Participants:
Series Code: AVMN
Program Code: AVMN000007
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00:28 Welcome to ASI Video Magazine.
00:30 I am Dan Houghton. Having been an ASI member 00:33 for a number of years, I've heard so many inspiring 00:36 stories of ASI members, who are sharing 00:39 Christ in the marketplace. Being active in outreach 00:43 to those around us is emphasized at ASI. 00:46 And today we are going to meet two ASI member 00:49 organizations that are sharing 00:51 Christ right in their own communities. 00:55 It's my very own, it's a unique ministry. 00:58 They provide gift bags for children, 01:00 who are taken into the care of the 01:02 Local Child Protective Services. 01:05 The gift bag contains a handmade quilt, 01:07 brand new toys and large daft animal; 01:10 it helps provide some comfort for children 01:13 in a very difficult situation. 01:15 The program is even expanded outside of 01:17 North American. Let's find out more. 01:20 Well, I need to tell you that one of the basis things 01:25 that started is my very own is it 01:28 I was being very discouraged 01:30 about my working for the Lord, 01:32 it just wasn't happening. 01:34 Everything I tried seemed to fail, 01:37 and so one day I just threw my hands 01:39 in the air and I said Lord, 01:40 I want to work for you, but I don't know 01:42 what it is you want me do. 01:44 And he impressed me with 01:46 what do you have in your hands? 01:49 And the thing I said 01:50 was well I have got lot of fabric. 01:53 Well I've got something with me tonight, 01:55 this bag right here that you probably 01:56 haven't seen before, 01:58 this is what is called a bag of love. 02:00 Let me show you what's inside, 02:01 it may take me a minute. 02:03 Look at this a huge teddy bear, a toy, 02:06 there is personal items in this area right here 02:09 and a beautiful, beautiful handmade quilt inside, 02:14 it's all for Meth Orphans children, 02:15 who have been separated from their parents, 02:17 because of the power of Methamphetamine, 02:20 but with all of this, one lady 02:22 is healing the small it's a broken heart. 02:27 Barbara watched out heart wrenching special report, 02:29 Meth Orphans last November. 02:31 It highlighted a growing number of children 02:33 in the region left with 02:34 relatives or foster families, 02:36 because their parents were busted for Meth. 02:41 And he ran over to the window and 02:43 you held your microphone up to the window, 02:46 and you could hear the children 02:47 in there just sobbing their little hearts out, 02:50 and that really, that got to me. 02:53 The thing that I wanted to point 02:55 out is that it is not 02:57 just focused in one channel, 02:59 that there is room for everybody to be, 03:03 to be in this program, because everybody has 03:06 a heart for the children. 03:08 And we don't, we like to include the entire community 03:12 and that's, that's how this is developed 03:16 and when you mentioned that about 03:19 the inter-agency meeting, 03:21 we had invited a newspaper reporter to come in 03:27 and she became so excited, 03:30 when she heard the presentation 03:33 that when she went back she took a lot of pictures 03:37 and the next time the paper came out, 03:41 we had better than a half a page of pictures 03:44 and story and as a result of that, 03:48 that's what really launched. 03:50 It's my very own in this community. 03:53 It just felt so absolutely perfectly right 03:57 that you know that as much as we care about kids God 04:02 cares about kids that much more and, 04:05 and it just felt like this was something 04:07 he was saying here is how, we need to care for these 04:10 children of mine that are in distress. 04:12 To me it has seemed absolutely unbelievable, 04:16 that it wasn't already being done. 04:17 You know that that we could be careless as a community 04:21 and not provide something special for these children; 04:25 you know we do something to give them comfort. 04:27 I didn't realize at the time, 04:29 until I have gotten involved with the other program 04:31 that these kids weren't given anything that 04:34 there was no provision made. 04:36 It was all left to charitable organizations 04:39 and this program was absolutely 04:43 practically perfect. 04:50 Well we first started it we thought that 04:53 you know we would do it here in Kentucky. 04:56 You know we do our county 04:57 and then we'd move to the next county 04:59 and get them develop and then go to the next county 05:02 and this is what our plan was, 05:05 but the Lord let us know right up 05:07 front that you are not moving fast enough, 05:10 and so he started opening doors 05:13 and literally pushing us through if we hesitated, 05:16 he just pushed us through and it's just, 05:19 it's just been a totally awesome journey. 05:22 And I want to introduce these two little boys, 05:25 these are my grandsons. 