Hi, I'm Hillary Macias
with the Maranatha Minute.
00:00:01.36\00:00:03.47
While Maranatha is most
known for our projects overseas,
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we actually
coordinate quite a few projects
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in North America.
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There are plenty of
churches, schools, summer camps
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and retreat
centers that need help
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in renovating
their existing structures
00:00:15.71\00:00:17.91
or building new ones.
00:00:17.95\00:00:19.68
One of the more
recent North America projects
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took place in British
Columbia, Canada at Camp Hope.
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Seventy volunteers arrived
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at the summer camp
and conference center
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to frame cabins,
paint, landscape,
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and help with electrical work.
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The team ranged in age
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from 7 years old
to 82 years young.
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These North America projects
are a great way for people
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to get involved in service
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without having to
travel too far from home.
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You can hear all the ways
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Maranatha Volunteers
are making a difference
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in North America and beyond
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by coming to
this year's convention
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in Sacramento, California,
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September 20 - 21.
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Visit our website
for more information.
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2019 marks the 50th year
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of Maranatha Volunteers
Internationals Mission
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to provide
urgently needed structures
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around the world.
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It is one of the most
active supporting ministries
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of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church
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having worked in
nearly 90 countries
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around the world.
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What's more,
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it has mobilized
thousands of people
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on short term mission trips,
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experiences that have
changed countless lives
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and inspired a
culture of service
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in the Adventist Church.
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When you look at
the constant activity
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of Maranatha Missions today,
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it's hard to remember a time
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when the work was just starting,
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and the workers were few,
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when Maranatha
was still an idea,
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and not yet a movement.
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Today, we'll take a look back
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at the humble
beginnings of our organization,
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and some of the key
people whose tireless work
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and passion for
service charted a course
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that would result in a movement
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greater than they
could have even imagined.
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1969,
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the average cost of
a new house $15,550,
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a new car $3,270, gas
was 35 cents a gallon.
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There were Vietnam War protests
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as the US enlisted a
lot of rebates to draft.
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It was the year, a man
first walked on the moon.
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Another significant
event was taking shape in 1969.
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It began when John
and Ida Mae Freeman
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visited the
Eight Mile Rock Church
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in Freeport Grand
Bahama while on vacation,
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they found a church
half built unoccupied.
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John saw situation that
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with a little
imagination could be corrected.
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With the Eight Mile
Rock pastor and members,
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he organized what we
might call a church bay,
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except instead of
local church members
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coming to help
finish the church,
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he would enlist church
members from the United States
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and they came all volunteers
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on the very first
Maranatha project.
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When we went down there
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on our first
project in Eight Mile Rock
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after Maranatha started, we
took 26 young people with us
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and when we started out,
we worked on this project,
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they picked us up,
took us out all day,
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they brought us lunch at noon,
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then after about
second or third day,
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the local pastor came to us.
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He said, "You know,
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I have a
confession to make to you."
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I said, "What's that?"
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He says, "When you
folk wrote down here
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and said you were
coming down to finish this job,
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we had to put you up,
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we had to feed you and so forth.
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We just figured a
bunch of you Americans
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coming down here
to live off a bus
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for Christmas vacation."
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And he says,
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"When we see how
hard you are working
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and none of our people
are out there helping you."
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He says, "I have a
confession to make."
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And we finished that
church in two weeks time.
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This was the birth of
Maranatha Flights International,
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a growing group
of mission minded
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Seventh-day Adventists,
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taking the
concept of a barn raising
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and applying it to churches.
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John, an Adventist,
liked the word Maranatha,
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an Aramaic word that
means Jesus is coming.
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Flights made sense
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because early on the
projects required people
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to fly by private
aircraft to the location
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and
international was appropriate
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because the mission was
most often outside the US.
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Projects multiplied
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and the Freeman's
enlisted experienced contractors
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and inexperienced church members
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to bring their
passion for service
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directly to the mission field.
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As the ministry grew, key
people joined the mission,
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people who would
make a lasting impact
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on the direction of Maranatha.
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Dad had some
gifts to begin with.
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He had imagination.
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He was always been
really creative, and ideas,
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but he needed other
people to help carry them out.
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How it played out,
I think was just like,
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wow, somebody had a hand
in this other than just us.
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Other people started coming
in and it just kind of grew
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and I think Dad became
very grateful for that.
