Participants: Dick Duerksen
Series Code: MMS
Program Code: MMS000103
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00:01 I got my Bible, my passport and my camera.
00:04 We're off to Mexico. 00:35 You may think that when 200 teenagers go to Mexico 00:38 on a mission trip they stay in a hotel like this. 00:41 We have a surprise for them. 00:43 The only thing that's similar are the palm trees. 00:48 Ultimate Workout is a unique experience where you can 00:51 come and its middling your working yourself that. 01:08 It's intense, it's just very intense, hardly any 01:11 electricity, running water, if you food is sketch, 01:18 its definitely not a vacation. 01:22 Its different, its different and most of the leaders 01:25 they're not older than 25. Its very rare to have 01:29 someone older than 25 on ultimate workout 01:31 and that what's make it unique. 01:32 I'm Dustin Griffin and I am from North Carolina. 01:35 I'm Alec Thompson and I am from Sacramento, California. 01:37 I am Donghai and I am from Fresno, California. 01:41 My name is Kayla Monteho and I am from Mexico. 01:44 Chiapas, Mexico was the stage for nearly 200 teens 01:47 and adults who spread out to five distant and mostly 01:50 secluded locations. Since Chiapas is mountainous 01:53 each group had their own spectacular visitors 01:56 and since Chiapas is mostly rural farm land, 01:59 God's creation was ever present. 02:02 In addition to the five construction crews, 02:04 a volunteer medical team spend several days 02:06 serving the communities at 3 to 5 sites. 02:09 UW 20 it changed lives. 02:15 My favorite movement so far it had to be a river. 02:19 It's just awesome, you know, it's nice cool water, 02:22 you swim. Not what you expect 02:25 when you're going on a mission trip. 02:28 We make new friends from all over the country 02:31 which is really cool and you'll never forget about 02:36 and you get to serve God in a way 02:38 you'll never serve him in the States 02:41 and that's the most gratifying part ever. 02:46 A few of the churches the Ultimate Workout team 02:48 are constructing, have incredible people and 02:50 stories attached to them. Tzeltal is one of those. 02:58 Nestled in the clouds this tiny village is part 03:00 of long history that reaches back to 03:03 the Mayans. The man who brought the UW team 03:09 to Tzeltal is Sebastian. Most UW groups have 03:13 worship alone in the evenings, but here in 03:15 Tzeltal many members of the community join 03:18 the young people to worship and to learn about God. 03:26 Nearby the ancient ruins of the Mayan civilization 03:28 rise above the trees where two millenniums 03:31 of history have been uncovered. 03:33 A history that has nothing to do with Christianity. 03:39 Sebastian is a Chiapaneco that's means he was born 03:42 and raised in Chiapas down in Mexico not totally 03:46 true however, because he's not a native 03:48 Spanish speaker. He has always spoken Tzeltal 03:50 which is a language that traces directly to the 03:53 Mayan Empire. This is his city. These are his people. 03:58 One day he looked at his father and he said Dad, 04:01 I'm going to leave my wife and my daughter with you 04:04 and go to United States so that we can have enough 04:06 money to survive economically here 04:08 in our village. Father said okay, 04:13 Sebastian came to the U.S.A looking for riches. 04:17 The wealth he found was far greater 04:21 than what he expected. 04:24 Okay, you worked with your Dad after your schooling 04:27 and one day you said oh I don't want to be here, 04:29 what happened? I said that because my family 04:33 was having economic problems and I made the 04:35 decision to travel since people always go to the U.S. 04:39 you know the American dream. Well this is what 04:43 got my attention too, I have to leave my family 04:46 in order to travel to the U.S. for the good 04:49 of my family, this is what I thought about 04:53 that I wanted to leave my town. 04:56 So for economic reason you had to leave? 05:00 Yes, for my family with economic problems here, 05:04 well this is what I thought. I have to go to the U.S. 05:07 in order to change my life economically. 05:12 I've never even thought about changing 05:14 my life spiritually only economically. 05:17 And you were already married. Yes, by then, 05:20 yes, so your wife and daughter stayed here. 05:24 Yes, they stayed here with my Dad 05:26 and how was the U.S.? 05:28 It was March 21 2006. 05:31 And where did you cross? 