J. O. Fraser Film Debut

(For more postings on the CIM, click here.)

Speaking of eyes (as I was a post or two ago), something that brought tears to mine was a line towards the end of the documentary / drama a friend and former co-worker of mine has created. Breakthrough tells the story of J. O. Fraser, who set sail for China from England 100 years ago Friday, under the China Inland Mission. The film debuted on the anniversary of that event.

The storyline comes from the biography Fraser’s daughter Eileen wrote, Mountain Rain. OMF (CIM) was aiming for something that could be shown in less than a one-hour time slot, so they had to keep it focused. The film centers on the early years of his ministry, particularly the years of discouragement when he really struggled in his faith before making the discoveries (especially pertaining to prayer) that gave him hope for a real breakthrough in ministry among the tribal Lisu people.

I had a few reservations about the project and was glad to see them put to rest. First off, I wondered if another 100-year-old missionary story was going to reinforce certain outdated perceptions people have about missions. Why are so many of the most popular missionary biographies, or subjects of missionary biographies, from so long ago? And in this case, would it be able to be true to the story and still tell it in a timeless way?

I think they pulled it off well. One thing that helped was that the number of scenes set in the UK were quite limited, and Fraser – like other CIM workers – was generally a stickler for living like the people once he got to China. With his Chinese-style house and clothes he doesn’t seem like a fuddy-duddy old-fashioned missionary, he seems more Chinese. Not sure how it all looks to a Chinese/Lisu audience, but as a Westerner I was not distracted by things that would make me think, “oh right, people were different back then.” It didn’t hurt that they used some modern music (although that decision may not sit well with all). So, it didn’t seem to me that the fact that the story took place a couple of generations ago was going to make it hard for people to identify with the characters.

Second, since they were trying to keep the production family-friendly, would it simplify or gloss over the man’s struggles and challenges, making him one-dimensional? That would reinforce the various assumptions people might have that missionaries are saints, or that the work is easy, or that we mission-types are childish, living in a dream world, and/or overly fond of painting the world in soft pastels like some kind of Precious Moments tableau...

I think the production was able to avoid all those traps as well. In fact, it goes out of its way to diffuse any "Christian hero" message viewers might mistakenly pick up.

The bit that made me cry? Well, once the Lisu did start to come to Christ one thing they really responded to was music. It came to play a significant role in the Lisu church, not only for worship but for teaching as well. Early missionaries - Fraser, Isobel Kuhn, and others - taught Lisu believers how to sing in parts. They were mostly using Western tunes with Lisu words. (I’d tend to think they would have done better to leave their foreign music behind and just tap into the Lisu styles, but I don’t really know much about that sort of thing when it comes down to it!) At any rate, what they did, it really worked for the Lisu. They were known as "the singing church."

When the CIM missionaries were forced out of China (around 1950), believers in the Lisu area gathered to say goodbye and express their gratitude to God for those who had given them so much. A choir of 800 Lisu Christians performed, in tribute, Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus in the Lisu language. The producers of Breakthrough recorded a similar performance – not of 800, but quite a few Lisu believers, and all in traditional dress – and played it behind the closing credits of this film. Very touching.

Read more about the film or get a copy here.