I’m down in Alabama for the summer (shooting weddings) and I arrived to an awesome surprise…the film from our trip to Kenya with Kiini was back!  I just downloaded it and did a really quick thumb through and it’s really really fantastic.  I can’t wait to get it all edited and start working on the project in the next couple of weeks.  Here are a few of my quick favorites from the bunch…be back soon with more!

It’s hard to believe that it’s already mid-April.  Where has the year gone?!  It still seems like it was yesterday that we loaded up the moving truck with Paul in Birmingham and hit the road for the Big City.  But in reality that was over 3 months ago.  Some how the pace of living has not only sped up, but filled up.  Something I didn’t think possible after the intense pace we were going at back in Alabama.

To say that we’ve been busy is a gross understatement.  What a journey…we’ve really fallen into place here at Times Square Church and are helping to produce some killer media.  It’s been quite an adventure, starting with a few weeks of wondering what we were doing here, and if this was where we were supposed to be, quickly followed by a steady stream of meaningful work that we could see huge potential in.

The last few weeks, for me, have mostly consisted of traveling with Times Square Church on various missions projects as a journalist of sorts.  My role has evolved from simply photographer to capturing video, creating daily blogs (often video blogs, but mixed with photo blogs), creating long term projects out of the trips (known here as ‘trip reports’), capturing audio and even getting my hands dirty doing some construction and ministry work as well.  It’s been amazing, refreshing and a huge blur all together.  Now, back in NYC for the first substantial time period in what seems like months, it’s been great to sit back and catch my breath…to feel grounded again for a little while.

Although I can’t post any of the project images up here yet (because they haven’t been released on the TSC site yet), here’s a shot of me in the mirror in Mexico a few weeks ago that I’m sure they won’t use for anything or care if I share with you.  The rest of the stuff is looking incredible so far, video and photo, and I can’t wait to show you what we’ve become a part of up here.  You can check out some of the work that I’m doing in the field as I go at some of the TSC missions blogs for BrickThink and OnCall.  I’ll try to do a better job of updating this blog from the field as well, and also linking to the places that I will be blogging on during my trips.

One cool thing that I’ve learned about missions at TSC while I’ve been here is that they’re very similar to Bedouins in heart.  They team up with missionaries and non-profits around the world to aid them in their work for many of their projects.  It’s great, because not only do we get to serve Times Square Church with our media while we’re here, but also dozens of other organizations in the process.

All in all it’s been a huge blessing to have this time here and we’re excited to see where it all goes in the end.  For now, we have an item of Bedouins specific news for you, that we’ve touched on before.  Jessi and I leave in 2 WEEKS for Kenya to complete the KIINI project finally!  We are so excited, and, thanks to TSC and a project in Zambia we were able to afford my ticket over to Africa at a much discounted rate, which was a huge blessing.  We’ll be landing in Nairobi on April 26th and spending about a week in Nyeri with the folks from KIINI traveling to their communities and sites to help paint a picture of what they’re doing there and why we should help them.  I can’t wait to get there and to be back in Africa.  Honestly, I’ve missed going by Stephen Kamau

Thanks for sticking with us through our slow period (as far as blogging is concerned at least!) and know that we’re still working hard, still believe in the power of media and still plan to use it to change the world!

-S

So if you read my post a little while back about my broken camera then you’re “in the loop”. If not, let me bring you “into the loop”. I traveled to Guatemala City to work on a dual documentary project for Hearts for the Children Ministry there last month. While I was there I was shooting my new mamiya (camera) and suddenly the shutter went out, thus rendering my camera useless. I was able to shoot with other cameras for the rest of the trip, and my camera was unexpectedly replaced free of charge when I got home! BUT…I got the film back only to discover that the roll before and the one when the shutter went out are both pretty much lost. This doesn’t mean that the project is lost…we shot a lot while we were there and I have plenty of stuff to make some beautiful presentations for Hearts for the Children. What this does mean is that I get to share with you some images that I would normally hold until the project is done because they will not be used. God seems to turn these frustrating things around into something beautiful. So…without further ado, I give you a few images from our day at the garbage dump:

So I just got back from Guatemala last night and, after a shower, some food from Urban Standard and a good nights sleep in my very own bed, I’m refreshed and ready to get rolling again.  The trip was amazing.  The ministries that we worked with were amazing.  The people were amazing.  I think amazing might be the word of the week.  I have so many stories to share, and starting in a week or so I’ll be posting the story of Lupita, the woman we worked with for a good portion of the trip.  We’ll be putting it up chapter by chapther, as it’s a pretty intense and beautiful story, worth taking the time to share.  I hope that you will all keep up with it as we go.

For now though, I do have a story that I want to start the “trip review” with.  This story actually starts about a week and a half before the trip.

I had saved up for some time to switch to a new camera system for many reason (most of wich would be incredibly boring to those of you who dont’ know/care that much about cameras), but sufice it to say that when I bought my Mamiya 645af a few weeks ago I was really excited, and most of all excited that it would be here in time for me to take it to Guatemala for this trip.

About 4 days before the trip the shutter died on the camera and suddenly it was useless.  Not only that, but I also had one last wedding to shoot the day beofre the trip, and again had just lost my new camera, which I had planned on making my primary camera.

I called the company (they have a 7 day return policy, this was about 9 days later, and, being a used camera, there’s an “as is” clause on their site) and told them what had happened completely expecting them to apologize but tell me there’s nothing that they can do, but instead they offered to replace it, and not only that but to overnight me the new one so that I would have it in time for my wedding and my trip!

All went as planned, the camera came in, worked fine and the wedding went great.  Then I headed out to Guatemala.  I shot the camera for most of the week here and there and it was fine, then we were photography someone there and suddenly it happened again…the shutter went out!  The camera, the new one, was useless.  I was instantly upset, frustrated and worried.  I had no extra money and was sure that I wasn’t going to get a second refund.  Elizabeth, one of the women who runs the ministry there came to me and put her hand on my shoulder.

“Don’t even worry…God is going to provide you a camera…probably an even better one.”

I worried.  I don’t know how not to, but within a few mintues we were back to interviewing and I’d pushed it to the back of my mind, resolved to paying the $400 or so to have the shutter replaced.  The last day there we were called up front at church and Tom, Elizabeth’s husband told the church about Bedouins and what our work there was about.  He also told them about my broken camera and asked them to pray for us.  They were praying in spanish, so I’m not exactly sure what everyone was saying, but Elizabeth came up to me and again put her hand on my shoulder.

“God, thank you for the plans you’ve already made to provde for Stephen and to take care of his camera.”

This morning I called the company and told them what happened.  The response:  Oh No!  Not again!  Well…we actually had your original sent to Mamiy and rehauled, so it’s in perfect condition and we’ll send you that one back.  But not only that, now it’s under a Mamiya warrentee so you should be safe for a while!

Good trip.  Great God.  Amen.