for joining us on
00:00:01.20\00:00:02.46
It Is Written Canada.
00:00:02.46\00:00:04.67
>> Friends, we often introduce
00:00:04.67\00:00:06.60
you to people whose lives have
00:00:06.60\00:00:08.50
been touched by the hand of
00:00:08.50\00:00:10.31
God and we hope their stories
00:00:10.31\00:00:12.87
inspire you to trust the Lord,
00:00:12.87\00:00:15.11
too, because He does not play
00:00:15.11\00:00:17.65
favourites, He is your
00:00:17.65\00:00:20.18
heavenly Father, too.
00:00:20.18\00:00:21.55
>> There is only one
00:00:21.55\00:00:22.88
requirement and that is the
00:00:22.88\00:00:24.89
realization of your great need
00:00:24.89\00:00:27.19
and that He is a great
00:00:27.19\00:00:28.72
Saviour.
00:00:28.72\00:00:30.23
It's your financial need,
00:00:30.23\00:00:31.39
your spiritual need,
00:00:31.39\00:00:32.69
your emotional need,
00:00:32.69\00:00:34.20
even your physical and
00:00:34.20\00:00:35.53
relationship needs,
00:00:35.53\00:00:37.67
they all capture God's heart.
00:00:37.67\00:00:40.34
[René] The truth is that
00:00:40.34\00:00:41.77
nothing is too broken for Him
00:00:41.77\00:00:44.14
to repair.
00:00:44.14\00:00:45.77
He is God and He upholds the
00:00:45.77\00:00:48.21
planets and moons and stars.
00:00:48.21\00:00:51.35
He rules the universe.
00:00:51.35\00:00:53.35
[Mike] And nothing is too
00:00:53.35\00:00:54.85
small for Him to notice either
00:00:54.85\00:00:57.39
for He numbers the hairs of
00:00:57.39\00:00:59.15
your head, He knows more about
00:00:59.15\00:01:00.46
you than you know about
00:01:00.46\00:01:01.62
yourself.
00:01:01.62\00:01:02.76
>> He is touched by your
00:01:02.76\00:01:04.56
sorrows and even the utterance
00:01:04.56\00:01:06.93
of them moves His great heart
00:01:06.93\00:01:09.50
of infinite love.
00:01:09.50\00:01:11.27
>> There is no chapter in your
00:01:11.27\00:01:12.90
experience too dark for Him to
00:01:12.90\00:01:14.54
read, no perplexity too
00:01:14.54\00:01:16.74
complicated for Him
00:01:16.74\00:01:18.41
to unravel.
00:01:18.41\00:01:19.74
He is our heavenly Father
00:01:19.74\00:01:21.34
and He sees your tears
00:01:21.34\00:01:23.45
and He also sees your joys
00:01:23.45\00:01:25.35
and your sorrows.
00:01:25.35\00:01:26.88
>> Today on It Is Written
00:01:26.88\00:01:28.28
Canada we are going to look
00:01:28.28\00:01:30.29
into the remarkable chapters
00:01:30.29\00:01:32.29
of Finnie Flores's life, the
00:01:32.29\00:01:34.92
life of one who trusted God to
00:01:34.92\00:01:36.96
faithfully guide him from the
00:01:36.96\00:01:39.56
Philippines to Canada.
00:01:39.56\00:01:41.93
¤¤
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>> Finnie, God has intervened
00:02:36.85\00:02:39.92
and guided in your life in a
00:02:39.92\00:02:42.19
wonderful way.
00:02:42.19\00:02:43.79
So we wanna thank you so much
00:02:43.79\00:02:45.43
for joining us on It Is
00:02:45.43\00:02:46.76
Written Canada today.
00:02:46.76\00:02:48.33
>> Thank you for having me
00:02:48.33\00:02:49.43
here, it's a pleasure.
00:02:49.43\00:02:51.10
>> Yeah, and you wrote a book
00:02:51.10\00:02:52.43
and that's what we're gonna
00:02:52.43\00:02:53.34
really be talking about, it's
00:02:53.34\00:02:54.80
called, I Am "Finish" and
00:02:54.80\00:02:56.27
we're gonna talk about the
00:02:56.27\00:02:57.34
title in a minute.
00:02:57.34\00:02:58.47
So writing a book is hard
00:02:58.47\00:03:00.68
work, what inspired you to
00:03:00.68\00:03:02.71
pick it up and say, "Hey, I'm"
00:03:02.71\00:03:04.38
"gonna write that?"
00:03:04.38\00:03:05.35
>> Well, actually, Pastor
00:03:05.35\00:03:06.41
Mike, I didn't plan to write a
00:03:06.41\00:03:07.92
book, but five years ago I was
00:03:07.92\00:03:10.75
on my way to a conference in
00:03:10.75\00:03:12.35
Vancouver and I brought a book
00:03:12.35\00:03:14.59
with my by Pastor George
00:03:14.59\00:03:16.56
Vandeman, but I finished that
00:03:16.56\00:03:18.49
book and I still had plenty of
00:03:18.49\00:03:20.36
time left, I didn't wanna read
00:03:20.36\00:03:21.53
anymore and the airline I was
00:03:21.53\00:03:23.63
flying in did not offer free
00:03:23.63\00:03:25.37
movies or TV so I thought
00:03:25.37\00:03:26.63
maybe I should use my time
00:03:26.63\00:03:28.37
wisely and so I started
00:03:28.37\00:03:29.80
writing notes about my
00:03:29.80\00:03:31.41
childhood hoping that one day
00:03:31.41\00:03:33.38
I'd be able to write something
00:03:33.38\00:03:34.74
for my daughters just to leave
00:03:34.74\00:03:36.85
them something to help them
00:03:36.85\00:03:38.38
appreciate the life that they
00:03:38.38\00:03:39.35
had here in Canada.
