Here are links to the organizations and individuals in the video.

livejubilee.org/
climbforcaptives.com
baldsolidarity.org/

Next is a new video from the people at These Numbers Have Faces. I helped them out a very little bit about a year ago when I was in South Africa. I was deeply impacted by meeting Ace, Anda, and Michael. The work that These Numbers is doing there is powerful and effective. They are currently sopporting 3 students from the township of Gugulethu to go to school. Check out the video and see what they are up to! Here is their website as well. www.thesenumbers.com

Upon arriving back in the US, my expectations were sent soaring. The Not Alone Benefit made some money for the Mercy Development Home in Ethiopia, I saw some friends and family members, and then all of the sudden I was on my way back to Kona to resume studies and work on the publication from our experiences. What I didn’t anticipate was the slight depression that landed on me almost simultaneously with my plane landing in Honolulu. Depression is something that I have struggled with in the past, almost as if whenever I look behind me it is as if a shadow is always a hundred feet behind…sometimes closer, sometimes further, and sometimes I don’t even look.

Over the last few days, I think that I have been able to identify areas in my life that the depression feeds off of. I want to deeply trust God that He is who He says He is. I should know both in my head and my heart that He is good having witnessed His amazing provision and love. There is also this seemingly inherent fear of being hurt alone, as well as some psychological and emotional wounds in need of deep tissue healing. All of that culminating with the financial stresses of going through school with hardly any of the money than is required.

Maybe it is my inability to see God as my Father. In a recent talk to the body of believers out here in Kona, Andy Byrd, an amazing man of God, gave a parallel of his relationship with His son. Asher is about 4 years old and is passionate about his love for his father. He never distrusts Andy’s ability to clothe, feed, and give good gifts to him. Andy is not God, but the reliance that Asher has on his daddy is the way I want to relate with my Heavenly Father. In fact, that is the way that faith is supposed to work. With my eyes fixed on God, the waves around me are insignificant next to the power that He has. And then there is the promise that God’s power, the power that raised Christ from the dead, is living inside of me. Why do I worry? Why do I strive for control over my life when the Perfect Father, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe is alive within me? The reality of Jesus and His life is the reality that I need to be living in, not this façade, this thin, filthy veneer that I see. It about looking beyond, looking to the reality that Christ brought – the Kingdom that He ushers in – the Kingdom that He placed within.

As I have mentioned in some of my posts, I love the thought of Love. The word has lost a lot of meaning in our time and can mean anything from a red glass window in Amsterdam paid for by the hour, to the subculture of the 70’s, to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The love I speak about is the unending love, the love that gives expecting nothing in return, the love that costs something, unselfish. This is the type of love that God has for the world, the type of love that I have seen the world in desperation for. What I haven’t realized or taken to heart was that the passionate, unrelenting, undistracted, devastating, and unconditional love that the world is burning for is the same love that God has for me; that He has for you. He is mesmerized by one glance from my eyes; His heart blazes at one trifling word of affection from our hearts to His. I have to know that love, I need to feel it not only for the world, but for myself. Oh, to wake up to the reality of the love of Christ – the destructive love of the relentless Lion and the tender embrace of the Lamb.

The program that I am enrolled in is expensive. It is even more expensive now that we are back in the States. The team of monthly supporters helps a great deal, but as it stands, I have no way of paying for the school fees as well as the bills that I have back home as well. I have this issue of pride with asking for others to come along-side me, joining me in accomplishing the goal and finishing the program, but after praying about what God wanted me to do, I felt that I should use the blog this week to do just that. It is a sacrifice of my pride, the idea that I should be providing for myself, and what I think the blog should be… but, in obedience, I have to.

I started PhotogenX last September and I intend to finish it. These next 6 months we will be working on a publication from our travels and experiences with injustice around the world. We want it to be a catalyst of change in the world. We are willing to be used, but we need help. I need help. My fees for the school are $4,000 just for this next 3 months and at the moment I don’t have it. I am trusting God for this provision believing that He can finish what He started. The waves of financial pressure are building all around me, but He knows exactly where I am and He is with me. If you would like to stand with me, there are many ways to do so; please let me know.

Thanks for reading about my journeys and experiences. I pray that you open yourself up to the Amazing Love and Grace that comes only through a loving relationship with Jesus Christ.

