Participants:
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY200040A
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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 another 3ABN Today program. 01:18 I'm Jill Morikone 01:20 and we're so excited 01:21 that you have taken time from your day 01:22 to sit down with us or if you're in your car, 01:25 you're listening to this program. 01:28 One of my favorite things about the Today program 01:31 is that we get to feature ministries, 01:33 what God is doing in and through people's lives, 01:36 not just here in the United States, 01:38 but around the world. 01:40 The ministry we are featuring today 01:42 is near and dear to our heart here at 3ABN. 01:46 I'm speaking of ASAP Ministries, 01:50 and they have an incredible ministry 01:52 particularly focused on the 10/40 Window, 01:56 impacting the lives of the poor, the persecuted, 02:00 and the unreached people groups. 02:03 So I'm excited about this program 02:05 and I know the Lord is going to use it 02:07 to not only touch you with the stories, 02:11 but to touch us to motivate us 02:14 to get involved in reaching out 02:16 and helping other people 02:18 as well as supporting this incredible ministry. 02:21 I want to introduce our special guests today. 02:24 We have Julia O'Carey, 02:26 and she is the Executive Director of ASAP Ministries. 02:30 Julia, it's just a joy to have you 02:32 back here at 3ABN again. 02:34 It's wonderful to be here. 02:35 We just love 3ABN 02:37 and are so grateful 02:38 for your ministry here too, Jill. 02:40 Amen. 02:41 We always love it when you can come, Julia, 02:43 and you can share what God is doing 02:45 in and through the ministry. 02:46 So we're looking forward to that. 02:48 And I'm hoping, 02:49 I'm going to pronounce her name right. 02:51 We have Pastor Lisa Isensee. 02:53 And she is the Mission Advancement Officer 02:57 for ASAP Ministries. 02:58 And, Pastor Lisa, 03:00 it's a joy to have you here too. 03:01 Thank you. It's so good to be here. 03:03 God is doing so much around the world. 03:04 We were commenting about how exciting it is 03:07 that there's so many ministries God is using 03:10 to finish His work. 03:11 It's very, very neat. 03:13 And you came to 3ABN years ago, 03:15 we were just talking before we started the program. 03:17 This was with Tiny Tots. How many years ago was that? 03:19 I think 10. I think 10. 03:21 Wow. 03:22 Yeah, so that was good memories 03:24 with Aunty Linda, Miss Brenda, Miss Cinda. 03:27 Miss Cinda. That's right. Absolutely. 03:29 With your kids, right? Yeah. 03:31 We have five children. 03:33 And it was our, two of our middle ones 03:36 that were in that programming at that time. 03:38 That's very special. Absolutely. 03:40 So, Julia, tell us just a little bit, 03:42 what is ASAP Ministries? 03:44 I know we featured your ministry before, 03:46 but what if someone's watching the first time and they say, 03:48 what does that stand for? 03:50 And what is this ministry all about? 03:52 Sure. 03:53 ASAP Ministries is for Advocates 03:55 for Southeast Asians and the Persecuted. 03:58 And so what we're all about 03:59 is to multiply disciples Christ's way. 04:03 And the way we do that 04:04 is we empower and train local people 04:09 to be missionaries to the poor, 04:11 the persecuted unreached refugees. 04:14 And we do that 04:15 just by God's grace and His power. 04:18 And so we have church planting, that's our main emphasis. 04:22 And we have schools and different holistic projects 04:25 like wells and other things just to reach the people 04:28 so they see Christ in action. 04:30 Amen. 04:31 Now you focus specifically on the 10/40 Window. 04:33 But what is the 10.40 Window? 04:35 Someone says what countries does that represent? 04:37 What's that represent? 04:39 So if you look at the globe, 04:41 it's between the 10 degrees north 04:44 and 40 degrees north, 04:45 the latitude lines is approximately 04:48 where the 10/40 Window is. 04:49 It's also sometimes called the resistant band, 04:52 because that's the area where it's largely Muslim, 04:56 Hindu and Buddhist. 04:57 And just a number of, 04:59 you know, number of countries and areas where it's, 05:02 where people don't know about Jesus. 05:04 Wow. 05:05 What an incredible ministry. 05:07 Now this was founded by your mom, right? 05:09 Tell us about that? 05:11 Yes, Judy Akin, my mother founded this. 05:14 Actually it goes back even beyond that, 05:15 because when I was a child, 05:18 my family worked in Thailand in the refugee camps. 05:21 You know, in the early 80s, when Pol Pot was in Cambodia, 05:26 and refugees from Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam 05:29 were all flooding into Thailand. 05:31 So that's where it all started. 05:33 And during that time 05:35 over 10,000 people were baptized 05:37 in the refugee camps. 05:38 It was such a miracle. Yeah. 05:41 And so then from that, all those war-torn countries, 05:45 people had to go back after the war was over, 05:48 but there was no official structure to help them. 05:51 And so my mom worked with 05:52 the Adventist system in the church, 05:55 to start church plants 05:57 and to establish the work in those countries. 05:59 And it's just grown and grown by God's grace. 06:02 So what was it like as a child, growing up seeing the need, 06:06 seeing the poverty, seeing the war-torn countries? 06:09 How did that impact you 06:10 and influence your life in mission? 06:12 I don't think I'd be doing what I'm doing now, 06:15 if I hadn't had those experiences, 06:17 that it was such a joy to learn how to serve. 06:20 And when children can get involved in ministry, 06:24 and go and help and do whatever little things that we can, 06:29 it changes something deep inside our hearts. 06:32 And so, it just puts this bug in my heart 06:35 to share the gospel with the world. 