Participants:
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY200032A
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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 01:16 to another hour blessing at 3ABN, 01:19 your 3ABN family. 01:20 My name is John Dinzey. 01:22 And once again it's a pleasure for me 01:23 to be with you during this hour. 01:25 During this hour you will get to meet a ministry 01:27 that is doing a marvelous work to reach others, 01:31 ASAP Ministries, 01:33 and you're going to hear stories of what God is doing 01:36 through people that have decided 01:39 that they want to reach others 01:40 and they want to reflect the love of Christ to others. 01:44 And we are happy to introduce to you, 01:47 Scott Griswold, welcome. 01:49 Thank you. 01:50 It's such a privilege to be here. 01:52 Thank you. You are coordinator for... 01:55 Director actually 01:56 for the Reach the World Next Door 01:59 and we're going to learn a little bit more about this 02:02 as we go on. 02:03 But next to you we have Bill Wells 02:07 from the UID Refugee Ministry coordinator 02:14 for ASAP ministries. 02:16 How long have you been with the ministry? 02:18 I've been there almost three years. 02:20 And ASAP has been in operation for 25 years and going 02:26 and it's just been a real blessing 02:28 to be a part their ministry. 02:30 Amen. Amen. Praise the Lord. 02:32 Well, we're going to learn 02:33 more about these men of the Lord, 02:37 and more about ASAP ministries, 02:39 and we want to encourage you to stay by, 02:42 also pay close attention because you may want to share 02:45 some of the information you hear, 02:47 some of the stories you will hear, 02:49 because it's good to tell others 02:51 of what God is doing, 02:53 because this encourages people, 02:55 inspires people to do something for the Lord. 02:58 Before all this, 02:59 we're going to come to the Lord in prayer 03:00 and ask for His blessing, 03:02 because we all need His blessing. 03:05 Let's pray. 03:07 Our loving Heavenly Father, 03:09 we want to thank You for Your great goodness 03:12 and mercy toward us. 03:15 Thank You, Lord, 03:16 that Your mercy is for every single person, 03:21 no one is excluded. 03:22 We ask You, therefore, Lord, 03:24 to reach Your children through this program. 03:27 We pray that the words they hear 03:30 will be of encouragement, 03:32 the words they hear, 03:33 will inspire them to make decisions 03:36 that will do them good and do others good. 03:38 We pray, Lord, for all the prayer requests 03:41 that have come into 3ABN, 03:43 you know, each and every person, 03:45 each and every difficulty, 03:46 and each and every suffering that has taken place. 03:49 So we pray, Lord, 03:51 that as people reach out to You, 03:53 that You will reach out to them, 03:55 draw near to them, 03:57 and help them to see that there's hope, 03:59 help them to see 04:00 that You are doing great and mighty things, 04:03 and we pray for our lives to be transformed. 04:06 And all those needs that are being presented 04:08 before Your throne of grace, Lord, 04:11 we ask Lord for Your prayer warriors 04:13 that as they pray, they will also be blessed. 04:15 Thank you, Lord, for blessing us 04:17 with the opportunity 04:19 to minister to others through prayer. 04:21 And we ask you, Lord, for these blessings, 04:24 in the holy and blessed name of Jesus. 04:27 Amen. 04:28 Amen. Amen. 04:30 Amen. 04:31 Well, we would like to share a beautiful hymn with you 04:34 during this time. 04:35 And it's with Scott Michael Bennett 04:38 and he will be sharing, "How Deep the Father's love." 04:56 How deep The Father's love for us 05:03 How vast beyond all measure 05:08 That He should give His only Son 05:15 To make a wretch His treasure 05:21 How great The pain of searing loss 05:27 The Father turns His face away 05:33 As wounds Which mar the Chosen One 05:39 Bring many sons to glory 05:48 Behold the lamb upon that cross 05:54 My sin upon His shoulders 06:00 Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice 06:06 Call out among the scoffers 06:12 It was my sin That held Him there 06:18 Until it was accomplished 06:23 His dying breath Has brought me life 06:29 I know that it is finished 06:38 I will not boast in anything 06:44 No gifts, no power, no wisdom 06:50 But I will boast In Jesus Christ 06:56 His death and resurrection 07:01 Why should I gain From His reward? 07:07 I cannot give an answer 07:13 But this I know With all my heart 07:20 His wounds have paid my ransom 07:26 Why should I gain From His reward? 07:32 I cannot give an answer 07:38 But this I know With all my heart 07:44 His wounds have paid my ransom 07:50 But this I know 07:52 With all my heart 07:58 His wounds have paid my ransom. 08:22 Amen. Praise the Lord. 08:24 Scott Michael Bennett, 08:25 if you'd would like to contact him 08:27 for participation in an evangelistic campaign, 08:29 maybe sharing a concert, 08:31 you're welcome to contact us at 3ABN 08:33 or you can just type in his name in Facebook 08:36 and you will surely find them. 08:38 Well, we want to know more about you, gentlemen, 08:41 perhaps we'll start with you, Pastor Scott Griswold, 08:45 tell us a little bit about yourself? 08:47 And then we'll talk to you 08:51 as far as get to know you a little bit, 08:52 then we'll talk about ASAP. 08:54 All right. 08:56 I'm working as a pastor at the Texas Conference 08:58 but in partnership with ASAP Ministries 09:01 to reach out to refugees, immigrants, 09:03 international students in Houston, Texas and beyond. 09:07 So God just threw my wife and I out into the mission field 09:11 right out of seminary through Judy Aitken 09:14 who founded ASAP Ministries, 09:15 there was a need in the refugee camps. 09:18 And they said, "we need somebody now." 09:20 And we said, "Now, maybe someday, now." 09:23 And the Lord opened the door. 09:24 And we went, 09:26 and that got us into 16 years of ministry 09:29 in Southeast Asia working with Buddhist people 09:31 in Cambodia and Thailand. 09:33 So that's a little brief, tiny picture. 09:35 Yes, very good. Praise the Lord. 09:37 You've seen many things and also seen needs 09:42 and this has inspired you through your ministry as well. 09:45 Well, we have Bill Wells, 09:49 and a little bit about yourself 09:51 and how you got involved with the ministry there? 