Participants:
Series Code: MTK
Program Code: MTK000005A
|
00:00 (inspirational music)
00:05 - [Mary Ann] We've grown up in the Church, 00:06 and have always been somewhat involved in outreach. 00:09 But how can we get involved in missions overseas? 00:13 My name is Mary Ann. 00:14 - [Lilyann] And I'm Lilyann. 00:16 We wanted to find out. 00:18 Join us on your journey. 00:20 (gong sound effect) 00:21 To discover the culture. 00:24 The lifestyle. 00:25 - [Mary Ann] The need, and the mission. 00:27 - [Lilyann] In two of southeast Asia's 00:29 least reached countries. 00:31 - [Mary Ann] Welcome to MissionTREK. 00:38 - Hey, welcome back to MissionTREK. 00:40 - In the last episode, we traveled 00:42 from Chiang Mai to the Sharon's by motorbike. 00:45 Then, we went to a refugee camp, 00:47 where we saw some of the amazing ways 00:49 that God is working there. 00:50 - Today, we will be meeting some more 00:52 real life missionaries. 00:53 - So we traveled from the Sharon's to a school 00:58 on the border of Myanmar, which used to be Burma. 01:01 And since we had our whole team and the Sharons family, 01:04 we had to borrow a truck, 01:05 and we all piled into that one truck 01:07 with all our luggage. 01:09 - It was pretty tight. 01:10 - It was really tight. 01:11 So here's a video of how we traveled. 01:16 (upbeat acoustic music) 01:27 - [Lilyann] Yeah, it's a busy day. 01:28 We went to the refugee camp, 01:30 and then we came back and packed up. 01:32 And as you can see, 01:33 the truck is very, very packed full of people. 01:37 There's seven of us in the back. 01:39 With all the luggage. 01:41 - [Mary Ann] And then four people 01:42 are on two separate motorbikes. 01:44 - Hi. 01:46 - [Mary Ann] And then some people are up front, too. 01:50 It's gonna be fun. 01:54 - We're really tired. 01:57 (Mary Ann coughing) 01:58 - And we're sick. 02:00 Or I am. 02:01 - We're a little sick, little sick. 02:04 - Anyways. 02:05 But it's been pretty fun. 02:07 - We're just heading to Sunshine Orchard. 02:09 Probably will get there late. 02:12 - So we traveled like that in the truck 02:14 for about three hours. 02:16 And it was fun, even though it was squished. 02:19 Bur after dark, it got really cold. 02:22 - It did. 02:23 But it's normal for people to travel like that, 02:25 all piled into one vehicle. 02:27 Never see that here in America. 02:29 - Nope. 02:30 So we traveled from the Sharon's 02:31 to Sunshine Orchard, which is a school 02:34 on the border of Burma, that works with the Karen people. 02:38 - So now, we wanna talk a little bit 02:40 about the Karen people's history, and their background. 02:43 Before World War II, they were a minority in Burma, 02:47 and the Burmese hated them. 02:51 - But the Karen were the ones 02:52 who were most open to the gospel, 02:54 and many of them became Christians. 02:55 If you're familiar with Eric B. Hare, 02:58 he was a missionary with that same people group, 03:00 almost a hundred years ago. 03:01 And he wrote a lot of books telling 03:03 about his amazing adventures over there. 03:04 - They are really interesting to read, 03:06 like once you start, it's really hard to put them down. 03:09 So during World War II, the Karen helped the British 03:13 push the Japanese out, with the understanding 03:15 that they would then get their own state. 03:20 - But even though they worked really hard 03:21 to help the British push out the Japanese, 03:23 once the war was over, the British gave full power 03:26 to the Burmese, and left, 03:28 while the Burmese continue to treat the Karen horribly. 03:30 - And many Karen people were killed. 03:33 And a civil war was started 03:35 that has been going on ever since, 03:37 and it is the longest civil war 03:39 in the history of the world. 03:41 - And even today, there's still fighting 03:43 from time to time, and many of the Karen 03:45 have fled into Thailand and other countries, 03:47 and some even into the refugee camps, 03:50 like the one that we visited. 03:52 Others who had migrated before 03:53 are now living in the jungles, 03:55 and today we can go meet some of them 03:57 and sit in their houses. 03:58 - But getting back to the show right now, 04:00 our first adventure's with a dentist, 04:03 who is going out not only to do dental work, 04:05 but to train other young people in basic dentistry. 