Inspiring stories happen every day, but we don't hear so much about them on the news. So, where do you go to hear these stories and find out about what God is doing behind the scenes? Well, the Create Emerge team have a list of great missions news, magazine, podcast & blog sites to get you started.
Every year, thousands of teams set off on short term trips to share the gospel. Language and cultural barriers can make clear communication of the gospel incredibly difficult. What if we could equip them to witness in an engaging and culturally relevant way? Equip makes sure to provide outreach teams with the tools and information necessary for them to be as effective as possible for the time they are on the field.
If you are involved in frontier missions, or you're preparing to go on a short term missions trip, you'll be aware of the challenges that are involved. You may find yourself asking questions like "How do I communicate the Gospel when I don't speak the language of the people I'm trying to reach? What are the cultural differences that I should be aware of? What resources are availble to help me reach out to this specific people group?"
"...RTC currently employs 25 landmine victims who are viewed in Cambodian society as having got what they deserve through karma and most often end up begging on the street or making next to nothing in some sort of labour. Not long after beginning this project a few years ago, her staff began to ask about Jesus, and soon they were asking her about having a church. Now, most of her staff are coming back to their place of work on Sunday mornings for a church service, and deeper transformation is taking place..."
So you've heard the need and want to get out there and make a difference. Now you're thinking that it could be helpful to do a little preparation, learn some skills, and get some training. But where do you start?
"...our team has recently found out about Not For Sale, which is a campaign to fight the global slave trade and end human trafficking. Not for Sale is conducting a tour called Stop Paying for Slavery which is a multidimensional, multimedia, multi-day experience aiming to bring together education, law enforcement, faith communities, corporations, consumers and all justice seekers in the fight to end modern-day slavery..."
It seems that the emerging generation is becoming a lot more aware of social justice issues. That's a good thing - however It doesn't take much to feel overwhelmed by the transformation that needs to take place. So, what can we do to make a difference?
"...I've always loved to draw, paint and create things and it came pretty naturally for me. I continued to develop drawing skills throughout my childhood and teen years. It's quite sad to admit but probably 50% of the time I spent learning to draw was during Math, Science and English class. I had this idea that I was going to be an animator or a children's book illustrator someday and figured I didn't need to worry about subjects that weren't relevant to my future..."
If you have a desire to get into missions, but are a little overwhelmed by the options and aren't sure what your next step should be, we have some good news: the Create Emerge team have put in the hard yards, done a bunch of research, and put together a selection of missions opportunity sites to get you started.
"...I didn't just join this team because of the opportunity to make music. I joined because God, through this team, was opening my heart up to his love for me, and consequently for the world. I didn’t have a lot of passion for the Kingdom or a clear idea of what it was all about when I first joined, but through the relationships that were formed around a great purpose, I couldn’t help but eventually begin to get energized by the Perpetrator towards the purpose of bringing the Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven..."
You may have read in the blog article 'Being Frank' that the Create Emerge team recently spent three weeks in India filiming the story of Prem Sewa school and hostel. We have hopes of producing a full length Documentary, but for now we've put together a 16min preview called 'Being Frank - The Story of Prem Sewa Shikshan Sangh'. This video is currently being shown in churches throughout Canada by Prem Sewa Director Bapu as he travels from Quebec to British Columbia. Stay tuned for the completion of the full length documentary - Coming 2011- we hope :)
"...Create Emerge and Mennonite Brethren Mission and Service International (MBMSI) have partnered to create a short 12min documentary called 'East West' that focuses on the partnerships between believers from the East and the West as they join together with a powerful vision to see God's Kingdom advance in South Asia. 'East West' is going to be screened throughout Canada over the next few months as part of MBMSI's Celebrate Mission Nights..."
During a trip to India in 2010 we met Frank, a lively German man with grey hair and wisdom lines around his eyes. For every story of God’s impeccably timed faithfulness in the past forty years, he’s also got a joke that will make you laugh (or roll your eyes). His journey has resulted in nearly a thousand children currently living and learning in three locations, and thousands who have come before.
