My guest is Doctor Gaspar Colon
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who from many years has
been involved in urban ministry.
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Thanks for joining us, Gaspar.
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Thank you.
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When we think
about urban mission
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we think of the huge
challenge to start with.
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Just the sheen numbers.
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Why is urban mission
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such a
specialized sort of ministry,
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what is different
about urban missionary?
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Well, traditionally
Christianity in general
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has depended a lot on
the broadcast preaching.
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Just throwing
the message out there
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and letting the
receptive hearts pick it up.
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More recently we're realizing
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that with the
raise of secularism
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and the lot of the
things that are happening
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in our social structure
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that you need to
approach the community
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in a way that is more targeted,
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more knowledgeable of
the needs of the community
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and do assessment
before you make plans-
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All right.
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To meet the
needs of the community
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and earn the right
to preach the gospel
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in that particular area
so that people will listen.
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I've often said that the,
that the whisper of a friend
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is much more palatable
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than the shout of a stranger.
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When a friend whispers to
you it is much more effective
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than a shouting
stranger in a distance.
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And so assessing community,
discovering who is there,
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developing relationships
within that community
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help us to know exactly where
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we fit into the
community's structure.
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And the
gatekeepers of the community
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then wind up trusting us
enough to give us the space
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to be able to as
members of the community
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to speak forth and preach forth
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and have the kind of integrity
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that the community
looks for in an organization
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that wants to preach
the gospel of Jesus Christ.
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Okay so just
briefly, how do you go
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about this
assessment of the community?
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What we've always suggested it
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through the center
for Metropolitan Ministry
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is to have the
board of the church
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determine who
will be part of their
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Social Action Leadership Team.
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That's S-A-L-T, SALT
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and that SALT committee
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or the Social Action
Leadership Team Committee
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becomes responsible
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for doing some of
the basics spadework
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that is necessary
to assess the gifts,
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talents, opportunities that,
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that come from
within the church itself.
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And then also to get an
assessment of the community
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that interviews
leaders in the community,
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leaders in business,
leaders in education,
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leaders in public service.
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And all of the bankers
and people in the community
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that know more
about the community.
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When you take
what you've learned
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about your members and
what motivates your members
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and you learn what the community
itself would like to see
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and the vision of the
future that, that community has
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and you bring those together
then you have a field of dreams
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in which you couple
what excites your members
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with what the community itself
is saying that it wants to do.
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And it's at that point
that you can begin to do
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strategic planning with
specific areas of ministry
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that are going to
impact the community
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in a very special way.
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Can you give me an
example of a church
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or congregational
people that have done this?
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Well, I don't
teach anything that
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we don't do in my own church.
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But in my own church for
the last ten years itself
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we repeatedly have
every four or five years
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we've gone out and we've done
an assessment of the community.
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One of the things
that we discovered was that
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the community
around our church is-
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we are very affluent.
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We have these little
starter castles that,
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you know, people
built and the families there
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but couples are working so hard
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to pay their
bills and everything
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that the relationship between
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husband and wife
is breaking apart.
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And so we decided, we
should do couples retreats
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that will help
these individual to learn
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to communicate
better with each other.
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The problem was that we
did not have the social capital
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in that community
for people to trust us
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enough to come to
something like that.
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So we began to partner
with entities in the community,
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in this case,
with a Methodist Church
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and together we
put a program together
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that would meet the needs
of couples in that community.
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That has become
one of the institutions
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within that community
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that every year we have couples
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from different
religious groups coming together
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and its Bible centered
and it's led by our church.
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And but we have a
cooperative relationship
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that allows us then
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to speak forth without
any barrier whatsoever.
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So here you found
out what the need was,
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he found people
within the congregation
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who would help meet
that need connected.
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Exactly.
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Now just briefly remind us
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of Christ method
of ministry, Gaspar?
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Well, you know
Ministry of Healing page 143
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it says "Christ's method
alone will give true success
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in reaching the people."
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The Savior mingled,
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you know, and I'm in
a college environment
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in a university of environment
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and young people
think of mingling
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but that word is
a little too high.
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So mingling,
kicking or hanging out,
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he show sympathy for them.
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He minister to their
needs, He won their confidence
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and then and only then
that He is say "follow me."
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Fantastic, and that is the,
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that is the blueprint
for effective urban mission.
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Thank you so much for
sharing with us today, Gaspar.
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Thank you.
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If you'd want to
find out more information
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about Mission to the Cities,
go to MissionToTheCities.org
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and just a
reminder if you would like
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a sample copy of the
Adventist Mission DVD
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which contains mission stories
from all around the world
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including urban mission stories.
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Just look at the
information in your screen
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and you can get that if
you live in North America.
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Along the coast of Peru
lies the town of Huanchaco.
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Once a small beach town with
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no Seventh-day
Adventist community,
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Huanchaco is now home
to a growing congregation.
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When Eva Sanchez moved here,
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she longed for a
church community.
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Since the closest
Seventh-day Adventist Church
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was more than a 30
minute bus ride away,
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Eva took it upon herself to
be a witness in her own town.
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Eva found a
small, humble building
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to have meetings in
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and invited the
whole community to attend.
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After seeing the
effectiveness of the meetings
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Eva realized the
great need for a church
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within this community.
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With a growing interest
from the people in Huanchaco,
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Eva is still reaching
out to those searching
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for the light of Jesus.
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Sometimes she
walks great distances
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to visit people in their homes
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and develops
lasting relationships
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with those she reaches out to.
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Her efforts have had
great impact on her community.
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"I share the gospel
because I'm thankful to God
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because Jesus touched my heart
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and I really feel
the power of Jesus.
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I want to continue
to share the gospel."
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Eva has finally
found the church community
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she longed for when
she moved to Huanchaco.
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As the numbers in this
congregation continue to grow,
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their church building
remains the same size.
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They are hoping to
expand their building
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to fit the needs
of the congregation.
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The needs for this
church and many others
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around the world are great.
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Please pray for the
faithful members in Huanchaco,
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that they may continue to grow
in the light to their community.
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And thank you for
your support of the mission
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of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church.
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Well, I hope you've enjoyed out
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360 degree view of
mission all around the world.
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From the coast of Peru to
the highlands of Indonesia,
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from teaming
cities to remote villages
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people are showing
the light of Jesus love.
00:10:07.53\00:10:11.22
Please pray for the
people and places you see here
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and for the many
frontline mission workers
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around the globe.
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And thank you,
for your continuing
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financial support of mission
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that helps make so
much of this possible.
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As we close
let's add one more stop
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to our worldwide mission tour
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and visit the
continent of Africa
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to hear at prison choir, sing.
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Thanks for joining us today.
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I'm Gary Krause and
I hope you can join me
00:10:36.18\00:10:38.08
next time right here on
Global Mission Snapshots.
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[singing in foreign language]
00:10:57.66\00:11:02.66