Four Film Flurry

Small wooden benches jammed with eager children littered the Mountain of Glory church in Marikebuni, Kenya. As darkness descended, adults began replacing those small sleepy heads so that by the time the second film began there were more than 50 adults in attendance. Given the distance between homes, this number is pretty significant.

Four NOOMA films – Rain, Lump, Luggage, and She – offered these Kiswahili speakers a visual telling of some key messages found in Scripture. Never before had these people seen such messages packed in a visual form they could understand. Though some of the visual images may have been outside their understanding, Pastor Njuguna retold the stories in Kiswahili with explanations where necessary.   

The best part…Pastor Njuguna indicated that post film interaction with people revealed that they seemed to understand these simple messages from Scripture in a new way given the visual mode of delivery. Isn’t that what they were intended to do?

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The Art and Science of Thinking

Teaching The Art and Science of Thinking – addressing creative and critical thinking along with problem solving and decision making – has become a standard workshop from which to begin all workshops. Sometimes we are trapped simply because of the way we think – often influenced by culture, education, experience, and opportunity (or lack thereof). Learning how to change the way we think – about our lives, about our community, and about our God – can set us free.

To begin, I ask people to describe what they think of as “art” and then of “science.” Typically no one will venture a guess. Why? Because in these villages exposure to such seemingly insignificant subjects is non-existent…they really don’t understand what these terms mean. Using pictures, I illustrate with famous works by Michelangelo, Da vinci, and others. Most people are amazed, though I have no expectation that they will have ever seen the likes of paintings such as The Creation of Adam. But when I show them pictures of Ugandan people dressed in traditional clothing, engaged in traditional dance, or crafting pottery and jewelry I somehow expect recognition or realization. Instead, what seems to happen is this moment of amazement that their very own culture could be filled with art. What comes next is the teaching that we are made in the image of The Creator and thus ought not be surprised to find such beauty among the people.

More than 20 people squished into this small sitting room to watch.

Closing the section specifically about this topic, we watch the film NOOMA Rhythm where the ideas of art and science come together in the form of a symphony (another unrecognized element from more developed cultures). Though most don’t understand the language, the visual medium affords dialogue that leads to a greater awakening of how art and science (rhythm and symphony) can bring us in alignment with God’s plan for our lives. I ask the question of whether or not we are in tune with His song? This question – taken from the film – seems to create a moment of pause…a moment when people begin to see how it all fits together.

Seated in the darkness and quiet of post film viewing, we contemplate the question…the question of whether or not we’re in tune with the song. This is when the Holy Spirit takes over and the real ministry begins.

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Women's Work

Every day the ladies from Pastor Martin’s family can be seen toiling…all day long. Add having visitors and that day just got longer. These ladies prepared the most lavish meals using food transported from more than four hours distance…because there is no food in Takora. The cost of that food tripled by the time transport is added to the mix.

Some of the ladies work as nurses at the next door hospital and when they return from that job they work more at home. I watched them either preparing meals or cleaning dishes nonstop. Literally. After a simple breakfast they began preparing for our lunchtime meal. After doing the dishes from the lunchtime meal they began preparing the dinner meal. Somehow laundry and hauling water got done as well, I think by the younger girls. Any effort I made to assist was met with a fierce rebuke.

Not being the domestic type, I very much appreciated all that they did…and they did it with little expression of appreciation because in Karamoja and most of Uganda…”that’s their work.” The sentiment is something akin to why appreciate them for something they’re supposed to do anyhow. There’s no malice or flippancy, it’s strictly a cultural mindset.

None the less my heart was filled with gratitude at how faithfully they work and how much harder they had to work because of the ministry event. I longed for a free moment with them to tell them how much God sees their faithfulness. We carved out 30 minutes after our lunchtime meal to watch NOOMA She. The film was perfect for these women, particularly given the example Rob uses of how women in Africa walk hours to haul water… They felt so respected and acknowledged because of that one line in the film.

We joined together in prayer for one another and for some very specific needs as well as in celebrating the knowledge that women are important, valuable, and essential to the voice of the family and the church. While the men were not invited to our gathering, I did take the opportunity to tell them about the film and to emphasize that if they were not already including their women in discussions about family and church matters that they were missing out on a perspective that God purposefully created in his own image.

NOTE: As our time of ministry wound down, the women said the men raved about NOOMA Rain and that they wanted to watch too. I thank God for fully charged laptop batteries.

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Films Motivate Participants

As is common in all of Uganda, keeping time at the workshop in Karamoja was a challenge. I’ve begun to wisen up to some teaching strategies that will both reward those who arrive on time and encourage late comers to arrive on time the next day…films. It worked.

