Participants:
Series Code: MMS
Program Code: MMS010014S
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00:01 Hi, I'm Hilary Macias with the Maranatha Minute.
00:03 This week more than 50 volunteers 00:05 wrapped up a project at Camp Alamisco, 00:07 a camp and retreat center in Central Alabama. 00:10 Participants tackled major renovations 00:12 in eight rooms in the lodge. 00:14 This required complete demolition 00:16 and new framing, 00:17 as well as installing everything from sheetrock 00:19 and plumbing to windows and doors. 00:21 Volunteers also worked to beautify the campus 00:24 through landscaping. 00:25 The project recruited 14 brand new volunteers, 00:28 including one from Brazil. 00:30 Several have signed up for future mission trips 00:32 due to the wonderful experience they had on this project. 00:36 Camp Alamisco is the second of five projects 00:38 Maranatha has scheduled this year 00:40 at camp and retreat centers all over the US. 00:43 The work of our volunteers provides a much-needed boost 00:46 for these organizations. 00:48 Learn more about 00:49 numerous volunteer opportunities in North America 00:51 and around the world at Go: Maranatha! 00:53 our mini convention 00:55 in Chattanooga, Tennessee on March 7. 00:57 Visit our website to learn more. 01:20 Maranatha's history 01:21 is full of extraordinary moments of faith 01:24 that illustrate God's leading in the mission. 01:28 He has been faithful every step of the way, 01:31 even through what appeared 01:32 to be the most impossible requests. 01:35 Today's story looks at two places 01:38 that stretched Maranatha in many ways 01:40 as an organization, physically, 01:42 mentally and spiritually. 01:45 The first location is in the Caribbean 01:48 on an island that was closed to the world, 01:50 but surprisingly open to the gospel message. 02:00 The year is 1993. 02:03 Maranatha is energized 02:04 by the success of a large project 02:06 called Santo Domingo 92. 02:09 And has just finished construction of 15 new churches 02:12 and three schools in Guatemala. 02:14 The leaders of the project gathered at their hotel 02:17 around the pizza to evaluate next steps. 02:21 There was a guy named Tem Suarez there. 02:24 And Tem, of course, was a Cuban-American. 02:26 He was on our board of directors 02:27 and he constantly was bringing up, 02:29 "Cuba this, Cuba that," and everybody's going, 02:30 "Yeah, that's Tem, he's Cuban." 02:32 So this night, he got a little bit more traction. 02:36 And Don Folkenberg was there and Bob Paulson, 02:41 we're sitting around just, 02:42 "Okay, we finished Guatemala, 02:44 what... 02:46 Where's the next big push? What's exciting? 02:48 What can we do to change some place for God? 02:52 I mean, that's really what it was. 02:53 And, of course, Tem, 02:56 "I know where we can go to. 02:58 Let's take a look at Cuba." 03:00 And somebody says, I don't remember who it was. 03:02 And he's like, "Well, you know, you can't go into Cuba. 03:04 It's closed country, 03:05 and like a lot of these countries are closed. 03:08 And giving credit completely where it is due here. 03:13 God worked through a guy named Garwin McNeilus. 03:16 The main challenge was to get our nerve 03:18 to go in the first place. 03:21 Garwin was a get stuff done kind of guy. 03:24 And Garwin says, "Have you tried? 03:28 Has anybody really tried? 03:30 You say you can't do it. 03:32 How do we know we can't do it? 03:34 We don't know we can't do it. I haven't been down there. 03:36 You've been down there? Tem says we can go. 03:40 Let's go." 03:42 Many times you hear we can't go into a country. 03:46 And really, we haven't tried. 03:50 And we had talked about Cuba and the need in Cuba. 03:54 And I said, "Let's go to Cuba." 03:58 You know, do it. So Maranatha did. 04:03 So we put together a team, there's five of us, 04:05 and a couple months later 04:08 we made our first trip down to Cuba. 04:13 In 1994, 04:15 when we first came over here, 04:17 the church was very, very depressed, 04:20 very demoralized, 04:21 the buildings were falling apart. 04:23 The ministers were real, 04:25 honest and good and were down and dumped, 04:27 that would be in plain language. 04:29 I remember the first meeting in particular, 04:31 we met with all the ministers 04:33 from one end of the island to another. 