Participants: Jim Ayer
Series Code: MW
Program Code: MW000028
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00:01 Right behind me is one of the oldest
00:03 monasteries or the oldest, 00:04 I'm told, in all of Russian and Ukraine. 00:06 I'm told that the monks in the very beginning 00:08 dug holes in the earth, created caves and caverns, 00:11 and that's where most of them lived. 00:13 After time many of them died, 00:15 but because of the climatic conditions of the cave, 00:17 their bodies were preserved. 00:20 As people found them, they said, 00:22 "Ah! They must be Holy men 00:24 because their bodies are preserved." 00:25 And today, we can find their mummified 00:27 remains right on those spots. 01:02 We just arrived here today. Well, where did we arrive? 01:05 We arrived in Kyiv, the people in this area call it, 01:08 but I call it Kiev. It's a huge city. 01:11 Three million official population, 01:13 but I'm told there's about six million that live here 01:16 because most of those are illegal, 01:18 but it is a great city 01:19 and we're going to check more of it out. 01:34 The introduction of Christianity 01:35 to Kiev came in 988 01:38 with the conversion of Vladimir, the First. 01:41 Christianity existed in Kiev before his conversion. 01:44 However, Vladimir was a pagan 01:45 with seven wives and is said to have 01:47 participated in human sacrifice. 01:50 But in 987, in exchange 01:52 for the hand of Anna in marriage, 01:54 the sister of Basil the Second, 01:56 Vladimir agreed to become a Christian. 01:59 And in 988, he ordered the Christian conversion of Kiev 02:02 and the idols were cast into the Dnieper River. 02:08 She is absolutely colossal 02:10 and she towers overall the city. 02:13 Ninety-six meters high or over 300 feet, 02:17 she's phenomenal, she was built by Brezhnev 02:19 to commemorate the war, World War II. 02:37 The Bell Tower behind me is 96 meters high, 02:40 that's the same height as the World War II 02:42 memorial that Brezhnev built 02:44 that overlooks all of the harbor. 02:46 They were told, they could not build it 02:48 any higher than that, or the Orthodox Church 02:51 would get very, very upset. 02:53 So it remained the identical height of the tower. 03:09 On the banks of the river in Kiev and Mount Berestov, 03:12 where we find the monastery of Pechersk Lavra, 03:15 the center of Eastern Orthodoxy. 03:18 Saint Anthony, who had settled in the old cave 03:20 on the side of Mount Berestov, 03:22 found that this monastery in 1071. 03:26 The word Pechera means Cave, 03:28 the word Lavra is used to describe high ranking 03:31 monasteries for monks of the Eastern Orthodox Church. 03:35 This monastery in Kiev 03:36 is where the Ukrainian Orthodox Church 03:38 was founded and is its current headquarters. 03:56 The ground here is all limestone. 03:58 It's the perfect place to carve out caves. 04:01 The cave dwellers were actually 04:03 the first monks here. 04:05 They lived in the caves for maybe hundreds of years, 04:07 but then they get tired of living there 04:10 and so they began building this monastery. 04:12 It's a spectacular place. 04:14 This is one of the main entrances to it. 04:16 Many people called this the Mecca of the Ukraine, 04:19 others called it the New Jerusalem. 04:22 Some, even the Vatican. 04:49 He was a professional photographer 04:50 who fell in love with his work, 04:52 but when he fell in love with Jesus Christ, 04:54 something changed. We'll be right back. 04:59 As you can see AWR is frontline mission radio. 05:04 Our first priority is to travel where missionaries cannot go. 05:08 We broadcast thousands of hours each day 05:10 in 70 major languages of the world. 05:14 AWR has the capability and capacity of blanketing 05:17 almost 80% of the world's population. 05:20 Not only do we broadcast via shortwave radio, 05:23 but our signal is on over 1000 FM and AM stations 05:27 around the world as well. 05:29 Our podcast subscribers, Internet users, 05:32 satellite downlinks are growing rapidly, 05:35 evidence by the hundred thousand plus emails 05:37 and letters and phone calls 05:39 we receive each and every year. 05:41 Yes, AWR is your mission radio. 