06:36 It gives a different worldview, a different perspective. 06:40 Like, they're my brothers and sisters, or my friends. 06:44 I don't see any difference, 06:45 even though they may eat something different 06:48 or speak something different in a different way. 06:50 But, yeah, it did impact a lot. 06:53 Okay. 06:54 So I know we're going to get 06:55 into what ASAP Ministries is doing. 06:58 And specifically, 06:59 you have a lot of videos 07:00 and pictures and other things, 07:02 projects that you're involved in. 07:04 But tell me just a bit about your family, Julia, 07:06 and then we'll go to you, Pastor Lisa. 07:07 Yeah, sure. 07:09 I'm married to AJ and he's a counselor. 07:12 And I have two daughters, 07:13 an 18-year-old and a 13-year-old, 07:16 and we live in the country. 07:18 And it's just such a blessing. 07:20 Love my family. 07:21 Amen. 07:23 Country living is a blessing and family is a gift from God. 07:25 Yes. 07:27 What about you, Pastor Lisa? 07:28 Tell us a bit about your story? 07:29 My husband is Richard Isensee and he's an engineer. 07:33 And we have five children. 07:35 And it's... 07:36 I feel so blessed 07:38 because when I was, when we were first, 07:42 coming back to Wisconsin, 07:43 I was pregnant with our first child, 07:45 and I thought, I'm just going to be home with our kids. 07:48 And God just kind of took us on a little different journey. 07:51 Instead, we went into church planting 07:54 and I was able to work part time in that, 07:56 but then also homeschool our five children. 07:58 So it's really been a blessing. 07:59 And in fact, our, all five of our kids 08:01 have been on at least one mission trip 08:03 with ASAP but some of them four now. 08:06 So... 08:07 They're great missionaries. 08:09 They're incredible missionaries. 08:11 Amen. 08:12 It is incredible for our children 08:14 to have that experience, it changes them. 08:17 I would just highly recommend if you have children, 08:21 and you want them to be passionate about other people 08:24 and about missions, 08:25 that you would have them be part of a mission trip. 08:29 Amen. 08:30 It's beautiful thing, so. 08:31 That's beautiful. 08:33 So God calls us all to be involved 08:34 in mission work. 08:36 In fact, our scripture for today 08:38 is Luke10:2, 08:40 "Then He said, 08:42 " Jesus speaking to them, 08:43 "the harvest truly is great, 08:45 but the laborers are few, 08:47 therefore pray the Lord of the harvest 08:50 to send out laborers into His harvest." 08:53 And that's what ASAP Ministries is all about. 08:56 And that's what we're encouraging you today 08:58 to pray the Lord of the harvest 09:00 that He would send forth laborers, 09:02 and that labor can be you, and it can be me, 09:06 it can be all of us. 09:07 So before we go any further, 09:09 we're going to go to a special song 09:10 and then we'll come back 09:11 and really unpack what the ministry is doing. 09:14 The song is brought to us today by Message of Mercy. 09:17 I love their music, group of woman, 09:20 and this song is entitled "Total Praise." 09:28 Lord, 09:30 I will lift 09:34 Mine eyes to the hills 09:43 Knowing my help 09:48 Is coming from You 09:56 Your peace You give me 10:01 In time of the storm 10:10 You are the source Of my strength 10:17 You are the strength Of my life 10:25 I lift my hands 10:29 In total praise to You 10:36 Amen, 10:40 Amen 10:44 Amen, 10:48 Amen 10:51 Amen, Amen 10:55 Amen, 10:59 Amen 11:03 Amen, 11:06 Amen 11:15 Thank you so much Message of Mercy 11:17 "Total Praise." 11:18 I love that song. 11:20 If you are just joining us, 11:21 our special guest today is no stranger 11:24 if you've watched 3ABN for any length of time. 11:27 This is ASAP Ministries. 11:30 And we're so blessed to have them here 11:32 talking about the impact 11:34 that you and I can make 11:35 that ASAP Ministries makes 11:38 through the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit 11:41 on the lives of the poor and the persecuted 11:44 and the unreached people groups, 11:45 especially in the 10.40 Window. 11:48 We have Julia O'Carey, who is Executive Director, 11:51 and just very glad to have you here. 11:53 And we have Pastor Lisa Isensee, 11:56 who is the Mission Advancement Officer. 11:58 I'm to be here. 12:00 It's a privilege to have both of you here. 12:01 So let's talk just a moment about ASAP Ministries. 12:06 I think we have an opening picture 12:08 kind of setting the stage for this ministry. 12:12 So what our ministry does 12:13 really focuses on the suffering, 12:15 the persecuted the poor, 12:16 these types of people 12:18 who don't get a lot of care and attention. 12:21 And so the verse that 12:24 we have is what we do for the suffering 12:26 we do for Jesus. 12:27 And so you'll see, 12:30 as we talk about different projects 12:33 of how we're actually accomplishing our ministry 12:36 by reaching those poor people who really need the help. 12:40 Amen. 12:42 One of the things we're very excited about, 12:44 if you can go on to the next picture, 12:46 is that we have over 600 Ethnic Missionaries 12:51 working in different countries. 12:53 Some of them close countries 12:54 that we don't even mention which countries they are, 12:56 and the exciting thing 12:58 and we started our program with Luke 10:2 13:01 is that there are so many more places, 13:04 so many more places 13:06 that could be reached for Jesus, 13:07 so many more ethnic missionaries 13:08 that you could be supporting. 13:11 And it's, you know, 13:12 it's not, it's not like here in the States 13:14 where to have a full-time worker, 13:17 it would be thousands 13:18 and thousands of dollars every year. 13:20 But for $90 or $100, $130 a month, 13:25 a full-time person 13:26 can be working for Jesus in these countries. 13:28 So it's something that many people can be involved in, 13:34 regardless of what your budget might be. 13:36 So let me get that straight. 