Hi, I'm Hilary Macias
with the Maranatha Minute.
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One year after breaking ground
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at the Khunti Seventh-day
Adventist School in India,
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the large 12 classroom
elementary education center
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on campus is complete.
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On May 2, more than 1000 people
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including Adventist
Church leaders from India
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as well as Maranatha leadership
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attended the
dedication ceremony.
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The new structure
will provide more space
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for the population of
more than 1300 students.
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Previously,
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hundreds of children
were being turned away
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due to lack of space.
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The Khunti School
is a Christian campus
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in a majority Hindu region.
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The academic
program is well regarded
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and it is one of the
only English speaking schools
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in the area.
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Hindu families are eager
for their children to attend
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even as the curriculum
incorporates the Bible.
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Learn all about
the Khunti School
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by checking out Maranatha's kids
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for classrooms webpage,
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where you'll find stories
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that are perfect
for young children
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and Sabbath school classrooms.
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Go to maranatha.org
/kidsforclassrooms.
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2019 marks the 50th
year of Maranatha Volunteers
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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 around the world.
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What's more, 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
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whose tireless work
and passion for service
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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
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$15,550,
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a new car $3,270,
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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
with a little imagination
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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 on our first project
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in Eight Mile Rock
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after Maranatha started,
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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 coming down here
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to live off a bus
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 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
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required people to
fly by private aircraft
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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,
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and ideas,
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but he needed other
people to help carry them out.
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How it played out,
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I think was just like, wow,
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somebody had a hand in
this other than just us.
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Other people started coming in
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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,
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for years, 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
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bound for the
project known as Yellowknife.
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Maranatha was in its infancy,
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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 that
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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
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being talked about 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.
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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 to join them at a project
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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
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that had come from
all across the country
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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.
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Van and Fay began volunteering
for Maranatha full time.
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They went on to be instrumental
00:09:11.35\00:09:13.08
in developing
Maranatha's mission
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and vision for the
next several decades.
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We didn't have
the slightest idea
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what we were doing
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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,
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but because what He
is doing through us.
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Ida Mae Freeman
saw the hand of God
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in this grassroots ministry.
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I knew this was something that,
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that we couldn't do ourselves,
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I knew that it
was something that God
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had put into John's mind to do,
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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,
00:09:50.75\00:09:52.59
it wasn't going to succeed.
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But, if He was with us,
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I knew He was with us
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and I knew it was something
that the Lord wanted us to do
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and not for any glory of our own
00:10:02.40\00:10:04.63
but for encouraging
our family, our children
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and we really
started the whole thing
00:10:10.21\00:10:13.41
for young people.
00:10:13.44\00:10:14.78
It was because our
girls were at that age
00:10:14.81\00:10:18.85
and it was something that
they were excited about it.
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It was fun to
see them get excited
00:10:22.72\00:10:25.65
about helping other people.
00:10:25.69\00:10:30.43
I'd say, Lord, help
us to finish the work
00:10:30.46\00:10:33.80
that needs to be done.
00:10:33.83\00:10:35.76
Every job is a miracle.
00:10:35.80\00:10:38.50
There is no way that we
can build these churches
00:10:38.53\00:10:42.30
without You helping us.
00:10:42.34\00:10:44.34
And so we need all
the help we can get.
00:10:44.37\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\00:10:52.45
There's nothing that I can do.
00:10:52.48\00:10:54.48
It's your program,
Lord, it's not what I'm doing.
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This attitude of faith continues
00:10:58.59\00:11:00.66
to drive the
mission of Maranatha today.
00:11:00.69\00:11:03.53
Since that first vision,
Maranatha has built churches,
00:11:03.56\00:11:07.50
schools, clinics, homes,
00:11:07.53\00:11:10.23
and water wells in
nearly 90 countries.
00:11:10.27\00:11:15.10
The decision to go
is always predicated
00:11:15.14\00:11:17.61
on need and faith.
