Welcome to the new year, I hope your holidays were pleasant and that you all enjoyed your family and friends and that you got a chance to sit back and take in the significance of the time.
2009 is present, the holidays are over and the base here at media village is now alive and moving again. With the change in the year also comes a new direction for me here at Media Village.
I am now working with the DTS. (Discipleship Training School) We have twelve students, its been almost two weeks now, and the time has been both hectic and awesome.
With the new year comes a lot of new responsibility on my part. Aside from still working a bit with the production crew I am also in charge of: Work duties, co-leading the guys small group, and leading weekly outreaches.
In the two weeks since the school has started things have been non-stop. I now have a new appreciation for all the people who worked in my DTS. Working on a school is a huge demand of time and requires a great amount of giving of yourself.
I am really excited and already a little proud of the DTS. They are a great group of people really willing to grab ahold of all that God has for them in their five months of the school. Already I can see change in some of them and it’s only been a couple of weeks.
Growing as a leader is one big goal of mine during my time out here in Africa. I think there is a time in a persons walk where they need to decide wether they are just going to take part in something or step out and learn to lead in something so that they can eventually expand on that and use it to help further the cause of Christ. So although things are crazier and more challenging I am really looking forward to how God is going to use this time, both in my life and that in the lives of these students and the community of Kalk Bay.
Now with the turn of the new year and the new school, I am now working less with the production department than I used to. Now, I love doing audio, and sound, but my true heart of ministry is for discipleship. That being said I am perfectly happy laying down some of the technical aspect of Media Village and picking up a position where I get to disciple and speak into peoples lives.

One odd thing about working out here so far is that usually I don’t know what will be happening one week to the next. With the production crew we are usually told of a new film project maybe a week or two in advance, so I am typically rolling with the punches so to speak with my production schedule. With the DTS however, I now have the next five months pretty much set and scheduled, which brings me to my next announcement: I get to help lead the DTS outreach to western Uganda.
This is huge for me, one of the big projects in my Phase II school in Denver was on a town in northern Uganda, and I have been wanting to visit the country since at least that long. Secondly we will be doing more “traditional” missionary work. We will be staying in a hospital in western Uganda, fairly close to the Rwanda border. We will be doing everything from: working with the hospital, working with children’s ministries, to street ministry, to teaching in bible classes.
This is a great opportunity to go and do work for God in an area where we can really make a difference in the lives of the people. I will be sending a letter out soon explaining the trip a bit more.

Thank you all for your support and for your prayers, it really means so much to me. God Bless.

~J

Prayer Requests:
- That the DTS goes well and really has an impact on the students lives.
- That I can keep up with the increased pace of life out here with the school.
- That all the leaders of the DTS really reach out to God for strength and leading in the school.
- Finances, with the economy the way it is, things have gotten a little tighter out here as well. Also finances for the trip to Uganda.