(inspiring music)
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- Hello and welcome
to "Jesus for Asia Now"
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I'm Natalie Wood, and my husband
Jon is here with me today.
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Hello, love.
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- Hi, darling. How are you?
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- Good, good. - Awesome.
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- I'm excited about today's show
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because today
we're going to schools.
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- Yeah.
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Actually, one of them
isn't quite a school yet.
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- No, it's a dream.
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It's a need and
it's an opportunity.
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- The other thing we have
the privilege of doing today
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is meeting a Bible worker.
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- Yeah, yeah.
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This is a Bible
worker up in the same state
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that the new school is in.
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It's in the
northeast corner near Assam,
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where we went to recently.
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- Okay.
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So our first school is
actually located in Bangladesh.
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- [Jon] That's right.
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- It started a few years ago
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when some friends of ours
actually went to Bangladesh
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and met this young man and
heard his burden for the school.
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And so we started helping.
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- That's right.
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And we built the school,
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and they started
with a few children.
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It started growing and growing,
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and now it's quite a
thriving little place.
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And the kids are loving it.
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- Awesome. Awesome.
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Well, we have some video.
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So let's go ahead and
watch the first one now.
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- [Jon] Okay.
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(gentle piano music)
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- [Interpreter] I
wanted to open a school
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because in our area, all of
the people are Hindu and Muslim.
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In the past, there were
many Christian families,
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but when the
churches closed 15 years ago,
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they went back to
their old religion.
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We built a school because
if we teach the kids first,
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they will help us to
share our God's message
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with their parents.
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If we share things
with the children's parents,
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they don't listen.
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If they listen,
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they forget it when they
get back to their houses.
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But we will teach the children,
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and they will help
to teach their parents.
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In our area, most of the
people are needy and poor,
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but if we give them
instruction and some food,
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maybe someday they
will make good leaders.
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If they do not come
to school here regularly,
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maybe the parents
will send their children
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to the fields to work.
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That's why we made a
plan to build a school.
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(gentle piano music)
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The students are coming
from Christian families,
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Hindu families,
and Muslim families.
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Most are from Hindu families.
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At first, when we taught them,
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they did not listen to
our stories about Jesus.
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Their minds were
in another place.
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But we teach them
many stories about Jesus,
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and little by little,
they are changing their minds.
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And now they are listening
to our stories about Jesus,
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and they are reading the Bible.
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Also, they share what they
are learning with their parents.
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A few days ago, eight
students accepted our Jesus,
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and their parents
also accepted our Jesus.
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(inspiring music)
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Here in our area,
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they know that missionary
schools give good education.
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That's why all the
people want to send their kids
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to our school.
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Our government also
wants to send them here,
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so they are helping us.
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We have some
problems, too, though.
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Sometimes the Muslim
families do not accept
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our Christianity.
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Most of the
children come to listen
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to our Bible study and prayers,
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but the Muslim
families stay separate
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from us during that time.
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We are praying that, God
willing, that will be solved.
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(inspiring music)
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All of the teachers
are happy to work with us.
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Most of the teachers
and staff are Christian.
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And a few days ago,
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we had one teacher
willingly accept our Jesus.
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But four of the teachers
haven't accepted our Jesus.
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However, they join us every
morning for worship and prayer
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and on Sabbath.
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Maybe they will
accept our Jesus.
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We are praying for them.
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(inspiring music)
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- Wow, that's really nice.
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- Yeah.
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Yeah, you notice it
says evening school,
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but it's actually a day school.
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We wanted to start out
with an evening school,
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but they figured that the
kids don't have a day school
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that they go to.
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Like, the evening
schools that we have in India,
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they go to a regular
school during the day.
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In the evening it's like,
tutoring, really helping them,
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and also doing character
training and things like that.
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So when we tried to start
the evening school up here,
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the name stuck,
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but they have the
evening school in the morning.
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And then the
Muslim kids wanted to,
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or the Muslim families
wanted to have their kids
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in the school also,
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so they started an
afternoon program for them.
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But they all joined
together for the free lunch.
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And this is in a very poor area.
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So this really helps
with their malnutrition issues
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that they have.
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So we started
this school in 2019,
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and at the very beginning,
there was nothing there.
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- So we had a couple ladies
go to India a couple years ago
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for the grand
opening for this school.
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And so there's a plaque
there with their names on it
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that they were there
for the grand opening.
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And it was really
neat for them to go and see
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'cause they love
the children also.
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And so they really
enjoyed having the opportunity
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to be there for
the grand opening.
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- Right. All right, well,
let's watch that video now.
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- [Natalie] Okay.
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(upbeat music)
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- [Interpreter] Jinoir JFA
Evening School has 130 students
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and 15 workers.
