Participants: Various Testimonies
Series Code: 15ASIC
Program Code: 15ASIC000013A
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00:19 Sometimes things happen in your life
00:23 that make you doing a bout face. 00:24 You think everything is going well for you. 00:26 It's like the rich young ruler who approached Jesus 00:29 and Jesus had one phrase for him, 00:31 "One thing thou lackest." 00:34 Jesus has a way of letting us know 00:36 that something needs to turn around in our lives. 00:38 He can take your life, 00:39 even if you think it's going well, 00:40 and help you realize your deep need for him, 00:44 that there is something missing in your life. 00:46 This afternoon, you are going to listen to Dr. Dosung Kim. 00:50 He is a dentist who is trained at Loma Linda, 00:53 but now he's living in South America. 00:55 You are about to find out 00:56 why he's living in South America. 00:58 Because at one point in his life, Jesus reached out, 01:01 touched him and said "One thing thou lackest." 01:10 Greetings from Bolivia. 01:14 Glad to be here with you this evening. 01:18 It was a day I will never forget, 01:21 October 29, 1995. 01:25 We were visiting our family in Loma Linda 01:28 with my airplane, with my two young boys. 01:32 We took off after visiting the weekend from Riverside, 01:38 from Redlands, I'm sorry, airport, 01:41 to head back to Oakdale, California, where we lived. 01:46 It was nearing dark and we took off 01:48 and through the passes, 01:50 through the deserts and on to Highway 5, 01:53 we were headed up toward home. 01:57 By this time, it had already, the sun had already set. 02:03 And it was just my family and I in this little airplane, 02:06 humming along. 02:08 Within 30 minutes of our home, 02:10 the plane starts to have problems, 02:15 like engine problems. 02:19 And the engine is losing power 02:22 and the plane is starting to descend, 02:25 and I do not want to descend. 02:28 I call for emergency, declared emergency, 02:32 asked for my options. 02:35 They told me where the nearest airport was, 02:37 I started heading that way. 02:42 You know, at this moment, what did not go through my mind 02:46 was how much money I had in the bank, 02:48 what kind of house I owned, what kind of car I drove. 02:55 Nothing mattered except one thing, 02:59 how am I going to survive with this crash. 03:03 It was imminent and I had no choice. 03:09 My friends! 03:11 We are on an imminent course today. 03:17 This world is an imminent course 03:19 toward destruction. 03:23 And we have a choice today. What choice we make? 03:28 God has already told us how to prepare for this crash. 03:34 And our work today is to tell others 03:37 about the imminent crash. 03:43 Well, we crashed, obviously, we survived, 03:47 the whole family, with hardly a scratch. 03:52 When I went back to the airport the next day, 03:55 the NTSP was already swarming the area, 03:59 reporters, pilots. 04:03 And they told us, 04:04 "We can't believe you guys lived through that. 04:08 You guys should have died." 04:11 Yes, I know. 04:12 We should have died that day, that night. 04:16 But God saved us and I was thinking, 04:19 why did God save us. 04:22 Why did God save me specifically, 04:25 from this imminent physical death? 04:30 And I began to search my heart. 04:32 I began to search for the meaning of life, 04:35 why do I exist? 04:39 Do I exist to go to work, make money, 04:42 bring home a paycheck, feed my family, go to sleep, 04:47 repeat the cycle, day after day? 04:51 Is this what life is about? 04:54 We had a dog at the time 04:56 and I realize if that's what life was about, 04:58 my life was no different than my dog. 05:04 But God created us with a different dimension 05:07 than dogs have. 05:08 And that's the ability to acknowledge God. 05:11 To study what the Bible says about God. 05:14 And to understand his love for us 05:17 and respond to that love, and this is why God made us. 05:22 And I begin to realize as I spend time with God, 05:25 I wasn't used to this. 05:26 And so, I mean, 05:28 I grew up in the Seventh-day Advent church. 05:30 But when I had success, I began to feel like 05:33 "God, thank you, but I'm okay for now." 05:37 So this is the life that I was living at this moment, 05:40 and so... 05:42 But when I began to really search my heart, 05:45 what is the meaning of life? 05:46 I began to study the Bible, spend time with God. 05:51 And five minutes turned into ten minutes, 05:53 and then twenty minutes, day after day. 05:56 And then it became thirty minutes 05:57 and then it was forty five minutes 05:58 and then hour, I couldn't have enough of God, 06:02 because I was falling in love with God, 06:05 a God that I could not see with my physical eyes 06:08 but I could sense him in my life. 06:12 I could sense that he was real and he was a personal God, 06:16 and he was reaching down, deep into my heart. 06:21 Not only to save me physically, 06:25 but to save me spiritually. 06:29 I praise God for that experience, 06:31 because if that wasn't for that experience, 06:33 I don't know where I would be today. 06:36 Amen. Thank you. 06:41 So the during the following months, my life, 06:45 I felt like I was born again, 06:52 a new life. 06:54 Do you think that I could possibly relive the same way 06:57 I had been living in the past? 06:59 No! I couldn't go back. 07:02 Something had to change in my life. 07:05 So I decided, okay. 07:08 After months of God working in my heart, 07:11 I finally came to point where I said 07:13 "God, you have been so good to me, 07:17 you saved me physically, you saved me spiritually, 07:19 now I have eternal life, 07:21 now I'm ready to consecrate everything I have to you, 07:25 all the money I had, which wasn't very much. 07:28 Even though I made a lot of money, 07:30 I spent it all, usually more than I had. 07:36 My house, that the bank owned. 