A Wedding Story

When my grandfather was first teaching me about photography, he told me about working at weddings every weekend as part of his photography business. Sometimes even two or three in one weekend. He told me how with a simple 35mm lens and an Olympus OMG he would run all over capturing the moments that people would collect in albums and show for years to come. He told me that doing that Photography work had taken something he “loved” and made it a “job.” After years in the industry, he didn't want to pick up the camera at family gatherings because he was tired of holding the camera. He said, “If you really love photography then don't become a photographer because it will ruin your love.”

I believed him. It is part of the reason why I decided to study Video production and film making. It was a way of working with visual media and cameras with out being a photographer. I have avoided doing weddings at almost all costs. Even when I could have easily gotten into filming and photographing weddings, I avoided it because I wanted to keep my love for photography intact, separate from work, to keep it sacred.

In the past year, I've shot 35 films in a dozen different countries. Picking up the camera to make a video is work. On average, it takes me between 60 and 100 hours of work for each video I do. But there is no doubt that I love it. Not because it isn't exhausting or because the weight of the equipment is so much lighter today. Not because the locations are exotic or the images and scenery captivating. No. I love it because it isn't about the camera, the images, or the photography. The technical stuff is all used to tell a great story. I wonder if Grandpa G knew when he told me about keeping work and love separate that it would lead me to this work? I doubt it.

I doubt that he knew 15 years later, I would be shooting a traditional Ivorian wedding. As I shot this joyous and unique celebration, the memories of Grandpa G were very close. Nor do I think that he thought back then that his photography lessons would get me here. I am certain that this wedding was like none he had ever photographed.

But the stories he told me of the energy needed to direct and position people in each photo took on a new meaning as I tried to do that same thing in a foreign language. His advice on how to position people all while making them comfortable, moving their hands to avoid “sausage fingers,” and adjusting the tilt of their head ever so slightly to catch the light in just the right way was used a thousand times if I used it once. The lesson that “Film is cheap. Keep pushing the trigger until you get it right,” kept me shooting all day long. At every moment, I was on my toes looking for the right shot because he had said, “Each image should tell a story. Scenery is beautiful but put people in the shot to give it character.”

Now as I look at the finished and edited photos, seeing the smiles and thinking of how these images will be shared, and the stories that will be told along with those images, I can't thank Grandpa G. enough for what he gave me. He didn't teach me how to make photographs.

He taught me how to tell stories. 

Family

The holidays are a time for being with family. As with most aspects of my life this looks different than most would think. This past week, Thanksgiving, I was alone. Because of scheduling conflicts with travel and filming, I was unable to attend a Thanksgiving meal with the other American missionaries here in Uganda. Instead, I went out to sushi with a new friend.

The rest of the day, I enjoyed the quiet of a day by myself. This solitude allowed me to think over the things I was most thankful for and the blessings that God has brought into my life this past year. The answer was loud and clear. Family.

For many this is a cliché and typical answer. For me though it seemed a little odd seeing as I was alone on this family holiday. Even more odd considering that it has been over 6 months since I saw my family, and in the past 2 years I've been with them a total of less than 2 weeks. Add to that oddity the fact that I am in living in a cultural context that place great importance on family. Your family name always comes first. When greeting people after hello you ask, “How is your family?” even if they are complete strangers. Here for many family is their retirement plan. When you grow old it is assumed that your children will provide for and take care of you. Family are expected to be involved in all areas of your life from what you do each day, to major decisions like where to go to school or who you marry.

In the past year, I've visited a lot of people. I've been welcomed into home after home filled with loving families. And then I leave. After a few days, I say goodbye and move on to the next place. I am constantly meeting strangers, working with them for a while and then parting ways. Not exactly the typical picture of family for an American or African. So how can I thank God for family when to all appearances family is not part of my life? Who are the people integral to my life? Who is this family I am thankful for?

Jesus asked and answered this question for Himself in Mark 3:31-35. Surrounded by a crowd as he taught, Jesus' family arrives to take assert their responsibility of caring for Jesus. The things Jesus has been saying have shamed and dishonored the community leaders and teachers. So His family arrives on the scene to set Him straight and resolve the conflict. When they are announced, Jesus' response is surprising.

“'Who are my Mother and brothers?' He asked.

“Then He looked those seated around him and said, 'Here are my mother and my brothers. Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother.'”

In these words, Jesus has redefined family. He has expanded the word. The title of mother and brother, His blood and kin, the ones he is united to socially and economically, the ones most dear to each other, is extended to include any all who follow the command of God. He has expanded 'family' from those we have spent decades building a unique bond with and invited in complete strangers to this sacred assembly.

