Hi, I'm Dustin Comm
with the Maranatha Minute.
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Maranatha is wrapping up work
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at the Immanuel Adventist
Secondary School in Zambia.
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This boarding
academy serves 320 students,
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and was a major
focal point for Maranatha
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throughout the
COVID-19 pandemic.
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Our local crews
sheltered in place
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to construct a
three classroom building,
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a girls'
dormitory and bathrooms,
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and are now completing a
second three classroom block.
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The team also made improvements
to the school's water source
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and supplied it to
the boys' side of campus.
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These additions
will allow the school
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to accept more students.
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Previously, school
leadership had to turn away
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40 kids each year
due to lack of space,
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even with some students
already sleeping in a garage.
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Now as they
returned to campus this week,
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all of these students
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will be properly
housed in a dorm.
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Projects like Immanuel
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aren't possible
without your generosity.
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To support Maranatha's
work around the world,
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go to our website.
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2020 started like any other year
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for Maranatha
Volunteers International.
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We've just wrapped the
Christmas Family Project
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where 86
volunteers served in Peru.
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A small team of volunteers
took off for Cote d'Ivoire
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for a church
construction project.
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Groups were trickling
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into various
countries here and there.
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Meanwhile,
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the Maranatha headquarters
in California was preparing
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for the annual
surge of volunteers
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in the month of March.
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What was different
this time, however,
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was the threat of a new virus
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that had been wreaking
havoc in Asia and Europe
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in January and February.
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In early March,
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things were
evolving with COVID-19.
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We're hearing
stories out of China.
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And then there was some
cases in the United States.
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And so we really weren't
sure how it's going to impact
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all of our volunteer activity.
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So we had some groups
that were that went out.
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We had some trips that
they started to question,
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but most of our group leaders
were moving forward as planned.
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And then mid-March,
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things started to
really move quickly.
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And I started to look like,
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well, maybe we
might be more affected
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than what we had
hoped we would be.
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So on March 11,
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President Trump
held a press conference
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where he announced that
things were going to change,
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there's a pandemic
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and that created and
triggered a number of effects.
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The same day,
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the World Health
Organization announced
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that COVID-19 was a pandemic.
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Overseas, other countries
started shutting their borders.
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Airports closed, offices shut,
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people
self-quarantined in their homes.
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Peru was put in
a total lockdown.
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India was on total lockdown.
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Kenyan airports were closed
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and everyone was
put on a lockdown.
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By March, groups were
really starting to wonder
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if they were
going to be able to go
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on their mission trip or not.
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And by mid-March,
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many of our trips had
either cancelled, postponed,
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or we had a few, a
few groups that went out,
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but then had to come
back a little bit early.
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And so, wrapped in within
a space of a couple of weeks
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things went from we're
planning for a year as normal
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to suddenly
everything was shut down.
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Last year, Maranatha
mobilized over 2600 volunteers
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to many
countries around the world
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to help build a number
of different buildings.
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But the number of buildings
that those volunteers built
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was actually a small fraction
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of the total number of buildings
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that Maranatha builds each year.
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The rest we use local labor
to build churches and schools
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and water wells,
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all are
happening around the world
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whether
volunteers are there or not.
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Quite frankly,
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a lot of our
projects are prepared
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and completed by
teams in the field.
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We've actually spent
decades developing a competent,
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experienced, committed,
dedicated team of builders
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that travel around the world
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and get these projects prepared,
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work with the volunteers,
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finish up with the volunteers
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that don't finish when
they're on the project.
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So, we have been doing
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actually a lot of
work during this time
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in the places that we
can, some places we can't.
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But many places
we've been able to work
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and it's still very effective.
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Now, several months in,
the world is slowly opening up,
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but not necessarily for travel.
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So the work of Maranatha
is still being carried out
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by our local crews in
six different countries.
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Crews are carefully working
in regions that are isolated
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or relatively
untouched by the virus.
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One of the places
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where we've been
working is Kenya,
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a country that has welcomed
more than 1, 000 volunteers
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since we started working
there extensively in 2016.
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Adventist Church
leadership in Kenya
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asked Maranatha to
build churches and schools
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for their rapidly
growing membership.
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And since then,
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Maranatha has completed
more than 450 structures.
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And since 2016,
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the church has grown
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from 850, 000 to more
than 1 million members.