07:41 But everything I have is yours. 07:45 My life is completely yours, 07:47 do whatever you want with my life. 07:52 And I remember exactly this moment where I was, 07:54 I was kneeling 07:56 in the dining room of our house, 07:59 and this overwhelming sense of relief, 08:04 this peace came over me, 08:07 a peace that I have never felt before in my life. 08:11 It was an incredible experience and I said 08:13 "God, if this is what is like, why didn't I do this before?" 08:18 My only regret was I didn't do this when I was young, 08:21 but sometimes it takes a while to learn our lessons. 08:26 But praise the Lord, I finally learnt my lesson. 08:29 And from then on, every day I dedicated my life to God. 08:34 And you know what happens 08:35 when you dedicate your life to God? 08:37 God, have you ever seen the sign that says 08:40 "God is my copilot?" 08:42 Absolutely not. 08:44 God became my pilot, and I was in the copilot seat. 08:48 Wherever you want me to go, I will go. 08:50 Whatever you want me to do, I will do. 08:52 Whatever you want me to say, I will say. 08:54 God, I am yours. 08:57 And every day, I've been dedicating my life to God. 09:03 We moved to the Montana... 09:09 met Mark and Conna, others, 09:13 beautiful experience in the mountains of Montana, 09:17 living in the wilderness and the country, 09:20 had a close walk with God. 09:21 I used to get up 3 o'clock, 4 o'clock in the morning, 09:24 have my personal devotional time 09:25 and then I would spend time with my wife, 09:28 having worship with her, praying with her, 09:30 that God would bless her that day. 09:32 And then I would go to my older son's room, 09:35 wake him up, and have worship with him. 09:39 And even today, even to this day, 09:41 he tells me that was when he felt the closest to God. 09:45 Why? Because his daddy was home. 09:51 Daddy was spending time with him. 09:53 And he experienced God through his experience with his daddy. 09:58 And then I would go my second son's room, 10:00 wake him up and spend time with him, 10:02 praying with him, 10:04 praying for him that God would bless him. 10:06 And then my third son, 10:08 and then we would have worship time together as a family. 10:11 How many times I've had a worship so far? 10:16 Six, I count. Okay, before I go to work. 10:21 And then I go to work, 10:22 I have these two young ladies are whom Adventists, 10:27 home-schooled young kids, 10:30 training them to be dental assistant 10:32 and receptionist. 10:34 We would go to work 10:36 and we would pray over every single patient 10:39 that was on our list. 10:42 We would pray that God would use our office 10:47 to be a missionary center, 10:49 not to make money but to make... 10:53 reach souls for Jesus. 10:56 And we would have discussions with our patients 11:00 when they came in, we would pray 11:02 with every single one of our patients, 11:05 with permission, of course. 11:07 And we found just about every single one of them 11:10 just loved and appreciated the prayers that we prayed. 11:15 I learned this at AMEN by the way. 11:18 Well, wonderful, wonderful ministry AMEN is. 11:23 And so, we went through this, 11:25 and every day, we would pray for our patients. 11:28 And then we would speak to our patients 11:30 and some time, and we took away all the magazines, 11:33 the worldly magazines, 11:35 and we replaced them with Steps to Christ. 11:40 Great controversy, 11:42 Elder Mark Finley's books Superpower, 11:46 something like that, wonderful book. 11:49 Ministry of Healing. 11:50 And the patients would be sitting in the waiting room, 11:52 they start reading these books 11:54 and they would be so engrossed in these books 11:57 that even though we were ready to see them, 11:59 we would just sit back and watch them read. 12:04 And then when they start putting that book down 12:07 then we would call them into the office. 12:10 On the outside, it said dental office, 12:14 but the inside it was an undercover. 12:23 We were saving souls. 12:26 And you would think... 12:28 And then after an hour of discussion, 12:29 Bible study with these patients, 12:32 they had many, many problems, 12:34 health problems, mental problems, 12:36 family problems, marital problems, 12:39 all kinds of problems. 12:41 We would talk and pray. 12:43 And instead of having a dental office, 12:45 it was more of a counseling office. 12:48 And after it was time to finish, 12:51 I would tell the patient 12:52 "Oh, I'm so sorry, Mrs. Patient, 12:54 your time is already up 12:56 and our next patient is already here. 12:57 What are we gonna do?" 12:59 "Oh, it's okay, doc. Well, I'll come back next time. 13:02 How much do I owe you?" 13:04 I would tell them "You don't owe me anything, 13:06 I haven't done anything," 13:08 and they would gladly reschedule. 13:12 And you are thinking, a practice like this, 13:14 "How could it make money?" 13:17 Well, I wasn't worried about money, 13:19 because God had promised when we are his, 13:22 what, he will provide for our needs. 13:26 And, yes, we made less money, but our net was higher. 13:32 So after we actually provided enough for our food 13:36 and living expenses and other needed items, 13:41 we had more than enough. 13:43 We started giving away to ministries. 13:47 What a wonderful experience that was, 13:49 to be able to support ministries. 13:55 And then in the middle of this, 13:58 God calls us to Bolivia. 14:02 I said "What? Bolivia?" I had to look it up in a map. 14:07 I didn't know where Bolivia was. 14:09 I knew it was in South America, 14:11 I knew they spoke Spanish. 14:13 I had two years of high school in Spanish. 14:17 Bolivia, to what? 14:20 To start a medical missionary training school. 14:24 I hadn't done anything like this before in my life. 14:26 I was, in the past, 14:28 I had dedicated my life to the profession of dentistry. 