09:53 Yeah, thank you. 09:55 So I'm California born and bred 09:57 and I've been living in Michigan now 09:59 about eight years 10:00 and three years married and absolutely love my wife. 10:06 Praise the Lord. 10:07 And so, I met her 10:09 while I was studying at Andrews University. 10:10 And so, my journey in getting into ASAP Ministries 10:17 was while I was the student there at Andrews University, 10:19 got a chance to meet Pastor Scott 10:22 on a handful of occasions 10:24 and then become aware of what ASAP is doing. 10:28 Right around 2014-15 10:31 as a Syrian refugee crisis was underway, 10:34 I began to take note about refugees 10:37 and seeing 10:38 there's a huge mission opportunity 10:40 in the world right now. 10:42 What are we doing and I begin to apply my studies 10:45 and my research about refugees 10:47 and engaging with my local church 10:50 taking young people to visit refugee churches 10:52 and doing ministry. 10:54 And lo and behold, 10:55 as I finished my studies at Andrews, 10:58 ASAP Ministries offered me to work 11:02 as refugee ministry coordinator 11:03 continuing what I had already started 11:06 through my own personal efforts and study as a student. 11:10 Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. 11:12 Well, you know, the first time I heard about ASAP Ministries 11:17 is many, many years ago and when I think of ASAP, 11:21 people use that to say as soon as possible, 11:25 but what do the ASAP letter stand for, 11:29 for the ministry? 11:30 Great question. 11:32 That stands for 11:33 Advocates for Southeast Asians and the Persecuted, 11:36 ASAP, 11:38 Advocates for Southeast Asians and the Persecuted. 11:40 So really within that 11:42 our ministry has a focus really on four areas, 11:46 persecuted people groups. 11:49 Poor, so persecuted poor, refugees, 11:53 and I can't believe it, 11:57 my brain just happened to skip that last fourth one right now, 12:00 Pastor Scott? 12:02 Just it has just always been focused 12:04 on those who are in desperate situations 12:06 birthed out of the refugee crisis 12:08 in Southeast Asia back in the 70s and 80s 12:10 and ongoing till today, 12:12 we've got, you know, 12:14 just we continue to have refugees 12:16 pouring out of Burma. 12:17 And now ASAP has expanded to areas 12:20 that are in the Middle East and top of Africa. 12:24 And so 12:26 wherever there's desperate need, 12:27 ASAP has been raising up local national missionaries, 12:33 who can be trained, better equipped 12:34 and who already know the language and the culture 12:36 we can then reach into an unreached part 12:39 of the world that we're not serving 12:41 as a church yet. 12:42 So that's the supporting ministry 12:44 always done through the missions, 12:46 trying to help get the gospel so that Jesus can come back. 12:50 And now you mentioned training local, 12:54 national missionaries. 12:56 You train them but as well you have people 13:00 that assist for a period of time 13:02 because you went yourself or was it just to train people? 13:05 Yes. 13:06 I mean when you train the best training 13:09 is when you can be alongside so we've done that some, 13:11 but primarily ASAP has been about working 13:14 with those who are already there 13:15 with the structure there 13:17 but then empowering and equipping 13:19 the lay local people to go out and do that. 13:22 Let's get, can we get a little picture 13:23 about ASAP as a ministry? 13:28 Do you hire the local missionary workers? 13:32 Do you hire them? 13:35 So if there's a salary for them, 13:37 and how are they funded? 13:40 Great question. Yes. 13:41 So in working in Southeast Asia, 13:44 with the numerous projects that we work with, 13:46 and elsewhere around the world, 13:48 we engage local, passionate Seventh-day Adventist leaders 13:53 and workers and we engage them, we partner with them, hire them 13:59 and work through the local Adventist 14:01 mission structures present, 14:04 present in the countries to support, 14:08 to fund to enable those mission leaders 14:12 to engage in mission in new ways, 14:17 often breaking ground in new places. 14:20 And so we find that, 14:22 that empowering local believers and local workers 14:26 is much more effective than say Pastor Scott 14:30 or I showing up 14:31 and having to spend three years learning a language 14:33 and trying to learn the culture and settle in 14:37 so, so that's how ASAP is operated. 14:40 Well, praise the Lord. 14:42 Through donations from people giving, supporting, 14:44 then it goes out on to the field 100% 14:46 to whatever people give to is sent there. 14:50 So that's a... 14:51 That's wonderful. 14:53 It's really, I find it to be cost effective. 14:55 You're able to do more with the funding that comes in. 15:00 Now when you have these refugee centers, 15:04 is that what you call them refugee centers? 15:06 Is there a name outside of a door 15:08 in these countries? 15:10 How do the refugees know 15:13 where to go to get the help? 15:17 So we were primarily working with people 15:20 who once were refugees 15:21 who were back in their countries now, 15:23 that's the majority of the national missionaries 15:25 that we're supporting. 15:26 But there are places like right there in Lebanon, 15:30 where they're working with the Syrians 15:31 that there is a little school 15:33 where we can help to fund the teachers, 15:36 fund the students, 15:37 and also in the Karen refugee camps 15:40 along the border between Thailand and Myanmar. 15:43 Same thing there we have many teachers, 15:46 helping and caring for these young people 15:47 who are stuck inside refugee camps 15:49 hoping to have a future 15:51 but now the door is closed to other countries many times, 15:54 but being able to help them and lead them to Christ, right, 15:57 in those situations 15:59 where there's just no other options, 16:00 nothing, nothing to do. 16:02 You just stuck. 16:03 You grew up in that camp where you can't go out, 16:05 you can't come in. 16:06 You don't know what's going to happen, 16:08 but you're hoping. 16:09 And that's where they're being trained 16:10 and taught and led to Christ. 16:12 Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. 16:14 You both have been involved in different ways. 16:17 Scott, I want to ask you this question. 