Participants: Gary Krause (Host), Dan Weber, Don Noble
Series Code: GMS
Program Code: GMS000009
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00:07 When we look at the world today
00:09 we see that the Seventh-day Adventist Church 00:11 is growing in many, many areas. 00:13 The southern half of the continent of Africa, 00:15 parts of Asia, 00:17 South and Central America tremendous growth 00:19 and we thank God for this. 00:21 But there are still parts of the world 00:22 such as the 10/40 Window 00:24 where most people have still not even heard 00:27 the name of Jesus, 00:29 what a tremendous mission challenge. 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. 00:49 Go unto all the world, 00:51 telling them of His love. 00:53 This is our mission. 00:55 This is our "Global Mission." 01:03 Hello, I'm Gary Krause, 01:05 welcome to the program. 01:06 On Global Mission Snapshots we love to share stories about 01:10 God touching people's hearts, 01:12 about the church growing, about new groups being planted. 01:16 But every now and then we need to stop 01:19 and we need to look at the remaining challenge. 01:22 Some 2,000 years ago Jesus commissioned His disciples 01:26 to carry the gospel to all the world 01:29 and to make disciples of all nations. 01:32 Today, that gospel commission still hangs over us unfulfilled. 01:37 On today's program we will look again at that challenge. 01:41 We will also be talking with Don Noble, 01:43 about how Maranatha Volunteers International 01:46 is helping the church become beacons of light 01:49 in their communities. 01:51 And we will also talk with video producer, Dan Weber 01:54 about how the good news was shared in a Moldova prison. 01:58 But first, the remaining challenge. 02:01 It's Sabbath and around the world 02:03 millions of Seventh-day Adventist will be 02:06 worshipping in churches of various types today. 02:10 But here in Turkey 02:11 fewer than 80 Seventh-day Adventist believers 02:14 will be meeting throughout the entire country. 02:18 We have fewer than 80 baptized Adventist. 02:22 Around the world our statistics are one Adventist 02:25 for every 424 people. 02:28 Here in Turkey its one for every one million people. 02:33 What a tremendous challenge. 02:36 But its not just here, 02:38 think also of the large population spread out 02:41 in territories to North Africa and throughout Asia. 02:46 Here in Tibet, there is a rich history 02:49 of culture and religion. 02:52 People here are very committed, very spiritual 02:56 but you know its 20 years since Global Mission began 03:00 and the Seventh-day Adventist church 03:02 is not part of the history of Tibet 03:04 there is not one Seventh-day Adventist believer here. 03:08 As I walk the streets I see quite a bit of poverty. 03:11 I have little children coming up to me begging 03:13 and as I look into their eyes I ask the question 03:16 what is the future for them? 03:18 Now I to know that God is working through all cultures, 03:22 through all people's working on hearts and minds 03:24 to bring them to Himself 03:27 but He has called us 03:28 to share His love and as I look at Tibet-- 03:31 I look the huge populations all through Asia 03:35 the teaming mega cities of people 03:37 most of them have never even heard the name of Jesus. 03:40 And just think what a tremendous difference 03:42 it would make in their lives 03:44 to know that there is a God who loves them, 03:46 who cares for them and they need have no fear 03:49 of the spirit world. 03:51 God has a plan and He has invited each of us 03:53 to be part of that if we only will say, yes. 03:58 You know, I think of other territories around the world. 04:01 I think of regions that are very different to hear 04:03 places where Christianity was very strong at one stage 04:07 but today it is dying. 04:24 The city of Geneva was one of the most 04:26 critical cradles of protestant reformation. 04:29 It's hard to believe that this city today 04:32 has become one of the most 04:33 secularized cities in all of Europe. 04:38 Behind me is the reformation wall that commemorates 04:41 so many of the leaders of the reformation 04:44 that gave their lives, that gave their all for the gospel 04:48 and the moral above them it says in Latin 04:51 "after darkness light" 04:53 that's what they were fighting, 04:55 that's what they were living their lives 04:57 for the light of Jesus Christ. 04:59 And you have to wonder, 05:00 what those reformers would think today 05:02 after darkness light. 