(uplifting orchestral music)
00:00:00.80\00:00:03.70
- Hello and welcome
to "Jesus for Asia Now."
00:00:21.95\00:00:24.52
I'm Natalie Wood
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and my husband John
is here with me today
00:00:25.62\00:00:27.32
and we're going to
North India, hello, love!
00:00:27.32\00:00:30.39
- Hi darling, How are you?
00:00:30.39\00:00:31.73
- So I said we were
going to North India,
00:00:31.73\00:00:33.80
but where
specifically are we going today?
00:00:33.80\00:00:36.06
- We're going to
the state of Assam.
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And this is the
Northeastern part of India.
00:00:38.77\00:00:42.47
You know how India
kind of goes up into a kind
00:00:42.47\00:00:45.67
of a diamond shape, but
then the eastern part goes,
00:00:45.67\00:00:49.41
a little arm goes up over
Bangladesh and then into Assam
00:00:49.41\00:00:54.38
and a bunch of states around it.
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- Okay, okay, so how
many people live in Assam?
00:00:56.79\00:01:00.12
- There's 35 million
people living in Assam.
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- Wow. - Yes.
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- Wow, that's a lot. (laughs)
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- That's a lot of people.
00:01:05.69\00:01:06.76
That's more than
many countries actually
00:01:06.76\00:01:09.00
just in that one state.
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- So you said
Assam used to be bigger.
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It's now a bunch
of different places,
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but there's a Upper, a
Middle and a Lower Assam.
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- Assam used to
include the states
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around the eastern edge
00:01:21.21\00:01:23.48
and the southern edge,
including a Arunachal Pradesh,
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Nagaland, Manipur,
Mizoram, and Tripura.
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And then on the
south, Meghalaya.
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And so the
headquarters of that whole area
00:01:32.95\00:01:35.72
for the church is
actually in Meghalaya,
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but the country of India
decided to separate those out
00:01:38.93\00:01:41.86
to kind of give
tribes their own autonomy.
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So there's a lot of
different tribes in that area.
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And so the different states,
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like in Tripura,
there's the Tripurese,
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and in Nagaland
there's the Naga,
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and Manipur, there's...
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It's just a lot of
different tribes in there.
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There's a lot more tribes
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than actually
represented by states,
00:02:00.68\00:02:01.92
but they tried to- -
Break it up a little bit.
00:02:01.92\00:02:05.25
Give 'em a little bit
of their own government.
00:02:05.25\00:02:08.22
- And we have Bible
workers in every one
00:02:08.22\00:02:09.86
of those states now.
00:02:09.86\00:02:11.66
So that's kind of cool.
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Some states are
more new as far...
00:02:13.36\00:02:15.40
And more like freshly starting
00:02:15.40\00:02:18.07
as a church organization.
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And so in another
episode we're gonna be talking
00:02:21.80\00:02:24.44
about the different states and
what's happening in in those.
00:02:24.44\00:02:29.14
- So how did we start out
having Bible workers in Assam?
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- About 15 years ago,
00:02:31.95\00:02:33.28
we got a request to
train Bible workers,
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or there was a training
happening in northern India
00:02:36.22\00:02:39.55
for Bible workers in Assam,
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and they trained
33 Bible workers,
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and we then hired them all.
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And that is how
the work in Assam
00:02:48.90\00:02:52.23
for Jesus for Asia got started.
00:02:52.23\00:02:54.40
Before that,
there was about five
00:02:54.40\00:02:56.54
or six pastors for the entire
state of 33 million people.
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So now there's 33 Bible workers,
00:03:02.31\00:03:03.65
plus five or six pastors.
00:03:03.65\00:03:05.38
So when we first hired them,
00:03:05.38\00:03:06.72
there was about one Bible
worker per million population.
00:03:06.72\00:03:10.69
- Our first video is
gonna be with the director
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of the Assam region.
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- Excellent.
00:03:14.89\00:03:16.26
(upbeat traditional music)
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- Assam is a big
place, it's quite a big state.
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When you think
of northeast India,
00:03:45.65\00:03:48.56
we have over 30 million people
00:03:48.56\00:03:53.13
and our presence as
Adventists is very small still,
00:03:53.13\00:03:56.63
because we just have
around 6,000 members.
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Hello, I'm Pastor Deepak Boro.
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Currently I work as a director
00:04:06.51\00:04:08.01
of Assam Region
Seven-Day Adventists.
00:04:08.01\00:04:10.75
And we live in
Guwahati from where we take care
00:04:10.75\00:04:14.05
of the whole Assam region
of Seventh-Day Adventists.
