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>> Hello and welcome to It Is
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Written Canada.
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Thank you for joining us.
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You know, there are times when
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all you need is a friend, a
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genuine friend, to be with you
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when you are experiencing dark
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times that affect your thoughts
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and your feelings.
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>> That was certainly the case
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for young teenage Peter Caran.
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Peter was suffering suicidal
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depression and he prayed for God
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to send him a sincere Christian
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friend.
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And God did.
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He sent a young Christian boy to
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pray with Peter.
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>> And from that time until
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this, that same friend and Peter
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have studied the Bible and
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shared their growing faith,
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encouraging and supporting one
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another.
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They have remained friends and
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prayer partners for over
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30 years.
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>> Today on It Is Written
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Canada, Pastor Peter Caran and
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his wife, Alexandra, will share
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their story of how God actively
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led them through their own
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struggles and how now they are
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trained counsellors, wanting to
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see people healed and free to
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serve others.
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>> Pastor Peter and Alexandra
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Caran, welcome to It Is Written
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Canada.
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>> Thank you for having us.
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>> Thank you very much.
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>> So, Pastor Peter and
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Alexandra, can we begin at the
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beginning?
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Tell us about your roots.
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>> A little bit about myself, my
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family roots are that from my
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mom's and dad's background,
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I would say they were military
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officers and entrepreneurs.
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And then a little bit about my
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growing up, I grew up in a home
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where my mom was an Adventist
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Christian and my dad was
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existential socialist.
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[RENÉ] And what about you,
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Alexandra?
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>> And I come also from the same
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country as Peter, I am also
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Eastern European and I was born
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into wonderful parents, they
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were Seventh-day Adventists and
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my mom is actually, I think,
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third generation of Adventist,
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but my dad was actually a
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teenager when he accepted Christ
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and he joined the church.
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So, yeah, they had three of us,
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three girls and, yeah, they were
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very much involved in church,
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but then, unfortunately, my dad
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passed away when I was
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one year old.
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So it was totally different, you
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know, growing up with just Mom,
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widow mom, but she was prayer
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warrior.
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She prayed a lot and God
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provided for all of our needs
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and, yeah.
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I had a good childhood and very
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much part of the church and that
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was my, like, refuge I would
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say, like, constantly involved
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in church, yes.
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>> So did your mom ever get
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remarried?
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>> No, she never got married.
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I just think she-- she had
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opportunities, there were some
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opportunities, but, just, she
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said, "I love them so much," and
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she just wanted to be with us
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and to share that love just
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with us.
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She had beautiful memories of
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her first husband, you know, my
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dad, and so she never remarried
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and...
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She was brave [chuckles]
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to raise us, you know.
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And she put us through school
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and even high school,
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Seventh-day Adventist high
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school and so she was dreaming
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for us to be close to Jesus and
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did everything that she could.
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Yes.
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>> A very strong Christian.
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>> Very strong Christian,
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yes, I would say.
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>> So both of you grew up in the
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former Yugoslavia and your,
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Pastor Peter, I find it very
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interesting that your mother was
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a Seventh-day Adventist
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Christian, your dad was an
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existential socialist.
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How did that affect
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your world view?
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>> Mm-hm.
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Yeah...
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Maybe one of the formative
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events, at least in my
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experience, going to church four
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times during the weekend, Friday
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evening, couple of times on the
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Sabbath, Sunday evening were
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usually evangelistic sermons and
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so we were in the church
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every weekend,
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a lot of God-oriented
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activities from Mom's part
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during the week.
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But then my dad's influence was
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important in my life because Dad
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and I would go for walks and
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whether those walks were during
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the day or sometimes in the
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evening or during the night,
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a number of times because he saw
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my interest in astronomy,
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he would point to the stars and
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different planets and he would
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say something that, even to this
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moment I do not know why he
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mentioned those things, but he
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would say, "Peter, you know, as
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you grow up and you mature and
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you have family, sooner or later
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you will die and when you die
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you're not going to be able to
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live on this planet or that
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planet and hundreds of years
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will pass, 500 and 1,000, and
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there is nothing, so...
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...do your best."
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He encouraged me to be an
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engineer because his dad was an
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entrepreneur, he was working for
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the government, an entrepreneur
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and so there was an
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entrepreneurial spirit,
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engineering spirit.
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I was fairly much okay with
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that, but the struggle in my
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mind was very strong between
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what I was learning in the
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church and from the Bible that
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what God is offering us is
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eternal life and yet my dad was
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saying that after you died there
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is basically nothing.
