Participants:
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY230025A
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00:04 I want to spend my life mending broken people.
00:15 I want to spend my life removing pain. 00:25 Lord, let my words heal a heart that hurts. 00:36 I want to spend my life mending broken people. 00:47 I want to spend my life mending broken people. 01:06 Hello, welcome to 3ABN Today. 01:08 Welcome to the 3ABN family. 01:11 We are happy that you are with us and we hope that you'll be 01:15 blessed during this hour. 01:16 We are blessed to have special people with us. 01:20 Members of God's family. 01:22 And they are coming from far away. 01:24 We're going to hear some wonderful things about ministry 01:28 especially to children. 01:30 That's right. 01:31 Well, he is John Dinzey and I am Idalia Dinzey, his wife. 01:35 Yes, you are. 01:37 You know, it's a pleasure for us to be able to share 01:40 this following hour with you. 01:42 It's a privilege to hear of God's work in people's lives 01:47 and how we can all be used by God in the most simplest way, 01:53 but it has tremendous impact in people. 01:57 And during this hour we're going to talk about 02:00 the special little ones; children. 02:02 A ministry that is touching the heart of children 02:05 and helping them in their daily walk with Jesus 02:09 and to be responsible and learn to be people of good influence. 02:14 Amen. 02:16 And we'd like to introduce our guests that are with us. 02:18 Would you like to do that? 02:20 Oh, most certainly. 02:21 Well, we have Cheryl Jacob-Roeske. 02:24 Welcome. 02:26 And you are the president of REACH International. 02:29 Yes, thank you. A pleasure to be here. 02:31 ~ Amen, thank you for being with us. 02:33 And we have the Director of REACH Village of Hope, 02:38 the orphanage in Tanzania. 02:41 And she is Lois Prest. Welcome. 02:43 Thank you very much. 02:45 Happy to be here. 02:46 ~ Thank you, thank you. 02:48 Praise the Lord that you ladies are here. 02:50 And through the ministry of REACH International 02:53 you have blessed many, many children. 02:55 I'd like to know about how many children have 02:58 gone through your ministry already. 03:00 ~ Over a million children have been helped, yes. 03:03 - Amazing. - Praise the Lord. 03:04 Now that's a two-hander. Praise Jesus, amen. 03:09 You know, we have a chance to make an impression 03:12 in a child's heart. 03:14 And back when I was a teacher, pre-school teacher, 03:18 many years went past, and I bumped into a mother 03:23 at a store, and she said, "Are you Miss Idalia?" 03:28 And I said, "Yes, I am." 03:29 And she said, "You know, I want to tell you that my son 03:33 has never forgotten you. 03:34 He still talks about you." 03:36 So your ministry makes my heart warm to think about 03:41 how you're impacting and impressing the hearts of 03:44 these tender hearts that perhaps don't have any hope, 03:49 no direction, and no one to love on them. 03:52 But here you are with arms open wide, and just receiving them, 03:57 and providing that love and support that they all need. 04:00 So praise God for you. 04:01 Amen, amen. 04:03 Well, we're going to hear more about REACH International. 04:05 Some of you have heard of REACH International before, 04:08 and some of you have even supported and helped 04:11 some of those million children that have gone through 04:14 REACH International over the last 50 years or more. 04:18 And so, we would like to now ask you to join us in prayer. 04:22 And we want to remind you that you can be a 04:25 prayer partner for 3ABN. 04:27 We receive a lot of prayer requests at 3ABN. 04:30 And our pastoral ministries is active every day 04:34 receiving calls from people all around the world 04:38 And we encourage you to be a prayer partner. 04:41 And you can go to the 3ABN webpage, 04:44 and there you can sign up to be a prayer partner. 04:47 And you'll receive a small amount of the prayer requests 04:50 every week so that you can join us in prayer. 04:52 Also, you can also pray for the requests that are 04:56 put on the screen or are mentioned over the radio. 04:59 It's a ministry that you can also do. 05:02 But let's go to the Lord in prayer now. 05:06 Our loving heavenly Father, we thank You, Lord, 05:10 that this is another day of blessing that You have given us, 05:13 another day of opportunity. 05:15 And today great things can happen in our lives 05:19 if we open our hearts to You. 05:21 And we pray, Lord, that those that are listening to my voice 05:25 will hear Your call through this program or through 05:30 some other means that You will provide today. 05:33 We pray that as they listen to You, Lord, 05:36 just as it says in John 3:20, they will open the door 05:40 and let Jesus in. 05:41 And we pray, Lord, that in this program 05:44 Your name will be honored and glorified. 05:46 We ask for the blessing of Your Holy Spirit, 05:49 that we may speak those things that You know should be said. 05:52 And we also ask, Lord, that You will consider every request 05:56 that has come to 3ABN. 05:58 There are many, many needs. 06:00 And we ask You, Lord, to consider each and every 06:02 one of them, and we ask You to work in each and every 06:05 one of them through the ministry of Your holy angels, 06:07 through the ministry of Your children all around the world, 06:10 through influences, and through many means that 06:14 You have at Your disposal. 06:16 You have infinite resources, and we pray that You will 06:19 supply the needs of Your children, bring comfort 06:22 and strength where it is needed. 