Photography as mission... focusing in on building bridges

Selfie.  (/ˈselfiː/) A self-portrait photograph, typically taken with a hand-held digital camera or camera phone. They are usually flattering and made to appear casual. Most selfies are taken with a camera held at arm's length or pointed at a mirror, rather than by using a self-timer.

They are everywhere. You text them to friends, attach them to emails, and make them your Facebook profile pic. You can post them to Tumblr, pin them on Pinterest, Instagram them to the world and, erase them in a few seconds with Snapchat.

Most of us have so many photos of ourselves and our families  we hardly think twice about them. With the advent of the digital age, many people have more photos then they can ever hope to display, let alone organize. 

The days of the Kodak Instamatic Camera with the square flash cube are long gone. And so are photo albums, drive thru film processing from Fotomat, and those classic frames with holes of every size and shape. 

Today, if you want a picture, you just pull out your phone, snap it, save it, and print it. 

But what if you lived in a place where that new fangled technology had not reached? What if you lived in a place like San Dionesio Ocotepec, Oaxaca?

Getting vitals checked at our clinic in San Dionesio Ocotepec, Oaxaca

I was there recently with my ministry, Adventures in Life, to hold a medical clinic for the people of that largely Zapotec community. Alongside the medical checkups and eye exams, we also offered personal photos to the people of the community.

Cyndy Smith of Mission Focused climbing to get the perfect shot

Using Mission Focused, a San Diego based non-profit dedicated to using the power of photography for God’s glory, we were able to give many of the people, like this man, of that small pueblo, and others around Oaxaca, the first photos of themselves.

Read those words again… the first photos of themselves!

You see, the selfie craze hasn’t quite reached many of the people of San Dionesio. Neither has the ability to quickly, and inexpensively print photos. 

As I think about mission, thoughts of connection are always closely intertwined. How do we, as believers, connect with people who are different from us? What are the ways we can develop bridges into communities to make a kingdom difference?

The ubiquitous Splash Mountain shot, complete with a selfie 

One of those ways is through photography. Even if you are that person who hates having your picture taken, I’ll bet you still go check out that candid photo Disneyland takes of you on Splash Mountain. We can’t help ourselves. There is just something about seeing our faces, smiling or not, on an artist’s canvas, or in this case, through the photographer’s lens.

Especially, if it is the first time. In. Your. Life!

Brother Joe printing out photos in San Dionesio Ocotepec

Now imagine if that gift comes from a group of people who love God and are freely giving you that gift. In a world where everything seems to come with strings attached, that idea seems like a relic of a bygone era.

Effective mission, the kind that connects to people for the long hard work of disciple making, takes relationship. It is not accomplished by giving one of Chick’s Tracts to someone you’ve just met. I place great value in the old Young Life saying that you need to “earn the right to be heard” before sharing about the Gospel. 

Those pictures Mission Focused took for us? Along with our medical mission, these were the first steps in relationship building for Adventures in Life in San Dionesio Ocotepec. My hope and prayer is that they will serve as a bridge for the local churches with whom we work in that area to challenge people to live for Jesus.

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Here are a few of the portraits taken that week by Brother Joe and Cyndy Smith during our week of ministry in Oaxaca. We made sure everyone got a print of the photos we took of them. Check out more of their work on the Mission Focused Facebook page...

A Village, A Mission, A Ministry, An Opportunity

We made it.

Leaving Oaxaca City about 9:00am Sunday, we arrived in Eloxochitlan de Flores Magnon [formerly San Antonio de Eloxochitlan], site of our medical clinic last week, about 4:00pm.

Along the way we ate a great lunch, sucked down a few Dramamines, passed through a cloud forest, crossed the Continental Divide, and even saw a few waterfalls before finally arriving.

As we got out of our vehicles, about 150 people were crowded around the house we would use for our clinic getting a small bowl of beans and a handful of tamale masa to dip in the broth. I wondered how many of them would be at the clinic the next day.

When I woke up, there were already people lining up. By the time the day ended, we had seen well over 100 people. But the number doesn’t really matter, it could have been 50, it could have been 500.

Our intake and triage center

What really mattered was the church... and God... and Jesus.

For the community of Eloxochitlan, what mattered was that Jesus showed up in ways many had never imagined. People walked hours to be seen by a dentist, an internist, a pediatrician or a physical therapist who was literally working miracles.

Dr Sue seeing one of our smaller patients on our second day

They came in the back of trucks, in friends cars, any way they could to get a chance to see a doctor, or get some level of medical care. And they came in waves. Just when we thought there would be a break, or perhaps the day was winding down, another collectivo with a dozen patients would arrive.

