Welcome back and I'm
delighted to be talking
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to Pastor Julian,
here in Tirana, Albania.
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Summers day, sun is coming down
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and Pastor Julian, you
were one of the founding members
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of the Adventist
church here in this country.
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In fact, you were
one of the first ordained
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Seventh-day Adventist pastors.
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We're standing in front
of this building, describe it
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and tell me the
significance of it to you.
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Okay, this building is
very, very significant.
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It's personal but it
also much more than that.
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This building here,
we call it the pyramids.
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Yes.
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But it was build originally
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in the late '80s as
a memory for the legacy
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of our communist
dictator, Enver Hoxha.
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He is infamous
all around the world
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and notorious
because he is the author
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of banning religion
completely, from this--
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Albania becoming the first
atheist country in the world.
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And it's very ironic and iconic,
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I would say that
in this very first,
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very building, in
this very building
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that we have had the
evangelistic meetings,
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the very first
ones, were run by,
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pastor David
Currie, from Australia
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and this is the
meeting were Meropi Gjika,
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probably you
know the famous story,
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I think all around the
world her story is well known,
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and I also got baptized in
this very building, inside.
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Okay, now this
story, this was a lady
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who had remained faithful
through the years of communism,
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well, just tell
us briefly the story.
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Her story was
where it became famous
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in the GC session in 1995,
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but I think it's
time may be for the,
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even for the younger
generation of Adventists
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to know her story
because it's a beautiful story.
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Here is a lady, she was a
member of the Daniel Lewis
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small group back in the '30s,
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and when he became a
martyr, you know, in the '50s,
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he was tortured by
the communist regime.
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She kept seeing him in prison.
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She loved the Lord,
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but, you know,
Daniel was a pharmacist,
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he was not an ordained minister.
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Right.
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So she couldn't get baptized
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and she waited 45,
47 years to be exact,
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for the day until she
could get baptized here
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she was
baptized by David Currie.
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Not just that, she
waited for 45 years,
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she collected her
tithe regularly, every month
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and she handed it
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into the general
conference officials
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back in 1992, a
very touching story.
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So she just kept storing
it away through those years.
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She kept storing it away.
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With that money at
that time in Albania,
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she could have
bought a beautiful villa
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anywhere they liked,
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but she was so
faithful to the Lord.
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And she said you know I
have these three dreams,
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I want to return
the tithe to the church,
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to the
Seventh-day Adventist church,
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to my church, I
want to get baptized,
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and I want to see a
church built in Tirana.
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Wonderful, now you
were attending the meetings,
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you started doing Bible studies,
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but it was her baptism
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that really
influenced you, what happened?
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Absolutely, I was
from the very beginning,
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I was fascinated by the
Amazing Discoveries series.
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It was just beautiful,
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I was-- I
accepted all the doctrines
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but you know,
there was something,
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when you are a first
generation Adventist,
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when you hear those
names seventh day Adventist,
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it seems a little bit lets
say bizarre or a bit strange.
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Right. You know.
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So I had some misgivings,
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you know, like I
should I get baptized.
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So I was very close
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but I had not made
the final decision.
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But I was there on
the 18th of April, 1992
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and I was right there
in this building inside
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and when David introduced
her in front of all of us
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and I was just there, I
was 2 meters away from her,
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from the
baptistery, and when I saw her
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praising the Lord with her face,
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you know, up to the
heavens and just like that
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and saying, praise be
and glory to the King,
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I waited 45 years for this day,
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I was like, wow,
this lady, there must be,
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if she waited that long,
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there must be something
very special about this church,
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this must be the
true church of God,
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I'll better join this
church sooner or later,
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then I was baptized in
next, the following Sabbath.
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Amazing.
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Beautiful story and I
was, we were all crying.
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It was probably the
first time I was really crying
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like a little baby, I
was a teenager at that time.
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Very touching story.
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Yeah.
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And that's what made me,
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well who I am now
and we're all shaped
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and we all learn
from her example.
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Wonderful, wonderful story.
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Now, Julian,
you grew up as a kid
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in an environment
where atheism was a religion,
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what was that like?
