Participants:
Series Code: MMS
Program Code: MMS010088S
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00:01 Hi, I'm Dustin Comm with the Maranatha Minute.
00:03 Some people wring in the new year with diets, 00:05 exercise plans and other resolutions, 00:08 or if you're a Maranatha volunteer, 00:10 you kick-start January with a project. 00:13 Maranatha's first project of 2021 00:15 was held in Northern Florida at Camp Kulaqua. 00:18 Here, 38 volunteers helped on a number of tasks 00:21 at the Seventh-day Adventist Camp 00:23 and Retreat Center, 00:24 including cutting down a dozen trees, 00:26 cleaning and creating horse trails, 00:29 painting decks, 00:30 and laying 1500 feet of water line. 00:34 The main project 00:35 was the construction of a 40 by 60 foot pavilion. 00:38 This open air space 00:40 will provide a gathering place for picnics, 00:42 meetings and other events. 00:45 This was Maranatha's third consecutive project 00:47 at Camp Kulaqua, 00:48 and one of the many at camps, schools, and churches 00:51 in the United States and Canada. 00:53 If your organization could use Maranatha's help, 00:56 check out our North American project assistance page 00:58 on our website. 01:08 Imagine a place 01:10 where most people have never heard 01:12 the name Jesus, 01:14 where knowledge about the God of the Bible 01:16 is almost non-existent. 01:18 This is a reality 01:20 for much of the sub-continent of India. 01:22 More than 1 billion people live here, 01:24 many without any exposure to the gospel. 01:28 Here, you find a unique blend of cultures, 01:30 languages, and religions, 01:32 where Christianity is a small minority. 01:35 And for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in India, 01:37 spreading God's love has its challenges. 01:41 In some parts of the country, 01:42 traditional methods are suppressed or hindered. 01:45 The church must explore alternative ways 01:48 of reaching people. 01:50 Today, we'll take a look at two of these approaches 01:53 and how Maranatha is helping 02:17 Images of India 02:18 may not conjure up dry desolate landscapes, 02:22 but the need for clean water here 02:24 is just as desperate as other places in the world. 02:28 The total population of India is 1.8 billion. 02:31 And recently, 02:33 the study done by World Health Organization 02:35 found out that 02:36 half of this population 02:38 does not have access to clean water. 02:39 Now that's a big number. 02:42 Twenty one percent of the diseases 02:43 are waterborne disease in India. 02:47 And so the access to clean water is not there 02:53 for millions of millions of people right now. 02:57 The dilemma prompted Maranatha 02:59 to start a water program in India, 03:01 pairing a new well 03:03 with a new church in areas of need. 03:06 The church that we recently dedicated 03:08 Singhimari Church. 03:09 And we found out there, 03:11 when we had just gone to start the construction over there, 03:15 that there were people 03:17 who were using the water 03:18 which was not very far from the church, 03:21 but it was an open well, and it was contaminated. 03:24 We found the layers on the well, 03:26 and the people would just come and take that water 03:29 and take it to their home and drink it. 04:40 Spreading the word of God in my country 04:45 because it's not as easy as it used to be many years back. 04:48 You know, things have changed here quite a bit. 04:51 And one of the ways of reaching out to people 04:56 is water well community service. 05:00 You know, you have this water well 05:03 which is open for everybody. 05:05 It's like an open communion, you know. 05:07 Come, be a part of it. 05:09 This is yours. 05:11 And so the people will just walk and they say, 05:14 "Oh, this well is there. 05:16 I can go and pick my water. 05:18 Where does this well... 05:20 Who does this well belong to?" 05:22 "Oh, this belongs to this church." 05:24 That opens up the well. 05:25 Another aspect, the key people will come to the church. 05:30 They will ask the pastor, 05:32 "What's happening here?" 05:33 They tell them the story of Jesus. 05:46 Another church that we dedicated this Sabbath 05:49 was Mantharam Church. 