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And so that created that big
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crossroad in my life and at some
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point after a lot of crying and
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struggling, that was just before
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school age, I decided to turn
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back to my dad's ideology that
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there is no life after death and
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just give my heart to God,
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whatever that meant at that
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tender age.
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And went kind of full heart into
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who God is, just later on, to
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understand how beautiful this
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life is with God.
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>> So when you say you turned
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your back to it, in other words
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you turned away from it...
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>> Correct.
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>> ...and you were turning
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towards God now and saying,
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"Yes, there is a future, there
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is an eternity and when we die
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that's not the end."
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>> Correct.
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Yeah, and that time I did not
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really understand, all of that
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later on I understood, but at
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that time I just knew that...
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...as I was sharing, putting all
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of this together, going to
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church and knowing that there is
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God and putting what my dad was
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saying, I was basically saying
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to myself, "If God gave us life
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and all that we have is the 70,
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80, or 90 years of life, He has
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pulled the greatest and
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cruellest joke on humanity,
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that you die and there is no
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more of you."
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And so once I turned my back, I
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basically said, "I need to
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explore if God has a greater
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answer than what my dad was
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offering."
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>> Pastor Peter, who encouraged
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you to go into the ministry?
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>> So probably there were three
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formative events that
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influenced me.
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First one, which I was not even
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aware when I was a kid, my
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pastor, [SLAVIC NAME], he would
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come to me on the Sabbaths and
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as he was greeting me he would
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put his hand under my chin and
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he would say, "Peter, one day
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you're going to be a good
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pastor."
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And I did not even know
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what that meant.
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Those things, I think, the Holy
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Spirit just brought to my
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attention as I was going through
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some of the hard times in
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ministry.
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Second probably one that touched
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me is during the--
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my nursing schooling and earlier
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as I was practising marathon
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races, I was finishing one race
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and just going up the hill and
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somebody was coming down
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the hill that was close to our
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school in Maru?c, Croatia,
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and this young boy was coming
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down and for one reason or the
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other, most likely the brakes
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were not working on his bicycle
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and he was just having just a
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tiny slippers on his soles and
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as he was trying to brake at the
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bottom of the hill, he stepped
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on that asphalt and his souls
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started being bloodied.
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And so my stomach just turned
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and maybe at that time I
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discovered that there is a
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certain sense of compassion
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towards those who need help.
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So that was definitely a
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second one.
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The third one, between my third
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and fourth year of nursing
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during that summer, I have gone
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with couple of my friends
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colporteuring, going
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door-to-door.
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And God has resolved, one of the
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things that was kind of rolling
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in my head that were the lies of
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some of the colleagues of my dad
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who were in the army, who were
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sharing how Christianity is for
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losers, for older people who
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cannot face life and the
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challenges of life.
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Interestingly enough,
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that summer, as I was going
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door-to-door, God has
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prearranged that I have met some
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wonderful young families who
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kept on inviting me back to come
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and share with them
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who Jesus was.
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And so right away during that
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summer, that lie of the enemy
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was shattered.
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And so definitely I have felt
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that God can use me to share the
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good news with those who needed
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it and that was such a great
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encouragement to me.
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[MIKE] There was a time that you
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faced a crossroads, you were
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15 years old.
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Let's go back to that time.
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Tell us about that.
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>> I look at Christianity from
00:11:21.91\00:11:23.88
that ideal perspective.
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As you read the Bible you see
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kind of beautiful things,
00:11:30.12\00:11:31.99
idealistic things, and I have
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that idealistic streak in me and
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so when I went to a boarding
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school at the age of 14, I was
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looking for authentic
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Christians.
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And being with number of my
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roommates and interacting with
00:11:47.70\00:11:49.44
them and seeing what they were
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doing...
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...I was kind of disappointed
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that I could not meet those
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authentic Christians.
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And so from the age of 15, as I
00:11:59.78\00:12:04.09
came back to my second year, I
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was still looking but could not
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find and I actually started
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planning to finish my life
00:12:11.19\00:12:12.83
because in my mind, I really
00:12:12.83\00:12:15.76
came to realize that Adventism
00:12:15.76\00:12:17.87
does not work, Christianity does
00:12:17.87\00:12:19.87
not work, because what I was
00:12:19.87\00:12:21.80
reading and what I have seen in
00:12:21.80\00:12:24.04
practice, did not really work.
