Participants:
Series Code: MMS
Program Code: MMS011032S
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00:01 Hi, I'm Dustin Comm with the Maranatha Minute.
00:03 Maranatha has been busy in Brazil 00:05 drilling water wells 00:06 in the dry north eastern part of the country. 00:09 We recently hit water for the Pitimbu congregation 00:12 where the output of the well 00:14 is more than 1000 gallons per hour. 00:16 This community will now benefit 00:18 from abundant clean water close at hand. 00:21 And the congregation 00:22 recently held a dedication service 00:24 inviting their community to use this free resource. 00:27 We also completed a well 00:29 for the SÃtio Cabaceiras congregation. 00:31 Maranatha previously constructed 00:33 a one day church here 00:34 and members had been working to finish the walls themselves. 00:37 But with no nearby water to make stucco, 00:40 the work stalled out. 00:42 Now members have easily accessible water 00:44 to finish the job right at the church site. 00:47 To see more project updates 00:49 from Brazil and around the world, 00:51 follow us on social media. 00:53 Find us on Facebook and Instagram 00:55 to see photos and videos 00:57 from the mission field every day. 01:27 This is the campfire shed project 01:30 in Paradise California. 01:35 For Maranatha, 01:36 Paradise has become a familiar place 01:38 and this worksite a familiar scene 01:40 as it is the third installment of a project 01:43 to provide storage sheds 01:44 for survivors of a devastating wildfire. 01:49 In November 2018, 01:51 the campfire raged 01:52 through Northern California's Butte County, 01:54 burning through 95% of the structures 01:57 in the city of Paradise. 02:04 Most of the 26,000 residents lost their homes. 02:09 Eighty five people lost their lives. 02:17 Among the structures lost 02:18 was the Paradise Seventh-day Adventist Church. 02:21 The fire left the congregation homeless, 02:25 yet the church's first response was to serve their community 02:28 with food, clothing, furniture, water, 02:35 and storage sheds, 02:37 a place for survivors to store their things 02:39 as they rebuilt their lives. 02:42 Paradise Church asked Maranatha to partner in building sheds. 02:46 The church would find the funding 02:48 and Maranatha the volunteers. 02:51 So in November 2019, 02:53 the campfire shed project launched 02:55 welcoming nearly 400 volunteers, 02:59 202 sheds, media attention, 03:04 immense accolades. 03:07 The project was a total success, 03:09 a success that called for an encore. 03:13 So after the first project that we completed in November, 03:16 we've received 03:18 over 900 applications of requests 03:20 for sheds. 03:21 We only had 200 to give out. 03:23 So we obviously saw 03:25 that there was still a huge need in the community. 03:28 And during the first project it had been suggested to us 03:32 of maybe you should try for more. 03:35 Joelle overseas outreach programs 03:37 for the Paradise Adventist Church. 03:39 She worked closely with Maranatha 03:40 to organize the shed project. 03:43 You know, we were really blessed 03:44 the second time 03:46 because we had experience. 03:47 So it was good and bad. 03:50 We knew more what to expect. 03:54 But at the same time, we weren't as naive. 03:57 And so we worked really hard. 03:58 We were able to get a lot of other people 04:01 helping in the process. 04:02 And so going through the second round, 04:05 we were obviously better prepared, 04:07 had everything gone normally, 04:09 had everything gone according to plan. 04:13 My fellow Americans, 04:15 tonight I want to speak with you 04:17 about our nation's unprecedented response 04:20 to the Coronavirus outbreak that started in China 04:23 and is now spreading throughout the world. 04:26 Today the World Health Organization 04:29 officially announced that this is a global pandemic. 04:34 With the President's announcement 04:35 came travel bans and restrictions. 04:37 One by one Maranatha volunteer projects 04:40 were canceled or postponed 04:42 including the Paradise shed project 04:44 scheduled for the spring. 04:46 We are planning to be here in April 04:47 but instead because of COVID and the virus 04:51 we, anyway we postponed the project 04:53 and now we're here in what was it, August. 