everywhere is somewhere we must go.

new location

2009-07-20T22:59:00.002+02:00

so, due to creative differences, i am now parting ways with blogger. it served well for a time, but it's now time for a different chapter in the life of everywhere is somewhere we must go.

the next chapter begins here: www.timothycdyk.wordpress.com

thanks for following.

i'm a .com

2009-06-15T22:42:00.005+02:00

So, in an attempt to summarize the last few years' work into a sort of digital portfolio/library, I would like to introduce you to timothycdyk.com. I figured before proceeding on to whatever ventures are next, it would be worthwhile to summarize some of the people, places, and issues I have been brought into contact with thus far.

And I must mention that this website wouldn't be functioning had it not been for the in-depth coding know-how of B.Alderman & Co. Technologies.

Thanks for reading/viewing.

Alas, I Still Love Washington (State).

2009-04-13T18:43:00.004+02:00

On Friday, the 27th of March, I flew home from Copenhagen to Seattle. It is abrupt sort of adjustment to go from one continent to another in such a (relatively) short amount of time. To go from one place that is so highly unfamiliar, and the next day to be sitting in one of the most familiar places imaginable, such as my family’s kitchen table on 9th avenue, is something bizarre.

It looks like I will now be relatively stationary, at least for the time being. I am hoping to look for opportunities in which I can share the Sex + Money project around Ellensburg, as well as the general Northwestern region of the United States. Therefore, if you are interested in working with me to set something up in your area, please do feel free to let me know (you can find my email in my profile.)

Specifically regarding the book: If you are interested in purchasing a copy of Sex + Money: A Global Search For Human Worth, there is a “buy it now” link to the right hand side of this blog where you can make an order through your computer. If you would like to buy it in person, you can try to locate me in Ellensburg, WA. It shouldn’t be very difficult as our community is fairly small in size. Or you can find me at future events. Any of these are viable options, should you choose to pursue them.

A lot of plans are still up in the air, but one hope I have in the near future is to begin studying in University. I desire to take the time to make a prayerful decision on where I can best pursue the seeds and ideas God has dropped in my heart. As specifics become clear I hope to keep you updated.

Thank you for the interest you have shown in this project – even from the beginnings of the photogenX track in South Africa in September of 2007. I began this trip trusting that if God was the maker of the heavens and the earth and the trees and my heart, He could somehow provide for my needs, even if I couldn’t see how. Through your generosity, I was able to work with this project, and learn more of what it means to speak up for “the least of these.”

Probably the main reason why I began the photogenX track in the first place was that I felt a strong tug on my heart to begin using my art (in whatever medium) to portray what God is doing in the world and/or what He is desiring to bring about in order to heal our broken and needy world. If this trip has shown me one thing, it’s that there is much more to be said for the needs of humans around the globe, especially the broken and destitute. Therefore, in whatever way I continue to walk, I desire to use the arts as a means of speaking truth regarding the issues we face in our world today. The body of Christ has a hope to offer the world, if we will only be willing.

The last two years' work with photogenX are not the finality of the hope we have to offer. I have much more to learn, but I'll proceed onwards from here...

a copenhagen finale.

2009-04-06T23:54:00.005+02:00

On Thursday, the 19th of March, Koala and I, along with former (but still at heart) photogenXer, Anna Nielsen, arrived into Copenhagen Central Station, and proceeded soon thereafter to the hip and culturally diverse district of Copenhagen, known as Nørrebro (though spoken you will find the pronunciation of this name to be worlds apart from what you would think on paper.) This is where Koala and I would be based for a bit more than a week that we spent in Denmark’s capital city, thanks to København Kulturcenter (Copenhagen’s Culture Center,) who gave us a place to lay our heads.

You just saw three uses of parenthesis in the previous paragraph.

The first event we were a part of was a “Documentary Night” put on by the Culture Center. Here, an international group of young adults get together once a month to discuss and learn about different issues – this particular week the focus was human trafficking, so Koala and I shared a bit towards the beginning of the meeting, and our speaking was followed by a documentary about human trafficking in Copenhagen titled, “When the Moon is Dark.” The film was highly informative, and followed a couple stories of Nigerian women who had been trafficked to Denmark for prostitution.

(one of koala's photo's displayed in cafe retro)

On Sunday the 22nd, Anna had arranged for us to put on a photography exhibition in Café Retro, a local coffee shop that is entirely non-profit. The entirety of their profits are given to support various humanitarian projects in developing nations – currently they’re working to help an organization in Sewa Ashram, India. To our delight, we were able to display nearly all of our 20 display photos in what proved to be fairly constrained quarters. However, it’s surprising what you can do with string, thumbtacks, and a small fence. Café Retro was a good environment for us to share our materials with people, as well as for us to hear from them of their thoughts on the current state of human trafficking, particularly in Europe. Public opinion seems to be shifting. Though there is much ground to be made, people seem to be growing increasingly aware of the ways in which human trafficking is taking place in our societies, and the ways (large and small) that we can be a part of choosing something different.

Through some of the connections we made at the Copenhagen Culture Center, we were able to connect with a discipleship program that is currently in the developing stages. “Identity and Discipleship (I.D.)” is similar to something like a YWAM DTS, but it is more focused on integrating its students into the local church setting. The main leader/teacher/organizer of this program is a fellow American, Stephen, who has been living in Copenhagen for quite some time now. We were glad to share with their groups during a couple of their class times, but Koala and I both felt very blessed to be able to hear and take part in some of their teaching and discussions. Stephen and the students challenged us in how they are learning to relate to God not just in an individual way, but also through their surroundings – including their environments and the people around them. This sort of holistic Christ following, though a challenge, is something that becomes beautiful in learning to enact.

On Thursday, the 26th, I escorted Koala to the airport, to bid him farewell, for now. It was an odd feeling, saying goodbye to a friend I have known, and lived closely with, for the last 18 months. Truthfully, it didn’t really feel like I was saying goodbye; I do feel I’ll see him at some point in the future. I hope this is the case.

Koala has since returned to the University of the Nations campus, in Kona, Hawaii, to begin the Introduction to Biblical Counseling (IBC) course for the spring quarter. In July, he plans to return briefly to South Korea, before continuing onwards to visit his parents, who are currently working in Vietnam. In September, he plans to resume his studies of Economics and Accounting at his previous university in South Korea, though now he feels as though he has a bit more direction with these studies. His desire is to one day use his skills with economics in order to help develop more sustainable living in developing nations, amongst other things.

So, for now we have completed what we originally set out to do with the three-month tour or Scandinavia, taking our publication and the message it bears to a large variety of places – from anarchist café’s in Iceland, to Lutheran State Churches in Sweden. Still, the work of exterminating human trafficking has a long way to travel, but I do believe that a significant amount of seeds have been sown.

“For as the rain comes down,
and the snow from heaven,
And do not return there,
But water the earth,
And make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower
And bread to the eater,
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”

Isaiah 55:10-11 (New King James Version)

I believe what we have sown with this tour will flourish, because ultimately, what we have sown in the book, in the photography, and in the stories, is from Him - the Lord. We often felt worn thin and weary, but as a whole, we can say the tour was a positive experience. We are reminded that the Lord is moving.

pardon me.

2009-04-06T20:24:00.005+02:00

In a previous post, "pinetrees, smokestacks, and holy water," from the time in Finland, i made a joke.

I said:

"there are no cars in finland. the most common form of transportation is sled-dog mushing."

This was what some like to call a "JK," meaning, "just kidding." After arriving home, and hearing from some friends and family members, I figured I should restore a proper understanding of the nation of Finland. They have cars and drive them when necessary. I actually only saw one sled-dog-musher in my entire time in the country.

Sorry for the potential confusion and/or heartache I may have induced through this statement.

odense, denmark

2009-04-01T02:01:00.005+02:00

sjellebro, denmark

2009-03-31T23:12:00.005+02:00

needing clouds.

2009-03-26T14:46:00.003+01:00

So this is the last day of "the track." Sitting in an s.bucks in the Copenhagen airport. I never knew that this is what it would be. But it's become true.

Now it's here, the last day of an 18-month long school, and now I'm waiting to say goodbye to a friend in the airport.

Life can be so complicated. And life can turn around and be so simple - cold, but straight-forward.

Lord, would you bring some clouds to cushion this landing?

pinetrees, smokestacks, and holy water.

2009-03-18T20:53:00.010+01:00

Finland is a country of approximately five million people. According to wikipedia, there are over two million saunas in Finland. This equates to about one sauna per household. The amount of sauna-ing that transpired during our stay in Finland left our skin feeling rejuvinated, to say the least.

During our time in Tampere, Finland, Koala and I were able to share our project with 6 different church groups, plus one night which combined a couple of young-adult small groups. Sometimes the times we shared were brief and summarized, but there were also many times where we were able to share on a much more in depth basis. Especially encouraging/mind-exercising were some of the conversations we had on the night with the small groups. Koala and I shared some of our experiences as we normally do, but the night turned into more of a multi-faceted conversation in which we discussed the potential of Christian involvement with matters relating to human trafficking, which naturally flowed into a time of prayer for the sea of needs that are present for these topics.

(koala, sharing at the Come Home group)

(for one exhibition, we had the help of a professional lighting engineer. his knowledge of kelvin variations and angles of illumination proved to be most useful. he also let us use some photos. keetos antti. photo: antti hiltunen)

(photo: antti hiltunen)

(photo: antti hiltunen)

(photo: antti hiltunen)

Saturday the 7th, the first night we arrived in Finland, we were sharing with Vapis United, a youth group at the Free Church in Tampere. As I have done a few times before, I was sharing about one of our class’ experiences, telling the story of when we handed out flowers to some of the Prostitutes of Amsterdam’s red light district. As I spoke, I began to be re-impressed with the realization of how powerful such a small gesture of love was on that single rainy evening last spring. As I look at my daily life these days, I see how I often become forgetful of the power of the love of Christ that resides in my heart. I can so easily go about my days, forgetting how love of Christ that lives in my heart has the power to transform the world around me, including individual people and their relationships, in addition to larger, more complicated entities, i.e. communities and red light districts.

As we travel to different communities, churches, schools, and other groups, Koala and I continue to share our experiences that have been most relevant to these issues of human trafficking. There is always a bit of variation in how the stories are shared, but still, often it is hard to feel that we are sharing anything of significance, as we ourselves have heard and told our experiences far more than we can begin to recount. One evening at one of the youth meetings, with the Come Home group, also at the Free Church, one of the pastors we met (who was also our translator) proved to be a deep encouragement to us. His work consists largely of traveling to the public schools throughout the entire nation of Finland, teaching about Christianity as well as sharing about his own personal relationship with Jesus. We were encouraged by the ways that he continued to keep his walk with the Lord fresh even in the midst of consistent message giving. One of the verses he spoke struck me profoundly:

...The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

Numbers 6: 24-26

And I’ve heard this over and over in church benedictions, and I always remember having liked it, but I guess I had forgotten about it. In it I saw though how even with heavy luggage, repetition, and weary feet, we can continue in what God has directed us to, even just because is face is dwelling on us, granting us the peace of his directed gaze.

(holuoksa sinappi? (btw, this spelling is probably wrong.))

(each thursday the church gives out free pea soup to citizens of tampere)

(i don't know if they had napkins)

(they told me how to say pigeon in finnish, but i've since forgotten)

(tampere, in its early days, was driven by industrialisation)

(pyyhajarvi means holy lake. we would later swim here.)

(there are no cars in finland.
the most common form of transportation is sled-dog mushing.)

(sauna: 125 degrees centigrade.
pyyhajarvi: .5 degrees centigrade.)

(seppo + hanna (harrakka) taipale)

(päivi + the k-bear)

It would be hard to mention our experience of Finland without mentioning our beloved hosts, Seppo and Paivi Taipale. They showed us much about what it means to follow Christ in the normal, day-to-day living. They were kind to introduce us to the Finnish way of life, which includes, but is not limited to:

sauna
winter fresh-water swimming
ice Skating
snowy sommersaults
floorball
makkara (Finnish Sausage)

(watch out, the yankee has a destructive slap-shot)

This is the paragraph where I was going to ask you to pray with us for a place to stay for our upcoming time in Copenhagen. A couple days ago, we hadn’t an idea where we would call home during upon our arrival in Denmark’s capital city. My eyeballs were tantalized this morning when I saw in an email that our contacts had found an apartment for us to stay in at a local church. So, tomorrow when we take the train into Copenhagen, we can rest easy knowing we have a place to lay our heads at night. Praise the Lord.

Secondly, we would value your prayers for open doors to share the project with groups in and near Copenhagen. We have a couple events planned for certain, namely a documentary night with a social awareness group on the 19th, and an exhibition in a café on Sunday the 22nd. Copenhagen is a big city, and we feel able and willing to share nearly anywhere, we just need God to direct us to the right places and people. Pray for encounters that are ordained and directed by the hands of the Lord.

Lastly, I also wanted to inform you that due to visa limitations and other circumstances, on the 27th of March, I will be leaving the soil of Europe to return to the blustery but beautiful state that is Washington. The entirety of plans are uncertain, but I do know that for now, God has placed it in my heart to share the project in Ellensburg, throughout Washington, and wherever else it would work out in the good ‘ol U.S. of A. I will do my utmost to keep you posted on the dates, locations and other details of such events.

(bye bye helsinki)

farewell stockholm / hello tampere.

2009-03-09T14:35:00.004+01:00

music:
"För Sent För Edelweiss"
Håkan Hellström
För Sent För Edelweiss
2008 EMI

Saturday, the 7th of March, we arrived in Helsinki, Finland. We then proceeded by bus to our current location of Tampere. We have been warmly welcomed by the parents of some Finnish friends we met in Kona. We have been showered with hospitality and introduced to the wonders of the Finnish sauna, complete with snow-sommersaults.

It looks like we will be sharing in various churches and groups in the area until next Monday, March 16th, when we will leave for the final leg of the tour in Denmark.

from the swedish bible belt to a famed biologist's former stomping grounds

2009-03-09T12:40:00.011+01:00

(jönköping is a pleasant city on a lake)

Monday night, the 23rd of February, Koala and I arrived in Jönköping, Sweden.

First of all, I must clarify the pronunciation of this city. I think the most accurate way I can describe this with American English spelling is to say: Yonshepping.

After the difficulties we had in Stockholm with trying to make connections, it was such a relief to arrive in a place where we already had previous friendship established. Our friend Bella, who we knew previously from YWAM in Kona, Hawaii, has been studying in Jönköping for the last couple years. We were excited to find that she had been able to set up quite a few different events with both public high schools, and some of the churches in the area. For our week spent in Jönköping, we were able to share in three public high schools, and four churches.