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People like Don
Kirkman, for years,
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architect and
board member Don Kirkman,
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had been designing and
building churches in Mexico
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with his business
partner, David Hansel.
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Then in 1972, they learned
about a Maranatha project
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in the Northwest
Territories of Canada.
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Don decided to go to Yellowknife
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and he also brought a
contractor and friend,
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Van Vanden Heuvel
along for the ride.
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Van was a contractor
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and owned a successful
plumbing business in Arizona.
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Typically, he would
have been too busy to go,
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but he had been recovering
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from a broken
leg and was restless.
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Van decided to join Don
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and a large group of
volunteers bound for the project
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known as Yellowknife.
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Maranatha was in its infancy,
00:07:00.95\00:07:03.28
but word spread
across North America
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and 140 volunteers
in 23 private airplanes
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demonstrated that lay people
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could find a place
in the church's mission.
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Well, I think Yellowknife
played a very important part
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in Maranatha
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because I think it more or less
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sent a signal
to the world church
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that it was good for the church,
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good for the people.
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Leon Slikkers,
another businessman
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and friend of John Freeman,
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began taking his
family to the mission field.
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My earliest memories of
Maranatha being talked about
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was when my father communicated
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that we were going to
be flying in his airplane
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to Yellowknife
Northwest Territories.
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Tom Slikkers recalled
the wonder of seeing a church
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go up so quickly.
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Even as a kid,
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it was pretty amazing to me
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to see the
scale of the building,
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the size of what
was being undertaken,
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to be able to watch
that kind of come up
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and then have
church in it, you know.
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Two Saturdays into the deal,
that was pretty incredible.
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Leon Slikkers joined
the board of Maranatha,
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helping shape the
organization and structure.
00:08:20.43\00:08:23.23
Don Kirkman began volunteering
his architect skills
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to design Maranatha structures.
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For Van Vanden Heuvel,
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Yellowknife ignited
a life transformation.
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He couldn't wait to do it again,
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and convinced his wife Fay
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to join them at a
project not too far from home
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at the Holbrook
Indian School in Arizona
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and it changed their life.
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It was amazing to me
that people that had come
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from all across the
country to Holbrook to help
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and that went over quite well.
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But then before I knew it,
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he had signed up
to go to Honduras.
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Van sold his business
and eventually his home.
00:09:02.64\00:09:06.81
Van and Fay began volunteering
for Maranatha full time.
00:09:06.84\00:09:11.41
They went on to be instrumental
00:09:11.45\00:09:13.11
in developing
Maranatha's mission and vision
00:09:13.15\00:09:15.55
for the next several decades.
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We didn't have
the slightest idea
00:09:17.65\00:09:19.05
what we were doing
00:09:19.09\00:09:20.89
but with God showing us the way,
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we went ahead
and were successful,
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not because of
something that we have done,
00:09:26.80\00:09:28.43
but because what He
is doing through us.
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Ida Mae Freeman
saw the hand of God
00:09:32.20\00:09:34.57
in this grassroots ministry.
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I knew this was something that,
that we couldn't do ourselves,
00:09:36.84\00:09:41.78
I knew that it was something
00:09:41.81\00:09:43.14
that God had put
into John's mind to do,
00:09:43.18\00:09:46.28
and that's why I felt that
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I should encourage
him in everything he do
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because other than that,
it wasn't going to succeed.
00:09:50.72\00:09:54.86
But, if He was with us,
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I knew He was
with us and I knew it
00:09:57.53\00:09:59.16
was something that
the Lord wanted us to do
00:09:59.19\00:10:02.40
and not for any glory of our own
00:10:02.43\00:10:04.70
but for encouraging
our family, our children
00:10:04.73\00:10:10.24
and we really
started the whole thing
00:10:10.27\00:10:13.41
for young people.
00:10:13.44\00:10:14.94
It was because our
girls were at that age
00:10:14.98\00:10:18.81
and it was something that
they were excited about it.
00:10:18.85\00:10:22.62
It was fun to
see them get excited
00:10:22.65\00:10:25.62
about helping other people.
00:10:25.65\00:10:30.43
I'd say, Lord, help us
00:10:30.46\00:10:32.89
to finish the work
that needs to be done.
00:10:32.93\00:10:35.83
Every job is a miracle.
