witnessing to hamlet

to pray or not to pray, that is the question...
that many young people in europe are faced with, although mostly on a subconsious level. so the jesus freaks are having a month of evangelism. to start it off, we are going to spend the weekend in copenhagen. well, not quite.. in christiania, really. if you don't know anything about it, then check out the wikipedia article i linked above.. (cate isnt responsible for content of links). there we will be staying with a few friends of mine in the old opera house. they are trying to start jesus freaks there, and we will be encourageing them and also helping to create a midnight church. i was there in 2004 for the heartcore school, and we also had midnight church- it was awesome! so i am looking forward to this trip. pray that people's hearts will be open!

viva CHRISTiania

screenshot

today i had another shoot, and was able to get three more great shots.... that means i am done with the filming stage of my film!! now i am just waiting for the post office to stop striking and bring me the material i am waiting for from LA. (no, i am not collaborating with spielberg or lukas.. but just as exciting... with mcmillan) i have also been uped in time to half an hour, because the other member of 361degrees bremen couldn't finish her project. so now... hmm... >still thinking about this one<

the cat and the button

in the jesus freaks movement, if we talk about sushi, it is less likely to be fish, and more likely to be the drug counselor, and my friend, from nuernberg. we had the priveledge of having him as our guest this week (and, although he was just comming to see me, we jumped on the idea to have him lead some seminars...) and talked to the hope house, the small groups, cate, and led a self-defence workshop.

i also had the advantage of having him shadow me around for most of the week, and give me feedback and a bit of practicle mentoring. he summed up our week today by saying, "well, you aren't doing anything that would really make me throw my hands over my head and scream." thats his version of a compliment. the button shown above was given to him at cafe chance, after i saw it and told the junkie wearing it that he was sitting next to sushi..

sushi left today, and i miss him already.

oh, and since our cat didnt get any of the sushi, we offered her the chance to hunt a piece of frozen salami...

it took awhile, but she caught it eventually..

crunch time

in case anyone is wondering what i am up to, and why they havent read about it.. well shoot, i'm on a shoot. thanks to some help i am getting from abroad (thanks murr and mike), i will be able to finish my film on time... and they definately also have been encourageing, which helps me to keep my nerves about me.. the next time i pitch an idea to anyone that involves over 30 locations, talk me out of it!!!

on the up side, i got some really great new shots this week (like an old russian couple playing chess and my elderly neihbor doing aerobics). and, i got an extension. unfortunately, its because the other person who was supposed to be producing the show with me backed out- on her 30 minutes!! so, i am trying to help figure out how to fill them. this has the added benefit, though, of meaning that my punker film from last year will now be aired on tv as well! :-) its about the only thingt i have thats broadcast worthy (my film from south africa can't be aired due to obvious religious slanting-- 1 cor 13 is read..).

this film has caused me to spend the past two days in various cities (bremen nord and achim).. and i forsee a few more such adventures....

art of worship

last night was the kneipenabend of the jesus freaks. this time we had our worship team playing, and invited the youth and young adults of another church to join us. at the back of the room we had an area with canvases and paints, and anyone who wanted to could paint. it was a laidback and fun evening. especially cool was that monique from koeln came for the weekend, and sergei and lena from verden came with some friends. my painting didnt turn out as well as thiers or mucks, but thats ok.

getting better...

things are looking up a bit on the film side of life..
today i got three very nice shots in within an hour, a pastor from an african church called to make an apointment (i left him a flyer everytime i passed by their church in the last month...), and a few people are helping me out from across the globe with shots (many thanks!!). o hopefully, i will be able to make this into a good film afterall.

i took to wearing a safety pin on my shirt again. anyone who knows me from cape town (or maybe only mike..) will remember that we did this during our final project, and called our group safetypin productions. vive los safetypins! it is more than just a little handy household item.. its a picture that was meant to remind us that God has everything under control. even when everything falls to peaces and slips like sand between our fingers out of our grasp, He is still there, and it is God that is holding everything together. so now my project has been rededicated to its origional purpose, i changed the title back to its real meaning, too. i call it "ebenbild." thats the german word for "image," and is outdated- i have only ever heard it used in context of "made in Gods image."

health wise i am getting better, too. the flu i had is almost completely gone, its down to only being little bit annoying when i sleep, because slime blocks my airways. as long as i am awake though i feel fine. give me a day or two and all will be well.

