Participants:
Series Code: 15ASIC
Program Code: 15ASIC000004A
|
00:20 Ron and Marta Davis are Managers of the
00:22 Better Life Broadcasting Network 00:24 so we're still dealing with Media, 00:26 so notice how different things... different ways... 00:29 all of us can participate even if it's the same area 00:32 so, tell us a little bit about Better Life. 00:35 Well, Better Life was founded in 1990... well actually... 00:40 it was founded in 1988, 00:42 we started broadcasting into Grants Pass in 1990 00:45 by an Engineer... local Engineer... 00:47 a man named Delmer Wagner and his wife Evelyn 00:52 and so, it's been broadcasting now for 25 years, 00:56 this is our 25th anniversary on July... 00:58 in July, we celebrate 25 years of broadcasting, right? 01:02 So, tell me how you got involved in this, 01:04 were you educated in the area of broadcasting? 01:09 No, we weren't, we didn't have any idea 01:11 like... how to turn on a TV or how to turn it off... 01:14 that was about it. 01:16 Well, that's kind of scary but you're 01:17 leading a Media Ministry with television broadcasting. 01:20 Well, in 1996, we moved... 01:23 we started watching Better Life Broadcasting Network 01:26 it's an affiliate of 3ABN and we've been Christians since 1979 01:33 so we ourselves became Seventh-day Adventists 01:37 as a result of the 3ABN programming 01:40 and Doug Batchelor. Marta: Yes. 01:42 So, praise the Lord. Debbie: Amen. 01:44 Yeah, we know how impactive and effective the broadcast can be. 01:48 Give us a little bit of context, 01:50 what is the programming and what's the coverage, 01:54 where can Better Life be seen? 01:57 Well, right now, we are broadcasting about 80 percent 02:00 of 3ABN's programming and we have a Production Truck 02:04 and a Studio and everything 02:06 and we developed local programming, 02:08 we go out to churches and our mission is to... 02:11 we believe God's given us directive 02:13 to "Go ye into all of Oregon" and further into California 02:16 to reach as many people as we can 02:18 and as quickly as we can with the saving message of Jesus 02:21 and we endeavor to do... 02:23 to help connect the churches with the people 02:27 and the people with the churches, so... 02:29 So you're connecting people with churches 02:31 and churches with people, 02:33 are you getting any feedback from these viewers? 02:36 Yes, we get lots of feedback, we get lots of calls and letters 02:39 and people coming into the churches every day, 02:42 every week... we have people coming 02:44 and they're ready to be baptized 02:46 and they are really ready... the Pastors say... 02:50 and over 450 were baptized in the last decade 02:53 in two local churches there 02:55 right near our Studio in Grants Pass Area. 02:57 Yeah, these are the testimonies from the two pastors there 03:01 that... that that... that that many were baptized 03:04 as a result of some participation with Better Life. 03:07 Now I understand that you're venturing out... 03:10 and you're doing something new, 03:11 you're adding three stations or three channels? 03:14 Share a little bit about what that means. 03:16 Well, maybe what I can do is to tell you a bit about 03:20 what's been happening since and then we'll go into that 03:25 unless, we run out of time but... at any rate... 03:28 right now, we're broadcasting on 27 Television Stations 03:33 okay, ranging from Southern Washington 03:36 right on down through Oregon 03:38 and contiguously through... into California... 03:42 down into the Bay Area and the 27th one was added 03:47 very recently and that's the San Jose, 03:50 Reno... 03:52 Well, Reno was... yeah... but we've been broadcasting 03:54 in Reno but San Jose was just broadcasting... 03:59 and soon the 28th one will be in Monterey, 04:02 so, yeah, we're taking seriously God's Directive 04:04 to Go ye into all of Oregon and further into California. 04:07 Okay, so... so now tell us about 04:10 what our offering is supporting this year 04:12 which is supporting 3 Channels... 04:14 Yeah, we are so blessed to be part of ASI 04:18 and we just get inspired and encouraged by being here 04:22 but... it's built on faith... you know... 04:25 and so we can... we can follow... 04:28 we believe what God's providing... opportunities... 04:31 but we have been developing 04:33 some additional television stations... 04:37 I mean... channels... three additional channels, 04:40 we've been broadcasting on one, 04:41 it's been Better Life TV throughout our broadcast area 04:45 and now we have recently gone on the air with Better Health TV 04:50 which is a health channel, 04:51 we believe that it will reach many, many people 04:55 in the huge metropolitan areas 04:57 who don't want to hear anything about religion 05:00 you know, but they're very health-conscious people 05:03 who will tune in and God can draw them 05:07 by the power of the Holy Spirit 05:09 and a saving relationship with Jesus 05:11 and so, that's the mission of that... 05:14 and that is on the air... that's been broadcasting since? 05:17 April... April of 2015... just about six months. 05:20 That's right and it's broadcasting right now 05:23 into Southern Oregon and 05:25 all the way down through the California Area, 05:27 we... and our mission is to get it to other places as well, 05:32 but this Friday... this Friday... 05:35 Marta: Day after tomorrow. 05:36 Ron: we are going to... we're launching our new 05:38 Vida Mejor TV Television Station which is a Spanish Station 05:45 and Vida Mejor TV means Better Life TV 05:49 but it is... it is 3ABN Latino programming... 05:52 that we'll be doing also local programming, 05:55 yeah, local programming is essential 05:57 to reach the communities. 06:00 Wonderful, can you share with us 06:02 a testimony that you have heard... 06:03 maybe someone's written in and shared how much it's meant 06:06 to be able to watch your programming. 06:08 Well, we've received letters and we have one person who was 06:12 a gangster... he was a Hell's Angels kind of guy... 06:19 motorcycle guy... anyhow, he was in prison 06:22 in Crescent City in Pelican Bay 06:25 and he started watching Better Life, 06:27 he has since... gotten out... he is now an Elder 06:30 of the church in Redding and he's also running 06:33 a motorcycle ministry 06:35 and we are getting many more requests for information 06:39 from that Pelican Bay 06:40 as they continue to show the programs in that area. 06:45 Oh, wonderful, is there another... 06:46 you were telling me about... 06:47 There's a lady who was 99-years old who... 06:52 who had contacted the station 06:55 and we went to visit her personally 06:58 and she... we invited her to attend 07:01 an Evangelistic Station... our Evangelistic Program... 07:04 at the time... the series and so she came every night 07:07 that the series was going... 07:10 and wound up being baptized at a 100-years old. 07:13 Isn't that amazing? So, you know, I mean... 07:16 it reaches people of all ages 07:18 and we're just blessed to be a part of such a vital ministry. 07:22 It's never too late and I just want to thank you so much 07:26 for what you're doing through 07:27 Better Life Broadcasting Network. 07:28 Thank you and just real quick... God's not done yet 07:31 He's shown us that there's a station in LA 07:36 and we have our eye on that and praying about it. 07:39 It has the potential of 17 million people there. 