04:09 - Warning, there are needles and blood, 04:11 so you many want to look away during part of this video. 04:15 (peaceful music) 04:22 - So, we're here at Sunshine Orchards, 04:24 and we came here from the Sharon's house. 04:27 This morning, we're going with a group that's here. 04:31 We're going to a village, and we're gonna be doing 04:34 teeth extractions, well, I'm not, 04:36 but the doctor, Dr. Hamilton, and other people 04:40 are gonna be doing teeth extractions for the villagers, 04:43 so we're gonna see what that's like. 04:46 And Mary Ann's not able to come with us 04:48 because she is sick. 04:50 She got sick, I think, from dust 04:53 when we were doing lots of motorbiking. 04:59 And not enough rest, also. 05:01 So she's gonna stay home today, 05:03 hopefully she can get feeling a lot better 05:06 so she can join us tomorrow. 05:10 (gentle acoustic music) 05:18 When we visited Sunshine Orchard, 05:20 there was a special medical missionary 05:22 training course for the high school graduates. 05:24 Dr. Jack and his wife Katie came to teach 05:27 those students how to pull teeth. 05:30 Most of the villagers chew betel nut, 05:32 which is similar to tobacco. 05:33 So their teeth are really bad. 05:37 So we're at the village now. 05:39 It was like, not very far drive. 05:41 Maybe 15 minutes. 05:43 We're here now, and they're trying to set up a spot 05:46 to do the extractions, and getting 05:49 all the stuff out, and everything. 05:58 So far the buildings that I've been in, 06:01 which this is the only one, but. 06:02 It's not bamboo, they're just like wood slats, 06:05 so there's all these holes in the wall, 06:06 so that's kind of interesting. 06:09 But this is the school building that they have 06:11 in this village. 06:12 And the huts are made out of bamboo. 06:14 Some people right now are going around, 06:16 some of the people that work in the village, 06:19 and telling people that we're here, 06:22 and that they're ready to do the extractions, I guess, 06:24 just so people can come. 06:26 Just have to wait for people to come now. 06:29 (gentle acoustic music) 06:35 One of the most powerful ways to reach the hearts 06:38 of these people is to meet their needs. 06:40 In remote villages far from a dentist, 06:43 pulling teeth brings great relief to those in pain. 06:46 (gentle acoustic music) 06:55 So how did you guys meet? 06:57 - I'll let you tell that one. 06:58 - Okay. 06:59 We were both going to a local community college. 07:04 And we met in a Spanish class, 07:07 because we wanted to be able to go and do mission work. 07:12 And I had been going to Mexico with my family 07:14 on short term mission trips, 07:15 and it just so happened that we were partners in class. 07:19 And we found out that we were both Adventists. 07:23 And became good friends. 07:26 - So why are you guys here? 07:27 - We're here to teach some of the kids 07:29 how to pull teeth, how to clean teeth, 07:34 so that they can go out into the villages 07:36 and use that as a witnessing tool. 07:40 - So would you recommend mission work for young people? 07:43 - Absolutely. 07:44 Absolutely. 07:47 - It's life-changing. 07:48 It helps change your perspective. 07:51 And it makes your Christian walk come to life. 07:57 It's very real. 07:59 - [Jack] When I was 15, I went on a mission trip 08:02 to Dominican Republic and pulled teeth, 08:06 kinda got the bug. 08:08 And decided that's what I wanted to do. 08:11 So I became a dentist. 08:12 - [Lilyann] That's awesome. 08:13 Is there a need for young people in the mission field? 08:16 - Yes. 08:17 - Very much so. 08:19 They learn much more quickly, 08:21 they can learn the language more quickly, 08:25 but even more than that, if you're talking about dentistry, 08:28 they pick up much more quickly. 08:30 The skills that they need to be able to work. 08:34 - [Katie] And it seems that people, 08:37 the local people, are more receptive to young people. 08:41 And there aren't as many barriers to take down. 08:45 They'll open up their home more 08:46 to a young person than they would 08:49 to someone who they feel may be more judgemental, 08:53 or may not understand. 