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Kenya has been
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one of Maranatha's
most active countries
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in terms of projects.
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And while COVID
has slowed the work,
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it hasn't shut
it down completely.
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Just a few weeks
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after the initial
shutdown in March,
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Maranatha's local crew
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started working
in rural locations
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by sheltering in place.
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So construction continued
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at the Kajiado Adventist
School and Rescue Center
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and Kiutine Adventist School.
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Then, eventually,
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the One-Day Church
and well drilling teams
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headed out to the bush
to begin building once more.
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We have put in
42 One-Day Churches.
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We have put in 18 wells.
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At Kiutine, we
have put in a church,
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which is completely blocked.
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We have finished the
sidewalks, the walkways.
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We have finished landscaping.
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We had some work
at the staff housing
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in a small kitchenette.
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At Kajiado,
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we finished the
primary boys' dorm bathroom,
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we finished the sidewalks,
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we got a slab
made for the classroom,
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computer room and a staff room.
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So when the country opens
up and volunteers start coming,
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we're all set and
ready to get the work done.
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So that's what
has been accomplished
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while Coronavirus happened.
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In 2020 alone, even in
the face of a pandemic,
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the team in Kenya has
completed nearly 100 churches
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and more than 30 wells
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along with the various
projects at the school campuses.
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Each project,
whether it's a new church,
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or classroom, or water well
provides a great deal of hope,
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especially during
such uncertain times.
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And this has
provided Ron and his team
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plenty of motivation
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to keep pushing
forward to get the work done.
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When you see firsthand impact,
because I see it firsthand.
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And when you see that,
it gives you more strength.
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It gives you more courage.
It sort of motivates you.
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It tells you that, you
know, you're on the right track.
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And that you're part
of the a greater ministry
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that the Lord has chosen.
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And that is what
Maranatha does, you know.
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That is what Maranatha believes
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that we are here to build people
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as we build buildings.
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Northwest of Kenya,
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another team is working
hard on a number of projects.
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Cote d'Ivoire, also
known as the Ivory Coast
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has been a busy
place for Maranatha
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throughout the pandemic,
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as it hadn't yet
been impacted by COVID-19
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other than the airport
closing and the curfew.
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Most life remained the
same in this African country.
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Cote d'Ivoire is a
nation of 25 million people
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with a relatively
stable agricultural industry.
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From coconut to
cassava, and chocolate.
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A large portion of the country
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is blanketed with
farms and plantations.
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The farming industry has
attracted many immigrants
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from its neighboring countries.
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And today, about
24% of the population
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is a mix of
cultures and nationalities.
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When it comes to religion,
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the majority of the
population is Muslim
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with 33%
professing Christianity.
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There are about 10,000
Seventh-day Adventists,
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but that's about to change.
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The Adventist
Church in Cote d'Ivoire
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is slowly growing,
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and they think
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they can
strengthen their community
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by building
churches and schools.
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So they've asked
Maranatha to help,
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but just three
volunteer projects in,
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the pandemic struck
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putting all
mission trips on hold,
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even in Cote d'Ivoire.
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Then we start thinking,
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how could we solve the
situation, the challenge.
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So we had the idea,
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first, we will reduce our team
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so that will give
enough space distance for,
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you know, social distancing.
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Then we gave them meals here,
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we provide them
with some mattresses
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where they could sleep here,
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and we gave them
gloves, they use mask,
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they also use gel
to clean their hands.
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And this was how we
were able to for four months
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without the lockdown work here.
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In time, workers
completed the Abbebroukoi
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and Anan
Seventh-day Adventist churches,
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two projects that
volunteers had started,
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plus a classroom building.
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In September,
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with restrictions
lifted in the country,
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both churches had
dedication ceremonies
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that welcomed
the church leadership
00:10:55.78\00:10:57.45
and the local media.
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In Abbebroukoi,
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the dedication was
an exuberant kickoff
00:11:02.12\00:11:04.03
to an upcoming time
00:11:04.06\00:11:05.43
of big positive
change in the neighborhood.
00:11:05.46\00:11:07.80
In Abbebroukoi,
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we are
enrolling now the children
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and about two months ago,
nine of our lay evangelists,
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they start visiting the area,
00:11:19.84\00:11:22.14
visiting the homes
00:11:22.18\00:11:23.55
and they enrolled 100
people with Bible studies.