04:56 So shed project number two now set in summer 04:59 started with fewer volunteers, 05:01 which meant less production. 05:03 The original scope to build 400 sheds 05:06 dropped to 150. 05:07 But even that goal was being threatened. 05:10 So the first challenge 05:12 that we have here on the project was work 05:13 dealing with the Coronavirus 05:15 and the regulations that there are about distancing 05:17 and wearing masks and things like that. 05:20 Because we have volunteers 05:21 coming from many different locations 05:23 and we let them know what the regulations, 05:25 you know, what the requirements are in California 05:28 and working with those. 05:29 We're eating outdoors, 05:31 we're having our worships outdoors 05:32 and, you know, the places where we're staying 05:35 we're trying to keep everybody separated, 05:38 so that we all stay healthy. 05:41 The second challenge that we face 05:43 that was a large challenge 05:44 was the fire nearby in Oroville. 05:48 There was a large fire in the area 05:50 and we got to work here on Wednesday morning, 05:53 getting ready to set up and the sky was dark. 05:56 We were using flashlights and headlamps to see. 06:00 With the smoke and potential danger, 06:02 Maranatha decided to cancel work for the day 06:05 and asked volunteers to temporarily leave town 06:08 as a precaution. 06:09 The power also went out 06:11 and the team scrambled to find generators. 06:13 All the hurdles 06:14 hindered progress on the project 06:16 and left Joelle feeling defeated. 06:20 I think I always had a sense from this, 06:23 from the first project 06:25 that I knew the next project wasn't going to go 06:27 as smoothly as the first one had. 06:30 I had no idea that's gonna have 06:32 this many challenges in it though. 06:35 But God had in my prayer from the very start, 06:40 like Lord, I know there's gonna be challenges. 06:43 And I know that You are bigger than those, 06:47 just help me to have the faith to hold on. 06:52 And God sent her faith in the form of 185 volunteers 06:57 who pushed through and completed 118 sheds. 07:01 Then Maranatha quickly organized 07:03 a third project in November. 07:05 This time 216 volunteers 07:08 arrived to build 132 more sheds. 07:13 In total, over the course of one year 07:15 780 volunteers constructed 452 sheds 07:20 for the survivors of the campfire in Paradise. 07:23 The experience has been a triumph 07:25 of the human spirit and evidence of God's leading. 07:30 For Joelle, the experience has always been personal. 07:34 While her home survived, 07:36 she lived through the horror of the fire. 07:39 The sheds had been a way for her 07:40 to build hope for a community she loves. 07:44 But this time around, 07:45 it was about more than helping others. 07:47 It was about growing her own trust in God. 07:50 I learned that my faith 07:52 wasn't as big as I thought it was. 07:56 I regret to say 07:57 that there were times in my faith, 07:58 I questioned. 08:00 I questioned if God, 08:01 how God was going to pull this off. 08:04 I couldn't see how He was going to do it. 08:07 And yet He has, 08:10 and He's provided more abundantly 08:11 than I ever thought He could again. 08:15 When we come back, 08:17 we meet some of the shed recipients 08:18 and how this project has impacted their lives. 08:34 If you know someone in high school, 08:36 tell them about 08:37 Maranatha's annual teens only mission trip, 08:39 The Ultimate Workout. 08:41 For the past three decades 08:42 high schoolers from around the world 08:44 have joined The Ultimate Workout 08:45 to volunteer. 08:47 On this special project, 08:48 teens get out of their comfort zone, 08:50 serve others and grow physically, 08:52 socially and spiritually. 08:55 This July, The Ultimate Workout is headed to Peru 08:58 to serve near the capital city of Lima. 09:00 Teen volunteers will help construct 09:02 two new churches 09:03 as well as paint and renovate another building in the area. 09:07 In addition to construction, 09:09 teens will reach out into the local community 09:11 through children's ministry programs 09:13 and creative outreach projects. 09:15 And while in Peru, 09:17 volunteers will also get to see the sights 09:19 and sounds of the city of Lima 09:21 and experience warm Peruvian culture. 