(light inspiring music)
00:00:00.66\00:00:03.53
- Hello and welcome
to "Jesus for Asia Now."
00:00:21.32\00:00:24.32
I'm Natalie Wood
00:00:24.32\00:00:25.49
and I have my husband
Jon here with me today.
00:00:25.49\00:00:27.66
Hello, love.
00:00:27.66\00:00:28.42
- Hi darling. How are you?
00:00:28.42\00:00:29.79
- I'm doing
very well, thank you.
00:00:29.79\00:00:31.39
- Awesome.
00:00:31.39\00:00:32.19
- So where is our trip to today?
00:00:32.19\00:00:34.00
- We're going to India. - Okay.
00:00:34.00\00:00:35.70
- To the central,
western part of India.
00:00:35.70\00:00:38.03
- Okay. - Where it's very hot.
00:00:38.03\00:00:40.30
It's kind of in a desert area.
00:00:40.30\00:00:41.94
I've been there several times.
00:00:41.94\00:00:43.07
Wonderful people.
00:00:43.07\00:00:44.71
One interesting
thing about this place
00:00:44.71\00:00:46.44
is we stopped on the
side of the road one time
00:00:46.44\00:00:49.41
to get some sugar cane juice.
00:00:49.41\00:00:51.08
And the way that they
made the sugar cane juice
00:00:51.08\00:00:53.68
is they had these sugar canes
and they had this metal thing.
00:00:53.68\00:00:58.65
- Like a funnel thing?
00:00:59.45\00:01:00.52
- No, it was like a press. - Oh.
00:01:00.52\00:01:02.56
- And they put it in,
put the sugar cane in,
00:01:02.56\00:01:05.66
and then they had
a cow tied to the arm
00:01:05.66\00:01:09.96
that went around and that-
00:01:09.96\00:01:12.07
- Pressed the
juice. - Pressed the juice
00:01:12.07\00:01:13.50
and then you drink it.
00:01:13.50\00:01:15.80
- Wow. - Best
sugar cane juice ever.
00:01:15.80\00:01:18.87
- Very fresh. - It's very fresh.
00:01:18.87\00:01:21.21
- So what are we
going to India to see?
00:01:21.21\00:01:23.78
What are we going to
this area of India to see?
00:01:23.78\00:01:25.98
- So there's a lot of churches
00:01:25.98\00:01:27.18
that we're discovering in India
00:01:27.18\00:01:28.58
that are either
completely neglected
00:01:28.58\00:01:30.42
or just falling into disrepair.
00:01:30.42\00:01:32.92
And the main key to
opening these churches
00:01:32.92\00:01:35.09
and keeping them open is
assigning a Bible worker.
00:01:35.09\00:01:39.19
Hiring a Bible worker-
00:01:39.19\00:01:40.76
- For that
place. - For that place,
00:01:40.76\00:01:42.33
'cause a lot of times the
local section or conference
00:01:42.33\00:01:46.20
just can't afford to
support the number of churches
00:01:46.20\00:01:49.00
that they have in their region.
00:01:49.00\00:01:51.31
- Yeah, so this is a key thing
00:01:51.31\00:01:52.71
that we've
discovered in recent years.
00:01:52.71\00:01:55.18
- Yes.
00:01:55.18\00:01:56.14
- There's a lot of churches,
00:01:56.14\00:01:57.48
not just in this
area, but all over India.
00:01:57.48\00:01:59.71
- [Josh] Yes.
00:01:59.71\00:02:00.75
- That are in
the same situation.
00:02:00.75\00:02:01.32
- Absolutely.
00:02:01.32\00:02:02.32
And some of them
are more expensive,
00:02:02.32\00:02:03.49
some of them are
less expensive to reopen.
00:02:03.49\00:02:06.25
Some basically a
complete rebuild.
00:02:06.25\00:02:08.92
Some of 'em are just a little
bit of paint and touch-ups
00:02:08.92\00:02:11.83
and we're good to go.
00:02:11.83\00:02:13.23
I find it very frustrating
00:02:13.23\00:02:14.93
to see some
assets in God's kingdom
00:02:14.93\00:02:17.70
just sitting idle
and not being utilized.
00:02:17.70\00:02:19.93
- Right.
00:02:19.93\00:02:20.74
I mean, you think of the people
00:02:20.74\00:02:22.04
that worshiped in that
church when it was first built.
00:02:22.04\00:02:23.87
- Yeah. - And why it was built.
00:02:23.87\00:02:25.94
And you think of the
donors that gave for it
00:02:25.94\00:02:27.88
to be built and whoever,
00:02:27.88\00:02:29.24
whatever organization it
was that helped them build it.
00:02:29.24\00:02:31.75
- Yes. - All this hope
00:02:31.75\00:02:32.78
that was put into this place.
00:02:32.78\00:02:34.42
- [Josh] Right.
00:02:34.42\00:02:35.25
- And then to see it neglected
00:02:35.25\00:02:36.05
is really, really disheartening.
00:02:36.05\00:02:38.02
- Yeah. - And
so, we have a video,
00:02:38.02\00:02:40.22
we have a
number of videos today.
00:02:40.22\00:02:42.02
And the first one is
talking about a lady,
00:02:42.02\00:02:44.89
one of our Bible workers
00:02:44.89\00:02:46.53
that found a
church that was closed
00:02:46.53\00:02:48.36
and the process of reopening it.
00:02:48.36\00:02:50.67
- [Jon] Yes.
00:02:50.67\00:02:51.93
(soft music)
00:02:51.93\00:02:54.30
(speaking in foreign language)
00:03:00.34\00:03:03.51
- [Interpreter] I don't know
personally how long it's been,
00:03:03.51\00:03:06.15
but people around here say
00:03:06.15\00:03:07.28
that this church
was closed for 22 years.