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We have seven
pastors, ordained pastors,
00:04:16.99\00:04:20.86
and then we have four or
five full-time evangelists.
00:04:20.86\00:04:25.59
And then other than that,
00:04:25.59\00:04:27.76
we have 32 JFA
volunteers, the Bible workers.
00:04:27.76\00:04:32.80
And besides them we have
also Global Mission Pioneers
00:04:34.14\00:04:38.17
and Gospel Outreach and
few Cornerstone volunteers.
00:04:38.17\00:04:41.54
And then we have
a few (birds chirp)
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of the 1,000 missionary workers.
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And these are the ones who
are taking care of this field,
00:04:45.75\00:04:49.78
working to share the
Gospel with the people.
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I must say that Bible
workers are the backbone
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of the ministry
00:04:58.69\00:04:59.69
that is going on in Assam.
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As full-time workers,
there are just a handful of us.
00:05:01.70\00:05:04.13
We are few ordained pastors.
00:05:04.13\00:05:06.97
And we can see that we
have quite a few of them
00:05:06.97\00:05:10.71
who are Bible workers.
00:05:10.71\00:05:12.27
And these are the ones
who are working in the ground
00:05:12.27\00:05:15.68
and they're in the battlefield
00:05:15.68\00:05:16.88
and reaching the people,
00:05:16.88\00:05:18.01
conducting all
the quarters' meetings
00:05:18.01\00:05:20.28
and evangelistic programs.
00:05:20.28\00:05:22.12
And whatever we are today,
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I think it's mostly
because of the Bible workers.
00:05:25.82\00:05:27.52
We are so grateful about them.
00:05:27.52\00:05:28.52
We are proud of them.
00:05:28.52\00:05:29.82
(uplifting orchestral music)
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(group leader
sings foreign language)
00:05:36.40\00:05:40.97
Bible workers are
doing tremendous work,
00:05:42.04\00:05:44.07
and God is working, the
Holy Spirit is leading them.
00:05:44.07\00:05:46.71
And people are understanding
who the true living God is.
00:05:46.71\00:05:50.01
So we praise God for them.
00:05:50.01\00:05:51.81
We're very
grateful to Jesus for Asia,
00:05:55.42\00:05:58.72
and we want to share
our gratefulness to all the
00:05:58.72\00:06:03.79
sponsors. Those who
are behind these force,
00:06:04.93\00:06:07.13
the people who are working in
the battle on the ground here.
00:06:07.13\00:06:10.63
Not only here in Assam, many
parts of India and elsewhere.
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I believe many lives
has been touched and changed
00:06:14.34\00:06:17.44
because of the work
that Bible workers are doing
00:06:17.44\00:06:21.18
and also because of the people
00:06:21.18\00:06:23.88
who are willing to sacrifice
00:06:23.88\00:06:25.01
to give their means
to support this ministry.
00:06:25.01\00:06:28.42
And it's our prayer that
this miracle will continue,
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the change of lives
will continue to happen
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in the places where the
Bible workers are working.
00:06:34.22\00:06:37.49
Thank you so much for that.
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- Didn't that give you joy?
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- Yeah, that's
really neat. - It's so neat
00:06:49.97\00:06:52.11
to see those people,
00:06:52.11\00:06:53.54
the simple people just
moving out into villages
00:06:53.54\00:06:56.24
that hadn't had the
Gospel before bringing light
00:06:56.24\00:06:59.11
and hope into those places.
00:06:59.11\00:07:00.75
- Yeah, and I'm so grateful
00:07:00.75\00:07:01.85
that the Lord has
given us the ability
00:07:01.85\00:07:03.42
to be of help to them
00:07:03.42\00:07:05.45
to lift up the hands
of these unit leaders
00:07:05.45\00:07:07.89
and the ordained pastors,
00:07:07.89\00:07:09.66
of which there are so few.
00:07:09.66\00:07:12.49
It's such a blessing to be able
00:07:12.49\00:07:13.93
to be a blessing to them
00:07:13.93\00:07:15.73
and bring that
workforce to them,
00:07:15.73\00:07:19.23
enable the workforce for them.
00:07:19.23\00:07:20.60
- Yeah, and what does it cost
00:07:20.60\00:07:22.70
to support a
Bible worker in Assam?
