(uplifting music)
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- Hello and welcome
to "Jesus for Asia NOW."
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I'm Natalie Wood,
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and I have my husband
Jon here with me today.
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Hello, love.
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- Hi, darling. How are you?
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- I'm doing fine, how are you?
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- Very good. - Good.
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Well, where are we going
or what are we seeing today?
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- We're going
back to South India.
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- Okay. - Yeah.
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And what we're gonna find
there is a bunch of churches
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that have unfortunately been
closed for many, many years.
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- Hmm.
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Okay, I'm sure
there's stories behind that.
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- Yes, there's different
sections with different stories,
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but the main thing is
that churches were built,
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and unfortunately,
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sometimes due to oppression
or due to persecution,
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they had to be abandoned.
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- Hmm. - But most of the time,
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it was because there was not
enough funds in the local unit,
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the conference, section, region,
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in order to hire
Bible workers or pastors
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to manage, and grow,
and nurture the churches.
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And so they
couldn't keep up with them,
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and so they just
ended up getting closed.
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- Wow, that's
really sad. - Yeah.
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- Unfortunate. - Yeah.
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There was one area
where they built 40 churches,
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and the very
first day of evangelism,
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the Evangelistic Series, they
got kicked out of the country.
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And so all these
churches have been sitting empty
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and closed since 2009.
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- Oh, wow. - Yeah.
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And so recently, they
found some of these churches,
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and we've
started reopening them.
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- Okay. - You
remember the first time
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we learned about the
phenomenon of churches
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that have been
abandoned and closed?
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- Yeah.
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It was 2006, I
believe. - Yes, it was.
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We found a church that
was completely padlocked,
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and the local person,
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the local believer
who had been baptized
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at the Evangelistic Series,
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when that church
was first opened,
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came and told us the last
time the church was opened
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was the very last day
after she got baptized
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and they closed up the church.
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There's another
story of a church
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that when they came
to reopen the church,
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they found the money bag,
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the offering bag, completely
stuffed full of bills.
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And so when they
reopened, the church lady came,
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and she says she had been
coming there every Sabbath.
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She had somehow
gotten a key to the church.
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She went in, and
she knelt and prayed,
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and she read her Bible,
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and she worshiped
God on the Sabbath day.
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And then she put a little bit
of money into the offering bag
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in faith that
somebody would come someday
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and collect that offering.
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- Wow.
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(Jon laughing)
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The dedication of God's
people in spite of obstacles
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is just... - [Jon] Inspiring.
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- It's just really...
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Yeah, inspiring.
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And one of the things that they
deal with in these villages,
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when the churches are closed,
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is they get a lot of
ridicule from the Hindus.
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We've heard that
from many areas of India.
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It's not just in
South India. - Right.
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- And so it's like,
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"Well, your God can't
even keep the church open.
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Your God can't even
keep the church nice,
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but look at our temple."
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You know? - So,
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we wanna introduce our
family to some of the churches
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that we got to visit while
we were there just recently.
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- So we do have a video.
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Do you wanna tell
us where this church is
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before we watch the video?
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- Yeah, this church is
located right next to the beach,
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like within a few
hundred feet of the beach.
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- Wow. - But the salt spray
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from the ocean
is kind of worn away
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at the bricks and
the mortar and stuff.
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So you'll see
what that looks like.
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- Okay.
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(mellow music) (waves sloshing)
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(somber music)
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(boat engine whirring)
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So we are here on the
very edge of the continent.
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We are near the
beach of Tamil Nadu,
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and there's one narrow passage,
a bridge to one last island,
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and then it's the end of India.
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And so we have a church here
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that has been
abandoned for some reason.
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Maybe there was a lack
of funds to provide a pastor
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or Bible worker for this church.
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That's usually what happens.
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And so it's just been neglected,
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and it's sitting
here waiting for revival.
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You can see it's
completely locked.
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It's on a nice
little piece of property.
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It's starting to weather out.
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You can see that
it's just crumbling.
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But the local pastor says,
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"If we restore this
church or rebuild it,
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they'll definitely be
people that will come."
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And so there's a
huge opportunity here
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for rebuilding in a
very unique location.
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And so I'm asking and
praying that God will help us,
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allow us to rebuild this
church, among many others.
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There's over 30 that have
been targeted in this area
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for not just rebuilding,
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but reviving, re-energizing,
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and bringing more
souls into the kingdom of God
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through the use of these tools.
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Somebody put good money into
building this in the beginning,
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and I think we need to
capitalize on that investment.
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Even if we have
to rebuild a church,
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at least we have the land,
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we don't have to
buy the land over.
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And so I'm just praying
that the Lord will open this up
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because this means
souls for the kingdom,
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souls for eternity.
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(uplifting music)
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- So that's interesting
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because it's so
close to the edge of India.
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It's a place I
haven't been before.
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But to think about the people
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that used to come to that
church and now don't anymore,
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and how long it may have
been sitting there closed,
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and I mean, it looks like
it needs quite a bit of repair.
