Hi, I'm Dustin Comm
with the Maranatha Minute.
00:00:01.36\00:00:03.53
Maranatha has been busy in
Brazil drilling water wells
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in the dry north
eastern part of the country.
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We recently hit water
for the Pitimbu congregation
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where the output of the well
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is more than
1,000 gallons per hour.
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This community will now benefit
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from abundant clean
water close at hand.
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And the congregation
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recently held a
dedication service
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inviting their community
to use this free resource.
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We also completed a well
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for the Sitio
Cabaceiras congregation.
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Maranatha previously constructed
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a one day church here
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and members had been working
to finish the walls themselves.
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But with no nearby
water to make stucco,
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the work stalled out.
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Now members have
easily accessible water
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to finish the job
right at the church site.
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To see more
project updates from Brazil
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and around the world,
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follow us on social media.
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Find us on
Facebook and Instagram
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to see photos and videos
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from the
mission field every day.
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March,
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Maranatha's busiest time of year
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for volunteers.
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Each year during the spring,
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hundreds of Maranatha volunteers
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pour into the mission field.
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It makes up half
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of Maranatha's
total number of volunteers
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for the year.
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March 2020 was
supposed to be the same.
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Maranatha had
recently started working
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in the country of Peru
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and expected
hundreds of volunteers
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to serve there as
well as other locations.
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But an extraordinary
event was developing
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that would soon
ground Maranatha volunteers
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and the rest of the world.
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A novel Coronavirus,
eventually known as COVID-19,
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had begun to
spread around the globe
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infecting significant
portions of the population.
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This virus would
soon bring travel,
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commerce and life
itself to a standstill.
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Chris Webb
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is a high school English teacher
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in Texas who was
preparing to lead
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a group of more
than 70 volunteers
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from Burton Adventist Academy
on a mission trip to Peru.
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I think pretty early on,
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no one really knew
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how big of a deal this would be,
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no one really knew
that this was going to like
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stop the world,
stop our country.
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The week leading up to the trip
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was a really
interesting one for us,
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we weren't really sure
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that we were going to be
able to pull it off or not.
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There was some
political concerns,
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there were some nervousness,
I think, from our school board,
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justifiably so
that we could leave
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the country, that we
could get back safely.
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You know, there was issues
of if we were to get stranded,
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what that would look like.
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After carefully
weighing the risks,
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the Burton Group
decided to move forward
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with their mission trip
and safely departed for Peru.
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As time went on,
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the global response to COVID-19
was beginning to tighten.
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By mid March,
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things were changing
on a day to day basis.
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And March 11,
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the President had
a press conference
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in which he restricted travel
for people coming from Europe
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to the United States.
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And that really was
a change point for us
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and that it started to make
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everybody in the
United States think,
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"Okay, something's really big
and different happening here.
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And it's going to shift
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whether or not
we're able to travel."
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And so people started...
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Our group leader
started to reevaluate
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whether they should go out.
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It's really important to us
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that we make sure
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that our trips are
as safe as possible
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for all our volunteers.
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And so as we were
looking at mission trips
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happening in the
lead up to COVID,
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we also evaluated
are these trips safe?
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Are we putting
anybody at unnecessary risk?
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And we use a
number of different ways
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to do that.
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But it was paramount then
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as it is for every mission trip.
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We monitor a lot of information
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that comes from
safety organizations
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from risk management
companies around the world,
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international
travel type organizations,
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and we also rely on our
eyes and ears on the ground.
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So our employees,
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all of our
contacts within the church,
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that are getting information
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in a real time
basis on the ground
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are sources for
us as we determine
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whether a
project is safe or not.
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And we use all
of that information
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as much as we can
get to evaluate things
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as we were moving through March,
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it related to COVID.
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Groups were
really starting to wonder
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if we're ever
going to be able to go
00:05:01.90\00:05:03.23
on a mission trip or not.
00:05:03.26\00:05:04.67
And by mid March,
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many of our trips
had either canceled,
00:05:06.53\00:05:08.57
postponed.
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Greg Hatch is a
veteran mission trip leader
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having led more than
30 Maranatha projects
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over the years.
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In March 2020,
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he was
evaluating whether his group
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from the West Houston
Seventh-day Adventist Church
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should continue
with their mission trip
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to the African
nation of Cote d'Ivoire.
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The night before we
were supposed to leave
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we were leaving on a Thursday,
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kind of midday and
getting there Friday night.
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My wife and I
were watching something
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and, you know,
everything is done,
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we're just ready to go,
all packed, ready to go.
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And my phone just
started blowing up
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with text messages
from my niece, my dad,
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everybody on the trip, like,
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"Have you heard the
news, have you seen the news?"
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No, I haven't seen any news.
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I'm watching a
game or something.
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And that was the night
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that President Trump
came out with his proclamation
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that nobody can fly from
Europe to the United States,
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which was a big problem for us,
00:06:02.19\00:06:04.36
because we were
flying through Europe
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to get to Cote d'Ivoire,
00:06:08.20\00:06:09.53
and then
returning through Europe,
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when we were done with the trip.