05:27 And they are adopted by Teresa, 05:31 do you want to come in? 05:36 So this is their mom, their adopted mom. 05:39 I have been fussing for a very longtime 05:43 and it's doing over my grandchildren 05:46 knowing that my daughter was using drugs. 05:49 Well we gone up to visit, and I could tell she was 05:52 doing the drugs really bad, 05:54 because she had lost so much weight 05:56 and she just looked horrible, but also 06:00 the Lord impressed me that she was pregnant, 06:03 and I just knew it, 06:06 I knew it even though she kept denying that I knew 06:09 Alex, I would like to have you hold bag open, 06:12 so that Skye can fill it. 06:15 Now the first thing that we are gonna do, 06:17 is we are going to put a quilt in the bottom. 06:20 Do you wanna put this in the bottom of the bag? 06:23 Hold that open for him, so he can put it in there. 06:26 We prayed for that little boy and we'll do, 06:29 what ever you got to do to safe that little guy. 06:31 And he was born on New Year's Day, 06:36 in fact he was the first baby born in that area. 06:39 He was the New Year's baby that year, 06:41 he was born addicted to drugs, 06:43 so he did have some major struggles, 06:46 but the State stepped in and took the baby 06:50 and also took the two-year-old, 06:53 because they felt that they were definitely 06:55 in danger and they put him into Foster Care. 06:58 Most of the time if it's a removable 07:00 they don't have a lot time to getting 07:01 lot of that stuff together, 07:03 and this is really bare by ones, 07:05 the cloths that you need and so this is 07:07 something extra for them to have. 07:09 When they removed this child it's 07:10 just very shattering for them. 07:13 And so when they get them to the car, 07:16 they give them this bag and this bag is large 07:20 and it bulges in all of the interesting places 07:23 and so their focus is now 07:26 on the bag instead of the problems 07:28 that they've just had going, 07:29 so it softens it not only for the child, 07:32 but also for the caseworker. 07:34 Isn't this fun? Yeah, Yeah, 07:36 so now the next thing we are going to do, 07:39 is we are going to find toys just your age. 07:43 What kind of toys do you like? 07:47 Okay that looks good, 07:50 so then they gave her every opportunity 07:53 to get her act together they send her to rehab. 07:57 She wasn't ready, but they gave her 18 months 08:01 and she just couldn't put it together the drugs 08:04 had a bigger pull on her. In fact they gave her 08:06 more chances than they normally give 08:09 you know for her to clean up her act, 08:11 because the thing is that lot of people think, 08:13 oh they look for any reason they can 08:15 to remove children from homes and that's not true. 08:17 They try like crazy to keep families together. 08:21 And that's and when she was being so belligerent 08:24 and not working with the court, 08:26 the judge finally said that's it Valerie, 08:29 you have lost your parental rights 08:32 and you will go to jail. 08:34 The one bag that I remember giving out 08:37 the girl that he had sent foster care very long, 08:39 thank, goodness, but you know she opened 08:43 and I mean like her eyes were just you know 08:46 it was her own, I mean you could see 08:47 that this was something that she wanted 08:49 and you know something that she needed 08:52 and when she pulled out the blanket you know 08:53 she immediately wrapped up herself in the blanket. 08:55 She hogged the teddy bear. 08:57 And it's so exciting, because 08:58 as you're working on this quilts you're 09:01 thinking of the child that's going to receive it, 09:03 even though you never meet them, 09:05 you are thinking about them 09:06 and you are able to pray for them 09:08 as you are doing it. 09:10 And those prayers stay with that quilt. 09:13 And the beauty of it is that everyone who reports 09:17 to us also says how easy it is to 09:21 involve their community. 09:22 And we've all had really good experiences with them, 09:24 and we love them and the kids everything okay, 09:27 that we are given to, really they enjoy them. 09:28 We are going to put stuffed animals in there, 09:31 so watch your step; it's a big step going down. 09:34 There you go. When we were talking 09:36 to the welfare before, 09:39 I just kept saying do not separate this boys, 09:42 keep them together and we want them down here. 09:46 We don't want them off some place else, 09:49 if they go up for adoption, we want them. 09:51 We were hoping that she would put herself together, 09:54 and so they did not send them our away 09:57 and then when unfortunately 09:59 when somebody looses parental rights, 10:01 the whole family looses that child, 10:04 and so we had to really do some talk 10:07 and to convince them to let me have the kids. 10:10 I would like this, this one. 10:15 That one? Yeah. 10:16 What do you think Skye? 10:17 Think that's a good one too. Hug it and see? 10:21 Yeah, yeah it fits good, okay, 10:23 it fits good. It's now broken. Bye, bye. 10:29 They gave me some things that I had to accomplish, 10:32 before they do that one of them was to 10:33 get the foster parent training 10:36 and it was through that 10:38 that I was first made aware of, 10:42 what these children go through. 