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Which, reopening these churches,
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what does it take besides
the repairs and rebuilding?
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- Okay, well, the main thing
is to sponsor a Bible worker
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to go there and
take care of that church,
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and to do the
evangelism in the area.
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Go, and make friends,
and break down barriers,
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and start letting people
know that the church is open.
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- Yeah.
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- The other thing
that is really helpful
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is if you can do an
Evangelistic Series,
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they do a little,
like a reopening event,
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so people can
know that it's reopened
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and the word can get out
and people will start coming.
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- Okay. - Yeah.
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A lot of times, we
go to these communities
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and there are
believers in the community,
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wishing and longing for a church
that they could worship in.
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- Hmm. - [Jon] Yeah.
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- Yeah, that's
hard. - Mm-hmm. It's hard.
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- And so not just
having a bible worker there,
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but having the Bible
workers well-trained,
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so that they can
help if there's...
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Like, with medical
missionary training,
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the basics, of course,
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but also so they know
what to do, how to prayer walk,
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what to do in
certain situations.
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- How to give
Bible studies. - Right.
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So we have another
church that we're gonna go to,
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so let's watch that video now.
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- Okay.
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(mellow music)
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You can see the church
has all grown up in weeds,
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and it looks like
it's in pretty bad shape.
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We've seen worse,
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but we're
wanting to revive this.
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(mellow music)
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Oh.
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(resident speaking
in foreign language)
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Here, I can do Google Translate.
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(resident speaking
in foreign language)
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No, it didn't work.
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Let me call pastor.
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(indistinct)
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Hello?
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(pastor speaking
in foreign language)
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(resident speaking
in foreign language)
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Thank you. Thank
you. - They'll be waiting.
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- Okay. Okay.
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(resident speaking
in foreign language)
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This is part of
the work of reopening.
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We've got this church here.
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It's been sitting
unused for 20, 30 years.
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And so somebody built there,
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and now it's up
to the president,
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the new
president of the section,
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to come through and do the work
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of starting to
contact the local people.
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We've been here for, I
don't know, 15, 20 minutes,
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and this couple showed up,
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and he's down at
the other neighbors
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asking about
what's going on here.
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(mellow music)
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Now, to give you
a few statistics,
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this area, this whole
region, has four pastors,
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plus the
president and the treasurer.
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And they have six
Jesus for Asia Bible workers
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and seven gospel
outreach workers.
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So that's 13 bible workers,
plus the four regular pastors.
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So, we're at 17.
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We're at 17 workers.
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They have 106 churches;
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only 45 of them are active.
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(mellow music)
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Here's another guy coming up.
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It looks like he's
got a key in his hand
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and he's opening the gate.
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So, I'm hoping the
president will show up
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'cause I know about
five words in Tamil.
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They mostly
have to do with food.
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(Jon chuckling)
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(mellow music)
(residents chattering)
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(door clanging)
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And that lady we
met out on the road
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said that a long time ago,
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this was a beautiful
church, it was really nice.
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So we come in here.
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Floor's not too bad,
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probably needs some help.
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There's some real
big holes in the ceiling,
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but the
structures still look solid,
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the walls still look solid.
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The doors and
windows need some help.
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We got a little
trouble over here.
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The wall's kind of cracking
and the floor's all cracked up.
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So, this place
definitely needs some help,
00:10:03.47\00:10:06.03
but still gonna be cheaper
than building a new church.
00:10:06.03\00:10:09.90
(residents chattering)
00:10:09.90\00:10:13.44
(somber music)
00:10:13.44\00:10:16.08
I'm here at the closed church
00:10:17.88\00:10:19.01
with Pastor
Selvaraj at the SRS Section.
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And this is the first time
00:10:22.12\00:10:23.95
that he's seen
this church pastor.
00:10:23.95\00:10:25.42
What's happening here?
00:10:25.42\00:10:26.96
- Actually, 20 years
before, they bought this land.
00:10:26.96\00:10:31.83
And this man called
Supramanya, kindhearted man,
00:10:31.83\00:10:35.83
he gave this
land for the church.
00:10:35.83\00:10:37.77
(Pastor Selvaraj and Supramanya
speaking foreign language)
00:10:37.77\00:10:38.90
- 10,000. - For 10,000 rupees,
00:10:38.90\00:10:40.60
he gave this land.
00:10:40.60\00:10:41.70
Thank you. - So is this man
00:10:41.70\00:10:43.34
part of the
church in the beginning?
00:10:43.34\00:10:45.14
(Pastor Selvaraj
speaking in foreign language)
00:10:45.14\00:10:47.74
(Supramanya
speaking in foreign language)
00:10:47.74\00:10:48.71
- Not yet. - Not yet.
00:10:48.71\00:10:49.41
- No, okay.
00:10:49.41\00:10:50.68
So there was a
group here at one time.
00:10:50.68\00:10:52.38
- Yeah.