08:55 Young people can get away with more things. 08:58 - So if you're a young person watching, 09:00 and you don't exactly know what you wanna be in life, 09:03 maybe go on a mission trip, and pray about it, 09:05 and see what God has in store for you. 09:09 - If you want the greatest adventure in your lifetime. 09:14 It will also be the scariest. 09:16 It will test every part of you. 09:19 But if you hang on to Jesus and go on a short term 09:21 mission trip, he'll help you through, 09:24 and it will be an amazing adventure. 09:28 (soft piano music) 09:50 - Wasn't that amazing? 09:52 It was such a privilege to get to watch 09:54 Dr. Jack and his wife Katie as they help these people. 09:57 They go on trips like this every year. 09:59 - It seems like they get so much joy out of it, as well. 10:02 - But since you were sick, 10:03 you didn't get to go on that trip. 10:05 But at least you got to miss 10:07 the needles and the blood part of it. 10:09 - Yeah, so I had to take a couple day's rest 10:11 until I got well again. 10:12 - But I miss having you with me while we're shooting. 10:15 Ugh, I had to be by myself. 10:17 (both laughing) 10:18 Now, we want to introduce you to some missionaries 10:21 who are living and working on the border 10:23 of Thailand and Burma. 10:26 We got to go with them 10:27 as they went to visit a local village. 10:31 (children singing in native language) 10:43 I'm here at Sunshine Orchard, 10:44 and I wanted to ask Mr. And Mrs. Steck some questions 10:48 about what life is like for them here. 10:50 So what do you guys do here? 10:52 - Well, I'm the school principal. 10:53 And I also get to do a lot of other things, 10:56 going to town and buying supplies for the students, 10:59 and helping fix different things. 11:02 I get a variety of work here. 11:03 - [Mrs. Steck] I'm the school nurse, 11:05 and so I have a lot of fun with that, 11:07 and also teach natural remedies, health, 11:14 and how to treat diseases with natural remedies, 11:16 and things like that. 11:19 - How big is the school? 11:21 - [Mr. Steck] We have about 200 students. 11:23 Kindergarten up through grade 10. 11:25 - [Lilyann] Oh wow, that's a lot. 11:27 What is the goal of the school, the long-term goal? 11:30 - [Mr. Steck] There are a lot of different schools 11:32 up and down the border here, 11:33 because there is a great lack of education in Karen state. 11:36 But our purpose is especially to train young people 11:40 how to be missionaries. 11:42 That includes giving them practical skills 11:44 in different vocational areas 11:45 so that they can support themselves 11:47 in whatever God is calling them to do. 11:49 - What are some of the needs here at this school? 11:51 - There are a lot of different needs 11:53 for people to help here, 11:55 because it's a whole lifestyle here, 11:58 there's some people that can come and help teach 12:01 English or other subjects, 12:04 there's opportunities for people to help 12:07 the Karen children learn how to grow gardens better, 12:10 there's opportunities to help some of the missionaries 12:15 in their own responsibilities if they're overloaded. 12:19 There's a lot of different things 12:20 that people can do, young or old. 12:22 - So the main need that I hear you say 12:24 is people, you need people. 12:25 That are willing to do different things. 12:28 - [Mr. Steck] That's right. 12:29 Sometimes it's a lot easier to get money than people. 12:31 (all laughing) 12:32 We really need dedicated people 12:35 that want to work for the Lord 12:36 in whatever area that God calls them to. 12:39 - So what would you suggest that I do 12:41 if I was interested in coming here to volunteer? 12:44 Some of the things I could do to prepare. 12:46 - [Mrs. Steck] One of the things that young people 12:48 can do to prepare is go and take a CPR course, 12:52 First Aid course, maybe TEFL course. 12:55 And if they know how to play an instrument, 12:59 they can teach the students how to play instruments. 13:02 - [Mr. Steck] It really helps to have an attitude 13:05 that you are willing to do whatever the needs are at hand, 13:09 and that you realize that that is pleasing to God, 13:12 and it's a great blessing to the school 13:14 and everybody around you, if you're willing to just 13:16 get in and do what needs to be done. 13:18 Having a willing heart and a humble heart 13:20 willing to do anything can go a long way 13:24 to making the work a success. 