(uplifting music)
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- Hello and welcome
to "Jesus for Asia" now.
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Now I'm Natalie Wood and I
have a special guest with me
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in the studio
today, hello Hannah.
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- Hi. - This is Hannah Jobe
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and she works in our
office with communications,
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all sorts of writing. - Yeah.
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- So in your normal employment
here at "Jesus for Asia,"
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you write
stories, you edit stories?
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- Yeah, a little
bit of graphic design,
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help with different projects
for print and for online.
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it's a lot of different things.
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- Yeah and I know you're
also working on a book, or five.
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(ladies laughing)
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We're trying to write
books. - Trying to, yeah.
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- To write the stories down
but it's hard to fit that in.
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- There's a lot, I mean,
God has opened so many doors
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over these last
couple of years, especially,
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and there's so
much we wanna share
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and there's just not enough
time in the day to share it.
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But it's amazing to see
all the testimonies and stories
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from the workers all over
the mission field in Asia.
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It's really a blessing.
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- Yeah, that's a real privilege
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that we get here in the office
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is to see the stories
coming back from the front line.
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So, you need a
little help though.
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I wanna put that plug in here.
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If someone is
interested in writing,
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there's definitely a
need for more help with that.
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- Yes. Absolutely.
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- Okay, so let's
move on to why you're here
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on the show today and why...
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We've got some
exciting stories actually
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to share and some
pictures and video.
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So, from Bangladesh? - Yes.
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- Why did you go to Bangladesh?
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- Because Sharon volunteered me.
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No, actually I make it
sound like I was dragged,
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but as soon as Sharon said,
yeah, Hannah will come with me,
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I was like, "Let's go!"
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I mean, I love to
travel, but not just for the fun
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of seeing different
places, but also to be able to
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serve God and further his work
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because there's so many needs.
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- Yeah and it's neat
too because you go there
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and you meet the
people face to face
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and you hear
their story face to face
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and I think it's
easier to write it when-
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- It is. It really is.
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Yeah, after I went
to India, the stories
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that the Bible
workers were sending in
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made so much more sense
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because I understood
the culture so much better
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and I understood what
they were talking about
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because I had
seen it for myself.
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So the same thing
happened with Bangladesh,
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which is really cool.
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- Yeah, so let's
start out talking about
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our Bible workers in Bangladesh,
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which we didn't have very many
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until you went on this trip
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and that was one of the
reasons you went, right?
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- Yes, it was one of
the reasons we went there
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was a group of
about 40 Bible workers
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that were part of a project
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that was run by the
previous union mission president
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but the funding for
that was running out
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and they wanted
these workers to be able
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to keep up their ministries.
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The church in Bangladesh
doesn't have a lot of funding
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to hire pastors and teachers.
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They have a college there
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where they train
people for jobs like that,
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but they just
don't have enough money
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to hire as many
people as needed.
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So this project was
supposed to help with that
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and then the funding was ending,
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so they needed new sponsors.
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And so we went to go see
some of the Bible workers
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and find out more
about what that need was
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so that potentially
we could take them on.
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- Okay. All right,
so we have a picture.
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- Yeah, so this
is a smaller group
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of some of the Bible workers
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that we met while we were there.
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We didn't get to
meet all of them,
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but a couple dozen of
them we were able to meet
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and do interviews with
and that was a huge blessing.
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- Okay, so how many
total Bible workers are there,
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initially, that
they were looking for?
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- 40. There were
40 Bible workers.
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- And you, with
Sharon, went around the country
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and went to different areas,
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but only some of them did you
get to meet Bible workers in?
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- We got to meet
Bible workers from the south
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and the north
and the west missions
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and when we were
in the south mission,
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we were still, at that point,
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traveling with Adventist
World Radio and their team
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and one of the
activities that they were doing
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was a training
session for the Bible workers,
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not just from that project,
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but from all the different
ministries in Bangladesh
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that were working in that area
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to teach them how to use
some projectors and audio Bibles
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and different media resources
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that they were
going to share with them
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so that they could, in turn,
share that with other people.
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- Okay. Nice.
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- And so we got to
sit in on the training
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and some of the Bible workers
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that we were
being asked to sponsor
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were part of that and were
able to receive audio Bibles
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and projectors. - How nice.
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- That was really cool.
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It was really a
pleasure to be able to,
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kind of, we're not
working with AWR directly,
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specifically on any project,
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but to be able to work alongside
another ministry like AWR
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was really a blessing and
an eye opening thing for me
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because I feel like, and maybe
it's just me, I don't know,
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but I feel like we kind
of tend to compartmentalize.
