Maranatha Mission Stories

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

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Series Code: MMS

Program Code: MMS009139S


00:01 Hi, I'm Dustin Comm with the Maranatha Minute.
00:03 Maranatha recently wrapped its second project
00:05 in the town of Paradise, California.
00:07 The 2018 campfire devastated this community
00:11 and now many residents are living out of RVs
00:13 with no place to store their belongings.
00:16 In 2019,
00:17 Maranatha built 202 storage sheds for Paradise,
00:20 and this September followed it up with another 118.
00:24 The 185 volunteers on this project
00:27 faced extraordinary challenges
00:29 like extreme heat, nearby wildfire evacuations,
00:32 and hazardous air quality due to the smoke.
00:35 Work was even suspended for two days,
00:37 but volunteers worked hard when they could
00:39 to finish these urgently needed structures.
00:43 There are still many Paradise residents in need.
00:45 So a third shed project is set for October 26
00:49 to meet the high demand.
00:51 Watch inspiring videos about this project
00:53 and much more in our recent television special
00:56 Mission Maranatha.
00:57 You can watch anytime on our website.
01:51 More than 16 million people live in the country of Zambia.
01:57 Although this sub-Saharan country
01:58 is most famous for wonders such as Victoria Falls,
02:02 most people can be found living far off the beaten path.
02:20 Lilian lives in the village of Lwendge
02:22 with her husband and their 10 children.
02:25 A teacher by profession,
02:26 Lilian moved to the village years ago
02:28 to care for her disabled father.
02:32 Now, she makes a meager living by traveling into the forest,
02:35 cutting down trees and making charcoal.
02:39 Her situation is not ideal.
02:41 Farming or raising livestock are not options due to drought,
02:45 lack of financial resources and clean water.
02:50 In fact, the nearest well is a few kilometers away
02:53 and Lilian must make several trips a day
02:55 to provide water for her family.
02:59 We suffer a lot here
03:01 because the water is very deep.
03:07 You can't dig with hands.
03:10 It's very difficult, anyway.
03:12 But we have to do it because water is life.
03:25 Despite the difficulties,
03:26 Lilian has found strength
03:28 through her faith connection to God
03:30 and her local church.
03:32 It's important because I find it easy,
03:36 when I am in difficulties,
03:38 I find that my members are the ones to empower me.
03:42 And that encouraged me also to do so,
03:45 so that those who are in difficulties,
03:50 they can also be empowered as I was.
03:54 Lilian attends the Lwendge Seventh-day Adventist Church.
03:57 This congregation started 15 years ago
04:00 and membership has grown to 78 members.
04:03 They are zealous
04:04 about spreading God's love to their neighbors.
04:08 The passion this group has for sharing Christ
04:10 is something you'll find all over the country.
04:12 Because of this,
04:13 Zambia is an area of the world
04:15 with one of the largest Adventist memberships.
04:18 What motivates them to become part of the church
04:21 is actually the knowledge that they receive
04:23 that Jesus loves them
04:25 even before them decided to love Jesus.
04:28 But then He was the one who first decided to love them.
04:31 And so when they realize that actually
04:33 we have someone who loves us, or who loved us before,
04:36 then they are motivated to join the church.
04:40 This rapidly growing church creates challenges.
04:43 Eddie Himoonde is the pastor of the Lwendge congregation,
04:47 but they are just one of the many groups
04:49 he is responsible for.
04:51 In my district, I have 35 organized churches,
04:54 and the area is about 200 kilometers apart.
05:00 Yes, the whole district membership is about 11,260.
05:05 Caring for more than 11,000 members
05:07 is very demanding.
05:08 Visiting the numerous churches in his area
05:10 is a difficult endeavor,
05:12 especially since Pastor Himoonde
05:13 doesn't have access to reliable transportation.
05:16 Sometimes I take maybe a week or two weeks,
05:20 just walking to the furthest church,
05:23 because I don't have a car, I don't have a motorbike,
05:26 I walk.
05:28 And sometimes members, sometimes who agree,
05:30 they come and pick me up on their motorcycle.
05:32 They cycle me to that church.