09:24 To learn more about The Ultimate Workout 09:26 and all of Maranatha's upcoming mission trips, 09:29 visit maranatha.org/volunteer. 09:36 Some companies spend millions of dollars 09:39 to bring you these sounds and images. 09:42 I made it. 09:45 These sounds and images 09:46 are created from the dollars you give to Maranatha. 09:50 Your support of our well drilling efforts 09:52 is bringing clean accessible water 09:54 to communities in Africa, India and Brazil, 09:58 because while this sell soda, 10:01 this saves lives. 10:08 Campfire shed project volunteers 10:10 can attest that there is great joy 10:12 in building sheds. 10:14 But there is even greater joy in seeing them delivered. 10:38 More than a year after the fire ravaged 10:41 Jamie Johnston and Rick Clark's home, 10:43 they have a new house in Paradise. 10:45 The only problem, no garage. 10:48 Well, there were a lot, there has been a lot of theft. 10:53 And, you know, and when you don't, 10:55 you know, when if you've got your little plot of land, 10:57 you know, or your place where you want to be at. 11:01 And it's just land, 11:04 and your house won't be delivered for a year, 11:08 or, you know, nine months. 11:11 In our case, I guess it was, you know, about a year, 11:14 you have, you know, the shed 11:16 is the most important thing, really. 11:18 I knew that we would be able to afford, 11:20 after all of this, after having to, 11:23 you know, put out so much money to come home. 11:28 We wouldn't be able to afford a shed. 11:30 So, and you know, you just can't keep shovels 11:34 and things in your bedroom. 11:37 It's just not, it's not very comely. 11:42 You do the honors. 11:43 Wow! 11:45 Oh, man! I'm moving in. 11:46 Oh, wow! 11:48 You could live in this! 11:50 Wow! 11:51 Wow! 11:53 We build all kinds of shelves and stuff. 11:55 Okay. Let's go in. 11:58 I'm really honored and blown away 12:01 by the generosity and the thought, 12:04 you know, that went into this 12:06 because you knew that people 12:09 would have nowhere to put things like that. 12:12 And a lot of people 12:13 actually had sheds on their land 12:14 before they had anything else. 12:16 So it tells you how important it is. 12:19 And I appreciate it so much. 12:21 Thank you. 12:24 For some of the shed recipients 12:25 Maranatha's project inspired them 12:27 to do more than receive, 12:29 some were inspired to give back. 12:32 This is Karen Smith. 12:34 She's been working on the third installment 12:35 of the shed project. 12:37 I heard about this project through social media. 12:45 I'm here because just recently, 12:50 about a month ago, I received my shed, 12:53 and I was overwhelmed with... 13:01 Sorry, happiness. 13:04 Hmm, I wasn't expecting that. 13:08 Which was my same reaction by the way when the shed came. 13:19 So for all, I'm so thankful, just so thankful. 13:25 I just really felt the need to help out. 13:27 And so that's why I'm here. 13:31 Karen, who lost her home in the fire says her shed 13:34 has already been a big blessing. 13:37 Now the Maranatha project is offering her 13:40 a different kind of blessing through her fellow volunteers. 13:44 It's been wonderful, really, really wonderful. 13:47 And just I had no idea how many helpful people 13:51 in the organizations that there are. 13:55 It's been overwhelming 13:58 with kindness from people. 14:03 Extremely good for my health. 14:06 And I just wouldn't feel right 14:09 without giving of myself 14:14 to help others in need. 14:17 Retired veteran Curtis Smith is another Paradise resident 14:20 who received a shed. 14:22 He's now also a Maranatha volunteer. 14:25 Well, I'm choosing to do something 14:28 and something good. 14:31 Being alone with all that COVID and so on around, 14:34 I'm locked in my house and depression was setting in, 14:39 so I knew that I had to get out. 14:42 And when this came along, 14:44 I came down here 14:45 and I just felt everything was good. 14:48 I like the people here. 14:50 I mean, it's almost like going to church. 14:53 Good people, good religion. 14:56 Just a great place to work. 14:58 Great people to work with. 15:01 Carrie Max is also a survivor of the campfire. 15:06 So I heard about getting a shed last year 2019. 15:09 And I think I saw it on Facebook 15:11 or something like that. 15:13 And it also asked if we wanted to help. 15:17 Well, I used to be a flooring contractor. 