Participants: Shelley Quinn (Host), Heather Dawn- Small
Series Code: IAA
Program Code: IAA000244
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00:29 Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn
00:31 and welcome again to "Issues and Answers." 00:32 We're so glad that you could join us today. 00:35 And today we are going to be focusing on women's issues. 00:39 Particularly, we want you to know 00:41 that whatever pain you may be going through, 00:43 you're not alone. 00:45 We all go through the same types of things. 00:47 And we want to show you 00:48 how you can allow God to comfort you in that time 00:52 and turn around and share that comfort with others 00:56 the comfort that He has given you 00:58 because God has a ministry for every woman. 01:02 Let me read to you something that Paul wrote in Titus 2:3-5. 01:09 He is counseling the women here, 01:12 the older women, the women that are more mature 01:15 and He says that-- he's telling them, 01:17 "Go out and give good counsel, 01:19 be teachers of what is right and noble. 01:22 So that they will wisely, 01:24 these older women will wisely train 01:26 the young women to be sane and sober of mind 01:30 and to love their husbands and their children." 01:33 And, you know, this is what God wants to do. 01:35 He trains us up, so we can turn around 01:37 and train others up. 01:39 We're so thrilled today to have Heather Dawn Small, 01:42 who is the Director of Women's Ministries 01:44 for the General Conference 01:46 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 01:48 And she has joined us here. 01:50 We're gonna be talking about 01:51 "A Ministry for Every Woman" touch and tale. 01:55 Heather, thank you so much for coming back. 01:56 You're welcome. Thank you. 01:58 It's always a joy to have you here. 02:00 And today, we've got so much to talk about. 02:03 I'd like to just hop right into it. 02:06 And let's talk about the issues 02:08 you traveled as Director of Women's Ministries. 02:12 For the last few years, you've been traveling the globe. 02:15 What are the main issues that women are dealing with 02:18 around the world? 02:20 We have identified six main issues 02:22 that all women face whether they're first world, 02:25 third world or in between, 02:27 all women face these issues at some point in time. 02:30 The six issues are and there's a slide 02:32 which is gonna come up. Okay. 02:34 Threats to health. A women's work load. 02:39 Then we have poverty. Lack of training and mentoring. 02:42 Abuse and illiteracy. 02:44 And all these are challenges 02:46 which women across the globe face. 02:48 Because these challenges are common to all, 02:51 I want to make sure that everyone understands. 02:52 So let's just take a few moments. 02:54 You brought some more slides with you 02:56 and let's discuss these in detail. 02:57 Okay, so let's go to the-- to the next slide, 02:59 Threats to Health. 03:01 And on this slide, 03:02 we're dealing with women's health, 03:04 which includes emotional, social and physical well-being. 03:08 The quality of a woman's health directly impacts on her life 03:14 and her well-being and also her family and society. 03:18 Now, are the threats to health different 03:20 as you go from country to country, 03:22 I mean that's a general category, 03:24 but obviously there is probably some more serious threats-- 03:26 Oh, they are so many that are the same. 03:30 Women across the world are dealing with HIV AIDS, 03:33 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart problems. 03:36 Those are the main things, cancer. 03:38 I think those are the top five 03:39 which women face across the globe. 03:41 So there is no differentiation there, 03:44 and then you have a multitude of other things. 03:46 My goodness. 03:48 And, you know, it is true that if we are-- 03:50 I tell people that when we are physically depressed 03:53 when we're--or there's a problem going on in our body, 03:55 eventually if that doesn't correct itself 03:58 or it's corrected quickly 03:59 then we become mentally depressed. That's right. 04:03 And when we are both physically and mentally depressed, 04:06 we become spiritually depressed. 04:07 That's right. 04:08 Even those of us who have a very close walk with the Lord. 04:13 You can't suffer these things 04:15 too long before they begin to affect your spiritual life. 04:17 That's very true. That's very true. 04:19 The second one is a women's workload. 