Participants: Gary Krause (Host), Lester Merklin, Earley Simon
Series Code: GMS
Program Code: GMS000054
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00:01 On today's program, a Seventh-day Adventist School
00:03 in Dakar, Senegal, 00:05 the global center for Adventist-Muslim Relations 00:08 and a church plant in china. 00:11 All that and more coming up next 00:13 right here on "Global Mission Snapshots." 00:26 Just before He went up to heaven, 00:28 Jesus gave us a command. 00:31 He gave us a mission. 00:34 Jesus said, "Go. 00:36 Go unto all the world, telling them of His love. 00:41 This is our mission. 00:43 This is our Global Mission." 00:51 Hello, I'm Gary Krause. 00:53 And welcome to Global Mission Snapshots. 00:55 Most of us naturally tend to get along best with people 00:58 who are like us, share our view of the world 01:01 and think like us. 01:03 It's easy to talk about snow, 01:05 to people who have seen snow, 01:06 but how do you explain that fluffy frozen white stuff 01:10 to someone from the tropics? 01:12 That's a simple illustration of the type of challenge 01:14 the Global Mission Centers face as they work to help us 01:18 build better bridges of understanding 01:20 and witness to people 01:22 from different religious backgrounds and worldviews. 01:26 Today, we'll be talking with Dr. Lester Merklin, 01:28 Director of the Center for Adventist-Muslim Relations. 01:32 We'll also visit Africa and China, 01:34 but first up, let's visit Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific. 01:41 On this early morning, 01:43 a mission pilot warms up his plane. 01:46 He is preparing for the day. 01:48 As he flies over some of the most remote jungles 01:50 of Papua New Guinea, 01:52 he praise for the great need in this region. 01:57 The people here are in need of medical attention. 02:01 As the pilot approaches the village, 02:02 he knows that God is working here. 02:05 In Mangino Village, the Seventh-day Adventist Church 02:07 has set up a small medical clinic. 02:10 This clinic offers the people in the village medical attention. 02:13 The people here constantly 02:15 struggle with such things as malaria, 02:17 broken bones, the flu and pregnancies. 02:21 For a majority of these people, 02:22 this is the only access to medical care 02:24 that they will ever have. 02:26 You can begin to see the importance of this service. 02:35 People travel great distances on foot 02:37 from other villages to the Mangino Clinic. 02:40 Roy Lolly walked here with his parents 02:42 from another village. 02:43 They came in search of treatment 02:44 for his mother who is not feeling well. 02:47 After trekking for hours through the jungle to get here, 02:50 this family is very appreciative by the work being done 02:53 and hopes for a clinic in their village some day. 02:56 We have privilege to have SDA mission to come up here 03:01 and set this hospital 03:04 so that all the people look at that around the bush, 03:08 places like here. 03:10 And we justly come in 03:13 and take the medicine here, church medicine. 03:18 As the mission pilot prepared to leave, 03:21 he sees first hand the work the God is doing here. 03:24 These clinics are an opportunity 03:26 for the people in the village to see Jesus. 03:29 The work here is plentiful 03:30 and the Mangino Clinic struggles to tend to the high demand 03:33 of those seeking medical attention. 03:35 The Mangino Clinic is just one example of the clinics 03:38 throughout the South Pacific region. 03:40 Other clinics in Papua New Guinea 03:42 in the small island of Tanna 03:44 face the same challenge everyday. 03:47 As you can see, this is a big challenge here. 03:51 This quarter, a portion of your 13th Sabbath Offering 03:54 will go to help build remote medical clinics 03:56 in areas where people are in great need. 03:59 These clinics will help hundreds of people 04:01 throughout the South Pacific region. 04:04 Please, pray for the work being done here. 04:06 And thank you for your support of mission. 04:18 It's my pleasure to welcome my friend and colleague, 04:21 Dr. Lester Merklin who heads up 04:23 the Global Center for Adventist-Muslim Relations. 04:26 Lester, thank you so much for joining us. 04:29 Adventist-Muslim Relations, 04:31 why do we need a center for this? 04:35 Actually, I would say that 04:37 this center maybe is even more important 04:39 than the other centers 04:40 in the sense that the Muslim world is well-known, 04:46 and a lot of times misunderstood by people 04:49 because of some on the things that are happening 04:52 in our current history. 