Since 2005,
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the West
Houston Adventist Church
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has made going on
a Maranatha project,
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an annual tradition, and
this year was no different.
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Fifty three
volunteers have just returned
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from serving in Central Kenya.
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The team stayed busy,
tackling multiple projects.
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Their main task was laying block
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for a new cafeteria and kitchen
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at the Upper Hill
Adventist Primary School.
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Previously meals were
prepared in a small shed
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and students ate outdoors.
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The new building
provides proper eating
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and cooking facilities
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for hundreds of
grateful students.
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Volunteers held
medical and dental clinics
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for remote communities
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and conducted
children's programs
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that drew 70 to
80 kids each day.
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The West Houston
Church is looking forward
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to their next trip
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and we'll be
taking their youth group
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to Bolivia this summer.
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If you're interested in taking
your church or school group
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on a mission trip,
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visit our website maranatha.org
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Click on
volunteer opportunities,
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and then choose, create a team
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for more information.
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What lies at the
heart of a mission trip?
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Is it an exotic location?
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Or maybe heart-wrenching need?
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For more than 50
volunteers serving in Kenya,
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their experience was
all about connections.
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Yes, it took many
airline connections for them
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to get to their
final destination,
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but more importantly,
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volunteers made many connections
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with the local people.
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The people they worked alongside
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and they strengthened
their connection with God.
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But all Maranatha projects
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begin by
connecting willing volunteers
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with an urgent need.
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The Kiirua Seventh-day Adventist
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Primary and Secondary School
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is set in the lush
hills of Central Kenya.
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Established in 1989
with only two classrooms,
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today the campus has
more than 200 students,
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several classrooms, and
even boarding facilities.
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Students eagerly soak
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in all the
teachers have to offer,
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even though the buildings
leave much to be desired.
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Time has
weathered the structures,
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particularly the dormitories.
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Sometimes we feel cold.
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I am the school head girl,
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and most of the time
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they wake up every
morning telling me,
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"Ann, I was feeling
cold, the whole night,
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I felt as if someone
was placing the water
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inside the dorm,
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so I was feeling cold.
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Was it raining?"
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I tell them, "No,
it was not raining, "
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just because the dorm
is not favorable for you.
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And we are just going to...
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You just stay
there and you sleep there
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because we don't
have other ways to do.
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Ann Karumba is in her final year
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of secondary school.
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She loves the opportunity
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she's been given to
study at the school,
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and is very involved on campus.
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But during her time there,
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she has seen the
student population decline
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because of the
poor infrastructure,
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especially the girls' dormitory.
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Since I came in this school,
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many have left the school
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because of the
condition of the school.
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We don't have nice dormitory.
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They come and wonder,
what kind of a block is this?
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So we need those things
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so that our sisters who
went and our brothers who went,
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they will come back to
us and we study together
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and the
population will increase.
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I think you should,
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we should change the
condition of this school
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so that we can have
many come in this school.
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Maranatha committed
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to providing a new
dormitory for the girls
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and organized a volunteer
team to construct the building.
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The project was
what Maranatha calls
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an open team project
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mission trips,
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where anyone is welcome to join.
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More than 50
volunteers chose to take time
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out of their busy schedules
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and to serve
the people of Kenya.
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For some, the trip
would be their first time
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on the African continent.
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For Barbara
Foster, traveling to Kenya
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was a long lost
link to her past.
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I left here when I
was five years old.
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My father was a medical director
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at Kendu Bay Hospital
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right near Lake Victoria.
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Although her father
loved working in Africa
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and serving the people of Kenya.
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After recurrent
bouts of malaria,
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he was advised
to go home in 1944.
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For Barbara, returning to Kenya
never seemed like an option,
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but in May of 2016,
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she went on her first
Maranatha mission trip
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to Cardenas Cuba.
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There she met Terry Schwartz
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who invited her on
a Maranatha project
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he was leading in Kenya.
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She felt God was
opening a major door,
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one that would lead her
back to her mission roots.
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It's just like
God orders your life,
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helps you with steps
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that you couldn't
dream of making yourself.
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Barbara signed up for
the mission trip to Kenya,
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but visiting her childhood
home was also on the itinerary.
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Well, I came back to Kenya.