05:44 No walls and no border for AWR, that means change lives 05:48 and change hearts around the world 05:50 because God is using the airwaves of AWR 05:54 to reach people everywhere. 06:03 Vladimir, thank you for coming to the gorgeous location today. 06:07 I gladly did this because I've been 06:09 waiting to talk about how I became an Adventist. 06:13 I'm very happy that I'm an Adventist. 06:16 I understand that this is where you worked 06:18 for many years as a photographer? 06:20 Yes-- Yes, I did work here 06:22 as a photographer for about 10 years. 06:26 It's an absolutely spectacular location. 06:29 Tell me more, what, what were some of the privileges 06:32 and the beauty that you photographed. 06:35 foreign language 06:44 I took pictures of church services, statues, 06:48 and I took pictures of people 06:49 who graduated from our Bible school. 06:54 This was my job. 06:59 So you were the, virtually, 07:01 it sounds like the number one professional 07:03 photographer for this location. 07:05 I'm not sure about being the number one, 07:08 but I do love my job and I try to do my best in it. 07:12 Tell me, what was one of your most memorable occasions, 07:14 some of your most memorable photographs? 07:18 foreign language 07:21 I had a lot of interesting jobs, 07:22 but I think the most memorable 07:24 one was the full album of Metropolis Vladimir. 07:29 It took a lot of time 07:30 and it was the most challenging one yet. 07:34 One location, but a 1000-year-old monastery, 07:37 you spend 10 years here. 07:40 Did you ever run out of work? 07:42 Did you ever run out of things to photograph? 07:44 foreign language 07:51 Yes, because there is a lot of different jobs. 07:53 We took a lot of pictures in caves 07:55 and made a lot of albums 07:57 that were challenging and took time. 08:01 So, yes, there was always work. 08:06 So you've done the photography 08:08 for the mummies, I don't know, 08:10 how you refer to them, 08:11 but the mummies in the caves? 08:14 foreign language 08:16 Yes, different pictures, 08:18 documentary pictures of mummies. 08:20 Lots of different pictures like that, 08:22 describing the life here. 08:25 How does it feel to, well, I haven't been there. 08:27 How does it feel to go down in these caves 08:29 and see all the different mummies 08:32 and then photograph them in just the right light, 08:34 I'm just interested in that? 08:36 foreign language 08:39 This was a totally different life. 08:41 I tried to work on these pictures with passion, 08:44 even though it was hard to understand 08:45 the life of these mummies. 08:47 I tried my best to have good quality pictures 08:49 for those who are going to be looking at them. 08:52 I just had to take these pictures with passion. 08:57 Would you show me around some of the areas 08:59 that you used to photograph? 09:00 foreign language Let's do it. 09:15 In the ninth century, 09:16 Greek missionaries from Byzantium introduce 09:18 Christianity through the East Slavic State. 09:24 Saint Anthony of Kiev began his life as a monk 09:26 on Mount Athos in Greece. 09:29 In 1051, the abbot gave Anthony the job of expanding 09:32 monasticism in his native Kiev. 09:36 When Saint Anthony returned to Kiev, 09:38 he found a small cave, 09:39 where he lived the life of a monk, 09:41 eating only rye bread and drinking only water. 09:45 He soon developed a following 09:46 and soon after a full monastery was founded. 09:50 As the monastery grew space became an issue 09:52 and they requested the land on the hill above the caves. 10:03 Here in 1073, Saint Anthony blessed 10:06 the foundation of the new church, 10:08 but did not live to see it completed. 10:11 He died later in the same year. 10:14 It was requested that his remains 10:15 be hidden away forever, 10:17 and is said to be buried in the cave 10:19 beneath the church. 10:21 However, no relics have ever been found. 10:31 Today in the caves beneath the monastery, 10:33 there are 79 burials whose remains are mummified. 10:38 Among those buried is Nestor the Chronicler, 10:41 who is well-known in Kiev and was canonized as a saint 10:45 by the Russian Orthodox Church. 10:48 It was here that Nestor helped 10:49 compile the early surviving 10:51 chronicle of the East Slavic State. 