05:04 As we see that Christianity, 05:06 through out Europe is starting to fade 05:09 and that light for those reformers fought for 05:12 what is going to be the future? 05:18 Behind me here in Istanbul, Turkey is the Bosphorus Bridge, 05:22 bridging the two contents of Europe and Asia. 05:26 Europe of course with its declining Christian population 05:30 and Asia with its booming population 05:32 60 percent of the world's population 05:35 but the vast majority of these people groups 05:38 have never even heard the name of Jesus Christ. 05:41 So it's great that we celebrate 05:43 the progress of the church around the world 05:45 and we thank God for it. 05:47 But, let's never ever loose side of the need 05:49 to continue praying for to continue supporting, 05:53 to continue working for the vast numbers of people 05:58 who still need to learn about Jesus Christ 06:01 and a message that we have to share with them. 06:10 I'm delighted to welcome Don Noble, the president 06:13 of Maranatha Volunteers International to our program. 06:16 Don, Maranatha does so much for the church around the world 06:20 and I have heard you described this many times 06:22 as you were a responsive organization. 06:25 Yes. How does that work? 06:26 Well, we don't build things 06:28 that we are not asked to build. 06:29 Right. 06:30 We are not wanted in the place for God 06:32 because there is lot of places that need the physical buildings 06:36 and the requests are huge 06:38 and across many areas of the world. 06:41 So, yeah, we are responsive 06:44 and we listen to what the church says. 06:46 We try to sit down and understand 06:49 what their needs are not just come in and say 06:51 here's what we are gonna do for you. 06:53 So, I guess responsive is a good word. 06:56 Yeah, and we appreciate so much 06:57 the support you give around the world. 07:00 Now Don, Maranatha is involved 07:02 a myriad of different types of projects 07:04 but I want to focus on the one day church 07:07 and the one day school 07:08 and most specifically what's happening in the-- 07:12 in Africa at the moment. 07:13 What are you doing to help the church in Africa? 07:18 Well, we have actually interacted 07:21 with all the three major divisions there 07:24 and we worked quite extensively in two of them. 07:27 We started primarily 07:28 in the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division 07:31 at the request of Paul Ratsara, the division president. 07:35 He came to me one day and he said I understand that, 07:39 Ron Watts the former president 07:41 in the area of India asked you for 10,000 churches, 07:44 he says that's really nothing. 07:48 I said really? It seem like a lot to me 07:51 but he says no we actually seriously 07:54 we need 50,000 projects in our division 07:58 and this is take a look at Zambia 08:01 with 700 plus thousand members, look at Zimbabwe, 08:05 Zimbabwe with over 700,000 members 08:09 take a look at the great needs in Angola, 08:11 in Mozambique and Malawi and you name it 08:15 and we said okay let's sit down and talk, 08:18 let's see viability of being able to do this. 08:22 And so we met with all the leadership people 08:24 and I said, okay, 08:25 we can't do everything all at once that's not possible. 08:30 Where do you want us to start? 08:34 Amen. 08:35 He says, we need you to start in our toughest area. 08:38 I said, oh, thank you very much. 08:40 Appreciate that. 08:41 Which will that be? He said, Mozambique. 08:44 Let's start in Mozambique. 08:46 It's okay if that's what the church requires there, 08:49 we will take a look at Mozambique, so we did. 08:51 Now, that was tough because it's been a country 08:53 with civil war for many years. 08:54 Yeah, they were in war for like 30 years 08:57 so their education system had been pretty much default 09:02 even the church leadership weren't that educated, 09:05 the union leaders with grade school level education so-- 09:11 so we went in there, 09:12 we started building churches and schools 09:14 and it's been a blessing. 09:17 A tough blessing. Yeah. 09:19 It's also been a place 09:20 where we were privileged to drill wells 09:23 at all the churches and the schools 09:25 that we built which is-- 09:28 we wanted to have a place 09:29 where people would come for two kinds of water-- 09:33 water of life and the water for life 09:36 and so that's-- that's been a great blessing. 