16:20 You went overseas to work with ASAP? 16:26 Can you tell me something in particular, 16:29 that said to you, 16:31 this is something 16:33 that I want to continue to be involved in, 16:34 because now you're serving as a pastor in Texas. 16:37 And you're still connected to the ministry, 16:39 some, something in particular that said, this is of the Lord, 16:43 I want to continue help Him. 16:45 You know, growing up, 16:46 I had no interest in being a missionary. 16:48 I never went as a student missionary. 16:50 I was committed to working in the inner city, 16:53 California, my plan to be in San Francisco. 16:56 And my wife said, 16:57 "These people out there never had a chance." 16:59 And I said, "No, the church is everywhere 17:00 just look at, you know, the programs 17:02 they show in Sabbath school". 17:03 And she said, Uh-huh, 17:04 and I finally realized and saw and for myself, 17:08 traveled through those places where you just go and go, 17:12 and there is no church 17:13 and you're among different people groups. 17:15 I learned that there are more than 17:17 4,000 totally distinct unreached people groups 17:20 in the world 17:21 that do not have a vibrant, moving, gospel witness. 17:26 And so what else can I do? 17:28 You know, when we finally came back, 17:30 because our children were ready for college 17:32 and our parents were getting elderly, 17:34 it's like, what am I doing here, 17:36 I can now speak Cambodian and Thai, 17:37 I should be over there in the mission field. 17:40 And God showed me there in Houston, 17:42 at a conference, 17:44 and we were surrounded with people 17:46 from almost every country of the world, 17:48 and that they had come here and it was God's intention, 17:51 His strategy so that we could reach them 17:54 and they could reach back into their own countries. 17:57 Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. 17:58 Now, you mentioned the number 17:59 that perhaps flew by some people, 18:01 tell us that number again, 18:02 how many people groups did you mentioned? 18:04 Well, there's different ways of figuring it. 18:06 But if we consider a distinct culture 18:09 and language and ethnicity 18:10 that is maybe on both sides of two country's borders there, 18:14 but there's people through the mountains 18:15 on both sides, 18:17 but they're distinct and unique. 18:18 We consider there's over 4,000 distinct groups. 18:22 And this is not just small, 18:23 this consists of about a third of the world 18:26 that we are in, 18:28 3.3 billion or something like that. 18:30 Amazing, amazing. 18:31 How about, Bill, 18:33 you studied this thing in school, 18:34 but then there's a difference between looking at books 18:37 and evaluating things and then being out there. 18:41 You have done that. Yeah. 18:43 What in particular impacted you that you said, 18:45 I want to continue doing this, this is of the Lord? 18:48 Yes. 18:49 Seeing, of course, 18:51 the mission potential 18:54 really is what's been the driving factor for me. 18:57 Recognizing that in the first 10 years 19:02 of a person's displacement and resettlement, 19:05 they are the most open to the gospel. 19:08 And so, really as we see what's going on in the world 19:11 as there's displacement, refugees, 19:15 internally displaced persons, asylum seekers, 19:19 as these people movements around the world are happening. 19:23 Really, when they end up in a new place, 19:25 they ask those deep questions 19:27 that they may not have been able to ask 19:30 in their previous context, 19:31 and they're able to explore those. 19:33 And that is the golden opportunity 19:35 that I see 19:36 that we can come alongside as neighbors, as friends, 19:41 as church members 19:42 or we see them 19:44 in their difficult circumstances, 19:46 providing humanitarian support 19:48 in a loving, Christ centered way 19:51 using Christ compassion, compassionate methods. 19:54 And we can come alongside 19:57 and introduce the beauty of a loving Savior, 20:02 who died for them, 20:04 wants them to live in eternity 20:05 and we can share 20:06 that beautiful gospel hope with them 20:10 and give them give them that eternal hope. 20:12 Pastor John, can I share a quote from Evangelism? 20:14 Sure. 20:15 Page 570, we put it in the booklet 20:17 praying for the world next door. 20:20 And it just sums up what Bill is sharing with us 20:23 that just so powerfully, 20:24 it says, "We should be able to see 20:26 in the multiplying opportunities 20:28 to reach many foreigners in America, 20:31 a divinely appointed 20:32 means of rapidly extending the third angels' message 20:36 unto all the nations of earth. 20:37 God in His providence has brought me 20:39 into our very doors 20:40 and thrust them as it were into our arms, 20:44 that they might learn the truth and be qualified to do a work 20:47 we could not do 20:48 in getting the light before men of other tongues." 20:51 Amen. 20:52 If we think of Pentecost, and the praying, 20:55 the earnest praying that we're doing now 20:57 for revival and reformation, 20:58 asking God to finish the work 21:00 as the disciples did that in the upper room 21:02 when the spirit came down. 21:04 It says there were devout men of every nation, 21:07 dwelling in Jerusalem. 21:08 And they said, 21:10 "How is it we hear in our own language?" 21:11 God has done this again, 21:13 in every metro area around the world, 21:14 there are people 21:16 who have come from those 4,000 plus ethnic groups. 21:19 And if we will seek 21:20 for the power of the Holy Spirit, 21:22 then He's going to do, 21:23 He's going to finish the work much more rapidly 21:25 than we think would be possible 21:27 because we have 21:28 this migration situation across the world. 21:30 Yeah. 21:32 To tag on to that, 21:34 you know, there's over in the US alone, 21:37 there's over 380 unreached people groups. 21:39 So these are in the US? 21:41 Yeah. 21:42 Three hundred and eighty, 21:43 so these are, these are like 21:45 Pastor Scott was saying 21:46 individual groups who have unique cultures, 21:48 languages, etc., 21:50 that make them distinctly different than anyone, 21:52 than everyone else around them. 21:53 So that's here in the United States, 380, 21:57 if you include the EU, if you include Canada, 22:00 there's over 450 22:02 and of all of those 450 unreached people groups, 22:06 only about 100 of them are actually being reached. 