13:26 And that starts in the family. 13:28 Helping your parents, doing whatever 13:31 can be a help around the home, 13:33 is a great way of preparing to work in the mission field. 13:36 - You definitely need a heart of service 13:38 if you wanna be a missionary. 13:39 'Cause Jesus came and served people. 13:42 Could you share with me your vision for young people 13:45 in God's work? 13:47 - [Mr. Steck] We are working with young people here, 13:49 and when young people see other young people 13:51 that are dedicated to God, it's an inspiration to them. 13:55 That they don't need to wait until they're older 13:57 to work for the Lord, and so there is a great calling 14:01 for young people, and it's a good way to start out 14:03 your life in serving the Lord. 14:06 - You're always an example, no matter who you're around, 14:09 in a positive way. 14:11 - Amen. 14:15 - [Lilyann] We've been visiting a lot of missionaries 14:16 and seeing how they do everyday life, 14:19 and they seem really happy, really content, 14:25 of course, they have struggles and I assume 14:33 that when they first came over here, it was harder, 14:37 because they probably missed home, 14:38 but it's a little sacrifice. 14:44 They seem really happy, and it's exciting 14:48 to just see what they do and the difference 14:50 that they're making in the world around them. 14:53 I've enjoyed having the privilege 14:55 of meeting them and seeing them. 15:06 I wanted to ask the Drehers some questions 15:08 to find out what life is like for them here. 15:11 So why did you guys decide to come here? 15:14 - We came here because we were at a faith camp, 15:19 and I think every young person should go to a faith camp, 15:23 and let God speak to their hearts about their future. 15:27 And God spoke to our hearts, each separately, 15:31 and we turned to each other during faith camp, 15:33 and said, God wants me to go to the mission field. 15:37 And my wife said the same thing. 15:40 And so we did planning, and we did some searching, 15:43 and we ended up coming here to Thailand, 15:45 and we were gonna work with Thai people, 15:48 and we ended up working with Karen people, 15:52 but we let God lead us and we need to be always open 15:56 to let God lead us, and young people 15:59 can be very good at letting God lead them. 16:03 - How is life here different from life in America? 16:06 - Well, this is the jungle. 16:08 And it rains for four to five months, 16:10 sometimes every day, every day, every day, all day, all day. 16:16 The culture is different. 16:17 The people are different. 16:19 They're very nice, and they're friendly, 16:22 and we don't have to be afraid of them, 16:24 sometimes young people are afraid of the mission field, 16:26 no, we don't have to be afraid at all. 16:29 Because the people here are very nice. 16:31 - Plus God is always with you, wherever you go. 16:33 - And that's right. 16:34 - What do you each do here at the school? 16:36 - We are teaching the course 16:38 after the high school graduates, 16:41 and it's called the Medical and Bible Outreach 16:43 training course. 16:45 - [Mr. Dreher] We teach them how to do health work, 16:48 how to do simple hydrotherapy, 16:51 or how to give health talks, 16:54 and teach them Bible talks, 16:58 and these students want to help their people, 17:01 and so we have the wonderful opportunity 17:03 of training young people how to work in God's world 17:09 and how to share the gospel, 17:11 and how to share the love of Jesus with others. 17:13 I go up into the villages with my students 17:17 every Thursday and Sabbath, and Sabbath afternoon 17:20 we do a branch Sabbath School, 17:22 and sometimes we have 10 to 15 students, sometimes 20. 17:26 Children that come, and we sing songs 17:29 that are simple, and we give them health talks, 17:33 and we tell them Bible stories. 17:35 And the children love it. 17:37 And so young people can get involved in this 17:40 and do this kind of thing. 17:46 - We're here at a village this afternoon. 17:49 We're doing a branch Sabbath School thing. 17:52 We're in Mae Salit. 