Participants:
Series Code: AVMN
Program Code: AVMN000014
|
00:01 ASI is a ministry that's networking all these
00:03 different ministries together with the church 00:05 and lay people. Being involved with ASI, 00:06 meeting other people. ASI convention is an 00:09 excellent opportunity, just a great opportunity. 00:12 In ASI, there is a particular fellow. 00:14 ASI is really the stamp, it's the glue 00:16 that holds all the ministries together. 00:31 Welcome to ASI Video Magazine. 00:33 I'm Conna Bond. As an ASI Member 00:36 Organization Outpost Centers International or 00:38 OCI has been sharing Christ in the 00:40 marketplace for a very long time. 00:43 Based in Apison, Tennessee OCI is actually 00:45 a family of lay ministries located all over 00:47 the world. Each ministry works with the local 00:50 Adventist church leadership to strengthen 00:52 the church and its mission. Today, we will 00:54 visit two of those ministries that 00:56 are sharing Christ in Africa. 01:01 Riverside Farm Institute was established 01:03 in the 1970s by Wildwood another ASI and OCI 01:07 member. Its large gardens and banana 01:09 plantations help to support the ministry located 01:12 on the edge of the Kafue River in Zambia, Africa. 01:21 Riverside Farm a tremendous ministry, 01:23 it's been in existence for close to 01:25 30 years and in a very diverse program 01:31 and then we have a tremendous means 01:32 of support a very active farm. 01:35 They grow maze, they have a mill, 01:38 which grinds maze into a flour which is one 01:41 of the staple foods in Zambia and 01:43 a fantastic banana plantation. 01:51 One of the great strength of Riverside 01:52 Farm Institute is division that the original 01:57 founder or start of this place had. 01:59 This was Dr. Foster, he was a doctor who 02:01 worked in Lusaka had a medical practice 02:03 and he liked farms and he bought this 02:05 place in the 1950s from a British farmer. 02:08 At that time of course it was a smaller 02:10 much smaller undertaking then it is 02:12 currently, but he saw the potential of the 02:15 place because it was immediately along the 02:17 river which is a huge asset to now that 02:20 we are using everyday almost and then 02:22 he saw that it was close to the town where 02:24 just about an hours drive from the capital, 02:27 so these strategic location is just perfect. 02:30 It's exactly what Ellen White says should be 02:32 the case for ozur lifestyle centers and 02:33 we are greatly benefiting from that today. 02:39 Our primary purpose really is four fold. 02:41 Number one, we are trying to be self 02:44 supporting meaning that our operational 02:46 expenses is generated through our 02:48 industries. Number two, we are trying to 02:50 be active in Evangelism and we are and 02:52 the Lord is blessing greatly. Number three, 02:54 we are trying to provide community services. 02:58 We do this through mobile clinics. 02:59 We do it through our static clinic, 03:02 vaccination programs, children under 03:04 five and to natal care, etc. We are also 03:07 doing it through our lifestyle centre, 03:08 where we reach upper and middle classes 03:10 and finally we are also very active and have 03:13 always been in education. So, we are offering 03:16 four adult education programs. 03:19 One in tailoring for women, who want to 03:21 learn how to make their cloth. Then we 03:23 have a scientific gardening seminar, 03:26 where people come either self sponsored 03:28 maybe the sugar industry sponsor 03:31 somebody, so that they learn more about 03:33 agriculture, horticulture and then go back 03:35 to work on their farm and we also have 03:38 an Evangelism program where we train 03:39 potentially lay Bible workers to go out 03:41 and work with Pastors, with lay 03:44 Evangelists and raise new congregations are 03:46 helping their churches and finally we also have 03:48 a Medical Missionary Program and we 03:50 train people to be medical missionaries 03:52 using natural remedies. 04:00 Our course goes for four months, 04:02 and now they have done just about one and 04:05 a half month. So they have gone so far. 04:12 After they are done, some they have 04:14 their own machines at home, some go 04:16 and buy their machines and they start 04:17 working yeah on their own when they leave 04:21 this place they are really tailors. 04:23 Because here they are making their suits, 04:25 so they continue making their own 04:27 clothes and some for selling. 