- Hi. I'm Hilary Macias
with the Maranatha Minute.
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On November 20, the
Seventh-day Adventist
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Church in Cuba honored
25 years of Maranatha's
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work in the country
with a special ceremony in
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Havana. More than 150
people gathered at the
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Adventist seminary including
Adventist leadership from
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all over Cuba and
the world. Since starting
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in Cuba in 1994,
Maranatha has constructed and
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renovated more than
200 places of worship. This
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seminary, which was
constructed by Maranatha,
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has educated 600 students
from all over the world.
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Nearly all of the pastors
currently employed in the
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country are
graduates of the seminary. Most
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recently, Maranatha
completed a 500-seat
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church in the city
of Cardenas and finished
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a renovation project
at San Antonio de los
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Baños, located on
the western side of the
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island. Projects like Cuba
need your financial support.
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If you're willing to give
to the mission of Maranatha,
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please be sure to include
us in your year-end giving.
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Visit our website or
call the number on your
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screen to make a donation.
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- Maranatha's history
is full of extraordinary
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moments of faith that
illustrate God's leading
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in the mission. He has
been faithful every step
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of the way, even
through what appeared to be the
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most impossible
requests. Today's story looks at
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two places that
stretched Maranatha in many ways
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as an organization
physically, mentally,
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and spiritually. The
first location is in the
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Caribbean on an
island that was closed to the
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world, but surprisingly
open to the gospel message.
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- The year is 1993.
Maranatha is energized
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by the success of a
large project called Santo
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Domingo '92 and has
just finished construction
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of 50 new churches and
three schools in Guatemala.
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The leaders of the
project gathered at their hotel
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around a pizza to
evaluate next steps.
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- There was a guy
named Tem Suarez there. And
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Tem, of course, was
a Cuban-American. He
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was on a board
of directors, and he
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constantly was bringing
up Cuba this, Cuba that,
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and everybody's
going, "Oh, yeah, that's Tem.
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He's Cuban." This
night, he got a little
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bit more traction. Don
Falkenberg was there and
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Bob Paulsen. We were
sitting around, just-
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"Okay, we've
finished Guatemala. Where's
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the next big push?
What's exciting? What can we do
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to change someplace
for God?" I mean, that's
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really what it was.
And of course, Tem: "I know
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where we can go!
Let's take a look at Cuba."
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And somebody says-I
don't remember who it
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was. Somebody says, "Well,
you know, you can't go into
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Cuba. It's a
closed country," you know,
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like a lot of these
countries are closed.
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And giving credit completely
where it is due here, God
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worked through a guy
named Garwin McNeilus.
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- The main challenge
was to get our nerve to go
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in the first place. -
Garwin was a get-stuff-done kind
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of guy. And Garwin
says, "Have you tried? Has
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anybody really
tried? You say you can't do
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it; how do we KNOW
we can't do it? We don't
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know we can't do
it. I haven't been down
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there. Have YOU
been down there? Tem says
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we can go. Let's go!"
- Many times, you hear,
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"We can't go into a
country," and really...
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we haven't tried. We
had talked about Cuba and
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the need in Cuba, and I
said, "Let's go to Cuba!
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Do it!" So, Maranatha
did. - So we put together
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a team. There was
five of us. And a couple of
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months later, we made
our first trip down to
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Cuba. - In 1994, when
we first came over here,
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the church was
very, very depressed.?
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The buildings would fall
apart. The ministers were
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real, honest and
good and were down to
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? I will speak in plain
language. Gotta remember
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that first meeting in
particular, we met with
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all the ministers
from one end of the island
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to another. It's just
like the Holy Spirit over
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there was touching
us. - More than 100 people
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crowded into that
meeting room at the union office
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in Havana. In the room,
there was a white board.
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Based on the need
that was expressed, he was
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determined to move ahead
with 100 new churches and
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100 renovated churches,
as well as 100 evangelistic
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campaigns and the production
of literature to penetrate
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the areas
surrounding those churches. The
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entire project was called,
"Christ for Cuba." Unlike
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similar projects in
the Dominican Republic,
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Mexico, and
Guatemala, it would take several
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years to build and renovate
200 sanctuaries...but the
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work progressed, and baptisms
increased tenfold. Maranatha
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rebuilt the country's
aging seminary. Students
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came from around the
world to take advantage
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of this post-graduate
facility. The seminary
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was lacking a sanctuary.