00:03:07.28\00:03:10.42
Before I started working here,
00:03:10.42\00:03:12.52
I was actually jealous
00:03:12.52\00:03:13.72
that there was a
church building here,
00:03:13.72\00:03:15.09
because the group
that I was worshiping with
00:03:15.09\00:03:16.89
didn't have a church building.
00:03:16.89\00:03:19.03
Here there was
a church building,
00:03:19.03\00:03:20.90
but no people and no
one taking care of it.
00:03:20.90\00:03:23.90
That really burdened me
00:03:23.90\00:03:25.13
so I prayed earnestly
that God would do something.
00:03:25.13\00:03:27.64
When I got here, there was
garbage all around the church
00:03:29.04\00:03:32.31
and inside there were
cows, sheep, cats, dogs,
00:03:32.31\00:03:36.21
and birds that had built nests.
00:03:36.21\00:03:38.85
We didn't have any
equipment to clean it with,
00:03:38.85\00:03:40.68
so we cleaned it by
hand, little by little.
00:03:40.68\00:03:43.22
The fact that there was a
building gave me hope though,
00:03:44.62\00:03:46.86
and I trusted that God
would bring the people.
00:03:46.86\00:03:49.72
When we reopened the
church eight months ago,
00:03:49.72\00:03:51.96
only one lady came to worship.
00:03:51.96\00:03:54.93
Now we've gotten acquainted
with at least 25 families
00:03:54.93\00:03:57.73
and there are about 20 people
that come to church each week.
00:03:57.73\00:04:01.04
(group singing
in foreign language)
00:04:01.04\00:04:05.44
We didn't invite
people to church right away.
00:04:07.81\00:04:10.41
For the first three
months that we worked here,
00:04:10.41\00:04:12.35
my husband and I
just visited people.
00:04:12.35\00:04:14.65
Then we started
inviting them to church
00:04:14.65\00:04:16.89
and many of them accepted.
00:04:16.89\00:04:18.65
There was one lady
who had a stomach ulcer
00:04:18.65\00:04:21.26
that she had
suffered from for a long time.
00:04:21.26\00:04:23.86
It was so bad that
she couldn't even walk.
00:04:23.86\00:04:26.33
So I visited her
for quite a while
00:04:26.33\00:04:28.46
and God answered my prayer.
00:04:28.46\00:04:30.50
She is healed.
00:04:30.50\00:04:31.73
And now that she is
getting her strength back
00:04:31.73\00:04:33.80
and walking again,
she is coming to church.
00:04:33.80\00:04:36.50
(speaking in foreign language)
00:04:37.34\00:04:40.54
The reason I do this work
00:04:40.54\00:04:41.84
is that I want
others to know Jesus.
00:04:41.84\00:04:44.31
I want them to know that
salvation comes through Him.
00:04:44.31\00:04:47.65
(soft music)
00:04:47.65\00:04:50.15
- So even though that
church has been reopened,
00:04:54.46\00:04:57.33
it's very obviously in
need of repairs as well.
00:04:57.33\00:05:00.10
- Yeah.
00:05:00.10\00:05:01.16
- And so- - It's
a functional church,
00:05:01.16\00:05:02.46
but you know,
00:05:02.46\00:05:03.63
it could really use
some plaster on the outside
00:05:03.63\00:05:05.73
and cleaning things up
and just bringing things up-
00:05:05.73\00:05:08.24
- Repainting, just
making it nice again.
00:05:08.24\00:05:10.81
And so there's not a possibility
of any further damage.
00:05:10.81\00:05:13.71
- Yeah, and the blessings
00:05:13.71\00:05:15.24
that have already
come to that village
00:05:15.24\00:05:17.65
from her just going
and reopening the church
00:05:17.65\00:05:19.78
that was
sitting there neglected.
00:05:19.78\00:05:21.22
- Yes, it's awesome.
00:05:21.22\00:05:23.12
- Yeah, and there's
many more like this.
00:05:23.12\00:05:24.99
And the key, as you saw in
this video, is the personnel.
00:05:24.99\00:05:29.26
- Right. -
Putting the people there
00:05:29.26\00:05:31.06
with a heart for Christ to go in
00:05:31.06\00:05:33.80
and do the work
and reopen the church
00:05:33.80\00:05:35.86
and start meeting with
people and bringing them
00:05:35.86\00:05:37.93
and doing
regular worship together.
00:05:37.93\00:05:39.77
- Yeah.
00:05:39.77\00:05:40.64
I liked, you know,
00:05:40.64\00:05:41.80
I liked how she said,
"We didn't invite people
00:05:41.80\00:05:43.57
to come to church right away."
00:05:43.57\00:05:44.74
It's like they took
time to get to know people.
00:05:44.74\00:05:47.44
- Yes. - And she even said,
00:05:47.44\00:05:48.74
"We're working
with 25 families."
00:05:48.74\00:05:50.85
- Yes. - But she said,
00:05:50.85\00:05:51.98
"20 are coming to church."
00:05:51.98\00:05:53.62
So obviously, there's
more that they're befriending
00:05:53.62\00:05:55.82
and doing study
with and praying with
00:05:55.82\00:05:57.62
and all of those things.
00:05:57.62\00:05:58.75
- Well, this is how
the Gospel commission works
00:05:58.75\00:06:00.52
is you plant a seed
and then it grows up
00:06:00.52\00:06:04.69
and it bears more seeds.
00:06:04.69\00:06:05.86
So here's a Bible
worker that's planting seeds,
00:06:05.86\00:06:08.56
and in the future there's
gonna be more Bible workers
00:06:08.56\00:06:10.73
coming out of this village.
00:06:10.73\00:06:12.83
- That's one of the neat things
00:06:12.83\00:06:14.10
that we've found with
our Bible Worker Program.
00:06:14.10\00:06:15.80
- Yes. - The Bible workers
00:06:15.80\00:06:16.97
win someone to Christ
and they're so excited,
00:06:16.97\00:06:19.51
they're like, "Can I
be a Bible worker too?"