In Obedience to Him,

John Paul

She is Beautiful, yet she doesn’t always think so

She has big dreams for a bright career

When she is nervous, she plays with her hair

She has a birthday… 1977 although I would have guessed the 80’s

She has two smiles, the real one is much better

She wants to have a baby and a family

She wants to forget about this part

She hopes for something more

[One of the many alleys in the Red Light District]

Awkwardly standing in front of the window I put my heart on the line by extending my love through a white and pink rose. Droplets of water had formed on the delicate petals and had smudged the writing on the love letter than accompanied the stem. I was no one, maybe even a potential client. The message was simple – God created you, your life is important, His love for you is better than life itself.

We all need to be loved. We were created with a desire for intimacy, for deep personal connection. Amsterdam is one of the last places that you will find it.

[I was amazed at the amount of tour-groups threading through the district]

We got a small group together and started praying about what we should write to accompany the flowers that we would hand out to the girls behind the glass. We rifled through our pocket sized Bibles led by ideas and references that would speak life into a dark place. Although we didn’t get around to doing a whole lot with the ministries in the RLD because of the short time we were there, this was what God wanted us to do; possibly even the reason that we were here.

The next night we stared at all of the flowers before getting busy attaching the love notes. Someone had been looking for something to give money towards and when they heard of the Flower Campaign, the Lord provided more than enough through them. There were ten of us that were going out on delivery, carrying with us more than flowers and strips of paper.

[The Cleft is in the middle of the Red Light District and provides some amazing ministries to the lost and broken]

The time had come. We paired up and headed out. I went with Deni, one of the staff of the track. As we walked, the closer we came to our destination, the more feelings stirred in our hearts. We arrived with an arm-full of flowers. The first interaction was the most difficult and nerve-racking. As far as we knew, people just didn’t do what we were doing; there was always something else involved. I have an odd way of explaining what happened when they received the flower and knew that it was a gift… It appeared as if scales fell from their eyes. It is a weird way of explaining the phenomenon, but words escape me if I try to say it any differently. Their eyes literally changed and they became human. Now, obviously, I know that they are human, made in God’s image and deeply loved, but they have been objectified to the point that there is a disconnect with who God created them to be. So when they received something beautiful for simply being loved by God, grace came flooding in. With some it was a little more obvious than others, but I know that the messages symbolized in the flower were delivered precisely to the people they should have. It was an amazing time, I too, felt valued and loved by God.

We continued to walk, praying. We realized that we were no different from the people walking around the RLD searching. They search for the girl that will satisfy, but we know that the love of Christ and the Father is the only thing. We have all given ourselves over to selfish desires as well, searching for that element of life that will set us on fire with fulfillment. It is part of what being human is. One of my favorite authors, Brennan Manning puts it this way. “To be alive is to be broken. And to be broken is to stand in need of grace.” We all need the remarkable, exposing, and uncomplicated love of Christ. Since I have seen a glimpse, it doesn’t make me any better, because without Him, I am nothing, wretched.

[St. Nicholas Church in towers over the Red Light District (not seen here). Interestingly enough, St. Nicholas is the Patron Saint of prostitutes among other things]

We were on our way out of the district when I looked down and saw a broken flower on the ground… someone in our group had given it out. I reached down and picked up the discarded blossom saddened by what it represented. The paper was torn, the writing blurred beyond recognition. The head of the daisy was incredibly whole so I kept it, not knowing what the future would hold. As we passed the last window on our way out, my eyes met the disconnected glance of the girl who occupied it. I approached the window, again putting my hope on the line. She opened the window and we began to talk. Deni and I stood awkwardly as she explained all the scenarios of why we should come inside… It was difficult to stand there, extremely uncomfortable. Why was I standing there? Why had I found that last flower? Why this window? We eventually paid for 30 minutes of her time (how it usually works) and entered the room, flooded with red and black lights. We took off our rain soaked jackets and sat down on the bed. As we talked about life, hopes, family, and hard times, the
time flew by. 45 minutes later it was time to go, she had to get back to work, we had to go back to the base. Since then, my mind has replayed the events of that night over and over in my head… We said goodbye and I hoped that I would never see her in that window again. What can I say? What words can describe the thoughts in my head and feelings in my heart? There aren’t enough flowers.

