Participants: Jim Rennie (Host), John Lomacang
Series Code: HIM
Program Code: HIM000025
|
00:03 Just when I thought I had seen it all,
00:05 my world wind trip to India 00:06 opens my eyes to a whole new world of realities. 00:10 I saw children who are hopeful in spite of their condition, 00:14 met inspiring people who gave heed to God's calling. 00:19 And Jesus Christ said "Inasmuch as you have done 00:21 unto one of the least of these my brethren, 00:23 you have done it unto Me." 00:25 And witness an organization that is making a difference 00:27 in the life's of thousands of children in India. 00:31 Well, I think the big difference 00:32 we've made is that we've been able to give 00:35 so many children are chance of Christian education. 00:40 Come and join me in this extraordinary journey 00:42 to this extraordinary land. 00:54 India is a land full of contrast. 00:59 It's a land great mystery and beauty. 01:03 It's a land of unspeakable despair. 01:06 By traveling through India 01:07 one thing is for sure it's a land filled with people 01:11 who should never be under estimated. 01:14 For the last 40 years, 01:16 Asian Aid has invested in the futures of people 01:19 who have never been given such a chance 01:21 and their investment has proven infinite returns. 01:26 Driven by the vision of Helen Eager, 01:28 dedicated to helping those who have the least, 01:31 Asian Aid is an organization 01:32 implementing diverse development projects 01:35 and sponsoring thousands of children. 01:38 Their outreach spans from Bangladesh to Nepal, 01:41 Srilanka and beyond, from remote villages 01:45 and empty fields to sprawling centers of education, 01:49 from nothing to the unimaginable. 01:53 Now Asian Aid decided to document the work 01:56 it is been doing all these years with a desire 01:58 to show the world what is possible. 02:01 By digging wells in remote villages 02:02 for clean drinking water and bringing much needed 02:05 healthcare to the women of Nepal. 02:08 By providing an education for orphans, deaf 02:11 and blind children giving them a sense of place, a home 02:15 but what we really discovered was being given was hope, 02:19 giving hope to children, giving hope to women, 02:24 giving hope to the one's who need it the most. 02:28 This is Hope In Motion. 02:47 Two days of travel and almost 10,000 miles away, 02:50 we finally arrived in Bangalore, India, 02:53 only to take another one hour flight 02:55 to the city of Vishakhapatnam 02:57 in the shores of the Bay of Bengal. 03:06 It was hard to imagine what we would see 03:08 when we finally arrived in India. 03:11 It was also hard to imagine 03:12 that the weather would be so hot and humid. 03:16 Exhausted from our travel 03:17 we met Jim Rennie the CEO of Asian Aid USA 03:20 and our production team at the airport. 03:30 Driving through the streets of Vishakapatnam 03:32 was an experience in itself. 03:35 I heard lot about driving in India 03:36 but now I was able to see for myself, 03:39 that this was the city of synchronized chaos. 03:43 I thought being raised in New York City 03:45 prepared me for anything, 03:47 but I was about to be introduced to quite a different world. 03:51 In a caravan of cars we made our way 03:53 through the chaotic streets of the city 03:55 until we arrived at a very dingy narrow street 03:59 where Jim said, this is it. 04:01 Yeah. 04:10 Intermingling of smiles and bright colorful 04:12 made of outfits on that narrow alley 04:15 where the sight and smells of despair and hopelessness. 04:19 A slum settlement in the city 04:22 and it was quite a challenge taking it all 04:23 in as we made our way to the slum school, 04:26 a development project undertaken by, Asian Aid. 04:31 Well, welcome to the small city of Vizag, 04:34 here in the slums of India. 04:36 This is one of many cities around the country of India 04:40 and people come here gathering looking for work, 04:42 looking for hope, look for employment, 04:45 often disappointed after not finding anything 04:47 beyond their daily wages and daily labor jobs. 04:52 However we've come here 04:53 let you know that there is an answer 04:54 and Asian Aid has found the answer 04:56 to situations like this in the slums of this country 05:00 and that is, to build a school. 05:10 The room is filled with little children 05:12 and very bright smiles. 05:14 As I tried to put the entire scene together, 05:17 I was told that many of these children 05:19 were the children from this slum community. 05:29 The children sat on the dusty ground 05:30 uncomfortably close together. 05:33 It was such a joy to here them saying, 05:35 I was able to share stories, to let them know 05:37 that Jesus cared about each of their lives. 