Participants: Danielle Harrison
Series Code: 16ASIC
Program Code: 16ASIC000004A
|
00:19 We're glad you're here tonight,
00:21 and on behalf of the 20,000 members 00:23 of the Arizona Conference, welcome to Arizona. 00:26 We thank ASI for being here 00:29 and the wonderful, wonderful things ASI does 00:31 around the world. 00:33 Praise the Lord. God bless ASI. 00:36 Let us pray as we begin tonight's program. 00:39 Our Father in heaven, 00:41 we are truly thankful for Your blessings. 00:44 Lord, tonight we pray for Your Spirit to guide 00:47 and direct each one who speaks, each testimony that's given. 00:52 Lord, may it truly bring us closer to heaven. 00:56 Lord, we pray that You bless each person here tonight, 00:59 that the Holy Spirit would speak to their heart, 01:01 and help them to really experience 01:03 the wonderful love of Jesus. 01:06 Lord, most of all, 01:07 we're preparing for that great day 01:09 when Jesus will come again. 01:11 And we just pray that every one of us here, 01:15 our families included will be ready for that day 01:18 that we will be of those that say, "This is our Lord, 01:21 we have waited for Him, and He will save us." 01:24 Lord, bless this gathering tonight we pray 01:26 in the name of our savior Jesus, amen. 01:40 More about Jesus 01:44 I would know 01:47 More of His grace to others show 01:55 More of His saving fullness see 02:02 More of His love who died for me 02:10 I want more, more about Jesus 02:18 We need more, more about Jesus 02:25 More of His saving fullness see 02:33 More of His love who died for me 02:41 More about Jesus 02:45 I would learn 02:49 More of His holy will discern 02:56 Spirit of God, my teacher be 03:03 Showing the things of Christ to me 03:11 More, more about Jesus 03:18 More, more about Jesus 03:25 More of His saving fullness see 03:33 More of His love 03:36 Who died for me 03:42 More about Jesus on His throne 03:49 Riches in glory all His own 03:56 More of His kingdom sure increase 04:03 More of His coming, Prince of Peace 04:09 I want more, more about Jesus 04:16 Tell me more, more about Jesus 04:24 More of His saving fullness see 04:31 More of His love 04:34 Who died for me 04:37 I want more, more about Jesus 04:44 We need more, more about Jesus 04:52 More of His saving fullness see 04:59 More of His love 05:03 Oh, more of His love 05:08 Oh, more of His love 05:15 Who died for me 05:21 Oh, He died for me 05:32 Amen. 05:39 This evening, we're going to continue 05:40 with an exciting interview with Adventist Review 05:43 and they're coming out here. 05:44 We have Bill Knot and Jared Thurmon. 05:47 I thank you so much for joining us, 05:49 but I understand that you've been playing hooky 05:51 that you just showed up. 05:53 You weren't even here yesterday. 05:54 So, tell us, Jared, why weren't you here yesterday? 05:57 We had the pleasure of sponsoring a two day conference 06:03 at the Camelback Seventh-day Adventist Church 06:04 called Fruition Lab. 06:07 And it was an Adventist entrepreneurial gathering, 06:10 individuals who have a passion for ministry 06:13 that may not be in a local church as a pastor, 06:16 but they have a calling to the business world, 06:18 sharing their faith in the marketplace 06:21 on a day to day basis. 06:23 So it was a number of executives and entrepreneurs 06:25 coming together to teach practical skills 06:29 on how people can refine their craft, 06:31 get started in one, start their own nonprofit. 06:34 And it was a huge success, great turnout, 06:37 and it was a big blessing. 06:38 Wonderful. 06:40 Well, Bill, why don't you tell us 06:41 why Adventist Review would be interested 06:43 in sponsoring this sort of event 06:44 or helping to sponsor it at least? 06:46 Well, it's exactly the kind of thing 06:47 that ASI has stood for 60 years 06:49 but it's bringing a new market 06:51 of young Adventist entrepreneurs 06:53 into the circle of ministry. 06:55 There are several ways 06:56 in which the Lord works with us. 06:57 Sometimes He says, "You go, fit this job description." 07:00 But more typically the Holy Spirit says, 07:03 "Church, frame a ministry around the gifts 07:06 that I have given individuals." 07:08 And that's what we're trying to do, 07:09 discovering the gifts that God has given to talented people, 07:13 business people, and find a way to empower them 07:16 to bring their witness into the marketplace. 07:18 I'll tell you, 07:19 watching a 120 people packing out an auditorium, 07:22 standing against the walls, 07:24 enthusiastic about sharing their faith 07:27 in relevant high quality business principles, 07:30 that's encouraging to old man like me. 07:33 Yes, that sounds wonderful. 07:35 Well, we really appreciate the relationship 07:37 that Adventist Review and ASI have had for quite some time. 07:40 In fact, it's almost been a decade 07:42 that we have been working together 07:44 in a close way. 07:45 Why is this relationship important to you? 07:48 There is nothing more faith building 07:50 than being around people 07:51 who are doing frontline witness. 07:54 I get to meet people in all kinds of environments 07:56 including many individuals who are several steps removed 08:00 from frontline witness, still doing important work, 08:02 but I love the opportunity to talk with people 08:05 who have fresh stories 08:07 of how the gospel changed today, 08:09 and yesterday, and will change tomorrow. 08:12 That's what we get when we come to ASI. 08:14 We spend most of our time here 08:16 talking with you in the hallways, 08:17 listening to your stories, taking notes, 08:20 following up so that our operation 08:23 both on the web, and in print, and soon coming app, 08:26 on short video we get to tell the stories 08:29 of God's faithfulness 08:30 worked out in the lives of ASI members. 08:32 Amen. 08:34 Well, I see this evening that on all of our chairs, 08:37 we have this beautiful new copy of the Adventist Review. 08:40 It's titled the Least of These. 08:42 And, Jared, could you share with us a little bit, 08:44 what's inside? 08:45 Absolutely, we live in a world where issues are pressing at us 08:49 from all directions. 08:50 And just before the return of Christ, 08:53 we are told immensely in the Spirit of Prophecy 08:57 that we would get back to a work 08:58 that was deeply to the least of these. 09:02 And Matthew 25 tells us that when we help those in need, 09:06 we are helping Christ. 