Participants:
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY017087A
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00:01 I want to spend my life
00:07 Mending broken people 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:18 Removing pain 00:23 Lord, let my words 00:29 Heal a heart that hurts 00:34 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:45 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people 01:07 Hello and welcome to 3ABN Today. 01:10 My name is CA Murray and allow me once again 01:12 to thank you for sharing just a little of your 01:15 no doubt busy day with us. 01:17 So thank you for your love, your prayers, 01:19 your support of Three Angels Broadcasting Network 01:21 because we are convicted and convinced 01:23 that we could not do what we are called to do 01:25 without your partnership. 01:27 So when we say thank you, 01:28 we mean that from the bottom of our hearts 01:30 because it is together that we do the work 01:33 that God has assigned our hands to do and that is precisely 01:36 what we're going to talk about today. 01:37 We're going to talk about volunteer service 01:40 and doing the work that God has assigned our hands to do 01:43 as we talk about an institution in the Adventist circles, 01:48 I don't know, and we'll find out from my guest, 01:51 how long they've been doing this, 01:53 it's been a little while now, but when you talk about 01:55 Maranatha Volunteers International, 01:58 we talk about a group that is known certainly church wide, 02:01 and dare I say worldwide, 02:03 for lifting up the name of Jesus, 02:05 getting their hands dirty in doing that, 02:08 and being blessed by doing that. 02:10 So we're going to talk about Maranatha and volunteer service 02:12 and what it can do for you, 02:13 to you, with you, and through you, 02:15 when you give your hand 02:17 and your heart to the work of God. 02:19 My guests are David Lopez 02:20 who is the director of volunteer projects 02:22 at Maranatha. 02:23 David, good to have you here. 02:24 Thank you. It's great to be here, pleasure. 02:26 Very good to have you here. 02:27 And, of course, we know your dad. 02:29 He's been here many, many times, a doctor, 02:30 and been serving the Lord for a long time. 02:33 That's true. That's true. Really, really, great guy. 02:35 Mary Johnson, how are you? 02:36 Good. Very good. 02:38 And Teresa, or is it Theresa? 02:41 Teresa, Theresa Owen, good to have you here. 02:43 These ladies have been volunteers, 02:47 and have gone on projects and we're going to talk about 02:49 how it changed their lives 02:51 and how you can get that same kind of glow. 02:54 You see they're smiling and they've been smiling 02:57 since they got here, 02:59 but they're smiling because they're happy in Jesus. 03:01 Amen. 03:02 And when you're working for Jesus, 03:05 I dare say you smile a lot more than you frown 03:08 because there is so much more to smile about. 03:10 So we're going to talk about that, 03:11 we're going to try to stir this, 03:13 and make a wonderful and gorgeous soup 03:16 of volunteer experiences on today's program. 03:19 We'll start with you, David, 03:20 because I want to ask the question, 03:21 what does the director of volunteer projects do? 03:23 I have the privilege of working with all the volunteers 03:25 that go out and so I need to make sure that they're safe, 03:27 that they have a good experience, 03:29 and that they find Jesus throughout their experience. 03:31 So when I come to or call Maranatha with an idea 03:35 that we want to take a group or I want to be part of it, 03:37 you'd be the first person or one of the first persons 03:39 that I would liaison with? 03:40 Myself or somebody in the team, absolutely. 03:42 So we're working with church groups, 03:44 with academies, with schools, with individuals 03:47 that want to go do mission trips. 03:50 Let's disabuse ourselves of a myth right off the gate 03:55 that most or all of the projects 03:57 in Maranatha are overseas 03:59 That is not, if ever it was true, 04:01 it is not true anymore. 04:02 You know, this last year, we had 2,100 volunteers, 04:05 and out of those 2,100 volunteers, 04:08 close to 700 of those were here in the US. 04:12 So there are a lot of things going on in the US. 04:14 There are a lot of projects going on in the US. 04:15 This next year in the calendar year, 04:17 we have 26 projects scheduled here in the US alone. 04:20 Wow. That's a lot. 04:21 Yeah, so for those who say, you know what, 04:23 there's so much to do here, why are they going over there, 04:25 you can answer that question, and for those that say, 04:28 there's so much going on over there, 04:29 why are we wasting our time here, 04:30 you can answer that question too. 04:32 Absolutely. 04:33 Yeah, oh, and it's a great way to get started. 04:35 It really is. 04:36 There's a lot of people are driving, 04:37 they're taking their V's, 04:39 they're staying with church members' homes, 04:40 whatever it maybe, but it's an option 04:41 where the local host, a church, 04:44 or a school that we're helping build, 04:46 will help cover their expenses while they're there, 04:47 so they just need to get there, 04:49 so it's a really easy way for volunteers to get started. 04:50 Yeah. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord. 04:52 The US projects, we're talking about school, academies, 04:56 churches, those kinds of things. 04:57 Lot of camp renovation. Ah-uh. 05:00 There's academies that are in dire need 05:03 of help with renovating their dormitories, 05:06 landscaping, building cabins, 05:07 whatever it maybe, at these different places, 05:09 we're helping. 05:10 Praise the Lord. That's wonderful. 05:11 Let me ask you this, you were born where? 05:14 I was born in the US, in Washington, 05:16 Walla Walla, Washington, but my dad was born in Panama. 05:20 Oh, yes. Lived in Panama. 05:23 Parents were missionaries, they're sent from Guatemala. 05:26 And my mother was born in the US 05:28 but quickly after travel down to Guatemala 05:32 and where her parents started different academies 05:35 in Guatemala, Honduras, Belize. 05:36 So the missionary bug is kind of in your DNA, David. 05:39 I think so. Yeah. 05:40 I was raised with those mission stories firsthand. 05:43 Absolutely. 05:44 How does one become 05:46 the director of volunteer projects? 05:48 I don't think you, sitting in first grade and say, 05:50 "You know, one day, 05:52 I'm going to be the director of volunteer projects 05:53 for Maranatha. 05:54 Something you stumbled into, 05:56 something you worked your way toward, 05:57 something you wanted to be 05:58 part of was that the missionary aspect 06:00 that kind of threw you. 06:01 How did you find yourself in there? 06:02 Oh, you're absolutely right. 06:04 It wasn't something that I set out in first grade, 06:05 you know, but you get the question all the time, 06:07 what are you going to be when you grow up? 06:08 Right. 