I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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I want to spend my life
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Removing pain
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Lord, let my words
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Heal a heart that hurts
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I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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Hello and welcome to 3ABN Today.
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We are so glad
that you are joining us.
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And I am just so fascinated
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by the four wonderful Christians
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who are here with us today,
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who are reaching out
in such a special way
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and doing special
things for the glory of God.
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Let me introduce you
to our special guests.
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We have with us, Joe Allison.
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And, Joe, you are the
superintendent of education
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for the Iowa-Missouri Conference
00:01:41.30\00:01:43.97
of Seventh-day Adventist Church.
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That's correct. Right?
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Yes, that's correct.
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That's a mouthful. Yes, it is.
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Thank you for
being here. Thank you.
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And we have Julie Olson.
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And, Julie, you are a
principal and also a teacher
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for the Andrews
Christian Academy.
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Yeah. Right?
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Yeah. Karma.
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And Karma Roberts.
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I'll get my tongue
untangled here in a second.
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You are the
principal and teacher
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for the Des Moines
Seventh-day Adventist School.
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Yes.
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And then we have
with us Leah Ishimwa.
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Ishimwe. Ishimwa.
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Ishimwe.
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Ishimwe? Yeah.
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We got it.
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Okay.
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And, Leah,
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you are a former
student of these schools,
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but now you're a
junior in high school, right?
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Yeah.
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Well, we're so glad
that you have joined us.
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And we're going
to hear their story
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and what they're doing
for God in just a minute.
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But I wanted to read
you a couple of scriptures
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from Deuteronomy.
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Did you know that
God loves the aliens?
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He loves the
fugitives in the country,
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the strangers in our midst.
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And, in fact,
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in Deuteronomy 10:19,
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this is God speaking.
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He says,
"Therefore, love the stranger,
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for you were
strangers in the land of Egypt."
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Now let's flip
over to Deuteronomy 31.
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And I had something there
to mark it, but I moved it.
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So Deuteronomy 31:12.
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It says, "Gather
the people together,
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men and women and little ones,
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and the stranger who
is within your gates,
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that they may hear
and that they may learn
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to fear the Lord your God
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and carefully observe
all the words of this law."
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God loves the alien.
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And we are going to talk about
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what the Iowa-Missouri
Conference is doing.
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To reach out to
fugitives to educate,
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give Christian
education to fugitives,
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and we're gonna talk about
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how it's impacting their church.
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But before we do,
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we have such a lovely
group of young ladies with us,
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they're called
"Message of Mercy"
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is the title of
their singing group.
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And they are going to
sing "Where You Belong."
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Leave your worry lose the shame
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Leave your doubt
and all the blame
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It's time to
sing a different song
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Conviction like a burning flame
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Heaven's calling out your name
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Come to the
place where you belong
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Come to the place
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Where you belong
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Where the weak become strong
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And weary eyes can see
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There is grace for every need
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Jesus has waited
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So long
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Come to the
place where you belong
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God is love and He is light
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He is your shelter in the night
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And He has been there all along
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He knows your
heart He feels the pain
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Let His love flow
through your veins
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Come to the
place where you belong
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Come to the place
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Where you belong
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Where the weak become strong
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And weary eyes can see
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And there is
grace for every need
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Jesus has waited
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So long
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Come to the
place where you belong
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And leave your history behind
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There's a better life to find
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Pray until your fear is gone
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It doesn't
matter where you've been
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It doesn't
matter what you've done
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Come to the
place where you belong
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Your love reminds
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The more of the devil's lies
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This world will only betray you
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And don't hesitate
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Don't you walk away
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From the God who
lives to save you
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Come to the place
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Where you belong
00:08:05.75\00:08:09.42
Where the weak become strong
00:08:09.45\00:08:15.19
And weary eyes can see
00:08:15.22\00:08:18.33
There is grace for every need
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Jesus has waited
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So long
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Come to the
place where you belong
00:08:31.74\00:08:38.55
Come to the place
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where you belong
00:08:41.68\00:08:48.62
Now we want to
thank Message of Mercy.
00:09:05.01\00:09:07.38
They've come all the way up
00:09:07.41\00:09:08.74
from Collegedale,
Tennessee to record.
00:09:08.78\00:09:11.38
And I think it would be just fun
00:09:11.41\00:09:13.72
to have five friends
getting together to do this
00:09:13.75\00:09:16.69
for the glory of the Lord.
00:09:16.72\00:09:18.05
If you're joining
us just a little late,
00:09:18.09\00:09:20.06
we welcome you
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and thank you for your prayers
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and financial support of 3ABN.
00:09:22.82\00:09:24.89
And we're gonna go back through
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and kind of talk to
each one of our guests
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before we jump
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into what the Iowa-Missouri
Conference is doing.
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It's a program
that is changing lives.
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It's changing
lives outside the church,
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inside the church.
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It's amazing. So,
Joe, let's begin with you.
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Tell us a little...
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Just give us the
Reader's Digest version.
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Did you grow up
in a Christian home?
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When did it become real for you
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a personal
relationship with the Lord?
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Sure.
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I was born in an
Adventist Christian home.
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But really didn't...
00:10:00.63\00:10:02.83
Basically, through the influence
00:10:02.86\00:10:04.20
of my
grandparents and the churches
00:10:04.27\00:10:05.60
that I attended in high school
00:10:05.63\00:10:07.44
began to make things
more personal for me.
00:10:07.47\00:10:10.61
And that
process was finished off
00:10:10.64\00:10:12.37
when I went to Union college
00:10:12.41\00:10:13.78
and participated in
programs in there, so...
00:10:13.81\00:10:16.98
So as
superintendent of education
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for the
Iowa-Missouri Conference,
00:10:20.05\00:10:21.42
how long have you
been in education?
00:10:21.45\00:10:23.39
This is my 40th year and...
00:10:23.42\00:10:25.42
Wonderful.
00:10:25.45\00:10:26.79
I've been in the Iowa-Missouri
Conference since 2009.
00:10:26.86\00:10:28.52
Okay. But it's an exciting job.
00:10:28.56\00:10:31.69
Travel a lot of miles.
00:10:31.73\00:10:33.06
We have 4 schools in
Iowa and 10 in Missouri.
00:10:33.09\00:10:36.06
So I put a lot of miles on.
00:10:36.10\00:10:37.80
I'll bet you do.
00:10:37.83\00:10:39.17
Well, we thank
you for your service
00:10:39.20\00:10:40.84
for the glory of God.
00:10:40.87\00:10:42.27
Now, Julie,
00:10:42.30\00:10:43.84
you are a
principal and a teacher,
00:10:43.91\00:10:46.04
tell us a little bit
about how you grew up.
00:10:46.07\00:10:49.14
Well, I grew up
in Adventist home,
00:10:49.18\00:10:51.95
Adventist Christian home,
00:10:51.98\00:10:53.72
and I just always remember
loving Jesus in my heart
00:10:53.75\00:10:57.49
from a little girl on.
00:10:57.52\00:10:58.85
Praise God.
00:10:58.89\00:11:00.22
But it probably
became really more real to me
00:11:00.26\00:11:01.59
when I was in high school
00:11:01.62\00:11:02.96
and just studying the scriptures
00:11:02.99\00:11:04.33
more for myself.
00:11:04.36\00:11:07.63
So you were one of those
who was just kind of brought up
00:11:07.66\00:11:10.57
on the straight and narrow
and always stayed that way?
00:11:10.60\00:11:14.14
There were a few little
twists and turns along the way.
00:11:14.17\00:11:16.60
Okay, thank you
for being honest.
00:11:16.64\00:11:17.97
But I wasn't too rebellious.
00:11:18.01\00:11:19.34
Okay, thank you so much.
00:11:19.37\00:11:21.24
And, Karma, how about you?
00:11:21.28\00:11:23.11
I grew up in a Christian home.
00:11:23.14\00:11:26.58
We went to
Sunday school, church.
00:11:26.61\00:11:30.42
It wasn't until I was...
00:11:30.49\00:11:32.15
Well, summer
camp helped me really
00:11:32.19\00:11:33.89
develop my
relationship with Jesus.
00:11:33.96\00:11:36.59
But I didn't learn
about the Adventist Church
00:11:36.62\00:11:38.89
until after I was married.
00:11:38.93\00:11:40.30
And my husband said,
00:11:40.33\00:11:41.66
"We're going to go
to Adventist church."
00:11:41.70\00:11:43.37
So I said, "Okay, no problem,
00:11:43.40\00:11:44.73
as long as they teach
about Jesus, I'm happy."
00:11:44.77\00:11:47.24
And it was probably
five, six years later
00:11:47.27\00:11:49.17
before I joined the church.
00:11:49.20\00:11:50.91
And now you are serving
as a principal and teacher
00:11:50.94\00:11:54.11
and you came from...
00:11:54.18\00:11:55.51
How many years in New York?
00:11:55.54\00:11:57.18
In New York, we
lived there 30 years.
00:11:57.25\00:11:59.08
Thirty years.
00:11:59.11\00:12:00.45
And how long have you
been with Iowa-Missouri now?
00:12:00.52\00:12:03.08
About eight, nine years.
