Participants:
Series Code: ASIC
Program Code: ASIC180013A
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00:19 Would you do me a favor?
00:21 Would you look at the person on your left and on your right 00:23 and just say welcome? 00:27 Amen, amen. 00:29 We are excited to have you here on this Sabbath day. 00:32 In fact, it's so good to see your face in this place, 00:35 your eyes in these aisles, 00:37 and your feet underneath the seat. 00:40 Now I've been having an awesome time 00:41 at this ASI Convention, 00:43 and I have Leasa with me today. 00:44 Leasa is our Vice President for membership. 00:47 And, Leasa, suppose I'm sitting here 00:49 in the audience 00:51 and I'm not an ASI member, 00:52 how can I become an ASI member? 00:54 What do I have to do? 00:55 Apply. 00:56 Okay, how do I do that? Where do I go? 00:58 Well, we would like everybody to check out our website 01:02 asiministries.org. 01:05 And on that website, 01:06 there's a link that says membership. 01:09 And if you click on it, it will open to a page 01:12 that will describe all the different categories 01:15 that you can be a member of. 01:17 And so if you fit into one of those categories, 01:20 click on the application link and just send it in. 01:23 It's that easy. 01:25 And, you know, we don't have very much time. 01:28 We want all of God's people to be involved 01:31 and share Christ in your marketplace. 01:34 And, Philip, if every single ASI member 01:36 shared Christ in their marketplace, 01:38 what can happen? 01:40 We can hasten the soon coming 01:42 of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 01:43 That's right. 01:44 And that's what ASI is all about, 01:46 it's sharing Christ, so that we can all go home. 01:50 Amen. 01:51 And can young people be members? 01:53 Oh, yes, especially the young people. 01:54 We need... 01:56 Well, we don't need new blood, but we need some excited blood, 02:02 young professionals. 02:03 So young professionals, 02:04 especially if you look at under your category, 02:07 you really don't have to do, 02:09 to be too much of anything except be under 35. 02:13 So sign up. 02:15 Awesome. God bless everyone. 02:17 Thank you. 02:21 I think the thing that inspires me the most 02:23 is the testimony of a life of self-sacrifice. 02:27 When I go throughout my day, 02:29 I try to think 02:31 of what other people have gone through before me, 02:34 especially on the days that I feel a little selfish 02:37 or I feel like I don't want to do ministry. 02:40 I think about the people that really didn't have a lot 02:44 or not even had a lot of support, 02:46 but they kept on going anyway 02:48 because they had a greater reward, 02:50 a greater goal in mind 02:52 than just how I feel right now 02:54 and having comfort and pleasure right now. 02:57 And the greatest example of that, of course, 03:00 is Jesus. 03:02 And honestly, that's where I get 03:03 my greatest source of inspiration. 03:05 I guess my question would be, 03:07 why would you not want to in ASI. 03:09 Everyone should be a part of ASI. 03:12 There are all types of people, young, old, 03:15 you know, poor college students, 03:17 rich businessmen and women, 03:19 and everyone is all together for a common goal, 03:23 really just worshipping together 03:25 and going for that one mission of seeing Jesus come soon. 03:30 All the interactions and all the connections 03:32 that I've had with ASI have been so positive 03:35 because they serve to inspire people in ministry 03:38 and give you resources and training. 03:41 And it's such a huge inspiration 03:43 and encouragement for anyone. 03:45 And I would just encourage everyone 03:47 to be a part of it. 03:56 Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing 04:03 My great redeemer's praise 04:08 The glories of my God and King 04:15 The glories of my God and King 04:22 The triumphs of His grace 04:27 The triumphs of His grace 04:35 Jesus! 04:38 The name that charms our fears 04:46 That bids our sorrows cease 04:55 'Tis music 04:58 In the sinner's ears 05:04 'Tis life, and health, 05:10 And peace 05:14 'Tis life, and health, 05:20 And peace 05:27 My gracious Master and my God 05:33 Assist me to proclaim 05:38 To spread through all the earth abroad 05:45 To spread through all the earth abroad 05:52 The honor of His name 05:58 The honor of His name 06:06 Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing 06:13 My great redeemer's praise 06:26 I invite you to stand with me in honor of our Lord 06:29 as we pray together. 06:36 Let us pray. 06:39 Our Father in heaven, 06:41 on this special and holy Sabbath day, 06:43 we want to thank You and praise You as our God, 06:48 merciful, and gracious, 06:50 longsuffering, and abounding 06:53 in goodness and truth, 06:55 keeping mercy for thousands, 06:58 forgiving iniquity, and transgression, and sin. 07:03 Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, 07:06 but to Your name give glory. 07:10 Draw near to us, O Lord, 07:12 for we long to draw near to You. 07:15 We lift our heart and voice to Your throne, 07:19 seeking earnestly for the gift of the Holy Spirit 07:24 that we, as Your people, 07:26 may bring glory and honor to Your holy name. 07:29 Bless us this Sabbath day, and bless this hour of worship, 07:33 for we ask it in the wonderful name of Jesus. 07:37 Amen. 07:40 Join me in singing our opening song, 07:44 Praise to the Lord. 08:02 Praise to the Lord The Almighty 08:07 The king of creation! 