09:38 And now they tell me that after about 800 churches 09:43 and six or eight large schools 09:46 that Mozambique not the bottom anymore 09:49 its up in the centre in terms of, 09:52 you know, tithe and offering membership 09:54 is growing by its thousands 09:56 so its need to see that this project 09:59 that came to us as a request from that division 10:03 is started to bare fruit 10:04 for the kingdom of God. Yeah. 10:06 People for the kingdom of God. 10:07 I mean, there is no other purposes to, 10:09 you don't just build buildings, 10:11 the world doesn't need another construction company 10:13 but you need construction for specific purpose. 10:17 The schools, some of the bigger schools 10:18 that we built in Mozambique 10:20 have been name the best schools in those countries. 10:23 Is that right? Oh, yeah. 10:24 But, you know, then we went to Malawi 10:27 we built 600 or 700 churches there, 10:30 there's couple more hundred to go. 10:32 Started in Zimbabwe, work in Zambia. 10:34 Oh, one of the great challenges that's for us right now 10:38 actually came as a request directly from Pastor Ted Wilson. 10:42 He was in Angola he says, 10:44 please do something for Angola. 10:46 They of course been-- 10:47 they are also Portuguese speaking, 10:49 they are also been in war, 10:50 they have 80 % of their people are illiterate. 10:55 So we have set a country director in there, 10:58 we are taking a look at education 11:00 to campuses to replace-- 11:03 there are over 200 campuses 11:04 the Seventh-day Adventist Church 11:05 used to have in Angola those are all destroyed, 11:09 well they sold the land. 11:11 They need to replace those campuses 11:14 with new buildings. 11:15 So we are taking a look at that 11:16 and it's a huge challenge its tens of millions of dollars. 11:20 And-- if I talk about impact 11:23 there is a window here of time in Angola 11:26 to get in there and make it happen 11:28 so we are trying to be responsive in-- 11:31 you need we need lot of partners 11:33 to make that happen but huge benefits 11:36 for the people in their lives now 11:38 and for eternity and so we are jumping in. 11:41 Yeah, now, I'm this is just so exciting 11:44 and I know the need is far greater than we can imagine 11:47 but just briefly 11:48 what difference are these schools 11:50 making in their community, just in a sentence. 11:52 Well, if you can't really put in a sentence 11:55 because you are talking about people's lives to-- 11:59 there is the haves and the haves not 12:02 even in the country of Angola. 12:03 You can see it on a straight line 12:05 and people can see it themselves 12:07 and they know that you cross that line only with education 12:10 and the church only grows with education. 12:13 People's lives are what at stake here 12:16 and if they-- if they can't educate it 12:18 they can't even think 12:20 beyond where they were at the low levels. 12:22 So when you come in 12:24 the government is asking us to do it. 12:26 Come back and be the church that you were 40 years ago 12:31 in the area of leadership and education, 12:33 come back and do that we will give you the land. 12:36 Come do it, do it now, do it quick. Fantastic. 12:38 So, I know its exciting 12:40 throughout the whole division there's many opportunities 12:43 and of course the other division brought a request too. 12:46 Don, thanks so much for sharing with us today. 12:49 If you like to find out more information 12:51 go to Maranatha.org. 13:34 My guest is Daniel Weber, 13:35 who is a video producer for Adventist Mission. 13:38 Welcome, Dan. Good to be here, Gary. 13:40 Now, you are normally behind the camera. 13:42 Yes. 13:43 I'm glad that you are here today 13:44 because I want to talk to you a little bit about 13:46 what's its like behind the camera, 13:48 some of the experiences. 13:49 I mean you go to some fairly remote areas of the world 13:53 and just the sheer logistics of getting stories 13:55 can sometimes be difficult. 13:57 Yeah, I started keeping a country list 14:01 when I had been about a year to enter this job, 14:04 because I didn't-- 14:05 other people I had worked with at GC 14:06 when I'm-- former to GC 14:08 I was working for a Adventist for some of the television. 14:10 Now, GC what's GC? 14:11 The General Conference I'm sorry, we are often-- 14:13 Head quarters of the Adventist Church, thank you. 14:14 And people said that they would keep 14:16 a record of how many countries they have been to. 14:19 So I started and I'm over a 100 now. Okay. 14:22 And some of the logistics and some of the things 14:24 you have to run through to get stories are pretty amazing. 