The RevMedia book, "Dear World" is getting wrapped up by our graphic artist, Aaron Dodson. While the rest of us wait for its completion, we are hardly sitting idly by. No way. There are visions to impart, and stories to tell, even when life slows down a bit.

In between the Ecuador promotional for Global Encounters, and the upcoming New Zealand promotional for the Institute in Photographic Studies, we put together a sweet promotional for a conference in January. This World Changers conference brings together 35 or so 20-somethings who have been thrust into leadership positions for non-profits. They aren't individuals with simply potential to change the world - they are changing the world. And they are leading other world changers in this lifestyle.

September found Christina working with Rowan Gillson, Mandy Novotny, Laura Clawson, and Aaron Dodson. The promotional turned out fantastic - 6200 pictures later.

We hope that this promotional will inspire you to rethink the way you see life - and the affect you have on the people around you.

Blessings!

The end of the Ecuador adventure has come.

It was a hard road. And the path was long.

But together, Laura, and I, and God made it through.

Along the way we discovered some beautiful stories. Met incredible people. And learned amazing life lessons.

We hope that you find this promotional video to be more than just a spot for Global Encounters. We hope that it completely transforms the way you see a life of ministry.

More than that, we hope that you can, from this day forward, begain a new adventure of life to life ministry.

Blessings in our amazing Jesus,

Christina and Laura

Today was another day for our team to join the ranks of kids at the primary school in Esmeralldas. When we arrived, we were greeted by hundreds of smiling and excited faces. I stepped out into the playground yard and was practically mobbed by two dozen kids calling out “Un photo! Un photo! Un photo!”

“Un Photo” began as a group of 5 friends who wanted their picture taken together, and quickly grew into a throng of fifty. I kept backing up and backing up to fit them all into the70mm frame, but they just kept moving toward me…a mass sea of beautiful Ecuadorian faces.

As I was out there, in that school courtyard taking pictures, I was bothered. It seemed like none of my photos were different. It felt like each picture was the same. Over and over again the pictures became, just more faces. One child’s face became one in a sea of faces.

When you are overseas, the fast paced and adventurous lifestyle is really exotic – for the first week. Then, after a little while, the “roughing it” lifestyle seems to cause all the people’s faces begin to look the same. And reaching out to one life looks exactly the same as reaching out to another life.

Why is that?

Because sometimes it is easy to believe that one life is just another life in the world.

Just another life.


But you know what? Along with the belief that a life is “just another life” is the accompanying belief that one life won’t make that big a difference in the world.


I don’t think that’s true.

Jesus said that He would go after those who were lost and had gone astray. This means that even those who are seemingly unlovely are those who have incredible value. I think in general, most Christians do believe this. But if if each person has value, then we aren’t just one life amongst the sea of faces in humanity.

We are unique. We are individuals. We are handcrafted by God.

We are called. We have purpose that belongs to no one else.

We affect change. We must play our part.

So why do so few of us live as though it were a deep conviction?

The sea of humanity exists to be sure. But in Christ, this sea dissolves and in Paul’s, words, “there is no Jew, nor Greek, nor Male, nor Female, nor Slave, nor Free”.

What is left when there is no racial, ethnic, status, and philosophical differences?

Just faces.

But behind these faces, is the incredible worth, indescribable value, and stunningly magnificent masterpieces of God:

The souls of His beloved.

If we believe that one soul has value, we must also believe that one soul will affect change.

Because one face sees another face.

And then one life touches another life.

After which one soul changes another soul. Then another. And another.

And it happens again. And again. And again..

So what if each of us walked through life acting upon this knowledge? What if, when we look into the eyes of the person we pass in the street, or acknowledge the carwash employee we pass by, or just kept on taking pictures of beautiful foreign children…

What would this world look like if we Christians remembered that in this life, we are not just a sea of faces?


What if, today, you didn’t just see a face?

What if, today, you looked into someone’s eyes?

What if you touched a life?

What if you changed a soul?

Maybe this is home…

Esmeraldas.

It’s a city in a third world country. Really. Full of intensely repulsive smells, wild animals, and dirt that would clog any air filter within days. Let alone its reputation for being a “dangerous” city by many Ecuadorians.

This is the place we arrived on Sunday.

The drive through the mountains was awesome. But as we came closer and closer to our destination I could tell it was going to be interesting. The faces of the people became darker and darker, and the air became more and more dirty and humid.

Our hotel is a ghetto like facility run by Christians. They have verses all over the walls on the inside and outside of the rooms. Aside from this, I don’t know what makes them Christian. Things are quite dirty. There are bugs everywhere. They turn off the air as soon as we leave the rooms. And we get towels enough for all of us only every other time they clean the room. This isn’t even referring to the bathroom stench that reeks to every part of our little room.

