Tokyo is a marvelous mix of
modern and postmodern living
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high-tech slick gadgets,
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highly refined social manners
and cutesy cartoon mascots.
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It's extremely crowded and busy,
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yet it can be strangely quiet.
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Here you see religious shrines
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side by side with
capitalist businessmen.
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You see beautiful intricate
creatively produce lanterns
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and a complex
massive transit system.
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This city of all cities reminds
us of the huge challenge,
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the complex
challenge of urban mission.
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Just before He
went up to heaven,
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Jesus gave us a command.
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He gave us a mission.
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Jesus said, "Go,
go unto all the world,
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telling them of His love."
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This is our mission.
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This is our Global Mission.
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Hello and welcome to
Global Mission Snapshots
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coming to you from Tokyo, Japan.
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When you think of Japan,
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different images
probably come to mind.
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You may think of the
intricate tea ceremonies,
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the ancient art
of bonsai growing
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or perhaps you might
think of the beauties,
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the intricate
beauties of Japanese gardens
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or simply the millions and
millions of businesspeople,
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who everyday head to the office
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for a very, very
long days of work.
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Social standing, status and
age play a very important role
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in and how
people treat each other
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and interact with each other,
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it seems that everyone is aware
of each other's age in Japan
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because that's very
important in things such as
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the order in which tea is
handed out in the tea ceremony,
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the way that disks are
allocated in the classroom.
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How close you stand to somebody
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even how you
address that person,
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very dependent on
the age of the person.
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These kinds of
things are helpful to know
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when you're interacting
with such a respectful
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and highly organized people,
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but even if you don't
know every rule of etiquette,
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if you don't know every custom,
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there's still an approach
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that will break
down every barrier,
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but we'll talk
more about that later.
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First stop, let's
travel to Botswana
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and meet Ishmael, a
Global Mission pioneer.
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The challenge to spread
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the message of
Christ is evident.
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There are many
countries, many languages,
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places still not entered
by even our civilization.
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When you think of the
primitive tribes of the Amazon,
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Eskimos in Polar Regions
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or even the multitudes
of people in the 1040 window
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who never even once heard
the powerful name of Jesus?
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The challenge is
unquestionably larger
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than what we can
overcome by ourselves,
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yet God touches the
heart of simple men and women
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who become brave and zealous
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for fulfilling
the commission of God,
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to take the
gospel to every tribe,
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language and people.
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We become
people, people like David
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who faced a true giant.
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Meet a modern hero,
his name is Ishmael,
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he is a Global Mission pioneer.
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A pioneer is a person
who is answering God's call.
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A pioneer's soul is
filled with compassion
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overflowing with love
and dedication for others.
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A pioneer pauses his or her life
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to tell people about
Jesus within their own culture
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often in remote areas
far from the coziness of home
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away from
friends, family or church,
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he lives much like Jesus did.
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Here Ishmael
sacrifices his comfort
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to serve the Basarwa Tribe.
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Daily he visits chief Cagosi
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to pray for God's
blessing upon this village,
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then he visits the
clinic staff and patients
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and lastly the
Basarwa children at school.
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A pioneer uses
the resources at hand
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to bless the lives of
those he comes in contact with.
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On our visit we
brought him a bag of oranges,
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this is a sweet treat
here in the Kalahari Desert.
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Almost as soon as
Ishmael receive them,
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he decided to share
them with the children.
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The children were elated.
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By blessing the children,
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Ishmael touches the
heart of the parents
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and the entire village.
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His selfless dedication
is a fresh and sweet sermon
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that comes to life.
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Through Ishmael's labors,
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God is gaining the
interest of the Basarwa people.
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The villagers have invited
the Bible into their homes
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and in the community hall.
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A Seventh-day Adventist
Church has been set up here.
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Thanks to God's love
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drunkards, robbers, prostitutes,
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gang members and others
have their lives changed.
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I used to be a gang member
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and engage in
lots of evil activities
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against this village.
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I was addicted to
alcohol and tobacco as well.
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I drink heavily, smoked
and I got into fights often,
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but after I joined this church,
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I received power to
leave all of this behind.
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Since Ishmael
came to this village,
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we have seen remarkable change,
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because of his preaching
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a lot of social ills
have been alleviated here.
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This used to be
a dangerous place
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where people
would often be killed.
