Participants:
Series Code: ASIC
Program Code: ASIC190012S
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00:20 While we walk the pilgrim pathway
00:24 Clouds will overspread the sky 00:29 But when traveling days are over 00:33 Not a shadow, not a sigh 00:37 When we all get to heaven 00:42 What a day of rejoicing that will be! 00:47 When we all see Jesus 00:52 We'll sing and shout the victory! 00:58 Let us then be true and faithful 01:03 Trusting, serving everyday 01:07 Just one glimpse of Him in glory 01:12 Will the toils of life repay 01:16 When we all get to heaven 01:21 What a day of rejoicing that will be! 01:26 When we all see Jesus 01:31 We'll sing and shout the victory! 01:37 Onwards to the prize before us! 01:42 Soon His beauty we'll behold 01:47 Soon the pearly gates will open 01:52 We shall tread the streets of gold 01:56 When we all get to heaven 02:02 What a day of rejoicing that will be! 02:07 When we all see Jesus 02:12 We'll sing and shout the victory! 02:18 We'll sing and shout the victory! 02:31 Amen. Thank you for singing. 02:32 You may be seated. 02:36 I have Dr. Trim joining me. 02:39 And, you know that our theme is Business Unusual. 02:44 We have had that theme for the last two years, 02:45 we've been talking about 02:47 what God is putting on our hearts 02:51 to do in an unusual way. 02:53 Now this afternoon, 02:55 we're going to be hearing some stories of... 02:58 And I'm calling them unusual sacrifice. 03:03 Because this church, 03:06 our beloved Seventh-day Adventist Church 03:10 was started by people who sacrificed. 03:14 We read the early history. 03:17 We have a lot of books really 03:19 about the early history of our church. 03:22 But in addition to the stories that are in those books, 03:25 there's a lot of stories that just have not been told 03:28 about the sacrifice 03:30 that individuals and families have made 03:33 in order to advance the gospel. 03:36 Dr. Trim is going to be with us this afternoon. 03:40 Dr. Trim, just kinda give us a teaser here. 03:44 What... 03:45 Just kinda open up for us this window a little bit 03:48 on what we're going to be doing this afternoon with this? 03:51 Steve, thank you. 03:52 This afternoon we are going to be talking 03:54 about the stories of all the missionaries 03:55 you have never heard of, 03:57 not the handful that we always talk about. 03:59 We are going to be talking about people 04:00 like Fred and Kate Brown and their two children 04:04 in the late 1890's living in Battle Creek Field, 04:07 called to go as missionaries to India. 04:09 Took the train to New York, 04:11 sailed across the Atlantic to London, 04:13 got another ship to Calcutta, took them more than six weeks. 04:16 But then they got sent out 04:18 into the northern rural areas 04:23 and they'd only been there a short time 04:24 when a small pox epidemic broke out. 04:27 And all the British colonial authorities say, 04:29 "We're leaving and you should do the same." 04:31 If you were them, what would you do? 04:35 Wait a minute. 04:37 You're not gonna finish the story? 04:40 If I did that, no one would come this afternoon, Steve, 04:42 so we need people to come back. 04:44 All right. 04:45 This afternoon, 04:47 come and hear the conclusion of this story 04:48 and some other amazing stories of families and individuals 04:51 sacrificing for the cause of God. 04:55 We hope and pray you join us this afternoon. 04:57 Please look in your program guide 04:58 and make one correction. 04:59 The program starts at 4 PM, not 5 PM. 05:03 There's one thing in that program guide 05:06 that says 5 PM 05:07 but it's really 4 PM this afternoon. 05:10 Don't miss this program Unusual Sacrifice. 05:12 Thank You. 05:40 Since I started 05:44 For the Kingdom 05:49 Since my life 05:53 He controls 05:57 Since I gave my heart 06:03 To Jesus 06:06 The longer I serve Him 06:10 The sweeter He grows 06:16 The longer I serve Him 06:21 The sweeter He grows 06:25 The more that I love Him 06:29 More love He bestows 06:34 Each day is like heaven 06:38 My heart overflows 06:43 The longer I serve Him 06:47 The sweeter He grows 06:58 Ev'ry need 07:01 He is supplying 07:06 Plenteous grace 07:10 He bestows 07:14 Ev'ry day 07:18 My way gets brighter 07:22 The longer I serve Him 07:26 The sweeter He grows 07:32 The longer I serve Him 07:36 The sweeter He grows 07:40 The more that I love Him 07:44 More love He bestows 07:48 Each day is like heaven 07:52 My heart overflows 07:57 The longer I serve Him 08:01 The sweeter He grows 08:10 The sweeter He grows 08:32 Well, good morning, ASI, and our viewers. 