I arrived in Spain in mid-March, right before the shoot for the Esther social media piece began. I was interested in it because Esther has always been one of the Bible stories that I enjoy. The story of a young woman who was chosen to be queen despite being a foreigner living in the Persian Empire. She was a woman who had doubts and fears, yet chose to stand up for her people. She is an inspiring example of a strong, powerful woman.
The people already in Spain had been working on this Esther piece for a few months already when I arrived. I landed and was able to start helping right away with different aspects of pre-production.
The day before we started the shoot, we brought props and set pieces over to the building where we were to start filming the next day. I was curious about the building they chose to film in because I knew God had provided it in some way. I still don’t know the whole story. I enjoyed the old, Roman building and liked the history that was there. When we got unpacked and mostly set up, we went home knowing the next day would be early.
Filming occurred Friday and Saturday. Both days were long, which I expected, but they were good. I knew a lot went into making a film, even a short one. However, I learned a lot too, during the two days. Actors arrived and obviously needed costumes and make-up before filming would begin. Setting up backdrops and props kept several people on this new team I was joining busy. Each scene required several takes to catch different angles, or because they wanted it to look better. Sometimes, another take was needed for the audio because a plane flew over, and made it hard to hear the actors. Plus, planes are not part of the time period!
I tried to be helpful over the course of the two days of filming, despite being so new. I didn’t always know what I was doing. However, it was a fun couple of days, and I really did enjoy it. The fact that I was able to be there for the shoot, allowed me to watch and observe people. I believe that IMM has talented people. But what stands out to me is the kindness that the team had. From how I was treated to how they treated the actors and the volunteers that came.
It is true that the little things matter. Luke 16:10 says that if you are faithful in little things you will be trusted with more. I believe one of the most important “little” things is how we treat others. It may not seem like much when there are deadlines to meet and projects to finish. Yet it is what stands out to people. It’s what stood out to me. Matthew 10:42 talks about how even a cup of cold water is something Jesus notices when His disciples do so it’s obviously important to Him, too.
I remember someone talking about how no one sees the hard work and the day-to-day decisions that went into their work before most people become famous. I don’t remember who it was, but the lesson stays with me. People don't become famous overnight like everyone believes. They think that because that’s what it can look like. However, the reality is it happens because they made daily decisions for years before what is seen. They practiced and were disciplined and grew. It’s a good reminder that what we do today can have consequences for our future.
Coming when I did and being reminded of the story of Esther and how little things matter has been an encouragement for me. Some days, it doesn’t feel like I do much. I’m sure we all have those days. In order for Esther to be able to stand up to the king and for her people, she had to have developed a faith in God before this. We don’t know what daily decisions she made, but we see the result of what she did. God sees the little things that we all do every day, and each one matters, especially how we treat each other.