Participants:
Series Code: MTS
Program Code: MTS002703A
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00:22 This quarter's 13th Sabbath Offering projects
00:25 in the trans-European region. 00:26 The early days 00:28 of the Adventist Church in Venezuela, 00:30 and the sights and sounds of Panama, 00:32 all this and much more coming up next. 01:14 Hello, and welcome to Mission 360. 01:16 I'm Gary Krause. 01:17 Today's program is coming to you 01:19 from Panama City in Panama. 01:22 Now, Panama is probably most famously known 01:24 for the Panama Canal. 01:26 But it's also a remarkably beautiful country with 01:30 rainforests, remarkable range of wildlife, 01:34 almost 1,000 species of birds, 01:36 so it's a paradise for bird watchers. 01:39 But behind me, you can see the bridge of the Americas 01:42 which crosses the Panama Canal. 01:44 And if you drive across this bridge, 01:46 you go on to Costa Rica, to Nicaragua, to Guatemala, 01:51 then to Mexico, then to the United States. 01:54 And over here you can see the very busy port 01:57 of the Panama Canal where ships come 02:00 and they load and unload their freight. 02:03 But on today's program, 02:04 we're going to be looking at mission right here in Panama. 02:06 But first up, let's travel 02:08 to the trans-European division to see 02:10 what's happening with your 13th Sabbath Offering projects. 02:19 Mercy was determined to become a lawyer, 02:21 even if it meant leaving her friends and family 02:23 to study on the Island of Cyprus. 02:26 The sites, the food, 02:27 and the languages were so different 02:29 from what she was used to in Zimbabwe. 02:32 When I first came here, 02:33 there was like some sort of cultural shock, for sure. 02:37 It was different from what I was used to. 02:40 With her friends and family thousands of miles away, 02:44 Mercy felt lonely. 02:45 She missed her local Adventist Church in Zimbabwe, 02:48 so she went online and founded 02:50 English speaking Adventist congregation 02:52 not far from campus. 02:54 The church helped me 02:55 'cause that's where I met my friends. 02:58 Every week I look forward to come to church 03:00 'cause that's where I feel welcomed 03:02 and I feel at home. 03:03 Mercy quickly realized she wasn't alone. 03:06 She met others living in Cyprus from all over the globe. 03:10 Many of them were also far from family and friends 03:13 and were experiencing loneliness. 03:15 To satisfy various language needs, 03:17 there are several Adventist congregations in Nicosia, 03:20 the capital city. 03:22 One holds services in Greek, another in Bulgarian, 03:25 and the third in English. 03:27 Most weeks they meet separately, 03:29 but occasionally they come together 03:31 as one big group. 03:32 This Adventist community is known as a place 03:34 where all are welcomed. 03:36 So it isn't unusual for international residents 03:39 and students of various faiths to attend church here. 03:43 We embrace everyone. 03:44 And like, most of our students are not Adventist, 03:48 it's just like if you were Adventist, 03:50 but, like, we are all treated the same 03:52 and we are well taken care of by the church. 03:56 Things were going well 03:57 as Mercy made more friends at church, 03:59 but it didn't take long for her to run 04:01 into other obstacles 04:02 during her first year of school. 04:05 At school my exam was on a Saturday. 04:09 And I couldn't take it on a Saturday. 04:11 So I went to talk to them 04:13 and they didn't allow me to take it on a different day. 04:17 I felt so crushed, 04:19 and I felt so defeated, that I even cried. 04:23 That's when I went to the pastor 04:25 and I told him, 04:26 and he wrote a letter to the school. 04:29 We prayed and like, 04:30 I got so encouraged to know that, 04:32 like, there are people behind me 04:34 and there are people 04:35 who'll support what you believe in. 04:37 And then they allowed me 04:38 to write the exam on a different date. 04:42 And it's a miracle, it was on my birthday, 04:44 when I wrote that exam. 04:46 And I got an A. 04:48 The Adventist Church in Cyprus is determined to be a refuge 04:52 for anyone who needs community, 04:54 whether they were born on the island 04:56 or are far from home. 04:58 Through Christ's method of ministry, 05:00 the members spread a message of hope throughout the island. 05:04 There are many challenges that prevent the gospel 05:06 from being shared, including language barriers, 05:09 social inequality, 05:10 and a general disinterest in religion. 05:13 Mercy's church in Nicosia is working harder 05:16 to meet the physical 05:17 and spiritual needs of the community. 05:19 Currently, their rented space limits 05:21 what they can do, but one day they hope 05:24 to have a building of their own. 05:26 This quarter a portion of your 13th Sabbath Offering 05:29 will construct an urban center 05:31 of influence and church for the congregations 05:34 in Nicosia, Cyprus. 05:36 Please consider how you can support this work. 05:38 So more people can find a church family 05:41 and feel at home. 05:42 I want to encourage like, especially, 05:45 students or those people who are working here. 05:49 We have to know that, like, 05:50 we can't take care of our own selves 05:52 without the Lord. 05:54 We have to trust God. 05:55 So I want them to put all their trust in God 05:58 and it's gonna make everything, like, 06:00 everything is going to be beautiful. 