Participants: Dick Duerksen
Series Code: MMS
Program Code: MMS004013
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00:01 Hello, this is the Maranatha Minute.
00:02 Recently more than 50 Maranatha volunteers 00:05 returned from Brazil, where we organized 00:07 our first volunteer project in the country, since 1997. 00:11 The primary purpose of the trip was to construct two churches 00:14 for congregations who lacked proper places to worship. 00:17 Both groups previously rented worship facilities 00:21 but a lack of space limited their ability to grow. 00:24 Thanks to the hard work of volunteers. 00:26 Both congregations now have churches, 00:28 they can call their own. 00:30 In addition to construction, volunteers spend time 00:33 in the community promoting healthy living. 00:35 Local children learned about fresh air, 00:38 exercise and dental health through games and activities. 00:42 Brazil is just one of several countries 00:44 Maranatha will be focusing on in 2014. 00:47 So learn more about how you can be involved, 00:50 visit our website at maranatha.org. 00:53 Coming up, we go to Panama 00:55 where families are working together 00:57 to build a school for a community in Santiago. 01:18 The schools and churches that Maranatha volunteers 01:20 have built for the people of Panama, 01:22 continue to have a huge impact 01:24 on the country and on our congregation. 01:27 So much so that Adventist church leaders 01:29 have invited Maranatha to come back 01:32 and build more schools and more churches. 01:36 The volunteers who are working on this one right here 01:39 are putting together a brand new school 01:43 in Santiago, Panama 01:45 right in the centre of the country. 01:48 Hi, Dick. Hey, guys. 01:49 Good to see you, Ernie, Seth everybody. 01:53 Yeah, you can see, doesn't matter what age you are, 01:56 you can make it a difference through Maranatha. 01:59 In Panama, this is the summer family climax. 02:03 Maranatha. 02:06 If we were one of those ants 02:08 if we were like a miniature, this is them 02:10 and we have to carry out probably weigh about 100 pounds. 02:17 On Sabbath we went to the certain church 02:19 out in the country, 02:24 and the children learned more than 02:26 what--what's transpired during the church service 02:29 because right outside the church they could see 02:32 there is a large trail is the leafcutter ants 02:35 that they could see them working so assiduously. 02:38 Wow. 02:40 The kids were absolutely fascinated 02:42 by watching them carry their leafs to these paths 02:46 and I think they saw the hard work in the ants. 02:50 And it was a better lesson for them 02:51 than they got from the church so here its-- 02:54 Can't go back, oh man, this didn't go around the way. 02:57 How can they always know the sense of direction? 02:59 Oh, they collect them, too. 03:01 Pancakes are awesome. 03:02 Yep, and the fruit from Panama, pineapples are amazing. 03:07 We have two young boys and they are getting, 03:11 almost to teenage years and, you know, 03:15 we felt that we want to give them 03:17 a little bit of perspective, 03:20 you know, may be getting appreciation for how they live 03:26 and give them sort of an understanding of the value 03:29 and how fortunate we do have things in the United States. 03:37 Yummy fish, Omega-3, that might be catfish there. 03:42 I knew it's gonna be all right, the very first day we got here, 03:45 because my kids nigga ready to have once 03:49 a dinner the first night. 03:51 They went outside and then they just explore nature. 03:54 And they came back with all of these amazing creatures, 03:57 though I had not even known were out. 04:08 The place is Santiago, Panama. 04:10 And the activities that has these parents talking 04:13 and the kids and all 04:15 is Maranatha's summer family project. 04:19 Maranatha Volunteers International 04:21 as the name implies, creates volunteer opportunities 04:25 for people all over the world, 04:27 twice a year, summer and winter. 04:30 The focus is specifically on families. 04:33 Yeah, we know that it was really impossible for our kids 04:36 to really understand lot of the things we read in the Bible 04:39 about taking care of the least of these 04:41 and going and teaching all nations 04:43 while we sat comfortably in our community. 