The Alamo
Mission sight of battles
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and missionary
work, cruelty and love.
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The sights and
sounds of San Antonio,
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Texas coming up next on
"Global Mission Snapshots."
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Just before He
went up to heaven,
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Jesus gave us acommand.
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He gave us a mission.
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Jesus said go,
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"Go, go unto all the
world telling them of His love."
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This is our mission,
this is our Global Mission.
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Hello, and
welcome to the program
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coming to you today from
downtown San Antonio in Texas.
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Behind me is the Alamo,
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it's an iconic historical
spot in American history.
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This was the place
where the Battle of the Alamo
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took place in 1836.
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It began as an
early Spanish mission
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but, you know, by 1793
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it had been secularized
and eventually was abandoned.
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And today well, it's
become a tourist place,
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it's a museum.
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Around the world today
we've seen many churches
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that were to the glory of
God that now had been changed
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into restaurants, cafes, bars.
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We see many institutions
that were once set up
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to be Christian
education institutions
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that have totally
lost their vision.
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And is a reminder to us
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that we must keep
the mission vision strong
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and we will see
that on today's program.
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First up let's visit a
Global Mission pioneer.
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I think this people
are really, you know,
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thirsty for the Word of God,
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especially for
the true Word of God.
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Global Mission
pioneers are church planters
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working to start new
congregations of believers
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often in difficult areas.
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The Southern African
Indian Ocean region of the world
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has Global Mission pioneers
throughout its territory.
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These pioneers
face many challenges
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but also earn the
reward of seeing people
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give their lives to Christ.
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Some pioneers like Lesley
in the country of Botswana
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have not been in
their communities very long,
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and need your prayers to
help them spread the gospel
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to the people around them.
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I've only been
here for a month now.
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When you first get
here, you get mixed feelings
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because it's an
area that is known
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for worst-case scenarios,
alcohol abuse, substance abuse,
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all kinds of
abuse and you wonder
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how are you going to achieve
the work of the Lord here.
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I think the people here
have had it tough in life
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and they're actually looking
for someone who can, you know,
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intervene in that trial,
in their daily struggles.
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And therefore, if you come in
and you only want to offer them
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the Word of God, they, you know,
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they don't see you making
any impact in their lives.
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I simply brought a loaf of bread
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and one liter juice, and
I brought it to the family.
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And, you know,
they gladly received me.
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So, I think it makes a
difference in their lives
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when you constantly
show them that you actually
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care more than for
their spiritual needs,
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but also for
their physical needs,
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you also care for them.
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They are now willing to listen,
they are now willing to listen
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and they are
wondering, "Are you really sure
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what you're
teaching us is Christianity
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because all we think"
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is that you want
us to go to church
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and that is just you only
care about us going to church.
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And when they see that
you are more than interested,
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you know, in
their spiritual needs
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you are also
interested in how they live,
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you know, and
also their ambitions.
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They really get encouraged
and they marvel at this
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being branded as
the Gospel of Christ.
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So, I think
it's very encouraging
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when we could, you know,
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be able to bless these
programs into their lives.
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It's life
changing. It's life changing.
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This is my community.
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I work here, and everyday
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I look forward to
coming to this place
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and interacting with
the people who lives here
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and, you know, offering
them the message of hope.
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And to, you know,
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watch their lives
be transformed daily
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and, you know, seeing
the fruits of our work
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that it's not really in vain.
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Even after just one month,
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Lesley is working
with local leaders
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to improve this community
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and meet the
needs of the people.
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Recently, he has spent
a lot of time volunteering
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at a local daycare.
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He teaches the
kids, tells them stories,
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and even prays with them.
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His goal is to improve
the daycares conditions,
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and help them in any way he can.
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One thing that I
ask the Global Church
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to pray for is
availability of people
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who are willing to be
partakers in this way.
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You do not need to
have a theology degree.
