Participants: Gary Krause (Host), Claudio Gulyas, Doug Venn, Percy Dias
Series Code: GMS
Program Code: GMS000801B
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00:07 Welcome back to Athens, Greece.
00:09 Next up we travel to the beautifully located 00:12 Lakeside Hospital in Sri Lanka. 00:15 Thanks to your 13th Sabbath Offerings, 00:17 this facility is alive and flourishing today. 00:20 Over to you, Doug. 00:23 Thanks, Gary. 00:24 I'm here in Kandy, Sri Lanka formerly known as Ceylon 00:28 with my good friend Brother Percy Dias 00:30 and he is serving as the hospital president 00:33 here at this hospital called Lakeside Adventist Hospital. 00:37 Good to have you on this show here. 00:39 Brother Percy, 00:41 how long have you served here as the hospital administrator? 00:44 I have been serving for last 24 years 00:46 as the hospital president. 00:47 Well, so you've seen all kinds of changes. 00:50 Definitely, yes. 00:52 This hospital was first founded through the generous offering 00:56 and our church members all around the world 00:58 through the 13th Sabbath Offering. 01:00 I'd like to thank for the world church 01:02 for helping us with that money 01:04 and we purchase this piece of land 01:06 and a little building to start our clinic. 01:09 And from that day onwards, 01:11 we start with 6 beds and now we have 50 beds, 01:13 and in future we're planning to have 75 beds. 01:16 Wow, that's great to see that, 01:18 you guys are here serving your community 01:20 just like Christ did. 01:23 Can you tell us 01:24 how have different lives been changed 01:27 through the ministry of this hospital? 01:29 Yeah, this is the only Christian hospital in Kandy, 01:32 and we have started the health education, 01:36 nursing training 01:38 and various other programs here for the community 01:41 because the community knows 01:42 that this hospital is a special hospital 01:45 because of the-- 01:46 but the service that we give to them. 01:47 Well, that's great. 01:50 Brother Percy, I see a door over here. 01:52 Can you tell us just some history behind? 01:56 What's the story behind that door? 01:58 Yeah. 01:59 That door when we purchased the piece of land, 02:01 we had a first building 02:03 and when we build a new hospital, 02:06 we thought that going to be history piece, 02:08 so because of that reason 02:10 we fixed that door there to patient to see 02:13 and it says the first patient walked 02:15 through this door in 1965. 02:18 Wow, that's great. 02:19 So now this hospital 02:20 has been serving this community for 50 years. 02:23 Yes. 02:24 And what would have happened 02:25 if the members around the world, 02:28 common peoples that sacrificed 02:30 to give their 13th Sabbath Offering. 02:32 What if they didn't give their money, 02:34 could this hospital have started? 02:37 Definitely I won't think we will have a hospital 02:39 but because of that generous contribution, 02:41 now we can give the health message 02:43 to the people. 02:44 Through the health message we can show the love of Christ, 02:48 so that's a very special thing from this hospital 02:50 we can show to the the community. 02:52 We're here in the lobby of the hospital 02:55 and, Brother Dias, 02:57 can you tell us what's this picture here? 02:59 Yeah, this is the first building 03:00 when we purchased this piece of land, 03:02 this is the first building. 03:03 Now to put up a new building 03:05 we have demolished this building 03:06 so that door is from this building. 03:09 Very good. 03:11 Brother Percy, can you share this story 03:12 of one person's life who has changed 03:14 as a result of the ministry of the hospital? 03:16 Yes, of course, we had a staff here 03:19 and he was addicted to alcohol 03:22 and day and night he comes to the hospital 03:24 and we had to take him home 03:25 and even his family has rejected him 03:28 because he was addicted to alcohol 03:30 but we have been talking to him, 03:32 we have been praying with him 03:33 and then now he became departmental director here 03:38 and he has stopped all his bad habits 03:40 and he said because of Lakeside his family is happy, 03:44 he is happy and you're great service to the hospital. 