00:11:17.64\00:11:19.24
And since the
inception of Maranatha,
00:11:19.27\00:11:21.58
the hand of God
has touched people
00:11:21.61\00:11:23.51
to support this vital mission.
00:11:23.55\00:11:25.38
Well, really, I think the
thing that Maranatha has done
00:11:28.55\00:11:31.55
for more than any people,
00:11:31.59\00:11:34.29
in spite of all these people
that would continually tell me,
00:11:34.32\00:11:38.39
"This is the most foolish
thing we've ever heard of."
00:11:38.43\00:11:41.33
I said, "You do not know
what this does to the people
00:11:41.36\00:11:44.17
going on these projects."
00:11:44.20\00:11:45.93
I say, "It changes their life."
00:11:45.97\00:11:48.44
And we've found this to be true
over and over and over again.
00:11:48.47\00:11:52.67
When these people come
back from these projects,
00:11:52.71\00:11:55.34
they are so enthused over it.
00:11:55.38\00:11:57.45
They help out more in church
than they ever did before.
00:11:57.48\00:12:01.45
It changes life of people
00:12:01.48\00:12:03.75
and that's what
this is all about.
00:12:03.79\00:12:05.72
The Lord is about to come,
00:12:05.75\00:12:07.09
we need to all change our lives,
00:12:07.12\00:12:08.79
we need an
outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
00:12:08.82\00:12:10.83
That's what Maranatha is
doing with these people today
00:12:10.86\00:12:13.76
going on these projects.
00:12:13.80\00:12:15.36
The faith and commitment
of Maranatha's founders
00:12:19.70\00:12:22.07
created a strong
foundation for the organization.
00:12:22.10\00:12:26.71
But it's people like you
00:12:26.74\00:12:28.14
that helped to push
our work into the future.
00:12:28.18\00:12:32.31
If you haven't already,
00:12:32.35\00:12:33.68
consider becoming a
part of the Maranatha family.
00:12:33.72\00:12:37.39
Visit our website to discover
00:12:37.42\00:12:39.22
all the ways
you can be involved.
00:12:39.25\00:12:42.09
When we come back,
00:12:42.12\00:12:43.46
we'll travel to the
Caribbean where church members
00:12:43.49\00:12:45.56
on the island of Dominica
00:12:45.59\00:12:46.96
are drawing strength from God
00:12:47.00\00:12:48.63
in the midst of disaster,
00:12:48.66\00:12:50.30
and Maranatha is
helping to give them hope.
00:12:50.33\00:12:52.87
Each year more than 2200
people travel all over the world
00:13:04.71\00:13:08.48
to serve with Maranatha,
00:13:08.52\00:13:10.42
the ways they serve
and the locations they help
00:13:10.45\00:13:13.22
are as varied as the people
00:13:13.25\00:13:14.89
that participate
on these projects.
00:13:14.92\00:13:17.06
Maybe you're wondering
00:13:17.09\00:13:18.43
how missions can
be part of your life.
00:13:18.46\00:13:20.53
Let's take a minute
and look at one of the ways
00:13:20.56\00:13:22.80
you can get involved.
00:13:22.83\00:13:24.67
Can mission trips
be a family experience?
00:13:24.70\00:13:27.80
At Maranatha, the answer is yes.
00:13:27.84\00:13:31.04
Maranatha family
projects are mission trips
00:13:31.07\00:13:33.98
designed with families in mind.
00:13:34.01\00:13:36.31
Worship, work, and even play
00:13:36.34\00:13:39.01
is aimed toward
family togetherness.
00:13:39.05\00:13:41.85
There are no age limits,
00:13:41.88\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\00:13:51.09
two to three times a year
00:13:51.13\00:13:52.76
during Christmas and the summer.
00:13:52.79\00:13:56.13
Get more details
00:13:56.16\00:13:57.50
on all of Maranatha's
volunteer opportunities
00:13:57.53\00:13:59.63
at maranatha.org.