04:37 We do devotion here. We share the Word of 04:41 God, not only sewing yeah. And when that 04:47 they go out there they have to make sure 04:48 the clothes they make it brings glory to God. 04:54 Our students when they come here, 04:55 they come to learn gardening most of 04:58 them only gardening, but when they 05:00 come here we share with them every week. 05:02 They learn the Word of God. They learn 05:04 health lessons. And so it helps them to 05:08 change their lifestyle habits and also 05:11 grow spiritually. Almost every year we 05:15 baptize some of our students who are 05:17 non-SDAs, because you know, 05:19 the tailoring course and the gardening 05:21 course is open to people of all faiths and 05:24 those who don't profess any faith. 05:27 And so students learn more than what 05:31 they applied for. That is a big 05:33 blessing to the communities. 05:53 ASI has been supportive to both OCI 05:55 and his members in lots of ways primarily 05:58 there is that spiritual dynamic at an ASI 06:00 convention, where you hear reports in 06:03 your fellowship. OCI and its members get 06:06 that spiritual benefit as well ASI has 06:09 been a tremendous resource financially 06:12 to help a lot of projects. For example, 06:15 Riverside is able to take care of its own 06:18 operating costs. It supports its own 06:19 Evangelism, all its salaries through its 06:23 industries, but when Riverside had the 06:25 vision of starting a lifestyle centre we 06:27 needed some extra help, some capital 06:29 funding and ASI came through a very 06:32 strategic time for us to get us over an 06:34 important hump in order to 06:36 get the lifestyle centre going. 06:40 The centre officially opened in 2006, 06:44 the beginning of 2006, but it took a 06:47 period of about two years in the planning 06:49 and the construction and getting it 06:50 altogether before the actual opening. 06:57 The visitors coming here to our centre 06:59 are mostly from the city Lusaka. 07:02 We are aiming at the higher income groups, 07:04 so we have many government officials, 07:07 ministers from the government that are 07:11 coming here. I think one of the most 07:13 interesting high profile visitors we have had 07:15 at our centre is a visit by his Excellency 07:19 Dr. Kenneth Kaunda who is the first 07:21 President of Zambia. Now he has played 07:24 a very important role in the government, 07:27 in the history of Zambia and the people love 07:30 him and His Excellency retired and yet 07:34 he is still full of energy, but he felt a 07:37 need to come to the centre to 07:38 just get a little kick start again. 07:43 And I've been a vegetarian ever since, 07:46 and I've enjoyed it. When I came 07:48 here, stayed here, I've felt at home. 07:55 I think by the time guests come to the 07:57 centre when they have made the decision. 07:59 They are reasonably open, but they have 08:03 some uncertainty, some fears maybe. 08:06 When they start on the program and they 08:09 experience plant based foods, a two 08:12 meal a day plan. That is little bit 08:15 threatening to them. In the first two, 08:17 three days I think a lot of adaptation 08:19 takes place, but once they come through to 08:21 the fourth day, the fifth day. They start 08:24 flying and then you hear the positive 08:26 responses and then they get enthusiastic 08:28 and then the fears are gone. 08:31 I learned to have my breakfast and enjoy it, 08:36 to have my lunch and enjoy it, 08:40 but no supper. It just affected my 08:46 life very well indeed. And I'm grateful. 08:58 ASI has been a major impact on our 09:02 campus here. They have helped us with 09:07 the dormitory you see behind us here. 09:10 The Wellness Center that we have up on 09:12 the hill, there are major factor in helping 09:14 get that up and running for us. 09:16 Cafeteria is one of our projects that was 09:19 about ten years ago before that it was 09:22 just a little hole in the wall where they 09:25 squeezed in and some of them had to come 09:26 in and as some left others could fed into 09:29 their and it was a kind of a tight quarters, 09:31 but its been a real blessing the Cafeteria. 09:37 One of them are recent projects ASI has 09:39 contributed to us are, enlarging our banana 09:42 plantation. The bananas have been a 09:45 basis of our economic viability here 09:48 at Riverside for so many years. 09:51 As long as Riverside has been a farm, 09:53 before it was bought by Dr. Foster it 09:55 was already a banana place and its still 09:57 is. And with the help of ASI, we were able 09:59 to bridge a huge problem that we had 10:01 in 2005 when the whole banana plantation had 10:04 to be ploughed under and destroyed thousands 10:06 of trees are machetes their call had 10:08 to be destroyed because of the virus 10:10 disease and with the help of ASI we were 10:12 able to restart it and it is doing quite okay 10:15 now. We are still scouting vigilantly and 10:19 we are able to harvest 500 tons in one 10:22 year and we are on track to keep 10:24 going and growing even more. 10:31 The growing of bananas like that helps 10:37 ordinary people come and learn how to 10:40 do that. What is in many ways more 10:44 important is the spiritual side of teaching 10:50 here. It is extremely important. 