06:24 We pray, Lord, for marriages, to receive the blessing 06:28 they need to continue going forward. 06:30 And we pray for those that are as lost sheep, 06:34 that You will reach out to them once again 06:36 to return to the fold. 06:38 We thank You for 3ABN. 06:40 We pray that You will continue to bless this ministry 06:43 to reach people all over the world. 06:45 We ask You for these things in the holy and blessed name 06:49 of Jesus, amen. 06:51 Amen. 06:53 Well, we do have the Scripture reading that we'd like to 06:55 share with you. 06:56 And Idalia, would you like to lead us to that? 06:59 Yes, and we have Proverbs 22:6. 07:04 It's a Bible text that we have heard for many years. 07:09 Many know it by heart. 07:10 "Direct your children unto the right path 07:13 and when they are older they will not leave it." 07:16 So this is something that we as older people, 07:22 older than a child, it could be a teenager 07:26 influencing in the life of a two-year-old, right, 07:30 so what we do and what we encourage, 07:33 we direct the children, we train up the children to do good. 07:38 And they will not depart from the good path. 07:41 Amen, amen. 07:42 We would like to ask sister Lois, sister Cheryl, 07:45 who would like to comment about this verse? 07:47 Anything that comes to your mind at this moment. 07:50 I think that's an excellent verse, 07:53 and I think it's absolutely the truth. 07:56 What children learn, they may depart from it for a time, 08:01 but they come back. 08:03 They come back later. 08:05 And we have that hope that they will come back later, 08:07 no matter what happens in the meantime. 08:10 ~ Amen. Thank you so much. 08:13 Well, we'd like to go now to a song, a hymn, 08:20 that we have selected for you. 08:22 It's a musical offering. 08:23 And we have brother Sam Ocampo. 08:26 And he's going to share... 08:27 What's the name of the song, Idalia? 08:28 He Looked Beyond My Fault. 13:12 Amen, amen. 13:13 Well, we thank Sam Ocampo for that song. 13:16 He Looked Beyond My Fault 13:17 And I'd like to read to you some of the words of this song. 13:21 It's a wonderful song. 13:23 It says, "Amazing grace shall always be my song of praise. 13:29 For it was grace that brought me liberty. 13:32 I do not know just why He ever came to love me so. 13:37 He looked beyond my faults and saw my need. 13:40 And I shall forever lift my eyes to Calvary 13:44 to view the cross where Jesus died for me. 13:47 How marvelous the grace that caught my falling soul. 13:53 He looked beyond my faults and saw my need." 13:57 Praise the Lord. 13:58 And we have people with us that have seen a need, 14:03 and children that need help in many ways. 14:08 And so we are talking to REACH International. 14:12 They have come to share with us the ministry 14:16 that God has put in their hearts to fulfill among the children. 14:20 Over a million children have already been helped. 14:23 We have Cheryl Jacob-Roeske with us. 14:25 She is the president of REACH International. 14:28 And I will say it, she has inherited the smile 14:31 of her mother, Jasmine Jacobs, which I met many years ago. 14:35 She came to 3ABN, I actually had the privilege 14:37 to interview her. 14:38 And what a marvelous ministry, REACH International. 14:42 Tell us about REACH International. 14:45 Why is it called, REACH International? 14:47 And how did it begin? 14:49 So why is it called, REACH International? 14:51 Render Effective Aid to Children 14:55 That's the meaning of REACH. 14:58 My parents started it in 1973. 15:01 We're celebrating 50 years now. 15:04 They took me to India and they were doing workshops 15:11 in various schools. 15:13 And one morning at 10 o'clock this little boy 15:17 comes into our room to clean. 15:19 And my mom being a school teacher is looking at him 15:21 and said, "What are you doing here? 15:23 You need to be in school." 15:25 But this child, with tears in his eyes, tells her, 15:28 "I just don't have the money to go to school." 15:31 So she asked the lady who we were staying with, she said, 15:35 you know, "What's the story behind this child? 15:37 What is he doing here?" 15:39 She said, "Well, I don't really know. 15:41 I found him sleeping on my doorstep this morning, 15:44 so I fed him and I put him to work." 15:48 So when they left that area, they paid for 15:52 this child to go to school. 15:53 When we came home, they got together with a group of friends 15:56 around our dining table, and they said, 15:59 "Let's help these kids in India. These kids need to be helped." 16:02 So I think the first school, REACH school in India 16:06 had about 22 or 23 children that they found sponsors 16:11 in that Berrien Springs area to help these children. 16:14 ~ Praise the Lord. ~ Amen, praise the Lord. 16:16 That was the first one in India. 16:19 ~ The first school was in India. 16:20 Now my father is from India, my mother is from Sri Lanka. 16:24 And my dad was very poor. 16:28 His mom died giving birth to twins. 16:33 And he was walking along the street in Bangalore one evening 16:39 and he saw this tent. 16:40 You know, being a kid, he was curious, 16:42 "What's going on in this tent?" 16:43 ~ What in the world is going on in that tent? 16:45 There's no entertainment back in those days. 16:47 No videos or anything like this. 16:49 So he wants to go inside, but then he notices that 16:51 everybody going into this tent, they're dressed really well. 16:55 "And me, I don't have clothes. I'm in rags." 17:00 He says, "I distinctly heard a voice say to me, 17:05 'Go in when it's dark.'" 17:06 ~ Say again? "Go in when it is dark." 17:10 He heard this voice speaking directly to him, 17:12 "Go in when it's dark." 17:15 So he slipped into the back row when it was dark. 17:18 The speaker in that tent was Pastor Joe Crews. 