13:38 You said for $90 or $100? 13:40 Or $130 depending on the country, 13:42 there's different, you know. 13:43 You can sponsor an ethnic missionary? 13:46 Yes. 13:47 So they're church planters, Bible workers, 13:50 medical missionaries, teachers, 13:53 because we're trying to reach them 13:55 in different ways. 13:57 And so we have different types of workers 13:59 and we train them up, 14:00 we equip them. 14:01 And we send them out to these unreached villages 14:04 that where people have never heard about Jesus, 14:07 never heard about the gospel. 14:09 Lisa. Go ahead. 14:11 There's one of our hard-working board members said, 14:14 I love it because when I go to bed at night, 14:16 I know that I am supporting people 14:19 that are working while I'm sleeping. 14:20 They're working for Jesus while I'm sleeping. 14:23 I love that. 14:25 So tell me what is an ethnic missionary? 14:27 What does that even mean? 14:29 So ethnic missionary means 14:31 that there are people who are from that area 14:34 that know the language, know the culture, 14:36 that are there to stay, 14:38 that are connected with the community. 14:40 So they're very effective, 14:42 because they can reach areas 14:45 where I could never go, 14:47 because either there's communism, 14:49 or there's language barriers or political barriers. 14:54 So it's really wonderful 14:56 to be able to train these people 14:58 and not all of them have like a high college education, 15:01 but they have faith and they love the Lord. 15:05 And they're passionate about what they do 15:07 and they're effective. 15:08 We see so many results. 15:10 Amen. 15:11 That's amazing. So there's 600 of these? 15:13 Yes. 15:15 Over 600 and many, many more that we could have. 15:18 Yeah. 15:19 Amen. 15:20 That's incredible. 15:22 And the way that we try to reach people, 15:24 because there's so much culture and prejudice 15:27 against Christianity in these countries 15:30 is by meeting the real needs. 15:32 So the next slide 15:33 just kind of shows a little bit about that. 15:37 We try to find ways to connect with the people, 15:41 what do they need? Do they need clean water? 15:44 Do they need health? Do they need education? 15:48 And so, one example is the Ahlin Training Center. 15:52 The Ahlin Training Center 15:54 is a medical missionary training center in Myanmar 15:58 that we just established. 15:59 And that center is training up our missionaries, 16:03 even if they're church planters 16:05 or whatever they are to be medical missionaries, 16:07 because medical missionary work is the right arm of the gospel. 16:10 Absolutely. 16:11 And so, if we want to show the next picture, 16:13 this just shows a little story. 16:15 There was this young man who became Adventist, 16:19 and he, unfortunately, 16:23 was so persecuted by his family 16:26 because of his faith and he had so much stress, 16:29 he couldn't focus on his exams 16:31 and he got hopeless, even though he found Jesus, 16:34 he thought I can't, 16:36 I can't be a Christian in my country, 16:37 it's too hard. 16:39 And so he decided to commit suicide, 16:41 and he drank poison, 16:43 and he almost died. 16:44 But the medical missionary center leader, 16:48 Dr. Triley and her team 16:50 worked to rehabilitate him and help him, 16:54 his organs have healed, he's gaining weight now. 16:57 And we prayed for him and God answered our prayer 17:00 and rescued this man. 17:01 So Lord spared his life? The Lord spared his life. 17:04 And because of that witness, 17:06 his father who's a Buddhist monk, 17:08 you can see a picture of him here, 17:10 his heart is open. 17:12 And this picture is him getting fomentation treatments 17:17 for his back problems at the center. 17:21 This is just a week ago. 17:22 So this is the young man 17:23 who had tried to commit suicide. 17:25 It's his father. 17:26 His father that was so opposed. 17:28 So there's so much power 17:29 in reaching out to their real needs. 17:32 God is using the center 17:34 and many other projects through the 10/40 Window. 17:37 That's incredible. 17:39 Praise the Lord for how He works. 17:40 I love to hear mission stories, 17:42 and stories of miracles 17:44 that God performs and that He does. 17:47 Let's shift a moment and talk about the schools. 17:50 I know ASAP Ministries 17:52 has an incredible outreach to young people, 17:55 and specifically at-risk youth. 17:57 So talk to us about that? 17:58 Yeah, so we are so excited 18:00 because we see how God can use schools 18:04 to church plant, 18:05 to impact and to bring people to the gospel 18:08 because when kids who are Buddhist, 18:11 hear about Jesus and hear those stories 18:14 actually changes their worldview. 18:16 And I have a little slide 18:18 just so that you know that we have 18:20 over 80 schools for at-risk children. 18:23 And so these are the children, 18:24 Jill, that are poor, 18:26 that are in the most worse situation. 18:29 When I say at-risk, 18:31 they're at-risk for being trafficked, 18:33 for work or sexual trafficking, they're at-risk of abuse, 18:38 they're in war zones. 18:40 Let me give you just a couple examples. 18:43 Just a few weeks ago, 18:45 in one area where we have a school 18:47 right on the border between Thailand and Myanmar, 18:50 a soldier went up to a lady 18:52 right near the school, and said, 18:55 "Give me that plastic bag." 18:56 And she said, "No, I have my fruit in it." 18:59 And he shot her three times, dead. 19:02 This is the type of environment that they live in. 19:07 It's just heartbreaking. 19:09 And then in the schools in Cambodia, 19:12 these kids are at-risk of being trafficked. 19:14 And let me give you an example of that. 19:17 I was teaching the teachers because I'm a teacher, 19:21 I have my Masters in education. 19:23 So that's one of my joys 19:25 is to go over and get to teach these teachers. 