NOOMA Rhythm is a film that explicitly illustrates the art and science of creative and critical thinking – lessons taught in the first session of our workshop in Karamoja. Although these remote African leaders had some difficulty relating to the idea of a symphony, they certainly understood the importance of music in worship. Pastor Martin longs to have a keyboard for his church because when people hear the sound they come to see what’s happening…their inner hearts respond to the music…to the rhythm (click here if you’d like to give a keyboard).

The children were just as interested in the films.
Perhaps there's an opportunity there.

Not only were we able to successfully illustrate the way art and science combines to give us something more complete, but we were able to share a time of ministry together. We talked about being in God’s will, in rhythm, and how significantly our lives are impacted by this simple act of obedience. I adore the opportunity to pray very specifically with each of these people.

The next morning NOOMA Rain was in the lineup and the participants were lined up to begin on time too. We discussed the various metaphors in the film – a tool sometimes lost on people here – and the students began to awaken…light bulbs. From the film we moved into some warm up exercises to stimulate creative and critical thinking and today – I believe because of our discussion about metaphor in this film – the men and women were significantly sharper in applying their thinking skills.

I wonder if the leaders at Flannel ever expected these films to be useful in this way. I’m so very thankful for their generous provision of this ministry and teaching tool. Thank you! (Time to start thinking in Kiswahili J)

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Kamuli Pastor's Breakfast

Eleven pastors from a variety of denominations around the Kamuli community gathered for this last minute pastor’s breakfast. Angela and Rose worked their magic and prepared a beautifully presented breakfast for these faithful men. Augustine mentioned that they’d never gathered together before and that he thought the idea of mutual support and encouragement was much needed and ought to be repeated regularly.

We used the time for dialogue about successes and failures in 2012 and goals and plans for 2013. We talked about how those goals aligned with their established vision and mission – some were well aligned, others scratched their heads a bit. A few other business-related topics continued and then the meeting turned to a collaborative problem solving dialogue. These men need one another and realized they could actually work together rather than in competition if they were willing to be vulnerable with one another.

Once the discussion time came to a close, I showed the film called NOOMA Rhythm | 011.Given our discussion about whether their actions aligned with their vision (and thus God’s plan for the church), the film was a perfect fit. Discussion that followed was filled with signals of comprehending the metaphor found in the film. Pastors were challenged to examine not whether or not they were playing the right song, but instead whether they were in tune with the song. Given the integral role music and dance play in the African culture, the film was very well received. Based on what the Holy Spirit revealed to each of us, we joined hands and prayed for one another. A sweet harmony.

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The Jesus Film in Lango

Remember the Proclaimer that I delivered to Karamoja? The audio Bible in Karamajong? Pastor Patrick reported that this tool has been amazingly helpful to Pastor Martin who is the leader in the Nakapiritpirit church. Just like having the Bible in their own language, having the Jesus film in Lango for the people of Oyam North was just as valuable. When people can hear the story of Jesus in their own language their hearts are touched in a way that is different than any translation could provide.

This is only a tiny faction of all who showed up for film ministry.

Every night people lined up at the door asking when the film would begin, disappointed that we weren’t showing the film every night (the availability of petro was limited). The first night, a little old lady dropped her two coins on a table and said that she wanted to be sure she contributed to making sure the film ministry happened. Felt a bit like the widow and her two mites.

The crowd was massive. Not only did the entertainment factor bring people for the film, but the message of Jesus and his sacrifice during this Christmas season was compelling. I will admit, though, that the people were laughing at certain points in the show where we were a bit perplexed. For example, I understand when they laugh because a man is showing his bare legs. That’s anti-cultural. But why laugh at the so many other inopportune moments. It’d be interesting to understand better so the film can be made appropriate for these different cultural groups.

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The Jesus Film in Karamoja

I have yet to appreciate the visual depiction of the Jesus’ suffering in Mel Gibson’s film The Passion of the Christ. But this and the Jesus film both drew crowds according to the size of the Tokora subcounty where we were staying in Nakapiritpirit. I regret I do not have the ability to capture nighttime photos well. The Passion film is so gruesome I dislike exposing the children to such violence and yet the impact of realizing the suffering Christ went through on our behalf is tangible. In both films, the onlookers could be heard collectively gasping and tisk-tisk-tisking at the most poignant moments.

Following both films on two separate nights, we explained how Jesus suffering and death were necessary so that we could have eternal life and we invited onlookers to repent, believe, and have new lives in Christ. All the people raised their hands and accepted Jesus as their personal savior, both nights. While we understood that not all were unsaved to begin with, not all understood what they were doing, and not all experienced a true salvation we reveled at the opportunity to plant seeds and to start or continues something in their lives that might yield fruit in the future.

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MISS HIV Film Showing

The crusade began with worship and the onlookers came from all around. The dust rose as people sang and danced in the marketplace. The generator spit and sputtered under the demands of the sound equipment and speakers bigger than me. The preacher called for repentance and submission. The children crammed into a circle around me to stare at the muzungu while all this went on. After greeting them, they just looked at me. Just stared.

