Hello again. My
name is Jay Rosario.
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your host for
the Engage Program,
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which is a series dedicated
to address the challenges
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that young adults all
over the world are having
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that are pursuing a
Christian experience with God.
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Joining us today is my
good friend Dan McGrath.
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Dan, how is it going? Good, Jay.
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Thanks for having me again.
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Dan, so what are we
talking about this time?
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Well, today our
program is gonna be something
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that is a very, very sensitive,
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very pertinent topic on
how to deal with tragedy.
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There are many
people in the world
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who have
experienced hardship and pain
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that they don't
know how to deal with it,
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and they're--they're
longing to find relief.
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And so we've invited
our friend Valmy here.
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Somebody who we believe
can talk to this subject.
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Valmy, it's good
to have you back here.
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Good to be here.
Good to see you again.
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Hello, good to see you, Valmy.
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Good to see you,
Jay. How are you?
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So, Valmy, Dan and I have
had the privilege of working
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with you and sharing out
with you, and taking with you.
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but there are many
people that probably have had
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the privilege of meeting
you, and now you're good friend,
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but you also have
an amazing journey
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that the Lord--
that the Lord has kind of
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taking you
step-by-step up there.
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Tell us a little bit,
where do you come from?
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Tell us a little bit
about your childhood?
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My name is Valmy Karamera.
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And I'm currently a
student at Andrews University.
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I'm doing my
graduate studies there.
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I'm originally born in
Rwanda in Central Africa.
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And my father
worked as a physician
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at one of the
largest hospital in Rwanda
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and my mother
worked for an oil company
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that was in the country.
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I'm the only child,
but not spoil child.
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So Rwanda, what
language they speak in Rwanda?
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Rwanda, today they
speak three languages.
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One is a dialect,
which is Kinyarwanda,
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another one is French,
another one is--Bonjour.
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Bonjour certainly.
Another one is English.
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So they speak
three languages now, yes.
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So you're born there
and so your parents--
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What was--what was life like
in Rwanda there at the time?
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I think as a young
person, I had the privilege,
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I think when I looked
back I think my parents
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had been able to
go through school.
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We could, we never
go hungry, you know.
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I think life was
good as a young child.
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And growing up, not
only as the only child
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but I think I
also had good parents,
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but, you know, no
marriage is perfect.
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I think they had
their shortcomings.
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But overall when I look back
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I think it was
a great childhood.
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And I did my grade school there
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and we were doing it in
French and Kinyarwanda as well.
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At that time
English had not become
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one of the major
languages of the country, yes.
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So what was--what was going
on in Rwanda during that time?
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I would say, the
tipping point started--
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when you look at, you studied
the history of the country.
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It goes all way back into 20s,
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the colonization
and all these things.
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And--but I think more recently
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I think the--the catalyst
of the event started in 1990
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when--before
1990, there were people
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who were kicked
out of the country
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and particularly they
were coming from one tribe
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and they were not
allowed to be in the country
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and so they
formed a military group
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and they attacked the country.
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And those who are--us who
are in the country and others,
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of course, because
we shared the same tribe
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as those who had
left the country,
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it was a challenge
staying in the country.
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And things, I think
culminated into 1994 genocide.
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And I think if
you speak to anyone
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who doesn't know
Rwanda, they know one thing,
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they know about genocide.
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And unfortunately
my parents passed away.
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My mother particularly
passed away in the genocide.
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My father passed away
shortly before the genocide.
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And when I looked
back it is amazing, Jay.
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It's amazing how the
providence of God works
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because I grew up not
attending church at all.
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And my parents
never attended church.
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So no religious
background at all?
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No religious
background. We were called--
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"officially we were Catholics."
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But everybody is Catholic,
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you know, you're born Catholics.
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That's way it is, you know,
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sort of like what happens
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in the North
America and South America.
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North America,
yeah, very similar.
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So we really
rarely went to church.
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And so, buddy, it is interesting
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when I looked back that
in 1994, it was the genocide.
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But 1993 about a
year before the genocide,
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I don't know what got
into my mother but she decided
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that she would take
me out of the country
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to go study out of the country.
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And so she took me to Uganda
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which is the neighboring country
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and there I continued to pursue
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my grade school education,
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but she returned back to Rwanda.
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And so it's
unfortunate that in 1994
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when she had
returned on of those streets,
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she passed away in the genocide,
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just also shortly
after my father's death.
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And so since then from
that time I was an orphan,
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but we had such a
way, large extended family
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so they took me in.
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Because families in
Africa, they are communal.
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You know, it's--your uncle
becomes your father suddenly,
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you know, your aunt
becomes your mother,
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so it's very communal.
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So they took me in. Yes.