05:33 From Sonoyta. And when you crossed eight 05:36 days in the desert. Eight days in the desert, 05:40 I went there and learned how much 05:42 I appreciate myself, I learned how to love 05:44 my family closer than ever before. 05:47 How did that happen? From the eight day walk 05:51 there I saw many people abandoned, 05:53 dead, skeletons rotten. And you were alone there 06:00 all by yourself or in a group? No, I was in a 06:03 group of 17 people, but it was there where 06:06 I changed a lot, because I said I'm alone in the desert 06:10 without my family, seeing people abandoned there, 06:13 rotting corpse, so I said what I am doing here, 06:17 even though I don't have money at home 06:19 I am rich with my family. This is what I said 06:22 while I was walking in the desert, 06:27 but there I learned how to pray, 06:28 I learn to pray day and night on and on, 06:31 that's how the days went. 06:33 And what was God's response? 06:38 And he help me make it through. 06:40 Sebastian did make it through. 06:42 He ended up in Portland, Oregon with only 06:44 the clothes on his back and friends who were 06:48 teaching him the Bible. I came to the States 06:51 with only the clothes on my back, so this person 06:54 brought me clothes, a blanket, I'm very 06:59 grateful to this person. I have always seen 07:01 him like a father, his name is Hector Carmelo. 07:06 And Hector was doing Bible studies too. 07:09 Yes, it was him, so you too studying with him. 07:13 with him, yes, I began to study with brother Hector. 07:16 Close that's the difference right, 07:18 close and friendship. Friendship that was 07:21 the first thing I saw and he came with another 07:23 person name Miguel Abiel Montiel. He's someone 07:27 that I always pray for, because he did big 07:30 things for me and this project. All of this? 07:36 When we come back the story of the Sebastian's 07:39 decision to face another border crossing, 07:42 to return home and be the first to bring 07:45 the light and hope of the Adventist 07:46 message to his community. 08:01 Join us at Maranatha's annual convention 08:04 as we celebrate God's greatness. 08:08 See how the one day church is answering thousands 08:11 of prayers around the globe. 08:17 Hear testimonies from those whose lives have 08:20 been transformed by missions. Discover ways 08:27 you can be involved in helping others. 08:37 Fellowship with other volunteers and listen to 08:40 inspiring music from Christian recording artist 08:43 Steve Green. September 10 and 11 at the Rolling 08:53 Hills Community Church Tualatin, Oregon, 08:56 register today at Maranatha.org. 09:31 The Tzeltal community is a small secluded village 09:33 about 80 kilometers in any direction from any other 09:36 Seventh-Day Adventist. Tzeltal has one dilapidated 09:40 school and a Catholic church that may see a 09:44 priest once a year. Now, because of Sebastian, 09:50 Tzeltal has been over run by American, Canadian 09:54 and Mexican teenagers. They came with willing 09:57 hearts and a determination to help Sebastian build 10:01 a church. After his Baptism, Sebastian 10:05 began thinking more and more about going home 10:08 and sharing this new faith which he just couldn't keep 10:11 to himself while listening to Pastor Boo Jung lecture 10:15 about the Gospel in Portland, Oregon. 10:17 Sebastian determined he had to go home now, 10:21 but not without ammunition. 10:24 Yes, I made the decision. I have to 10:26 go back for my family, because now I have 10:28 already been away for quite a while. 10:30 I have to go back for my family and I am going 10:33 to work for my family. And this was only way 10:36 to go back. No, in fact I already had plans 10:39 to come back because I came with Bibles, 10:41 biblical commentaries, I had enough, 10:44 on your back, no, I had approximately 60 books 10:47 that I have brought. Oh, a pretty big suitcase. 10:50 Yes, in fact I had problems crossing the border 10:53 with the suitcase, because right after they let you 10:55 go by with three books, but I had way more 10:58 than three books so they wouldn't let me, 10:59 but thanks to God. They gave me the green light 11:02 on the line and in this way I was able to get through 11:04 all of my suitcase. Really. Yes, God must have 11:07 been there in that moment. 11:09 And you got here, no when I arrived the first thing 11:12 that I worried about was my Dad and Mom, 11:14 thank goodness that they were alive, 11:16 so I had to talk to them about God's word, 11:18 about the love of God. 11:20 And what did your Mom say. Well, I know that God 11:23 has worked with them as well already before 11:26 I got there, it wasn't hard for me because the goals 11:29 that God had were already coming true. 11:34 Well, I know they saw me as a full grown 11:37 mature person, in other words I practically 11:40 completely changed. Of course not economically, 11:44 but spiritually yes. Its better than anything. 