(sofia kyrkjan, where we shared with a small discussion group)

Public High schools always prove to be a good challenge. In these places, we were certainly given restrictions on how much we can actually talk about our faith, but it challenges us to translate the gospel into more common forms of speech. Every time we share in one of these settings, it becomes clear how practical the gospel of Jesus can be. For example: we were able to talk with a Media focus high school (most of the high schools in Scandinavia seem to have some sort of focus.)

One of the things God put on my heart to discuss was truth. I believe with my whole heart that if people in the media (whether it be news television, newspapers, radio, design, etc.) were to be searching for the ultimate truth in any topic or issue, they would be brought face to face with a need for solutions, and these solutions ultimately will be found in the infinite wisdom and knowledge that is found in Christ (Colossians 2:3). We discussed a bit how if they are willing to portray the truth of an issue, even if it is hard for people to hear, even if it makes some people uncomfortable, the whole-truth they communicate will stand out, even when it is compared with a host of well-prepared half-truths.

(ali-john, who we met at the local train station. he's originally from gambia.)

Whether we’re sharing in churches or schools, often people will ask us, “What can I do to help these people (those affected by the abuse of sex and/or money)” It’s a good question.

I am challenged because I can’t give people a direct plan to end human trafficking in the next five years (or some other concrete date.) This becomes an interesting issue in that we see it is something that we have to be willing to engage with in the way we live life. It is not just something we can donate money to, and it is not just something for which we can boycott a product or a company. It seems like this issue requires a bit more of an engaged response. And for myself this is a challenge.

We’ve talked to churches that are concerned about human trafficking and prostitution. Many churches want to establish ministries to deal with these problems, and to bring the women, children and men who have been affected into places of healing from the abuse that they have endured/given. This, however, is not so easy as just walking out to the streets and beginning “ministry.” If people are to leave lives of prostitution behind to build fresh, healthy lives, they are going to need new places – havens - where they begin something new. It would be hard for change to take root if we only love people for a couple hours only to let them return to their “night jobs” – but change can begin to take root when we see that life and ministry aren’t two different things.

And I hope this is not taken as a hypercritical diatribe. It is something I struggle with myself. How to I prevent my life and my faith from being two separate things? I’m learning to become convinced that being a follower of Christ must induce a tangible difference in the state of our world.

(johannes, johan, and koala on what is arguably the longest bench in all of europe.)

(some photos on display at pingst kyrkjan)

(uppsala is a university town, with a lot of bicycles)

(there are also a lot of canals in uppsala)

(dom kyrkjan)

Tuesday, March third, Koala and I waved goodbye to Jönköping and traveled by train to the city of Uppsala, which is a bit less than an hour north of Stockholm. Uppsala is also the hometown of the founder of binomial nomenclature, Carolus Linnaeus. Here, Bella also helped to arrange for us to share in three high schools, and a young adult group in a church. It felt to be a very productive time, and we received positive feedback from many of the students – it is evident that many young people are concerned for the state of our world, and this to me is an encouragement.

As we shared Wednesday evening with the college aged group in a church, God directed me to a verse, which I found to be edifying as we continue on the journey of learning to walk out the practicalities of Jesus –following. I Peter 1:3 says,

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

In accepting forgiveness of our sins through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the God who created the planet earth (and all of it’s surrounding accessories) gathers us towards His hope that is a moving reality. This hope to me lies partly in knowing that a hope in Christ is not one that is static or stationary, but rather one that is kinetic and transportable, jumping up and down.

We often feel dry, but it is refreshment, rehydration even, to come across scripture that speaks so directly to what we’ve been in need of. So, we continue to share about need in the world, and we continue to share about hope – though now we are pleased to keep in mind that the hope is moving.

Huskvarna/Jönköping: February 23 - March 1

2009-03-05T20:30:00.004+01:00

tall spires, tall deeds.

2009-03-05T19:41:00.001+01:00

Stockholm is beautiful. As we de-boarded the bus from Helsingborg, and began to transport our mass amounts of luggage up to our hostel, we were sweating and tired and frustrated with unruly baggage, but we were also struck by the peace of large, slowly falling snowflakes.

For the first few days, we were able to meet up with our school leader, Paul Childers, for a sort of pastoral visit. Paul was on his way through Europe as part of an around the world trip for photogenX and some of the other ministry work He is a part of, so he was able to make a quick stop to connect with us. We were able to discuss the tour thus far, as well as discuss the logistics of what is to come. It was refreshing to do business in person, as well as watch CNN, discuss world politics, and visit the Nobel Museum, amongst other things.

(santa klara kyrkjan: certainly not our normal venue)

During our time in Sweden’s big city, Koala and I were able to connect with one of the state churches in downtown Stockholm, Santa Klara Kyrkan. It is not uncommon in Sweden to see massive, beautiful churches, but it is quite unique to work with a church whose action can back up such tall spires. It was always a surprise to consider the variety of walks of life that the people were coming from: within a matter of an hour, I talked to a Romanian Gypsy (we spoke in Spanish), a Pakistani, a Chilean, and a Frenchman from Algeria – and these were just a few of our acquaintances. The church has a large influence in the community of downtown Stockholm, as they minister to the homeless, immigrants, and prostitutes on a regular basis. I was taken aback at all the activity and people that come through the building on a daily basis: this is certainly not a church that is sleeping.

They allowed us to share a small bit as part of their prayer meeting, and they also had us pray for a couple of the women in the church who are committed to working with local prostitutes on a regular basis. It was evident that we weren’t necessarily telling this group something new; more so, I think, or at least my prayer is that we may have been an encouragement for them to continue in a direction in which they are already moving.

Later in the week we were able to connect with a couple of other churches, New Life - an international church which includes upwards of 45 nationalities - as well as Tomas Kyrkjan – a smaller church with a beautiful mix of traditional liturgy and more “modern” forms of worship. We stayed around after these services to introduce our project to those who were interested. This always provides for great conversations and new connections.

One of my favorite quotes from the week came from the pastor of Tomas Kyrkjan, an American citizen who has become the pastor of a Swedish congregation. In trying to describe the origins of the Swedish language, he stated:

"If German and English had a baby, it would be Swedish."

This was certainly a statement for the ages, but Koala and I were thoroughly impressed as we eventually heard him give a sermon entirely in Swedish. Impressive I must say.

The time in Stockholm was a challenge in that we had not been able to pre-arrange any sort of events with the churches. The ways in which we were able to share were blessings considering the short notice with which they were planned, but we sometimes found ourselves frustrated, wondering how the project was really going anywhere. This was a good time to keep in mind the deeper goals behind this project, knowing that this is information that must come into the light, whether we are able to share in huge church settings, or just single conversations, one by one.

a week in stockholm.

2009-02-25T09:34:00.002+01:00

stockholm in short. more words to come...

settling vs. transience

2009-02-17T21:59:00.003+01:00

As we are once again on the road, I have begun to consider the differing values of settling and transience. And it’s not that I think one is better than the other, it’s just that I’m beginning to notice that they each have their positives, and they each have their negatives. With the amount of places we are passing through, it is beautiful to see the friendships God continues to bring us. However, with the amount of the places we are passing through, we are also challenged in learning how to put those friendships on hold, while still allowing them to be preserved for a later date. When I’m settled, I know I long for something new, but as I travel, I often long for something familiar. What I’m learning is that wherever I am is where I need to, and can, find the Lord who loves me. Perhaps it’s not easy, but I’m glad I’m learning something.

a quick dip in skåne.

2009-02-17T21:29:00.007+01:00

Last Monday evening, we arrived into Oslo on a train. It was apparent to Koala and I that we have more luggage than ever. You would be surprised how much luggage you can actually carry if you put your mind, and biceps to the task. In our estimations, we are each carrying upwards of 55 kilos in personal belongings, camera gear, photo exhibition materials, and most of all, multiple copies of our color photography publication.

We were greeted by an acquaintance (who would that evening become more of a friend) who guided us back to an apartment he shared with a few others. It was quite a journey, but we made it in time for dinner, before we met with their Norwegian “Media Village,” – basically a group of Christians who are working in various areas of the media, who gather each week to discuss and consider how they can be bringing the mind of Christ to the media. It was a privilege to meet with such a group of people, who are being intentional to use their abilities and knowledge to speak the truth to their society.

As we shared our project, we in turn had a very in depth discussion on many different aspects of media, communication, photography and the like. As we were talking about our project, God brought me a bit of a revelation about the importance of an individual, something we’ve been talking a lot about in all the places we go. Just as we were traveling the world, in many developing nations, we saw that there was so much that could come of individual encounters. We would always be surprised to see the stories God brought us into contact with as we did our best to be sensitive to the individual people God brought us into contact with. Now, as we share about how we can be a part of bringing hope to the needs of the world, we are also being reminded to see the importance of individual people. I saw that maybe one individual would see our project, and be prompted to go give a cup of coffee to a homeless person on the street, while another could be prompted to go and work with abused women and children in the brothels of southeast Asia. Not that one of these is better, but we can never be entirely aware of the works God could be bringing about in the hearts of people as we do our best to communicate what we have seen of a needy humanity.

(oslo, with the media village)

The next morning, one of the friends we made in this group was kind enough to drive us (and all of our luggage) to the Oslo bus station, where we caught our bus to the south of Sweden, where we would eventually arrive in our next destination of Ängelholm. One of the friends we made during our time in Hawaii, Frida, was kind enough to host Koala and I at her family’s home. They gave us a location to settle that was warm in both temperature and friendship.

Thursday, we spent the day in Café Engel, which is a youth café run by one of the local churches. A lot of youth and young adults come to the café during the week, and are able to have a healthy place to spend their time, with very affordable brownies and coffee. We set up some of our photos, and had a small table for our books, and shared very briefly about our project. The afternoon provided us with some opportunities to connect with a few people on a more personal basis.

Friday night, Koala and I were able to share more in depth with the youth group at Frida’s church. It was a fairly normal evening, as we shared our project and stories like we normally do. It is always a good experience to share these types of things with the youth in the places we go, as it maybe can help them to see that they do have so many opportunities to be a part of ministering hope to the world. It was a nice evening, of sharing the general information about human trafficking, but also sharing on a more personal basis of what God has been teaching us as we’ve been moving around.

(helsingborg)

(lennart, a kind host to pancake night)

After the youth meeting on Friday night, we were introduced to something new: Pancake Church, or Pankaka Kirkjan as they call it in these parts. Our new friend, Lennart, along with others from the church, have begun to cook pancakes on the main street of Ängelholm, to give out to whoever may pass by on a Friday night. Going out to take part in pancake church, I did experience the cold soaking up from the ground, through my shoes, and into my feet, but even more so, I experienced a group of people who are effectively changing the atmosphere of a place that would normally be filled with emptiness, bits of chaos, or plain drunkenness on any other night. People understand cold, people understand love, and people understand pancakes.

(a man decided he would build some structures out of driftwood)

(i spy a koala bear)

Sunday morning, we shared briefly with the main service of Frida’s church. It was just a quick introduction to the issue, but I’m confident that it was effective for the audience. We stayed around for a nice time of coffee, cakes, and good conversation afterwards (this seems to be the norm in Scandinavian churches, a custom I very much enjoy.)

Yesterday evening, Koala and I arrived to our current location, Stockholm. We have spent much of today (Tuesday) with our school leader, Paul Childers, discussing the last couple months, and also discussing details for the months to come. In a city with which we are unfamiliar, it has been nice to be in touch with someone familiar. Today, we were able to get in touch with a local church her in downtown Stockholm, and they have allowed Koala and I to come share at their missions prayer meeting this Thursday afternoon. We are hoping that we will also be able to get in touch with a couple of the other churches in the area as well. I believe God will continue to open the doors in the places He wants us to be. If you think of it, pray that we will be sensitive to where He is leading us.

The Dollar Bills

2009-02-17T01:30:00.001+01:00

With this amount of moving around, it has become a bit challenging financially. If you are willing, I would appreciate if you would prayerfully consider if God would have you to give towards my continuation of this project. If you feel God is leading you to give, donations can be sent to:

Mercer Creek Alliance Church
1407 North ‘B’ St.
Ellensburg, WA 98926

*Checks made payable to CMA, with Tim Dyk – YWAM on the memo line.

Or, there is also the option to pay with credit card through Paypal, as you can see at the right-hand side of this blog.

I do want to be open in communicating this need, but I do not want you to feel guilty if God does not direct you to give. Even if you aren’t giving money, your prayers and interest in what God is doing are an incredible blessing. Throughout the last couple of years, God has continued to provide in ways that are both normal and wild, and I believe He can do the same in this instance.

internet on the bus

2009-02-10T16:07:00.001+01:00

Beings as the bus on which I'm currently riding has free internet, I figured I should make use of the bandwidth to post a small video. This is my view as we move down the western edge of Sweden, to our temporarily-final destination of Angelholm.

hamar to oslo central

2009-02-09T23:08:00.000+01:00

Sometimes, the good Lord gives you some time to think.

to oslo and beyond

2009-02-09T11:20:00.000+01:00

In 1994, skating for the United States of America, Dan Jansen won the first and only gold medal of his Olympic career, in the 1000 meter speed skating, setting a world record in the process, with a time of one minute, 12.43 seconds. All this transpired in the small Norwegian town of Hamar, in the stadium is known as Vikingskipet, meaning “viking ship.” The arena is constructed to look like an upside-down Viking ship. As I watched the 1994 winter Olympics, I was about seven years of age, and was under the impression that the Viking ship I saw on my TV screen was actually an ancient Viking artifact that had been turned into an Olympic venue. Little did I know I would one day visit the blessed site of this American speed-skating victory, and come to the realization that the stadium was simply a piece of creatively-designed modern architecture.

(friday morning at with the media class)

Speaking of architecture, the high school in which we shared this last Friday was a new school, and proved to be most efficient for setting up our presentation. Video connections, microphones, and even lighting were a breeze to operate. This left us much time to speak to the group of Media students who came to hear about the project.

It was such an amazing opportunity to speak to students who will most likely go into fields where they will be communicating issues and ideas to other people. In some ways, it was difficult to share, as we had to be careful not to make our presentation “too spiritual.” This opened my eyes to see just how much a part of our project God was, but it also opened my eyes to just how practical the heart of our God is for the world, as even without becoming “overly spiritual,” the fact that God has concern in His heart for the neediness and broken-ness of humanity is extremely relevant to humanity, whether we consider ourselves “spiritual” or not. So, whether or not these students profess to be followers of Jesus or not, I trust that the truth in Christ’s message of Mercy, and Justice, and Faith can begin to grow in hearts that are open to cultivation; this at least is a start.