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Now we feel we are
free to speak the truth.
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There is still a lot
of work to do here in Bere
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and many neighboring
villages to face this giant.
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Ishmael's main weapon is prayer
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Some other people,
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they don't
welcome me in the homes.
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When I reach their places,
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some they go out of their homes,
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they move away, some
they don't listen to me.
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But I am always
praying for them,
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and I have seen some changes,
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when other people
continue to pray for them
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as I continue to
go into their places.
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So some they have
already started to welcome me
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to study with them
and to pray with them.
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Prayer is the
most effective tool.
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It links the heart of a
pioneer to the heart of God.
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It brings change that
can only come from above.
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Thank you for your
prayers and support of mission
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and Global Mission Pioneers
working around the world.
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In the past 20 years or so
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Global Mission
Pioneers have planted
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thousands of Seventh-day
Adventist congregations
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in un entered
areas around the world.
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They have led tens
of thousands of people
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to come to know Jesus
Christ as their Savior.
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Pioneers live sacrificially
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and Christ has used them
to touch people with his love.
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Next stop, let's
travel to Botswana,
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where Priscila Simon
is talking with Ishmael,
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a Global Mission Pioneer.
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Thank you,
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we're here in the
South Botswana Conference
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with Pastor Ishmael.
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Welcome, pastor.
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You're welcome.
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Tell us you're
Global Mission Pioneer
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in South Conference of Botswana.
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Tell us about your
interaction with the community?
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I'm working with
this community in Bere,
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so they are highly welcome me
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and we are working
together hand in hand
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in the ministry
and they love me,
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they love to read with me,
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and they like the
duty that I'm doing here.
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Yeah.
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What were some
challenges that you had
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when you first got
here into the village?
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It was very hard,
when I reached this place.
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The first thing
was a language barrier.
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So even today we are
still having a language barrier,
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but they--
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by the time when I arrived
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they didn't
accepted the message,
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but when we come to the end
of the first year of my arrival
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as we're now I
see some more people
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stay into
corresponded to the will of God.
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It came clear to them
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as I've been
baptizing some people
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a few some two months back.
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Wow. Yeah.
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It's so amazing.
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Well, and I heard you
have some special privileges
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that a chief of the
village has given you.
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What are some of them?
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Sometime when the chief called
the meetings at their Kgotla,
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they're also inviting me,
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totally in different difference
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that I've been
here at their Kgotla.
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The chief is always calling me
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to come there
and start the Bible,
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we do a prayer or
by reading the verse,
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so that when we
start the meetings all,
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whatever it will be
done on that Kgotla.
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I'm also presented there.
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So what's the importance
of the main hut here for the--
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in this community?
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The important thing
here in the community,
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they love to gather--
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gather together in
some special events,
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they used to read together,
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sometimes they even
called it to the Kgotla
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for some special meetings
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and some other
ceremonies, they did the Kgotla,
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so they love that
and they always come in,
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in higher numbers
to attend to that.
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And as far as I understand
it's not that easy for,
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for a Christian leader
to come into the mean hut
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right so the chief has
given you special privileges,
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if we can say that?
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Yeah. Right?
00:10:03.52\00:10:04.58
Yes, he has
given me opportunity.
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And is it-- are
that houses close by,
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what are some
challenges they face when you--
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you visit the
people in different places?
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I used to walk,
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I walk when they
went into the clinic
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to the school
event to their Kgotla,
00:10:19.19\00:10:21.91
even to the
places I used to walk
00:10:21.94\00:10:26.21
some other places,
I can't reach them,
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more especially the
places like the fields
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I can't reach them
due to the distance,
00:10:34.84\00:10:37.49
but there're some other people
I meet to some other people
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from those fields
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then they are willing
to know the way to our God
00:10:41.57\00:10:44.86
and the only
problem that we have
00:10:44.89\00:10:46.97
is only transport
to reach those places,
00:10:47.00\00:10:50.27
so which means
00:10:50.30\00:10:52.81
I used to meet those
who are in the village only,
00:10:52.84\00:10:56.74
those who are
outside is challenging,
00:10:56.77\00:11:00.30
yes, and some other people,
00:11:00.33\00:11:04.62
they don't
welcome me in their homes.
