#photogenx

[joshtravels]

The Final Days of DTS

3 days to go. Wow. If my calculations are correct I've been away for 165 days. In 3 days I'll be graduating and beginning to say goodbye to my classmates as they fly home. On Wednesday we arrived back in Kona after flying from Miami. Here we spend time debriefing; reflecting on outreach and also looking ahead to going home and beyond.

God does not belong in a box

As I begin to reflect on outreach this is one thing that really sticks out to me. So often during outreach I would go into a situation thinking I knew what the outcome would be or how God would work. I don't think I was ever right. An example of this is at the beginning of outreach on the plane from Miami to Brasilia. I was slightly freaking out and wondering if I was really supposed to be going to Brazil and also what my future after DTS would look like. I asked God for a sign that I was going in the right direction, I asked to see a shooting star. I put my finger on the window and drew a line, before I had even finished drawing the line, a shooting star took the same exact path that my finger had. I was blown away, I was expecting to see a wee shooting star, not be helping create it. Through this I felt like God was saying I was going in the right direction and that together we can imagine and create my future.

Another example of this is during street evangelism with Dunamis. Raymond and I went out with two translators downtown in Sao Paulo and looked for opportunities to talk with people. I approached one of the first people I saw, his name was Francisco (below). We talked for a while and he shared about his family and I offered to pray for him. He said he wanted to feel the peace and presence of God. To be honest, I'm not sure if he did - in my excitement about how easy it all was I forgot to ask. But he was really appreciative and both the translator (Vini) and I, walked away super encouraged, especially by how open Francisco was. Vini then took this excitement with him the next day as he translated for other members of our team and was able to encourage them. Obeying God through a simple yes can have far more impact than you imagine.

What's next?

In less than one month I'll be heading to Chengdu, China! We begin meeting and preparing together in just over two weeks. It looks like we won't be splitting into two teams as there are only 6 of us going, but we should still be able to work with YWAM China and go to some remote villages. I've done some more calculations and completely forgot to include my time staying here in Kona into the costs of this next stage so it looks like it will be closer to $3,200. If you would like to support me during this time please let me know! Alternatively you can click here!

Prayer Requests

-Debrief - for the team during the next few days as we process, reflect, and look ahead -Safety - as people fly home -China - for the trip and visa application

[joshtravels]

A hurricane and possible tornadoes?!

My first time in mainland America and I'm greeted with a hurricane and possible tornadoes?! Crazy. It looks just like it does in all those TV shows. I've also already noticed that things here are a lot cheaper than in Hawaii. We are now in Orlando, Florida! We spend about two weeks here, the last two weeks of our outreach before heading back to Kona for debrief and graduation. The temperatures are similar to Brasilia but it's so humid - lots of rain and thunderstorms. We've also had a tornado watch (or warning I don't know the difference) and Hurricane Hermine pass nearby, fun times!

I am seen, I am valued, I am loved. This is the theme of the gallery we showed at an arts village on Friday. This is also the theme of the campaign we are running this week here in Orlando - "I am Valued". We are using our photo printers and going downtown offering free photos, writing encouraging words on the back, and offering prayer. The people we have taken photos of and talked to so far have all been very appreciative and love the idea. One of our teams saw a healing and someone rededicate their life to God. We are doing this multiple times in the week ahead and looking forward to seeing the different ways God encounters people.

We are buying tickets to China this week! We are estimating $1250 for flights. If you would like to support me in this, please get in contact with me - alternatively if you are at Northcity you can talk to Esther (and then get a third of it back!).

Prayer points:

Good weather for when we are outdoors doing our free photo ministry

That people can encounter God through this campaign

For China, the trip, flights, and visa

Still having no luck adding photos here.. sign up for my mailing list for the photos :) http://eepurl.com/ccyxcn

[joshbroo]

We spent yesterday by Lake Eola giving free photos to people, letting them know that they are seen, valued and loved. #iamvalued #photogenx (at Lake Eola Park, Downtown Orlando, Florida)

[joshtravels]

Bom Dia!

Good morning from Brasilia! Time is flying.. And we've been flying. We flew in to Brasilia nearly two weeks ago and are here for a few more days before heading to Orlando. Our time here is going fast. In less than 1 month I will have graduated my DTS! These last few weeks of outreach are times of communicating and sharing what we've been doing but also a few more opportunities for ministry. We all love the photo printing ministry and will hopefully get a few more chances to do that (I talked about this in my last blog)

What's been going on?

The Great Exchange. This week we worked with an organisation called the Great Exchange. It wasn't until our second day working with them that I actually realised the meaning of the name. We went to a university and spent the day talking with students and doing "spiritual interest surveys". We would ask them questions such as: do you have a spiritual background, do you believe in God, who do you think Jesus is, what is the worlds biggest problem? Following on from that we were able to share our beliefs - hence "the great exchange", and also able to give them a challenge. The 21 day challenge involves them reading one chapter of John every day and seeing if God speaks to them through that. We gave out a lot of New Testaments and even more 21 day challenge cards - Brazilians love to be challenged.  I was really surprised with how open everyone was no matter what their belief. This was a really cool opportunity and I'm sure that God will continue to work through those we talked to as they process the questions further and begin to read John.