I wasn’t phased at the situation. I've traveled enough now to be chill at quite a bit. I was slightly uncomfortable to be sure, but I thought it would be a really interesting adventure more than anything else.

This was before we went out to the school where we’d be hosting another children’s program in the evening, and an English and character class in the mornings.

Monday night when we arrived at the school I was coming down with a cold. The humidity was horrible. The dirt in the air was clogging both my pores and my lungs in a painful way. We all arrived that evening and marched up the stairs to the materials room where we were greeted by the stench of vomit – where someone’s dinner hadn’t sat well with them. We walked around the mess on the floor to our room, but the smell became worse and worse – repugnant and strong.

The materials room was going to be synonymous with our studio – where we’d be working on our Global Encounters promo along with shooting the Children’s program and leaders.

I was hardly impressed.

It was practically a bedroom. An 8-x8 feet of space with a bed, a TV, a small desk area, and a bathroom. It was dirty everywhere. The materials were unorganized. The bathroom door didn’t stay shut so we had to secure it with a hair band.

It was, without a doubt, the most uncomfortable situation I had ever been in, with all of my life.

It only became worse when one of the other girls said cheerfully, “this is probably the school’s sick bay.”

Hardly my definition of a studio.

Here and now I confess my bad attitude. I was not happy with where things were. I wasn’t happy with the horrible condition of the bathroom, or the dirt on every single chair, or the dust that covered the desk. Was there nowhere I could be comfortable!

And it was in the moment that I was sulking about spending my evening there that I realized something. I was comparing this place to the comfort of my home. Only, I wasn’t comparing it to my real home…

My real home is exactly where Jesus calls me. Because wherever He calls me is wherever He will be. And my home is with Him.

So weather I am in a dirty bedroom, stench filled bathroom, or sickbay / studio, my home is wherever Jesus is.

It reminded me of that verse from Luke. There was a man pledging to Jesus an undying loyalty of following Him wherever He went. Instead of taking the man at His word, Jesus explained that He had nowhere to lay His head. No place of comfort. No place which resonated of the belonging of home.

I often wondered why Jesus said that. But now I realize the truth.

Many people feel the excitement of the seeming “glamour” of following Jesus wherever He went. But you know what? That motivation will hardly last you through the dirtiest, most reeking places on earth. It won’t keep you going after ministering through long days of sickness or exhaustion. Not even close.

The only thing that will propel someone to continue in the hard work of following after Jesus is the absolute and complete assurance that “home” is wherever He has called you – for in that calling is exactly where He will be.

It reminds me of that song from Switchfoot:

I’ve got my memories
Always inside of me
But I can’t go back
Back to how it was
I believe you now.
I’ve come too far.
No I can’t go back
Back to how it was.
Created for a place I’ve never known.
This is home.
Now I’m finally where I belong,
Where I belong
Yeah this is home.
I’ve been searching for a place of my own
Now I’ve found it maybe this is home.
Yeah this is home.
Belief over misery.
I’ve seen the enemy.
And I won’t go back
Back to how it was.
I’ve got my heart set
On what happens next
I’ve got my eyes wide
It’s not over yet
We need a miracle.
And we’re not alone.

Jesus will last me through any and every experience I will encounter across the globe: Because He, yes, Jesus…He is my home.

(Disclaimer: Please forgive the lack of grammar and technical elements to this note. It was written after we got back to our hotel at 1am on Wednesday morning. I thought it would be nice to post these random thoughts rather than nothing at all…)

PS - Keep praying for us as we work on the promo. We did another short interview today, have portraits for the final piece, and will continue our compiling...

This week I watched love in action. I watched my teammates be challenged, and tried and stretched.



I watched 70 some kids from Quito memorize God’s word and hide it in their heart.















This week I watched 15 young people build crucial relationships to pass down God’s principles to the next generation.



And today, I watched as it all wrapped up and came to a close.
Week one it Quito- accomplished.

Goodbyes were said. Bandanas were signed…..and signed some more. As the kids were filtering out, saying their last goodbye’s I couldn’t help but notice the impact of love. These kids, who were once stoic on the first night were now beaming with joy -love brimming over.


Love makes a difference. It really does.








Tomorrow we leave for Esmeraldas, a city in Northern Ecuador. We leave behind Quito, just for a week-but at the same time, I feel we are leaving something more than that.
We are leaving Casa Del Padre, the faithful house on the Mountains.
We are leaving hours of planning, traveling and discussing.
We are leaving the congregation at the Church in Quito, the one that has so graciously opened its arms to us.
We are leaving 90 shining faces that left smiling every night this past week.
We are leaving a legacy.




