beautiful are the messengers

Back in Germany

2012-01-06T14:55:00.004-05:00

Hey Everyone! We are finally back in Herrnhut, after an amazing time back in the states with family, friends, and supporters! We really have been struggling financially for a few months, and so we really took some time to pray into finances, and really seek out more partners for our ministry. God has been answering and we are so excited to see what else He is going to do! We have added new supporters and we are just really excited for this year of ministry!

We arrived in Herrnhut on Tuesday, and on Wednesday we started staff training for the Discipleship Training School that starts in a week! WOW! It's been so busy!!! CRAZY! But it's already been a great three days of training, brainstorming, and praying that God really shakes things up with this DTS. We are really interested in seeing a physical manifestation of the kingdom of God in this school. We want to be challenged, and to disciple our students to live lives worthy of their calling! We all can work on that no matter how long we've been followers of Jesus!

Anyways, back to our time at home! Thank you so much for all of you who support us in prayer, finances, and relationships....you all really are a huge part of our ministry! Our time in Michigan was amazing, it excited us for coming back here and really empowered us in our role in ministry here. We are so STOKED! We love you all and more updates to come!

_Don't Forget I'm Helpless_

2011-11-19T12:54:00.002-05:00

Arise O Lord

Lift up your eyes

Don't forget I'm helpless.

Oh you lead me to waters and pastures so green

Oh you pour out your oil and choose goodness and mercy for me.

No, I will not be in want.

You're with me

I will not fear.

You comfort me

I will not fear.

Humility is something I forget.

What are we without God?

Whether it's a lack of finances, an abundance, a mediocrity.

Whether it's a lack of faith, an abundance, or a lukewarm amount.

What does it mean for me to really want...or to not be in want?

He sends the rain for all. The righteous and unrighteous alike.

His mercy is great. We are consumed by it. And thank God for that.

_The Kingdom of God_

2011-11-03T05:52:00.004-04:00

For all of those who read this blog, I'd love to get some audience participation on this post!

What is the Kingdom of God?

What does it look like?

Where is it?

When is it coming?

How will we know when it is here?

How Many Slaves Work For You?_

2011-10-27T08:18:00.006-04:00

Today, I was perusing the internet and I found this amazing site...I think every single person that reads this should check it out, read the info, and take the survey. I did, and while it is not 100% accurate and comprehensive, it is amazing...and challenging. Read all the facts, it's put together quite well, with humor to balance the heaviness of the current global situation!

Head over to Slavery Footprint to get sandblasted with information!

This information is not aimed to make you feel bad. It is to empower us all to make a difference in our world!

_Culture's Sickness__

2011-10-26T16:25:00.003-04:00

It's time we reject the culture of success.

Let's embrace a culture of faith.

After all, Jesus called us to be faithful, not successful.

At first I thought, "Well that's great news! It's hard to be successful!"

And then I thought about what it meant to really be faithful.

Then I understood why we as humanity and the church have such a hard time with faith.

It's easier (in a way) to do our own thing, work hard, and try to make it on our own.

This isn't aimed at those who are successful, only those of us who chase success.

Often times it takes us in the opposite direction of faith.

That's my experience with it at least.

Let's redefine success.

Let's call it what it is.

If we live a life of faith, Jesus defines our lives as successful.

If we live a life of success and are void of faith in God, we isolate ourselves, and are working for nothing. All of our success can't buy us happiness, hasn't bought us happiness, it can't get us love, and it won't make us content. So let's be faithful. I'm ready to jump right in after those who have discipled me and showed me. So let's go together! Faithful is the new successful.

If you don't believe me:

Check out how short Jesus ministry was, but the impact it created because of his faithfulness to God. (not to mention it ended up getting him killed)

Check out the apostles and how they were martyred, considered heretics and fools, and the legacy and faith they have left behind.

Extremely unsuccessful lives in the eyes of the empire mark the most faithful and successful lives in the Kingdom of God.

No Justice, No Peace_

2011-10-25T07:56:00.009-04:00

Without God, there is no justice. God IS justice.

Without God there is no peace. God IS peace.

Without God, there is no freedom. God IS freedom.

Without God, there is no hope. God IS hope.

Serving in a missions organization whose focus is on poverty and justice, it is always a welcomed reminder that we can't bring justice. God brings that...and we don't BRING God, God is already there. He is already where we are going. It is our job to try and point people to Him. We can't bring peace on our own. We can only show the peace Christ has showed us. There is no lasting peace if Christ is not in it. It is just a lull between the storms. We cannot bring freedom apart from Christ, because without Christ, oppression still reigns. Without Christ, we cannot give hope. There is no hope without the message of Jesus. It helps to remind me that we are in love with Jesus as a family, and that's why we are here. We always knew it, we never stopped believing it, it's just sometimes good to speak it out. The only reason we do what we do with any certainty that it helps at all, is because the things we want to see happen are ONLY possible through Jesus Christ.

_Denying the Resurrection_

2011-10-23T12:52:00.008-04:00

Tunisia: May 2011

2011-10-14T14:11:00.024-04:00

As most of you already know, in May I was able to go to Tunisia with a good friend Sean Rogers. We had been really challenged to try and help out in some way with the refugee situation in North Africa due to the Libyan conflict. We heard that Tunisia had the largest amount of refugees, and so we found cheap tickets and flew down there. To give you a picture of how last minute this trip was: we booked it saturday night and we left at 5am sunday morning...CRAZY! What follows are some pictures and I will caption each one to give you a run through of where God led us in the two weeks we were there.

{Tunisian Mosque In Chenini [near Tataouine]}

{Sean Rogers in Chenini}

{A friend we made- Guardiane

of the mosque in Chenini}

{This mosque used to be a Berber Christian church

before the Islamic reform in Northern Africa}

{Desert}

{Sean from a cliff overlooking the mosque}

{Sandstorm on the Libyan border

in the Choucha refugee camp}

{Desert on the way to the refugee camp}

{Traditional Berber woman in Toujane

[notice the tattoos on face]}

{Berber woman}

{We were able to take photos

of them and send them prints}

{It was the first time they had

portraits taken of them, affirming

their beauty}

{Our guide named Fatti. The women

pictured above are his aunts}

{Goat in the village of Toujane}

{The only road in Toujane}

{Hours after refugee camp

Choucha was burned to the ground}

{Tunisian people from a nearby

village came and beat refugees

and destroyed thousands of tent

homes}

{Just burning blankets and bare tent

poles remained of the refugees belongings}

{Tents were looted the next day by

the people who burned them down}

{NGO's tents were not spared}

{The school in the camp was

targeted most deliberately}

{Children were rummaging through burnt

school supplies hours after the attacks}

{The school was burnt in an

attempt to get the refugees removed

from the area and to a different location}

{The local residents were upset by the slowing of

commerce due to protests on the main road

between Tunisia and Libya}

{More of the remnants of

the UNICEF school}

{Smoke from the tents filled the air as refugees

walked around in a daze, not quite sure what had

just happened and trying to cope with becoming refugees

once again, inside of a refugee camp}

Thank you for supporting us and allowing me to serve/ volunteer in places where people really need help! We couldn't do it without you! If you would like to support us, you can click our paypal button to the top right, or contact us directly @ rjwojton@gmail.com

1st Video Update!

2011-10-13T07:32:00.007-04:00

Hey Everyone! I hope you enjoy our first update, they will get better with time...we promise!

1st Video Update! from Jeanette Wojton on Vimeo.

_What A Song Does to Stir My Soul_

2011-10-11T16:29:00.004-04:00

This song, this video, stirs something in my soul, in the soul of my family (even Judah), and I hope it stirs something in your soul too.

Check out John Mark Mcmillan's other songs.

__Return to the Blogosphere_

2011-10-09T12:49:00.017-04:00

When I am forced to think, forced to evaluate, forced to look past my own plans and desires, I see what's been around me all the time. In the last few months I have begun to understand the enormous privilege it is to be a husband, a father, a friend. I guess I always knew it was a privilege, but I think I have begun to uncover a deeper sense of what the aforementioned titles actually involve. I have been wrestling with big questions, with little questions, with insecurities about callings, everyday activities, and future plans. I've been asking God some questions...maybe it's more honest to say I have been questioning God in some areas of my life. I think calling it questioning God is more appropriate for a couple of reasons:

1. I think we all question God in areas of our lives at times, whether big or small questions, they are questions all the same.

2. I think we are afraid to call it what it is, and I think it's time we are honest with ourselves at least.

I have written and thought before about a faith that doesn't allow or force questions...that's not a faith that I want. I guess the reason I have been questioning is because I have put myself in a situation, or God has placed me in a situation where instability seems to be the only stable thing around. It forces me to wonder, to question, and inevitably, to dive head first into what is either going to be the ocean of God's grace or the unforgiving, cruel, god-less world we live in. I guess if I had to give a one word title to the stage of life I have been in over the past few months, it would be SALVAGE. In this time, when questioning situations, I have found myself doing different "maker" projects. I've been able to talk it out with God while building with salvaged wood, usually from pallets. It's been a form of therapy where I can get away...kind of like a "Question and Create" time with God. I think the big questions I was asking, were already answered by God long ago. They were nothing new, just honest, desperate questions about life, poverty, death, and hope. I had questions of the theology of the church (man) and what the TRUTH (GOD) actually had to say about it. I questioned the fact that God would always provide what I needed when 29,000 Somali children have died of famine in the last 3 months. That was a big question for me. I felt to say He would take care of me was arrogant, because why would he feed me and not them...I was upset by thinking that this theology of provision was just so EASY...a cop out if you will. I listened to God. I listened to friends. I listened to my wife.

I think I have learned a little bit about life, only a little bit. This particular question may never be answered in my time on this earth to a extent that is satisfactory to me. I'm okay with that. For now. Below are some photos of the things I have created since August. I present to you:

SALVAGE.

An expirement in restoration of soul by creating through materials destined to be discarded...a poetic interpretation of life and the sorts.

{Before}

{After}

{Stecil Spray-Paint on Wall}

{Frame Built From Pallet}

{Pallet Reassembled, Sanded, Painted, Stenciled)

March Newsletter!

2011-03-22T17:47:00.005-04:00

To participate in our coffee fundraiser, please go to this link and buy the coffee with our photo next to it! Its a bolivian/ nicaraguan blend, and its DELICIOUS! Delicious Coffee Here!

Wojton Newsletter December + January

2011-01-09T22:27:00.006-05:00

Wooooo hoooo...we got ourselves a KID!

2010-11-29T17:18:00.006-05:00

Hey Y'all!

Its been a while, like usual!

So much has happened since I last updated. Jeanette and I celebrated the birth of our son, Judah Ryan Wojton on Sunday, October 24th at 3:02 am.....And we haven't looked back since! We are planning on moving to Germany in March to staff a Youth With a Mission base and to work with income generation projects in North Africa and South Asia.... our main focus is to use creativity and art as a way to combat extreme poverty in communities in these regions. We are raising support right now, and are currently living in Grand Haven, Michigan. If you are interested in partnering with us financially, please contact us at rjwojton@gmail.com. We could really use your support!

Parenthood is probably the greatest thing Jeanette and I have stepped into yet...it's an amazing journey. We pray that this child would know God like we can only dream of knowing Him....and that he would be the voice of a new generation of Christ followers, ushering the kingdom of God to the broken places and speaking truth into places of confusion.

GO CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE! ORDER PRINTS IF YOU WISH...

Also, if you are so inclined by the Spirit, we have a very lonely paypal button to the left....

push it and make it feel important! WE love you ALL. Be Well. and stay thirsty.

Ryan

Update and Website!

2010-09-03T09:44:00.002-04:00

Hello all!

