Participants: Calvin Thrash (Host), Steve Dickman (Host), Chuck Cleveland (Host), Debbie Young (Host)
Series Code: 13ASIC
Program Code: 13ASIC000005
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00:19 We're continuing on with more thrilling stories
00:21 and I am being joined here 00:23 on the platform with Dr. Leonard Brand. 00:26 Perhaps, Dr. Brand, you could tell us 00:27 where you're from and what you do. 00:30 I am from Loma Linda. 00:31 I teach at Loma Linda University. 00:34 I'm chair of the Department of Earth 00:36 and Biological Sciences, 00:38 which gives degrees in biology and geology. 00:40 Now you mentioned to me previously 00:42 that Loma Linda has kind of a unique distinction. 00:45 You would think that many Christian colleges 00:47 offered doctorates in earth sciences 00:49 but you said that that's not necessarily 00:51 the cases, is that correct? 00:52 Well, they do offer graduate degrees, 00:55 the difference is-- like you say you think 01:00 they would offer good Biblical programs 01:02 but other Christian universities and colleges, 01:05 if they have something like geology, 01:08 they teach basically theistic evolution or evolution, 01:13 not a Biblical concept of origins. 01:16 So Loma Linda has a Biblical based program 01:19 that they offer as a doctorate. 01:20 Yeah, we are the only place in the world 01:23 where a student can get a doctorate 01:25 in biology or geology 01:28 and that passes from teachers 01:30 who accept the Biblical story of origins. 01:33 Okay. Amen. 01:35 Then how it that you can get past the typical theory 01:40 that the earth is billions of years old? 01:43 Well, in the eyes of most scientists, 01:46 of course, we don't get buy where, 01:48 you know, but we're a little bit out of it. 01:51 But we can teach our students learn 01:55 what science has to offer, the best evidence 01:57 they know what other scientists think, 01:59 they also know what the Bible says 02:01 and how we can reinterpret that evidence in a way that, 02:05 that really helps us to understand geology better. 02:09 Now we have a short video clip 02:10 and maybe you could tell us 02:11 a little bit about what's on it. 02:13 Okay, some of us do geology research 02:16 to understand better how to explain the rocks, 02:20 how to interpret the rocks. 02:22 And we find that if we take the Bible seriously, 02:25 the Bible concept of a global flood 02:27 a few thousand years ago, that gives us clues, 02:30 it helps us to see things 02:32 that other people don't notice. 02:34 And so we are indeed making some progress 02:37 in understanding that geological evidence. 02:39 And I'll just say one thing, in the little video 02:42 we'll talk about hypothesis and a couple of places. 02:45 Okay, to us, the global flood 02:47 is not a hypothesis, that's reality. 02:50 But when we get to these little details, 02:52 there are-- you know, 02:53 the Bible doesn't give us those details 02:54 but the Bible helps us to think of hypothesis 02:58 and how we might interpret that evidence 03:00 and then study those. 03:02 Well, let's watch the video now then. 03:03 Okay. 03:07 The surface of our earth has been shaped by water. 03:11 Flowing water has great power to erode even hard rocks. 03:16 Rivers undercut their banks especially at flood seasons. 03:20 Then moving glaciers or flowing water 03:23 cut and shape the surface. 03:26 The result is landscape that we find very beautiful. 03:31 What type of water flow did it take 03:34 to cut these magnificent structures? 03:37 Two Geologists from Loma Linda University 03:40 and South Western Adventist University, 03:43 Dr. Leonard Brand and Dr. Arthur Chadwick 03:47 are seriously asking this question and seeking answers. 03:52 Here we see an impressive cliff 03:54 meandering across Southern Utah, 03:57 where the white cliffs reach the skyline, 04:00 the Navajo Sandstone forms the magnificent walls 04:03 of Zion canyon, 2,000 feet high. 04:08 An enormous of water energy would be required 04:11 to erode these high cliffs. 04:14 What type of water flow pattern 04:16 is required to form such a long continuous cliff? 04:21 The cliff is not part of a pair of cliffs, 04:24 such as occurs on the sides of river valleys. 04:28 It is part of a series of cliffs. 04:30 There are no rivers flowing along these cliffs 04:33 that could have eroded them. 04:36 These examples and many more lead 04:39 Dr. Brand and Dr. Chadwick to think 04:42 that the usual geologic theory 04:45 of millions of years of gradual erosion 04:48 are not adequate to shape the land 04:51 into its existing landscape pattern. 04:54 They believe that serious study 04:57 of how a very large flow of water 05:00 could explain the landscapes 05:02 will provide much more realistic explanations. 05:06 Future research will pursue these clues. 05:17 That walking, would you do it, 05:19 you have to walk everywhere that you go? 05:21 Well, we get as close as we can 05:23 and then we do a lot of walking. 05:24 Okay. 05:25 I understand also that ASI has had a part in that video 05:28 and also in your work, is their correct? 05:30 They have and supported, yeah. It's wonderful. 05:32 Yeah. 05:33 Let me ask you, in today's educational environment 05:36 just really how important is to have 05:38 a Biblical based geologic program. 05:42 Geologists interpret the evidence in ways 05:45 that can be very destructive to Christian faith. 05:48 Students who study geology and Christian students 05:51 who studied geology in other universities have a hard time 05:54 because they can describe the evidence 05:58 and their interpretations very convincingly. 06:01 And it's difficult for many people 06:04 to hang onto their faith 06:06 in spite of what is being-- they're been given. 06:09 And so it is very crucial, 06:11 it's throughout the Christian world 06:12 and even the Adventist church, 06:14 they are those who are pushing toward the theistic evolution 06:18 and in much of Christian Protestant denominations, 06:22 there is a big movement among the scholars in that direction 06:24 so it's something of concern. 06:27 And but with our research trying to understand it better, 06:33 as Seventh-day Adventist educators 06:35 we have a responsibility and a great privilege 06:39 to find ways to interpret 06:40 the evidence according to the Bible. 06:43 Now there are questions we don't have answers to, 06:45 but we will always have those. 06:47 But we can be a great help to our students 06:51 and I can just give you one example, 06:53 I remember a student took a class for me 06:56 and after the class is over, I got a phone call. 07:00 Now he tried to make this anonymous 07:02 but I knew who he was. 07:04 But he thanked me for the class 07:06 and he said "Your class has opened the way to faith." 07:09 And that's a great privilege to get responses like that. 07:12 Dr. Brand, it has been a real pleasure talking to you 07:15 and it is an encouragement to all of us 07:16 to know that Loma Linda is holding 07:18 the standard in this area. 07:19 I'd like to close with one other comment. 07:22 My lovely wife was not able to be here, 07:24 so I just like to tell her happy anniversary. 07:28 Thank you so much. 07:38 Again I think that it's an incredible privilege 07:42 that we have-- 07:44 He said, don't start the clock. 