04:37 It was just like the Holy Spirit 04:38 was over there, was touching us. 04:41 More than 100 people crowded into that meeting room 04:44 at the Union Office in Havana. 04:47 In the room, there was a white board. 04:49 Based on the need that was expressed, 04:52 it was determined to move ahead with 100 new churches 04:55 and 100 renovated churches 04:58 as well as 100 evangelistic campaigns 05:01 and the production of literature, 05:03 to penetrate the areas surrounding those churches. 05:07 The entire project was called, "Christ for Cuba." 05:12 Unlike similar projects in the Dominican Republic, 05:14 Mexico and Guatemala, 05:17 it would take several years to build and renovate 05:19 200 sanctuaries, 05:21 but the work progressed 05:23 and baptisms increased ten-fold. 05:27 Maranatha rebuilt the country's aging seminary. 05:31 Students came from around the world 05:34 to take advantage of this post-graduate facility. 05:38 The seminary was lacking a sanctuary. 05:41 Again, Maranatha Volunteers International 05:44 took an empty space on the seminary grounds 05:46 and transformed it 05:47 into an inviting place of worship and fellowship. 05:52 From the very first meeting 05:54 Don Noble had with Pastor Fontaine, 05:56 it was clear that one of the churches on the list 05:58 that was growing and needed to be expanded 06:01 was the Cardenas Church. 06:03 The tiny church was filled to capacity every week 06:06 with many members forced to sit outside on the verandah. 06:12 Cardenas located about 100 miles east of Havana 06:15 is very near Varadero Beach, 06:17 a magnet of tourism on the island. 06:20 The city's leadership was not friendly to Adventists 06:23 and created obstacles, 06:25 making the construction of a new church there 06:28 next to impossible. 06:31 Fifteen years into the process, 06:33 Don Noble visited the anxious church members. 06:36 This is unfortunately 06:38 I have to tell you that right now 06:39 we have neither permission 06:41 nor the money to build this church. 06:43 And the reaction we got was something 06:47 I've never seen before, I hope I don't see it again. 06:49 It was the entire church just started crying, 06:54 wailing some of them. 06:55 It was absolutely horrible. 07:11 The congregation was crushed. 07:13 Don was heavy hearted. 07:15 Maranatha had been working on a solution for Cardenas 07:18 for more than 15 years. 07:20 Could it... 07:22 Should it really be over? 07:23 Don turned to prayer. 07:25 So he says, 07:27 "Well, you know, I've seen God do some amazing things 07:30 on this island and in a lot of other places, 07:31 so, you still have prayer left 07:34 and you got a mighty God 07:35 and I know that you believe in that God. 07:37 So, I think we should pray. 08:01 She was marching up the front, very confident, turned around. 08:04 She folded her hands, I can still see her. 08:07 She looked up, not down, she looked up. 08:09 She says 08:11 "Dear Jesus, thank you for giving us a new church. 08:15 Amen." 08:16 It was a pivotal moment in the Cardenas story. 08:20 This was about more than building the church. 08:23 It was about faith. 08:24 And I'm sitting there going, wow. 08:28 I think God's going to answer that prayer. 08:30 I mean, how's He going to say no. 09:06 In late 2015, 09:08 a small crew assembled in Cardenas 09:10 to break ground and tear down the old building. 09:13 After more than 30 years of prayer, 09:16 20 years of permit applications 09:17 and an enduring test of faith, 09:20 Maranatha Volunteers International 09:22 received final permission to begin construction 09:25 on the new Cardenas Church. 09:27 Immediately construction began. 09:30 And just as quickly, 09:31 Maranatha created an opportunity for volunteers 09:35 to head to Cuba 09:36 for a two-week construction project. 09:44 Local crews worked alongside the volunteers. 09:47 They continued building 09:48 long after the volunteers returned home. 09:51 Eighteen months later, after decades of prayer, 09:54 the Cardenas Seventh-day Adventist Church 09:56 was transformed from this to this. 10:03 Thousands of church members from all over the island 10:06 came to the dedication. 10:35 And today in the morning, I was here and two guys came. 10:40 They were not Christian. 