I know this blog has been neglected since we have returned back home for a while. But as most of you should know, we are expecting our first child, a boy, in October! So, we are hanging out back home for a while before our next steps. We are planning on moving to Germany in February, and are just in the process of building up relationships back home and connections. We still are working with YWAM and it is a full time volunteer position, but like all YWAM workers, we must raise all of our own support! If you feel like you would like to support us in our journey to spread the message of love and hope to those affected by extreme poverty in North Africa and South-East Asia while providing physical help through income generation projects! We love you all and thank you so much for your support up until now! While I have been neglecting the blog, Jeanette and I have been creating a website to promote our photography! We would love it if you all would visit and let us know what you think! The address is: www.beautifulmessengers.com

Thank you all, and God Bless!

Ryan and Jeanette

India Update!

2010-05-01T01:33:00.010-04:00

{Biker on a lonely road in India}

Hey Everyone!

Sorry it has been so long since the last post, but we have been really busy, exhausted, and jet lagged! When we last wrote, we were headed out to India, unsure of almost anything we were about to encounter, but excited about the adventure. Well, we made it! And boy oh boy was it an adventure!!! It was an eye-opening experience for us as well!

I will tell you, it may possibly have been the hardest ten days of our lives! We were TOTALLY unprepared and out of our element! But at the same time, God brought us through with total health, and more marvelously than I could have envisioned. We want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your prayers and support through all of this!! I cannot stress enough the power of prayer... and we really felt it!

We were actually in India volunteering with an organization (Epic International) that has a system of indigenous church planters throughout the whole country (BIG country!). We were documenting their progress and doing photo stories for the people who are really putting it all on the line for Jesus...to try and gain a campaign for more support for them... so we had Indian hosts and translators taking us from place to place. We knew it was going to be pretty rural, we didn't know HOW rural though...

{workers harvesting in Bihar}

So the first stop for us was a region called Bihar. This was a ten hour drive we had to make the day after we flew into Siliguri...but it was really amazing. We took off really early in the morning with our liaison, Jinooy, and we were able to stop whenever we wanted to take pictures and investigate the area. We were able to drive through the country and really see everything and experience it all, which we really enjoyed. I must say, we were not prepared for how many people dwell in India, even in the MOST remote places. There are 1.2 billion people living in India..this means 1 out of every 6 people on the planet, live in India and are Indian. This is INCREDIBLE...there are people EVERYWHERE!!! No matter where you are there is a highly populated town center with shops, markets, etc.... and while you drive around, all you see is rice paddies, wheat fields, and rows of corn. Everything has been torn down to make room for agriculture...it's hard to believe that we were driving through a land that was once wild and formidable...inspiring things like the Jungle Book to be written! It's all flat...kind of sad, but I guess when you have 1.2 billion people living in your country you have to have a ton of agriculture to support that.

The weather at this point was about 110F to 115F every day. The humidity was pretty high also. It was amazing. NOT! And it just got hotter and hotter, take my word for it! So we got to Bihar, and after a series of unfortunate events, ended up in the worst "hotel" ever....we mean that...ever. Please understand, I am not complaining, only giving you the uncensored truth. We were praying our hearts out to the Lord for health.... that night we didn't sleep...at all. The room we were in had a mosquito infestation...and we were trying to get rid of them to no avail. When we finally could take it no more and decided to get up and shower (3:30 am)....we found out we had been getting bit WAY more than we thought. Jeanette had 57 mosquito bites....ON HER FACE! I had mosquito bites on my eyelids, end of my nose, and lips....plus we had them all over the rest of our bodies. Needless to say, after that kind of a night, we were a little hesitant....Okay, we were a lot hesitant. We didn't know how we were going to do it. Our spirits were down, and we just could not see an end in site. It seemed like that ten days would never end. We met amazing people and heard great stories, got great pictures, and learned so much...but for some reason, our time in Bihar was just TOUGH! Well, as we left, we talked with a person in the organization, and found out that Bihar is nicknamed, "The Missionary Graveyard"....and there was a lot of spiritual oppression that was really bringing us down. As soon as we got out of Bihar, a weight was lifted....and then we hopped on a train to West Bengal...for another adventure!

{Hindu Monk on the Road to Bihar}

Thank the Lord, the accommodations (though not always great) were very liveable and fine for us the rest of the way. We really didn't expect anything nice, it was just good to be able to sleep! Our liaison into West Bengal met us on the train from Bihar to Kolkata... his name is Asish and he is one of the greatest people we have ever met. He is a man with a great passion and drive to see his fellow people (especially the people of West Bengal) free from oppression and idolatry... Hinduism has a very hard hold on the entire country, and Islam is also growing...creating some obvious tension and dynamics to the land. But in a land dominated by Hinduism, Christianity (I mean the real, radical, live your faith type of Christianity) is spreading like wild-fire...Some of the people we met in Bihar and West Bengal have suffered so much hardship because of their conversion. Often times the only family they have known, their village community, has cast them out, cut them off, and burned their crops and livelihood. We have sat and prayed, wept, and broke bread with these quiet revolutionaries... these people who grasp what Jesus said with such a simplicity it is astounding. It makes so much sense when Jesus said we should come to Him with hearts like children....they just get it, and it's beautiful. When they have nothing less, they have Jesus, and that is all they need. Sometimes it's so hard for us to realize that...its hard for us to test it and to experience it, because we would never let ourselves come that....close....to Jesus. So close to Him, that we don't have anything else holding us up...nothing but Him... think about how your relationship with your parents might be different if you never had truly depended on them for anything....or if you have kids, how your relationship with your kids would be different if they never depended on you... I believe it is the same with our relationship to God.... and these people just don't struggle with that. It is life-changing to see people who have absolutely NOTHING to lose, go after God. It changes things. It's more than their Sunday ritual...it shapes their life, because when they don't pray to Shiva every day, the neighbors notice. It's different in comfortable "Christian" nations with big houses and picket fences. Pray for India. Please.

So this turned into my own lessons learned in India...but I promise we have so much to talk to you all about regarding India, Egypt, Korea, God, Justice, Future Plans, etc etc. We miss you all so much and thank you all for your love and prayers and financial support! We all are a part of this, and it's so much bigger than the two of us...it has to be or else it doesn't matter. If it ever is about US, then we have missed the mark, and we thank you for being a part of this "beautiful chaos" with us.

So now, as we come home to Michigan (May 6th) and later on to Lynchburg VA (TBD), we would really like to get in touch, meet up with you and just thank you and share hope, life, and some food with you! We are trying to get a website off of the ground to be able to start supporting ourselves a little through our photography. If you would like to be a part of this, either through hiring us to do photography, or buying prints from us, we would SO appreciate it! Finally, it sounds like I (Ryan), may be going to China for a couple to few weeks (June 4th-?) to document a Christian organization that performs cataract eye surgery on people in the mountainous regions of China. This will be an amazing opportunity to really help out a organization that does amazing things for the disenfranchised lower class...(I will be volunteering for them on this trip, not getting paid). They do want me to do quite a bit of video stuff for them also, and so we are looking into trying to get video equipment for the trip, maybe borrowing from someone who has a good professional video camera....the other option, is that we could sell a camera and buy a newer one that has HD video on it. (also my camera is acting up-the auto focus is going out...BUMMER!) I feel this would be a great option, because in the long run we would have a good video player for our trips and updates and interviews. This, however will cost us some money, and if you would like to help us out in any amount you can add it to our paypal account which is linked on this blog! Thank you for your supports and prayers, without you it would be a much bumpier and lonelier road!

{rickshaw driver staring at a foreigner}

Ryan and Jeanette

{Through this whole journey around the world and back we have had the privilege of learning so much through our amazing God and the people who serve Him. We have learned in secret meetings in closed countries, and we have learned around fires in the middle of a Hindu dominated society. We have gathered with believers in the rain forests of Panama, in the townships with the oppressed of South Africa, with the believers suppressed in the Middle East, with the followers in Europe whose struggle is similar to our own in America- prosperity and having TOO much, and we have gathered in Korea with believers and have traveled back to our "home away from home" in Kona Hawaii, where the people are just as diverse as all of the countries I have just listed...It has been an amazing journey, and we both look forward to the rest of this crazy journey we call our LIFE. It is so true that life is found in Jesus...we have never been more aware of our lives, and have never felt more alive than when we abandoned that which we thought we knew and decided to explore the Jesus rarely followed...the Jesus of the margins, the God of the poor and lowly, the friend of the lepers and sinners, the Jew who is rejected by the Jews....the man who changed it all with His quiet revolution. Thank God for that man who rejected the norm, decided to not follow the laws of His day, and decided to live and love as if there was nothing more important....oh to be closer to my Savior, not just in proximity but in action.}

GONE to INDIA...

2010-04-07T04:34:00.003-04:00

So we are leaving for India. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers. PLEASE. Its gonna be an adventure, but hey, we would rather have an adventure than a boring ten days! thats just the way we are. after that, we will be in good communication and we will be starting a new website, complete with a new blog. and maybe even more! who knows! if you need photography done this summer, please email us at rjwojton@gmail.com as we are very poor and like to do photography. seriously, we really like photography...

Here's to India! Peace out Europe, until next time! Thanks for your superior health care!

{this is india, as you can see, we will be traveling alot.

because even though the map is small,

the country (i am told) is actually quite large...}

New Blog Layout Under Construction

2010-03-23T19:00:00.002-04:00

I am redoing the layout of our blog....if you happen to visit while there is a lady holding coffee on the main photo...please don't judge me....it's just that it is our last night in Budapest and I have to call it quits for the night due to the fact that the wife (the beautiful Jeanette Wojton) says I need a shower and I need to be awake relatively early for a bus ride that leaves at 7 am from the station! We appreciate your cooperation, and are grateful for your faithful attendance of our blog.

Ryan and Jeanette....but this post was just from Ryan...obviously

I know I know. It's been a while.

2010-03-17T14:32:00.001-04:00

A thought progression from my journal on March 8th....sitting on a curb in dusty Cairo waiting for a ride....after reading the book of James. It all started in my mind with a simple statement. Simple, yet profound....

”Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for the orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.” James 1:27

To me, at this stage of my walk or journey through life, I feel that James was written expressly for Americans/ Westerners... It reeks of challenge for us in the “free world” who have yet to see the irony of this statement, as our “freedom” is often directly related and supported by the slavery and oppression of millions, maybe billions. It is a subversive piece of literature, filled with simple, potent, revolutionary and life changing steps to becoming an authentic Christian in “the eyes of the Father”.

This verse, to me, begs the question, “Is it really freedom if one of it’s main reliance’s is the oppression (or at least repression or indiscretion) of masses of people in the world...and it also should make us wonder if WE are free...or has our society ( as James calls it, “the world”) fooled us into believing that we are free while we build up modern day "pyramids" without stopping to ask, WHY? Clearly, James knows what true freedom is, and it seems as though it is so easy that we have trouble doing it even though this freedom is reiterated over and over again in Scripture...

To defy a system, you must first top submitting to it. We can all so easily become slaves to capitalism and the American Dream. We follow the dangling carrot all of our lives in such a stark and deliberate contrast to The Way (before it was Christianity, it was The Way) we profess to follow. If we could just give it up, we could be free. Money, gold, diamonds, etc only have any value because we put that value on it. Instead of building skills to survive and to help each other live life, we have built a system. We have devoted all of our time to learning a specific skill that serves this system and we rely on these skills to give us money, which in turn we use to get things we need/ want.

We therefor willingly enslave ourselves in this system...in fact, often times we put our entire HOPE in this system, because without the system, our skills are useless... If the system fails, we don’t know how we will survive, because our lives are so engraved in the system, we really have forgotten what real life is.

“If we lose our lives, we will gain them.”.....”If we are poor, we are blessed.”...

