Dusting off the Documentary: Paths of Dust and Hope

It's a great day when I feel the urge to sit down at the computer and write about the documentary we've dusted off and began the process of completing. How time passes; with the best intentions we had honestly thought we'd be finished by now.

How It Started

It was the three musketeers Kevin Friesen, Greg Meeres and myself, all of us with an individual desire to travel to Africa and do something. I, Amy, had a connection to an organization called Iris Ministries that was going to let me stay with them in Mozambique and teach the kids HIV/AIDS education through drama. Kevin had gotten wind of a project orchestrated by Impact Nations to bring water filtration systems to Zimbabwe and was pursuing this venture. Greg, at this point came aboard, hearing our passion to dig our feet into these projects, it stirred in him an already existing desire to travel to Africa to document what God was doing and would do.

I remember meeting at the Wired Monk Coffee House in Kitsilano near where I used to live in April 2007 just before going back to Australia for a month in May. We poured out our ideas, our dreams, and vision for how the three of us could combine forces and somehow document what we were about to embark on. From here the three Musketeers united and launched the documentary Paths of Dust and Hope.

It was a faith journey of raising funds, working 14-hour days for some and collaborating constantly on what our story was going to look like. We decided that following two amateur missionaries into the wilds of Africa to take on an HIV/AIDS Education theatre program in Mozambique and activating water filtration systems in Zimbabwe was a good enough story. It had everything, the adventure, the humor, the unpredictability, the first hand glimpse of struggle and tribulation. It was gold! And so after some preliminary footage of Kev and I getting vaccinations, sharing our forethoughts on the steps of my old blue house and hosting a fundraiser with the help of our community, we embarked on a journey that we would never completely be prepared for.

The next part is the words of Greg Meeres written in December 2007 for the debut of a new Christian Magazine, In The World.

“WE HAD put almost eight months into planning all the details, and thought we were ready. But as the departure date for Kevin and I approached, those plans started to come apart.

With one phone call, our plans for Zimbabwe were tossed. The political climate there had reached a critical point and it was no longer safe for us to enter the country.

I was told, by a BBC colleague in South Africa, that a white man attempting to cross the border with a camera would face 50 years in prison. That’s a pretty long time without Hockey Night in Canada.

Around the same time, we learned from our missionary colleague

Amy Robinson that a ministry we were counting on to produce an HIV/AIDS theatre program in Mozambique had no resources to spare.

“You gotta be kidding,” we thought. All that planning, all that effort – for what?

Kevin and I frantically tried to force something together. But in the end, we took the advice of many around us and went to Mozambique without a plan.

“Trust in God,” they said. “His plans are always greater than our own.” Wouldn’t you know it? They were right.”

Indeed ‘they’ were right. By miraculous intervention, Kevin and I got connected with Jeff and Caryn Hakes, an American couple living in Massaca2 (there are actually five Massaca’s in the area), just outside Maputo, who were establishing and building a home of mentorship for young men coming out of the orphanage sub-culture, with no direction or support on how to integrate back into their society. They had fourteen young men under their mentorship and were teaching them everything from financial responsibility and management to how to be a good father. So many of the children in Mozambique have grown without father’s a theme we encountered in many of the boys and girls stories that lived in Jeff’s community. We spent the next month living under Jeff and Caryn’s roof and following the remarkable lives and project they had established.

As Greg continues:

“Instead of the HIV/AIDS education project, our focus became five stories of young men who are not only changing their lives, but are changing the face of their country.

It is through Jeff Hakes and the young men of Project Benjamin that I see hope for Mozambique. And it is through God that I see these men, and tell their stories. God had taken care of all the details; his plan was perfect.”

From the same article I then shared what we had experienced:

“The stories we captured rose up like a phoenix out of the ashes. We had no idea that the muddy waters of ideas and misconceptions were the exact thing we had to wade through to find the gold in the lives of these young men and women of Mozambique. The ‘fatherless generation,’ the first generation of educated Mozambicans, the joy of a nation bound by horrific cycles of poverty and sickness, all came through before the lens of our cameras.

