Participants:
Series Code: MMS
Program Code: MMS009116S
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00:01 Hi, I'm Hilary Macias with the Maranatha Minute.
00:02 While Brazil 00:04 is more commonly known as the country of lush rain forests 00:06 and the Amazon River, 00:08 there are regions that are simply a desert. 00:10 Droughts are common and water is scarce. 00:13 This means that clean drinking water 00:15 is even more difficult to come by. 00:17 People spend much time and energy collecting water. 00:21 In some cases, 00:22 the water is not clean and can make people sick. 00:24 Last year Maranatha launched a water program in Brazil, 00:28 drilling wells in dry states like Paraiba, 00:31 thanks to the donations of generous supporters. 00:34 Crews have drilled 34 wells on properties 00:36 where Maranatha has already constructed a church. 00:39 Brazil is one of four countries 00:41 where Maranatha is drilling wells. 00:43 Teams are also providing water in India, Kenya and Zambia. 00:48 Watch episodes about our water program 00:50 around the world 00:51 by downloading the Maranatha app. 00:53 Now you can watch Maranatha mission stories 00:55 and more on your mobile devices. 00:57 Go to the App Store and Google Play to download. 01:27 Tens of thousands of volunteers mobilized. 01:32 Eleven thousand structures built. 01:36 Nearly 90 countries impacted. 01:41 These numbers represent the breadth of Maranatha's work 01:44 over the last 50 years. 01:57 Maranatha has grown to become a leading resource 01:59 for Adventist Church leaders around the world, 02:02 needing help building 10, 100 02:04 or even 1,000 churches, schools, or water wells. 02:12 While such a broad scope of projects 02:14 is not unusual for Maranatha's work today. 02:17 Fifty years ago, 02:19 the numbers would have been daunting 02:20 to the fledgling group of lay people 02:22 who are embarking on a relatively new concept 02:25 of short term mission trips with Maranatha. 02:31 In today's episode, 02:32 we'll learn about 02:33 a watershed moment in the organization's history, 02:35 where we were challenged to take a leap of faith 02:38 that would make a difference for eternity. 02:58 As the 21st century approached, 03:00 incredible change was taking place 03:02 in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 03:06 The seeds of faith 03:08 that had been sown by missionaries 03:09 during the previous decades were sprouting and multiplying. 03:13 The Adventist faith community was growing faster 03:16 than churches could be built. 03:19 Maranatha Flights International 03:21 known for its short-term mission projects 03:24 to build churches and schools was changing too. 03:28 After 12 years of steady growth and increasing activity, 03:32 founder John Freeman 03:33 still working full-time in his photography business 03:36 encouraged Maranatha's board to hire a staff. 03:41 The search began 03:42 and John called a young professional working in Denver, 03:45 Colorado, 03:46 who also happened to be a former Air Force pilot. 03:49 He said, 03:50 "We've received your resume and we want to interview you." 03:54 I said, "Okay, well, that's interesting. 03:57 I live in Denver, Colorado, 03:58 so you know, I'm available." 04:00 He said, 04:02 "No, I would like you to come to Michigan. 04:04 That's where our headquarters is, 04:05 so if you could come to Michigan." 04:07 I said, 04:09 "Well, I can work with the president of my company 04:11 and try to get some time off. 04:12 You just send me a ticket." 04:14 He says, "Oh, no." 04:15 He said, 04:17 "We're a volunteer organization, 04:18 you'll need to pay your way." 04:20 Well, I wasn't familiar with this approach to life 04:24 at that point. 04:25 So I said, 04:27 "Well, I don't ever go to Michigan 04:29 at this particular point in time." 04:32 I said, "But I tell you what?" 04:34 I says, "If I ever have opportunity 04:37 to be in Michigan, 04:39 I'll give you a call. Thank you very much." 04:41 End of conversation. 04:44 Well, now here's the interesting thing 04:47 from my view. 04:49 I went to my office that day, 04:52 and the president of the company 04:53 called me in and says, "I need you to go to Michigan." 04:57 No, that had never happened. 04:59 And that's when I started to think, 05:01 "Okay, what's going on here?" 05:03 Don Noble was one of several candidates 05:05 who interviewed and the job was offered to him. 05:08 Don has to meet with the board 05:10 so he could be certain he fully understood Maranatha 05:13 and whether this was God's calling. 05:15 A couple of the board members took me aside and said, 05:18 "If I was a young man like you," 05:20 because at that time I was a young man. 05:23 "If I was a young man like you, 05:25 then I wanted to make a difference in the world." 