08:13 O my soul, praise Him 08:16 For He is thy health and salvation! 08:24 All ye who hear 08:27 Now to His temple draw near 08:33 Join ye in glad adoration! 08:41 Praise to the Lord 08:44 Who o'er all things so wondrously reigneth 08:52 Shieldeth thee under His wings Yea, 08:57 so gently sustaineth! 09:04 Hast thou not seen 09:07 How thy desires e'er have been 09:13 Granted in 09:15 What He ordaineth? 09:22 Praise to the Lord 09:25 Who doth prosper thy work 09:29 and defend thee 09:34 Surely His goodness 09:37 And mercy here daily attend thee 09:45 Ponder anew 09:49 What the Almighty can do 09:55 If with His love 09:58 He befriend thee 10:12 Good morning and happy Sabbath. You may be seated. 10:20 Just an advance of lifting our offering, 10:22 I have four stories 10:23 that I would like to bring to you. 10:25 The first is actually all the way from Germany 10:29 at the Youth Congress. 10:30 And you'll see on this screen our illustrious guests. 10:34 We have, let's see, 10:35 on your right maybe is Nelson Ernst. 10:39 He's the director of GLOW, giving light to our world. 10:45 And then two, who are no strangers to us, 10:48 Elder Ted and Nancy Wilson. 10:51 And then Kamil Metz, 10:53 who's the international coordinator. 10:55 Thank you so much for joining us. 10:57 And we'd like to invite Elder Wilson and Nancy 11:00 to just give us some words of greetings at this time. 11:03 Thank you so much, 11:05 it's just a great privilege and joy 11:09 with rest of ASI, 11:10 one of our favorite organization, 11:13 so supporting 11:14 and such a blessing to the world field. 11:17 We will be there with you, 11:19 but the date got changed 11:20 for the Global Youth Leaders Congress, 11:23 and so here we are in Passau, Germany. 11:26 Thank you so much 11:27 for letting us be part of ASI as well. 11:30 Nancy, do you have greeting? 11:31 Yes, I wish we could be two places at once 11:36 because we love ASI Youth. 11:39 We were very disappointed that there was a conflict. 11:45 But anyway, we're having a good time here 11:49 fellowshipping with our brothers and sisters 11:52 from around the world, 11:54 and we can send you our greetings, 11:56 and we know that 11:58 we're being blessed as always with ASI. 12:01 There are about 1,700 youth leaders all... 12:06 In this congress from all over the world. 12:08 I want you to pray for our young people 12:10 that they will feel 12:11 with the power of the Holy Spirit 12:13 in total member involvement, total youth involvement. 12:16 Thanks so much. 12:17 Thank you very much Elder Ted and Nancy Wilson 12:20 for your words of greetings 12:21 and joining us all the way from Germany via Skype, 12:24 thank you. 12:25 And now we'd like to talk with our GLOW Leadership. 12:29 And first of all, let's have 12:32 if you can just answer the question, 12:33 exactly what is GLOW? 12:37 Well, GLOW is probably best explained 12:40 by sharing a quick story. 12:42 Recently there was a young woman 12:43 who was riding a bus, 12:45 and she felt an overwhelming conviction from God 12:47 to give her GLOW tracks or Bible pamphlet 12:49 to the person who is sitting next to her, 12:51 a complete stranger. 12:52 She felt completely afraid of doing this, 12:54 but as the bus came to a stop, 12:55 she recognized I'm never going to see this guy again. 12:58 So I need to give him the track now. 12:59 She mustered up her courage, 13:00 she gave him the track expecting the worst. 13:02 And the man said, "You know, I was just praying 13:04 that God would give me a sign 13:06 that He didn't want me to commit suicide, 13:07 and I think that this is it." 13:09 So that perfectly illustrates GLOW. 13:11 We're just encouraging church members 13:12 to carry small literature with them wherever they go, 13:15 in their pockets, in their purses, 13:16 so that when God opens up opportunities, 13:18 they're equipped and ready to share their faith. 13:20 So how is it working more, 13:22 are more people engaged 13:24 in becoming a part of this project? 13:28 You know, I remember when Nelson was 22 years old, 13:30 he called me, I was 31. 13:32 I was a literature minister's director. 13:34 And he called me, 13:36 and one thing that stood out in the conversation 13:38 about this GLOW idea 13:40 was that he was excited. 13:42 He was excited by getting every member involved 13:45 every single day. 13:47 And that was really God given idea. 13:50 It is really God's plan 13:51 for every member to be involved. 13:53 Since 10 years ago, 13:55 we have printed 90 million GLOW tracks 13:59 in 75 different languages. 14:02 My conference was the second conference 14:04 to adapt this project and has been a great success. 14:07 Now just to illustrate how this works today, 14:10 yesterday I was at the registration table, 14:13 and there was a lady 14:14 who was kind of wondering about. 14:16 And so I asked her if she needed help. 14:17 She came over, she said, "I am a neighbor, 14:18 I'm a neighbor next to Convention, 14:20 what is this all about?" 14:21 I told her and this... 14:23 There's a picture, there's a picture outside. 14:26 And she was trying to describe the person, 14:29 and then she saw the picture on the brochure, 14:32 and it was the picture of Jesus. 14:34 I told them this is an artist depiction of Jesus. 14:38 It was like talking to a little child, 14:39 and then I pulled out the GLOW track 14:42 about salvation with the prayer 14:44 that she'll find the one who died for. 14:47 And I gave her one that dealt with prophecy. 