00:13:59.67\00:14:01.20
These women spend 560
minutes a day fetching water.
00:14:15.38\00:14:20.09
Water is life.
00:14:23.39\00:14:26.43
But your life
shouldn't revolve around water.
00:14:26.46\00:14:29.16
We're raising
money for water wells.
00:14:34.77\00:14:38.27
Make a donation.
00:14:38.31\00:14:39.64
Give women the gift of time,
00:14:43.61\00:14:47.45
health, family.
00:14:47.48\00:14:53.25
Sponsor a well.
00:14:53.29\00:14:56.66
Give water, give life.
00:14:56.69\00:14:58.89
In September of 2017,
00:15:05.63\00:15:08.00
tragedy struck the Caribbean
00:15:08.04\00:15:09.67
as hurricane Maria
swept across the region.
00:15:09.70\00:15:14.48
Thousands were left
homeless and hopeless
00:15:14.51\00:15:17.21
including residents on
the island of Dominica.
00:15:17.25\00:15:21.72
In the days
following the disaster,
00:15:21.75\00:15:23.55
people were
longing for community,
00:15:23.59\00:15:25.69
a center to heal
00:15:25.72\00:15:27.06
from the effects
of the hurricane.
00:15:27.09\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\00:15:32.59
as the majority of the
churches were destroyed.
00:15:32.63\00:15:36.46
Today, thanks to
the generous support
00:15:36.50\00:15:38.53
of Maranatha
donors and volunteers,
00:15:38.57\00:15:40.67
one community of
faith has received new hope
00:15:40.70\00:15:43.20
through the
reconstruction of their church.
00:15:43.24\00:15:45.37
It was a
category five hurricane,
00:15:50.91\00:15:53.52
the highest category possible.
00:15:53.55\00:15:55.72
On September 18, 2017,
00:15:55.75\00:15:58.52
Hurricane Maria struck
the island of Dominica,
00:15:58.55\00:16:00.99
leaving catastrophic
devastation in her wake.
00:16:01.02\00:16:04.09
After battling
the storm overnight,
00:16:04.13\00:16:06.16
residents awoke
to a new reality.
00:16:06.19\00:16:09.03
A country known
for its natural beauty
00:16:09.06\00:16:11.73
was stripped of trees.
00:16:11.77\00:16:13.80
50,000 of its 73,000
residents were displaced
00:16:13.84\00:16:18.17
and an estimated 85 to 90%
of the structures on Dominica
00:16:18.21\00:16:23.11
were damaged or destroyed.
00:16:23.14\00:16:25.45
I walked down and
everywhere I am going,
00:16:25.48\00:16:27.08
it's just Wow.
00:16:27.12\00:16:31.69
We're not going to
come out from this.
00:16:31.72\00:16:33.66
That's what I felt.
00:16:33.69\00:16:35.66
Jeff Letang is a plumber
and lives with his family
00:16:35.69\00:16:38.49
in the northern
part of the island.
00:16:38.53\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\00:16:46.30
The same was not true
for their spiritual home.
00:16:46.33\00:16:50.14
When I woke up in the
morning, in anticipation,
00:16:50.17\00:16:53.88
I ran to the back door.
00:16:53.91\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\00:17:02.88
And I saw, when I
looked for the church,
00:17:02.92\00:17:05.25
all I saw was the
front part of the balcony,
00:17:05.29\00:17:09.09
and I went, whoa, I screamed out
00:17:09.12\00:17:11.69
and woke up my entire family,
"Maria, Marshchapel Church."
00:17:11.73\00:17:16.13
I just couldn't take it.
00:17:16.16\00:17:17.50
I had to, I just let it out,
00:17:17.53\00:17:20.64
and when the
other members came here,
00:17:20.67\00:17:22.50
and they saw what it was like,
00:17:22.54\00:17:24.67
nothing's there, the
church is merged in flood.