05:29 He said, "We can tell you that 05:30 this is a place that you could be used by God 05:33 to make a difference in the world." 05:35 And I like that. 05:38 Calvin Krueger was one of those board members. 05:41 He has been volunteering with Maranatha 05:43 for more than 40 of its 50 years 05:45 and serving on the board for just as long. 05:49 Something happened there. 05:51 There's a compulsion there 05:53 and that's why Maranatha is where it is, 05:56 with the help of the Holy Spirit. 05:59 Don Noble became the president 06:01 of Maranatha Flights International in 1983. 06:05 Those that hire Don 06:06 told him his job description was essentially this, 06:10 make Maranatha fly and he did. 06:14 It wasn't long before 06:15 Don moved to the Maranatha office 06:16 from John Freeman's basement 06:18 onto the main street in Berrien Springs, Michigan. 06:22 Another change was happening. 06:24 More often, 06:25 the projects were further away from the United States, 06:28 requiring volunteers to use commercial airliners. 06:31 And too often, 06:33 the name Maranatha Flights International 06:35 caused people to mistake it for a travel agency. 06:39 A very interesting thing started to happen. 06:41 We started doing some projects with an organization 06:44 called Volunteers International. 06:46 That was started by a gentleman who became a friend of mine, 06:50 still is, Robert Bainum, 06:52 and we did quite a few projects together 06:55 until finally we came to the point we said, 06:57 "Why don't we just merge operations." 07:00 We're each paying for different expenses 07:03 that are getting doubled up, so let's just combine them. 07:06 In 1989, Maranatha Flights International 07:10 and Volunteers International 07:12 became Maranatha Volunteers International. 07:16 One of the best compliments 07:18 I think I've ever had from Maranatha 07:20 was it they call me a founder 07:22 because I gave part 07:25 of my Volunteers International name, 07:30 which I really wanted. 07:32 And, so I've been flattered really. 07:37 Even before the organizations merged, 07:40 Robert Bainum volunteered regularly with Maranatha. 07:43 He was also a board member. 07:46 He would travel with Don 07:47 from time to time to evaluate projects. 07:50 In 1991, 07:52 Don and Robert traveled to the Dominican Republic, 07:55 at the invitation of church letters 07:57 would come to trust Maranatha. 07:59 The visit would be a game changer 08:01 for the 23 year old organization. 08:05 They went through the needs, 08:09 for about two hours they showed the slides 08:12 of congregations meeting in shacks, under trees. 08:18 There was a great need, 08:20 and convinced me 08:22 they needed churches really badly. 08:25 And they said, you know, we need 25, 30 projects. 08:30 And, you know, you hear these numbers, 08:33 that's, those are big numbers, right? 08:36 And so we looked at a few of them 08:39 and we went back to the airport. 08:42 We go to the airport, and Robert turned to me, 08:45 he says, "So, Don, what are you gonna do?" 08:50 And I says, "What do you mean, what am I gonna do?" 08:53 Well, how many churches you're gonna build? 08:59 And Don says... 09:02 Well, they asked for, say 25 projects. 09:05 And I said, "Well, you know, 09:07 we'll probably do what we usually do." 09:09 You know, we do a few projects in one place, 09:11 and a few projects in another place... 09:12 And then we, next year, we'll 09:14 build them a church or two. 09:15 And I shoot, 09:19 "Hey, you didn't listen to what they said." 09:21 And he says, "You're not listening to them, 09:25 you're not listening." 09:26 He says, "They asked for 25 and they need 25. 09:30 Why don't you do all 25? Why don't you do more? 09:32 What's stopping you from doing them all?" 09:35 Wow. 09:36 I wasn't thinking that big. 09:38 I wasn't thinking it was possible. 09:41 But ding, ding, ding, the thought came to me, 09:45 maybe that's what we're supposed to do. 09:48 Don brought the idea to the staff. 09:50 Now six people who caught the vision 09:53 and then he brought it to the board who agreed. 09:56 It was time to take a leap of faith 09:59 and Santo Domingo 92 was launched. 10:02 We did not know what we voted. 10:05 We had no idea what it meant to do something like that. 10:08 It was more complicated and difficult than we realized. 10:11 We thought, "Oh, how bad, how tough can this be?" 10:14 We've done these projects before 10:16 but when you bring 1,200 volunteers, 10:19 and you run this thing for 10 weeks, 10:23 and you're doing 25 churches 10:26 scattered all over a large area, 10:28 the logistics start getting away from you 10:30 real quick. 10:32 He had to stretch himself, 10:34 and you stretch the organization. 10:37 There were plenty of roadblocks along the way. 10:40 But the Goliath of Santo Domingo 92 10:43 was put into the hands of God 10:45 and the small David of Maranatha 10:48 with its tiny staff, bullied by 1,200 volunteers prevailed. 