March-April 2009 Update

As you might remember (or not), my team, Broken Phonebooth, is planning a trip to Kenya in May. We will be shooting follow up material (making movies) for the JESUS film. Part of my responsibilities will include taking all the raw footage and copying it to separate, multiple hard drives. We will be shooting everything digitally. There’s no film involved in our shoot. Really.Technology can be a great thing.

I will be in Africa for about two and a half weeks and am looking forward to this trip. It’s been fifteen years since my first trip to Africa where we gave Cindy’s parents our intention to become one in holy matrimony. (I’ll never forget that trip. They went out the next day and bought enough material for the bride’s maids’ dresses to cover the deck of a modern aircraft carrier.) That was a long way to go to meet someone’s parents.

We have so many projects lined up right now, going well into the next decade. One of my current responsibilities is being the project manager for Phonebooth. I am learning to manage all our projects (hence the name) and predict timelines while judging if we can accept new projects or not. It’s an interesting challenge.

We are continuing to heal from our various sicknesses since the holidays. Kyra continues to have a cough but she no longer gags when she does it. Her favorite pastime is tormenting the hamster, Whiskers, she and Tessa got for Christmas.

Tessa is doing well. She took first place in speed at the Awana Grand Prix again this year. She will be eight in July, hard for Cindy and me to believe.

Action Jackson is 15 months and has developed quite a vocabulary. He can say Mama, Daddy, pancake, bye-bye, water, hi, and a lot of other things. He has learned to stand in his high chair, usually signaling that he is, indeed, finished with his meal. We try to keep him belted down but he has discovered how to dislocate every joint in his body, thus enabling him to escape his bonds. Never a dull moment.

Until next time, blessings to you.

February Update

This year promises to be the most exciting year for us yet with Campus Crusade for Christ. There’s so much going on and so much I (Shawn) will be learning. Near the end of last year Cindy and I, after a lot of prayer, decided that the Lord was calling us back to the JESUS Film Project. God has given me a love for technology and how to use it to glorify Him. We both have seen that our ministry with StoryRunners, as much as we love it, was not utilizing my skills any longer.

So much has changed in the JESUS film in the six years we’ve been with StoryRunners. Not only have we seen the film translated into more than 1,050 languages but there is also a new movie that has come from the JESUS film called Magdalena: Released from shame. A new perspective on the JESUS film, it’s the story of Mary of Magdala, also known as Mary Magdalene, and what she may have experienced walking with Jesus of Nazareth during His public ministry. Through her eyes, this film portrays how Jesus values women by focusing on historical accounts of His interactions with them. If you would like a copy please contact us and we will let you know how it can be made available to you. You can visit http://magdalenatoday.com to learn more.

At the beginning of this year Cindy and I have officially transferred back to the JESUS Film Project and are now working with Broken Phonebooth Productions. BP2 is a film production company under the JESUS film. Right now we are working to produce follow-up materials of the JESUS film for Africa and India. We are also heavily involved in producing follow-up material for The Magdalena movie. I am planning a trip to Kenya this spring to help film new follow-up material for Magdalena.

Part of my new responsibilities will be video editing. This is something I have always enjoyed and I look forward to learning the software (called Final Cut Pro). I have already completed three or four projects since the beginning of this year and look forward to getting more involved in it. The JESUS film is also focusing more on oral people groups so our ministry hasn’t really changed. We are just being utilized better and in a more complete way.

We are so excited to be working with the JESUS film again. We are eagerly looking forward to seeing what the Lord will do this year and how He will use us.

November Update

One of our staff who was back in the states for a while has returned to the field. She sent this story and we wanted to pass it along to you.

“Where did this story come from?”
I met with a few members from each of the 6 teams the first day I got here. In spite of storying team members being stranded by floods, and others having dysentery from helping in relief camps, I’ve been encouraged by the energy the national workers have for the storying work and I’ve been amazed at just how much we’ve been able to do since being here. It was a blessing to hear that they have already begun using the stories in their villages. One team member said, “I had given the Written Book (in the national language, not village language) to this one village a long time ago, but they put it on their shelves and never read it.” Recently, I went there and told them Bible stories in their own language, and they all listened very carefully. They asked, ‘Where did this story come from?’ I said, “That book you have on your shelf.” They said, “What? Really? We had no idea there were such good stories in that Book!” A neat example both of how the people who probably couldn’t read/write were still able to hear His Stories, and an example of how the Stories aren’t something separate from the Written Word, rather, they are a bridge to it!