(with the creative class at hedmarktoppen)

After finally feeling settled into a new place and group of people, it is never easy to leave. This was definitely the case with leaving the group of students and staff at Hedmarktoppen. It was only a week, but it was a week of seeing different aspects of Christ come to life in different individuals. Each place we go, we make friends, but leaving is always a challenge.

After leaving Hedmarktoppen Friday night, Koala and I shared our project with a youth group at the Free Church in Hamar. It was similar to a lot of times that we share, but it was also interesting as the standing youth pastor is planning to join the photogenX DTS this coming April.

For the last weekend, Koala and I returned to the YWAM base here in Grimerud, where we spent a couple days recuperating from the busy-ness of the week previous. I’ve even been able to find some room in my heart for the sport of nordic skiing. If one were only to watch, it wouldn’t seem to enticing of an activity. However, once the skis are on your feet, to glide across a smooth layer of snow is surprisingly exhilarating. I pray I am blessed with more opportunities to further enhance my nordic skiing capabilities.

(ywam grimerud)

This afternoon, along with our large family of luggage, Koala and I will head down to Oslo for the night. We have plans to meet with a group of Christians who are working in different areas of media in Oslo. It sounds like it will be a fun evening, as we share with them in their apartment about our publication and the Scandinavian tour. Tuesday morning, it looks as though we’ll be boarding either bus or train to head down to Angelholm, Sweden, for the next main stop of the tour.

all aboard!

2009-02-08T19:44:00.000+01:00

here's a bit of a flavor taste of the future. I hope to begin posting more video footage, as a way to make you feel even more apart of the journey.

the Lord, He is a'movin'

2009-02-05T14:47:00.000+01:00

Yesterday was our final day of teaching photography with the creative class here at Hedmarktoppen. It has been a stretch for us to learn how to communicate clearly about the multitude of technical aspects involved in photography, but it is a stretch the Lord was faithful to walk us through at every step.

Some of our time was spent teaching with words, and some of the time was spent helping the students with some hands on photography learning. We even got to do a bit of "light painting."

Last night we were given the opportunity to share in the corporate meeting, where all the schools come together to have a sort of mid-week church service (we taught in the creative school, but there is also a couple sports schools, a global missions school, and a performing arts school.) Like we normally do at events like this, Koala and I explained a bit about our trip, shared a bit of information about human trafficking, and went on to share some of our personal experiences from traveling around the world. At the end, we gave a challenge to the students, to consider the ways that they can be using their resources and talents and ultimately their lives to be seeking the Kingdom of God, rather than the Kingdom of themselves. As we ended with a bit of music and time for prayer, a few came forward to pray with us, some stayed where they were to pray with friends - all in all, it really became clear that God was speaking to people where they were at.

Talking with some of the students in our time here, it is evident that the Lord is moving forward in Norway, and in our world. A couple people have shared with us how it is so easy to build walls around ourselves, hiding our eyes from seeing the real neediness or our own hearts, and the neediness of the world outside of our own self-constructed walls. It's easy to not see our need for the Lord if we can temporarily cover such a need with an immediately tangible material. I am encouraged in challenged by the students here, in that they see these walls that have been built around them, and they want to find out what it is to experience the need of the world outside of their walls. They know that it may hurt, but they are also seeing that they will be seeking something that is real, that has a value beyond this life.

Tonight, Thursday, we have a photography exhibition at Cafe Uno, here in the town of Hamar. We are told many young people come to the cafe to hang out after school, where they can be around a positive community of people.

Tomorrow (Friday) morning, we have been given the opportunity to share in a public school in the area. We're told it is not easy to get the opportunity to share in the schools in this area, so it seems as though the Lord has put this opportunity before us, and we're trusting He'll give us the proper words to say. Please do pray for us in this though - ultimately, we know that nothing we say will have any value unless God is moving in the people we will be sharing with. It is a great opportunity to take this message outside of church walls, and we believe the Lord can accomplish something lasting in the hearts and minds of these young people.

Tomorrow evening, we will be sharing our project with a local youth group, Freik. We value your prayers for this as well.

Thank you for continuing to be a part of the places and people to which God continues to take us.

21:52 / welcome home, kind of

2009-02-03T22:02:00.000+01:00

welcome to our cozy cabin in hedmarktoppen.

from Hedmarktoppen

2009-02-02T22:24:00.000+01:00

I write to you from -14 Celsius. Certainly much colder than our previous destinations of Iceland and the Faroe Islands. It is good to be here, amongst the trees that are soft with frost.

Wednesday evening we arrived at the Stange train station (near Hamar), where we were greeted by softly falling snow, and eventually a kind man who we had arranged to pick us up, and drive us back to YWAM Grimmerud. The buildings at Grimmerud were once used as a boarding school, but they are now home to various YWAM ministries which we were soon introduced to.

Thursday morning we were able to share with some people in a prayer meeting. This was a cool time for us, as we were able to enter into prayer for issues relating to human trafficking with new people. The fresh words and inspiration they had in their prayers were encouragement to us as we continue to take this message with us to different locations.

Friday morning, we were given the opportunity to share with a class of international students studying the Principals of Children's and Youth Ministries (PCYM as they say in YWAM...everything seems to have an acronym.) I was excited to share our project with people who are preparing to invest in the lives of children and young people in practical ways.

Sunday night, we took a short journey to the north side of Hamar, to where we now reside, a school called Hedmarktoppen. In Norway, young people are given the option of attending schools where they have the option of taking courses, where they can invest in learning a variety interests. It is basically a year that encourages the students to develop more socially, before they continue on with university or other career options. This school here is Christian based, and they have a variety of different focus' for the students to chose from.

From Monday until Wednesday, Koala and I will be teaching photography to some of the students here. It is a very new experience for us, and we would certainly value your prayers as we step into this very new avenue. We know God has equipped us with something that we can in turn share with others, but we lack much experience in actually communicating our knowledge of photography to others. Please pray that the Lord will direct us in a way that is clear, creative, and effective.

Later this week, we have a few more events. I will do my utmost to keep you completely within the loop of the current events.

from economic protests to small green islands

2009-01-28T02:18:00.000+01:00

I am told via my elder sibling, who was informed via wikipedia, that Faroe Islands translates to "sheep" Islands. This is confirmed to me through our local contacts. Early this morning Koala and I will be leaving these Sheep-laden Islands, and should be into Grimmerud, Norway by sometime tonight, via Copenhagen and Oslo.

The last couple weeks have been pretty full, but I am thankful to say at least they have been full of goodness. The last week of Iceland involved a trip around the Island, to the towns of Egilstadir in the east, and Akureyri in the north. Each of these places taught us a lot about the value of meeting together with other believers, even when small in number. Sharing in the personal setting of homes warm with love was a privilege.

The last few days in Reykjavik also provided a few more opportunities to share our book and traveling-photo-exhibition, in a couple different cafes, and a couple different churches as well. I continue to be surprised how God has directed my words by the wisdom of his Spirit, rather than any "insight" of my own. I'm seeing that so much of what God needs us to be is simply available.

(cafe rot)

(islenska kristkirkjan)

You may have heard about civil unrest regarding the economic downfall of Iceland. We were able to see a small bit of what was happening. It was very eye-opening in regards to my understanding of world affairs, and human beings in general.

For the last week, we have been in the Faroe Islands. We have been blessed by the natural beauty, lack of commercialism, and small percentage of tourism in the area. These islands are definitely one of the most unique locations on which I have ever set my feet. Even more than this, we have been able to partner with the local YWAM team to share our project with the body of Christ here on the island. More and more we are blessed to see how his body transcends buildings and denominations. We have shared mostly in church buildings, but also in church meetings held in homes.

(koala and our faithful translator, eydstein, at the salvation army)

(faroe fish factory)

...one of the church meetings from a home also networked us into the opportunity for a tour of a local fish factory. If you ever get to take part in a house church, maybe you may also be blessed with a similar sort of field-trip.

So, once again, Koala and I have packed up, and are prepared to hit the sky. I am learning to specialize at slumber in upright positions. I look forward to writing from Grimmerud.

pre-teen post

2009-01-23T13:38:00.001+01:00

the landing was abrupt, but koala and i have arrived here in the faroe islands. i actually wasn't aware when the wheels touched the ground, but it was good to know we were safely on a solid mass of land.

we are living in a cozy house here, run by ywam. the staff and their friends here have been extremely warm and welcoming.

today, we plan to head to the northernmost island to share in the weekly youth-meeting at a church.

i just wanted to post this because:
1. i've been meaning to keep a blog that is both frequent and fresh.
2. to let you know i have the intentions to post something more extensive regarding the rest of our time in iceland.

so, a more mature blog post is on its way. for now, this awkward, pre-teen post will have to do.

leaving iceland

2009-01-21T04:24:00.000+01:00

here i type from a tired state of mind, but i wanted to keep all faithful readers updated on what's happening. it's 3:26 am and i haven't slept tonight, so forgive me if i use improper grammar, diction, or syntax.

about 4am reykjavik time we'll be leaving our home here for the airport, so we can fly from here to Copenhagen, where we will then rendezvous with our friend Anna to pick up some books. We will then fly from Copenhagen to Torshavn, the main city of the Faroe Islands. We plan to be there for about a week, and we're looking forward to visiting what we've heard is such a unique place.

please do pray for favor with the clerks, as we are carrying a lot of luggage with all the materials for our project and exhibition. weight restrictions in europe seem to be extremely tight, so we need an overwhelming portion of understanding with whoever will be checking them. do pray that koala and i look extra cute.

i'm tired now, but i look forward to communicating the happenings of this last week or so here in Iceland. it seems to have been fruitful.

time for some strawberry yogurt + granola to calm this unrested stomach.

It's Not Nearly as Cold as You Would Think.

2009-01-11T14:47:00.000+01:00

Please do forgive the delay in posting. I guess I didn’t realize how many things would be taking place all at one time. I would have preferred to let you know I was heading to Iceland before I was actually here. But now I guess it is too late for that. I now write to you from Reykjavík (I arrived early morning on January 3rd.) Yesterday was my one-week anniversary with Iceland.

Some technical information:

Reykjavík is the capital city of Iceland, though it is not a massive city. The greater Reykjavík area is home to about 200,000 people (there is somewhere around 300,000 in the entire country).

In land area, Iceland is approximately the size of Kentucky.

Temperatures? Actually it’s not that cold right now. I hear it does get cold here, but since we’ve arrived, it’s usually in the high 30’s Fahrenheit. This week they say the temperatures are dropping, but we’ll see. I saw in the newspaper yesterday that it snowed in Madrid, while we are without snow here in the much more northerly latitudes.

Another oddity is the amount of Darkness. If it’s a cloudy day there will be about five ours of light, and if it’s clear, maybe around 6 or so. Most of the time here it’s been cloudy, but it’s gradually clearing up. When it is clear, the sky seems to be in a state of constant sunset, which I find to be quite nice.

Language. Icelandic is certainly the most used language in everyday life, but most Icelanders, especially the younger generations, speak in English quite often. At least when us English speakers are present, they will switch between the two languages with ease.

After arriving here last Saturday morning, and taking advantage of scraps of time in which we could catch up on sleep, Jeong-Heon (whom I will now refer to as Koala) and I attended three different church services last Sunday. The churches were gracious enough to allow us to introduce our project, even though they met us only very briefly before their services. We didn’t by any means show the entirety of our project, but it was good to be able give a brief picture of our project and start telling people what we plan to be up to here in Iceland for the next couple weeks.

And it certainly isn’t of our own accord that Koala and I have been able to just walk into these churches to share. In planning for our time in Iceland, we have been blessed with some amazing local contacts (with whom we are now friends) who have been planning, organizing, and facilitating different venues in which to exhibit our materials. Tinna Schram, and Elizabeth Ingólfsdóttir have each taken an extensive amount of time to help Koala and I as we begin to arrange venues to share our book, photography, and experiences. They were each involved in the past with different photogenX Discipleship Training Schools in Kona, and so they’ve participated in similar photography projects and advocacy work.

(the book, for sale in Café Glætan)

(elizabeth, tinna, and koala.)

This week we started to set up different events, mostly around Reykjavík. As we have walked around town with Tinna and Elizabeth, proposing the publication and other material to different café’s, venues, and galleries, we have been surprised to see people’s openness to allow us to share our project on such short notice. Much of this tour has involved stepping forward, even when we haven’t always had scheduled events, and it is cool to see even this early on in the tour that things are still able to come together in such a manner. It is evident that the Lord is working - opening doors where we would otherwise not be capable.

(cafe rot, where much of our work gets done, thanks to stefan and the cool atmosphere.)

This last Thursday, we were able to have our first official exhibit, in a café in downtown Reykjavik, called Kaffi Hljómalind. My small advert: It is a cool place, with an entire menu of organic, fair trade coffees. They had a cool community space, in which we were able to set up an exhibit of our photography. We were also blessed with some amazingly talented musicians (there seems to be a plethora in these parts) who played music while guests came to see photos. As we announced in the café that we were having a photo exhibit towards the back of the shop, we eventually had many new acquaintances, which whom we were able to share more about the issue of human trafficking. It was beautiful to see what God is already placing on the hearts of individuals for the issues of this world, and it is a privilege to share with them something that speaks of hope.

(sharing about the book in kaffi hljómalind.)

(kristo and einar provided a wonderful musical atmosphere.)

(elizabeth's father, ingolfur.)

So, for the week to come, we have an increasingly busy schedule.

Monday it looks like we will be heading to the eastern side of these lands to small village by the name of Egilstadir, home to about 1,800 people. Tinna has contacts with a guesthouse/church in the area, so we will be sharing our project in a smaller, more personal sort of setting in the Icelandic countryside.

After we return to Reykjavik on Wednesday or so, the schedule is as follows:

15th: Thursday: Photography Exhibit in Café Rot: 8:30 – 11:30 PM
16th: Friday: Presentation at Islenska Kristkirkjan: 8:00 PM
17th: Saturday: Café Glætan: Photo Lesson+exhibit: 1:00 – 6:00 PM
18th: Sunday: Presentation in Vegurinn Church: 2:00 PM
20th: Tuesday: Exhibit at Local Youth Center: all day

It’s exciting to see what God is enabling us to be a part of for the short time that we are here in Iceland. We would value your prayers for these events, and even for the various interactions we have throughout our time here. Pray that the Lord will use this project to direct people to ways that they can actively begin seeking His Kingdom, a Kingdom marked by Faith, Hope, and Love.

a change in title.