10:54 Fast forward, at the end of that 10 weeks, 10:57 on the last Friday afternoon, we finished the 25th church. 11:02 And the next day we dedicated the whole thing 11:05 and they had a big baptism. 11:06 And the General Conference president was there 11:08 and the Division president was there and they baptized. 11:10 I don't know a few thousand people 11:12 and they had 15,000, 20,000 people in a big stadium 11:15 and I'm suddenly going, wow, 11:17 what just happened here? What happened? 11:20 Well, quite a few things happened 11:21 for the Maranatha organization. 11:25 Everybody's looking at us differently. 11:27 The next week, 11:29 we get a request for 50 projects in Mexico. 11:32 Well, if they can do 25, 11:34 pretty sure they can do 50 over here. 11:36 So that's the numbers started changing. 11:39 The expectations started changing. 11:43 The volunteers started to trust us, 11:45 the relationship with the church 11:47 improved dramatically. 11:50 And what did it do for the church 11:51 in Dominican Republic? 11:53 Totally changed the way 11:54 they were viewed by their country, 11:57 by the press, 11:59 by the leadership of the government, 12:01 by the people, 12:02 and all of a sudden they started growing massively. 12:05 And I can't say it was all that project, 12:09 but I believe God used that project 12:12 at least in a major way toward that. 12:15 That was a whole new day for Maranatha, 12:18 to even dream that way was not possible 12:22 prior to that moment. 12:25 And from there, it has just been a multiplier. 12:30 Maranatha discovered can do that and then it is... 12:36 Well, it's pretty well been vertical growth 12:40 for many years. 12:44 From a big view, those churches, 12:47 almost every one of them 12:49 spawned a number of other churches, 12:51 one of them was it like 12:54 24 churches have come out of that one church. 12:57 And I can remember 12:58 it was a church that I almost said no. 13:00 Well, they took us to it. 13:01 And so I know 13:03 and here's the thread that runs through it all. 13:08 I'm fully and 100% confident that God is guiding it 13:11 even when He doesn't sky ride it. 13:14 He doesn't send you an email or a text, 13:16 but He's guiding this thing 13:18 and even down to which church you build, 13:23 which school you construct, 13:27 which volunteers get together on a site, 13:29 He's in charge of all that. 13:31 And that's why it works 13:33 because we just aren't smart enough 13:35 to put all that stuff together. 13:37 But looking back at Santo Domingo 13:39 and seeing from 20 some years later, 13:44 the impact is huge. 13:46 There, it's had a big impact on the volunteers, 13:49 and it's changed the organization too. 13:55 Today, it is normal for Maranatha to commit to 50, 13:58 100, or even 1,000 churches in regions of the world 14:03 where the faith community is growing rapidly. 14:06 And it is the Ministry 14:07 of Maranatha Volunteers International 14:10 that Adventist leadership comes to when it needs 14:12 to improve church and school infrastructure. 14:17 Please pray for Maranatha 14:19 as we continue to move forward in faith 14:22 anticipating Jesus' soon return. 14:27 I believe that Maranatha has provided more than schools 14:33 and more than churches, 14:35 they provided the development 14:38 of thousands of individuals 14:42 that went on these projects 14:45 and that changed their life and their witness for God 14:50 everywhere they went after that. 14:53 The best is yet to come. 15:00 Unbelievable growth, 15:02 that's the only way to describe 15:04 what has happened to Maranatha 15:05 since the Santo Domingo 92 project. 15:08 This movement is continuing to grow 15:10 and we need your help 15:12 to meet an increasing demand 15:13 for churches, schools and water wells. 15:18 Visit our website 15:19 to make a financial contribution 15:21 or to see a list of all our upcoming projects. 15:24 When we come back, 15:25 we'll head to an aging school in India 15:28 and see how Maranatha is breathing new life 15:30 into their campus. 15:45 For more than a decade 15:47 Maranatha Mission Stories 15:48 has taken you around the world, 15:50 showing you the need 15:52 and challenging you to get involved. 15:55 Now, we're introducing new ways 15:57 for you to stay informed and inspired about the mission. 16:01 Watch your favorite episode of Maranatha Mission Stories 16:05 as well as other Maranatha videos 16:06 on your Apple TV. 16:09 Visit the App Store, 16:11 search for the Maranatha channel 16:13 and hit install. 16:16 You'll have access 16:17 to all of our latest video content, 16:19 and you can watch anytime. 