As you're well aware
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we're living in
unprecedented times,
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join us now for
today's special program.
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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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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
another 3ABN Today program.
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I'm Jason Bradley,
and I'm so glad that
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you decided to tune in today.
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We have a very exciting
program in store for you.
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Now things will be
moving rather quickly
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because we are on a mission
a little later in the program.
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We'll have a chance to hear
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from the
ministry Falco's Children.
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But right now I
want to introduce
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our first guests
from Adventist Mission.
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We have Gary Kraus.
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He's the director
of Adventist Mission
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for the General Conference
of Seventh-day Adventists.
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We also have Mike Ryan
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and he's the
assistant to the president
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of the General Conference
of Seventh-day Adventists.
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Welcome to the
program, gentlemen.
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Thank you Good to be here.
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Yes, it's great to have you.
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I feel like
those titles were long
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when I was saying them,
but you guys are global,
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you're doing things globally,
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and I'm looking
forward to diving into
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what is taking place.
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You know, how
about we start with,
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what does Global Mission do?
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Thanks, Jason. Good
to be with you today.
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Well, Global Mission
is the Adventist churches'
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official initiative to go
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into unentered
geographical areas
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and also to
unreached people groups
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with the good
news of the gospel.
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And we do that through planting
new groups of believers.
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And so around the world today,
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we have hundreds of
Global Mission pioneers,
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other church planters,
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who are starting new
congregations in areas
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where we've never had
Adventist presence before.
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And so whatever we do,
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whether it be urban
centers of influence,
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whether it be tent makers,
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whether it be a
global mission pioneers,
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our focus is 100% on starting
new groups of believers.
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Wow.
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So starting new
groups of believers.
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What's the process?
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How do you go about doing that?
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Why don't we ask the
man who started it all?
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Dr. Ryan. Yes.
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Actually, there are
probably two sources
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that we look at
pretty carefully,
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going to unentered
areas is not something
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that's just done by hocus-pocus,
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but it is very intentional.
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And we use the book
they call the Ethnologue.
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And the Ethnologue
actually is a description
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of people groups
around the world.
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And obviously, we know
where we have a presence
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and where we
don't have a presence.
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The other thing is that
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the Seventh-day Adventist Church
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is present in many of
the countries of the world.
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Matter of fact, the
vast, vast majority of them.
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We have local leaders
and those local leaders
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have a very, very good idea
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where we have a
presence and where we don't.
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And so by intention, we
look at these people groups,
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particularly groups
that are in urban areas.
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And so it's an
intentional decision to go there
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and establish a new lighthouse.
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Wow. Wow. That's beautiful.
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It sounds like it requires
a lot of organization as well
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and a high level
of communication.
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Well, the genius of
the global mission program
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is that wherever possible,
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we use local
people, indigenous people.
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They already know the language,
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they know the culture,
they can live among the people
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as one of the people,
they can eat the same food.
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They can live at the
same socioeconomic level.
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They don't need to
have a four-wheel drive
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and a Western bathroom.
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They are incarnated
working among the people
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and the Global Mission Pioneers,
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they live on a
basic living stipend.
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Nobody gets rich
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as a Global Mission
Pioneers except spiritually.
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And so they move into a new area
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and they actually
use as their blueprint
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Christ's method of ministry.
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So they don't come
into a village or a city
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and just start
preaching at people.
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Mm-hmm.
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They actually
live incarnationally
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with the people they
mingle with the people,
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they learn their
needs, they show sympathy,
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they minister to their needs.
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They win the
confidence of the people
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and then they bid
them to follow Jesus.
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Amen.
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It's a recipe that has
proved so successful time
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and time again,
and often in areas
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where we never thought
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we'd be able to
start a presence.
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Wow. Yeah.
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And of course, I
think it's only fair to say
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that it's not
our clever planning.
