A Year of Milestones
The past twelve months have been one of the most amazing growth periods for the 20/20 Vision. At least three major milestones were reached, setting us on course for an amazing finish by the end of 2020.
The first milestone occurred as a result of the two day Visual Media Strategy Forum (VMSF) held in Chiang Mai, Thailand. We expected approximately 35 participants to show up for this working consultation, but to our surprise we had more than 100 attend these meetings with the result that 55 people groups were adopted. This was an incredibly miraculous event, but God wasn’t finished yet.
The second milestone related to a promise that the Lord had given us that by the end of 2014, all 167 of the 20/20 Vision peoples would be adopted for production. We watched while the adoptions came in, slowly at first, then building exponentially until the last day. On December 31st, a cascade of commitments came over our mobile phone. The New Year apple fell in New York city as we gathered the final adoptions. No more orphaned people groups! The Lord fulfilled his promise to us.
The third notable milestone took place just a few weeks ago when the number of productions skyrocketed. For the first time we crossed over the 100 adopted people groups who have not yet seen a gospel film produced for them. There are now only ninety-nine (99) groups left in this category. This now becomes the all-important number in the race to the finish line of the 20/20 Vision. As of today, we have seen fifty new indigenous gospel films or animations produced for the 20/20 Vision, while eighteen are still in the process of production.
Going to the Next Level
We feel like the Lord is wanting us as partners in this mission to take the 20/20 Vision to the next level, and into a new depth of partnership and equipping to accelerate the remaining production needs to complete our goals. We are developing training specifically to support the need for knowledge and skill to optimize our effectiveness and speed in cross-cultural film production. In order to accomplish this, we will be making every effort to multiply our Frontier Film-Making Seminar (FFS) as well as running another Visual Media Strategy Forum, from April 8th-9th, 2016. This consultation will run directly after the Eurasian Media and Distribution Consultation (EMDC) running from April 4th-7th in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Please put these dates in your calendar. During the VMSF 2016 we will focus our attention on training and equipping cross-cultural film producers.
If you have adopted one of the 20/20 Vision people groups or you are wanting to join with a team who has, we would ask that you strongly consider attending the VMSF 2016. We will be bringing in some of the best cross-cultural film producers we know to take us through the process, and give us the necessary skills and knowledge to take our commitment to the next level — completion.
Please continue to pray for God’s blessing and provision as we work together to complete this significant milestone in modern missions. “So that all can clearly see and understand the gospel message and embrace it as their own.”
– Calvin