08:35 It's a great pleasure to be here this morning 08:38 and I feel a little bit like a fraud in some ways. 08:42 I'm not necessarily the greatest theologian. 08:45 But I do have a passion for the lesson topic 08:48 and the series that I have developed here, 08:51 and I know that many of you with your ministries 08:54 could be standing up here today, 08:56 delivering the same message. 08:58 But in this week's lesson, 08:59 we are studying the Old Testament prophets, 09:02 some of the most interesting characters in the Bible, 09:05 their strong sense of justice for the poor, 09:08 the marginalized, the forgotten, 09:10 the overlooked and allowed voices 09:13 for reform and restoration of the Mosaic Lord 09:17 and restoration of society as God had planned it to be. 09:22 To a significant extent, 09:24 the Hebrew prophets would quote him 09:26 response to the excess 09:27 of the kings of Israel and Judah. 09:30 And to the failure of God's people 09:32 to remain faithful to him. 09:35 And this was practiced in two key ways, 09:38 in justice and exploitation of the weak and vulnerable 09:42 and indifference to the plight of the poor and the oppressed. 09:48 Increasing disparity between the rich and the poor, 09:51 between strong and weak 09:54 where the markers of the nation's departure 09:57 from the way that God 09:59 had had them planned and of breakdown 10:03 of human relationships in general. 10:06 Numbness or apathy was not an option. 10:10 The suffering of those who hurt excluded and excluded 10:14 had cosmic significance. 10:17 The harsh voice of the prophets 10:19 called people back to their vision, 10:21 God had for how human society ought to be 10:26 and for restoration of their relationships. 10:29 You know, we can see here today 10:32 discussing the deteriorating state of the world, 10:35 somewhat distanced from some of the debauchery. 10:39 We can even maybe feel 10:41 a little self righteous about it. 10:42 We can talk of the impact of sin 10:44 and look forward to the return of Jesus 10:46 and the restoration of His justice and His kingdom. 10:50 And all of these things 10:52 are valid things for us to discuss. 10:54 But note, the prophets also condemned the people 10:59 for their apathy. 11:02 You know many of us flew 11:04 to get here to Louisville today. 11:06 And most of us are aware of the recent crisis 11:09 of the Indonesian and Ethiopian airlines 11:12 closing the world wide debate on whether buying 11:14 should have ever allowed the 737 Max 11:18 to be put into commission. 11:20 The media have spent 11:21 many thousands of hours discussing this 11:24 and many thousands of pages of prints press 11:27 in debate in condemnation, 11:29 Boeing have spent hundreds of millions of dollars 11:32 on researching a solution. 11:36 Why is it then, that the number of children 11:38 who die each day from preventable diseases 11:42 is equivalent to 100 passenger jets crashing, 11:46 killing all onboard every day never reaches a press? 11:52 Never enters into our conversation? 11:56 You know, when I was a young man at university, 11:59 I was involved in the conference youth club 12:03 and I grew up in Adelaide in South Australia, 12:06 it was a smallish community. 12:08 We all knew everyone, we'd gone to school together, 12:10 we did Power Pointers together, 12:12 we put on a Friday Night Youth Rally once a month, 12:15 we put on a Saturday night social activity once a month. 12:18 We put on a Sunday sporting activity 12:20 once a month and it came to camp time. 12:24 And so we'd plan this event for camp. 12:26 We planned it so that, you know, 12:29 on Sunday we had charted a fleet of small planes 12:33 to take young people from Adelaide 12:35 across to a small island called Kangaroo Island, 12:38 which is famous for its flora and fauna. 12:40 And I was looking forward to this. 12:41 And on Sabbath morning, 12:43 the conference president sought me out 12:44 and he said, "Jonathan, I've got bad news. 12:47 The conference youth director was taken ill overnight, 12:50 developed appendicitis burst, 12:52 he's got peritonitis, he's in surgery as we talk. 12:55 Would you stay behind on Sunday morning 12:57 and run the beach activities for the kids 12:59 who weren't going to Kangaroo Island?" 