14:50 So that's what we want to see. 14:51 We want to see every member involved, 14:53 and hundreds of thousand members 14:55 have done that. 14:57 So tell us, what is the focus of the project 14:59 for today's offering? 15:06 Well, we approached ASI not too long ago, 15:07 and we asked them about partnering together 15:09 to try and do something big. 15:11 We'd like to get church members 15:12 in Korea, South Korea, Japan, and China 15:17 to also do what we're doing here 15:18 in the North American Division, 15:20 which is to distribute literature 15:21 in everyday life. 15:22 So that was a big undertaking. 15:24 We had talked to them about that. 15:26 And exactly how is that going to work? 15:32 So what we're working on is 15:33 translating the GLOW tracks in the native languages. 15:36 Now, we have done that, some of that already. 15:38 We have some Japanese, Chinese, and Korean tracks, 15:41 but also we are focusing on adapting them 15:44 to the world view. 15:47 So we have some GLOW track adopted for Buddhists, 15:50 and Hindus, and Jews, and Muslims, 15:52 and we'll continue doing that, 15:54 so we can reach people where they are. 15:57 Yep, another thing that we're going to do, 15:59 we're going to try and print 16:00 anywhere between 2 to 10 million tracks 16:02 to start with, 16:04 and we're going to be working to try and establish volunteers 16:06 who'll be going throughout those countries 16:07 and encouraging church members 16:09 to take these tracks and to pass them out. 16:11 And also, to make sure that those tracks 16:13 are actually sold to church members, 16:14 and then the money is recouped, 16:15 so that we can reprint over and over and over again. 16:18 So this is an ongoing project, 16:19 it's not a one time print and distribute, 16:21 and then you never see it again. 16:23 That's excellent. 16:25 I remember actually going to an appointment. 16:28 And as I exited my car, 16:31 a young boy was being encouraged by his mother 16:34 to come up to me. 16:36 So as he came up to me, he looked up to me and says, 16:38 "Would you like this?" 16:39 And he was giving me a GLOW track. 16:43 So anyone can use these 16:45 to engage their friends and to share, 16:48 and so we're really grateful for that. 16:50 That sounds like a very worthy project. 16:52 Is there anything else you'd like to share 16:54 on our last remaining moments? 16:58 Sure, you know, 16:59 even if somebody today is listening to this 17:01 and they feel like they can't donate 17:03 in any large way 17:04 towards these great evangelist projects of ASI, 17:06 that's okay, there's still something 17:08 that we can do for the Lord. 17:09 You know, if we in the United States, 17:10 we in the North American Division 17:12 can set the example by being faithful 17:14 by passing out literature in our everyday life 17:16 by putting in our pockets, 17:17 it'll be a great example for the world church, 17:19 and it will inspire them 17:20 to continue to do the same as well. 17:22 You know, there's a quote from Mrs. White 17:23 where she says, 17:24 "That soon more than 1,000 will be converted in one day, 17:27 most of whom will trace their first convictions 17:29 back to the reading of our publications." 17:31 So by doing this, by distributing literature 17:33 in our everyday lives, which all of us can do, 17:35 we can make a big impact to the Lord. 17:38 Thank you very much, Kamil and Nelson, 17:40 for joining us here at ASI from Germany. 17:43 And we wish you God's richest blessings 17:44 as you continue to serve the world 17:47 through GLOW. 17:48 Have a good Sabbath. 17:53 International Caring Hands is an ASI organization, 17:56 which uses dentistry as medical evangelism 17:59 right inside Seventh-day Adventist churches 18:01 and in communities 18:02 without a single Seventh-day Adventist. 18:04 Thanks to ASI, 18:06 International Caring Hands has established 18:08 medical evangelism programs in Zambia, Madagascar, 18:11 and Micronesia. 18:13 All of the connections for these programs 18:15 were made at ASI national conventions. 18:19 Now thanks to ASI, we are entering Mongolia 18:22 and have partnered with the Mongolian mission 18:24 to establish a dental evangelism program, 18:27 and we're working in coordination with 18:28 two Mongolian Adventist dentists 18:30 to reach Mongolia with healing and relief from pain 18:33 that only comes from Jesus. 18:35 Mongolia has a population of 3 million people, 18:38 2% are Christian, 18:40 and 2,000 are Seventh-day Adventist. 18:42 The fields in Mongolia 18:43 are right for medical evangelism. 18:45 Mongolia's sandwich between Russia on the north, 18:48 and China on the south. 18:50 Traditional evangelism is difficult, 18:52 but medical evangelism 18:54 is the opening wench to reach others 18:56 for Christ in Mongolia. 19:00 So International Caring Hands. 19:03 Randy, just come a little bit closer 19:04 here to the podium. 19:05 This is Randy Meyer. 19:07 He's the Executive Director for International Caring Hands. 19:10 And it looks like such a worthy project 19:12 to be able to provide dental services 19:14 to those who need it most. 19:16 First of all, tell us I'm curious, 19:18 how many dentists are involved in your operation? 19:21 On any given year, 19:22 we have roughly about 250 dentists 19:24 that volunteer. 