7 days.
1 church.
96 kids.
5 colors.
15 Brave young people
7 translators.
1 amazing week


<>



Week 2 , Esmareldas here we come…..



- Laura Clawson


<>

RevMedia is about seeing the need and being the change.

It starts out with me.

It extends to me touching another life.

It continues when the life that I touched reaches another life too.

And it expands when other lives see the deep and artistic stories that come out of those experiences.

When we first arrived in Quito, there was a group of people from the church here waiting to help us get settled in. They picked us up from the airport. When I approached the group, dragging my suitcase and huge equipment duffel, a boy looked at me, smiled, and asked if he could help me. I let him drag my equipment bag.

Little did I know that this boy - Santiago, or San - loves multimedia. I didn't know that he is going to school for multimedia in October. I didn't know that he would be such a fabulous photographer. I didn't know that he'd become such a dear friend. Santiago has watched, has inquired, has been inspired by Laura and I working on our Global Encounters promo. He's held our equipment, shot with our camera's, and read through our script. He's so excited to go into multimedia.

The coolest part about this? That God threw Santiago into our path so that we could show him what it is to pursue multimedia for the glory of God. Tomorrow, Laura and I are going to begin our interview filming for the promotional piece. Santiago is going to help us, and see how exactly we do what we do.

We covet your prayers...that tomorrow would be an inspired and anointed day of filming. By the hand and blessing of Jesus, this promo won't be simply a promo. It will be a piece of art and an amazing message for the glory of God.

Blessings!

Christina

Sometimes meeting all these new people in all these new places makes my head hurt.
I’m just trying to remember new names and identify all new faces. Its hard.

Sometimes meeting all these new people in all these new places makes my heart hurt.
I’m just trying to live the way Jesus told me to and love in a likewise manner and so I connect. And then I have to leave. And a piece of my heart stays with them. Its hard.

I was thinking about this concept today as Christina and I visited an Orphanage in downtown Quito with the Global Encounters team.

The kids were so excited to see us. So ready to give hugs and laugh… and play around with our expensive cameras. Personally, I had an amazing time just kicking a soccer ball around with 9 little 8 year old's and sharing my cookie with a 3 year old.

Today I held many dirty hands.


Today, I shared smiles with beautiful faces.



Today I wondered if it hurt them more for me to come and love and leave than it would if I hadn’t come at all.



Today, I looked into to big brown eyes and knew the answer.


Its hard for me to get into circumstances as such and connect myself- really connect myself and then leave. Its hard for me to become vulnerable all over again and again and again. I don’t like it. Really, I don’t.
But today, playing with the kids- just laughing, and watching and holding them- it struck me.
Its always better- always- to love. To connect.

It hurts to connect and then leave.
But it hurts me more not to.
Those orphan kids might forget about me tomorrow.
But I gotta love anyway.
Its what Jesus did for me.
I can do no less.




"People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered. Love them anyway.
If you do good, people may accuse you of selfish motives. Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you may win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable. Be honest and transparent anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.
People who really want help may attack you if you help them. Help them anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you may get hurt. Give the world your best anyway."

Mother Teresa






p.s.
I finished the screenplay today.
Hazaa.


-Laura Clawson

On Sunday evening I caught a glimpse of God's reason for bringing me on this trip to Ecuador. Yes, it was to build a promotional video for Global Encounters. Yes, it was to get amazing portraits. Yes, it was to plan a missions media workshop.

But...

It was for something more too.

I am on this trip for me.

Have you ever had that feeling before? When you think you are going somewhere to give your all, and then God says, "not so fast...your going to get just as much as you are going to give..."

That, is an incredible feeling.

As we put together this promo, and build screenplay's and scripts, we've been talking about missions a lot. And real, Jesus like ministry. The idea that when you as a believer focus on Jesus, you will automatically begin to reach out to others; if you aren't reaching out, its really doubtful you know Jesus.

So, technically, all You have to actively pursue is knowing Jesus...and as a result, HE will be the one to change the world THROUGH you.

Have you ever thought about that?

You will be a MAJOR change to the world when You seek relationship with Jesus.

That is, in a word, awesome.

Today we sorted through technical stuff.

Today I am coming to realize that video is a lot more complicated than I had first thought.

Christina and I spent the better part of the day trying to figure out how to correctly get a digital workflow system for our Audio Visual down.
We wrote in 3 different notebook and a good 6 hours trying to discover the secret to digital decoding. In the end, we were slightly successful, figuring out the solution to at least one of the issues.

