Hi, I'm Dustin Comm
with the Maranatha Minute.
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Maranatha recently
dedicated its first two churches
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in the West African
nation of Cote d'Ivoire.
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Both ceremonies
attracted many in the community
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as well as local news crews
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who interviewed country director
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Gilberto Araujo.
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The day began
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at Maranatha's
first completed project
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in the country,
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the Anan
Seventh-day Adventist Church.
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Here Adventist leadership
expressed their gratitude
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including the president
of the Adventist Church
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in West Central Africa.
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Later, a ceremony took
place at the Abbebroukoi Church
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where the transformation of
the property was so stunning
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that members
now want to add Eden
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to the official church name.
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Maranatha was presented
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with a gift of a restless worker
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for its
commitment to the project,
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even through a pandemic.
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Get weekly
updates from Cote d'Ivoire
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and around the world
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by subscribing to our
email Maranatha Matters.
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Go to
maranatha.org/email to sign up.
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Tucked into the
conifer hills of Central Oregon
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along the south Umpqua River
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is what some say
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is the most remote
Seventh-day Adventist Academy
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in North America,
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Milo Adventist Academy.
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This rural campus
sits at the foothills
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of the Southern
Cascade Mountains.
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There is no
cell phone reception,
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the internet is spotty,
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and the nearest grocery store
is about an hour's drive away.
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But the lack of
convenience has made up for
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by the beauty of the location.
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The secondary boarding
school was established in 1954
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and over the years
more than 3,000 students
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have walked through the halls,
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lived in the dorms and
graduated from the program.
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But more than five decades
of educating young people
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has taken a toll on
the physical campus,
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which is why Randy Thornton,
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Principal of Milo
contacted Maranatha
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more than four years ago.
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I've been familiar,
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been aware of
Maranatha for decades,
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growing up in Adventism,
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and seeing the amazing work
they've done for a long time.
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And I got to admit,
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I just saw an opportunity
for Milo to be blessed
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with a lot of volunteer labor.
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We had a lot of
things that we needed here.
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The first year welcomed a
group of high school students
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on Ultimate Workout, a
mission trip for teenagers.
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The Milo project
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was the first
time Ultimate Workout
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was held in the United
States rather than overseas
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and the experience
made an impact on Randy.
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The thing about Maranatha
that has really captivated me,
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I'm certainly grateful
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for all of the
incredible physical plant work
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that gets done.
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But your model
of building people
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and the way that
I see people changed
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in serving is just incredible.
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And so that really yeah,
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we keep on hoping
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that we'll get a
project every summer
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because we got a lot of things
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we'd like to accomplish
for God's kids here at Milo.
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Randy's hopes were fulfilled.
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Maranatha
renovation projects at Milo
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have become almost
an annual tradition.
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But in 2020,
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the streak was
about to be broken
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because of an unexpected
threat called COVID-19.
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By early March,
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the novel Coronavirus
had been declared a pandemic
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and the US government
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began to unroll a
series of travel restrictions.
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Most Maranatha projects
had to be postponed for months.
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But by early summer
in the United States,
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some areas were
starting to open up
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for carefully
monitored activities
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and volunteers were
getting antsy to serve.
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So when the annual Milo project
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started creeping
up on the calendar,
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volunteers started
knocking on the figurative door.
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Leroy Callum is a
longtime volunteer
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and leader for
Maranatha project.
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Like the typical
Maranatha volunteer,
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he's one who can
rarely sit still.
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Well, I just know
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that the where I can
get the list of sounds man,
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and it seemed like it
grew and grew and grew
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and people I've talked to said,
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you know, I need to
get out of the house
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because I did call
a few people and say,
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"You know, what do you think?"
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And they said,
"Well, I'm getting bored.
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I need to get on
get doing something.
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So let's get out and do it."
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So most of people I
think are really receptive
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about getting out and
let's get something done.
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Ed Jensen is a
Maranatha board member
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and volunteer.
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He has served as
the project coordinator
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for multiple Maranatha projects.
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And he was slated to lead Milo.
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I went on a project
in February to Alabama.
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And then I had three projects
lined up in April and May.
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But they were all,
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those months are
totally blocked out.
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So June was the next
month after April and May.
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And I thought, well,
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they'll probably
block out June too,
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because the outside
statistics of COVID infections
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and all were
going a little crazy.