00:10:52.38\00:10:53.68
(Supramanya
speaking in foreign language)
00:10:53.68\00:10:56.72
The school
children and the teachers,
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they were attending the
church on the Saturday Sabbath,
00:10:59.19\00:11:02.59
nearby school.
00:11:02.59\00:11:03.96
And after that, nobody was
there, so it is left alone.
00:11:03.96\00:11:07.83
(Supramanya
speaking in foreign language)
00:11:07.83\00:11:10.80
After the church get
damaged, no one is coming.
00:11:10.80\00:11:13.64
- Oh, okay.
00:11:13.64\00:11:15.57
How long did they
worship from the beginning?
00:11:15.57\00:11:17.34
(Pastor Selvaraj
speaking in foreign language)
00:11:17.34\00:11:19.44
(Supramanya
speaking in foreign language)
00:11:19.44\00:11:20.61
- 10 to 15 years, the
church was maintaining.
00:11:20.61\00:11:22.41
People were coming
and worshiping there.
00:11:22.41\00:11:24.25
For the decade
only, it is kept closed.
00:11:24.25\00:11:27.02
There are students, those
who are going on the road,
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they'll throw stones
on the roof of the church,
00:11:29.38\00:11:32.35
and you can see some of
the holes on the churches.
00:11:32.35\00:11:35.02
He has covered
them with some plastic.
00:11:35.02\00:11:37.16
So now, we are
taking step to renovate it.
00:11:37.16\00:11:40.70
So finally, we
found out this place.
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I'm going to give charge
for the prevailing pastors.
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They will take
care of the church.
00:11:48.20\00:11:49.50
They are going to
make a revival meeting.
00:11:49.50\00:11:52.51
And somehow, we
have to reestablish
00:11:52.51\00:11:55.14
the Seventh-Day
Adventist church here.
00:11:55.14\00:11:57.11
- Thank you, thank you
very much for your help.
00:11:57.11\00:11:59.21
(Supramanya
speaking in foreign language)
00:11:59.21\00:12:00.55
And hopefully, pray to
God we'll get this going,
00:12:00.55\00:12:02.22
unless the pastors work
00:12:02.22\00:12:04.72
and pray for the
right people to come.
00:12:04.72\00:12:06.29
- Thank you.
00:12:06.29\00:12:07.66
(Pastor Selvaraj and Supramanya
speaking foreign language)
00:12:07.66\00:12:08.72
Thank you.
00:12:08.72\00:12:09.56
(mellow music)
00:12:09.56\00:12:12.29
- Four pastors here
and then 13 Bible workers,
00:12:13.46\00:12:15.90
so that's 17, 17 times three.
00:12:15.90\00:12:18.90
Even the Bible
workers have three churches.
00:12:18.90\00:12:21.74
So, that would cover your 45
churches that are operational.
00:12:21.74\00:12:26.61
So really, the only
way you can expand that
00:12:26.61\00:12:29.04
is just to add a
larger workforce,
00:12:29.04\00:12:31.01
and that's where
Jesus for Asia comes in
00:12:31.01\00:12:32.61
is we bring in Bible workers
00:12:32.61\00:12:34.82
and then we
consider them long term.
00:12:34.82\00:12:37.72
We have churches that
we reopened back in 2007,
00:12:37.72\00:12:41.26
and we still have Bible workers
in that area, 19 churches,
00:12:41.26\00:12:44.46
and all of them are still
open and they're thriving.
00:12:44.46\00:12:46.46
So, we want to do that again.
00:12:46.46\00:12:48.40
But the big need,
really, is workers and training.
00:12:48.40\00:12:51.87
I think that's a huge key
in opening all these doors.
00:12:51.87\00:12:56.14
(uplifting music)
00:12:56.14\00:12:58.94
See, those are real
people, real stories,
00:13:10.55\00:13:13.46
And the churches are sitting
there with real potential.
00:13:13.46\00:13:16.42
- Yeah.
00:13:16.42\00:13:17.69
Yeah.
00:13:17.69\00:13:18.46
And the man wants it back.
00:13:18.46\00:13:20.23
- Yes. - That's so awesome
00:13:20.23\00:13:21.56
'cause he could
have easily have said,
00:13:21.56\00:13:23.37
"Oh, that church is gone.
00:13:23.37\00:13:24.63
I'm not a member of that church.
00:13:24.63\00:13:26.03
I'm gonna take it down,
00:13:26.03\00:13:27.17
or I'm gonna use it
for myself or whatever."
00:13:27.17\00:13:29.77
But he donated
it in the beginning.
00:13:29.77\00:13:31.34
- Right? Yeah. - [Natalie] So-
00:13:31.34\00:13:33.04
- And it looks
like it's sitting out
00:13:33.04\00:13:34.08
in the middle of a field.
00:13:34.08\00:13:35.18
But do you see all
those kids that went by?
00:13:35.18\00:13:36.91
- [Natalie]
Yeah. - Those are kids
00:13:36.91\00:13:37.91
that are
candidates for the kingdom.
00:13:37.91\00:13:40.05
And who's reaching out to them?