14:32 And so that was the only thing I knew, 14:35 but now to go to Bolivia 14:37 to start a medical ministry training school, 14:40 I didn't know how to do anything. 14:42 I spend many years in school. 14:43 I knew what I was like to be a student. 14:46 It wasn't very lovely, but to start to school. 14:52 Well, one of our church members told us, 14:56 you know, "God doesn't always call the equipped, 14:59 but equips the call." 15:01 And with that I didn't know where it came from, 15:03 I didn't know if it was from a Bible Verse read. 15:05 They didn't tell us, but I grabbed on to that, 15:08 "God, if You're calling us, 15:10 You have to provide for our needs, 15:11 you have to provide what we need to do this work. 15:16 Provide the finances, provide the people, 15:18 provide everything we need." 15:21 And it was kind of a covenant I made with God. 15:23 And what do you think he said? 15:25 Of course, he said "Of course, 15:29 why would I call you to something 15:30 that you cannot do?" 15:33 So we went down and started 15:37 a medical missionary training school. 15:40 And first year, we had 12 students. 15:43 No advertising, I don't know where they came from? 15:46 But they came, we didn't tell very many people 15:49 but they came. 15:51 And we started, and three of them graduated. 15:55 And then the next year, twelve more came, 15:59 six of them graduated. 16:01 And next year we had 28, next year we had 30 something, 16:05 and this year we have almost 40 students. 16:08 A nine month program 16:10 and second year advance course nine month program. 16:14 And we send these kids out, 16:15 first of all they don't, they've been, 16:17 many of them have been raised Seventh-day Adventists, 16:19 they don't know anything, about what Bible teaches. 16:22 They don't know how to give Bible study, 16:23 so that's the first thing we teach. 16:25 How to study the Bible for yourself? 16:27 How to have a relationship with God? 16:30 How to share your faith with others. 16:35 And then we send them out, 16:37 and some of them are reluctant to go out 16:39 but after the first time or second time, 16:42 they come back with smiles on their faces. 16:46 They are experiencing the love and the joy 16:50 of seeing souls accepting Jesus Christ. 16:55 And from then on, we tell them, 16:56 don't, "We can't go, oh, we want to go." 17:01 They'll walk through the rivers, 17:03 rain or shine to go out to give bible studies. 17:08 I have to tell you 17:10 about Joseline and her family. 17:16 We did a health fair 17:17 at the request of a mayor's office. 17:21 When we did the health fair, a family came, 17:23 Carlos and his family. 17:25 And after the health fair, 17:27 we signed them up for a health club, eight weeks. 17:33 Every week, health class, spiritual class, 17:39 and good cooking class every week. 17:41 Well, after they took, went through this class, 17:44 they say "We want more. 17:46 Can you teach us Bible?" 17:48 We started giving them Bible studies. 17:50 And then as the father wanted his daughter 17:54 who had finished high school to come to our school, 17:57 not our faith. 17:59 So we decided to make an exception, have her come. 18:04 At the end of the year, the whole family was baptized. 18:09 And today, he is one of the pillars of a church 18:13 that we helped to start. 18:16 And today, we have eight different places 18:18 that our students go, 18:21 working with an existing church, 18:23 working which places there are no church. 18:26 And they are working and they are learning 18:28 how to save souls, 18:30 how to hasten the coming of Jesus. 18:34 Now before I finish, I have to share a few... 18:41 God could have reached his object 18:43 in saving sinners without our aid, 18:46 but in order for us 18:47 to help develop a character like Christ, 18:51 we must share in his work. 18:54 In order to enter into His joy, 18:58 the joy of seeing souls redeemed by His sacrifice, 19:01 we must participate in His labors 19:04 for their redemption. 19:08 We must be laborers together with God. 19:12 For God will not complete His work 19:14 without human agencies. 19:17 A distinct work is assigned to every Christian. 19:22 God requires everyone to be a worker in His vineyard, 19:26 where every one of you a living missionary, 19:29 the message for this time would speedily proclaimed 19:32 in all countries to every people, 19:35 nation and tongue. 19:37 Every true disciple 19:39 is born into the kingdom of God as a missionary. 19:41 God expects personal service from every one 19:44 to whom He has entrusted a knowledge of the truth 19:48 for this time. 19:51 To save souls, should be the life work 19:54 of every one who profess Christ. 20:01 Did you get the message or do I need to keep going? 20:04 I teach my students, if God says something once, 20:07 it's very important. 20:09 If God says something twice, it's very, very important. 20:12 If God says something three times, 20:14 it's very, very... 20:16 you're getting your idea. 20:19 How many times does God have to repeat this, 20:22 that every Seventh-day Adventist 20:25 is born again to be a missionary for Jesus, 20:29 to do the work of saving souls? 20:36 I praise the Lord, I resisted when God called us to Bolivia, 20:40 but I praise the lord, we ended up there. 20:42 I praise the Lord 20:44 because every day we see Satan working 20:46 but we see God working mightily than, 20:49 more mightily than Satan. 20:52 I praise the Lord 20:54 for the experience that we have every day, 20:56 working with young people. 20:57 Some of them are very difficult, 20:58 but one thing we find out is our own characters. 21:02 We see our own characters 21:04 when we work in such close relationship with others. 21:08 I found out I was selfish. I was very selfish. 21:12 I found that I was very proudful. 