05:41 How many of you want to be in the king's castle one day. 05:45 Naomi as I later discovered 05:46 is the principal of this small school 05:49 and after looking around I realized, 05:51 that God had called her and her team to a special work. 05:56 God was doing something special here through Asian Aid. 06:00 Jesus told us to go in to the highways 06:03 and the hedges and to invite all to come. 06:07 After we saw the people that are being reached 06:09 in spite of how terrible things looked, 06:11 we then realized that, 06:13 Asian Aid was serious about that commission. 06:17 I'm just in awe of what I see, when I pass the slum area's 06:24 and to see Lord you have to reach them, 06:27 because we know, we're told in the Bible 06:29 that this gospel will be preached 06:31 into all the world as a witness, 06:33 then shall the end come. 06:35 So-- and its not-- the way it's preached 06:38 is through your actions what you can do for others, 06:42 not just preaching to them is doing for them 06:45 and so this is what these facilities are doing. 06:50 They're providing 06:51 the necessities for these children. 06:54 Had it not been for the dedication of Asian Aid, 06:57 the gospel might pass to this community. 07:00 It was not just the buildings in that community 07:02 that were being transformed, 07:04 but also the lives of everyone that live there. 07:09 Later that afternoon 07:10 we were taken to the local conference hall 07:11 that's where we met with pastors and Bible workers. 07:15 It was a humbling experience for me to realize 07:18 that I was meeting with people 07:19 who are driven by the same faith as I have. 07:23 People who are bringing God's message 07:26 to this part of the world, 07:28 Christ return would be hastened because of people like this. 07:32 Before we left we had a wonderful 07:34 time of prayer and encouragement. 07:36 Our first day with Asian Aid was a day of incessant 07:39 and frantic activity. 07:41 It was a small peek into what was in store for us. 07:53 The next day we drove along the coast, 07:55 toward Asian Aid's school for the blind in Bobbili, 07:58 about three hours drive from Vizag. 08:01 As it always happens during missions 08:03 you expect the unexpected. 08:05 As we reached this small town of Vijayanagaram 08:08 we took a detour to visit an Adventist school campus. 08:12 As I spoke to Rukhma, the school principal, 08:14 I learned a precarious condition 08:17 she and herstaff had to manage the school with. 08:22 Well, here I am sitting in one of the classrooms 08:24 in Vijayanagaram in India, on a relatively hot day 08:29 and its not even summer yet. 08:31 I am sitting in a facilities 08:32 that many of you watching this program would never 08:35 have the experience of sitting in, 08:37 desks that are old, 08:38 floor's that are not carpeted or covered with any kind of wood 08:42 and the ceilings are very hot 08:44 and its not even summer yet. 08:47 When it rains, the rain comes in, 08:49 when it is hot the sun and its heat comes in 08:52 and these are the conditions 08:53 under which the students are learning day by day, 08:57 quite unlike the way it is in the United States 08:59 and many of the parts of the world. 09:02 However, there are some plans in place 09:04 actually we looking for a brighter future. 09:06 Asian Aid along with the sponsors 09:08 that partner with it, 09:10 are going to make a difference in this community. 09:12 This is a large campus, 09:13 these conditions are repeated from classroom to classroom 09:17 but there is hope, along with sponsorship 09:20 and those who stand with Asian Aid there are plans 09:22 and we are looking forward to building a new campus 09:26 hopefully two storey's and it's going to be built, 09:29 right over there. 09:36 Now this is a Christian Campus, 09:37 how does that fit with the community? 09:41 Rukhma explains to me that people send their kinds here 09:44 even though it's a Christian school, 09:47 but lack of facilities is deterring many of them 09:50 from sending them here. 09:51 Place where the boys are staying. 09:53 This is our church. 09:55 Since we don't have place, 09:57 so we are keeping all these boys in the church. 10:01 So they are studying here and they are sleeping here. 10:05 And they worship here? 10:06 They worship here. Okay. 10:07 When Saturday comes we pack all the things aside, 10:10 then we put chairs. 10:13 Good afternoon, children. 10:15 Say good afternoon. Good afternoon. 10:16 Good afternoon. 10:17 How are you? Fine, sir. 10:20 Good. Good. 10:21 Wow. 10:22 Well, show us some of their beds where they lay down each night. 10:25 Actually, they don't have proper beds. 10:26 They'll only sleep on mats, mats. 10:30 So they sleep, this is where they sleep, 10:31 this is some of their sleeping ports. 10:33 So this is one of their beds right here? 10:35 Yes sir. 10:36 So where is this -- do they have a pillow? 