14:28 One story I flew I think 14:32 five different flights into the bunch 14:33 of different road rides and drove in cars 14:36 and was ferried around just to get one story 14:39 but they are usually really good stories. 14:41 Yeah, now, what are you looking for in a story? 14:44 What I want is, someone or an area 14:49 where the gospel needs to go 14:51 or where offerings, or funded a project 14:54 that are reaching people in an instant way 14:57 or a member who is doing an interesting type of outreach. 15:02 And one of the projects that was-- 15:07 that was logistically was really hard to get into. 15:09 I found about a project of a Pastor in Moldova 15:13 who is doing prison outreach. 15:16 We tend to think of prisons 15:17 you think of big gigantic buildings with, 15:19 you know, couple of thousand inmates 15:20 and its very sterile environment almost and stuff. 15:24 But something said try to get the story 15:26 so I contacted-- 15:27 I was going to Moldova any way to share some stories. 15:30 Moldova is a small country that used to be a part of Russia 15:34 but culturally it's much similar to Romania. 15:37 In fact, it used to be part of Romania 15:39 and it was fought over between-- 15:41 between the Romanian's and Russian's. 15:44 And this Pastor is doing his outreach 15:48 and so I wrote an email said can we go? 15:50 I want to go get this story 15:52 and they replied back and said we can try 15:54 you probably won't be able to get in, 15:56 but we need your passport information. 15:58 So I sent him a photocopy of my passport 16:00 I waited 30 days didn't hear anything. 16:02 Emailed again and they said 16:04 we have permission to go. 16:05 I was so excited this is great. 16:07 So this was at the end of a two week trip 16:09 I had been all over Russia, shooting stories and stuff. 16:11 So just before I flew home 16:13 I flew to Moldova to spend the weekend there 16:15 and on Sabbath morning we got up early 16:19 and we drove three hours to get to this prison. 16:22 And I'm having all these ideas 16:23 of what it's gonna look like 16:24 and of course none of them were accurate. 16:27 And we pull up in this small building 16:29 right on the edge of a river 16:31 and we go inside 16:33 and the captain the guard says you can't go in. 16:37 And this pastor goes here 16:39 probably one or two times a month, 16:41 he has seven prisons that he is visiting 16:43 and he said no we are to gonna go in, 16:47 we have permission we arranged this. 16:48 But you can't come in with a camera. 16:50 No, I arranged this 16:51 I talked to the warden about this it's okay. 16:53 And the guard is like no you are not doing it. 16:56 Then we argued back and forth. 16:57 I didn't argued, they argued back and forth 16:58 for about 45 minutes. 17:00 Finally the Pastor pulls out his cell phone 17:03 called the warden, the warden was on vacation. 17:06 Calls the warden on vacation 17:07 and he says we have a problem 17:08 and explains the issue 17:10 and the pastor then comes back to the captain of the guard 17:13 and said the warden wants to talk to you 17:14 and hands him the phone. 17:16 And they go in the back room 17:17 and the door is partially open I can hear lots of yelling. 17:21 And then a long pause 17:22 and I'm sure there was a yelling on the other end of the phone 17:25 and finally the guard comes in 17:27 he hands the phone back to the pastor 17:28 and he said just wait. 17:30 And they took us inside 17:33 and they took us to the assistant warden's office 17:35 and he said you can film but only in the cell. 17:40 You cannot film anything outside the cell. 17:44 Your camera can only be running 17:45 when you are inside this whole cell. 17:46 And I said, oh, yeah. 17:47 I had the ideas of the camera going down the hallway 17:50 and getting these great things and stuff. 17:53 And so I had to film 17:54 the whole complete story inside the cell 17:57 what we did we made it work. 17:59 It was funny, it was fun to do. 18:01 Now, we are gonna look at that video in a few minutes 18:03 but how did that story effect you? 18:07 That the story that you witnessed there? 18:09 It was-- I basically spent a church service 18:12 with seven Adventist who are in prison 18:16 inside the cell and worship with them 18:19 and at the end of a church service 18:20 they thanked me for coming 18:22 and they were tear shed 18:23 and they said please 18:24 let our brothers and sisters around the world know about us 18:28 and that we want their prayer, 18:30 we need their prayers and their support. 