Participants:
Series Code: MMS
Program Code: MMS009111A
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00:01 Hi, I'm Hilary Macias with the Maranatha Minute.
00:03 In Côte d'Ivoire, also known as Ivory Coast, 00:05 Maranatha is preparing to launch a new effort 00:08 for churches, schools and water wells in the country. 00:10 The projects will take place in and around the city of Abidjan. 00:14 Maranatha's staff has already started 00:15 the work of surveying potential church sites. 00:18 Maranatha is also planning to build schools in the city, 00:21 as there's only one Seventh-day Adventist school in Abidjan. 00:24 The existing school 00:25 called Marcory Adventist College 00:27 serves nearly 900 secondary students. 00:30 The majority are not part of the Adventist Church, 00:32 and the school has been an effective way 00:34 to share the Adventist message. 00:37 There are nearly 9,000 Seventh-day Adventists 00:39 in Côte d'Ivoire. 00:40 Local leadership is confident 00:41 that the construction of new churches and schools 00:44 will serve as a catalyst 00:45 for major membership growth in the country. 00:47 Learn more about Maranatha's plans 00:49 for Côte d'Ivoire. 00:50 Mission Maranatha our 2019 convention 00:53 September 20 to 21, 00:54 with a special 50th anniversary dinner 00:57 on September 19. 00:58 Check out our website. 01:27 Tens of thousands of volunteers mobilized. 01:32 Eleven thousand structures built. 01:36 Nearly 90 countries impacted. 01:41 These numbers represent the breadth of Maranatha's work 01:44 over the last 50 years. 01:57 Maranatha has grown to become a leading resource 01:59 for Adventist Church leaders around the world, 02:02 needing help building 10, 100 or even 1,000 churches, 02:06 schools, or water wells. 02:12 While such a broad scope of projects 02:14 is not unusual for Maranatha's work today. 02:17 Fifty years ago, 02:19 the numbers would have been daunting 02:20 to the fledgling group of lay people 02:22 who are embarking on a relatively new concept 02:25 of short term mission trips with Maranatha. 02:31 In today's episode, we'll learn about a watershed moment 02:34 in the organization's history, 02:35 where we were challenged to take a leap of faith 02:38 that would make a difference for eternity. 02:58 As the 21st century approached, 03:00 incredible change was taking place 03:02 in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 03:07 The seeds of faith that had been sown 03:08 by missionaries 03:10 during the previous decades were sprouting and multiplying. 03:13 The Adventist faith community was growing faster 03:16 than churches could be built. 03:19 Maranatha Flights International 03:21 known for its short-term mission projects 03:24 to build churches and schools was changing too. 03:28 After 12 years of steady growth and increasing activity, 03:31 founder John Freeman still working full-time 03:34 in his photography business 03:36 encouraged Maranatha's board to hire a staff. 03:40 The search began 03:42 and John called a young professional 03:44 working in Denver, Colorado, 03:46 who also happened to be a former Air Force pilot. 03:50 He said, "We've received your resume 03:51 and we want to interview you." 03:53 I said, 03:55 "Okay, well, that's interesting. 03:57 I live in Denver, Colorado, so you know, I'm available." 04:01 He said, "No, I would like you to come to Michigan. 04:04 That's where our headquarters is, 04:05 so if you could come to Michigan." 04:08 I said, "Well, I can work 04:09 with the president of my company 04:11 and try to get some time off. 04:12 You just send me a ticket." 04:14 He says, "Oh, no." 04:16 He said, "We're a volunteer organization, 04:18 you'll need to pay your way." 04:20 Well, I wasn't familiar with this approach to life 04:24 at that point. 04:25 So I said, "Well, 04:27 I don't ever go to Michigan 04:29 at this particular point in time." 04:32 I said, but I tell you what? 04:34 I says, "If I ever 04:37 have opportunity to be in Michigan, 04:38 I'll give you a call. 04:40 Thank you very much." 04:41 End of conversation. 04:44 Well, now here's the interesting thing 04:47 from my view. 04:49 I went to my office that day, 04:52 and the president of the company 04:53 called me in and says, 04:54 "I need you to go to Michigan." 04:57 No, that had never happened. 04:59 And that's when I started to think, 05:01 okay, what's going on here? 05:03 Don Noble was one of several candidates 05:05 who interviewed and the job was offered to him. 05:08 Don has to meet with the board 05:10 so he could be certain he fully understood Maranatha 05:13 and whether this was God's calling. 05:15 A couple of the board members took me aside and said, 05:18 "If I was a young man like you," 05:20 because at that time I was a young man. 05:23 "If I was a young man like you, 05:25 then I wanted to make a difference 05:27 in the world." 