00:03:39.35\00:03:40.75
And the following morning I
00:03:40.75\00:03:41.88
was doing my devotional and I
00:03:41.88\00:03:43.49
was listening to Pastor John
00:03:43.49\00:03:45.59
Bradshaw and he talked about
00:03:45.59\00:03:48.49
writing memorials and he said
00:03:48.49\00:03:50.69
that, you know, he encouraged
00:03:50.69\00:03:52.86
his viewers to recollect, to
00:03:52.86\00:03:55.50
write something about their
00:03:55.50\00:03:57.03
past, remember the goodness of
00:03:57.03\00:03:58.40
the Lord because he said as
00:03:58.40\00:03:59.67
they look forward to the
00:03:59.67\00:04:01.24
future, it will give them
00:04:01.24\00:04:02.37
confidence, that the same God
00:04:02.37\00:04:04.47
that was faithful to them in
00:04:04.47\00:04:05.87
the past will be faithful to
00:04:05.87\00:04:07.24
them in the future.
00:04:07.24\00:04:08.48
So I took that as a sign that
00:04:08.48\00:04:09.91
I should continue with what
00:04:09.91\00:04:10.98
I'm doing.
00:04:10.98\00:04:12.21
>> So you were inspired by It
00:04:12.21\00:04:13.15
Is Written, from George
00:04:13.15\00:04:14.28
Vandeman to John Bradshaw and
00:04:14.28\00:04:15.55
now you're sharing it with us
00:04:15.55\00:04:16.62
on It Is Written Canada.
00:04:16.62\00:04:17.82
>> Praise the Lord, yeah.
00:04:17.82\00:04:19.65
>> So, Finnie, tell us about
00:04:19.65\00:04:21.59
the significance of the title.
00:04:21.59\00:04:23.93
>> Yes, so the title of the
00:04:23.93\00:04:25.49
book is I Am "Finish:" A Work
00:04:25.49\00:04:27.30
In Progress, so it's a play
00:04:27.30\00:04:28.46
on words.
00:04:28.46\00:04:29.70
So my name's Finnie, derived
00:04:29.70\00:04:31.30
from the word, "finish."
00:04:31.30\00:04:33.44
Well, to tell you a little bit
00:04:33.44\00:04:34.70
about the background, so my
00:04:34.70\00:04:36.14
parents originally had four
00:04:36.14\00:04:37.37
children, two older girls and
00:04:37.37\00:04:39.61
two younger boys, but an
00:04:39.61\00:04:41.64
accident, a tragic accident
00:04:41.64\00:04:43.21
happened, my brother who was
00:04:43.21\00:04:45.25
about two years old then, was
00:04:45.25\00:04:47.12
struck by a vehicle and it was
00:04:47.12\00:04:49.25
very hard for my parents,
00:04:49.25\00:04:50.82
particularly for my mother.
00:04:50.82\00:04:52.49
But later on they decided to
00:04:52.49\00:04:54.29
have another child, another
00:04:54.29\00:04:56.32
son, and in the process, they
00:04:56.32\00:04:58.79
had five more girls until I
00:04:58.79\00:05:00.66
came out and so my father
00:05:00.66\00:05:01.86
said, "Well, the search is"
00:05:01.86\00:05:03.50
"finished," so I was named
00:05:03.50\00:05:05.13
Finnie.
00:05:05.13\00:05:06.77
But what I really wanted to
00:05:06.77\00:05:08.20
tell about that is that
00:05:08.20\00:05:11.17
a tragedy could be a blessing
00:05:11.17\00:05:12.81
and if it were not for that
00:05:12.81\00:05:14.44
tragedy, I would not have been
00:05:14.44\00:05:16.34
here so it turned out to be a
00:05:16.34\00:05:17.88
blessing.
00:05:17.88\00:05:18.95
>> And you were the tenth one,
00:05:18.95\00:05:20.72
like the-- so your mom had ten
00:05:20.72\00:05:22.55
children there, wow!
00:05:22.55\00:05:24.89
Big family, that's so nice.
00:05:24.89\00:05:26.69
[Finnie] It is, we were.
00:05:26.69\00:05:28.06
>> Growing up in the
00:05:28.06\00:05:28.66
Philippines,
00:05:28.66\00:05:29.56
what was that like?
00:05:29.56\00:05:30.53
>> Well, like many other
00:05:30.53\00:05:32.89
Filipinos, we were poor and
00:05:32.89\00:05:35.20
so life was hard and with so
00:05:35.20\00:05:37.20
many children to put through
00:05:37.20\00:05:38.53
school and to raise,
00:05:38.53\00:05:41.00
money was tight.
00:05:41.00\00:05:42.77
But I had a happy childhood.
00:05:42.77\00:05:47.31
I grew up in a loving family,
00:05:47.31\00:05:49.14
I learned about life,
00:05:49.14\00:05:50.88
appreciated God's protection,
00:05:50.88\00:05:54.12
I appreciated life, and I've
00:05:54.12\00:05:56.22
learned to live simply.
00:05:56.22\00:05:59.39
Even in my childhood, I was
00:05:59.39\00:06:01.36
able to see the goodness and
00:06:01.36\00:06:03.09
the deliverance of God.
00:06:03.09\00:06:04.76
There were several occasions
00:06:04.76\00:06:06.29
where I could have died, I've
00:06:06.29\00:06:07.76
had several bouts of malaria
00:06:07.76\00:06:09.53
growing up, I almost stepped
00:06:09.53\00:06:11.43
on a cobra...
00:06:11.43\00:06:12.33
>> Wow!
00:06:12.33\00:06:13.44
>> ...I almost died in an
00:06:13.44\00:06:14.77
"acrobatic" accident, but
00:06:14.77\00:06:17.57
God's good and...
00:06:17.57\00:06:20.28
I grew up in a church family,
00:06:20.28\00:06:22.28
a small church family, but
00:06:22.28\00:06:24.88
there I learned leadership
00:06:24.88\00:06:26.51
skills, I learned
00:06:26.51\00:06:28.05
responsibilities, and I
00:06:28.05\00:06:29.45
believe that many of those
00:06:29.45\00:06:30.95
early trainings kept me active
00:06:30.95\00:06:33.46
and engaged in the church to
00:06:33.46\00:06:34.92
this day.
00:06:34.92\00:06:36.36
>> And knowing you and reading
00:06:36.36\00:06:37.96
your book, I think of Psalm 1
00:06:37.96\00:06:41.16
because it talks about
00:06:41.16\00:06:42.60
"blessed is the man" and your
00:06:42.60\00:06:44.27
life has been truly blessed
00:06:44.27\00:06:45.67
and so right now we're going
00:06:45.67\00:06:47.27
to listen to Psalm 1, verses 1
00:06:47.27\00:06:49.40
to 3 being sung by
00:06:49.40\00:06:51.01
Scripture Singer.