17:21 ~ Pastor Joe Crews. 17:23 Praise the Lord. 17:25 For those that don't know, Pastor Joe Crews 17:26 was the president and founder of Amazing Facts. 17:31 Amazing Facts, yes. 17:32 Yes, so Pastor Crews took an interest in my father. 17:36 And he got in touch with his mother-in-law and said, 17:40 "Can you help this child? He's got potential. 17:43 I want to help him." 17:45 So she hadn't met him, she hadn't seen him, 17:47 but she sent money for my father to go to school. 17:50 So, you know, he went through college, came to Michigan State, 17:54 Both my parents got doctorates from Michigan State. 17:57 And since then, you know, one million children have been 18:02 helped through REACH International. 18:04 ~ Amen, amen. ~ Praise the Lord. 18:05 ~ One million children. That's impressive. 18:08 - And it began in the year 19... ~ 1973. 18:12 Yeah, they really wanted to give back. 18:14 "God has blessed so much. 18:17 You know, what can we do now in return?" 18:20 ~ So many lives, Idalia. 18:23 There are only about 554 people here 18:27 in Thompsonville Illinois. 18:30 So you're talking about almost a population of a country. 18:34 It's amazing. 18:36 The first reached child, His ID number is 001. 18:40 His name is Alex. 18:42 This child was dipping sticks into vats of chemicals 18:47 to make matchsticks seven days a week. 18:51 Child labor laws. 18:54 You know, safety preventions. None of that is there. 18:57 So on his way home he'd be seeing children, 19:00 wealthier children, in swimming pools, playing ball. 19:04 And he said, "Why am I not like these children?" 19:08 You know, "What's wrong with me? How come, how come it's... 19:11 So he's pray to God, "I want a swimming pool. 19:13 Please, give me a swimming pool." 19:16 So he came to our REACH school, went through the program, 19:21 and God gave him all the swimming pools 19:24 he could possibly want. 19:26 He lives in Minnesota, the land of many lakes. 19:30 And he's a VP in a bank. 19:33 And there's many other stories of children. 19:36 We have a pharmacist in Arizona, we've got a mission president, 19:41 many, many pastors, school teachers. 19:45 It's really inspiring to see what a little bit of 19:50 helping hand can do and get these kids up and going. 19:54 ~ Amen. ~ That is fascinating. 19:56 Yes, REACH International started in India. 19:58 ~ Started in India. - How many other countries? 20:00 ~ We're about 20 countries around the world. 20:02 Honduras, Nicaragua, Africa, Kenya, Tanzania. 20:08 ~ Praise the Lord. ~ Amen. 20:10 Now I can't help but share what I envision 20:17 or what came to my mind, to my heart, 20:19 is that Jesus came as a child here. 20:22 He was born; one baby, one child. 20:26 And what a difference He has made in our lives. 20:31 And so I think of this child that appeared in the home 20:36 where you went to visit in India. 20:38 And through that child a ministry was born 20:42 to help a million other children. 20:45 And the count keeps going on. 20:47 So praise God for that. 20:49 We have Lois here who is the director of the 20:53 REACH Village of Hope Orphanage in Tanzania. 20:58 And praise God that the ministry has grown so much 21:01 and so many little children have been blessed. 21:03 Now I'd like to know, what age group do you serve? 21:08 I mean, is there a limitation? Please talk to us. 21:11 We take in age 3 to age 10. 21:14 ~ 3 to 10. 21:16 And we have had one child as young as 2. 21:18 ~ Wow, okay. 21:20 So how many children do you serve there? 21:24 At this moment we have 134 children. 21:27 ~ What's your limit? Is there a limit? 21:29 We're registered to take a maximum of 160 children. 21:33 ~ 160 children. 21:35 We haven't reached that maximum, 21:36 but we are able to take that many. 21:38 - Wow, so 130... How many? ~ 134 children right now. 21:42 ~ 134 children right now. 21:44 Walk us through a village, what you call a 21:47 REACH International village. 21:49 What is it like? 21:50 Well, there's the orphanage houses. 21:53 So we have 20 children in each house. 21:56 We have girls houses and boys houses. 21:59 And they have a house mother there that takes care of them, 22:03 stays with them at night. 22:05 The house mothers take their turns with the cooking and 22:07 with the environmental cleanliness, 22:10 and the out of school supervision of these children. 22:14 And then there's a primary school for them. 22:17 And they attend primary school. 22:19 We have teachers that take care of them with teaching school. 22:23 And we now have had a temporary secondary school 22:27 for one year. 22:28 We're on the process of building a permanent secondary school. 22:31 We have graduated three classes from the primary school, 22:35 so we have three classes now ready to go into 22:38 our permanent secondary school. 22:40 And I am hoping and praying we'll have those children 22:43 in that building by the time I get back. 22:46 ~ Amen, amen. 22:48 So what provisions are made for special needs children? 22:52 We have three children; one has got down syndrome, 22:55 one is deaf, and one I believe is on the autism spectrum, 23:00 but high functioning. 23:02 Those three children we have sent to an NGO that is 23:08 a disability center that is near us, near Mwanza. 23:12 But we and our staff are familiar with this man 23:15 and his program there. 23:17 The government is familiar with what he has there. 