If we suffer with the oppressed we free ourselves of the lack of feeling and distance that we have incubated. If we become one with the poor and marginalized, that changes everything....that’s what Jesus did. If we could just stop serving the agendas of Caesar, corporations, and ourselves, we would find time to serve others... After all, isn’t this what is expected of us as followers of The Way? Acts 4:32-35 says, “All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had.The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all.There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles for those in need.” In the early Church, they were often accused of being a cult or polygamists because of how genuine they loved each other and shared their lives with each other. This Way they followed really affected the way they lived day to day....not just Sunday to Sunday....

Do we think a day of service or charity is fulfilling these commands? Or could it be that a life of serving and charity is actually just what is says: A life that is permeated with giving and serving and everything that entails. Could that be what it means.... If we could just remover ourselves for a while, or maybe removing the hold that this present world has on us, we might be able to actually imagine another world. A world where we work together, where our focus is others, and where we aren’t always concerned about ourselves because we know that we are all looking out for each other, and the Father is looking over His beloved Church.....but before this can start to come to fruition, we all have to make that choice....the choice to live out a pure and genuine religion....I hesitate to even use the word religion because religion clouts the power of the gospel and God....it puts human rules in front of it....but the Father loves pure and genuine religion. A religion not often seen in this day and age, but a religion that is required and that offers so much more than the current status quo.

“Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.” James 2:26

The Long Awaited Post? Maybe!

2010-01-04T12:51:00.007-05:00

America is so wonderful in many different ways. For example, I can go to a coffee shop and have FREE internet access....high speed internet access! This is a foreign concept to me after the debacle which is the South African internet charade. Well, as they say, TIA (this is africa). When we last updated the blog, we were very busy trying to see everyone we could before we left, so I updated a very short message about the completed roof project with Dick and Lena. I could not upload pictures due to the aforementioned internet situation, so I will take some time to do this now....

{The Roof Before}

{the bedroom before}

{Me Ripping The Roof Up}

{Roof Finished, Minus 1 Sheet!}

Okay, so that is a little visual recap of what went on with the roof project! We recently sent out a newsletter to everyone whose email we had, and if you did not get it we would like to send it to you! So please either email us at rjwojton@gmail.com or leave a comment at the end of this post!

While Jeanette and I are back in the states, we are setting up meetings with churches, pastors, businesses, etc... We are trying to raise money to complete the rest of our journey which is detailed in the newsletter. We need to raise a quite a bit of money in a short time, so if you feel led to help us out, you can click the paypal button on the right hand of the blog screen and that helps us out in a major way! Also, if you know of anyone who may want to hear about what we are doing, or have any type of group you may want us to speak too, we would LOVE to take time out to do that! We are speaking to a church small group this Sunday evening and we relish those types of opportunities to share and serve with people of like mind (and even with those of not-so-like minds!). So please, it would be a great help to us if you know of anyone who would be interested to host us, to get us in contact with those opportunities!

Please pray for us as we speak at different places, especially this week as we have a possible opportunity on Wednesday to gain some support. We need your prayers and your help in this. You all are a vital part of this ministry and are directly involved in what God is doing in the world through all of us! Please give us a call while we are home or shoot us an email! We would love to hear from you. I know that we are all busy, but we would really love to be able to see as many of you as possible while we are home! Our number is 616 406 9022! Give it a ring!

{Chapman's Peak, Cape Town, South Africa}

Blessings and Grace from our Lord Jesus Christ,

Ryan and Jeanette Wojton

p.s. We are trying to get down to Lynchburg in a couple weeks! Pray for provision for our travel in one way or another and also set some time out for us!

Roof Project Update

2009-11-16T06:19:00.003-05:00

Hey guys!

Well after a week of roofing and rain and miscalculations, the roof is up on Dick and Lena's house!! Thank you so much for your help with this....we have many pictures I will upload at a later time, but they are so excited and thankful to you! Their faith in God has been strengthened through you, and their faith in the generosity of humanity has also been strengthened. It has been a great time of bonding and connecting on a human level with them and their children and grand children. We truly feel as if we are a part of their family. We also are going to have a bit of video of them speaking about their lives and what the new roof truly means to them, and somehow we will get that to you guys to see. We are coming home for three weeks over Christmas! We leave this great country in exactly one month and it is already beginning to sink in. There is so much need here and there are so many people we have met and made connections with...the children we mentor, the adults we have served, the people we have shared with...we will miss them greatly, and they have taught us so much about ourselves and about "issues" such as poverty or AIDS....

We can not wait to come home and share with you all of our experiences and our plans for the future. We love you and are grateful for your support and prayers!

Ryan and Jeanette

Update from Africa

2009-11-02T04:05:00.002-05:00

Hey guys! Just wanted to let you know where we stand with our "Roof Project".

We have so far raised..... $290 US dollars! Thank you so much for helping! It's great to know we have people we can count on for helping those in need! Keep plugging away! We will talk to you soon!

Ryan and Jeanette

Help A Family....See the Results!

2009-10-18T11:54:00.004-04:00

Hey Guys!

Wow!! An update already! I am getting better at this I think!

This time though, I need your help! We need you guys to send this blog link to everyone...email it, post it as a status on facebook, spam everyone!!! The reason for this will be explained in a paragraph or two:

So, last week, Jeanette and I met an elderly couple who live in Capricorn Township where we have been working. They live in a part of the township we have never even been too...their names are Dick (pronounced Deke) and Lena. They are both in their 70's, which is amazing since the average life expectancy in South Africa is in the late 40's....and they live in a township!

We sat down in their house and just talked for a few hours last Thursday. We learned of how they met, where they grew up, what it was like to be a black/coloured person during apartheid, and the struggles of life they have witnessed. They were forcefully moved out of their homes during apartheid and moved into the townships... They have 7 children, ranging from about 40 to 24! These people are amazing. They are elders in the community, and due to this, they are not employed anywhere...and all they receive is a small government stipend...not even enough to live on. Keeping electricity on is a extreme luxury for this family, food is not found unless it is given to them, and the lack of jobs has affected their adult children...many of whom still live with them. 9 years ago, one of their sons was murdered outside of their house... he was a well educated member of the community. He worked on a council who was distributing free housing to people who were victims of apartheid...he was murdered because he was against selling these houses. A rival council is speculated to have had a hit list as many of the members on the council were gunned down during this time. As they told us their story we learned of a very present need. They had to move out of their bedroom and they are stuffed into a tiny room due to a rusted roof over their bedroom.... These people do not have enough money to buy a new roof and they are to old to do it themselves, so they would have to hire help....this is where we come in!!!

{Lena standing in what used to be her bedroom. Notice the roof}

I want us to raise money to buy them a new roof! You may be thinking..."I am not made of money..." well here is the good news: You don't have to be!!! We need to raise 300 dollars to get the roof over their bedroom fixed....so PLEASE help with this! Donate on our paypal and anything that comes in in the next week is going towards Dick and Lena's roof...we are then going to purchase the roofing material, and do it for them...free of charge! We have pictures I will try to post now (not sure if the internet will let me) of them and the roof....and we will update with pictures of the new roof! I know that we can do this....so please, as I said before...

post this blogspot: http://beautifularethemessengers.blogspot.com on facebook, email people, call people, etc. LETS HELP THESE PEOPLE WHERE WE CAN! Just donate the money through our paypal at the top right hand of our blog and lets get this going....we would never let our own grandparents/ parents sleep in the rain....why should these parents be any different?

{this is Dick}

In all grace and love of Jesus,

Ryan and Jeanette Wojton

(pictures to come tomorrow)

the only thing different between us and them is the spelling

2009-10-12T08:24:00.003-04:00

I feel very uninspired to write an update...but I know I need to.

It's not that I have nothing to write about, I have TONS I could write about...it just isn't on my heart... I don't know maybe it's laziness, maybe it is something else. I could tell you all about the men and women selling pieces of their houses to feed their bellies (i.e. windows, doors, etc). What does that do though? I could tell you how horrendous the effects of HIV/AIDS are in this country....but that doesn't really do anything either. We all know the world has problems...the key in all of this is getting us to do something about it. And though the numbers are startling, I don't want to startle people. My heart is for people to just help others. For you to help your community and there in effect change. Shock and Awe didn't work in the war against Iraq and I sure don't think it's gonna work in the war against human trafficking and HIV/AIDS...

That being said, South Africa has been a shift in my world view...and that is exactly what I have been asking for God to do. I have never seen such need, such fear, such racism, such blatant segregation and covering up of HUGE social and economic issues as in the last month. Jeanette and I are doing really well here. We love working in Capricorn and in addition to the Bible studies we are working in, we are also mentoring teenagers on Mondays and Wednesdays in Capricorn. On Monday nights after we do that we have started up a prayer vigil in Capricorn, and our aim is to get other communities to come in and start to get involved in Capricorn. These people have so much love and they are so giving...there is such a real possibility and hope for the kingdom of God to begin in Capricorn...

From the moment we stepped into the area known as Capricorn, we knew God had us here for a reason. These people are so oppressed, forgotten, and lost...and Jesus loves them so much! We see Jesus footprints everywhere we walk in the place! Apartheid had forced them into this sandy plot of land over fifty years ago, and even though apartheid has been stopped....they still are living in the results of it. Because of their color, their race, their language, they were removed from their homes and placed into government funded township areas. They were denied fair education, housing, and government assistance, and now, even though the government has tried to correct this, it is hard for them to get out of this rut....especially when you live in a township. Racism and fear has destroyed their lives....they live crowded into a area no one else wanted to live...surrounded by hurt and pain. Poverty is of course, the norm...the very central idea of a township is a poverty stricken society of people. They are searching for a way out, for something to ease their pain, for something to change their situation. When I hear of all of the oppression and problems they deal with (drug abuse, alcohol abuse, prostitution, trafficking, rape, violence, crime, physical abuse, broken homes, HIV/AIDS, poverty, malnutrition...etc) I see in most of these problems, people screaming for help. They are doing drugs, drinking, stealing, abusing, etc because they are searching for a solution to their problems....they want out of their everyday life....because their lives are hard, unfair, and full of brokenness....unfortunately these things they rely on only add to their brokenness...but I now understand why they do the things they do...
I am also excited about all of these things though! Where some may see complete debauchery and immorality, I see people, searching for something....something to save them, something to trust, something to take their pain and loneliness away....something like Jesus. They want something better, they don't wake up wanting to live the same way, the reason they are addicted to drugs, sex, and alcohol is because they are trying to get over their brokenness. We have seen so many awesome things happen already in Capricorn. We can see the revolutionary kingdom of God taking hold in this township...I dream and smile when I think about a township full of 20,000+ people, following Jesus and bringing the kingdom forward! What glory would that bring to God if a place of complete brokenness acknowledged their brokenness and gave it to Jesus! We are delighted with the foolishness of our joy....the foolishness of the cross of Jesus Christ....it doesn't make sense sometimes, but it is what drives us and gives us hope!

We love you all so much and thank you for your continuing support. We received about 1500 dollars of support in since our last update which is huge!! Thank you all so much! We have about 4500 dollars we need to raise for our time here in South Africa, so please keep us in your prayers with finances. Pray for revival in Capricorn. In the meantime, stay safe, stay true.

Blessings,

Ryan and Jeanette

Jesus Walks In A Township Called Capricorn

2009-09-28T10:57:00.003-04:00

{The Children of Capricorn}

Hello Again Everyone! So much is happening in the beautiful nation of South Africa! We want you all to be informed and to feel a part of everything we are doing here. Since arriving we had a debrief week in a town called Paarl. There we assessed how the 3 months in Panama went and ways to improve our overall impact to those in need. Jeanette and I really gained a passion while in Panama for addressing peoples needs with a hands on approach. We prayed and talked and thought about all of the ways we could do this...we thought about money and about God and about everything else that could possibly factor into these decisions. (Believe me, the list was long)

So, needless to say, today we write this more committed than ever. We have a fire burning inside of us... we want to see the world changed for through the person of Jesus Christ. We have had long talks with the committed individuals of photogenX, from the people we were serving with in Panama to the founder of it, Paul Childers.