00:10:35.86\00:10:38.50
There is no way that we
can build these churches
00:10:38.53\00:10:42.40
without You helping us.
00:10:42.44\00:10:44.41
And so we need all
the help we can get.
00:10:44.44\00:10:47.54
We know we have
to finish the work.
00:10:47.58\00:10:49.64
You've asked us to go
out and spread the gospel.
00:10:49.68\00:10:52.51
There's nothing that I can do.
00:10:52.55\00:10:54.48
It's your program,
Lord, it's not what I'm doing.
00:10:54.52\00:10:58.59
This attitude of faith
00:10:58.62\00:11:00.16
continues to drive the
mission of Maranatha today.
00:11:00.19\00:11:03.66
Since that first vision,
Maranatha has built churches,
00:11:03.69\00:11:07.63
schools, clinics, homes,
00:11:07.66\00:11:10.27
and water wells in
nearly 90 countries.
00:11:10.30\00:11:15.00
The decision to go
00:11:15.04\00:11:16.37
is always
predicated on need and faith.
00:11:16.40\00:11:19.21
And since the
inception of Maranatha,
00:11:19.24\00:11:21.61
the hand of God
has touched people
00:11:21.64\00:11:23.58
to support this vital mission.
00:11:23.61\00:11:28.62
Well, really, I think the
thing that Maranatha has done
00:11:28.65\00:11:31.65
for more than any people,
00:11:31.69\00:11:34.39
in spite of all these people
that would continually tell me,
00:11:34.42\00:11:38.36
"This is the most foolish
thing we've ever heard of."
00:11:38.39\00:11:41.40
I said, "You do
not know what this does
00:11:41.43\00:11:43.47
to the people
going on these projects."
00:11:43.50\00:11:46.00
I say, "It changes their life."
00:11:46.03\00:11:48.44
And we've found this to be true
over and over and over again.
00:11:48.47\00:11:52.81
When these people come
back from these projects,
00:11:52.84\00:11:55.34
they are so enthused over it.
00:11:55.38\00:11:57.48
They help out more in church
than they ever did before.
00:11:57.51\00:12:01.55
It changes life of people
00:12:01.58\00:12:03.72
and that's what
this is all about.
00:12:03.75\00:12:05.79
The Lord is about to come,
00:12:05.82\00:12:07.16
we need to all change our lives,
00:12:07.19\00:12:08.72
we need an
outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
00:12:08.76\00:12:10.96
That's what Maranatha is
doing with these people today
00:12:10.99\00:12:13.63
going on these projects.
00:12:13.66\00:12:15.00
The faith and commitment
of Maranatha's founders
00:12:19.77\00:12:22.14
created a strong
foundation for the organization.
00:12:22.17\00:12:26.64
But it's people like you
00:12:26.68\00:12:28.21
that helped to push
our work into the future.
00:12:28.24\00:12:32.35
If you haven't already,
00:12:32.38\00:12:33.72
consider becoming a
part of the Maranatha family.
00:12:33.75\00:12:37.42
Visit our website
00:12:37.45\00:12:38.79
to discover all the
ways you can be involved.
00:12:38.82\00:12:42.19
When we come back,
we'll travel to the Caribbean
00:12:42.22\00:12:44.73
where church members
on the island of Dominica
00:12:44.76\00:12:47.10
are drawing strength from
God in the midst of disaster,
00:12:47.13\00:12:50.30
and Maranatha is
helping to give them hope.
00:12:50.33\00:12:53.74
Each year more than 2200
people travel all over the world
00:13:04.75\00:13:08.38
to serve with Maranatha,
00:13:08.42\00:13:10.49
the ways they serve
and the locations they help
00:13:10.52\00:13:13.32
are as varied as the people
00:13:13.36\00:13:14.79
that participate
on these projects.
00:13:14.82\00:13:17.03
Maybe you're wondering
00:13:17.06\00:13:18.39
how missions can
be part of your life.
00:13:18.43\00:13:20.50
Let's take a minute
00:13:20.53\00:13:21.86
and look at one of the
ways you can get involved.
00:13:21.90\00:13:24.63
Can mission trips
be a family experience?
00:13:24.67\00:13:27.87
At Maranatha, the answer is yes.