05:34 But if there's no one who's having even a bicycle
05:35 in that area,
05:37 then I have to walk through, I sleep on the way,
05:39 wake up in the morning and then continue moving
05:41 until I reach to that church.
05:43 Then I begin visiting the members now,
05:45 one on one,
05:47 praying with them,
05:48 seeing how they are doing and encouraging them.
05:50 Then I get back to my home again.
05:52 The large area makes visits few and far between.
05:57 In a year it's once.
05:59 Yes.
06:00 On average it's once because these 35 organized churches.
06:03 And then I still have smaller churches again,
06:05 about 20 of them, which also need my attention.
06:08 So if I visit this church here,
06:10 for me to rotate back to this church,
06:12 it's a challenge.
06:14 So what helps me basically is to train the laymen.
06:18 Laymen are well trained,
06:19 well organized that even if I'm not there,
06:21 they'll still carry on with activities.
06:23 And then they just give me the reports.
06:25 Unless there is something is so much challenging,
06:26 then they call me.
06:28 I quickly come to their aid.
06:36 Pastor Himoonde relies
06:38 on dedicated members like Lilian
06:39 to keep the churches alive and vibrant.
06:42 But one element many congregations
06:44 are still missing
06:45 is an adequate place to worship.
06:47 Although some groups
06:49 are able to build church structures,
06:50 many are left worshiping under trees
06:52 or in simple shelters
06:54 like the members have built in the Lwendge.
06:57 The challenge that I face
06:59 when such incidents happened where we evangelize,
07:03 maybe public campaign,
07:04 then there people give themselves.
07:06 But then when they come to the actual church,
07:09 they find that actually
07:10 where we are worshiping is not conducive.
07:15 There are no seats,
07:17 they are worshipping under the tree
07:18 or maybe under the grass,
07:20 then it becomes a challenge for them to stay on.
07:23 They feel like,
07:25 they cannot really stay on in this church.
07:28 They need a better structure.
07:29 We have some that actually leave this place
07:32 to go and worship in some far distant church
07:35 because there they have at least a structure
07:37 they have built.
07:39 But here they feel like,
07:40 "No. We cannot worship our God in this scenario."
07:44 The challenges Pastor Himoonde faces
07:46 are echoed all across Zambia.
07:48 There just aren't enough churches.
07:51 From 2009 to 2015,
07:53 Maranatha responded to a request
07:55 from the Adventist Church in Zambia
07:56 and built more than 300 churches
07:59 all over the country.
08:00 Since then,
08:01 Adventist membership in Zambia
08:03 has grown to more than 1.2 million people.
08:06 But the rapid growth means
08:07 there are still congregations
08:09 without proper places to worship.
08:11 In 2018 Maranatha returned to Zambia
08:14 to once again build more churches.
08:17 This requires a dedicated local construction team
08:19 that travels from town to town
08:21 bringing the hope of a church to numerous congregations.
08:25 The process of building churches
08:26 includes two visits from the crew.
08:28 First,
08:29 they traveled to the site
08:31 to install metal bases anchored in concrete.
08:33 This ensures that the building has a solid foundation.
08:41 Once this base is hardened and cured,
08:43 the crew loads up the necessary pieces
08:45 for the structure and roof
08:46 and return to complete the church.
08:49 Today, they're headed to Lwendge.
08:52 As the day passes, work steadily progresses.
08:54 The crew is joined by church members
08:56 and other people from the community.
08:58 Everyone is excited
09:00 about the new development in their town.
09:02 Having a proper structure in this area
09:04 actually is evangelism on its own.
09:07 Because like now, we are doing here at Lwendge,
09:10 Maranatha is giving us this structure,
09:13 it becomes easier for me even to evangelize,
09:15 because just the structure itself
09:17 will be preaching to the people around here.
09:19 Already people are already coming here
09:21 and seeing what is happening.
09:22 They just heard the noise here, the works that are going on.
09:25 People are asking, "What is happening there?
09:27 What is happening there?"
09:28 Then they believe that
09:29 now we are worshipping a true God
09:31 because they have given us a structure.
09:32 And then the people will just come on their own.
09:35 Activity on the construction site
09:36 is already enlarging the Lwendge congregation.
