Participants: Gary Krause (Host), Rick Kajiure, Conrad Vine
Series Code: GMS
Program Code: GMS000010
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00:06 I'm standing here in front of Mandoto church
00:08 here in Madagascar 00:10 we have just seen 14 people being baptized. 00:13 Thanks to the work of a Global Mission Pioneer 00:15 and his district pastor. 00:17 I'm Rick Kajiura for Adventist Mission 00:19 stay tuned for Global Mission Snapshots. 00:27 Just before He went up to heaven, 00:30 Jesus gave us a command. 00:33 He gave us a mission. 00:35 Jesus said, go. 00:38 Go unto all the world, 00:40 telling them of His love. 00:43 This is our mission. 00:45 This is our "Global Mission." 00:52 Hello and welcome to Global Mission Snapshots, 00:54 I'm Gary Krause. 00:56 On today's program we are focusing on the mission 00:59 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church 01:01 around the world from remote tribal regions 01:04 to the large urban areas. 01:06 So many people still don't know Jesus 01:09 as a loving Savior. 01:11 Today we will be talking with Rick Kajiura, 01:13 communication director for Adventist Mission 01:15 and Conrad Vine, president of Adventist Frontier Missions. 01:20 But first let's travel to Madagascar an island nation 01:23 just off the coast of South-Eastern Africa. 01:29 My name is Romain 01:30 and I want to share with you the story of my conversion. 01:35 I used to belong to another faith 01:36 and I was studying at a University in Antananarivo, 01:39 the capital of Madagascar. 01:42 I'm in agriculture major, 01:44 and I was in need of an internship 01:46 so that I could continue my studies. 01:49 I couldn't find a place 01:50 that would take me for an internship, 01:52 but at the last moment I ended up 01:54 getting a summer placement 01:55 at the Adventist University, Zurcher, 01:58 which is operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 02:01 I was worried about what it might be like 02:03 to be with these Adventists, 02:05 but I had family that lived there so I thought 02:08 that it would be all right. 02:10 My mother even warned me not to be tricked 02:13 by the Adventists and their beliefs. 02:16 I went to Zurcher and worked on the farm. 02:34 I really enjoyed it since the university is located up 02:37 in the mountains and the air is clean. 02:39 The tall pine trees on the campus created 02:42 a beautiful and peaceful setting. 02:44 At the end of my first week of work my supervisor told me 02:47 to go and take Friday afternoon off work 02:50 so that I could prepare for the Sabbath. 02:53 I was shocked since I thought 02:54 that I must work a full day to fulfill my internship. 02:59 I went to the small house that I shared with my cousin 03:02 and didn't know what to do. 03:03 I asked him about the Sabbath and what it meant. 03:07 We discussed what he believed and then he invited me 03:09 to study the Sabbath School lesson with him. 03:13 I agreed and found that I really enjoyed 03:15 what I was learning. 03:17 As summer passed I found myself 03:19 spending more time studying with my cousins 03:22 and learning about what Adventists believe. 03:25 My mind was full of questions 03:27 and I felt that I had so many things 03:29 that I needed to know. 03:31 I enjoyed reading the Bible and discovering the truths 03:34 that I found there. 03:36 The peaceful setting of the University 03:38 helped me to focus on what I was learning. 03:41 Eventually, I decided to be baptized 03:44 and to join the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 03:47 I praise God that He sent me to Zurcher 03:50 so that I could learn about Him 03:52 and the blessing that is the Sabbath. 03:54 After I finish my agriculture degree, 03:57 I plan on returning to Zurcher and studying theology 04:00 so that I can learn how to share my new found faith with others. 04:05 Without this University, 04:06 I would not be a Seventh-day Adventist today. 04:10 Your mission offerings help to support the work 04:12 being done at Zurcher 04:13 and the students whose lives are being transformed, 04:16 just like mine. 04:19 Thank you for your faithful support 04:20 of the worldwide mission 04:22 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 04:30 My guest is Rick Kajiura 04:32 who is the Communication Director for Adventist Mission. 