00:06:19.51\00:06:21.88
- Yes. - Because they see
00:06:21.88\00:06:23.14
these Bible
workers are simple people.
00:06:23.14\00:06:25.11
You know, most of them
are not highly educated.
00:06:25.11\00:06:27.62
- Yes. - All
they know is the Bible
00:06:27.62\00:06:29.28
and their experience with God.
00:06:29.28\00:06:31.19
And so it's really neat to see
00:06:31.19\00:06:33.46
how God lights the fire
in the next person's heart
00:06:33.46\00:06:36.66
to also become a Bible worker.
00:06:36.66\00:06:38.39
- Absolutely.
00:06:38.39\00:06:39.59
In fact, I just got a
message a few days ago
00:06:39.59\00:06:41.56
from a Bible
worker that was converted
00:06:41.56\00:06:45.43
along with his
family back in 2007
00:06:45.43\00:06:48.37
when we did
evangelism in a city.
00:06:48.37\00:06:50.97
In fact, he told his wife
00:06:50.97\00:06:52.07
not to come to the
evangelistic series.
00:06:52.07\00:06:54.04
- Right. - But she snuck out
00:06:54.04\00:06:56.21
and then she begged him,
00:06:56.21\00:06:57.75
and then he
relented and he came too.
00:06:57.75\00:06:59.71
And he's been in charge
of our evening school program
00:06:59.71\00:07:02.28
in that area for many years,
00:07:02.28\00:07:04.42
now he's become
a regular pastor.
00:07:04.42\00:07:06.22
There's a large church there
00:07:06.22\00:07:07.59
where there was
no church before.
00:07:07.59\00:07:09.36
- Yeah, he's
pastoring the church
00:07:09.36\00:07:10.79
in the town
where he was converted.
00:07:10.79\00:07:12.63
- Right, and he
sent me a message saying,
00:07:12.63\00:07:14.46
"Thank you, thank you.
00:07:14.46\00:07:15.90
Thank you so much for
having the vision to come
00:07:15.90\00:07:18.93
and share the
truth with my family."
00:07:18.93\00:07:20.90
- Wow. All right.
00:07:20.90\00:07:21.97
Well, we do have more video.
00:07:21.97\00:07:22.94
- Okay. - So we
wanna keep moving.
00:07:22.94\00:07:24.51
We've got a video
of another Bible worker
00:07:24.51\00:07:27.28
and a church
where she's working.
00:07:27.28\00:07:28.71
- Okay.
00:07:28.71\00:07:29.78
(light music)
00:07:29.78\00:07:32.35
We are in a
very historical spot.
00:07:34.08\00:07:35.98
We're in the
state of Maharashtra,
00:07:35.98\00:07:38.05
and a man came,
he's not Adventist.
00:07:38.05\00:07:40.72
He came here as a missionary,
00:07:40.72\00:07:42.86
found a piece of literature
00:07:42.86\00:07:44.26
talking about
the Adventist truth.
00:07:44.26\00:07:46.16
He accepted that,
became an Adventist,
00:07:46.16\00:07:48.30
he came to this town square
00:07:48.30\00:07:49.76
and started preaching like he
was preaching to 1,000 people.
00:07:49.76\00:07:53.20
Only one man
came to listen to him.
00:07:53.20\00:07:55.37
He was lame, but
he still preached
00:07:55.37\00:07:58.01
like he was
preaching to 1,000 people.
00:07:58.01\00:07:59.67
And at the end of his sermon,
00:07:59.67\00:08:01.11
he asked if anybody would
be willing to accept Jesus.
00:08:01.11\00:08:04.65
That one lame
man accepted Jesus.
00:08:04.65\00:08:07.32
And that was the
beginning of the church
00:08:07.32\00:08:09.52
in the state of Maharashtra.
00:08:09.52\00:08:12.15
(light music continues)
00:08:12.15\00:08:15.56
They built this church in 2002,
00:08:18.09\00:08:20.80
but there was a conflict
and dispute over the property.
00:08:20.80\00:08:23.60
So it sat in disrepair,
00:08:23.60\00:08:25.13
and now they've
settled that dispute,
00:08:25.13\00:08:27.20
and we have the opportunity
of rebuilding this church.
00:08:27.20\00:08:30.27
They need to raise the
roof, put a new roof on.
00:08:30.27\00:08:32.91
You can see we have
a little bit of a leak,
00:08:32.91\00:08:34.74
a little leaky roof,
00:08:34.74\00:08:36.14
put a new roof on,
and restart this church.
00:08:36.14\00:08:39.51
We have a Bible worker here
00:08:39.51\00:08:40.85
that's dedicated
here for long term.
00:08:40.85\00:08:43.65
(speaking in foreign language)
00:08:43.65\00:08:47.62
- [Interpreter] When I was
first assigned to this village,
00:08:50.99\00:08:53.06
I started with the children.
00:08:53.06\00:08:55.10
I would gather them and
tell them moral stories.
00:08:55.10\00:08:58.13
After a while,
00:08:58.13\00:08:59.27
the parents
noticed that their children
00:08:59.27\00:09:01.00
were really drawn to me.
00:09:01.00\00:09:02.44
And so they started asking,
00:09:02.44\00:09:04.17
"Who are you,
who sent you here?"
00:09:04.17\00:09:06.51
I told them that
I'm a Bible worker
00:09:06.51\00:09:08.61
sent by the North
Maharashtra section.
00:09:08.61\00:09:11.35
Also that the church
building in the village
00:09:11.35\00:09:13.65
belongs to the section.
00:09:13.65\00:09:15.32
Then some of them said,
"We are part of that church."
00:09:15.32\00:09:18.82
So I identified those people,
00:09:18.82\00:09:20.36
and now I go to their
houses and pray with them often.
00:09:20.36\00:09:23.73
Right now, there are
about 12 to 13 families
00:09:23.73\00:09:26.93
in this village that I visit.
