John Paul

New blog site

2009-11-19T21:41:00.000-08:00

Sorry about the confusion. I made the switch earlier this year. this is it!

http://blog.johnvicory.com

Thanks!

Lent - Giving up Ignorance

2009-02-18T21:33:00.000-08:00

Lent starts in a week.

Different denominations celebrate or observe Lent in a variety of ways. As I was growing up, my parents took (often dragged) my sister and I to church. I never remembered observing lent, and I am not sure if I ever have. This year, however, that is going to change.

Traditionally, the 40 days of lent represents the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness being tempted by the devil at the beginning of His public ministry. Why they chose to have it be the 40 days leading up to Easter Sunday, I don’t really know, but I am sure there is some tradition that many people have fought and died over. Lent is a tradition. Some argue that it is a pointless tradition not based in the Bible at all. During Lent, observers give up, or fast something that they are generally accustomed to, some take it to the point of fasting everything but liquids.

Even the number 40 has significance in the Bible. Not only is it the number of days that Jesus fasted in the wilderness, but it is a number repeated throughout the Old Testament. Moses spent 40 days on Mt. Sinai meeting with the Lord, then spent 40 years in the Sinai Desert with the Israelites. God made it rain on the earth for 40 days during Noah’s time. Elijah’s walk to Mt. Horeb took 40 days and 40 nights. It’s also the number of days God gave to Ninevah to repent of their sins. People even believe that Jesus spent 40 hours in the grave from Friday afternoon to Sunday morning.

This year, I made the decision to observe Lent. It may be the first time that I have, but I have recently had this urgency to do so. I want to invite you to going with me this season to observe it. I’m not going to ask you to give up food, or sugar, or alcohol, or any dietary “fast”.

I am going to invite you to give up something that all of us are accustomed to - Ignorance. We are all guilty of omitting from our minds many of the issues that are close to God’s heart. Jesus spent 40 days resisting the devil’s plans for His life and I want to spend the next 40 days resisting the devil’s plans for this world.

I am committing to spend only 15 minutes every day of Lent to researching and praying about issues such as Human Trafficking, HIV/AIDS, Orphans, Foster Children, the treatment of Widows, Poverty, Racism, and Violence and telling people about it. 15 minutes a day adds up to 10 hours over the course of 40 days. I firmly believe that with these 15 minutes a day, God can break our hearts for issue of injustice in the world, and use us to do something significant. I am hoping that this will create a hunger to know, learn and share even more.

There are so many evils that we have the power to do something about. Ignorance is our greatest enemy because it is so easy to be unaware of what is really going on, even in our own cities and countries. To help combat this ignorance, I am willing to send a copy of the 30 Days of Prayer for the Voiceless Booklet to each family that responds and commits to spending 15 minutes a day in research, prayer, and awareness.

When Jesus laid out His mission statement in Luke 4, He proclaimed that the Spirit of God was on Him to bring the Good News to the poor, proclaim that the captives will be released, the blind will see, the oppressed will go free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come. As followers of Christ, this is our mission too, and if you aren’t a follower of Christ, this is what being a Christian is truly about.

Give up Ignorance for Lent. If you would like to commit 15 minutes a day, either comment on the blog or email me at john.vicory@gmail.com and I will be in touch on where to research and how to get the copy of the 30 Days of Prayer for the Voiceless Booklet to you as quickly as possible.I have seen the way that people's lives are transformed through the eye-opening experience going through this book can be. I don't want you to miss out.

Lent starts in a week from today (next Wednesday), so let me know!

In Christ, who gave everything.

John Vicory

Videos!

2008-11-02T14:39:00.000-08:00

A few years ago, a good friend of mine, Alex Fung and I went to St. Ameria's for the first time. We were looking for a way to get involved in the community around us in Jinja, Uganda, but what we found changed our lives. We returned many times and helped establish a way for people across the world to be involved in the lives of these children who have been orphaned due to HIV, War, Violence, and the vicious cycle of poverty.
Recently, Alex sent me some of the video footage that he was able to capture on a couple of the visits. Here is a brief history of the orphanage, a personal story from Edith, one of the directors, and a video of the Echo Children's Choir of St. Ameria's. It is a song that has brought me to tears.

Next is a new video from the people at These Numbers Have Faces. I helped them out a very little bit about a year ago when I was in South Africa. I was deeply impacted by meeting Ace, Anda, and Michael. The work that These Numbers is doing there is powerful and effective. They are currently sopporting 3 students from the township of Gugulethu to go to school. Check out the video and see what they are up to! Here is their website as well. www.thesenumbers.com

Life without Brakes

2008-10-26T13:02:00.000-07:00

“So what am I supposed to do again?” I asked my father for the third time. My car had been making a terrible noise for a couple of days. It is the sound of metal against metal… the kind of noise that told me there was a problem.

Before I left for YWAM, while I was still in college, my dad almost forced me to help him change the brakes of the 93’ Pontiac Transport SE (aka the spaceship or dustbuster). It was a project I figured I would never have to repeat.

A few days ago I decided that in order to get rid of this terrible screeching, I would have to change the brakes again… only this time, my dad wouldn’t be able to troubleshoot anything that could possibly go wrong. Even though he wasn’t there, I was confident that it would be a breeze. But within minutes, even before I took the first wheel off, I was talking to my dad on the phone, getting information, insight, and guidance. He walked me through each step, told me in detail about each of the parts and how they worked. We hung up and I put my hands to the limited and rusty tools I found in my uncle’s garage. Time passed, but before I knew it, I had my dad on the line again. Another problem, another piece of guidance, another word of encouragement. I did everything I was supposed to do but something still went wrong and I found myself sitting in 2 puddles of brake fluid. I changed the brake pads, but when I put the car in drive to test them out, my brake petal went straight to the floor without stopping the car.

I couldn’t understand what could have gone wrong. This minivan is part of my job, part of my connection; and it was broken. Another phone call to my father landed me with possibilities of all the problems, and worse, the expensive solutions. Frustrated and overwhelmed, I was stuck and it was getting late and starting to rain. I was supposed to be somewhere in Seattle at 9 the next morning. My only option was to replace the brake fluid and bleed the brakes; both of which I had no idea how to do. “You need to have the blakes bred” must have come out of my dad’s mouth a dozen times, but I was too frustrated to laugh – at the time.

After more coaching, a YouTube tutorial, and another trip to Schuck’s auto parts, my cousin and I got to work in the raid. We tried a DYI vacuum trick that looked (and worked) more like a bong from my early days. We ended up doing it the old fashioned way - my dad’s way. Seven and a half hours later, we took her for another spin, this time the brakes working quietly and efficiently. My father congratulated me on a job well done.

The next day, while I drove the beast of a van down the Maple Valley Highway I thought back to the previous day and came out with some insights on life and how I operate my life.

No matter how well I think I can do something of how effectively I think I can perform; no matter how confident I am, things tend to go wrong occasionally. I’m not always going to have my dad physically present to coach me on fixing cars or doing taxes. Errors are port of life, but they lead to growth. Even though I didn’t know that brakes could be bled, I learned how to do it and I had to learn fast. Mistakes have a way of forcing our heads up and our eyes open. We have the choice to face them and learn or to turn away from them in further ignorance. Problems break friendships, jobs, marriages, and projects, but they also have the ability enable us to grow as people, to learn and discover what may have been previously unknown and daunting.

I also thought of my relationship with my dad, which hasn’t always been very healthy. In the last few years it has grown and developed into a healthy relationship, but I realized that I called my dad when I needed something from him. We talk on occasion, but I must have spent 2 hours talking to him when the brakes went bad. The thing is, I could tell that he loved every minute that we spent on the phone. Not once did he say, “alright, I have to go”, or “why don’t we talk more often?” We had a connection over my problems. I knew that he had the answers, which is why I called him. Most times, I don’t call just to call, and that makes me sad.

What makes me more sad is that I do the same thing with my other Father. This is the one that created the sun and gives me life. This is the One that knew me and loved me before I was even born. Most of the time, I only talk to him when I need something, or when I have a problem. Lately, selfishly, I haven’t been calling simply to talk. When I call Him with my problems and issues, like my dad, He loves every minute of communicating with me. He loves the connection, the intimacy, if only for the moment. He hangs on every word and thinks about the conversation long after it has finished.

Love is not using someone for what it can give me, but it is the beauty of giving something away expecting nothing, and often not getting anything in return. I hope to be able to invest in my relationships with my dad, God, and those around me because I love them and value them. They are more than worth my time and energy. And with my dad and God especially, they are worth more than what I have been giving them and taking for myself. They are willing to give of themselves to me, but so often I have been unwilling to give of myself to them. It’s time for a change.

The Battle Within

2008-08-14T01:23:00.000-07:00

Conversation with some friends yielded the topic of striving – a word that isn’t used very much, but is loaded with connotations of insecurity, priorities, recognition, and success. Most of us have this intense desire, whether consciously or not, of being recognized. We thrive knowing that someone approves of us, so when we put our hands to work, we are flooded with anxiety, worry, and disappointment. Many Christians even get into ministry or different projects thinking that God may love us more if we do some amazing things for Him. The motivation of our heart moves from doing anything out of love for God and His creation to seeking approval from the people around us and even from God. This kind of mindset creates an invisible prison that prevents us from moving in the freedom of who we were created to be. When we fail, we either stop trying or attempt another goal for our redemption – feeding off of the disappointment that we have brought upon ourselves. We are immersed in this kind of behavior neglecting the true purpose that we are made to go after unhindered by expectations and limitations. We have this mindset that the end or what we have to show of our lives is the result… the end is the point. In reality, the path is where the beauty is found.

Masks have been created from my striving, projecting an image of myself that isn’t real or true. I have hardly anything together, yet I find myself making it look like I do. With my hands on this mask, I am unable to approach those around me with open hands and an open heart. The thing is - most people still have their hands on their masks as well. We all have these areas where we keep locked away afraid to show others who we really are, but it is better to keep in mind that we are all made of the same parts and experience similar circumstances. If I have learned on thing by spending over a year and a half overseas is that we are all human and deal with both suffering and joy it is what connects us all. Having this mindset helps in dealing with both the struggles and eases of life, especially when there are others around you saying, “I can see where you are and I am here for you.” It is not only refreshing, but it is the correct posture that we should have in relation to each other. It helps put an end to striving for the chartless end and enjoy the radiance of life – loving who we are – living the way we were meant to live.

Finding Peace, Joy, and Love in the journey is finding the treasure. I may not have everything together, but God does, and He is inviting me on this journey of discovery – learning, trying, failing, and recovering. It is a beautiful process. I want to encourage you to let go of your striving and open yourself up to enjoy God and enjoy those around you. Life is an amazing gift. We were created to live with and to live for each other. We don’t have to wait until we are good enough or sufficient enough… if we were to do so, we would never stop waiting.

The Essence of Unseen

2008-07-12T13:50:00.000-07:00

Sitting in front of an empty screen is consoling; the small blinking cursor in the sea of white reminds me of my current condition and the state of my emotions. After traveling for the last 10 months experiencing a myriad of situations, worldviews, and thought processes, my mind and spirit have been on a proverbial rollercoaster. It was a ride that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Upon arriving back in the US, my expectations were sent soaring. The Not Alone Benefit made some money for the Mercy Development Home in Ethiopia, I saw some friends and family members, and then all of the sudden I was on my way back to Kona to resume studies and work on the publication from our experiences. What I didn’t anticipate was the slight depression that landed on me almost simultaneously with my plane landing in Honolulu. Depression is something that I have struggled with in the past, almost as if whenever I look behind me it is as if a shadow is always a hundred feet behind…sometimes closer, sometimes further, and sometimes I don’t even look.

Over the last few days, I think that I have been able to identify areas in my life that the depression feeds off of. I want to deeply trust God that He is who He says He is. I should know both in my head and my heart that He is good having witnessed His amazing provision and love. There is also this seemingly inherent fear of being hurt alone, as well as some psychological and emotional wounds in need of deep tissue healing. All of that culminating with the financial stresses of going through school with hardly any of the money than is required.

Maybe it has something to do with my struggle to always see God as my Father. In a recent talk to the body of believers out here in Kona, Andy Byrd, an amazing man of God, gave a parallel of his relationship with His son. Asher is about 4 years old and is passionate about his love for his father. He never distrusts Andy’s ability to clothe, feed, and give good gifts to him. Andy is not God, but the reliance that Asher has on his daddy is the way I want to relate with my Heavenly Father. In fact, that is the way that faith is supposed to work. With my eyes fixed on God, the waves around me are insignificant next to the power that He has. And then there is the promise that God’s power, the power that raised Christ from the dead, is living inside of me. Why do I worry? Why do I strive for control over my life when the Perfect Father, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe is alive within me? The reality of Jesus and His life is the reality that I need to be living in, not this façade, this thin, filthy veneer that I see. It about looking beyond, looking to the reality that Christ brought – the Kingdom that He ushers in – the Kingdom that He placed within.

As I have mentioned in some of my posts, I love the thought of Love. The word has lost a lot of meaning in our time and can mean anything from a red glass window in Amsterdam paid for by the hour, to the subculture of the 70’s, to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The love I speak about is the unending love, the love that gives expecting nothing in return, the love that costs something, unselfish. This is the type of love that God has for the world, the type of love that I have seen the world in desperation for. What I haven’t realized or taken to heart was that the passionate, unrelenting, undistracted, devastating, and unconditional love that the world is burning for is the same love that God has for me; that He has for you. He is mesmerized by one glance from my eyes; His heart blazes at one trifling word of affection from our hearts to His. I have to know that love, I need to feel it not only for the world, but for myself. Oh, to wake up to the reality of the love of Christ – the destructive love of the relentless Lion and the tender embrace of the Lamb.

The program that I am enrolled in is expensive. It is even more expensive now that we are back in the States. The team of monthly supporters helps a great deal, but as it stands, I have no way of paying for the school fees as well as the bills that I have back home as well. I have this issue of pride with asking for others to come along-side me, joining me in accomplishing the goal and finishing the program, but after praying about what God wanted me to do, I felt that I should use the blog this week to do just that. It is a sacrifice of my pride, the idea that I should be providing for myself, and what I think the blog should be… but, in obedience, I have to.

I started PhotogenX last September and I intend to finish it. These next 6 months we will be working on a publication from our travels and experiences with injustice around the world. We want it to be a catalyst of change in the world. We are willing to be used, but we need help. I need help. My fees for the school are $4,000 just for this next 3 months and at the moment I don’t have it. I am trusting God for this provision believing that He can finish what He started. The waves of financial pressure are building all around me, but He knows exactly where I am and He is with me. If you would like to stand with me, there are many ways to do so; please let me know.

Thanks for reading about my journeys and experiences. I pray that you open yourself up to the Amazing Love and Grace that comes only through a loving relationship with Jesus Christ.

In Obedience to Him,

John Paul

Costa Rica

2008-07-12T10:13:00.000-07:00

[Punta Leona]

My second trip to Costa Rica was much different than my first 2 years earlier. I was with the rest of the group and one of us if from Costa Rica. That immediately gives you the upper hand as far as activities and places to go. We spent the first part of the month in San Jose, taking classes on Latin America attempting to discover the worldview and thought processes of where we were staying. It was a bit of culture shock just coming from Spain and Morocco, but beautiful none-the-less. One of my favorite things on the trip is seeing the differences and similarities between cultures. It is a constant reminder that we are all human and we are all in this life together.
We had an opportunity to go to the beach for a weekend with Carla's family. After so much traveling and running around with busy schedules, it was relaxing to just sit and take in the beauty that Costa Rica has to offer.

Deni and I had the opportunity to go to a small ministry called Casa Luz. It's meaning in Spanish is House of Light and it was started a few years back by a Canadian couple in response to the vast need of protection for abused women. The women who are in the program either have children or are pregnant. The home offers protection, a day care program, a place for the ladies and their children to stay, and trained home-mothers for them to talk to and relate with. Casa Luz has a lot to offer Costa Rica since domestic abuse and forms of rape are prevalent among the different poorer communities. They are in the process of building even more apartments for the women, a better day care center, and a playground for the children to play freely. It was a relief to be there; there was a huge sadness, but also a response birthed in Hope.

During the outreach portion of our time in Costa Rica, I had wanted to go down to Peru, then Panama, then Cuba... but plan after plan fell through because of financial reasons; but looking back, God's plan was better. A few of us traveled by car to the south of Costa Rica to help out with a project for the Guyami people. They are a people who were originally nomads from the northern Panama area but have now sought permanent residency in Costa Rica. Panama and Costa Rica differ tremendously due to economic and social variables. For example, Costa Rica doesn't have an army, so the government money can be allotted instead to health care and education. Because of these reasons, the indigenous people stayed and have access to the benefits just as any other Costa Rican citizen.

The government gives free education to all children in Costa Rica including the Guyami. But the children usually come from poor families who can't cover the extra expenses like uniforms, extra books, and Christmas presents. A grass-roots organization in San Jose, the capital, have started a link between some of the private schools in San Jose and the indigenous people. Before Christmas, an angel tree is put up in the private schools with the pictures of each of the Guyami students and the private schoolers will buy a gift for one of the students in the indigenous villages. The small group of us that went down to the Guyami did so in order to get the pictures of the students who would be getting Christmas presents from San Jose this year. Usually it is a little bit difficult to come into a place with your camera poised and ready to capture images, but when that is the stated point to why you are there, it becomes much easier in a small amount of time. What takes weeks takes just moments. It was a blessing to simply be with the children, smiling with them, stuttering what little Spanish I know, and being the object of teasing and laughing. It doesn't get much better than that and I would love to go back someday to see them.

[An assortment of images from the Guyami people in Southern Costa Rica]

Its no wonder that Costa Rica is the top eco-tourism spot for North Americans. There is so much to see, so many trails to hike, and a lot of rice and beans to eat. There is everything from dense jungles complete with spiders, purple-heart wood, and spider monkeys to high elevation volcanoes. Even a month is not enough to spend there and see even a fraction of the beauty that Costa Rica contains.

[Some of the amazing nature of Costa Rica]

That is all for this time. I appologize that the posting is coming so late. The post-Costa Rica schedule was quite hectic and crazy.
Blessings in Christ
John Paul

the beauty is in the Hope

2008-06-17T10:41:00.000-07:00

“Ask, and I will give the nations to you”

What am I asking for?

