Participants: Gary Krause (Host), Rick Kajiura, Kyle Tumberg, Cindy Tumberg
Series Code: GMS
Program Code: GMS000013
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00:06 I'm standing here
00:07 in front of a Seventh-day Adventist church in China. 00:10 Thirteen years ago, 00:12 Seventh-day Adventist members 00:13 carried the materials for this church 00:15 40 minutes of the side of a mountain. 00:18 We will hear more about it. 00:19 For "Global Mission Snapshots" I'm Rick Kajiura. 00:27 Just before He went up to heaven, 00:29 Jesus gave us a command. 00:32 He gave us a mission. Jesus said, go. 00:37 Go unto all the world, telling them of His love. 00:42 This is our mission. This is our "Global Mission." 00:51 Hello, I'm Gary Krause 00:53 and welcome to Global Mission Snapshots, 00:55 where we take you to the frontlines 00:57 of Adventist Mission around the world. 01:00 More than 1.3 billion people live in China, 01:04 the world's most populated country. 01:06 Despite many challenges 01:08 the Christian church is growing in China 01:10 and some predict that it's on track 01:12 to become the largest center 01:14 of Christianity in the entire world. 01:17 On today's program, Rick Kajiura, 01:19 Adventist mission communication director 01:22 reports on his recent visit to China. 01:25 We will also meet a couple heading 01:26 as missionaries to Thailand 01:28 and we travel to Adventist center 01:30 in South Korea 01:32 that's helping migrant workers re-establish their lives. 01:36 But first up, let's visit an Adventist school in Myanmar, 01:40 a Southeast Asia country 01:42 known to many of us as Burma. 01:45 Earlier this year, this video was shared 01:47 with Adventist churches around the world 01:50 that gave a special offering to help this school. 01:54 The country of Myanmar is located 01:57 between the countries of China, India, 01:59 Bangladesh, Thailand and Laos. 02:02 Its coastline lies on the Bay of Bengal 02:05 and the Andaman Sea. 02:07 Home to more than 59 million people, 02:10 it is one of the poor nations in this division. 02:13 And it has seen political and economic strives 02:16 since its creation in 1948. 02:19 The capital city Yangon is a bustling mixture of cars, 02:23 motorbikes and pedestrians. 02:26 The majority of the people 02:27 who live in Myanmar are Buddhists 02:29 and Yangon is home to the giant pagoda temple. 02:38 Every day people come here to pray 02:40 and offer up incense to Buddha. 02:43 The golden temple is an impressive landmark 02:46 on the Yangon's skyline. 02:49 On the outskirts of town 02:51 is the Yangon Adventist seminary. 02:53 Currently the school is housed 02:55 in a series of small buildings 02:57 and the classrooms are tightly packed 02:59 and full of children eager to learn. 03:03 They study math, language arts including English, science 03:07 and of course they learn about Jesus. 03:10 They also love to play. 03:16 The Yangon Adventist seminary 03:18 has outgrown its current physical plans. 03:21 The school has more than 450 students 03:24 and there is a long waiting list of families 03:27 eager to have their children attend the school. 03:34 People send their children here for three reasons. 03:37 The first is that they like 03:38 the Christian values that we teach 03:40 because they feel that this will help their children 03:42 grow up to be better citizens. 03:45 The second is that we teach English, 03:47 something that the government school do not offer. 03:50 We also have relationships 03:52 with other schools outside Myanmar, 03:54 where the children can continue their studies 03:56 after graduating from here. 03:58 The majority of the students here 04:00 come from non-Adventist homes, 04:02 so the school plays a major role 04:04 in reaching into the community. 04:07 Every morning, the children meet for worship 04:10 where they sing songs that tell of Jesus' love. 04:29 Your 13th Sabbath offering this quarter 04:31 will help to build a new school building, 04:33 so the Yangon Adventist seminary 04:35 can offer an Adventist education to more students. 04:39 This school serves as a wonderful example 04:42 of how education can be outreach to communities 04:45 that are sometimes hard to reach. 04:47 Please pray for the people in Myanmar 04:50 and pray for the Yangon Adventist School 04:53 as it continues its role of teaching 04:55 young people through Christian education. 