I just had to clarify that to let all of you know, because many of you had heard tidbits of our heart and the things we were thinking of. As a community of individuals, photogenX is committed to fighting injustice and learning as much as we can as we go.

{Capricorn Township Before Sunset}

We have been getting involved sort of heavily already with the time we have had in Cape Town, South Africa. As you may or may not know, South Africa has a history (recent history) of extreme racism, violence, and xenophobia... even though the days of apartheid are over, the effects remain... The coloreds and the blacks (they are differently classified here) have been pushed and isolated out. The poorest of these live in communities called townships. These are some of the poorest people in the world. We are working in a township called Capricorn. There are over 20,000 people crammed into this plot of sandy earth that is stacked with shanty homes. We are working with 5 different Bible Studies in 5 different homes and we are going to try to see these numbers grow. As we build relationships, we are devising ways to influence the factor of life in Capricorn also. So, we will update soon with the practical ways we plan to affect Capricorn in a lasting way physically and spiritually. Down the street from Capricorn there is another township called Kaylitsha...this township has over 1.8 million people living in it!!! If you have seen the movie District 9, the townships do actually look like what they show in the movie....only of course take out the sci fi factor...lol

Anyways, God has shown us His heart. We have found that when we aim to take Jesus to people, He is always already there....we just have to open their eyes to Him. These people are beautiful, and Jesus Christ came for them... So, we press on, with faith we will hope in love.

We will be in touch, hopefully to relate our hearts and our ministry here in more detail and with more precision and heartfelt description. We will create a newsletter and send that out soon.

We want to thank all of you so much for supporting us in prayer, heart, and finance. We could not be here without you. Please keep us in your prayers, it is very strengthening for us to know we have friends and family who are praying and who invest their time into interceding for us.

Also, we do have some rather large bills coming up and we could really use some more help with them. As most of you know, we are totally on volunteer basis and all of our expenses are paid for by us (as is everyone in photogenX). We have about $6,000 we need to raise by the second week of October for our budget here in South Africa. (This includes all funds that go towards ministry - such as the book we created in Panama). If you feel called to support us in our mission, you can hit the paypal button at the top right of our blog, or you can contact us for a way to donate that is tax deductible. We love you and thank you again. We plan on updating on the blog our total so (God willing) we can all see the provision for our finances come through. Thank you again for your support, and as the apostle Paul always says, we thank God for you every chance we get!

Love and peace,

Ryan and Jeanette

due to us being in Africa, we are unable to upload our photos....regrettably....because I took some pretty sweet ones...hahah

South Africa

2009-09-15T09:55:00.003-04:00

hey everyone!

We have arrived in South Africa and are going though our debrief week and are very busy! ...and without internet! We just want to update all of you and let you know that we are doing fine! And we are excited for what God has for us here in the great land of Africa! We have many opportunities to serve and learn, as the need here is so great. We want to thank all of you for the time we spent with you while we were back in the States! We appreciate your giving hearts and we hope you will continue to pray for us. We look forward to sharing with you more of our stories and experiences. Drop us lines and let us know how everything is going at rjwojton@gmail.com

Thank you again for your steadfast support!

We love and miss you all,

Ryan and Jeanette

Publication....

2009-08-20T14:13:00.004-04:00

For the last few weeks we have been putting together a publication for the orphaned and abandoned children of Panama. This Friday, we send it to the printers. We sent out a detailed email about the time we have had here since our last post, if you did not receive it, let me know, and I will add your email to the campaign. During the tedious publication process, we have been forced to stare at the pictures of these children whom we are trying to help. Things stir in our minds.

These children are growing up without any love. They are locked in their rooms with twenty other kids…physically LOCKED in their rooms. Gates, bars, the whole 9 yards. The problem isn’t necessarily the government. It’s not the officials, or the care mothers. It is an overall sense of irresponsibility sweeping through the masses of society. We don’t dare claim Panama unique in this aspect. We do, however, see a problem….and it is not a small one. Every life deserves a chance. These children are not being given a chance. Why?

The hardest thing for me(Ryan) has been realization. Realization that the difference between me, and these orphaned and abandoned children is nothing but circumstance of birth. The difference between you and them, is circumstance of birth. Some would call it chance, the children might call it bad luck, we may call it grace… on our part at least. I find the more I see, the more injustice I encounter, the greater the weight grace is on my shoulders. I have a responsibility. You have a responsibility. As people who are free from the chains of oppression, we have a responsibility to fight for others rights. Do we have a righteous anger? Are we outraged? Or are we content? Would you be content if your situation was switched? If fate, grace, bad luck, or chance happened to be reversed in your case? Is the weight of God’s grace heavy yet? I admit, I (Ryan) haven’t even begun to delve into what all of this means…but I know it means something. I know it is something I can’t deny, and it is something no one should be able to shrug off. We are only a breath away from any other person and their situation. Life happens…we can’t stop it. It happens.

Often times we are concerned about our own rights. We are concerned about rights that are being threatened or trampled on. The problem I see with this is it does not take into account those without any rights at all. Who are we if we speak only for ourselves? Why do we not speak for others?

Scientifically, it is proven that children who grow up in an institution are at a huge disadvantage. These kids are suffering from disorders of WAR. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder sets in by the age of ten. Emotional detachment is one of the most common side effects of institutionalization. They aren’t held as infants, they do not develop the right brain receptors and pathways to feel love and attach to other humans. It is the foundation for a life of crime and horrible circumstances. On top of all the things these children experience in orphanages is the reason they are there in the first place. They all come out of horrible life circumstances…rape, abuse, servitude, drug abuse in their homes. They then are removed for their own safety and placed into a institution created for SHORT TERM living quarters…and they never leave. They turn 18 and are let loose, told to be a contributing member of society. The expectation is ridiculous.

I have learned so much from my times with the “children deprived of their rights” in Panama. I have learned about grace, love, humility, despair, but most importantly: HOPE. There is hope for these children, and that is the most beautiful thing at all. The hope is here because there is a way out. This publication will hopefully be a catalyst for that change. The day is quickly approaching where justice comes to the little abandoned ones of Panama…and we can’t wait to see it.

We want to challenge you to step out. If we all do not raise our voice for truth and justice, our single voices will be drowned out in the midst of life. As people privileged enough to have the choice to stand up against injustice today, you also have a duty. The responsibility is not mine, the governments, or some other far away scapegoat. The responsibility lies in ALL of our hands. What do we do? The call is not for everyone to pack up their lives and move to the horn in Africa…or to move to Thailand and single handedly try and stop sex tourism… the call is to work together. The call is to help where we can…to stand up when the opportunity arises. Many times I feel like standing up for social issues is such a “revolutionary process” or something of the sorts. The truth is, it should just be an extension of our everyday lives.

Everywhere in the world people are hurting. “Every soul has the same need. The need to be valued and loved.” Let’s change the hurt in peoples lives.

We will be holding a benefit concert in Lynchburg, and Jeanette and I will be presenting some photos and literature also. We will be discussing ways in which you can get involved in fighting global injustices.

We will also be holding a discussion on global injustices in Grand Haven. Please come out and see what we are doing and have done already. We hope to see you all there!

An Update From Panama

2009-07-22T17:05:00.012-04:00

Hey everyone!

We are already going on a month in Panama! We cannot believe it! The past few weeks have been some of the craziest of our lives! We just realized we have been married over 4 months already! Crazy! This time working with photogenX has been so rewarding. We have learned so many things and have overcome many obstacles since leaving the mainland and heading to the South Pacific...

One thing I (Ryan), have had to overcome lately is the difficulty of communal living. I truly believe living in close, personal community is healthy and a amazing way to carry out life. At the same time, I have been reminded repeatedly things of substance are often difficult to go through. The saying, "if it doesn't cost anything, it probably isn't worth anything..", is true. It is always difficult to adjust to new situations, to step out of comfort continually, and to be open with your life to other people. However, through the difficulty, I have gained so many close friendships here. I have shared my life, and in return have been entrusted with other peoples lives. Communal living, though not easy, is well worth the struggle. I hold fast and firm to that belief.

Now, on to the last two weeks of our lives. As many of you know, our group is focussing on being a voice for orphans rights here in Panama. We have been visiting orphanages and are trying to collect a database for a publication to support the work we are doing here. We took the last two weeks off of that project though. We were given the opportunity to travel to a people group called the Ngobe. They live in northern Panama, in a region called Chiriqui.

We were not originally even thinking of visiting the Ngobe people. Their proximity is the main reason we had thought them to be too out of reach. By divine appointment, we met a medical team who was going to be providing a free four day medical clinic for the Ngobe in a region called Cameron Arriba. When learning about the Ngobe, we found out because they were spread out in the mountains of the region called Comarca, they were often never visited. They are a very reserved and shy people group. They are widely malnourished, forgotten, and undiscovered. They are also the largest group of indigenous people in Panama. Their population is over 130,000 in Panama. A few days after agreeing to go to the medical clinic for a few days with the doctors, we received another invite from a small group of people who were visiting the Ngobe in a different region the weekend before. As everything fit perfectly together, we happily obliged.

So, early on a Wednesday morning we set off for the Ngobe people. We had no idea what to expect other than a quiet and reserved people. After 8 hours of travel which consisted of: a one hour ride on a bus resembling a airport shuttle, a 6 hour coach bus ride to the base of the mountains, a 20 minute overcrowded and reckless taxi ride, and finally a 1 1/2 hour ride in the bed of a 4x4 truck up the mountains into a town called Cerro Flores.

This place....pure beauty.

We bunked down in Cerro Flores, with beautiful views of the mountains, wondering what it actually was we were doing there. The next day we met with a Ngobe man named Rafael. The group of people we traveled there with were planning on providing a song writing workshop for the Ngobe people to help them preserve their culture in song. They found out the best place to do this was actually quite a bit away in the capitol city of the Comarca, called Tugri. While they were finding all of this out, we were walking around Cerro Flores, meeting people, attempting to communicate, and trying to photograph and help in any way we could. We decided to have a community gathering that night, so we invited (through our translators) anyone we came in contact with. We decided that evening we would all make the hike into Tugri the next morning. (We were told it was a 2 hour hike for Ngobe- which would translate into a 4 hour hike for us foreigners) So, we waited in expectation for the town meeting to have one last chance to get to know the inhabitants of Cerro Flores before we continued our journey to Tugri. About two hours before the meeting was to start, it started to pour. I don't mean heavy rain, I mean Panama during the rainy season pour. It continued on for hours. We were discouraged because no one was showing up, and we couldn't blame them, the rain made it treacherous. Little did we know, Ngobe people don't exactly have watches or an idea of being on time...so even though we told them to come at 6pm... 7:30pm seemed more like the time to them.

Women with children came trudging through the mud and rain to the hut that we were all staying in (it was actually the communities Catholic church). I was so excited because a couple of families had shown up I had spoken to. If I explain all of the stories, this blog will go on too long....so you will have to wait until Jeanette and I hold a conference in your area! (Aug. 29th in Lynchburg or Sept. 4th in Grand Haven) Anyways, we had a great time speaking with the chief and many families and sharing our lives with them. Surprisingly, they opened up to us at the end and even shared some of their own stories with us! It was an amazing time of growth for me.

The hike to Tugri, again, not without difficulty... ended up being a VERY tough hike. It took our group almost six hours to finish. We were met with a beautiful scenery of unscathed land. The Ngobe have lived in Tugri for 6 generations, and we were the first Westerners to ever stay there. The mere fact that they accepted us was amazing enough, but again, I will expound on that elsewhere. We were allowed to photograph the people and we urged the Ngobe to celebrate their culture. These people have such a beautiful way of life. They have nothing except what the land they live on gives them. If they lose their culture what do they become? They become another statistic. Another group of poor people on the farthest margins of society. We shared our stories of hope and faith with them, and they shared their history and stories with us. At the end of our time together, they gave us a plot of land. They wrote a deed for over 15 acres of land and gave it to Youth With A Mission Panama... sooo, we began the process of starting a church and a new YWAM base while in Tugri....which was pretty awesome!