00:09:26.93\00:09:29.00
(light music continues)
00:09:29.00\00:09:31.77
I am encouraging the
people and giving them hope
00:09:31.77\00:09:34.44
that soon Christ
will answer our prayers
00:09:34.44\00:09:37.11
for our church
building to be restored.
00:09:37.11\00:09:39.81
My dream is to see this
church come to life again.
00:09:39.81\00:09:44.05
- So please, if
you would consider
00:09:44.05\00:09:45.78
helping us restart this
church in Toka Maharashtra.
00:09:45.78\00:09:50.85
(group singing
in foreign language)
00:09:51.92\00:09:55.82
So you notice that church
has a little leak in the roof.
00:10:12.97\00:10:15.61
- A little leak.
00:10:15.61\00:10:16.51
It's like, what roof?
00:10:17.51\00:10:18.85
It's like the entire
leak is the whole entire roof.
00:10:18.85\00:10:22.35
- Right, there is no roof.
00:10:22.35\00:10:24.02
- Right. - But that one
00:10:24.02\00:10:25.12
has some more challenges too,
00:10:25.12\00:10:26.55
because since
they built that church,
00:10:26.55\00:10:28.32
the road was put
in behind the church
00:10:28.32\00:10:30.59
and getting to the front of
the church where the door is,
00:10:30.59\00:10:33.13
is very difficult.
00:10:33.13\00:10:34.56
And so they needed to
raise the entire floor
00:10:34.56\00:10:36.70
to match the level of
the road, put in a new door,
00:10:36.70\00:10:40.14
close in the old door,
00:10:40.14\00:10:41.30
and then raise the ceiling-
00:10:41.30\00:10:43.00
- And put the new roof
on. - And put the new roof on.
00:10:43.00\00:10:45.51
Yeah. - Wow.
00:10:45.51\00:10:46.54
That sounds challenging.
00:10:46.54\00:10:48.64
- Yeah, now this
has a happy ending,
00:10:48.64\00:10:50.68
which we'll show
later in the program today.
00:10:50.68\00:10:53.98
- All right.
00:10:53.98\00:10:54.98
Well, we do have another video
00:10:54.98\00:10:56.02
from that same village.
00:10:56.02\00:10:57.25
- [Jon] Okay.
00:10:57.25\00:10:58.89
(soft music)
00:10:58.89\00:11:01.26
(speaking in foreign language)
00:11:04.19\00:11:07.30
- [Interpreter]
When I was a child,
00:11:07.30\00:11:08.26
I became very sick with a fever.
00:11:08.26\00:11:10.53
I was not eating
properly, and I grew very weak.
00:11:10.53\00:11:13.67
My parents were ready
to take me to the hospital,
00:11:13.67\00:11:16.44
but one of my
uncles who was a pastor
00:11:16.44\00:11:18.64
asked if he could pray for me
00:11:18.64\00:11:20.58
before they took
me to the hospital.
00:11:20.58\00:11:22.78
My family was Hindu,
00:11:22.78\00:11:24.21
but my parents gave permission
for my uncle to pray for me.
00:11:24.21\00:11:27.72
In answer to his prayer,
00:11:27.72\00:11:29.15
God showed His miracle working
power and my sickness left.
00:11:29.15\00:11:32.65
After that miracle,
00:11:32.65\00:11:33.72
my whole family got baptized
00:11:33.72\00:11:35.52
into a
Sunday-keeping Christian Church.
00:11:35.52\00:11:38.26
It was at Sunday school that
I started to learn about Jesus.
00:11:38.26\00:11:42.13
I learned that He died
on the cross for our sins
00:11:42.13\00:11:44.70
and all the other
things that He has done for us.
00:11:44.70\00:11:47.67
It sparked an interest in me
to read the Bible for myself.
00:11:47.67\00:11:51.04
After finishing 12th
grade, I started working.
00:11:54.28\00:11:57.35
I still went to
church on Sundays,
00:11:57.35\00:11:59.28
but I was living as
a nominal Christian.
00:11:59.28\00:12:01.42
I didn't really
think about my salvation
00:12:01.42\00:12:03.99
or spiritual things.
00:12:03.99\00:12:05.35
I was just going through
the motions, going to church,
00:12:05.35\00:12:08.32
because my family and
friends went to church.
00:12:08.32\00:12:10.96
There wasn't really a
personal commitment to Christ.
00:12:10.96\00:12:13.80
When my parents started
looking for a husband for me,
00:12:16.67\00:12:19.50
the uncle who had
prayed for me as a child
00:12:19.50\00:12:21.90
recommended a young pastor
that he had crossed paths with.
00:12:21.90\00:12:25.67
After the usual formalities,
00:12:25.67\00:12:27.44
we exchanged contact information
00:12:27.44\00:12:29.98
and that's when
things really began
00:12:29.98\00:12:31.85
to change in my
spiritual journey.
00:12:31.85\00:12:34.15
This young pastor was
a Seventh Day Adventist,
00:12:34.15\00:12:37.22
and after we started talking,
he gave me a Bible study.
00:12:37.22\00:12:41.06
I asked him, "99% of Christians
go to church on Sunday.
00:12:41.06\00:12:45.49
Why do you go to
church on Saturday?"
00:12:45.49\00:12:47.86
He explained that they
were part of the remnant church,
00:12:47.86\00:12:50.37
and one of the
signs of the remnant
00:12:50.37\00:12:52.00
is keeping all of
God's commandments,
00:12:52.00\00:12:54.37
including the Sabbath.
00:12:54.37\00:12:56.04
He showed me
many biblical proofs
00:12:56.04\00:12:57.91
that the seventh day
is indeed the Sabbath.
00:12:57.91\00:13:00.51
After studying and praying,
00:13:00.51\00:13:01.88
I realized that
this was the truth.
