Participants: CA Murray (Host), Frazier & Virginia Mathis
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY017068A
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00:02 I want to spend my life
00:07 Mending broken people 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:19 Removing pain 00:24 Lord, let my words 00:30 Heal a heart that hurts 00:34 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:46 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people 01:08 Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn. 01:09 And we welcome you once again to 3ABN Today 01:13 and to the Mending Broken People network. 01:16 We are so thankful for you, 01:18 and we're glad you're taking this time. 01:20 I think you're going to be inspired 01:22 by our interview today. 01:24 Thank you for taking this time to be with us. 01:27 And we especially want to thank you for your prayers 01:31 and financial support of this ministry, 01:33 because this ministry, albeit, it belongs to God, 01:38 it is your ministry as well as ours. 01:40 We're just stewards for God and we couldn't do 01:43 what we're doing without what you did. 01:46 So thank you so much. 01:48 I want to share before I introduce our special guest. 01:53 Let me share a scripture with you. 01:54 This is from Isaiah 6:1. 01:57 And in Isaiah 6, you know, 02:00 Isaiah had to have been praying. 02:02 He was pressing into the presence of the Lord, 02:05 and he saw the Lord high and lifted up. 02:08 And he was so impressed, 02:10 but he was impressed with his sinfulness, 02:13 and God's holiness 02:15 and he's going, "Oh, what was me? 02:18 I'm undone. I'm a man of unclean lips." 02:21 And the angel took a coal from the altar 02:24 and touched his lips. 02:25 Well, you know, we could all say 02:27 we're men of unclean lips, 02:29 because it's none of us are as holy as God. 02:33 But then this is chapter 6 and verse 8, 02:38 which is my favorite verse. 02:40 He says, Isaiah, he says, 02:42 "Also I heard the voice of the Lord saying 02:45 'Whom shall I send? 02:47 And who will go for us?'" 02:50 And Isaiah, as soon as he heard God's call, 02:54 he said "Here I'm. 02:56 Send me." 02:58 And, you know, I can relate to that scripture 03:01 because I heard that God was looking for someone. 03:05 And I said, "Lord, here I'm, send me." 03:08 So did our guests today. 03:10 They heard the call of the Lord and they're allowing God 03:14 to use them in miraculous ways. 03:16 Let me introduce our special guests. 03:18 We has Frazier Mathis 03:20 and his lovely wife Virginia Mathis. 03:24 And, Frazier, you're the Director 03:26 of Global Vessels Inc. 03:29 Tell was in a nutshell, 03:31 what is the mission of Global Vessels Inc? 03:34 Global Vessels is an organization 03:36 that God laid upon our hearts 03:38 where we can actually impact lives. 03:41 So our total mission is to bless, 03:43 and to be a blessing. 03:45 Okay. 03:46 And that's how it's been working out. 03:47 We've been having the opportunity 03:49 to do just that. 03:50 Amen. And we're gonna get all the details in just a moment. 03:51 But, before we get involved in the ministry, 03:55 we always love to kick off with music. 03:58 And today we've got our, one of our own, 04:02 a special sister in Christ. 04:05 Her name is E.T. Everett. 04:06 And what I love about E.T. is she has a heart for worship. 04:11 So she's going to be playing "Holy Holy Holy". 09:49 Well, we thank E.T. Everett for that beautiful song 09:51 "Holy Holy Holy". 09:53 If you're tuning in just a few minutes late, 09:55 let me reintroduce our special guest. 09:58 We have Frazier and Virginia Mathis 10:00 with us today and they're with Global Vessels Inc. 10:04 But before we get to the point of talking about 10:09 how God called you, and you answered saying, 10:13 "Here I am, send me." 10:14 Let's get a little bit of your history. 10:18 Frazier, did you grow up in a Christian home, 10:21 an Adventist Christian home 10:23 or tell us about your upbringing? 10:25 Well, I grew up in a home where parents sent you to church 10:30 and we were going to church on Sunday. 10:33 Okay. 10:35 And in the process of time, I had an opportunity 10:39 of being a roommate of mine in college. 10:41 He spoke to me about going to church on Saturday, 10:45 on the Sabbath. 10:46 I said, "You mean to tell me everybody else is wrong 10:49 and this little group is right?" 10:51 He said, "I'm telling you." 10:52 And at that time I was working in the Gulf of Mexico, 10:54 working seven days off, seven days. 10:56 So I planned to retire there early. 10:59 You only needed 25 years to retire. 11:01 So I would tell everybody... You loved your job. 11:03 I loved my job. 11:05 I flew out in a helicopter every day, every Thursday, 11:08 and back home, and so it was great. 11:10 So when my friend said, "I needed to visit the church." 11:14 And it was on Saturday, I was kind of puzzled. 11:16 I said, "Okay, I'm going to go." 11:17 So I came in for seven days, and did everything 11:19 but go to church. 11:21 Went back out on the rigs for seven more days, 11:23 I called him and he said, "Did you go?" 11:24 I said, "No, I didn't go." 11:26 He said, "Promise me, you're gonna go." 11:27 He says, "I'm telling you, 11:28 this is what we're looking for." 11:30 I said, "Okay, I'm gonna go." 11:31 So I go back in, and I go to this church 11:35 2400 Delachaise Street, Ephesus Seventh-day Adventist Church, 11:39 D.J. William is the pastor. 11:41 So I come to church that particular Sabbath, 11:43 I hear him preach and I joined that day. 11:46 Wow! 11:47 First time, and I knew it was right. 11:49 I knew it was right. 11:51 And then from that, interviewers will, 11:53 all would ask me "Brother Mathis, 11:54 how did you get your mother, and your brother, 11:55 and your sister them into?" 11:57 "Because whenever I would go to church, 11:59 I would invite them, 12:01 and whenever the minister would make an appeal, 12:02 I get behind him make an appeal crying." 12:07 Please, Mama. Yeah, I said, this is it. 12:09 This is what we've been looking for, it comes. 