Better late than never?

Project ended two weeks ago...I guess it's time for me to wrap up this blog. I started to write this post when I was still in the city, but words just weren't happening coherently. Now that I've had some down time, I've been able to take a few steps back and see things more clearly.

I don't think I can really summarize what we did very well without writing a book. Relationships were built, art was made, learning happened. The show went well. I know I'm a little biased, but I really enjoyed the art. People put themselves into it, and the struggles of creating didn't tear relationships apart. That's huge. At least to me.

Bits that I really loved/learned from: 1- Collaborating. If you haven't done it, I suggest giving it a try. It can be frustrating, but if you seek God throughout, it's really rewarding.

2- Theology and Arts. It challenged me to think about why we create, how we should create, and what it means to glorify God in our art. Since I'm nearing a place of transition into the workplace, it was very beneficial to be thinking about how the decisions I'm making in regard to my art/work reflect my views on God.

3- Interacting with people outside the studio. I got to know my neighbors at The Markle, and I had several very memorable conversations during our times doing Soularium and during the homeless outreach. If you pray, please take a few minutes to pray for Denise, Caroline, B, Ellie, and Reema.

4- The people that make up the 2010 arts track. I loved being around the people on the arts track. We all come from different places and perspectives, with God being the common thread. I learned things about myself and others through the building of these relationships. It was good, and I hope to continue to get to know as many of them as I can. God is good :)

This project was really hard for me at times. It was exhausting. I felt really out of my element on a fairly regular basis. Most days I was very aware of how inadequate my abilities were at some point or another. God showed me bits of my heart that I didn't realize were there, and that was hard to see. But it was so good. And I can see God working in those areas now that I'm letting Him into them. It's been (and will continue to be I'm sure) interesting trying to figure out how to let God fix the broken bits and change me into who He's created me to be.

If you want to know more specifics, please ask me questions. I'd love to talk about it and share stories. I may update every so often as memories surface and words become more coherent.

You can keep up with what I'm doing on a regular basis at my film blog.

Crunch Time

The opening is this week. Thursday night. We're all scrambling to put the finishing touches on our projects. Daniel is spending hours on end in the darkroom writing and recording the music for our film. He's about halfway there. Kristine and I are prepping the gallery space and providing moral support. The entire project is cutting out leaves. It will take every person involved with this project to make this happen. That's one of the things I love about it. It's collaboration out of love, not obligation. There's no "I'll do this for you if you're there for me later." We're all in this together.

I love art students. I love listening to their perspectives and the way their brains work. There was a random moment about a week ago where someone found a ball of yarn and proceeded to connect each of us together with it. And people just laughed and let him. We sat there & continued with our meeting, tied together with yellow yarn. No one really questioned his logic.

Another awesome thing about the students this year is their attitude. The schedule we're keeping and the topics we're exploring and the city itself have created an environment where many of us are getting the opportunity to see the parts of ourselves that we don't like. It's really hard, but people are pulling together and working together despite the difficulties. And giving those parts of themselves to God...I've heard several comments about how this is a blessing that we're getting to learn these things about ourselves. I've never heard anyone thank God for allowing them to see their sin except in the context of salvation stories. It's awesome.

A few of us got stuck on a train on our way into the studio earlier, and one of the girls commented on our schedule in comparison to the other tracks (which tend to have more free time). It wasn't a negative conversation though. I watched as another student commented "I wish we had more time to experience the city, but I'm glad we're on the arts track with this schedule." Her logic? Our time at home is this hectic. Life isn't going to slow down any in the near future, and this project forces us to learn how to live our lives for Christ and rely on God in the midst of the chaos.

I'll say it again...I love our students. (the staff are great too) :)

Like I said, it's crunch time. Back to work. Be praying for us. If you're in the city, come to our show...and help with PR. Change your profile picture to the Intersection flyer.

Editing

We're in the editing phase of our project finally. We've got a little more left to shoot, but we have most things shot & ProRes-ed. (I know that's not a word...At least not yet.) The goal is to start composing the music tomorrow...and finish everything by Tuesday. Please be praying for all of us.

