Reaching Africa’s Unreached (R.A.U.) Fact Sheet for Short Term Ministry Teams

www.reachingafricasunreached.org

Thank you for your interest and participation in the ministry of RAU! As our primary ministry focus is training indigenous pastors and leaders, planting self-governing, self-propagating, and self-supporting churches, and spreading the gospel among people groups in the West Nile Sub-region of Northern Uganda, South Sudan, and the Republic of Sudan we have created this fact sheet in hopes of better preparing you for coming alongside our ministry. Please carefully read Reaching Africa’s Unreached Mission/Vision Statements and Statement of Faith. Any teaching given would need to fall within the parameters of these RAU Statements.

Things to pack for your time in Uganda

Clothing: If your trip is between the months of March and November (Wet Season), you may want to pack a light jacket or even a light-weight rain-jacket, and hat for sun protection, sun glasses (equatorial sun is more intense!)
Men: Trousers and short-sleeve shirts (may wear shorts around RAU campus, but not in Moyo town)
Women: Long skirts and blouses (no spaghetti straps), pants with shirts/blouses are acceptable, as long as the shirt covers your bottom. Culturally, the lower half of the body is treated with greater modesty, however, upper body modesty is still important
Shoes: Easily removable, sturdy sandals (Ex. Chaco’s or comparable Sketcher’s sandals are perfect), hiking shoes may be helpful if there is going to be an excursion into the Metu Mountains, and flip flops for around the house at RAU
Hygiene: Body wash, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, flushable wipes (helpful when nature calls out in the bush!), toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, hand sanitizer, standard travel first aid kit, feminine hygiene products (not many options available in Moyo, so it’s best to pack what you will need) sun screen, mosquito repellent (you’ll want 4%-40% DEET) **Solar power at RAU cannot accommodate blow dryers, curling irons, or flat irons. All power is 240**
Bedding and towels are available at RAU, however, those items are nice to have in abundance, and so if you are willing to bring a set of each that can be left here, that would be a blessing!
Money: There will be several opportunities to purchase gifts/crafts to take home with you. We suggest bringing $200-$300 for personal/emergency spending. The cash you bring should be in new $100/$50 bills, as older or defective bills may not be accepted for exchange. The group at large may want to bring a larger amount of cash for travel emergencies since you may be in a place where access to ATMs and banks is scarce. Please DO NOT use credit or debit cards in Uganda
Medications: You can find the suggested vaccinations/medications for this region at https://www.passporthealthusa.com/destination-advice/uganda/. Please note, Yellow Fever vaccine is required to enter into Uganda. An immunization record is required for your visa and will be checked upon your arrival in Entebbe. Be sure you begin an antimalarial (Malarone or doxycycline are a couple of the common anti-malarials prescribed) prior to traveling to Uganda. Malaria is especially prevalent in our area. “The WHO African Region carries a disproportionately high share of the global malaria burden. In 2017, the region was home to 92% of malaria cases and 93% of malaria deaths.” You may contact your doctor to get a prescription for Traveler’s diarrhea antibiotics and anti-malarials. Please be sure to have a sufficient amount of your personal prescriptions or OTC meds as they may not be available here.
You can apply for your visa at the Ugandan Embassy online site here: https://www.ivisa.com/uganda-visa-application . You may or may not need an invitation letter from us or another Ugandan ministry to obtain your visa.
Register your stay in Uganda with the American Embassy here: https://ug.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/
USA Embassy: https://ug.usembassy.gov/embassy/
Covid Information: https://ug.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information-page/?_ga=2.14194295.135133890.1617008389-1612012734.1615953776
BYOB (bring your own bible) and a pen and notebook/journal
Electronics: Phone, charger (multi-country adapters are available at Wal-Mart or other electronic stores or can be ordered through Amazon). Our plugs/sockets are different than American or European. See: https://www.power-plugs-sockets.com/uganda/ . Lap tops and tablets are OK to bring, but please be mindful; these are highly sought-after items and may be stolen. All power at RAU is 240.