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So there is about
a four hour period
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where Lisandro and myself
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were calling
literally everybody we knew
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trying to figure
out what this meant,
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did this mean we
couldn't go on the trip?
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And
fortunately, late that night,
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you know, it came out that
yes, if you're a US citizen,
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or if you're in
the country legally,
00:06:30.69\00:06:32.49
you can get back in
through one of the 13 airports
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but and that was a
little tense four hours.
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So at that point, we then,
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you know, we had
to ask the group,
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"Hey, do you all
still want to go?
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And all through the
night the replies kept coming.
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"I'm in. I'm in.
We're going. Let's do this."
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And we had 31 of the 39,
who ended up deciding to go.
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So that was great.
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When we come back,
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the West Houston
group travels to Africa,
00:07:02.85\00:07:04.72
while other Maranatha
groups make hard decisions
00:07:04.75\00:07:07.49
as the world
continues to tighten
00:07:07.52\00:07:09.42
due to COVID-19.
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Are you wondering
00:07:24.84\00:07:26.17
what is happening in
the world of missions
00:07:26.21\00:07:27.58
during these unique times?
00:07:27.61\00:07:29.78
Watch Mission Maranatha
for a comprehensive look
00:07:29.81\00:07:32.51
at how God has been
00:07:32.55\00:07:33.88
and continues to open doors
00:07:33.92\00:07:35.52
for the mission
of Maranatha in 2020.
00:07:35.55\00:07:39.05
Visit maranatha.org
to watch the program
00:07:39.09\00:07:41.39
in its entirety.
00:07:41.42\00:07:43.83
Or pick an individual segment
00:07:43.86\00:07:45.29
to watch and
share with a friend.
00:07:45.33\00:07:48.16
You can also
watch this mission event
00:07:48.20\00:07:49.93
on Maranatha's YouTube channel
@youtube.com/missionstories.
00:07:49.96\00:07:55.97
Bring the mission
field to your living room
00:07:56.00\00:07:57.74
by watching Mission Maranatha
00:07:57.77\00:07:59.27
on the Maranatha
channel for Roku,
00:07:59.31\00:08:01.34
Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV.
00:08:01.38\00:08:03.75
Or download the
Maranatha channel
00:08:08.02\00:08:09.72
on your iOS or Android device.
00:08:09.75\00:08:13.69
Stay connected to the mission.
00:08:13.72\00:08:15.52
As the West Houston group
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safely made it to Cote d'Ivoire,
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travel
restrictions continue to mount
00:08:28.17\00:08:30.34
and other Maranatha groups
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were forced to
make tough choices.
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A group from the
Gracepoint Adventist Church
00:08:36.14\00:08:38.11
in California
decided to travel to Kenya
00:08:38.15\00:08:40.65
but ended up turning
around before they made it.
00:08:40.68\00:08:45.25
Another group of volunteers
was already in Kenya serving
00:08:45.29\00:08:48.49
at the Kajiado Adventist
School and Rescue Center.
00:08:48.52\00:08:52.66
As airlines around the globe
00:08:52.69\00:08:54.16
began to
announce cuts in service,
00:08:54.20\00:08:56.03
some of the group
moved up their flights
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to leave early.
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The rest of the volunteers
departed a few days later.
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Back in Peru, Chris
Webb's group was safe
00:09:06.71\00:09:09.31
in the midst of a
successful project
00:09:09.34\00:09:11.25
constructing a new building
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for the Huaycan R
Seventh-day Adventist Church.
00:09:12.65\00:09:18.05
I think that our mission
trip went amazingly well.
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We built the church
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and no one got hurt
other than sunburns.
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I think we were able
to see 1300 patients.
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Our medical people
were able to see that,
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you know, see some surgeries,
00:09:31.97\00:09:33.30
we had people
handing out glasses
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and we had eye
doctors who were doing,
00:09:35.67\00:09:37.64
you know, checks and all that.
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We were able to
take care of like
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a number of different locations
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as far as like
doing VBS programming.
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And meanwhile my wife and I
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were as we were
running the trip,
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we would kind of be traveling
00:09:50.42\00:09:52.15
between the different work sites
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and uploading pictures
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and you know you
pull your phone out
00:09:54.92\00:09:56.26
and you start seeing stuff like,
00:09:56.29\00:09:57.63
okay, well you know, there,
00:09:57.66\00:09:59.33
this school is now
being shut down indefinitely.
00:09:59.36\00:10:04.17
These airports
you know it doesn't,
00:10:04.20\00:10:06.13
it doesn't look like
you're going to be able to like
00:10:06.17\00:10:07.50
travel through
this certain airport
00:10:07.54\00:10:09.64
or you know certain
countries and stuff like that
00:10:09.67\00:10:11.91
or, you know, the
number of cases in Texas
00:10:11.94\00:10:15.74
and the number of cases in Peru
00:10:15.78\00:10:17.58
and, you know, Peru
is a really big country
00:10:17.61\00:10:19.51
and so, you know, so
yeah, it's area was calculus,
00:10:19.55\00:10:22.48
it's all those pieces together
00:10:22.52\00:10:24.69
kind of coming into my head
00:10:24.72\00:10:27.96
and just kind of
like thinking like,
00:10:27.99\00:10:29.62
okay, well, how
do we deal with this?