05:00 My guest is Rick Kajiura, 05:02 who is a colleague and director of communication 05:06 for the office of Adventist Mission 05:07 of the General Conference. 05:09 Rick, glad you could join us. 05:10 It's good to be here, Gary. 05:11 Now, Rick, with this program 05:14 we try to get out the story of mission. 05:17 What the Seventh-day Adventist church 05:18 is doing in such a broad landscape of things 05:22 and your role is to oversee that 05:24 and we have websites, we have T.V program, 05:28 Adventist mission DVD, facebook, list goes on. 05:32 What are we trying to achieve in talking about mission? 05:36 You know, there are so many people 05:38 who think that the Adventist church 05:41 really isn't doing that much in mission 05:43 that the days of mission are yesterday, 05:45 but the challenges are in their backyard. 05:47 And well, that's true that there are challenges everywhere, 05:50 there are still certain areas of the world 05:52 where the challenges are massive. 05:55 Where the populations are, 05:58 you know, 80, 90% non-Christian 06:01 who don't have that Christian background, 06:03 who don't have the exposure 06:04 to the message of the hope in Jesus. 06:07 And so we at least, at least need to give them 06:09 the opportunity to have a relationship with Jesus 06:13 to hear about Him to even know that He, 06:16 you know, came and died for us. 06:18 Now, you were telling me not so long ago about 06:20 you were sitting in church one day and the pastor said 06:24 something that made you sit up, what was that? 06:26 Yeah, I was sitting in church one day 06:27 and the pastor said that the world is reached 06:30 and he cited, you know, the church statistics 06:33 of how many countries, 06:34 but you know when you look at 06:35 some of those countries and some of the cities. 06:38 You know, our presence there is very small 06:40 when you have populations in the billion, 06:43 you know like China 1.3 billion 06:45 and then you consider you know other places. 06:49 Well, even though you may have a church 06:51 or two churches or three churches 06:53 with populations in the billions. 06:55 So many people still don't know Jesus. 06:57 Well, that's a good leading to our topic 06:59 which is China and I can recall 07:02 driving down massive new highways in China 07:05 and just seen apartment block after apartment block towers 07:09 with thousands of people 07:11 and they are just been set up all along the road there 07:16 and we know that these apartment blocks 07:19 are like mini towns with no believers in them. 07:23 And they are city after city 07:24 where more than a million people, no believers. 07:27 That's absolutely right 07:28 and we saw that when we were there too. 07:30 In fact, we drove past a lot of them 07:33 to visit one area where there is a church 07:36 and this church was on a mountain top 07:38 and it was Miao village and when they took us there, 07:41 they said now are you guys prepared to walk 07:44 because it's a 40 minute walk up this mountain. 07:47 And we said yeah, we are prepared to walk 07:50 but when we got there 07:51 they drove us part way up that mountain 07:53 so we didn't have to walk for 40 miles. 07:55 40 miles? I mean 40-40 minutes, sorry. 07:58 I was impressed for a little while there. 08:00 Yeah, I would have been too. 08:02 A 40 minute walk up that mountain 08:04 but I tell you with some of those drop offs 08:06 and the trucks sliding around 08:07 you know, you kind of wish sometimes 08:09 that may be we should have walked. 08:11 But I tell you when we got to the top of that mountain 08:13 it was Miao village up there which is a minority group 08:16 and the church building was there 08:19 and everybody was standing outside 08:22 singing a welcome greeting to us 08:24 and it just warms your heart to see them. 08:27 The welcome was so warm and the people there musically 08:30 just tremendous had a choir there 08:32 that I said you know, boy, 08:34 I wish we can get you out some place and sing to-- 08:38 to the wider Adventist church audience in some place. 08:40 Now, please tell me you brought some video 08:42 of this place. Yeah. 08:43 Why don't we show some of this right now. 08:46 And you can see this mountain village there 08:49 and some of the people were walking up there. 