00:12:03.12\00:12:04.85
Okay, well, we're
adding all of this up
00:12:04.89\00:12:06.59
and trying to
figure out how old you are.
00:12:06.62\00:12:07.96
How old I am.
00:12:07.99\00:12:09.32
Just kidding.
00:12:09.36\00:12:10.73
And, Leah, boy,
00:12:10.76\00:12:12.09
you've got the
story, young lady,
00:12:12.13\00:12:13.46
where were you born?
00:12:13.50\00:12:14.83
I was born in Zambia.
00:12:14.86\00:12:16.67
And my parents
were born in Rwanda.
00:12:16.70\00:12:20.47
And I have an older
brother who's born in Tanzania.
00:12:20.54\00:12:23.27
Okay, were you
born in a refugee camp?
00:12:23.30\00:12:25.64
I was.
00:12:25.67\00:12:27.11
How old were you when
your parents came here?
00:12:27.18\00:12:30.35
I was two and a half.
00:12:30.38\00:12:32.85
Two and a half years old. Yeah.
00:12:32.88\00:12:34.22
Explain why you
were in a refugee camp.
00:12:34.25\00:12:37.19
So in 1994, the
Rwandan genocide happened.
00:12:37.22\00:12:42.39
And my mom was almost,
she had three more months
00:12:42.42\00:12:47.00
until my brother
was about to be born.
00:12:47.03\00:12:49.03
And it started then.
00:12:49.06\00:12:50.57
And so after the
genocide finished,
00:12:50.60\00:12:54.67
I think it was in April,
00:12:54.70\00:12:56.60
they went to Tanzania,
00:12:56.64\00:12:59.34
and that's where
my brother was born.
00:12:59.37\00:13:01.58
And that's where the
first refugee camp was.
00:13:01.61\00:13:05.01
And then after that,
they moved to Zambia.
00:13:05.05\00:13:07.52
And that's where
my sister was born
00:13:07.55\00:13:08.88
in that refugee camp in Zambia.
00:13:08.92\00:13:10.89
And then I was born in
that refugee camp as well.
00:13:10.92\00:13:13.66
And then a year later,
00:13:13.69\00:13:15.02
they went to live in the city.
00:13:15.06\00:13:18.63
And that's where
they started signing up
00:13:18.66\00:13:20.43
to come to the US.
00:13:20.50\00:13:22.20
Wow, that's amazing. Yeah.
00:13:22.23\00:13:23.57
She gave birth to three
babies in a refugee camp?
00:13:23.60\00:13:26.74
Yeah.
00:13:26.77\00:13:28.10
I cannot even fathom that.
00:13:28.14\00:13:30.11
But your mom
00:13:30.14\00:13:32.31
went to Christian school, right?
00:13:32.34\00:13:33.68
Yeah.
00:13:33.71\00:13:35.04
Well, she was a
Seventh-day Adventist.
00:13:35.08\00:13:36.41
She did. Yeah, she was.
00:13:36.44\00:13:37.78
And so she was
so determined. Very.
00:13:37.81\00:13:41.35
That you all would go to school.
00:13:41.38\00:13:43.12
Tell us how you ended
up meeting this group.
00:13:43.15\00:13:46.29
So when we moved to the US,
00:13:46.32\00:13:48.49
they placed us
in Denver, Colorado.
00:13:48.52\00:13:50.53
Okay.
00:13:50.56\00:13:51.89
And that's where
we lived for a while.
00:13:51.93\00:13:53.90
My mom,
especially, she tried to find
00:13:53.93\00:13:56.56
a Seventh-day
Adventist Christian school.
00:13:56.60\00:14:00.47
And it was really,
really expensive there.
00:14:00.54\00:14:03.20
So they decided to try
to find somewhere else,
00:14:03.24\00:14:05.97
to find them a
school that was affordable,
00:14:06.01\00:14:08.31
yet had values
00:14:08.34\00:14:09.68
that they wanted
their kids to be taught.
00:14:09.71\00:14:11.95
And so they had some friends
00:14:11.98\00:14:13.95
who would come
to the US earlier,
00:14:14.02\00:14:15.72
also refugees.
00:14:15.75\00:14:17.39
And they told us about
a school in Cedar Rapids.
00:14:17.42\00:14:20.79
That was Seventh-day
Adventist Christians,
00:14:20.86\00:14:23.29
and it was affordable
00:14:23.32\00:14:24.99
because the church
helped a lot with the cost.
00:14:25.03\00:14:28.63
And so that's
when we moved up here.
00:14:28.66\00:14:31.23
And I started in second grade.
00:14:31.27\00:14:33.34
Praise God that you've had
00:14:33.37\00:14:35.54
a determined Christian mother
00:14:35.57\00:14:37.34
who was going to grew you
up in the way you should go.
00:14:37.41\00:14:40.71
Now would you please, Joe,
00:14:40.78\00:14:43.55
just tell us a little
bit about this program?
00:14:43.58\00:14:46.18
And we are so
appreciative of Dean Coridan,
00:14:46.21\00:14:49.45
who is the conference president
00:14:49.48\00:14:52.62
of the Iowa-Missouri Conference.
00:14:52.65\00:14:54.52
Tell us a little
how the program began.
00:14:54.56\00:14:56.73
What was the vision
and how is it going?
00:14:56.76\00:14:59.49
Well, in 2013, Dean
came to us and said,
00:14:59.53\00:15:01.93
"You know, we're living
out Mark 16:15 in reverse."
00:15:01.96\00:15:07.34
And we asked him what he meant.
00:15:07.37\00:15:08.70
He says, "Well, that's the verse
00:15:08.74\00:15:10.07
that tells us that we
should go to all the world
00:15:10.11\00:15:11.44
and share the good
news with the people."
00:15:11.47\00:15:14.74
We said, "The
people are coming to us,
00:15:14.78\00:15:16.21
and we need to do
something about it."
00:15:16.24\00:15:17.65
And what did he
mean by that, the people?
00:15:17.68\00:15:19.05
Well, the refugees
00:15:19.08\00:15:21.25
that have either
left their country
00:15:21.28\00:15:22.82
because of war,
persecution, or famine,
00:15:22.85\00:15:26.96
who had refugee status
00:15:26.99\00:15:28.32
to the United States government.
00:15:28.36\00:15:30.13
And so he came up with the
idea that we should raise funds.
00:15:30.16\00:15:34.50
Challenged people
to give $10 a month,
00:15:34.53\00:15:37.93
hoping to get
1,000 people to give,
00:15:37.97\00:15:39.63
which would
translate to $120,000 a year
00:15:39.67\00:15:42.90
that we could use
to assist families
00:15:42.94\00:15:45.41
but also to provide scholarships
00:15:45.44\00:15:47.61
for the students
00:15:47.64\00:15:49.48
to attend elementary school.
00:15:49.51\00:15:51.35
And that was students,
00:15:51.38\00:15:52.71
whether they were
Adventist or non-Adventist.
00:15:52.75\00:15:54.65
It didn't matter.
00:15:54.68\00:15:56.02
We felt we needed to impact
the communities like that.
00:15:56.05\00:15:58.09
And what a
beautiful vision you have.
00:15:58.12\00:15:59.45
The thing I like
about this ministry,
00:15:59.49\00:16:01.19
and we have interviewed
on this topic before,
00:16:01.22\00:16:05.53
but the thing I
love about this ministry
00:16:05.56\00:16:08.33
is that you're
reaching out to people
00:16:08.36\00:16:10.70
who sometimes
have to learn English,
00:16:10.77\00:16:13.54
they are in a strange place,
00:16:13.57\00:16:16.07
they've been plucked up
and deposited somewhere,
00:16:16.10\00:16:18.71
they don't know the culture.
00:16:18.74\00:16:20.51
You're reaching out,
00:16:20.58\00:16:21.91
and not only
giving them the love
00:16:21.94\00:16:24.15
but you're giving
them physical support
00:16:24.18\00:16:25.81
that they need.
00:16:25.85\00:16:27.22
But should the Lord take...
00:16:27.25\00:16:29.12
This ministry will
00:16:29.15\00:16:31.82
absolutely affect
generation upon generation.
00:16:31.85\00:16:35.26
Great impact.
00:16:35.29\00:16:36.62
The interesting
thing too is the fact
00:16:36.66\00:16:38.39
that we have
refugees coming from countries
00:16:38.43\00:16:40.83
that we cannot
go into legally...
00:16:40.90\00:16:42.93
Amen.
00:16:42.96\00:16:44.30
With the gospel, but
we give it to them here,
00:16:44.33\00:16:47.04
and there are
cell phones everywhere
00:16:47.07\00:16:48.40
so people back home are hearing
about the great news of Jesus.
00:16:48.44\00:16:51.17
And so we're actually
impacting the entire world
00:16:51.21\00:16:54.58
but not leaving
the United States
00:16:54.61\00:16:56.21
through these refugee programs.
00:16:56.24\00:16:58.05
And how is it
impacting your church?
00:16:58.08\00:16:59.68
I mean, you've got
these people involved...
00:16:59.71\00:17:01.98
Well, let me jump
to Julie real quick.
00:17:02.02\00:17:03.89
Tell us a little bit
about what your church does.
00:17:03.92\00:17:07.36
I know that you had
many programs going.