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There's one school
van driver, three cooks,
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and I am the school facilitator.
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And the other 10
are the school teachers,
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the principal, and
one office manager.
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And there are six grades:
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kindergarten,
grade one, grade two,
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grade three, grade
four, and grade five.
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In the beginning, we
opened with only three grades,
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but last year we requested help
from JFA to have six grades.
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In the past, we
taught only three grades
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because we had three rooms.
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And at that time,
we had fewer teachers.
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When we made the request
to have another three grades
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and more teachers,
JFA granted our request.
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Our school has
two sessions each day.
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Grades three, four, and
five come in the morning.
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They study from
8:00 AM until 2:00 PM.
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And the other three grades,
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kindergarten,
grade one, and grade two,
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come and study
from 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM.
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(gentle music)
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- [Interpreter] In our school,
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we are teaching our students
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according to our
government system,
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and we are trying to teach them
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according to our
Christianity also.
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But for the most part,
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we are teaching them
from the government system.
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On Fridays, we are
teaching them extra curriculum,
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such as Bible study, cultural
songs and dances, and drawing.
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Basically, whatever they
learn in the government school,
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we are teaching them in
private and tutoring them
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to help the children
become better developed
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in their education.
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When our students took their
exams, all of them did well.
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And then when they appeared
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for the exams in
the government school,
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the students from our
school got better scores
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than the others.
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(gentle music)
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I am very happy
because I am working here.
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I was working in
another denomination before,
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but I had gone to the
Christian school called SAMS,
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so I knew the doctrines
of Seventh-day Adventists.
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So when I was
working in various positions
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in the other denomination,
I was not satisfied
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because they denied the
Sabbath and other truths also.
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I also like working here
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because I am
working with children,
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and working with
children is my favorite.
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I have seen that our
children are different
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from other children.
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They come to know our Jesus
and eagerly receive everything,
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and they learn how to
live their lives as Christians.
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(gentle music)
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- It's just really
neat how they've had a heart
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for these kids and,
you know, wanted to expand,
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and that we had the funds
available to let them do that,
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to enable them to do that.
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- Is this an
expensive thing to do?
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Is it expensive to send
these kids to this school?
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- It's about $20
per month per child.
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- So that includes the training,
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the education,
and the free meal.
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- Right.
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- $20 a month per child.
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- Yep.
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- That's a good deal.
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- Yes, it is.
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And one of the things that's
grown out of this is that,
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and I think we've talked
about it in another show,
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is that some of the young
people wanna be able to continue
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and take sixth grade on up.
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And so what
we've been able to do
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is provide
sponsorship funds to send them
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to that same school he
was talking about, SAMS-
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- Oh. I see. -
For the next grades.
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- So they can continue
on with their education
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as far as they want to go.
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- Right.
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- In some parts of India,
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we've seen that
the young ladies,
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if they don't get an education,
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then they get married
at the age of 12 or 13
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and are on their third
child by the time they turn 16.
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And so this is more than just
providing them an education.
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It's giving them
a new lease on life.
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- Right. Options for a future.
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- Exactly.
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And some people will say, "Well,
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we should put our
money into evangelism,
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not just schooling."
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But the truth is that evangelism
might happen for a week,
00:10:16.24\00:10:19.71
but schooling is
every day for years.
00:10:19.71\00:10:22.78
- It's a long-term investment
into the future generations.
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- Yeah. This school is
also paired with a local church.
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And so there's a bible worker
that cares for that church.
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And since these
videos were shot,
00:10:32.86\00:10:35.46
there's been another baptism
00:10:35.46\00:10:37.10
where they
baptized almost 50 people.
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It was a very high day for
them. They were so excited.
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- Okay. Well, we do
have one more video.
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So let's go ahead
and watch that now.
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- [Jon] Okay.
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(gentle upbeat music)
00:10:46.94\00:10:50.08
- [Interpreter] We
have selected eight students
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to go to SAMS.
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SAMS started in 1993.
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The school can
handle about 1,000 students.
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The students all
stay in the dorms,
00:11:03.09\00:11:05.19
and I think there are
about 54 staff on the campus.
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The students can study
there up to 12th grade,
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and after that, they can go
00:11:11.53\00:11:13.13
to the Bangladesh
Adventist Seminary and College.
00:11:13.13\00:11:16.71
SAMS is a very disciplined place
00:11:16.71\00:11:19.01
where children
can learn very well,
00:11:19.01\00:11:21.21
and for children to go there,
00:11:21.21\00:11:22.84
they will need
around 3,600 taka per month.
00:11:22.84\00:11:26.41
All of the students that we
want to send live in poverty,
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their parents are very poor,
00:11:30.62\00:11:32.32
and they are eager
to send them to SAMS.
