Participants: Jeff Reich
Series Code: LM
Program Code: LM000150A
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00:35 On this mission trip, we're going to take you
00:37 to the city of Chennai in South India. 00:40 Then from there, 00:42 we will be taking an all night train 00:43 to the town of Nazareth 00:45 located in the southeastern tip of India. 01:32 I haven't ride in the trains in India 01:34 for probably about 10 years. 01:37 We always drive where we are going, 01:38 so we decided we will take a train trip 01:40 down to southern tip, east tip of India 01:44 to see the orphanage. 01:47 I've been riding in the trains for almost 44 years in India. 01:51 I don't think these trains have changed at all 01:53 and I think this is probably the same ones 01:55 we used like about 24 years ago. 02:03 Riding on the train have some interesting features 02:06 like using the bathroom. 02:08 If you have to go to the bathroom 02:10 this is where you go. 02:12 Check it out. 02:20 Yeah, that's kind of, it's just a hole, 02:23 it goes down on to the railroad tracks. 02:27 These trains aren't very clean. 02:33 The train is a little bit crowded 02:34 but this is where you sleep for the night. 02:36 They have all these different beds. 02:39 They fold up sort of like chairs 02:41 but when everybody gets tired they unlink them 02:44 and it's where you sleep. 03:11 I have a feeling it's going to be a long night. 03:53 It's a long train ride last night. 03:56 I think we spent 14 hours on this train, 04:00 bouncing all over the place. 04:11 Traveling with my wife Christy and I 04:14 are Pastor Johnson and his wife Ruby, 04:17 plus Pastor Shadrach Samuel. 04:21 I found it strange that 04:22 there is a town called Nazareth in India. 04:34 This man must have been a parking lot employee. 04:57 It's a little bit crowded, just a little bit. 04:59 Not too bad. 05:03 We get on, only a five minutes taxi ride here, 05:06 so it's not too bad. 05:27 This is the hundred year church over here, 05:30 and I think we will be staying right here 05:32 for the night day before the weekend. 05:35 We were all amazed that this family 05:37 who are gone on vacation allowed us to stay 05:40 in their beautiful home for a few days. 05:42 This house had to be over 100 years old 05:44 and was built like a fortress. 05:47 In our last television program on India 05:49 called The Legacy Continues, 05:50 we shared with you about this Adventist church. 05:53 It's the oldest Adventist church 05:54 in South India. 05:56 On the same campus is a large fabulous church school, 05:58 and this is where the orphan kids 06:00 are going to school. 06:02 They have a chance to receive a quality education here. 06:08 It was early in the morning when we were there, 06:11 some of the students were cleaning the campus 06:13 before all the children arrive for classes. 06:15 This school is large and dates back decades. 06:19 We're so happy our orphanage is nearby. 06:22 This little van was donated to the ministry here last, 06:25 probably about 19 months ago 06:28 and they use it for shuttling the children back and forth. 06:30 Really a blessing, these people came from America 06:33 and they are an Indian and they saw the need here 06:35 and they helped us out with this. 06:46 We headed out to see the orphanage 06:48 which was about a 20 minute drive from the school. 07:28 One year ago, we produced a television program 07:30 about this building that was donated 07:32 to Laymen Ministries, 07:33 how we wanted to start an orphanage here. 07:35 While the orphanage is up and running, 07:36 we've added on some of additions 07:38 to the building to be able to comply with the government. 07:41 And we'd like to share with you about 07:42 what's happened with this exciting project 07:44 with the orphanage here in India. 08:32 These were the buildings as we receive them 08:34 one year ago, 08:35 in the front is a small church 08:37 and the rest was used as a community center. 08:40 We added a second story to comply with the government 08:42 to make the needed space for running an orphanage. 08:45 The government officials are praising us 08:47 for our standards. 08:49 Our director Moses Samuel grew up in an orphanage. 08:52 Here's a little bit of his story. 08:55 Some Christian people, they came to our village 08:58 to collect people, students for their home, 09:04 their newly started orphanage. 09:06 So, I also had an opportunity to join 09:11 that orphanage home. 09:14 And that is how I was brought up. 09:18 And when I was growing in that home, 09:22 I was taught about Jesus Christ, 09:24 His love, His dedication, His sacrifice. 