00:07:22.70\00:07:25.61
- In some areas, we've
had to adjust a little bit
00:07:25.61\00:07:27.91
for cost of living,
00:07:27.91\00:07:29.24
but Assam is still at
00:07:29.24\00:07:30.51
about a hundred dollars a month,
00:07:30.51\00:07:31.71
depending on the exchange rate,
00:07:31.71\00:07:33.58
which is really very small.
00:07:33.58\00:07:37.55
- It's a sacrifice for
them to live at that wage,
00:07:37.55\00:07:39.79
but they would
continue to do that work
00:07:39.79\00:07:42.19
even if they
didn't get that income.
00:07:42.19\00:07:44.06
They just start so
dedicated to serving the Lord.
00:07:45.33\00:07:47.83
And this just gives
them a little more free time
00:07:47.83\00:07:50.20
to be able to focus on taking
the Gospel to the dark areas.
00:07:50.20\00:07:54.00
And also it keeps a lot
00:07:54.00\00:07:55.37
of the churches
running and functioning.
00:07:55.37\00:07:58.07
- In our next
video, we're going to meet?
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- We get to meet
one of the Bible workers
00:08:01.98\00:08:03.75
that's actually doing it,
00:08:03.75\00:08:04.71
because we say Bible worker,
00:08:04.71\00:08:06.72
it's kind of a
general statement.
00:08:06.72\00:08:09.32
But now we get to meet
one of the Bible workers
00:08:09.32\00:08:12.62
that's actually
doing the work manually,
00:08:12.62\00:08:16.19
step-by-step,
simple Bible worker,
00:08:16.19\00:08:18.79
and we get to hear
some of his testimony.
00:08:18.79\00:08:20.83
- Okay, here we go.
00:08:20.83\00:08:21.70
(gentle piano music)
00:08:22.80\00:08:25.97
- Actually, first time I come
00:08:30.14\00:08:33.84
to know about Jesus
Christ from my class friend,
00:08:33.84\00:08:38.28
when I came to my home district,
00:08:38.28\00:08:42.02
one evangelist
proclaimed Gospel before me.
00:08:43.28\00:08:47.96
And after that I
often go to the church.
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I continue to study the Bible.
00:08:54.93\00:08:57.90
My mother hated
the Christian people.
00:08:57.90\00:09:01.87
She warned me that if
you'll go to the church,
00:09:01.87\00:09:06.14
then I will forsake you.
00:09:06.14\00:09:07.78
2001, actually, I have
accepted Lord Jesus Christ
00:09:11.55\00:09:15.08
as my personal Savior.
00:09:15.08\00:09:17.19
There is two
households, (birds chirp)
00:09:17.19\00:09:20.12
new believers
in my surroundings,
00:09:20.12\00:09:23.22
and I actually got
fellowship with them.
00:09:23.22\00:09:26.59
And after that I went here and
there to proclaim the Gospel.
00:09:26.59\00:09:30.17
One person actually healed
00:09:30.17\00:09:32.67
from cancer disease
when we prayed for him.
00:09:33.74\00:09:37.84
And after that he baptized.
00:09:37.84\00:09:41.61
And from that village,
there were three families.
00:09:41.61\00:09:46.68
They came out, they also
accepted Lord Jesus Christ
00:09:48.22\00:09:52.39
as their personal Savior.
00:09:52.39\00:09:53.99
And as it is growing,
I want to plant a church.
00:09:53.99\00:09:59.06
So I have bought
nine bighas of land,
00:10:01.56\00:10:04.43
and I
established a church there.
00:10:05.53\00:10:08.84
At last there are 60 families
00:10:08.84\00:10:13.11
who have accepted Lord as
their personal Savior and Lord.
00:10:13.11\00:10:18.18
(Raju sings foreign language)
00:10:18.98\00:10:22.65
So as I was
continued my service,
00:10:24.39\00:10:27.99
I proclaimed the
Gospel here and there,
00:10:27.99\00:10:30.63
and I run my ministry also.
00:10:30.63\00:10:33.83
But at that time,
my friend called me
00:10:33.83\00:10:38.10
that two persons will come.
00:10:39.00\00:10:40.80
And actually he
did not disclose me
00:10:40.80\00:10:45.61
about what is the denomination
of that two persons.
00:10:45.61\00:10:49.31
But I went there
along with my wife
00:10:49.31\00:10:51.78
and I met, first
time, Pastor Deepak sir,
00:10:51.78\00:10:55.75
also one
evangelist, Eldong Myena.
00:10:55.75\00:11:00.32
As they introduced
themselves as Adventists,
00:11:00.32\00:11:02.86
I thought that there might
be some horns in their head,
00:11:02.86\00:11:07.93
but whenever they told me
the Bible verse, it's truth.