00:13:40.05\00:13:42.22
That church looked
like it was in good shape,
00:13:42.22\00:13:44.32
so I would estimate
that it costs maybe $1,500
00:13:44.32\00:13:47.49
to put that church back together
00:13:47.49\00:13:49.32
and get it functional again.
00:13:49.32\00:13:51.23
Plus, a Bible workers' salary.
00:13:51.23\00:13:53.13
And it's an opportunity
for somebody to go there
00:13:53.13\00:13:55.50
and help reopen it.
00:13:55.50\00:13:57.30
- Yeah.
00:13:57.30\00:13:58.50
Do the Revival
Series. - Yes. Yeah.
00:13:58.50\00:14:00.27
- Yeah, and we
have another church
00:14:00.27\00:14:01.94
and another group of people
00:14:01.94\00:14:03.51
who are
interested in it reopening.
00:14:03.51\00:14:05.51
- Cool. - All right,
00:14:05.51\00:14:06.51
let's watch the video now.
00:14:06.51\00:14:07.64
- Okay.
00:14:07.64\00:14:08.54
(somber music)
00:14:09.34\00:14:11.98
(doors clanging)
00:14:16.12\00:14:18.95
We've
discovered a unused church.
00:14:20.92\00:14:24.09
This is an
asset of God's kingdom
00:14:24.09\00:14:25.76
that we think should be used.
00:14:25.76\00:14:27.96
We are surrounded
by local villagers
00:14:27.96\00:14:30.93
who say that they are...
00:14:30.93\00:14:33.40
Would love to see...
00:14:33.40\00:14:34.54
You don't understand
what I'm saying, do you?
00:14:34.54\00:14:36.20
(villager laughing)
00:14:36.20\00:14:37.47
No, I don't understand
what you're saying either,
00:14:37.47\00:14:39.14
but I get what you're saying.
00:14:39.14\00:14:40.24
(villager speaking
in foreign language)
00:14:40.24\00:14:41.38
- Exactly.
00:14:41.38\00:14:42.94
So, Pastor, when we
showed up this morning,
00:14:42.94\00:14:45.25
they all came out,
00:14:45.25\00:14:46.51
and what are they
telling you about this church?
00:14:46.51\00:14:48.25
- Yes, the church
is called Sinamurray.
00:14:48.25\00:14:50.29
The church has been
abandoned for the last 18 years.
00:14:51.62\00:14:55.12
No one was there to
contact services here.
00:14:55.12\00:14:57.53
So these people, they went
back again to their old beliefs.
00:14:57.53\00:15:01.50
Now, what they're telling,
00:15:01.50\00:15:03.03
"If you're renovating the
church and sill start services,
00:15:03.03\00:15:06.50
then we'll come
and worship here."
00:15:06.50\00:15:08.27
- This is the first time
I've seen local people come out
00:15:08.27\00:15:11.27
and make that promise.
00:15:12.97\00:15:14.24
(mellow music)
00:15:14.24\00:15:16.91
In another church, when
they opened up the church,
00:15:19.81\00:15:22.22
they found the offering
bag stuffed full of money.
00:15:22.22\00:15:24.75
And they wondered how that
bag got stuffed full of money.
00:15:24.75\00:15:28.06
And they started
conducting Sabbath service,
00:15:28.06\00:15:32.79
and they found a lady
00:15:32.79\00:15:33.96
that had been coming
for the last 10 years.
00:15:33.96\00:15:35.26
And every
Sabbath, she would come.
00:15:35.26\00:15:37.80
She a key, open up,
worship, pray by herself,
00:15:37.80\00:15:41.74
and put her money
in that offering bag,
00:15:41.74\00:15:43.64
by faith, knowing
that somebody would come.
00:15:43.64\00:15:45.51
And I see that here.
00:15:45.51\00:15:46.74
If we came here,
00:15:46.74\00:15:48.78
definitely people would
be accepting Jesus Christ
00:15:48.78\00:15:51.18
and following Jesus Christ.
00:15:51.18\00:15:52.28
So, there's a huge
burden on our hearts
00:15:52.28\00:15:55.12
to reopen this church
and get it functioning again,
00:15:55.12\00:15:58.19
and have a Bible worker here
00:15:58.19\00:16:00.72
that can nurture people
into the truth of Jesus Christ
00:16:00.72\00:16:03.83
and everlasting life.
00:16:03.83\00:16:05.06
(uplifting music)
(motorcycle engine whirring)
00:16:05.06\00:16:09.96
Yeah, so the
President just told me
00:16:11.00\00:16:12.40
that he doesn't see any
Hindu temples around here.
00:16:12.40\00:16:15.20
So, he believes that
if we do open this church,
00:16:15.20\00:16:18.24
definitely we'll have
pretty much the whole village
00:16:18.24\00:16:20.88
ready to worship
Christ and learn about Him.
00:16:22.01\00:16:25.01
So, it's pretty,
pretty fruitful territory.