18:32 Now support not financially 18:33 but just we want their prayer 18:35 and what they are thinking about us. 18:36 So-- sorry go ahead. 18:38 And I said-- and that was for me 18:40 was the driving factor behind producing this videos 18:43 as I wanted to do them 18:44 just justice and to share their story. 18:46 So when we see these stories 18:48 we don't have the sweating which goes behind them. 18:51 No, and the prayers 18:53 I mean I was praying the whole time. 18:54 Dear God, I need to be able 18:56 to tell their story properly and it worked out. 18:58 Now the Adventist Mission DVD 19:00 that goes out to Adventist churches 19:02 that contains that people 19:04 who may want to watch 19:05 just on their computers at home, 19:06 how do they do that? 19:07 It's easy to do this several ways. 19:09 You can YouTube, 19:11 if you can go Youtube.com/adventistmission 19:14 we have a channel 19:15 with the majority of our videos up there 19:17 and every quarter will have a play list 19:19 for the stories for that quarter plus previous quarters. 19:23 That's one of the good way to do it. 19:24 There is another video site service called Vimeo 19:26 that has our videos on there 19:27 or if you are on iTunes 19:29 you can just search for Adventist Mission 19:30 and actually subscribe for free podcast 19:33 every week we put in a story out. 19:35 Excellent, and for more information 19:37 just go to Adventistmission.org, Excellent. 19:39 Dan, thank you so much for joining us today. 19:41 Thank you, Gary. 19:43 We love to share the inspiration of mission 19:45 and there is nothing like the medium of DVD, video 19:50 to take you right there where the action is 19:52 and thank you for your prayers 19:54 and support for global mission around the world 19:57 but please pray for our team 19:58 like Dan going to some very inhospitable places at time. 20:03 Well, let's go to Moldova 20:05 and let's journey there and let's go behind the bars 20:08 and see what we can see. 20:32 This is a common sight around the world, 20:35 a group of Adventist believers singing 20:37 and sharing their faith, 20:39 celebrating the new lives 20:40 that they have been given by our loving Savior. 20:43 But this group is unlike any other in the church. 20:46 These believers will never set foot 20:48 outside the small room that they worship in. 20:51 They are to spend the rest of their lives here, 20:54 they have been forgiven by God, 20:56 but society requires them to spend 20:58 the rest of their lives behind bars. 21:04 Balloons and children, 21:06 smiling faces, images of life 21:09 something that we sometimes take for granted. 21:12 The country of Moldova is a picturesque landscape 21:16 nestled between the mountains 21:17 of Southern Ukraine and Northern Romania. 21:20 This former Soviet Republic 21:22 has undergone a drastic transformation 21:24 over the past 20 years. 21:27 Yet despite all the changes, 21:29 Moldova is still considered 21:30 one of the poorest countries in Europe. 21:33 People here work hard, 21:34 most of them in agriculture or government 21:37 and they enjoy spending time with their families. 21:40 You will often see young children 21:42 playing in the parks 21:43 that are common place in the capital Chisinau. 21:46 Majority of the people here 21:48 belong to the Russian Orthodox Church, 21:50 but for many religion is something 21:52 that is traditional not experienced. 21:55 The Seventh-day Adventist Church 21:57 has more than 11,000 members, in Moldova 22:00 and a population ratio of one Adventist 22:02 for every 390 people, 22:05 one of the best in the entire Euro-Asia Division. 22:08 Despite this growth, there are still many challenges. 22:13 Seventh-day Adventists in Moldova 22:14 have found ways to not only spread the gospel, 22:17 but to make a difference in their communities. 22:20 One of these is Pavel Girleanu, an Adventist pastor. 22:24 Along with three churches that he pastors, 22:26 Pavel works in seven prisons in Moldova. 22:29 He does everything from arranging 22:31 and holding church services 22:33 in small, cramped cells, 22:35 to arranging family days at prisons 22:37 and detention centers. 22:39 Pavel is making a difference 22:41 in the lives of people the society wants to forget. 22:45 And smiles on the faces of women 22:47 seeing their children for the first time in months 22:50 shows how much they appreciate all that Pavel 22:52 and his helpers are doing. 