09:08 So this issue is packed with some edgy topics, 09:12 real issues that are taking place in this world 09:15 that we are excited to be speaking about. 09:18 In it, you'll find also some ASI featured ministries, 09:21 Don Otis and Heritage Health Food 09:23 who recently acquired Cedar Lake 09:26 and Worthington Foods 09:28 which has made us all happy, right? 09:31 So anyway, we're excited, we hope you'll check it out. 09:33 We hope you'll subscribe to the Adventist Review. 09:35 Wonderful. 09:37 Well, when we think about Adventist Review, 09:38 primarily we think of the magazine, 09:41 the Adventist Review, right, 09:42 because that's what we're familiar with. 09:43 But when I say Adventist Review, 09:45 what are you thinking of? 09:46 These days, the print journal is one of the least things 09:50 I'm thinking about because, actually, 09:52 God has brought eyes and ears to this operation 09:57 that never look at the print journal. 09:59 We now have nearly half a million unique viewers 10:02 every month who come for the best in Adventist news, 10:04 short video, opportunities to read stories, 10:08 and commentary at length. 10:10 We're soon rolling out our own AR TV, 10:13 a streaming channel that will be shown up 10:15 in mid September, 10:16 and Adventist Review app will also be out in September. 10:20 Every possible way we can to help persons find faith, 10:24 find a community. 10:25 One of the things that has come back to us 10:27 in the analytics in this last year 10:29 that has startled all of us, 10:31 of those half million unique viewers, 10:33 the analytics tell us that 62 percent of them 10:36 are millennials. 10:38 That's more than 300,000 young Adventists 10:41 or persons on the edge of Adventism 10:44 who are engaging with the Adventist Review. 10:46 They're your children, they're your grandchildren. 10:49 They're people you care about 10:51 who are finding faith through this bridge. 10:53 We want to encourage you to pray for us, 10:56 send us your comments. 10:57 Tell us how we can do a better job 10:59 at serving that church. 11:00 Amen. 11:02 Well, on behalf of ASI, 11:03 I want to thank you, Bill and Jared, 11:05 for the beautiful partnership that we can enjoy together. 11:08 Thank you. 11:12 Jesus made an incredible promise 11:14 in Matthew 24:14, 11:16 that He will get the gospel to every nation in the world. 11:20 And then, He will come back. 11:23 But it seems so impossible. And yet, He has His ways. 11:26 And one of those is to bring the world 11:28 from around the world to us next door. 11:31 Consider with me, Bhutan. 11:33 Bhutan is one of those countries 11:34 that is hardly known. 11:37 It is so tiny nestled there among the Himalayan Mountains 11:40 dwarfed by Nepal, by Bangladesh, 11:44 by China, by India. 11:46 But in that country of less than a million people 11:49 are 73 distinct people groups. 11:52 Can you imagine? 11:53 So many in that place with a different culture, 11:56 different language or dialects. 11:58 They are part of 11:59 what the Joshua project describes 12:01 as the unreached people that are yet to be reached 12:03 before Christ comes, 12:05 those among 4051 groups yet to be reached. 12:10 So how can it happen? 12:12 When we worked with the Center for East Asian religions 12:14 with Global Missions, 12:16 we would often pray for Bhutan. 12:17 We say, "Lord, please find a way 12:19 to open this very resistant country 12:21 that has been closed to the gospel for so long." 12:24 But we were never able to visit 12:26 and very little happened there on the border. 12:29 And one day, I flew into Washington DC. 12:31 I went to a Target to buy some American food goodies 12:34 to take back to my children. 12:36 And I was walking down the aisle, 12:37 I saw a tall man, shaved head, orange robe. 12:41 And just by his look, I thought maybe he's from Bhutan. 12:44 I went up and met him and sure enough he was. 12:47 And that got me thinking 12:48 and wondering how many had come to America from Bhutan. 12:53 Ten percent of the country, 12:56 71,000 refugees over the last ten years 12:59 have come into our country, 13:01 they're scattered all over Ohio, 13:03 Pennsylvania, Texas. 13:05 God is moving and He has a plan, 13:07 I am thrilled. 13:09 At the same time, my heart breaks 13:10 to know that among this group are many 13:13 who have experienced so much sorrow 13:15 that they are counted as the largest suicide rate 13:17 for any group of refugees. 13:20 They need you and me to become their friends 13:22 and bring the hope of Jesus Christ. 13:26 So these 73 people groups unreached 13:28 that are part of that 4051 are on God's heart. 13:31 Think of this paraphrase of John 3:16, 13:35 "God so loved 4051 unreached people groups 13:39 that He gave His only begotten Son 13:41 that whosoever of the 3,065,065, 13:45 maybe 67, 68 now believes in Him 13:49 should not perish but have everlasting life." 13:52 So join me to pray for them and ask God to raise you up 13:56 or somebody up to find out 13:58 where they are right here in America 14:00 and share Christ's love with them. 14:02 Let's pray. 14:03 Father in heaven, 14:05 we cannot comprehend what Jesus experienced 14:07 on the cross as He bore the sins 14:09 of the people from Bhutan and every single people group. 14:13 But we know that Your love is great enough 14:15 that You will come through on Your promise 14:17 to take the gospel to every kindred, 14:19 tribe and tongue. 14:20 We want to be a part of that and You have brought them 14:23 and thrust them into our arms 14:25 that they might receive the good news 14:27 and take it back to their people. 14:29 Forgive us for our lack of faith. 14:31 Forgive us for our lack of love, 14:33 we need the eyesalve, we need the raiment, 14:35 the gold tried in the fire that we might, with You, 14:38 invite them to come 14:40 and let you knock on their door come inside 14:43 and save them for eternity. 14:45 Take us, Lord, and help us to reach the world next door 14:48 as soon as possible, in Jesus' name, amen. 14:54 Hello, everyone. 14:56 We are continuing this evening with one of our favorite parts 15:00 of our ASI Convention. 15:01 And that is our members in action segment. 15:04 And right now, I have with me, Lew Keith. 15:07 Perhaps, you could tell us 15:08 just a little bit about yourself. 15:10 There may be someone here who does not know you, 15:13 and perhaps would like to know a few things about you. 15:17 Have you always been a Christian? 