Answered prayers in Tokyo.
Modern day tent making and an urban center of influence in western Poland.
All this and much more from the frontlines of mission
Coming up next.
Hello and welcome to Mission 360.
I'm Gary Krause.
Today's program is coming to you from the city of Zielona Góra,
which is in western Poland, not too far from the German border.
And this is a city that has a lot of history.
And behind me you can see the town hall.
And it was originally built back in the 15th century as a wooden structure.
But through the years, there have been fires and reconstructions.
And this is the latest incarnation.
What we're going to be looking at mission right here in Poland.
On today's program, we're going to also learn about one year and mission.
We're going to travel to Tokyo.
But first up, modern day tent makers.
I'm standing among the ruins of ancient Corinth.
This large and influential city
was a center for religion, culture, and trade.
When the Apostle Paul arrived in Corinth around 50 AD,
he found work as a tentmaker
with a husband and wife business team, Acquila and Priscilla.
Acquila and Priscilla had a heart for mission,
and they faced a formidable mission challenge
in this pagan city.
Tentmaking may have been Paul's trade, but mission was his calling.
And the Bible tells us that he reasoned every Sabbath in the temple
convincing both Jews and Greeks.
Today, we have modern tentmakers.
They don't necessarily make tents,
but like Paul, they use their trade or profession
to support their mission.
They are missionaries,
but they don't get a salary from the church.
They find their own jobs in the marketplace,
and their salary comes from their employers.
Tentmakers usually work in countries and areas
where regular mission work is difficult or not possible.
They can work in places where missionaries are not allowed.
They follow Christ's method of ministry--
mingling, showing sympathy,
ministering to needs, and winning confidence,
so that they can then bid people to follow Jesus.
Adventist Mission's Global Mission Initiative
helps local fields support tentmakers
by providing training and materials.
Global Mission also helps with spiritual retreats,
so that tentmakers can meet together, share experiences, get training,
and, most important, fellowship, and be spiritually refreshed.
Tentmakers often work in isolation,
and this connects them with others who are facing similar experiences.
If you're feeling God's calling to become a tentmaker,
and you have a job that can get you work in a veiled country or city,
visit our website for more information.
My guest today is Pastor Jarosław,
who is the president of the West Polish Conference.
Pastor, thanks so much for joining us.
We're standing in a center of influence
in a city in western Poland.
Can you describe for me the territory of West Poland?
Tell me about the people.
Tell me about the region.
The Western Polish Conference
covers nearly 2/5 of Poland's total area
and is home to almost 14 million people.
Among them,
there are about 1700 Adventists.
The challenge is huge.
As for every Adventists, there are 7700 known Adventists.
Our missionary work tackles
this enormous task.
What happens here in Zielona Góra
is a guideposts.
It shows the direction for our church mission in other places
in our conference.
So Pastor, you have a big mission challenge here?
It's a
big challenge, but also a joyous one.
For years I have dreamt of a Polish center
of influence.
A few years ago,
we met with people who shared this dream, and the result
is this project.
It's began with dreams
and through discussions, we moved to further
details.
Three years ago, we had concrete ideas of the center.
But the COVID 19 pandemic stood in our way.
Yet, thanks to God's grace and our members enthusiasm.
Last year, we opened the center of influence
in Zielona Góra.
So Pastor, in In the center of Influence.
Here we see Christ's method of ministry being put into practice.
Why is that method so important?
I am convinced that
the method we use is crucial.
Jesus was a friend to people, not just a teacher.
He was a healer.
He mingled with people
Our work in Zielona Góra
uses of a method of Jesus.
We go to people, meet with them and talk with them.
We share stories about their struggles and problems.
We offer help in many different fields.
We offer the best we have,
and this gives us great joy.
People come here willingly.
They befriend us.
They feel very happy with our presence.
So a center of influence
requires people who are committed
and willing to invest in this ministry.
Describe the people who are who are working here for the church.
The talks about the center of influence in Zielona Góra begin with meetings
and discussions with Alicja, a pastor's wife
serving here in Zielona Góra.
Then we talked to Asia, a young person from Gdańsk.
She lived far from Zielona Góra, but was facinated by this kind of work.
We found numerous Ukrainian community members
who also joined us here in the Zielona Góra.
Thus, our team began to build
and we all work in the center of influence.
Our team hosts people from various fields,
including plastic arts and massage.
Sister Joasia is our coordinator.
Sister Alicia helps
people who are in need of family guidance.
This is our focus here.
We decided to call the Center of influence
the holistic center of the family.
Of course, we help not only families,
but also people who need, for example,
physiotherapy.