04:22 And on this slide, you see it says, 04:24 "Women around the world and in all cultures 04:26 face the problem of work overloaded." 04:29 Now that is everywhere, 04:31 whether it's a first world problem 04:33 or third world problem. 04:34 It may be-- it may come in different shape 04:37 and forms and sizes, 04:39 but generally speaking 04:41 women around the world are worked to death. 04:44 We do too many things. 04:45 We've got the family to see about. 04:47 We've got work to go and see about. 04:49 We've got extended family members to see about. 04:52 We've got church work to see about. 04:54 We've got friends. 04:55 I mean, it's just a long list of all the things which we do, 04:58 and the truth is it's too much. 05:00 So it's same from culture to culture? 05:02 Same things everywhere. These things land on the women. 05:05 That's right. That's right. That's interesting. 05:07 Now the third point is poverty. 05:09 And statistics tells us that, 80% of the world's 05:12 24 million refugees are women. 05:16 And 70% of the world's poor are women 05:19 and this affects the children also. Amen. 05:22 So poverty is something that we find everywhere. 05:25 And it's interesting that even in the United States 05:28 there is a poverty problem. 05:30 There are people here who do not have anything to eat 05:33 and don't know where their next meal is coming from. 05:35 And I'm not just talking about the person 05:37 who is homeless on the streets, but there are communities 05:41 where people are really impoverished. 05:44 But it happens everywhere. 05:46 It's not just the third world problem, 05:48 it's an everywhere problem. That's amazing. 05:50 We don't think about that so much in the United States 05:53 other than maybe what we see on the news. 05:55 And then we go on to lack of training and mentoring. 05:58 And you read that text at the beginning Titus 2:3-5, 06:02 where Paul said to the women, "Those who are older, 06:05 you need to train the younger ones. 06:07 Education for all-- for all is a basic human right. 06:12 For women to achieve better health, 06:14 nutrition, and quality of life for themselves 06:16 and their families they need equal access to education." 06:20 And I want to throw in a little example here. 06:23 I was in a particular country recently 06:26 and I noticed something that really shook me inside. 06:30 I saw all these young women standing by the side of the road 06:34 with their little children and they were young women, 06:35 they look like if they were in their teens, 06:38 a few may have been in their early 20s, 06:40 but they had their little children by their sides 06:42 and they stood up with all these baskets of food on foot 06:46 selling by the side of the road. 06:48 And I asked the person who was with me, 06:49 "Why do all these women, I mean these long lines." 06:52 From village to village we saw this. 06:54 And they said because in the culture 06:56 of that particular area, 06:58 the man may have six or seven wives, 07:01 but the wife has to maintain herself and her children. 07:04 So when she marries the man, he gives her a piece of land, 07:08 she has to plant it, 07:09 she has to go and sell the fruit from it 07:13 and with it she has to maintain herself 07:16 and her children as well as cook for him once per week 07:20 if she is wife number six or wife number five 07:23 and he has six or seven wives. 07:25 So that it keeps going around like that. 07:27 And so these poor girls find themselves 07:30 from the time they're very young, 07:31 married off to some man, 07:34 who's already got so many wives. 07:35 And I thought the only thing 07:37 that could break that cycle is education. 07:40 Because these young girls have no idea 07:43 what life could hold for them beyond getting married 07:46 and planting a field? 07:47 Unless they are educated to see beyond that, 07:51 that I can be something more then 07:54 that's all they will do for their lives. 07:55 That's all they see. 07:56 Let's see, Heather Dawn, that's where we do 07:58 in the first world where we do have 08:00 an advantage over others. Yes, we do. 08:02 Because we have that available, 08:03 but isn't it true that so many people 08:07 here in the Unites States take for granted that education? 08:11 And quite frequently, young girls 08:13 maybe they find themselves 08:15 pregnant out of wedlock or something. 