00:17:07.39\00:17:11.06
Yeah, our church...
00:17:11.09\00:17:12.43
When the first refugees
came, it was probably about...
00:17:12.46\00:17:15.13
The first refugee
family was about 20 years ago.
00:17:15.16\00:17:17.83
And when they came,
00:17:17.87\00:17:19.20
our church just
really embraced them,
00:17:19.23\00:17:20.84
and they came
in the winter time.
00:17:20.87\00:17:23.30
We got warm clothes for them,
00:17:23.34\00:17:25.57
food, and just
introducing them to our culture
00:17:25.61\00:17:29.78
and helping them
00:17:29.81\00:17:31.15
along with what
their needs were.
00:17:31.18\00:17:33.52
After that,
00:17:33.55\00:17:34.88
many more refugee
families started coming,
00:17:34.92\00:17:37.09
and our church
chose to embrace them,
00:17:37.12\00:17:39.82
and it's a huge ministry
that we can do for them.
00:17:39.85\00:17:43.09
And like Joe said,
00:17:43.12\00:17:44.86
you know, we
sent missionaries out,
00:17:44.89\00:17:47.13
but here they're coming to
us, and we can't turn them away.
00:17:47.20\00:17:51.33
That's our
evangelism right there.
00:17:51.37\00:17:55.14
And school, I love it
because it's evangelism,
00:17:55.17\00:17:58.54
180 days a year.
00:17:58.57\00:18:00.81
Amen. And you can't beat that.
00:18:00.88\00:18:02.58
Yeah.
00:18:02.61\00:18:03.95
At your primary
school or elementary school,
00:18:03.98\00:18:06.35
what percentage
are refugees now?
00:18:06.38\00:18:09.38
We have 68% of our
students are refugees.
00:18:09.42\00:18:12.09
Wow.
00:18:12.12\00:18:14.52
But I'll also add 26%
are Haitian immigrants.
00:18:14.56\00:18:18.96
And, you know, our whole 100%,
00:18:18.99\00:18:22.16
it's immigrants,
refugees, and single moms.
00:18:22.20\00:18:26.43
And they're all
seeking Christian education.
00:18:26.47\00:18:29.34
And they couldn't
afford it on their own.
00:18:29.37\00:18:30.81
They can't afford it.
00:18:30.84\00:18:32.24
No.
00:18:32.27\00:18:33.61
But now you...
00:18:33.68\00:18:35.01
I'm so fascinated,
00:18:35.04\00:18:36.38
I want to get to your food hour.
00:18:36.41\00:18:37.75
You have many
different types of programs
00:18:37.78\00:18:40.22
that you're doing to help
00:18:40.25\00:18:41.58
meet their
individual physical needs,
00:18:41.62\00:18:45.89
nutritional needs.
00:18:45.92\00:18:47.26
Tell us about it. Yeah.
00:18:47.29\00:18:48.62
We were finding,
and we learn as we go,
00:18:48.66\00:18:50.33
we keep learning more
needs that need to be met.
00:18:50.36\00:18:54.53
But nutritional
needs for the children
00:18:54.56\00:18:57.17
at school was something
00:18:57.20\00:18:59.57
that we noticed
that needed to improve.
00:18:59.60\00:19:02.50
And so we decided to
plant our school garden.
00:19:02.54\00:19:06.04
And so they plant the
garden with the children
00:19:06.07\00:19:08.21
and their families love that
because in their home countries
00:19:08.24\00:19:11.45
they garden a lot.
00:19:11.48\00:19:12.81
So they like their
children learning that process
00:19:12.85\00:19:14.38
how to grow food.
00:19:14.42\00:19:15.75
So it's a lot of fun
gardening with the children
00:19:15.78\00:19:17.29
and we harvested in the fall.
00:19:17.32\00:19:19.02
And then, we had
a family come to us
00:19:19.05\00:19:22.86
to the Collins family
with a tower garden idea
00:19:22.89\00:19:26.36
so we can continue
having healthy food
00:19:26.39\00:19:28.73
through the winter.
00:19:28.76\00:19:30.10
So we grow greens,
lettuce, kale, spinach
00:19:30.17\00:19:33.23
in our tower garden,
00:19:33.27\00:19:34.60
and the kids can have
salads a couple times a week
00:19:34.64\00:19:37.31
along with their meals.
00:19:37.34\00:19:38.97
And I tell you,
when the kids grow it,
00:19:39.01\00:19:41.08
they eat it, they love it.
00:19:41.11\00:19:42.88
Nobody turns down salad.
00:19:42.91\00:19:44.75
I've never heard of
the tower garden before.
00:19:44.78\00:19:46.95
So that's actually a place
00:19:47.02\00:19:48.55
you're growing it in that tower
and it just starts coming...
00:19:48.58\00:19:49.98
Yes, water and nutrients.
00:19:50.02\00:19:52.22
That's amazing.
00:19:52.25\00:19:53.89
We pick out of that tower garden
00:19:53.96\00:19:55.42
every week,
00:19:55.46\00:19:56.83
big bowls of salad.
00:19:56.86\00:19:58.19
Wonderful.
00:19:58.23\00:19:59.56
And so the kids are
getting actively involved,
00:19:59.59\00:20:02.36
they're learning nutrition,
00:20:02.40\00:20:03.77
they're learning
the health message.
00:20:03.80\00:20:05.70
But then you also
have social events
00:20:05.73\00:20:09.07
where the
families come together.
00:20:09.10\00:20:11.81
Yeah.
00:20:11.84\00:20:14.51
We want to bring
the cultures together
00:20:14.54\00:20:16.31
and become a community.
00:20:16.34\00:20:18.21
And so we have a
lot of social events
00:20:18.25\00:20:20.15
for our school
and church together.
00:20:20.22\00:20:22.48
We have barn parties at
the beginning of the year
00:20:22.52\00:20:24.72
where everybody is invited,
00:20:24.75\00:20:26.09
even people
from their community.
00:20:26.12\00:20:28.16
We've had the
Reformation festival,
00:20:28.19\00:20:31.19
we have international festivals
00:20:31.23\00:20:32.76
so all the different
cultures can bring their foods.
00:20:32.79\00:20:37.00
And so we try
to do soup suppers,
00:20:37.07\00:20:39.63
movie nights, game nights,
00:20:39.67\00:20:41.00
things that we can
interact together with them.
00:20:41.04\00:20:43.14
And then the church members
are very actively involved
00:20:43.17\00:20:45.77
living with the parents
00:20:45.81\00:20:47.18
because you have what
they call ESL classes,
00:20:47.21\00:20:49.58
which is English
as a Second Language.
00:20:49.61\00:20:52.31
So your church members
are actually teaching English?
00:20:52.35\00:20:54.85
Correct.
00:20:54.88\00:20:56.22
You know, that was
another thing we noticed,
00:20:56.25\00:20:57.59
that was a huge
need it was to get ESL,
00:20:57.62\00:20:59.82
so they could get citizenship.
00:20:59.85\00:21:01.56
And so the church
is offering ESL classes
00:21:01.59\00:21:04.73
and a lot of our members
are involved in teaching that.
00:21:04.76\00:21:07.50
Other members are
involved in helping them
00:21:07.53\00:21:10.27
to get ready for
their citizenship test.
00:21:10.30\00:21:12.40
And they transfer
them to Des Moines
00:21:12.43\00:21:15.47
to get their test completed.
00:21:15.50\00:21:18.34
And the church has just come...
00:21:18.37\00:21:20.38
The church people
in many different ways
00:21:20.41\00:21:22.31
have just come
around to support.
00:21:22.34\00:21:24.15
Even for the school,
we have church members,
00:21:24.18\00:21:26.61
transportation was a
problem for these families,
00:21:26.65\00:21:29.38
and so we purchased a van
00:21:29.42\00:21:31.15
and church members drive the van
00:21:31.19\00:21:33.15
to go pick up students
00:21:33.19\00:21:34.52
who couldn't
get there otherwise.
00:21:34.56\00:21:35.89
You know, what I
love about this is
00:21:35.92\00:21:37.26
it becomes church wide ministry,
00:21:37.33\00:21:38.99
doesn't it? It does.
00:21:39.03\00:21:40.40
And then how is
the church growing?
00:21:40.43\00:21:43.23
You know,
00:21:43.26\00:21:44.60
the refugee
population is growing a lot.
00:21:44.63\00:21:46.84
And so our church,
00:21:46.87\00:21:49.47
it probably doubled in
size with the refugee families.
00:21:49.50\00:21:51.91
Praise God.
00:21:51.94\00:21:53.27
And it's brought us
together as a community
00:21:53.31\00:21:55.74
to work towards
some common goals.
00:21:55.78\00:21:58.91
Ladies at the church
are making hot lunches
00:21:58.95\00:22:00.85
for the children too
00:22:00.92\00:22:02.25
so they can have
hot food during the day.
00:22:02.28\00:22:04.65
And I've just seen the community
00:22:04.69\00:22:07.36
come together.
00:22:07.39\00:22:08.72
And isn't that exciting?