Again, Maranatha Volunteers
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International took an
empty space on the seminary
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crowns, and transformed
it into an inviting place of
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worship and fellowship.
From the very first meeting
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Don Noble had with
Pastor Fontaine, it was clear
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that one of the churches
on the list that was growing
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and needed to be expanded
was the Cardenas church.
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The tiny church was
filled to capacity every week
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with many members forced
to sit outside on the veranda.
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Cardenas, located about
100 miles east of Havana,
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is very near
Varadero Beach, a magnet of
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tourism on the
island. The city's leadership
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was not friendly to
Adventists and created
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obstacles, making
the construction of a new
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church there next to
impossible. 15 years into
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the process, Don Noble
visited the anxious church
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members. - I said,
"Unfortunately, I have to tell
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you that right now, we
have neither permission nor
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the money to build this
church." And the reaction
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that we got was something
I've never seen before. I
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hope I don't see it again.
It was the entire church...
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just started crying.
Wailing, some of them.
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It was absolutely horrible.
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The congregation was
crushed. Don was heavy-hearted.
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Maranatha had been
working on a solution for
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Cardenas for more than
15 years. Could it-should
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it-really be over? Don
turned to prayer. - So,
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I said, "Well, you
know, I've seen God do some
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amazing things-on this
island and a lot of other
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places. So, you
still have prayer left, and
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you've got a mighty God,
and I know that you believe
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in that God. So, I
think we should pray."
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She went marching up
the front very confident,
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she turned around,
and she folded her hands-
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I can still see
her- she looked up, not
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down. She looked up
and she says, "Dear Jesus,
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thank you for giving
us a new church. Amen."
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It was a pivotal
moment in the Cardenas story.
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This was about more
than building the church. It
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was about faith. - And
I'm sitting there going,
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"Wow. I think God's
gonna answer that prayer."
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I mean, how's He gonna say no?!
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- In late 2015, a small
crew assembled in Cardenas
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to break ground and
tear down the old building.
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After more than 30
years of prayer, 20 years of
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permit applications, and
an enduring test of faith,
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Maranatha Volunteers
International received
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final permission to
begin construction on the new
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Cardenas church. Immediately,
construction began-and
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just as quickly,
Maranatha created an opportunity
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for volunteers to
head to Cuba for a two-week
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construction project.
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Local crews worked alongside
the volunteers. They continued
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building long after
the volunteers returned
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home. 18 months later,
after decades of prayer,
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the Cardenas
Seventh-day Adventist Church was
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transformed from this to this.
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Thousands of church
members from all over the island
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came to the dedication.
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- Today in the
morning, I was here, and two
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guys came and they were
not Christian. They came,
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and they were watching
the church, and they were
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talking about how beautiful,
how nice, the church was
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for this city. This
church is very important because
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the Adventist church in
this city is very famous.
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Everybody knows it.
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- It is a sanctuary
worthy of the God it represents.
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The sanctuary can accommodate
500 people-and the fellowship
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hall upstairs connected
by video and sound, another
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250 people.
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- You know, this church
is built, clearly, on the
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foundation, the
reality, the power of prayer,
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without question. [cheering]
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And frankly, the
future's more important than the
00:13:10.85\00:13:13.89
history. The history
is very valuable here,
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and they've learned a
lot of lessons-but the future
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is what this church is
about, and it's going to
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be a great lighthouse
in the Cardenas community.
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Today, Maranatha Volunteers
International continues in
00:13:29.44\00:13:33.14
prayer and faith to
answer the call from the
00:13:33.24\00:13:36.21
church in Cuba. From
our beginnings there in 1994
00:13:36.28\00:13:41.75
till now, the
Adventist church in Cuba remains
00:13:41.85\00:13:45.65
close to the heart of
Maranatha. Christ for Cuba.
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Then, now, and tomorrow.
00:13:51.49\00:13:55.10
Coming up next, we head
to a country of more than
00:14:08.64\00:14:11.18
a billion people and a
billion reasons to keep
00:14:11.28\00:14:15.08
sharing the mission.