2009-01-10T13:55:00.000+01:00

You may be wondering why I chose to alter the title of the blog at this place in time and history. “Donde Esta Timoteo?” did its job for its time, but recently, the Lord has put something new in my heart, or at least a new description of it.

This last December, as I was home driving on Interstate 82, from Ellensburg to Cle Elum Washington, I was pondering, and the thought came to mind, “Everywhere is a place you can go.” Some may say this is arguable, but the way I see it, there isn’t a place you couldn’t travel to. Though there are national borders and visa restrictions, I would like to think that all portions of the planet are accessible in some way or another (in some cases we would have to be more creative in making travel arrangements).

So, there was the beginning of this idea, which I believe was dropped into my brain by the Lord. Then, as I prayed about this idea slightly more, it was sharpened into something more specific: “Everywhere is somewhere we must go.” Jesus told us to go into all the world (Mark 16:15) and as His followers, we have the privilege of taking seeds of His kingdom with us wherever we go - seeds like justice and love and mercy and hope and life (momentary and eternal).

In Psalm 145, David talks about the kingdom of God.

All Your works shall praise You, O Lord,
And Your saints shall bless You.
They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom,
And talk of Your power,
To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts,
And the glorious majesty of His kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.
(verses 10-13, New King James Version)

So really, is there anywhere the kingdom of God mustn’t flourish? God wants His love to be known in the deepest parts of the Amazonian Rainforest, in the brothels of Bangkok, in the Holy Land, in Zimbabwe, in remote villages in Eastern Iceland…

We Are People But He is God

2008-11-23T01:54:00.000+01:00

I write to you all from a drizzly and cloud covered Kona. The weather here is reminding me of home. Those of you in beautiful Washington State may already be at odds with the blustery weather conditions, but strangely enough, I often find myself missing those blustery weather conditions.

The last couple weeks, our class has spent largely focused on preparing for our upcoming distribution tours for our book, Sex & Money: A Global Search For Human Worth. Rather than the normal lectures we would usually have during the week, we have received some much needed time to devote to getting next quarter’s outreaches going in the right direction. So far, my team (Koala and I) has finalized a majority of our promotional information that we will be sending to venues (churches, cafes, galleries, and the like.) In addition to this, we have been working on other logistical aspects of our tours, such as budgets, itineraries, and other details of getting from place to place. Fairly dry subject matter to discuss in written form, but I figure it is good to keep everyone in the loop.

In addition to the all-American celebration of Thanks that is to be celebrated this next Thursday (I am thankful for purple Hawaiian sweet potatoes) the next couple weeks will be mostly the same. In the days to come, Koala and I, in addition to our class, would greatly value your prayers. Specifically:

-We are currently working with our contacts in the various countries to arrange speaking arrangements, exhibitions and such. We have been blessed with contacts in each of the places we’ll be visiting, but we could use your prayers to get the right events finalized at the right places and times.

-A lot of times, I feel a bit overwhelmed with the amount of coordination that is necessary for two people to take this project through six countries in three months. I know it is possible, but it is evident that my know-how and abilities only go so far. I guess you could say I could use an extension of faith and wisdom.

-With this project, I feel like I am now a place of preparing “to step out of the boat.” I have been to the third world countries, I have seen various instances of need, but to now portray these needs to the western world in a way that will motivate people to act will be something new, and certainly challenging.

I appreciate the partnership and interest you have taken in this project. I believe this upcoming time of new-ness will be fruitful, both as something that increases action in opposition to injustice in our world, as well as something that will enlighten my heart more to the character and competence of our God. I am already becoming more aware of my humanity in contrast to His divinity.

FYI: This last week marks the celebration of the purchasing of my ticket to Reykjavik, Iceland. I think this is cause for celebration. {!} I shall embark for the far north on January 2.

The Looming Distribution

2008-11-02T22:02:00.000+01:00

*Click on the pages to grow them into something more viewable.

introduction:

2008-10-13T02:49:00.000+02:00

The following seven essays were written regarding the creation process, a process which was initiated by the loving, personal, triune God of our universe. My aim here is neither to be entirely comprehensive, nor is it to be an expert scientist; however, an aim I do have is to direct attention to the nature of a God who is not only entirely powerful, but also wonderfully personal. Looking at the technicalities contained within creation, it is clear that science does not have to be about placing God into any sort of constrained system; rather, God seems have allowed Himself to be made known through all the empirical formulas and chemical reactions that occur within the universe - after all, He was the one to initiate them.

If you find my understanding of science to be dodgy, it probably is. Please feel free to enlighten me to a more accurate understanding of our world.

light.

2008-10-13T02:27:00.000+02:00

(North Kohala, Hawaii, USA)

The night is far spent, the day is at hand…

Romans 13:12 (NKJV)

Light came with words. The spirit of God was hovering over the waters in a world of darkness, and with the voice of God, light was spoken into existence. No longer were things hidden, obscure, but they were made evident, defined. With light, we are graced with the ability to take in and comprehend the beauty of the world around us, specifically through colors; colors, however, are not what they would automatically seem.

In 1665, Isaac Newton, at the time a young student in Britain, conducted an experiment with light. Newton allowed a ray of sunlight to pass through a prism, and found that that when the sunlight was refracted, it refracted a band of many colors, or what is actually the entire spectrum of visible color. Newton came to the conclusion that “white light” is not in itself white, but is actually made up of all other colors (Burnie).

Thanks to these experiments, we can know that certain objects are not colored in and of themselves; rather, we only see color in objects because of the type of light they absorb, and the type of light they reflect. This process is known as “color subtraction.” For example, when the three primary colors of the spectrum (red, green, and blue) are directed towards an object, if the object absorbs the green light and reflects the red and blue light, our eyes will mix the reflected colors of red and blue, causing the object to appear as a magenta tone. If the spectrum of light is shone at an object, and all the colors are absorbed, reflecting no light, the object will appear to our eyes as black (Burnie.)

When light was made to exist, an interesting turn was taken for all that had existed previously (at this time it sounds like there was only a formless sum of water). With reality illuminated, no longer was existence absorbed in “blackness;” instead, the world was made capable of something new: hues, gradients, textures, pigment, and eventually even the knowledge of these. With the addition of such a dimension, no longer would darkness keep all things hidden within itself, but there would now be lightness, made to contain and communicate all colors, existence, and truth.

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

John 1:4-5 (NKJV)

Source:
(Burnie, David. Light. 18-19, 28-33. Dorling Kindersley. 2000.)

atmosphere.

2008-10-13T02:05:00.000+02:00

"But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built!..."

1 Kings 8:27 (NKJV)

The English word atmosphere comes from the Greek word atmos, meaning, “vapor,” and sphaira, meaning, “ball” or, “globe.”

Our atmosphere is comprised of four main layers. The first layer, the layer of the atmosphere in which we will spend most of our lives is known as the troposphere, which extends upwards about 7 miles (11 Kilometers) from the surface of the earth, though these distances often vary by a few miles. The average temperature of the earth is 59 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius,) but for every mile you go up in elevation, the temperature drops around 17 F per mile (9.4 C/km). So, once you reach the uppermost part of the troposphere, the temperature is somewhere about – 61 F (-52 C). Most all weather takes place in the troposphere, and cycles of wind also circulate throughout the troposphere, keeping systems of air and weather properly balanced in different areas of the world (Vogt.)

The next layer, the stratosphere, goes to around 30 miles (48 Kilometers) above the surface of the earth. The main role of the stratosphere is to filter out harmful ultraviolet rays that radiate from the sun. Because the stratosphere contains the gas known as ozone, it is able to protect us from what would otherwise be very harmful concentrations of sunlight. Because the stratosphere absorbs so much sunlight, the average temperature is slightly warmer. Starting at about -62 F (-52 C) its lower part, it increases to as much as 27 F (33 C) (Vogt.)

Above the stratosphere lies the mesosphere, which extends somewhere around 50 miles (80 kilometers) above the surface of the earth. Like the stratosphere, the mesosphere also absorbs a significant amount of energy from the sunlight, however at its upper reaches, its average temperature is a bit lower, around -130 F (-90 C) (Vogt.)

The outermost layer of our atmosphere is the thermosphere, which stretches to around 370 miles (595 kilometers) from the surface of the earth, and it is most certainly the warmest layer, with temperatures that often climb to more than 3,100 F (1,700 C). Because there are so few molecules in this layer, the molecules that do exist are quickly affected by the sun’s energy that is entering our atmosphere (Vogt.)

Looking at the layers of the atmosphere, it seems as though the layers were designed to act as a sort of filter from the harsh circumstances that attempt to (and sometimes do) enter our planet. Without the layers and molecules and currents running around in the skies above, we would have no chance of withstanding the unforgiving elements that are trying to enter in. Because we would certainly be done for without protection, it seems evident that in creating the atmosphere, and the layers therein, God was implementing a sort of safeguard, to save us, along with all the rest of creation, from harmful radiation, AKA certain destruction.

Source:
(Vogt, Gregory. The atmosphere: Planetary Heat Engine. 22-25. Twenty-First Century Books. 2007.)

plants, etc.

2008-10-13T01:48:00.000+02:00

You visit the earth and water it, You greatly enrich it; The river of God is full of water; You provide their grain, For so You have prepared it. You water its ridges abundantly, You settle its furrows; You make it soft with showers, You bless its growth. You crown the year with Your goodness, And Your paths drip with abundance. They drop on the pastures of the wilderness, And the little hills rejoice on every side. The pastures are clothes with flocks; The valleys also are covered with grain; They shout for joy, they also sing.

Psalm 65:9-13 (NKJV)

God is the good farmer. God created the land, and the plants that fill it, purposing that there would be a yield from that which He created. The creation of vegetation wasn’t just a one-time thing, but it was something that was designed to be sustaining, that would continue to carry itself out over the course of the future. With the creation of plants and all forms of vegetation, God was making provision for the living creatures that He would eventually create. Some of these provisions include the food we harvest from plants, the healing remedies they offer us, as well as the way in which they act as a sort of filter for the air we breathe, to name a few.

Organisms that obtain their energy from sunlight are known as photoautotrophs. During the process known as photosynthesis, with energy provided by the sun, plants, algae, and certain bacteria convert carbon dioxide and water into sugars and oxygen. In plants, sunlight is absorbed by chloroplasts, which are basically small compartments containing the light-sensitive pigment known as chlorophyll. It is estimated that for every square millimeter of leaf, there are somewhere between 450,000 and 800,000 chloroplasts. The sugar and oxygen created through photosynthesis provide sufficient energy for a couple of things to take place. First of all, the sugars act as the fuel that allows the organism carry out all processes that are necessary for existence. The plant does make use of a small part of the oxygen that is produced through photosynthesis, but a majority of the oxygen is releases through the stomata (microscopic openings through which the plant can breathe) (wikipedia.org.)

Considering the process of photosynthesis, it is easy to see the importance of the sun – not just for plants, algae, and bacteria, but for the entirety of creation. The sun basically powers the energy cycle of the entire earth. Without the sun, we would have no vegetation, and without vegetation, we would either:

a. Die of hunger, as there would be no food. No, their wouldn’t be animals to eat – without plants they also would go hungry.
b. Suffocate and/or become polluted with toxic air.
c. Both of the above.

The cycle of energy God has created is extremely functional, but with this functionality we are also faced with our frailty. Try as we may to configure our economies and alter global politics and live a life characterized by “success”, at the end of the day, without food, without air, without a God who is love to hold us in the balance, we would certainly waste away. Existence is fragile.

Sources:
(Photosynthesis. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthesis#Oxygen_and_photosynthesis : accessed on October 8, 2008.)

John Paul Vicory. Phone Interview.

stars.

2008-10-13T01:34:00.000+02:00

(Mauna Kea, The Big Island, Hawaii)

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?

Psalm 8:3-4 (NKJV)

Astronomers estimate that the universe contains about 100 billion galaxies, each containing an average of 100 billion stars (Eyewitness.) With these numbers in mind, it is hard to imagine that any one being could manage all these, not to mention all the other life processes taking place, even down to the molecular scale. Somehow though, the one who holds the outermost of galaxies together is also the one who sustains our hearts when we find ourselves in precarious positions.

Within our solar system, there exist clouds and dust and gas. These are known as nebulae (singular: nebula). Often, nebulae will appear to be bright shining clouds floating in the midst of a field of stars; they appear this way as the dust and gas they contain is often lit up by the light and radiation of the surrounding stars (Kindersley.) (Do recall the earlier essay regarding our ability to see color.) Just as we continue to find various nebulae throughout the universe, we find that our universe is growing, expanding, continually being created (perhaps it is an enjoyable hobby to create new existence from exceedingly large amounts of solar dust and accumulated sums of chemicals, measuring increments in light-years).

Nebulae provide a platform and material for which the formation of a new star can take place. When material within a certain portion of a nebula begins to condense into a concentrated area, what is known as a globule begins to form. Because of the gravity that begins to increase in the globule, other material in the surrounding of the nebula begins to be drawn to it. This accumulated material is what is known as a protostar. Over time, these protostars grow, become full grown stars, and as we see with many stars, they eventually die out, either exploding into supernovas, or slowly fizzling out into black dwarfs (Kindersley.)

Hotter stars will glow in a bluish tone, whereas the cooler stars will emit more of a reddish color. The sun at the center of our solar system is a fairly average star. Its diameter is about 870,000 miles (though many stars are about 450 times smaller, some stars exist that are at least 1000 times bigger than our sun). In the core of the sun, hydrogen is being converted to helium through nuclear fission, a process which gives off a significant amount of energy, i.e. enough to energy and heat to sustain the necessary processes for life on our planet, i.e. photosynthesis (Kindersley.)

Processes like those mentioned above are happening all across the universe, at varying intervals and various moments in time. It’s an intimidating reality. What are we that our interests and needs should stand in front of the billions upon billions of nuclear reactions that must be managed, orchestrated? It is strange to find the shortcomings of our hearts and the practical neediness of our hands are suddenly looked after, as we find our imperfect selves cherished by the being who says, “I love you more than any amount of stars, galaxies, or nebulae.” Perhaps this is the more intimidating reality.

Source:
(Eyewitness Visual Dictionaries. The Visual Dictionary of the Universe. 12-13, 18-23, 28-29. Dorling Kindersley. 1993.)

flying.