00:11:32.32\00:11:34.26
(gentle upbeat music)
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(student speaking
in foreign language)
00:11:43.47\00:11:46.10
- [Interpreter] When
I was in public school,
00:11:46.10\00:11:47.40
I could not read or learn.
00:11:47.40\00:11:48.97
But after coming to this school,
00:11:48.97\00:11:50.21
I learned how to read and write.
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I was a Hindu, but
this school changed my life.
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When I came to know
about Jesus, I thought,
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"This is better
than our religion."
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(student speaking
in foreign language)
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- [Interpreter] I studied
here and learned about Jesus.
00:12:01.95\00:12:04.12
Then I got baptized
and accepted Jesus Christ.
00:12:04.12\00:12:07.16
At first, I was
a very naughty boy,
00:12:07.16\00:12:09.12
but after hearing about
Jesus Christ, now I'm changed.
00:12:09.12\00:12:12.43
I learned how to control
myself, and now I'm very quiet.
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(gentle upbeat music)
00:12:15.53\00:12:18.77
We are so poor, but I want
to go to SAMS to study more.
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And after my studies,
I will work for the Lord.
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(student speaking
in foreign language)
00:12:30.35\00:12:32.08
- [Interpreter] If
I stay here at home,
00:12:32.08\00:12:33.62
I'll need to go to work,
and that will hamper my studies.
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That's why I'm going to
SAMS to get a better education.
00:12:36.45\00:12:39.25
Because we are very poor,
00:12:40.86\00:12:42.29
I know that if I
do not go to SAMS,
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my studies will
not be continued.
00:12:44.13\00:12:46.09
That's why I want to go there,
00:12:46.09\00:12:47.40
and I will learn
more about Jesus.
00:12:47.40\00:12:49.13
(gentle upbeat music)
00:12:49.13\00:12:52.27
I want to be a teacher.
00:12:56.64\00:12:59.01
(student speaking
in foreign language)
00:13:00.18\00:13:01.68
- [Interpreter] I want to
be a preacher of the gospel.
00:13:01.68\00:13:04.01
- Teacher.
00:13:04.78\00:13:08.35
(student speaking
in foreign language)
00:13:08.35\00:13:09.55
- [Interpreter] I
want to be a teacher.
00:13:09.55\00:13:11.69
I want to work for Jesus Christ.
00:13:11.69\00:13:13.52
- Teacher.
00:13:15.12\00:13:16.02
- Doctor.
00:13:17.26\00:13:18.16
- [Interpreter] I
want to serve the people.
00:13:19.26\00:13:20.90
- I'm a nurse.
(speaking in foreign language)
00:13:21.93\00:13:24.57
- [Interpreter] I want to
be a nurse to serve the people,
00:13:24.57\00:13:27.50
and I want to give the
good message about Jesus.
00:13:27.50\00:13:30.01
(gentle upbeat music)
00:13:31.14\00:13:34.38
- [Interpreter] I
think SAMS is the best place
00:13:35.48\00:13:36.98
where they can
learn about Jesus Christ,
00:13:36.98\00:13:38.98
and they will become
very good Christians in SAMS.
00:13:38.98\00:13:42.45
And when they
come back from SAMS,
00:13:42.45\00:13:44.49
after
completing their education,
00:13:44.49\00:13:46.39
I think they will be
leaders and missionaries.
00:13:46.39\00:13:48.69
(gentle upbeat music)
00:13:48.69\00:13:51.93
- I love how they all
wanna be teachers and doctors
00:13:54.63\00:13:57.57
and to work for God.
00:13:57.57\00:13:59.13
I just love
that. That's so neat.
00:13:59.13\00:14:01.54
They see possibility,
they see opportunity,
00:14:01.54\00:14:04.67
and they wanna focus on
serving, so many of them.
00:14:04.67\00:14:07.54
- Yeah.
00:14:07.54\00:14:08.81
- Now, I know they
do have another request.
00:14:08.81\00:14:10.55
And what is that?
00:14:10.55\00:14:12.05
- So what's happened is
with the Muslim community,
00:14:12.05\00:14:13.88
the Muslim kids that
were coming to school,
00:14:13.88\00:14:15.35
originally, they didn't
wanna associate with Christians.
00:14:15.35\00:14:17.75
But after a year of
seeing how the school ran,
00:14:17.75\00:14:20.59
they were
really asked and begged
00:14:20.59\00:14:22.09
that their children could come.
00:14:22.09\00:14:23.59
'Cause their
children wanted to come too.
00:14:23.59\00:14:25.36
And so they've been
coming for a couple years,
00:14:25.36\00:14:27.13
but unfortunately, the
community is somewhat nomadic.
00:14:27.13\00:14:31.77
And so they've
moved farther away.