00:11:23.58\00:11:26.61
And we were so glad that
00:11:26.65\00:11:28.42
about two weeks ago, 25
people, they were baptized.
00:11:28.45\00:11:32.49
When we started the church here,
00:11:32.52\00:11:35.22
barely the church could
grow in this Muslim area.
00:11:35.26\00:11:38.03
But Adventist education
will be a blessing for us.
00:11:38.06\00:11:41.46
And we hope by
the end of this year
00:11:41.50\00:11:43.20
to have about 60 new members
enrolled here in this church.
00:11:43.23\00:11:49.20
Next, the local
crew is starting work
00:11:49.24\00:11:51.54
on another school.
00:11:51.57\00:11:53.78
There is an
existing church in Niangon.
00:11:53.81\00:11:56.28
But for many years,
they have been praying,
00:11:56.31\00:11:58.05
asking God to
give them a school,
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and the secondary school
00:12:00.32\00:12:01.65
because this is
the greatest need
00:12:01.68\00:12:03.08
in the community.
00:12:03.12\00:12:04.45
And Maranatha is
responding to their request,
00:12:04.49\00:12:07.32
given them seven
classrooms, two labs,
00:12:07.36\00:12:12.69
science and computing,
00:12:12.73\00:12:14.43
five traditional classrooms.
00:12:14.46\00:12:17.53
Office to the principal as well,
00:12:17.57\00:12:20.00
a lunch room for the teachers.
00:12:20.04\00:12:22.37
And we hope that by December,
00:12:22.40\00:12:24.77
we will have a
group of volunteers
00:12:24.81\00:12:26.37
coming here to help
us to build that school.
00:12:26.41\00:12:31.28
When we come back,
we'll head south to Zambia,
00:12:31.31\00:12:34.42
where crews are busier than ever
00:12:34.45\00:12:36.08
continuing the mission.
00:12:36.12\00:12:37.45
Maranatha is planning
00:12:48.90\00:12:50.23
a number of
volunteer mission trips
00:12:50.27\00:12:51.67
around the globe for 2021.
00:12:51.70\00:12:54.20
But if you'd prefer to
serve at home this year,
00:12:54.24\00:12:56.40
consider one of our
many North America projects.
00:12:56.44\00:12:59.87
In May join us in Tennessee
00:12:59.91\00:13:01.91
as we construct a
brand new building
00:13:01.94\00:13:03.58
for the Jamestown
Seventh-day Adventist Church.
00:13:03.61\00:13:06.58
Volunteers on this project
00:13:06.61\00:13:07.95
will help with wood
framing, siding, roofing
00:13:07.98\00:13:11.05
and window installation.
00:13:11.09\00:13:13.15
Then in June
00:13:13.19\00:13:14.52
help us in North Carolina
at Mount Pisgah Academy.
00:13:14.56\00:13:17.69
Volunteers on this project
00:13:17.73\00:13:19.06
will help renovate
41 girls' dorm rooms.
00:13:19.09\00:13:22.13
The work will
include electrical, flooring,
00:13:22.16\00:13:24.97
door installation,
block wall removal,
00:13:25.00\00:13:28.00
and the
installation of dressers,
00:13:28.04\00:13:29.97
shelving units and bunk beds.
00:13:30.01\00:13:32.94
If neither of these
projects work for you,
00:13:32.97\00:13:34.91
Maranatha has plans
00:13:34.94\00:13:36.28
for around 20 North
America projects in 2021.
00:13:36.31\00:13:40.62
Please visit
maranatha.org/volunteer
00:13:40.65\00:13:43.89
to browse our
current list of projects.
00:13:43.92\00:13:46.35
We hope to see you there soon.
00:13:46.39\00:13:47.72
Zambia is a
Sub-Saharan African country
00:13:57.80\00:14:00.60
most famous for Victoria Falls,
00:14:00.64\00:14:03.30
a breathtaking
waterfall spanning a mile wide
00:14:03.34\00:14:06.14
and a depth of 304 feet.
00:14:06.17\00:14:10.11
But by Maranatha standards,
00:14:10.15\00:14:11.95
Zambia is famous as a country
00:14:11.98\00:14:13.75
with one of the
largest Seventh-day Adventist
00:14:13.78\00:14:16.15
memberships in the world.