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I came five days
before the Maranatha trip
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and got to visit Kendu Bay
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with the doctors who were there,
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and it was very exciting.
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I can't even tell you
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how walking at the same place
where I was as a little girl
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and where my father
was the medical director
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touched my soul.
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It was just
incredible to be there
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and know that
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his life was
committed to missions in Africa.
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Visiting the hospital
was only the beginning
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of her
reconnecting with her past.
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As work began on the job site
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and she interacted
with people in the villages,
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Barbara discovered a passion
she shares with her father.
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I share the love for Kenya
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that my father had
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'cause being here
and meeting the people
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and working here
is just so touching.
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So I plan to come back again
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and they certainly
probably will come every year
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if I get a chance.
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The volunteers
arrived on the job site,
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ready to make the
school's dream a reality,
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but a tour of the old dorm
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put their work into perspective.
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Their living conditions were,
I was so shocked to begin with,
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like when I went
there 'cause my dorm,
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when I went to Campion,
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there's a sink and a
bathroom in the room,
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running water.
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I mean, they didn't have that,
their showers were buckets,
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full water,
probably dirty water.
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It's dark, it's falling apart,
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there's nails poking
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through a lot of
the doors and windows.
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Some of the windows don't open,
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'cause their hinges
don't hold them up anymore.
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I would compare it
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to a chicken coop
on a rundown farm.
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It was pretty bad.
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I mean, you go inside
and there's wood shutters,
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there's no windows.
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You could see daylight
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all the way around
with the shutters closed
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and you look up and see
holes where the roof leaks
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and it had a concrete floor,
but it's pretty primitive.
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There's one little
light bulb, one light bulb
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that has barely any
light to cover the whole room.
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So yeah, that's,
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I wouldn't want
to sleep in there.
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Motivated by what they saw,
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work began on
the construction site
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and the walls quickly
rose up from the ground.
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For some,
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construction work has
been a part of their lives
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for a long time.
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Other volunteers got a
crash course in building.
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My grandpa laid block for
years and years and years,
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and so did my dad
for a while growing up.
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And so I decided to lay
block and that is, that's fun.
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It's harder work
than you would think,
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and people like it
done a certain way.
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So for a while, it's just kind
of asking certain other guys,
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what do you do?
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How do I do this?
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And then it's
lifting block all day,
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lifting and laying
block continuously for hours.
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And, but as the
building gets bigger
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and you see the
kids watching it,
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it's worth it, you're
like, this is a house to them.
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This isn't something
that termites can devour.
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This is something safe,
and it has lots of windows,
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it's light, it's pretty.
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All the hard work was worth it.
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The girls they were serving
were never far from their mind.
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When I think about the
girls that are going to be here,
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and how the old dorm
is shabby and it's dark,
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and they're going to
move into this new building,
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they're solid,
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there's going to be
windows with glass in them
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and doors that can shut,
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and I don't know,
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I haven't quite
processed through that one yet.
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This is just, I
can't put into words
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'cause I've never seen
a project to completion.
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So I can't put into
words how exciting this is
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to know that
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tomorrow we get
to walk these girls
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into their new dorm
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and a new solid place
with beds and mattresses
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and everything that
they need to be successful.
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Construction of the dorm
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wasn't the only thing
that kept the volunteers busy.
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When we come back,
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learn about other ways
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they connected
with the community.
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Each year more than 2200 people
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travel all over the
world to serve with Maranatha.
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The ways they serve
and the locations they help
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are as varied as the people
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that participate
on these projects.
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Maybe you're wondering
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how missions can
be part of your life.
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Let's take a minute
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and look at one of the
ways you can get involved.
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Can mission trips
be a family experience?
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At Maranatha, the answer is yes.
00:10:03.70\00:10:06.84
Maranatha family
projects are mission trips
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designed with families in mind,
worship, work, and even play
00:10:09.87\00:10:14.98
is aimed toward
family togetherness.
00:10:15.01\00:10:17.71
There are no age limits
and everyone is welcome to join
00:10:17.75\00:10:21.08
from two to 82.
00:10:21.12\00:10:24.85
Maranatha offers family projects
00:10:24.89\00:10:27.06
two to three times a year
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during Christmas and the summer.