00:06:51.01\00:06:52.77
¤¤
00:06:54.61\00:06:59.25
¤Blessed is the man
00:06:59.25\00:07:04.02
¤That walketh not in the
00:07:04.02\00:07:05.35
¤counsel of the ungodly
00:07:05.35\00:07:08.79
¤Nor standeth in the way
00:07:08.79\00:07:11.13
¤the way of sinners
00:07:11.13\00:07:13.76
¤Nor sitteth in the seat
00:07:13.76\00:07:15.60
¤of the scornful
00:07:15.60\00:07:18.40
¤But his delight
00:07:18.40\00:07:20.50
¤is in the law
00:07:20.50\00:07:23.57
¤in the law of the Lord
00:07:23.57\00:07:27.64
¤And in His law
00:07:27.64\00:07:30.01
¤doth he meditate
00:07:30.01\00:07:33.18
¤meditate day and night
00:07:33.18\00:07:36.95
¤And he shall be
00:07:36.95\00:07:39.62
¤like a tree
00:07:39.62\00:07:42.62
¤Planted by the rivers
00:07:42.62\00:07:44.43
¤of water
00:07:44.43\00:07:46.36
¤And he shall be
00:07:46.36\00:07:49.13
¤like a tree
00:07:49.13\00:07:51.67
¤That bringeth forth his
00:07:51.67\00:07:53.47
¤fruit in due season
00:07:53.47\00:07:56.47
¤His leaf also
00:07:56.47\00:07:58.94
¤shall not wither
00:07:58.94\00:08:01.74
¤And whatsoever he doeth
00:08:01.74\00:08:04.05
¤shall prosper
00:08:04.05\00:08:05.51
¤And he shall be
00:08:05.51\00:08:08.58
¤like a tree
00:08:08.58\00:08:11.39
¤Planted by the rivers
00:08:11.39\00:08:13.49
¤of water
00:08:13.49\00:08:17.26
¤¤
00:08:17.26\00:08:24.50
>> And that was Psalm 1 by
00:08:30.57\00:08:32.84
Scripture Singer and you can
00:08:32.84\00:08:35.14
find them online at
00:08:35.14\00:08:36.88
scripturesinger.com where they
00:08:36.88\00:08:39.58
make Bible memorization so
00:08:39.58\00:08:42.38
easy, all you have to do is
00:08:42.38\00:08:44.22
listen to their music.
00:08:44.22\00:08:45.82
And we have been talking to
00:08:45.82\00:08:47.52
Finnie Flores who trusted God
00:08:47.52\00:08:49.86
to faithfully guide his life
00:08:49.86\00:08:52.49
from the Philippines
00:08:52.49\00:08:54.00
to Canada.
00:08:54.00\00:08:55.23
>> So, Finnie, you told us
00:08:55.23\00:08:56.56
about your life in the
00:08:56.56\00:08:58.50
Philippines, what it was like
00:08:58.50\00:08:59.87
growing up there, so how did
00:08:59.87\00:09:02.57
you come to Canada?
00:09:02.57\00:09:04.37
>> Yeah, so that's actually a
00:09:04.37\00:09:06.07
miracle in itself.
00:09:06.07\00:09:07.64
My sister and my
00:09:07.64\00:09:09.11
brother-in-law, Stan and
00:09:09.11\00:09:10.71
Grace, they sponsored us to
00:09:10.71\00:09:13.28
come to Canada.
00:09:13.28\00:09:14.48
My brother-in-law is a
00:09:14.48\00:09:16.42
Vietnamese refugee and he left
00:09:16.42\00:09:17.99
Vietnam after the Vietnam War
00:09:17.99\00:09:20.99
with other boat people and he
00:09:20.99\00:09:22.66
landed in the Philippines and
00:09:22.66\00:09:24.33
my sister was working as a
00:09:24.33\00:09:25.49
teacher there, teaching
00:09:25.49\00:09:26.90
English, and that's where they
00:09:26.90\00:09:28.30
met and...
00:09:28.30\00:09:29.76
Now, according to statistics
00:09:29.76\00:09:31.47
actually, it's very slim for a
00:09:31.47\00:09:34.30
refugee to be re-settled to
00:09:34.30\00:09:35.70
another country, but God
00:09:35.70\00:09:37.64
opened an opportunity for him
00:09:37.64\00:09:39.44
to migrate to Canada and so he
00:09:39.44\00:09:41.14
sponsored my sister and then
00:09:41.14\00:09:42.38
they sponsored us.
00:09:42.38\00:09:43.31
>> Wow!
00:09:43.31\00:09:44.65
>> So what was it like for you
00:09:44.65\00:09:45.91
coming to Canada as a first
00:09:45.91\00:09:47.58
generation Filipino-Canadian?
00:09:47.58\00:09:51.22
>> Yeah, I was really happy to
00:09:51.22\00:09:53.59
have been able to migrate to
00:09:53.59\00:09:55.46
Canada and when I first
00:09:55.46\00:09:58.33
arrived in Canada, I felt like
00:09:58.33\00:10:01.56
I was released from a box with
00:10:01.56\00:10:04.37
limited opportunities to an
00:10:04.37\00:10:06.37
open space full of
00:10:06.37\00:10:07.64
possibilities.
00:10:07.64\00:10:09.20
And before I left the
00:10:09.20\00:10:10.54
Philippines, I said to myself,
00:10:10.54\00:10:11.91
"I'd be happy just to," you
00:10:11.91\00:10:13.27
know, "be a gas attendant,"
00:10:13.27\00:10:14.91
but God had far better plans
00:10:14.91\00:10:16.95
for me.
