Participants: Dick Duerksen
Series Code: MMS
Program Code: MMS000128
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00:07 it will find you; good news, you must make it.
00:11 Maranatha Volunteers International is about making 00:17 good news. 00:18 Inspired by Jesus' persistent love, 00:21 we have chosen to be good news to people in need. 00:27 All of us, making good news real, 00:34 tangible, good news with faces. 00:36 How do we make good news, especially in a world of 00:40 unending strife, pain and tragedy? 00:43 It begins with a vision that sees far beyond the chains of 00:49 human dilemma, a God vision that says we can make a difference. 00:55 What God has done for each of us, 00:58 we can do for others. 01:06 Our hands, God's hands; our feet, 01:11 God's feet; our hearts beating the rhythm of God's heart. 01:16 Who would have thought a construction company would be 01:21 key to unlocking so many treasures: the treasure of 01:26 discovering God's plan for my life, 01:29 the treasure of eternal friendship, 01:32 the treasure of everlasting life, 01:34 the treasure of peace, and the treasure of belonging, 01:39 community, a place to express faith in the God of eternal love 01:45 and grace. 01:47 We are Maranatha Volunteers International. 01:50 Let's all of us: we who organize, 01:53 we who sacrifice, we who put our time and energy into building up 02:06 the kingdom, we who believe that good news is something we make, 02:17 we are bound together in a common cause with shared goals. 02:28 We are bound together by God's inexplicable gift of grace. 02:38 And thanks to Jesus, we are bound for the kingdom together. 02:48 Good news, we have to share it, 02:52 don't we? 02:53 In the next few moments we would like to take you on a journey 02:56 through stories, Maranatha stories, 02:59 that we think will help you see the opportunities, 03:02 the incredible possibilities that face us. 03:07 Us: God's hands, God's feet, God's heart. 03:13 Our journey will begin with a challenge. 03:17 And then we'll see how Maranatha's responding to that 03:19 challenge. 03:20 And you'll quickly sense that there isn't just one response. 03:24 Leadership and faith are core to the solution. 03:27 Those who commit their energies full time to the mission and 03:30 then volunteer leadership, who journey all over the world, 03:35 organizing and motivating our teams of volunteers. 03:38 And you'll see that none of this can be done without church 03:42 leaders having the vision to cast the Maranatha net where 03:47 their mission is. 03:49 There are those other lines that represent those who give: gifts 03:55 of time, gifts of money, gifts of service. 04:01 We are Maranatha, all of us. 04:06 Do you see the challenge? 04:07 At Maranatha, we prefer the word opportunity. 04:12 Are you aware of the Seventh-Day Adventist's Church's great need 04:16 for church buildings and schools? 04:18 There are thousands of church members all around the world 04:21 without an adequate place to worship and millions of children 04:24 who would go to Adventist schools if they had the 04:28 opportunity. 04:30 At Maranatha, we believe that constructing churches for 04:33 existing congregations actually spreads the gospel. 04:36 It grows the kingdom. 04:38 Look anywhere in the 78 countries where Maranatha has 04:43 built churches and schools. 04:44 A new church or a school is a catalyst, 04:48 a spark plug that attracts neighbors and friends and 04:52 encourages members to reach out to the community. 04:56 Building a new church, or building a new school? 05:00 That's evangelism. 05:01 Church leaders know this. 05:03 So the request for churches and schools accumulate rapidly in 05:06 the Maranatha office. 05:07 At this point, we have definable requests for more than 100, 05:12 00 Seventh-Day Adventist Church buildings and requests for more 05:16 than 60,000 new classrooms. 05:19 That's 160,000 requests. 05:20 Imagine building 100,000 churches will serve 15 million 05:24 people. 05:26 How many of those are people who are joining God's kingdom for 05:31 the very first time? 05:34 A hundred thousand times one hundred and fifty people, 05:38 fifteen million seats in churches. 