Around the World

Update Ethiopia! Now in Amsterdam

[Arkama one of the elders in a tribe of the Hamar People; Photo by Carmen Vaught]

Our time in Ethiopia has come and gone. The internet was slow and relatively inaccessible, so this update is coming a bit late.

Overall, I think that the team has loved being in Ethiopia. Most have been going places and meeting people, coming to an understanding of more of an African Woldview. The week that we started Paul Childers, our school leader, came out with our speaker from Kona, Andy Byrd. It was honestly one of the best weeks that we have had (I seem to say that every time, but that gives you an idea of the caliber of speakers we have). Instead of a Bible Course, a Humanities Course, or a Photography Course, we has classes on intimacy with God and the importance of a strong relationship with Him above so much else. He really encouraged us to press in and reach out for God wherever we are. He gave us amazing examples of Phineas, Esther, and Daniel and how their lives reflected their passion for the Lord. It was such a great week and we really needed it as a class. Occasionally, amidst all the busyness of class and traveling, it is easy to get into a bit of a slump and even become somewhat nominal in our faith.

[Old Hamar Man enjoying a lolly in Southern Ethiopia; Photo by Jeong Heon]

We came into the next week with fire and exhilarated for whatever was next. As a team, we decided to set aside one day for a 24 hour prayer day. We each sign up for a slot with a partner and power though the late hours. We really want to see God use us in tremendous ways during our travels, while we are back in Kona, and especially while we put together a publication and take it on tour. We all have an intense desire to see change in the world and we want to pursue it passionately.

Laura Fisher and her husband David Fisher, who were previously on the PhotogenX DTS joined us for the next couple of weeks. Laura taught first on African Worldview to continue our lectures in Humanities. With over 80 tribes in Africa alone, it can be hard to generalize African Worldview, but there are some common characteristics. Most of us come from a Western perspective so much of African culture and worldview is foreign and contradictory to how we live, but it was amazing to see how much of African culture relates to the Kingdom Perspective and the way that God wants us to live. God created us to be part of community; often referred to as the Body and Bride of Christ. Much of the Western world has become extremely individualistic and in many ways, we have lost sight of what it means to be part of a larger body that cannot operate unless all of the parts are functioning as one. African culture revolves around community and the understanding that each individual is part of a collective whole. I have much to learn, but Laura really opened the floodgate to allow all of us to examine the way we thing and align it to God’s Word and the way He wants us to live.

[Life in a small Ethiopian Village; Photo Series by Anna Maria Neilson]

Dave took over the next week and taught about Documentary Photography. Dave is an excellent photographer and him and Laura have been working on starting a PhotogenX and Voice for the Voiceless hub in Cape Town, South Africa where they are both originally from. We were then challenged to go out into Ethiopia to get stories from a variety of different arenas and submit a photostory about “Life in Ethiopia”. Most of us stayed around Addis Ababa, the capital, to focus on issues such as HIV/AIDS, Street Children, Women’s Issues, and Poverty. A few of the other teams went to Southern Ethiopia; one team to the far south to work with the Hamar People, and another went to a town called Sheshemene where there is a Rastafarian community, and a couple of girls went to a remote village to spend a few days. All came back with amazing and powerful stories of how God is working, but also opportunities for God to work. For example, different tribes in the Hamar People keep their populations limited by utilizing infanticide. When the child’s first teeth are coming in they are taken to the shaman. If teeth come in from the top, the child is worthy of life, but if they start coming in from the bottom first, the child is at risk of being suffocated to death. It is a practice that is completely against the heart of God, but is intensely engrained in the culture of the Hamar. These stories need to be told and the love that God has for the lives of these children needs to be communicated clearly and in a way that the Hamar will understand.

[Se Young holding a Hamar Baby; Photo by Carmen Vaught]

[Young Hamar Girl; Photo by Jeong Heon]

[The woman who's child grandchild was killed from rabies after being attacked by a rabid dog: There is no medicine for even 'simple' infections. She poses with Takeleh, a man who has a heart for the indigenous tribes of southern Ethiopia; Photo by Carmen Vaught]

Ethiopia is a truly amazing place, rich with a variety of cultures and immense beauty. This was the second time I have come and I already can’t wait to come back. Keep an eye out for the photo stories that we did during the time in Ethiopia. There is so much that needs to be told and the tool that God has given us for this time is a camera.

[Hayat, A girl in Addis Ababa who was orphaned 10 days before Tim and his outreach group visited her; Photo by Tim Dyk]

[Amariche, A Widow and mother of 7 who is living HIV positive in a home made out of tarps in Addis Ababa; Photo by Tim Dyk]

[Ethiopian Sunrise on the road in Southern Ethiopia; Photo by Carmen Vaught]

Spotlight: Scott

[Scott in Nyanga, a township in Capetown, South Africa]

Scott’s parents are thrilled that he is following after what God has for him. Like so many that join the University of the Nation’s DTS program, Scott thought that his time in Hawaii would be short-lived and then he would be going back home to pursue another career. And, like many others, life has had its ups and downs. I was surprised to find out that we have had similar pasts ultimately finding that Christ is the only way for fulfillment.

