Reflections on Honduras, part I

Sherlynn and me on top of a mountain overlooking Tegucigalpa at our second brigade site

Almost two weeks have passed since my missions trip to Honduras and there is still so much to process. I figured I'd write my reflection now before I forget, because the sad truth is, I am already starting to forget. Where do I even begin to explain the many wonderful things God did and taught me?

Going to Honduras was actually something that I did not expect, but it was definitely an answered prayer. God has been gradually growing my heart for missions since sophomore year of college, and last year, I decided I wanted to go on a short-term missions trip in the summer. I'd originally planned to go to China with my home church, Berean, for two weeks, but for one reason or another, God closed that door to me. My parents were not at all comfortable with sending me to China, and so, after talking it over with my discipler, I decided to just pray for an opportunity. China was still my first choice, but by then, it didn't matter where God would send me. I just wanted to go. And at that particular point in my faith, it was crucial that I shared my faith outside the comforts and familiarity of home and Irvine.

A couple of weeks later, two friends of mine announced at our college campus fellowship that they were going to Honduras with a group of people from Grace on Campus (GOC) in UCLA. They took sign-ups for an information session that the leader of the LA team was holding -- and if enough people from Irvine signed up, he would actually drive down to Irvine to hold a separate meeting for us. Without thinking much of it, I signed up. I have a really bad habit of acting out of impulse without really putting much thought into what I decide to do, but God is kind enough to work all those out for His own glory and my good. And sure enough, God worked Honduras out for His glory and my good. :)

Going to the meeting, I sort of felt left out because then, I was the only person who didn't major in anything science-related and I wasn't exactly planning on taking the healthcare route after college either. But, again, for some reason, God tugged at my heart after Enrique (the LA team leader) made his presentation about his experience in Honduras the previous year, so I signed up to go. But I was still worried about what my parents would say, as they are pretty over-protective. The Sunday of that weekend, I told my parents and they said yes. I was taken aback. WHAT? Really?? My dad signed all the required papers and offered to go with me to the Honduran Consulate so that I could apply for my three-month visa into the country. God planned everything! But as excited as I was at that moment, God showed me just how little faith I had in Him.

Five weeks before Honduras, I felt very disheartened at the results of my fundraising and overall financial support. That, coupled with probably the most I struggled in my spiritual walk, left room for the enemy to play into my insecurities. I truly doubted if God could use me -- someone who struggled to be faithful and obedient to the God who saved my soul -- when He had 62 other people so willing to serve Him, and probably far better equipped than I was. I also didn't think that I would be able to raise all my support, or even just enough support, by the time we flew to Honduras, so I told myself I would email our overall team leader, Amos, to distribute all my funds to the rest of the team if I still did not raise enough funds by a certain date. Not to mention, I worried about whether my application for a visa would get approved as consulates typically require a lot of information from the applicant and take at least 2-3 days to process a visa application. But as ready as I was to give up, God showed me that His will is accomplished in His perfect time. The weekend I decided I would email Amos, my parents' church kindly wrote me a check of a hefty amount to support me to Honduras, which not only met my financial need, but actually overfunded me! I also received my visa after just three hours at the consulate! Praise the Lord, right? (Seriously, praise Him!) But still I struggled with my insecurities of how God could use me.

The faith I lacked, God used to humble me and show me that I am and can do nothing apart from Him. My week in Honduras was filled with evidences of His grace each and every single day. He used our team's physical service of medical provision to not only show the Honduran people we served a picture of Christ's love, but to also show our team that although these physical treatments were great, they were but temporary; nothing we did physically for these people could ever address their more urgent need for Christ. Only the gospel could open their eyes to see their wretchedness before a Divine and Holy God. And only the gospel could show them the forgiving and redeeming love of God through Christ in full.

While in Honduras, our entire team was very-well taken care of by World Gospel Outreach, the organization that we partnered with for our missions trip. We were provided with comfortable beds to sleep in, delicious food to eat for each meal, and water to wash ourselves with (provided water was a scarce resource so we had to be conscious in using it). We seriously had no reason to complain. And it is the same with our lives here in the States - we live in luxury compared to the Hondurans that we served, yet why is it so easy to complain and forgo joyfulness and gratitude? And even greater than the physical comfort that I live in here in the States is the work that Jesus Christ did on the cross that guarantees me eternal life. I have been given everything in Him.