04:54 Yeah, and from the media. Right. 04:56 And so people are a little afraid, 04:59 if they don't know a Muslim, 05:02 they may seem to be a different culture, 05:05 they may be in their own neighborhoods 05:07 and people don't know quite what to do. 05:10 So I think the center is very important 05:12 to help Adventist's realize. 05:13 Hey, these are people. 05:14 These are-- In most cases, spiritual people. 05:18 Now, Lester, I remember reading a study, 05:22 an academic study that was done a few years ago 05:25 in North America and Europe saying that, 05:27 most Muslims say, I don't even know one Christian. 05:32 Is this your experience, too? 05:35 Actually, yes and no. 05:37 And the reason I say that is 05:38 because interestingly which I find good 05:42 that more Muslims in America say that they-- 05:47 I mean, more Mus-- 05:48 Yeah, more Muslims in America say they know a Christian 05:51 than do Hindus and Buddhists. 05:53 Only about a third of the Muslims say they don't. 05:55 So that's good. Okay. 05:57 Now hopefully they know the right Christians 06:00 that are living a faith and are spiritual people. Yeah. 06:04 Now, do you see within the Christian church 06:07 that the strong prejudice against Muslims? 06:09 How do you see? 06:11 How do you see the situation? 06:13 There's no doubt here. 06:15 And it just tears my heart as I look at some of the news, 06:21 blogs on the internet and then see people's comments. 06:25 I wonder where they get that kind of spirit. 06:28 But as I go around the world, 06:30 as I talk with Adventist, as I am in churches, 06:34 Christians, I actually find most Christians 06:40 not having as negative of feeling, 06:43 but there are some. Yeah. 06:44 Because we-- I mean, we're all subject 06:46 to the influence of media and currents events. 06:49 It's easy for stereotypes to prevail. 06:51 And what we don't know we fear. Yeah. 06:53 Now obviously there are vast differences 06:56 in the theology of a Seventh-day Adventist and a Muslim. 07:00 They, I mean, we are different. 07:02 Well, that's why one person is a Muslim 07:03 and one's an Adventist. 07:05 However, there are commonalties 07:08 where we can talk, right? Oh, very much so. 07:11 Tell me about some of those. 07:12 Well, I think probably as Adventist, 07:14 we even have an advantage over many of the other Christians 07:18 because-- Well, we don't eat the unclean foods 07:22 which the Muslims surprised when he first learns that. 07:27 And how big an issue is that for a Muslim? 07:29 Oh, it's a very big. 07:31 Even a Muslim who may not be really following his beliefs in 07:37 really going to the mosque five times a day to prayer, 07:40 pray and maybe kind of lacks in a secular western culture, 07:46 still pig is not the table. 07:50 And so when they see Christians eating pigs 07:52 that raises question marks in their mind. 07:54 Well, they just figured that's what Christians do. Okay. 07:57 And the first question to an Adventist is, 08:00 oh, you are a Christian group. 08:02 Why are you not eating these things? 08:05 Oh, that's interesting. Yeah. 08:06 What other areas? 08:08 Well, the fact that both of us 08:11 beliefs that the end of the world is coming, 08:14 that there is a time of judgment, 08:17 that we are on this earth in a state of away from God 08:23 and the time will come when the judgment will be 08:26 and God can save those who are-- 08:28 That He can save and those that have 08:30 not chosen to follow Him will-- 08:33 Their life will end. 08:34 And so those are the things very much 08:36 that two spiritual people 08:39 even if they have differences of details can definitely share 08:44 and enjoy their friendship together. 08:50 Within Islam, there is an expectation 08:53 that Jesus will come a second time, too. 08:55 Can you describe the way that Muslims see that? 08:59 I could, but there is difference. 09:03 No, there's differences. Right. 09:05 And that's why I hesitate to say, 09:06 this is where they're at. Okay. I understand. 09:08 The Quran itself is-- There is not a detail. 09:12 It's ambiguous. 09:14 Well, I won't say ambiguous. 09:15 It's just the fact that God took Jesus 09:19 from when He lived on Earth and that He will-- 09:23 That He will come back. 09:24 And there's really not a lot of detail. 