Participants:
Series Code: MTS
Program Code: MTS002305B
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00:08 Riding in the tuk-tuk is one of the best ways
00:11 to experience the sights and the sounds 00:14 and the smells of the city. 00:16 Here in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 00:19 this is one of the most economical means of transport 00:21 and if you find yourself in Cambodia, 00:24 you'll probably find yourself hitching a ride 00:26 in a tuk-tuk several times a day. 00:28 Well, unfortunately, 00:29 we can't travel by tuk-tuk to our next destination, 00:31 which is a native school in Alberta, Canada. 00:50 I'm Rick Kajiura for Adventist Mission 00:52 and we're here in Canada, 00:54 but I'm not gonna tell you where it's just 00:56 'cause I'm gonna let our guest tell you that. 00:58 I'm here with Gail Wilton 01:00 who is the principal here at a unique school. 01:04 Where are we exactly 01:05 and what's the name of the school? 01:07 We are in Central Alberta. 01:09 We're halfway basically between Edmonton and Calgary 01:13 in the Ponoka County just off the Maskwacis Reserve. 01:17 And the name of our school is Mamawi Atosketan Native School. 01:21 Mamawi Atosketan in the Cree language means 01:23 working together. 01:25 Working together, I like that. 01:26 And I'm really glad I let you say all those words. 01:30 But this school, okay, you said it's a native school, 01:33 that's also Seventh-day Adventist run school. 01:35 What exactly does the school do here in this community? 01:40 Well, we're actually a mission school 01:42 and so we are just off reserve. 01:44 Like you said we are funded. 01:46 We are supported 01:48 by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada 01:50 in our local conference here, the Alberta Conference. 01:53 We are all First Nations so all of our students 01:56 come from the local reserves here. 01:58 There are four reserves in this area that we service. 02:01 We have the Samson, Ermineskin, Louis Bull, and Montana bands. 02:05 And so our children come from all of those areas. 02:08 We bus them in every day, bus them home every afternoon. 02:12 We are a mission school, we do not charge any tuition. 02:16 We have a breakfast and a lunch program 02:19 at no cost to the children or their families. 02:22 The funding that we do get, 02:24 though it's not provincial funding, 02:25 it's actually federal funding. 02:27 That's where all the First Nations 02:28 funding comes from, is the federal government. 02:32 But here at our school, our goal to work 02:36 with these children and introduce them, 02:38 bring them to Christ, and help them 02:40 get their education along the way 02:42 so they can be productive members of their society, 02:45 become our future leaders of our country. 02:48 So how do you promote the school? 02:49 How do you get students? 02:51 Is it difficult to get students? 02:52 Well, we used to advertise in the neighboring communities, 02:56 but that kind of got a little ahead of us. 02:59 We can't keep up 03:00 with the demand when we advertise. 03:01 So primarily, the students that we have are students 03:05 that we've had for quite some time, 03:07 or they're related to students who attend here, 03:09 or word of mouth basically is how our school is growing. 03:14 In the last eight years, we've grown from 132 students 03:18 this year were 208. 03:20 And we are full. We are full. 03:23 That's a good problem to have, but you are expanding 03:26 because you do have a waiting list, right? 03:28 That's correct. 03:29 We have a waiting list every year. 03:31 We have students that want to come 03:33 and join our school, but unfortunately, 03:34 we just don't have the space to do that. 03:36 So right now we have six of our classrooms 03:40 that are in portables in external classrooms 03:43 outside of the main building, 03:44 we just don't have space for them, 03:46 but we are in the midst of a building project. 03:48 And that new school that is being built 03:51 will be for our 7th to 12th graders. 03:54 And the current building then will be used 03:56 just for the kindergarten through to grade six. 03:58 So what grades do you have up to now? 04:00 Do you have up to 12? We do. 04:01 We're kindergarten all the way through to 12. 04:03 They're in these small sort of out buildings, 04:06 external buildings. 04:08 I don't know if everybody around the world 04:09 knows what portables are, they are buildings that 04:10 you just sort of set up that are usually supposed to be 04:12 somewhat temporary. 04:14 They're. 04:15 They're trailers that we brought in 04:16 that have a classroom and a bathroom basically. 