“Scenario is Never Wrong”
Imagine every decision of your life being outsourced to an AI smartphone app called Scenario. Where should we eat? Which food should we order? What should we do this weekend? When should we start a family? What should we name the baby? What’s wrong with the baby? Why shouldn’t we keep the baby? What if Scenario is wrong?
Those were the questions that characters asked their AI assistant in the short film, Scenario (trailer here). I (Zack) watched this chilling story and others like it at the Damah film festival in Tokyo (pictured above). Our Jesus Film team traveled there to meet filmmakers from 29 countries who made stories with important themes worth talking about.
While not every filmmaker was a Christian, many of their stories could easily open up deep discussions. We will use some of these films in our Jesus Film app to help guide people through spiritual conversations. In the case of Scenario, we might help people think through questions like, “Where can we go to find the ultimate answers to life?”
The busy streets of downtown Tokyo
Partnership in Media
Our ministry team also met with several other Christian filmmakers in Tokyo, to see how we can work together. Even though it’s an “open” country, Japan is a difficult place for the gospel to spread. One filmmaker, Katsuro (pictured below), plans to record a series of testimony videos of Christians from various churches. His thinking is that while many Japanese people will not respond initially to a gospel presentation, they will listen to someone’s story. Furthermore, a lot of churches are not well connected with one another, so this media project could also help forge those bonds.
I hope to return to Japan next year, and am looking for other ways to serve the ministry there in the meantime.
Bridges Students on Mission
In recent years, the Lord has increased the number of international students that Bridges is sending on summer missions. This year over 100 are going, to places like London, Paris, Osaka, San Francisco, New York, and Orlando. The nations will be reaching the nations. My (Naomi’s) summer assignment is supporting these missions in prayer. I will be joining with my teammates, Harriet and Irina, in regular prayer sessions for them. My first summer mission to Osaka was life-changing for me, and I pray it will be for them as well.
PRAISE REPORTS
• Significant connections at the Damah film festival
• 100 students are going on Bridges summer missions
PRAYER REQUESTS
• Lasting partnerships with filmmakers in Japan
• Spiritual protection over the Bridges missions teams
• God to transform Bridges summer mission students into life-long laborers for Christ