Stephan's Traveling Camera: Rome in Retrospect

Ok.

I admit it.

I can be really really bad about keeping this updated. I'm even worse when I have something to update it with.

For example, my entire Rome trip. I mean come on, who actually wants to hear about that? Wait, you do? Oh....

The Adriatic

So, I was in Italy. Not necessarily by choice either. My boss was back in Brussels for a month do to the Europe Together missionary retreat, which was in Italy. And with him being the media director, who got conscripted into covering the event? This guy. It sucked. Sure, I had the first few days off, hung out on the beach of the Adriatic Sea, but it was all work starting that Wednesday. Boy did I work. I worked when no one else was working. I worked when i absolutely did not want to.

"But isn't video your thing? I thought that is why you were in Europe."

Well yes and no. I do film, and that is art. Live event is work. Big difference. That and I was PAYING to work something i didn't want to. Life of a missionary.

What about Rome? I'm getting to that. Hold on.

Medical Team in Bologna

So i had been trying for months to get a few stories lined up in Italy. I already had to be there, made perfect sense. Finally got in touch with a church in Rome 2 weeks before heading to Italy. My boss talked to him to secure the story at the retreat. Awesome! Except how am I getting there?

Well, the medical team for Europe Together was headed that way. They rented a bus that Sunday to take them to Bologna. The payed my way, I payed for my train ticket.

The medical team was great. Even though we were on opposite ends of the train, it was good to know that there were people I was traveling with. This is a huge comfort. Travel can be stressful, especially when you go solo. But in this case, I was very relaxed. And for the cheapest ticket I could get, very comfortable. I even had wifi!

Missionary with the teams

We met up with the missionary and the theatre team that was also at Europe Together (Lights Up Productions). I got to do a bit of sight seeing with the two teams. Mostly the medical due to their different duties.

I hung around the church Tuesday and Wednesday for there outreach ministries. Tuesday's was the homeless, a lot of which were muslim men who were refugees. This is a bit tricky to film. We don't want them to feel like they are on display, but it is vital to capture this part of the ministry. Solution? Use the Go Pro. I'm ready for any situation thanks to that little beauty! I even used my cell phone for one shot. Once again, sensitive subject. But it isn't about the technology being used, its about the story being told and how God can use all of that.

The Colosseum

Wednesday was a little different. Were as Tuesday was the homeless ministry, Wednesday was just people from the congregation and community. You see, International Christian Fellowship is a church of immigrants. There are diplomats all the way down to refugees (as well as Italians). Many of the people in the community and congregation don't have easy access to medical services. It was good of the medical team to serve the community, and it was a blessing to be a part of that. Once again, a bit of a sensitive subject, so i just used the Go Pro.

With the team gone and the production team doing there own thing, that left me on my own. You know what that means? Urban exploration. This is easier said than done. The missionary and his wife gave me conflicting directions on how to get into Rome from there commune (Infernetto, outside of but still part of Rome) via public transportation. I used google maps to figure it out. Much much easier.

Getting lost in Rome

The best part is just getting lost and trying to find where you are at. Just me, a map, and my camera. Go to a famous landmark and get lost on the way to another. I was a very happy boy. The only time where getting lost wasn't fun was on the way to the church. Took about 3 tries to get it right. Its kind of tucked away in a neighborhood.

I filmed that Sunday. It was a controlled environment, so I am not as afraid of getting the camera close to people. At the same time, they were worshiping God, and I did not want to disturb that (though what i was and currently am doing can be considered an act of worship). I did have to film a message for the pastor to take to another church. BUT this allowed me to get up on stage behind him while he gave instructions to the congregation. Yeah, I'm going to take advantage of that.

I was really able to connect with a lot of people, especially Filippinos. Thanks nana. They find out my grandmother is from the Philippines and they try looking for that heritage in me. Which i have none, its my dad's stepmother. But it is a connection and understanding i am able to make with them.

I only planned on staying a week, then go to another city to work with the missionary there. Except that didn't happen. Those plans fell through. I ended up staying an extra week in Rome. I worked with the associate pastor Laurence. He does a lot of the outreach. It was great to be apart of that. Being able to partake in the ministry and interact with the people make this job worth it. Also makes my ability to tell the story that much more effective.

It seemed so long, and yet so short my time in Rome. It was time to move on. I hopped on a train to paris, leaving Rome. But what i saw and experience will never leave me, and for this I am thankful.

for more, see my latest Vlog