We spent three weeks capturing the stories of Prem Sewa on film: a man who followed God to the desert and saw flowers and schools emerge, a large work passed on to indigenous leadership, and the endless stories of boys and girls given opportunity to see anew.
We are in the process of scripting a full length Documentary, but in the meantime we’ve put together a 16min preview called ‘Being Frank – The Story of Prem Sewa Shikshan Sangh’. This video was produced to show in churches throughout Canada by Prem Sewa Director Bapu as he traveled from Quebec to British Columbia. Stay tuned for the completion of the full length documentary – still in the works.
A student production by Jillana Rathjen. Media2Go – Documentary Training Seminar:
At Create Emerge, we’ve devoted ourselves to creatively telling stories of people modeling their lives after Jesus in places most people try to avoid. The news of these ordinary heroes rarely makes it into the mainstream media. Thousands of stories are out there waiting to be told: stories that challenge, educate, inspire, awaken, and provoke a response.
In early 2012, we took a team of 8 students to capture a few of these stories. ‘Behab: A Reconciled Generation’ by Jillana Rathjen (Canada) tells the story of a life transformed through the work of the ‘youth centred’ ministries of the University of the Nations Battambang. The scene is tastefully set by an exploration of text/music interplay, catapulting us into the story of a young Cambodian man named Bihab. Jillana captured Bihab’s personality wonderfully, and she was able to navigate her subject through sensitive territory in an honouring manner. By the end of this film, you too may be left with a sense of hopeful anticipation, and a quiet urge to bust a move.
A 6 hour bus ride from Phnom Penh to Battambang through the ‘rice bowl’ of Cambodia brought to mind Jesus’ words: “the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few”. We’d heard some exciting reports about what God was doing through the youth-centred ministries of the University of the Nations Battambang and decided to check it out for ourselves. Together with students from our Media2Go seminar, we had the opportunity to capture a few stories from this hotspot where God is at work.
The 4 young people we profiled were all born a decade after the Khmer Rouge genocide of the late 1970s. They represent a new generation which is rising from the ashes of that horrific era. Today, about 80% of Cambodia’s population is under the age of 30. The spiritual direction that this generation takes will have a huge impact on the depth of healing and transformation that occurs in a nation once known to the world as ‘The Killing Fields’. This is a pivotal time in Cambodia’s history.
Excited by a vision to ‘reach a nation in one generation’, a DTS outreach team from Kona, Hawaii, came to Battambang in 2005 to pioneer a YWAM base. It began with a youth centre to teach Bible, English and life skills, and today trains and disciples up to 400 young people daily. Each of the 4 young Cambodians we focused on came through the centre’s doors with their own stories of pain, loss, and struggle. Each one encountered people who loved them, encouraged them, walked with them, and exemplified Jesus to them.
Today, they are all ‘bearing fruit’; discipling others with the unique gifts God’s given them in the areas of Bible and English teaching, dance, leadership, and even café management. As our students listened and documented the stories, they were impacted much more than anticipated by the warmth, gentleness, and passionate commitment to Christ that these Khmer young people showed.
Finishing touches are still being made to the 4 Voices of Cambodia students projects filmed in Battambang. Links to these videos will be coming soon. Stay tuned!
Our team consisting of Emerge staff and Media2Go students had been in Cambodia for two weeks, filming interviews and collecting cutaway footage of faithful men and women building relationships with children and families in the slums of Phnom Penh. Having seen these practical demonstrations of love for the poor and needy, it was time for us to meet the man responsible for mobilizing others into action.
“…My father is from Scotland, my mother is from England, I was born in France, I’ve just arrived yesterday from Russia and here I am in Cambodia.” Spoken in an accent to match, it was clear from the outset that Timothée Paton is one of those guys who’s confident in his own skin. He’s well spoken, humorous and engaging, but it’s his heart for the poor and his obedience to God’s call on his life that was truly captivating.