00:11:09.26\00:11:14.27
And actually I was
astonished about that.
00:11:15.60\00:11:18.74
And after that, I
looked at YouTube,
00:11:19.87\00:11:23.38
Dr. Ronald Robin
messages and Mark Finley
00:11:23.38\00:11:28.45
and Pastor Doug.
00:11:30.52\00:11:33.62
So many messages I have got,
00:11:33.62\00:11:35.72
and I studied also
from "The Great Controversy"
00:11:35.72\00:11:40.76
and other books
of Ellen G. White.
00:11:40.76\00:11:45.33
And after that I
decided to have baptism in 2021,
00:11:45.33\00:11:50.31
and I become Adventist.
00:11:51.07\00:11:53.14
(gentle piano music)
00:11:53.14\00:11:56.18
- Isn't that amazing?
00:12:02.62\00:12:04.39
- That's so beautiful,
00:12:04.39\00:12:05.79
because he was a Christian
before, not an Adventist.
00:12:05.79\00:12:08.42
And he had a burden
to share with people.
00:12:08.42\00:12:11.06
So he started sharing, he
started praying for people.
00:12:11.06\00:12:13.26
Someone was healed from
cancer and a church was planted,
00:12:13.26\00:12:16.00
all this before he
learned the whole truth.
00:12:16.00\00:12:19.70
So it's just really neat to see
00:12:19.70\00:12:21.50
how God rewards the
prayers of His people,
00:12:21.50\00:12:24.07
even when they don't know
00:12:24.07\00:12:25.91
or aren't
keeping the entire truth.
00:12:25.91\00:12:27.98
- I love how he said rather-
00:12:27.98\00:12:29.98
- Nonchalantly? -
Yeah, that we prayed,
00:12:30.98\00:12:33.52
somebody got healed of cancer.
00:12:33.52\00:12:35.55
It's like, that's
kind of a big deal,
00:12:35.55\00:12:38.05
shows them that God's alive.
00:12:38.05\00:12:40.06
And then a lot of
people came into the truth
00:12:40.06\00:12:42.36
or into the faith in
Jesus through that miracle.
00:12:42.36\00:12:45.49
And then how he was
open-minded to really see
00:12:45.49\00:12:48.26
how the Adventist
message contains the truth,
00:12:48.26\00:12:53.03
and it's biblically based and-
00:12:53.03\00:12:54.54
- That there was more
truth that he didn't realize.
00:12:54.54\00:12:57.47
- Right, and he
followed the truth.
00:12:57.47\00:12:58.81
- Yeah, so we have
more of his testimony here
00:12:58.81\00:13:01.08
in the next video. - Excellent.
00:13:01.08\00:13:03.08
(uplifting violin music)
00:13:04.85\00:13:08.35
- I know the truth, and I
want to proclaim the truth.
00:13:15.86\00:13:20.66
So I decided to go here and
there to the Baptist churches
00:13:22.00\00:13:25.73
and proclaim the
Gospel, proclaim the truth.
00:13:25.73\00:13:27.97
I actually preach
about the Sabbath.
00:13:27.97\00:13:31.21
What is Sabbath, actually?
00:13:32.17\00:13:34.61
In the Genesis 2:1-2,
00:13:34.61\00:13:38.05
there we find
that God, (birds chirp)
00:13:38.05\00:13:41.42
He take rest and
He blessed the day
00:13:41.42\00:13:44.89
and also makes it holy.
00:13:46.19\00:13:49.79
And on the other hand,
00:13:49.79\00:13:51.43
as we go through
the New Testament,
00:13:51.43\00:13:54.60
then we see that Paul
00:13:54.60\00:13:57.90
and Jesus
Himself keep the Sabbath,
00:13:57.90\00:14:01.47
and his disciples
also keeping the Sabbath.
00:14:01.47\00:14:05.77
And on the other hand,
00:14:05.77\00:14:07.18
it is the fourth commandment
of the law, 10 Commandments.
00:14:07.18\00:14:11.95
I want to teach
them the real foundation
00:14:16.75\00:14:21.22
of our faith should be
the Bible, on the Word of God,
00:14:21.22\00:14:25.46
not on the other
traditional belief.
00:14:26.53\00:14:28.76
So one day I went to Rama Kanta,
00:14:39.21\00:14:43.21
I knew him
earlier, he was the pastor
00:14:43.21\00:14:48.28
of Christian Revival Church
00:14:49.08\00:14:52.55
and also the General Secretary
00:14:53.79\00:14:57.96
of CRC District Association.