10:38 No pillow, sir. 10:39 So if I-- could I lay down here and try it out? 10:43 Could I, could I try? This is a wow. 10:45 So this is like a-- 10:51 now for me this would be camping, 10:53 but for the students that live here 10:56 this is what they sleep on every day, 10:59 a straw mat a blanket and a hard floor. 11:03 When we think about education, 11:05 when we think about conditions 11:06 that are suitable for children 11:10 this is not our ideal vision, that's why Asian Aid 11:14 and your sponsorship could make a difference 11:16 not only in buildings, but in the ways 11:19 that the students learn and sleep and live. 11:23 What an amazing revolution 11:25 we can start here if we join hands together 11:28 and begin to impact the schools in this region of the world. 11:32 Hey I notice that you're writing in English over here, 11:36 but then you're writing in your own language 11:38 in other places isn't that amazing? 11:41 Wow. 11:42 You know it's a life changing experience 11:45 when you come here to schools like this in India 11:48 and this is one of many 11:50 that have some of the similar conditions. 11:52 We showed you where the children sleep, 11:54 where they study, where they worship 11:56 and for the boys it's in the very same facility, 11:59 this is school, this is home, 12:01 this is also their Church. 12:03 But something else that impressed me 12:04 is that we have so much where we live, 12:07 we talk about technology, 12:08 there are no computers here, 12:10 we talk about iPads and iPods 12:13 and even things that can help 12:15 enhance their learning skills, 12:17 but those are nonexistent here. 12:19 Also, there are some students like this one 12:21 and this one, this is David. 12:23 And what's your name again? 12:25 And Anudeep, these young boys can learn 12:29 like any of our students in America can learn 12:31 or any other part of the world, but an advantages 12:34 that we have is something that they're missing. 12:37 And there may be some of you watching this program that say 12:39 well, now how can I experience this or not only experience 12:43 but how can I make a difference? 12:45 Well, they are learning English 12:46 but conversational English is something quite different. 12:49 And you may think about volunteering to come here 12:52 and help out in the school facility 12:54 and may be even being 12:55 part of the teaching staff to teach these young men 12:58 and also the young women, conversational English. 13:01 What a difference can be made 13:03 in this part of the world if we think about 13:06 how the Lord is impressing our lives, 13:08 to go forth not only with preached gospel 13:11 but with the gospel of experience 13:13 to transform these life's. 13:21 Oh, yeah. This is the office building. 13:24 This is our prayer hall for office. 13:26 For time being we kept all this girls here. 13:29 Twenty eight girls are staying in this. 13:32 And they're all pretty. 13:35 Hi, girls. Hi, sir. 13:42 It's quite a huge campus and Asian Aid has dreams 13:45 for this campus to put up facilities here 13:48 and usher them towards self growth. 13:51 But more importantly provide the children 13:53 with a dignified place to live and study. 14:10 Back on the road, we're headed towards Bobbili. 14:34 Thank you. 14:36 Yes. Good evening, Sir. 14:39 My name is Gangadhar. And I am John. 14:41 Good to meet you. 14:42 You are? David, sir. 14:44 How are you? 14:47 How are you doing? Fine, sir. 14:48 Are you also one of the cricketers? Good. 14:50 Good afternoon, sir. You are tall one. 14:52 Well, here we are at Asian Aid High school for the Blind. 14:57 We had a welcome that I tell you was so warm 15:00 and it is amazing the percentage, 15:01 there's about a 110 boy students to about 60 girl students, 15:07 but the girls far away the guys 15:09 when it comes to beautiful outfits. 15:11 We're gonna take you on a tour of this wonderful facility 15:13 and let you know what God is doing here in India 15:16 and what God is doing through the sponsors of Asian Aid. 15:19 Stay with us. 15:29 I'm here today in Andhra Pradesh, India 15:31 at the Vijayanagaram School with my friend Adarsh, 15:34 seven years old and my family myself sponsor him. 15:38 Every day he's able to have accommodation, 15:40 food, clothes and a good education. 15:44 We want you to know what a blessing this is 15:46 and that you too can make the difference in the life 15:48 of a child everyday, through sponsorship. 16:01 Hey. 16:02 Good evening, sir. Good evening. 16:04 What's your name? My name is Venkatesh. 16:06 What's your name, sir? I am John. 16:08 A warm welcome awaited us 16:09 at the Asian Aid's School for the Blind. 16:12 And here the simple act of a handshake, 16:14 a simple gesture of putting hand on somebody's shoulder, 16:18 gave a whole different meaning for me. 16:21 Touch was for them a communication tool. 16:27 The school for the blind of Bobbili is in a quite 16:29 location surrounded by bright green rice fields, 16:33 an ideal location for learning for those with disabilities. 