05:51 And the condition over there was very sad 05:55 because they were crying. 05:56 They were getting the water from the pond 05:58 right next to the church. 05:59 And they were using that water. 06:02 Sometimes they would even go to some houses in the village 06:05 who have the water, you know. 06:09 It is walking quite a bit of distance, 06:12 you know, going from one place to the other 06:14 and getting the water. 06:16 But not everybody 06:17 will give them access to the water. 06:19 Now, again, this comes to a point 06:20 where we have the caste system in our country, you know. 06:25 The people of the higher caste 06:28 will not allow our people 06:30 to take water from their well, you know. 06:32 So they don't have the access to water. 06:35 So they completely depend on those dirty pounds. 06:38 When it rains, 06:40 the pond gets accumulated with water. 06:42 And that's where they grab their water. 07:28 By providing that well, 07:30 it has helped them 07:31 because now their women are safe. 07:33 So, I asked her what is the reason? 07:34 She said that 07:36 when they would go out into the village 07:37 and they'll go to a certain house 07:40 and they're going and taking the water from the well, 07:43 there'll be a man. 07:44 So there they're hesitant. 07:46 They're not sure that 07:47 whether they should enter that house or not. 07:49 They might be attacked 07:50 or something bad might happen to them. 07:52 So, you know, 07:53 well not only gives water for your body, 07:59 but it also protects you. 08:01 By providing such a crucial resource, 08:04 Maranatha is helping the Adventist Church in India 08:07 create new relationships 08:08 between churches and communities. 08:11 Relationships that open the door 08:13 to sharing God's love. 08:59 Jesus' commission was 09:01 that he reached out to everybody, 09:03 regardless of people 09:05 who were high, at high class or the low class. 09:08 One of the aspect of His mission work 09:10 was to reach out to the people who are downtrodden. 09:14 And I feel that 09:17 well is an important aspect of spreading the Word of God. 09:20 You know, you don't have to open the Bible and teach, 09:24 you have to show them with your actions, 09:27 and giving them the water... 09:29 thirst. 09:30 Thirst is something that there is no cure for it. 09:36 You need it, you need it. 09:38 And when you open that well for everybody, 09:41 you're not only quenching the thirst of their body, 09:44 but you're also quenching the thirst of their soul. 09:48 Since 2018, 09:50 43 communities across India 09:52 have benefited from a new water well 09:53 from Maranatha. 09:57 And we're committed to continue 09:59 providing this life giving resource 10:01 into the future. 10:10 When we come back, 10:11 see another way 10:13 the Adventist Church in India is growing. 10:15 Sometimes even in horrendous conditions 10:18 and how Maranatha is helping. 10:34 Have you ever met someone who didn't like waterfalls? 10:37 We haven't either. 10:39 The dollars you give 10:40 to Maranatha Volunteers International 10:42 are creating waterfalls. 10:46 Like this one in India, 10:50 in Kenya and Brazil. 10:55 Maranatha is bringing clean, accessible water 10:58 to hundreds of communities. 11:01 Water for all that eases the burden 11:03 on these women and their families. 11:06 Water that in some cases would have to be purchased, 11:09 depleting monthly income, 11:11 water that is safe to drink and share with a neighbor, 11:17 water to grow a garden, 11:20 water for children going to school. 11:25 So the next time 11:26 you're inspired by one of these, 11:27 think about saving a life with one of these. 11:37 In India, 11:39 conventional ways of sharing God's Word aren't possible. 11:42 So the Adventist Church 11:44 must reach people through different means, 11:46 like providing clean water. 11:49 Another way to share God's love in the community 11:52 is by offering a high quality education 11:54 through Adventist schools. 11:57 It has been tough in past couple of years that 12:00 the Word of God cannot be spread 12:02 the way it used to be spread. 12:04 But, you know, when one door closes, 12:07 the other door opens, you know. 12:09 And the Word of God cannot be stopped. 