Olá(Hello) From Brazil…

February 23, 2015

Olá(Hello) From Brazil…

16 Months And 20+ Countries In!

HIGHLIGHTS OF 2014-

Interviewed and followed many foster families in many countries.
Filmed in the Kigali Rwanda stadium (along with CNN, BBC!) for the Kwibuka 20th Genocide Memorial.
Teenagers and Adults chose to follow Jesus.
Prayed and worshiped in the EU Parliament with other EU parliament Christians.
More than 8 promotional videos created for different organisations across the world.
Releasing our first teaser trailer for the documentary.

Since my last update the ‘Eloy Project’ team and I have been in India, Thailand, Cambodia and now in Brazil. God continues to take me on a deeper journey with Him as we travel around the globe, film and build relationships with families, ministries and organisations.

A small overview of our work this year in this short video teaser trailer below:

Our very first 1 minute 36 seconds teaser trailer is out with over 8000 views in seven days on the Facebook page. If you like it, please re-share to continue to build the projects momentum and show to the world the importance of children and how we care for them.

Looking back, Looking Forward

No year in my life has brought such a juxtaposition of beauty and evil, joys and sorrows, problems and triumphs. At times the size of this project can seem momentous to be nearly maddening, at others I marvel at the beauty of opportunity to help many with this film.
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Its truly incredible the range of emotions and experiences we can go through. From walking through the tin shacks of Africa’s largest slum to the pristine corridors of the European parliament; again and again I wonder how I got here. So many memories to process from so many countries.

Paradigms have shifted, the way the world looks has changed. In honesty some things I wish had remain hidden but knowledge of injustice brings demands a response.
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Sharing in others stories, means sharing in their pain and in turn being vulnerable to share your own. There’s healing for both.

How do I process all of this? There is paradox of tackling injustice and seeing the scope of the needs. Its all too easy to compare myself to the size of the problem and find myself coming up short.

Questions often come; How do I walk with God, rely on his strength and his wisdom, what is that/how is that walked out, who am I really, do I have what it takes? What expectations/standards are I setting on myself? Are they realistic, are they from God? The list could go on. I want to walk by faith, as Proverbs says:

‘Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.’ Proverbs 3:5

The reality of the heart is quite different to what you know in your head. In this 16 month journey God has met me where Im at, helped my ‘connect all the dots’ brain to gradually let-go and be at peace with the realisation not all responsibility lies on me, my future my my fears and dreams are His responsibility, in fact its Him that makes the paths straight, I walk.

We don’t have to have everything figured out to be useful. I am thankful that the film we are making isn’t dependent solely on my planning strategy, maturity or wisdom or the collective work of the whole team, there is something and someone far bigger than me directing it all and by all I don’t just mean our film. This is very good news, very good news indeed. I hope to walk forward in 2015 with greater peace in a ever brightening future. God isn’t finished with me yet and neither is he finished with you.

Video Highlights
Recent videos the team and I created (click to play)

Life Connection

Life Connections vision statement is ‘To rescue, restore and reconnect street children in Kolkata ( Calcutta ) with their families and reintegrate them into society.’

Music by Teriitehau ‘J.J’ Gerard Hopuu

In Memory Of Norita Erickson

In Memory Of Norita Erickson April 28 1951- January 26 2014.

Find out more at kardelenmercyteams.org

Meet Ivy – Kibera, Kenya

See this young Kenyan girls love for learning despite living in the worlds largest slum.

Tkachuk Family Home – Ukraine

Discover how this Ukrainian couple is changing the face of orphan care in a nation captivating the world’s attention.

Year Photo Highlights

To travel to where we need to film we used: Taxis, motorbikes, buses, trains, planes, boats.

Christmas Time With Family! – First Thailand then South Africa.

After 15 months of filming, travel and leading a team I very much appreciated a break to see family who I haven’t been with in literally years. After the team and I parted ways from Cambodia for Christmas I was able to get a very cheap bus from Phnom Penh Cambodia to Bangkok. There I spent two weeks with my Dad who is living and working as a teacher. I had a great time with one of my favourite memories being able to walk a Tiger (like you do!)
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After two weeks with my father I had the opportunity to spend the rest of my break with my mum and sister Esther who lives in Capetown, South Africa. Thanks to Mum treating me to the flight as an early present we had the first Christmas together in 7 years!

It was a much needed time to relax and process all the intensity of 2014 and move into 2015. To help with that miraculously God provided an experienced debrief counsellor who helped me unpack and prepare for the last quarter of travel and filming. After my experience in those sessions I fully recommend the importance of time to debrief, verbalise and process. Again my outlook changed and shifted for better.

Whats Next – Brazil and an ‘undisclosed Asian country’.

Myself, Casey, Gabriella, Joachim (our new friend from Jocum Belo Horizonte) and Megan and Kirk (front).

In Brazil we are following the next chapter of our Eloy story. Please pray as we build friendships that we find just the right person to follow and to honour, dignify and in turn move the hearts of many to care for these children.

Also as we aim to move ahead with media passes and visas for as yet undisclosed asian country, please pray this process goes smoothly so we are able to film our final chapter in a timely and appropriate manner.