We spent time with Admiro, our young law student, in Costa de Sol at the small village where he grew up. We spent time with Pedro at his college where he is studying engineering; we listened to his testimony, his hope to one day be the dad he never had, to be the father who never leaves.

We followed Calisto to the market, where Jeff was teaching him how to responsibly handle finances. We prayed with Seraphim to find the funds to build his first house, to provide a home for his future family.

We laughed with and eagerly listened to the profound words of Filomena’s poetry and her story of what it is to be a 22-year old woman in Mozambique. We sang with Maria, grandmother of many children abandoned by her own sons and daughters.

We clapped and shared the joy when we found out Almero passed his first semester of grade seven and when Verdiano graduated and became a certified mechanic.

And we cried when we saw and heard the broken hearts of our beloved brothers and sisters, and how desperately they wanted to see a better Mozambique for their children.

This is what the Lord has done. He works all things for good and never gives us anything he knows we can’t handle. And this is the story of the possible beyond the impossible.”

The Two Year Void

We arrived back into Vancouver from Africa February 2008 with the footage and a story we believed would change nations. However, a wave of doubt, discouragement and perhaps fear of failure slowly rose up, a giant to us and tossed the three of us in many different directions. Greg kept pursuing his film company Boldfish and working on other commercial and ministerial projects and for a time Kevin and I jumped on board to help. In this transition back into western life, Kevin and I got engaged and realized we needed to put all our effort and resources into saving for our future. In May 2009, Kevin and I were married and the journey of being newly-weds steered us further away. Sadly, months, then years passed and Paths of Dust and Hope became a memory, a twinge, a dusty silver medal…unspoken, we all just felt we didn’t have what it took to get the gold, and so we gave up.

Current Progress

Now, just over two years since Africa, we are now able to look back and see the wave of doubt and discouragement slowly ebb out to sea. We are not failures for we have not completely walked away. In fact both Greg and I felt strongly that God was constantly encouraging us to keep pursuing the completion of this project with the same scripture, received a year apart, Matthew 25:21 “…You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities.”

PODAH, is our ‘small amount’ and as we faithfully complete this project we will be given and entrusted with greater responsibilities within film, something we all have great passion for!

About six months ago, I began the arduous task of transcribing every word and thought we captured. Twenty plus tapes and perhaps 25 plus hours of footage! This first step to creating a story-arc has just recently been completed with celebration. And, in two days the three of us will meet to map out the story-arc and begin an intense editing process. Our goal is by the end of September to have Paths of Dust and Hope completed. It’s possible we may need more footage but that’s a bridge we will cross if it comes and by editing what we have, we will gain greater clarity to whether or not extra footage is necessary.

Throughout this last two years, Kevin has remained in contact with the Benjamin project and been updated with the successes and trials they continue to walk through. Some of the boys have graduated high school, finished degrees, one is married and Seraphim’s house is built! It’s been talked of that to capture where the boys are at now would be powerful, so for now, this door remains open.

The Next Step

Complete the story-arc. Edit the footage to match and support the story. Add a score. Add voice-over where needed. Add in visual effects where needed. See if more footage is needed. Done.

Our hope is that we are at the bare minimum just able to get the stories of these young men out there to our communities, to share and inspire those around us the victory they have of overcoming incredible odds and rising up to change their nation.

At a maximum effect, Paths of Dust and Hope will hit the silver screen and pierce the hearts of millions who are inspired to travel to Africa to start more Project Benjamin’s and mentor up young men and women who long to change the face of their nation.

I hope this has been an adventure for our readers and supporters. As we continue down this Path…of Dust and indeed HOPE, we will keep you all posted on the great things to come.

God Bless!

Appreciating April

Hello Again!

Before we get started, does anyone have any idea where that wee spurt of summer warmth went just recently? I'm open to suggestions and scientific explanations, as I sit here at the computer wearing Ugg boots....

