Participants:
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY200031A
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00:01 As you're well aware,
00:02 we're living in unprecedented times. 00:05 Join us now for today's special program. 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:18 Mending broken people 00:23 I want to spend my life 00:29 Removing pain 00:34 Lord, let my words 00:39 Heal a heart that hurts 00:44 I want to spend my life 00:50 Mending broken people 00:55 I want to spend my life 01:00 Mending broken people 01:15 Hello, and welcome to 3ABN Today. 01:18 I'm your host, Yvonne Shelton. 01:20 And I'm so thrilled to be here 01:23 because this program is gonna open your eyes 01:26 to some situations 01:28 that you might not have been aware of, 01:30 or you might be aware of. 01:32 In any case, we know that here 01:35 we have ministries that we love to highlight 01:38 that are doing amazing work around the world. 01:41 And this ministry is one of those. 01:44 This is Child Impact International. 01:48 And our guests today 01:49 are Jim Rennie 01:51 who is the CEO of Child Impact International. 01:55 And Josue Gelabert. 01:58 Yes. I got it right. Yay! 01:59 I'm always messing up names 02:01 like I think you guys know that, right? 02:02 That's kind of like my MO, but anyway, 02:05 we're so glad that you are with us today. 02:08 Thank you. You are doing an amazing work. 02:12 I've seen some of the literature. 02:14 I've seen some of the programming. 02:16 And I think that for our viewers 02:18 that don't know about you, 02:20 it would be great to tell them 02:22 what is Child Impact International 02:24 and how did it get started? 02:26 Well, thanks and it's great to be at 3ABN. 02:30 3ABN is an important part for us 02:33 because we have a program every week on Friday night 02:36 and Saturday afternoon. 02:38 So that's a very important part of our growth 02:43 and where we've been. 02:46 Child Impact started over 50 years ago in Australia, 02:50 and I'm a New Zealander 02:52 so it's been hard to talk about Australians, 02:56 but it was started by two ladies in Australia. 03:01 And back then it was called Asian Aid. 03:03 And in Australia, it still is. 03:06 And they went up to Asia 03:08 and started doing ministerial work 03:11 with children, mission work. 03:14 And it grew from there 03:17 and Asian Aid Australia grew 03:21 and they got under sponsorship, 03:23 and sponsorship is our main activity. 03:27 And then about 15 years ago, 03:30 Asian Aid opened an office here. 03:33 And so at the beginning we were called Asian Aid USA. 03:38 And so now over the last 15 years, 03:42 we've grown 03:43 from a very small number of children 03:46 now to over 3,000 children 03:48 in an Adventist Mission schools. 03:50 Wow. 03:52 So when you first take a child in 03:57 and you watch that development, 03:58 tell us about what happens to that child? 04:01 Where is that child emotionally 04:03 when you first bring the child in, 04:06 and then what happens? 04:09 Well, I think it varies 04:12 from country to country we're in. 04:14 Our main countries 04:16 are India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Zambia. 04:20 But I think the first thing 04:21 is that there are child in need, 04:24 there are needy child. 04:26 And until you go into the field, 04:29 you really don't understand 04:31 the struggle parents have, 04:34 it's much bigger than just an education. 04:37 So typically, there needy child 04:40 and that is normally finance related 04:45 because the parent can't afford 04:46 to go to an education, 04:48 or the parent wants their child to have a Christian education. 04:54 So it's not just, these are not just orphans? 04:58 No. 05:00 These are children who are in need, poor, 05:04 but maybe with intact families? 05:06 Correct. 05:07 We have a large orphanage and we support 05:10 three other orphanages in India. 05:12 And so they are orphans, 05:15 but the majority of the 3,000 children 05:18 who are in over 100 Adventist Mission schools 05:22 are just either day students, 05:25 who walk to the school 05:27 or they are boarders 05:28 who come and stay at the school. 05:30 How did you get involved in this kind of work? 05:34 That's a good question. 05:36 Well, I married an American lady 05:39 and moved to America. 05:41 I'm from New Zealand, 05:42 and my background was marketing and sales. 05:46 So I'd had nothing to do with charities. 05:49 And it was a long story, 05:52 but they asked me to go onto the board. 05:55 And so I went on the board, 05:58 and then the organization 06:00 was going through a difficult time, 06:02 so I took a six-month contract 06:05 to manage the organization. 06:09 So I'm over just on 12 years into my six-month contract. 06:14 I know some people would love a contract like that 06:17 a 6-month contract that lasts for 12 years. 06:18 I haven't seen the contract. 06:21 Well, praise the Lord. What about you, Josue? 06:23 How did you get involved with Child Impact? 06:25 Well, yeah, I started 06:28 at Child Impact in 2018 06:31 at the beginning of 2018. 06:32 And I had just graduated 06:34 from Southern Adventist University in 2017. 06:37 And someone that was working 06:39 for Child Impact reached out to me 06:41 and said that they were hiring and it had to do with my major. 06:46 I had just graduated 06:47 with an international development degree. 06:49 So I applied, I was interviewed 06:53 by Jim a couple of times over Skype 06:55 'cause I wasn't in town, 06:57 and then I started working 06:59 as Donor Relations Coordinator 07:02 for Child Impact International in January of 2018. 