22:10 So majority are not being reached yet. 22:13 And the history behind that quote 22:16 from Evangelism 570, which was written in 1914. 22:20 It's fascinating 22:22 because the seeds for that began 22:23 in Ellen White's first statements in 1874, 22:27 with the first migration waves 22:30 happening in America from Europe. 22:32 And anyways, and from there, 22:34 we see that in Adventist history, 22:36 mission history, 22:37 the church grew around the world 22:40 because it first started reaching immigrants 22:43 in North America, 22:44 and so there's a beautiful history 22:47 in the Adventist Church 22:48 that connects the present situation 22:51 to what we've seen in the past. 22:53 Praise the Lord. 22:54 I want to say something before you make that comment 22:56 because you have mentioned that, 22:59 something that is at the very core 23:01 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church 23:02 is taking the message to all the world 23:06 and of the denominations in the world, 23:08 Seventh-day Adventist Church is one of the denominations 23:12 that is at the forefront of getting to every nation 23:15 in the heaven, 23:17 and to reach every single language group. 23:19 And I say, praise God. 23:22 What's going on? 23:23 We need to do more. 23:25 I hope you didn't lose your thought. 23:26 Go ahead. No, I didn't. 23:27 Because the excitement is just there strongly. 23:30 I mean, we are talking about people 23:32 coming from countries 23:33 you cannot get into with the gospel, 23:35 many of them. 23:37 My wife had met somebody at the door. 23:39 I'm not going to even mention the country 23:40 so it doesn't fall back 23:42 with the rest of what I want to say. 23:44 But she had been knocking 23:45 praying for a specific unreached people group 23:48 from another country. 23:49 And the last door 23:50 she knocked on that day was a man, 23:52 a young man from that country. 23:54 They made a friendship 23:55 and then in a park they followed up 23:57 with some others joining them 23:59 and they began to study. 24:01 He was from a Muslim background. 24:02 And he had lots to say and lots to argue about. 24:05 But one day, he just stopped 24:07 in the middle of his strong statement. 24:09 He said, you know what, 24:10 I couldn't do this back in my country, 24:12 I might even get killed for it. 24:14 And so beautiful, 24:16 someone from his very nationality 24:18 in another city was here in America, 24:21 come as a refugee and was living. 24:24 It's in one of the cities that's being torn by violence 24:28 right at this very moment. 24:29 And he was reached out to by the Seventh-day Adventists. 24:33 And during an evangelism program 24:35 that was done in the city, 24:36 they were looking for translators. 24:38 And they selected him. 24:40 Yeah, and he didn't have 24:42 any Seventh-day Adventist background, 24:43 but he came and preached night after night 24:44 for the evangelist. 24:46 And at the end, he was baptized. 24:47 Praise God. 24:49 You know, now, he's not there in this American city. 24:51 He's back in his country, 24:53 a country that's been torn by poverty, 24:55 famine and incredible war 24:57 and he is starting schools for children there 25:01 who did not have hope, 25:02 and he's sharing with them, 25:04 who the Prophet Jesus really is, 25:07 and what really happened on the cross. 25:09 Amen. Amen. 25:10 Yeah, this is the potential that we have all around us 25:12 to be missionaries here now. 25:14 That's incredible, 25:16 that's marvelous what God is doing. 25:18 You know, when you look at ASAP ministries, 25:23 you are reaching people that have backgrounds of one, 25:28 they don't even know that there's a God. 25:31 Two, they may have a mis... 25:35 a distorted view of who God is. 25:37 And some are coming from the idea, 25:39 there are many gods, 25:42 the god you serve is just one among many. 25:43 So there are 25:45 all these different types of beliefs 25:46 and to bring them to the knowledge of the truth 25:50 that there is only one true God 25:52 and the message of salvation 25:54 and that we're not just passing through this world. 25:58 This is a great work that has to be done, 26:01 a great work. 26:02 Well, you have some resources that are available. 26:05 And we want you at home to 26:07 or wherever you may be to stay tuned, 26:09 because you're going to hear 26:11 some great and wonderful things 26:13 that ASAP is making available. 26:17 And so how to reach the people next door. 26:20 You know, you may wonder, 26:22 how am I going to get involved in this. 26:24 Well, you can support ASAP Ministries, 26:27 as you've heard. 26:28 They're doing great work with local missionaries. 26:32 You can help support that work, 26:33 but you're going to hear more as we continue. 26:36 And so, let's talk about this new, 26:41 I'm calling it new because it's new to me, 26:43 but it may be newer than we think, 26:45 we talk about Reaching the World Next Door, 26:50 and you have 13 of these. 26:54 Tell us a little, a little bit about the idea 26:57 how it surfaced 26:59 and what you hope to accomplish with it? 27:03 So the Reaching the World Next Door 27:06 is a training that that we've been working on 27:09 and developing for quite a while 27:12 for several months 27:14 and Pastor Scott wrote the first drafts for it 27:16 almost 10 years ago. 27:17 Wow. 27:19 And, and so at present 27:21 through the Adventist learning community 27:24 and the website's just below. 27:27 We can, 27:29 any person who's interested in reaching out to, 27:33 to say their Hindu or Buddhist or Muslim friend 27:37 or their Jewish friend 27:38 that may live next door to them 27:39 or even a Native American, 27:43 you know, someone who lives next to them. 27:45 They want to reach out cross culturally, 27:47 it's a 13-part training 27:50 that helps people to bridge into cross cultural ministry. 27:56 Okay. 27:57 How do I connect with my friend, my neighbor, 28:00 who's from another country? 