Beginning this month with the festivities of Easter was wonderful as we took time to reflect and rejoice what it means to believe in Jesus Christ, the greatest man that ever lived. In fact there are some incredibly moving and non-cheesy short films and videos of His story and what it means to millions of us around the globe to follow His ministry, on Tangle, here’s the link, if anybody’s interested.http://www.tangle.com/

In the midst of Easter we had probably three birthdays, a time of transitioning out of construction for Kevin and shortly after another Restoring the Foundations Seminar at a neighboring church. Looking back the hardest part was adjusting to the sudden loss of job for Kev, as his boss decided to fold his company for a better offer. This is where the faith gets tested and we must realize that God can open and close doors beyond what we ever could and that as we trust Him, our provision and direction remains in tact. And now at the end of this month of April branching into May, we both are witnessing some incredible new opportunities and direction emerge in our lives.

Toward the end of April things got interesting with my birthday and a Ladies Clothing Swap at our church on the same day. I was not at all disappointed that for part of my birthday I had to look through piles of gently used and fantastic clothes – and yes, I scored a new wardrobe as a gift! Kevin being the amazing husband that he is also organized a surprise party for me on the Friday night before with a bunch of our friends from all walks of life. Young and old came to celebrate and enjoy a drizzly BBQ and treats in honor of my 28^th Birthday – it was truly a heart-warming experience and one of the best birthdays yet. I also was showered with gifts and cards from family from afar which again filled up the love tank! So thank you all for your wishes and love.

Until May.....xNow as most of you know the interesting part of this time of year is the proximity of my birthday to Kevin’s and our wedding anniversary to his birthday. Each is one week apart to the day! This year being our first year of marriage has been a great year to nut out all the kinks and grasp new family values around special events. And it seems that so far so good, there hasn’t been any huge competition around who does more for who’s birthday or the need to make it a huge spectacle etc and to be completely honest, the simpler the better. We’ve figured out that we both just really enjoy hanging out with each other, being in nature, watching a movie over some yummy food or hitting Montana’s for some ribs and cornbread! Oh, and don’t forget the good ole’ Saturday cook-ups – pancakes, eggs, bacon and beans! It doesn’t gezt much better than that, well if the sun starts coming out and warming our city, it would probably influence the Saturday ratings.

Less than one week away from our One Year Anniversary, we are both super excited to share some of the highlights of married life with you…except you’ll have to wait until May’s Blog to read it! It must be kept in chronological order guys!

March-ing On!

hello hello!

yes, i am very aware that this blog is overdue! oh dear! my good intentions of posting quite near the beginning of each month has slid this time, but after a quick pep-talk from my good friend patti (blogging-pro) i've grabbed the opportunity this sunny friday afternoon to fill you all in.

march was busy, hectic, exciting, and indeed just blew past us, into april! we kick started the month off with the restoring the foundation conference at our church, which had almost 100 people come out to dig deep, clean out the crap and receive healing to areas they never knew had held them back all these years. it's always exciting to see the 'a-ha!' moment in people, including ourselves, when it comes to revelation and insight as to why we hurt and act and do the things we do.

following this event, was a weekend away to visit the newest nephew in the paradis clan -marc. he was a whopping two weeks old and cute as a button!

he reminded me of a little koala, balled up and snuggling into the

arms of his parents and proud uncle! it was incredible to see this new arrival into the established family of five and how the adjustments are taking place with the other three boys, charlie, liam and john. all, may i add are proud and protective big brothers. it was indeed a blast to catch up and spend a short but sentimental time with family and meet our new nephew.

toward the end of march, the friesen team took off to vernon to visit mark and heather and their growing brood, caleb and new born connor. i personally think their is a baby-boom in british columbia right now, and no it hasn't hit the friesen household yet! another great time of r&r in the okanagan and luckily were able to celebrate marks birthday with him and meet some new albertan friends along the way. of course there was time for a pit stop in chase to see dad friesen and bridgette and gaze out over the gorgeous little shuswap lake. and yes, we scored some more moose meat! i have learned that moose meat chilli done in the slow-cooker is amazing....especially with chic peas in replacement of red kidney beans.

now the sad part of march hit us when we arrived back from our weekend away, to our cat rax, having a near-death experience brought on by his bladder. it was the day before good friday and kev and i awoke to a wailing, hissing and groaning cat that could hardly walk and kept looking for dark places to hide. i later realized this was rax's way of letting us know he was trying to die if he could just get on with it, but we came to the rescue with an emergency vet visit.

what we didn't realize was that rax's bladder was just about to burst and if we didn't consent to a catheter at that moment, it may have killed him. the life of this cat is never dull!

