International Ministry (CLEAR)

With projects observed and training delivered, the final two days of the trip afforded some rest for the team. A long minibus journey on Friday took us to Jinja, to see the source of the (white) Nile. In the evening we were welcomed into the home of the Ugandan DPP …

From prosecution of international crimes to judicial review; from managing risk to asking whether you can be both a Christian and a lawyer – Thursday's training had it all! The team worked their socks off from start to finish, as we set about equipping and encouraging UCLF members. In the …

Wednesday turned out to be just as busy as Tuesday. In the morning we visited a police station, to see the vital impact the UCLF paralegals have there. We spoke with those being held on remand. This encounter was sensually overwhelming. The sight: a group of men and women without …

The second week took the team to Kampala, Uganda, to serve alongside the Ugandan Christian Lawyers' Fraternity. I'd say fasten your seatbelt and buckle in for the ride, but as none of our minibuses in Kampala had seatbelts, cling on to your seats, because it's about to get …

There is something very powerful about hearing the same worship song simultaneously sung in various languages. Before we had even arrived in Gisenyi for our leaders' retreat, the Burundi, Rwandan and UK delegations were blasting out Hillsong classics for God's glory on the three-hour bus journey (being helpfully …

This morning we visited a genocide memorial, and saw both the depths and heights of humanity. We visited a tiny church (Ntamara Church) where people had hidden in April 1994. 45,000 Tutsi were killed inside the church, and in the gardens and outbuildings that surrounded it. The roof is …

The third and final day of training looked set to be trickier for both streams as expectations were lost in communication. But God was very kind: we tweaked the content, the mood settled, and everyone engaged in the workshops (Option 1: Juvenile Justice; Option 2: Women in the Law.) We …

The second day of training came and went without a glitch – praise the Lord! Option 1: Witness handling skills. The group moved onto cross-examination, as Naomi took us through the theory and shared some top tips. As anticipated, Jen crumbled under Mark's questioning in the demo, much to …

Sunday – Our Father Today the team joined Juves at Christian Life Assembly, an international church with English speaking services. They had a visiting pastor from London (and his wife is a lawyer there!) who shared reflections from the Lord's Prayer for fathers on Father's Day. The church gardens …

What. A. Journey. Before we'd even made it through security at Heathrow, we were experiencing chaos and confusion. Ethiopian Airlines bag drop wasn't working, we got in the slowest security queue ever (the attendant was checking every liquid in every plastic bag!) and we all had to run …

Mary* is 14 and has already bravely taken a stand. She reported her father to the local police for the abuse, to which he was subjecting her. He was arrested and charged. Her family however did not stand with her, evicting her from the family home for bringing dishonour. She …

Slightly more relaxed morning – we continued with our justice studies as a team, visited a law firm and had brunch (of course at Java) with KCLF partners. We were running a little late but managed a short conference with students connected up with KCLF – Chong and Rachel offering advice and …

Nairobi, Kenya – Our final destination – it's felt like half a lifetime in East Africa, but 3 weeks on we're now back in the city we first flew to. It feels absolutely mad that we've driven all the way back here from our first stop in Rwanda. As …

All was bright and dandy in the world. The team was strolling along in our private wagon and all was well in the world. The only sound that could be heard was laughter. Hahahaa! It had been a slow journey but as expected the roads were rough; containing many potholes …

After our fun-filled adventure on our trip to Kisumu, we had a night's rest before embarking on a full on day. In the morning, we visited the CLEAR office. CLEAR has four offices in Kenya and it was good to be with the partners in a smaller office …

The day ahead was eagerly anticipated: trips to the zoo and then the market. What could go wrong? On the way to the zoo we decide to stop at the bus station to buy tomorrow's tickets: a sensible idea… Or so we thought. We wait in the bus and …

On our penultimate day in Uganda, we visited the UCLF Office for a fellowship with them. Two of our team members (Priscilla and Rachel) encouraged the staff members with the Word, sharing lessons learnt from our team times on Philippians 1: 27 – 2: 11. They spoke about what partnership is …

After his father died, Jean's extended family sought to evict him from his family home. They claimed that the man he had always called "dad" was not his father, and as such had no claim on any inheritance. Despite having lived in the same home as his father, and …

When her neighbour, Bill, offered Ella some doughnuts at his house, she eagerly accepted. What she didn't realise is that Bill had another motive. Ella was later found cowering under Bill's bed, scared and abused. Thanks to CLEAR training, the local Child Protection Committee knew how to preserve …

The April Justice Mission team have arrived safely in Uganda at the start of a two week visit to our partners in Uganda and Kenya. For some on the team, this is a welcome return to visit old friends; for others, their first adventure in East Africa. And what a …