19:25 We also have other volunteers of roughly probably about 500 19:29 or so people who come, do VBS, do evangelism, 19:33 participate in doing the registration 19:36 for the program, 19:37 and other types of literature outreach as well 19:40 during the process of our dental clinics. 19:42 So why is it that you selected ICC Mongolia 19:47 as the project for this year's offering? 19:49 It's business unusual, right? 19:52 So business unusual, this is quite unusual for us. 19:57 In that, we normally go to nice, 19:58 warm climates, 20:00 places where it stays above freezing. 20:03 In Mongolia, during the winter, 20:04 it can be 40 below 0 Fahrenheit, 20:07 just to give you an indication, 20:09 which for someone running dental equipment 20:11 with water inside of it is a rather daunting task. 20:15 So it's business unusual in that respect. 20:18 But when you have the Holy Spirit 20:20 working in certain areas, 20:22 you know that you have to move forward. 20:25 Peter Culik, ASI member approached me many years ago 20:29 in relation to going to Mongolia. 20:31 And then after that It Is Written approached us, 20:34 and then the Mongolian mission. 20:36 And then, you know, when a pastor named Bold comes 20:39 and says, "You need to go to Mongolia. 20:42 You listen to the Holy Spirit, and He leads and guides." 20:46 So in June of 2017, 20:49 we went to Mongolia with It Is Written 20:52 and their medical evangelists. 20:54 And I was able to get one dental unit in 20:57 for the suction, 20:58 and for running the drills into Mongolia, 21:01 along with a dental chair. 21:02 I was able to walk in 21:04 without even going through customs. 21:05 They just send me right out, 21:06 which was quite a miracle in relation to that. 21:10 The 15 volunteers that we had were able to do some fillings 21:13 because we only had one dental unit. 21:15 The rest of the dentists 21:16 had to work in the state hospital 21:18 where they weren't as able to do evangelism 21:21 as they would have otherwise, 21:23 and the other dentists did extractions. 21:25 So we saw the need in Mongolia 21:29 through this initial outreach in June of 2017. 21:33 So how do you plan to execute the expansion 21:35 of the outreach in Mongolia? 21:37 Well, actually, we had our first 21:40 all Mongolian dental evangelism event 21:44 in May, 2017, so I mean in 2018. 21:50 So it just took place this May. 21:52 They served 150 people in the rural villages of Sant 21:57 and Khuder in Mongolia. 21:59 And they were able to go out, 22:01 pray with every single person that they went with, 22:05 and to continue to provide evangelistic outreach 22:09 in these small communities 22:11 where there are not very many Seventh-day Adventist. 22:14 And so in the process of this work, 22:17 our plan is to expand 22:19 and have 10 dental units in Mongolia, 22:22 so that the two Seventh-day Adventist dentists 22:24 who are working there can go out separately 22:26 and go to different areas 22:27 as well as other Adventists from around the world. 22:30 Adventist dentists from Korea have come to Mongolia, 22:34 from Australia, from the United States, 22:37 from Canada, 22:38 we want to make for sure 22:40 that Mongolia can have a rich experience. 22:42 And in fact, you know, when our trip to Mongolia, 22:45 when we went with It Is Written, 22:47 70 people were baptized 22:48 at the end of John Bradshaw's evangelism 22:51 and medical evangelism outreach. 22:53 So it was quite successful. 22:55 And then in September 2017, 22:57 another 70 people were baptized as well 23:00 which increased the church exponentially. 23:03 Now you call this dental evangelism outreach. 23:06 I'm curious if there's something else 23:08 that you add to the dental services 23:10 that kind of complete the evangelism piece 23:13 to your outreach. 23:15 We do a lot of outreach through other sources as well. 23:18 We are regularly going and doing VBS classes. 23:22 We have people who give out pillowcase dresses. 23:24 I don't know if you know what those are, 23:26 but those are dresses mainly made out of pillowcases 23:29 that are then distributed throughout Zambia, 23:32 and Micronesia, and Mongolia, and other places, 23:36 and we believe in reaching everyone 23:39 through evangelism, 23:41 both literature evangelism, 23:42 where we've gone with 23:44 Light Bearers Ministry materials, 23:47 and distributed them during our dental clinics. 23:50 And one other thing I want to add 23:52 is we've actually used the very book 23:55 that you received, everyone, when you registered 23:58 has been translated into Mongolian. 24:00 I worked with Hermen Hobble, 24:02 and we were able to work with the mission 24:04 and get this translated and a 1000 copies will go out. 24:07 So our hope is to continue to spread the good news 24:11 and bring revival and evangelism 24:14 in all forms to Mongolia. 24:16 Well, Randy, I want to thank you 24:18 and International Caring Hands for everything you're doing. 24:20 We know from the experience 24:21 that we've had here with the Amen Clinics, 24:24 and your Best Pathway to Health 24:26 that dental is such a critical need, 24:28 and to know that someone else's on the front lines 24:30 in places that are more austere and difficult 24:32 is a real blessing. 24:34 Thank you very much. Thank you. 24:37 Now coming to the podium are two individuals 24:40 that I would like to have them share 24:43 some of what they are involved with 24:44 from a different part of the world. 