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What qualifies you
the most is availability,
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it's for you to be available
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and to be willing
to be used by God,
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and for you to see the
need of changing people's lives.
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I just yearn to see the
lives of people being changed
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because I know
(that) there's a lot
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that God wants to do here
in the lives of so many people
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just like He has
impacted my own life.
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So, that is what is keeping me,
you know, going day and night.
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I'm delighted
to introduce to you
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some guests to talk about
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Adventist AIDS
International Ministry,
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Doctors Giordanos the
directors of the ministry
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and also Godfrey
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who is involved in
this ministry in Kenya.
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Thank you so
much for joining us.
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Now, Godfrey, you are
dressed slightly differently
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to the Giordanos please tell
me about your ethnic heritage.
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Where do you come from?
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I come from Kenya. I'm a Maasai.
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I'm the
coordinator for Adventist AIDS
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International
Ministry in the Maasai region.
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Now how big a
challenge is this health,
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health issue in your area?
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Is a big challenge because
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one is that many
people are polygamous.
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Another thing is that
many people are not able
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or cannot agree to be tested
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and most of them
there is a lot of stigma.
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So people not
ready to take medicine
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so many people are
dying with HIV and AIDS
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because of ignorance.
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Okay, are you
finding that the ministry
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you are involved in is
starting to make a difference?
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Yeah, it really is
making a lot of difference
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because it have
brought a lot of seminars
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to and has
prevention of HIV and AIDS,
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to make people
aware that HIV exist
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and at least to reduce stigma
and ignorance among the people
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and people are now agreeing
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to be tested as
well as taking drugs.
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So it is really brining great
and great and great change,
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yes.
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Let me ask you a
question, how did you become
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a Seventh-day
Adventist believer?
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One is that,
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when they Adventist
SDA church was first built
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it was built
very close to our home
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and my father
influenced me to join it
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because they
really finished in time
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and they were
teaching very simple
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and, you see,
very simple teachings.
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So I became and Adventist
by just-- I don't know,
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I just joined the
church as a young man.
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Okay. Yeah.
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Wonderful.
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Now, Doctors Giordanos,
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we have been
friends for many years
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and I know that you
have given a significant
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portion of your life to
the continent of Africa.
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Why is Africa so
special to yous heart?
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Africa is so
special to our hearts
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because we believe God called us
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and next October
we will be 25 years
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that we have been missionaries.
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So Africa is so special
because it's in our hearts.
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We love them and
we feel they loved us.
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And I'm sure that's true.
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Now you have been
in Africa during some
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very challenging times,
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tell me a little
bit about the time
00:08:45.69\00:08:47.62
when you were there in Rwanda.
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Rwanda was our first assignment,
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is the first
place that we arrived.
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I still remember from the
plane looking down at the trees,
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at the jungle and dreaming
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about the work
we were going to do.
00:09:07.81\00:09:10.35
It was a wonderful experience.
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If not for the sad part of it
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the war in 1994 if not for that
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we may still be there.
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A wonderful, wonderful
people, wonderful country
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and then from there we
moved to other countries.
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We the church
gave us opportunities
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in other countries
so we from Rwanda...
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We went to Burundi,
from Rwanda to Burundi
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and then from
Burundi Oscar went some times
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I hear those days Congo today
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and then from there
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we went to work
to the Indian Ocean,
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the islands.
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We were based in Madagascar,
we spent nine years there
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and now we are
for the last 12 years
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we are based in Johannesburg
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but we work for the
3D Visions in Africa
00:09:59.49\00:10:02.10
with HIV and AIDS prevention.
00:10:02.13\00:10:04.60
Tremendous challenge
00:10:04.63\00:10:05.97
but what has been the
most rewarding part of being
00:10:06.00\00:10:08.34
involved in the AIDS work?