["Window Shopping" as it is often called]

I came to Amsterdam frustrated, but left with a broken heart. I look forward to going back. It is a city of confusion, brokenness, and misguided seeking, but also a city where those who are searching can be filled with everlasting water and the Bread of Life. Where sin abounds, so does Grace^{(Romans 5:20)}.

May love flow from God into your life and from your life into the lives of others.
The opportunity is ours.

In Christ,
John Paul

Enjoy the Pictures!

[Bikes are super popular... it is easy to make a biker mad, just get in their way]

[People lock their bikes up everywhere]

[A little lightpainting at the "Skinny Bridge"]

[Amsterdam is famous for it's canals as well]

[The Hermitage Amsterdam... I have no idea what this one is for, but traditionally, Hermitages are religious centers]

[I really like this picture...}

[When YWAM first started in Amsterdam, the staff all lived on barges in the canals]

[Old Buildings... budding trees]

[Wooden Shoe (Clog) Factory, Zaandijk]

[Some wooden tulips at the clog factory]

[Tulips, Zaandijk]

[There was also a Carnival at Dam Square]

[Some Windmills at Zaandijk]

[Cottages on the Canals in Zaandijk]

In Amsterdam this week, I found myself stuck in a different traffic jam, but the results were pretty much the same, I became a bit angry and I think I went a bit crazy as well. This traffic jam is quite predictable; it is in the center of the city and lasts from around 9pm to around 3 in the morning. The streets are packed not with honking cars, but with broken men and women. The sex industry in Amsterdam brings in over a US Billion Dollars a year. Most of the girls in the Red Light District remain there as if locked in a prison cell, bars of steal and cells of concrete substituted for a door of glass and a red room with a bed. Many are from different parts of Europe or North Africa and were recruited for hotel jobs. When they got to Amsterdam, the glittery promises fall through, their captors flaunt their passports in front of their face; scared and intimidated, they submit to whatever they are required to do. It becomes an issue of Human Trafficking.

Dutch girls are herded in other ways, with the use of “Lover Boys” who drive into the country in their BMW’s and Mercedes, getting to know girls from 13-17. Soon they know everything about the girls even knowing where they live and befriending their parents. They are whisked away to Amsterdam with their rich boyfriends who also promise them luxurious lives, but when they get here they are hit with reality that things are not what they seem. If they try to get out now, they are reminded of who knows where their parents live and where they can be found. Even the women who enter the “profession” on a temporary basis to pay off debt or similar situations find themselves trapped in a system which is next to impossible to get out.
Not only is it sad to see the women behind their invisible bars, the city is filled with broken people searching for something that is real. They come to smoke blunts, indulge in sexual fantasies, and get lost in both. They come because of a void that is pulling them, but the behavior that they are involved in makes sure that they will never fulfill no matter how lost they get. You see the brokenness in their eyes as they dart from girl to girl, you hear it in their congratulatory (and often times drunken) congratulations to their buddy who just came out of the room to make room for the next one in line. It makes me sad, but it makes me think. I am not so different from them. For a long time I searched as they did for something to fill the emptiness that I couldn’t escape from. I tried to lose myself to forget that I had a void; sometimes even to forget that I was…

The thing is, without Jesus, we all are searching for that something. We all need Him to be okay. He is the only one that satisfies our deepest longings as humanity. We can implement programs and projects all over the world; we can put an end to prostitution, AIDS, and even hunger, but the longing will always remain and will manifest itself as selfishness and greed. I was reading a book recently and found a small paragraph that changed my life forever.
“There is an old adage that says, ‘You can give a man a fish or better still you can teach him to fish.’ Jesus would add, ‘You can teach a person how to fish but even the most successful fisherman has a hunger that fish cannot satisfy.’” – Ravi Zacharias in Jesus Among Other Gods

While Jesus was here, He completely transformed the Earth, no one else is like Him. Unlike the champions of other religions, Jesus was not just showing the way, He is the Way. He didn’t only teach His message, He is His Message. Not only did He proclaim truth, He is Truth. He didn’t just offer the Water of Life; He is the Water of life. We are all made to crave relationship with our Creator, which is the emptiness. Jesus is the Way to a restored relationship with the Father.
We are all weak, yes. Even after a revelation of who Jesus is, we still fall sometimes because we are human and will always take our eyes off of perfection. But in our weakness, He is strong. He is able to pick us up again and extend His Amazing Grace and show us again a glimpse of who He really is.

