Participants:
Series Code: HIM
Program Code: HIM000109A
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00:10 Our television series Hope in Motion
00:13 has been a big success 00:15 and we want to continue to share with you 00:17 some of the field stories 00:19 that we have filmed over the years. 00:21 So just from time to time, 00:23 it may refer Asian Aid 00:26 as we reflect on these great stories 00:29 as we share them with you. 00:34 Welcome to Myanmar. 00:36 I am standing 00:37 on the bank of the delta region of this country 00:40 and as we look out on to the river, 00:42 this plays an integral part 00:44 in the lives and economy of the people in this country 00:47 through fishing as well as transportation. 00:50 Ninety percent of the people 00:52 in this country practice Buddhism. 00:54 In fact, Myanmar is one of the most religious 00:57 Buddhist countries in the world. 00:59 When looking at the proportion of monks to people, population, 01:04 as well as the amount of income that they spend on religion. 01:09 This presents a great challenge to the mission 01:12 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church here in Myanmar, 01:15 but this is beginning to change slowly. 01:18 Adventist education plays a central role 01:22 in the spreading of the gospel in Myanmar. 01:26 The challenges that a decent education is expensive, 01:30 most people can't afford. 01:32 But this is where an organization like Asian Aid 01:36 has such a great deal of impact. 01:38 They are concerned and committed 01:40 to the welfare of children in need here. 01:44 Join me on a journey 01:46 as we see what Asian Aid is doing 01:49 to strengthen and further the mission 01:52 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Myanmar. 02:11 Child impact International is an organization giving hope, 02:15 previously called Asian Aid. 02:17 Child Impact International is an organization 02:20 fostering permanent positive change 02:22 in the lives of disadvantaged children 02:24 and their communities. 02:26 Child Impact is committed to making a difference 02:28 in the lives of children 02:30 and those who are in need, 02:31 serving communities in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, 02:35 Myanmar and will soon expand to other countries. 02:38 For the last 50 years, 02:40 Child Impact has invested in the futures of people 02:43 and their investment is proving infinite returns, 02:46 driven by the dedication 02:47 to helping those who have the least. 02:49 Child Impact is an organization 02:51 focused on the welfare of children, 02:54 implementing diverse development projects 02:56 and sponsoring thousands of children. 02:58 Their outreach spans from Child Rescue operations 03:01 to providing an education for orphans, 03:04 deaf and the blind children giving them a sense of place, 03:08 a home but above all, 03:09 Child Impact is an organization giving hope, 03:12 giving hope to children, giving hope to communities, 03:16 giving hope to the ones who needed the most. 03:18 This is Hope in Motion. 03:29 Myanmar or Burma as it used to be called 03:32 is in Southeast Asia. 03:34 It borders China, India, Bangladesh, Laos and Thailand. 03:39 It has naturally absorbed 03:40 some of the cultural influences of these neighbors. 03:43 For years, colonial rule was seen here 03:46 but then, rampant ethnic strife 03:49 caused a military backed government to take power. 03:53 But more recently, 03:55 civilian rule has come to be established 03:58 and the country has opened up its doors to the outside world. 04:02 There is peace and freedom. 04:05 This is good news for the mission 04:06 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Myanmar 04:09 and these supporting ministries like Asian Aid. 04:22 Myanmar is predominately a Buddhist country 04:25 where over 85% of the population 04:28 practices Buddhism. 04:30 Public evangelism is banned, 04:32 but the Adventist message is slowly trickling through. 04:36 The main reason for that is our school system. 04:40 Our Adventist schools are a wonderful place 04:42 for us to introduce Jesus 04:44 to the children at a very early age, 04:48 but being a poor country, 04:49 many children struggle to attend school 04:52 and get a good education. 04:54 This is where Asian Aid has its biggest impact. 