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So I fully expected this
when they never happened.
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But then they never,
nobody was saying no,
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nobody was saying no.
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After a thorough
discussion with leadership,
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site visits and
research on Oregon guidelines,
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Maranatha decided
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to move forward
with the project in faith
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and with a long
list of protocols
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for safety and health.
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Soon, there were 50
volunteers registered,
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the maximum number of
people allowed to gather
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under COVID-19
rules for Douglas County
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where Milo Academy is located.
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Given its rural location
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and low number of
cases in the county,
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Milo appeared
to be an ideal site
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for a first
project during COVID.
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As it looked
through the volunteers,
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he saw that a number of
them were medical professionals,
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quickly he began
calling and asking them
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to be part of a
medical team for safety.
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I was a nurse for over 30 years,
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but I was an
infection control nurse
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for 25 years.
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At first when Ed called me,
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I thought about it for a minute.
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And then I said,
"Well, you know, Ed,
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I've done this a long time,
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doesn't take too long to
get my brain back working."
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So I said, he,
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and I had worked with Ed before.
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So I said, "Yes,
I'll do it. I'll do it."
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I just in asking questions
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and discussing
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with our project coordinator.
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And the questions I was asking,
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he became obvious
that I'm a physician,
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and that I had some
background experience
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with COVID and planning.
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And so then I was
asked to just kind of be
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a meeting of the minds,
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so to speak of a
group working together
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to come up with
all of our different,
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all of our different
background information
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to put together to
see if we could come up
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with the safest
plan for everybody.
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Arlene, Michelle
and two more nurses,
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Lori and Julie
formed a medical team.
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Together, they created
a system of safety checks.
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In the mornings, we
take their temperature,
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and they used hand sanitizer.
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We do it again in the evening
and do the hand sanitizer.
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We recorded just that,
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yes, they passed
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not what was but
just that they pass,
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we want to have a trail
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so that if Douglas County
Health Department does show up,
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we have proof
that we are monitoring
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and tracking everybody.
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There's markers on the floor
when they come in the door.
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And we have our
own hand sanitizer
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separate from
the one on the wall.
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And then you'd go through line.
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We keep our six feet away,
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we wear masks and the tray line.
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And then we
cleaned the tables, chairs
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after every meal.
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One thing that I
was really grateful for
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is that that Ed
Jensen in behalf of Maranatha
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was number one concerned
about our population, our kids.
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And, but you know
we've been all here together.
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So again, we
already know we don't have,
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but as more people
come on from outside,
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he was very concerned
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about making sure
that we were safe,
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and that we were comfortable.
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And I was really
grateful for that.
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With the safety protocol
in place and in practice,
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volunteers could
focus on the work.
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It's a work that
Milo is grateful for.
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So the scope of
the projects this year
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is two house remodels.
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Our oval that
keeps the students dry
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in the wintertime
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from the wet rains is
being refaced and resided
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so that it's doesn't rot
away and fall away on us.
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So that's a big plus.
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And there's a lot
of renovating going on
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in the girls' dorm
rooms, painting, decorating,
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refinishing cabinets
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that are starting to look rough.
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So we have like
eight major buildings
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on the campus over
proper plus 13 acres we mow,
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plus we have a
400 acre property,
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plus a junior camp.
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And we have one
maintenance person
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that takes care of all of that.
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So the idea of
the project's person
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which is myself
is to do the projects
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that maintenance
would never ever look at
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because there's
just not enough time
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and hours in a day
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because they're so busy
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taking care of the
rest of the campus.
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We really want to
thank Maranatha coming
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because without them,
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it would take us a lot
longer to improve our campus
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and every year we
can see improvements
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but it improves much
faster and much better
00:10:03.80\00:10:07.54
with Maranatha's
help for two weeks
00:10:07.57\00:10:09.14
because 50 people in two weeks
00:10:09.17\00:10:11.91
can do a lot more
than one person can do
00:10:11.94\00:10:13.74
in 52 weeks.
00:10:13.78\00:10:15.24
Year by year,
00:10:15.28\00:10:16.61
the campus is
changing for the better,
00:10:16.64\00:10:18.41
thanks to Maranatha volunteers.
00:10:18.45\00:10:20.52
With every project,
the family of students,
00:10:20.55\00:10:22.95
faculty and
staff gets stronger too
00:10:22.98\00:10:25.22
as they have the
privilege of people
00:10:25.25\00:10:26.96
investing in their community.
