>> Hello and welcome to
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It Is Written Canada.
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You may remember that
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last week we listened to
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Neil Peralta who was the only
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witness to a murder.
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A woman who was living in the
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lower level of his house
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was murdered by her husband.
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[Mike] Neil told us the story
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of how he, at age of fourteen,
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overheard screaming
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coming from downstairs.
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And when the screaming finally
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subsided, the blood-stained
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father came upstairs carrying
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a knife in one hand and
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his five-month-old baby girl
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in the other.
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That baby girl's name
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was Jolly Grace.
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>> Neil then held out his arms
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and received the helpless
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infant daughter whose mother
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had just been murdered.
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After some years of grief,
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processing this traumatic
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experience, Neil found hope
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and the ability to forgive
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Jolly's dad.
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[Mike] Neil's family became
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a surrogate family
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to Jolly Grace when Jolly's
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Auntie Divina, at the age of
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twenty-one came from the
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Philippines to raise her niece
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and become Jolly's new mother.
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>> In a moment, we will
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continue with the second part
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of this compelling story of
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how God's amazing grace
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worked in the midst of this
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horrific crime, heart-break,
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and tragedy.
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¤¤
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>> Jolly, it is wonderful to
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have you back this week and
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that was a traumatic
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experience that happened when
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you were a little baby and you
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then were put in the arms
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of Neil and he was like a
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brother to you.
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And then you had your
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mother or your auntie,
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your mother's sister come over
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from the Philippines and she
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now became your mother.
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Tell us about that.
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>> Yeah, so growing up
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I saw her as my mom.
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I would call her "Mom" every
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time I'd see her basically so
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she'd be my mom.
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But growing up I
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found out from someone,
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they asked me, they were like,
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"Hey, Jolly, how's your aunt?"
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And I was like, "My aunt?"
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Like, "Who's that?"
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You know?
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Like, "I don't know"
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"who you're talking about."
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They were like,
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"Your Auntie Divina."
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And I was like, "She's not my"
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"aunt, she's my mom."
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And so that really confused me
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there and so I didn't really
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address it right away to her.
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I kind of kept it
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to myself and tried to, like,
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think about
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why they were saying that.
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And then I finally asked her.
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I was like, "Why did this"
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"person call you my aunt?"
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And that was when she kind of
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told me a little bit of the
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reason and not
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in depth of what happened.
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But she did tell me,
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she was like,
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"Well, your mom passed away"
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"and I came here"
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"to be your legal guardian"
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"and so we didn't want to"
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"tell you until you"
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"were older where you could"
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"understand fully."
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And so when I realized that
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she wasn't my mom
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and that she was my aunt,
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my whole mindset of everything
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kind of switched
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and turned around.
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And I was like, "OK, well..."
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"What now?" You know?
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And in a sense, I kind of lost
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who I was and so it was really
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hard to kind of find my way
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back from finding out that
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she wasn't my mom and then
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finding out what actually
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happened to my mom.
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>> So how old were you
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at this time
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more or less, Jolly?
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>> I was probably about eleven.
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I don't really remember,
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but I was around that age,
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like eleven or ten when
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they told me about everything.
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>> And when you heard the
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story, you're talking about
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what happened that night and
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when your mom passed away.
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How did you feel about that?
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>> I was really confused.
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I was very much in denial and
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I said to myself, like,
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"That couldn't have happened"
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"to me." You know?
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And a little bit I was kind of
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angry and like mad and
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thinking like, "Why would you"
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"tell that to me?" You know?
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"Why would you say something"
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"like that to me?"
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And so I had to kind of just
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think to myself and really,
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let that, you know, sink in
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for me to really ponder on it.
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And so it finally kind of hit
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me that that was my reality
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and that's what happened.
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And so, yeah, ever since that
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moment of being told
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what had happened to my mom
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and my dad, you know...
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It just definitely changed
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my whole life.
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>> What were your feelings
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like towards your dad?
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>> I was feeling very mad.
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because I never thought that,
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you know, having a dad,
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you know a dad is supposed to
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be loving, caring, you know,
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supposed to be there for you,
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but it just felt like he
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didn't really care and so
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that's how I felt
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for most of my life and
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I was very, very, very mad.
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Yeah.
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>> And have you seen your dad,
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Jolly?
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>> I've only seen him twice
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so-- and those two times were
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when I was like really little
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so I wasn't even ten.
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I was pretty small still.
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But I did have a chat with him
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on the phone when I was
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graduating high school
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and that was the only time--
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that was the last time
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actually that I talked to him.
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But I've only seen him
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only twice.
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Yeah.
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>> So what did you do with all
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those feelings of being angry
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with him?
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Do you still feel that way?
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>> No, I've--
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It took me a while to kind of
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have like a peace of mind
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and just have a
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calming over myself
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because for a really long time
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I struggled with
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finding out who I was
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like where I fit in,
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where I belonged.