24:46 To my left here is Jason Fournier, 24:49 and he is from the Kibidula Evangelism Training Center 24:54 in Tanzania, 24:55 and Alan Knowles, 24:56 who is from Riverside Farm Institute 24:59 in Zambia. 25:00 And these are two experts one day church builders. 25:05 They lead teams to build one day churches 25:08 throughout their countries. 25:09 And so I want to know from them 25:11 what's been happening with one day church. 25:13 So, Jason, we'll start with you. 25:15 Tell us a little bit about... 25:16 Well, tell us how many churches 25:18 so far have been built in Tanzania? 25:20 We have built over 600. 25:22 Six hundred churches in Tanzania! 25:25 Wow, the work is probably almost done, 25:27 but we'll get to that later. 25:28 So tell us in an African culture, 25:32 how significant is it to have a church structure? 25:36 Well, not only is it important to have a home to worship in, 25:42 but to have this sense of belonging that you are part 25:45 of something bigger than your own little group, 25:47 your own idea. 25:49 And so when a church actually, 25:51 for people who are unable to afford a proper church, 25:54 a church brought in and built for them 25:57 represents a connection to a bigger family, 26:00 including the family here at ASI. 26:04 Now I understand that even the Maasai tribe 26:06 has been impacted by one day church. 26:09 You have a testimony to share that to illustrate that. 26:11 Yes, well, there was a woman up near the Kenyan border, 26:17 one of the wives of a prominent Maasai 26:20 in the area. 26:21 She somehow heard the gospel 26:24 and learned of the Seventh-day Sabbath 26:25 and began to keep it in her little village. 26:29 And she built a little grass thatched shelter 26:35 that they call the church, 26:36 and she began meeting every Sabbath morning 26:38 with a handful of people. 26:41 And they were studying about the Sabbath 26:44 and learning different things, but her husband, 26:47 when he realized that she was drawing attention 26:49 and starting a group, 26:51 they had reached seven people at this point, 26:53 he was unsure of this, and he said, 26:56 "You're worshiping on the wrong day. 26:58 If you want to be a Christian, you need to worship on Sunday." 27:02 Well, he didn't convince her just that easy. 27:04 So he decided to build a church in opposition to her 27:08 and invite the local Lutheran pastor 27:11 to come and start teaching in his church. 27:13 So he sold the cow, and bought some roofing sheets, 27:16 and built a little church with just 10 roofing sheets, 27:19 and began to have Sunday services there. 27:22 And actually drew part of her little group away. 27:26 But she began to pray, 27:28 and her prayers were answered when one day our truck 27:31 with our crew showed up in the village 27:33 and put up a one day church. 27:37 And in answer to her prayer as well, 27:40 her husband, when he saw that, 27:42 it wasn't just her little idea that came out, 27:44 she came out with worshipping on Sabbath, 27:47 but she was connected to someone 27:48 bigger caught his attention, 27:50 and he decided 27:51 to invite his whole congregation now 27:53 to join her in their one day church, 27:56 and start studying about the true Sabbath. 27:58 Amen. 28:00 And today that church is growing, 28:01 it's bigger than it ever was before. 28:03 That's incredible. 28:05 Now, I also understand that even there in Tanzania, 28:09 there are individuals 28:10 who are willing to sacrifice so much 28:12 just to have a church in their village. 28:15 Well, I know it takes a sacrifice 28:17 on the part of each one of you here to enable us 28:20 to build these one day churches. 28:22 But as those churches arrive there, 28:24 there's a sacrifice on the other side, 28:25 and I just want to give... 28:26 This story touched my heart 28:28 when I heard it because our crew went out 28:30 to one of the villages and in central Tanzania, 28:34 and they showed up, and they had been invited, 28:37 the village had given land to build a church. 28:39 But when the truck showed up, the village said, "No, 28:42 we have other plans for this land. 28:44 And so you can't have that property." 28:46 And the people were very disappointed, 28:49 obviously. 28:50 And one of the very new converts, 28:51 when he heard that the truck was going to drive away 28:55 with that church on it, 28:56 and they weren't going to have a church, 28:57 he said, "No, take my land. 28:59 I have a piece of property in the middle of the place, 29:03 and you can build on my property." 29:05 So that our crew went over to his place, 29:08 and it was really too small to share with his house 29:11 and to put up a church. 29:13 And he said, "Take down my house." 29:14 And so they tore down his house and put up a church. 29:17 And I'm thankful to report that other church members 29:21 who were outside of town offered him 29:23 some land to build a new house. 29:25 But, you know, 29:26 it touched my heart that people are so excited about this. 29:29 How many of us would give up our house for God's house? 29:33 That's a question to be answered. 29:35 So is there still a need? 29:37 There's already been 600 churches 29:39 built in Tanzania. 29:41 Do we still need one day churches there? 29:42 I want to tell you that, 29:44 we are farther from meeting the need 29:45 than we ever were when we started 29:47 because every time we build a church, we are... 29:50 This is evangelism in action. 