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It's like this
ministry does this,
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this ministry does this,
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this ministry does this,
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but there is so much need
in countries like Bangladesh
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and Bangladesh is a
small country anyway
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and so really to be
able to work effectively
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in spreading the
gospel to this country,
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we need to be able
to work together and to-
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- [Natalie] Collaborate.
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- Collaborate and
coordinate with each other
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so that we're not-
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- It's my
country. It's your country.
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- Yeah, 'cause it's not,
it's not one person's space
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and when we work together
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and when we all
have the same vision,
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which should be God's
vision for the country,
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then we can do so much more.
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And so that was just
a huge blessing for me
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to be able to see
and I was really glad
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to be able to meet
the AWR team there,
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they were so wonderful.
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It's really cool
because these Bible workers,
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coming from a previous project
they've already been working,
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and so we thought
we would like to share
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some of what
they've already been doing
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and how they've
been serving God.
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and so this is Beelek
and he did some ministry
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with his church that
he was serving in, and so.
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- Myself, Beelek Gwindapo,
and I am really grateful
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to work as a Bible
teacher, Bible worker.
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Presently I am
staying at Govindapur Church.
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Last year I was at
Shwunamar SDA Church
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and beside Shwunamar Village
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there is one village
which name is Korikanda.
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Maybe 30 or 40 years ago
there was no church, no worker,
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but myself and
Shwunamar church members,
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we go there and
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we improve their beliefs
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and we preach the
Jesus Christ message,
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which is given in scripture
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and more than 25
souls, they were baptized
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and I am really
thankful to be a Bible worker.
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I will work by my soul
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and I will
preach the God's message
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to spread out
the message of God.
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Thank you.
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- So that's neat
that he was able to help
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teach the church members more.
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- And what stuck
out to me was that
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it wasn't just him
going into that village
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to help revitalize the church,
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but he involved
his church members too
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and I think that's
really a big blessing
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because sometimes
people get the idea
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that it's up to the
pastors or the leaders
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to do the evangelism,
but it's for everyone.
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That was really cool. I thought.
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- That's neat. That's neat.
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Okay, so now we
have another video?
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- Yeah, he is working at of
the Adventist boarding schools
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there in Bangladesh and
he's working as a teacher,
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but he also has some
other parts of his job
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that he's going to share about.
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- I am assigned to
look after the students,
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those who comes from
the Southeastern part of the
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Bangladesh and this
area is mainly Buddhist area
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and when they
first come at Monosupara
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the first thing
that they have impression
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is the diversity of the faith
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as they are from
Buddhist background.
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So first time
when they encounter
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with Christian
culture and Christian worship,
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they ask themselves and
they have so many questions.
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And I have to
face those students,
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bearing the gospel news to them.
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And maybe it takes
one year or two years
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for some of the
students to receive
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the Christian message or
the message of Jesus Christ.
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And then gradually
they confess Christian faith
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and convert it
into Christianity.
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So before
converting or baptizing them,
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we have to take
permission from their guardians
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and from their family members,
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and again,
another struggle starts.
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Some of the guardians they deny
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and some of the
guardians they permit
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and says to their
children that it is their wish.
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So in such
manner, from 2016 to 2021,
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I'm giving my time to
the Buddhist students,
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those who come to
Monosupara for study.
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And this year,
nearly 19 Buddhist students,
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they converted into Christianity
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and I'm very happy to
be a part of the journey.
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So I wish, in future also,
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I can be active tool for
the Lord bearing the gospel
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and thank you so much.
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- That's really neat. - Yeah.
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- So he's not just a teacher.
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He sees himself as,
as more than a teacher.
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That's really neat. -
Yeah, I really enjoyed
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getting to hear a
little bit of his story.
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- Yeah okay, so the
next story that we have
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is from another
Bible worker? - Hm mm.
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- Okay.
00:11:02.09\00:11:03.19
- Yeah, so this is an
answer to prayer story.
00:11:03.19\00:11:05.56
- [Natalie] Okay.
00:11:05.56\00:11:06.70
- This worker is from
the west of Bangladesh
00:11:06.70\00:11:09.23
and he's taking
care of a church there
00:11:09.23\00:11:11.63
and so he had one young family
come to him to ask for prayer
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because they had just
had a newborn baby boy,
00:11:16.20\00:11:20.18
but they noticed that the
baby had this sort of hard,
00:11:20.18\00:11:23.81
almost bone
like lump on his neck
00:11:23.81\00:11:26.41
and they didn't
know what to do about it,
00:11:26.41\00:11:27.85
they didn't know what it was
00:11:27.85\00:11:29.18
and so they came to him
asking for prayer and advice
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and so he told them,
you really need to pray
00:11:31.95\00:11:36.39
and to focus on God
00:11:36.39\00:11:38.79
and trust that he can
take care of your baby
00:11:38.79\00:11:41.60
and that he will heal him.
