Guardiões da Esperança - Episódio 1

Translated Interview (Portuguese to English)

GUARDIANS OF THE HOPE

My name is Yure Gramacho, I’m 34 years old, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, Lais’ husband, Kauai’s father and I’m glad to be a Seventh Day Adventist Church pastor.

When I accepted the call of Christ to give my life to him like my Lord and my Saviour, since that time I had already felt a calling to be a missionary, no matter where, I could be a missionary wherever I was, flourish where I was planted.

A while ago I heard about a project where the church would send missionary families to work abroad, to preach the gospel in these places and hasten the return of Jesus, then my heart beated faster, burned in the chest that God's call and I said, “Here am I, send me!”

Interviewer: Tell us a little bit more about this South America project to send missionaries.

Yure: The Adventist Church in South America is developing a Project called “Missionários para o Mundo” (Missionaries to the World), understanding that as a church we have a responsibility not only in our administrative region, but with the preaching of the Gospel worldwide, and the administration of the church here in South America proposed this project where 25 missionary families, pastor, his wife and children, by the way, not only pastors, but even people of other professions, were selected, pledged themselves with God and His Church to work in places with the smallest Christian presence in the world, so this is the Project “Missionários para o Mundo” (Missionaries to the World).

Interviewer: What are the challenges that the Church has to face in this country where you are being sent?

Yure: We were challenged by God and His Church to work in Asia, specifically in a country called Mongolia. This country is located between Russia and China, bordering these two great countries, and Mongolia is an exotic place, first of all because the weather is too extreme, some people say that it is the “world’s fridge”, because over there reaches temperatures down to -40 degrees (C^o), even incredible -50^o subzero, in fact, it is a real fridge, isn’t it? And in that country a lot of people still have a nomadic life style, some of them have been lived in the desert, in tents, yurts called “gers”, and with this temperatures, surviving in a completely hostile environment, many of them move during four to five times per year depending on the season to survive this extreme weather. The country has religious Buddhist predominance, most people, about 96% of population live the Tibetan Buddhism’s lifestyle, they also have extremely strong traditions in their cultural, philosophical and religious worldview, it’s really a big challenge, Christianity reaches less than 1% of the population, and the Seventh Day Adventist Church has accomplished a work specially in health and education with centers of influence, and performing the work for which God has called us to make disciples of all nations, and of course that Mongolia cannot stay out!

Interviewer: God has blessed the Church in South America in such a way that through the faithfulness of its members is possible to maintain such a project. How do you evaluate it?

Yure: Well, the Bible presents the Church as a “body”, the Church is a body, and this body works in a relationship of interdependence, each part of the body is essential to accomplish the mission. We can’t think in a fragmented way, only our own needs and challenges that we have to face in our local field, of course that we have a lot of challenges and it is our duty complete the mission in our home country as well, but we cannot be selfish and vain in such a way that we don’t recognize the global needs of the church, so challenging mission fields where the church needs a huge support. Just to you guys have a glimpse, the “MPM” Project is involving a major financial contribution, and it is obvious, there are costs of flights tickets, after all there are 25 families going to very far countries of the world, there are special projects that will be develop in these particular places, then you can see that this is not something as simple nor so cheap talking about finances, but thanks be to God, like I said before, the Church is unique, it is a single body. The Church resources are managed within this vision, not just looking for its arm, or for its leg, or perhaps, as some people usually say, just “looking at the his own navel”, not at all! The Church is looking to the world, our mission is reaches the world!

I praise the Lord because the faithfulness of our members is what makes possible that God accomplishes the mission, actually the resources are of God Himself, it comes from God and He gives us the honor, privilege and responsibility to be faithful to these resources, and the church's duty is to manage it the right way.

Conclusion: I thank God because He called me to be a missionary overseas, but I would like to thank the faithfulness of our brothers and sisters as well, people that recognize the sovereignty of God in their lives, not only giving money, but dedicating your whole being, your own life to the Lord, this is the real Christian Stewardship!

I praise the Lord, because as in the past the early Church sent missionaries, the Church of Antioch sent missionaries, and many even poor churches collaborated with their resources to the worldwide mission, still nowadays, the Seventh Day Adventist Church, the Church of God, the biblical prophecy remnant Church, It has also sought to be faithful in the administration of these resources, and I thank you dear brothers and sisters because you have a fundamental role in this missionary project. Maybe you never preach overseas, in another country, you must continue preaching and being a disciple right here where you are, but praise the Lord for your faithfulness, because with these resources the message of the Gospel is fulfilling the prophecy that is written in Revelation 14:6 - “Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth--to every nation, tribe, language and people.” We are theses messengers, whether with our voice or our resources, we are only one church, only one “body”, only one people!


I would like to conclude by quoting a phrase from a great man of God, William Carey, during a missionary meeting with leaders and church members, he made them a challenge: “If you guys launch the strings of resources I am willing to go down the well to save. May God bless you all, throw the “strings”, because I am here willing to serve and to save!