19:26 Amen. Yeah. 19:28 And one of the teachers told me 19:30 that she was teaching about careers, 19:33 and just a normal thing 19:34 and she was asking the children, 19:36 what do you want to be when you grow up? 19:38 And one little girl that's rather new, 19:42 raised her hand and she said, 19:43 "I want to be a prostitute." 19:45 And the teacher just was shocked. 19:47 And she said, 19:48 "Why do you want to be a prostitute?" 19:50 And she said, 19:51 "Well, my aunty says that I can have nice dresses." 19:54 And that's her worldview. 19:57 But then after education and teaching her, 20:01 now she wants to be a nurse 20:02 because she wants to help heal people. 20:05 And so that's the difference 20:06 that these schools are making for these children 20:08 who have no opportunity and who are really at-risk. 20:12 And so, it's just a joy 20:15 to be able to see the changes and the difference. 20:18 And we have a little video 20:19 that shows the change in one of our student's lives 20:23 and what he's doing now. 20:24 Okay. Let's take a look at that now. 20:35 Wi Wang Fu dropped out of school 20:37 at the age of six when his father died of AIDS. 20:41 His mother was also infected and struggled to find work. 20:46 When Fu finally returned to school, 20:49 he couldn't read or write, 20:50 and he struggled to concentrate on his studies. 20:54 But through the care of his teachers 20:55 at the Cambodian Adventist Elementary School, 20:58 his grades improved dramatically. 21:03 He also discovered a talent for music, 21:05 and a love for Jesus. 21:07 And three years ago, 21:09 both Fu and his mother were baptized. 21:14 He once was a struggling student 21:16 but today, he teaches second grade at the school 21:19 where his life story changed forever. 21:23 It is the joy of ASAP teachers like Fu 21:26 to help students 21:27 who are going through difficult times. 21:30 But many students and teachers 21:32 are still awaiting the faithful prayers 21:35 and support of a donor like you. 21:37 Will you become part of their story today? 21:40 Because Jesus is coming soon. 21:43 Now more than ever, mission matters. 21:52 Amen. 21:53 What an impactful story. 21:56 You know, when I go there year after year, 22:00 and I see these little kids grow up, 22:02 and I remember Fu, 22:03 and how naughty he was as a little boy 22:06 and then now I see him just being used by God. 22:11 And it just really touches my heart. 22:14 Each of these children are important. 22:16 A second-grade teacher now reaching out ministering just. 22:22 Tell me how you first began the schools. 22:26 How were they initiated? 22:27 I know they're all for at-risk 22:29 children like Fu or like that story, 22:32 you told of the girl 22:33 who said she wants to grow up 22:34 and be a prostitute. 22:36 And then the Lord got a hold of her heart 22:38 and showed her, her value 22:40 and now she wants to be a nurse. 22:41 But tell me how you started the school? 22:43 Well, we saw when we had the church plants that 22:46 there were these children in the slums 22:48 that were rummaging around 22:50 and trying to find things in the garbage dumps 22:54 to recycle just to have enough to eat 22:58 and live on in and we thought, 22:59 wow, they're not going to school. 23:00 They don't even have enough money 23:02 to go to the government schools 23:04 because they don't have money for a uniform or bags, shoes. 23:09 Yeah. 23:11 And so, I went out there in these garbage dumps, 23:13 and it broke my heart 23:14 to see these kids like rummaging around. 23:17 And so we thought 23:18 we have to do something for them. 23:20 And so we started a school 23:22 and we called it the Feed and Read School. 23:24 And we had hot, healthy meals for them 23:28 because when we didn't do that, 23:30 they wouldn't come 23:31 because they didn't have the food. 23:34 And so that's how we started 23:35 and we've seen how God has grown 23:37 and developed these schools in such beautiful ways. 23:40 Now, some of the children, 23:41 they no longer dig in the dumps. 23:43 Some of them are even literature evangelists 23:45 with their parents and they go and sell God's Word to people. 23:48 Yeah, it's beautiful. Amen. 23:50 And now there's 80 plus schools? 23:51 Yes. 23:52 Thousands of children, 23:54 you know, thousands of students. 23:55 Yeah. Amen. 23:57 Even just in some of our schools, 23:58 they'll be thousands, 23:59 you know, like, it's a number, number of young people. 24:02 Yeah. 24:03 And what I love about these schools 24:05 is that we're very intentional on discipleship. 24:09 And so the next little video you're going to see 24:12 is of a young man who became Adventist, 24:15 but he's really struggled 24:17 because they're in a culture 24:19 that just works against them 24:23 being Adventist, all the family. 24:25 But yet with the discipleship, 24:28 with the principal praying and they meet in small groups, 24:32 they study the Word, 24:34 they do united prayer 24:35 and it's so consistent in their lives 24:38 that they build up that faith so that they can be strong. 24:41 And so I want you to meet Chhai Den. 24:43 It's just a short little story of his decision. 24:46 Amen. 24:47 Let's go to that now. 24:52 Chhai Den attends the Takong Adventist School 24:54 in northwestern Cambodia. 24:57 Although he was raised in a Buddhist family, 24:59 he started to believe in God through the Bible classes 25:02 and discipleship small groups at the school. 25:07 The school's principal Pastor Sam Makura 25:09 noticed a spiritual transformation 25:12 taking place in the young man's life. 25:15 But then, 25:16 Chhai Den's older brother passed away. 25:21 Traditionally, in the Cambodian family, 25:24 whenever one family member passes away, 25:28 the remaining boy in the family 25:29 must become a monk for three days. 25:33 Chhai Den's father insisted that he become a monk. 25:36 He agreed to do it and went to the temple. 