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Get more details
00:10:31.89\00:10:33.23
on all of Maranatha's
volunteer opportunities
00:10:33.26\00:10:35.46
at maranatha.org.
00:10:35.50\00:10:36.90
Kenya is known
for its diversity.
00:10:41.54\00:10:44.77
More than 40 tribes are
represented in the country,
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each with their own
language and culture.
00:10:47.51\00:10:51.28
In Central Kenya,
00:10:51.31\00:10:52.65
two of the people
groups you'll find
00:10:52.68\00:10:54.18
are the Samburu
and Turkana tribes.
00:10:54.22\00:10:57.49
Mission trips are a
great way to learn about
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and interact with
people of different cultures.
00:10:59.99\00:11:02.29
And this project
was no different.
00:11:02.32\00:11:04.59
Volunteers
visited several villages
00:11:04.63\00:11:06.66
and learned about
the realities of life
00:11:06.70\00:11:08.76
in rural Kenya.
00:11:08.80\00:11:10.73
I have never ever seen
00:11:10.77\00:11:12.53
something like I
did at the tribes.
00:11:12.57\00:11:15.70
These people are
living with nothing,
00:11:15.74\00:11:21.44
next to nothing.
00:11:21.48\00:11:22.81
They live in
these little mud huts
00:11:22.84\00:11:24.41
and that's all that they have.
00:11:24.45\00:11:27.52
And I was just so surprised
at how welcoming they all were.
00:11:27.55\00:11:33.15
When we got there,
00:11:33.19\00:11:34.52
they all sang for us and
just like, let us right in.
00:11:34.56\00:11:37.89
And were so excited
to show us their culture
00:11:37.93\00:11:43.90
and let us be a part of it.
00:11:43.93\00:11:45.73
And like one of the
people opened up their mud huts
00:11:45.77\00:11:48.64
so that we could go in
and see what it was like.
00:11:48.67\00:11:52.74
And for me personally,
00:11:52.77\00:11:54.18
that was a really hard thing
to go into the mud hut and see.
00:11:54.21\00:12:00.55
It was just dark.
00:12:00.58\00:12:01.92
And it's just a
tiny little space
00:12:01.95\00:12:03.89
where their whole family lives.
00:12:03.92\00:12:07.26
And it's going to
be really hard for me
00:12:07.29\00:12:09.72
to go home and see my big house
00:12:09.76\00:12:11.63
and my pantry full of food
and my room with my own bed
00:12:11.66\00:12:17.17
and have to think
about the people over here
00:12:17.20\00:12:19.97
who don't have any of that.
00:12:20.00\00:12:21.94
And they're still so happy.
00:12:21.97\00:12:23.47
I wasn't expecting
00:12:26.61\00:12:27.94
the amount of poverty
that these people have.
00:12:27.98\00:12:31.95
I mean, where the
one day churches are,
00:12:31.98\00:12:35.42
they live in thatched
huts, and they're happy.
00:12:35.45\00:12:39.29
You go there and they dance
and they sing and they smile,
00:12:39.32\00:12:42.32
and they're happy
and they have nothing.
00:12:42.36\00:12:45.06
They live in a
little thatched hut.
00:12:45.09\00:12:47.83
They have no plumbing,
they have no electricity.
00:12:47.86\00:12:51.93
They carry water for miles
00:12:51.97\00:12:53.67
to get to where
it's at every day.
00:12:53.70\00:12:56.64
Volunteers found several
ways to connect with the people
00:12:59.67\00:13:02.44
and minister to
these needy villages.
00:13:02.48\00:13:06.55
Hundreds of pounds of
corn and beans were distributed
00:13:06.58\00:13:09.42
in each place they visited.
00:13:09.45\00:13:10.92
They created a pop-up shoe store
00:13:14.22\00:13:15.69
in one village
00:13:15.72\00:13:17.06
where villagers
could choose shoes
00:13:17.09\00:13:18.43
for themselves and their family
00:13:18.46\00:13:19.86
completely free of charge.
00:13:19.89\00:13:21.46
Some volunteers learned
some new construction skills
00:13:25.90\00:13:28.64
and helped build a
stick and mud walled kitchen.