04:45 Well they have all of their needs met. 04:47 They never even met anybody, 04:49 that didn't get three meals a day. 04:52 You know wanted to make sure they understood 04:53 the reason why God had given us the blessings we have. 04:57 Living in America I see a lot of our kids growing up, 05:02 in a very self-directed society. 05:07 It's all about me. 05:09 People want to take care of themselves in general, 05:12 and I wanted for my kids to be able 05:14 to look outside of themselves to be able to help others 05:18 and this has more than exceeding my expectations. 05:21 It has opened their world that they have must-- 05:24 that they can do something to help others 05:27 but also has given them a bigger picture of what our mission is. 05:32 Maranatha goes to great lengths to make the worksite safe. 05:37 The leaders, construction professionals themselves 05:40 also lead spiritually. 05:43 You know, being a construction superintendent, 05:45 do I want to produce a bunch of blocks 05:47 that are laid correctly. 05:50 Yes, that is Jesus interested in moraine those blocks 05:54 being laid correctly 05:55 for the manner in which they get laid. 05:59 So the manner in which we work makes all the difference. 06:04 For me, it starts with worship in the morning 06:07 before we start work. 06:08 Yeah after lunch we have another time to set apart 06:11 to listen to what Gods doing in my heart, your heart. 06:15 What does it look like to worship while you work. 06:21 We got a lot of friends asking that question. 06:24 I came into this trip, really with expectation 06:26 to as such to build a school. 06:29 My family and my wife and myself felt 06:31 there was gonna be a construction project, 06:34 really where we felt that we would be contributing 06:36 by helping, you know, build a physical plant 06:39 and I think what we have taken out of this trip 06:42 is so much more. 06:44 It really has been a daily walk with God 06:47 its essentially 24x7 worship and prayers. 06:52 Yeah, that we really have been completely surprised by. 06:56 Take your mat and go home. 07:01 So he got up and ran all the way home. 07:06 When you come back you will see that a family project 07:09 is much more than laying block. 07:14 Ten dollars, no its not much by itself, 07:16 but with my $10 and your $10 07:18 and dozens and dozens of others $10 it heads up. 07:22 With Maranatha here is what happens. 07:25 All of this cash builds a church. 07:27 A church in a place where $10 is hard to come by. 07:31 If you see one of these churches you quickly realize 07:34 how significance your $10 gift is. 07:36 Your little fellow $10 church friends, 07:39 you've done far or more that build place of worship. 07:41 This is where community happens. 07:44 At this church you helped build, we welcome new life, 07:48 celebrate love, share each others grief and mourning. 07:52 Your $10 not only builds a church, it builds community. 07:57 We think it's so important, we have created $10 church plan. 08:00 Signup today at tendollarchurch.org 08:03 and for just $10 you will help establish 08:06 a new Christian community 08:08 for the construction of a new church. 08:13 Maranatha Summer Family Projects, 08:15 always include construction. 08:18 They shares project in Santiago, Panama. 08:21 Also included a number of other activities 08:24 planned in otherwise. 08:26 If you were musical you could enjoy 08:28 the impromptu band serenading diners. 08:32 For the adventurer there was a hike 08:34 deep into a highland tropical forest 08:37 for a natural spring and waterfall 08:39 provided beauty and sport. 08:42 There was opportunity to visit places like the Panama Canal, 08:47 one of the modern Seven Wonders of the World 08:50 or swim in the Pacific Ocean waters 08:53 streaming into the Gulf of Panama. 08:56 Most meaningful for the volunteers 08:58 was hosting a health expo at a nearby elementary school. 09:03 Seven stations run by volunteers of all ages taught children 09:07 important health and life principles. 09:11 In the evening, team leaders with medical training 09:14 visited nearby churches and offered health lectures 09:18 benefiting the local community. 09:21 Many of the mom's and dad's on this project 09:24 were medical professionals. 09:26 Part of their mission to Panama was a one day medical clinic. 