2008-10-13T01:13:00.000+02:00

(Cannon Beach, Oregon, USA)

Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

Matthew 6:26-27 (NKJV)

By the time man finally began to partially figure out the technicalities behind aviation, the science of flight had long since been perfected in the animal kingdom, the most obvious instance being birds. We will often think ourselves so clever, as we hop from continent to continent in a matter of hours, but this process was made possible not with innovation that was thought up by Boeing or Airbus. The real “technology” was initiated into reality by the mind of a slightly more sovereign engineer.

Let’s talk about internal framework. Should members of the avian family have been created with a more bulky bone structure, science shows that they would have a hard time flying in any sort of efficient manner, that is if they could even fly at all. In designing birds, it was evident that weight reduction would be necessary, and we can see the effects of this executive decision in the lightweight, hollow bones that mark members of the flying kingdom. Other weight-reducing aspects include the replacement of teeth with a gizzard; less joints; and a lightweight beak instead of a heavier jawbone (Markle.)

Once weight was reduced, it was time to move onto the logistics of actually allowing a living creature to change it’s position in altitude and geography floating on nothing more than air. Bird’s wings were created in the shape of an airfoil, which basically means that the leading edge and top of the wing are curved, while the bottom surface of the wing is relatively flat. Because of this, when a bird’s wing moves through the air, the air going over the top of wing must move faster than the air traveling beneath the wing. This creates lift, which allows the bird to fly in an upward direction from its original location.

There are certainly other factors and variables contributing to the flight efficiency of birds and other members of the animal kingdom that make use of such technology, but these are some of the basic keys to flight - the fruits of which we often see in the technology we use to move from place to place. As aircraft manufacturers continue to battle it out over who can produce the most efficient, appealing, and luxurious aero-liners, it would not be surprising to see that more innovation has yet to be discovered in the deeper technicalities of the structures and processes found in flying creatures. This does not go to say that we need to consider replacing the jawbones of our 767’s with lightweight beaks, but certainly the innovation that is visible in this area of the animal kingdom should provoke our thinking. Does innovation come from the heart of man, or has it already been copy written by the mind of Divinity?

Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Matthew 10: 29-31 (NKJV)

Source:
(Markle, Sandra. Outside and Inside Birds. 8-11, 23. Maxwell Macmillan. 1994.)

sight.

2008-10-13T00:41:00.000+02:00

(Pebane, Mozambique)

He who planted the ear, shall He not hear? He who formed the eye, shall He not see?

Psalm 94:9 (NKJV)

It seems strange that our eyes, spheres of tissue and pressurized liquids, can allow for the transfer of reflected rays of light from the world around us into an image that we are able to see, process, and sometimes understand. Without sight, to say the least it would be hard to process much that occurs in our surroundings.

The first place that light enters the eye is through the cornea, which bends surrounding light into the eye (Seymour). The colored part of our eyes is known as the Iris, while the opening at the center of the iris is identified as the pupil. In dark conditions, the Iris will relax, allowing the pupil to increase in size and thus become more sensitive to the little amount of light that is available. When more light is present, the iris will contract, thus decreasing the size of the pupil, therefore limiting the amount of light that is allowed to enter the eye. Once it has passed through the pupil, the remaining light travels through the lens, which is the consistency of a hard jelly. To bring objects into focus, ciliary muscles surrounding the lens contract to make the focal length of the lens thicker, and relax to make it thinner (Burnie).

Once light has passed through the lens of the eye, it travels through the vitreous humor (the liquid material that fills the eye) and is projected onto the retina, which is basically the back surface on the inside of the eyeball, which is full of light-sensitive nerve endings, identified as either cones or rods. Rod cells are sensitive to shades of brightness, and are helpful in seeing in black and white. They are most useful in low light conditions. Cone cells function best in bright circumstances, and enable us to view colors. Most cones are concentrated around the center of the retina, while most of the rods exist on the periphery of the retina. Each rod and cone is connected to the brain through it’s own individual nerve. All the nerves connected to the rods and cones in the retina come together to form what is known as the optical nerve. As light strikes the different rods and cones in the retina, they transmit signals of an image to the brain through minute electronic signals (Seymour). The information sent to the brain by each individual rod and cone is then processed by the brain to compose an image. Originally, this image is upside down, but the brain is able to analyze the signal and reverse it into its proper form, as it exists in reality.

Perhaps God gave us these tools because He had (has, will have) something to communicate to us, that He wanted us to more fully understand. Do we chose to live with our eyes shut, covered, averted, or are we willing to make ourselves vulnerable to the visions of need in the world in which we are placed?

Sources:
(Burnie, David. Light. Dorling Kindersley Limited. 1999.)
(Simon, Seymour. Eyes and Ears. Harper Collins. 2003.)

rest.

2008-10-13T00:24:00.001+02:00

(Seinne River, Paris, France)

Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.

Psalm 37:7 (NKJV)

It is hard to feel at rest in a world that is constantly moving. After bringing into existence all that is, the God of the universe decided it was time to take a pause .

In Deuteronomy 5:14-15, the Hebrew translation of Sabbath is shabbath, meaning, “intermission.” In the same context, these verses make use of the word rest, which in this instance translates to nuach, the Hebrew word which communicates settling down, ceasing, withdrawing, or giving comfort, (among other things) (Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries). In this context, in which God gave to Israel the Ten Commandments, God was setting up a sort of social code of conduct for the Israelites (ISBE), as they had just come away from a life of harsh exploitation beneath the Egyptians. By commanding the Israelites to take an “intermission” from their work week, he was giving them a system by which all people involved - Israelites and their workers and their livestock - would be treated fairly, allowing them to live healthy lives in which they could relate to their God, rather than making their work into something more important than the God with whom they were created to relate.

It seems as though Israel went through two different extremes with the Sabbath; at times they completely brushed off the requirements of the Sabbath, working themselves, their workers, their land, and their livestock to exhaustion, while later they began to over-observe the day of rest with an overzealous sense of self-righteousness. “The prophets found fault with the worship on the Sabbath, because it was not spiritual nor prompted by love and gratitude. (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia).” By the time Jesus came onto the scene, the Sabbath had become something extremely legalistic, and devoid of the original meaning with which it was created. Humans had allowed a law come to stand in the way of the God it was meant to point them towards. Jesus proclaimed, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also LORD of the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27-28).

Paul professed a Christian liberty that existed in every day, or every season (ISBE). In Colossians 2:16-17, Paul states, “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.” Paul is not deeming a Sabbath day as unimportant; rather, he seems to say that because of our being made right with God through Jesus Christ, the day in which the Sabbath is observed is not what is important, but rather we must give honor, and place our relations to Him before every other priority that could ever enter into our lives, hearts, or minds, on any day of the week.

What appears to be evident is that we are more important to God that anything we could ever accomplish, construct, complete, observe, or achieve. In rest, we come to encounter a God who is less concerned about doing, and more concerned about our being. Will we love this God who dies to be with us, or will we embrace more warmly a sticky-note of tasks we must accomplish?

final steps and the invisibly changing seasons

2008-09-16T06:02:00.000+02:00

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…

in kona, a project takes flight

2008-07-28T09:59:00.000+02:00

I realize it has been a few weeks since my last update, and not a lot has changed here since then, but I did want to keep you all in the loop as far as what is happening with our program here in Kona. It does feel as though we are finally beginning to settle down here. It is weird to think of being in a place now for more than a month.

For those of you who don't know, our class is now going through the process of making a publication from our photos and experiences over the last nine months of travel. It is a daunting task, assembling the minds of about 20 people and trying to achieve a common vision and result, but we've been seeing God working unity into our minds as we take small steps. Basically, the aim of us making a publication is to then go out distributing the publication in different areas around the world, using it as a tool to bring awareness to people regarding different issues of injustice in the world, and motivating people to get involved with those areas of need with their time, resources and energy. Our hope is that we will be able to portray areas of need in our world in a relevant way, showing people the reality of injustice in our world, but at the same time, showing the hope for change that exists with those needs. In this, we would very much value your prayers.

I appreciate all of your involvement in the process thus far. It has been an amazing experience to see so many places and meet so many people and learn about so many different issues. These next months will be quite a bit different, but I'm looking forward to learn how to portray these places, people and issues in an effective way, from the perspective of God's heart. I am blessed by your partnership with me in this.

¿cultura en la tierra?

2008-07-13T02:06:00.000+02:00

Somewhere around 1000 years ago, a people group known as the Maleku tribe existed with little or no conflict in lands that are now included in what we would define as the nation of Costa Rica. The land was free; there were no private owners. The Maleku could go where they wanted and do what they pleased, with nothing to stand in their way. At this point in time, the population was believed to be somewhere around 20,000. Gradually, as the Maleku people continued to branch our to surrounding areas, they eventually arrived in what is now part of Nicaragua. As those from the Nicaraguan area became aware of the Maleku people, settlers in the area of Nicaragua slowly began to take advantage of the Maleku people, and there were many cases of these people going to the Maleku land, killing men, taking their wives, in addition to whatever resources they could get their hands on, such as the rubber that was grown on much of the Maleku land. As outside peoples began to infiltrate Maleku land, they influenced many of the Maleku people to give up their land on unfair trades for horses, dogs, booze and the like. Land, which originally belonged to the Maleku people, ultimately ended up in the hands of private landowners, with little or no connection to the blood or culture of the Maleku people. While the original population of the Maleku tribe was at one point over 20,000, two hundred years ago the tribe only existed in the amount of 1,000 people. Today they exist in the number of somewhere around 600.

(Rio Celestial - phosphorus from the nearby volcano mixes with the water to make it a bright turquoise color.)

(the active volcano, Arenal)

Over time, the population of Maleku people has continued to decrease. In 1977, the Costa Rican government approved a law in favor of the indigenous people groups in the country, providing lawful grounds for much of their original land to be returned. In reality, very little of this land has been returned to the possession of the Maleku tribe. The problem with the law is that the land set apart for the Maleku people is currently in the possession of private landowners. So, even though land may have been designated for this indigenous people group, they cannot really be in possession of the land until it is purchased back from the private landowners. Unfortunately, the Costa Rican government has not seen this as much of a priority, and has therefore not devoted the amount of money necessary to buy back the entirety of the land. There are currently three Maleku villages near Guatuso, Costa Rica: Palenque Margarita, Palenque Tonjibe, and Palenque del Sol (Palenque is a word meaning “indigenous community.”) Currently, the approximately 600 Maleku people currently living in these villages exist on less than 5% of the land that is in law entitled to them.

As the government has not made much ground in the process of returning the land to the Maleku people, some of the leaders in the Maleku community have taken it upon themselves to develop programs by which they can raise money for the purchase of the land. Currently, a friend of the Maleku tribe from the United States is attempting to raise money through selling coffee from Costa Rica in the United States (they are currently contemplating plans to begin a coffee plantation run by the Maleku people themselves, but it is not yet certain.) 10% of the profits from this coffee business will go help the Maleku people purchase their land. This program is currently just in the beginning stages, and as the current profits are small, it is not certain if it will be fully effective for the procurement of such a large and expensive amount of land. It is not clear what will transpire with the Maleku people, their land, or the continuation of their culture. They seek to obtain their land, because, they say, “The culture is in the land.” Currently, as they are not possessing the entirety of their land, many of the Maleku tribesmen feel that they are not possessing the entirely of their culture.

(Bienvenido Cruz, and his wife, Celina)

Bienvenido (the Spanish word for welcome) Cruz, 60, the father of six, and a leader in the Maleku community living in Palenque Tonjibe, has been working most of his lifetime for the return of the land that his people are by law entitled to. From his standpoint, one of the biggest contributing factors to the degradation of the Maleku culture is Christianity, or at least what he sees of Christianity. This brings up some interesting issues.

(the extended cruz family)

Before the arrival of missionaries in the last few centuries, the traditional Maleku culture was involved in worship of Toku (the Maleku word for God.) Toku represented everything that exists. They would worship him in ceremonies involving cocoa, which was sacred simply for the reason that it was created by Toku. They would take cocoa butter, rub it on their arms and face, and begin speaking and singing to Toku in the Maleku language. These ceremonies would also usually involve chicha, a fairly hallucinogenic drink. Often the worship would be in thanks for provision of food after returning from hunting trips. The Maleku people worshipped Toku, (and a few people still do), but there was not a direct means by which they could personally interact and speak with him. The Toku they worshiped existed in the form of a single carved image, and only one man, the Cacique (similar to a priest) would communicate with the carved image, and communicate commandments and instructions to the people. Any right or wrong would be communicated through the Cacique to the people, but these commandments of right and wrong would usually change from generation to generation. Nowadays though, those who continue to worship Toku do not know the whereabouts of the carved image, and even if they knew where it was, there is no longer a Cacique to communicate with the image. Bienvenido, a worshipper of Toku, says that he still worships, but he cannot communicate with Toku. Bienvenido worships, but he doesn’t know the image. He feels that if he were to come to a faith in Jesus, he would be renouncing his culture, and says that the rest of the community would be wiped out as a result.

(los chanchos.)

Some of Bienvenido’s children have come to find a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Missionaries brought the gospel message many years ago, but people in the Maleku community have not come to faith out of being forced by missionaries; rather, they speak of how they have come to see Jesus as a personal God, who loves them, with whom they need no medium to communicate. Followers of Christ in the Maleku community still acknowledge their desires for their land to be returned, and they do express a concern for the preservation of their culture, but they are also aware that there were many areas of their culture that did not align with the ultimate truth of the gospel. These people have found God to be personable. They have found Him to be love. For these they have retained a value of their culture, but a value that is kept in moderation by the ultimate reality of truth. Sadly, followers of Toku, such as Bienvenido, feel that because followers of Christ have given up parts of their culture in accepting Christ, God must not care for the culture of the Maleku people.

(Reception is hard to come by in Palenque Tonjibe. This is the mobile hot-spot for the Cruz family.)

(A local pastor has a weekly spot on the local Maleku radio station. He interviewed my friends and me for the week's show.)

(Gabrielle. The day after consuming an entire squirrel.)

Often we speak of how our God is a God of every tribe, tongue, and nation. Before going to Palenque Tonjibe, I had never been forced to see how this applies when the gospel seems to come up against the traditions of a people-group. With the Maleku people, I see how God is one that cares for the nations, the culture, the traditions, the festivities, but in a more roundabout way than I had once thought. In this instance, it seems that because God has so much value for the Maleku culture, He desires not simply to leave the culture as it exists in and of itself. By caring for their culture, He is bringing reform to that which does not align with His heart, and allowing to remain that which does not hinder His plans, thus allowing their culture to one day walk in its complete perfection. Not wiping out the Maleku culture, forcing it to adorn suit and tie and stand in pews to worship in a way they do not understand, but enabling them to come to a place of walking out their culture to its truest extent, putting them in a place where they are able to begin effectively pursuing the return of their physical lands (in addition to the spiritual lands) He has provided for them.