The Irvine sub-team enjoyed Sunday service and fellowship at Prince of Peach Church, which was also the church we served with for the first two days of our medical brigades. Before the LA and Irvine sub-teams went to our respective churches, Amos told us to keep in mind that the pastors did not have a seminary background, despite their great desire to undergo formal Biblical training, because such a resource was not easily accessible to them. That caught me off-guard since it's uncommon for a pastor in the States to become a pastor without formal seminary training. And so, I went to church not really expecting much. But God used this local body to rebuke me, humble me, and encourage me. I was definitely not accustomed to their style of praise and worship, but it was humbling to see them worship God so passionately. And when the pastor spoke on God's Word, it felt like God was directly standing in front of me, commanding me in the same way Jesus commanded His disciples in Mark 6:37a (which was the passage he preached on).

"You give them something to eat." (emphasis mine)

At that point, the responsibility that lay on me -- on each of us as we were in Honduras in obedience to the Great Commission -- became real. God did not save me so that I could keep quiet about my faith and enjoy it on my own. My salvation is God's act of restoring my sinful self to Him by redeeming me from my sins and justifying me through Jesus Christ. And He has charged me to go and make disciples. To go, not on my own strength, but as the Holy Spirit leads and enables. Each of us were God's hands and feet in Honduras. And there was - there is - no greater privilege than to be an effective tool in the Redeemer's hands.

We had four medical brigade days wherein we provided these services to the Hondurans: dental, optometry, general medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy (only for the LA team), concrete, children's ministry, and evangelism. Each of us were able to choose which areas we wanted to serve in, and I was able to serve once each in dental, optometry, and general medicine; thrice in children's ministry; and thrice in evangelism. In dental, I worked with a Honduran dentist and watched her go through the process of extracting teeth. I even got to extract some teeth (which was very cool, but I felt very queasy). I also learned how to take vitals by being a general medicine assist, and how to use the auto-refractor in optometry. What amazed me as I helped out in these medical areas was the willingness of the doctors to serve. A lot of them had full-time jobs outside of the brigades, but they voluntarily served at the brigades and selflessly gave their time to help those in need. Some of them even worked at these brigades full-time instead of opening their own respective practices! They served these people because they understood what Jesus Christ had done for them on Calvary's cross, and it was seriously immensely humbling to have worked with them because they took care of every patient they saw and reflected the love of Christ.

As for children's ministry, what I loved most was the joy I witnessed after we washed each child's hair. For most of the kids, they had to deal with lice and the treatment we gave them was very much temporary, as they still went home to the same shared bed and same shared pillow each night. The temporariness of the treatment alone would have left me complaining, but I saw no trace of complaints in any of these children. Their eyes sparkled and their smiles spoke greater volumes of joy, gratitude, and contentment than words could ever communicate. Their joy was a simple manifestation of the greater joy we have been given in the gospel: we who were once sinners and hopelessly separated from God, by God's grace and through faith in Jesus Christ have been washed clean and completely forgiven of all our sins through the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed on the cross, now stand justified before the Father as the righteousness of Christ has been imputed to us, and are guaranteed eternity with Him in heaven. By grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8). While we washed them physically, only Jesus Christ could make them clean spiritually.

All ready for hairstyling in children's ministry! :)

Us pollos fritos with our amazing CM translators, Karen and Stefany!

Perhaps, the coolest part about our medical brigade days was that each patient we saw (yes, all 4,247 people we served!! :)) went through the evangelism station, so they each heard the gospel presented to them at least once. And the evangelism station was my most favorite part. Through WGO's emphasis on the evangelism part, God showed me that anything done without the purpose/intention of sharing His gospel does not amount to anything. The greatest thing we were able to do for the Hondurans, and the greatest thing we can do for our friends and family, is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In his letter to the Romans, Apostle Paul writes:

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." (ch. 1, v. 16; emphasis mine)

I'd read this passage multiple times in the past, but it's something I truly struggled to believe despite my own testimony of God's saving power in my life. Prior to Honduras, I struggled with sharing the gospel with people on campus and with my unsaved friends and family members. As I mentioned earlier, God had been faithfully growing my heart for missions, but for some reason, I never equated being a student at UCI or just being a Christian in general as being a missionary in a missions field. This past year (my junior year), God provided numerous avenues for me to share the gospel with people on campus and with my friends, but I shied away from all these opportunities because I feared man. I feared the persecution that could (and would) come; I feared the awkward moments; and in my great pride, I feared not being able to convince these people of their need for Christ, and thus, I thought, my evangelizing would have been all for nothing. But nestled in between all that was the doubt that God would, or that God could, save these people.