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It was very strange.
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You know, very interesting
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because in school we
learned about evolution
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and there is no God and
all these are fairy tales,
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and stupid stories, and
then so on and so forth.
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You know, my mom,
very interestingly,
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very secretly, even though
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she was a math
and physics teacher,
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she would tell me
secretly, look there is a God,
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don't listen to the communists.
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Now she was,
profoundly was persecuted
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by the communist regime,
but it was a very strange,
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it was, it felt like
there was something lacking,
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you know, in your life.
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Growing, it's
like you are empty.
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There is no, you're just,
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you feel like we
are all like animals--
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You know, apes and
survival of the fittest
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that kind of thing,
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and then, you
know, it was difficult
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and you see the consequences,
and the long transition,
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the corruption, the
organized crime that
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they have plagued
this country for decades.
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There is a direct consequence
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of that lack of the fear of God.
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You know, for all
those 30, 40 years
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when Albania was
staunchly atheistic.
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So when you see the popularity
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of the new
atheists at the moment,
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how do you react
with your background?
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You know, it's,
for me it's just so sad
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to see this new,
this new atheism,
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the movement and
so on and so forth,
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it has brought nothing
but you know, destruction,
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tears, pain,
disillusionment, corruption.
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It's brought the
worst I think that
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the human
nature can bring about,
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and it's just something that,
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it's very sad and
we never want to see,
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no Albanian wants to
go back to those years.
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When there was no God
present in the society,
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where you see churches
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being burnt and being destroyed.
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When you imprison people
because they read the Bible
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and that's just something awful
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and there's so
much loss in humanity
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from that kind of
horrible ideology.
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Right.
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Julian, you're the secretary
of the Albanian mission.
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You're one of only two ordained
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Seventh-day Adventists
pastors working in this country.
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What is your hope and
dream for this country?
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My dream is very similar,
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it resembles
Maropi Gjika's dream.
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To have a beautiful,
blossoming church here,
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to extend the kingdom
of God in this country,
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which so badly,
I think more than
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any other place
in Europe, needs God
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because it's been so dried up.
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It's been so, it's been really
so thirsty for the word of God,
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and I want to
see the church grow,
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we have the
youngest church in Europe,
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probably in the world,
in terms of our membership.
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We are very
encouraged to see a growing lay,
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active lay members,
membership movement,
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and we are so thrilled
to continue to work here,
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to have church
in every major town
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and then to extend
all around the country,
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and where we can
take the third, the three,
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I mean we can take
the Three Angels message.
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Fantastic, thank you so much.
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And please continue to remember
church leaders, pastors,
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lay people, here in
Albania in your prayers,
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and you know they
have many challenges
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and they need a world
church that is praying for them,
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next stop lets go to
the country of Belize.
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On this Sabbath
in northern Belize,
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police have setup a checkpoint
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in front of the
Adventist church.
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Their church sits right
along the busiest road in town.
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A group of church
members have planned
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something special to
reach out to their community,
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and the traffic stop
plays an important role.
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It's not a big city,
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but this is where the most
cars and pedestrians pass by.
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Since this the
traffic hotspot of the area,
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sometimes the
police have checkpoints.
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They will check for
seat belts, registration,
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and any thing else
regarding the driver's safety.
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But this is not an
ordinary traffic checkpoint.
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The church members
use this as an opportunity
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to share about Jesus.
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As the police stop the cars,
the church members pass out
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Christian magazines and books.
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Young and old take
part in this activity.
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Drivers are pleasantly surprised
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as they stop and
receive an unexpected gift.
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The drivers also have
an opportunity to pullover
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and enjoy a free concert
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put on by the
churches path-finder club.
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Many enjoy this unique event
and the cars are piling up.
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The Adventist group working
along side the path finders
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is called Manos Del
Rey or Hands of the King.
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Manos Del Rey was started
as an outreach group in Belize.
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They build churches,
hold community events
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and do whatever it
takes to share about Jesus.
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The members in this
group range in age groups.
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Ronaldo, Jeremy, and
Redalpho are cousins.