07:05 So that's how I got started. 07:07 And how would you describe your experience there? 07:12 Have you had a chance to travel and meet the children? 07:13 Yeah. 07:15 I spent a year before I traveled 07:19 and met some of the children, 07:21 some of the schools in India, I went to India in 2019. 07:25 And I mean, working for a full year 07:30 at the US office was great. 07:32 And, you know, getting to know everything 07:34 that we do at the office here in the States 07:36 that we do with the donors, 07:37 with the sponsors here was great, 07:40 but once you get to go to the field, 07:42 once you get to see the children, 07:45 the lives that everything that you've done 07:47 at the office impacts everything that, you know, 07:50 that conversation with that donor, 07:52 that conversation with that sponsor, 07:54 how it actually is impacting the life of a child in India 07:58 that walks to school that lives at this school. 08:00 That's when it really comes 08:02 to the ministry that you are part of, 08:05 the work that you're doing really comes to life. 08:06 Yes. 08:08 And yeah, so I went to India in 2019. 08:11 And that was an amazing experience. 08:13 I would imagine 08:14 so because it's one thing to be in the office, 08:18 and, you know, and dealing 08:19 with the administrative aspects of it, 08:21 and then it's another thing to actually 08:23 see the faces of these children. 08:26 So with the sponsors that you have... 08:31 Well, how does that work? 08:32 Tell us how someone could become a sponsor 08:35 and why is it important to even think about doing that? 08:38 Well, let's Josue answer that, that's his job. 08:41 That's it. 08:43 Well, let's talk him about that. 08:45 There are multiple ways a sponsor can start sponsoring 08:49 through Child Impact. 08:51 We have a website, ChildImpact.org 08:54 where sponsors can go 08:56 and look at some of the children 08:57 that are available for sponsorship. 09:00 They can call us by phone. 09:03 Our number should be on the screen. 09:05 Or they can also email us 09:07 if they just want to sponsor a child. 09:09 Sometimes the sponsors want to choose their child 09:11 so they want to know who they're sponsoring 09:14 before they start sponsoring 09:15 some donors and sponsors just want to sponsor any child. 09:19 In reality, all of the children that are in our program, 09:21 they're all in need. 09:23 They're all, they're being sponsored 09:25 based on need. 09:27 So there's not really 09:28 a hierarchy of need in our program. 09:31 So any child that is being sponsored is a life 09:34 that is being impacted, a life that is being touched. 09:37 So yeah, online, they can choose the child 09:40 and they can start sponsoring. 09:42 They can set up a monthly sponsorship payment 09:45 recurring one online, 09:47 or they can call in every time 09:49 they want to pay for that sponsorship, 09:51 they can also pay for it for as many months 09:53 as they want in advance 09:55 or even sometimes we have people 09:56 that pay a year or two years in advance. 09:59 And yeah, that is online by phone or by email. 10:03 Good. 10:04 And we'll talk a bit more about that later on, 10:07 but that's important to know 10:08 because I think, you know, 10:10 people wanna know well, what can I do? 10:13 And how can I help? 10:14 Because the need is so intense. 10:16 Tell us about some of the children 10:18 that are in need 10:19 and the kinds of environments that they're in? 10:22 Well, currently, 10:23 we are undergoing a lot of growth in Bangladesh, 10:26 and people don't know a lot about Bangladesh, 10:28 but Bangladesh, which is to the west of India. 10:34 Bangladesh is a very poor country. 10:38 Bangladesh is the most densely populated 10:42 country in the world. 10:44 You go to LA, it's 10 times denser than LA. 10:48 Wow. And people are poor. 10:51 And I think 10:54 one of the big things about sponsorship, 10:57 we think it's just for the education of the child, 11:01 but it's much bigger than that. 11:02 First of all it is for the education of the child, 11:06 but it's also very important to the family 11:11 that they want their child to have an education. 11:15 The other thing is that in some of these countries, 11:19 that means the child gets food. 11:23 And so I was touched. 11:26 In this November, I had the privilege 11:28 of going with the film crew to Bangladesh. 11:32 And if we have a look at... 11:40 Sorry, if we have a look at picture number 9, 11:44 picture number 9 in the pictures 11:47 that we've got. 11:49 Here's a classic example. 11:51 First of all, it was amazing the number 11:53 of solo mothers that they were, 11:55 and these are mothers that work in the fields. 12:00 And here's a lady 12:01 whose two children are sponsored in Bangladesh. 12:05 And so when I met her, 12:07 she was just so grateful 12:10 that her children were getting an education. 12:13 She struggles to feed them. 12:16 They're so poor, 12:18 that we drove two hours in a car, 12:22 she can hardly afford the bus fare 12:24 for them to come home in the holidays. 12:28 And so, there's such a big impact on the family, 12:32 on the village, and on the children. 12:34 Now not all like that, but in Bangladesh, 12:38 it has a much wider impact 12:41 so it's on the child, 12:43 the family, and the village. 