I'm so glad He did. It is because of that extension that when I thank God for my family I think of people who don't share the same DNA, don't have the same skin color, don't speak the same language, don't sing the same songs, don't have the same traditions, play games as varied as the types of homes they live in, live around the entire globe, and most of whom have never met. I think of

Pierre – A pastoral student in Senegal, who writes his own blog to help other grow in their faith.

Yeo & Awa Yeneyalla – the family I lived with in Cote d'Ivoire.

Ravenswood Covenant Church – This family has supported and encouraged me in ways that words fail to capture.

Bruno and Chris – Ugandan brothers who I just saw again for the first time in 5 years.

The Kendal family – Missionaries in Guinea, who invited me to come out and start this video project.

Journey Corps – A group of the craziest people ever all committed to learning, stumbling, and growing in the love Jesus together.

JIM Club – I haven't been to JIM club in 3 years, but I still consider these boys and men my brothers and fathers. 

There are hundreds of others who I've met over the course of my travels. I've only spent a little time with each of them but they have been added to the weird, quirky, different, and wonderful people that I call 'family'.

My family really is the best and I can't wait to meet all the rest of them. When I do that will be a real Thanksgiving!

I Asked the Lord...

I love Hymns. One that has recently caught my attention is "I Asked the Lord." The lyrics of this song beautifully relate one of the greatest truths and themes I have discovered in this adventure of travel, production, and missions. 

I asked the Lord that I might grow
In faith and love and every grace,
Might more of His salvation know,
And seek more earnestly His face.
‘Twas He who taught me thus to pray,
And He, I trust, has answered prayer,
But it has been in such a way
As almost drove me to despair.
I hoped that in some favored hour
At once He’d answer my request
And, by His love’s constraining pow’r,
Subdue my sins and give me rest.
Instead of this, He made me feel
The hidden evils of my heart
And let the angry pow’rs of hell
Assault my soul in ev’ry part.
Yea, more with His own hand He seemed
Intent to aggravate my woe,
Crossed all the fair designs I schemed,
Humbled my heart and laid me low.
“Lord, why is this,” I trembling cried;
“Wilt Thou pursue Thy worm to death?”
“’Tis in this way,” the Lord replied,
“I answer prayer for grace and faith.”
“These inward trials I employ
From self and pride to set thee free
And break thy schemes of earthly joy
That thou may’st find thy all in Me.” 

If it helps you can listen to a great recording of this hymn, by Indelible Grace, here. 

Sweet Chaos

      I was told before beginning this journey that it would be chaos. Not chaos in the sense of the world falling apart and the sky crashing down on my head. This chaos comes from a lack of normality. There is no normal in my life, one day looks different than the last, each week brings something new, and to try and figure out what I'll be doing a month from now ... well solving quantum physics is easier.
    I've been traveling since February, and in that time the longest, I've slept in the same bed is 2 weeks in a row. There is always a new trip, an un - scheduled shift in housing, or a need to get a different shot for a video. When I'm not working on productions, I spend what is left of my energy, just trying to figure out how to do "normal" life things. Where is the bathroom, how do I work this toilet, what can I eat, where will I sleep, where is the light switch, is there even a light switch, does up mean on or down. That is the chaos I was warned of. The constant tension of always answering those same questions and the answers always being different. It's the chaos of a million simple little questions constantly being asked.
    I was warned about this chaos and cautioned to guard myself against the fatigue it would bring. But no one told me about the other side of this chaos. Perhaps they didn't know or perhaps they had never seen it themselves. 
    In chaos there is peace.
    When I find myself overwhelmed by all those little annoying life questions and the tension building, the only thing I can do is simply say, "I don't know." In those words something changes, my grasp on control and understanding is released and the things I held onto to trying to balance and orient myself are let go. Empty handed I enter into each new situation.
     And in that emptiness, peace is found. I have to ask other people constantly for help, and in my dependence I discover the joy of finding people more concerned for me than I am. Empty handed, I can be delighted by the simple realization that the light bulb has to be screwed in for the light to work, or that by simply flipping the switch up, I can get hot water for my shower. More often than not in letting go of knowing the answers, I discover that the question wasn't really important any way.
     Chaos produces uncertainty. Uncertainty produces loss of expectations. Loss of expectation produces simplicity. Simplicity produces peace. 
     My life is chaos and it is sweet.
        

October Newsletter

This project started just over a year ago. On this anniversary, the things that have changed stand out. 

Travel: In the past year, I've traveled over 50,000 mile many of those by plane. So airports have become familiar haunts. You know that excited, familiar, and comforting feeling that you get when going "home for the holidays" I get that feeling going to the airport.

Language: A year ago, I couldn't speak French. Now, while my ability to express myself and understand others is limited, I regularly have broken, fumbling, humorous, and enjoyable conversations. When I meet someone, the first words that come to mind are, "Bonjour! Comment ca va?" 