00:13:28.67\00:13:31.11
Each activity was an opportunity
00:13:35.98\00:13:37.65
to make connections with people
00:13:37.68\00:13:39.38
who welcomed
them with open arms.
00:13:39.41\00:13:41.18
People in places I've
been have never done that,
00:13:49.42\00:13:53.40
have never had so
much love for someone
00:13:53.43\00:13:55.63
that they've just met.
00:13:55.66\00:13:57.37
That it's like
just unconditional love.
00:13:57.40\00:14:03.91
Well, I love
going to the villages,
00:14:03.94\00:14:06.11
I was a school
principal and I love children.
00:14:06.14\00:14:09.04
So going to the villages
and getting to hug children
00:14:09.08\00:14:12.08
and hold their hands
and interact with them
00:14:12.11\00:14:14.58
was just very touching.
00:14:14.62\00:14:16.79
And to me, that's the best
part of going to the villages,
00:14:16.82\00:14:19.72
meeting the people
and interacting with them.
00:14:19.75\00:14:24.49
You know, you can look at
National Geographic pictures
00:14:24.53\00:14:28.40
and the people
look very different
00:14:28.43\00:14:31.27
than where I live,
00:14:31.30\00:14:32.90
but when you get
to meet the people,
00:14:32.93\00:14:34.67
they're all just the same,
and that is really wonderful.
00:14:34.70\00:14:38.24
It's very hard to go home
00:14:43.24\00:14:45.41
after something that
moves you so much like that.
00:14:45.45\00:14:50.09
After seeing how they live,
00:14:50.12\00:14:54.19
and then going
back to how I live,
00:14:54.22\00:14:56.86
it's a very moving experience
00:14:56.89\00:15:00.76
that doesn't leave you
the same as when you came.
00:15:00.80\00:15:04.77
The living conditions
weren't the only thing
00:15:04.80\00:15:06.94
that was shocking
to the volunteers.
00:15:06.97\00:15:10.04
We were told that
this is tree over here
00:15:10.07\00:15:12.57
with a bunch of thorn
00:15:12.61\00:15:13.94
scraggly bushes
around it is their church.
00:15:13.98\00:15:15.78
And it has been
for 15 plus years.
00:15:15.81\00:15:18.41
And I thought that
was kind of very humbling
00:15:18.45\00:15:23.39
and amazing all at the same time
00:15:23.42\00:15:25.22
Rain or shine,
you're getting wet,
00:15:25.25\00:15:27.22
you're getting wind,
00:15:27.26\00:15:28.59
you're getting dusty.
00:15:28.62\00:15:29.96
They just, they'd sit
there and have service.
00:15:29.99\00:15:32.79
Thorny, nasty, ugly
tree and that was church.
00:15:32.83\00:15:35.50
It didn't matter.
00:15:35.53\00:15:36.87
That's where they had church.
00:15:36.90\00:15:39.50
Many years of
uncomfortable worship ended
00:15:39.53\00:15:42.07
when an earlier
group of volunteers
00:15:42.10\00:15:43.87
erected a new church structure
00:15:43.91\00:15:45.51
for the Larisoro congregation,
00:15:45.54\00:15:47.61
Now they're able to
welcome the visitors
00:15:47.64\00:15:49.61
to their new church structure
00:15:49.64\00:15:51.11
instead of to
the shadow of a tree.
00:15:51.15\00:15:53.78
And the fact that
we could be a part
00:15:53.82\00:15:56.58
of expanding these
people's religious experience
00:15:56.62\00:15:59.99
by giving them a building
00:16:00.02\00:16:01.36
versus a tree that
they've had for 15 years,
00:16:01.39\00:16:03.12
that hit me pretty hard.
00:16:03.16\00:16:04.49
They left that
circle around the tree,
00:16:04.53\00:16:06.96
and it's kind of a reminder
of God answering the prayer
00:16:07.00\00:16:09.90
that they got a real building.
00:16:09.93\00:16:13.13
Volunteers provided
the same transformation
00:16:13.17\00:16:15.44
for an additional
four congregations.
00:16:15.47\00:16:18.27
They traveled
into the countryside
00:16:18.31\00:16:19.97
with all of the parts
necessary to construct a church.