07:47 It's an incredible privilege that we have, 07:49 to be able to have a biblically based program 07:52 in our university. 07:53 Joining me now is Dr. Willard Regester. 07:56 Tell me just a little bit about yourself 08:01 and what we're gonna talk about. 08:03 Well, I'm a retired physician 08:05 and that's what we're gonna talk about, 08:06 what I've been doing. 08:07 Okay. I should do this, you know. 08:09 There we go, that's what I was about to say. 08:11 Now... 08:13 to start it off you had told me a little story 08:16 and unfortunately because you said 08:18 the clock had already started and you can see it back there, 08:20 we had there long version on our telephone call 08:24 but we're gonna have to have 08:25 a cliff notes version this evening. 08:27 But how did you get involved in the work 08:31 that you're doing now? 08:32 Well, what you're really saying is-- 08:34 I've been to Romania, and why did I go to Romania? 08:38 Here I am getting... 08:41 tonight's my birthday. 08:43 What's your birthday? What, what, what age are you? 08:46 Well, 89 starting at sunset today. 08:49 How about that. 08:55 Eighty nine. 08:57 I had the-- 08:58 Happy birthday to you... 08:59 Hey, the clock is running. 09:04 Happy birthday, Regester. 09:08 Happy birthday to you. Amen, amen. 09:12 And many more. That's right, that's right. 09:17 I've had the opportunity to go to Romania 09:20 15 years ago, 14 years ago, 13 years ago, 09:23 12 years ago and 11 years ago. 09:26 Five times, and last February, 09:29 18 months ago I had a humongous surgery. 09:32 So I knew I would never go back to Romania again. 09:36 And I was never laying around at home and sitting there 09:40 and wishing I wish I could go back to Romania. 09:42 It wasn't going through my mind. 09:45 But the pastor that I worked 09:47 with all those years was the same pastor. 09:49 His name was John Lascoe, 09:51 and John never called me on the telephone. 09:55 He had five churches. 09:56 He got transferred to Tel Aviv, about that time I left 09:59 that I would be 11 years ago. 10:01 And then he got transferred to Belgium. 10:05 So as you know your geography, Romania is in between 10:08 so they had a family reunion 10:11 and I got an email just this last, 10:14 a year ago now in August saying, 10:16 "Dr. Regester, why weren't you here for our reunion?" 10:20 Well, I said I am happy you missed me 10:24 but an old guy like me 80 years old, 10:26 it would be presumptive to get on a plane 10:28 and come over there all alone. 10:30 Well, about a month went by and my wife said-- 10:36 she yelled at me down the hall 10:37 and said we need some groceries. 10:40 So she tossed a list there by the phone 10:42 and I take my noon nap but I couldn't sleep, 10:45 I couldn't go to sleep, nothing bothering me, 10:47 I just couldn't go to sleep. 10:49 So I thought I'll just get up and pray. 10:52 So I got on my knees and I thought, 10:54 and this head to be from God. 10:58 I think I'll just say-- think a prayer, 11:02 I think I'll just think a prayer. 11:04 I don't want that devil to get involved in this process. 11:08 So this is what I thought, 11:09 "If You want me to go back to Romania, 11:13 have John Lascoe call me on the telephone." 11:19 So when I got up from my prayer, 11:22 I thought, well, I'll go get the list and go on to town 11:25 because I can't sleep anyway. 11:27 So as I picked up the list, the phone was flashing. 11:32 I picked up the phone, it was John Lascoe. 11:35 How about that. So now what I do, folks? 11:39 Go to Romania. 11:42 Do I tell the Lord, no, no, I was just kidding? 11:47 So I went to Romania 11:51 and my brother and I during those years 11:53 that we were there, we built five churches. 11:55 And John having been transferred 11:57 from Tel Aviv to Belgium 12:00 asked me to speak the first two, 12:02 at two of his churches in Brussels 12:05 on February 2nd of just now. 12:09 And then I went on to Romania 12:10 and spoke at the other churches. 12:12 I'm telling you my friends, 12:14 it's nice to go back like Paul did 12:17 and visit where you've been. 12:20 It's nice to go back. 12:23 Now, you know, why did I go, that's what your question? 12:27 That was what I was about to ask. 12:28 You know, I don't even now. 12:32 I don't even know why I went. 12:34 But this is one thing, there was a fellow there, 12:37 I always make a call, I always make a call 12:40 when I go there I call. 12:42 In the big church of Wallachia, Romania, 12:45 how many have you been in Wallachia, Romania? 12:47 I'm sure there's some hand. 12:49 There is a hand back there so, 12:50 anyway this fellow had been in the church, 12:53 I mean, helping with the church, 12:55 building the church. 12:56 His wife is a Seventh-day Adventist. 12:58 For 30 years he had never responded to a call. 13:03 But when I called he came forward 13:06 and it was amazing you should have seen 13:08 the look on their faces. 13:10 So maybe, maybe that's why I went to Romania. 13:14 I'm being honest with you when I tell you 13:16 I don't know why I went to Romania. 13:19 There were other people that were convicted and came forward 13:22 but there's a fellow out here in this audience someplace, 13:25 maybe some of you know him. 13:27 He told me-- and this is an absolute guarantee. 13:32 He said the Lord during the first week 13:36 of the millennium will come and tell you 13:39 why you went to Romania. 13:43 That's a guarantee. 13:45 That was told to me by Herb Douglas 13:47 and I'll bet you he's out there in the audience. 13:50 I said is that a guarantee that I am gonna be there 13:53 in the first place, then the guarantee 13:54 that Jesus will come and tell me what happened. 13:57 So where are you, Herb? Come on, stand up. 14:01 Anyway I'll take that guarantee. 14:03 There you go. 14:04 Dr. Regester, we're gonna have to wind it up here. 14:07 Well, wait a minute. 14:11 There's a couple of things I want to tell you. 14:13 Now it's an honor and it's a humbling honor 14:16 to talk to people like this. 14:19 All of you out there are working 14:21 for the Lord Jesus Christ, amen? 14:23 Amen. 14:25 I want you to know, 14:29 a calm, peaceful sea 14:34 never developed any skilled sails men and... 14:42 sailors. 14:44 Did you hear what I just said? 14:46 A calm sea never developed any skilled sailors. 14:50 You might write that down 14:52 or all you having a calm ocean out there? 14:58 And then one last thing. If the-- see they sang to me. 15:03 That' right. They used up my time. 15:05 That's right, go. So I've got time. 15:08 Fraction of a second. 15:10 When the Lord calls you... 15:15 go. 15:16 Amen. 15:26 Amen, what a blessing to have 15:28 these members in action, isn't it? 15:30 We have the young and the old right here together today, 15:33 all working for God's purposes. 15:35 Having with me this evening, DayStar Academy. 15:39 We have their principal, 15:40 Alexa Hernandez and Jerry and Heidi. 15:46 So thank you so much for joining us tonight, 15:49 for members in action now. 15:51 Alexa, you are the principal at DayStar, 15:53 how long have you been the principal? 15:56 I, as of this summer, become the principal. 15:59 Okay, so this is gonna be a new challenge for you this year. 16:02 But you've been at DayStar for how many years? 16:04 Yes, this is my fifth year. 16:06 So tell us, what is the focus 16:07 of the educational program at DayStar. 