Participants: Gary Krause (Host), Terri Saelee
Series Code: GMS
Program Code: GMS000005
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00:07 It's not just the cliche that the world has shrunk.
00:10 Here in the United States we have every tribe, 00:13 language, tongue and people through immigration 00:16 and it seems like every cuisine from around the world. 00:20 But what are we doing to touch the lives of immigrants? 00:23 Survey show that the vast majority of people 00:26 from other religious tradition say, 00:28 I don't even know one Christian. 00:31 Welcome to Global Mission Snapshots. 00:38 Just before He went up to heaven, 00:40 Jesus gave us a command. 00:43 He gave us a mission. 00:46 Jesus said, "Go, go unto all the world, 00:51 telling them of His love." 00:53 This is our mission. This is our Global Mission. 01:03 Hello and welcome to Global Mission Snapshots, 01:05 I'm Gary Krause. 01:07 Imagine leaving your home, leaving your country 01:10 and moving to the other side of the world. 01:12 Well, I don't have to imagine 01:13 because my wife Patina and I did it. 01:16 It's not so easy even under the best of circumstances. 01:19 When we moved to the United States 01:21 at least they spoke English, well, sort of. 01:24 But imagine being forced to leave your home country 01:27 because of persecution. 01:29 Imagine moving to a place where the language, 01:32 the customs, the culture are totally different 01:35 where you don't even know one person. 01:38 Some leave the steaming jungles of Southeast Asia 01:42 to arrive in places like Minnesota or upstate New York 01:46 in the middle of winter. 01:47 Everything's new, everything's different. 01:51 According to the United Nations most recent statistics 01:54 there are more than 10 million refugees worldwide. 01:58 Today we'll be talking with Terri Saelee, 02:01 coordinator for Refugee and Immigrant Ministries 02:04 for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America. 02:08 As a college student Terri volunteered teaching 02:11 in refugee camps in Thailand. 02:13 She came back to the United States 02:15 with a passion to help refugees 02:18 and immigrants back home but first up, this message. 02:53 It's my pleasure to welcome to our program Terri Saelee. 02:57 Terri, thanks for joining us. 02:59 Thank you, it's a privilege. 03:01 You are the-- you head up 03:03 the Refugee and Immigrant Ministries 03:05 for the Adventist church in North America. 03:08 Tell me what does this role involve? 03:11 What do you do? 03:12 Well, I prayerfully find ways for Adventist's 03:18 to reach out to refugees, immigrants 03:22 and visitors to North America. 03:24 Now, refugees, immigrants, visitors, 03:27 can you define what they mean? 03:29 Yes, refugees are people 03:31 who have to flee across national borders 03:36 for a well-grounded fear of persecution 03:38 and there's a very careful screening of these people. 03:44 And they are screened by the United Nations 03:48 before they're given refugee status 03:51 and then they are eligible for a third country 03:55 that's willing to resettle refugees to come for interviews. 04:00 And immigrants are just people who come through choice? 04:03 Yes, immigrants, actually once refugees are here 04:06 after one year then they are eligible 04:09 for permanent residency status 04:11 which means they're eligible to become immigrants. 04:17 But of course the refugee experience never leaves them. 04:21 No. 04:25 The visitors to North America are actually temporarily hear, 04:32 there are totally on the average 04:35 of 104,000 refugees immigrants and visitors 04:40 who come everyday to North America. 04:44 Wow. 04:45 And some immigrants, refugees and immigrants come to stay, 04:50 the others whether they are international students 04:53 or whether they come for temporary work 04:59 or come as diplomats they are here for a short time 05:06 but they have the potential of sharing 05:08 what they learn here when they come back. 05:10 Right. 05:11 Now this is a very challenging time of transition 05:14 for refugees when they come 05:16 just destabilized world for them, 05:20 how welcoming is the Christian Church 05:22 in North America to these people? 05:24 Well, actually we are a quiet unaware, 05:28 actually the UN, Americans in general 05:31 are known to be ignorant of refugees, 05:34 who they are, why they're here. 05:38 And there's so much news about illegal immigrants 05:41 that once they hear the word immigrant 05:44 just almost automatically without thinking about it 05:47 some of us think illegal. 