Participants:
Series Code: MMS
Program Code: MMS009103A
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00:01 Hi.
00:02 I am Hilary Macias with the Maranatha Minute. 00:04 It's been four months since Maranatha completed 00:06 the Beryl Seventh-day Adventist church in Dominica. 00:08 And the congregation has been busy, 00:10 sharing the mission with their community 00:12 through home visitations and Bible studies. 00:15 As a result of much outrage, 00:17 they have already had 14 baptisms at the church. 00:20 The original Beryl Church was destroyed 00:23 during 2017's Hurricane Maria. 00:26 The Category 5 storm wiped out 00:28 most of the structures on the island, 00:30 including 28 of the 34 Adventist churches. 00:33 Beryl was among the places 00:34 that Maranatha helped to rebuild. 00:37 Maranatha is also constructing 00:38 a new community center in Wesley 00:40 and a new church for Bottega congregation. 00:43 All of this is only possible with your support. 00:46 As a non-profit organization, 00:48 we rely on your generosity 00:50 to respond to these types of needs. 00:53 Help fulfill the mission by making a donation. 00:56 Go to our website 00:57 or call the number on your screen. 01:23 Agony, agony, agony. 01:26 I agonized at my future. 01:28 For I knew no more than a potential mother, 01:31 merely at the age of nine. 01:33 I wondered what a future 01:35 it will be for me. 01:37 As I grew up, 01:38 I looked at my mom, 01:40 an example of the future 01:42 that awaited me, 01:43 merely at the age of nine. 01:46 She always toiled under the hot beating sun 01:48 and in the strong biting cold, 01:50 looking for the black little gold 01:52 just to earn money for the day. 01:54 Oh, what a painful future. 01:57 I looked at myself and wondered 01:59 what a potential mother I would make 02:01 merely at the age of nine. 02:03 No! I had to escape. 02:10 The journey took long. 02:15 I was walking on foot. 02:20 I started walking 02:23 at 12pm 02:26 after 9:00 at night. 02:30 The rain was flooding all over. 02:33 The rivers, I pass through, 02:37 they almost... 02:39 Some water is here, another one is here. 02:41 And at that time I was too short, 02:44 not the way I am now. 02:47 I met wild animal there, 02:52 but God is able. 02:55 They have not hurt me. 02:59 I have just passed through them. 03:02 This is Aliza Tianina. 03:05 When she was six years old, 03:06 Aliza ran away from home. 03:09 For her she says that it was good 03:11 that it was raining 03:12 because, you know, when it's raining, 03:14 everybody's asleep. 03:15 Nobody will think of going out, 03:17 nobody will think of someone can run out, you see. 03:21 But when she arrived, we saw a miracle 03:24 because imagining of someone 03:28 running in the cold, 03:30 passing through some rivers 03:32 and go to Karuah. 03:34 It's God that was I can say. 03:39 The decision to leave home risked Aliza's life 03:41 but as a Maasai girl in Kenya, 03:43 the consequences of staying home 03:45 would have been worse. 03:47 The Maasai culture 03:49 is one of the very old cultures 03:54 within the Kenyan society. 03:57 And for them, 03:59 what they value most 04:00 is their cows 04:03 and the boy child. 04:05 So the girl child is more or less like a property 04:09 to be disposed off as and when, 04:11 you know, they're ready for. 04:13 As Maasai, you have to take care of the cattle. 04:17 You have to give birth like a chicken, 04:21 you cannot count. 04:25 No, you cannot stay like the way you do. 04:28 You stay like your child must be created 04:31 to give birth to another. 04:34 Just give birth 04:36 until the end of your life. 04:38 And so these girls are married off 04:42 at very early age 04:44 in exchange of cows. 04:45 So by the time a girl is being taken off, 04:49 the cows have already been delivered 04:51 and that is something valued 04:53 both by their fathers 04:56 and even the mothers. 04:58 And before that is done, 04:59 they go through the FGM. 05:03 FGM or female genital mutilation 05:06 is a painful and dangerous ritual 05:08 Maasai girls must undergo 05:10 to be prepared for marriage. 05:12 It comes with the risk of infection, 05:14 urination problems, 05:15 severe bleeding and even death. 