29:53 Those churches are filling as fast as we build them, 29:56 and now there is need for far more churches 29:58 than there ever were before. 30:00 Thank you very much, Jason. 30:01 All right, let's talk to Alan. 30:03 Let's see what's happening in Zambia. 30:05 Tell me, Alan, how is it that you identify locations 30:08 to build your churches? 30:10 At Riverside Farm Institute where I work, 30:13 we sponsor 50 pioneer Bible workers. 30:19 And these fellows 30:20 are in the far reaches of Zambia, 30:23 not the easy places, 30:25 those hard places where there are no roads, 30:27 no electricity, no cell phone, in the tough places. 30:31 And those men are writing to me on a weekly basis, 30:35 we need churches. 30:38 Now you have an interesting story 30:39 that you're going to share with us, 30:41 and we like them to roll the video 30:43 because you're going to kind of narrate through for us, 30:46 one of these very difficult places 30:48 that a one day church was erected. 30:50 That's right. 30:51 You've seen some of the pictures 30:52 in western Zambia. 30:54 This is the church that I found up on the Zambezi River, 30:57 two hours by boat, 30:59 this is where the people worshipped. 31:01 They would get out on Sabbath, and find water in their church. 31:05 And in their church meetings, they said, "We need help." 31:08 And the help was answered 31:10 by ASI and Riverside Farm Institute. 31:12 We came to help build them a church. 31:16 And we asked the membership to help us. 31:18 I didn't say the men to help us, 31:20 the membership to help us. 31:22 You can see here, the ladies, 31:24 even the cradle roll department was there. 31:30 We spent a week at this little island area 31:35 in the dry season. 31:37 It's sandy, 31:38 and we were able to come and build 31:40 with very interesting ways of transport. 31:45 From the edge of the river, 31:46 it was about a mile to the building site. 31:50 And we have unusual transport. 31:55 At these church sites, all the members get involved. 31:59 The ladies are cooking, they're hauling water for us, 32:02 the men are there digging sand, the oxen are working. 32:07 And when our one day church crew 32:08 got there to build for them, of course, 32:11 when they were carrying all this, 32:12 they didn't even know what they were carrying, 32:14 just pieces of steel, 32:16 but they could see what was being done then. 32:19 All these materials were hauled to two hours on a boat 32:23 to get to this place. 32:25 And this is their structure in the dry season. 32:27 When the rain comes, we have to put away the oxen. 32:31 There you see half of a boat in the dry season, 32:35 but in a fall season, in the rain season, 32:37 this was their old church. 32:39 This is where they met, feet were getting wet. 32:42 And this is the new church that we're able to provide 32:45 for them in an unusual way. 32:48 So we have a canoed church in Zambia. 32:52 So yeah, this is rather unusual, 32:54 isn't it? 32:56 Yes, the people there... 32:58 There are many islands like this in the rainy season 33:01 where these congregations, 33:03 they get out of their house in the morning, 33:06 they have to look around 33:08 for crocodiles might be swimming by, 33:10 and they need help. 33:12 One day churches are needed in Zambia, 33:16 probably thousands are needed as Jason said, 33:20 as we build churches, there's still more need. 33:24 So we can help, we can help fill that need. 33:27 One way that we can fill that need is that I know 33:30 that we have a sponsorship program. 33:32 So individuals can actually sponsor 33:35 a one day church in these regions for $1,000. 33:39 Now, Alan, where can they go to find out more information 33:42 if they're interested in doing this? 33:43 Well at our booth, that booth 926, 33:45 you'll find our information there or on our website, 33:50 riversidefarm.org. 33:51 Okay. 33:53 Thank you very much, gentlemen, for all that you do, 33:54 and for leading the teams to build one day churches 33:57 for people who need them. 33:58 Thank you. 34:02 Our next story comes to us to talk about children, 34:09 one of my favorite topics. 34:11 And this is International Children's Care. 34:14 And this is Rick Fleck 34:16 who is the president of the organization. 34:17 Rick, tell us a little bit about the work that ICC does? 34:21 Thank you, Debbie. 34:22 Well, it's a wonderful work. 34:24 This is our 40th anniversary this year, 34:27 and I think we've been to ASI almost every year. 34:31 So ASI is an important part 34:33 of International Children's Care. 34:36 This is a work for orphans, but we don't call them orphans. 34:40 So that's a little difference there. 34:42 We tried to do something where children, 34:45 who are orphans, get to a point 34:47 where they're no longer orphans. 34:49 So once they come to our program, 34:51 they live in a home with about 10 children, 34:54 and Adventist couple who takes care of them, 34:57 a new mommy and daddy. 34:59 That's wonderful. 35:00 And I know that even though the headquarters 35:02 for International Children's Care 35:04 is in Vancouver, Washington, 35:07 that these facilities exists throughout different areas 35:10 of the world. 35:12 Tell us about the one, 35:13 the Las Palmas in Dominican Republic, 35:16 which is our focus for the offering today? 35:19 Las Palmas was a second project that was started. 