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It's not something that
we've sat down and designed,
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but we want to recognize
right from the beginning
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that it is really through
the power of the Holy Spirit,
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that these
church planters go out
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and sometimes you will meet them
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and you'll say to yourself,
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"I'm not really sure
they have all that capacity
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or qualifications,"
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not many of them
have a PhD from Andrew's.
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I don't know unless
things have changed, Gary,
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but tell you,
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it is the
biblical injunction go.
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And if we will follow that,
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the Holy Spirit
takes those people.
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And I'm telling you, you
began to see things happen
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because I believe that
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they have the characteristics
of commitment and sacrifice.
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Yes, yes.
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And that's what it
takes Jason, we have...
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Yeah, well, the
Global Mission Pioneer,
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if at some stage,
you'd like to show that
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as an example of one
of these church planters.
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Oh, that's beautiful.
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You know what? Let's
go to that right now.
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Deep in the Malaysian jungle,
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a small village is tucked
away in a beautiful valley.
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To get here from
the nearest city,
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you have to drive four
hours on treacherous terrain
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and winding mountain roads.
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During the rainy
season, flooding makes it nearly
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impossible to drive in
and out of this village.
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Boats become the
only means of travel.
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The village sits next to a river
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that is used for fishing
and transportation year-round.
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Alvin is a Global
Mission Pioneer serving
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this remote village.
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When he was young,
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Alvin's family
learned about Jesus
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for the first time
and became Adventists.
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Since then, he
knew he wanted to share
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this special
message with others.
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So he became a Pioneer.
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When he first
came to the village,
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it reminded him
of where he grew up.
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The mountainous
landscape felt like home.
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There was already
one Adventist family here
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but no church
building to worship in.
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So Alvin immediately
began getting to know people
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and spending time with them.
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He assists them with their work
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and teaches them
basic English phrases.
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He often prays with
them before visiting others.
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Alvin has a special place
in his heart for the children.
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He loves teaching them
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and doing fun
activities together,
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marching and
drilling as a popular activity
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for children in the
villages in this region.
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Sometimes children
from surrounding villages
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will come together
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to demonstrate new
marches they have learned.
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Recently, the
children in Alvin's village
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earned first
place in a competition
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between seven of the
region's local schools.
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They are thankful
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for everything
Alvin has taught them.
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Since Alvin began his ministry,
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a small Adventist church
has been built on the hill,
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overlooking the village.
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He spends a lot of
time here with the children
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and his family,
teaching, singing, and praying.
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Now multiple
families in the village
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are getting to know
Jesus, thanks to Alvin.
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More than 20 people
attend church on Sabbath
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and the numbers keep growing.
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Alvin asks that you
say a special prayer
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for his village
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One thing I ask you to pray
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for is the joy and happiness
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of the families in this village.
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I would also like to ask
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that you pray for them
to always love one another,
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but above all, to love God.
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Thank you for supporting
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the work of Global
Mission Pioneers like Alvin.
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Wow.
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Praise the Lord for what
Alvin is doing over there.
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I mean he's having a
tremendous influence.
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And I love the
practical Christianity
00:10:05.77\00:10:08.54
implementing Christ method.
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That's huge. Yes.
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And he's just one example.
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I mean, obviously,
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he's working in
a very rural area,
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but increasingly,
we are now placing
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our Global Mission
Pioneers in the cities
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because we realized that
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the cities are
our new mission field.
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We don't want to
neglect the rural areas,
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but we also need to
go where the people are.
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And of course, the
challenges in the cities
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are a lot more
complex, much more expensive
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to work there,
much more challenging.
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People are busier.
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People are more highly educated.
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There's more distractions,
but that's where we need to go.
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And that's where we need
to be planting new churches.
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Yes, yes.
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Many times when you
look at the rural areas
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where Alvin was
working, you'll find a challenge
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there is you run
into a lot of cultural,
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traditions,
animism, and deeply seated,
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this type of thing.
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But when you move over
to the urban environment,
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very quickly you
find out that secularism
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is the great common denominator
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with all cities of the world
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and that adds a great
difficulty to work in.