We saw children with untreated extreme cerebral palsy, people who would soon lose their toes and feet, bad backs, colds, gastritis and sore knees. Almost everyone we saw had at least one cavity. We saw people with Parkinson’s disease, parasites and cases of lice so bad kids had literally ripped their faces off. 

When Pastor Chable was not talking with his community, he helped out by sterilizing medical instruments

And we saw Pastor Chable in his element, serving his people. The people God had called him to years ago. This was the first place he pastored and he has never really left. It’s where his son Abi calls home. His daughter Cesi was born there. It’s where he held a little baby many years ago that died in his arms. 

That baby changed his ministry, and many years later, me and Adventures in Life.

Chable’s son Abi told me I was only the second “gringo” to ever work with the people in Eloxochitlan, the first being the missionary who helped his dad plant a church there years ago. As I listened, I learned that there had never been a clinic in town with more than one doctor. We brought four. I learned that no clinic, including the town health clinic, ever had medicine for the people they treated. I learned that no church sponsored clinic had ever treated non-Christians before. We treated all comers.

Here I am with Doctors Milton and Ita between patients

This time, this year, last week, the church showed up. People were cared for, prayed for, held, touched and loved in ways many had never experienced. The Gospel was shared in word, deed, action and proclamation. 

It was shared people to people, as when Pastor Chable sat with a couple that needed counseling, or when one of our doctors prayed with a patient in need.

Looking back, I shared with my ministry community last week that I was scared. Scared of the unknown as we prepared to head up to our location in Eloxochitlan. Now I ache.

Without a doubt this was the hardest week of ministry I have ever experienced in over 20 years of mission. I know it will never leave me, even as I struggle to understand what I saw there and what should be the role of the church in addressing incredible pain, suffering and poverty.

What I do know is this... we’re going back next year. And we need you. 

In addition to our current, already committed group of physicians and dentists, we need nurses, dietitians, dental hygienists and people who understand public health issues. We need an eye doctor or two to help provide sight to people who have struggled all their lives to see clearly.

We also need a team chaplain. This is a ministry that needs a pastor’s heart to hear the struggles of God’s servants, as they work, and to be praying for, and with them. It is that hard.

Viktor E. Frankl writes in his landmark work, “Man’s Search for Meaning” that everyone must have something for which they live. Perhaps this ministry is that something for which your soul yearns... that something for which you live. 

We are trying to change a pueblo. The pueblo of Eloxochitlan! We are striving to meet immediate needs now, while sowing the seeds of Christian development for tomorrow. Imagine if in a few years, the people of this area could say that God heard their prayers and sent some men, women and children from the church to help.

Then imagine if those He sent, included you.

Please pray about it and if you have any questions, contact me.

A big thank you to Mission Focused for their help documenting our work with their excellent photography. All pictures here are copyrighted and cannot be used without the express permission of Adventures in Life Ministry and Mission Focused.

Adventures in Life Ministry, Oaxaca, and Short-Term Mission Success

I feel like Adventures in Life Ministry has won the lottery.

At least, never having ever bought a ticket, I feel like I think people feel when they win the lottery.

Let me explain.

Pastor Steve checking on the progress

In 1999, AIL Ministry went to Oaxaca to talk with a group of pastors and leaders to talk about coming alongside their ministries.  We were hoping to help them realize their dreams for ministry.  We did not go there to tell them how to do their ministries or to tell them what we were going to do.

We went to listen and offer our help in any way we could.

For the first couple of years we were essentially in a dating relationship with our new friends.  We helped a couple of churches in their outreach plans and then one day Pastor Saul asked us to help his church build a training center for Zapotec Leaders and Pastors in the Tlacolula Valley, 25 miles east of the capital city.

We broke ground on that training center in 2005.  This October, the National Baptist Convention of Mexico will be holding the first official training event there.

It is part of the national strategy of the Baptist denomination to reach the indigenous people groups of Mexico and teach cross cultural mission strategies to young missionaries for worldwide evangelism.

Let me put this in practical terms... The largest Protestant denomination in Mexico is now using the facility that Adventures in Life Ministry built in Oaxaca to train national leaders not just to reach the indigenous peoples of Mexico, but to inspire and send missionaries around the world.

This is a really big deal, and here’s why.  That little facility that AIL Ministry built with the tithes and donations of people and churches in the United States is set to train and empower a new generation of missionary leaders.

I cannot think of a better example of effective short-term mission.

From the US Standards of Excellence for Short-Term Mission, to which Adventures in Life belongs, lets see how our STM in Oaxaca stacks up to the 7 Standards....