00:17:24.71\00:17:28.21
Jeff and his family
attend the Beryl Seventh-day
00:17:28.24\00:17:30.58
Adventist Church,
00:17:30.61\00:17:31.95
and he's been a
part of the congregation
00:17:31.98\00:17:33.31
all of his life.
00:17:33.35\00:17:34.68
His home sits across
the valley from the church.
00:17:34.72\00:17:37.62
He remembers when
Maranatha Volunteers
00:17:37.65\00:17:39.49
came and built
the church in 1989.
00:17:39.52\00:17:41.92
The beautiful structure
created a sense of pride
00:17:41.96\00:17:44.63
for their congregation.
00:17:44.66\00:17:46.29
But now, it was just a memory.
00:17:46.33\00:17:49.23
We couldn't believe it
00:17:49.26\00:17:50.60
because we really thought that
00:17:50.63\00:17:52.03
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\00:17:58.11
So it was really emotional
00:17:58.14\00:17:59.47
and we're
already asking ourselves,
00:17:59.51\00:18:02.08
where we are we going to
go? What are we going to do?
00:18:02.11\00:18:04.28
How we're going to
build that one building.
00:18:04.31\00:18:06.08
That's all, it
was heart wrenching.
00:18:06.11\00:18:10.39
The situation wasn't
unique to the Beryl members,
00:18:10.42\00:18:13.32
28 of the 34
Adventist churches on the island
00:18:13.36\00:18:16.66
were damaged or destroyed,
00:18:16.69\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\00:18:22.53
Although their church was gone,
00:18:22.56\00:18:24.07
members continue to meet
first in the pastor's home
00:18:24.10\00:18:27.24
and then with the
Pennville congregation,
00:18:27.27\00:18:29.30
a group planted
by the Beryl Church.
00:18:29.34\00:18:31.47
Worshipping
together was challenging,
00:18:31.51\00:18:33.24
but Jeff and others
saw it as a necessity,
00:18:33.27\00:18:36.08
especially in the days
following the hurricane.
00:18:36.11\00:18:38.71
God is important to me.
00:18:38.75\00:18:41.32
He's the source of my strength.
00:18:41.35\00:18:43.45
I have learned not to
depend on nobody else, but God.
00:18:43.49\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\00:18:52.96
I find strength
in the fellowship
00:18:52.99\00:18:54.46
with the other
men, we meet, we talk,
00:18:54.50\00:18:56.03
we express ourselves,
00:18:56.06\00:18:57.40
we tell
ourselves what's happening.
00:18:57.43\00:18:59.17
We encourage each other.
00:18:59.20\00:19:00.54
And without this church,
00:19:00.57\00:19:02.70
I don't think I have much
to help support me through.
00:19:02.74\00:19:07.08
For many, attending
church was a hardship.
00:19:07.11\00:19:09.91
The new location was
far from members homes
00:19:09.94\00:19:12.61
and not everyone
had transportation.
00:19:12.65\00:19:15.08
The congregation
began to raise funds
00:19:15.12\00:19:17.09
to help transport
members to church.
00:19:17.12\00:19:19.12
But attendance
was still sporadic.
00:19:19.15\00:19:22.46
Everyone attends,
but not regularly.
00:19:22.49\00:19:26.63
You have some people, you see
them this week, some next week,
00:19:26.66\00:19:28.96
sometimes two
weeks, you don't see any,
00:19:29.00\00:19:30.60
that first particular individual
00:19:30.63\00:19:31.97
and then you see them coming.
00:19:32.00\00:19:34.07
So I think it's certainly
disrupting church attendance.
00:19:34.10\00:19:38.61
Members were struggling
to rebuild their homes
00:19:38.64\00:19:40.71
and carve out new
lives amid the devastation.
00:19:40.74\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\00:19:47.82
Despite the grim situation,
Jeff refused to lose hope.
00:19:47.85\00:19:51.52
Our God is the God
of the impossibility.
00:19:51.55\00:19:53.25
I learned that
pretty much in the storm.
