Participants:
Series Code: MTS
Program Code: MTS002602A
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00:09 Music and mission in Thailand,
00:11 a lay person plants a church in Uruguay 00:14 and mission here in Guatemala, 00:16 all this and much more coming up next. 00:53 Hello and welcome to Mission 360. 00:55 I'm Gary Krause. 00:57 Today's program is coming to you 00:58 from Central America from the country of Guatemala. 01:02 This is a beautiful country. 01:03 It's a country of volcanoes 01:05 and rainforests and ancient Mayan ruins. 01:09 In fact, that half of the population 01:10 can trace their ancestry back to the Mayan civilization. 01:15 Today, here in Guatemala, 01:17 the Seventh-day Adventist Church 01:18 has been growing rapidly, 01:20 but it still faces many mission challenges, 01:23 and we'll be learning more about that on today's program, 01:26 but first up, let's travel to Thailand 01:28 to learn about the power of music in mission. 01:36 Music is one of the most popular forms 01:38 of entertainment, but in Thailand, 01:41 it's doing more than just entertain. 01:43 It's bringing people 01:44 from all over the world together 01:46 for a common purpose. 01:50 Khon Kaen City lies 450 kilometers from Bangkok. 01:55 It's Thailand's fourth largest city 01:57 and has the largest university in Northeastern Thailand. 02:01 Khon Kaen is a, you know, it's a growing city. 02:04 There's a lot of educated people here, 02:06 a lot of wealth, 02:07 people are busy, don't have a lot of time. 02:10 So we had to think in terms of 02:11 how can we meet people in a non-threatening way. 02:15 With the challenge of reaching out 02:16 to this wealthy, urban community, 02:18 missionaries from all over the world 02:20 were called to Thailand. 02:22 Ricardo and his family were one of the first 02:24 to answer the call to Thailand 02:26 through Adventist Frontier Missions. 02:28 Ricardo became the leader of a violin group 02:31 at the Adventist Church in Bangkok. 02:33 The group was given the opportunity to perform live 02:35 in the Thai parliament 02:37 and in several big shopping malls 02:38 in the city. 02:39 People enjoyed their music and said it made them happy. 02:42 Ricardo realized that they could use music 02:45 to communicate with and touch people, 02:47 regardless of their status in life. 02:50 Music is like a universal language 02:53 that really connects with people. 02:55 People's hearts open up with music and music 02:58 is such a central part of 03:01 Christian worship and experience. 03:03 Soon enough they started a music academy. 03:06 They invited volunteer teachers 03:08 from around the world to come and teach piano, 03:10 violin, ukulele, guitar, and give voice lessons. 03:15 These teachers, together with the leaders of the school, 03:18 have been able to create meaningful relationships 03:21 with their students and their families. 03:23 We have a lot of wealthy clients 03:26 and students that come here 03:28 and their parents are speaking to us 03:31 more and more about the joy 03:33 and the peace that they see in our families 03:36 and in our lives that they want for their children. 03:40 While the teachers play a significant role 03:42 in helping transform the lives 03:43 of their young proteges, they themselves 03:46 also go through a life-changing experience. 03:49 It gives them a chance to be involved in ministry. 03:52 It shows them that 03:53 they can use their unique gifts, 03:56 you know, to further God's cause. 03:58 And so, coming here, you know, 04:00 learning Thai language to some degree, 04:03 experiencing the culture, and just getting exposed 04:07 to a broader vision, you know, 04:09 can plant a seed that will help direct their future 04:13 and give them an idea that, you know, 04:15 they can use their gifts to build up God's Kingdom. 04:20 In some ways, I and this school is the only way that 04:25 they would be able to hear about Jesus, 04:28 and the only way that 04:30 they would be able to experience 04:31 the love of Jesus. 04:33 So when I realize that 04:36 my students need to know Jesus, 04:39 and when I desire so badly for them to know the joy 04:44 and the peace that He has given me, 04:48 that channels into my lessons, 04:51 and it channels into the way I teach them, 04:54 and it gives me a desire to encourage my students, 05:00 and to be patient with them. 05:03 Global Mission is helping fund the music program 05:06 where people in Khon Kaen can learn music, 05:08 not only as a form of entertainment, 05:10 but as a means to building relationships 05:13 and changing lives. 05:14 They need friendship and they need hope 05:17 and they need meaning and purpose, you know, 05:19 as they realize that the things 05:21 that they have are not giving them 05:24 what they hoped, you know, 05:25 the happiness, the lasting happiness. 05:27 Music is a love gift from God to us, 05:30 and the music academy in Khon Kaen 05:32 uses both the beauty of music 05:34 and the harmonious love of Jesus 05:36 to touch the lives of their students, 05:39 their families, and soon, with your prayers, 05:41 the whole city of Khon Kaen. 05:44 Thank you for your support of Global Mission 05:47 that supports projects like this. 05:51 My guest is Dr. Erick who is the Director 05:53 of the Isaiah 58 Mission here in Guatemala City 05:57 and in the background, you can hear a worship program 06:01 that's going on right now 06:02 for the people who come to this center. 06:04 Dr. Erick, can you please describe 06:06 how this center started? 06:08 Why and what happens here? 06:14 We started about two and a half years ago. 06:17 We began by offering bread, warm beverages, cereal, 06:21 and some juice to people who live off the streets. 