I stand among 25 people lifting their voices, their minds, and their hearts – in essence – their lives – to a Perfect Father. Over the last 10 months He has given us the nations, a tremendous blessing and opportunity, but also one that has had it share of struggles. We have witnessed the numerous heartbreaks of humanity; infanticide, famine, the deepest hunger, those on their deathbeds from HIV, the effects of war, the vicious cycles of poverty and disease that claim millions of precious lives each year, and the injustice of the apathetic. All of the traveling was not a joy-ride but one involving real and evident sadness. The situations and circumstances left us changes; scarred forever like a brand on our hearts and minds. So we continue to ask for the nations… along with all of their joys, but also their sorrow.

But, we are not left there because even in immense pain is beauty – we know of it as hope. In John 16 Jesus talks about sadness – that we will have it and that by following Him, we seek it out. When we follow Him into the life – into the nations – into love – We are following Him to the Cross. But as we pursue Him there He gives to us what can never be taken away; a peace that passes understanding and incomparable joy. That is why we are able to laugh hysterically at our living conditions, each other’s crazy experiences, and shake-face pictures (see below). It is also the reason that we are able to stand together wherever we are in the world and, with tears in our eyes and compassion in our hearts, cry out to God; telling Him in our feeble words how great and how good He really is.

“Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

He wins.

Blessings through Him… the most beautiful One
John Paul

Please don't view this as an impression that the beautiful people, places, and moments are rare; they are definitely evident in every society and culture around the world. But pain and suffering are found everywhere as well and it is the reason that we are here, to proclaim Hope to those who may have lost it whether they be in Myanmar, Switzerland, or Denver, Colorado.

Shake-Face - just use the flash... compliments of Anna

From the Desert to the Rainforest

2008-06-01T16:10:00.000-07:00

I would like to begin with an update from St. Ameria’s in Uganda. John Bills, a close friend of mine was recently teaching and developing ideas with leaders in Uganda. He has been with me for part of the last year and had visited St. Ameria’s. They have never left his heart either so while he was there he made sure to stop by to see how everything was doing. We had both been working to see what we could do to provide them some much needed funding and encouragement for the well being of the children (starting, as you may remember, with the bunk beds to keep the children off of the floor). Even in the short year that has passed since I left Uganda, through the money that many of you have given, St. Ameria’s has been doing some substantial construction and have also ensured other immediate needs of the children like food, clothing, and medicine are being administered. They have almost completed with the boys dormitory, but need some more money to be able to do it. I am amazed at what God has done for those children in Uganda and honored that he would let me be a part of it. If you would like to get involved, even in flying out to Uganda to help in the construction, please let me know and I would be overjoyed to give you more information.

A team from Germany came to Spain to teach us about photography. We didn’t learn heaps about photography that week, but we had major breakthroughs as a family that the students have become. Amsterdam was a difficult time for most of us, not only as a team, but on individual levels as well. We were disconnected, distraught, and visionless. In a way, we had forgotten why God had called us to do this program in the first place and, in our relation with each other, weren’t walking in love. Spain and the team from Germany provided a sort of intervention, keeping us all in the same room sharing what we were struggling with in relation to the team, ourselves, and with God. It was such a fruitful time that reignited our passion to receive and give the Father’s love freely.

[A mountain that Tim and I climbed overlooking Torremolinos]

[The lower part]

We had a week to travel around Southern Spain and North Africa as well, so the next week Aaron, Anna, and I separated from the rest of the group, who took up their own travels, and headed to Morocco. I don’t know if I have been in a more beautiful nation. Morocco has so much from cold temperature to the searing hot deserts; Atlas mountains to Mediterranean and Atlantic Coastlines. We spent the week traveling all over the country and grew to know and appreciate each other more. We shared frustrating moments and as well as those of sheer beauty and delight. We met some amazing people while traveling and at our temporary destinations. Too much happened to record it all, so be sure to check out (and comment on) Anna’s Blog which contains a daily video diary from the trip. (Anna’s Blog) Hopefully the pictures and captions will give an idea about the trip as well, maybe even better than words can in this instance.

[A hillside in Tanger, Morocco]

[Marrakesh is a city known for its craziness. It has one of the biggest markets in North Africa and competes with Addis Ababa for Africa's largest. Even on the first day, I needed to get away from it, so Scott and I headed into the back alleys away from everything else and found a small group of boys playing soccer. We spent a few minutes with them before heading back to the hostel.]

[Morocco is known for a traditional dish called Tajin. You can find it everywhere along with the spices that are included. There is so much color in Morocco, more than I ever expected.]

[Anna and Aaron on the Atlas mountain pass. Our guide, Housine, asked us to count the number of turns on the way up. We didn't, but he kept asking. When we got to the top, he wouldn't tell us how many until we gave him good guesses, but after we did he revealed that there were only 2; right and left. Clever, Housine... very clever.]

[When we were told that we would be driving through the Atlas Mountains to get to the desert, I wasn't expecting red earth, snow covered peaks, and windblown wheat fields filling the valleys. Anna and Aaron both said that it reminded them of Nepal. It just reminded me of something beautiful since I had never seen anything like it (besides maybe the Alberta Canada coat of arms).]

[Housine says that the Berber people only live in the mountains. Its possible that they came from the Mountains, but they live all over Morocco. They make up about 60% of the population if you are interested in figures. They are a warm people, a point that I will explain in another caption.]

[After driving through some diverse and amazing landscapes and biomes, we arrived at the end of the road, literally. Housine lives in a small desert town called M'Hamed and it is where the pavement ends as far as roads go. We stayed on the edge of the Sahara in Bedouin type tents at a campsite. Unlike many other of the tourist programs, it was just Aaron, Anna and I at the camp with Housine and his friends and family.]

[Housine and his family come from the tribal Tauregs that once traversed the Sahara. They are also known as Nomads or the Blue Men because of their bright blue jalebahs (long shirts). Because of the Nation-States that have invaded the African continent in the lat 200 years, whole tribes have been cut off from each other, especially with countries with closed borders like Algeria, a mere 38 kilometers from the town of M'Hamed. The once itinerant Blue Men are mostly settled down now, but the freedom of wandering is evident in the infrastructure of their towns and the remains of vacated Kasbahs (old towns with refuges) that dot the desert countryside. Who knows how long Housine's family will stay in M'Hamed?]

[After visiting the old M'Hamed Kasbah, we headed via Landrover to the Chicaga Dunes. It is one of the largest dune systems in Morocco and boasts the highest dune of 300 meters (or 990 ft). The desert is one of my favorite ecosystems and for some odd reason, I find refreshment for my spirit there.]

[A few tourists taking a rest on one of the lower dunes. We were surprised that there weren't many tourists and the dunes were relatively untouched, which was amazing for pictures.]

[Anna making the long trek to the top of the highest sand-dune. There is this innate desire to see the highest point around and climb it. We gave in to this aspiration and reached the summit with a few minutes of sunrise left.]

[Aaron and Anna at the top. We hauled Anna's MacBook to the top in order to record one of our daily video journals which can be viewed HERE on Anna's Blog. We watched the sun drop beneath the horizon and praised our Maker for His amazing creation. Soon after, we headed back to the camp and fell asleep early (before the Blue Men were finished with their rhythmic songs) so we could get up for sunrise.]

There were no thoughts of sadness, worry, or disappointment as my feet almost flew down the sand dunes in the Saharan section of Morocco. I was carefree (besides feeling that I might end up toppling end over end down the rest of the dune) experiencing excitement, joy and freedom. There are moments like this in all of our lives, some brief others long-lasting, that force us to forget about our issues no matter how big or small. In reflecting on the seemingly insignificant instance, I realized that many people as they get older don’t take the time or even feel like they can have moments they can let themselves go with childish enthusiasm to experience innocent joy and exuberance. Look for your sand dune.

[Our camp at the Chicaga dunes was surprisingly cozy despite the fine layer of dust that covered everything (including our camera equipment). The sun rewarded our early morning efforts with spectacular views of the dunes and the textures of the sand. After breakfast we piled back in the Landrover and started the long journey back to Marrakesh, 12 hours away.]

[Along the way, we stopped in a Berber village high in the Atlas mountains. We had yet to experience hospitality in the way they showed it to us. We were invited to a terrace overlooking wheat fields and mountain dwellings where we enjoyed mint tea and broken conversations. We were invited to spend a few nights up in the village, but wouldn't have had a way to get back to Marrakesh had we done so. We all want to visit Morocco again and spend much more time in the Atlas with the Berbers.]

[It is extremely difficult to get photos of women, especially in the Muslim world. Equally difficult is getting to know them and their stories. Outside of the craziness of the Marrakesh Medina, we wandered in a small community of craftsman and porters. There were no Westerners walking the streets so it was much easier to relate with the people on a personal level. Anna had been praying that she would be able to get connected with a local woman and possibly even get portraits of her. God presented the opportunity and we spent close to an hour and a half getting to know the Berber family who had come to Marrakesh. We were so blown away by their hospitality and warmth. We would all love to go back and visit them someday as well.]

[Morocco is quite famous for its leather. The largest tannery is located in Fez, but there are also quite a few large tanneries in Marrakesh as well. It is popular for tourists to go and thus popular to be led to specific tanneries by a myriad of different people, including children and inebriated men. We finally made our own way through an open door into a tannery deserted by tourists. We walked around and took some pictures before heading back to our hostel. The man on the bottom is Abdallah Azziz who showed me the whole process of tanning leathers, a process that has become his life-long profession.]

[Some of the Arab influenced architecture in Marrakesh]

[The closest coastal town to Marrakesh is Essaouira (I am still terrible at the pronunciation). Translated, the name means "windy city" and it is very windy. It is also dominated by the tourism industry. There is also a history and tradition of catching fish in the Atlantic, so a generous fishing industry also brings in revenue for the coastal community.]

[A man sits at the gate of the Essaouira medina in the traditional dress of many Moroccans, a hooded jalebah.

[One of the strays that Aaron and Anna (and I) fell in love with]

[Another of Essaouira's medina gates.]

[Aaron standing in front of a colorful backdrop composed of rugs and blankets]

[The medina walls of Essaouira]

We are in Costa Rica and Latin America for the next few weeks finalizing the phase of the track in which we travel around the world. It’s hard to believe that it has been almost 9 months already. Pray for us as we finish here, take a quick break at home, and then meet back in Kona. I will be sure to have another blog update before then.

In His Love,

John Paul Vicory

Love is the Stillness

2008-05-15T13:51:00.000-07:00

Love is a word that I talk so vigilantly about, but I hardly know anything about it. I have often mentioned that Love is a Movement… To a large degree, I am wrong. It is true that love is a catalyst for change, but before love can move me, I must be loved. Not only must I be loved, but it is absolutely vital that I love God above everything else. I have felt God’s love for me in tremendous ways. I will never forget one of the most vivid times. It was in November of 2006, I was in a remote area of Hawaii and had committed my life to Christ the night before. I made the commitment out of desperation, not knowing what would happen next; I wasn’t expecting to be physically on my face in the presence of God, my heart in a vice unable to grasp or handle the perfect, undivided, and everlasting love of the Father for me. It was a moment that was branded into my mind and soul forever. Since that time, my heart has been rebroken over and over for the lost and hurting people in the world; Congolese experiencing the worst genocide ever, Ethiopian street children starving to death by the thousands, Ugandans ravaged by war and HIV, 127,000 plus residents of Myanmar gone in a matter of hours, and a Western world full of suicidal depression, adultery, and greed. The love of the Father is open to all… can this be?

My mother tells me that when I was young, I would constantly ask her, “Is that true, mom?” to no end. I have this deep desire to know that something is real, tangible, and trustworthy. But as happens so much in everyone’s lives, we experience something that takes away our childlike innocence and grows us up to some of the realities of the world, betrayal, unfaithfulness, and injustice. The same is true in my life. Sometimes the people unknowingly and unwillingly do so to us, but we are betrayed just the same. Often times we feel as if it were God Himself bringing his judgment against us.

There were a few instances in my life that particularly stand out to me. I was in high school, a young freshman punky looking kid with little direction and at the verge of going “off the edge” in terms of rebellion. There was this girl, who had a smile that would attract the attention of the entire room as if no one had known that they were existing in darkness before she walked in. Over the next three years, we got to know each other. She was the first person that I loved. She was an amazing person, full of the joy of the Lord eager to follow Him with everything she had. I wasn’t an amazing person, nor did I have the joy of the Lord, and really didn’t know Him much at all besides this light He had placed in my path… But I messed everything up and I knew it. I was the one who betrayed, who was blind, who was corrupt. For a long time, I tried to save myself in her eyes, persistently apologizing. The summer in between my two years at military school in Missouri, we sat down in our usual spot in McDonald’s under the poster of Terrell Davis, where we had spend so many afternoons over the years. She told me she would write… She left on a mission’s trip to Mexico where the Lord took her home to be with Him.

A long while later, I was attending university at Westmont; she was a sophomore at the same college. We met through a friend, started dating, and fell in love. Over the next three years, I studied hard, graduating a year early so that we could go through with our plans to get married. I asked her to marry me and we were set for a full exciting life… or so we thought. Not long after graduation, the engagement and our relationship were off. I was heartbroken, feeling betrayed not only by her, but by this far off and distant God who said that He cares about people. I questioned who I was, what on earth I was doing, and why me… Out of desperation, I applied to DTS where I encountered the personal Father and Jesus Christ for the first time.

Since then, from reading the Bible, I would pick up on verses that told me to go into the world, love each other, bind up the brokenhearted. There was something romantic about the idea of traveling, being a champion for the poor and needy, showing them that there is a God who loves them. I had skipped the part that Jesus made so perfectly clear… “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength” (Matthew 22:37). Since I had the dream that I explained in the last blog update, I haven’t felt right. There has been something missing. Over the last week, God has been showing me that there has been so much that I have missed. The past relationships with people close to me have shaped me into someone who doesn’t trust. I project what happened in those relationships onto the people around me as well as onto God. I know in my head that He is perfect, worthy of trust, but my life, doubt, worry, and actions show that my heart is holding back from giving Him everything. His love is better than life itself, He proved in with the death of His Son, Jesus Christ, but here I am striving for His love as if it wasn’t a free gift. I think that what I have been doing for the last two years had aspects of love, but they were also a plead to God that He shouldn’t ever leave me, that perhaps He needed to keep me around for something. How wrong I was. Love is being still and letting the love of Christ empty everything that I am out, the doubt, guilt, disbelief, and worry in order to fully accept His unconditional, life-changing, freedom releasing love to me. I am only realizing that I will never be good enough to deserve His love. But He gives it to me anyway. That is Grace and when we get it, we have no other options but falling to our knees in absolute nothingness before the Perfect Creator, the Author of Salvation, the Name above all other names.

How can I love God? How can I give Him trust? How can I be emptied of selfishness and striving? I can’t. I am absolutely incapable of changing my situation. All I can do is want more of Him. He is the one that can replace this incapable heart and replace it with one able to trust Him able to rest in His perfect, everlasting love. We are all broken. We all need a transformation that supersedes anything we could ever go for ourselves.

I have preached so much about love – yet I was deceived about the best part of it, Grace. I can’t move in love until I know God’s love for me. The response from His love is to love Him – above everything else, bringing nothing to Him, receiving His Grace. His love for me and mine for Him then flows out of me uncontrollably. We crave for others to feel that kind of unconditional, absolutely incomprehensible and mysterious love.

His love is that whisper amidst the whirlwinds and earthquakes of our lives. Love from the Perfect Father is known by being still – listening to His gentle voice that shatters worry and melts fear. He knows me, knows my insufficiencies and sins, but He loves me just the same and is waiting to give up everything, all of my pride, brokenness, and striving, in order to create in me a new heart.

I had a vision of that wonderful day, when I would meet Jesus, God’s tangible love, face to face. I pictures standing in front of Him – when our eyes met for the first time and pierced my soul. The guilt of everything I had ever done piled on my heart in an instant. I couldn’t stand in His perfection. I felt as though I had died, completely ashamed in front of the One who died for my sins. Almost instantly He was lifting me up, taking all of my burdens once and for all in the greatest act of forgiveness that the world will ever know. He was inviting me to live with Him forever, in the place that He had been preparing. The place where every tear would be wiped away, every fear released; a place where I could never get away from the unhindered love and presence of God.
What a glorious day that will be.

In constant need for more of Him,
Jp

Dreams, England, and the Mediteranean...

2008-05-11T04:52:00.000-07:00

[Brassica napus (aka rapeseed) field near Doncaster, UK]

[Snake Pass in the Pennines]

Leaving Amsterdam was bittersweet, as I had mentioned last time. Upon leaving, I flew to the middle of the United Kingdom to spend a number of days in a town called Doncaster. My uncle has been living there for the last 6 years and it is rare that I get to spend any serious time with him. Before this, I can't remember having so much fun and such close communion with him. When I look back on this track, it will be one of the highlights. Thanks, Uncle Forest, it was such a blessing to be there with you.

[Nesting swans on Keepmoat lake in Doncaster]

[Young Lambs in a field near Snake Pass in the Pennine Range]

Driving through the winding, slithery roads of South Yorkshire,where Doncaster is located, a flood of memories came back to me. As a Member of Parliament for this area, William Wilberforce spent much of his time in the area. We can be grateful to his obedience to God in ending the slave trade in England, which set the stage for ending legal slavery all over the world. Hudson Taylor, one of the first missionaries to China was from the region as well.

These roads were rich in history, around every turn were familiar signs and names… “That was here?” Even most of the important scientific discoveries ever were made on this land by brilliant (and sometimes not so brilliant) minds. When the Western Church was expanding, Benedictine monks came to its shores and established abbeys that were vital to the reading and translating of the Bible. The Roche Valley Abbey (monastery and cathedral) was erected from 1147 to 1149 and remained an active area of studying/worship for at least 14 monks and many others for 389 years until the King Henry VIII had problems with the Catholic Church in Rome. With the dissolution of all of the monasteries in England the Roche became unoccupied and fell victim to the looting of the treasures and even stones of the buildings. Even the largest Abbey in England, the Fountains Abbey in Ripon Valley was subject to the wrath of Henry VIII. because of his issues with divorce. He broke off from the Catholic Church and formed the Anglican Church, which is still the official church in England.

[Roche Valley Abbey near Doncaster, UK]

[Fountains Abbey near Ripon, UK]

Throughout history, especially in Europe and especially with Christianity, there have been divisions, wars, moral dilemmas, and intellectual supremacy that has kept Europe in much of a Dark Age. Many missionaries ended up coming out of

England

and Europe, but now in Yorkshire, less than 3% of the population considers themselves Christian? What went wrong? I think that many people used Christianity to fit their own actions instead of conforming to the image of Christ in word and deed. When the Age of Enlightenment came around, they no longer even needed to hide behind the façade of Christianity, but were now accountable to no one, neither man or God.