12:10 So, for sure, my sister, and my brother, 12:12 and my mother, and my grandparents... 12:15 Oh, glory to God. 12:16 Who were staunch Baptist, 12:18 deacon and deaconess in the church, 12:19 when they became Adventist, it was unbelievable. 12:21 So you told me earlier in the greenroom 12:24 that this job that you had, 12:26 you were making excellent money, 12:27 and you kept telling the crew there, 12:30 I'm putting in my 25 years, retiring, I love this job. 12:34 Never leave it. And I'll never leave it. 12:36 And then, but you and your friend 12:39 were searching for answers to Bible questions. 12:42 Yes. You found the answers. 12:44 What happened after you found the truth 12:47 from God's work? 12:48 What happened to your job? I go back to the rigs, right? 12:52 And I'm sitting around the table, 12:53 everybody's talking, and it's amazing, 12:56 you know, they used to... 12:57 They would fix you a stake, and the stake would be so large 13:01 that you have to put napkins on the table 13:02 so the meat wouldn't lay on the table. 13:05 I mean, it was unbelievable. 13:06 So I was loving this job. 13:08 So I go back out, after I've accepted Christ, 13:10 accepted the seventh-day message, 13:11 I said, "Okay, guys, this is it. 13:13 This is my last hitch. 13:15 Your last hitch? I said "I'm gone." 13:17 He said "The seventh-day of the Sabbath, I'm finished. 13:19 I'm done." 13:20 So that meant that my salary went from there to there. 13:24 When I told my dad, I was going to leave, 13:26 he said, he said, "Boy, are you a fool?" 13:30 He said, "You could make, 13:32 you don't make this kind of money. 13:33 You don't make this kind of money. 13:35 You're gonna leave that job?" 13:36 I said, "Dad, the seventh-day of the Sabbath I'm out here." 13:38 I admire so much when I hear stories 13:41 of people who just... 13:43 They recognized truth, 13:45 they recognized this is God's will, 13:47 and they just say "This is for me, 13:49 I can't do otherwise. 13:51 God, help me if I did otherwise." 13:53 So praise the Lord, but God then brought you 13:56 into construction business. 13:57 You've been obviously successful in your life 14:00 and God has blessed. 14:02 Now Virginia... Yes. 14:04 Did you grow up in a Christian home? 14:07 Yes, I feel very blessed that I grew up in a Christian home, 14:11 a Seventh-day Adventist Christian home 14:13 from as early as I can remember. 14:16 And my parents moved us to Pine Forge in Pennsylvania, 14:21 so that we could get a Christian education. 14:24 They moved us out of the city. We lived in New York. 14:27 And they moved us to Pine Forge, 14:29 and I've been in Adventist schools 14:33 all my life except for graduate work, 14:37 and taught in Adventist school, so... 14:40 So you became a teacher? I became a teacher. 14:43 Yes, we've many teachers in my family as well. 14:47 And did you teach in the Adventist school system? 14:49 I did. 14:50 I taught at Takoma Academy 14:52 which is in the Washington D.C. area. 14:55 Wonderful. You know, we have an Adventist school here. 14:59 And I've always believed that Christian education 15:02 was important and unfortunately, 15:04 I didn't get that opportunity. 15:06 But when we see people who come in, 15:09 who are really, maybe not having 15:13 a real personal experience with the Lord, 15:15 and they go through the first school year, 15:17 and you see the change. 15:18 Right. Oh, yes. 15:20 It is so amazing. 15:21 I believe that Christian education 15:23 is incredibly important. 15:25 Okay, so you have this 501c3, a nonprofit organization. 15:32 That you've begun called "Global Vessels". 15:34 Don't you like that name Global Vessels Inc.? 15:38 Tell us, how God, 15:42 how you recognized God's call on your life 15:44 and why you began, because you're the director 15:47 and founder of Global Vessels Inc? 15:50 Yeah. 15:51 How did this all begin? 15:52 My wife teaches at... 15:54 Was teaching at Takoma Academy, and I was, I was privileged 15:56 to go with them on several mission trips. 15:59 And I said, "Well, I like, this is great. 16:01 I like doing it." 16:02 So we were going with Maranatha at the time. 16:05 So I called Maranatha because 16:07 we wanted to go to Africa and do a mission trip. 16:09 And they said, "Well, we're not in Africa right now. 16:12 Communism has fallen and we're, they're rushing, 16:16 they are now working, trying to get as much done 16:18 as we possibly can, you know. 16:19 I said "Well, could you possibly 16:21 send me a blueprint for a church?" 16:23 And they said, "Sure, we'll send you a blueprint." 16:25 So I had the blueprints in my hand. 16:27 Is this the Seventh-day Church? Seventh-day! Yeah. 16:30 I've the blueprints in my hand. 16:31 I stand in front of the church, Emmanuel Brinklow Church, 16:33 Seventh-day Adventist church. 16:35 I stand in front of the church, doing personal ministry. 16:36 I said, "Listen, I've got a set of plans here. 16:39 Who would like to go with me to build a church in Africa? 16:43 And I had 37 people volunteered to come and go with us. 16:46 Praise the Lord. 16:47 Now had you been on any previous trips to Africa? 16:51 No, first time. 16:52 We had not been on any trips to Africa. 16:54 And that the other piece of that 16:56 which is part of a miracle is that, 17:00 he knew he wanted to go to Africa. 17:02 We knew, he didn't know anyone from Africa. 17:05 And since I was teaching, I had students 17:10 that their parents worked at the General Conference. 17:14 And Elder Bediako, he was at home praying 17:19 that someone would come and help his people, 17:22 because he knew a lot of work that needed to be done. 17:26 So when Frazier told me what his vision was, 17:29 what he wanted to do. 17:31 I said, "Well, I know the Bediako's and so 17:35 maybe I can introduce you to him." 17:38 So with that initial meeting, 17:41 both of them had their dreams fulfilled. 17:44 And Elder Bediako took him to Ghana, 17:47 so he could see what kind of work 17:49 he could do there. 17:51 What's so amazing... 17:52 Okay, we go to Ghana, 17:53 and he takes me to different places. 