00:13:27.90\00:13:31.11
Maranatha family
projects are mission trips
00:13:31.14\00:13:33.98
designed with families in mind.
00:13:34.01\00:13:36.28
Worship, work, and even play
00:13:36.31\00:13:39.01
is aimed toward
family togetherness.
00:13:39.05\00:13:41.78
There are no age limits,
00:13:41.82\00:13:43.39
and everyone is
welcome to join from 2 to 82.
00:13:43.42\00:13:48.92
Maranatha offers family projects
00:13:48.96\00:13:51.13
two to three times a year
00:13:51.16\00:13:52.73
during Christmas and the summer.
00:13:52.76\00:13:56.06
Get more details
00:13:56.10\00:13:57.43
on all of Maranatha's
volunteer opportunities
00:13:57.47\00:13:59.47
at maranatha.org.
00:13:59.50\00:14:01.07
These women spend 560
minutes a day fetching water.
00:14:15.48\00:14:19.99
Water is life.
00:14:23.43\00:14:26.43
But your life
shouldn't revolve around water.
00:14:26.46\00:14:29.13
We're raising
money for water wells.
00:14:34.84\00:14:38.44
Make a donation.
00:14:38.47\00:14:39.81
Give women the gift of time,
00:14:43.61\00:14:47.58
health, family.
00:14:47.62\00:14:53.36
Sponsor a well.
00:14:53.39\00:14:56.73
Give water, give life.
00:14:56.76\00:14:58.76
In September of 2017,
00:15:05.67\00:15:08.00
tragedy struck the Caribbean
00:15:08.04\00:15:09.74
as hurricane Maria
swept across the region.
00:15:09.77\00:15:14.41
Thousands were left
homeless and hopeless
00:15:14.44\00:15:17.11
including residents on
the island of Dominica.
00:15:17.15\00:15:21.72
In the days
following the disaster,
00:15:21.75\00:15:23.52
people were
longing for community,
00:15:23.55\00:15:25.75
a center to heal
00:15:25.79\00:15:27.12
from the effects
of the hurricane.
00:15:27.16\00:15:29.02
For the Seventh-day
Adventist community,
00:15:29.06\00:15:30.93
there were few places to go
00:15:30.96\00:15:32.63
as the majority of the
churches were destroyed.
00:15:32.66\00:15:36.43
Today, thanks to
the generous support
00:15:36.46\00:15:38.57
of Maranatha
donors and volunteers,
00:15:38.60\00:15:40.70
one community of
faith has received new hope
00:15:40.74\00:15:43.37
through the
reconstruction of their church.
00:15:43.41\00:15:45.31
It was a
category five hurricane,
00:15:50.91\00:15:53.58
the highest category possible.
00:15:53.62\00:15:55.78
On September 18, 2017,
00:15:55.82\00:15:58.55
Hurricane Maria struck
the island of Dominica,
00:15:58.59\00:16:01.02
leaving catastrophic
devastation in her wake.
00:16:01.06\00:16:04.13
After battling
the storm overnight,
00:16:04.16\00:16:06.06
residents awoke
to a new reality.
00:16:06.09\00:16:09.13
A country known
for its natural beauty
00:16:09.16\00:16:11.80
was stripped of trees.
00:16:11.83\00:16:13.87
50,000 of its 73,000
residents were displaced
00:16:13.90\00:16:18.24
and an estimated 85 to 90%
of the structures on Dominica
00:16:18.27\00:16:23.18
were damaged or destroyed.
00:16:23.21\00:16:25.51
I walked down and
everywhere I am going,
00:16:25.55\00:16:27.12
it's just Wow.
00:16:27.15\00:16:31.65
We're not going to
come out from this.
00:16:31.69\00:16:33.72
That's what I felt.
00:16:33.76\00:16:35.66
Jeff Letang is a plumber
and lives with his family
00:16:35.69\00:16:38.53
in the northern
part of the island.
00:16:38.56\00:16:40.13
They were a part of
the fortunate minority,
00:16:40.16\00:16:42.36
and their house sustained
little damage in the storm.
00:16:42.40\00:16:46.27
The same was not true
for their spiritual home.
00:16:46.30\00:16:50.17
When I woke up in the
morning, in anticipation,
00:16:50.21\00:16:53.91
I ran to the back door.
00:16:53.94\00:16:56.11
And I opened and I looked,
00:16:56.14\00:16:58.55
and I saw everywhere I
could never seen before.