00:19:53.29\00:19:56.39
God has moved upon the
hearts of people elsewhere,
00:19:56.42\00:19:59.53
and they have really
blessed us with assistance,
00:19:59.56\00:20:03.57
for this we'll ever be grateful.
00:20:03.60\00:20:05.90
And it has taught
me to rely upon God.
00:20:05.93\00:20:08.17
So even if things
seems to be bleak,
00:20:08.20\00:20:10.37
and things are
not as it ought to be,
00:20:10.41\00:20:13.54
I'm not complaining.
00:20:13.58\00:20:15.54
Two months after the hurricane,
00:20:15.58\00:20:17.08
Seventh-day
Adventist Church leaders
00:20:17.11\00:20:18.85
reached out to Maranatha
00:20:18.88\00:20:20.28
for help rebuilding
structures in Dominica.
00:20:20.32\00:20:23.32
Maranatha
committed to reconstructing
00:20:23.35\00:20:25.02
a few church buildings.
00:20:25.05\00:20:26.39
First on the list was Beryl.
00:20:26.42\00:20:30.46
Construction on the new
church started in May of 2018,
00:20:30.49\00:20:33.96
and several volunteer
teams traveled to Dominica
00:20:34.00\00:20:36.67
to help erect the
structure and build the walls.
00:20:36.70\00:20:39.53
In the beginning of March 2019,
00:20:39.57\00:20:41.64
the building was
almost ready to dedicate,
00:20:41.67\00:20:44.31
but not without a
few finishing touches
00:20:44.34\00:20:46.51
from a special
set of volunteers.
00:20:46.54\00:20:48.71
Some of the funding
donated to construct the church
00:21:02.02\00:21:04.39
was given in honor of
John and Ida Mae Freeman,
00:21:04.43\00:21:07.20
who founded Maranatha in 1969.
00:21:07.23\00:21:10.00
The Caribbean had
special significance
00:21:10.03\00:21:12.03
for John and Ida Mae
00:21:12.07\00:21:13.44
who died in 2017,
and 2018, respectively.
00:21:13.47\00:21:17.87
The Beryl Church
seemed a fitting memorial
00:21:17.91\00:21:20.18
to the couple who
dedicated much of their lives
00:21:20.21\00:21:22.41
to spreading the gospel
through the construction
00:21:22.44\00:21:24.61
of urgently needed buildings.
00:21:24.65\00:21:27.02
Family members of the Freeman's
00:21:27.05\00:21:28.48
not only donated to the project,
00:21:28.52\00:21:30.29
but also traveled to
Dominica to finish the building
00:21:30.32\00:21:33.19
and dedicate the new sanctuary.
00:21:33.22\00:21:35.16
The group included four of
John and Ida Mae's daughters.
00:21:35.19\00:21:39.16
I've told my sisters,
this would be amazing.
00:21:39.19\00:21:42.56
Mom and dad
would wanna be so proud
00:21:42.60\00:21:44.27
that all of us girls were
here because through our lives,
00:21:44.30\00:21:47.77
we were busy living life,
00:21:47.80\00:21:49.14
and we weren't all as involved
00:21:49.17\00:21:50.94
as they would
have liked us to spend.
00:21:50.97\00:21:52.87
So having us all
here, helping them build it.
00:21:52.91\00:21:56.95
It's very emotional.
00:21:56.98\00:21:59.31
We were just so
pleased when we saw the church,
00:21:59.35\00:22:02.15
and we saw the architecture,
00:22:02.18\00:22:06.72
we saw the love, and
the time, and the interest
00:22:06.76\00:22:09.52
that was put into making
this just a beautiful sanctuary.
00:22:09.56\00:22:13.70
I think that this will
really be a congregation
00:22:13.73\00:22:17.10
that appreciates
what Maranatha has done,
00:22:17.13\00:22:20.47
and it's been a blessing for me
00:22:20.50\00:22:23.17
to just see that this has
grown over the last 50 years.