09:28 And so, in that, my childhood age itself, 09:32 I had developed an idea to serve the poor 09:36 when I grew up. 09:38 So, I have been doing this service, 09:42 I have been doing this service for about 25 years. 09:48 After school was dismissed that afternoon, 09:51 the students return back to the orphanage. 09:54 Prayer is made a center part of their lives. 10:00 We were excited about meeting the children 10:02 and we found out 10:04 they were excited about meeting us, 10:06 but before we could get to know each other 10:08 they had responsibilities. 10:10 They have to put their backpacks away 10:12 and prepare for their afternoon chores. 10:15 What's your name? Santosh. 10:17 See, Santosh. 10:23 Each child has a locker, 10:24 tub or bag to hold their personal belongings. 10:28 They are taught orderliness, cleanliness, 10:30 and to keep their things well organized 10:33 and their clothes folded. 10:35 Right now, they have to change 10:37 from their school uniforms into something more casual. 10:42 These boys had laundry hanging on top of the main building. 10:49 Before their afternoon chores, they were given a snack. 10:52 We have a nice clean kitchen to provide nutritious meals. 11:05 Ruby, Pastor Johnson's wife 11:07 share some special healthy treats with the boys. 11:20 After their snack, 11:22 they all have their designated responsibilities. 11:25 Work is essential to learning good ethics. 11:30 We were told a number of orphanages in South India 11:33 were recently closed down due to poor hygiene, 11:37 uncleanly conditions, and even abuse. 11:40 The government officials told us 11:42 how our facility was one of the nicest they had seen 11:45 and that we were doing things the right way. 11:50 Agriculture is a big part of our plan. 11:52 We had one donor give money specifically for trees, 11:55 shrubs, and flowers. 11:57 He said he wanted the kids to have a little taste of Eden 12:00 at our facility. 12:02 All of those items are now planted. 12:05 We are also preparing to grow a lot of our own food. 12:08 We find the children are happiest 12:10 when they have responsibilities. 12:17 Our Director Moses Samuel shared with us 12:19 the orphanage's meticulous book-keeping 12:22 and how every rupee is accounted for. 12:25 He told us government agencies watch very closely 12:28 the financial operations of orphanages. 12:30 He showed us the various licenses 12:32 we had to obtain 12:34 from different departments of the government. 12:36 Besides running the orphanage 12:38 we have community outreach programs 12:40 such as tailoring courses for the poor women 12:42 in the local villages 12:44 and computer classes for the youth. 12:46 These courses are held at various times of the year 12:49 and draw a lot of people to our project. 12:58 Sabbath is a high time for the kids 13:00 as they get to lead out in worship services. 13:04 Every Sabbath, adults and children 13:06 from local villages come here to worship God. 13:09 We have an interesting mixture of people, some Adventists, 13:12 some of other Christian faiths and even some are Hindu. 13:24 Children will sing a special number. 13:56 The Sabbath school class is full of young children. 13:59 Sabbath is a special time for all involved. 14:12 I have three of the boys 14:14 that are staying here at the orphanage 14:15 and we're going to go visit a village 14:18 where the mothers of these boys live, 14:20 and one of the boys here named Santosh 14:23 and Santosh's mother is living in a village right now, 14:27 it's kind of an interesting story 14:28 but we want to just kind of give you an idea 14:30 where some of the children have come from 14:32 that are going to the orphanage here. 14:33 So we're going to head out right now 14:35 and try to find his mother if we can do that. 14:39 Okay. 14:41 You're ready. 14:43 We're ready. 15:10 Okay. 15:13 This is supposed to be the village. 15:17 You ready to get out? 15:19 Are you? 15:22 We are going to try to find Santosh's mother. 15:24 She had to actually flee from the village she was in, 15:27 and I'll explain that in a little bit, 15:29 and she ended up moving to this area. 15:33 And these two boys are from this village right here 15:35 and Santosh's mothers in this village now too. 15:37 When pastor is trying to get in touch with 15:40 where the mothers at 15:41 because I've read the history of each one of the children, 15:43 it's really heartbreaking, 15:45 each one of them has a story of their own. 15:46 Some of the parents have HIV, 15:49 one parent is illiterate and sick 15:50 and the other parent is dead. 15:52 And with Santosh, 15:53 here his dad was a professional coconut tree climber 15:56 and he was climbing up on a coconut tree 15:58 and fell out of the tree and landed on some power lines 16:01 and he was electrocuted and killed, 16:04 and the sad