08:17 They'll quit schools and not worry about their education 08:20 or they don't put the emphasis on education. 08:22 That's right. 08:23 And then they find themselves 08:25 paying for the rest of their life. That's right. 08:27 And I also think to that one of the challenges 08:29 which we face in the system here is that 08:32 children get moved up from one class to the next, 08:34 especially in high school. 08:35 Not always having the skills which they need. 08:38 And a child could graduate from high school 08:41 and not really be able to read properly 08:43 or comprehend properly and then they go into college 08:46 and they really can't handle the work, 08:48 because it's way above what they are capable of, 08:51 and if we don't catch these problems early enough 08:54 and really do something to help these young people, 08:57 then by the time they reach college 08:59 or they reach to the end of high school, 09:01 they're finished with school 09:03 because this was just too tough, was too hard. 09:05 I know this is a very accurate statement 09:07 because I speak with a lot of college professors 09:09 who say that they're offering remedial courses. That's right. 09:12 Reading in English and the math even, 09:14 you know, so that's true. Yeah. 09:16 But now we're discussing those six main areas. That's right. 09:20 I probably just had two more and that was abuse, 09:24 which is on the next slide. Okay. 09:25 And abuse is a problem again worldwide across the board. 09:28 "Domestic violence, incest, rape and battering 09:31 are all too common burdens that women carry." 09:35 And the last one is illiteracy. 09:37 And illiteracy again is another big, big problem. 09:43 "1 billion adults across the world 09:45 cannot read." My goodness. 09:47 "And 2/3 of those who cannot read are women." 09:51 These problems are so huge. Yes, they are. 09:54 I'm just one person, what can I do? 09:57 Well, you know, that's the question 09:59 I asked myself a few years ago. 10:00 I had the opportunity to attend 10:04 a conference at the United Nations 10:07 and it was-- they were about 8,000 women 10:09 from around the world who came to this conference. 10:12 And I'm sitting there in the hall--in this big hall 10:15 and I'm listening to Kofi Annan, he's giving his opening address 10:18 and I'm sitting there 10:19 and I'm listening to all of these statistics. 10:23 And I'm thinking to myself, "Okay, Lord, you just put me 10:27 in this position as Director for Women's Ministries. 10:30 These problems are immense. 10:34 What in heaven's name can we possibly do?" 10:37 I mean, women of the world church, 10:40 how many of us are there 10:42 compare to the many multitude millions of them outside? 10:47 What can we do? 10:49 And as I sat there and I had my little journal 10:51 and I was writing 'cause I was completely overwhelmed by this. 10:54 God started to say to me, 10:56 "You don't have to solve that whole problem. 10:58 You just do one person at a time. 11:01 One person at a time." 11:03 And I think the big thing is begin doing something. 11:06 We do a lot of talking. We have a lot of committees. 11:09 We come up with a lot of wonderful plans, 11:11 but the action take so long to happen. 11:14 And while we're doing all of these people are dying, 11:16 people are starving, 11:17 and we need to become more active 11:20 when it comes to meeting the needs 11:22 and dealing with these problem areas. 11:24 Amen, amen. 11:26 If--tell me something because you struck some nerve 11:31 when you talked about the mentoring, 11:33 which the Bible clearly tells us to mentor. 11:35 Frequently, I'll have someone ask 11:37 if I can mentor them. 11:39 And with my schedule and the travel that I do 11:45 as wells as the administrative duties I have, 11:47 you know, sadly I've had to tell people, 11:49 I really don't have time 11:50 to become involved in a mentoring relationship. 11:54 What would you advice someone like me? 11:55 How can I do that? 11:57 Well, I have the same challenge 11:59 which you do with a busy schedule travel. 12:01 And I have had young woman come to me and say, 12:05 "Can you mentor me?" 12:06 Well, one of the areas 12:07 which we have been focusing on from our department is 12:11 leaders mentoring leaders 12:13 that those of us who are in leadership positions 12:16 need to intentionally mentor other young women 12:19 because when we leave the scene who's gonna take our place? 