17:56 We go to Bekwai, this little town. 17:59 And they're worshipping in a school, 18:01 but they are getting ready to kick them out, 18:03 and they have no place to worship. 18:05 They will not have the place to worship. 18:07 So we decided, "Okay, we're gonna build you a church. 18:10 We're gonna build you a church." 18:12 So for sure, we go there, we look at what we're gonna do, 18:15 we start sending funds over, 18:17 so they get this shell of the church over up, 18:20 and then we bring the group over. 18:21 I'm a contractor by trade. 18:23 So we bring the group over and while we're there, 18:27 first meeting we're there, and we're in this large church, 18:30 and we're introducing everybody in the mission team. 18:32 This person is a doctor, this person is that, the other. 18:35 Someone in the back raised their hands, 18:37 "Said, listen, we find it strange that 18:38 you Americans come here to build this church, 18:40 but no one in your group can build. 18:42 How can you do this?" 18:44 And I mean, there's a hush over the entire church. 18:47 I said, "By God's grace, we're gonna get it built." 18:49 Okay. 18:50 So for sure, we get there, we're working. 18:53 We have literally pushed people off the work cycles. 18:55 Everybody in the village, community 18:57 was coming to watch to see these crazy people 18:59 saying they're going to build a church 19:00 and none of knew how to build, except one person. 19:02 Especially in seven days, right? 19:04 Yeah, especially, right. 19:05 So what would it take them to... 19:08 How long would it take them to, perhaps? 19:10 It will take them from 10, 20, 30 years 19:14 because they did not, at that time have mortgages, 19:17 so they would have to build a little, work a little, 19:20 build a little, work a little. 19:22 So the idea that we had, 19:25 they couldn't comprehend that idea that we could do. 19:28 So everybody is wanting to come out 19:30 and watch this crazy myriad. 19:31 Everybody is watching us build this building, 19:32 coming up, coming up. 19:34 And you know, so finally, when we get there, it's Friday, 19:38 the shell is up, the walls are up, the roof is on. 19:42 Okay. 19:43 And so we tell them, all right, we're going to lunch, 19:46 you go back to the school, get your little linen, 19:49 do this in remembrance of me, and put, hang the curtains. 19:52 So we get back from lunch. 19:54 They got the table in place, the curtains in, 19:57 we walk in that building, in the church, 19:59 that's up from nothing to where it is 20:02 and everybody's praising God and crying 20:04 because we knew that God had worked a miracle that day, 20:07 was to get that building ready for worship. 20:09 Because every day, I would say, 20:11 "We're worshipping Sabbath in this building." 20:14 We're gonna worship Sabbath in this building, 20:16 it's going to happen. 20:17 And we just kept pushing, and pushing, and pushing, 20:19 and we got it done. 20:20 And, you know, having a place of worship, 20:23 we so take that for granted. 20:24 Yes, we do. 20:26 But, well, boy, when you travel the world 20:27 and find people who are worshipping under trees 20:29 or worshipping in an area that is, 20:33 you know, just so cramped and they can't accommodate 20:35 even new members. 20:37 It is so important just for you... 20:41 It's kind of like your touchstone 20:42 if you will to have a place to go to worship. 20:45 And it also, I believe it attracts other new people. 20:49 Oh, it does. It does, yes. 20:51 Because if you're worshipping under a tree, people think, 20:53 "What God, are you serving, you know?" 20:55 But even though they are worshipping underneath trees 20:57 and they have, you know, they don't have facilities 20:58 like we do, the Spirit is so rich there. 21:01 Praise God. You know, what I mean? 21:02 I mean, the love of God just overflows, you know, 21:05 even though, I'm sitting in a room 21:07 and I can look outside and see outside, you know, 21:09 they are still praising God and they love the Lord, so... 21:11 They have beautiful spirits. 21:12 They are beautiful spirits though. 21:14 You know, that fabulous. That's what I love about it. 21:15 Now, how long did you work in Ghana? 21:19 We were in Ghana for about four years. 21:21 We were in Ghana for six years. 21:23 Six years, okay. 21:24 Three churches, the girls' dormitory 21:26 and a library. 21:27 All right. We got... 21:29 For the library we're able to get computers 21:30 from the Library of Congress and have that shipped over. 21:33 And so it was a blessing, it was a blessing in Ghana. 21:38 We were able to raise money for another church. 21:41 We didn't build it, but we raised the funds 21:44 so that they could build it too. 21:46 We spent a good time in Ghana and we loved it. 21:49 Amen. 21:50 Yeah, you weren't over there full time. 21:52 You were both still working at the time 21:53 and you would go over. 21:55 I understand you went several times a year 21:57 just preparing things. 21:59 But then you had once a year that you were taking over 22:03 your mission team. 22:04 We take a mission team over once a year. 22:06 Okay. 22:07 Volunteers from all over the United States. 22:09 I'll tell you a story. 22:10 Some guys saw us on a program here at 3ABN, 22:13 The Jacksons. 22:15 They called me from California. 22:16 They said "Listen, we want to do 22:18 that mission thing with you." 22:19 I said, "No problem, you're welcome to come." 22:20 He says, "Well, I'm 80, my brother is 79, 22:24 and my other brother is 83." 22:25 I said "Listen, if you get a doctor's clearance, 22:27 you can come and go with us." 22:28 Three weeks later, they called me and said, 22:30 "Listen, we got our clearance. 22:31 We're coming, The Jacksons. 22:33 Those guys were all over the place. 22:34 They work, they were right there with us. 22:36 We just had a great time so... 22:37 Wonderful! It was just... 22:39 It was a blessing to have them there with us. 22:40 Amen. Amen. 22:42 So now how did you move from Ghana to Tanzania? 22:46 Is that where you're working now? 22:47 We're now working in Tanzania. 