The people in the center form a well-coordinated team.
They create a family like atmosphere,
welcoming outsiders in.
So that's a wonderful blessing.
Pastor, as you look at this center and you look at your mission challenge,
what is your hope for the future?
Our experiences
in Zielona Góra may serve as an example.
Maybe we will not be able to replicate this project's scale everywhere,
but I know that wherever Adventists are
and where we have congregations,
we can create centers of influence
to a size according to our abilities.
We can offer help to people based on God's
given potential and in modest conditions.
We offer what God has given us.
I am convinced that this way we can carry out the God's mission
to the world and He can work through us in the cities
where we live.
Pastor, thank you so much
for sharing with us today and viewers at home.
Christ method of ministry is still the best method of ministry,
and we see the center of influence here making connections with the community.
That wouldn't be possible in any other way.
And we thank God for the way that he's led, committed church members
to give of their time to invest in the center of influence.
And we pray that more centers will be started all through Poland.
We'll be right back after this break.
Welcome back to German Agora.
And behind me you can see just a fragment of the city walls that were built
back in the 1430s during the Hussite wars.
They were only demolished 300 years later.
As the city expand.
Well, next up, we're going to meet a young man
who is serving in Bangladesh.
I'm here in Brazil, with a young man Kevin Dantas
who decided to give one year of his life in mission.
So tell me about that one year,
Where did you go and what did you do?
Ok, I went to Uruguay in the year of 2014
and work as a Bible worker there.
We were making some projects with people on health
and teach campaigns and classes and everything and working with
the preaching based on on relationship with people.
Now, some people may not know what One Year In Mission is
Can you tell me a little bit about what that is and how did you find out about it?
Okay.
The One Year In Mission project is a project with
young people that want to take one year of their life
and work, as missionary something special
And the main
the main reason of the project is to
create, to build
some leadership on the young people.
So, I heard about this in my union here
and they told me if I want to go, asked me if I want to go
and I tried and they call me to go there.
Did you enjoy it?
Oh, a lot! Not only One Year In Mission
I didn't want to stop doing this.
I wanted to continue doing it.
And so after one year, you wanted to keep going.
Now there's different types of mission.
There's Bible work that you're doing, but there's also another type of mission
where we are helping people physically touching their lives.
And so you went and you volunteered to do humanitarian work.
Now, where was that?
In Bangladesh, like the second year in Mission. One Year in Mission,
two years in Mission. So I work there as a graphic designer.
So I went in every place in the country
to work with them, know them, help them, and show them the
love of Jesus
So Jesus take a look into your life and sees helping people now.
You said you went to graphic design.
Is that all you did?
No. So I went through
a lot of places knowing the people, showing
how they could make some things to help their lives get better.
So we have had projects in education
and finances and everything like this.
So graphic design one was one of those things I did in there.
The graphic design is what got you out there,
but then followed you in almost everything.
So teaching people how to make you earn a living, is that what it was?
What they call income generation? Yes. Yeah.
Oh, wonderful.
So when you're looking at a country like Bangladesh and it's so different,
what do you think
you learned
by going someplace so different from where your home is?
I really enjoyed being there
because they teach me a lot of things.
And one of those things is to know that I’m not alone in this world.
And I know a really different situation.
And I, I was seen in my country.
So it helped me to look at the world
as the world, not only my country.
So would you say that going to a country
that's so different from your home country took you out of your comfort zone?
Of course. Of course.
So I didn't know how to show the love
of every people in the world.
So I did.
I didn't know in Brazil how, okay, how could I do this?
But now I needed to learn how to speak to other people,
how to go to other country and other culture and and talk to them.
So this was a reminder for me, the the world is big.
Really big.
Now, is there a
story that you can share either from your time in Uruguay or
you know what you're doing or Bible work
or when you're working on
Bangladesh, when you're helping people in a more different away?
Is there any story that stands out in your mind there?
Oh, the there are a lot of stories, but one of them,
we were in a village.
They had some religion there.
The they they believe the gods were among them.
But in another
another dimension like this.
So we were there and helping the people, taking care of them.
And when we were going out in this place,
they started to make noise. So.
So we said, why?
Why are they doing this?
So the guy who was with us explained to us like
why they were doing this, to call their gods who to be with them and protect them.
So we said, Okay.
But you told us that they come during something.
So but now is time already.
So he said no.
They believe you were sent by the gods to help them, to carry them.
So to protect them.
Now, you are leaving,
Now they are calling them.
So they are calling them because you're leaving because they thought you had been sent
Yeah.
Also help you because you are doing things to make a positive change.