04:59 Last year at the GC session in San Antonio, 05:01 I was privileged to do a benefit concert for Asian Aid 05:04 so that more children could be sponsored. 05:07 When I heard about the work 05:08 that is also being done here in Myanmar, 05:11 I was naturally curious 05:12 and I wanted to come here and see for myself. 05:15 I wanted to see exactly what Asian Aid is doing 05:18 to bring hope, salvation, 05:20 and a future to children in need in Myanmar. 05:41 I was first taken to Myanmar Union Adventist seminary 05:45 or MUAS, 05:47 as it is commonly known here. 05:49 Now, MUAS is the only Adventist institution 05:53 of higher learning in Myanmar, 05:56 and it plays a very important role 05:58 in developing young minds 06:00 to be future torchbearers for the church. 06:04 We have only one Adventist College in Myanmar, 06:09 and it is very important 06:11 because all youths of Adventist Church in Myanmar, 06:16 they come here to study. 06:19 It helped them to get the education for their life, 06:23 and also their spiritual education 06:27 to prepare for testimony to others 06:31 about the love of God. 06:34 Right now we have over 600 students this semester. 06:39 And most of our students 06:42 come from financially poor background. 06:46 And our members scatter all over Myanmar 06:51 from different regions and states. 06:55 So in my union mission, 06:59 the church have a good anticipation 07:03 on these young people. 07:05 They are the future of the church. 07:07 And they have solid Adventist education 07:11 in this institution only. 07:18 The seminary is a beautiful campus. 07:21 As I was given a quick tour, 07:23 I heard music coming from the auditorium. 07:26 Intrigued by the sound of violin filling the air, 07:29 I went to the auditorium 07:31 to find beautiful young ladies practicing. 07:36 Using and developing your talents 07:39 for God's honor and glory. 09:05 All right. 09:07 Fantastic. 09:08 I have been here at the seminary 09:10 for just a few hours, 09:11 but one of the things that has brought me the most joy 09:14 was to hear them practicing. 09:16 We were walking around the campus, 09:17 but we could hear this wonderful beautiful music. 09:21 You know, these young people 09:22 come from different places and different backgrounds. 09:26 But something has brought them together, 09:28 music and Jesus Christ. 09:31 You see, some of these songs that praise the Lord 09:34 are the first exposure that they have to Jesus, 09:37 but this is a way 09:39 in which they are coming to learn about Jesus Christ. 09:42 Asian Aid is making it possible for these young people 09:45 and many others to be able to dedicate 09:48 their talents and their lives 09:50 to share the love of Jesus with others. 09:55 Young people using their talents 09:57 for the glory of God 09:58 and witnessing it 10:00 on one of the frontier mission fields 10:02 of the church is a true blessing. 10:04 In fact, the spirituality that emits 10:07 from the students and staff alike 10:09 is very encouraging to me and many other visitors 10:12 who have visited this campus over the years. 10:16 It reinforced my belief in the Adventist school system 10:19 and the role education plays 10:22 in witnessing for our Lord and Savior. 10:26 I believe that in the country of Myanmar, 10:29 probably more so than in many other countries in the world, 10:32 education is vital. 10:34 And I believe so, 10:35 because education seems to be the platform 10:39 in which many non-Adventists or Christians 10:44 get to know about Jesus Christ. 10:47 And so from my particular perspective, 10:48 education is vital in this country. 10:51 It is important that we subsidize it, 10:54 it is important that we, that we really create 10:57 the environment in which children have an opportunity 11:01 to learn about Christ. 11:04 But a good education is not easy to get, 11:08 particularly in rural areas. 11:11 Especially in a poor country like Myanmar 11:13 where obtaining a good Adventist education 11:16 is not within reach 11:18 of a majority of Adventist families. 11:22 As you know, Asian Aid operates in six countries in Asia, 11:26 and recently into Myanmar. 11:28 Now traditionally, Asian Aid takes the child based on need 11:32 and places them in an Adventist school. 11:36 Poverty is a vicious cycle. 11:38 And in Myanmar, there is a lot of poverty. 