16:39 I was glad to learn 16:40 from Pastor Paulson the school principal, 16:43 that there was no preferential treatment for admission. 16:45 Once they come into the campus, they are all one. 16:50 And we make it very clear, no religion, no cast 16:56 or no family background nothing is going to stop them 17:01 from we giving them admission. 17:02 We take everyone. 17:04 Our stay at the blind school was quite an eye opener. 17:08 We noticed that the boys and girls 17:09 really worked very well together. 17:12 There was a unity 17:13 that I had hardly seen among people that had sight. 17:16 This what I have noticed just like we see one bird being hurt 17:22 there are ten birds coming together, 17:25 this is what we see in the natural world. 17:27 And I have noticed some how that one child cries 17:31 all that the other children come together, 17:33 they catch hold of him, tell him what it is, 17:36 what is that made you to cry 17:38 and they try to comfort him as far as possible 17:41 and involve him and tell him 17:43 this is good and we are all stay together 17:46 and they live together. 17:47 And this becomes their family. 17:49 And this becomes their family. 17:50 And Asian Aid and all the staff 17:52 becomes their Mom's and their Dad's. 17:53 Yes. Yes. 17:55 In the two days my wife Angela 17:57 and I spent at the blind school, 17:59 I learned a very valuable phrase there, 18:02 a phrase that helps and motivates people 18:04 like Pastor Paulson to work for the blind children. 18:08 There is a phrase that you used that really opened my eyes 18:11 because sometimes we use the word disabled, 18:14 but you say they are not disabled, 18:16 what was the phrase that you used? 18:18 We usually tell them 18:20 that these children are differently abled. 18:23 Differently abled. 18:24 Differently abled. Okay. 18:25 That's how we look at them. 18:26 So they're able to learn differently than we learn. 18:30 Yes. 18:31 All the body parts are the same except the eye sight. 18:33 All right. 18:34 And we decide by looking this is this, 18:37 but those children they tell the same thing 18:40 that we tell in a different way, since they cannot see. 18:44 Talking to Pastor Paulson that day 18:46 I noticed that it's not just the lives of the children 18:49 that we're transforming, 18:51 but we go through a life changing experience too, 18:54 as Pastor Paulson found out. 18:57 Jesus lived on this earth, He likes such kind of children, 19:01 He likes such kind of people 19:03 who are rejected by the community. 19:06 So I thought Jesus Christ has done that 19:08 and why not I do it, 19:10 may be I thought God gave me an opportunity 19:13 to serve such kind of children. 19:16 And Jesus Christ said "Inasmuch as you have done 19:19 unto one of the least of these my brethren, 19:21 you have done it unto Me." 19:22 I ask the children walk in faith, 19:24 I look at all of them observe them 19:26 and talk with everyone, 19:27 I never neglect anyone. 19:29 Even if there is a purpose, I've got a purpose, 19:32 I talk with them make sure 19:34 that I'm in touch with them. 19:35 Wow. And they are with me. 19:56 Sabbath in Bobbili was a solemn experience. 19:59 Church was in the town's center on the terrace 20:01 of the Adventist day school in town. 20:04 Members from town as well as children 20:05 from the Sunrise Home attended the service. 20:08 As I was mentally preparing for the sermon 20:10 I was to give I was moved by the reverence 20:14 of the local people, especially the women. 20:17 Women covering their heads, bow their heads 20:20 to the ground as they prayed. 20:23 In a more unfamiliar twist of events, 20:25 someone brought a chicken to Church as an offering. 20:29 My wife and I were worried about the faith 20:30 that would befall the chicken 20:32 and decided to pay an offering double the prize. 20:35 It also provided me an object lesson for my sermon. 20:45 That Sabbath afternoon 20:46 we made our way to the Sunrise Children's Home, 20:49 about ten miles from Bobbili town. 20:52 When we reached there, 20:54 boys and girls were waiting for us at the gate, 20:57 greeting us and showering us with beautiful flowers 21:00 as we walked into the campus. 21:17 He said two times. 21:20 Hi. 21:23 This is me and my chicken. 21:26 I officially as the CEO of Asian Aid USA, 21:30 hereby name this chicken John Lomacang. 21:35 I also instruct Rama that this chicken 21:37 must be given VIP status in the chicken coop. 21:41 That's right. Thanks you Sir. 21:42 That's right. 21:43 He could be in somebody's kitchen tonight, 21:46 but thanks to him coming to church 21:48 that's what happens when you come to church. 