04:34 Good to have you along, Rick. 04:35 It's good to be here, Gary. 04:37 So communication director, what do you do? 04:40 Lot of people ask that. 04:42 Especially your boss. 04:45 Well, we tell the story 04:46 of what's happening in mission around the world 04:49 with Global Mission and with 04:52 where the mission offerings go, 04:53 what's happening with Adventist missionaries 04:55 and student missionaries and also let people know 04:59 the tremendous challenges 05:00 that still exist out there in mission. 05:02 Right, so you have websites, 05:04 TV programs, Adventists mission DVD, 05:06 Publications the list goes on and on. 05:08 And Facebook. Yeah, Facebook as well. 05:11 So Rick, tell me what are the challenges 05:14 that you see as you travel around the world? 05:16 What would you say the major mission challenges 05:18 that we are facing? 05:19 Well, there is still tremendously 05:21 large populations out there that 05:24 have never really heard about Jesus. 05:25 They've-- and what's more they have never really had 05:27 the opportunity to learn about Jesus. 05:30 They are living in societies and cultures 05:32 where there are very few Christians 05:35 and when there are Christians just like that you don't 05:38 really inter mingle much. 05:40 So their opportunities to learn about Jesus 05:42 just don't exist for large population in the world today. 05:46 So Rick, you recently returned from the Madagascar 05:50 which is a small island of the south-east tip 05:54 of the continent of Africa. 05:55 I got it-- that's right. That's right, yeah, absolutely. 05:57 Okay, I have trouble pronouncing the name little. 05:59 So, so this island-- tell us about the nation. 06:04 Well, the nation-- well, first of all, 06:06 you know, you look at the map of the world 06:08 and you see this Island of Madagascar 06:10 and you think its small but it's actually very large. 06:13 So when we landed there 06:14 we landed in Antananarivo which is the capital 06:17 and if you think Madagascar is hard to say 06:20 try the name of the capital and the names of the people 06:22 because they have very long names over there. 06:25 But then we drove and we sat at the Adventist university 06:28 just outside of the city there 06:30 and then we drove well, seem like days 06:33 but we went down to the central conference 06:35 and we visited a church down there 06:37 and we have got some video here 06:39 if you want to show some of this video 06:41 but we visited this church in a place called Mandoto. 06:45 And this is where a Global Mission pioneer is working. 06:48 And so they had a baptism that day, 06:50 more than dozen people were baptized 06:53 and we had a chance to watch that baptism 06:55 but one of the interesting things to me was 06:57 how they fill that baptismal tank. 07:00 Because down the road there, 07:01 there is a water pump a hand pump 07:03 and they are bringing in these yellow jerry cans 07:08 and they would go there and they would fill it up 07:09 so the baptismal tank just had about enough water 07:12 for somebody to get full immersed. 07:15 And that's where they are doing their baptism. 07:17 But that church was crowded that day. 07:19 I think people would come from all different places 07:22 and they had baptism after baptism. 07:25 And it was interesting because somebody was there 07:27 from the national press as well and they covered it 07:29 for the national press in Madagascar. 07:31 Now, this nation is it a Christian country what? 07:35 No, the majority are traditional religions 07:39 more than 50% traditional religions 07:42 and then there are, 07:43 you know, a handful of Christians. 07:46 So it's kind of a novelty 07:47 to see this baptism ritual taking place. 07:51 Well, I think the majority of the people 07:53 who are there in the church 07:54 are from surrounding Adventist churches 07:56 who would come in for this special day for the baptism. 08:00 One pioneer-- we met a pioneer named John Luke 08:04 he has been working there. 08:05 He said that since he was a little boy 08:07 he is wanted to be a pastor 08:08 and so he went and studied theology. 08:10 Now they have hired him 08:11 as a Global Mission pioneer to work there 08:14 and so he works for the district pastor who has, 08:16 you know, a lot of churches 08:18 and so it's really good to have a pioneer working with him. 08:21 Now you use the term pioneer 08:23 but for somebody who may be watching 08:25 this program for the first time 08:26 what is a Global Mission pioneer? 08:27 A Global Mission pioneer is somebody from the country 08:30 who already speaks the language, 08:32 who understands the culture, 08:34 who gets a small stipend to go out 08:37 and spend a year or more 08:39 planting a new group of believers 08:41 or helping a newly started church 08:44 to grow and establish itself. 