09:30 We drove out couple hours into an indigenous part of Panama 09:35 and, you know, that up with the local people 09:39 and when we first got there, 09:40 there was only about 10 or 15 people in line 09:43 that sort of knew we are coming. 09:45 So all we ended up doing was 09:47 with pretty concise communication 09:50 amongst members of the team and with our volunteers 09:53 essentially down from the high school and colleges kids 09:57 organizing sermons of triage process 10:00 where they can have an initial intake assessment 10:03 done by medical provider or medical doctor 10:05 and from that area sort of disseminate 10:08 to the proper resource to the pharmacy 10:10 or medical clinic or dental clinic. 10:12 Many of these people had, you know, 10:15 medical problems, some were minor, 10:18 some were little more serious and we did the best we could. 10:22 But I think they really don't have much exposure 10:25 to physicians and nurses. 10:28 And we even had dentists on the trip 10:30 and they extracted about 40 or 50 teeth. 10:34 And so I think just being there, being able to pray with them, 10:38 giving then reassurance that they were doing well, 10:39 that their heart sounded good, that their lungs sounded good. 10:43 And I think a lot of them 10:44 getting the blessing out of that. 10:46 Being there literally about half an hour to set up clinic 10:49 that ultimately at the end of the day tallied over, 10:53 over 300 members of community 10:56 that we actually ended up treating 10:58 with a variety of medical and dental services. 11:01 Family projects also give parents some alone time. 11:05 Usually when we go places 11:07 we always divided one with this kid, one with that. 11:10 So our goal this mission was 11:11 to try to do something's together. 11:13 So we had an opportunity to actually pair up in painting 11:17 and paint this one section of the wall. 11:19 And she took the roller, went up and down 11:21 and I came behind and try to kind of filling the cracks. 11:24 It was really kind of neat. 11:25 My wife and I been looking for chances all week long 11:28 that we can try to do something together 11:31 because we kind of wanted just to be a little bit of warming 11:33 experience for the two of us. 11:34 And so it was really actually 11:35 very nice to be able to do that together. 11:38 A family project is the perfect place to bond. 11:41 It has also become the perfect place 11:43 for families to plan for baptism. 11:46 For Grayson Slacker's this special event 11:49 was with his grandfather in the hotel pool. 11:52 For Nicolas Abrahams and Isaac Brunbowl 11:56 it was on the ocean. 11:57 One thing that's so inspiring to be about this trip 12:00 is that there are great families, great people 12:05 that come on these trips 12:07 and they really love God, 12:13 they love Christ, they serve. 12:17 They have a missionary heart. 12:20 And being around these people here 12:22 makes me want to be like them. 12:24 And you know that's what church is all about 12:29 and being here had been almost like being a church for me. 12:35 You know, that a good thing 12:37 because everyone here really has inspired me. 12:40 And I am hoping I can take this back home 12:43 and try and gain inspiration for others 12:45 that I come in contract with. 12:47 Last night we were discussing our prayers, 12:50 each one of us in the family, 12:52 our prayers for this church building, for this school. 12:57 And my son Phillip, 12:59 it will touch my heart that he said, 13:01 well, my prayer is that from this church building, 13:04 from this school many schools and many churches 13:09 would be built as a result of it 13:11 and that maybe in the kingdom. 13:12 And that touched my heart very much. 13:15 Well, that was the whole point that I wanted for them 13:18 to think of others 13:22 and to mention as Seventh-day Adventists 13:26 and for him to want to see this church 13:29 and this school prosper and grow 13:31 and make any source of the kingdom, 13:33 that's the very point of coming here. 13:35 And to see the change in him, I am thankful for that. 14:22 One other things I really do talk about is 14:25 at several times is that it doesn't matter 14:27 whether you are eating or whether or you are doing worship 14:30 or whether you are teaching a guy to lay block 14:32 it's kind of ministry or worship. 