00:16:20.01\00:16:22.78
At the end of the week,
00:16:43.63\00:16:44.97
they celebrated the
completion of the churches
00:16:45.00\00:16:46.94
with the congregations.
00:16:46.97\00:16:48.30
Local children were also treated
00:16:55.04\00:16:56.61
to stories,
songs, games, and crafts
00:16:56.64\00:16:59.25
as a team of volunteers visited
local churches and schools
00:16:59.28\00:17:02.35
with a vacation
Bible school program.
00:17:02.38\00:17:06.05
And the kitchen crew worked hard
00:17:06.09\00:17:07.69
to keep everyone fed and happy.
00:17:07.72\00:17:09.79
All the while,
00:17:14.20\00:17:15.53
work steadily
progressed at the school site,
00:17:15.56\00:17:17.33
and the
excitement on campus grew.
00:17:17.37\00:17:19.00
You look around the buildings
are kind of rough looking
00:17:21.37\00:17:23.74
and just to have
a nice new feeling
00:17:23.77\00:17:28.54
on campus is reinvigorating
for all the people here.
00:17:28.58\00:17:31.98
And I think you
can feel it today.
00:17:32.01\00:17:33.78
I mean, they're excited,
they're having a good time
00:17:33.82\00:17:36.22
and it's nice to
be able to dedicate
00:17:36.25\00:17:38.52
something to somebody.
00:17:38.55\00:17:40.42
And the fact that we
gave it through our work
00:17:40.46\00:17:43.46
and through our gift to them,
00:17:43.49\00:17:45.49
I think is kind of important.
00:17:45.53\00:17:46.86
As the walls of the
dormitory were completed,
00:17:48.53\00:17:50.63
volunteers
turned their attention
00:17:50.67\00:17:52.13
to some of the
finishing touches.
00:17:52.17\00:17:54.14
The old bunk beds
were given a little TLC
00:17:54.17\00:17:56.50
and a new coat of wood stain.
00:17:56.54\00:18:00.04
Volunteers moved
them into the new building
00:18:00.08\00:18:02.24
and outfitted each
bed with new sheets,
00:18:02.28\00:18:04.55
pillows, blankets, and towels.
00:18:04.58\00:18:08.58
And when the work was complete,
00:18:08.62\00:18:10.05
they offered a prayer
to bless the dormitory
00:18:10.09\00:18:12.29
and all the girls
that would live there.
00:18:12.32\00:18:14.79
After many long days of work,
00:18:14.82\00:18:16.49
it was finally time to
dedicate the new dormitory.
00:18:16.52\00:18:19.89
The celebration
drew a crowd eager
00:18:19.93\00:18:21.80
to share in the excitement.
00:18:21.83\00:18:23.16
Moving the girls into
the dorm was emotional.
00:18:29.14\00:18:33.58
We got to just
take a girl's hand
00:18:33.61\00:18:36.01
and personally
move her into the dorm
00:18:36.04\00:18:38.45
and take her to her bed
00:18:38.48\00:18:39.81
and just talk to her one-on-one.
00:18:39.85\00:18:44.35
And the girl
that I got to move in,
00:18:44.39\00:18:46.82
her name was Esther.
00:18:46.86\00:18:48.69
And I thought
that was really cool
00:18:48.72\00:18:50.13
because my name is Estelle
00:18:50.16\00:18:51.49
and our, like our
names were just so similar
00:18:51.53\00:18:54.53
and she was just
the sweetest girl
00:18:54.56\00:18:58.37
I have ever met.
00:18:58.40\00:18:59.73
She was so happy and
so bright and smiling,
00:18:59.77\00:19:04.67
and it was very, it
was very hard to leave.
00:19:04.71\00:19:09.08
She just, she
wanted us to stay longer
00:19:12.11\00:19:14.38
and I wish I
could have just stayed
00:19:14.42\00:19:17.25
and talked with her.
00:19:17.29\00:19:20.12
But she was so thankful
00:19:20.16\00:19:22.12
that we've given her
a new dorm that was safe
00:19:22.16\00:19:24.69
where she didn't have
to live with rats, and...
00:19:24.73\00:19:27.26
Yes, it was very
emotional and moving experience.
00:19:30.27\00:19:34.14
The volunteers not only showed
the girls to their new beds,
00:19:34.17\00:19:37.24
but took time to
get to know them,
00:19:37.27\00:19:38.87
share about their
lives and pray with them.