12:45 And I think, you know, 12:47 so often we take for granted 12:49 our situation that we have food 12:52 and we have a place to live 12:53 and we have transportation 12:55 or access to some 12:57 and when you think about children, 12:59 for whom there is no food, 13:02 there's nothing there to eat that 13:04 this program can make 13:06 a difference between eating and not eating, 13:09 between life and death. 13:12 These children can starve to death. 13:14 And it's more getting 13:16 a level of food that's good for them. 13:18 Exactly. Nutrition. 13:20 Yeah. Yeah, good nutrition. 13:22 That's really important. 13:24 So okay, what is like a typical day 13:30 in at a school with Child Impact? 13:34 Like, a child is going to that school 13:37 and that lives there so the residential situation. 13:41 You mean as a boarder? Yes. 13:43 Well, I guess schools 13:45 operate similar around the world. 13:48 They're in an Adventist Mission school. 13:51 So there is a spiritual element to it. 13:55 And this is other key factor 13:57 that are being introduced to Jesus. 13:59 Yes. All right? 14:01 And we see many, many times where the child goes home. 14:06 We have to be a little cautious 14:08 about conversion laws in these countries, 14:12 but the fact is this has 14:14 a dramatic impact on the children. 14:16 When you see them singing, 14:18 when you see them praying, 14:20 so it's a typical boarding school environment. 14:25 They get out very early. 14:28 They have worship, they eat, and they go to school. 14:32 It's not very different to here. 14:35 In many of the schools, there is a work program. 14:39 And just like here, 14:41 sometimes some schools don't wanna do it, 14:44 but other schools 14:45 have a very strong work program. 14:48 And this is very important for the children. 14:49 Absolutely. 14:51 Because not all these children are gonna have a formal career, 14:55 they're going to be in the fields 14:57 and it was very exciting in Bangladesh this trip 15:02 to see the kids working out on the farm 15:05 because they're learning the basics. 15:07 And so the schools are Adventist Mission schools, 15:12 so it's owned and run by the church. 15:16 And we're normally a part of the school program. 15:19 They have paying students, 15:22 there may be another sponsorship organization. 15:26 So we're just a part, we have a number of students, 15:29 in some schools 15:31 we're as high as 50% of the students, 15:34 in other schools 15:36 we just may have a small number. 15:38 What I'm loving is that you are 15:41 not just educating them with, 15:43 you know, basics, reading, writing, arithmetic. 15:46 You're educating them to know 15:48 how to care for themselves in life. 15:51 So education and primarily you're teaching them 15:55 about Jesus in an environment that is, 15:58 is it primarily Hindu, Buddhists, Muslims? 16:02 It depends on the country, yeah, India's majority, 16:05 the majority of India is Hindu, and then you have Bangladesh 16:09 where's it's Islam, and in Myanmar 16:11 where it's Buddhist. 16:13 So a lot of the children when they get to the school 16:16 where they're being sponsored, that's their first time 16:18 being exposed to really Jesus, Christianity. 16:20 Yes. Yeah. 16:22 That's so beautiful. That's so beautiful. 16:24 And speaking of being exposed to Jesus, 16:27 we have Martha Jhoana de Luna with us, 16:32 and she is going to play, "Oh Magnify the Lord." 16:36 And that's what the schools are doing magnifying the Lord. 19:01 Thank you, Martha. That was so lovely. 19:04 She is just an outstanding pianist. 19:08 And speaking of musicianship, 19:09 I know, we're kind of 19:10 getting off the subject a little bit, 19:12 but, Josue, 19:13 you are a professional violinist, 19:16 are you not? 19:17 Yeah, I still play. 19:19 Tell us a little bit about that? 19:20 Okay. 19:21 Well, when I was, I mean, 19:23 I've been playing since I was about five years old. 19:26 And I grew up in Spain 19:27 and I went to the conservatory in Spain, 19:29 and then my family 19:31 and I moved to the States 19:32 and I continued in school, learning violin. 19:36 And I went to a good high school in Miami, 19:39 an arts high school 19:41 so I really took music very seriously 19:45 in my early days, and even in my later days. 19:48 In college, I was concert master 19:49 at Southern Adventist University 19:51 of the Symphony Orchestra for two years under 19:55 Maestro Laurie Minar, and then after graduation, 19:59 I think started working For Child Impact, 20:01 but I kept on playing and now I play 20:03 with the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra so... 20:05 That's incredible. So next time you come... 20:08 Yeah, I'll bring the fiddle. You bring the fiddle. 20:09 That's right. 20:11 So that we can hear that would be wonderful. 20:13 Yeah. That's awesome. 20:14 So now, Brother Jim, back to you. 20:16 Tell us about you have a blind school, 20:19 you have the orphanages, 20:21 you have the school for the deaf. 20:23 Tell us about each of these? 20:25 Okay, well, in India, 20:27 we funded effectively a blind school 20:30 and a deaf school that are run by the church. 20:33 So the church schools, 20:34 but we're the funding agency for them. 20:38 The blind school's 20:39 in Andhra Pradesh in India, in rural India. 20:43 And if we go to footage number one, 20:47 we'll see some footage of the school, 20:49 it's in rural India, and it was built 20:53 by the McNeilus Family 20:56 and there's a view of the school. 20:59 You can see the... 21:01 It's got a very lovely grounds 21:04 and these children come from very poor backgrounds. 