and our house issues are also doing better. i dont want to speak too quickly, but i think we may have a new roommate soon.. things will be clearer in a week or so, but i am hopeful. my new friend sergei was here this weekend and also shares our vision. i have already asked him to "babysit" next weekend as a sort of trial.. "babysit" because the rest of the house will be out of town, but willy is still living here. sushi, the drug counselor from nuernberg will also still be here, and now sergei, and i. i will also ask kruemel to stay here over the weekend. we said from the beginning, that we always want 3-4 people living in the house at all times when we have a guest, so that one person won't be overloaded. i'd be fine with just susji here, but it is a good opportunity for sergei to check us out. and hey, if we have that many guys visiting, then i want to get a girl to come over, too!

help cate

i have written a few times about my trouble with this film project.. well it continues. i was stood up again yesturday and going door-to-door today only got one film. grr. so, here my appeal on yall:

as i was praying tonight, i realized i know alot of people with video experience... maybe they can help. i dont know if yall have experience in this direction, but i would trust you have a little or maybe know people... here my apeal: (which takes longer to place that to fulfil!)

the project is a short film about cultural diversity. the concept is to show people of as many different cultures, ages, and socio-economic standing as possible for 30 seconds each, in their personal enviornment (home/work/school/club/whatever..) as they "watch" world news. i say "watch" because the tv should not be in the frame, nor the audio from the tv. instead, the illusion is to be created, that the film viewer is sitting inside these different peoples tv looking out at them- spying. when they change the channel, the picture changes to show a different person at a different place watching the same news. thus showing unity despite difference.

what i really need from you:
if you would be willing/able, to film 30-60 seconds of yourself or people you know and somehow send it to me (per email, a link to a website, cd-rom) within this week. the camera on a tripod, fixed angle, at about the height of a tv (this can vary based on location..i genarally just set up my camera in front of the peoples real tv, set on mute, so that they have a focal point). the people dont even necessarily need to watch actively, as many people do other things while the tv is on. they only need to be in the picture. some of the people i have filmed, for example, have done a puzzle, drank tea, cleaned up the room. there is no limit to what age they should be or how many people should be in the picture, thats entirely dependent on you (although i would love to see families and older people, as i mostly only found students here). important is that they use a remote to change the channel at some point. (this is the point i am using to cut between scenes). it would be great if there are people in traditional clothes or if there are cultural items in the room, but it must not be so.

i really hope some of yall will be able to help me! i will of course post the finished film online, so that all can see it. many thanks in advance
cate

take 2

sometimes the german language just works better. i titled this post "aufnahme-?!" on my german site. it's a great pun. but it doesnt work in englisch.

the first issue is that we are in the process of considering whether or not to take in the second junkie, michael. yesturday his counselor called because he doesnt know who else to turn to. today, through a small misunderstanding, he showed up to introduce himself. oops. we were trying to discuss it as a house first! anyway, the main problems are that he is in a wheelchair and has a dog. either would be a big deal on its own. and, he is still taking polametadon (heroin substitution from dr). he needs a place to stay two weeks, until his detox appointment. we are leaning towards saying it is more than we can handle, though, because willi is still here and i am preoccupied this week with the film. also, lillys mother is coming on the weekend, moerssl is celebrating his birthday, and i am going to be in and out of town and recieving company. yeah, we are busy...

the second topic is that i got 5 good scenes filmed today! one i had an appointment for (i didnt feel up to going bc of the flu, but hans came along as my grip, so i decided to tough it out). the others we went to the international dorm at the university and just knocked on doors. there are still 6 floors i could go to, but i needed to get back to bed... but at least now i do have hope that the film will work out!