12:22 And so I've had to say yes to some of them. 12:24 And I'm gonna tell you, it was difficult. 12:27 I have some young ladies who invade my home. 12:30 You know, they come at my home, 12:31 they throw themselves on my bed, 12:33 you know, they talk with us, 12:34 and what I have done in order to make it more-- 12:39 to make it easier for me, to actually do is 12:42 I've kind of included them as part of the family. 12:45 So it's not that I have to take specific time out of my day 12:48 because I don't have time. 12:50 They come to my home and as I'm in the kitchen 12:53 or as I'm in the bedroom, they chat with me, 12:56 they may come by my office. 12:58 We talk on the phone, we send emails 13:00 and that's how we do it. 13:02 And they see my strong areas and they see my weak areas. 13:06 And God has been teaching me patience, 13:08 God has been teaching me-- it's not always what I want, 13:12 but I've to sometimes got to reach outside of myself. 13:14 And there are times when I have to say to them, 13:16 you know what, I'm really not up to today, 13:18 I just need some quiet time. 13:20 And they understand that 13:21 because we have that kind of connection. 13:25 But it is hard. 13:27 But sometimes all you've got to do is 13:28 to allow someone into your life, 13:31 it's almost like if they're shadowing you 13:33 and they learn from you. 13:34 A mentor does not have to be 13:36 someone who's perfect or always strong. 13:39 They have to learn from our weaknesses too. 13:40 They've got to learn what to do and what not to do. 13:43 You know, as you're talking I feel a little better 13:45 because in some ways I realize 13:47 I am mentoring at least in the workplace. 13:51 If I was thinking more of a big brother, 13:53 big sister may be. 13:55 But when we have-- 13:58 you said they don't have to see us as being perfect. 14:00 They need to recognize our weaknesses. 14:02 Actually the pain that we've experienced in our life 14:06 and how the Lord has let us through certain trials. 14:09 This is something that as we share 14:11 there's a lot of healing that goes on. Definitely. 14:13 And when we look at all of these areas, 14:16 I think of so many women in the church 14:18 who have gone through abuse or poverty, health challenges 14:24 and yet say nothing. 14:26 You know, we don't want to tell anyone our story 14:28 because it's my story. 14:31 But then whose story are you gonna tell? 14:33 Because I firmly believe that every challenge, 14:36 every trial that God has given me 14:38 is my story to the world. 14:40 That this is what God wants me to then take 14:42 and use that to reach out to someone else. 14:45 I cannot tell you how many people I have come 14:48 and contact with who have lost children 14:51 that I never intentionally went and looked for, 14:54 but that was one thing that we had in common. 14:57 I had lost a son. 14:58 They have lost a child, whether it was years ago 15:00 or recently and I'm like, 15:02 "Lord, how do these people always come into my life? 15:04 Whether it's on a plane, in an airport, 15:06 you know, a stranger somewhere." 15:08 God just keeps bringing this around. 15:11 And each time I'm able to minister from the trial 15:16 that God has either helped me go through 15:18 or He's helping me go through. Amen. 15:20 And that makes it--to me that makes all the difference 15:24 when we connect on that level. 15:25 You know, I'm just looking at the scripture 15:27 'cause I wanted to share this. 15:29 He says in 2 Corinthians, Paul writes that in Chapter 1:3. 15:36 Paul writes, "Blessed be the God 15:38 and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15:40 the Father of sympathy and comfort. 15:42 The God of every comfort who comforts us in every trouble 15:47 so that we may also be able to comfort 15:50 those who are in a kind of trouble or distress 15:54 with the same comfort that He has given us." 15:56 You know, I always tell people, 15:58 if a woman comes to me who's lost her child, 16:01 I can sympathize and I can give godly counsel. 16:05 I can't empathize all the difference in the world. 