13:01 And I was quite disappointed by that. 13:03 So on Sunday, I went, 13:05 we ran the beach activities, we came back, 13:07 everyone was sort of cleaning up 13:09 and getting ready for the Sunday evening program, 13:11 the conference president was kicking it off 13:13 with these mission talk 13:15 and his Bible study on Sunday evening 13:16 and people began to dribble back 13:18 from Kangaroo Island 'cause it was all small planes, 13:21 and they were all chattering back and forth, 13:23 and 10 minutes before 13:25 the conference president stood up, 13:26 we got the news 13:28 that the last plane had crashed, 13:29 killing all onboard. 13:32 And along with the pilot, 13:33 we lost four of our young people 13:35 from a youth group. 13:36 One of those young people 13:38 was the president of the youth group 13:40 and he was the conference president's son. 13:43 And you can imagine when he's preparing to get up 13:46 and give a Bible study, 13:47 but that whole camp meeting series 13:51 was changed by that one event. 13:53 And now 40 years later, 13:54 when I go home to my hometown, 13:57 we still talk about that event. 13:59 But why is it that the loss of four young people 14:02 is so significant in our lives, 14:05 when 30,000 young children die every day 14:08 of preventable diseases? 14:10 But it never ends it seems to our thinking. 14:12 Why is it that our compassion for others 14:14 seems to be directly correlated 14:17 to where the people are close to us socially, 14:20 emotionally, culturally, 14:22 ethnically, economically, and geographically? 14:26 How might God think about this issue? 14:28 Does He look at the suffering of a child 14:30 in Cambodia or Malawi 14:32 with a certain sense of emotional distance? 14:35 Does God have different levels of compassion for children 14:38 based on their geographical location, 14:41 their nationality, their race or their parent's income? 14:46 Does He forget about their pain 14:48 because He is preoccupied of other things? 14:51 Does He turn the offending page to read the sports section? 14:55 Or is His heart broken 14:56 because each child is precious to Him? 15:00 God surely grieves and weeps 15:02 because every one of these children is His child, 15:05 not somebody else's. 15:09 In Amos in the first two chapters, 15:12 it begins with a popular note 15:14 listing all the crimes and atrocities 15:17 to God of Syria, Phoenicia, Moab 15:20 and other neighboring countries. 15:22 Then later in Chapter 2, 15:23 he moves on to their southern neighbor Judah 15:27 and their rejection of God, their disobedience, 15:30 and the punishments that will come their way. 15:33 Now, in these first two chapters, 15:35 the people of Israel are feeling rather comfortable, 15:37 rather self-righteous. 15:38 Yeah, they all deserve it. 15:40 But then Amos turns on them 15:44 and he begins to tell them 15:47 about their sins, about their evil, 15:50 their idolatry, their injustice, 15:52 their repeated failures in the sight of God. 15:55 Oh, oh. 15:56 It just got real. 15:58 It hit hard. 16:00 How do we act as God's people today? 16:03 Do we stand back and criticize the world 16:05 for its immorality and exploitative ways? 16:09 Or do we act out God's plan? 16:12 Allow me to quote from the well-known 16:14 Christian author and speaker John Stott. 16:18 "Our Christian habit 16:19 is to bewail the world's deteriorating standards 16:22 with an air of rather self-righteous dismay. 16:26 We criticize its violence, dishonesty, immorality, 16:30 disregard for human life, and materialistic greed." 16:34 "The world is going down the drain," 16:35 we say with a shrug. 16:37 Whose fault is it? Who is to blame? 16:40 Let me put it like this. 16:42 If the house is dark when nightfall comes, 16:45 there is no sense in blaming the house, 16:48 that is what happens when the sun goes down. 16:52 Similarly, if the meat goes bad and becomes inedible, 16:56 there is no sense in blaming the meat. 16:58 That is what happens 16:59 when bacteria are left alone to breed. 