00:11:41.60\00:11:43.47
I would recommend
that you go to the doctors
00:11:43.47\00:11:45.80
but prayer is the
most important thing.
00:11:45.80\00:11:48.37
And so they went to the doctor,
00:11:48.37\00:11:50.21
they went to several
different doctors, I believe,
00:11:50.21\00:11:52.14
and nobody could really help.
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I don't know if
they ever found out
00:11:54.54\00:11:55.81
specifically
what the problem was
00:11:55.81\00:11:57.81
but none of the
doctors could help them
00:11:57.81\00:12:00.48
and they were so discouraged
00:12:00.48\00:12:01.55
and so they came
back to this worker
00:12:01.55\00:12:05.12
and they were like,
we don't know what to do,
00:12:05.12\00:12:07.82
and he's like,
I'm praying for you
00:12:07.82\00:12:09.62
and I will
continue to pray for you,
00:12:09.62\00:12:11.36
but you really need
to pray and trust God
00:12:11.36\00:12:13.13
that he can do a
miracle for your son,
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because he's a
powerful God, he cares for you.
00:12:14.96\00:12:17.77
And they prayed and they prayed
00:12:17.77\00:12:19.67
and gradually, as
the months went by,
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it got smaller and
smaller and smaller
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until eventually it
went away completely
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and they were just so
excited and they came to him
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just praising God
for how he helped them.
00:12:28.64\00:12:31.91
- Amen. That's
a beautiful story.
00:12:31.91\00:12:34.02
- Yeah, and now
they have that testimony
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that they can share with others.
00:12:36.32\00:12:37.52
So that's really
exciting. - Right. Yeah.
00:12:37.52\00:12:39.72
- To hear these
stories and to meet
00:12:39.72\00:12:42.89
some of the Bible workers
was a really huge blessing.
00:12:42.89\00:12:45.49
And so we, Sharon and
I, were really excited
00:12:45.49\00:12:49.20
about the possibility
of actually sponsoring them
00:12:49.20\00:12:52.47
and helping their work
to continue to go forward
00:12:52.47\00:12:55.74
and so when we got
back, we told you and John,
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everything that we
learned and got the go ahead
00:12:59.21\00:13:03.81
to hire the Bible
workers and so now
00:13:03.81\00:13:07.15
we've actually
got more than that.
00:13:07.15\00:13:08.72
(Hannah chuckling) - Right.
00:13:08.72\00:13:10.29
- So we started
with the 40 Bible workers
00:13:10.29\00:13:13.69
and then there was another lady
00:13:13.69\00:13:16.96
who we also were able to hire
00:13:16.96\00:13:19.36
as well as 11 more in
the east, which is an area
00:13:19.36\00:13:24.40
that has the two
biggest cities in Bangladesh
00:13:25.47\00:13:29.44
and so we're really
excited to be able to have
00:13:29.44\00:13:31.31
Bible workers in those places.
00:13:31.31\00:13:33.24
And we're excited to
see what God's gonna do
00:13:33.24\00:13:35.78
through all of these workers.
00:13:35.78\00:13:37.38
- Yeah, that's really neat.
00:13:37.38\00:13:39.25
What a privilege he's
given us to be a part of it
00:13:39.25\00:13:42.58
and I wanna make
sure that our viewers know
00:13:42.58\00:13:45.79
we did pray as a team a lot
00:13:45.79\00:13:48.22
before hiring
these Bible workers
00:13:48.22\00:13:49.96
because 40 workers at once
is a large monthly commitment.
00:13:49.96\00:13:53.33
So we did pray
together as a team
00:13:53.33\00:13:55.03
but we just sensed the Lord
asking us to keep going forward
00:13:55.03\00:13:58.80
because we don't want it to be,
00:13:58.80\00:14:00.44
as Sharon shares in her show,
00:14:00.44\00:14:02.34
about seeing the people
and wondering how many of them
00:14:02.34\00:14:06.41
won't be in heaven
because nobody told them
00:14:06.41\00:14:08.78
and so we just
wanna enable people
00:14:08.78\00:14:10.28
to tell as many as
possible. - Yes, absolutely.
00:14:10.28\00:14:13.28
- So now we wanna talk about
the first school that we had
00:14:13.28\00:14:16.12
the privilege of starting in
Bangladesh as "Jesus for Asia."