What happened along the way? Did science give us a reason to deny the existence of a Creator? In the academic course I am enrolled in, we must read an array of books by a myriad of authors. One of the books is called "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by a distinguished author named Bill Bryson. Throughout the book (which is lengthy and a bit difficult), everything points back to the absence of order in the universe, explaining scientific theories and their holes,but doesn't explain possible reasons for the holes. What is evident throughout the book is that we really know very little, with gaps in conjectured (some solid) theories. However observant Bryson may be, he didn't even allude to the possibility that there could be a Creator and Sustainer of the universe. I hold to the basic principles of naturalism and evolution, but know that it was God whom spoke it all into existence; He set everything in motion and continues to work in His creation - guiding it along. But for the majority of the scientific community, science gave a reason to question. [Maybe some day, I will dedicate a whole entry to my thoughts on creation, nature, science and evolution; this entry is for other thoughts.] To sum it up,in the minds of many, Nietzsche was right... We killed God. We have lifted ourselves up to a position of thinking that we don't need God (which we obviously do) nor should we be accountable to Him (which is the basis for all morality).

I know that the I AM lives and I need more of Him... desperately - sometimes I just lose sight of it. The first week in Spain I had a dream; literally. My dreams seem to me as a movie in which i have the starring role. In most of them, I view myself from the outside as if I was watching but then participate emotionally and psychologically with what is happening... a little hard to explain. At the start of the dream, I was in the 'missions field' doing work, helping people, and feeling good about myself. The scene after that I was coming in through the front door of home. It wasn't my physical house in Denver or anything, but it had the feeling that I had arrived at my real home... After placing my small bags down I walked around. There were a few people around, but ultimately I made it back to the dining room. As I walked in, I suddenly had to stop. There in front of me was a big table almost completely empty. At the head of the table was the Father God in physical form. I never saw His face, I just knew that it was Him. I did see his arms and hands, resting on the table on both sides of an empty, untouched plate. He had been waiting for me. I felt as though I made the most important date imaginable, but had forgotten about it because I was too caught up doing my own thing. I was instantly regretful, ashamed, and guilty that I was capable of doing such a thing. Then I woke up.
Throughout the morning, I came back to the dream, knowing that I am fully capable of doing good things for the wrong reasons. I am a selfish person. The dream made me examine my life and question my motives for doing anything at all. Do I live my life away from God, disregarding His willingness to have a relationship with me? Do I count Him out of my activities, unwilling to do what He wants me to do?
The Bible tells me that the driving force of my life should be loving God (Luke 10:27). There is nothing more important than that, and I know if from my own experience as well. There is nothing more fulfilling. Why then is it so easy to forget? I want to be in a position where I can love God above everything else, no matter what or where that puts me (even if it's in Siberia studying lichen or in Africa working with HIV positive people). Nothing is better than my relationship with Him. He is still there, waiting to commune with me, to fellowship with me, to speak love to me. He has been there all along. One of the most beautiful things in existence is that He wants to have a relationship with all of us on an individual, unique, and intimate level.

Because He loved first
John Paul

With Love and Flowers

2008-04-29T02:24:00.000-07:00

She is Beautiful, yet she doesn’t always think so

She has big dreams for a bright career

When she is nervous, she plays with her hair

She has a birthday… 1977 although I would have guessed the 80’s

She has two smiles, the real one is much better

She wants to have a baby and a family

She wants to forget about this part

She hopes for something more

[One of the many alleys in the Red Light District]

Awkwardly standing in front of the window I put my heart on the line by extending my love through a white and pink rose. Droplets of water had formed on the delicate petals and had smudged the writing on the love letter than accompanied the stem. I was no one, maybe even a potential client. The message was simple – God created you, your life is important, His love for you is better than life itself.

We all need to be loved. We were created with a desire for intimacy, for deep personal connection. Amsterdam is one of the last places that you will find it.

[I was amazed at the amount of tour-groups threading through the district]

We got a small group together and started praying about what we should write to accompany the flowers that we would hand out to the girls behind the glass. We rifled through our pocket sized Bibles led by ideas and references that would speak life into a dark place. Although we didn’t get around to doing a whole lot with the ministries in the RLD because of the short time we were there, this was what God wanted us to do; possibly even the reason that we were here.

The next night we stared at all of the flowers before getting busy attaching the love notes. Someone had been looking for something to give money towards and when they heard of the Flower Campaign, the Lord provided more than enough through them. There were ten of us that were going out on delivery, carrying with us more than flowers and strips of paper.

[The Cleft is in the middle of the Red Light District and provides some amazing ministries to the lost and broken]

The time had come. We paired up and headed out. I went with Deni, one of the staff of the track. As we walked, the closer we came to our destination, the more feelings stirred in our hearts. We arrived with an arm-full of flowers. The first interaction was the most difficult and nerve-racking. As far as we knew, people just didn’t do what we were doing; there was always something else involved. I have an odd way of explaining what happened when they received the flower and knew that it was a gift… It appeared as if scales fell from their eyes. It is a weird way of explaining the phenomenon, but words escape me if I try to say it any differently. Their eyes literally changed and they became human. Now, obviously, I know that they are human, made in God’s image and deeply loved, but they have been objectified to the point that there is a disconnect with who God created them to be. So when they received something beautiful for simply being loved by God, grace came flooding in. With some it was a little more obvious than others, but I know that the messages symbolized in the flower were delivered precisely to the people they should have. It was an amazing time, I too, felt valued and loved by God.

We continued to walk, praying. We realized that we were no different from the people walking around the RLD searching. They search for the girl that will satisfy, but we know that the love of Christ and the Father is the only thing. We have all given ourselves over to selfish desires as well, searching for that element of life that will set us on fire with fulfillment. It is part of what being human is. One of my favorite authors, Brennan Manning puts it this way. “To be alive is to be broken. And to be broken is to stand in need of grace.” We all need the remarkable, exposing, and uncomplicated love of Christ. Since I have seen a glimpse, it doesn’t make me any better, because without Him, I am nothing, wretched.

[St. Nicholas Church in towers over the Red Light District (not seen here). Interestingly enough, St. Nicholas is the Patron Saint of prostitutes among other things]

We were on our way out of the district when I looked down and saw a broken flower on the ground… someone in our group had given it out. I reached down and picked up the discarded blossom saddened by what it represented. The paper was torn, the writing blurred beyond recognition. The head of the daisy was incredibly whole so I kept it, not knowing what the future would hold. As we passed the last window on our way out, my eyes met the disconnected glance of the girl who occupied it. I approached the window, again putting my hope on the line. She opened the window and we began to talk. Deni and I stood awkwardly as she explained all the scenarios of why we should come inside… It was difficult to stand there, extremely uncomfortable. Why was I standing there? Why had I found that last flower? Why this window? We eventually paid for 30 minutes of her time (how it usually works) and entered the room, flooded with red and black lights. We took off our rain soaked jackets and sat down on the bed. As we talked about life, hopes, family, and hard times, the time flew by. 45 minutes later it was time to go, she had to get back to work, we had to go back to the base. Since then, my mind has replayed the events of that night over and over in my head… We said goodbye and I hoped that I would never see her in that window again. What can I say? What words can describe the thoughts in my head and feelings in my heart? There aren’t enough flowers.

["Window Shopping" as it is often called]

I came to Amsterdam frustrated, but left with a broken heart. I look forward to going back. It is a city of confusion, brokenness, and misguided seeking, but also a city where those who are searching can be filled with everlasting water and the Bread of Life. Where sin abounds, so does Grace^{(Romans 5:20)}.

May love flow from God into your life and from your life into the lives of others.
The opportunity is ours.

In Christ,
John Paul

Enjoy the Pictures!

[Bikes are super popular... it is easy to make a biker mad, just get in their way]

[People lock their bikes up everywhere]

[A little lightpainting at the "Skinny Bridge"]

[Amsterdam is famous for it's canals as well]

[The Hermitage Amsterdam... I have no idea what this one is for, but traditionally, Hermitages are religious centers]

[I really like this picture...}

[When YWAM first started in Amsterdam, the staff all lived on barges in the canals]

[Old Buildings... budding trees]

[Wooden Shoe (Clog) Factory, Zaandijk]

[Some wooden tulips at the clog factory]

[Tulips, Zaandijk]

[There was also a Carnival at Dam Square]

[Some Windmills at Zaandijk]

[Cottages on the Canals in Zaandijk]

Traffic Jams, Fish, and some other things

2008-04-18T14:51:00.000-07:00

Driving down I-25 or the "Valley Highway" as my dad likes to call it, I always get caught in traffic. For some reason, the Metro Denver Area thought it would be a great idea to fix the whole highway at once and to take 10-15 years doing it. While stuck in traffic, I usually do one of two things; I get angry or go crazy. And when I get angry I am basically going crazy but it includes shaking the car back and forth, not talking to myself which is the "normal" crazy.

In Amsterdam this week, I found myself stuck in a different traffic jam, but the results were pretty much the same, I became a bit angry and I think I went a bit crazy as well. This traffic jam is quite predictable; it is in the center of the city and lasts from around 9pm to around 3 in the morning. The streets are packed not with honking cars, but with broken men and women. The sex industry in Amsterdam brings in over a US Billion Dollars a year. Most of the girls in the Red Light District remain there as if locked in a prison cell, bars of steal and cells of concrete substituted for a door of glass and a red room with a bed. Many are from different parts of Europe or North Africa and were recruited for hotel jobs. When they got to Amsterdam, the glittery promises fall through, their captors flaunt their passports in front of their face; scared and intimidated, they submit to whatever they are required to do. It becomes an issue of Human Trafficking.

Dutch girls are herded in other ways, with the use of "Lover Boys" who drive into the country in their BMW's and Mercedes, getting to know girls from 13-17. Soon they know everything about the girls even knowing where they live and befriending their parents. They are whisked away to Amsterdam with their rich boyfriends who also promise them luxurious lives, but when they get here they are hit with reality that things are not what they seem. If they try to get out now, they are reminded of who knows where their parents live and where they can be found. Even the women who enter the "profession" on a temporary basis to pay off debt or similar situations find themselves trapped in a system which is next to impossible to get out.
Not only is it sad to see the women behind their invisible bars, the city is filled with broken people searching for something that is real. They come to smoke blunts, indulge in sexual fantasies, and get lost in both. They come because of a void that is pulling them, but the behavior that they are involved in makes sure that they will never fulfill no matter how lost they get. You see the brokenness in their eyes as they dart from girl to girl, you hear it in their congratulatory (and often times drunken) congratulations to their buddy who just came out of the room to make room for the next one in line. It makes me sad, but it makes me think. I am not so different from them. For a long time I searched as they did for something to fill the emptiness that I couldn't escape from. I tried to lose myself to forget that I had a void; sometimes even to forget that I was...

The thing is, without Jesus, we all are searching for that something. We all need Him to be okay. He is the only one that satisfies our deepest longings as humanity. We can implement programs and projects all over the world; we can put an end to prostitution, AIDS, and even hunger, but the longing will always remain and will manifest itself as selfishness and greed. I was reading a book recently and found a small paragraph that changed my life forever.
"There is an old adage that says, 'You can give a man a fish or better still you can teach him to fish.' Jesus would add, 'You can teach a person how to fish but even the most successful fisherman has a hunger that fish cannot satisfy.'" - Ravi Zacharias in Jesus Among Other Gods

While Jesus was here, He completely transformed the Earth, no one else is like Him. Unlike the champions of other religions, Jesus was not just showing the way, He is the Way. He didn't only teach His message, He is His Message. Not only did He proclaim truth, He is Truth. He didn't just offer the Water of Life; He is the Water of life. We are all made to crave relationship with our Creator, which is the emptiness. Jesus is the Way to a restored relationship with the Father.
We are all weak, yes. Even after a revelation of who Jesus is, we still fall sometimes because we are human and will always take our eyes off of perfection. But in our weakness, He is strong. He is able to pick us up again and extend His Amazing Grace and show us again a glimpse of who He really is.

Not only is He strong in our lives when we are weak, He is strong in other people's lives when we are weak. I think that we have greatly underestimated the power of our testimony in our relationship with Jesus and our interaction with the world. Our testimony is an example of how God was strong in our lives when we were absolutely weak. His strength moving in our weakness can also move in someone else's weakness as well. Humans relate to the world around them in similar ways; there is nothing new under the sun. Someone who hears my story or your story can relate to you at basic terms. Even someone across the globe will relate to the basics of your humanity and your need for God.

I hope that this encourages you to share your story, invite people to your house, get to know your neighbors and the people you sit next to week after week in church or class. Maybe God wants to use you to bring change to this world. Maybe it is actually Jesus sitting next to you.

Pray for the Prostitutes; for the Broken; for the Downtrodden and Outcast and the condition of the world that they represent. God sees them and loves them dearly. Pray for yourself as well, that you may have courage to be in the world, but not be of it. That you may show people there is a Spring of everlasting water that gives life to even the most dead. The Light of Life is here and so is His Kingdom.

in Christ, the Way
John Paul

Ethiopia plus pictures

2008-03-30T15:58:00.000-07:00

[A government owned forest on the northern outskirts of Addis]

You may remember about a year ago I posted the first blog on a community of believers in Uganda. It is not a typical community, not a neighborhood or even a church congregation but an orphan care center called St. Ameria. At the time there were about 120 full time orphans; their parents passing from the war in the North of Uganda, HIV/AIDS, malaria, or any number of other factors. All that is left is the memories and statistics on a page. Somehow or other, the children ended up in the care of Richard and Edith, the directors and full time parents of the children at St. Ameria. Edith founded the organization in 1994 when she accepted her first orphan and hasn’t turned away anyone since. When I was introduced to the home last year there were no beds to speak of, dorms and rooms submitting to the harsh rains and intense heat. Soon after the blog was published help was on its way and money started being sent – first for food and beds, then for new building projects. Then, the Not Alone Benefit Tour kicked off and most of the interest generated was geared toward St. Ameria. Thanks to John Bills and others, churches started picking up on the lead, sending teams to Uganda to document and come to the aid of the children. It is hard to say how much money and effort has been given, but I do know that about a week and a half ago, a bank transfer was sent from Los Angeles to Jinja containing over 7500 dollars. When the Benefit Show was coming together an outlet had to be available for people to send money tax-free. With the help of John Bills and Nigel at the base in LA – the African Orphans’ Fund was set up and continues to accept funds for St. Ameria.
Thank you for catching the vision, feeling God’s heart, and allowing yourself to be moved by love, after all, we know that love is a movement – first by God giving His Son, then His love flowing through us to the world and His special creation.

[Abune Paulos, Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church at a women's rights forum at Meskel Square, Addis Ababa]

[She didn't want her picture taken at first... then she did]

And now,

Ethiopia

. It was amazing to be back. I did my DTS outreach here over a year ago. This is the first time I have been back, but I am praying that it won’t be the last. A young, passionate, gifted speaker came from Kona with Paul Childers (our school leader). His name is Andy and he rocked our faces off (which is an expression that means that he blessed us tremendously). It is easy to get tired with so much traveling, class, culture shock every month, and to add to all of that, living in community 24 hours a day for months on end. Most of us were drained to say the lease, but then there was Andy. God used him to bring us a proverbial cold glass of water to our souls, refreshing us from the inside out, invigoration us for our relationship with God. It was just what we needed and we are now better equipped for the next four months of the traveling taking us into Kona.

[Construction site watchman]

[Toothbrush (stick) salesman]

[Garlic Saleswoman at Markato, the largest outdoor market in Africa]

Laura Fisher came to speak to us for the next week about African Worldview. There are an almost incalculable amount of people groups in Africa, so it is impossible to come up with an African Worldview, but there are many major characteristics of most of the people groups. Using those, we constructed the main areas of worldview: Reality, Human Nature, Value, and truth. It was an amazing week not only to observe African Worldview, but to examine my own worldview to see what I think and what I hold to be true. The Bible says that we are to be continually transformed by the renewing out our minds (Ephesians 4:23). I think that this means we should be continually examining ourselves and our thought processes and aligning them to God’s Word. The goal is to be a citizen and child of the Kingdom, having a worldview that sets the Word of God as the grid through which we see all.

[Poor homeless woman approached me asking for a picture after church]

[Various grains for sale at Markato]

[The woman, and now friend, who was selling the grain. Her name is Mini]

[A little guy having fun with his brother in a public mini-bus]

With our newly acquired information about how to see the world around us with our eyes open, David Fisher (Laura’s husband) taught about Documentary Photography and assigned us a project for the following week. A previous Family member had come to Ethiopia a couple years before and came again to do some follow-up work. I really wanted to go down to the Hamar Tribe where she had worked, but I really felt like God was asking me to stay in Addis Ababa to get a few stories around there that he had laid on my heart. I had met a woman the first time in coming to Ethiopia who was HIV positive, so that was the first story, and the other was about the population of street children in Addis and what ministries existed that provided hope for them. So I started researching (without the internet… tough), getting stories, and attempting photos. As far as photography goes, I had never been more discouraged. I really felt like none of the pictures were what I had envisioned and ultimately, I was disheartened. I questioned whether or not I had heard right; did God really keep me to be frustrated? Looking back on it, I can tell he really just wanted my obedience and humility to follow him first. I turned in what I had, but was completely awed at what the other students had been doing. We have some amazingly talented people searching for what God wants for the world, as well as His heart for it.

[Kebeneshe, the HIV positive woman and good friend, that I did one of the photo stories on]

[Kebeneshe's Mother]

[Kebeneshe at home]

[Kebeneshe displaying her AntiRetroVirals (provided for free by the government)]

Officially, Spring Break started and most of the team left for Europe. Four of us stayed for a few extra days (as long as our visas would allow), so I kept working on the Street Children story. Abdissa, the direction of the Mercy Development Center helped me tremendously. He has the most passionate heart for street children that I have ever seen. His ministry was a beneficiary of the money that came in during the Not Alone Benefit Tour last summer, but even then, I didn’t really understand the tip of the iceberg of everything he does in the community. I had thought that his only (but massive) undertaking was the orphanage he runs (and lives). It is a center for children who have been taken right off of the streets. The home is actually a last resort for full orphans who have no family or guardians. When I left last year there were 18 at the home and now there are 25. These children are provided for in every way; food clothing, shelter, school fees, uniforms, and whatever else they may need. Abdissa treats them as he would his own children although he is only 28.to watch the interaction and love between them is amazing to behold.

There is also a huge community based support system as well. There are 16 families all over Addis. The children were full or half orphans who were either on the street or at risk of living on the streets out of poverty. Many have lived parts of their young lives on the streets but have now been reconciled to their guardians.