We're having some trouble with technology. I'm learning how to make it work for me not against me, but that takes time. Which we're a bit tight on. I had hoped to have something for Daniel to start composing to by today. The editing of this isn't incredibly complex in regard to story, but the footage itself is a lot for the computer to process, so it takes time. On the plus side, while we're waiting for the computer to do it's thing, I've been able to help cut out leaves for the Invitation group. I secretly love it. I spent close to four hours cutting leaves out of invitations today. It was very monotonous, but it definitely had a hand in keeping my stress level down. Keeping my mind occupied is a good thing when I'm watching the clock.

It's encouraging to see God working in people's lives through this project. Including mine. Though usually it's more frustrating in mine...it can be really hard to see your weaknesses. Especially those that you didn't realize you (still) had. God is faithful in showing us our weaknesses, but He's also faithful in sticking with us & guiding us through them. I miss certain things & people at home, but I'm really glad God has me here. And I'm really thankful for the people who have helped me get here. I appreciate you all more than words can express.

Please keep praying for us. We've got a lot to get done before the opening next week. I have no doubt that it will get done the way it needs to be done though. God will get us through. This is all for His glory.

Things Progress

The students have been here for two weeks now, and we're really getting into the swing of things. We divided up into seven groups this past weekend, each with a different word: Invitation, Anticipation, Reunion, Intimacy, Betrayal, Sacrifice, and Pursuit. Last night we pitched ideas based off of these themes. Overall, it went well. We're all still adjusting to how to critique and accept critique in a setting like this. We're all in this together, and we're not making 7 individual pieces, we're making one collaboration that includes seven pieces.

My group is contemplating anticipation. The words were chosen randomly, but it ties in really well with us. All of our mediums utilize time, and so much of anticipation is watching the clock. We've decided to make a short film...technically two that complement each other. It's going to be hard, but it will be awesome if it comes together. Please be praying that God stays the center of our endeavors. We're about to take on a pretty big task, and it won't happen without Him.

I'm adjusting to the schedule finally. Your prayers have helped. I'm not nearly as exhausted or stressed after 12 hours in the studio as I was last week. There's still stress, and there's still exhaustion, but it's in moderation. I have Psalm 62:5 written on the wall in front of my workspace, so everytime I look up, I'm reminded to find my rest in God. It's been helpful.

I'm still short on support. We've been asked to have everything in by the end of the month. That's today. I've asked everyone I can think of. Most people who have given so far weren't even asked to give. I know God will provide...whenever I start to forget, I listen to Consider the Ravens and/or read the passage that it's based on. If you're willing/able to give, it would be greatly appreciated.

Also, I will be posting more pictures soon. I need to acquire a card reader to transfer them from my camera to the computer. For now, here's a photo of the first colla

boration exercise (Art in a Bag) that a friend took:

oops...I almost forgot Fact of the Day again.

Fact of the Day: I like peanut butter and bananas together...actually peanut butter is good with a lot of things.

update #3

This is going to be a bit short, but I wanted to get something up. This experience has been good, but things are hard that I was not expecting to be hard. I'm exhausted, mentally & physically. I'm getting enough sleep, but I'm tired like I haven't slept in over 40 hours (those of you who know me well know that I'm familiar with that feeling). I'm used to being able to sleep random hours (anywhere from 3-12) each night and be fine. I don't know if it's the city, the structure of project, or even a spiritual attack, but it's getting to me. It's a struggle that I didn't anticipate (ha. that's my word for our collaboration groups). I'm still learning how to deal with it.

I've spent the last hour up on the roof just praying and listening to music. God is good. I'm finding rest in Him. I just wish I didn't need it so badly by the time I have a chance to just sit with Him.

Please be praying for the project. We're all feeling exhaustion, and we're not that far into it. Pray that we find rest in God, and that we won't fight God or each other in our stress.

The end of week 1

It's been a good week...some of the days early in the week were difficult, but a good difficult. God is stretching me.