21:15 I found out a lot of things about me. 21:17 But praise the Lord, 21:18 we are in his work and we are seeing things, 21:21 miracles happen before our eyes. 21:24 Praise the Lord, thank you. 22:37 Why should I feel 22:41 Discouraged 22:45 Why should the shadows come 22:53 Why should my heart feel lonely 23:00 and long for heav'n and home 23:06 When Jesus is my portion? 23:13 My constant Friend is He 23:20 His eye is on the sparrow 23:26 And I know He watches me 23:33 His eye is on the sparrow 23:40 And I know He watches me 23:47 I sing because I'm happy 23:51 And I sing because I'm free 23:56 For His eye is on the sparrow 24:01 and I know He watches me 24:13 Whenever I am tempted 24:21 Whenever clouds arise 24:28 When songs give place to sighing 24:35 When hope within me dies 24:41 I draw the closer to Him 24:48 From care He sets me free 24:55 His eye is on the sparrow 25:01 And I know He watches me 25:08 His eye is on the sparrow 25:14 And I know He watches me 25:24 I sing 25:28 Because I'm happy 25:32 And I sing because I'm free 25:36 For His eye is on the sparrow 25:42 And I know He watches me. 26:16 His Eye is on the sparrow, and I know He's watching me. 26:22 Paul and Silas knew this, 26:24 they found themselves in a dungeon 26:26 and the Bible says they sang songs 26:28 to praise to God. 26:30 How is this possible, 26:32 singing praises to God from a dungeon? 26:34 Well, they knew that God was watching over them. 26:37 Friends, next time you find yourself in a dungeon, 26:41 remember, that's the time the God wants to hear you sing. 26:53 Their chains were fastened tight 26:57 Down at the jail that night 27:01 Still Paul and Silas would not 27:05 Be dismayed 27:09 They said, It's time to lift our voice 27:13 And sing praises to the Lord 27:18 Let's prove that we can trust Him 27:22 Come what may 27:26 God wants to hear you sing 27:30 When the waves are crashing 'round you 27:34 When the fiery darts surround you 27:37 When despair is all you see 27:41 God wants to hear your voice 27:45 When the wisest man has spoken 27:49 And says, "Your circumstance is as hopeless as can be" 27:56 That's when God wants to hear you sing 28:12 He loves to hear our praise 28:16 On our cheerful days 28:19 When the pleasant times outweigh the bad 28:23 By far 28:25 But when suffering comes along 28:31 And we still sing Him the songs 28:37 That is when we bless the Father's heart 28:44 God wants to hear you sing 28:47 When the waves are crashing 'round you 28:51 When the fiery darts surround you 28:54 When despair is all you see 28:58 God wants to hear your voice 29:01 When the wisest man has spoken 29:05 And says, "Your circumstance is as hopeless as can be" 29:11 That's when God wants to hear you sing 29:19 God wants to hear you sing 29:26 When the waves are crashing 'round you 29:29 When the fiery darts surround you 29:32 When despair is all you see 29:37 God wants to hear your voice 29:41 When the wisest man has spoken 29:45 And says, "Your circumstance is as hopeless as can be" 29:51 That's when God wants to hear you sing 29:58 That's when God wants to hear 30:05 You sing 30:12 You sing. 31:05 We pray for blessings 31:09 We pray for peace 31:13 Comfort for family 31:16 Protection while we sleep 31:21 We pray for healing 31:25 For prosperity 31:28 We pray for Your mighty hand 31:33 To ease our suffering 31:37 And all the while, You hear each spoken need 31:45 Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things 31:52 'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops 31:57 What if Your healing comes through tears 32:00 What if a thousand sleepless nights 32:04 Are what it takes to know You're near 32:10 And what if trials of this life 32:15 Are Your mercies in disguise 32:26 We pray for wisdom Your voice to hear 32:33 We cry out in anger 32:36 When we cannot feel You near 32:42 We doubt Your goodness 32:45 We doubt Your love 32:49 As if every promise from Your Word is not enough 32:56 And all the while, You hear each desperate plea 33:04 And long that we'd have faith to believe 33:12 'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops 33:16 What if Your healing comes through tears 33:19 And what if a thousand sleepless nights 33:23 Are what it takes to know You're near 33:29 And what if trials of this life 33:34 Are Your mercies in disguise 33:40 When friends betray us 33:43 When darkness seems to win 33:45 We know that pain reminds this heart 33:48 That this is not, this is not our home 33:54 'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops 33:58 What if Your healing comes through tears 34:01 And what if a thousand sleepless nights 34:04 Are what it takes to know You're near 34:10 What if my greatest disappointment 34:14 Or the aching of this life 34:18 Is a revealing of a greater thirst 34:22 This world can't satisfy? 34:27 And what if trials of this life 34:32 The rain, the storms, the hardest nights 34:37 Are Your mercies in disguise? 35:02 Mercies in 35:07 Disguise? 35:35 I have heard how Christians long ago 35:40 Were brought before a tyrant's throne 35:44 They were told that he would spare their lives 35:49 If they would renounce the name of Christ 35:53 But one by one they chose to die 35:58 For the Son of God they'd not deny 36:02 Like a great angelic choir sings 36:06 I can almost hear their voices ring 36:11 I pledge allegiance to the Lamb 36:16 With all my strength, with all I am 36:20 I will seek to honor His commands 36:25 I pledge allegiance to the Lamb 36:39 Now the years have come, and the years have gone 36:43 But the cause of Jesus still goes on 36:48 Now our time has come to count the cost 36:53 To reject this world, to embrace the cross 36:57 And one by one let us live our lives 37:02 For the one who died to give us life 37:06 Till the trumpet sounds on the final day 37:11 Let us proudly stand and boldly say 37:15 I pledge allegiance to the Lamb 37:20 With all my strength, with all I am 37:25 I will seek to honor His commands 37:29 I pledge allegiance to the Lamb 37:37 To the Lamb of God who bore my pain 37:42 Who took my place, who wore my shame 37:48 I will seek to honor His commands 37:53 I pledge allegiance 37:56 To the Lamb 38:04 I pledge allegiance to the Lamb 38:09 With all my strength, with all I am 38:13 I will seek to honor His commands 38:18 I pledge allegiance to the Lamb 38:22 I pledge allegiance to the Lamb 38:27 With all my strength, with all I am 38:31 I will seek to honor His commands 38:36 I pledge allegiance 38:39 To the Lamb 38:45 To the Lamb 38:51 To the Lamb. 39:09 Absolutely amazing. 