14:35 Worship. 14:37 I think this trip I was on a plane, 14:40 having been on a trip so usually 14:42 I have to fly. Yeah. 14:43 Just talking with the Lord 14:44 and it was really there's something special 14:47 that you like to see happen 14:49 or is it going to be another back like mission trip. 14:52 And I thought of worship came my mind 14:55 and as soon as that thought came I remembered 14:57 I grew up on a farm where we worked a lot. 15:02 A lot. Yes, early in the morning, late at night 15:05 and the cows was always there. 15:08 Yeah, I used to get up and milk the cows 15:10 before I went to school, 15:11 I used to come home, feed the cows 15:12 and then I, during the summer 15:16 I would have to go harvest all the egg. 15:18 It was work. I hear that. 15:20 Work, there's W, that's a big letter. 15:23 The thought came to mind is 15:25 what if we first of all... 15:30 set a goal to worship 15:33 instead of set a goal to work. 15:36 So taking actual part let's just assume that 15:38 you got your own farm land. Yeah. 15:40 And you got six cows and budget. Yes. 15:44 How would you transfer this concept to that farm? 15:48 Are you gonna make milking the cows to worship? 15:52 I start by not doing it by myself. 15:56 Oh really. Yeah. 15:58 We get a different experience 16:01 when we're with other people 16:03 and on a Maranatha mission trip that's one thing 16:07 that's usually planning all these people. 16:10 And it's easy to worship when you doing stuff together? 16:13 Oh man, it's like God shows up in you, 16:18 and it is funny today and He makes me laugh. 16:21 For example He shows up in a seven year old kid 16:24 with his big huge fat smile. Yeah. 16:27 It invites us not to stop working 16:30 but to focus more on why we are actually here. 16:36 And did you said, something that's really intrigues you, 16:39 God shows up as a seven year old child 16:43 with a big smile or somebody who is laughing. 16:47 Did you sense that, that the volunteers 16:50 that you work with are like God showing up in your life? 16:53 In a huge ways. 16:55 And this is what's really sobered me to the idea, 16:58 let's worship not that most first time volunteers 17:02 are rather uncertain and insecure. 17:05 That's' very true. With their capacity to work. 17:10 It's like the lady who was working here 17:12 on self discover this afternoon who said, 17:14 I can't remember-- told me, 17:16 I just didn't worry about the blocks I figured 17:18 oh, don't be professionals there to do that. 17:20 Yeah, guess what? 17:21 Jesus is gonna make you the professional. 17:25 And that's a part of worship. Yes. 17:29 To realizing that as a leader on a mission trip 17:32 I have a big responsibility to make sure that 17:36 I am bringing up that volunteer and 17:41 I can't do that because I am a contractor, man. 17:43 I know how to get it done. 17:44 If I don't, my family doesn't eat. 17:46 Yeah. And so if these people don' get it done, 17:48 your workers don't get it done, you find new workers. 17:51 Yes. But on a mission trip it's a goal is not so much work 17:58 but you just take your offerings, 18:00 one day at a time no matter 18:01 whether you are a better block layer 18:03 or me or you are a better cook or you are seven or 87, 18:06 it's a goal is to worship. 18:10 It's crazy because God, 18:12 He gets everything done the same 18:15 that we get worship while we work. 18:18 There's nothing better than taking an influence 18:21 the first time volunteer who doesn't even know 18:24 what a trowel is. Yeah. 18:26 And then five days later 18:29 we want the best block layres on the trip. 18:33 That's what God does with me, right. 18:36 And it start out I want to be the best husband 18:39 or dad or I want to be a good student. 18:44 I make a mess of it and till I give it to the God 18:48 and then I went back and said, 18:50 how did you do that? It was miracle. 18:54 So I had a volunteer 18:57 and he really didn't want to lay some block, 19:00 he was part of the team doing something else, right. 19:04 But I like that moment 19:06 when the person is busy doing that things 19:09 because they honestly 19:10 aren't really good at laying the blocks. 