00:22:08.76\00:22:10.13
'Cause when you
start ministering together,
00:22:10.16\00:22:12.36
it creates that bond
even among people who,
00:22:12.39\00:22:16.40
you know, you may
have been going to church
00:22:16.43\00:22:17.87
with somebody for 20 years,
00:22:17.90\00:22:19.97
but you actually
start ministering together
00:22:20.04\00:22:23.04
and it just strengthens
that bond, doesn't it?
00:22:23.07\00:22:26.98
Yes. That's amazing.
00:22:27.01\00:22:28.34
So, Karma, tell us
about what's going on
00:22:28.38\00:22:31.08
at your church and your school.
00:22:31.11\00:22:33.42
My school was one
of the first schools
00:22:33.45\00:22:37.09
to get involved in the program
00:22:37.12\00:22:38.92
because we have
a lot of refugees
00:22:38.95\00:22:40.46
coming to the Des Moines.
00:22:40.49\00:22:42.39
So we started out with about 11.
00:22:42.42\00:22:45.83
And this year,
about 7 years later,
00:22:45.86\00:22:48.70
we have 27 refugees that
are attending our school.
00:22:48.73\00:22:52.87
They're basically
from Sudan and Burma.
00:22:52.90\00:22:56.40
Okay. Majority of them.
00:22:56.44\00:22:57.77
In fact, they're over
half of our population
00:22:57.81\00:23:00.78
of the school now.
00:23:00.81\00:23:02.14
Yes.
00:23:02.18\00:23:03.51
We've done many
things to help them.
00:23:03.55\00:23:05.88
We have a
community service person
00:23:05.91\00:23:07.55
that really helps them
00:23:07.62\00:23:09.45
when they first
come to get adjusted
00:23:09.48\00:23:11.45
to cold weather
and snow weather,
00:23:11.49\00:23:15.56
all of that in
Iowa so we have that,
00:23:15.59\00:23:18.83
and the church has
also come forward and help
00:23:18.86\00:23:22.60
because we have a
worthy student fund,
00:23:22.63\00:23:25.20
which many
members contribute to.
00:23:25.23\00:23:28.30
Many of our members
have become sponsors.
00:23:28.34\00:23:30.71
When the students cannot
make the tuition payment,
00:23:30.74\00:23:33.78
we have sponsors that help them.
00:23:33.81\00:23:36.04
So the church
has really stepped up
00:23:36.08\00:23:37.65
and helped our
refugees in our work.
00:23:37.68\00:23:42.52
And what kind of impact
00:23:42.55\00:23:43.92
do you think this
has had on your church?
00:23:43.99\00:23:45.89
You think it makes the church
00:23:45.92\00:23:48.26
as a whole more loving group?
00:23:48.29\00:23:52.33
I think it has helped our church
00:23:52.36\00:23:54.03
become more loving,
00:23:54.10\00:23:55.53
and it's also helped...
00:23:55.56\00:23:57.27
We have two different
groups in our church now.
00:23:57.30\00:24:01.37
We have the
Korean speaking refugees,
00:24:01.40\00:24:04.37
they have started
out with 2, 3 families
00:24:04.41\00:24:07.48
and now there
are over 135 members.
00:24:07.51\00:24:11.78
And they have decided
to have their own church.
00:24:11.81\00:24:14.88
So they use our church
building in the afternoon
00:24:14.92\00:24:17.29
and have church service.
00:24:17.32\00:24:18.65
Wonderful.
00:24:18.69\00:24:20.02
We also have Mizo
group, which is smaller,
00:24:20.06\00:24:22.32
but they needed a
place to worship too.
00:24:22.36\00:24:25.26
A lot of them come
not knowing English.
00:24:25.29\00:24:27.63
So the children will
come to our Sabbath schools.
00:24:27.66\00:24:30.87
But then for church,
00:24:30.90\00:24:32.23
they have their
own church service
00:24:32.27\00:24:33.64
downstairs in our building.
00:24:33.67\00:24:36.10
So our population of our church
00:24:36.14\00:24:37.51
has actually grown
tremendously through this.
00:24:37.54\00:24:40.38
Amen.
00:24:40.41\00:24:41.74
And I love what you
said then that this is...
00:24:41.78\00:24:43.65
One of you said
that this is a place
00:24:43.68\00:24:46.05
where we often
cannot get missionaries
00:24:46.08\00:24:50.92
into some of these countries,
00:24:50.99\00:24:52.65
but the Lord's
bringing them to us here.
00:24:52.69\00:24:55.26
Let me just ask
Leah for a second.
00:24:55.29\00:24:58.06
When you moved
from, I mean, to Colorado
00:24:58.09\00:25:02.33
that must have been
a shock to your family?
00:25:02.36\00:25:04.47
For sure.
00:25:04.50\00:25:05.83
Weather-wise. Yes.
00:25:05.87\00:25:07.24
Just acclimating to that. Yeah.
00:25:07.27\00:25:09.84
What was your
experience when you...
00:25:09.87\00:25:13.58
Whose school did you go to?
00:25:13.61\00:25:16.01
Mrs. Olson.
00:25:16.04\00:25:17.38
Okay.
00:25:17.45\00:25:18.78
What was your experience
00:25:18.81\00:25:20.52
when you first
came into the school,
00:25:20.55\00:25:24.19
the Seventh-day
Adventist Christian Academy?
00:25:24.22\00:25:26.39
Well, we came
from, you know, Denver,
00:25:26.42\00:25:28.02
which is like a pretty big city.
00:25:28.06\00:25:29.59
And it was like...
00:25:29.62\00:25:30.96
It had big public schools,
00:25:30.99\00:25:32.33
and then going to a smaller
00:25:32.36\00:25:35.30
Adventist Christian
school, it was like...
00:25:35.33\00:25:37.27
A lot was different.
00:25:37.30\00:25:38.93
You know, but what
we noticed was like,
00:25:38.97\00:25:41.07
for us, it wasn't,
well, me and my sister,
00:25:41.10\00:25:43.51
it wasn't like going to school,
00:25:43.54\00:25:45.11
you know, it was like
going to our second home,
00:25:45.14\00:25:47.11
you know, it was
somewhere that was fun,
00:25:47.18\00:25:48.98
somewhere that they fed
us, somewhere that we played,
00:25:49.01\00:25:51.75
and then did some school work.
00:25:51.78\00:25:53.92
We didn't even
realize it was like school
00:25:53.95\00:25:55.58
'cause it was
such a place where like
00:25:55.62\00:25:57.19
the atmosphere was so amazing,
00:25:57.22\00:25:59.29
and Mrs. Olson
was like our mother
00:25:59.32\00:26:00.96
and all the students
were like our siblings.
00:26:00.99\00:26:03.02
It was like a big family. Right.
00:26:03.06\00:26:04.89
And so that's how we felt.
00:26:04.93\00:26:06.39
It was like...
00:26:06.43\00:26:07.76
Praise God. Yeah.
00:26:07.80\00:26:09.13
Now, as a junior, do you...
00:26:09.16\00:26:12.30
I mean, it's hard
00:26:12.33\00:26:13.67
when you're 16
years old to figure out
00:26:13.74\00:26:15.67
what God really
is calling you to do.
00:26:15.70\00:26:17.31
Right.
00:26:17.34\00:26:18.67
But do you see yourself
working with the refugees
00:26:18.71\00:26:20.51
in the future?
00:26:20.58\00:26:21.91
For sure, for sure.
00:26:21.94\00:26:23.28
I mean, when I see how
much my family was helped,
00:26:23.31\00:26:25.51
and I can see more
refugees coming even today,
00:26:25.55\00:26:29.22
it makes me feel for them.
00:26:29.25\00:26:30.59
You know, when I see
those young kids coming
00:26:30.62\00:26:32.29
and they feel nervous
00:26:32.32\00:26:33.66
because not a lot of people
understand what they're saying
00:26:33.69\00:26:35.99
and things that
makes me want to help them
00:26:36.02\00:26:37.53
like I was helped, you know?
00:26:37.56\00:26:38.89
Amen.
00:26:38.93\00:26:40.30
And give them the
opportunity that I was given...
00:26:40.33\00:26:41.66
Amen.
00:26:41.70\00:26:43.03
From the school.
00:26:43.06\00:26:44.40
You know, they gave
us a lot of opportunities
00:26:44.43\00:26:45.93
to learn and a
lot of opportunities
00:26:45.97\00:26:47.90
to get better at certain
skills like public speaking.
00:26:47.94\00:26:51.44
And for students who
were like really shy,
00:26:51.47\00:26:53.58
it was better to have like
00:26:53.61\00:26:54.94
that smaller
classroom, you know,
00:26:54.98\00:26:57.25
and going to school
with like eighth graders
00:26:57.28\00:27:00.22
when you're in second grade
00:27:00.25\00:27:01.58
helps you kind of like
mature a little bit faster
00:27:01.62\00:27:04.32
and having, you know,
00:27:04.35\00:27:05.69
older kids helps you feel like
00:27:05.72\00:27:07.56
you have someone to protect
you and things like that.
00:27:07.59\00:27:10.43
All right, so, you know,
00:27:10.46\00:27:11.79
I don't think you
could have said anything
00:27:11.83\00:27:13.43
better than you felt,
00:27:13.50\00:27:14.83
not like you're going to school
but to your second family.
00:27:14.86\00:27:17.00
Right.