(rax actually now has only seven lives left). so three days later, after easter we picked up the little gaffer with a shaved bum, drugged up and with a leaky system. i spent all monday running around the house 'odor-eating' the patches of carpet rax would sit on momentarily. praise god his system got back to normal within a few days! one of the highlights of rax's recuperation was the need to be close to kev and i, to the point of sitting in kev's jeans as he went to the toilet! classy rax, very classy. bath time too was also fun!

some other highlights of march have included a surprise birthday party for our texan friend cyndi, who was indeed thoroughly surprised by all the crew piled into bernie and rusty's living room shouting at her. her son elijah's birthday party at the laserdome followed soon after and brought out the kids and big kids for a game of laser tag. hard core stuff, mind you.

amidst all the happenings kev and i have been first-home hunting with mixed feelings and results. the jury is still out on whether or not we will buy in the next few months. so 'home' is still community living at the house with pete and rob luke (fresh from oz this month). and the truth be told, we love it.

and i am excited to announce that there been a huge dent made in the transcribing of our documentary -paths of dust and hope this month, with over 90% finished, we will soon be editing this incredible footage of a story that needs to be told, if for no other reason but to honour god and his call to greg, kevin and myself to capture and share what his people in africa are doing. in fact i will be posting a separate blog for podah, shortly, giving those of you the update on what, where and why this exists at all!

has until next time, we send our love, hugs and high-fives to wherever you are on this planet earth.

k & a

February in the Friesen Community

Hello All!

Yes I am

writing this the day after

the Winter Olympics has finally wrapped up in our city of Vancouver for 2010 and

even the cherry blossoms flower early in celebration. Canada amazingly has raked in

the highest bounty of gold medals ever recorded. And what a fantastic game to end the grand Olympic event – the Men’s Gold Medal Hockey game, won in an over time of sudden death, with Crosby whizzing the puck stealthily past the USA into the net and well, the rest is history! There were flags waving, horns honking, people cheering on the streets as we left our friends home yesterday afternoon and drove home surrounded by an air thick with Cana

dian spirit. Oh, Canada.

February is our shortest month, yet never the slowest. It seems Kevin and I have managed to make the most of the last 28 days and not slowing down for March.

Our biggest excitement has been the new arrival of nephew number four – Marc Paradis, born Feb 24^th 2010. Camille triumphed, delivering Marc into the world, a whopping 9 lbs 4 oz! Yes I am impressed and cringing at the same time. I am praying God will have mercy on me and let my first child enter in at around 7 lbs – here’s hoping!

Febraury also brought in a great victory for the New Orleans S

aints NFL team this year at the Superbowl. Cyndi our Texan friend, Jess, Kevin, Ernie (also originally from Texas) and Merrilyn all piled into their living room to watch the game over red beans and rice and beinets (french donuts). It was quite the game and of course we were all were super happy Greg Brees the Christian quarterback of the Saints got to give thanks to God and bring the glory back to our incredible author and finisher of our fate. Does God like NFL? I think so!

As part of wanting to be a little spo

ntaneous and adventurous this month, Kev and I decided to go horse riding in Abbotsford one weekend. It was the perfect country getaway for the city-slickers, and of course I ended up with Phoniex, a cantankerous old horse who lik

es to be in front and take his own path or else the butt of the horse in front will get bitten! Kev’s horse Monty, was the victim of some bum-biting at various times throughout our ride. We even got to canter on the horses at the end, which was quite exciting for me, who has ridden only once and been terrified by horses. I overcame – yippee! Kev was an old pro, a cowboy on the ranch from way back – what a stud!

And on the home front, we had to say goodbye to our dear friend Jojo this month, as he was deported back to Germany after a fiasco of trying to line up work in Canada, to no avail and of course no mercy was given at the border and lets just s

ay in seven days, Jojo had cleaned out his room, handed over his keys and gifted me his car. It was a sad and sudden departure but as we all feel, not the last time we’ll see our crazy German friend.