08:53 Now, one of the things 08:54 that I found out about this village is that 08:58 somebody from this village in 1940 09:02 was attending the Adventist training school 09:04 set up by the Korean Adventist in China. 09:08 And so this person had been studying there 09:11 when things in China changed 09:13 and they shut down the school, 09:15 but they have retained 09:17 their beliefs over all those years. 09:20 And about ten years ago 09:23 an Adventist church planter stumbled across this village 09:27 and went up there and started talking to them 09:30 and found out that there are Sabbath keepers in this village. 09:33 And so they provided funding for them 09:37 and these people built this church 09:39 and it's a really beautiful church building 09:41 but what really impressed me was 09:43 they carried all those building materials 09:45 up that mountain on their back 09:47 in these little baskets to build that church. 09:50 Commitment. Commitment. 09:52 So how many were worshipping there? 09:54 There were about 30-35 people worshiping there 09:58 and then you will see some other footage here coming up. 10:02 But there was another church, yeah. 10:05 There was another church that we visited 10:07 and we met a 79 year old woman 10:12 who was there and a church planter 10:14 had come there about 12 years ago 10:17 and had started this church 10:18 and this lady was one of her first converts 10:22 and she met her because she was looking 10:24 for a place to stay. 10:25 And this lady had a room to rent. 10:28 And as they began talking and studying this lady, 10:31 you know was convinced that Jesus Christ was a savior, 10:35 so she became a Christian 10:37 and she let them build a small church in there 10:39 in her little backyard there 10:42 and you know, it wasn't long after that, 10:46 that one day this church planter went out on to the street 10:49 and she saw somebody lying there in a pool of blood 10:51 and she went over and it was this little old lady 10:53 who had been struck by some passing vehicle 10:57 and they were really worried about her 10:58 and they said you know, what are we going to do 11:00 they rushed her to the hospital 11:02 and long story short she was okay, 11:03 but when she came out she realized 11:06 that she still owned the land that church was on 11:08 and said if anything happens to me 11:10 they are gonna lose the church. 11:11 So she donated the land to them. 11:15 In China we see tremendous commitment 11:17 from people under very adverse circumstances over the years. 11:21 Over the years and things are changing in China a lot. 11:24 And so there is tremendous opportunity there. 11:26 Thanks for sharing for this today, Rick. 11:28 I appreciate it. Okay. 11:30 China, we see tremendous growth. 11:33 We have some 400,000 Seventh-day Adventist believers. 11:36 But still a tremendous challenge throughout that country, 11:40 huge cities with so many people 11:43 many of whom have never heard the name of Jesus. 11:45 Please pray for the people of China. 12:26 It's my pleasure to have as guest today 12:29 Kyle and Cindy Tumberg who are going as missionaries 12:33 for Adventist Frontier Missions to the country of Thailand. 12:37 Now, when do you leave for Thailand? 12:40 We are hoping to leave by the end of October 12:42 or beginning of November. 12:43 We are waiting for our visa right now. 12:45 Okay, so a couple of months. 12:47 Now, I'm just fascinated 12:49 why a young couple living in North America 12:53 would have a vision for going to the other side 12:56 of the world as missionaries. 12:58 How did this all start? 13:00 I was-- for me I was just really touched by 13:04 when I heard the numbers of how many people there were 13:07 that still haven't heard about Christ 13:09 and it just didn't seem fair to me. 13:11 And I just had a desire to share with others 13:14 that haven't had a chance yet. 13:17 Because we know that North America 13:18 is a huge mission field 13:20 but when you look at the numbers 13:22 in the country of Thailand, 13:23 who have never even heard the name of Jesus 13:26 and you are talking challenge. 13:27 That's true. What about you Kyle? 13:29 You know, it was a conviction 13:31 that developed over several years. 13:33 I have done a lot of Bible work here in North America 13:36 and had been involved in a church plant in Arkansas. 