Contrasting Hollywood



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Quick, what’s your favorite movie ever?

Chances are, the reason it’s your favorite is because it had a message that touched you somehow. Back in 2009 we shot the film Rivka (a sequel to our movie Magdalena: Released From Shame) primarily for Middle Eastern women. Like any religious movie, we knew it could have a very short shelf life.

None of us thought God would still be using Rivka today. And not only in the Middle East, but in places we never imagined.

Guess what else came out in 2009. Avatar – one of the biggest box office films of all time. Yet I have trouble finding many who care to watch it over and over like Magdalena, which continues to convey its message time after time. Check out this story we received from North Asia:

A few months ago, an organization was holding discipleship training seminars across the region, focusing on training women in particular. The goal was to help the attendees step out and build relationships with people who want to hear the gospel.

As part of the training, they decided to use our films. Magdalena: Released From Shame was shown and then the sequel Rivka as a follow-up series.

The next week, the trainees turned around and began showing these films too. They arranged to show them in cultural institutions, hospitals, prisons, nursing homes, and drug rehab centers.

It was in such a place that Anna heard the gospel for the first time. Anna had struggled with opium and alcohol addiction since she was young. She even served jail time for killing her husband and struggled with alcoholism.

“Then God did a miracle in my life,” Anna said. “He brought me to a rehabilitation center for alcoholics.

“Some Christians brought in the movie Magdalena. This film helped me realize God loves me, regardless of my sinful choices.

“For the first time that week, I read the New Testament, and now I read it every day. We have different lessons from the films Magdalena and Rivka, which help us learn the Bible.”

God uses the films we show during mission trips to bring people to Him and help them grow in their faith.

You can join people from all over the country on a mission trip to present one of our films. Rivka, for example, continues to contradict Hollywood by glorifying God. Not bad for a low-budget, eight-year-old, film, eh?

Check out our upcoming mission trips or tell us below how God has used a film to help you share your faith.