From Tugri, we hiked back to Cerro Flores and immediately took a 4x4 down the mountain and to a region called Cameron Arriba. We finally met up with the medical team. Cameron Arriba was a culture shock to us. The Ngobe there had almost completely lost their culture. They were not the reserved quiet people we had come to know over the previous week. Western society had arrived, and had created quite the mess. Trash was EVERYWHERE. No pristine beauty, just dirty, dusty streets lined with remnants from companies such as Coca-Cola and Doritos. Don't get me wrong though, I met some of the most beautiful people I have ever encountered in my life in Cameron Arriba. We gave them love and free medical help. (dental, eye care, surgical, pharmaceutical, etc.)

But something was missing. Something had been taken from them. It was their beautiful culture. They had all of these ideas of how life should be now because advertising had arrived with the Coca-Cola shipments...but they have no way of ever getting that. Many shunned their culture, forsook their responsibilities, and now live in a filthy town full of false hope. So we affirmed them in their culture. In who they really are, not who others think they should be. They have no running water, they have no sanitation systems... it was hard to see... hard to swallow, especially after Tugri and Cerro Flores.

If anything, this trip gave me a passion for peoples culture. Culture and language is so important to people. If their culture and identity is stripped from them, who or what then determines what they become? We returned to Gamboa, finally took showers, used proper toilets, and got clean for the first time in what seemed like forever.

It was an amazing trip, and thank you so much for all of your support and prayer. When we left for the Ngobe, we were in low spirits...we had tried to pay our school loans, but our support money came in late and we only had 16 dollars in our bank account. So, we prayed and just told God we trusted Him, and when we returned, we had received some support unexpectedly and had enough for our bills. We appreciate you all so much for going out of your way to support us. We hope to share many stories with you when we return to the States.

In case anyone is interested, we have added a secure paypal button on our blog at the top left of the page. Our current needs sit at this:

-We have realized we need a new laptop before we continue on to South Africa, so we are trying to raise about a thousand dollars for a new one.

-At the end of September, we have a large bill ($9,200) for fees for staying three months in South Africa...this includes places to stay, food, overland transportation, etc. (2,000 of this is a deposit that will be subtracted from our last payment of travel, so each bill gets less and less each time...thankfully!)

We are putting together a benefit concert in Lynchburg on Saturday, August 29th at One Community Church. It should be a great time, and we hope to raise some funds and sell some photography and books there as well.

In Grand Haven and the Grand Rapids areas, we have one confirmed conference at Lakeshore Baptist Church on Friday, September 4th at 7pm in Grand Haven. We are also trying to get in a few other churches while we are in the area, and our in talks with multiple missions pastors.

We love you all, and we pray for you and thank God for you regularly. We appreciate your thoughts and prayers. Please drop us a line anytime, we love to hear from you all. Email: rjwojton@gmail.com

Our skype ID: rjwojton321

Pray for our work with the orphanages in Panama over the next month. The government is very open to reform and we are really excited about leaving something lasting here!

Blessings,

Ryan & Jeanette

Yo Soy en Panama!

2009-06-29T20:45:00.003-04:00

Hello everyone!

We are safely in Panama! After about 20 hours of travel, starting thursday afternoon, we arrived in Panama City Friday evening. It has been one crazy ride ever since leaving the airport and we appreciate your prayers now more than ever!

The flight itinerary to Panama had us scheduled for four different legs, so it was a lot of frantic searching and running to catch our connector flights.

Once we got to Panama, we were waiting for some of our other team members whose flights were delayed. Once we finally got going after that (about 3 hours later), we drove 45 minutes to the church we are staying in for the next couple months of our lives.

The church is called Gamboa Union Church. The region of Panama we are in is called Gamboa, and it was a mostly american military occupied region until 2000 when the Canal was handed over to the Panamanians.

So on Saturday and Sunday, we were just getting all settled in and driving around seeing "the sights". Panama has about 3.5 million people in the whole country, with over 2 million living in Panama City. Most of the country is dense rainforest.

On Saturday we met a couple from South Carolina, Matt and Misty. They now live in Panama. They have given up their careers back in the states to selflessly try and serve orphans in Panama. They operate a mission called HeartCry. Panama has over 50,000 orphans. There are only 10 foster homes in the whole country, and only 2 social workers! This is unbelievable.

Over 86% of children in Panama are born outside of marriage. This leads to a high abandonment rate. Matt and Misty are working with the government to change their orphanage and foster care system. They have created a step by step legal reform, so Panama can make the changes they need.

A major problem is adoption is not sought after at all. The people of Panama are very conscientious of the different tribal features within Panama. The wealthy will not adopt tribal children for fear of embarrassment. If they have a child with a Kuna tribesmans bone structure, people will think the child was born between the man and their maidservants. The culture is very class oriented and racist against the tribal people. It is hard for the indigenous people to do anything other than trying to make money through tourism.

SO! We are very excited to be working with Matt and Misty in the orphanages and trying to get them the media they need to show how horrible conditions are. The Panamanian government doesnt want it to become a well known fact that they have an orphan problem, and they keep it pretty well under wraps. So well, in fact, that the actual citizens of Panama have no idea there is an orphan problem. So, photogenX is going to try to take this to the churches and spread awareness.

On Sunday, the worst storm to hit Panama in over 5 years rolled in. We had torrential downpour and heavy winds. We got word at about mid afternoon that two tribes about an hour from the church we are staying at had some of their village destroyed in the storm. So, today (monday), we hiked through the jungle and took a boat down the river to the tribes. We helped them clear the rubble of the houses and building that collapsed, and we also cleared a bunch of trees that fell. It was amazing to see these people in their indigenous habitat and be able to serve them. There is so much to learn from their community, and how they interact as family. Tomorrow, we are meeting with some people who are trying to stop human trafficking in Panama. Hopefully, through this connection, photogenX can make some lasting impact in the trafficking sector of Panama. (Panama is the hub of human trafficking between the americas)

We miss you all, and will keep you updated as regularly as we can. I put one picture up, but I will put more up as we get time. Can't wait to see you all in late August and early September!

Love and blessings,

Ryan and Jeanette

p.s. thank you so much for your support up until now, and your continued support through our travels and mission....we need you now more than ever and we are so thankful for you!

Hello World!

2009-06-15T13:32:00.008-04:00

Hello everyone!

We hope you all are well! I apologize for the lack of posts lately, we have been trying to "scrounge" up a ton of money for all of our airline expenses and accomodations! All in all, we have raised 24,000 dollars for fees since arriving! WHEW! That's a ton of money! We couldn't have done it without your help either. Business first, we still have about 800 dollars needed by the end of this week, so if you know of anyone who might want to donate, or if you have someone you could mention it to, we would be very appreciative.

This is Marcos.

All of last week was a local outreach week. We went to local Hawaii towns and walked around and met people. We listened to their stories and we photographed them. We have so many amazing stories to tell you all when we come home! (Aug. 27th- Sept. 10th/ Lynchburg and Grand Haven)

This is Pono.

Yesterday, Jeanette and I entered into a local art festival with some friends from our organization. It was just a really fun day of trying to raise money for expenses and being able to educate people on issues such as human trafficking and infanticide in the Amazon. So many people were receptive and wanted to hear about it! It was amazing! We also sold some of our photographs that we had made into mats and cards. One of the team members had fundraiser bracelets made by Philippine families. They use the bracelets as a source of income so they do not have to sell their children into prostitution to survive.

The main message we had to people though was using our God-given weapons to fight injustice around the world. I firmly believe that our VOICE is the strongest weapon against all of these things. As we learn, we tell. And as others learn, they tell. This acts as a catalyst for change. When we look through history, oppressed and suppressed people usually always have one thing in common....forced ignorance. When people speak truth and educate others, most of these issues will start to curb. We won't see it over night, but if we all stand and speak out, we CAN CHANGE the course we are headed for. I recently saw a quote in a little boutique that read,

"If we do not change the our course now, we are going to end up where we are headed".

Such truth in those words. We don't want to be the generation that let slavery take a stranglehold on the women and children of our world. We don't want to be the people to have lived and watched as whole nations are wiped out....we don't want that, and we can't stand for it.

Today is the day to SPEAK out. We can't afford not to.

P.S.

If you would like to donate, go to epicinternational.org

Click on "make a donation"

Fill out your information and add the donation amount to the cart

At the very end there is a box that says, "special notes"

In that box, write, "Ryan and Jeanette Wojton Fund"

Thank you so much!

If you want to donate directly, (faster for us) email me at rjwojton@gmail.com

We love you guys!

Are YOU hungry?

2009-05-22T13:35:00.003-04:00

Hey followers!

First off, I want to thank all of you that read this blog! I am sure there are tens of you..haha

Anyways, I am going to start an email campaign as soon as i can get all of the bugs fixed and sorted out. If you would like to be a part of that, then please leave a comment with your best email to reach you at! Home emails may be better for you since you can usually access them from anywhere. Jeanette and I are really pushing for God to speak to some people and change some hearts. We long for people to see the need in the world.

Also, this first email campaign I am going to send out is going to contain some very specific data on needs that Jeanette and I do have. As you know, we have a lot of bills from costs of travel and outreach to the nations, and we need to get a few of these taken care of relatively soon. (within two weeks)

If there is any better way to serve you in updating and informing please let us know. We truly want all of you to have a active and vital part in this ongoing justice campaign.

A little "food" for thought....(horrible pun, but I couldn't resist! Keep reading...you will understand where the pun comes in)

Hunger

There are over 6,768,000,000 people living on the earth as we speak.

There are over 1,014,000,000 undernourished people in the world.

There are over 1,136,396,000 overweight people in the world.

There are over 338,381,000 obese people in the world.

There are over 9,000 people who will die of hunger today.

There are over 4,000,000 people who have died of hunger this year.

Economics

Over $82,000,000 spent on obesity related diseases in the USA today.

Over $38,000,000 spent on foods and then thrown out in US households today.

About $1,800,000 spent on global food aid today.

About $11,600,000 a day would allow to feed the hungry today.

Over $36,000,000 spent on weight-loss programs in the USA today.

Over $15,000,000 spent on pet food in the USA and Europe today.

Food

Over 43,000 tons of food is wasted in America today.

This data comes from stopthehunger.com

They are well informed...and cite all sources. (for your knowledge)

Let's STOP the GREED. today.

A New Fire

2009-05-20T14:00:00.001-04:00

It has been almost two weeks since my last post, for that I apologize. We have been learning alot, and have had very little time to process anything. But then, today, something hit me....It was like slowly I was filling up with a combustible gas, and all of a sudden, a spark lit and a new fire arose!

I am honestly writhing in my skin right now! I want to fly back to the mainland, and just TALK and COMMUNICATE to all of you how I feel. We are planning on trying to fly back to Michigan either right after our trip to Panama (September-ish) or during our holiday for Christmas. BUT, if this fire in me keeps up any longer, we may be coming home sooner to speak with you!

Jeanette and I would really like to put on a series of mini awareness conferences at churches around the West Michigan area... I have a lot of material I believe the body of believers NEEDS to know. Too often we throw issues to the outside if they are not totally of the spiritual realm...

There are things going on in this world that HAVE to be addressed. These "issues", which are really people (complete with families, dreams, feelings, and fears), are swarming our world. We are in a hyper state of being right now. Materialism, Oppression, Laziness, War....are all in a very heightened state in our era... These issues MUST be addressed! These issues have casualties!

We as believers especially have to step up! Humanity needs to come together on this. Our world is broken. Since Christ came, we are no longer bound to our national ties...they do not represent our salvation or religion. We are a UNIVERSAL church.

Too often, we send out missionaries with one goal: salvation by numbers. "As long as you bring back numbers...we are good. Meet your quota..."