16:10 Empathy is when you've been there, 16:11 gone through yourself, 16:14 you've received that comfort from the Lord 16:16 and the way all these people come into your life, 16:19 I'm sure it's by divine appointment 16:21 because the Lord knows that you'll stand up 16:24 and share for His glory. It is. 16:26 And I think one of the things He does, 16:28 but I should say, I think I know one of the things 16:30 which He has done for me is 16:32 He gave me that verse a few years back. 16:34 I was at a women's retreat, it was a Sabbath morning 16:37 and my daughter called me all the way 16:39 from the United States to the country that I was in. 16:41 She was going through a rough time. 16:43 She was about-- I'd say maybe about 21 then 16:46 and she needed mommy and mommy wasn't there. 16:50 And I couldn't get all the details 16:53 of what was going on from her over the phone. 16:55 I needed to see her face to face. 16:57 And I got off that phone and I remember 17:00 I sat in my hotel room and I cried my eyes out. 17:03 I had to go downstairs 17:04 and preach to these sisters of my, 17:06 encourage them when my own daughter 17:08 I wasn't there to encourage her. 17:10 I was just so distressed 17:12 and I said, "Lord, I need Your help." 17:13 And immediately I felt go to the prayer room. 17:16 So I went to the prayer room 17:18 and there was one lady in the prayer room 17:19 and she said to me, "I've a text for you. 17:22 Come, let me pray with you." And that was the text she gave. 17:25 "That God will comfort me so I could comfort others." 17:28 And he gave me that comfort that day that I needed 17:31 that my mind was at peace 17:33 that He was gonna look after everything 17:34 where she was concerned, but now I needed to do 17:37 what He had called me to do which was to comfort my sisters. 17:40 And God will do that for us, 17:42 but we've got to allow Him to use that." 17:46 And we've got to get past that that wall in our mind that says, 17:51 "No, I don't want to let people see my pain. 17:54 I don't want people to know what I've been through. 17:56 I don't want them to know that this is the real me." 18:00 So it does take-- it takes quite a bit, 18:03 but it is so rewarding 18:05 when you connect with someone at that level. It is. 18:08 We're so blessed that God has called you, 18:10 Heather Dawn, to this beautiful ministry 18:13 as Director of Women's Ministry. 18:15 Now let me just-- 18:16 I'm going to for our audience' sake 18:17 recap these six things that we talked about 18:21 that are impacting women around the world 18:23 and that's, Threats to Health, A Women's Workload, Poverty, 18:26 Lack of Training or Mentoring, Abuse and Illiteracy. 18:30 What are some of the things that women, 18:33 Seventh-day Adventist Christian women 18:36 are doing around the world to help meet these things? 18:39 Oh, I couldn't begin to tell you all. 18:42 It would take far too long, 18:43 but I'll tell you some things that I see happening. 18:46 In Rwanda, that terrible genocide 18:51 left many children as orphans. 18:54 No family, I mean not even a distant cousin. 18:58 Many of them have been on the streets for years. 19:01 Our Adventist ladies decided to begin a center 19:04 where they would bring some of these orphaned girls in 19:07 and they would teach them a trade, 19:09 teach them basic writing and reading and also math, 19:13 teach them about God's word and give them that skill 19:17 to then go out to be able 19:18 to work and to support themselves. 19:21 And that has made a big difference in their lives. 19:23 Praise the Lord. 19:24 I can think about India 19:26 where our sisters do literacy training 19:27 from village to village to village. 19:29 They go and then they train everyone, 19:31 men, women and children 19:33 who need to be taught how to read. 19:35 And the amazing difference that it makes in a person's life 19:39 when for the first time they could read their name 19:42 and they can write their name. 19:43 And it makes me think of just one lady 19:46 who was working for this man 19:48 who had all these workers there on his farm 19:51 and every week she would go and she would get 19:54 her few little rupees 19:55 and she put an x and x to her name. 19:57 And the foreman was the one who was paying them, 19:59 but this one day after she had learned 20:01 how to write her name 20:03 and she was learning how to count, 20:04 she went and as she bend down, 20:06 she realized that the number of the rupees next to her name 20:11 was not the same amount that she had in her hand 20:13 and she refused to put her name down 20:15 and she began to make a big fuss. 20:17 And she went to other people and said, 20:18 "Let me count your money. Let me count your money." 