00:16:25.01\00:16:28.25
(uplifting music)
00:16:28.25\00:16:31.25
Mrs. White says in
one of her statements
00:16:33.82\00:16:36.06
that there are thousands
of souls throughout the world
00:16:36.06\00:16:39.53
looking wistfully to heaven,
00:16:39.53\00:16:40.96
hoping that
there's something better,
00:16:40.96\00:16:42.80
that there's
some truth up there.
00:16:42.80\00:16:44.50
And here's some of those souls.
00:16:44.50\00:16:46.97
And I think that
God is very interested
00:16:46.97\00:16:49.04
in their
salvation, eternal life.
00:16:49.04\00:16:51.77
And they're just
simple village folks,
00:16:51.77\00:16:55.08
but what's gonna happen?
00:16:55.08\00:16:57.11
What is it gonna look
like a million years from now
00:16:57.11\00:16:59.08
when we're in heaven,
00:16:59.08\00:17:00.52
and they're wearing robes
of light and crowns of gold?
00:17:00.52\00:17:03.65
(Jon exhaling)
00:17:03.65\00:17:04.95
They're all
speaking the same language.
00:17:04.95\00:17:06.39
I wonder if we
will think at that point
00:17:06.39\00:17:08.42
whether this was
a good investment.
00:17:08.42\00:17:10.73
I think we'll have no doubt.
00:17:10.73\00:17:12.59
In fact, I think
we'll wish we had done more.
00:17:12.59\00:17:14.76
So, please pray for
this town, for this village.
00:17:14.76\00:17:18.00
There's 30 churches
like this in the area
00:17:18.00\00:17:21.90
that are pretty easy to recover.
00:17:21.90\00:17:24.27
And then I've just
been told by the president
00:17:24.27\00:17:26.31
that there's 30 more that will
be more difficult to recover.
00:17:26.31\00:17:29.91
So, there's a lot of
work, and a lot of opportunity,
00:17:29.91\00:17:32.68
and a great desperate
need for Bible workers.
00:17:32.68\00:17:35.85
So please pray that this
president can find the right
00:17:35.85\00:17:39.02
people to become Bible workers
00:17:39.02\00:17:40.12
and start reviving
these kinds of churches
00:17:40.12\00:17:42.46
'cause these are
souls for heaven.
00:17:42.46\00:17:44.13
- Thank you.
00:17:44.13\00:17:44.96
(mellow music)
00:17:44.96\00:17:47.86
- Perfect, thank you. Thank you.
00:17:47.86\00:17:49.66
(villagers
chattering and laughing)
00:17:49.66\00:17:51.10
(mellow music)
00:17:51.10\00:17:53.84
Aren't they precious people?
00:17:58.71\00:18:00.21
- Yes, it's so neat to
see them smiling and happy
00:18:00.21\00:18:02.94
thinking about
the possibilities.
00:18:02.94\00:18:05.05
- Yeah. - What a
privilege it would be
00:18:05.05\00:18:06.75
to be able to give them
back their worship place
00:18:06.75\00:18:09.72
and someone to help
them to know God better.
00:18:09.72\00:18:12.32
- Yeah.
00:18:12.32\00:18:13.46
Now, that church
had a few more problems.
00:18:13.46\00:18:14.92
It wasn't as in good
shape as the first one,
00:18:14.92\00:18:17.16
so it probably
cost a little bit more.
00:18:17.16\00:18:18.76
We'd have to get
an estimate on it.
00:18:18.76\00:18:20.73
We're working
on a way, a system,
00:18:20.73\00:18:22.70
to get an accurate estimate
00:18:22.70\00:18:24.43
and figuring out how to
get workers there to rebuild.
00:18:24.43\00:18:28.27
The previous year, a couple
in their 70s went over there
00:18:28.27\00:18:31.64
and repainted 14
of those churches.
00:18:31.64\00:18:33.78
- Yeah.
00:18:33.78\00:18:34.61
(Jon laughing)
00:18:34.61\00:18:35.31
Well, praise the Lord.
00:18:35.31\00:18:36.11
He will make the changes needed.
00:18:36.11\00:18:38.45
- Amen. - And He will provide
00:18:38.45\00:18:40.02
what is needed for these
churches and for the Bible
00:18:40.02\00:18:43.39
workers that he knows
need to be working there.
00:18:43.39\00:18:45.39
- We just need to keep praying.
00:18:45.39\00:18:46.76
- Yep. Yeah. - [Jon] Yeah.
00:18:46.76\00:18:48.09
And God will do it.
00:18:48.09\00:18:49.09
- So we have
another church to visit.
00:18:49.09\00:18:50.83
Anything special about
this one that we should know
00:18:50.83\00:18:52.79
before we watch the video?
00:18:52.79\00:18:54.23
- Well, for one
thing, it was super hot.
00:18:54.23\00:18:56.53
- Okay. - Okay?
00:18:56.53\00:18:57.97
And so I'm sweating.
00:18:57.97\00:18:59.40
But the other thing is
that this is the dry season.