17:54 And, yeah, not sure exactly what we're gonna do. 17:59 (gentle acoustic music) 18:07 We're gonna go visiting through the village. 18:10 We're gonna go to people's houses. 18:14 (gentle acoustic music) 18:36 You know these babies have no diapers on? 18:39 - [Woman] Yes. 18:40 (both laughing) 18:42 (chattering in native language) 18:47 - [Lilyann] It feels like you stepped right into 18:50 a mission book, a story out of a mission book, kind of, 18:53 'cause like, there's all the pigs, and animals 18:56 underneath the house, 18:57 and you climb up a little ladder, 19:00 and you're in the little hut thing, house. 19:06 Yeah. 19:07 It's quite an experience. 19:10 But it's good. 19:12 (talking in native language) 19:21 (gentle acoustic music) 19:34 It's just huge culture shock. 19:39 I don't know. 19:41 It's just like, wow! 19:44 Kind of. 19:46 You read about stuff like this, 19:47 but to actually be here is just like, 19:50 you get all the smells and everything. 19:58 (children singing in native language) 20:24 What? 20:26 - [Man] Do you know what they're singing? 20:27 - Mm-mm. 20:28 But, it seems to be nice, a nice song. 20:35 I don't recognize the tune, 20:38 so I'm not sure what they're singing at all. 20:44 (teaching in native language) 21:04 - I was 16 when our family first moved here. 21:08 - And I was 19. 21:09 - So what do you guys do here now? 21:11 - The main thing is teaching English, 21:15 and another class or two. 21:17 But there's many other things that you get to do. 21:19 I'm actually helping with the accounting for the school, 21:23 and helping with translating, 21:26 and sometimes with medical things, 21:28 but it just varies from day to day. 21:31 - I've been teaching mostly fifth and sixth graders, 21:34 which are like, 12 to 16 year olds, some 18 year olds also. 21:40 I also teach the typing class. 21:42 There's other various things to do throughout the weeks. 21:48 - [Lilyann] Would you recommend being a missionary 21:49 to other young people? 21:51 - I would, I definitely would. 21:53 I know before I came here, I had ideas 21:56 of what I was gonna do with my life, 21:58 and going to college and what I was gonna learn, 22:00 and everything. 22:01 But at that point I don't think I really knew, 22:04 even what my own interests were, 22:05 I didn't really have experience out there doing anything, 22:08 and after being in a place like this, 22:10 you kind of get a really different perspective 22:12 on what really matters in life, 22:14 and really what you should be doing with your life 22:17 can totally change in a place like this, 22:21 not when you just come for two weeks or something, 22:23 but when you come and you spend time, 22:26 and you get to understand people better, 22:29 and you get to understand better what God 22:30 is calling you to do, 22:32 it's a really god experience for anybody. 22:34 And it can teach you a lot of lessons 22:35 of learning to not just follow your own desires 22:39 and do things your own way, 22:40 because you have to work with other people, 22:42 you have to learn how to get along with people, 22:44 and not just that, a lot of times you get asked to do things 22:46 when you're busy, when you're tired, 22:48 and it's a really character-building experience. 22:52 - [Sharon] I was pretty sure I never, 22:53 ever wanted to be a teacher, that was not for me. 22:56 But God had something different in mind for me. 22:58 And that's what he does sometimes, 23:00 he takes people in the mission field, 23:02 he reveals to them that he has a different plan 23:07 for them than what they thought. 23:08 And he led me to do just exactly 23:12 what I thought I was never gonna do, 23:14 what I was sure that, yeah. 23:17 I just could not do. 23:18 And that was being a teacher. 23:20 And that experience grew my faith stronger than ever before. 23:27 If you want a faith-building experience, 23:28 definitely go to the mission field. 23:31 I hated the experience of being a teacher at first, 23:34 but I'm so thankful that God changed my plans, 23:37 that I allowed him to change my plans. 23:41 - That's great, that's so inspiring. 23:45 Do you ever wanna live in America again? 23:48 - No. 23:49 (both laughing) 23:50 I have no desire whatsoever to go back to live there. 