06:02 Thank you for your support of the 13th Sabbath offering. 06:19 I'm here in Panama City in the country of Panama, 06:22 and my guest is Pastor Castellon 06:24 who is the president of the Metropolitan Conference, 06:28 which takes in Panama City. 06:30 Yes. Thank you for joining me today. 06:32 Gracias. 06:33 Now when you look at your territory, 06:36 what is your biggest challenge? 06:41 My biggest challenge in Panama is to reach people 06:44 who live in apartment buildings. 06:47 There are many skyscrapers in the metropolitan area, 06:50 and it's not easy to gain access 06:53 to the people living there. 06:55 This is a great challenge. 06:58 So we work with focus groups 07:00 and small group meetings with the people 07:03 we already have a relationship 07:06 and to live inside those apartment complexes. 07:10 This is the only way we can get in contact 07:13 with the people living in city 07:15 and bring them a message of hope. 07:23 We have other challenges within the metropolitan region. 07:27 There are suburban areas that we serve, 07:30 where there are great needs. 07:33 Our approach is to use a variety of activities 07:36 to reach the people 07:38 and to give them the message of salvation. 07:44 In Panama, there are also different cultures. 07:49 Some culture groups are difficult to reach, 07:52 and we have not been able to enter yet. 07:55 One example is the Chinese culture group. 07:59 Fortunately, next month, 08:01 we will welcome a Chinese missionary to work 08:04 with the centers of influence in two places. 08:08 One place is a school where we already have 08:11 some parents with children studying there. 08:15 So we are starting a center of influence at a school. 08:19 This school is located near the largest pool 08:22 of Chinese people in Panama. 08:25 So we will use this center of influence 08:28 and the Chinese missionary to support the ministry 08:31 starting in August. 08:36 So, Pastor, you have a very diverse population here. 08:42 Can you give me an example of somebody 08:44 who has come to know Jesus through a ministry here? 08:47 Yes. 08:51 Our ministry here has been very challenging, 08:54 because upper and middle class people 08:57 are often busy and it's hard to get 09:00 the gospel message across to them. 09:06 But here is an example 09:07 of how it has worked in the past. 09:10 We have a church that meets for a long time, 09:13 inside a hotel. 09:15 In this place, we have access to people of intellect 09:19 of a high degree of education, 09:22 people who are financially stable. 09:25 One such person, a lady heard the gospel there. 09:29 She happens to be the wife of the manager 09:32 of one of the largest hotels in Panama. 09:45 This woman accepted Jesus 09:47 and learned the truth of the Bible. 09:50 On a Saturday, she was baptized and embraced the church 09:54 so strongly that she also won her husband for God. 09:59 In this hotel, we established a center of influence, 10:04 thanks to the work of this new sister. 10:08 Every Saturday she would travel 100 kilometers 10:11 to meet us at the hotel. 10:14 Six months after she was baptized, 10:17 she had a very challenging life experience. 10:20 She went to the doctor and was diagnosed with cancer. 10:25 This group's church leaders began to pray for her. 10:29 She began chemotherapy treatments. 10:32 One and a half years later, 10:34 she was healed for the glory of God 10:37 and declared free of cancer. 10:40 She gives a powerful testimony 10:43 to the Adventist health message of reform. 10:46 She first heard this message in the Adventist Church. 10:50 Fortunately, she embraced it 10:53 and was able to adopt a healthy lifestyle. 10:56 This was a great blessing 10:58 because her cancer disappeared completely. 11:02 Today, she continues to testify of the great blessings of God 11:07 and passes forward what she has learned. 11:10 Now her husband was transferred to Columbia 11:13 to lead a hotel chain there. 11:16 But they still practice their faith. 11:19 I am certain that they have been embraced 11:21 by the Adventist Church there. 11:24 And the Lord continues to perform miracles 11:27 at different social levels here in the metropolis of Panama. 11:32 It is true that at low income levels, 11:35 the people accept this message more widely. 11:39 But the challenge is still great at all levels. 11:42 And we must proclaim this wonderful message 11:45 of Christ our Savior. 11:52 Wonderful! Yes. 11:53 Pastor, what are your hopes 11:55 for the future here in your conference? 11:57 Yeah. 12:02 Our vision for the Adventist conference 12:04 is precisely to establish here in the metropolis, 12:09 at least 80 churches, 12:11 so that each one of the sectors of the neighborhoods 12:15 within the metropolitan area get to know the message 12:19 of salvation and hope. 12:21 We have a great challenge, 12:24 but we know that just as the challenges are great, 12:27 our Almighty God leads us to victory. 12:31 That's why our motto is towards eternity with Jesus. 12:41 Gracias, Pastor. 12:42 Thank you for sharing with us. Thank you. Welcome. 12:45 And viewers at home, 12:46 please pray for the mission field 12:48 of Panama City. 12:49 We'll be right back after this break. |
Revised 2020-06-11