09:39 Several members that had drifted away from the group
09:41 have returned
09:43 not only to help build their new church,
09:44 but to reconnect with God and their church family.
09:48 We are very, very excited as a family,
09:52 not only as a family but the entire community.
09:56 We are very, very, very happy and we really appreciate it,
10:01 the job well done.
10:04 This structure will even change many lives of people
10:10 because what they were crying for has now come.
10:14 God has answered our prayers through you.
10:19 And may God bless you abundantly.
10:22 And I think next time we shall have more members
10:27 than we have right now.
10:30 This simple steel frame is providing not only shelter,
10:33 but hope for congregations all over Zambia.
10:37 It might look simple in their eyes,
10:39 but it is big in this community.
10:42 Because it has never happened before.
10:44 The people have never seen such a structure here.
10:47 You see, even the houses around,
10:49 if you're to move around,
10:50 there are no iron sheets around.
10:51 You just use the grass and stuff.
10:53 So when they see just this simple structure,
10:55 it's not simple as it may look like.
10:57 It is big. It will go a long way.
11:00 The ones that Maranatha provided,
11:02 in the first place
11:03 people are very happy about these structures.
11:05 So they are already calling "Pastor,
11:07 we have already started now molding bricks,
11:10 because we have seen that God has come to our aid."
11:12 They are now mobilizing themselves
11:14 to mold the bricks, burn the bricks
11:16 and then begin building the walls.
11:19 If you come back next year,
11:20 you will not find them as open as they are now.
11:25 It's Sabbath morning,
11:26 and one of church members are meeting for worship.
11:29 A few weeks ago,
11:30 their worship experience was far different
11:32 as they were meeting under
11:33 a wall-less thatched roofed structure.
11:35 Their attempt at constructing a church
11:37 sits vacant as the group ran out of resources
11:40 and had to abandon their efforts.
11:42 But then Maranatha came
11:43 and built them a new church
11:45 changing everything for this congregation.
11:48 On the structure when it was built,
11:50 we're motivated.
11:52 We did different kinds of evangelistic programs,
11:58 we invited a lot of people to see the structure
12:02 and how the Adventist movement as Maranatha has helped us.
12:07 It just brought a lot of things to us.
12:10 Yeah, even the way of worship, I think we have improved.
12:15 It is very important that Maranatha continues.
12:18 Actually, I still,
12:20 I'm still going through some pressure now
12:22 because other churches that have heard
12:24 that the Maranatha is building and has built, they are saying,
12:27 "When are they coming here also?
12:29 Because we also need their help."
12:31 When we come back,
12:33 we'll leave the bush and head to Zambia's fourth largest city
12:36 where a small school is making a big impact.
12:50 Although international mission trips are limited right now,
12:53 Maranatha has a number of projects
12:55 coming up in the United States.
12:57 This January,
12:58 escape winter by serving at Camp Kulaqua in Florida.
13:01 This camp is one of the largest
13:03 Seventh-day Adventist summer camps in North America.
13:06 Maranatha is coming for the third year in a row,
13:08 this time to construct a large open air pavilion
13:11 and pour a concrete floor.
13:13 In the spring come to sunny Arizona
13:15 and volunteer at Camp Yavapines.
13:18 This summer camp has served kids and adults
13:20 since 1947
13:22 and needs help maintaining their sprawling acreage.
13:25 Volunteers on this project will help with landscaping,
13:28 clearing deadwood, building bunk beds,
13:30 and constructing bridges over nearby creeks.
13:33 There may not be
13:34 as many international projects currently,
13:36 but there's plenty of work in the United States
13:39 and we need your help.
13:40 To learn more information
13:42 about both of these mission trips,
13:43 and to see our upcoming project calendar,
13:46 visit our website at maranatha.org/volunteer.
13:54 The city of Kabwe
13:55 sits in the central province of Zambia.
13:57 It was founded as a mining town.
13:59 And although the mines have closed,
14:01 commercial farming and other industries
14:02 continue to fuel Zambia's fourth biggest city.
14:06 Kabwe has a vibrant Adventist community.
14:09 Drive throughout the city
14:10 and you'll encounter dozens of Adventist churches
14:12 of all shapes and sizes.