11:49 Yes and so when I arrived I fought for my family, 11:53 and there wasn't a Adventist church there. 11:55 No, no other wasn't an Adventist church within 11:58 80 kilometers in any direction. Sebastian 12:01 was the Adventist Church and he began working 12:05 first with his family and then with his neighbors 12:07 in Tzeltal. Today, there are 30 members 12:10 in his church and with Maranatha's Ultimate 12:12 Workout kids here in full force Sebastian 12:15 sees the hand of God at work. 12:20 Did you dreams ever include a church here 12:23 with a group of a Americano gringos 12:25 constructing it completely, even in your dreams. 12:31 No, never, never I know that this project 12:33 wasn't designed by human being. Its more that 12:36 it was designed in the heights of heaven 12:38 in order to continue until now. 12:41 And this is the longing that I have after my 12:43 departure to the U.S. my desire was to have a church, 12:46 but God has heard me, as it says in his word man 12:50 suggests and God arranges. 12:52 This is what I lived, so I have to pray 12:54 for my church. I have to do something for my church, 12:57 I have to do something for the people thanks 13:00 be to God that things are going well until now. 13:02 I know that God's continues to help me, 13:05 the difficulties, the problems they happen, 13:08 but I know that God is with us. 13:12 The mountains of Chiapas are packed with history, 13:16 but it discovered something interesting 13:17 about the people of Chiapas. 13:19 They live in the now. The past is okay, 13:21 the future is hopeful, today is what's important. 13:25 This is Sebastian's church. He lives in the now. 13:29 This is his church today. Come back in 10 years 13:33 it will be packed with Christians. 13:37 When we come back another ultimate workout 13:40 church is being build. 13:42 This time by the town trouble maker. 14:56 Ultimate Workout took the body of San Pedro by storm, 14:59 dozens of teenagers and young adults were either 15:01 building the church or participating in 15:04 a much needed free medical clinic. 15:07 I am on the medical team as a nurse and so what 15:10 I've been doing is I've been triaging a lot, 15:12 so I see all the patients and you know taking 15:15 their vital signs, figuring out why they're here 15:17 and then send it back to the doctors. 15:19 Kaylee Turk is a nursing student who has taken 15:21 two weeks of her summer to travel through Chiapas 15:23 with a medical team and serve three of the 15:26 five Ultimate Workout Communities. 15:29 Professionals like Ari Garbeth a dentist from 15:31 Sacramento and Martin Kelly a Physician 15:34 from San Antonio, Texas, are helping the young 15:37 people learn valuable skills on this 15:39 on the job work environment. 15:42 Get a lot of satisfaction from helping people 15:45 that are pain. The people who don't have access 15:48 to healthcare. Providing rudimentary care for them, 15:52 this is something that keeps me grounded 15:54 and brings me back to the reality of why 15:57 I became a dentist in the first place. 16:00 A Stone's throw away is the new Maranatha church. 16:04 Although the day we were shooting in San Pedro. 16:06 It was hot and sunny that was unusual. 16:10 Okay, what was it like San Pedro. Wet, muddy, 16:15 dirty, there is nothing good in all that. 16:18 Cold showers, It was awesome. You said, 16:21 somebody told me they had hot showers. 16:27 On rainy days, that's not that. Okay, 16:29 everybody at once. Was anything good here? 16:31 It was fantastic. Awesome, that's the creative way. 16:34 It is good, it is fantastic, it is wet and 16:37 soggy and nasty and muddy. You know maybe 16:41 trials are good for you. Max would say that, 16:44 Maximino was in prison and I would love to tell 16:46 you a story, but actually he can tell it a whole 16:49 lot better than I can. You got to meet Max. 16:53 I would like to tell you when I was in prison 16:57 I was a person of the streets, I was a 17:01 person that didn't know God. I was ten years 17:07 three months and 15 days in prison. 17:11 Later on God touched my heart and I got to know God. 17:18 Maximino Perez Ruiz, well he's been called 17:22 an outlaw in this region, but Loretta Spivin, 17:25 San Pedro's team leader gave Max another. 