15:19 Well, not always. 15:20 I was a... 15:22 You could say heavy drinker or drunk. 15:24 I was criminal. 15:25 I was as far from God as man could be. 15:27 I met my wife. 15:28 She was a new age spiritualist, she read my palm, 15:31 did my astrology chart, rode a motorcycle 15:33 and this is how we met. 15:35 And she got pregnant, took her to Wildwood Hospital, 15:38 met Seventh-day Adventist, 15:39 and that's how I came to know God. 15:42 Okay. 15:44 And so, in a nutshell, 15:45 you've told us how you became a Christian. 15:49 Tell us now, where you are? 15:51 Well, I hope to be in God's hands tonight, 15:53 but I went to Wildwood, joined the staff, 15:58 Pastor Atwood studied with me. 16:00 He endured the Bible study, baptizes my wife and me. 16:03 And then I went to Wildwood. 16:04 And there, I developed an orientation toward 16:06 using natural remedies for, you know, health challenges. 16:10 And in Wildwood, we purchased land in our city, 16:12 Tennessee, they sent us there. 16:14 And my wife and I, we had the thinking, 16:16 the mindset that we would just take guest 16:18 and use the natural remedies to help them. 16:21 And as it turned out our first guest, 16:23 nobody knew we were there, we had no money, 16:25 we had an old farmhouse, nobody knew we were there. 16:28 We had no furniture, we just prayed. 16:31 And, you know, I've noticed that 16:32 when you pray from an earnest heart, 16:34 God always hears and He answers, 16:36 but not always in the way you think. 16:38 So we prayed, 16:41 the Lord sent us our first guest, 16:42 he was a crack addict from New York City. 16:45 Second guest came out of jail in Silverdale jail, 16:47 and he was a dope dealer from Chattanooga. 16:50 And then the third guest, and the fourth guest, 16:51 and the fifth guest and they were all problems 16:53 with addictions, alcohol, depression, mental disorders, 16:57 and everything else. 16:59 And so we used natural methods. 17:00 You know what I found out, 17:01 they were just fine whatever the problem, 17:04 one size fits what? 17:05 Fits all, right. 17:06 So we used that and it really worked. 17:09 And by the way, that's a growing problem, 17:11 the war on drugs back in the '60s, 17:13 just say, no, it didn't work. 17:14 That's a growing problem outside and inside the church. 17:18 So as the ministry developed that was what we started doing. 17:22 And of course, on ministering to the same kind of 17:25 to the people, I was somebody like that. 17:27 So it's very easy to sympathize and have some compassion. 17:30 And by the way, in the Bible, you see, you know, 17:32 Mary has seven devils, the woman at the well, 17:34 John 4, had five husbands working on number six. 17:37 And Mark 5, the demoniac had a legion of devils 17:39 between his ears. 17:41 Those people, when they get turned around, 17:42 make the very best missionaries. 17:44 Can anybody say amen? Amen. 17:46 So I'm just going to give 17:47 just a short couple of stories about 17:49 what God has done 17:50 and this is recent like yesterday... 17:52 Before you do that... I'm sorry, Calvin. 17:54 We have one mic. 17:56 And I wound him up and now he's going. 18:00 Lew? Yes, sir. 18:02 Tell us the name of your organization, 18:04 you have told us about it. 18:05 But tell us where you're at and the name you said, 18:07 I haven't said it before. 18:09 Yeah, we're in a western part of Tennessee, 18:10 Butler Creek Health Education Center. 18:13 So we have a health center, small health center. 18:15 We have an educational program, 18:16 one year health evangelism training school 18:18 in organic farm. 18:20 We grow the food, food to feed our guests, 18:22 and to feed our patients. 18:24 But, you know, this morning, I got a phone call this morning 18:28 from a good friend named Travis. 18:30 He came to our program five weeks ago, crystal meth. 18:33 Everybody had told him, "You're a five time loser." 18:36 I say, "With Christ, you're a one time winner. 18:38 You're a new creature. 18:39 God can make a difference, God can change things." 18:42 In our program, you know, of these new start things, 18:45 the most important is number last 18:47 which is what? 18:49 Trusting God. 18:50 You know it, Romans 8:24 "We're saved by" what? 18:54 "Hope." 18:55 And to give people hope, 18:57 they come hopeless and helpless and to give them hope. 18:59 This is the best medicine we can give them. 19:01 Would you agree? 19:02 Proverbs 17:22, 19:04 "A merry heart doeth good like" What? 19:05 "Medicine." 19:06 And hope brings a merry heart. 19:08 So I got a call this morning, he came through a program, 19:11 God change that man's heart, 19:12 and he went back to Chattanooga. 19:14 Got a call from him this morning, had a baby. 19:17 He didn't have it, his friend had the baby, 19:20 eight pounds three ounces, the baby's healthy. 19:23 This friend of mine is now healthy, 19:25 his heart is healthy I expect, be going to first a marriage 19:28 and then a baptism very soon. 19:30 Now day before yesterday, 19:32 we had a lady Jerry leave our program. 19:34 I had their permission to use their names 19:35 and tell their story. 19:37 She came with debilitating depression, 19:38 completely pessimistic, completely negative, 19:42 saying she had no hope and she had no help. 19:44 And I knew she came to the right place, 19:46 not because of what we do but what God can do. 19:49 And God took that woman 19:50 and changed her life completely. 19:51 She walked out of here 19:53 yesterday of our program filled with hope, 19:56 filled with a positive attitude, 19:58 rejoicing in the Lord when? 20:01 Always, and again I say what? Rejoice. 20:03 And she found something to rejoice about, 20:06 she found her savior. 20:07 In spite of the weak human agents, 20:09 she found the savior. 20:11 When I met my wife, she is also a Buddhist. 20:14 We had a lady called 20:16 and she said, "You have a morning 20:17 and evening devotion on your program." 20:19 She said, "I'm a Buddhist and I don't wanna come." 20:22 I said, "Well, that's fine." 20:23 We offer it but it's optional. 20:26 So she came and as we did the first morning devotional, 20:30 she's standing out in the foyer 20:31 but I can tell, she's listening. 20:33 You know, the message 20:34 we have reaches past the outside 20:36 because Buddhist, Hindu, atheist, Jainist, 20:38 whatever you are, you have a body, 20:41 and you have health issues. 