00:14:16.18\00:14:18.69
More than 1.36 million people
00:14:18.72\00:14:21.36
are part of the
Adventist faith in Zambia,
00:14:21.39\00:14:23.73
and many of them
need a place of worship.
00:14:23.76\00:14:27.96
After working in
Zambia from 2009-2015
00:14:28.00\00:14:31.73
to build hundreds of structures,
00:14:31.77\00:14:33.67
Maranatha returned in
2018 to build more churches,
00:14:33.70\00:14:37.94
schools, and also water wells.
00:14:37.97\00:14:41.84
When news of the
pandemic hit the world,
00:14:41.88\00:14:43.95
work in Zambia shut
down for a couple of weeks
00:14:43.98\00:14:46.58
as the crew assessed
the country restrictions
00:14:46.61\00:14:48.95
and the potential risks.
00:14:48.98\00:14:50.79
Then in mid-April,
00:14:50.82\00:14:52.15
Maranatha decided
to shelter in place
00:14:52.19\00:14:54.09
and work at the Immanuel
Adventist Secondary School,
00:14:54.12\00:14:57.13
a campus in need
of more classrooms.
00:14:57.16\00:15:01.06
When COVID came on the scene,
00:15:01.10\00:15:03.80
we needed a place
to be able to work
00:15:03.83\00:15:06.00
that was a safe place
00:15:06.03\00:15:08.04
where we could
bring our workers in,
00:15:08.07\00:15:10.34
and they weren't having
to come on and off the job.
00:15:10.37\00:15:13.54
So the Immanuel School emerged
00:15:13.58\00:15:16.08
as a good place
for us to do that.
00:15:16.11\00:15:17.45
There was a big need,
00:15:17.48\00:15:18.81
and so we talked
to the leadership
00:15:18.85\00:15:20.22
and agreed on a couple of things
00:15:20.25\00:15:21.65
and we got started.
00:15:21.68\00:15:23.18
Since then the team
has remained at Immanuel,
00:15:23.22\00:15:25.72
building several classrooms
and a girls' dormitory.
00:15:25.75\00:15:29.99
And when the country
began opening up some more,
00:15:30.03\00:15:32.66
Maranatha started venturing
out to build One-Day Churches.
00:15:32.69\00:15:36.60
You can't go
anywhere in the country
00:15:36.63\00:15:38.23
without finding
Seventh-day Adventist.
00:15:38.27\00:15:39.60
Every village along
the road, every shop,
00:15:39.63\00:15:41.80
there's just,
there's Seventh-day Adventist
00:15:41.84\00:15:43.24
all over the country.
00:15:43.27\00:15:44.61
So the need for structures
and buildings is huge.
00:15:44.64\00:15:50.25
They were meeting under trees.
00:15:50.28\00:15:52.31
If they have a
structure, in general,
00:15:52.35\00:15:53.68
they have some kind of
shade structure built up,
00:15:53.72\00:15:55.35
but it's made out
of, you know, sticks,
00:15:55.38\00:15:57.49
we'll take what around us,
00:15:57.52\00:15:58.85
it just pulls grass
over top, no metal roof.
00:15:58.89\00:16:02.52
So it's a
termite buffet, you know,
00:16:02.56\00:16:05.06
and the buildings
don't last very long.
00:16:05.09\00:16:06.70
And so that's what we find
in most villages where we go
00:16:06.73\00:16:09.16
and been asked to build.
00:16:09.20\00:16:12.73
The team has also been
drilling water wells at places
00:16:12.77\00:16:15.24
where we have
constructed churches.
00:16:15.27\00:16:17.01
And the impact has been massive.
00:16:17.04\00:16:21.21
There are some
denominations in eastern Zambia
00:16:21.24\00:16:23.81
where we were building
back in February, March
00:16:23.85\00:16:25.95
that actually
were restricting access
00:16:25.98\00:16:27.32
to only members.
00:16:27.35\00:16:28.95
And they actually charge
them a certain amount of money,
00:16:28.98\00:16:31.69
and even if you
were not a member,
00:16:31.72\00:16:33.42
you couldn't,
00:16:33.46\00:16:34.79
even with money you
couldn't access the well.
