"You give someone unconditional love and they blossom."
-Sharon Dennehy
The view from the roof gave us something to stare at, so we didn't have to make eye contact. Our eyes picked from a feast of interesting things...the Pacaya volcano, the busy city it overlooked. Over the roof's edge, recyclers stacked worn burlap sacks of trash onto a roofless box truck until it brimmed. A small girl climbed to the top to tie down the sacks to keep them from falling.
I glanced over to Jonathan. "Why didn't you go to college?" I asked.
"It scared me," he replied. He looked off towards his community just a block away. The two of us had been filming there all month.
"I wasn't ready to be away from home," he added.
I turned my head to see what he was looking at. People hauling buckets of cement and dumping them. Little by little the dirt roads in Jonathan's community were disappearing.
"Do you know who's bigger than all your fears?" I asked him, smiling slightly at the Sunday-school nature of my question.
Jonathan chuckled. "Jesus," he replied.
Jonathan
Jonathan's not an eye contact kind of guy. He's not much of a conversationalist either. "Does he talk?" is one of the most common questions I get about him. He talks to me, of course, but we've had a lot of time to break the ice. Girls stop by the office to visit him. As they chat away, he stares at his computer screen offering short answers.
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| Smooth Moves: Jonathan performing at the Potter's House talent show. |
A Loud Introduction
Jonathan first introduced himself to me 15 months ago during a soccer game. I was at Potter's House filming a video with his friend Kelvin. We never actually exchanged words nor did we approach each other (we're both too shy for that), but his red shirt was loud enough of an introduction that I wouldn't easily forget him.
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| Kelvin on the left, Pedro in the blue, Jonathan in the red. |
19 months later, Jonathan graduated from high school. A few weeks before I watched him toss his graduation cap in the air, I had scheduled some meetings to discuss extending him an offer to work with me through Potter's House's apprenticeship program. Potter's House was supportive of the idea but had some concerns.
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| Jonathan on the right, accompanied by one of his sponsors, Dale, and a classmate. |
Although he was well behaved, Jonathan was not considered a good student. "Is he frequently distracted?" I asked.
"Yes."
"Does he struggle with class participation?"
"Yes."
"Does he spend class time drawing in his notebooks"
"Yes."
"Sounds like a good fit to me."
Inviting Jonathan to work with me was certainly not a sure thing. But amongst his peers, Jonathan stood out as the most creatively motivated mind in the bunch.
Over the previous months, I'd observed how he'd stare out the doorway of his classroom, how drawings covered the margins of his notebooks, and how he was constantly tinkering with his wardrobe. Despite living in a tin community with dirt roads, he regularly managed to compose a striking outfit with what he had available to him. If he could compose an outfit, could he compose a photo? A video? A design?
There was something about his dress, his demeanor, and his drawings that made me yearn to place a camera into his hands. Before long I would get my chance.
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| Jonathan acting in a play about the importance of the Father's role at home. (His own father rarely had a presence at home) |
Children's Day
October 1st is Children's Day in Guatemala. Potter's House needed a photographer to cover the festivities they had planned for their students, so I asked Jonathan if he would do it.
October 1st is Children's Day in Guatemala. Potter's House needed a photographer to cover the festivities they had planned for their students, so I asked Jonathan if he would do it.
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| Jonathan, taking photos during Children's Day |
With camera in hands, he stood timidly on the sidelines, a contradiction to the eye-grabbing hoody he was wearing. Looking up from my camera I met his eye and nodded towards the children. He raised his camera to take a few shots but his feet remained moored into the periphery pavement.
I walked over to him and stuck a hand on his shoulder. "Try getting closer, you might find a new interesting shot." He looked at me, pursing to speak but no words came out. "I'll do it at the same time. C'mon." I got close and began taking shots with my own camera. After a few seconds I could hear the shutter of his camera next to me.
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| Pinned to the wall. |
I walked over to him and stuck a hand on his shoulder. "Try getting closer, you might find a new interesting shot." He looked at me, pursing to speak but no words came out. "I'll do it at the same time. C'mon." I got close and began taking shots with my own camera. After a few seconds I could hear the shutter of his camera next to me.
Disappointment
At the end of the day we headed back to the office to review his shots. My eyes filtered through each photo, scanning impatiently, looking for a shot that would stop them in their tracks. Finally, they stopped...I had reached the end of the list.
I went back and scanned them again to choose the most decent ones and I complimented him on them and explained why I liked them. But inside I was disappointed. Where was the talent I so greatly had hoped for?
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| Inside the dump, taking photos. |
Working
Every morning at 8 Jonathan Morales slides into the office we share, slaps me five, sits down at his computer, slides his headphones on, and begins editing.
At his new editing computer, purchased with help from his sponsor.
He drums on his desk when he's restless and occasionally coughs, less so since the dirt roads in his community were paved over.
We watch videos together and break down how they were constructed. I can't help but smile when I observe his wide-eyed amazement. Video truly fascinates him. "Your a videographer," I tell him, enjoying the satisfaction that brightens his face as soon as the thought sinks in.
Jonathan and his hippie friend decorated the office as a reward for completed a tough project.
As we walk in the local communities towards a filming location, we make a point of learning something new about each other . Once we're filming, communication mostly occurs with eye contact and gestures.
Filming in Jonathan's community. The "road" we were filming on had been installed only a month before.
On Tuesdays we sit on the roof and eat lunch together, staring at the city line with volcanoes in the background. We talk about life and go through a discipleship curriculum.
Since he started his internship January 8th, Jonathan's skills have grown at a healthy pace. And his growth has reminded me that the most talented workers are simply the ones who show up every day ready to work hard.
Short video Jonathan made in a day.
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| At his new editing computer, purchased with help from his sponsor. |
He drums on his desk when he's restless and occasionally coughs, less so since the dirt roads in his community were paved over.
We watch videos together and break down how they were constructed. I can't help but smile when I observe his wide-eyed amazement. Video truly fascinates him. "Your a videographer," I tell him, enjoying the satisfaction that brightens his face as soon as the thought sinks in.
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| Jonathan and his hippie friend decorated the office as a reward for completed a tough project. |
As we walk in the local communities towards a filming location, we make a point of learning something new about each other . Once we're filming, communication mostly occurs with eye contact and gestures.
 |
| Filming in Jonathan's community. The "road" we were filming on had been installed only a month before. |
Since he started his internship January 8th, Jonathan's skills have grown at a healthy pace. And his growth has reminded me that the most talented workers are simply the ones who show up every day ready to work hard.
Short video Jonathan made in a day.
The Sunday School Question
We stared out towards the volcano next to empty lunch containers, enjoying the last moments of our weekly lunch.
"What does your mother think of this apprenticeship you're doing?" I asked.
Jonathan looked at the ground with a smile. "Remember when we were filming interviews in the community? She saw us there."
He looked up into my eyes. "She didn't want to interrupt, but she told me she saw us and started crying." The crease of a smile lined his face as he listened to his own words. My expression matched his.
Then, in an instant, doubt raged in. Could I live up to her tears? If I had a nickel for every time I doubted myself while working with Jonathan...
And then out came out a chuckle as a competing thought fought back.
Who can overcome my weaknesses in training Jonathan?
"Jesus."
He looked up into my eyes. "She didn't want to interrupt, but she told me she saw us and started crying." The crease of a smile lined his face as he listened to his own words. My expression matched his.
Then, in an instant, doubt raged in. Could I live up to her tears? If I had a nickel for every time I doubted myself while working with Jonathan...
And then out came out a chuckle as a competing thought fought back.
Who can overcome my weaknesses in training Jonathan?
"Jesus."