[Cape Agullis, South Africa; Photo by Scott Martin]

Before Scott made the long flight to Hawaii for mission building and DTS, Scott had been getting more and more involved at his church, but there was still something missing. He had been watching the Travel Channel and saw that Hawaii had some of the greatest beaches in the world; which he instinctively prayed something like, “that would be nice”. Little did he know that a few days later, a staff at the mission base in Kona, Hawaii would be calling him to ask if he would like to do some mission building at the UofN campus. Scott flew out and quickly applied for a DTS as well. His father is a photographer and recently upgraded all of his old film equipment to digital, but when they were in Hawaii felt like Scott should take the new digital equipment for a spin. Once the option was available for the Round the World Track, something stirred within him. He had always had a passionate desire to travel and the Track appealed to that desire. Someone had also been praying for Scott and heavily felt Psalm 37:4 for him which says, “Delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” This was confirmation for Scott and he has been with the track ever since.

[Hayat, a new orphan in Addis Ababa, lost her parents 10 days before Scott and his outreach team visited her; Photo by Scott Martin]

When asked what the most difficult part of the course was, he said (like many of us) that living in a constant, close-knit community presented a bit of a challenge… he put it like this, though, “Its like washing yourself with Chore-Boy; it hurts a bit, but you end up clean.” True, community can be extremely difficult at times, but in the end, it can have amazing benefits as well.

Looking to the future of the production phase of the track and beyond, Scott has a few specifics. One of his deepest desires is to develop his leadership ability. The is a constant road that takes personal reflection, evaluation, and the gradual steps that are required of all leaders. He was hoping to also develop a greater desire to do long-term missions, but now sees his role as more of a bridge-builder, longitudinally taking short term missions teams back to the same location, building relationships that will make an impact on the Kingdom. He is a firm believer that because Jesus changed him life, part of his call now is to be a catalyst for tangible change as well. He think that’s his calling is even more specific, having a heart for the impoverished and hungry of the world.

What’s next? Who knows but our Father, who knows the end from the beginning. Scott is open to whatever his Father wants, building his faith to believe that whatever it is, God will be faithful to provide.

[The Nile by Night; Cairo, Egypt; Photo by Scott Martin]

Labels: Awaken, injustice, Jesus, justice, Missions, Photoblog, PhotogenX, Photography, traveling, voice for the voiceless, YWAM

posted by PhotogenX Round the World @ 7:01 AM Comments: 1

Last Blog from Greece; Spotlight: Jenn

After such great teaching from John Childers over the last 2 weeks, getting revelation after revelation from the Holy Spirit through the Word and his teaching, we are yet again blessed; David Hamilton, VP of YWAM’s University of the Nations, is joining us for the next 2 weeks. He is taking over teaching for the next 15 days, on location about the New Testament Epistles. This week, Dan Shannon and Andrew York will also be with us, imparting to us experiences of the chapters of Acts that are still being written today with their lives and the Holy Spirit leading them around the world.

Personally, I am excited to have them all there because of their commitment to follow the Lord and the experiences and lessons that they have been learning over the course of their lives. Exciting things are happening in each one of them and with the world that they influence.

On Tuesday (the 20^th), we went to the Acropolis to get the teachings of Acts 18. We will be taking a tour of the area, learning the historical significance to be able to place the book of Acts in context. Then tomorrow (Thanksgiving in the US) the 22^nd, we will be heading to Corinth to learn about the first and second letters to the Corinthians. All this is before we leave Greece on Saturday to arrive in Turkey where we will be visiting Ephesus. Each one of these locations, we have been informed, is bigger and better than the previous, so we are all very excited. There is something about studying the Bible where the events took place that makes the words come to life to each one of us. (Please refer to http://johnvicory.blogspot.com for a more in depth personal experience in Athens).

[Acropolis at Night; photo John Paul Vicory]

[First Olympic Stadium; Photo, John Paul Vicory]

So, pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal more and more to us through the Word and through knowledge and experience of the locations we will be visiting. Pray for safety as we travel and for the safety of the speakers as they will be leaving us at various places. We are taking a ferry to Turkey, which should be very interesting and an adventure in and of itself.

Spotlight: Jennifer Nicole

[Jennifer Nicole; photo compliments of Jenn]

I learn more and more each week how small the YWAM world is. There are people all over the world that know each other without actually knowing each other. Until we actually met in South Africa, this was the story with Jenn and myself. She is from my hometown of Metro Denver, which is great, but we actually knew many of the same people especially in our high school years. She goes to Jubilee Fellowship in Lone Tree (South Denver), which was helped to start by some really good friends of mine, the Smiths. So Jenn and a really good friend, Malori were in the same youth group together and we may have even met prior to the “first” time in South Africa.

Jenn got involved with YWAM through the pastor’s family at Jubilee Fellowship. The pastor’s daughter Amy Leech was involved with the base in Kona so, as follows other people become aware and get involved. Jenn was at a place where she really needed to step out in faith and discover who she was in the Lord, so she went to Capetown to do DTS at Media Village, close to where we were in Muizenburg. She found what she was looking for and so much more. What stuck out the most to her was the revelations of God not only as just Lord, which is common in the West today, but also as Father and Lover.