05:29 He said, "We can tell you that this is a place 05:31 that you could be used by God 05:33 to make a difference in the world," 05:35 and I like that. 05:38 Calvin Krueger was one of those board members. 05:41 He has been volunteering with Maranatha 05:43 for more than 40 of its 50 years 05:45 and serving on the board for just as long. 05:48 Something happened there. 05:50 There's a compulsion there 05:53 and that's why Maranatha is where it is, 05:56 with the help of the Holy Spirit. 05:59 Don Noble became 06:01 the president of Maranatha Flights International 06:03 in 1983. 06:05 Those that hire Don 06:06 told him his job description was essentially this, 06:10 make Maranatha fly and he did. 06:14 It wasn't long before Don moved to the Maranatha office 06:16 from John Freeman's basement 06:18 onto the main street in Berrien Springs, Michigan. 06:22 Another change was happening. 06:24 More often, the projects were further away 06:26 from the United States, 06:28 requiring volunteers to use commercial airliners. 06:31 And too often, the name Maranatha Flights International 06:35 caused people to mistake it for a travel agency. 06:39 A very interesting thing started to happen. 06:41 We started doing some projects with an organization 06:43 called Volunteers International. 06:46 That was started by a gentleman 06:49 who became a friend of mine, still is, 06:51 Robert Bainum, 06:52 and we did quite a few projects together 06:55 until finally we came to the point we said, 06:57 "Why don't we just merge operations." 07:01 We're each paying for different expenses 07:03 that are getting doubled up, so let's just combine them. 07:06 In 1989, Maranatha Flights International 07:10 and Volunteers International 07:12 became Maranatha Volunteers International. 07:16 One of the best compliments 07:17 I think I've ever had from Maranatha 07:20 was it they call me a founder 07:22 because I gave part 07:24 of my Volunteers International name, 07:30 which I really wanted. 07:32 And, so I've been flattered really. 07:37 Even before the organizations merged, 07:39 Robert Bainum volunteered regularly with Maranatha. 07:43 He was also a board member. 07:46 He would travel with Don 07:47 from time to time to evaluate projects. 07:50 In 1991, 07:52 Don and Robert traveled to the Dominican Republic, 07:54 at the invitation of church letters 07:57 would come to trust Maranatha. 07:59 The visit would be a game changer 08:01 for the 23 year old organization. 08:05 They went through the needs, 08:09 for about two hours 08:10 they showed the slides 08:12 of congregations meeting in shacks, 08:16 under trees. 08:18 There was a great need, 08:20 and convinced me 08:22 they needed churches really badly. 08:25 And they said, you know, 08:26 we need 25, 30 projects. 08:30 And, you know, you hear these numbers, 08:32 that's, those are big numbers, right? 08:36 And so we looked at a few of them 08:39 and we went back to the airport. 08:42 We go to the airport, and Robert turned to me, 08:45 he says, "So, Don, what are you gonna do?" 08:50 And I says, "What do you mean, what am I gonna do?" 08:53 Well, how many churches you're gonna build? 08:59 And Don says... 09:02 Well, they asked for, say 25 projects. 09:05 And I said, "Well, you know, 09:07 we'll probably do what we usually do." 09:09 You know, we do a few projects in one place, 09:11 and a few projects in another place... 09:12 And then we, next year, 09:14 we'll build them a church or two. 09:15 And I shoot, 09:19 "Hey, you didn't listen to what they said." 09:21 And he says, 09:22 "You're not listening to them, 09:25 you're not listening." 09:26 He says, "They asked for 25 and they need 25. 09:30 Why don't you do all 25? Why don't you do more? 09:32 What's stopping you from doing them all?" 09:35 Wow. 09:36 I wasn't thinking that big. 09:38 I wasn't thinking it was possible. 09:41 But ding, ding, ding, 09:43 the thought came to me, 09:45 maybe that's what we're supposed to do. 09:47 Don brought the idea to the staff. 09:50 Now six people who caught the vision 09:53 and then he brought it to the board who agreed. 09:56 It was time to take a leap of faith 09:59 and Santo Domingo 92 was launched. 10:02 We did not know what we voted. 10:05 We had no idea 10:07 what it meant to do something like that. 10:08 It was more complicated and difficult than we realized. 10:11 We thought, "Oh, how bad, how tough can this be?" 10:14 We've done these projects before 10:16 but when you bring 1,200 volunteers, 10:19 and you run this thing for 10 weeks, 10:23 and you're doing 25 churches 10:26 scattered all over a large area, 10:28 the logistics start getting away from you 10:30 real quick. 10:32 He had to stretch himself, 10:34 and you stretch the organization. 