25:39 He shaved his head 25:40 and dressed in the saffron robes. 25:43 I know the culture and I knew that was expected. 25:47 So I prayed hard for Chhai Den the whole day. 25:50 That evening, he left the temple 25:52 and came to our small group meeting. 25:54 During united prayer, 25:56 he expressed true repentance for his decision 25:59 and promise God 26:01 to never turn back to Buddhism again. 26:04 I teach him that as a Christian, 26:06 he needs to be diligent and respectful to his parents. 26:10 Since he has put that into practice 26:12 and worked hard for his parents, 26:14 their love for him has increased. 26:16 Today, they allow him to come to the church freely, 26:19 and they tell me 26:21 that their son made the right decision 26:23 to become a Christian. 26:34 Chhai Den was one of the 17 students and parents 26:37 baptized recently at the Takong Adventist School. 26:42 We praise God for their decisions. 26:44 And for sponsors like you, 26:46 whose generous gifts 26:47 provide teachers stipends and school fees 26:50 for students like Chhai Den. 26:58 ASAP Ministries supports more than 70 schools 27:02 serving impoverished and unreached communities 27:05 in Southeast Asia 27:06 and elsewhere in the 10/40 Window. 27:11 Would you consider becoming a sponsor today 27:13 to bring Christian education and the gospel message 27:16 to these precious children of God? 27:19 Because Jesus is coming soon. 27:21 Now more than ever, mission matters. 27:33 Amen. 27:35 I love to see his little face Chhai Den, 27:37 and to see how God enabled him to stand up for Jesus 27:43 and then how his parents turned around. 27:46 What a beautiful story. 27:48 What do you use 27:50 for the curriculum in the schools there? 27:51 Well, we use the government curriculum, 27:53 but then we supplement it with the Bible. 27:56 And so we translated my Bible first curriculum 28:00 and it's beautiful. 28:01 We put in some pictures of Asian fruit 28:04 instead of American fruit and things like that. 28:07 But we love that curriculum, 28:08 because it takes them 28:10 through the Bible stories very clearly, 28:12 and it includes Spirit of Prophecy as well. 28:16 And we also did a curriculum 28:17 called Growing Safe Rooted in God's love. 28:21 And that's specifically focusing 28:22 on how to keep them safe 28:24 from abuse and trafficking and things like that, 28:27 and how to get their identity in Christ. 28:30 And it's a beautiful curriculum 28:32 that Adventist worked on and it goes through. 28:36 And when we were doing that, 28:38 we thought, you know, 28:39 we want something to supplement this. 28:41 And so I have something I want to show you. 28:43 Yay! 28:45 We have... Please go and tell us through. 28:46 Yes. 28:48 We have these cuddly mega voices, 28:50 and you're wondering, what in the world is that? 28:52 Well, in the pocket here of the animals, 28:57 of the little stuffed animal, we have a mega voice. 29:01 And on this mega voice 29:03 is the Bible recorded in their language 29:06 plus the stories and the memory verses 29:09 and songs from the curriculum, 29:11 so that it can wash over their minds 29:14 when they go home and go to sleep. 29:16 And so we have enough of these 29:18 for all the students in Cambodia. 29:21 We've raised enough money, but we need more, 29:25 because we have thousands of kids. 29:27 And I want to make sure I get this right. 29:29 We have 3,174 students in Myanmar 29:34 and the border between Thailand and Myanmar 29:37 that we don't have these for yet. 29:40 And it's $35 for one of these. 29:43 And so that comes to a total of $111,000 for this project, 29:49 but we really believe these children are worth it. 29:53 And what a difference this can make for them 29:56 in making them feel safe, making them sleep better. 29:59 Can I have one? 30:01 I want to hold little tight. 30:02 Okay, 30:04 so this would be the Bible in their language? 30:05 Yes. 30:07 This would also have songs in their language, curriculum. 30:09 Bible curriculum in their language. 30:11 So when they go to sleep at night, 30:12 maybe their home isn't safe, maybe they're afraid, 30:16 they can cuddle, and they can listen... 30:18 To God's Word. 30:19 To who they are in God. Yeah. 30:21 What's neat, too, if you think about it, 30:24 $35 to invest in a young person 30:28 for their spiritual growth is an incredible investment. 30:31 Somebody might say, you know, at my child's birthday, 30:34 I want to give money for this, or at Christmas time, 30:38 this is something that 30:39 that a school could do is to raise money for these or, 30:44 you know, many different ways. 30:46 Because even the kids, 30:47 they're going to see this and say, 30:49 "Boy, I would like that." 30:51 And I... 30:52 What you need to realize too, 30:54 most of the children that may be listening, 30:55 they might have lots of stuffed animals. 30:58 But in there, you know, in these places, 31:00 they might not have any toys. 31:03 My daughter was there on a mission trip 31:05 and she came back 31:07 and she had brought things to this school 31:10 and done some different activities with them. 31:12 But then she was interviewing the students. 31:15 And she said, 31:16 "Have you had any answered prayers?" 31:18 And the little child said, 31:20 you know, was holding this stuffed animal 31:22 that had just been given to them, 31:24 yes, yes. You know what? 31:26 She said, what he said, she said, 31:27 I prayed that God would give me one toy. 31:30 And, you know, they had. 31:32 So this is just an incredible thing 31:34 that schools and church's 31:37 families could be involved 31:38 in to raise that $111, 000 or something. 31:41 So we want to encourage you at home, 31:44 we will put up contact information 31:46 for ASAP Ministries at the end of the program. 