00:10:16.95\00:10:18.21
Just like many other
00:10:18.21\00:10:19.81
immigrants, I started with
00:10:19.81\00:10:22.28
survival jobs, I worked in a
00:10:22.28\00:10:23.62
factory putting labels on
00:10:23.62\00:10:25.09
cosmetics, I worked in a
00:10:25.09\00:10:27.59
fast-food chain, but God
00:10:27.59\00:10:30.49
opened an opportunity for me
00:10:30.49\00:10:31.79
to be able to work in an
00:10:31.79\00:10:33.40
office and that again is a
00:10:33.40\00:10:34.76
miracle in itself because I
00:10:34.76\00:10:36.26
was young, I never finished
00:10:36.26\00:10:37.80
college, and never had
00:10:37.80\00:10:40.44
experience working in the
00:10:40.44\00:10:41.70
office, and I was able to get
00:10:41.70\00:10:43.77
a job as a dental medical
00:10:43.77\00:10:45.47
claims adjudicator for an
00:10:45.47\00:10:46.98
insurance company.
00:10:46.98\00:10:48.44
So I worked there for about
00:10:48.44\00:10:50.21
two years and then I realized
00:10:50.21\00:10:51.88
that education is the key for
00:10:51.88\00:10:53.72
a better life in this country
00:10:53.72\00:10:55.48
and so I decided to go back to
00:10:55.48\00:10:57.49
school, I went full time and
00:10:57.49\00:10:59.65
worked part time.
00:10:59.65\00:11:03.32
While money was tight, I mean
00:11:03.32\00:11:04.39
I had to pay for my own
00:11:04.39\00:11:05.73
tuition, my living expenses
00:11:05.73\00:11:07.30
and everything, but God
00:11:07.30\00:11:09.36
proved faithful.
00:11:09.36\00:11:11.17
At the end of my studies, I
00:11:11.17\00:11:12.70
only had $250 loan from the
00:11:12.70\00:11:15.54
government.
00:11:15.54\00:11:16.87
>> Wow! Wow, that's amazing.
00:11:16.87\00:11:19.21
So you finished and you got
00:11:19.21\00:11:20.64
your degree and your
00:11:20.64\00:11:21.84
qualifications and then you
00:11:21.84\00:11:23.65
moved to Ottawa.
00:11:23.65\00:11:25.81
>> Yes, so an opportunity
00:11:25.81\00:11:27.48
opened for me to work at the
00:11:27.48\00:11:28.72
head office in the
00:11:28.72\00:11:30.39
IT department, so I moved
00:11:30.39\00:11:32.12
to Ottawa.
00:11:32.12\00:11:33.72
I was excited to start
00:11:33.72\00:11:35.36
working in the field,
00:11:35.36\00:11:36.46
but it was lonely.
00:11:36.46\00:11:38.23
I grew up with a large family,
00:11:38.23\00:11:39.66
always surrounded with people,
00:11:39.66\00:11:41.36
and here I was in a place,
00:11:41.36\00:11:43.47
four hours away from Toronto,
00:11:43.47\00:11:44.70
from my family and it was
00:11:44.70\00:11:46.50
lonely, but again, God proved
00:11:46.50\00:11:49.44
faithful, He provided a
00:11:49.44\00:11:51.47
wonderful church family and
00:11:51.47\00:11:54.31
also there was a couple there
00:11:54.31\00:11:55.84
that didn't have a child and
00:11:55.84\00:11:57.81
they sort of adopted me as
00:11:57.81\00:11:59.15
their son.
00:11:59.15\00:12:00.52
They picked me up for church
00:12:00.52\00:12:02.28
and brought me home for lunch
00:12:02.28\00:12:03.92
and so I had social support.
00:12:03.92\00:12:06.69
And then a year after, I got
00:12:06.69\00:12:08.59
married and so I have-- I had
00:12:08.59\00:12:11.59
a companion, my wife, Arlene.
00:12:11.59\00:12:13.93
(gentle piano music)
00:12:15.06\00:12:18.00
(ocean sounds)
00:12:28.34\00:12:32.51
¤He leadeth me
00:12:38.05\00:12:41.52
¤Oh blessed thought
00:12:41.52\00:12:45.39
¤Oh words with heavenly
00:12:45.39\00:12:48.40
¤comfort fraught
00:12:48.40\00:12:52.43
¤Whate'er I do
00:12:52.43\00:12:56.04
¤where'er I be
00:12:56.04\00:12:59.74
¤Still 'tis God's hand
00:12:59.74\00:13:03.08
¤that leadeth me
00:13:03.08\00:13:08.32
¤He leadeth me
00:13:08.32\00:13:13.62
¤By His own hand
00:13:13.62\00:13:17.16
¤He leadeth me
00:13:17.16\00:13:21.66
¤His faithful follower
00:13:21.66\00:13:25.27
¤I would be
00:13:25.27\00:13:27.30
¤For by His hand
00:13:27.30\00:13:30.34
¤He leadeth me
00:13:30.34\00:13:36.34
(dramatic music)
00:13:37.35\00:13:41.85
¤Sometimes mid scenes
00:13:47.29\00:13:50.93
¤of deepest gloom
00:13:50.93\00:13:54.10
¤Sometimes where Eden's
00:13:54.10\00:13:57.93
¤bowers bloom
00:13:57.93\00:14:03.17
¤By waters still
00:14:03.17\00:14:06.07
¤o'er troubled sea
00:14:06.07\00:14:09.31
¤Still 'tis His hand
00:14:09.31\00:14:11.98
¤that leadeth me
00:14:11.98\00:14:17.42
(orchestral music)
00:14:17.42\00:14:21.69
¤Lord, I would clasp
00:14:42.64\00:14:46.41
¤mine hand in Thine
00:14:46.41\00:14:49.08
¤Nor ever murmur
00:14:49.08\00:14:53.25
¤nor repine
00:14:53.25\00:14:57.76
¤Content, whatever lot I see
00:14:57.76\00:15:04.27
¤Since 'tis my God
00:15:04.27\00:15:07.37
¤that leadeth me
00:15:07.37\00:15:13.31
¤He leadeth me
00:15:13.31\00:15:19.38
¤By His own hand
00:15:19.38\00:15:22.15
¤He leadeth me
00:15:22.15\00:15:27.56
¤His faithful follower
00:15:27.56\00:15:30.96
¤I would be
00:15:30.96\00:15:33.16
¤For by His hand
00:15:33.16\00:15:36.20
¤He leadeth me
00:15:36.20\00:15:41.57
(piano and orchestral music)
00:15:43.24\00:15:47.88
¤And when my task
00:16:09.63\00:16:13.17
¤on earth is done
00:16:13.17\00:16:16.47
¤When by Thy grace
00:16:16.47\00:16:19.47
¤the victory's won
00:16:19.47\00:16:24.71
¤E'en death's cold wave
00:16:24.71\00:16:27.55
¤I will not flee
00:16:27.55\00:16:31.72
¤Since God through Jordan
00:16:31.72\00:16:35.56
¤leadeth me
00:16:35.56\00:16:39.63
>> There were many blessings
00:16:41.70\00:16:43.16
that God had blessed us with
00:16:43.16\00:16:44.80
in Ottawa.