1. God Centered... The entire idea of this project was centered around sharing the love of Jesus Gospel message in a largely under-reached population and extending God’s Kingdom here on earth.

2. Empowering partnerships with a focus on local initiatives... The center was the dream of local churches that were already working in the area.  They were looking for a way to improve their mission.  AIL Ministry came alongside them and helped make that dream a reality.

3. Mutual Design... Both local leadership and AIL Ministry worked hand in sometime difficult hand to get this center done.  It was a team effort all the way through.

4. Comprehensive Administration... AIL Ministry worked hard to raise the funds necessary for the center and together with our local leadership, strove to be good stewards of both the people and financial resources God had entrusted us.

5. Qualified Leadership... Again, together with locals, AIL worked to make sure that participants in this project had the tools, training and resources needed to successfully complete our portion of the project.

6. Appropriate Training... We made sure that when people took part in our STM, they saw how it was connected to God’s larger plan in Oaxaca, were prepared culturally and came with an attitude of a learner-servant, respectful of the local church.

7. Thorough Follow-Up... This is where we are now.  The ministry is now in the hands of local indigenous leadership in Oaxaca and the National Baptist Convention.  We will continue to work together whenever and however we can, but this season of work at Tlacolula has been completed.  It was a short-term mission for Adventures in Life Ministry and that mission is now over. 

One of our teams working on the water system at the training center

 But while our mission is over, the ministry moves forward.

Some of the strongest criticisms of short-term mission are a lack of long-term impact and a focus on projects designed by Americans for American ministry.  From the start, this project was birthed, fed, and nurtured to completion by the local church in Oaxaca.

It was not easy.  There were times when like any married couple we fought.  I remember one particularly bad day when I was literally yelling at Pastor Saul insisting he was wrong.  But we got it done.

Together... in Christian partnership.

And now that little ministry center in Tlacolula, directed by local Oaxacan leaders, will begin training cross cultural missionaries to share the Gospel of Jesus in Mexico and beyond.

I feel fortunate, blessed, and incredibly honored to have played a part in making this happen.

If you’ve ever contributed to Adventures in Life Ministry, participated on one of our Oaxaca teams, or prayed for our ministry, you should feel likewise... because this is the fruit of your ministry and investment in Adventures in Life.

Thank you for being part of extending God’s Kingdom not just in Mexico, but around the world through your investment in Adventures in Life Ministry.

Short-term mission... long term impact.

Photos courtesy of Mission Focused, a ministry partner of Adventures in Life... check them out here!

Mission, Ministry, and Relationships... the key to effective long-term impact from Adventures in Life...

Okay, here are some of the stats from our recent medical ministry in Oaxaca, Mexico...

Over 100 patients seen.  

3 different villages, [San Baltazar Guelavila, San Felipe Guila, and San Pedro Amatlán] served.  Lots of medicine dispensed, nerves calmed, seminars on sexuality and home hygiene given and a few decisions made to try and and live for Jesus.

We awarded our first greenhouses, to be installed next month.  We made some important decisions on our ongoing water well work in the area.

And, through MISSION Focused, we took, and presented, hundreds of photographs and portraits for the people of the villages we are serving.

All that is stuff that excites our supporters and those who serve on short-term mission.

But let me share what excites our mission partners in Oaxaca even more.

Relationship.  That’s right.  Relationship.  Because in the end, only those relationships, built on a foundation of Jesus Christ will remain.

While all of the stuff US churches do for others is cool, needed, and in some cases sought after like the golden goose, it is the day to day interaction that is most coveted.

Now, please understand that I know there is a place for both relief, and development.  In fact, Adventures in Life Ministry is actively, and has been for over 20 years, in both.  

We have given food away, rebuilt homes, paid necessary expenses and helped out in emergencies.  We have built churches, trained leaders, and are currently working agriculturally to help locals in Oaxaca, Mexico put food on their tables.

It is just that what I hear time after time from our ministry partners, and from other leaders around the globe is that what really matters long-term is our time.

We are social animals.  As such, we crave interaction.  It is what we feed on.  If you are pastoring over there, where ever there is, chances are you are feeling pretty alone, so a week or two or three with fellow Christians helps you feel connected to the larger body.  

Also, when you visit, you are able to see first hand the need.  This, along with the ministry of the the Holy Spirit helps direct you how to pray more effectively and boldly for the people and the ministry where you are involved missionally.

So next time you are on short-term mission, think about this... are you trying to be a human doing, or a human being.  