22:51 One day, someone that was a member of our church, 22:55 Emmanuel Brinklow, Elder Muganda, 22:58 he came and he said, 23:00 "What about coming to my country?" 23:02 Yeah, he said... 23:03 And his country was Tanzania. Okay. 23:05 "So you're going all over the place, every place. 23:07 When are you coming to my country?" 23:09 Yeah. And we said, "We'll come." 23:11 We'll come. We'll come. 23:12 To come to a country to work, this is what we ask. 23:14 We ask for adequate living space for the group, 23:17 and transportation for the group, 23:19 and the main thing is, they have a project 23:21 that we can complete. 23:22 Because we don't want to do a project 23:24 that we cannot complete. 23:25 I understand. 23:26 So with those things in mind, that's how we get to go 23:29 and do different things, you know. 23:31 We were just in Abidjan about a couple of months ago, 23:34 they want us to come and build the school. 23:36 So those are the things we went to check and see 23:37 if they have in place, and they do, 23:39 so we're praying about a time to go there as well. 23:41 Amen. Amen. 23:42 So tell us about the work in Tanzania? 23:45 Oh, wow! 23:46 God has really opened some doors there 23:48 that you weren't expecting because, what I love about 23:51 Global Vessels is that you're just that, 23:53 they're earthen vessels of the, 23:56 of just letting the glory of the Lord shine through them 23:59 to meet people's needs, but you're not always 24:03 that stringent about the needs that you're going to meet. 24:07 So what I'm saying is, 24:08 you don't always build the church, 24:11 there's other projects. 24:12 Tell us what's going on in Tanzania? 24:15 Okay. All right. Well, I'll begin. 24:19 What happened is, we went to Tanzania, 24:21 there's a university, the University of Arusha, 24:25 it's a Seventh-day Adventist University 24:27 and they have a clinic 24:29 and they wanted an extension built onto their clinic. 24:32 And so we went and we built. 24:35 Is this medical clinic 24:36 just for Adventists or did they treat... 24:37 Oh, no. Okay. 24:39 It's for the community. Okay. 24:40 And so we said we build the extension 24:43 on the community, I mean, on the building 24:46 and we would do that for AIDS patients 24:50 and maternity patients. 24:52 That was our goal. 24:55 We did that, we went and we build the clinic. 24:58 But as we were driving up the rugged road 25:02 every day to the clinic, we passed an orphanage, 25:07 and we said, "Let's go in here." 25:09 And we went and we played with the children 25:12 and their living conditions, 25:14 they were living in one small room 25:16 about the size of my kitchen, and they were 24, 25:19 the next year there were 50 in the room. 25:22 And we said, "We have to help them." 25:25 And so we built them some cabinets 25:27 and bought them beds, we bathed them 25:30 and when we got on the plane, 25:35 the mission team said, that wasn't good enough. 25:38 Amen. We have to do better. 25:40 I tell you we... 25:42 While we were there, I went to the group. 25:46 We were actually working on the clinic. 25:48 I said, "Listen, I need money. Give me your money." 25:50 "What do you want?" I said, "Give me money. 25:52 We got to help these children." 25:53 So what we did, we got this huge 55 gallon drum, 25:56 we filled it with water, 25:57 put it on the back of a tractor, 25:59 brought it back to the orphanage 26:00 where the kids were staying. 26:01 We heated the water, and begin to bathe these children, 26:04 comb their hair, put clothes on, 26:06 because we sent the ladies to the store 26:08 to buy flip-flops and clothes for them 26:10 and the children needed to touch. 26:12 When we touched them, yeah, I mean, it just, 26:15 it made a difference in their lives. 26:17 So that's how we got started with this bug 26:19 that we want to do, to do an orphanage. 26:21 All right, so that's what happened to us. 26:24 So the Tanzanian Union gave us 26:30 or they didn't give us, 26:32 they gave us land to use on the school property. 26:36 So we... With the university property. 26:38 With the university property. 26:40 So we have five acres that they allowed us to use 26:44 to begin building the orphanage. 26:46 And so that's where we're located right now, 26:50 on the back of the university property. 26:52 So the orphanage was built when? 26:54 We began the orphanage in 2005 26:59 and we completed it in 2006. 27:02 Okay. 27:04 And that is just by people that just were willing to help. 27:08 They just wanted to see it done. 27:10 But now the thing about an orphanage, 27:12 there's one thing if you go and build a church 27:16 and leave it in the hands of the church members, 27:18 but when you build an orphanage suddenly, 27:22 and you have orphans coming in, you have to have employees, 27:26 directors, people to operate the orphanage. 27:30 Yeah, that's the fine line at the bottom. 27:32 We didn't read that part. 27:34 We just know, we said 27:35 "We're going to build an orphanage," 27:36 and then we, "Oh, 27:38 we have to maintain an orphanage now." 27:40 And you brought a picture of the four beautiful buildings 27:42 that you built on these five acres 27:44 for the orphanage. 27:45 So let's take a look at this new orphanage. 27:48 Yes. 27:50 Yeah, these are the buildings that we've been able to get up. 27:53 And each building has... 27:55 It has sentimental value to us 27:58 because house one Dr. Wallace, Robert Wallace, built it 28:01 in honor of his mother and house two, 28:04 Louise Washington Warnick buildings named after her. 28:09 Her daughter built it in her honor. 28:10 But building three, the Silvers built 28:14 in honor of their daughter Valerie, 28:15 who was killed in the World Trade building. 28:17 So that's very important to us as well. 28:20 And then house four, the Woods, Dr. George Woods 28:23 and Willie Woods built in honor of their son. 28:25 So each home has a little significant for us. 28:28 And to think that little kids who were living 28:30 in a cramped area, the size of your kitchen. 28:33 Now you've got a picture of how the children look 28:36 when they arrive, 28:38 and they're a little bit tattered. 