39:11 I love music so much that I listen to it on my way 39:14 to work each morning and I, I walk. 39:16 It's five miles from my house to the office. 39:18 And as I walk to the office, 39:21 I go past Lake Loveland in Loveland, Colorado, 39:24 which is the spot that H. M. S. Richards was baptized. 39:27 So I walk past that every morning 39:28 and I'm listening to music. 39:30 And I listen to the radio a lot as I walk 39:32 with a little headset in. 39:34 And one morning as I was listening to the radio, 39:36 I heard about this program, that was titled, 39:40 I thought it was titled Pathways to Hell. 39:45 And I thought this was going to be some fiery sermon. 39:47 And I turned it up 39:49 and it wasn't Pathways to Hell at all, 39:50 it was Pathways to Health. 39:52 I still think it would be a good sermon title 39:54 for an evangelistic campaign. 39:56 So I wondered what is Pathways to Health, 40:00 with the "th" on the end? 40:01 And I listen and it proved to be 40:03 one of the most impactful things 40:05 that God has led His people to do in recent history. 40:09 I want you to watch what God has been doing is, 40:11 we follow the council we've been giving 40:13 and ministering to people's needs 40:15 as we introduce them to Jesus Christ. 40:17 Watch this video 40:19 as to what took place in San Antonio, Texas. 40:24 The dream began in California's Bay Area 40:27 to serve, to heal, to love on a mass scale, 40:33 one person at a time. 40:35 Free medical care, 40:36 free dental care, free eye care, 40:39 absolutely free, no strings attached. 40:43 Soon, more and more were talking about 40:45 what they had seen, what they had heard, 40:48 what they had experienced. 40:50 Questions arose, how could we only do this once? 40:55 Where can we go next? 40:57 San Antonio, Texas was chosen as the next city 41:01 whose residents would receive the love of Christ 41:04 through the hands and feet of anyone willing to serve, 41:07 an event became a movement, 500 volunteers' became 1000, 41:11 then 1500, then 1700. 41:15 They came from all parts of North America and beyond, 41:19 and from all walks of life. 41:21 They came to register, to greet, to host, to organize, 41:26 to sing, to teach, and to heal. 41:29 And as they came, 41:30 so did the residents of San Antonio. 41:34 They came the day before the event. 41:36 They came in the sun. They came in the rain. 41:40 Services offered inside were more comprehensive than ever. 41:43 Eye care services included complete eye exams, 41:47 consultations, retinal scans for glaucoma 41:50 and retinal detachment, and fittings for glasses, 41:53 dental caring who did cleanings, 41:56 fillings, crowns, extractions, x-rays, 42:00 digital scans, and more. 42:02 Medical care included primary care visits, 42:05 women's health services, 42:07 consultation by medical specialists, 42:09 including heart evaluation as well as gastroenterology, 42:13 neurology, pulmonology, rheumatology, 42:17 infectious disease, podiatry services, 42:20 immunizations, pharmacy, medical massage, 42:23 physical therapy, x-rays, laboratory services and more. 42:28 And for the first time, 42:30 medical care included general surgery, 42:32 including hernia repair, hysterectomies, 42:35 vasectomies, mass and skin cancer removal, 42:38 and gallbladder removal. 42:41 Other first time services included haircuts and styling, 42:44 nutrition and healthy cooking demonstrations, 42:47 and men's suits offered free of charge. 42:50 And once again, while patients waited, 42:54 volunteers sang, played, taught, 42:57 and took the opportunity to meet those who had come. 43:01 Some told their stories, some gladly welcomed prayer, 43:06 others reflected on their newly found hope. 43:10 Those who came did not leave the same. 43:13 Smiles returned to faces, pain was left behind, 43:18 and perhaps, most importantly, hearts were touched, 43:22 and in some cases, healed. 43:25 The event was, without a doubt, a tremendous success. 43:30 1700 Seventh-day Adventist Christians 43:33 from around North America 43:35 saturated the city of San Antonio 43:37 with the tangible love of Christ 43:40 and brought hope 43:41 and healing to over 6000 of the city's residents. 43:46 That is mission. 43:48 That is mission accomplished. 43:51 That is mission accomplished together. 43:57 Matthew 4: 23 tells us that Jesus went about 44:00 all Galilee teaching in their synagogues, 44:03 preaching the gospel of the kingdom 44:05 and healing all manners of sickness 44:07 and all manners of disease. 44:10 You know what I love about Pathway to Health 44:11 is that we see Christ's method of ministry 44:13 being implemented in the lives of the people 44:15 in the cities that we go to. 44:17 And this afternoon, 44:18 we have the opportunity of talking with some volunteers 44:20 whose lives were drastically impacted by Pathway to Health. 44:24 Now the first two that we have is Paul Pitts and Karyl Pitts. 44:28 Now, they volunteered not only here in Spokane, 44:31 but also in San Antonio. 