August Newsletter

Summers are a time for vacations, road trips, ice cream, and being with friends. Mine didn't look exactly like that but it was filled with many adventures. For the past 5 years, I've worked with a company to produce souvenir/travel-log videos for 4 leadership camps in Europe. Each camp focuses on a different age group and gives them experiences and seminars on leadership. The goal being to help them to become leaders in their schools, homes, volunteer organizations, future jobs and lives. While working with these camps takes me out of Africa and away from producing the stories there, it always is a highlight to my year.

Besides the amazing scenery in locations like the Spanish coast, Swiss Alps, and Austrian lakes the summer offers me a chance to serve in a different capacity. While working with these camps to produce videos I am able to serve the students, counselors, and directing staff. To find out why that excites me you can read the whole story over on the blog. (CADVideo.blogspot.com)

New Videos

Traveling in Europe has some great perks. One of the best is the easy access to fast internet. While here I've been able to finish up editing and upload some new stories from West Africa. You can check out the latest stories at Vimeo.com/CADVideo or click the links below.

The Depths of Dominoes from Drew Hayes on Vimeo.

Baptist Hospital of Ferkessedougou from Drew Hayes on Vimeo.

Back to Cote d'Ivoire

The time in Europe has been great, but it is time to get back to Africa. The fall is shaping up to be a busy one. September 1st, I head back to Cote d'Ivoire where I will be working on editing videos and doing pre-production for the fall. While I'm there a new team of Journey Corps volunteers will be coming in. It's fun to think that one year ago, I was in their shoes and now I can help with their introduction to Ivorian life and culture. It will also be good to connect with the friends and relationships that I have made over the past year.
In October, I will be beginning a tour of East Africa. The plans are still being fleshed out but I'm excited to be able to visit Kenya and afterwards Uganda. I am especially excited about returning to Uganda, since it was there that the original idea for this grand adventure began. Now I get to go back and do the work of the telling the amazing stories that are happening there. I can't wait!

I say it all the time, but I am so thankful for you and your continued involvement in this project. Your support means so much and helps keep me moving. Thank you.

Your Fellow Servant,
Drew

Summer Sun and Service

Summers are a time for vacations, road trips, ice cream, and being with friends. Mine didn't look exactly like that but it was filled with many exciting adventures. For the past 5 years, I've worked with a company to produce souvenir/travel-log videos for 4 leadership camps in Europe. Each camp focuses on a different age group and gives them experiences and seminars on leadership. The goal being to help them to become leaders in their schools, homes, volunteer organizations, future jobs and lives. While working with these camps takes me out of Africa and away from producing the stories there, it is always a highlight to my year.

Besides the amazing scenery in locations like the Spanish coast, Swiss Alps, and Austrian lakes the summer offers me a chance to serve in a different capacity. While working with these camps to produce videos I am able to serve the students, counselors, and directing staff. I've taken to signing all my letters and correspondence, “Your Fellow Servant, Drew.” This reminds me and maybe others too that the goal of life is service. Service has an interesting paradox. Simply put: The more you give away what you have, the more you have.

My life is full. Full of activity. Full of great friends and people. Full of conversations that challenge me. Full of purpose. Full of responsibilities. Full of hope. I often don't think that I can handle anything more. This is were the service paradox come in. I could protect my already full time. I could see myself as too busy to serve anyone else. At these camps it would be easy. I'm not a resource teaching or a counselor keeping the students in line. I'm the video guy and my responsibilities compared to the others is pretty small. I hold a camera and edit a video. But if I want to be a servant that means giving away my time, my energy, what I have to others. So I sit with the counselors at lunch and talk them, help them laugh off the stress of work, come up with ideas to handle issues, and encourage them to pursue their own dreams. I sit with the resources and hear about their families, and offer to help them put together a video to help expand their businesses. I talk with the leadership and brainstorm ideas about future camps and how to improve for next year.

None of that is my job but it is me. I am a servant. As I work to serve the people I am with, I find the paradox true. I have more time to take care of responsibilities, or tasks take less time than expected. As I give away time, I find I have more. As I talk and share my hope, I find that I have more. As I encourage others I am encouraged. As I serve others, I am served.

In the Company of the Body

I've grown accustomed to not being able to understand what is happening during the church services I attend. Mostly, it is because I am a visitor and only there for one or two services. Also, the services aren't usually in English. So even if the liturgy is familiar, the language isn't, which means that I miss things through out the service. So each Sunday morning I know that I am going to have an entirely different experience than most of the participants.

Sundays can be exhausting rather that filling. Sitting 2, 3, or even 5 hours only guessing at what is happening, drains you mentally. Constantly watching to see how everyone else re-acts to something so you know what to do. Do I sit or stand now? Are we praying? Is this the sermon or just announcements about this weeks potluck? What passage are they reading? Is that even the Bible? I imagine that this was a common problem for the early church. New believers being brought into the synagogue or assemblies each week and not understanding the words being spoken let alone all the actions and ritual. Perhaps this is exactly the situation that Hebrews 10:24-25 is speaking about. 

So when my friends who I was visiting in Vienna, Austria said, "Sorry, our German isn't up to translating for you during the service." I just smiled and tried to assure them it was fine. I said, "I'm used to it. I just enjoy being in the fellowship of the body." I could have dreaded that Sunday morning like any other with its confused state and asking all those questions again. Instead, I've learned to love watching these services, to see the kaleidoscope of God's people worshipping in different ways, to see and hear how they fellowship together. When I stop looking for something to edify me, but how these people are being grown and edified, the service becomes something else. I find myself asking questions like this. How do they express joy here? Do these people really love Jesus? How do I see that love? How is their heart shown when they sing, pray, read or dance? How does this body of believers reveal Jesus in it's fellowship?

I enjoy being in the fellowship of the body, because, even though I don't know what is being said and usually make a fool of myself by standing at the wrong time or singing during someones solo, the body is more than just a bunch of people. They make up the body of Christ. So why would I want to be any where else?