God has deep concern for culture and tradition, but it is not His biggest goal for our lives. It seems apparent that He is more concerned about us becoming adopted into his family, no matter what type of roots we come from. The Maleku culture is one that needs perfecting. Our own culture is one that needs perfecting (wherever you may exist.) The perfecting is available to us, but will we allow it?

Wed to a Cause: Farming in a Dry Land, or rather, this wasn't what I was expecting.

2008-06-02T00:12:00.000+02:00

Tunisia was most everything I wasn’t expecting. However, in all actuality, I’ve come to the conclusion that this is a good thing. Going to the country in a small group of five others and myself, in addition to going on short notice, we didn’t have a very clear idea of what to expect, but we envisioned, remote, exotic, and certainly removed from large packs of tourists (the latter proved to be the most difficult criteria to fulfill). Though much of what transpired was contrary to our thoughts of what we thought we would be doing in Tunisia, God exposed us to much that, though not a part of our vision, was very much included in His. This was challenging in that it wasn’t taking-a-lot-of-pictures or finding-remote-villages; but God revealed to us what, though slightly less noticeable, was significantly more profound.

(Hedi: wanted me to send him some English tea.)

(Nabil: Makes a killer mint tea)

(pathway in the catacombs)

Going to Tunisia, I was very unaware as to just how much early church history that the area contained. Much of Tunisia is in fact built above the ancient catacombs, where members of the early church would live and function underground to avoid persecution. We were told that nowadays it is not uncommon for areas of ground to simply fall through after rain, revealing new underground passageways where the literal underground church would have existed. The early church existed in this area during a time where Christians were being persecuted harshly, but when the church was growing rapidly. As we were underground in some of the catacombs, our contact walked us through some of the stories of the people who gave their lives in commitment to everything that Christ had called them to. What stood out to me was that when confronted with opportunities to compromise in their faith, even in the smallest of areas, even when it would have saved their lives or allowed them to continue caring for their families, these believers remained completely devoted to everything that Christ had called them to be. Because they had known Christ for who He really was, they were in no position to live in any other way than what He had called them to. This made me think. Am I, as Christ’s beloved, completely wedded to his causes and purposes for my life? After experiencing the catacombs, I desire to come to the place where I can respond in the affirmative.

(Beneath the floor of the coliseum in El Jem. Many Christians may have waited her before being brought out to gladiators, vicious animals, etc.)

It was once said that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. Many of the remains of the early Christian martyrs still exist buried in the catacombs to this day. It could be said then, that Tunisia, is built on seeds for the church. Though many seeds exist in the soil, there are few farmers working in such a land.

While in Tunisia, it was a blessing to meet some of the workers that are cultivating the soil, so to speak. Seeing significance in numbers, they spoke of 2007 as the year of completion, and in turn, they now see 2008 as the year of new beginnings for God’s work in the country. It became apparent that God is indeed beginning a new work, even in such a seemingly dry place. Workers have been coming to Tunisia since the early 1900’s, but until recently, “Christianity” was not something that a majority of the population could connect with. It had yet to be something truly relevant, and even to this day, only about 15% of the population feels any connection with a traditional sense of the Christian faith. Christianity is still seen as something very western; and more than a relationship with God it is associated with much of the debauchery and scandalous activities that so often take place in our culture and are portrayed to the people of Islamic cultures through our music, movies, and other media.

(The edge of the Sahara Desert near Douz)

(Fadel: tour group operator)

(Mohammed: "My heart is in the desert.")

(Moussa: Mohammed found him orphaned in the desert, and is now raising him. )

(Mohammed and his mother: Their family are originally Nomads in the Sahara, but have become more settled in the last couple of years.)

(Fermented Milk: Best consumed extremely quickly)

(One portion of our trip was made alongside a group of Polish tourists. They didn't speak English. We didn't speak Polish.)

The work in Tunisia is moving in a new direction. We were reminded that Jesus wasn’t preaching Christianity; rather, He was preaching the Kingdom of God, which is something He wanted all peoples to be incorporated into. With such a new approach, we are no longer seeking to win people to Christianity, we are seeking to draw people into a realization of their place in God’s family. With this comes a lot of un-learning of what we always thought was necessary for a Christian faith. With the work in Tunisia, workers have found that the simple things are the things that have life. They spoke of how history shows that revival has flown much more quickly in open surroundings, outside of traditional church buildings. Revival did not take place in passive congregations under single pastors; rather, revival occurred where entire congregations as a whole were seeking to live as Christ Himself lived. No longer do we need a formal church building complete with steeple and cross. No longer do we need a bulletin with a schedule of the next week’s events. No longer do we need five worship songs (3 slow, 2 upbeat) followed by a 35-minute sermon (no more, no less). Church can take place in these settings, but it can just as well take place wherever people meet for fellowship, prayer, worship and communion – which could take place in an abandoned warehouse or a comfortable living room complete with matching sofa sets.

It was encouraging to be around people whose minds were so completely geared for the long term. With traveling around over the last many months, we’ve just been getting short glimpses of what God is doing in many different parts of the world. With this program, we are spending short amounts of time in these areas, but in using our photography to expose God’s heart, I am reminded that our goal is in fact to bring about a lasting, long-term change towards the heart of God for each of these areas. In focusing on the long-term, the necessity of commitment to the people, places, and issues involved becomes quite apparent. It’s not something that I need to remember one year, and forget the next; instead, it is toiling when it’s easy, and toiling when it’s difficult, to see a people come to a knowledge of the life (beyond this one) that is revealed to us through Christ Jesus our Lord. Our worker friend told us, “There’s an anointing that goes with the commitment.”

This trip surely challenged me. It challenged me in learning to find what God is doing beyond what I think he should be doing. There is a lot more hope and potential than would automatically seem to be apparent; it just looks different than we would expect. I surely don’t feel like I came away with any pictures that blew my mind, but I do feel as though God accomplished something in my heart, and he taught me so much more about what He is doing, and wanting to do, in our world – in an Islamic context and beyond.

(They're scanning. They're searching.)

Ways you can pray for Tunisia/North Africa:
-Empowerment for the committed workers. In a dry land with overwhelming odds, they need vision, knowledge, wisdom, encouragement, and more.
-That God would bring about influential relationships in the communities for the workers in these areas.
-That the relevance of the gospel would be evident in an Islamic context.
-Leadership in churches – expressed in all members.

on history:

2008-05-11T17:27:00.000+02:00

In my early years, all my studies of history never made much sense to me. I failed to see the importance of dates and stories from the past, when I was really much more concerned with who had won or lost the game of soccer at recess, and what strategy we were going to use in the next game at the next recess. In high school, history began to seem a bit more applicable, as I learned how to protect Mexico from an invading German army during our mock international affairs activities, and as I learned that history extended beyond the heavy, two-inch-thick textbook that was left in my locker unless I had to answer the five questions at the end of a certain chapter. I was slowly beginning to see that there is much to learn from history than facts and dates.

History is relevant today. We hear about conflicts in the past, and we read about atrocities of old, but we must come to the realization that what could have been solutions to those conflicts and atrocities in our past could potentially function as solutions to similar problems we may be facing today. Beyond just finding information for a research paper, or filling in dates on a timeline, if we are wise we must be conscious of our past (and all the different areas that it concerns) and apply it to the present.

Looking back at various instances in the past, certain people have called the truth of the Gospel into question, and unfortunately, rather than engaging with these issues in an intellectually respectable way, the church often lost credibility to speak into issues, specifically with the issue of Evolution in the 1800’s. In 1860, during a public debate between Thomas Huxley, one of Charles Darwin’s main advocates, and Bishop Samuel Wilberforce, Bishop Wilberforce resorted to making a joke out of Darwin’s scientific theory. As a result, the church lost almost all authority they had once had to speak truth into an issue that was becoming increasingly popular in the time. Perhaps God has given the church reason to believe in something a bit more intentional than the evolutionary process seemed, but that didn’t give reason for His people to make a mockery out of what should have been an intellectual, civilized, and rational debate. Had members of the church been willing to bring truth to this situation, perhaps they could have brought direction to what God may have been doing in the minds of these scientists, and we would not have quite the division between the church and science we so often see and experience today.

The issue today is quite similar. Are we walking away from the issues of today, or are we walking into the areas that are potentially dirty, and maybe a bit unfamiliar, to bring a light into the places that are crying for illumination? Society is dying to see a good news that is functioning in the everyday life – in music (even rock n’ roll), in education, in politics and foreign affairs, in science, in the blue-collar workforce, and beyond. Our God is infinitely bigger than we could even begin to imagine, longing to relate to everyone, from the heavy metal guitarist to you local librarian to the politicians in Washington, D.C. The Gospel is relevant - truth mustn’t be scared of a debate.

(existing in a polluted world)

(confronting dirtiness)

(sheltered?)

(clean-up)

(in a changing world)

(God's message is the same)

on art:

2008-05-11T17:01:00.000+02:00

As a way of expressing a society’s views on the world, and the direction that a people seem to be heading in, the arts are an extremely useful tool. The art produced by a community speaks infinitely as to the ideas and statutes they hold as valuable, and the way they see all other parts of the world. As humanity has moved from the “modern” mindsets beginning in the 1600’s to the “postmodern” mindsets of today, the art has equally followed suit. With the “modern” way of thinking, art was predictable, and people had a fairly good idea what to expect as far as the messages that the art portrayed. People painted biblical scenes, beautiful scenery, and realistic portraits of real, living people. Thought was for the most part objective, and this could be seen in the art that people produced.

Lately (lately being in the last 50 years or so) a change has taken place. No longer is truth quite so objective, at least according to popular train of thought. To much of the world, truth is now seen as subjective – that which is experienced by the individual. And, as individual experiences vary to every opposite extreme, so do our truths.

In Paris, this contrast of ideas on the nature of truth can be seen through the architecture that has been produced over the last few centuries. From the “pre-modern” and “modern” time periods you see the buildings beautifully constructed with great attention to detail, but which continue to be fairly predictable, at least from the standpoint of architecture and design. Through buildings like the Notre Dame Cathedral (largely finished by the 14th century, with later additions completed in the mid-19th century) and the Arc de Triomphe (finished in 1836) we can see a mindset that was fairly straightforward. The truth of the people at the time was based on logic and objective rationale, and thus their artistic construction of buildings was grand and very beautiful, but also quite logical.

Contrasted with these more logical forms of art in the form of architecture are the more “post-modern” constructions that can be seen in buildings like the famous glass pyramid at the Louvre, and the Grande Arche de la Defense (also known as the Grand Arche, or the Cube). These buildings communicate a mindset that is still committed to the construction of something that is grand and beautiful; but, as the buildings constructed do not follow a logical train of thought, they seem to attempt to give a new meaning to what is grand and what is beautiful. Specifically with the Grand Arch, it was specifically constructed to that is was just slightly off-kilter from the Axe Historique (Historic Axis), an eight kilometer stretch running from the glass pyramid at the Louvre along the av de Champs-Elysees, through the Arc de Triomphe and finally to the Grand Arch, which is said to symbolize “an open window to the world.” This seems to allude to the idea that perhaps now man is moving in a new direction, and can make up truth, beauty, grandeur, and even reality for himself.

Through it would appear on the outside, with our massive buildings and chic architecture that man is progressing towards something “bigger” and “better,” we as humans are still plagued with the same ills and difficulties as we were in centuries long ago. No matter how big our buildings, no matter how abstract our art, no matter how many new directions we attempt to walk in, as humans we will always be in need of something more. Fortunately, God saw it fit to give us an opportunity to fulfill this need, through a sacrifice of Himself. In Christ, we have no need to create a new reality for ourselves, as we can know that Jesus Christ Himself is reality (Colossians 2:17) and He is a reality that will never leave us in need of or wanting something more (John 4:14.) Perhaps once we begin to address the bigger issues of neediness, rather than constructing fancier buildings and more controversial art, we will really begin to see progress, towards something that really matters.

It’s the 21st century, but where are we going?

(Looking along the Axe Historique, from the Arc de Triomphe to the Grande Arche de la Defense)

(the Notre Dame Cathedral)

(Arc de Triomphe)

(The Grande Arche de la Defense, with other more recent contructions)

(we had our problems then)

(we have our problems now)

(humanity is needy)

a flower in my lapel / a daisy in your hand

2008-04-28T20:19:00.000+02:00

Arriving in Amsterdam, I was stuck by the biting cold wind, and soon after this, I was struck with the problems and issues I quickly begun to hear about: I heard about the red light district, the “coffee” shops, and many of the other precarious activities that take place, and I was overwhelmed, and baffled as to how I would interact with such a place. (Amsterdam really is a normal city in many ways, but being new to the city, much of what I heard was negative).

Our times in class in Amsterdam were spent learning about international relations from a Christian perspective, and we then spent some time doing a broad overview of world history since the time of Christ. The broad overview of world history was very interesting in that as you look back on the main issues, conflicts, and problems in those times, God was doing something new in the hearts of His people. Revivals were birthed, missions movements went out into new areas of the world, societies were changed – at every point where society began to seem threatened, God countered this by raising up movements that were marked by the characteristics of His heart. I love seeing how God would be working for the good of humanity on such an Epic scale.

As many of you may know, God put the idea of some people’s hearts in our school to go into the red light district of the city, and hand out flowers to the prostitutes in the area, as well as anyone else who seemed in need of appreciation. When we first began to follow through with this, most of us were a bit nervous, as we weren’t sure how the people would respond, but it is evident that your prayers covered us during the time. With the flowers, we attached short messages, which basically just said something about God’s love and value in the peoples’ lives. The girls to whom we gave flowers were very appreciative, and we never had anyone reject our offer of flowers. It was interesting the whole time we were giving out flowers, I felt a clear peace and safety over the whole situation, and I fully believe that this was God going before us at our every step.

With this, I saw something that went beyond just prostitution, and beyond just the red light district of Amsterdam. I saw an openness to appreciation and love – an openness that would surely extend to just about every situation imaginable. Prostitutes are not the only people in the world who long to know true love and appreciation; many people in the most “normal” of situations surely feel as though they are dying on the inside, because the fact that they do not know of the God that died for them to understand His love.