00:18:59.40\00:19:02.10
In the rainy season,
00:19:02.10\00:19:03.54
the fields behind the church
flood, and the church floods,
00:19:03.54\00:19:05.81
and you'll be
able to see the mark
00:19:05.81\00:19:08.31
where the water comes up.
- [Natalie] The water mark.
00:19:08.31\00:19:09.68
- So this is a church that
you need to raise the floor
00:19:09.68\00:19:12.71
and you need to raise the roof.
00:19:12.71\00:19:14.35
And we've done that.
00:19:14.35\00:19:15.52
You'd think that
that would be impossible,
00:19:15.52\00:19:17.19
but it's not that hard to do.
00:19:17.19\00:19:19.42
- All right, well,
let's watch the video now.
00:19:19.42\00:19:21.09
- Okay.
00:19:21.09\00:19:22.26
(mellow music)
00:19:22.26\00:19:24.99
Now, we're in a church
in which a local pastor
00:19:29.26\00:19:31.57
and his JFA Bible worker
wife has taken an interest in,
00:19:31.57\00:19:34.77
and they've been opening it
00:19:34.77\00:19:36.17
and keeping it
running since 2018.
00:19:36.17\00:19:39.17
And so this is a
functioning church.
00:19:39.17\00:19:42.08
The problem with it is
that in the rainy season,
00:19:42.08\00:19:45.55
when the flooding
happens, it floods actually up.
00:19:45.55\00:19:48.55
You can see the line in
which the water is standing,
00:19:48.55\00:19:52.25
and it's deteriorated at
the bottom of this church walls,
00:19:52.25\00:19:55.99
and it doesn't have electricity,
00:19:55.99\00:19:58.79
and it needs to be
repaired and upgraded
00:19:58.79\00:20:01.66
and to be a stronger
light in this community.
00:20:01.66\00:20:04.93
But this is the pastor
00:20:04.93\00:20:06.40
that has taken an
interest with his wife,
00:20:06.40\00:20:09.30
and they need your prayers.
00:20:09.30\00:20:10.94
This church needs a facelift
00:20:10.94\00:20:13.51
and maybe an entire lift
to get above the water line.
00:20:13.51\00:20:17.11
So, thank you, and let's just
keep praying for this village
00:20:17.11\00:20:19.71
and villages like it.
00:20:19.71\00:20:21.02
(mellow music)
00:20:21.02\00:20:23.75
We are here in a little church
00:20:43.44\00:20:44.44
right next to a small village.
00:20:44.44\00:20:46.31
This church was built in 2010
00:20:46.31\00:20:48.84
and it was functioning
quite well for a while.
00:20:48.84\00:20:51.45
And then some of
the members passed away
00:20:51.45\00:20:54.02
and other ones
moved on to another place,
00:20:54.02\00:20:56.45
and so they closed it up.
00:20:56.45\00:20:58.52
(mellow music)
00:20:58.52\00:21:00.86
- [Caller] Five
to six months back,
00:21:00.86\00:21:03.02
we opened the church,
00:21:03.02\00:21:04.36
and we are conducting the
meeting for the childrens.
00:21:04.36\00:21:08.60
And one of the adult is
coming to the church now.
00:21:08.60\00:21:11.73
Her brother, his name is Sonaya,
00:21:12.70\00:21:15.50
he is suffering
from brain cancer.
00:21:15.50\00:21:17.01
- Hmm. - [Caller] So,
00:21:17.01\00:21:17.87
you can just remember his
name when you are praying.
00:21:19.21\00:21:21.78
(mellow music)
00:21:21.78\00:21:24.75
- [Jon] Yeah, if I came here,
00:21:24.75\00:21:26.15
I wouldn't feel very inspired
to worship in this place.
00:21:26.15\00:21:29.68
The floor is sinking
00:21:30.45\00:21:31.99
and you can see it's
kind of all broken up
00:21:31.99\00:21:34.56
and the platform is broken up.
00:21:34.56\00:21:36.69
(mellow music)
00:21:36.69\00:21:39.43
- [Caller] We
have to do flooring,
00:21:41.06\00:21:43.47
then we need to do
electricity connection.
00:21:43.47\00:21:46.53
And then we can do painting.
00:21:46.53\00:21:49.24
So that is the
procedure we are thinking now.
00:21:49.24\00:21:53.21
- Okay.
00:21:53.21\00:21:54.31
These are
really practical, easy,
00:21:54.31\00:21:56.68
basic things that we can do
00:21:56.68\00:21:58.25
to really build up the local
church and make them feel like,
00:21:58.25\00:22:01.18
"Oh, something's
happening there."
00:22:01.18\00:22:02.78
(mellow music)
00:22:02.78\00:22:06.29
Pray for this village
00:22:06.29\00:22:07.52
and many others like it
that need to be reopened.
00:22:07.52\00:22:10.26
This one has been reopened
for the last few months,
00:22:10.26\00:22:12.89
and so this is an
asset of God's kingdom
00:22:12.89\00:22:15.80
that we need to
maximize, I believe.