00:14:15.18\00:14:16.72
- For more than a decade,
Maranatha Mission Stories
00:14:30.93\00:14:33.54
is taking you around
the world, showing you the
00:14:33.64\00:14:36.34
need, and challenging you
to get involved. Now, we're
00:14:36.44\00:14:41.28
introducing new ways
for you to stay informed and
00:14:41.38\00:14:44.01
inspired about the mission.
Watch your favorite episode
00:14:44.11\00:14:48.45
of Maranatha Mission
Stories, as well as other
00:14:48.58\00:14:50.69
Maranatha videos on
your Apple TV. Visit the App
00:14:50.82\00:14:55.46
Store, search for the
Maranatha channel, and
00:14:55.56\00:14:58.09
hit install. You'll
have access to all of our
00:14:58.19\00:15:02.96
latest video
content, and you can watch
00:15:03.10\00:15:05.40
anytime. Our videos
are available on demand
00:15:05.50\00:15:08.57
24 hours a day.
Our content can also be
00:15:08.70\00:15:12.51
viewed on Roku and
Amazon Fire TV. The Maranatha
00:15:12.61\00:15:17.08
channel, bringing mission
adventures to your living room.
00:15:17.15\00:15:20.75
- There are certain
events in Maranatha's history
00:15:27.86\00:15:30.13
that help to catapult the
organization to new levels
00:15:30.23\00:15:33.23
of productivity-events
that pushed Maranatha
00:15:33.36\00:15:35.80
to think bigger and
aim higher. Among those
00:15:35.90\00:15:40.00
is India, a place
where Maranatha has invested
00:15:40.10\00:15:43.20
in the mission to
build people and communities.
00:15:43.34\00:15:46.51
The 1990s were a faith-building
decade for Maranatha. God
00:15:52.08\00:15:56.95
led the organization through
a large scale project in the
00:15:57.05\00:16:00.09
Dominican Republic...and
miraculous construction
00:16:00.19\00:16:04.73
on the island of
Cuba. But when God leads,
00:16:04.83\00:16:09.03
there are always new
challenges-this time,
00:16:09.13\00:16:12.20
on the subcontinent
of India. - Maranatha
00:16:12.30\00:16:15.30
started in India, actually,
in the early middle '80s-
00:16:15.40\00:16:19.17
the campus north of Delhi
called Roorkee. But it was
00:16:19.27\00:16:24.18
a come-and-go/do-a-
project, leave...it
00:16:24.28\00:16:27.18
wasn't the long, continued
involvement that started
00:16:27.28\00:16:30.75
probably a little more
than 20 years ago, now.
00:16:32.25\00:16:34.02
- At the time, the
Adventist church was struggling.
00:16:35.42\00:16:38.86
Adventists represented
a small percentage of the
00:16:38.99\00:16:41.73
general population. In
the places they had to worship
00:16:41.83\00:16:45.33
didn't inspire others
to join them. Ron Watts,
00:16:45.40\00:16:50.01
president of the Adventist
Church in India at the time,
00:16:50.11\00:16:53.14
reached out to Maranatha
for help in growing their
00:16:53.24\00:16:56.34
fledgling group. - I
asked Ron at that time,
00:16:56.41\00:16:59.61
I said, "Ron, how
many members do you have?"
00:16:59.71\00:17:01.58
He says, "Well, the
books, we have about
00:17:01.65\00:17:02.98
200,000." He says,
"Really, I have to tell you it's
00:17:03.02\00:17:05.95
not more than
100,000. We really need a new
00:17:06.05\00:17:09.66
church here. This
is a huge, huge area of
00:17:09.76\00:17:16.23
primarily Hindus
that don't even know who
00:17:16.36\00:17:20.47
Jesus is or ever
heard of Him." Don't know
00:17:20.57\00:17:23.34
anything about the
Creator God; they don't know
00:17:23.41\00:17:25.31
anything about
salvation. Says, "This is what
00:17:25.37\00:17:28.11
we're here for!
That's is what we should be
00:17:28.21\00:17:30.05
doing." - Although
Maranatha had previously done a
00:17:30.18\00:17:33.88
handful of projects in
India, the decision was
00:17:33.98\00:17:36.65
made to establish a
permanent presence on
00:17:36.75\00:17:38.99
the country to facilitate
evangelism meetings and
00:17:39.09\00:17:41.86
build churches. - And
then we started talking,
00:17:41.96\00:17:44.89
and we moved our leadership
from Cuba over to India to
00:17:44.99\00:17:52.97
start overseeing
those campaigns and to start
00:17:53.07\00:17:55.80
some construction. We
didn't know where it was
00:17:55.87\00:17:57.74
going, but it went. -
Garwin McNeilus, a businessman
00:17:57.84\00:18:02.71
from Minnesota, was asked
to get involved. - Ron Watts
00:18:02.78\00:18:06.45
said, "Why don't you
come and do an effort?"