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I struggled with forgiveness,
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forgiving my dad.
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And for a little while I was
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struggling with forgiving God
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and being angry with Him
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because all my life I was
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taught, you know,
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"God is a loving God."
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You know, "He helps us"
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"through all of our trials"
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"and everything that we go"
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"through in life."
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And I would think, "Well why"
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"did You let this happen?"
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You know, "Why weren't You"
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"there during that night?"
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And so, yeah, I really bottled
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a lot of that up inside of me.
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And I think the one thing that
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really saved me was music.
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Music kind of pulled me
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out of my shell,
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it let me see God in a
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different perspective.
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Having that in my life,
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that's when I realized
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that He is,
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He truly is a loving God,
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you know...
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There are things that happen
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in this-- in our life
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that we don't fully agree with
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and we get mad at God
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just like that,
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but in His eyes,
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He never wants anything
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bad to happen to us.
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But because of--
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Going back to the very
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beginning, like, Adam and Eve,
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that first sin,
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you know, and being--
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not knowing like,
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"OK, yeah, God,"
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you know, "You've--"
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"You make things happen"
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"or You allow things to happen"
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"in our life that we truly"
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"don't understand,"
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"but we have to find it in"
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"our heart that" you know,
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"that's not the work of God,"
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you know?
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And that's the work of Satan
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because he's the one that
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prowls in our life and tries
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to take advantage of
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His children.
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And for me I had to really,
00:09:57.76\00:10:00.76
really dig deep
00:10:00.76\00:10:02.26
in my heart that--
00:10:02.26\00:10:05.23
Allow myself to forgive
00:10:05.23\00:10:08.57
not only my dad, but also
00:10:08.57\00:10:11.61
to forgive the fact that I was
00:10:11.61\00:10:13.91
putting so much blame on God
00:10:13.91\00:10:16.11
and that He didn't
00:10:16.11\00:10:19.15
need any of that
00:10:19.15\00:10:20.88
because He was there.
00:10:20.88\00:10:23.75
But it took me a while to
00:10:23.75\00:10:25.49
really forgive,
00:10:25.49\00:10:28.82
but I had to change my mindset
00:10:28.82\00:10:34.56
of who I was and the mindset
00:10:34.56\00:10:37.63
of who God was to me.
00:10:37.63\00:10:40.27
>> What helped you to find out
00:10:40.27\00:10:41.84
who you were,
00:10:41.84\00:10:42.77
gave you a sense of belonging?
00:10:42.77\00:10:44.94
>> So, you know, growing up
00:10:44.94\00:10:47.51
in a family, you would think
00:10:47.51\00:10:49.21
that, yeah, your family is
00:10:49.21\00:10:50.51
the people who are gonna be
00:10:50.51\00:10:53.55
there to build you up and
00:10:53.55\00:10:57.32
to help you grow and become
00:10:57.32\00:10:59.82
the person you are.
00:10:59.82\00:11:02.09
My family definitely did that,
00:11:02.09\00:11:03.66
but I had a different dynamic
00:11:03.66\00:11:05.89
because of what had
00:11:05.89\00:11:07.03
happened to me and so
00:11:07.03\00:11:10.87
the people who were there and
00:11:10.87\00:11:14.04
who really understood me from
00:11:14.04\00:11:18.74
my core were my best friends.
00:11:18.74\00:11:21.34
They were the ones who
00:11:21.34\00:11:24.01
really helped me
00:11:24.01\00:11:25.48
find who I was
00:11:25.48\00:11:27.75
and who helped me gain
00:11:27.75\00:11:29.28
that sense of belonging.
00:11:29.28\00:11:32.22
>> And so you had a core group
00:11:32.22\00:11:34.42
that-- you grew up together,
00:11:34.42\00:11:36.73
you went to church together,
00:11:36.73\00:11:38.49
you went to school together...
00:11:38.49\00:11:39.56
>> Yeah.
00:11:39.56\00:11:40.60
>> And that's where your
00:11:40.60\00:11:42.03
family was really...
00:11:42.03\00:11:43.16
>> Mm-hmm. Yeah.
00:11:43.16\00:11:44.70
>> That connection.
00:11:44.70\00:11:45.87
>> Yeah.
00:11:45.87\00:11:46.60
>> So tell us about music.
00:11:46.60\00:11:48.20
Music is a big part of
00:11:48.20\00:11:49.30
your life.
00:11:49.30\00:11:50.41
You were saying that's how God
00:11:50.41\00:11:51.74
came to you was through music.
00:11:51.74\00:11:53.21
>> Yes.
00:11:53.21\00:11:54.58
>> What is music to you?
00:11:54.58\00:11:55.84
>> Umm...