11:03 Now, before you were a photographer, 11:04 what did you do? I was an athletic coach. 11:09 But photography has been my hobby 11:11 since I was 15 years of age. Sports, what kind of sports? 11:18 I was a runner. I was an 800 meter runner. 11:25 Were you good? 11:26 I was a runner who represented the country. 11:30 I was on the National Youth Team of Ukraine. 11:32 foreign language 11:37 What would it have been, may if I can grasp, 11:38 what was your religion 11:40 during those years? No. Nothing. 11:44 foreign language 11:49 At heart I was a believer, 11:50 I believed that there was a God. 11:53 I was always looking for God. 11:54 I always too shy to talk about it 11:56 to my friends and co-workers. 12:00 That's interesting. 12:01 So you didn't show it outward at all, but you, 12:03 in your heart, you knew there was a God. 12:06 foreign language 12:07 Yes, I was always a believer. 12:10 I don't ever remember being in doubt about it. 12:13 Did you ever go to church? 12:16 I started attending the Orthodox Church 12:18 when I became a photographer here. 12:21 This was in 1991, that I was attending 12:23 the Orthodox Church here in the territory of Lavra. 12:29 So you did both, you photographed here 12:31 and you worshiped here then? Yes, yes. 12:35 I can see that it would draw you, 12:36 when I went inside to look at the beauty 12:40 and the artwork, it just, it's exciting. 12:44 foreign language 12:49 Yes, that's the way it was. 12:53 I did enjoy it, but when I started reading the Bible, 12:56 and started listening to the voice of hope 12:59 I started realizing that there 13:00 were things wrong with this church. 13:04 So I started looking for a different church. 13:11 You said, one of the things is, 13:13 you noticed they didn't live like the Bible says. 13:17 What do you mean? 13:18 foreign language 13:27 When I was reading the Gospel of John, 13:29 I read that there needs 13:30 to be true love between people. 13:33 And I noticed more of a ritual ceremony 13:36 far from the more loving spiritual life. 13:41 So then I started looking for a new church. 13:45 During this time, you were searching then, 13:47 and it sounds like at some point 13:48 you found the AWR Program. 13:51 Talk to me about the moment, 13:52 in that searching that you actually found the program. 13:55 foreign language 14:09 It was on Sunday, 14:10 when I was listening to our radio station 14:12 and I was wondering what kind of church 14:14 I heard over the station. 14:15 foreign language 14:19 Later, I heard that it was 14:21 an Adventist Church of the Seventh-day. 14:23 foreign language 14:29 And that's how I heard about church 14:31 and I became very interested in the church 14:33 because the church was very direct, 14:36 and brought up questions and answers 14:37 that I've never heard of. 14:39 foreign language 14:54 Many streets are Kabul stone streets. 14:56 These are Kabul bolder streets. 14:58 They're huge, they look very ancient. 15:01 Behind me is a tremendous old iron gate, 15:04 flying buttress construction. 15:06 Everywhere you turn, there's history. 15:09 History, history, history. 15:14 This pathway actually leads 15:16 to the Church of the Ascension. 15:36 I'm told that this is one of the most 15:38 sacred places in all of Orthodox Christendom. 15:42 Pilgrims come from as far away 15:44 as Siberia to come here. 15:46 Siberia is, what is it, 12 time zones away, 15:49 can you imagine walking, they don't drive, 15:52 they didn't fly, they walked 12 time zones to come 15:56 and bow down here in this sacred location. 16:08 The Cathedral of the Ascension, 16:09 part of the monastery complex is built 16:12 with the traditional architecture 16:14 of the Orthodox Church. 16:16 One of the earliest examples of the church 16:18 architecture is the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. 16:21 It has a centralized dome surrounded by four cupules. 16:25 In Eastern Orthodox Churches, 16:27 these are topped by onion-shaped domes. 16:30 The evolution of the domes from the original shape, 16:33 as it is seen in the Hagia Sophia, 16:35 it is said was because of the need to keep 16:37 snow from piling up on the domes. 16:40 The onion shape allows the snow 16:42 to slide off without causing damage. 