05:41 Sixty thousand classrooms? 05:43 That means every day educating more than 2 million students. 05:48 What an opportunity. 05:50 What an opportunity to reach kids and their families with the 05:53 message of the gospel. 05:56 And these requests, they're from Africa, 05:58 India, South, Central, North America. 06:01 And in 2011, we can rejoice that already more than 1,000 06:07 churches, dozens of schools have been built by Maranatha 06:11 Volunteers International all over the world. 06:15 But at that rate, how long will it take to build 160, 06:20 00 buildings? 06:22 About 160 years. 06:24 That means we're done somewhere around the year 2171. 06:31 Our challenge and opportunity is that we take that request for 06:36 160,000 buildings seriously. 06:39 We pray. 06:40 We assess. 06:41 We find leadership. 06:43 And we step forward in faith that God will lead us through 06:48 the doors he has been opening. 06:50 It excites us. 06:52 It humbles us. 06:53 And it sends us to our knees. 06:56 I want to thank you today for joining us in this journey of 07:00 faith. 07:01 Being a Maranatha volunteer, it's one of the best things 07:05 you'll ever do. 07:07 Here's our response to the world's needs. 07:11 One hundred thousand churches and fifty thousand schools. 07:16 It's easy to get lost in the immensity of the need. 07:20 But each request Maranatha receives represents a prayer in 07:24 the hearts of a congregation and the dreams of a child. 07:29 The Adventist church is growing rapidly all over the world. 07:32 As people eagerly make decisions for Jesus, 07:35 they find themselves celebrating their new life in Christ under a 07:39 tree, or maybe shaded by a tarp. 07:43 The fire of their faith is often dampened by monsoon rain. 07:47 But Maranatha steps out in faith to respond to this growth by 07:53 providing urgently needed buildings. 07:55 From One-Day Churches for small, rural congregations to large 08:00 boarding school campuses, Maranatha responds with a 08:04 building best suited for each need. 08:08 The One-Day Church is the perfect solution to address the 08:11 huge request for churches in developing areas around the 08:14 world. 08:15 The simple steel building provides the solid roof and 08:19 structure, something most rural congregations could never 08:22 afford. 08:23 After Maranatha builds the frame, 08:25 the local church members work to finish the walls in ways that 08:30 best represent their community. 08:32 In India, Maranatha takes on the additional task of finishing the 08:37 church walls. 08:38 More than 2,000 One-Day Churches have been constructed all over 08:43 the world and stand as centers of hope in their community. 08:48 Adventist education is also making a big impact. 08:51 Christian educators work hard to impart knowledge and instill 08:56 values. 08:57 But a lack of infrastructure hinders their efforts. 09:00 The One-Day School responds to that growing need. 09:03 The building, complete with a concrete foundation, 09:07 walls and desks creates a perfect learning environment for 09:11 40 students. 09:12 Multiple classrooms can also be configured to create a complete 09:16 One-Day School campus that can accommodate much larger numbers 09:21 of students. 09:22 Maranatha's response to the need for education also includes 09:25 larger buildings. 09:26 We call them Education and Evangelism Centers. 09:30 This building fills the need for both classrooms and a place of 09:35 worship. 09:36 During the week classrooms are filled with children and the 09:40 auditorium is used for school assemblies. 09:43 On Sabbath, the simple auditorium becomes a sanctuary. 09:48 In India, Maranatha has built several large boarding schools 09:52 that are home to up to 1200 students each. 09:55 The campuses provide a constant, loving Christian environment to 09:59 help children rise to their full potential. 10:03 Maranatha has also been very busy in Cuba. 10:06 Our work there has included refurbishing and building 10:08 churches, as well as constructing an entire seminary 10:12 campus. 10:13 But until recently, seminary students had no place to meet 10:16 doe church or for other large events. 