00:14:31.77\00:14:33.37
I think the government
moved them farther away.
00:14:33.37\00:14:35.74
And so they're
asking for a vehicle
00:14:35.74\00:14:38.27
that they can bring
those children every morning
00:14:38.27\00:14:41.14
and take them
back every evening.
00:14:41.14\00:14:43.41
And we told them we didn't
have the money for that vehicle.
00:14:43.41\00:14:45.88
So we're praying that
that request can be granted
00:14:45.88\00:14:48.62
so those kids can
join the school again.
00:14:48.62\00:14:50.72
- We're gonna leave
Bangladesh now and go to India.
00:14:50.72\00:14:53.49
And we're going to the
northeastern state of Tripura.
00:14:53.49\00:14:56.66
We have a special
connection to this young man
00:14:56.66\00:14:58.99
that we're gonna
see in the next video.
00:14:58.99\00:15:00.46
- Okay.
00:15:00.46\00:15:01.36
- A friend of my mother's,
00:15:01.36\00:15:02.53
their family was
friends of our family
00:15:02.53\00:15:04.23
as we were growing up.
00:15:04.23\00:15:05.50
And she and her
husband started going to India,
00:15:05.50\00:15:07.80
and while they
were visiting there,
00:15:07.80\00:15:09.60
they met this young man.
00:15:09.60\00:15:11.21
And he shared with them
his dream of having a school
00:15:11.21\00:15:13.88
in this area of Tripura.
00:15:13.88\00:15:15.44
- Recently, Jonathan and Hannah,
00:15:15.44\00:15:16.78
our foreign
correspondents over there,
00:15:16.78\00:15:18.28
were able to go and visit him
00:15:18.28\00:15:19.68
and get a little bit of insight
00:15:19.68\00:15:20.98
into his background,
his life, and his dream.
00:15:20.98\00:15:23.92
- Okay, we only have
one video from this place
00:15:23.92\00:15:26.15
because it's not
anything really yet
00:15:26.15\00:15:28.59
except a piece of land
and a young man with a dream.
00:15:28.59\00:15:31.79
So let's meet Gabriel now.
00:15:31.79\00:15:33.23
- Okay.
00:15:33.23\00:15:34.03
(graceful piano music)
00:15:34.03\00:15:37.37
- I grew up in West Tripura,
00:15:39.10\00:15:41.00
which is in the
Capital District.
00:15:41.00\00:15:42.80
My father is a
daily wages laborer.
00:15:42.80\00:15:45.97
My mom is a housewife.
00:15:45.97\00:15:47.94
And so I did not go to
school in my early childhood
00:15:47.94\00:15:51.61
because my parents were
too poor to send me to school.
00:15:51.61\00:15:55.22
So as a child,
00:15:55.22\00:15:56.65
I have never been to
school until the age of 11
00:15:56.65\00:16:00.32
when we converted to
Seventh-day Adventist
00:16:00.32\00:16:03.43
and when I was given a
sponsor through ACI programs,
00:16:03.43\00:16:07.46
Adventist Child of India.
00:16:07.46\00:16:09.50
So that's when I went to
Adventist boarding school.
00:16:09.50\00:16:13.17
Since I have never been
to a school in my early life,
00:16:14.57\00:16:18.37
I would question, "Why, Lord,
00:16:18.37\00:16:21.11
I am not able to go to school
like the other students go?"
00:16:21.11\00:16:24.58
So I can understand how it
is feel like to stay at home
00:16:24.58\00:16:29.65
than going to school.
00:16:30.32\00:16:31.52
And I see here we
have so many advantage.
00:16:31.52\00:16:33.72
They're just trying to survive.
00:16:33.72\00:16:35.39
They don't go to school who
live in the mountains, hills.
00:16:35.39\00:16:39.03
So my vision for this school
00:16:39.03\00:16:40.96
is to give
education to everyone.
00:16:40.96\00:16:43.87
(gentle graceful music)
00:16:43.87\00:16:47.27
The land was found by
one of our church members.
00:16:48.60\00:16:50.81
And this is about 18 kilometers
from our state capital,
00:16:50.81\00:16:54.88
and from my home,
00:16:54.88\00:16:56.11
it's about 35 minutes
of drive by motorcycle.
00:16:56.11\00:17:00.45
And here, there was
not even a single Adventist
00:17:00.45\00:17:02.95
in this locality.
00:17:02.95\00:17:04.42
So I'm surprised
to know last week
00:17:04.42\00:17:06.35
that we have church
members near my village,
00:17:06.35\00:17:11.06
and his wife is
from this village.
00:17:11.06\00:17:13.96
And so we are trying
to get contact with her
00:17:13.96\00:17:16.10
so it could be
easier to approach,
00:17:16.10\00:17:18.20
because this is a completely
new to us, this place.
