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]
And now, here is Scott’s final advice for the readers. “Don’t be satisfied. Find passion and get plugged in. Be involved with a ministry. You won’t look at anything the same.”
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Thank you for reading. I hope that you have a Blessed week. Please continue to pray for us as we are traveling, learning, and loving.
in Christ,
John Paul Vicory
for more stories and pictures visit
johnvicory.blogspot.com
Labels: Awaken, injustice, Jesus, justice, Missions, Photoblog, PhotogenX, Photography, traveling, voice for the voiceless, YWAM
4 Countries in the New Year: Spotlight Tara!
Hey Everyone,
I hope that this update finds you all having a New Year filled with the revelation of God's love.
I just spent quite some time updating my own personal blog about the travels of the last few weeks. I thought it might be relevant here, so as with the update email, here is the link for my own blog and I will dedicate this space to Spotlighting Tara.
Please Click on the picture below to transfer to the Update Page. This probably won't happen very often, but I think I would end up writing the same thing twice!
Spotlight Tara:
When I first met Tara, I had preconceived ideas coming from a couple of friends from my DTS who knew her. They were great expectations of a vibrant personality and an overall "coolness" that I myself do not possess. Getting to know her over the last few months has been great and she really is who they told me she was going to be.
Tara did her DTS in Samoa (Pacific Islands) in 2005. She was originally planning on doing the PhotogenX DTS at the same time in Kona with Paul and Suzi, but she was told that there was a Pioneer DTS program in Samoa, so she signed up for it. It was an experience that changed the course of her life (big surprise, right?). They had their lectures in the middle of nowhere, no civilization to keep them comfortable. When we are comfortable it is hard to be stretched by God and others because we have so much else to lean on. She experienced God's heart on that small Island, getting prepared for what He had for her on outreach.
Her team spent a month in Tahiti and did a lot of prayer walking. Eventually they got involved in doing a VBS for the islanders on the Tahitian Island of Morrea. They couldn't renew their visas in Tahiti, so they prayed and God led them to New Zealand. It was here that Tara knew God's calling on her life. They had spent some time in ghetto's of South Auckland. It is a melting pot - Islanders from the surrounding islands like Samoa, Tonga, Solomon, and others travel through New Zealand, but get stuck in a less than appropriate lifestyle. They spent some time working with the youth as well as the elderly in the community.
After their time there, they went to Wellington, Tara's second home. They spent their time working with a local pastor, a single mom who was a mother to all of the kids in the community. Tara was so impacted by the time that she spent there, she traveled back by herself for another 3 months for discipling and experience. God shaped her vision for youth leadership as a calling on her life.
She is now working towards opening a coffee house/studio where she would be able to speak into the lives of the young people in a community, challenging them by her art to see outside themselves into the world and the impact that love can have on it. PhotogenX is part of that. She had a few different opportunities after coming back from New Zealand (the second time) but ended up applying for the PhotogenX program. She hopes that she can get a greater worldview, relating to the world on a bigger level, a more complete level. Experience can be empowering, not only in the personal aspect, but a relational one. In a way, it gives validity to challenges that you present to those around you. Ideology moves to reality. With the experience that she gets, she wants to be relevant in the youth around her, turning sometimes bland adolescent Christianity into something that breathes.
One of the most moving experiences came a couple weeks ago when we were learning about sacrifices in the Old Testament. We had a real live example of what Christ did for us, when we watched a goat slaughtered and prepared in a similar way that they Israelites would have. When Tara cries, she is moved, and she cried that day because she was reminded of God's gift. She said that it's good to be reminded of Christ every now and then, kinda like watching the Passion of the Christ every now and then. So often we live our lives as if nothing happened or that Jesus was always in the "buddy" role and not our sacrifice.
Tara loves to walk with God. Over Christmas break she went to Rome... by herself. She describes it as one of the best times she has ever had. Instead of a person going with her to all of the sights, she walked with God all day everyday. It kind of reminds me of when Jesus went to the mountain to pray and how important that was for Him, to connect with His Father. We all need that, but so often don't take the time out of our schedules to do so.
For your advice, she had a few things:
"Don't take life for granted... like anything"
and she also gave me one of her favorite quotes, one that resonates within me as well.
"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probably explanation is that i was made for another world". ~C.S. Lewis
Lewis is putting words to that feeling that nothing in this world can satisfy, the need to be close to our Father. We are in this world, but our citizenship, our true origin and family is the Kingdom.
Thanks for your prayers and thoughts for us.
All for Christ
John Paul
Labels: Advocate, Awaken, Jesus, justice, Missions, PhotogenX, Photography, the least, voice for the voiceless, world