23:19 And he's doing an excellent job with those children. 23:21 And all of his children learn sign language 23:24 and they have vocational training to meet their own 23:27 individualized needs. 23:29 And those are our disabled children. 23:32 We have one who is more severely disabled 23:34 who can't attend school at all. 23:36 And we will have to try to find more help for her. 23:39 And probably with him if he's able to take her 23:42 when she's old enough to attend his disability school. 23:46 ~ Amen. 23:47 Well, you mentioned schools. 23:49 The question is, you know, "Train up a child 23:53 in the way he should go," and we see in the Bible 23:56 that from early on children should be taught 23:59 how to do things. 24:00 How to help themselves and help others. 24:03 Is there vocational training that you also have? 24:07 ~ We are offering some vocational training, yes. 24:10 Our children are learning to sew. 24:12 We have treadle sewing machines. 24:14 And they're learning to sew by hand. 24:16 We pay to have someone come in to teach them. 24:18 We have lockstitch machines 24:20 so they turn out what looks professional quality. 24:23 We have some that do an excellent job. 24:25 Their work they turn out is as good as the professionals 24:28 that do it for a living. 24:30 ~ Oh, so here are some pictures. 24:32 A picture of them sewing at their sewing machine. 24:35 Very good. 24:37 So these are your children. 24:39 Is there an age group where you start teaching them 24:42 this type of vocational class? 24:44 We started with our oldest ones as soon as I was able 24:48 to get it arranged and make it work. 24:51 At this point, we're starting when they're still in the 24:55 primary school in 6 or 7 standard. 24:59 So a typical day, it's called a typical day for a child, 25:04 what time is wake up call, 25:06 and what are the activities of a day? 25:09 Well, they get up in the morning in time to have their personal 25:13 devotions and their breakfast. 25:16 And then they have to be down at the school at 7:30. 25:20 Classes start after their opening exercises down there. 25:25 And they go back to the orphanage 25:27 at lunchtime to eat their lunch. 25:29 And then back to school in the afternoon. 25:31 And in the evening, same thing. 25:33 They go back to the orphanage. 25:35 They have chores that they're required to do 25:37 to help clean up after themselves. 25:39 They clean their houses, and clean their toilets, 25:41 and clean their environment. 25:43 And help work in the school garden, 25:45 and help work in the orphanage garden. 25:48 We keep them busy. 25:50 During their school breaks from school 25:54 they have the vocational training programs running. 25:56 ~ Amen, amen. 25:58 ~ Well, Cheryl, a question would be, you have seen, 26:02 and your mother and father have also told you about, 26:04 you have seen children, you mentioned children that 26:07 eventually, grow up. 26:08 Have any of them returned to see where 26:12 they were raised or even to help in some of those places? 26:16 ~ Yes, we have two directors of schools. 26:21 They have come up through the program 26:23 and now they are running projects themselves. 26:26 ~ Excellent. 26:27 We have a pastor who is also pastoring... 26:32 I mean, he's got churches, but he's also coming to our school 26:35 to pastor our children. 26:38 One of our students graduated with a PhD in nanotechnology. 26:45 So he's coming back to help our kids. 26:47 ~ Wow, excellent. Praise the Lord. 26:49 Very nice. 26:51 Well, we do not forget our roots, you know. 26:53 It's good to go back and just be part of the successful story 27:00 of other people, you know. 27:02 To invest into these children. 27:04 So I know that REACH International has 27:09 great influence in these children. 27:11 But do you give Christian education in these orphanages, 27:18 in these schools? 27:19 I know you teach them Bible verse songs, right? 27:24 Yes, we teach scripture songs. 27:26 They know a number of chapters of scripture music. 27:30 They know many passages of scripture music, 27:33 and many verses, individual verses, of scripture music. 27:36 And they enjoy singing them. 27:37 The first large passage that they learned was Isaiah 53. 27:42 ~ Amen, wow. ~ Isaiah 53. 27:44 - Isaiah 53. ~ That's wonderful. 27:46 ~ Amen. - But they know many others. 27:48 ~ Oh I'm sure, I'm sure. 27:50 So, now 134 children is a lot of kids, a lot of energy. 27:58 ~ In the village. 28:01 ~ I only have experience maybe a group of 28:04 30 kids in a classroom. 28:05 But 134. 28:07 It's wonderful how the Lord has impressed 28:11 you all to have a program that keeps them busy. 28:16 Not just doing just anything. 28:18 This is forming their character, their personalities, 28:22 putting to practice and discovering 28:24 new skills every day. 28:26 I don't know, how many are you in staff, 28:28 at least in Tanzania? 28:30 We have about 40 staff members. 28:33 We have the house mothers, and we have the security, 28:37 we have the farm workers, and we have the teachers 28:40 for both primary and secondary school, 28:42 we have an accountant, we have a chaplain. 28:44 So we have a staff that comes to about 40 people. 28:47 ~ Wonderful. ~ That's wonderful. 28:49 ~ It sounds like a perfect team. 28:50 Everything is covered. 28:52 Now what are the challenges? 28:54 These 134 kids, the challenge is to keep them busy, 28:58 keep them fed, keep them dressed, keep them educated, 29:00 and keep them, you know, to believe in themselves 29:03 and motivate these little hearts. 29:05 But what other challenges are there? 