00:13:01.88\00:13:04.68
So before we got married,
00:13:04.68\00:13:06.11
I accepted the truth and
became a Seventh Day Adventist.
00:13:06.11\00:13:10.12
Now our family has grown
00:13:10.12\00:13:11.52
and we have two
boys aged 11 and eight.
00:13:11.52\00:13:14.06
(speaking in foreign language)
00:13:16.09\00:13:19.26
As a pastor's wife,
00:13:19.26\00:13:20.40
I noticed that
some women in the church
00:13:20.40\00:13:22.46
weren't always comfortable
00:13:22.46\00:13:23.67
approaching the
pastor with personal matters.
00:13:23.67\00:13:26.33
Instead, they would
come to me for help.
00:13:26.33\00:13:29.00
So I cared for these women
00:13:29.00\00:13:30.31
and tended to their spiritual
needs as a shepherdess.
00:13:30.31\00:13:33.71
I also started taking
a group of women with me
00:13:33.71\00:13:36.11
to do in-home worships.
00:13:36.11\00:13:38.01
This experience really
inspired me to take initiative
00:13:38.01\00:13:40.88
and broaden my ministry work.
00:13:40.88\00:13:42.85
So about two years ago, I
became a JFA Bible Worker.
00:13:42.85\00:13:46.59
The North Maharashtra section
00:13:46.59\00:13:48.22
assigned me two
villages to work.
00:13:48.22\00:13:50.93
(soft music continues)
00:13:50.93\00:13:54.20
- Isn't that
beautiful? - It is, I love it.
00:14:06.37\00:14:09.28
- And this shows the
power of the local Bible worker.
00:14:09.28\00:14:12.55
- Right. - You
know, for $100 a month
00:14:12.55\00:14:15.22
you can sponsor somebody
that already knows the language,
00:14:15.22\00:14:17.72
doesn't need an airplane ticket.
00:14:17.72\00:14:19.72
- Yeah. -
Already knows the culture
00:14:19.72\00:14:21.52
and is living there
00:14:21.52\00:14:22.76
and comfortable in
living in that environment.
00:14:22.76\00:14:25.03
- Right. - Yeah.
00:14:25.03\00:14:26.49
- I think it was important to
note also what she said there,
00:14:26.49\00:14:28.83
that they've hired
her to be a Bible worker
00:14:28.83\00:14:30.83
and they've
assigned her two villages.
00:14:30.83\00:14:32.67
Now, most of our Bible workers
00:14:32.67\00:14:34.34
are assigned multiple villages.
00:14:34.34\00:14:36.10
- That's true. -
And so, it's not like
00:14:36.10\00:14:38.47
it's a single church thing.
00:14:38.47\00:14:40.71
It's a district
of some kind. - Yes.
00:14:40.71\00:14:43.18
- And it depends on how
far apart the churches are,
00:14:43.18\00:14:45.81
how many Bible workers
there are in that area,
00:14:45.81\00:14:47.98
all of this stuff.
00:14:47.98\00:14:48.88
- Yes.
00:14:48.88\00:14:50.02
I visited one Bible
worker several years ago
00:14:50.02\00:14:52.05
that had 1,300 church members
00:14:52.05\00:14:54.66
scattered around
20 churches or so,
00:14:54.66\00:14:58.19
and they had five song books.
00:14:58.19\00:15:00.73
And I asked him, "What
do you do on a Sabbath?
00:15:00.73\00:15:02.90
You've got 1,300 church
members, they're in 20."
00:15:02.90\00:15:06.07
He's like, "Oh, I'm so sorry,
00:15:06.07\00:15:07.44
I can only visit five or
six churches on the Sabbath."
00:15:07.44\00:15:10.41
And I'm thinking-
00:15:10.41\00:15:11.54
- And so every
month he's working himself
00:15:11.54\00:15:13.21
trying to get to every church.
00:15:13.21\00:15:15.28
- Yeah, and he goes to a church,
00:15:15.28\00:15:16.85
he hands out the five
song books, they sing,
00:15:16.85\00:15:19.71
and he gathers them up
and goes to the next church.
00:15:19.71\00:15:22.18
And most of those people,
they don't have the Bible.
00:15:22.18\00:15:25.12
They don't have song books.
00:15:25.12\00:15:26.42
And so that's how they
learn is they sing the songs
00:15:26.42\00:15:29.46
and that's how,
00:15:29.46\00:15:30.59
and they have songs
that have the gospel
00:15:30.59\00:15:32.99
and the doctrines in the songs.
00:15:32.99\00:15:35.00
And so, throughout the week,
00:15:35.00\00:15:35.80
they're singing their songs
00:15:35.80\00:15:36.90
and remembering the Bible texts
00:15:36.90\00:15:40.00
that are built into those songs.
00:15:40.00\00:15:42.40
- Yeah.
00:15:42.40\00:15:43.41
So it's not easy
for them out there.
00:15:43.41\00:15:45.24
- No, it's a challenge.
00:15:45.24\00:15:46.27
But the work is growing.
00:15:46.27\00:15:47.51
- Yeah. - Yeah,
00:15:47.51\00:15:48.28
because people are hungry.
00:15:48.28\00:15:49.64
- Right, and the
need is so great.
00:15:49.64\00:15:51.28
- Oh, it's huge. - Yeah.
00:15:51.28\00:15:52.25
- That's huge.
00:15:52.25\00:15:53.88
We could hire another
400,000 Bible workers tomorrow.
00:15:53.88\00:15:56.92
- Yeah.
00:15:56.92\00:15:58.02
- There's not that
many there to hire,
00:15:58.02\00:15:59.55
but there's-
00:15:59.55\00:16:00.62
- [Natalie]
There's that much need.
00:16:00.62\00:16:01.46
- There's that many villages.
00:16:01.46\00:16:03.36
Of course, if each
Bible worker had two villages,
00:16:03.36\00:16:06.49
then we'd only
have to hire 200,000.