16:49 I'm told that the communist tore 16:51 this whole place down sometime ago, 16:53 but about three years ago they rebuilt this portion. 16:56 It is absolutely beautiful. 16:58 You can see the gold leaf, 16:59 you can see the frescos, the icons, 17:03 it is truly something to behold. 17:12 Jesus came to the River Jordan 17:13 to be baptized by John, not because he needed it 17:16 but for an example for you and for me. 17:19 In this fresco on the side of the church, how, 17:21 but we see John sprinkling Jesus, 17:24 not the way because the Bible said that Jesus 17:27 came up out of the water signifying the manner 17:29 in which He was baptized. 17:31 Still it's a beautiful painting 17:33 on the side of a beautiful church. 17:43 It is truly a beautiful church, 17:46 but this is about the only piece left, 17:48 I understand some of this is over 900 years old. 17:54 The architecture of the Orthodox Church 17:56 is an important part of worship. 17:58 Orthodox Churches are designed 18:00 in imitation of heaven. 18:13 The internal lay out consist of three main parts, 18:16 the Narthex, Nave, and Altar. 18:19 Similar to the tabernacle with Outer Coat, 18:21 Holy Place, and Most Holy Place. 18:24 Only the clergy are allowed in the altar room. 19:06 Here is another story of hope from Adventist World Radio. 19:10 Kalu Ram was a poor field 19:12 laborer near Gujarat in India. 19:14 Finding his work tedious, 19:16 Kalu purchased a small radio to relieve the boredom. 19:19 One day, he came across a program talking about Jesus 19:22 it was from Adventist World Radio. 19:25 After listening for a few days, 19:26 Kalu looked for a pastor 19:28 who could tell him more about Christ. 19:30 Soon convinced of the Christian truth, 19:33 Kalu was baptized and became an outreach 19:35 leader in his hometown and the surrounding area. 19:38 Witnessing in predominantly Hindu towns is not always 19:41 safe and Kalu was once attacked 19:44 when approaching a town to preach. 19:46 However, through the efforts of Kalu 19:48 and the volunteers he has trained, 19:50 nearly 1,000 people have accepted Christ. 19:54 Adventist World Radio shares the Hope of Christ 19:58 with millions of people everyday. 20:01 For more information visit awr.org. 20:06 Through the radio waves of AWR, 20:08 God is reaching people around the world. 20:12 We'd like you to offer you an edition of making waves. 20:14 It's four of our episodes 20:16 brought to you from around the world. 20:18 God speaking to hearts, 20:20 the hearts of the listeners of AWR, exciting stories. 20:23 We hope that you'll share those 20:24 with friends and neighbors, acquaintances, 20:26 anyone you come in contact with. 20:28 Join us, to make waves. It's completely free. 20:31 Right now the information is on your screen. 20:35 For your free, no obligation DVD, 20:37 write to Adventist World Radio, 12501, 20:41 Old Columbia Pike Silver Spring, 20:43 Maryland 20904 or call 1-866-503-3531, 20:51 or log on to www.awr.org/MWDVD 20:58 Be sure to request offer number 10. 21:00 That number again is 1-866-503-3531. 21:09 I'm always interested in that moment 21:11 that that you're searching and searching 21:14 and all of a sudden, 21:16 somehow as you hear God's word, 21:20 how you say, that's it. 21:22 How in that moment did you say it, that's it, 21:25 that's what I've been searching for? 21:27 foreign language 21:42 Earlier in my life, when I was reading the Bible, 21:45 I read about Saturday and I asked myself, 21:48 why are we celebrating Sunday? 21:52 And this question started to bug me. 21:57 God wrote in the Bible, talking about Saturday, 21:59 and I wanted to know, why the Orthodox Church 22:02 was celebrating Sunday. 22:06 This was another reason 22:07 why I started looking for a new church, 22:10 where they might be talking about celebrating Saturday. 22:13 foreign language 22:29 I had another important question. 22:31 I was working with photography, 22:35 I noticed that I was dealing with idols 22:40 and I know that the Bible talks about staying away. 22:43 So I felt like I was doing something wrong. 22:49 So all of a sudden you find yourself 22:51 in a problem, you're doing this, 22:55 but you're saying, this is not right, 22:57 what did you do? 22:59 People say Plato is my friend, 23:01 but faith is by far more valuable. 