10:19 Maranatha constructed a beautiful campus assembly and 10:24 meeting center that seats 336 people. 10:29 The immense needs the Seventh-Day Adventist Church 10:32 presents to Maranatha are really tremendous opportunities. 10:37 Opportunities to eternally impact the lives of hundreds of 10:42 thousands of people all around the world. 10:47 Maranatha, we are bound for the kingdom. 10:51 To participate financially in Maranatha's mission, 10:54 please visit Maranatha.org and click on the "donate" tab. 10:58 Your gifts will improve organization, 11:01 worship and life for God's family all around the world. 11:06 We also welcome your participation as a volunteer. 11:09 When we say Maranatha builds buildings. 11:12 That means you building buildings and changing people's 11:17 lives. 11:18 Take a look. 11:19 I was amazed two days ago when we were in such a downpour 11:24 that we couldn't see if we had glasses on. 11:27 And yet, I saw smiles on faces and I saw people keep pouring 11:30 mortar. 11:31 I saw them keep putting up brick and goose bumps standing up on 11:35 their arms 'cause they were so cold. 11:36 And nobody complaining about it. 11:38 And that is because of the Holy Spirit. 11:40 That's not because of us. 11:41 It's because we become changed. 11:43 We come with a mission. 11:45 And then we go home with a blessing, 11:47 not even realizing, you know, yes we came to give these people 11:51 a blessing, but we are the ones that are blessed. 11:53 Each and every time, we are the ones that are blessed. 11:58 There is no question that volunteering on a Maranatha 12:01 project scores high in the changed-lives category. 12:05 And because you have to leave behind most of what you're used 12:08 to in life, you'll learn things about yourself you never knew, 12:12 like just how cool you really are. 12:16 Opportunities just around the corner include building a school 12:21 in India on an open-team project. 12:24 That means anyone can go as long as there's room left. 12:30 Each year Maranatha plans a family project during the 12:34 Christmas holiday. 12:35 This year families will be building in Latin America. 12:40 There are more open team and family projects planned in 12:44 Africa, India and Latin America next Spring and Summer. 12:54 If you're a teenager you have to sign up at least once for an 12:57 Ultimate Workout. 12:58 Try it. 12:59 You'll be addicted. 13:00 In fact, the Ultimate Workout alumni were so addicted, 13:04 the collegiate project has been created for those between 18 and 13:10 24. 13:11 And remember, with Maranatha you don't have to lie about your 13:16 age. 13:17 There are no age restrictions. 13:20 The only thing we'd really like you to think about as you 13:22 consider your next project is who are you going to bring with 13:25 you? 13:35 Maranatha is too good to keep to yourself. 13:38 If you haven't already, it's time to bring a friend. 13:41 Every project just about that we go on, 13:44 we say, "Wow, that was right up there at the top." 13:47 And then the next one is right up there at the top. 13:49 And it's impossible for them to all be at the top, 13:53 but the reality of it is the people that come on these 13:57 projects are people that are trying to make a difference. 14:00 They're very unselfish people. 14:01 They're fun to get to know. 14:04 They're fun to be around. 14:05 And you make a lot of lifetime friends in coming on projects 14:09 like this. 14:10 We are Maranatha. 14:11 We are bound for the kingdom. 14:14 Hey, bring a friend. 14:29 At our convention in Portland, 14:30 Oregon this year, I spoke with a young man who has become a good 14:34 friend, a man who is always volunteering, 14:38 everywhere on the planet. 14:40 You gotta meet him, Kyle Anderson. 14:43 Every time I come home from a trip, 14:45 or getting ready to go on a trip, 14:46 it looks like you're doing exactly the same thing. 14:48 You're on your way from, to, going. 14:50 How many trips is it now? 14:51 Six. 14:52 Six! 14:53 With the seventh one on the way. 14:54 Where have you been that you enjoyed the most? 14:57 I don't really know. 14:58 I love India for the food. 14:59 I love Honduras for the entire scenery and everything. 