11:41 And the great thing about education 11:44 is that it helps break that cycle, 11:46 that cycle that has an impact 11:48 not just on the child but on the family. 11:52 And this is why sponsorship in a country like Myanmar 11:56 is very, very significant for the total population, 12:01 not just on the child but on the family 12:03 and on the village they come from. 12:06 I truly believe 12:08 that our Adventist schools and seminaries 12:10 not only serve as an educational institution 12:13 but also as a beacon of light to the community it serves. 12:19 Talking about community, 12:21 I was anxious to visit some of the neighboring villages 12:24 and see for myself, 12:26 some of the circumstances that these students come from. 12:59 I am in a small poor village, deep in the heart of Myanmar. 13:03 You wouldn't know it, 13:04 but our school is actually not too far away. 13:08 In our western comfortable cultures and countries, 13:11 we've probably heard about poverty, 13:13 we've read about it, we've seen pictures 13:16 but unless you are here, 13:17 it's hard to fully grasp and understand what it's like. 13:22 The children you see behind me live in this village. 13:26 Their parents go out and work 13:27 under backbreaking conditions all day. 13:31 That means that these children stay here, 13:33 they don't have the chance to go to school, 13:36 and when they grow up the cycle is perpetuated. 13:39 They can only go to work 13:41 where their parents worked and this continues. 13:44 But Asian Aid is making it possible 13:46 for these young people 13:48 to be able to go to a Christian school, 13:50 get an education, love Jesus 13:53 and then serve others and God. 13:57 Come with me after the break, 13:59 and I'm going to show you a prime example 14:02 of how this sponsorship program is changing the lives, 14:05 is breaking the cycle of poverty 14:08 and bringing hope, salvation, and a future to many. 14:18 I just got a letter 14:19 from our sponsored daughter Sheila. 14:21 I've got to tell you, 14:23 there is nothing like getting one of these letters. 14:25 Our family has been able to sponsor her 14:27 through Child Impact International, 14:29 because of that she's got a great place to live, 14:32 she's got good food, she's got great clothing, 14:35 best of all, I now found out she's in college, 14:38 she's in nursing school. 14:40 There's nothing like getting a letter like this. 14:43 You need to start getting these letters too. 14:45 Listen, through Child Impact, 14:47 you can make a huge difference in the life of a child, 14:50 and I promise you, 14:52 it's going to make a huge difference 14:53 in your life too. 15:05 At Adventist mission schools like this one on Bangladesh, 15:09 Child Impact International sponsors hundreds of children. 15:12 We often think that sponsorship 15:15 only impacts on the life of the child, 15:17 but it's much wider than that, 15:19 it impacts on the parents and on the community, 15:23 but more important, it impacts on the school. 15:26 It becomes valuable income for the school 15:29 and then in turn, it impacts on hundreds of other children. 15:33 I just ask that you would consider sponsoring a child 15:36 with Child Impact, 15:38 or supporting one of its valuable projects 15:40 that will improve education in Adventist mission schools 15:44 like this one in right here. 16:07 Visiting a village that day was a revelation. 16:11 It opened my eyes 16:12 to the struggles and hardships of the poor in a way 16:15 that you can only understand by being there. 16:19 It gave me a new insight 16:21 into the role our schools play in the mission field, 16:25 and the impact organizations like Asia Aid 16:28 has in supporting the church in its mission. 16:33 Even though the church work 16:34 started over a 100 years ago in Myanmar, 16:37 the past 50 years have been a huge challenge for the church 16:41 because of unfavorable political situations 16:44 that prevailed here. 16:45 And the churches had great challenges 16:47 in promoting Christian education 16:49 across this Buddhist country. 16:52 But the situation has changed and the Lord has opened doors 16:56 and opportunities for us to expand His work in Myanmar. 17:01 For us to move forward in Myanmar in a positive way, 17:04 we established the Asian Aid, Educate Myanmar Fund. 17:09 The purpose of this fund 17:11 is to help sponsor the 600 children 17:14 that we've taken. 