00:12:24.04\00:12:28.01
And so God had somehow
00:12:28.01\00:12:30.78
orchestrated that attempt of
00:12:30.78\00:12:33.08
suicide, of me going the lake
00:12:33.08\00:12:36.28
and tying the rock and finishing
00:12:36.28\00:12:38.89
my life, did not really work.
00:12:38.89\00:12:40.62
And so...
00:12:40.62\00:12:41.82
...what was interesting, the day
00:12:43.36\00:12:44.99
after that disappointment, I met
00:12:44.99\00:12:48.00
a young man from my classroom
00:12:49.63\00:12:51.87
that I teased and he did not
00:12:51.87\00:12:53.90
answer as usual as what people
00:12:53.90\00:12:58.17
would do when you tease them.
00:12:58.17\00:12:59.34
They would usually tease you
00:12:59.34\00:13:00.51
back, but he didn't.
00:13:00.51\00:13:02.01
And I remember...
00:13:02.01\00:13:03.31
...going from our school to our
00:13:05.45\00:13:07.32
dorm and him and I met on the
00:13:07.32\00:13:10.75
first floor of our dormitory,
00:13:10.75\00:13:13.59
just in the hallway and I said
00:13:13.59\00:13:16.76
to him, his name is Jovan, and I
00:13:16.76\00:13:18.99
said, "Jovan, there's something
00:13:18.99\00:13:21.16
different with you."
00:13:21.16\00:13:22.23
I tease you in front of
00:13:23.60\00:13:24.63
everyone,
00:13:24.63\00:13:25.63
but you do not respond like
00:13:26.67\00:13:28.04
everybody else."
00:13:28.04\00:13:29.24
And he said to me, "Peter, you
00:13:30.77\00:13:32.64
know when you tease me, it hurts
00:13:32.64\00:13:33.78
me and I pray for you."
00:13:33.78\00:13:36.48
And you know, at that moment, my
00:13:37.51\00:13:40.55
knees just kind of gave way and
00:13:40.55\00:13:43.72
I just knelt.
00:13:43.72\00:13:45.15
And Jovan said to me, "Peter,
00:13:46.09\00:13:48.59
do you wanna give your life to
00:13:49.79\00:13:50.93
Christ?"
00:13:50.93\00:13:52.23
And so he prayed over me.
00:13:54.00\00:13:56.06
And that was my first encounter
00:13:56.93\00:13:59.37
with someone who lived as an
00:13:59.37\00:14:02.57
authentic Christian.
00:14:02.57\00:14:04.37
From that point on...
00:14:04.37\00:14:05.77
...it was fairly easy for me to
00:14:08.74\00:14:11.01
get up at 5 o'clock, spend time
00:14:11.01\00:14:13.52
with Him...
00:14:13.52\00:14:14.52
You know, at the tender age of
00:14:15.82\00:14:17.09
12, I was baptized.
00:14:17.09\00:14:19.15
Before that I would read the
00:14:19.15\00:14:20.46
Bible and not understand much,
00:14:20.46\00:14:22.59
but at the age of 15 when that
00:14:22.59\00:14:24.56
encounter happened, we would
00:14:24.56\00:14:27.56
meet in one of the classrooms,
00:14:27.56\00:14:30.50
three or four of us, and we
00:14:30.50\00:14:31.73
would read the writings of
00:14:31.73\00:14:33.34
Ellen G. White and her
00:14:33.34\00:14:34.40
presentation of who God is or
00:14:34.40\00:14:36.07
who Christ is and we just fell
00:14:36.07\00:14:37.97
in love with Christ as we
00:14:37.97\00:14:40.21
understood it.
00:14:40.21\00:14:41.58
We learned passages, paragraphs
00:14:41.58\00:14:43.55
by heart and we shared our
00:14:43.55\00:14:45.21
thoughts about it.
00:14:45.21\00:14:46.72
It was just a living faith and
00:14:46.72\00:14:49.92
school was important, but
00:14:49.92\00:14:52.09
serving others and caring for
00:14:52.09\00:14:53.56
others was just important to us
00:14:53.56\00:14:55.96
much more.
00:14:55.96\00:14:56.96
And so we were heavily involved
00:14:56.96\00:14:58.83
in leadership at the school,
00:14:58.83\00:15:02.66
just helping everyone that
00:15:02.66\00:15:03.90
we could.