19:11 The block, yeah. 19:13 When they get it and they say, I am done, 19:16 it's a God moment, right? It is. 19:18 So I grab that person, I said, come over here. 19:22 I want you to lay couple of blocks 19:25 and it wasn't couple of minutes, it was about 25 minutes 19:29 and as I walk by I can see that he was struggling with that. 19:33 It's a hard work. Yeah. 19:35 And I looked at him and assisted and in fact, 19:38 I didn't see what was going on 19:40 but the block would not go down to the string 19:43 and he looked to me and I looked to him and I said-- 19:46 The string is wrong. The string is wrong. 19:49 No, it's not. The string is actually always... 19:51 Right. Yeah. 19:53 Something is going on with this block. 19:56 And so I took the block off 19:58 and there laying hidden in the mortar was this rock, right. 20:04 Which changes everything. 20:06 You couldn't get it to where it supposed to be 20:09 and you twist it and move it and tap it 20:13 and he looked at me and I looked at him 20:14 and I just took the rock out 20:16 and this block-- Just settled. 20:18 Settled right on the string 20:20 and he spent like 25 minutes trying to figure it out. 20:25 And I, we just looked to each other and smile 20:27 and its like isn't-- isn't that what God does. 20:32 He invites us to something that's holy. 20:35 Yeah, and his string is where it is. 20:39 Yet there are things in our life 20:41 that are keeping from happening, right. 20:44 And He comes along and takes that rock and says, 20:48 here it is, this is the culprit. 20:53 And it came back 20:54 right where it supposed to be in like 30 seconds. 20:57 And this string goes up. One block at a time. 21:00 And worship does happen. 21:03 In a totally different way, totally different angle 21:07 every single experience had the different way it happens. 21:12 Like there's not just, this is worship, right. 21:15 No, no, no, like, worship-- Every part of it. 21:18 Every morning it's different, every afternoon it's different. 21:21 Unique to you, to me, to the guy laying the block. 21:25 That's a creative God. 21:29 What you are talking about 21:30 in its simplest form is John Chapter 15, 21:35 when the Holy Spirit comes to lead you in the altar 21:39 and everyday, all day 21:40 he's busy whispering and blowing 21:42 and sound of the gentle whisper and all of the rest. 21:46 And it's just exciting to think of that 21:49 as constantly happening on Maranatha Mission trips. 21:52 It does. 21:53 And then you don't have to be a professional. 21:56 In fact it's best if you are not. 22:02 Are you looking for a volunteer opportunity 22:04 that doesn't require a long airplane ride 22:06 or a passport? 22:08 Maranatha's work to build churches 22:10 and schools includes North America. 22:12 And we have two projects this summer that need your help. 22:15 First, Maranatha is organizing a project 22:18 at the Faith Adventist Christian School in Summit, Mississippi. 22:21 This small school has been in operation 22:23 for the past four years 22:25 and they need help expanding their facility 22:27 so they can reach more students and their families. 22:30 You can help them reach their goal 22:32 by volunteering June 11 to 25 then from July 9 to 23. 22:37 Join us as we help the Hardeeville Spanish 22:40 Seventh-day Adventist church in South Carolina. 22:43 Their previous church building burned down in 2011 22:46 and they are stepping out in faith 22:48 to rebuild with Maranatha's assistance. 22:51 There is no participation fee for either of these projects. 22:54 All you need to do is get there. 22:56 For more information on these projects and more 22:59 visit our website at maranatha.org. 23:02 There's something incredibly special 23:04 about Maranatha Family Project. 23:07 It doesn't matter where it takes place, 23:08 doesn't matter what they're building, 23:09 doesn't even matter how many people come, 23:11 or who comes, it's always the same. 23:14 This project celebrates three incredible gift of God, 23:18 marriage which of course was 23:20 what He created on the seventh day, 23:23 marriage and love. 23:24 A good friend who says that 23:26 got spent six days putting the world together 23:28 on the seventh day God created love. 23:31 Well that's something we experience and celebrate 23:35 on a Maranatha Family Project. 23:38 The second is the arrival of children 23:41 and the way they grew up, 23:44 that was important to Adam and Eve. 23:45 And you can imagine how absolutely awestruck they were 23:49 when their children started coming into the world. 