In the South American culture, many things are unpredictable. Times change, buses are late, people don’t show up, it rains and then ten minutes later the sun pops out. One of the most common answers to any question down here is “ I don’t know”

Now, my Spanish may not be so great but that’s one part of the Ecuadorian culture that I am catching onto rather quickly- the fact that I don’t know.

At first this frustrated me. Then it wore me out. But I am coming to realize that it’s ok if I don’t know.

I might not totally understand how to convert AVI files to DV files using the correct codec.

I might not totally understand how to sync pc and mac settings or transfer sufficient digital data via firewire.
I might not totally understand how to get the best in studio lighting or achieve the optimal FPP synchronization.

But one thing I am coming to understand…..
I don’t have to know everything.



I am coming to understand that life, not unlike this new video adventure of mine- is all about learning. And a lot of it is about not knowing.


Life- at least the lives of 2 certain artists trying hard to figure out complex media, let alone acquire some hot coffee using correct the correct Spanish-is about doing what we can to do what we can and then giving the rest up to the One who does.
Life is about admitting that I don’t know.

And personally,

I’m ok with it.

- Laura Clawson

This morning I met a shoe shiner.

His hands were rough. His face and hands soiled and dirty as though they had not been cleaned for months. His clothes were tattered and worn. His little box of shoe shining equipment was clutched tightly in his hands as though it were the most valuable possession he owned.

He was seven years old.

He had been shining shoes on the streets of Ecuador already for 3 years. His parents required him to bring home $5 every day. If he did not do this, he was beaten.

One of the Pastors allowed him to polish his shoes – even though the shoes were quite fine. He shined the shoes with the experience of someone who has known the work and is comfortable with it. When he was done, the Pastor handed him the change from his pocket.

His little brother was with him. His little brother was four. His face was haunted by a desperation that I have rarely seen on a child his age. He begged for money. Passionately. When I asked his name, he shook his head and turned away. He didn’t want to talk to me. He just wanted the money.

And as he turned away, I saw in his eyes a child who had been deeply wounded.

I had no change. I had no shoes that needed to be shined.

I had nothing to give him. And I didn’t even speak Spanish to communicate these things.

At the moment where I didn’t know what to do, the Pastor asked in Spanish if the boys would mind him praying for them. I don’t know if he gave them time to respond, but he put his hands on their heads, bent down, and prayed.

At first, I didn’t know if the moment was too intimate for me to become a part of. But I felt the gentle nudge of the Holy Spirit. Slowly, I reached out and took the hand of the little four-year-old shoe shiner. At first, his hand was limp in mine. But then, as the Pastor continued praying, I gently stroked the dirty hand with my thumb. And I felt the little one slowly grip my fingers.

Jacob offered to pay for them to come to the children’s seminar. The seven year old wanted to come and was so excited. The four year old didn’t want anything to do with it.

But tonight, as we gathered the children into the chapel, there was no sign of the little street cleaner. And I have to wonder, why? Is it because he didn’t get his $5 and was beaten? Was it because his parents refused to grant him the freedom to take “charity?”

I don’t know.

Tonight I have been pondering what took place. My soul and spirit feels so burdened for these hurting little ones. And that is when I realized something. The Revolutionary Media slogan is “See the need, be the change.” Well, sometimes it’s a sacrifice to be the change. But you know what? Sometimes it’s even harder to know that you can’t be the change, but you still need to see the need.

Because Jesus…He saw the needs.

Of

The

Whole

World.

Sometimes, you can’t be a change until you are willing to see the needs. For when you see those needs, when you see them with both physical and spiritual eyes – that is when the fire is lit within you to be the change.

Perhaps seeing needs like that is a greater burden than being the change.

So the question is this:

If you want to change the world, will you bear the burden of its needs?

If your not willing to do this, there’s no way Jesus will use You to affect change as His hands and feet. For Jesus Himself bore the burden of the needs of the world – and He was willing to die for them.

Are you?

Today, I saw the needs of a four-year-old little boy. I couldn’t be any change in his life. Except in the tiny, and seemingly insignificant way of holding his hand. I don’t know if it affected him. And I probably never will. Honesty, I don’t even think that matters. Why? Because I wonder…

If Jesus saw his need, would He have held the little four-year-old shoe shiner’s hand too?

Laura Clawson and Christina Dickson head out today for the international destination of Ecaudor! Traveling together as the media branch of Global Encounters, we two girls will be putting together multimedia promotionals, portraits for schools and churches, and other really sweet projects.

We'll keep you updated as the trip goes on this month! Keep us in your prayers!

Christina

It has been a month since the last Revolutionary Media team members parted ways outside the Portland Airport. Since then, there has been a great deal of activity and struggle as our team adjusts back to every day life and continues to develop the mission of Revolutionary Media. Team members have gone back home but their hearts are still with the people they met during the project. In many respects, the project isn't over.