10:45 And we have no clue the horrors 10:48 that these kids are exposed to, 10:50 and I mean either my two boys ever once 10:53 a while you know they will have nightmares 10:55 or something and little things 10:57 will come out and it just, 11:00 it just breaks your heart and, 11:03 and so that's where the need first presented itself 11:07 to me that something is to be done for these children. 11:09 Okay and we need a toothbrush, toothbrush, 11:15 I think, yeah 11:19 you would like to brush your teeth with that 11:21 wouldn't you? Due to this Ministry, 11:23 we have been enabled to be associated with ASI 11:27 and we have met so many wonderful people 11:31 that are all members of ASI. 11:34 We were asked, if we would like to be members, 11:36 then I said I would love to be a member of ASI. 11:40 Because, when I go to the ASI conventions, 11:43 I love it, because it's all positive 11:48 you don't hear negativity 11:50 everybody is so on fire for the Lord 11:53 and you come away from there just so excited, 11:55 you just really want to get involved in and do things. 12:00 If the world knew the amount of good 12:02 it's being done through the people of ASI, 12:05 it's a news media, who have to promote it, 12:08 people would be overwhelmed. 12:10 And do you know what we have forgot? 12:12 What? We forgot to get a color book, 12:16 pick out a color book to put into there 12:18 and some color crayons. 12:21 When they first came into my life I was angry, 12:25 that they were being put through this, 12:27 that they had the pain that they had to go through. 12:30 But now I get to see, 12:34 the power of God and his love 12:37 and how he is able to work through these children 12:41 and it's true watching his power of 12:45 mending their little hearts 12:47 and their lives that gives me so 12:50 much hope for this ministry, 12:53 because I know, that because 12:55 we pray for these bags and these blankets 12:58 for each child that gets them that he can work. 13:03 Get that tied on there 13:07 and this one is all through, now Alex 13:09 do you wanna pray over this one? Yeah. Okay. 13:15 Dear Jesus, thank you for this bag, I love. 13:21 It's amazing to see how it's my very own 13:24 is helping kids in such difficult circumstances; 13:27 and they are involving lay people in ministry. 13:29 Here in North America and overseas as well, 13:33 that's what ASI is all about. 13:34 Getting lay people actively 13:37 involved in missions and service. 13:39 For more information about, 13:41 it's my very own visit www.imvo.org. 13:47 In 2008 ASI unveiled the One-Day Church Project. 13:52 It's an effort to provide Church homes 13:54 for the thousands of Adventist 13:56 congregations around the world, 13:58 that worship in ramshackle facilities 14:00 are even under trees. 14:02 It's a galvanized deal frame and 14:04 roof that can be built in just one day. 14:07 It provides a durable basic church building 14:10 with room for a 150 people to worship. 14:14 Visit www.onedaychurch.org to learn more. 14:19 Sharing Christ in the marketplace 14:21 is not just for the adults, 14:22 but it is for the young people too. 14:23 If I give them an opportunity to come 14:25 through forefront and use their talent 14:26 and ability that has God given to them. 14:28 They learned that God can use them, 14:30 they are not too young. You see God using you 14:33 to impact other people's life. 14:35 I find it difficult to find something 14:37 more effective than what, 14:38 the youth for Jesus is doing today. 14:49 La Verdad Presente Spanish for the present truth; 14:53 is a Spanish language television ministry 14:56 operated by Yolanda and Obed Matus. 14:59 Yolanda is a professor 15:00 and Obed a builder in Magellan Texas. 15:04 They use their earnings to support La Verdad Presente 15:07 and have given countless volunteer hours to 15:10 developing this ministry, 15:14 producing the programs and holding related 15:15 evangelistic series in Texas and in Mexico. 15:44 Good morning friends, welcome to your program, 15:47 lessons to live by. 15:53 I had been a pastor at the church in mission 15:55 for 12 years and the time came 15:58 for me to leave that church. 16:03 At that time I received an invitation to 16:05 start a type of ministry possibly radio, 16:09 but it ended up being a television ministry. 16:16 We started to make plans; 16:18 they would send us the programs. 16:21 We were motivated to do this 16:22 because we have it in our blood. 16:27 My father is a pastor, my father-in-law is a pastor 16:30 and we're convinced of the message 16:33 that we have that Jesus will soon return. 