adifferentkindofmaster

it’s easy to be gaudy
when all you have is plastic.
lights and billboards-
they tell you what to keep inside,
and what to look for
with your hands.

it’s hard to feel loved
when your master is flashing,
rhythmically,
voice blaring,
on repeat.
who ever knew success would be such a tease?

but truth won’t be shut off with a plug
or a power outage.
and a different master is there,
listening,
speaking a voice that settles
wind & waves,
wants & desires,
successes & failures.

West Coast + Teaser Bonus!

Ending my last post, I spoke of how we had just arrived in Tacoma, Washington to interview some former victims of trafficking.  We ended up just interviewing one girl, who was first trafficked when she was only 14 years of age.  She is now 18 years old, and on the morning of her interview, she had just been released from a juvenile detention center.  She was very open to sharing in detail about her former life in prostitution, and it was surprising to see how far she has come as she continues to receive healing.  Hearing of her experiences, it became evident how a majority of the girls ending up in the industry are victims, rather than criminals.  Brought up in a culture where all I knew of prostitution was the criminalization I saw on cops, this is a concept I have had to rearrange in my mind as I have been learning more about trafficking.  An overwhelming majority of these people are victims, not willing participants.

While we were in Washington, we also took the time to meet up with a handful of representatives from local human-trafficking NGO’s who were able to explain more specifically about how trafficking is affecting the greater Seattle area.  It was encouraging to see all the organizations that are partnering together to address the issue within their community.  Representatives were present from JustOne, One Voice To End Slavery, and The Sold Project.

After our short stint in Washington, we drove south to Salem, Oregon where some local friends had helped to arrange a human trafficking awareness event, which included  some different artistic performances, and a local authority who was able to share with the audience how to get active in combating the issue in their community.

Aaron Cowan

David Stefanik

While we were in the area, we also had the opportunity to meet up with former Congresswoman Linda Smith, founder of Shared Hope International.  As she has previously been involved with arranging reports on the topic of human trafficking for the US government, she was able to share with us a plethora of information about the causes and effects of human trafficking within our nation.  We also went out with Linda for a truck stop campaign with Defenders USA, where a group of men was putting on a peaceful demonstration to spread awareness about the harsh realities of the sexual trafficking of minors at truck stops around our country.

While we were in the Portland area, we were also able to meet with the head of the Oregon Task Force for Human Trafficking, Keith Bickford.  Mr. Bickford was able to share a lot about the involvement of the local law enforcement in dealing with issues of trafficking.  It became evident that there is an overwhelming need for funding and manpower in order to prosecute those who need to be prosecuted, and restore those who need to be restored.  See more information at the Oregonians Against Trafficking of Humans (OATH) here.

After a few days in Oregon, our next stop was San Francisco, where we spent a couple days exploring the tenderloin district – basically the rough side of town – known for drugs, homelessness, and prostitution, amongst other things.  The amount of homeless people lining the streets was overwhelming.  I’m used to seeing this type of thing in third world nations, but I am blindsided when I come face to face with it in the USA.  Sadly, this level of poverty does exist in our nation.

Through the local Youth With a Mission base, we were able to make connections with a girl who has done a lot of work exploring the area and mapping the locations of potential undercover brothels.  She was able to walk us to a few locations to familiarize us with the appearance of the brothels, which seem to most commonly be disguised as massage parlors.  Unfortunately, this is becoming a fairly common sight in many larger cities throughout the country.  We also explored San Francisco a bit ourselves, asking locals – many of them homeless – what they knew about human trafficking in their city. We received a wide range of responses and opinions, which provided for some good discussions.  Our time in San Francisco exposed us to some new sides of the issue, which is productive from a film standpoint, but it was difficult to see how far we still have to go in working against this cancer of exploitation that is plaguing so many of our cities.

We have spent the last week or so in the Los Angeles area, which has provided us some key interview opportunities, including:                                                                                                                                                                                                  -Dr. Lois Lee, founder and director of Children of the Night;

-Dr. Steven C. Schoger, a psychologist who counsels victims of sexual exploitation, as well as recovering sexual addicts

-a recovering victim.

We also were able to attend a fundraiser event for Aaron Cohen, author of Slave Hunter, and founder of the Abolish Slavery Coalition.  We also shared a bit at Open Bible Fellowship, the home church of Sarah-Jo, one of our narrators.  It is encouraging to hear of another church body that is coming behind this project with their prayers and support.