00:10:29.66\00:10:31.03
Is this something
where we need to bail out?
00:10:31.06\00:10:32.56
Or is this something
that we're still doing well?
00:10:32.59\00:10:34.53
And I feel like
throughout that entire process,
00:10:34.56\00:10:37.00
we were always very,
very safe, very safe.
00:10:37.03\00:10:40.67
Well, everybody worked so hard
over the course of that week
00:10:40.70\00:10:43.61
and so our reward portion,
00:10:43.64\00:10:45.61
our adventure
that after we were done
00:10:45.64\00:10:47.31
with all the stuff,
00:10:47.34\00:10:48.68
was to get in a plane
and fly from Lima to Cusco
00:10:48.71\00:10:52.65
and then make our
way up the mountain
00:10:52.68\00:10:54.75
in this really high elevation
and make it to Machu Picchu.
00:10:54.78\00:10:57.79
We were just so just
at the top of the world
00:10:57.82\00:11:00.89
like literally was
the coolest experience
00:11:00.92\00:11:03.39
and such a beautiful way
to kind of cap off the trip.
00:11:03.43\00:11:08.26
Yeah, we were
literally on top of the mountain
00:11:08.30\00:11:10.07
and we got our
way back to the hotel
00:11:10.10\00:11:12.70
and as we were preparing
to kind of eat and relax,
00:11:12.73\00:11:15.90
then we hear the news.
00:11:15.94\00:11:18.11
What we found out was that
00:11:18.14\00:11:19.71
Peru was going to be
shutting down their airspace
00:11:19.74\00:11:22.01
Monday evening in a
little less than 24 hours
00:11:22.04\00:11:24.75
and unfortunately our
flight leaving from Lima
00:11:24.78\00:11:27.55
back to the United
States via Mexico City
00:11:27.58\00:11:30.39
was going to be
leaving on Tuesday morning,
00:11:30.42\00:11:32.19
very early on
Tuesday morning like at 4 am.
00:11:32.22\00:11:35.56
Also, in Peru,
hearing the same news
00:11:35.59\00:11:38.03
was a group of 38 volunteers
00:11:38.06\00:11:39.93
from Alaska with
Amazing Grace Academy.
00:11:39.96\00:11:42.60
They had been
serving in the town of Ika
00:11:42.63\00:11:44.47
to construct a
large school building.
00:11:44.50\00:11:47.00
Twenty members traveled to Cusco
00:11:47.04\00:11:48.64
in order to see Machu Picchu,
00:11:48.67\00:11:50.41
unfortunately they had to cancel
00:11:50.44\00:11:52.07
their excursion.
00:11:52.11\00:11:53.48
However, as a smaller group
00:11:53.51\00:11:55.58
they were able to
quickly find flights out of Peru
00:11:55.61\00:11:58.01
through Bolivia
before the midnight deadline.
00:11:58.05\00:12:01.22
The Burton Group
was still two hours away
00:12:01.25\00:12:03.55
from the Cusco airport
00:12:03.59\00:12:04.92
and with rumors that the
roads might soon be shut down
00:12:04.95\00:12:07.66
or curfews enforced,
00:12:07.69\00:12:09.06
the sooner that
they could get to Cusco
00:12:09.09\00:12:11.06
and catch a flight
to Lima the better.
00:12:11.09\00:12:15.03
Because of Burton's
large group of 72 volunteers,
00:12:15.06\00:12:18.63
even once they got there,
00:12:18.67\00:12:20.07
commercial flights
would be difficult to find.
00:12:20.10\00:12:23.04
I've traveled
enough in my own life
00:12:23.07\00:12:26.71
that if I'm on a trip
by myself or with my family
00:12:26.74\00:12:32.35
and they shut the borders down,
00:12:32.38\00:12:35.48
cool like that's
we'll deal with it,
00:12:35.52\00:12:38.15
it's a cool opportunity
00:12:38.19\00:12:39.52
to have a crazy
experience, right?
00:12:39.55\00:12:42.82
When you're there
00:12:42.86\00:12:44.19
with 50
something high school kids
00:12:44.23\00:12:46.83
and I looked
00:12:46.86\00:12:48.20
at each one of those of
their parents in the eyes
00:12:48.23\00:12:50.20
and I said I'm
gonna bring your kid home.
00:12:50.23\00:12:53.60
The scariest thing
is when we find out
00:12:53.64\00:12:55.90
that something's about
to go down like I kept...
00:12:55.94\00:13:00.41
To me I just kept coming back
00:13:00.44\00:13:01.78
to how I'm going
to get these kids back
00:13:01.81\00:13:03.85
like that's the promise I made.