00:17:18.20\00:17:21.10
(inspiring music)
00:17:21.10\00:17:24.24
I want through school,
the first and foremost thing
00:17:24.24\00:17:26.64
is to reach out the community,
00:17:26.64\00:17:29.31
the gospel of Jesus Christ.
00:17:29.31\00:17:31.15
And to train them spiritually,
physically, mentally
00:17:31.15\00:17:34.02
in the knowledge of Christ
00:17:34.02\00:17:35.42
so that we can prepare them
00:17:35.42\00:17:37.99
in coming of our
Lord, Savior Jesus Christ.
00:17:37.99\00:17:41.12
We want to have till
high school, class 12,
00:17:41.12\00:17:43.96
but right now, it
may not be possible.
00:17:43.96\00:17:47.60
But we wanna start from
maybe nursery to class four,
00:17:47.60\00:17:52.40
and then year by
year, we step up, up, up.
00:17:52.40\00:17:55.27
(inspiring music)
00:17:55.27\00:17:58.17
I pray that this school
will grow into a big tree
00:18:00.28\00:18:04.38
where many fruits will be here,
00:18:04.38\00:18:06.31
and the people of
Tripura could eat this fruit
00:18:06.31\00:18:08.88
and then will be blessed.
00:18:08.88\00:18:10.19
(gentle music)
00:18:10.19\00:18:12.85
- He's got a great vision,
00:18:17.63\00:18:18.93
- Right. Right. - Yeah.
00:18:18.93\00:18:20.53
- And to think of
the opportunities and the
00:18:20.53\00:18:22.86
possibilities. - Now, he
mentioned ACI, Adventist Child
00:18:22.86\00:18:25.60
India. That's an organization
at the division level
00:18:25.60\00:18:28.97
that finds
sponsorship to send children
00:18:28.97\00:18:31.41
to Adventist schools,
00:18:31.41\00:18:32.57
so that the
Adventist children can get
00:18:32.57\00:18:34.41
an Adventist education.
00:18:34.41\00:18:36.04
And the majority of our
Adventist children can't afford
00:18:36.04\00:18:39.01
an Adventist education.
00:18:39.01\00:18:40.25
- Right.
00:18:40.25\00:18:41.45
- So this is a
fantastic ministry
00:18:41.45\00:18:42.68
that has been
operating for quite a while,
00:18:42.68\00:18:44.65
and we're seeing a
lot of fruit from that.
00:18:44.65\00:18:47.56
- Mm-hmm.
00:18:47.56\00:18:49.02
Now we're gonna meet one of
the Bible workers from Tripura.
00:18:49.02\00:18:51.29
He's one of six there,
00:18:51.29\00:18:54.00
and his name is
Brother Samundra.
00:18:54.00\00:18:56.73
(warm string music)
00:18:56.73\00:18:59.80
- [Interpreter] My
father told me that in the past,
00:19:03.97\00:19:05.71
my family was Roman Catholic.
00:19:05.71\00:19:07.91
Then I don't know
what the problem was,
00:19:07.91\00:19:09.98
but they came out from
Catholicism and became Hindus
00:19:09.98\00:19:13.72
again. Then in 2006, some
pastors came from Jharkhand,
00:19:13.72\00:19:16.89
and they
preached and they told us
00:19:16.89\00:19:18.15
about the gospel from the Bible.
00:19:18.15\00:19:19.82
After that, our family
decided to accept Christ.
00:19:21.16\00:19:24.16
I was the first to get
baptized, and after that,
00:19:24.16\00:19:26.90
my father and the rest of
my family all accepted Christ.
00:19:26.90\00:19:29.83
I studied in Spicer
Adventist University
00:19:30.97\00:19:33.10
and got my
bachelor's in theology.
00:19:33.10\00:19:35.77
In 2019, I completed my studies.
00:19:35.77\00:19:38.47
And after that I came back,
00:19:38.47\00:19:40.21
and in 2020 I joined this
work and became a JFA worker.
00:19:40.21\00:19:44.01
(cheerful music)
00:19:44.01\00:19:46.85
Mainly, I'm working
in the Samaritive Church.
00:19:51.25\00:19:54.12
We have about 30
members in this church.
00:19:54.12\00:19:56.46
Most of the
people here are Hindu,
00:19:56.46\00:19:58.73
but I'm sharing with
them without any problems.
00:19:58.73\00:20:01.50
They are not opposing me.
00:20:01.50\00:20:03.50
Whether or not
they will accept it,
00:20:03.50\00:20:05.00
I am sharing with them.
00:20:05.00\00:20:07.00
They know that I am living here
and that I'm the evangelist,
00:20:07.00\00:20:09.44
but they don't oppose me.