00:10:26.99\00:10:29.39
But campus renovations
aren't the only things
00:10:29.42\00:10:31.66
happening on these projects.
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With each
Maranatha mission trip,
00:10:33.33\00:10:35.16
another community is
strengthened and built,
00:10:35.20\00:10:38.03
the volunteers.
00:10:38.07\00:10:40.94
I believe that it's
important to maintain
00:10:40.97\00:10:43.77
some semblance of normality,
even amid a pandemic, it's...
00:10:43.81\00:10:50.31
We need to, means don't go away
00:10:50.35\00:10:52.51
just because there's a pandemic,
00:10:52.55\00:10:54.32
and many projects
have already been canceled.
00:10:54.35\00:10:57.85
So I think it's important
to make a start somewhere
00:10:57.89\00:11:01.79
and get out there
00:11:01.82\00:11:03.16
and start maybe
stretching God's promises
00:11:03.19\00:11:07.66
and calling on him to say,
00:11:07.70\00:11:10.97
Lord, we want to
continue this organization
00:11:11.00\00:11:13.64
and continue our volunteering,
00:11:13.67\00:11:16.14
and go ahead and
step out in faith
00:11:16.17\00:11:18.91
and do the work that
you've called us to do.
00:11:18.94\00:11:23.18
When we come back
00:11:23.21\00:11:24.55
hear more about
the unique community
00:11:24.58\00:11:26.15
found on North America projects
00:11:26.18\00:11:27.98
and how the experience
is touching people's lives.
00:11:28.02\00:11:31.05
Although
international travel is limited,
00:11:44.33\00:11:46.60
one place with no restrictions
00:11:46.63\00:11:48.14
is the country of Cote d'Ivoire.
00:11:48.17\00:11:50.34
Maranatha's
December mission trip
00:11:50.37\00:11:51.71
to Cote d'Ivoire
00:11:51.74\00:11:53.07
has been on the
calendar for some time,
00:11:53.11\00:11:54.84
and if volunteers
are willing to go,
00:11:54.88\00:11:56.85
we'll see the project
through if conditions allow.
00:11:56.88\00:12:00.02
Volunteers on this project
will help construct buildings
00:12:00.05\00:12:02.68
at a brand new
Adventist High School
00:12:02.72\00:12:04.59
in the town of Niangon.
00:12:04.62\00:12:06.62
The Niangon
Seventh-day Adventist Church
00:12:06.65\00:12:08.26
has wanted to build
a school for decades,
00:12:08.29\00:12:10.29
but never had
the necessary funds.
00:12:10.33\00:12:12.99
With Adventist
education being a top priority
00:12:13.03\00:12:15.26
for church
leadership in Cote d'Ivoire,
00:12:15.30\00:12:17.17
Maranatha has agreed to
build several classrooms
00:12:17.20\00:12:19.87
and laboratories
for the Niangon School.
00:12:19.90\00:12:22.77
Their goal is to have
space for nearly 400 students.
00:12:22.80\00:12:26.84
If you'd like to
participate in this project,
00:12:26.88\00:12:28.84
please register at
maranatha.org/volunteer.
00:12:28.88\00:12:32.98
This will give us an idea
of interest as we move forward.
00:12:33.01\00:12:36.72
We are excited for
volunteers to get back
00:12:36.75\00:12:38.99
into the
international mission field
00:12:39.02\00:12:40.79
when the time is right.
00:12:40.82\00:12:43.83
It's unique, it's
simple, it's affordable.
00:12:43.86\00:12:46.73
This is the One-Day Church,
00:12:46.76\00:12:48.53
Maranatha's worship solution
in remote areas of Africa
00:12:48.56\00:12:52.30
for church families
who have no church home.
00:12:52.33\00:12:55.04
A frame and a
roof is the beginning,
00:12:55.07\00:12:57.01
local church
members do the rest.
00:12:57.04\00:12:59.21
The One-Day
Church starts at $7,500,
00:12:59.24\00:13:02.28
a price which can be
divided into $1,500 shares.
00:13:02.31\00:13:06.01
Each share comes
with a photo of the church
00:13:06.05\00:13:08.28
who helped build
the One-Day Church,
00:13:08.32\00:13:11.25
a home for our church family.