21:09 There's some amazing stories, 21:11 they would have no chance, 21:14 no chance in the villages at all, no resources. 21:19 And in fact, I can tell you a story. 21:22 It was a very heartbreaking. 21:24 I'll just call her Mary for now. 21:29 And I arrived at the blind school 21:32 and the school arrived with the parents. 21:36 And they had found the school 21:39 in the village chained in the basement of the school. 21:43 And she was teen 21:45 and she'd been there for most of her life. 21:47 And you think why would the parents 21:49 chain her in the basement, 21:51 but they were scared she would go out and fall over. 21:55 They didn't know how to deal with it. 21:57 And when she arrived, she was hiding, 22:01 sitting in the corner, non-responsive. 22:06 I went back to the blind school five weeks later. 22:11 And it was emotional. 22:13 There she was singing a song. 22:15 There she was walking, 22:17 holding hands with another girl. 22:19 And so these kids have special needs 22:23 and in fairness to the parents, they have no resources. 22:27 They don't know how to deal with their special needs child. 22:31 And they probably love the child 22:33 and they think they're protecting them. 22:35 So these kids come from a real poor background. 22:41 And so the blind school, it's funded by Child Impact. 22:45 It's run by the church in the rural Bobbili. 22:49 So you can sponsor a child when they're available. 22:54 And you can also contribute to the blind school. 22:57 How many children are in the blind school? 22:59 About 110. My! 23:02 Yeah. And they're all very talented. 23:05 I remember when I went to India and I went to the blind school, 23:09 the first time I got to go to the school 23:11 was on a Friday night, 23:13 and they were having vespers 23:15 and I would not believe it, but they had a band going on. 23:20 And they were all self-aught musicians. 23:23 They had the kids, 23:24 the blind kids had taught themselves music, 23:27 how to play a piano, how to play the drums, 23:30 and they were just playing the worship. 23:33 They were playing the worship music 23:35 and it was an amazing experience. 23:36 They're really special children. 23:38 So how did they, was it just playing by ear? 23:41 They were playing by ear. 23:43 They had never been given... 23:44 Someone went over the song with them. 23:46 No, no one had taught them how to play an instrument. 23:50 They had just picked up the instruments. 23:52 The instruments were available at the school, 23:54 and then they had just picked it up 23:56 and like learned by ear. 23:59 That's a God thing, isn't it? Yeah. 24:01 Yeah. Yeah, it's a gift from God. 24:03 And then in the south, 24:04 we have the deaf school and that's picture number four. 24:10 And once again, this is a church operated. 24:13 And here's the school. 24:15 This is in Kollegal, South of Bangalore. 24:18 And these children are deaf 24:21 and so they learn sign language. 24:23 And we now have older children that have graduated into jobs. 24:29 And these schools, 24:30 both schools are such a delight to go to. 24:33 The kids welcome you. 24:35 They like to see visitors, 24:37 and then we also have 24:41 a big orphanage near the blind school. 24:44 It's called Sunrise 24:46 and 3ABN viewers have supported this. 24:51 So if we go to picture number 14, 24:53 we'll see an overview. 24:55 Sunrise Orphanage is located in the country. 24:59 And it has a farm, and it has about 120 children, 25:05 and these are true orphans. 25:07 And I'd like to tell you a story about Laxmi. 25:11 And if we go to picture number 16, 25:14 you'll see this little girl and this is Laxmi. 25:18 And it's always exciting 25:20 when you're there and a new child arrives, 25:22 you still don't connect with them. 25:24 Well, Laxmi came in with her brother. 25:27 And they had been 25:29 found on the railway station where they were living. 25:33 Now we have never tracked their parents, never. 25:38 And her brother, he was a real little hustler. 25:42 If anyone could pick a pocket, 25:44 if anyone could steal something, 25:47 but he was so protective of her. 25:50 How old were they? 25:52 When they came in, I think they're about 8 or 9. 25:54 Okay. 25:56 And I hear they were living on the station. 25:57 Who is older, the brother or the sister? 25:59 The brother's the older one. Okay. 26:02 And to see the change in Laxmi is just amazing. 26:06 So these children are orphans, 26:08 once again from very poor communities. 26:11 And we have a lovely couple 26:13 who run the home, Raj and Lalitha Bhama. 26:17 So these special needs children are just a gem, 26:21 and it's just so exciting that 26:23 we as a ministry can be helping these kids. 26:27 A lot of the children are abandoned, 26:31 are they abandoned by their parents 26:33 because or the parents died 26:35 or is it all of the above like what happens? 26:37 It's all of the above. 26:39 We had a little girl the other day, 26:41 both parents died of AIDS. 26:43 Now if there's no family infrastructure. 26:46 This sounds terrible, 26:48 but once when Sunrise was at the old location, 26:52 Lalitha got up in the morning 26:54 and there was a child tied to the lamppost. 26:57 Now we have no idea of the struggle, 27:01 the mother or the father, 27:03 but they knew if they left their child there, 27:06 that they would be safe, 27:07 they'd be fed, that have a future. 