00:20:09.44\00:20:11.21
And I'm not working alone.
00:20:11.21\00:20:12.97
I'm taking people
from my group with me,
00:20:12.97\00:20:14.94
and we work together.
00:20:14.94\00:20:16.01
(gentle hopeful music)
00:20:16.01\00:20:19.35
There are some new
areas that we have entered.
00:20:23.62\00:20:25.89
One is Julaisura.
00:20:25.89\00:20:27.79
There are five families there,
00:20:27.79\00:20:29.16
and they are
worshiping in a house.
00:20:29.16\00:20:31.33
They've only been meeting
for eight or nine months,
00:20:31.33\00:20:33.43
so they're a new group and don't
have a church building yet.
00:20:33.43\00:20:36.53
I ended up going to that village
00:20:36.53\00:20:37.93
because they asked me to come.
00:20:37.93\00:20:39.97
Usually we go to them first,
but this time they called us,
00:20:39.97\00:20:42.80
so we got the
opportunity to go and visit them
00:20:42.80\00:20:44.84
and to share the
good news from the Bible.
00:20:44.84\00:20:47.34
After that, we
held meetings there.
00:20:47.34\00:20:49.48
We preached in the
evenings for two to three weeks.
00:20:49.48\00:20:51.65
Then after that,
they accepted Christ.
00:20:51.65\00:20:53.68
(gentle hopeful music)
00:20:53.68\00:20:56.92
- Isn't that neat
to see a young man
00:21:03.22\00:21:05.46
and all the people that are
hungry for the truth responding?
00:21:05.46\00:21:08.63
And without him, those churches
might not be able to exist
00:21:08.63\00:21:12.00
because there's just not
that many pastors available,
00:21:12.00\00:21:15.44
and they don't have the funds
00:21:15.44\00:21:16.57
to really hire more pastors.
00:21:16.57\00:21:18.77
And so the Bible
workers are carrying
00:21:18.77\00:21:20.68
a lot of responsibility.
00:21:20.68\00:21:22.41
- Right.
00:21:22.41\00:21:23.91
And I like how he said he
takes people from his group
00:21:23.91\00:21:25.45
with him when he goes visiting.
00:21:25.45\00:21:27.25
So he's trying to share
that service, that love for-
00:21:27.25\00:21:31.09
- Yeah, disciple making.
00:21:31.09\00:21:32.29
- Yes. - Absolutely.
00:21:32.29\00:21:33.76
- All right, we have
another video from him as well.
00:21:33.76\00:21:35.82
- [Jon] Okay.
00:21:35.82\00:21:36.86
(bright music)
00:21:36.86\00:21:39.49
- [Interpreter] There is
another village that we visited
00:21:40.86\00:21:42.53
where most of the
people were Hindu.
00:21:42.53\00:21:44.77
Only one
Christian family was there,
00:21:44.77\00:21:46.47
and everyone else was Hindu.
00:21:46.47\00:21:48.54
And because the Christian
family was our relatives,
00:21:48.54\00:21:50.71
we went there
often to visit them.
00:21:50.71\00:21:53.21
Because we came so often,
00:21:53.21\00:21:54.94
there was a man who realized
that we were Christians.
00:21:54.94\00:21:58.01
Then we found out
00:21:58.01\00:21:59.55
that he was the second highest
Hindu priest in the village.
00:21:59.55\00:22:02.12
(priest speaking
in foreign language)
00:22:02.12\00:22:05.25
- [Interpreter] My health
was not very good at that time,
00:22:05.25\00:22:07.22
but one of the
villagers' families here
00:22:07.22\00:22:08.89
was already Christian, and
their lives looked good to me.
00:22:08.89\00:22:11.99
So I asked him,
"How is your family?"
00:22:11.99\00:22:14.93
And he said that
they were all doing well.
00:22:14.93\00:22:17.33
Because of that,
00:22:17.33\00:22:18.80
I started to think about
becoming a Christian myself.
00:22:18.80\00:22:21.27
- [Interpreter]
Then when he called us
00:22:22.57\00:22:23.51
and we went to his house,
00:22:23.51\00:22:24.61
we introduced
ourselves as Christians
00:22:24.61\00:22:26.61
and told him that we
are sharing God's Word
00:22:26.61\00:22:28.54
and we are preaching for God.
00:22:28.54\00:22:30.45
We told him that if there
was any problem to tell us,
00:22:30.45\00:22:33.42
but if not, then it's okay.
00:22:33.42\00:22:36.18
Then he said, "It is
no problem. Just preach.
00:22:36.18\00:22:39.59
Tell us about the
good news from the Bible.
00:22:39.59\00:22:41.92
Tell us what is
good. We have to listen."