00:11:04.65\00:11:09.60
When I reach the places,
00:11:09.63\00:11:11.24
some they go out of the homes,
00:11:11.27\00:11:14.63
they move away, some
they don't listen to me,
00:11:14.66\00:11:17.80
but I'm always praying for them
00:11:17.83\00:11:19.62
and I have seen some changes,
00:11:19.65\00:11:21.90
when the other people
listen, continue to pray--
00:11:21.93\00:11:24.69
pray for them as and
continue to go into the places,
00:11:24.72\00:11:29.29
so some they have
already started to welcome me
00:11:29.32\00:11:31.99
to study with them,
00:11:32.02\00:11:33.21
and to pray with them, yeah.
00:11:33.24\00:11:35.67
Pastor Ishmael, tell us a bit,
00:11:35.70\00:11:37.31
some of your
challenges that you face
00:11:37.34\00:11:39.33
that people at
home can pray for you,
00:11:39.36\00:11:41.26
can pray for your minister
00:11:41.29\00:11:42.33
as a global mission
pioneer here in Botswana?
00:11:42.36\00:11:44.52
Yes, they can pray for us
00:11:44.55\00:11:51.20
for the guidance
of the Holy Spirit,
00:11:51.23\00:11:53.96
so that the Holy Spirit
may be poured out of the people
00:11:53.99\00:11:56.59
that we reached
each and every time
00:11:56.62\00:11:58.89
because some of them,
00:11:58.92\00:12:00.41
they are willing to
know the way to of God.
00:12:00.44\00:12:04.18
But they have some
problems on their places,
00:12:04.21\00:12:09.11
so we need to pray for them,
00:12:09.14\00:12:10.77
so that they go
out you can guide them
00:12:10.80\00:12:12.93
and so that God
can give them heart
00:12:12.96\00:12:15.28
that they need so
that they can see.
00:12:15.31\00:12:17.58
The other thing is
they may pray for--
00:12:17.61\00:12:22.38
because on other places we meet
to their the language barrier,
00:12:22.41\00:12:27.62
so maybe they can
pray for us so that
00:12:27.65\00:12:31.83
the Holy Spirit may
become our translator
00:12:31.86\00:12:36.53
on the way to of God
00:12:36.56\00:12:38.06
and also to pray for us as
the Adventist Mission Pioneers,
00:12:38.09\00:12:42.79
so that we can be--
00:12:42.82\00:12:46.60
so that we can
do the work of God
00:12:46.63\00:12:48.42
without the any-- any problems,
00:12:48.45\00:12:52.37
so anything that will
hint us to do the work of God.
00:12:52.40\00:12:58.07
Pastor Ishmael, I
don't think the work here
00:12:58.10\00:12:59.88
in this community is done
00:12:59.91\00:13:01.72
here in the South
Conference of Botswana,
00:13:01.75\00:13:04.04
what else is there to do
here? What more can be done?
00:13:04.07\00:13:07.27
With support, how can you get
00:13:07.30\00:13:08.66
that will help you in this work?
00:13:08.69\00:13:10.36
Yes, we need some more funds
00:13:10.39\00:13:16.00
because we have so many
un-entered areas in Botswana.
00:13:16.03\00:13:20.77
So we need some more funds,
so that we can do the work,
00:13:20.80\00:13:24.83
we need also some motorbikes
00:13:24.86\00:13:28.64
to reach some
different places, around us.
00:13:28.67\00:13:34.01
So the other thing that
we need in some other places
00:13:34.04\00:13:39.22
we meet with many children
00:13:39.25\00:13:41.64
so they need to
re-learn about God.
00:13:41.67\00:13:45.30
So we need some more
materials for the children,
00:13:45.33\00:13:48.37
we need more materials
for the elderly people,
00:13:48.40\00:13:51.94
some more materials for
the Adventist Mission Pioneers
00:13:51.97\00:13:56.36
like the motorbikes
and some other things
00:13:56.39\00:14:00.12
that will help them
00:14:00.15\00:14:01.81
to reach more
people in different places.
00:14:01.84\00:14:07.60
Thank you very
much for being with us
00:14:07.63\00:14:09.43
You are highly welcome.
00:14:09.46\00:14:11.27
After the break we'll hear
from Pastor Antonio Montero,
00:14:11.30\00:14:15.28
who tell us
something of his experience
00:14:15.31\00:14:17.42
of 22 long
months in a Togo jail.
00:14:17.45\00:14:20.86