If anyone’s on Facebook, Jojo apparently is an excellent farmer!

Disclaimer: I personally do not endorse Farmville, or encourage consecutive hours at ones computer harvesting tomatoes or finding ugly ducks.

And as one dear friend leaves, another arrives. Yes, Rob ‘Shanks’ Luke is in town and he brought the vegemite from Australia! G’Day Robbo! Yes infact I have just come back from greeting him as he is now living upstairs in Jojo’s room. Rob Ting, Eleni, Elias, Pete, Kev and myself were all treated to a little Aussie Kangeroo Jerky. Yes, it exists, some company had thought upon this as a good thing. Let us tell you – it’s not. Not after Tikka Masala and Beef Rendang, anyways. But the fantails, minties and timtams were fine. All Aussie treats for the sweet tooth, which unfortunately and possibly for the long-term fortunately, Kevin and I do not gorge on since switching to a lifestyle of no sugar. Well, no artificial sugars – honey counts!

Well, that’s February and it’s full steam ahea

d in March as we kick off this weekend with the Restoring the Foundations course that Kev and I went down to the States to do last January. Wayne and Marilyn are coming up to Vancouver to host a weekend conference at our church and what we thought was going to be a more intimate weekend is no

w at nearly 100 people. We definitely will have our hands full as we help on the team of ministering to the crowd. Keep us in your prayers!

The Friesen New Year Update

Howdy All!

Of course new years greetings are in order, and we both

hope you are kicking off 2010 with positive reformation.

Christmas was spent at home this year, in our cosy Vancouver ground floor suite, decorated with tree and stockings

above the rarely used fireplace. Incase your wondering there two reasons why

the fireplace hasn't been used. Firstly, the ventilation is poor

and the smoke doesn't get sucked up the chimney properly. Secondly, the temperatures here in Vancouver this winter have been unusually warm, with most days above 5 degrees, so we haven't needed the extra firery warmth.

Just before New Year, Kevin and decided to getaway to the Sunshine Coast for wee time-out and soak up the splendour of God's marvellous nature. Our accommodation was nestled into Pender Harbour a quaint little community amidst the foggy hills and marina of still wate

rs and sailboats. It was a breath of fresh air and a moment of connecting to the rawness of the natural surrounds.

We shared New Years with some wonderful adopted family playing Scrabble and writing words like woot snarf in the Cranium Story Book belonging to Jeremy, our quasi-nephew. And although almost every New Years Eve for Kevin and myself has been centered around a rumbunctio

us socializing event, we determined that this year we wanted to keep it intimately low-key, and not even too concerned with counting down the seconds to yet another year. And may I say we both enjoyed our choice immensely, slow dancing in the living room to one of our favourite bands Delerious.

A few changes have crept into the Friesen Empire this last month, with Kevin taking on a new full-time job i

n construction, training to be Foreman on site. The workload has definitely taken some getting used to with 630am alarms and 8-10 hr days engaging in heavy labor. Of course I've found enjoyment in this transition by packing lunches and writing notes on sandwich bags aaand occasionally crawling back into bed for an extra hour of sleep! What?! One day the empire will expand and lets just say I am taking my liberties as they come!

I am still teaching ESL at a private college for Chinese and Taiwanese students and have been enjoying the opportunity to not only improve the students english but refine mine as well! It can never hurt having good diction when you speak, trust me, pronunciation and grammar truly is crucial to one's success in this crazy world.

Recently Kevin and I have engaged in praying more intensely for our church and what we believe is "preparing the field" for great things to come within our community and also within our personal lives. The message of being ready to receive the rain that waters our field has been strongly influencing our attitudes of late and challenging us to step up and out in faith that God is truly bigger and more capable than us; a heavenly Father with a desire to bless his children. The neat part is, is when we chose to start actively applying this to our life, things started to change in positive measure. I was asked to share my testimony at a Women's Brunch for ladies in the community, which may I say was a great and humbling experience, as I shared the heart of who I was with women who connected and supported fully the pains and victories in my life. Simultaneously, our women's ministry at the church is starting to take root and grow, although at grass roots level, it is obvious we've planted an oak tree seed and well, you know how big oak trees are once fully grown! Kevin has also experienced growing opportunities to help and encourage men in the workplace and within our community, with

positive results. Apparently the construction site has never sounded so 'family-friendly'!

