Participants:
Series Code: MTS
Program Code: MTS002501B
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00:12 Welcome back to Andrews University.
00:14 And behind me, you'll see the seminary building 00:16 where the Department of World Mission is located 00:18 and there many students 00:20 every year are trained in missiological principles. 00:23 Next up, we travel to Bangkok 00:24 and a unique urban center of influence. 00:37 I'm here in the heart of one of the biggest cities 00:39 of Southeast Asia, Bangkok, Thailand. 00:42 And here we are in a place 00:44 that I'm not that familiar with. 00:47 But Brian here is going to tell us 00:48 about what he's doing here 00:50 and what exactly are we standing by? 00:53 Thanks, Rick. 00:55 So this is actually our climbing facility 00:57 in our gym. 00:59 Here on the fifth floor, 01:00 we have rock climbing where we teach people 01:03 in a more safe environment. 01:05 This is indoor climbing, 01:06 it only goes up about five meters. 01:08 We have very thick mats here that we're standing on. 01:11 So it keeps people safe if they fall off. 01:13 And it gives us an opportunity 01:14 to teach people in a safe environment 01:16 how to do rock climbing. 01:18 It's a fun exercise for the whole body. 01:22 Now, the majority of population in Bangkok is not Christian, 01:27 you know, and you're a Christian here. 01:29 But if we look at these walls, and you have certain principles 01:32 that you teach people on how to get up a wall, 01:34 are their principles that you learn climbing a wall 01:36 that can help people in life? 01:38 Yeah, actually, 01:40 fortitude is actually a really solid one. 01:42 So climbing up indoors specifically, 01:45 you have to only use the holes that are here on the wall. 01:48 And so sometimes that's really hard. 01:49 You, one, might not figure out. 01:51 You look at it and you go, 01:53 "Well, how can I use these couple of holes 01:55 and get up the wall?" 01:56 And so it takes determination and problem solving 01:58 and stick-to-itiveness, not just giving up 02:00 when something gets challenging. 02:02 But then sometimes it's physically challenging 02:03 and so you have to push yourself 02:05 and it's easy to just go, "Well, I just can't do it." 02:07 But that drive to continue and to keep trying 02:09 even when you fail 02:11 is something that's really a solid part 02:13 of what we're trying to help people learn here. 02:15 So can I ask you what brought you here? 02:17 What inspired you to leave home 02:19 and come all the way to Thailand? 02:22 So to come specifically to Thailand, my wife and I, 02:25 we were working in the United States 02:28 for the North Pacific Union Conference 02:30 of the church that we attend. 02:31 And we were just trying to figure out 02:34 what God wanted us to do. 02:35 And we were trying to help people 02:37 specifically with health. 02:38 My wife and I had both, 02:41 you know, had some health issues 02:42 as younger people and through influences 02:45 that we had met through this church, 02:47 we started to improve our health 02:49 and so we wanted to share that with other people. 02:51 And so we actually watched a documentary 02:53 called I Want This City. 02:55 And it was about somebody following around a pastor 02:58 in Bangkok, Thailand. 02:59 And one episode specifically, 03:00 they did a health clinic 03:03 or a free health seminar type thing 03:05 in one of the big malls. 03:07 And I started watching the interviews of the people 03:09 afterwards and the things that they were saying 03:10 they learned, you know, "I learned 03:12 that you're supposed to drink water." 03:13 And I said, "Wow, you know, 03:15 I haven't been breathing correctly my whole life. 03:17 I just take really shallow breaths, 03:18 and I should be breathing deeply." 03:20 So it's really basic stuff. 03:22 And so we started research 03:23 and we found that diabetes at the time 03:25 was the number four killer of Americans. 03:27 And it was 25% higher rate of death here in Thailand. 03:31 And there was very little understanding 03:32 of how to help that naturally 03:34 and as well as heart disease 03:37 and other lifestyle related issues. 03:38 And so we wanted to come and try and help people 03:41 to have understanding 03:42 of how they could take control of those issues in their life 03:45 without needing to use expensive medicines 03:46 or going to the doctor all the time. 03:49 You know, and as we look at climbing walls, 03:54 you know, and that's a health lesson. 03:56 And then you're mingling with people on a daily basis. 04:01 You're also doing other things here. 04:03 I think you're selling bread. 