00:11:55.84\00:11:57.28
So when I was little,
00:11:57.28\00:11:59.78
I did a lot of singing.
00:11:59.78\00:12:01.55
I sang at church,
00:12:01.55\00:12:03.08
I sang at school,
00:12:03.08\00:12:05.05
honestly, I sang
00:12:05.05\00:12:07.16
everywhere I went, you know,
00:12:07.16\00:12:08.69
at home, the shower,
00:12:08.69\00:12:10.29
just anywhere I could.
00:12:10.29\00:12:13.90
And music to me before, it was
00:12:13.90\00:12:18.13
more of a place where I could
00:12:18.13\00:12:21.57
just be myself and kind of
00:12:21.57\00:12:23.97
pour my feelings out
00:12:23.97\00:12:24.81
in that way.
00:12:24.81\00:12:26.37
As I got older, music became
00:12:26.37\00:12:30.38
more of a statement and more
00:12:30.38\00:12:33.08
of a testimony and that's
00:12:33.08\00:12:35.88
where I found worship as well.
00:12:35.88\00:12:40.22
[Jolly] And so connecting
00:12:40.22\00:12:41.89
those two, music and worship,
00:12:41.89\00:12:44.96
it really helped me
00:12:44.96\00:12:46.93
know who God was to me.
00:12:46.93\00:12:50.47
And so leading worship,
00:12:50.47\00:12:54.07
leading worship at school,
00:12:54.07\00:12:55.87
leading worship at church,
00:12:55.87\00:12:57.61
it allowed me to
00:12:57.61\00:13:00.08
be in that space of surrender,
00:13:00.08\00:13:04.88
and be in that space of
00:13:04.88\00:13:07.68
humbleness and it was just
00:13:07.68\00:13:09.92
me and God.
00:13:09.92\00:13:12.05
Music was my language of
00:13:12.05\00:13:15.79
how I could speak to God
00:13:15.79\00:13:17.89
and to other people.
00:13:17.89\00:13:19.86
>> So was that--
00:13:19.86\00:13:21.33
the music allowed you to have
00:13:21.33\00:13:22.80
that strong connection with
00:13:22.80\00:13:24.87
God, that's the way you
00:13:24.87\00:13:26.60
connected with Him and how you
00:13:26.60\00:13:28.20
formed this beautiful
00:13:28.20\00:13:30.34
relationship with Him where it
00:13:30.34\00:13:31.81
was just you and God and you
00:13:31.81\00:13:33.61
could talk to Him through your
00:13:33.61\00:13:36.08
music and He would talk to you
00:13:36.08\00:13:38.88
through your music.
00:13:38.88\00:13:39.91
>> Yeah.
00:13:39.91\00:13:40.95
>> That's wonderful!
00:13:40.95\00:13:42.15
>> You've written a number of
00:13:42.15\00:13:43.99
songs and there's a song we
00:13:43.99\00:13:46.35
want you to perform now for us
00:13:46.35\00:13:48.29
and share with our guests.
00:13:48.29\00:13:51.19
Can you tell us a little bit
00:13:51.19\00:13:52.06
about that song before we
00:13:52.06\00:13:53.06
listen to it?
00:13:53.06\00:13:54.13
>> Yeah, so it's a song I
00:13:54.13\00:13:56.36
wrote a long, long time ago
00:13:56.36\00:13:58.83
and it was when I was in this
00:13:58.83\00:14:03.20
position in my life that I was
00:14:03.20\00:14:06.14
trying to find out who I was
00:14:06.14\00:14:07.84
and who God was to me.
00:14:07.84\00:14:10.08
And I just remember as I was
00:14:10.08\00:14:12.08
writing down kind of words,
00:14:12.08\00:14:15.92
all I thought was how God
00:14:15.92\00:14:19.39
saw me for who I was.
00:14:19.39\00:14:21.32
He saw my broken pieces,
00:14:21.32\00:14:23.22
but He was still there
00:14:23.22\00:14:25.83
and He was there to put them
00:14:25.83\00:14:27.73
all back together like nothing
00:14:27.73\00:14:30.20
had happened, you know?
00:14:30.20\00:14:32.27
And it was a journey of me
00:14:32.27\00:14:34.27
figuring out myself
00:14:34.27\00:14:37.57
and realizing that throughout
00:14:37.57\00:14:39.54
everything God was there,
00:14:39.54\00:14:40.91
you know?
00:14:40.91\00:14:41.58
He saw me for who I was.
00:14:41.58\00:14:43.45
and He allowed--
00:14:43.45\00:14:44.95
And He was patient with me,
00:14:44.95\00:14:46.68
you know, He allowed that
00:14:46.68\00:14:47.65
time of growth
00:14:47.65\00:14:50.82
for me to know who He was.
00:14:50.82\00:14:52.99
So yeah.