Not only is He strong in our lives when we are weak, He is strong in other people’s lives when we are weak. I think that we have greatly underestimated the power of our testimony in our relationship with Jesus and our interaction with the world. Our testimony is an example of how God was strong in our lives when we were absolutely weak. His strength moving in our weakness can also move in someone else’s weakness as well. Humans relate to the world around them in similar ways; there is nothing new under the sun. Someone who hears my story or your story can relate to you at basic terms. Even someone across the globe will relate to the basics of your humanity and your need for God.

I hope that this encourages you to share your story, invite people to your house, get to know your neighbors and the people you sit next to week after week in church or class. Maybe God wants to use you to bring change to this world. Maybe it is actually Jesus sitting next to you.

Pray for the Prostitutes; for the Broken; for the Downtrodden and Outcast and the condition of the world that they represent. God sees them and loves them dearly. Pray for yourself as well, that you may have courage to be in the world, but not be of it. That you may show people there is a Spring of everlasting water that gives life to even the most dead. The Light of Life is here and so is His Kingdom.

in Christ, the Way
John Paul

You may remember about a year ago I posted the first blog on a community of believers in Uganda. It is not a typical community, not a neighborhood or even a church congregation but an orphan care center called St. Ameria. At the time there were about 120 full time orphans; their parents passing from the war in the North of Uganda, HIV/AIDS, malaria, or any number of other factors. All that is left is the memories and statistics on a page. Somehow or other, the children ended up in the care of Richard and Edith, the directors and full time parents of the children at St. Ameria. Edith founded the organization in 1994 when she accepted her first orphan and hasn’t turned away anyone since. When I was introduced to the home last year there were no beds to speak of, dorms and rooms submitting to the harsh rains and intense heat. Soon after the blog was published help was on its way and money started being sent – first for food and beds, then for new building projects. Then, the Not Alone Benefit Tour kicked off and most of the interest generated was geared toward St. Ameria. Thanks to John Bills and others, churches started picking up on the lead, sending teams to Uganda to document and come to the aid of the children. It is hard to say how much money and effort has been given, but I do know that about a week and a half ago, a bank transfer was sent from Los Angeles to Jinja containing over 7500 dollars. When the Benefit Show was coming together an outlet had to be available for people to send money tax-free. With the help of John Bills and Nigel at the base in LA – the African Orphans’ Fund was set up and continues to accept funds for St. Ameria.
Thank you for catching the vision, feeling God’s heart, and allowing yourself to be moved by love, after all, we know that love is a movement – first by God giving His Son, then His love flowing through us to the world and His special creation.

[Abune Paulos, Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church at a women's rights forum at Meskel Square, Addis Ababa]

[She didn't want her picture taken at first... then she did]

And now, Ethiopia. It was amazing to be back. I did my DTS outreach here over a year ago. This is the first time I have been back, but I am praying that it won’t be the last. A young, passionate, gifted speaker came from Kona with Paul Childers (our school leader). His name is Andy and he rocked our faces off (which is an expression that means that he blessed us tremendously). It is easy to get tired with so much traveling, class, culture shock every month, and to add to all of that, living in community 24 hours a day for months on end. Most of us were drained to say the lease, but then there was Andy. God used him to bring us a proverbial cold glass of water to our souls, refreshing us from the inside out, invigoration us for our relationship with God. It was just what we needed and we are now better equipped for the next four months of the traveling taking us into Kona.

[Construction site watchman]

[Toothbrush (stick) salesman]

[Garlic Saleswoman at Markato, the largest outdoor market in Africa]

Laura Fisher came to speak to us for the next week about African Worldview. There are an almost incalculable amount of people groups in Africa, so it is impossible to come up with an African Worldview, but there are many major characteristics of most of the people groups. Using those, we constructed the main areas of worldview: Reality, Human Nature, Value, and truth. It was an amazing week not only to observe African Worldview, but to examine my own worldview to see what I think and what I hold to be true. The Bible says that we are to be continually transformed by the renewing out our minds (Ephesians 4:23). I think that this means we should be continually examining ourselves and our thought processes and aligning them to God’s Word. The goal is to be a citizen and child of the Kingdom, having a worldview that sets the Word of God as the grid through which we see all.