[Standing with Genet in her one bedroom home (meaning space for one bed with a little extra space) in which she lives taking care of 4 children]

[Genet making Ingera, a traditional Ethiopian bread]

[Hanna, the youngest and most recent addition to the YMD Center Orphanage]

[Daniels parents died of AIDS and so did his youngest brother. Now he takes care of his brother and 2 sisters by himself with the help of Abdissa and the YMD Center]

[At 28, Abdissa has a heart for the poorest of children in Addis Ababa, sacrificing his life for theirs]

[Solomon, a country-side boy who now lives on the streets]

[Another Solomon. Crazy how the Solomon of the Bible is said to have had splendor beyond all others. This Solomon doesn't know where his next meal is coming from. I met him last year at Hope Enterprise and randomly met him again this visit. Praise God]

[A couple of young homeless men sleep in their shanty tent outside of an Orthodox Church downtown Addis Ababa]

[A Street Child in front of the Cuban Friendship Memorial on Churchill Road, Downtown Addis Ababa]

Anyway, there are plenty of other details, but I want to tell you about my last day working on the story. Abdissa and I got a taxi and headed to the Sheraton Hotel in Downtown Addis. It is the nicest hotel that I have seen in Africa and probably one of the nicest I have ever seen. Immediately across the street of the Icon of Luxury is the poorest section of the city, Arogokera. We ventured into the thin, windy streets complete with creeks of refuse. We arrived at the home of Amabet, a former street girl who had been raped while she was homeless. Her son Yonathan, now a month and a half old, her, and her other 2 children live in a room that is 5 feet by 4 feet; the only place they can call home. It isn’t much, but it’s all they have. 3 other girls with children live in the same city in similar rooms as well. Their rent is paid for by the YMD Center and they are now living with hope that their children won’t have to live in the same situation they did. There is even an elderly lady in the community called ‘Mama” who looks after them and provides a safe place and gives them her strong Godly advice and direction. It was amazing to behold the dynamics of the group, not to mention I took pictures that I really like the whole day that I want to put into a more formal presentation/publication. I am encouraged continually with how God has used me to bring a change to a handful of children at St. Ameria and I am anxiously hoping that He will use me to bring change to the over 200,000 street children wandering the streets of Addis Ababa losing hope that there is anyone out there to care about them.

[Amabet and her son Yonathan in the doorway of their "house" in Arogokera, Addis Ababa]

So. Spring Break is now underway. We will resume back to classes on April 6^th in Amsterdam. As for me, I am in Cairo for the break and will then travel to Amsterdam starting on the third. Pray for safe travels for everyone this week and that we find rest and refreshment from the Lord.

Pray for the children in Addis Ababa tonight; that the hope of Christ will infiltrate their minds and hearts.

In Him

John Paul

Holy Land, Egypt... then to Ethiopia!

2008-02-26T10:29:00.001-08:00

Leaving the Holy Land was a surreal experience. It had been a month, spent almost all in Jerusalem, a haven for tension. A couple trips to Galilee broke up the monotony and opened my eyes to more of what the Holy Land has to offer and a better idea of where and how Jesus lived.

[The Wall of separation from the Bethlehem side]

[Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount, Jerusalem]

[Palestinian Man in the Old City, Jerusalem]

My head is still wrapped around the whole concept of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. I don’t think that I will ever understand it; never be able to choose sides. I don’t think that is my job or my place; it belongs to the One who is sovereign of over the affairs of nations. My hope is that all nations go down in flames, not with the physical tongues of fire but with a fire that consumes the monuments of hatred concealed in the hearts of all men. Laid waste by the love of Christ, refined with unquenchable intensity, and transformed into citizens of the Kingdom whose new passion is found in the grace and love that flows from the heart of the King. The wasteland is replaced with streams of light and a garden of life; lush pastureland and abundant fruit trees.

[Looking West from Arbel]

[Area of Tubqa, Sea of Galilee: See John 21]

[Group of Apples in the hallway market outside of our hostel in Jerusalem]

My heart burns for the Holy Land to have this kind of transformation, but I don’t want it to stop there. I want that for Egypt, East Africa, Nepal, Colombia, the United States; any location containing those God made in His own image.

[Laurus (Seagulls) in the Rain, Galilee]

We arrived back in Cairo about a week ago and have been engaged in learning since we landed. I love this city and this country. I have a feeling there may be some more time spent here in the future. We have been learning some more about “Painting with Light” which is the actual definition of photography but also a type of photography which I will give examples of. This week, Luke Moon is back from Kona teaching us about Worldview; he actually leads the Humanities school at the U of N in Kona. He provides some practical and contemporary insight that enables me to think clearly about the world around me and how others think about it as well.

[Pictures that were taken as assignments during the week: Seeing Light, Studio Lighting, Night Photography, and Light Painting]

[Said, one of the doormen/watchmen of our building]

[Minibus driver in Tahrir Square (via sideview mirror)]

[Tahrir Square Mosque]

[My model and friend, Wally]

[Tahrir Square from the top of our building]

[Experimenting with open shutters, satellite disks, and external flash units... and the moon]

[Light Painting + Night Photography + Waterscape on the Nile]

[Breakfast light painted]

[I just like it]

At the end of the week I, as well as the rest of PhotogenX, will be going to Ethiopia. For those who didn’t receive my blog updates last year, I did my DTS outreach in Ethiopia from January through February of last year. This will be the first time I will be going back and I am so excited. Please pray that distant connections will be renewed and that Ethiopia will be a place for all of us to reconnect with God’s heart for the world. Sometimes it is easy to get tired and worn out with moving to a new place every 3 or 4 weeks. We need renewed vision and a greater revelation of the love of Christ for all nations and all people.

[Pictures from Garbage City, a Coptic Christian area of Cairo, Egypt]

The financial needs on the Track are always present as well. Recently a student has to leave the program because of financial reasons. We all know what it is like to struggle with finances, but it was made very real this week. For my situation, I collected a bit of debt especially during college that has been weighing on me lately. God has always provided for my immediate needs and paying the bills as well, but I long to get out from under the pressure of those payments. I am trying to set up a website to make my pictures available for purchase, but am in need of assistance for that as well. I appreciate your prayers for me and the rest of the team as well. We are becoming very close (as you can imagine from constant time together) and it’s very hard when someone has to leave.

Pray for protection as we travel to and around Ethiopia and that we will do exactly what God wants us to do in Ethiopia and the rest of the time in Egypt. I have all of these ideas for opportunities and would love to see them come to fruition.

Thank you for your time, thoughts, prayers, and communication as well. I would love to hear from you. In response, I will try to get back to you in a timely manner, but with the internet situation, might take a few days.

Because of Jesus

John Paul Vicory

the Holy Land

2008-02-01T12:24:00.001-08:00

[Near Empty Streets in the Old City... Rare for daytime]

Driving through the south of

Israel

, I couldn’t believe that I was really here. It was incredible, so much history. Our hostile is located near the Damascus Gate of the Old City of Jerusalem and you can frequently find members of the team in getting photos and meeting up with new friends. Its such a different place. The feel of a new city with relatively empty, clean streets, McDonalds, and the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf (a company I worked for in SB while enrolled at Westmont) meets another world of cramped minimarkets, crowded alleyways, lousy plumbing, and suspicious glances. After it snowed, there were even snowballs hurled from rooftops on the unsuspecting and suspecting alike. I really love it here. I try to imagine it they way Jesus walked it, but I can’t really, cities change and evolve, as did Jerusalem.
Tim, Naphtalie and I had a chance to head to Galilee for a couple of days in the Northern parts of

Israel

. It was incredibly green, lush with the new grain crops, rolling hills and peaceful valleys. We visited cities like Capernaum and Nazareth, and locations like the Sea of Galilee and the cliffs of Arbel. We even attended the Nazarene Church of Nazareth, which was a congregation made up of Christian Arabs; amazingly beautiful worship. I would love to come back someday.

For some reason, I thought that by my presence in Jerusalem, I would be able to make a stand for justice, find out all the issues of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, and be able to tell you a specific formula for peace and change in the land… They were lofty expectations, I realize, and now I am crushed because I can’t. I guess the real reason that I am crushed is because that, left to human hands, there can be no peace here.

I had this thought that Israel was right… that the land belonged to them. After all, they need it to fulfill the covenant that God made to Abraham and Moses. But what about the other people that have lived here for hundreds of years before the massive influx of Jews from all over the world began in the early 1900’s? This question was heavy on my heart because it was so easy for me to align myself with God’s “chosen people”… until I started reading the Scriptures for myself and listening to people who are much smarter than me.

As I read, I discovered the whole of the Old Testament points to a very specific moment and a very specific person… Jesus Christ. God promised Abraham that from his descendants would come a Light to the nations; the sacrificial practice so that the people would recognize God’s perfect son, sacrificed for the iniquity of all, and the promised-land? the promised land is the Rule of God… the Kingdom of God. Paul alludes to this in Colossians 2:17 – “For these rules (the Law) are only shadows of the reality to come. And Christ Himself is that reality.” Throughout history, Israel has refused to obey God but He kept bringing them back to Himself in order to ensure that Jesus would be born exactly at the right time. That leveled the playing field, and now we all have the opportunity to be called sons of Abraham. Paul says that it isn’t bloodline that connects anyone to Abraham… it is their faith in God (Romans 9). Jesus gave Himself as the new covenant, that those who would believe and trust Him would be invited into the Promised Land (Matt 26:27-29;Lk 22:20)

As followers of Christ, we must take a neutral ground to the conflict in Israel. Jesus made it obvious (as did the rest of the Bible [Jews were to be the light to the nations]) that salvation is for all people. There are injustices being done on both sides by people who haven’t had a revelation of the love of Christ, and that, is our mission. We can feed the hungry, proclaim freedom for the captives, give a glass of water all in the name of Jesus and remain unaligned to either side. But, we must engage with them and love them because God created them and wants them to know Him in a personal way. CHRIST IS THE ONLY WAY for peace in this land.

I became completely frustrated that I didn’t have some say in the matter, that there was no explanation or method to bring these different nations to stop killing each other; to put down their weapons and embrace each other as brothers. Until all of them come to their knees and acknowledge that Christ is King, they will not. As a human, with all of my pride and arrogance, it was hard for me to accept… So what is my responsibility in the matter? I need to know God in a deeper way, so that I can help others to know Him and His love as well. Then, and only then, will these two religious and ethnic powerhouses come under the reign of the Prince of Peace. Israelis need Christ just as badly as Palestinians do. It is ultimately refreshing to see local Christians here, I have a deep respect for them in their efforts for peace and reconciliation. I hope that we can support our brothers and sisters in Christ and bring change to this world so rich in beauty and history.

Pictures faded in and our as I sat in horror in front of the computer monitor. Images of children barely alive, young men with the biggest scars I have ever seen from machete hacks, and young women who were the object of multiple rapes. I gasped that people could do that to each other. My heart has been broken for three consecutive days over the atrocities that are going on in the “Democratic Republic” of Congo. Since 1998, 5.4 Million people have died as a result of the civil war; the worst humanitarian crisis since the Holocaust… Have you heard about it? I hadn’t until this week.

This made me do some serious thinking. How could so many people be dying while I have just stood by so ignorantly? These are people that God created and that He loves. I even went through a crisis in my faith, whether I trusted God’s sovereignty in the midst of this situation. It seems like every time I find out something else is happening (and has been happening) in the world, I get more sad and depressed. I feel like Solomon when He wrote in Ecclesiastes, “The greater my wisdom, the greater my grief. To increase knowledge only increases sorrow.” (1:18). Have the eyes of God overlooked the suffering of the innocent; have His ears not heard their cries? Where can we find God in the midst of these miserable situations and circumstances?

I will never be able to control the injustices in this world. I will never be able to stop the flow of grief and pain. For who am I? My faith is weak; my trust lacking; my pride hindering. I am ignorant to the greatness of God; His sovereign ability to hear the groans of the anguish across the face of the earth. I want to trust that His grace really is sufficient. I want to trust that He is not deaf and blind to the captives, the hungry, sick, and oppressed; that He has plans to prosper them in the midst of the bleakest situations imaginable; and that even the darkest alleys and jungles cannot hide from the Light of Life.

Is it possible that Jesus was serious when He called us to follow Him? Is it possible that that He weeps for His creation? But is it possible that He wants to bring glory to Himself? Is it possible that He can’s wait until He can say, “Yes, the rescuers are My people; I have commissioned them for this work. The love that they show is My love – their words and My words – their heart is My heart.”? Is it possible that we are His hands and feet and that He desperately wants to work through us? He can still accomplish His will with the hands of those who don’t know Him, but we rob Him of glory when we are complacent and slow to act… oftentimes not acting at all. Is it possible that He wants to use you?

Please visit this website and look for the Crisis in Congo Photostory:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3842331/

Some links to get involved

http://www.savethechildren.net/alliance/where_we_work/AE/mapCG.html

http://www.merlin.org.uk/Where-we-work/Democratic-Republic-of-Congo.aspx

I know that so many of you are involved in showing God’s love and telling people about Jesus. Thank you for your faithfulness and I pray that you will remain strong and diligent to the task at hand. May God continue to bless you.

In His love

John Paul

Mom and Dad, what words could I ever say to you to tell you what you mean to me. I love you guys so much; you are so special to me. I couldn’t imagine anyone who would love and support me like you do. You are truly a blessing from the Father.

[The Division between the different quarters of the Old City is remarkably defined]

[View from Arab Quarter to Jewish Quarter]

[In the Jewish Quarter]

[Young Israeli on guard... Thinking about his girlfriend in Tel Aviv]

[And it was]

[The Old City has tombs around half of its walls. Looking toward Mt of Olives]

[Arab Casket]

[Candles at the location some think Christ was imprisoned]

[Popular toys]

[Photo for an assignment. Taken at a bus-stop with 3 completely burned buses. This was the nicest looking one. The Israeli and Palestinian Youth have a choice to stand for Hope and Peace]

[Cliffs of Arbel looking over Magdal... read what happened at the cliffs 100 years after Christ died HERE]

[Some of the tools Jesus would have been familiar with, but He would have also been an expert in stonework]

[Minar]

[Tim and his new best friend... he really wanted to buy one]

[Naphtalie didn't really kiss Petunia (the lamb's name) and didn't want to buy one]

[Millstone for crushing olives at an olive press]

[Oil lamp and scroll]

[Woman at an Arab-Christian Nazarene Church in Nazareth... yes]

[Grain field in front of the disputed Golan Heights]

They say Peter's house was here... all I could see were rocks with huge buildings built over them]

[At the Sea of Galilee. This is probably the area where Jesus appeared to his disciples and fed them fish and bread before ascending to heaven]

[It snowed in Jerusalem... we got hit with snowballs and so did unsuspecting women and children]

[One man's trash]

[One girl's treasure]

[Streets of the Old City]

Leaving Cairo, through Sinai, Into Jordan & Israel

2008-01-20T05:35:00.000-08:00

Off of the busy streets in Cairo, it felt like I was stepping into a different world, a ghost town of sorts. The City of the Dead is a large portion of the city around the Citadel in the middle of Cairo that serves as a large cemetery for Cairo. Tombs are all around, but there is also a large number of people that live in the City of the Dead. Then, we kissed Cairo goodbye for a few weeks while we traveled through some more of the Middle East.

[A Small Section of City of the Dead with Citadel in the background]

[Tombstone]

[Overgrown Tomb]

[unlocked doors]

[Shaping stones to rebuild an old mosque in City of the Dead]

[Young People are still Young People doing Young People things]

Driving through the deserts of Egypt and Sinai, I was overwhelmed by the beauty. I have always had this fascination with the desert, almost as if there is something in me that longs for it. Rugged and beauty, unreservedly rich with earth and sky is basic to understanding makes sense to my mind. My soul wishes for my flesh to be the same; empty of my life so that God can breathe true everlasting life into the wasteland I was born as. I wand to be void, a vast open plain God can send the water of life through and plant lush green pastures. With the emptiness of me comes openness for Him, the Creator and Sustainer.

We crossed under the Red Sea and made our way to the eastern portion of the peninsula to Dahab – diving capital of the Gulf of Aqaba. We used it as a base from which to travel to Mt. Sinai (or at least where they think Mt. Sinai is) and the Bedouin camping trip.

As a school, we have been searching for injustices, hardly noticing that they are everywhere around us. The Bedouin’s have been taken advantage of for centuries by everyone. The Egyptian Government barely recognizes their existence, withholding education for their children and further social betterment for their futures. Their grazing land once extended from the Southern tip of the Sinai all the way up past the Dead Sea. Now, the remnant of Bedouin’s left are restricted to pockets of deserts and instead of being a great presence are now limited to the tourism industry. Most of the Bedouin’s that I have spoken with have been working in the industry since before they were 10, never attending school but learning broken English from all of the tourists. Musa, the guide for our hike up Sinai, has hiked up the mountain every day for 20 years, sometimes even twice a day to ensure provision for himself and his family. A 23 year-old Bedouin, Jamaa (in English means Friday), our guide for the overnight in the desert had been working in tourism since he was 7. He has no voice for his people in the government because there are no ears to hear him. There isn’t anyone to understand that he wants a better future for his family, his children, and himself as well.

It may seem a bit silly to us as a Western Culture, but Camel racing is huge in the Near East, especially in Saudi Arabia, the epicenter of Arab Culture. The Bedouins in the Sinai and up through the mid-east are traditionally nomads and have been using camels for traveling and lively-hood for generations. They still stick to this tradition, oftentimes boys will raise a camel with them throughout their childhood into the adult years. They are small and light, perfect for the races in the Saudi Peninsula. Because of this, they are oftentimes sold or stolen for a short-lived career in the racing business. On these long distance races, most of the children (from 4-10 years old) are trampled under the camel's feet unable to meet the exhaustive demands of the race. This is something not confined to the Sinai Bedouins, but in Jordan, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, and Afghanistan; even as far as countries like Bangladesh. The as of July 2007, The UN doesn't have a comprehensive report of the injustices done to these children and other trafficked children across these regions. Read a report from the Pakistan Times on this issue and all of the UN articles broken HERE.

Does this break the heart of anyone? Would anyone be willing to dedicate their lives to see this type of treatment of the innocent end? Maybe you are the one God wants to use.

This isn't about a global movement, but an internal one that stretches across the face of the earth; the internal movement towards the perfect love of Christ. A move spawned from a revelation of the heart of the Father - His love for them - and His love for the world. A love that sacrificed His Godhood coming to earth to be nailed to a cross for us to say, 'I love You'. Once that love is laid hold of, the amount of love would flood the cities of Denver, Santa Barbara, NYC, London, Addis, Cairo, Dubai, Beijing, Tokyo, and Sydney. Love would lay siege and take captives; captives bound to Christ – lives changed forever by the realization of Grace. He came for you, He came for me, and that is enough for me and all of us to give everything, every breath, to that love; a love that I cannot fathom the depths of. Love took my life and it died to take yours as well.