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They love being
part of Manos Del Rey.
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During the week they
love to swim, play soccer,
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and be a part of
other events like these.
00:09:58.00\00:10:01.12
These boys have fun passing
out magazines to drivers.
00:10:01.15\00:10:07.84
It doesn't matter if it's
a small car or a huge truck.
00:10:07.87\00:10:11.87
Ronaldo, is eager to make sure
00:10:11.90\00:10:13.51
people have the
opportunity to hear about Jesus.
00:10:13.54\00:10:17.11
Even though some people refuse
00:10:17.14\00:10:18.86
to take the magazines,
Ronaldo is not discouraged.
00:10:18.89\00:10:22.56
He continues to
work with enthusiasm.
00:10:22.59\00:10:25.84
He even makes sure
the police officers
00:10:25.87\00:10:28.19
have magazines to
take home with them.
00:10:28.22\00:10:31.13
This is just one of
many events the group plans.
00:10:31.16\00:10:34.67
It involves everyone
in the important task
00:10:34.70\00:10:37.01
of reaching the heats
of the Belizean people.
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As a result of
events like these,
00:10:39.63\00:10:42.26
many people have
come to know Jesus
00:10:42.29\00:10:44.09
and are
attending the local church.
00:10:44.12\00:10:47.39
Once they hear the message,
00:10:47.42\00:10:49.31
a lay church member
will visit their home
00:10:49.34\00:10:51.23
and study the bible with them.
00:10:51.26\00:10:53.32
The churches here get so full
00:10:53.35\00:10:54.79
that new churches are
needed throughout Belize.
00:10:54.82\00:10:57.54
That's where Manos Del Rey
comes back into the picture.
00:10:57.57\00:11:00.83
They help them
build a new church.
00:11:00.86\00:11:03.34
They work tirelessly
00:11:03.37\00:11:04.53
to fill the demand
off building requests.
00:11:04.56\00:11:07.30
Surely after one
building is finished,
00:11:07.33\00:11:09.46
construction begins on the next.
00:11:09.49\00:11:12.11
Church members throughout
Belize are constantly looking
00:11:12.14\00:11:14.93
for opportunities
to share Gods love.
00:11:14.96\00:11:18.25
Please pray for
the members in Belize.
00:11:18.28\00:11:21.03
Pray that they will continue
to reach their community
00:11:21.06\00:11:23.30
and teach them about Jesus,
00:11:23.33\00:11:25.80
and hank you for
supporting mission.
00:11:25.83\00:11:30.61
Well, I hope
you've enjoyed today's
00:11:30.64\00:11:32.19
Snapshots of
Mission around the world.
00:11:32.22\00:11:35.05
From small
villages such in countries
00:11:35.08\00:11:37.56
such as Belize
through the teeming cities
00:11:37.59\00:11:40.18
such as
Johannesburg in South Africa,
00:11:40.21\00:11:42.74
the light of
Gods love is touching
00:11:42.77\00:11:44.44
the lives of many men
and woman, boys and girls.
00:11:44.47\00:11:47.60
But huge challenges remain
and so please continue to pray
00:11:47.63\00:11:51.34
for mission around the world.
00:11:51.37\00:11:52.61
Pray for
frontline mission workers,
00:11:52.64\00:11:54.94
for church planters,
for Global Mission pioneers,
00:11:54.97\00:11:57.87
for missionaries in
their challenging work.
00:11:57.90\00:12:00.97
We would like to
give you a free gift,
00:12:01.00\00:12:02.82
to thank you for
your supportive mission.
00:12:02.85\00:12:05.52
The 2015 Global Mission calendar
00:12:05.55\00:12:08.26
is full of snapshots of
mission around the world.
00:12:08.29\00:12:11.58
It's a daily
reminder to pray for mission.
00:12:11.61\00:12:14.55
Than you for joining
us on today's program
00:12:14.58\00:12:16.91
and I hope you can
join us next time right here
00:12:16.94\00:12:19.52
on Global Mission Snapshots.
00:12:19.55\00:12:22.09