03:48 Wow. Very Great. 03:49 That's a kind of story we like to hear 03:51 of when we follow Christ method alone 03:54 that we're able then to meet those practical needs 03:57 and God is able to change the lives of so many. 04:00 Can you? 04:01 Now, just wanted to say thank you for hosting us here 04:06 and to see the result of the sacrifice 04:09 of our church members all around the world. 04:12 Every 13th Sabbath that we're able then to give 04:16 through this Sabbath School mission offering 04:18 to help and change the lives of people around the planet 04:22 through hospitals like this one here in Kandy, Sri Lanka. 04:26 Thanks for your generosity. 04:28 And, Gary, back to you. 04:30 Next up, we travel to Bangladesh, 04:32 one of the world's most densely populated countries. 04:36 Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh. 04:39 It's the tenth largest city in the world 04:42 and one of the most densely populated places 04:44 on the planet. 04:46 This city has an estimated population 04:48 of more than 15 million people in the Greater Dhaka area. 04:52 In Dhaka, rush-hour traffic 04:54 can standstill for more than 7 hours a day. 04:57 Here traffic light seem mere decoration 05:01 as hundreds of thousands of rickshaws, 05:03 buses, carts, bicycles, 05:06 cars and motorbikes battle for space. 05:09 It might be quicker to walk. 05:13 As we drive outside the downtown area, 05:15 we find beautiful sights along the River Turag. 05:19 In this area, 05:20 water is pumped from the river into pools. 05:23 As the water evaporates, 05:24 the sand settles and more land opens up 05:27 for new families to live and work. 05:30 A common sight along the river are brick factories. 05:34 Here people take advantage 05:35 of the water and mud from the river 05:37 to bake thousands of bricks in a single day. 05:40 It's a long and careful process 05:42 that families like this one perform on a daily basis. 05:47 Beside the chilly mornings, 05:49 conditions around here are harsh 05:51 and very uncomfortable. 05:53 Workers here worry about their safety 05:55 as they live in temporary houses 05:57 made with stacked bricks without cement 05:59 to hold it together. 06:01 The parents in this factory work hard. 06:04 They worry about a future for their kids. 06:07 What will become of them? 06:09 Opportunities for growth and studies are very limited 06:12 as people's budget can hardly supply 06:14 the basic necessity such as food and clothing. 06:19 A little further outside the city, 06:20 we arrive at BASC. 06:23 This is a Seventh-day Adventist training center 06:25 that is focusing on the young minds 06:27 of the surrounding communities. 06:29 Here Adventist teachers train the students 06:32 for a future of service to God and society. 06:36 Education is the only sure path into a brighter future. 06:41 Today is graduation day. 06:44 The young children receive a diploma 06:46 because they studied long and hard. 06:49 The children are eager learners. 06:51 They want to improve their family's condition. 06:53 Most of the children you see in this room 06:56 have never yet heard the wonderful hope 06:58 that Jesus brings. 07:00 Please pray for the people in Dhaka, 07:02 this densely populated city of Bangladesh 07:05 and pray for the people in the cities around the world 07:09 who are waiting to hear about the wonderful news 07:11 of Jesus' salvation. 07:18 Well, thanks so much for joining us today 07:20 on Global Mission Snapshots, 07:22 coming to you from Athens, Greece. 07:24 I hope that you've been inspired 07:26 and I hope that you've been challenged 07:27 about what you've seen and heard. 07:29 Before we go if you live in North America, 07:30 I'd like to offer you a free gift. 07:33 It's the book "God's Great Missionaries." 07:36 This book is full of stories 07:37 of have examples of biblical characters 07:40 who are involved in mission 07:41 and you'll find a couple of chapters 07:42 on the Apostle Paul 07:44 who preached the gospel right here on Mars Hill. 07:48 For Adventist Mission, I'm Gary Krause 07:50 and I hope that you can join me next time 07:52 right here on Global Mission Snapshots. |
Revised 2015-08-27