Also, our film crew recently finished the initial teaser for our film, which is comprised mostly of footage shot during our time in New York.  Have a look below:

We are now heading down to the San Diego area for the next few days, where we will be meeting up with a victim restoration project.  We will also be working a bit with the Justice House of Prayer (JHOP) while we are in the area.  With this things though, we would value your prayers for us to see the opportunities and stories God is putting in our paths.

Thanks again for continuing to follow our progress in this.  It is always an encouragement to know we have people who are believing with us that these problems can be made right.

NYC

Upon the initial arrival into the bustling metropolis of Manhattan Island, I was overwhelmed at the thought of entering a new land, even in this nation that I call my home. And in all reality, it was a very new land, though it was a new land I very much grew to admire in the ten days for which I called her home. The large swarms of inhabitants were transformed in my mind from a faceless mass to an ever-flowing stream of bizarrely unique yet strikingly intricate personas.

The main focus of our time in New York was to document the first ever Freedom Week, which was put on largely by Stop Child Trafficking Now! and the Nomi Network at college campuses throughout New York City. Many of the events of the week were composed of lectures and/or discussions regarding different aspects of human trafficking: from the economics of sex slavery to issues of domestic servitude in Haiti. The issue was also presented in a couple different artistic avenues, such as a benefit concert by Bradigan, former frontman of Dispatch, and a showing of the rockumentary, Call + Response. The activities of the week culminated with the Stop Child Trafficking Now! March, a 5K walk through downtown Manhattan to raise finances for anti-trafficking organizations and draw attention to the issue of human trafficking.

(waiting for the march to begin.)

(bradigan)

(last sunday, a world record was broken for most participants in a stiletto run.)

The week was largely fulfilling, as one of the reasons I chose to get involved with this film in the first place was, to expose myself to people, experiences, and places where I could learn more about the reality of human trafficking, specifically as it pertains to our nation. And we were certainly exposed to a diverse wealth of information, and a healthy dose of reality regarding the topic.

A recurring theme throughout the events was the idea that we must all seek to use the tools that are currently in our hands in order to fully confront the diversity of the problem at hand. From our perspective as a team of film-makers and photojournalists, one of our deepest desires is to use our cameras and our writing and our productions and anything else that arises out of the creative process to somehow communicate truth and instigate a change in the mindset of our society, hopefully even societies beyond our society.

This week especially, it became more apparent than ever, that if sexual slavery and exploitation is going to be abolished within our nation, there must be a deep-seeded paradigm shift in the way we carry out and communicate our liberties, especially in regards to sexuality – a shift away from using other humans as means to our own ends, and a movement towards a love that places others before ourselves. I do, of course, realize that this sort of transformation does not happen overnight. I do believe however, that over the course of time, God can and will accomplish great feats when His people begin to make the conscious decision to seek His Kingdom. This film, for now, is our conscious effort.

Yesterday we arrived into the greater Seattle area, where we met up with a group of people from the YWAM base in Kona who will be helping with administration, logistics, and most of all covering the goings-on of the project with prayer. It is a blessing to be working with people who are committed to working with us in this way.

We are now in Tacoma, where we will be interviewing a few girls who have come out of prostitution in the area. We will also meet for some interviews in Seattle before continuing our journey down the west coast to Vancouver, Portland, and Salem next week.

I don’t mean this blog-entry to be an end-all thesis on the abolition of modern-day slavery. I know there is so much more I have to learn and see of this issue, and I am thankful I am working on a project where this is possible. I look forward to sharing with you of the truth, realities, and hopes that are discovered in the process.

Fall 2009

I’ve recently generated an update regarding a new project I’ll be working on this fall.  I hope the letter leaves you feeling informed.

Visually Appealing Version:  Update Letter 9.10.09

*To View the Above PDF, you may need Adobe Reader.  Download free and legally here:  adobe.com

Visually Not-So-Appealing Version:

Greetings Friends,

I hope that summer 2009 has treated you kindly.  After being away from Ellensburg for so long, it has been nice to spend an extended amount of time close to home, and the relationships that I have here.  I’ve felt inclined to write you, as you have shown consistent interest in the work I’ve been a part of over the last few years, and I wanted to share with you how God has been growing the last couple years’ work.