00:14:16.12\00:14:19.35
- We got started with it
after our foreign correspondence
00:14:19.35\00:14:23.69
from the
Philippines visited Bangladesh
00:14:23.69\00:14:26.53
and they helped with the
project to help drill wells
00:14:26.53\00:14:29.63
and you can see in the video,
00:14:29.63\00:14:32.10
some of the kids
washing their hands in the water
00:14:32.10\00:14:34.57
and just really
having fun with it,
00:14:34.57\00:14:36.81
but it really is a
great help practically
00:14:36.81\00:14:39.37
for all of the villagers.
00:14:39.37\00:14:41.28
And so the connections
that they made through that,
00:14:41.28\00:14:44.95
we were able to
connect with as well
00:14:44.95\00:14:47.32
and our project
coordinator there,
00:14:47.32\00:14:50.02
he had this
burden to start a school
00:14:51.15\00:14:53.89
for the kids in his village
00:14:53.89\00:14:55.86
because a lot of them
come from poor families
00:14:55.86\00:14:58.36
and they end up
working in the fields
00:14:58.36\00:15:00.63
at as early as 10 years old
00:15:00.63\00:15:03.20
and they don't have a
lot of opportunity for
00:15:03.20\00:15:06.50
education or nutrition
00:15:06.50\00:15:08.27
and so he wanted to
do something for them
00:15:08.27\00:15:11.44
and we were able to
build a little school
00:15:11.44\00:15:14.21
and have the first
Adventist school in that area.
00:15:14.21\00:15:19.08
We have students currently
00:15:19.08\00:15:21.55
from kindergarten
through second grade.
00:15:21.55\00:15:24.32
So we actually have 120 students
00:15:25.12\00:15:27.26
and they usually come
every day from 1:00 to 5:00
00:15:27.26\00:15:30.36
and they study a lot
of different subjects,
00:15:30.36\00:15:33.23
they study
English, they study Bangla,
00:15:33.23\00:15:36.46
which is like
their language arts
00:15:36.46\00:15:38.07
and learning how to
read and how to write.
00:15:38.07\00:15:40.44
They study math
and science and music.
00:15:40.44\00:15:43.41
- So I noticed some of
the kids in this picture
00:15:44.51\00:15:46.54
are a little bit
on the older side
00:15:46.54\00:15:48.11
that we would
think for kindergarten,
00:15:48.11\00:15:50.05
first and second grade,
00:15:50.05\00:15:51.61
is that because they haven't
had access to a school before?
00:15:51.61\00:15:54.72
- Yeah, they've not
had a lot of opportunity
00:15:54.72\00:15:57.22
and so a lot of
them are still learning
00:15:57.22\00:15:59.25
how to read and write
and so they have to start
00:15:59.25\00:16:02.52
at that foundation
before they can eventually
00:16:02.52\00:16:06.03
go up and learn some
more difficult subjects.
00:16:06.03\00:16:09.26
Even though they
say the literacy rate
00:16:09.26\00:16:11.10
is 70-something percent,
00:16:11.10\00:16:13.03
a lot of people
can't write full sentences
00:16:13.03\00:16:16.81
and stories or articles,
00:16:16.81\00:16:18.97
or they can write their name
and maybe a few basic things.
00:16:18.97\00:16:21.91
I mean, it would be really great
00:16:21.91\00:16:23.04
for people to be at
much higher literacy levels.
00:16:23.04\00:16:26.05
- Right, it really
opens a lot of doors.
00:16:26.05\00:16:27.72
- It really does
and so we're excited
00:16:27.72\00:16:30.39
to be able to help
these kids be able learn.
00:16:30.39\00:16:33.15
We have some
pictures of some of the kids
00:16:33.15\00:16:35.22
that we'll just go
through really quickly.
00:16:35.22\00:16:38.03
- [Natalie] Oh, so cute.
00:16:38.03\00:16:39.39
- [Hannah] They are the
absolute cutest kids ever.
00:16:39.39\00:16:40.93
It was so much fun
getting to meet them
00:16:40.93\00:16:44.83
and smile and sing with them.
00:16:44.83\00:16:48.90
This is them praying. It
just melts my heart every time.
00:16:48.90\00:16:52.34
They're just so, they
were such a blessing to me
00:16:52.34\00:16:55.81
to be able to see them
00:16:55.81\00:16:56.91
and to see how God is
working in their lives.
00:16:56.91\00:16:59.55
Because, you know,
this is a Hindu area
00:16:59.55\00:17:02.02
and while there are
some Christians in the area,
00:17:02.02\00:17:04.59
a lot of these kids don't
really know much about Jesus.