08:47 Now it always fascinates me 08:49 when I meet pioneer to see 08:51 what approach he or she is taking 08:53 because in different parts of the world 08:54 they try different methods 08:55 because it can be hard work moving into a new area 08:58 or among new people group even start. 09:01 What sort of methods did you find them 09:03 using in Madagascar for planting churches? 09:06 They are visiting homes and-- 09:08 and meeting people where they are. 09:11 And so this particular pioneer John Luke 09:16 he has been meeting with people 09:18 but also there to get an active pathfinder program done there 09:22 so children come in. 09:23 And I think there was a shot in there 09:25 of somebody in a pathfinder uniform 09:28 and there are a lot of children. 09:30 Madagascar is an economically challenged country right now. 09:34 They have had some problems 09:36 in terms of relations with other nations there 09:38 and so they had some economic sanctions. 09:41 So they are struggling 09:43 and if you go to the Adventist University there 09:46 they are building-- I met a missionary couple there. 09:48 They are from the Philippines, Roger and Evelyn 09:51 and they are working there helping to build up 09:54 the infrastructure the university. 09:56 His background is building and so he is there 09:58 and helping them to get new buildings. 10:01 They had a typhoon hurricane 10:03 come through there recently knocked over bunch of tress. 10:06 So they have cut them all up stacked them on the campus 10:08 and they are using those to make boards, 10:10 to make wood so they can build new buildings on the campus. 10:15 Now Rick, we hear reports 10:16 from the southern half of the continent of Africa 10:18 of the church booming with thousands of baptisms. 10:23 Is this the case in Madagascar as well? 10:26 You know, Madagascar is more of a challenge. 10:28 You know, when we saw the pioneers-- 10:30 I have visited pioneers in other areas 10:32 where they get a much harder time 10:33 but to say that this is booming, 10:36 you know, you go to some of the countries 10:37 in South Africa they really are. 10:38 They are doing extremely well. Sothern Africa. 10:40 Yeah, Sothern Africa but because of the economic challenges 10:44 and the high number of enemies. 10:48 One of the things they said was 10:50 they struggle with those who do come 10:53 from certain backgrounds with ancestor worship. 10:59 And the cult of the dead they call it 11:02 where after a year they dig up the bones of the ancestors 11:05 they consult their ancestors and different thing. 11:07 So that was one of the mission challenges 11:09 they said they were facing there. 11:11 Yeah, because once they moved to Christianity 11:14 there is such a whole raft of social 11:17 and family pressures that-- 11:20 they have to cut ties with lot of that. 11:22 Yeah and I think we discount sometimes 11:24 living in either Christian or post Christian areas 11:27 where families have a hard time 11:30 because so much of everything that you do culturally 11:33 is tied to religion in many countries. 11:35 And so to make a choice to become a Christian 11:37 or to become a Seventh-day Adventist 11:40 can prove a lot of pressure with your family. 11:42 Sure and there are other challenges too. 11:45 You know, we visited another church 11:47 and they have a building they don't have a floor 11:50 but one of the families walk six kilometers 11:52 which is about three and three quarter miles 11:54 to get to the church. 11:56 And when I said well, you know that's incredible 11:57 they said others and other families 11:58 that walks 12 kilometers. Oh, well. 12:01 Well, we are running of time Rick, 12:02 but thanks so much for sharing with us. 12:04 Thank you, Gary. 12:05 And viewers at home, please continue to remember 12:08 places like Madagascar in your prayers. 12:12 God is working but there are still tremendous challenges 12:15 to share the love of Jesus and the hope 12:17 that can only come through Jesus Christ. 12:58 My guest is Pastor Conrad Vine 13:00 and Conrad is the president of Adventist Frontier Missions 13:05 which is a supporting ministry 13:06 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 13:08 Conrad, pleasure to have you with us today. 13:11 Now you have a mission initiative 13:14 that focuses on planting new congregations, where? 