15:05 But I thought Norway was also really awesome scenery. 15:09 And I don't know which one is my favorite. 15:13 When you were in India, you didn't come home alone. 15:16 You came home with an adopted child. 15:19 Yes I did. 15:20 Tell me about that. 15:21 Well, when we were--when we got to India and everything, 15:25 the people at the school did this big welcome thing. 15:30 Hmm Mmm. 15:31 And it was really cool. 15:32 And there was this kid that was doing this funny dance and 15:36 stuff. 15:37 I'm like, "Oh, that's so cool. 15:38 I want to adopt him for going to the school." 15:42 So next thing I know is I asked the school person and he was up 15:46 for sponsorship and I sponsored him. 15:50 So you have a sponsored son. 15:52 Where in India? 15:53 In Ongole, at the Fjarli Adventist Academy. 15:56 Now you spent enough time there, 15:58 you were building, but you were doing a whole lot more 16:00 evangelism in the villages than you were building. 16:02 Yes we were. 16:03 When you do evangelism in a village, 16:05 what happens when you go to a door and knock? 16:09 Well they come out and they are like, 16:11 "Oh, vandanalu. 16:12 It's nice to meet you." 16:13 And they're just really open to you. 16:17 They want you to be there. 16:18 They want you to put their hand--or your hands on them and 16:22 pray for 'em and just they think that the farther you come, 16:26 the more blessing that they get. 16:28 If you could give all of your teenage friends encouragement to 16:32 go on a mission trip, what would you say? 16:35 Just come, don't worry about the money. 16:36 Come on. 16:38 Just come. 16:39 Every teenager I know worries about the money. 16:40 Yeah, just say that's a bad excuse. 16:42 Come on. 16:43 Just come anyway. 16:44 Yeah. 16:45 Why? 16:46 Because the money always shows up no matter when. 16:47 But what will it do for me? 16:50 It gets you closer to God. 16:51 It brings you out of your comfort zone to expand on like 16:57 talking in front of people and just doing anything. 17:00 At least that's what I've gotten out of it. 17:03 That's where you found Kyle. 17:04 Yes. 17:05 On a mission trip in India. 17:07 Yes. 17:08 Where you gonna be next? 17:09 I am going to Nicaragua on Christmas time. 17:11 For Christmas Family Project. 17:13 Yes I am. 17:14 You and how many family? 17:16 I think three. 17:17 I'm hoping three. 17:19 Two for sure, but the third one is going to come. 17:21 They don't know yet. 17:22 It's all about bringing a friend. 17:24 Yes. 17:25 They don't know they're coming. 17:26 No, they don't know. 17:27 But they're coming. 17:28 They're coming. 17:29 Kyle, thank you. 17:30 Thank you. 17:31 Thanks so much. 17:32 Bring a friend. 17:33 You're gonna hear me say that a lot this year. 17:35 When you join in Maranatha's mission, 17:37 bring a friend. 17:38 Whether it's in Nicaragua, India, 17:40 or one of the many project sites we have on the continent of 17:43 Africa, bring a friend. 17:45 But come. 17:47 Don't come alone. 17:48 Bring a friend. 17:50 Even if it's at a project like Fort Meyers, 17:52 Florida. 17:53 We do those too. 17:54 Bring a friend. 17:55 And especially at the convention next year in Sacramento, 17:58 California September 21 and 22, come. 18:03 Bring a friend. 18:06 You see, we want you to come. 18:08 We also want you to bring a friend. 18:11 I'll be right back. 18:12 The "One-Day Church Music Project" can now be yours for 18:16 free with a $50 donation to Maranatha Volunteers 18:19 International. 18:21 Enjoy the music of your favorite gospel artists and give to a 18:24 cause you care about. 18:26 Danny Shelton, Ladye Love Smith, Brett Smith, 18:29 Steve Green, Melody Shelton-Firestone, 18:32 and Yvonne Lewis, Steve Darmody, Pianist Tim Parton and John 18:35 Lomacang will bring warm to your soul with the Christian 18:41 favorites you have come to cherish. 18:43 This CD is yours absolutely free with a $50 or better donation to 18:49 Maranatha Volunteers International. 18:51 It also features Reggie Smith performing the Danny Shelton 18:55 touching original, "One-Day Church." 18:57 Call 1-800-467-6386 now. 19:01 That's 1-800-467-6386. 