23:56 When I first came here, I thought, 23:58 well, maybe I'll be here for a little bit, 24:01 I don't know if I really wanna stay 24:02 in the foreign mission field, 24:03 but then after being here, was it, for only a month, 24:06 I decided, no, I wanna be here, either here 24:10 or somewhere in the mission field, for the rest of my life. 24:14 I really don't desire to go back to a land 24:18 that already has so much knowledge. 24:21 - I guess in some ways you could say, 24:24 the most important thing is wherever God calls. 24:26 But I'll have to say, I really don't have a desire 24:28 to go back to America, 24:29 'cause life is a lot different, 24:32 people are a lot more satisfied with what they have. 24:35 You can meet that here, too. 24:37 But when there's so much opportunity for them to know, 24:41 and there are so many people there 24:43 who could be doing the work to tell them about God, 24:47 it's like there's so much more that needs to be done here, 24:50 and there's so much of a need, 24:52 and even just the lifestyle, 24:53 you get used to the lifestyle here, 24:55 and the different culture, and everything, 24:57 but I definitely prefer living here. 25:00 - [Sharon] Yeah, there's so many people in America 25:02 that can tell others about God, they can witness, 25:06 but there are very few people, not many people at all, 25:08 that go overseas and dedicate themselves 25:11 for a long period of time to share the light with others. 25:16 - Yeah, I know if I ever moved here, 25:17 I think I would really, really miss home, a lot. 25:20 But, I know I could probably work through that 25:23 if God helped me. 25:25 - It can be hard, I think the thing I've missed 25:28 the most is probably people. 25:29 Like, friends. 25:31 And sometimes, there's like, oh, I miss 25:33 where I used to live and things, 25:35 but really, in most cases, the lifestyle, 25:38 a lot of things I don't miss. 25:41 But there's always the things like family and friends, 25:43 you wish you were closer to. 25:45 - The first one or two years that we were here, 25:48 sometimes I would just break down and cry 25:50 for a long time, 'cause I was homesick, 25:52 I'd think about my close friends back at home, 25:56 and I wanted to see them so badly, 25:58 I wished I could just fly and go home right then and there. 26:01 And then maybe come back, 26:03 but I wasn't sure if I really wanted to. 26:05 But the longer I stay here, the easier it's been to be away. 26:11 I still miss them a lot, 26:13 but the more I'm here the stronger my passion is 26:18 for the people here, and I'm willing to make that sacrifice. 26:24 - Well, thank you so much for sharing, 26:25 this has been really inspiring for me, 26:27 and I hope those watching, 26:28 it's also been inspiring for them. 26:32 (uplifting piano music) 26:43 - So that was really cool. 26:44 I mean, I didn't get to go, but it looked like 26:46 a really great experience for you guys. 26:48 - It was. 26:49 When we went out with Dr. Jack and his wife, 26:51 it was so inspiring to get to see 26:54 how they worked through the obstacles and challenges 26:57 that they faced to be there to help these people, 27:00 provide dental care for them. 27:02 I mean, we even heard of some people, who, 27:03 because they did not have dental care available, 27:06 they started digging out their own teeth with a machete. 27:09 - The amount of pain you have to be in 27:11 to do that is unbelievable. 27:13 - And then the Karen people. 27:14 Who have gone through so much, so much torture, 27:18 and then having family members and loved ones 27:20 killed in front of them. 27:22 That is so horrible. 27:24 But still, they are some of the happiest people, 27:27 and some of the most receptive people to the gospel, 27:29 that we've met so far on this trip. 27:31 - And what we can take away from that, 27:33 and what we hope you guys take away from that as well, 27:36 is that the challenges in life 27:38 should push us to thank God in all things. 27:40 And no matter what you're going through, 27:43 trust that He will work it out. 27:45 - See you next time on MissionTREK. 27:47 - And please remember to pray for the unreached. 27:51 (inspirational music) |
Revised 2019-11-11