[Poor homeless woman approached me asking for a picture after church]

[Various grains for sale at Markato]

[The woman, and now friend, who was selling the grain. Her name is Mini]

[A little guy having fun with his brother in a public mini-bus]

With our newly acquired information about how to see the world around us with our eyes open, David Fisher (Laura’s husband) taught about Documentary Photography and assigned us a project for the following week. A previous Family member had com
e to Ethiopia a couple years before and came again to do some follow-up work. I really wanted to go down to the Hamar Tribe where she had worked, but I really felt like God was asking me to stay in Addis Ababa to get a few stories around there that he had laid on my heart. I had met a woman the first time in coming to Ethiopia who was HIV positive, so that was the first story, and the other was about the population of street children in Addis and what ministries existed that provided hope for them. So I started researching (without the internet… tough), getting stories, and attempting photos. As far as photography goes, I had never been more discouraged. I really felt like none of the pictures were what I had envisioned and ultimately, I was disheartened. I questioned whether or not I had heard right; did God really keep me to be frustrated? Looking back on it, I can tell he really just wanted my obedience and humility to follow him first. I turned in what I had, but was completely awed at what the other students had been doing. We have some amazingly talented people searching for what God wants for the world, as well as His heart for it.

[Kebeneshe, the HIV positive woman and good friend, that I did one of the photo stories on]

[Kebeneshe's Mother]

[Kebeneshe at home]

[Kebeneshe displaying her AntiRetroVirals (provided for free by the government)]

Officially, Spring Break started and most of the team left for Europe. Four of us stayed for a few extra days (as long as our visas would allow), so I kept working on the Street Children story. Abdissa, the direction of the Mercy Development Center helped me tremendously. He has the most passionate heart for street children that I have ever seen. His ministry was a beneficiary of the money that came in during the Not Alone Benefit Tour last summer, but even then, I didn’t really understand the tip of the iceberg of everything he does in the community. I had thought that his only (but massive) undertaking was the orphanage he runs (and lives). It is a center for children who have been taken right off of the streets. The home is actually a last resort for full orphans who have no family or guardians. When I left last year there were 18 at the home and now there are 25. These children are provided for in every way; food clothing, shelter, school fees, uniforms, and whatever else they may need. Abdissa treats them as he would his own children although he is only 28.to watch the interaction and love between them is amazing to behold.

There is also a huge community based support system as well. There are 16 families all over Addis. The children were full or half orphans who were either on the street or at risk of living on the streets out of poverty. Many have lived parts of their young lives on the streets but have now been reconciled to their guardians.

[Standing with Genet in her one bedroom home (meaning space for one bed with a little extra space) in which she lives taking care of 4 children]

[Genet making Ingera, a traditional Ethiopian bread]

[Hanna, the youngest and most recent addition to the YMD Center Orphanage]

[Daniels parents died of AIDS and so did his youngest brother. Now he takes care of his brother and 2 sisters by himself with the help of Abdissa and the YMD Center]

[At 28, Abdissa has a heart for the poorest of children in Addis Ababa, sacrificing his life for theirs]

[Solomon, a country-side boy who now lives on the streets]

[Another Solomon. Crazy how the Solomon of the Bible is said to have had splendor beyond all others. This Solomon doesn't know where his next meal is coming from. I met him last year at Hope Enterprise and randomly met him again this visit. Praise God]

[A couple of young homeless men sleep in their shanty tent outside of an Orthodox Church downtown Addis Ababa]

[A Street Child in front of the Cuba
n Friendship Memorial on Churchill Road, Downtown Addis Ababa]

Anyway, there are plenty of other details, but I want to tell you about my last day working on the story. Abdissa and I got a taxi and headed to the Sheraton Hotel in Downtown Addis. It is the nicest hotel that I have seen in Africa and probably one of the nicest I have ever seen. Immediately across the street of the Icon of Luxury is the poorest section of the city, Arogokera. We ventured into the thin, windy streets complete with creeks of refuse. We arrived at the home of Amabet, a former street girl who had been raped while she was homeless. Her son Yonathan, now a month and a half old, her, and her other 2 children live in a room that is 5 feet by 4 feet; the only place they can call home. It isn’t much, but it’s all they have. 3 other girls with children live in the same city in similar rooms as well. Their rent is paid for by the YMD Center and they are now living with hope that their children won’t have to live in the same situation they did. There is even an elderly lady in the community called ‘Mama” who looks after them and provides a safe place and gives them her strong Godly advice and direction. It was amazing to behold the dynamics of the group, not to mention I took pictures that I really like the whole day that I want to put into a more formal presentation/publication. I am encouraged continually with how God has used me to bring a change to a handful of children at St. Ameria and I am anxiously hoping that He will use me to bring change to the over 200,000 street children wandering the streets of Addis Ababa losing hope that there is anyone out there to care about them.