00:16:34.82\00:16:36.26
Just you had to be
like a real member,
00:16:36.29\00:16:38.49
you know, this
club kind of thing,
00:16:38.53\00:16:39.96
or this church.
00:16:40.00\00:16:41.63
Our situation is
completely different.
00:16:41.66\00:16:43.06
We put it in,
everybody's so grateful,
00:16:43.10\00:16:44.77
because they can't afford it.
00:16:44.80\00:16:46.13
I mean, a subsistence farmer,
00:16:46.17\00:16:48.30
you know, scratching a
living out of the ground,
00:16:48.34\00:16:50.41
they don't have money for water.
00:16:50.44\00:16:51.77
I mean, they go get
it from poor source,
00:16:51.81\00:16:53.84
because they can't
afford to pay for it
00:16:53.88\00:16:55.28
from some other better source.
00:16:55.31\00:16:57.25
So we're just super stoked
00:16:57.28\00:16:59.01
to be able to be
providing free water
00:16:59.05\00:17:01.85
to every thirsty person.
00:17:01.88\00:17:03.55
And we're blessed
with generous donors
00:17:03.59\00:17:05.49
and so we move as
the Lord allows us
00:17:05.52\00:17:08.32
and as provides resources,
00:17:08.36\00:17:09.72
you know, but,
but the impact is big.
00:17:09.76\00:17:12.16
And, of course,
00:17:12.19\00:17:13.66
we're going to
see a lot more of that
00:17:13.70\00:17:15.03
as we continue
to build for them,
00:17:15.06\00:17:17.03
that impact will
continue to grow.
00:17:17.07\00:17:19.00
As of September 2020,
00:17:19.03\00:17:20.84
Maranatha had
already constructed
00:17:20.87\00:17:22.64
more than 50 One-Day Churches
00:17:22.67\00:17:24.54
and drilled more than 100
wells in Zambia just this year.
00:17:24.57\00:17:29.91
The fact that most
of Maranatha's projects
00:17:29.94\00:17:32.58
take place in rural areas
00:17:32.61\00:17:34.42
has been the
saving grace for our work,
00:17:34.45\00:17:36.99
not just in Africa,
00:17:37.02\00:17:38.35
but also in other
parts of the world.
00:17:38.39\00:17:39.99
As the COVID-19 virus
spread around the world,
00:17:49.13\00:17:51.83
India quickly locked
down the entire country.
00:17:51.87\00:17:56.37
The
restrictions were most severe
00:17:56.40\00:17:57.91
in the urban areas
00:17:57.94\00:17:59.27
where people were not
allowed to leave their homes.
00:17:59.31\00:18:01.31
On March 24, 2020,
00:18:04.31\00:18:07.45
our Prime
Minister announced that
00:18:07.48\00:18:08.82
India is going in
a complete lockdown.
00:18:08.85\00:18:11.29
And the
guidelines for lockdown was
00:18:11.32\00:18:14.16
no flights,
00:18:14.19\00:18:16.59
no ground
transportation, no trains.
00:18:16.62\00:18:21.63
Everybody was
supposed to stay indoor.
00:18:21.66\00:18:25.10
And everything
came to standstill,
00:18:25.13\00:18:27.40
complete halt, nothing moved.
00:18:27.44\00:18:30.04
And for that matter of fact,
00:18:30.07\00:18:31.94
some of our team members
00:18:31.97\00:18:33.31
actually stayed
away from their families
00:18:33.34\00:18:34.68
for almost six to seven months.
00:18:34.71\00:18:36.85
They could not go
back to their families
00:18:36.88\00:18:38.45
because the states
were all also locked on,
00:18:38.48\00:18:41.12
the state borders were sealed,
00:18:41.15\00:18:43.39
we could not move.
00:18:43.42\00:18:45.85
But a couple weeks later,
00:18:45.89\00:18:47.22
the India team
found a way to work again.
00:18:47.26\00:18:49.79
Unable to go home,
00:18:49.82\00:18:51.16
crews asked
permission from local officials
00:18:51.19\00:18:53.13
to shelter in place at
their construction sites
00:18:53.16\00:18:55.80
and keep working.
00:18:55.83\00:18:58.43
School and church
construction projects
00:18:58.47\00:19:00.57
slowly started up again
00:19:00.60\00:19:02.37
with limited
materials and even tools.