00:14:52.99\00:14:54.56
>> So what's the name
00:14:54.56\00:14:55.62
of the song?
00:14:55.62\00:14:56.42
>> It's called You Saw Me.
00:14:56.42\00:14:57.63
>> You Saw Me.
00:14:57.63\00:14:59.13
OK, we're gonna listen to
00:14:59.13\00:15:00.10
that song right now.
00:15:00.10\00:15:01.70
¤The day that I first saw You
00:15:15.21\00:15:21.22
¤I felt like I was home
00:15:21.22\00:15:27.99
¤You picked up all the pieces
00:15:27.99\00:15:30.93
¤from my heart
00:15:30.93\00:15:32.59
¤and You turned them back to
00:15:32.59\00:15:34.40
¤life for the very first time
00:15:34.40\00:15:39.17
¤and You saw me
00:15:39.17\00:15:42.44
¤You saw through my heart
00:15:42.44\00:15:45.34
¤and You loved me
00:15:45.34\00:15:47.44
¤You loved me
00:15:47.44\00:15:48.71
¤with all my pain
00:15:48.71\00:15:52.15
¤and You gave me
00:15:52.15\00:15:55.82
¤You gave me a chance
00:15:55.82\00:15:58.95
¤to be loved, loved
00:15:58.95\00:16:01.39
¤all by You
00:16:01.39\00:16:04.39
¤You saw me
00:16:04.39\00:16:10.87
¤You reached out to me
00:16:13.87\00:16:19.64
¤And gave me my first hope
00:16:20.81\00:16:27.35
¤You are my heart and my life
00:16:27.35\00:16:31.79
¤The one and only thing
00:16:31.79\00:16:34.79
¤that my heart beats for
00:16:34.79\00:16:38.46
¤And You saw me
00:16:38.46\00:16:42.03
¤You saw through my heart
00:16:42.03\00:16:44.63
¤and You loved me
00:16:44.63\00:16:47.14
¤You loved me
00:16:47.14\00:16:48.14
¤with all my pain
00:16:48.14\00:16:51.71
¤And You gave me
00:16:51.71\00:16:55.24
¤You gave me a chance
00:16:55.24\00:16:58.25
¤To be loved, loved
00:16:58.25\00:17:00.68
¤adored by You
00:17:00.68\00:17:03.89
¤You saw me
00:17:03.89\00:17:07.29
¤You found me
00:17:07.29\00:17:10.56
¤and You gave me life
00:17:10.56\00:17:13.13
¤that I never thought I had
00:17:13.13\00:17:17.30
¤You saw me
00:17:17.30\00:17:20.44
¤You found me
00:17:20.44\00:17:23.77
¤And You gave me life
00:17:23.77\00:17:26.64
¤that I thought I had lost
00:17:26.64\00:17:31.91
¤You saw me
00:17:34.95\00:17:38.79
¤You saw through my heart
00:17:38.79\00:17:41.52
¤and you loved me
00:17:41.52\00:17:43.83
¤You loved me
00:17:43.83\00:17:44.83
¤with all my pain
00:17:44.83\00:17:48.33
¤and You gave me
00:17:48.33\00:17:51.83
¤You gave me a chance
00:17:51.83\00:17:54.94
¤to be loved, loved
00:17:54.94\00:17:57.44
¤all by You
00:17:57.44\00:18:00.58
¤You saw me
00:18:00.58\00:18:08.78
¤¤
00:18:12.59\00:18:17.59
[Divina] Jolly Grace, she lost
00:18:17.59\00:18:19.76
her mom at her young age and
00:18:19.76\00:18:22.36
I felt like
00:18:22.36\00:18:24.53
it was a hard start for her
00:18:24.53\00:18:27.14
when she was a baby and
00:18:27.14\00:18:29.80
we prayed so hard.
00:18:29.80\00:18:31.51
The only thing that we can do
00:18:31.51\00:18:33.17
is that we prayed with my
00:18:33.17\00:18:34.58
family and we have such
00:18:34.58\00:18:36.68
supportive church members
00:18:36.68\00:18:40.15
giving us some clues how to
00:18:40.15\00:18:42.02
raise her, how to guide her to
00:18:42.02\00:18:44.92
become a God-fearing woman.
00:18:44.92\00:18:48.52
[Divina] She has a kind heart.
00:18:48.52\00:18:51.16
She's not perfect,
00:18:51.16\00:18:52.99
just like any other kid,
00:18:52.99\00:18:54.46
she has ups and downs, too.
00:18:54.46\00:18:57.00
And she was so passionate in
00:18:57.00\00:18:58.57
singing, I saw that.