00:19:38.91\00:19:41.44
It was really cool
00:19:44.68\00:19:46.01
to be able to connect
with the girls on that day.
00:19:46.05\00:19:51.25
The new dorm is a very
welcome addition to the campus.
00:19:51.29\00:19:56.06
Actually, today,
00:19:56.09\00:19:59.03
they might over sleep
00:19:59.06\00:20:00.70
because
actually they're excited,
00:20:00.73\00:20:02.96
they're very
happy with the new dorm.
00:20:03.00\00:20:05.53
Thank you Maranatha team.
00:20:05.57\00:20:07.80
The volunteers
built relationships
00:20:07.84\00:20:09.50
with more than just the
locals on this mission trip.
00:20:09.54\00:20:12.54
More connections
when we come back.
00:20:12.57\00:20:14.54
Maranatha may be
known for building churches,
00:20:26.55\00:20:28.99
but much of our efforts serve
to further Christian education
00:20:29.02\00:20:31.93
around the world.
00:20:31.96\00:20:33.29
Here are two school projects
that could use your help.
00:20:33.33\00:20:36.26
Since 2013,
00:20:36.30\00:20:37.67
Maranatha has
coordinated an annual project
00:20:37.70\00:20:40.07
on the campus of
Blue Mountain Academy
00:20:40.10\00:20:41.70
in Pennsylvania.
00:20:41.74\00:20:43.14
This year from
April 18 to May 2,
00:20:43.17\00:20:45.31
we'll be returning to
assist with renovations
00:20:45.34\00:20:47.48
of the boys' dormitory.
00:20:47.51\00:20:49.21
The project will
include installing new floors
00:20:49.24\00:20:50.95
in the bathrooms
00:20:50.98\00:20:52.31
and interior and
exterior painting.
00:20:52.35\00:20:54.45
All skills are welcomed.
00:20:54.48\00:20:55.82
So join us by registering online
00:20:55.85\00:20:57.65
prior to the project.
00:20:57.69\00:20:59.45
If you're 18 to 35
and looking to serve,
00:20:59.49\00:21:01.86
join us on the Young
Adult Project in Kenya,
00:21:01.89\00:21:03.99
July 4 to 18.
00:21:04.03\00:21:05.79
Volunteers on this project
00:21:05.83\00:21:07.16
will construct new
much needed block buildings
00:21:07.20\00:21:09.56
for the Kiutine
Adventist School.
00:21:09.60\00:21:11.83
This project will also include
community outreach activities
00:21:11.87\00:21:14.67
and will end with
a Safari excursion
00:21:14.70\00:21:16.54
in the world famous
Maasai Mara National Park.
00:21:16.57\00:21:19.47
To sign up for these projects
00:21:19.51\00:21:20.84
or to view our
entire project calendar,
00:21:20.88\00:21:23.01
visit maranatha.org.
00:21:23.04\00:21:24.61
If everyone gave just a
little toward a common goal,
00:21:32.65\00:21:36.02
that little would become a
lot, enough to build a church.
00:21:36.06\00:21:41.46
It's Maranatha's
$10 church program.
00:21:41.50\00:21:44.20
And each month we
raise enough money
00:21:44.23\00:21:46.50
to provide a church
for a congregation in need.
00:21:46.53\00:21:50.01
It just shows that a
little goes a long way
00:21:50.04\00:21:52.54
in making a difference.
00:21:52.57\00:21:53.94
Mission trips are full
of activities, construction,
00:22:01.55\00:22:06.15
children's programs
and community outreach.
00:22:06.19\00:22:08.59
And although they provide ways
00:22:10.63\00:22:12.03
to connect with the
people being served,
00:22:12.06\00:22:13.80
the shared experiences
bond the volunteers as well
00:22:13.83\00:22:16.97
and offer opportunities
for spiritual growth.
00:22:17.00\00:22:19.83
A friend of mine told me that
00:22:19.87\00:22:21.40
you don't just
come to build buildings,
00:22:21.44\00:22:23.47
you come to build people.