29:08 Well, there are always challenges. 29:12 There's challenges within challenges, within challenges. 29:15 It's hard to know where to start with challenges. 29:18 But at this moment, one of our challenges 29:22 is providing a secondary school facility 29:26 to educate them for secondary school right now. 29:30 This past year we had the temporary secondary school. 29:33 We now have permission to build officially a secondary school. 29:39 We're still not registered. 29:40 We still have some commitments that must be done even to 29:43 get registered for the secondary school. 29:46 But we at least now have classrooms built, 29:50 but we must have laboratories built and administration built 29:54 as part of getting registered to actually function legally. 29:59 ~ What are we looking at here? 30:00 Here's a picture. Describe this picture. 30:02 ~ Oh, this picture is some money that was donated 30:05 for us to have a church. 30:06 There's one picture that shows all of our children 30:09 crammed into our classroom at the primary school 30:12 for church services. 30:14 And someone who saw that picture or one similar to it 30:17 said, "Let me give some money toward a church." 30:20 And so we have begun with the foundation 30:24 for a new church for us. 30:26 Because we use the building that had been initially a chapel 30:31 to make the primary school administration building. 30:34 This is the secondary school that we finished these 30:39 classrooms that the children are working on. 30:40 These are our children that are up there. 30:42 Part of the job is to water down those cement blocks 30:46 that have just been laid with fresh cement 30:49 so that they will dry and stand properly and not crumble easily. 30:54 And they like to do that. 30:56 They like to be up there. 30:58 We get to the back of the truck and put barrels in the back. 31:01 We fill it with a hose in the truck already, 31:04 and then they use buckets and they empty it out 31:06 to another kid in a bucket, 31:07 and they carry it up there and pour the water down the walls. 31:11 ~ How exciting. 31:12 I'm sure they feel so helpful and so smart and so important. 31:18 And I think that's what we need to do with children. 31:19 Give them tasks. 31:21 ~ This is what happened in the days of Samuel the prophet. 31:22 You remember the story about the ax head that floated. 31:25 ~ Yes. ~ That's right. 31:26 So they're getting to do the same thing that was done 31:29 in the Old Testament days. 31:30 To help with the building of their own school. 31:32 ~ Amen, amen. 31:34 Well, one thing is for sure in all these countries. 31:37 The children are blessed, I'm going to call it blessed, 31:42 with the opportunity to live in an atmosphere, 31:45 Christian atmosphere, live a, what would you call a, 31:48 perhaps a higher quality of life. 31:50 Perhaps in the homes where... 31:54 Many of these kids would probably be in the streets, 31:58 trying to live outside and people mistreating them. 32:02 But here they have a home atmosphere. 32:05 And you say there's a house mother for every 20 children. 32:08 They get the sense of family that they wouldn't have at home. 32:14 And unfortunately, there are stories of parents 32:17 that use their children, and even sell them as slaves. 32:20 It's just horrible. 32:22 So this, REACH International, is doing a marvelous work 32:26 to rescue these children from a life of suffering 32:30 in the streets and in some homes. 32:33 And I just praise the Lord for the work that is being done, 32:36 and for those of you that have supported this ministry. 32:39 Thank you for the support. 32:40 And we encourage you to continue to support, 32:42 because these children have to eat. 32:44 These children need the basic needs that we all need 32:49 to be able to every day have a family atmosphere, 32:55 and every day have food, and to be able to be trained 32:59 to know the Lord and to love the Lord. 33:01 And so, I mean, I've heard you say that 33:04 several pastors have already gone through. 33:06 They have become pastors. 33:08 Well, what inspired them to decide to be a pastors? 33:11 Well, because they were trained... 33:12 - Lifestyle, their environment. - Yes. 33:14 They were trained on the biblical understanding 33:16 that there's a plan of salvation. 33:18 We're in a great controversy between good and evil. 33:20 And they get that training, and the Lord inspires people 33:24 to be pastors. 33:25 And so, great work is being done. 33:27 And some of them come back to help out. 33:30 This is a wonderful ministry. 33:32 Well, as I listen to Lois, I sense this joy and profound 33:38 love for what you do. 33:40 What makes this place so special to you? 33:43 And another question, what has made you the happiest 33:46 working in the orphanage? 33:48 Because I know at the beginning you hear sad stories. 33:52 I mean, just when Cheryl, when you were staring the story 33:56 of the little boy that was at the door, 33:59 he was sleeping at the door, my heart, I almost cried 34:03 here on the set just visualizing that little child 34:08 that cannot defend himself. 34:10 Praise God that he was left at that door. 34:14 Because through that door, he was blessed. 34:17 And the opportunities that the Lord lays before us 34:21 are so many to be able to bless so many people of all ages. 34:25 We're talking about 2 or maybe 3-year-olds through 10 year olds 34:29 at the orphanage project here in Tanzania. 34:33 So yes, tell me, why is this place so special? 34:37 Let me tell you a story. 