final steps and the invisibly changing seasons

I guess a lot has happened since the last update, therefore I will gladly inform you.

As many of you know, our group returned to Kona, Hawaii to begin making a publication with the photos and stories from our last year of travel. I am still here in Kona, and a lot of ground has been made in the process of putting together our book. Over the last month especially, the pace of work on the project has increased quite a bit. When I originally heard in June that we would be sending a book out to print in mid-September, it seemed nearly impossible. However, though things have been fairly hectic, it is amazing to see the ground that has been made in such a short amount of time, and we are now looking to send the final design and layout to the printer by the end of the week.

Since the original steps of brainstorming and discussing the vision of the book, (something which took a significant amount of time in itself,) we then had instructors come to bring their insight and experience in regards to the logistics of assembling the material into a form that could be sent off to print. For the design portion, we had Kathrin Fietz, a graphic designer from Germany/London, come to walk us through the process of designing and laying out our book. After this, we had Andrew Kooman, a writer from Canada, join us to take us through the process of recording our personal experiences from the last year into written material that can be effective for communication.

Once we had collected all the “raw data” of writing and stories, we were able to begin consulting with a graphic designer in Germany (our school leaders have worked with him for publications they produced in the past.) The last week has consisted largely of conferring back and forth with him, to get the look we feel the book should have. As the deadline for the printer is soon approaching, the few days we will be working back and forth with the designer to make the final changes and alterations. We don’t yet know the exact date for when we will have a printed book in our hands, but it is still hard to imagine what it will be like to see actual printed material in our hands.

In this process, I have come to see what a responsibility we have with the words we say. Growing up, I was often told, “Think before you speak.” This was always a very valuable insight to carry with me; but in the process of writing in a book that will be read and heard by thousands of people, the importance of this saying has only been multiplied. When I think about speaking to just one person, it is usually fairly easy to assess how to speak, and understand how they will interpret the words I say. However, with writing to an audience that is not familiar with myself, my heart, or even the heart of this project, I see the importance of portraying truth in a way that can be understood on a broad, universal sort of scale. Whether they are reading from a “Christian” or “Secular” point of view, God’s message and heart for the world remains the same. So, my challenge? - learning to say something of value without at the same time putting my foot in my mouth by saying something that a certain demographic could take out of context. To say the least, it’s a learning process.

With the finalization of the material, our group would certainly value your prayers. Throughout the course, of writing, selecting photos, and editing the final content, we have been seeking to honor God with the pictures we show and the words we speak. Please pray that we will have eyes to see the changes that need to be made, and the aspects that need to stay as they are. Because we have become so deeply involved in this project, it is often hard to see what needs to be changed, so we would value your prayers for God to give us eyes that can look at our work objectively, understanding what in fact we are communicating.

This Wednesday will also be the end of the summer quarter here at the University of the Nations. We have a one-week break before we will begin fall quarter. In the current quarter we have been focused on getting the book out to print. For fall quarter, it looks like we will be preparing for the tours that we will begin this upcoming January, when we will distribute and explain the heart behind the book. When I find out more specifics about what these things look like, I will keep you posted. More details soon to come…