Friday, September 21, 2012

Ecuador in less than one week!

Hey all!

Just wanted to write a quick update letting you know what's been going on lately in my life.

Oregon Visit and possible next steps:
I had an amazing visit to Oregon filled with great times of catching up with friends and family, weddings, hiking, adventuring in downtown Portland, playing with my parent's new kitten and all kinds of other great experiences. The train ride from LAX to PDX was really enjoyable and I highly recommend it (even if it is a bit long). If you didn't already catch it, I made a video of my journey:




For those of you that I was able to see, it was a pleasure and blessing as always and I thank you for your time! For those of you that I wasn't able to see, I apologize, and I really hope to see you before too long.

If you haven't heard yet, it's looking like November will most likely be my last month working in the GRN USA office. My funds are running low and, even though I've been able to serve in many ways, I really don't feel like office work is what I need to be doing right now. So this trip to Ecuador will be my last big project with them (I'll add more on Ecuador later in this post).

There is a chance I may be moving back up to Oregon in mid to late November when I'm finished, but at this point, it doesn't make a lot of sense unless I have a job of some sort. I've also slightly considered working around here if I have to, so please be praying that God reveals part of His plan in all of this :)


Ecuador:
So a small group from the GRN USA office leave for Ecuador this upcoming Wednesday, September 26th and we could certainly use your prayers. We've been working diligently trying to get all of our gear tested and sorted for the trip and are quite excited for the Recordist Training Series that we will be a part of.
The Recordist Training Series that will take place while we are there is located in Shell, Ecuador and will take place for 6 weeks (though I'll only be there for 4) in order to update and train up recordists from around the world. They will be informed of new standards for creating GRN recordings and receive a bit of a refresher training session.
It will also be a time for many of us to meet new people working within the network and discuss any issues and concerns.

My Work in Ecuador will be to "film" (it's all digital now, but you know what I mean) much of the training series as well as capture some of Ecuador's natural beauty. I'm really looking forward to all of this, but at the same time am fairly nervous since it will be my first big video project. I've been doing a lot of research, but ultimately this is one area where I would love prayer for guidance while filming, a creative mind and good teamwork while communicating video ideas with our team.


Prayer Requests Recap:
  • Pray that God reveals the next step for me in where He wants me to be working and investing my time
  • Pray for the Recordist Training Series in Ecuador, that new recordists will be trained up well and that current recordists may benefit from the updated information.
  • Pray for safe travels for all that are flying to Ecuador and for good health while on the trip.
  • Pray that all equipment works flawlessly and that we don't forget anything :)
  • Pray for any meetings that may occur over issues and concerns within GRN.
  • Please pray for me for guidance while filming, for a creative mind and for good teamwork while communicating video ideas with our team.
  • I'd also like prayer for an open mind while listening in on the recordist information, since this area of work is what interests me most about GRN (and has from the beginning). Pray that it may help me decide if this is what God has for my future or not.
  • I'd also appreciate prayer for finding a job in November. Preferably in Oregon :)


Thank you all so much for your support, prayers and friendships! I know I've said it a thousand times by now, but it truly is invaluable to have such a great team backing me while I go through this journey. God bless!


-Matt