10:37 There were plenty of roadblocks along the way. 10:40 But the Goliath of Santo Domingo 92 10:43 was put into the hands of God 10:45 and the small David of Maranatha 10:48 with its tiny staff, 10:49 bullied by 1,200 volunteers prevailed. 10:54 Fast forward, at the end of that 10 weeks, 10:57 on the last Friday afternoon, 11:00 we finished the 25th church. 11:02 And the next day we dedicated the whole thing 11:05 and they had a big baptism. 11:07 And the General Conference president was there 11:08 and the Division president was there and they baptized. 11:10 I don't know a few thousand people 11:12 and they had 15,000, 20,000 people in a big stadium 11:14 and I'm suddenly going, wow, 11:17 what just happened here? 11:19 What happened? 11:20 Well, quite a few things happened 11:22 for the Maranatha organization. 11:25 Everybody's looking at us differently. 11:27 The next week, 11:29 we get a request for 50 projects in Mexico. 11:32 Well, if they can do 25, 11:34 pretty sure they can do 50 over here. 11:36 So that's the numbers started changing. 11:39 The expectations started changing. 11:43 The volunteers started to trust us, 11:45 the relationship with the church 11:47 improved dramatically. 11:50 And what did it do for the church 11:51 in Dominican Republic? 11:53 Totally changed the way 11:54 they were viewed by their country, 11:57 by the press, 11:59 by the leadership of the government, 12:01 by the people, 12:02 and all of a sudden they started growing massively. 12:05 And I can't say it was all that project, 12:08 but I believe God used that project 12:12 at least in a major way toward that. 12:15 That was a whole new day for Maranatha, 12:18 to even dream that way 12:20 was not possible prior to that moment. 12:25 And from there, 12:27 it has just been a multiplier. 12:30 Maranatha discovered can do that and then it is... 12:36 Well, it's pretty well been vertical growth 12:40 for many years. 12:44 From a big view, those churches, 12:47 almost every one of them 12:49 spawned a number of other churches, 12:51 one of them was it 12:53 like 24 churches have come out of that one church. 12:57 And I can remember it was a church 12:58 that I almost said no. 13:00 Well, they took us to it. 13:01 And so I know and here's the thread 13:05 that runs through it all. 13:08 I'm fully and 100% confident 13:10 that God is guiding it 13:11 even when He doesn't sky ride it. 13:14 He doesn't send you an email or a text, 13:16 but He's guiding this thing 13:18 and even down to which church you build, 13:23 which school you construct, 13:27 which volunteers get together on a site, 13:29 He's in charge of all that. 13:31 And that's why it works 13:33 because we just aren't smart enough 13:35 to put all that stuff together. 13:37 But looking back at Santo Domingo 13:39 and seeing from 20 some years later, 13:44 the impact is huge. 13:46 There, it's had a big impact on the volunteers, 13:49 and it's changed the organization too. 13:55 Today, it is normal for Maranatha 13:57 to commit to 50, 100, or even 1,000 churches 14:01 in regions of the world 14:03 where the faith community is growing rapidly. 14:06 And it is the Ministry 14:07 of Maranatha Volunteers International 14:10 that Adventist leadership comes 14:11 to when it needs to improve church 14:14 and school infrastructure. 14:17 Please pray for Maranatha 14:19 as we continue to move forward in faith 14:22 anticipating Jesus' soon return. 14:27 I believe that Maranatha has provided more than schools 14:33 and more than churches, 14:35 they provided 14:37 the development of thousands of individuals 14:42 that went on these projects 14:45 and that changed their life 14:47 and their witness for God 14:50 everywhere they went after that. 14:53 The best is yet to come. 15:00 Unbelievable growth, 15:02 that's the only way to describe 15:04 what has happened to Maranatha 15:05 since the Santo Domingo 92 project. 15:08 This movement is continuing to grow 15:10 and we need your help 15:12 to meet an increasing demand for churches, 15:14 schools and water wells. 15:17 Visit our website to make a financial contribution 15:20 or to see a list of all our upcoming projects. 15:24 When we come back, 15:25 we'll head to an aging school in India 15:28 and see how Maranatha 15:29 is breathing new life into their campus. 15:45 For more than a decade 15:47 Maranatha Mission Stories has taken you around the world, 15:50 showing you the need 15:51 and challenging you to get involved. 15:55 Now, we're introducing new ways for you to stay informed 15:58 and inspired about the mission. 16:01 Watch your favorite episode of Maranatha Mission Stories 16:04 as well as other Maranatha videos 16:06 on your Apple TV. 16:09 Visit the App Store, 16:10 search for the Maranatha channel and hit install. 16:16 You'll have access to all of our latest video content, 16:19 and you can watch anytime. 