Travel Notes

From our experience, KLM is the most comfortable airline for the second leg of the journey. Other options include Brussels Air and United Arab Emirates. Upon arriving in Entebbe, we recommend staying at Carpe Diem in Entebbe which has a shuttle service that will pick you up and take you back to the airport in the morning for your MAF or Eagle Air flight to Arua. Refer to contact information below. You can pay for rooms in dollars.
Extra luggage can be left at Carpe Diem (see their contact below) and will be picked up by a friend of RAU and dropped off at the bus station for transport to Moyo.
MAF: Travel to and from Moyo is now available through MAF Uganda on any week day as long as you book enough in advance and they have flights to Moyo or through Moyo. They can carry 1-10 passengers Monday-Friday. It is now our preferred way to travel to and from Moyo! The easiest way to make arrangements and book with them is to register with them. The current cost is $180 one way.
Eagle Air flights are also available to Arua and can be booked online through Eagle Air’s website (see contact information below). You are able to pay for your Eagle Air tickets by wiring funds (see their contact below). We can check on your reservations with them prior to your coming. There will be a service charge of 5,000 Ugandan shillings (UGX) per person or $3 that will need to be paid at this time. You are allotted 15kg (around 30 lbs.) of luggage and 6kg of carry-on. $3 per kg will be charged after 21kg. Flights to Arua and back to Entebbe are on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Check in at Entebbe airport is 6:30 AM.
When you have arrived in Arua, a trusted friend, Eric, will take you to exchange your USD to UGX as well as make your guest house reservation at Golden Courts for your trip home (see pg.3 for reservation price and information). You must stay the night before your morning flight to Entebbe in Arua. Eric will be your driver from Arua to RAU, Afoji/Moyo which takes 4+- hours.
Eagle Air can also divert to Moyo on the way to Arua and return to Entebbe, but it is more expensive and at least 6 people must be booked for the diversion. Currently, a round-trip flight to Moyo and back to Entebbe is $400. This flight is only available on Saturday. Also, we can arrange an 8-passenger van which can drive you/your party to RAU from Carpe Diem for $400 one way. The drive is around 9 hours depending on road conditions on dirt roads closer to RAU. If chosen, we strongly recommend this drive to be done only during the day.

Helpful Tidbits for Cross-Cultural Engagement

Be cautious in giving your contacts (phone or Facebook)
If you receive requests for money or other assistance while here or online, please inform the requestor that you will first discuss the need with Jacob and Carol Lee and your leaders.
Women readily nurse in public with no cover, even during worship services
Dive into the culture as much as possible while you are here. Ask questions, observe people’s interactions. People here really appreciate any attempt to learn their culture and language and this helps with gospel witnessing (1 Corinthians 9: 19-23).
**Please be mindful of how your interactions may affect those who live and work here long-term.
Please be aware that we are just a few kilometers from South Sudan which, as you know, is in the midst of a civil war. Because of this, under no circumstances should anyone venture down to the border, especially alone. Please speak with Jacob prior to taking any walks in the direction of the border as this could have severe consequences for yourself and RAU. During night hours RAU has well armed/well trained Ugandan police on the compound.
Photographing: Do not take pictures of military or governmental installations or officials (including police). Please be aware of what you are photographing and always ask, if possible, for permission to take pictures of your surroundings. Most people in Uganda are okay with being photographed as long as you ask permission. However, people may ask you for money if you want to take their photo. Bottom line: Always ask before snapping a picture/video of anyone or anything!