00:22:23.20\00:22:27.84
And you know,
when it first started,
00:22:27.88\00:22:30.61
we didn't know how
long this would go on.
00:22:30.65\00:22:32.85
It's just blossomed from there.
And it's very heart warming.
00:22:32.88\00:22:35.78
It's very meaningful to us,
00:22:35.82\00:22:37.35
as children to see
what a legacy that he left.
00:22:37.39\00:22:42.52
On March 9th, nearly 50 years
00:22:42.56\00:22:44.76
after the Freeman's
first Maranatha mission trip,
00:22:44.79\00:22:47.33
more than 300 people
packed into the church
00:22:47.36\00:22:49.86
for the dedication.
00:22:49.90\00:22:51.23
Church leaders and members
alike express their gratitude
00:22:51.27\00:22:54.20
for the gift of a new sanctuary.
00:22:54.24\00:22:56.37
The
reconstruction of this church
00:22:56.40\00:22:58.11
symbolizes a new start
for Adventist on the island
00:22:58.14\00:23:01.51
Having a church
rebuild is like the nation
00:23:01.54\00:23:05.58
is rebuilt also
00:23:05.61\00:23:08.12
and more for us,
00:23:08.15\00:23:12.39
it means that the Church of God
00:23:12.42\00:23:15.89
is taking the new step
00:23:15.92\00:23:18.96
to continue the mission
00:23:18.99\00:23:22.06
we have here in this island.
00:23:22.10\00:23:24.80
Witnessing a new building
rise from the devastation
00:23:24.83\00:23:27.77
is already making an
impact in the community.
00:23:27.80\00:23:31.14
There are lots of
persons who build in a church.
00:23:31.17\00:23:35.91
And they are friends
of the Adventist Church,
00:23:35.94\00:23:38.31
people we have
been speaking with
00:23:38.35\00:23:40.15
and just having a
new church erected.
00:23:40.18\00:23:44.52
It would be an
incentive for them
00:23:44.55\00:23:47.39
to come to see the church
00:23:47.42\00:23:49.89
and since it's
so well constructed,
00:23:49.92\00:23:52.33
it's so beautiful.
00:23:52.36\00:23:53.70
I think that in
itself can want people
00:23:53.73\00:23:55.50
just to make the
church ideal church.
00:23:55.53\00:23:58.37
So I think that's
an incentive in that.
00:23:58.40\00:24:00.14
It will motivate people to want
to be part of the fellowship
00:24:00.17\00:24:05.34
and membership here.
00:24:05.37\00:24:07.04
Church being so
special would add to that.
00:24:07.08\00:24:10.95
The completion of this church
represents an impossible dream
00:24:10.98\00:24:14.75
and a complete answer to prayer.
00:24:14.78\00:24:18.12
I just can't
express my gratitude.
00:24:18.15\00:24:21.46
I will be eternally
grateful to Maranatha
00:24:21.49\00:24:24.43
and I know, the Beryl Church
00:24:24.46\00:24:25.83
will always be
remembering Maranatha
00:24:25.86\00:24:29.66
for that wonderful
and spectacular gift.
00:24:29.70\00:24:33.27
I think I have not seen
all those that you have built.
00:24:33.30\00:24:35.44
I think it's one of the best.
00:24:35.47\00:24:36.94
And we are thankful
that you looked at us
00:24:36.97\00:24:39.81
and found us worthy of receiving
00:24:39.84\00:24:42.44
such a wonderful
gift from you all.
00:24:42.48\00:24:44.55
The Beryl Church is
just one of the congregations
00:24:52.82\00:24:55.46
Maranatha is
helping in Dominica.
00:24:55.49\00:24:58.49
Currently, we're constructing
a new community center
00:24:58.53\00:25:01.03
for the Wesley congregation,
00:25:01.06\00:25:02.53
enabling them to continue
00:25:02.56\00:25:03.90
their previously
active outreach activities.
00:25:03.93\00:25:08.14
We're also building structures
for several other congregations
00:25:08.17\00:25:11.07
who no longer have a
proper place to worship.