12:12 And one of the ways 12:14 of spreading the Word of God is education. 12:25 Seventh-day Adventist education is very important in this area 12:31 because the people have started to understand that 12:35 the meaning of education 12:37 is not only to get mental education, 12:41 but they feel that it involve the whole person. 12:47 So they feel that 12:50 Adventist education is the only education 12:52 that can provide mental education, 12:57 physical education, and spiritual. 13:04 When the school is successful, 13:08 usually it is a success of the church as well. 13:11 So we are in the story of Mary and Joseph. 13:16 As they teach the children moral values. 13:21 You know, sometimes the children, 13:23 when they go home, 13:26 they talk to their parents and they tell their parents 13:29 whatever they have learned from the school. 13:32 When the parents see the change in the children, 13:34 they will come and they'll ask, 13:37 "How is this change happening?" 13:39 And there has been instances 13:41 where the parents have joined the church, 13:43 along with the children. 13:47 This transforming influence can be seen 13:49 at the Jingshai Mihngi Adventist School 13:52 in Northeast India. 13:54 Four hundred seventy seven students attend. 13:57 It offers grades K through 10, 13:59 and most of the students are not Adventist. 14:03 The school is popular with families 14:05 because of its strong ethical standards 14:07 and quality teachers. 14:17 Hynorra Rani is not Adventist, 14:19 but she has already sent one of her children 14:21 through the Jingshai Mihngi School, 14:24 and has three more currently attending. 14:27 I choose my children to send in this school 14:31 because in this area, this school is the best school. 14:35 That's because their teachers also, 14:40 they are good, even the principal. 14:42 So we get a chance, 14:43 if you have any problem with our children, 14:46 we can share. 14:48 We do have risk factors except that now it has... 14:51 This school is very different from others 14:53 because here we teach them moral lesson. 14:55 And then they learned a lot about what... 14:59 Many children, they learn about Jesus 15:03 and many non-Adventists, 15:05 especially this area, 15:07 more of the students here are non-Adventist 15:12 and they learn, 15:14 and they like to attend our church. 15:19 I mean, in this school, 15:20 they don't only teach us about subjects, 15:21 but even teach us moral values that factored in that 15:25 we can communicate with God. 15:27 We do assembly every day. 15:29 So we worship, we have worship every day. 15:35 I learned a lot 15:37 because we sing gospel songs here. 15:40 Every morning, we would have short devotion in here 15:43 and we read memory verse, 15:45 and it develops us 15:49 in knowing about God. 15:52 They really have interest in taking part in this. 15:55 They learn a lot about God from this 15:58 through this worship, or through this moral lesson. 16:05 Whatever you're planning to do... 16:06 Families appreciate 16:08 the well-rounded education students receive 16:10 at Jingshai Mihngi. 16:12 Students are stretched spiritually. 16:15 They are also challenged academically 16:17 and perform well on standardized tests. 16:20 We have a board exam after 10, 16:25 then they'll have to appear for the board exam. 16:28 So what happened, 16:29 I can see that our teachers are very hardworking teacher. 16:33 We work as a team. 16:34 And then so far we produce a good result. 16:38 We prepare the students in good way 16:41 for the board exams. 16:42 Like I told you, my daughter passed the board exam. 16:44 Board exams means 16:46 they compete with other schools. 16:47 She's really coming up with flying colors. 16:52 Though the Jingshai Mihngi School 16:53 has a great reputation with the community 16:55 in many ways, 16:57 it is merely surviving 16:58 when it comes to the desperate condition 17:00 of the physical facilities. 17:08 I feel like I'm always living in fear. 17:13 Because why? 17:14 The school is about to... 17:17 I don't know for how long it will be, it was time. 17:22 It's sinking. 17:24 And then when it rained, it's flooding. 