17:15 We don't have sponsors for them. 17:17 So stage one of the Educate Myanmar Fund 17:20 is to help sponsor those 600 children 17:24 while we find sponsors. 17:26 The second way is obviously to sponsor 17:29 one or more Myanmar children, 17:32 which you can do through 17:33 the Asian Aid sponsorship system. 17:36 The other need is that these mission schools 17:39 need resources in the classroom, 17:41 they're growing so fast. 17:43 So the Asian Aid Myanmar Fund will be totally committed 17:47 to helping the Adventist schools in Myanmar. 17:51 And the critical thing is that 100% of the money 17:55 sent to Myanmar goes direct to these needy schools, 18:00 mainly for sponsorship 18:02 but also to help develop these schools. 18:05 The Educate Myanmar Fund 18:08 that Asian Aid operates to sponsor children, 18:11 addresses another important issue 18:14 and that is the issue of congestion in the dorms 18:17 and other infrastructural needs. 18:20 Visiting one of the girls' dorm that day, 18:23 it was very evident to me 18:25 that the boarding facilities lacked 18:27 a conducive living environment. 18:37 Yes. We need more rooms. 18:39 Okay. Thank you very much. 18:43 Mm-hmm. Good. 18:51 I just finished a tour of the girls' dorm, 18:54 but the segment that I walked around, 18:56 it's pretty crowded, 18:57 in fact, there are 51 girls that are rooming in that area. 19:02 They sleep on a hard surface. 19:04 And so we want to make it possible for them 19:07 to have improved conditions. 19:10 Now where they come from is a lot more disadvantaged, 19:14 so they are really excited and happy to be here. 19:17 We want to be able to get more of those young people 19:19 from those villages into here 19:22 so that they can study and learn. 19:40 Jim led me to the Adventist high school 19:42 that was situated right across the road 19:44 from the seminary. 19:46 As we went around, 19:47 I came across the same infrastructural needs 19:51 that prevailed in the seminary, 19:53 but to me what was encouraging 19:56 was the fact that in spite of the difficult 19:58 circumstances and situations, 20:00 children were sitting in classrooms learning, 20:03 receiving an education, a Christian education. 20:08 How exciting it is to witness and participate 20:11 in the development of a child's future. 20:15 Going around the campus 20:16 and talking to students and staff, 20:18 I saw the role Asian Aid, and more importantly, 20:22 you, the sponsors are playing in the lives of these children 20:27 that come from such impoverished backgrounds. 20:32 They say that seeing is believing. 20:34 Well, you know what? 20:35 This is it right here. 20:37 It's very exciting behind me, 20:39 beautiful, wonderful young people learning. 20:42 If you're a sponsor, I want you to check this out, 20:46 and if you're not, I want you to look at these young people, 20:49 and perhaps catch the joy, 20:52 the spark and the spirit to be able to do the same 20:55 and make a difference 20:57 in the lives of one of these young people. 21:10 Students who received scholarship 21:14 and obtained Adventist education, 21:17 now they are prospering in their ministry 21:21 as well as in outside jobs. 21:24 For instance, some are now working in the institution. 21:30 Some are in the mission field, 21:32 so I really thank God 21:36 for this sponsorship program. 21:41 The sponsorship for the children is very important 21:44 because when we look Adventist family, 21:49 average of the families 21:51 are trying for their daily foods. 21:57 So that it is very difficult to send their children 22:01 to the college and sponsor their children. 22:04 So when the children get sponsorship, 22:08 they continue to their education 22:12 and when they got the sponsorship, 22:19 they study and when they finish, 22:22 some can work in the denomination 22:25 and some work outside, and at the same time, 22:29 they can be a good witness and testimonies to other. 22:33 They can tell about the love of Jesus. 22:38 This was important for me, 22:39 the fact that Asian Aid was contributing 22:42 to the growth of the church in Myanmar, 22:44 a frontier mission field is good news. 22:48 As I mentioned earlier, 22:49 public evangelism in Myanmar is banned, 22:52 and so Asian Aid's involvement in our schools plays a key role 22:57 in the growth of the church. 