00:25:11.11\00:25:14.08
You can help with
the reconstruction effort
00:25:14.11\00:25:16.11
by making a donation.
00:25:16.14\00:25:18.38
Your generous support
00:25:18.41\00:25:19.75
is what makes restoration
possible in Dominica.
00:25:19.78\00:25:22.95
Make a gift at maranatha.org
00:25:22.98\00:25:25.15
or call the
number on your screen.
00:25:25.19\00:25:26.99
This summer, we need
volunteers to help us
00:25:39.13\00:25:41.80
on a school project in
Kenya from June 12 to 27.
00:25:41.84\00:25:45.54
We're building new classrooms
at the Kiutine Adventist School
00:25:45.57\00:25:48.88
located about seven
hours north of Nairobi.
00:25:48.91\00:25:51.65
This high school was
00:25:51.68\00:25:53.01
in desperate
need of new facilities
00:25:53.05\00:25:54.45
and Maranatha has
been working on campus
00:25:54.48\00:25:56.38
for more than a year
00:25:56.42\00:25:57.95
to provide new classrooms,
dormitories, and bathrooms.
00:25:57.99\00:26:01.82
This mission trip
will include an opportunity
00:26:01.86\00:26:03.86
to go to the Masai
Mara for a safari adventure.
00:26:03.89\00:26:07.10
You won't want to miss out
00:26:07.13\00:26:08.46
on this
extraordinary experience.
00:26:08.50\00:26:10.67
For those looking
for service opportunities
00:26:10.70\00:26:12.57
in the United States,
00:26:12.60\00:26:13.94
we have an
upcoming project in Idaho.
00:26:13.97\00:26:16.04
Lake City Academy is
in need of more classrooms
00:26:16.07\00:26:18.61
as their current
campus is too small
00:26:18.64\00:26:20.58
for their growing enrolment.
00:26:20.61\00:26:22.01
From July 29 to August 20,
00:26:22.04\00:26:24.21
join us in building
new facilities for them.
00:26:24.25\00:26:26.98
Everyone is
welcome to come help.
00:26:27.02\00:26:29.28
As with all
North America projects,
00:26:29.32\00:26:31.22
food and lodging is
free with your service.
00:26:31.25\00:26:33.39
Just be sure to register first,
sign up for these opportunities
00:26:33.42\00:26:36.99
and more on our website.
00:26:37.03\00:26:38.73
Over the last 50 years,
00:26:42.46\00:26:44.03
Maranatha has grown from a group
00:26:44.07\00:26:45.63
of mission minded
family and friends
00:26:45.67\00:26:47.74
to a movement that mobilizes
more than 2200 volunteers
00:26:47.77\00:26:51.94
in numerous countries each year.
00:26:51.97\00:26:54.28
In five decades, God
has blessed our work,
00:26:58.35\00:27:01.45
allowing us to
respond to more urgent needs
00:27:01.48\00:27:03.95
around the world.
00:27:03.99\00:27:08.29
We respond through the
construction of churches,
00:27:08.32\00:27:10.89
moving
congregations out of sheds
00:27:10.93\00:27:12.99
and into beautiful sanctuaries.
00:27:13.03\00:27:14.96
We respond through the
construction of schools,
00:27:19.17\00:27:22.80
expanding
opportunities for children
00:27:22.84\00:27:24.71
to learn about their world
and the God who created it.
00:27:24.74\00:27:30.15
We respond through
the drilling of wells,
00:27:30.18\00:27:32.31
bringing life sustaining
water to those who lack it.
00:27:32.35\00:27:35.28
We respond through service,
00:27:41.59\00:27:43.96
providing opportunities
for people to share Jesus
00:27:43.99\00:27:46.80
or maybe find
Him for themselves.
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The scale may have changed
00:27:52.80\00:27:54.44
but the mission
remains the same,
00:27:54.47\00:27:56.71
to transform lives.
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