This year we'll be doing a few things differently. The days are more structured than they were in 2008, and we're incorporating a few new things such as our "T&A" times. One of our directors recently spent a year studying Theology, Imagination, and the Arts, and she will be sharing some of that knowledge with us through Theology and Arts times. They've been really cool so far. During our lead into the first T&A time, a few questions were posed:

What compels me to create? Does God enjoy creating? Where is the evidence of this? If God creates to display His glory, can we accuse Him of vanity? This last one was initially a shock, but I found it interesting that nearly all of the small groups that discussed this question came up with the same answer & reasoning...I was going to share our answer, but I changed my mind. What do you think?

One more question: If God creates to display His glory, what should our creation display?

I'd like to encourage you to think through some of these questions, especially if you like to create.

Our first discipleship group session was this week, and it went well. I was worried when I first met my girls that I'd be too socially awkward and be unable to lead our time together. I was worried for nothing though because God is good, and He led our time together. The group this week also included one of the directors, and the four of us clicked. It was good. We continued to talk and hang out for a while after our D-group time was officially over.

We met our mentors last night. Another girl, Kristine, and I have the same mentor. She's also a filmmaker, and I'm excited to get to hang out with two other Christian women filmmakers. And we're all at different stages in life, so we all bring something different to the table. I'm excited to see how that relationship develops.

Other Highlights : Babette's Feast (a play at the IAM space), students arriving,

Fact of the Day/Week: We've got a really good group of students & staff this year for the arts track....I'm sure the other tracks are awesome too, but I've had limited contact with them.

I'm Here :)

Day 2, and I can already see that God is going to stretch me and teach me much these next few weeks.

I made it here. My roommates & I didn't oversleep & miss the plane. The plane didn't crash. My luggage arrived in once piece. The E train wasn't running, and I had to brave the J train (which was a much longer trip) and lots of stairs with all of my luggage. I saved roughly $38 by doing this (taxi=$45, airtrain to subway= $7.25) It wasn't really frustrating though. It was more of a "welcome back", and it reflected the rest of the day...we dove right in. I arrived at the airport at 8:45AM, got to check-in at 11:30AM, got to my room at 12:40PM, got to staff meeting (lunch in hand) at 2PM. I was very happy to see my bed last night.

I have learned a lot more about what I'll be doing specifically while I'm here. The intern team (Brian, Tiffany, and myself) will be leading prayer for the project, and I will be assisting one of the staff women (Amy) with Special Event planning, along with discipling two women. I'm excited to see what God will do this summer. There's definitely a bit of nervousexcited mixed in with the happyexcited, but excited nonetheless....I like that word, nonetheless :)

Tomorrow the staff have a day off, but Tiffany, Brian, and I will be working putting together our plans for the first prayer event. I'm looking forward to working with them more tomorrow, both to get things done and to re-establish a relationship with them. I know them already, but working together will be slightly different. It's another form of collaboration, and I think it's going to be great.

Fact of the Day: We actually have a shower in our room :)

God Provides

First off, I love this song, and it really resonates with my post, I think. And my life this semester...or maybe just my life in general: Consider The Ravens

A week ago, I barely had 50% of my support for summer project. I was in desperate need of a 3rd roommate for our house. Today, I'm at 78%, with one more check on the way, and family willing to help out (more) if I'm still short the day before I leave. And I've got an awesome 3rd roommate to take over the lease when my current awesome roommate moves out. God is good.

Last Sunday I prayed "God, I've done everything I can think of. I've asked everyone I can think of. There's nothing else I can do. It's up to You now." And everything came together in a matter of days. I couldn't see how all this could happen in a week. I didn't see how I was going to raise the rest of my support and find a roommate in such a short time. But God did. I'm so in love with Him...He's the perfect Father. God is sovereign :)

Did I mention that all of this came together the day before the 100% deadline?

There are still a bunch of details that need to come together before I leave for Tribeca in 3 weeks, but I have no doubt that God will bring them together better than I could have ever dreamed.

Luke 12:27-31

²⁷"Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ²⁸If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! ²⁹And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. ³⁰For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. ³¹But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

A new thing for my roommates will be Fact of the Day...todays is: God is Sovereign :)

Press through the crowd to the feet of Jesus

That's what I'm learning (again) this week. My faith is being tested. I'm really short on support. I've got a ton of details to take care of before I can head to New York (including support raising). But through it all, I know God is in control. Even if I screw up, all the little details fall to bits, and I end up staying in Orlando this summer, God is still sovereign. If God is for me, who can be against me?