31:48 But for $35 you can sponsor one of these for a child 31:54 and for 111,000, what was the exact amount? 31:57 111,000. 31:58 $111,000, 32:00 you can do that specifically for that entire region 32:04 for all the students in Myanmar... 32:06 And Thailand. And Thailand. 32:09 And I know earlier, Pastor Lisa, 32:11 you talked about the ethnic missionaries 32:13 and how for $90 or 100 or was it 120, 130? 32:17 130 I think is the amount. 32:18 130, you could sponsor an ethnic missionary. 32:21 So what an incredible opportunity you have at home. 32:24 You might be saying, I can't travel overseas, 32:27 and I can't do that but you can get involved. 32:30 And you can help spread Jesus to those who are marginalized, 32:35 to those who are impacted to the poor and the oppressed. 32:38 So let's switch gears a little bit. 32:41 We've been talking about the schools 32:43 and the curriculum and the incredible impact 32:45 that ASAP Ministries has with the schools. 32:48 Talk to us, Pastor Lisa, 32:50 about the work for the persecuted 32:51 in these closed countries? 32:54 Well, one of the things that I want to share 32:55 as we're transitioning into our closed countries, 32:59 is oftentimes 33:00 education and church planting go hand in hand. 33:03 For instance, last year I was in Myanmar, 33:06 and I was talking 33:07 with one of our ethnic missionaries. 33:10 And he was sharing how his dream is, 33:12 as a pastor to be a church planter to, 33:14 to go into areas 33:16 that have never heard the Word of God 33:18 and to share it with them. 33:20 But he said, you know, 33:21 even though I'm trained as a pastor, 33:23 I decided that what I needed to do 33:25 is I needed to go into a village. 33:27 And I would go into that village, 33:29 and I would say, 33:31 I can come and I can be a teacher for you. 33:35 So he went into an area 33:37 that was very close to Christianity. 33:39 And he came, he said, 33:41 "Please gather all the elders together." 33:44 And he knew they needed the school. 33:46 In fact, they had never had someone 33:48 with more than sixth grade education as the teacher. 33:52 And so, he, they brought all the elders together 33:54 in one of the huts 33:55 and they started talking and he said, 33:57 "I'm willing to come and be your teacher. 34:00 I will come, you won't even have to pay me, 34:04 but you need to know that I will share Jesus. 34:07 I will tell Bible stories. 34:09 I will sing Christian songs." 34:11 And, you know, 34:12 the elders kind of look back and they said, 34:14 "We don't, you know, we don't like that. 34:15 We don't like Christians. We don't like Christianity. 34:17 We certainly don't want a Christian teaching our kids." 34:20 And then somebody across this home, 34:24 this hut said, 34:25 "Well, I'm just curious, what education do you have?" 34:28 And he said, 34:30 "Well, I'm a college graduate." 34:32 You know, they all just kind of sat back and said, 34:34 oh, you know. 34:35 'Cause they were, a lot of them were only sixth graders. 34:36 Oh, that was the highest 34:38 their teacher had ever had in their village. 34:41 And so they looked at each other and this, 34:44 and one influential elder said, 34:47 "We need to do this for the sake of our children." 34:51 And so, in this village 34:52 children are coming 34:54 from two other villages to this school. 34:57 He teaches in the morning, 34:58 in the afternoon and then he takes little break. 35:01 And then he teaches the teenagers 35:03 that have now had to go off into the fields 35:05 and be working in the evening. 35:08 And he said, "Please pray for me. 35:10 Please pray for me 35:11 because my dream is to plant at least three churches 35:15 in this area where I'm teaching." 35:17 So here's just one of our ethnic missionaries 35:19 that's making an incredible difference for Jesus. 35:22 It's so exciting what God is doing. 35:25 We have some other stories like 35:27 that and if you can go to the next picture. 35:30 One of, I was there a couple years ago, 35:34 and we were in partnership with another ministry Oonjai, 35:37 and we had gone into a city 35:42 where we were doing an eyeglass clinic with Oonjai. 35:45 ASAP and Oonjai were partnering together on this. 35:49 And here, 35:50 all these people were coming that were refugees. 35:53 And they were, you know, 35:54 it's illegal for them to be there. 35:56 But most of them in this particular group 35:58 that we were ministering to, have had to flee their country. 36:03 I sat there and interviewed people, 36:04 and I just was crying after almost every interview, 36:08 because when they became Christians, 36:10 their neighbors and their own family members 36:12 were threatening to kill them. 36:15 And so, these families had to do something, 36:17 they had to go somewhere. 36:19 And so they would flee to the closest place 36:21 or the place that they could get in quickest, 36:24 but then they couldn't get, 36:26 you know, papers there, 36:28 partly because they were Christian. 36:31 And so they were just sharing some of what was going on. 36:34 And I talked to one young man, 36:36 his mom would not even do a side shot 36:39 where it was just a silhouette, 36:40 like a black silhouette, 36:42 because she said someone in our country 36:43 might recognize us and figure out where we were. 36:47 And, but she said, 36:48 I think it's okay for him to be interviewed, 36:50 you know, just that black silhouette. 36:52 Because she said, 36:54 "It's, you know, it's been four years, 36:56 three, four years since we've been there. 36:58 I don't think they'll recognize him." 37:00 And so they, they said, 37:05 he started to tell me his story. 37:07 And he shared about here 37:09 right then his father 37:10 was in the internally in the detention center 37:15 for illegal immigrants in this country. 