07:42 God bless you. 07:44 Debbie: Amen, praise God, thank you. 07:45 Now, Tony Moore, now you may have recognized him 07:51 because of the uniform that he's wearing, 07:53 and when you see him on television or with his Series, 07:58 where he's known as the man in the blue shirt 08:00 but... Tony... tell us a little bit about Biblical World... 08:04 for those who may not be acquainted with Biblical World. 08:07 Well, Biblical World is a really special ministry, 08:09 it's my favorite ministry, actually 08:11 and we get to go and tell all the great Bible stories 08:14 and film them on location 08:16 and try and relate them in that way 08:17 and so we have a very special Series, for instance, 08:21 on the life of Apostle Paul, 08:22 some of you might have seen that Series, 08:24 and I get to wear a blue shirt for that one, 08:26 this is actually the third generation of uniform so... 08:29 so we have the Series on the life of Paul 08:32 and the other Series on the life of Jesus... 08:34 So, knowing His footsteps... 08:36 Tony: In The Footsteps of Paul. Debbie: In The Footsteps of Paul 08:39 and so this is intriguing to me because there are a number... 08:44 especially as of late... there seems to be 08:47 a number of programs that are trying to 08:49 portray Biblical characters or Bible stories 08:53 and I don't know how much of a good job 08:56 they are doing... so tell me 08:58 what kinds of things is Biblical World trying to do... 09:01 to counter that kind of an influence. 09:03 We're really trying by... 09:04 and bring the Bible story to life 09:06 and that they be historically accurate... 09:08 to be Scripturally... faithful to Scripture... 09:11 and spiritually relevant, 09:13 now, it's true, there are some recent movies 09:16 that were pretty wild about some of our favorite Bible stories, 09:18 but we're trying to do them in a very Biblical way 09:21 In The Footsteps of Paul and Tracing The Footsteps of Jesus, 09:24 they're really wonderful programs, 09:26 that bring those Bible stories to life 09:28 and they can actually be used evangelistically... by the way. 09:30 There's beautiful advertising you can use, 09:32 if they stop by our Booth they could actually see 09:35 some of the Evangelistic opportunities 09:37 that you would have 09:38 in using that in public meetings or in small groups 09:41 but we're... we're wanting to think beyond that actually 09:45 beyond just some of the programs we've done 09:48 to a little bit wider audience 09:49 and I think that's what you were thinking about. 09:51 Yes and so... as you're thinking about 09:53 how to kind of broaden your reach to a different audience, 09:56 you're actually looking at developing programming 09:59 that could be available on commercial TV, 10:01 why is that necessary? 10:02 We have it available on 3ABN and Hope 10:04 and why commercial television? 10:07 Well we're wanting to do something that would reach out 10:09 into a broader, perhaps, less religious audience 10:13 and it's my belief that people have a soft memory 10:16 at least in this Country about Jesus... 10:19 most people have that but maybe they don't go to church, 10:21 and maybe they won't look at religious programming 10:23 and actually... several years ago, 10:25 there was a program called "The Bible" 10:27 on the History Channel, now they tell us... 10:29 a 100 million people saw that, 10:31 now, I don't know, that's what they say, 10:32 and... but a 100 million people and I'm thinking... 10:35 "Wow! what an opportunity to reach far out 10:38 into the secular world through commercial television" 10:41 so that's what we've been working on... 10:43 a five-part Series for another five one-hour Series, 10:45 and we're actually praying and trying to prepare this 10:48 so it will be such quality that it could actually be 10:51 in prime time that they would desire and want 10:54 to show during prime time. 10:56 Now tell us... I know that we actually have a clip 11:00 that maybe we can... introduce that gives us a picture 11:04 of at least how this looks and what the beginnings are. 11:07 Well, we're pretty excited about that 11:09 but let me tell you about the title, 11:10 because it's called... and they're going to see the clip, 11:12 it's called, "Mysteries of the Fifth Gospel" 11:14 Debbie: Fifth gospel? I thought there were four gospels. 11:17 Yes, there are four gospels, now some people 11:19 think the fifth gospel is the book of Acts 11:20 or some people think it's Revelation 11:22 and... but there's a wonderful line... 11:25 "There are five gospels that tell the story of Jesus, 11:27 four you'll find in books, 11:28 and one you'll find in the land they call: Holy... 11:31 understand the fifth gospel... the Holy Land... 11:34 and the world of the four gospels will open before you. " 11:37 So I'm praying... "What's our edge? 11:38 What's the attraction of the commercial television?" 11:40 I think, "Ah, that's kind of edgy isn't it... " 11:42 you know, the fifth gospel... 11:43 because many people think the fifth gospel is 11:45 Mary Magdalene as the wife of Jesus 11:46 where he's got seven kids and 11:48 commercial television often portrays Jesus in a... 11:50 in a very sarcastic way 11:52 and undermines the faith in Scripture 11:54 and so, we're wanting to do it in a very positive, winsome way 11:57 and... and actually the second line of that Series is called, 12:01 "Exposing the Real Jesus" 12:02 now, "exposing" is a great word in photography, 12:05 terrible word for tabloid journalism, however, 12:07 but we want to reveal or bring out the detail... 12:10 the real Jesus... as we look at the Biblical world 12:12 and that's what this clip is about. 12:14 Okay, so we can roll that clip now 12:15 and get a feel for what it's going to look like. 12:17 The Holy Land... 12:22 For centuries, Christians have focused on these gospels 12:27 while strangely neglecting the fifth, 12:31 in this fascinating Series, our host, Tony Moore, 12:36 follows the narrative of the written gospels 12:38 while seeking to unravel mysteries from the fifth gospel 12:43 that expose... the real Jesus. 12:46 Blowing of a horn... 13:28 music... 13:30 Tony, I want to ask you, what is behind the scenes? 13:32 There's something special about the scenes, 13:35 and your narration that's bringing out certain things 13:38 for our commercial audience. 13:39 Well, we're trying to bring out 13:40 the rich details of the Bible story, 13:43 where they happened and that fifth gospel... 13:44 brining the Bible story to life 13:46 and that's really what that was about 13:48 and while we can't do a full court press about Bible Study 13:51 and so on, we could actually open up 13:53 the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Friday afternoon 13:55 where we see thousands of Jewish people 13:57 in their finest garments, streaming out of the wall 13:59 to welcome in the Sabbath 14:01 or we can crawl around in the tomb of Lazarus 14:02 and tell the story of how Jesus was teaching 14:06 that death is a sleep in that setting, 14:08 so, we're very excited about trying to tell the story 14:11 on location in that way 14:12 and just like the little voice of the narrator there, 14:15 she happened to be our Tour Guide... last year 14:17 on the Island of Patmos and she turned out to be 14:19 an Actress in the UK 14:22 and so we're pretty excited about 14:23 getting her to do that narration 14:25 with the special little voice that she had. 14:27 Well, we are praying that God will be able to 14:30 go before you and open up doors 14:33 so that that can be used in a marvelous way 14:35 to be able to share Jesus with an audience 14:37 that otherwise might not hear about him. 14:39 And you know, for folks here, 14:40 could I just tell them to come by our Booth, 14:42 it's Number 818 and we have a very special 14:44 newsletter... just for ASI... 14:46 that talks about this and they can have... 14:48 and if you're not able to do that, go on our website, 14:51 was it, "fifth gospel" 14:52 spelled out? Debbie: Yes 14:53 fifthgospel. net is up on the screen 14:55 and you can find out that we're very careful about 14:58 what we say even on the website 15:00 because we don't want people to misunderstand... 