(triumphant music) 00:00:00.63\00:00:02.86 - Hello and welcome to Jesus for Asia Now. 00:00:22.05\00:00:24.52 I'm Natalie Wood, and my husband John 00:00:24.52\00:00:26.15 is here in the studio with me today. 00:00:26.15\00:00:28.22 Hello, love. - Hi, darling. How are you? 00:00:28.22\00:00:30.56 - I'm doing well, I'm doing well. 00:00:30.56\00:00:32.36 - Good. 00:00:32.36\00:00:33.80 - I'm looking forward to our learning today 00:00:33.80\00:00:35.03 and the stories that we have to share. 00:00:35.03\00:00:36.77 - Yeah, for sure. 00:00:36.77\00:00:37.93 - So what are we talking about today? 00:00:37.93\00:00:39.27 - We're going to visit a couple of Bible workers. 00:00:39.27\00:00:42.07 - Okay. 00:00:42.07\00:00:43.37 - And these are Bible workers in India. 00:00:43.37\00:00:45.04 - [Natalie] Okay. 00:00:45.04\00:00:46.51 - Now, Jesus for Asia started out as Jesus for India, 00:00:46.51\00:00:49.14 and our very first project was Bible workers. 00:00:49.14\00:00:52.51 - Right. 00:00:52.51\00:00:53.92 - And I remember saying, we're gonna do one thing. 00:00:53.92\00:00:56.22 As a ministry, we're just gonna do one thing, 00:00:56.22\00:00:58.65 and that's Bible workers. 00:00:58.65\00:01:00.26 And the Bible worker program came about from you. 00:01:00.26\00:01:03.53 You had found a book. Do you remember? 00:01:03.53\00:01:06.39 - Yeah, I found a book and it was talking about 00:01:06.39\00:01:08.10 the effectiveness of the local worker. 00:01:08.10\00:01:10.67 How, you know, you don't have to buy them a plane ticket, 00:01:10.67\00:01:12.90 they don't have to learn the language, 00:01:12.90\00:01:14.44 there's no cross-cultural issues, you know, they live 00:01:14.44\00:01:18.61 there, they know how to speak, they know the culture, 00:01:18.61\00:01:21.11 so they're not gonna just randomly go and willy-nilly- 00:01:21.11\00:01:24.15 - Making social faux pas. - Offending people, yeah. So- 00:01:24.15\00:01:27.32 - That was the fall of 2004. 00:01:27.32\00:01:29.88 - Yep. 00:01:29.88\00:01:31.22 - And I was praying that, Lord, we wanna serve you, 00:01:31.22\00:01:34.49 we wanna work for you full time. 00:01:34.49\00:01:36.16 - Yep. 00:01:36.16\00:01:37.29 - And that fall, that winter, December, 00:01:37.29\00:01:39.19 God started to move, and following spring, 00:01:39.19\00:01:42.53 and so that was our one project, 00:01:42.53\00:01:44.10 is sponsoring Bible workers in India. 00:01:44.10\00:01:47.17 - Yep. 00:01:47.17\00:01:48.34 - [Jon] And then- 00:01:48.34\00:01:49.77 - And then, yeah, and then, and then, and then. 00:01:49.77\00:01:51.91 - The Lord kind of changed that plan. 00:01:51.91\00:01:54.01 - Yeah. 00:01:54.01\00:01:55.38 - So now we have over 70 different projects, 00:01:55.38\00:01:57.78 - Which is a little bit intimidating. 00:01:57.78\00:01:59.38 - But still, the Bible worker program 00:01:59.38\00:02:01.62 is the core of what Jesus for Asia is and does. 00:02:01.62\00:02:04.79 - Yeah. 00:02:04.79\00:02:06.15 - We believe in them, we've seen their effectiveness, 00:02:06.15\00:02:09.02 and they just keep going. 00:02:09.02\00:02:10.73 They just keep doing what they're doing 00:02:10.73\00:02:12.66 and they serve the Lord and they bring people in, 00:02:12.66\00:02:15.10 and we have no idea how many people these Bible workers 00:02:15.10\00:02:19.40 have brought to the Lord in the last almost 20 years. 00:02:19.40\00:02:22.34 - Yeah, we do get reports of baptisms and things like that, 00:02:22.34\00:02:26.41 but we don't focus on that, can you tell me why? 00:02:26.41\00:02:29.74 - It's not that we don't value baptisms, 00:02:29.74\00:02:32.31 but that we understand baptism 00:02:32.31\00:02:34.05 as a step on the road towards heaven. 00:02:34.05\00:02:37.09 - Right. 00:02:37.09\00:02:38.25 - Eternal life in Christ at the Second Coming. 00:02:38.25\00:02:40.62 So we really wanna put the focus back on nurturing 00:02:40.62\00:02:43.59 and growing churches that are already existing, as well 00:02:43.59\00:02:47.00 as taking the gospel to places that don't know Christ. 00:02:47.00\00:02:50.07 - Right. - Yeah. 00:02:50.07\00:02:51.63 - Right, so it's really a neat opportunity that we've had 00:02:51.63\00:02:55.57 to tell the leadership that it's important, 00:02:55.57\00:02:59.87 it's very important to us that they understand the gospel, 00:02:59.87\00:03:02.94 that they know who Jesus is. 00:03:02.94\00:03:04.61 - [Jon] Right. 00:03:04.61\00:03:05.65 - And when they choose to be baptized 00:03:05.65\00:03:06.78 because they understand what they're doing, 00:03:06.78\00:03:08.85 that's, we love it, it's wonderful. 00:03:08.85\00:03:11.52 - [Jon] Yes. 00:03:11.52\00:03:12.49 - It's just that we wanna make sure 00:03:12.49\00:03:13.32 that people are knowing Jesus. 