20:42 So when we say things like Proverbs 26:2, 20:45 the curse doesn't come without a cause, 20:47 that woman's ears perked up. 20:49 You can't prevent breast cancer unless you know the cause. 20:52 So we began to reason from cause and effect 20:54 and she was drawn into the worship. 20:57 She came to all our worship services 20:59 and when she left, that woman was baptized 21:01 way from the Buddhist 21:03 into the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 21:04 And just over, and over, and over, 21:06 we've run our facility. 21:08 From time to time, 21:09 we've run our facility from people that came in 21:11 and got an experience with God. 21:14 Now I think there's a stigma attached to, 21:16 you know, people that drink, smoke, and take drugs, 21:18 not in the eyes of God. 21:21 You agree, not in the eyes of God. 21:23 When God sees a person with those kind of issues, 21:25 He said, "That is a missionary in the making." 21:28 And when I turn that soul around, 21:30 He will do those things for Me 21:31 because He which is forgiven much, 21:33 he does what? 21:35 Come on, does what? Love as much. 21:37 And then one more, I got my 40 seconds. 21:40 We had a lady that came to our program a year ago, 21:43 heavy drinking problem. 21:46 She came, had a beautiful experience, 21:49 went back home, started drinking, 21:50 came back, beautiful experience, 21:52 went back home and started drinking, 21:53 came back for two programs, had a beautiful experience, 21:56 went back home and started drinking. 21:58 Came back to our program, had a beautiful experience, 22:00 and people began to say, 'It's never gonna work." 22:03 They do not know who Christ is 22:05 because if God is for you, Romans 8:31, what? 22:08 Who can be against you? 22:10 That woman went home and kept the experience. 22:14 She was married 22:15 and then baptized as a Seventh-day Adventist 22:17 and are close friends of our ministry. 22:19 I say, praise the Lord. Amen. 22:22 Thank you, Lew, before you leave... 22:27 Times up, yes. 22:29 Tell us if someone wants to help 22:31 or someone wants to contact you, 22:33 how can they do that? 22:34 I say number one, pray for us. 22:36 Number two, come by our booth and talk to us. 22:39 God has a plan and a place for everybody 22:42 including someone like me. 22:45 Yes. 22:47 Thank you so much, Lew. 22:51 Two forty something. 22:54 It's amazing that God can use all of us, no matter, 22:57 and he has quite a unique ministry. 22:59 Well, joining me now is the man 23:01 that actually needs no introduction. 23:02 You've just introduced yourself. 23:03 But for those who perhaps, maybe one or two, 23:07 who came in late, maybe you can say who you are 23:09 and where you're from. 23:11 Okay. My name is Steve Grabiner. 23:13 I'm president of OCI, Outpost Centers International, 23:17 currently coming from Tennessee. 23:18 Tell us just a little bit about OCI 23:20 and what you are doing right now? 23:23 Sure, OCI is a family of supporting ministries 23:26 about a 124 in 44 different countries 23:30 all around the world. 23:31 It's exciting to see what lay people are doing 23:34 in a variety of situations 23:36 and in very difficult circumstances, 23:39 but it's a privilege to be working with them. 23:42 Now, Outpost Centers is involved 23:45 with something that is brand-new, 23:47 well, always involved in things that are brand-new. 23:50 But a specific project that has caught my attention 23:54 and yours too, tell us about it? 23:57 Sure, about six or seven years ago, 23:59 the field president from the Israeli field contacted OCI 24:04 and some of its members, asking if we could come help, 24:07 try to do something in the country of Israel. 24:09 You know, in the early 1900s, 24:11 Ellen White had addressed a General Conference session 24:15 encouraging the church to do a specific work 24:17 for Jewish people found all around the world. 24:20 In fact, in the early 1900s, the church bought a building 24:23 outside the old city of Jerusalem. 24:26 And so we went... 24:28 some people from Herghelia in Romania, 24:30 and from ATR here in Tennessee, 24:34 and from Novi Obihody, a lifestyle center in Ukraine 24:37 and combined together to start doing some health work 24:40 in the country of Israel. 24:42 We have some pictures. 24:43 Perhaps... 24:44 are they pictures of the facility? 24:46 They are. 24:47 Just let me give a short background 24:49 before we get to pictures, is that okay, Cal? 24:51 And so for the past six years, 24:53 we've been looking for the right place 24:55 to start a lifestyle center in Israel 24:57 to minister to the secular Israeli. 25:00 And after six years of looking, and looking, and looking, 25:04 we finally found a beautiful place. 25:05 And maybe we can get a couple of those pictures up. 25:07 It's in a little town called Migdal. 25:10 It's really where Mary Magdalene was from. 25:14 You can see behind that hill little bit is Nazareth, 25:18 the area is, you know, very kind of Rome. 25:21 The next slide, please. 25:22 This is the picture of the house, 25:24 it's got five guest rooms attached to it, 25:27 plus four bedrooms in the main house. 25:30 Next one, thanks. 25:31 Here in the inside 25:33 where we'll be doing some health lectures. 25:35 This is one of the suites that guests will be staying. 25:41 Got nice place outside for lectures and health talks. 25:44 And it's right near the Sea of Galilee. 25:46 And on a very clear day, 25:47 you can see Mount Hermon in the distance. 25:49 Again it's a beautiful facility, 25:52 most of the land in Israel is 25:54 actually owned by the government, 25:56 and somehow lease to the different individuals. 25:59 Only about 6% is privately owned, 26:02 this land is privately owned. 26:04 Every other property we looked at 26:06 had some kind of legal issues to it, 26:08 or maybe a building wasn't built properly, 26:10 or it was built on the neighbor's property 26:12 or something like that, 26:14 but this property is really perfectly situated 26:18 for the work that we want to do. 26:20 There must be some miracles 26:22 that have been associated with you 26:24 acquiring this property, finding this property. 26:27 I'm sure that you'd probably like to tell us, 26:29 I don't know how much time we could go into all of that, 26:32 but is there maybe something that you could tell us 26:34 as far as how you were able to get this type of property? 