00:22:15.80\00:22:18.67
And it doesn't take much,
00:22:18.67\00:22:20.37
but it does take something.
00:22:20.37\00:22:21.47
It takes intentionality
to make it happen,
00:22:21.47\00:22:24.41
and I praise God that
we've got a section president
00:22:24.41\00:22:26.88
that has the care for
these unopened churches
00:22:26.88\00:22:29.71
that we can work through,
00:22:29.71\00:22:31.11
get Bible workers here,
00:22:31.11\00:22:32.85
start bringing believers
back for their eternal life.
00:22:32.85\00:22:36.69
(uplifting music)
00:22:37.52\00:22:40.52
(door clanging)
00:22:41.59\00:22:44.89
(lock clicking)
00:22:44.89\00:22:47.76
I remember when I
was standing there
00:22:47.76\00:22:49.26
in that church thinking,
00:22:49.26\00:22:50.70
"Even if we repaint this church,
00:22:50.70\00:22:54.74
wouldn't it be nice to
add a few more touches?
00:22:54.74\00:22:57.04
Like, have some chairs,
some mats, some decorations,
00:22:57.04\00:23:00.54
something that will make it feel
00:23:00.54\00:23:02.11
like people care
about this place."
00:23:02.11\00:23:03.88
Because if you go
to the local temple,
00:23:03.88\00:23:05.31
I mean, it's got all
these detailed paintings
00:23:05.31\00:23:07.68
and it's very
well taken care of.
00:23:07.68\00:23:09.32
It makes it look
like somebody cares.
00:23:09.32\00:23:11.45
- Right. - And what if we go
00:23:11.45\00:23:12.62
a little step
beyond just the basics
00:23:12.62\00:23:14.82
of getting it functional
00:23:14.82\00:23:15.92
and decorating it
to make it look nice?
00:23:15.92\00:23:18.56
- Yeah.
00:23:18.56\00:23:19.83
Yeah, there are a lot of
churches that would benefit
00:23:19.83\00:23:22.06
from just a
little decorative touch
00:23:22.06\00:23:24.53
just to make them
a little bit nicer.
00:23:24.53\00:23:26.70
- Yes. - So we do
have another video
00:23:26.70\00:23:29.30
featuring more churches.
00:23:29.30\00:23:30.57
- Okay, all right.
00:23:30.57\00:23:32.37
(mellow music)
00:23:32.37\00:23:35.11
So, in this district alone,
00:23:45.39\00:23:47.59
there's like around 60
churches that are abandoned,
00:23:47.59\00:23:51.86
closed, not being used.
00:23:51.86\00:23:53.80
And I've talked to some
of my friends in America
00:23:55.00\00:23:57.00
that has sponsored
some of these churches,
00:23:57.00\00:23:58.63
and I say, "How
does that make you feel?"
00:23:58.63\00:24:00.57
He says, "Well, it
kind of makes me upset.
00:24:00.57\00:24:02.07
It's like we go in there
and we build these churches,
00:24:02.07\00:24:04.24
we give it to them,
00:24:04.24\00:24:05.37
and why aren't they
keeping them going?"
00:24:05.37\00:24:07.24
And the truth is,
00:24:07.24\00:24:08.54
I don't know of any
conference or church district
00:24:08.54\00:24:12.21
that could handle 50, 15, 20,
00:24:12.21\00:24:16.38
30 new churches all at once.
00:24:16.38\00:24:19.92
It takes time for the
tithe base to be developed
00:24:19.92\00:24:22.62
so that even the local
pastors can be brought in.
00:24:22.62\00:24:26.39
And these churches
are built in places
00:24:26.39\00:24:28.16
that the land is cheap.
00:24:28.16\00:24:30.13
So, it's built for people
00:24:30.13\00:24:32.80
that would normally be
like daily wages laborers.
00:24:32.80\00:24:35.24
They go in and they
make two or $3 a day.
00:24:35.24\00:24:37.74
If they get a job
just enough to eat,
00:24:37.74\00:24:39.94
they're not gonna
be the kind of people
00:24:39.94\00:24:41.48
that are gonna be
able to support a pastor
00:24:41.48\00:24:43.11
or a Bible worker
for quite some time.
00:24:43.11\00:24:45.88
It takes investment
to build up a tithe base.
00:24:45.88\00:24:50.39
And so what
happens is the we come in
00:24:50.39\00:24:54.16
and build a lot of churches,
00:24:54.16\00:24:55.72
which we should do,
there's no doubt about it,
00:24:55.72\00:24:58.69
because there's still,
according to the statistics,
00:24:58.69\00:25:02.66
around 400,000 towns
and villages in India
00:25:02.66\00:25:05.53
that have never heard
the gospel of any kind.
00:25:05.53\00:25:08.04
So, we need to keep doing this,
00:25:08.04\00:25:09.80
but at the same time,
00:25:09.80\00:25:10.94
we need to build up
the workforce long term
00:25:10.94\00:25:14.14
to be able to maintain these
structures and the believers.