00:22:23.51\00:22:25.91
And I guess the
spiritual lessons
00:22:25.94\00:22:28.14
I've learned are that you don't
really come to build people,
00:22:28.18\00:22:30.88
you come to build yourself
00:22:30.91\00:22:32.41
and to be open
and to be vulnerable,
00:22:32.45\00:22:35.15
to make new friends
and to learn new things
00:22:35.18\00:22:38.22
and make friends with people
00:22:38.25\00:22:40.66
you may never see
again this side of heaven.
00:22:40.69\00:22:43.43
I think I use
these trips for myself,
00:22:43.46\00:22:45.73
just as much as I use
them for other people.
00:22:45.76\00:22:48.33
And I think
it's real easy for me
00:22:48.36\00:22:51.00
when I'm home to kind
of get back into my rut
00:22:51.03\00:22:54.20
and go to my church
where you can kind of blend in
00:22:54.24\00:22:56.67
and not really be as
active as you should.
00:22:56.71\00:23:01.04
And so when I
come on these trips,
00:23:01.08\00:23:02.41
I used them for
myself to kind of grow
00:23:02.44\00:23:06.75
and to reignite my
passion for Christ.
00:23:06.78\00:23:10.45
Then I really
like coming out here
00:23:10.49\00:23:12.42
because I can see what we do.
00:23:12.45\00:23:13.89
I can see other
people that are like us
00:23:13.92\00:23:15.92
and I want to go home,
and I want to share that.
00:23:15.96\00:23:18.63
For Shelby Burns,
00:23:18.66\00:23:20.00
the idea of opening up
00:23:20.03\00:23:21.36
and connecting with
a group of strangers
00:23:21.40\00:23:23.06
was daunting,
00:23:23.10\00:23:24.43
especially strangers
of a different faith.
00:23:24.47\00:23:27.14
I grew up in a
non-Christian home
00:23:27.17\00:23:28.57
where I was raised
00:23:28.60\00:23:30.81
not to need one person
00:23:30.84\00:23:32.17
because people
will let you down.
00:23:32.21\00:23:34.61
And I think my dad knew
he was going to let me down,
00:23:34.64\00:23:36.91
and that was
hard for him as a man,
00:23:36.95\00:23:38.28
and my mom knew she
was going to let me down,
00:23:38.31\00:23:39.78
and so they set us up as kids
00:23:39.81\00:23:41.95
to be able to be the most
independent hard-working kids
00:23:41.98\00:23:44.69
they can have,
00:23:44.72\00:23:46.05
because they didn't want anyone
to be able to tear us down.
00:23:46.09\00:23:48.92
But then becoming
a Christian at 17-18,
00:23:48.96\00:23:52.16
you need to be able
to let go of that pride
00:23:52.19\00:23:54.56
and need your Father
in heaven and need God.
00:23:54.60\00:23:57.73
And I came on this
trip, preparing myself
00:23:57.77\00:23:59.27
that I wouldn't
need anyone in this group
00:23:59.30\00:24:01.07
because I didn't know them.
00:24:01.10\00:24:02.44
I didn't know if
they were judging me.
00:24:02.47\00:24:03.81
I didn't want to be
let down or disappointed
00:24:03.84\00:24:05.17
by any
Adventist or any Christian
00:24:05.21\00:24:07.28
or even the locals on this trip
00:24:07.31\00:24:09.34
that might not like
me too much, I guess,
00:24:09.38\00:24:12.95
but I came on this trip
00:24:12.98\00:24:14.32
and you can't lay
block by yourself.
00:24:14.35\00:24:17.05
You can't go on a trip like this
00:24:17.09\00:24:19.95
and do it by yourself,
00:24:19.99\00:24:21.32
because on that last work day,
00:24:21.36\00:24:24.33
when you just
don't like your thoughts
00:24:24.36\00:24:26.39
that you're thinking,
'cause you're tired and grumpy,
00:24:26.43\00:24:28.26
you need Jesus.
00:24:28.30\00:24:30.10
I had to do that a lot,
00:24:30.13\00:24:32.83
and it was just
another step in my faith
00:24:32.87\00:24:36.81
to need less of
me and more of God,
00:24:36.84\00:24:39.97
because if I would've come
on this trip just needing me,
00:24:40.01\00:24:42.54
I wouldn't have built
relationships with Adventists
00:24:42.58\00:24:44.38
because I would have
thought they were judging me.