16:10 DayStar's educational focus is to know God 16:14 and to make Him known. 16:15 And we are striving to teach 16:18 our young people according to the blueprint 16:20 with a special emphasis in missions. 16:24 So a special emphasis in missions, 16:26 now I know that there is a variety of things 16:28 you could get involved in. 16:29 Jerry, tell us a little bit about 16:31 what's going on in the mission program there at the DayStar. 16:35 Yeah, missions is a big part of our program. 16:37 We take three weeks out of our schedule every year 16:41 to go and do missions. 16:44 We've been blessed last three years 16:45 so to be able to be involved specifically 16:47 with the one day church. 16:50 So building one day churches, 16:53 where do you build one day churches there? 16:55 We've been to Belize two different times 16:58 building one day churches, 16:59 then we also have been over in Zambia. 17:01 Wow. 17:02 So how many one day churches has DayStar built 17:05 over the last several years? 17:07 DayStar students have been directly involved 17:09 in building 46 one day churches. 17:11 Amen, hallelujah, 46 churches, wow, that's amazing. 17:16 And what's the most you built in one country? 17:20 We've built 37 in Belize. 17:23 And how many days did that take? 17:26 We took, took us some more three weeks, 17:30 we did the 37 churches in that time. 17:31 Well, see that's only about 18 days of work, 17:34 so if I calculate that should may rename this 17:36 the half day church. 17:39 Wow, that's amazing. 17:40 These young people built 37 churches in like how long? 17:45 Yeah, just like 15 to 18 work days, 17:49 it's pretty amazing. 17:51 When we went to start the project, 17:54 I knew that we weren't gonna be able to do all 37 in that time. 17:58 But as we got closer to the end 18:00 we split our students up into different groups 18:02 so we were doing more than one church in a day. 18:04 And the students could look and see, you know, 18:08 if we decided to not play today and we'd work instead, 18:12 maybe we could get this so. 18:13 The kids just took it on as a challenge 18:15 and yeah, before they left we had 37 all done. 18:18 Amen. 18:20 Now, Heidi, I know you're a participant 18:21 in some of these trips building churches around the world. 18:24 Let me ask you this evening, 18:25 how has experiencing missions in this way changed your life. 18:30 Well, it's really cool because we went 18:34 and we built churches in Belize the first time 18:36 but then we got to go back there a second time, 18:38 so we like, got to see all of our hard work 18:40 and they were using it. 18:42 And then it's just really cool to see 18:43 how thankful they are 18:44 and they're so grateful and it just made me realize 18:47 how much I have and has given me 18:49 a desire to help people. 18:51 So you have developed the missionary spirit 18:54 by mission training, right? 18:56 Yes. Amen. 18:57 Now, Alexa, I know you get to see these people 18:59 when they come back as we were talking you mentioned 19:02 you really had been on these trips 19:03 but you get to see them when they come back. 19:05 Tell us about what you see 19:07 when these young people come back from this experience. 19:10 Well, Steve, it's so exciting to see them come back. 19:14 They're on fire for the Lord, 19:16 they're excited about what they've been able to do 19:18 as young people to participate and building these churches. 19:21 Really anyone can be involved in doing it 19:24 and they feel so excited to be a part. 19:26 They're ready to share with their friends 19:28 and their families and area wide churches. 19:31 They have testimonies to share 19:33 and they are so excited to come back 19:36 and tell the experiences of the joy 19:39 they've been able to share with the young people 19:41 and the church families 19:43 that they've been able to build churches for. 19:46 So mission programs actually 19:49 work for the young as well as for those who are older, 19:52 I can see the transforming lives 19:54 of these young people reaching out 19:55 around the world and building churches. 19:57 Jerry, what if someone else 19:59 was thinking about building some one day churches? 20:01 Tell us about that. 20:03 Yeah, I think it's a great project, 20:05 like it's been shared, 20:06 you just need to see the excitement 20:09 on the people's faces as you built them a church in a day. 20:12 And it's the project-- 20:15 the whole project is put together 20:17 so that all of us can be involved, 20:18 we don't have to have any special skills. 20:21 So how do you go about doing that? 20:23 Is there some way that you can give folks that, 20:25 you would encourage them 20:26 if they want to go build some one day churches, 20:28 how should they go about that? 20:30 Well, you could stop by our booths, 20:32 DayStar Academy, which is booth 512. 20:34 And we could give you more information on that 20:36 or you could stop by and visit with the folks at Maranatha. 20:39 Amen. 20:40 So, folks, tonight it's just been a blessing here now. 20:45 I understand that DayStar 20:47 is gonna be doing some more of these. 20:50 Yeah, we are planning actually this next year 20:52 to go into Panama and build some more one day churches. 20:55 Praise the Lord. 20:56 So if you want to get involved 20:57 in building some one day churches, 20:59 maybe you got a passion to go out 21:00 and do some work somewhere around the world. 21:03 Give Jerry a call and see how you can personally 21:06 get involved and maybe helping DayStar 21:07 and go and build some one churches, 21:09 some one day churches somewhere. 21:10 And maybe they'll get it down 21:12 to a quarter of a day next time, 21:13 what do you think? 21:15 Amen, thank you, folks, 21:16 for joining us this evening. 21:17 May God bless you. 21:21 Next this evening, we're gonna be speaking 21:23 with Christina Montero 21:25 who is from the Finish The Work team, 21:28 and from California, Christiana, 21:30 thank you so much for joining us this evening. 21:32 Tell us a little bit about what is Finish The Work. 21:36 Finish The Work is a ministry made up of young people 21:40 ranging from ages high school to early college age. 21:44 Basically we're bringing these young people, 21:47 we show them how to study the Bible, 21:49 we then equip them with tools on how to witness 21:53 at their church and then we plug them into our ministry 21:56 where we go around to various churches and give revivals. 21:59 And give these young people opportunities 22:03 on how to be leaders in evangelism. 22:08 So you are working with young people 22:10 and you are taking them out 22:11 and they're doing revival meetings. 22:14 Now how did this get started? 22:16 The way that Finish The Work 22:18 got started was a good friend of mine, 22:20 Michael Tuason, he had been raised 22:22 in the Adventist church but for the first time 22:24 when he was in early 20s, 22:25 he gave his heart to the Lord. 22:27 And he wanted to go, 22:29 you know, share his faith, the first thing you do, 22:31 you want to tell somebody about Jesus. 22:33 And he went to his church and kind of looked around 22:36 and said, "I think I need to share Jesus here first." 