The Young Adults Group in our community has been experiencing similar movements, with an urgency on wanting to be in a place to reach out to those in need and share God's love with them, preparing who we are and our church as a place where people can come and receive love, acceptance, not being judged but encountering the blessings of community. It's cool to see how so much of our vision is connected throughout our youth and elders, leaders and congregation and knowing that God really is at work with getting his people ready to be authentic and real so that we may share true relationship with each other. We were born for such a time as this!

A few extra highlights of the last month have been watching Terminator Salvation with Jojo and Rob, while Jojo laughs inappropriately at scenes we all remained sombre throughout.

Drumming and singing with the band at church, I 'm drumming, Kev's singing and well, two trained actors on stage with microphones and sticks is never dull, just ask our Worship Leader Suseh! Ice-skating with the crew. Dancing with Marcus, Kev and all the kids at church one Sunday, while Suseh rocked out a double encore for us! Welcoming back Eleni from her long and splendid global adventures with the African Children's Choir. Taking my other quasi-nephew Josiah who is just shy of two year old to starbucks and letting him ask for a steamed soymilk. Way too cute! Catching up with our dear friends Mark and Heather and their growing clan of Maillets, the new born Connor, is just precious and a spitting image of his Dad. Going to see Avatar with Jojo, who yet again laughed inappropriately throughout the 3-D movie experience. But the Flying Wedge pizza we smuggled in made up for it, even though I couldn't see the dipping sauce. Oh, and our cat Rax has not failed to amp up the cuteness for January, yes even when licking his butt, Rax is cute. End of story.

We are hoping to be a little more diligent with our updates, but just know if ou don't hear from either of us in a while, it's not because we don't love you...it's more likely because we have gotten sidetracked with life, as we all know, 'Life Happens!'

Be blessed and laugh more if you haven't already in the last 24 hrs,

Kev and Ames

Christmas Cheer from the Friesens

Make a Smilebox greeting

Greece: The Island Edition

Good Afternoon Wonders of

Creation!

The Island Edition a la Greece has arrived for your viewing and I am just thankful I got it done before 2010!

Here are some of the photographic delights from the Islands.

The top three are from the Isalnd of Aegina, just off the mainland near Athens. Quaint yet gorgeously coloured and oozing with g

reek island charm, we loved our short time of solitude in Aegina. As you can see it is very much a fishing village, with many boats being the 'office/store' for locals businesses.

The next three are all from the Island of Corfu nestled to the North near the coast of Albania and surrounded by the Ionian sea, which you see Kev immersed in. We shared a week in a gorgeous little apartment with Ernie and Merrilyn and enjoyed some of the windiest and dangerous roadtrips I have ever been on, through narrow

greek streets and olive groves. But praise God, we survived to tell the tales!

There were moments where building a primitive beach hut from scratch was necessary to hold back the scorching sun and swarm of greek wasps that apparently were very attracted to Canadians.

We even got to hire a scooter for a day and take a tour of the gorgeous little villages and beaches, settling in Sidari a tourist town, for a quick bite of souvlaki's the size of footballs.

Speaking of food. Kev and I had some of the best Mousakka and Carbonara ever tasted here on Corfu. Ernie and Merrilyn can testify to that!

Our last week in Greece was spent on the geographically rare island of Santorini. An island formed by the crater of a volcano, which I was hoping would at least puff, a little whilst we were there, but no. The last three pics are of us and some of the uniquely Santorini moments we experienced. The donkeys, lined up and waiting in droves on the steep and winding cobbled roads for tourists to pay ten euro for a ride. The black sanded beaches from the ancient volcanic lava flow down the mountain side and the deep blue scenery and white stucco buildings, all etched in our minds as one of the most beautiful places on earth.