This is just a sample of the population viewing the film.
The other pictures turned out black...it was dark.
TONS of people came, TONS.

Easily more than 500 people crowded the market space to view the MISS HIV film produced by Ethnographic Media. The film describes a clash in ideologies about how best to address the HIV issue: abstinence verses safe sex. Many of the stories portrayed in the film were about African people and more specifically Ugandans. The country’s president and his wife are shown in the film promoting abstinence.

Showing the film created a platform for discussing the issue in this former Internally Displaced Persons camp. Camp life became necessary with the onslaught of the Lord’s Resistance Army and living in such a camp gave quick rise to HIV infection rates. Although the resources for testing and counseling people following the film were not yet arranged, Pastor Patrick felt that showing the film was essential to at least beginning the dialogue in the community as well as raising awareness. I pray that our next visit and our next showing affords the resources needed to provide essential follow up.

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Namulesa Film Ministry

Following the business teaching, which was originally intended to be specifically for women but ended up being for the whole community, we watched NOOMA She. While the message of the film was well received, something did seem lacking.

In retrospect, the effort seemed mismatched with the immediate forerunner of the Creative Futures workshop. No one anticipated the difficult transition or the possible confusion of focus. Perhaps I am the only one sensing a disconnect, perhaps not. I believe I was so focused on delivering the workshop content that I gave less effort and focus to properly delivering the film ministry. Believe it or not, much mental energy goes into both efforts and it’s not easy to keep the details for two entirely different ministry approaches in mind. Perhaps I could have connected the workshop and the film ministry in some way that would make the delivery of two different topics seem less choppy.

Whatever the case, the response to the film was favorable and I learned a few things about what it means to do two different types of ministry sequentially.

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Film Ministry in Bugembe Prison

Chapel

I offered a preview of NOOMA Rain and NOOMA Luggage to Robert and John before heading to visit the OC (something like the warden) so that they could be well equipped to advocate for the showing of films in the prison. Robert said, “I’ve never seen anything like this!” and both men were insistent that the films were relevant and valuable specifically for this audience.

John went to the prison in advance of our arrival to get buy-in from the OC. He scrutinized John about the effort even though the two have known one another for 10 years. When I appeared with John and Robert, the OC welcomed the idea of showing films and didn’t stipulate an advance preview. Being mzungu has many challenges, but there are at least a few benefits as well.

The chapel was a small room with drawings and sayings sketched all over the walls. When we returned the next day an electrician prisoner aided in setting up the a line to the one power outlet. More than six extensions were strung together to reach into the chapel. A chair and a drum served as the table for the projector and a bed blanket served as a screen. All the electrical elements needed for the program worked perfectly.

We watched Rain and then John explained the metaphor to the audience. They were very participative, which signals that John has been a good teacher for them. We prayed for change in the hearts of the people there. Luggage, though, was the film that seemed really to make a difference. The prisoners indicated that before watching the film they were obsessed with thinking about how best to get revenge on those who they believed were responsible for their incarceration. After the film more than three-quarters of the prisoners said they felt compelled to forgive those people and to also ask forgiveness of those they’d wronged. PRAISE GOD!

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Women's Ministry in Paidha

The church floor was sloped so that an amphitheater-type experience enabled everyone to see the preacher well. Women trickled into the building on Africa time. Three times as many filled the church shortly after we began. Praise and worship rang through the tiny town before beginning the ministry program. Women on the drums…awesome! My hope was to use the film NOOMA She as a starter to ministry but, as usual, the power failed us. The content of the accompanying study guide allowed for the ministry to continue.



Amen is the women who housed and fed me
while in Paidha. I love her Coca-Cola dress!



The film uses the imagery of an African mother fetching water from a far away source for her children every day and likens that work to the maternal impulse to care for her family. God is described as having created that impulse in his own image. He was described as compassionate and as representing a number of other somewhat female or motherly characteristics. We talked about how we tend to view God as a man, but learned that God is spirit and that God transcends or perhaps includes both male and female qualities. This realization led to the discussion that women are not “second-best” and that without her voice in the conversation something is lacking.

Women in Africa often have a sense of being less than valuable, perhaps because of an ingrained cultural history. Yet I see women working hard…I mean hard. They wake early and fetch water, dig in the garden, prepare meals, do laundry, and more every day of the week. Their hands and feet are rough and calloused from the hard work and I’m convinced the short lifespan in Uganda (54) is due at least in part to the hard work and the fact that these women have simply worn themselves out. Having been created by God in his image, we changed our paradigm so that we could see ourselves as valuable and worthwhile creations.

