Video Update!

____This is my JAM right now____

2nd Video Update

_________What is Justice...a primer in what I hope to be a series of thoughts and submissions_________

What is Justice? from The Justice Conference on Vimeo.

___________MEANING____________

I've been MEANING to post more. I've been contemplating some LARGE and some small things in life...all of significant significance...I just don't have the words yet to express what I am wrestling/grappling/ learning/ deconstructing/ experiencing....I'm working on it though. All I know is that sometimes God is so big...you can barely see HIM....because we are blinded by our own vision. I've been practicing being quiet...like last week I sat for an hour without moving, reading, writing, looking around...etc....that might have been the longest I've ever been awake and quiet....I want God to know I want to hear His voice. I want Him to know I'm serious....and along with that....I want to show myself I am serious, so when I go to tell the world about this God that speaks, this God that listens, this God that came down and lived among us and then decided to send His Spirit to dwell within us...that I know that, that I experience that, that I live the truth of that on a daily basis. You are all such an inspiration and blessing to our family. Your prayers are coveted...

Ryan

Back in Germany

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_____

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_______

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?_____

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__________

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_________

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_______

__________Tunisia: May 2011__________

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}

{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!__________

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___

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_____

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!

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

Wooooo hoooo...we got ourselves a KID!

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!

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