14:15 But for many years,
14:16 the Adventist community was lacking
14:18 one major component, a school.
14:21 The schools that we had here are secular schools
14:24 as well as Catholic schools, basically.
14:27 Now what used to disturb most of the Adventists,
14:32 particularly our conference workers,
14:34 was the issue
14:35 of having those secular meetings
14:38 on the Sabbath.
14:39 Every time there's PTA, on Sabbath.
14:45 There's this kind of gathering Sabbath.
14:47 Hey!
14:49 And it really disturbed them.
14:51 Every time they have to excuse themselves.
14:53 "No. Sorry."
14:54 They have to beat about the bush.
14:56 "I won't be available.
14:57 I'm traveling to such and such a place.
14:59 There's this function."
15:01 Hence, there was need now that we come about to,
15:04 we come out with this school for,
15:06 this church school.
15:08 In 2006,
15:10 the Kabwe Adventist School began with 64 students.
15:14 Each passing week was a matter of prayer
15:16 as no one knew if the school would survive.
15:19 And it began as a real baby.
15:24 No one was sure
15:25 that this school would grow up what it is now.
15:28 Okay.
15:29 Struggling with enrollment, 64 pupils.
15:34 That's how our school progressed.
15:38 It opened to the public on eight of January.
15:42 And the pupils in the class maybe here there are three,
15:46 other class there are four.
15:47 And you would wonder,
15:49 "Is this school ever going to be filled?"
15:51 But despite the small size,
15:53 they were devoted to providing the best,
15:55 most well-rounded education in town.
15:58 And enrollment grew.
16:01 Why?
16:02 Because it clicked in everyone's mind.
16:05 Most of our parents around that Adventist education,
16:12 basically, it is a two-sided coin.
16:16 Okay.
16:17 The development of a spiritual being,
16:19 as well as excellence in the world that we live in.
16:24 Thirteen years later, the baby school is thriving.
16:27 Enrollment has grown to more than 500.
16:30 And the campus now offers education from preschool
16:33 through secondary school.
16:35 Over the last decade,
16:36 the Kabwe Adventist School has set itself apart
16:39 in the sea of education choices in town.
16:46 Local Adventist families aren't the only one
16:49 sending their children to study there.
16:51 Currently 65% of the student population is non-Adventist.
16:55 The local community at large
16:57 has discovered high quality education
16:59 offered on the campus.
17:01 The differences are quite subtle, right?
17:04 So we have the holistic approach
17:06 of the physical, the mental and the spiritual faculties.
17:09 So when we are training their hands,
17:10 we're giving them a skill set
17:11 that other schools do not offer.
17:14 Mostly, people send their kids to school
17:16 just to get the intellectual aspect.
17:19 Have your kids, you know,
17:21 astute and get them very schooled and learned.
17:26 There's also a spiritual aspect to it.
17:27 There are certain challenges that people face in life
17:30 that your intellect might not get you through.
17:32 So you need that spiritual aspect.
17:34 You also need the skill set to help you navigate
17:36 through life's problems and challenges quite easily.
17:39 One of the items
17:40 that contributes to the holistic education
17:42 offered at the Kabwe Adventist School
17:44 is an intentional focus on spiritual development.
17:47 The school staff includes a team of chaplains
17:49 led by Mawuse Michello.
17:52 They care for the spiritual needs
17:53 of each and every person connected with the school.
17:56 So my function is to offer
17:58 the spiritual aspect of the school.
18:00 So remember we have the mental aspect,
18:02 we have the physical aspect.
18:04 So I help out with both the spiritual and the social
18:07 integration of the child.
18:09 And not just the pupils themselves,
18:11 but also the staff members.
18:12 So we do works like counseling
18:16 for both staff members and pupils.
18:18 And even parents when they do see fit.
18:22 We do talk to parents when they come to get reports
18:24 for their children,
18:26 and they do visit our office as well
18:28 just to help them understand
18:29 that we need a balance between the homeschooling
18:32 and the actual space that we have here
18:35 between the teacher and the child.
18:37 The chaplain's work is basically
18:38 quite massive at this place.