17:29 And sometime, you know, there are holes 17:31 because there are holes even in our classroom 17:37 in underground there are holes. 17:38 So what happened? 17:40 The water is seeping into the classroom. 17:44 It's leaking. 17:46 So sometime, you know, we have to tell our children. 17:50 Yeah, please don't sit here, we have to fix this. 17:56 When, sometimes it's raining, 17:58 especially when we are in these tins, 18:01 like there's a lot of noise. 18:03 So sometimes you have to stop our teaching 18:06 and we have to do something else, 18:08 maybe singing or that. 18:10 So that happens when it rains. 18:12 And then not only that, 18:14 even like the water seeping from the roof, 18:19 you know, in some of the classes. 18:23 You know, sometime I just read that, 18:25 God, please, uh, 18:27 you please stop the rain till the school is over 18:31 because we don't want. 18:33 We know that, when it rain what will happen, 18:37 then the light will go off. 18:39 And the children, they cannot open the windows. 18:42 If you open the windows, rain will come. 18:45 So we have to sit in the dark 18:48 and then sometimes I have to run away 18:52 because tears, when I look at my students. 18:56 So I just go in the corner and then I used to pray. 19:02 Leaky, dark, congested classrooms 19:08 flooded sinking buildings. 19:12 These conditions are inadequate on their own. 19:15 But when we come back 19:17 hear what it is like dealing with all of these factors, 19:20 plus an open sewer line, 19:22 five feet from the classrooms. 19:34 In 2020, 19:35 many of Maranatha's International 19:37 Volunteer projects were put on hold, 19:39 but in December 19:40 we held our first overseas volunteer project 19:42 in nearly nine months in Africa. 19:45 This March, join us on the same continent 19:47 in the country of Zambia. 19:49 Volunteers on this mission trip will construct a building 19:52 for the Liomba Adventist School. 19:54 The school was established in 1928, 19:57 and many of the buildings are deteriorating. 20:00 There isn't enough space 20:01 for the 360 students who attend, 20:03 and staff housing is also limited 20:05 with one teacher 20:07 bedding down in a classroom each night. 20:10 Maranatha is responding to this need 20:12 by building new classrooms, bathrooms 20:15 and staff housing at Liomba. 20:17 Volunteers on this project 20:19 will help us construct one of these buildings. 20:22 There will also be opportunities 20:23 to conduct community outreach 20:24 through activities like children's ministry programs 20:27 and health education. 20:29 Learn more about this project at maranatha.org/volunteer. 20:45 Anyone can build a church, 20:46 simply give just $10 each month. 20:49 And your donation, along with thousands of others, 20:52 will fund a new place of worship 20:53 every month. 20:56 The potential for change is all around you. 20:59 All you have to do is look. 21:10 The Jingshai Mihngi Adventist School 21:12 has many problems with its campus, 21:15 but perhaps the worst is the constant stench 21:18 of raw sewage. 21:19 An open sewer line 21:21 sits directly next to the classrooms 21:23 making studying and teaching nearly impossible. 21:28 You know, in the beginning, actually, 21:31 not many peoples around. 21:33 So the drainage is still okay. 21:36 But as population is increasing, 21:39 so what happened? 21:42 The dirty, muddy, 21:44 all those things get stuck in a place where we are, 21:48 almost very near to the classroom. 21:52 Well, for us who experienced it, 21:54 it's quite terrible, 21:56 but really 21:57 I cannot really show you on the camera on that. 22:00 But really when we get into the class, 22:02 sometimes we want to come out. 22:04 And I'm just thinking for the children. 22:07 For us, only a period or two, we go to that class. 22:09 But think about the children the whole day, 22:10 the whole year through, 22:12 they have to go through that difficulty. 22:15 We have to bear the smell, you know. 22:18 And then not only that, 22:22 like we cannot open the windows. 22:25 Like we just have to close because we have to like, 22:29 you know, not allow that smell 22:31 to really bother us so much in the class. 22:33 And then in that way, 22:35 like there's no ventilation for the children 22:37 to really learn and all in the school. 