[Amabet and her son Yonathan in the doorway of their "house" in Arogokera, Addis Ababa]

So. Spring Break is now underway. We will resume back to classes on April 6^th in Amsterdam. As for me, I am in Cairo for the break and will then travel to Amsterdam starting on the third. Pray for safe travels for everyone this week and that we find rest and refreshment from the Lord.

Pray for the children in Addis Ababa tonight; that the hope of Christ will infiltrate their minds and hearts.

In Him

John Paul

[The Wall of separation from the Bethlehem side]

[Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount, Jerusalem]

[Palestinian Man in the Old City, Jerusalem]

My head is still wrapped around the whole concept of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. I don’t think that I will ever understand it; never be able to choose sides. I don’t think that is my job or my place; it belongs to the One who is sovereign of over the affairs of nations. My hope is that all nations go down in flames, not with the physical tongues of fire but with a fire that consumes the monuments of hatred concealed in the hearts of all men. Laid waste by the love of Christ, refined with unquenchable intensity, and transformed into citizens of the Kingdom whose new passion is found in the grace and love that flows from the heart of the King. The wasteland is replaced with streams of light and a garden of life; lush pastureland and abundant fruit trees.

[Looking West from Arbel]

[Area of Tubqa, Sea of Galilee: See John 21]

[Group of Apples in the hallway market outside of our hostel in Jerusalem]

My heart burns for the Holy Land to have this kind of transformation, but I don’t want it to stop there. I want that for Egypt, East Africa, Nepal, Colombia, the United States; any location containing those God made in His own image.

[Laurus (Seagulls) in the Rain, Galilee]

We arrived back in Cairo about a week ago and have been engaged in learning since we landed. I love this city and this country. I have a feeling there may be some more time spent here in the future. We have been learning some more about “Painting with Light” which is the actual definition of photography but also a type of photography which I will give examples of. This week, Luke Moon is back from Kona teaching us about Worldview; he actually leads the Humanities school at the U of N in Kona. He provides some practical and contemporary insight that enables me to think clearly about the world around me and how others think about it as well.

[Pictures that were taken as assignments during the week: Seeing Light, Studio Lighting, Night Photography, and Light Painting]

[Said, one of the doormen/watchmen of our building]

[Minibus driver in Tahrir Square (via sideview mirror)]

[Tahrir Square Mosque]

[A Small Section of City of the Dead with Citadel in the background]

[Tombstone]

[Overgrown Tomb]

[unlocked doors]

[Shaping stones to rebuild an old mosque in City of the Dead]

[Young People are still Young People doing Young People things]

Driving through the deserts of Egypt and Sinai, I was overwhelmed by the beauty. I have always had this fascination with the desert, almost as if there is something in me that longs for it. Rugged and beauty, unreservedly rich with earth and sky is basic to understanding makes sense to my mind. My soul wishes for my flesh to be the same; empty of my life so that God can breathe true everlasting life into the wasteland I was born as. I wand to be void, a vast open plain God can send the water of life through and plant lush green pastures. With the emptiness of me comes openness for Him, the Creator and Sustainer.

We crossed under the Red Sea and made our way to the eastern portion of the peninsula to Dahab – diving capital of the Gulf of Aqaba. We used it as a base from which to travel to Mt. Sinai (or at least where they think Mt. Sinai is) and the Bedouin camping trip.