05:50 But by far the majority are not illegal 05:53 and they bring a rich asset to our country as well. 05:59 But refugees especially have gone through so much 06:03 and when they come 06:05 they've had to leave the country they love, 06:08 most of them very reluctantly. 06:10 They're not eager to come-- I can tell you stories 06:16 but when they come they are ready 06:20 and eager to learn American culture, 06:23 the English language to fit in, to be productive 06:27 but often about six months to a year after they arrive 06:31 they realize how very difficult it is to learn the language, 06:35 to survive most refugees have three months of assistance 06:39 and then they are on their own. 06:40 They have to speak enough English, 06:41 have a driver's license, be able to drive 06:44 and be self-sufficient, 06:48 making their own money and its very stressful 06:51 because many of them come from cultures, 06:55 from the jungle of Southeast Asia 06:59 and their skill set, 07:01 gardening skills honed for centuries. 07:05 There's no place for them to practice those-- 07:07 to use those skills in the middle of the cities 07:10 where they are dumped 07:12 and they have to get used to the concrete jungle. 07:15 And often six months to a year after they arrive 07:18 post traumatic shock syndrome sets in 07:21 because just such a feeling of helplessness 07:24 and hopelessness to ever really be productive 07:28 and capable of showing their appreciation 07:33 to this country that has welcomed them. 07:36 Yeah. 07:37 So what-- just briefly, 07:40 what should be our response to these people? 07:44 You know, the more welcoming we can be the better. 07:49 Make friends with them, you may-- 07:51 I believe God gives us divine appointment. 07:56 At the gross-- in the grocery line, 07:58 at the gas station often we'll meet people 08:02 who we no idea what they've been through. 08:06 They have-- may have had to flee for their lives 08:09 and just for us to say hello 08:11 or cheery smile, hello, watch for something 08:13 we can do to help be interested. 08:15 Often we as Americans tend to-- 08:19 we taught not to ask certain questions, 08:21 don't ask a woman's age, don't ask a person's income, 08:25 don't ask where they live because they might-- 08:27 But this is the opposite of what these people need. 08:30 They need people to care enough to get involved in their lives, 08:33 to ask, where do you live, 08:35 to go and visit them and see where they live, 08:38 to find out what they need and get involved, 08:42 invite them to our home, share our lives 08:44 and our families with them. 08:45 This is the best thing we could do for a refugee, 08:49 immigrant or visitor to our country. 08:52 We're gonna continue talking some more 08:53 but first we're just going to go and visit Minnesota 08:57 to see some ministry taking place there. 09:17 The big challenge was that we simply felt totally isolated. 09:23 We didn't have people who could talk 09:26 but somehow my parents through-- 09:28 a family that spoke German found some jobs in a factory. 09:33 One of the problems was that there were good people 09:36 you're dealing with, there were also people 09:38 who take advantage of you and you never knew which it was. 09:41 And so finding an apartment, somehow we found an apartment, 09:46 second floor of the house and we moved in into it 09:51 without any furniture or anything 09:52 but at least it was ours. 09:55 At that time we have made some contact with the church-- 09:58 or the church would make contact with us, 09:59 the Adventist church. 10:01 So they helped us with that move. 10:04 Without them it would have been really almost impossible. 10:08 We talk about a church reaching out to individuals in need. 10:13 An immigrant is a person or family or group of people 10:19 who have left something that was known to them, 10:22 have come to something that's very unknown 10:24 and strange to them and they feel awkward. 10:28 They don't know want to say, they don't know want to do, 10:31 they don't know how to behave. 10:33 And so that's the mission of the church 10:35 is to reach out to people who have needs 10:39 and certainly immigrants are people who have very, 10:41 very specific needs at that moment. 11:18 Every weekday morning Blia Xiong, 11:22 a Hmong refugee from Thailand, 11:25 drives her two young children to the local 11:27 Seventh-day Adventist elementary school. 