17:01 The question to ask is, "Where is the salt?" 17:06 Just so, if society deteriorates 17:08 and its standards decline until it becomes 17:10 like a dark night or a stinking fish, 17:13 there is no sense in blaming society, 17:15 that is what happens when selfish men and women 17:18 are left to themselves, 17:20 and human selfishness is unchecked. 17:23 The question to ask is, "Where is the Church? 17:28 Why are the salt and light of Jesus Christ not permeating 17:32 and changing our society?" 17:34 It is sheer hypocrisy on our part 17:36 to raise our eyebrows or shrug our shoulders... 17:42 Sorry or ring our hands, 17:46 the Lord Jesus told us to be salt and light. 17:50 If therefore darkness and rottenness abounds, 17:53 it is largely our fault and we must accept the blame." 17:58 That's powerful, isn't it? 18:01 But that's what Allison calls us to be. 18:03 Not to be apathetic, not to be removed from it, 18:07 but to take the responsibility to be in part of the solution. 18:10 In the first three chapters of Micah, 18:13 we read of God's anger and sorrow 18:15 at the evil His people have done. 18:18 But then in Chapter 7 verses 18 to 20, 18:21 we see is shifting God's anger and harsh messaging 18:24 and we know that He longs to forgive and to restore them. 18:29 He will not remain angry forever. 18:33 This accumulates in our memory text. 18:36 Micah 6:8, a well quoted piece of scripture, 18:40 a formula to live by. 18:43 "He has shown you, O man, what is good. 18:47 And what does the Lord require of you? 18:49 To do justly, to love mercy 18:52 and to walk humbly with your God." 18:56 It's interesting to note 18:57 that as the people moved further away from God, 18:59 their selfishness and exploitive ways increased 19:03 and they became more unjust. 19:06 But as we are drawn closer to God, 19:09 what we see is a greater concern 19:11 for our neighbor. 19:12 The marginalized is increased. 19:14 It is through Christ that we are changed. 19:18 Justice and mercy are not natural. 19:22 But if we walk humbly with our God, 19:25 then that is what actually changes us. 19:28 We often think of repentances, confession 19:30 and turning away from sin in our personal lives. 19:34 But have we considered that 19:36 this might also include realizing 19:38 and acknowledging our complicity with, 19:41 and sometimes even benefit from larger evils in the world 19:45 with broken systems and relationships, 19:48 and in seeking to reform them 19:51 as we have influence and resources. 19:55 We often think of Sodom as a city so full 19:57 of debauchery and immorality that God had to destroy it. 20:02 And we think, we could never be like that. 20:06 But then, let's read Ezekiel, 20:09 and in Ezekiel 16:49, he reads, 20:14 "Now this is the sin of your sister Sodom: 20:18 She and her sisters were arrogant, 20:22 overfed and unconcerned, 20:24 they did not help the poor or the needy." 20:29 Not quite the sins that come to our mind 20:31 when we talk about Sodom. 20:34 Ezekiel's focus here was on economic injustice 20:38 and the lack of care for the needy. 20:41 How do we equate that with today's society 20:44 where $6 billion is required 20:47 to provide basic education for all, 20:50 yet it never happens. 20:51 But Americans spent $8 billion per year on cosmetics. 20:57 It would take $11 billion 21:00 to provide water and sanitation for all, 21:03 yet it never happens. 21:04 But Europeans spend $11 billion per year on ice cream. 21:11 It would take $13 billion 21:13 to provide basic health care and nutrition to all, 21:17 yet it never happens. 21:18 But globally, 21:20 we spend $780 billion per year on military. 21:25 How about values in this? 21:27 I would like to point out 21:28 that I am a strong believer in a power of prayer. 21:32 But too often we find it easier to pray 21:35 that the poor friend's needs might be met. 21:39 When God placed us here to be the solution, 21:42 and gave us the resources to be the solution. 21:46 Ezekiel in Chapter 34 21:48 compares the corrupt ladies of Israel 21:50 with God's own shepherding, 21:52 giving us an insight into the difference 21:54 from the way that men rules 21:56 and how God would use us, have us served. 