06:09 And I thought I had to be a doctor, 06:11 or a pastor to be able to make a difference, 06:12 but you know what, God can use us wherever we are. 06:14 Oh, yes. 06:15 And in high school I think even my motto 06:17 where I wanted to be was just God's hands. 06:20 I had no idea. 06:21 Even in college, I was studying everything, 06:23 I wanted to do everything, I wanted to be... 06:24 I want to be a dentist, 06:26 I wanted to do all these different things, 06:27 and really at age 14, 06:29 on one of my very first Maranatha project to Panama, 06:32 and we were helping build this church 06:35 in the middle of nowhere, 06:36 Charco Azul over in Chiriquà 06:39 and it was just really impactful, 06:40 really life-changing, and it was something 06:42 where I knew I needed to come back, 06:43 and I wanted to continue service and being able to, 06:47 you know, carry on the legacy really. 06:48 And so it was each summer. 06:50 I was helping out in those different ways, 06:51 and I helped translate 06:53 and then I was helping assess the project, 06:56 and so I was helping different ways, 06:57 and in college, I was asked, 06:59 if I take a year out to come help Maranatha 07:01 in the field in Costa Rica. 07:02 And so we built 36, 32 churches and 12 schools 07:06 all around the country of Costa Rica, 07:07 and it was just really, 07:08 I didn't want to go back to school, 07:10 I wanted to work with Maranatha full time. 07:11 My dad was like, no, no you have to go back to school, 07:13 finish off your degrees. 07:14 I did business, and shortly after I was invited 07:19 to come back to Maranatha. 07:20 And so it was a great opportunity, 07:22 and so I worked myself up 07:23 to the director of volunteer projects. 07:24 Oh, praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. 07:26 It's been an awesome adventure. 07:28 Amen and amen. 07:29 Mary and Teresa, before we go to our music, 07:30 I just want to sort of dip our toe in the water. 07:34 Mary, where are you from? 07:35 California. California. 07:36 And Teresa? 07:38 Texas. Texas. 07:40 Mary, Adventist home growing up? 07:42 Yes. 07:43 So you grew up, you are an Adventist. 07:44 Yes. Do you work in Adventist? 07:46 Yes. Yeah. Adventist School. 07:47 Grade one, all the way through grads. 07:49 Yes. Okay. 07:51 You are very much Advent. 07:53 Teresa, same question, Adventist home growing up? 07:56 Yes. Okay. 07:57 Yeah, missionary parents, Adventist home. 07:59 Oh, a lifer. 08:02 Give me some sense, and then I'll go to our music, 08:04 I want to come back, and sort of mine this a little bit. 08:06 And I start with you Mary, 08:07 some sense of your walk with the Lord, 08:09 prior to doing any mission service. 08:13 Give me some flavor as to, 08:15 you know, your relation with the Lord, 08:16 your work in the church, that kind of thing, 08:18 where you were as an Adventist? 08:20 Before I had gone overseas to do missions, 08:23 I didn't have a global perspective 08:27 of Adventism, 08:29 and I didn't have as much of a vision of the needs 08:34 around the world. 08:35 And then after going, 08:37 and doing mission service with Maranatha, 08:38 you just feel such a global Adventist family 08:41 like we're everywhere. 08:42 And we'd go to help out 08:44 our Adventist brothers, and sisters 08:46 in all parts of the world. 08:48 And so it's definitely helped me feel more connected to us 08:51 as a world church. 08:53 Would you say in looking at your life pre-mission trips 08:56 that you were kind of an on fire Adventist, 08:59 kind of the laissez faire Adventist, 09:00 kind of the struggling Adventist, 09:02 where would you put yourself on that continuum? 09:04 I think I was kind of in the middle. 09:07 I definitely wasn't as grateful 09:10 for what God has done for me as I am now. 09:14 I definitely wasn't as, you know, 09:17 adept to look for the need in others, 09:20 and try to help people out 09:22 whereas now that I have been on 09:24 so many mission trips in daily life, 09:26 you know, I like to pass out glow tracks, 09:28 give Bible studies, 09:29 things to keep that mission spirit going, 09:32 whereas before, you know, 09:34 we would go to the Junior-Senior Bible Camp, 09:37 Pathfinder Camporees, 09:38 we'd have these mountaintop experiences. 09:39 Yes. 09:41 And then, especially as a teenager, 09:42 I would just tend to leave them there 09:45 whereas after going on a mission trip 09:46 for a longer time 09:48 and then wanting more 09:50 and it's like I want to keep that momentum going, 09:52 keep that mountaintop experience, 09:54 bring it back into daily-life, into the valleys of life. 09:57 Now, Teresa, you're married? 09:59 No. Not married. 10:01 You have children. I do have children. 10:02 Okay. And you took them with you last time? 10:04 Yes, I took them to Kenya, this summer on a family trip. 10:07 Okay. And they loved it. 10:08 Praise the Lord. 10:10 Give me some sense of again your life as you're living it, 10:15 you've got children you're raising, 10:17 prior to going on mission trips? 10:21 Well, I've always had a global perspective of myself, 10:23 but I really wanted that my kids 10:25 would get that aspect of 10:28 there is more in the world than the US. 10:30 And there is service that we can do, 10:33 and be a blessing to other people 10:35 as we travel and get to know the world. 10:37 So that was really 10:39 what prompted me to take my kids. 10:41 Okay. 10:43 Did you see in their lives... 10:46 How can I put this, the flame sort of come on, 10:49 the light sort of come on when they went with you? 10:52 I really did. It really made a difference. 10:55 It made a difference for them to connect 10:58 with other people around the world 11:01 with seeing the needs, 11:05 even though they're kids, they can still see the needs, 11:07 and they're on fire to go again. 11:09 They just absolutely loved it, 11:12 looking forward to the next trip, 11:14 they are talking to their classmates, 11:16 and their family about the experiences 11:18 that they had there, and they absolutely loved it. 11:22 They're what age? 11:23 Eight and twelve. 11:24 Ah-uh, so at the age 11:26 where they can certainly benefit from this, 11:29 dare I say cognitive learners, 11:31 they're old enough to know what's going on, 11:33 and really benefit from the experience. 11:35 Mm-hmm. Praise the Lord. 11:37 Yeah, they're definitely old enough to say, hmm, 11:39 this is not the way I live in the US. 11:40 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 11:42 Not everyone in the world 11:43 has the exact same experience that I do, 11:45 but yet, I can still enjoy interacting with them, 11:49 playing with them, making friends with them, 11:53 serving with them. 11:54 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 11:56 I want to come back 11:57 and I want to certainly share this question 11:59 to each of you just sort of mine that. 12:02 One of the reasons why I'm so enthused 12:06 about what Maranatha does is one of the first true miracles 12:09 I saw in my ministry happened on a Maranatha trip. 12:12 There was a young lady... This is a trip to... 12:15 I don't remember if it was Dominican Republic or Panama, 12:17 after while they kind of run together a little bit 12:20 because I did mission trips every year from 1986 to 2002. 