Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Prayers of Children

By Brandy Kimes
Kneeling before the children and arms extended, the power of prayer was displayed at Thursday’s community gathering. Filled with songs, story time, and a message by Camille Bishop, former Dean of the College of Education, the evening proved to be both inspirational and educational. The
U of N Preschool, Co-op and Foundation school teamed up to present an “Evening with the kids.”
Over 75 children participated in the program; some performed a dance to “God is big” while others played musical instruments along the front. Ruth Golden, head of the preschool and leader of the School of Early Childhood Education this quarter, transitioned from the preschoolers to Foundation School kids by reading Peter H. Reynolds book, The Dot emphasizing that children books present life values. All eyes watched as Ruth flipped through the book reading about young Vashti’s adventure with learning his gift in painting and as the teacher encouraged him with these words, “Just make a mark and see where it takes you.”
Three-fifths of Kenny Jackson’s family emceed the night, Mia Jackson encouraged the children who sat on mats along the front, to be well behaved during the message. When Camille was introduced, a little boy came and extended Hawaii’s traditional welcome. Speaking on Matt. 18:1-10, she emphasized the important role that children play in the Kingdom of Heaven while challenging the audience to think about how they are encouraging children to develop their gifts.
At the conclusion, children from both schools lined the front ready to pray over adults that came up. A pair of young boys even held up a sign reading “Free Prayer” smiling at the camera as it rolled by. Generations blended together into a sea of ageless wonder. Lined up for prayer adults came forward to find children eager to hear from the Lord. Throughout last week the children practiced hearing the voice of God each day in class.
“I didn’t even tell the two girls that prayed for me the things that they were praying. One of them prayed about a vision that I got a couple weeks ago,” said Sally Coppin, Colorado Springs staff.
“I think no one will ever forget the wonderful sight of all our children praying for all the adults who came forward for prayer. What a precious privilege that was—and I know that God is answering those faith-filled prayers!” Darlene wrote. She encouraged everyone to recommit to God’s purposes for children and youth of the world.

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Campus Times Work


Dreams in Film
By Brandy Kimes
Willie and Patricia Navarro of 24 Frames of Light have long dreamed of their own movie. They are in the pre-production stage of their first full-length film, a suspense thriller, Relapse. Willie wrote the script, which deals with the crystal meth problem in Kona. The main character is a woman who moves into a home that was once used to produce crystal meth. Filming begins in mid-August. Students from the fall quarter School of Digital Filmmaking will work alongside directors and producers to create this motion picture.
The Navarros’ films are produced to depict truth and provoke thought. Typically dealing with social issues and injustices, students see that their passion for the Lord and for film can bring light to the film industry.
“In order to make it in the film industry they need to have character, skill, and anointing,” said Willy. “Character is crucial. You are not going to survive without it, but skill is crucial also. Anointing is the extra plus that puts you ahead.”
In 14 years, the Navarros have created a program that equips students to work in the film industry. Currently, 150 film department interns are using their skills around the world. Twenty of them are working in Romania with David Cunningham on the full-length feature, The Dark is Rising, based on a novel by Susan Cooper. Others recently returned from filming in the Sahara.
The internship program is custom made for each person. Equipping each student to succeed in lighting, camera work, editing, or whatever their area of interest, the Navarros help teach the skill needed to compete professionally. Many students have gone on to work on films like Million Dollar Baby, Polar Express, and Tears of the Son.

Of the 70 student films produced, 20 of them were accepted into film festivals around the world and eight have won awards. The most recent, The Legend of Father Fields, a 17-minute short film, competed against 4,400 other short films in the Houston Worldfest, and won the Gold Remi award in the Science Fiction category.
The film tells the story of a woman who arrives at a secluded chapel looking for Father Fidel, the warrior priest. What she finds is something she never expected. To see how it ends and watch other short films, visit www.24framesoflight.com.

SOSM