00:16:58.58\00:17:02.95
And I saw, when I
looked for the church,
00:17:02.98\00:17:05.22
all I saw was the
front part of the balcony,
00:17:05.25\00:17:09.12
and I went, whoa, I screamed out
00:17:09.16\00:17:11.83
and woke up my entire family,
"Maria, Marshchapel Church."
00:17:11.86\00:17:16.20
I just couldn't take it.
00:17:16.23\00:17:17.57
I had to, I just let it out,
00:17:17.60\00:17:20.54
and when the
other members came here,
00:17:20.57\00:17:22.50
and they saw what it
was like, nothing's there,
00:17:22.54\00:17:26.51
the church is merged in flood.
00:17:26.54\00:17:28.31
Jeff and his family attend
00:17:28.34\00:17:29.68
the Beryl
Seventh-day Adventist Church,
00:17:29.71\00:17:31.58
and he's been a
part of the congregation
00:17:31.61\00:17:33.18
all of his life.
00:17:33.21\00:17:34.55
His home sits across
the valley from the church.
00:17:34.58\00:17:37.59
He remembers when
Maranatha Volunteers came
00:17:37.62\00:17:39.82
and built the church in 1989.
00:17:39.85\00:17:42.06
The beautiful structure
created a sense of pride
00:17:42.09\00:17:44.69
for their congregation.
00:17:44.73\00:17:46.29
But now, it was just a memory.
00:17:46.33\00:17:49.43
We couldn't believe it
because we really thought
00:17:49.46\00:17:52.03
that it could have withstood
the wind to some extent,
00:17:52.07\00:17:54.37
but the wind made
mincemeat of that.
00:17:54.40\00:17:58.24
So it was really emotional
00:17:58.27\00:17:59.61
and we're
already asking ourselves,
00:17:59.64\00:18:02.11
where we are we going to go?
00:18:02.14\00:18:03.48
What are we going to do?
00:18:03.51\00:18:04.85
How we're going to
build that one building.
00:18:04.88\00:18:06.21
That's all, it
was heart wrenching.
00:18:06.25\00:18:10.52
The situation wasn't
unique to the Beryl members,
00:18:10.55\00:18:13.42
28 of the 34
Adventist churches on the island
00:18:13.46\00:18:16.73
were damaged or destroyed,
00:18:16.76\00:18:18.39
leaving members scrambling
00:18:18.43\00:18:19.76
to meet in any place they could.
00:18:19.79\00:18:22.56
Although their church was gone,
00:18:22.60\00:18:24.10
members continue to meet
first in the pastor's home
00:18:24.13\00:18:27.30
and then with the
Pennville congregation,
00:18:27.34\00:18:29.27
a group planted
by the Beryl Church.
00:18:29.30\00:18:31.44
Worshipping
together was challenging,
00:18:31.47\00:18:33.24
but Jeff and others
saw it as a necessity,
00:18:33.27\00:18:36.18
especially in the days
following the hurricane.
00:18:36.21\00:18:38.75
God is important to me.
00:18:38.78\00:18:41.22
He's the source of my strength.
00:18:41.25\00:18:43.49
I have learned not to
depend on nobody else, but God.
00:18:43.52\00:18:47.12
And when I come here,
00:18:47.16\00:18:49.42
I find joy in worshiping
Him, giving Him praise.
00:18:49.46\00:18:52.99
I find strength
in the fellowship
00:18:53.03\00:18:54.46
with the other
men, we meet, we talk,
00:18:54.50\00:18:56.06
we express ourselves,
00:18:56.10\00:18:57.43
we tell
ourselves what's happening.
00:18:57.47\00:18:59.17
We encourage each other.
00:18:59.20\00:19:00.67
And without this church,
00:19:00.70\00:19:02.60
I don't think I have much
to help support me through.
00:19:02.64\00:19:07.28
For many, attending
church was a hardship.
00:19:07.31\00:19:10.01
The new location was
far from members homes
00:19:10.05\00:19:12.75
and not everyone
had transportation.
00:19:12.78\00:19:15.12
The congregation
began to raise funds
00:19:15.15\00:19:17.02
to help transport
members to church.
00:19:17.05\00:19:19.25
But attendance
was still sporadic.
