This may not start out as one of my regular types of posts. It's more like a diary entry. However, I have the feeling God will show Himself throughout it as He wastes nothing, not one thing, and the event I'm going to tell you about is no different. So, prepare for a long read, because there is much to share.
“Many are cold, but few are frozen.” Oh, this quote by fellow "The Chosen" extra Mimi Barker sums
up the day we all had yesterday. About
2200 of us converged on the Midlothian, Texas area, just south of Dallas. We all arrived at different times, and our
journeys were as varied as we are, but we all shared an incredible opportunity to
be a part of one of the most amazing Christian media projects to date. And here is a bit about mine.
If you are unfamiliar with “The Chosen,” please check out www.thechosen.tv and watch Season 1. You can also download the app in your app
store and watch it right on your phone or stream it to your TV. It is a TV series about Jesus’ life and
ministry. Unlike most Bible projects,
this is the first series of its kind. Co-written
and directed by Dallas Jenkins, the son of Jerry B. Jenkins (co-author of the
Left Behind series), it brings Jesus to the screen in a way we have never seen
before. Fully God and fully Man, we see Jesus
perform miracles as well as brush his teeth, make a meal and even laugh. The cast has been divinely handpicked and
represents the disciples and the life of those who lived in the First
Century. I could go on and on, but
really, it’s best if you go check it out for yourself.
I have been following the show since 2018 when it first
began to gain some major social media attention. Hooked at
the start, we as a family, have followed and supported this show - the most successful crowd-funding
media project of all time. Fortunate to
be an investor on a miniscule level, we have been supporters by spreading the
word and purchasing lots of merchandise (cue nervous laugh here as I admit I
might be slightly addicted to "The Chosen" swag. . . )
We were able to sow a little seed into the project
financially last year which had one promising perk – participating as an extra
for the filming of the Sermon on the Mount (hereinafter “SOTM”). Not knowing when this might occur, I tucked
this excitement away and just awaited the email that said it was time to RSVP.
Now, I will tell you, when that day came, I was quite giddy and I RSVP’d as quickly as I could and send all three of our names and pictures. Once we had received confirmation and the
details, we made our travel plans. We were
to go to Texas just four days after my daughter’s thirteenth birthday! Sounds like fun, eh? Keep reading!
About three weeks before we were set to depart, I received
an email with more details, including instructions on how to prepare our costumes. Wait, what??
I somehow missed that tiny detail and kind of freaked out. Soon, I began “buying all the things” on Amazon
and visiting local thrift and discount stores. The Lord showed me where to shop, and amidst
the stress of getting it right, I was able to outfit the family. Of course, Hubby’s costume was tweaked last
minute as he arrived home from traveling the night before we were to leave.
As we began to prep, a wonderful community on Facebook was
created to foster connection and to help with tricks and tips. I even participated in a couple Zoom calls
with some lovely folks and was humbled and blessed by all the encouragement
that was poured out by my Christian brothers and sisters.
And, then the day came.
Traveling began at o’dark thirty (6 am) with a trip to the Cincinnati/NKY
airport. Delayed due to snow and ice, we
were late getting off to Chicago, only to be delayed again due to weather
conditions. We finally arrived in Dallas! WOO-HOO!
Whelp – that celebration was short-lived as we discovered my
pro-traveler hubby grabbed the flight attendant’s bag instead of one of our
bags. After a bit of frustrations, we
were able to track down the bag as it traveled to Birmingham, Alabama and back
and reunite the flight attendant with her bag and us with ours. The funny thing was that we had the two suitcases
of costumes and it was our personal bag that went missing temporarily. Still, crisis averted and although we spent an
additional couple of hours driving in
order to retrieve the suitcase. In the
end, we had everything we left home with.
During our wait for the Birmingham plane to return, my
daughter had her first Jack-in-the-Box meal as well as her first of two
Whataburgers. Evidently, a couple of the
YouTubers she watches live in Texas and speak often of these delectable
treats. She is now hooked on Whataburger,
yet, unfortunately for her, there is no such thing in Northern Kentucky. At least she can say she tried it and found a
fast food burger she actually likes!