As a school, we have been searching for injustices, hardly noticing that they are everywhere around us. The Bedouin’s have been taken advantage of for centuries by everyone. The Egyptian Government barely recognizes their existence, withholding education for their children and further social betterment for their futures. Their grazing land once extended from the Southern tip of the Sinai all the way up past the Dead Sea. Now, the remnant of Bedouin’s left are restricted to pockets of deserts and instead of being a great presence are now limited to the tourism industry. Most of the Bedouin’s that I have spoken with have been working in the industry since before they were 10, never attending school but learning broken English from all of the tourists. Musa, the guide for our hike up Sinai, has hiked up the mountain every day for 20 years, sometimes even twice a day to ensure provision for himself and his family. A 23 year-old Bedouin, Jamaa (in English means Friday), our guide for the overnight in the desert had been working in tourism since he was 7. He has no voice for his people in the government because there are no ears to hear him. There isn’t anyone to understand that he wants a better future for his family, his children, and himself as well.

It may seem a bit silly to us as a Western Culture, but Camel racing is huge in the Near East, especially in Saudi Arabia, the epicenter of Arab Culture. The Bedouins in the Sinai and up through the mid-east are traditionally nomads and have been using camels for traveling and lively-hood for generations. They still stick to this tradition, oftentimes boys will raise a camel with them throughout their childhood into the adult years. They are small and light, perfect for the races in the Saudi Peninsula. Because of this, they are oftentimes sold or stolen for a short-lived career in the racing business. On these long distance races, most of the children (from 4-10 years old) are trampled under the camel’s feet unable to meet the exhaustive demands of the race. This is something not confined to the Sinai Bedouins, but in Jordan, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, and Afghanistan; even as far as countries like Bangladesh. The as of July 2007, The UN doesn’t have a comprehensive report of the injustices done to these children and other trafficked children across these regions. Read a report from the Pakistan Times on this issue and all of the UN articles broken HERE.

Does this break the heart of anyone? Would anyone be willing to dedicate their lives to see this type of treatment of the innocent end? Maybe you are the one God wants to use.

This isn’t about a global movement, but an internal one that stretches across the face of the earth; the internal movement towards the perfect love of Christ. A move spawned from a revelation of the heart of the Father – His love for them – and His love for the world. A love that sacrificed His Godhood coming to earth to be nailed to a cross for us to say, ‘I love You’. Once that love is laid hold of, the amount of love would flood the cities of Denver, Santa Barbara, NYC, London, Addis, Cairo, Dubai, Beijing, Tokyo, and Sydney. Love would lay siege and take captives; captives bound to Christ – lives changed forever by the realization of Grace. He came for you, He came for me, and that is enough for me and all of us to give everything, every breath, to that love; a
love that I cannot fathom the depths of. Love took my life and it died to take yours as well.

[Looking North from Jebel Musa (traditionally Mt. Sinai)]

[Musa, A Bedouin Guide on the Mountain that bears his name]

[We had to get off of the camels to get down the slope... Oasis we slept at seen in the distance]

[On the way to Close Canyon]

[Near the Entrance to Close Canyon]

[Making Tea before Dinner]

[Near the campsite]

[White Canyon]

Next we headed by ferry to Aqaba, Jordan then further by bus to Wadi Musa, the city at the mouth of an ancient wonder of the world, Petra. Driving from Aqaba to Petra was reminiscent of the drive between my hometown of Denver and Santa Barbara during my Westmont days. The moon illuminated the coarse crags of the desert landscape; stars blinking at me, distracting from the monotony of the road in front of me. Clusters of stars on the horizon turn into streetlights from small towns or fruit vendors open late in the summer air.

I see Moses leading 3 million people through this type of terrain. At the night the temperature drops below zero, but during the day, the sun beats down relentlessly through cloudless skies. I might have slept where they did next to a freshwater oasis. The Bedouin’s graze their heard of goats and the occasional camel there now; sometimes entertaining the intermittent tourist looking for the “realistic Bedouin experience”. What a harsh environment to wander in for 40 years. I could spend more time there, I think (but maybe not 40 years… who knows). I enjoyed every moment of it. It is amazing for me to experience.

Walking through the canyons and caves of Petra was amazing, so rich in color and history. We also went to Mt. Nebo where Moses gazed out over the Promised Land, and where the Lord called him home as recorded in Deuteronomy. From the summit of the small mountain we could see the northern tip of the Dead Sea, into Palestine, and if the haze would have cleared, into Israel as well.

