Interested inquirers swamped the booth shared by The God's Story Project and Eden Communications. After squeezing through the jammed aisle in front of our booth, other exhibitors commented, "You have the busiest booth of all. What is so interesting here?"
We responded, "It's an 80-minute video of the Bible, Genesis to Revelation and it just seems to be meeting a need."

Catching the God's Story Vision
Thousands flocked to our booth daily. All in attendance wanted tools to help deliver the Gospel and encourage their people to walk according to God's Word. After our short explanation about God's Story or when the evangelists and pastors caught a glimpse of the video on the TV set, they flooded us with questions. As we described this video of the Bible as useful for both evangelism and for teaching, they really got excited!
Joyful hands received the 5,000 gift audio cassettes tapes of God's Story in 21 languages, paid for by friends of God's Story.

Requests Pour In
Although at the the time of the Amsterdam meeting we had 25 languages completed, again and again we were asked, "Why don't you have God's Story in our language?"
Our response was to smile at them and say, "Because you haven't helped us yet."
All of the attendees took this suggestion seriously. After we gave an in-depth presentation on all that is involved in producing a new language, everyone of them soberly committed to translating the script and the discussion guide, and to providing a narrator. Each person understood that taking on the many months-long job of translating a script must be done by faith as there was at that time no money donated for their language.

Results Coming in Already
Upon our return back to the USA, we already had letters from attendees who had met with their boards to get "okays" on proceeding with translation. Here is an excerpt from one of those letters.

"Meeting you in Amsterdam 2000 was a great pleasure. Thank God for your wonderful project.
On my arrival back to Nigeria I shared with my staff and team about your project and they are all in "high spirits" about it.
We will begin the eight language translations I promised you, as soon as you are ready, however, it appears that we may be going far beyond eight on the long run. As God help us, me and my wife together with our staff intend to eventually cover all of Nigeria with 'God's story.'
It may please you to know that one in every five African is a Nigerian..."

Several letters mentioned meeting with neighboring pastors (who speak or have outreaches to additional languages and dialects) who want to translate the script as well. This response is adding scores of languages to the 100+ we signed up at Amsterdam.

A Serious Offer
We consider it a serious step to hold out to evangelists the possibility of producing God's Story in their languages. We have no funding to supply the translating kits, let alone the money to send the multi-tracker mini disk recorders out to lay down the narration or the funds for the final master production. We are totally leaning on the Lord for seeing this all take place.

Translation & Video Costs
The cost of a new language version is $3,500. When these evangelists/ pastors partner with us by translating the script and providing a narrator, the cost drops to $2,800. We still need funds to complete the production which includes providing translators with a master tape and duplication rights.
Many visiting our booth can use videos in languages which we already have completed. We have requests for videos from about 3,000 evangelists for those languages.
Through special arrangements we can send these evangelists videos for $17.
In hard to reach areas, remote hostile to Christianity and the Middle East, the video and shipping runs $43.

How Recording Takes Place Overseas
When a block of languages has been translated, we will ship the recorder overseas, and leave it for a month or so to enable the various narrators to come in and record their language. This will be the most efficient use of the recorders.
We will need $750 to cover the rental on each machine and the DHL shipping both ways. The last phase is the final studio production of the new language. After completion, we ship the final master to translators so that they can duplicate and distribute the video to their people.
That final phase costs $1,850.

Future Plans For Evangelists
One of the most exciting opportunities presented to the evangelists was the Evangelist Back Pack. We formatt most languages on VCD discs. The discs look like audio CDs, but they play both visual and audio on a special player which is similar to a DVD player. In a home or village situation the 4" screen on these 4 pound players can be viewed by 30 or so people at once! (We had one report come in of 200 people at once watching the entire program on a VCD player! They are much less expensive than DVD machines, so they are within reach cost-wise for supplying them to evangelists in emerging nations.

Christians crowded in while we demonstrated the prototype of the Evangelist's Back Pack. It contains VCD disks of God's Story, a VCD player, a special battery and a flexible solar panel. The panel gathers power from the sun, which feeds into the battery pack, which powers the VCD player.
Faces of all colors broke into huge smiles as they made comments such as, 'I minister to 80 villages and none of them have power. Do you realize how many people I could reach with the Gospel using this machine?'

Using The Evangelist Backpacks
The Village-Size Backpack enables the evangelists to go from home to home to show God's Story or show to small groups. These small unobtrusive players are especially useful in areas hostile to Christianity. Weight 16 pounds. Cost $595 USD.

A wonderful option for the EVBP is the solar powered PA. This 4.5 pound PA fits inside the backpack and includes a wireless mic and a jack for a second mic. This PA clearly broadcasts the audio portion of God's Story (which is a stand-alone powerful format). The PA can also be used by the evangelist to teach off of God's Story after each individual story has been broadcast, or to increase his coverage as he ministers by teaching and preaching. Weight 4.6 pounds. Cost $175 USD.

How To Help
Please pray with us on this exciting undertaking. Most of the evangelists who committed to translating a new language have also committed themselves and their churches to praying until the funds come in for the production work.
Some said that once a week they and their people would pray and fast as they seek the Lord for help.
Perhaps you can support one or more of these new languages?

Equip an Evangelist Now
Just check the box below that fits the way you can help to equip an evangelist to reach the world with the Gospel.
All gifts are tax deductible.
Please make your check payable to
The God's Story Project and send to:
The God's Story Project
43500 Cactus Valley Road
Hemet, CA 92544 USA
For more information contact TGSP office
9:00 am-6:00 pm PAC time Mon-Sat
Tel 909-658-1619 or Fax 909-658-9189
Toll Free 877-99-Bible
www.gods-story.org