13:39 And I have a real passion to share my faith 13:42 and as I was praying about the future 13:44 what God would have us do long term. 13:46 I thought of several different possibilities, 13:48 pastoral work or evangelistic work 13:50 or teaching or mission work 13:53 and I really only had peace 13:56 about the thought of doing overseas mission work. 13:59 Mainly because of the-- of the great need 14:01 but also we really felt like at this time in our lives 14:04 we could do something like devote 14:06 several years of our life to a pioneer project, 14:10 but the other we get the harder that would be 14:12 and so we thought that the claims 14:14 that God had in our life at this time 14:17 are different than what they would be, 14:19 you know, in five or ten years. 14:21 So that really weighed into our decision. 14:23 Yeah, now, tell me a little bit about 14:25 your church planting experience. 14:26 Now, I understand this was supported by global mission 14:30 and you are planting in what area? 14:35 We were involved in a church plant project 14:38 in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. 14:40 Arkadelphia is about 60 miles west of Little Rock 14:45 and we got involved in the project around 2006-2007. 14:51 Arkadelphia is a city of about 10,000 people 14:54 with no Seventh-day Adventist church 14:56 and we did several things. 14:58 We did door to door Bible studies. 15:00 We did group Bible studies, evangelistic seminars 15:04 and just bit by bit we saw the Lord growing the church 15:07 and this past April 15:09 it was officially organized in the Arkansas-Louisiana 15:12 Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. 15:13 Wonderful, fantastic. 15:15 Now, Cindy, it's a long way from Arkansas to Thailand. 15:18 What do you know about the area 15:20 where you are going? Like what specifically? 15:23 Yeah, like what do you know about the culture, the people, 15:26 I mean what are your expectations of the location 15:29 where you are moving too. 15:31 We are going to be moving to a city 15:33 I believe it has two universities there 15:36 and Thailand is about 96% Buddhists 15:40 so that's gonna be-- 15:41 our target is to work for the Buddhists 15:44 and as far as expectations I don't really have a lot, 15:48 I'm not sure exactly what it's gonna be like. 15:51 So it will be a big learning curve for me for sure. 15:54 I'm sure, yeah. 15:55 Now, you have gone through training 15:57 with Adventist Frontier Missions. 15:59 Now, I understand that it's a fairly rigorous training 16:03 in preparation for mission service. 16:04 What sort of things did you learn? 16:07 You know training was a great experience, 16:10 we spent three months, 16:11 you know, going to class everyday 16:13 and we talked a lot about 16:15 understanding different cultures, 16:16 understanding different world views 16:18 and how people think. 16:20 And how to communicate the gospel in ways that, 16:24 that people in different cultures will understand. 16:28 That was heavily emphasized. 16:29 We also talked a lot about team building 16:31 and the importance of having healthy teams, 16:34 because when you are in the mission field, 16:36 you have to have strong team dynamics to succeed. 16:39 And we talked about the importance of the family 16:43 and really making that a priority 16:45 and having a strong healthy family 16:47 and just several you know, several 16:49 just very practical classes 16:51 in relation to cross cultural work 16:53 and mission work. 16:54 So it trains you in the principles 16:57 of mission service. 16:59 So you are not going to Thailand 17:01 with the list of this is what we are going to do, do, do. 17:03 You actually are going to partially discover that 17:05 when you arrive. Exactly. 17:07 So when you arrive you don't 17:09 immediately start mission programs, 17:14 you actually do a bit of research. 17:15 Tell me about that part of the program? 17:18 When we first get there, 17:19 we'll engage in language learning first 17:22 to really try to learn the Thai language 17:25 so that we can communicate them 17:26 in their heart language. 17:28 And then from there 17:29 we will actually study their culture some 17:31 and try to understand how they think, 17:34 how they process things 17:36 so that the gospel we are not bringing to them 17:39 is the gospel that you might say, 17:44 we are used to or doesn't speak to questions 17:47 we may have but it speaks to their needs 17:49 and their questions 17:51 and it's going to really be communicating Christ 17:53 in a way they can understand. 