00:03:13.32\00:03:15.02 - Right, and it's easy to give people a holy bath. 00:03:15.02\00:03:19.33 - Yeah, yeah, we've had stories of that before, 00:03:19.33\00:03:23.40 and we don't wanna facilitate that either. 00:03:23.40\00:03:26.30 - No. 00:03:26.30\00:03:27.27 So, but at the same time, 00:03:27.27\00:03:28.34 we want the gospel to get out there, 00:03:28.34\00:03:29.87 we want people to learn about Christ, 00:03:29.87\00:03:31.71 and we want people to learn about the requirements 00:03:31.71\00:03:34.38 of walking with Christ, what that looks like 00:03:35.68\00:03:38.01 and what that entails and who Christ is. 00:03:38.01\00:03:40.95 And it's more than just, he's more than just a ritual, 00:03:40.95\00:03:44.09 he's more than just a statue. 00:03:44.09\00:03:47.16 He's a real God with real power 00:03:47.16\00:03:49.49 and really cares about people. 00:03:49.49\00:03:51.56 And that's what's beautiful about this first testimony, 00:03:51.56\00:03:54.83 is that we get to see a Bible worker in action. 00:03:54.83\00:03:59.07 - Okay. 00:03:59.07\00:04:00.30 - Bringing a caring God into the problems 00:04:00.30\00:04:02.40 of the people in that culture. 00:04:02.40\00:04:05.61 Now, the problem that she's gonna be talking about 00:04:05.61\00:04:08.71 is something that I wouldn't clue into very easily. 00:04:08.71\00:04:12.75 It's not something that I would see as a real issue, 00:04:12.75\00:04:16.79 a real problem to solve. 00:04:16.79\00:04:19.15 And you'll understand what I'm talking about 00:04:19.15\00:04:21.62 when you see the video. 00:04:21.62\00:04:22.76 - Now, this one is in South India, 00:04:22.76\00:04:24.59 right? - Yes. 00:04:24.59\00:04:25.43 - Okay. - Yeah. 00:04:25.43\00:04:26.63 - [Natalie] All right, let's watch the video. 00:04:26.63\00:04:27.03 - Okay. 00:04:27.03\00:04:28.36 (calm instrumental music) 00:04:28.36\00:04:31.93 (woman speaking foreign language) 00:04:41.34\00:04:43.58 - Though I was born in a Hindu family, my husband's side, 00:04:43.58\00:04:47.72 they are very strong Lutheran members. 00:04:47.72\00:04:51.59 They came to my house. They asked me. 00:04:51.59\00:04:54.72 My parents all said, "Okay, though you are Christian, 00:04:54.72\00:04:58.09 we have no objection. 00:04:58.09\00:04:59.43 You can get married to this young girl, 00:04:59.43\00:05:01.83 and you can take her to your home." 00:05:01.83\00:05:04.50 After I came to this house, my husband's house, 00:05:04.50\00:05:08.00 slowly, I came to know about Jesus. 00:05:08.00\00:05:11.04 Before that, I even don't know the name of Jesus. 00:05:11.04\00:05:15.88 (woman speaking foreign language) 00:05:15.88\00:05:19.15 My husband's elder brother was working 00:05:19.15\00:05:22.45 in Seventh-day Adventist as a church pastor. 00:05:22.45\00:05:25.65 So many times, he compelled us, "This is the truth. 00:05:25.65\00:05:29.66 This is the truth." 00:05:29.66\00:05:30.83 But we rejected so many times. 00:05:30.83\00:05:32.99 He begged us, "Kindly, read the Bible, read the Bible." 00:05:32.99\00:05:36.73 (calm instrumental music) 00:05:36.73\00:05:40.07 For 13 years, I was a barren woman. 00:05:40.07\00:05:43.54 Those who around us used to make 00:05:43.54\00:05:46.64 so many unwanted things on me. 00:05:46.64\00:05:49.71 So my husband's brother told me often, 00:05:49.71\00:05:54.78 "Unless you accept this Sabbath truth, 00:05:55.88\00:05:57.72 unless you accept Jesus from the depth of your heart, 00:05:57.72\00:06:01.22 you will not have any blessing from the Lord." 00:06:01.22\00:06:04.16 Then I decided, okay, 00:06:04.16\00:06:06.70 Bible also tells this Sabbath Saturday. 00:06:06.70\00:06:09.96 So I accepted this Sabbath truth. 00:06:09.96\00:06:12.20 Then finally, God blessed me with a boy first, 00:06:12.20\00:06:16.27 second with a girl. 00:06:16.27\00:06:18.51 From the depth of my heart, I am telling you all, 00:06:18.51\00:06:21.78 because of the Sabbath truth, we got the children. 00:06:21.78\00:06:25.65 If we have not known this truth, Sabbath truth, 00:06:25.65\00:06:29.15 I would have been a lady having no children 00:06:29.15\00:06:33.09 throughout my life. 00:06:33.09\00:06:34.36 So every day, I thank my Lord for this Sabbath truth 00:06:34.36\00:06:38.46 through which I was blessed with the two children. 00:06:38.46\00:06:41.26 Since I went through all this pain and affliction 00:06:46.33\00:06:50.81 and humiliation in this society, 00:06:50.81\00:06:53.34 I heard a vision in my heart. 00:06:53.34\00:06:55.48 I have to do the ministry for those who are like me. 00:06:55.48\00:06:59.78 So I have approached so many people. 00:06:59.78\00:07:02.62 I have prayed so many people. There are so many witnesses. 00:07:02.62\00:07:06.52 God has given a child to the people. 00:07:06.52\00:07:11.06 God has blessed them with a female and male. 00:07:11.06\00:07:14.73 In some family, if they do not have the male children, 00:07:14.73\00:07:18.03 that will be the great humiliation in this society. 