Participants:
Series Code: MTS
Program Code: MTS002002A
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00:10 Animated mission stories the city of Buenos Aires
00:14 and a story from Uncle Homer coming up next. 00:41 Hello and welcome to Mission 360. 00:43 I'm Gary Krause. 00:44 Today's program is coming to you 00:46 from Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. 00:49 Now in greater Buenos Aires, 00:52 we have some 12 million people living, 00:54 which means that more than one 00:56 in four Argentinians live in this city. 00:59 So it's a tremendous mission challenge 01:01 in this growing city of Buenos Aires. 01:05 Today's program is specifically focused on children, 01:08 and there'll be some animated mission stories. 01:11 When we think about animation, 01:12 we often think about Walt Disney, 01:14 but the first animation feature movie 01:17 was actually made here in Argentina, back in 1917. 01:22 And the director was satirizing the corruption 01:26 and the lack of morals of the time. 01:28 Well, on today's program, 01:30 we'll take you all around the globe 01:31 to see frontline mission. 01:33 First up, let's travel to North America. 01:41 I am the second-grade teacher here in Ebeye, 01:44 at Ebeye SDA school. 01:46 I teach all subjects for second grade. 01:49 Come to her house. 01:51 To go where? 01:52 To her house! 01:53 To her house. 01:55 Ebeye is a small island in the Pacific Ocean. 01:58 It's part of a chain called the Marshall Islands. 02:01 More than 15,000 people live on this small piece of land 02:04 and half of the population is under the age of 18. 02:08 Ebeye is very small, very populated, 02:13 lots of children running around. 02:15 They are very friendly. 02:16 They will tell you, "Hi, yokwe." 02:18 Want to touch you, want to touch your hair, 02:20 give you a hug. 02:22 And then also, there's not that many trees, 02:24 not that many flowers, 02:25 just a lot of buildings because, you know, 02:28 such a high population. 02:29 Ebeye Seventh-day Adventist School 02:31 plays an important role on the island. 02:33 It educates children from preschool to grade 12. 02:37 The school relies heavily 02:39 on Adventist volunteers to function. 02:41 Student missionaries, especially, 02:43 come every year to fill the empty teaching positions. 02:47 Elisa was a hairstylist in the United States, 02:50 but she believed God wanted something else 02:52 for her life. 02:53 So she began praying for direction. 02:55 Someone suggested that 02:57 she consider volunteering her time 02:58 for God's work. 03:00 I had no idea where Ebeye was 03:02 but there was an available opening, 03:05 so I applied, and I asked God to open the door 03:08 if I was supposed to go 03:10 or shut it if I was not supposed to. 03:12 Since she arrived, 03:13 Elisa has grown close to her students. 03:15 They frequently hug her 03:17 and want to spend time with her. 03:19 The bond she's formed with the people on the island 03:21 has motivated her 03:22 to put her best effort into her job. 03:25 But there have also been 03:26 major challenges to living abroad. 03:28 Since Ebeye is an isolated island, 03:31 getting fresh food here is infrequent, 03:34 and healthy living can be difficult. 03:36 So some of the struggles on Ebeye have been getting sick 03:39 and also not getting enough nutrition 03:42 just because the food is very different here. 03:43 There's not a lot of fresh produce. 03:45 So my first sickness was chikungunya. 03:47 It's a mosquito-borne virus. 03:49 And then I got a dislocated kneecap 03:53 from teaching the boys soccer. 03:55 And so that was a struggle. 03:57 I had to return to the US. 03:59 And when I had to return home from dislocating my kneecap, 04:02 I was very angry. 04:05 I felt guilty for leaving all my kids 04:07 and my fellow missionaries. 04:09 And I was angry at God. I blamed God for it. 04:11 And I told all my family, 04:13 "I'm never coming back to Ebeye." 04:15 And then I drifted away from God a little bit 04:18 and then I prayed. 04:20 I started praying. 04:21 "God, I need to come back to You. 04:23 Tell me what to do with my life. 04:24 I need my purpose. 