37:18 And this is nothing like, 37:20 you know, if you think of a prison, 37:22 and then you think 10 times worse, 37:24 that there's not room to lie down and sleep. 37:26 So they take turns sleeping for a few hours at a time. 37:30 They don't have enough money. 37:32 So many things like this, 37:34 you know, just awful. 37:35 Do they work them during the day? 37:36 Is it like a work camp? I don't think so. 37:38 They're just stuck there 37:39 and you know, just basically, 37:41 it seemed like shoulder to shoulder 37:43 as they talked about it. 37:44 And... 37:45 And how long had his father been there? 37:47 I think he had been in prison for a year, 37:50 in this detention camp for a year. 37:53 And, you know, 37:54 I'm hearing all of these very sorrowful things. 37:57 And I said to him, 37:59 "Tell me, 38:00 what do you see Jesus doing in your future? 38:02 You know, what, tell me about what, 38:05 what you are hoping for?" 38:07 And he had already told me he was so excited 38:08 because he didn't realize 38:10 he was coming to a Seventh-day Adventist outreach. 38:12 And when he heard that, 38:13 he said, my dad, 38:15 we know we're Seventh-day Adventists, 38:16 my dad's a Seventh-day Adventist pastor. 38:19 And, so here at the end of this interview, 38:21 I'm asking him, 38:22 "Tell me, what hopes do you have, 38:24 what plans?" 38:25 And he got tears in his eyes, 38:27 and they'll make me get tears in my eyes right now. 38:28 But he said, "I want to be a pastor. 38:31 I want to be a Seventh-day Adventist pastor like my dad." 38:34 Here his dad is in prison, because he's a Christian, 38:37 because he's a Christian pastor. 38:40 And he said, "This is what I want to do. 38:41 I want to be a Seventh-day Adventist pastor." 38:44 So beautiful, God is working in these places. 38:47 We call them our GWIDOP countries. 38:50 You know, God's work in dangerous oppressive places. 38:54 Oh, I love that. 38:55 GWIDOP, so God's work in dangerous oppressive places. 39:00 Now we've had to change 39:01 how we work with these countries 39:04 even because it is dangerous. 39:05 Sometimes we cannot even go in 39:07 and get the pictures and get the interviews 39:09 that we would like to. 39:11 You know, we still work on getting those interviews, 39:13 but what you can do is you can sponsor, 39:15 you can be a GWIDOP sponsor and for $100 a month, 39:20 you can effectively be sponsoring 39:22 one of these workers 39:24 for Jesus or a different projects 39:26 in these closed countries 39:27 where we don't even say the names of these countries 39:30 because it's dangerous for the people who are in them. 39:32 Sometimes we have to blur their faces. 39:36 So it can really make an incredible difference. 39:38 If you go to the next picture, 39:39 I want to share a story of a friend of mine. 39:43 I'm going to call him Pastor B 39:45 and Pastor B is in a closed country. 39:48 If you go on, these are, 39:49 actually another friend of mine in a closed country 39:52 but if you go to this one, 39:53 Pastor B is the youth director in his country 39:56 and also works with ASAP Ministries 39:59 and his father has an incredible legacy. 40:04 He was an amazing man of faith for God. 40:07 In fact, thousands came into the church 40:13 and became Christians because of his ministry. 40:16 And I had, the first person 40:18 that I interviewed quite a few years ago 40:21 now was his father. 40:23 And he told me about how he had been in prison 40:26 for a total of less than, well, less than five years, 40:29 almost five years that he had been in prison. 40:32 One of the times was four and a half years. 40:35 Well, this last time that I was in Southeast Asia, 40:39 I was talking to Pastor B. 40:40 And I said, "Pastor B, tell me about your childhood, 40:45 because what was it like for you 40:47 when you were a child, 40:49 and your dad was in prison 40:51 for four and a half years just for being a Christian, 40:54 and, and sharing his faith." 40:56 And he started to share these stories 40:59 that were just incredible. 41:01 In fact, last night, I spoke with him 41:02 and heard a little bit more. 41:05 He was five years old, if you can imagine this. 41:09 He was five years old when his dad was put in prison. 41:14 And it was his family here. His mom is with three kids. 41:18 How is she supposed to support them? 41:20 Of course. 41:21 You know, she's trying to figure it out. 41:23 And she was able to get word to his uncle. 41:25 And his uncle who was not a Christian said, 41:28 "Yes, you come to our village." 41:30 And so he brought them to their village. 41:32 Here they're in a village, 41:33 they are the only Christians in this entire village. 41:37 In fact, they only became Christians, 41:39 because for a little while they were in a refugee camp. 41:42 And so, he shared about how, 41:46 you know, the other parents told the children, 41:50 "You see him, 41:51 don't be friends with him, 41:52 because his father is a convict, 41:54 he's in prison. 41:56 He'll be a bad influence on you, 41:58 don't be friends with him." 41:59 Can you imagine growing up like that, 42:01 growing up under that oppression 42:02 and that ridicule and that sadness 42:05 having your dad gone? 42:07 Sometimes we think of the persecution 42:09 that the adults face, 42:10 but it's the children too in these close countries. 42:12 That's right. 42:14 And so, he shared about how he would go to school 42:16 and the teacher would be so mean to him, 42:19 said it was so hard to learn. 42:21 But when he would sneak out in the afternoon 42:24 after or before school 42:25 was even out because he knew if we're going to eat tonight, 42:28 my family needs help. 42:30 And so at 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 years old, 42:34 maybe even till he was 10, 42:36 he would go out into the woods and he would pick fiddleheads, 42:39 the ferns as they were just coming up, 42:41 and you would pick other things that he knew were edible 42:43 and bring them back. 42:45 And he take his like half gallon engine oil, 42:50 pails, cans, 42:52 and he would bring them a kilometer down to the river 42:55 to get water. 