00:24:44.41\00:24:47.25
I learned to need
myself less and need Jesus more
00:24:47.28\00:24:51.95
and allow other Christians,
00:24:51.99\00:24:53.76
whether they're my
religious background or not,
00:24:53.79\00:24:56.93
or my faith background or not.
00:24:56.96\00:24:58.83
I allowed them to take
part in my growth and experience
00:24:58.86\00:25:03.43
and not just hide behind
my pride and independence.
00:25:03.47\00:25:08.54
Shelby found the mission trip
00:25:08.57\00:25:10.07
to be a safe environment
00:25:10.11\00:25:11.44
where she could truly
open herself to others.
00:25:11.47\00:25:14.11
That is exactly what
would make me want to go
00:25:14.14\00:25:15.84
on Maranatha trip again
00:25:15.88\00:25:17.21
'cause it is a place
00:25:17.25\00:25:18.58
where I knew
everyone was different,
00:25:18.61\00:25:19.95
I knew each have
different theology,
00:25:19.98\00:25:21.32
but I knew I was
going to be genuinely loved
00:25:21.35\00:25:22.92
and cared for,
00:25:22.95\00:25:24.55
and that's worth it.
00:25:24.59\00:25:25.92
I plan on going to
the Adventist Church
00:25:25.95\00:25:27.59
with some of these people
00:25:27.62\00:25:28.96
there just to
experience their experiences.
00:25:28.99\00:25:30.43
And now I get to
have that here in Africa,
00:25:30.46\00:25:32.83
and I get to
have that back home,
00:25:32.86\00:25:34.20
and hopefully I get to go
on more trips with Maranatha
00:25:34.23\00:25:36.40
'cause it's fun
and you learn a lot
00:25:36.43\00:25:40.60
and they work you hard,
00:25:40.64\00:25:42.24
and build your
character and your muscles.
00:25:42.27\00:25:44.91
The growth and
discovery that occurred in Kenya
00:25:44.94\00:25:47.41
will continue to
impact the volunteers' lives
00:25:47.44\00:25:50.05
as they head home.
00:25:50.08\00:25:53.72
I really hope that
00:25:53.75\00:25:55.08
I can be more
loving and involved
00:25:55.12\00:25:56.45
in my community at home.
00:25:56.48\00:25:59.52
I think part of this
trip has helped me to realize
00:25:59.55\00:26:03.29
how kind of selfish I am
00:26:03.32\00:26:06.90
and how much I just
stick to my own life
00:26:06.93\00:26:10.73
and just do my own thing,
00:26:10.77\00:26:12.13
and I'm not very
involved in other people's lives
00:26:12.17\00:26:14.84
and sometimes not very
loving to other people either.
00:26:14.87\00:26:20.68
So I think it'll be a
good challenge for myself
00:26:20.71\00:26:22.88
when I get home
to be more involved
00:26:22.91\00:26:29.48
and just care more about people,
00:26:29.52\00:26:31.32
and really the people
here have challenged me
00:26:31.35\00:26:35.49
to be more loving
and accepting of others
00:26:35.52\00:26:38.13
that are so different than I am.
00:26:38.16\00:26:39.59
Most important,
00:26:42.60\00:26:43.93
God's love showed
through and touched lives.
00:26:43.97\00:26:49.50
I love God, I can say that.
00:26:49.54\00:26:51.24
I don't know if I would
have been able to say that
00:26:51.27\00:26:53.68
before this trip...
00:26:53.71\00:26:55.21
but I mean, God is love
00:27:00.28\00:27:05.09
and all the love that I've seen
00:27:05.12\00:27:07.66
over this trip has been...
00:27:07.69\00:27:12.63
I can say that, I've seen God.
00:27:12.66\00:27:17.43
Forty six girls now
have a safe place to sleep,
00:27:17.47\00:27:20.70
and four congregations
have proper places of worship,
00:27:20.74\00:27:23.97
but Maranatha's
ultimate goal was accomplished,
00:27:24.01\00:27:27.18
to share the
warmth of God's love
00:27:27.21\00:27:29.28
with as many people as possible.
00:27:29.31\00:27:31.51