Participants:
Series Code: CII
Program Code: CII102021S
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00:01 Child Impact International is an organization
00:03 that gives hope and fosters permanent, 00:05 positive change in the lives of disadvantaged children 00:08 and their communities. 00:11 Countries include Zambia, Kenya, India, Nepal, 00:17 Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar. 00:20 Child impacts investment in the lives 00:22 of more than 3,500 children 00:24 continues to yield infinite returns. 00:27 Outreach spans from child rescue operations to providing 00:30 an education and a home for deaf and blind children 00:34 and orphans. 00:35 Above all, Child Impacts sponsors give hope to the ones 00:39 who need it the most. 00:45 Hi. I'm Jim Rennie from Child Impact International. 00:50 And I just wanted to take a moment to update 00:52 you on the field in regards to the challenges that we faced 00:56 with COVID. 00:58 In India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, 01:01 unfortunately, it's been pretty bad. 01:04 And it's still is. 01:06 Many of our staff and teachers in the schools that we serve 01:10 and also church pastors and church workers 01:13 have caught the virus. 01:15 And sadly, some are passed away. 01:18 To be honest, it's been a real challenge. 01:21 Most of the schools are still closed. 01:24 But I'm excited to announce that in the next two weeks, 01:27 the schools in India are starting to reopen. 01:31 Your ongoing support during this crisis has made 01:35 a real difference. 01:37 It's made a difference in the lives of the children. 01:40 It's made a difference in the lives of the teachers. 01:42 But your ongoing support 01:44 is really going to ensure that some of these mission 01:48 schools do remain open. 01:51 Your contribution to the Rice, Health, 01:54 and Education appeal has had a big impact. 01:58 It has enabled us to distribute over 20,000 sacks 02:02 of rice to our children, to the teaching staff, 02:07 and to the pastors. 02:08 Many of these workers have not been paid or are on half wages. 02:13 So your generous giving 02:16 has had a real impact on their lives. 02:19 During this time, 02:20 the where needed most fund has been very well supported. 02:24 And it's enabled us to keep working in these difficult 02:28 areas during the virus crisis. 02:31 And just at our last meeting, 02:33 last Sunday, 02:35 we voted $90,000 to help some urgently needed 02:39 projects for our mission schools in Bangladesh, 02:43 we will implement these when the schools open. 02:47 And we're now seeing the side effects 02:49 or the downside of COVID. 02:51 And in India, there are thousands 02:53 of COVID orphans. 02:56 These are children 02:57 who have lost both parents or one parent, 03:00 and they're unable to cope anymore. 03:04 These kids are often rejected by the rest 03:06 of the society or the village. 03:09 And we're just so excited that we've been able to take 03:12 40 of these COVID orphans into our home at Sunrise, 03:17 and we're looking at ways of working 03:19 with the government to support many more of them. 03:22 We see it as a big opportunity 03:24 and a new project for Operation Child Rescue, 03:28 and we're just so excited about this. 03:31 Some of you may know that I'm stepping down as CEO, 03:35 and I'll be returning to my home country in New Zealand. 03:39 And I just want to thank you each one for the support 03:42 that you have given me and Child Impact over 14 years, 03:47 you've seen the organization grow, 03:50 and we simply couldn't have done it without you, 03:53 the donor, you the sponsor. 03:55 And I'm just so proud of what we've achieved. 03:58 But I'm just so grateful to your generosity, 04:02 and the blessings of the Lord. 04:05 Well, today, I'm very excited that I can introduce 04:08 the new Child Impact international CEO, Tom Evans. 04:13 Tom, welcome to Child Impact. 04:16 Thank you, Jim. 04:17 I just want to clarify something though. 04:19 You said that you're stepping down, 04:21 but you're actually not stepping away. 04:23 We have met as a board 04:25 and we would really like to have you 04:26 continue in a role in particularly 04:29 with India and Bangladesh. 04:30 Can you share a little bit about that? 04:33 Yes, in these countries, 04:35 we are facing a lot of change a lot of challenges. 04:39 And so we want to conduct a full review 04:42 of our education program of our sponsorship program. 04:47 There are challenges with government regulation, 04:51 with standards of education, political issues. 04:55 And so my job will be to conduct a review 05:00 and to make recommendations to the Child Impact board. 