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So when you went to Uganda,
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you found people that you can,
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that they still loved
you, they accepted you,
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they still provided you
niche that was safe with love--
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I mean, I think nothing can
replace your parents, for sure.
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But interestingly this
way, this way I started my life
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started
intersecting with Christianity,
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with religion because the aunt
where I stayed at the house,
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they were Pentecostals.
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So they started taking me to,
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you know, to church, you know.
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I even one time tried to
cast out demons out of someone.
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It is an interesting
story because when that demon
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started to speaking,
I jumped like five feet.
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You ran away. I
was so scared. Wow.
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So--but that way I started
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interacting
with-- with Christianity,
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even though it
was a different form.
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And so going to church,
prayers, and things like that,
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you know, at the young
age-- but for some reason,
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I think he did
that what he had to do
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which was
introduce me to this concept
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of going to church,
praying, and all these, yeah.
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So how old were you when
your parents passed away?
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I was, I think, 11
or 10 around that age.
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Wow. Yeah.
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And I would imagine-- 11, 12.
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At 11, 10, 12 years old,
I'm sure that must have had
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a significant
impact on your life.
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And wow, so it's quite a miracle
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that your--that you--
your life that you're healthy
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and Lord is
definitely using you.
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So how did you end up here?
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How did you end up here?
A very good question. Yeah.
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Like I said, we had a
large extended family.
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And at the time of genocide,
my mother was in the States,
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my grandmother
was in the States.
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And so after the genocide,
she came back to Rwanda
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and she stayed
there for about four years
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and at this time I was studying,
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what we called high
school in our country
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which is called senior school.
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So after I was in the mid of my,
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what you called not high school,
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but technically
high school back home.
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She decided that we would move
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to North America
to come to America.
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So that's how me and my grandma.
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Actually I came,
me and my grandma.
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And so you can imagine the,
just the age difference alone.
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And I was this little
boy accompanying my grandma.
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And so we journeyed to
the land of opportunities,
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you know, the great America.
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And so that's
how we ended up here.
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The land of milk
and honey, right?
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That's what we call.
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So how did you feel when
you arrived in this country?
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Was it severe culture
shock or you like okay,
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this is a mistake I
want to go back home
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or how did you feel?
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You know, I think the
first experience I had
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was just picking
out of the airplane
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and look down on the
ground and everything is white.
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You came during winter?
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I came during winter.
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So I'm wondering, why is
everything so white on ground?
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You know, this is not the
country I imagine going to.
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And then we landed
in Chicago at O'Hare
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and coming out of the airport,
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it was in the mid of the winter
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and I was just wearing a,
you know, a T-Shirt, a shirt,
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and they asked me if
they could give me a jacket.
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My aunt came to
receive my mother's sister,
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she was staying in Indiana.
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So they came to
receive us at the airport.
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She asked me if she
could give me a jacket.
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I said, "I don't need a jacket."
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Until I went outside the
O'Hare Airport then it hit me.
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You need the
jacket? Yeah, jacket.
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Because I started hearing
some physiological changes
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in my ears, you
know, so I needed a jacket.
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So that was my first experience.
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And of course, the
culture shock and everything,
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forming new friends
and everything, you know,
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going through school.
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And so it was-- it
was a time to adjust.
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Now, you said, you grew up
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in a
non-religious home-- Absolutely.
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You know,
probably for all intents
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and purposes, you
would say you were Catholic,
00:10:01.17\00:10:02.69
but never went to church. Yeah.
00:10:02.70\00:10:04.40
So when you came here, you know,
00:10:04.41\00:10:06.27
you weren't religious,
00:10:06.28\00:10:08.62
you were probably more
evolutionist, weren't you?
00:10:08.63\00:10:11.82
I think the concept
of evolution started,
00:10:11.83\00:10:14.95
it's happening
when I was in school,
00:10:14.96\00:10:18.04
when I was being
introduced to this because in--
00:10:18.05\00:10:22.01
in grade school and, other
years of high school back home,
00:10:22.02\00:10:25.49
we were introduced to
the concept of evolution
00:10:25.50\00:10:28.41
even though we are
not even taught about God.
00:10:28.42\00:10:30.92
But--because beneath all these,
00:10:30.93\00:10:33.27
now I was getting
into my teenage years,
00:10:33.28\00:10:35.94
I was in my teenage years
at this time when we came.
00:10:35.95\00:10:39.08
I was studying to
really search my life.
00:10:39.12\00:10:42.25
You know, what is this mean?
00:10:42.26\00:10:44.03
You know, here I
was, I had parents,
00:10:44.04\00:10:46.77
I had a good loving
family, and suddenly in a moment
00:10:46.78\00:10:51.07
of a twinkling of an eye,
I just loose all that we had,
00:10:51.08\00:10:54.41
everything--the
house, the parents,
00:10:54.42\00:10:55.89
everything that was dear to me.