18:42 Mawuse has learned that
18:43 ensuring a child's emotional and spiritual needs are met
18:47 makes for more engaged students,
18:49 encouraging and interacting with students
18:51 as well as visiting families in their homes
18:53 is a regular part of his work.
18:55 In this time and age in which we're living in,
18:57 a lot of homes are broken.
19:00 Those that are being made are not made
19:02 on the spiritual stance that they should,
19:04 so it affects the well-being of the child psychologically,
19:08 it affects them socially.
19:09 They become very disruptive.
19:12 But if we can bring in that component
19:14 where we have a school where we build good citizens
19:17 and candidates for heaven as well,
19:18 it actually does a lot for this community
19:21 and the world to come as well.
19:23 So we need more than just this school,
19:26 but most schools to actually open up
19:28 and help with the social well-being
19:31 of the community at large.
19:32 The quality of education offered on the Kabwe campus
19:35 and the nurturing staff
19:37 has families flocking to the school.
19:39 When I first came here,
19:41 I did a sample
19:43 because I really wanted quality education in the kids.
19:48 So when I went around,
19:51 I was told there is Kabwe Adventist School
19:53 being a Christian school.
19:55 So I went there to look for space for the kids.
20:01 It was not easy
20:02 because space there are limited.
20:04 And they accepted me to take the children there.
20:09 Chileshe has three daughters,
20:11 all attending the Kabwe Adventist School.
20:14 He lives 30 minutes outside the town,
20:16 which makes the commute to school a bit challenging.
20:19 But to him, the drive is worth it.
20:21 Education is very important.
20:23 Me, I never had that chance.
20:28 My parents,
20:29 they didn't work well to, on my foundation.
20:33 So I did want to create
20:37 a very good foundation for them.
20:39 And it's an investment. I'm trying to budget for it.
20:43 I really want to invest in them so that even when I die,
20:47 once they finish school, they're going to survive.
20:50 So education is the best gift that I can give a child.
20:54 So I've not even looked at the distance.
20:57 It's far from here to town.
20:59 But I'm one of those
21:00 who are trying at least to give quality education.
21:04 Chileshe's assessment of the school
21:06 is shared by other parents
21:07 who want the best education for their children.
21:10 I looked around the schools around Kabwe,
21:15 but when I found that
21:16 the quality for the education you're providing there
21:20 is much more qualitative than any other schools.
21:26 That's what brought me there.
21:29 The school has impacted me
21:32 in a very big way
21:33 because you are providing
21:37 that kind of holistic type of education.
21:43 You get a child
21:44 but you treat that child like your own.
21:48 Then by the time
21:50 they're coming out of your school,
21:53 they are real citizens of our Zambia.
21:58 Gordon's daughter Precious is in secondary school
22:01 and is the top student in her class.
22:03 He is grateful
22:04 for the excellent academic program at Kabwe.
22:06 And the icing on the cake is the relationship they built
22:09 with the school's faculty and staff.
22:11 We are even good friends with the teachers.
22:14 I know their contact numbers, they've been into my home,
22:18 I've been to their school.
22:19 And each time there is anything concerning our child,
22:25 they contact me.
22:27 Chileshe, Gordon
22:28 and their families are not Adventist,
22:30 but they feel fortunate
22:31 to be part of the Kabwe Adventist School family.
22:34 Demand at the school is high, but space is very limited.
22:38 Parents, they really want to take their children
22:40 at Kabwe Adventist School.
22:42 But there is no space and the staff,
22:47 they have restricted themselves in growing their number.
22:51 They have put the control measure there.
22:54 They don't just accept anyone because of their space.
22:58 So they cannot accommodate the classrooms,
23:02 the space is not enough for expansion.
23:05 Because now we also have a challenge of enrollment.
23:08 Because many people are coming. Okay.
23:09 They have realized that Adventist education is sweet.
23:16 They want to test that sweetness.
23:19 And every time we just say,
23:21 "No. There's no space."
23:23 The ideal design is for about 450.
23:28 But we do extend
23:30 because of the large amount of people
23:32 who want to bring their kids here.