00:27:17.07\00:27:18.40
What a commendation.
00:27:18.43\00:27:19.77
So in the
Iowa-Missouri Conference
00:27:19.80\00:27:24.01
not only this is a
wonderful evangelistic tool,
00:27:24.04\00:27:27.38
how's it affecting the churches
where people are participating?
00:27:27.41\00:27:33.15
I think it helps them
be a part of Matthew 25:40
00:27:33.18\00:27:37.99
where we're at the
judgment and the sheep saying,
00:27:38.02\00:27:40.96
"When do we do these
things to you or for you?"
00:27:40.99\00:27:43.09
And Jesus said,
00:27:43.12\00:27:44.46
"When you do one of this
to the least of my brethren."
00:27:44.49\00:27:45.93
Amen.
00:27:45.96\00:27:47.30
But what we also found is that
when people are in ministry,
00:27:47.33\00:27:50.60
they don't bicker
and fight as much.
00:27:50.67\00:27:52.10
Absolutely.
00:27:52.13\00:27:53.47
They're focused,
00:27:53.54\00:27:54.87
and the interesting thing
is as we put money toward this,
00:27:54.90\00:27:59.34
churches aren't
being impacted but blessed.
00:27:59.37\00:28:01.61
You know, you think, okay,
00:28:01.64\00:28:02.98
you're drawing money out
of our church as a whole,
00:28:03.01\00:28:05.38
no, it's not happening.
00:28:05.41\00:28:06.75
In fact,
00:28:06.82\00:28:08.15
we're doing better financially
in some of those churches.
00:28:08.18\00:28:10.09
Praise God.
00:28:10.12\00:28:11.45
But one of the
things I want to go back to
00:28:11.49\00:28:12.82
is what Karma
said is with the Mizos
00:28:12.85\00:28:15.26
that the children
attend the Sabbath schools...
00:28:15.29\00:28:17.63
Now, the Mizos are from where?
00:28:17.66\00:28:19.26
Mizos are...
00:28:19.29\00:28:20.90
Karma, you should tell them.
00:28:20.93\00:28:22.26
They're from Burma. From Burma.
00:28:22.30\00:28:23.90
Well, Mizos are
Burmese individuals
00:28:23.97\00:28:27.04
who have moved to India.
00:28:27.07\00:28:28.57
Okay.
00:28:28.60\00:28:29.94
And so they have a
different culture of somewhat.
00:28:30.01\00:28:32.44
Okay.
00:28:32.47\00:28:35.31
So anyway,
00:28:35.34\00:28:36.75
they bring their
children to Sabbath school,
00:28:36.78\00:28:38.58
but the mother
stayed to hear English
00:28:38.61\00:28:40.82
and to learn English.
00:28:40.85\00:28:42.35
And so it's a byproduct
00:28:42.38\00:28:45.29
of what's going on
with their children,
00:28:45.32\00:28:46.65
they're staying by too so
they can learn more English
00:28:46.69\00:28:48.82
from the
Sabbath school teachers.
00:28:48.86\00:28:50.33
That's wonderful.
00:28:50.36\00:28:51.96
So what
about... Tell us about...
00:28:51.99\00:28:56.46
You had a wonderful story
00:28:56.50\00:28:58.13
that you mentioned in the green
room about the Iraqi father.
00:28:58.17\00:29:01.97
Tell us a little bit about that.
00:29:02.00\00:29:03.54
Yes, in one of our
schools, we had Iraqi family,
00:29:03.61\00:29:07.28
there was an event at a park.
00:29:07.31\00:29:09.21
And there was a chance meeting
00:29:09.24\00:29:10.58
between the pastor of that
church and an Iraqi father,
00:29:10.65\00:29:13.52
refugee father, who is Yazidi.
00:29:13.55\00:29:16.28
The Yazidis are not Muslims
and they're not Christian,
00:29:16.32\00:29:20.56
they're a mixture,
00:29:20.59\00:29:21.92
but they're also looked
down upon in Iraqi culture.
00:29:21.96\00:29:25.29
In fact, they were
purposely targeted by ISIS.
00:29:25.33\00:29:28.76
And this family
actually had a daughter
00:29:28.80\00:29:30.80
who was being chased by ISIS.
00:29:30.87\00:29:32.47
She is a high school individual,
00:29:32.50\00:29:34.04
she actually was able to escape,
00:29:34.07\00:29:36.64
but they met,
00:29:36.71\00:29:38.04
and the father is very
concerned about his children
00:29:38.07\00:29:40.48
and the kind of treatment
00:29:40.51\00:29:41.84
they would
receive in public school
00:29:41.88\00:29:43.55
where other Iraqis
were who were Muslim.
00:29:43.58\00:29:46.75
And the pastor said,
"Well, send them to our school."
00:29:46.82\00:29:48.78
So they sent all the
five school age children,
00:29:48.82\00:29:51.09
they sent to our school.
00:29:51.12\00:29:53.36
And through our refugee funds,
00:29:53.39\00:29:54.99
we were able to
provide them the scholarships,
00:29:55.02\00:29:57.23
and then the church
stepped up and filled the gap.
00:29:57.26\00:30:01.03
And so they were able to go
00:30:01.06\00:30:02.43
with little
financial impact on the family.
00:30:02.46\00:30:05.33
Praise God. And that's our goal.
00:30:05.37\00:30:08.10
But this is not
just to provide education
00:30:08.14\00:30:11.11
for Seventh-day
Adventist Christians
00:30:11.14\00:30:14.48
but any child,
00:30:14.51\00:30:15.84
any family who
wants to send their child
00:30:15.88\00:30:17.28
to one of our
schools, which is safe.
00:30:17.35\00:30:19.45
A lot of times, what happens is
00:30:19.48\00:30:21.02
these kids are abused sometimes
because of their language,
00:30:21.05\00:30:26.22
they get into gangs
because they look at that
00:30:26.25\00:30:28.36
as a way to be
accepted, some of them.
00:30:28.39\00:30:30.93
And so the parents kind
of lose them a little bit.
00:30:30.96\00:30:33.83
And so they want
their kids in a safe place
00:30:33.90\00:30:36.30
where they know
that they're going to be
00:30:36.33\00:30:39.10
nurtured and loved,
just like Leah talked about.
00:30:39.13\00:30:42.04
Amen, amen.
00:30:42.07\00:30:43.41
That's a very
important part of our school
00:30:43.44\00:30:45.54
is that the students feel safe.
00:30:45.57\00:30:47.38
They really feel
like they're loved
00:30:47.41\00:30:49.54
and the parents see it
00:30:49.58\00:30:50.95
and they want
their children there.
00:30:50.98\00:30:52.75
Amen. They would do anything.
00:30:52.78\00:30:54.12
They sacrifice to
make sure their children
00:30:54.15\00:30:56.69
stay in the school.
00:30:56.72\00:30:58.05
Amen.
00:30:58.09\00:30:59.42
And they're getting
a Christian education,
00:30:59.45\00:31:01.66
I mean, they're
being taught about the Lord
00:31:01.69\00:31:04.46
as they go along.
00:31:04.49\00:31:05.86
Julie, how has this
impacted you personally
00:31:05.89\00:31:11.23
in your walk with the Lord
00:31:11.27\00:31:12.70
and being involved
reaching out to these people?
00:31:12.73\00:31:17.97
It has...
00:31:18.01\00:31:21.21
It's okay.
00:31:21.24\00:31:25.45
I have grown from...
00:31:25.48\00:31:28.82
I have really grown from
ministering to these children.
00:31:28.85\00:31:31.32
And they have taught me a
lot, you know, to reach out,
00:31:31.35\00:31:34.92
and to meet their needs,
and they're children of God.
00:31:34.96\00:31:39.63
You know, as a mom,
00:31:39.66\00:31:43.16
I was always
committed to raising my children
00:31:43.20\00:31:47.27
in the Lord,
00:31:47.34\00:31:48.67
you know, what Proverbs said.
00:31:48.70\00:31:50.04
And then I have these moms,
00:31:50.07\00:31:51.41
like Leah's mom
come to me and says,
00:31:51.44\00:31:53.78
"I want to raise
my child in the Lord,
00:31:53.81\00:31:56.31
you know, and can you help us?"
00:31:56.34\00:31:58.81
And, you know,
00:31:58.85\00:32:00.95
that all parents want
the best for their children.
00:32:00.98\00:32:04.49
And to be able to provide that,
00:32:04.52\00:32:06.86
you know, you
can't turn a family away
00:32:06.89\00:32:09.02
who wants their
child trained in the Lord,
00:32:09.06\00:32:11.63
you know?
00:32:11.66\00:32:12.99
And you do everything
you can to make that happen.
00:32:13.03\00:32:15.90
But also the
parents are so trusting.
00:32:15.93\00:32:18.10
They said, "You are
their parent during their day.
00:32:18.13\00:32:20.97
And you take on that
role much more personal."
00:32:21.00\00:32:25.24
But they are very adamant
00:32:25.27\00:32:27.18
that you are their
parent during the day.
00:32:27.21\00:32:28.68
They want us to
provide the structure,
00:32:28.71\00:32:30.45
provide discipline,
00:32:30.48\00:32:32.01
and they're very trusting
that we will do that for them.