05:18 FGM is illegal in Kenya 05:19 but continues to be a common practice 05:21 among the Maasai 05:23 who usually live in remote areas. 05:25 In Maasai community 05:27 when a girl is born, 05:29 she's just seen to be like a source of wealth, 05:32 a source of income for the family 05:35 because once you born as a girl, 05:37 by the time you grow up 05:38 at the age of seven, eight, 05:40 you go through FGM that tells you 05:43 that now you have become a woman, 05:46 you need to be responsible. 05:48 At that point, 05:50 they even start communicating to you, 05:52 "You're not supposed to be the same compound 05:54 with your mother, 05:56 you are now a grown-up person, 05:58 you need to go and start your family." 06:00 So as early as nine. 06:03 It is a traumatizing experience 06:06 because some of them 06:08 go through very difficult situations. 06:11 There are those who after FGM, 06:14 they are not given even time to heal 06:17 and because this fathers 06:20 are eager to get their wealth, 06:22 to get their animals, 06:23 and these other men, 06:27 they just want... 06:28 They don't care, they just want to have women. 06:49 With that imagination or that culture 06:53 and that believe in their community 06:55 that once you have born 06:57 against the will of your father, 06:59 you're cursed. 07:00 So they are those who still live 07:02 with that fear that, 07:04 "Okay, I'm here, but I know, 07:06 I've gotten myself curses." 07:11 After some time, 07:14 I heard that my granddad 07:17 wanted to curse me 07:19 because of running away 07:23 and not to get married. 07:25 But I wasn't even thinking 07:29 about cursing. 07:31 I was just thinking about my education. 07:34 Also, my dad did the same. 07:36 He told her that he want to get life, 07:41 come back, and go 07:43 to your husband's home, 07:45 or unless I'll curse you. 07:48 Most of the time you find that 07:50 automatically the relationship is broken 07:53 because if it is well-known 07:57 that you need to obey your father, 07:59 you need to obey your mother, 08:01 the moment you have gone against their will 08:03 that you are to get married to this man 08:07 and you want to get this number of cows 08:09 to get the family moving 08:11 and you went against that, 08:12 of course, you become like an enemy 08:15 to this community and to the family. 08:19 When my dad first heard that I have ran away, 08:23 he just wanted to kill my mom. 08:26 Same to my uncle, 08:28 first it was my uncle that beat mom 08:30 because he's telling her that she's the one 08:33 who have showed me the way to go. 08:36 My mom was not aware. 08:38 Nobody knew that I could run away 08:40 because I was obedient. 08:43 I was not showing them that I want to go. 08:46 No, I was just quiet... 08:50 My dad hit her because of me, 08:53 and my mom was not aware of that 08:56 I can run away. 09:00 So many people wanted me to die at that age, 09:03 but I trusted in God. 09:06 And I know God is everything. 09:08 Aliza is now 15 years old 09:11 and has lived at the Kajiado Adventist School 09:13 and Rescue Center for the past nine years 09:15 as she receives a Christian education. 09:17 It is her home now along with 160 other girls 09:20 and 45 boys who helped the girls 09:23 develop healthy relationships with males. 09:26 Girls must sleep two to a mattress 09:28 because there isn't enough space. 09:30 The toilets are holes in the ground 09:32 and students must bath in outdoor stalls 09:35 with a bucket. 09:36 The conditions aren't ideal but for many of these girls, 09:39 they cannot return home. 09:41 The decision to run away from FGM and child marriage 09:44 means they are not welcome in their village anymore. 09:47 The first time I went 09:49 I had stayed here like five years 09:52 without seeing my brothers, 09:53 without seeing anybody, no home. 09:57 And I have to go there... 10:06 And everybody was happy 10:10 to see me. 10:11 Everybody was proud of me. 10:16 But it was dad that, 10:20 my dad just came out of the house. 10:24 And that's it. 10:26 And he wanted to beat me 10:28 while I'm holding my little brother. 