Participants:
Series Code: MMS
Program Code: MMS010011A
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00:01 Hi, I'm Hilary Macias with the Maranatha Minute.
00:03 Recently, the Maranatha Team in India 00:05 completed two water wells in India. 00:08 One in the village of Guavar and another in Beltoli. 00:11 These projects are part of a water program in India 00:14 that Maranatha launched last fall. 00:16 Maranatha is providing wells in villages 00:19 where we have constructed a church or school. 00:21 This year, the goal is to construct at least 30 wells. 00:25 There are an estimated 99 million people in India 00:28 without access to clean water 00:30 and according to the World Bank, 00:32 an estimated 21% of communicable diseases in India 00:36 are linked to contaminated water and the lack of hygiene. 00:39 India is just one of the countries 00:41 where Maranatha is running a water program. 00:44 There are also water programs in Zambia, Kenya and Brazil. 00:48 You can sponsor a water well in India for 10,000 dollars. 00:52 To learn more about how you can help, 00:54 call Maranatha or check out our webpage 00:57 at Maranatha. org. 00:58 Music... 01:18 Maranatha's history is full of extraordinary moments of faith 01:24 that illustrate God's leading in the mission. 01:27 He has been faithful every step of the way 01:31 even through what appeared to be the most impossible requests. 01:35 Today's story looks at two places 01:37 that stretched Maranatha in many ways as an Organization... 01:41 physically, mentally and spiritually. 01:44 The first location is in the Caribbean 01:47 on an island that was closed to the world 01:50 but surprisingly open to the gospel message. 01:53 Music... 02:01 The year is 1993... 02:02 Maranatha is energized by the success of a large project 02:06 called: Santa Domingo '92 02:08 and has just finished construction of 50 new churches 02:12 and three schools in Guatemala. 02:13 The Leaders of the project gathered at their hotel 02:17 around a pizza to evaluate next steps. 02:20 There's a guy named Tem Suarez there 02:23 and Tim, of course, was a Cuban-American, 02:26 he was on our Board of Directors 02:27 and he constantly was bringing up, "Cuba this... Cuba that... " 02:30 and everybody was going, "Yeah, that's Tim, he's Cuban. " 02:32 So, this night it got a little bit more traction 02:35 and Don Folkenberg was there and Bob Paulsen 02:41 we were sitting around just... "Okay, we finished Guatemala, 02:44 what... where's the next big push? 02:47 What's exciting? 02:48 what can we do to change some place for God? 02:51 I mean, I sure knew what it was... 02:53 and, of course, Tem... "I know where we can go 02:57 let's take a look at Cuba... " 02:59 and somebody says... I don't remember who it was, 03:02 and he says, "Well, you know, you can't go into Cuba... 03:04 that's... it's a closed country 03:05 like, a lot of these countries are closed... " 03:08 and giving credit completely where it is due here 03:11 God worked through a guy named Garwin McNeilus. 03:15 The main challenge was 03:17 to get our nerve to go in the first place. 03:20 Garwin was a "get-stuff-done" kind of guy 03:23 and Garwin says, "Have you tried... 03:26 has anybody really tried? 03:30 You say you can't do it, how do we know we can't do it? 03:33 We don't know if we can't do it, 03:36 I haven't been down there, have you been down there? 03:37 Tem says we can go, let's go. " 03:40 Many times you... you hear, 03:43 "We can't go into a country" 03:46 and really, we haven't tried 03:49 and we had talked about Cuba and the need in Cuba 03:54 and I said, "Let's go to Cuba... 03:56 you know, do it. " 03:59 So, Maranatha did. 04:03 So, we put together a team... there's five of us 04:05 and a couple of months later, 04:08 we made our first trip down to Cuba. 04:10 Music... 04:12 In 1994, when we first came over here 04:16 the church was very, very depressed 04:19 in front of our eyes, the buildings were falling apart 04:23 the ministers were real honestly... down in the dumps 04:27 in plain language 04:29 I remember the first meeting in particular, 04:32 we met with all the ministers 04:33 from one end of the island to another, 04:35 it was just like the Holy Spirit was over there... 04:39 was touching us. 04:40 More than 100 people crowded into that meeting room 04:44 at the Union Office in Havana. 