00:07:18.03\00:07:20.94 Many people have come to me and cried unto me, 00:07:20.94\00:07:23.97 "Esther, I have two female children, 00:07:23.97\00:07:28.61 but my husband wants to have a male child 00:07:28.61\00:07:32.01 or else he will divorce me." 00:07:32.01\00:07:34.28 Then I have offered a sincere prayer. God has blessed them. 00:07:34.28\00:07:38.82 Now they are having children, 00:07:38.82\00:07:40.72 so I want to thank the Lord for that. 00:07:40.72\00:07:42.62 When I was invited to join the JFA, 00:07:45.56\00:07:49.30 I was so happy because I can go around and do this ministry. 00:07:49.30\00:07:53.67 I can have a personal gift from the Lord so that I can pray 00:07:53.67\00:07:58.44 and people will get their child. 00:07:58.44\00:08:00.81 - Wow, that's precious. That's really sweet. 00:08:05.48\00:08:08.38 That she saw the gift of God in her own life, 00:08:08.38\00:08:10.75 and she sees other people need that same gift. 00:08:10.75\00:08:14.36 - Right, yeah. And it's amazing. 00:08:14.36\00:08:16.42 You can see why I like wouldn't probably take that on myself 00:08:16.42\00:08:20.46 if I was a missionary in her place. 00:08:20.46\00:08:22.86 I wouldn't understand the importance 00:08:22.86\00:08:24.43 of having a child in that society. 00:08:24.43\00:08:26.77 - Yeah. 00:08:26.77\00:08:28.17 And it's so beautiful, how God is answering her prayers. 00:08:28.17\00:08:30.97 It's just so neat. 00:08:30.97\00:08:32.01 - Yeah. 00:08:32.01\00:08:33.38 Now, there are some places where the foreign missionary 00:08:33.38\00:08:35.91 is important. 00:08:35.91\00:08:37.11 Where would that be? 00:08:37.11\00:08:38.35 - Well, that would be in a place 00:08:38.35\00:08:39.71 where there aren't local workers that can be Bible workers. 00:08:39.71\00:08:42.22 That would be in places where there's no believers- 00:08:42.22\00:08:44.95 - Exactly. - At all. 00:08:44.95\00:08:46.15 - So we're not saying that there's no place 00:08:46.15\00:08:47.89 for foreign missionaries, cross-cultural missionaries. 00:08:47.89\00:08:50.93 - Right. - It's just in some countries, 00:08:50.93\00:08:52.59 the local missionary is so powerful. 00:08:52.59\00:08:55.26 - Yeah. 00:08:55.26\00:08:56.53 - But we can collaborate, we can unite together 00:08:56.53\00:08:58.53 and partner together to take the gospel forward. 00:08:58.53\00:09:01.54 - Yeah. Well, we have another video. 00:09:01.54\00:09:03.51 And it's more testimonies of her work. 00:09:03.51\00:09:05.57 - Okay. Excellent. 00:09:05.57\00:09:07.31 (calm instrumental music) 00:09:07.31\00:09:10.88 (man speaking foreign language) 00:09:23.43\00:09:27.50 (woman speaking foreign language) 00:09:29.53\00:09:32.17 - That is a lady living right in front 00:09:32.17\00:09:35.80 of our house in my own village. 00:09:35.80\00:09:38.87 They belong to the Lutheran church. 00:09:39.84\00:09:42.88 They don't believe in Sabbath, 00:09:42.88\00:09:44.95 but they know that we are doing ministry. 00:09:44.95\00:09:47.78 One day, a small child of that family got affected 00:09:47.78\00:09:52.49 with some kind of tumor around the navel 00:09:52.49\00:09:55.36 as well as in the male organ. 00:09:55.36\00:09:57.83 It was getting bigger every day. 00:09:57.83\00:10:00.46 The boy was crying out of pain. 00:10:00.46\00:10:03.60 They took the baby to the hospital, 00:10:03.60\00:10:05.60 and the doctors told, "You go for operation. 00:10:05.60\00:10:08.97 Unless we operate, there will not be any solution for it." 00:10:08.97\00:10:12.54 They had no money. They were crying and crying. 00:10:12.54\00:10:15.31 The mother of that child came and cried, 00:10:15.31\00:10:17.91 "This is the condition of my child. 00:10:17.91\00:10:20.32 Can you pray to the Lord? 00:10:20.32\00:10:21.72 If Lord answers, we will be very happy. 00:10:21.72\00:10:24.52 We are ready to accept Seventh-day Adventist truth." 00:10:24.52\00:10:29.09 My husband and myself told her, "In the name of Jesus, 00:10:29.09\00:10:34.13 I am telling you, take this oil and apply it. 00:10:35.43\00:10:38.40 Take this water and drink a bit. 00:10:38.40\00:10:40.94 God will do the miracle in the life of your child." 00:10:40.94\00:10:45.01 For our surprise, I am telling you, 00:10:45.01\00:10:48.18 the very next day, everything become normal. 00:10:48.18\00:10:51.61 There was no sign of that tumor on that small boy, 00:10:51.61\00:10:56.58 and now they strongly believe 00:10:58.09\00:10:59.89 in Seventh-day Adventist truth. 00:10:59.89\00:11:01.36 They never went to doctor after that for that treatment. 00:11:01.36\00:11:04.43 And they didn't do even any home remedies for that purpose. 00:11:04.43\00:11:09.46 But that boy is all right. 00:11:10.23\00:11:12.10 They come to church and offer some offering. 00:11:12.10\00:11:15.70 Now they are happy. I want to thank the Lord for that. 00:11:15.70\00:11:18.77 She visited some higher caste Hindus. 