27:10 And so the backgrounds, 27:12 that I could tell you other stories 27:14 that are horrific, and... 27:16 We have time. 27:18 Tell us another story 27:19 because I think it's important 27:21 for our viewers to understand 27:23 the level of need that these children have. 27:26 And once they understand, 27:27 our 3ABN viewers are so responsive. 27:29 I mean, once they understand that, 27:31 there is this kind of need that, you know, 27:34 we can try to help meet the needs. 27:36 So tell us another story? 27:39 Well, I think when I went 27:42 with our field officer Varma one day, 27:46 we drove away from Sunrise. 27:48 I don't know where we were going, 27:49 Yvonne, but we were going. 27:51 And we went up into a sort of a mountain area. 27:56 And I know this sounds terrible, 27:59 but you normally see monkeys in the trees. 28:02 And he said, "You watch when we came up here 28:04 were two children sitting on the tree." 28:08 And they live, their parents had either died or gone away. 28:12 The villagers were feeding them. 28:14 And so we have two children at Sunrise, 28:18 who were taken 28:20 from that environment and brought back. 28:24 Quite often, it's when the mother dies, 28:27 the father can't cope or the father dies, 28:32 and the mother just has no income. 28:35 And so we do have children at Sunrise, 28:38 who are semi-orphans, aren't they, Josue? 28:41 Yeah, some have a parent alive, 28:43 but the parent can barely make enough means to feed them. 28:48 So they're not able to send to school. 28:50 Sometimes the parents even need the help 28:52 of the children to, you know, get by in life 28:55 and sometimes the children are not educated 28:57 because the children have to work 28:59 and help their parents, 29:00 but talking about stories from orphans at Sunrise. 29:04 I remember when I visited Sunrise, 29:07 they had me in a guest house at the orphanage and, you know, 29:11 all the children welcome you 29:12 and me being a little younger, 29:14 they took me in as another brother, 29:16 they would call me brother. 29:19 And there was an older, 29:20 an older kid from Sunrise, that he was already in college. 29:24 He was already going to college in the city near the orphanage. 29:29 And he knew how to cook 29:31 because he was majoring in hospitality. 29:34 And he knew how to cook 29:35 and he knew how to cook Western food. 29:38 So they thought I would be really happy 29:40 if like he was cooking for me. 29:42 And he became a really good friend 29:44 like we would talk and he would tell me 29:46 what he had made like pasta. 29:48 How old was he? He was around 20 or 19, 20. 29:52 He was already in college. So he had grown up at Sunrise. 29:54 Got you. 29:56 And I had no idea 29:57 because he had like an amazing smile, 29:59 such a happy guy like always a little shy, 30:02 but like we would always talk, 30:04 and then Varma, Raj Varma, 30:05 who along with Lalitha runs the orphanage home. 30:09 He told me his story. 30:10 And he told me his story was actually very sad. 30:13 He was found on a dumpster as a baby. 30:17 And he was about three years old may be 30:18 and he was all alone in a dumpster. 30:21 And when I heard that story, 30:23 it broke me because I got to know him 30:26 as such a happy person 19, 20 years old, 30:30 and then to hear where he had come from 30:34 and what he had gone through 30:36 when you probably didn't even remember that, right? 30:38 Because it was before he was fully conscious, 30:41 but it just changed my perspective. 30:45 And I mean, 30:46 I realize how amazing that place is Sunrise Home, 30:50 the orphanage for children. 30:52 You think about 30:53 where would he have been had he not gone to Sunrise? 30:58 Where would he have been? 31:00 How would his life have turned out? 31:02 Yeah. 31:03 You know, and not only was his life saved, 31:06 but his heart was turned to Jesus. 31:08 So, you know, not only is he like 31:11 a productive member of society, so to speak, 31:15 but he's also a Christian with those values, 31:19 and he can help others like him. 31:21 Yeah. 31:23 And that's, that's so beautiful to me. 31:25 I mean, it's, I think about, 31:27 you know, and on many of these commercials, 31:30 you see children who, you know, flies on them, 31:36 and they're sitting there and they have no food 31:38 or they're drinking water 31:39 that's impure and you just think, 31:43 man, this is just so sad. 31:45 What can we do about it? 31:47 And I'm so thankful 31:48 for ministries like yours 31:50 that's actually doing something to change the world, 31:54 to change the world, one child at a time. 31:58 Yeah. 31:59 You know, you also deal 32:01 with children who have been trafficked? 32:02 Yes. 32:04 In India, if we have 32:06 a look at number 13, 32:10 we run a program called Operation Child Rescue. 32:14 And we partner 32:16 with a Christian lady in Bangalore. 32:19 And she rescues girls from brothels. 32:23 So we run a rescue home. 32:26 And so and these are in a team work 32:29 with the police very difficult, very dangerous. 32:33 Yes. And it was interesting. 32:38 Jean Boonstra, Shawn Boonstra's wife 32:42 from Voice of Prophecy. 32:44 They sponsor some girls in India. 32:48 And I traveled with her to Bangalore and we met Anita. 32:53 And so, Child Impact 32:55 and Voice of Prophecy 32:57 have been funding this rescue home. 33:01 And we have to protect the girls, 33:03 we can't even show a picture 33:05 of the building where it is 33:07 because they're trafficked girls... 33:09 It's a safe home. Safe home. 33:11 And to see, meet these girls, to see them learning cooking, 33:16 but the Operation Child Rescue program 33:19 is bigger than that. 33:20 It's rescuing children who are in trouble. 