00:17:04.59\00:17:08.06
And so here they're
having the opportunity
00:17:08.06\00:17:10.46
to learn how to pray,
they're learning Bible stories.
00:17:10.46\00:17:14.10
They're learning songs.
00:17:14.10\00:17:16.00
I just love how you can
always see so much light
00:17:16.00\00:17:18.90
in the eyes of the kids
who've been introduced to Jesus.
00:17:18.90\00:17:21.77
- Okay, well we
wanna keep moving
00:17:23.37\00:17:24.97
and we have
more pictures. - Yes.
00:17:24.97\00:17:26.54
- [Natalie] What's this one?
00:17:26.54\00:17:28.11
- This is me with a
group of the older girls
00:17:28.11\00:17:31.98
who are studying in
the school and learning
00:17:31.98\00:17:34.02
and this is us with some of
the staff members at the school,
00:17:34.02\00:17:37.29
some of the
teachers and the cooks
00:17:37.29\00:17:38.79
who help with feeding the kids
00:17:38.79\00:17:40.42
because not all
of them have access
00:17:40.42\00:17:42.06
to adequate nutrition at home
00:17:42.06\00:17:44.33
so they provide them a
healthy meal every day.
00:17:44.33\00:17:46.90
The pot of, that's
just like the vegetables,
00:17:46.90\00:17:49.60
but the pot of rice was
like almost three feet high,
00:17:49.60\00:17:52.10
it's gigantic and
yeah, such a blessing
00:17:52.10\00:17:57.07
to be able to help those
kids get good nutrition too
00:17:57.07\00:17:59.64
so that they can grow strong
physically as well as mentally.
00:17:59.64\00:18:03.21
- Yeah. I love to see
the kids getting food to eat.
00:18:03.21\00:18:06.38
It's such a blessing.
00:18:06.38\00:18:07.68
It's such a blessing
to them and to think about
00:18:07.68\00:18:10.42
what a difference it makes in
their lives, I just love that.
00:18:10.42\00:18:12.75
So the people that are
running the school there,
00:18:12.75\00:18:14.66
don't just see it as a school.
00:18:14.66\00:18:16.29
They see it as
ministry to the whole village.
00:18:16.29\00:18:19.03
So what
experiences did you get to have
00:18:19.03\00:18:22.30
while you were there
reaching out to the village?
00:18:22.30\00:18:24.40
- Yeah, so when we
were visiting up there,
00:18:24.40\00:18:27.80
we did a prayer walk.
00:18:27.80\00:18:29.30
We've actually done
a couple of different
00:18:29.30\00:18:31.14
virtual prayer walks in Thailand
00:18:31.14\00:18:34.01
and so we thought it
would be a great idea
00:18:34.01\00:18:35.81
to be able to do that
in Bangladesh as well.
00:18:35.81\00:18:38.41
But our project
coordinators there,
00:18:38.41\00:18:41.42
they wanted to get the
villagers involved as well
00:18:41.42\00:18:44.55
and so we start out
in about 30 seconds in
00:18:44.55\00:18:47.56
they see this lady,
she's trying to start a fire
00:18:47.56\00:18:50.73
to warm herself up
because it's about 55 degrees.
00:18:50.73\00:18:53.83
- It's really cold
there. - In the early morning,
00:18:53.83\00:18:54.86
in the winter, which
is cold for Bangladesh,
00:18:54.86\00:18:57.93
and so she's
trying to warm herself up
00:18:57.93\00:18:59.73
and so you'll see
in the next picture
00:18:59.73\00:19:02.20
our project coordinator there
decided to stop and help her
00:19:02.20\00:19:05.71
with her fire
and to pray with her
00:19:05.71\00:19:08.18
because she's an
older lady and older people
00:19:08.18\00:19:10.08
have a lot of challenges there,
00:19:10.08\00:19:11.51
that just started this
walk of not just praying
00:19:11.51\00:19:16.45
for the people
and for Bangladesh,
00:19:16.45\00:19:19.29
but praying with them as well
00:19:19.29\00:19:20.86
and the people
online got to see,
00:19:20.86\00:19:22.79
this is one of the
villages that we walked through
00:19:22.79\00:19:26.16
and some of the
people that we saw there,
00:19:26.16\00:19:29.36
you can see Sharon filming,
she was the one on the call
00:19:29.36\00:19:32.83
and then I was kind of
filming behind the scenes
00:19:32.83\00:19:34.87
and all of the villagers
and the people that we saw.
00:19:34.87\00:19:36.97
The villagers were
happy to have us come through
00:19:36.97\00:19:39.61
and pray with them.