17:55 And how long does that process take? 17:56 I mean, I know it's gonna be part of your whole service. 18:00 But that initial research, how long does that take? 18:03 You know, it varies from project to project, 18:06 but typically most if a missionary spend 18:10 between one and half to two years 18:12 I think studying the culture 18:14 and really getting a handle on the language 18:17 and the different dynamics in the culture. 18:20 Now for people who want to learn more about AFM, 18:24 they can go to the website 18:25 which I guess is AFM.org, am I correct? 18:27 AFMonline.org. Online.org, okay, tremendous. 18:32 I was quite taken Cindy when you said that 18:35 you just didn't seem to think it was fair that 18:37 so many people haven't heard about Jesus. 18:39 When did you first learn about Jesus? 18:41 I grew up in the Adventist church 18:44 so grew up hearing about Jesus 18:46 but it's probably been in the last 18:48 six, seven years that 18:51 I have really come to see things differently 18:54 and had more of a personal walk with Him. 18:56 I mean just realized it, 18:58 depends more on Christ righteousness 19:01 and not my own works in. Yes, yes. 19:02 What I do or don't do. Yeah. 19:05 And when did you both realize that 19:06 you had a shared passion for mission. 19:09 You know, it's quite a story. 19:12 We began dating around 2007 19:15 and we went to an ASI convention 19:18 in Louisville, Kentucky. 19:19 And at that time we were talking about the future 19:21 and still testing the waters in the courtships 19:24 so to speak but unbeknownst to me, 19:26 Cindy had prayed before we went to the ASI Convention 19:29 that the Lord would use the convention to give us 19:32 some clarity about our future 19:34 and she didn't pull it with that prayer. 19:36 But we went to the convention 19:37 and one night we are walking around the exhibit halls 19:40 and I had picked up some material 19:42 from one of the exhibits 19:43 and I wasn't really paying attention 19:44 to where I was walking 19:46 and I ended up walking right up to the AFM booth. 19:49 And I began talking to the recruiter there, 19:51 I would actually see him speak about 19:53 a year and half prior to that 19:55 and as I was talking with him, 19:58 I had some questions about mission work 20:00 and about the un-reached. 20:02 And we left that ASI Convention really 20:05 you know, thinking that some day 20:07 we may possibly be missionaries. 20:10 So it really, it really began there I would say. 20:13 Wonderful, well, Cindy and Kyle, 20:15 wishing you God's richest blessings in this new endeavor. 20:19 And to our viewers at home, 20:21 please remember Kyle and Cindy 20:23 and so many other missionaries in your prayers. 20:26 God may even have a purpose for you in mission. 20:30 Please prayerfully consider that 20:32 and may God richly bless this young couple 20:34 as they go to serve Him. Thank you. 20:41 Korea is home to immigrants from all over Asia. 20:45 They come to find work, 20:47 but sometimes struggle to find a place to call home. 20:50 In the city of Ansan, 20:52 a multicultural center opened to help immigrants in Korea. 21:03 Andrew Kahn is just one example 21:04 of how the Seventh-day Adventist Church 21:07 is reaching out to people 21:08 in the community who are in need. 21:11 This center providing the people 21:13 for free food 21:16 and free lodging for some times 21:22 one month or two months 21:25 and before they get a new job. 21:27 Andrew, an immigrant himself, 21:29 fled Myanmar seven years ago 21:31 because of political unrest. 21:34 He knows the challenges 21:35 of moving to a foreign country firsthand. 21:38 The center he works at 21:39 not only meets the people's physical needs 21:41 by providing food and shelter, 21:43 but focuses on meeting their spiritual needs as well. 21:48 There is really a big work for this, 21:51 so we put it up, 21:54 envision to fellowship with them, 22:00 to just invite them to church, you know. 22:03 To let them know that we are here. 22:05 We care for them. 22:07 So if they don't know about God, 22:12 we have to teach them. 22:16 We should believe God. 22:18 There is a creator and there is a savior Jesus, 22:23 and there is a Holy Spirit. 