00:18:58.57\00:19:00.07
I think that's the talent--
00:19:00.07\00:19:02.50
And I believe that's a talent
00:19:02.50\00:19:04.11
that God has given her
00:19:04.11\00:19:06.04
because she's just loves--
00:19:06.04\00:19:07.58
has the passion and the
00:19:07.58\00:19:08.81
love in doing it.
00:19:08.81\00:19:10.61
[Divina] and we're so proud of
00:19:10.61\00:19:12.25
her that she's using it for
00:19:12.25\00:19:16.05
reaching out to other people
00:19:16.05\00:19:18.19
through music and we're just
00:19:18.19\00:19:20.12
praying that she will continue
00:19:20.12\00:19:21.62
in serving the Lord with all
00:19:21.62\00:19:24.96
her heart and using that
00:19:24.96\00:19:28.50
talent, God-given talent
00:19:28.50\00:19:30.53
to her for His glory alone.
00:19:30.53\00:19:33.30
¤¤
00:19:33.30\00:19:36.54
>> Neil, you've come
00:19:38.71\00:19:39.47
to join us.
00:19:39.47\00:19:40.74
How was Jolly growing up as
00:19:40.74\00:19:43.48
a singer?
00:19:43.48\00:19:44.98
>> Well, as a singer,
00:19:44.98\00:19:46.51
she was at first shy.
00:19:46.51\00:19:48.28
And our family worships I
00:19:48.28\00:19:50.52
remember my dad and my mom,
00:19:50.52\00:19:53.52
her grandparents, would then
00:19:53.52\00:19:55.89
encourage me to help her
00:19:55.89\00:19:58.23
and to sing.
00:19:58.23\00:20:00.10
And my dad said, "OK, Jolly,"
00:20:00.10\00:20:02.03
"you're gonna go up in front"
00:20:02.03\00:20:03.53
"of us every time in worship"
00:20:03.53\00:20:05.03
"at the end, we're gonna sing"
00:20:05.03\00:20:06.74
"the song, Thank You, Lord"
00:20:06.74\00:20:08.97
"and you're gonna conduct us"
00:20:08.97\00:20:10.94
"at the same time."
00:20:10.94\00:20:12.71
We would encourage her to sing
00:20:12.71\00:20:14.24
other songs and then
00:20:14.24\00:20:15.54
eventually she became
00:20:15.54\00:20:17.25
comfortable singing in front
00:20:17.25\00:20:18.71
of us and then she became
00:20:18.71\00:20:21.12
comfortable singing in front of
00:20:21.12\00:20:22.72
our church members.
00:20:22.72\00:20:24.62
And so that's where her
00:20:24.62\00:20:27.76
talents of singing,
00:20:27.76\00:20:29.19
her love of singing started
00:20:29.19\00:20:30.96
was because our family did
00:20:30.96\00:20:33.56
that together as a family.
00:20:33.56\00:20:36.50
>> So, Neil, tell me about,
00:20:36.50\00:20:37.97
how does Jolly--
00:20:37.97\00:20:39.83
Like, how is she compared
00:20:39.83\00:20:41.30
to her mom?
00:20:41.30\00:20:42.87
>> Her mom was an extrovert.
00:20:42.87\00:20:45.01
When she was around her
00:20:45.01\00:20:46.61
friends, her best friends and
00:20:46.61\00:20:49.24
they just loved to hang out
00:20:49.24\00:20:50.81
with each other, they loved to
00:20:50.81\00:20:51.65
cook with each other and
00:20:51.65\00:20:53.55
sometimes you would often see
00:20:53.55\00:20:54.82
them singing karaoke together
00:20:54.82\00:20:57.29
and it was the singing and the
00:20:57.29\00:20:59.25
love of being together and
00:20:59.25\00:21:01.26
the quiet part of her was she
00:21:01.26\00:21:02.79
was a deep thinker as well
00:21:02.79\00:21:05.16
and I often see that with
00:21:05.16\00:21:06.66
Jolly that Jolly's also
00:21:06.66\00:21:09.26
a deep thinker, she doesn't
00:21:09.26\00:21:10.60
make choices right away,
00:21:10.60\00:21:12.63
but she thoughtfully
00:21:12.63\00:21:13.84
thinks through it.
00:21:13.84\00:21:15.77
>> I wanna get from your
00:21:15.77\00:21:16.94
perspective,
00:21:16.94\00:21:18.61
here you have, Neil,
00:21:18.61\00:21:21.01
this little girl who
00:21:21.01\00:21:22.08
starts to realize,
00:21:22.08\00:21:23.75
"This is not my family,"
00:21:23.75\00:21:26.01
"this is my auntie."
00:21:26.01\00:21:27.68
Now, you had to tell her the
00:21:27.68\00:21:29.25
story of the night when her
00:21:29.25\00:21:31.39
mother was murdered.
00:21:31.39\00:21:33.52
How did she take it?
00:21:33.52\00:21:34.86
How did that work,
00:21:34.86\00:21:36.19
that experience?