00:16:06.49\00:16:08.46
- Right, right.
00:16:08.46\00:16:09.96
So we do have another
video from her other village.
00:16:09.96\00:16:13.13
So let's watch that now.
00:16:13.13\00:16:14.64
- [Jon] Okay.
00:16:14.64\00:16:16.44
(soft music)
00:16:16.44\00:16:18.91
(speaking in foreign language)
00:16:25.51\00:16:29.48
- [Interpreter] When
the (indistinct) church
00:16:31.12\00:16:32.59
was founded in 2005,
00:16:32.59\00:16:34.52
it was a beautiful church.
00:16:34.52\00:16:36.22
Mr. Shuram enjoyed
coming to the church
00:16:36.22\00:16:38.93
and his brother was
a leader in the church.
00:16:38.93\00:16:41.33
But after his brother died,
00:16:41.33\00:16:43.00
he witnessed the church
starting to deteriorate.
00:16:43.00\00:16:45.93
The section office
wasn't able to send a pastor
00:16:45.93\00:16:48.74
or Bible worker to
open the church on Sabbath
00:16:48.74\00:16:51.51
for worship services,
00:16:51.51\00:16:52.94
so the people started going
to Sunday churches in the area.
00:16:52.94\00:16:56.58
Mr. Shuram was really sad
00:16:56.58\00:16:58.68
because the church
was no longer functioning,
00:16:58.68\00:17:00.85
and so he started praying
00:17:00.85\00:17:02.52
and asking God to send
someone to reopen the church.
00:17:02.52\00:17:05.65
No one seemed to care
about the church except for him.
00:17:08.96\00:17:12.06
He would often go to
the front of the church door
00:17:12.06\00:17:14.23
and pray, "God,
please send someone
00:17:14.23\00:17:16.53
who can really take care
of this small congregation."
00:17:16.53\00:17:19.93
And he committed to God
00:17:19.93\00:17:21.64
that if someone
came to lead the church,
00:17:21.64\00:17:24.01
he would help gather the
people to come back to church.
00:17:24.01\00:17:27.38
Because of this man's
earnest, persistent prayer,
00:17:27.38\00:17:30.38
God led the North
Maharashtra section
00:17:30.38\00:17:33.05
to assign me to the
(indistinct) church.
00:17:33.05\00:17:35.68
(group clapping)
00:17:35.68\00:17:38.52
There are a lot of
children in (indistinct)
00:17:41.19\00:17:43.66
so I started by
focusing on the kids.
00:17:43.66\00:17:47.03
I would gather them
and teach them songs
00:17:47.03\00:17:49.40
and tell them stories
and do activities with them.
00:17:49.40\00:17:52.37
Then the children would go
home and tell their parents
00:17:52.37\00:17:55.10
that they have a very good
teacher at the Adventist church.
00:17:55.10\00:17:59.07
So then the people
started to come back to church.
00:17:59.07\00:18:02.18
(singing in foreign language)
00:18:03.35\00:18:07.08
Mr. Shuram also took me
to the houses of the people
00:18:07.08\00:18:10.72
who used to come to church.
00:18:10.72\00:18:12.69
For a few weeks,
00:18:12.69\00:18:13.89
we went together
until I knew all the houses.
00:18:13.89\00:18:16.66
And now I continue
going to visit the people,
00:18:16.66\00:18:19.49
inviting them to
church, praying with them,
00:18:19.49\00:18:22.40
and asking if they
have any family issues
00:18:22.40\00:18:25.13
or prayer requests
that I can pray for.
00:18:25.13\00:18:27.80
I write those
prayer requests down
00:18:27.80\00:18:30.17
and we pray over them
in my women's prayer group
00:18:30.17\00:18:32.81
at the church
my husband pastors.
00:18:32.81\00:18:35.48
So that is how the congregation
00:18:35.48\00:18:37.31
is slowly
starting to grow again.
00:18:37.31\00:18:39.38
(soft music continues)
00:18:40.35\00:18:42.52
My heart is filled with so
much gratitude and happiness,
00:18:42.52\00:18:45.82
realizing that Mr.
Shuram prayed earnestly
00:18:45.82\00:18:48.52
for a Bible worker to come,
00:18:48.52\00:18:50.39
and in answer to
his prayer, God sent me.
00:18:50.39\00:18:53.33
I often use the
example of Mr. Shuram
00:18:56.43\00:18:59.43
when I teach
people about prayer,
00:18:59.43\00:19:01.90
we need to pray until
our prayers are answered.
00:19:01.90\00:19:04.71
(soft inspiring music)
00:19:05.81\00:19:09.11
- But so you can see the
difference that one person,
00:19:14.25\00:19:16.85
one Bible worker can
make in two villages.
00:19:16.85\00:19:20.52
- Right. - And in the lives
00:19:20.52\00:19:21.69
of those people and
those kids, you know,
00:19:21.69\00:19:23.22
they're gonna grow up
with the knowledge of Christ.
00:19:23.22\00:19:25.13
- Right. - They're gonna grow up
00:19:25.13\00:19:26.13
with hope for eternal life.
00:19:26.13\00:19:27.86
- Yeah.
00:19:27.86\00:19:28.86
And how
encouraging it is, you know,
00:19:28.86\00:19:30.63
for Mr. Shuram,
you know, for example,
00:19:30.63\00:19:33.23
he's just the
one in that village.
00:19:33.23\00:19:34.97
But to see the
answer to their prayers
00:19:34.97\00:19:37.37
and to have, you know,
after year after year after year
00:19:37.37\00:19:40.11
without a church to worship in.
00:19:40.11\00:19:42.21
- Right. - To have a church
00:19:42.21\00:19:43.68
and to have people coming that
he can worship together with.
00:19:43.68\00:19:46.55
- That's
beautiful. - Such a blessing.
00:19:46.55\00:19:47.72
- Yes, yes, yes, yes.