33:24 So that includes, 33:26 like Laxmi on the railway station 33:29 or finding children who would be trafficked. 33:34 There's a high, certain girls at certain ages, 33:38 in slums, in poor places. 33:41 Those girls are in danger of being trafficked. 33:45 And they're taken right from under the nose. 33:48 Yes, I started recently, I've started reading a book 33:51 about a young woman 33:54 who was trafficked and she was very, very poor. 33:58 And she was selling vegetables in the marketplace, 34:01 about 15 years old by herself. 34:03 Yes. 34:04 And this man was coming to the market regularly 34:08 and just basically grooming her. 34:09 Yes. 34:10 He's being friendly, being kind. 34:12 Yes. 34:13 And before you know it, she was trusting him, 34:15 and then he said he could get her a better job 34:16 in another city. 34:18 And that's how they get drawn into this. 34:20 And so you're telling us that young girls and boys 34:25 would get drawn into this, this program, 34:30 this Operation Child Rescue 34:33 is actually delivering them out of the circumstances. 34:37 A lot of the times they come from rural areas, 34:39 and they're still under the age 34:41 where they're still living with their parents. 34:43 So this trafficker comes into those rural areas. 34:47 And he convinces the parents 34:49 that he's gonna take their daughter to work 34:51 to get a nice job in the city, 34:53 and the parents let the girl go 34:56 and they end up being trafficked. 34:57 And then they don't hear from them? 34:59 They never hear from her, 35:00 sometimes they even send a little bit of money back, 35:03 the traffickers send a little bit of money back, 35:05 back to the parents. 35:06 So the parents think that everything is fine, 35:08 you know, but yeah, that's... 35:11 We've seen a number of stories. 35:13 There's one in Bangladesh 35:16 where an employee of the school, 35:19 their teenage daughter, 35:21 saw a Facebook ad to become, you know, to do nails, 35:26 what do you call it? Manicurist. 35:28 Manicurist across the border in India 35:31 and there's free travel. 35:33 So she went across the border to India. 35:36 And the moment she got across, she was thrown in the truck 35:40 and she was taken over 35:41 1,000 miles to Bangalore, India, 35:44 and she got thrown into a brothel. 35:47 Now she was a fighter. 35:49 And to cut a long story short, she kicked in, and then we, 35:53 Anita was able to get her from the police station. 35:57 How does she... 35:59 Tell us how she was able to break free? 36:01 While she just made a lot of noise I think, 36:04 the neighbors heard someone yelling 36:07 and screaming and as I said she was a fighter. 36:10 She wasn't in a good condition... 36:12 Right. 36:14 And then there's another story 36:16 where an alleged businessman comes to a village 36:19 and he spends a story that he was, 36:23 his father was from this village 36:25 and he wants to help three or four girls 36:28 go to a nice boarding school. 36:30 All right, so he promises some. 36:33 He sends them a uniform. 36:35 The three girls, four girls get a uniform. 36:39 On a certain day a bus pulled, 36:41 mini bus or van pulls up 36:43 with the school name on the side. 36:46 Those three or four girls get in the van. 36:49 They have all farewell, their parents say goodbye. 36:52 And when they get 20 miles down the road, 36:54 they get the uniform, 36:56 and they're thrown into a truck 36:57 and taken across India to a brothel. 37:00 That's the level of what can happen. 37:05 Now, we're just dealing 37:07 with a small drop in the bucket, 37:09 but we're so excited that 37:11 we can just help in some sort of way, 37:14 the problem is huge. 37:16 Yes, yes, it's it. 37:18 I think, again, we don't realize here, 37:21 how huge the problem is. 37:23 It's a problem here as well. Exactly. 37:26 And so, you know, 37:28 we really tend to think that this doesn't happen... 37:32 Because we don't see it. Exactly. 37:34 But the danger, the danger that's involved is just, 37:39 it's enormous. 37:40 And the amount of money that's involved is enormous. 37:43 And these people are able to sequester 37:46 these young women and keep them 37:49 either inebriated to an extent 37:52 or something so that their minds 37:54 aren't on what they're doing. 37:56 And they are enslaved, 38:01 so this program, 38:03 what a difference you can make. 38:05 So on our website Operation Child Rescue 38:08 for someone wants to support that program. 38:11 That would be great. That would be great. 38:13 Tell us again, 38:16 what you're looking for from people? 38:20 How can we make a difference for these children? 38:24 Well, our main activity is Child Sponsorship. 38:28 So if you can sponsor a child, 38:30 but we understand some people can't. 38:32 So if you wanna help the sponsorship program, 38:35 you can make a donation 38:37 to the unsponsored child fund, all right? 38:41 The unsponsored child fund... 38:43 So in other words some people will say, 38:44 "Oh, man, I can't do the monthly thing, 38:47 but I can make a one shot donation." 38:51 Correct. 38:53 So this is the unsponsored fund? 38:55 And we also have a fund called Where Needed Most, 38:59 that's our, what I call our flexible fund. 39:03 It does help with our overheads. 39:05 We have to run an organization. 39:08 And, but it also helps us with funds 39:11 when they're needed most because the world's gone crazy. 39:14 And we're filming lists at the time of the pandemic. 