11:30 Adventist education is so important to her, 11:33 that she lives in a homeless shelter 11:35 so that she can afford to pay her children's tuition. 11:39 Unable to work because of a disability, 11:42 most of her income goes to providing 11:45 a Christian education for her children. 11:53 The thing that I hunger and thirst for the most is God. 11:57 So that's why it's so important 11:58 that my children attend an Adventist school 12:01 because I want them to know God. 12:03 That's why I decided no matter what hardships 12:05 I have to go through, it's worth it to me. 12:18 The snow covered landscape of St. Paul, Minnesota 12:23 is a stark contrast to the humid streets 12:26 of the large cities of Southeast Asia. 12:29 Anyone who immigrates here 12:31 must learn to battle the extreme cold 12:34 as well as the culture shock of living in North America. 12:39 St. Paul has become a settlement of sorts 12:41 for refugees from Asia, Africa, Europe and Central America. 12:47 The Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America 12:50 has focused on reaching out to the Hmong and Karen groups 12:55 in the greater St. Paul and Minneapolis areas. 12:59 This quarter a portion of your 13th Sabbath Offering 13:03 will go to help Refugee Outreach Ministry projects 13:07 throughout the North American Division. 13:10 Teri Salee is the project coordinator and has worked 13:14 among refugee groups for many years. 13:17 Her tireless dedication to reaching out 13:20 to unreached people groups 13:22 is a wonderful example of serving 13:24 as Christ's hands here on earth. 13:28 So it is significant that we are able 13:31 to do something to assist them to grow 13:33 as we have done with our other groups traditionally 13:36 and individuals like Teri Salee 13:38 who is very active in working with the Hmong 13:42 people need our support, 13:44 but we need to do something larger 13:46 and so hence the 13th Sabbath Offering 13:49 is a very welcomed offering in North America. 13:54 Several times a week, Blia meets with a small group 13:58 of Hmong refugees to study the Bible. 14:02 While some of them are currently attending church, 14:05 for others this the first time 14:08 that they have ever opened and read a Bible. 14:11 They ask questions and learn to sing hymns. 14:15 At the end of the meeting 14:16 they offer up to God their first prayer to Him. 14:21 For Blia, no matter how hard her circumstances are, 14:25 she will never stop sharing the good news of Jesus 14:29 with the Hmong community. 14:32 Telling others about Jesus 14:34 is an emotional experience for Blia. 14:38 God Loves me and every time 14:40 I think about that love and talk about that love 14:43 the tears just come because He loves me so much. 14:47 I'm so touched by God's love 14:49 that I can't keep the tears back. 15:02 The Eastside Seventh-day Adventist Church in St. Paul 15:06 is home to an eclectic group of believers. 15:09 People from Africa, Asia and North America meet each week 15:14 to worship the God they serve and love. 15:17 In the basement Karen refugees from the country of Burma 15:21 hold a Sabbath School class in their own language. 15:25 Most of their members don't have access to transportation, 15:28 so one of their leaders drives a van to pick up members 15:31 from all over the St. Paul area. 15:34 There are more than 4,000 Karen refugees 15:37 that now call Minneapolis and St. Paul home, 15:41 and more than 200 of them 15:44 are now Seventh-day Adventist members. 15:47 They are in need of their own place of worship 15:50 where they can invite others from the Karen community 15:53 to learn about Jesus. 15:55 Their resources are limited and they ask for your prayers 15:59 as they struggle to meet the demands 16:01 of this growing refugee group. 16:04 Saw Morrison is one of the lay leaders 16:07 and he only works a part time job 16:09 so that he can work among the Karen community. 16:13 He helps them to find jobs, apartments and assists them 16:17 with their immigration issues. 16:19 He also makes sure to invite them to church. 16:23 Lay Pastor See Nay also works with Saw 16:27 as they visit members and seek to reach out 16:29 to the needs of the Karen people 16:31 in Minneapolis and St. Paul. 16:34 Please pray for the Refugee Outreach Ministry 16:37 of the North American Division as it strives to reach out 16:41 to the growing refugee population in North America. 