00:19:47.72\00:19:49.08
- So we have another video
with the same Bible worker.
00:19:49.08\00:19:51.65
- Okay. - And
this is a testimony.
00:19:51.65\00:19:53.32
- [Jon] Awesome.
00:19:53.32\00:19:54.82
(light piano music)
00:19:54.82\00:19:57.89
(speaking in foreign language)
00:20:03.23\00:20:06.30
- [Interpreter] I grew
up in an Adventist family,
00:20:06.30\00:20:08.54
but when I went to school,
00:20:08.54\00:20:09.87
they taught the
theory of evolution.
00:20:09.87\00:20:12.44
It seemed to me that when
the pastor came to our house
00:20:12.44\00:20:15.08
and taught us about creation,
00:20:15.08\00:20:16.75
his presentation wasn't nearly
as convincing as evolution.
00:20:16.75\00:20:20.92
I wasn't satisfied with the
pastor's answers about creation
00:20:20.92\00:20:24.02
so I was inclined towards
science instead of religion.
00:20:24.02\00:20:27.12
And I eventually
decided to be an atheist.
00:20:27.12\00:20:29.29
After I graduated from
college and started working,
00:20:29.29\00:20:31.66
I really thought that money
was the most important thing.
00:20:31.66\00:20:34.30
If you have money, you
have people, you have power,
00:20:34.30\00:20:37.37
and you can fight against
the negativity surrounding you.
00:20:37.37\00:20:40.20
But I've since realized
that I was sort of trying
00:20:40.20\00:20:42.54
to work out a
salvation for myself.
00:20:42.54\00:20:44.61
And I saw that as hard
as I try in human strength,
00:20:44.61\00:20:48.44
it is impossible.
00:20:48.44\00:20:49.48
My father would always
tell me before he died,
00:20:50.75\00:20:53.05
"Jesus is the answer
to all your questions,
00:20:53.05\00:20:55.02
and Jesus is the
only one that can give you
00:20:55.02\00:20:56.75
what you are searching for."
00:20:56.75\00:20:58.12
One time when we were at my
parents' house for vacation,
00:20:59.62\00:21:02.36
Pastor Kishor and Sister
Alka came by to visit it.
00:21:02.36\00:21:05.26
(light music)
00:21:05.26\00:21:07.83
(speaking in foreign language)
00:21:13.74\00:21:15.77
- [Interpreter] As
we visited together,
00:21:15.77\00:21:17.14
they said, "We don't need
God, we are perfectly fine.
00:21:17.14\00:21:20.61
We don't do any bad
things, so we don't need God."
00:21:20.61\00:21:23.68
I then shared
with them Romans 3:23,
00:21:23.68\00:21:26.31
which says
that, "All have sinned
00:21:26.31\00:21:27.95
and fallen short
of the glory of God."
00:21:27.95\00:21:31.15
We discussed how
sin entered the world
00:21:31.15\00:21:33.52
and how we all need a savior.
00:21:33.52\00:21:35.92
He really was convicted
that he needed a savior.
00:21:35.92\00:21:38.86
I pointed them to Jesus
00:21:38.86\00:21:40.43
as the only one who
can forgive and pardon us,
00:21:40.43\00:21:43.23
and that we need to
confess our sins to Him.
00:21:43.23\00:21:46.70
(speaking in foreign language)
00:21:46.70\00:21:50.61
- [Interpreter] I was
attracted very quickly to Jesus,
00:21:54.38\00:21:57.31
but my husband really
has to research and study
00:21:57.31\00:22:00.88
to know what is truth
00:22:00.88\00:22:02.92
before he's going to believe.
00:22:02.92\00:22:05.19
Otherwise, just simply
believing will be blind faith.
00:22:05.19\00:22:09.12
- [Interpreter] One day
I had a very strange dream.
00:22:09.12\00:22:11.33
I was really struggling
with my work at the time.
00:22:11.33\00:22:13.90
I was working in
the financial sector
00:22:13.90\00:22:16.16
and was struggling
with some graphics.
00:22:16.16\00:22:18.67
In my dream, I saw
a very bright light
00:22:18.67\00:22:20.84
containing the cross of Jesus.
00:22:20.84\00:22:22.84
And then I heard
a voice that said,
00:22:22.84\00:22:25.17
"Don't fear, just follow me."
00:22:25.17\00:22:27.61
The next time I was
working on those graphics,
00:22:27.61\00:22:29.81
I saw crosses in the graphics,
00:22:29.81\00:22:31.61
but I didn't
understand what it meant.
00:22:31.61\00:22:33.95
I asked other people
to look at the graphics,
00:22:33.95\00:22:36.52
but they didn't see
the crosses like I did.
00:22:36.52\00:22:39.32
This really encouraged
me to have faith in Jesus.
00:22:39.32\00:22:41.99
So I finally decided to
surrender everything to Jesus.
00:22:41.99\00:22:46.90
And since I
accepted Jesus into my heart,
00:22:46.90\00:22:49.50
now I have his power in my life
00:22:49.50\00:22:51.27
that helps me overcome
the negativity around me.
00:22:51.27\00:22:54.44
Both my wife and
I have been baptized
00:22:54.44\00:22:56.10
and we have peace in our hearts,
00:22:56.10\00:22:57.61
but I'm still
searching out the truth.
00:22:57.61\00:22:59.77
- [Interpret] Their
hearts are filled with happiness
00:23:01.78\00:23:04.25
and joy now.
00:23:04.25\00:23:05.65
They were living in darkness
00:23:05.65\00:23:07.05
and now they cannot imagine
going back to that darkness.
00:23:07.05\00:23:10.65
(light music continues)
00:23:10.65\00:23:14.06
- Isn't that
beautiful? - It is, I love it.
00:23:26.43\00:23:28.97
- You notice how
God gave them the dream,
00:23:28.97\00:23:31.41
but then He connected
them with his workers.