00:11:18.34\00:11:23.14
Yes, yes.
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So in one area you have kind of
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a lack of
resources type of thing,
00:11:27.72\00:11:29.92
and in another
area, like in urban areas,
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you have a lot of distractions.
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Mm-hm. Exactly.
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Now what are
centers of influence?
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I've been hearing that a lot.
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What's a center of influence?
00:11:43.23\00:11:46.67
Centers of
influence is a concept
00:11:46.70\00:11:49.34
that is borrowed
from Ellen White,
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the Adventist co-founder
of the Adventist Church.
00:11:51.84\00:11:55.88
And she talked about
this more than 100 years ago.
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She didn't talk
about some particular model
00:11:59.38\00:12:02.08
with a lot of
detail of how to do it.
00:12:02.12\00:12:04.05
What she tended to
do is to look around
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and see things that were working
00:12:06.52\00:12:08.29
and call them a
center of influence.
00:12:08.32\00:12:10.03
So she actually called
people centers of influence.
00:12:10.06\00:12:13.06
She called Jesus a
center of influence.
00:12:13.09\00:12:15.40
She called cities a
center of influence.
00:12:15.43\00:12:18.13
But she also
talked about small plants,
00:12:18.17\00:12:21.54
small cafes or restaurants
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or treatment rooms
or healthcare centers
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or whatever in the city
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that would serve as a platform
00:12:30.08\00:12:33.21
for putting Christ's method
of ministry into the city.
00:12:33.25\00:12:36.55
So a center of
influence is something that
00:12:36.58\00:12:39.55
we set up in a
city to be a springboard
00:12:39.59\00:12:44.39
for putting Christ's
method into practice.
00:12:44.43\00:12:46.46
And so around the world
today, there are literally
00:12:46.49\00:12:49.83
hundreds of
centers of influence.
00:12:49.86\00:12:51.70
Some of which have been started
00:12:51.73\00:12:53.17
with seed money
from Global Mission.
00:12:53.20\00:12:55.30
Some of which have just been
00:12:55.34\00:12:57.11
the initiative of local
people seeing this idea.
00:12:57.14\00:13:01.04
And we see a range of
centers of influence ranging
00:13:01.08\00:13:03.95
from cafes and restaurants
through to thrift stores,
00:13:03.98\00:13:07.72
secondhand stores,
English language centers.
00:13:07.75\00:13:12.35
There's even a place
where there's a climbing wall,
00:13:12.39\00:13:15.46
which is a center of influence.
00:13:15.49\00:13:16.83
There's also music
shops and the list goes on,
00:13:16.86\00:13:19.69
and it's all based on
00:13:19.73\00:13:22.20
doing the needs
assessment of the area
00:13:22.23\00:13:24.63
to find out what the needs are,
00:13:24.67\00:13:26.37
and then engaging in
the community in a way
00:13:26.40\00:13:30.01
to help meet those
needs but always with a goal
00:13:30.04\00:13:34.68
to start a new
group of believers.
00:13:34.71\00:13:36.11
Yes.
00:13:36.14\00:13:37.48
And to have that
grow and multiply.
00:13:37.51\00:13:39.31
Yes.
00:13:39.35\00:13:40.68
Typically speaking,
we find that governments
00:13:40.72\00:13:44.65
welcome these centers
00:13:44.69\00:13:46.76
because they
really address real needs.
00:13:46.79\00:13:49.69
And of course I think
that's precisely the council
00:13:49.72\00:13:53.03
that was given by Ellen White.
00:13:53.06\00:13:54.96
And that's something
that we need to focus on.
00:13:55.00\00:13:57.40
What are the
needs of the people,
00:13:57.43\00:13:58.83
at first, we know ultimately,
00:13:58.87\00:14:00.94
that to share that hope
that they can find in Christ
00:14:00.97\00:14:05.14
and have the
assurance of eternal life.
00:14:05.17\00:14:08.31
People are
looking for hope today.