Over this last summer, God began to grow the Sex + Money project in a new direction.  It appears as though doors have opened for the project to be turned into a feature-length documentary film on sex trafficking within the United States.  Most current estimates say that around 200,000 of America’s youth are at risk of being trafficked into the sex industry – through underground brothels, massage parlors, the pornography industry, and the like.  The idea of the film is to travel throughout the country, visiting different trafficking hot spots, as well as meeting the different people who are working to bring trafficking to an end.  As a way of giving a face to the film, four others (who were also part of the original photogenX track team) and myself will be functioning as narrators, and the film will follow us as we travel around the country, meet victims, learn about the injustice, and call others to action in opposition to the injustice.  It is also important to note that beyond us narrators, there is a wide and diverse crowd of individuals who have come behind the project, and believe in the message it is communicating.  There are film-makers, politicians, artists, ministers, law enforcement agents, and many others who are catching the vision, and granting their support and energies.

Logistical Analysis:  On paper, a lot of this sounds kind of like pie in the sky, by and by.  But there is a general plan we are trying to stick to.  We have scheduled to begin filming on September 17 in New York City, where the first annual Freedom Week is taking place.  The culmination of the week is a large “freedom march” to raise money and awareness for human trafficking organizations.  After documenting the activities from Freedom Week, we will then be making the trans-national  journey   in  a 34-foot Winnebago  from  Pennsylvania  to  the Seattle  area, which will be the start to the rest of our journey around the country.  We plan to finish most of the filming by mid-December.  For now, this is about as far as we can accurately plan, but we are fairly certain we might need to do a bit more traveling in the spring to pick up shots that we need, and interviews that we aren’t able to fit into this fall’s schedule.

I have already purchased my ticket to fly out to the east coast on September 15th, and I’m continually surprised at how fast the date is approaching.  I will once again have my blog up and running, though it is now at a new address (provided below).  As we are on the road, I will be responsible for providing for my living expenses – mostly food, but also a few miscellaneous expenses.  I’m not expecting this trip to be nearly as costly as the last couple years’ travel around the world, but I will have some costs in being on the road for three months.  So, if the Lord places it on your heart to contribute to my needs in this way, I would most certainly find it a blessing.  Beyond this though, I most certainly continue to find value in your interest and prayers regarding the ways that I am trying to pursue what God is putting on my heart for His Kingdom.

In working with these projects, such as the publication, and now this film, I continue to see that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is something that is applicable to the real needs of our world.  I grow more and more convinced that His good news must make a difference to the hurting, the broken, even the enslaved (Luke 4).  With this project, I believe we will see the hurting healed, the broken repaired, and captives released.  I realize human trafficking won’t be brought to it’s end in an instant, but I believe with this project, there are many opportunities to strengthen the existing movement, and help create new movements that will one day make this injustice a thing of the past.  I look forward to sharing with you the new works that God will do in this coming season.

tim

How to support:

Send Checks to:
Mercer Creek Church
1407 N. B Street
Ellensburg, WA 98926
*Please make checks payable to “CMA” with “Tim Dyk – YWAM” on the memo line.

..or you can make a credit card payment through Paypal.  Payments can be directed to my email.

KVCH Exhibit

For the month of September, I will have my photos displayed in the lobby of the Kittitas Valley Community Hospital.  In the hallway directly across from the giftshop, you can see a sampling of the last couple years’ photographic escapades.  The photos are also available for sale, and the proceeds would help with my expenses of being on the road for the next few months.

If you’re in the neighborhood, please feel free to have a look.

july 2, 2009

Premeditated meeting at undisclosed location in Kirkland, WA.  Proceeded southwards via 405, and other roadways to Southwestern Nisqually entrance of Mt. Rainier National Park.

Arrive at Paradise park, overhear foreign languages, climb (through snow) to panoramic vistas.  Spot red fox.  Hear call of  male blue grouse.  Glissade down.  Shoes, socks wet.

Maneuvered vehicle eastwards towards Reflection Lake.  Scoped for sunrise photos.  Attempted handful of star-trail exposures.

(12:34 AM)

Set-up for first night of camp.  Minor Leak in Air Mattress.  Temporary fix a la duct tape.  Alarm Clock set to 4:00 AM.

july 3, 2009

Alarm clock sounds at 4:00 AM.  Light appears distant.  Snooze x 2.

4:30.  “Dude, I think you can close your shutter now.”  Tim exits vehicle.  Closes shutter, only to realize tardiness of his decision.  Far too much light at this point.  By all estimates a lost star trail.

Sunrise photography on Reflection Lake.  Swarms of Photographers.  Many noses turned upwards, snooty.  “ooooooooh, I like your spot, just let me place my tripod right on top of you.”  Filter goes swimming.