I may not understand why things happen. They may not be what I expect/want, but who cares? God knows soooooooooo much more than I could ever dream to comprehend.

I will slip up. I will get frustrated with circumstances. I will lose faith from time to time. I'm human (or as my table at church said last night in response to "why do we try to do things on our own?"- I'm a "stupid human".) God is still sovereign.

I've been spending a lot of time thinking and praying about why support is coming in so slowly. Am I really supposed to go to New York this summer? Or is God telling me that I need to stay in Orlando? I've been looking for a job for months and have had no luck. Now all of sudden "now hiring" signs are popping up all over Orlando...for jobs that are looking for someone like me. Except now is the time when I can't apply for those jobs. "Can you hire me to work for a month, give me a couple months off, then I'll come back in August?"

I don't get it...logically, the "responsible" thing is to stay here & take advantage of the job opportunities, etc., but I'm still convinced that God is sending me to New York City this summer. God is sovereign, and He is the only one who can make this happen. So right now, I'm pressing through the "crowd" and spending time at the feet of Jesus (read Mark5:24-34). And He's teaching me. I'm continually amazed at His love for me. I know me...I know the stupid things I do & think, but God just won't give up on me. It's really humbling.

Okay....this has turned into a bunch of rambling. Short version: I need $2000 by the 25th. God is sovereign. Sit at His feet & listen. The crowd can wait.

Update

Before the update: Please pray for Nashville...they've had a lot of bad flooding this past week & really need our help. If you're able, consider getting a group of people together to help with relief efforts.

Where I'm at right now: I've asked a handful of people to specifically partner with me in prayer for this trip. I can't do this on my own. If you'd like to join with this group of people, let me know& I'll add you to the prayer list. It will either be a facebook group or an email list. Probably an email list.

I'm still raising financial support...God brought in $112 from a bake sale. He turned cookies, banana bread, and water into money for Tribeca. It was a good day. I'm in the process of setting up a car wash and possibly a Spirit Night with Chik-fil-a (still looking into details on that one). If you have any creative fundraising ideas, let me know!

I'm just over a month away from leaving for Tribeca, and I'm about $2300 short of my goal. I have no doubt that God will provide what I need. If you feel God calling you to give or you'd like to know more, please send me an email, and I'll send you a letter with more information. If you have a specific question, I'd be happy to answer that as well. My email address is wmayer@knights.ucf.edu.

Online Giving

If you'd like to donate online, please visit give.ccci.org & type in 5543135 in the search box near where it says "give a gift". This will bring up my information.

From there, click the "give" button.

This will bring you to a page where you will have the option of giving one time or monthly. Enter your donation amount in the "one time gift" section.

Thank you for your prayers & support :)

Progress

Finally...

Support letters are in the mail! At least the first half of them. My printer ran out of ink, and I'm close to broke right now. I should be able to get more ink on the 2nd & finish up the rest.

Also, for the one of you following this (hi, mom)... The art show that my small group has been putting together is this coming Monday. Prayers are appreciated.

Rehumaniz

I directed and edited a short documentary about the first Rehumaniz art outreach at UCF. I will most likely make a longer cut at some point, but here is the version I screened as part of the Spring 2009 Directing 1 class (sorry you can't view it here...the file is too large):

Rehumaniz

This outreach was born out of the Tribeca 2008 summer project. My friend, Bonnie, brought the concept of Rehumaniz in the form of an art outreach to Unveiled 2008, and a few of us took the vision home with us. It has continued at UCF, and we'd like to make it a monthly event. At some point, we'd also like to try it out downtown...I think that will be an endeavor for the summer months though, once classes and such have calmed down.

Rehumaniz started off as a name for this art outreach, but we've become a group of people, rather than an event. This semester the small group I co-lead is organizing an art benefit using the Rehumaniz name. We're working together to create something that will hopefully raise funds for the International Justice Mission. Check them out. They're a great organization working towards solving human rights issues around the globe. They do a lot to stop human trafficking and aid the survivors of this repulsive practice.