05:04 I've been operating in those fields now for 14 years. 05:07 And so I'm excited to take on this challenge 05:10 because it's really needed at this time. 05:13 And, Jim, I'm looking forward to journeying with 05:16 you in that and having the benefit 05:18 of all of your knowledge of each of these projects. 05:21 Thanks, Tom, and I can continue to support you 05:26 and your role as well. 05:28 So tell us about Tom Evans. 05:30 Sure. 05:32 Look, I always start out by saying I was born in Texas, 05:35 you know, because everything's bigger in Texas, right? 05:39 But grew up in the Northwest. 05:41 So that's where the accent is from 05:42 and had an opportunity to attend Adventist schools. 05:47 What a blessing. 05:48 I remember, I went to public school for one day, Jim, 05:51 and I got kicked out the first day of school. 05:53 So they called my parents to come pick him up. 05:55 So that's when I started my Adventist education. 05:57 It's a big story, but I won't go there. 05:59 But in any case, it's a blessing. 06:01 And we're so blessed to have those opportunities. 06:04 I was able to attend Newbold College 06:05 over in England as well, 06:07 and graduated from Walla Walla University, 06:10 and then also a couple times from Andrews University. 06:12 Right. 06:14 And tell us about your family. 06:15 Sure. That's the most important part. 06:18 I have three grown daughters. And we have... 06:21 They live in Texas, and I have two boys 06:24 that are both in high school in academy. 06:28 But that wasn't enough. 06:29 We just adopted two boys from an orphanage in Latvia. 06:31 Wow. Yeah. 06:33 And we really went out because they're both... 06:37 One is 13 and one is 12. 06:38 So we get to enjoy them for their whole teenage years. 06:42 We've known the boys for a while, 06:44 they visited during Christmas and summers. 06:47 And we finally been able to get that adoption pulled together. 06:51 Tom, tell us about the roles that you've held 06:54 before coming into this new position. 06:56 Sure. 06:57 I've been a pastor, local church pastor, 06:59 church planting has been a big passion of mine, 07:01 starting new churches. 07:03 And during our time in Texas, there as a departmental leader, 07:07 we planted 114 churches in nine years. 07:09 So that was quite an adventure and exciting. 07:12 But I went from there to teach at the seminary 07:14 at Andrews University. 07:16 The interesting thing though, 07:17 and how does that all relate to Child Impact 07:19 is whatever role that I've been in, 07:22 I've really, my desire, my heart 07:24 is to look for those individuals 07:26 that are marginalized, neglected. 07:29 And so working with refugees or single moms 07:33 or sponsoring children, whatever that may be. 07:35 That's always been part of my heart 07:37 and part of the ministry I've been involved in. 07:40 Wow. 07:41 And what do you see is the future? 07:44 What excites you about Child Impact? 07:46 And what do you see as the future? 07:49 First of all, I think Child Impact is a great name. 07:52 I also like the name Operation Child Rescue because I think 07:55 in the name Child Impact, it really encapsulates 07:59 what is being done, 08:00 it's making a difference in the life of a child. 08:03 And that difference begins, 08:05 you know, with their Adventist Mission School experience, 08:07 but it extends to their family, and it gives them a whole 08:11 different direction for their life. 08:13 So I'm very excited about the mission, 08:15 what Child Impact represents in terms 08:18 of coming to this role. 08:21 For me, it's exciting to see an alignment between 08:24 my personal passion, my personal life, and my family 08:27 and what we represent and believe in, 08:30 and the professional experience of working with Child Impact. 08:33 So that alignment is very exciting to be able to spend 08:37 time doing ministry in a way that makes 08:41 a difference for children. 08:43 I'm excited about that. And 08:45 Operation Child Rescue is going to be a key part 08:49 of our growth moving forward. 08:52 Just tell us about what do you think 08:54 of Operation Child Rescue and where it will go? 08:57 Well, it was very interesting because as I took on this role, 09:01 people will be asking me, 09:02 "Well, what does Child Impact do?" 09:04 And I would talk about sponsorship 09:05 and the schools in different countries. 09:09 But as soon as I mentioned, human trafficking, 09:12 the Child Impact is involved in helping to stop 09:15 these injustices, this blight on our planet 09:18 of human trafficking. 