During the month of May, Jocelyn Edlin completed the organizing of the team's book, "Dear World". The book files have been sent off to Aaron Dodson for the completion of graphics and compositing. Caitlin Muir continues developing the script for our "Burnside Underground" docu-drama. And on the business front, I (Christina Dickson) have been searching for the perfect post studio that will partner with the Revolutionary Media team's vision for the long term.

Think that's all? Not a chance. There is an insane amount of work that's going into building the most visionary production group you've never heard of. Alongside these tasks, our team has been giving trip presentations, writing business plans, developing financial projections, and researching legal advice on how to set up our non-profit and business for maximum impact. We've also been setting up fundraiser projects for Burnside Underground post-production studio fees. Some products we hope to release this summer include Burnside Underground wristbands, calendars, t-shirts and posters.

Revolutionary Media has made plans to lay a solid foundation for upcoming projects and business. Our goal is to create impacting media of incredible artistic quality, and this takes time. We aren't interested in just making media. We want to make media that lingers and changes lives. The release of our first book, DVD, and promotional is tentatively planned for late fall. We appreciate all the prayers and support that each of our fans have given as we seek to see this project through.

In the months to follow, be sure to remember Burnside Underground. Don’t forget the stories from the streets that you’ve already heard. Don’t forget the lives you’ve caught a glimpse of. Don’t forget the people you may pass on the street.

Don't forget about Revolutionary Media.

Remember that we are the writers who help you know the words of the voiceless. Remember that we are the videographers who inspire you to reach out to the poor and friendless neighbors of your street. Remember that we are the photographers who give your eyes vision of hope for the lost.

Remember Revolutionary Media; the philanthropic artists you've never heard of.

It's been a little bit over a week since our last post.

The remaining three Revolutionary Media members in Oregon have been busy, working late into the night like elves to get as much of post-production wrapped up as they can. The documentary is taking shape and we're proud to announce that we've gotten more work done than we thought possible. We're actually pretty convinced that it's a modern day miracle of sorts. God is good.

We hit the recording studio yesterday! Our musicians recorded the song they wrote exclusively for our film and we couldn't be happier with them. They are amazing.

The trio of Aaron, Christina and myself, headed to NE Portland yesterday. We were hitting the streets, not in search of homeless people, but for citizen's views on the gentrification of their neighborhood. Gentrification is a big word that sums up all that happens when an economically challenged area gets rebuilt--newer and better buildings, higher rent, new neighbors, safer streets while saying goodbye to the landmark renters, stores, and more flavorful neighbors. We soon discovered that gentrification is a politically charged word. Throw in some racial divisions and you had yourself a very interesting afternoon on the street.

The gentrification film was a small, independent project that we were asked to do by another media firm. It was also a chance for us to get our feet wet again. We had a wonderful afternoon, talking to baristas, shop owners, radicals, street women, and all sorts of the post-punk crowd who had begun to trickle into the neighborhood. Everyone had an opinion but it was hard to get them to feel comfortable sharing that opinion on camera. But we did and the short will be turned into the firm by the end of the week.

To all of you who are checking up on this blog: thank you for all of your support over the last two months. The project isn't over yet. Say a prayer or two for us when you think of us. And please, don't forget to love on the people around you.

--Caitlin Muir, Team Journalist

I miss the Texans.

I do.

I miss Whitney’s gentle smile that fills me with peace. I miss her aura—the Jesus-child glow that comes from reveling in her Maker. I miss being filled with wonder whenever I talked to her. I miss exploring the old church with her, pretending we were detectives like little girls, and trying to find out what was in each room.

I miss Jake’s teasing that comes out of the blue and makes me crack up. I miss those funny looks we used to trade during tense situations that always made me smile on the inside. I miss always talking about how hungry we are and what kind of food we are craving. I miss laughing at his phobia of public toilets downtown.

I miss Taylor’s inquisitiveness, maddening though it may be at times. I miss being the “liberal” one of the group. I miss having someone right beside me who I know will have my back—no matter what part of town we are in. I miss praying with random people on the street with him. I miss arguing about which of us has a cooler family.

I miss the camaraderie. I miss inside jokes and secret smiles. I miss text messages from across the room. I miss talking side by side. I miss going out on the street. I miss hearing Jake tell me that he’s hungry. I miss hugs from Whitney. I miss laughing at stupid things with Taylor.

I miss my new “cousins”.

I hate the fact that they are so far away. I hate that I can’t see them. I hate that I don’t have their shoulders near by to cry on. I hate not being able to sit and hear Taylor worship from the depths of his heart. I hate not being able to see them face-to-face. I hate not seeing their expressions. I hate not being able to make Whitney smile from across the room. I hate not being able to feed them rice candy. I hate not seeing Jake randomly bust out gymnastic moves.