34:40 Please do. 34:42 Four years ago there was a government intervention 34:45 because there was a family of children 34:48 that were being cared for by their grandparents. 34:51 The grandfather was in his 90's, the grandmother in her 80's. 34:55 And they couldn't feed the children. 34:57 And they asked would we take those children. 35:00 I said we can take nine of those children. 35:03 The others were older, they were in their teens. 35:06 I said they're too old for us to take. 35:08 So we took nine children in one day. 35:10 ~ Wow. 35:12 And they've been there for four years. 35:13 ~ Amen. 35:16 One of the boys told his grandfather, 35:20 "You need to be baptized." 35:22 ~ Oh goodness, he's a little minister. 35:25 And we didn't know about it. 35:27 And one day the grandfather showed up at the orphanage 35:31 with a change of clothes asking to be baptized. 35:34 But our chaplain isn't ordained, and our district 35:37 pastor didn't know anything about this and had commitments. 35:41 And he went home without being baptized. 35:44 I said we'll follow up on this. 35:47 So the chaplain and I went down there and we met with the 35:51 80+ year old grandmother and 90+ year old grandfather. 35:56 And they said, "Yes, we both want to be baptized." 35:59 ~ Amen. 36:00 And they had been baptized some years before 36:03 but hadn't attended church in many, many, many, many years. 36:07 So we had a baptism at the orphanage. 36:11 This is the picture we see, or...? 36:13 So all nine of their grandchildren watched 36:17 this 90 year old man that you see here be baptized, 36:21 and his 80+ year-old wife be baptized, at the orphanage. 36:26 - At the orphanage. - At the orphanage. 36:28 - Amen. Praise the Lord. - Excellent. 36:31 They became babies in God's eyes. 36:34 We're all babies that have come in. 36:36 And it's wonderful to see the influence of the Holy Spirit, 36:40 you know, working through your directors and the team 36:46 of administrators to teach the children that there's 36:51 a life complete in Jesus. 36:52 That there is peace, that there is a hope, 36:54 and there is salvation, and there's joy. 36:57 And the Lord always makes provision 37:00 for people of all ages. 37:02 So praise God that all nine children... 37:05 How many total were there? 37:07 There were two that were in their teens. 37:09 Ah, two. There were eleven kids. 37:11 There were eleven kids. 37:12 They were actually more than one, 37:14 there were three sets of parents involved. 37:17 But they had all died of aids. 37:18 And so the grandparents were the ones trying to provide 37:21 and weren't able to. 37:22 ~ And I'm sure that story repeats itself in so many 37:26 homes, right, and so many families throughout the world. 37:30 Because you are a worldwide ministry, right, Cheryl? 37:33 ~ We are, yes. 37:35 ~ Well tell us, Cheryl, by now I think some people say, 37:38 "Well, I want to be involved. 37:39 I want to help some children be changed 37:42 and to have a Christian atmosphere, and also 37:47 to learn about Jesus." 37:48 Tell us about, for those that want to donate, 37:51 how can they donate and how are the donations utilized? 37:55 You can go to our website... 37:59 And you can donate there. 38:01 When you make a donation, if you're going to sponsor a child, 38:05 we ask for $30 for a child. 38:07 We keep $3 of that back for administrative purposes. 38:12 The rest of it, like if you're wanting to donate to 38:15 the high school that we desperately need in Tanzania, 38:18 if you send us $100, that entire $100 is going to go 38:22 to that project, yeah. 38:24 Lois is a volunteer, I'm a volunteer. 38:27 We have two paid staff members. 38:30 We don't spend a lot on advertising. 38:33 I don't give out tchotchkes at conferences, 38:36 or anything like this. 38:37 So we really want as much money as possible 38:40 to go to the child or for the purpose that it was given. 38:46 ~ So you say $30 a month to sponsor a child. 38:50 ~ That sponsors a child. 38:51 So that gives a child the education, the clothing, 38:55 the nurturing home environment. 38:59 It's really not enough, so we get a lot of donations 39:04 that are just greatest need. 39:05 And that kind of helps to cover the rest of the cost. 39:10 Yes. 39:12 So $30 is really not enough. 39:14 So maybe by now they can tag on a little more. 39:17 ~ I've been thinking about it, but you know, with 39:19 this recession and the pandemic, I've just been kind of 39:22 reluctant to put that burden on our devoted sponsors. 39:27 I mean, our sponsors are not wealthy. 39:29 They're sacrificing themselves to give because they 39:32 want to help these children. 39:35 I mean, our goal is their souls, basically. 39:39 There are folks that cannot travel over there and, 39:43 you know, make a meal and run it over to the children, 39:46 or cannot provide. 39:48 But the Lord provides in different ways. 39:51 You know, yes we are in the recession and all, 39:53 but you know, when we give from the heart, 39:56 we give sacrificially. 39:58 So yes, $30 a month plus whatever blessing, 40:02 the Holy Spirit impresses your heart to give a gift. 40:07 Because praise God that the money goes, 40:09 except the $3 that you use for administration, 40:13 I mean, really, you have $27 that goes directly for a child. 40:18 ~ Now if I sponsor a child, do I get a picture of that child? 40:21 Do we have contact with that child? 40:23 How does this work? 40:25 So you will get a picture of the child, 40:27 and a little bit of the background. 40:29 You will also get letters from the child. 40:33 Sometimes it's really, really difficult to get those letters. 