04:46 In the room, there was a white board. 04:49 Based on the need that was expressed, 04:51 it was determined to move ahead with 100 new churches 04:55 and 100 renovated churches 04:57 as well as 100 evangelistic campaigns 05:01 and the production of literature, 05:03 to penetrate the areas surrounding those churches. 05:07 The entire project was called, "Christ for Cuba. " 05:11 Unlike similar projects in the Dominican Republic, 05:14 Mexico and Guatemala, 05:16 it would take several years to build and renovate 05:19 200 sanctuaries but the work progressed 05:22 and baptisms increased ten-fold. 05:25 Maranatha rebuilt the country's aging Seminary. 05:30 Students came from around the world 05:33 to take advantage of this post-graduate facility. 05:36 The Seminary was lacking a sanctuary, 05:40 again, Maranatha Volunteers International 05:43 took an empty space on the Seminary grounds 05:46 and transformed it into an inviting place of worship 05:48 and fellowship. 05:50 From the very first meeting Don Noble had with Mr. Fontaine 05:56 it was clear that one of the churches on the list 05:58 that was growing and needed to be expanded 06:01 was the Cárdenas Church. 06:02 The tiny church was filled to capacity every week 06:06 with many members forced to sit outside on the verandah. 06:09 Cárdenas located about a 100 miles east of Havana 06:14 is very near Varadero Beach... 06:17 a magnet of tourism on the Island. 06:19 The city's leadership was not friendly to Adventists 06:23 and created obstacles 06:25 making the construction of a new church there 06:27 next to impossible. 06:29 15 years into the process, 06:33 Don Noble visited the anxious church members. 06:36 I said, "Unfortunately, I have to tell you 06:38 that right now, we have neither permission nor the money 06:40 to build this church... " 06:43 and the reaction we got was 06:45 something I've never seen before... 06:47 I hope I don't see it again. 06:49 It was the entire church... 06:51 just started crying... wailing... some of them, 06:55 it was absolutely horrible. 06:57 Video. 07:11 The congregation was crushed. 07:13 Don was heavy hearted 07:15 Maranatha had been working on a solution for Cárdenas 07:18 for more than 15 years. 07:19 Could it... should it really be over? 07:23 Don turned to prayer, 07:25 so he says, "Well, you know, 07:27 I've seen God do some amazing things 07:29 on this island and in a lot of other places, 07:31 so, you still have prayer left and you got a mighty God 07:35 and I know that you believe in that God. 07:37 So, I think we should pray. 07:40 Video. 08:00 She went marching up the front very confident... 08:03 she turned around... she folded her hands... 08:06 I can still see her... she looked up... not down... 08:09 she looked up, she says, "Dear Jesus, 08:11 thank you for giving us a new church, amen. " 08:15 It was a pivotal moment in the Cárdenas story, 08:19 this was about more than building the church, 08:22 it was about faith. 08:24 And I'm sitting there going, 08:25 "Wow! I think God's going to answer that prayer 08:30 how is He going to say 'No?'" 08:32 Video. 09:04 In late 2015, 09:08 a small crew assembled in Cárdenas to break ground... 09:11 and tear down the old building... 09:13 after more than 30 years of prayer... 09:15 20 years of Permit applications 09:17 and an enduring test of faith, 09:19 Maranatha Volunteers International 09:22 received final permission to begin construction 09:25 on the new Cárdenas church. 09:27 Immediately construction began 09:29 and just as quickly, Maranatha created an opportunity 09:33 for volunteers to head to Cuba 09:35 for a two-week construction project. 09:38 Photo. 09:44 Local crews worked alongside the volunteers 09:46 and continued building 09:48 long after the volunteers returned home. 09:50 18 months later, after decades of prayer, 09:53 the Cárdenas Seventh-day Adventist Church 09:56 was transformed from this 09:57 to this. 09:59 Music... 10:04 Thousands of church members from all over the island 10:06 came to the dedication. 10:08 Video. 10:35 Today, in the morning, I was here and two guys came 10:40 and they were not Christians 10:42 and they came and they were watching the... the church 10:45 and they were talking about how beautiful... 