00:19:39.61\00:19:41.48
We'd never met
those people before.
00:19:41.48\00:19:42.84
We didn't know what kind of
response we were going to get
00:19:42.84\00:19:45.05
so it was a really big
blessing to pray with them.
00:19:45.05\00:19:47.18
- Yeah, and being on
this side of the prayer call,
00:19:47.18\00:19:50.05
it was neat
also, for us, to see,
00:19:50.05\00:19:52.49
sometimes you
walk and all you see
00:19:52.49\00:19:54.69
is the buildings in
the city or wherever,
00:19:54.69\00:19:57.33
depending where we're
at, you see the scenery,
00:19:57.33\00:19:59.83
but you don't see
the individuals as much
00:19:59.83\00:20:02.30
because they
don't stop and talk to
00:20:02.30\00:20:04.10
whoever's running the camera
00:20:04.10\00:20:05.50
and so that was neat for us,
00:20:05.50\00:20:07.57
was to see the little
lady trying to start her fire
00:20:07.57\00:20:10.74
and people would pray
for her and to see the people
00:20:10.74\00:20:14.11
that were at the
village, at the little market.
00:20:14.11\00:20:17.01
Just to see
them, it gives faces,
00:20:17.01\00:20:20.12
it gives a place
filled with people
00:20:20.12\00:20:22.62
and so that was neat
for us on this side also.
00:20:22.62\00:20:25.29
- So this is another
older lady who we saw,
00:20:25.29\00:20:29.46
she was able to get her
fire started and just to be able
00:20:29.46\00:20:32.73
to see what their
life is like a little bit.
00:20:32.73\00:20:34.60
you can see the really cute
baby goats that are by there.
00:20:34.60\00:20:38.90
It's a farming area so
they've got animals everywhere.
00:20:38.90\00:20:41.80
It's like, at least
if you go in December,
00:20:41.80\00:20:43.71
it's like baby animal
paradise it's so cute.
00:20:43.71\00:20:47.94
Loved some of the baby animals.
00:20:47.94\00:20:49.21
- Yes, I know you
got to hold a baby sheep
00:20:49.21\00:20:50.31
so we've got a picture of that.
00:20:50.31\00:20:52.58
- Yeah, it was fun,
but it's just like, to see,
00:20:52.58\00:20:56.32
I don't know, their lives
are a lot more simple than ours
00:20:56.32\00:20:58.49
but it was just a
really peaceful place
00:20:58.49\00:21:00.62
and it's a blessing
to be able to share Jesus
00:21:00.62\00:21:04.23
with those people
and to see how God
00:21:04.23\00:21:07.50
is working in those villages.
00:21:07.50\00:21:09.76
This is a little
girl that we prayed for.
00:21:09.76\00:21:14.24
She, I believe is
one of the students,
00:21:14.24\00:21:16.27
but she has a
heart problem and so-
00:21:16.27\00:21:20.71
- That's right. I remember now.
00:21:20.71\00:21:22.51
- It's difficult when
you're way out in the villages
00:21:23.85\00:21:25.35
like that to be able
to get proper treatment.
00:21:25.35\00:21:28.48
I don't know very much
00:21:28.48\00:21:30.95
about the medical
system in Bangladesh,
00:21:30.95\00:21:33.32
but it's something that
they're really concerned about
00:21:33.32\00:21:35.69
and so we got the
opportunity to pray for her,
00:21:35.69\00:21:39.76
but we also invite anyone
watching to pray for her as
00:21:39.76\00:21:43.13
well, because we know that God
loves that little girl and...
00:21:43.13\00:21:47.30
- He can heal her. - Yeah.
00:21:47.30\00:21:48.84
- So we did the prayer
walk and you visited, also,
00:21:48.84\00:21:51.74
some wells while you
were on the prayer walk,
00:21:51.74\00:21:53.98
which was neat for
us to be able to see,
00:21:53.98\00:21:56.58
some of the churches
and some of the places
00:21:56.58\00:21:58.48
where we'd been able
to help with the wells.
00:21:58.48\00:22:00.95
- Yeah, that was a blessing.
00:22:00.95\00:22:02.42
- And then you got to go
Christmas caroling with them.
00:22:02.42\00:22:06.59
- So since we
were there in December,
00:22:06.59\00:22:08.12
it was over the holidays
and for a lot of people,
00:22:08.12\00:22:11.39
it was probably their first
time ever celebrating Christmas.