00:14:57.96\00:15:00.30
I know him, but
Rama Kanta has asked me,
00:15:01.40\00:15:05.83
"Now what you are doing?"
00:15:06.77\00:15:08.54
I said that, "I'm doing the
Ministry in Adventist mission.
00:15:08.54\00:15:13.61
"So Adventist
mission is actually,
00:15:16.51\00:15:19.28
"they are keeping Sabbath,
00:15:19.28\00:15:21.28
"and they are keeping the law.
00:15:21.28\00:15:24.02
"We know that
they are triple-six."
00:15:24.02\00:15:28.36
But I say to Rama Kanta,
"We should keep the law, why?
00:15:28.36\00:15:33.43
"Because it is the
commandment of God.
00:15:34.83\00:15:37.07
"We should keep
the Sabbath, why?
00:15:37.07\00:15:41.07
"It is commandment of God."
00:15:41.07\00:15:43.34
So God takes rest
and God makes it holy,
00:15:43.34\00:15:48.41
and God blessed this day,
00:15:50.08\00:15:54.32
as I told like that, then
actually Rama Kanta, "Yes!"
00:15:54.32\00:15:59.39
He declared that,
"Yes, it is true."
00:16:01.42\00:16:06.23
And one sister who is
teaching in his school,
00:16:06.23\00:16:11.27
she got from somewhere a copy
00:16:12.07\00:16:16.37
of "The Great Controversy."
00:16:16.37\00:16:18.57
And actually she has given
him "The Great Controversy."
00:16:18.57\00:16:22.58
And he read it.
00:16:22.58\00:16:24.51
And after that
all together we prayed
00:16:24.51\00:16:28.45
and Bible study with them, and
they decided to have baptism.
00:16:28.45\00:16:33.52
- Wow, that's beautiful.
00:16:57.11\00:16:59.18
It's amazing to me,
00:17:02.75\00:17:04.09
just going through my
mind while watching that,
00:17:04.09\00:17:05.82
it's like, how long would it
have taken for somebody like me
00:17:05.82\00:17:10.89
from America to go there and
do the work that he just did?
00:17:12.26\00:17:16.00
They've got open
doors. - It's not possible.
00:17:18.80\00:17:21.14
- They've got open doors
00:17:21.90\00:17:23.27
and just by giving a
little bit of money every month,
00:17:23.27\00:17:27.18
we're able to
sponsor people like him
00:17:27.18\00:17:29.51
to go into places like that
00:17:29.51\00:17:31.71
and to touch leaders
00:17:31.71\00:17:33.15
like he touched
there, that's beautiful.
00:17:33.15\00:17:37.35
- And the willingness to be
open for change in our lives,
00:17:38.72\00:17:43.39
the willingness
to study, actually.
00:17:44.49\00:17:46.49
They thought the Adventists
were the antichrist, actually.
00:17:46.49\00:17:50.07
(both laugh)
00:17:50.07\00:17:51.77
Anyway, so it's
like to be willing
00:17:51.77\00:17:54.27
to study and look and see,
00:17:54.27\00:17:57.31
"Oh, there's
something I didn't realize.
00:17:57.31\00:17:59.91
"There's something
more, something deeper
00:17:59.91\00:18:02.14
"that I didn't know
before," that's huge.
00:18:02.14\00:18:05.05
- So there's a work happening
00:18:05.05\00:18:06.48
in that state, that's beautiful.
00:18:06.48\00:18:08.38
And yet there's still
so much more to be done.
00:18:08.38\00:18:12.45
It's like, we need
more Bible workers,
00:18:12.45\00:18:14.76
more training, more schools.
00:18:14.76\00:18:17.06
- We have one more
video from Brother Raju.
00:18:17.06\00:18:19.26
- Excellent.
00:18:19.26\00:18:20.16
(uplifting piano music)
00:18:21.10\00:18:24.50
- Bolo Hendrik, actually,
I know him from earlier.
00:18:31.74\00:18:36.81
But when I go
there, so I say to them
00:18:37.88\00:18:42.25
about the Sabbath
00:18:43.12\00:18:46.15
and say to them about
the truth of the Bible
00:18:47.99\00:18:52.03
and regarding death
also, I often go there.
00:18:52.03\00:18:57.07
(group sings foreign language)
00:18:57.87\00:18:58.97
And I have given them
"The Great Controversy,"
00:18:58.97\00:19:01.64
one copy of "The
Great Controversy" to them.
