Hey all,
Wow! I can’t believe how long it’s been since I’ve posted on here, but I’ve missed you! Can you believe it’s been almost ten months since the World Race ended? That is absolutely crazy. Time has flown by so fast, and I wanted to give you all an update on what I’ve been up to since the race ended, and where I feel the Lord is calling me moving forward.
The last ten months of my life have been pretty crazy, so I’ll just give you the condensed version…
When I returned home from Colombia, I knew I wanted to continue my career in filmmaking, and I also wanted to continue sharing people’s stories as the Lord put on my heart even before the race. Still without camera equipment (if you remember, ALL my gear was stolen on a bus in Peru), I began looking for film jobs that aligned with my passion of sharing people’s stories. As I’m sure you are already aware, looking for work is hard. Needless to say, the job search did not exactly go as I had planned. I applied for more than 500 jobs and heard back from very few – and the ones I did hear back from didn’t get me very far. The few interviews I had didn’t materialized into anything. So I decided that in the interim, I would work for the production company I had worked with prior to the World Race, shooting wedding videos and corporate content. Although I wasn’t passionate about this job, I needed to make money until a door opened elsewhere.
If you remember, before the World Race, I interned with a humanitarian storytelling agency in Brooklyn (called Human). It was there that I first had the opportunity to use my video editing knowledge to help share the stories of people from around the world. It was also there that I first witnessed the power that is released when stories of tragedy and triumph are shared with others. I have always felt that my passion for storytelling really had its roots in the work I did with Human, and I always hoped to someday return this incredible organization to work full time if possible. Because of the nature of the work he does and the popularity his work has gained in the film industry, my former boss is a very difficult person to get a hold of. If was only after many months of relentless pursuit that I was finally able to meet with him and share my experiences of the World Race. As a result of our chat, I was offered a freelance editing position with Human, once again enabling me to use the video editing and storytelling skills the Lord has blessed me with. Since our meeting, I have been working on both a presidential campaign, as well as a special project sharing the stories of the Rohingya people in Myanmar who are being forced by their own government to live in camps with inhumane conditions. Although I strongly feel like the Lord led me to this opportunity and right now, it’s precisely where I’m supposed to be, I can’t help but feel that this is only a stepping stone toward all that awaits me in the future.
As I look back on the my time on the mission field, I think about the faces of the people that I was so blessed to meet while on the World Race. I think about their stories and the beauty inside of each of them. They may live thousands of miles away and their life circumstances may be drastically different from yours or mine; however, we have so much in common – every trial and tribulation… every pain and heartache… every joy and triumph…plays an important role in writing the story of each of our lives. This was never more evident to me than during my time on the Race. The Lord tells us that we are made in His image, and that we are perfect in His eyes (Gen 1:27). As I looked at the face of each child I encountered, I was able to see Him in every smile, every frown, every laugh, and even behind every blank stare. Although our faces are what the world sees at first glance, they don’t define us. Each of those faces represented the love of Christ.
So when the opportunity to participate in a 10-day mission trip to Serbia arose at my church, I JUMPED at the opportunity. I felt like the Lord was leading me out of the place I had learned to become too comfortable since returning from overseas, back to a place where He needed me to share His story – back to the mission field.
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So let me tell you a little bit about Serbia. Serbia is located in Eastern Europe and has a population of 6,822,000 people. Although the majority of people living within the country profess that they are Christian, there are 116,000 people who are completely unreached. In addition, 25% of the population lives below the poverty line, making it the poorest country in all of Europe.
The mission trip will take place from June 30th to July 10th. While in Serbia, we will working with a local church, doing much the same type of work I did while on the World Race. My team and I will be responsible for designing, organizing, and running a VBS (Vacation Bible School) program for the children, doing manual labor/light construction, and supporting the local pastors. We hope to meet the needs of the community right where they are, showing them the love of Jesus through the good times and the bad. I will be bringing my new camera equipment (thank you to those who donated – I haven’t come close to paying it off yet, but through God’s grace and the kindness of others, I have been able to use the equipment while I am working to pay it off) to capture on film the amazing work the Lord will accomplish through us in order to be able to share it with you back home. It’s my prayer that I will be able to share with you the stories of the people we encounter, as well as the doors that will be opened because of your generosity and God’s amazing grace for the Serbian people.
The trip will cost about $1,500 for the 10 days, including airfare, accommodations, and meals. I would greatly appreciate any financial contribution you feel led to make to help me partner with this worthy project as I follow the Lord where He calls me on my journey (you can find my PayPal account information at the close of this post). Truly, no contribution is too small. Every bit of your contribution will go toward allowing me to serve the Serbian people and share the message of Jesus to a community who has never heard about His love. I know that if we partner together, the Lord will do amazing things!
Thank you so very much for your prayers and financial support during the World Race, and for your consideration now, as I continue to follow where God is calling me. I cannot even begin to express how much it has meant to me to know I had such strong warriors at home. I have really enjoyed sharing my journey with you through the eyes of my camera lens, and I hope to continue to share with you whatever the Lord puts on my heart. God Bless you always!
Love you all,
Matt
My Paypal account is: paypal.me/mattcotov
Venmo: @Matt-Cotov
Cash App: $MattCotov