22:00 Now you know, in all of the prophets 22:01 that we've studied is probably stronger things 22:04 that I could use for the text. 22:06 But this section of scripture, 22:07 I think, just gives us the comparison 22:10 between man's way and God's way, 22:12 and the way that He would have us. 22:14 So reading in Ezekiel Chapter 34, 22:17 starting in verse 1, 22:18 "The word of the Lord came to me: 22:21 'Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, 22:25 prophesy and say to them: 22:27 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: 22:30 Woe to the shepherds of Israel 22:32 who only take care of yourselves! 22:34 Should not shepherds take care of the flock? 22:36 You eat the curds, 22:38 clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice lambs, 22:41 but you do not take care of the flock. 22:45 You have not strengthened the weak 22:47 or healed the sick or bound up the injured. 22:50 You have not brought back the strays 22:51 or searched for the lost. 22:53 You have ruled them harshly and brutally. 22:56 Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 23:00 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, 23:03 because my flock lacks a shepherd 23:07 and so has been plundered 23:08 and has become food for all the wild animals, 23:12 and because my shepherds did not search for my flock 23:15 but cared for themselves rather than for my flock, 23:18 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 23:22 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: 23:24 I am against the shepherds 23:26 and will hold them accountable for my flock. 23:28 I will remove them from tending the flock 23:31 so the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. 23:34 I will rescue my flock from their mouths, 23:37 and it will no longer be food to them. 23:40 For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: 23:42 I myself will search for my sheep 23:44 and look after them. 23:46 As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock 23:49 when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. 23:52 I will rescue them from all the places 23:55 where they were scattered 23:56 on a day of clouds and darkness. 23:59 I will bring them out of the nations 24:01 and gather them for the countries, 24:02 I will bring them into their land. 24:05 I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, 24:07 in the ravines, 24:08 in all the settlements of the land. 24:11 I will tend them in a good pasture, 24:13 and the mountain heights of Israel 24:15 will be their grazing land. 24:16 They will lie down in good grazing land, 24:19 and they will feed in a rich pasture 24:21 on the mountains of Israel. 24:23 I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, 24:26 declares the Sovereign Lord. 24:28 I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. 24:32 I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, 24:35 but the sleek and strong I will destroy. 24:39 I will shepherd the flock with justice." 24:43 Powerful words when you look at the contrast, aren't they? 24:46 How do we rule? 24:48 God has called us to be shepherds 24:50 but not to be shepherds 24:51 as in the world would have us lead, 24:54 but to be true shepherds in a manner that He is. 24:58 Isaiah starts off the same 25:00 as the other prophets mourning what has been lost. 25:03 He urges the people to remember 25:05 what God has done for them and offers them hope 25:07 for what God wants for them in the future. 25:11 Starts in Isaiah 1:2 with a cry... 25:18 "Listen, O heavens! 25:21 Pay attention earth, this is what the Lord says, 25:25 'The children I raised and cared for 25:28 have rebelled against me.'" 25:30 You get the urgency of the call here. 25:33 In verses 16 and 17, "Wash yourselves to be clean. 25:37 Get your sins out of my sight, give up your evil ways, 25:41 learn to do good, seek justice, help the oppressed, 25:46 defend the cause of the orphans, 25:49 fight for the rights of the widows." 25:52 In Chapters 58 and 59, 25:54 Isaiah specifically returns to the concerned for justice. 25:58 He again describes the society 26:00 in which justice is driven back, 26:02 righteousness stands at a distance. 26:05 Truth is stumbled in the street. 26:07 Honesty cannot enter. 