10:37 But everybody was crying, 10:40 "Please don't beat her, 10:42 let her stay with us, 10:43 we have missed her a lot." 10:49 For most of the girls at the Kajiado Adventist School 10:51 and Rescue Center, the connection 10:53 to their childhood home has disappeared. 10:57 They must learn to live without their family. 10:59 The Kajiado center becomes the girl's new home 11:01 and Principal Sarah Daniel becomes a mother figure. 11:06 Sarah is just amazing. 11:07 I mean, when you meet her, you interact with her, 11:10 you know that here is a lady 11:11 who's passionate of what she's doing. 11:13 She actually cares for the girls. 11:15 She is, you know, hardworking. 11:17 She's always on the go, 11:18 you know, she cares for the girls 11:20 because you can see the girls actually love her a lot. 11:23 It is not artificial. 11:24 It's not something because volunteers are here 11:26 or I'm there or somebody from the conferences has come 11:27 that she does this. 11:29 She actually does this day in and day out. 11:30 And she's very charismatic, you know? 11:32 She is full of energy and she wants a better life 11:35 for these girls, you know? 11:36 And when we go... 11:37 As you see her she actually goes out 11:39 and sees it there are girls that have been married off 11:41 or, you know, are going through FGM, 11:43 and she actually goes there and rescues them 11:44 and brings them back. 11:45 You can see her heart really feels for these girls. 11:47 She was like a mom to us, you know, 11:50 when we go Kajiado, that's home 11:53 and people there are our sisters, our brothers, 11:56 and our moms, and our dads. 11:58 So Madam Sarah was just a cool mother. 12:01 Though the Kajiado students become family, 12:03 Sarah knows that deep down 12:05 children still want to be accepted by their birth family. 12:08 From time to time, she attempts to facilitate 12:10 reconciliation for certain girls 12:12 if the family is agreeable. 12:15 And let me tell you for these girls, 12:18 when they get that opportunity 12:20 to see that to their father 12:22 can even just tuck their heads 12:25 because that is their sign of greetings, 12:28 you could not imagine the happiness they do have. 12:31 Even if someone who will feel, "I'm not still safe to be here 12:35 but at least my father has shown me that 12:39 I can still continue to be called his daughter." 12:44 When we come back, Aliza returns to the village 12:47 she once ran away from. 13:10 Anyone can build a church. 13:12 Simply give just $10 each month and your donation 13:16 along with thousands of others 13:17 will find a new place of worship every month. 13:22 The potential for change is all around you. 13:25 All you have to do is look. 13:40 Aliza's first visit back to her village did not go well. 13:44 Since then, Aliza has tried to keep the relationship 13:46 with her father alive by visiting again. 13:49 As her father observes the knowledge 13:50 she is gaining in school, 13:52 he realizes the value of her education. 13:55 A recent visit showed that her father has experienced 13:57 a complete change of heart 13:59 and he's proud of Aliza. 14:40 While filming in Aliza's old village, 14:42 the Maranatha Mission Stories crew received word 14:44 that a young girl, a cousin of Aliza 14:46 had been brought to this village 14:48 to undergo FGM. 14:50 She was crying and distraught. 14:53 While we were there, 14:55 Sarah came to know about this child that was... 14:57 She's only nine years old, 14:58 I think, and she was sent to her grandmother's house 15:01 for FGM 15:02 and Sarah was asking around that, 15:05 "Why are you not in school? 15:06 Why are you not in school?" 15:08 And I learned she cannot communicate. 15:10 So I thought she has never gone to school. 15:13 So after I followed up, I've realized, 15:15 booking has already been done. 15:17 So she was waiting for FGM 15:19 so that she can get married of. 15:22 This girl is here for FGM 15:24 and she's already been given off for marriage 15:26 and then, you know, Sarah just, bang, went in and said, 15:29 "I'm taking this girl back with me." 15:31 But when I talked, she told me, yes, 15:33 she's willing to go to school 15:35 but nobody is ready to take her to school. 15:38 Yeah. 15:39 So I've told I would go with her. 15:43 So it's good we came on a school day, 15:45 we're able to identify. 