00:22:11.39\00:22:15.60
And this is a Hindu village,
00:22:15.60\00:22:17.27
this is not
something that they normally do
00:22:17.27\00:22:19.67
but our project
coordinators there
00:22:19.67\00:22:21.47
really saw this
as an opportunity
00:22:21.47\00:22:24.27
to reach out to
people in the village
00:22:24.27\00:22:27.14
and to really share
about Jesus and why he came.
00:22:27.14\00:22:31.21
So one of the activities
that we did on Christmas Eve
00:22:31.21\00:22:34.22
was we went out and
we sang Christmas hymns
00:22:34.22\00:22:37.85
in Bangla for the villagers.
00:22:37.85\00:22:40.29
It was at least
15 houses we went to
00:22:40.29\00:22:42.52
and we also prayed for them.
00:22:42.52\00:22:43.96
So we've got some little clips
00:22:43.96\00:22:45.29
showing the singing and the
prayer and a bunch of the kids,
00:22:45.29\00:22:47.86
at least 20 of the
kids from the school
00:22:47.86\00:22:49.66
came as well and joined in
00:22:49.66\00:22:51.17
and it was a whole lot of
fun and a really big blessing.
00:22:51.17\00:22:53.07
- Okay, let's watch those now.
00:22:53.07\00:22:54.97
(singing in a foreign language)
00:22:54.97\00:22:58.94
So that's really a neat thing
00:23:21.80\00:23:24.77
to get the
opportunity to do that.
00:23:24.77\00:23:27.24
- Yeah it was. It
was such a blessing.
00:23:27.24\00:23:29.70
And then Christmas morning
we were able to have a program
00:23:29.70\00:23:32.57
and they invited
not only the kids,
00:23:32.57\00:23:34.01
but all of
their families to come
00:23:34.01\00:23:36.14
for a special Christmas
program and Sharon and I,
00:23:36.14\00:23:39.68
and Dr. Halder,
who was our translator,
00:23:39.68\00:23:44.19
all teamed up to
basically share with all of them
00:23:44.19\00:23:49.26
the reason for why
Jesus came and his gift-
00:23:50.29\00:23:54.30
- How nice. - Of
coming and dying for us
00:23:54.30\00:23:57.50
and so the
people could really see.
00:23:57.50\00:23:59.60
It was just a
really big blessing
00:23:59.60\00:24:00.90
to be able to uplift Jesus
00:24:00.90\00:24:02.04
and there were
over 200 people who came
00:24:02.04\00:24:04.41
and so we just hope and
pray that they were blessed
00:24:04.41\00:24:07.71
and that they'll remember that
00:24:07.71\00:24:08.81
and that it'll
have an impact on them.
00:24:08.81\00:24:12.31
- So we've seen a little
bit what the school's like now,
00:24:12.31\00:24:16.42
what is the
future of this school?
00:24:16.42\00:24:19.79
What are they asking for?
00:24:19.79\00:24:21.12
- Yeah, so we did
get to go there twice
00:24:21.12\00:24:23.63
because of the way that
the schedule worked out.
00:24:23.63\00:24:26.33
We probably spent five
or six days there total.
00:24:26.33\00:24:29.66
So we saw some of the
needs that the school has
00:24:29.66\00:24:32.13
and then when we came back,
our project coordinator told us
00:24:32.13\00:24:35.34
that he had had some
other families come in
00:24:35.34\00:24:40.41
and ask if they could send their
kids to the school as well,
00:24:41.74\00:24:44.58
and there was like 45 more kids
00:24:44.58\00:24:47.85
that want to come to the school.
00:24:47.85\00:24:49.42
And some of them have
had a little bit of education
00:24:49.42\00:24:52.69
and are needing older
grades and so they're like,
00:24:52.69\00:24:57.53
okay, how do we do this?
00:24:57.53\00:24:59.79
I mean, 120
kids is a lot already
00:24:59.79\00:25:03.33
and we've got this
one room schoolhouse
00:25:03.33\00:25:06.50
and so like, what do we do,
and so they asked, it's like,
00:25:06.50\00:25:09.14
is there any way that we
can get some extra walls,
00:25:09.14\00:25:12.14
expand the grade levels because
we really wanna be able to
00:25:12.14\00:25:15.54
have these kids come
to the school as well.
00:25:15.54\00:25:17.38
- Right. You wanna
help everybody you can.