17:28 Whatever we said we needed Max said 17:29 I can do that, no problem, sure, so we needed 17:32 the area cleared and Max said I can do that. 17:35 If you needed bathrooms, Max said I can do that. 17:37 We needed living areas, every single thing that 17:40 we said Max said he can do it. Now I am gonna 17:43 tell the truth when somebody tells you they 17:45 can do everything it makes you a little 17:48 concerned, but when we got here Max 17:51 had done all the best and more, so we figured out 17:55 that Max really is a mover and shaker 17:57 and his nick name is the Mayor although 17:59 he is not the Mayor, but he can get anything 18:01 done really that needs to be done. 18:12 The San Pedro church and its growing congregation 18:15 exists largely due to Max learning about Jesus. 18:18 How did that happened? 18:23 One day a religious sect came that was called 18:26 Jehovah's Witnesses. They came to share these flyers 18:30 in the prison. Then they gave me one and I started 18:35 to read it. In the afternoon around five, 18:38 around five in the afternoon I felt my heart changed, 18:42 as if I was putting on new clothes, pants, 18:45 these new shoes, as if I was bathed. 18:48 I felt clean that afternoon, so I began 18:52 to read, to read, to read. 18:55 I finished around 10 at night. 18:59 Next Max began reading a Bible then Max began 19:03 searching for more understanding by listening 19:05 to the radio. He found a Seventh-Day Adventist 19:07 Pastor and use the prison telephone to make contact. 19:10 The Pastor and his colleagues then began 19:12 visiting Max in prison. I want to tell you 19:18 something as it was, when the brothers of the 19:21 Alpha Omega arrived in the prison they prayed 19:24 for me. They gave me the address, 19:27 I didn't know them, but when I got to know 19:30 them then I began to pray. To pray more for myself, 19:36 because I saw in the Bible that Peter was in prison 19:40 and Paul then I prayed for myself at night 19:46 that God might pardon me. Because I didn't do 19:49 what they have accused me of but I had 19:52 committed other things, other sins before God. 19:54 And, well, I asked God that he might forgive me 19:58 of the dirty sins that I have committed 20:00 and other things and I prayed a lot then I began 20:04 to pray, to pray, to pray, four or five months 20:07 passed when they called me to my parole 20:09 trial to give me my freedom. 20:12 When Max was released from prison 20:14 he shared his faith with his wife and children 20:16 one by one and they accepted Sabbath 20:19 as part of their Christian walk. 20:21 At a meeting he attended in San Cristobal he learned 20:23 about Maranatha and Max never known 20:26 for being shy, went directly to the 20:29 President of the mission. 20:32 So I asked him, I don't have the money to pay 20:34 for it, but if they had the ability to help me, 20:37 I might ask for a house of worship. I was alone, 20:41 but time would make the church grow and 20:44 they accepted me and everyone said yes. 20:47 Whose land is it? Mine, the land is yours. 20:52 The land is yours and it's a donation from your family 20:54 to the church right. Exactly. 20:59 A part of Favela mission. 21:05 Max admitted that he had been an awful person 21:07 and that his life was going nowhere good, 21:10 but now a church sits in his front yard. 21:13 A testimony to the power of grace and an ironic 21:17 end to a tale that well might have had 21:20 a very tragic ending. 21:28 But for Max his prison cell became 21:31 a doorway to eternity. 21:38 In 1980, a young Adventist farmer brought his family 21:42 and settled at the very top of this hill. 21:43 Even though all of his friends relatives 21:45 everybody said. Only God can grow coffee 21:49 on the hill side, so he came and said I not 21:52 gonna grow coffee. I'm gonna raise cattle, 21:55 I am gonna plant fruit trees, I am gonna plant 21:57 coconut palms and he had a blast. 22:00 A baby garden of Eden on the top of the hill 22:03 and then he said I can't do this alone. 22:05 I need to bring other people in to what I know 22:07 about Ladinos. So he built this church. 22:11 Can you believe it. Five members, seven members, 22:14 12 members, 17, 21, 22 members in the 22:18 first church at Ladinos. 22:28 Ladinos, the new church, there were 22:31 24, 27, 29, 30, 31, 32 and last Sabbath 22:38 well look inside. Even though you can see today 22:42 we are using it as a UW 20 construction site 22:45 last Sabbath. There are 40 adults and 40 22:48 children in church at Ladinos. 