22:43 We are pretending actually like we don't get the smell. 22:47 We are pretending because if you say, you know, 22:50 some student and even some teachers 22:52 or so they, oh, it's terrible so they cover their mouth, 22:55 they cover their nose. 22:57 But I said, this smell, 23:00 I pretend like I didn't get the smell 23:02 because if the teacher me, myself, you say oh, 23:06 it's smelling then the children, 23:07 you know, they don't even want to sit in the class. 23:19 Sometimes we face discouraging, but we work here. 23:25 We feel that 23:27 we are working for the glory of God. 23:29 And then we work here for the benefit of the children 23:33 so that they will learn. 23:35 It's not only for our profit, our benefit, 23:38 but we think about the children. 23:40 Then we try to neglect or forget about those 23:44 challenges are there, 23:46 bad condition that we are facing here. 23:49 They said that, 23:50 how can you be able to operate in this way? 23:52 So, the teacher, they ask the question. 23:56 But I believe that God is in control. 24:01 The more we are facing this problem, 24:04 the more we understand about His love. 24:08 And then, you know, later when you guys comes here 24:11 and then helping us, 24:13 we feel that it's just like a manna that come from heaven. 24:19 In 2019, 24:21 the school reached out to Maranatha. 24:24 We agreed to construct a new campus 24:26 for the Jingshai Mihngi Adventist School. 24:29 The property is five minutes away 24:31 and sits atop a hill covered in trees 24:33 with views into a green valley below. 24:38 When I heard that the news 24:40 that Maranatha and those God's people 24:45 will come and help to build a school, 24:48 I'm so thankful to God. 24:53 And I feel that God works in a very mysterious way 24:57 at the right time and the right moment. 25:01 For the last five years I've worked here. 25:04 And we know that there's a land over there, 25:07 but we do not have the capacity to like, 25:11 you know, to move there and start a school. 25:14 We really long, you know, for God's blessing. 25:17 And I feel that 25:18 God had chosen maybe Maranatha to do this work for us. 25:24 So I feel it's God's work. 25:28 He listened to our prayers that we pray every day, 25:31 because we really long to have a better school 25:34 for the betterment of our children too. 25:36 This change of scenery for the school 25:38 will not only give relief to the horrendous conditions, 25:41 but improve its ability 25:42 to radiate the gospel in its community. 25:46 Jingshai Mihngi 25:48 in our language mean that is a light. 25:51 And then I can see that our school, 25:53 it is really live up to that name. 25:57 Jingshai Mihngi is a light, 26:00 a light that is spreading the Adventist belief. 26:05 So it really lives up to that name. 26:10 They are following, example. 26:15 And they started to even practice 26:19 what Adventist is teaching. 26:21 And many of them, 26:23 I think they are improving in the society 26:27 because of Adventist school. 26:31 Maranatha is all about 26:32 giving opportunity to the people, 26:34 the volunteers to come on the project, 26:37 the donors to donate to the projects. 26:40 And what happens here when you come on a project, 26:43 or when you donate, 26:45 you're changing many things here. 26:47 First of all, you're changing the lives of the children 26:50 who have been studying 26:51 in those shabby looking buildings, 26:54 you know. 26:55 Second, 26:57 you are giving the opportunity to the children 26:59 and the staff members to reach out to the people, 27:03 reach out to the parents who have been not Christians. 27:08 You're giving them the opportunity 27:10 to bring them to the foot of the cross. 27:14 In India, there are many projects 27:16 like the Jingshai Mihngi Adventist school 27:18 that need your help. 27:21 Through your support, 27:22 we can continue spreading God's love 27:24 in this special country 27:25 through mediums like water well community service 27:28 and quality Adventist education. 27:32 There are still good people in this world 27:35 that God is using. 27:38 They are willing to give. 27:40 So we praise God for that. |
Revised 2021-02-11