Participants:
Series Code: HIM
Program Code: HIM000220A
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00:07 Child Impact International is an organization giving hope,
00:11 previously called Asian Aid. 00:13 Child Impact International is an organization 00:16 fostering permanent positive change 00:18 in the lives of disadvantaged children 00:20 and their communities. 00:21 Child Impact is committed to making a difference 00:24 in the lives of children 00:25 and those who are in need. 00:27 Serving communities in India, 00:28 Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, 00:32 and will soon expand to other countries. 00:34 For the last 50 years, 00:36 Child Impact has invested in the futures of people 00:39 and their investment has proven infinite returns. 00:42 Driven by the dedication 00:43 to helping those who have the least, 00:45 Child Impact is an organization 00:47 focused on the welfare of children, 00:49 implementing diverse development projects 00:52 and sponsoring thousands of children. 00:54 Their outreach spans from child rescue operations 00:57 to providing an education for orphans, deaf, 01:00 and the blind children, 01:01 giving them a sense of place, a home. 01:04 But above all, 01:06 Child Impact is an organization giving hope, 01:08 giving hope to children, giving hope to communities, 01:11 giving hope to the ones who needed the most. 01:14 This is Hope in Motion. 01:21 I've been in this position over eight years now, 01:24 and the privilege that I have in my role 01:26 is being able to visit the children 01:29 that you, the donors, support. 01:31 And as I meet them, I see the difference 01:34 that you make in their lives, 01:36 the difference you make 01:37 in where they live in their village, 01:39 the difference you make with their education. 01:41 And then finally when they get a job... 01:43 Just the other day in India, we met a bank manager. 01:47 He was brought up as a sponsored child 01:50 from a very poor village 01:52 and now he has a successful job, 01:54 he has a family, 01:56 and he is impacting the lives of others. 01:58 And, in fact, the amazing thing is 02:00 he is now sponsoring two children 02:03 in one of our programs. 02:06 Early when we were married, 02:08 Nick and I spent time over in India, 02:11 and were working for a mission, 02:12 or another mission organization for about six months. 02:16 And one of the opportunities we had was to be 02:18 in one of the schools 02:19 where children were being sponsored 02:22 by Child Impact International 02:23 in receiving education there 02:25 as well as clothing, food, shelter. 02:27 And at that time we were given the opportunity to meet kids 02:31 that still needed sponsors, and have... 02:34 We were able to meet and pick a kid 02:37 that we wanted to sponsor personally at that time. 02:41 So we got to meet him, I think play a little, 02:44 maybe a little cricket with him, 02:46 gave him a little bit of a gift, 02:48 and even though... 02:49 Since then the child that we're sponsoring has changed. 02:53 That's how we started, 02:55 and have decided to continue to sponsor a child 02:57 through Child Impact International. 02:59 I'd say that if you are interested 03:01 in sponsoring a child, 03:04 I think it's a great opportunity so 03:05 and you certainly should. 03:07 There's so many mission fields in the world, 03:09 you know, the kid who lives just down the street from you, 03:11 that's a mission field, 03:13 your own children, your own family, 03:14 that's a mission field 03:16 but, you know, 03:18 we were called to go into all nations 03:20 and make disciples. 03:21 And when you sponsor a child for a Christian education, 03:25 you know, it's more than just giving them education, 03:28 teaching them also about Christ, 03:29 and the plan of salvation. 03:31 And so, you know, it's gonna benefit that child, 03:35 it's gonna benefit that child's community and, 03:38 you know, the money 03:39 that we spend every month to support this child, 03:42 it's an easy sacrifice for us 03:45 but it makes just the world of difference in their lives. 03:49 Sponsoring children in activities like 03:54 these mission schools and opportunities 03:56 is a tremendous way to help 03:59 form the character of young people 04:02 as they look to the future. 04:04 They will never forget 04:06 their association in a Christian environment. 04:09 And by God's grace, many of them will become 04:12 members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 04:15 It is absolutely a powerful witness 04:18 to sponsor a child in Child Impact 04:21 and so many other organizations 04:24 that help young people to find Jesus. 