So I'm still a newbie, looking at this thing with newbie eyes, and I'm
sure I don't have a full handle on all the nuance of the thing.. but
here goes.
SOLUTION first: - more people. We need more people with a desire to
serve with audio editing, digital sound, distribution and management.
Audio editors, recordists, video editors, dubbers, technicians, office
managers, project coordinators and funders.
PROBLEM: For the longest time our organization has had 1 single goal...
MAKE BIBLES. A few people in the digital media department a decade ago,
said 'but the people can't read.' Some went to solve this by teaching
literacy. But others went to solve this by making the Bible a spoken
tradition. Which meant recording.
The people in the power of decision didn't catch on quickly to the idea
of audio recordings. So in order to sell the idea, the technicians
decided to make the entire process served up on a silver platter.
-You need to manage the project as it takes months, and carefully track
all the little details.
-You need to apply for copyright
-Apply for funding - and get funding
-Plan the travel, book the flights
-Gather the equipment, test it
-Deploy to the village
-Do the recording
-Do the Post Production
-Create the final media
-Distribute the media
How many geeky techs have you met? If you look at that drastically
oversimplified list, I can tell you, techs are good at maybe 4 of those
things. But, in order to get the idea to take off, they were doing all
of them.
Fast Forward to 10 years later.
The techs are exhausted because they're doing things they're not good
at, and the NEED for audio has finally caught on. So the demand is
going through the roof.
BUT because the techs have handled every bit of the details, PLUS the
fact that they're already near burnout.... guess what... the work load
is piling on FAR too quickly.
Now I get why I was treated like the local hero when I arrived. FINALLY
some hope. Only the truth of the matter is, that the team didn't really
multiply so much as replenish itself. WE NEED MORE PEOPLE.
The situation we have now, is that there is such a demand for my time,
that I could spend several months away from home and in the village
doing recording. Or I could spend several months locked in my office
doing post production and editing.
But I can't do both, and on top of that, who is going to do all the
paper work to enable me to keep being geeky tech?
Some things are going to have to change in order to meet the demand....
otherwise what will soon happen, is that all the work the technicians
put into getting this ministry underway, will die.
The people will start to say 'well YEAH I need this, but that department
takes a year to respond.' (yes we have a year's backlog of work to be
done.)
So I'm blogging this.
Why?
In case there is anyone out there saying 'well I want to be a....
volunteer.... overseas, but all I can do is edit audio. Or all I can do
is manage an office well.'
WE NEED YOU.
if you don't want to come, please pray that God move someone's heart to
come.
In fact, if you don't want to come, could you begin praying that God
raise up someone to go in your stead?
The sexiness of this ministry is starting to wear off, and project
funding is starting to drop out. In order to make this ministry work,
(and it is VERY effective to have audio Scripture in a culture where
spoken word is truth, and stories are how the history is passed on)....
we need to do good work, quickly.
Otherwise, the opportunity will have passed us up. God is the one at
work here, and I'm seeing miraculous things happen... I saw one entire
village experience a complete revival at the idea of recording Luke!
So I figure God will send us what He needs.... I'm just the messenger (-;
thanks