22:40 So what he decided to do 22:43 is he and a few friends got together 22:45 and they had the same vision where they decided, 22:49 you know, let's preach at our local churches 22:52 and revive them before we bring people in. 22:55 So this wok of revival started from the grassroots effort, 22:58 the young people thinking about what needed to be done 23:00 in their own churches kind of coming together to do that. 23:04 So how many young people over the years 23:05 have been involved in these Finish The Work teams? 23:08 Well, Finish The Work currently right now 23:10 usually holds about anywhere from 15 to 25 members. 23:15 But over the last eight years 23:16 we've had over 80 young people involved in our ministry. 23:20 Wow, that is amazing. 23:21 And all in the account of the Southern California area? 23:24 Yes. 23:25 We range from LA, Orange County, 23:27 but mostly Loma Linda. 23:29 So tell me about this, a group of young people 23:33 like poor college students, how you're doing this? 23:35 Well, we are very blessed that several years ago 23:39 ASI got involved with Finish The Work 23:41 and they sponsored us. 23:43 So this is the ASI chapter there in Pacific Union? 23:47 Yes, the Pacific Union has kind of adopted Finish The Work 23:51 and we've become the right hand of evangelism 23:53 for the Pacific Union. 23:55 And basically if it wasn't for them, 23:57 there would be no gas in our cars 23:58 to get to these churches. 24:00 So they're helping you put gas in your cars 24:02 to get from church to church, 24:03 these young peoples are going from church to church, 24:05 they're reviving the churches. 24:07 And not only they're reviving the churches, 24:09 tell us, Christina, how has this affected you personally? 24:12 I've been so blessed to be part of Finish The Work. 24:15 When I be-- got involved in Finish The Work, 24:19 I had just come back from youth conference 24:21 where I was so excited about Jesus. 24:23 I wanted to share my faith and I wanted to revive people. 24:26 I wanted to express my love for God. 24:29 And Finish The Work basically helped me 24:33 to become equipped with the tools 24:35 in order to do that effectively. 24:37 I got trained on how to be a leader in my local church 24:41 and also plugged me into other ministries 24:43 such as colporteuring, 24:45 getting involved in planning youth conferences 24:48 in my local area and also some other ministries, 24:53 I can't even begin to tell you. 24:55 Well, I can see that you are excited about this, 24:57 that it has impacted your life. 25:00 But what about the other young people 25:02 who have come to the program? 25:03 How have their lives been changed? 25:05 I have seen amazing things happen in Finish The Work. 25:08 Let me tell you, over the last year 25:11 we've really had a lot of younger people come in 25:15 as far as than being in high school. 25:17 Five of which were seniors in high school 25:20 and I was so excited because when they first came in, 25:23 they really didn't know how to study the Bible. 25:25 They really didn't know how to share their faith. 25:29 And over the course of the year 25:31 through us giving them training, 25:33 they've been able to-- 25:35 many of these young men who are 16, 17 years old 25:37 are giving sermons. 25:39 They're preaching, they're becoming leaders 25:42 within their church and in their academy. 25:44 One of them of which became 25:46 the religious president of his class 25:49 and he started a weekly Bible study on campus. 25:51 And he started bringing other young people into the ministry. 25:55 And I'm blessed because they're not here 25:57 because almost all of them are out colporteuring this summer. 26:00 Amen. 26:01 So it's been such a blessing to see 26:04 the fruits of that, and really quick, 26:06 all those five seniors that have been involved 26:09 in Finish The Work this year, 26:11 each of them has decided to get two years of their life 26:14 to going to a Bible College 26:15 to become effective evangelist out in their communities. 26:20 You know, we talked today about keeping the young people 26:23 and the church and how to do that 26:25 and what that means. 26:26 Tell us what you've learned about that. 26:28 Well, whenever I hear, 26:31 oh, we need to keep the young people, 26:33 we should bring in contemporary music, 26:35 we should bring in entertainment, 26:37 we should bring in things that the young people like, 26:39 but let me tell you that has not been my experience. 26:43 In my experience in ministry, 26:45 what I've seen that's effective in bringing the young people in 26:49 and keeping them in is Bible study 26:52 and getting them trained and useful tools 26:55 to be effective witnesses 26:56 in their local churches and in ministries. 27:00 Amen. 27:02 Now, Christina, maybe there's someone here tonight 27:04 or maybe somebody watching 27:06 that would like to experience this in their own church 27:09 or maybe there's a young person that says, 27:10 you know, this is exciting, 27:11 I would like to do something with this, 27:13 how can they get some more information? 27:15 We have a Facebook page. 27:17 If you go on Facebook, there's-- 27:20 it's called Finish The Work Ministry 27:22 and you just see nice big red cross, that's us. 27:25 So they can obviously go on there. 27:29 And you are willing to give them 27:30 some more information and mentor them? 27:31 Absolutely. 27:32 If you contact us we'll be more than happy to tell you 27:36 how to get started in your local church. 27:38 And if you can't come to Southern California, 27:42 if you can't contact us, you can always 27:44 just start wherever you are, whatever church you have, 27:47 wherever God's placed you, to just rally up your friends 27:50 and just see what you can do to be a helpful tool 27:54 in your local community and in your church. 27:56 Thank you so much 27:57 for sharing with us this evening, Christina. 28:00 Next this evening, we're going to be talking to GYC now. 28:05 How many of you this evening know what GYC is? 28:08 Well, that's good, 28:09 but we're going to just get a little information here. 28:12 We have Alonna Smith 28:14 and Brandon Schroeder here tonight. 28:16 Thank you for joining us. 28:17 And, Brandon, tell us what is GYC anyway. 28:20 Give us the kernel of truth about GYC. 28:23 GYC is a movement of young people 28:26 that started out relatively small, 28:27 just a handful of people that said we want to study, 28:30 we want to gather in a community 28:32 and learn more about our God and His will for our lives. 28:35 And the first event, there was only 200 people 28:38 that was 10 years ago, 28:40 and it has since grown into a movement 28:42 of young people of more than 7,000 28:44 in our annual convention. 28:45 Amen. 28:46 We do more than just an event though, 28:49 it is not just an event 28:50 but it is a lifestyle of evangelism and service to God. 28:55 And so we have events 28:56 throughout the year like mission trips, 28:58 evangelism programs that we run and other things 29:01 that young people can be involved with as well. 29:03 Now, Alonna, I know that 29:06 there are some things going on right now 29:07 and just have some things that are completed 29:09 that GYC has been involved in. 29:11 Tell us about what's been happening in South Africa. 29:14 Yes, I just got back a few weeks ago 29:16 from Pretoria, South Africa. 