16:46 Currently there are more than 16:48 three million refugees in North America, 16:51 making it a ratio of three refugees 16:54 for each Seventh-day Adventist member in this division. 16:58 Your faithful support of the 13th Sabbath Offering 17:02 will help to reach these people as they strive 17:05 to rebuild their lives and find hope for the future. 17:12 Well, it's good to see Terri, 17:13 that a special offering was collected 17:15 to try to help with this ministry. 17:17 It's a tremendous blessing. Yeah. 17:19 Now the lady in the story, Blia, 17:22 who sacrificed so her child could have Christian education, 17:25 can you tell us a bit more about her? 17:28 Blia is an incredible story, she was an orphan, 17:31 she lived in refugee camp 17:35 and oh, I wish I could go into the details 17:39 but she at one point 17:45 came face to face with a cobra. 17:48 She didn't know even the Mong word for God 17:51 but in Mong culture they believe 17:53 that the owner of the sky made everything. 17:56 And so she stepped up on a log 18:00 and saw a cobra coming across. 18:04 She silently cried out, sky, help me. 18:08 Short for, owner of the sky, help me. 18:11 And people didn't believe her story 18:13 till they went and they saw the grass 18:19 and what a big cobra it had been and they said, 18:21 you wouldn't be alive if the sky, 18:24 the owner of the sky hadn't helped you. 18:26 And through her life she always wondered 18:29 why she had such a hard life, 18:31 she ended up being forced to marry someone 18:34 she-- very young, came to the States, 18:37 he left her for another woman. 18:41 So many things happened, she got so sick 18:44 they were making funeral arrangements 18:46 but we have just been called to reach out 18:49 to the Mong in that area 18:50 and a couple of our members discovered her 18:52 and after work every day they would go pray for her. 18:55 And they discovered one woman 19:00 well, I should be able to pray for her 19:02 and maybe she could hold something down. 19:07 And so she prayed for her, gave her some rice 19:09 and she was able to hold it down gradually. 19:12 She improved, people said, 19:14 let's do spirit ceremony and she said, no. 19:16 She had been learning Bible and she said, 19:18 I am gonna live with God and die with Him. 19:20 And she came to do gardening at our at our place 19:26 and she ended up filling four freezers 19:30 full of produce in one summer, 19:32 two freezers for her and two for our family. 19:35 She's an incredible woman and she is so thrilled. 19:37 Now she is making DVDs in her language 19:41 on a myriad of topics just to share 19:44 with the people in her ESL class. 19:46 She's an incredible woman who still has physical effects 19:51 in her experience but it's just on fire for God. 19:56 Now, many of our viewers are thinking, 19:58 well, yeah, maybe these people have not been on my radar 20:02 that I just have not seen them 20:04 maybe through their eyes of God that I should. 20:07 Where can we start in our communities 20:09 to minister to these people? 20:12 Well, you may be able to meet some of them at store 20:16 or-- but a good place to start is to just go online 20:21 and type refugees and the name of your town. 20:24 And you will usually come up with a refugee organization. 20:28 There are very few, I don't think 20:30 we have any cities without some refugees 20:34 of some language group and I got a call 20:37 from the Panhandle of Oklahoma 20:40 that there's a refugee group that I never heard of. 20:43 So there are different groups in different places. 20:47 Checking with a Refugee Assistance Organization 20:52 can really give you a window into 20:54 who is in your specific community 20:56 and if you need additional help 20:59 I'm happy to help you do some research. 21:03 And for more information 21:05 that they go to your website at RefugeeMinistries.org. 21:08 Yes. Yeah. 21:09 Now, we know that these people are very special in God's sight 21:12 and we read the Old Testament in how God talks about 21:16 the alien within your midst 21:17 and how we need to treat them. 21:20 Is there some way that we can help 21:24 these people financially, is that what they need or what? 21:28 That would be a tremendous help especially with educating-- 21:31 giving their children a Christian education. 21:34 Another huge need is for church planters. 21:39 People who can go and serve them spiritually 21:43 as well as of course these people also help them 21:46 with all kinds of other needs. 