Behind the Scenes: “Mighty to Save” Video
Czech Republic – In September when the campaign team was preparing the material for the capital campaign program I was rushed to select the perfect song that we wanted to end the Vision Night program each evening. I was listening to music for days reading through lyrics and listening to melodies. It needed to be perfect. It was going to be the last impression and I wanted the music to tell the story of Josiah Venture’s ministry throughout 15 years. I would find a song only to hear one line that didn’t fit into our story and I would have to start over again. Frustrating!
JV’s annual Fall Conference was days away and Dave Patty, JV President, wanted me to create some short video clips for the staff to see what to expect at the evenings. The music video was scheduled to debut at the conference and I was feeling pressure to lock in the “right’ song. I kept coming back to the song “Mighty to Save.” It was the right message, giving God the glory for all the work that He is doing and it was clear and memorable. It totally moved me. I rushed to produce the video in a day for the evening program at conference. It wasn’t perfect that night but it communicated the story of JV and stayed in my mind. I really liked the song and thought, “Ok, this could be the song for the tour.” I still was remaining open to other options.
Well there are almost 10 different versions of the song on iTunes. I had picked one version by Joanna Martino because it was clear, it was a singular voice, it wasn’t overly produced, it was simple and beautiful. I needed to get Joanna Martino’s permission to use the song so I got on her website hopeful to find her management contact. She didn’t have any contact information. Bummed, I was poking around on her site and started to look through her photo album. I came across this picture that had the caption, “Me and my class after winning the Amazing Race in Slovenia.”
Weird, I thought. Josiah Venture does the Amazing Race with our English classes in Slovenia. I emailed the country director and found out that Joanna Martino, the American Idol finalist and singer that I had selected from the list on iTunes had come over to Slovenia two years before and served with Josiah Venture!!! I was totally stunned.
Well – I got the permission that I needed from her to use the song. But I also learned that she had recorded the song Mighty to Save because of her time in Slovenia working with the youth there! God had used it to show her his power and purpose there. I was floored. This was totally the confirmation that I needed to know that this was God’s song and he wanted this to be the song for the program.
Each night I watched the final program and listened to the song with tears in my eyes. The faces of the youth in so many countries that don’t know Jesus Christ as their personal savior…I was inspired, motivated, humbled. It was such a blessing to know that this was exactly what the Lord had planned for this, that I wasn’t alone in the planning but God was in each detail and logistic. Best part?…
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| From Chicago/Oak Brook |
Joanna came to sing the song live in Chicago, our final stop on the tour. She drove down from Indiana with her husband and came to sing Mighty to Save live for our program. This time there were not only tears in my eyes, but all over my face. God was so sweet in this for me and I felt loved and covered. Joanna was an absolute joy to meet and an absolute beautiful singer. It was the perfect way to end the tour and all the hard work that I struggled through took a backseat on this final night. God is in the details and seeks to bless his children!
Lauree Austin
Capital Campaign Manager
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| From Chicago/Oak Brook |