I can do all this through him who gives me strength - Philippians 4:13. Last week I had the chance to share a little about my time with YWAM to a young adults group. This also gave me the chance to reflect and think about what I've learned so far. One thing that stood out to me was how anything and everything is possible with God. At the beginning of the year I would have laughed if you told me I was going to do YWAM or even go to Hawaii or Brazil. I would have freaked out at the idea of praying for strangers on the street, or giving them verses and encouraging words on the back of photos. Over this journey so far, as I started taking small steps out of my comfort zone, trusting in God, I have grown more and more and those things don't seem crazy or scary any longer.

What's next?!

China. I'm going to China! I mentioned this a few weeks ago and am really looking forward to it! We'll be booking our tickets and doing visas when we arrive in Orlando. Details are not completely confirmed but there will be a small team of us and we will spend a few weeks in Kona after graduation preparing and then fly over to Chengdu, China. We will then split and there will be two teams: pioneering new ministries - working with YWAM China to help raise awareness of what they are doing, and unreached people groups - hearing stories and sharing the gospel to remote villages. I'd love to be a part of the unreached people groups team. We spend close to a month there and then come back and spend a few weeks in Kona, editing and finalising media and stories. I'm guessing that the trip will cost around $2500 USD. I would love your prayer support for this, as we look into tickets and visa applications, and the trip as a whole. Also if you would like to support me financially I would love it! - you can reply to this email and I can send you details.

Thank you!

Thank you! I want to thank all of you for your support through this time so far, whether it was through prayer, financial support, or just saying hi and seeing how I'm doing, I appreciate you all so much!

Prayer Requests

-Safety for the team and our gear as we travel -Grace for one another

-Health - a lot of the team have been sick

-Wisdom & Creativity - as we work on sermons and photo galleries for Orlando

-China - for the trip and applications Sorry I’m having issues with the wireless so there are no photos in this post I’ve made a mailing list, if you want to be a part of it sign up here - http://eepurl.com/ccyxcn

[joshtravels]

Photos, photos, photos!

As our time with Dunamis comes to an end I thought it must be about time for an update! We’ve spent the last three weeks with them and it’s been great. It’s been completely different to our first few weeks in Sao Paulo but still awesome. We’ve got to see a lot more of the city and meet many different people along the way. We’ve spent a lot of this time preparing and showing a photo gallery and also spent time doing street evangelism and photo ministry.

You are seen, you are valued. We took a photo printer to the busiest street in Sao Paulo and also one of their biggest parks and offered free photos to those that came by. With these printed photos we were able to write words of encouragement on the back and offer prayer. Many people were touched through this, and it was such a cool experience. I look forward to doing it in other locations.

You carry something special. We named our photo gallery “ouro” which means gold in Portuguese. We believe everyone has gold inside of them and through our gallery we wanted to show this. Our time with the kids at IMBRA really impacted us and we loved that no matter what their circumstance they all carried so much joy. With the photos we captured we were able to put together a gallery showing a few of their stories (with audio of them speaking) which we are showing at different locations around Sao Paulo and hope to take further (Brasilia, Orlando, and Kona).

You can make a difference. Some of you may have already seen Abby’s (our school leader) post on Facebook earlier in the week. It was our day off and a group of us went out to get coffee. Quickly we realised how easy it is to talk and share with those around us. Both our uber drivers were Christian and we got to share words and pray with them through google translate. Also similar with a waiter and coffee shop owner – who gave us free fries and candy!!

From here we spend a few days in Rio, and then are off to Brasilia for two weeks and then similar in Orlando. This is where we will begin sharing with churches what we have done, but also spend more time doing ministry where possible.

[joshtravels]

