Having finished the English versions of The Heritage Project in 2019, we can now turn to create other language versions to share with people around the world, especially in places where Jesus is not named such as North Africa. We did not create the English versions primarily so that Americans could hear the stories of these heroes, but so that the ancestors of these heroes could. In order for the greater goal, putting Jesus on many screens so that all can hear, we needed a strong foundation.
Once we create the English versions of these stories, we can strip out the English host and his voice in order to replace it with another language. This means that we do not have to re-edit every story from scratch— a process that would take many months. Rather, we make a repeatable system from a strong base.
The process of creating a foundation for all other languages to follow reminds me of the passage in Matthew where Jesus contrasts two men who set out to build houses. One chooses a strong foundation of rock to build on, and other foolish man builds on sand. We all can guess which one stands the test of time.
I wish I could say that we have executed this process perfectly as a wise man choosing a strong footing. A couple of years ago, in our haste to get an episode into a difficult part of the world, we didn’t wait for the rock but instead rushed the process like a man building on sand. We cost ourselves several hours of work in the long run and learned a valuable lesson.
If I can learn this lesson from a 30-minute documentary, can I also see where it applies in my own life? Where am I rushing things? Where am I taking shortcuts? Where am I going to have regrets later? How can I, then, make a different choice and build something that will last; something that is solid, true, and right?