[Looking North from Jebel Musa (traditionally Mt. Sinai)]

[Musa, A Bedouin Guide on the Mountain that bears his name]

[We had to get off of the camels to get down the slope... Oasis we slept at seen in the distance]

[On the way to Close Canyon]

[Near the Entrance to Close Canyon]

[Making Tea before Dinner]

[Near the campsite]

[White Canyon]

Next we headed by ferry to Aqaba, Jordan then further by bus to Wadi Musa, the city at the mouth of an ancient wonder of the world, Petra. Driving from Aqaba to Petra was reminiscent of the drive between my hometown of Denver and Santa Barbara during my Westmont days. The moon illuminated the coarse crags of the desert landscape; stars blinking at me, distracting from the monotony of the road in front of me. Clusters of stars on the horizon turn into streetlights from small towns or fruit vendors open late in the summer air.

I see Moses leading 3 million people through this type of terrain. At the night the temperature drops below zero, but during the day, the sun beats down relentlessly through cloudless skies. I might have slept where they did next to a freshwater oasis. The Bedouin’s graze their heard of goats and the occasional camel there now; sometimes entertaining the intermittent tourist looking for the “realistic Bedouin experience”. What a harsh environment to wander in for 40 years. I could spend more time there, I think (but maybe not 40 years… who knows). I enjoyed every moment of it. It is amazing for me to experience.

Walking through the canyons and caves of Petra was amazing, so rich in color and history. We also went to Mt. Nebo where Moses gazed out over the Promised Land, and where the Lord called him home as recorded in Deuteronomy. From the summit of the small mountain we could see the northern tip of the Dead Sea, into Palestine, and if the haze would have cleared, into Israel as well.

[Sunset on the Ferry from Dahab, Egypt to Aqaba, Jordan]

[We had quite the cloud show]

[Part of the Aqueduct through the canyons of Petra]

[Treasury, Petra]

[Mt. Nebo, looking over the Jordan Valley]

[Monument of the Snake on Mt. Nebo]

[One of the Police walking through the canyons of Petra]

[Monastary, Petra]

We arrived in Jerusalem late Saturday night. When we awoke Sunday morning, we discovered that the Damascus Gate to the Old City is 100 meters to the left of our doorstep. I can’t say much about the current situation here because I don’t know much about it. I have my ideas and analogies, but I don’t want to say a whole lot while I am still out of the “know” zone. Walking through the old city, I could feel the tension in my chest; two people groups, one divided in their own land – families spread over a tall concrete and iron wall, and another fighting to protect the boundaries declared 4000 years prior. The youth are caught in the middle, some following the example of violence set before them some craving coexistence and peace for an enmity older than both of their presences in this small strip of land.

More pictures of this land to follow.

Thank you for reading and I hope that your days are blessed.

In Christ,
John Paul

Update from Egypt!

2008-01-12T08:28:00.001-08:00

Peering through the dusty windows of the taxi, I could hardly believe I was in Cairo, Egypt. The green lights lining the multitudes of minarets were staring back at me out of the dark of the morning. The New Year greeted me by presenting me with a new country… one that I had been looking forward to for as long as I can remember and over the last week and a half, it has not disappointed. I have yet to grasp the magnitude of Cairo, both in physical size and importance. Many say that it is the center of the Contemporary Muslim World.

The buildings are saturated by the warm sunlight; the green foliage and the black traditional dress of Muslim women strongly contrasted but oddly fitting. 20-30 years ago it would have been odd to see women fully veiled, but with the advent of fundamentalism and return to a stricter moral code, they can be seen everywhere, from McDonald’s to Starbucks, to the biggest mall I have ever seen (City Star), to the local driving school.

Cairo has quite the Christian Tradition as well; churches still standing from far before Mosques started appearing. The Coptic Church is quite orthodox in belief and has a strong community in Cairo that is greatly respected by the Muslim community as well. It is quite the interaction.

(Look for more pictures below… but God’s been teaching me some stuff)

And now…

I want to give witness of God’s goodness. Since my last update, so much has happened. I was in frigid Bulgaria preparing for a long trip back to Athens to fly here, to Cairo. I had got this impression for the Holy Spirit that I was supposed to remove an editing program from my computer since it wasn’t the most legitimate copy of the program (although it had been a tremendous help to me). For some reason, it was a hard step for me. I was finding it hard to trust in God for such a simple thing as providing a seemingly insignificant tool. The benefits of having the program were huge, but at the same time, I couldn’t get rid of the impression I had to get rid of it…

Meanwhile, back during the Not Alone Benefit Photography Show, someone had given me a couple hundred dollars of cash for whatever use that I thought I would need it. I don’t really like to carry cash with me when I travel, except for visas, so it worked out perfectly. Before leaving Bulgaria, I felt that I was supposed to invest my last hundred dollars in the life of another and their pursuit of worshipping God. Again, it was hard for me to trust God to provide money for visas (especially since I was going to need it for a visa in Egypt). I ended up giving it, but still was trying to put my provision into my own hands instead of trusting the ONE who commissioned me.

The day after I got to Egypt I came to discover that someone had deposited $1000 in my online account. God returned the investment that I had given 10 fold on the day after I had given. When we give from obedience to the Lord no matter what the circumstances, He is completely faithful to provide for us. Even standing in line for visas in the Cairo Airport, I opened my wallet to discover a 20 dollar bill that had not been there before to cover the visa cost.

My lesson in this is that God is trustworthy to provide not only for the spiritual, but for the physical as well. Most of the time, I feel like my level of faith is smaller than a mustard seed, but God can do so much with such a small amount. This lesson isn’t about the money (although it was a tremendous blessing); it is about seeking first His kingdom, being obedient to His will and His timing, no matter what it may mean for the present. The entire Bible is a lesson in our redemption and His love for us. He is worthy to not only be trusted, but to be praised with every breath. He didn’t have to send His Son for us, but He did because of His great love. That alone is worth all of our lives…

I encourage you to examine your lives as well and look at the areas in which you need to trust God in the direction that He is leading you. Once we surrender ourselves, completely and wholly to Him (both physically and spiritually) He will amaze us with His provision and give us revelation of His Grace. What an awesome God we serve!

Pray for our journey the coming weeks. Starting tomorrow, we are beginning to travel once again; spending a few days in the Sinai before heading to Jordan and Israel.

Love in Christ - The Author and Sustainer

John Paul

[Pictures from the Camel Market... Driven from Sudan to Southern Egypt, then ridden up in caravan to Cairo (reminds me of Joseph)]

[Pyramids and Stuff at Giza]

[Cave Church: Seats over 10,000]

[Entrance to Cave Church]

[Man weighing out a pig in Garbage City]

Thanks for Looking!
Remember, more pictures from City of the Dead and the Sinai on the next update!

From Bulgaria with Pictures and Love

2007-12-28T13:35:00.000-08:00

[Standing in front of my Bulgarian home]

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I have written on Human Trafficking in the past, but now, I will make it possible for you to do something about it. A good friend of mine helped with a benefit recently called LOVE 146. Please visit the Website. I guarantee that you will feel something after reading the girl's story. Trafficking is not far off. Even here around the neighborhoods that I am living in, people are being sold and stolen and taken to other countries to be used as Sex Objects. Read about the projects that LOVE 146 is undertaking, including the one to encourage CRAIGS LIST to take off the 'Erotic' tab from the 'Services' section of its website. Oftentimes, people offering these kind of services use trafficked people to make them money. I encourage you. Take part in this, it is so close to God's heart for the broken and oppressed.

Snow, sub-zero, temperatures, and an extension of our family met Tim, Aaron, and I in Bulgaria where we would spend Christmas. Krassimere, Basim (Victor), and Mamma Mitchka have been so great to us here. We are never hungry, always full, and always warm.
We have traveled around to some different villages around Pazardhik, Bulgaria and have spent time here as well, visiting families, friends, and churches. I don’t think that I could have asked for a better Christmas. We leave here in a couple of days, and it will definitely be a sad departure.

[Victor]

[Krassie and Family (Krassie is between Aaron and I)]

[The boys with Mamma Mitchka]

[Speaking in a Roma Church]

[Praying for the sick (Victor's Cousin)]

[The three of us singing Silent Night on Christmas]

Tim and I went to a mountain village called Borovets today and actually got to do some snowboarding. We are both into snowboarding back in the States, so it has been something that we have missed. Last year we didn’t have a chance to go because we were doing a DTS and heading to Africa for Christmas. It was such a fun day and so beautiful as well. Most of the day was spent above tree-line in full view of Musala, the tallest peak in Bulgaria (about 10,000 ft). The pictures included are from a camera phone (which I am so grateful for, since I didn’t have to bring my big one)

[The high lifts at Borovets]

[That's the flag of Bulgaria]

Before we went to Bulgaria, we, and Carla as well, spent a few days in Istanbul, Turkey to take in the sights. The Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque were incredible, we spent the entire afternoon in the Hagia taking pictures. I would recommend anyone to visit if you can. The museum (no longer a church or mosque) has some beautiful mosaic work from Byzantine times as well as Arabic Style art.

[Interior of Hagia Sophia... much better than the outside]

[Chandelier]

[The paint from the Muslim era has been scraping off, revealing magnificent mosaics of Byzantine Christianity]

[The Blue Mosque at night reflected in a pond]

[Blue Mosque, sideview]

[Blue Mosque]

[Istanbul. i love this picture]

[Istanbul again]

Over the past couple of weeks, I have had some time to reflect on this last year. At this time in 2006 I was just arriving in Ethiopia. My life had recently changed and I had finally accepted God’s plan for my life. Ethiopia was just the beginning. Most of you knew me before my life was changed, and what God has done with me so far. Its hard to believe all of the people He has put in my path, the countries He has called me too, and the projects He has enabled me to take part in. I am truly grateful to Him… It is no longer I who lives, but Christ who lives in me. Praise Him for His Amazing Grace.

I added another sidebar element called “Needs”. Please check it out and pray about what you can do; even if what you can do is committing to pray! Thank you so much for reading the blog. I am honored to be able to have the opportunity to share this with you. I pray that you are blessed by it.

In a few days, we go to Athens to fly to Cairo, pray for traveling mercies as well as protection, favor, and divine appointments when we are there!

Rocked by Tragedy, our Global Family Grieves

2007-12-15T13:07:00.000-08:00

Blog entries, emails, and skype calls confirm a deep and dark tragedy that unfolded at the end of last week. In Denver, my home town at the YWAM base, 2 DTS staff were shot and killed on base 2 others injured, then the shooter appeared later at a Colorado Springs Church, New Life, opens fire, and kills two more before being injured by a security guard eventually taking his own life.
What do we say to something like this? Please stop reading now and just think about it… I sit and watch my cursor blinking, waiting for an answer, but I have none.
There are no words that can express the sadness that I feel for the families of all involved. I was speaking with my mother around the time the second shooting occurred, still getting impressions from the first ones late Sunday night (9:30pm was 12:30pm Denver). Then next morning, with more news the track students and staff got together to worship and pray. We stood on the rooftop, the sun shining through the crisp air. We raised our voices to the sky and the warm vapors of our life went with them made visible by the brisk winter around us.

I couldn’t sing, I couldn’t speak… I could only cry. I wept… I wept for Denver, I wept for the United States, I wept for the world, and I wept for the lost. My face grimaced in sorrow as I hid it from the group tears flowing freely. I could feel my heart physically stressed as if someone had its hands around it squeezing the life out of it. I acknowledged this pain, but at the same time heard God whispering, with sadness in His voice, “Now you know a little bit about my heart and what I feel.” I instantly thought of the Cross and the fact that Jesus died from a broken heart. From then on I kept weeping, but something was different. I wept out of grief, yes, but I also wept simply because I was overwhelmed by the Love of the Father for Denver, the United States, and the world.

He wants you to be His child. He died for you so that you could be His. You don’t have to do anything to get His love; He loved you before you were born. You can’t do anything to get His love, it’s free. Just like there is nothing you can do to get God’s love, there is nothing that you can do to get rid of it either; it’s always there, He’s always there. He asks us, those who follow Him to show His love to others, to carry His love to the far-reaching corners of the world no matter what the cost.

Love… is it easy to love? Is it easy to stare into the eyes of an adorable child, so innocent, blameless, and dependent? Is it easy to stare into the eyes of someone who sells children to the international sex-trade? It may be easy to love the innocent, but what about the guilty?

Will we love that way? Will we respond to the call to love? It will take everything that you have. But what is really yours in the first place? Every gift is from God and all that we have in this world will pass away. Love in a way that is inclusive, drastic, and even reckless. Love brought Jesus to earth and to the cross, but it didn’t leave Him there; His resurrection bringing Hope to humanity. Tragedy makes us want to cry out for, “Jesus come soon, don’t wait.” But until he does, we know that there are so many that haven’t experienced his love and know that His heart breaks for them too.

What happened last weekend is a dreadful tragedy and we should weep for our family; the body of Christ. Please keep the families in your prayers as well as the staff and students of the DTS and YWAM base in Denver especially.

In Turkey, we are all pretty sick. We were able to host a Photography Exhibition in the city square and named it "Exposing Beauty". It was a terrific even and some relationships were made with some people who are open for the Gospel. Praise Him! We are all heading our different directions this coming week for Christmas break. Pray that we will all be well and that our travels will be blessed as well as the two weeks we are apart.

I included some of my needs on the right hand column. It is great being here, but there is a cost that comes with it.
I want to thank my monthly supporters for their obedience to God. This is a team effort and as much their heart as it is mine. I honestly wouldn’t be here if they hadn’t responded to His call and vision for His world. It is a beautiful partnership that God has put together. I honor you for your faithfulness.

Love is a Movement

2007-12-03T12:55:00.000-08:00

I have this intense desire to be in love. I am talking about that head-over heels feeling that controls every one of my movements. Many of you know that kind of love, but I am not there yet. Every day that goes by, I think about it. I am in love with the notion of being in love. I desire to desire. I long for the passion, emotion, and commitment of it. I am pulled by the prospect and swept away by stories of those in love; how it happened, when were and who…

Let me tell you a little love story I heard recently. It starts out with a statistic that blows my mind. There are over 27 million slaves in the world today; Human Trafficking is the largest slave trade in history. The sheer magnitude is staggering; beyond anything that I can conceptualize. Many of these slaves are children, stolen from (or sold) by their parents into the sex-trade of South-East Asia in order to be able to survive. They are sold to brothels, club’s, and bars for the patrons (mostly from America and the Western world) to do any number of immensely grotesque practices to. There was this lady, an artist who would go and paint portraits of the children, getting to know them a little bit. She found out that some of them were slaves of some bars and clubs in the area. She was overwhelmed with grief that humans could do these kinds of things to each other, especially innocent children. She decided to do something about it, so she would make her way into some of the places and steal the children out of them and hide them. She got away with it for a time, but then was found out and received death threats from the industry because they were losing money… She ended up fleeing for her life to a different part of the country where she now lives, with 125 of the children that she stole…

This is a picture of the love that I want to be in… Not for one person, but for the people who’s God heart breaks for constantly… For those of you who have kids, what if someone stole them and sold them into that kind of slavery. I bet that you would do everything that you could to get them back. I bet that you would willingly give your entire life in a search and rescue attempt. Not only would you do everything that you could, you would ask anyone and everyone to help you… This is your kid we are talking about.

I want to love like that woman who laid down her life for just one of those children. It reminds me of what someone once did for me. It was God… He gave up that status, the Creator of all things with a perfect glorified body, to come down here to a world ravaged by sin and rescue me from this slavery that I was in; to steal me away and take me to a better place; to SET ME FREE…

If God loved me that much, that is how he loves all people. Those he has changed are now his children, but also his followers; that is our confession of faith, a “Follower of Jesus.” How can I consider myself his follower if I don’t do what he did? How can I say that I have love if I don’t give everything to go after those who he loves? Am I alone in this? What are we after in life?

I have been studying the Bible for a month now… I could be studying it for the rest of my life having knowledge of everything in it, but if I don’t have love, it is all worth nothing. Why? Because love is the fire that forces me out of my chair to movement. I could even weep over the atrocities that go on, but if I didn’t have love, I would be only grieving to make myself feel better.

What are we living for? Who are we following? Why do we want what we want from God? Is it all for me, so that I can be comfortable and safe? Is what I do in this life for me or my well-being? Do I have any love? How far are we willing to go to love the people of the world? Yes, it will be hard, and it will cost you… maybe everything, maybe your life. Jesus did it for me, will I follow him if it costs me that much? They are out there, 27 million of them, waiting for us to come and rescue them. Are you up for it? What would you be willing to give for them? What would you be willing to give for your own child? If we really have love, let’s do it.

So many questions… So little time. We can’t be looking around at everyone else, hoping that they will move first so we won’t have to. Love is all that can save them; the perfect, unselfish love of Jesus Christ. There has to be something inside you that pulls you to them. Act on the compassion that is within you and let love be your motivation to be the change you envision for this world. God wants to use you, be open, be willing, be ready. There are too many out there to wait any longer.

In Love

John Paul

Visit HumanTrafficking.Org

Yesterday, Today, and Forever!

2007-12-01T07:34:00.000-08:00

Fear gripped my heart, but reached its fingers much deeper in the very essence of who I am… I could smell the sulfur and feel the heat from the evil on my face as I heard the boy’s uncontrollable shrieks. Was this how the disciples felt the first time they had encountered an evil spirit after Jesus had told them they had authority over every evil? I had spent the entire week learning about the Power of the Holy Spirit and how he is alive today, just as he was in the book of Acts. We had been challenged to set Acts as the standard for our lives and our relationship with the Spirit of God who was within us. I had prayed that I would expect to do things like the apostles did… now it was real.

I waited and watched Kate walk to the back corner of the Ferry. Everyone who had been in that area were on their way out because of the repulsion that the boy brought to their comfortable ride. Sarah Jo and I soon followed and came upon a gipsy boy of about 12 writhing in the carpeted isle. Kate had received very broken English that the boy was starving, but his body wouldn’t let him eat. I sat with Kate at the boys head and Sarah was at his feet. We asked if we could pray for the boy, but as soon as we did the boy started getting violent, throwing shoes and eventually hitting himself in the face with his fists. We instantly laid our hands on him and commanded the evil spirit to leave his body in the name of Jesus. We did so for a few minutes, but then prayed the peace of Christ would overflow in his spirit. Others from the track had come over at this point when all of the sudden, he stopped screaming. He opened his eyes and they were bloodshot and glazed, but as we were watching because white and clear. I caressed his dirty head and hair with my hands repeating the name of Jesus over his life. Finally we sat him up and he was finally able to eat.