00:13:03.88\00:13:06.15
Things kind of
progressed along the trip
00:13:06.18\00:13:08.75
and their kind of starts
to become this like dark cloud
00:13:08.78\00:13:11.35
of like, you know, COVID
00:13:11.39\00:13:13.22
and then you know,
00:13:13.25\00:13:15.42
are they going to shut
00:13:15.46\00:13:16.79
our airport down and everything,
00:13:16.83\00:13:18.16
and it was very
easy for me personally
00:13:18.19\00:13:20.33
to get into kind of a dark place
00:13:20.36\00:13:21.86
and to really feel,
00:13:21.90\00:13:23.23
you know, down and discouraged
00:13:23.26\00:13:24.63
and scared and just
wondering, okay, what's next?
00:13:24.67\00:13:26.63
What's next?
00:13:26.67\00:13:28.00
And the kids were
absolutely my inspiration.
00:13:28.04\00:13:31.04
They were unbelievable.
00:13:31.07\00:13:33.58
Literally almost we see
tear just thinking about like
00:13:33.61\00:13:36.14
the number of kids that
would like come up to me
00:13:36.18\00:13:38.31
and they'd be like
00:13:38.35\00:13:39.68
"Mr. Webb, we
appreciate you doing a great job
00:13:39.71\00:13:41.42
and like, " I could be like,
00:13:41.45\00:13:42.78
"I don't know if
we're getting home."
00:13:42.82\00:13:44.15
They're like, "It's cool
man, we're just having bread,
00:13:44.19\00:13:46.62
like we're good,
00:13:46.65\00:13:47.99
we're having a good time
like you're doing your best."
00:13:48.02\00:13:51.73
So we sit around the
airport, basically all day
00:13:51.76\00:13:54.90
and try to come up with a plan
00:13:54.93\00:13:56.36
for, okay, once we get to Lima,
then how do we get out of Lima?
00:13:56.40\00:14:01.20
And there's a
couple different plans
00:14:01.24\00:14:02.57
that were in place
00:14:02.60\00:14:03.94
and thankfully we had
some people from our church,
00:14:03.97\00:14:07.44
who stepped up
00:14:07.48\00:14:08.81
and arranged for a flight
00:14:08.84\00:14:12.21
to take us from Lima
back to the United States
00:14:12.25\00:14:17.55
as long as we could get
out before midnight on Monday.
00:14:17.59\00:14:22.39
Strangely enough I
think our flight was delayed
00:14:22.42\00:14:24.33
like 30 or 45 minutes,
00:14:24.36\00:14:25.69
but I feel like we
got to Lima on time.
00:14:25.73\00:14:30.17
We had to still get our luggage
00:14:30.20\00:14:32.13
that had been
left at the university
00:14:32.17\00:14:33.60
and make our way through customs
00:14:33.64\00:14:35.27
and check in
00:14:35.30\00:14:36.94
and we have to make
our way through security
00:14:36.97\00:14:38.97
and everything and
everything and everything.
00:14:39.01\00:14:40.98
We get everybody into
this big, gigantic airplane,
00:14:41.01\00:14:45.35
and I remember
looking at my watch
00:14:45.38\00:14:47.62
and it was 11:58 pm.
00:14:47.65\00:14:50.19
The airspace was gonna shut down
00:14:50.22\00:14:51.55
at midnight.
00:14:51.59\00:14:54.42
I've never been
on a flight before
00:14:54.46\00:14:55.79
where the plane starts moving
when people aren't seated.
00:14:55.82\00:15:00.76
Somebody almost fell over
00:15:00.80\00:15:02.70
because they were
just trying to get out,
00:15:02.73\00:15:04.50
tried to get out, I don't know,
00:15:04.53\00:15:05.87
if there could have
possibly been another plane
00:15:05.90\00:15:07.64
that left after us.
00:15:07.67\00:15:09.00
I feel like we
were the last ones out.
00:15:09.04\00:15:10.84
I mean I keep coming back
00:15:10.87\00:15:12.21
to just how much of a
God thing this trip was?
00:15:12.24\00:15:16.85
I really do truthfully feel
00:15:16.88\00:15:18.25
that we were
constantly in this position
00:15:18.28\00:15:21.35
of being
challenged to this level
00:15:21.38\00:15:23.59
that I could not
possibly deal with myself.
00:15:23.62\00:15:26.99
I couldn't write
plans fast enough,
00:15:27.02\00:15:29.86
I couldn't make
decisions fast enough
00:15:29.89\00:15:33.50
and it took a
pretty incredible level
00:15:33.53\00:15:37.87
of just kind of letting it go,
00:15:37.90\00:15:39.57
having faith in God,
having faith in my team,
00:15:39.60\00:15:42.70
having faith in Maranatha
00:15:42.74\00:15:45.07
and just kind of
like recognizing like,
00:15:45.11\00:15:47.28
we're gonna be taken care of.
00:15:47.31\00:15:49.34
When we come back,
00:15:49.38\00:15:50.71
see how the worldwide shutdown
00:15:50.75\00:15:52.11
would impact the West
Houston Volunteer Group
00:15:52.15\00:15:54.52
in Cote d'Ivoire.
00:15:54.55\00:15:55.92
If you know
someone in high school,
00:16:07.66\00:16:09.00
tell them about
00:16:09.03\00:16:10.37
Maranatha's annual
teens-only mission trip,
00:16:10.40\00:16:12.47
The Ultimate Workout.