In Honduras, I served three half-day shifts in evangelism and I felt ill-prepared each time. It was truly a humbling experience because God brought to light all my doubts and all my inadequacies as I sat and shared with each person. With every presentation of the gospel, I was challenged to really evaluate if I believed that Jesus Christ alone can save and that He is more than powerful enough to save lost souls. I had to believe that God can save souls despite my inarticulateness and even despite the little eloquence I have with words. More often than not, I found myself stuck and at a loss for words, neither knowing how else to continue the conversations nor how to ease into the gospel. But I praise God because, truly His grace is sufficient, and His power is made perfect in my weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9)! Whatever I could not communicate to the person I was evangelizing to, God communicated to them through my translators. I praise Him for the translators because, even though they would have done a far better job in sharing the gospel to the people we saw, they still willingly and patiently translated for us. It was during my shifts in evangelism that I truly saw how much of a broken vessel I am. And it was during my shifts in evangelism that I saw the power of God to save. Only the Holy Spirit convicted those who came to genuine faith of their sinfulness; only the Holy Spirit broke them to see their need for Christ. How gracious is this God to have used a broken vessel like me to speak His truth! How gracious is He to have allowed me to see the Holy Spirit soften their hearts, and in turn, break my unbelief! All praise be to Him alone!

My translator for my first evangelism shift: Roberto

My translator for my 2nd evangelism shift: Daniela

My translator for my third shift: Belkis

Truly our God is mighty to save (Zephaniah 3:17)! In just the span of four days, 507 people professed to believe in Jesus Christ for the first time, and 172 recommitted their faith to the Lord. How amazing is our God! How worthy is He to be praised! And I can honestly say that, of those whose professions and recommitments are genuine, none of our words convinced them. None of our words showed them their need for Christ. None of our words opened their eyes to see their wretched state before the Divine and Holy God. And none of our words showed them the full love of God in Jesus Christ. These people came to believe only as the Holy Spirit alone softened their hearts to hear the gospel and believe in Jesus Christ at that moment.

I am humbled and amazed that this mighty God, the Creator of the universe, so willingly used inadequate and fragile jars of clay to preach His gospel that those whom He has called might hear and be restored to Him. And as I sit here, I am challenged to think of how I can truly serve others this coming school year. I've come to pride myself in physically serving people, but how God has broken me and shown me that physical service should be but an avenue to show His love. And if I act not because of His love, my service is done in vain. But there is still a greater way to show love and serve others than physical giving -- and that is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. I pray that this coming year would truly be used and exhausted to share the love of Christ, regardless of my own temporary discomfort or persecution. I may forget the events that took place during this one week, but I pray that my convictions might remain, that I would live with the same sense of urgency, and that the lessons God taught me might never be forgotten.

"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works." [Titus 2:11-14]

There is still so much more to be shared, and I dearly long to share more specific stories of God's goodness and faithfulness, so please don't hesitate to ask me. :)

Soli Deo Gloria!


**Photos not mine (except for pictures with translators)**

Five days

At a park overlooking the breathtakingly beautiful city of Tegucigalpa

It has been five days since our team of 63 people arrived safely back in the United States and still I struggle to find the words to describe what transpired in that one week in Honduras. There is so much to say, so many stories to share... I don't know where to even begin describing this trip. God has just done so many amazing things beyond what words and pictures can communicate. What an amazing God we serve!

Hopefully I can start writing reflections in the next couple of days. I pray that whatever God enables me to write would serve as an encouragement to whoever reads it. :)

Redemption Through the Blood of Christ (ESV)

"But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive. Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, 'This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.' And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him."

[Hebrews 9:11-28]

Soli Deo Gloria!

 

 

 

 

Honduras in a couple days!

Hi friends!