[Sunset on the Ferry from Dahab, Egypt to Aqaba, Jordan]

[We had quite the cloud show]

[Part of the Aqueduct through the canyons of Petra]

[Treasury, Petra]

[Treasury, Petra]

[Mt. Nebo, looking over the Jordan Valley]

[Monument of the Snake on Mt. Nebo]

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[One of the Police walking through the canyons of Petra]

[Monastary, Petra]

[Monastary, Petra]

We arrived in Jerusalem late Saturday night. When we awoke Sunday morning, we discovered that the Damascus Gate to the Old City is 100 meters to the left of our doorstep. I can’t say much about the current situation here because I don’t know much about it. I have my ideas and analogies, but I don’t want to say a whole lot while I am still out of the “know” zone. Walking through the old city, I could feel the tension in my chest; two people groups, one divided in their own land – families spread over a tall concrete and iron wall, and another fighting to protect the boundaries declared 4000 years prior. The youth are caught in the middle, some following the example of violence set before them some craving coexistence and peace for an enmity older than both of their presences in this small strip of land.

More pictures of this land to follow.

Thank you for reading and I hope that your days are blessed.

In Christ,
John Paul

[Standing in front of my Bulgarian home]

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I have written on Human Trafficking in the past, but now, I will make it possible for you to do something about it. A good friend of mine helped with a benefit recently called LOVE 146. Please visit the Website. I guarantee that you will feel something after reading the girl’s story. Trafficking is not far off. Even here around the neighborhoods that I am living in, people are being sold and stolen and taken to other countries to be used as Sex Objects. Read about the projects that LOVE 146 is undertaking, including the one to encourage CRAIGS LIST to take off the ‘Erotic’ tab from the ‘Services’ section of its website. Oftentimes, people offering these kind of services use trafficked people to make them money. I encourage you. Take part in this, it is so close to God’s heart for the broken and oppressed.

Snow, sub-zero, temperatures, and an extension of our family met Tim, Aaron, and I in Bulgaria where we would spend Christmas. Krassimere, Basim (Victor), and Mamma Mitchka have been so great to us here. We are never hungry, always full, and always warm.
We have traveled around to some different villages around Pazardhik, Bulgaria and have spent time here as well, visiting families, friends, and churches. I don’t think that I could have asked for a better Christmas. We leave here in a couple of days, and it will definitely be a sad departure.

[Victor]

[Krassie and Family (Krassie is between Aaron and I)]

[The boys with Mamma Mitchka]

[Speaking in a Roma Church]

[Praying for the sick (Victor's Cousin)]

[The three of us singing Silent Night on Christmas]

Tim and I went to a mountain village called Borovets today and actually got to do some snowboarding. We are both into snowboarding back in the States, so it has been something that we have missed. Last year we didn’t have a chance to go because we were doing a DTS and heading to Africa for Christmas. It was such a fun day and so beautiful as well. Most of the day was spent above tree-line in full view of Musala, the tallest peak in Bulgaria (about 10,000 ft). The pictures included are from a camera phone (which I am so grateful for, since I didn’t have to bring my big one)

[The high lifts at Borovets]

[That's the flag of Bulgaria]

Before we went to Bulgaria, we, and Carla as well, spent a few days in Istanbul, Turkey to take in the sights. The Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque were incredible, we spent the entire afternoon in the Hagia taking pictures. I would recommend anyone to visit if you can. The museum (no longer a church or mosque) has some beautiful mosaic work from Byzantine times as well as Arabic Style art.

[Interior of Hagia Sophia... much better than the outside]

[Chandelier]

[Blue Mosque]

[Istanbul. i love this picture]

[Istanbul again]

Over the past couple of weeks, I have had some time to reflect on this last year. At this time in 2006 I was just arriving in Ethiopia. My life had recently changed and I had finally accepted God’s plan for my life. Ethiopia was just the beginning. Most of you knew me before my life was changed, and what God has done with me so far. Its hard to believe all of the people He
has put in my path, the countries He has called me too, and the projects He has enabled me to take part in. I am truly grateful to Him… It is no longer I who lives, but Christ who lives in me. Praise Him for His Amazing Grace.

I added another sidebar element called “Needs”. Please check it out and pray about what you can do; even if what you can do is committing to pray! Thank you so much for reading the blog. I am honored to be able to have the opportunity to share this with you. I pray that you are blessed by it.

In a few days, we go to Athens to fly to Cairo, pray for traveling mercies as well as protection, favor, and divine appointments when we are there!