Mwita Chacha is the director and founder of Mwendo, a media company focused on positive and uplifting storytelling. Mwendo means “to put in motion” in Swahili, and Mwita has put his Christian faith in motion for ANM and the cause of native missions.
We partnered with Mwendo over the past year to produce a native missions documentary, entitled To The Ends, which a generous donor gave us the idea for. After prayer, ANM approached Mwita, with whom we had worked before. His faith and skills were the perfect match for sharing the story of native missions by focusing on our missionary partner Chandra Tobing’s personal story in Bali, Indonesia.
I recently had the opportunity to interview Mwita in the run-up to the premieres of “To The Ends”. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Eric: Mwita, thank you for giving me this time. What attracted you to this project?
Mwita: I’ve always loved international development and non-profit work. My father’s side of the family comes from Tanzania and Kenya, where he started a non-profit. That’s how I got my start in storytelling through video production. That gave me the ability to share impactful stories from around the world. I love traveling and connecting with people.
Specifically, I love the vision of supporting native missionaries, and so I was excited to get on the ground and see the work [of native missionaries] firsthand. Rather than approaching the subject as historical storytelling, I was able to follow a real (native missionary) and see what happened. We didn’t know where the story would go, so that was super exciting to me.
I was attracted to Chandra’s personality. He was super open and had a great sense of humor. He just seemed like someone you wanted to be around. And we were looking for a place that, for an American audience, felt very different from life in the U.S.
The other thing that attracted me to the project was ANM’s collaborative approach. The producers were very open to our creative input when we suggested shifting from an organizational overview to telling a single story.
Eric: I appreciate that shift because it represents the type of storytelling that tells the big story through the individual personal story. So, (To The Ends) is not a story about ANM so much as it is a story of one of our native missionary partners. That’s important because it is who we are and why we exist as a ministry. It also gets to the heart of who you are. You want to tell stories. We want to reach the world through native missionaries.
Mwita: To The Ends is more of a journey for those coming to see the film. Even if you don’t know ANM, it is still an appealing story. It’s universally appealing because Chandra is an interesting person doing interesting things [He laughs].
Eric: What were you expecting in Indonesia, and what did you find when you got there? Were there surprises?
Mwita: We’ve committed a lot of time, energy, and money to this project. That’s why we took about a year during pre-production to determine which stories to tell. And so we kind of have an idea on paper of what we want to accomplish, but then there’s actually showing up ready to go for two weeks. The big question is, is Chandra the real deal?
Eric: But, of course, you discovered that Chandra is the real deal.
Mwita: Yeah!
Eric: What surprised you most about the place, the ministry, and Chandra himself?
Mwita: We got a taste of that during the (pre-production) calls, but in person, being with Chandra as he met people, seeing how he knows how to break the ice and make people laugh. That really opens doors. More surprising was the level of emotion you feel seeing his ministry in person.
We filmed a graduation with all of his ministry’s missionary students. Chandra’s students were in tears. It was super emotional. I just wasn’t expecting that. There was so much joy in dancing at the celebration. After we got the footage, our team joined in. I started crying, too. It was like a little slice of heaven. It was such an experience of joy, just pure joy, worshiping together. It was also a beautiful location at sunset. It will stick with me.
Eric: What’s the biggest impact that this project has had on you? The graduation celebration was certainly one of them. Was there another?
Mwita: My father was an evangelist from Kenya, and he traveled the world. I grew up around people with strong faith. But I wanted to have my own faith journey, wanting my faith to be my own. When I go on a trip like this, I ask God to reveal Himself to me through the new people I meet.
Eric: And, did He show up?
Mwita: Of course! Of course! That graduation was the real deal. These are real believers. They’ve been through a lot, but there is nothing cynical about them. There was no hint of wrong intentions, such as using ministry to enrich themselves. I’ve seen that (in other places), and I never want to present anything that is inauthentic.
Eric: ANM has quoted you in another communication as saying, “At the end of the day, To The Ends is about a man trying to follow Jesus’s example of loving those society has overlooked.” Why is that statement important to you?
Mwita: I think it is easier to start a church in a more affluent part of the world, such as the U.S. As a church leader, you will benefit financially from that. God needs people working in every environment, so that is not wrong. But Jesus’ example is to care for orphans and widows.
To me, it’s not enough to just go convert somebody and think that you have truly shared the Gospel. To go and physically meet somebody’s needs, to be there for them. Not to just tell people in poverty to go and pray and everything will be better. Let’s do something about it. That’s what I saw firsthand. Chandra is reaching out to people who are different from him.
And not just him, it’s the missionary students as well. They’re not in it for money or for people to pay them back. They are reaching children. They’re reaching people like the guy with a tumor on his leg who has no money. He can’t go to the hospital, but we’re just gonna treat him anyway. And he was a Hindu, and Chandra’s ministry helped him.
Eric: I am really hoping that Chandra’s story in To The Ends will have an impact on churches and individuals. You have done this project so very well. Thank you!
Visit the website to learn more about how you can see “To The Ends” in theaters, at church, or at home. To support native missionaries like Chandra, donate now.