15:03 that is... the television people to misunderstand 15:05 what we're trying to do, 15:06 but we want to tell the best story about Jesus 15:08 that anyone has heard on commercial television 15:10 and that's where it was going and by the way 15:12 we'll have a Viewer Version of this 15:14 that will also be available for Adventists to use 15:17 and... before Evangelistic Meetings 15:19 and to be on Adventist television as well. 15:20 Great, thank you very much Tony. Tony: Thank you Debbie. 15:23 I tell you, we have lots of opportunities 15:25 through a variety of different means 15:28 to be able to share the gospel. 15:29 This is Members in Action, 15:33 these are stories of ministry and inspiration 15:38 that you can use to take home the ASI experience. 15:42 Tonight, I have with me Janet Evert 15:45 and Janet, where do you live? 15:47 In Chelan, Washington. 15:49 Leasa: Not too far away. 15:50 No... about two hours... 15:51 Now, you have a ministry called: Young Disciples... 15:55 Janet: That's correct. 15:56 That you minister to a lot of children around the world. 15:59 Janet: That's correct. 16:00 But you have a... you have one that's much more personal 16:03 and this is why we have these four little lambs here. 16:06 Can you tell us about your personal ministry? 16:10 Okay, well, it starts with being a grandparent 16:13 and, you know, when we have... when we have grandchildren, 16:20 we find out what really loving a child means. 16:25 Yes we do, now I just very recently became a grandmother, 16:29 finally, and I just want to spoil that little child 16:35 and that was my plan until I heard 16:37 your ministry to your grandchildren, 16:40 can you tell us about that? 16:41 Well, yes, it's... we do... we want to spoil them... 16:46 we want to give them everything they want, 16:47 we want to make them happy, 16:48 we want them to smile, we want them to love us, 16:50 but, what do we want most of all? 16:53 We want them in the Kingdom and so I feel that my ministry 16:59 to my grandchildren is to support their parents, 17:05 to make sure that I don't spoil them but that I strengthen them. 17:11 So you don't send them home full of sugar? 17:14 No, I don't sugar them up and send them home. 17:17 Okay, what do you do with them? 17:18 Okay, one of the things 17:20 we started out with is called: Lamb's Club 17:23 and you referred to them as lambs 17:25 and they are Christ's little lambs 17:28 that we want to see in the Kingdom 17:30 and so we have... every Friday night... 17:33 a Lamb's Club. 17:34 And what do you do at your Club? 17:37 Well, we... we do a lot of things. 17:40 One of the things is that... 17:41 well, we started out with making sure that 17:44 they know the Lambs Law 17:47 and that's why I brought them out here this morning. 17:51 This is four of the seven grandchildren 17:54 and they're going to recite the Lamb's Law for you. 18:02 Be obedient, be pure, be kind, be true, 18:07 be respectful, be helpful, be cheerful, 18:13 be thoughtful, be reverent. 18:15 Leasa: Amen... Janet: Thank you, you can go. 18:19 Now, if we could teach all of our grandchildren 18:23 those precious... what do you call those things? 18:27 Characteristics or well... whatever they're called... 18:31 we would have a much better world... would we not? 18:34 So, Janet, besides the Lamb's Club, 18:37 you have a philosophy 18:41 of being a grandparent and you called it, 18:43 "Intentional Grandparenting" what does that mean? 18:45 It really... it just kind of... 18:47 in the title... you kind of see what it's talking about 18:50 because I have an intent, 18:53 very intentionally to help them be in the Kingdom 18:57 and that's really what the Lamb's Club is all about, 18:59 we have our little law but we talk about character traits, 19:03 we talk about little things that maybe I saw during the week 19:06 that weren't quite right to help them 19:08 become more like Jesus and so we do all sorts of fun things, 19:12 we have a Bell Choir, we study nature, 19:17 we do shells and rocks and all sorts of different things, 19:20 we do crafts and... 19:24 So these are kind of like a little Pathfinder Club 19:26 or Adventurer Club that goes on every Friday night? 19:29 Yes and they look forward to it. 19:31 If I'm out of town, they sometimes call me and say, 19:33 "Grammy, are you going to be home 19:35 in time for Little Lambs' Club? 19:36 Now, is it just for your grandchildren? 19:38 Well, that's kind of what I thought at the beginning 19:41 but it has expanded and so now, 19:43 we have kids from the church, kids from the community 19:47 that will come and be part of the Lambs' Club. 19:49 And how many come? 19:50 It really depends, sometimes we'll have 10 or 12, 19:54 sometimes we'll have just our own kids, 19:56 sometimes we'll have even more. 19:57 Now, it's not just work 20:01 or teaching them positive character traits, 20:04 you also have fun. 20:05 Janet: Oh, it has to be fun. 20:07 Yeah, for sure, I mean, they're little lambs... 20:10 they need to have fun 20:11 so what kind of fun things do you do. 20:13 Besides the Lambs' Club? 20:14 Besides the Lambs' club. 20:16 Okay, we have "Grammy Camp. " 20:17 About once a year, they all get together 20:19 and we have... maybe five days where they stay over 20:21 and we just do a camp with them, 20:23 with marching and gymnastics and crafts and cooking 20:28 and all sorts of things. 20:30 Okay and on their birthdays 20:32 I know you do something special with each one. 20:34 Each one gets a birthday trip, we take them somewhere special 20:38 and this is such a... really special time 20:39 when we can really zero in on them personally, 20:42 they know how much we care about them 20:44 and special time where we seize opportunities 20:47 to bring them closer to Jesus. 20:48 So, do you take them out in the backyard... and 20:50 where do you go? 20:52 Well, sometimes we go to a national park 20:54 and go camping, we go rock collecting, 20:56 we've taken them to Williamsburg, 20:59 it just depends on how many frequent flier miles we have. 21:03 Okay, so how grandmothers out there is this inspiring? 21:08 Yes, okay, so we need to change our strategy, I think, 21:13 after hearing her plans, 21:16 and what she does with her grandchildren, 21:20 I know that my son is going to appreciate 21:23 my intentional grandparenting so thank you Janet, 21:26 Oh, Janet, you have a story to share with us... 21:29 Yes, I do, the two little boys that you saw up here... 21:33 after Lambs' Club every Friday night, 21:36 we have... a couple of them will stay over 21:39 and so it was their turn to stay over, 21:41 I tucked them in, they... 21:43 but before I tucked them in we have prayer 21:46 so they knelt down and the first little guy... 21:49 went through the whole Lambs' Law 21:52 one by one, "Oh Lord, there were... 21:55 sometimes this week where I was not obedient 21:58 and I need your help" and then he went through 22:01 every single one of them and it probably took 15 minutes. 