Support Letter

As promised, my support letter:

There are pages of stories I could write about my experiences on the Tribeca Arts Summer Project. If you want to hear them, please give me a call or shoot me an email. I'd love to talk about it. For this letter, I'll stick to sharing that the best experience of the summer was being able to learn with and from a group of Christian artists as we lived life together, working toward a common goal. The summer of 2008 was an intense summer of growth and learning...both spiritually and personally. I have many of you to thank for that.

Since I've been back at UCF I've been a part of the Christian arts movement on campus. We've taken the theme “Rehumaniz” from the 2008 project, and we have started reaching out to the campus through art. One of our goals is to show Christ by loving the people that make up the University of Central Florida, including each other (inspired by John 13:35). It's been great. I've made new friends and had some great conversations. Two ways that we do this are small group Bible studies geared toward creative women and art outreaches on the free speech lawn for all of UCF. At these outreaches we invite students to sit with us and talk and make art. Sometimes we're able to get into gospel conversations, sometimes we don't. Either way, I believe we are making an impact on our campus.

This past December, I was challenged to return to project as an intern. At first, I thought it was a crazy idea...this is me we're talking about. Since when am I a good candidate to intern on something like this? After much prayer, I filled out the application. I still think this is crazy, but it's definitely the good kind of crazy. The God kind of crazy. I'll be interning this summer on the project that God used significantly in my life two years ago. And any doubts I have regarding my ability to do this are gone. I know I can't do this alone. But God's power is made perfect in weakness. His grace is all I need (2 Corinthians 12:9).

In order to cover the cost of this trip, I need to raise $3,600 before I leave on June 12, 2010. This will cover transportation, training materials, housing, and meals for the six weeks that I will be working on the project. If you are willing and able to help financially, I would greatly appreciate your assistance. Every little bit helps.

Regardless of your decision to partner financially, I ask that you would keep me and the others involved with the Campus Crusade New York City Tribeca summer project in your prayers. If you'd like to keep up with where I'm at and where I'm going, visit www.wmayerTribecaArts.blogspot.com. This is the same blog I kept in 2008, so if you missed out on it then, you're free to go back and see some of what we did that summer. For more information about the project visit www.gosummerproject.com or the Tribeca Summer Project facebook fan page.

If you have any suggestions, please share them :)

Doubt

So, I've known for a few weeks now that I'll be going to New York this summer, and I have yet to really start support raising. It's been a combination of being busy and trying to deal with life. I've sort of started writing my letter. I've told a couple of people it was done...not sure why I did that. Maybe it was wishful thinking. If you're one of these people, I'm sorry. Most of you know me well enough to know that lying, especially about stuff like that, is really out of character.

My support letter will be written before I go to bed tonight.

During these few weeks, I've had the opportunity to sit with God and really talk about some doubts that I've had - "am I doing this for the right reasons?" I realized that these thoughts come up when I start worrying about the money and classes and what certain people will think of me going....the hard things that I've got to trust God to take care of. I know He will. I'm having a hard time believing it though. I've been fighting a lack of faith in general lately. I've seen God do amazing things, but ever since I've been accepted to project, I've been having trouble really believing, really living in a way that reflects that.

I'm asking you to please pray with me as I walk through this. I've decided that I will not eat out until I receive full support. I know this probably sounds trivial, but the schedule I've been keeping tends to keep me from home, and as a result, I frequent the Student Union's food court fairly regularly. This will help me save money, be healthier, and bring me closer to God as I rely on Him to keep me disciplined enough to do this.

Disclaimer: There will be one exception: We are having an art show to benefit the International Justice Mission, and Ethos Vegan Kitchen is hosting it. We're planning a dinner there to support them as thanks for all of their help in this show. Not eating would be counter-productive to our efforts.

Ads

I'm adding the AdSense gadget to this page on the off chance that I'll make a few dollars from it. Anything earned will go toward paying for project this summer.

I'm going back :)

This summer, I will be returning to the Tribeca Arts summer project as student staff. Honestly, I think this is crazy. But it's definitely the good kind of crazy. God knows what He's doing, and my life is His.

In light of this, I've decided to revive this blog...give it a new look & start updating it again. I'll be posting stories about how I see God working in the next few months, through project, along with information about how you can help me get there.

Whitney Mayer :)