26:10 He describes the faith community 26:11 that concerns itself with rituals of worship, 26:14 but lacks the conviction of true worship 26:17 which transforms them 26:19 and gives them responsibility to the care 26:21 for the marginalized and the lost. 26:24 But he also affirms that God will rescue them, 26:29 that ultimately the Redeemer will come. 26:32 He proclaims the Messiah as one 26:35 who ultimately reestablished God's reign on earth 26:39 and will bring justice, mercy, healing 26:42 and restoration with Him. 26:44 When we all look at the brokenness 26:46 that we see in a world, 26:47 we just long for that healing that's coming, don't we? 26:50 You know all of us has assembled here today 26:53 are here because we've heard the cries of the poor, 26:56 the oppressed 26:57 and those in need of the healing touch 26:59 that only God can bring. 27:01 Yet for all our good works and faithfulness, 27:03 we are still overwhelmed with the enormity 27:06 of poverty and brokenness. 27:09 If not for the promise that God does hear, 27:12 the God does care, 27:14 and in the end, His justice will prevail. 27:19 And all we would may knew we would be discouraged. 27:22 As humans we tend to limit things 27:24 to our resources, our skills, 27:28 but it is only when we learn to trust in God 27:31 that we find peace in knowing that He has a plan. 27:36 You know, the reason 27:38 for developing this lesson series 27:39 was to address the perceived divide 27:41 between Matthew 28 and Matthew 25. 27:45 There is no true gospel or a social gospel. 27:50 There is only one gospel 27:52 and it brings complete healing to all, 27:55 restoring all relationships. 27:58 We are one in a body of Christ. 28:01 We may bring different skills and ministries, some will sow, 28:04 some will heal, some will reap. 28:07 When I walk through the exhibition hall here 28:09 at the ASI Convention, 28:11 I'm impressed by the wholeness of the gospel 28:13 and the oneness that we all find 28:15 by being joined together in the body of Christ. 28:19 Different parts just as the body 28:20 has different parts and different organs 28:22 that all perform a different service, 28:25 but as together that we create one body 28:28 ascended in Christ. 28:30 But you know, we have spoken a lot this morning 28:33 about the cries of the prophets and drawn parallels 28:36 between the excesses of the societies 28:38 of the Old Testament and society of today. 28:42 But let me share with you a story of the reality of today 28:46 and put a phase to all that we've talked about. 28:51 The window is my favorite place to sit. 28:58 I like to watch the kids on their way to school. 29:04 Best of all, I get to be the first 29:07 to see my mama when she comes back for me. 29:52 Mama said, "I have to be a big girl." 30:00 I wonder when I can go to school. 30:04 Maybe, I will go to big city instead. 30:20 Maybe, I will be surrounded by beautiful dresses. 30:28 And maybe, when I'm older 30:31 I will get to wear one of those beautiful dresses. 30:50 And maybe, one day 30:53 I will find a family to care for me. 31:02 And maybe, I will even find my mother again. 31:08 And maybe, I won't have to wait by the window anymore. 32:02 Or... 32:03 maybe... 32:05 Maybe I will have a new family. 32:14 And I will have my own bed 32:20 and new clothes to wear. 32:24 And I will finally go to school. 32:30 Apinya! 32:35 And I will get many books to read 32:40 and many beautiful dresses to wear. 32:44 And I will have a safe place 32:47 to discover what I love to do. 32:53 And I will learn 32:55 that girls have rights, too. 33:00 And one day, I will even go to the big school in the city. 33:11 And after that, maybe my path will lead me 33:16 to big dreams in faraway place. 33:21 And maybe my story will touch lives wherever I go. 33:27 But no matter what happens, 33:30 I will always come home to my family. 33:56 You know, I don't know about you 33:58 but often when I see inspirational stories 34:02 like that, I think, 34:04 "So what's happening to them today?" 34:07 "Where are they right now?" 34:09 And so I'd like to invite Apinya and Sunita 34:13 who's the coordinator for the Keep Girls Safe program 34:16 to come onto stage. 34:25 Apinya, tell me about your life at Keep Girls Safe? 34:33 I have learned many things. 34:45 I have learned to live with many ethnic minority group 34:49 at Keep Girls Safe. 34:51 Example they are from Hmong, Akha, Lahu. 34:59 And I'm from Akha tribe. 