Swarms of visitors drive away, breakfast on pavement.
eggs.
cheese bagels, toasted.
maple syrup flavored organic oatmeal.
year-old Ethiopian coffee.

Thank you Coleman Portable Camp Stove.

Wash dishes in Stream.  Nearly fare well to water pot.

Return to Paradise.  Overwhelmed with climbers, mass amounts of climbing gear in tow.  Plastic climbing boots seem awkward.  Climb to and  spot waterfall.  No clear viewpoint. Return to vehicle, proceed westwards to Narada Falls.  Incompliant lighting.  Spot multiple Stellars Jays in parking lot.  JPV attempts photography.

Exit Park through Nisqually Entrance, overwhelmed at amount of vehicles lined up in hope of entering park.

Due to detour, proceed to Tipsoo Lake via Packwood, highway 12, Ohanapecosh, highway 123.  Attempt small waterfall detour, unsuccessful.  Arrive at Tipsoo Lake, find it to be covered in snow.  Small excursion to a small peak.  Long Glissade down.  Hikers can be friendly, but hikers can also be snooty.

Proceed to Sunrise Park.  Scope for next days’ sunrise.  Spot blue grouse, doe, and teenage brown bear.

Dinner on the pavement.

gatorade.
re-fried beans.
pepper jack cheese.
tortillas.
apple.

Hike nearby hike frozen lake trail in hope of sunset.  Spot Mt. Baker.  Returning to car spot young male deer.

Consider star trails, decide negatory in favor of increased sleep.  10:03 PM in bed.  Alarm Set to 4:00 AM.

july 4, 2009 (happy birthday USA!)

4:00 Alarm sounds.  Snooze 1x.  half-hour walk to sunrise location.

5:00-ish first exposures.  Decent.  Sun Grows increasingly harsh.  Shadows prove difficult.  A peaceful and secluded start to the day.

8:00-ish:  “Let’s drive to IHOP in Yakima for breakie.”  Does an apple have the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee?  Debatable, but JPV gets to IHOP without falling asleep.

Curtis Wesley Dyk, motorcyclist extraordinaire, attends pancake rendezvous on short notice.  3 pancakes, 3 eggs, 5+ cups of coffee consumed by each.
Through the wastelands to Palouse falls via highway 24, county roads, highway 261, 260.  Scout for sunset.  Proceed to river for refreshing swim at Lyons Ferry State Park.

Dinner:
Chili.
Pepper Jack Cheese.
Sundried Tomato Basil Wheat Thins.
Parmesan Goldfish.

Sunset at Palouse falls.  Falling may cause death.

Drive by night to Steptoe Butte via Washtucna, highway 26, 195.  Avoid errant fireworks in Washtucna.  Arrive at Steptoe Butte entrance, “no overnight parking.”  Backtrack, sleep to side of the road.  Set Alarm for 4:15 AM.

july 5, 2009

4:15 AM, Alarm sounds.  Tim:  “Where are we?!”  Pack up, drive to top of Steptoe Butte.  Overlook and photograph surrounding Palouse region.  Blustery wind.

Head to Pullman in search of pancake establishment.  Encounter Tam’s Place adjacent to Washington State University.  Consume large pancakes, omelets, coffee.

Explore surrounding county roads.  Temperature increases.  Acquire refreshments in Colfax.  Proceed to 1-90 via county roads, highway 23, to Sprague.  Enter 1-90 East, towards Moses Lake in pursuit of McDonald’s.  Traffic heavy.  Stop to re-assess passenger window.  Re-duct tape, re-merge into traffic.

Moses Lake:  McChicken – Mac Sauce in lieu of mayo.  2×2.

Decide for highway 2 via Steven’s Pass in place of sure-to-be-more-heavily-trafficked I-90/Snoqualmie Pass.  Decision proves beneficial.

Excursion to waterways in close proximity to roadway.  Long exposures in glacial runoff.  JPV pulls gain-beast.

Proceed to final destination of JPV’s residence in Shoreline, WA.  Consume Spaghetti.  Slumber.

i’m a .com

So, in an attempt to summarize the last few years’ work into a sort of digital portfolio/library, I would like to introduce you to timothycdyk.com. I figured before proceeding on to whatever ventures are next, it would be worthwhile to summarize some of the people, places, and issues I have been brought into contact with thus far. And I must mention that this website wouldn’t be functioning had it not been for the in-depth coding know-how of B.Alderman & Co. Technologies. Thanks for reading/viewing.