In late October 2008, we enjoyed one of the hardest working, fastest moving and most effective missions trips ever.
In 10 days we visited 3 African countries, ministering to some of Africa’s most desperate people in unthinkable conditions.
Ethiopia: Rescuing the Helpless
The people in Ethiopia welcomed Joyce and Dave with open arms. At the first service where Joyce preached, we shut the gates to the grounds a couple hours prior to the meeting. Around 15,000 attended this meeting.
On the next day, we traveled to an area called Angacha where our team of over 30 medical personnel volunteered all week.
Tensions ran high as Joyce and Dave flew to Angacha in a rickety, outdated helicopter—the very helicopter Bill Clinton 
refused to use several years earlier. But by God’s grace they made it to a reception of some 30,000 people.
In honor of the event, the city government shut down the city for the day—schools and all government offices were closed. They even named the main street after Dave and Joyce.
Then we were off to tour this brokenhearted land. We visited a medical clinic, which we fully fund through partner support. Thousands of people are helped every week. And we visited a feeding program established early last year. The change in the general health of the people in this area is astounding.
The last thing we did in Ethiopia was visit one of our 4 sponsored girls’ homes. These girls were all rescued from a life of prostitution. When Joyce told her story of past abuse, they sat up in their seats and took it all in. The message was clear—if Joyce endured the same kind of abuse they did and made something of her life, so could they.
Rwanda: Giving Love to a Hurting Nation
Next, we visited the tiny, landlocked country of Rwanda. Rwanda has been in the international spotlight since the 1994 genocide, when 800,000 to 1 million people are thought to have died.
In 2006 we participated in Hope Rwanda, an effort to help restore hope to a nation crippled by genocide. This was our first time back.
Although it was a very short visit of just one day, it was very fruitful. We got to see our ongoing feeding program at Kigali Christian Center, and Joyce ministered to just over 6,000 people at a local conference.
Uganda: Providing a Safe Haven
In Uganda, we visited the Bulrushes home for unwanted babies. The children are raised here until they are able to enter one of the Watoto villages.
At the Watoto village, these children are educated, spiritually enriched and some even get to be a part of the famous Watoto Children’s Choirs. These children stay at the Watoto village until the end of their adolescence.
That night in Uganda, Joyce preached to more than 7,000 women crowded into the streets.
The next day we flew to Gulu, Uganda. Gulu is the second largest city in Uganda and once home to 15,000 “night commuters”—children who fled into the city each night to escape the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).
Gulu was the center of a 25-year war where the LRA abducted children and turned them into brutal killers. Although the war has been in a cease fire for about 2 years, it has left an entire region devastated.
So in partnership with Marilyn and Gary Skinner and their ministry we are helping to build a Watoto children’s village there. They have also planted a great church, and we have plans to build a babies’ home, too.
The highlight came when over 200,000 people, in 2 nights, came to see Joyce and the Hillsong worship band.
Joyce preached with an incredible boldness, breaking down many walls of fear, brokenness and helplessness that the years of war had left. We have a long-term commitment to this area and believe through God’s power and your prayers, we can turn an impossible situation around.
Impossible to Do Without Your Help
This missions trip would’ve been impossible without your amazing generosity. Thank you so much for your prayers and support that have helped turn this vision into a reality…and have literally helped us touch the lives of millions all across Africa.
Want more stories from our Africa trip? Visit our World Missions Log.