09:27 So the details that you'll hear from your Muslim friend 09:31 will differ from one to anther, 09:33 but there definitely is an understanding 09:35 that Jesus will return, 09:37 Mohammad will return 09:38 and in that sequence of events peace will come on the Earth. 09:43 There will be unity, there's never been before, 09:45 the end of evil will come in order as the events happen. 09:52 But the details are different. 09:56 Now what is-- 09:59 Your answers gonna be varies. 10:00 But what is the Muslim view of creation, 10:06 if there is? Yes. 10:09 Traditionally they've been very, very strong. 10:12 Strong just like Adventist would be. 10:15 There's a six day. 10:16 There is God created everything. 10:19 And that still layer, which you will find some Muslims 10:22 who see in the Quran, 10:25 the ability just like some Christians 10:27 see in the Bible the ability, 10:30 they think to allow God to be a Creator, 10:33 but evolution process is to happen. 10:36 So you will find that within Islam. 10:38 But I think most of your friends, 10:42 Adventist friends in their neighborhood 10:45 will discover that their spiritual Muslim friends 10:49 will be going the line. 10:51 Hey, God's a Creator. 10:52 God created me. 10:53 I didn't come from-- 10:54 Who knows what in the past. 10:57 Lester, our viewers would like to find out 11:00 more information about the center. 11:02 How can they find that? Okay. 11:04 Probably the easiest direct way 11:06 right now is through the Adventist Mission website, 11:10 just by going to islam.adventistmisison.org. 11:15 Fantastic. 11:16 And we have material to help them know 11:18 the basic beliefs and how to show friendship. 11:24 Lester, thank you so much for sharing with us. 11:27 And as Dr. Merklin pointed out, 11:29 you can just go to islam.adventistmisison.org 11:33 and there you'll find different resources 11:35 to help you better understand your Muslim brothers, 11:39 your neighbors and that you can understand them better. 12:27 I'd like to welcome Earley Simon 12:29 who is the producer of Global Mission Snapshots 12:33 and a colleague in the office of the Adventist Mission. 12:36 Thank you, Earley, for coming from behind the camera 12:38 to share with us. 12:40 Now in your work you get to see a lot of mission activity 12:43 on the front lines. 12:44 And not so long ago you traveled to the country of Nigeria. 12:50 And describe for us what it was like to go Lagos, 12:53 that huge growing city. 12:54 So we left the US and then landed in Lagos. 12:57 It's an amazing big city. 12:58 I myself come from a big city, Sao Paulo. 13:01 There is almost 20 million people there 13:03 and in Lagos, the same way, there's 21 million people. 13:06 The only difference is when you fly over Sao Paulo. 13:08 You get to see all of these tall buildings. 13:10 It's nice sight, it takes a little bit to get to the city. 13:12 And when you get down, you don't see there many people 13:15 because they're all in buildings and different places. 13:17 When you get to Lagos, the city is sort of flat. 13:19 There's a very few tall buildings. 13:21 You got to see a lot of people. 13:23 It's a very lively place there. 13:25 Twenty-one million people and all of them 13:26 they're out on the streets. Yeah. 13:28 Yeah. It's quite a sight. 13:29 Very, very impressive. 13:32 In 2014, actually the country of Nigeria turns 100 years. 13:36 Two British territories were brought together in 1914 13:40 and at that same time Pastor David Caldwell Babcock, 13:45 he was sent as a missionary to the country of Nigeria. 13:48 And what he did there is he started a school. 13:50 So he was the first Adventist Missionary. 13:52 The first Adventist Missionary 13:53 to be officially sent to Nigeria. 13:56 And he started school, he started teaching people, 13:58 teaching them the Bible, teaching them lessons 14:00 that they could use in daily life. 14:02 English might have been one of the things that he taught. 14:04 There are-- I don't know what, 14:06 but he started up by teaching people. 14:08 At the end of the year, they already had some baptisms 14:10 and that continued. 14:12 And he pretty much established the school there. 14:15 And from the time when he arrived 14:16 in 1914 all the way to 1998, they were teaching people. 14:21 And what's special about 1998 is that, 14:23 that year the church team together 14:25 and a special offering was taken for that institution. 14:29 What they needed then was funds 14:31 to make a larger to put one more building there 14:34 so that school would receive the title of university. 