Questions: When I first arrived in Africa last year, I was asking a lot of questions. Questions like: How do I do this? Is it possible? What is it going to look like? How do I capture these complex stories and present them in videos? Over the past year, many of those questions have been answered. My questions today are slightly different: How can I keep doing this? What are new ways to tell these stories? How do I manage the workload and get all these projects done? How do I keep from missing stories as I focus on production?

Production: Before this year, I had only made three videos on missions work, one being my senior project at University. Now there are over 20 films that have been completed as part of this project and new videos are coming out about every two weeks. These videos have been viewed online over 3000 times and those numbers continue to grow. If you haven't seen all of them you can check them out here: 

www.vimeo.com/CADVideo . As you keep sharing these videos, I hope that we may reach 10,000 views by the end of the year. 

To list all of the things that have changed would make this letter far too long. I have grown and learned and developed and been changed by the people, places, and things that I have met along the way. All this change makes those things which have not changed stand out in relief. 

One year in and I still love these stories. I see Gods work in changing people, in changing whole communities, in changing hearts and I get inspired. I go, "Wow I want to tell that story. I want others to hear this story that they can be challenged to change too." My passion, my drive, my desire is still the same today, perhaps even great than when I first began. 

Another thing that stands out, unchanged from the beginning of this project, is you. You have been part of this from the beginning. Your support continues to encourage and sustain me. When I read the comments you leave on the videos and see you sharing the videos with your friends and family, I smile knowing that because of your involvement this project is succeeding. I am excited for this next year. Excited to see what happens with this project and to see what happens as we continue to work together. Thank you for being part of this past year and continuing on with me into this next year. Thank you so very much. 

Your Fellow Servant,

Drew

Excessive

Excess is described in the English dictionary as "an amount that is more than necessary or permitted, lacking moderation." My mother warned me about excess, "Everything in moderation." Don't eat too much, don't work too hard, don't rest too much. The Apostle Paul advised against excess when he instructed, "take a little wine for your stomach." As I travel and work I am often warned against excessive amounts of work lest I "burn out." 

So the thought that God is excessive never crossed my mind. It feels foreign and wrong to say that God is excessive, but today I was struck by this truth. 

Today I went scuba diving off the north Kenyan coast near Malindi. The reef is protected from fishing and claims over 1000 different fish species as well as over 100 different corals. I was able to take two dives with a cumulative dive time of just under 2 hours, so I didn't even begin to see all of these varieties. Never the less, I saw hundreds of different types of fish and sea life.  From tiny fingernail size fish living in anemones to 15 foot wide coral displays the reef was alive with diversity. As we drifted along the reef watching iridescent snails, leaf fish, neon sea slugs, scorpion fish, angel fish, halo fish, puffer fish, parrot fish, moray eels, manta rays, and lobsters the only word to describe the scene is excessive. There is no need for so many different varieties of fish. Not only that but there is no need for the intricate and delicate designs in each one. This under water world is rarely seen and not until the last 50 years with the advent of modern diving technology was this world even viewable. The world of excessive and ornate beauty was hidden. If that's not excessive I don't know what is.

Once back on dry land, I started to think about the differing Ecosystems of our terra firma world. Not one of them is simple, but dependent on thousands of species of flora and fauna for it to be sustained. Again the beauty and intricacies are excessive. 

Then I looked sky ward. I remember watching a Sci-fi movie once were they were discussing the existence of the life on other planets. One of the characters said, "We'll, if there isn't life somewhere else in the universe; it's a massive waste of space." In other words all that emptiness, all those un-inhabitants worlds with their beauty and grandeur and unknown and un viewable wonders are excessive. 

I can only imagine that a world with so many excesses comes from a God who is just as excessive. He is not moderate. He is excessive. In all of His actions He does more than just enough. He didn't create just a small path across the Red Sea for Israel, that was just big enough. Through out the history of Israel, Gods excessive nature is shown again and again. His excess is not limited to beauty and blessing, but is also seen in His wrath and judgement. For what seem like small offenses to me, He wiped out thousands of His own chosen people. He does more than what is necessary and sometimes does more than what is permitted. 

It was not permitted, by His own laws and decrees, that anyone but the Highest of priest could come before Him, and that only once a year. And yet, His desire to have communion with the people of this world was so excessive, that He created a way, a sacrifice. But no little sacrifice would do, it had to be excessive. Nothing short of His own infinite blood would do for a God this excessive. S

So today, I sit and wonder at His excess. I wonder at His excess in creation, at the excessiveness of His actions in history, but more still I wonder at the ways that He has poured out His excessive, more than necessary and lacking moderation, love on me. 

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