10:48 how nice the church was 10:50 and for this City, this church is very important 10:55 because the Adventist Church in this city is very famous, 10:59 everybody knows it. 11:01 Video. 11:38 It is a sanctuary worthy of the God it represents. 11:42 The sanctuary can accommodate 500 people 11:45 and the Fellowship Hall upstairs connected by video and sound 11:48 another 250 people. 11:50 Video... 12:53 You know, this church is built clearly on the foundation... 12:58 the reality... the power of prayer 13:01 without question. 13:03 Clapping. 13:11 And frankly, the future is more important than the history. 13:14 The history is very valuable here... 13:16 they've learned a lot of lessons 13:18 but the future is what this church is about. 13:20 It's going to be a great lighthouse 13:22 in the... in the Cárdenas community. 13:24 Music... 13:30 Today, Maranatha Volunteers International 13:32 continues in prayer and faith 13:34 to answer the call from the church in Cuba. 13:37 Music... 13:38 From our beginnings there in 1994 till now, 13:42 the Adventist Church in Cuba 13:45 remains close to the heart of Maranatha. 13:47 Christ for Cuba... then... now... and tomorrow. 13:54 Music... 14:07 Coming up next, 14:09 we head to a country of more than a billion people 14:12 and a billion reasons to keep sharing the mission. 14:16 Music... 14:27 More music... 14:30 For more than a decade, 14:32 Maranatha Mission stories has taken you around the world 14:35 showing you the need and challenging you to get involved. 14:38 Music... 14:40 Now, we're introducing new ways for you to stay informed 14:43 and inspired about the mission. 14:45 Watch your favorite episode of Maranatha Mission stories 14:50 as well as other Maranatha videos on your Apple TV. 14:53 Visit the APP store... search for the Maranatha Channel 14:57 and hit "Install. " 14:59 You'll have access to all of our latest video content 15:04 and you can watch any time. 15:06 Our videos are available on demand 24 hours a day. 15:10 Our content can also be viewed on ROKU and Amazon fireTV. 15:15 The Maranatha Channel bringing mission adventures 15:19 to your Living Room. 15:20 Music... 15:26 There are certain events in Maranatha's history 15:30 that help to catapult the Organization 15:32 to new levels of productivity, 15:34 events that pushed Maranatha to think bigger and aim higher. 15:40 Among those... is India, 15:41 a place where Maranatha has invested in the mission 15:44 to build people and communities. 15:46 Music... 15:52 The 1990s were a faith-building decade for Maranatha. 15:56 God led the Organization through a large-scale project 15:59 in the Dominican Republic 16:01 and miraculous construction on the island of Cuba 16:06 but when God leads, there are always new challenges, 16:11 this time, on the sub-continent of India. 16:14 Maranatha started in India 16:16 actually in the early middle '80s 16:19 at the campus north of Delhi called Roorkee 16:23 but it was a common goal to do a project... leave... 16:26 it wasn't the long continued involvement 16:30 that started probably a little more than 20 years ago now. 16:35 At the time, the Adventist Church was struggling. 16:38 Adventists represented a small percentage 16:41 of the general population 16:43 and the places they had to worship 16:45 didn't inspire others to join them. 16:47 Ron Watts, President of the Adventist Church in India 16:53 at that time, reached down to Maranatha 16:55 for help in growing their fledgling group. 16:57 I asked Ron at that time, 17:00 I said, "Ron, how many members do you have?" 17:01 He says, "Well, in the books we have about 200,000." 17:03 He says, "Really, I have to tell you, 17:06 it's not more than a 100,000 17:07 and really we need a new church here. " 17:10 He said, "This is a huge, huge area of primarily Hindus 17:18 that don't even know who Jesus is... never heard of Him... 17:22 don't know anything about the Creator God, 17:24 don't know anything about salvation, 17:26 he says, "This is what we're here for... 17:29 that's what we should be doing. " 17:31 Narrator: Although Maranatha had previously done 17:34 a handful of projects in India, 17:35 the decision was made 17:37 to establish a permanent presence in the country 17:39 to facilitate evangelism meetings and build churches. 