Travel Report: 2017 Lisbon, Portugal

Lisbon, Portugal

August-September 2017

 

As a follow-up to our last travel report regarding Zimbabwe, you may find the article written by Andrew McChesney of Adventist Mission of special interest.  The article also includes a related report in Burundi, Africa.  Indeed, there is something taking place that is beyond human accomplishments. (Matt. 24:14) https://adventistmission.org/scores-of-disabled-people-accept-jesus-across-africa

Here are a few pictures of Lisbon, Portugal from our recent visit. Lisbon is the home of the devastating

 earthquake in 1755. I’ve include a few historic statements regarding Lisbon and the earthquake below.  The pictures from our visit can be seen by clicking on the following link

https://cincopa.com/~AQAAzHOzb8Uc

Lisbon & the 1755 the “Great Lisbon Earthquake”

(Wikipedia)

"Lisbon  is the capital and the largest city of Portugal.  It is the only Portuguese city besides Porto to be recognised as a global city. It is one of the major economic centres on the continent, with a growing financial sector and one of the largest container ports on Europe's Atlantic coast.  The city is the 7th-most-visited city in Southern Europe, after Rome, Barcelona, Madrid, Athens and Milan, with 1,740,000 tourists in 2009.

The 1755 Lisbon earthquake, also known as the Great Lisbon earthquake, occurred in the Kingdom of Portugal on Saturday, 1 November, the holy day of All Saints' Day, at around 09:40 local time.^[2] In combination with subsequent fires and a tsunami, the earthquake almost totally destroyed Lisbon and adjoining areas. Seismologists today estimate the Lisbon earthquake had a magnitude in the range 8.5–9.0.  Contemporary reports state that the earthquake lasted between three and a half and six minutes, causing fissures 5 metres (16 feet) wide to open in the city centre.  Survivors rushed to the open space of the docks for safety and watched as the water receded, revealing a sea floor littered with lost cargo and shipwrecks. Approximately 40 minutes after the earthquake, a tsunami engulfed the harbour and downtown area.  Estimates place the death toll in Lisbon alone between 10,000 and 100,000 people,^[5] making it one of the deadliest earthquakes in history.

This following statement from the book, The Great Controversy,p.305, by Ellen White,  comes after quoting Luke 21:25, Mark 13:24-26, Revelation 6:12.

“The shock” of the earthquake “was instantly followed by the fall of every church and convent, almost all the large public buildings, and more than one fourth of the houses. In about two hours after the shock, fires broke out in different quarters, and raged with such violence for the space of nearly three days, that the city was completely desolated. The earthquake happened on a holyday, when the churches and convents were full of people, very few of whom escaped.”—Encyclopedia Americana, art. “Lisbon,” note (ed. 1831). “The terror of the people was beyond description. Nobody wept; it was beyond tears. They ran hither and thither, delirious with horror and astonishment, beating their faces and breasts, crying, ‘Misericordia! the world’s at an end!,’” 

Then on page 309 are these words:  “But as the spirit of humility and devotion in the church had given place to pride and formalism, love for Christ and faith in His coming had grown cold. Absorbed in worldliness and pleasure seeking, the professed people of God were blinded to the Saviour’s instructions concerning the signs of His appearing. The doctrine of the second advent had been neglected; the scriptures relating to it were obscured by misinterpretation, until it was, to a great extent, ignored and forgotten.”

Such thoughts raced through my mind as we walked the old streets of Lisbon. Sobering reflections as we saw the remnants of the earthquake and a reminder of lessons to be remembered as we face so many natural disasters today.  A reminder of the soon coming of Jesus.

The Travel Report

I write from Lisbon, Portugal where I first attended a meeting for interpreters for the Deaf which was then  followed by an advisory meeting. An advisory is an orientation meeting for leaders of Deaf and Special Needs Ministries. The commitment and enthusiasm of the Inter-European Division Special Needs Director, Coraddo Cozzi, is making a difference in this part of the world. Teaming up with him were his able assistant, Taida Rivero and the coordinator in Portugal, Claudia Dias. Seven of the 10 unions were represented.   This is a major endorsement from this division when this many unions participate. I have yet to see Special Needs Ministries expand rapidly without the endorsement and support from both the unions and the division.  While we speak of a "grassroots movement", it takes the whole church for a movement to gain momentum.  There are signs a global movement is forming. Such meetings are needed.  There is such a   short supply of interpreters for the Deaf. In many places this need is beginning to be filled.

One highlight of our meetings in Portugal was a discussion regarding the unfortunate plight of thousands of orphans and vulnerable children.  Alarming are the reports of hundreds of children who suddenly disappear.  It is felt they have fallen to human trafficking (prostitution, etc) and the harvesting of human organs.  That reality is weighing heavily on me and others.  We cannot sit and not do more than we are.  What can we do?   We already have some excellent organizations working for orphans. We need to support them but we must also find ways of significantly expanding this ministry to halt the disappearance of other children.  Stay tuned.  This ministry must be more about possibility than disability. With God's help and yours it will be!