00:13:11.29\00:13:13.56
Anyone can build a church.
00:13:24.83\00:13:26.43
Simply give just $10 each month,
00:13:26.47\00:13:29.07
and your donation,
00:13:29.10\00:13:30.44
along with thousands of others
00:13:30.47\00:13:32.04
will fund a new place
of worship every month.
00:13:32.07\00:13:36.51
The potential for
change is all around you.
00:13:36.54\00:13:39.71
All you have to do is look.
00:13:39.75\00:13:42.05
After a long spring
season of sheltering in place
00:13:47.66\00:13:50.59
due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
00:13:50.63\00:13:52.53
By summer,
Americans were anxious
00:13:52.56\00:13:54.66
to jump back into life.
00:13:54.70\00:13:56.56
While most were
eager for haircuts,
00:13:56.60\00:13:58.53
beaches and restaurants,
00:13:58.57\00:14:00.00
Maranatha
volunteers were eager to serve.
00:14:00.04\00:14:03.14
Given the remaining restrictions
00:14:03.17\00:14:04.57
for international travel,
00:14:04.61\00:14:05.94
the best option
for mission trips
00:14:05.97\00:14:07.64
was more local.
00:14:07.68\00:14:09.28
Each year, Maranatha organizes
about 60 projects a year
00:14:09.31\00:14:13.01
mobilizing more
than 2,200 volunteers
00:14:13.05\00:14:15.88
each year to
countries around the world.
00:14:15.92\00:14:18.22
And almost half
of these projects
00:14:18.25\00:14:19.89
take place in the
United States or Canada,
00:14:19.92\00:14:23.06
called North America projects.
00:14:23.09\00:14:24.93
These mission
trips are different
00:14:24.96\00:14:26.29
from the international ones
00:14:26.33\00:14:27.66
and that they do not
require a participation fee.
00:14:27.70\00:14:30.53
Except for travel,
00:14:30.57\00:14:31.90
food and lodging are covered
00:14:31.93\00:14:33.27
in exchange for
the volunteer service.
00:14:33.30\00:14:35.20
This arrangement has
made it easier for people,
00:14:35.24\00:14:37.81
especially retired folks
00:14:37.84\00:14:39.31
to go on
multiple projects a year.
00:14:39.34\00:14:42.31
Susie Fox is among
these repeat volunteers
00:14:42.34\00:14:44.98
in North America.
00:14:45.01\00:14:46.55
I had retired
early and so I decided,
00:14:46.58\00:14:49.92
I needed to do
something for to keep busy.
00:14:49.95\00:14:54.92
And I did a few by myself
00:14:54.96\00:14:58.89
and then when
my husband retired,
00:14:58.93\00:15:00.90
he really needed
something to keep himself busy.
00:15:00.93\00:15:03.67
So we got involved
with Maranatha in 2010.
00:15:03.70\00:15:08.17
And we've done anywhere
00:15:08.20\00:15:10.57
from three to six
projects a year since then.
00:15:10.61\00:15:15.34
2020 was no different.
00:15:15.38\00:15:16.88
Susie and her husband
Fred had planned to serve
00:15:16.91\00:15:19.05
on a number of
Maranatha projects
00:15:19.08\00:15:20.75
in North
America and one overseas
00:15:20.78\00:15:22.88
until COVID hit.
00:15:22.92\00:15:24.69
We were scheduled,
00:15:24.72\00:15:26.05
we were looking forward
to going back to Paradise
00:15:26.09\00:15:27.92
because we had done
that one in the fall.
00:15:27.96\00:15:29.82
And we were very disappointed.
00:15:29.86\00:15:32.79
Maranatha canceled,
00:15:32.83\00:15:35.20
outlined or
basically postponed it.
00:15:35.23\00:15:37.67
And so we were hoping
00:15:37.70\00:15:40.20
they wouldn't
postpone the Milo one.
00:15:40.24\00:15:42.34
Milo is special to us.
00:15:42.37\00:15:44.47
Both my husband and I,
00:15:44.51\00:15:45.84
because we went to school here
00:15:45.87\00:15:47.21
and we graduated a
long, long time ago.
00:15:47.24\00:15:50.21
And it is been always a special,
00:15:50.25\00:15:54.45
soft spot in our heart for Milo.
00:15:57.62\00:16:00.36
We always tried to
come and help them.