10:42 And they came in, 10:43 they were watching the church 10:45 and they were talking about how beautiful, 10:48 how nice the church was. 10:51 For this city is, 10:53 this church is very important 10:55 because the Adventist Church in this city is very famous, 10:59 everybody know it. 11:39 It is a sanctuary worthy of the God that represents. 11:42 The sanctuary can accommodate 500 people, 11:45 in the fellowship hall upstairs connected by video and sound, 11:49 another 250 people. 12:53 You know, this church is built clearly on the foundation, 12:58 the reality, the power of prayer without question. 13:10 And frankly, 13:12 the future is more important than the history. 13:14 The history is very valuable here, 13:17 and they've learned a lot of lessons. 13:18 But the future is what this church is about, 13:20 and it's going to be a great lighthouse 13:22 in the, in the Cardenas community. 13:29 Today, Maranatha Volunteers International 13:32 continues in prayer and faith 13:34 to answer the call from the church in Cuba. 13:39 From our beginnings there in 1994 till now, 13:43 the Adventist Church in Cuba 13:45 remains close to the heart of Maranatha. 13:48 Christ for Cuba, then, now and tomorrow. 14:08 Coming up next, 14:10 we head to a country of more than a billion people 14:12 and a billion reasons to keep sharing the mission. 14:30 For more than a decade, 14:32 Maranatha mission stories has taken you around the world, 14:35 showing you the need 14:37 and challenging you to get involved. 14:40 Now we're introducing new ways for you 14:43 to stay informed and inspired about the mission. 14:47 Watch your favorite episode of Maranatha mission stories, 14:50 as well as other Maranatha videos 14:52 on your Apple TV. 14:54 Visit the App Store, 14:56 search for the Maranatha channel 14:57 and hit install. 15:01 You'll have access 15:03 to all of our latest video content, 15:04 and you can watch anytime. 15:06 Our videos are available on demand 24 hours a day. 15:11 Our content can also be viewed on Roku 15:13 and Amazon Fire TV. 15:16 The Maranatha channel, 15:17 bringing mission adventures to your living room. 15:27 There are certain events in Maranatha's history 15:30 that helped to catapult the organization 15:32 to new levels of productivity, 15:34 events that pushed Maranatha to think bigger and aim higher. 15:39 Among those is India, 15:41 a place where Maranatha has invested in the mission 15:44 to build people and communities. 15:52 The 1990s were a faith building decade for Maranatha. 15:56 God led the organization through a large-scale project 16:00 in the Dominican Republic 16:03 and miraculous construction on the island of Cuba. 16:08 But when God leads, 16:09 there are always new challenges. 16:11 This time, on the subcontinent of India. 16:15 Maranatha started in India 16:16 actually in the early middle 80s, 16:20 the campus north of Delhi called Roorkee, 16:24 but it was a common goal, do a project, leave. 16:27 It wasn't the long, 16:28 continued involvement that started 16:32 probably a little more than 20 years ago now. 16:35 At the time, 16:36 the Adventist Church was struggling. 16:39 Adventists represented 16:40 a small percentage of the general population 16:43 and the places they had to worship, 16:45 didn't inspire others to join them. 16:49 Ron Watts, 16:50 president of the Adventist Church in India 16:52 at the time reached out to Maranatha 16:55 for help in growing their fledgling group. 16:57 I asked Ron at that time is, 17:00 "Ron how many members do you have?" 17:01 He says, "Well, in the books we have about 200,000." 17:03 He says, 17:05 "Really, I have to tell you it's not more than 100,000. 17:08 And we really need a new church here." 17:12 He said, "This is a huge, 17:15 huge area of primarily Hindus 17:19 that don't even know who Jesus is, 17:21 never heard of Him. 17:23 Don't know anything about the Creator God, 17:24 don't know anything about salvation." 17:26 He says, "This is what we're here for. 17:29 That's what we should be doing." 17:31 Although Maranatha had previously done 17:33 a handful of projects in India, 17:36 the decision was made to establish 17:37 a permanent presence in the country 17:39 to facilitate evangelism meetings 17:41 and build churches. 