21:48 We're beginning to partner with conferences 21:51 across the North American Division 21:53 to provide church planters 21:55 for these different organizations. 21:57 In fact, some other 13th Sabbath Offering 21:59 is going to that but to donate, 22:03 you can donate to the North American Division 22:06 and specify for ARIM, A-R-I-M 22:10 short for Adventist Refugee and Immigrant Ministries. 22:13 Fantastic. 22:14 Terri, thank you so much for joining us today. 22:16 I appreciate it very much. Thank you for having me. 22:19 And viewers at home, what a tremendous challenge 22:23 this is to us to remember the strangers among us, 22:27 people who have no home. 22:30 I think that God calls all of us 22:32 to open up our eyes to the needs 22:34 around us in our own community. 22:36 So don't forget to go to RefugeeMinistries.org 22:40 and please pray for this ministry, 22:41 pray for Terri, pray for the church planters 22:44 and pray that the good news about Jesus Christ 22:47 will become real in the lives of these people, 22:50 these guest, these visitors, these refugees 22:53 that have come to these shores from all around the world. 22:58 Standing, standing 23:03 Standing on the promises of Christ my Savior 23:08 Standing, standing 23:14 I'm standing on the promises of God 23:26 We are called to stand for such a time as this 23:30 We must fight for what is right 23:33 And learn to trust in Him 23:36 We have a truth to live for 23:39 A promise to defend 23:41 Stand up tall, stand up proud 23:44 Till the very end 23:47 Stand strong, stand firm 23:53 Press on until the end 23:55 And claim the promise of His word 23:58 We have got a message 24:01 Let's spread it through the land 24:04 Praying for the courage to stand 24:12 Let's run, but let's not hide 24:14 Proclaiming once again 24:17 To fight for what is right 24:19 Showing love unto all men 24:23 Not fearing what may come 24:25 Nor looking to the past 24:28 Trusting everything we are 24:30 To the One Whose love will last 24:33 Stand strong, stand firm 24:39 Press on until the end 24:41 And claim the promise of His word 24:45 We have got a message 24:47 Let's spread it through the land 24:50 Praying for the courage to stand 24:56 Standing, standing 25:01 Standing on the promises of Christ my Savior 25:07 Standing, standing 25:11 I'm standing on the promises of God 25:17 Stand strong 25:18 Stand strong 25:19 Stand firm 25:21 Stand firm 25:23 Press on until the end 25:25 And claim the promise of His word 25:28 We have got a message 25:31 Let's spread it through the land 25:34 Praying for the courage to stand 25:37 Stand strong, stand firm 25:42 Press on until the end 25:44 And claim the promise of His word 25:47 We have got a message 25:50 Let's spread it through the land 25:54 Praying for the courage to stand 26:00 Praying for the courage to stand 26:05 Praying for the courage to stand 26:27 It takes courage to live as a refugee 26:30 and it takes great courage to stand 26:32 for your new found faith in Jesus. 26:35 So please pray for these people 26:37 who are going through unstable 26:39 and unsettling times of transition. 26:42 Our attitude to mission first starts developing 26:45 when we are children. 26:47 And so to help kids recognize 26:48 a world out there that needs Jesus 26:51 and to help inspire them to get personally involved, 26:54 Adventist Mission created Mission Cards for Kids. 26:58 These simple cards help children remember 27:01 inspirational mission stories. 27:04 If you'd like to see a sample set of these cards just call 27:07 or visit our website and ask for Mission Cards for Kids 27:11 or offer number 302. 27:14 Please remember to clearly state your name and mailing address 27:18 and be sure to mention Mission Cards for Kids 27:21 or offer 302. 27:23 Once again, to receive a free sample set 27:26 of these Mission Cards 27:27 just call the toll-free number on your screen, 27:30 1800-648-5824 27:34 and ask for Mission Cards for Kids or offer 302 27:38 or if you prefer just go to our website 27:41 at www.AdventistMission.org /offer 302. 27:47 Well, thanks so much for joining us today 27:50 and thank you for your continuing prayers, 27:52 financial support and personal involvement in global mission. 27:57 For Adventist Mission, I'm Gary Krause 27:59 and I hope you can join us 28:00 next time right here on Global Mission Snapshots. |
Revised 2014-12-17