00:25:17.38\00:25:19.75
- Yeah. So in order
to be able to accommodate
00:25:19.75\00:25:21.95
these students, the plan is
to have two sessions of school,
00:25:21.95\00:25:26.62
one for the kindergartners
and fourth and fifth graders,
00:25:26.62\00:25:30.69
so that's adding
some grade levels
00:25:30.69\00:25:33.03
and then in the
afternoon to have
00:25:33.03\00:25:35.20
first, second and third grades
and they also want to build
00:25:35.20\00:25:38.47
some interior
walls in the school
00:25:38.47\00:25:40.37
so that there's a little
bit more of a sound barrier
00:25:40.37\00:25:43.41
in between the classrooms
00:25:43.41\00:25:44.74
because it gets pretty
noisy with a lot of kids.
00:25:44.74\00:25:47.04
- Yeah, that's a small building.
00:25:47.04\00:25:48.61
- It is a small
building, but they're trying to-
00:25:48.61\00:25:50.05
- It'll be good to
have the grades separated.
00:25:50.05\00:25:51.15
- Make it work
as much as they can
00:25:51.15\00:25:53.58
and do as much as
they can for the students
00:25:53.58\00:25:56.22
and it'll be a
blessing for the students
00:25:56.22\00:25:57.55
who are already there as
well because as they get older
00:25:57.55\00:26:00.56
they're going to
need higher grade levels.
00:26:00.56\00:26:02.36
- Right, some of them
may already need higher grade
00:26:02.36\00:26:06.70
levels. - Yeah, it's
gonna be a really big blessing
00:26:06.70\00:26:08.33
all the way around. - Nice.
00:26:08.33\00:26:10.17
- We also saw some
needs while we were visiting
00:26:10.17\00:26:13.50
and one of those, we
walked outside after a program
00:26:13.50\00:26:16.97
to see this long line
of girls and we were like,
00:26:16.97\00:26:19.81
what is this for?
00:26:19.81\00:26:21.61
And they said, oh, this
is the line for the bathroom.
00:26:21.61\00:26:25.95
because they
only have one bathroom
00:26:25.95\00:26:29.05
for, there's
probably 50, 60, 70 girls.
00:26:29.05\00:26:33.15
I don't know what the
percentages are of boys to
00:26:33.15\00:26:36.36
girls, but- - That's a
lot. - They need more bathrooms
00:26:36.36\00:26:38.83
and it would really be
helpful to be able to have that
00:26:40.13\00:26:42.73
and there's a
pond on the property
00:26:42.73\00:26:44.37
where they dug out dirt
to fill in for the school,
00:26:44.37\00:26:47.04
so to refill that and to create
a couple of more bathrooms,
00:26:47.04\00:26:51.61
at least one, but maybe
a couple of more bathrooms
00:26:51.61\00:26:54.31
for the kids to be able to use
00:26:54.31\00:26:57.05
so that they don't have to
deal with such a long line.
00:26:57.05\00:27:00.85
- Well, if they're going between
classes that makes it hard
00:27:00.85\00:27:03.95
because you might be
at the end of the line
00:27:03.95\00:27:05.59
and be late for the next class
00:27:05.59\00:27:07.16
so I'm sure the
teachers are understanding,
00:27:08.19\00:27:09.86
but still, I know some
schools that wouldn't be.
00:27:09.86\00:27:12.36
- Yeah, so it would be
really helpful for them
00:27:13.46\00:27:15.80
to be able to have that as
well as filling in the pond
00:27:15.80\00:27:18.80
would give them a
much bigger playground.
00:27:18.80\00:27:20.94
- Oh, that'd be
nice. - Which is great.
00:27:20.94\00:27:22.27
and they did a really
good job of getting a slide
00:27:22.27\00:27:26.51
and swings and stuff
so that the kids can play
00:27:26.51\00:27:29.34
when they're outside on breaks.
00:27:29.34\00:27:31.08
But you know, it would be
really nice to have a nicer,
00:27:31.08\00:27:34.35
bigger space for them.
00:27:34.35\00:27:36.15
- Well Hannah, thank you so much
00:27:36.15\00:27:37.29
for taking the time
to come and share with us
00:27:37.29\00:27:39.62
and I would like to invite you
00:27:39.62\00:27:41.59
to pray for these Bible
workers, pray for this school,
00:27:41.59\00:27:44.73
and if you would like to help
00:27:44.73\00:27:46.13
you can contact us at
00:27:46.13\00:27:47.50
Jesus for Asia, PO box 1221,
Collegedale, Tennessee, 37315.
00:27:47.50\00:27:52.47
Call us at (423) 413-7321
00:27:54.74\00:27:59.14
or visit our
website at Jesus4asia.org.
00:27:59.14\00:28:02.81
May God richly bless you
until we see you next time
00:28:02.81\00:28:06.05
on "Jesus for Asia"
now. (uplifting music)
00:28:06.05\00:28:10.42