I love the way that they make me smile. I love the way they make me want to be like them. I love the way that they glow. I love the way they love. I love the way they gently remind me what life is really about. I love how they have more maturity and depth than a thousand other people I have met. I love how they are from Texas—a completely different culture—and yet, I still adore them. I love their cute accents that come out when they are tired. I love seeing Jesus in them. I love the way they poked fun at my own state and made me laugh at my tree-hugging ways. I love how they made me rethink some things in my life. I love the way God brought them into my life. I love that they are Scottish, just like me. I love that each of them possesses a delicate, fragile, beautiful heart that is not afraid to love. I love the way they aren’t afraid to wear their hearts on their sleeves. I love the way they aren’t ashamed of their faith—their relationship with Christ. I love how they pray. I love the way they interact with each other. I love the way they take risks. I love how they are chill about life. I love how lovely they are. I love the poetry that is written in their eyes.

I just simply love them.

--Caitlin Muir, Team Journalist

The members of Revolutionary Media met with the local branch of One Economy today. One Economy is an international company which is endeavoring to reach out to economically challenged people through the internet and education. They are also interested in contracting Revolutionary Media to provide content for their websites.

It’s an appealing proposition—having semi-steady media jobs betwixt projects would help us maintain funds and while sharpening our skill sets. Members of our group could work independently for the company or work together. It seems like a win-win situation for everyone involved.

No decision has been set about any form of involvement. Just pray for us as we seek wisdom in the matter.

-- Caitlin Muir, Team Journalist

"At the end of our lives, we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made or how many great things we have done. We will be judged by ‘I was hungry and you gave me to eat. I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless and you took me in.’

Hungry not only for bread-but hungry for love.

Naked not only for clothing-but naked of human dignity and respect.

Homeless not only for want of a room of bricks-but homeless because of rejection.

This is Christ in distressing disguise." -- Mother Teresa

The Texan interns left today, taking with them a huge chunk of our hearts.

I don't think any of us ever expected that we'd grow as close as we did. Casual friendships turned into family bonds over the six weeks, forever changing the way that we look at each other. It is time to throw out the word intern, to banish it from our vocabulary. They are something much deeper and dearer than that. I don't know if the English language has the word I'm looking for. Maybe it's not something that you can really express verbally; maybe it's best left to be felt in the depths of a person's soul.

Whitney, Taylor, and Jake are unaware of the effect they have had on the team. They are oblivious to the lasting impact they've made on our lives. They are unaware that half the management team wants to be just like them when they "grow up". They are clueless to the challenge they've issued to us; inspiring us to grow closer in our relationships with other people and God. They just might be the most important people in Revolutionary Media.



--Caitlin Muir, Team Journalist

Time was ticking and the sand in the hour glass was running out far too fast. The four interns had two days to finish putting the Rev Media promotional together, but that wasn’t enough time to finish it and make it the jaw-dropping production that they wanted it to be. The managers would be left to finish the promotional, but they already had enough on their plates with the actual docu -drama and book. That is why what happened next was a true answer to prayer.

Christina walked into the "White Room of Doom" (aka, our production studio) and announced that it would be fine with her family if Laura, Whitney, Taylor, and Jake stayed an extra week to finish the project up. Laura already knew that she wouldn’t be able to stay, because of things that she had going at home. Taylor, Whitney, and Jake ,however, immediately called their families to find out if it would be alright if they stayed for the extra time. They were shocked to find out that it would be fine with their families as long as they could transfer the flight for little enough money.

"It will probably cost at least two hundred dollars," Aaron and Christina explained.

Whitney’s heart sunk because she knew that ,if it cost too much, they would be heading home without having finished the task at hand. She pulled out her computer to check, all the while praying that God would confirm if He wanted them to stay by providing the flight and the money. He confirmed by allowing the transfer to be only twenty - one dollars for all three of them!

She quickly called her mom, only to find out that her family had extra money from a flight that her sister hadn’t been able to take, which meant that even the mere twenty - one dollars was covered! Whitney, Jake, and Taylor were overwhelmed with surprise and gratefulness as they headed into the next week to finish out the task that God had laid before them.
~*~

God is truly amazing and He really does answer prayer. He moves when His children allow Him to, when they don’t keep Him in a box, and when that happens, they are amazed at His goodness. I’ve always wanted to be part of a trip that has a definite ending point which, when that spot is reached, God extends to a later time, and on this trip I was. It’s a crazy wonderful feeling to be part of something that He is so free to move and to change things in - that He is the leader of. I would be involved with Rev Media again in whatever way the door is opened for the simple fact that God is not kept in a box and that the team is truly directed by His hand. I want to be where God is moving and I know that He is with this organization.