28:40 Let's look at these children. You can see that clearly. 28:45 They're not as clean as they could be 28:48 and they're little bit tattered. 28:49 Who is this woman that's with the children 28:51 that are coming? 28:52 This is their Bibi, which is a grandmother. 28:55 And in many communities 28:58 or in some of these communities, 29:00 the Bibis are helping to raise the children, 29:04 their grandchildren. 29:06 But we'd like to show you 29:08 what we were able to do with them is, 29:11 as they came in to Havilah, and that's Abdul. 29:16 Abdul came to us 29:18 around four years old, and right now... 29:20 He's all spiffed up. 29:22 They got him polished pretty well now. 29:24 And he's 14 years old. 29:26 And we'll show you Abdul. 29:30 We'd like to see a video of Abdul 29:32 and all of the children. 29:33 Right now we have 21 children at the orphanage 29:37 at different ages, different stages of their life, 29:40 but Abdul who is now 14 is going to speak to us. 29:45 Let us pray. 29:47 Thank you, Jesus, for this wonderful day. 29:49 Father, may You guide us, we're gonna start our program, 29:52 please, Father. 29:53 Father, may You guide us our sponsors back in America. 29:58 Father, may You guide them and help us. 30:01 We love you too, may You guide us 30:03 and the directors too. 30:04 May you guide them too. 30:06 Thank you, Father for this day, in Jesus' name we pray, amen. 30:10 Amen. 30:12 My name is Abdul. I'm 14 years old. 30:16 And I'm in standard seven. 30:19 I finished my seventh grade studies 30:21 and I passed my exam. 30:23 I'm looking forward to start from one next year. 30:27 And I like to tell all American Board 30:31 that I tell you, thank you for having me here 30:35 and for Baba Frazier and Mama Virginia 30:38 and for my sponsors and for the directors. 30:41 And my hobby, when I finish my grade 30:45 or my studies, I like to be a pastor. 30:48 Thank you. Good bye. 30:51 Isn't he precious? 30:52 And so when Abdul came to you, he didn't come 30:56 from a Christian family, did he? 30:59 No, Abdul didn't. 31:00 Abdul came from a Muslim family. 31:04 We didn't know his family, 31:06 but eventually his grandfather came. 31:08 And his grandfather came one day and he said, 31:13 "Please, we want Abdul to be Muslim. 31:17 And could you raise him as a Muslim?" 31:19 And our director said, "No, we only know Jesus, 31:22 and so this is how we're going to raise Abdul." 31:25 Now, if you hear Abdul, you hear that 31:28 Abdul wants to be a pastor. 31:31 He wants to be a Christian pastor. 31:33 And he said no matter what, 31:35 he just won't visit his family if need be. 31:39 He'll stay around the orphanage, 31:41 so that he can be an Adventist. 31:44 And he was baptized. 31:46 Several of our children have been baptized. 31:50 We work with the social welfare service 31:53 in Tanzania. 31:55 We're not allowed to say we want Adventist children 31:58 and we certainly wouldn't discriminate anyway. 32:03 Most certainly. 32:05 But that's why we like them young, 32:07 because we're teaching them about Jesus Christ. 32:10 Amen and amen. 32:12 What's interesting about Abdul, Abdul said, 32:13 once he decided to be baptized, he said, 32:16 "I know it's going to be a problem." 32:18 He says, "But I'm willing to go through it." 32:20 Glory to God. 32:21 And this is, you know, he's a 14 year old child 32:23 saying, "I'm willing to go through for Jesus." 32:25 It's really amazing. 32:26 A fourteen year old child who's probably seen 32:28 a whole lot more than that we can imagine. 32:32 You know, he's probably got some maturity. 32:34 Right. So who's the next child you want to turn in? 32:38 The next child we're gonna show you 32:39 is the newest of the bunch, he's one and a half years old. 32:43 And she wanted to sing a little song for us. 32:47 And so I thought you should be able 32:49 to hear her sing. 32:50 Her name is Susie, and she runs the show. 32:54 So you can show Susie. 33:42 So, that, I bet that angel of that little six year old, 33:45 she keeps that angel busy I understand. 33:47 Very busy. 33:49 She does when... I'll just say this. 33:52 When we were there in February with Susie, 33:55 we took Susie to her mother's grave site. 33:59 And she was just so happy. 34:02 First of all, when her aunty said 34:05 when she had come during the Christmas holidays, 34:08 she said, after day one she said, 34:10 "I need to go back to Havilah. 34:12 I want to go back." 34:14 And the aunty had to kind of get her in line 34:18 because she packed her suitcase, and said she, 34:21 she was going, coming back, 34:23 but she loved visiting her mother's grave, 34:25 and to have been there, and watch her clean it 34:29 and say, "This is my mom." 34:32 It was heartbreaking. 34:33 It was amazing, but... 34:35 Was her mother an AIDS victim? 34:37 She was. Okay. 34:38 She was and her aunt had her for a little while, 34:42 but she couldn't take care of her. 34:44 She had her own children. 34:46 And the first night, Susie came and stayed at Havilah. 34:50 She said, "I don't want to go home," 34:53 and it was very unusual, but they just kept her 34:56 because she insisted that she should stay where she was. 34:59 Oh, how precious! 35:00 Yeah, that's precious. Okay. 35:02 And I think you have one more. 35:04 Yes, we have one more video and that will be of Vero, 35:09 who is another one of our older children. 35:11 And you'll hear them say that they pass standard, an exam. 35:16 It's very important to them because that determines 35:18 whether they'll be able to continue going to school, 35:21 and what they're able to do once they finish school. 35:25 So this is Vero. 35:26 All right. 35:28 My name is Vernico Mathis. 35:30 I finished good seven. 35:32 I'm going to form one. 35:33 I thank the Lord, I passed my exam. 35:36 I thank Baba Frazier and Mama Virginia 35:38 for paying my school fees 35:40 and American Group for helping me to stay here 35:44 and some of their clothes. 35:45 I thank my sponsor for bringing me some clothes 35:50 and their building, when the building will be over, 35:54 I'll thank the Lord too. 35:56 Bye. 35:58 Ain't she's beautiful? 