Bangladesh Adventist Education Project

Education is the golden door to unlock freedom GW Carver Bible is worth more than college education

Hello to all who love and serve God and know He is coming soon!

Are you looking for  a service project for yourself or your church or small group where you can have a major impact for God that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg? There’s a great opportunity to do a world of good for Adventist education in Bangladesh that is very affordable for almost any church, small group or any individual (and also another in Mongolia and other places). It costs ~$100 a student per month to pay for tuition at an SDA high school/university in Bangladesh.

My name is Bryan Bissell and I’ve been serving as an SDA missionary/teacher-professor/church planter/pastor in Asia for ~20 years, learning and helping schools in several countries. At our SDA university in Singapore, Southeast Asia Union College, I went to school with a Lawrence Boidya. He was not Adventist when he came to study at SAUC, but after some time he was so impressed by God’s unique truths that we share that have changed the world in so many positive ways (as even secular scientists agree: http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/what-adventists-mean-to-you). He decided to be baptized.

Now, he is working diligently to assist Adventist education and his greatest desire is to see others choose Jesus as Lord as he did. He understands that education is a primary way to do that as he himself experienced. Another 12 people were baptized just recently in his church and they are making progress in many ways, but need help.

Lawrence has helped building libraries, safe water drinking systems and is working on several more projects. He wishes to set up another high school, college, hospital as well.  You can see some of his work and a testimony of his conversion and testimony at these links:
Education Aid Foundation Profile
Lawrence Boidya’s Testimony

Here are a couple projects that Lawrence has been involved in (click the pictures for higher resolution).Project 2--library at Debottor Degree College

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Bangladesh SDA Union Mission and Section Office and the West Bangladesh Mission of Seventh Day Adventist Church have agreed to officially support him. He has also done fundraising as an NGO to help further Adventist education. You can see certification, proof and pictures of the work being done below. There are already ~4,500 students at all the SDA boarding schools/college in Bangladesh. About 30% of that number are without a sponsorship and are in need of help to finish their education and become useful, contributing members of society.

There are several ways that individuals, groups or churches can help.

1) Support a regular or orphan student to go to SDA high school or college costs ~US$100/month.
2) Collect English books to send to the Bangladesh schools to improve their libraries.
3) Pray for God’s work there. But when you pray, move your feet and take action too as an African proverb and James 2 says.  Write letters to encourage the students. Send them useful information in areas they are studying, etc.
4) Share this information with other people, churches, groups, etc. so we can transform a country suffering from poverty.

THE EARTHLY AND ETERNAL VALUE OF ADVENTIST EDUCATION


Before looking at more information about the SDA Bangladesh work, it’s important to understand that vast research is showing that supporting Christian and Adventist education and churches is one of the most meaningful things anyone can do to make a better world. They are also one of the best ways to further God’s Great Commission and enrich lives in crucial ways. Why?

A) It is in childhood and youth that people form their worldviews and many don’t change much after that. This is why secularism aims so much anti-Christian propaganda at children through media and in public education. A Christian education is enormously important in influencing people to follow objective truth and God.

B) Dr. Fagan did a meta review of over 100 studies and published research showing that:

“No other dimension of life…does more to promote the well-being and soundness of the nation’s civil society than citizens’ regular attendance at church.”He also found that “Church kids have higher grade point averages – scoring 14.4 percent higher than non-attenders” and”[It] is one of the most effective ways to impact low-income students…Church-going kids have reduced “behavioral risks” such as drug abuse, gang membership, alcohol use or sexual experimentation.”http://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/on_the_front_lines_of_the_culture_wars/2011/08/church-kids-are-less-likely-to-divorce-or-live-in-poverty.html, http://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/on_the_front_lines_of_the_culture_wars/2011/03/why-do-church-kids-make-better-grades.html

C) Another secular scientist, Dr. Cnaan, studied 100s of churches and synagogues and was shocked to find that the average church (in America) contributes ~$2,000,000 in value to people’s lives and the community (for every $1 invested in churches (and church schools), up to $10 in benefits to society is produced by churches). One of the biggest ways they help is by funding Christian education which dramatically helps people escape poverty and brings a plethora of other benefits. A couple studies and articles are here:

churches!--their value to the community--~2 million dollars on average. Cnaan!

A better graphic is here: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2011/03/31/what-do-churches-contribute-to-the-community/

Adventist education has done an incredible amount of good for society. Studies were done on 51,000 Adventist students. In every subject they scored higher than the national average, and some of the biggest differences were in science areas (they found that creation science provides an advantage in understanding and investigating the natural world). The testing company was the secular Riverside Publishing that offers a wide range of highly regarded educational, cognitive, and developmental assessment products such as The Iowa Tests.
www.cognitivegenesis.org/?page_id=1198

education--SDA cognitive genesis results!

http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2010/1115/For-real-education-reform-take-a-cue-from-the-Adventists

Here is a PBS documentary overview of Adventist education results:

The Blue Print–The Story of Adventist Education (click the picture to watch a trailer)
Adventist education The BluePrint

3 big reasons that Adventist education does so well are:

1) Adventist education connects students to the Master Teacher, Jesus. His wisdom and power improves good habits, social networks with people from all socioeconomic groups and give students spiritual hope and life skills to endure and grow through difficulties.