00:10:55.90\00:10:57.77
And then it changes drastically,
00:10:57.78\00:11:00.13
why? why? How do I explain that?
00:11:00.14\00:11:02.82
So trying to make
sense of all these.
00:11:02.83\00:11:04.99
And so I think that draw
for me to start to search,
00:11:05.00\00:11:09.16
you know, so I
remember at the end
00:11:09.17\00:11:10.63
of my high school year
sitting in the biology class,
00:11:10.64\00:11:14.37
I had always
wanted to do medicine.
00:11:14.38\00:11:15.93
My father was a
physician and so I thought
00:11:15.94\00:11:18.39
I would emulate his
steps and I loved sciences.
00:11:18.40\00:11:21.50
And so I started, at the
end of my high school year,
00:11:21.51\00:11:24.56
I was in the class
seated in the biology class
00:11:24.57\00:11:27.31
and my teacher came up,
00:11:27.32\00:11:28.84
this time it
was a biology class,
00:11:28.85\00:11:30.66
and so he started introducing
the concept of evolution,
00:11:30.67\00:11:35.12
the plate tectonics, you know,
00:11:35.13\00:11:36.55
how they are
formed and all these.
00:11:36.56\00:11:39.47
And also looking at
the evolutionary years
00:11:39.48\00:11:42.21
and looking at the
cycle of the baby in the womb,
00:11:42.22\00:11:44.79
and looking at all these.
00:11:44.80\00:11:46.38
And he started suggesting
the concept of evolution.
00:11:46.39\00:11:49.56
So in my mind sitting there
searching the "Why" of life
00:11:49.57\00:11:54.48
because in my academic pursuits,
00:11:54.49\00:11:57.10
there was also
these desire to know
00:11:57.11\00:11:59.02
the "Why" of life and
the "Why" of suffering.
00:11:59.03\00:12:01.55
And so I
started seeing possibly,
00:12:01.56\00:12:04.53
a possibility of
this concept explaining,
00:12:04.54\00:12:08.89
providing answers to
my existential needs,
00:12:08.90\00:12:12.14
to my, you know, fundamental
questions of the life.
00:12:12.15\00:12:15.46
So another one,
you began to consider
00:12:15.47\00:12:18.36
the deep fundamental
philosophical questions
00:12:18.37\00:12:21.35
through this
class? Absolutely. Wow.
00:12:21.36\00:12:23.84
And this was in my high school.
00:12:23.85\00:12:25.32
So wasn't at a church, it
wasn't at the Bible study?
00:12:25.33\00:12:27.29
Absolutely. High school.
00:12:27.30\00:12:28.30
It was in high
school. It was in high school.
00:12:28.31\00:12:29.71
Because, you
know, we all come from
00:12:29.72\00:12:31.39
different culture backgrounds
00:12:31.40\00:12:32.71
and we have a
different life experiences.
00:12:32.72\00:12:35.99
And we--At some point we
are--we try to make sense,
00:12:36.00\00:12:39.19
what does it
mean for me, you know,
00:12:39.20\00:12:41.33
if I'm to carry on this life?
00:12:41.34\00:12:43.23
What does it mean for me?
00:12:43.24\00:12:44.35
And I was at that stage
where I was asking the question.
00:12:44.36\00:12:47.46
"What does this mean for me?"
00:12:47.47\00:12:49.04
You know, and not to
mention, at this time,
00:12:49.05\00:12:51.53
I mean, almost pretty
much throughout high school
00:12:51.54\00:12:53.54
I was smoking like a
pack almost every day.
00:12:53.55\00:12:55.94
Yeah, you know, one
thing God spared me,
00:12:55.95\00:12:58.72
I wasn't, I didn't drink.
00:12:58.73\00:13:00.43
And so that was,
it was weird to find
00:13:00.44\00:13:02.69
someone who
smoked but never drink,
00:13:02.70\00:13:05.32
you know. And so trying,
00:13:05.33\00:13:07.28
you know, I'm wrestling
also with this habit of smoking.
00:13:07.29\00:13:09.49
Trust me, it's not a
good thing, you know.
00:13:09.50\00:13:11.57
But also I want to quit.
00:13:11.58\00:13:12.78
I want to make
sense of the suffering.
00:13:12.79\00:13:14.75
So I'm in the midst of all these
00:13:14.76\00:13:16.76
and then this concept of
evolution is introduced to me.
00:13:16.77\00:13:19.84
And how--how
did you go from that
00:13:19.85\00:13:23.53
to being a converted
Seventh-day Adventist?
00:13:23.54\00:13:26.48
It's a very interesting
story, how God, you know,
00:13:26.49\00:13:29.63
moves and shapes things
to meet us where we are.