16:21 Our videos are available on demand 24 hours a day. 16:26 Our content can also be viewed on Roku and Amazon Fire TV. 16:31 The Maranatha Channel bringing mission adventures 16:34 to your living room. 16:42 For more than 20 years 16:44 Maranatha has been working in India, 16:46 constructing more than 1, 700 churches 16:49 all over the country. 16:51 But beyond providing places of worship, 16:53 building schools is also a major part of our work. 17:03 For more than 80 years, 17:05 thousands of students have passed through the campus 17:07 of the Khunti Adventist School, 17:11 located in eastern India, 17:13 which started out as a thatched roof mud hut 17:15 has grown to an expansive 37 acre campus 17:18 with multiple buildings and more than 1,300 students. 17:24 Yet Khunti isn't only for Adventist children. 17:28 The school draws students 17:29 from all religious and secular backgrounds. 17:33 Reaching people with the gospel in this part of India 17:35 is especially challenging. 17:38 The area includes 17:39 some of the most sacred sites of the Hindu faith, 17:42 including what is considered the holiest city, 17:44 Varanasi. 17:48 An effective method 17:49 of spreading the gospel in this region 17:51 includes offering quality education 17:53 in Adventist schools. 17:55 The majority of students 17:57 who attend the Khunti School are not Adventist. 18:00 Parents send their children 18:01 because of the quality education they receive 18:04 and the moral values that are conveyed 18:06 in and out of the classroom. 18:10 Over the years, 18:12 more and more families 18:13 were choosing Khunti for their children. 18:15 But as enrollment grew, 18:17 it became difficult for the school 18:18 to keep up with the demand. 18:20 To ease overcrowding, 18:21 the school converted old staff housing 18:24 into additional classrooms, 18:26 but the move scattered elementary students 18:28 all over campus. 18:30 What's more, 18:32 the infrastructure was showing its age. 18:36 When I used to enter this school, 18:37 I used to see all those old structures, 18:40 windows falling down, doors falling down, 18:43 walls crumbling down 18:45 and gave a very pathetic picture of the whole school. 18:50 And I could guess 18:52 how children must be feeling sitting in old, 18:56 means, all broken, floor broken, 18:59 roof falling and that kind of classroom, 19:02 so whether their morale is lifted up or brought down. 19:07 And that's why I felt that these buildings in this school 19:11 has to be removed and new ones have to come in their places 19:16 but then resources are always limited. 19:20 They don't have proper place to sit 19:23 because during rainy season roof leaks, 19:26 so we have to push their desk this side, that side, 19:29 so they find very difficult. 19:31 During summer season roofs are very low. 19:35 It is tin shed, tin roof so they feel very hot, 19:39 so they are uncomfortable. 19:43 The student population 19:44 soon outgrew all of the meeting places on campus. 19:48 They held assemblies in the cafeteria 19:50 but there wasn't enough space for everyone to sit, 19:52 forcing latecomers to stand in the back. 19:56 Students and staff began praying 19:58 that God would provide a solution 20:00 and they reached out to Maranatha for help. 20:03 After evaluating the needs, 20:05 Maranatha committed to building 20:06 a large elementary education center 20:08 on the Khunti campus. 20:11 In April of 2018, a small group of school staff, 20:15 Maranatha staff, 20:16 and community leaders met to pray 20:18 and conduct a ceremonial ground breaking of the new building. 20:23 Work at the site began immediately. 20:26 The Christmas Family Project 20:27 was the first of several volunteer groups to work 20:29 on the large structure. 20:32 When they arrived on campus, 20:33 volunteers immediately recognized 20:35 the dire need for new classrooms. 20:39 Here learning environment right now 20:40 is not as good as it could be. 20:44 And I think that the fact 20:46 that some Christians and followers of Christ 20:48 decided to come and do this for them, 20:50 shows how much Jesus actually loves them. 20:55 And I think that will make an amazing impact on them 20:57 and not just on this generation, 20:59 but on future generations to come. 21:01 In mere months, 21:03 an empty plot on the campus 21:04 was transformed into a beautiful structure 21:07 and the building was ready to dedicate. 21:10 Adventist Church leaders from all over India, 21:12 as well as Maranatha leadership attended the opening ceremony. 21:17 Along with students and guests, 21:19 more than a 1, 000 people gathered 21:21 for the ribbon cutting. 21:23 We are very much impressed 21:25 with the Maranatha building 21:28 that has been just today inaugurated. 21:31 And today, 21:33 it was excited moment that the students are so happy 21:37 to receive this building and we praise God. 21:41 And we have got 12 rooms and its beautiful auditorium. 