00:15:03.90\00:15:04.53
And so it was a turn-around
00:15:04.53\00:15:08.20
event, going from disappointment
00:15:08.20\00:15:11.21
to a great encounter with God
00:15:11.21\00:15:13.07
and then having a support in
00:15:13.07\00:15:14.44
three or four friends, which
00:15:14.44\00:15:16.14
stayed as my close friends to
00:15:16.14\00:15:18.15
this day.
00:15:18.15\00:15:19.15
>> So, Alexandra, did you ever
00:15:20.22\00:15:22.62
think that you would become a
00:15:22.62\00:15:24.09
pastor's wife?
00:15:24.09\00:15:25.45
[ALEXANDRA] I didn't, no.
00:15:26.29\00:15:27.52
I didn't think that I would, but
00:15:27.52\00:15:29.89
I just like it because, maybe
00:15:31.23\00:15:33.46
because we were a small church
00:15:33.46\00:15:35.56
and I was growing up without
00:15:35.56\00:15:37.30
dad, pastors were coming often
00:15:37.30\00:15:40.54
to our home with their families,
00:15:40.54\00:15:42.34
like, they were part of my life,
00:15:42.34\00:15:44.07
you know, each one of them, you
00:15:44.07\00:15:45.34
know, they'd change.
00:15:45.34\00:15:46.57
And I had a very good connection
00:15:47.14\00:15:49.41
with each pastor and sometimes I
00:15:49.41\00:15:51.45
looked after their children and
00:15:51.45\00:15:53.48
stuff and sometimes they invited
00:15:53.48\00:15:55.38
me to their home and just,
00:15:55.38\00:15:57.52
again, helping with children.
00:15:57.52\00:15:58.89
So I just saw pastor's life
00:15:58.89\00:16:03.29
and I appreciated so much what
00:16:03.29\00:16:05.69
they do.
00:16:05.69\00:16:07.10
And when they invited us, "Let's
00:16:07.10\00:16:10.43
do this, let's do that," I was
00:16:10.43\00:16:11.97
ready to do it, to help them,
00:16:11.97\00:16:14.70
you know, invite people for
00:16:14.70\00:16:16.00
evangelistic meetings or
00:16:16.00\00:16:17.97
whenever it's need, to play the
00:16:17.97\00:16:20.38
instrument, let's do this, like,
00:16:20.38\00:16:22.18
I was ready to do it.
00:16:22.18\00:16:23.71
So when Peter came to my life
00:16:24.28\00:16:28.42
and I said, hey, pastor--
00:16:28.42\00:16:30.69
pastoral ministry is, I don't
00:16:30.69\00:16:33.12
know, I was actually excited and
00:16:33.12\00:16:35.22
not so much like, I was not
00:16:35.22\00:16:36.69
hesitant at all.
00:16:36.69\00:16:38.36
And, yes, you're never prepared
00:16:38.36\00:16:40.46
for pastoral ministry fully, but
00:16:40.46\00:16:44.20
because I really enjoyed working
00:16:44.20\00:16:47.67
for the church, helping, of
00:16:47.67\00:16:49.44
course, volunteering, it was
00:16:49.44\00:16:51.37
just a continuation for me.
00:16:51.37\00:16:54.78
And ever-- even now, like, we
00:16:54.78\00:16:57.18
just had-- celebrated 10th
00:16:57.18\00:17:00.68
anniversary of Peterborough
00:17:00.68\00:17:02.32
church and people just, like,
00:17:02.32\00:17:04.35
said so many things and I just
00:17:04.35\00:17:05.99
said, like, "Hey, we are here,
00:17:05.99\00:17:07.12
we're gonna continue."
00:17:07.12\00:17:08.96
We love working in a ministry
00:17:08.96\00:17:11.36
together.
00:17:11.36\00:17:12.56
So that's, yeah, I just love
00:17:12.56\00:17:15.46
ministry.
00:17:15.46\00:17:16.83
>> Some people might not realize
00:17:16.83\00:17:19.13
that being in ministry is-- can
00:17:19.13\00:17:22.27
be pretty tough.
00:17:22.27\00:17:23.34
[ALEXANDRA] Oh, yes.
00:17:23.34\00:17:24.11
>> ...and there are some times
00:17:24.11\00:17:25.57
that are very challenging.
00:17:25.57\00:17:26.84
So tell us about your hardest
00:17:26.84\00:17:30.68
time, maybe the most difficult
00:17:30.68\00:17:32.41
time of growth for you, Peter.