Written by Whitney Lindsey, Director's Assistant

My pastor often declares that "worship is a verb", after which he explains that the things we do in our everyday lives should be done as worship to our amazing Jesus. Being on the Rev Media team has opened my eyes to this truth in a whole new way. We are seeking to bless God with the most beautiful worship that we can through this project. In the process of capturing it, putting it together, and in the final outcome we are seeking to show even a small part of His heart and of our extreme devotion and adoration for Him. All too often Christians settle for second best when it comes to showing the love of God through art; Rev Media won’t settle for anything but the very best that we can give Him.
In his book "Into the Depths of God" Calvin Miller states that,"True praise of any sort is so passionate it leaves us weak when it is over. We love Him [Jesus] too much to stop painting Him, and yet we loathe ourselves because our small talents can’t make Him very real. But on we strive! We must do what we can - all we can -anything less would be blasphemy."
This is what Rev Media will continue to do. We will do all we can to show God’s heart and to give Him glory!

Written by Whitney Lindsey, Director's Assistant

Sluggish. Hhmm. That is kind of how I feel right about now. Peaceful. That is another thing I’m feeling right about now: victorious. That is one reality that I cannot deny.

The sluggishness comes from my mental exhaustion. Overall, the work of the project is going well and there are only a few things that don’t seem in place: my ability to think clearly, my physical energy, and my internal clock. (Wow, is it off!) But these things have to be shaken, broken down and moved so that I become dependent on God to help me do the tasks assigned to me. After seeing God work faithfully in my own weaknesses and others around me, I realize that this place of weakness is most likely a good place to be. O Faithful God!

The peacefulness has come from situations on this trip where I had to rely on a Faithful God and He surprised me more than once with His extreme faithfulness. So right now, even with all the other "stuff" that needs to be done looming in my mind, I feel at peace because of a grounded trust. Trust is something that God continually works into our hearts day by day. Sometimes we think we can "conjur" up some kind of faith in God, but that faith is only a combination of confidence in ourselves, reckless radicalism, and a fear to actually just trust. People throw on this kind of faith and then start busying themselves with things to "do for God" because they are actually afraid to just sit and trust Him. Real faith is uncomfortable a lot of times because we can’t comfort ourselves with our own accomplishments. It’s the "Mary and Martha" story that plays out in our personal lives every day. Martha’s faith kept her busy with no time to be peaceful; but Mary’s faith made her to sit on the ground in an uncomfortable place but she had perfect peace in her place of simple trust. This simple trust in God brings about weird and wonderful kind of peace.

This reality of victory isn’t because our project is ahead of schedule. It isn’t because everyone on the team is having a fabulous week.. It isn’t because everything is "set in stone"–done. The realization of victory is felt, acknowledged and known because the realization of God’s hand working with us has been made evident to us day to day. When you are sure of God’s presence in something, you feel excited and confident that He is going to work His will in ways you may not be able to imagine. That doesn’t mean that you aren’t tired. That doesn’t mean that you are completely comfortable. And it doesn’t mean that you have no doubts at all. It simply means that your trust and confidence is in Something else, something you have put all of your faith into. And if the Something proves It’s trustworthiness time and again to you, then believing a promise of victory is easy to do.

Trusting in God to fight for us throughout this trip has revealed a picture of God’s faithfulness to us, because every time we called on Him, He came rushing to our rescue. Every time our pride got in the way of our goal, when we asked for humbleness, God poured it out abundantly. Every time our hearts were broken, when we asked Him to fix them, He did.

--Taylor Lindsey, Assistant Journalist.

I always thought I had a pretty good heart.

But for some reason, my heart is broken tonight. My heart is broken and exposed, and I don't like the look of it. I see gooey black masses of pride, and I see hypocrisy, and I see all the things that I don't want to be.

So there comes an idea. I will take my heart and bring it out of it's cool dark corner where it has been festering and take it out on the streets of Portland. There I will put my heart on the sidewalk and feel what it is like to be out from the places that I call comfortable. So that is what I have done. For three weeks I tried to get inside the mind and emotions of a street kid and what they love and what they hate. I have seen things that have made my sheltered little mind shudder with horror. I have felt pain like the kind that comes from violently ended love. I have seen humanity in the light of the calloused, pompous and pharisetical snobs that we can so often be. I have never been so scared in all my life.

Scared you ask? Scared because I see the worst of all of it in my own life. I see the blond that covers her eyes so she doesn't see the street kid, I see the meth addicts' sagging eyes and glassy stare. I see that in me. And I am scared.