00:18:06.51\00:18:09.38
And I said, "Sure, we'll
go." Now, I'd never done an
00:18:09.48\00:18:13.66
effort. So I contacted my
friend Bob Paulsen who I knew
00:18:13.76\00:18:20.93
could do the
preaching. Maranatha helped us,
00:18:21.00\00:18:24.40
and we set up Tenali.
00:18:24.50\00:18:27.07
people in Tenali. It
was just overwhelming. And
00:18:27.17\00:18:31.21
what took me back:
when we closed up, all 3,000
00:18:31.27\00:18:34.64
wanted special prayer.
They just crowded around
00:18:34.74\00:18:38.55
you, and the hunger and the
willingness... - The success
00:18:38.65\00:18:42.75
there led to the organization
of larger meetings in the
00:18:42.85\00:18:45.99
town of Angul. - I
remember the big Angul project.
00:18:46.09\00:18:48.79
There were over
50,000 people there listening
00:18:48.89\00:18:53.19
to Bob Paulsen stand up
and say, "I want to introduce
00:18:53.29\00:18:57.33
you to not just any
old god-not just another
00:18:57.47\00:19:00.60
god-but the Creator
God." And they're all listening
00:19:00.70\00:19:04.54
to this, and it
was powerful. - It was
00:19:04.61\00:19:07.48
just overwhelming,
and Maranatha was just
00:19:07.61\00:19:12.11
deeply involved in
organizing and coordinating
00:19:12.21\00:19:15.92
the effort of all the
churches... But I just
00:19:15.98\00:19:19.72
can't help but think in
heaven what it'll be like
00:19:19.82\00:19:23.59
when we have an India
Homecoming. There'll be
00:19:23.69\00:19:28.80
thousands and thousands
of people there as a result
00:19:28.90\00:19:30.83
of it. - The
50,000 people in the crowd
00:19:30.93\00:19:36.00
weren't the only ones
listening. Halfway across
00:19:36.10\00:19:39.31
the world, this
meeting would have an impact on
00:19:39.44\00:19:41.68
a family living in
Medford, Oregon. - I had no idea
00:19:41.78\00:19:45.08
about going to India
or any place else; I was
00:19:45.18\00:19:48.32
happy to stay on the
United States side of
00:19:48.42\00:19:52.22
everything and didn't
look forward to traveling
00:19:52.32\00:19:55.02
at all. Merlin found-
he was watching television,
00:19:55.12\00:19:58.36
and he's watching Garwin
McNeilus, and they've been
00:19:58.43\00:20:03.26
doing evangelistic
meetings over in Angul.
00:20:03.37\00:20:06.90
He's intently watching
that. When it was over,
00:20:09.04\00:20:11.61
he said, "I think
we could do that." And
00:20:11.71\00:20:15.28
I was shocked. "We
could do that?!" "Well, yeah,
00:20:15.38\00:20:19.01
I think we could." -
The television program they
00:20:19.11\00:20:23.02
watched was a report
put together by 3ABN,
00:20:23.12\00:20:26.22
highlighting the
recent meetings. What JoAnn
00:20:26.32\00:20:31.63
and her husband
Merlin didn't know was their
00:20:31.73\00:20:34.06
son Bruce was also watching
and felt impressed to get
00:20:34.16\00:20:38.03
involved. - I was committed
to call Don on Monday and
00:20:38.13\00:20:41.94
tell him that I'd like
to go over there to India
00:20:42.04\00:20:45.44
sometime and help if
they had a need or an opening.
00:20:45.54\00:20:48.81
In just a few
minutes, my dad called and he
00:20:50.01\00:20:53.15
said, "Hey, have you
ever thought about going to
00:20:53.28\00:20:54.72
India?" And I said,
"A matter of fact, yeah!
00:20:54.82\00:20:57.82
Over there we'll go."