22:55 Last Sabbath this was church, next Sabbath 22:59 which is now I think about four days away. 23:07 This will be the first Sabbath in the brand 23:09 new church at Ladinos. I want to meet 23:13 Pastor Omar in a minute, and I want to tell you 23:14 something about it and Pastor Omar says 23:17 this is an amazing place, next Sabbath 23:20 there will be 40 adults and 40 children, 23:22 but give it about six months we will have 23:25 80 to 90 adults and 80 to 90 children attending 23:28 church at Ladinos. Its not a very good place to 23:33 grow coffee. Its an incredible place 23:36 to grow souls. Pastor Omar Rodriguez Lopez, 23:42 and his wife Karina serve the Ladinos congregation. 23:46 The two of them actually take care of 29 churches 23:49 that have about 1800 members total. 23:52 And so in place of my devotional this week 23:54 I would like you to hear Pastor Omar, 23:56 his words of gratitude toward those who support 23:59 Maranatha, Ultimate Workout and Jesus Christ. 24:10 I wanted to tell them that not only in my heart, 24:13 but in all the hearts of the people we are 24:16 very grateful. There are people that never dream 24:18 they would see a church like this one for 24:20 a long time. We made a huge effort in order to see 24:24 this become a reality. I wanted to say to the 24:27 people that are donating to the people that are 24:29 giving out their time and their money that they will 24:31 not know the impact of what they gave until 24:35 they come to Ladinos. The people from there 24:38 cry because of what they see, apart from their 24:41 condition they could have never believed that 24:44 people from over there in far lands are donating. 24:48 They are also coming, paying travel, and food, 24:51 hotel expenses from their own funds in order to 24:53 be able to come and build the church. 24:56 For them this has changed their life from 24:59 what was there to what lies ahead. 25:05 This is a giant ruin city. It was once the capital 25:08 of the Mayan Empire for all of what we know 25:10 today is Southern Mexican, and Hondurus 25:13 all that changed, nothing's the same 25:16 and yet everything is the same. 25:18 The stones are here and they're all packed 25:21 in exactly the same incredibly careful way. 25:24 So I like the kids who come on Ultimate Workout, 25:27 they will go home completely different 25:31 and exactly the same. Still have the same names, 25:34 still live in the same houses, still on the same 25:35 iPods, but you know everything will be different 25:40 coming on UW transforms your heart. 25:44 It's something that no one will never 25:46 get to do in the homes in a lifetime. 25:47 It builds a character and it makes you. 25:50 It gives you confidence. God shows himself 25:52 in the little things. This, it compares to nothing 25:55 I have ever done. 25:57 You get to know better in a different way. You know, 25:59 you kind of get to step into God's shoes per say. 26:02 It's gonna give you experiences that you're not 26:04 gonna get in school. There is no way, 26:07 you know they don't let us do this kind of thing. 26:09 You get transformed. You don't notice it until it's 26:14 too late. You just start changing little by little. 26:18 And it's just the awesome thing you can do. 26:21 It helps you to just be a better person 26:24 and it changes you. And the hard work, 26:27 the work here it's extremely hard 26:29 but at the end when you're finished you know 26:31 it's worth it. Its just amazing to see the things 26:34 God can do in your life and in others. 26:36 You have to come in to the best experience 26:39 you will ever have there is nothing like this. 26:42 It's an experience to come here, to be here. 26:52 Are you looking for a way to get more involved 26:54 in missions, call our toll free number 26:57 at 1-800-467-6386 and more information or 27:02 visit our website at maranatha.org 27:05 to find upcoming volunteer opportunities. 27:08 You can also donate online to help Maranatha 27:11 continue to transform lives or send your gift 27:14 in the mail to Maranatha Volunteers 27:16 International 990, Reserve Drive, Suite 100, 27:21 Roseville, California-95678, thank you for your support, 27:26 our toll free number once again is 1-800-467-6386, 27:32 our website is maranatha.org. 27:37 Thanks for joining us today on Maranatha 27:38 mission stories, I am you host Dick Duerksen 27:41 and I especially like to thank you for your 27:43 prayers, your participation and your 27:46 generous donation. You help keep Maranatha successful. 27:51 I'll see you again next week 27:52 right here on Maranatha mission stories. |
Revised 2013-06-17