00:32:32.05\00:32:35.08
And so it's an honor
to be part of that family
00:32:35.12\00:32:39.25
that we are.
00:32:39.29\00:32:40.66
You know, it's
interesting as we minister.
00:32:40.69\00:32:43.09
And I always tell people
if they're having trouble
00:32:43.12\00:32:46.06
with a youth at home,
take him on a missionary trip.
00:32:46.09\00:32:50.97
And once they begin to
see how other people...
00:32:51.00\00:32:56.04
How much more privileged
they are than other people,
00:32:56.07\00:32:58.57
and they see
the underprivileged,
00:32:58.61\00:33:00.41
it usually helps them to
get out of the selfishness.
00:33:00.48\00:33:04.45
When you said that
the churches don't bicker
00:33:04.48\00:33:07.22
when they're involved in
this and they quit arguing,
00:33:07.25\00:33:09.65
it's because when you
are not focused on self,
00:33:09.68\00:33:14.06
you know, the
bickering and the arguing
00:33:14.09\00:33:16.12
is just a byproduct of self.
00:33:16.16\00:33:18.79
But when you start really
00:33:18.83\00:33:21.66
investing in someone else's life
00:33:21.70\00:33:23.77
and someone particularly who...
00:33:23.80\00:33:26.37
Can you imagine for one second
00:33:26.40\00:33:28.77
if suddenly you were plucked up
from your nice comfortable home
00:33:28.80\00:33:33.01
and deposited in
Iraq or in Rwanda
00:33:33.04\00:33:38.28
where you knew no language,
didn't understand the culture,
00:33:38.31\00:33:44.12
can you imagine how?
00:33:44.19\00:33:46.42
I mean, that would
be beyond disconcerting.
00:33:46.45\00:33:48.99
It would be how do we
even go about surviving this?
00:33:49.02\00:33:54.76
But when people start
ministering in a church,
00:33:54.80\00:33:59.17
I think that we
just open our heart up
00:33:59.20\00:34:02.07
to the Lord and let
Him pour His love into us
00:34:02.10\00:34:05.34
by the power of the Holy Spirit,
00:34:05.37\00:34:07.08
then you're reaching out,
00:34:07.11\00:34:08.44
it has to make
in personal impact
00:34:08.48\00:34:10.55
when God's love is
flowing through you.
00:34:10.58\00:34:13.75
So, Leah,
00:34:13.82\00:34:17.52
was your
brother's still young enough
00:34:17.59\00:34:18.99
when you moved here to
participate in the school
00:34:19.02\00:34:21.29
or was he beyond that?
00:34:21.32\00:34:22.66
He was beyond that.
00:34:22.69\00:34:24.03
Okay. Yeah.
00:34:24.06\00:34:25.39
Well, this program
must have had a really
00:34:25.43\00:34:26.80
great impact on your family.
00:34:26.83\00:34:29.90
So I feel like when you
are raised by two parents
00:34:29.93\00:34:33.44
who are war survivors,
00:34:33.47\00:34:34.80
you kind of grow up differently.
00:34:34.84\00:34:36.64
You see the world
much more differently
00:34:36.71\00:34:38.84
than some other kids.
00:34:38.87\00:34:41.18
And, you know,
00:34:41.21\00:34:42.54
there's a lot of stories
that my mom would tell us
00:34:42.58\00:34:44.35
about things
that happened to her
00:34:44.38\00:34:46.15
and things that
were just so beyond us
00:34:46.18\00:34:48.25
that it was so hard to believe.
00:34:48.28\00:34:50.82
But there's this one time
00:34:50.89\00:34:52.22
when she was
seven months pregnant
00:34:52.25\00:34:54.42
with my oldest
brother who's 24 right now,
00:34:54.46\00:34:59.33
she and my dad separated
00:34:59.36\00:35:01.56
through all like
the chaos of running
00:35:01.60\00:35:03.30
and trying to find shelter.
00:35:03.37\00:35:05.57
And so she was alone.
00:35:05.60\00:35:07.70
And so she went into this church
00:35:07.74\00:35:09.17
because people
were having service.
00:35:09.20\00:35:11.14
And she felt like it
would be the safest place
00:35:11.17\00:35:13.68
at the time because
it was a bigger group
00:35:13.71\00:35:15.51
and she could
protect herself more.
00:35:15.54\00:35:17.95
And they actually came
and bombed that church.
00:35:17.98\00:35:20.52
Oh, my!
00:35:20.55\00:35:21.88
And just like the roof
00:35:21.92\00:35:23.69
and like people
were falling down
00:35:23.72\00:35:25.39
and there was
bodies all around her
00:35:25.42\00:35:27.16
and pools of blood
and things were just
00:35:27.19\00:35:29.09
so horrific and
traumatizing for her.
00:35:29.12\00:35:31.96
And they were outside,
00:35:31.99\00:35:34.10
you know, the
soldiers were outside saying,
00:35:34.13\00:35:35.83
"If you don't
come out right now,
00:35:35.86\00:35:37.20
we're gonna come
back and like just
00:35:37.27\00:35:39.00
re-bomb the place again
00:35:39.03\00:35:40.77
to make sure
that everyone's gone.
00:35:40.84\00:35:42.50
So if you want to come
out, come out now," you know?
00:35:42.54\00:35:45.04
And so her and four
other people came out,
00:35:45.07\00:35:48.08
those four other
people, you know,
00:35:48.11\00:35:49.44
they were just like, terrified.
00:35:49.48\00:35:51.45
And so they came out
00:35:51.48\00:35:52.81
and the soldiers put
them in separate places,
00:35:52.85\00:35:56.45
and were like,
"What's your name?
00:35:56.48\00:35:58.35
Where are you from?
What side are you on?"
00:35:58.39\00:36:00.46
You know, and
she was so terrified.
00:36:00.49\00:36:02.89
And she could hear the people
around her like being shot,
00:36:02.92\00:36:06.93
you know, other people.
00:36:07.00\00:36:08.33
I can't imagine.
00:36:08.36\00:36:09.70
It was like crazy. Yeah.
00:36:09.73\00:36:11.07
And during the
time that she heard,
00:36:11.10\00:36:13.34
when they were like
moving from person to person,
00:36:13.37\00:36:15.94
she said a quick
prayer and said that,
00:36:15.97\00:36:19.01
"You know, God, if
You take me out of this,
00:36:19.04\00:36:21.11
you know, I will devote my life
and devote my children to You
00:36:21.14\00:36:25.45
and to your church
and everything like that."
00:36:25.48\00:36:28.35
And so when they got to
her, someone recognized her.
00:36:28.38\00:36:32.49
And he said,
00:36:32.52\00:36:33.86
"Let me take this
woman home, she's pregnant,
00:36:33.89\00:36:37.13
I will pay you
anything that you need."
00:36:37.16\00:36:39.36
And, you know, they
were like really corrupt.
00:36:39.39\00:36:40.80
So money was power at that time.
00:36:40.83\00:36:42.70
So regardless of
what side you're on,
00:36:42.73\00:36:44.60
as long as you had money,
00:36:44.63\00:36:45.97
you could pretty
much do whatever you want.
00:36:46.00\00:36:47.77
And so he paid
them and he took her
00:36:47.80\00:36:50.61
and he took her to
the closest hospital,
00:36:50.64\00:36:52.64
and he actually told
her that he recognized her
00:36:52.67\00:36:55.08
from her
Seventh-day Adventist Church
00:36:55.11\00:36:58.18
back home in Rwanda.
00:36:58.21\00:36:59.55
Wow.
00:36:59.58\00:37:00.92
And it was just amazing to her
00:37:00.95\00:37:03.15
because it was just like
what are the chances of someone
00:37:03.18\00:37:05.75
who knew me back home being...
00:37:05.79\00:37:07.36
Absolutely. Being there.
00:37:07.39\00:37:08.79
And so stories like that just
they give me more of a purpose.
00:37:08.82\00:37:13.16
You know, if my mom
who survived way before
00:37:13.19\00:37:15.90
she knew I was
gonna be born, you know,
00:37:15.93\00:37:17.67
there must be
something that I'm here for.
00:37:17.70\00:37:20.54
There must be a
reason that I'm here in Iowa,
00:37:20.57\00:37:23.41
there must be a reason
00:37:23.44\00:37:24.77
why I was able to go
to a Christian school
00:37:24.81\00:37:27.01
and raised in a
very strong home,
00:37:27.08\00:37:29.64
who had their values checked
00:37:29.68\00:37:31.28
and were really
strong in their beliefs.
00:37:31.31\00:37:33.18
Amen. What a beautiful story.
00:37:33.21\00:37:35.18
You are a very
composed for 16 years old,
00:37:35.22\00:37:40.29
in particular,
00:37:40.36\00:37:41.69
you are
obviously very intelligent.
00:37:41.72\00:37:43.06
Thank you.
00:37:43.09\00:37:44.43
You are a very
composed person. Thank you.
00:37:44.46\00:37:45.93
Have great composure.
00:37:45.96\00:37:47.63
But what a story
and don't ever forget
00:37:47.66\00:37:51.00
that God does have
a plan for your life,
00:37:51.03\00:37:53.44
and He's gonna...