One of the neat things about the SOTM Extras Facebook group was
that we were able to connect with others. After connecting with a few who were staying at the same hotel as we were, we met in the hotel lobby with about twenty others
and prayed for the filming day, the cast, crew and even for each other as well
as the impact the show will continue to have as it progresses. Now, if you know me at all, you’ll know I am
not the shy type and quickly connected with some new friends, exchanging
numbers and making plans to meet up on set.
What a wonderful way to end the evening!
The next morning, we were up
bright and early, donning our costumes over thermals and double socks. We had been watching the weather and although
originally predicted to be in the low 50’s, it was in the 30’s with a wind
chill in the 20’s. My daughter got a
rough start to the day amidst all the prep.
All I could do was pray, and try to bite my tongue as the teenager in
her reared its ugly attitude. Even
hubby was highly frustrated and hangry, but we managed to get in the car and
make it to the stadium.
Upon arrival, around 9 am, we
joined the line of cars waiting to enter the parking lot for our rapid Covid
antigen tests. Prior to arriving, everyone
was required to get a Covid PCR test and show printed results that we were all
negative. As we sat in our designated parking
spot, we witnessed an army of volunteers quickly and efficiently check us in,
administer our tests, and send us on our way to park the car after our negative
results. This took about 10
minutes. Not bad when you’re processing
around 2000 people (which they began to do as early as 5 am!).
The cold was already biting at us
as we boarded the bus for the fifteen-minute drive to the set. Now, when I say “set,”
I am referring to the large field somewhere on the Salvation Army property that
is being utilized by "The Chosen" for filming.
No brick and mortar buildings, just a few tents, several tables with
chairs, a plethora of port-o-potties and a stage for the entertainment. It was COLD.
I was able to grab one cup of coffee and a few snacks before they all
ran out. We then sat at a table to rest
and await instruction.
On the bus, a sweet
man from Oregon, whom we “adopted” for the morning. He was one of many whom we would meet at that
table. Several would come and go throughout
the morning and we all talked about where we hailed from and how long we’ve been
following the show. I don’t remember
when, but at some point, two more women, whom I will refer to as J and B, joined us. Being the shy, retiring extrovert I am (HA), I invited them to hang out with us as they had arrived alone.
I don’t remember how the time
passed, but between picking up pre-purchased merchandise, eating lunch and
listening to Phil Wickham, Michael Jr., Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes perform for
us, our new friend from the bus ventured on and we adopted J and B. However, by this time, the frigid temps had
my daughter on the brink of hypothermia and despite our many efforts to warm
her, she could not make it out in the elements for the shoot. J, B, and I headed towards the field
designated for filming and an angel and her friend allowed my
frozen girl to warm herself in their truck.
Again, the vast number of volunteers who were literally the hands and feet
of Jesus are to be commended for their kindness, love and support. Well done, my friends, well done.
The ladies and I decided we
were going to be a group of women traveling together and sat huddled up on our
blankets as we waited. B offered
her blanket to a mom holding a child who was crying due to being so cold. Another sweet lady, C, joined us by
this time. A band of frozen, merry women were we! We were asked to removed all coats, socks,
glasses, and anything not First Century as well as silence and stow our
phones. We “milled about” and then sat
to listen to Jonathan Roumie (Jesus) speak parts of the Sermon on the Mount four
separate times, trying to warm our frozen toes and hands in between takes. Finally, we were given a break for about 30-45
minutes. We left our blankets with another dear lady and headed back to the warming tent to meet up with my family and take a much-needed
potty-break.
Now, I will have to tell you that
God had His hand on this whole trip from the beginning. He showed me His favor as I had noticed that
certain giving levels allowed for certain numbers of family members to attend. At the level we sowed, only one of us should
have been on this trip. However, despite
this policy, there were spots for all three of us. And, yet, still, only one of us actually
participated.