16:39 I talked with my brother-in-law Raul 16:41 and decided to preach this message via television. 16:44 I have wound that it actually worked very well, 16:47 even better than expected. We didn't, 16:50 I didn't know how many people got up earlier, 16:52 how many will have the opportunity to see it, 16:54 until people start calling and calling and calling 16:56 and we saw people coming in and interest in it, 16:58 and I said wow this is, you know this is great, 17:01 praise the Lord. 17:02 Well I though it was good idea, 17:05 I didn't think it would get this big. 17:07 He talked about one program Sunday nights 17:11 and so that's how we started with 17:13 one program Sunday nights. 17:21 Since I am the presenter of the program, 17:23 the people see me everyday. 17:27 We have three television programs; 17:29 one is aired Monday to Friday 17:32 called Good morning Lord Jesus. 17:34 It is a short devotional program, 17:36 where we encourage the people 17:38 to pray before they leave their homes 17:40 and start their activities. 17:42 On Sabbath, we have a review of 17:45 the Sabbath school lesson; 17:46 the program is called Lessons to live by. 17:50 On Sunday's our program has a doctrinal theme 17:53 and it's called the Present Truth, 17:55 currently we are presenting 17:57 a series entitled the pillars of our faith, 17:59 which are the Adventist doctrines. 18:01 The people, who watch our program regularly 18:03 and know that we meet every Saturday 18:05 are the once who attend. 18:08 Pastor Garcia was recommended 18:09 to us by someone, not so much as a preacher, 18:12 but as someone to introduce the program. 18:14 Because we were first using 18:17 programs that were already pre-made 18:19 and then we, but when we heard him speak, 18:21 we thought that you know there is a lot 18:23 of talent in this person. 18:25 Pastor Heriberto Garcia, he speaks 18:27 directly from the Bible, 18:30 he doesn't use notes, which is something I inspired to. 18:35 And he is a very, very passionate speaker, 18:39 very well articulates and I understand Spanish 18:46 and I have, I have translated his sermons of 18:48 the English and so the rest of our 18:49 congregation could hear. 18:51 And he knows how to captivate you, 18:56 even without the power point presentation. 19:01 First of all the way the pastor 19:03 presents his message is easy to understand 19:05 and to believe it comes from the Bible. 19:11 Because, he proves it from the Bible, 19:13 we check it for ourselves and find it to be true. 19:19 Me and my partner, we had a production house 19:23 and we used to do local production, 19:25 and the local TV station would sort of contract us, 19:31 so would outsource with us, 19:33 so we always use to make fun 19:35 of our clients especially, 19:37 well, yeah I have the question one, 19:39 because that just wouldn't make a lot of sense 19:43 and they were just an easy target for us. 19:47 So, until I met this group of people, 19:51 who were actually very knowledgeable 19:53 and we sort of tried to make fun of them at first, 19:56 but it didn't workout too well, 19:57 because they actually knew what they were doing 19:59 and very soon we realize they knew especially me, 20:02 I realized that, wow these guys know 20:05 what they are talking about, 20:06 they are not just picking up 20:08 a Bible and just speaking it out, I mean 20:10 I would throw questions at them 20:11 and especially Pastor Garcia. 20:14 I've always poked that people and you know to see, 20:17 how much they really know and generally 20:19 I could just argue with pastors for ever, 20:22 you know because they know enough 20:23 and when I would argue or try to argue 20:27 with Pastor Garcia, he would stop me 20:29 and my tracks right away, 20:31 and because he knew what he was talking about, 20:34 so I actually begin to become curious 20:35 about what they were talking about at that point. 20:42 Through a television program 20:43 the pastor Heriberto calls present truth. 20:54 My wife and I began to see the program 20:57 and we became aware that the program 20:59 and the pastor were coming to the Alamo church, 21:01 which we were already acquainted with. 21:15 My wife and I attended the whole event, 21:17 which was 20 meetings. 21:37 We found out that he would preach on prophecy 21:39 and that interested us very much. 21:42 At the program, we heard about the Sabbath, 21:46 we were baptized 15 days ago 21:48 and we are now part of the family of 21:50 the Adventist church. 22:00 Oh I have seen the excellent results 22:03 that the many, many people have been baptized, 22:06 due to this program. In Reynosa, 22:10 already a Church has been established, 22:12 because so many people have responded to the message. 