17:43 And then we started talking 17:45 and we moved our leadership 17:49 from Cuba over to India, 17:53 to start overseeing those campaigns 17:55 and to start some construction 17:56 and we didn't know where it was going, 17:58 but it went. 18:00 Garwin McNeilus, 18:02 a businessman from Minnesota was asked to get involved. 18:05 Ron Watts said, 18:08 "Why don't you come and do an Effort?" 18:10 And I said, "Sure, we'll go." 18:12 Now, I've never done an Effort. 18:15 And so I contacted my friend, Bob Paulson, 18:19 who I knew could do the preaching, 18:22 and Maranatha helped us and we set up Tenali. 18:26 We had over 3,000 people in Tenali, 18:29 it was just overwhelming. 18:31 And what took me a back 18:32 when we closed up 18:34 all 3, 000 wanted special prayer. 18:37 And they just crowded around you 18:39 and the hunger and the willingness. 18:42 The success there 18:43 led to the organization of larger meetings 18:45 in the town of Ongole. 18:47 I remember the big Ongole project 18:49 of over 50, 000 people are listening 18:53 to Bob Paulson stand up and say, 18:56 I want to introduce you to not just any old god, 19:00 not just another god, but the Creator God. 19:03 And they're all listening to this. 19:05 And it was powerful. 19:07 It was just overwhelming. 19:10 And Maranatha was just deeply involved 19:13 in organizing and coordinating the effort of all the churches. 19:19 But I just can't help but thank in heaven. 19:23 What it'd be like when we have India homecoming. 19:28 There'll be thousands and thousands of people 19:30 there as a result of it. 19:34 The 50,000 people in the crowd 19:36 weren't the only ones listening. 19:38 Halfway across the world, 19:40 this meeting would have an impact on a family 19:42 living in Medford, Oregon. 19:44 I had no idea about going to India 19:46 or anyplace else. 19:48 I was happy to stay home 19:50 on the United States side of everything. 19:53 Didn't look forward to traveling at all. 19:55 Merlin found, 19:57 he was watching television 19:59 and he's watching Garwin McNeilus. 20:02 And they've been doing 20:04 evangelistic meetings over in Ongole. 20:08 And he's intently watching that. 20:11 When it was over, he said, "I think we could do that." 20:15 And I was just shocked. 20:17 We could do that. 20:19 Well, yeah, I think we could. 20:22 The television program they watched 20:24 was a report put together by 3ABN 20:26 highlighting the recent meetings. 20:31 Well, JoAnn and her husband Merlin 20:32 didn't know was their son Bruce was also watching 20:36 and felt impressed to get involved. 20:40 I was committed to call Don on Monday 20:42 and tell him that 20:44 I'd like to go over there in India 20:45 some time and help there. 20:47 I need an opening 20:49 and just a few minutes my dad called. 20:52 And he said, 20:54 "Hey, have you ever thought about going to India?" 20:56 And I said, "Matter of fact I have and I will go." 21:00 Six months later, 21:01 Bruce was on an airplane headed to India. 21:04 Merlin joined him on the next trip. 21:07 But JoAnn in her 70s 21:09 wasn't sure about making the long journey. 21:11 She wondered if there was anything 21:13 she could contribute to the effort. 21:15 Bruce said to me, 21:18 "You can go. 21:20 And even if you just hug the ladies and smile at them, 21:25 if you can't understand them, 21:27 they're going to understand you." 21:29 So that's what I did. 21:31 I went to India and I gave them hugs. 21:34 I was 72 the first time I went to India. 21:38 And the culture shock was so severe. 21:44 It was like, I need to fix these things. 21:49 These poor people, they don't have anything. 21:53 And yet they're happy. 21:55 And I kept talking to Merlin about it. 21:57 And he said, 21:59 "I want to tell you something. 22:02 By coming here and helping them to know 22:05 that there is a Creator God, 22:08 that we're helping them 22:11 with the greatest thing that they can have." 22:14 The Fjarli Family was hooked on India. 22:17 Not only did they continue 22:19 to conduct evangelism campaigns, 22:21 they also helped to fund hundreds of churches 22:24 in several large school campuses. 22:26 The Fjarli Family 22:28 really got involved in India in a major way. 22:31 And I don't have any question that God used them. 22:34 Merlin Fjarli, I've known since the 60s. 22:39 Tough guy. 22:41 Committed guy, generous. 