16:21 Our videos are available on demand 24 hours a day. 16:25 Our content can also be viewed on Roku and Amazon Fire TV. 16:31 The Maranatha Channel bringing mission adventures 16:34 to your living room. 16:42 For more than 20 years 16:44 Maranatha has been working in India, 16:46 constructing more than 1,700 churches 16:49 all over the country. 16:51 But beyond providing places of worship, 16:53 building schools is also a major part of our work. 17:03 For more than 80 years, 17:05 thousands of students have passed 17:06 through the campus of the Khunti Adventist School, 17:11 located in eastern India, 17:13 which started out as a thatched roof mud hut 17:15 has grown to an expansive 37 acre campus 17:18 with multiple buildings 17:20 and more than 1,300 students. 17:24 Yet Khunti isn't only for Adventist children. 17:28 The school draws students 17:29 from all religious and secular backgrounds. 17:32 Reaching people with the gospel in this part of India 17:35 is especially challenging. 17:38 The area includes 17:39 some of the most sacred sites of the Hindu faith, 17:42 including what is considered the holiest city, Varanasi. 17:48 An effective method of spreading the gospel 17:50 in this region 17:51 includes offering quality education 17:53 in Adventist schools. 17:55 The majority of students 17:57 who attend the Khunti School are not Adventist. 18:00 Parents send their children 18:01 because of the quality education they receive 18:04 and the moral values that are conveyed 18:06 in and out of the classroom. 18:10 Over the years, more and more families 18:12 were choosing Khunti for their children. 18:15 But as enrollment grew, 18:17 it became difficult for the school 18:18 to keep up with the demand. 18:20 To ease overcrowding, 18:21 the school converted old staff housing 18:24 into additional classrooms, 18:26 but the move scattered elementary students 18:28 all over campus. 18:30 What's more, 18:32 the infrastructure was showing its age. 18:36 When I used to enter this school, 18:37 I used to see all those old structures, 18:40 windows falling down, doors falling down, 18:43 walls crumbling down 18:45 and gave a very pathetic picture of the whole school. 18:50 And I could guess 18:52 how children must be feeling sitting in old, 18:56 means, all broken, floor broken, 18:59 roof falling and that kind of classroom, 19:01 so whether their morale is lifted up or brought down. 19:07 And that's why I felt that these buildings in this school 19:11 has to be removed 19:13 and new ones have to come in their places 19:16 but then resources are always limited. 19:20 They don't have proper place to sit 19:23 because during rainy season roof leaks, 19:26 so we have to push their desk this side, that side, 19:29 so they find very difficult. 19:31 During summer season roofs are very low. 19:35 It is tin roof so they feel very hot, 19:39 so they are uncomfortable. 19:42 The student population soon outgrew 19:45 all of the meeting places on campus. 19:48 They held assemblies in the cafeteria 19:50 but there wasn't enough space for everyone to sit, 19:52 forcing latecomers to stand in the back. 19:56 Students and staff began praying 19:58 that God would provide a solution 20:00 and they reached out to Maranatha for help. 20:03 After evaluating the needs, 20:05 Maranatha committed to building 20:06 a large Elementary Education Center 20:08 on the Khunti campus. 20:11 In April of 2018, 20:13 a small group of school staff, Maranatha staff, 20:16 and community leaders met to pray 20:18 and conduct a ceremonial ground breaking of the new building. 20:23 Work of the site began immediately. 20:26 The Christmas Family Project 20:27 was the first of several volunteer groups 20:29 to work on the large structure. 20:32 When they arrived on campus, 20:33 volunteers immediately recognized 20:35 the dire need for new classrooms. 20:39 Here learning environment right now 20:41 is not as good as it could be. 20:44 And I think that the fact that some Christians 20:48 and followers of Christ decided to come and do this for them, 20:50 shows how much Jesus actually loves them. 20:55 And I think that will make an amazing impact on them 20:57 and not just on this generation, 20:59 but on future generations to come. 21:01 In mere months, an empty plot on the campus 21:04 was transformed into a beautiful structure 21:07 and the building was ready to dedicate. 21:10 Adventist Church leaders from all over India, 21:12 as well as Maranatha leadership attended the opening ceremony. 21:17 Along with students and guests, 21:19 more than a 1,000 people gathered 21:21 for the ribbon cutting. 21:23 We are very much impressed 21:26 with the Maranatha building 21:28 that has been just today inaugurated. 