26:38 It's been the result of a lot of prayer 26:40 and a lot of work. 26:42 Again, situation there in Israel is very unique 26:45 in terms of property, 26:47 little home that I own in Tennessee 26:50 would probably worth much more 26:52 than a million dollars in Israel. 26:53 Land is very expensive, 26:55 very hard to come across anything. 26:57 So for years, like as I said, a little team there 27:00 that have been working in leadership positions 27:02 in the local church have been scouring the countryside 27:05 from north toward the Lebanese border, 27:08 toward Nord, closer toward Jerusalem. 27:11 And again, finally the Lord directed us 27:13 through a series of providences 27:15 where, it was a friend of a friend 27:16 who heard of the place 27:18 told one of our church members there. 27:20 She went to see it and instantly felt, 27:22 "This is the right place." 27:24 And what's really exciting, when I went to visit 27:26 and Dr. Dan went to visit, we all had that sense, 27:29 "Now this is the right location." 27:31 The only problem was that 27:33 it cost about a million and a half, 27:35 it was very expensive, 27:36 but the Lord has really blessed, 27:38 a number of people have come together. 27:40 We've raised all the funds, we've purchased the property 27:42 and we take possession at the end of this month. 27:45 There are some unique challenges 27:49 in working in this particular type of environment, 27:51 a very secular environment. 27:53 How do you think that 27:55 you will be able to reach people 27:57 that have the secular mindset? 28:00 That's a great question. 28:02 And really, there is a two classes of people 28:05 we could say 28:06 among the Israelis particularly. 28:08 There are the Orthodox Jews 28:10 who are very devout and consecrated to their faith. 28:13 And then there is the secular Israelis 28:14 as you mentioned, 28:15 which is the vast majority of the population. 28:18 Our target is the secular Israeli, 28:21 and target is the wrong word, 28:23 the people we want to serve are the secular Israelis. 28:27 So that's gonna be our focus. 28:29 We're gonna invite people to come, 28:31 it's gonna be kind of like a bread 28:32 and breakfast to start. 28:33 We have permission to have people come, 28:35 we can give them health talks, we can feed them breakfast. 28:38 We can't feed them, we cannot feed them lunch 28:41 unless we do a cooking class together, 28:44 and then if we do a cooking class together, 28:46 they can eat what they cooked 28:48 and then we can do the same thing for supper. 28:50 And so we can have them come, we can do massage, 28:53 health lectures, and introduce them 28:55 to a healthy lifestyle that way. 28:57 But again, it will be a very gentle drawing 29:02 and winning of the people's hearts. 29:05 Seem to remember a quotation in some book, 29:06 some place about Christ method alone 29:09 will give us true success. 29:11 How Jesus mingled with people, won their confidence, 29:15 and then bathe them to follow Him. 29:17 And that's really gonna be our aim, 29:19 is to simply make friends, to serve the people there, 29:22 to show that we're real people. 29:24 And hopefully, 29:26 gently introduce them to their Messiah. 29:29 So we're looking at a very unique sermon in Jews 29:32 that will be reaching the people of Israel. 29:35 Something that we should've done all along, 29:37 and certainly something that the Lord has blessed you 29:41 with being able to acquire this property. 29:43 Now if someone wants to know more about this 29:45 or wants to help in some way, 29:47 how will they get in touch with you? 29:48 Well, you could... 29:50 for here you could come by the OCI booth, 29:51 Outpost Centers booth, booth number 616. 29:54 And when you hear about a health tour to Israel 29:58 where you could come see Israel 30:00 and as well come on a health vacation, 30:03 remember, that's us. 30:04 By the way, the name of the place is gonna be 30:06 called Migdalia. 30:08 Migdal means fortress or tower, lia of course, Yahweh, 30:12 Yahweh is my tower, my strength. 30:16 Migdalia, pray for us, pray for the work in Israel. 30:19 Thank you, Cal. Thank you, Steven. 30:25 Wasn't that powerful? 30:27 God is truly moving around the world 30:30 to prepare for His soon return. 30:31 Well, I have a question for you tonight. 30:34 How many of you have heard of a ministry called 30:36 Your Best Pathway to Health? 30:38 Anybody? Okay. You can put your hands down. 30:40 Now second question, 30:41 how many of you have volunteered 30:43 at Your Best Pathway to Health? 30:46 Quite a few hands, amen. Excellent, excellent. 30:48 If you haven't heard of it, 30:50 Pathway to Health is a mobile mega clinic 30:52 that provides medical, dental, surgical, and eye care 30:55 to the uninsured and underinsured populations. 30:59 And, so far, Pathway has served six cities in North America 31:03 in the last two years providing, 31:05 get this, $86 million in free health care. 31:08 Amen. 31:10 Servicing over 23,000 patients. 31:12 And on top of that to get all that done, 31:14 we've had over 9,000 volunteers that have made this possible. 31:18 And just recently, just about a few weeks ago, 31:21 we were in Beckley, West Virginia 31:22 in the mountains of West Virginia, 31:24 and we had over 700 volunteers at that event. 31:27 Dee Hilderbrand was one of our volunteers. 31:29 Dee, first question for you, 31:31 this was not the only pathway that you've been at. 31:34 Tell us how many pathways you've volunteered for? 31:36 This is my third one, I started in Spokane, did LA, 31:39 and then I did West Virginia. 31:42 Once you start, you can't stop. 31:43 You can't stop, like the Pringles, right? Okay. 31:45 So, Dee, question for you, how... 31:48 First, what is your normal day job? 31:49 You're not a medical person, are you? 31:51 Oh, no. I'm not medical. 31:53 Actually, I worked for 3ABN for the last 20 years 31:56 behind the camera, not out here. 31:59 So, we're glad to put you in front of the camera tonight. 32:01 Praise the Lord for the ministry of 3ABN, 32:02 we're so thankful for them. 32:04 Amen. 32:05 And now, you're invited to a Pathway event, 32:07 or how did that happen? 32:09 Well, I heard about it, of course, through 3ABN 32:10 and then when I heard all the stories, 32:12 I got very excited. 32:13 And I said, "Please, can I go to Spokane early 32:16 and volunteer?" Amen. 32:17 And it was wonderful because it's life changing. 