13:20 AFM began in 1985 Gary, and grew out to realization 13:24 that also may be 9,000 people groups in our world 13:28 over 7,000 of them have to yet to hear the gospel 13:30 in any way shape or form. 13:33 And so we focus our energies 13:35 on sending missionaries to proclaim the gospel 13:37 in those un-reached people groups 13:39 where there is as yet no Adventist presence. 13:41 So you are specifically focused on the where Adventist are not? 13:46 Absolutely, yes. 13:47 Now can you give me some sort of an idea 13:51 of the spread, the width of the initiative. 13:54 How many countries are you working in? 13:56 We operate currently in about 20 countries. 13:59 Some of those countries are in Africa, 14:02 some are in South East Asia and the sub-continent, 14:05 others are in Europe post Christian countries 14:09 and we operate-- we operate in some countries 14:11 where one is not suppose to send missionaries. 14:14 They are closed countries and in those countries 14:17 we had to be very careful about 14:18 how we do our mission work 14:20 and it requires a very dedicated 14:21 individual team to work in those places. 14:24 Now Conrad, you yourself have been involved in mission 14:28 in many different parts of the world. 14:31 You have a rich history of the involvement now 14:33 why is mission so important to you? 14:36 Because, I want Jesus to come back soon. 14:39 I take joy having my devotions with Jesus every morning 14:43 and because I find joy being with Him every morning 14:45 I want to see Him one day face to face. 14:48 And Jesus said that "This gospel of the kingdom 14:50 will be proclaimed to the whole world 14:51 and then the end shall come." 14:53 And so my part in bringing about the coming of Jesus 14:56 and ending human suffering and bringing in a new heavens 14:59 and new earth is to work for that kingdom of God myself. 15:03 Wonderful, now Conrad, Adventist Frontier Missions 15:07 to be a missionary with your organization 15:10 that's not some sort of casual decision 15:12 you can just make on this at the moment 15:15 it's a pretty strong commitment, right. 15:18 Absolutely, we have student missionaries 15:21 who go out for one year. 15:22 We have Korea missionaries 15:24 who go out for may be six to fifteen years in some cases 15:28 and they learn the language 15:30 they study the local culture, 15:32 then they prepare contextualized evangelistic materials 15:35 and raise local churches. 15:37 And we are also just rolling out as we speak 15:39 to new missionary models. 15:40 One we call the Explorer 15:42 and that is for baby boomer to spend two or three weeks 15:45 to do initial research for new missionary. 15:48 And the other is called the Waldensian model 15:50 and we are looking for people once can may be retires to 15:53 serve for a year or two in an overseas language institute 15:56 and share their faith 15:58 in on a basics of friendship evangelism. 16:01 So we have missionaries from not around the world 16:04 but a third of our missionaries 16:05 come from outside of the United States 16:07 and we have sending officers in Canada and South Africa 16:11 and we are registering in Britain 16:13 and by God's grace Latin America. 16:15 And we want to open the door to mission service 16:18 to Adventists around the world to feel called 16:20 and gifted by God to this particular ministry. 16:23 Now, how do you work with the Adventist church? 16:26 We work very closely with the Adventist church. 16:29 We don't enter a project 16:31 unless we get the support of the local church administration. 16:34 We have agreements with almost every division 16:37 of the Adventist church worldwide 16:39 and with each of our projects 16:41 we have steering committees 16:43 in which the local church leadership can have involvements 16:46 and input from the very beginning of our projects. 16:49 And our goal is to raise up bodies of believers 16:51 into Adventist churches awaiting the coming of Jesus 16:55 and then our missionaries withdraw 16:57 and we hand over those bodies of believers 16:58 to the local Adventist church leadership 17:01 whether it be a conference 17:02 or a mission or a field leadership. 17:04 Yeah and another-- 17:06 you are working with global mission 17:08 on some projects where some of your missionaries 17:10 can help supervise Global Mission pioneers 17:12 in certain areas. 17:14 Absolutely, we are all on the same team 17:17 and there are parts of the world 17:19 where AFM Missionaries 17:22 their ministry will be strengthened 17:24 by having Global Mission pioneers working with them. 17:26 And so we have instant on agreement 17:28 as you say with the General Conference 17:30 to share our missionaries and Global Mission pioneers 17:32 were appropriate to strengthen the cause of Christ 17:35 in our local community. 