00:16:44.80\00:16:45.80
We lived there for ten years,
00:16:45.80\00:16:47.30
my daughters were born there.
00:16:47.30\00:16:49.20
And there was one particular
00:16:49.20\00:16:51.47
event that I'd like to share
00:16:51.47\00:16:53.98
in our life in Ottawa.
00:16:53.98\00:16:56.85
So two years after moving to
00:16:56.85\00:16:58.65
Ottawa, the company I was
00:16:58.65\00:17:00.28
working for was bought by
00:17:00.28\00:17:02.38
another insurance company and
00:17:02.38\00:17:04.85
my position was eliminated.
00:17:04.85\00:17:06.96
But before my work term was
00:17:06.96\00:17:08.72
finished with them, God had
00:17:08.72\00:17:10.29
already lined up another one
00:17:10.29\00:17:11.73
for me and so the severance
00:17:11.73\00:17:13.03
money that I was able to
00:17:13.03\00:17:14.46
receive, we used that to buy a
00:17:14.46\00:17:16.60
house, our first home in
00:17:16.60\00:17:18.57
Ottawa and so, you know, while
00:17:18.57\00:17:20.94
it started as a misfortune, it
00:17:20.94\00:17:22.67
turned out to be a blessing.
00:17:22.67\00:17:24.27
And Romans 8:28 where it says,
00:17:24.27\00:17:25.67
"All things work together for"
00:17:25.67\00:17:27.38
"good to them that love the"
00:17:27.38\00:17:28.51
"Lord prove faithful."
00:17:28.51\00:17:29.61
And we've seen that text
00:17:29.61\00:17:31.11
proven many, many times.
00:17:31.11\00:17:32.78
>> And then you moved from
00:17:32.78\00:17:34.18
Ottawa to Oshawa.
00:17:34.18\00:17:36.12
So what did you do in Oshawa
00:17:36.12\00:17:38.22
and what are you doing now?
00:17:38.22\00:17:39.45
>> Yes. Mm-hmm.
00:17:39.45\00:17:41.06
So after I finished my
00:17:41.06\00:17:42.36
graduate studies while we were
00:17:42.36\00:17:43.36
living in Ottawa, an
00:17:43.36\00:17:45.36
opportunity opened in Toronto
00:17:45.36\00:17:47.46
to work-- for me to work in
00:17:47.46\00:17:49.10
the public sector and so
00:17:49.10\00:17:51.20
although it was a six-month's
00:17:51.20\00:17:52.77
contract, Arlene and I decided
00:17:52.77\00:17:54.60
to take it on, trusting that
00:17:54.60\00:17:56.44
God will provide and also we
00:17:56.44\00:17:58.71
were wanting to send our
00:17:58.71\00:18:01.18
children to Adventist school
00:18:01.18\00:18:02.44
and we know there's an
00:18:02.44\00:18:03.85
elementary and high school
00:18:03.85\00:18:05.35
here in Oshawa.
00:18:05.35\00:18:06.68
So we decided to take it on
00:18:06.68\00:18:08.42
and that six-month contract
00:18:08.42\00:18:09.65
became a three-year contract
00:18:09.65\00:18:11.92
and God provided many other
00:18:11.92\00:18:13.62
blessings.
00:18:13.62\00:18:15.36
I'd like to mention that when
00:18:15.36\00:18:16.76
we moved here first in Oshawa,
00:18:16.76\00:18:19.29
God gave us a spacious home
00:18:19.29\00:18:20.86
and we were wondering why,
00:18:20.86\00:18:22.83
you know, I even felt guilty
00:18:22.83\00:18:24.57
at times living in that home,
00:18:24.57\00:18:26.33
but we later on realized why
00:18:26.33\00:18:28.57
God did so because it hosted
00:18:28.57\00:18:30.84
so many Friday night meetings
00:18:30.84\00:18:33.24
and Sabbath potluck lunches
00:18:33.24\00:18:36.18
with the growing Filipino
00:18:36.18\00:18:37.81
community and so we realized
00:18:37.81\00:18:40.68
why the Lord had blessed us
00:18:40.68\00:18:41.98
with that one.
00:18:41.98\00:18:43.25
And the other thing that I'd
00:18:43.25\00:18:44.52
like to mention is early on in
00:18:44.52\00:18:45.69
our life here in Oshawa, we
00:18:45.69\00:18:47.19
decided to give a double
00:18:47.19\00:18:48.86
tithe, 10% for our income--
00:18:48.86\00:18:50.86
for tithe and 10% for offering
00:18:50.86\00:18:54.56
and we've seen God's
00:18:54.56\00:18:56.67
faithfulness, we could never
00:18:56.67\00:18:58.17
out-give God.
00:18:58.17\00:18:59.23
>> That's amazing.
00:18:59.23\00:19:00.40
>> So we were grateful
00:19:00.40\00:19:01.07
for that.
00:19:01.07\00:19:01.87
>> And you're paying for your
00:19:01.87\00:19:02.74
for your children's education
00:19:02.74\00:19:04.07
in private schools...
00:19:04.07\00:19:04.97
>> Yes.
00:19:04.97\00:19:06.31
>> ...and you're just trusting
00:19:06.31\00:19:07.34
the Lord and He has continued
00:19:07.34\00:19:08.64
to bless you and multiply
00:19:08.64\00:19:09.91
those blessings.
00:19:09.91\00:19:11.25
>> Amen, and I'm the only
00:19:11.25\00:19:12.71
income-earner.
00:19:12.71\00:19:13.72
[René] Wow, yes.
00:19:13.72\00:19:14.92
[Mike] God has blessed, yeah.