32:19 Amen. 32:21 Now most recently, you served in Los Angeles and in... 32:24 West Virginia. Yes. West Virginia? 32:26 In the patient assistance department. 32:28 Tell us how did it impact you serving? 32:32 It's wonderful, because you find out 32:34 that you can change lives in a physical 32:36 and spiritual way. 32:37 And I'm not a medical person, so I never knew that 32:39 that would be a joy I'd get to enjoy 32:41 and it's wonderful. 32:42 The people that you meet, 32:44 the lives that you see change and changing your life, 32:47 and the people, the patients, and the people you get to meet 32:50 and work with the other volunteers. 32:51 Amen. 32:53 Now, Dee, one more question for you 32:54 before we move to Melody. 32:56 When you go on vacation, 32:57 you probably like to go to Hawaii 32:59 or stay at the beach, right? 33:00 Is that what you do with your vacation time? 33:02 No. I save my vacations and use them for Pathways. 33:05 What do you say? 33:06 Amen. Amen. 33:08 Dee uses her vacation time to serve others, 33:09 that's the true ASI spirit. 33:11 Praise the Lord, Dee. 33:12 Thank you for being a volunteer. 33:14 Well, Melody, not only Dee 33:16 but we have a lot of other volunteers in Beckley. 33:18 Tell us a little about the variety of people 33:21 that came together? 33:22 That's amazing, Kyle, we actually had people 33:24 that came all the way from Bermuda, from Brazil, 33:28 we had somebody that drove from Mexico, 33:31 even from Hungary just from all over the place. 33:34 All over the world? Yes, all over the world. 33:36 And we even had people in the community 33:38 that asked to volunteer. 33:40 We had a phlebotomy student 33:41 that came from the local college. 33:43 And she was only planning to be there for four hours, 33:46 and it was just so powerful, 33:47 she had to stay the entire time. 33:49 She was asking the team there, "Who are you people? 33:53 Who are Seventh-day Adventists?" 33:55 She even came to the evening meetings. 33:57 Okay. Well, that is powerful. Now, Melody, just a question. 34:00 There's probably an age limit, right, like, 34:02 if you're over a certain age, 34:03 I don't think you can volunteer like, 34:05 maybe if you're over 80 or 85, is that the cap? 34:08 There's no age limit. You know what? 34:10 This last Pathway, we had a lady volunteer 34:12 that was 99 years old. 34:14 Ninety-nine years old? What do you say? 34:16 How many of you are 99? No hands went up. 34:19 Maybe a few of you, okay. Well, you know what? 34:21 If you're 99, actually if you're 100, over 100, 34:23 you can volunteer for Pathway. 34:24 If you can smile and you have a heartbeat, 34:27 you can volunteer. 34:28 Amen. Amen. Well, it's truly a blessing. 34:31 Now, Melody, how does this impact you personally 34:33 to volunteer? 34:35 It was just powerful, you know, 34:36 I've been part of a lot of mission trips, 34:37 a lot of activities over the years. 34:39 And I would say that Pathway to Health is 34:41 one of the most impactful events 34:43 that you could ever be part of, amazing. 34:44 Amen. Amen. Amen. That's awesome. 34:46 But, you know, Kyle, it doesn't just affect the volunteers. 34:48 It affects the communities where the event is being held. 34:52 Every city we've gone to, 34:54 the mayor's office is being involved. 34:55 Tell me a little bit of the Mayor of Beckley? 34:57 That's right. 34:58 So the Mayor of Beckley 35:00 actually came to visit Pathway on Thursday. 35:02 You did that tour, Dr. Lela. Yes, that was exciting. 35:04 And he walked around and he saw everything 35:06 that was happening and, you know, I remember 35:08 because I was following you guys around. 35:09 And even then, his eyes were a little misty, 35:12 he was a little misty eyed. 35:13 He seems to be very impressed. 35:14 As he saw the ministry 35:16 that was taking place to the people of his city. 35:18 And he was so impressed 35:19 and just kept thanking us for what was happening. 35:21 Then we actually invited him... 35:24 To come to the gratitude session. 35:25 To come to a gratitude session 35:27 just because we wanted to say thank you to the city 35:29 for allowing us to come. 35:30 So we said, "Mr. Mayor, 35:32 please come at 3 o'clock on Saturday. 35:33 And he said he'd come. 35:34 And we thought he was gonna come. 35:36 So he said he was gonna come. 35:37 But we were there 3 o'clock on Sabbath and what happened? 35:41 No mayor. What do you think happened? 35:43 The mayor didn't show up. 35:45 And we were so sad because we wanted him to come 35:47 but we thought, "Well, you know, he's a busy guy." 35:49 You know, he's the mayor of 20,000 plus people 35:52 so it was okay. 35:54 Well, the next day on Sunday, 35:56 we're packing up 35:57 and pretty much everybody is gone. 35:58 The parking lot is empty. 36:00 Empty. Empty. 36:01 And all the equipments in the trucks. 36:03 And I was running late like usual 36:04 and anyway the Lord had a reason for me 36:08 being late that day. 36:10 And I was pulling out of the parking lot 36:12 and guess who drives in? 36:14 The mayor. The mayor. 36:16 It was 3 o'clock on Sunday and the mayor pulls in. 36:19 And I saw him get out of his car 36:21 and he's got his suit on, he's got a speech right there 36:23 and he's walking up. 36:24 And we're like, "Oh, shoot. We need to go talk. 36:25 Mr. Mayor, Mr. Mayor." And he's like, "Oh, man. 36:28 I'm so sorry." He was so apologetic. 36:31 He's like, "The parking lots are empty, did I miss it?" 36:34 And we're like, "Yeah, you missed it. 36:36 It was yesterday." 36:37 And he was so sorry, he was so sorry. 36:40 But then, we went in and we met with him 36:44 and we talked with him. 36:45 And he was just so thankful that we had come to his city 36:48 and blessed the people of his town. 36:51 And, you know what he said? 36:52 He said, "I've been..." 36:54 He's only been the mayor for two weeks at that point. 36:57 He's a new mayor 36:58 but he has lived in that city his whole life. 37:00 And he said, "I was here when this building was built 37:02 and, you know, I've been to countless basketball games, 37:05 and conferences, and other events at this place. 37:08 But never in my life, 37:10 not in this entire 30 years 37:12 has every square inch of this building 37:14 been put to better use than it was this week." 37:16 Amen. 37:17 "And I want to thank you for ministering to our city." 37:19 And, you know, we prayed for him 37:21 and when we said amen, I looked up 37:23 and his tears were streaming down his face. 37:25 And he was so thankful for the ministry 37:27 that had taken place. 