00:14:08.34\00:14:10.15
And so, you know,
these centers serve,
00:14:10.18\00:14:13.28
I think, a purpose, for example,
00:14:13.31\00:14:16.58
I know that we
have some in places
00:14:16.62\00:14:18.59
that you wouldn't even believe.
00:14:18.62\00:14:19.95
I happened to visit
the one in Hanoi, Vietnam,
00:14:19.99\00:14:23.59
and the government
was very instrumental
00:14:23.63\00:14:26.63
in helping us secure that.
00:14:26.66\00:14:28.40
And that center services
00:14:28.43\00:14:32.03
a lot of needs
in that community.
00:14:32.07\00:14:34.14
And so I think
00:14:34.17\00:14:35.50
that's a very
important distinguishing thing
00:14:35.54\00:14:38.31
about centers of influence.
00:14:38.34\00:14:39.97
Mm-hm.
00:14:40.01\00:14:41.34
And I would think that
00:14:41.38\00:14:42.88
when people attend
these centers of influence
00:14:42.91\00:14:45.68
that it also helps to
strengthen the community
00:14:45.71\00:14:49.12
and forge bonds
within the community.
00:14:49.15\00:14:51.69
Correct? Exactly.
00:14:51.72\00:14:53.96
And that's a very high
value that we want to be seen
00:14:53.99\00:14:57.26
as contributing
to the community.
00:14:57.29\00:15:00.10
You know, in the
book of Jeremiah,
00:15:00.13\00:15:01.46
there was the letter
that God sent to the exiles,
00:15:01.50\00:15:04.23
and he told them that
00:15:04.27\00:15:05.60
while you're in
the city of Babylon,
00:15:05.63\00:15:07.60
"I want you to seek the
Shalom of the community.
00:15:07.64\00:15:11.14
I want you to
bless the community."
00:15:11.17\00:15:13.07
And that is a beautiful
word, meaning peace, prosperity,
00:15:13.11\00:15:17.61
well-being, and
wouldn't it be wonderful
00:15:17.65\00:15:19.88
if Adventist was
seen as the people
00:15:19.91\00:15:22.32
who bring strength and vitality
00:15:22.35\00:15:25.39
and community and resilience
00:15:25.42\00:15:27.49
to partner with the
community, not as outsiders
00:15:27.69\00:15:30.93
but as
participants with the community,
00:15:30.96\00:15:34.10
not only caring
for people's physical
00:15:34.13\00:15:36.50
and emotional
needs but also bringing
00:15:36.53\00:15:38.40
to the table some answers
to some of the questions,
00:15:38.43\00:15:42.04
some of the spiritual
needs that people are facing.
00:15:42.07\00:15:44.31
So the centers of influence,
00:15:44.34\00:15:47.34
rather than
saying to the community,
00:15:47.38\00:15:49.01
you come to us,
00:15:49.04\00:15:50.58
to our church
building on our terms.
00:15:50.61\00:15:53.45
We're actually gonna
00:15:53.48\00:15:54.82
meet you
embedded in the community,
00:15:54.85\00:15:57.59
just like Jesus did
00:15:57.62\00:15:59.19
when he came
through the incarnation.
00:15:59.22\00:16:01.66
And we're going to participate
in your life as people
00:16:01.69\00:16:04.46
who care for you.
00:16:04.49\00:16:05.83
Yes, yes.
00:16:05.86\00:16:07.20
Gary, don't we have a video
00:16:07.23\00:16:09.10
of the center of
influence in operation?
00:16:09.13\00:16:13.03
By coincidence, we
just happened to have one.
00:16:13.07\00:16:15.70
Mike, thank you. I love it.
00:16:15.74\00:16:17.61
I think we should go
to that video right now
00:16:17.64\00:16:19.74
and take a look at that.
00:16:19.77\00:16:23.08
In the still dark
and early mornings,
00:16:23.11\00:16:25.98
flour and water
meet, they rise with yeast
00:16:26.01\00:16:29.55
and are shoved in an oven
to be transformed by heat.