28:02 How do I share the gospel with them? 28:05 I find that what people 28:07 what's holding people back is their fear. 28:09 You know, I'm going to say something that's so foolish, 28:12 or I'm not going to know how to answer a question 28:14 that it would have been better if I just stayed at home. 28:17 So I'm going to stay home. 28:18 And we have to get past that, 28:20 we have to know if you don't share, 28:22 nobody will, 28:23 because it's more than 60% of Muslims, 28:27 Buddhists, Hindus, Jews in America 28:29 that do not have a Christian friend. 28:32 That's just, that's beyond my comprehension. 28:34 And for international students, it's worse. 28:36 It's more like 75% live here, having spent four years, 28:41 six years in America 28:42 from countries they may be the future leaders, 28:45 but they've been here 28:46 and they've never made an American friend. 28:48 This is something very important 28:50 that you have said. 28:51 You know, there are students like you said 28:54 they come from different countries, 28:55 and are studying here 28:58 and it's a great, a wonderful idea 29:02 to be able to reach them. 29:03 So when they go to their countries, 29:05 they return different, but they have a treasure, 29:09 let's call it that they didn't have before 29:12 that cannot be measured in money. 29:16 And so it's marvelous 29:18 and these are opportunities that we should not let pass by. 29:22 Yeah, I'd like to share a brief story, if I can, 29:26 and so, so I've had a chance to work with individuals 29:32 and international students. 29:34 I can't share where they're from. 29:36 But in talking with them, 29:38 one of them having spent several years 29:40 at our university, talking with him, 29:43 dialoguing with him. 29:45 He came one day and he's like, 29:48 you know, I think I'm a Seventh-day Adventist. 29:51 And I was like, 29:53 you know, please unpack that and he's like, 29:55 I like, believe 29:56 like all the same things you guys believe. 29:58 And he's had such a positive experience 30:02 at our university that, 30:03 that he takes that with him wherever he goes. 30:05 Praise the Lord. 30:06 And so while he hasn't made that step for baptism, 30:11 or joining a church, 30:13 he has a very positive understanding 30:15 and relationship. 30:17 And that may be the... 30:18 That may be the stepping stone 30:19 that someone later will finish sowing the seed 30:22 and cultivating and sowing the seed. 30:24 And it's just a beautiful story. 30:27 When you make yourself available to God 30:29 and that's what the training program. 30:30 We'll get back and tell you more about that in a moment. 30:32 But you took another story that I want to share. 30:35 That's exactly how one person starts 30:37 and another continues. 30:39 And how if we will choose to say, 30:41 God, I'm available today. 30:44 I have my agenda, 30:45 but I'm going to the grocery store 30:47 and I'll be working and various things 30:49 so please, I'm available. 30:51 Sometimes that's hard. 30:53 I was coming back from being overseas. 30:55 I was tired out, I had a two-hour shuttle ride. 30:58 This is when we were living in Michigan. 31:00 From Chicago coming back and I just, 31:02 I didn't want to be bothered, you know, but I'm available. 31:05 And so this young girl gets on the bus 31:08 was walking back. 31:09 And I saw she was look like probably from China. 31:12 And I just smiled, that's all I did. 31:14 And she immediately took that little tiny bit of friendship 31:16 and began to talk to me. 31:18 Did she want to practice English? 31:20 It was pretty good by then but maybe. 31:23 And so we started talking 31:24 and we talked the rest of the trip. 31:26 At the end, I took her contact. 31:29 Her name was Shenchen. 31:30 And my wife called her and we decided to get together. 31:33 We invited her over for a meal. 31:35 And she came, 31:37 45-minute drive to our house 31:38 from the university she was studying at 31:40 in South Bend, I think. 31:43 And she came up there, 31:46 she then invited us to her house 31:47 and fixed a nice, wonderful Chinese meal for us. 31:50 And then next 31:51 there was a memorial-day weekend, 31:53 our youth group was having a picnic. 31:55 She came and joined, 31:56 started coming to church once in a while 31:59 and then one of the students 32:00 started studying the Bible with her. 32:02 We had to move to Houston. 32:05 She ended up getting married, moved out of that situation. 32:08 But we kept in touch. 32:09 And our friend Rachel 32:11 began to study with her over the phone. 32:13 And then finally we connected her 32:15 with a Chinese member in California 32:16 where she studied and was baptized 32:19 just before giving birth to her first child. 32:22 It's God, God led, He has led them here. 32:26 And if we will open ourselves, 32:28 He will lead us to them as well. 32:30 Amen. Amen. 32:31 I want to ask you a question because you're going beyond, 32:36 let's say, "Hey, what's your name? 32:39 My name is John. 32:41 Want to do some Bible studies?" 32:42 You're going beyond that. 32:44 You're meeting needs, and you're doing this overseas. 32:47 Give us a little glimpse of what it is 32:50 that some of these people need help in different ways. 32:53 Because you help them and you impact their lives 32:55 and now they somehow 32:57 that makes a connection with the people 33:01 that they say these people have helped me, 33:03 and they are more open to hearing about the gospel 33:06 after they have been helped. 33:08 Some needs have been met in their lives. 33:10 And so they can testify of what you have done for them 33:15 to other people, 33:16 and I'm sure you have experiences 33:17 that you can share and say, 33:19 hey, these people are good people, 33:21 they will help you. 33:22 So tell us what kind of needs have you seen, 33:25 that you run into, 33:27 that you help people 33:28 with in some of these countries ASAP is involved in 33:32 and it yields fruit for the honor 33:35 and glory of the Lord. 33:36 Yeah, so one project that, 33:40 that I've had the privilege and the blessing 33:42 to oversee and manage the last couple of years. 33:46 It's called a Bangkok Refugee and Poor program. 33:49 And so in Bangkok, Thailand, 33:52 we have coordinator on the field 33:55 working day in and day out with urban refugees. 33:59 And today, you know, 34:01 there's 79.8 million displaced people 34:05 in the world. 34:06 And most of them 34:08 are actually now living in urban centers, 34:10 so they're urban refugees, 34:11 so they don't have the structure 34:13 of a refugee camp, 34:14 as we would typically think about. 