Point is, more flowers need to be handed out (if you desire to continue putting things in terms of flowers). Everyone in the world is in need of the realization that they are loved by the creator of the universe, and He longs to speak that to them in whatever situation they are in. Love exists even before they have turned their face to Him.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

(Romans 5:8, NKJV)

He didn’t wait until we were good enough. He died (and rose again) so that we could understand. He didn’t wait for us to come out of the “bad parts of town” to begin loving us; He went boldly into those areas, and showed us first hand the value we have in His eyes. All the while, He completely disregarded that fact that He would be associated with the sin that was all around us.

Seeing love, in a real, practical, tangible way, people have reason to change. Do we too often jump to fix their sin before they have reason to leave a life of sin? In the Bible, it seems as though people understood their own sin, but perhaps they did not have a reason to leave that sin behind until they saw that in Christ they were valued. With the issues of blatant sin, we can’t afford to just write those things as the blatant sins that they are; obviously certain activities are sinful, but what does it look like to love people in those situations in a way that will call them out of those lifestyles and into a realization of what true life can be? And just as well, the same goes for people whose sin is not blatant - everyone is in need of a similar redemption [for all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory, whether we can see it with our eyes or not]. Perhaps if we began to show people the care, concern, and love of Christ in their lives, they will then have a legitimate reason to leave behind their former garments of filth in exchange for the pure white robes that God intends for them.

Walking along the canal my last night in Amsterdam, I was struck with the beauty of our God. From my time in Amsterdam I see that God is not overwhelmed with our problems and the sicknesses that plague our societies (even when they are a bright red fluorescent light that is shining in your face.) Rather, He is one who will walk within those plagues to show us all the more about His grace. Wherever I go there will be some way shape of form in which He is moving, no matter how initially overwhelmed I may feel.

…

Currently, I write to you from Paris. We have about a week to make our way down to Malaga, Spain, and so this week I will be in Paris, seeing some new sights, and working on some photography assignments. I am here with my friends Naphtalie and April, and thankfully God has blessed us with places to stay while we’re here. I'm looking forward to finding the ways that God has made Himself apparent in this place.

More Amsterdam...

2008-04-28T19:52:00.000+02:00

(a windmill at Zaandijk)

(and finally, I wish this hawg was mine...)

hope in blood

2008-04-13T11:56:00.001+02:00

Most of us have heard something about AIDS in Africa. There are numbers. There are percentages. There are opinions. But more than numbers and statistics, line charts and pie graphs, there are real people who are affected by a disease that is just as equally real.

The following are stories from a few of the families we were able to spend some time with while in Addis Ababa during the month of March. Their stories are hard, but for most of the people, they have found an enduring strength in Jesus that has brought them through the hardest of times.

orphans:antiretroviralmedication:CD4count:viralload:practicionerinitiate...
dHIVcounselingandtesting:healtheducation:stigma

Depressing? Not necessarily. It seemed to me that the hope of Christ was somehow expressing itself in the lives of each of these individuals and their families. They may continue to be infected by HIV, but for a majority of these people, the love of Christ has brought the hope of something beyond a disease.

The families we visited are part of a local church program that supports some of the poorest of the poor in Addis Ababa Ethiopia. This program cares for many families, mostly non-Christians, who would otherwise have great difficulty in acquiring their basic living necessities. These families are being given monthly support to provide for school fees, hygiene products, blankets, and some food. The church also makes a point of visiting the families in their homes and praying with them. Of these families, we spent time with some of the ones that had in some way been affected by HIV. All of these people live in very trying circumstances, but it is a comfort to know that the church is reaching out to them is practical ways.

By all means, AIDS is still an issue in our world, and it will continue to be an issue in the years to come. But beyond statistics and numbers that would seem at first glance to be disheartening, there are also stories of people who have found life in what we as humans would call impossible circumstances. This challenged my faith in that I see that I am in relationship with a God who is not challenged by the seemingly concrete things like percentages and infection rates. This God, who loves us, gives us reason to hope even when the “facts” tell us otherwise.

trusting in God to make hope

2008-04-13T11:42:00.001+02:00

Amariche Demoshe, 36, is the single mother of seven children – six girls, and one boy. And she is infected with HIV.

Her Children:

Arsema: 18
Alem: 17
Rahel: 13
Sarah: 9
Esubalew (HIV+): 7
Yordanos: 4.5
Deborah: 6 months

Amariche was born in Addis Ababa Ethiopia, but her family immediately moved with her to the countryside in the southern part of the country. She stayed there until she was 18 years old, when she came back to Addis Ababa to attend school. She completed her schooling through grade six, and then made the decision to join the Ethiopian National Army, where she fought in Asmara Eritrea for about seven years.

Since returning from fighting in the war, Amariche was able to start a family, though her husband has since died. Amariche herself isn’t quite sure where she acquired HIV, though she believes she may have contracted it while caring for others who were infected.

(Amariche puts her antiretroviral medication back into her purse.)

Two years ago, Amariche put her faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of her sins and the hope of new life beyond the one she is living. Even beyond this hope, Amariche has experienced physical rejuvenation through Christ’s work in her life. At one point Amariche weighed only 70 pounds, and her CD4 count was only 135 (the CD4 count is basically a measurement of the cells in the blood that fight diseases and infection; anything below 200 is considered to be AIDS.) More recently, her weight has improved to a healthier amount, and her CD4 count has increased to 610. Amariche has been taking Anti-Retroviral Treatments (ART’s) that are made available to her free of cost by the Ethiopian Government, but when asked what increased her CD4 count, she said that overall, it is prayer. Amariche said through translation:

Every sickness is not a curse from God. If you believe, and pray to God, God will hear you and respond to your prayer. You have to trust in God to make hope.

Amariche and her children are currently living in a home that is smaller than most of our own bedrooms. They had no access to a home of their own, so the hospital where Amariche is being treated allowed her and her family to construct a shelter on their property. The shelter is very rugged, as it is made up of plastic tarps, rope, tin, pieces of wood, and a thin piece of cloth for a front door. They keep the family out of a majority of the elements, but the conditions certainly don’t seem adequate for one who is trying to build up a healthy immune system, especially with the often quite biting cold nights in Addis Ababa.

(Yordanos (4.5) and Rahel (13) stand in the door of their home.)

(Sarah (9) prepares a lunch for the family and their visitors.)

(Amariche and her children earn much of their living through making table and bed clothes. Even the children help to sew them.)

Amariche continues to live, conscious of her need to be sustained by her Savior, all the while seeing evidence of His working hope into her ever so difficult circumstances. He has not abandoned her. He has not left her. He rather, continues to hold Amariche and the family she supports in the center of His embrace, and in the palm of His sovereign hand.

Some Prayer Requests from Amariche:

1. Being homeless. If the hospital needs the space she has built her family’s temporary residence on, her family will be forced to live on the street. Pray for the provision of a house, and the other practical needs such as nutritional foods and school supplies.
2. Even though challenged by HIV, she says, “I should like to be in front of my God every time.” Pray that she may experience the life and continual rejuvenation that is found in the presence of God.

dark room/ shiny cross

2008-04-13T11:28:00.001+02:00

Tigist is 27 years old and HIV Positive. Her name means patience.

Etasesn is 45 years old and HIV Positive. She is the mother of Tigist.

Tigist is the oldest of four children. In 2003, she tested her blood and found that she was HIV positive. She thinks she acquired HIV at a younger age through sexual intercourse with a boyfriend. She was then bedridden for two years, as there was no access to free Antiretroviral Treatment (ART) at that time. At one point, her CD4 count was down to just 1, but through prayer, and access to the free ART’s, her CD4 count is now above 500 and she is able to live an active life, working as much as she can to help generate even a small bit of income for her family (I later asked a nurse at a clinic in the area about such a drastic transition, and the nurse spoke of how such a happening could only be a miracle). Tigist now often teaches others about the realities of HIV, and has even shared about the socio-economic effects the disease on her life over national television.

(Tigist's younger sister, Magdes enjoys the company of their family's cat)

(nutritious foods like spinach are very helpful for those on ART)

It is possible that Etasesn acquired HIV through caring for Tigist when Tigist was bedridden. Etasesn is mute, but she will quite often make hand motions and smile widely to communicate her happiness and thankfulness to God, or her appreciation for having you visit her in her home. Her CD4 count is above 400, but is not taking any ART as she is bedridden, and an active lifestyle is necessary for the ART’s to function properly. Etasesn is cared for faithfully by Tigist and the rest of the children, and also by her husband, Hailu, whose name means, “Power of God.” Hailu continues to faithfully care for and support his wife, but he has yet to come to a personal faith in Jesus.

Tigist accepted Jesus through one of the former directors of a church program in the area, who would come to pray with her two days a week. Before accepting Christ, Tigist recalls a very disturbed life with no peace of mind. Since accepting Jesus as her personal Savior, she speaks of how she became healthy and received peace of mind. Sitting in her naturally lit living space, Tigist sang aloud with her friends, Pastor Esayas, and Sheba, from the local church:

Jesus is the joy of my heart. I’m living in this world my Your name.

(Tigist and Sheba, the counselor for the church's community outreach program)

Prayer requests from Tigist and Etasesn:

1. Improved Health.
2. Ethiopian Economy. When going through ART, it is necessary to have a well balanced diet including a lot of protein-rich foods. The price of these foods though has gone up in cost. In the past few years, it is not uncommon for certain costs to have risen over 100% of their normal cost.
3. Family members to come to Christ. Hailu, Etasesn’s husband has not yet accepted Christ, but they believe he is close.

an exchange of blood?

2008-04-13T11:18:00.000+02:00

Harequayin Zeleke is 26 years old and the mother of two young boys. She was born in western Ethiopia, and eventually married in the area. Once she was married, she moved into Addis Ababa to find work, while her husband stayed to work in the countryside. When at one point she went back to visit him, she found that he was infected with HIV. Four years ago he died, leaving Harequayin without a husband, and two boys without a father. Just one and a half hears ago, Harequayin had her own blood tested, and found that she too was infected with HIV.

But Harequayin is not living the life of one who is infected with a deadly virus. Upon the death of her husband, Harequayin returned to her once stagnant faith in Jesus with a new passion and desperation. Since her original blood test, she has not taken any ART, nor has she had a CD4 count. She believes God gave her a message saying, “Nothing is needed for treatment except Jesus.” By this word of the Lord, she is living as if she is not infected with the disease. While other people infected with HIV usually struggle to maintain a healthy weight, Harequayin speaks of how she will often forgo the consumption of her dinner so that she does not gain too much weight. Where people often struggle to have energy to get through their normal daily tasks, Harequayin is active in working to provide for the needs of herself and her boys. Harequayin has chosen to believe that God is doing a work within her body, and the life she is now living on a daily basis speaks greatly of the strength of our God to sustain those who put their trust in Him.

Every night, before going to bed, Harequayin’s younger son prays for her. She has not told him specifically that she in infected with HIV; she has only told them there is a problem with her blood. So he prays, with the faith of a child - this is his prayer:

I pray You would change the blood of my mother with Your blood.

Before her struggles with the death of her husband and the realization of her own infection with HIV, Harequayin knew about Jesus, but was not responding to the necessity of his Lordship in her life. Since these difficulties became a part of her life, she has found that she is completely and fully reliant upon His strength. She says,

Anything and everything will be because of the Lord. It is not on my own strength. I’m depending on the Lord not just for my current health situation, but for everything.

Prayer requests from Harequayin:

1. That God would continue to bring her help in providing for the needs of herself and her two young boys.
2. That God would change the blood of Harequayin with his perfect blood.

weeping daily / a hand to be held

2008-04-13T10:52:00.001+02:00

Hayat Mohammed/Muktas is four years old and in a place of difficulty most of us never have known and never will know. When Hayat was four months old, her biological father, Mohammed died of AIDS. According to common customs in Ethiopia, Mohammed’s brother, Muktas, then married the widowed mother of Hayat. By entering into a marriage relationship with his deceased brother’s wife, Muktas was choosing to take responsibility to provide for his brother’s widowed wife and daughter, Hayat. Hayat never knew her biological father, but she has known Muktas as a type of father for all of her life thus far.

Just ten days before our meeting her, Hayat’s mother passed away to AIDS. Obviously, this has been a difficult transition for Hayat, as she has lost the mother with whom she was surely very close. Lately, she is very reserved, unhappy, sad, withdrawn from the people around her, and full of tears. Just a few hours earlier, Hayat’s uncle was not able to go in to work for the day, as he had found her weeping.
She smiled, but you could tell it was not a real smile. It was hard to know what to say to people who had gone through far more than I have ever even imagined experiencing. And it makes it even harder considering Hayat comes from a Muslim family, who has not yet experienced the love, life, hope and grace that are found in Christ. They’re getting through the situation, but it is hard to know what this must be like without the comfort of a God who is intimately involved with their every care and worry.

Pray that this currently empty hand will be led to encounter the hand of Jesus - the hand that is straining and longing to hold her hand forever with an everlasting love. He will give her hope. He will give her life. He will wipe away her tears.

Pray also for her uncle and other surrounding community members, that they too would have an encounter with the God that loves them. He is the one who can show them how to care for this child who has lost her parents. He can show them how to raise Hayat in a way that will give her hope of life beyond the death of her parents.

(a couple from the community who assists in caring for Hayat)

Pray that what the enemy tried to use to steal life will be redeemed by Christ to bring life that is more real than this family otherwise would have known. I am a strong believer that this is what our God is doing with AIDS. What Satan is trying to use to steal people away from God, God can use to bring an even greater amount of people to himself. This is who He is.

(Pastor Esayas,director of the church's community outreach program)

the exodus in reverse, and a story of recycling

2008-02-24T15:01:00.001+01:00

After the bit of a rough start that our group had to our travel week, the rest of the week went remarkably well. Carmen and Christina had gone back to Jerusalem last Monday to go through the process of replacing Christina's passport, something I have heard can be quite the ordeal. Thanks to your prayers, Carmen and Christina went to the Embassy at 8:30, and Christina had her new passport by 2:30 the same day. Directly after, they returned north to Nazareth and our group was able to spend the rest of the week together as planned. No, our things were not returned, but our group did have an efficient week of traveling around Israel, seeing many of the places that Jesus went in His ministry.

(on the Mount of Beatitudes)

With our pictures, our goal was to gain a better understanding of the biblical locations and how they relate to the scriptures. For this mapping project, we also used many of the images from the post-gospel New Testament locations we visited this last fall in Greece and Turkey. Going to these locations, it amazing to now sense a little more understanding of the context in which many of the passages of the Bible were written. Seeing the places, it was almost unreal to know that Jesus had been in very similar places thousands of years before.