Travel Report: Brazil & Zimbabwe

August 2017

PICTURES Novo Tempo Media Center near Sao Paulo, Brazil https://cincopa.com/~AwFA-HeEFQuM

PICTURES of TRIP TO ZIMBABWE: https://cincopa.com/~AEIARBuu2Dsk

Brazil

The meeting near Sao Paulo, Brazil was the venue for this year’s Hope Channel’s Leadership/Managers’ Meeting.  I was included in the invitation because I am considered the manager for Hope Channel – Deaf which is one of the 46 different channels of Hope Channel.  Hope Channel – Deaf is an Internet channel (www.hopechanneldeaf.org), as opposed to a broadcast channel.  By being an internet channel makes it available anywhere in the world where there is Internet reception regardless of satellite reception.  Zimbabwe, for example is not able to receive the satellite coverage for Hope Channel but it can receive ours. We use what is called VOD or Video On Demand which means programs are not aired according to a schedule but according to the viewers wish or demand. You don’t have to be deaf to enjoy the channel. Try out the section on nature!

The meeting was held at the South American Division Hope Channel site which is called Novo Tempo.  It is by far the largest facility of the 46 channels.  The General Conference, the mother station, employs 26 individuals with just a few sets for television production, Novo Tempo employs 496 and soon to be over 500. There are 26 different sets from which programs are broadcast.  Novo Tempo is a multi-ministry facility which includes not only television and radio productions but also a large Bible school program. It is state-of-the-art facility and has a tremendous recognition and ministry throughout South America.  The networking with various personnel that I was able to do there clearly made the trip worthwhile.  Our own Hope Channel – Deaf will certainly benefit!!

Zimbabwe

I cut my time in Brazil a little to attend the Special Needs Camp Meeting in Zimbabwe. What a life-changing experience for me in so many ways. Just two years ago there was very little organized in the way of Special Needs Ministries.  With an emphasis coming from the General Conference, things began to change rapidly.  Division, union and local conference leadership accepted the challenge. When I arrived, and spoke that Thursday evening, the meeting hall was packed with 350-400 individuals—deaf, blind and many in wheelchairs.  What a beautiful sight!  We introduced the new recommended theme song, “Not Alone”, and what an experience to hear these Africans sing that song—a song that originated in Uganda and recorded by the Watato Children’s Choir (made up of all orphans). The division leader, Passmore Mulambo, union leader, Logan Masaiti , and the conference president, Godfrey Musara showed incredible leadership for this ministry.  The conference president, for example, has a conference membership of 190,000 yet he makes it his practice to worship with a special needs group somewhere in his conference once a month. His conference has 17 different camp meetings this year. I can’t say enough about the enthusiasm of all the leaders, including lay leaders. An interpreter for the deaf from Pretoria, South Africa, Zee Purdy Lee, attended and added much to the meetings.

The camp meeting was held on the school grounds of a government facility designed for special needs individuals.   On opening night the Deputy Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare for the country of Zimbabwe was present and gave some opening remarks. His remarks regarding the work of the Seventh-day Adventist Church were encouraging and inspiring.  My brief meeting with him was very positive and we spoke of working together in the future.  On Sabbath we had to move out of the hall that had been provided for us and into a tent that had been pitched on the school grounds.  The attendance on Sabbath was around 500!  I spoke about six times during the camp meeting.  I was asked to make an appeal for baptism after my Sabbath sermon. Forty had completed the Voice of Prophecy Bible Study Lessons. I made the call and 34 came forward for baptism!  I was overwhelmed with the response.  I had never experienced so many in “wheelchairs” come forward to an altar call. That afternoon 15 deaf, 10 in wheelchairs and 9 “able-bodied” were baptized,  Some of those in wheelchairs had no control of their legs or arms.  I was so moved by their experience.  Afterwards with beaming smiles, some shouted, “I’m baptized, I’m baptized, thank you Jesus.”  The impossible happened and they were visibly rejoicing.  In the midst of all the excitement, I paused.  Silently I prayed and thought, of all the uncertainties that I’ve faced over the last several years and now those uncertainties had a reason. I just couldn’t see why at the time. 

I must tell you about a special service –the last service of the camp meeting.  What an impression it made on all of us.. Three cakes were placed before three individuals: a blind person, a deaf person and a physically handicapped person. Each was asked to cut out a piece of the cake in front of them. A sighted person helped the blind, an interpreter explained to the deaf what to do, and the physically handicapped person (no use of either arms or legs) used the best resource he has--his mouth in which an able-bodied person assisted by placing the knife in his mouth. In each case a piece of the cake was cut. BUT IT DIDN'T STOP THERE! The sighted person fed the blind person the cake, the blind person fed the deaf person and the deaf and the physically handicapped person fed each other. No one was better than the other and each needed the other. The message was clear: we need each and each has been called to serve all. Surely, a powerful message for a world that disparages those often whom they call "disabled." The German philosopher Johann Gottfried Herder observed in the 18th century that we cannot know ourselves without a reference point outside of ourselves. Perhaps, just maybe that reference, in part, are those with special needs who illustrate so powerfully that they serve as mirrors of our own brokeness. I attended as a student and was reminded that I must remain a student and while there they were my teachers. (By clicking on each picture you can see more.)

A little expression that I’ve coined for myself and applied to many situations—both mine and others—was once again confirmed:  “Don’t try to conclude the writing of the book when God is still adding chapters!”  Heavy on my heart now is, “What about others!  What about those who are being marginalized all around the world because of their “disability.”  As we now say about this ministry, “Our mission is not about disability. It is about possibilities.”  Each one of these individuals with special needs has possibilities that the world often overlooks or ignores.  We are out to change that!!