40:36 Like Burma during the war, I mean, there was nothing 40:40 for a year or so. 40:42 The communication between the children and the sponsors. 40:44 But we try very hard to get the letters from the children 40:48 and give them to the sponsors. 40:49 They're just adorable. The little pictures. 40:52 ~ I'm sure, I can imagine. 40:53 Those 3 to 10-year olds are special. 40:56 I mean a special place in their life. 41:00 ~ Now Lois... 41:02 I want to say, Idalia, before we continue, 41:05 Sorry. 41:06 You know, $30 is really not a lot. 41:09 I'm not sure for how many years you've had the $30. 41:12 ~ Oh no, no, we've phased it up. 41:13 It started, I think must have been $12 a month. 41:16 Then it's gradually gone up. 41:19 Because I'm thinking of, you know, we've been to the grocery store 41:23 just this week, and a few items in there, they say, 41:26 "That will be $120." 41:28 And I go, wow, you know. 41:30 And I know the prices are different in different 41:32 countries, however, but $30 is really not a lot 41:36 to help a child for a whole month with the food 41:39 and the things they need. 41:41 It's really not a lot. 41:43 And I praise the Lord for the way you apparently are 41:47 squeezing the money to be able to help all these children. 41:51 We're talking about 20 something countries 41:54 that REACH International is in. 41:56 You know, you do what you with what you receive. 41:59 And the Lord is supplying the needs. 42:00 And we want to encourage those that the Lord impresses 42:04 to help this ministry. 42:06 It's very simple, REACH.org 42:11 And then you can see the webpage and you have information there. 42:14 And we're going to share some more contact 42:15 information in a moment. 42:16 Now for those that did not hear what REACH stands for, 42:20 it's, Render Effective Aid to Children. 42:24 So praise the Lord for that. 42:26 And I want to say that $30 a month is $360 a year. 42:32 So you can make a one time donation of $360, 42:36 and that will sponsor a child for one whole year. 42:39 Now I'd like to know what progress has been made since 42:44 your last interview since you've been here at 3ABN. 42:49 Well, we have graduated three classes of children 42:54 in the last three years. 42:56 And that started with, we started with little children 43:01 that never attended school. 43:03 And then we added a grade every year, 43:07 until we have now three groups of children that have graduated. 43:11 This is their graduation day. 43:13 Oh, marvelous. 43:14 So that's a major, major, major accomplishment. 43:19 We're in the process of building a permanent secondary school. 43:23 That's a major accomplishment. 43:25 And we are needing wells for water for the secondary school. 43:30 We have had some attempts to get some local wells 43:34 drilled that we have not had good success with the help 43:38 that were doing it. 43:39 I don't know how we're going to get a well-done 43:43 for that secondary school. 43:44 We may eventually have to hire outside the area for a bore well 43:48 because the locals are not able to provide us what we need. 43:54 They dig, and then they say, "We're done." 43:56 ~ Oh, wow. ~ Wow. 43:58 So we hope that we can get a good well for that dormitory. 44:02 ~ Now that the kids, once they're done, 44:05 you know, they're old enough to be back integrated 44:09 into the community, I have a question here, 44:11 what are the needs of the surrounding community 44:14 into which the orphans will eventually re-integrate? 44:18 ~ Oh, I'm glad you asked. 44:19 Do we have time for a little story? 44:21 ~ Please. ~ A short one. 44:23 I wanted our children to learn to do literature evangelism. 44:28 So we sent them in pairs during vacation with 44:31 a local literature evangelist. 44:33 And I said, "Keep your eyes open and look for the needs 44:36 in the community, and tell me so we can do a community outreach." 44:40 They're children, and they didn't know what to say, 44:43 and they couldn't see in my perspective. 44:47 So they asked the literature evangelist and she didn't 44:49 know what they were wanting. 44:51 So she said, "People need the Lord." 44:53 Well, yes, of course. 44:55 So we work with what we got. 44:56 That's the information I got, that's what we work with. 44:58 So I said, "Well, will you find us a place to meet one afternoon 45:02 a month, and we will have a program. 45:05 We will do some talks, we will investigate ourselves 45:08 and see over a bit of time what the needs are. 45:11 We'll have our chaplain give a talk, we'll have health nuggets, 45:14 we'll have the children sing. 45:16 So we began, but I asked her to help me find a place. 45:20 And she said, "I found a place." 45:22 I said, "Okay, let me come see it." 45:25 And I looked at it, and I gulped, and I said, "Alright. 45:28 We will accept this tree." 45:30 ~ Oh, a tree. ~ Oh wow. 45:31 And we began meeting under the shade of a tree. 45:34 And a year and a half later we are still meeting under 45:36 the shade of a tree. 45:38 And the people said, "Are you playing games with us? 45:40 We don't one afternoon a month. 45:42 We want services in the morning when you're supposed to have 45:46 church services every week." 45:48 I said, "Okay, if that's what they want 45:51 and are asking for, that's what we do." 45:53 So we have been meeting under the tree for a year and a half. 45:57 Our children, we take a dozen children with us. 46:00 They sing, they run the Sabbath school program, and so forth. 46:06 And we have a rotating schedule for both 46:09 staff and children to go. 46:11 And God is blessing. 