(side note: my gram letter came today, too, which is really cool when sick...)

tricked 2

this morning i pulled myself outta bed, despite flu, and made my way 45 minutes across town with the streetcar, because i had a film appointment. arriving at the right house, with the right name on it, i was met at the door by the wrong person. this one didnt know anything about me or a film project, even though i had his name.. aparently someone thought it'd be funny to send me there.... so it was. yet again, a waste of my time. i am really starting to get frustrated. i only have a week left to finish..

tricked

i had a loooong day. it was supposed to be a film shoot day, but the first person gave me the wrong adress. so i rode the train for an hour, walked over a mile, and arrived in the middle of nowhere at a garden house thats for sale. super. then i had to go alll the way back to the train station, and take another bus and walk another mile to the second place. this lady was there, and i got a good 30 seconds of film, but all of her neihbors (who she had promissed to ask in advance) either had no time or didnt open their doors. i really dont know how i will be able to finish this film project. i have three scenes of 30 finished, have a week and a half till i need to turn it in. this is the big project, for tv.

salvation freaks

the next few days we have seven people from the salvation army-jesus freaks church in chemnitz staying with us. they are here to take part in the willow creek conference. i am especially psyched to see them, because i know most of them (2 really well, 2 a bit, and 1 claims i know him). chemnitz has also been a city i often visit, where i always feel rejuvenated after being there. i know they are a church strong in prayer, and we can use some of that right about now.

living proposal of change

this weekend was one of those those times in life that i will look back on and call a turning point. a dramatic event. full of impact. it was a living proposal of change. i dont really know words that describe it, so i am using this title as a poetic metaphor and hoping people understand me. as if a proposal has been handed in, this time not a load of paperwork, but a living element, a form declaring the intention to act and asking for the needed support. i feel this moment very clearly. usually, the major steps go by almost unnoticed. or, they require a change on the outside. i feel this new wind comming, but it isnt visable. i cant really describe it, but its awesome. and i am soaring on it.
i guess when i tell the story of where i was and what i did, it doenst seem all that exciting. so i will cut it down a bit (i wrote quite a bit on my german side, but no one understood why..)
basically, i went down to hessen to falkos 30th birthday party. there are several winds blowing in this story.. the first is that i rode in a car with some russian-germans, who falko has been trying to get me to meet for months. and while his reasons are good, and also i think from God, i discovered a few more reasons God knew and falko didnt... when i saw sergei walking towards the cafe i was waiting in, i knew it was him. i had no discription or picture to base this on, but it just seemed clear, as if i had known him forever. my connecting to this group is sure to prove important, lasting, and interesting.. the car ride with the three guys was one long theological discussion. one is from a very conservative church, the other two more generic.
the party was full of people- christian, those that tolerate us, and those who cant stand us. and it was a good mix. we took a "time-out" of the party and landed at the jesus freaks marburg jazz concert. so, added bonus, i met up with a few friends i hadnt expected to see. all in all it was a great night of promising conversation. here a few images:








sunday we headed for buchenau, the town falko grew up in, to have coffee and cake with his family. (they gave him a flat screen monitor...sound familiar??) i really like his family, so that was a great add-on. i asked the guys on the way home to stop off in gilserberg, where i once lived and worked. it was on the way, so no problem. they didnt really understand what i wanted there, but they were curious and let me. one advantage was it has the last private bathroom for the next 500km... but the main reason to stop was prayer. there is something about this region and this town that feels like my german home, and i wanted to just stop and give some of these issues of the weekend to God, there, at "home."
i wouldnt make my train from verden to hamburg anymore (well, maybe with a lot of rush and stress, but who needs that?) so sergei called a friend of his, lena, to ask if i could stay at her place over night. this was one of those plans, i think God had in store for me, that no one could have planned. we had a really great conversation, because she has some of the same things going through her mind that i do, but no one to talk to about them.
monday was spent in hamburg. i was supposed to be filming for campus for christus and meeting with the leader there, but he had to postpone, and the weather was no good. instead i spent time at stefen korths (the german that visited me in dallas a few years ago) and had a great fish dinner. then made the evening train to bremen (my ticket was good all day, too, so i saved money).
i guess i wasnt very specific in defining the title.. but maybe some of you can decern. there are a few keywords: falko, verden, theology, russia, film, hamburg. hehe. God is opening doors.

away

i am going to hessen for the weekend to visit falko- its his birthday!
then monday and tuesday i am meeting the campus crusade for christ team in hamburg to plan a film for them.
so.. i wont be back till wednesday, but then i'll write about it..

erntedank

this is the traditional german version of thanksgiving, except there are no pilgrims and indians, just martin luther and some thesis and the harvest. but jesus freaks aren't farmers. we are mostly creative people, though, so this year we brought good our creative harvest. these are a few of the pictures.. face masks, hand painting, story telling, painting, cartooning.... etc.