00:19:14.92\00:19:16.35
[René] It's amazing!
00:19:16.35\00:19:17.55
I just think, you know, about
00:19:17.55\00:19:18.55
blessing you with a big home,
00:19:18.55\00:19:20.92
I remember reading in your book
00:19:20.92\00:19:22.89
when your youngest daughter
00:19:22.89\00:19:24.56
went to go and look at the
00:19:24.56\00:19:26.03
home and she looked around and
00:19:26.03\00:19:27.56
she said, "This is a mansion!"
00:19:27.56\00:19:29.90
>> Compared to what we had in
00:19:29.90\00:19:31.37
Ottawa before, yeah.
00:19:31.37\00:19:33.40
>> And then you said that home
00:19:33.40\00:19:35.24
really became an outreach,
00:19:35.24\00:19:36.74
like, there was a little--
00:19:36.74\00:19:38.57
God provided a haven, like a
00:19:38.57\00:19:41.21
missionary place for you to
00:19:41.21\00:19:42.58
reach other people, so...
00:19:42.58\00:19:44.58
Mm-hmm.
00:19:44.58\00:19:46.08
So, Finnie, are there any
00:19:46.08\00:19:48.22
lessons or any experiences
00:19:48.22\00:19:51.19
that you would like to share
00:19:51.19\00:19:52.49
with other people who have
00:19:52.49\00:19:53.76
immigrated to Canada?
00:19:53.76\00:19:56.22
>> Certainly.
00:19:56.22\00:19:57.69
I've learned a few lessons in
00:19:57.69\00:19:59.26
my life here in Canada.
00:19:59.26\00:20:01.66
One this is the importance of
00:20:01.66\00:20:04.23
community, being connected.
00:20:04.23\00:20:07.24
In our case it was a church
00:20:07.24\00:20:08.47
that we were able to connect
00:20:08.47\00:20:09.90
with early on in our life here
00:20:09.90\00:20:11.81
in Canada and that really
00:20:11.81\00:20:13.54
helped us socially and
00:20:13.54\00:20:15.64
spiritually and it helped us
00:20:15.64\00:20:17.41
anchor in the Canadian
00:20:17.41\00:20:18.81
society.
00:20:18.81\00:20:20.58
The other thing that I learned
00:20:20.58\00:20:23.08
in my life anyway, is the
00:20:23.08\00:20:24.49
importance of embracing this
00:20:24.49\00:20:26.15
country as your home.
00:20:26.15\00:20:28.39
We have this saying in
00:20:28.39\00:20:30.09
Filipino which roughly
00:20:30.09\00:20:31.39
translates, "It's hard to"
00:20:31.39\00:20:32.66
"paddle in two canoe--"
00:20:32.66\00:20:34.56
Sorry, "It's hard to paddle"
00:20:34.56\00:20:36.50
"in two rivers."
00:20:36.50\00:20:38.33
So it's either you're
00:20:38.33\00:20:39.50
here or there.
00:20:39.50\00:20:41.30
It's easy to, you know, long
00:20:41.30\00:20:43.57
for the-- for your country of
00:20:43.57\00:20:46.04
origin...
00:20:46.04\00:20:47.31
>> Yeah, romanticize your
00:20:47.31\00:20:48.31
past, yeah.
00:20:48.31\00:20:49.41
>> Exactly, yes, and so,
00:20:49.41\00:20:51.31
you know, take on the
00:20:51.31\00:20:52.55
opportunities that are
00:20:52.55\00:20:54.05
presented here and at the
00:20:54.05\00:20:55.22
same time give back
00:20:55.22\00:20:56.55
to the community.
00:20:56.55\00:20:58.42
And the other thing that we've
00:20:58.42\00:21:01.29
learned in our life is the
00:21:01.29\00:21:02.49
importance of not just
00:21:02.49\00:21:03.73
sticking to your own
00:21:03.73\00:21:05.49
ethnic community.
00:21:05.49\00:21:07.60
By doing so you get to
00:21:07.60\00:21:09.46
appreciate more the various
00:21:09.46\00:21:11.23
cultures in the country, it
00:21:11.23\00:21:13.54
broadens your horizons, and,
00:21:13.54\00:21:15.87
as a matter of fact, we have
00:21:15.87\00:21:17.37
friends from all over the
00:21:17.37\00:21:18.87
world and it's been a blessing
00:21:18.87\00:21:20.44
to know people from various
00:21:20.44\00:21:22.41
countries in the world.
00:21:22.41\00:21:23.78
>> Canada is very multicultural.
00:21:23.78\00:21:25.48
[Finnie] It is, it is.
00:21:25.48\00:21:26.48
>> So tell me, what did you
00:21:26.48\00:21:27.62
learn from writing the book?
00:21:27.62\00:21:28.92
What were the blessings that
00:21:28.92\00:21:30.15
you received from writing
00:21:30.15\00:21:31.25
this book?
00:21:31.25\00:21:32.09
>> Yeah, several.
00:21:32.09\00:21:33.82
I was pleasantly surprised.
00:21:33.82\00:21:35.66
Like today, we're doing this
00:21:35.66\00:21:37.29
interview, I never could have
00:21:37.29\00:21:38.83
imagined that, but the Lord
00:21:38.83\00:21:40.46
opened that opportunity.
00:21:40.46\00:21:42.56
We were also able to give out,
00:21:42.56\00:21:44.80
as Christmas gifts, copies of
00:21:44.80\00:21:47.14
the book to our neighbours,
00:21:47.14\00:21:48.47
even our friends far and near,
00:21:48.47\00:21:50.37
some as far as Australia
00:21:50.37\00:21:51.97
and UK.
00:21:51.97\00:21:53.58
I was also invited to have a
00:21:53.58\00:21:56.24
Q&A session at my workplace
00:21:56.24\00:21:58.31
where about 30 of my colleagues
00:21:58.31\00:22:00.38
attended and I was able to
00:22:00.38\00:22:02.38
read excerpts from the book and
00:22:02.38\00:22:04.22
to testify about God's
00:22:04.22\00:22:05.62
goodness and faithfulness.
00:22:05.62\00:22:07.49
And the other thing was we
00:22:07.49\00:22:09.22
were able to raise funds to
00:22:09.22\00:22:10.73
donate to our favourite
00:22:10.73\00:22:13.63
charities and ministries.