35:05 And I've also learned life skill at Keep Girls Safe. 35:11 And so when you reflect on your time at the center, 35:14 what do you see as a most beneficial thing 35:16 that you've got from living there? 35:23 The Keep Girls Safe project is like a second home to me. 35:28 It's a safe home for me. 35:34 I have a chance to study and it give me bright future. 35:43 The most important thing is I learned to know God 35:47 and I learned to know him each day. 35:52 And so, Apinya, I understand 35:54 that also that you took a decision for baptism? 36:02 Yes, I was baptized when I was 12 years old. 36:08 And so, Apinya, 36:10 what is your life hold for you now? 36:12 What are you doing right now? 36:23 Currently, I'm studying in university 36:26 at Greater Mekong University in Chiang Rai Province. 36:29 I'm taking accounting. 36:31 Wow. 36:37 And also the Keep Girls Safe project 36:39 also find a sponsor to support me 36:41 to university degree. 36:44 And thank you all for your generosity 36:46 to make that possible. 36:52 So, Sunita, 36:55 what do you see is the impact 36:57 for programs like this in Thailand? 37:01 The program like this is a big impact for us. 37:06 And the problem in Thailand is really big, is even bigger 37:11 and the life that we save the girls like Apinya, 37:17 is even rewarding to us. 37:22 And so, you know, you have left the project 37:25 and you've come back to it at a few times, 37:27 you started it, what keeps drawing you back? 37:30 Yes, I have left the project several times 37:33 and to Bangkok, 37:36 to the city where I think I can earn a lot of money, 37:40 but that is not what I want, 37:42 so when there is a call for this position, 37:48 I just applied for ADRA again. 37:51 And this project, I would say, Jonathan, 37:53 is very close to my heart, 37:56 and I started this project about 14 or 15 years ago 38:02 when the problem is very bad in Thailand, 38:04 in northern of Thailand 38:06 where in the faraway 38:10 remote hill tribe 38:14 because of poverty, 38:16 they don't have the money 38:20 to fend for themselves, 38:22 so they sells their daughter to the big cities 38:26 so they work as a prostitutes or work at... 38:30 You can see in the videos either child labor. 38:34 So that's make me very sad 38:36 and then I want to come back 38:38 and help this project. 38:42 You yourself have a story and a journey, 38:44 you weren't always an Adventist. 38:46 And tell us a little bit 38:47 about what actually drives you personally? 38:52 I myself, I'm not a Seventh-day Adventist, 38:56 but my aunty is a Seventh-day Adventist, 39:00 and I'm from a broken home 39:03 and my aunty took me 39:07 to her home. 39:10 And...Yeah. 39:14 And she gave me this opportunity 39:17 that I can study English 39:20 and then come back to Thailand and help the girls. 39:23 Yeah. 39:24 And so this is the journey. 39:31 This is the journey started for Sunita 39:34 from coming from a broken home to being left with a relative 39:39 who was an Adventist lady who influenced her, 39:42 who helped her to find and discover God. 39:44 And then with the change that takes place 39:46 within each of us 39:47 when we discover that and make our commitment 39:50 drove her to look for other girls. 39:53 And that's what motivates all of us really, isn't it? 39:55 So, Sunita, we just wanna thank you 39:57 for the great passion, 39:58 the vision that God's placed in your heart, 40:00 the way you've heard His message, 40:02 in a way you have touched the lives 40:03 of so many girls. 40:05 And, Apinya, your story is so inspirational to us. 40:08 But, you know, 40:09 we can give people opportunities 40:11 that doesn't mean that they take those opportunities 40:13 and when someone allows us in their life, 40:16 it's a precious gift to allow us 40:17 to be part of a person's life. 40:19 And so we just wanna thank you for allowing us 40:22 to be a part of your life as well 40:23 and thank you, both of you. 40:25 Thank You. 40:35 You know, I would like to invite 40:37 each of your attending here today 40:38 to drop by the ADRA booth. 40:41 And we have a free copy of this book 40:44 "For The Least of These" 40:46 for you, it's the companion guide 40:47 to this quarter's lesson, 40:49 so please drop by and for those of you 40:52 who are watching on the TV today, 40:54 if you are from the United States, 40:57 you can go to adra.org/least-book, 41:01 and request a copy of that and we will send that to you. 41:06 You know, this is an issue which I believe for us 41:08 as a world church, we need to study. 