22:06 Leasa: Amen. 22:07 So, when he was finished, the other little guy 22:12 went through the whole plan of salvation 22:15 and when they were finished, I said, 22:18 "You know, you guys, those were like sermons" 22:21 and I said, "You know, you ought to consider being a pastor" 22:25 and they're like... looked at me... 22:27 and I tucked them in and went downstairs 22:30 and I didn't hear any more from them until the next morning 22:32 and the next morning, one of them came to me 22:34 and said, "Grammy, I need to tell you, 22:35 we didn't go to sleep right away after you left... " 22:39 I said, "Oh, really?" 22:41 He said, "Yes, we were praying about being pastors. " 22:46 Audience laughing... 22:49 Well that particular day 22:50 when we got to church, there was an announcement, 22:52 there was going to be a seminar in another church 22:54 where they were going to teach how to preach, 22:56 so those little guys saw that... 22:59 and they said, "We are going... " 23:01 and they did... they went to the whole thing. 23:03 Amen, amen... thank you so much, 23:08 you know, you're my... I mean you're my inspiration 23:10 you're like a super grandma, 23:12 so, thank you so much Janet. Janet: Thank you. 23:16 Next we have a very special story... 23:19 this is an ASI member who lives in Eastern Kentucky, 23:24 now, I grew up reading Catherine Marshall's books 23:27 of working in the Appalachians, how many of you did? 23:31 Yeah, quite a few of you, 23:33 Peter Marshall, his wife, Catherine Marshall... 23:36 and this is Kristina and Kristina, you... 23:41 where did you come from? 23:42 Where did you originally live? 23:45 I grew up in Washington State. 23:46 Leasa: Washington State... and you moved to? 23:50 Right here in Spokane. 23:51 Oh, amen... okay... local girl... 23:55 so you moved to where? 23:57 To eastern Kentucky. 23:58 Okay, specifically in the...? 24:01 In a little County called McCreary County, 24:04 there's no incorporated town in the entire county. 24:07 And who lives there? 24:10 Like what kind of people? 24:14 They're my favorite people, can I say that? 24:18 Leasa: Amen. 24:20 I love them... I... it's basically 24:23 a group of people that moved out 24:26 and were isolated from the rest of the United States, 24:30 known today as Appalachia or Appalachia... as we say it 24:35 and because of their isolation, 24:39 they really developed their own culture 24:43 and not even a sub-culture of the US. 24:46 So what made you move there? 24:48 My husband grew up not too far from there 24:52 and he had a love and a desire to get to know them 24:57 and to be a missionary among them 24:59 and I grew up... here in Washington State 25:03 wanting to be a missionary 25:05 to an unreached people group in the United States. 25:07 I had no idea they existed. 25:09 Amen... amen... and so when you moved there 25:12 and you started working with them, 25:15 how long before you really evaluated what was needed? 25:18 We spent the first six months doing cultural research 25:22 just trying to get to know the people, 25:25 see what their needs were 25:26 and how we could reach out to them. 25:28 And what jumped out at you? 25:30 The first thing was health... very poor health... 25:34 Leasa: Very poor heath... because...? 25:36 Very poor diet. 25:37 Okay, so what was so poor about their diet? 25:41 They didn't eat very many fruits and vegetables. 25:45 Leasa: What did they eat? 25:46 Groundhogs... squirrels... rabbits... 25:55 Leasa: Oh yikes... 25:56 And, of course, more nowadays... junk food and meat and potatoes. 26:01 Okay, so you're trying to teach 26:04 them to eat fruits and vegetables, 26:07 so what is your approach? 26:09 We started with a simple class once a month 26:12 on how to use fruits and vegetables 26:14 and add them to your diet. 26:15 We featured one fruit or one vegetable each month. 26:19 Okay... and... so did people start eating them? 26:22 Yes... 26:24 and oftentimes it was the first time 26:27 they had eaten that fruit or vegetable 26:30 but our little health talk was five minutes on 26:34 why that fruit or vegetable 26:36 is good for you and why you should eat it 26:38 and so they would go home and they'd eat it. 26:40 Okay and this led you to open a restaurant... 26:43 After five years and growing the class 26:48 because of popular demand, now in four different counties, 26:52 two of them every single month, and then there's periodically... 26:56 people started saying, 26:57 "Well, your food tastes so good, we just want to buy it. " 27:01 Okay, so you opened a restaurant, 27:03 now, restaurant is hard work, 27:05 I mean, it is really labor intensive 27:08 and even people in the best of health 27:11 it's very... stressful for them, how do you do it? 27:13 It's a miracle from God, 27:16 I've had an auto-immune disease most of my life, 27:18 I live in chronic pain, 27:20 I don't always have to use a wheelchair, 27:22 I do have stools placed strategically in the kitchen 27:26 and behind the counter and through prayer 27:29 my health has actually improved in the past year 27:33 since I started the restaurant. 27:34 Amen... amen... so, why do you do all this work? 27:38 What is your end goal? 27:40 I want to share Jesus with others, 27:43 I want them to know the joy of Jesus... 27:45 the joy that he's given me, the peace that I have, 27:49 I want them to have it too. 27:51 And in the restaurant, 27:52 do you have an opportunity to do that? 27:53 Oh, so much more than I ever dreamed possible. 27:57 The thrill for us when we opened the restaurant 28:01 is that we're small... it's a small community... 28:05 but when customers come in, 28:07 they expect us to sit down and talk to them while they eat. 28:11 Leasa: Amen. 28:12 I mean, what better can you ask for? 28:15 It is such a blessing and so exciting. 28:18 So, in your conversations with them, 28:20 do you have opportunities to witness? 28:23 Yes. 28:25 Can you share a couple of stories with us? 28:26 Oh, I'd love to. 28:28 One of my favorite couples 28:34 started coming in, 28:36 a mother and her son and they started coming in 28:38 just because they liked fruits and vegetables 28:41 and wanted to know that they were eating a 28:43 healthy meal once in a while, 28:45 so they started coming in 28:47 probably about once or twice a week 28:48 and after a while, they got to know me well enough 28:53 that pretty soon... they came just to eat lunch with me 28:56 which means, when they walk in the door, 28:59 if I'm not busy with other customers, 29:01 they want me to go in the kitchen... and get my food too 29:04 and sit down and eat lunch with them 29:06 and it's been such a joy to develop a relationship with them 29:11 now we can talk about Bible topics, 29:15 I now have an open invitation to go to their house, 29:18 drop in on them any time which is a real blessing 29:22 and just to be able to pray together, 29:25 share a prayer request and it's just such a blessing. 29:29 Now, besides health needs, what other needs do they have? 29:33 They have a need for Jesus, you know, it's the Bible belt 29:37 but they don't understand how simple salvation really is 29:42 and the superstition is very high 29:45 and for me... I was shocked, 29:48 I felt like I had arrived in a different country... 29:51 Now these people... this group of people... 29:53 especially... are very suspicious of outsiders 29:56 and it's extremely hard to reach them 29:59 with a prophecy seminar or anything like that 30:02 so are you able to... do they... 30:04 what kind of relationships do you have with them 30:07 that can help you to teach them about Jesus? 