00:21:36.19\00:21:37.59
>> Well, it was hard at first
00:21:37.59\00:21:39.63
to tell her because when she
00:21:39.63\00:21:41.50
first found out, it was out of
00:21:41.50\00:21:43.50
anger that someone told her.
00:21:43.50\00:21:46.50
And then she came running to
00:21:46.50\00:21:49.30
us and she was crying
00:21:49.30\00:21:52.24
and then she was asking,
00:21:52.24\00:21:54.28
"Is it true of what happened"
00:21:54.28\00:21:56.64
"with my mom and dad?"
00:21:56.64\00:21:58.91
And so at that time it became
00:21:58.91\00:22:00.78
pretty awkward because we were
00:22:00.78\00:22:02.65
hoping to tell her when she
00:22:02.65\00:22:03.99
was much older,
00:22:03.99\00:22:05.15
around maybe eighteen or twenty.
00:22:05.15\00:22:08.96
But then she found out at a
00:22:08.96\00:22:10.89
young age and so I took it
00:22:10.89\00:22:12.99
upon myself to tell her my
00:22:12.99\00:22:15.40
side of the story because I
00:22:15.40\00:22:16.97
felt the responsibility that
00:22:16.97\00:22:19.13
since I was the one there that
00:22:19.13\00:22:20.50
night and since I had to go
00:22:20.50\00:22:22.14
through that hurdle of
00:22:22.14\00:22:23.74
learning how to forgive her
00:22:23.74\00:22:24.77
father and to be able to
00:22:24.77\00:22:27.01
overcome that,
00:22:27.01\00:22:28.81
I took it upon myself to share
00:22:28.81\00:22:31.48
that story, but also in a
00:22:31.48\00:22:33.52
compassionate way, but in a
00:22:33.52\00:22:34.48
real way so that she could
00:22:34.48\00:22:36.28
understand that what happened
00:22:36.28\00:22:38.25
that night was a bad decision,
00:22:38.25\00:22:40.39
a bad choice.
00:22:40.39\00:22:41.86
and that evil played in it,
00:22:41.86\00:22:43.83
but yet God came and
00:22:43.83\00:22:45.59
intervened on her part
00:22:45.59\00:22:46.90
and my part.
00:22:46.90\00:22:48.16
And so when she first heard
00:22:48.16\00:22:49.43
it, it was very hard on her.
00:22:49.43\00:22:50.87
She did cry.
00:22:50.87\00:22:52.87
And often--
00:22:52.87\00:22:55.10
And then from then on, I would
00:22:55.10\00:22:57.47
just check up on her and just
00:22:57.47\00:22:59.91
remind her that, "Remember,
00:22:59.91\00:23:01.58
"we are your family."
00:23:01.58\00:23:03.14
You know...
00:23:03.14\00:23:04.85
"Although how tragic this may"
00:23:04.85\00:23:06.41
"have been how you ended up"
00:23:06.41\00:23:07.65
"with us, but we are your"
00:23:07.65\00:23:08.82
"family, we love you."
00:23:08.82\00:23:10.79
And we would always
00:23:10.79\00:23:11.99
reassure her that
00:23:11.99\00:23:13.32
"No matter what,"
00:23:13.32\00:23:14.42
"we're gonna be here for you."
00:23:14.42\00:23:16.16
"No matter what."
00:23:16.16\00:23:19.03
>> So we've come to the end of
00:23:19.03\00:23:20.83
our time, but I just want to
00:23:20.83\00:23:23.97
know like, where does the rest
00:23:23.97\00:23:26.10
of the family come in?
00:23:26.10\00:23:27.77
Have they been able
00:23:27.77\00:23:28.94
to forgive?
00:23:28.94\00:23:29.97
Is it still--
00:23:29.97\00:23:31.47
I can just see that this is a
00:23:31.47\00:23:32.57
very sensitive topic and
00:23:32.57\00:23:33.94
you're being very vulnerable
00:23:33.94\00:23:35.48
and sharing this with us.
00:23:35.48\00:23:37.88
Where does the rest of the
00:23:37.88\00:23:38.98
family stand on this?
00:23:38.98\00:23:40.72
>> I think, from what I see,
00:23:40.72\00:23:43.75
even her Aunt Divina at times
00:23:43.75\00:23:46.52
still struggles with it
00:23:46.52\00:23:48.09
because-- I feel for her
00:23:48.09\00:23:50.19
because the role that was
00:23:50.19\00:23:51.96
pushed upon her.
00:23:51.96\00:23:53.60
I mean, so from her
00:23:53.60\00:23:54.93
perspective, it's been tough.
00:23:54.93\00:23:57.77
I do know that from the
00:23:57.77\00:23:59.13
perspective of the fam--
00:23:59.13\00:24:03.67
Her parents' friends,
00:24:03.67\00:24:05.17
it's been tough.