09:20 The level of interest in that is extremely high. 09:23 And I find even young adults, college students, 09:27 this is something that they want to make a difference 09:29 with this particular area. 09:31 And so the fact that Child Impact 09:33 is involved in human trafficking in various ways, 09:36 whether it be slave labor or abandoned babies 09:39 or vulnerable children, due to being COVID orphans 09:41 or even more specifically, sex trafficking. 09:45 The fact that we're involved in those areas, 09:48 I think, really is a chance to raise public 09:53 awareness to this need, and to begin to see it 09:57 and make a difference for these kids that really 09:59 have been imprisoned against their will 10:02 and to bring them freedom. 10:03 I mean, what a biblical responsibility, 10:06 we have to look out for these kinds of children. 10:10 That's right. 10:11 Well, the board are very excited, 10:13 the staff are very excited, 10:15 the field are very excited that Tom's come on board. 10:18 And it will allow me to focus on a big need 10:22 of the challenges we face in the field. 10:25 And I will also give you, 10:27 the supporter's confidence that we're adding resources, 10:31 and then we're going to continue to grow. 10:34 We live in difficult times, 10:35 and we just ask for your prayers, 10:38 as we face new challenges, new leadership, 10:41 and especially for the appealed and where we operate. 10:45 Jim, I want to say a special 10:46 thank you to you for your leadership 10:49 with Child Impact. 10:51 I've come to an organization to be a part of it that is, 10:54 well run, ministry-focused, 10:57 putting resources into the field 10:58 where it matters most. 11:00 I'm so excited for the various projects that Child Impact 11:04 is involved in helping blind children, deaf children, 11:07 orphans, COVID orphans, Operation Child Rescue. 11:10 There's so much happening, 11:12 and there's so much more that can happen. 11:14 So I want to just take this moment to say 11:16 thank you to you as donors, 11:19 you have made all this possible. 11:21 There's so much more we can do. 11:22 But it isn't possible without your support and help. 11:25 So thank you for your generosity over the years, 11:28 I pray that will continue. 11:30 And we will keep you updated 11:31 as we see many more opportunities to make 11:34 a difference in the life of children. 11:40 We just want to share with you 11:41 some work that we're doing with the COVID crisis in India. 11:46 Unfortunately, one of the side effects 11:48 of thousands of people dying in India from the virus 11:52 is that there are now what's called COVID orphans. 11:57 These children are children 11:58 who have lost both parents or one parent, 12:02 and that parent is either old or invalid or simply 12:07 can't cope anymore. 12:09 The Indian government 12:10 reports that there could be up to 10,000 COVID orphans. 12:15 And the other problem with these kids 12:17 is that they get rejected by the family, 12:20 they get rejected by the society. 12:23 And so we're excited that we can help with this program. 12:27 And we've taken 40 COVID orphans into Sunrise 12:32 and to Operation Child Rescue. 12:35 And Tom is here, Tom, 12:36 this is an exciting project that we can do. 12:39 It is. 12:40 And just the fact that the government said, 12:43 "Can you help?" 12:44 And that we had the space at this moment in time 12:47 to be able to do that. 12:48 And I believe that there'll be additional needs 12:51 as this moves forward. 12:52 But, yeah, we've put that under the umbrella 12:55 of operation child rescue. 12:57 And certainly, there's a need right 12:58 now to participate in that program. 13:02 Yes, it's very exciting that we can help these children. 13:05 And in fact, we're looking for other ways in which we can 13:08 work with the government to assist 13:10 these children in the crisis. 13:13 What will happen is that we will 13:15 keep them for at least three months 13:18 and in that time, we will assess their real needs 13:21 with their family, 13:22 and they may return to family, 13:24 they may return to the community, 13:27 or we may accept them into Sunrise Home 13:30 as full-time residents and then they can be sponsored. 13:34 We're so excited that Operation 13:36 Child Rescue can really take a stand, 13:40 take a position in helping these children in need. 13:43 And we're working with the Indian government 13:45 and using the resources 13:47 of the Sunrise to make a difference. 13:50 If you would like to be involved in helping 13:52 with COVID orphans, 13:54 the way to do that is to contribute 13:56 to Operation Child Rescue. 13:57 You can find that at childimpact.org 14:00 and simply donate to Operation Child Rescue. 14:03 Thank you. |
Revised 2023-01-17