It's been 1 year since my worldview on life was radically changed. If you've seen our explainer video, you probably know me a little already, and like you, I'm just a normal person. Professionally I'm a filmmaker, which can be as exciting as it sounds when you're given the chance to tell amazing stories, but more often than not it's creating video content marketing for local non-profits and businesses. (Still a worthy endeavor and very fun, but not as adventurous as documentary filmmaking.) More importantly, I'm a husband and father of three (so far). My most important duties every day are changing diapers and playing in whatever make-believe world as whatever make-believe character my kids have dreamt up at the moment. So you can imagine, the thought of creating a project like No Greater Love and getting more involved in the Pro-Life Movement weren't the last things on my mind - they weren't on my mind (Period). But then, something remarkable happened. About a month before Roe v. Wade was overturned (in May), my friend William shared a story with me about a man named Kevin, who had saved countless children from being aborted. Will met him outside of an abortion center, and what caught his attention was a photo album Kevin carried around, filled with pictures of children he had helped save. William knew Kevin's journey would make an amazing short film, and the timing seemed right to tell it. After meeting Kevin over Zoom and hearing his story first hand and SEEING the children in the photo album, I agreed wholeheartedly. Here's the tough part. Kevin lived across the country from us, and like most people, William and I aren't exactly swimming in a pool of gold coins like Scrooge McDuck. We live month to month, so any time we take off, we pay for later. Even taking a few weeks off to film was seemingly impossible, not even counting the month(s) of time to edit, additional equipment costs, travel, or lodging. But then, in a stroke of Providence, I crossed paths with someone who recognized the importance of Kevin's story and offered to contribute to the video's funding - IF we could find a willing non-profit to participate. While this wouldn't cover all the costs, it would at least help with the additional equipment needed to do his story justice. Throughout the summer and into the fall, we reached out to numerous non-profits, hoping one of them would see the value in sharing Kevin's story. Unfortunately, the turbulence in the wake of Roe's overturning made it challenging. Many non-profits were either too swamped with work or wanted to turn Kevin's story into self-promotion. By September, I had lost hope for the project and put it on the back burner.
As we entered October, I began feeling an inexplicable "itch" that something was supposed to happen with this video. With winter fast approaching, we would need to act fast or our plans would be delayed indefinitely, so I asked Kevin what we should do. He told me to come and film it, and God would take care of everything. (I sure hope this sounds crazy to you, because it did to me.) I always liked to believe that I had faith in God, but it was at this point I had to confront the reality that faith was pretty empty if it didn't impel you to act. After some prayer, and discussion with my wife, I decided to take the leap.
As God would have it, my sister and brother-in-law, who enjoy traveling from time to time, happened to have the last few weeks of October open, and they agreed to give me a ride to Wyoming and then Colorado. As we loaded our luggage into their Jeep (and tens of thousands of dollars in equipment), there was definitely a sizeable nervous feeling sitting uncomfortably in my stomach. As we settled in to a very, very long car ride, my brain started to fill with questions about the trip. What story points do we need to cover, and how can we visually communicate Kevin's story? What locations do we need to visit? Where are we going to stay, and how will we pay for it? How can we pull off a production like this without a schedule? Am I crazy for taking a chance on someone I don't really know? Is God really calling me to do this? Pushing aside the doubts, I focused on planning for what I could control (which, in this situation, wasn't much). Kevin texted some of his friends, asking if anyone could help with lodging and transportation over our 2 week stay. As the ride unfolded, Kevin started texting us updates about people who offered their assistance. First someone offered to let us stay with them a few days, then someone covered our hotel room for the first weekend, another donated their bed and breakfast, and yet another offered the use of their home. Finally, someone lent us a vehicle to travel with. When we arrived in Wyoming it was very late, and bitterly cold, but all of our accommodations had been taken care of. To say I was blown away by people's generosity doesn't do it justice. I don't cry often, but as the offers of help poured in, I couldn't help but shed a few tears as God made His presence known.
Over the course of the next ten days, the Holy Spirit guided us to different locations and people in Kevin's story. We never achieved a production schedule for our time there. The best we could manage was knowing where we would be a few days in advance. Despite this chaos, we somehow captured what we needed. More importantly, this experience led us to believe that one 5 minute video about Kevin, as inspiring as it would be, was somehow missing the mark...
The time I spent with Kevin, and the people he shares the sidewalk with as they fight for life, completely changed my worldview. It helped me realize that normal people can save lives. (It happens way more often than I ever would've guessed.) It also taught me that when you step out in faith, God responds. I think all too often God doesn't act directly in people's lives because they're afraid to put themselves in situations they don't have control over.
Upon my return, William and I began working on a short trailer for Kevin's story. Through this process, the idea behind No Greater Love began to take shape. We realized there are a lot of beautiful people out there, all with amazing stories. We also realized sharing stories isn't enough if it doesn't lead to action. After speaking with numerous people about our ideas, we realized that many people want to act but either don't think they can make a difference or don't know how. (Hence, our tagline.)
As we've continued working on this vision, God has continued to do His part, which we've discovered is actually most of the heavy lifting. People have stepped forth to design our logo, our website, and donations have continued to come in. While our costs still exceed our donations, where we are at now would not have been possible without everyone's support!
If you've made it to the end of this rather lengthy post - I think it might be as long as one of Kevin's text messages :P - the best way you can stay connected with our journey is through our newsletter. Be sure to sign up on our main page! Whether you pray for us, spread the word about this project, or fund it financially, thank you from the bottom of our hearts! Without your support, this would not be possible.
My name is Jonathan. I've been pro-life for as long as I can remember, but I never did anything...
...until now.
If you ever feel like God is calling you to do something, I urge you to take a leap of faith as well, and know that God will make His presence known.
May God Bless you!
Jonathan
P.S. Here's a picture from the last day of our first adventure.