Our son, Jack, will be a year old this month. Like both our girls, he is a joy and a blessing to our family. It’s difficult to imagine our lives without our children. He’s a very happy little boy, always smiling and “talking.” I love how he crawls right up to me when I get home and pulls himself up, asking for me to hold him as he “tells” me about his day. He is the perfect addition to our family and we praise God for him and our girls every day.

Jack will be having surgery on December 18th to correct an issue he was born with. I won’t go into great detail now. It's not life threatening but it will help him prevent possible infections as he grows older. As his surgery draws near would you please pray for Jack and for the doctors to have wisdom as he undergoes this surgery? You have always been so gracious to our family. We know that the economy is anything but good right now and there is a lot of concern about finances. Please be encouraged. God is not limited by our economy. We are continuing to pray for you.

What a blessing to be used of God, to be part of His miracle. During this holiday season we pray that God will bless you with the chance to experience a taste of the miracle in using you to be His vessel.

Thank you for your part in helping us reach out with the miracle of a story to draw others into God’s family.

Jack Walks a Mile (to him, at least)

Our soon-to-be year old son, Jack, took his first real steps yesterday. He'll turn a year on the 22nd. It's been really interesting raising a boy (we have two older girls, too). The girls really love to help out with him. Tessa, our oldest, is always getting him to giggle. I love the way they play together. I wonder how long that will last when he starts getting into their stuff. Right now, he isn't allowed to go into the girls room-- too many small toys he can get in trouble with. I can't wait to be able to do "guy" stuff with him.

Tiny Refrigerator Warm Our Hearts

I (Cindy) was asked today what I was thankful for and my first thought was -- a refrigerator. I am sure most of you would not have thought of that. Most of us don’t think much about a refrigerator. In fact we probably take it pretty much for granted. About 2 weeks ago, my refrigerator stopped working. The light was on but it wasn’t cold. Fortunately a friend of mine had a little tiny college refrigerator, so I had space for milk and eggs and a couple other things. It was amazing how fast I had to eat my leftovers. Nothing got moldy or old in the fridge. I used every ounce of space I had. When God provided a new refrigerator, I was blessed. If I had gotten a new refrigerator immediately, I would not be so thankful. A refrigerator that keeps things cold with enough room for food for my family – it makes life easier. I thank God for the week without a fridge and I now appreciate in a new way something God gave me. There are lots of blessings from God around us. What can we be thankful for today?

October 2008 Update

From one of our staff in India:
There is a person from a village in Utter Pradesh who can neither read nor write. He accepted Christ by seeing the JESUS film in his village. After coming to know Jesus as his Savior and as he has grown in his faith, he has had a desire to share about Jesus with his relatives and other people. But the problem is he is illiterate.

One day, he asked one of our JESUS film staff, “I have a desire to share the Word of God with my relatives and other people, but how can I share with them?” Then the staff member started working with him on the 21 stories which he had already learned from StoryRunners. Now he is sharing the Word of God through the stories. Already, he has brought five people to Christ and they are coming to regular cell group meetings.


In addition to my work with StoryRunners, for the last few weeks I (Shawn) have been assisting part-time with a Campus Crusade ministry called Broken Phonebooth. Broken Phonebooth Productions is a film production group working under the JESUS Film. Its purpose is to reveal spiritual truth and help create tools for spiritual growth, primarily through narrative film. I will be learning many aspects of filming, including producing and editing. My time with Broken Phonebooth will allow for greater diversity in what I’m doing.

The group just finished a short film about spiritual breathing. I have been able to help a little in the post-production aspect, setting up showings, naming the film (we’re calling it “Don’t Hold Your Breath”), etc.

As we wrap up this current project I have been getting ready for the next major film project this coming spring or summer. Again, I have taken a producing role, getting information on locations for our next shoot, as well as various other things in preparation.

As you might remember, my degree is in Electronic Media and I spent a lot of time with video and film when I attended Moody Bible Institute. I am really interested in learning the different areas of filming and how the Lord can use short films to teach and prepare us for ministry in everyday life. At the end of this month I have been invited to attend a two-day film shoot here in central Florida. I will be assisting in whatever capacity is needed plus getting some first-hand experience in the filmmaking process.

When I’m not working directly on the spiritual breathing project I am doing other small projects, such as video editing and encoding.

I have been hoping to expand my skill sets and this looks like it may be a good fit for that. Thanks for all your prayers and your partnership. We are truly blessed.

First Time Blogger

Here is our attempt at blogging. We're hoping to be able to update it at least once a month, more as we go deeper into our ministry and love for God.

So.... Not much happening at the moment.