00:11:24.21\00:11:27.15 Here, this lady wants to share that witness with us. 00:11:27.15\00:11:31.39 (woman speaking foreign language) 00:11:31.39\00:11:34.56 There is a lady in my own village. She's the tailor. 00:11:34.56\00:11:39.63 I used to go and stitch all my blouses with her only. 00:11:41.06\00:11:44.60 As usual, I went to give a blouse for stitching. 00:11:44.60\00:11:49.50 When I went there, there was some problem. 00:11:49.50\00:11:52.64 Fight was going on between her mother-in-law and herself. 00:11:52.64\00:11:57.45 As she was crying and standing there, 00:11:57.45\00:12:00.52 I didn't know anything. 00:12:00.52\00:12:02.02 I asked her, "What's the problem? 00:12:02.02\00:12:04.09 Why you are fighting with your mother-in-law?" 00:12:04.09\00:12:06.86 Then she explained to me, 00:12:06.86\00:12:08.19 "Last 16 years, there was no child. What shall I do? 00:12:08.19\00:12:13.29 My mother-in-laws is, every day, insulting me, 00:12:14.56\00:12:18.03 making fun on me. 00:12:18.03\00:12:19.37 She's ready to divorce myself 00:12:19.37\00:12:22.07 and get another marriage for her son." 00:12:22.07\00:12:25.07 Then I felt my pain. 00:12:25.07\00:12:26.68 I told her, "Don't worry. Jesus loves you. 00:12:26.68\00:12:30.71 I also had no issues for 13-14 years. 00:12:30.71\00:12:35.25 God gave me two children. So I will pray for you. 00:12:35.25\00:12:38.95 God will bless you with a child." 00:12:38.95\00:12:42.86 She also said, "Okay, you pray for me." 00:12:42.86\00:12:45.56 Then I put my hand on her belly, 00:12:45.56\00:12:47.96 on her stomach, and offered a sincere prayer. 00:12:47.96\00:12:51.13 I came home. 00:12:51.13\00:12:52.17 (calm instrumental music) 00:12:52.17\00:12:55.47 I started continuously praying for that lady. 00:12:55.47\00:12:59.57 After near two months of time, when I went there, 00:12:59.57\00:13:02.84 she welcomed me with tears of happiness 00:13:02.84\00:13:06.58 and told me, "I am now pregnant." 00:13:06.58\00:13:09.35 (woman speaking foreign language) 00:13:10.32\00:13:13.09 Now just a month back, she gave birth to a female child. 00:13:13.09\00:13:18.16 Now she's very happy. 00:13:18.86\00:13:19.96 She phoned me from Chennai and told me, 00:13:19.96\00:13:22.80 "God has given me a good child in my hand. 00:13:22.80\00:13:25.50 When I come to my husband's house, 00:13:25.50\00:13:28.14 I will come to your church. I will come with my child." 00:13:28.14\00:13:31.81 (woman speaking foreign language) 00:13:31.81\00:13:34.41 She made it very clear, "Unless God send you 00:13:34.41\00:13:37.85 to my tailoring shop on that particular day, 00:13:37.85\00:13:40.78 I would have lost this blessing. 00:13:40.78\00:13:42.85 I would have not known who is Jesus." 00:13:42.85\00:13:46.39 (man speaking foreign language) 00:13:53.26\00:13:57.30 - Isn't that amazing? - Wow, yeah. 00:13:59.33\00:14:01.90 - Two full miracles. - Two amazing stories, yeah. 00:14:01.90\00:14:04.11 - Absolute miracles. 00:14:04.11\00:14:05.37 - And he can make impossible things like infertility, 00:14:05.37\00:14:09.51 you know, he can reverse them. 00:14:09.51\00:14:11.55 And who more extreme than Abraham and Sarah? 00:14:11.55\00:14:14.58 But, you know, God did it. - Right, yeah. 00:14:14.58\00:14:16.99 - So we know that he can do anything. 00:14:16.99\00:14:18.49 - That's right. 00:14:18.49\00:14:19.75 I love how they go door-to-door, and the people come out 00:14:19.75\00:14:22.82 and they stand there and they read the Bible. 00:14:22.82\00:14:25.33 - Yeah. 00:14:25.33\00:14:26.56 - And then they pray for them, and people love it. 00:14:26.56\00:14:29.43 It's so beautiful. 00:14:29.43\00:14:30.83 - Yeah, and I like how they told the lady in the first story 00:14:30.83\00:14:34.04 with the little boy, here's the oil. 00:14:34.04\00:14:36.10 You know, apply this oil and pray. 00:14:36.10\00:14:38.67 That's really a neat application of the Bible. 00:14:38.67\00:14:42.41 - Yeah. 00:14:42.41\00:14:43.58 - [Natalie] Telling us to anoint them with oil. 00:14:43.58\00:14:44.68 - Yeah, and the fact that he got well, 00:14:44.68\00:14:46.05 the tumor just disappeared overnight, that's a miracle. 00:14:46.05\00:14:49.42 - Yeah. It's so inspiring. 00:14:49.42\00:14:51.15 We know that we can pray for people, 00:14:51.15\00:14:52.99 we can intercede for people. 00:14:52.99\00:14:54.69 But it's really inspiring to see these stories 00:14:54.69\00:14:57.63 where God actually did something obvious, 00:14:57.63\00:15:01.00 you know, as a result of prayer. 00:15:01.00\00:15:02.26 Many times, he changes hearts, and it takes time, 00:15:02.26\00:15:05.50 it's not as obvious but, you know, overnight healing, 00:15:05.50\00:15:09.27 so obvious and it's, God is so good. 00:15:09.27\00:15:12.07 - That's the thing about this program, 00:15:12.07\00:15:13.94 I'm so thankful for our Bible workers, 00:15:13.94\00:15:15.21 'cause they inspire our faith. 