41:11 You know, we don't want to be complacent such as, 41:14 you know, the children of Israel, 41:16 the churches in the past, 41:18 we don't want to be the victims of society. 41:20 It challenges us to be in a solution. 41:24 That's what, what challenged to be, 41:25 not to be apathetic, not to be spectators, 41:28 but to be part of the solution. 41:30 And in closing, I would like to remind you 41:32 that our church is being blessed 41:33 by a modern prophet 41:35 who threw her sermons and writings 41:37 like the prophets of old calls us 41:39 to step away from the selfish, 41:41 exploitative ways of the world 41:43 and become agents of hope and healing to the brokenness 41:48 of the societies in which we live. 41:50 Ellen White in her Thoughts 41:52 From the Mounts of Blessing says, 41:54 "The standard of the Golden rule 41:56 is a true standard of Christianity. 41:58 Anything short of it is a deception. 42:01 A religion that leads men 42:02 to place a lowest met upon human beings 42:05 who Christ is esteemed to such value 42:07 as to give himself for them. 42:09 A religion that would lead us to be careless of human needs, 42:12 sufferings, or rights, is a spurious religion. 42:16 In slighting the claims of the poor, 42:18 the suffering, and the sinful, 42:19 we are proving ourselves traitors to Christ. 42:22 It is because men take upon themselves 42:24 the name of Christ, 42:26 while in life they deny His character, 42:28 that Christianity has so little power 42:32 in the world." 42:34 Challenging words, aren't they? 42:36 Elder A G Daniels who would spend much 42:39 of his ministry career in partnership with Ellen White 42:42 at her funeral speaking of her life and her writings, 42:45 said this, "No is the social status 42:48 of the human family lost sight of. 42:51 Slavery, the caste system, unjust racial prejudice, 42:55 the oppression of the poor, the neglect of the unfortunate 42:59 are set forth as unchristian and a serious menace 43:03 to the well being of the human race. 43:05 And as evils which the church of Christ 43:07 is appointed by her Lord to overthrow." 43:13 Powerful challenge, 43:14 a lasting legacy that she left with us. 43:17 You know in closing, 43:18 I would like you to contemplate this anonymous quote, 43:22 "Sometimes I would like to ask God 43:24 why he allows poverty, suffering, and injustice 43:28 when he could do something about it?" 43:31 "So why don't you ask him," you say? 43:33 Well, because I'm afraid 43:36 he would ask me the same question. 43:39 Let's bow our heads in prayer. 43:43 Father, we pray this morning that our hearts might be broken 43:46 by the things that break Your heart. 43:48 In our brokenness, 43:50 we ask that Your healing and restoration 43:52 might fill us and restore us. 43:55 But our prayer this morning is not just for ourselves. 43:57 Lord, we desire to do justice and to love mercy. 44:02 But we realize that we cannot do that 44:04 if we don't first humbly walk with You. 44:07 So here this morning, 44:08 we dedicate ourselves to you, Lord. 44:11 We ask that You might come in, that you might shape us, 44:14 that you might mould us to be more in Your image. 44:17 We know that this is not part of our normal nature. 44:22 And, Father, I thank You for all the wonderful ways 44:24 that You've blessed the many ministries 44:26 represented here today, 44:28 and those that are not able 44:30 to be here today 44:31 and pray for your continued blessing. 44:33 We dedicate ourselves 44:35 to being your agents of hope and healing 44:37 and look forward to the day that You will return, 44:41 that Your justice will prevail 44:44 and all will be made new in Your image. 44:48 And until that time, Father, 44:50 we just think of the brokenness that exists, 44:53 we think of the brokenness that exists 44:56 even in this room today of people 44:57 who've come to see healing, Lord. 44:59 Make us Your agents of healing. 45:01 Open our eyes to the possibilities 45:03 that You have before us, Lord. 45:05 Help us to be able to be your agent 45:08 is our fervent prayer, Lord. 45:11 Amen. |
Revised 2021-02-08