00:23:31.41\00:23:33.68
- Yeah. - That is why we here,
00:23:33.68\00:23:36.21
no matter what country we're in,
00:23:36.21\00:23:38.15
need to pray for the unreached.
00:23:38.15\00:23:40.52
- Yeah. - 'Cause
that opens the door
00:23:40.52\00:23:41.95
for God to do miracles,
00:23:41.95\00:23:43.12
like giving dreams to people.
00:23:43.12\00:23:44.85
- Right. - But at the same time,
00:23:44.85\00:23:46.35
we need workers to
connect and, like, for instance,
00:23:46.35\00:23:49.16
God gave the dream to Cornelius.
00:23:49.16\00:23:52.49
- Right. - To go and get Peter.
00:23:52.49\00:23:54.10
- And so he had the dream.
00:23:54.10\00:23:56.73
God could have
told him the gospel.
00:23:56.73\00:23:58.60
- What it meant- -
But He connected him
00:23:58.60\00:23:59.90
with his church. - Right.
00:23:59.90\00:24:01.07
- Connected him with his people.
00:24:01.07\00:24:02.57
And so Peter came and
then explained the gospel
00:24:02.57\00:24:04.97
and then they received it.
00:24:04.97\00:24:05.97
And so- - Right,
so both are needed.
00:24:05.97\00:24:07.64
- Yes, exactly.
00:24:07.64\00:24:08.98
- So in our next video,
00:24:08.98\00:24:10.45
we'll go back to the
church with the giant leak.
00:24:10.45\00:24:13.11
- Okay. - And we
were able to partner
00:24:13.11\00:24:15.68
with the section there,
00:24:15.68\00:24:17.55
and they have
rebuilt the church.
00:24:17.55\00:24:19.52
(soft music)
00:24:20.46\00:24:22.96
- So this church six
months ago didn't have a roof.
00:24:26.70\00:24:31.73
It was broken down and no
one was coming to the church.
00:24:33.13\00:24:35.74
You weren't able to
meet here at the church.
00:24:35.74\00:24:38.94
So JFA funded the
work to renovate the church
00:24:38.94\00:24:43.18
and today it is a
beautiful sanctuary for God.
00:24:44.41\00:24:48.68
We had a celebration and
a dedication for the church,
00:24:48.68\00:24:53.32
and many people attended,
probably 40 to 50 people.
00:24:53.32\00:24:58.39
I know that all
heaven rejoiced with us,
00:24:59.53\00:25:03.47
it was a very happy occasion.
00:25:03.47\00:25:05.30
(soft music)
00:25:06.74\00:25:09.20
It is truly an
exciting day here and in heaven.
00:25:21.42\00:25:25.45
(people applauding)
00:25:25.45\00:25:28.52
(people applauding)
00:25:33.83\00:25:36.87
(people applauding)
00:25:54.48\00:25:56.69
(speaking in foreign language)
00:25:56.69\00:26:00.56
- [Interpreter] The
church members in this village
00:26:00.56\00:26:02.06
were really longing
for someone to come forward
00:26:02.06\00:26:04.46
to renovate the church building
00:26:04.46\00:26:06.29
so that we have a place
to worship the Lord together.
00:26:06.29\00:26:09.33
We are all so happy
00:26:09.33\00:26:10.50
that JFA came
forward to help financially.
00:26:10.50\00:26:13.74
Since the church was rebuilt,
00:26:13.74\00:26:15.24
there are about 50 to 60
people coming to worship now.
00:26:15.24\00:26:19.27
I'm so happy that the
congregation is increasing.
00:26:19.27\00:26:22.38
- Thank you.
00:26:23.35\00:26:24.25
(soft music)
00:26:25.85\00:26:28.85
- This isn't just a
result for here on Earth
00:26:28.85\00:26:32.95
for the short term,
but it's for all eternity.
00:26:32.95\00:26:35.89
So in the past four weeks,
00:26:39.69\00:26:41.66
I have visited
six states in India,
00:26:41.66\00:26:45.30
and there are more
than 150 closed churches
00:26:45.30\00:26:48.47
that if any one
of them were open,
00:26:48.47\00:26:51.11
we would
immediately have 20 to 30,
00:26:51.11\00:26:53.81
even more people
who come across India
00:26:53.81\00:26:57.38
is such a tremendous
work that can be done.
00:26:57.38\00:27:00.28
If the funding was there,
00:27:00.28\00:27:01.58
God's work could
move very quickly.
00:27:01.58\00:27:03.89
There are many districts
with millions of people
00:27:05.02\00:27:08.02
who have never
heard the name of Jesus.
00:27:08.02\00:27:10.43
Some of the districts have a
church that has been abandoned.
00:27:10.43\00:27:14.76
If we could renovate,
put a Bible worker there,
00:27:14.76\00:27:17.90
we would see wonderful
results for the kingdom of God.
00:27:17.90\00:27:21.37
And it is my
prayer that His work
00:27:22.40\00:27:24.67
move at a much faster
pace than it has in the past.
00:27:24.67\00:27:29.58
(soft piano music)
00:27:29.58\00:27:32.55
- If you would
like to learn more
00:27:43.12\00:27:44.69
about the Bible Worker Program,
00:27:44.69\00:27:46.43
about the Church
Building Program,
00:27:46.43\00:27:48.20
please contact us at
Jesus for Asia PO Box 1221
00:27:48.20\00:27:52.33
Collegedale, Tennessee, 37315.
00:27:52.33\00:27:56.20
Call us at 423-413-7321
00:27:56.20\00:27:59.94
or visit our
website at jesus4asia.org.
00:27:59.94\00:28:03.88
May God richly bless you
00:28:03.88\00:28:05.51
until we see you next
time on "Jesus for Asia Now."
00:28:05.51\00:28:08.68
(soft inspiring music)
00:28:08.68\00:28:12.02