22:26 Workers at the center give Bible studies 22:28 to residents who are interested, 22:31 hoping to share the truth of God's word 22:33 and guide them along in their faith. 22:35 Evidence of their efforts can be 22:37 seen in the lives of various residents. 22:40 When she came to this center 22:43 I introduced her with the pastors 22:46 and I asked her if she wants to study the Bible. 22:52 And then she said yes, 22:54 and then I taught her the Bible, 22:59 especially the Adventist message. 23:01 And then after two weeks 23:05 she accepted and then she baptized. 23:11 Since the center opened in 2008, 23:14 about 40 people have been baptized. 23:17 Neil Valentino is an immigrant 23:19 who came to Korea to earn money 23:20 to send to his family back to the Philippines. 23:23 After working for a few years, he developed a skin rash 23:26 from the harsh chemicals at work. 23:29 Then Neil unexpectedly was fired from his job. 23:32 I was very depressed, 23:35 I was so anxious at the time, 23:37 of course, I'm so, you know, 23:41 disappointment was with me 23:43 all of those you know, that I'm almost dying at the time. 23:48 Unsure of what to do, 23:50 Neil wandered into a small Filipino store 23:52 where he met a worker from the outreach center. 23:55 When I saw this guy I thought he was also like me 24:01 going there just to visit and to buy something. 24:06 Then when he said that he was a missionary 24:12 then I found out that I am different from him. 24:17 The man invited Neil to visit the center 24:19 where he was given a place to stay. 24:21 At the center, he also learned to depend entirely on God. 24:27 Although I am a sinner and I have repented my sins, 24:30 my sins to Him through only accepting Him 24:35 as my Lord and Savior, 24:37 then I have to be baptized through the water. 24:45 In addition to the migrant center, 24:46 the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Korea 24:48 is reaching out to people in the community 24:51 through this vegetarian restaurant. 24:53 People come here to enjoy a meal 24:55 and they have an opportunity 24:56 to connect with Adventist Church members. 25:00 I love helping people. I guess it's my passion. 25:04 Since I joined the 1,000 missionary movement in 1993 25:10 until now I am still in the missionary work. 25:14 These forms of evangelism are important 25:16 to the church effort in Korea. 25:19 The migrant center in Ansan 25:21 is just one example of how Adventists 25:23 are touching lives in their community. 25:25 With the large number of immigrants in Korea 25:27 there is a growing need for another center. 25:31 We're adding another multicultural center 25:35 again in Seoul 25:36 and it will be beneficial to those foreigners 25:42 living in Seoul right by getting this assistance. 25:48 We hope that you help us to fulfill our dream 25:53 and through your financial support, 25:58 we can be a witness to all the people around us here 26:03 and we can tell to them that Jesus loves them. 26:07 A portion of this quarter's 13th Sabbath offering 26:10 goes towards building a new center in Seoul. 26:13 Thank you for doing your part 26:15 to build this new migrant center and please continue to pray 26:20 for those searching for a place to call home. 26:23 Thank you for your support of the mission 26:26 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 27:09 If you enjoy seeing the people in places around the world 27:13 where frontline mission is happening, 27:15 you love the new 2013 Adventist Mission Calendar. 27:20 This colorful calendar will keep images of mission 27:23 in front of you every day. 27:25 So if you live in North America, 27:27 simply call our toll free number 27:29 at 1800-648-5824 27:33 or visit our website 27:35 and ask for the Adventist Mission Calendar 27:38 or offer 305. 27:40 Don't forget to clearly state your name and address 27:44 and be sure to mention the Calendar or offer 305. 27:49 Well, I hope you have enjoyed today's program 27:51 as we are focused on snapshots of mission around the world. 27:56 Thank you for your continuing prayers 27:58 and financial support for global mission. 28:01 And I hope you can join me next time 28:03 right here on "Global Mission Snapshots." |
Revised 2014-12-17