I'm back to share just how excited I feel to be jetting off to Honduras in less than one week. Can you believe it!? After months of fundraising and worrying about applying for my visa, praying, reading packets, etc, etc... The day is finally (almost) here!!!

I met half of our team of nearly 70 people on Saturday. The SoCal team had a gathering near UCLA where we were able to chat over some amazingly yummy food (I love food!!), meet the people we will be serving with, sing praise songs and hymns, go over details of our week-long trip, and pray for each other... And in the end, we FaceTimed with the NorCal team who also had their meeting. I can't believe it! God has been so faithful to each and every person on this huge team and I am in awe. I mean, how awesome is it that the God of the universe, the Creator of heaven and earth, knows each individual, each creation, and seeks and pursues us to have a personal relationship with Him through Christ Jesus? Isn't that just mind-blowing?

A fraction of our huge SoCal team!! :) pc: Enrique Lee

With only a few days left, packing has been a crazy experience. I've had to pack, unpack, and re-pack twice. I also sewed the hems of my ginormous scrubs yesterday. I seriously look like a giant box! Haha :) We also get to choose which areas we want to serve in when we get to Honduras. I originally wanted to experience assisting in all the medical stations (medical provision, pharmacy, dentistry, optometry, & physical therapy) even though a future in medicine doesn't seem likely for me, but since there are so many other areas to serve in, I figured I'd just leave the options blank and serve in whatever capacity they need me to serve. I can't contain my excitement for what I know will seriously be the experience of a lifetime!

Look how boxy I look! pc: Eunice Chee

In light of all the exciting stuff -- preparations, meetings, making new friends -- I really need to just remember that my sole purpose for going on this trip -- and for anything I do in life, really! -- is to share the Gospel and be a light. It's been especially hard remembering that, what with it being summer and myself being so undisciplined, but I am thankful because God's faithfulness doesn't wane unlike mine. Please pray for me and for the team! It's going to be a physically taxing week, and since we will be on such a tight schedule, I'm anticipating we won't be at the top of our spiritual disciplines. But please do pray for us! That before we serve, we would eagerly sit at the feet of Jesus and learn from Him, for it is only by sitting at His feet that we can learn to serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. :)

I'm so thankful for everyone's prayers thus far! Not to mention just all the support that each person on this team has been receiving, whether encouragements, reminders, prayers, financial support, or even joining us in the excitement, the community we have been given in Christ amazes me. Please pray for the salvation of the Hondurans we will be serving amidst all your support! Knowing that God is sovereign, may we all the more labor diligently and fervently to proclaim His Gospel in word and in deed.

Whoohoo!

This will be our view in Honduras! Whoohoo! :)

Three posts in one day!

I'm on a blogging spree today!

After blogging twice today (prior to this), I've decided to start blogging again for my last year of college. Hopefully I don't abandon ship (unlike years past) and stick to it! Senior year of college is worth documenting after all. But more so than that, here is my reason for documenting my last year of undergraduate life.

College has been a tremendously blessed time. In coming to Irvine, I didn't really know what to expect. My freshman year was definitely challenging. I spent the first quarter of my college life without any solid resolve to do well in school or even to pursue Christ. All I could see then was my newfound "freedom" that came with being away from home for the first time. But God has been gracious and faithful -- He was then and He still is now! For the past three years, I've come to see His sovereign hand at work in my life and get a glimpse of His purposes for placing me where He has placed me today. If God hadn't closed all those other college doors, I never would have come to Irvine. And although I am aware that God could have turned my heart towards Him regardless of whether I came to Irvine or not, He graciously pulled me away from all the ambitions I had placed my faith and hope in to show me the full joy of a placing my faith and hope in Christ alone. I am simply at awe and abundantly thankful that He placed me here, where I am privileged to attend a solid Scripture-based, Christ-centered church, be part of a fellowship that is dedicated to spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ on campus, and know brothers and sisters who are daily examples of what it means to exhaust one's life for the sake and joy of Christ.

Sucha good-lookin' and warm-hearted buncha peeps! :) I love my class!