04:25 I need to know what it is." 04:27 And as I prayed, God showed me 04:29 that I was supposed to come back to Ebeye 04:31 because in the first place, 04:32 who was the one that led me to Ebeye? 04:33 It was God. 04:35 When Elisa's knee was better, 04:37 she returned to Ebeye for another year of teaching. 04:40 She feels even more dedicated 04:42 and closer to the students than before. 04:44 What I like about being here is being able to provide 04:48 that kind of support for the children 04:50 and a nurturing experience for them. 04:53 And most of all is Jesus Christ, you know, 04:57 telling them about Jesus and His love, 04:59 and showing that love to them. 05:01 Not just telling them, but most importantly, you know, 05:03 showing it in my own life to them. 05:06 One of the biggest obstacles 05:08 the school faces is maintenance. 05:10 The salt concentration in the air is so high 05:13 that everything deteriorates at a fast pace. 05:16 Something that would normally last 20 years 05:18 in other parts of the world 05:19 might only last three years in Ebeye. 05:22 The staff and students are grateful 05:25 for your contributions to the 13th Sabbath Offerings. 05:29 Yes, most definitely the money is needed for our school. 05:33 There are many renovations that are ongoing, you know, 05:37 we constantly, with the saltwater, 05:39 it affects the building structure, 05:41 and then also right now we have termites in the wood. 05:44 So I think we're trying to turn the school into mostly, 05:47 I think, concrete so we don't have the termites. 05:49 So, yeah, there's a lot to do. 05:52 And things are, yeah, they're always falling apart, 05:54 just again with the weather, 05:56 the saltwater, and just a lot of kids, 05:59 you know, maybe being hard on the school. 06:02 Please consider how you can help 06:04 the Ebeye Seventh-day Adventist School 06:06 in the Marshall Islands, 06:08 as well as other schools throughout 06:09 the North American Division. 06:11 Education has a huge impact on future generations. 06:15 Thank you for supporting the mission 06:17 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church! 06:23 My guest is Yanina who is a One Year 06:26 in Mission volunteer 06:28 here in the City of Lujan in Argentina. 06:31 Now this is a city of more than 100,000 people 06:34 where there are no 06:35 Seventh-day Adventists believers, 06:37 no churches, and we are standing 06:39 in a Center of Influence that 06:41 is making a difference in the community. 06:44 Thank you so much for joining me. 06:46 Now One Year in Mission what exactly is that? 07:05 Okay, so why did you decide to give one year in mission 07:09 to come to the city? 07:36 Okay. 07:37 So, Yanina, you are not here alone, 07:39 you're part of a team. 07:40 Describe the team and what sort of activities 07:43 you're involved in? 08:43 Wonderful. 08:45 Now can you tell me the story 08:47 or a story of someone whose life 08:49 has been touched through the Center of Influence 08:52 and through the One Year in Mission team? 10:01 So, Yanina, what has been 10:03 the most rewarding aspect of the work 10:05 that you're doing here? 10:44 Wonderful. 10:46 Now this is not the first time that you have volunteered 10:49 you're a One Year in Mission missionary this year. 10:52 What have you been doing in the past? 11:46 So what is your greatest hope 11:48 for what will happen in this city? 12:07 Wonderful. 12:09 And what are your plans for the future? 12:22 Wonderful. 12:23 Yanina, thank you so much for sharing with us today. 12:25 Muchas gracias. 12:27 And viewers at home, it is a challenging thing 12:31 to move into a new city 12:33 where there are no Adventist believers 12:35 and start a Center of Influence 12:38 and putting Christ method of ministry into practice. 12:43 And this group of young people need our prayers. 12:46 They're enthusiastic, they have wonderful ideas 12:49 and they're doing wonderful things. 12:51 So please pray for them and what they are doing. 12:53 We'll be right back. 12:55 Right after this break. |
Revised 2021-06-10