35:59 You know, those are pretty children. 36:00 Yes, they're. 36:02 They're really beautiful children, 36:03 and they're getting a Christian upbringing, 36:06 that they're learning the love of God 36:08 as people help care for them. 36:11 Now, what I'm impressed with is that, 36:15 not only do you have the orphanage, 36:20 but, and schooling these children, 36:22 but you're also developing a learning center. 36:26 Tell us about the learning center? 36:27 I assume it's on the same five acres? 36:30 It's on the same five acres. 36:32 And our mindset is this, is that, 36:34 for sure we're going to try to send all of them 36:37 through college, you know, and, but we also want to, 36:41 at least teach each of them a trade. 36:44 Because we know that they'll have to be able 36:46 to take care of themselves at some point. 36:48 Amen. 36:49 So in this learning center, if they could put the picture... 36:50 Now do we have a picture of the learning center? 36:52 We have a picture of the learning center. 36:53 They'll show it to us. 36:55 This learning center, there it is there. 36:57 It has five classrooms. 36:59 Nice. 37:00 Five classrooms, cafeteria. 37:04 It also has director's suite and things of that nature. 37:08 But this is where we're going to teach them how to sew 37:12 because one of our donors gave us money 37:15 to buy sewing machines. 37:16 Wonderful! 37:18 And we have a picture of that as well. 37:19 And also we're going to teach them 37:21 how to bake bread. 37:22 Oh, that's wonderful! Yeah. 37:23 That's something that many people 37:25 in the community do. 37:26 You're looking now at the sewing machine, 37:29 but many people in the community 37:32 sew to make a living. 37:35 Baking bread is also a skill. 37:38 And we have the proofers there, and we have double ovens 37:42 and we have other equipment that was donated 37:46 so that we can begin immediately 37:49 teaching the children how to take care of themselves. 37:52 So when they're baking, right now, 37:55 do they just consume that at the school 37:57 or at the orphanage or you... 37:59 But right now they're not baking. 38:00 Oh, okay. Yeah. 38:02 So they got to learn it. 38:03 Although we did have a director from America who taught them, 38:07 taught the mamas how to bake bread. 38:09 But the kids will, will be starting learning 38:12 how to bake bread now. 38:13 Now what do you have... 38:15 How much more do you have to go 38:16 to complete the learning center? 38:18 Well, we have all the tiles, windows and doors to complete. 38:22 The roof is on. 38:24 The actual plastering of the walls, 38:26 and the painting and the pavers, 38:29 and things of that nature. 38:31 So the bathroom fixtures, things like that. 38:34 All of that is yet to be done. 38:36 So is that going to be you... 38:37 I know you have an upcoming mission trip, 38:41 is that what you're going to be doing 38:42 in the next mission trip? 38:43 We're praying that it'll all be done by that time. 38:46 Oh, okay. 38:47 So July, you know, we hope that in July, 38:50 when we take a group over, 38:51 they will have the grand opening. 38:53 How wonderful! 38:54 So individuals who would like to come and see 38:55 the finished product during July, 38:57 it would be fantastic, you know, upcoming. 38:59 We have been blessed as we get donations. 39:02 Then what we do is, we send funds over 39:06 and the locals. 39:07 We have our contractors, local contractors there, 39:11 and they will work on the building 39:13 as we direct them, 39:15 plus he will go in between himself 39:18 and give directions as to how it should be completed. 39:22 Now surely that there is someone 39:24 that is watching right now, 39:26 whose hearts are being touched by the children's stories 39:29 and maybe the Holy Spirit is directing you 39:31 to help in some way. 39:33 How does someone become a sponsor 39:36 for one of your children? 39:37 And what does it entail? 39:39 To become a sponsor, 39:41 you will have our contact information, 39:44 and you can contact us. 39:46 We have a sponsor coordinator who takes care. 39:51 We'll send you a packet and give you 39:54 all the information for sponsorship. 39:57 The blessing this year was that many several sponsors 40:00 went on a mission trip with us. 40:03 And so it's always a blessing when the kids, 40:06 they love having sponsors, 40:08 they love knowing their sponsors names 40:10 and so to meet their sponsors was such a pleasure for them 40:16 and the sponsors as well. 40:18 And they write to sponsors letters 40:19 and they communicate with them like that. 40:21 So it's real nice, you know. 40:23 This one lady saw one of our young men, 40:26 his name is Simon. 40:27 She saw him actually on 3ABN. 40:29 And she's an elderly lady 40:30 and she's fallen in love with this boy. 40:32 Oh, that's precious. 40:33 Yeah, she's fallen in love with Simon. 40:35 She's always sending things for him, always asking 40:37 "How Simon's doing, how Simon doing?" 40:39 So we're praying this year at the end of this year 40:43 that we can have a couple of children come over, 40:46 you know, so that they can meet their sponsors. 40:48 That's wonderful. 40:49 So that's going to be a blessing. 40:51 Now we're gonna come back, 40:52 we'll give you some information, 40:54 how you can, 'cause you may be interested 40:56 in going on a mission trip with them. 40:58 You may be interested in sponsoring a child, 41:00 and we will have an address roll 41:02 in just a moment. 41:03 But I just wanted to, 41:05 you mentioned a couple of stories 41:07 when we were in the greenroom 41:09 that I just wanted to kind of focus on one thing. 41:13 I know that you go where God send you. 41:16 When Katrina hit, you went to Houston, 41:20 and you worked, help, 41:21 relieving the church there, you did a lot of work there. 41:25 But when you went on one of your trips, 41:27 I believe you told me, Frazier, 41:29 that you didn't have the funds to do the building 41:32 that you wanted to begin and complete. 41:33 Yes. 41:35 So you did something else with a limited funds. 