29:18 We have a couple of pictures to show you of that. 29:21 The GC Youth department actually invited GYC 29:25 to run and coordinate the outreach 29:28 for the youth event that they were having called Impact, 29:30 it was in Pretoria, South Africa. 29:32 And we had 50 buses on outreach day 29:34 with 3,200 young people 29:37 and in only three hours, 20,000 Great Controversies 29:40 were distributed in the local area. 29:42 Wow. 29:43 Now isn't that amazing that GYC is kind of-- 29:46 it sounds like GYC 29:47 to me has become like the expert outreach people. 29:50 Because now you're going around the world 29:53 to help other young people learn how to do outreach. 29:56 Now I've been to some GYC 29:57 and have experiences outreach things 29:58 so I think it's amazing that they can distribute 30:01 that many Great Controversies in that a short period of time. 30:05 I know there's other things going on. 30:06 Brandon, there's another project 30:07 here stateside right now going on, what's happening? 30:10 Yeah, we're involved in things here. 30:13 There's a little island off the coast of Ontario 30:16 called Manitoulin Island. 30:17 And we recently just sent a group of 37 young people up 30:22 there on a mission trip. 30:23 And believe it or not, 30:24 Manitoulin Island is an unreached area 30:27 in North America. 30:28 Amen. 30:29 You didn't even know those exciting anymore, right? 30:30 Yeah, right. 30:31 But it's there and we sent 37 young people there. 30:35 One young girl was only 14 years old. 30:37 She is going out in the community 30:39 witnessing and ministering to people. 30:41 She met a lady at the door that said, 30:43 you know, I used to be a Christian 30:46 but I've lost my faith in prayer 30:48 because when I was praying for my son, 30:51 my church family didn't support me, 30:53 they weren't there for me. 30:54 And this young girl continued to talk with her, 30:56 asked if she could pray with her, she agreed. 30:58 At the end of the prayer she said, 31:00 thank you for providing for me 31:01 what my church family could not. 31:02 And so there are young people going to unreached areas 31:06 of North America changing lives 31:08 through the power of the Holy Sprit. 31:10 Now, Alonna, I knew there's some-- 31:11 we had a story that happened in South Africa, 31:14 share with us how your work in South Africa 31:17 is impacting the people there 31:19 and the young people who participated. 31:20 Yes, I am sure any of you who've attended GYC 31:23 know that outreach is the highlight. 31:24 And two of the young people in South Africa 31:26 were going door-to-door 31:27 and they saw an elderly woman sitting outside of her house. 31:30 And so of course the two young people 31:32 approached her and offered her 31:33 the book The Great Controversy. 31:35 She glanced through it and asked them instantly 31:38 what church they were from. 31:39 When she responded she just beamed and said, 31:41 "You know, I love your church. 31:44 I am not a Seventh-day Adventist 31:45 but I have been looking to find 31:47 a Seventh-day Adventist Church in my area." 31:50 So these two young people were so excited, 31:52 they prayed with her and they connected her 31:54 with a local Adventist pastor. 31:56 That's amazing to think how God is planning way 31:59 ahead of time for these things just to be setup 32:01 and He is waiting to for us arrive on the scene 32:04 and participate and do our part. 32:06 Boy, isn't it great that we have young people 32:07 who are doing their part, right? 32:09 Now we know that there are some GYC events plan 32:14 for this fall, tell us what's coming. 32:17 GYC this year will be January 1 to 5 32:20 and it is literally just down the street from us right now. 32:23 Here in Orlando 32:25 at the Orange County Convention Center 32:27 and at the Hilton Orlando. 32:28 And if any of you would like to come, 32:30 we invite you warmly to come to our website, 32:33 GYCweb.org. 32:35 And registration will be open later this month. 32:39 All right, so, Brandon... 32:42 GYC this year our theme 32:43 is going to focus on the Great Controversy. 32:46 The title of the theme is Before Men and Angels 32:49 and it's a simple reminder that our lives on this earth 32:53 are not to be live to ourselves or to pop culture 32:57 or to what the world would demand of us, 32:59 but they are lived before an entire universe 33:02 and that our lives are center stage. 33:04 And we have a short video 33:06 that will explain that a little bit more. 33:08 Amen, thank you for joining us this evening. 33:10 Great member in action stories. 33:12 May God bless you. 33:24 My life is incredibly insignificant. 33:27 I am a tiny person on a small planet 33:30 in a very large universe. 33:32 My life is short. 33:34 My money, education 33:36 and accomplishments are temporary. 33:38 I can easily be replaced. 33:41 My employer could find another person to do my job. 33:45 Let's face it. 33:47 Even my cat can survive without me. 33:51 But God can't. 33:53 See, I know this because He stepped down from His throne 33:56 and made Earth His home. 33:57 Rejected and despised, He bore my selfishness, 34:01 murders, and lies, carrying them to the grave, 34:03 making me the receiver of divine grace. 34:07 Now, now I see my worth 34:10 through the eyes of the universe. 34:12 There's something bigger at play here. 34:14 Bigger than men. 34:16 Scripture claims that the created accused the Creator 34:19 and the universe is merely a spectator. 34:21 You and me, our lives are center stage in this story. 34:27 We are the drama. 34:29 We, the receivers of divine grace 34:31 and the life changing spirit. 34:33 We who have been baptized by fire and water, 34:36 stand and live before men and angels. 34:40 You see, creation waits to see if in our testimony, 34:43 the righteousness of God will be vindicated. 34:46 So I refuse to be ruled by materialism, 34:49 or circumstances, 34:51 or even in search of the accolades of men. 34:54 No self-seeking is allowed to dictate my actions 34:57 for I'm willing to be made a fool for Christ's sake 35:00 because I realize that I live on a stage 35:03 set before men and angels. 35:05 And my purpose is to glorify God. 35:09 To glorify God. 35:11 See, let me break it down for you. 35:13 My life is meant to vindicate the character of the Creator, 35:17 before men and angels. 35:23 My life is incredibly significant. 35:32 Good morning ASI. 35:34 Good morning. 35:35 Isn't it great to be here in Florida together? 35:38 Yeah. 35:40 I'm bringing with me a friend, 35:42 who I know to those here probably needs no introduction. 35:46 But to the audience on 3ABN, 35:48 we'd like to introduce Pastor Mark Finley, 35:51 who serves as a special assistant 35:54 to our General Conference president. 35:56 He wears really many hats. 35:58 And tonight, this morning 36:00 he's gonna share with us a little bit 36:01 about the Hope Channel TV, 36:04 who just at this time 36:05 are celebrating their 10th anniversary. 36:08 And, Mark, you've been involved 36:11 from more than the beginning actually, there's a story 36:14 to how this all came about little by little. 36:17 Well the history of God's working in media 36:21 in the Seventh-day Adventist church is an amazing one. 36:23 And the history of Hope Channel, 36:25 it was quite fascinating, 36:26 it was back about 20 years to 1994. 