00:19:19.29\00:19:22.42
Everyone attends,
but not regularly.
00:19:22.46\00:19:26.63
You have some people,
you see them this week,
00:19:26.66\00:19:28.13
some next week,
00:19:28.16\00:19:29.50
sometimes two
weeks, you don't see any,
00:19:29.53\00:19:30.87
that first particular individual
00:19:30.90\00:19:32.23
and then you see them coming.
00:19:32.27\00:19:34.07
So I think it's certainly
disrupting church attendance.
00:19:34.10\00:19:38.47
Members were struggling
to rebuild their homes
00:19:38.51\00:19:40.78
and carve out new
lives amid the devastation.
00:19:40.81\00:19:43.85
Rebuilding their church
00:19:43.88\00:19:45.21
seemed out of the
realm of possibility.
00:19:45.25\00:19:47.85
Despite the grim situation,
Jeff refused to lose hope.
00:19:47.88\00:19:51.62
Our God is the God
of the impossibility.
00:19:51.65\00:19:54.42
I learned that
pretty much in the storm.
00:19:54.46\00:19:56.49
God has moved upon the
hearts of people elsewhere,
00:19:56.52\00:19:59.43
and they have really
blessed us with assistance,
00:19:59.46\00:20:03.63
for this we'll ever be grateful.
00:20:03.67\00:20:05.97
And it has taught
me to rely upon God.
00:20:06.00\00:20:08.27
So even if things
seems to be bleak,
00:20:08.30\00:20:10.41
and things are
not as it ought to be,
00:20:10.44\00:20:13.51
I'm not complaining.
00:20:13.54\00:20:15.58
Two months after the hurricane,
00:20:15.61\00:20:17.11
Seventh-day
Adventist Church leaders
00:20:17.15\00:20:18.81
reached out to Maranatha
00:20:18.85\00:20:20.25
for help rebuilding
structures in Dominica.
00:20:20.28\00:20:23.35
Maranatha
committed to reconstructing
00:20:23.39\00:20:24.99
a few church buildings.
00:20:25.02\00:20:26.42
First on the list was Beryl.
00:20:26.45\00:20:30.53
Construction on the new
church started in May of 2018,
00:20:30.56\00:20:34.00
and several volunteer
teams traveled to Dominica
00:20:34.03\00:20:36.43
to help erect the
structure and build the walls.
00:20:36.46\00:20:39.53
In the beginning of March 2019,
00:20:39.57\00:20:41.70
the building was
almost ready to dedicate,
00:20:41.74\00:20:44.34
but not without a
few finishing touches
00:20:44.37\00:20:46.51
from a special
set of volunteers.
00:20:46.54\00:20:48.44
Some of the funding
donated to construct the church
00:21:02.06\00:21:04.49
was given in honor of
John and Ida Mae Freeman,
00:21:04.53\00:21:07.23
who founded Maranatha in 1969.
00:21:07.26\00:21:10.07
The Caribbean had
special significance
00:21:10.10\00:21:12.03
for John and Ida Mae
00:21:12.07\00:21:13.40
who died in 2017,
and 2018, respectively.
00:21:13.44\00:21:17.87
The Beryl Church
seemed a fitting memorial
00:21:17.91\00:21:20.14
to the couple who
dedicated much of their lives
00:21:20.18\00:21:22.41
to spreading the gospel
00:21:22.44\00:21:23.78
through the construction
of urgently needed buildings.
00:21:23.81\00:21:27.02
Family members of the Freeman's
00:21:27.05\00:21:28.45
not only donated to the project,
00:21:28.48\00:21:30.32
but also traveled to
Dominica to finish the building
00:21:30.35\00:21:33.22
and dedicate the new sanctuary.
00:21:33.25\00:21:35.12
The group included four of
John and Ida Mae's daughters.
00:21:35.16\00:21:39.33
I've told my sisters,
this would be amazing.
00:21:39.36\00:21:42.50
Mom and dad
would wanna be so proud
00:21:42.53\00:21:44.33
that all of us girls were here
00:21:44.37\00:21:46.33
because through our
lives, we were busy living life,
00:21:46.37\00:21:48.94
and we weren't all as involved
00:21:48.97\00:21:50.84
as they would
have liked us to spend.
00:21:50.87\00:21:52.97
So having us all
here, helping them build it.