00:16:12.50\00:16:14.27
For the past three decades,
00:16:14.30\00:16:15.64
high schoolers
from around the world
00:16:15.67\00:16:17.11
have joined The Ultimate Workout
00:16:17.14\00:16:18.64
to volunteer.
00:16:18.67\00:16:20.24
On this special project,
00:16:20.28\00:16:21.61
teens get out of
their comfort zone,
00:16:21.64\00:16:23.41
serve others
and grow physically,
00:16:23.45\00:16:25.71
socially and spiritually.
00:16:25.75\00:16:28.08
This July, The Ultimate
Workout is headed to Peru
00:16:28.12\00:16:30.95
to serve near the
capital city of Lima.
00:16:30.99\00:16:33.92
Teen volunteers
will help construct
00:16:33.96\00:16:35.59
two new churches
00:16:35.62\00:16:36.96
as well as paint and renovate
another building in the area.
00:16:36.99\00:16:40.66
In addition to construction,
00:16:40.70\00:16:42.03
teams will reach out
into the local community
00:16:42.06\00:16:44.43
through
children's ministry programs
00:16:44.47\00:16:46.23
and creative outreach projects.
00:16:46.27\00:16:48.80
And while in Peru,
00:16:48.84\00:16:50.17
volunteers will also get
to see the sights and sounds
00:16:50.21\00:16:52.81
of the city of Lima
00:16:52.84\00:16:54.18
and experience
warm Peruvian culture.
00:16:54.21\00:16:57.51
To learn more about
The Ultimate Workout
00:16:57.55\00:16:59.41
and all of Maranatha's
upcoming mission trips,
00:16:59.45\00:17:01.98
visit maranatha.org/volunteer.
00:17:02.02\00:17:05.32
Some companies
spend millions of dollars
00:17:10.13\00:17:12.29
to bring you
these sounds and images.
00:17:12.33\00:17:16.06
I made it.
00:17:16.10\00:17:18.37
These sounds and images
00:17:18.40\00:17:19.83
are created from the
dollars you give to Maranatha.
00:17:19.87\00:17:24.01
Your support of our
well drilling efforts
00:17:24.04\00:17:26.11
is bringing
clean accessible water
00:17:26.14\00:17:28.08
to communities in
Africa, India and Brazil,
00:17:28.11\00:17:31.98
because while this sell soda,
00:17:32.01\00:17:34.78
this saves lives.
00:17:34.82\00:17:37.02
With all volunteers out of Peru,
00:17:40.36\00:17:42.22
and the last
volunteers departing Kenya,
00:17:42.26\00:17:44.56
the only remaining
Maranatha volunteers
00:17:44.59\00:17:46.90
in the field were
Greg Hatch's group
00:17:46.93\00:17:48.96
in Cote d'Ivoire.
00:17:49.00\00:17:51.77
Cote d'Ivoire was a
great trip and to a person,
00:17:51.80\00:17:56.20
everybody was very
excited about our time there,
00:17:56.24\00:17:59.97
Coronavirus aside.
00:18:00.01\00:18:02.91
I mean, it started
that Sabbath morning
00:18:02.94\00:18:04.85
'cause we got in Friday night
00:18:04.88\00:18:06.35
and Sabbath
morning we went to church.
00:18:06.38\00:18:09.35
At the church
that had been built
00:18:09.38\00:18:11.02
by a previous group,
00:18:11.05\00:18:12.95
pastor and the first elder,
00:18:12.99\00:18:15.92
both of them said
through a translator,
00:18:15.96\00:18:17.99
of course, 'cause
I don't speak French.
00:18:18.03\00:18:21.20
They said,
"Thank you for coming,
00:18:21.23\00:18:24.90
and that we've
been praying for you.
00:18:24.93\00:18:27.54
And that the whole
church and the entire country
00:18:27.57\00:18:29.80
has been praying for
you over the last week."
00:18:29.84\00:18:33.14
And because they've
heard what's going on
00:18:33.17\00:18:37.11
with the
Coronavirus and all that
00:18:37.15\00:18:38.48
said, "We're just praying
00:18:38.51\00:18:39.85
that you would
still come to serve."
00:18:39.88\00:18:41.98
And that was very empowering
00:18:42.02\00:18:44.65
even before we started the work.
00:18:44.69\00:18:46.29
I was working on the
roof, getting the roof on
00:18:46.32\00:18:48.86
and I noticed a crowd of
people gathering over there,
00:18:48.89\00:18:51.69
you know, where the
bus is usually parked.
00:18:51.73\00:18:53.93
I called the, you
know, first elder and said,
00:18:53.96\00:18:56.36
"Why is everybody
lined up over there?"
00:18:56.40\00:19:00.20
The elder said, "They're
here for the evangelism."
00:19:00.24\00:19:02.87
I said, "Evangelism."
00:19:02.90\00:19:04.24
And I thought to
myself at the time
00:19:04.27\00:19:06.37
when he said that I thought
00:19:06.41\00:19:07.74
well, the first
elder has been...
00:19:07.78\00:19:09.18
He had a chair every day
00:19:09.21\00:19:11.15
and he would sit there and
he would talk to everybody.