15:20 And so, also this whole fire 15:25 has created a lot of depression and sadness. 15:32 And a lot of us that have decided to stay 15:34 are in our places all alone, 15:36 and we're not even in a place like I'm in a trailer. 15:40 And it just helps to be around other people 15:44 and to be of service. 15:48 So Carrie started coming to the job site to help. 15:53 Then she eventually received the shed. 15:57 It's a space that she's put to great use. 15:59 What's more? 16:00 It's a space to remind her of the good in people. 16:04 And there's a sign on it 16:06 to saying all the people that were involved. 16:09 So that's even like, when I'm having a bad day, 16:11 it's like all those people love me. 16:16 From building sheds to receiving them, 16:19 Carrie has loved being part of the Maranatha experience. 16:25 Act of service has been mandatory 16:29 to help us heal. 16:30 If we stay in our little story, 16:35 we go tumbling down 16:36 this little hole of sadness and depression. 16:42 And so, it's just very important 16:43 to be of service and to see things 16:45 lifting and coming up and coming out. 16:49 I'm still moved to any trailer, 16:51 and don't know where that's gonna go. 16:56 But it's given us the opportunity 17:00 to just be still 17:03 and just see everyone and be seen. 17:09 It's just been a gift them showing me what love is, 17:13 what love looks like. 17:17 When we come back, 17:19 we meet a volunteer who fell away from his church, 17:22 but found his way back to God in Paradise. 17:40 For more than a decade, 17:42 Maranatha mission stories has taken you around the world, 17:45 showing you the need 17:47 and challenging you to get involved. 17:50 Now, we're introducing new ways 17:52 for you to stay informed and inspired about the mission. 17:56 Watch your favorite episode of Maranatha mission stories, 18:00 as well as other Maranatha videos 18:01 on your Apple TV. 18:04 Visit the App Store, 18:05 search for the Maranatha channel 18:07 and hit install. 18:11 You'll have access 18:12 to all of our latest video content, 18:14 and you can watch anytime. 18:16 Our videos are available on demand 24 hours a day. 18:21 Our content can also be viewed on Roku and Amazon Fire TV. 18:26 The Maranatha channel, 18:27 bringing mission adventures to your living room. 18:38 People are drawn to Maranatha mission trips 18:41 for all sorts of reasons. 18:43 Volunteers love the act of service 18:45 and making new friends. 18:47 Many times people also go 18:49 in search of a deeper connection 18:51 with God. 18:54 But volunteer Randy Purviance wanted none of those things. 18:58 He wasn't even looking to volunteer. 19:00 Randy spent years doing humanitarian work 19:03 for the church in the mission field. 19:05 Then an event pushed Randy out of his job 19:08 and into trauma and separation 19:10 from his church and God. 19:13 But all that changed in Paradise. 19:16 Doing humanitarian work, especially field based, 19:21 there's a constant exposure to trauma, 19:26 other people's trauma and it can be traumatic, 19:31 you can experience traumatic things yourself. 19:34 We felt abandoned, 19:36 we felt completely isolated from any sort of support. 19:42 And so when I came home in 2006, 19:47 I thought well, you know things will get back to normal. 19:50 We're living here in Idaho, 19:51 will enjoy the life here 19:55 and those things will just disappear. 19:57 Well they didn't disappear those things 19:59 don't just leave your mind. 20:02 And I began having increasing difficulties 20:08 with, I mean, 20:09 even going to church was a trigger. 20:12 It would leave me with intense anxiety. 20:17 So I found it was easier just to stop going, 20:21 my faith did collapse. 20:23 I felt isolated, I was traumatized. 20:30 I was eventually diagnosed 20:34 with PTSD, debilitating PTSD. 20:38 I would say that God and I 20:40 were not on close speaking terms 20:43 for quite a while. 20:45 He may have been talking to me, but I couldn't hear him. 20:48 My wife decided it was time to do something. 20:51 And that something was to convince me 20:55 to go to the Weimar Institute 20:58 in Northern California, near Auburn, 21:02 where they have an 18-day program 21:04 called NEWSTART. 21:05 And I was very quickly overwhelmed 21:08 by the empathy and the love, 21:13 and the care that I experienced there. 