15:48 After consulting with Aliza's father, 15:50 the village elder, it was agreed that Sarah 15:52 would take the girl named Malaton 15:54 back to the Kajaido center. 15:56 Aliza's father also asked that they take his young son, 15:59 Aliza's brother, as they couldn't afford 16:01 to send him to school. 16:03 Though the center's capacity to take more children 16:05 is stretched to its limits, 16:07 Sarah agreed to take the boy named Edgar. 16:10 The village sent the children off 16:11 with a song and the two begin a journey into a new life. 16:20 I was so, so, so happy. 16:22 So happy. 16:24 In fact, that time I saw them 16:27 coming to get inside 16:29 that car going to education, 16:30 I felt tears of, just like water. 16:35 I was even just like that, just really crying. 16:41 The crew drove back to Kajaido with Aliza's brother Edgar 16:44 and cousin Malaton, family, 16:46 she never expected to live with again. 16:48 The children began the school's intake process 16:51 and transitioning to life at the Kajiado Center. 16:55 The first thing that we need to do with this girl comes in 16:58 when you go to wash, 17:00 you need some clothes to change. 17:03 Maybe there is a girl who has two or three dresses 17:06 that you can borrow, 17:07 but you can't borrow the inner wears. 17:09 So all the time, I have to make sure that 17:11 I should be able to get like the inner clothes 17:14 for this girl to be able to put on. 17:17 Then at that time, 17:18 there's also other essentials 17:20 like soap, a basin... 17:23 And sometimes they come 17:24 when we are not able to do that. 17:25 But we have to even 17:27 if I have to go out and borrow 17:28 because this person is just looking at me 17:30 as the hope at that point. 17:36 We also take time, 17:38 visit the children office department 17:40 because they also need to get us some document 17:43 for us to file 17:45 and to ensure nobody can threaten us 17:47 of stealing their children 17:50 because the children office is also aware. 17:52 The other thing we now want to take them 17:54 for medical checkup, 17:56 which is also a bit expensive. 17:59 When we got to the hospital, they would not say, 18:00 "Oh, this one is a rescue. 18:02 It's free." 18:04 We have to pay 18:05 what the other people are paying. 18:08 Some of them because they have never gone to school, 18:12 they are not even able to communicate 18:14 in another language apart 18:15 from their local language. 18:17 And that is why we normally need 18:19 that like we have some women who are volunteers 18:22 who also come in and even our other guys 18:25 who have gone through this, 18:27 they're also able to help us understand. 18:29 Personally, I do speak the simple ones. 18:33 We can communicate in a simple way, 18:36 but let me say that these children are genius, 18:39 for me, that's what I can call them. 18:41 Because you'll realize once they interact 18:44 with the rest even within a month or two, 18:46 they can speak simple words. 18:49 They can communicate with others. 18:52 Malaton and Edgar went through the school's intake process 18:56 seeing places and things 18:57 they had never experienced before. 18:59 That even they were unpacking new belongings 19:02 into a new home cramped though it is. 19:04 That morning, the girl's life was just normal, 19:07 you know, get up, milk the cows, clean the place, 19:10 just a day to day life that these girls having. 19:14 By afternoon, bang. 19:15 They had their life had been transformed. 19:17 It is complete U-turn 19:18 where they now have a better future, 19:20 they have shot at life. 19:21 And who knows, they could become lawyers 19:22 or doctors or engineers 19:24 and it is so heartening to see 19:25 that happening in front of your eyes, you know? 19:27 Here you are seeing them with torn clothes 19:29 and nose leaking and dirty, 19:31 and by evening they were so smartly dressed and so... 19:34 You could not recognize them. 19:35 And you could not recognize them 19:37 that these are the same kids that we rescued. 19:39 Though they experienced dramatic changes 19:41 in just a day's time, 19:42 Malaton and Edgar smiles show they are happy. 