January Update

SEX+MONEY part I is finished being filmed
Part II begins in the spring
Going to be in Fresno for until Part II

Favor. Huge, huge amounts of favor has covered the SEX+MONEY crew. We have filmed about fifty politicians, lawmakers, former victims, vice agents, pimps and non-profit organizations. After 3 months, 25 states, 10,746 miles, 198 hours of footage, we have learned a lot. What was intended to be the main filming portion of the film has been birthed into so much more, and what was supposed to be simple pick-up shots in the spring has become a full-fledged Part II.

Part II came out of the research the 5 narrators have done from September til December. They realized they have to show in the documentary how ordinary people can go from just learning about being sex traffficking, to making a practical difference. Some of the narrators willl be working on a website to unite each organization with other like minded people across the nation, others will be doing benefit concerts and art shows to get the word out. That, along with some more intense undercover work will all be part of the spring shoot, Part II.

If any of you were on YouTube the day after Christmas, you would have seen that the little teaser trailer (Sex+Money Teaser) we did after the first 10 days of shooting in New York, won a contest hosted by Morgan Freeman (an actor you may have heard of) and was on the home page for a whole day. This is a huge amount of favor because now half a million people have seen what we are about and we pray will open doors both in contacts as well as financial backing for Part II.

Thank you so much for all your prayers! I have never seen the power of prayer come alive like it has on this project. It was only at the end of the project when we all started talking about how we have physically felt covered by God that I noticed this. I was reminded of Shadrack, Mishack and Abendigo, and how they came out of the fire, not even smelling of smoke. That is us; because God called us into the fire, He has been our guard, protecting our hearts and minds, allowing us to have compassion but protecting us from the muck of the world destroying us.

My plans for the next few months, until I rejoin the SEX+MONEY Crew in May, is to work, work and work some more. I am pursing an opportunity at Apple Retail again as well as picking up all the freelance video jobs I can get my hands on. My goal is to get rid of most of the debt that still lingers over my head from previous gear purchases, so I am free to pursue projects, even if there is no guarantee of income.

I now have some new ways to keep in touch. Facebook (Josiah Thiesen) Twitter (josiahthiesen) Blog (witness.bluewingstudios.com) and by text updates. Text updates are really for immediate prayer request, like when we need prayer at 4:00am because we are in the middle of the Red Light disctict in Mexico. If you would like to be added for that immediate prayer chain, send me an email with your phone number and I would love to add you.

Loving life and love Christ,
Josiah Thiesen