04:20 And then anytime they wanna come 04:21 into the main building, 04:23 they have to run through the Alberta winter. 04:24 That's right. 04:25 They have to come through rain, sleet, snow, 04:27 fog whatever it is that day. 04:28 Just for some people that don't know 04:29 how cold it gets in an Alberta winter, 04:31 how cold can it get? 04:32 Well, we close school 04:34 when the wind chill hits minus 40. 04:36 Minus 40 Celsius. Minus 40 Celsius. 04:40 Okay, that's pretty cold. That is cold. 04:43 Okay, so then you got a number of students 04:45 and you've been here a number of years. 04:47 Is there a story you can share about one student 04:49 maybe that's really touched? 04:50 Sure. Sure. 04:52 And this is one that I've shared several times, 04:54 but it is one that's very close to my heart. 04:56 When I first started here 14 years ago, 05:00 I was working 05:02 with a classroom full of students 05:04 who were much older than the grade level 05:05 they should have been in. 05:07 This one particular student in sixth grade, 05:12 she just didn't wanna have anything to do 05:13 with a new teacher coming in. 05:14 She ruled that class, 05:16 I did not have too much management 05:18 on that class. 05:20 And so, if I said something needed to be done, 05:22 she went totally against me. 05:24 And this happened day after day after day, 05:27 but one of the things that I always did in my class 05:29 was every morning when I had worship with them, 05:32 I would start off with a little spiritual talk, 05:34 and then I'd pray with my students. 05:36 So I would always ask them, 05:38 fold their hands, close their eyes, 05:41 bow their head, and understand that 05:44 a lot of them come from and we're living in 05:46 some very difficult situations. 05:48 So the whole closing your eyes 05:49 and being vulnerable was a big situation. 05:52 So it was very hard to get that, 05:55 but I would pray anyway even though 05:57 that I wasn't necessarily getting them all on board. 06:01 And every day I would ask them, 06:03 is there anybody who would like to pray 06:05 or like me to pray for them? 06:07 But I never got a response. 06:08 Well, we were several months into the year. 06:11 And again in the morning, 06:12 I asked if there's anybody who would like to pray. 06:14 And this young girl who had previously been 06:18 so much against everything I had to do to the point 06:21 that she'd actually picked up chairs 06:22 and threw them in my direction. 06:24 I am not gonna follow. 06:25 I am not gonna be a part of what's happening in here. 06:29 One morning, she said, "I'll pray." 06:31 And I was shocked. 06:33 I really did not expect this especially to come from her 06:35 because she was a very strong leader 06:38 in the classroom, 06:39 but not necessarily a positive one. 06:41 And so I said, "Okay, well, you can pray." 06:45 And she did what I did every morning and she said, 06:48 "I need everybody to fold your hands, 06:50 bow your heads, and close your eyes." 06:51 And everybody did. They all listened to her. 06:54 They all did. 06:55 And when she had everybody there, 06:57 you know, eyes closed, heads bowed. 07:00 She put her head back up and she said, 07:01 "I don't know what to say." 07:03 And I said, "Well, Jesus is your friend, 07:06 talk to Him like you're talking to your best friend." 07:09 She said, "Okay." 07:10 And so she closed her eyes again, 07:12 bowed her head. 07:13 And I don't remember everything that she said in the prayer, 07:16 but I do remember that there were a few chas in there. 07:19 And in this area cha means just kidding. 07:22 And you say those kinds of things to your friends, 07:23 when you're just horsing around and whatever you say, cha. 07:26 I remember in that prayer, 07:28 she was talking to Jesus 07:29 that she said cha several times. 07:32 It's just like, wow, 07:33 this is as if she was talking to a friend. 07:36 And when she was done, she said, "Amen." 07:38 Everybody went back to what they were doing, 07:39 like nothing out of the ordinary happened. 07:42 And my heart is just pounding on my chest 07:44 and I'm just wanting to tear up because this young girl 07:47 who had been so hardened inside, 07:50 she just found a new friend. 07:52 Wow, what a tremendous story. 07:53 You guys really are making 07:55 a difference here in this community. 07:57 And for those of you who are watching, 07:59 please remember to pray 08:00 for the Mamawi Atosketan Native School 08:03 here in Alberta, Canada. 08:05 And thank you for all you do for mission. 