00:19:02.40\00:19:06.17
For example, like
there was one instance
00:19:06.21\00:19:08.04
when we were trying to
finish the church in Kerala.
00:19:08.08\00:19:12.61
We could not move our equipment
from one site to the other.
00:19:12.65\00:19:15.88
So we had only one drill.
00:19:15.92\00:19:18.72
Only one drill to erect
the entire church structure.
00:19:18.75\00:19:22.02
Plus also that same drill
was used to place the roof.
00:19:22.06\00:19:26.90
And my team is very
proud of that drill impact
00:19:26.93\00:19:31.27
because that was
the only one equipment
00:19:31.30\00:19:33.57
we had to finish that church.
00:19:33.60\00:19:35.70
And sometimes
00:19:35.74\00:19:37.07
we even had to
wait for three weeks
00:19:37.11\00:19:39.21
for just to get few screws
00:19:39.24\00:19:40.81
so that we could
put it on the roof.
00:19:40.84\00:19:43.18
It was difficult,
00:19:43.21\00:19:44.65
but team was able to move along.
00:19:44.68\00:19:48.62
India has also
been drilling wells
00:19:48.65\00:19:50.42
during COVID at locations
00:19:50.45\00:19:51.95
where Maranatha has
constructed churches.
00:19:51.99\00:19:55.29
Water is a dire
need for any mankind.
00:19:55.32\00:19:58.99
You cannot
survive without water.
00:19:59.03\00:20:01.13
And that goes
for my country too.
00:20:01.16\00:20:03.47
In India,
00:20:03.50\00:20:05.13
majority of our
population does not have access
00:20:05.17\00:20:07.44
to clean drinking water.
00:20:07.47\00:20:09.17
And from past couple of years
00:20:09.20\00:20:10.54
we have been able
to go and drill wells
00:20:10.57\00:20:12.71
for many
communities in our country.
00:20:12.74\00:20:14.91
And that has helped
our church tremendously
00:20:14.94\00:20:18.08
in making sure that,
00:20:18.11\00:20:19.45
you know,
communities are reached
00:20:19.48\00:20:21.18
which do not have
access to clean water.
00:20:21.22\00:20:23.15
Now some of
those community people
00:20:23.18\00:20:24.55
are able to come to our churches
00:20:24.59\00:20:26.69
and attend churches.
00:20:26.72\00:20:29.59
Despite enduring one of
the strictest lockdowns,
00:20:29.62\00:20:32.39
the team in India
is continuing to work
00:20:32.43\00:20:34.66
to share God's message of
hope through construction.
00:20:34.70\00:20:37.43
From India, we head to Brazil,
00:20:49.34\00:20:51.48
a country that is famous
for its expansive rainforest
00:20:51.51\00:20:54.78
and the Amazon River.
00:20:54.82\00:20:57.89
But it is less
known for its deserts,
00:20:57.92\00:21:00.66
areas that have a scarcity
of flora, fauna and water.
00:21:00.69\00:21:03.79
Northeastern
Brazil is one such place,
00:21:07.70\00:21:12.13
and it's where Maranatha
has been focusing its efforts
00:21:12.17\00:21:14.80
since late 2019.
00:21:14.84\00:21:18.27
Here, rain is scarce
and vegetation is sparse.
00:21:18.31\00:21:23.28
Water is a
luxury to be purchased
00:21:23.31\00:21:27.92
or collected carefully
when it rains, which is rare.
00:21:27.95\00:21:32.65
For years, Maranatha
has been working in Brazil
00:21:32.69\00:21:35.16
to build nearly
1,000 One-Day Churches
00:21:35.19\00:21:37.76
for congregations in need.
00:21:37.79\00:21:40.73
Many of those structures
were in this dry region.
00:21:40.76\00:21:44.00
And now Maranatha has returned
to visit the congregations
00:21:44.03\00:21:47.14
and provide them a
well even during the crisis.
00:21:47.17\00:21:51.41
Brazil has been hit very
hard by the COVID-19 pandemic,
00:21:51.44\00:21:54.98
and it has impacted
people throughout the country.
00:21:55.01\00:21:57.51
Some of the cities have
been hit extremely hard.
00:21:57.55\00:22:00.95
Yet out in the rural areas,
we've been able to move around,
00:22:00.98\00:22:04.69
we've been able to drill wells
00:22:04.72\00:22:06.69
in some of these
villages in areas
00:22:06.72\00:22:08.69
where the need
is extremely high.