The future of effective short-term mission might depend on it!

MISSION Focused and the Power of Photography...

Every once in a while, I get asked if short-term ministry makes any real difference in the lives of those we serve.

The answer usually is that it depends.

Certainly it can if you are part of a team that brings some significant improvement to a family, church, or area.

But those are the big obvious examples.

Far more times we are never going to see how our work impacts those in other countries when we go to serve.

Today however was different.

I was next door to a church we helped build in San Baltazar, Oaxaca, talking to the Jaime and his family as they were working in their trade, making shawls.  When it was time to leave, Jaime’s wife Marta invited me into the house to talk and have a cup of avena.

As I walked in the door, I saw it.  A picture I have seen a million times on my computer.  It is one I have used on the Adventures in Life Ministry web site.  It was a picture of my friend Doug and the new friend he made in Oaxaca, Julian, Jaime’s dad.

Everyone in the family remembered Doug and the day that photo was taken.  I listened as they shared about their dad helping us build the church next door and his work with us alongside Doug in Tlacolula. 

One of the ministries we have partnered with is MISSION Focused.  When we are on mission in Mexico, Brother Joe Ramirez and his team come with us to take photos.

Now I’ll be honest, sometimes I wonder if we need to take a million photos of us working.  But we are not the only people Brother Joe and his team are photographing while they are in Mexico.

Every ministry site we are on in Oaxaca, anyone in the village can come and get photos of their families, kids, their home, or whatever.  

For many, it may be the first color picture they have ever seen of themselves, or their families.  For most, it is the first tangible expression of God’s love they have ever received from the church.

Today when we finished talking next door with Jaime and his wife Marta, they asked if we could come back later and take some photos of his new son.

It is amazing to see what something as seemingly simple as a photograph can mean to a person, or a family.

Every day people around the globe are serving in short-term mission taking pictures.  And every day, for the most part, those people will go home with their photos, forever missing a chance to leave a lasting impact with those whom they are serving.

It is good to know that when we leave this week, alongside the photo of Doug and Julian, there will also be photos of Jaime’s and Marta’s baby boy.

And it is even better to know that the ministry of MISSION Focused is helping Adventures in Life Ministry and churches in places like San Baltazar Guelavila and San Felipe Guila build bridges into their communities for Jesus through the power of photography.

Sometimes You Just Need Help...

Cathedral Santo Domingo against the blue sky of Oaxaca

I am horrible at publicizing what I do in Oaxaca and other parts of Mexico.

There is a part of me that wars within my soul against drawing attention to me and my work and the need to get the word out about what we are doing in Mexico.  And yes I know it's God's work, but you know what I mean.

I hate asking for money, paying the bills, worrying about making ends meet and setting up good photos of our work, both to document it and for publicity.

One of the little ones inside the church we helped build in San Baltazar Guelevila, Oaxaca

And yet, I know all of this stuff is a necessary part of what must be done in an organization that does not have the luxury of being in front of a congregation every week and passing an offering plate around.

Thankfully God has brought two wonderful people into my circle to help me.

One is Kristin Grimes.  Kristin, who I've known from my original days in Las Vegas, takes care of paying the bills, making ends meet, and is biggest help I have had in our office in many years.  Her expertise, professionalism, and love of what we are doing is a constant source of encouragement for me.  I could not continue to serve were it not for Kristin.  She has been a gift from God.

Art exhibit remembering those that died trying to go north to improve their lives

The other is Joe Ramirez.  Joe was mutual friend of AIL Ministry Co-Founder Grady Martine and our original translator, cultural guide, and teacher of all things Mexico, Paul Lathrop.

Joe is a great photographer.  Years ago when he was starting out, he was always talking about getting involved with AIL Ministry... it just never quite happened.

And then a few years back I got Joe to join us in Oaxaca on our Men's Ministry to shoot photos.

WOW!

TURSE, a world famous men's choir we encountered on the streets of the Barrio Jalatlaco

Just knowing that Joe is there with us and shooting photos of what we do has been a tremendous blessing.  No longer do I have to spend hours trying to get the money shot, as photogs call it, only to have it over exposed.

Joe is part of an organization, Mission Focused, that exists to help people document God's work around the world.

This man will sell you whatever you need for your kitchen

Trust me on this... if you are on mission and want to tell your story, you need photos.  Joe can be a huge help to your ministry and he can be reached though Mission Focused.

Now I still have to be that guy asking for money, but the load is a little lighter with people like Joe and Kristin carrying some of the burden.  So until I find someone to do that asking for me, make sure you go to our web site and make a donation, both you and AIL Ministry will be better for it.