00:17:32.41\00:17:34.75
>> Yeah.
00:17:34.75\00:17:35.75
Well, you know, maybe the
00:17:35.75\00:17:37.89
hardest time started with the
00:17:37.89\00:17:41.02
end of our first semester of my
00:17:41.02\00:17:45.53
Masters of Divinity degree, we
00:17:45.53\00:17:48.13
were in Florida just relaxing,
00:17:48.13\00:17:50.03
recuperating, and during one of
00:17:50.03\00:17:54.77
my bike rides, I was kind of
00:17:54.77\00:17:58.47
going a little bit faster than
00:17:58.47\00:18:00.08
usual, a plastic bag flew in my
00:18:00.08\00:18:02.44
front wheel and I ended up
00:18:02.44\00:18:05.98
flying in the air about nine
00:18:05.98\00:18:07.22
feet and ended up on the
00:18:07.22\00:18:09.82
asphalt with my head first with
00:18:09.82\00:18:11.75
no helmet on.
00:18:11.75\00:18:12.89
I ended up in the hospital
00:18:13.96\00:18:15.72
having a second vertebrae split
00:18:15.72\00:18:20.00
in a couple of places.
00:18:20.00\00:18:21.70
And so that kind of set, at
00:18:21.70\00:18:24.07
least my physical brain, in a
00:18:24.07\00:18:26.70
state of fogginess, so to speak.
00:18:26.70\00:18:28.84
I continue finishing the degree,
00:18:28.84\00:18:30.94
Alexandra joined me the year
00:18:30.94\00:18:32.34
after, so both of us finished
00:18:32.34\00:18:36.01
our masters degree in theology,
00:18:36.01\00:18:38.11
in ministry, prepared for
00:18:38.11\00:18:39.95
ministry.
00:18:39.95\00:18:40.95
And so the more we were involved
00:18:41.45\00:18:44.55
in ministry, the harder it
00:18:44.55\00:18:46.29
became.
00:18:46.29\00:18:46.96
Just to kind of paint a picture
00:18:46.96\00:18:48.69
for those who might not know,
00:18:48.69\00:18:51.46
when we came back into that
00:18:51.46\00:18:52.79
district, we were renovating a
00:18:52.79\00:18:56.77
sanctuary home, my mom who was
00:18:56.77\00:19:00.07
wrestling with depression lived
00:19:00.07\00:19:01.57
with us, we were homeschooling
00:19:01.57\00:19:03.71
three kids, we were planting the
00:19:03.71\00:19:06.81
third church and I continued to,
00:19:06.81\00:19:10.75
just couple of years later after
00:19:10.75\00:19:12.45
that, 2005, I started my
00:19:12.45\00:19:14.98
doctoral degree.
00:19:14.98\00:19:16.25
So there were a number of things
00:19:16.25\00:19:17.99
that were happening at the same
00:19:17.99\00:19:19.32
time.
00:19:19.32\00:19:20.16
Definitely both of us were
00:19:20.16\00:19:22.09
ambitious and we learned that,
00:19:22.09\00:19:23.89
you know, sometimes ambition
00:19:23.89\00:19:25.49
might not be the best.
00:19:25.49\00:19:27.36
So those were kind of the
00:19:27.36\00:19:28.33
backgrounds and the tough times
00:19:28.33\00:19:30.27
that we have gone through.
00:19:30.27\00:19:31.83
>> How was that dark time
00:19:32.83\00:19:33.90
for you?
00:19:33.90\00:19:34.74
>> Just to add on top of that,
00:19:34.74\00:19:37.17
I had a miscarriage with our
00:19:37.17\00:19:38.51
fourth baby as well and then I
00:19:38.51\00:19:41.68
lost my sister, like, sudden
00:19:41.68\00:19:43.61
death, I mean, she was cancer--
00:19:43.61\00:19:45.65
she was diagnosed with cancer,
00:19:45.65\00:19:47.22
but from diagnosis to her death
00:19:47.22\00:19:49.68
was just eight months, so it
00:19:49.68\00:19:51.35
was, like, rapid.
00:19:51.35\00:19:52.95
She was from Serbia.