23:51 We get to play with kids, 23:53 we used to play with kids from long time, 23:56 solemn, husband and wife, father, mother homes. 24:01 We used to play with kids from broken homes, 24:04 we get to play with adopted kids, 24:05 we get to play with every kind of kid 24:07 you can dream up. 24:08 They all come on Maranatha Family Projects. 24:11 They come supportive by those who love them most. 24:16 The third thing we get to celebrate is service. 24:19 During this project these kids, they have helped, 24:23 worked in teaching other children 24:26 basic principles of health. 24:28 They've talked to them about God, 24:29 they talked to them about Jesus 24:32 and they have celebrated with their families 24:35 what it means to belong to Christ. 24:38 There's a fourth special celebration. 24:42 It seems like it always happens, 24:43 every time we have a family project 24:46 doesn't matter whether it's Christmas 24:47 for the middle a summer 24:48 we get to celebrate the ordinance of baptism. 24:52 Remember what Jesus said about baptism, 24:54 you can't really be whole 24:56 until you die and are born again. 24:59 We see that happen on every single family project. 25:05 I think often as I watch these kids about the day 25:09 an angel woke up Phillip and said. 25:11 I got a job for you, 25:13 it's gonna be a quick one, hang on. 25:15 And he ended up in the desert down by Ethiopia 25:19 next to a pool of water 25:20 as a unit comes pounding by with his chariot. 25:26 He gets up onto the chariot, 25:28 he talks to the man about what it means 25:30 to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Messiah, redeemer. 25:35 And the guy says, wow this has changed that way 25:38 I think about everything. 25:39 Can you baptize me, 25:40 there's a pound of water right over here? 25:43 Phillip baptizes the eunuch on the way home. 25:48 That happens on every family project. 25:52 I baptized children and adults on Christmas family project. 25:56 Today Steve baptized two teenagers 25:59 right here on this project. 26:02 Love, kids, service, baptism, they all go together. 26:07 And on a Maranatha Family Project 26:10 they all work together to strengthen God's kingdom. 26:17 This week we receive an update from Brazil 26:20 where Maranatha has build 345 one day churches. 26:24 Meet Claudio Medonsa. 26:26 He lived in the North Eastern city of Recife 26:28 and was an active member 26:29 of a Seventh-day Adventist congregation there. 26:32 About a year ago Claudio felt that 26:34 it was time to start a new church 26:35 in a near by town on Orinda. 26:37 Soon he had a group of six worshiping each Sabbath 26:40 but they didn't have a permanent place to worship. 26:43 In September 2012 Maranatha arrived to build 26:46 a one day church structure with the expectation 26:49 that this small congregation complete to build. 26:53 Today that group of six has turned into a group of 45. 26:57 They are excited, they are sharing their faith 27:00 and the church is growing. 27:02 This past weekend four additional 27:04 people were baptized in a new Orinda church. 27:07 The congregation has worked very hard 27:09 to finish the church building. 27:11 They still have a little ways to go 27:13 but they know that in a short time 27:14 a beautiful new church will stand 27:16 in their Orinda community 27:17 as a testimony to the God they worship. 27:20 When you support the one day church project 27:22 great results take place. 27:24 A new building is built but more importantly 27:27 you are supporting a group of people with simple goals, 27:30 to spread the love of Jesus to everyone they meet. 27:33 If you like to make the one day church possible 27:36 for a congregation like Claudia's 27:38 we need your help. 27:39 There are many congregations on our list 27:41 that are waiting for a church. 27:43 Contact us today to find out how you can get involved. 27:47 Thanks for joining us today on Maranatha Mission Stories 27:50 coming to you from Santiago, Panama. 27:53 We are the host of this show and I'm Dick. 27:56 I am Seth. I am Pulith. 27:58 Johnson. I am Joseph. 28:01 I'm Jewel. I'm Raoni. I am David. 28:03 I am Hanna. I am Seth. 28:05 You are not Seth. You got to come join us. 28:09 It's never boring. |
Revised 2014-12-17