The girl that Kate had been speaking to about the boy and his family grabbed her violin and had taken off as soon as the evil spirit had left the boy. Kate ran after her and looked for her literally everywhere (but the men’s restroom) to at least get her name, but she couldn’t find her.

After a little amount of time, a group of people came to us and asked us to leave because we were at our destination (the boat was still taking passengers to another island). We quickly shared as best as we could about Jesus and his love that set the boy free, but the language barrier was difficult to get past and we had to leave. Those of us who were there know that the Kingdom was present on that day and now we have confidence that He wants to move today, just like he did in Acts.

Will we continue to be used? God wants to use those who are willing to walk in obedience to his leadings, so the question is; will be obedient? I also want to encourage you to be obedient to where the Spirit is leading you. Are you ready to be used by him? It will take some sacrifice of comfort and pride, but it is well worth it when you see with your own eyes the physical and spiritual freedom that is found in Christ. I challenge you to ask God how he wants to use you every day, but to be confident that he will use you. Walk with open eyes to what he wants you to do and expect him to bring people your way who need a revelation of Christ.

- Oh yeah… I am in Turkey; after visit to Corinth, the island of Chios, and a short drive through Izmir to Selcuk. We were even able to visit ancient Ephesus on Wednesday. It is beautiful here; the people are warm, but the weather isn’t. Pray that we will be open for being used to do even more by God in proclaiming the name of Jesus here. Turkey is 99% Muslim, but like I said, the people here are very courteous and hospitable.

[Columns of an ancient temple in Corinth]

[The last remaining pillars in the temple of Apollos, Corinth]

[The entrance to the Celsus Library in Ephesus]

[Carla and Tim reading an Epistle of Paul close to where it was read for the first time]

That about does it for this week. I want to say thank you for those who are sending encouragement and words that you get from the Holy Spirit. Its great to see what God is saying to you.
in Service to Christ
John Paul

"Mars Hill really Rocked..." Last update from Greece!

2007-11-21T05:40:00.000-08:00

[One of the most amazing sunsets ever, Porto Rafti, Greece]

Thank you, Dan Shannon, one of our speakers this week, for that lovely quote. As part of our teaching this week, the entire class and our speakers took a trip to Athens to spend the day around the Acropolis area, including the Areopagus (Mars Hill). A couple of us had spent some time there before, but one of our speakers, David Hamilton, gave some stellar background information on the area and the lifestyle of Athens at that time.

[First Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece]

It was the center of the world for the arts, education, and contemporary thought. The philosophers could gather around the monumental temples in the center of the city and toss around ideas of democracy, science, and life. We read Acts 17 where Paul walks in to the center of town and makes his voice and the Gospel that it carries known. They called him an idiot and threatened him with his life (Socrates had been put to death for introducing foreign gods). Even in the face of them, he spoke to them with the authority of the Holy Spirit. It was the first time the Gospel had been shared there, and he was all by himself

[Acropolis Panorama at Night, Athens, Greece]

To gaze on these amazing buildings and to have insight into their structure and intricacies, there is no wonder that people worshiped those whom the buildings were built for. At one time in the Parthenon (the largest, most prominent temple to the goddess Athena Parthenon), there was a giant statue made of pure gold, diamonds, pearls and other precious jewels. These people held their gods in such high esteem, but why? In polytheistic cultures, people live in fear of the gods. They fashion their lives around pleasing them and bribing them with elaborate sacrifices and practices. When bad things happen, a god is mad at them so further action needs to be taken. The gods were always trying to do bad to them. As David Hamilton so eloquently put it, “Religion was a minimizing of fear not an establishment of hope.” So Paul waltzes in and challenges them by saying that there is an Unknown God, and that is a God that cares deeply about them; enough to send his Son to them to be the last sacrifice. This was revolutionary for them, a God that cared? A God of Grace?

Now, there are many lessons that I took away from not only from the teaching, but my time walking around the Acropolis.

The first is that the idolatry of the Greek culture was immensely beautiful. These buildings brought out emotion and awe, and who they stood for brought awe as well. They were still false gods, but they were, and still are attractive. Even now, there are so many things that are attractive to us, pulling us, but aren’t things of God. We start to worship materialism and set up mere humans in the places of importance in our lives. That’s just the tip of the iceberg with all of the things we place in the high places of our lives… But, just as with the buildings in the Acropolis, the things of this world will come to ruin. No matter how fast we work, or how much we maintain, they will always be temporal, no matter how great the appear. We can use the illustration for idolatry and sin in our lives; it might look great for a time, but in the end, it all turns to dust.

The philosophers must have looked at Paul like he was crazy; pointing to the vast buildings just beside them as testimony of their god’s greatness. But the God that Paul shared with them on that day in Athens is the same God that is alive and well today, dwelling in the lives of his people. He truly does last forever and it has been proven time and time again throughout the history of the world. When our hearts and lives aren’t built on the foundation of Jesus Christ, they will crumble to dust.

The second lesson was just as valuable. Like I said before, the people lived in constant fear because there was no way to please the multitude of manic, compulsory, selfish, immoral, and illusory gods. Paul submits to them that there is a God who actually cares for them and will extend perfect grace to them, not by a manner of bribery, but acceptance and revelation. So many times, even as Christians, we come with this thought of God like the Greek pagans did… If I do this for you, God, will you be satisfied; can I go to heaven? We have this mental block that he doesn’t really want the best for us; that our plans are more effective than his; that our comfort is of utmost importance. We believe the lies of the enemy that God is angry with us and will never accept us with our imperfections…

Well, I felt like this is what God was telling me earlier this week, even before going to Athens…

Then the angel showed me myself standing before the angel of the Lord. The Accuser, Satan, was there at the angel’s right hand, making accusations against me. And the Lord said to Satan, “I, the Lord, reject your accusations, Satan. Yes, the Lord, who has chosen him, rebukes you. This man is like a burning stick that has been snatched from the fire.”

My clothing was filthy as I stood there before the angel. So the angel said to the others standing there, “Take off his filthy clothes.” And turning to me said, “See, I have taken your sins, and now I am giving you these fine new clothes.” [Zechariah 3:1-4]

God is not far off, distant, and angry. He desires to take us as we stand before Him, filthy and unrefined. He cannot wait to extend his grace to us, but it does cost us something. We have to tear down the idols that we have and embrace him as the only Lord of our lives.

Last year around this time in my DTS lecture phase, I finally was able to come to this point. I realized that I had built my life on idols and didn’t know God. Those idols came crashing down and I found myself standing before God, afraid, but as my only hope. My clothes were black with sin, charred and filled with the smell of smoke. Satan stood there bringing accusations of all kinds which I had believed for so long. The Creator of the universe silenced him by extending his grace to me and I found myself renewed and clean; now standing before my Father.

If this is similar to your story, I would love to talk about it further. Like I said and my life testifies, God wants us to be in communion with him as His children. And, I want to challenge you all to examine your own lives and see if there are things that, although they may seem beautiful, you have built to unworthy places in you life. We can see from the story of the Greek gods, that they won’t stand a chance.

[Pillars in the Agora (Ancient Marketplace), Athens]

That’s it for now, until Turkey, may the Lord bless you and keep you

In Him

John Paul

I can't think of any creative names for the updated

2007-11-10T23:52:00.000-08:00

11-11-07

Blog Update –

Who would have thought that studying the Bible would be so involved? When we started, I didn’t really know what to expect. A couple of days ago, I turned in a 60 page paper on the Gospel of Mark. Later that day, a few peers and I started into Luke by doing our first of 5 readings as well, just so we might be a little ahead of the work for this week.

Sure, it may be intense, but so much was revealed to me while taking section after section of the text, researching the ancient Greek words, and formulating both an interpretation relevant at the time and in our lives today. I am not, by any means, an expert and probably will never be, but I can’t believe how much closer I feel to the Father as a result of the study.

In other news, Brandi, who was in Compassion DTS and also a friend from Colorado, went to a Christian university in the States called Harding University. After the first blog update she emailed me informing me that Harding had an overseas program in the same town of Porto Rafti. Please understand that since we have been here, we haven’t seen any tourists or native English speakers. I wrote Harding in Arkansas and told them who I was and my relation to Brandi. Within a day, Jerry, the director of the Harding program here, had emailed me. I stopped by to see them and meet some of the 23 American students that reside here. We were pleasantly surprised when Jerry invited all of us to their campus for pizza and ice-cream last night… on them! It was such a blessing for us to be able to make connections with some other Christians in Greece, sharing stories and encouraging each other. They will leave on Monday to spend a week and a half in Israel. When they get back, we will be leaving, but it was good to be able to connect with them.

It was actually an answer to prayer as well. I had prayed the day that I sent out the blog update, that a valuable connection would be made, a divine appointment made. I was feeling a little disconnected from the community in Porto Rafti and didn’t have any connections to anyone. Needless to say, that God answered my prayer and I am excited to see what God has for the newly established relationship in the future. A few of us are going into Athens today for church with the students and staff. It is an international church which could also provide some valuable ministry partnerships in the future. God knows.

While studying the Bible, and Jesus’ life, I noticed that before Jesus made decisions or actions, he would spend time in prayer. I thought that maybe we could start praying for the future trip to Turkey. There are only about ten to twenty thousand Christians in all of Turkey. There is also some unrest and civil war in Turkey, but we won’t be anywhere near that. It would be a blessing if prayers could also be started for the time there and the travel from Athens by boat to Turkey. I really want the light of Christ to shine bright in Turkey and that connections could be made for future work with Not Alone. He can do some amazing things, and I want to be prepared as well.

Until next week, God bless! If you have any feedback, let me know!

John Paul

[Whom will you serve?]

"Midnight on the Beach in the Mediterannean"

2007-10-31T05:29:00.000-07:00

[Written a couple of days ago]

“It’s all Greek to me”… Literally. I have been here for almost a couple of days now and I still do not know how to say hello in Greek. If I read it on a sign or something like that, I still wouldn’t know how to pronounce it… Greek is hard. I have a greater respect for the people at Westmont who were studying Greek (even though its not the same type of Greek).

The time here has been amazing so far. We are a little farther away from the beach than we were in Muizenburg, but the weather is much mellower. For one, there is not wind, and therefore sand, pelting you in the face from all angles. There are also not as many waves, since the beach is situated in a port. The water is warmer, and there are no Great Whites threatening to eat the swimmers. Overall, it is beautiful. The town that we are in is called Porto Rafti, about an hour (public transport) from downtown Athens.

As I think about the next few months, excitement overwhelms me. The amount of studying that we will be doing is a lot, but it will be great to learn, in depth, about the New Testament. In a couple of weeks we will be going to places like Corinth to walk in the steps of Paul, getting a better understanding of the context of the early Church.

I hope to learn more about what the social climate is in Greece as well. Since it is so close to Turkey and the Arab world, I am imagining that the diversity will be astounding. Whenever multiple cultures come together, there is always an interesting dynamic.

This morning Tim, Carla, and I got up early (even though it’s Saturday) to take pictures of the sunrise; which happens to be around 7:30 in Greece. Since the waves aren’t as crazy, and the wind isn’t blowing seawater into my lens, it turned out to be quite an enjoyable experience. I look forward to many more. The new background for the blog is from the shoot this morning… I couldn’t help but praise the Creator…

“All the earth shall worship You

And sing praises to You;

They shall sing praises to Your name.” – Psalm 66:4

I have been appointed to Communications for the PhotogenX Round the World Track. I am excited about the prospect because of my experience with blogging, and because I really like to do it. During the week, I will be collecting stories and information from the team and sending out the updates once a week. Pray that I will be able to keep up with what’s going on and accurately convey the spirit of the team with the updates. I am honored with the opportunity.

Going to Greece

2007-10-24T16:08:00.000-07:00

"In the past He permitted all the nations to go their own ways, but He never left them without evidence of Himself and His goodness". Acts 14:16-17

Its hard to believe that less than a month ago I was touching down in Capetown, South Africa. Whats even harder to believe is that at 7:00 this morning, I will be taking off for Athens, Greece.

So much has been experienced here; Photography classes, new living circumstances, Township experiences, and even beach life. Looking back, time has flown. I look forward to what is coming next and even the future beyond that, Lord willing.

Wow. I just realized that this will be an extremely short blog update, but I guess that will happen occasionally.

Internet in Greece won't be as available, but that makes updating more exciting for me. We will be in the town of Porto Rafti right outside of Athens. We have been blessed by being beside the ocean (I am not quite sure how close yet) so that should make for some great landscape shots.

I have mixed feelings leaving Muizenburg. The time here has been amazing. I had tears in my eyes a few days ago when i had to say good-bye to Michael, Anda, and Eric as they dropped me off here for the last time. My life was changed by them and the experience that I was able to have in Guguletu. Experiences that I will never forget and fondly remember. I have been in contact with Justin of "These Numbers Have Faces" and he is thrilled about what is happening here. I am excited that we will be able to provided him with some pictures and stories on what is happening this side. To read more about "These Numbers Have Faces" visit their website by clicking on the link on the right hand column.

Some of you have been asking about donation information. I included a link in the right-hand side that will be beneficial. Thank you so much.

Until Greece, my God guide your steps...
John Paul Vicory

Guguletu: A Study of Hope

2007-10-17T07:58:00.000-07:00

“I was coming home from school and the G’s [Gangsters] took my phone; they put their gun on me”. – Anda

He said it without any surprise or novelty; as if it happens every day. Wait… it does happen every day. Over the last year, Anda and Michael have had 4 phones stolen by local gangsters in the Gululetu township.

At 19 years old, Michael and Anda have tremendous pressure placed on them by the gangs in their township to conform and join the gang; starting a sick and endless cycle of violence and drug abuse that lands thousands of teens in prison each year. Instead, the two have their applications in for college beginning next year and are the star players for a Football Club [soccer for Americans] in Guguletu. Because of the choice to stay in school, stay off of drugs and alcohol, and even play soccer, they have been called everything except men due to the overwhelming numbers of teens involved in gang activity. Children as young as 14 (the lowest I have heard) are carrying around guns and knives and commit murder in townships like Guguletu and neighboring Nyanga every day. The murder rates in these two communities are through the roof and everyone is affected. In 2003/2004 (April to March), the murder rate was over 2.4 per 1,000 (in contrast to Aurora, CO where I live had .09 per 1,000 people [which is worse than the national average]. Where is the hope in Guguletu?

Simply trying to do something positive with their lives, Anda and Michael are breaking the mold in their communities. They are truly a light in the darkness. I was able to spend the night with these young men and talked with them for hours about their lives and what its like to spend every day in Guguletu. I fell in love with them and their township as a result. While there are so many things that are wrong and dangerous, the beauty of Guguletu is overpowering. We seem to concentrate on the statistics of the bad rather than on the statistics of the good; the statistics of Hope. For some reason people think that we are crazy for going there, but in my mind we are crazy for not going there. In the midst of the most hopeless situation is where we find the true hope that Christ brings. Churches like JL Zwane have been there for years, doing the good work; reaching out to a community in need when no one else will. JL Zwane, a church with a congregation numbering in the hundreds, has gained international recognition for their community work in areas like Child Development, Teen Programs, the JL Zwane Football Club (of which Anda and Michael are part of), and one of the most HIV/AIDS community programs in Western Cape [which is absolutely necessary considering Guguletu and Nyanga have a HIV prevalence rate of 29.1% (2005)].

I first heard about Anda, Michael, and JL Zwane from a Westmont alum named Justin Zoradi. He had traveled to South Africa in 2006, leading a youth related ministry. The impact that Anda and Michael (and their coach/mentor, Eric “Ace” Kombela) was enormous. Justin returned to the States and started a Non-Profit Organization called “These Numbers Have Faces”, their first and pioneer project being the JL Zwane Football club. I knew that Justin had been here and that he had started this organization, so I gave him an email asking if I could help out with pictures and updates. He set me up with ACE who has been an amazing host. He even let 4 young women from our team stay with him and his wife while I stayed with Michael and Anda.

The experience was outstanding and eye-opening. Walking the same streets with the boys turned my mind around to the conditions that they were living in. When the girls weren’t around, many men would come up to me and vent their hate (sometimes justly) at white people. There wasn’t much I could do except for listen silently, hoping that by finally letting it out towards a white person would help with the healing process. After they were done, I would try to explain who I was and why I was there; mostly to no avail. We even met a few gang members on the street as we were walking back to Michael’s house from Anda’s. They (Michael and Anda) said that it was okay because “We grew up with these ones and know them”. The smell of delicious Bar-ba-que filled the air and there were sounds of music being played from all around. Open fires, cooking the meat, blazed along the road illuminating the words, “Japan” or “Gaza” (local gangs) tagged on most of the walls. At the end of the night, after talking, after eating; the boys showed me to my room where we all fell asleep… in the same bed. Since there are so many people per house in townships, its not uncommon for 3 or 4 people to share 1 bed. A unique and heartfelt experience (since sharing a bed with friends is like sharing one with family).

If we continue to focus on the negative in the world, how will we ever see past that to the amazing beauty that is buried just beneath? I would encourage you to find the beauty in your own community, in the “inner-city” areas, and especially the homeless shelters. So often we go to these places to “be Jesus” to them, when in reality, it is his face that we see in them. Sure, there will be some uncomfortable and possibly even dangerous experiences associated with these areas, but I believe that even just one person hearing about the Hope that is found in Christ is worth my life.

Matthew 25:37-40 "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' ⁴⁰"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Thank you so much for those who were praying during the time in the township. If you would like to be placed on the Prayer list, contact me and I will add you!

May God guide your steps in every area of your life and mine

John Paul Vicory

Check out These Numbers Have Faces on line here or in the Links Section on the Right!

[Hard Times Never Kill]

[Where Michael and Anda Sleep]

[Anda's House]

[Anda Stealing the Ball]

[Michael Heading against Manchester (They won 3-0)]

[Michael]

[Anda]

[Anda and Michael]

[The Pulpit at JL Zwane]

The Eternal Muse

2007-10-07T07:21:00.000-07:00

Christianity is something that I don’t understand. I am not sure I even grasp the concept of God (in the Trinitarian sense, or His character), grace, love, faith, and belief in general.

