Alas, I Still Love Washington (State).

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.

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.

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

(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.

tall spires, tall deeds.

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.

to oslo and beyond

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.