On Tuesday, as a team we were able to drive around the Sea of Galilee, visiting the Jordan River, the Mount of Beatitudes, the Capernaum Area, the Golan Heights (which were very eerie as they were covered in thick fog,) and stopped to wait for sunset on the east side of the sea. Throughout the day, it had been raining, and as we waited to see the sun fall down I questioned whether the rain would let up. We prayed though that God would hold up the rain for us to photograph sunset. Even after praying though I doubted if My prayer had really gone anywhere. Sure enough however, just as Jesus calmed the wind and the waves many years before, He then allowed for the holding up of the water that was falling out of the sky, providing for a beautiful sunset. I enjoy it when God proved my skeptical faith to be wrong.

(after the rain was stopped)

Wednesday of the travel week our group went south, past Jerusalem, to Bethlehem. As we were walking to the hotel we were planning to stay in, it was once again raining heavily, and we were trying to walk as quickly as possible while attempting to stay as dry as possible (something that wasn't working out too well). Soon though, we had a friendly souvenir-shop-owner pulling us into his store to sit down for Arabic coffee. I usually question this, as I have become fairly accustomed to be drawn into these shops only to see that I am requested to buy something. This time though, that was not the case. This man wanted us to sit down, just to talk and hear about our lives, and was just as open to sharing about his, and even helped to set us up to stay at a local guest house, which ended up being a very pleasant place to come home while we were there.

(In the church of the Nativity)

I feel so blessed by this man, but it was hard to hear about the difficulties that he has faced as a Palestinian living in the West Bank. Before the security wall was built, he spoke of how he was allowed to pass back and forth between Jerusalem and Bethlehem as he pleased. Since the wall has been built though, he is almost entirely restricted to Bethlehem, as even within the West Bank itself, there are security checkpoints wherever you go, which makes traveling to nearby towns a hassle. This is problematic when you have family and friends on both sides as this man does. He can get Visa's to come and visit friends in the U.S. or Europe, but has to fly out of Jordan because it is so time consuming to wait for permission to go into Israel to fly from Tel-Aviv. But all the while telling us these things, this man remained un-bitter towards us, and treated us as his friends. Soon he brought out his instruments (drum, tambourine, and violin-type instrument) on which we played together (and I danced) happily, though I'm sure there was no sort of musical structure to our song.

This man was a Godsend to our time in Bethlehem, and I believe was the main reason God had us in Bethlehem. That Thursday we spent the whole day in Bethlehem, trying to get to the biblical sites, and we did so with the help of this friend, who drove us around in his well-broken-in automobile. It rained most of the time we were in Bethlehem. Though the rain was a bummer for picture taking, it wasn't a bummer as it helped us to spend much more time with our newfound friend.

Later in the week our whole school reunited again in Jerusalem, and we left last Saturday to make our reverse-exodus back to where we are now in Cairo, Egypt. This last week we have had some in-depth instruction from our friend here on the use of lighting in photography. It was a lot of fun, and he really impressed me (and all of us I think) with a lot of inspiration for the creative ways I can be using light in my photographs. I think this week will prove to be very influential on the photographs that are yet to be taken in our travels.

(Sayed, a newsprint dealer)

(On the roof of our hotel)

(on the nile)

(These shoes were made for wearing)

Just yesterday a few others and myself wanted to make a visit to an area of Cairo known as Manshiyat Naser, or Garbage City. Most of the people who live in this area sort through the garbage to find the materials that can be recycled and re-sold to make a living. These people live almost literally submerged in the garbage that they sort through. They do have living areas where they can get away from the piles of trash (at least somewhat) but a majority of their lives are spent in the midst of heaps of rubbish. I was interested to see how the garbage business was actually run, and God provided me with the opportunity to meet a real-life garbage dealer.

(wait)

As I was taking pictures of a family in one area, I soon saw that the family was in the process of selling recycled plastic to a couple men, a policeman in street clothes and one man by the name of Sayed (pronounced sayEEd). Sayed offered me a Coke, and told me a little about what he does with the plastic - basically buying the sorted plastic, and selling it to recycling companies in China for about $400 USD per ton (this is the price for white plastic, whereas black is much cheaper as it is a low quality plastic), and spoke of how good of a business it was to be in, as they basically take something that people aren't using (trash) and sell it for money. He was an extremely friendly man, and was very willing to help me understand what the people in Garbage City do with all the "garbage" that they sort. Though this was a short encounter, I was thankful that God provided me the opportunity to understand the people a bit more than I would have otherwise been able to, AND it was cool to see people getting so much use out of the resources that are available to them. It makes me think.

(A deal transpires between cronies)

(Sayed, a dealer of recycled plastics)

We are only in Cairo for a few more days before we will be moving on to Ethiopia. This Friday afternoon we will be flying to Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, where we'll be located for around a month. While we're there I am not sure how much access we will have to the internet and communication, but I will be doing my best though to keep you updated on all that we're doing there. I look forward to being in one place for a more extended amount of time. Thank you for all your prayers, and I appreciate your continued interest and involvement in all that God has been and continues to be leading me in.

from nazareth with warm regards

2008-02-10T19:18:00.000+01:00

This last week in class was very enjoyable. We had Ashley Smith come to us all the way from South Africa to speak to us about the prophets in the bible, and some of the history behind the city of Jerusalem. It was evident that he had a lot of wisdom to share on these topics. Also being in Jerusalem, it was an amazing place to be learning about such things.

A theme that stood out to me was how the Israelites were thinking that God was only concerned with the outward appearance of their sin, when in fact God was more concerned with the inward attitude of their hearts.

Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

Amos 5:23-24

As the Israelites would often go astray, God sent many different prophets to show them that what He was seeking was their hearts. Even when the Israelites didn't listen, God used other nations ruling over the Israelites to make Israel into a nation that understood who their God was. From Ashley's teaching this week, I see that God is not a back-pocket God to be used when things go awry, but he is a God that we should involve in every part of our lives, internally and externally.

...

Over the next week, our school has divided into smaller groups of about five people, so that we can go out and tour the different locations where Jesus lived, walked and taught around the land of Israel.

I am on a team with Carmen (Georgia), Christina (Florida), Tara (Oregon), and Sung Ha (Korea). Yesterday we left Jerusalem in our rental car, planning to go up to Caesarea and Mount Carmel before settling in Nazareth for the next few days. Early in the afternoon we stopped for a quick stretch on the beach in Caesarea. As we returned to the car we found that our car had been broken into, and four of our bags had been stolen. Christina's Camera, Passport and credit-cards were stolen, along with one of Carmen's bags, Sung Ha's laptop, camera, and all of his pictures, and my bag containing my laptop and external hard-drives. We filed Police reports in the area, and are currently praying for something miraculous to happen.

Right now we could really use your prayers for the situation. We realize the odds of this situation are not very good for our things to be found, but we are also trusting in a God with whom there are no obstacles. Pray for our things to be found, but pray also that this can be an opportunity for whoever took these things to encounter the love and forgiveness that is found in Christ. Our Bibles and journals are in these bags, so who knows; maybe they will find the truth and love that is found in God's word.

We're told that sometimes the people just take the main valuables from the bags and then leave whatever else they don't need or want behind. Even this would be a blessing as there are a lot of other less valuable but very useful items in these bags, i.e. chargers, glasses, clothes, journals, bibles, etc

Carmen and Christina have gone back down to Jerusalem to get a new passport for Christina at the US Embassy. Tara, Sung Ha, and I will be staying here in Nazareth for the next couple days, and after that we may be moving on, possibly to Bethlehem.

It's a bit frustrating, but I'm believing God's purposes in this are far greater and run much deeper than anything I know. Your prayers in this situation would be so much appreciated, both for the recovery of the stolen goods, favor for Christina at the US Embassy in Jerusalem, and the direction God is leading our team for the rest of our time in Nazareth and wherever we may end up going later this week. Prayer can change the way things are.

Thanks for once again taking the time to read. Have a blessed week!

and there's still much to learn

2008-02-03T11:04:00.001+01:00

Much has taken place over the last two weeks. I feel like my eyes are in the process of being opened to so much more than I could have ever known before being exposed to these people and places.

Our first week here was spent learning more about the heart of an artist. For this we were blessed to have Mauricio Palacio come all the way from Mexico to share with us his heart for creativity. For myself, I see that the things that Mauricio shared helped to release a lot of suppressed creativity. Over the last year, I feel that God has really called me to step out more in the art that I make, but for the last few months, I have been a bit unclear as to what it looks like in the situation I am in. Mauricio's teachings really challenged me to be more intentional about making art that points to truth and love and beauty.

A big part of what Mauricio shared with us had to do with the idea that God has created all people with the ability to create. Part of all of our purpose is to continue the process of creation in our lives, with whatever we do, whether we consider ourselves "artists" or not. We know that truth is found in Jesus Christ (John 14:6). We know that love is also demonstrated to us in the selfless love that Jesus gave us (I John 3:16). Every day we can use our eyeballs to view the beauty that is expressed through God's creation (Romans 1:20). When we understand this, I think we can see everything we do be touched by creativity, from office work to shoveling snow off the sidewalk.

(the dome of the rock)

(a funny boy)

(a man)

(inside the damascus gate)

(issa (Jesus) and Mohammed. interesting? i think so.)

(Lido, an Israeli soldier)

Last weekend, John Paul, Naphtalie and I had the blessing of being able to take a bus to the northern area of Israel, near the Sea of Galilee to see some of my family friends who live here in Israel. It was so refreshing to be reunited with people from the wonderful place that is Washington State. Their hospitality, warmth, fellowship, and knowledge were a goldmine.

These friends were kind enough to show us around much of the beautiful country in the northern area, including the cliffs of Arbel, Nazareth (where there is a replication of a first century Jewish village as it would have looked during the time of Jesus,) the Jezreel Valley, Mount Tabor, the Jordan River, around the sea of Galilee, Capernaum, and the Mount of Beatitudes. This time of the year, it is fairly cold here, but the cold was definitely worth enduring to see all the hills of the area covered with long, thick, rich, green grass. I think it was one of the most beautiful areas I have ever been able to visit. It now makes clear sense why Jesus spent so much of his time in this area.

(a man at the threshing floor of the replica nazareth village)

(at the well)

(a roof, similar to the one the friends would have lowered their sick friend through to be healed by Jesus in Mark 2.)

(possible forefather of Norm Abram. anyone who understands this reference gets a gold star.)

(john paul, learning the ways of a skilled carpenter.)

(this is how they made thread in the olden-olden days.)

(in the jezreel valley, near where gideon chose his troops, where Saul died, and much other old testament history took place.)

(a church on the top of mt. tabor.)

(mt. tabor. Deborah commanded Israel's troops on mt. tabor in Judges 4.)

(at the jordan river.)

(the sea of galilee. near where Jesus met the disciples after his resurrection in John 21.)

(naphtalie. a stunning expose on athleticism.)

(from the mount of beatitudes)

This last week, we have spent studying the historical books, and some of the wisdom literature of the Old Testament. For this teaching, we had Phil Leage come to join us from the YWAM King's Lodge Base in England. An interesting fact about Phil: he did his School of Biblical Studies in the 1980's at Makapala, the same base where I did my DTS in 2006.

The thing that stood out to me most in Phil's teaching was something that he said about God's purpose for Israel as his chosen people. For the longest time I have thought that Israel was a group of people that God chose to be his own, and only when they did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah did he allow Gentiles (people who aren't Jewish) to enter into relationship with himself. This I see, was a wrong view. Phil pointed out the truth that God did choose Israel as his people, but he did this that all the nations of the world might know him through Israel.

In Genesis 22:18, God tells Abraham, "and through your descendants, all the nations of the earth will be blessed - all because you have obeyed me." And later in Exodus 19, God speaks to Moses and the people of Israel, "Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the nations of the earth; for all the earth belongs to me. And you will be to me a kingdom of priests, my holy nation..."

The idea that the Israelites are to be a kingdom of priests speaks to the idea that they would be a people to maintain a relationship between the God of the universe and the nations of the world, interceding between God and the rest of the people of the earth. Our God did not just choose one people so he could exclude all the rest, but he chose one people so that through these chosen people other people would know of his greatness. However, as can be seen in the cycle of sin of Israel in the Old Testament, on their own human strength, it seems as though they could not fulfill this priestly role. No man on their own strength - Israelite or not - could have done so.

Sadly, when Jesus (Son of God, clothed in human flesh) came and died on the cross and rose from the grave, many of the people of Israel did not recognize that he was the ultimate sacrifice and therefore the one to be our High Priest once and for all. Hebrews 7: 27-28 says, "He (Jesus) does not need to offer sacrifices every day like the other high priests. They did this for their own sins first and then for the sins of the people. But Jesus did this once for all when He sacrificed himself on the cross. Those who were high priests under the law of Moses were limited by human weakness. But after the law was given, God appointed His Son with an oath, and His Son has been made perfect forever."

(the garden tomb. possibly Jesus' tomb, or at least something very similar to it.)

As many of us know in varying amounts of depth, there is an ongoing conflict in this land...a conflict that has taken place basically since the time God made his covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15. Today, Israel as a nation exists on land that the people of Palestine claim they are entitled to.

I cannot explain this situation. I don't understand it, and I question whether any man could fully do so. But I'll share what God is showing me.

When I see a conflict, I have always thought that there should be one side of a conflict that is right, just, the side to follow, etc. However, with this conflict, complex as it is, I see that there is not necessarily one side that is acting in the right. With Palestine, God does not want to wipe them out because they live in the land that Israel is occupying, but he does want for them to come to a realization of the salvation that is found only through his son, Jesus. Equally, though Israel is still God's chosen people, they are not exempt from a need to accept Jesus as their Messiah. Both sides of this conflict have at different times responded appropriately and inappropriately to the other, and this cycle continues to go on today.

People (Secular-Jews, Orthodox Jews, Islamic Arabs, Christian Arabs, Orthodox Christians, etc. [there are a seemingly infinite amount of religious sects here in Jerusalem]) in this situation need to be valued for the value Christ has placed upon them, regardless of what they believe. We have value regardless of what we do, say, think, know, or understand; Christ loved us while we were still sinners. There is a conflict for the territory of physical land in this place, but I am beginning to see the greater spiritual conflict that must be taking place for the territory in the hearts of these people.

The following are some pictures on the West Bank side of the Security Wall which is now almost fully surrounding the West Bank. I was able to make a quick visit to Bethlehem yesterday, and found it to be a most enjoyable experience.

(an Israeli soldier)

(a palestinian yardsale.)

We must pray. Pray for a realization of the love that is found in Christ, on both sides of the wall. Christ didn't love and accept us depending upon the side of the wall we were on.