22:17 You know there is people that call me 22:19 Sunday mornings, Saturday mornings 22:21 and everyday of the week. 22:23 Not only in the morning, there is people that 22:24 call even during the day, 22:26 sometimes they call at night, 22:27 oh I heard the program this morning 22:29 and I didn't have a chance to call you, 22:30 because I had to go to work. 22:32 Could you please send me the Bible course 22:33 that you're offering; 22:34 see we offer Bible course 22:36 and this is about Bible correspondence course, 22:39 people will call, I answer the phones, 22:41 I take their names, send them the lessons, 22:43 they send them back to us, we grade the lessons, 22:46 send them back to them 22:47 and then when they finish the 20 course lesson, 22:49 we send them a certificate. 22:51 La Verdad Presente has been serving the valley 22:54 in the Southwest chapter for a number of years now, 22:58 probably six, seven years they have been 23:02 having their program, 23:03 television program airing in the Valley. 23:07 I ask Obed the other day how many Bible studies, 23:11 he had now? He said he's even lost count, 23:12 doesn't know it. I know at one time, 23:15 several years back he told me that he had 23:17 600 Bible studies going in just 23:19 the city of Bronzeville alone. 23:24 We are talking about a population 23:25 of about three million, 23:27 because we are reaching both sides of the border. 23:30 South of the border in Mexico, 23:32 there are two important cities. 23:34 One of which is Reynosa 23:37 with about a million inhabitants. 23:39 The other city is Matamoros, 23:42 which has a population of about 800,000. 23:46 Just with the population of these two cities, 23:49 we are talking about 1.8 million people. 23:52 There are many other cities such as 23:55 Villahermosa, Rio Bravo, and others, 23:57 there are many cities. 24:00 These are the cities on the Mexico side of the border. 24:03 On the American side we have the cities of McAllen, 24:06 Mission, Edinburg, Harlingen, Brownsville 24:09 and together they have a population 24:11 of about three million that we can reach 24:14 with our program. 24:17 Something very important is that our program 24:19 does not air on a Christian channel. 24:21 It is a commercial channel, 24:23 which means the people we are reaching, 24:25 many of whom have never heard this message. 24:28 Our reach through a channel that is 24:30 100 percent commercial, 24:31 we buy airtime from the stations 24:34 and we are able to reach people 24:35 that are used to watching soap operas, 24:37 entertainment programs and newscasts, 24:40 but who inadvertently happened 24:42 to find our program. 24:43 We are being involved with ASI, 24:45 I think that, for me the two greatest benefits 24:48 are networking and inspiration; 24:52 and we need them both. 25:01 I have come to understand that the ASI 25:03 organization has a strong missionary emphasis, 25:07 few mutual friends Floyd Cotney 25:10 and the family of Dr. Vargas, 25:12 they insisted that we go over there. 25:21 They told me about the story 25:22 about a television channel, 25:24 and now we want to be more involved in ASI 25:27 people who are interested in preaching the Gospel. 25:33 I really don't under what is the motivation 25:36 for the ASI members, 25:37 who are very missionary minded, 25:39 who take money from their own pockets 25:41 and give that money for a project. 25:54 When we became ASI members, 25:56 I went to Oklahoma and they presented programs 25:59 about what the Southwestern Chapter 26:01 is going to do during the next year. 26:08 And it's amazing on Sabbath morning, 26:10 how much money is given. 26:13 I am also aware of the National Convention, 26:19 where the projects require millions of dollars 26:21 and how in one day they give so much. 26:31 I admire all those Adventist brothers 26:33 and sisters that are lay people, 26:36 because they really give their lives 26:38 and give up their means, 26:39 so those missionary projects can be realized. 26:50 That is why we want to be a part of ASI 26:52 and desire to give so that Jesus will come soon. 26:56 It is important even though our beginnings may be 26:59 a little weak with respect to ASI. 27:03 But I feel it will be strengthened, 27:05 now that we have seen how much benefit 27:07 this organization gives to the church. 27:13 When you take a moment to imagine 27:15 what God can do through us, 27:17 it's really with out limits. 27:20 ASI members or people like Yolanda 27:22 and Obed Matus, 27:23 people who don't just imagine what God can do, 27:26 but step out in faith and follow his leading. 27:29 Being an ASI member is a tremendous blessing for me. 27:33 And I encourage you to try it for yourself, 27:36 visit www.asiministries.org for more information. 27:42 I am Dan Houghton, thanks for joining me today 27:45 on ASI Video Magazine. 27:47 Come back again next time, 27:49 for more stories of ASI member 27:51 sharing Christ in the marketplace. 27:53 May God be with you. |
Revised 2014-12-17