04:29 Sponsoring a child not only has short-term effects, 04:34 but it has a long-term effect. 04:36 Sponsoring a child is investing in the character 04:40 of a young person for eternity. 04:43 We're taping this right here in Myanmar, 04:46 at the Myanmar Union Adventist Seminary, 04:49 and about one-third of the students 04:52 or one quarter of the students 04:54 are being sponsored by Child Impact. 04:57 People who become workers in God's church, 05:01 people who make an impact in the community 05:04 have been people who have been sponsored. 05:07 Your sponsorship is absolutely an investment 05:11 in the future of the church. 05:23 On my trip to India, 05:25 one of the highlights was the visit 05:27 to the blind school in a town called Bobbili. 05:31 The school is an Adventist church school, 05:33 but it is 100% funded by Child Impact 05:36 and Asian Aid Australia. 05:39 It was build just over 12 years ago, 05:41 thanks to the generosity of the McNeilus family. 05:44 And it is in the rural setting surrounded by lots of farms. 05:49 The school has over 160 students 05:52 from grade 1 to grade 12. 05:55 The students are either partially blind or fully blind, 05:59 and come mainly from poor farming communities all around. 06:04 When we arrived, 06:05 they gave us an amazing welcome. 06:08 They lined up on both sides, 06:11 they threw flowers on the road 06:13 and we walked through, 06:14 and then we had to shake the hand 06:16 of every single student. 06:18 They asked us questions, they touched us, 06:21 because they wanted to know what we were all about. 06:25 I was really moved by the excitement 06:27 that I saw in them. 06:29 They were genuinely interested in us. 06:32 We shared a beautiful evening that night, 06:34 we had a concert. 06:36 Some of them played instruments and then I did a part for them. 06:41 I talked to them and I played my violin. 06:44 I don't think many or most of them 06:46 had ever heard a violin before. 06:49 So it was really exciting. 06:51 There were two things that I remember in particular. 06:54 Number one, they listened intently 06:57 and then when they knew the songs, 06:59 they sang at the top of their lungs. 07:02 Number two, 07:03 they clapped so hard when every song was over. 07:07 It was a beautiful experience. 07:10 It is a marvelous place. 07:12 The facilities are great. 07:14 The classrooms are expansive and they are large, 07:17 but there are still some serious needs. 07:20 I'm delighted to have Jim Rennie, 07:22 the CEO of Child Impact here again today. 07:25 Jim, why is this school so important? 07:29 Well, first of all, Jaime, 07:31 it's one of my favorite schools to visit in India. 07:34 The kids just are so hungry to talk to you to, 07:38 to find out about you 07:40 and they touch you, of course, 07:41 because of they can't see... 07:43 They want to feel you, yes. They want to feel and see you. 07:47 This school is important because it fulfills a need 07:51 that no one else is delivering in that region of India. 07:56 First of all, these kids come from very, very poor, 08:00 mainly farming families. 08:03 And when you're born blind in a village 08:07 in that part of India, 08:09 there's no way to go. 08:10 The parents have no idea what to do. 08:13 There's an element of shame in having a blind child. 08:17 And so, this school fulfills the need, 08:22 and I've seen so many of the parents 08:24 of the blind children are so proud 08:29 that their child is getting an education. 08:32 And I went to the blind school one day 08:36 and there was a seven-year-old girl there, 08:39 and she had just come to the school 08:41 and to be honest, it was distressing. 08:44 She couldn't talk, her head was down, 08:47 she would sit in the corner, 08:51 it was just terrible. 08:52 And they had found her at her house 08:56 and she had been locked in her room 08:58 for three to four years. 09:00 The parents were just so embarrassed 09:03 and didn't know what to do. 09:05 But the exciting thing was, 09:07 when I went back 09:08 to the blind school a year later, 09:10 I just about came to tears 09:12 because here she was... 09:14 She was playing with the children. 09:17 I saw her singing, I saw her praying, 09:21 just amazing change. 09:23 It was all there, 09:25 but she had no way of letting it out. 09:27 So this school makes a huge difference 09:30 with blind children, 09:32 but the need is just overpowering 09:35 from the environment in which they come. 09:39 Yes. 09:40 And even though it is a beautiful facility 09:42 as I've mentioned, 09:44 what are the needs that we currently have there? 