42:56 And three times every day 42:57 he would bring that back for his family 42:59 to have enough water to eat and to clean up 43:01 with and to cook with. 43:03 And he's just a little kid? 43:05 He's just a little kid. 43:06 He's just a little kid. 43:07 His mom, you know, was taking the baby on her hip 43:09 out into the fields to work on her little bit of forest 43:13 that she had cleared out to be a rice, 43:15 rice paddy and to grow corn. 43:18 And so incredible, 43:19 because he shared last night 43:21 I had never heard this story before. 43:22 He said, "You know, 43:24 God took care of us during those years. 43:27 In fact, my uncle would tell my mom, 43:29 you need to divorce your husband, 43:31 and there's another man in this village 43:33 who wants to marry you." 43:34 She said, "No, I'll be faithful to my husband. 43:36 I'll be faithful to God. 43:38 And God will be faithful to us." 43:40 I'm sure is what she was thinking. 43:42 And she would go out there and she would grow her crops. 43:45 Well, he shared about how, 43:47 at the end of the year before their harvest, 43:50 they would be, 43:52 all of the villagers would be out of rice 43:54 except for their family. 43:57 Yay! 43:58 And he said, you know, we would just cut, 44:00 we would say it must be God. 44:02 Because here's one woman feeding four people, 44:05 and then you know, 44:07 there's these other families 44:08 where they have teenagers 44:10 that are out there working to much bigger fields. 44:12 And yet God took care of them. 44:13 He shared about 44:15 how a huge problem in this jungle, 44:16 it was way off the beaten track. 44:18 And a huge problem was in the barns 44:21 where they would store the food 44:24 with rats and the mice would come in and just, 44:27 you know, eat and eat on my food. 44:29 In fact, it was a weekly chore 44:30 that the children would chase the rats 44:32 and the mice away. 44:34 He said, "We never ever saw mice or rats in our barn. 44:39 They just didn't come. 44:42 They just didn't come." 44:44 And it, you know it makes me think 44:45 of Malachi Chapter 3 that says, 44:49 "I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, 44:53 so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground." 44:55 Nor shall the vine fall 44:57 to bear fruit for you in the field... 44:58 "Fail to bear fruit for you in the field, " 45:00 says the Lord of hosts. 45:01 It's so beautiful. 45:03 I can just see, 45:04 maybe even an angel that just was like, 45:05 I'm in this barn. 45:09 So God is working in amazing ways. 45:12 Just to finish up his story, 45:15 he said, "I have something to tell you 45:16 that you do not know." 45:18 He's just telling me this last night. 45:19 He said, "I took a group of youth 45:22 to my old village just this summer." 45:26 And he said, 45:27 "When we got there, 45:28 I wanted to see 45:30 because there was two people that had been his friend, 45:32 one was his cousin, 45:33 and another little neighbor boy 45:35 whose family must have had a little more openness 45:37 in their hearts. 45:38 Because there was just this little neighbor boy 45:40 that was his friend. 45:42 And he went into that village, 45:46 and came to find out 45:49 that there are now six families 45:51 that are Christian in his village. 45:53 And the one who is leading them is his friend. 45:58 God is so good. Amen. 45:59 So God is working... What an incredible story. 46:03 We could sit all day here and listen to stories. 46:06 I wish we had more time 46:07 but before we go to the address roll 46:09 for ASAP Ministries, 46:11 which we will put up in just a moment. 46:13 Talk to us, remind us one more time 46:15 how much it takes to sponsor an ethic missionary? 46:18 How much it will be for the little stuffed animal 46:21 with and how much to sponsor a child or school? 46:24 So talk to us about that? 46:26 It's $30 a month 46:28 to sponsor a child in one of these schools. 46:30 And you can go on our website and actually choose your child. 46:34 And we have a sponsorship program. 46:37 And it depends on what type of worker, 46:40 it usually ranges around $130 a month 46:43 to sponsor a worker and it depends on which country 46:46 they're at as well. 46:48 We have lots of other projects you can go. 46:50 We have an online gift catalog there. 46:52 And, you know, 46:53 we see how God has worked miracles in providing, 46:56 and this year we need another miracle. 46:59 So we're looking to God, 47:00 and so pray for us 47:02 that God will work miracles 47:03 to provide for these precious children. 47:05 Amen. Amen. 47:06 So it's $30 to sponsor a child. 47:10 Go to ASAPs website, 47:12 we want to encourage you to do that. 47:14 We believe in what God is doing 47:17 in and through the ministry of ASAP. 47:20 We believe in the stories of change lives 47:22 and the missionaries 47:23 who are going forward under persecution, 47:26 under difficult experiences, 47:29 under even torture or detainment or imprisonment, 47:32 but still the gospel is going forward. 47:36 So what we want to do right now 47:38 is to put up the contact information 47:39 for ASAP Ministries. 47:42 Encourage you to dig deep, to donate, to sponsor, to pray, 47:48 to do whatever God calls you 47:50 to do to support this incredible ministry. 47:54 For more information about ASAP Ministries, 47:57 please visit their website at AsapMinistries.org. 48:01 That's AsapMinistries.org. 48:04 You may also call them at 269-471-3026. 48:10 That's 269-471-3026. 48:14 In addition you can write to them 48:16 at PO Box 84, Berrien Springs, Michigan 49103. 48:21 That's PO Box 84, 48:23 Berrien Springs, Michigan 49103. |
Revised 2020-10-17