00:37:53.47\00:37:54.80
He never reveals it
all at once, does He?
00:37:54.84\00:37:56.94
Just is the little by
little, but that's precious.
00:37:57.01\00:38:00.18
Karma, I don't
think I've asked you,
00:38:00.21\00:38:02.91
being involved in helping
these people in this way,
00:38:02.94\00:38:06.38
how has it impacted you
personally and your family?
00:38:06.41\00:38:10.32
Well, same with
what Julie was saying.
00:38:10.39\00:38:12.42
It's just you have a
personal relationship
00:38:12.45\00:38:14.86
with all of the students.
00:38:14.89\00:38:16.49
And it really impacts
your life tremendously.
00:38:16.52\00:38:19.69
But I think one of the things
00:38:19.73\00:38:21.06
that I really want to
tell everybody is that
00:38:21.10\00:38:23.80
I was volunteering at the school
00:38:23.87\00:38:25.20
before I became
the principal teacher.
00:38:25.23\00:38:27.64
And I was working
with one of the girls,
00:38:27.67\00:38:31.11
she was a refugee
00:38:31.14\00:38:32.87
and her
speaking English was okay
00:38:32.91\00:38:36.75
but her reading was terrible.
00:38:36.78\00:38:39.21
She was probably in
fourth grade at the time,
00:38:39.25\00:38:41.65
and she was probably reading
about a second grade level.
00:38:41.68\00:38:44.92
And I know she struggled
00:38:44.95\00:38:46.32
every time I asked
her to read with me,
00:38:46.35\00:38:48.69
and she didn't understand words.
00:38:48.72\00:38:51.39
But we just kept
working with her,
00:38:51.43\00:38:53.43
working with her family,
working with all of them.
00:38:53.50\00:38:55.86
We had the ESL
just like Julie did.
00:38:55.90\00:38:58.27
That's English
as Second Language.
00:38:58.30\00:39:00.34
Yes. Sorry.
00:39:00.37\00:39:02.27
And it's just...
00:39:02.30\00:39:04.34
Today, she is a
senior at our academy.
00:39:04.37\00:39:08.94
And she is on the
honor roll. Praise God.
00:39:08.98\00:39:12.01
So it tells you
that there is hope.
00:39:12.05\00:39:14.05
And there is encouragement
00:39:14.12\00:39:15.65
if you just provide
it for these children.
00:39:15.68\00:39:17.99
They're willing to learn
there, they want to learn.
00:39:18.02\00:39:21.52
English is a
struggle, but they all want it,
00:39:21.56\00:39:24.23
and they want to prosper.
00:39:24.26\00:39:26.13
Amen.
00:39:26.16\00:39:27.50
But beyond your
humanitarian impact,
00:39:27.53\00:39:32.40
did this draw you
closer to the Lord
00:39:32.43\00:39:34.50
when you're trying
to minister to people
00:39:34.54\00:39:36.94
of a different culture?
00:39:37.01\00:39:39.24
Well, I worked in New York,
00:39:39.27\00:39:41.51
and I taught at
basically at black school.
00:39:41.54\00:39:44.88
So I was used to
that. It doesn't bother me.
00:39:44.91\00:39:49.22
Where, I'm in an
interracial marriage.
00:39:49.25\00:39:51.72
So it doesn't bother me
what country you're from,
00:39:51.75\00:39:57.33
what color your skin
is, I can work with anybody.
00:39:57.36\00:40:00.10
But coming to the
school, which was in Des Moines,
00:40:00.13\00:40:03.40
we didn't have that
many races in the school.
00:40:03.47\00:40:06.84
But now you're
bringing the refugees
00:40:06.87\00:40:08.30
and now we have other races.
00:40:08.34\00:40:11.71
And they have all learned
00:40:11.74\00:40:13.88
how to adapt
each other's culture.
00:40:13.91\00:40:16.95
We've had parents that
come in and bring in food
00:40:16.98\00:40:18.98
from their culture
00:40:19.01\00:40:20.62
and all the students look
at it like, "What's that?"
00:40:20.65\00:40:22.88
I said, "Try it,
find out what it is,
00:40:22.92\00:40:25.89
and see if you like it."
00:40:25.92\00:40:27.99
And so the students
have actually learned
00:40:28.02\00:40:30.06
how to adapt to
each other's culture.
00:40:30.13\00:40:31.96
They've learned
how to embrace it.
00:40:31.99\00:40:33.63
We have all kinds of
days that we celebrate
00:40:33.70\00:40:36.77
so they can get used to
each other's culture and learn.
00:40:36.80\00:40:39.73
And it's brought me closer,
00:40:39.77\00:40:41.74
my faith has become stronger.
00:40:41.77\00:40:43.24
Amen
00:40:43.27\00:40:44.61
Because when you
become principal of a school,
00:40:44.64\00:40:47.58
you're worried
about the finances,
00:40:47.61\00:40:49.08
you're worried about
00:40:49.11\00:40:50.45
how are we gonna
make the bottom line.
00:40:50.48\00:40:52.71
And every time
when we're at a point
00:40:52.75\00:40:55.08
where I don't know
how we're gonna make it,
00:40:55.12\00:40:56.69
I said, "Lord,
You brought me to it,
00:40:56.72\00:40:59.05
You'll bring me through it."
00:40:59.09\00:41:00.86
So I just say, "Lord,
00:41:00.89\00:41:03.09
I have four children
that can't come to school.
00:41:03.12\00:41:06.16
But through You,
they're going to come."
00:41:06.19\00:41:08.23
Praise God.
00:41:08.26\00:41:09.60
So they come,
00:41:09.63\00:41:10.97
and somehow we make it.
00:41:11.00\00:41:12.33
I don't know how,
00:41:12.37\00:41:13.74
I just praise the
Lord that we do every time.
00:41:13.77\00:41:16.17
And I rely on that faith,
that hope, that trust in God.
00:41:16.20\00:41:21.44
And we know things
are going to work out.
00:41:21.48\00:41:23.55
Amen.
00:41:23.58\00:41:24.91
I know that you ladies have...
00:41:24.95\00:41:28.38
Your church was involved in
00:41:28.42\00:41:30.42
some kind of
program 20 years ago.
00:41:30.49\00:41:32.82
But you mentioned to me, Joe,
00:41:32.85\00:41:35.29
that people from the churches
are coming to you saying,
00:41:35.32\00:41:40.30
"We're so..."
00:41:40.33\00:41:41.66
These are
members of the churches
00:41:41.70\00:41:43.03
who are receiving these refugees
00:41:43.06\00:41:44.90
and supporting the refugees.
00:41:44.93\00:41:46.84
They're seeing the
difference in their children,
00:41:46.87\00:41:49.24
they're having the cultural
interaction, aren't they?
00:41:49.27\00:41:52.97
Yes, I've had some parents talk
about the fact in their school,
00:41:53.01\00:41:56.31
it's gone primary from
just having all Caucasians
00:41:56.34\00:41:59.68
to a very mixed
student population.
00:41:59.71\00:42:04.19
And they feel it's
very helpful for their kids
00:42:04.22\00:42:06.76
to see and to
experience these other cultures
00:42:06.79\00:42:09.39
and interact with
them, as Karma said,
00:42:09.42\00:42:12.39
to experience the food
00:42:12.43\00:42:14.36
and know about some
of their traditions,
00:42:14.40\00:42:16.16
and they feel it's really
become an asset of the school
00:42:16.20\00:42:21.17
to teach their
children about acceptance
00:42:21.20\00:42:24.44
because sometimes we,
especially as Americans,
00:42:24.47\00:42:28.28
we think that we're
kind of the best or whatever.
00:42:28.31\00:42:32.28
But with the
interaction with the refugees
00:42:32.31\00:42:35.85
and as you pointed out,
plucked out of the country
00:42:35.88\00:42:37.82
and put in a place that's
extremely foreign to them...
00:42:37.85\00:42:41.02
Yes.
00:42:41.06\00:42:42.49
To see the blending,
00:42:42.52\00:42:45.69
the working
together with the kids
00:42:45.73\00:42:48.23
and how they really
add a wonderful dynamics
00:42:48.26\00:42:52.87
to the overall
school population.
00:42:52.90\00:42:55.90
And, you know,
when you think about it,
00:42:55.94\00:42:57.74
when we feel like
00:42:57.77\00:42:59.51
when we take pride in
our culture and pride...
00:42:59.54\00:43:02.94
To say you're proud of
your child is one thing,
00:43:02.98\00:43:05.48
but the kind of
pride where you feel like
00:43:05.51\00:43:07.45
you're better
than somebody else,
00:43:07.52\00:43:10.52
you know, the
prejudice kind of pride,
00:43:10.59\00:43:13.19
I mean, that's what it
is, it is pride, and it's sin.
00:43:13.22\00:43:15.82
So that's something that
00:43:15.86\00:43:17.99
I think sometimes
people don't even recognize
00:43:18.03\00:43:20.63
it's in their hearts
till they find themselves
00:43:20.70\00:43:22.70
in a situation.
00:43:22.73\00:43:24.07
I do know when I go on
trips where I may be ministering
00:43:24.10\00:43:29.77
and somebody's having
to translate, and I'm just,
00:43:29.80\00:43:33.21
you know, trying
to find my way around,
00:43:33.24\00:43:36.21
I find that
00:43:36.24\00:43:37.58
I am much more
dependent upon the Lord.