12:24 Wow. 12:25 When I was in ministry, we had a young lady. 12:29 Her name was Amanda. 12:31 Her dad told her, "If you are valedictorian of the class, 12:34 I will get you a car. 12:36 It won't be a new car, but I'll get you a car. 12:38 And she was doing great, she was valedictorian in class, 12:42 she was carrying a 3.9, 12:46 and you can run out the decimals, 12:47 you know, kind of thing because she got an A-minus so, 12:50 you know, it wasn't perfect 4.0. 12:53 But she went on a Maranatha trip, 12:56 and I think it was 12:59 Dominican Republic and she worked, 13:03 she carried blocks, she was in the cement mixing, 13:09 she was just doing all of this physical stuff. 13:12 And when she came back home, 13:15 this was a spring break kind of a deal 13:17 so we're heading towards graduation, 13:19 she went into a coma, and the doctor said, 13:23 her mother was a teacher 13:25 in our Adventist Academy in New York. 13:28 He said, when they did the MRI, and some of the other tests, 13:31 he said that it's the size of a tennis ball, 13:36 and kind of oblong shaped like an egg, 13:39 but they said, "We don't know 13:41 how she ever even got off the plane, 13:45 got on the plane." 13:47 They said that her balance should have been affected, 13:49 her speech should have been affected, 13:52 her ability to carry weight should have been affected 13:54 and this thing has been there for a long time, 13:57 but she went on a trip and the amount of work she did 14:00 was almost superhuman 14:03 and she stayed in that coma for a long time, 14:06 and then finally she passed. 14:08 But the doctors said, 14:10 "We don't know how she ever got on a plane, 14:14 and did the kind of things you're telling us that." 14:16 And we did a video of her life, 14:18 and I shot the video and edited it myself. 14:21 The kind of labor that she put out on that trip, 14:24 they said, "How's she doing that? 14:25 That there's no way in the world 14:26 she should have been doing that." 14:28 And even her neurosurgeon came to the church, 14:31 and came to the service, 14:34 and said, "No way, there's no way. 14:38 This makes no medical sense 14:40 that with that kind of sized tumor 14:42 wrapped around the organs that it was in the brain, 14:45 how was that happening?" 14:47 And a lot of people were so impressed 14:49 at the miracle working part of the Lord, 14:53 but also that the Lord chose to do this 14:55 on a Maranatha trip in a foreign country 14:57 that she was able to do this kind of thing. 15:00 Yeah. And I really, I was just impressed with that. 15:04 And since then have always sort of kept an eye on Maranatha 15:08 because of its ability to change lives 15:10 and the miracles that we saw. 15:12 I want to go to our music now. 15:13 And then we're going to come back, 15:14 and spend a little more time with our three guests. 15:17 Our music is coming from Margie Salcedo Rice, 15:20 a longtime friend of this ministry. 15:22 And she is going to be singing, "I Have Fixed My Mind". 15:41 I have fixed my mind on another time 15:48 On another time 15:55 And here I mean to stand until 16:01 God gives me more light 16:08 And that is today, today 16:15 Today until He comes 16:21 I have fixed my mind on another time 16:29 On another time 16:39 I have set my course on the narrow way 16:46 On the narrow way 16:52 For I know that day is close at hand 16:59 For which I watch and pray 17:06 Even so Lord come quickly 17:12 That is my fervent prayer 17:18 For I've caught a glimpse of glory 17:25 And I'm longing to be there 17:47 When shall the Son of Man appear 17:54 The trumpet sound its blast 18:00 And Christ descend with glorious fire 18:07 With all the saints amassed 18:14 We'll rise with those 18:17 Who sleep no more 18:21 To meet Him in the heaven 18:28 When shall the Son 18:32 Of Man appear 18:37 The Son of Man appear 18:44 Even so, Lord come quickly 18:51 That is my fervent prayer 18:57 For I've caught a glimpse of glory 19:04 And I'm longing to be there 19:11 For I've caught a glimpse of glory 19:19 And I'm longing 19:23 To be there 19:34 I have fixed my mind 19:38 On another time 19:45 On another 19:51 Time 20:07 And thank you, Margie Salcedo Rice, 20:08 good friend of the ministry. 20:10 Well done, I Have Fixed My Mind. 20:12 David, I want to come back to you, man, 20:13 because you've got what I say, 20:14 your Maranatha has got many different ways 20:17 that a person can serve. 20:21 Teresa's talking about the family deal. 20:23 Absolutely. 20:24 You can do family, you can do ultimate work out, 20:26 which is good I guess to young people, young adults. 20:29 Teenagers. Teenagers. 20:31 You can go solo, you can hook yourself up with a group, 20:34 kind of walk me through the offerings, 20:35 and the sort of spread of different offerings 20:37 that you have? 20:39 Absolutely. 20:40 Yeah, there's really options for every age group 20:42 starting with the family group, 20:44 if you want to bring your baby with you, 20:45 if you want to bring a three year old, 20:46 but most of them are nine 20:48 I'd say to teenagers for the family projects. 20:52 And then we have specific projects, 20:54 so the youngest would be, 20:55 the specific youngest would be the teenage project. 20:57 So ultimate workout's age for that would be 21:00 if you're going into high school, 21:01 if you're in high school, or just finished high school. 21:03 And then we have young adult project 21:04 for those that are in college, 21:06 or after college, young at heart, even. 21:09 And then there are the open team projects 21:10 for all ages throughout. 21:12 And so then there's the group project. 21:14 So if you had an academy, or Sabbath school group, 21:16 or church group that would like to go on a trip, 21:18 we can customize that trip for you. 21:21 So you can pick the dates, 21:22 you can pick where you'd like to go. 21:24 And right now, we're working in 17 different countries 21:25 with volunteers. 21:27 Wow. 21:28 So there's a lot of options for people to go. 21:32 Teresa, I want to come to you 21:33 thinking about this whole family thing, 21:35 your eight year old was really able to benefit 21:39 from this kind of regime? 21:41 Oh, he loved it. 21:43 He threw himself in, absolutely, first VBS, 21:46 they said, "Hey, anybody want to help with the games?" 21:48 He's like... 21:50 He ran and stationed the games for the kids. 21:52 He... 21:53 You know, this is what you do and I'll keep score for you, 21:57 and wasn't at all, 22:00 at all afraid to just jump right in, 22:03 participate, no matter what was going on. 22:05 Bless his heart. 22:06 Did you see any long-term residual when you returned? 22:10 Were they able to sort of hold that fire 22:12 when they came back to the States? 22:14 Yeah, definitely. 