On a visit to Cambodia in 1999 he got to see firsthand the plight of children trapped in the cycle of poverty. Unable to give up the valuable income gained through collecting rubbish, children forfeit any chance of gaining an education and breaking the cycle for themselves and the generations to come.
While on furlough in France a few years ago, Timothée gained insight into how to better reach out and help these children ‘out of the pit’. It was clear to him that unless something was done, these children would grow up and get married in the pit, give birth to more street working children and eventually die in the pit.
Timothée’s approach is hands-on and very practical. In 2009 he founded The Bong Paoun Project which sponsors families in the slums of Phnom Penh with the equivalent of what each child would earn collecting rubbish. The condition is that their parents commit to sending their children to school.
In addition to the financial support, these children are connected with a “Bong” (big brother/big sister) from a local church. The Bong is there to look out for the well being of the child and their family. They are primarily responsible for making sure the “Paoun” (little brother / little sister) is not on the streets and is attending school. It’s through these relationships that Bongs show and share their faith, as well as give the children opportunity to take part in activities like Sunday school. For Timothée, it’s all about getting people out of the church and engaging with the poor and needy.
Finding Bongs committed for the long haul is not easy. On his website (www.timpaton.info) Timothée states: “Most people, though moved by the plight of the children, are too busy to get involved in the pit. Some, with good intentions, will ‘throw’ some help into the pit. But at the end of the day the children are still trapped down there. They are still collecting rubbish. They are still begging on the streets. They are still selling their bodies.”
It was a privilege to walk alongside a few of the courageous individuals that have taken up Tim’s challenge. Men and women who continue to invest time and energy to bring about transformation in a part of the world most people would try to avoid. It’s the relationships formed between Bong and Paoun that becomes a rope for these children to climb out of ‘the pit’.
During our short time in Cambodia, students from our 2012 Media2Go documentary training seminar filmed the following short videos which capture the inspirational work being done by Tim and the staff at The Bong Paoun Project.
As our team recorded Timothée’s interview it was clear we were capturing a story that will challenge, educate, inspire, and provoke a response. Despite the heat, tiredness and fading batteries, there seemed to be no end to the questions that would come to mind. Two and half hours later, it was out of respect for a man who needed to eat and catch some valuable sleep that we called it a wrap. I have a sense there are more stories to come.
A student production by John Thomson. Media2Go – Documentary Training Seminar:
At Create Emerge, we’ve devoted ourselves to creatively telling stories of people modeling their lives after Jesus in places most people try to avoid. The news of these ordinary heroes rarely makes it into the mainstream media. Thousands of stories are out there waiting to be told: stories that challenge, educate, inspire, awaken, and provoke a response.
In early 2012, we took a team of 8 students to capture a few of these stories. One of the places we visited was Cambodian Harvest, a factory which employs landmine accident survivors. ‘Ny & Nin: Factory Made Family’directed by John Thomson (Australia) presents the story of a boy and his mother’s transition from despair to the hope they now hold for a better life.
A student production by Kenia Godard. Media2Go – Documentary Training Seminar:
At Create Emerge, we’ve devoted ourselves to creatively telling stories of people modeling their lives after Jesus in places most people try to avoid. The news of these ordinary heroes rarely makes it into the mainstream media. Thousands of stories are out there waiting to be told: stories that challenge, educate, inspire, awaken, and provoke a response.
In early 2012, we took a team of 8 students to capture a few of these stories. One of the places we visited was Cambodian Harvest, a factory which employs landmine accident survivors. “Chek: No Longer a Victim” directed by Kenia Godard (Mexico) presents the transformation of a factory worker who when first working in the factory was considered by Factory manager, Marion “the saddest woman I had ever seen in my life”. Chek is no longer that woman, and she shows it in her beautiful smile.
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