Six months later, Bruce
00:20:57.92\00:21:01.96
was on an airplane headed
to India. Merlin joined him
00:21:02.06\00:21:05.43
on the next trip, but
JoAnn, in her 70s, wasn't
00:21:05.56\00:21:08.96
sure about making the
long journey. She wondered
00:21:09.06\00:21:12.33
if there was anything
she could contribute to
00:21:12.43\00:21:14.47
the effort. - Bruce
said to me, "You can go. And
00:21:14.54\00:21:19.74
even if you just
hug the ladies and smile
00:21:19.87\00:21:24.71
at them if you can't
understand them, they're
00:21:24.81\00:21:27.35
gonna understand
you." So, that's what I did!
00:21:27.45\00:21:31.12
I went to India and
I gave them hugs. I was
00:21:31.19\00:21:34.82
72 the first time I went
to India, and the culture
00:21:34.89\00:21:40.80
shock was so severe.
It was like, I need to fix
00:21:40.86\00:21:48.14
these things! These poor
people... They don't have
00:21:48.24\00:21:51.07
anything-and yet,
they're happy! I kept talking to
00:21:51.14\00:21:56.01
Merlin about it. He
said, "I want to tell you
00:21:56.11\00:21:59.95
something. By coming
here and helping them
00:22:00.05\00:22:04.35
to know that there
is a Creator God that
00:22:04.42\00:22:07.42
we're helping them
with the greatest thing that
00:22:09.06\00:22:12.33
they can have." - The Fjarli
family was hooked on India.
00:22:12.43\00:22:16.97
Not only did they
continue to conduct evangelism
00:22:17.63\00:22:19.90
campaigns-they also
helped to fund hundreds
00:22:19.97\00:22:22.64
of churches in
several large school campuses.
00:22:22.70\00:22:26.07
The Fjarli family
really got involved in India
00:22:26.17\00:22:29.61
in a major way, and I
don't have any question
00:22:29.71\00:22:32.45
that God used them.
Merlin Fjarli, I've known since
00:22:32.51\00:22:35.95
the '60s. Tough guy,
committed guy, generous,
00:22:36.05\00:22:43.96
man of few words...
Said, "I want the best
00:22:45.46\00:22:48.40
bang for the buck." That
was his line. "I want the
00:22:48.50\00:22:51.93
best bang for the buck."
And he felt that in a society
00:22:52.03\00:22:55.77
like India where there's
so many people, you could
00:22:55.87\00:22:58.27
get the best bang
for the buck. - You leave
00:22:58.37\00:23:01.44
India, but it never
leaves you. And to think about
00:23:01.54\00:23:05.31
going back...I had
to go back! It was such
00:23:05.41\00:23:11.82
a blessing to see that
I could put smiles on the
00:23:11.92\00:23:18.59
little kids' faces,
and I just had to go back.
00:23:18.69\00:23:23.77
I think the Lord put
it in my heart to treasure
00:23:25.53\00:23:29.67
the times in India.
- Maranatha has worked
00:23:29.77\00:23:33.27
in India for more
than 20 years. Today, more
00:23:33.38\00:23:37.18
than 2,000
structures stand as influential
00:23:37.28\00:23:40.18
anchors in their communities,
monuments to a living God.
00:23:40.28\00:23:44.45
- You build a
building, and those same ones
00:23:45.62\00:23:48.09
that were built in the
'90s are producing souls
00:23:48.19\00:23:52.29
today...and they've
spawned, and the next
00:23:52.39\00:23:55.06
one has spawned. And
the church family, as
00:23:55.16\00:23:57.87
a result, there will
be thousands in eternity
00:23:57.93\00:24:01.07
as a result of that one
project. - But the impact
00:24:01.17\00:24:05.41
goes beyond the people
of India. - You think you're
00:24:05.51\00:24:10.28
gonna go there to
change people and let them know
00:24:10.38\00:24:15.52
that there is a
real God that knows them,
00:24:15.62\00:24:19.65
and it changed us
and it changed my husband
00:24:22.02\00:24:25.79
more than I could ever
have dreamed that it would.