19:04 Or make your donation online at Maranatha.org/music. 19:10 Thank you. 19:13 Every year Maranatha designs projects to meet as possible of 19:16 the 160,000 requests we have for new buildings. 19:20 But we also design projects to meet the needs of the many 19:24 volunteer groups who come to do the work. 19:28 Some of the groups are open for anyone from anywhere to get 19:31 involved. 19:33 Others are based on local congregations who have a real 19:36 desire and mission to serve. 19:39 Some groups are for families. 19:41 In fact I want to show you a video clip that was taken of 19:45 some crazy guys who were on our summer family project last 19:49 summer. 19:51 Then I want to introduce you to them from an interview that we 19:53 shared together at our convention in Portland, 19:56 Oregon. 19:57 [Music] 19:58 [Cheering] 19:59 [Speaking Spanish] 20:01 For an extra donation of $1500, 20:08 you too can have a copy of the trowel dance. 20:22 [Laughing] 20:23 Ernie, you were the actual videographer for this, 20:35 right? 20:37 That's right. 20:40 That's right, yeah. 20:44 Oh my. 20:46 Ernie Medina and Alan Michel, you guys were involved in the 20:51 Summer Family Project in Choluteca. 20:53 Ernie, why did you guys choose to do a family project? 20:57 We were talking about why we want to bring our kids to these 21:00 things because, you know, they--we believe that our kids 21:01 can be missionaries now. 21:02 They don't need to wait 'til they're older, 21:06 you know, student missionary and all that, 21:08 which I support. 21:09 They can be missionaries now. 21:10 And you know, we saw miracle after miracle. 21:12 I mean one--we were doing VBS in their small church with a tin 21:16 roof and it rained every day like at 4:00 o'clock or so. 21:19 And so we couldn't hear anything, 21:20 but we had a PA system. 21:21 Well the one day the electricity went out, 21:24 we prayed. 21:25 We said to the kids, "Okay, you know, 21:26 we gotta pray, 'cause they can't hear us. 21:27 There's 200 kids in here." 21:29 And so we prayed, and the rain stopped. 21:30 I mean you know we just had different things like that all 21:33 the time that just reinforced that this whole trip was a 21:35 miracle. 21:37 You took family and spent most of your family actually 21:41 building with blocks, right? 21:43 You know as a family, we really get to experience great 21:48 things with not only my family, but also family--I mean eight 21:53 people from our church went together, 21:55 brought our kids. 21:56 The kids had a great time. 21:58 We went side-by-side, building, you know, 22:01 laying block and painting. 22:02 And yeah, I think they could have worked harder, 22:05 but at the same time it gives me great satisfaction to see them 22:08 getting involved. 22:09 And we really worked close. 22:12 I mean we ate all our meals together. 22:14 I really have to congratulate what Maranatha does. 22:16 I mean they get everything organized for you. 22:19 So they got your hotel rooms. 22:21 They take care of your food. 22:23 I mean they fight people in to help cook and manage the thing 22:26 so hopefully you don't get sick. 22:27 So it's really been a blessing. 22:29 It's more than us helping people. 22:33 It's really Maranatha and the whole experience helping us be a 22:37 better family and be closer to God. 22:40 If you've been on one of our Maranatha projects and shot some 22:42 video like the trowel dance, send it to us. 22:46 We would love to see it. 22:48 In fact, we might even play it on "Maranatha Mission Stories, 22:51 or post it on our YouTube channel. 22:54 You can find that anytime by simply going to YouTube and 22:56 looking for Mission Stories. 23:00 Our volunteers? 23:02 Ah, they range from under 10 years of age to over 90 years of 23:06 age. 23:07 One of the groups that serves teenagers is called Ultimate 23:10 Workout. 23:11 Join me again in Portland, Oregon. 23:14 I want you to meet a very special young lady. 23:17 Morgan Housel, you went on the Ultimate Workout trip in 23:22 2011, right? 23:23 Yes. 23:24 Now on most Maranatha trips, there are four kinds of things 23:28 that happen, or many at least. 