Introducing Project Resonate!
Based out of San Diego, John is a recent graduate from San Diego State University where he studied Business. During his time in college he began his photography business to help him pay his bills while in school. Over time the business grew and after he graduated he continued to run his professional photography business, even operating out of a studio on the waterfront downtown. Yet, for all of his success, John still felt he needed to do something more. He felt that God was asking him to do more to integrate his faith in Christ with his giftedness in photography. God was telling him to close down his photography studio for a whole year and dedicate that time to international mission work. Looking for a way to do this, John went to his Youth Pastor, Jimmy Lee at Chinese Evangelical Church, his home church in San Diego. It was there that Pastor Jimmy made a phone call to YMI to ask about sending John on a mission trip for a year. Although YMI did not offer year-long trips at the moment, Brian Hughes spoke to John about what he felt God was calling him to do. As it turns out, Brian had been praying that God would provide YMI with someone like John who could document what God was doing through YMI in the international mission field.
Sensing an immediate match, Brian and John agreed to continue to pray about how YMI could assist John in his calling. A few months later, in December 2008, Brian visited John in San Diego and they discussed what John would be doing during his year-long term of service with YMI. At that time it was decided that, beginning in June of 2009, John would come on board Youth Missions International as a Missionary Photojournalist, travelling around the world to different locations, using his photography skills to document what God is doing in the lives of missionaries across the globe. By the time January rolled around the concept had grown into a project under the umbrella of YMI. Its name: Project Resonate.
Project Resonate's goal is to bring acute awareness to the successes, challenges, and efforts of missionaries around the world. John Yao has a great vision for the Project Resonate. By bringing awareness to how God is using others globally, he hopes that Project Resonate will cause people to think about how they can take what they are most passionate about and use it for Jesus Christ. We can see how God brought John Yao and YMI together for this project, as its vision is directly in line with YMI's aim to "make faith active while reaching others for Christ".
Resonate is ready to roll and John is already preparing to go to several locations within his first few months, including Ukraine, Guatemala, Brazil, South Africa, Mexico and some locations within the U.S. As he travels to different countries around the world, keep track of what he's showing you through his photography (
www.projectresonate.org
). God has something to say through John to each one of us about our life's work and His plan for us. It's time for us to watch and listen.