While at RAU…

Meals and basic amenities such electricity, Wi-Fi (speed not guaranteed…the more people online the slower), running water (cold), coffee, and toilet paper are provided. Any other comforts (i.e. snacks) you may want to bring with you or buy in Moyo town (limited options).
Due to the acoustics of RAU’s housing be warned that sounds (all manner of sounds, ha!) travel from one end of the house to the other. If having a conversation after 10 pm, please remember your team mates who may be trying to rest!
At present, we do not have a hot water heater, so showers are cold. However, water may be heated on the stove top for a warm cup bath. When you are bathing please turn water off and on when washing and rinsing as water is a limited resource.
As we have armed guards at night who patrol the premises, please do not wander around at night hours without identifying yourself to them
There are venomous snakes in the garden areas, so please watch where you step and be mindful that snakes can be found in trees and on branches. It is strongly recommended you have a good flashlight with you.
Our only source of electricity is solar; therefore, when you are not in rooms please ensure the lights/fans/other electrical devices are turned off. If an outlet is not being used, please ensure the switches are also turned off. All power is 240 so step downs to 110 are needed. Most computers and phones have ones in their cords but please check before using. Any device with a heating element (such as a blow dryer or curling iron) cannot be used as the solar system cannot handle that much pull.
The water is directly from a well, so it is safe to drink from the taps. Only drink and brush teeth with bottled water elsewhere.
A monetary gift to RAU either in Ugandan Shillings or dollars (cash-new without any tears, even small, or markings in $50’s/$100’s) is always appreciated to defer costs of your stay and ministry as well as for RAU’s mission.

Contacts:

RAU Contacts: Jacob: jacobleerau@gmail.com ; Carol: carol295@gmail.com ; Zorah: zora.onet@gmail.com; Eric (Arua): +256 782 485448

Carpe Diem: +256 793 396832; www.carpediemuganda.com ; carpediem.uganda@gmail.com

MAF Uganda: +256 312 359 623 (International); 0312 359 623 (within Uganda) uga.bookings@mafint.org; uga.bookings@mafint.org

Eagle Air: +256 772 777338; reservations@eagleair-ug.com ; admin@eagleair-ug.com

Golden Courts (Arua):+256 0787 034837; http://goldencourtshotel.com/

Required reading () for those ministering with Reaching Africa’s Unreached. The required reading needs to be done BEFORE arriving to RAU. We would ask that you send an email to Jacob (see email address above) confirming that the reading has been done.**

**Reaching Africa’s Unreached Mission/Vision Statements and Statement of Faith

** Article: “Why Plant Pastoral Training Schools?” by Joost Nixon

**Article: “A Plea for Gospel Sanity in Missions” by Aubrey Sequeira

** Article “8 Looming Dangers of Short Term Mission Trips” by Paul Davis and Jason Phillips

** Sermon: “A CAREFUL GOSPEL LEADS TO A CAREFUL CHURCH” by Harshit

**Article: “Toward Better Short-Term Missions” by Darren Carlson

** Article: “The (Mis)Perceptions of Short Term Missions” by Elliot Clark

**Book: Holding the Rope: Short-Term Missions, Long-Term Impact by Clint Archer

**Book: Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God by J. I Packer

** Article: “Returning the Right Way from a Mission Trip” by Elliot Clark

Reaching Africa's Unreached

Fact Sheet for Short Term Ministry Teams to RAU

Reaching Africa’s Unreached (R.A.U.) Fact Sheet for Short Term Ministry Teams

**Please be mindful of how your interactions may affect those who live and work here long-term.

Required reading () for those ministering with Reaching Africa’s Unreached. The required reading needs to be done BEFORE arriving to RAU. We would ask that you send an email to Jacob (see email address above) confirming that the reading has been done.**

Suggested Reading:

Reaching Africa’s Unreached (R.A.U.) Fact Sheet for Short Term Ministry Teams

**Please be mindful of how your interactions may affect those who live and work here long-term.

Required reading (**) for those ministering with Reaching Africa’s Unreached. The required reading needs to be done BEFORE arriving to RAU. We would ask that you send an email to Jacob (see email address above) confirming that the reading has been done.

Suggested Reading:

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Required reading () for those ministering with Reaching Africa’s Unreached. The required reading needs to be done BEFORE arriving to RAU. We would ask that you send an email to Jacob (see email address above) confirming that the reading has been done.**