21:50 He was saved and now he can sing because he is happy, 21:55 he can sing because he is free. 22:00 Make sure that you take care of my chicken, okay. 22:02 Yes. 22:03 I don't want anybody-- 22:05 I don't want anybody to eat my chicken and girls, 22:08 you make sure that they take care 22:09 of my chicken, is that okay? 22:11 Okay. 22:12 Wow, see I've got a commitment 22:13 out of the children here at Sunrise Children's Home 22:17 we just visited one of mine newest friends of my family, 22:21 a chicken that was saved from church today. 22:23 But this home has been saving life's 22:26 that are much more valuable then chickens. 22:28 This is truly where the sunrises 22:31 on the life's of these boys and girls everyday 22:34 and what a blessing. 22:36 Thank you, to those of you who are standing and praying 22:39 for the ministry of Asian Aid. 22:41 Look at the difference it's made 22:43 in these colorful lives, these bright eyes 22:46 and the future of the church is in good hands, 22:49 because of the work that you're doing. 22:51 God bless you for all that you do 22:53 for this wonderful ministry. 23:00 Rajarama, who is Asian Aid's field officer 23:04 showed me around this new campus. 23:06 So want you to show me is this is the quarters, 23:10 this is where the boys and girls sleep right now. 23:12 Now compared to where they used to, 23:14 this is a great improvement, 23:15 there are 15 rooms 23:18 and boys occupy ten of those, the girls occupy five of those. 23:22 One of the greatest blessings is at the old facility, 23:25 they only had four toilets for 73 students 23:29 but at this one they have 25 toilets for 73 students. 23:34 But there is something also in the works 23:36 because they planning on building 23:37 another dorm to my right 23:39 and its going to be for the girls 23:43 and that dorm is in the plans 23:45 and in the works and right now 23:46 if you look at this facility it's a great improvement 23:49 over what they used to sleep in when they lived in the city 23:54 and what a beautiful campus. 24:04 As Rajarama was showing me around 24:07 I was constantly reminded of difference 24:09 Asian Aid is trying to make here 24:11 in this part of the world for the children. 24:15 Well, I think the big difference we've made is 24:17 that we've been able to give so many children 24:20 a chance of Christian education. 24:25 And we take children based on need 24:28 and they're sponsored by a person at home. 24:31 And these people are making a big difference 24:35 in the life of the children that you've seen everyday. 24:39 This provision for Christian education 24:41 was all the more evident as we were taken down 24:44 to the river side beside the campus. 24:56 When Jesus in the family 24:58 Happy, happy home 25:00 Happy, happy home 25:02 Happy, happy home 25:03 When Jesus in the family 25:05 Happy, happy home 25:07 Happy, happy home 25:22 And well, here we are, down by the riverside 25:25 at the Sunrise Home enjoying sun down worship 25:28 on a beautiful Sabbath afternoon. 25:31 You know, as I am standing over here I realize 25:33 why we've been given counsel to come out in nature 25:37 and enjoy what God has, all the natural beauty, 25:40 the singing of the children. 25:42 This is the place that invites 25:45 the presence of God without any distractions 25:47 far away from the cities, 25:49 far away from the noise, 25:51 far away from the traffic. 25:53 What beautiful sounds to here nature speaking to us 25:56 and the voice of the children as the Sabbath sets, 26:00 this is worship at Sunrise Home. 26:13 On the way back from Sunrise Home 26:15 a thought kept ringing in my mind. 26:17 What a change we can bring about here in India, 26:20 if there are more schools like this. 26:23 There would be more lives that will be changed and saved. 26:34 You know, here I'm sitting at the end of a trip 26:37 that has really revolutionized the way I look at Asian Aid, 26:40 revolutionized the way I think of missions, 26:42 particularly in India. 26:44 For so often I've sat in my living room there 26:46 and watched Asian Aid when it came on television, 26:48 but what a difference to come here 26:50 and experience, to see the lives being changed. 26:53 The children of the blind school, 26:55 the school in Vizag, the school in Bobbili, 26:58 Sunrise Home, to meet the staff 27:01 to see that these individuals are not here for the money 27:04 but boy, the payment is far greater than anything 27:08 that we can write down on paper. 27:10 And I know by personal experience 27:12 and by being here that Asian Aid is not just a program, 27:15 not just a good broadcast, but really it is something 27:18 that's transforming lives and I've got to say 27:20 as pastor preaching and teaching, 27:22 this is really, really blessed my life. 27:25 Really, I'm changed by this experience 27:28 and I will really not be the same, after this trip. |
Revised 2014-12-17