00:16:00.39\00:16:03.79
This year, it's...
00:16:03.83\00:16:05.63
We have about
eight or nine of us
00:16:05.66\00:16:09.23
that are alumni
00:16:09.26\00:16:10.60
from our generation
of attendees here at Milo
00:16:10.63\00:16:15.00
and we feel like that
00:16:15.04\00:16:17.41
had we not come to Milo
00:16:17.44\00:16:18.77
who knows where
we would be today,
00:16:18.81\00:16:20.34
whether we'd still
be in the church or,
00:16:20.38\00:16:22.98
so we feel like
00:16:23.01\00:16:24.35
Christians
education is important.
00:16:24.38\00:16:27.18
But while this
project is extraordinary
00:16:27.22\00:16:29.32
because of her
personal connection
00:16:29.35\00:16:30.69
to the place,
00:16:30.72\00:16:32.05
Susie Fox says
00:16:32.09\00:16:33.42
each Maranatha
project is personal
00:16:33.46\00:16:34.92
in how it creates belonging
and a sense of purpose.
00:16:34.96\00:16:38.46
We do the projects
because as time has gone on,
00:16:38.49\00:16:42.93
we have developed a family,
00:16:42.96\00:16:44.97
a lot of the same
people came on the,
00:16:45.00\00:16:48.54
come on the
projects, and we're just,
00:16:48.57\00:16:51.81
it's just our second family.
00:16:51.84\00:16:55.84
It keeps us busy.
00:16:55.88\00:16:57.28
We like doing
things with our hands
00:16:57.31\00:16:59.65
and feel like that
we're doing something for God
00:16:59.68\00:17:03.39
or for the community.
00:17:03.42\00:17:04.75
And this is one
thing that we could do.
00:17:04.79\00:17:06.12
I'm not evangelist or out,
00:17:06.15\00:17:08.42
you know, giving
Bible studies necessarily,
00:17:08.46\00:17:11.39
but this is something
we really feel like that
00:17:11.43\00:17:14.26
there's a need
and we enjoy doing it.
00:17:14.30\00:17:16.90
As a retired
missionary and contractor,
00:17:16.93\00:17:19.37
these North
American mission trips
00:17:19.40\00:17:20.87
are all in Leroy's
wheelhouse and as a fellow doer,
00:17:20.90\00:17:24.24
these projects keep him busy.
00:17:24.27\00:17:26.27
But Leroy says
00:17:26.31\00:17:27.64
it's about more than
the work and activity.
00:17:27.68\00:17:29.71
It's about the people.
00:17:29.74\00:17:32.11
As I traveled and met
people and talked with people,
00:17:32.15\00:17:37.09
there's a lot of people that
00:17:37.12\00:17:38.95
that come to
Maranatha are broken.
00:17:38.99\00:17:42.29
They have broken families,
they have broken relationships.
00:17:42.32\00:17:46.90
And there's just a
lot of stories out there
00:17:46.93\00:17:52.03
that when they come
here, they're accepted.
00:17:52.07\00:17:56.47
Nobody judges them
from what their past was
00:17:56.50\00:17:59.27
or where they've been or
what they've come through.
00:17:59.31\00:18:02.58
They just love them and say,
00:18:02.61\00:18:04.75
hey, you're part of
our Maranatha families.
00:18:04.78\00:18:09.18
The COVID guidelines for
this project have made it
00:18:09.22\00:18:11.55
particularly difficult for Leroy
00:18:11.59\00:18:13.52
as he finds it hard
00:18:13.56\00:18:14.89
to not hug his
old and new friends
00:18:14.92\00:18:17.36
and practice social distancing.
00:18:17.39\00:18:19.19
But even with
these new limitations,
00:18:19.23\00:18:21.13
the community is
still being built.
00:18:21.16\00:18:24.90
Michelle is on her
second Maranatha project
00:18:24.93\00:18:27.14
and her first with her family.
00:18:27.17\00:18:28.84
As a physician,
00:18:28.87\00:18:30.21
she had
reservations about the project
00:18:30.24\00:18:31.87
but felt reassured by
the safety protocol in place
00:18:31.91\00:18:35.01
and the isolation
of Milo's location.
00:18:35.04\00:18:37.78
She also felt the
project would be a good way
00:18:37.81\00:18:39.98
to introduce
her kids to service.