14:38 The government would grant them that title. 14:40 And they didn't have the money, they had raised some, 14:43 but the church came together 14:44 and they gave a special offering 14:46 through the 13th Sabbath Offering. 14:48 And they were able to get in just enough funds 14:51 to raise the leftwing of their tech-building 14:54 which is the tech-building at this time 14:55 in the science building. 14:57 And that's how the school started. 14:59 They started with about-- 15:01 Once they got the university title, 15:02 they had about 1,000 students 15:04 and now they have eight plus thousands students 15:06 at the university. Wow. 15:07 Now I just want to back up, 15:08 you mentioned 13th Sabbath Offerings 15:11 that were pivotal moment because they help fund 15:14 this which they got the change. 15:16 What is the 13th Sabbath Offering? 15:18 The 13th Sabbath Offering is 15:20 where people can bring extraordinary offering. 15:24 It's where people get to help specific projects 15:27 that your church has selected. 15:28 It's one of those places where you can always put your money 15:30 with safety and say we know the church 15:32 is gonna invest really well in this area. 15:34 There's a lot of criteria 15:36 that goes through approving those projects. 15:38 They go to things like missionary boats, 15:40 schools like the one we're talking about, 15:42 health institutions, pioneer's churches. 15:46 There's a number of different things 15:47 that 13th Sabbath Offering sponsors. Yes. 15:49 So that's collected in Adventist Church at every 13th Sabbath 15:52 and people can also go online at adventistmission.org 15:57 and they can give that offering there. 15:59 That's right. So they can do it anytime. 16:00 They don't have to wait for the 13th Sabbath. 16:02 Yeah, now sorry for interrupting, but they-- 16:04 So the Babcock University now grown to more than 8,000-- 16:09 Eight thousand students. Can you believe it? 16:10 People came together, donated, 16:12 and wow, something huge happened. 16:14 I got to visit two people there. 16:16 One it was Luke Onahu, 16:18 he's the vice president for finance 16:20 and he's the one that got to show me around 16:22 and tell us the story, that impressive story. 16:25 And then he brought us to one of the students, 16:26 Michal, he's the leader of the student association and body. 16:30 And when he came to the university, 16:32 he was not an Adventist. 16:33 So he came, he's very impressed with the way things were running 16:38 and with the way that the professors taught each class 16:41 and how they connected, you know, 16:43 Biblical principle with even math and history 16:46 and other things that they studied. 16:47 Everything was, you know, from the perspective of the Bible. 16:50 And he was very impressed with that 16:51 and he gave his life to God and he got baptized. 16:54 And so now he's one more positive influence, 16:56 many students that come in. 16:58 Well, fantastic. 16:59 Now, what sort of subjects do they teach at the university? 17:05 Oh, they have quite a wide range of options. 17:08 They have nursing, medical school, 17:11 business, law, theology and probably few others 17:15 that I can't remember at the moment. 17:16 And I think that many of the leaders of the government 17:19 had been trained in Babcock, so it's quite an influence. 17:23 Some years ago, he is not the president anymore, 17:25 but the son of the president 17:26 attended Babcock University. Yeah. 17:28 So you know the level of education 17:29 that they're providing. 17:31 Now they're expanding the reach of the university as well. 17:33 Tell us about that. They're expanding Babcock. 17:36 When you visit, you think it's a whole city in itself. 17:38 It's that big. There's many buildings all over. 17:41 And what they're doing now is moving the school 17:43 to different places with satellite campuses. 17:45 So even more people have a chance 17:47 to go to school to get an education, 17:50 to be a benefit to their families, 17:51 to their country, you know. 17:53 I was gonna ask you that, 17:54 what role does education play in Africa? 17:59 Education is very important anywhere. 18:01 And I-- From what Babcock 18:03 does in educating the many people of Nigeria, 18:06 you can only imagine what the benefit is to the country 18:09 and the country values that university. 18:11 Yeah. 18:13 So is it 100% Seventh-day Adventist students? 