Hubby stayed with my daughter in
the warming tent until I came back for the break. It was then we decided it would be best if he
took her back to the hotel. It broke my heart
and I had already shed tears because I had so wanted this to be a family
event. But, as I said at the beginning,
God wastes nothing and their going back to the hotel was part of His plan.
As it was decided that they would
leave the set for the warmth of the hotel, I asked J if she could give me a
ride back as she, too, was staying at a hotel in the same area as we were. She graciously agreed and hubby left, taking J's merchandise with him to be retrieved when she dropped me off. Then, off to the frozen field we went!
By this time, we had shared a
little bit of our journey. Just enough
to pass the time. The next series of
shots involved Jonathan (Jesus) speaking a few paragraphs as we sat and listened (without
our warm coats, but our feet were covered and a bit warmer). It was a blessing to see Jonathan work as he first
had to mentally get into character and then would pause and start his lines
again if it didn’t feel right or he said something other than what was
scripted. During these scenes, the four
of us women tried not to allow the sound of our teeth chattering to be a distraction
as we shivered in the wind as it blew against our backs. Three takes and an hour or so later, our roles as extras came
to an end.
Here's where I feel to remind you that we go through tough times that take us to places in the wilderness from which we must claw our way back to faith. These are the places where our testimony is formed. These are the places were our ministry in God’s kingdom grows and these are the places we see God’s sovereignty and plan.
As we wandered back to the main
area to get on the bus, I began to share my testimony, although I’m not sure
why. I think someone asked me about it
after I shared I was a Messianic Jew.
Through the course of my sharing, I mentioned I suffer from
depression. This is where I truly saw
God moving. My sharing sparked something
in my new friend, J. As we boarded
the bus, we sat together and she shared a little more of her story. She didn’t want to be there, actually, but
her husband insisted. She, too, suffers
from depression and has been in a deep depression for many years. My extroverted sharing and transparency
allowed God to open the door to an opportunity for us to connect further. I was getting excited.
As we said our goodbyes to B and C, J and I made our way to her car and eventually back to the hotel area. Hubby had invited her to join us for dinner at his favorite pizza place and her husband and daughter, who had been back at their hotel for the day, agreed to join us.
I shared more of my story with her and when we reunited with our families, it was like meeting old friends. My daughter and her daughter hit it off immediately as did our husbands. During the course of the evening, J's husband revealed that he had prayed over her, asking God to bring someone into her life that she could connect with. As I listening in awe, my belief that my meeting her was a divine appointment became more apparent. I was humbled and blessed.
My meeting J was not coincidence or chance. Yes, my friends, I was there for a purpose. Despite the challenges of traveling, despite the heartache of my family not being there with me during the majority of the event, and despite the bitter and numbing cold of my body, I would do it all again if just to meet this precious woman. I made so many beautiful connections over the few hours we were in Dallas and out on the frozen tundra. This event was more than just partaking in what I believe to be one of the most impactful media projects of all time.
I witnessed thousands of people be
the hands and feet of Jesus as volunteers ministered to us and as the body of
Christ ministered to others on the field.
I met and shared stories with believers from all over the country. And, I met J, a God-ordained connection,
that I pray He will water and cultivate into a long-lasting friendship.
J – if you are reading this,
which I imagine at some point you will be, thank you for being obedient to your
husband in just setting foot on that field, for being obedient to God as you persevered
through the elements and for allowing me to see you as you are – a beautiful,
complicated, broken yet blessed woman. I
look forward to the journey ahead, as the Lord allows it to unfold, and to
continue to show that God wastes nothing, not a single nanosecond, for the good
of those who love Him.
And to you, my reader, if you have
stuck with me through this long and elaborate post, I pray you are reminded as
well, that God sees you, knows you and is working all things together for your
good, and not one hair on your head is unknown to Him. Press on, my friend. Press on.
He is with you and will never leave you nor forsake you.
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name, you are mine.” Isaiah 43:1