46:12 One of the regular attendees is a man that asked us to 46:17 please come and help him burn all of his witchcraft items. 46:20 - Oh, tremendous. - Praise the Lord. 46:23 ~ And we did that. - Praise the Lord. 46:24 ~ And he now loves to sing the scripture music, 46:28 and he loves to sing the hymns. 46:29 And he comes every week. 46:31 ~ Praise the Lord. 46:33 ~ Now I'm getting all teary. I'm just so happy. 46:35 Praise God. 46:37 - Amen. - This is wonderful. 46:38 - I have to have... - And a child shall lead them. 46:41 - That's right, amen. - Amen. 46:42 Before we go, we need to find out 46:44 how do you find children, to help? 46:47 Because you have a lot of children, 46:48 but how do you get these children? 46:50 - How do you do that, Cheryl? - How do you find them? 46:52 Social services will send them to us. 46:55 In Honduras, there was this little boy that was just wandering 46:58 the streets at 2:00 am. 47:00 The police saw him and they brought him to us 47:03 because we're known very well in that city of Santa Barbara. 47:07 They come to us through pastors. 47:10 Just different ways. 47:13 When you see the need, people see the need, 47:16 and they know exactly where to take the children. 47:19 So you guys have made such an impact in those communities 47:24 in order for them to know where to go. 47:26 ~ Yeah, and we have a box outside for babies. 47:30 ~ Oh my goodness. ~ Oh my. Wow. 47:33 ~ That's so special. 47:34 Wow. 47:36 And that's impacting. 47:39 And the work you're doing every single day, 47:43 it's every single day that the work is going on 47:46 helping these children. 47:48 And you know, I'm thinking, you know, $30. 47:50 And I said, you know, sometimes there are medical bills. 47:53 I mean, so many different needs a child has. 47:56 And I praise the Lord once again that REACH International, 47:59 committed since 1973. 48:03 I'm really surprised at the number. 48:05 You told me there's about a million children 48:07 that have been helped so far; that number is impacting to me. 48:11 ~ I don't know, you're helping all these children. 48:14 How do you handle getting attached to them? 48:17 And you're investing all this love and care and attention. 48:21 And it's like time to say goodbye because they've done, 48:24 you know, the program, and they're off. 48:25 And you're proud to see them grow and see how they're 48:30 being responsible and putting into practice everything that 48:33 you have taught them. 48:34 I mean, I have tears of joy, folks. 48:36 Sorry, I got so emotional, but from babies... 48:40 You have those boxes for the babies. 48:42 And many, many people abandon their babies, 48:46 not because they don't want to love them, 48:48 but just because they're fearful 48:50 they cannot provide for those children. 48:52 They can't provide for themselves. 48:54 So what a beautiful opportunity for all of us to 48:58 just rally around this and help the children 49:02 and make an impact on them. 49:04 Thank you for everything that you do for these children. 49:07 Praise the Lord for you all. 49:09 I'm here on the webpage for REACH International. 49:13 reach.org 49:14 And it says, "Our mission: REACH International works to create 49:18 a world where education empowers all children 49:22 regardless of their beginnings to reach their full potential." 49:27 ~ Amen. 49:28 "REACH International believes that education is the key to 49:31 breaking the cycle of poverty." 49:33 And already we have heard some stories 49:39 about lives that have been transformed. 49:41 And it's a miracle, I mean, it's really a miracle. 49:44 And you have many dedicated people working there. 49:47 I mean, it takes patience to work with children. 49:53 It takes patience, and it's a mission. 49:56 But it's a call, so you do it with all your heart. 49:58 And you have the words of Jesus, "In as much as you did it to the 50:02 least of these, you have done it unto Me." 50:05 So it's a tremendous work. 50:07 May the Lord continue to bless the ministry there, sister Lois, 50:10 and the other mothers and all the workers. 50:14 They're doing a wonderful work. 50:15 - Throughout the world. - Amen, amen. 50:18 Well, contact information, we need to share that once again. 50:20 Please, Cheryl, share with us how people can reach REACH. 50:25 ~ You can reach us through our website, which is reach.org. 50:29 We have a Facebook page, REACH International. 50:32 You can telephone us. 50:35 Email is info@reach.org. 50:38 Our phone number is also listed on the website. 50:42 ~ Very good, very good. 50:44 So if anybody wants to volunteer, to say, "I want to, 50:47 I have some vacation," can anybody do that? 50:51 ~ Yes, please call us. 50:53 If I go, I'm not going to come back. 50:55 I just want to take the children. 50:57 I need volunteers, Lois could use volunteers. 51:01 An elderly couple, a retired couple would be wonderful 51:04 for Lois. 51:06 Sri Lanka, I would love to have English teachers. 51:09 Somebody who would be willing to interact with the children, 51:11 speak English. 51:13 Honduras, we just need people to love those kids. 51:15 Those children are abused horrifically. 51:20 And they have a lot of emotional problems. 51:23 They need that love. 51:25 ~ They need that love, that's true. 51:27 - A safe zone. - Yes. 51:31 Well, we are going to take a moment to share 51:35 some news from 3ABN. 51:37 And we are going to come back so that you can hear 51:40 some final thoughts from sister Lois and sister Cheryl. 51:44 And we'll be back in just a moment. 51:45 We'll see you then. |
Revised 2024-03-26