39:18 The schools are closed. 39:20 And we're facing 39:22 some huge challenges with poverty 39:25 and hunger in these areas. 39:28 And, but we're all, we also do projects. 39:33 And we wanna talk briefly 39:35 about our major project in Bangladesh. 39:38 Yes, tell us? 39:39 Well, at a mission school called KMMS 39:43 and if we go to the footage 39:48 in number six, 39:50 this mission school 39:52 had a big building of classrooms 39:54 and here's a picture of the old building. 39:57 It was falling down. It was dangerous. 40:00 There were bricks falling on staff and children. 40:03 So we had to knock it down. 40:05 And fortunately, it's come down. 40:07 And at the time of recording this program, 40:10 we're still raising funds. 40:12 And if you go to picture number eight, 40:18 you'll see the picture. 40:19 So this is KMMS School. 40:22 It's an old established mission school. 40:25 And here you can see me showing the danger 40:28 that existed in the old building. 40:30 Oh, yes. It's a... 40:35 It was a very, 40:36 it was a health hazard and it was a safety hazard. 40:39 And there was a preschool, 40:40 when I was at the preschool, 40:43 that's the building on the right. 40:47 So now if we go to picture number eight, 40:53 you'll see the new building. 40:54 Here's the new building. 40:55 Look at that! 40:57 And, so it's classrooms, 40:58 it's administration, it's a library, 41:02 it's a science lab, 41:03 and then at the front on the road is a preschool, 41:07 and that preschool will generate income. 41:10 So that's in Bangladesh, 41:12 and it's called the KMMS School Project. 41:16 It's an Adventist Mission school. 41:18 And that is, 41:19 this is how the project has turned out, 41:22 or this is how it's going to look? 41:24 Is that the actual... 41:26 That's the new, 41:27 that's the building at the time of recording this. 41:30 We've started the foundations. 41:33 The project has come to a stop because of the COVID problem. 41:37 But that project will take about probably 41:42 just under two years to complete, 41:44 and we're still looking for funds. 41:47 All right, well, then that's what we need to know. 41:48 Yeah. 41:50 People can donate on our website. 41:51 People can call in 41:53 and donate and the fund is called Bangladesh Building. 41:56 Bangladesh Building. 41:58 Good and that's going 41:59 to also have a way to generate income 42:01 because of the preschool? 42:03 Yeah. That's great. 42:05 And maybe about three years ago, 42:06 we entered the country of Myanmar 42:11 that used to be called Burma. 42:13 And right now we have about 42:15 600 children in Adventist Mission schools, 42:19 I know that's a growth country for us. 42:22 And I had the privilege 42:24 of traveling there over a year ago 42:28 with Pastor Wilson, and our division, 42:32 or sorry, our General Conference president. 42:34 Yes. 42:35 And we've got this footage from him. 42:38 It's number 12. And it has its own sound. 42:41 So let's hear what he has to say about what we do. 42:45 Sounds great. 42:51 Sponsoring children in activities 42:56 like these mission schools 42:58 and opportunities is a tremendous way 43:01 to help form the character of young people 43:05 as they look to the future. 43:07 They will never forget 43:08 their association in a Christian environment. 43:12 And by God's grace, many of them will become 43:14 members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 43:17 It is absolutely a powerful witness 43:21 to sponsor a child in Child Impact 43:24 and so many other organizations 43:27 that help young people to find Jesus. 43:32 Sponsoring a child not only has short term effects, 43:36 but it has a long-term effect. 43:39 Sponsoring a child is investing 43:41 in the character of a young person for eternity. 43:45 We're taping this right here in Myanmar 43:49 at the Myanmar Union Adventist Seminary, 43:52 and about one-third of the students 43:55 or one quarter of the students 43:57 are being sponsored by Child Impact. 44:00 People who become workers in God's Church, 44:04 people who make an impact in the community 44:07 have been people who have been sponsored. 44:09 Your sponsorship is absolutely an investment 44:14 in the future of the church. 44:29 That's beautiful. 44:30 Your contribution is an investment. 44:35 And that's really true. 44:36 It's an investment 44:37 in building the church and building God's kingdom. 44:41 And that is so, so important. 44:43 Tell us what you're doing in Zambia. 44:45 Just one thing before, Yvonne, that just came to me. 44:48 I think the other important thing 44:50 about our sponsorship program, 44:52 the funds come from us to our partner 44:56 and they go direct to the school. 44:58 So we're an integral part of the mission school's income. 45:03 So the mission school itself is being supported. 45:07 Explain that a little bit for us? 45:09 Well, as he just said that that mission school 45:13 with one third of the children, 45:17 so that means we're one third of the income, 45:20 and they serve a poor community and they don't always get paid. 45:24 They always get paid with us. 45:26 So our contribution 45:29 is contributing to the viability 45:32 and the support of Adventist Mission schools. 45:36 Got it. And that is so, so important. 45:39 What you're doing is, it's just tremendous. 45:43 It really is. It's making such a difference. 45:46 These children could be dead without what you're doing. 45:49 So we praise the Lord for that. 45:51 What's happening in Zambia? 