00:24:25.89\00:24:29.73
- Merlin passed away
in 2014, but his sons
00:24:30.50\00:24:34.34
Bruce and Clint have
continued the family's
00:24:34.40\00:24:36.77
legacy of service. -
I think Dan was really
00:24:36.87\00:24:40.44
blessed by going to
India and raising the
00:24:40.58\00:24:47.45
money to invest in
India and fund. Doing that,
00:24:47.58\00:24:53.09
he was blessed by
doing that. It softened him,
00:24:53.22\00:24:57.53
it exposed a soft
side of his heart that most
00:25:00.60\00:25:08.84
people never saw. -
It was just amazing?
00:25:08.94\00:25:12.61
From my perspective,
I think, it was just a
00:25:12.71\00:25:15.14
miracle, and our
family's just been part of it,
00:25:15.24\00:25:20.05
which is quite a
blessing. But, you know, once
00:25:21.22\00:25:25.32
God's work gets rolling,
it's pretty hard to stop
00:25:25.42\00:25:27.26
Him. [chuckles] It was
a little bit of help, and
00:25:27.39\00:25:30.73
we've been very
blessed to be able to help.
00:25:30.83\00:25:32.56
- Maranatha's commitment
to India is unwavering
00:25:33.53\00:25:36.23
as more and more
people are longing to hear the
00:25:36.33\00:25:39.20
gospel. There continues
to be requests for more
00:25:39.27\00:25:43.91
churches and schools in
India. And in 2018, Maranatha
00:25:44.01\00:25:48.34
started drilling water
wells in areas of great need.
00:25:48.44\00:25:52.25
- I think heaven's
gonna be a wonderful reunion
00:25:52.35\00:25:55.88
with a lot of people
that gave their heart
00:25:55.95\00:25:59.85
to Jesus. It's an
awesome thing to do.
00:25:59.92\00:26:02.89
I'm gonna do it
again... except I would've
00:26:02.99\00:26:07.66
started 30 years sooner.
00:26:07.76\00:26:10.77
- As Maranatha
continues working in India, your
00:26:10.90\00:26:15.34
support is needed
in the country. Please,
00:26:15.44\00:26:17.77
make a donation toward
church, school, or water
00:26:17.84\00:26:20.71
well projects in
India. Call the number on your
00:26:20.81\00:26:23.11
screen, or visit
maranatha.org to give.
00:26:23.21\00:26:26.88
- Get ready for
2020 by registering for a
00:26:40.60\00:26:42.90
mission trip to Côte d'Ivoire.
From January 30 to February
00:26:43.00\00:26:46.10
11, 2020, we need
volunteers to build
00:26:46.20\00:26:49.40
the d'Ivoire
Seventh-day Adventist Church.
00:26:49.47\00:26:51.47
This congregation is
full of the missionary
00:26:51.57\00:26:53.71
spirit, and they
work hard to share the
00:26:53.81\00:26:55.91
gospel in their community.
However, their worship
00:26:56.01\00:26:58.78
space is a
partially completed building
00:26:58.85\00:27:00.62
that looks more like
a patio. Maranatha will
00:27:00.72\00:27:03.45
be building the
d'Ivoire congregation a new
00:27:03.52\00:27:05.82
church. So join
this project and make a
00:27:05.95\00:27:08.66
big impact in the
new year. Then, plan for
00:27:08.76\00:27:11.79
spring by registering
for the Camp Yavapines
00:27:11.89\00:27:14.20
Project in Arizona, USA.
From April 19 to 29, assist
00:27:14.30\00:27:18.37
with renovations at
this Camp and Retreat Center.
00:27:18.47\00:27:20.67
We'll need help
with light construction,
00:27:20.80\00:27:22.64
plumbing, painting, roofing,
and much more. Since this
00:27:22.74\00:27:26.47
is a North America
project, your food and
00:27:26.57\00:27:28.44
lodging is provided
in exchange for your
00:27:28.54\00:27:30.45
labor. All you have to do
is get there. Just remember
00:27:30.55\00:27:33.62
to register first. Go
to maranatha.org to learn
00:27:33.72\00:27:37.09
about these
projects and many more.
00:27:37.19\00:27:39.09
- From the very beginning
and through every triumph
00:27:41.59\00:27:43.96
and bump in the road
since, God has had His
00:27:44.03\00:27:46.80
hand in the development
and growth of Maranatha.
00:27:46.90\00:27:49.66
They had been
His volunteers, His
00:27:50.10\00:27:53.74
projects, and His mission.
00:27:53.80\00:27:57.64