00:19:11.18\00:19:14.88
I thought, "Oh,
he's preaching to them."
00:19:14.92\00:19:17.35
And I came down and I said,
"Well, where's the evangelist?"
00:19:17.39\00:19:19.19
And he said, "You."
00:19:19.22\00:19:20.56
You, brother,
you're the evangelism,"
00:19:20.59\00:19:22.16
and said, "People came
to watch you guys work.
00:19:22.19\00:19:24.56
And this is evangelism."
00:19:24.59\00:19:26.39
And so that was
also a nice way to end,
00:19:26.43\00:19:28.86
we kind of, you know,
00:19:28.90\00:19:30.23
sandwiched between everybody
praying for us to get there,
00:19:30.27\00:19:33.13
the fact that they thought
00:19:33.17\00:19:34.50
what we were
doing was evangelism.
00:19:34.54\00:19:36.97
Every morning
throughout the week,
00:19:37.01\00:19:38.77
I not by choice,
00:19:38.81\00:19:40.44
I was waking up
earlier and earlier
00:19:40.48\00:19:42.21
and had my devotion
00:19:42.24\00:19:43.65
and then I would read
00:19:43.68\00:19:45.91
what's going on
throughout the world
00:19:45.95\00:19:47.48
and that was always a bad idea.
00:19:47.52\00:19:49.55
But it would let us
know what's going on
00:19:49.58\00:19:52.65
and I would have to
put it out of my mind
00:19:52.69\00:19:55.72
while I'm on the job site.
00:19:55.76\00:19:57.46
Number one, for a
safety reason you got to be,
00:19:57.49\00:19:59.83
you know, watch
what you're doing.
00:19:59.86\00:20:01.20
But two, you know, we
wanted to be very present
00:20:01.23\00:20:04.10
and be there for
why we were there.
00:20:04.13\00:20:06.63
But it was hard, you
know, yeah, during lunch,
00:20:06.67\00:20:08.67
you look at your phone
and you see what's going on.
00:20:08.70\00:20:11.01
But you just have to
put it out of your mind
00:20:11.04\00:20:12.57
and there was time
for that in the evening
00:20:12.61\00:20:14.78
to spend time on
the phone with airlines
00:20:14.81\00:20:18.91
and with
Lisandro and with others,
00:20:18.95\00:20:20.72
but during the day,
00:20:20.75\00:20:22.08
I would do my best
to put it out of there.
00:20:22.12\00:20:25.22
So as soon as we got there,
Claude, Al and I realized,
00:20:25.25\00:20:28.26
as of Sunday, you know,
00:20:28.29\00:20:30.03
the world is continuing
descend into chaos around us,
00:20:30.06\00:20:33.13
we were fine.
00:20:33.16\00:20:34.50
Yeah, we were in good shape.
00:20:34.53\00:20:35.86
But getting home is
going to be a challenge.
00:20:35.90\00:20:37.90
We originally
supposed to be there
00:20:37.93\00:20:39.43
through Tuesday of
the following week,
00:20:39.47\00:20:41.24
with a very nice
excursion on the beach,
00:20:41.27\00:20:43.07
it was going to be great.
00:20:43.10\00:20:44.87
We made the decision on Sunday,
00:20:44.91\00:20:46.74
you know, two days
after we got there,
00:20:46.78\00:20:48.11
like we got to get out
as soon as the work's done.
00:20:48.14\00:20:51.61
When it was time to leave,
00:20:51.65\00:20:52.98
half of the group
departed successfully
00:20:53.01\00:20:54.78
with the help of
an airline manager
00:20:54.82\00:20:56.42
for seven countries in
West Africa named John Luke.
00:20:56.45\00:21:01.02
He's a problem solver.
00:21:01.06\00:21:02.39
So we continue the conversation
00:21:02.42\00:21:04.03
while our guys make
it through security,
00:21:04.06\00:21:05.59
we weren't gonna leave
until they were through.
00:21:05.63\00:21:08.60
And so he and Gilberto
strike up a conversation
00:21:08.63\00:21:11.50
and more information,
and as we're leaving,
00:21:11.53\00:21:13.90
we get his card
00:21:13.94\00:21:15.27
because Gilberto thinks,
00:21:15.30\00:21:16.64
"Oh, you know, at some
point, I might need him, right?
00:21:16.67\00:21:19.54
I might need, another
group might have a problem.
00:21:19.57\00:21:22.11
So we get his information.
00:21:22.14\00:21:25.01
And so we leave,
00:21:25.05\00:21:26.38
and we go back to the hotel
00:21:26.41\00:21:27.75
and we're ready
for the next day.
00:21:27.78\00:21:29.25
And our group makes it out,
no problems, they get through,
00:21:29.28\00:21:32.52
and they get home.
00:21:32.55\00:21:34.26
The second half
of the group's flight
00:21:34.29\00:21:35.92
was canceled.
00:21:35.96\00:21:37.79
To make matters worse,
00:21:37.83\00:21:39.16
John Luke told Greg
00:21:39.19\00:21:40.53
that Cote
d'Ivoire would be closing
00:21:40.56\00:21:41.90
its airport and
borders the following night.