A friend brought an interesting concept to me recently that I haven’t been able to get out of my head. It keeps me up at night, and has led to more questions that keep on coming. The question related to the scope of humanity and if it was possible that God has more grace than what we realize; saving those who have never heard of Jesus Christ therefore, not believing in him. When I read the token salvation scripture, John 3:16-17, I see that God sent his son to save the world, not to judge it; that believing in him, we can enter the Kingdom of God and have eternal life. This I believe, then Nicodemus asks Jesus how to enter the Kingdom, and Jesus says that he needs to be born again. Just a few pages later, Jesus tells the rich, young ruler that he must sell everything he has in order to obtain the Kingdom. Jesus even says that He is the only way to the Father. But, Abraham’s obedience to the Lord was credited to him as righteousness, which makes me believe that salvation is possible through obedience to the Lord. That maybe belief in Christ is the belief in the Messianic message; modeling our lives after his.

What if people have never, and will never hear about Jesus, or even God? Will they have a chance to ever enter the kingdom? I almost feel guilty about being born at the space and time in which I was, knowing that there is a possibility that so many will(have) die(d) never accepting Christ spending the subsequent eternity in hell.

Like the rest of Humanity, I don’t deserve eternal life because of sin, but why am I so privileged, while the majority of the people in existence will have never believed. I struggle so much with it because it doesn’t really sound like justice to me to let so many people die. It’s like the gift is free, but not an option which is open to everyone. This frightens me. It frightens me because it makes me question whether I believe his love is really unfailing. I am not talking here about the people that openly reject Christ, but those who have never heard about him. Is it just by chance that they will not enter the kingdom? What if someone were to tell them, would they believe then? I would like to think that if all the people who have never heard the message of Jesus were to hear his message at least some of them would accept him as their Savior and enter into a relationship with Him. What about those people who never hear about Jesus, but seek something outside of themselves? Luke 11 promises that those who seek will find. Do we always know what we are seeking? Will He credit that to them as righteousness? I don’t know. Will he judge them by a different standard than he does those who have actually heard about him? Maybe? SALVATION BELONGS TO HIM ALONE

I don’t know the answers. I know that His ways are so much higher than my ways, and that my finite, sinful, and unjust mind doesn’t hold a candle to the Mind of the Creator. I have this feeling that I will never know the answers, but where does that leave me? What will I use my life for now? If salvation is possible for all people where they are, what is my role in sharing the love and message of Christ? Doesn’t that make it a bit futile? I can’t bring myself to believe that. So, if that is my mission, then deep down I believe that if the people of the world never have the chance to hear about Jesus, they will go to hell. Ouch.

Then, if that is true, there is something seriously wrong with our priorities. Not only are we as the Bride of Christ responsible for all those in the world today that don’t know Christ, we are responsible for all of the people since Christ that lived and died and never heard about him. Doesn’t that do something to you? It does something to me. It blows my mind. It fires me up to tell as many people as I meet about Jesus. It makes me want to give every breath I have for that end. Am I wasting my time? No. I probably will end up wasting a lot of it, but I would hope that the Holy Spirit can use me to influence those around me, by Him living and speaking through me. Diving into the word (discovering His message), then diving into the world. To be a true servant; to hold nothing back. It really puts things in perspective for me. Are we using every breath of our lives to the extent that we could? The challenge is to everyone, and so is the call.

I think that the reason I have been struggling so much with these questions is that I need to understand the call is to me as well. What will I use my breath for? What will use yours for?

There are an estimated 2.62 Billion Unreached people in the world; 40% of the 6.56 Billion living in the world Today. (The Joshua Project / joshuaproject.net)

Let me know what you are thinking... I would like that.

Love in Christ
John Paul

Update from All Over

2007-10-03T14:13:00.000-07:00

Touching down in Capetown, South Africa, I couldn’t believe I was going to be in this beautiful continent for the next month, and again in the months to come. I am sure that it will be filled with different memories and experiences, and look forward to them with all of my heart.

Capetown is like nowhere else I have been in Africa so far. It is actually hard to believe that I had been so close to a place like this only 4 months previous. The weather is cool, windy, and sometimes rainy (the kind that doesn’t include a lot of precipitation and no lightning); unlike Uganda: hot, humid, and prone to downpours with lighting that you think is going to strike you in the head (and the thunder so loud that you think it did).

The people here are a mix of black and white. There are many tribes (like Zulu) that add to the black population, and many “tribes” (like Afrikaans) that add to the white population. Most everyone keeps to themselves, but some are outgoing. The poverty isn’t as blatant and neither are the range of diseases that were found in Ethiopia and Uganda. That isn’t to say that there aren’t the diseases, they just aren’t in the open as much. South Africa still has the highest percentage of HIV infections in the world, and not as much awareness advertising (that I have seen).

As far as the town where we reside, Muizenberg is the location where surfing was introduced to South Africa. I didn’t really know what the living situation would be, but I never expected that we would be only blocks from the beach (I go there every morning). The area also boast the highest population of Great White Sharks in the world. Some of you may have seen documentary features on the Discovery Channel about the sharks that jump out the water to feed; yeah, that’s here off the coast a few kilometers at Seal Island. They do have a shark spotting system here though, which is good for the hundreds of surfers that frequent the breakers.

The PhotogenX team is a little bit smaller than once anticipated. Over 50 were accepted to the program, but now there are only 25 that will be traveling to each place. Probably about 18 have been here most of the time with the DTS portion, and a few joined later (like myself).

I am excited to see what transpires over the next nine months especially. There are some high hopes and great ideas developing, and the overall spirit of the school is positive. I am glad that there is still a huge emphasis on Injustice, which is part of my passion as well. Many of the ideas that I have in my head is what other people have been thinking and processing as well. Its good to fellowship with others who have similar dreams.

I also have a few picture and words about St. Ameria’s in Uganda. PICTURES!!! There has also been expressed interest in sending a YWAM team down there to get some much needed construction accomplished. It continues to amaze me that the work is continuing there. It will be such a blessing to return one day and see all the Lord has done there through people like you.

I want to thank those of you who attended the Not Alone Benefit Photography Show and supported the orphans. I have been in contact with the administration from each of the orphanages and they will be getting the transfers soon! They are very excited even though they don’t know how much they will be getting.

The whole vision for Not Alone is also going ahead. It may not seem like it for a while, but I know that the time spent here and now will influence the future vision. People have been pretty excited to hear about it and what God has done. For now, I am surrendering the vision to the Creator who will continue to mold and form it into what he wants it to be. That is the best place for it!

I haven’t decided yet which day that I can update the blog, so hang with me for a few weeks. Since the travel will be sporadic, the blog-updates may be as well! Thank you for your patience. I appreciate the feedback, as usual, and am honored that you would share this experience with me!

Love and Blessings in Christ

John Paul Vicory

[Love is the Movement]

Face the Horizon

2007-09-21T11:19:00.000-07:00

Reflecting upon the last few weeks, I realize now that it has been a blur. Everything happens so fast. It is hard to believe that I leave the country yet again on Tuesday morning at 8. Harder to believe is the fact that I probably won’t see the beautiful city of Denver, and many family members and friends for another 17 months…

Expectations are ideas that creep into my head of what the future holds… Not only with regards to my life on the Track, but with regards to my ideas about what will take place here so out of my control. Is there a better place to be than there? Out of control? I am reminded of the parallels of Paul’s thoughts when he explained in his second letter to the Corinthians that in His weakness, Christ has the most power. When I am furthest from control, He can have the most. And his arms are the safest place that I could ever be.

God has been teaching me that the Christian life is not necessarily one of One decision, but more of a hallway. We have to take the step into the doorway of the hall, but still have Life to walk through. Each step along the way affects the direction that I take in the future and sometimes I need to be picked up and put back on track again because there are distractions along the way. So, because making Christ my Lord is such a continual process, it requires almost a constant re-evaluation of my stance, path, and direction. Not only a re-evaluation, but a response to what God is showing me about myself. Action is key.

The last few months have been such a blessing to me. You, who supported the vision raised over $10,000 on behalf of the Orphans and future missions. The Not Alone Benefit Photography Show was just the beginning. Offers for more assistance and even building teams continue to pour in. God knew what he was doing that day when he introduced me to the vision. It continues to be his, but I am honored to be a part of it.

He has also led the way to share his heart for the world with America, on the tour and more recently when I was invited to speak at Metro State College in Denver. I had written a formal speech to take up my 20 minutes, but ended up sharing from the heart on my experiences in Africa, finishing with a call to action even in the secular environment. The overarching message of the summer is that there is Hope in a seemingly Hopeless situation. God continues to be the source of that Hope and encouragement for a world that is dying. Praise be to Him!

So now what? I am excited… Excited to see what He continues to do in and through me. It also comes with almost a sense of sadness. Sadness because I do value the relationships and friendships that God has given me here, back home. But those same relationships in his hands and surrendered to him are in the proper place. I have confidence that when we walk in His ways, we can never go astray. Philippians 4:19 [The same God who takes care of me, will take care of you!]

I look forward to sharing more experiences of my upcoming travels with you along the way. Who knows what will happen this time? Thank you for your faithfulness to reading and the encouragement that you provide as well. It is an interaction that I don’t take lightly, and one that I take with Joy!

May God richly bless your lives.

In Him,

John Paul

[Love is the Movement]

Benefit... Back in Denver

2007-09-04T16:20:00.000-07:00

Back in Denver as of 10:30pm Labor Day, I am exhausted. The last 6 weeks has been amazing, and I have seen so much. Much of what God is doing in the hearts and minds of Christians across the country, and much of what he is doing in my own heart and mind.
The last benefit show is this Friday Night here in Littleton. Check out http://matt28.com/notalone for more information on that, like directions and what-have-you. When that show is over, I will be able to give an accurate update as to how much was raised for the orphans, and more of the miraculous that God did and will continue to do.

For now. I am tired. Honestly, I am tired of doing the show. I know thats not necessarily the right attitude, but let me explain. Somewhere along the way, I can't really remember where it was, I stopped relying on God to be my strength and His provision for the show. I lost sight of His ownership and His goals and dreams for it. It was His vision that he shared with me all the way back in Uganda. I was selfish and proud of the Tour and it led to a burn-out from it. It is too big for me to think that I have any kind of control over it, yet I tried to take it anyway.

So, that is what I have been dealing with lately, and I share it with you for more than one purpose. The first is to share my struggles with you because I know that there is so much that I need to learn in this walk. I haven't arrived at the proverbial "there", or have all of the answers for how to live. I still have to learn daily to put my flesh to death and walk through the power of the Spirit within me. Sometimes its harder than others. Instead of hiding it, like everything is okay, I thought that I would experiment to see what happens when my struggles are exposed.
Since there is some identification of what is happening in my heart, I can (and am trying to) take steps to correct it, to get a sense of God's passion for those He loves (which is everyone!), to realign my life with His will and word, and to get insight and guidance from those around me.

The other reason that I share is because I am not sure I am alone in my control issue. I may be wrong, but I think that it is part of who we are as humans to desire to be in control of our lives and the world around us. Its one of those things that we say we don't want to be a part of, but if we take a closer look at our lives, we do see that we cling to control. I have done it my whole life and I don't want to do it anymore. I want to be used by God as an instrument for His will, despite myself. It kind of goes along with the cliche saying that I am my own worst enemy. I am the one that stands in the way of being completely open for God to use... It all comes down to surrender, and when you give your life to Christ, surrender is mandatory.

What kinds of things are you holding on and not giving over to Him? It makes sense to give it to Him because He is the one that cares (1 Peter 5:7). And, after all... He is only the creator and sustainer of the universe... (written with sarcastic undertones)

So thats not really the direction that I saw this entry taking, but thats the way it goes sometimes.
Love and Blessings from Him!
John Paul

Recent Thoughts...

2007-08-19T16:03:00.000-07:00

[Journal Entry: 8-18-07]

Is my goal really to change the world? To do that would be a task monumental and impossible. To change the world would be to change humanity, sin nature, and the very things that make up this flesh.

Rather, I would like to make an impact on the world, not by adding to it anything, but by taking away from it; adding to the Kingdom of Heaven. Living as Christ has modeled for me, moving in the Spirit that quickens my heart to action. It will challenge everything I think I know about God, Jesus, culture, His image, politics, religious theology, service, obedience, the Word (Bible), and the Spirit.

To open God’s word; the Kingdom Book and read it finally with open eyes and an open mind… No longer being impressed and molded to the world around me, but being sculpted to His way; being first and foremost, a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven; Kingdom obsessed.

It is time to take action. I don’t want to wait! I want to run in the freedom that Christ brought on the cross. I want to live the way he intends and bask in the fulfillment that action brings. I want my allegiance to be to my King alone, moving in His spirit, walking in his ways.

I have heard it said that God is doing something new in this time; but I know that my God is the same through eternity. He has been doing this all along. It is me giving up control of my life to see him for who he truly is and my life as it should truly be.

Are you ready?

Matthew 28:18-19
Christ tells us...
"I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth...
There fore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Fother and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all of the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

In Him,
John Paul Vicory

Sorry, its been too long...

2007-08-11T22:34:00.000-07:00

[Journal Entry: 8.11.07]

Sometimes I try to grasp onto any semblance of control in my world around me. This time, there is nothing to cling to; to rely on. I feel the most out of control that I have ever been. Why can't I live my life this way? Why can't I see that this is what I have been praying for all along? Why do I have fear in the midst of it?

John 6:16-21 tells of a time when the disciples were cruising in a boat and a storm came upon them. They were terrified, thinking that it was the end for them. All of the sudden they see Jesus, their redeemer walking on the water. He gets within range and says, "Don't be afraid, the 'I AM' is here." - The absolute most comforting phrase I could ever imagine.

This may seem like a difficult time in my life and in the lives of some of those around me. The waves are daunting and threaten to wreak havoc on our lives. I doubt whether or not that I can stand and am terrified. BUT, the 'I AM' is here. The power that raised Christ from the dead is within me. He calms the waves of doubt and discouragement within me and gives my boat a firm place to land.

Even though it has been a little bit of a difficult time in some respects it has been an incredibly fulfilling time in others. I am sure this is not a new scenario to me, but this is one of the first times that i have identified it in my own life...

God has been doing some amazing things and has been putting some pretty amazing people in my life along the road. Each time something works together, I am reassured that this is what the Lord has been calling me to do and I am confident in his plans.

Overall, people have been receptive to the work that the orphanages are doing in Ethiopia and Uganda, and it is amazing to see how God has been implanting his heart into the lives of others as they look into the faces and eyes those that He loves.

Things have also been moving with PhotogenX as well. I have booked my ticket around the world in faith that God will provide.

I have also been looking into starting a non-profit called NOT ALONE. Not Alone would be a ministry based on advocacy. A group of photographers, artists, and journalists would travel the globe to areas where social justice issues are thick. We would find grass-roots ministries that help with the issues and serve them for a season. At the same time, we would gather information and art as well. From there, we would put together a tour similar to the one in progress but on a larger scale. On this side, there will be another group with skills in business, marketing, and event planning that would set up the shows in various locations.

The goal and mission of Not Alone would be to raise awareness for Social Justice Issues and partner with the grassroots ministries and non-profits to make a change. Kind of like what happened with St. Ameria's Orphanage in Uganda. Because of a few people took time to visit, we were able to share our experiences with others. Those others were touched, and some even support the orphanage on a monthly basis. We would be the ones to find these places and stand with them, connecting them to others around the world who care and could provide resources.

What are your thoughts?

Not Alone Denver

2007-07-15T00:05:00.000-07:00

It has been about a month since the last update, so I thought that I would write a blog entry and fill everyone in on what has been happening and what will hopefully happen in the near future.

The last 2 months have been pretty crazy, even though I have only been in the States for a little over a month now. When I first got the vision for this show, I really had no idea how involved it would be until I got back home. There was money to raise for the trip, venues to book, sponsors to find, prints to make, details to tie up, and finally, the event to put on. God has really paved the way for these shows to go through, first of all, blessing me with Cierra, a friend from DTS. She has really been the influencer behind the event, all I really did was print out some pictures. He has also given us favor with countless individuals and companies. If I were to list all of the amazing things that he has done, you probably would stop reading because the text would go on for pages.

So, on Thursday the 12^th, the first show of the Not Alone Benefit Photography Tour kicked off in Downtown Denver at JC’s Ground. I would say probably 150 people showed to support the orphans in Africa. Family and friends came, but I would say that I probably didn’t know the majority of the people that were there. There was even a young man from Zimbabwe that has been living in Denver for a short time. I won’t tell the amount that was raised, because I want to save it for the end of the tour, but it was so encouraging. I really didn’t expect what happened, with the amount of people and money that was given. It was great to see people moved by the social and physical damage that is going on in Africa. To Him be all glory!

Thank you as well to all of you who helped make the Benefit a reality!

[All photos courtesy of Matt Loevenguth]

I leave tomorrow for the next leg of the trip, which will be Chicago and Toronto. I still don’t know what to expect from these places, but I know that people need to see what is happening and get involved in some way. Please pray that people’s hearts will be open to see these children as God sees them. You can also check the Benefit's website for more information...

Not Alone Benefit Photography Tour

I have also been accepted to another school from YWAM that I have mentioned in previous posts. It’s called PhotogenX Around the World, and it starts this September in South Africa. From South Africa a team of us will travel to Egypt, Sinai, Israel, Ethiopia, Spain, Morocco, the Netherlands, and Costa Rica before going to Kona, HI for more training. The whole program is 17 months long with only short breaks for Christmas and New Years. The focus of the school will be on social justice in the areas visited, how to capture and record injustice to portray an accurate display for the rest of the world, learn about the different cultures that we are immersed in, and to learn more about the Word of God. The program comes with an Associates of Arts in photography too, which isn’t a bad deal, and a portfolio from across the globe, which is amazing.

I have been particular about not asking for support on the blog, and there is a reason for it. I want to make sure that I am providing insight and information with no strings attached. The blog isn’t a gimmick for raising financial support for myself and I would like to keep it that way. So, if you are interested in the next program that I will be involved in and how you can help, please contact me (at the email address on the side) and we can discuss further. If you aren’t, then there is no pressure, I still need as much prayer as I can get!

I will continue to update the blog on my future travels so stay tuned!

God Bless!
Servant of Christ
John Paul

The Chapter is Over... The Next is Beginning!

2007-06-01T05:02:00.000-07:00

[Flyer for the Denver Show!!!]

It has been two+ weeks since the last blog update, and less than a week since I have been home. I wanted to be sure that told everyone about the conference the last week in Uganda and some of my experience in being back home in the Western World.