Dunamis

Oi! Last week our time with IMBRA came to an end and we moved to a different house and are now working with Dunamis, a college ministry. It was difficult saying goodbye as I had made a quite a few connections with the kids at IMBRA. Our goal was to show love and make connections with them but whatever we gave seemed to get poured back on us by these awesome kids. While it was super hard and often heartbreaking to see some of their homes and how they live, I was so encouraged and continually amazed by the joy they had - I was reminded of a quote from lectures “who we are is not in our circumstances”. From our time with IMBRA we have taken a lot of photos. With these we hope to make a pop-up photo gallery. This will raise awareness of the favelas and the work IMBRA is doing but also encourage people to question what they have and how they can make a difference where they are. Our time at Dunamis so far has been completely different to the last few weeks. We have done some street and mall evangelism, and seen a few different parts of Sao Paulo. The evangelism was a lot easier than I thought as Brazilians are so friendly and open to chat and were almost always happy to receive prayer. We have been to a few of the events run by the church, a small group, youth service, and church service and they have been incredible. The church is insane, they run 4 services a day which are all packed out, including the people watching online they think the numbers total about 1800 (they run the same service 4 times so people don’t come to multiple services). The people I have met so far are awesome and super friendly, and there are a lot more english speakers here which helps a lot! I’m definitely looking forward to the next few weeks here. Thank you all for your support! :) Prayer points: - Creativity, ideas, and wisdom for the Gallery - we want to get this developed and complete as soon as possible - Courage - to continue to push myself out of my comfort zone during evangelism times and just in day to day life - I would love to come away from this time having seen healings, salvations, answers to prayer, and some cool photos - Unity & openness in the team - that we as a team can stay open and on the same page as each other - Protection & Safety - as we go to different parts of the city and take our gear with us I have been doing vlog updates occasionally here (a bit harder at the moment because of the internet situation) https://youtu.be/dmTJV-i9m3M?list=PLYoAipvwUPuqtqAPn0eOVWWcl-4coTrYE

[joshtravels]

Day 100!

Well if my counting is correct, I been overseas for 100 days! We have been here in Sao Paulo now for 9 days and it has been pretty full on but really cool.

We have spent all of our time so far working with an organisation called IMBRA. They run different activities for kids mainly from the favela (slum) areas such as dancing and soccer. Our time spent with them has consisted of a lot of photography of what happens at different locations and connecting with the kids. These kids are awesome and I have made quite a few wee friends so far. We visited some of their homes this week and it was eye opening and heartbreaking to see how some of them live. IMBRA is doing an amazing job in the community with these kids and hopefully through our photography we can raise some more awareness and support for what they are doing. We work with IMBRA until early next week where we will be joining Dunamis - which I have no idea what it will look like but I’m assuming nothing like what we’ve been doing. Thank you all for your prayer support :)

Some prayer points:

- Protection - safety for our team and our gear, and also protection of our health

- Creativity - for the projects that we are working on for IMBRA and for photos & video we capture in the future

- Unity - for openness and honesty among the team and also with the organisations we are working with

- Openness - for those we talk to and share with, more opportunities to pray and share about who God is

- Peace - as we say goodbye to and meet new people - for the transitions between organisations and locations

[joshtravels]

DTS, Outreach, & Beyond!

How have I changed during my time at DTS? I'm not sure where to begin or how to put it into words. I have learned a lot. From things such as realising that the Old Testament is still important and relevant, or that God loves me, to ways of practically sharing the gospel or my own testimony. I have developed a deeper understanding of the bible, who God is, and also who I am. I think a lot of things will become more evident as I move to outreach phase but also continue to reflect and process on my time here.

God loves us. I know this is something I have mentioned in a few blogs so far but it's pretty much all there is to it. It's pretty simple and he wants everyone to know it. When we do things from a relationship with him, this love should just come out naturally. In all we do we should be reflecting who he is and his love to others.

God is faithful. Looking back over my life and even day by day this is something that I realise more and more. I can fully trust him with all I do. A verse that Mum & Dad wrote always wrote on the bibles that they gave me was Joshua 1v9: "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go". God is always there and with us, sometimes more evident than others, but as Christians it's so awesome that we can put our hope and trust in him.

God wants to co-create with us. One thing I thought was that God always leads and directs us. But he gave us free will and he also gave us our hearts desires. Yes there are times when God speaks and opens doors for us, but there are also times when we can open doors for God. When we do things from a relationship with him we should be looking for opportunities to infuse God into whatever we may be doing. If it's something we are really passionate about God is also passionate about it. He wants to do life with us.

I am so glad I took the opportunity to come here and am excited for what's to come on outreach in Brazil. I am also so blessed and thankful for those that have supported me on the journey so far, through prayer and also financially - I have been blown away. THANK YOU :)

So what does my future look like after outreach? Good question. I think I will have more of an idea after my time on outreach. BUT I also feel as though my time over here isn't complete. Something inside me continues to stir when they mention overseas missions. An opportunity was given to us in class a few weeks ago to join one of two teams going out after outreach to do "projects" in China & Nepal. When I initially prayed I felt like God said China (which wasn't quite what I was expecting) But at this stage it looks like there will just be one team, which will go to China. They will help raise awareness of YWAM China through photography and video, with the potential to also go and spread the gospel to unreached people groups or those in remote villages.  I ask that you pray with and for me in this, that God will continue to open doors and provide the financial support that I'll need to get there.

Prayer points:

·For peace in the week ahead as we prepare and pack for our flight to Brazil.  - We still have class this week and have to fully clean our dorms and also decide what to bring and what to leave behind in storage.

·Protection in our travels

·That God prepares our hearts and minds for what lies ahead in Brazil but also the hearts of those that we will meet in Brazil

·Continued guidance and clarity for the future

PhotogenX Team - PC Philip Lin

Sao Paulo Team

Sao Paulo Team