10:55 It's practical. They help many other young 10:57 people to learn how to look after themselves 11:02 physically, to look after themselves 11:04 spiritually. It's the center of great 11:08 importance in my humble opinion. 11:11 The main goals have been to, you know, 11:14 to hasten the coming of Jesus; to reach 11:16 people, many Zambians who don't know 11:21 about God and about the preparation for 11:25 the life to come. That our life is not just 11:28 this life, but there is a life to come. 11:31 So that has been our main interest in the 11:35 people. It is to help people with the 11:38 Gospel and with better living. 11:40 Well, I'll say to everybody who wants to 11:42 start a project like this. It's only possible 11:45 with plenty of self sacrifice. If we are, 11:48 where we are now and we are truly a 11:49 lighthouse to many people. There are 11:51 thousands of people that have come to 11:53 Riverside as either a staff, but many many 11:55 come as visitors also. We send our workers 11:58 out sometimes to conduct to go to churches 12:00 to share what churches do, seminars in 12:02 churches and all of that is only possible 12:04 because before us many people have been 12:06 willing to sacrifice to come here and 12:09 selflessly serve for very little money under 12:11 difficult circumstances. Its blood, sweat and 12:14 tears, but they have come back and gone 12:16 back blessed and they have not regretted it. 12:22 There are so many people who are 12:24 looking for opportunities to go and 12:27 God has opened doors for them whether 12:30 it's coming on a mission trip to Zambia, 12:33 I welcome. Whether it's helping 12:36 financially in the projects that ASI is 12:39 supporting and we are doing here at 12:41 Riverside Farm. Those are great blessings 12:46 as God opens that opportunity to be 12:48 able to make a difference both in your 12:49 lives and the people's life that you can touch. 12:54 Riverside Farm is a Tranquil Paradise 12:56 where Zambians can learn about health 12:58 and healing and about the God who loves 13:00 them and will soon return to take them 13:01 home. Riverside Farm is just one example 13:04 of ASI members working together and 13:06 responding to a unique calling on their 13:08 lives. For more information about Riverside 13:11 Farm Institute visit the Out Post 13:14 Centers International website 13:15 at www. outpostcenters.org. 13:20 Youth for Jesus is really great experience. 13:22 Hearing all the difference speakers. 13:24 You learn how stand up for your faith. 13:26 You learn how to share with others, 13:28 you make friends that will last your 13:29 lifetime. It's indescribable. If you 13:32 want an experience with God, if you want 13:34 your life to be changed. You have to come 13:36 to the Youth for Jesus program. 13:38 You will wanna comeback every year. 13:50 There is a passion that is infectious at ASI. 13:54 Everybody is so passionate about Jesus. 13:58 It's a blessing every time just to rub 14:00 shoulders with people that are excited. 14:02 If you have a passion for Jesus. 14:04 You are gonna find no place that I know 14:06 of where you will find more passion 14:08 by more people than being at ASI. 14:21 Kibidula Farm in Tanzania, Africa is a 14:23 place where seeds are sown and crops 14:25 are grown, but it's so much more than 14:27 that. As a member of OCI's family 14:30 of ministries, it takes ASI's model of 14:33 sharing Christ in the marketplace to new 14:35 heights. Kibidula was established on a 14:37 4776 acre farm in 1989 by a team from 14:42 Riverside Farm Institute. It has a 14:45 dental clinic, an aviation center, 14:47 an agricultural school and a primary 14:49 school, but Kibidula's main focus is 14:52 publishing books in Swahili language and 14:54 training lay missionaries to support 14:55 the work of the Tanzania union 14:57 of Seventh-Day Adventist. 15:10 Kibidula is in the Southern Highlands of 15:12 Tanzania, which is somewhere over 6000 15:15 feet in elevation here. Which makes for 15:18 a fairly cool climate considering, where in 15:21 Africa and on our campus we have a lot 15:24 of nature, we have the Acacia trees which 15:27 is that typical flat top African tree 15:31 that you picture in a African savanna 15:35 with the giraffe in the background. 