00:19:01.64\00:19:04.24
And they studied
"The Great Controversy."
00:19:04.24\00:19:07.78
Actually first time as I
proclaimed gospel before them,
00:19:09.08\00:19:13.65
they make quarrel with me.
00:19:14.92\00:19:18.22
So many arguments were there.
00:19:18.22\00:19:22.26
But finally, they
actually accepted the truth.
00:19:22.26\00:19:27.30
(Raju speaks foreign language)
00:19:34.84\00:19:38.81
Now I am very happy.
00:19:44.88\00:19:48.18
Before coming to
Adventist member,
00:19:48.18\00:19:52.05
what we are following,
these were not crystal clear.
00:19:53.39\00:19:57.89
But after being an Adventist,
it's completely clear.
00:19:59.43\00:20:04.47
So now there is
no doubt I can preach
00:20:06.77\00:20:11.31
to the other
people without fear.
00:20:11.31\00:20:15.48
I'm now in my ministry.
00:20:16.34\00:20:19.18
I'm very happy to do this work.
00:20:19.18\00:20:22.28
I want to go
everywhere of my districts,
00:20:22.28\00:20:26.49
of my state, everywhere.
00:20:26.49\00:20:29.29
And to announce these messages.
00:20:29.29\00:20:34.20
- While watching
that, I'm just struck
00:20:55.02\00:20:56.45
with how simple they are.
00:20:56.45\00:20:58.52
And yet the vision
comes into my mind is
00:20:58.52\00:21:03.39
what are they gonna look like
00:21:03.39\00:21:05.19
when Jesus is putting a
crown of gold on their head?
00:21:05.19\00:21:09.66
- It was beautiful.
00:21:11.00\00:21:11.80
And I just love how he was like,
00:21:11.80\00:21:14.37
"Yeah, there were
so many arguments."
00:21:14.37\00:21:16.50
But he didn't walk away.
00:21:16.50\00:21:19.11
It doesn't sound like
he really argued back,
00:21:19.11\00:21:21.18
but he just tried to keep it,
00:21:21.18\00:21:23.28
the clear
message coming through.
00:21:24.38\00:21:27.62
We weren't there,
00:21:27.62\00:21:28.72
we don't know
what really happened,
00:21:28.72\00:21:29.85
but it's so amazing to me
00:21:29.85\00:21:32.32
that they came to
become Adventist also
00:21:32.32\00:21:36.16
because they saw the clarity
00:21:36.16\00:21:37.76
and they saw the truth
that he was sharing with them
00:21:37.76\00:21:40.60
that they
weren't aware of before.
00:21:40.60\00:21:43.50
- And the joy in their
faces at the end of the video.
00:21:43.50\00:21:46.10
That's those smiles of peace.
00:21:46.10\00:21:48.34
That's a beautiful thing.
00:21:48.34\00:21:49.64
You can't buy that.
00:21:49.64\00:21:51.61
- Right, right,
so the unit is asking
00:21:51.61\00:21:53.91
for revival meetings and
training, that kind of thing.
00:21:53.91\00:21:57.05
Both for church members
00:21:57.05\00:21:58.28
as well as for
the Bible workers.
00:21:58.28\00:22:00.28
- And this is an area
where we can cooperate
00:22:00.28\00:22:03.59
and partner with the
local workers in coming there
00:22:03.59\00:22:07.19
and encouraging them
00:22:07.19\00:22:08.99
and giving them more in-depth
insights into the stories
00:22:08.99\00:22:12.86
of the Bible and the
doctrines of the church
00:22:12.86\00:22:16.73
and the life of Christ
00:22:16.73\00:22:18.80
and just pour in
our passion into them.
00:22:18.80\00:22:22.74
And this is a place
where people from this side
00:22:22.74\00:22:26.01
of the world
can go and encourage
00:22:26.01\00:22:28.44
and really support the
work in short-term missions.
00:22:28.44\00:22:31.78
- So you were able to go there
00:22:32.85\00:22:33.92
and visit a few
years ago? - Yes.
00:22:33.92\00:22:35.88
I love the
place, it's beautiful.
00:22:35.88\00:22:38.02
And one of the things that
stands out to me in my memory is
00:22:38.02\00:22:41.06
that one of our Bible
workers requested a copy
00:22:41.06\00:22:43.89
of a chart that he was using.
00:22:43.89\00:22:46.16
And this is the
chart that he was using,
00:22:46.16\00:22:48.60
as you can see, it's cloth.