thing was is that 16:06 when the news got back to the village 16:08 where his father was from that his mother 16:11 and the children had to flee from the village 16:13 because the villagers were going to ransack the house 16:15 and take all their personal possessions 16:16 because the father was dead, 16:18 so she had to flee from the area. 16:21 It turned out why did it happen as his mother got in touch 16:23 with an Adventist pastor somehow 16:25 and they found out about our orphanage 16:27 and he became eligible to actually come here 16:31 and go to our school, so he's going to have an opportunity, 16:33 all these children are going to have an opportunity 16:36 to be able to have a much better life 16:38 because they're going to be able to have an education 16:41 and they're going to have somebody 16:42 who cares for them, takes care of them, 16:43 and it's a lot of really hopeless situations here 16:47 in India and this, their stories 16:49 are just a fraction of the kind of stories 16:51 that happen in some of these remote village areas. 16:54 So let's go see if we can find your mom. 16:57 This is where your mother's been living? 16:59 Here? 17:03 Santosh just found his mom pastor's bringer 17:06 and he hasn't seen her for a while. 17:09 Unfortunately the mother's illiterate, 17:11 it's really common in a lot of these villages. 17:13 Some of the students 17:14 when they came to the orphanage, 17:16 they were illiterate too 17:17 and already they're starting to learn how to speak, 17:18 not only how to read and write in Tamil, 17:21 but they're speaking some English. 17:24 This is his mom. 17:27 Got a chance to meet her. 17:31 How are you? 17:33 Nice to meet you. 17:34 This is your boy, huh? 17:36 Yeah, are you happy that Santosh is going to our school? 17:46 She says she is very happy. 17:48 Oh, good. 17:51 So where are you living now? 17:56 Okay, you want to go to your house? 17:58 Okay. 18:00 Oh, yeah, yeah. 18:02 Just rented the house, huh. 18:07 How old are your sisters, Santosh? 18:10 How old are your sisters? 18:16 Eleven. Eleven years. Very good. 18:19 Are they twins? 18:22 Seven and nine. 18:27 Are they here? 18:30 Let's go back. 18:35 Your sister? Yes. 18:37 Hi, I'm Jeff. 18:40 How are you? I'm fine. 18:42 Yeah. Hello. 18:44 How are you? 18:48 My sister. Your sister, huh? 18:51 That's pretty good that you got to see your sister. 18:54 Little sister. This is the little sister here? 18:56 You are the little sister? I'm Jeff. 18:59 How are you? I'm fine. Thank you. 19:02 Welcome. Nice to meet you. 19:06 A lot of these houses belong to people 19:08 who would have more money that are working in Chennai 19:10 and so she's caretaking this house right now 19:13 and this is not her house. 19:15 A lot of these other houses belong to people 19:17 who apparently go up to the bigger cities 19:19 and get employment, 19:20 so it opens up opportunities for people 19:22 who don't have much money to be able to caretake 19:24 and have rent for really cheap, so... 19:31 Hi, I like your flowers. 19:35 So let's have a word of prayer. 19:38 And then we're going to... 19:40 Are we going to try to find the other boys' mothers? 19:43 Yes. Okay. 19:44 Pastor, would you like to pray or you want me to pray? 19:46 Okay. You pray. 19:47 Okay, I'll pray. 19:50 Father in heaven, Lord, we just thank you 19:51 for this opportunity to be here. 20:16 Next we're trying to locate the mother of Ajay Raja 20:19 who is ten years old. 20:21 Some of these children are what we call semi-orphans. 20:24 They have lost a father 20:26 and the mother is not able to care for the child, 20:28 or in some cases both parents 20:30 while living are not able to care for the child. 20:38 We're trying to find the other boy's mom. 20:41 He's saying that she lives somewhere in this area. 20:44 This area is pretty interesting, 20:45 there's a lot of churches all over, 20:49 the old colonial style churches 20:50 because the Scottish and British 20:52 made them back in 1800s, 20:55 early 1900s trying to Christianize this area 20:57 so there's quite a number of different 20:59 Christian Tamil people in this area. 21:01 And then you drive down the highway, 21:03 you come to an area where there'd be like 21:04 an enclave of Muslims 21:06 and then another area would the Hindus. 21:10 See, if we can find this boy's mom, 21:12 the story of this boy's mother 21:13 and father that we're going to... 21:15 we're finding right now. 21:16 The father died of AIDS, HIV positive. 21:20 The father died when he was 8 years old. 21:24 And the mother is there, 21:25 she is working for a pharmaceutical shop. 21:29 And she doesn't have any house, 21:33 she's living with her mother, 21:36 he's an only boy. 21:40 And the boy's name is? Ajay Raja. 21:42 Ajay's mother, okay. 21:45 Where they able to get in touch with her? 21:47 Yeah. Okay. So she's coming? 