00:22:08.72\00:22:12.46
While some wells tend
to be private or reserved
00:22:12.49\00:22:15.10
for certain denominations,
00:22:15.13\00:22:16.83
all Maranatha water
wells are free to the public
00:22:16.87\00:22:19.80
with no strings attached.
00:22:19.83\00:22:22.60
As we've drilled
water wells in Brazil,
00:22:22.64\00:22:24.54
we've seen those
wells be an opportunity
00:22:24.57\00:22:27.84
for a Seventh-day
Adventist congregation
00:22:27.88\00:22:29.58
to get to know their community
00:22:29.61\00:22:31.25
in a way that
they didn't before.
00:22:31.28\00:22:32.61
They're meeting their neighbors,
00:22:36.32\00:22:39.02
they're showing their
care for people around them.
00:22:39.05\00:22:43.56
And it's actually
completely changing the view
00:22:43.59\00:22:46.66
that the neighbors have
about them as congregation
00:22:46.70\00:22:49.23
and about them as Christians.
00:22:49.26\00:22:50.73
While Maranatha has been
able to continue the mission
00:23:04.88\00:23:07.35
in most countries,
00:23:07.38\00:23:08.72
there is one place
where work has been halted
00:23:08.75\00:23:10.89
for several months, Peru.
00:23:10.92\00:23:12.95
Maranatha worked in
this South American country
00:23:16.96\00:23:19.33
about 15 years ago,
00:23:19.36\00:23:20.83
providing churches and schools
to dozens of communities.
00:23:20.86\00:23:23.60
The beautiful
setting, rich culture,
00:23:26.60\00:23:29.44
and friendly people
00:23:29.47\00:23:31.14
made it a beloved
project for volunteers.
00:23:31.17\00:23:34.58
And in 2020, the return to Peru
was going to be a big focus.
00:23:34.61\00:23:39.85
The goal was to
build churches and a school
00:23:39.88\00:23:42.42
in the suburbs surrounding Lima,
00:23:42.45\00:23:44.19
Peru's capital city.
00:23:44.22\00:23:45.55
Congregations
that had been chosen
00:23:48.72\00:23:50.43
to receive a new church
00:23:50.46\00:23:51.79
prepared for
Maranatha's Volunteers
00:23:51.83\00:23:53.76
by tearing down
their old buildings
00:23:53.80\00:23:55.80
and clearing the
way for the work.
00:23:55.83\00:23:57.83
Then everything came
to a heartbreaking stop.
00:23:57.87\00:24:01.74
So we're really excited
00:24:01.77\00:24:04.14
for the month
of March and April.
00:24:04.17\00:24:06.84
Those are the busiest
months of the year for us.
00:24:06.88\00:24:10.58
We're expecting
about eight groups
00:24:10.61\00:24:12.55
and close to 500 volunteers.
00:24:12.58\00:24:16.15
In early March,
00:24:16.18\00:24:17.52
Elmer and his team welcomed
00:24:17.55\00:24:18.89
two of the eight groups to Peru.
00:24:18.92\00:24:21.42
As soon as the groups arrived,
00:24:21.46\00:24:22.79
we start hearing that
00:24:22.82\00:24:24.16
there was one
case and two cases.
00:24:24.19\00:24:25.66
By the end of the week,
00:24:25.69\00:24:27.20
there were six cases
00:24:27.23\00:24:28.56
and that's when
00:24:28.60\00:24:30.03
the World Health Organization
00:24:30.07\00:24:32.03
announced that
this was a pandemic.
00:24:32.07\00:24:34.40
At that moment,
00:24:34.44\00:24:35.77
the president of the country
decided to close the country
00:24:35.80\00:24:38.47
completed with
all the borders close,
00:24:38.51\00:24:41.11
the airport, the
land borders and sea.
00:24:41.14\00:24:47.02
In conjunction
with the Maranatha team
00:24:47.05\00:24:48.95
in the United States,
00:24:48.98\00:24:50.32
Elmer's local
team worked frantically
00:24:50.35\00:24:52.02
to get 100 volunteers
home before Peru's border shut.
00:24:52.05\00:24:56.73
Thirty hours later and
with 10 minutes to spare
00:24:56.76\00:25:00.03
before the border is
closed, everyone got out.