17:38 Share with me one of your favorite stories 17:40 of your missionaries. 17:42 One of my favorite stories of missionaries well, 17:46 I just love hearing about people coming to God 17:49 and I have some good friends 17:51 who are now Adventist AFM missionaries 17:54 who are serving in Africa 17:55 who came a very resistant religious group 17:58 and they gave up a lot when they accepted Jesus 18:02 as their Lord and Savior 18:03 and God spoke to them in dreams 18:05 and convicted them that He want to them 18:07 to serve as missionaries in turn. 18:10 And so with that family now serving Africa 18:13 as missionaries in a very resistant people group 18:16 and by God's grace they have a large 18:18 and a very growing ministry in that community. 18:21 Wonderful, now by choosing 18:23 to go to un-entered area and difficult areas 18:27 you are not going to be having the thousands of baptisms 18:30 that we see in other parts of the world 18:33 but your ministry is so essential. 18:36 Absolutely, when you consider the history of missions 18:40 in the 10/40 mission window 18:42 when Adoniram Judson died 18:44 there were may be less than 30 converts in Burma 18:47 and yet Burma today is a major source 18:49 of Christian growth and spiritual gifts 18:52 based on his mission work. 18:54 And we see in other parts of world 18:56 such as Burkina Faso in West Africa 18:59 and in South East Asia 19:02 where a small seed grows into a beautiful flower. 19:05 And so we do have growing congregations of people 19:09 from almost every major religious background 19:11 as a result of our AFM Missionaries 19:13 ministry in their service. 19:15 And these converts they take many years to win 19:20 and but really at the heart of the matter 19:22 when we do our human work 19:25 the work of the conversions the work of the Holy Spirit 19:28 and may be the most powerful thing we can do as missionaries 19:30 and may be our viewers can do 19:32 is to choose a people group of the world 19:34 and pray that Jesus will be manifest 19:36 in a powerful way in that group 19:38 and let God bring the conversion 19:40 our missionaries are there 19:41 to walk with new converts to mentor them 19:44 what it means to be a Christian 19:45 and to nurture that growth in the Holy Spirit. 19:48 Wonderful, now how can our viewers find out 19:50 more information about AFM? 19:53 Well, they can check out our website www.AFMonline.org 19:58 and they can call into our office. 20:00 They can receive a regular magazine it's free of charge. 20:03 It has missionary stories from around the world every month 20:06 and we are launching a new website in a couple of months 20:09 and then viewers will be able to follow 20:11 their chosen missionaries around the world, 20:13 follow that blog pages 20:15 and receive their regular updates directly 20:17 from the missionaries themselves 20:19 and we would encourage your viewers to pray 20:23 to be prayer warriors praying that 20:25 God Sprit be poured out among the un-reached today. 20:27 Thank you so much Conrad, appreciate it. 20:30 And viewers at home, 20:32 as Pastor Vine has just pointed out 20:34 there are so many people groups 20:36 that have millions of people 20:38 who still have not even heard the name of Jesus Christ. 20:42 Please remember AFM 20:43 and their missionaries in your prayers. 20:47 [speaking in foreign language] 21:01 By firelight, an Adventist pastor tells a Bible story. 21:05 [speaking in foreign language] 21:10 Most of his captive audience cannot read or write, 21:13 but they are eager to learn. 21:17 [speaking in foreign language] 21:32 In the desert flatlands of northern Namibia 21:34 lives the tribe of the Himba. 21:36 These simple people have lived the same way 21:39 for hundreds of years. 21:41 Families form small communities 21:43 where fathers, mothers, children, spouses 21:47 and grandchildren all live together. 21:50 Their houses are simple huts 21:52 that are surrounded by thorn bushes 21:54 that create a wall to protect the families from predators. 21:58 The Himba live on milk and meat from their livestock, 22:01 as well as corn, pumpkin 22:03 and other produce they can grow in their small gardens. 22:16 The young men of the family work all day 22:19 herding the cattle and goats, 22:21 while the smaller children head out in search of water. 22:35 There are not many opportunities 22:36 for these children to obtain an education, 22:39 so their education is passed down 22:41 as it has been for centuries. 