21:31 And today, it was excited moment 21:35 that the students are so happy 21:37 to receive this building and we praise God. 21:41 And we have got 12 rooms 21:44 and its beautiful auditorium. 21:47 And we know that these students 21:52 who are eager 21:53 and they long to see this building. 21:56 They didn't have enough classrooms 22:00 and didn't have the auditorium 22:03 and it will be a history for the church 22:07 to have such a beautiful building 22:10 that has been given by Maranatha, 22:12 and we are happy of these volunteers 22:14 and the donors 22:15 who have given this beautiful building. 22:21 The new building has also gained the interest 22:23 of passersby 22:24 who were curious about the construction 22:25 of the large facility. 22:28 The community here, 22:29 they have been first wondering 22:31 as to what this building is, 22:33 but when they saw lately the sign it is written, 22:36 Sue Krueger Elementary Education Center. 22:40 They knew that this is something great. 22:42 And we told them that this is the elementary section 22:45 where your children are going to study here 22:48 and they were so excited and said 22:49 and they are going to send more of their... 22:51 And now this will be from the community 22:53 from far when they look at it. 22:55 There is an elementary education center in our school 22:58 and more students of the little ones 23:00 will be here with us. 23:04 The new structure contains 12 classrooms, 23:06 allowing elementary grades to be housed together. 23:10 In the center of the building is a large open area 23:13 that can accommodate assemblies and chapels. 23:15 On Sabbath, the space can be used for church. 23:20 With more space, the school will be able 23:22 to accept more children next year. 23:25 That's one of the only English speaking schools in the area. 23:28 Families are eager for their children 23:29 to attend Khunti 23:31 where they also learn about Jesus and the Bible. 23:34 Overall the goal for the students 23:37 is that they learn about Jesus. 23:41 We have been talking about to them in the class, 23:44 and in turn, few of them, you know, at the end, 23:48 as they rise up from one class to the another, 23:53 they will see the glory of God from the teachers coming out. 23:58 And the goal is to prepare them for the heavenly kingdom. 24:04 We are so much thankful for the Maranatha donors, 24:08 the volunteers, 24:10 those who have been coming 24:11 and visiting our campus and working, you know, 24:14 and they have a great impact on our children. 24:17 And we like to thank all the volunteers 24:20 those who came all the way 24:22 from different parts of the country 24:25 and to the world and to this place 24:27 to just to serve our school and the students of our school. 24:32 Thank you so much. 24:34 Thanks to the generous support of Maranatha donors 24:37 as well as the hard work of more than 100 volunteers, 24:40 students at the Khunti Adventist School 24:42 have beautiful new classrooms. 24:45 Maranatha needs your continued support 24:47 to provide more opportunities 24:49 for Christian education in India. 24:51 Consider making a gift 24:53 to help us build more schools in India. 24:55 To give, visit maranatha.org 24:58 or call the number on your screen. 25:11 From July 8 to 22, help Maranatha 25:13 with a major renovation project in Pennsylvania 25:16 at Pine Forge Academy. 25:18 The work will involve masonry, painting, 25:21 replacing awnings, and windows, and rebuilding a staircase. 25:24 Pine Forge Academy is a boarding school 25:26 for grades 9 through 12. 25:28 It was established in 1946 and sits on historical property 25:32 with connections to William Penn, 25:33 George Washington and the Underground Railroad. 25:37 Come help with this project located at a historical site. 25:41 If you're looking for adventure in Africa, 25:43 join Maranatha for a mission trip to Zambia 25:45 from October 24 to November 3. 25:48 Help us complete the new Kabwe Adventist School 25:51 by painting the newly constructed classrooms. 25:53 This new campus will serve 350 elementary students 25:57 with room for growth. 25:59 Afterwards, join us on an excursion 26:01 to the world famous Victoria Falls 26:03 and a safari. 26:04 Learn more about these mission trips 26:06 and others by visiting our website at maranatha.org. 26:20 The numbers may be bigger, 26:22 the impact may have increased but one thing remains constant. 26:27 God guides our work. 26:38 He guides us to every congregation 26:40 who has been praying for a new place of worship, 26:49 to every father hoping for their children 26:51 to have a better future, 26:56 to every mother looking for clean water for their family, 27:03 to every volunteer searching for transformation 27:06 through service. 27:28 This is our mission 27:32 and through Christ, 27:33 we will continue to think big for the kingdom. |
Revised 2019-06-28