22:16 They're loving talking about their trip. 22:17 They're wanting their friends to come on in the next trip, 22:21 next summer, I mean, they're. 22:23 Yeah, they're definitely excited to go on mission trips. 22:27 And that's exactly what I wanted. 22:29 Praise the Lord. 22:31 David, do you get a lot of recidivism, 22:35 dare I say, do you get a lot of people 22:36 who come back again, and again, and again, and again? 22:38 We do, yeah, we do. 22:40 In fact, this year there's one individual 22:41 that's already been on eight trips. 22:44 And so this is something that dare I say an addiction, 22:47 but it's something that you want to shine. 22:49 Once your light is turned on for Jesus... 22:50 Yeah. 22:52 It's something that it's hard to put that bushel over it, 22:54 you know, it's going to be shining. 22:55 Yeah, yeah, which kind of leads me to Mary 22:57 because you are a habitual... 23:00 Definitely. Definitely. 23:02 I would put myself on. Maranatha person. 23:03 You're kind of involved into... 23:05 How many have you gone on? 23:06 I've gone on 19 mission trips total, 23:08 10 with Maranatha. 23:09 Ten with Maranatha. 23:10 What is it about that experience 23:13 that is so addictive to you? 23:16 There's so many things about it. 23:17 It's the camaraderie with the saints. 23:20 It's working together 23:23 and not just the people in your group 23:24 but the people in the other countries. 23:26 You just feel this globalness of working together 23:30 to finish the work. 23:31 And sometimes, you know, many of the places I've gone, 23:33 I've been able to speak the language 23:35 because at a lot of places they speak Spanish, 23:36 I can understand Portuguese. 23:37 But even in places in Africa 23:39 where I didn't even really understand the language, 23:41 you still just have this global feeling 23:43 of we're all God's children, 23:44 we're all in this together, 23:46 and we all want to finish the work. 23:48 And it just gives you that urgency to, let's hurry up, 23:51 let's get this done, let's go home. 23:54 So now, what is your regular 9 to 5? 23:57 I'm a teacher by trade, high school teacher by trade. 23:58 Okay. 24:00 Except for this school year, 24:01 I'm taking a year off to do 24:03 as many short-term mission trips as I can. 24:06 God bless your heart. 24:07 So even in your teaching time, 24:11 you can sort of structure your teaching year 24:13 so that you get some time to do that. 24:15 Yes, spring breaks and summers. 24:18 Since 2013, I've gone on one each year, 24:21 I've gone on two to three some years. 24:24 Two in the summer, one in spring break. 24:26 How are you able to take a whole year 24:28 just to fulfill this dream? 24:30 Because for someone like me, it would be a dream 24:33 to just do mission trips as many as you can 24:35 squeeze into one year. 24:37 Well, it's been my dream for the past several years. 24:40 When I started really going on a lot of mission trips in 2013, 24:44 I would meet a lot of people who're retired. 24:46 Yes. 24:47 And I would just think, oh, wow, that's so neat, 24:49 they can go on as many mission trips as they want, 24:51 I can't wait to retire 25, 30 years from now, 24:55 and so it's like, I'm thinking, I don't want to wait that long. 24:58 And so I've been thinking about it 25:00 for the past few years, 25:01 and I was thinking, "Oh, Lord, just you know, 25:03 tell me when I'm ready for change, 25:05 ready for something different, but you know, tell me when?" 25:08 And so for the past couple of school years, 25:09 I would tell my sister, you know, 25:11 I need to change, I could just... 25:12 I could just go. 25:13 At the end of the day, at 3 o'clock 25:15 if Lord tells me to go somewhere, I'll just go. 25:16 And so finally, the Lord said when, 25:19 and last school year, 25:20 after many days of prayer and fasting, 25:23 I submitted a request to my school district, 25:25 asked them to let me have this school year off, 25:27 and they would hold my job for me. 25:28 Oh, wow. 25:30 And so they're holding my job for me, 25:31 they're not giving me any kind of compensation, 25:32 or pay or anything, 25:34 but I'm free to travel the world for an entire year. 25:37 Now you are from a public school system, not Adventist? 25:39 Yes, yes, public high school system. 25:41 So the fact that they wouldn't do that 25:43 is a little bit of miracle in itself, I should suspect. 25:46 Somewhat. 25:48 I've been there for 13 years. Okay. 25:50 So after seven years, 25:52 you can request a sabbatical leave 25:54 after seven years. 25:57 Teresa, what do you do for your regular employment? 26:01 I own a construction company with my father and my brother 26:04 and so I have a little bit more flexibility 26:07 than some people to go. 26:11 I do the paperwork not the heavy lifting anymore 26:14 but the paperwork. 26:16 When you go on a Maranatha trip, 26:18 what kind of settles in for you 26:21 as far as what you tend to be doing? 26:23 You know, it depends upon the trip. 26:24 Ah-uh. 26:26 I went in the summer of '16, 26:29 I went to Kenya without my boys, 26:32 and I helped on the metal group 26:34 because that's what I grew up doing, 26:35 putting up metal buildings. 26:37 When I took my boys, 26:39 I was with the kids who were doing VBS, 26:42 doing whatever the day camp kids did 26:44 and when I was in Brazil, I translated. 26:48 So, you know, it's different every time, 26:51 but I like that. 26:53 So you speak Portuguese. I do. 26:54 Bless you heart. 26:56 Is there, David, a typical Maranatha volunteer, 27:00 or do they really span the spectrum as far as age, 27:05 occupation, that kind of thing? 27:08 Is there a typical kind of person, 27:09 or is it sort of just all over the map? 27:12 It's really all over the map. 27:13 There are this kind of a larger number 27:16 of high school volunteers 27:18 and a larger number of retired volunteers 27:20 with a growing number of between that, 27:23 you know, between the 20s to 40s numbers 27:26 that those are actually evening out quite evenly, 27:29 but as far as personality, 27:31 or anything like that I think it's just really, 27:33 like I said before, 27:34 those that have connection with Jesus 27:36 that are ready to let their life shine. 27:38 Yeah, there's all sorts of faiths that are joining us, 27:41 I mean, it's not just Seventh-day Adventists, 27:42 it's not just Christians, in fact, 27:44 it's something most people are searching. 27:47 There's a lot of people that are coming 27:49 that have just gone through tragedy in their life, 27:51 that things are changing, and they're looking for Jesus, 27:54 and so many people are coming with that in mind of, 27:58 I'm going to get something out of this, 28:00 and what happens is that they're blessing other people, 28:04 and getting something. 28:06 So it's a win-win. 28:08 Where do you see... 28:09 I guess I should structure this question so it makes sense. 28:13 Where do you see the most dramatic changes 28:16 per age group? 