36:30 And in 1994 Elder Elma Claire, 36:33 who was the president to that time 36:35 of the North American division, 36:36 convened a small group to dream about 36:39 what might be done for evangelism for North America. 36:43 As a pilot project in 1994 in Southern California, 36:49 there was a very small uplink that took place, 36:52 it took place out of the home shopping network 36:56 to five churches in Southern California, 36:59 it was a lay training event. 37:01 That event was financed, in part by Heart, 37:06 one of our ASI organizations. 37:08 Then, the event was so successful 37:11 that the next year 1995, 37:13 we did the first net event in North America 37:16 to 676 churches from Chattanooga, Tennessee. 37:19 I remember that Chattanooga, Tennessee. 37:21 We've members at our church in Dunlap, 37:24 they go back to that time. 37:25 About 80,000 to 100,000 people 37:27 attended across North America in those 676 churches, 37:30 there were 8,000 baptized, 37:32 it just electrified North America, 37:35 what God could do through media 37:37 and satellite evangelism particularly, 37:39 that was the early beginning of Hope Channel. 37:40 And you were just cutting your teeth on satellite evangelism. 37:43 We had never done it before as a church, 37:45 you know, when people had said to us this will not work. 37:48 We said why not? 37:50 One, people won't come to see somebody on the screen. 37:53 Second, if they come they'll leave quickly 37:54 and third, nobody will respond. 37:56 Well, when more than 8,000 people were baptized 37:59 that led to net 96, which we had at that time 38:04 almost 1,800 churches in North America. 38:07 We had languages around the world 38:09 and 40 countries were involved 38:12 and baptized about 18,000 in North America, 38:15 so we just saw God working 38:16 in the Holy Spirit in dramatic ways. 38:19 I remember something very personally, 38:20 when you got to net 2000 and that was a bold endeavor 38:24 because, you attempted to go out at 10 major cities 38:28 around the world, is that right? 38:29 It is, and when we worked together it was in Romania, 38:32 Sala Palatului was the auditorium. 38:34 It was the former centre of communism in Romania. 38:38 And you invited me, I was just helping 38:39 the health centre Herghelia, in Romania 38:42 there to start a medical missionary course. 38:44 And you asked us to come over to help you, 38:47 and we spent a month there. 38:48 We did, we had a thousand people 38:50 attending our health meetings, 38:51 that you might remember, my wife and your wife 38:54 participated in a cooking school, 38:55 I don't remember how many but--- 38:57 Five hundred were there just in a cooking school. 38:58 That was amazing. 38:59 We had a thousand a day going through the expo 39:02 and when our time was up, we would just say 39:04 come on join us in the main auditorium 39:06 and almost everybody would come in. 39:08 And those early satellite events, 39:10 of course, were the early beginnings of Hope Channel 39:13 and 3ABN participated with us in a great way 39:16 because they were carrying the signal back in those days. 39:19 You remember, we had a lot of tension 39:21 at the last moment on that opening night 39:23 because somehow the customs people 39:26 were not letting the television equipment 39:28 and the satellite equipment in. 39:30 They finally got in on the day of the meetings, 39:32 they had that huge roof, 39:34 I wouldn't want to be on a rounded roof, 39:36 I remember that and the wind. 39:38 And they were putting up that equipment to make it work 39:41 and we were getting to count down five minutes, 39:44 ten minutes to five minutes. 39:45 And finally it went just in time. 39:48 You know, one of the interesting 39:49 miracles of that whole story is that, 39:52 the custodian of this communist auditorium 39:56 let me into the room with a communist dictator 39:59 Nicolae Ceausescu prepared for his speeches 40:03 to the communist party and I sat at his table praying 40:07 that God would send the satellite signal 40:09 all across Europe. 40:10 And it was quite a thrill to sense 40:12 that the Holy Spirit was working in the heart 40:15 and center of atheism. 40:16 So, take us up to 2003 because in a way 40:20 there was no official name, you were just learning, 40:23 experimenting tremendous results. 40:26 How did that turn into Hope Channel? 40:27 The Seventh-day Adventist church 40:29 was buying satellite time from about 1995 to 2003. 40:34 But we found that it was much more cost efficient 40:37 if we bought 24 hours a day 40:39 rather than buying satellite time. 40:41 So 10 years ago that led to the early 40:44 beginnings of the Hope Channel. 40:47 So, that meant, you knew you had a spot 40:50 that was waiting for you, it was there. 40:51 Exactly, when we were buying just satellite time, 40:53 at times the owners of the satellite 40:56 companies would say to us, well, you can't have this time. 41:00 So, we had two problems, 41:01 one is we didn't have the times we wanted. 41:05 Second, we were paying more money for occasional time 41:07 that we would be paying for regular time. 41:10 Our time's going fast, isn't it amazing? 41:12 Tell us the international effect 41:14 and give us the story. 41:15 Sure. 41:16 Today we look back at 10 years of Hope Channel 41:19 and see how unique this ministry is 41:22 and see what God has miraculously done. 41:25 Hope Channel today is on 14 satellites, 41:30 broadcast in 26 languages around the world. 41:35 Amen. In over 60 media centers. 41:38 You have to understand merely 41:39 because we put up a signal in English does not mean 41:44 that somebody in Inter America or South America 41:47 or the Middle East or Africa can hear it. 41:49 So, Hope Channel works in 60 media centers around the world, 41:54 it works in 26 languages and there are thousands 41:58 and thousands of people involved in developing 42:00 the programming in those 60 media centers. 42:04 Let me share with you one story from North America. 42:07 My wife and I were holding a major evangelistic meeting 42:10 in Mobile, Alabama just a little over a year ago. 42:14 We were coming to the end of the meetings, 42:17 the last third of the meetings, 42:18 we had 24 meetings or so in that series. 42:21 As we were coming to the end, 42:23 a lady and her husband walked in, 42:26 as I made the appeal to be baptized 42:28 on the true church message, 42:30 she and her husband came forward. 42:32 I said, how did you learn about the Adventist message? 42:34 She said, Pastor Mark, I used to be an Adventist, 42:37 my husband has never been an Adventist, 42:39 we drifted away from the church. 42:41 But we have watched this exact series 42:44 that you're preaching here on Hope Channel, 42:46 it's on right now. 42:48 And we watched the first two thirds 42:50 of your meeting on Hope Channel, 42:52 learned you're in Mobile, Alabama, 42:54 came to the exact meeting 42:56 that I was preaching on television 42:59 but now preaching live, she walked in, 43:01 she and her husband have been both baptized 43:04 and the whole purpose of all Adventist media 43:07 and Hope Channel is to herald the Three Angels' Messages 43:10 to prepare people for the coming of Jesus. 