00:22:48.60\00:22:51.73
- Wow. - And he says,
00:22:51.73\00:22:53.34
this is such a great tool
00:22:53.34\00:22:55.17
for sharing the
truth to my friends
00:22:55.17\00:22:58.07
and to village
members in the area.
00:22:58.07\00:23:01.11
And then he asked for a copy,
00:23:01.11\00:23:03.51
do I have any
other ones like this?
00:23:03.51\00:23:05.95
And so I looked at the date
00:23:05.95\00:23:07.72
that this was
published, copyright 1908.
00:23:07.72\00:23:10.62
(both laugh)
00:23:10.62\00:23:12.22
- Yeah, no. - And I had to share
00:23:12.22\00:23:13.69
that I don't really
have anything like that.
00:23:13.69\00:23:16.19
This is the first time
I've ever seen one like that
00:23:16.19\00:23:18.36
that's made out of cloth.
00:23:18.36\00:23:19.76
So if any of our
viewers has a chart like this,
00:23:19.76\00:23:23.50
maybe in the attic
somewhere, or in the archives
00:23:23.50\00:23:26.13
or a museum, it's still
needed out on the field.
00:23:26.13\00:23:29.07
- I wonder what it
would take to print some more.
00:23:30.21\00:23:32.11
'cause they fold that up
00:23:32.11\00:23:33.94
or they roll it up
00:23:33.94\00:23:35.24
and they can just stick
it in their satchel, or-
00:23:35.24\00:23:38.68
- It's very durable.
00:23:38.68\00:23:39.81
- It makes it so
much easier to carry and-.
00:23:39.81\00:23:41.18
- Yeah, lightweight, doesn't
get bent like paper does.
00:23:41.18\00:23:45.19
And it's obviously
lasted a long time.
00:23:46.29\00:23:49.36
- Obviously. (John laughs)
00:23:49.36\00:23:51.73
- Over a hundred years,
00:23:51.73\00:23:53.36
that's the oldest
one I've ever seen.
00:23:53.36\00:23:55.43
I know some people that
would love to put it in a museum
00:23:55.43\00:23:58.20
because it's rarity now,
00:23:58.20\00:24:00.67
but I don't think that we
wanna take it off the field.
00:24:00.67\00:24:04.41
Missions is not a museum.
00:24:04.41\00:24:06.51
We're not ready to put
missions in the museum,
00:24:07.71\00:24:09.54
or Assam or Bible workers,
00:24:09.54\00:24:11.25
or any of the tools
that they're using currently.
00:24:11.25\00:24:13.92
And these are people,
00:24:13.92\00:24:15.92
our Bible workers go simply.
00:24:15.92\00:24:17.65
They don't have a computer,
they don't have a projector,
00:24:17.65\00:24:20.99
they don't have the fancy
graphics and all this stuff.
00:24:20.99\00:24:23.83
And so they just go as
you saw him sitting there,
00:24:23.83\00:24:26.53
singing a song,
00:24:26.53\00:24:29.43
and the song
actually, as we appreciate,
00:24:29.43\00:24:33.23
sticks in our
minds better and teaches,
00:24:33.23\00:24:36.64
as the people
that learn the song
00:24:36.64\00:24:39.47
then sing throughout the day.
00:24:39.47\00:24:40.98
- Thinking about Assam
brings to mind a friend of ours
00:24:42.28\00:24:45.48
that was a missionary there
00:24:45.48\00:24:47.48
for a long time.
00:24:47.48\00:24:49.22
And his love for
the people just glowed.
00:24:49.22\00:24:52.82
He was in Nagaland,
he gave us some clothing,
00:24:52.82\00:24:55.26
some cloth from there,
00:24:55.26\00:24:57.23
different things like that,
00:24:57.23\00:24:58.33
that it's just, his
stories of the people,
00:24:58.33\00:25:02.76
just such a blessing.
00:25:02.76\00:25:04.47
And it just challenged me,
00:25:04.47\00:25:07.47
his faithfulness in witnessing
and being a part of the work.
00:25:07.47\00:25:12.21
And he learned
languages over there.
00:25:12.21\00:25:15.54
He was born in India, actually.
00:25:15.54\00:25:17.61
And so it just, I
don't know, it just showed me
00:25:17.61\00:25:21.75
how much we can do as Western
people, Western missionaries.
00:25:21.75\00:25:26.82
If we go to an area,
if our heart is humble,
00:25:28.02\00:25:30.66
if we're teachable,
if we're willing to sit
00:25:30.66\00:25:32.73
with the people
and learn from them.