00:10:08.37\00:10:10.64
Well, the most rewarding part
is that you know this person
00:10:10.67\00:10:15.31
that is going to die
00:10:15.34\00:10:19.91
and through love and compassion
00:10:19.95\00:10:22.85
and care and support you
see this person recovering,
00:10:22.88\00:10:28.02
going back to life,
going back to the family,
00:10:28.06\00:10:31.86
back to the
society and the community
00:10:31.89\00:10:34.26
and that is very,
very rewarding because
00:10:34.30\00:10:39.93
God has given us opportunity
to see many of those people.
00:10:39.97\00:10:45.81
So we know that
love and compassion,
00:10:45.84\00:10:50.31
a
relationships, care and support
00:10:50.35\00:10:55.08
we have income generating
activities in our ministry
00:10:55.12\00:10:57.72
many things and
especially the support groups
00:10:57.75\00:11:00.36
that are created in our churches
00:11:00.39\00:11:02.49
all over Africa that
makes a big difference.
00:11:02.52\00:11:05.83
We have seen it
with our own eyes.
00:11:05.86\00:11:09.00
Now 25 years coming up
of mission service in Africa
00:11:09.03\00:11:15.17
has it been worth it?
00:11:15.20\00:11:16.54
Oh, yes. Yes.
00:11:16.57\00:11:18.31
If I will have to
start all over again
00:11:18.34\00:11:20.44
I will never change.
00:11:20.48\00:11:22.04
And, you know, there
were many challenges,
00:11:22.08\00:11:24.25
it's not that everything,
you know, easy and simple
00:11:24.28\00:11:28.92
but we found that
walking holding Jesus hand
00:11:28.95\00:11:34.52
we can be in the
valley but we are not alone.
00:11:34.56\00:11:37.23
And then we just
wait a little bit
00:11:37.26\00:11:39.09
and then we are
up in the hill again.
00:11:39.13\00:11:41.23
So I think it was
the highlight of our life
00:11:41.26\00:11:44.93
was being a missionary.
00:11:44.97\00:11:46.33
Fantastic.
00:11:46.37\00:11:48.17
Godfrey, want has been
the most rewarding part
00:11:48.20\00:11:52.87
for you of being
involved in this ministry?
00:11:52.91\00:11:55.61
The most rewarding part is that
00:11:55.64\00:11:57.65
at least I can see
people being saved.
00:11:57.68\00:12:00.65
I can see orphans being cared
and I can see change coming,
00:12:00.68\00:12:05.55
people accepting to be tested,
people accepting to live.
00:12:05.59\00:12:09.09
That is the most thing
that I feel as a reward.
00:12:09.12\00:12:14.53
Well, if I can
presume to speak on part of--
00:12:14.56\00:12:17.60
on behalf of the World Church
00:12:17.63\00:12:19.40
thank you so much
for the tremendous work
00:12:19.43\00:12:21.90
that you have
done, the ministry,
00:12:21.94\00:12:23.84
the way that you
have given off yourselves
00:12:23.87\00:12:25.57
for the people of Africa
00:12:25.61\00:12:27.28
this will be
counted in eternity.
00:12:27.31\00:12:29.24
Amen. Thank you very much, Gary.
00:12:29.28\00:12:31.25
And viewers please
pray for missionaries
00:12:31.28\00:12:34.28
such as the Giordanos,
00:12:34.32\00:12:35.92
pray for Godfrey
and his Maasai people.
00:12:35.95\00:12:39.15
Tremendous challenges
00:12:39.19\00:12:40.52
but we see the
changes are taking place.
00:12:40.56\00:12:42.19
We see that
lives are being changed
00:12:42.22\00:12:44.69
and we know that
prayer changes things as well
00:12:44.73\00:12:47.83
and with who
had a testimony here
00:12:47.86\00:12:50.07
of how prayer has sustained
Giordanos through the years.
00:12:50.10\00:12:54.17
So thank you for
your continuing support
00:12:54.20\00:12:55.90
for mission (around the world)
00:12:55.94\00:12:57.27
and we will right
back after this break.
00:12:57.31\00:13:00.01