Filming in a familiar city
Written by Peter
We are so grateful to have helped host a team gathering for the Converge workers in Poland, Czechia, and Moldova. We rarely have time together with most this group, especially all together, so it was special to spend time with them in person and to have them in our city and home. God has given us a great gift in these relationships.
An office move
One of our first stops in the US was in Arizona. If you haven’t met our boss Dennis and his wife Amanda (our region’s Third Culture Kid Advocate), the thing they do best is care for people well. We had a week there to rest and work through some things, and we were able to catch our breath a little, gathering some strength to keep moving forward. We value that care, and we are so grateful to be part of a team and an organization that emphasizes it.
A shoot in a familiar city
For the first time in a couple years, we shot story videos here in Poland. Szczecin is far from a popular place for visitors, but it sits so close to Germany that there is a large international business presence there, and a church community has quietly gathered momentum in recent years.
One year after the completion of a massive renovation and restoration process, the building now holds many ministries. A Polish church, an international English-speaking bible study, a growing youth program, a coffee shop, and a radio outreach program are just the beginning.
We captured two stories that have resulted from the church’s value on engaging both Poles and internationals and investing in young leaders.
The Szczecin shoot started the day after the team gathering in Poznań. Prior to that weekend, Heather and I created a couple documents to make our shoot preparation more concrete for the workers and interviewees that we highlight.
But breakdowns in communication happen, and after the lights were set and cameras ready, Heather found herself sitting across from a couple who had an incredible story to tell and very little idea of what we wanted to do with it.
They both had difficult mornings before church, and the big lights and lack of preparation only made the uncertainty worse. By the end of the interview, we thought they may back out altogether, and we still had more footage to shoot later that evening.
With a few silent prayers and a reminder to Lemuel and Brittany that we would not push this couple if they truly felt uncomfortable, we packed just our cameras and headed to the couple’s house to spend time with them.
As we chatted with them over tea and snacks, and their kids played with Lemuel and Brittany’s kids, we got more more context for who they were and why God had brought them and the Martinez family together.
We heard about their weekend and the various arguments and frustrations that arose on Saturday.
We told them about the times we’ve had flight delays, arguments, sickness, doubt, and fear creep up before shoots. We know that stories of God’s work in our lives are powerful, and that the enemy will throw things our way as we prepare to share them.
By the end of the night, we felt comfortable enough to ask to shoot what else we needed, and they graciously agreed. We assured them that they would be the first to see any drafts of the video. We left that night praising God for his provision, having shot what we needed and leaving them more confident in our process and the value of their story.
A couple of completed videos
Our stories from Egypt will be published in the coming weeks, one on November 3rd and the other later in the month. God’s faithfulness to people in remote or desolate places has become a theme in the last year.
Keep an eye out for them here and on our social media!
Behind the scenes of us utilizing the empty space during the office move to capture some b-roll.
Upcoming travel
On November 6th, we head to Sweden for filming in Stockholm and Västerås with global workers who have spent their careers training church planters, local pastors and church leaders, and new workers who are considering long-term ministry in Sweden. We then head to Estonia to capture updates on the ever-growing ministries and teams there. Finally, we’ll make a short trip to Finland to meet with new Converge workers.
Prayer
Praise God for the completion of stories from Egypt! Join us in praying for these stories to be powerful tools in recruiting and engaging more partners of all kinds to the ministries that Ashraf and Nivin support.
Pray for the preparation for our upcoming trip to Sweden, Estonia, and Finland – lots of details still to figure out, but we know the stories we’re focusing on. Converge started as the Swedish Baptist Conference, and we get to take part in supporting missions efforts back at its roots.
Pray for us as we navigate the coming weeks of travel, for God to guard our hearts, minds, and equipment. It’s another season of wonderful adventure and new challenges as we improve our processes and our times of rest.
Thank you for partnering with us in this work and for your faithfulness in prayer.
Better together,
Peter and Heather Hanson