15:37 Kibidula borders a large marsh land that's 15:41 canoeing that can we done on the marsh 15:42 land. It's a beautiful place to live. 15:47 This originally was a farm belonging 15:50 to a colonial farmer in South Africa and 15:54 when the country gained its independence 15:56 in the 1960s. He decided to return to 16:00 South Africa, so he left the whole farm 16:03 to the Adventist Church. The church 16:06 really was not able to do too much with 16:08 the place. They didn't have the money to 16:10 invest the resources, so it was with a 16:12 caretaker for most of the years from the 16:14 1960s to the late 80s when they asked 16:19 Riverside Farm if they might be able to 16:21 do something with the place. Riverside came 16:25 and looked at the place, made an agreement 16:27 with the church here and formed the team 16:31 and they moved to this place 16:33 and started really from scratch. 16:40 The main focus is Evangelism and important 16:47 part that has become more and more 16:49 important to us is the part of education. 16:56 Education is not available to every 16:58 person in Tanzania. Many people have never 17:02 even finished a secondary school and a 17:04 high school and to get any kind of 17:08 training here, you know it's almost a 17:10 pre-records that you have to have high 17:11 school. We offer our training in Evangelism. 17:16 It's the only possibility many people ever 17:19 have to get any schooling along those 17:22 lines, we don't require secondary school 17:25 you know we take everyone as they come. 17:28 After they finish our school and have 17:30 worked as a lay missionary out in the 17:32 village several of our successful lay missionaries 17:36 have been hired by the Church as pastors, 17:39 so its like a stepping stone that 17:43 no where else could define that. 17:46 I think the Evangelism around here is 17:50 the Evangelism that they secured 17:53 towards people at the lower socioeconomic 18:00 level and one of the main needs is are 18:05 the basic, basic needs of life and that's 18:07 where agriculture also comes 18:10 in and plays, plays the role. 18:12 My name is Jean- Luc Waber. I come 18:16 from Switzerland, I was born in Africa 18:20 and come around and yeah I got the 18:24 virus for Africa, so I came back eight 18:27 years ago. First, I came here to be a 18:31 farm manager of this big farm and then 18:35 we had the opportunity to start this 18:37 training program and that's what we 18:39 really think is important is to train the young 18:42 people. So, they learned small scale 18:50 agriculture by hand and then working with 18:55 animals. In the second year, they have 18:58 tailoring class especially the girls and 19:01 we wanted to, for the boys to have the 19:05 carpentry class and building experience, 19:09 but the idea is that they learn by doing, 19:11 by working in the fields and 19:13 getting experience and not 19:15 just theoretical knowledge. 19:18 We do a week study program. 19:20 In the morning, we do the classes and 19:22 afternoon we do some other work around 19:25 here. You know how to do the cleaning, 19:27 maybe get firewood, maybe getting to the 19:29 gardening, different kind of activities and 19:31 then it was the end of the session we 19:34 normally go out of way two to three weeks 19:35 of Evangelistic meeting. Now, we give them 19:39 the opportunity to put into practice 19:41 those things that we have 19:42 been learning in a class. 19:51 The primary school was launched when 19:54 we decided to start the 19:57 program for our workers children. 20:03 Some of the challenges of getting the 20:04 school going was the registration. 20:10 We, it took us like three years to become 20:12 registered and so for the longest time 20:15 we didn't have that many students 20:17 because people were afraid that 20:19 maybe we will be close down, 20:21 but at the end of 2007, we got registered 20:28 and after that its just exploded. And we are 20:30 not even taking a thought of the 20:33 people that would actually like to come. 20:35 So there is a big potential. 20:37 Just starting next month, we planned 20:39 to begin construction on new classrooms 20:44 for the primary school. The idea is to use the 20:47 One Day Church structure and put up about 20:51 three new classrooms and a teacher's office. 20:59 Kibidula Farms has a very strong aviation 21:02 program, where the Bible workers are 21:07 supported through the aviation program 21:09 where they go out and they will bring 21:11 supplies and own ministry to the Bible 21:13 workers and that aviation program 21:15 got its initial jump start through ASI. 21:19 What we have been doing in the last 21:22 two years is supporting lay missionaries. 21:26 The hard of what this thing should be 21:27 doing is medical, but we don't have a 21:30 doctor right now, so we have been 21:32 taking the missionary support. 21:35 We have 32 lay Bible workers. 21:38 We have runways accessing above half 21:43 of them and others are not in this areas 21:46 are too far away, completely out of range, 21:49 so we haven't been able to reach them at all. 21:51 It is a big interest of ours. 21:54 A major focus that we spread the Gospel 21:58 in areas that no one else is reaching 22:01 so far and these are tend to be the most 22:05 remote areas. That hardest to get to places. 