30:10 Well, I'll share with you one more story. 30:14 A lady, I will call Doris, she grew up Catholic 30:18 and she never understood the love of Jesus 30:22 and she got to know us through our cooking classes 30:25 and then through the restaurant 30:27 and got to know us as friends as time went on 30:31 and pretty soon she just started opening up to us 30:35 and said, "I want to understand the love of Jesus more, 30:39 I want to know Him better," 30:41 and after a couple of years 30:44 of me just sharing a Bible promise with her 30:47 or praying with her and encouraging her, 30:49 she came with me to a Women's Retreat 30:52 last fall and accepted Jesus as her Savior 30:56 for the very first time. Leasa: Amen, amen... 30:58 And she's coming with me 31:00 to Women's Retreat again in a couple of weeks, 31:02 she's having Bible Studies with my husband and I 31:05 and she attended our church 31:07 until she had to move a little ways away 31:09 but God is still working with her and I'm excited. 31:13 You know there are all kinds of fruits... 31:14 different types of fruits... 31:16 and this is one type of fruit 31:18 that will last for eternity. Kristina: Amen. 31:20 Thank you so much Kristina. 31:25 Next we have Debbie Baker... 31:26 Debbie Baker and Jeremiah Samuels. 31:30 Now, Jeremiah... 31:31 was one of my "Youth For Jesus Kids" this year 31:34 and last year... actually... 31:35 and so I'm glad to see him as a student. 31:40 Okay, Debbie, where do you teach or what do you do? 31:45 Well, I'm an Administrator at Heritage Academy 31:47 in Monterey, Tennessee. 31:49 Okay, Monterey, Tennessee, is Southern United States. 31:54 Yes, sort of... ish... 31:57 Leasa: ish... okay, well I think they would disagree with you. 32:00 but... anyway, you know the weather is 32:04 pretty nice... most of the time, 32:06 I mean, I'm from... originally from Minnesota, 32:08 it's nothing like Minnesota. Debbie: No... no... 32:11 Okay, but last February, what happened? 32:14 Well, we typically have snow but not usually ice... 32:21 and so, we woke up the end of February 32:24 to an inch of ice over all of our vehicles and trees 32:29 and it was terrible. 32:31 Okay, and you also woke up to no electricity? 32:33 No power... no lights... 32:35 No power... how wide of an area did it cover? 32:36 It covered about nine counties, 32:38 about 50,000 people were without power. 32:41 Okay and for how long? 32:43 For our area, most of us were out of power for about 7 days. 32:46 Okay and so... you are at Heritage Academy, 32:52 you have students there, 32:54 you're running a school with no electricity. 32:56 That's right, there are about a hundred of us on campus, 32:58 we wake up to no power... it's Sabbath morning, 33:01 we were all anticipating going to church 33:03 and... so we all woke up and kind of took stock of everything 33:07 and decided, we're going to meet and have church and 33:10 start a little generator to have some heat 33:12 and met in our chapel and held church. 33:15 So you needed to do something for your internal survival. 33:19 That's right. 33:21 But instead of just working for yourselves, 33:23 you guys did something pretty amazing. 33:26 We did, you know, we travel all over the Country 33:30 doing Disaster Response 33:31 and we found that right now the disaster was at our place 33:35 and it was a very different feeling 33:38 when we realized that this is us and... 33:41 so we took stock of our campus 33:43 and then said, "Now, we need to reach out" 33:45 and we took a drive off campus 33:48 and found that we couldn't hardly leave, 33:50 on both sides... both directions on the way to Monterey 33:54 and then our other local town, 33:55 the roads were completely blocked for miles and miles. 33:58 Now, you have a video that can show us 34:01 what really actually happened. Debbie: That's right... 34:03 Okay, so while they load the video, 34:05 Jeremiah, you are a student at Heritage Academy. 34:10 Yes. 34:12 Okay and where are you from? 34:15 I'm from New York. 34:16 New York... so you are used to ice storms and power outages? 34:20 Jeremiah: No... Leasa: No? 34:21 Jeremiah: I live in the city so... I have power in abundance. 34:25 Okay... okay... so... when this happened 34:29 what did you do? 34:30 I was kind of frustrated 34:33 because I really, really despise the cold, so... 34:36 That's why you went to school in Tennessee? 34:39 Jeremiah is nodding his head. 34:41 Okay, let's watch the video and then we'll talk some more. 34:45 There is like... about an inch of ice 34:47 and it was enough to take down a couple of trees 34:49 and then most of the roads were pretty blocked 34:51 and stuff like that and so, 34:53 we as a couple of kids from the school... 34:56 we went out and had a chainsaw... 34:59 chainsaw groups and we all just cut some trees off 35:03 and pushed them to the side of the road 35:07 for six miles... we covered six miles... 35:11 And what's happening here? 35:13 Okay, here we had pretty much like a soup kitchen, 35:17 we fed... we fed... about 1,000 people, so... 35:25 Leasa: How many meals? 35:27 Ten days' worth of meals. 35:28 Ten days' worth of meals... 35:30 about a thousand people per meal. 35:31 Wow! okay so that's 3,000 meals, 35:35 that's like 30,000 meals... you've served. 35:38 Yes, that's right, in that little kitchen. 35:40 So, through this experience of reaching out to the community, 35:44 did you learn anything about your community? 35:47 Well, the kids that were talking in the video... 35:50 they had the opportunity to go door to door 35:52 you know... we... 35:53 this was widespread in a lot of communities 35:55 and we sat down and met with 35:57 Emergency Management folks everyday 36:00 and those folks said that 36:03 all other counties in our area except ours, 36:07 there was loss of life and they said the reason why 36:10 there was not a loss of life in our County 36:13 was because these kids went door to door 36:15 making sure that everybody was okay 36:16 and several of them in the video mentioned that 36:20 folks were so appreciative that they were going door to door 36:25 and when they would ask, "Why are you here?" 36:27 They'd say, "We're here to help you. " 36:29 They'd ask, "Where are you from?" 36:30 They'd say, "Well, we're from Heritage Academy... 36:31 just down the street" 36:33 and they'll say, "Well, are you guys okay?" 36:35 And they'd say, "Well, we're without power too" 36:38 and just the idea that the kids were without power, 36:41 out serving other people that didn't have power, was powerful. 36:45 Audience: Amen. 36:47 Now, were you known before this... this event? 36:50 A little bit, you know, we were that little school 36:53 down at the end of the road with the... you know... 36:56 at the dirt road and things where the kids did canvassing and 36:59 a lot of outreach but absolutely nothing 37:03 compares to how meeting the need of folks 37:06 just at that time... the difference it made 37:08 for them, so... Leasa: Amen. 37:10 Forty percent of our local community is impoverished... 37:12 we found that out as we were serving them, 37:15 and so our goal is that 37:18 the kids are going to go out once a month 37:19 and feed the folks in Monterey 37:23 and a free meal and have a music concert 37:26 and share Jesus with them 37:28 while hearts are opened and they're excited 37:30 and... I tell you... we have the greatest group of kids 37:34 trained in disaster response 37:36 better than most people you'll know, 37:37 we've just been so excited to see them being used by God 37:42 as the hands and feet of Jesus in a disaster. 