17:43 And then we started talking and we moved our leadership 17:48 from Cuba over to... to India 17:52 to start overseeing those campaigns 17:55 and to start some construction 17:56 and we didn't know where it was going 17:58 but it worked. 18:00 Garwin McNeilus, a business man from Minnesota, 18:04 was asked to get involved. 18:05 Ron Watts said, "Why don't you come and do an Effort. " 18:09 And I said, "Sure, we'll go. " 18:11 Now, I've never done an Effort 18:14 and so, I contacted my friend, Bob Paulsen, 18:18 who, I knew could do the preaching, 18:22 and Maranatha helped us and we set up Tenali, 18:25 we had over 3,000 people in Tenali 18:29 it was just overwhelming 18:30 and what took me back... 18:32 when we closed up... all 3,000 wanted special prayer 18:36 and they just crowded around you 18:38 and the hunger in the wilderness. 18:41 Narrator: The success there 18:43 led to the organization of larger meetings 18:45 in the town of Ongole. 18:47 I remember the big Ongole Project 18:49 of over 50,000 people there listening... 18:53 Bob Paulsen stand up and say, 18:56 "I want to introduce you to not just any old God... 19:00 not just another God but the Creator God... " 19:03 and they're all listening to this 19:05 and it was powerful. 19:07 It was just overwhelming 19:09 and Maranatha was just deeply involved 19:13 in organizing and coordinating the effort of all the churches 19:17 but I just can't help but think... 19:20 in heaven, what would it be like 19:24 when we have an India Homecoming. 19:27 There will be 1,000s and 1,000s of people there 19:30 as a result of it. 19:31 Narrator: The 50,000 people in the crowd 19:36 weren't the only ones listening, 19:38 half way across the world, 19:40 this meeting would have an impact on a family 19:42 living in Medford, Oregon. 19:44 I had no idea about going to India or any place else, 19:47 I was happy to stay on the United States side of everything 19:53 didn't look forward to traveling at all 19:55 Merlin found... he was watching television 19:58 and he was watching Garwin McNeilus 20:02 and they'd been doing Evangelistic Meetings 20:05 over in Ongole, 20:07 and he was intently watching that 20:09 and when it was over, he said, 20:12 "I think we could do that... " 20:14 and I was trying to... 20:16 "We could do that?" 20:18 "Oh yeah, I think we could. " 20:20 The television program they watched 20:23 was a report put together by 3ABN 20:25 highlighting the recent meetings. 20:28 What JoAnn and her husband, Merlin, didn't know 20:33 was their son, Bruce, was also watching 20:36 and felt impressed to get involved. 20:38 I was committed to call Don on Monday 20:42 and tell him that I'd like to go over there to India sometime 20:46 and help if they had a... a need or an opening 20:48 and in just a few minutes, my Dad called, 20:52 and he said, "Hey, have you ever thought about going to India?" 20:55 And I said, "As a matter of fact I have and I will go. " 20:59 Narrator: Six months later, 21:01 Bruce was on an airplane headed to India. 21:03 Merlin joined him on the next trip 21:06 but JoAnne, in her 70s, 21:08 wasn't sure about making the long journey. 21:11 She wondered if there was anything 21:13 that she could contribute to the effort. 21:15 Bruce said to me, "You can go 21:19 and even if you just hug the ladies 21:23 and smile at them if you can't understand them, 21:26 they're going to understand you. " 21:28 So, that's what I did. 21:30 I went there, I gave them hugs... 21:33 I was 72 the first time I went to India 21:38 and the culture shock was so severe 21:43 there was like... 21:45 "I need to fix these things, these poor people... 21:50 they don't have anything and yet, they're happy 21:54 and I kept talking to Merlin about it, 21:57 and he said, "I want to tell you something, 22:01 by coming here and helping them to know 22:05 that there is a Creator God... that we're helping them 22:11 with the greatest thing that they can have. " 22:14 Narrator: The Fjarli family was hooked on India. 22:16 Not only did they continue to conduct evangelism campaigns 22:20 they also helped to fund 100s of churches 22:23 and several large-school campuses. 22:26 The Fjarli family really got involved in India in a major way 22:30 and I don't have any question that God used them 22:34 Merle Fjarli... unknown some up to 60s... 22:37 tough guy to commit a guy to generous... 