I still do not know exactly what it is that I will be doing in the future, and I've learned to not trust my fleeting and ever-changing desires... But I praise God knowing that He has provided me with a purpose so that whatever my disposition might be in this life, I have every reason to sing! Oh for my heart to truly cry for a disposition in which Christ might be magnified and myself humbled -- a disposition devoid of any joy found in physical or earthly comfort but only the eternal comfort of knowing Christ! :)

I have decided to revive my blog for the sake of chronicling God's faithfulness in my life, remembering the last of my undergraduate adventures, and learning to be thankful always in whatever season, whatever disposition. I hope to look back at my last year of college and be humbled at the foot of the cross knowing that it was Christ alone who sustained and is Christ alone who sustains!

Class of 2013! It'll be my class next year. Thankful for Berean family :)

Freshman year -- CCM senior banquet!

Summer so far.

It is already August -- just a little over a month since summer break started. I can't believe how time flies! There is so much to look forward to in the next coming weeks, but mainly these two events:

1. Berean Community Church's first ever VBS, combined with CrossLife Community Church and Pillar Bible Church from August 5th-7th. I'm so excited! Our church has been increasing in numbers steadily and it cannot be denied how many babies are also becoming part of our family. I'm so excited :)

2. Honduras Short-Term Missions from August 16th-24th. This will be my first ever missions trip and I could not be more thankful that I'm going with a team full of people who love God and are eager to spread His Gospel. Words cannot express the excitement, but also the nervousness I feel. Since it will be a medical missions trip, we will get to share the gospel to literally hundreds of people on the daily (which is so exciting and such a privilege!!). Only downside is that we're "speed-sharing" the gospel, meaning we only have at most 5 minutes to talk with each patient we encounter. I'm so nervous -- as are my other teammates -- because how does one share the gospel clearly, accurately, and efficiently in such a short amount of time? Even campus evangelism conversations take more than 10 minutes! But all in God's hands. This is room for the Spirit alone to work and manifest His glory! :)

Other than these two events, summer at home has been okay. As is with every other summer spent at home, I find myself at a loss as to what to do each day that I wake up. There really isn't much to do at home and leisurely expenses aren't part of the budget. So far, I've just been spending my time scanning files to send to my dad who's now back in the Philippines. I finished scanning four boxes full in one month, praise the Lord!! Now all I have to worry about is compressing said files to email to him, and this hasn't exactly been the most exciting thing. Add to this the hours spent in front of my laptop screen while scanning and waiting for the files to compress and attach to my emails... My eyes must hate me so much right now. I feel as if I've become cross-eyed from the numerous hours spent in front of the screen. :(

Although I must say that I've discovered a handful of Korean dramas that have changed my standards of what I think to be well-produced and ill-produced. I find myself with a growing appreciation for historical dramas, mainly because I get a glimpse of what it must have been like to live in the past. I wish I could travel back in time...

I guess you can say my summer has been... a little (somewhat a lot) short of productive, but I'm getting there! :)

One thing I learn every time I'm home is the reality of fighting discontentment, discouragement, laziness, frustration/anger/annoyance/impatience, and the ever-looming feeling of self-entitlement. It's not an easy fight, but another thing that I learn (and must intentionally and actively seek to remember) is the encouragement I have to keep going in Christ as my battles with such sins are signs of the faithful work of the Holy Spirit in me to sanctify me. It's definitely challenging, but I hope that I grow deeper in love for and worship of my Savior.

San Francisco earlier this summer break. I miss this city!

[85C Final] YouTube: Blurring Copyright Lines

Let's talk YouTube. What is YouTube?

It is a form of social networking wherein users interact with each other by commenting, sharing, or even just liking videos. These videos are sometimes home-made, and sometimes they are not. YouTube creates a space for both professionals and amateurs to upload their videos for the public to see. Within the span of one day, or even a couple of hours, YouTube produces new celebrities by hosting home-made videos -- like this one:

With the myriad genres and types of videos that are uploaded to YouTube, it has become easy to cross copyright laws and find ways around them. However, YouTube has also made it easier for companies to promote their products by coming into partnership with YouTube and YouTube giving them their own official channel. But as YouTube rapidly garners viewership and membership each day, one cannot necessarily claim that YouTube favors either the companies or the public. YouTube neither turns a blind eye to copyright infringements that take place on its site, but neither does it actively pursue copyright laws unless the rights holders provide it with some type of identification. YouTube, while it simultaneously entertains both sides of the spectrum, actually fosters a setting wherein copyright laws are blurred and compromises take place.