23:04 I chose faith. 23:05 So, did you quit your job then? 23:08 I left my job and I left my church. 23:11 So, God was more important 23:12 to you than your job? Yes. 23:15 And what did God do for you 23:16 because you sacrificed your job, your income. 23:19 Tell me what God has done for you? 23:21 Because I know God has done something for you. 23:23 foreign language 23:29 I'm very thankful to God because everything I left, 23:32 God gave back in return. 23:36 Everything that I have and own today 23:38 is because of God. I'm very thankful to God. 23:44 foreign language 23:45 So now you've become one of those people 23:47 that you read about in the Gospel of John. 23:50 foreign language 23:52 Yes, I'm a very happy person 23:55 because I have a lot of brothers and sisters 23:57 who I loved and who love me in return. 24:00 I can't see my life without my church. 24:02 This is my home. 24:03 I'm very comfortable where I am today. 24:06 It's very realistic and it's my life. 24:09 foreign language 24:13 What would have happened had you never found AWR? 24:17 foreign language 24:19 I had this period in my life 24:21 where I was looking for a church. 24:23 And when I realized that I found a church 24:25 I didn't believe in. 24:26 I told myself that if I don't find the right one, 24:29 I won't go at all. 24:32 Unless, I find a church that does 24:35 what the word of God says. 24:36 foreign language 24:41 I'm very thankful to God 24:42 for giving us this invitation 24:44 to this church through the radio. 24:51 For those that are listening to us, 24:53 I want you to open your hearts to God 24:55 and to live the way He wants us to live. 24:58 To live like Jesus did, 25:00 to follow His commandments from the first to the last. 25:03 God will bless you and will make you very happy. 25:09 I'm very thankful. 25:10 foreign language 25:20 The Radio waves watched over 25:21 your heart and changed your life. 25:24 Do you share Jesus Christ now with others? 25:26 foreign language 25:30 Of course, this is the goal of my life. 25:32 I record a lot of preaching 25:34 and I give CDs to my co-workers as a gift. 25:37 They accept these CDs and I hand out calendars 25:40 that have the radio station schedule written on them. 25:43 They accept that as well. It's amazing to see. 25:45 foreign language 25:58 I'm very thankful to God 26:00 that we have this radio station 26:02 and it's amazing to see how interesting 26:03 it is while putting out the word of God. 26:07 Thank God for this. 26:12 Have there been others that you've been directly 26:15 influential in their baptism? 26:17 foreign language 26:19 Yes, I have a friend 26:20 who attended university with me. 26:23 We were both studying in the radio physics department. 26:27 We were very close at school. 26:29 I always gave him literature to read. 26:33 And he ended up getting baptized 26:34 and is now an Adventist. 26:39 So the radio waves continue on out 26:41 through hearts of other people? 26:43 Of course, that's a must. 27:02 One prolific writer has said that, 27:04 "the greatest want of the world is the want of men. 27:08 Men who'll be true and honest, 27:10 men who'll stand for the right, 27:13 though the heavens fall." 27:15 That's the kind of people we need to be. 27:17 Won't you make it your determination 27:19 to be that kind of person? 27:21 To make sure that your actions 27:23 and your belief are together. 27:26 You've seen the results of the work 27:27 of Adventist World Radio in the life of Vladimir. 27:31 Won't you make it your goal also to support 27:34 this work of radio ministry? 27:37 You have seen God is touching hearts 27:39 and lives everywhere in the world for Jesus Christ. 27:42 If you'd like to partner with this incredible ministry, 27:45 give us a call, 1-866-503-3531, 27:50 or you can write us at 12501, 27:52 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, 27:54 Maryland 20904. 27:57 Or you can log on to www.awr.org 28:03 And thank you for watching. 28:04 Please, join us again for another 28:06 exciting gospel adventure, 28:07 because around the the world, AWR is making waves. |
Revised 2014-12-17