00:22:13.63\00:22:16.67
People that were able to get
00:22:16.67\00:22:18.10
copies of the book, they
00:22:18.10\00:22:19.53
donated and so we were able to
00:22:19.53\00:22:21.70
give that in return.
00:22:21.70\00:22:23.04
[René] Wow!
00:22:23.04\00:22:24.01
[Mike] That's wonderful!
00:22:24.01\00:22:24.94
And so you take your book, you
00:22:24.94\00:22:26.64
give it to someone, you can
00:22:26.64\00:22:27.88
have a conversation and tell
00:22:27.88\00:22:28.88
them all about your life and
00:22:28.88\00:22:30.15
you're not even there.
00:22:30.15\00:22:31.11
>> Mm-hmm, exactly.
00:22:31.11\00:22:31.81
>> So you're sharing your
00:22:31.81\00:22:32.71
story with so many other
00:22:32.71\00:22:34.22
people, I know you shared it
00:22:34.22\00:22:35.48
with your neighbours as well.
00:22:35.48\00:22:37.22
Are you thinking about writing
00:22:37.22\00:22:39.02
another book?
00:22:39.02\00:22:39.89
(laughs)
00:22:39.89\00:22:41.66
>> So some of my friends, our
00:22:41.66\00:22:43.36
friends that have read the
00:22:43.36\00:22:44.56
book, they said,
00:22:44.56\00:22:46.23
"Where's part 2?"
00:22:46.23\00:22:48.10
And so they asked because the
00:22:48.10\00:22:49.70
first book finished when we
00:22:49.70\00:22:51.60
moved here in Oshawa and we've
00:22:51.60\00:22:53.54
lived here 15 years, so...
00:22:53.54\00:22:55.50
Yeah, so I've taken the
00:22:55.50\00:22:57.37
opportunity of the Christmas
00:22:57.37\00:22:59.27
break and the lockdown and
00:22:59.27\00:23:01.34
I've started writing and so I
00:23:01.34\00:23:03.71
have a draft, by God's grace,
00:23:03.71\00:23:05.61
if He opens an opportunity to
00:23:05.61\00:23:07.38
publish that as well.
00:23:07.38\00:23:09.18
So it's a story about the life
00:23:09.18\00:23:10.85
that we had here in Oshawa,
00:23:10.85\00:23:12.72
the joys, the failures, the
00:23:12.72\00:23:14.92
successes, the victories, the
00:23:14.92\00:23:16.93
lessons learned, so hopefully
00:23:16.93\00:23:18.73
we'll see something like that
00:23:18.73\00:23:20.26
in the future.
00:23:20.26\00:23:21.90
>> You know what's so amazing
00:23:21.90\00:23:23.50
about writing your story or
00:23:23.50\00:23:25.50
talking about your story, is
00:23:25.50\00:23:27.77
that it's your story and how
00:23:27.77\00:23:30.67
God has blessed you and led
00:23:30.67\00:23:32.67
you so no one can argue with
00:23:32.67\00:23:35.44
that, right, when you write
00:23:35.44\00:23:37.25
something about your story.
00:23:37.25\00:23:38.61
>> So if you're trying to
00:23:38.61\00:23:39.85
share your faith with someone
00:23:39.85\00:23:41.45
and you do it in the form of a
00:23:41.45\00:23:42.62
book about your life then of
00:23:42.62\00:23:44.75
course you have permission to
00:23:44.75\00:23:46.62
do that and people will accept
00:23:46.62\00:23:48.59
that more easily.
00:23:48.59\00:23:49.69
>> For sure, yeah, it's
00:23:49.69\00:23:51.23
interesting because one of the
00:23:51.23\00:23:52.79
neighbours that we gave a copy
00:23:52.79\00:23:54.76
of the book to, Arlene has
00:23:54.76\00:23:56.77
been sharing books to her in
00:23:56.77\00:23:58.40
the past, religious books, and
00:23:58.40\00:23:59.83
she kept saying, "Yeah, that"
00:23:59.83\00:24:01.07
"will be the next book that"
00:24:01.07\00:24:02.00
"I would read."
00:24:02.00\00:24:03.51
But when we gave this to her,
00:24:03.51\00:24:04.57
we ran into her about a couple
00:24:04.57\00:24:06.31
of weeks after and she said,
00:24:06.31\00:24:07.84
"I've been wanting to run"
00:24:07.84\00:24:09.68
"into you because," she says,
00:24:09.68\00:24:11.15
"I read the book today,"
00:24:11.15\00:24:12.51
"actually I finished it."
00:24:12.51\00:24:13.82
And she was really glad that
00:24:13.82\00:24:15.42
she received a copy from us.
00:24:15.42\00:24:17.25
[René] That's so wonderful.
00:24:17.25\00:24:18.62
[Mike] God really blessed and
00:24:18.62\00:24:20.32
made you a part of a community
00:24:20.32\00:24:22.92
here in Canada and you were
00:24:22.92\00:24:24.66
able to share within your
00:24:24.66\00:24:26.36
community.
00:24:26.36\00:24:27.66
That's so important, yeah.
00:24:27.66\00:24:29.40
>> So, Finnie, I wonder if I
00:24:29.40\00:24:31.30
can ask you to please pray for
00:24:31.30\00:24:33.44
us before we finish today,
00:24:33.44\00:24:35.27
so...
00:24:35.27\00:24:36.34
>> For sure, let's pray.
00:24:36.34\00:24:39.41
Our gracious loving Father,
00:24:39.41\00:24:41.18
Lord, we thank You for Your
00:24:41.18\00:24:42.41
faithfulness.
00:24:42.41\00:24:44.58
I've seen it in our lives and
00:24:44.58\00:24:46.82
I thank You, Lord, that You've
00:24:46.82\00:24:48.58
given us this opportunity
00:24:48.58\00:24:49.82
to talk.