00:18:40.02\00:18:42.78
I have two 12-year olds
and I have a 15-year-old
00:18:42.82\00:18:45.89
who are unable to
go to school right now.
00:18:45.92\00:18:50.13
So my 15-year-old is a
sophomore in high school
00:18:50.16\00:18:53.53
and he is thrilled,
00:18:53.56\00:18:55.16
he's able to learn
from some of our contractors
00:18:55.20\00:18:58.20
and retired tradesmen
00:18:58.23\00:19:01.80
and is just excited
to be able to be of use.
00:19:01.84\00:19:06.47
And the younger two as
well are excited to be of use.
00:19:06.51\00:19:10.88
Of course, they're
young, and they're energetic,
00:19:10.91\00:19:12.85
and so they always bring
something to the project.
00:19:12.88\00:19:16.02
As a physician,
00:19:16.05\00:19:17.39
Michelle did plenty of research
00:19:17.42\00:19:18.75
before bringing
her family to Oregon.
00:19:18.79\00:19:20.72
Ultimately, her
decision was motivated
00:19:20.76\00:19:22.92
by the importance of community.
00:19:22.96\00:19:27.00
We have this time together
00:19:27.03\00:19:29.16
and time is something
00:19:29.20\00:19:30.53
that is one of our
most precious resources.
00:19:30.57\00:19:34.90
The money doesn't matter.
The job title doesn't matter.
00:19:34.94\00:19:38.04
The certain accomplishments
that we work so hard for
00:19:38.07\00:19:41.08
in a day, they
really don't matter.
00:19:41.11\00:19:43.18
But the time together
00:19:43.21\00:19:44.55
and the time to be
able to be together
00:19:44.58\00:19:46.11
as a family is really precious
00:19:46.15\00:19:48.98
and then to be
able to join together
00:19:49.02\00:19:50.55
with other members of
the community like-minded,
00:19:50.59\00:19:53.05
keeping our distance being safe,
00:19:53.09\00:19:55.22
protecting each
other as we work together.
00:19:55.26\00:19:58.46
I read an article that
said, we don't social distance,
00:19:58.49\00:20:01.70
we physically distance.
00:20:01.73\00:20:03.97
Times are uncertain
and the stakes are high.
00:20:04.00\00:20:07.77
But if you think about it,
00:20:07.80\00:20:09.14
and you go back through history,
00:20:09.17\00:20:10.51
it's not the first time.
00:20:10.54\00:20:12.24
And what we're
building with Maranatha
00:20:12.27\00:20:14.38
will outlast COVID
and it will outlast us.
00:20:14.41\00:20:18.81
And so I think what
we ultimately decided
00:20:18.85\00:20:21.12
is that the best we can do
is to listen conscientiously
00:20:21.15\00:20:25.85
to our leaders,
00:20:25.89\00:20:27.66
and come together as a community
00:20:27.69\00:20:30.23
and do good works.
00:20:30.26\00:20:32.29
And that's what I hope my
kids take away from the trip
00:20:32.33\00:20:35.16
is that we have to come
together as a community,
00:20:35.20\00:20:38.97
and it is upon
us to do good works.
00:20:39.00\00:20:43.41
This community is what has drawn
00:20:43.44\00:20:45.17
the same volunteers on
multiple mission trips.
00:20:45.21\00:20:48.51
When we come back,
00:20:48.54\00:20:49.88
we meet a man who
has found new community
00:20:49.91\00:20:52.05
in service through Maranatha.
00:20:52.08\00:20:53.98
Some companies
spend millions of dollars
00:21:07.30\00:21:09.50
to bring you
these sounds and images.
00:21:09.53\00:21:13.17
I made it.
00:21:13.20\00:21:15.57
These sounds and images
are created from the dollars
00:21:15.60\00:21:18.17
you give to Maranatha.
00:21:18.21\00:21:21.21
Your support of our
well drilling efforts
00:21:21.24\00:21:23.31
is bringing
clean accessible water
00:21:23.35\00:21:25.28
to communities in Africa,
00:21:25.31\00:21:27.05
India and Brazil
00:21:27.08\00:21:29.12
because while this
sells soda, this saves lives.
00:21:29.15\00:21:34.06
For more than a decade,
00:21:38.86\00:21:40.33
Maranatha mission stories
is taking you around the world,
00:21:40.36\00:21:43.83
showing you the need
00:21:43.87\00:21:45.20
and challenging
you to get involved.