28:17 Is it teens that changed the most? 28:19 Is it older people that changed the most? 28:21 Where do you tend to see the most dramatic shifts 28:23 in relationship with God, and on fire for the Lord, 28:27 in lifestyle, in conviction, and conversion? 28:29 Where does that sort of play out? 28:31 Well, I say regardless of the age, it is an honor, 28:34 and I can't think of a greater joy 28:36 of just being there 28:38 when someone does find Jesus for that first time, 28:40 when there's that connection 28:42 when you see that light come on and it's just... 28:46 What a privilege, but I'd say most, 28:48 and maybe it's biased, 28:50 but mostly I see it in the teenagers. 28:52 That's how I started with Maranatha, 28:54 I was thrilled to work out, 28:55 and that's the program that I get to run now. 28:58 And it's just a fabulous experience 29:00 to be able to see that light come on in those teenagers, 29:02 and be able to serve that way. 29:05 This summer we had baptisms 29:08 that came out of the two-week experience 29:10 that they had been studying before, 29:12 but then in saving this experience. 29:13 I'd heard before that you could get baptized 29:15 on ultimate workout. 29:16 So they've been studying up, and they've been ready, 29:18 and so they approached the pastor 29:19 at the first instance, 29:20 you know, this is something I want to have happened 29:22 in second Sabbath, 29:23 and so we had planned it out, we're ready to do it, 29:25 down in the river, and lightning, and thunder, 29:28 and all sorts of storms came in 29:30 and so we had to kind of come to plan B, 29:33 which we didn't have. 29:35 And so we stopped at a couple churches 29:36 along the way back home, 29:38 and said, "No, no, we just baptized in the river. 29:39 You know, we don't have a baptism tank 29:41 and so what are we gonna do?" 29:42 And so one of the pastors had a swimming pool, 29:45 and so we took that back to the camp 29:48 that we were staying at, and it was raining so hard 29:51 that we were able to fill that with rain water 29:53 and so we were taking water-off of the roof, 29:55 and filling it up with jugs, 29:57 and they were baptized that same day so... 29:58 Praise the Lord. 30:00 But yeah, that's quite... 30:01 I would say, there's nothing like being there present, 30:03 and being a part of, 30:04 knowing that you're a small part 30:06 in connecting someone with Christ. 30:07 Yeah, yeah, that is very, very exciting. 30:09 Both of my Maranatha trips 30:12 were as a chairman of the board of Northeastern Academy. 30:14 Okay. 30:15 So I had a chance to watch academy students, 30:17 many of whom had been in Adventist schools 30:20 from day one, you know, 30:23 but there you can sort of develop this kind of slow jog 30:26 being in the Adventist bubble. 30:28 You know, you're just gonna jog in along 30:31 and I saw dramatic changes in Adventist kids 30:36 who had kind of been just marking time, 30:39 go on a mission trip and come back on fire, 30:41 truly on fire for the Lord. 30:42 Now I'm in AY, now I'm doing the kind of things, Mary, 30:45 that you were talking about 30:47 that there is this jumpstart to your battery 30:50 that happens when you leave the United States 30:52 because we gave them the... 30:54 Of course, this is the early days of cell phones, 30:57 no cell phones, you know, nothing with a headset, 30:59 we're not having you divorced from your society, 31:02 listening to something, 31:03 so keep your cell phone in your room, 31:05 in fact, we didn't let them bring them on a trip. 31:07 No cell phones, no I, anything, no pads, no pods, 31:11 you know, none of that stuff. 31:12 You're going to fully immerse yourself in this experience, 31:15 so that when you come out of it, 31:17 you have the experience of not transferring your world 31:21 to this country and then bringing your world back, 31:23 we want you in a whole new experience. 31:24 And I think and they squirmed and kind of, you know, 31:28 but once they got into it, 31:30 and realized that there are other kids 31:31 on the other side of the world, 31:32 and these kids are kind of like us 31:34 and we want to know these kids, 31:36 it made dramatic changes in their life. 31:38 Now, Mary, you've gone on a lot. 31:40 Have you seen that too that, 31:41 it hasn't been that way in your own life, 31:42 that when you sort of forget 31:44 who you are and leave that American stuff home, 31:45 and really immerse yourself, it changes you, does it? 31:48 It does. It does. 31:49 It has changed my life immensely 31:52 in regards to the faith and just trusting in God 31:56 through every step especially, because you know, 31:59 at home we take so many things for granted. 32:01 We turn on the faucet and water comes. 32:03 You know, over there in some places 32:05 there's no water, we had to pray for it. 32:07 Can we have some water, Lord? Send us some water. 32:09 And you know, we pray here to bless our food, 32:12 but over there, you know, we pray, I really pray, 32:14 I don't want to get food poisoning, 32:16 or something like that. 32:17 Make sure everything is okay, 32:18 and so we spent a lot more time in prayer which, 32:20 of course, is going to draw you a lot closer to God 32:23 and I see transformations in our young people. 32:26 There was a girl who, 32:27 I've gone on three or four mission trips with her, 32:30 and she is bilingual as well, 32:32 and when we first went to Dominican, 32:34 I would try to get her to help translate with me, 32:36 and she's like, "Oh, I'm shy, 32:37 I don't really want to translate." 32:39 And then we went to Panama the next time, 32:42 and in Spanish churches, 32:44 there's a break between Sabbath school and church, 32:46 so I had excused myself 32:48 between Sabbath school and church and make a break. 32:50 So I said, I just have to go, 32:52 and can you just do it for just five minutes? 32:54 You know, and she's like, 32:56 "Okay, I'll translate the announcement." 32:57 So she got up, and she did it. 32:59 And I was like okay, good, this is how it was meant to be. 33:01 And then the next year, we were at different sites, 33:04 I was translating in one service, 33:05 and she was translating the sermon at another service. 33:08 So it's neat to see the growth from this shy kid 33:10 who kind of didn't want to get upfront, 33:12 and translate after being on a few mission trips 33:13 then she was upfront translating the sermon. 33:15 Praise the Lord. Yeah, it's nice to see that growth. 33:17 Teresa, where did you learn your Portuguese? 33:20 In Brazil. Ah-uh. As a missionary? 33:23 My parents were missionaries. You did say that. Yeah. 33:25 Yes. And so I spent some time in Brazil. 33:27 So you are very handy person to have on mission trips. 