37:29 And, you know what? 37:30 He even said that he's coming to our evangelistic meetings 37:32 starting this month. 37:33 That awesome, Kyle. That's so awesome. 37:35 So, it impacts not only the community 37:37 but it also impacts patience. 37:39 And Beckley was very special 37:41 because, you know, people get their teeth fixed, 37:44 and their eye glasses, and even haircuts 37:46 but in Beckley, 37:47 something very special happened, Dr. Lela. 37:49 Tell us about that? 37:50 To me, every event was very special 37:53 but Beckley was especially exciting. 37:55 And that was because 37:56 we change the focus of the evening meetings. 37:59 We made it patient focus so we invited the patients 38:01 to come join us and they came. 38:04 We changed it to whole person care. 38:05 It was very, very, exciting. 38:07 So is there one particular story 38:09 that impacted you the most? 38:10 Yes, you know, I think of Tiffany, 38:11 and when we look on our screen, 38:13 we'll have a picture of Tiffany. 38:14 Tiffany did provide us permission to share her story. 38:17 You know, Kyle, it was Friday afternoon, 38:19 and we were doing the thing that we hate to have to but... 38:21 Yes, you don't like to do it. 38:22 The last dental patient has been seen for the day. 38:24 And we know we've got to make the announcement 38:26 to the crowds outside, "No more dental patients." 38:28 We convert them to other services. 38:30 We convert them, yes, and they convert. 38:31 And this one particular lady named Tiffany. 38:34 I just felt a special drawing to her. 38:37 And I went up to her and I said, "Tiffany." 38:39 Of course, she introduced herself, 38:40 "You know, I really want you to come to the evening meeting. 38:42 I know we can't do dental, we have these other services 38:44 but would you please come tonight? 38:46 And we have free tickets for our evening meal as well." 38:49 And she came, she was so excited, she came. 38:51 She didn't just come, she brought her husband, 38:53 she brought her daughter, and their baby. 38:55 And they were so excited. 38:56 And her little daughter, 38:58 her little nine year old daughter, 38:59 Taylor came that night, Friday night. 39:00 She stood up on the stage 39:02 and she said, "I just want to tell you all, 39:04 I wanna volunteer at your next event." 39:06 It was just so beautiful. Amen, amen. 39:08 And she was crying, Tiffany. And she was crying. 39:10 Tiffany was crying 39:11 but she didn't just end Friday night. 39:12 She came to church the next morning, 39:14 she came to Sabbath afternoon. 39:16 And when she came to the Sabbath afternoon meeting, 39:18 she looked out of the congregation 39:20 and she said, "I just want to tell you all something. 39:22 You didn't just ministered to me physically, 39:25 you ministered to me emotionally, 39:27 but most importantly spiritually. 39:29 Amen. You are my family. 39:31 Amen. Amen. Amen. You are my family. 39:33 My friends, God is calling us to see others as our family. 39:37 God is calling us to impact the world for Him. 39:40 How many of you want to be members 39:41 in action tonight? 39:43 Jesus is coming soon 39:44 and Jesus is calling each one of us 39:46 to get up out of our seats 39:48 and to share the love of Jesus with the hurting world. 39:50 May God bless you. Amen. 39:54 Tell you what? I love members in action. 39:56 How about you? It's always exciting. 39:59 I feel like we get a chance to pull back the screen 40:02 and see behind what the Holy Spirit is doing 40:05 and what he longs to do in a much greater way. 40:08 I'm excited to be here this afternoon 40:09 with Alan Knowles from Riverside Farm in Zambia. 40:13 Alan, tell us a little bit about what Riverside Farm is? 40:16 Riverside is a adult training school 40:19 in the country of Zambia. 40:20 And we are privileged to have a farm 40:25 that funds our education system. 40:28 Amen. 40:29 Tell us a little more about 40:31 what's been happening there recently 40:32 and how that works? 40:34 We have some pictures for you here of Riverside Farm. 40:37 Yeah, let's go ahead and get a picture up here. 40:39 We are having privilege over the past few years 40:43 to be funded by ASI with several projects. 40:46 Here in the picture, you can see in the foreground, 40:49 three houses. 40:51 These are one day project houses for our staff 40:54 that had been built recently. 40:55 In the background, 40:57 you see two center pivots for irrigation systems 41:00 for our wheat and soy bean harvests. 41:03 But in the center is 41:05 what I wanna talk about this evening, 41:07 the banana crop. 41:10 This has been funded for us from ASI recently. 41:13 Okay, now for the mathematicians among us, 41:16 you should listen in, check this out. 41:19 In December 2014, we've received the funding 41:24 and we started planting. 41:26 Now you only planted just a few bananas, right? 41:29 Yeah, 20,000 banana plants. 41:33 If you line those banana plants up in a single row, 41:36 it'd be 20 miles long. 41:39 Wow. Right. 41:42 Our workers are proud of those bananas. 41:45 They even say they have them named already, 41:47 each one of them. 41:52 One year later, December 2015, the first fruits came out. 41:59 And from December 2015 till date, 42:03 the record that I just got from Jabil 42:06 is that we have harvested 600 metric tons of bananas 42:11 in the last six months. 42:13 Now, how many of you like bananas for breakfast? 42:17 Okay. Get ready. 42:19 Well, I need to translate the 600 metric tons 42:21 for some of you, I'm sure. 42:23 That's 1.3 million pounds of bananas this year so far 42:28 or let's say, it's 4.5 million bananas. 42:36 Are you hungry? 42:38 Well, by the end of the year, we project that 42:41 that number will be 1000 metric tons 42:44 or 2.2 million pounds or 7 million bananas. 42:51 And looks like there's about a 1000 people out here, Craig. 42:54 I think so. 42:56 How many bananas is that for each of you? 42:58 Mathematicians, it's your chance. 43:02 Yeah, that's a lot bananas for each of you. 43:05 About 20 a day for the whole year. 43:08 You better be hungry for breakfast is all I can say. 43:11 Now you do this 43:13 because you like to grow bananas, right? 43:16 We do it because we need to grow bananas to sell. 43:20 Okay. 43:22 So we can run our training program. 