So here I sit looking at my heart again. There are little grits of sand and gravel from the concrete where my heart has been these last few weeks, there are spots of blood where it has been scraped and bruised. I am not sure what is better, the sleepy pride, or this ragged love-pain.
But then I open my Bible. I try to get a picture of the heart of Jesus. There on those thin paper pages a picture begins to appear of the heart of my Lord Jesus. Then I cry. I cry because I see what his heart looked like. I cry when I hear him say that he came for the least of these, those who need the doctor and not those who think they have it all together.

I cry because i ever asked the question, because I ever thought that apathy might be better. The heart of Jesus is so broken and torn, it is so dirty and bruised that it is misshapen and battered. He is my Lord, and that is what my heart should look like.

It is time I take my heart out of it's box and but it where my Lord put his. Right smack in the middle of the pain, need, tears, and the wounds.

Then will I live a life worth living.

Then will the air be worth breathing.

Then will my heart be worth keeping.

While Flipping though my journal this morning I found a letter that I forgot to tear out from one of the street kids, Sebastian Snow. I wasn’t necessarily looking for the letter, just sort of browsing the pages of the past weeks, remembering the moments. Trying to understand how I am going to function correctly after I go home. I flipped to his page and reread the letter that had stabbed my heart so many times already.

The letter, to me, is a cry. The story of a 16 year old boy in and out of mental facilities and now living on the street under the Morrison bridge. In chains to meth since he was nine. Nine. That’s one less than ten, one more than eight. Nine.

The letter, to me, is a memory. The time when Christina and Jocelyn and I walked the water front to get some portraits of the street kids. The day I went out, dead set on changing the world, but had my world changed instead. The day I learned to love past the makeup and smell, the booze and dope. The day the little boy with the desperately blue eyes looked into my soul and I realized why Jesus loves us so much.

The day by the water front was special to me because I saw a need. Even though I had been working with the homeless for two weeks already, it didn’t hit me until that day. The fact that truly, as cliché as it sounds ……what the world needs is love.

And that day, I felt that love. By maybe just asking Seb to write a letter. By maybe just asking a punk why he likes photography. By maybe just caring.

Just a little bit.

That day I felt that love because I finally allowed myself to feel it.

After Seb handed gave me the letter I walked down the boardwalk, away from the city, whispering life to the words he fiercely wrote in my book. That night I cried for Seb. I cried for all the Seb’s of Portland. That night I cried because of the Seb inside me.

That night, I cried for this day.

The day that I would have to leave, the going home day. Today is the day that I will leave my friends in Portland and go home and be the change in my own city, as painful as it may be. My Files are transferred, but my vision hasn’t . My bags are all packed up, but alas my heart is not. I think that part of me will always be here in Portland, here on the streets, under the bridges. These people, these smelly, dirty, beautiful people have changed me. This fact compels me. It moves me forward. I want to change the world. Really, I do. I want to travel and see the trees in Singapore, I want go to the deep south and cover Katrina. I want to move to India and photograph orphans. I want to continue to change and be changed.

I Maybe I will some day. For right now, though? I will be the change I wish to see in the world.

But I will start here.

In my own country. In my own town.

In my own heart.

What next you ask?

There is only one option.

Forward.

Written by Laura Clawson, photographer of all things deepandbeautiful

Post Production: gathering ideas for 'Dear World' ,and catching some much needed rest while waiting for a video to finish rendering

Being in the director's shoes of this upcoming docu-drama, it seems as though a few short weeks have evolved into a few years since our little team met together for the first time to begin this crazy dream of a project. From various sides of the country we came to bring what talents and abilities we had to offer in making up the incredible task-force you know as the "Rev-Media team". For most of us starting out our mission was to head-out and give of ourselves to ensure the success of this endeavor. In my opinion, the surprise element was within the dark wanting eyes of the people we encountered on the streets. How would we have known that this emptiness would speak volumes and fill our hearts with the ideas,creative inspiration and discerning spirit to go about diving into this deep subject.

We saw that trying to show the audience this world of the streets from the view we see all the time, would do very little and still leave all those unanswered misconceptions in the minds of the viewers. As we discussed strategy in story telling, we unanimously agreed to show the people from the inside out giving an honest chance to grasp what our team has seen almost on a daily basis for the past weeks. If it was your Grandfather or better yet if it was YOU on the street corner holding that "will work for food" sign, that might change the way you see these people. After being in post production for more than a week now we finally produced the teaser above to give a glimpse into what this project is really about. Some of these ideas have been touched on in this snippet of video, but rest assured this is only the beginning. We now press on in post production to fight our arch nemesis "Father Time" in this process that can most times determine the fate of a project.