00:15:15.21\00:15:18.11 They go into prayer expecting God to do a miracle. 00:15:18.11\00:15:22.32 - Yep. - And he does. 00:15:22.32\00:15:23.55 - Yep. 00:15:23.55\00:15:24.65 - And I wanna have that kind of faith. 00:15:24.65\00:15:26.12 - Yeah. 00:15:26.12\00:15:27.19 - I wanna be able to pray like that. 00:15:27.19\00:15:28.59 And that's one thing I love when we visit them in the field, 00:15:28.59\00:15:31.99 is to listen to them pray. 00:15:31.99\00:15:33.76 - [Natalie] Yeah. 00:15:33.76\00:15:34.93 - We don't understand what they're saying. 00:15:34.93\00:15:35.90 - Yeah, but they mean it. - Yes. 00:15:35.90\00:15:37.90 - It's beautiful. - Right. 00:15:37.90\00:15:39.20 - You can feel the Holy Spirit 00:15:39.20\00:15:40.34 even if you can't understand the words. 00:15:40.34\00:15:42.20 - [Jon] Right. 00:15:42.20\00:15:43.67 - You know, and sometimes, it gives you the gift of tongues 00:15:43.67\00:15:45.04 so you can kind of get the gist of what they're saying, 00:15:45.04\00:15:47.38 even if you don't understand a word. 00:15:47.38\00:15:48.88 - Maybe you. 00:15:48.88\00:15:49.78 - Maybe sometimes. 00:15:51.01\00:15:52.78 He doesn't always give that gift but sometimes, he does. 00:15:52.78\00:15:54.85 - But you have the gift of language, and I not so much. 00:15:54.85\00:15:59.92 - That's a story for a different show. 00:16:01.09\00:16:02.36 - Yes. 00:16:02.36\00:16:03.56 - Or maybe never. But anyway, let's move on. 00:16:03.56\00:16:05.99 Where's our next Bible worker from? 00:16:05.99\00:16:07.50 - We're going up to Mumbai, formerly Bombay, 00:16:07.50\00:16:10.30 and which is farther north, about halfway up India, 00:16:10.30\00:16:13.50 a little over halfway and all the way to the west coast. 00:16:13.50\00:16:16.40 - Okay. 00:16:16.40\00:16:17.51 - And this is a lady that works inland 00:16:17.51\00:16:19.61 from the big city of Bombay, and her name is Mamta. 00:16:19.61\00:16:24.08 - Mamta, okay. 00:16:24.08\00:16:25.25 - And she's been with JFA for many years. 00:16:25.25\00:16:27.25 A really strong, you can tell when she gets up 00:16:27.25\00:16:29.32 and tells stories, even though I don't know 00:16:29.32\00:16:30.85 what she's saying, I think she speaks Marathi language. 00:16:30.85\00:16:35.06 But you can tell that her heart's in it, 00:16:35.06\00:16:36.93 and she's 100% engaged with God's work. 00:16:36.93\00:16:41.60 - Okay, well, let's watch the video now. 00:16:41.60\00:16:43.13 - Yes. 00:16:43.13\00:16:44.20 (calm piano music) 00:16:44.20\00:16:47.20 (woman speaks foreign language) 00:16:52.27\00:16:55.71 - [Translator] I was not born a Christian, 00:16:55.71\00:16:57.51 and I struggled in my life. 00:16:57.51\00:16:59.78 Then one day, a lady came and told me about Jesus. 00:16:59.78\00:17:03.39 She said, "Just come for worship once, 00:17:03.39\00:17:06.22 and if you feel good, then you can come again." 00:17:06.22\00:17:09.79 This sister helped me and told me about Jesus 00:17:09.79\00:17:12.23 about 14 years ago, and it was nine years ago 00:17:12.23\00:17:15.40 that I began working as a Bible worker. 00:17:15.40\00:17:18.20 Just like I used to struggle, 00:17:18.20\00:17:19.83 there are other people struggling too. 00:17:19.83\00:17:22.24 That's why I am sharing with them. 00:17:22.24\00:17:24.94 Jesus gave me peace and solutions to my problems. 00:17:24.94\00:17:28.81 That is why I am leading other people to believe on Jesus. 00:17:28.81\00:17:32.61 (calm instrumental music) 00:17:32.61\00:17:36.18 (woman speaking foreign language) 00:17:41.79\00:17:43.43 My main goal is to tell about Jesus to the poor people. 00:17:43.43\00:17:46.83 I want them to understand how great Jesus is. 00:17:46.83\00:17:49.53 My husband and I are working in eight different villages. 00:17:50.93\00:17:53.67 In this village where we are now, 00:17:53.67\00:17:55.37 not a single person knew about Jesus before I came. 00:17:55.37\00:17:59.01 It was four months ago that I came 00:17:59.01\00:18:00.81 and started giving them Bible studies, 00:18:00.81\00:18:03.21 but I wasn't just roaming around telling about Jesus. 00:18:03.21\00:18:06.55 I got to know one person. 00:18:06.55\00:18:08.52 And then I gradually started to talk 00:18:08.52\00:18:10.35 to others in the village as well. 00:18:10.35\00:18:12.09 There are only a few people who give me trouble by asking, 00:18:13.52\00:18:16.49 "Why are you coming here? 00:18:16.49\00:18:17.99 You're just here to change people's religion." 00:18:17.99\00:18:20.50 But there aren't many people who say that, 00:18:20.50\00:18:22.60 and no one stops me from working. 00:18:22.60\00:18:24.50 Each year, there are people who want to get baptized, 00:18:25.87\00:18:28.17 and this year, there are already 14 people 00:18:28.17\00:18:30.47 who want to get baptized. 