I kept saying someone should help them produce videos, since video was the best method to do what they needed. As I said in the last installment, my background is in promotions, photography, writing and other areas of communication. I owned an art agency. The longer I thought about it, I realized I could do this. My first step was saying that I would do it, if I had the equipment. God was waiting on that. Within two weeks, He had found me all the equipment I needed, at far below it's market value.
I made the excuse I didn't have the money (which was true!) The owners said that would be no problem, they would wait. So, about six weeks later, I was the proud owner of about $20,000 worth of equipment that I didn't know how to use.
The next few months were spent learning and planning. Planning how I would do both jobs, how I would keep my business and follow God's plan also. I read something about serving two masters once. It is true. Doesn't work. About the time I got proficient, I decided to part with my business. I have never looked back.
It would seem hard to put business behind and start a ministry with absolutely no income. The Lord had blessed me with an RN as a wife, and her income was going to have to do. I decided early on to only charge missionaries our out-of-pocket expenses, as they had enough to worry about. We had to be affordable.
One story from the "God works in mysterious ways" category. I needed a quality camcorder, which I didn't have. A brother in Christ asked me what I would like to have, and two weeks later he loaned it to me! I used that for a year. Then, his other camcorder quit, and it became obvious I had to get my own. It was hard to see the blessing in all this.
I was a little tired at that time, and this was a setback. I had to come up with over $3000. I decide to take time off and do some things around the house. I cleaned out my unused darkroom. I realized how little I used it, and sold my old equipment. I got more than enough for the camcorder, plus I gained a room for editing!
There have been plenty of "little" miracles. We received a call about the possibility of doing a project. The caller asked if we could do it for a certain price, and I assured him it wouldn't be nearly that much. He said he supported that ministry, and thought our ministry could use a boost also, so he was willing to give us about four times what we would have asked. It certainly helped.
We are still learning. Every video gets better, and we learn more and more about the needs of the missionaries. We did a survey at a missionary convention and found over 90% needed help with video. We also have learned how hard it is to raise support for a ministry few people understand. We need to work on this.
I am set to go back to Ghana for the 2nd time. This will be a great experience, again seeing the missionaries that gave us the idea for the ministry. Keep our travels in your prayers.
We need to grow. I believe MMPI could keep three people busy, both shooting and editing for returning missionaries. We do about half a dozen of those each year, and could do many more. We use "fill-in" videos of church camps, etc., between trips, as it is impossible to time trips to use all our time. This allows us to get a better feel for church needs, also.
Visit these pages often if you are interested in how the work is progressing. Your support and encouragement are very valuable to us.