22:44 man of few words... so, the best bang for the buck, 22:49 it was his line... 22:51 "It was the best bang for the buck... " 22:53 and he felt that in a society like India 22:56 where there are so many people, 22:57 you could get the best bang for the buck. 22:59 JoAnn Fjarli: You leave India but it never leaves you 23:03 and to think about going back... 23:06 I... I had to go back... it was such a blessing 23:14 to see that I could put smiles on the little kids' faces 23:20 and I just had to go back... it was... 23:23 I think the Lord put it in my heart 23:27 to treasure the times in India. 23:31 Narrator: Maranatha has worked in India for more than 20 years, 23:35 today, more than 2,000 structures 23:38 stand as influential anchors in their communities... 23:42 monuments to a living God. 23:45 You build a building 23:46 and those same ones that were built in the '90s, 23:50 are producing souls today 23:53 and they've spawned and next to them spawned 23:56 and the church family as a result... 23:58 there will be 1,000s in eternity as a result of that one project. 24:03 But the impact goes beyond the people of India. 24:07 JoAnne: You think you're going to go there, 24:11 to change people and let them know that there is a real God 24:17 that knows them... and it changed us 24:23 and it changed my husband 24:26 more than I could ever have dreamed that it would. 24:29 Narrator: Merlin passed away in 2014 24:32 but his sons, Bruce and Clint 24:35 have continued the family's legacy of service. 24:40 I think Dad was really blessed by going to India 24:44 and raising the money to advance in India. 24:49 He had fun doing that... he was blessed by doing that... 24:54 it softened him... 24:57 it... it exposed the soft side of his heart 25:04 that most people never saw. 25:10 It was just amazing 25:12 because, from my perspective, I think it was just a miracle 25:15 and our families have been part of it 25:20 which is quite a blessing but it was God's work that drove 25:26 and it was pretty hard to stop 25:28 and it was a little bit of help 25:30 and we've been very blessed to be able to help. 25:33 Maranatha's commitment to India is unwavering 25:36 as more and more people are longing to hear the gospel. 25:39 There continues to be requests 25:43 for more churches and schools in India 25:45 and in 2018, Maranatha started drilling water wells 25:50 in areas of great need. 25:52 And they came into India... a wonderful reunion 25:56 with a lot of people that gave their hearts to Jesus. 26:00 It was an awesome thing to do. 26:02 I've been tuning in... so, that started 30 years... 26:08 Narrator: As Maranatha continues working in India, 26:14 your support is needed in the country. 26:17 Please, make a donation toward church, school 26:20 or water-well projects in India. 26:22 Call the number on your screen 26:24 or visit Maranatha. org to give. 26:26 Music... 26:39 Plan ahead for the new year 26:42 by signing up for a mission trip to Cote d'Ivoire, 26:45 from January 30 to February 11, 2020, 26:48 we need volunteers to build the 26:50 Abebroukoi Seventh-day Adventist Church. 26:52 Currently, this congregation is meeting in a patio area, 26:55 and they need help building a place of worship. 26:58 For those who have a more flexible schedule, 27:01 we have an immediate need coming up. 27:03 From November 5 to 26, 27:05 we're looking for volunteers to help in Paradise California 27:08 in the United States. 27:09 Last year, Paradise was ravaged by a wild fire. 27:13 Now, residents are moving back 27:16 and need a place to store their things. 27:17 Maranatha will be constructing 200 storage sheds 27:21 in partnership with the Paradise Seventh-day Adventist Church. 27:23 Resources in Paradise are limited 27:26 and volunteers on this project will need to be flexible. 27:28 If you want to help, 27:30 register for the project in Paradise right away. 27:33 Learn more about these volunteer projects and others 27:36 at maranatha. org 27:37 by visiting the Volunteer Opportunities Page. 27:40 Narrator: From the very beginning 27:42 and through every triumph and bump in the road since, 27:45 God has had His hand in the development and growth 27:48 of Maranatha. 27:50 They have been His volunteers... 27:51 His projects... 27:54 and His mission. 27:57 Music... |
Revised 2019-12-03