45:53 Zambia, while we're very excited, 45:55 we have partnered with Riverside Farms. 45:58 Riverside Farms 46:00 is a well-known ministry in Zambia 46:03 that's affectively run 46:05 by American supporters 46:10 that have built Riverside Farms. 46:12 And so Riverside Farms approached us year before last, 46:17 and they have built a school on the community. 46:20 And so we're sponsoring children at Riverside. 46:24 So right now, I think Josue, 46:26 where we're at about 80 children? 46:28 Yeah, which a lot of them are sponsored right now, 46:31 a lot of Zambia children are sponsored, most of them, 46:34 but we'll be adding new children in our Zambia 46:37 sponsorship program in the future. 46:38 Great. 46:39 So this is run by the Ministry of Riverside Farms. 46:43 They run the school 46:45 and we give them sponsorship funding. 46:48 So there are needy children coming from around 46:52 the Riverside area to that school. 46:54 And it's a unique partnership 46:56 because two Adventist ministries 46:59 have come together. 47:00 They've got the ability 47:02 to run a good strong well-run school 47:05 on their property. 47:08 And in turn, they can partner with us. 47:11 And it's a great mission outreach 47:14 in the area of Riverside Farms. 47:16 It's awesome. 47:17 Tell us about some of the children 47:20 who have successfully completed the school 47:23 and have gone on to, to just life, 47:26 living life outside of the school. 47:28 Tell us about some of the success stories. 47:30 Well, it was my privilege in January to travel to India. 47:36 And Helen Eager, 47:38 one of our co-founders was there. 47:40 And now we're having a special celebration. 47:43 And the very time I don't have a camera crew, 47:47 here where these children 47:49 where they are growing up, 47:50 they were pastors, all right. 47:53 There were three pastors here. 47:55 One of the pastors is now 47:56 one of the leading evangelists in England, all right? 48:00 There was a doctor, Dr. Swamy Das, 48:03 he's now doing work in poor areas of Hyderabad. 48:09 And in fact, we sponsor an assistant for him. 48:13 So these guys have come 48:14 through the orphanages, have grown up. 48:18 Then I met a guy who's a scientist. 48:22 I met a young man, a very likable young guy. 48:28 And he's now high up 48:30 in a government agricultural department. 48:33 And it's something I told Josue, 48:36 we've got to track these kids better, 48:38 because we haven't been tracking them very well. 48:41 Yeah, we definitely want to hear 48:43 the success stories. 48:44 And I remember, 48:46 recently I was at a friend's wedding, 48:48 and he had gone 48:50 to physical therapy school up in Andrews, 48:53 at Andrews University and I was sitting at a table 48:55 with a couple of South Asian students 48:58 that had studied PT school 49:00 with my friend that was getting married. 49:02 And they asked me what I did for. 49:04 And I told them that I worked for this organization 49:06 called Child Impact International. 49:08 And when I mentioned the name, 49:11 when I said that it used to be called Asian Aid USA. 49:15 Two of the people that 49:17 I was at the table with got up and said, 49:19 "Oh, my mom was an Asian Aid child. 49:22 Wow. Yeah. 49:23 And I was like, it was, 49:24 it was very impressive that I was, 49:26 you know, here in America at a friend's wedding. 49:28 And here were two guys that knew where I worked 49:31 because their mom had been had grown up 49:33 in the sponsorship program back in the days in India. 49:36 Yes, yes. 49:37 What a difference 49:40 it makes in people's lives, in people's lives. 49:44 What a difference. 49:45 It's, to me, we cannot underestimate 49:50 like the damage that's done with all the poverty 49:55 and then to come to a place 49:58 where there's love and caring and Jesus. 50:03 You can't, I mean, 50:04 you just can't underestimate that the importance of that. 50:10 What would you say would be 50:14 some of the needs 50:16 that the children have when they come there? 50:20 Oh, I think it varies dramatically. 50:23 Some need an education, 50:26 they can't get it in their village. 50:29 Some go there because their parents want them 50:32 to be safe, to be fed. 50:38 Some needs stability. 50:40 But really, these parents are struggling at home. 50:44 They're working in the field, their agriculture. 50:47 They love their kids, 50:49 but they just simply can't afford it. 50:52 And so when they come to the school, 50:56 it gives that family a sense of security. 50:59 It gives that child an education. 51:02 And it was on this film trip 51:05 where I went out for the first time 51:07 and started meeting the parents. 51:10 And it just touched me. 51:11 I have one village after meeting 51:13 that solo woman. 51:14 I'll be honest, I walked up the path 51:17 and I held, it was just too much for me. 51:20 Just to hear her story was so touching. 51:23 Yes, yes. 51:24 Well, I would love to hear that story, 51:27 but I know that 51:28 our viewers would like to know how to reach you. 51:33 So this is how you can reach 51:37 Child Impact International. 51:41 If you would like to find out more about 51:42 how to support Child Impact International, 51:45 visit their website ChildImpact.org. 51:47 That's ChildImpact.org. 51:50 You may also call them at (423)-910-0667. 51:55 That's (423)-910-0667. 51:59 You can send them an email at Help@ChildImpact.org 52:03 or write to them at Child Impact International, 52:06 PO Box 763, Ottawa, Tennessee 37363. |
Revised 2020-08-07