Stu Update from Dec 3rd

Hi all,

This is the first time we have been able to get a message out in a few
days. Cell phone and internet pretty sketchy here at best. By the
grace of God we finished up our shooting and completed the script that
ran to 42 pages. Thanks to one and all for their prayer support during
this time. We really sensed the presence of God on the set and there
was great unity and cooperation among everyone, despite the language
and cultural barriers. I have really come to love our Chadian brothers
and sisters and their great sacrifice, commitment and humility to
seeing this project to fruition.

We had a closing time of worship on the set during the last evening of
shooting (Monday) and it was a wonderful time. The head of the EET
churches (Evangelical churches of Chad) came down from N'Djamena to
worship with us and bring us a good word. He warned all the actors
that as they return to their villages not to speak
of what they have been doing (with the filming). He said that
persecution will come soon enough when the film is released across
Chad and everyone will know their faces, so not to speak of it until
it has been released. That could put the release in jeopardy and
authorities could step forward to block the release. The country is
run by a dictator, and graft, corruption and influence peddling are
the way things work here.

We faced one time of harrassment during the last day of shooting when
a local official from one of the nearby villages got wind and wanted
to know what we were doing. Since we were shooting at the TEAM
Ministries compound at that time, he was not allowed in, and the man
who was our guard, told this official to come back when someone in
charge was available to answer his questions. He was angry, but he
went away and if he did come back, fortunately we had already wrapped
the shooting.

The only injury on our last day of shooting was when I climbed a tree
for a high angle shot, and slipped and "barked" my shin up pretty
goood. Fortunately we had betadine there on-location and were able to
get my leg cleaned up. It seems to be doing fine and free of
infection.

The other big scene that day was the rape scene, where a young girl
was initiated, beginning with being raped by her father and then one
village elder after another. With input from our Chadian brothers and
sisters, it was conveyed in a manner that was realistic by inference
but done in a way so that it could be shown to Christians and
non-Christians anywhere. This is only one of the brutal truths of
initiation that must be exposed.

Rich and Rob leave Friday and I will be staying behind for another
week to edit. There is a lot of editing to be done. This will only be
the rough cut to show the EET and Brethren leaders and pastors that we
have stayed true to the approved script. The finished version will be
completed back in the states and mastered to DVD and VCD (video
compact disk).

Please continue to pray that the editing will go well (we have already
had some technical "hickups"). And pray for safety and health. Rich,
Rob and I spent time sick during the shooting, but were able to
soldier on due only to the many prayers that were going up on our
behalf, for which we are grateful beyond words. We also need continued
prayer for travel in a pretty crazy country. Last summer 3 TEAM
missionaries were killed in an auto accident not far from here.

But especially please pray for our Chadian brothers and sisters, who
even now as they return to their villages are starting to undergo
questioning from their village elders about what they were doing in
Mondou this week. It's hard for us to grasp as westerners the
difficulties they encounter when they proclaim the truth of the
Gospel.

Many, many thanks on behalf of all of us here for your prayers and
concern during this important project.

In Christ,
-Stu