Meanwhile, the pictures here are just a few that Joe took recently when he was in Oaxaca with me earlier this month telling the story of Oaxaca and our ministry... enjoy!

 

Stories from the Field... Joe Ramirez of Mission Focused Sounds Off...

Dave Miller, Co-Founder of Adventures in Life Ministry

Occasionally I get a chance to write for someone else's blog, magazine, or online journal. My good friend Joe Ramirez of Mission Focused, who has served alongside me in Oaxaca for years saw something that caught his eye.

And it is more than my ugly mug from the picture above.

I was touched by what he had to say about ministry, short-term mission, and trying to follow Jesus. I think you will be too!

Angelina, Louis, and Dave... Some Thoughts on Short-Term Mission 

I’m new to the whole Short Term Missions (STM’s) thang…and much of what I’ve learned has been with Dave Miller and Adventures in Life (AIL) in Oaxaca, Mexico.  A simple definition of short term missons: a group of volunteers coming for limited time period, anywhere from 1 week to 1 month, to “minister” and share the Good News of Christ.  For example it could be men doing construction work, a youth group leading Vacation Bible Schools in orphanages or folks doing street evangelism.

It’s been my pleasure to witness first hand the work AIL is doing in Oaxaca, as they work in partnership with local pastors and missionaries to help them reach the native Zapotec’s  with the Good News of Christ.

I was flipping through an old issue of Time magazine today when I came across this photo of Angelina Jolie, in Cambodia.  It was part of a full page ad for Louis Vuitton.  The tag line for the ad was “A single journey can change the course of a life.”

From a  photographic point of view, it’s a nice photograph.  Let’s be real!  Angelina Jolie plus an exotic locale…not hard to get a great photo.

I know that she represents the United Nations globally so it’s probably safe to say the image is not photo-shopped and I am sure she doesn’t roll with a $1500 tote while visiting third-world countries.

What does this have to do with missions…everything!

Dave shares stories from the missions field of good intentions gone wrong.  A big part of the problem stems from a viewpoint that the church in the United States knows best when it comes to “doing” missions cross-culturally.  From Dave’s experiences in Mexico he has seen short term missionaries from the states come into Mexico with big plans of evangelizing the “lost” for a week or two, only to leave and never return.  Leaving in their wake long term missionaries and the local church to clean up the mess that these short term folks left behind.

One of the things he sees frequently, and he tries to advise those coming on trips with him, is groups who come to work and minister that bring a change of clothes for every day they are there.  On the surface it might not seem like a big deal.  Work hard, get your clothes dirty and stinky, change into clean clothes…start all over again.  Often these short term folks are working alongside fellow Christians who live there and want to serve with them.  They will more often than not, where the same work clothes every day.  For some its because they have no choice, and others out of practicality…you have work clothes and you have non work clothes.

It is an issue of cultural sensitivity.  Like not bringing a $1500 Louis Vuitton tote on your missions trip…not that that has happened.  At least I hope not.  In my experiences, I have seen folks serving meals at the San Diego Rescue Mission in their $150 true religion jeans and $300 Burberry scarves.  I’m not judging them, it is just a question of choice.

I know I’m just scratching the surface here when it come to cultural sensitivity and short term missions, but i felt like I needed to share what out there and what I have see first hand.

Honestly, photographing in Oaxaca and Guatemala, in some areas where folks are truly in need, with some really expensive camera equipment, has made me pause and think.  It does get embarrassing to a certain extent when some of the local Christians I’m serving with ask me how much my cameras cost…knowing that my camera can feed a lot of folks or buy grain to feed the animals they raise for food.

Pastor Norma & Brian Douglas

But this is why I shoot.  I am a short term missions photographer.  Wanting to show the world what’s going on in areas like Oaxaca and to publicize the work of local missionaries and pastors like Americo & Norma. 

Pastor Americo, Paul & Jim

Joe's Blog 

The Faces of Oaxaca...

As I have served over the years in Oaxaca, one of the things I have seen in a people with little to celebrate in life is an indomitable spirit, proud of their Oaxacan heritage.


I put this little picture book together last year and would like to offer it up to you.  It makes a great gift to someone who has served with us, or would just appreciate the art of photography shown in the faces.


The photography was primarily done my friends at Mission Focused, a great group of people trying to document in pictures what God is doing around the world in mission.


Click here to see the book and to order it.  It's not expensive and every book sold helps fund a little bit of what Adventures in Life Ministry is trying to do in Oaxaca, Mexico.


If you want a copy in Spanish, let me know.  Those will be available soon too!