34:16 And so, in Bangkok, 34:18 we're working with urban refugees, 34:21 and the need is far greater than any one ministry 34:26 could ever meet. 34:28 But in our little corner of the world of Bangkok, 34:31 we've been able to reach out and minister 34:34 to numerous families, 34:36 some of whom have decided to become 34:40 baptized members of the Adventist Church there, 34:42 some of them 34:43 as they've been helped and supported, 34:46 they resettled to a third country, 34:49 for example, Canada. 34:50 They resettled to another country 34:51 and there then they take that memory with them. 34:55 And just and they know that 34:58 hey, we can connect with Adventists 35:00 and find help and support 35:02 and find a meaningful connection 35:04 in community 35:05 because of what they've experienced 35:07 in Bangkok, not only through our ministry, 35:08 but through the partnering churches 35:09 that we work with and schools. 35:11 Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. 35:13 Oh, I'm... 35:14 Reaching the people next door. 35:16 Yeah. 35:17 When you get to walk into a refugee camp, 35:22 and you see people living in a little bamboo hut, 35:25 maybe the size of twice this table 35:28 with their three or four children, 35:30 and you hear their stories 35:32 of what they've gone through the war in the past, 35:35 now the camps are ready to close 35:37 and they have to go back to that country. 35:39 The fear, the hopes to go to a different country 35:42 to have safety and education for their children. 35:45 That's one side of the world. 35:47 And I'm so thankful for what ASAP is doing there 35:49 and others are doing. 35:51 When you get to meet them on this side of the world, 35:53 and you see the hope in their eyes, 35:56 the excitement is to have their kids 35:57 starting to live in a place of safety. 36:00 But then you also see the struggle, 36:02 because it's not paradise like they thought 36:04 it was going to be when they got here, 36:06 and they are struggling to have a job 36:09 during this time of the Coronavirus. 36:11 We've had many of our friends 36:13 who have come as refugees to America 36:16 and who have gotten a part time job here 36:19 or two jobs here 36:20 and now suddenly they have nothing. 36:22 So we've been able to continue despite the need for masks 36:27 and sanitation and social distancing, 36:30 we've been able to continue the food bank deliveries, 36:33 just setting things outside the door, 36:35 or having them come through very carefully. 36:38 We've continued to try to find ways 36:40 that they can have jobs, 36:42 the ladies know how to sew, 36:43 some of them have sewing machines already. 36:45 Others have donated, so that we have them available. 36:48 They were making masks, 36:50 now they're making some furniture, 36:53 but they're just, they're in need, 36:54 they have practical needs, 36:56 especially in those first few months. 36:58 And they say, you know, 37:00 a lot of people are worried about integration 37:02 and the difficulties that come with refugees 37:04 and immigration and immigrants. 37:06 But the key, it's not English class. 37:09 It's not some other social service. 37:11 The key they have found through research 37:14 is do they have an American friend 37:17 who is there to help them go through their struggles? 37:20 If they do, they will integrate well, 37:23 they will succeed well, 37:24 they will become solid promoting 37:26 effective citizens of the country. 37:29 So we have enjoyed it. 37:31 I'm busy with a lot of things. 37:33 But I have one family. 37:35 I have other friends and other families too. 37:36 But there's one particular recently arrived refugee family 37:40 that we've been able to get to know, 37:42 to help him through his back pain 37:44 through his difficulties. 37:46 He's out of work. 37:47 He was an Uber driver, 37:49 and now trying to get back on his feet. 37:51 But we've gotten to know them. 37:52 We love their children. 37:54 One day, we invited him out to our property. 37:56 We swam, we played, 37:58 we barbecued and we were together. 38:00 And at the end of the day, the kids are saying, 38:02 "This is our favorite time in the last three years 38:04 that we've been here. 38:05 This is just amazing." 38:07 They feel like they have an American family, 38:10 friends that are there. 38:11 And so that's what I, 38:13 you know, to bring it back for a moment 38:14 to the training the 13-part training, 38:17 Reach the World Next Door. 38:18 It just simply helps you find those unreached people 38:21 to know where the refugees are and what 38:24 local resettlement agencies are doing. 38:26 You don't have to do it all. 38:27 There's a system there. 38:29 But you can either join as a volunteer and be trained, 38:32 or you can find out just how to meet somebody 38:35 and then be that friend, that family 38:37 and the training then walks you through 38:39 how to help them tangibly, 38:42 how to then share your faith in an appropriate way 38:44 at the right time 38:46 in a way that's respectful to them 38:47 and their religion, their background, 38:49 but helps them to understand this new world they're around 38:52 and how people believe 38:53 and the options 38:54 that they've not been able to hear 38:56 all their life. 38:57 Excellent. This is great. 38:59 So, it walks them through carefully. 39:00 And I mentioned, you know, people are afraid, 39:02 afraid to make that mistake or to even start, 39:05 they don't know where to get going. 39:06 But because the training is intended 39:08 for a small group, 39:10 either your family or church group to do together, 39:13 it builds into it that encouragement 39:15 and accountability, 39:16 where you gather together, 39:17 you find out how each other been doing, 39:19 praises, prayer requests, 39:21 and whether or not you did the assignments, 39:23 and then helps them to move forward 39:25 in accomplishing it. 39:27 It's really helping people to get engaged 39:30 with those in need of the gospel. 39:33 We're seeing people pick it up 39:35 and move forward out into their communities. 39:37 Excellent. Excellent. 39:38 So you have seen people using these things already, 39:42 the 13 training lessons, 39:45 and you mentioned something very interesting. 