04:04 Did I see that as well? Correct, yeah. 04:06 So is that part of that whole health? 04:07 Yes. 04:09 So we're trying to encompass a holistic health principle. 04:14 A lot of times where we've been, 04:16 a message of health 04:17 would mainly be about nutrition. 04:19 And nutrition is extremely important. 04:21 But exercise is also equally important. 04:24 The reason why we chose rock climbing 04:26 is because as we came here, 04:27 we spent two years in language and culture study, 04:30 trying to understand the people that we were living among. 04:33 And as we talked to them about exercise, 04:34 many of them said, 04:36 "I don't really like to exercise. 04:37 It's hot and it's boring." 04:39 And so we got into rock climbing, 04:40 and we started inviting people to come with us. 04:43 And they saw it as a fun activity. 04:44 They didn't see it as exercise. 04:45 They just said, 04:47 "Well, this is really fun and exciting." 04:48 And actually a couple of months ago, 04:49 we were climbing in here 04:51 and so I put on my heart rate monitor, 04:52 started my watch, just doing training. 04:55 And we climbed for about two hours 04:56 just very light, like I would climb, 04:57 I would wait 10 minutes, climb again. 04:59 And at the end, I turned it off and I said, 05:01 "You know what, we burned 920 calories just now 05:03 and 46% of it was from fat." 05:05 And they said, "No! No, no way! 05:07 We were just having fun. We're just playing." 05:08 And so it was something 05:10 where we're kind of tricking people 05:11 into exercising through a fun activity. 05:13 Yeah, and time passes a lot faster 05:15 when we're having fun. 05:16 And I have to tell you that you're on the fifth floor, 05:18 so when I came up the stairs, I said, 05:19 "Oh, now I know why they call it a climbing facility." 05:22 That's your warm-up. That's my warm up. 05:24 I need to get into a little bit more. 05:27 Can you share a story maybe about somebody 05:29 who's had a positive experience by, you know, 05:31 learning climbing or improving their health 05:34 or something? 05:35 Sure, I can share a couple stories 05:37 if we have time. 05:38 There's one specifically about a young woman named Oak. 05:41 And she... 05:43 We have this climbing facility to teach people as I mentioned, 05:45 we also lead outdoor climbing trips. 05:48 And so we get people out of this giant city. 05:50 They go outside in the mountains, 05:52 you know, the real rocks, trees, 05:54 and it's just a beautiful experience. 05:55 And it gives us more time to connect 05:57 and build relationships connecting with people. 05:59 And so we went on this one group. 06:00 And this young woman named Oak, she came along, 06:03 and she was having fun. 06:04 And we were all climbing. 06:05 We had about 12 people on that trip. 06:07 And so we were doing 06:08 what's called multi-pitch climbing, 06:10 which means we were broken up into a few different groups 06:11 and one group would go up, 06:12 we'd bring the rest of the people up, 06:14 and then that first group would continue on 06:15 and then the next group. 06:17 So we weren't all really together. 06:18 And so I wasn't with her in the group. 06:21 But I helped her with the second part. 06:23 I was doing the ballet section. 06:25 As we finished and we all went down, 06:28 I ended up walking next to her. 06:29 And I said, "So how was it?" 06:31 And she said, "Well, your group said it was going to be easy, 06:32 and it wasn't easy." 06:33 And I said, "But you did it." 06:35 And she said, "No, No, I didn't. 06:36 You pulled me up." 06:38 And I was a little bit surprised and I said, 06:39 "No, no, I didn't pull you up. You climbed up." 06:40 She said, "No, you pulled me up." 06:42 And so what I realized in communicating 06:44 and talking with her a little bit more 06:45 was in her mind, 06:47 she had told herself she couldn't do it. 06:48 And so even though she had done it, 06:49 her mind told her she didn't do it. 06:51 She couldn't have done it, somebody else helped her. 06:53 And so I had a good talk with her 06:54 about the importance of challenges 06:56 and not just doing things you know you can do, 06:58 but actually you have to challenge yourself in life 07:00 so that you can grow and get better at things. 07:03 And so it was really an interesting view 07:05 into how our brain and what we tell ourselves 07:08 actually influences 07:09 what we can do and how we think. 07:11 Yeah, unfortunately, our time is up 07:13 because I'd love to hear more stories. 07:14 It sounds like what you're doing 07:15 is really touching people's lives here. 07:18 And we, as a church, talk about Christ method, 07:20 you know, very often. 