A quick update from St. America’s before I continue. Someone, who will remain anonymous, has agreed to pay 1500 US Dollars for the children at the orphanage to get bunk beds! This is such an answer to prayer because previously they had all been sleeping on thin straw mats on the floor, practically and literally on top of each other. God is so good, and it is such an honor to be a part of it! Mark visited one last time before he came back to the states and discovered that they had named the three houses after him (Mark Weaver), Alex, and I. My eyes welled up with tears after I heard the news.
Their international account is also set up, which is a huge blessing from God. We are using a YWAM account set up by John Bills to enable people to get tax-deductable receipts. If you want to donate, make checks payable to YWAM (or Youth with a Mission) and don't make any indications of St. Amerias on the check. Put a note that says, "African Orphans Fund, St. Ameria's Orphanage" on it, and send the envelope to
YWAM Los Angeles
11141 Osborne Street
Lake View Terrave, CA 91342

The conference was powerful to say the least. Some of the days were spent without power, some were spent without water, but the fellowship evident among the attendees was powerful. Even people with no background in HIV/AIDS work came to the conference to get a better understanding. They left with so much more; a deep understanding of the daunting task, and even a deeper appreciation for those who have been involved with this fight for so long.

One of the most powerful sessions was the day the First Lady of Uganda spoke, although it wasn’t her speech that was so necessarily powerful. After all the Ugandan dignitaries and officers had gone, we were left without power yet again, but this time was different. It was a Wednesday night and on the schedule was a memorial for those who had lost their lives to HIV related illness that had been a part of YWAM. Attendees were asked to bring a ribbon, a foot in length, to the conference for this memorial service. We tied the ribbons together to get an idea of how HIV was affecting the YWAM community. This helped all of us realize the importance of HIV/AIDS work in all of the world. Staring at the countless strands of ribbon, many couldn’t handle the emotions of remembering those that they had lost. Some had been small babies and children, some had been friends and mentors of many years. I am not sure there was a dry eye in the entire place. We are all affected.

The week finished off great! Everyone I talked to said that it was one of the best conferences that they had been to despite the power and water outages. It wasn’t anything that the preparation team did though, it was all about God bringing together people who have a passion for the same thing, seeing Gods heart in this world. It was encouraging for them to be there and see that they really aren’t alone in this fight. Please don’t let this blog be the end of your experience with HIV/AIDS. Take measures to educate yourself and those around you to what is going on in the world. Investigate different areas where you can be personally involved in this mission that is so close to God’s heart.

As for me? This may be the last blog update for a while. It has been a great journey is sharing my thoughts and experiences with you, and a great blessing to receive the encouragement and prayers that we did from you.
I am already over my head in work trying to set up these Benefit Photography Galleries across the States. Please continue to pray that I will get everything done that is on my heart and that God will provide for the overwhelming expense that it is going to be. I really know that God wants to do a lot for these different ministries that will benefit. If you would like to be involved in anyway, please let me know!
The set-up for the benefit has changed slightly. Instead of dealing with percentages of donations and all of that, there will be different tables set up highlighting the different ministries. People will be able to write checks and give cash to the ministries of their choice. My images will be available to be purchased and donations will be accepted for me and the needs of the Tour as well.
The benefit tour will be called “Not Alone” and will be in the following cities on the following dates.

Denver, Colorado: July 12th
Chicago, Illinois: July 19th and 20th (20th Lord Willing!)
Toronto, Ontario Canada: July 21st
Ellensburg, Washington: July 31st
Seattle Washington: August 3rd
Santa Barbara, California: August 22nd and 25th
Visalia, California: September 1st

There are also bookmarks with one of my pictures available from Halfway There Water Project. Click on the bookmark to go to the site where they are all available!

Go to the Bookmark Section

Okay, so that is it from me, at least for now. I would just like to encourage you all to look into the issues that are going on all over the world. There is more to life than meets the eye, especially in the Western World. It is part of our responsibility to take action, changing our world even if it means one person at a time. This can mean supporting someone who is in missions, getting involved in community based ministry, or getting out there into the world yourself! I guarantee that you will find unparalleled fulfillment in it.

Please continue to pray for me and for the rest of the team as they readjust to the places that they left 9 months ago. Its not as easy as it seems for us. The difference between these two worlds is staggering. Continue to provide feedback as well; I would love to hear your thoughts!

Take care, and God Bless
A servant of Christ,
John Paul

The Blessing… The Payoff

2007-05-28T00:29:00.000-07:00

This week’s update will be a little bit shorter than usual because of the amount of time that I actually have to work on it. The Conference starts TODAY and we are still running around trying to get everything set up and in best order. But even amidst the busyness and sometimes confusion, it has been a week of great blessing.

[Alex looking over the Nile. In the Back is the platform i jumped from (Bungee)]

First of all, our school leader and close friend John Bills came on Monday and I had the honor of picking him up from the Flight Hotel in Entebbe. It was so great to see him and the rest of the team feels the same. Since then he has been speaking into our lives, giving us guidance and a listening ear. He has taken us out to dinner, watched movies with us, and has provided strong stability for us in this remaining week. He is scheduled to speak at the conference and is hosting a few seminars in the afternoons as well.

Personally, John Bills has helped me tremendously in my walk with God. I know that the same is true for many others as well. God has gifted him with His Father’s heart and is a tangible example to so many of His unconditional love. God has changed many lives through John and we are so grateful to have him here with us again.

The second immense blessing was more of a personal one for me because it involved Muluwork, the YWAM director from Ethiopia, surprising me by showing up yesterday. He had registered for the conference, booked a plane ticket to Nairobi from Addis Ababa, then an overnight bus from there; all on faith. I really wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to come or not and had prepared myself for the worst. God provided and I was able to share in the blessing as well!

The third blessing came at St. Ameria’s Orphanage. Alex and I were able to go one final time on Friday and took with us John Bills and April Bang. April had told me that there was some people back home that were more than willing to give for different ministries here in Africa, and St. Ameria’s was able to benefit greatly from those gifts. They were lacking money to set up a proper account that they would be able to receive international transfers. Now, they have that money and a great deal more. I will be in contact with them if anyone wants more information on how to give to them or pray for their needs as well. This is just the beginning of the blessing for St. Ameria’s. They have been so faithful in God’s command to take care of the orphans and the oppressed and now know without a shadow of a doubt, that God is faithful.

This last 3 months has been quite the roller coaster… and we all had blindfolds on; not knowing what to expect from one moment to the next. This next week, our eyes will be uncovered to what we have been working so hard to accomplish. We all believe that this conference will be a platform for God to be able to share his heart for AIDS to YWAM and to the rest of the world. This conference will change things. We are so honored to be a part of it, even just to be here for this gathering of those who want God’s heart will bless my face off.

On some of the downtime that we have had, I have been able to put together this slideshow highlighting the ministry that we were a part of as a whole school (this goes back a couple of months). Not only is it a highlight, but also a challenge to YWAM and those who claim to follow Christ. Please watch it and share it with those you know. I will post the URL below so that you can send the link to everyone through emails and text messages.

Well, that should be about it. I did go bungee jumping over the Nile River last Sunday after I updated the blog. Since I was the first one of the day to jump, the jumpmaster couldn’t gage whether or not he would be able to dip me in the Nile. It didn’t happen, but it was still a great experience.

I hope that I will be able to update the blog next week, but it may be on Monday from Dubai. We will see what happens. Thanks again for reading and for sharing this experience with me. I am truly blessed by the feedback that I receive from you.

Please pray for the conference this week. Our work is almost done, but this is just the beginning of the work against AIDS and the stigma and shame that is associated with it. AIDS doesn’t have to kill our brothers and sisters, but it is up to us to care.

In Christ Alone,

John Paul

New Life at Hopeland

2007-05-19T22:20:00.000-07:00

What a week of changes; not only for our team, but for the base in general. Honestly, this last week was the best week I have had in a while. We were extremely busy, but focused on the issues and tasks at hand. It brought us together as a team.

It was Tara’s Birthday on Monday as well, so we got together and watched Sleepless in Seattle (I couldn’t make it through the whole thing) and ate bananas roasted with chocolate. It was so good! We were even able to use a projector for the film, so we didn’t have to huddle around a laptop.

We went to Sam Kisolo’s house this week for a time of fellowship. Sam has 15 children… That’s right, 15. Four of the kids are his by birth, the others have been adopted by Sam in response to the tremendous need for parental care in Uganda. In some ways, Uganda is extremely blessed with resources, fresh water, and help from many international NGO’s. Uganda also has some tremendously complicated problems. So many parents have died from the AIDS pandemic and many also from the war areas. It is also very common for me to have more than one wife. They also value having many children. So, the end result is so many children, and not enough people to take care of them. Even, Job, a member of our team from Gulu, has four children of his own and takes care of his niece as well. The story is the same all over Uganda. On one hand, it is sad that children aren’t getting taken care of by their parents, on the other, it’s a miracle that they are cared for by family or people like Sam.

There was a new addition to the team this week as well. P’toni and Lupe, a Tongan married couple that are leaders of the Frontier Missions Outreach, had a baby girl on Thursday night! They had been planning on going to Kampala on Thursday for a couple of weeks because the baby wasn’t actually due for another 2 weeks. They ended up leaving on Wednesday and it is a good thing. Both mother and child came back to the base on Friday and are both doing extremely well.

Like I said, it has been a very busy week. We have all been working everyday and then occasionally relaxing during the evening. Many times there are things to do during these times as well. Since the DTS left for outreach, there hasn’t been as much help in the kitchen so we have all had to take double shifts in order to get all of the food out on time. It takes away from the conference work, but it enables us to build relationships with others on the base as well. I was able to spend a considerable amount of time in conversation with the men from Sudan who are doing their SBS here. I am still blown away by their stories. I appreciate those who have been looking into what is happening all over the world as far as oppression goes. The more that we know, the more we can do to help!

I have to make an apology to the readers of this blog. There have been so many times when I wanted to share what I had been thinking, but was afraid. Afraid of people and what they might think of me. During the course of this week, though, I have been discovering that it doesn’t matter what I am thought of as long as I am being obedient to God in what I say in the blog, no matter if only my mom and dad read it. There is so much that I have been wanting to say, but have been disobedient is saying it. Because of this I am sorry.

One of the reasons that I started this blog is to encourage people to take action. When we live our lives in a way that resembles Christ, we have no other options. Christ himself stated his mission when he was back in Nazareth at the start of his ministry. He was in the temple as he often was. When he went up to read the scripture, the book of Isaiah was handed to him. This is what he said (from Luke 4:18-19)

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

As this was his call, it is ours as well. Does this in any way do any damage to the world? Of course it doesn’t, but there are so many people that aren’t doing anything about it. In the US and Western we can be so comfortable with life. Many of us want our children to get the best education that they can get so that they can life a “comfortable and satisfying” life, free from worry. In reality, we should be sending them to school to be witnesses to Christ and to discover ways to help God’s creation (humans especially). The rich young ruler followed all of the laws, he loved God and loved his neighbor, but was unwilling to sell what he had to give to the poor, the last request that Jesus had for him to be called a disciple. Are we willing to pick up the Bible and follow Christ’s teaching and his life, no matter what actions that we have to take?

I don’t say all of these things because I am mad or disappointed. I say them because I have discovered the fulfillment that comes from following his command to GO! (Luke 10:3). I am not perfect or “there” or anything like that, but these aren’t my words; Jesus is the one that spoke them. I need them just as much as anyone. There is no doubt; I am a sinner, truly unworthy of salvation or any blessings that I have. But, God is good, and he is faithful when we are not. I say this not to condemn, but to encourage you. If we get (understand) what is in the Bible, we will understand that we are called to live in a completely different way from the world. Not only will we understand it, we will do everything we can to live the life that Christ wants us to live.

I have heard some people saying that they don’t feel like God has called them to anything, when the New Testament, especially the Gospels, is full of Jesus’ “calling”. When we step out and try some of the things that he wants us to do we have nothing at all to lose! In fact, Jeremiah 29:11 says that he has plans for wholeness, not for harm; and a hope for the future, that we will one day be united with Christ. We really have nothing to lose, plus, when we are helping others we open doors for them to share in salvation. When you have next to nothing here on earth, and dying seems better than living, a hope for a future is something to get excited about. I know that hope is something I take for granted in the midst of all of this “stuff” on earth that distracts me.

Anyway, the point is, that we all need to be doing something! James talks about how faith without obedience to the works that Christ called us to is dead! I thought that by coming to Africa, I could get away from this because I was going to Africa, but it has been especially hard here in Uganda to do those things that God wants; to give even a glass of water or a little cookie to someone in His name. We can all be getting involved. Pick up your Bible and discover for yourself what he asks you to do.

Thank you for reading another entry. Please continue to pray for us in this remaining week until the conference. The conference begins next Sunday, but I will try to upload a new entry before all of the activities start. Please pray that this conference will be a success, not it terms of how many people show up, but in the amount of fruit that comes from it. We know God has great plans!

Also pray that the team will be able to stay focused on what God has us here for and not to look forward to the time we leave in a way that distracts us from the present.

In Christ

John Paul

Crunch Time... With a Smile

2007-05-13T05:24:00.000-07:00

Crunch Time... With a Smile

With the YWAM HIV/AIDS Global Gathering starting in two weeks from today, everything and everyone is going crazy. Rightly so, we have a lot to do and a lot more to plan.

[Alex and his hedgehog friend... they aren't as fast as Sonic]

Sunday started off great with the blog update, it was good to get everything off of my chest. Thank you to those who responded with your encouraging words and feedback, it is always good to hear.

In the afternoon, Jessie’s dad, Robin, held a men’s self-defense class. I think that I mentioned it last week, but her dad is on the SWAT team back in Indiana. Since we have been stepping up security on the base, it was a great lesson for us. It was also fun to see the muscular and intimidating Tongan men writhing in pain when Robin would pull a seemingly insignificant move on their pressure points. It also made me feel a little bit safer around them knowing that I have at least a little bit of a chance… probably not.

[Some of us getting pwn3d (owned) during the self-defense training]

We were able to spend some more time with Kim (Jessie’s Aunt, but also one of our DTS staff) as well. Most of us have had a bit of a rough time the last couple weeks feeling overwhelmed with the task. We have also put our focus on the goal of the conference and lost sight of the overall lessons that God is trying to teach us in the meantime. It was great to hear input from Kim and process through with her what we are thinking and feeling. Jessie’s parents and Kim left this morning, but it was such a blessing to have them with us for this time.

This week, Jonathan came back from a week with his parents in Kampala and the surrounding areas. His parents are with the Orphan Justice Mission and were on assignment this last week in Uganda. Jonathan had a great time with them in all of their ministry opportunities. He had some great stories of God’s Grace and Love as well.

When he came back he found out that the three remaining men on the team were moving to a different room. It was a bit of a surprise to us, and honestly, we didn’t handle it very well at first. We were already stressing out and then we had to move from a comfortable cooler room to one that is not as comfortable and definitely not as cool. We even had to make our own screens out of duct tape and an old mosquito net in order to open the windows. We are closer in proximity to the Tongan men, so it has been nice to get to know them better. We are afraid that they will want to use their newly acquired self-defense techniques on us though… Just kidding, they are great guys, very passionate about the Lord.

Thursday night we had a team dinner again. Since our team has enlarged due to the Tongan team joining us, we had resorted to getting our meals in the dining room and then coming back to the meeting room to eat together. So Thursday because Robin and Pam were cooking, we had hamburgers, sausages, and fries… It was absolutely amazing. I could only eat one burger and one sausage, but some of the other members of our team had 3 or 4. There was so much food, it was great. I don’t think I had felt full since being in Uganda until that night.

[Yum Yums]

Friday morning, we had another sports day with the staff and students on base. The DTS team is leaving on outreach tomorrow, so it was their last Friday on base. The SBS (School of Biblical Studies) students joined them in some competition against the staff on base. Everyone involved had a great time of fun and fellowship, but at the end of the day, I am pretty sure that the staff (of which we are included) came out on top!

[Tara probably got the ball...maybe...maybe she was getting past... oh well, we won]

All day yesterday was spent up at the office. The prayer room is located on the second floor of the administration building, and it needs to be finished by Tuesday morning, so Ruth, Tara, and Sarah took over and whoever else was left (Alex, and I) pitched in a bit to help as well. It looks more than a hundred percent better now, but there is still a bit of work to be done on it yet. Next week I will show the finished product of the prayer room and also the common room which was also finished this week.

[Everyone hard at work in the prayer room]

Earlier I mentioned the SBS students. The last couple of weeks, I have been getting to know a few of the men a little bit more. There are 3 from Sudan, 1 from Kenya, and 1 from Tanzania. I have been getting to know the 3 from Sudan, and their stories are great, but sometimes sad at the same time. They are from Southern Sudan. Their country is constantly being torn apart North and South. Muslim Arabs reside in the North of the country, and the dark tribes reside in the south where the land looks much like Uganda, rich and green. I have been learning how The north has been taking the resources of the south (including gold and oil) and leaving hardly anything to the people in the south. Then, they bribe them to be able to stay in power in the government. And then there was the genocide at Darfur. There are northern groups hired to take out the southerners. There is hope on the horizon though. In 2011 there will be a vote throughout Sudan to see whether or now there will be a new country formed called New Sudan. The Arabs don’t want this, of course, because they gain so much from the relationship, but it is bad for the southerners. If you are Muslim in northern Sudan, you get paid much more than a non-Muslim would, but a Christian gets paid even less that a non-religious person. Its an evangelistic tactic that is used as well.

Look into everything that happens in Sudan. There has been fighting for more than these men can remember. Everyone is affected. Some northerners are already trying to bribe the southerners for hearts in the 2011 vote. Please do research and be praying as well.

I also found out something about Southern Sudan that I didn’t know before as well. George Bush has done a lot for Southern Sudanese and so has Condoleezza Rice. Since they have done so much for them, the Sudanese have been honoring them by naming their children “George Bush” and “Condoleezza Rice”.

I hope to be able to see my new friends in Sudan at some point in my life. It has been so interesting and moving to get to know them and their heart for the Lord and for their people. I can see the desperation as well as the hope in their eyes.

There actually hasn’t been a whole lot else going on this week.

As far as the benefit photography tour goes, please keep your eyes and ears open for some venues, and start telling people about it. I think by next week, I am going to have the dates nailed down, some cities don’t have places yet though! Ah, crazy!

Please continue praying for us here, we really appreciate it. I especially want to thank those from the First Baptist Church where Robin (Jessie’s dad) is the pastor. We were thoroughly blessed by having him this week and were blessed as well with the gifts that you sent with him. They helped us immensely! God Bless you!

And for everyone else, if you know a missionary, drop them a line or a letter if you can. It is so much more than words to them I am sure.

May God richly bless you! Until next week…

Luke 10:2-3
In Christ,
John Paul