00:13:29.64\00:13:33.20
And so at the end
of the high school,
00:13:33.21\00:13:35.68
I had applied to one
of the local universities
00:13:35.69\00:13:39.29
which is University
of Windsor in Canada.
00:13:39.30\00:13:41.98
And I applied to
attend the school
00:13:41.99\00:13:44.65
and in my third year,
00:13:44.66\00:13:46.57
I remember seated in
an evolutionary class.
00:13:46.58\00:13:49.74
As a biology major I had,
00:13:49.75\00:13:52.22
I was required to
take an evolutionary class.
00:13:52.23\00:13:54.89
It was one of my
degree requirement.
00:13:54.90\00:13:57.73
And I remember sitting there
00:13:57.74\00:13:58.99
and the professor was always
00:13:59.00\00:14:00.88
making fun of all
Christians, you know.
00:14:00.89\00:14:03.92
And I feel that
this is affirming
00:14:03.93\00:14:06.58
also my beliefs, my--
this evolutionary belief.
00:14:06.59\00:14:09.69
But the more I
continue to ask the question,
00:14:09.70\00:14:14.40
you know, but
where do I come from?
00:14:14.41\00:14:16.91
What is the meaning of my life?
00:14:16.92\00:14:18.68
Where am I hating, you know?
00:14:18.69\00:14:20.36
How should I
behave even my life?
00:14:20.37\00:14:22.35
You know, the mind continued
to ask these questions.
00:14:22.36\00:14:24.42
For example,
because I experienced death
00:14:24.43\00:14:27.13
at an early age, so I had to ask
00:14:27.14\00:14:29.40
what happens to
people when they die?
00:14:29.41\00:14:31.74
You know, where are my parents?
00:14:31.75\00:14:33.55
Am I going to see them?
00:14:33.56\00:14:34.58
Can I communicate
to my parents now?
00:14:34.59\00:14:36.55
You know, because I had
such a bond with my parents.
00:14:36.56\00:14:39.52
Can I communicate to them?
00:14:39.53\00:14:41.15
And so throughout these
series of asking questions
00:14:41.16\00:14:45.13
and then I had
to sit down and ask,
00:14:45.14\00:14:47.58
"Can evolution honestly
answer the question of death?"
00:14:47.59\00:14:52.22
You know,
because here is a theory
00:14:52.23\00:14:55.49
that says that it promotes life.
00:14:55.50\00:15:00.13
You know, it
promotes life by eliminating
00:15:00.14\00:15:03.46
the weakest of the societies.
00:15:03.47\00:15:05.13
You know, that's
what evolution claims,
00:15:05.14\00:15:07.53
claims to promote life.
00:15:07.54\00:15:08.95
And so, but if
evolution promotes life
00:15:08.96\00:15:12.00
but then why does it kill also
00:15:12.01\00:15:14.79
those that it seeks
to promote, you know.
00:15:14.80\00:15:17.34
For example, if
you in a wheelchair,
00:15:17.35\00:15:20.23
wheelchair will not favor you.
00:15:20.24\00:15:22.59
You know, because it doesn't
want to pass on those genes.
00:15:22.60\00:15:25.70
You know, so how could
you say you promote life,
00:15:25.71\00:15:29.74
but at the same time
you neglect that life?
00:15:29.75\00:15:32.52
So that felt,
seem like an inhalant
00:15:32.53\00:15:36.15
fundamental flow in
evolutionary theory.
00:15:36.16\00:15:39.07
The second thing also,
I think this is a benefit
00:15:39.08\00:15:41.40
source of
science, studying science
00:15:41.41\00:15:43.89
and I found that, for example,
00:15:43.90\00:15:47.49
that I can say that
I'm a evolutionist, right?
00:15:47.50\00:15:51.14
And say that, "Things are moving
00:15:51.15\00:15:53.08
from order to disorder."
00:15:53.09\00:15:55.94
That's what science says,
00:15:55.95\00:15:57.53
the second law of
thermodynamics in physics.
00:15:57.54\00:16:00.36
"The things are moving
from order to disorder,"
00:16:00.37\00:16:03.10
but evolution says,
"The things are moving
00:16:03.11\00:16:06.06
from disorder--"
To order. "To order."
00:16:06.07\00:16:08.38
So which is backwards?
Which is a contradiction again?
00:16:08.39\00:16:12.16
And this is on a
scientific ground.
00:16:12.17\00:16:14.43
It's not even a
religious experience,
00:16:14.44\00:16:16.74
it's on a scientific ground.
00:16:16.75\00:16:18.03
So these are some of
the loopholes in the theory.