37:45 Amen... amen... so Jeremiah... 37:46 what was your personal experience with this disaster? 37:51 Okay, so... like I said before, 37:53 I totally despise the cold 37:55 and it was really frustrating waking up to a cold... 37:57 cold mornings... and spending the day in the cold 38:00 but helping other people and like... 38:04 being able to reach out to them 38:05 like supplying them with food 38:07 and then seeing their gratefulness 38:09 gave a lot of us... like that warm sensation in your heart... 38:13 like... true happiness... like satisfaction... 38:18 you know, Jesus said, 38:19 "Whatever you've done to the least of these, 38:22 you've done to me" and so, it was really a great blessing. 38:25 Amen... amen... you know, there's nothing like 38:29 using the Isaiah 58 model to reach your community 38:33 and... so... what... 38:35 do you have plans for a follow up, 38:37 you said about "once a month thing" 38:39 but was your student experience... 38:41 what are some other plans that you have? 38:44 Well, the kids are trained in Disaster Response 38:46 so they travel to lots of different places 38:49 training other young people and communities 38:51 in disaster response so they're prepared 38:54 should something like this happen... and for us... 38:56 we'd been to lots of places but it never had happened to us 39:00 and so, it really gives us a very different perspective. 39:03 We're taught not to say, 39:04 "I understand what you're going through," 39:07 because you don't... but in this moment... 39:09 Jerry could stand next to a guy and say, 39:11 "I'm without power, you're without power," 39:14 he could have prayer with them and they could understand 39:16 the compassion in his heart for them 39:18 going through the exact same thing... so, it was really neat. 39:21 Amen... amen... and that's what Pathway to Health 39:24 this weekend was all about also, 39:25 you know, if we can reach out to our community 39:28 and meet their needs, we can share Jesus with them 39:32 much more effectively, thank you so much. 39:34 This is Ty Gibson, 39:37 he's a Co-Director for Light Bearers 39:39 and Ty, first tell us a little bit about Light Bearers. 39:42 I'm intrigued to know 39:43 that Light Bearers is a lot more than just literature. 39:47 It is... and I begin by saying that this is where it began 39:50 right here in Spokane, a lot of people don't know that 39:53 but my wife, Sue and I were baptized in this city 39:56 when we were 18-years old and... 39:59 Debbie: Just a few short years ago. 40:01 Yeah, yeah... was that five years ago? 40:03 Yeah, we came to know the Lord here in Spokane 40:07 and we had a very motivational pastor who believed that 40:12 young people should be involved in ministry 40:14 and so... right here in this city, 40:16 we got a map and a yellow highlighter pen 40:20 and I know this area, 40:21 we literally walked through all the streets of Spokane, 40:26 street by street and marked each street off 40:31 doing door-to-door work and it was a privilege... 40:33 this is where we began Light Bearers Ministry. 40:36 James Rafferty, my Associate, was baptized here as well 40:39 shortly thereafter and... 40:41 and we started the ministry 40:43 as an in-home, small-group Bible Study. 40:46 We had small groups, 10 to 15 of them 40:49 meeting all around the greater Spokane 40:52 and Coeur D'Alene area for a number of years... it was great. 40:55 Isn't it? So this is really like "coming home" for you. 40:57 Yes it is, I love this City. 40:59 Right to its beginnings. Ty: Yeah... yeah... yeah... 41:01 So, I mentioned literature because 41:04 I think many of us know Light Bearers 41:07 for the literature distribution 41:08 but it is more than that... you mentioned... 41:11 Yeah, it actually began as a teaching ministry, 41:13 literature was an afterthought 41:16 because as new Seventh-day Adventist Christians 41:19 we started noticing in the writings of Ellen White 41:21 the idea that the Preacher's work should be 41:25 supplemented by or backed up by written material 41:28 so, as we were teaching and as we were preaching, 41:32 we began writing and producing materials, 41:35 we bought a copy machine at first 41:36 and then we bought a printing press... 41:38 and figured out we didn't know how to run it 41:40 so we hired a guy to run it 41:41 and we began producing literature 41:44 but Light Bearers is also a teaching ministry, 41:48 we run a school called "Arise" 41:50 and that runs two courses every year, 41:52 one here in the United States, the last week of August 41:55 we began our course here, it's a three-month discipleship 41:58 training course and we run one in Australia each year as well, 42:02 it's a Media Ministry, 42:04 we produce a lot of video projects, 42:06 you may want to check out Digma. com 42:08 and... yeah... and a lot of teaching and preaching, 42:11 we have four full-time evangelists... 42:13 myself, James Rafferty, Jeffrey Rosario 42:15 and David Asscherick and we preach and teach 42:18 and we're eager for Jesus to come 42:21 so that's what we're doing with ourselves. 42:22 Well, praise the Lord, 42:24 and it sounds like you guys have been really busy. 42:25 Busy... better to be busy than bored. 42:27 Debbie: Yes... Ty: Yes. 42:29 Tell us then, what particular projects 42:31 are happening right now 42:32 in addition to the regular schedule of training? 42:36 Well, the... the present project that we're super excited about 42:40 is called Truth Link... 42:42 we have a Booth specifically for Truth Link... 42:44 please check it out or go to truthlink. org 42:46 and these are Bible Studies, you'll be delighted to find out 42:50 that are really powerful 42:53 because they achieve two things... number one... 42:55 these Bible Studies are doctrinally sound... 42:57 they are theologically rich... 43:00 they move systematically through 43:02 the entire Adventist message, 43:03 including First, Second and Third Angels' messages 43:06 with a very intentional focus on weaving in gospel concepts 43:11 righteousness by faith concepts, justification, 43:14 salvation concepts through every doctrine, 43:16 so it doesn't matter what you're encountering 43:18 whether you're studying the Sabbath... 43:20 you're studying... justification by faith, 43:22 you're studying the third angel's message... 43:24 you're studying righteousness by faith, 43:25 you're studying the sanctuary... 43:27 you're encountering the gospel. 43:28 So that's Truth Link and these Bible Studies... 43:31 you'll want to acquaint yourself with them 43:33 and that's what we're presently doing. 43:35 So now, the project that is in the Offering for this year 43:39 is something different, 43:41 so there's something new on the horizon 43:42 describe that for us. 43:44 Well, the project that you as ASI will be supporting 43:48 this year... actually we've decided 43:50 for it to encompass two projects. 