41:37 Tell us about that story? Yes. 41:40 Well, we can get the picture up there of Ali. 41:44 This particular year, we... 41:47 The building is a 10,000 square foot building 41:49 and we didn't raise a lot of money. 41:51 So we decided to take the mission team. 41:53 I said, "Let's go in the community. 41:55 I asked my house mothers and I said, 41:58 "Who would be the poorest individuals in this community?" 42:00 But certainly doesn't look like these people. 42:02 Yeah, well, they gave me three names. 42:04 The first house I went to, it had about, 42:07 maybe three children running around, 42:09 nobody was there. 42:11 And I said, "Well, I want to build a house. 42:13 This is what I really want to do. 42:14 So we go to Ali's house, and he has asthma so bad, 42:18 he can take maybe 10 or 15 steps 42:21 and he can't move anymore. 42:22 He has six children, two of them deceased, 42:26 two of them married, two living with him. 42:28 His wife is deceased, living in the backyard, 42:31 grave is there in the backyard, 42:33 which is really amazing to me, you know. 42:36 So I go there with the mission team. 42:39 I said, "Listen, we're going to build your house." 42:40 So I physically draw a little diagram on the ground. 42:43 I said, "This is what we're going to build you." 42:45 He says, "Okay, great!" So... 42:46 Now wait a minute, back up, he was praying the day before. 42:50 Tell us what he'd been praying? Well, here's what happened. 42:53 A couple of months later, I go back by myself. 42:56 And he sends word for me to come. 42:59 He says, "Tell him to come here I need to talk to him." 43:00 I said "Okay. I go there, the house is up." 43:03 He says, "Tell him, you really don't know 43:05 what you've done for me." 43:06 I said, "What do you mean?" 43:08 He says, "The night before you came" and said, 43:10 "You're going to build me a house." 43:11 He says, "I'm on my knees praying." 43:12 I said "Lord, where are you? 43:14 I have two children that are dead. 43:16 My wife is dead. 43:18 And me and my children here are struggling, where are you?" 43:20 And he says, "And that moment, you knocked that morning 43:23 rather, you knocked on my door and says, 43:25 'We're going to build your house."' 43:27 I mean to me it was amazing, letting me know that, 43:29 you know, God really hears you when you pray. 43:32 Now you brought a picture of the house 43:33 that the way it looked when you first met him 43:36 and had the chicken coops and everything. 43:38 Don't you have that? No, we don't have that one. 43:40 Oh, you don't have that picture. 43:41 Oh! No, we got the finish house. 43:43 Oh, it's amazing because I got to see that I guess online, 43:46 but he was living in this little dump that you could see 43:51 the sky coming through the roof, 43:54 and it was this little shack, 43:56 and then there was these shaky little chicken coops. 44:00 And so what you did was you told them that 44:03 they'd live in the house. 44:04 He'd stay, and you did knock down his shed house. 44:09 You just took out the chicken coops 44:10 and that's where you built. 44:12 And here's this man that has nothing. 44:14 And now let's look at the... 44:16 And asthma so bad that your doctors had to make sure 44:19 to treat him for that, didn't they? 44:21 Let's look at the completed picture now. 44:23 What, he looks so happy 44:26 in front of his new brick home here. 44:28 It's just precious. 44:30 They're going to show it again. Yes. 44:31 Yeah, you can bring that picture. 44:33 Yeah, there we go. 44:35 The other thing about Ali is, now, 44:38 when we come to town, we're like stars. 44:41 Oh, sure. He's so happy to see us. 44:43 As a matter of fact, on his door, he said, 44:46 "Everyone welcome, especially Havilah." 44:48 Oh, how precious! 44:50 And now we take care, which we do for several people. 44:54 If anyone comes to us, we try to, 44:56 we take a physician with us. 44:58 We try to help take care of their medical needs. 45:01 And so we buy his medicine for him. 45:03 We buy his medical card and... Which is like insurance. 45:07 Which is like insurance. Okay. 45:09 And we're trying to keep him and his children going. 45:13 So he went from being the poorest person 45:16 in the village to probably having one of the better homes. 45:19 Yeah, I mean, children going to school. 45:20 He has the best house on the plot. 45:22 And his daughter became popular. 45:24 She was not popular before 45:26 because all the kids from school 45:28 would come and watch building. 45:30 The building going on 45:31 and his daughter became popular. 45:33 And that's what we try to do. 45:35 We try to be a blessing. Okay. 45:37 So when we go, each trip that we go on, 45:40 we basically go to the market, and we buy 25 pound bags 45:44 of rice, and sugar, and soap. 45:47 And then we get Ziploc bags, and have our children, 45:50 orphaned children put them in the bags 45:52 and then we take clothing. 45:53 Because I tell my kids, I said, "Listen, 45:55 whatever clothes you're not wearing 45:57 and you no longer want, bring them to us." 45:59 So they gather the clothes, 46:01 and then we have the Ziploc bags 46:03 with all the food in and we go in the community. 46:06 And this is the orphans who were passing this out. 46:08 Orphans are passing it out, because we want them to say, 46:11 we try to get them to understand 46:12 just because you are an orphan, that does not mean that 46:14 you can't help. 46:16 Yes. So here we are. 46:17 One day we're passing out everything, 46:19 the food, passing out clothing, 46:21 and we're coming back to the orphanage, 46:23 everybody singing, we're happy, the kids are happy. 46:26 And I look at my rearview mirror 46:27 and I see this little bitty kid running, running, running 46:29 trying to catch up with us. 46:31 So I stopped, and I stop and I said, 46:34 "Hey, how're you doing?" 46:35 He says, "Do you have anything else?" 46:37 I said "Oh, man. No, we don't have anything. 46:39 We've given out all the food, all the clothes, 46:41 we have nothing left." 46:42 My little five year old Simon pulls off his shirt, 46:46 and gives it to the little boy. 46:48 How precious! 