While on outreach in Namibia, Lesotho, and Johannesburg, God’s heart for the women and children of Africa was made evident to her and captured her own heart. God started speaking to her how she could use photography to tell countless stories across Africa to give them a voice. After DTS she went home for a little while. She was heavily involved with work, so it was hard for her to make it to church every Sunday, but there was one morning that, even though she wasn’t going to go, she ended up feeling like she should go. That same morning Paul and Susi Childers, the leaders of our school, spoke at Jubilee Fellowship about the Voice for the Voiceless booklet and ministry. The vision that Susi has is what Jenn has for Africa, so she applied for the PhotogenX program to get more experience with photography and how it can be used in missions. In the meantime (since she had already done DTS), she went back, out of obedience, to Media Village in South Africa to complete the School of Video Production there. She was just finishing there when she joined with the Track at the end of September.

She hopes that this school will help launch her into full time ministry with Voice for the Voiceless Africa. She hopes that through the skills and experienced here, she will be able to get more of God’s heart for her and for the women and children she feels so close to. She also hopes that she will be able to be based in Capetown and subsequently sent out to the rest of Africa, taking pictures and writing stories that will capture the true heart of Africa as a whole; not through human eyes, but through God’s heart, showing his love and his beauty.

To you readers and to the friends and family of all of those on the track, “Be in the presence of God daily; every minute of every day.”

Pray that God will impart more and more of His heart and His vision to her as she is in His presence daily.

Until next week in Turkey!

John Paul Vicory and the PhotogenX RTW Track

Labels: Advocate, Awaken, Photoblog, PhotogenX, Photography, voice for the voiceless, world, YWAM

posted by PhotogenX Round the World @ 5:57 AM Comments: 1

Last full week in Porto Rafti: Spotlight, April Joy

[The view at sunrise a short walk from the Bethany House; Photo: John Paul]

Our time in Porto Rafti has been incredible. Not only have we been getting some tremendously profound and valuable lessons from the Bible, we have been surrounded by the beauty of God’s creation as well. It is starting to get a bit colder now, but most of the days remain beautifully clear. We have also had some amazing sunsets and sunrises although we haven’t been getting out as much to capture them with our cameras.

One of the things that I wanted to do with this blog is go through and introduce everyone on the team. Thus giving you, the readers, a little bit of background information on a different person each week with a picture and a few of the pictures they have taken as well. They will appear in no particular order, just what happens to fit in their schedule.

[April Joy; Photos courtesy of April Joy]

The first person that I want to spotlight is April Joy. April and I actually have an interesting connection. She is from the United States, Anchorage, Alaska to be specific. When I went to Westmont, there was a guy named Josh that was also from Anchorage. It turns out that April was pretty good friends with Josh’s younger brother.

Raised in a Christian home, April spent time in and out of Christian schools. Her first interaction with YWAM was from a neighbor, friends with her mother, whom had done the School of Photography in Kona. April has a passion for photography and was indecisive at the time when university came around, so she applied to the U of N in Kona to do a DTS. It was kind of a last minute decision, but one that changed her life. She arrived in Hawaii in July of 2006 carried out the lecture phase and then went to Japan for outreach.

From the first weeks that she was in Kona, she had received encouragement from both her school leader and Paul Childers to come and staff the PhotogenX DTS and continue on the Round the World Track as a student. Suzi Childers had being doing some photography workshops, during that time as well, so April was able to get to know our school leaders pretty well. She came back in April of 07 for staff training and eventually a leadership position with DTS. April recalls those times of being a student and staff in Kona as times of extreme development in her character as well as her relationship with God. He took her on outreach to Australia and India recently for the outreach portion of the DTS and ultimately to remain on the Round the World Track.

God has done a lot with April during the course of her time in YWAM and she looks forward to what he has for her in the coming year and a half on the track. On her past outreaches and missions, she has found value in discovering other people and cultures. It has led her to a better understanding of her world and who God is. Sometimes it is easy to find yourself in a metaphorical bubble made up of what is right in front of your face, especially the comforts of home. When confronting the world, she couldn’t help but see who God was and who she was on a much deeper level.

She expects that God will continue to build and develop her character through this track and reveal more and more of himself. She anticipates that he will do this by way of the intense Biblical studies as well as the interaction with various cultures around the globe. As she discovers more about Him and His creation, we can all be sure that she won’t be disappointed.

When asked if she had any advice for the fellow trackers and readers she replied, “If God isn’t the center of your life, everything will suffer.” I think that we can all learn something from the simple, yet profound wisdom.

That does it for this week. Please let me know any feedback, comments, suggestions that you have. I would love to hear them

Until then, peace and love through Christ, our Lord

John Paul

Labels: Advocate, Awaken, Jesus, Missions, Photoblog, PhotogenX, Photography, voice for the voiceless, world, YWAM

posted by PhotogenX Round the World @ 4:07 AM Comments: 1