43:13 We're so grateful to ASI for the help 43:16 they give all of our media centers. 43:17 We praise God for ASI and for every entity in media 43:24 that's reaching these major cities for Jesus. 43:26 It was with you at the beginning 43:27 and they've been with us till this time. 43:29 Thank you so much. God bless. 43:36 Good morning ASI. Good morning. 43:39 This is another offering in action segment, 43:42 and this morning we will be presenting to you 43:45 two projects in this year's offering. 43:47 The first is for Lightbearers Ministry 43:49 and with me at the podium is James Rafferty 43:52 who is the cofounder of Lightbearers Ministry 43:54 and, James, first tell us, 43:55 remind us of the focus of Lightbearers Ministry? 43:58 Well Light Bearers Ministry has a four fold focus, 44:01 we're preaching ministry, we're teaching ministry, 44:04 we're resource ministry and then we're gonna be talking 44:06 about the publishing part of Lightbearers ministry. 44:09 And so what is the specific focus 44:10 of this year's offering project? 44:13 Well, this year is focused on the country of Angola, 44:16 one of the fastest growing infrastructures 44:18 right now in the world, 44:19 because they've just come out of a civil war in early 2000's 44:24 and the SID, Southern Indian Ocean Division 44:27 has asked us to assist them in reaching millions of people 44:31 with the Adventist message. 44:32 And so, how will that be done? 44:34 Well, primarily by printing literature like 44:36 the Leaves-of-Autumn and they requested 44:39 three containers which we printed 44:41 and shipped to Angola in March of this year. 44:45 Now each container contains about 44:47 two million pieces of literature. 44:49 So, those three containers totaled 44:53 about six million pieces of literature 44:55 and they were shipped and they began to utilize them. 44:58 There were about 250,000 Bible study sets 45:02 in those three containers. 45:04 Wow, that's incredible, 45:07 that's a lot of paper to fill the container. 45:09 How does that happen at Lightbearers? 45:11 Well, it begins in the computer format, 45:14 the layout and design and those tracks are laid out 45:18 and then they're sent into the publishing house, 45:20 printed out in a plate which goes on to press. 45:23 Usually when we do that much literature, 45:26 we run one plate for about 2 to 300,000 copies 45:29 and then take it off, put another plate on. 45:31 Pile up the literature, run it through the folders, 45:34 set it up in pallets, put it in base and roll it out 45:39 when the semis come and put about 45:42 720, 50 to 60 pound boxes loaded up 45:46 in a 20 foot container and off it goes. 45:48 How long does it take to do all of that? 45:50 It depends, doing three containers at one time, 45:54 may be six weeks to three months. 45:59 It varies depending on how much we're doing at one time 46:03 and what, where our crew is out, 46:05 what time of the year it is, etcetera. 46:07 So, how do you...? Who pays for all of this? 46:10 Well, we're a self supported ministry, 46:12 so we raise our own funds and there are number of people 46:16 who are supporting with small donations, 46:19 with larger donations, 46:20 but ASI is also helping us this year. 46:23 And, I understand we're funding 46:26 one container for the annual project? 46:27 Yes, each container costs approximately 50 to $60,000 46:32 and the donation we're receiving 46:33 from the ASI this year is about 50,000. 46:36 So, we have an awesome opportunity 46:38 to be partners in ministry with Lightbearers. 46:39 So I'm an honorary Lightbearers' member. 46:42 Amen. All right. 46:44 Tell me a little about, how you know 46:47 where to send materials? 46:48 So you mentioned that the Southern Indian 46:51 African Ocean Division requested this. 46:54 How do you get requests 46:56 and how do you know where to send them? 46:57 It's a pretty simple process, we're up on the web, 47:01 we've our Lightbearers Ministry, 47:02 lbm.org, lightbearers.org and we also send out letters 47:07 and tell people what we're doing, 47:08 we're on 3ABN also letting people know, 47:11 and we've been doing this for about 25, 30 years, 47:16 and so, lot of people know by word of mouth. 47:18 And we simply contact divisions 47:20 or divisions hear about us through pastors, 47:23 lay people and they contact us. 47:25 We've a publishing spot there on our website 47:28 and people can click into that 47:30 and there's a form you fill out, 47:31 we ask several questions. 47:33 We work with the church, 47:34 with divisions, with conferences. 47:36 So they request literature 47:37 and we've a number of different options 47:39 as far as the type of literature 47:41 that they can request. 47:42 VOP lessons, Voice of Prophecy 47:44 Discovery lessons are the most popular, 47:47 the ones that are most effective. 47:48 And then we've Daniel and Revelation literature, 47:51 we've some Spirit of Prophecy literature, 47:54 we've some health tracks. 47:55 And so, they'll go through 47:57 and they'll select what they want. 47:58 And then we'll just be in correspondence with them. 48:00 Our main question is, who are you 48:04 and what are you going to do 48:05 with two million pieces of literature? 48:08 How do you plan to distribute this literature? 48:10 And once we're able to ascertain 48:13 that this is viable, they can distribute, 48:14 they can receive the container, 48:16 distribute the literature, then we just move forward. 48:19 This must be incredibly gratifying 48:22 to be involved in this way. 48:24 I'm wondering you're always sending out, 48:25 sending out, sending out, do you get any return, 48:28 does any one say beside thank you so much, 48:32 this is what's happening as a result 48:34 of your giving us these pamphlets. 48:38 We get a lot of really good response. 48:40 We've realized and been told that to a large degree 48:44 the work of the fourth angel in revelation 18 48:47 will be accomplished through our publishing houses 48:48 to getting this literature out, 48:50 that these are our silent messengers. 48:52 And we recognized that when we hear reports about people 48:56 who sometimes find the literature 48:58 lying on the street or, you know, 49:00 just it's passed from hand to hand, 49:02 it's been read three or four times. 49:03 And so, we receive a lot of personal reports, 49:06 lot of individual reports, we consistently 49:10 and I mean on our daily, 49:12 weekly basis receive requests for follow up, 49:16 they want books, they want a Bible for example, 49:19 they want more material, 49:20 they've heard about Lightbearers, 49:22 they see an address, they go to our website 49:24 and they connect with us. 49:25 And a lot of these people, just this week 49:27 I received an email from a young lady 49:30 who's at the Pentecostal faith and is asking questions, 49:33 she was connected with us 49:35 and asking questions about the Bible 49:37 and about different things concerning. 49:38 Well, a simple question her daughter was asking was, 49:41 you know my daughter said that war actually, 49:44 rebellion and sin actually began in heaven 49:47 but, I've never heard that before, is that true? 49:49 I don't know if that's biblical. 49:51 And so, I was able to answer a number of questions 49:53 that she had from a biblical perspective, 49:55 concerning that question for her daughter. 