00:21:45.23\00:21:48.67
Now we're introducing new
ways for you to stay informed
00:21:48.70\00:21:52.01
and inspired about the mission.
00:21:52.04\00:21:55.08
Watch your favorite episode
of Maranatha mission stories,
00:21:55.11\00:21:58.18
as well as
other Maranatha videos
00:21:58.21\00:22:00.08
on your Apple TV.
00:22:00.12\00:22:02.75
Visit the App Store,
00:22:02.78\00:22:04.12
search for the Maranatha channel
00:22:04.15\00:22:06.09
and hit install.
00:22:06.12\00:22:09.52
You'll have access
00:22:09.56\00:22:10.89
to all of our
latest video content,
00:22:10.93\00:22:12.76
and you can watch anytime.
00:22:12.79\00:22:14.83
Our videos are available
on demand 24 hours a day.
00:22:14.86\00:22:19.27
Our content can also be viewed
on Roku and Amazon Fire TV.
00:22:19.30\00:22:24.34
The Maranatha channel,
00:22:24.37\00:22:25.91
bringing mission
adventures to your living room.
00:22:25.94\00:22:28.51
We're friends. You're friend.
00:22:36.99\00:22:38.75
Know a kid who
loves mission stories?
00:22:38.79\00:22:41.36
Tell them about Maranatha kids.
00:22:41.39\00:22:46.46
Maranatha kids is a fun
and easy way for your children
00:22:46.49\00:22:49.96
to explore the mission field
00:22:50.00\00:22:51.73
and learn how even kids
can make a difference for God.
00:22:51.77\00:22:55.47
Each week we'll
email you a short video
00:22:55.50\00:22:57.84
featuring a person,
place or facet of the work
00:22:57.87\00:23:01.01
Maranatha does around the world.
00:23:01.04\00:23:04.01
You'll also
receive a discussion guide
00:23:04.05\00:23:05.98
with additional information,
00:23:06.01\00:23:07.95
questions to consider
00:23:07.98\00:23:09.35
as well as things to pray about.
00:23:09.38\00:23:13.32
You can also join
00:23:13.36\00:23:14.69
the Maranatha
kids Facebook group
00:23:14.72\00:23:16.56
for additional content
00:23:16.59\00:23:18.09
and to connect with
other mission minded families.
00:23:18.13\00:23:23.57
Visit
maranatha.org/kids to sign up
00:23:23.60\00:23:28.30
and get your
little volunteer started
00:23:28.34\00:23:30.24
on their mission adventure.
00:23:30.27\00:23:32.14
All of Maranatha's mission trips
00:23:37.88\00:23:39.48
focus on building community,
00:23:39.51\00:23:41.38
not just for the
people who are being served,
00:23:41.42\00:23:43.49
but those who are serving.
00:23:43.52\00:23:45.32
Friendships
created on experience
00:23:45.35\00:23:47.42
are what makes
each project so special.
00:23:47.46\00:23:50.09
And while these
relationships are formed
00:23:50.13\00:23:51.86
on international projects,
00:23:51.89\00:23:53.23
the ones formed
00:23:53.26\00:23:54.60
through North
American mission trips
00:23:54.63\00:23:55.96
are arguably stronger,
00:23:56.00\00:23:57.73
since these mission
trips are mostly free,
00:23:57.77\00:23:59.87
volunteers can participate
in multiple experiences a year,
00:23:59.90\00:24:03.64
which means they see
00:24:03.67\00:24:05.01
many of the same
faces on the project.
00:24:05.04\00:24:07.54
The familiarity contributes
00:24:07.58\00:24:09.11
to deeper and
long-lasting friendships.
00:24:09.14\00:24:11.88
This special community
00:24:11.91\00:24:13.31
is why Wesley
Wilson loves Maranatha.
00:24:13.35\00:24:16.18
Wes is a
relatively new volunteer,
00:24:16.22\00:24:18.25
but he is discovering
an unexpected dedication
00:24:18.29\00:24:21.06
to this lifestyle.
00:24:21.09\00:24:22.72
Well, I'd heard about Maranatha
00:24:22.76\00:24:24.56
back in probably
the 80s and the 90s.
00:24:24.59\00:24:28.23
And I thought, oh, I
would like to do that
00:24:28.26\00:24:30.17
but I couldn't
afford it raising a family.