22:59 I do believe that Asian Aid 23:01 is in tuned with the mission of the church. 23:04 The mission of the church is to prepare men and women, 23:07 and to prepare the people 23:09 that believe in God for soul winning. 23:13 And Asian Aid is offering that particular opportunity. 23:16 There are 100% in tune 23:20 with the mission of this church. 23:22 All right. Here she is. 23:27 Hi, there. It's nice to me you. 23:30 Nice to meet you. 23:31 I have heard a lot about this young lady. 23:42 She also has the interest in teaching. 23:45 Working here and also, it's a calling from God. 23:49 She felt that kind of calling from the Lord... 23:54 Okay. Fantastic. 23:56 Well, I shared with you 23:57 that we had a special story before the break, 24:00 and here she is Mia. 24:02 Mia is a recipient of our sponsorship program 24:06 through Asian Aid. 24:07 She was able to come to the school. 24:09 She finished her education 24:11 and she felt a calling from God to go into teaching, 24:15 and that's why she's here, 24:17 teaching these precious children. 24:19 This is what it's all about, this is the story of hope, 24:23 this is a story of Asian Aid, and you can be a part of that, 24:27 as we make it possible 24:28 for children to have an education, 24:31 come to know Jesus and share with the world. 24:36 Mia's real name is May Thuzar Tun, 24:40 but she preferred to be called Mia. 24:42 She is a 24-year-old 24:44 Bachelor of Arts graduate from the seminary. 24:48 Mia is a fine example 24:49 of what a simple gesture of sponsoring 24:52 a child's education can achieve. 24:55 It achieves far beyond its intended purpose 24:58 of providing a children's education. 25:00 It gives them hope for the future. 25:03 Meeting Mia that day also made me realize 25:07 that she was one of the lucky few. 25:09 Many children across Myanmar, 25:11 especially in rural areas do not have this opportunity. 25:27 Being in this place, 25:29 a Christian school in the heart of Myanmar, 25:33 reminds me of when I was a little boy. 25:36 You see, I lived in a communist country. 25:38 And it was impossible to have Christian schools there. 25:41 My parents dreamed of taking my sister and me 25:45 to a place where we should not only 25:48 be able to worship God freely, 25:50 but also have a Christian education. 25:52 Well, Asian Aid is making it possible 25:54 for hundreds of young people here in Myanmar 25:57 to have just that. 25:59 Would you consider partnering with us 26:01 to make a huge difference 26:03 in the life of a young person, 26:04 so that they can come to know Jesus, 26:07 have a Christian education and share His love with others? 26:12 I was encouraged 26:13 by Asian Aid's plans for Myanmar. 26:16 Asian Aid is an organization 26:18 that wants to make a significant contribution 26:21 in the lives of needy children. 26:23 Today, Asian Aid is making it possible 26:26 to give them this opportunity 26:28 to not just receive an education, 26:31 but an opportunity towards eternal life. 26:36 Children and their future are very important to me. 26:40 Those are things that are close to my heart. 26:42 And two years ago, Asian Aid invited me 26:45 to go on a life changing trip to India. 26:48 Well, this time, I have joined them 26:50 on a trip to Myanmar. 26:52 During our time here, 26:54 we have visited all kinds of interesting places. 26:57 We've been to pagodas. 26:58 We've also been to villages 27:00 where poverty is visible everywhere. 27:04 I've also been on the campus of some of our schools. 27:07 I had the opportunity to play 27:09 with a group of beautiful young ladies 27:11 who play the violin. 27:12 I am seeing these young people whose lives are being changed 27:17 because of the sponsorship program. 27:19 They have a Christian education, 27:21 they have hope and they will have a future. 27:24 In fact, I met a young lady 27:25 who is now the teacher at the preschool. 27:28 She went through our program, she was sponsored, 27:31 she graduated and now she is a teacher. 27:34 What a joy it is to be able to make an impact 27:37 in the lives of so many young people. 27:39 Would you be willing to partner with us? 27:42 Would you be willing to help change a life 27:44 and bring future and Jesus to a young person in Myanmar? |
Revised 2018-03-22