To understand how YouTube has developed, let us go back several years to when it was first started up. YouTube, like many other companies, was co-founded. Three former PayPal employees, Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim, co-founded YouTube, with the intention of making it easier to search up videos that would otherwise be difficult to watch because they are not easily accessible to the public (USA Today). Who knew, however, that YouTube would become much more than just a hub of re-uploaded videos?

Just as quickly as YouTube exploded worldwide, Google bought the company in 2007, shelling out $1.65 billion -- at that time, the "most expensive purchase made by Google in its eight-year history," according to NBCNews. When Google bought YouTube, the video company was battling threats of copyright infringement suits. Not long after becoming Google's subsidiary, YouTube garnered companies to get in line to do business with them, a few of which were Universal Music Group, Sony BMG Entertainment, and Warner Music Group, Inc.

Obviously these music companies were not the only ones to recognize the value of YouTube, as viewership skyrocketed in the span of just one year.

Needless to say, as viewers increased, so did the possibility and frequency of copyright infringement, to which YouTube responded with the content ID feature. The introduction of content ID favors the entertainment industry as YouTube makes an effort to track copyright infringement on behalf of the rights holders, provided that the rights holders "deliver YouTube reference files of content they own, metadata describing that content, and policies on what they want YouTube to do when we find a match".

Even with content ID, upholding copyright laws still pales in comparison to the frequency of copyright infringements that take place on YouTube's web grounds.

In Lucas Hilderbrand's essay, Youtube: Where Cultural Memory and Copyright Converge, he argues that most copyright holders find YouTube to be dangerous waters, and request to have YouTube disable streaming videos to which these holders own the rights, not necessarily for the sake of competition but for the sake of "maintaining some kind of control over what is publicly accessible and how it is distributed." This begs the question of how copies of videos uploaded to YouTube are controlled. Although content ID exists as a feature YouTube offers to appease the music industry, copyright holders still only hold limited power as there are possibilities of copies of the music/videos are manipulated to have no easily detectable similarity to the original artwork. Copyright laws are already murky as they are, as Sheldon W. Halpern argues in his essay, Copyright Law.

"... the determination of what, in any given work, is "expression" and what is "idea" is an extraordinarily subtle and complex task, in which the standards and criteria exist only at the highest analytical level. ... Where a taking involves the nonliteral elements of a work, the line between evocation or use of ideas and copying of protected expression is by no means clear."

It is impossible to completely observe copyright laws on YouTube as YouTube is merely the vehicle to accessing "culturally significant texts that would otherwise be elusive" (Hilderbrand). Thus, the definition of copyright infringement is blurred as copyright infringement is allowed, either given certain circumstances, or for as long as YouTube does not detect the infringement. This then begs the question of who has the power over these copyrighted videos.

While YouTube provides copyright holders means to retain their copyrighted products and identify copies of such products, there are still millions of copyright infringed products that are not as easily recognizable and still illegally accessible to the public in other ways. Technology is just evolving too quickly, that although "copyright owner[s] attempt to find a way physically to prevent copying of the work, [they are] confronted with further advances in technology designed to defeat the protection scheme" (Halpern).

But YouTube cannot be blamed. Unbeknownst to it because of the millions of users that access YouTube each day, YouTube promotes both legal uses of copyrighted material, while also hosting videos that provide loopholes to avoiding copyright strikes while still using copyrighted material illegally.

Although YouTube is trying to remain neutral by allowing its space to be one of free expression, but at the same time, protecting the media industry via copyrights, YouTube has made it hard for individual consumers to be confronted with copyright infringement because of the amount of users YouTube welcomes.

***

Works Cited

Associated Press. "Google Buys YouTube for $1.65 Billion." MSNBC.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 June 2013.

Halpern, Sheldon W. "Copyright Law and the Challenge of Digital Technology." Image Ethics in the Digital Age. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota, 2003. 143-70. Print.

Hilderbrand, Lucas. "Youtube: Where Cultural Memory and Copyright Converge." Film Quarterly 61.1 (2007): 48-57. Print.

Hopkins, Jim. "Surprise! There's a Third YouTube Co-founder." USAToday.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 June 2013.