43:53 The offering that you'll give to Light Bearers this year 43:56 which I think is 40,000 dollars will contribute to 44:00 number one... a container of literature for Tanzania, 44:04 these publications are going to Tanzania specifically 44:08 to be follow-up 44:09 for the Ted Wilson Evangelistic Meetings 44:11 that just occurred there in the spring, 44:13 we also provided the pre-work evangelistic literature 44:18 leading up to his meetings, 44:19 so in Tanzania, they've already distributed 44:21 two containers of literature 44:23 surrounding his Evangelistic Meetings 44:25 and a container of literature has two million publications 44:30 and so Tanzania is one of the projects that you're supporting 44:34 and then also... 44:35 one of the containers will be sent to South Africa 44:39 for three conferences there that have banned together 44:42 and they have a lot of evangelistic meetings planned 44:45 because we don't send... 44:48 we don't just... drop off a container of literature 44:51 somewhere in the world, 44:52 they have to be very intentional, deliberate, 44:56 aggressive, high-energy, proactive efforts 45:00 that are going on 45:01 and then we send that material... 45:03 then people distribute it, 45:04 they engage people in Bible Studies systematically 45:07 and what we're doing by sending this literature 45:09 to the mission field... one container after another... 45:12 is we are raising the Biblical literacy 45:15 for our people and our new converts 45:18 rather than the Evangelist just arriving 45:20 and kind of a "hit-and-run" 45:21 doing a two-week or a three-week evangelistic campaign 45:23 and then baptizing a few hundred or a thousand or two thousand... 45:27 sometimes thousands of people and then leaving... 45:30 the literature produces a mature theological faith 45:33 so a person who becomes a Seventh-day Adventist... 45:37 they know what it means to be a Seventh-day Adventist 45:40 in their belief system, 45:42 we believe that the character development part 45:46 of Christian experience follows Theology 45:48 so we believe people need to be richly, theologically educated 45:54 and that's what this material will be doing. 45:55 That sounds like it's going to be a phenomenal project 45:58 and we look forward to being in partnership 46:00 supporting Light Bearers. 46:01 Thank you to ASI for supporting these two containers this year. 46:06 Right, thank you very much, Ty, I appreciate it. 46:08 Coming to the podium now is James Hartley. 46:13 James Hartley directs another light... 46:16 well light... 46:17 James: We get confused a lot... that's true. 46:22 So James, tell me a little bit about LIGHT... 46:25 what does that name mean, 46:26 it's an acronym... James: Yeah... 46:28 And describe the scope of its ministry. 46:30 Okay so... LIGHT stands for the 46:32 Lay Institute for Global Health Training 46:34 and we are providing health evangelism training 46:36 to pastors and lay people around the world. 46:39 We started in 2008 46:42 and ASI has always been a strong supporter 46:44 of this project 46:45 and collectively we're just adding up figures... 46:48 we've trained over 14,000 pastors and lay people 46:51 in over 85 countries of the world. 46:53 Wow! that's a lot of countries. 46:55 It's something that God has taken control of... 46:57 we don't even know how that happened 46:58 but God just took the reins 47:01 in steering it in the right direction... we are 47:02 training people that are going out and training others 47:04 and it's just been multiplying 47:06 and where... people are learning how to reach souls 47:09 with "Jesus results," 47:10 with the right arm of the gospel... getting close to them 47:12 and teaching them how to... how to reach the hearts 47:15 and use the health message as an entering wedge 47:18 through a variety of community programs 47:20 so when people come into our training programs, 47:23 let me just say, our training is 125 hours 47:26 it's not a weekend training, okay, 47:28 it takes a full commitment... a one-month... 47:30 it's a four-week course, intensive 47:32 and so we bring... usually in the 47:34 summer months or on vacation times, 47:36 we're in Brazil, we're in Venezuela, 47:38 we're in Zimbabwe, we're in Thailand 47:40 and Cambodia and Indonesia and Australia... around the world, 47:44 lay people are coming in... and pastors... 47:46 we have shorter trainings for pastors, 47:48 we really want to see our churches getting active 47:51 and one of the easiest ways for lay people to get active 47:53 is getting involved in these different health programs, 47:55 they don't have to be a medical professional 47:57 but we need the medical professional's help 47:59 to lead out these programs 48:00 so to teach them how to do health expos, all right... 48:03 and how the lay people can help with those events 48:05 but not only help... a health expo... you know... 48:08 if doesn't accomplish that much if it's only an event, 48:10 right, but we have follow up plans 48:12 where we teach churches how to set up health clubs, 48:14 that will be like an on-going regular meeting 48:16 throughout the year that where... 48:17 people are learning how to live healthy 48:19 as a community health club, 48:20 it doesn't have to be at the Adventist Church, 48:22 in fact it's usually better not to have it 48:23 at the Adventist Church so it just... brings people in 48:25 and letting health break down prejudice... 48:28 break down barriers, so we're teaching that 48:31 you can use health to reach Muslims and Buddhists 48:34 and Hindus and all religions in the world 48:36 even Roman Catholics, 48:38 I was raised a Roman Catholic in Wisconsin, 48:40 I was really brought into the health... 48:42 into the church... through the health message 48:44 if it wasn't for a vegetarian restaurant 48:46 in Bowser Switzerland, I wouldn't be here today. 48:49 So, the health message, I know it's very powerful 48:51 and so this is what we're trying to get out there. 48:53 You know, it's interesting you say that 48:54 because I was having a conversation with Vicky Griffin 48:58 and she mentioned a statement which I think is very true 49:01 health ministry is a vehicle for teaching the truth about God 49:07 and so this is a very important work 49:09 that you're training individuals to do. 49:11 It shares the character of God, 49:13 because when you have an opportunity 49:15 to show the love of God in a sincere... 49:16 ministering to somebody's needs... it just... 49:18 it makes a connection with somebody... 49:20 it's just... it's just... we need to use the right arm 49:23 if we are not using that tool, we're just... 49:25 we're doing evangelism 49:26 with our right arm tied behind our back. 49:28 So what is happening with LIGHT now... 49:30 what project are you involved with? 49:32 Let me show you a picture here, this is a... 49:34 this is our new online school 49:36 and I don't know if you recognize the language, 49:38 you recognize one word up there at least 49:40 this is our Korean online school so we have our online training 49:45 it's 125 hours of training in English, Spanish 49:48 and we have the whole thing complete in Korean, 49:51 and we've partnered with our Korean Union Health Department 49:54 and we just launched this school one month ago, 49:57 just before the GC... a little... maybe six weeks ago, 50:00 we have over 100 students registered into that program 50:03 that the Korean Union themselves promoted... and are bringing in 50:06 we're training Koreans that are in China... 50:09 that are in Korea... that are all across the United States, 50:12 you know the Koreans have a very strong mission focus, 50:15 you find them all over Southeast Asia, 50:17 right, so we're training them, getting this message in... 50:20 we have a plan to train them... 50:22 those that are especially in China 50:23 to be missionaries there 50:25 and those spread all throughout Southeast Asia, 50:27 our work is growing in Southeast Asia. 50:29 Debbie: Very good. 50:30 Let me... let me... I got one other picture.. 