39:48 You said, is it designed for like small groups 39:54 and churches to do? 39:55 So, let's say right now 39:57 you have the eyes and ears of the church members 40:02 that are involved in the different ministries 40:04 of the church, 40:05 what message do you have for them, 40:07 so they can get interested in using these lessons? 40:12 So because the needs are everywhere 40:15 whether you're in the city 40:16 or you living in the countryside 40:18 and you just meet somebody at a gas station 40:19 who's moved out to the suburbs, to the countryside, 40:22 you will find those people 40:24 but we're just not aware of them that much. 40:27 So this helps to engage that so anybody anywhere can do it. 40:31 We have groups doing it online 40:33 because of the present situation. 40:35 We're doing it by Zoom or another way of meeting 40:38 and it's easy to pick up 40:41 and just to begin doing in that way. 40:44 And people are already they're finding ways 40:47 through Facebook contacts that they know of. 40:51 Oh, yeah, that person I went to school with. 40:53 They were from another country and religious background. 40:55 I'm going to get in touch with them. 40:57 And someone else, 40:58 just begin looking around and made a friend 41:00 with a man from Iraq and said, 41:02 "I'm going to befriend him. 41:04 He's handicapped." 41:05 Now, they've helped him get a job, 41:07 helping him through these tough times. 41:09 Those friendships get started when we become intentional. 41:12 Excellent. 41:13 I think for any church, this training kit, 41:17 this training series 41:19 is helpful to expanding the vision 41:23 of the local ministry, 41:26 because we can be involved in personal ministries 41:29 and men's ministry 41:31 and children's ministries and so on. 41:32 And those are all great and excellent. 41:35 Having this training opens up then the avenue, 41:38 now I can take what I'm doing 41:40 and make it cross culturally relevant and relatable, 41:44 and further expanding the number of people 41:47 that we can embrace and include 41:49 in the different ministries of our local churches. 41:51 Excellent. This is great. 41:53 So do, is all the training online 41:58 or do they get some printed material 42:00 or is the option to print from what's online? 42:03 Is that the way it was? 42:04 It's a good, very good question. 42:06 Adventist learning community 42:08 is the North American divisions place 42:10 for continued education for pastors, 42:13 for teachers, for anybody who wants to learn 42:15 more about ministry 42:17 or how to reach out and other topics as well. 42:20 And so they're the ones that are hosting it, 42:22 it's step forward, slash, 42:24 AdventistLearning Community.com/rwnd. 42:29 And at that place the videos are there 42:33 because there's video clips from people 42:35 who are heavily involved in refugee ministry 42:38 like Terry Sally, 42:39 and others who as pastors and as conference leaders, 42:43 like Dan Serns from Texas Conference 42:48 and Dean Cordon from Iowa Missouri Conference. 42:51 They're sharing what their experiences 42:54 and so it's a combination of that, 42:57 and then their principal materials 42:58 that they can just print out, use 43:01 and one of them is praying for the world next door 43:04 to get people really praying. 43:05 Another one is my favorite missionary, 43:08 which looks at Jesus. 43:09 Yes. 43:10 You know, the missionary to the Jews people, 43:13 but he couldn't help reach out to the Canaanite, 43:16 and the Samaritan, and the Roman. 43:18 And so it walks you through seeing the love of Jesus 43:22 who even at the cross is asking God forgiveness 43:25 for the oppressor. 43:27 For the foreigner 43:28 who shouldn't have been in their country, 43:29 the Roman centurion. 43:31 So this is Jesus call to us and you can access it there. 43:37 Excellent, excellent. 43:38 So the information is available 43:41 and you instruct people how to get it. 43:44 But you mentioned there are also things to read, 43:47 but also things to see in here. 43:49 There are videos available, so that people can see like, 43:54 like it's true still, 43:56 the picture paints a thousand words, 43:58 how about moving pictures, and the video. 44:00 So this is a great resource to have. 44:02 I see that you also have another website 44:07 that is MyLanguageMyLife.com. 44:12 Tell us something about this website 44:15 and what is available there? 44:17 I remember when I was trying to figure out 44:20 how God was leading and coming back to the States 44:22 that we were at a GYC Conference 44:25 in Houston, Texas, 44:26 and we went out with the young people 44:27 in the buses. 44:29 And I heard one come back and say, the lady said, 44:31 "No English, Vietnamese, 44:33 and I didn't know what to give her." 44:36 And it hit me, 44:37 we have resources around the world. 44:39 Our church has so much beautiful literature, 44:42 but it's not available. 44:44 It's over there somewhere in a mission office. 44:46 I don't know how to order it. I don't know how to get it. 44:49 And now we have all these people. 44:51 And even if you do speak English, 44:53 your heart language you want to hear, 44:55 you need to hear the gospel there. 44:57 So we begin to work with volunteers, 44:59 with ASAP Ministries to put together a site, 45:02 MyLanguageMyLife.com 45:04 that has now over 150 languages 45:07 of Seventh-Day Adventist material. 45:09 Marvelous, 150 languages? 45:11 It's great. 45:13 So when you meet somebody and let's take Vietnamese again 45:15 because there's so many of them in the United States, 45:18 you can either hand him a card that you can get from ASAP 45:21 that has the website 45:22 or you can pull out your phone or their phone and say, 45:26 can I show you something that's got things 45:28 in your language 45:29 and scroll down and click on Adventist World Radio 45:32 or 3ABN Latino or whatever else is there 45:37 so many great resources that you can share with them. 45:41 Marvelous, marvelous. 45:44 You know, we receive calls, emails and letters. 45:47 Do you have any information in Spanish? 