00:16:18.04\00:16:21.62
And then in my third
year, as I said I was studying
00:16:21.63\00:16:25.23
this class evolutionary
biology and we took about
00:16:25.24\00:16:28.24
two weeks as the professors
defending this that if--
00:16:28.25\00:16:32.49
the eye has to have evolved.
00:16:32.50\00:16:34.80
Because one of the questions
that people pose on evolution.
00:16:34.81\00:16:39.06
How could eye evolve?
00:16:39.07\00:16:41.10
You know, the eyes considered
00:16:41.11\00:16:42.92
as this irreducible complexity.
00:16:42.93\00:16:45.50
You cannot take out one element
00:16:45.51\00:16:47.28
of the eye and have the eye.
00:16:47.29\00:16:49.37
You know, so there is the eye,
00:16:49.38\00:16:50.98
there is the flagella,
there are many other things.
00:16:50.99\00:16:52.76
You look at DNA, how
it replicates itself.
00:16:52.77\00:16:55.68
And though this looking at them
00:16:55.69\00:16:56.99
for a scientific
ground, it didn't make sense
00:16:57.00\00:17:00.07
that all these could
have come by probability.
00:17:00.08\00:17:02.64
So then all of these
academic scientific insights
00:17:02.65\00:17:07.97
that you were getting,
it was kind of losing--
00:17:07.98\00:17:11.01
you're losing faith in the idea
00:17:11.02\00:17:14.12
that we came here by chance.
00:17:14.13\00:17:15.61
Came here by chance.
00:17:15.62\00:17:16.67
And you began to possibly ponder
00:17:16.68\00:17:18.98
the existence of
God. Is that correct?
00:17:18.99\00:17:21.48
It's not that
sometimes I had doubt.
00:17:21.49\00:17:23.76
I had to say
that, God doesn't exist.
00:17:23.77\00:17:25.73
It's not I had
completely eliminated
00:17:25.74\00:17:28.11
the possibility of God,
00:17:28.12\00:17:30.21
but it was favoring,
certainly the other--
00:17:30.22\00:17:34.42
The other option wasn't
more credible. More credible.
00:17:34.43\00:17:37.59
So how did you go
from beginning to doubt
00:17:37.60\00:17:41.00
the sophisticated
evolutionary explanations
00:17:41.01\00:17:45.79
to believe in God?
00:17:45.80\00:17:48.56
You know-- Human version. Yes.
00:17:48.57\00:17:50.76
Talking about
how God moves people.
00:17:50.77\00:17:54.64
I had friends at
school, at a university,
00:17:54.65\00:17:57.15
sixth grade university,
they invited me at their group.
00:17:57.16\00:17:59.99
And that's how they reached me.
00:18:00.00\00:18:01.80
They invited me to
school-- to church.
00:18:01.81\00:18:03.77
And I remember, I
seated in a church
00:18:03.78\00:18:05.21
and there was a downlink series
00:18:05.22\00:18:07.51
and a preacher was
talking about Daniel 2.
00:18:07.52\00:18:10.26
Wow, wow.
00:18:10.27\00:18:11.28
So you-- so in
other words, you went,
00:18:11.29\00:18:13.35
you are at
school? University? Yes.
00:18:13.36\00:18:15.41
And you were invited by--
00:18:15.42\00:18:17.08
By a student, a
fellow student and say,
00:18:17.09\00:18:19.88
"Can you come to
our Bible study?"
00:18:19.89\00:18:21.43
And so I went to the Bible study
00:18:21.44\00:18:22.82
and next his invitation
was to our church. Okay.
00:18:22.83\00:18:25.32
You know, and so remember
it's on the silence search.
00:18:25.33\00:18:29.03
I'm searching, why
death? Why life? Why suffering?
00:18:29.04\00:18:35.19
You know, and so when that
preacher explained Daniel 2,
00:18:35.20\00:18:39.67
it was
interesting because I say,
00:18:39.68\00:18:41.32
"If there is a God, who can
predict 500 years from now."
00:18:41.33\00:18:45.57
And exactly the
details happened.
00:18:45.58\00:18:47.79
This is the God I
want to give my life to,
00:18:47.80\00:18:50.37
because it makes much
more sense. That's right.
00:18:50.38\00:18:52.99
And so I went
to a local library,
00:18:53.00\00:18:56.27
tried to actually verify
what the history of Daniel 2.
00:18:56.28\00:19:00.52
Is it what Daniel says,
"Did it happen?" you know,
00:19:00.53\00:19:02.94
you look at, you know, Babylon,
00:19:02.95\00:19:04.48
Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome.
00:19:04.49\00:19:06.07
Did it happen historically?
00:19:06.08\00:19:07.52
I mean, you go to
history and it happen
00:19:07.53\00:19:09.27
exactly the same way.