33:30 Do your children speak another language at all? 33:34 No, I try to teach them some Portuguese along the way, 33:37 but... 33:38 Yeah, kind of spoon-feed it, they will appreciate, 33:40 that's one thing you'll appreciate later on 33:42 that there was a second language 33:44 in the house that we never got. 33:46 And then I always say that 33:47 if a parent speaks two languages, 33:49 the kids ought to speak two languages too 33:51 because you later on, 33:52 you'll find that Spanish, Portuguese, 33:54 handy languages to know, 33:56 very, very handy languages to know. 33:59 David, coming back to you, how does one find out, 34:00 what's available? 34:02 How we can sign up? 34:03 How do you work your way through that? 34:05 The easiest way is on our website, maranatha.org, 34:07 and there's all the lists of the projects, 34:09 join the voluntary trips, 34:10 and you can look at all the calendars there, 34:13 and all the different countries, 34:14 there's fresh that way, 34:17 there's also a magazine that we can send out to you. 34:19 There's information we can send out. 34:21 There's videos, call our office. 34:23 Yeah. Happy to talk to you. 34:24 Good to hear. 34:25 Speaking of video we got something to look at, 34:27 do we not? 34:28 Yeah, we do. Sure. Set it up for us? 34:29 It's a video about our family projects 34:31 that we do each year so the... 34:33 I'd say the exciting thing about the family projects 34:35 is we do one over Christmas, 34:37 and then a couple over the summer timeframe. 34:39 And so Christmas is important 34:40 because most families are geared 34:43 towards the traditional holiday, 34:46 let's buy each other gifts and whatnot. 34:47 So the Christmas timeframe 34:49 has become this really important time 34:52 where this is the gift 34:54 that we're giving each other this year. 34:55 We're going on this mission trip to serve others. 34:56 Yeah. 34:58 And so it's really come back to change a lot of lives 35:00 that way and perspective so. 35:02 Before we've go to the video, Teresa, 35:04 did you go during a Christmas deal or no? 35:06 It was in summer. That was in summer. 35:08 Okay, are there a lot of people that want to take you up 35:11 on the Christmas option? 35:12 We fill up every year. Really? 35:14 Yeah. 35:15 So we have a hundred people going this Christmas 35:17 to down to David, in Panama. 35:20 Okay, we'll be there. 35:22 Yeah, we'll probably hang out. Sounds good. 35:25 We can use your help. 35:27 Let's take a look. 35:32 We've always wanted to instill 35:35 a spirit of service on our children. 35:39 So we've been looking for 35:40 some form of missionary volunteer type project 35:45 that we can get ourselves involved in. 35:48 And this one came about Maranatha, 35:51 and we thought it would be a great experience 35:52 for Caitlin to see life in the third world. 35:56 My wife and I grew up in a third world country. 36:00 And we wanted our kids to experience 36:03 what it was like and see the change, 36:05 the difference between her childhood and our childhood 36:09 and see that she's definitely growing up 36:13 in a more privileged environment 36:15 and it would be good for her to be exposed 36:17 and see the need and create that spirit 36:20 of wanting to help others. 36:25 We are fairly affluent. 36:27 Our children have grown up in an affluent society, 36:30 and we felt that we really need to go 36:33 to some third world destinations. 36:35 We need to give them a world view 36:38 that differs from how they grew up. 36:41 We want to expose them to a culture 36:43 that has extremely poor people 36:45 that are at the same time really quite satisfied. 36:48 And so that they realize that all these things 36:50 that they think they need, 36:52 these people don't have any of them, 36:53 and they're a lot happier than they are. 36:57 Inside the classroom with the kids, 36:58 it's pretty warm inside. 37:02 And there's a bunch of them smashing together. 37:06 And we sing a few songs for them, 37:10 and they were really happy when we sing songs 37:13 and then they sing a few songs for us so this is fun. 37:21 And so Randy and Savannah 37:23 are talking about Maranatha's family project. 37:27 Wherever it takes place 37:28 those that come meet and discover 37:30 new people and people groups, 37:33 experience new things, 37:36 observe their world through a different lens, 37:39 and learn that giving 37:40 really does feel better than receiving. 37:43 Maranatha's family project. 37:46 What is your family learning on vacation? 38:01 That is really cool. 38:02 The idea of taking families 38:05 then is a big part of what Maranatha seeks to do. 38:07 It's the growing part, absolutely. 38:09 So we're looking at offering even an option here 38:11 in the US 38:13 where it would be a little bit easier for families 38:14 to be able to go 38:15 because by the time you add up four or five people, 38:17 they go international. 38:18 It's a significant contribution. 38:20 Yeah, now, Teresa, you said your son was nine, eight, nine? 38:24 Eight. Eight. 38:25 And my oldest son is 12. Okay. 38:28 Do you have a lower limit that you try to kind of stay above 38:31 or you take them at all ages? 38:32 No, I think that they can go at all ages. 38:33 My son's been on a number of projects, 38:35 and it's impactful. 38:36 I mean, I was telling them earlier this morning 38:38 that I notice a difference in the way 38:41 that he lives his life. 38:43 In fact, we got new neighbors just next door just last month, 38:47 and he saw a little kid playing on his bicycle, 38:50 and he ran over, "What's your name?" 38:52 And he said, "My name's Bryce." "Oh, my name is Crosby." 38:54 And the second question out of his mouth was, 38:57 "Do you trust God?" 38:58 Oh, my soul. 38:59 Yeah, I mean, that's something I never would have asked. 39:03 It was almost like just kind of in panic. 39:04 Oh, how's he's going to respond? 39:05 Yeah. 39:07 But it was just really interesting to see 39:08 how at that age after being exposed to service 39:12 and seeing his dad do that international... 39:15 Yeah, yeah. 39:16 It was just something that was, boy, not ask him. 39:17 Yeah. 39:19 And so we headed to church later that week, 39:20 and he asked me, he said, 39:22 "Dad, how come Bryce isn't going to church?" 39:25 He said he trusts God. 39:28 So there's little conversation started right there. 39:29 Wow. 39:31 Teresa, you sort of alluded to that. 39:32 Have you seen that sort of holy boldness in your children, 39:37 post Maranatha trips? 39:38 Have you seen that kind of assertiveness for the Lord? 39:41 Yes. 39:43 Definitely it increased their relationship with God. 39:47 It made them on fire too 39:50 to talk about going and serving other people 39:54 and the excitement of, 39:57 I want to go, I want to go again. 39:59 I want my friends to go with me. 40:00 I want them to see 40:02 that there are other Adventists in the world. 40:04 There are kids in a different country 40:06 that still go to church 40:08 just like I do every Sabbath morning, 40:09 and to want to go and see that, 40:13 and that my kids have wanted to take their friends 40:16 and their cousins with them. 40:19 And so, it is making a difference. 