00:25:14.14\00:25:19.21
So, we've gotta be able
to provide for these kinds of
00:25:20.82\00:25:22.52
things until the
tithe base gets to the place
00:25:22.52\00:25:24.65
where the
believers are strong enough
00:25:24.65\00:25:26.49
and they're able to
support their own church,
00:25:26.49\00:25:29.39
their own work.
00:25:29.39\00:25:31.09
And this takes time.
00:25:31.09\00:25:32.19
(mellow music)
00:25:32.19\00:25:34.73
This can be discouraging.
00:25:34.73\00:25:36.03
This can be a
discouraging thing to see.
00:25:36.03\00:25:39.17
We wanna see the
gospel go forward.
00:25:39.17\00:25:40.50
We want to see it spread
00:25:40.50\00:25:43.34
throughout all the different
towns and villages in India,
00:25:43.34\00:25:45.74
but at the same time, are
we really serious about that?
00:25:45.74\00:25:49.21
And I think we should be.
00:25:49.21\00:25:50.68
You never know
which of these churches
00:25:50.68\00:25:52.75
will become Indian
Billy Graham or Mark Finley
00:25:52.75\00:25:56.62
that will win thousands,
millions possibly, to Christ.
00:25:56.62\00:26:01.46
And so we want to be
able to support this work.
00:26:01.46\00:26:04.19
We just need to step
in and do what we can
00:26:04.19\00:26:07.83
in the short amount of
time that we have available,
00:26:07.83\00:26:09.76
while money still
is worth something,
00:26:09.76\00:26:11.93
where it can still accomplish
good for the kingdom of God.
00:26:11.93\00:26:16.44
Very soon, there's coming a time
00:26:16.44\00:26:17.94
when money won't
be worth anything,
00:26:17.94\00:26:20.14
we won't be
able to use our money
00:26:20.14\00:26:21.48
to advance the kingdom of God,
00:26:21.48\00:26:22.71
and then we'll have to
do it a lot more manually.
00:26:22.71\00:26:25.71
So, this is our
chance, this is our time.
00:26:25.71\00:26:28.42
Let's maximize this
time as much as possible.
00:26:28.42\00:26:31.09
(compelling music)
00:26:31.09\00:26:34.16
- Wow, the need is so great.
00:26:40.50\00:26:42.06
It just...
00:26:42.06\00:26:43.33
I know about these churches,
but every time I see it,
00:26:43.33\00:26:45.80
it just brings
it more to reality
00:26:45.80\00:26:47.80
that so many more
Bible workers are needed
00:26:47.80\00:26:51.21
to reach the people
that live in these areas
00:26:51.21\00:26:53.44
and to keep the churches going,
00:26:53.44\00:26:55.54
but also to keep
the outreach going.
00:26:55.54\00:26:57.85
To have somebody who
speaks their language
00:26:59.01\00:27:00.85
able to reach out to them.
00:27:00.85\00:27:02.28
- Yeah, but these churches
are such a great opportunity now
00:27:02.28\00:27:06.12
that they're in the
situation that they're in,
00:27:06.12\00:27:08.32
instead of having
to raise 10 or $12,000
00:27:08.32\00:27:11.09
to build a new
church, you use that-
00:27:11.09\00:27:12.69
- Plus whatever the property
might cost or whatever, yeah.
00:27:12.69\00:27:15.50
- Yeah, just $1,500, $2,000,
00:27:15.50\00:27:18.00
and you can restart a
church that's already there,
00:27:18.00\00:27:20.87
but hasn't been
functioning for 10 or 15 years.
00:27:20.87\00:27:23.27
- [Natalie] Yeah. Yeah. - Yeah.
00:27:23.27\00:27:25.01
- [Natalie] It's an
awesome opportunity.
00:27:25.01\00:27:26.57
- Yeah. - Well, our time is up,
00:27:26.57\00:27:28.28
but I would like to invite
you to pray for these churches
00:27:28.28\00:27:31.75
that they would be
rebuilt or repaired
00:27:31.75\00:27:33.82
and they can be reopened.
00:27:33.82\00:27:35.82
Pray for Bible workers
00:27:35.82\00:27:37.02
to go to the villages
where the churches are
00:27:37.02\00:27:39.75
and to let people
know about who Jesus is.
00:27:39.75\00:27:43.02
If you would
like more information
00:27:43.02\00:27:44.56
about church buildings
or about Bible workers,
00:27:44.56\00:27:47.76
please contact us
at Jesus for Asia,
00:27:47.76\00:27:50.30
PO Box 1221,
00:27:50.30\00:27:52.23
Collegedale, Tennessee, 37315.
00:27:52.23\00:27:54.37
Call us at 423 413-7321,
00:27:55.74\00:28:00.51
or visit our
website at jesus4asia.org.
00:28:00.51\00:28:04.08
May God richly bless you,
00:28:04.08\00:28:05.31
until we see you next
time on "Jesus for Asia NOW."
00:28:05.31\00:28:09.08
(uplifting music)
00:28:09.08\00:28:12.09