49:57 Wow, that's incredible. 49:59 James, thank you so much for what you 50:01 and Lightbearers are doing to spread the word 50:03 all around the globe. 50:04 Amen. Praise the Lord. 50:08 Our next project here comes from, down, actually 50:12 right here in Florida, not too far from here 50:15 and Jeffrey Cobb is the founder director 50:18 of Shelter from the Storm. 50:20 Jeffrey, where is Shelter from the Storm located? 50:23 In Gainesville, Florida. 50:24 And how far away from this place is Gainesville? 50:27 Two hours North. 50:28 And thank you so much for driving here this morning, 50:30 to be able to give some information. 50:32 You're welcome. 50:34 So, first tell us what's the purpose 50:36 of the project for this year? 50:39 The purpose of it is to do some renovation 50:42 for Shelter from the Storm Ministry. 50:44 It's a ministry for ex-offenders 50:46 released from jail and prison, 50:49 they've received a Seventh-day Adventist message. 50:52 Now we've had the privilege actually of watching 50:55 Shelter from the Storm grow and expand, 50:59 and so now we've come to the point 51:00 where there needs to be some renovation 51:02 and some expansion to be able to house 51:04 and to support the ministry. 51:06 I'd like you to tell us a little bit about, 51:09 first how you got involved? 51:11 There are many that may not remember exactly how, 51:13 so were you at home sleeping in your mansion, dreaming 51:17 and the Lord gave you a vision about Shelter from the Storm? 51:20 No, I was a long way from there, 51:22 way out well as I was in prison doing time. 51:25 When I first heard His message, 51:28 I was facing 30 to life in prison. 51:31 So I was in a prison cell waiting to be sentenced 51:35 when the Lord impressed His message and His vision on me. 51:40 And so, when the Lord miraculously 51:42 had you released from prison, 51:44 what was the burden on your heart to do? 51:47 When I was released, 51:48 I didn't want to go back to Miami, 51:50 you know drugs, alcohol, down with crooked judge 51:54 and police officer for 30 years. 51:56 I didn't want to go back robbing, 51:58 kidnapping, shootouts. 52:00 I didn't want to go back there. 52:01 Once I accepted His message, 52:03 I wanted to be around different people, 52:07 you know so, after that there 52:10 I didn't want to go back to Miami. 52:12 So, once I was released I asked the prison ministry lead, 52:16 I say, hey, do you all have a transition house 52:18 of Seventh-day Adventist denomination and he said no. 52:24 No? No. 52:26 So, there was no way for you to go 52:28 to nurture you in the faith that you've just accepted. 52:31 No where for me to go. 52:32 That's a problem. Big problem. 52:35 So, what did you do about it? 52:37 What I did when I was released, 52:39 I went to Gainesville and I went to transition house 52:42 and I was new in the faith and you know, 52:45 I was on, you know, rooted in the faith 52:48 and I went to a first day shelter 52:50 and there was twist in the scriptures, 52:53 so I was a little confused. 52:54 It was a difficult time but by God's grace 52:57 He brought me through. 52:58 Praise God, and so now we've a Shelter from the Storm, 53:02 a name that you selected because you've found 53:05 that this transitional housing needs 53:07 to be a shelter from the storm that ex-offenders will face 53:10 when they're released from prison. 53:12 Absolutely, because a lot of guys 53:14 when they release from prison, 53:16 you know, family, mother, father had died 53:19 or some of them go through divorces. 53:22 So they don't have really no where to go 53:24 and they want to, you know, a new start 53:26 and a lot of them accept this message in prison. 53:30 So they be wanting to go to deeper study indeed 53:33 and they'll be wanting to keep the Sabbath. 53:35 They'll be wanting to keep God's Sabbath. 53:37 Now, when they come to Shelter from the Storm, 53:39 it's not just a place where they live and eat and sleep. 53:44 What other things do you have for them to do, 53:47 to occupy their time? 53:49 We just thank God for the ASI Southern Union, 53:51 they purchased some lawn equipment 53:54 so when the guys come out we can, 53:57 we can employ them with a job of cutting lawn, 54:00 because if you go by the highway, 54:02 you'll see a lot of these guys 54:03 in orange uniforms cutting grass. 54:07 So if they're cutting grass in prison for free, 54:10 why wouldn't they cut grass and get paid. 54:14 So, little debate, no they were actually 54:16 learning a skill for gainful employment 54:18 once they're released. 54:20 Absolutely. Okay. 54:22 So, they've something that they can do, 54:25 something meaningful that they can earn some money, 54:28 they've somewhere they can live 54:30 and start to make a way for themselves. 54:32 Tell us some stories about some successes 54:35 from the results of their encounter 54:37 with Shelter from the Storm? 54:39 I had a young man that he got in trouble down in Miami, 54:44 Adventist young kid, he has just turned 18, 54:47 so they want to send him to prison. 54:49 Wait, I've to stop you. 54:51 Did you say this is a Seventh-day 54:53 Adventist young person? 54:54 Seventh-day Adventist, and there's a lot of them 54:56 as I travel to the prison. 54:58 Our young youth you won't know where they at, 55:01 they don't come to church, stays in prison. 55:04 So, what happen then? 55:05 Okay, after, they wanted to send him to prison, 55:09 so his parents called me say hey, 55:12 they want to send my son to prison. 55:14 They said, now, Bobby, being in the system over ten times, 55:18 I kind of learned the system. 55:20 So what I did, he was on probation, 55:24 he didn't post a leave day card, 55:26 I told his mother put him on a bus. 55:29 She was like, oh no, oh no, he can't leave there. 55:32 I said put him on the bus. 55:33 No judge is gonna sentence any body to prison 55:37 that trying to help their self. 55:39 So, she sent him to Gainesville. 55:41 When time for court, his lawyer went and said 55:44 he's in Gainesville, judge said Gainesville, what it is? 55:47 And I wrote to judge a letter, 55:49 she heard a little bit of my story down from Miami, 55:52 and I used to down be with crocked judges 55:55 and all that, and what I'm doing now. 55:58 So the judge, he read the letter, 56:00 he called me personally. 56:02 He said, thank you, you know I'm gonna let him stay there 56:06 and he said I'm gonna keep your information 56:08 because I might be sending some more people there. 56:11 So after that the young man came to the house 56:15 and went to Shelter from the Storm 56:17 and one day I was-- 56:20 You know, because 12 years a lot of guys came to. 56:25 They say hey, man, there's a young guy looking for you. 56:28 I said what young guy. 56:29 Said, guy said he came to the ministry, 56:32 he want to see you. 56:33 So one day I was there and a guy showed up, 56:36 he say hey man, I want to thank you, 56:38 for giving me an opportunity to get my life right. 56:41 I said, what you're doing with your self? 56:43 He said, man right now thank God for you, 56:46 now I'm attended Oakwood University. 56:48 Praise God. 56:49 Jeffrey, we want to thank you for what you 56:52 and Shelter from the Storm are doing. 56:54 Thank you and God bless you. God bless you. |
Revised 2015-03-05