00:19:09.28\00:19:11.24
You know, and so
looking at all these,
00:19:11.25\00:19:13.30
it stared affirming, you know,
00:19:13.31\00:19:15.86
the credibility of
God and more than that,
00:19:15.87\00:19:19.73
but also the
credibility of the Bible.
00:19:19.74\00:19:21.74
Yeah, I know, I like, you know,
00:19:21.75\00:19:23.47
the fact that
you've kind of showed us
00:19:23.48\00:19:25.49
how your life has moved
from, you know, Africa to here.
00:19:25.50\00:19:28.63
You know, it show us
how to deal with the tragedy
00:19:28.64\00:19:30.65
and you've spent a
little bit of time on evolution
00:19:30.66\00:19:32.42
and these things
and how they connect.
00:19:32.43\00:19:34.51
I like the fact
that you bring out
00:19:34.52\00:19:36.28
that that God perhaps
allowed these things to happen.
00:19:36.29\00:19:39.35
You go through this experience
00:19:39.36\00:19:40.72
to ultimately lead
you to your conversion.
00:19:40.73\00:19:43.66
But what can
you, what can you tell
00:19:43.67\00:19:45.92
somebody at home who, you know,
00:19:45.93\00:19:48.68
has experienced
tragedy or lost or someway
00:19:48.69\00:19:51.94
that's really,
really struggling with that.
00:19:51.95\00:19:54.19
What
encouragement you have for them?
00:19:54.20\00:19:56.59
I think, one thing is to
find the source of comfort.
00:19:56.60\00:20:02.85
What is the source of comfort?
00:20:02.86\00:20:03.94
You know, we
reserve too many things,
00:20:03.95\00:20:06.00
you know, some
reserve to drinking,
00:20:06.01\00:20:07.49
some reserve to alcohol,
some reserve to smoking,
00:20:07.50\00:20:11.15
others reserve to
food, and things like that.
00:20:11.16\00:20:13.80
And so the question is,
00:20:13.81\00:20:15.98
if I'm a
Christian, who do I turn to?
00:20:15.99\00:20:18.60
Do I turn to God?
You know, and if--
00:20:18.61\00:20:20.49
as the Bible says that all
things workout for the good
00:20:20.50\00:20:23.45
for those who
love God, you know.
00:20:23.46\00:20:25.75
If truly everything that
happening around my life,
00:20:25.76\00:20:28.88
if God is in
control, I must have the faith
00:20:28.89\00:20:32.64
that truly God is
in-charge of my life.
00:20:32.65\00:20:35.19
But also coming to that point,
00:20:35.20\00:20:36.52
finding the ultimate
source of my comfort.
00:20:36.53\00:20:39.29
You know, I
remember like Revelation 4,
00:20:39.30\00:20:41.43
you know, where Jesus
reveals Himself and He says,
00:20:41.44\00:20:44.49
"I am the beginning."
00:20:44.50\00:20:45.85
And actually in Greek
word is the word "Archaic."
00:20:45.86\00:20:48.58
I'm Archaic, the foundation
of everything that ever existed.
00:20:48.59\00:20:52.65
And so it is finding the
ultimate certainty in life.
00:20:52.66\00:20:56.82
You know, if that foundation,
which even the philosophers
00:20:56.83\00:20:59.67
have been
searching for, is Christ.
00:20:59.68\00:21:03.22
And so the response--I don't
want to sound mechanically,
00:21:03.23\00:21:06.97
but in reality, it is
only Christ that it provides
00:21:06.98\00:21:11.08
the source of
comfort for our lives.
00:21:11.09\00:21:13.87
So when you
discovered some of these truths,
00:21:13.88\00:21:16.14
Daniel 2 et cetera,
particularly the nature of man
00:21:16.15\00:21:20.36
and death and not only the
nature of man and the death,
00:21:20.37\00:21:22.34
but also the hope
of the resurrection.
00:21:22.35\00:21:25.56
How did you feel with the
trauma of losing your parents
00:21:25.57\00:21:29.80
and the
discovery that your parents
00:21:29.81\00:21:33.70
are resting in that,
there is hope for the few.
00:21:33.71\00:21:37.25
How did--tell me a
little bit about that?
00:21:37.26\00:21:38.62
How did you feel?
00:21:38.63\00:21:40.07
I think when you
find this grand theme,
00:21:40.08\00:21:43.55
particularly of
the Great Controversy,
00:21:43.56\00:21:46.19
finding that there is a
war even just beyond ourselves.
00:21:46.20\00:21:50.01
If that, it
gives you a framework,
00:21:50.02\00:21:52.21
you know, to think where
you are in this particular
00:21:52.22\00:21:54.73
grand scheme of life where am I,
00:21:54.74\00:21:57.50
and how God is
working through my life,
00:21:57.51\00:21:59.93
and how God is in?