09:48 Well, we always have special needs children, 09:51 blind children that need sponsorship, 09:54 but if you can't sponsor a child, 09:57 you can make a donation to the blind school, 10:00 it has a separate fund. 10:02 It's very costly to run the school. 10:03 Yes. 10:05 And these children have exactly what it says special needs. 10:10 So you can either sponsor a child, 10:13 or you can support the blind school fund. 10:16 Okay. 10:17 Now Child Impact also operates and funds a deaf school. 10:23 Can you tell me a little bit about that 10:24 because I haven't been there? 10:25 Yes. 10:27 Well, this is located in southern India, 10:29 south of the city of Bangalore, in a city called Kollegal, 10:33 it has just over 95 students. 10:36 Once again, it's a boarding school. 10:39 It's an Adventist mission school 10:41 and the children come from similar backgrounds 10:45 to the children at the blind school, 10:47 very rural community. 10:49 And once again, when a child is born deaf, 10:52 the parents simply don't know what to do. 10:54 They don't know what sign language is? 10:56 It's an embarrassment 10:58 and so these children are given hope. 11:01 And once again, you go there 11:03 and you see them singing with sign language, 11:06 and it's just a school that's having a huge impact. 11:13 One hundred and sixty blind children 11:16 and over 95 deaf children 11:18 are getting opportunities to do things 11:21 that they'll never do otherwise 11:23 and that's thanks to your generosity. 11:25 We thank you 11:27 and we ask for you to continue 11:29 to be a part of Child Impact to reach these 11:32 and many other young people in need. 11:37 Imagine with me for a moment 11:39 that you're a small child living on the streets of India, 11:42 the sandals on your feet lost their comfort weeks ago, 11:46 your favorite shirt just got another hole. 11:48 It's sad, mommy died last year 11:51 but what makes you feel even worse 11:53 is that your dad 11:54 chose not to be your dad anymore. 11:57 Hey, I'm Shawn Boonstra, 11:58 Honorary Ambassador for Child Impact International, 12:02 an organization that is a supportive ministry 12:04 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 12:06 You know, previously called Asian Aid, 12:09 they're making an exciting change 12:10 to Child Impact International in order to grow. 12:14 Something like 15 to 25 million little girls and boys in India 12:19 share similar stories to the one I just told you. 12:22 Many are orphaned at a young age 12:24 with little food to eat and no hope. 12:27 Child Impact serves to bridge the gap 12:29 between hardship and education. 12:32 It's a unique ministry that serves children in poverty 12:35 in Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. 12:40 Over three and a half thousand children 12:43 are provided an Adventist education 12:45 and lives are changed 12:47 through the numerous development projects. 12:49 Working in these countries, 12:51 Child Impact has come face to face 12:53 with issues like child slavery, 12:56 poor or no education, child trafficking, 12:59 abandoned babies, lack of clean water, 13:03 and a high number of orphans. 13:05 This list is not short on challenges, 13:08 yet the needs are being met. 13:10 You know, my family sponsors Sheila, 13:12 a young lady at the Sunrise Orphanage in India. 13:15 For the past couple of years, 13:17 I'm proud of how my family 13:19 has been able to impact her life for the better. 13:22 Word has it, she just started college. 13:26 What I've come to understand 13:28 is that the children Child Impact supports 13:31 are more than just names, or faces on a screen, 13:34 or a flyer, 13:35 they're people with a story, 13:38 a story whose ending has not been written, 13:41 instead another chapter is being composed. 13:45 It reminds me of something that Jesus once said, 13:48 "Whatever you do for the least 13:49 of these brothers and sisters of Mine, 13:52 you do for Me." 13:54 Join me and others like me throughout the world 13:58 who are sponsoring a child monthly 14:00 to provide like Jesus did, 14:02 to support like Jesus did, to love like Jesus did. 14:07 You too can make a lifelong impact 14:09 on the life of someone who is waiting for you 14:11 to say yes. 14:13 Yes, today you will consider sponsorship 14:16 right now with Child Impact or one of our other projects. 14:19 Yes, to give hope to a precious child today. |
Revised 2019-08-29