43:25 As I mentioned, adult training program 43:27 where we train evangelists, health educators, 43:31 we train in tailoring, and in gardening. 43:35 Very good. 43:36 It's really exciting to see what you've given going to work 43:42 and multiplying like the story of the talents 43:45 and putting more and more workers in the field. 43:48 Sure. 43:49 And this also provides work for local people too, 43:53 about 40 local people work in this banana farm. 43:56 And it gives them ability to send their children 44:00 to Christian education, Craig, that's a very important thing, 44:04 to provide their family with adequate food and shelter, 44:08 and to get adequate medical care also. 44:11 So there's a lot of people 44:13 that are affected outside of our school 44:14 that come in and work every day. 44:16 So Riverside Farm has been a blessing 44:19 not only to the students but to our community around. 44:21 Community as well. It's very good. 44:22 Anything else you'd like to share? 44:24 Well, I just like to say thank you to ASI 44:26 for the support 44:28 that you've given us throughout the years. 44:31 And we hope to be faithful 44:33 that we can have students trained 44:36 to go out into the field 44:38 to bring the coming of Jesus sooner. 44:41 And we want to thank you 44:42 for participating in that with us. 44:43 Thank you so much, Alan, for that. 44:45 Isn't that exciting? Can you imagine? 44:47 That's a lot of bananas, isn't it? 44:50 The next project we get to share with you 44:52 is actually coming from Congo. 44:55 We've got three folks here with us. 44:57 We've got Pastor Ongasa, we have Karolyn, 45:02 and Richard Leonard. 45:03 And they're gonna tell us a little bit about 45:05 Train Them 2 Fish 45:07 and the work God's doing in Congo. 45:08 Tell us a little bit about what Train Them 2 Fish is, 45:10 and some stories that you have? 45:13 Train Them 2 Fish is to help humanitarian work 45:16 as well as evangelism. 45:19 And I have a little story that goes back to 2012. 45:23 When there were a lot of Bible workers 45:26 who had been trained 45:28 and they had brought people to the Lord 45:30 and they always are there before the evangelistic series 45:36 so it helps. 45:37 But the interesting thing is that there were five pastors 45:44 from different denominations. 45:46 There were three Pentecostals. 45:48 There was one non-denominational, 45:52 and the other one was a Baptist. 45:54 They became interested in this evangelistic series. 45:58 Pre-Adventists. 46:01 Yeah. 46:02 And the three of them were sent to the Adventist University 46:06 in Lukanga. 46:08 And they're back now, 46:09 they had six months of training. 46:12 And they're working as lay pastors 46:13 or Bible workers. 46:16 And last but not least, the retention rate with these 46:22 newly baptized people is 95% to 98%. 46:25 Amen. 46:27 Unheard of. 46:28 That's really a testament, I believe, 46:29 to doing solid groundwork with your evangelism project. 46:34 That's so exciting. We've got another story. 46:36 Richard, tell us what you have to share? 46:37 There was a number of pastors 46:39 who are meeting together one day 46:40 and this woman came up to them. 46:42 And she asks them, "Can you pray for me?" 46:47 And they said, "Well, tell us a little bit about your story." 46:49 And so they prayed for this lady. 46:53 And what happened is her husband had left her 46:56 and she haven't seen him for three years 46:58 and wanted to just simply pray that she could find him. 47:03 Three days later, she came back and was just all glowing 47:07 because she was able to find her husband 47:09 and he was able to come back. 47:11 Amen. 47:13 She asked to give a testimony to the church. 47:17 And the pastor says, "Well, please tell us your story 47:19 so we can go ahead and have you do that." 47:21 And as he told, she had been a prostitute 47:24 simply because her husband had left. 47:27 She had no way to feed and clothe her children. 47:30 And the fact is that the church helped her 47:33 to have an education. 47:34 She now has her own business 47:36 and she's a faithful member of the church. 47:38 She wanted to be a member of it because God was in that church. 47:42 You know, God's in the business 47:44 of changing some people's business. 47:45 Praise the Lord. Amen. 47:48 Pastor Ongasa, tell us a little bit about 47:50 your burning vision for the Congo? 47:54 Yes, so the burning vision is to have a school of evangelism 47:58 for the French speaking countries. 48:01 The school will be based in the Congo. 48:03 So God has already provided, I learnt. 48:06 Our property, 24 acres, 48:09 so we're training Bible workers already and lay pastors. 48:14 And we want to include our training program 48:16 for medical missionaries as well. 48:19 Now, real quick, let me interrupt you. 48:21 Now, there's lots of schools like that 48:23 in the French speaking part of Africa, right? 48:26 No. 48:27 Are there any? 48:29 No. 48:30 It's really a need for French speaking training 48:32 there in that part of Africa. 48:33 In fact there is a great need for our school of evangelism 48:36 to reach out to the French speaking countries 48:38 in Africa because the gospel, 48:42 you know, let me give you an example 48:43 where the school will be located 48:46 like a state of 9 million people 48:50 but there are only 270 Adventist pastors. 48:53 Wow. 48:55 So this project want to fill that gap 48:59 and to train Bible workers, lay pastors, church planters 49:03 as well as the medical missionaries. 49:05 So April, we trained 68 people. 49:10 And right now, they're visiting families 49:14 and over 2000 Bible studies are going on every week. 49:20 Amen. 49:22 So God has provided 24 acres property 49:24 so the project is already there and we're expecting that 49:30 God will provide funds to build the school of evangelism 49:33 to reach out to the French speaking countries. 49:35 So tell me, if people feel moved to get involved, 49:39 how do they find you? 49:41 They can go to booth number 125, 49:46 and Train Them 2 Fish is there, 49:49 and we'll be willing to talk to them 49:51 and to share more about this ministry. 49:53 Amen. 49:54 Keep in your prayers, the work going on in Congo. 49:58 It is a field that really, really needs more workers. 50:01 Thank you so much for sharing with us today. 50:03 Oh, we thank you very much. 50:04 Thank you. |
Revised 2017-08-20