serve. Pray that (as difficult as it may seem for me) I might exemplify the person of Christ in everything I do, living out the love of God. Pray that to those whose lives have known only darkness and death, I might be the vessel which brings the liberating light of Christ's sacrifice. Pray that - as weak, foolish, and unworthy as I am - God might shine through my life and actions; may there be "no more gloom for those who were in distress" (Is. 9:1).

For those of you who would like to help out financially (and have not done so already), I will shortly be providing info on how to do so.

FINALLY, regarding the wacky title! Mango trees are a prominent feature of the northern Ugandan landscape. An important food source and an indicator of settlement and wealth, mango trees are sometimes associated among the Acholi (a people of n. Uganda) with peace (Shalom) in the general, holistic sense - "piny maber" or "good surroundings." As we all look forward to the coming of the Kingdom, when swords will be made into plowshares, and warriors' boots will be thrown in the fire - we cannot ignore the continual act of redemption here on this earth. As God's agents of renewal, we must strive towards reforming the ways of the world into the ways of God. I don't mean that we strive towards a utopia; nor do I believe we can "bring in" the kingdom of God. But, in some sense, we must work on earth to set out the hors d'oeuvres of salvation - the crackers and caviar of the great Wedding Feast to come. We must all look forward to the time when the mango trees will grow heavy with ripe fruit, and although we cannot MAKE them bear fruit, we can nurture and nourish the trees, watching the blossoms grow...

In His Light and Truth,
Justin Tyvoll