Participants:
Series Code: GMS
Program Code: GMS000070A
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00:01 Dr. Duran held professorships
00:02 at prestigious universities in Istanbul Turkey. 00:06 He authored bestselling books. 00:08 He was also a highly celebrated astronomer and psychologist. 00:12 He was last heard from in a dungeon in Iconium. 00:16 What happened to him? 00:18 Hear his story and learn 00:19 how he read his way into the Adventist faith. 00:23 This and much more on today's Global Mission Snapshots. 00:34 Just before He went up to heaven, 00:36 Jesus gave us a command. 00:39 He gave us a mission. 00:42 Jesus said "Go, 00:44 go unto all the world telling them of His love." 00:49 This is our mission, this is our Global Mission. 00:59 Hello I'm Gary Krause 01:00 and welcome to Global Mission Snapshots. 01:03 On today's program we travel to the country of India 01:06 where many Adventists students 01:07 face some major challenge to their faith. 01:10 They required to take exams on the Sabbath day. 01:14 We'll also visit with Gina Wahlen 01:16 editor of our mission quarterlies. 01:18 Gina recently visited the Eurasia region 01:21 and she brings back some exciting stories of faith. 01:24 We'll also hear the amazing story of Dr. Duran, 01:27 a man of exceptional spirituality. 01:30 But let's begin in West Papua, Indonesia 01:32 when nutmeg an exotic fruit 01:36 is used to welcome visitors to the village. 01:40 In the jungles of West Papua, Indonesia, 01:43 villagers harvest nutmeg to be shipped all over the world. 01:47 People in many countries 01:48 love this unique flavor in their meals. 01:51 To this village, nutmeg is used 01:53 to welcome visitors into their community. 01:56 To prepare this special greeting, 01:58 someone must climb into a tree and pick the fruit. 02:02 Each fruit has a flower inside. 02:05 Once collected the nutmeg is spread out to dry. 02:09 The dry pieces are strung together 02:11 to make a welcome necklace. 02:19 Darron Boyd is a missionary from the United States 02:21 who has lived in Indonesia for a few years now. 02:25 He has visited this village before 02:27 and the people welcome him again 02:29 with a special nutmeg greeting. 02:36 I'm interested in people's needs 02:38 because that was Christ's method. 02:40 Christ's method alone will bring true success 02:44 in winning the hearts. 02:46 Darron is spreading the gospel 02:47 by building relationships with people. 02:50 He has been visiting this village to see 02:52 what needs this village may have 02:53 and how these needs can be met. 02:56 He looks to Jesus as the perfect example. 02:59 That is He met their need, and then after 03:03 He had met that need He gained their confidence 03:06 and then said come follow Me. 03:19 Over time, Darron has come to know 03:21 the village chief, David. 03:23 David learned about the Adventist message 03:25 through studying the Bible. 03:27 He used to worship another day of the week 03:29 until he learned about the Sabbath. 03:31 He began faithfully observing the Sabbath, 03:33 and tells everyone in his village about Jesus. 03:37 If anyone is interested in learning more, 03:39 David will visit their home to teach them from the Bible. 03:44 Although he is an important figure in the village 03:46 David puts his status aside to direct people toward Jesus. 03:53 Those who accept and believe that this is true, 03:55 come together. 03:57 We must proclaim the law of God. 04:01 Now, many people in David's village 04:03 are Seventh-day Adventists. 04:05 They meet in a church member's home for worship. 04:08 Darron visits David's village every once in a while 04:11 to see how this congregation is doing. 04:13 Membership is growing 04:15 and soon they will need a bigger building to meet in. 04:18 This is just one of the many villages Darron works in. 04:21 He teaches, trains, and preaches 04:23 throughout the many islands of West Papua. 04:26 The rough terrain, world religions, 04:28 and number of languages make the mission challenges 04:31 apparent in this region of the world. 04:34 Through sacrifice and prayer 04:36 new congregations may be started 04:38 in these challenging areas. 04:40 Please pray for people like Darron 04:42 who are on the frontlines of mission. 04:44 These workers often serve far from home, 04:47 and sometimes in challenging conditions. 04:50 Pray for growing congregations, 04:52 like the one in David's village. 04:54 And pray that those who have never heard 04:55 the name of Jesus before, will come to know Him soon. 05:00 Thank you for supporting 05:01 the mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 05:06 I'm delighted to welcome 05:07 Dr. Benjamin Baker to our program. 05:09 Dr. Baker is a historian 05:12 who works in the office of Archives and Statistics 05:15 at the Adventist world headquarters 05:17 here in Silver Spring, Maryland. 05:19 Dr. Baker, thank you for joining us. 05:21 You've a fascinating story for us today of a very-- 05:24 it's actually an exotic story 05:27 going back to the days of Constantinople et cetera. 