35:23 And that was started in 1982. 35:26 So it's been there for a while. 35:28 Right now, we have about 55 kids there. 35:31 But it has capacity for nearly 100. 35:34 So one of our goals this year is to start filling beds 35:37 and filling rooms 35:40 that aren't full of children right now. 35:42 And I'm looking at the pictures, 35:43 and if they show the next couple of pictures, 35:46 it brings back actually fond memories for me. 35:49 I was blessed to be able to go to Las Palmas 35:53 in the Dominican Republic 35:54 with the ASI Lake Union Chapter. 35:56 And so to be able to see 35:58 the different industries that they have there, 36:00 to actually rub shoulders with the children, 36:03 to be able to improve their roofing, 36:05 and just the number of different things, 36:07 it was clearly a need that was being met. 36:09 So that we really enjoy that very much. 36:11 They tell me that yours, one of the best groups to go. 36:14 Oh, well, we think so too. 36:17 So there are a number of industries 36:19 that often accompany the facilities 36:23 that house the children, 36:25 they may raise fruits and vegetables, 36:27 they do some different agriculture. 36:29 The focus for this year is on cows. 36:33 Tell us about cows? 36:35 Well, I don't know if you've been 36:36 by our booth at 918, 36:37 but Milky, the cow, is there, 36:40 and a lot of the kids have been doing 36:42 the Milky challenge. 36:44 And if you come by this afternoon, 36:46 the cows are in the barn for Sabbath. 36:48 But you can have your picture taken with Milky, the cow. 36:52 And so what we're doing there is increasing our dairy herd 36:55 because we realized that one cow, 36:58 even though the children don't drink much of the milk, 37:00 we sell the milk, 37:01 produces enough profit to pay the cost 37:05 of the food for one child. 37:07 So one cow equals one child. 37:09 We have about 12 cows in production. 37:12 Our goal is to get up to about 100 cows, 37:15 a herd of cows, 37:16 that will give us about 50 cows in production. 37:19 So how do you acquire these cows? 37:22 How much do they cost? 37:23 Well, interestingly enough, in the Dominican Republic, 37:26 about $1,500 dollars will buy you a cow. 37:29 But the cool thing is that the cow generally 37:31 is either pregnant or has a calf. 37:34 So we raise that calf, 37:36 and either the calf, if it's a heifer, 37:38 goes into the herd or if it's a male, 37:41 that calf is sold, 37:42 and we sell it for about $700 to $800. 37:45 So the cow ends up costing about half. 37:48 And so we can reinvest those funds 37:50 that we get from ASI 37:51 to acquire more in about a year. 37:54 And today's offering I believe 37:56 is for the sponsorship of 10 cows? 37:58 That's right. 37:59 All right, so we were excited that we will be able to add 38:02 to the support of these children 38:03 in Las Palmas. 38:05 Can you share with us, maybe a testimony or two, 38:08 what kind of impact does Las Palmas 38:10 have on the children that are there? 38:12 Well, you know, the point of getting... 38:14 Working with children is to help them 38:15 become independent. 38:17 And that's what we do as parents, you know, 38:18 from the day they're born, 38:20 you want them to learn to do for themselves 38:22 and to become independent. 38:24 So the finishing touch for children is for them 38:26 to graduate from college, or a trade school, 38:30 or something like that. 38:32 We went, my wife, Sharon, 38:33 and I were down there recently for a graduation, 38:36 and spontaneously some girls came 38:38 and talked with us in our apartment, guest room, 38:41 and they were chatting and talking about, 38:45 you know, old times 38:46 and we had known them since they were little, 38:48 and they said, 38:50 "You know, the interesting thing is that 38:53 when we're over there in the university, 38:55 and we're talking to people, and sometimes we tell them, 38:57 "We're orphans," and they go, "Orphans? 38:58 You're not orphans. 39:00 No way, how can you be orphans?" 39:02 You know, you go places, you go to the beach. 39:05 I haven't even been to the beach, they'll say. 39:08 And you have, 39:09 and you don't have a big bill at the college, 39:12 I can barely make it. 39:13 Yeah, you have to work, but you're making it. 39:16 And you play an instrument, how's that? 39:19 And so, yes, our kids do get a full life. 39:22 It's not just food and shelter, we give them an education, 39:26 they learn to play an instrument, 39:28 that we have a little symphony there, 39:30 and then, you know, they become independent. 39:32 They get out into the workforce, 39:34 they can do those kinds of things. 39:36 It's amazing how many things they learn 39:38 and then they can apply those in their life 39:40 when they're independent. 39:41 I know the children that I met and talked with, 39:43 especially some of the older ones, 39:45 they were learning how to give Bible studies. 39:48 And so they would actually be going out, in the community, 39:51 and giving Bible studies, and they learn about Jesus, 39:54 and these are our young people, 39:57 who their parents may have abandoned them, 40:00 they may have died, they have no other family, 40:03 and so they would be left to the streets 40:05 if it weren't for places like Las Palmas. 40:07 So we are extremely grateful for ICC and the work 40:10 that they do through their orphanages 40:12 to be able to provide a home to these children. 