00:24:05.17\00:24:06.68
But there have been times when
00:24:06.68\00:24:08.48
Jolly would have a celebration
00:24:08.48\00:24:10.08
at our house, they would
00:24:10.08\00:24:11.78
hesitate to come to the house
00:24:11.78\00:24:14.45
because they felt as if they
00:24:14.45\00:24:16.28
weren't-- it was just too--
00:24:16.28\00:24:18.59
I don't know how you would
00:24:18.59\00:24:19.72
explain it, but it was just
00:24:19.72\00:24:20.69
too awkward for them,
00:24:20.69\00:24:22.12
they were too scared,
00:24:22.12\00:24:23.69
they had fear, or it would
00:24:23.69\00:24:25.19
remind them of what happened
00:24:25.19\00:24:26.66
and so...
00:24:26.66\00:24:27.36
>> It was too painful.
00:24:27.36\00:24:28.66
>> It's too painful for them
00:24:28.66\00:24:30.20
and so I'm always praying that
00:24:30.20\00:24:32.70
one day that they would also
00:24:32.70\00:24:36.04
move beyond that and really
00:24:36.04\00:24:38.21
forgive as well.
00:24:38.21\00:24:39.34
>> Yeah.
00:24:39.34\00:24:40.64
Tell us about God's word.
00:24:40.64\00:24:42.48
Where does a promise from the
00:24:42.48\00:24:43.91
Bible, from both of you,
00:24:43.91\00:24:46.85
what gives you comfort?
00:24:46.85\00:24:49.72
>> For me, it's found in
00:24:49.72\00:24:51.65
Isaiah chapter 41, verse 10
00:24:51.65\00:24:54.02
and I'm just gonna
00:24:54.02\00:24:54.89
paraphrase it.
00:24:54.89\00:24:56.12
It's this whole idea that
00:24:56.12\00:24:57.33
"Do not be discouraged,"
00:24:57.33\00:24:58.69
"do not be afraid,"
00:24:58.69\00:25:00.20
"I will be right there,"
00:25:00.20\00:25:01.46
"I will help you,"
00:25:01.46\00:25:02.56
"I will strengthen you"
00:25:02.56\00:25:03.67
"and I will hold you up with"
00:25:03.67\00:25:05.10
"My righteous right hand."
00:25:05.10\00:25:06.90
And so that verse has
00:25:06.90\00:25:08.47
resonated with me
00:25:08.47\00:25:10.54
throughout my life,
00:25:10.54\00:25:12.17
especially in that situation
00:25:12.17\00:25:15.14
where it took me a while to
00:25:15.14\00:25:17.35
really understand that
00:25:17.35\00:25:20.02
although it was very tragic,
00:25:20.02\00:25:21.55
God was right there holding me
00:25:21.55\00:25:22.75
with His right hand,
00:25:22.75\00:25:23.99
holding her.
00:25:23.99\00:25:25.55
He strengthened me.
00:25:25.55\00:25:27.12
He definitely helped me.
00:25:27.12\00:25:28.89
He helped us to get through
00:25:28.89\00:25:31.26
and move forward beyond that
00:25:31.26\00:25:33.40
pivotal point of li--
00:25:33.40\00:25:34.96
in that part if our life.
00:25:34.96\00:25:37.80
>> And yourself, Jolly?
00:25:37.80\00:25:39.40
>> Yeah, for me is
00:25:39.40\00:25:41.07
Jeremiah 29, verses 11 to 13.
00:25:41.07\00:25:46.07
And basically that verse is
00:25:46.07\00:25:49.14
God's promise to everyone and
00:25:49.14\00:25:52.58
I felt like it was also a
00:25:52.58\00:25:53.75
promise to me that
00:25:53.75\00:25:56.85
He's there to guide me through
00:25:56.85\00:25:59.12
life and that He has a plan
00:25:59.12\00:26:01.12
for me when I didn't even know
00:26:01.12\00:26:03.79
what my life was going to look
00:26:03.79\00:26:05.33
like after, He knew from the
00:26:05.33\00:26:07.46
very beginning that
00:26:07.46\00:26:09.46
He had a plan for me.
00:26:09.46\00:26:13.47
And even thought it took me a
00:26:13.47\00:26:14.80
while to realize
00:26:14.80\00:26:18.57
and to accept,
00:26:18.57\00:26:22.68
but He's always been there
00:26:22.68\00:26:24.98
pushing and being there and
00:26:24.98\00:26:28.18
guiding me of where
00:26:28.18\00:26:30.65
He wants me to be.
00:26:30.65\00:26:32.79
>> Thank you for sharing that
00:26:32.79\00:26:34.36
with us.