50:31 one other picture here is from Vietnam, 50:33 this is not an easy picture to get. 50:36 Vietnam is probably the most difficult country 50:39 in Southeast Asia to minister in. 50:42 We tried to have ASI meeting there we were present there 50:46 and sadly the Government came 50:47 and just shut down the whole meeting 50:50 so it is not easy to work in Vietnam 50:53 but little by little in a secretive way 50:56 working in our churches, 50:58 you have to be in our church to do training, 51:00 we completed... we have graduates now in Vietnam 51:02 that went through our training course, 51:04 so, let me also just mention... in Thailand... 51:07 we have trained half of the pastors in Thailand 51:09 with a short, condensed training 51:11 and now, their eyes are just wide open, 51:13 calling our teams all over Thailand, 51:15 training church members to use the health message 51:17 to reach Buddhists mainly... in this country. 51:19 Debbie: We have another picture. 51:21 Oh yeah... yeah... yeah... let me... look... 51:23 well this is a different continent now, 51:25 this is Zimbabwe... and it might be a little hard 51:28 to figure out what's going on in there 51:29 but this is a Health Expo, okay, 51:31 can anybody guess how many people were at this Health Expo? 51:34 It looks like a lot... 30,000 people... okay... 51:37 now I know we... 51:39 it's not quite to the level of what Pathways is doing 51:42 in services okay... but we are bringing in... 51:44 this is a partnership with the Conference, 51:47 and it was our lay team... our lay grads 51:49 who've done several short LIGHT Courses, one-month courses 51:52 and they were the ones and our Director in Zimbabwe 51:54 were the ones... helping to lead out and train the masses 51:56 of Adventists that were leading out this massive thing, 51:59 we're planning another one in next spring 52:01 and you'd be invite, Debbie, to just come, 52:03 it's in March... and there's going to be 30... 52:05 they're expecting 35,000... 52:06 to see 35,000 people through that Expo. 52:09 Awww... my first Health Expo Convention, 52:11 all right, I'll look forward to that. 52:13 Let's quickly... let's set way over to 52:15 what is the project for the offering this year. 52:18 Sure, so, LIGHT is an ongoing project, right, 52:20 and so the offerings that ASI has helped to raise for... 52:24 is supporting over 40 missionaries 52:26 that are well screened and trained, 52:28 people that have graduated through our programs, 52:31 have a good reputation, they're full time in the field 52:32 year around... conducting training courses, 52:35 right, we're providing materials... 52:37 health expo equipment and so forth 52:38 especially in areas that are... 52:40 that don't have a lot of finances, 52:42 we're working in a lot of poor countries 52:44 and you know... in those countries it's amazing, 52:46 when you put on health programs... 52:47 you just bring them in by the thousands... 52:49 and I wish I could say how many... 52:50 I was trying to figure it out, 52:52 it's in hundreds of thousands of people that have gone through 52:54 our health programs... all right in all of these countries 52:57 and hundreds of baptisms that we know of, 52:59 I've got one more picture here real quick... 53:01 of a baptism in South America... 53:03 I would be remiss to not mention South America, 53:05 it's just been amazing... 53:06 our partnership with the South American Division 53:08 and the support that we've had there, this is from Chile, 53:11 our course that we conducted in the Northern Conference there 53:14 this gentleman was an Adventist but for years... 53:17 he had been out of the church... 53:18 and somehow he wandered into one of our Expos 53:21 and just got reacquainted with Adventists, 53:24 and his heart was just burning within him, 53:26 he wanted to get Bible Studies 53:27 and within a month he had rejoined the church 53:29 and so... we have testimonies of people joining the church 53:32 around the world, it's just exciting, 53:34 every week we're getting e- mails and reports 53:36 in Brazil... we're starting a new Lifestyle Center 53:39 and Training School in the Rio Union, 53:43 at the... you know... 53:45 in Rio, there's the largest Seventh-day Adventist Hospital, 53:48 it's called the Silvestre Hospital, 53:49 1,200 employees... we have a partnership with that hospital, 53:52 we're conducting every... every weekend 53:54 LIGHT training courses at this hospital 53:57 and we're doing all of the community outreach 53:59 around Rio de Janeiro promoting the hospital 54:01 and bringing... bringing in people... 54:03 to the Expos and teaching... introducing them to the church 54:06 so, we're getting very diverse 54:08 and we're just excited about it... so... 54:10 I can tell... you're really excited... 54:12 and we're excited to be able to help you 54:14 and to help you to raise the right arm... 54:17 and use the right arm of the gospel 54:18 in order to share the love of Jesus... 54:20 Amen... Jesus is coming soon... 54:21 He is... thank you... James: Thank you Debbie... 54:23 So, here we have... two other projects 54:27 that we really want to support as they spread the gospel 54:31 through the means of literature, health evangelism, 54:34 teaching... all of those things... 54:36 so thank you so much 54:38 for the support that you will provide. 54:39 Debbie is walking away... 54:47 Here's my good friend, Kyle. 54:49 Good morning, Debbie, it's good to see you. 54:51 Debbie: Yes... Kyle: Thanks for coming back to get me. 54:52 Debbie: Okay... yeah... you know... 54:54 because we wanted to talk a little bit about 54:57 something really special that occurs overseas... 54:59 That's right Debbie, thank you so much. 55:01 You know, ASI... really the heart of ASI 55:04 is our members, amen... 55:05 not only our members that are working in their businesses 55:08 in their workplaces here in the United States 55:10 but also our ministry members 55:12 and we have so many faithful, dedicated missionaries 55:16 around the world, amen 55:17 and I mean... when you... 55:19 when you think about some of these ministries, 55:21 the word that comes to my mind is sacrifice 55:24 because... a lot of our missionaries 55:27 work on very little pay but they're out there 55:29 because they believe in what they're doing 55:32 and their purpose is... sharing Christ. 55:34 So there is a particular area that we want to focus on 55:38 and share something about that ministry, 55:40 is that Riverside Farms? 55:41 That's right... Riverside Farm... in Zambia... 55:43 and I had the privilege, Debbie, of going to Zambia 55:46 last December and just seeing 55:48 this amazing ministry and what they do. 55:50 Allen and Pauline Knowles, Jaypel and Michelle Museller, 55:54 there are lots of other missionaries, 55:55 that have served there and given their time 55:57 to serve the Lord and to reach the people of Zambia 56:01 and I'm telling you, it's an amazing ministry. 56:03 We're talking building one-day churches, 56:06 training lay people not only in... how to... 56:09 how to make a living and then farming and tailoring 56:12 and doing these kinds of things 56:13 but also how to share Christ as lay Bible Workers 56:15 in doing that kind of ministry, it's just an amazing thing 56:18 and on top of that... they have farms... 56:20 huge banana plantations which last year... 56:23 I think, ASI, through the offering 56:25 provided some funding to help plant some banana trees. 56:29 Debbie: That's right. 56:32 ASI Spokane, Washington. |
Revised 2016-06-21