21:16 So when I came home 21:18 after the first Weimar experience, 21:23 I vigorously pursued those things that I learned. 21:27 And then, after about six months, 21:32 I suffered a head injury that left me in the hospital. 21:35 And after that, 21:41 my wife thought it was, 21:44 you know, the one cure was to go back to Weimar. 21:47 I went back in September of last year. 21:52 And during the last weekend, I was there, 21:55 my friends from of many years, David and Susan Woods from... 22:01 We first met in Malawi, in Central Africa, 22:06 came to visit me. 22:08 They've told me, 22:09 while I was at Weimar about the project, 22:12 he just very briefly said we're building storage sheds 22:16 to distribute to the people 22:19 who are returning to their homes 22:21 after the fire that destroyed Paradise. 22:26 And that in three weeks, 22:28 they had built nearly 200 sheds at that point. 22:32 So I thought, 22:33 well, this is something I maybe should see. 22:36 I said, "Dave, you know, I'll drive through, 22:38 I'll spend 15 minutes 22:40 and, you know, see what you're doing." 22:42 I wasn't prepared at all 22:45 for what I saw when I got there. 22:46 When I drove into Paradise, I got directions to the church, 22:51 where the church had been, and it was... 23:00 It's hard to put it to words, 23:02 but maybe the most amazing act 23:08 of worship 23:10 I've ever seen 23:14 in that burned down church parking lot. 23:22 Those Seventh-day Adventists were... 23:32 despite their own losses 23:37 were helping their neighbors. 23:45 It's hard to just say 23:49 how powerful that impacted me. 23:52 And I was so moved by what I saw 23:57 that even before I saw David and Susan, 24:00 I decided I needed to stay, I needed to be part of that. 24:04 There was something there that I wanted. 24:06 And I ended up staying three days 24:09 to help deliver sheds in Paradise 24:11 and that was quite an experience. 24:14 I got to hear people's stories 24:20 and soaked it in. 24:24 I decided 24:26 that Paradise was a place 24:30 where I could put my feet 24:33 back into the water so to speak, 24:35 where I could go to church. 24:37 I mean what better place 24:39 for a troubled person to go 24:43 than to a church 24:46 where everybody had experienced loss. 24:51 And I felt at home there. 24:53 How does Maranatha build people? 24:55 How does Maranatha change people? 24:57 Each of us come with different backgrounds, 25:00 each of us have different experiences. 25:03 But there's something in the act of service 25:07 that it makes us vulnerable. 25:10 It draws us together. 25:12 And it changes 25:17 deep within us 25:19 how we look at the world, how we look at God, 25:21 how we look at our faith community. 25:24 We aren't bystanders, 25:26 we are participants, fully immersed. 25:31 In February when I returned to Paradise 25:33 for the second time to help prepare 25:37 for the next shed build, 25:42 I arrived early, earlier than I had anticipated. 25:46 So I once again drove directly to the church. 25:50 And it was in the evening 25:53 and so I got out 25:56 and walked up those stairs again. 25:59 And I stood there thinking 26:01 about how I had found a place 26:07 back in the church, 26:11 at a burned out church. 26:14 The church that no longer stood there. 26:17 And I felt like I found a place 26:22 for my own burned out heart 26:25 that I could call home. 26:30 And so, you know, 26:33 that was really a profound experience, 26:39 profound, 26:41 sort of cementing the direction 26:43 I had been going 26:48 for the last several years. 26:51 Just piece by piece, 26:55 argument by argument, 26:57 but my resistance was melted down. 27:02 And so I knew standing there that I was coming home. 27:11 Randy's story 27:12 along with everyone else's testimonies 27:14 heard on today's program 27:16 offer evidence 27:17 of how the simple act of service 27:19 can change your life on multiple levels. 27:25 It can provide security and shelter. 27:29 It can give new purpose. 27:33 It can reveal our vulnerability while boosting our faith. 27:38 It can reconnect us to the things we've lost 27:41 and remind us of the mission that belongs to us all. 27:46 Service is God's love in action, 27:49 changing lives, even yours. |
Revised 2021-01-27