40:21 I think even in our school, the school that my boys go to, 40:25 you know, all have kids, "Hey, I saw you on Facebook. 40:28 I saw Bryce and Caleb on Facebook, 40:31 this summer in Africa." 40:33 or "You know, hey, 40:34 are you taking me with you next summer?" 40:36 Wow. 40:37 You know, and so it's definitely something 40:38 that my kids are spreading the word, 40:40 and they had a very positive experience, 40:43 and they're on fire to go again. 40:45 Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. 40:47 It seems as though your boys are pretty good, 40:51 pretty solid kids, but I want you and Mary 40:55 to talk about from slightly different experiences 40:59 this idea, if you've got a young person 41:02 who maybe doesn't know who they are, or what they are. 41:06 They are aimless, they don't have any focus, 41:11 do you see Maranatha trips 41:13 as a way of helping a young person 41:15 find themselves? 41:16 Maybe they are even acting out, you know, 41:19 so you take off all the electrical accoutrements 41:24 that they're used to draping on themselves, 41:26 and you put them in a foreign situation, 41:28 and you make them work up a sweat. 41:30 Is that a good way in your minds 41:33 to help that child sort of find out who they are, 41:36 and maybe get a hold on Jesus that they've never had before? 41:40 I would say definitely. Mm-hmm. 41:42 I would say for me personally 41:43 because my first mission trip 41:44 was when I was a freshman in PUC. 41:48 That is when I found my life's work. 41:50 I was going to be, I mean, 41:52 I was always planning to be a teacher, 41:54 but I was planning just to do elementary. 41:57 And while on that mission trip 41:58 when I was taking Spanish classes before, 42:01 but I wasn't major in Spanish, 42:02 and so when I was talking to people in Spanish 42:05 having like meaningful conversations, 42:07 not just, "Oh, wow, come on with us," 42:09 you know, like real conversations. 42:11 I said, "Wow, I really like the Spanish thing." 42:14 And that's when I went back 42:15 and decided to major in Spanish, 42:17 and also teach high school. 42:18 So that really gave me, that fine-tuned my focus 42:22 from being on a Maranatha mission trip. 42:25 So we get two different types of answers 42:28 when parents are calling us for their teenagers, 42:30 they say, "Either, 42:31 my kid's going to be really good for this project. 42:33 Or my kid really needs this project, this experience. 42:37 please help us," you know and that's usually what we get, 42:39 and it's really awesome to get those phone calls from parents, 42:43 and say, my kid had no direction, 42:45 didn't have any idea what he was wanted to study, 42:49 where he wanted to go, what he wanted to do, 42:51 and they came back not only, 42:54 you know, praising Jesus for this experience, 42:56 but they know now they want to be a dentist, 42:58 they want to be a doctor, 42:59 they want to be a construction person, 43:01 they want to... 43:02 or they know they don't want to be a dentist, or whatever. 43:04 But that experience completely changes lives absolutely. 43:07 So you get a significant amount of response 43:12 as to how your trip has impacted those lives, 43:15 you hear a lot of that? 43:17 Absolutely, I mean, to the tune of them sending us flowers 43:20 and fruit baskets, and phone calls, 43:22 and thank you letters, 43:23 and it's just an overwhelming response afterwards. 43:27 Talk to me a little bit about and perhaps, 43:29 we can all weigh in on this, it's not an inexpensive thing. 43:34 Is it worth the money? I think we all say, yes. 43:36 It's worth whatever. Amen. 43:37 How can I want to go, 43:40 I've got a young person who wants to go. 43:42 What are some of the kinds of ways 43:43 that we can help young people afford this, 43:48 you know, get money to go? 43:50 Yeah, I'd be interested to hear what examples they have, 43:52 but I also know that there's lots of different ways. 43:56 I mean, you don't have to write a check yourself. 43:58 Many, many of them are selling cookies, 44:01 or doing carwashes, 44:02 or writing letters to be able to do this. 44:04 This isn't something that most of them can afford to do. 44:07 Yeah, just pull out of the pocket. 44:09 Absolutely, a lot of them are getting their churches together 44:11 as a helping support, but it is a team effort. 44:14 Yeah, and I suspect that working to get your money 44:17 kind of sweetens the pot a little bit 44:20 as far as the experience is concerned. 44:21 I had to hustle to do this. It wasn't handed to me. 44:24 I had to kind of work to do this. 44:25 And then you get the joy that comes from service. 44:30 But there are a lot of people that can't go, they are saying, 44:32 "Well, this is something 44:34 that I'm not able to physically go and do. 44:36 I would like to help other people go." 44:37 And so if you're in that boat, 44:39 we definitely have scholarship set up 44:40 so that you can donate towards so other people can go. 44:43 But I've, in fact, I've been on the phone with teenagers, 44:46 they were like, "I really want to go. 44:48 There's no way. 44:49 I don't have any... I don't have a church family. 44:51 My dad's unemployed at the moment, 44:53 and there's just no way that I can go financially." 44:56 So well, let's pray about it, 44:58 so I'm on the phone with them praying about it 45:00 when receptionist comes in, 45:02 and says, "David, you have to take this call." 45:04 I say, I'm on the phone, I'm praying. 45:05 Don't you see what's going on? 45:06 And she's like, "Okay, well, sorry, 45:08 you know, let me put you on hold, 45:09 let me take this other person." 45:10 And it was somebody else 45:12 who was not able to physically go. 45:13 I said, by chance, well, and here I'm like all upset, 45:17 like, here I am taking this call 45:19 with somebody that can't go, 45:20 and I was just talking to somebody that could go. 45:22 I mean, let me finish that conversation, 45:23 you know, God why did this happen? 45:25 And so as I'm listening to her 45:26 about all of her ailments that are happening, 45:29 and all the sicknesses that are going on in her life, 45:32 at the end of that, she's like, 45:33 "Well, is that a possibility that I could just send money, 45:36 and somebody else could go?" 45:38 So before we finished the prayer... 45:40 Oh, yeah. 45:42 The answer is there. That's how God works. 45:44 Praise the Lord. 45:45 So if I'm a person who maybe is just thinking about it, 45:48 and really cannot go, I can just send my money 45:50 and say, "Allocate this to somebody who needs to go." 45:53 Absolutely. 45:54 And that goes for the donations of the buildings too. 45:56 Excellent. 45:57 Many people think that 45:58 Maranatha has got this big check book 46:00 to do all these buildings. 46:01 We have over 100,000 requests for churches, 46:04 80,000 for schools. 46:06 You know, just like blowing numbers, 46:08 and that's growing each year as the Adventist Church grows. 