00:22:41.92\00:22:44.63
Then we said, "Okay,
no problem. We'll do it."
00:22:44.63\00:22:47.00
- [Interpreter] At that
time, I was like a mad man.
00:22:48.40\00:22:50.80
I didn't roam in the jungle,
00:22:50.80\00:22:52.00
but I roamed around in the city.
00:22:52.00\00:22:53.47
I just roamed around not knowing
where to go or what to do.
00:22:53.47\00:22:57.14
My parents had taught me
00:22:57.14\00:22:58.37
how to do the
ritual Hindu services,
00:22:58.37\00:23:00.68
but I think I didn't
do things the proper way,
00:23:00.68\00:23:02.78
so the Hindu gods made me mad.
00:23:02.78\00:23:05.18
It was not a good life.
00:23:05.18\00:23:06.85
(gentle uplifting music)
00:23:06.85\00:23:10.35
- [Interpreter] So we
gave him Bible studies.
00:23:11.65\00:23:13.25
Then he said, "That
is true. That is right.
00:23:13.25\00:23:17.33
I haven't known what I am doing.
00:23:17.33\00:23:19.46
So whether the people in
my village like it or not,
00:23:19.46\00:23:21.70
I want to be a Christian."
00:23:21.70\00:23:23.93
When he accepted Christ, though,
00:23:23.93\00:23:25.63
the village people
didn't say anything.
00:23:25.63\00:23:28.20
They didn't oppose him
00:23:28.20\00:23:29.40
because he is the
elder for the village.
00:23:29.40\00:23:31.84
He told them, "I want
to become a Christian.
00:23:31.84\00:23:34.84
If you want to come later
on, then that is your decision.
00:23:34.84\00:23:37.85
I will become a Christian now.
00:23:37.85\00:23:39.45
I have to go first and
follow what I have heard
00:23:40.55\00:23:42.42
and learned from the Bible."
00:23:42.42\00:23:44.49
(priest speaking
in foreign language)
00:23:44.49\00:23:46.52
- [Interpreter] Then they helped
to take all of my pictures
00:23:46.52\00:23:48.49
of Hindu goddesses and
the idols out of my house
00:23:48.49\00:23:50.96
and threw them into the river.
00:23:50.96\00:23:52.53
- [Interpreter] So
for one or two weeks
00:23:53.63\00:23:54.66
we did ministry there.
00:23:54.66\00:23:56.10
We gave Bible studies.
00:23:56.10\00:23:58.37
And after that, he got baptized
00:23:58.37\00:24:00.07
and his life continued
changing, little by little.
00:24:00.07\00:24:03.04
- [Interpreter] Now
I am feeling better.
00:24:03.04\00:24:04.31
I don't roam around
in the cities anymore.
00:24:04.31\00:24:06.14
I can stay at home peacefully.
00:24:06.14\00:24:08.04
I am free after meeting Jesus.
00:24:08.04\00:24:10.41
I believe that Jesus
Christ is the true God.
00:24:10.41\00:24:13.45
I think he is
the most powerful God
00:24:13.45\00:24:15.28
because he is the
one that healed me.
00:24:15.28\00:24:17.85
When I was a Hindu, I was poor,
00:24:17.85\00:24:19.39
because if I wanted healing,
00:24:19.39\00:24:20.89
I had to sacrifice
an animal to the gods.
00:24:20.89\00:24:23.63
But even then, I still
didn't have a good life.
00:24:23.63\00:24:26.63
So I left all those things,
00:24:26.63\00:24:27.93
and now Jesus is
the one who heals me.
00:24:27.93\00:24:30.80
If I or someone
in my family is sick,
00:24:30.80\00:24:32.77
we don't need to
sacrifice an animal.
00:24:32.77\00:24:35.24
That is why I will hold
onto Jesus as long as I live.
00:24:35.24\00:24:37.77
(gentle upbeat music)
00:24:37.77\00:24:41.01
- [Interpreter] When
others saw that he was going
00:24:42.31\00:24:43.75
on a good path, two
families also accepted Christ.
00:24:43.75\00:24:46.55
So now three
Christian families are there.
00:24:46.55\00:24:48.88
And this man, what
is his condition now?
00:24:48.88\00:24:51.22
He is totally changed.
00:24:51.22\00:24:52.65
(gentle upbeat music)
00:24:52.65\00:24:55.89
- You know, you
hear about statistics,
00:24:58.06\00:25:00.33
so many baptism stuff,
00:25:00.33\00:25:01.76
but to see the life of somebody
that gets changed by Jesus.
00:25:01.76\00:25:05.83
- Right.
00:25:05.83\00:25:06.77
It's so neat because he's like,
00:25:06.77\00:25:08.50
"We don't have to sacrifice
00:25:08.50\00:25:10.11
because Jesus is the one
who has the ability to heal us."