20:21 Well, the owner finally saw all these confusion going on 20:23 and he came and she told him, 20:25 "We are not being paid what is on this paper." 20:29 And the owner, he realized 20:30 that the foreman had been putting it in his pocket, 20:33 giving them half and pocket in half. 20:35 Oh my goodness. 20:36 Up until that time she was never able to read and see that, 20:39 but because of our sisters who had taught her how to read, 20:43 she suddenly was able to realize I'm being cheated here. 20:46 And she was getting 20:48 half of what she should have been getting. 20:49 Oh, my goodness. That made a huge difference in her life. 20:52 I think of my sisters in other parts of Africa 20:54 that I mean, I just can't begin to tell you 20:57 all the different projects which we have going. 21:01 In Kenya, we have a Maasai Rescue Center for young girls 21:06 and we are helping those girls, 21:09 go through the school, going to high schools, 21:11 so that they can then receive an education. 21:15 And I recall one young girl, 21:17 and I went to that center and visited them. 21:19 And I said to her, "What do you want to be 21:21 when you're finished with school?" 21:23 And she said, "A lawyer." 21:24 And I thought to myself, 21:25 "What is this girl out here in the bush 21:28 know about being a lawyer." 21:29 But she had been in the school for a few years. 21:32 And I said, "Why?" And she said, 21:33 "Because I want to make laws to stop the things 21:36 that are happening to my young sisters." 21:39 Early childhood marriages. 21:40 And the mutilation. That's right. 21:42 Female genital mutilation and early childhood marriages 21:45 many of those young girls die 21:47 because by the ages of 10, 11, and 12 21:49 they've had two and three children. 21:50 Oh, my goodness. And many of them die in childbirth. 21:53 And so our sisters are going out where the need is. 21:56 Whatever part of the world it is. 21:58 Here in the United States, 22:00 I know my sisters have gone into the Appalachian Mountain 22:03 with the program call "God in Shoes." 22:05 And they have got out there and they have helped people, 22:08 they've given them health lectures 22:10 and they've taken clothes and food 22:12 and taught them about God. 22:14 Everywhere there are people in need 22:16 and we have got to do our part. 22:19 It's not for us to say, "This problem is too big." 22:23 It's for us to say to God, "Here am I, send me. Use me." 22:29 He looks after the rest. He'll bring the money. 22:31 He'll bring the people to organize. 22:33 He'll do all of that as long as He knows 22:35 we are willing to be used by Him. Amen. 22:38 And I believe that often the way the Lord trains us up 22:42 is that He will have us to be busy with our neighbors, 22:47 busy in our own community before He'll send us out. 22:50 sometimes people have these big dreams 22:53 of what they want to go and do and raise the money 22:55 and they've never even done anything on a local level. Yeah. 22:58 And I think the Lord likes us to-- 22:59 He trains us up that way. He does. 23:01 I remember one sister in the Philippines 23:03 who told me her story like that because she said, 23:05 she was just-- she knew within her heart 23:08 that God wanted her to go and teach. 23:11 In her village, she and her husband 23:13 were the only Seventh-day Adventist Christians 23:15 in that village. 23:16 And she said, "Lord, I don't know what to do, 23:19 but maybe I could go over here, maybe I could do this there in." 23:22 She began to think of all the big thing she could do." 23:24 And then she said, "She had a dream one night." 23:26 And in the dream she was in the river fishing. 23:29 And she said, she had her net in her hand 23:32 and she threw the net our far and she pulled it in 23:35 and there were no fish that came in. 23:36 She threw it out far a second time 23:39 and still no fish came. 23:40 And then a voice said to her, 23:41 "Drop the fish right in front of where you're standing, 23:45 drop the net." 23:46 And she dropped the net right where she was standing 23:49 and when she began to pull it up it was filled with fish. 23:52 She said, "Sister Small, God was telling me 23:55 I needed to fish in my neighborhood first, 23:57 in my family, by my next door neighbors 24:00 before I would even think of going to some other village." 