00:24:30.20\00:24:33.37
Fast forward a couple decades
00:24:33.40\00:24:34.90
and Wes was
retired and a widower.
00:24:34.94\00:24:38.01
Well, I watch 3ABN quite a bit.
00:24:38.04\00:24:41.48
And what's her name?
00:24:41.51\00:24:44.15
Hilary Macias,
00:24:44.18\00:24:46.11
she was on there and
she would promote Maranatha
00:24:46.15\00:24:49.28
and you need to
come and all that.
00:24:49.32\00:24:51.65
Man, it's kind of
like the Lord was saying,
00:24:51.69\00:24:53.79
yeah, you better go.
00:24:53.82\00:24:55.76
So I put it off and
I watched another one,
00:24:55.79\00:24:58.89
and he got more
stringent, more urgent.
00:24:58.93\00:25:01.96
Okay, Lord, I'll go
00:25:02.00\00:25:03.67
and that wound up
being the Vancouver project.
00:25:03.70\00:25:06.37
So I loaded it up
00:25:06.40\00:25:07.74
and I went up to
Vancouver, Washington
00:25:07.77\00:25:11.67
and drove up
there and, oh, wow, boy,
00:25:11.71\00:25:16.08
I really, do I
really want to do this?
00:25:16.11\00:25:19.18
Wes was nervous
00:25:19.21\00:25:20.55
until a fellow volunteer came up
00:25:20.58\00:25:22.05
and gave him a big
hug to welcome him.
00:25:22.08\00:25:25.12
I like the
fellowship and a friendship.
00:25:25.15\00:25:27.56
And the more that I work,
00:25:27.59\00:25:29.22
the friendlier I got
and I enjoyed the work.
00:25:29.26\00:25:33.56
The part of feeling
included with people
00:25:33.60\00:25:37.17
is a big part of
the human experience.
00:25:37.20\00:25:39.97
But people who joined Maranatha
you become part of the group.
00:25:40.00\00:25:46.74
You make friends with them,
they treat you as an equal.
00:25:46.78\00:25:51.21
And they welcome you
at every step of the way.
00:25:51.25\00:25:54.75
This sense of community
00:25:54.78\00:25:56.12
is what draws
thousands of people
00:25:56.15\00:25:57.99
to Maranatha
mission trips every year.
00:25:58.02\00:26:00.82
Some come in
search of adventure,
00:26:00.86\00:26:03.29
others want to stay active,
00:26:03.32\00:26:05.43
all come seeking a
purpose and a way to give back
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even in the midst of a pandemic.
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Well, one of the
things about Maranatha
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is that the people
that are part of Maranatha,
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they want to be a
blessing, they want to serve.
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And it's just amazing
to be with people who are,
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love the Lord
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and want to be a
blessing to others.
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It's just invigorating to be
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among a group of
people like that.
00:26:32.89\00:26:36.06
The Coronavirus
pandemic has certainly upended
00:26:36.09\00:26:38.73
the service aspect of
Maranatha that we all love.
00:26:38.76\00:26:41.96
It's hard to predict
00:26:42.00\00:26:43.33
when Maranatha
volunteer projects
00:26:43.37\00:26:44.90
will return to normal
00:26:44.93\00:26:46.27
with a full schedule of
opportunities for service.
00:26:46.30\00:26:48.87
For now, we're taking
it one project at a time.
00:26:48.90\00:26:53.27
Yet most of Maranatha's
construction projects
00:26:53.31\00:26:55.78
have always been built by
our local and country crews,
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and now more than ever,
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they are needed
to continue the work.
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Since March, these teams
have been building churches,
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schools and water wells
in countries like India,
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Brazil,
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Zambia,
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Kenya...
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and Cote d'Ivoire.
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Whether in Milo, Oregon,
or Abbebroukoi, Cote d'Ivoire,
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the work has never stopped.
00:27:29.44\00:27:32.01
And this mission needs
your continued support.
00:27:32.05\00:27:35.42
Please make a
donation to Maranatha
00:27:35.45\00:27:37.45
as we carry
forward this commission.
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After all, we
may cherish the joy
00:27:40.26\00:27:42.72
that comes with service.
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But the ultimate
goal of Maranatha
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is to build people, communities
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and the gospel
throughout the world.
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