19:46 What is love? 19:48 He loves me. 19:50 As they settled into a new home, 19:51 Sarah was again confronted with the reality 19:54 that they had no room to house them 19:56 and beyond the cramped conditions 19:57 for current students, 19:59 this lack of space prevents the school 20:00 from proactively rescuing many more children. 20:03 I have cases of 46 girls 20:05 who wanted to come in, 20:07 but I don't have the space, honestly. 20:09 I just give promises 20:11 that just give me some more time. 20:14 But in case of any danger, please consult us, 20:17 let us know 20:19 but we don't have this place. 20:21 When we get back, hear the success stories 20:23 of three former students 20:25 and learn what Maranatha is doing 20:26 to help the Kajiado School's lack of space. 20:41 In less than two months, 20:43 Maranatha will have our annual Mission Maranatha weekend, 20:46 September 19 to 21 in Northern California. 20:50 In honor of our 50th anniversary, 20:52 we're offering three projects in the area 20:54 prior to the convention 20:56 and a special anniversary dinner on September 19. 20:59 First up, we need volunteers to help with tasks 21:02 at Pacific Union College from August 19 to September 6. 21:06 Come enjoy the beauty of the Napa Valley 21:09 while renovating Newton Hall, 21:10 PUC men's dormitory. 21:13 After PUC, you can head on over to a project 21:16 at Leoni Meadows Camp or Rio Lindo Academy. 21:19 From September 8 to 19, 21:21 you're invited to help with painting, 21:23 construction, landscaping, 21:24 and more at either of those locations. 21:27 All of these projects and the dinner are free of cost 21:31 with your registration. 21:32 Learn more about these opportunities 21:34 and others by going to our website 21:37 at maranatha.org. 21:45 Though the conditions at the Kajiado Adventist School 21:48 and Rescue Center are inadequate, 21:49 it is here that students receive a solid foundation 21:52 upon which to build a future. 21:54 Some girls learn a skill trade like tailoring, 21:58 others eventually pursue a college education. 22:02 Josephine Metian Raita earned a degree in education 22:05 and now teaches at a local primary school. 22:09 I spent my life there never going home. 22:12 All of primary, I finished. 22:14 Secondary I went without even single day going back home. 22:18 We've been given somewhere to sleep, 22:20 you have been given education and... 22:24 You have been given, nurtured spiritually 22:27 because we always had good times 22:29 during the Saturday, 22:31 we go to church, we worship, 22:32 and we learn a lot about 22:35 good things. 22:37 I had that passion long time ago 22:40 because I always admire 22:41 teachers when teaching in class 22:44 and nurturing those kids 22:45 because I always see that it's very, 22:49 I think it's the best profession 22:50 because you bring someone 22:53 from knowing nothing to be someone 22:56 very useful in the society. 22:58 So long ago when I'm in primary school, 23:01 I always admired to be a teacher at least 23:04 to make someone to be like me 23:06 and let someone know something that never knew. 23:09 Tracy Risncho is finishing her journalism degree 23:12 at a university in the capital city of Nairobi 23:15 and credits her experience at the Kajiado School 23:17 for setting her on a path to success. 23:20 I really studied hard because in my mind 23:23 I knew that coming from such a poor weird background, 23:27 and I really have to try my best 23:30 so that I can put myself in a better level tomorrow. 23:33 So I really tried, it really raised me up so well. 23:36 As I continued, I was a head girl, 23:39 an assistant head girl, and it really helped me, 23:41 the responsibilities helped me at least to grow, 23:43 know myself, 23:44 know how I should handle others, 23:46 know how I should talk to people, 23:47 know about how I can control my thoughts 23:50 when I am with other people, how I should talk to them. 23:52 Yeah, it's really helped. 23:55 Kajiado really helped me 23:56 because if it wasn't for Kajiado 23:57 maybe I wouldn't be here. 23:59 God is everything because God brought me 24:02 from the village to Kajiado to high school 24:05 I have not been a failing... 24:07 I've not been a failure. 