how cool! back in the day — about three or so years ago — we (ys) sat around with world vision dreaming about an interactive experience for youth workers, helping them to imagine what it would be like to be an aids orphan in africa. the result was the one life experience. world vision really stepped up on this, and, at our request, worked with our good friend jonathan green (who designed tons of books for ys, several years of convention staging — including that gorgeous giant stained glass of jesus that many of you will remember, and conceived and filmed the “wide open” videos from that convention theme). we asked world vision to use jonathan when we were first developing the one life materials, because we wanted to ensure a fresh and somewhat edgy look.

anyhow. a few years later, and the OLE is all over the place. world vision has created multiple versions of it because the response has been so huge. my friend mike yoder (who i used to work with at a church in pasadena) was hired in a new role to oversee use and further development of the OLE (when it’s not at a ys event, it’s called the aids experience). a version was made in new zealand (which i got to see a few months ago!). and, then, world vision created an online version, using two of the four stories in the original. it’s amazing, and has tons of personal and ministry uses. check it out here.

well, the news came today that the online experience just won the people’s voice award for best rich media advertising in the non-profit/educational category of the the webby awards (dubbed the “oscars of the internet” by the new york times.

props to jonathan green and world vision. and, here’s hoping all of this results in good jesus-y kingdom stuff!