05:30 Please share with our viewers. 05:32 Sure, Diran Chrakian was born in Armenia in 1870. 05:38 As did many Armenians of his day 05:41 he immigrated to Constantinople 05:44 the capital of the Ottoman Empire and today's Istanbul. 05:49 A lover of knowledge and seeker of the truth 05:52 in his teenage years Chrakian became 05:54 a mystic embracing atheistic humanism. 05:58 He published several volumes of poetry that were bestsellers 06:01 and obtained a professorship 06:04 at the Armenian University of Constantinople. 06:07 It was in the fall of 1914, while in his immense library 06:11 smoking a cigar that Chrakian was visited by Greek Adventist 06:16 literature evangelist name Nicolas Tefronides. 06:21 For every book Tefronides handed to Chakrian 06:24 the professor pulled the same volume 06:26 from his library shelf. 06:28 He explained that earlier a colleague at the university 06:32 had given these religious books to him. 06:35 Tefronides in turn asked Chakrian "while he was smoking 06:39 if he had read about the Adventist message." 06:41 Embarrassed Chakrian put out a cigar 06:44 and never smoked again after that day. 06:47 With the corporals visit peaked Diran's interest 06:52 in the Adventist literature in his library 06:54 and he perused it over the next couple of days. 06:58 The ideas he read in the pages were so compelling 07:02 that he decided to attend an Adventist Church service. 07:06 And so on that Saturday the 44-year-old philosopher 07:09 entered the 12x20 foot, room in a building 07:12 where the Adventist were worshipping. 07:14 The minister that day was a Swiss man 07:17 named Emil Frauchiger who spoke in English 07:21 while a tiny teenager named Diamondola translated. 07:24 As Diran looked around the congregation 07:26 he felt a sense of awe. 07:28 Here were Armenians, Greeks, Germans, 07:32 Jews, and Turks, naturally bitter enemies, 07:37 worshiping together like a loving family. 07:39 But what impressed Diran most was the beauty 07:43 and symmetry of the truth presented that morning. 07:46 He returned week after week 07:47 until he had fully accepted the Adventist message. 07:51 When Diran became an Adventist, his family disowned him 07:55 and he was divested of his tenured position 07:57 at the university. 07:59 The years that followed were very difficult for Chakrian. 08:04 In late 1914 he was drafted into the army 08:07 just as Turkey into the World War I. 08:10 There he was persecuted for his "strange believes." 08:14 No sooner was he discharged than he was imprisoned 08:17 for spreading subversive teachings 08:19 against the government. 08:21 But in his many court hearings in weeks in jail, 08:24 his fervent spirituality and eloquent witness 08:27 won many to the faith. 08:30 At the wars end in November 1918, 08:32 Chakrian established a church in Constantinople. 08:37 The next three years he labored for Adventism 08:39 in areas where the Apostle Paul worked 08:42 winning dozens of souls throughout Asia Minor. 08:46 Known as man of exceptional spirituality 08:49 Chakrian often spent nights in prayer 08:52 and was said to be surrounded by holy atmosphere. 08:55 Witnesses attest that on one occasion 08:58 he resurrected the missionary Diamondola from the dead. 09:02 In early 1921, Chakrian was imprisoned and condemned 09:08 for preaching a new religion and forming a new church. 09:13 Sentenced to exile on what is known today 09:17 as the death march or the Armenian Genocide, 09:20 Chakrians last words were 09:23 "love each other and have faith in God." 09:27 Thank you so much, Dr. Baker. What an amazing story. 09:31 How did you discover this story? 09:35 Once again, reading the old periodicals 09:39 going through our boxes and in our-- 09:42 in our wall, in our archives and his story was so compelling 09:47 because he gave up everything for the truth 09:52 and then he dwelled into the message in the truth a 100% 09:57 and he was just this powerful person 10:00 who was winning souls everywhere 10:02 and almost like the apostles 10:04 of all doing amazing explores and miracles 10:07 and his life was just so dramatic just that short time. 10:11 He was Adventist and he had powerful impact. 10:13 But he-- he lost his family, 10:15 he lost his wife, he lost his job. 10:17 Oh, yeah. He lost his prestige. 10:19 Oh, yeah, he lost everything. But he found his sailor. 10:21 Yeah. 10:22 Thank you so much, Dr. Baker. I appreciate very much. 10:25 Viewers at home, as we mentioned Dr. Baker 10:29 works for the office of Archives, 10:30 Statistics and Research 10:33 and you can actually go to their website 10:35 at AdventistArchives.org at AdventistArchives.org. 10:40 And you yourself can do a little bit fishing 10:42 around in some of the old periodicals 10:44 and see what you might find of interest. 10:47 Next up we travel from Istanbul, Turkey 10:51 and we will go for a short break 10:53 but we'll be right back. |
Revised 2014-12-17