23:30 We do building, blocks, cinder blocks, 23:33 bricks, stuff, steel. 23:36 We do Vacation Bible School. 23:37 Usually there's some kind of outreach. 23:39 And very often even a clinic. 23:41 Yes. 23:42 Next time you go on a mission trip, 23:44 which one do you want to do? 23:46 I would probably choose outreach because it's so 23:50 incredible the way that you can touch the families that you go 23:54 and visit. 23:55 Even if it's in a small way, you always touch a family in need. 23:59 You also spent some time building. 24:01 Yes. 24:02 Tell me about that. 24:03 We built our Two-Week Church. 24:05 And then on our little outreach we built a fence around the 24:10 school that we were staying in. 24:12 It tests your faith when you don't have all your supplies or 24:15 it's raining, which the climate is very difficult down there, 24:19 'cause it's always humid and it rains. 24:21 And so it makes it hard the next day for you to lay cement if 24:26 you're cement or your brick is too wet. 24:28 What stands out as something that you just want to grasp onto 24:33 and never lose? 24:35 Even though we chose to keep going, 24:39 we did have our faith tested. 24:42 And there were times when I got really homesick and I just 24:45 wanted to go home and not be there anymore, 24:49 but I kept with it and so did everybody else. 24:51 And everybody was really welcoming. 24:54 No matter if you don't have any friends when you first go there, 24:58 you always leave with a whole new family, 25:01 probably even more than one. 25:04 No. 25:05 It's a simple, two-letter, one-syllable word spoken 25:09 hundreds of times a day. 25:10 It can be casual. 25:12 It can be empowering. 25:13 It can be protective. 25:15 It can also have the power to destroy. 25:19 "No." 25:21 Destroy a hope. 25:22 "No." 25:23 Destroy a prayer, a dream. 25:27 One last story for you. 25:28 A few months ago, Susan Bushnell, 25:31 our Chief Financial Officer, stood before the Maranatha Board 25:34 of Trustees. 25:35 She told them that our Cuba Seminary Church Project was not 25:39 yet fully funded. 25:40 In fact, there was still quite a bit of money to raise. 25:45 And yet in just a matter of weeks, 25:49 the church was going to be dedicated. 25:52 She stood before them wondering if maybe we had made too big a 25:56 leap in building that church. 25:59 Well within two days of the board meeting, 26:02 Maranatha received two major gifts. 26:05 And suddenly the entire Cuba Seminary Church Project was 26:09 totally funded. 26:11 Three years ago, God said, "Yes, Maranatha, 26:16 build that church in Cuba." 26:19 But only weeks before the dedication God provided two 26:24 people who said "Yes" to giving the last dollars necessary for 26:30 the project. 26:31 As a result, they said "Yes" to answering thousands of prayers 26:38 in Cuba. 26:39 Imagine, just imagine. 26:41 What if we would have said "No" from the start? 26:45 Today, tomorrow, and until the Lord's return, 26:48 we want you to say "Yes." 26:50 Say "Yes" to praying for the mission. 26:53 Say "Yes" to answering God's call. 26:56 Say "Yes" to giving what you can. 27:09 Give your hands, your feet, your heart. 27:10 For when you do, you say yes to brazen, 27:13 courageous, audacious faith. 27:17 You change the world. 27:19 I want to challenge you to come visit our website: 27:22 Maranatha.org. 27:25 You'll do three things there: learn, 27:27 watch, give. 27:28 You can learn all about the upcoming projects, 27:31 where they are, who's going and how you can get involved. 27:34 You can watch any of the compelling videos or Mission 27:38 Story programs you may have missed. 27:40 You can also order a free DVD to use at your local church or 27:43 community group. 27:44 And you can give $5, $10, $50, $100, 27:48 $1500 or $5000, whatever you can to help us accomplish the part 27:54 of the work God has given us to do. 27:57 That's Maranatha.org. 28:00 And we can only do it together. 28:03 I'm Dick Duerksen. 28:04 Thanks for joining me today on this special Maranatha Mission 28:07 Stories where together we're bound for the kingdom. 28:15 CC by Aberdeen Captioning 1-800-688-6621 www.abercap.com |
Revised 2013-06-29