24:02 God wants us to begin just where we are, 24:05 which is the hardest thing for some of us, 24:06 because we're not always the best Christian 24:09 to the people who are closest to us. 24:12 But that's why God-- 24:13 That's right. That's the good training. 24:15 That's very true, that's very true. 24:17 You know, as you're sitting here recounting 24:19 some of the stories in some other countries 24:22 that you've traveled 24:24 and witnessed some of these things, 24:26 have you ever become disheartened 24:29 because the problem is so large? 24:30 Have you ever come back from a trip 24:32 just feeling overwhelmed by the problems 24:35 that your sisters are facing around the world? 24:38 Yes, I have. 24:40 I remember going to a country in Africa 24:42 and coming home very discourage 24:44 because I felt that really I had done nothing 24:47 for my sisters on that trip. 24:48 And it was all because of one counseling session 24:51 I had with a young woman 24:53 whose husband had given her AIDS, 24:58 and she then passed it on to her child. 25:01 And this was a young woman in her '20s. 25:03 And she said to me, "Sister Small, I'm going to die. 25:05 My husband has died now, I'm going to die, 25:08 my child is going to die." I don't know what to do. 25:11 And I remember sitting opposite to this woman 25:14 and not having a word that I could say to her. 25:18 Everything that came to mind sounded weak. 25:23 God will help you. God will give you the strength. 25:25 I mean, every good nice platitude 25:29 that I could think of just wasn't gonna make it. 25:31 And all I could do was reach out 25:33 and pray for her and say, 25:34 "God, I don't know what to do for my sister. 25:36 Only You know what to do. Please, help her." 25:39 I came back from that my trip very depressed 25:41 because I felt as though what I was doing was not enough 25:46 and then God told me, it wasn't for me to do it, 25:49 it was for Him to do. Amen. 25:52 And that I should never ever feel 25:54 that I was the one who was gonna solve these things. 25:56 It was not mine to solve, it was His. 25:59 I remember my first year in full-time ministry 26:01 I would sometimes-- because I was at that time 26:04 traveling to five different cities 26:05 on a weekly basis and giving-- 26:08 they call them "little home churches." 26:10 I actually-- and there would be, you know, 40 or 50 people 26:12 and I would be counseling with people 26:14 and spent a lot of time on the phone. 26:15 And my mother-in-law once told me 26:17 I was sharing a few little things 26:18 with her and she said, "You can't do this. 26:20 This is gonna drive you crazy." 26:22 And I said, "No, actually all my job-- 26:25 the Lord, Lord had shown me 26:27 that my only job is to usher them 26:29 before the throne of grace." 26:30 That's right, that's right. He does the saving. 26:33 It is so amazing when you come. 26:35 How fast the time goes by, Heather Dawn? 26:38 I'm so glad that you've come back again. 26:39 I'm glad to. I've enjoyed it. 26:40 It's been wonderful having you here. 26:42 And I think this is your fourth program. Yes, it is. 26:45 Well, I am excited about the Touch the Heart, 26:49 Tell the World Ministry that the Women's Ministries 26:53 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is doing. 26:56 I'm so glad that God has called you 26:59 and appointed you to head it up. 27:01 Thank you so much. 27:02 You know, for those of you at home, 27:04 sometimes we think that 27:07 ministry is for someone more talented, 27:09 more gifted maybe with more education. 27:13 You know what? 27:14 God can use you right where you are. 27:16 You can plant a bloom where you planted 27:19 as Molly always is saying. 27:22 If you will just reach out in love, 27:25 demonstrate what God has done for you 27:28 by sharing your testimony, sharing your love, 27:31 just helping to meet someone's need 27:34 who is close by you. 27:36 And you will be amazed at how God can use you 27:39 to comfort others to bring them hope 27:42 just to introduce them maybe to Jesus Christ. 27:46 Thank you for joining us today. 27:48 Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, 27:50 the love of the Father 27:52 and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you. |
Revised 2014-12-17