21:48 And we know that these students who are eager 21:53 and they long to see this building. 21:56 They didn't have 21:58 enough classrooms 22:00 and didn't have the auditorium 22:03 and it will be a history for the church 22:07 to have such a beautiful building 22:10 that has been given by Maranatha, 22:12 and we are happy 22:13 of these volunteers and the donors 22:16 who have given this beautiful building. 22:21 The new building has also gained the interest 22:23 of passersby who were curious 22:24 about the construction of the large facility. 22:28 The community here, 22:30 they have been first wondering as to what this building is, 22:33 but when they saw lately the sign it is written, 22:37 Sue Krueger Elementary Education Center. 22:40 They knew that this is something great. 22:42 And we told them 22:43 that this is the elementary section 22:45 where your children are going to study here 22:48 and they were so excited and said 22:49 and they are going to send more of their... 22:51 And now this will be from the community 22:53 from far when they look at it. 22:55 There is an elementary education center in our school 22:58 and more students of the little ones 23:00 will be here with us. 23:04 The new structure contains 12 classrooms, 23:06 allowing elementary grades to be housed together. 23:10 In the center of the building is a large open area 23:13 that can accommodate assemblies and chapels. 23:15 On Sabbath, 23:17 the space can be used for church. 23:20 With more space, 23:21 the school will be able to accept 23:22 more children next year. 23:25 That's one of the only English speaking schools in the area. 23:28 Families are eager 23:29 for their children to attend Khunti 23:31 where they also learn about Jesus and the Bible. 23:35 Overall the goal for the students 23:37 is that they learn about Jesus. 23:41 We have been talking about to them in the class, 23:44 and in turn, few of them, you know, at the end, 23:48 as they rise up from one class to the another, 23:53 they will see the glory of God from the teachers coming out. 23:58 And the goal is to prepare them for the heavenly kingdom. 24:04 We are so much thankful for the Maranatha donors, 24:08 the volunteers, 24:10 those who have been coming and visiting our campus 24:13 and working, you know, 24:14 and they have a great impact on our children. 24:17 And we like to thank all the volunteers 24:20 those who came all the way 24:22 from different parts of the country 24:24 and to the world and to this place 24:28 to just to serve our school and the students of our school. 24:32 Thank you so much. 24:34 Thanks to the generous support of Maranatha donors 24:37 as well as the hard work of more than 100 volunteers, 24:40 students at the Khunti Adventist School 24:42 have beautiful new classrooms. 24:45 Maranatha needs your continued support 24:47 to provide more opportunities 24:49 for Christian education in India. 24:51 Consider making a gift 24:53 to help us build more schools in India. 24:55 To give, visit maranatha.org 24:58 or call the number on your screen. 25:10 This summer head over to Kenya 25:12 for a special mission trip 25:13 at the Kajiado Adventist School and Rescue Center. 25:16 From June 11-23, 25:18 we're looking for volunteers 25:19 to help construct classrooms on campus. 25:22 The classrooms will serve students 25:23 entering high school. 25:25 Most of the students are girls 25:26 who have escaped childhood marriage 25:28 and now live at the rescue center. 25:30 Volunteers will also coordinate local outreach 25:32 such as health education and children's programs. 25:36 Also in June, 25:37 give your children the experience of a lifetime 25:39 by joining us on our annual family project. 25:42 From June 17-28, 25:44 we're taking a team to Arequipa, Peru 25:46 where we'll be building a new church 25:48 for the Los Portales congregation. 25:50 We'll also organize plenty of community outreach, 25:52 including medical and dental clinics 25:54 and health education. 25:56 Family projects are specially designed 25:58 for people of all ages, 25:59 and even includes a day camp program 26:01 for volunteers under 12 years old. 26:04 Learn more about these mission trips 26:05 and many others 26:06 on our website at maranatha.org. 26:20 The numbers may be bigger, 26:22 the impact may have increased, 26:24 but one thing remains constant. 26:27 God guides our work. 26:38 He guides us to every congregation 26:40 who has been praying for a new place of worship. 26:49 To every father hoping for their children 26:51 to have a better future. 26:57 To every mother 26:58 looking for clean water for their family. 27:04 To every volunteer 27:05 searching for transformation through service. 27:28 This is our mission. 27:32 And through Christ, 27:34 we will continue to think big for the kingdom. |
Revised 2020-10-26