08:08 All the stories, all the episodes 08:10 that you see of Mission 360 are stored at m360.tv 08:15 That's m360.tv So if you wanna catch up 08:18 on a story you missed, or an episode you missed, 08:21 just go to m360.tv Next up, we traveled to Puerto Rico. 08:32 When we think about impacting lives for Jesus, 08:35 we don't usually think of doing 08:36 so while riding a bicycle, but in Puerto Rico, 08:39 this is exactly what some creative 08:41 Seventh-day Adventists are doing to share the gospel. 08:46 A group of students, teachers, 08:48 and pastors from Antillean Adventist University 08:51 wanted to start a mission project. 08:53 They decided to launch a cycling ministry 08:55 to emphasize healthy living and good friendships. 08:58 The group of cyclists meets monthly 09:01 and pedals around the entire island. 09:06 We ride around the island of Puerto Rico, 09:08 which is an island of about 100 miles by 35 miles. 09:13 So we ride about 285 miles in three days. 09:17 And this tells the public that as an Adventist Church, 09:21 we're concerned about the health of the people 09:23 who are here in Puerto Rico. 09:28 Although the health emphasis is a major component, 09:31 it's not this ministry's only focus. 09:34 Everyone in the community is welcome to join 09:36 the group allowing the Adventist cyclists 09:38 to create bonds with people from different backgrounds. 09:42 During the ride, 09:43 they enjoy a special moment they call Oasis, 09:46 a moment to rest, eat, rehydrate, 09:49 and pray together. 09:53 And while we ride, we meet people 09:54 who are in a divorce, 09:56 people who are losing their job, 09:58 or who are wanting to hear the hope of Jesus. 10:03 It's a great opportunity to spend three days with people 10:05 whom we don't know, but they become our family. 10:10 German is retired from the US military. 10:13 He served in various places around the world, 10:16 but his experiences brought physical 10:18 and emotional problems 10:19 that he had difficulty resolving. 10:21 His doctors recommended 10:23 that he participate in regular physical activity. 10:27 Even though he wasn't an Adventist, 10:29 German joined the group of Adventist cyclist 10:31 and they welcomed him with great joy. 10:34 After several months of cycling with them, 10:37 German not only experienced 10:38 significant improvement in his health, 10:41 but he also had the opportunity 10:42 to witness his new friend's sincere love. 10:46 By their influence, he decided to be baptized 10:49 into the local Adventist Church. 10:53 For me, it was a support. 10:57 I see their mission 10:58 and I'm proud to be part of this group, 11:01 to give myself motivation 11:04 to understand that health is important. 11:13 But there's also the spiritual part, 11:16 which is even more important. 11:19 Jesus calls each of us to find unconventional ways 11:23 to share His love. 11:24 There are many ways to mingle with people 11:27 like riding a bicycle. 11:31 Maybe I'm not a minister, 11:33 but I feel that with what I have in my hands, 11:35 I can help other people know Jesus. 11:41 My plan is to be physically prepared to ride the bike 11:44 and talk about Jesus for three days. 11:48 Who is Jesus? 11:50 A Jesus who wants to see us happy, 11:52 a Jesus who wants us to be healthy, 11:54 and a Jesus who likes to make friends 11:56 with those who don't know Him. 11:59 Please pray for the ministry 12:01 of the Adventist cyclists in Puerto Rico 12:03 and consider how you can share Jesus 12:05 in unique ways where you are. 12:07 Thank you for supporting mission. 12:24 Well, that's about it for today's program, 12:26 and I hope that you've been inspired 12:28 and challenged by our 360 degree 12:31 view of mission around the world. 12:33 Church planters in India, 12:35 people sharing their faith in Puerto Rico, 12:38 the challenges of the 10/40 Window, 12:40 we see so much happening around the world. 12:42 Of course, huge challenges still remain. 12:44 And I wanna thank you so much 12:47 for your continuing participation 12:49 as a part of Adventist Mission 12:51 because we consider you to be part of our team 12:54 because every time that you pray for missionaries 12:56 for Global Mission pioneers for urban centers of influence, 13:00 you are praying for mission and you're making a difference 13:03 in the lives of people around the world. 13:05 And every time that 13:06 you give your mission offerings, 13:08 every time that you donate to Global Mission, 13:10 you are helping new church work around the world. 13:13 And there are many, many people, 13:14 many thousands of people who are coming to know 13:17 Jesus Christ as their Savior. 13:19 Well, for Adventist Mission, I'm Gary Krause. 13:22 And I hope that you can join me next time, 13:24 right here on Mission 360. |
Revised 2020-06-11