40:15 These kids go on, 40:16 and many of them come back and work for us. 40:19 And so some of them, 40:20 that we have a guy that grew up in Colombia, 40:22 now he is the business manager in El Salvador. 40:25 And he is our auditor 40:27 for all of the Spanish speaking countries. 40:29 And we have kids in the different countries, 40:32 who are now professionals, 40:34 and they're out and work for us doing God's work. 40:36 Amen, amen. 40:38 Rick, thank you so much for sharing just a little bit 40:40 about what happens through ICC, 40:42 Las Palmas in Dominican Republic. 40:44 We appreciate it. Thank you. 40:45 Thank you. 40:48 So, friends, 40:49 you see we have quite a work before us. 40:52 These four projects are just an example 40:54 of the many ministries 40:56 that are seeking to be Christ hands 40:58 and feet to meet the physical, 41:00 emotional, social, and most importantly, 41:04 the spiritual needs of those who don't yet know Jesus. 41:08 By our unusual commitment today, 41:12 we can make that a reality. 41:15 So just before the deacons come to pick up the offering, 41:18 I would like to appeal to you to appeal to us yet once again, 41:24 that we consider doing business unusual, 41:28 and that we step out in an unusual fashion 41:31 to reach out to help these ministries do the work, 41:36 do the business of sharing Christ 41:38 in their marketplace. 41:40 Just now, you may have offering envelopes with you. 41:44 Is there anyone here 41:45 that may not have an offering envelope, 41:48 would you please raise your hand 41:49 because we don't want to miss... 41:51 Have anyone miss the opportunity. 41:53 We have some individuals here up front 41:55 that need an offering envelope. 41:57 If those can be serviced, that would be great. 41:59 And we want you to take some time. 42:01 We know that you have prayed 42:03 about this that you have given it to God, 42:06 that you have given your heart, and your future, 42:09 and your resources to the Lord, 42:11 and are looking forward to what you can do 42:14 to help finish the work. 42:16 So we want you to give you some opportunity, a time, 42:19 to complete the envelope. 42:21 If you are a techie, you can actually donate online. 42:27 So I'd like to talk to our 3ABN audience 42:29 and let you know that 42:30 we don't want to miss you either, 42:32 and you can join us 42:33 in the support of these projects. 42:35 All you need to do is to go to asiministries.org, 42:40 and right at the bottom of the homepage 42:43 is a Donate button. 42:44 You can do that here on your phones 42:46 if you choose to do. 42:47 So click Donate, complete the information, 42:51 and we will be forever grateful 42:52 for everything that you would provide. 42:55 Let me just give the address if you need the address, 42:58 phone number for ASI, 43:01 if you need to send that information in 43:04 or your donation in, it's 9705 Patuxent Woods Drive. 43:10 That's P-A-T-U-X-E-N-T Woods Drive, 43:16 that's in Columbia, Maryland 21046. 43:21 The phone number is 443-391-7235. 43:28 So that's what we want to do. 43:29 We want everyone to pull together, 43:32 so that we can support all of these ministries. 43:35 And I want to thank you 43:36 as we pray and ask the deacons to come forward 43:39 and serve you to receive the offering. 43:42 Let us pray. 43:44 Father in heaven, 43:45 I thank You so much for giving us an opportunity 43:48 to join hands with You in the finishing of this work. 43:51 You have blessed us 43:53 so that we can be a conduit of blessing for others. 43:57 I ask now that even, even now 44:00 Your Holy Spirit would just preside 44:02 over this place that You would encourage us 44:05 and give us the courage to give what You have given us, 44:09 so that others can learn about You, 44:11 and that You can come soon and we can go home. 44:15 Thank you so much. 44:16 In Jesus' name I pray, amen. 47:16 About a few weeks ago, 47:17 I had a very interesting experience 47:20 in Taiwan. 47:22 I was eating with one of the pastors. 47:24 While we were eating, 47:26 he took out his smartphone and he showed me some pictures. 47:30 And he said, 47:32 "I baptized this person last week." 47:34 And then he showed another person, 47:36 "I baptized this person," another person. 47:38 And in fact, he said he has 70 names 47:41 in his smartphone, 47:43 and he's praying for them every day 47:45 and he's looking for an opportunity 47:47 to give Bible study to them, 47:49 and he's baptizing them one by one. 47:52 I was inspired. 47:54 Immediately I repented of my sin, 47:56 and then I began to develop list 47:59 on my smartphone too. 48:01 So I have quite a few names on smartphone. 48:04 I'm praying for them. 48:05 And then I want to be an example 48:08 to all our church members 48:10 that we need to be involved in the mission of the church. 48:14 My dear, brothers and sisters, 48:16 we believe that Jesus is coming soon, 48:19 and we have to finish the gospel as soon as possible. 48:23 But pastors and paid lay workers 48:26 cannot finish the work alone. 48:28 All, we all lay people and then pastors, 48:31 we have to really work together to finish the gospel work. 48:35 I'm so glad that in our church, 48:37 we have many dedicated lay people. 48:40 I really appreciate that. 48:42 And let us continue working together 48:45 with the same spirit 48:47 to finish the work in our generation. 48:50 Maranatha, Jesus is coming very soon. |
Revised 2019-01-21