22:44 They are an oral culture. 22:46 [speaking in foreign language] 23:06 About 15 years ago, 23:08 Adventist Frontier Mission's workers, 23:10 Gideon and Pam Peterson 23:12 started working among the Himba, 23:14 but they found the work to be very difficult. 23:17 Gideon ran into many roadblocks. 23:21 I was perceived as a young person, 23:23 I was young, but I was perceived as a child I should say, 23:27 and I didn't know that until much later, 23:31 and they don't respect children teaching an adult. 23:36 And so that-- that even though 23:40 I didn't see it at the time, 23:42 it became a big challenge eventually. 23:46 The Himba are taught to respect the views 23:48 and opinions of their elders. 23:51 When an elder shares knowledge 23:53 it is accepted by the whole tribe. 23:56 The Himba worship the spirits of their dead ancestors. 23:59 The family elder will sit by a fire 24:02 and consult with the dead family members 24:04 to obtain their wisdom and guidance. 24:07 It is only the elders 24:08 that are allowed to pass on 24:10 any new knowledge or information. 24:13 All of this information is passed on 24:15 through the telling of stories. 24:18 Every night they sit around the fire 24:20 telling stories, sharing stories. 24:22 When people meet, 24:24 it's important to share my story 24:27 where I come from, 24:29 to hear the story of the other person, 24:32 so stories have a very important bonding method 24:37 to build community. 24:39 Gideon was finally accepted 24:41 and was allowed to join the fireside sessions 24:44 and was even able to share of stories of his own. 24:47 But when the Petersons tried to share the gospel, 24:49 they found that the Himba had no concept of sin 24:53 or many of the other biblical teachings 24:55 that we take for granted. 24:57 For years they struggled to reach the Himba people. 25:00 Then they discovered a simple solution. 25:06 [speaking in foreign language] 25:23 The methods that we have been trying 25:27 to use over the last four or five years 25:30 experimenting with, is oral methods 25:34 using the Himba music, the Himba poetry, 25:37 Himba singing, dancing, chanting, 25:42 story telling methods and then 25:45 putting that into a biblical world view 25:50 or the biblical world view into those kinds of styles. 25:55 Gideon has trained a local lay pastor, Kapitongo, 25:58 to oversee the production of the audio files 26:01 and they are now using solar panel devices called God-Pods 26:05 to distribute the audio Bible stories 26:07 to the Himba communities. 26:08 [speaking in foreign language] 26:12 The Petersons have now moved onto another assignment, 26:15 but Kapitongo will continue the outreach 26:18 to the Himba tribes. 26:21 Your faithful support of the mission offering 26:23 will help to pay for the production 26:25 of the audio files 26:27 as well as buy the solar powered players 26:29 that will be distributed to the Himba communities 26:32 throughout all of Northern Namibia. 26:34 Thank you for supporting the mission 26:36 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 26:39 [speaking in foreign language] 26:49 The office of Adventist mission produces many recourses 26:52 to help keep the spirit of mission alive in your church. 26:56 Quarterly magazines and DVD's filled with mission stories, 27:00 mission cards for kids 27:02 and the constantly undated Adventists mission website 27:05 and a whole lot more. 27:07 If you have children or grandkids 27:08 who are interested in mission 27:10 we have produced a brand new collection 27:13 of Mission Stories for Kids all on one DVD. 27:17 If you live in North America and you would like a copy 27:19 of this new Mission Stories for Kids DVD 27:23 simply call our toll free number on the screen 27:26 1800-648-5824 or you can visit our website 27:31 and ask for the Mission Stories for Kids DVD 27:34 or offer number 304. 27:37 And worry if you are not a kid 27:39 and you want a copy that's fine too. 27:41 Don't forget to clearly state your name and address 27:44 and be sure to mention Mission Stories for Kids DVD 27:48 or offer 304 so we will be sure to send you the right DVD. 27:53 Well, that's it for today program, 27:55 thanks so much for joining us 27:57 and on behalf of the thousands of Adventist missionaries 28:00 and Global Mission pioneers serving all around the world 28:04 thank you so much for your continuing prayer 28:07 and your financial support. 28:09 Until next time 28:10 I'm Gary Krause for Adventist mission. |
Revised 2014-12-17