00:16:29.58\00:16:32.39
The aroma fills the air,
00:16:37.13\00:16:38.99
sending an
irresistible invitation
00:16:39.03\00:16:41.06
to mouthwatering delights.
00:16:41.10\00:16:43.67
One by one,
people come to order,
00:16:43.70\00:16:46.40
to socialize, and laugh.
00:16:46.43\00:16:48.84
Every day people of all ages
00:16:48.87\00:16:51.44
and different ethnicities
line up at this bakery eager
00:16:51.47\00:16:55.11
to savor delicious bread.
00:16:55.14\00:16:56.95
Making bread
takes time and patience.
00:17:04.49\00:17:07.59
It takes loving
hands to mix ingredients
00:17:07.62\00:17:10.59
and press them together
00:17:10.63\00:17:11.96
until the dough is
ready to rise and grow.
00:17:11.99\00:17:15.13
So it is with people.
00:17:15.16\00:17:16.93
It takes time and
patience to cultivate, trust,
00:17:16.97\00:17:20.64
and friendship,
to warm their lives,
00:17:20.67\00:17:23.30
and invite them to follow Jesus.
00:17:23.34\00:17:25.97
At the trapeze Global Mission
Urban Center of Influence
00:17:26.01\00:17:29.84
in Bulgaria, staff members
00:17:29.88\00:17:31.95
offer visitors more than food.
00:17:31.98\00:17:33.92
Here people
find room to interact
00:17:33.95\00:17:36.08
and participate in
a variety of courses
00:17:36.12\00:17:38.79
and activities.
00:17:38.82\00:17:40.26
As they make new friends,
00:17:40.29\00:17:41.69
visitors are invited to
become volunteers themselves.
00:17:41.72\00:17:45.23
This way they can give
back and help others too.
00:17:45.26\00:17:48.13
Dimitur is a regular
volunteer who found purpose
00:17:51.23\00:17:54.64
in trapeze by tutoring math.
00:17:54.67\00:17:59.54
There are good people here,
00:17:59.57\00:18:01.08
and I developed
good relationships
00:18:01.11\00:18:02.84
with different people.
00:18:02.88\00:18:04.61
So I want to give
my best to others.
00:18:04.65\00:18:07.38
I feel a strong desire to learn
more about God and the Bible.
00:18:07.42\00:18:11.89
I have this idea
that I have to help.
00:18:11.92\00:18:14.39
And if I can,
I'm going to do it.
00:18:14.42\00:18:16.79
I am not a math teacher.
00:18:16.83\00:18:18.46
I'm an engineer, but
here I help kids with math.
00:18:18.49\00:18:22.36
Dimitur travels 10
kilometers every day,
00:18:22.40\00:18:25.40
sometimes he comes on foot.
00:18:25.43\00:18:27.34
He started as a customer.
00:18:27.37\00:18:28.94
Then he became a volunteer.
00:18:28.97\00:18:30.67
And now he's a
baptized Seventh-day Adventist.
00:18:30.71\00:18:34.04
Like Dimitur many people
00:18:34.08\00:18:35.78
who come to trapeze
find the bread of life.
00:18:35.81\00:18:39.21
The owners of trapeze
00:18:39.25\00:18:40.88
have seen how centers
of influence like this
00:18:40.92\00:18:44.12
can work as a platform
00:18:44.15\00:18:45.55
to engage the
community and form friendships.
00:18:45.59\00:18:49.66
God gave us this place
to keep us close to people.
00:18:49.69\00:18:52.86
God showed us
that we needed a place
00:18:52.89\00:18:54.80
where people felt
accepted in a home.
00:18:54.83\00:18:57.67
That's why we
established the bakery
00:18:57.70\00:18:59.57
because it smells like home.
00:18:59.60\00:19:01.34
In Bulgaria,
people eat a lot of bread.
00:19:01.37\00:19:03.64
This is how Christ worked.
00:19:03.67\00:19:05.47
He was close to people.