23:33 So you have quite a long list of people
23:36 who are on the waiting list,
23:38 in case someone goes off on transfer,
23:39 they will easily bring their child here.
23:41 But we don't have space for everyone as yet.
23:44 There are more than 500 students
23:46 meeting in a space designed for less
23:48 and a long waiting list for admission.
23:51 The school needed to grow,
23:52 but they had no resources to do so.
23:55 Plus, the current campus is landlocked
23:57 with no physical space to expand.
23:59 From 2009-2014,
24:02 Maranatha constructed seven schools in Zambia.
24:05 When the growing need for churches and schools
24:07 brought us back to the country in 2018,
24:10 the expansion of the Kabwe School
24:11 was high on the list of needs.
24:13 Local church leaders identified a large plot of land
24:16 and Maranatha quickly began construction
24:18 on a 12-classroom campus.
24:21 The new site will be for elementary students
24:23 moving them out of cramped facilities
24:25 and into spacious classrooms.
24:27 This also enables the secondary school
24:29 to expand into the existing elementary classrooms.
24:32 When you go into the new campus,
24:34 you see the new buildings that are coming up.
24:36 It actually gives you hope
24:37 that we have more spaces and more doors
24:40 that are open to allow pupils to come through.
24:43 And the beauty of it is,
24:47 for every child that will go through,
24:48 they'll have an opportunity to actually meet Christ
24:50 in the classroom.
24:52 So the more blocks you have,
24:54 the more opportunities for Christ you have
24:55 to expose Him to the community at large.
24:57 Most of them will never have an opportunity
24:59 to get to a church building
25:00 to actually listen to the gospel.
25:02 But when they come to Christian school,
25:03 that's the one opportunity they have.
25:05 So you actually have more of an opportunity
25:07 to minister to them,
25:08 and to share Christ with them.
25:10 So it's beautiful
25:11 when we see the campus growing that much.
25:12 We have more spaces open
25:15 to actually preach the gospel to them.
25:18 This school,
25:21 it is God Himself that is building it.
25:24 But He cannot come from heaven to come and mold bricks.
25:26 But through His agencies He's able to do that.
25:29 So the coming of Maranatha International,
25:31 it's not human dream.
25:35 No. no, no, no, no, no.
25:37 God Himself puts things in place.
25:40 He has got a plan for everything.
25:42 And at every moment, He puts things in place,
25:46 and they just fit in.
25:48 Maranatha's work to provide
25:50 churches, schools and water wells
25:52 is answering prayers all over Zambia.
25:55 But we need your help.
25:57 Help us provide water
25:59 to communities that are thirsty.
26:04 Help us expand opportunities
26:06 for children to learn about their world.
26:11 And the princess gave him a name.
26:15 Do you know the name?
26:17 Who can guess?
26:18 Me. You?
26:20 Moses. Moses.
26:21 Help us spread hope
26:23 through the construction of churches.
26:25 Projects in Zambia are in need of funding.
26:27 And you can help by making a donation.
26:30 Many of the people who walk through those doors
26:32 who never knew Christ at the very start.
26:35 Once they get to know Him
26:36 and they make their choice for Him.
26:38 It would be nice for you to actually get those messages.
26:41 When you get to heaven, someone comes and say,
26:43 "Thank you for giving."
26:44 So it's an opportunity for us to actually serve humanity.
26:47 You might never be the best of preachers,
26:49 you might never make it to history books
26:52 to be known to be people
26:54 who've helped humanity so much so.
26:56 But when we give the little donations that we can,
26:58 we come and help build the school,
27:00 we send our kids to this place,
27:02 those are the few contributions
27:03 that will actually make so much of a difference
27:05 to people around.
27:06 So making a difference in just one's child's life
27:08 is very important.
27:09 And I would ask you to, to try and do it.
27:12 Yeah, it's an opportunity in life
27:13 to serve God in just this small space.
27:17 You may not realize even as Maranatha,
27:19 the work that you are doing now,
27:20 how far it will go,
27:22 and how far it goes in the minds of the people.
27:24 So it is quite important
27:25 that Maranatha continues building these structures here
27:28 because at the end of the day,
27:30 people praise God for this work that you are doing.


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Revised 2020-10-26