Filming went very well today, as I captured several great interviews. The first was a female pastor from California who brought a team of college kids to share life stories with students in Dublin. She was amazed to hear about the other mission and church groups that have also come to town this week.

The fact that several groups have all come from across the globe because they sensed God sending them is remarkable to say the least. It’s also amazing for me to be in the position of learning about all these groups and sharing with each about the others. One gentleman suggested there was only one who could have orchestrated such amazing timing from numerous groups that didn’t know about each other — He called it a God moment.

One of the missionaries shared with me that he had been a part of 127 short term mission projects with numerous volunteers like the one I’m capturing on film. During that tenure, he has only seen two injuries and counts the ministry blessed. This conversation happened shortly after one man in the rafters slipped and landed across several beams rather than falling through the ceiling. He was safe and continued working with no additional incidents.

Several interviews today included numerous comments about the work God seems to be doing in the hearts of those attending St. Marks Church. The church has grown significantly from an all Irish church to one that includes 30 nationalities. The entire congregation loves this change, as most feel it is more like heaven where various cultures all come together in unity under Christ.

Not only did I have wonderful opportunities to capture great footage, but I’ve also continued to chip in and work on real projects. Today included carpentry, moving large shelving units, washing dishes, and helping some with logistics. The experience has been rich and filled with more stories of how the volunteers’ lives have been change through their participation in just the first two days.

For two nights in a row, I’ve heard incredible stories from teens who have been touched by God and they can’t wait to see how the mission trip ends, since they know that we’ve just gotten started. The anticipation in seeing more lives changed is high.

Kim, the music minister at the church shared with me about other changes the church has experienced. Early in the year a devastating circumstance took the lives of several dads from their families. She said that worship time has risen to such another level due to the entire church coming along side of each family to help them work through their personal burdens.

That close knit bonding within the church is quickly spreading to those who came to help with the projects. I’ve personally seen numerous friendships develop and people already talking about activities together when they get back home. This spiritual bonding is greatly impacting the way each person is viewing the events unfolding before our eyes. Unfortunately, I’m not confident the documentary will be able to capture all of these experiences, especially since many of them happen while the camera is off.

Tomorrow I’ll be taking a break and venturing off to other parts of Ireland to see recommended sights from those I’ve encountered during our first couple days. It will be an adventure all of it’s own. As for now, it’s time to hit the sack.

The flight was without incident and we had little turbulence. I met several new friends including Allen Ford from Memphis, TN. Allen works for Ford and his job moved his family from Chicago, to Dallas, and then to Memphis. We met while “exercising” in one of the galley-ways.

He couldn’t help but notice that we had a large group of fifty people on board and shared his curiosity to learn more. Allen’s response was similar to those in Ireland who found it amazing that a group of people would spend their holidays helping others who they haven’t met. I suppose it does sound odd, especially when each person has to cover their own flight and food costs.

However, I find it a great way to demonstrate unconditional love to others. It is also a great way to demonstrate the same grace that we have all received. It is that special grace that no one can earn or deserve. In fact, there is nothing like being the recipient of such an amazing gift.

We arrived in Ireland a little after 7:30 am and immediately pitched our luggage into a temporary location so we could begin construction. My first duty was climbing high up in the rafters and balancing on the ceiling beams while building a floor for storage. Being located in an attic, it was very hot and extremely dirty – Not to mention dangerous as there was a thirty foot drop if my foot slipped off the side of the 2X6s we were balancing on.

I also met author Denise Kennedy who wrote the book, “I Wish I Were…” We had some great laughs as she showed me around the nearby segment of town where we bought some Pepsi for one of the volunteers that was having withdrawals. Denise was a good storyteller and shared a few anecdotes about her last visit to Chicago.

Marty Rizzo also shared a few of his personal experiences as a beauty consultant/Hair stylist. Marty has been pulled into court several times as an expert beauty technician to support both the plaintiff and defendants. He has worked side by side with numerous experts in the motion picture industry including Maurice Stein who won an Oscar for make up artistry with Planet of the Apes.

I’d love to share more, but since we’ve been awake for 33 hours straight, I’ll save more for another entry. Goodnight.

Monday begins the shooting of my latest documentary, Green Fire. It will be an exciting time of interviewing people from various walks of life who have descended upon St. Marks Church in Dublin, Ireland. Various missionaries and ministries will converge on this small historical church to help prepare for what most are sensing to be the preparation of a great revival that will spread throughout all of Europe.

I find it remarkable that this little church would get so much attention, unless it is a strategic church that will be able to influence thousands with the same faith and hope that these teams bring with them. In fact, I feel like I’m bringing some of that faith and hope in shooting the documentary. After all, why would someone have a passion to document something that is mild or unimportant?

The preparation for the shoot seems to be all about faith. It’s as if faith is the actual substance of the things I’m hoping for. Put another way, it is the evidence of things not yet seen. The mere fact that several separate and unique groups are preparing for this two-week event proves that it is important.

The only thing that these volunteers from several different countries have in common, is their faith that this set of projects will indeed make a difference for those in the community, which will spread throughout Europe. They are all putting their faith into a future that no one has any certainty about. However, common sense suggests that it is quite odd for these groups to be coming together for such a time as this, unless something indeed is going to happen.

It’s been some time since I’ve shot a documentary. My first one was titled the Chileda Institute and featured a family that taught skills to children with developmental disabilities that helped each individual successfully adapt to community living. The project was picked up by CBS and launched my initial career that saw numerous releases on ABC, WGN, PBS, The Family Channel (Now ABC Family), and hundreds of syndicated stations and networks.

Based on the faith that everyone is bringing to the table for these projects, it seems to be somewhat poetic that I’m shooting my first documentary in years. I’m getting the sense that this experience will not only be life changing, but it will somehow launch me in a different direction – But not into documentary filmmaking, as some might think.

I get this uncanny sense that a miracle awaits me and that my life will shift to a new course heading. Oh, my personality and core values won’t change. I’ll still have the same passion to bring hope to the hopeless and awareness of wholesome and moral values to those who are thirsty for the truth. But, something will be engaged that alters the course of my life into a new and fulfilling direction.

The unique thing about this event in Ireland is that just about everyone I’ve talked to has a similar sense that something big will be happening in the lives of those participating. It is a hope that can only be explained by the faith that each individual brings to the projects.

This hope is not presumption, as each person clearly has no idea what will happen, nor are they trying to manipulate anything. Yet, each one is confident beyond their knowledge that this event will become a significant milestone. And, so it shall, even though I have no clue how or what it will look like.

If you’re interested in learning how things develop, plan on reading my blog over the next two weeks as I try to describe the series of unfolding events. I will attempt to blog daily, but can’t guarantee connectivity or how long my iPad battery will last (if I can’t figure out how to recharge it). So, the next time you read something from me, I’ll be engulfed in this documentary/short term mission project with a hope of watching each milestone unfold.