00:19:05.51\00:19:06.91
He offered them
the bread of life.
00:19:06.94\00:19:08.91
He healed them
and took care of them.
00:19:08.94\00:19:11.41
And we want to do the same.
00:19:11.45\00:19:13.52
The leaders at
trapeze invite you
00:19:13.55\00:19:15.48
to pray for this
growing group of new believers.
00:19:15.52\00:19:18.35
Please pray for this
urban center of influence
00:19:18.39\00:19:20.96
and many others around the world
00:19:20.99\00:19:22.62
that find creative ways
to introduce people to Jesus.
00:19:22.66\00:19:26.76
Thank you for supporting
Urban Centers of Influence
00:19:26.80\00:19:30.23
through Global Mission.
00:19:30.27\00:19:31.60
It's incredible
to see so many people
00:19:38.54\00:19:40.58
breaking bread
together for such a great cause.
00:19:40.61\00:19:44.68
Mike and Gary, I had no clue
00:19:44.71\00:19:47.18
that prior to
doing this interview
00:19:47.22\00:19:49.68
that when I came on
here and I saw this video
00:19:49.72\00:19:52.95
that you guys were
gonna make me hungry.
00:19:52.99\00:19:56.62
I had no idea that
that was gonna happen,
00:19:56.66\00:19:59.86
but it's amazing to
see what is taking place
00:19:59.89\00:20:02.66
around the globe
in the unique ways
00:20:02.70\00:20:05.80
that people are reaching
other people for Christ.
00:20:05.83\00:20:10.87
Yeah, you know,
Gary... Sorry, Mike, go ahead.
00:20:10.91\00:20:14.94
Well, I was just gonna say,
00:20:14.98\00:20:16.41
when I think of the centers
of influence around the world,
00:20:16.44\00:20:19.01
particularly the
ones in urban areas,
00:20:19.05\00:20:21.65
I don't know.
00:20:21.68\00:20:23.72
There's just a lot of
very, very special memories
00:20:23.75\00:20:26.65
that come to mind.
00:20:26.69\00:20:28.02
And I don't know if
we've got time or not.
00:20:28.06\00:20:30.23
But, Gary, maybe if you could
00:20:30.26\00:20:33.76
just relate one or
two special memories
00:20:33.80\00:20:37.67
that come to your
mind, and I could do the same
00:20:37.70\00:20:40.70
just to give people an idea
00:20:40.74\00:20:42.17
of what's
taking place out there.
00:20:42.20\00:20:44.14
Yeah.
00:20:44.17\00:20:45.51
I can give you
maybe two quickly.
00:20:45.54\00:20:47.38
One is the Happy Hand
Center of Influence in the heart
00:20:47.41\00:20:51.51
of Copenhagen,
secular city in Denmark.
00:20:51.55\00:20:56.95
Literally thousands of people
go past the store every day.
00:20:56.99\00:21:00.22
And it's a
secondhand store thrift store.
00:21:00.26\00:21:03.63
It's actually been so
successful financially that
00:21:03.66\00:21:06.33
they have now
started three other centers
00:21:06.36\00:21:08.93
in other cities in Denmark.
00:21:08.96\00:21:11.03
And the beauty of this center
00:21:11.07\00:21:12.47
is that it
attracts poorer people
00:21:12.50\00:21:15.10
because they want
the cheaper goods,
00:21:15.14\00:21:16.50
but also richer people
00:21:16.54\00:21:18.61
because they
believe in recycling.
00:21:18.64\00:21:20.44
So in the evenings,
they can have seminars,
00:21:20.48\00:21:23.88
they can have concerts.
00:21:23.91\00:21:25.65
In the center
itself, they have places
00:21:25.68\00:21:27.58
where you can
give prayer requests
00:21:27.62\00:21:29.15
and we can go out the back
00:21:29.18\00:21:30.55
for counseling and prayer.
00:21:30.59\00:21:32.22
So it provides an
atmosphere of connection.