45:49 Because since I work with the Spanish ministry 45:52 here at 3ABN, 45:53 they're asking for where do I get this? 45:54 Where do I get that? 45:56 Now this is a marvelous resource 45:58 that people can just in seconds, 46:00 go right there and they have, 46:03 they can select the language 46:05 that they want to get the material. 46:06 And this is... 46:08 This brings me to a question people often bring up 46:11 which is like, "Well, everybody matters," right? 46:13 I mean, you know, 46:15 lots of our own people here who've grown up 46:17 and were born in United States, they need the gospel. 46:20 And that's where we can affirm that and say, 46:22 of course, everyone matters to Jesus. 46:24 We're simply asking, 46:26 who's had a chance to hear and who hasn't. 46:29 So, black, white, Hispanic, 46:33 we have that background for the majority of us 46:35 we can access like church, a radio station, 46:38 television program, a Bible, that's in our language in our, 46:43 from our background, you know, it's around, 46:46 but many of these people do not, 46:47 they've never had that opportunity. 46:50 And so that's where, that's where we're appealing, 46:53 especially in Houston, 46:54 I love going to speak 46:56 at the Spanish speaking churches. 46:58 They've got that fire, 46:59 they've got their outreach going on, 47:00 the yearly evangelism programs. 47:02 And whenever we speak about 47:04 reaching out to immigrants and refugees, 47:07 they immediately get it. 47:08 Many of them have transitioned here 47:10 from another country, 47:12 they understand the difficulty, 47:13 the challenges 47:15 that these refugees from unreached countries 47:17 have gone through. 47:18 And so they are picking up this task and saying, 47:21 we want to reach out cross culturally, 47:24 that's been exciting. 47:25 In fact, 47:27 we are working on a translation into Spanish 47:29 of the Reach the World Next Door training. 47:31 Because there are so many you're saying, 47:33 we want to be trained. 47:34 We want to know how to reach out, 47:36 but we don't feel adequate. 47:37 We want to learn how. Yeah. 47:39 The key, a key Bible text that I've just, 47:41 I've spent a lot of time thinking about 47:43 reading is Acts 17:26 and 27. 47:47 And that really undergirds all of this 47:50 that we're talking about, Acts 17:26 and 27. 47:54 And Paul, of course, he's there in Athens. 47:57 He's speaking at Mars Hill to the wise men there. 48:03 They're surrounded by all the different gods 48:05 on Mars Hill. 48:07 And I love what Paul says here. 48:08 He says, "For one man, 48:10 he created all the nations throughout the whole earth." 48:14 And that just communicates to us like, 48:17 no matter who we are, 48:18 God's created every single human being 48:21 around the world. 48:23 And so we're all of His creation. 48:26 He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall 48:29 and He determined their boundaries. 48:31 God knows where we're going to live, 48:34 wherever board, 48:36 wherever we're going to move to, 48:37 how life events transition and move us through life. 48:41 He understands those boundaries. 48:43 And I love verse 27, as Paul mentions, 48:46 "His purpose was for the nations 48:49 to seek after God, 48:52 and perhaps feel their way toward Him and find Him." 48:55 And so in the midst of what we see going on 48:58 and refugees being displaced in, 49:01 in migration and so on. 49:04 Well, we see what I see God doing 49:06 is that well, God's not causing the wars, 49:09 and the famines, and the persecution, 49:11 but in the people movements, 49:13 He's leading nations to a place 49:16 where like Paul is saying they can seek after God. 49:21 And are we there to meet them in their search for God? 49:25 Yes, that's impacting. 49:30 You know why we were talking here, 49:31 I went to MyLanguageMyLife.com web page, 49:35 and it's marvelous, 49:37 I encourage you to take a look at this page 49:39 and also the 49:42 AdventistLearning Community.com/rwnd, 49:48 both of these places, take time, look at it over. 49:52 I just went to MyLanguageMyLife.com. 49:55 I clicked on English and you can listen. 49:59 There's a subheading, listen. 50:03 And then the Bible in many languages, 50:06 radio, television, then it says watch. 50:11 And it has many resources for watching, 50:13 explore many resources 50:16 to explore small group materials. 50:18 Excellent. 50:19 And then there's a section especially for kids 50:22 here that I see. 50:23 And then it says books and magazines, 50:25 health connect, related information. 50:29 And this is a marvelous resource. 50:31 I praise the Lord that it's available 50:33 in so many languages. 50:35 And so I encourage you to take a look at this, 50:37 you are going to need this resource. 50:41 You've heard it today, you may need it today 50:43 or you may need it tomorrow. 50:45 But take a look at this web page 50:47 because you will be blessed to see it. 50:50 You can explore yourself and be blessed, 50:52 your personal spiritual life will be enriched. 50:55 Yes. 50:56 When I came back 50:57 from my first two years in Cambodia, 51:00 and I walked into a Christian bookstore 51:02 in Central California, 51:04 I began to just weep. 51:05 And I couldn't figure out 51:07 what was going on until it hit me. 51:08 We had all these hundreds, thousands of resources 51:11 in English. 51:13 And we had no Bible studies, or anything in Cambodia. 51:17 And I just said, Lord, please, we need these 51:21 before the people we need to be writing, 51:23 we need to be creating. 51:25 God is calling us to consider 51:28 those who've never had a chance. 51:30 It's like we've been feeding the first 500 of the 5,000. 51:33 And we keep giving the seconds and thirds and fourths 51:36 while the other people are still hungry. 51:37 Thank you so much. 51:39 Well, we are going to give you contact information. 51:42 And you're going to hear news from 3ABN 51:44 and we will be back in a moment 51:46 for final comments from Scott and Bill. 51:49 We'll see you in a moment. 51:51 For more information about ASAP Ministries 51:53 and Reach the World Next Door, 51:56 please contact them at 269-471-3026. 52:01 That's 269-471-3026. 52:06 Their website is ASAPMinistries.org. 52:09 That's ASAPMinistries.org. 52:13 You may also write to them at 105 South Cass Street, 52:17 Berrien Springs, Michigan 49103. 52:22 That's 105 South Cass Street, 52:25 Berrien Springs, Michigan 49103. |
Revised 2020-09-11