00:25:32.73\00:25:34.83
It's just such a
beautiful thing to think
00:25:37.10\00:25:38.80
about that cooperation
both in the field over there
00:25:38.80\00:25:42.77
like he did as a missionary,
00:25:42.77\00:25:44.84
and what we can do from here,
00:25:44.84\00:25:46.37
praying for these Bible workers
00:25:46.37\00:25:48.51
and sending funds to help
them to be able to be free
00:25:48.51\00:25:52.01
to just do God's work full time.
00:25:52.01\00:25:54.32
- Yeah, I would
just sit with him
00:25:54.32\00:25:55.68
and just ask him, "Can
you please tell me stories?"
00:25:55.68\00:25:58.65
And his wife were like,
"Oh, he talks too much."
00:25:58.65\00:26:01.39
I'm like, "No, I want
to hear these stories."
00:26:01.39\00:26:03.16
And I'm so thankful for
the stories that he told me,
00:26:03.16\00:26:05.56
because he's just
recently passed away.
00:26:05.56\00:26:07.93
And he was born in India
up in what he calls Shillong,
00:26:07.93\00:26:11.37
which is the
capital city of Meghalaya,
00:26:11.37\00:26:13.67
which is just south of the
Guwahati, which is in Assam.
00:26:13.67\00:26:18.01
And so in that
time that he was there,
00:26:18.01\00:26:20.38
everything was Assam,
00:26:20.38\00:26:22.11
and didn't have the
different states like that.
00:26:22.11\00:26:24.78
But he was born before
World War II, in that area,
00:26:24.78\00:26:27.92
so before Bangladesh became
a country, a separate country.
00:26:27.92\00:26:31.92
So he talked about what
it was like during the war,
00:26:31.92\00:26:34.42
and even after he
came home and retired,
00:26:34.42\00:26:36.86
he kept sending funds over there
00:26:36.86\00:26:39.09
and helped establish and
build a very large church
00:26:39.09\00:26:42.76
in the Shillong city area.
00:26:42.76\00:26:43.90
So it was neat to see
how he stayed involved
00:26:43.90\00:26:47.00
and stayed supportive
of the work in that area,
00:26:47.00\00:26:50.07
even after he was back
here in America and retired.
00:26:50.07\00:26:53.01
- Yeah, it's beautiful.
00:26:53.01\00:26:55.04
- And it was
neat to hear him talk
00:26:56.14\00:26:57.81
about how the
different tribes interacting
00:26:57.81\00:27:00.28
with the different tribes
and the different clothes.
00:27:00.28\00:27:02.25
And he actually carried a table,
00:27:02.25\00:27:06.96
a beautifully
carved table, hand carved,
00:27:06.96\00:27:11.06
that he bought in India
00:27:11.06\00:27:13.13
and carried it home on
the plane, took the legs off,
00:27:13.13\00:27:15.86
and had it as carry on luggage.
00:27:15.86\00:27:17.93
- That's pretty
amazing. (John laughs)
00:27:17.93\00:27:19.33
'cause it's not a small table.
00:27:19.33\00:27:20.97
- No, and he donated
it to Jesus for Asia,
00:27:20.97\00:27:23.37
and it's now a
centerpiece in our new office,
00:27:23.37\00:27:26.41
and we just love looking at it.
00:27:26.41\00:27:27.81
Every time I look
at it, I think of him
00:27:27.81\00:27:29.31
and the sacrifice that
he and his family made.
00:27:29.31\00:27:31.85
- We're running outta time,
00:27:31.85\00:27:33.52
and we do have more stories
00:27:33.52\00:27:35.12
from another
Bible worker in Assam.
00:27:35.12\00:27:37.49
So if you would like
to join us next time,
00:27:37.49\00:27:39.92
you'll hear
those stories as well.
00:27:39.92\00:27:41.62
If you'd like to learn more
about sponsoring Bible workers
00:27:41.62\00:27:45.16
in India and
other parts of Asia,
00:27:45.16\00:27:47.30
please contact us
at Jesus for Asia,
00:27:47.30\00:27:49.90
PO Box 1221,
Collegedale, Tennessee, 37315.
00:27:49.90\00:27:54.10
Call us at (423)-413-7321,
(uplifting piano music)
00:27:55.47\00:27:59.74
or visit our
website at jesusforasia.org.
00:27:59.74\00:28:03.21
May God richly bless you
until we see you next time
00:28:03.21\00:28:06.51
on "Jesus for Asia Now."
00:28:06.51\00:28:08.28
(uplifting orchestral music)
00:28:08.28\00:28:12.12