00:18:30.47\00:18:32.21 (woman singing in foreign language) 00:18:32.21\00:18:35.98 In the different villages that I work in, 00:18:35.98\00:18:38.28 there are people who are facing problems and struggles. 00:18:38.28\00:18:41.85 I pray for them, and Jesus is healing people. 00:18:41.85\00:18:45.79 Then more people come to ask for prayer. 00:18:45.79\00:18:48.69 I get calls from all over for me 00:18:48.69\00:18:50.16 and my husband to come pray for people. 00:18:50.16\00:18:52.83 So we pray for them, and Jesus helps them. 00:18:52.83\00:18:55.46 There is one lady that I met who had cancer. 00:18:56.67\00:18:59.20 Because of that, she had tried to commit suicide 00:18:59.20\00:19:02.14 and had burned her foot. 00:19:02.14\00:19:04.11 Then the foot got infected and was full of worms, 00:19:04.11\00:19:07.38 and the doctor said that her leg would need to be amputated. 00:19:07.38\00:19:11.21 When I visited her, I prayed for her, 00:19:11.21\00:19:14.48 and not only was her foot healed, 00:19:14.48\00:19:16.65 her cancer went away as well. 00:19:16.65\00:19:19.09 Now she is healthy, and as a result of all this, 00:19:19.09\00:19:23.02 she got baptized and she comes to church each week. 00:19:23.02\00:19:26.90 She also asks me to come to her house to study with her. 00:19:26.90\00:19:29.96 Even though I'm working in so many villages, 00:19:35.27\00:19:37.67 I don't have an actual church where people 00:19:37.67\00:19:39.64 can gather and worship together. 00:19:39.64\00:19:42.38 With so many villages and the time that it takes to get 00:19:42.38\00:19:45.11 to them, I can't usually get to all of them in one day. 00:19:45.11\00:19:48.75 So I would really like to have a church 00:19:48.75\00:19:50.55 so that people can join together and worship. 00:19:50.55\00:19:53.29 (calm instrumental music) 00:19:53.29\00:19:56.66 Because of the peace that I have, 00:19:56.66\00:19:58.79 I want to share the joy and the love of Jesus. 00:19:58.79\00:20:01.93 That's why I keep doing this work, 00:20:01.93\00:20:04.57 and that's why I don't do other work. 00:20:04.57\00:20:07.64 I give all of my time to sharing the gospel. 00:20:07.64\00:20:10.37 There are so many people that I meet who don't know Jesus, 00:20:11.81\00:20:14.28 and there isn't enough time to help them all. 00:20:14.28\00:20:16.61 But I am so happy that Jesus has chosen me 00:20:16.61\00:20:19.35 to spread the gospel. 00:20:19.35\00:20:21.52 He is the one who helps me in my work, 00:20:21.52\00:20:23.72 and when I pray for people, he listens to me 00:20:23.72\00:20:26.52 and heals people. 00:20:26.52\00:20:27.99 - That's beautiful. - Isn't that amazing? 00:20:31.93\00:20:33.66 - Yeah. 00:20:33.66\00:20:35.20 - And to think that we can sponsor a person like that 00:20:35.20\00:20:37.93 for just $100 a month. 00:20:37.93\00:20:39.60 - [Natalie] Yeah. 00:20:39.60\00:20:40.70 - Incredible. 00:20:40.70\00:20:42.27 - Yeah, the testimonies and how she talked about how she got 00:20:42.27\00:20:44.41 to know one person in the village and then she slowly 00:20:44.41\00:20:47.64 would start reaching out to other people. 00:20:47.64\00:20:49.88 I think that's really a neat way to do it, 00:20:49.88\00:20:51.68 because you start with one, you know, you don't go in 00:20:51.68\00:20:55.28 and expect the entire village to listen to you 00:20:55.28\00:20:57.35 at the beginning, you just start with the one 00:20:57.35\00:20:59.05 that God leads you to first and then expect him 00:20:59.05\00:21:01.99 to keep leading you to the people that need to know. 00:21:01.99\00:21:04.19 - Right, and then this year, she's got 14 ready for baptism. 00:21:04.19\00:21:07.86 - I know, wow, yeah, that's really neat. So exciting. 00:21:07.86\00:21:11.63 - And that story about the leg being healed. 00:21:11.63\00:21:14.70 You know, I really- - And the cancer. 00:21:14.70\00:21:16.27 - Yeah, they're gonna have to amputate the leg, 00:21:16.27\00:21:19.07 and the wound was healed and the cancer left, 00:21:19.07\00:21:22.54 all through prayer. 00:21:22.54\00:21:23.58 - Yeah. 00:21:23.58\00:21:24.81 - It's like, I think that we should like dwell 00:21:24.81\00:21:27.08 on those kinds of things, the works of the Lord, 00:21:27.08\00:21:28.95 considering the works of God, you know, 00:21:28.95\00:21:31.42 encourage our own faith and encourage our own desire 00:21:31.42\00:21:35.16 to serve God. 00:21:35.16\00:21:36.49 - With God, all things are possible. 00:21:36.49\00:21:38.13 - [Jon] Yes. 00:21:38.13\00:21:39.16 - That's what it says. - That's right. 00:21:39.16\00:21:40.50 - So we should believe it. 00:21:40.50\00:21:41.70 - [Jon] Absolutely. Yes. 00:21:41.70\00:21:43.53 - All right, well, I know that we here at Jesus for Asia 00:21:43.53\00:21:47.00 have been practicing faith, but we can learn a lot 00:21:47.00\00:21:50.31 from our Bible workers, and we say that often. 