06:25 These are people who found refuge 06:27 under covered areas or nearby hospitals, 06:31 but then we moved on to a park, 06:33 where we met every Sunday and many people came to us. 06:38 We served them lunch and spoke to them about God. 06:42 We soon realized that winter was approaching. 06:46 And we decided that 06:47 we had to find a house to use as a base of operations. 06:52 So we began to pray to pray for this project 06:56 because renting a house means we would have to raise money. 07:01 It was then we found this house, 07:03 which is affordable enough, 07:04 when you consider rental costs here in Guatemala. 07:09 So we began to assist people here, 07:11 not only on Sundays 07:13 but on Sabbath and during the week as well. 07:16 And this is how we operate now. 07:25 Wonderful. 07:26 Now can you please describe for our viewers, 07:29 what happens here? 07:30 Okay. 07:33 We open on Mondays and Wednesdays for people 07:36 to come and wash their clothes. 07:38 There's also rooms for them to shower, 07:41 and then we invite them to listen to the Word of God. 07:45 After a short Bible study 07:46 and some singing, we offer them supper. 07:49 We always prepare a healthy meal. 07:52 And on Sabbath this house is used as a church. 07:56 We studied the Sabbath School lesson, 07:57 we sing, and we pray, 08:00 and a special sermon is presented 08:02 because more people are attending on Sabbath 08:05 than any of the days during the week. 08:09 This is basically what we do here. 08:12 We offer the services because the people asked us 08:15 for the possibility to take a shower, 08:17 to wash their clothes, 08:19 and for a place to change their clothes. 08:26 We also give them clothes 08:27 and shoes that we get as donations. 08:30 And we also supply items 08:32 for their hygiene as toothbrushes or bath soap. 08:38 And you know, they're very happy 08:40 and grateful for this program. 08:44 That's beautiful. 08:46 Now, Doctor, why are you 08:47 personally involved in this ministry? 08:52 Well, for now, 08:53 I'm the president of the program. 08:56 We meet every week on Tuesday evening, 08:59 and we talked about all the facets 09:00 of the Isaiah 58 Program. 09:04 We often ask people for assistance. 09:06 For example, Lions International Club 09:10 operates here in Guatemala. 09:12 And they have given us many of the meals 09:14 and personal hygiene items 09:16 that we offer to the people who come here. 09:21 Our families also get involved. 09:23 We're five families working on this project. 09:27 The Zone 15 Adventist Church 09:29 took notice of how well the program is working, 09:32 and how much it helps the people. 09:35 So they decided to help us to pay for rent. 09:38 The Zone 15 Adventist Church also pays for a person 09:43 to run the program by being here on a daily basis. 09:48 The Isaiah 58 Project was inspired by a person, 09:52 a missionary who came from Colombia. 09:56 He came to preach a sermon, and then told us that 09:59 they have an Isaiah 58 Project in his country. 10:03 As we listened, we thought we could do 10:05 the same here in Guatemala. 10:07 And the truth is that 10:08 the people who live in the streets 10:10 don't receive any help. 10:13 We have seen some churches 10:15 that distribute food on the street. 10:17 That is exactly what we did at first, 10:20 but we wanted to give them more, 10:24 more than just a piece of bread and juice. 10:26 We wanted to give them the Word of God, 10:29 that they might know God, 10:31 that they may experience the love of God. 10:35 That's why this group of families 10:37 joined together to start this project. 10:40 My motivation is to help people. 10:43 That's what we want to do. 10:48 Well, thank you for what you and your team are doing. 10:50 Doctor, can you tell me an experience of somebody 10:53 who has been ministered to through the center? 10:59 We have four people in critical conditions, 11:02 who overcame the problem of living on the streets, 11:06 a problem that is often 11:07 surrounded by a number of vices. 11:10 One of them, the first person was a long-time alcoholic, 11:14 he drink a lot of liquor, his eyes were yellow, 11:18 his liver was swollen, and his spleen was so large. 11:24 This person was about to die. 11:26 We decided to help him by providing him medicine, food, 11:31 and by helping him to understand that 11:33 he needed to make a serious change in his life 11:36 if he intends to live. 11:39 You know, that person changed. 11:42 That happened two years ago. 11:44 This person lives here now 11:46 and helps us by working in the house. 11:49 Another success story is about a person 11:51 who came here just to listen to the messages. 11:55 He now lives abroad outside of Guatemala. 11:58 About a month ago, 11:59 he told us that he's already rehabilitated. 12:03 He now wears a tie, a jacket, 12:05 and sells Adventist books as a colporteur. 12:09 He's now a completely changed person. 12:13 Those are two of the people 12:15 who are in the worst conditions, 12:17 people who have struggled to make a change, 12:20 but there are others. 12:21 Some others have got a job 12:23 and they have managed to improve their lives as well. 12:31 Wonderful. 12:32 Muchas gracias, Dr. Erick, thank you for sharing with us. 12:35 Our viewers at home Isaiah 58 Ministries Mission, 12:39 if you haven't read that chapter recently, 12:41 I recommend that you read it again. 12:43 It's very important about 12:45 putting Christ method of ministry into practice. 12:47 We'll be right back after this break. |
Revised 2020-07-17