00:21:41.93\00:21:46.00
They had already
purchased backup tickets.
00:21:46.03\00:21:48.17
So the next day
00:21:48.20\00:21:49.54
the group arrived at the airport
00:21:49.57\00:21:50.91
but were denied boarding
00:21:50.94\00:21:52.27
because they had transferred
through Europe the week before,
00:21:52.31\00:21:55.91
they would miss the deadline.
00:21:55.94\00:21:58.41
For Hatch, an organized
veteran mission trip leader,
00:21:58.45\00:22:01.58
the realization set in
00:22:01.62\00:22:02.95
that all of his
planning was exhausted.
00:22:02.98\00:22:07.69
With commercial
flights off the table,
00:22:07.72\00:22:09.72
Hatch began to look
into alternative options.
00:22:09.76\00:22:13.19
Hatch reached
out to the US Embassy
00:22:13.23\00:22:15.20
and researched an
expensive charter flight.
00:22:15.23\00:22:18.67
Maranatha worked
00:22:18.70\00:22:20.04
through the Adventist
Church World Headquarters
00:22:20.07\00:22:21.87
to contact the US
Department of State,
00:22:21.90\00:22:24.04
and senators from the states
00:22:24.07\00:22:25.44
where the
remaining volunteers lived.
00:22:25.47\00:22:28.81
There was talk of
an evacuation flight
00:22:28.84\00:22:30.88
for US citizens
later in the week.
00:22:30.91\00:22:35.32
I get a voice
message over WhatsApp
00:22:35.35\00:22:37.49
from the embassy lady.
00:22:37.52\00:22:38.85
She says, "I think
I've got an option,
00:22:38.89\00:22:41.56
I'm going to be
sending you information
00:22:41.59\00:22:43.02
that you need to
fill out for your group."
00:22:43.06\00:22:44.89
And she said,
"Your group needs to pray
00:22:44.93\00:22:46.90
that this works."
00:22:46.93\00:22:49.53
A government
employee telling me to pray,
00:22:49.56\00:22:52.33
"Okay, I'm going to listen."
00:22:52.37\00:22:54.70
And so we brought
everybody together and said,
00:22:54.74\00:22:57.07
"Guys, we're going to have
a prayer meeting right now.
00:22:57.11\00:23:01.71
Because it's been...
00:23:01.74\00:23:03.08
We should have done this before,
00:23:03.11\00:23:04.45
but it's being asked of us.
00:23:04.48\00:23:05.81
And so we're going to do it."
00:23:05.85\00:23:07.18
And so we laid it all out there.
00:23:07.22\00:23:08.55
And that was the first time
00:23:08.58\00:23:10.09
where I finally truly let it go.
00:23:10.12\00:23:14.16
Up until then,
I've been trying to use
00:23:14.19\00:23:17.13
all of my training,
all of the experience
00:23:17.16\00:23:20.33
to work through the problem.
00:23:20.36\00:23:22.46
And that was
finally when I just said,
00:23:22.50\00:23:23.87
"God, take it.
00:23:23.90\00:23:25.47
Go ahead and You run with it."
00:23:25.50\00:23:28.54
So we had an
amazing prayer session.
00:23:28.57\00:23:31.44
And, you know, about half hour
00:23:31.47\00:23:35.18
after we finished
the prayer session.
00:23:35.21\00:23:37.65
I get a call from John Luke,
00:23:37.68\00:23:39.61
he calls me
rather than just email
00:23:39.65\00:23:40.98
and he says, "I have seats.
00:23:41.02\00:23:42.35
I have four seats.
00:23:42.38\00:23:44.62
Who do you want on it?
00:23:44.65\00:23:45.99
And 20 minutes later he
calls me again and says,
00:23:46.02\00:23:47.92
"Well, " he says,
00:23:47.96\00:23:49.86
"What would you think
00:23:49.89\00:23:51.23
if I got all 13 on that flight?"
00:23:51.26\00:23:52.59
I said, "I would think
00:23:52.63\00:23:53.96
that you're a
direct answer to prayer
00:23:54.00\00:23:55.33
is what I would think."
00:23:55.36\00:23:56.70
And he started going
through all the information,
00:23:56.73\00:23:59.57
taking the credit
card and getting us booked.
00:23:59.60\00:24:01.70
So he said, "You need to
be at the airport at six."
00:24:01.74\00:24:04.47
So within three and a half hours
00:24:04.51\00:24:07.18
of that prayer
session we were booked,
00:24:07.21\00:24:10.35
ticketed at the airport.
00:24:10.38\00:24:12.51
And that was the most
amazing direct answer to prayer
00:24:12.55\00:24:15.65
that any of us have ever seen.
00:24:15.68\00:24:17.45
I thought I knew what prayer was
00:24:17.49\00:24:19.15
until we had
that prayer session.
00:24:19.19\00:24:20.62
Right?
00:24:20.66\00:24:21.99
We were praying the
entire week but we weren't...
00:24:22.02\00:24:26.70
I'll speak for myself.
00:24:26.73\00:24:28.10
I won't speak
for everybody's self,
00:24:28.13\00:24:29.46
I hadn't truly
handed it over to God.