07:22 We have a difficult time mingling, 07:24 you know, and reaching people where they really are 07:26 and it's great to see, you know, something like this 07:28 where you are out there, 07:30 meeting people, and affecting their lives 07:32 in a positive way. 07:33 And those are some of the first steps. 07:36 Anyway, thank you very much for talking with us. 07:39 And for you out there, thank you for being with us. 07:41 And we'll go back to Gary. 07:43 Next up, we travel to Kenya 07:45 to visit a Global Mission pioneer 07:46 doing what Global Mission pioneers do, 07:49 planting churches. 07:59 The jeep bumps along the road 08:00 as Kenyan church leaders make their way 08:02 to visit a Global Mission pioneer. 08:05 Driving across Kenya can be a beautiful journey. 08:08 The wildlife, the people, and the landscape, 08:11 all contribute to a fascinating experience, 08:14 although there's always a chance 08:15 of running into a problem. 08:21 But the best part of this journey 08:23 is meeting people like Pioneer Leanous, 08:26 he prayed for God to use him 08:28 and was assigned to work in a town 08:29 where there were no Adventists. 08:32 In time, Leanous helped 08:33 to start a small congregation of believers 08:35 who are now in the process 08:37 of constructing a church of their own. 08:39 Everyone takes part in the construction, 08:41 eager to see the building finished. 08:49 We're going to see one example, Jesus Christ Himself. 08:53 Today's visit with local church leaders 08:55 includes a Bible study and member testimonies. 09:05 David is a dedicated church member 09:07 who was part of the Mau Mau Uprising decades ago. 09:11 Between 1952 and 1964, 09:13 there was a conflict 09:14 between the British and a group of Kenyans. 09:17 Before he became an Adventist, David fought in this conflict. 09:21 As he recalls that time, 09:22 many negative memories resurface. 09:25 But he has since found hope in Jesus. 09:28 He shares how God transformed him 09:30 and brought peace into his life. 09:32 Pioneer Leanous studied with him 09:34 and welcomed him into the budding congregation. 09:37 Other members share both the burdens 09:39 and the joys in their lives. 09:41 As they close the meeting, 09:42 they pray for God to use each person in the room 09:45 for His glory. 09:54 The church's central location in town 09:56 makes it easy for people to see what the church is about. 09:59 Our church here 10:01 is in the middle of the community. 10:04 If you look around, 10:05 it's all surrounded by houses where people live. 10:09 And the idea why we thought we could have a church here 10:12 is because all the people who are around here 10:15 would associate with the church. 10:17 And I know it will bear some fruits. 10:19 As the church was being built, 10:21 one neighbor named Karemera 10:23 saw the congregation's construction challenges 10:25 and offered to store equipment in her home to keep it safe. 10:29 She's happy to help her Adventist neighbors. 10:31 She soon became friends with Pioneer Leanous 10:33 and started Bible studies with him. 10:36 During their visit, the Kenyan church leaders 10:38 get to know the other community members. 10:40 The neighbors share that they like getting 10:42 to know their Adventist neighbors, 10:44 and some would like to visit the church on a future Sabbath. 10:47 Let's pray 10:48 for the small congregation in Kenya, 10:50 pray that their example 10:51 reflects Jesus to their community. 10:54 As Global Mission pioneers around the world 10:56 continue planting churches, 10:58 let's also pray 10:59 for the challenges they may face. 11:01 Thank you for supporting Global Mission, 11:03 making testimonies like these possible. 11:20 Well, thank you so much for joining us 11:22 for today's program 11:24 and I hope that you've been inspired 11:25 and that you've been challenged. 11:27 But what you've seen and heard 11:29 as we've looked at our 360 degree view 11:31 of mission around the world, 11:33 we've seen how 13th Sabbath Offerings 11:35 are making a difference. 11:36 We've seen a unique center of influence 11:39 in Bangkok, Thailand. 11:41 We're seeing how missionaries 11:43 are changing lives in different places. 11:45 And I want to thank you so much 11:47 for your continuing support of Adventist mission 11:50 through your finances, 11:52 through your personal involvement, 11:54 and most importantly, because of your prayers. 11:57 But whether you pray, 11:58 whether you give, whether you go, 12:00 whether you do all three, 12:01 we consider you to be part of our Adventist Mission Team. 12:03 So thank you. 12:05 For Adventist Mission, I'm Gary Krause, 12:07 and I hope that you can join me next time 12:09 right here on Mission 360. |
Revised 2020-04-29