00:21:32.25\00:21:35.19
The other example
comes from Argentina,
00:21:35.22\00:21:37.06
where I met some One Year
in Mission young volunteers.
00:21:37.09\00:21:42.70
They give a year of their
time to volunteer in mission.
00:21:42.73\00:21:46.00
They went to a city, not too far
00:21:46.03\00:21:48.10
from one of those areas
00:21:48.14\00:21:49.47
where there's no
Adventist congregation.
00:21:49.50\00:21:52.47
They went there,
got a storefront,
00:21:52.51\00:21:54.18
and they started
providing services
00:21:54.21\00:21:56.85
and classes and
activities for the community
00:21:56.88\00:21:59.48
with one goal to plant a church,
00:21:59.51\00:22:01.52
and to see the
enthusiasm of those young people
00:22:01.55\00:22:05.09
was very, very engaging.
00:22:05.12\00:22:07.82
It was very encouraging.
00:22:07.86\00:22:09.62
Wow. Yeah.
00:22:09.66\00:22:10.99
I think a lot of people
00:22:11.03\00:22:12.86
don't realize the
diversity of ministries
00:22:12.89\00:22:18.33
that come out of
these centers of influence.
00:22:18.37\00:22:20.87
I'm also reminded of
a certain people group
00:22:20.90\00:22:25.47
in which our church has
very, very limited presence.
00:22:25.51\00:22:30.28
Yet, this people group
came pouring across the border,
00:22:30.31\00:22:35.18
as refugees, came into an area,
00:22:35.22\00:22:37.89
lived in abject poverty,
but someone had the vision
00:22:37.92\00:22:41.16
of starting a
school for the children.
00:22:41.19\00:22:43.22
Wow.
00:22:43.26\00:22:44.66
I visited that
school had an opportunity
00:22:44.69\00:22:48.16
to see the parents come there
00:22:48.20\00:22:52.17
with smiling faces
00:22:52.20\00:22:53.54
and a ray of hope that actually,
00:22:53.57\00:22:56.87
and the school is
actually grown quite large
00:22:56.91\00:22:59.61
and, of course,
serves a tremendous ministry.
00:22:59.64\00:23:04.25
A people who are very thankful.
00:23:04.28\00:23:06.68
And of course we
see, as you said, Gary,
00:23:06.72\00:23:09.42
a group that has
started there of believers
00:23:09.45\00:23:12.29
that come together, I
think of another place,
00:23:12.32\00:23:16.89
as probably most
of us can appreciate.
00:23:16.93\00:23:20.30
In the country of China,
00:23:20.33\00:23:21.66
we have cities are just huge
00:23:21.70\00:23:24.07
without a great
deal of presence.
00:23:24.10\00:23:26.33
And I remember somebody said,
00:23:26.37\00:23:28.30
"Well, why don't we
start a center of influence?"
00:23:28.34\00:23:30.21
They started a pizza place.
00:23:30.24\00:23:31.87
They had a horrible recipe.
00:23:31.91\00:23:33.78
There was another
pizza place down the road.
00:23:33.81\00:23:36.38
And for one reason or
another, they had great pizza,
00:23:36.41\00:23:39.45
but they went bankrupt.
00:23:39.48\00:23:41.08
And so the guy who
had the good recipe
00:23:41.12\00:23:43.08
came down to our
pizza place and he said,
00:23:43.12\00:23:45.49
"Hey, if you'll take my recipe
00:23:45.52\00:23:47.06
and let me work here, we
can make this successful."
00:23:47.09\00:23:50.29
You go there
today, group of believers.
00:23:50.33\00:23:52.89
Everybody loves the pizza
00:23:52.93\00:23:54.70
and the new cook he has
joined the congregation.
00:23:54.73\00:23:58.53
So it's just you can find
00:23:58.57\00:24:00.40
all kinds of
stories that come into this.
00:24:00.44\00:24:04.27
Wow. That is a miracle.
00:24:04.31\00:24:06.41
Now I know our time is
running a little short.