00:21:53.01\00:21:56.91
It's very emotional.
00:21:56.95\00:21:59.15
We were just so
pleased when we saw the church,
00:21:59.18\00:22:02.25
and we saw the architecture,
00:22:02.28\00:22:06.79
we saw the love, and the time,
00:22:06.82\00:22:08.56
and the interest that was put
00:22:08.59\00:22:09.92
into making this just
a beautiful sanctuary.
00:22:09.96\00:22:13.80
I think that this will
really be a congregation
00:22:13.83\00:22:17.10
that appreciates
what Maranatha has done,
00:22:17.13\00:22:20.27
and it's been a blessing for me
00:22:20.30\00:22:23.14
to just see that this has
grown over the last 50 years.
00:22:23.17\00:22:27.74
And you know,
when it first started,
00:22:27.78\00:22:30.55
we didn't know how
long this would go on.
00:22:30.58\00:22:32.71
It's just blossomed from there.
00:22:32.75\00:22:34.08
And it's very heart warming.
00:22:34.12\00:22:35.82
It's very meaningful to us,
00:22:35.85\00:22:37.42
as children to see
what a legacy that he left.
00:22:37.45\00:22:42.46
On March 9th, nearly 50 years
00:22:42.49\00:22:44.76
after the Freeman's
first Maranatha mission trip,
00:22:44.79\00:22:47.36
more than 300 people
00:22:47.40\00:22:48.90
packed into the
church for the dedication.
00:22:48.93\00:22:51.23
Church leaders and members
alike express their gratitude
00:22:51.27\00:22:54.14
for the gift of a new sanctuary.
00:22:54.17\00:22:56.30
The
reconstruction of this church
00:22:56.34\00:22:58.11
symbolizes a new start
for Adventist on the island
00:22:58.14\00:23:01.44
Having a church rebuild
00:23:01.48\00:23:03.78
is like the
nation is rebuilt also
00:23:03.81\00:23:08.18
and more for us,
00:23:08.22\00:23:12.39
it means that the Church
of God is taking the new step
00:23:12.42\00:23:19.06
to continue the mission
we have here in this island.
00:23:19.09\00:23:24.80
Witnessing a new building
rise from the devastation
00:23:24.83\00:23:27.90
is already making an
impact in the community.
00:23:27.94\00:23:31.17
There are lots of
persons who build in a church.
00:23:31.21\00:23:35.81
And they are friends
of the Adventist Church,
00:23:35.84\00:23:38.28
people we have been speaking
00:23:38.31\00:23:40.25
with and just having
a new church erected.
00:23:40.28\00:23:44.45
It would be an
incentive for them
00:23:44.49\00:23:47.26
to come to see the church
00:23:47.29\00:23:49.82
and since it's
so well constructed,
00:23:49.86\00:23:52.23
it's so beautiful.
00:23:52.26\00:23:53.60
I think that in
itself can want people
00:23:53.63\00:23:55.50
just to make the
church ideal church.
00:23:55.53\00:23:58.50
So I think that's
an incentive in that.
00:23:58.53\00:23:59.93
It will motivate
people to want to be part
00:23:59.97\00:24:04.17
of the fellowship
and membership here.
00:24:04.21\00:24:06.91
Church being so
special would add to that.
00:24:06.94\00:24:10.91
The completion of this church
represents an impossible dream
00:24:10.95\00:24:14.65
and a complete answer to prayer.
00:24:14.68\00:24:17.95
I just can't
express my gratitude.
00:24:17.99\00:24:21.52
I will be eternally grateful
to Maranatha and I know,
00:24:21.56\00:24:25.13
the Beryl Church will
always be remembering Maranatha
00:24:25.16\00:24:29.66
for that wonderful
and spectacular gift.
00:24:29.70\00:24:33.34
I think I have not seen
all those that you have built.
00:24:33.37\00:24:35.20
I think it's one of the best.
00:24:35.24\00:24:36.91
And we are thankful
that you looked at us
00:24:36.94\00:24:39.77
and found us worthy of receiving
00:24:39.81\00:24:42.51
such a wonderful
gift from you all.
00:24:42.54\00:24:44.05
The Beryl Church is
just one of the congregations
00:24:52.79\00:24:55.36
Maranatha is
helping in Dominica.
