cameras, sand, ocean, and the body of Christ

a little more than 24 hours ago i was standing at the edge of the ocean in a non-touristy town, watching the sun rise and pour it's golden beams through the clouds. a few bahamian men from the town walked in the ankle deep water carrying long poles, searching for crabs or lobsters...
as we sat on the salty rocks near the water's edge, a few thoughts crossed my mind.

how amazing God's creation is-His faithfulness, creativity, beauty

what an awesome thing it is to be a part of the body of Christ...this trip to make a short film in the Bahamas with many of the people not knowing each other well, different personalities, ideas, communication styles, joining together on a project that i feel will not only be glorifying to God in the end project, but was also glorifying to Him in the process.

the last thing is that these last 10 days have sped by, while seeming like forever, and soon we would be returning to snow and a windy city, school, textbooks, papers, and exams.

it is so easy to forget reality on that island, the laid back nature of the people "take it easy mon"
no cell phones, email-just 21 people, a couple of cameras, lights, and a script-on a beautiful beach-in a concrete room, in a hotel room, in a camp, in a park...
time codes
audio log
holding lights
passing out water
the "clacker"...("scene 25, shot 4, take 1")
"boom's in the shot!"
"your shadow's in the shot"
iris down, iris down again...ummm...iris up two
"Quiet on on the set!....tape rolling....sound speeding...."
cut!"

"let's do it one more time..."


every morning we would spend time as a team in prayer, in the Word, and also being challenged in team building...

at night, when our shooting was over (sometimes not until 2 or 3 in the morning) we would come back to the camp where we stayed and watch rushes... and laugh really hard
we also had some good Bahamian food, a couple of us went to a Bahamian church,

and one day we went to an orphanage to play with the 60 or so children there...
it was a good orphanage, compared to some that i have seen, and the kids were so excited to see us...wearing our hats, sunglasses, taking pictures with my digital camera...duck duck goose, swings, spinning...2 hours was not enough time..

one girl named Lily i really connected with...10 years old
she asked me "are you coming back?" "no.." i said.
I asked her, "who is your best friend here?"
"you are, for now." she replied.
as we left, i leaned against a wall and fought tears...
i have seen orphans before, held them, played with them....

and i have finally cried.

it was so amazing to see the bahamas, not just as an island for tourists, but to experience the culture, see the people..
a group of rastafarians camped right down the road to where we stayed...
on the flip side, we also saw the immense gap between the rich and the poor/those escaping life for a few weeks, and others, like Lily, experiencing life in the midst of what is going on around them...
the bahamas is a place of many churches, and few authentic believers
it is a place that is beautiful no matter what time of day
morning, afternoon, evening
it is a beautiful culture and people, and i thank God for the workers that he has sent to that island...
what a privelage to share in that place
to make film
and to draw closer to God's heart

for more info on the actual filming, visit www.xanga.com/sandcastle06
it will hopefully be updated soon...

going to the bahamas

i'm going to the bahamas on monday...workin' hard in the sun...yeah, it's a rough life.

another link

sorry the previous link only worked for some...
this link will hopefully work for all, and it is definately worth seeing...

make sure you watch the video when you get to the sight

epic zoo adventure

click on this link to see where a few friends and i dared to embark on a cold, lazy (procrastinating) friday afternoon...

can someone tell me if this link works??