22:45 Man of few words. 22:47 So I want the best bang for the buck, 22:50 that was his line, 22:51 want the best bang for the buck. 22:53 And he felt that in a society like India, 22:56 where there's so many people, 22:58 he could get the best bang for the buck. 23:01 You leave India, but it never leaves you. 23:04 And to think about going back, 23:10 I had to go back. 23:11 It was such a blessing to see that 23:17 I could put smiles on the little kids' faces. 23:20 And I just had to go back, it was... 23:25 I think the Lord put it in my heart 23:28 to treasure the times in India. 23:32 Maranatha has worked in India for more than 20 years. 23:36 Today, more than 2,000 structures 23:39 stand as influential anchors in their communities, 23:42 monuments to a living God. 23:45 You build a building, 23:47 and those same ones that were built in the 90s 23:50 are producing souls today. 23:53 And they've spawned 23:55 and the next one, they spawned 23:56 and the church family as a result, 23:59 there will be thousands in eternity 24:02 as a result of that one project. 24:04 But the impact goes beyond the people of India. 24:09 You think you got to go there to change people 24:15 and let them know that there is a real God 24:18 that knows them and it changed us. 24:24 And it changed my husband 24:26 more than I could ever have dreamed that it would. 24:30 Merlin passed away in 2014. 24:33 But his sons Bruce and Clint 24:35 have continued the family's legacy of service. 24:39 I think dad was really blessed by going to India. 24:45 And raising the money to invest in India. 24:50 He had fun doing that, he was blessed by doing that. 24:56 It softened him. 24:58 It exposed a soft side in his heart 25:05 that most people never saw. 25:11 It was just amazing. 25:13 From my perspective, I think it's just a miracle. 25:17 And our families has been part of it, 25:21 which is quite a blessing that, 25:23 you know, once God's work gets rolling, 25:26 it's pretty hard to stop Him. 25:28 With a little bit of help, 25:30 and we've been very blessed to be able to help. 25:33 Maranatha's commitment to India is unwavering. 25:36 As more and more people are longing to hear the gospel, 25:42 there continues to be requests 25:43 for more churches and schools in India. 25:46 And in 2018, 25:48 Maranatha started drilling water wells 25:50 in areas of great need. 25:52 And they came into India, 25:54 a wonderful reunion with a lot of people 25:59 that gave their heart to Jesus. 26:01 It's an awesome thing to do. 26:03 And I'm going to do it again, 26:07 except I would have started 30 years sooner. 26:12 As Maranatha continues working in India, 26:15 your support is needed in the country. 26:17 Please make a donation toward church school 26:20 or water well projects in India. 26:22 Call the number on your screen or visit maranatha.org to give. 26:40 It's not too early 26:41 to start planning your next mission adventure. 26:44 From June 11-23, 2020, 26:46 join us at the Kajiado Adventist School 26:48 and Rescue Center in Kenya. 26:50 Volunteers will help to lay block on new classrooms 26:53 as well as conducts community outreach. 26:55 Kajiado is home to Maasai girls 26:58 who have escaped child marriages. 27:00 Help us expand their campus 27:01 so that the girls have an opportunity 27:03 to further their education. 27:05 Registration for this project will open soon, 27:07 so stay tuned for further details. 27:10 You can also stay a little closer to home 27:12 and volunteer at Milo Adventist Academy, 27:14 June 2-16. 27:16 Situated in Days Creek, Oregon, 27:18 this school has educated thousands of students, 27:20 but their facilities could use a little renovation. 27:23 Volunteers on this project will help with tasks 27:25 such as demolition, framing, 27:27 painting, electrical and landscaping. 27:30 As with all projects in North America, 27:32 food and lodging will be provided 27:33 in exchange for your service. 27:35 Just be sure to register before you arrive. 27:37 Visit our website for more. 27:41 From the very beginning 27:43 and through every triumph and bump in the road since, 27:46 God has had His hand in the development 27:48 and growth of Maranatha. 27:50 They have been His volunteers, 27:53 His projects and His mission. |
Revised 2020-11-15