00:24:06.44\00:24:09.04
But what are some of
the needs of the mission?
00:24:09.08\00:24:14.58
Well, you know, the
needs are, you know,
00:24:14.62\00:24:16.75
when we look at our challenges,
00:24:16.79\00:24:18.12
we look at the cities,
we look at the 10-40 window.
00:24:18.15\00:24:20.39
We look at the growing
secular postmodern west.
00:24:20.42\00:24:23.16
We need more
Global Mission Pioneers.
00:24:23.19\00:24:25.59
We need more Urban
Centers of Influence.
00:24:25.63\00:24:27.90
So we need prayer.
00:24:27.93\00:24:29.26
We need people to be involved
00:24:29.30\00:24:31.37
and we need people to
continue to generously support
00:24:31.40\00:24:33.90
with their donations.
00:24:33.94\00:24:35.27
Yes.
00:24:35.30\00:24:37.21
In about 20 seconds,
why not each one of you
00:24:37.24\00:24:40.31
just share a final
appeal to one of our viewers,
00:24:40.34\00:24:43.81
who maybe has
never accepted Christ
00:24:43.85\00:24:46.38
as their personal savior?
00:24:46.41\00:24:50.19
Well, I'd be
very happy to do that
00:24:50.22\00:24:52.75
'cause you realize I'm
a preacher for 20 seconds.
00:24:52.79\00:24:54.12
I don't know.
00:24:54.16\00:24:55.49
I've never heard
00:24:55.52\00:24:56.86
of a preacher
preaching for 20 seconds,
00:24:56.89\00:24:58.23
but we live in
interesting times.
00:24:58.26\00:24:59.93
I think you said that
00:24:59.96\00:25:01.30
at the
beginning of this program,
00:25:01.33\00:25:02.83
and if we're not a church
that brings hope to people,
00:25:02.86\00:25:06.40
eternal hope,
hope of a better life,
00:25:06.43\00:25:09.24
something coming,
00:25:09.27\00:25:10.61
then we are missing
the mark as a church.
00:25:10.64\00:25:13.81
And I would appeal to people
00:25:13.84\00:25:15.61
who may be
watching this program,
00:25:15.64\00:25:17.55
if you don't know Jesus,
00:25:17.58\00:25:19.05
if you do not have a
relationship with him,
00:25:19.08\00:25:21.75
I would just invite
you to find a contact
00:25:21.78\00:25:27.22
with many of the ministries
00:25:27.26\00:25:28.59
on Three Angels Broadcasting,
00:25:28.62\00:25:30.39
and to find a way to know Jesus.
00:25:30.43\00:25:32.59
Amen.
00:25:32.63\00:25:33.96
Thank you for joining us
00:25:34.00\00:25:35.33
and sharing what's going on
around the globe for Christ.
00:25:35.36\00:25:38.47
And just a
moment, we're going to
00:25:38.50\00:25:40.10
go to your address roll
00:25:40.14\00:25:41.47
so people will know how
to get in touch with you.
00:25:41.50\00:25:44.37
And then after that,
we're going to transition
00:25:44.41\00:25:47.18
into the interview
with Falco's Children.
00:25:47.21\00:25:51.51
For more information
about Adventist Mission,
00:25:51.55\00:25:53.85
please go to their website
and AdventistMission.org,
00:25:53.88\00:25:56.85
that's AdventistMission.org.
00:25:56.89\00:25:59.45
Their email address is
questions@adventistmission.org.
00:25:59.49\00:26:03.26
Their phone
number is 1800-648-5824.
00:26:03.29\00:26:07.60
That's 1800-648-5824.
00:26:07.63\00:26:10.97
Their mailing address
is 12501 Old Columbia pike.
00:26:11.00\00:26:15.54
Silver spring, Maryland 20904.
00:26:15.57\00:26:18.84
That's 12501 Old Columbia pike.
00:26:18.87\00:26:22.81
Silver spring, Maryland 20904.
00:26:22.84\00:26:26.18