We focus on what happens when they die, which is great! We SHOULD be focussing on that! But the problem is, WE LEAVE THEM LIVING IN HELL ON EARTH! As westerners, we would never stand for our own church members or townspeople to be treated in the ways that are so rampant. (Sex slavery, trafficking, child prostitution, famine, displaced people, infanticide)

Jesus Christ himself was involved in social work his whole life. Think about his story from the view point of a person who suffered some form of disease or disorder. In the middle east culture of Jesus' day, these people were totally MARGINALIZED, OPPRESSED, SEPARATED.

In Luke chapters 5-9.... The narrative of Jesus' life is SATURATED with hope and social work.

He heals a leper, a paralyzed man, a man's withered hand, raises two children from the dead, heals a bleeding woman, feeds thousands, and casts demons out of people. Raw, unadulterated aid. Through healing and improvements to peoples situations and lives, they saw the kingdom of God, and felt his power. Many, if not all, received him and believed because of the pure power in unselfish service and devotion of these people. Think "Red Cross" times ten. This man was providing for strangers, healing the sick, and giving hope to the blacklisted of Jewish community.

He was a walking revolution, and we should be too.

When we go to the oppressed and fight for their justice, and do it in the name and service of Jesus Christ, they see the strength and truth of God. They see not only the light of the kingdom of God at the end of the tunnel, but they see it in your face. THAT is TRANSFORMING.

We as a church, have GOT to step up! In a world that sells their daughters into prostitution for spare change...who else will speak up? Should we not be ashamed our voice has not been heard when these things are going on?

For Christians, bringing justice CANNOT be an exception, it is the RULE!

Isaiah 58:6-10 says, "This is the kind of fasting I want: free those who are wrongly IMPRISONED; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that BIND people. Share your food with the HUNGRY, and give shelter to the HOMELESS. Give clothes to those who NEED them, and do not hide from relatives who need your HELP. Then your salvation will come like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the LORD will protect you from behind. Then when you call, the LORD will answer. 'Yes, I am here,' he will quickly reply. 'Remove the heavy yoke of oppression. Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors! Feed the HUNGRY, and help those in TROUBLE.

THEN your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will become as bright as noon'."

AMEN

This speaks volumes to me, and I hope to you as well. I understand that a lot of us did not or do not know these things are going on in the world....but now that we know we HAVE to do something about them! Listen to God's heart for these people!

Proverbs 31:8-9 says, "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice."

Our God is a God of justice, and we are called to do HIS work! Read Psalms 10:18 on your own, I won't throw any more Scripture at you right now.

We need your help. These people need your help. We can not do it alone. We need the support of the Church. Together, we can bring the kingdom of God to these people...we can BE the Church Christ called us to be. By example, you shall follow. I want you all to understand how dear this is to my heart...and it is only dear to me because it is dear to God's heart. We have to be the CHANGE. It takes an action. It takes people to forcefully advance the kingdom of God! Let us be that change! Let us be the generation that tears down the strongholds of oppression!

We have the power! Will we hoard it....or will we share it. Empower these people. Show them Christ's love. Show them you care. As ambassadors of Christ, show them HE cares.

i beg you. they beg you. Christ beg's you

the birth of violence is traced back to our hearts

2009-05-08T03:23:00.005-04:00

Good day to all of you!

It has been the busiest week of our training so far, so please forgive me for the lack of communication and disregard for our blog! We have been doing writing workshops in our lectures this week which has been a nice change of pace. On Monday we watched the documentary "War Dance". I HIGHLY recommend all of you rent it...blockbuster usually carries it, and I am almost sure that netflix would also have it! It is a great story which shows the truth behind war and the people it leaves behind.

This week has been very cool on a few different levels. We have made a pretty strong connection with my Aunt Sue and Uncle Steve back in Michigan and they have made a strong commitment to helping Jeanette and I raise awareness and support back home while we are abroad. Already through this, a old friend of Steve's has pledged 1,000 dollars to our mission and she wants to spread the word and inform people of the needs of those we seek to liberate! AMEN!!! This is a direct answer to our prayers! It has invigorated us beyond anything we could have expected! (Also, we would like to shout out to all of the others who are supporting us, you are just as vital to this cause, and you know we love you!)

Anyways! We aren't really sure how all of the finances are looking for the rest of our money we need for tickets or for our stay in Panama, but with amazing things happening as they are, we have no qualms or doubts! God is good!

So on that note....and I do not know how to segway (sp?) into the next topic.....

so here it is!

WAR and DISPLACED REFUGEES

Since I believe most of the followers of this blog are American, I can pretty safely assume we have all experienced war. It is nothing new to us, it is in the headlines every day....and it is on the news so often that it bores us by now. This week, I was challenged to think differently about war. I was challenged to NOT understand it. The fact is, we feel like we have it sort of....thought out and understood in our theology and mind. We hear of casualties of war and we do not think twice. You flip past the History Channel and in between the 3 hour long segments of WWII footage, they offer you a box set of both World Wars on DVD, complete with a commemorative coin if you buy it within ten minutes! We have grown numb to it. We don't understand it. We are just used to it. There is a difference.

I believe I can speak past party lines here. I know and appreciate that many of you who read this are diverse in areas that range from politics to religion. I love that. Argue with me if you don't agree....Wayne, that means you! I appreciate that! But anyways, here goes.

Whether we are democrats or republicans, communist or capitalist, atheist or protestant, american or iraqi, pro-war or pacifist, old or young, rich or poor, male or female, and whatever other opposite spirits we have reading this, one fact remains: war destroys lives. Not just the lives of those who are fighting it...but the lives of those who are caught in the middle.

Children. Women. Grandparents. Mothers. Sisters. Brothers. Slaughtered. Displaced. Tortured.

Philippine-American War (1899-1913): 250,000 to 600,000 civilian casualties

WWII: up to 35 to 47 MILLION civilian casualties; 130,000 killed from the nukes alone

Vietnam War (1959-1975): 2 million civilian casualties

Afghan War (2008 only): 2,118 civilian deaths

Iraq (in May of 2003): the civilian death toll was estimated to be as high as 10,000 already, making it the deadliest campaign for non combatants since Vietnam.

The point of this isn't to be anti-American, but it's definitely not pro-American either. Our nation has a history of bloodshed and violence. From the time we set foot and conquered the land, until the very second that you read this...we have a very prominent history of violence.

Violence does not just affect those who fight, or those who are ordering the strikes. In fact, the contrary is being proven day after day. In almost every war listed above, the civilian deaths FAR outweigh the military deaths. In the case of Vietnam, by almost 2 times, in the case of WWII, by MILLIONS. War affects the helpless. It destroys lives and families. For what? For conquest of land? Expansion of borders? Gaining of textiles? Do those things merit the inherit slaughter of innocent lives?

I am beginning to understand that for me to be a proponent for peace, I have to examine my own life. I have to get the violence out of my own heart before I can preach peace for the sake of the marginalized and war torn. There are over 26 MILLION internally displaced person's due to war in their homeland (refugees in their own country). In 2008, there were over 11.4 million refugees taking shelter in another country than their own.

I don't know all of the answers. I don't know most of them. But I think it is time we get the violence out of our own hearts. We stop blaming others for our own violence. As adults, we teach children not to hit. We teach them to treat others the way they want to be treated. And then we teach them about the inhumane and ridiculously barbaric things we do to each other on a repetitive basis. If history has a theme, it is violence.

It's time we choose a theme for ourselves. One we can pass down to our children and our grandchildren. Maybe we have to examine our own actions and see if we are causing our own downfall. Maybe we just need to listen to others. Maybe we need to change our own ways and imagine new ways to interact with opposing cultures. I just think that if war was the answer, we would be somewhere better by now, but we aren't. It isn't the answer for the Ugandan rebels and the nationals, it is not the answer for the jihadist muslims, it's not the answer for the over privileged westerners and it's not the answer for me and my family.

So we search for the answer. And if I die before I see the end of it, at least I tried.

As a endnote. The facts used in this blog were taken from various sites of credible source. (as credible as credible is now a days that is) the point is not the exact numbers, the point is the fact that death and destruction go with war...

I am also not trying to say that war does not in many cases use justification by fighting for an oppressed and marginalized people. I am not here to debate just war theory or the farce of preemptive defensive war tactics. I am here to promote a totally different but not new way of living. Whether you believe Jesus Christ to be God or not, you can not realistically or historically deny his existence. I mean, the whole calendar and date is based on his life. I propose that you just read his biographies. It won't hurt, I promise! You may see a man you can resonate with more than any church-goer you have met so far!

Be the CHANGE.

2009-04-28T20:36:00.002-04:00

Hey guys! Jeanette and I are having a AMAZING week here! We trust that you are well also! Our good friend Dan is trying to get us some support on our blog, so if you are visiting based on what he has told you, please email us with ANY questions at: rjwojton@gmail.com! Thanks!

Now! On to our vision! So the two year "around the world" track that we are doing has some pretty straight forward direction I would like to share with you. We are convinced we need to be the voice of change in many areas of injustice around the world. The main issue we have been exposing and are trying to eradicate is the biggest and dirtiest secret of the world. It is human trafficking...in layman's words: MODERN DAY SLAVERY. Slated to be the most lucrative criminal activity in the world in the next couple of years, it has surpassed drug trafficking in yearly revenue! Over 1.2 million children are trafficked in the world...EACH YEAR. Out of these, over 75% are sexually exploited (child prostitutes).

We can make a difference though! And that is exactly what we are going to do! We have 30 main injustices that we want to see wiped off of the earth...these include: Slavery, Trafficking, Child Prostitution, Rape, Infanticide, Honor Killings, AIDS, Female Genital Mutilation, etc etc...

During our two year track around the world, we will gather information, meet the people who live in injustice every day of the year, and then raise awareness in the western world through our tours and publications. The goal of this years track is to set up models for change in all thirty issues we address... This CAN be accomplished! But not without your support and help!

True story:

Jeanette and I need 10,000 dollars by thursday, April 30th. We had used all of our funds to bring us where we are now, and had a little bit saved to go towards our outreach. However, that little bit was only about 1/8 of what we needed...and no money was coming in. So, we asked God what we should do....and He told us. Give away the money you have to someone who needs it more than you do. Now, I know this was God because I never would have had that thought...So God gave us a person to give it to...and we did. So, here we are, sitting in a place far away from home, and God tells us to give away the money, it wasn't us....it was God...let's be clear on that. Two days later (Monday, April 27th) we receive a blank envelope in our inbox on base. It has a piece of paper inside that reads: But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given for you as well. Along with the note, there was $2,025 dollars cash. That's God. That's what it looks like when we ARE the change we pray for...and we were SOOOO blessed! So we planted a seed when God asked, and in helping another, God blessed us. That is the first time anything like this has ever happened to me....but that's probably because this is the first true time I have been acting on true faith. I am elated. SO! I say that to bless you, and I hope it encourages you to hold your possessions loosely, because you never know when He is going to ask you to follow Him. His disciples were fishing, busy in their mid day work....and the difference between them and a lot of us is: they followed.

Anyways, like you probably realize, we need around 6-7,000 dollars by Thursday...which sounds like alot, but yesterday it was 10,000! So I guess you can start calling me an optimist!

Love and Grace,

Ryan (and my beautiful wife Jeanette)

Another bucket of joy

2009-04-24T04:13:00.002-04:00

Hey guys!

Time is flying here at photogenX! We are soooo excited with what God has in store for us through our outreach opportunities, and it seems like we have a very strong core group to push through and spark a revolution of change in the world. We will be leaving for Panama on June 25th and will be living with indigenous tribal people there for a while. After that we have a few opportunities...one being launching "Voice for the Voiceless" in the Spanish-speaking world! Another of these opportunities is to go into orphanages in Panama and just love on the kids there! We will be holding a conference with almost all of the major churches in the entire nation trying to bring a voice to the voiceless in Panama. We do not want to be there for three months and then just leave, we want a lasting mark to be left there, and that is where the local churches come in! Hopefully they will be inspired to help there fellow citizens, the ones neglected in their backyard!

