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I am filming children in Ethiopia. (At least 50 percent of those in Ethiopia live in slum areas, where this photo was taken.)
After several years in the print/publishing field, I made a mid-course “vocational correction” to pursue a passion for telling stories through video. I love asking questions, interviewing, listening and learning, and then telling that story in a compelling way to help engage, challenge and inspire the viewer. In 1999, I began J. David Jones Productions. Most of my work is for Christian/Humanitarian organizations with projects in the developing world. I am often a one-person crew, serving as producer, director, camera person, interviewer and editor. My most recent project was a story for Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) in Jordan on Iraqi refugees (and a Christian school that works with these children who could not attend school otherwise). Prior to that, I did a project for Mission of Mercy, filming in six countries over a three month period (Ethiopia, Kenya, Lebanon, Gaza, Jordan and India). The project I am completing now is about abandoned babies (many with HIV) in Kenya. My next project is scheduled for Egypt and the Philippines. Finding and telling the story – plus the opportunity to experience life in many cultures – is at the heart of both my passion and my calling. It also allows me an opportunity to serve those on the front lines who are making a difference around the world as representatives of Christ. I attend a vibrant Anglican Church in Colorado Springs – The International Anglican Mission. (Getting back to our John Wesley roots!) For many years, I’ve been drawn to the power of the liturgy and the Eucharist (“The Great Thanksgiving Feast”), within the context of a church that is spiritually alive. Interestingly, this branch of the World Wide Anglican Community was started by two Anglican bishops: one from Asia and one from Africa. They started the International Anglican Mission as a ministry to North America where the Episcopal Church has far too often turned cold and lost its way concerning Biblical doctrine and the teachings of Jesus. (For many Anglicans in the rest of the world – especially in Africa and Asia – North America is the great harvest field, and the largest unreached English-speaking people group in the world.) My church is very mission/outreach minded. It also includes a good number of international worshipers. Can someone please explain the meaning of “spare time?” If I have any, I love reading (mostly historical fiction); genealogy/family history; travel; watching movies; time with a small, close knit group of friends; and time with my terrific, loving family – including visiting my parents on their Kansas farm. I also enjoy staying in touch with my four sponsored children around the world, as best I can. (It has been a treat to personally meet each of them and visit their homes in Guatemala, India, Sierra Leone and Nepal. I’m very proud of each of them – and thankful to play a small part in their lives.) Fun-loving, wild and crazy suite mates; late night Rook games; someone sneaking a VW Bug into the Mansion through the front entrance; Flag Football; the “original” snack shop/hangout in the basement of the Mansion; raiding the girls dorm after curfew; work study program; many long dorm-room talks about the great questions of life late into the night – all the things that make college life such a memory. But more importantly, I remember professors and staff who took a personal interest in me, encouraged me and believed in me. The centrality of Jesus as Lord was always at the heart of campus life – not in a loud, preachy way, but in a quiet, consistent, nurturing, foundation-building way. (There were also many wonderful, significant, formative times with my Mueller family during those Bartlesville years.) I am very thankful for the opportunities I’ve had to be influenced and shaped by my time as a student at OKWU – and by the encouraging, life-giving relationships that continue today.