00:21:50.31\00:21:52.74 - These guys inspire me to go way beyond 00:21:52.74\00:21:55.81 what I thought was possible. 00:21:55.81\00:21:57.81 - Yeah, for sure. - Yeah. 00:21:57.81\00:22:00.08 - We have another video testimony from Mamta. 00:22:00.08\00:22:02.62 - Okay. 00:22:02.62\00:22:03.95 (calm instrumental music) 00:22:03.95\00:22:07.52 (woman speaking foreign language) 00:22:11.23\00:22:15.30 - I'm Sunita. I want to give witness about Jesus. 00:22:15.30\00:22:19.70 - [Translator] My son is three months old now. 00:22:19.70\00:22:21.77 For about two months, he suffered from fits. 00:22:21.77\00:22:24.21 We took him to a private hospital, 00:22:24.21\00:22:26.07 but his sickness continued. 00:22:26.07\00:22:28.11 Then we tried taking him to the Hindu temple, 00:22:28.11\00:22:30.51 but he still didn't get well. 00:22:30.51\00:22:32.08 He had very high fevers and he was in a coma 00:22:33.21\00:22:35.72 for a long time. 00:22:35.72\00:22:37.19 (calm piano music) 00:22:37.19\00:22:40.42 Then someone gave me Sister Mamta's number and I called her. 00:22:40.42\00:22:43.96 Sister Mamta came and prayed for our son, and he was healed. 00:22:43.96\00:22:47.30 He wasn't healed immediately, but as she prayed, 00:22:48.66\00:22:51.47 he gradually got better. 00:22:51.47\00:22:52.77 I thank God for giving health to my son. 00:22:54.00\00:22:56.71 (man speaking foreign language) 00:22:56.71\00:22:58.74 - [Translator] The Lord has healed our child, 00:22:58.74\00:23:00.68 and we wanna give thanks to the almighty God. 00:23:00.68\00:23:03.28 - Did you notice that God healed the child 00:23:09.52\00:23:11.32 while they were still Hindu, 00:23:11.32\00:23:13.29 even before they became Christian? 00:23:13.29\00:23:15.82 God is no respecter of persons. 00:23:15.82\00:23:18.16 And he loves them because they're his children. 00:23:18.16\00:23:20.26 - Yes. And they started learning more and more about him. 00:23:20.26\00:23:23.37 - Yeah. 00:23:23.37\00:23:24.17 Remember in the previous video, 00:23:24.17\00:23:25.20 she talked about having eight churches. 00:23:25.20\00:23:27.20 - I know, and needing to have one church 00:23:27.20\00:23:29.20 somewhere centrally located so everyone could go 00:23:29.20\00:23:31.31 and meet together on Sabbath, 'cause there's no way 00:23:31.31\00:23:33.21 to get to eight churches on a Sabbath, 00:23:33.21\00:23:35.31 that's just impossible. 00:23:35.31\00:23:36.75 And she didn't have any transportation at that time, 00:23:36.75\00:23:39.81 which is the next thing we get to talk about. 00:23:39.81\00:23:41.75 - Yes, yes. 00:23:41.75\00:23:43.12 - Because she was having to take public transportation 00:23:43.12\00:23:45.29 or walk, and it's a long way between villages, 00:23:45.29\00:23:49.42 it can be a very long way. 00:23:49.42\00:23:50.93 - Right, yeah. 00:23:50.93\00:23:52.16 So the president of the section that she works in, 00:23:52.16\00:23:54.93 the Mumbai metro section, saw that she had a need. 00:23:54.93\00:23:58.10 So he applied for funding for her transportation. 00:23:58.10\00:24:01.14 And praise the Lord, we have a Bicycles 00:24:01.14\00:24:03.47 for Bible Workers fund, which is known also 00:24:03.47\00:24:06.64 to provide motorcycles. 00:24:06.64\00:24:08.41 Now, 'cause we called all the donors 00:24:08.41\00:24:09.84 and asked them if that was okay, and they said, 00:24:09.84\00:24:11.31 "Yes, of course, whatever they need." 00:24:11.31\00:24:12.68 And so because of that fund, because of the donations, 00:24:12.68\00:24:17.09 we were able to get her a motorcycle, 00:24:17.09\00:24:18.82 and I just got this image, this little short video, 00:24:18.82\00:24:21.79 just a couple days ago, of Mamta with her new motorbike. 00:24:21.79\00:24:25.23 - Okay. 00:24:25.23\00:24:26.06 (calm piano music) 00:24:26.06\00:24:29.30 - Now, Indian people are not super expressive. 00:24:29.30\00:24:32.17 - Right. 00:24:32.17\00:24:33.44 - So that little smirk that you saw on her face, 00:24:33.44\00:24:34.94 that is a big, bright smile. 00:24:34.94\00:24:37.01 - Yeah. 00:24:37.01\00:24:37.97 - Of course, it's not as exciting 00:24:37.97\00:24:39.71 as seeing a soul come to Jesus, 00:24:39.71\00:24:41.58 you saw the big smile she had when she talked about 00:24:41.58\00:24:43.81 the people that were healed and came to Jesus, 00:24:43.81\00:24:45.88 but the motorcycle is gonna be a tool for her. 00:24:45.88\00:24:48.85 - Right, definitely. 00:24:48.85\00:24:50.25 - This reminds me of a Bible worker up in Uttar Pradesh. 00:24:50.25\00:24:53.79 He had 1300 church members scattered 00:24:53.79\00:24:57.26 among 23 different villages. 00:24:57.26\00:24:59.73 And I asked him, how in the world do you get 00:24:59.73\00:25:01.46 to all those churches on a Sabbath? 00:25:01.46\00:25:04.10 'Cause those were actually 23 churches. 