21:48 Yeah, she's coming. 21:53 The boy's father died from HIV 21:57 and so the mother now is living with her mother 22:02 and can barely provide for herself 22:05 let alone provide for, taking care of the kids. 22:08 She came. Hi. 22:11 Are you Ajay's mom? 22:14 Give you kind of an idea where they live here. 22:18 This is the rented house for the mother, 22:22 Ajay's mother, Ajay's grandma. 22:25 So she's living with her mother. 22:28 Okay, for protection. 22:30 She's a lady, single lady, husband died, 22:34 so she cannot live alone. 22:36 So she is living with the mother. 22:39 Does she have other children? No. Only one. 22:41 Just only Ajay, and the father died of AIDS. 22:46 Before he went to the home, he was an undisciplined boy. 22:52 What was he doing? 22:54 He was going street by street. 22:57 He's kind of running around? 22:58 Yeah, he was running and by cycle 23:01 he used to go around the streets. 23:03 And making bad friends. 23:04 Using abusive words. 23:09 And she says, "He was using abusive words, 23:13 bad words, and filthy words. " 23:18 And now, he's very good now. 23:22 And he's obeying the mother. 23:27 Earlier they say... 23:36 She says that she didn't believe 23:38 that this boy will become like this. 23:41 She says when he was one-year old, 23:44 his father died, her husband died. 23:47 And Ajay had a problem where he had to have 23:49 a tracheotomy done on his throat. 23:51 Four years, when he was four years old, he had... 23:54 Had the tracheotomy? Yes. 23:58 Now when he grow, everything the doctor said, 24:00 when he grow, everything will be all right. 24:02 So it's slowly healing up here, still small hole? 24:05 Yeah. 24:06 That is why he has a bandage on his neck right here, 24:08 is because he had a tracheotomy done. 24:11 Ajay, Ajay's a really good thumb wrestler. 24:14 Watch this. Shake hands. 24:16 Could you corner? Okay, go. 24:18 Go on, let's do it. 24:24 You got me. 24:28 So, now, we're gonna try to find his mother? 24:29 Yeah. Okay. 24:35 Dear Father in heaven... 24:37 Okay, it's nice meeting you, ma'am. 24:40 God bless you. 24:55 We were now going to visit the parents of Jaigeeth. 24:59 The father has polio 25:01 and the mother recently had open heart surgery. 25:09 Hello, nice to meet you. 25:12 Good evening. 25:18 This family had no idea we were coming 25:20 and I'm sure they were wondering 25:21 what this visit was about. 25:24 I found out that the only income 25:26 this family has comes from the raising a poultry. 25:36 It was explained to the family that we were there 25:39 to better understand the circumstances 25:41 as to why the children are in our orphanage. 25:44 So, was it a difficult choice 25:46 to have him come to the boy's home? 25:50 Pastor Johnson translates for us 25:52 and explains the circumstances of this family. 25:55 We have a strict examination process 25:58 on what children qualify to attend our orphanage. 26:01 Right, Pastor Johnson, you get to sit there. 26:25 Oh, there we go. 26:27 She even taught him how to hug. She wants to give a hug. 26:48 When I look at the life of the boys 26:50 that are here at this orphanage, 26:51 I often wonder what would be the future for them 26:54 if it wasn't for the fact that we're giving them 26:56 the opportunity for a place to live 26:59 and a good Christian education. 27:01 Moses who is our director here, 27:03 actually grew up in an orphanage, 27:05 and one of his best friends from that orphanage 27:06 is our graphic designer today doing the design 27:09 for the Amazing Facts Bible lessons 27:11 and a lot of the books and things that we publish. 27:13 What we'd really like to do is move the existing kitchen 27:16 that's downstairs to the upper floor 27:17 by adding on to it, 27:19 and then we can put a proper cafeteria 27:21 and kitchen on the upper story. 27:22 That way we could use the space 27:24 in the lower part for girls' dormitory. 27:27 Next year, we really hope that we can report to you 27:30 that we have 16 young boys and girls here 27:33 having a stable home environment 27:35 and providing a Christian education for them. 27:37 If you'd like to get involved 27:39 and like to help sponsor a student for one year 27:41 or six months or even a month, 27:43 contact our ministry 27:44 and we'll tell you about a program 27:46 that we're putting in place to be able to explain 27:47 exactly the cost that it takes for them to be here, 27:50 to be housed and to provide for their education. 27:53 Thank you so much for this, 27:54 your prayers and support the projects here 27:56 at Laymen Ministries. |
Revised 2022-12-12