22:08 If there is a big vast area with no 22:10 Adventists, it really takes a long time for 22:13 that area to get covered and so we are 22:15 trying to start in the middle of those 22:16 areas and branch out from there. 22:24 [Foreign Lanaguage] 22:39 Well, Swahili is a major language in this 22:41 world. There is not a lot of available 22:45 resources in Swahili. You don't get 22:49 spirit prophecy books are very many of 22:52 them that have been translated into Swahili. 22:55 You know in our school of agriculture 22:56 we teach basics in agriculture, 22:58 but if someone wants to advance, 23:00 usually you find books in the area in the 23:03 line that you want to go into and so 23:07 without being able to use English you are 23:09 very limited in how you can study, 23:11 how you can go on or communicate 23:13 with anyone from the outside. 23:15 We felt the need for a long time 23:18 to so publish the books in Swahili. 23:21 The publishing work of Kibidula has grown 23:23 over the last, I would say seven or 23:26 eight years as far as I remember. 23:29 They have now reached a level where 23:30 we operate 22 book stores all over 23:32 the Tanzania. We are also creating new books. 23:36 Yeah, that's an important part now that 23:38 we are translating books either from 23:40 English or from German we have 23:42 been doing that into Swahili. 23:46 I see myself as we are calling 23:48 ourselves a supporting ministry. 23:50 I don't see myself so much being upfront 23:53 and doing the Evangelism effort for 23:55 example myself preaching myself, but I 23:57 would rather try to empower the local 24:00 people give them the tools in the hands 24:02 that they need to do the work. We have 24:04 just received now two containers from 24:06 Livebearers to extract in Swahili language. 24:10 So, we encourage church members and our 24:12 own lay missionaries to go out 24:13 and do Bible studies with the people 24:16 in their local language. 24:18 Every program has an Evangelistic aspect; 24:21 our main focus is on true education 24:25 which is basically the work of redemption. 24:31 Our goal is not mainly just to give them 24:35 some theoretical knowledge or just few 24:39 techniques to improve their lives, 24:42 but our main goal is to build character. 24:46 And we see with the young people if 24:49 they learn to grow their character to be 24:52 faithful, to be trustworthy, to be religion 24:56 tends to take upon responsibility for their 24:59 lives. If they grasp this and learn this they 25:04 have learned the most important thing 25:06 and then naturally to know Jesus. 25:16 In the morning all three groups meet 25:19 in the second farm unit, which is in the 25:21 middle and they have worshiped together. 25:24 They sing nice songs. It is nice to hear 25:28 them the quire when they sing in 25:31 church or when we are at this place. 25:43 There are several projects that ASI 25:45 funds have contributed to. 25:48 There is the first thing that comes to 25:52 my mind is the roof over Africa program 25:57 that we run in the past, where Kibidula was 26:01 involved being helping the Adventist churches 26:05 to be roofed in the territory of Tanzania. 26:09 A part of these school buildings and 26:12 also of the agricultural farm units 26:16 out there they were sponsored by ASI. 26:19 Then another program is the lay missionary 26:23 school which has profited also from 26:28 contributions toward the agricultural school. 26:32 Another part is a vehicle for the lay 26:36 missionary school that has 26:38 been funded partially by ASI. 26:43 The main sponsor for the agricultural 26:45 school was with Switzerland, but major 26:49 big part was also ASI. So, we are glad 26:52 that these two organizations enabled 26:56 us to do this, this program here. 27:00 Many ASI members have never have 27:01 the opportunity to visit Africa, 27:03 but their presence is felt here through 27:05 prayer and sacrificial giving. At each 27:08 ASI convention a special projects offering 27:10 is gathered to support missions like 27:12 Riverside Farm Institute and Kibidula Farm. 27:15 We love to have you join us at the next ASI 27:17 Convention. It will change your life and 27:20 best of all it will give you a vision for 27:22 how you can share Christ in your 27:23 marketplace. Visit www.asiministries.org 27:28 for more information about ASI or 27:30 the next ASI Convention. I'm Conna Bond 27:34 and you have been watching a special 27:35 edition of ASI Video Magazine brought 27:37 to you from right here in 27:38 the heart of Southern Africa. 27:40 Join us next time for more stories of 27:42 how ASI members are sharing Christ 27:44 in the marketplace. God be with you. |
Revised 2014-12-17