44:33 And they told me that the reason is, 44:34 is that they've seen God touch peoples lives 44:36 not only physically, not only spiritually, 44:39 but emotionally in all the different pieces 44:41 in the aspects of that who we are. 44:44 Now, Paul, can you share one story 44:45 of how you saw God use you and touching people's lives? 44:49 Yes, Tuesday morning, 44:51 I happen to be serving as a chaplain 44:53 over in the surgical services area. 44:57 A nurse that was there by the surgery check-in 45:00 brought me over to a patient and said, 45:03 "Would you please pray with this lady? 45:06 She is asking for special prayer." 45:09 I knelt near her, I wished it with her, 45:11 I found out that the reason she was there, 45:15 was she was scheduled a week or two before 45:17 to have a small skin cancer removed from her face. 45:23 But her husband lost his job 45:26 a few days before she was supposed to go in. 45:30 She had to cancel that appointment, 45:32 they lost their insurance, they didn't have any money. 45:35 And so she found out about Pathway to health, came. 45:40 I prayed with her, 45:41 I prayed that the Lord would restore employment 45:44 for her husband. 45:45 I prayed that she would have comfort and peace, 45:48 while she was receiving her services, 45:50 the Lord would guide the doctors' 45:52 and nurses' hands. 45:53 And when I finished praying, 45:55 she was smiling big and crying at the same time. 45:59 And she told me, she says, "I cannot believe 46:02 that I am able to get the services I need, 46:05 I never thought I would, and then to have someone come 46:08 and lovingly pray with me, 46:10 you have really touched my life." 46:13 Folks, everyone can do this. 46:16 No matter who you are, no matter what you do, 46:19 come join us, 46:20 at Pathway to Health in Los Angeles. 46:22 It's amazing. 46:24 Maybe, you may not be a medical professional, 46:25 but you can still pray with someone. 46:28 And God can use you to restore hope 46:29 in that individual. 46:31 Now, Karyl, you have another interesting testimony 46:33 of how God used you to touch someone's life. 46:35 I do. 46:37 I was working in orthopedic area, 46:39 and this lady came in to the orthopedic surgeon 46:42 and said "I have pain in my right knee 46:44 and, you know, I'm hurting." 46:47 And so her friend said, "Well, you're gonna have 46:49 to have a total knee replacement." 46:51 So she came here to be checked 46:53 and the orthopedic surgeon and... 46:56 Oh, she was sad too, she was very sad, 46:58 because she had no money. 46:59 And she had no, you know, means of having surgery 47:03 and she had no insurance. 47:06 So, the orthopedic surgeon checked her knee, 47:10 and with a thorough examination, 47:12 realized that it was Bursitis, 47:15 and she did not need a total knee replacement. 47:17 She goes "Really, I don't need surgery?" 47:20 And the orthopedic surgeon said, "No." 47:23 So, but he said "I can help you. 47:25 I can give you an injection in your knee 47:27 to help your pain." 47:28 And so after the injection, 47:30 he had a beautiful prayer with this lady and her family. 47:33 And I helped her off the table. 47:35 As we were walking away, she turned around, 47:38 she goes "I'm not in pain at all, 47:40 I don't have any pain." 47:42 She gave me a great big hug and she goes 47:44 "What you folks are doing here is a blessing, 47:47 and it's marvelous, 47:48 and I'm just so happy to be here." 47:51 Amen. 47:52 Now, for me, personally, I'm on a roll. 47:56 I have that momentum 47:58 to continue working with Pathway to Health 48:01 and I'm looking forward to the next Pathway to Health 48:04 next year. 48:06 Amen, Amen. God is doing amazing things. 48:08 When you can look in the face of someone 48:10 who's been experiencing excruciating pain for years, 48:13 and now is finding relief, 48:15 and the seeing the joy of the Gospel 48:16 practiced in their lives, 48:18 there is nothing more rewarding than that. 48:20 Now the next person we have to chat with 48:22 is Dr. Chris Lewis. 48:24 And I was joking with Dr. Chris Lewis 48:26 that he is actually an evangelist 48:27 and he is a surgeon on the side. 48:29 And the reason why is I've never met someone 48:31 who's so interested in peoples soul's. 48:34 It's not just about medical care here, 48:36 but it's also how can you help the whole person. 48:38 Now you have some interesting stories 48:39 from these last few days, 48:41 how have you seen the Lord working? 48:42 I want to tell you, Taylor, 48:44 just briefly about three patients 48:45 that I had a privilege of seeing 48:46 at the Pathway, Spokane. 48:48 So the first one was a gentleman, 48:50 may be a few years older than myself. 48:52 And so, he came in with a number of tumors, 48:55 six separate tumors, all over his scalp. 48:59 Now if you can imagine, you know, 49:00 having these big growths on your head, 49:03 just think about going to the grocery store, 49:04 or you know, meeting a new person, you know, 49:06 eating out in a restaurant, 49:08 it impacted his life tremendously. 49:09 It's embarrassing. Oh, terribly, terribly. 49:11 And he grew his hair out long, 49:13 and I think our appearance affects 49:15 even our behavior and so. 49:18 First thing we did is we send him for a haircut, 49:19 because at Pathway to Health 49:21 we're here for haircut services. 49:22 And so he basically had a shave over all of his entire head 49:25 so we could see what we're dealing with, 49:27 were these six separate tumors. 49:28 And then, we talked about a plan 49:30 and went to work on this guy. 49:32 So takes a little while to take off six tumors off 49:34 of somebody's scalp. 49:36 It's an area with a rich blood supply. 49:37 But while we were doing it, you know, 49:39 I've got a captive audience. 49:41 So this is a good time 49:43 to have a Bible study with somebody, 49:45 when they are there and they can't go anywhere. 