24:09 I think I'm chosen. 24:12 And I'm the hope for my home 24:14 and the village and Kajiado, yes. 24:18 Because I believe when maybe I get money later, 24:21 I will still go back to Kajiado and help the girls there. 24:26 I know I'll be a successful person... 24:31 And really inspired like I really want to give back. 24:35 When I'm here in school, I think about that 24:37 and I struggled so much like I really tried to study hard 24:42 so that when I get at least a good job, 24:44 I can help the center. 24:45 Okay like the school is maybe 24:48 a bit congested that they know... 24:49 Okay, I've been this some other 24:50 these back I saw like, okay, kid... 24:55 So at least when you build a dormitory that is so nice. 24:59 They're not going to be congested 25:00 and it's so beautiful. 25:03 And then what happens is that 25:05 the girls who have graduated and gone to high school 25:07 or to college or university, they all come back 25:09 when there is a vacation, 25:11 you know, when there is a break, 25:12 they have no home. 25:13 Once these girls leave their homes, 25:15 they run away from their home or their rescue, 25:16 they have no place to go back. 25:18 So the home is Kajiado Girls Rescue Center. 25:20 And all of them come in 25:21 and that time it really, really gets crowded 25:23 because, you know, 25:24 you have the girls who are in high school, 25:25 you have the girls who are in college and university, 25:27 plus the kids who are there. 25:28 And at times, it's barely 25:30 you cannot even move in the dorm 25:31 without banging or bashing to somebody, 25:33 you know, because it's so crowded, 25:34 there's so many girls. 25:36 You'd normally always, 25:37 you know, touch somebody or hit somebody 25:39 because there's no space 25:40 and, you know, the bathrooms are, 25:42 I mean, bad. 25:44 I mean, there's no bathroom, 25:46 you know, there's no showers. 25:47 The showers are all broken down. 25:48 There's no shower, it's a bucket 25:50 with scoop and, you know, 25:51 the conditions are horrible, horrible for these girls. 25:53 In 2018, Maranatha agreed to provide the Kajiado School 25:57 with a number of new structures, 25:59 including two new girl's dorms with showers and toilets, 26:02 a boy's dorm, and an administrative office. 26:05 Funding is needed for these new buildings 26:07 that will not only improve living conditions 26:09 for current students, 26:11 but allow the center of the space 26:12 to rescue more girls. 26:15 We are so excited. 26:17 We really thank God. 26:20 It's a time that we can say 26:21 we have seen God 26:23 in our life and in our institution 26:26 because the work they are doing in our center 26:29 honestly, 26:31 it touches so many lives. 26:34 You know, no kid should go to this, 26:36 you know, no child should go through this 26:38 and here is an opportunity as a volunteer 26:39 you come and help build these dorms, 26:41 these classrooms, these offices, 26:43 to interact with them, get to know them, 26:45 guide them, help them as donors. 26:47 I mean, you know, if you build these dorms, 26:50 these classrooms, 26:51 whatever is needed on the campus, 26:53 it will definitely change their lives. 26:55 Maranatha is beginning the work of providing 26:57 the Kajiado Adventist School and Rescue Center 27:00 with adequate facilities, but we need your help. 27:03 Funding is needed for these new buildings 27:05 that will not only improve living conditions 27:07 for current students, 27:08 but allow the center of the space 27:10 to rescue more girls. 27:12 With your help, the Kajiado Adventist School 27:14 and Rescue Center can be a safe haven 27:17 for even more children. 27:18 Give a gift to support 27:20 Maranatha's work on this campus. 27:22 Your support will provide these children 27:24 with the opportunity for a bright future. 27:27 I now feel myself as a potential doctor 27:30 to improve the health conditions 27:31 of my people. 27:32 A potential lawyer, to advocate for the girl child's education. 27:37 Give us an opportunity. 27:40 Take charge, work diligently. 27:42 Make a change for a better future. 27:44 Make a change for a better future. 27:45 Make a change for a better future. |
Revised 2019-07-22