00:25:10.11\00:25:14.24
And that freedom from
just roaming around angrily.
00:25:14.24\00:25:18.18
You know, just,
that's so beautiful.
00:25:18.18\00:25:20.45
- Yeah.
00:25:20.45\00:25:21.95
And those evil spirits
that he was worshiping before,
00:25:21.95\00:25:24.19
they do mess with the mind,
00:25:24.19\00:25:26.29
and they can really,
you know, mess people up.
00:25:26.29\00:25:29.26
And that's what
was affecting him.
00:25:29.26\00:25:31.29
And now Jesus is
giving him that freedom.
00:25:31.29\00:25:33.73
And he's one of the
elders of the village,
00:25:33.73\00:25:35.70
so others are
starting to follow.
00:25:35.70\00:25:37.57
Very beautiful.
00:25:37.57\00:25:39.03
- Okay. We have one more
video with Brother Samundra.
00:25:39.03\00:25:42.24
- Okay.
00:25:42.24\00:25:43.07
(uplifting music)
00:25:43.07\00:25:45.97
- [Interpreter] This
Mariduke Church has been here
00:25:50.01\00:25:51.61
since 2008, and we are
worshiping in this mud-wall
00:25:51.61\00:25:55.48
building. Before that,
people used to live in it,
00:25:56.62\00:25:58.89
but then it became empty.
00:25:58.89\00:26:00.79
Then we said, "Okay.
00:26:00.79\00:26:02.86
Since we don't
have a church yet,
00:26:02.86\00:26:04.76
let's come to worship here."
00:26:04.76\00:26:06.80
So until now, we
are worshiping here.
00:26:06.80\00:26:08.80
(uplifting music)
00:26:08.80\00:26:11.70
The members are
increasing more and more,
00:26:13.27\00:26:14.94
and we feel that if we
can get help from somewhere
00:26:14.94\00:26:17.01
to build a
church, it will be better.
00:26:17.01\00:26:19.41
I think that because
we don't have a church,
00:26:19.41\00:26:21.81
people don't think it's
a church when they see it.
00:26:21.81\00:26:24.41
So many people are asking
us, "Where is your church?"
00:26:24.41\00:26:27.58
It is inside the village,
00:26:27.58\00:26:28.92
and people are not
seeing it as a church
00:26:28.92\00:26:30.52
because it looks like a house.
00:26:30.52\00:26:32.35
Church members also are asking
when we will get a church.
00:26:32.35\00:26:35.62
They're
expecting to get a church.
00:26:35.62\00:26:37.63
We tell them, "Yes,
but what shall we do?"
00:26:37.63\00:26:40.20
We have a problem.
Let's wait and see.
00:26:40.20\00:26:42.80
Maybe God will provide
resources from somewhere else.
00:26:42.80\00:26:45.87
(gentle music)
00:26:45.87\00:26:48.50
Then there is another
group that has been worshiping
00:26:52.61\00:26:54.78
for two or three years already,
00:26:54.78\00:26:56.38
and they still
don't have a church.
00:26:56.38\00:26:58.41
So they are waiting and
hoping for a church building.
00:26:58.41\00:27:01.18
And then Julaisura is new.
00:27:02.12\00:27:04.05
Five families are there, but
they don't have a church yet.
00:27:04.05\00:27:07.19
They are
worshiping in a house also.
00:27:07.19\00:27:09.66
That is three churches
that need a church building,
00:27:09.66\00:27:12.79
and there are others also.
00:27:12.79\00:27:14.10
(gentle music)
00:27:14.10\00:27:16.77
- So they're
asking for three churches,
00:27:31.45\00:27:34.22
- And there are others
00:27:34.22\00:27:35.35
that need church
buildings also, he said.
00:27:35.35\00:27:37.55
- Amazing.
00:27:37.55\00:27:39.05
- If you would like to learn
more about building churches,
00:27:39.05\00:27:41.59
sponsoring Bible
workers, building a school,
00:27:41.59\00:27:44.56
or helping to sponsor children
00:27:44.56\00:27:46.09
at any of the schools
that we've talked about,
00:27:46.09\00:27:48.40
please contact us at
Jesus for Asia, PO Box 1221,
00:27:48.40\00:27:53.47
Collegedale, Tennessee 37315.
00:27:54.27\00:27:57.21
Call us at 423-413-7321,
00:27:57.21\00:28:01.71
or visit our
website at jesus4asia.org.
00:28:01.71\00:28:05.38
May God richly bless you
00:28:05.38\00:28:06.88
until we see you next
time on "Jesus for Asia Now."
00:28:06.88\00:28:09.68
(inspiring music)
00:28:09.68\00:28:12.59