18:17 No, that's the thing that I found very interesting, 18:19 even in visiting other education institutions 18:23 in the West Africa in that region, 18:25 some schools, a lot of students are-- 18:27 Most of the students are not Adventist. 18:29 In Babcock, there is a great number of students 18:31 that are not Adventist. 18:33 In Babcock, what stood out to me is they-- 18:37 I don't know if--I don't know exactly the number, 18:40 but it's almost a third of the students 18:41 that come there at the end 18:43 when they leave they make a decision for the Lord 18:47 and that's very encouraging to hear. 18:48 Because it's a place where they get to mingle 18:51 with Adventist to learn about the church 18:54 and it becomes a mission endeavor. That's right. 18:57 So, Earley, what was the main impression 19:01 that Babcock University left on you? 19:05 The main impression for me was that the church came together. 19:09 And, you know, with something simple in the beginning, 19:11 it probably wasn't a very little money 19:13 that people came together to give 19:15 and that set up such a big institute. Big impact. 19:17 That's making an impact, not just in Nigeria, 19:19 but that entire region. Yeah. 19:22 Fantastic. 19:23 Education works. Good. 19:25 Earley, thanks so much for sharing with us. 19:28 Viewers at home, if you want to find out 19:30 more about Adventist Mission 19:32 including educational institutions, 19:34 just go to our website at adventistmission.org. 19:38 You'll find pictures, stories, videos, 19:40 everything you need to find out. 19:45 Here in the heart of China, 19:47 here in the heart of this city 19:48 is a small Seventh-day Adventist Church. 19:52 Just 10 years ago, there was no Adventist Church. 19:55 There were no Seventh-day Adventists. 19:58 That's when Mrs. Fan came to the city 20:00 as church planter to start a new group of believers. 20:04 Mrs. Fan tells how she was looking for a place to stay 20:07 when she first came to the city. 20:09 Someone sent her to Popo Dao. 20:11 Popo or Grandma Dao had a room that Mrs. Fan could rent. 20:16 Before long, Mrs. Fan had a small group studying the Bible 20:20 and Popo Dao was one of them. 20:22 As they study, she gave her heart to Jesus 20:25 and joins the fledgling church. 20:27 She let them build a small church on her family's property, 20:30 but her husband wasn't ready to sign over the land. 20:34 Mrs. Fan tells how one day she was walking down 20:37 the when she saw that there had been an accident. 20:40 When she got closer, she saw 20:41 Popo Dao lying on the street in a pool of blood. 20:45 They rushed her to the hospital where the doctors said 20:47 she wasn't going to make it through the night. 20:50 So the church members held an all night prayer 20:52 ritual for Popo Dao. 20:54 They cared about Popo Dao but they also knew that 20:57 if anything happened to her, they might loose their church. 21:00 Popo Dao got well and when she did, 21:02 she and her husband signed over the land to the church. 21:06 Today Popo Dao is 79 21:09 and still worshiping in the church she helped build. 21:12 And Sister Fan, she went on to plant 21:14 other churches in other areas. 21:17 If you would like to learn more about how you can help, 21:20 plant new churches in unentered areas, 21:23 visit global-mission.org. 21:26 (Singing in foreign language) 21:38 If you enjoy those images of mission, 21:40 I know that you want a copy 21:41 of the new Adventist Mission Calendar. 21:44 This beautiful calendar will keep the people 21:46 and places of mission in front of you each day of the year. 21:50 So if you live in North America, 21:51 please accept this free gift as a small thanks 21:54 for your prayers and support. 21:56 Just call toll free 1-800-648-5824. 22:01 Or visit our website and ask 22:02 for the Adventist Mission Calendar 22:05 or offer number 305. 22:08 Don't forget to mention the calendar and offer 305. 22:11 And our website is adventistmission.org. 22:15 Well, I hope you've enjoyed today's program. 22:17 Thank you again for your continuing support 22:19 of Adventist Mission through your prayers, 22:22 personal involvement and your finances. 22:25 As we close, I hope you'll find inspiration 22:27 from mission in this music video. 22:30 And may you find peace in Jesus today. 22:33 For Adventist Mission, I am Gary Krause. 22:35 And I hope you can join us next time 22:37 right here on Global Mission Snapshots. 23:16 (Singing in foreign language) |
Revised 2014-12-17