Yeah. Yeah.
And now that you are going now, they could call them back.
Now they need it. Yes. Wow.
Just shows what a world of difference we live in when it comes to believes.
And how do we really find that way to share
I think the only way is to have God's presence with us.
Thank you very much for sharing your experience. Thank you so much.
Welcome back to Zielona Góra.
And we're in the old market place here,
which dates back to the beginning of the 14th century.
Well, next up, we're going to travel to Tokyo and learn about answered prayer.
And it's going to be showing what has happened with the generous
giving of church members to a project.
There.
It's said that a true friend will be there for you
both in good times and bad.
For nearly 50 years,
Terumi Akiho has been Kaoru Tanuma's best friend.
They first met back in the Academy,
and they have remained best friends since.
Terumi is a volunteer worker who has been serving with her husband
on Mission Unusual Tokyo projects for about a year.
Kaoru had always hoped that Saori, her eldest daughter,
would accept Jesus and be baptized,
but sadly, she showed no interest.
In late 2021, Kaoru was hospitalized
with a potentially crippling brain disease
in the midst of complications brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
At that time, the doctor told me that she had a chance to live.
However, the chances of regaining consciousness were very small.
It was really difficult for me to accept this reality.
I was shocked about the news.
I soon arranged a prayer group with her friends
at the Academy Alumni to pray for her healing.
With the power of prayer and God's grace,
the prayer was answered.
She woke up from her state of unconsciousness
and regained consciousness.
Seeing how Terumi and her friends
came together to pray for her mother,
and witnessing what happened with her mother,
triggered in Saori an awareness of God's existence.
She looked for her Bible and started to read.
As she read, Saori remembered
that her mother's great hope was to see her get baptized.
She started looking for an Adventist church nearby,
but because of Covid-19 restrictions,
churches with large congregations were closed.
Fortunately, Saori found an Adventist church that was still open.
I contacted the church members and the pastor
and told him that I wanted to be baptized on my birthday, March 17th!
Excited about the change in Saori's life,
Terumi connected her with the church planting team
of Mission Unusual Tokyo.
Since November 2021, while still attending Funabashi Church,
Saori has created strong ties with the volunteer workers at MUT.
Every Friday, she joined our small group online meeting.
We all grow spiritually with each other
by sharing and praying together every single week.
It's so encouraging to see some good things happening to Saori.
Chizu, who lives at the Yokohama JUC campus in Tokyo,
became a mentor to Saori
and provided her personal, wholistic support.
A small discipleship team naturally formed
as these three ladies enjoyed the NEWSTART concept together.
We spent time together experiencing all eight parts of it,
walking around, testifying and praying with each other,
eating healthy, drinking enough water,
and worshiping God together in my apartment.
It was the way of life of the Adventists around me
that boosted my confidence towards baptism.
I saw genuine love, care, and support from this group.
I am happy I can meet these people.
God is real!
Love can break through the hardest things.
This includes peoples' hearts
and also the steel and concrete cities,
like Tokyo, Japan.
To reach more people in this city,
the Adventist church in Japan
invited the General Conference and the Northern Asia-Pacific Division
to partner with them to create Mission Unusual--
a comprehensive church planting and disciple-making movement.
Tokyo is among the largest cities in the world,
making it a focus for Mission to the Cities
and Global Mission.
A team of church-planting missionaries is already on the ground,
learning the language
and how best to share Jesus with the Japanese.
Mission Unusual Tokyo involves Global Mission pioneers,
Urban Centers of Influence,
Global Mission Centers,
volunteers and tentmakers
in a concerted effort to reach the city for Jesus!
Please pray for Saori,
the first person baptized from the Mission Unusual Tokyo Initiative.
And please pray for the missionaries, the Global Mission pioneers,
and the volunteers.
We believe God has big plans for this,
the largest city in the world.
Well, that's about it for today's program.
And I hope that you've enjoyed what you've seen and heard.
But more than that, I hope that you've been challenged,
as you've seen frontline mission around the world.
As you look at what Global Mission is doing,
you'll see that there's one thing in common.
Whether it be an urban center of influence, whether it be
a Global Mission Pioneer, church planter, and that is Christ's method of ministry,
where we mingle with people, we we show sympathy.
We minister to needs, we win confidence, and then we bid them to follow Jesus.
And I want to thank you for your part in making this happen.
Thank you so much for your prayers and thank you
for your financial support, your donations to Global Mission.
And thank you also for your personal involvement.
Well, for Adventist Mission, I'm Gary Cross,
and I hope that you can join me next time right here on Mission 360.