49:47 Amen. 49:48 So, and if they are asleep, 49:50 if any of you who take care of patients 49:53 who happen to be asleep, 49:54 you can work on the others in the room. 49:56 But, nonetheless, so this guy is there awake, 49:59 you know, he's numbed up, he's got lidocaine in place, 50:01 so I could share with him 50:02 and I got to know him a little bit, 50:04 ask him, you know, about his life. 50:05 Turns out that this gentleman 50:07 was raised a Seventh-day Adventist. 50:09 Went to, you know, one of our academies, 50:11 but he drifted away from the church. 50:13 Still has, you know, 50:15 family members that are Seventh-day Adventists. 50:18 And so I was able to share with him, 50:20 I felt like God impressed me to share with him, 50:22 some of the, kind of, signs at the times, you know, 50:24 things that are going on in the world that tell us 50:27 that we are right, you know, 50:29 down at the end of this world's history. 50:31 Amen? Amen. 50:33 This guy could see it. 50:35 And I said, you know, the things that you've heard, 50:36 you know, when you are growing up, 50:38 kind of shared some from Revelation 13, 50:40 you know, did you, right where we are just for, 50:42 you know, Christ second coming and so forth. 50:45 And he could see it 50:46 and you could see that he was interested. 50:48 And the other thing is he saw 50:49 that these are all Seventh-day Adventists 50:51 and he'd been away from Seventh-day Adventist 50:53 for some time, and he saw 50:54 that that this was the kind of church 50:56 that he wanted to be a part of. 50:57 And he said he wanted to come back. 50:59 Amen. 51:01 You would never imagine 51:02 the amount of disenfranchised Seventh-day Adventists 51:05 who are starting to come back to the church 51:06 as a result of Pathway to Health. 51:08 Not only here in Spokane, but also in San Antonio, 51:10 we've heard results of that too. 51:12 Now there's a few other stories you have, 51:14 so I don't want to take your time. 51:15 What, what else happened? 51:16 So the second patient I want to tell you about 51:18 was a young lady, 51:19 a young mother facing some very challenging circumstances 51:22 as far as, you know, 51:24 child-rearing as a single parent 51:26 and just some real challenges from, you know, 51:28 a pending divorce and so forth. 51:30 And she wanted three separate skin lesions taken off. 51:35 She has a familial condition 51:36 of a very malignant skin condition potentially. 51:39 So she wanted these three taken off. 51:41 And that gave me more time for... 51:44 Bible study. Bible study, Amen. 51:46 And so as we're working on this young lady, 51:48 she is a very, very, thinking person, 51:51 a very intelligent person. 51:52 She has a biochemistry degree, 51:54 going back to school from mathematics degree 51:56 and so forth. 51:57 And she began to share as we talked 52:00 about how she was raised a protestant she said, 52:04 as a teenager she became an atheist, 52:06 but being in a community with so many atheists 52:10 actually drove her back to Christianity. 52:12 And she became a Roman Catholic. 52:14 And then from there, 52:15 she became acquainted with the Mormon community 52:18 and calls her, considers herself to be a Mormon. 52:20 And so, you know, Protestant, Atheist, Catholic, Mormon, 52:24 what is this lady doing? 52:25 Searching. Searching, Amen. 52:27 So I said, I didn't, you know, 52:29 challenge any of her beliefs, I simply said, "Wow, 52:32 I can see that you are searching for the truth." 52:35 And so I was able to share with her, 52:37 that I said "There is an absolute truth 52:38 and you're gonna find it." 52:40 And this allowed us to talk about, you know, 52:41 the origin of evil, the origin of the universe, 52:44 you know, Lucifer turned Satan, the fall, and you know, 52:47 The Great Controversy theme, what does God allow, you know, 52:50 bad things to happen 52:51 if he's a good and caring God et cetera, 52:53 the kind of answers that only the Three Angels message, 52:56 only God's Seventh-day Adventist church 52:58 has the answers to these questions, Amen. 53:00 Amen. 53:02 She saw that we had the answers, 53:03 she could see it, she's, like I said, 53:05 intelligent person, she saw it. 53:07 She went home to read a book 53:08 called the Patriarchs and Prophets, 53:10 so praise God. 53:12 Amen, you know, Dr. Lewis, 53:13 you saw a God do a many amazing things. 53:15 And it's still unbelievable that God can reach people 53:17 who've may be left his church and bring them back 53:20 through the care of your best Pathway to Health. 53:22 But not only that, he can lead people 53:24 who are searching back to his church. 53:27 And now we have one last person 53:29 who's gonna be speaking with us. 53:30 And, Pamela, you have a very interesting perspective 53:32 of what happened at your best Pathway to Health? 53:34 Can you tell us about the conversation 53:36 that you had with one of our volunteers? 53:38 Oh, definitely. 53:39 Tuesday evening, when we were all done from volunteering, 53:42 I was just visiting with one older women. 53:44 And she asked me if I had a couple of minutes 53:46 to share something with me. 53:48 She told me that three weeks prior, 53:50 she had woken up and she was arguing with God, 53:53 "Why did you wake me up? 53:55 I'm dead weight. I'm not good for anything. 53:57 I can barely walk. 53:59 My cataracts are so bad I can't see. 54:00 I'm good for nothing." 54:02 But she had heard about Pathways to Health 54:04 and she has a daughter who is a dental hygienist. 54:06 And she wanted her daughter to know about it. 54:09 So she shared it with her daughter 54:10 and her daughter was excited 54:12 and said "Well, I'm gonna sign up, mom. 54:13 I want you to sign up." And she said, "No. 54:16 They won't want me, I can't do anything, 54:18 I'm just dead weight." 