God's Story

 Something really cool is happening right next door to the Dr. Steve Suite. Over there they are recording a soundtrack for the "God Story" movie in a language called Nkonya from the Volta Region of Ghana.

As mentioned in a previous blog, a man named Jesse Walters does this ministry. Jesse locates people who speak different languages in Ghana, who also speak English. He usually finds them through the different Bible translation organizations operating here in Ghana. Jesse then sends these individuals an English script of the movie which they write out a translation of in their own language. Once a year or so Jesse comes to Ghana and sets up shop at Seed Ministry. Then, two-by-two, the translators come and work with Jesse for a week (it takes that long to do the recording). The next week, two more people who speak a different language will come.

Jesse will be here ten weeks this time and hopes to get ten different language tracks laid down. He will then return to the States to clean up the recordings. Eventually CD's and DVD's will be made featuring the movie in the new African language. Missionaries can then take these DVD's to remote villages and show them using a generator and a projector. Thus, "God's Story" gets out. The new languages are also put on Mega Voice players (see earlier post) to be taken out to the villages so people can at least hear the story, even if they can't see the movie.

Immanuel (L) and Jesse (R) recording

This is a fascinating ministry, and a very fruitful one. I was amazed at how organized everything is and how well it all works, especially given the primitive recording conditions, untrained narrators, etc… When I asked Jesse how he does it, he told me without hesitation that he has a slogan he puts on every DVD and CD he produces, a slogan he believes in strongly: "By God's grace, for God's glory." Jesse said this project is bigger than one man or one movie, or even the countless linguists who have sacrificed weeks doing the translation, then given up a full week's pay at their job to come here, and then endured great hardships just to get here to actually make the recordings. Joseph, the man pictured above making the Nkonya recording traveled 23 hours by bus to get here. Imagine that.

I never cease to be amazed at the lengths some people will go to get the word out. And those that do go to such great lengths always seem to be the ones who appear least able to be able to afford to do so. God bless you Jesse Walters, and all the others involved with this project that is getting the Good News out to unreached people groups.