46:10 And so, if you look at, 46:12 you know, the cost of that goes into each building, 46:16 if you look at, "Okay, well, I'm gonna fundraising, 46:17 I'm gonna build a church." 46:19 Okay, great, you're building a church, 46:20 but you're also providing an experience 46:23 for volunteers to go, so it's a double benefit. 46:25 Yeah, I guess the requests must be legit, 46:27 the Conference President in the West Panama Conference 46:30 is a close family friend, 46:31 and Union President is an acquaintance, 46:33 and I happen to know the number of requests 46:35 out of Panama alone could bury you. 46:38 I mean, just, you can spend all your money in Panama, 46:40 and you've got a world field. 46:41 So there are certainly, 46:42 if the money is there you got a place to spend it. 46:44 Absolutely. And spend it well. 46:46 Ladies, I want you to do something, 46:47 I'm gonna ask you one of those high concept 46:50 and ontological questions we ask every now and again 46:54 and you don't have a long time to give me the answer, 46:56 but give me some sense of your life. 46:58 This is Mary pre-Maranatha. This is Mary now. 47:02 This is Teresa and family, pre-Maranatha. 47:04 This is Teresa now. 47:06 As far as your growth, your world view, 47:08 your perspective on God, and your church, 47:11 and service, pre, post, can you do that? 47:16 Who wants to go first? 47:19 I guess, I will. Okay. 47:23 My boys, you know, 8 and 12. 47:28 They knew, heard stories about Brazil, me, 47:32 the time that I spent, 47:33 my parents spent in Brazil growing up, 47:36 but they had never really experienced it. 47:39 So I wanted to take them to see, 47:41 and they were excited, 47:43 "Well, let's go see that part of the world." 47:45 You know, so... 47:47 But my older son was hesitant. 47:49 He was, "I don't know, Mom. 47:52 I don't know if I want to go. 47:53 I'm not going to know anybody. 47:54 I'm not going to know what's going on. 47:56 I don't know." 47:58 And it was just an opportunity to say, 48:00 "But do you trust God to take care of you 48:02 regardless of where you are? 48:05 God just doesn't live in America only. 48:07 God lives in the whole world. 48:09 He will go with you, right beside you, 48:10 no matter where you are." 48:12 Yes. 48:13 "And He will give you an opportunity to serve. 48:15 And He'll make sure that your experience 48:17 is good for you." 48:19 And now I mean, "Okay, Mom, where are we going next summer? 48:24 Okay, Mom, where are we going the next summer? 48:26 Mom...?" Oh, yeah. 48:27 The one that was the most fearful, 48:30 "Oh, Mom, I just don't really know 48:32 whether I want to go or not." 48:33 My older one, oh, he's absolutely on fire, 48:36 "Well, I want to go here. 48:38 And then after the trip, I want to visit here. 48:40 And then where are we going on the next trip?" 48:42 And he's just absolutely, 48:44 "Mom, I must go to Bolivia this summer with you." 48:48 I mean, he... 48:49 you know, "Let's check the website Mom, 48:51 and see where the family trips are." 48:53 Yeah, absolutely. 48:55 Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. 48:56 Mary, same thing, obviously, you've changed 48:59 because you've taken the year off. 49:00 That's dramatic. That's not a toe in the water. 49:03 That's kind of diving in full gainer layout, 49:06 you know, kind of thing. 49:07 So obviously, there's been a change in you, 49:09 and your experience over the last several years? 49:11 I would say it's changed my life immensely like faith. 49:15 It's taught me to pray over every single thing, everything. 49:20 I was at big lake. 49:21 And we were driving the tractor, 49:23 and the lady couldn't get the E-brake to go down. 49:26 Sometimes people pull it up too hard 49:27 and it doesn't go down. 49:28 I said, well, let me try it. 49:30 And I started, well, okay, I just paused, 49:31 and just prayed in my head about it, 49:33 and then it went down. 49:34 And she's like, "Oh, that's neat, what did you do?" 49:36 I said, I prayed. 49:38 Because it's taught me to pray 49:39 without ceasing over every single little thing. 49:42 There are things that we think are little, 49:43 they're all important to God. 49:45 It's changed my life physically 49:48 and that I am in better physical shape 49:49 from all the manual labor on this mission trips. 49:52 And I avoid sugar and dairy because I want to stay healthy 49:55 so I cannot miss out on mission trips. 49:58 And miss out on activities. 50:00 And it has changed my perspective 50:01 in daily life whereas, 50:03 I'm more apt to pass out glow tracks more 50:06 because I want to keep that mission trip feeling 50:09 going like, well, I need to be doing something, 50:10 I'm a missionary every day, 50:12 whether I'm on a mission trip or not, 50:14 whether I'm on my job or not, 50:15 whether I'm at the grocery store, 50:17 I'm a missionary every day. 50:19 And so I look at every day as a mission trip, 50:21 every day as a day to serve God, 50:23 tell them of His love, 50:24 and just try to get His home sooner. 50:26 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 50:28 And the reason I asked you that question 50:29 because you both have Adventist backgrounds, 50:32 and I find that if you've been 50:35 in the Adventist bubble from day one, 50:38 it's easy to settle into this jog, 50:40 you know, to kind of just jog along. 50:43 And I mean, you're going forward, 50:44 but you jog, you know, 50:46 and that the Maranatha experience 50:48 tends to put you into more of a sprint mode. 50:49 Oh, yeah. 50:51 You know... 50:52 It's intense. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. 50:53 Yeah, and it's something that last all your life, 50:56 it's not like a short race, you're sprinting from now 50:58 to the finish line kind of thing. 51:00 Exactly, exactly. Yeah. 51:01 Full speed ahead. 51:04 Praise the Lord. 51:05 We want to go now to our address role 51:09 because you may have heard something 51:11 that has touched a chord in your heart. 51:14 You may want to go. 51:15 You may want to send someone else. 51:17 You may have young people 51:19 that you want to have this experience. 51:20 You may have children like Teresa does. 51:23 You may want to immerse yourself 51:24 into the Maranatha experience. 51:28 Whatever motivates you it doesn't matter, 51:30 just get off the couch, and get moving, 51:33 and the Lord will bless that activity for him. 51:36 Should you want to make contact 51:37 with Maranatha Volunteers International, 51:41 here is the information that you're gonna need. 51:44 To find out how you can support 51:46 Maranatha Volunteers International 51:49 or one of its programs like the $10 Church 51:52 or the One-Day Church and School, 51:54 just visit Maranatha.org. 51:57 There you will also find information 51:59 on Volunteer opportunities in the US and abroad. 52:03 That address again is Maranatha.org. 52:07 You may contact them by calling (800) 467-6384, 52:13 or write them at Maranatha Volunteers International, 52:17 990 Reserve Drive, 52:20 Suite 100, Roseville, California 95678. |
Revised 2017-12-31