54:19 So, she was completely hopeless at this point? 54:21 She was completely, entirely hopeless. 54:23 So her daughter said, "Well, okay, 54:25 I'm gonna sign myself and you." 54:28 So then she looked at me and she said, "You know, 54:31 I think God has a sense of humor, 54:32 because guess what I've been doing for the past two days," 54:36 she says "I have cataract so bad I can't see, 54:38 but I've been working in vision." 54:40 Amen. Amen. 54:41 So God will use someone who can't necessarily see, 54:43 to help others see. 54:45 So what happened, 54:46 that's not the end of the story? 54:47 Not at all, so then I looked her in the eyes and I said, 54:49 "Now are you still gonna tell me you're dead weight?" 54:51 And she said "No, I'm not." 54:53 I said "Well, what are you gonna do?" 54:55 She says, "I'm gonna pray. 54:56 I'm gonna pray for everyone who came. 54:58 But not only that, 55:00 I'm gonna pray for those that couldn't come." 55:02 Amen. 55:03 You know, God is doing amazing things. 55:05 What I love about Your Best Pathway to Health 55:06 is it gives opportunities for everyone 55:08 to volunteer in Christ's service. 55:11 You may be not be a medical doctor, 55:12 you may not be a physician, but you can pray with people. 55:15 You might feel like you're just dead weight, 55:16 you might be in a wheel chair, 55:18 you might be handicapped in other ways, 55:19 but God can use you in his service 55:22 to do mighty things for his kingdom. 55:24 We just want to thank you guys so much 55:25 for the way that God worked through you 55:27 and in the lives of many other individuals 55:29 at Your Best Pathway to Health. 55:35 Thank you so much, 55:37 wonderful stories this afternoon, 55:38 as we're hearing about what happened 55:39 at Your Best Pathway to Health. 55:41 I have with me, this afternoon, Eric Louw. 55:44 Eric, you also were serving at Pathway to Health, 55:46 tell us about a life that was changed. 55:48 Yes, I was serving at registration 55:50 and an older woman and her mother came through 55:53 for their eyesight. 55:55 And so I was filling up the form for her, 55:57 going through the medical history, 55:58 and she had so many different problems, 56:00 it was just heartbreaking, quite honestly. 56:03 And so we went through the medications just, 56:05 it must taken me at least 10 minutes. 56:07 And finally, we get to the section 56:09 where we offer prayer, prayer needs. 56:12 And so she checked off the one 56:13 "Yes, I need prayer for my family." 56:15 "Of course, I need, I need prayer for my finances. 56:18 And, well, I need prayer for my health, 56:20 because that's why I'm here." 56:21 And then she got to the section just below that 56:24 "On friends" 56:25 and she paused there for a moment 56:27 and she looked up at me she was kind of quietly said, 56:30 "I don't have any friends, I wish I had friends." 56:34 And as I sat there, I was trying to hold back tearing up 56:38 just sitting there with her, and I got to pray with her, 56:41 I got to send her on into the rest of the sections. 56:45 But I just praise the Lord for the opportunity 56:47 that Pathway to Health provides to connect people 56:50 with a health information sent to church afterwards. 56:53 And I pray that she'll be able to connect with people 56:56 that can be her friends. 56:58 I think the answer to this next question 56:59 is kind of obvious, but, Eric, how has being a volunteer 57:03 at Your Best Pathway to Health impacted you personally? 57:07 You know as, as I passed in my community, 57:10 I see lot of needs but I don't see those rapidly. 57:12 What really hit me was going back, 57:15 looking for people who need friends. 57:18 And this afternoon, 57:20 Taylor, you also served in chaplaincy department, 57:23 tell us a story about someone's life 57:24 who you saw that was changed there? 57:26 Oh, we had a very interesting story. 57:28 Anthony came through and he was seen by the dentist, 57:30 and he had a wonderful experience there. 57:32 After being seen by the dentist, 57:34 he went over to Mr. Sam. 57:36 Mr. Sam was the man handing out the suits 57:38 and he gets fitted for the suit. 57:40 And he said something to Sam that caught his attention, 57:42 he said, "You know, I think God has sent me here." 57:44 Now, Sam turned a little bit evangelistic on him 57:46 and said "I definitely agree with you, brother, 57:48 I believe that the Lord has sent you here." 57:51 Anthony looked at him and said "You know, Sam, 57:53 the reason why I'm here is 'cause I believe 57:55 God is trying to bring a transformation in my life, 57:57 not only physically but also spiritually." 58:00 Well, Sam took the opportunity to bring it over to chaplaincy, 58:03 and when I when met Sam or when I... 58:05 Sorry, when I met Anthony, 58:06 the first words out of his mouth was 58:08 "I want to be baptized, what do I need to do?" 58:10 Well, that always a good sign. 58:12 And so we started talking to him, 58:14 and before I knew it, 58:15 he was talking with the chaplain 58:17 and was kind of ushered of. 58:18 And someone said, "Hey, have you heard about that guy 58:20 who wants to be baptized?" 58:22 And I said, "Well, which one?" 58:23 Because we had had multiple that day. 58:24 Well, they show me this picture of a guy 58:26 with short hair, wearing a suit, 58:27 looks totally different, 58:28 nothing like someone I had seen before, 58:30 but I found out that it was Anthony. 58:32 Anthony had gone, he had gotten a haircut. 58:34 He had come in with hair past his shoulders 58:36 and scraggly jeans and a torn up t-shirt. 58:38 But by the time he left, he had short hair, a new suit, 58:42 was walking around like a new man, 58:44 and he had a new side on the inside as well. 58:47 You know, the Lord had blessed 58:48 to bring a transformation in his life completely. 58:51 Amen. |
Revised 2022-05-14