00:26:34.36\00:26:35.82
Can I ask you, Neil, to pray
00:26:35.82\00:26:37.96
for us as we close?
00:26:37.96\00:26:39.06
>> OK, alright.
00:26:39.06\00:26:40.96
Our dear, heavenly Father
00:26:40.96\00:26:42.23
we thank You
00:26:42.23\00:26:43.33
that You brought us here.
00:26:43.33\00:26:45.43
Although we've been brought
00:26:45.43\00:26:47.17
together with this interview
00:26:47.17\00:26:49.54
and this discussion and the
00:26:49.54\00:26:52.14
different types of
00:26:52.14\00:26:53.34
circumstance, we thank You for
00:26:53.34\00:26:54.68
just watching over
00:26:54.68\00:26:56.18
Jolly Grace as she's grown
00:26:56.18\00:26:57.81
and for guiding her
00:26:57.81\00:26:59.05
and for protecting her.
00:26:59.05\00:27:00.78
We thank You that you have put
00:27:00.78\00:27:01.88
people in her life that have
00:27:01.88\00:27:04.45
molded her, mentored her,
00:27:04.45\00:27:05.89
and loved her,
00:27:05.89\00:27:07.59
as if they were--
00:27:07.59\00:27:09.02
she was their daughter
00:27:09.02\00:27:11.06
And we thank You for this
00:27:11.06\00:27:12.13
opportunity that we could
00:27:12.13\00:27:13.26
share this message of hope and
00:27:13.26\00:27:14.93
strength that we can find
00:27:14.93\00:27:16.36
forgiveness,
00:27:16.36\00:27:17.87
that we can move forward and
00:27:17.87\00:27:19.37
thank You for this time that
00:27:19.37\00:27:20.90
we can share this testimony.
00:27:20.90\00:27:22.57
May it be a blessing to not
00:27:22.57\00:27:24.41
only us, but to those who will
00:27:24.41\00:27:25.87
be watching, Lord.
00:27:25.87\00:27:27.11
I pray all this in Jesus'
00:27:27.11\00:27:28.11
wonderful name, amen.
00:27:28.11\00:27:29.41
>> Amen, amen.
00:27:29.41\00:27:30.91
Neil, thank you for that
00:27:30.91\00:27:32.05
lovely prayer.
00:27:32.05\00:27:33.11
Jolly, Neil, thank you
00:27:33.11\00:27:34.72
very much for joining us.
00:27:34.72\00:27:36.05
>> Thank you for having us!
00:27:36.05\00:27:38.12
>> Friends, if you've been
00:27:38.12\00:27:39.89
touched my Neil and Jolly's
00:27:39.89\00:27:42.19
story today and how God helped
00:27:42.19\00:27:44.63
them and carried them,
00:27:44.63\00:27:46.80
our free offer for you today
00:27:46.80\00:27:49.10
is a little booklet called
00:27:49.10\00:27:50.60
Jesus Can Help,
00:27:50.60\00:27:52.40
just like He helped them.
00:27:52.40\00:27:54.50
And so if you are interested
00:27:54.50\00:27:56.40
in getting this free booklet,
00:27:56.40\00:27:58.37
it can be yours, free today
00:27:58.37\00:28:00.68
and the information is on the
00:28:00.68\00:28:02.08
screen right now.
00:28:02.08\00:28:04.55
¤¤
00:28:04.55\00:28:11.62
>> Whatever we're going
00:28:11.62\00:28:12.89
through, we know that we can
00:28:12.89\00:28:13.99
trust God's word.
00:28:13.99\00:28:15.42
And Jesus Himself said it when
00:28:15.42\00:28:17.36
He said, "It is written,"
00:28:17.36\00:28:18.69
"man shall not live by bread"
00:28:18.69\00:28:20.36
"alone, but by every word"
00:28:20.36\00:28:22.33
"that proceeds out of the"
00:28:22.33\00:28:23.83
"mouth of God."
00:28:23.83\00:28:25.97
[Jolly] God we want to give You
00:28:29.47\00:28:32.04
our lives this morning,
00:28:32.04\00:28:33.71
our hearts.
00:28:33.71\00:28:36.88
[Jolly] God, Your name
00:28:36.88\00:28:38.75
Your name is above all names.
00:28:38.75\00:28:41.88
Your name is wonderful, God,
00:28:41.88\00:28:45.09
Your name is powerful,
00:28:45.09\00:28:47.26
Your name is beautiful,
00:28:47.26\00:28:48.99
and sometimes we forget that.
00:28:48.99\00:28:51.06
[Jolly] "Jesus" on "3."
00:28:53.09\00:28:54.63
1, 2, 3...
00:28:54.63\00:28:56.00
[all] Jesus!
00:28:56.00\00:28:57.60
[Jolly] Woo! Alright.
00:28:57.60\00:28:59.60