00:21:59.94\00:22:01.27
So for me, it
provided hope that knowing
00:22:01.28\00:22:04.16
that God is in
control of everything.
00:22:04.17\00:22:07.77
You know, not only is
He-- did He create me?
00:22:07.78\00:22:11.84
But also by a
relationship with Him,
00:22:11.85\00:22:14.94
my life finds meaning.
00:22:14.95\00:22:16.37
And that's the most important
thing even to any young person.
00:22:16.38\00:22:20.37
Life finding meaning,
finding meaning in life,
00:22:20.38\00:22:23.67
you know, and
that meaning in life
00:22:23.68\00:22:25.54
can only be found in Christ.
00:22:25.55\00:22:27.42
You know, having that
relationship with Christ.
00:22:27.43\00:22:29.43
But also understanding,
where is the life headed?
00:22:29.44\00:22:32.28
You know, you look
particularly as a Adventist,
00:22:32.29\00:22:34.12
we look at
prophecy, and it gives us
00:22:34.13\00:22:36.34
with clear details
of where life is headed.
00:22:36.35\00:22:39.28
And look at the events
that happening in the world.
00:22:39.29\00:22:41.52
And so for me, if that provided
00:22:41.53\00:22:43.71
more certainty
not only in the Bible,
00:22:43.72\00:22:46.15
but also in the
existence of God.
00:22:46.16\00:22:48.35
And, of course, looking
how God has led in my life.
00:22:48.36\00:22:52.07
You know, looking the
prayers that have been answered.
00:22:52.08\00:22:55.61
All these goes more to affirm
00:22:55.62\00:22:58.26
that God's
leading in my life, yeah.
00:22:58.27\00:23:00.56
So, Valmy, this is a
quite fascinating journey
00:23:01.80\00:23:06.04
that you've been on. Yeah.
00:23:06.05\00:23:07.43
And I think, you know,
at one point you probably
00:23:07.44\00:23:11.00
had a lot of
frustration and anger,
00:23:11.01\00:23:13.35
and many of us who
probably been angry at God
00:23:13.36\00:23:16.10
at some point because, you know,
00:23:16.11\00:23:17.74
God has allowed us to
experience these things.
00:23:17.75\00:23:20.19
You know, what is a
good outlet for that anger
00:23:20.20\00:23:23.23
and that pent-up emotion?
00:23:23.24\00:23:25.37
You know, what's the
healthy way to get rid of that?
00:23:25.38\00:23:29.13
I think once
you've, of course, found God
00:23:29.14\00:23:31.92
and you have this relationship
with Him is service.
00:23:31.93\00:23:35.41
Serving-- Service?
00:23:35.42\00:23:36.55
Serving others, serving others.
00:23:36.56\00:23:39.15
You know--you know,
we build this animosity,
00:23:39.16\00:23:42.53
this hatred towards other.
00:23:42.54\00:23:43.89
It is the nature of
evil to build that animosity.
00:23:43.90\00:23:48.27
But I remember Ellen White, I
think, in Evangelism she says,
00:23:48.28\00:23:51.60
"The greatest way
to resist the evil
00:23:51.61\00:23:53.74
is through
aggressive service." Wow.
00:23:53.75\00:23:56.89
You know aggressive service.
00:23:56.90\00:23:58.31
So with so much hatred and
all these if we build on it,
00:23:58.32\00:24:02.43
the best way is to serve others.
00:24:02.44\00:24:04.83
Do an evangelistic
series. Give a Bible study.
00:24:04.84\00:24:07.36
Do something to reach you to,
00:24:07.37\00:24:09.43
and reach humanity to point them
00:24:09.44\00:24:11.20
to a greater
person than themselves,
00:24:11.21\00:24:13.64
to point them to
someone like Christ
00:24:13.65\00:24:16.11
who can transform their lives,
00:24:16.12\00:24:17.77
like He has
transformed our lives.
00:24:17.78\00:24:19.12
That is the greatest way
we can let these things go.
00:24:19.13\00:24:21.76
That I think is a
revolutionary idea.
00:24:21.77\00:24:24.28
Because, you know, when
something bad happens to us,
00:24:24.29\00:24:26.31
we tend to revel
in that experience
00:24:26.32\00:24:28.24
and wish that it
happen to somebody else
00:24:28.25\00:24:29.82
who didn't happen at
all, but you're saying
00:24:29.83\00:24:31.71
take the focus off ourselves
00:24:31.72\00:24:34.12
and intensely focus
on serving somebody else.
00:24:34.13\00:24:38.08
Yes. And you look at also,
it is the mono Christ to used
00:24:38.09\00:24:41.36
because when the
disciples of John came to Jesus
00:24:41.37\00:24:45.60
and they told Him that John the
Baptist has just been beheaded.