46:49 I lost it. Yeah. 46:50 Because now I understand that they understand. 46:53 Amen. 46:54 They understand that it's not how much you accumulate, 46:56 but how much you give away that really matters. 46:58 Amen. 46:59 So that is something we do every trip we go. 47:01 We make sure that they participate 47:03 in giving back. 47:04 Now at that time, you had the van 47:06 that was costing you one arm and a leg to operate. 47:10 Right now though, that van has given up the ghost. 47:14 That's all you can say. It's given up the ghost. 47:17 So you're actually looking for funds to purchase a vehicle. 47:21 Yeah. Is that right? 47:22 We need a vehicle to take them to church and, you know, 47:25 take them on Halloweens, take them to school, 47:27 because the one we had, it was just, it's fringed. 47:30 It did well. It was too costly. 47:32 It did well, but after a while, 47:33 you just have to let it go, you know. 47:35 And so when they have to go to school, 47:37 when they have to be taken to school by the directors, 47:40 they all pile in the car, 47:42 14 of them, and it's a small car. 47:45 And they're in the trunk of the car, 47:47 and they're probably on like roof. 47:49 Like the clown acting. 47:51 Right, exactly, exactly. They... 47:52 But they get there, but... That's amazing. 47:55 And we have sent them, 47:56 we try to send them to the best Christian school 48:01 and where they're learning about Jesus and being taught. 48:08 The pastors there are Adventist. 48:11 But it's not close, 48:13 the school is not as close as we'd like it to be, 48:16 but we want them to have the best advantage 48:19 that they can have when they leave Havilah. 48:21 I know they have... 48:22 I know you have four children, but these, 48:24 now you've got a whole bunch more children. 48:26 These are our children. Yeah. 48:27 They're your babies. They're our babies. 48:29 Well, you know I just, I believe with all my heart 48:32 that some of you who are watching are saying, 48:35 "How can I help this ministry?" 48:38 Perhaps you would like to sponsor a child 48:40 or maybe you'd like to donate toward the purchase of a van 48:44 so that they can be transported safely 48:48 to these school and church and all these events, 48:51 or maybe you want to go with them 48:55 on the next mission trip. 48:57 And I have to say, if you have young children, 49:02 youth, who are just, they just don't seem to get it, 49:07 that they feel like, you know, 49:08 you feel like they're not interested in church, 49:11 take your kids on a mission trip 49:14 and watch what God will do. 49:16 I see it all the time where young people's lives 49:20 are turned around when they go off and see, 49:23 because first it makes you appreciate 49:25 how much you've got 49:26 but secondly, when you can actually be used 49:29 by God in the field. 49:31 It, you can't help, as you all say 49:34 your motto is blessing others, you get a blessing. 49:39 So it's bless and be blessed. Yeah. 49:41 Here's how you can get in touch with the Frazier's. 49:46 Since 1998, Global Vessels has built churches, 49:50 dormitories, and now homes for orphans in Tanzania. 49:54 They care for these children through monthly donations 49:57 from generous sponsors, and they organize mission trips 50:00 for those who want to help build even more homes. 50:03 To find out more, visit their website 50:06 GlobalVessels.org. 50:08 Find out how easy it is to sponsor a child 50:10 and make a difference for eternity. 50:12 Call them at 202-438-7325 50:17 or write to Global Vessels Incorporated, 50:20 9814 Davidge Drive, Columbia, Maryland 21044. 50:30 I am sure that you might be interested in this information. 50:33 When is the next or what is your next project? 50:37 Well, we're going to the west coast. 50:39 We're on the east coast now, going to the west coast 50:41 and we're gonna do a high school. 50:42 East coast of what? East coast of Africa. 50:45 So can you say you're going... Abidjan. 50:47 We'll be in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. 50:49 Ivory Coast. 50:50 On the west coast of Africa. That's where we're gonna go. 50:52 And what are you gonna do? We build high school. 50:55 A high school? A high school. 50:56 Yes, they asked us to come and do a high school. 50:59 So is this an Adventist school? Adventist school. 51:02 They've been praying for this for many, many years. 51:05 As a matter of fact, they've actually started 51:08 for the last 15 years, and they have a section 51:11 maybe 20 feet by 20 feet. 51:13 But they're determined to do it. 51:15 I mean, when I went there, I was just saying 51:16 "Lord, I got to help these people." 51:18 We got to help because they trust God to get it done. 51:22 So we're gonna go and try to help them to get it done. 51:24 And the other thing is very important, 51:26 that is life changing. 51:28 So if you want to go with us, especially young people. 51:30 One story, mother called me on the phone 51:32 after the mission trip, "What did you do to my son? 51:35 What did you do to him?" 51:36 I said, "What's the matter? Calm down. 51:37 Well, now he's turning off the light. 51:39 He's telling us we're wasting too much food. 51:40 He knows when he wants to be in college. 51:42 He's a totally different person." 51:44 I said, "Yes, because he saw individuals of his age 51:48 who had absolutely nothing and they were praising God." 51:51 So it recalibrates their thinking. 51:54 And so that's why it's so exciting 51:56 to take young people. 51:58 In this particular trip to the west coast, Abidjan, 52:01 will be an excellent one for someone 52:03 to take their young people with us. 52:04 And, can remind us again of your web address. 52:07 GlobalVessels.org. 52:09 So they can go to GlobalVessels.org 52:11 and you can get information on this next trip 52:15 if you want to take you and your youth 52:17 to the Ivory Coast and help build a high school. 52:20 Well, we are going to take just a short break, 52:23 so that we can hear what's the latest thing 52:26 happening at 3ABN 52:27 and then we'll be back with a closing thought. |
Revised 2017-11-26