We do, however, have a huge obstacle to overcome....we need 10,000 dollars by next Thursday (April 30th). This expense is for our around the world tickets that we will be buying to cover all of our airfare for the year. When you see the amount of traveling we will be doing for 5,000 dollars a piece, you realize how great of a deal it really is. Nonetheless, 10,000 dollars is a HUGE amount of money to acquire in that time....we appreciate all that you are doing, the total support received this month was just told to me today by EPIC international...The tally amounted to 875 dollars, which is a great number....but we are definitely drawing up short. We need all of you guys to be our "street team" and try and find people willing to support social issues like the ones I am presenting on this blog, and like the ones I have described in personal letters/conversations with you. We must understand, this money is not for us, it is for the oppressed and poor who have been shoved to the margins....the children being sexually assaulted 30 times a day in a huge part of the world, and the people burdened down by war, displaced and homeless....with no family left because of the greed and evil of man. We must do SOMETHING....even if it is a small amount. So please, inform people! Whether it be your peers, your friends, your family, or your co-workers, just inform them on an issue and ask if they would like to help stop it...I think you would be hard pressed to find a middle aged father or mother who would say no to helping to stop child trafficking around the world....at least I would hope...(see, I am turning into an optimist!)

So anyways, on to a familiar issue: AIDS

AIDS is:

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome caused by HIV( human immunodeficiency virus)

Effects:

Progressively reduces the effectiveness of the immune system and leaves individuals susceptible to opportunistic infections and tumors. HIV is transmitted through direct contact of a mucous membrane of the bloodstream with a bodily fluid containing HIV( semen, saliva, blood, breast milk).

Statistics( which are actually LIVES....not just numbers, so please keep that thought at the front of your mind...it is KEY):

33 million people are living with HIV/AIDS in the world

Of these 33 million, 30.8 million are adults

Of these adults, 15.5 million are women

There are 2 million children living with HIV/AIDS in the world

There are about 2.7 million newly infected people each year

370,000 of the newly infected are children

Over 2 million AIDS deaths per year

270,000 of these deaths were children

More than 25 million people have died of AIDS since 1981.

Africa has 11.6 million AIDS orphans.

Young people account for 1/2 of all new HIV infections.

In developing countries, 9.7 million people are in immediate need of life saving drugs.

Of these 9.7 million, only 2.99 million(31%) are receiving them.

-these statistics were taken from www.avert.org and are the most recent statistics, released june of 2008.

We will be in South Africa( Lord willing), in September. We will be there for three months before moving to Egypt and the Middle East to tackle issues there. During this time we will be exposed to countless people affected by AIDS and HIV....

Un-education about these diseases are leading to widespread epidemics in the sub-saharan region of Egypt...they are told and believe such myths as: if you sleep with a virgin you will be cured of your disease.

Obviously, lies such as these only spread the disease like wildfire...you take another life, along with that life's innocence and infect it with AIDS that will assuredly be spread to someone else once that girl finally marries....it is just a recipe for disaster...

But truth can set them free....

We love you. Christ loves you.

Just Checking In: Pictures Coming Soon

2009-04-19T23:43:00.002-04:00

Hello everyone!

Boy what a few weeks it has been! Jeanette and I are approaching the one month mark in Hawaii! I can not believe we have been here that long already! We miss you all alot, but we are also so excited and we know this is where we are supposed to be!

The point of this post is just to fill you in on what has been going on since we got here:

We moved into our humble apartment on Thusday, April 2nd. That weekend we got to know alot of the other people who are in photogenX and we went to a beach for some relaxation that weekend. We officially started classes on Monday, April 6th.

The first week of classes was focused on hearing God's voice through all the static of life. We learned some practical ways to do this and also have been practicing it in daily life. We also started to touch on issues of injustice. The main one we focused on was human trafficking. It breaks our hearts to hear what is really going on in our world today.

The second week of classes was about repentance and forgiveness, and let me tell you, it was a heavy week! I have never been more in tune with my own wicked self than last week! Day after day the Spirit was pounding me on all of my own insecurities, selfishness, pride, and most of all, my judgementalism...all of the things holding me back from being a joyful person. So anyways, we confessed and repented and laughed and cried and then cried some more....all week long! So, needless to say, this past weekend was a God-send....we needed some light-hearted activity to change the mood.

So on saturday, Jeanette and I borrowed a scooter from a friend and took off on the open road with a great married couple, who have become close friends. We went to a beach called "Mile Marker 88" and went swimming and relaxed all day. While we were swimming, a mammoth sperm whale breached out of the water drawing everyones attention! It was only about a football field and a half away. Then, a ton of baby whales started to breach the water, getting totally airborne! It was singlehandedly the most AMAZING thing I have ever seen in nature....for fifteen minutes these gentle giants of the sea put on an amazing show for us, jumping and splashing and clearing their blowholes....nature is simply amazing.

Today (Sunday), we just hung out around Kona and had lunch with some friends. We then met up with the rest of the group and played some beach volleyball. These days are definitely going by to fast! I am very excited about tomorrow because a member of the FBI will be with us to speak to us on human trafficking. She heads up the western U.S. task force, which is probably the most intense one, due to the fact that such cities as Las Vegas and Los Angeles are included in the vicinity.

An update on our funds and needs...and this is humorous, but I want to be transparent with everyone. We have not received any of our support money from epic international yet, but we are expecting it within the month. But, as for funds needed, we need 10,000 dollars by April 30th to buy our around the world tickets...So we are praying and trusting that somehow, someway, that will show up. We know we serve a great God, a God that made the mountains and the seas, and owns the cattle on all of the hills, so we figure 10 grand is chump change for Him, right?

Anyways, we are learning a ton, our passion for photography is being replaced by a passion for the oppressed. I want to help these people, not as a rich white westerner, but as a servant of a rabbi who walked the very earth we inhabit. A servant who would rather wash their feet than have his own washed....a servant who truly loves and radically opposes with a love unseen and unheard of around the lands. I don't want politics or money, I just want Jesus. I could care less if it is cool to be a social activist or a photographer...in fact, these things make me want it less....because as soon as it is "cool", we have lost sight. This is our passion. Our very being. Our hearts. I would submit to you this is Jesus Christ's heart as well. We don't just share truth. We share our lives, our love, our helping hands. And let me tell you: Kona, Hawaii needs Christ just as bad as the Sudan or L.A.

Listen. Hear. Move.

2009-04-10T03:51:00.002-04:00

I have questions. I want to know what God wants me to do with my life. I want to know how and where and when and why....and I would like to know it now. But sometimes I have to stop to listen. hear. and THEN I can move.

Confusion is not a state I like to lie in...but it is where I have sat for the past week. I have written in this blog multiple times and then deleted it....because I am not articulating what I want to say....because I have no idea what I want to say...

I want to know why so many turn blind eyes. I want to know why I am such a hypocrite at times. I want to know what God has planned for Jeanette and I. I want to know why more of the people whom we love and love us are not supportive of our call. I want to know if we will fail, and if we fail, what people will say. I want to believe that Christ only called us to be faithful, and I want to believe this is true. But these are all points of confusion in my life. And so, we press on, trusting. believing.

Trusting and believing that even in a broken world, we will see the goodness of the Lord. I want to HEAR the Lord speaking. I want to usher in Heaven to Earth. I don't want to wait...because the longer I wait, the more Hell takes it's hold. So now is the time...to listen. hear. and move.

You may be reading this and not understanding any of it...Heck, I don't even know if anyone reads this thing...but I am still going to write in it. I will try to expound on a few of the issues I have touched on.

I am confused by the lack of support from the Church for our calling. I understand some people view it as a hand out and others say that "if God wants it to happen, it will happen". I understand this and believe it whole heartedly! I also believe that we as humans have a choice. A God given choice. He gives you and me the choice to be used by Him....to usher in Heaven on Earth...and we have the God-given ability to say no...that's it....It is that simple. Jeanette and I had the choice to say: "Eh, not for a few years God, we just got married". In fact, most people would have preferred that...and vocalized it! And I can't blame them...but I heard the Lord calling us...and I heard the cries of the oppressed...and I couldn't sleep knowing that around the world...children and women are being brutalized.

So I say all of that to say this: God will do what He wants to do....if you do not answer His call, He can find someone else. But that does not mean that you didn't ignore His call. That fact remains. I say this about anything God asks you to do. Not just with our mission, but with everything. If God doesn't want you to support us, frankly, I do not want you to support us. I want what God wants...nothing more nothing less.

Now to my heart. This is why I need to move. This is why I need to be active and not passive. This is why God's heart cries out. Our God is a God of the oppressed. He cares for the poor and the marginalized of society. He loves the street urchin as much as he loves the pastor of a mega church. He loves the children as much as the adults, and he loves the murderers as much as the murdered. It is hard to grasp...but it is truth.

HUMAN TRAFFICKING:

(def) - a form of modern day slavery in which people, mostly women and young girls, are abducted, deceived, or coerced into situations of forced labor, including agricultural and industrial production, domestic service, and (most of the times) sex work.

-This includes the buying, selling, and moving of people from one location to another against their will, and it constitutes a grave violation of human rights.

-Human Trafficking is the 2nd most lucrative criminal activity in the world after illegal drugs. It generates more than 9.5 billion dollars in annual revenue. It recently passed arms dealing for the number 2 spot and is slotted to overtake even the drug trafficking business as the largest and most lucrative crime industry on the face of the earth.

-The United Nations estimates that up to 4 million people are trafficked worldwide each year, and the demand is more than the supply.

-While some governments are powerless to help their people in trafficking situations, it is up to the individuals to liberate those in need.

This is just ONE issue of injustice in the world today. I will bring more to light in the coming weeks, but I need you all to understand that this is what I am fighting. This is what Jeanette and I are here to stand up against. This is our heart. And this is God's heart. And we desperately need your help and prayers. We are VERY short on funding...so if you could help out we would greatly appreciate it. If you are already supporting...PLEASE...spread the word! Talk about photogenX and trafficking to people...understand that it happens all over the world...tell them how they can help us and the organizations...spread the word!

We also need to understand the truth behind issues like these. These issues would not be present and they would not be multiplying exponentially if there were not an exponential demand. It starts with our mentality on the issue. Are we going to ignore it and act like it is not real? Are we going to shrug it off as something we don't have to deal with? What happens when it starts to seep into the Western world (as it already has in some cases)? The demand is there...and a lot of it is driven by westerners....American and Europeans...."civilized" people...hopping on a plane to Thailand to use the services of a twelve year old... It starts with us. Are we going to raise awareness and support? Or are we going to wait until it crawls into your backyard?

For some reason we feel it will never take hold here...but look at the facts...If the people from OUR country are driving the demand...and they are willing to fly around the world to have sex with a child...what makes you think we are so far away from it happening within their grasp? Listen. Hear. Move.

before it is too late.

Your sisters are starving....what will you do?

2009-03-16T12:00:00.003-04:00

Business is a catalyst to apathy. I know this first hand. So many of us are so BUSY, we forget to just STOP and THINK. Think about what you are doing, who you are doing it with, why you are doing it. I will add a disclaimer though, reflection is dangerous. You might notice something about yourself that is lacking or is to prevalent. Then, if you aren't careful, you might be convicted to do something about it. That is what has happened to me....over and over and over again. As I am preparing to go off to far away lands and try to leave a lasting mark, I think about what I have done in this land that I know leave my footprint on. And the void of action is staggering. It's not just about what you can do for people half way around the world, although many times we see these people only as commercials on television, or headlines in a allied attack....it is also about those in your BACKYARD. And if you can't find someone in need in your backyard, then you aren't LOOKING.