00:24:45.61\00:24:51.03
Christ told His disciples,
you know, drop everything.
00:24:51.04\00:24:53.98
Let's go.
00:24:53.99\00:24:55.29
They went to a
mountain to retreat themselves.
00:24:55.30\00:24:57.70
But as Jesus was
headed out into the mountains,
00:24:57.71\00:25:00.84
when He turned around,
00:25:00.85\00:25:02.21
He saw a multitude followed Him
00:25:02.22\00:25:04.78
and that's when He
told His disciples,
00:25:04.79\00:25:07.08
tell them to sit down.
00:25:07.09\00:25:08.14
That's the story
of feeding the 5,000.
00:25:08.15\00:25:10.49
So even though
Christ was pained,
00:25:10.50\00:25:12.31
John the Baptist was His cousin,
00:25:12.32\00:25:14.49
even though He was pained
00:25:14.50\00:25:15.62
by the death of
John the Baptist,
00:25:15.63\00:25:17.22
even though He was one esteemed
00:25:17.23\00:25:19.14
above all men, bone of women.
00:25:19.15\00:25:22.78
Christ didn't go just to pray,
00:25:22.79\00:25:25.61
you know, ask God
why this happened.
00:25:25.62\00:25:28.32
Instead of doing that
He resorted to service,
00:25:28.33\00:25:31.20
to minister to
others, and then you realize
00:25:31.21\00:25:33.98
that at the end of feeding
the 5,000, Jesus sends now,
00:25:33.99\00:25:37.26
after serving He
sends the disciples
00:25:37.27\00:25:39.32
and the multitude
away and He starts praying.
00:25:39.33\00:25:42.28
And after prayer that's
when He comes walking onward.
00:25:42.29\00:25:46.35
So you find that
also it is an example
00:25:46.36\00:25:49.08
that Christ left for us
00:25:49.09\00:25:51.14
that when confronted
with tragedy in life,
00:25:51.15\00:25:53.22
when confronted with
this anger, these emotions.
00:25:53.23\00:25:57.90
The best way to lead
them out is to serve. Yes.
00:25:57.91\00:26:01.75
Wow, that's a--as you said
that is quite revolutionary.
00:26:01.76\00:26:05.15
I can resonate, you
know, very, very, very little
00:26:05.16\00:26:09.10
with Valmy's experience because
I just recently lost my father,
00:26:09.11\00:26:11.95
but I wasn't as close
as you were to your father
00:26:11.96\00:26:15.74
and I can
definitely see his heart.
00:26:15.75\00:26:18.82
I can definitely
say that sometimes
00:26:18.83\00:26:20.39
it doesn't make sense.
00:26:20.40\00:26:22.00
Sometimes there
aren't any answers.
00:26:22.01\00:26:24.49
I think when you look at
scripture you find Psalms,
00:26:24.50\00:26:27.52
you find the Minor Prophets,
00:26:27.53\00:26:29.16
even inspired
prophets in writing, God why?
00:26:29.17\00:26:32.84
Why? He makes us look forward.
00:26:32.85\00:26:34.53
Yeah, even at the cross
00:26:34.54\00:26:35.54
when Jesus was
hanging at the cross,
00:26:35.55\00:26:36.76
Jesus said, "My God, my
God, why have you forsaken me?"
00:26:36.77\00:26:39.32
And I think, it
does give us hope
00:26:39.33\00:26:41.17
and that one day when
the answers will be revealed.
00:26:41.18\00:26:45.14
Valmy, thank you so
much for being here with us,
00:26:45.15\00:26:47.57
sharing this
very touching story,
00:26:47.58\00:26:49.42
and Hallelujah for what
God has done for your life.
00:26:49.43\00:26:52.75
I think, it is
feeding to end on these notes
00:26:52.76\00:26:55.54
because as we are all searching
00:26:55.55\00:26:57.69
for this ultimate hope in life,
00:26:57.70\00:26:59.25
if you look at
scripture, throughout scripture,
00:26:59.26\00:27:01.54
the emphasis is on the
second coming of Christ.
00:27:01.55\00:27:04.48
The most verses
in the New Testament
00:27:04.49\00:27:07.24
are dedicated to the
second coming of Christ.
00:27:07.25\00:27:09.39
Even in the Old Testament,
00:27:09.40\00:27:10.80
it was dedicated for
the first coming of Christ.
00:27:10.81\00:27:13.09
So the coming of
Christ is the ultimate hope.
00:27:13.10\00:27:16.63
Amen. So those that are viewing,
00:27:16.64\00:27:18.09
remember that Jesus is
coming again. Till next time.
00:27:18.10\00:27:20.94