Our last traveling project for our missional year took us to Los Angeles to partner with iEmpathize for the second time this year. The first time we worked with them was in Boulder, CO, where we produced videos that were more metaphorical, but in LA we got to see the work of iEmpathize first hand and produced videos that reflect the huge impact that their work has in various sectors of society. The fact is that we all intersect with modern-day slavery, human trafficking and/or child exploitation, and if we only recognize our intersection, we can learn how to do something about it.

This video highlights iEmpathize’s work and approach to end child exploitation in the U.S from training truckers to empowering college students.

 

One of iEmpathize’s main target groups is children, specifically children who are at risk for exploitation for any number of reasons, whether it’s their socioeconomic standing, unhealthy home life, or previous history of negative pulls. iEmpathize’s Empower Youth Program is a powerful media tool that helps children enter into a conversation about this hard to talk about subject, as well as helps them to identify positive and negative pulls in their own lives. This program not only teaches children the disguises exploiters use and the signs of exploitation so that they can avoid exploitation, but also educates children on the power of empathy and how to be a positive pull for someone else. We saw this program in a classroom setting as well as a one-on-one setting with a counselor but it can just as easily be used in a home or church. If all kids in the U.S. were to go through this program, our country would be more empowered to end child exploitation. Check out the video below to see the incredible impact iEmpathize’s Empower Youth Program is making across the nation.

 
While we were in LA, we met new amazing people as well as spent quality time with old friends. Some of the new faces specifically were the Wolffs who opened their beautiful Malibu home to us and iEmapthize’s solo staff member in LA, Guido, who we got to see presenting the Empower Youth Program and connecting with the students as well as their teachers and administrators. We also got to stay the majority of our time with Cassie’s best friend, Anna, who generously hosted us, cooked for us and showed us around the area. We even got to see some art together at a brand new contemporary art museum downtown, The Broad.

We have enjoyed celebrating Christmas (twice) with both of our families in North Carolina and are still busily working to complete a few more videos from our missional year. Now that 2015 is over and 2016 is beginning, it’s amazing to look back on all that we’ve accomplished through our service to God and organizations around the world.

We thought you might enjoy a look back of our missional year by the numbers:

57 videos completed (and a few more in the works)

47 flights taken

31 organizations served

13 vaccinations received

10 countries visited

5 U.S. states visited

3 countries’ Independence Day celebrations attended

3 pieces of equipment broken

3 flat tires

3 car breakdowns

3 cars rented

3 cars borrowed

2 trains taken

2 camera bags destroyed

2 pairs of Chacos repaired

1 sanitation-related illness conquered

0 regrets

countless blessings

Thank you so much for following along! It’s been a lot of fun, and we look forward to continuing our mission to serve God and others with our cameras through our new internationally- based employment opportunity with Silent Images this New Year. We are fundraising for our salary, and thank you so much to those who have already supported us! By God’s grace we have raised 29% of our goal as of today. That means we would meet our goal if 30 people committed to supporting us with a recurring donation of $60 a month. If you haven’t already, please consider making a monthly or one time tax-deductible donation to Silent Images at www.silentimages.org/donate and put “For Timpys” in the notes at the end of payment. Your donation’s impact is huge — by supporting us, you are blessing the organizations we serve with our cameras around the world with the opportunity to have compelling visual stories. These stories are powerful tools. The impact of our work goes beyond a one-time donation to a nonprofit’s mission — our videos continue to give back, they never expire, they’re reused, they bolster support and empower people to get involved. Together, we can make a big difference in the world!