2) Adventist education and church improves family relationships significantly and

3) Adventist education builds positive health, diet and exercise habits into a regular lifestyle.
http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2010/1115/For-real-education-reform-take-a-cue-from-the-Adventists

Cognitive Genesis–United States Results: 2011 Summary Report
http://www.cognitivegenesis.org/?page_id=1228

Jews have long emphasized giving in ways that produce independence. This is precisely what Christian education does. Ellen White writes:
“We may give to the poor and harm them by teaching them to be dependent. Such giving encourages selfishness and helplessness. Often it leads to idleness, extravagance, and intemperance. No person who can earn his or her own livelihood has a right to depend on others. The proverb “The world owes me a living” has in it the essence of falsehood, fraud, and robbery. The world owes no one a living who is able to work. Real charity helps people to help themselves. If they come to our door and ask for food, we should not turn them away hungry; their poverty may be the result of misfortune. But true beneficence means more than mere gifts. It means a genuine interest in the welfare of others. We should try to understand the needs of the poor and distressed, and give them the help that will benefit them most. To give thought and time and personal effort costs far more than merely to give money. But it is the truest charity.” The Ministry of Health and Healing, p. 103

HOW TO SEND MONEY


It has been a little complicated for foreigners to send money to Bangledesh after 9/11 and the rise of terrorism. The government and banks have restrictions on foreigners sending money  due to this (such as showing went to the same school as the native Bangladeshi person or photos or something like that according to Lawrence).  We are working on figuring out a better and more professional way of sending money. But at present, the best and most direct way to send money is to send money through Western Union using this information:

Lawrence D. Boidya
Road No. 7/A, House No. 57 (2nd Floor), Block – H, Banani, Dhaka 1213, Bangladesh.
Telephone: + 88 01748 918780
educationaidfoundation@gmail.com

After sending the money, you will need to send an e-mail to the above address with your name and the amount so that he can fill in the form to claim the money.

If you wish, you could also send money to Lawrence Boidya through the Bangladesh SDA Union Mission and Section Office or the West Bangladesh Mission of Seventh Day Adventist Church.

Your support is very appreciated as it is very essential for our students and church activities.

 

COST OF SUPPORTING STUDENTS AND CONTRIBUTIONS

The cost of sending a student to high school/university in Bangladesh is ~$100 per month (at a rate of ~78 taka/US$1).  More details will be here in the near future.


Institutions                                             Monthly Fees (in US$)
1    High School orphanage
2    College students
3    College Orphanage
4    BASC minimum to maximum

Beside the regular subsidy we also need to provide the following for students:
1     Monthly supplies for orphanage students average Tk. 300 per month + yearly medical insurance for them + yearly books, uniforms.
2    All sponsored students get a yearly uniform + books + 50% of their medical expenses.
3   Administration costs for staff and organizational work are kept to a minimum as much as possible, but at present they are ~12% which is quite low.

MORE CERTIFICATION OF LAWRENCE BOIDYA’S BANGLADESH WORK


certification from German embassy

 

 

 

certification from German embassy2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 thoughts on “Bangladesh Adventist Education Project

  • 27. July 2015 at 09:16
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    Wow! The article has raiesd so many different questions! I do find one theme, though, that seems to run throughout. Can we be comfortable with taking God at His word, regarding how He made the world, or do we have to know everything? Well, if we have to know all about creation week in order to believe it, then what about trusting God with our lives? There’s no way we are ever going to understand all about how God works in this world, and in our personal lives not in this life, anyway. But we do have plenty of reason to trust Him. The same goes for sanctification. No, perfection cannot be a prerequisite to eternal life. The penitent sinner has the privilege of experiencing that now, in Jesus. Immortality, on the other hand, is something else. Peter makes it clear that we need to pursue holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. It should be obvious that, to the extent that we are not yet perfect, we are still evil. Would you want to go to a heaven where evil people were present and immortalised? It would be worse than what we have now!We so often stumble over the idea of sanctification. Of course, the Bible speaks of sanctification as both a completed act and an ongoing process. That’s because sanctification means being set apart for a holy purpose. When we enter God’s service, He has already set up apart for Himself, right? Yet, the process is not truly complete until we are truly holy, through and through. But we stumble because we cannot understand just how God is going to get us to that point. When we look at ourselves and our performance, it can easily seem impossible. Not to worry. A 6-day creation also seems impossible, yet it clearly happened. Sometimes it seems impossible for us to get through the problems that arise in our lives, yet God gets us through them. When the disciples asked Jesus, Who then can be saved? Jesus answered that it is humanly impossible. But, with God, all things are possible. So, we should expect salvation to be something that seems impossible to us, and we should not try to reduce it to something less.That God intends to perfect us in the righteousness of Christ is one of the most strongly worded promises in the Bible. Paul calls it a predestined result for those whom God has called and chosen. I see it as a matter of taking God at His word. If we do not believe, we shall not be established.

    Reply
  • 18. February 2018 at 18:26
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    Dear Sabbath wishes in Jesus name I am from south Andra seventh day Adventist church elder for 2 year I am adding 10 villages for seventh day Adventist from Lutherans and others. I am running orphanage home for 25 children in beginning from our Adventist churches .Now I have 35 children now for feeding I am running this from local funds here and there but here not rising fund properly .So I am searching for sponsor our fellow Adventist from.I have
    This is my mailing address
    Chunduru.Veeraiah /Son of Johnprasad
    Returu.Post &village ,Kakumanu.[Mandal]
    Guntur . District. Andhra Pradesh. South India .522113.
    Account No-31231153680
    SBININBB181
    About my ministries see -:- http://returusdachurch.blogspot.in/
    With much Love. this web page
    Yours in Him.
    Ch .Veeraiah Elder seventh day Adventist

    Reply

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