00:25:00.06\00:25:02.56
It was one problem solved.
00:25:06.40\00:25:08.20
But in Peru, Elmer and the team
were basically on house arrest.
00:25:08.24\00:25:13.74
Work has not
restarted in Peru since March.
00:25:13.78\00:25:16.58
But Maranatha is continuing
to pray for projects in Peru.
00:25:16.61\00:25:21.32
I can't predict the future.
00:25:21.35\00:25:22.75
But I can tell you that
00:25:22.78\00:25:24.19
we're still
committed to trying to do
00:25:24.22\00:25:26.42
what we had planned to do
00:25:26.45\00:25:27.79
and to honor our commitments
that we made in Peru.
00:25:27.82\00:25:30.63
Right now, it's not
possible to work there.
00:25:30.66\00:25:32.99
But we're waiting
for the door to open
00:25:33.03\00:25:34.70
and when it will open,
00:25:34.73\00:25:36.16
we'll walk through
and do what we can.
00:25:36.20\00:25:38.53
What keeps me
hoping and trusting
00:25:43.51\00:25:46.61
that God's going
to take care of us
00:25:46.64\00:25:47.98
looking in the past
00:25:48.01\00:25:49.34
and see how He
has led our lives,
00:25:49.38\00:25:51.35
He has led the
work of Maranatha,
00:25:51.38\00:25:53.21
and personally
has been taking care
00:25:53.25\00:25:54.68
of me and my family.
00:25:54.72\00:25:56.15
And I know that
He can do anything,
00:25:56.18\00:25:59.02
and He has all
under His control.
00:25:59.05\00:26:01.46
We may not understand,
but God sees the big picture.
00:26:01.49\00:26:04.53
So it's a exercise
every day to trust Him
00:26:04.56\00:26:09.23
and know that
He's taking care of us.
00:26:09.26\00:26:12.07
Through God's
blessing and guidance,
00:26:12.10\00:26:14.17
we know He will
open doors for us
00:26:14.20\00:26:16.34
to help these
faithful congregations,
00:26:16.37\00:26:18.84
not only in Peru,
but also in Kenya,
00:26:18.87\00:26:22.24
Zambia,
00:26:22.28\00:26:24.11
Cote d'Ivoire,
00:26:24.15\00:26:26.05
India, and Brazil.
00:26:26.08\00:26:29.25
We also trust that
each of you watching
00:26:29.28\00:26:31.59
will be
inspired to get involved.
00:26:31.62\00:26:33.82
Now more than ever,
00:26:33.86\00:26:35.52
we need your support
00:26:35.56\00:26:37.23
as we navigate this new reality.
00:26:37.26\00:26:41.06
Well, the more I watch
00:26:41.10\00:26:42.43
what's transpired and
continues to transpire
00:26:42.46\00:26:45.33
during this
COVID-19 time period,
00:26:45.37\00:26:48.60
the more I am convinced
00:26:48.64\00:26:51.54
that God wants us here
that we're supposed to be
00:26:51.57\00:26:53.91
or that we're supposed to
be reaching out to people.
00:26:53.94\00:26:58.01
I think that those
that watch Maranatha
00:26:58.05\00:27:01.42
or involved with Maranatha.
00:27:01.45\00:27:03.55
They're involved because
00:27:03.59\00:27:04.92
they want to see
something happen.
00:27:04.95\00:27:06.55
They don't want to see
people go back in a corner
00:27:06.59\00:27:09.49
and fold their arms and retreat.
00:27:09.52\00:27:13.03
They want to see
do as much as you can.
00:27:13.06\00:27:16.40
Push on all the
doors that you can.
00:27:16.43\00:27:18.60
Don't be stupid about
it, don't be unsafe about it.
00:27:18.63\00:27:21.50
But push on all the doors
00:27:21.54\00:27:22.87
and accomplish
everything you can
00:27:22.90\00:27:24.27
and see if God
doesn't open those doors
00:27:24.31\00:27:25.87
and make something happen.
00:27:25.91\00:27:28.24
As we keep
pushing, God keeps blessing,
00:27:28.28\00:27:30.81
and that's,
00:27:30.85\00:27:32.41
what's better than that?
00:27:32.45\00:27:33.78