Report from Filming "Yokes & Chains"
Want to Give?
You can use paypal in the footer or write a tax deductible receipt to YWAM Haiti and send it to the address below. Include a seperate note in the envelope designating the funds for "Kristian Snow".
YWAM Haiti
PO BOX 236
Akron, PA 17522
Blessings to my Supporters!
Thank you for sponsoring me. Every dollar meant that you believed as I do that media plays a role in the kingdom. Thanks to your giving, people in Haiti and worldwide got to stay updated with what YWAM did throughout the year, they also got to experience what a DTS looks like, what an outreach trip feels like, what a Haitian crusade sounds like, and that's just the surface. So I'm giving you a surprise in return. Oh yeah, a sneak peek for what's going to happen in 2014 while I staff DTS. It's not in English, because this is going out to the Kreyole speaking audience on TV every week, but just imagine that I'm speaking your language and I'm on your channel at home. I'm answering questions about Christianity that you've been struggling with, and I'm engaging with issues in your area. Hilarious stories come up, and serious facts too. It's entertainment and discipleship, rolled into one.
If your that invested into what I am doing, then perhaps someone you know will be as well? My goal to reach is $600 a month. Challenge a friend and you could be doubling the investment! All you have to do is send them this message (with links) below:
Hi, my name is Kristian Snow and I'm a filmmaker in Haiti. Whether it's interviewng the mayor to promote city cleanliness, or directing a story on what true, Godly love is, my unceasing goal has been to see God's kingdom established in this country. Incredible fruits have followed! With my time and energy invested in ministry though, I haven't been able to find full financial backing. 100% of funds go to supporting me working under Youth With A Mission in Haiti and to purchase & maintain film equipment. Would you like to help? Find out more in the links below:
Watch me share: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIHiFpnAgX
or visit my website: kristiansnow.wix.com/haiti
The last you heard of me, I was heading out to film Lifeline Expedition to help expand their documentary entitled "Yokes & Chains". I would like for you to know I have survived. I hate being foreign press because almost everyone hates them. The common Haitian believes foreign press come to make money off of Haiti's poverty, and that's understandable. A Haitian press badge and fluent Kreyole tongue helped me through a lot of the aggression. It's a reminder of how much Haiti is a warrior nation, and they continue to stand against forms of foreign oppression as their ancestors did. Fun fact: this trip, along with the DTS outreach earlier this year, allowed me for the first time to see almost ever major city of Haiti! And in the same year!
The team would arrive to a city, find a place to stay and make sure the local government was still ok with everything. The next day they publicly walked through certain locations wearing yokes and chains and handing out flyers. At the final spot of the walk, which was usually a landmark or public park, they would stop and explain. It was about showing how sorry they were for the past sins of the slave trade. The public asked sharp questions, such as whether the team members represented their home governments and if France should repay the independence tax imposed against Haiti when it was liberated in 1804. Some people just talked crazy and others jumped to conclusions, but at the end of it people's responses were 'it's a good gesture.' I quickly found I had to be fast just to get what was happening around me; it was a 12-14 hours a day job! At least the last two hours was just downloading the footage.
While I was in Jacmel with the Lifeline Expedition, I got a
chance to visit the Cineinstitute. It is the only film institute in
all of Haiti! I wasn't sure what to expect when I arrived, but I
was soon overwhelmed with what I saw. It was a simple campus
with buildings and open air classrooms, but their was charisma
everywhere. Students were moving to classes, typing on
computers, learning English, and studying films. I was greeted
by a Haitian called Ebby, who showed me around the facilities
and displayed a remarkable understanding of the character it
takes to be a filmmaker. Before I left, we promised to stay in
touch and, to my astonishment, he offered to visit Saint Marc
and teach film for free if it would help build filmmaking in my
city. "You have to give something first if you want to see
something come out, and you can't expect that you will get
anything back," He explained. Why was I shocked to hear this
coming from a Haitian? And to see so many Haitians eager to work hard, without much promise in return? Ebby will be connecting me with graduates from the Cineinstute, and I hope to find a few who have the character and passion to work with me in Christian film.
I had already planned to take the following week off, and I crashed. It was hard seeing Haiti this way. People say Haiti's gift is hospitality, but then why are foreigners often treated with such open contempt? It was either "give me something" or "leave the country" and if you couldn't provide a good answer for the first, then they would give you the second. Brief moments of profound kindness & generosity were seen only by the hardworking class and connected relationships. Why, just last week I was in the market and a vendor came up and handed me the bicycle tire I left at her stall. Another walked around the block to show me the store I was looking for. People know me in Saint Marc, but 'foreigners' are treated so differently. A wall of greed stands there. Has Haiti trying to take advantage of the world's love? Is Haiti spoiled? It seems Haiti has chosen to adopt the beggar mentality. This is what every missionary needs to understand and fight against; the beggar mentality. When Lifeline visited St. Marc to do their walk, there was hardly any aggression and the members were shocked at how nicely foreigners were treated. It was a breath of fresh air for me, and an encouragement that YWAM was not worsening the 'foreigner' issue.
That's right, with 7 students and 5 staff, it will be the first time I will be staffing in YWAM's life-changing discipleship course. I will be using what I learned in the Caribbean Equip school, and I've already started shifting my thought processes from completing projects, to building relationships. It's out of my comfort zone, for sure. So next time you hear from me, I'll be sharing about what it's like staffing a DTS of 7 students. Although DTS is hectic and busy, you'll still be seeing a few videos coming from me during the lecture phase between January and March. I will be what can best be described as the "Digital Photographer" in a 12-part pray-for-Haiti series for IHOP Kansas. Not as big as it sounds. A new video will be released every month starting January 1st. I can't share any more details than that, but I'm excited!
What Lifeline did
A lady receives the team's apology by hugging them and then hugging me!
BIG ANNOUNCEMENT
I'm staffing next year's DTS!