I wrote an article about Sudan during my recent visit to this country. This article is featured today, July 30th, on the homepage of Helium.com under the Politics in Africa section. If you would like to read the article, click here and let me know what you think!
When confronted with the needs of countless children suffering from AIDS, poverty and the death of parents, what can one do? Isn’t the need to large and overwhelming to address? Wouldn’t it require too much time, energy and resources to reach out to such a helpless multitude of little ones? Not according to Stephen and Beatrice Njau, founders of El Shaddai Children’s Home. Over breakfast one morning, I overheard a conversation about orphans in Kenya. Inquiring further I met Mary and learned that she was volunteering at a children’s home. As she described the work of El Shaddai, it sounded like the kind of place that we would want to film. Touching base with Stephen over the phone, we scheduled a time to visit…
I just noticed that Paul emphasizes the importance of “one” six times in Romans 5. He repeatedly affirms that it was the offence of one many that caused sin and death to come upon all. Contrasting Adam’s failure with Christ’s perfection, he also states that it was the righteousness of one by which all receive life. As I reflect upon what I’ve experienced and what I’ve seen on this trip, one thing that I want to make sure that I do not forget is the power of one. Short of placing ourselves in the unique position of Christ or of Adam, there is a principle that one life carries unlimited potential, for better or for worse. World history is replete with individuals whose use…
While walking along one day, with my camera hanging from my shoulder, I was abruptly approached by a man who named Henry. Eyeing my camera, he asked if I was a journalist. As I described my work as a photographer and filmmaker, he asked if I would be willing to do a documentary for his organization in a rural town in Western Kenya. Pulling out his business card, I noticed that it targeted the needs of orphans and vulnerable children. Anybody working to help children is a friend of mine, so I sat down to talk with him further. Hearing about the needs of his hometown community and learning that he was a dedicated Christian, motivated me to see what I could do to…
A fortunate turn of events landed us an unexpected opportunity to travel to Sudan. When we started filming for the African Children’s Choir in Kampala, Uganda, they asked if we would be willing to join them the following week to film their work in Sudan. Money raised by the children’s choir has been going to help the people of Southern Sudan since the late 90′s while Sudan was still at war. Having desired to visit Sudan for a very long time, I was thrilled to accept the invitation to take a trip to Sudan. The difference between Sudan and Uganda was immediately noticeable upon crossing the border. Sudan’s roads are not passable for anything but a 4 wheel drive. We drove through streams and…
The reality of immense human suffering tends to be obscured by our distance from it. The greatest divide between us in the West and the worst tragedies of our time is not merely measured by miles but by circumstances so completely foreign to our experience that we can hardly relate. Getting up close and personal with tragic situations, and the people effected by them, can put a personal face on what is otherwise seen as a vague humanitarian crisis. I recently met a young man who did this for me and I would like you to meet him as well. Jeffrey was born and raised in Northern Uganda. He was very young when the Lord’s Resistance Army, known locally as the “rebels”, stormed his…
Capturing a film on the Aids crisis in Africa has opened my eyes to a tragic reality. We are alive during one of the most serious pandemics of world history. According to Susan Hunter, in Black Death: A History of AIDS in Africa, by 2003, over 28 million people had died of AIDS. This number is expected to jump to over 100 million by 2010. Africa has borne the harshest blow of this worldwide crisis. Melissa Fay Greene’s book, There is No Me Without You, describes the amazing story of a widow from Ethiopia who after losing her husband and her oldest daughter, despaired of her life. She came back to life when the local Church asked her to take in a few orphans…
“Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judaea: Which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.†(Acts 11:29-30) From the earliest times in the history of the Church, the precedent has been set for churches to care for another, particularly in time of need. Recognizing that the persecution and resulting distress of the church in Jerusalem was stronger than elsewhere, the churches of other cities resolved to send support to them. Certainly these other churches had their own needs. It would’ve been easy to justify that they could not afford to take any of the money out of their own collection to help…
I have met the most unbelievable people staying at Nairobi Backpackers! Its like every time I say hello to someone, I discover another incredible and interesting person! Let me tell you about a few of them: Rob I just met Rob tonight as he was getting off the internet. He mentioned that he was glad he was able to catch up on his work emails. I asked him what he does for a living so he told me that he was leading a trek to the top of Mt. Kilemanjaro! When I mentioned that I was interested in climbing Kilamanjaro, he told me about a local guide who could give me a good deal. He informed me that now is a wonderful time to…