00:43:37.65\00:43:39.68
I'm sure your mom has told you
many stories of how dependent
00:43:39.71\00:43:45.29
she was upon God.
00:43:45.32\00:43:47.16
And that's what
He really wants us
00:43:47.19\00:43:48.59
all is to recognize that
00:43:48.62\00:43:50.23
we're totally
dependent upon Him.
00:43:50.26\00:43:52.29
So how many schools
total and what's the future?
00:43:52.33\00:43:58.90
Why aren't more
conferences doing this?
00:43:58.93\00:44:02.97
I probably...
00:44:03.00\00:44:05.17
Maybe lack the vision
that our president lacks
00:44:05.21\00:44:07.58
and the willingness of
the folks in the conference
00:44:07.61\00:44:11.65
to step forward either
by helping with teaching
00:44:11.68\00:44:14.55
ESL classes, English
second language classes
00:44:14.58\00:44:16.82
or providing
transportation or funding.
00:44:16.89\00:44:20.46
Folks in Iowa-Missouri
have done a wonderful job.
00:44:20.49\00:44:24.23
Sometimes
people are just unaware
00:44:24.26\00:44:26.73
of the
opportunities in their area.
00:44:26.80\00:44:29.86
And you can
glean that information
00:44:29.90\00:44:31.60
by going to
perhaps a county office
00:44:31.63\00:44:34.64
or something and asking
for a demographic report.
00:44:34.67\00:44:38.91
We did that in Iowa-Missouri,
00:44:38.94\00:44:40.28
every pastor got a demographic
report of their counties
00:44:40.31\00:44:42.84
in which their churches
lied and it was interesting
00:44:42.88\00:44:45.35
to find that these
various pockets of refugees
00:44:45.38\00:44:47.88
that no one in
the church knew about
00:44:47.92\00:44:50.29
and we're able to
begin to minister to them.
00:44:50.32\00:44:53.36
The part of it is just going out
00:44:53.39\00:44:54.89
and seeking and finding them.
00:44:54.92\00:44:56.76
We have...
00:44:56.83\00:44:58.16
And we don't have to wait for
the conference office to wait,
00:44:58.19\00:44:59.53
you can do it as a church,
yours was 20 years before.
00:44:59.56\00:45:03.47
As far as in our conference
right now, we have refugees...
00:45:03.50\00:45:07.94
We're hoping to providing
scholarships to refugees
00:45:07.97\00:45:11.01
in four different schools,
Karma and Julie's schools,
00:45:11.04\00:45:15.81
but we also have a
school in Columbia, Missouri
00:45:15.84\00:45:18.08
and St. Louis, Missouri
00:45:18.11\00:45:19.45
that have refugees in smaller
populations in what they have.
00:45:19.48\00:45:22.95
But we offer to
any of our schools
00:45:22.98\00:45:24.55
if there are refugee
students in your community
00:45:24.59\00:45:28.19
that want to come to school,
no matter what the faith,
00:45:28.22\00:45:30.53
the Adventist Christians or not,
00:45:30.56\00:45:32.76
we would provide
scholarships for them.
00:45:32.79\00:45:35.20
But then how do you...
00:45:35.23\00:45:37.80
I mean,
00:45:37.83\00:45:39.17
are you looking for
more churches to participate?
00:45:39.20\00:45:41.17
Do you need people to
help you financially witness?
00:45:41.20\00:45:46.71
If there is somebody in a church
00:45:46.78\00:45:48.11
that's watching and
said, "Well, I don't know
00:45:48.14\00:45:49.61
if my conference will do it,
00:45:49.64\00:45:50.98
but maybe I can talk
our church into doing this."
00:45:51.01\00:45:54.48
Can you give them tips?
00:45:54.52\00:45:56.28
Well, we always
could use more funds.
00:45:56.32\00:45:58.82
Currently, we have 54 refugee
students in our various schools
00:45:58.85\00:46:02.82
that are receiving
$1,500 scholarships.
00:46:02.86\00:46:07.00
And by doing that we're
able to stretch our money out
00:46:07.03\00:46:09.53
and else and still
help some churches.
00:46:09.56\00:46:12.00
But, you know, if they wanted
to help in any way financially,
00:46:12.03\00:46:16.57
you know, they could contact
to the conference office,
00:46:16.60\00:46:18.67
but the other is praying for us.
00:46:18.71\00:46:20.78
That's a very important
thing as we deal with these...
00:46:20.81\00:46:24.35
Our serve, I should not say deal
00:46:24.38\00:46:26.01
but serve these refugee
families and the students
00:46:26.05\00:46:29.38
that we would do
what's best for them.
00:46:29.42\00:46:33.69
Sometimes it's as simple
as finding refugee family
00:46:33.76\00:46:36.09
and showing them how
to turn on the furnace.
00:46:36.12\00:46:38.96
Yeah.
00:46:38.99\00:46:40.33
They don't know how to
use the washing machine,
00:46:40.40\00:46:42.46
simple things,
00:46:42.50\00:46:44.17
how to go to the grocery store.
00:46:44.20\00:46:45.53
They're coming
from countries that
00:46:45.57\00:46:46.90
grocery store is not a
concept or a refugee camp that,
00:46:46.94\00:46:50.31
you know, grocery store is just
not something you can do it.
00:46:50.34\00:46:53.11
Some of these simple
things providing transportation
00:46:53.14\00:46:55.48
to doctor's appointments
and things like that
00:46:55.51\00:46:57.68
and something that
doesn't take a lot of time,
00:46:57.71\00:46:59.95
but it would have a
great impact on these people
00:47:00.02\00:47:02.75
in their lives.
00:47:02.78\00:47:05.09
What Dean is shared
with us in a nice...
00:47:05.12\00:47:07.36
I've read this in other reports.
00:47:07.39\00:47:09.46
What is greatest...
That's Dean Coridan.
00:47:09.49\00:47:11.96
Dean Coridan.
00:47:11.99\00:47:13.90
The greatest lack is friendship.
00:47:13.93\00:47:16.36
They are so lonely,
their family may not be there,
00:47:16.40\00:47:19.13
and people that
may not know there
00:47:19.17\00:47:21.07
and just to be
friendly to them is important.
00:47:21.10\00:47:26.14
And so there's lots
of things can be done
00:47:26.17\00:47:28.38
and some costs very little
to do as far as time or money.
00:47:28.41\00:47:32.55
Yeah, it's just something
00:47:32.58\00:47:33.95
that we want to
encourage everyone.
00:47:34.02\00:47:36.32
And it's money so well invested
00:47:36.35\00:47:40.06
because our refugee families,
00:47:40.09\00:47:43.63
they have a
heart for evangelism,
00:47:43.66\00:47:45.79
much greater than
I've seen in America.
00:47:45.83\00:47:48.20
And so when we can
train up the children
00:47:48.23\00:47:51.00
in the Lord and teach
biblical truth to them,
00:47:51.03\00:47:54.50
they are out evangelizing.
00:47:54.54\00:47:56.47
And it's just money well spent
'cause we're training leaders.
00:47:56.50\00:48:02.51
Leah has become such
a leader in our school
00:48:02.54\00:48:05.35
and in our community.
00:48:05.38\00:48:06.72
And other refugee students have
just stepped up to leadership.
00:48:06.75\00:48:10.42
And her parents, all
they've been through,
00:48:10.49\00:48:12.32
now they're
leaders, her dad is an elder,
00:48:12.35\00:48:14.29
her mom is a
school board member,
00:48:14.32\00:48:15.76
and they're giving
back to our community.
00:48:15.79\00:48:18.56
Praise God.
00:48:18.59\00:48:19.93
Well, I know
that's very exciting.
00:48:20.00\00:48:21.33
And we want to give
you the opportunity.
00:48:21.36\00:48:23.77
And if they go to your website,
00:48:23.80\00:48:27.54
there's some
other resources to see
00:48:27.57\00:48:29.24
how maybe your church
could become involved in this
00:48:29.27\00:48:32.81
or you can call Joe and ask.
00:48:32.84\00:48:36.95
But if the Holy
Spirit is impressing you
00:48:36.98\00:48:39.81
to perhaps try to
start something like this
00:48:39.85\00:48:43.49
in your own
area, in your church,
00:48:43.52\00:48:46.45
or if you are willing,
00:48:46.49\00:48:48.69
I'm sure the Holy Spirit
is impressing many people
00:48:48.72\00:48:51.56
to pray and support them
00:48:51.59\00:48:53.70
or perhaps even to donate
something toward this cause.
00:48:53.73\00:48:57.57
Here's how you can
get in touch with them.
00:48:57.60\00:49:02.40
If you would like to support
00:49:02.44\00:49:03.84
the efforts of the Iowa-Missouri
00:49:03.91\00:49:05.77
Conference of Seventh-day
Adventist in providing
00:49:05.81\00:49:08.51
Christian education
for children of immigrants
00:49:08.54\00:49:11.18
and refugee families,
00:49:11.21\00:49:13.08
please visit
their website Imsda.org,
00:49:13.11\00:49:16.69