Following the time of ministry, Augustine pointed out that this is the first time a woman has ministered to the women in this town and that the women don’t tend to receive ministry…at all, let alone ministry tailored just for them. I am so thankful for the opportunity to meet with, worship with, and pray for these ladies. God is so good.

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Open Air Film Ministry

The Namulanda trading center was the location of our open air film ministry. The center boasts a small circle of open space surrounded by vendors of various sorts. As darkness descends, the food vendors emerge. This nightlife is all new to me. I’m instructed to stay inside at night for safety reasons – with special dispensation when surrounded by lots of guys from the ministry team – so I never knew all this yummy food became available after dark.

As we set up the video stand and screen along with all the necessary equipment, we learned that the house from which we would get our power could not support the sound system, computer, and video projector. Snap, the power went out just as we were prepared to show the film. Two weeks in a row the power of electricity zapped our ability to have this time of ministry. I choose to believe the enemy is fighting a battle against us because we are doing a good thing for God.

As we made preparations to set up, the children swarmed to see what was happening. One tiny tot – she couldn’t have even been a full year old yet – grabbed my finger without fear. I couldn’t resist but to pick her up. She snuggled up to my chest and promptly fell asleep. Again, disappointed that the film ministry didn’t take place but loved the little surprise I got at the end.

So many people were disappointed that the film wasn’t shown. Sometimes they think we’re liars and trying to trick them. Please pray that the enemy would be defeated to the glory of God. Amen.

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Film Ministry: NOOMA Rain

Cultural studies show that keeping time differs among countries, sometimes by hours. Mzungu and African’s know this, but sometimes reconciling the two can be a challenge. Observations of the lifestyle here reveal why this is so. Life isn’t driven by appointments but instead by relationships. What does the woman working in the field to plant and harvest cassava need with appointments? Or, if guests stay a little longer than expected, your next agenda appointment will wait. All this to say that at the beginning of the first film showing, about 30 people were seated. At the end of the evening closer to 50 people presented themselves.

Calvary Chapel Namulanda recently received its first coat of paint and, although I felt like I was at the bottom of a swimming pool, the color was pretty close to NOOMA blue. We strung up the film screen (made from a giant piece of banner-like material with grommets) and tested the sound system and film projector. Surprisingly, everything tested perfectly. NOOMA Rain |001began at 6:30 and my computer cut out (quit, stopped, shut down) half way through the film. Yes, I audibly gasped. No, this doesn’t normally happen. As I held my breath, I was reminded that I should really have a backup of my hard drive on some external source. I attributed the failure to the generators and potentially some power surge, but praise God the computer restarted without event.

Chris translated as the film progressed, which interrupted the flow of the story but was very necessary to ensure the message was understood. Following the film we broke into four small groups. Each of the ministry leaders was equipped with the discussion guide and led the men and women through the questions to help ensure they understood the film and had an opportunity to present their hearts before God. Alozious and I led a group together and, not surprisingly, the men were most open to discussing their observations and applications while the women were more quiet and reserved. Although, when called on, the women began opening up.

While no earth-shattering stories were revealed during this time, I believe God is using NOOMA Rain to soften the hearts of the people as they ponder its content throughout the week. And, I believe attendance will double for next week’s showing.

Thank you to Pastor Wilson for partnering with me by sharing your church, your equipment, and your ministry leaders. Thank you to Pastor, Chris, Alex, and Alozious for your participation as ministry leaders…together we make a great team!

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Video Ministry Meeting

“I can hear his voice saying, ‘I love you Alozious.’ When God speaks to you, you feel you can finish the day.” This response flowed from one team member following a preview of the film NOOMA Rain |001. At one point in the film, Rob says to his son – as a metaphor to how God is close to us in the storms of life – “I love you buddy. We’re gonna make it.” Can you hear his voice too? Can you hear him saying, “I love you [insert your name here]. We’re going to make it.”

The ministry team from Calvary Chapel, among others, shared their first experience with the NOOMA films this morning. As a God-shaped bonus to this semi-formal presentation, each person came away with some new insights about the character of God.

Pastor Wilson said, “There are people who don’t know they’re in the bosom of Jesus Christ.”

Alozious said, “Everyone, including men, can cry out for God. In the Bible they cry out for God. It’s okay for men to cry out too.”

Herbert said, “We tend to think that God is only for those who are well off and that someone who is hurting, who is hungry, who is lacking has no God. Even those who are hurting think they are rejected. I’ve learned in a new way that this isn’t true.”

The real purpose of our get-together was to determine whether or not these films might be useful as a video ministry. Without question, the answer was a resounding “yes.” At about the time we were wrapping up, Chris hopefully asked, “Can we watch another one?”

Needless to say, the video ministry was warmly welcomed and the church ministry leaders are filled with ideas about how best to make this outreach a success both inside and outside the church. I am so thankful for them and that God is allowing us all to work together to make this a life-changing experience for people who need to know God in a new way.

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