We are all grieving. This world is disconnected from God. We have disconnected ourselves, not only from the Creator, but from each other as well. We have separated ourselves with social classes, brand names, borders, languages, hairstyles, pop culture, education....etc. Instead of using these things to enable each other to enjoy life, we use it to exclude people from enjoying life. We would have taken the sun long ago and sold it's light to the rich, if only it were within our grasp. Leaving our brothers and sisters in the dark.

Change This.

Son, did you stare to long in front of that mirror?

did it break when your conscience didn't get any clearer

with the stomach you fill with all the food you eat

and lack of pain you feel for the eyes that weep

outside your windowsill of the castle where you sleep?

Has the sun stopped shining on the crown you hang?

has your love and hate started to feel the same?

did that leave you feeling empty, feeling sick,

feeling empty as a child's stomach?

As alone and forsaken as you'd like to be

there are shoreless miseries of oceans, not seas

while you wallow and wait in your tower of ivory

your sister is starving, your brother is begging

Your sisters are starving, your brothers are begging,

Your mothers are mourning, your fathers are folding

Unseen, unsung- under the same sun

Wake up, look up, there's a warmth up there

a reminder of peace, a reason to care

A reason to care

Wake up, look up, that's something you share

There's more to life than the boy in that mirror...

Wake up, wake up, wake up....

...from the depths of this hell:

where the free are slaves,

no difference between the cowards and brave,

where our love and our hate have become the same,

it's time that we "unbecame"...

Where the ears are deaf, and the tongues too dry,

where the arms don't hold, and seeing eyes go blind

Where nothing is everything,

And everything is nothing,

"Arise- my soul, and sing"

---lyrics by HAVE HEART

Change

2009-03-04T11:27:00.008-05:00

Change is what I could describe my life as right now. In fact, both Jeanette and I could describe it as that. She just moved back to Michigan for the wedding. That's change. I move back on Monday. That's change. Then we get married. Change. After that we go to Hawaii for our honeymoon. Change. Then we reside there for a time. Looking forward to most of these changes! And then we travel together. But...change is hard. Whether it is in my personal habits, my life situation, or my mindset towards different things. It's been hard to say goodbye to all of the awesome people we have met here in Lynchburg. It's been really hard. But I know that this needs to happen, and hopefully, for most of these people, it will just be a short period away from enjoying each others company. If you are reading this, you are most likely some of those people that I miss already and I am still sitting in Lynchburg. Change is hard, but it spurs us on and helps us to see things we never would if we weren't willing to do it.

I am amazed by the grace of God. He has allowed Jeanette and I to meet some of the most incredible people ever here in Lynchburg. A lot of whom we have only known for a few months. Bittersweet. But amazing. Jeanette and I kept saying to each other, "Who would have thought it would be this hard to leave Lynchburg?" I have changed in this place. I have been at my lowest point, and then seen myself emerge into the light of truth in this place. We were engaged here.

Lynchburg holds a special place in our hearts, as do you.

So as I get ready to leave this place, I want to say thank you. I am forever indebted to a lot of you, and I am astounded by your grace and love. A lot of you are helping to support us in our mission. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Again: forever indebted. If you don't have money to support us, we understand, but please keep us in your prayers...I could go on and on and on...but I guess that would just get redundant. So, for now, Goodbye Lynchburg...It's been great, keep in touch please! rjwojton@gmail.com or this blogspot!!

Been busy? Us too...

2009-01-28T11:14:00.001-05:00

This is Sheba. She's a doll.

I didn't grow up in the mountains, but I'm playing in them now.

Be afraid of a faith that asks no questions.

2008-12-28T21:38:00.000-05:00

So we are trying something here. I am not talking about this blog. We are trying something different. Jeanette and I are trying to live differently. We aren't "going green". We aren't "hippies". And we also aren't "freedom hating defectors".

We just see something wrong. And you may be annoyed by this post. You may be annoyed by the direction I turn. But we see something wrong in the world today. The problem isn't necessarily the fact something is wrong in the world. We realists have to come to expect that with the world. It is a broken place. The real problem I see, is that we don't see our own wrong doings. Now I want you all to understand that by 'we', I mean the people who are calling themselves 'Christians'.

Let me start with some examples.

And (PLEASE) do not mistake my tone for that of innocence. I am as guilty as the next. But I am trying to change.

Fact:

Total Christian income in the United States each year is estimated around 5.2 trillion dollars, nearly half of the income of Christians in the world.

Another Fact:

In 2000, nearly 97% of income generated by Christian organizations was spent on, or primarily benefited Christians.

Yet Another Fact:

Revelation 17 warns of a Babylon the Great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations.

My Analysis:

I have grown up in the "American Evangelical Society". The Bible belt where Christian bumper stickers are on almost every car and there is a different church to fit your specific needs on every corner. But one eerie similarity remains. They aren't changing this world. They are feeding themselves. They give money, but they know they will receive it. We eat while the lost starve.

What is the problem? Why do we act dead? Are we dead? Can we come back to life if we are?

What if... we were never alive?

What if we lost Jesus in our own agendas?

I often feel dismayed in churches. I thank God for the church I am a part of now, but I am often dismayed. Too many of us are content to consume. That is what we American's are, consumers. So we sit down with our Starbuck's and we write down what the preacher tells us is true. And we leave it at that.

What have we gained? Are we bowing down before Babylon, the false prophet? And if we have unknowingly just sat and been fed the lies of Babylon...who is accountable for that? Sadly it is us. Our own complacency kills us and leads us to judgement. When is the last time you rethought your faith? Why do you pray the way you do? Why do you even pray?

I was struck with the thought of why I pray the way I do a few weeks ago. I was reading John 16. Jesus is teaching His disciples about the Holy Spirit and about prayer. In verse 24, He says, "You haven't done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy."

Well I always closed my prayers robotically by saying, 'In Jesus name, Amen'.

Is that wrong? No, it's not wrong, but I didn't ever know why I was saying 'in Jesus name', I just did it. Probably because other people did it and I just picked up the terminology. The fact of the matter is, a lot of us in the Christian faith do a lot of things. We do a lot of things without thinking about them. This isn't always bad, but I think it is a lack of understanding that buries us and our faith. Our faith is not our own.

Now, when I pray, 'in Jesus name', I have a totally new perspective. I have new faith. And I know, if I am rooted in the will of God...my prayer is going to be answered. I know the meaning behind the term, and it is an AMAZING one! The truth behind that blew me away. I felt ashamed for saying it so ignorantly for so long.

I want all of us, Christians and non-Christians alike to be able to ask questions. Too many oppressive religions stifle thought and inquiry for us to allow it in our own.

I admit, the problem a lot of the time isn't just that questions are stifled, though I know from experience that can be the case. On the other end of the spectrum, we are too lazy to ask the questions....WE HAVE TO! HOW ELSE WILL YOU LEARN?

These are my questions. These are my thoughts. Please keep reading.

So I am going to get back to Jeanette and I. Like I said, we just see something wrong. Especially in the American church. I do not know why we all have become so numb. It may be in part to marketing, laziness, ignorance, too many freedoms(gasp)....whatever it is, something is wrong.

So solutions....are there any?

I believe so. For me there have been some definitive changes and revelations over the past six months. I am a changed man, still working, still sinning, still failing, but at least I am progressing.

So here is an idea. We stop believing the lie that God is pleased with how we are living....

Look at your church. Look at your life.

Now read Matthew 5:3-12.

This is the call of every believer. This is the new world order. This is how we are to live our lives, yes even in the 21st century, yes even in America.

God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for Him (for the Kingdom is theirs)
God blesses those who morn (for they will be comforted)
God blesses those who are humble (for they will inherit the earth)
God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice (for they will be satisfied)
God blesses those who are merciful (for they will be shown mercy)
God blesses those whose hearts are pure (for they will see God)
God blesses those who work for peace (for they will be called the children of God)
God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right (for the Kingdom is theirs)

So to the 'Crystal Cathedral's' and to the 'Liberty University's' out there...is this what we are striving for? To the citizens of the empire....is this what we are striving for? To the Christians in the workforce...is this what we are striving for? Do we cater to the wealthy so they will donate? Do we look to the educated to gain posterity and some sort of legitimacy. Christ said He will use the foolishness of this world to shame the wise...he will use the meek and the poor, the peacemakers and the persecuted. This is not the same Jesus we see worshiped in most of America. We see a Jesus who has granted many people powerful jobs, wealth, cars, houses, wisdom, degrees, luxury, freedom, health...etc.

which, don't get me wrong, isn't bad....but i fear those things I just listed have become America's Jesus.

I am convicted by a God who is so big I have no way to even explain him, let alone try to contain him, and on top of that try to persuade him, that I have a better way.

So here are a few of the things that have helped me along the way. Maybe they will work for you too. I think so.

I pray. Constantly...(not constantly enough)....but every time I think of it, I do. I am praying quietly, I am praying aloud. And I have seen a difference. The only way to have a 'relationship' with God, is by communication....ie PRAYER. And every once in a while, when I shut up long enough to listen....I can hear Him too. And that is amazing.

I read. I always loved to read. Then after high school, life got busy. And I stopped. Now I started again. I read the Bible...(Life Application Study Bible...New Living Translation) I love it. I understand it...I enjoy it. I need it. So do you. But it is not only the Bible...I am reading any Christian material I can get my hands on and wrap my mind around. I am talking authors like Saint Augustine to Shane Claiborne to John Piper. And it challenges me and I grow.

I talk. I share my ideas. I ask questions. In, talking, I am thinking. It makes me think. It makes me reevaluate my belief system. I have been convicted by so many things, just by talking to people. By opening myself up for discussion about God, about people, and about life, I open others up to what they have learned and what they have questions and discussion on. Iron sharpens iron.

Lastly, I mingle. Community is so important in the Christian walk. It gets hard. It gets rough, and unless you have true, close community with a small group of people, it gets almost too hard to handle. Community holds you accountable. It makes you vulnerable. And that is what moves us to change. When we are constantly reminded about our problems, our vices, our inconstancies, we are far more apt to change them. This is good. It is far harder to hide your shortcomings when you are in a authentic community of believers with a like mind and a genuine love for each other.

I want to change the world. But I can't.

The good news is: I know who can.

The American Church needs to put down their American Jesus

And bow to the Jesus of Nazareth they have turned away from.

beautiful are the messengers

Back in Germany

_____Don't Forget I'm Helpless_____

_______The Kingdom of God_______

____How Many Slaves Work For You?_____

_________Culture's Sickness__________

________No Justice, No Peace_________

_______Denying the Resurrection_______

__________Tunisia: May 2011__________

__________1st Video Update!__________

___What A Song Does to Stir My Soul___

______Return to the Blogosphere_____

March Newsletter!

Wojton Newsletter December + January

Wooooo hoooo...we got ourselves a KID!

Update and Website!

India Update!

GONE to INDIA...

New Blog Layout Under Construction

I know I know. It's been a while.

The Long Awaited Post? Maybe!

Roof Project Update

Update from Africa

Help A Family....See the Results!

the only thing different between us and them is the spelling

Jesus Walks In A Township Called Capricorn

South Africa

Publication....

An Update From Panama

Yo Soy en Panama!

Hello World!

Are YOU hungry?

A New Fire

the birth of violence is traced back to our hearts

Be the CHANGE.

Another bucket of joy

Just Checking In: Pictures Coming Soon

Listen. Hear. Move.

Your sisters are starving....what will you do?

*Change*

Been busy? Us too...

Be afraid of a faith that asks no questions.

_Don't Forget I'm Helpless_

_The Kingdom of God_

How Many Slaves Work For You?_

_Culture's Sickness__

No Justice, No Peace_

_Denying the Resurrection_

Tunisia: May 2011

1st Video Update!

_What A Song Does to Stir My Soul_

__Return to the Blogosphere_

Change