Transcripts: Apply Bible Principles

Transcript: Reject the voice of strangers
[An ariel view of London. Scenes of Jade’s spiritual progress. Sharing a meal with Abigay and other friends, chatting with Keesha, cart witnessing with Neeta, working at a coffee shop, at a park studying the Enjoy Life Forever brochure with her Bible student, talking with her mom, arranging pictures on the wall as she moves in with Neeta and Keesha. Text: Reject the voice of strangers. At the kitchen table, the three roommates sit for dinner]
All three: Amen.
Keesha: Smells wonderful.
Jade: Oh, wait. I forgot.
[Jade jumps up]
Neeta: You should cook every night.
[Neeta looks down at her plate]
Jade: If you clean every night.
[They glance at the messy counter]
Neeta: Uh, no, we’ll take it in turns.
Jade: Ta-da!
Neeta: But this looks amazing!
Jade: Thanks.
[Jade sits]
It’s practice for my first guest.
Keesha: Really? Who?
Jade: My mum.
Neeta: That’s wonderful!
Jade: We had our first phone call in a year that wasn’t a total disaster. So, I invited her around tomorrow.
[Jade swallows hard]
Neeta: It’ll go great.

[Neeta nods at her with confidence. That night Jade lays down in her dark room tossing and turning in her bed, laying on her back she stares up at the ceiling and lets out a deep breath. The next day Jade opens the door]
Jade: Hi, Mum.
Jade’s mom: Hello, love.
Jade: Come in.
[Her mom enters cautiously]
Jade’s mom: Nice to see you.
[They hug]
Jade: Nice to see you too. Let me take that.
Jade’s mom: Oh, thanks, my love.
Jade: That’s fine.
[Jade watches her mom scan the room, then hangs her jacket on the coatrack behind the door. After dinner in the kitchen]
Jade’s mom: Your roommates, you say they’re explorers?
[Jade closes the fridge,]
Jade: Pioneers,
[then sits down]
they preach full-time, but they work part-time.
Jade’s mom: Hmm, I see. But you, you’re not?
Jade: No, not yet anyway.
[Mom furrows her brow and purses her lips, Jade glances down nervously,]
Jade’s mom: Jade, love,
[then looks at her mom]
all this, I see it’s made you a better person.
[Mom smiles softly]
Heaven knows I tried.
[Jades eyes shift]
But I miss bits of the old Jade.
Jade: Bits? What, what bits?
Jade’s mom: Where’s the Jade that questioned everything?
[Jade stares blankly then looks down. In the morning with Neeta, Jade pours cereal into a bowl]
Jade: So, then she pulls out her phone and starts showing me stuff about Witnesses.
Neeta: What kind of stuff?
Jade: News stories, all negative and slanted. I tried to change the subject, but she just kept at it.

[Keesha grabs her keys]
Keesha: See you later, girls.
Jade: Bye.
Neeta: Bye, Keesha.
Jade: Sorry, I’ve got to get ready
[Carrying her bowl, she walks out of the kitchen. At a busy train station, wearing a t-shirt and black pants Jade bounces down a set of stairs. Pulling her phone from her pocket she stops and reads the message. Message: ‘Had a lovely time. Sunday at my place? Mum xx.’ With a slight smile Jade resumes walking, she stops and rolls her eyes at another message ‘found more links you should see.’ At home Neeta on a video call]
Neeta: Well, how long are you going to be gone for?
Abigay: I’ll stay another month. I told my daughter it’s too hot here. What’s happened to me?
[Jade walks in]
Jade: Abigay
Abigay: Jade girl. How are you
Jade: Been better.
Abigay: Neeta said that your mother visited
Neeta: I hope you don’t mind.
Jade: No. Mum’s driving me mad. It’s, it’s like it’s her hobby to ruin my life.
Abigay: Oh, she sounds wonderful, like me when my daughter got baptized.
Jade: You opposed your daughter?
Abigay: Oh, mercy, yes. I love her so much. And didn’t want to lose her.
Jade: But I’m not going anywhere.
Abigay: Of course not, but a worried mother doesn’t know that.
Abigay’s daughter: Mother, lunch is ready.
Abigay: I’ve got to go, but I have a scripture for you. When you read it, remember your Mum is not the “stranger.”
[Later, in Jades room]
Jade: John 10:5:
[She sits cross legged on her bed, holding an open Bible in her lap]
They will by no means follow a stranger “but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.”
[She looks up]
Mum is not the “stranger.” It’s what she shares.
[She blinks slowly]
“Reject the voice,” not her.
[Later, at her mom’s]
Jade’s mom: Did you look at those links that I sent you?
[They eat dinner, Jade picks at her food, then looks up at her mom]
Jade: Mum, I want us to get together, but I won’t hear anything negative about my beliefs.
[Her mom sighs]
Jade’s mom: Well, perhaps we just won’t talk religion.
Jade: It’s a deal then?
Jade’s mom: All right then. I can see I’m not going to get anywhere. So, what subject do you want to talk about?
[After dinner, sitting side by side on a window seat they drink tea]
Jade: The deal fell apart, fast
[Her mom sets her mug down, then folds her hands]
Jade’s mom: Jade, I know we weren’t going to talk religion, but I must tell you this one thing that I read.
Jade: Mum, I thought we weren’t going to talk about this!
[With knitted brow, Jade drops her gaze, her shoulders droop]
It’s getting late.
[She looks up at her mom]
I’m going to go.
[Her shoulders lift as she takes a deep breath]
Thanks for dinner. I’ll call you tomorrow.
[Jade stands, leaning in she kisses her mom on the forehead. From the window seat mom watches Jade take her purse and leave. Daytime, at an outdoor café, Jade and her mom share a meal]
Jade’s mom: Jade, I got an alert this morning that I really wanted,
Jade: Mum, no. I don’t,
[Jade grabs her purse]
I was sure this wouldn’t work.
[Touching Jade’s arm, mom gestures for her to stay]
And then it happened.
[Back at moms]
Jade’s mom: Jade, I’d like to change our agreement.
[Jade looks up from her plate cautiously]
If I ask you what you believe, you get to answer.
[Jade’s eyes light up and a smile spreads across her face]
Short answers, I won’t be converting. It’s a deal then?
[Mom smiles]
Jade: Yeah, it’s a deal.
[Jade smiles back and nods eagerly. As they continued their meal and talk, Jade’s eyes twinkle and they exchange warm looks]

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