00:24:55.39\00:24:58.69
Currently, we're constructing
a new community center
00:24:58.73\00:25:01.03
for the Wesley congregation,
00:25:01.06\00:25:02.50
enabling them to continue
00:25:02.53\00:25:03.90
their previously
active outreach activities.
00:25:03.93\00:25:08.20
We're also building structures
for several other congregations
00:25:08.24\00:25:11.11
who no longer have a
proper place to worship.
00:25:11.14\00:25:14.11
You can help with
the reconstruction effort
00:25:14.14\00:25:16.14
by making a donation.
00:25:16.18\00:25:18.35
Your generous support
00:25:18.38\00:25:19.71
is what makes restoration
possible in Dominica.
00:25:19.75\00:25:22.95
Make a gift at maranatha.org
00:25:22.98\00:25:25.12
or call the
number on your screen.
00:25:25.15\00:25:26.96
From July 8 to 22,
00:25:39.13\00:25:41.10
help Maranatha with a
major renovation project
00:25:41.14\00:25:43.94
in Pennsylvania at
Pine Forge Academy.
00:25:43.97\00:25:47.08
The work will
involve masonry, painting,
00:25:47.11\00:25:49.54
replacing awnings and windows,
and rebuilding a staircase.
00:25:49.58\00:25:53.62
Pine Forge Academy
is a boarding school
00:25:53.65\00:25:55.52
for grades 9 through 12.
00:25:55.55\00:25:56.95
It was established in 1946
00:25:56.99\00:25:59.09
and sits on historical
property with connections
00:25:59.12\00:26:00.69
to William Penn,
George Washington
00:26:00.72\00:26:03.43
and the Underground Railroad.
00:26:03.46\00:26:05.26
Come help with this project
located at a historical site.
00:26:05.29\00:26:09.06
Then from July 22 to August 4,
00:26:09.10\00:26:11.33
we're looking for volunteers
00:26:11.37\00:26:12.70
to join Maranatha's
annual Young Adult Project.
00:26:12.73\00:26:15.74
This group will be working
at the Kuitine School in Kenya
00:26:15.77\00:26:18.47
to build retaining
walls and other block work
00:26:18.51\00:26:20.68
remaining on the campus.
00:26:20.71\00:26:22.48
At the end of the project,
join us on a safari excursion
00:26:22.51\00:26:25.61
in the world famous
Amboseli National Park
00:26:25.65\00:26:28.02
with amazing views
of Mount Kilimanjaro.
00:26:28.05\00:26:30.79
The Young Adult
Project is specially designed
00:26:30.82\00:26:32.65
for volunteers
ages 18 to 35 years old.
00:26:32.69\00:26:35.79
Learn more about
these trips on our website.
00:26:35.82\00:26:42.46
Over the last 50 years,
00:26:42.50\00:26:44.10
Maranatha has grown from a group
00:26:44.13\00:26:45.63
of mission minded family
and friends to a movement
00:26:45.67\00:26:48.60
that mobilizes more
than 2200 volunteers
00:26:48.64\00:26:51.91
in numerous countries each year.
00:26:51.94\00:26:54.08
In five decades, God
has blessed our work,
00:26:58.38\00:27:01.48
allowing us to
respond to more urgent needs
00:27:01.52\00:27:03.92
around the world.
00:27:03.95\00:27:08.19
We respond through the
construction of churches,
00:27:08.22\00:27:10.89
moving
congregations out of sheds
00:27:10.93\00:27:12.86
and into beautiful sanctuaries.
00:27:12.89\00:27:14.66
We respond through the
construction of schools,
00:27:19.13\00:27:22.70
expanding
opportunities for children
00:27:22.74\00:27:24.74
to learn about their world
and the God who created it.
00:27:24.77\00:27:30.08
We respond through
the drilling of wells,
00:27:30.11\00:27:32.38
bringing life sustaining
water to those who lack it.
00:27:32.41\00:27:35.08
We respond through service,
00:27:41.52\00:27:44.03
providing opportunities
for people to share Jesus
00:27:44.06\00:27:46.90
or maybe find
Him for themselves.
00:27:46.93\00:27:48.96
The scale may have changed
00:27:52.77\00:27:54.50
but the mission
remains the same,
00:27:54.54\00:27:56.67
to transform lives.
00:27:56.71\00:27:58.67