00:24:49.82\00:24:51.42
Father, I pray that You will
00:24:51.42\00:24:53.15
continue to bless the ministry
00:24:53.15\00:24:54.46
of It Is Written, I pray for
00:24:54.46\00:24:56.52
Pastor Mike and René and the
00:24:56.52\00:24:58.36
rest of the team, Lord, as
00:24:58.36\00:25:00.33
they continue to endeavour to
00:25:00.33\00:25:03.13
reach the world through
00:25:03.13\00:25:05.17
messages of hope and to
00:25:05.17\00:25:08.57
deliver the message of Your
00:25:08.57\00:25:10.04
goodness and Your
00:25:10.04\00:25:11.01
faithfulness.
00:25:11.01\00:25:11.91
Father, I pray for some of the
00:25:11.91\00:25:14.54
people that may have just
00:25:14.54\00:25:15.88
recently migrated to Canada.
00:25:15.88\00:25:17.55
I know how it was like.
00:25:17.55\00:25:19.25
They may be facing some
00:25:19.25\00:25:21.32
challenges, Lord, but I wanna
00:25:21.32\00:25:22.75
assure them that our God is
00:25:22.75\00:25:24.22
faithful, that He will never
00:25:24.22\00:25:25.89
leave them nor forsake them,
00:25:25.89\00:25:28.36
so I thank You, Father, for
00:25:28.36\00:25:29.49
this opportunity,
00:25:29.49\00:25:31.09
in Jesus' name, amen.
00:25:31.09\00:25:33.50
[Mike & René] Amen!
00:25:33.50\00:25:34.96
>> Thank you so much, Finnie,
00:25:35.56\00:25:37.20
again for joining us on It Is
00:25:37.20\00:25:38.57
Written Canada.
00:25:38.57\00:25:40.17
>> Thank you, it's a joy.
00:25:40.17\00:25:42.54
>> Friends, through listening
00:25:43.84\00:25:45.74
to Finnie's story, I hope that
00:25:45.74\00:25:47.74
you were inspired by God's
00:25:47.74\00:25:49.64
guidance and God's
00:25:49.64\00:25:51.01
intervention and God's
00:25:51.01\00:25:52.58
faithfulness in his life.
00:25:52.58\00:25:54.68
>> And we were not able to
00:25:54.68\00:25:56.42
share all of the details of
00:25:56.42\00:25:58.42
Finnie's story, so our free
00:25:58.42\00:26:00.59
offer for you today is
00:26:00.59\00:26:02.56
Finnie's book entitled,
00:26:02.56\00:26:04.26
I Am "Finish."
00:26:04.26\00:26:06.49
So here's the information you
00:26:06.49\00:26:08.56
will need in order to receive
00:26:08.56\00:26:10.30
today's free offer.
00:26:10.30\00:26:12.43
>> To request today's offer,
00:26:13.77\00:26:15.14
just log onto
00:26:15.14\00:26:16.47
www.itiswrittencanada.ca.
00:26:16.47\00:26:20.38
That's www.itiswrittencanada.ca
00:26:20.38\00:26:24.31
If you prefer, you may call
00:26:24.31\00:26:26.15
toll free at 1-888-CALL-IIW.
00:26:26.15\00:26:30.15
That's 1-888-CALL-IIW.
00:26:30.15\00:26:33.25
Call any time!
00:26:33.25\00:26:34.72
Lines are open 24 hours daily.
00:26:34.72\00:26:37.16
That's 1-888-CALL-IIW.
00:26:37.16\00:26:40.16
Or if you wish, you may write
00:26:40.16\00:26:41.63
to us at, It Is Written,
00:26:41.63\00:26:43.77
Box 2010, Oshawa, Ontario,
00:26:43.77\00:26:45.97
L1H 7V4.
00:26:45.97\00:26:48.64
And thank you for your prayer
00:26:48.64\00:26:50.27
requests and your generous
00:26:50.27\00:26:51.47
financial support.
00:26:51.47\00:26:53.14
That's It Is Written,
00:26:53.14\00:26:54.78
Box 2010, Oshawa, Ontario,
00:26:54.78\00:26:56.81
L1H 7V4.
00:26:56.81\00:26:59.58
>> We would like to pray for
00:27:00.62\00:27:01.62
you and so if you have a
00:27:01.62\00:27:03.52
prayer request, the
00:27:03.52\00:27:04.89
information that you need to
00:27:04.89\00:27:06.72
contact us is on the screen
00:27:06.72\00:27:08.72
right now and we will put your
00:27:08.72\00:27:11.23
prayer requests on our
00:27:11.23\00:27:12.56
personal prayer list and pray
00:27:12.56\00:27:14.30
for you.
00:27:14.30\00:27:16.20
>> Before you go, we would
00:27:16.20\00:27:17.60
like to invite you to follow
00:27:17.60\00:27:19.47
us on Instagram and Facebook
00:27:19.47\00:27:21.60
and subscribe to our YouTube
00:27:21.60\00:27:23.51
channel and also listen to our
00:27:23.51\00:27:26.31
Podcasts and if you go to our
00:27:26.31\00:27:29.14
website, you can see our
00:27:29.14\00:27:30.88
latest programs including our
00:27:30.88\00:27:33.28
cooking demonstrations, our
00:27:33.28\00:27:35.55
short spiritual messages
00:27:35.55\00:27:37.89
entitled, Daily Living, and
00:27:37.89\00:27:40.22
our exercise workouts called
00:27:40.22\00:27:42.06
Experiencing Life.
00:27:42.06\00:27:44.06
>> We also would like to
00:27:44.06\00:27:46.23
invite you to join us every
00:27:46.23\00:27:48.76
Friday evening live on YouTube
00:27:48.76\00:27:52.03
and Facebook at 7:30 PM
00:27:52.03\00:27:54.44
Eastern Standard Time for 15
00:27:54.44\00:27:56.20
minutes to open up the Bible
00:27:56.20\00:27:59.21
and we can look in there and
00:27:59.21\00:28:01.34
experience the truth that is
00:28:01.34\00:28:03.45
found in the words of Jesus
00:28:03.45\00:28:05.28
when He said, "It is written,"
00:28:05.28\00:28:07.28
"man shall not live by bread"
00:28:07.28\00:28:09.12
"alone, but by every word"
00:28:09.12\00:28:11.39
"that proceed out of the"
00:28:11.39\00:28:12.79
"mouth of God."
00:28:12.79\00:28:14.96
¤¤
00:28:14.96\00:28:56.67