22:55 The Adventist Development and Relief Agency 22:57 also helps by providing volunteers, 23:00 transportation for family members, 23:01 and toiletry kits for the prisoners. 23:04 Family members breakdown in tears 23:06 as the emotions of months of separation 23:08 come to the surface. 23:10 Although it's a simple act of kindness, 23:13 it's a perfect example of how the church can provide 23:15 relief to those who need. 23:18 Just as Christ did, 23:19 helped people without judging a person for their sins, 23:23 its an other way we can represent Christ here on earth. 23:28 There is one group that Pavel has taken a special interest in, 23:32 a group most people would avoid 23:34 but when that Pavel has taken as his own. 23:38 Once inside this small cell that will serves as his chapel, 23:41 Pavel leads a small group of prisoners in prayer 23:44 and then reads from the Bible. 23:46 Sabbath school turns into a lively discussion, 23:49 as this is the first time the group 23:51 has been able to meet in nearly six months. 23:55 Outside the window of the cell, 23:56 a courtyard gives glimpses of the lonely life 23:59 these prisoners lead. 24:01 All of them will spend the rest of their lives 24:03 in desolation and despair. 24:05 That is, unless they get the chance to talk to Valentin. 24:09 He sits at the back of the group of prisoners 24:11 as they start their church service. 24:13 He has been labeled as a member of the lowest level 24:16 of the prison society 24:18 because he was willing to give a hand 24:19 of Christian love to a fellow prisoner 24:22 Valentin has been labeled an outcast 24:24 by his fellow prisoners. 24:26 He's not allowed to touch 24:27 or even talk to his fellow believers 24:30 who fear that they will be ostracized as well. 24:33 But the men in this cell 24:35 all owe Valentin a debt of gratitude, 24:38 for he was the one 24:39 that brought each of them into the Church. 24:42 Valentin knows that God 24:44 put him in this position for a reason. 24:47 [speaking in foreign language] 24:50 The word of God says that we should be witnesses, 24:52 His witnesses. 24:54 The prisoners are thankful for the new lives 24:56 that they have been given by Christ. 24:58 Despite all that they've done these men now lead new lives. 25:03 [speaking in foreign language] 25:08 And He is ready to accept them 25:09 with all their sins with all their deed 25:12 what they did up to now 25:13 and to give them salvation and to forgive them. 25:17 The church service ends with Pavel's closing prayer, 25:20 and the prisoners prepare to return to their cells. 25:23 For them the Sabbath service is over, 25:25 but they wish to give one last message 25:27 to their fellow Adventists around the world. 25:30 [speaking in foreign language] 25:36 And I would like to ask everybody 25:38 who will see these things-- 25:41 [speaking in foreign language] 25:44 To pray about our small group, 25:46 [speaking in foreign language] 25:49 Who are just on the beginning its way to Christ. 25:54 [speaking in foreign language] 25:58 And to remember about us in prayers. 26:03 Thank you for your support of mission around the world. 26:06 To learn more about mission 26:08 and the role that you can play 26:09 in telling the world about Jesus, 26:11 please visit AdventistMission.org. 26:50 If you would like to learn more about Global Mission 26:52 make sure you receive Frontline Edition. 26:55 This quarterly magazine is packed full 26:58 of inspirational Frontline cutting edge stories 27:02 of Global Mission pioneers, 27:03 missionaries, church planting and so much more. 27:07 If you live in North America 27:08 just call us or visit our website 27:10 and ask for Frontline Edition 27:12 or offer number 301. 27:15 Don't forget to clearly state your name, 27:17 full address and be sure to mention Frontline Edition 27:21 or offer 301. 27:23 Again to receive your free Global Mission Frontline Edition 27:28 just call the toll free number on your screen, 27:30 that's 1-800-648-5824 27:35 and just ask for Frontline Edition 27:37 or offer 301 27:39 or you can simply visit our website 27:41 at AdventistMisison.org /offer301. 27:45 Well, that's it for today's program, 27:47 I'm so glad you could join us. 27:50 Thank you for your continuing prayers, 27:52 your financial support 27:54 and your personal involvement in Global Mission. 27:57 Until next time I'm Gary Krause 28:00 and I hope you can join us next time 28:02 for Global Mission Snapshots. |
Revised 2014-12-17