00:25:04.10\00:25:07.34 And he says, "Oh, I'm so sorry, 00:25:07.34\00:25:09.07 I can only get to five or six churches on a Sabbath." 00:25:09.07\00:25:11.91 I'm thinking, "Man, most of us are lucky to get to one." 00:25:11.91\00:25:14.98 - Yeah, so I can't imagine having to go 00:25:14.98\00:25:17.38 to eight churches on a Sabbath, 00:25:17.38\00:25:19.11 I can't imagine having to go to three or even two, really. 00:25:19.11\00:25:23.52 But it just shows how much these people care, 00:25:23.52\00:25:26.22 these Bible workers, they really care 00:25:26.22\00:25:28.49 about the church members that they've been, 00:25:28.49\00:25:30.66 most of them, they've brought in to the truth. 00:25:30.66\00:25:33.19 - Yes. - Many of them. 00:25:33.19\00:25:34.23 - Yes. - It's just really neat to see 00:25:34.23\00:25:36.50 and to think about what would I do if it was me 00:25:36.50\00:25:39.30 in their situation, I'd probably throw up my hands 00:25:39.30\00:25:42.00 and say, "Okay, I'm just going to one church 'cause, 00:25:42.00\00:25:44.64 you know, it's too much stress to try to get across town 00:25:44.64\00:25:47.61 or over to the next village or wherever." 00:25:47.61\00:25:50.15 But these people are so dedicated, these Bible workers. 00:25:50.15\00:25:52.88 I just, I love them, I love to hang out with them, 00:25:52.88\00:25:55.72 even if we can't speak the same language, 00:25:55.72\00:25:57.45 because the spirit of God is there and they really, 00:25:57.45\00:26:00.49 really care for the people that are around them 00:26:00.49\00:26:04.29 to know Jesus, and it doesn't matter if, you know, 00:26:04.29\00:26:07.46 they're called, I don't know where the lady was 00:26:07.46\00:26:09.36 with the sick boy, but it's like, 00:26:09.36\00:26:11.03 was she in a totally different village 00:26:11.03\00:26:12.67 aside from those eight? 00:26:12.67\00:26:13.97 She might've been, but Mamta would've gone anyway. 00:26:13.97\00:26:16.64 - [Jon] Yeah. 00:26:16.64\00:26:18.07 - You know, because they care and they, it doesn't matter 00:26:18.07\00:26:20.01 where the person's located, they're gonna go. 00:26:20.01\00:26:22.11 - [Jon] Right. 00:26:22.11\00:26:23.35 - And it's just beautiful, it's just so beautiful. 00:26:23.35\00:26:25.65 And I love the Bible worker program. 00:26:25.65\00:26:28.32 And it is challenging because we have 00:26:28.32\00:26:30.85 over 700 Bible workers in different areas, 00:26:30.85\00:26:34.06 India, Bangladesh, Philippines, you know, other areas. 00:26:34.06\00:26:37.66 But it's an immense amount of money every month, 00:26:37.66\00:26:41.36 to be frank, and it just, we are constantly praying 00:26:41.36\00:26:44.73 for funds for the Bible workers 00:26:44.73\00:26:46.17 because they need to keep going because the people 00:26:46.17\00:26:49.50 that they're serving are so important to God. 00:26:49.50\00:26:51.94 - Right. - And therefore, to us. 00:26:51.94\00:26:54.11 - [Jon] Right. 00:26:54.11\00:26:55.21 - And so it's just, it's a challenge. 00:26:55.21\00:26:57.21 It's a faith challenge. And we constantly pray for them. 00:26:57.21\00:27:00.95 - So if somebody donates $100 to a Bible worker, 00:27:00.95\00:27:03.82 how much of that $100 gets to India? 00:27:03.82\00:27:07.06 - The only thing we take out for is bank fees, 00:27:07.06\00:27:09.56 transfer fees coming in, transfer fees going out. 00:27:09.56\00:27:12.69 - So why do we do it that way? 00:27:12.69\00:27:13.86 Why do we send 100% of people's donations 00:27:13.86\00:27:16.70 for Bible workers to the Bible workers? 00:27:16.70\00:27:19.07 - Because we want them to keep working. 00:27:19.07\00:27:21.24 We want the gospel to go to every nation, 00:27:21.24\00:27:23.44 kindred, tongue, and people, we want it to go to everybody. 00:27:23.44\00:27:27.84 And as many people as possible before the Second Coming. 00:27:27.84\00:27:30.88 We don't want anybody to be left out 00:27:30.88\00:27:32.88 that could possibly be saved. 00:27:32.88\00:27:34.42 And so I would like to invite you to pray 00:27:34.42\00:27:37.02 for these Bible workers, pray for the people 00:27:37.02\00:27:39.49 that they're reaching out to, and praise the Lord with us 00:27:39.49\00:27:42.32 for these testimonies that we've had the privilege 00:27:42.32\00:27:44.29 of hearing today. 00:27:44.29\00:27:45.66 And if you would like to learn more 00:27:45.66\00:27:46.93 about our Bible worker program, please contact us 00:27:46.93\00:27:49.60 at Jesus for Asia, PO Box 1221, Collegedale, Tennessee, 00:27:49.60\00:27:54.67 37315, call us at (423) 413-7321, 00:27:55.64\00:27:58.77 or visit our website at jesusforasia.org. 00:28:00.81\00:28:04.28 May God richly bless you until we see you next time 00:28:04.28\00:28:07.18 on Jesus for Asia Now. 00:28:07.18\00:28:08.88 (triumphant music) 00:28:08.88\00:28:11.85