00:24:29.50\00:24:31.27
Right? And that was a mistake.
00:24:31.30\00:24:34.60
And then one that I
hope I don't make again.
00:24:34.64\00:24:37.37
The second was faith,
00:24:37.41\00:24:38.74
that we needed to have
faith that God was going...
00:24:38.77\00:24:41.44
He brought us to this challenge,
00:24:41.48\00:24:43.04
He's going to get us
through the challenge.
00:24:43.08\00:24:46.21
On March 23, after
days fraught with drama,
00:24:46.25\00:24:50.09
the group arrived
back in the United States.
00:24:50.12\00:24:54.69
You know, that it felt great.
00:24:54.72\00:24:57.73
There's no question about that.
00:24:57.76\00:24:59.09
I told the, you know,
Customs and Border Patrol,
00:24:59.13\00:25:01.50
he said, "Welcome to America,"
00:25:01.53\00:25:02.86
I said, "You have no
idea how welcome I am."
00:25:02.90\00:25:05.20
And so one of
the biggest takeaways
00:25:05.23\00:25:06.57
is, as I think God was just...
00:25:06.60\00:25:08.40
He was just kind
of sitting behind me,
00:25:08.44\00:25:09.84
you know, just watching
and finally, when it was time,
00:25:09.87\00:25:12.97
He just kind of tapped
me on the shoulder and said,
00:25:13.01\00:25:15.61
"Are you ready
for me to take it now?
00:25:15.64\00:25:18.31
Good, good, you gave it up.
00:25:18.35\00:25:19.75
I've got it now,
let's get this done."
00:25:19.78\00:25:21.85
You know, two
days of worrying...
00:25:21.88\00:25:24.52
Well, 10 days of
worrying and planning for me,
00:25:24.55\00:25:27.36
You got it done in
three and a half hours.
00:25:27.39\00:25:30.39
So that's the
biggest learning for me.
00:25:30.43\00:25:33.80
By March 24,
00:25:33.83\00:25:35.16
all Maranatha
Volunteers had made it home.
00:25:35.20\00:25:38.73
Whether it was disrupting travel
00:25:38.77\00:25:40.57
or postponing
volunteer projects.
00:25:40.60\00:25:42.90
COVID-19 had a
significant impact
00:25:42.94\00:25:45.74
on Maranatha during March 2020,
00:25:45.77\00:25:48.51
but it could not crush
the spirit of Maranatha.
00:25:48.54\00:25:53.15
I was really taken
00:25:53.18\00:25:55.18
by how every single group leader
00:25:55.22\00:25:57.45
that we were working with,
00:25:57.49\00:25:59.25
mission trip leader,
00:25:59.29\00:26:00.69
was so focused
00:26:00.72\00:26:02.06
on wanting to
get their volunteers
00:26:02.09\00:26:03.76
out into the mission field.
00:26:03.79\00:26:05.36
And they were
really focused and really,
00:26:05.39\00:26:09.26
it was really important to them,
00:26:09.30\00:26:10.90
that they fulfill the
mission that they had started.
00:26:10.93\00:26:13.54
Many of them had taken
site visits ahead of time
00:26:13.57\00:26:15.97
and felt like
they made a commitment
00:26:16.00\00:26:17.34
to the host community
that they were going to visit.
00:26:17.37\00:26:19.71
And so that for them,
it was almost personal,
00:26:19.74\00:26:21.74
that they might
not be able to go.
00:26:21.78\00:26:23.61
And so almost to a person,
00:26:23.65\00:26:26.92
these leaders were feeling
00:26:26.95\00:26:29.32
that if God wanted them to
go that He would make the...
00:26:29.35\00:26:33.29
He would open the doors
for them and make it possible.
00:26:33.32\00:26:35.29
If not, He would shut the doors.
00:26:35.32\00:26:37.03
And until the door is shut,
00:26:37.06\00:26:38.39
they were gonna
push as hard as possible,
00:26:38.43\00:26:40.33
and that was really inspiring.
00:26:40.36\00:26:43.47
March 2020 was a
trying time for the world.
00:26:43.50\00:26:47.54
But in the
following weeks and months,
00:26:47.57\00:26:49.44
Maranatha began to push forward.
00:26:49.47\00:26:54.21
Our local crews
sheltering in place
00:26:54.24\00:26:56.54
started to safely work
in countries like India,
00:26:56.58\00:27:01.45
Zambia,
00:27:01.48\00:27:02.82
and Kenya.
00:27:06.25\00:27:07.59
The mission was
interrupted, but not stopped.
00:27:11.06\00:27:13.93
Months later,
00:27:18.47\00:27:19.80
volunteers would
again serve on projects
00:27:19.83\00:27:22.30
starting in the United States.
00:27:22.34\00:27:24.11
Despite seemingly
insurmountable odds,
00:27:28.08\00:27:31.11
Maranatha would
continue to advance the mission
00:27:31.15\00:27:34.15
with the same
unrelenting passion
00:27:34.18\00:27:36.48
displayed by our volunteers.
00:27:36.52\00:27:38.92