00:19:52.95\00:19:54.29
And so it was just too much and
00:19:54.29\00:19:58.66
especially watching a husband
00:19:58.66\00:20:01.83
and father of our children being
00:20:01.83\00:20:03.43
depressed and struggling like
00:20:03.43\00:20:05.37
that, it was not easy, but I
00:20:05.37\00:20:09.14
just always prayed and, you
00:20:09.14\00:20:11.14
know, like, growing up is, you
00:20:11.14\00:20:12.47
know now, like, grew up with
00:20:12.47\00:20:13.94
mother who's prayer warriors, I
00:20:13.94\00:20:16.38
just remembered, like, hey, we
00:20:16.38\00:20:18.15
can through this with God,
00:20:18.15\00:20:19.58
you know?
00:20:19.58\00:20:20.42
So we were always together
00:20:20.42\00:20:23.99
wherever, whatever we were doing
00:20:23.99\00:20:26.39
and so lots of prayer walks, we
00:20:26.39\00:20:29.79
would go for a walk and pray,
00:20:29.79\00:20:31.79
we still do that.
00:20:31.79\00:20:33.46
So I think that helped us and
00:20:33.46\00:20:35.70
helped him to know that he has
00:20:35.70\00:20:38.37
support, so...
00:20:38.37\00:20:39.50
It was not easy for me, but I
00:20:40.47\00:20:44.11
kind of started looking what's
00:20:44.11\00:20:46.81
there, what is good, what is
00:20:46.81\00:20:48.61
positive.
00:20:48.61\00:20:49.28
And, like, I don't know is it in
00:20:49.28\00:20:51.51
every marriage like that, but
00:20:51.51\00:20:53.95
we-- when on is down, the other
00:20:53.95\00:20:56.58
one needs to be stronger so we
00:20:56.58\00:20:58.45
help each other, so...
00:20:58.45\00:20:59.72
>> So, Pastor Peter and
00:21:00.62\00:21:02.19
Alexandra, what kind of
00:21:02.19\00:21:04.19
strategies did you use to
00:21:04.19\00:21:06.19
personally help you heal?
00:21:06.19\00:21:08.10
>> Can I just mention my
00:21:08.33\00:21:10.77
gratitude, you know, to Ontario
00:21:10.77\00:21:12.13
Conference.
00:21:12.13\00:21:12.90
I think that personally for us,
00:21:12.90\00:21:15.64
they had set about 7 days of
00:21:15.64\00:21:18.17
counselling and pampering with
00:21:18.17\00:21:20.61
Focus on the Family back in
00:21:20.61\00:21:22.04
Alberta, so we really had some
00:21:22.04\00:21:24.65
time to just reflect and be
00:21:24.65\00:21:27.52
refreshed and to be heard and to
00:21:27.52\00:21:30.62
be helped, that was really
00:21:30.62\00:21:32.02
wonderful.
00:21:32.02\00:21:32.82
At that same year, I think we
00:21:33.69\00:21:35.32
were on 2010, we were personally
00:21:35.32\00:21:39.93
needing help from Caring from
00:21:39.93\00:21:41.93
the Heart, a ministry that is
00:21:41.93\00:21:43.83
led by John Regier that has
00:21:43.83\00:21:45.83
helped us, definitely.
00:21:45.83\00:21:48.17
He spent time listening to
00:21:48.17\00:21:49.77
our stories, definitely
00:21:49.77\00:21:51.67
understanding our pains and then
00:21:51.67\00:21:53.64
just basically confronting us
00:21:53.64\00:21:55.64
and saying, gently confronting
00:21:55.64\00:21:56.95
us and saying, "What do you want
00:21:56.95\00:21:58.51
to do now with this?" you know?
00:21:58.51\00:22:00.62
"You have junk in the trunk,
00:22:00.62\00:22:02.15
what do you wanna do with it?"
00:22:02.15\00:22:03.52
And so we said, you know, "We
00:22:03.52\00:22:05.32
wanna resolve it."
00:22:05.32\00:22:06.69
And so there was a lot of crying
00:22:06.69\00:22:11.06
and weeping and giving that junk
00:22:11.06\00:22:13.33
to God and then allowing God,
00:22:13.33\00:22:15.60
through the promises of the
00:22:15.60\00:22:16.53
Bible, to replace that with what
00:22:16.53\00:22:20.10
He has for us.
00:22:20.10\00:22:21.70
And so that was definitely a
00:22:21.70\00:22:24.91
turning point in our emotional--
00:22:24.91\00:22:28.48
deep stuff that we have carried
00:22:29.74\00:22:31.55
with us and finding freedom
00:22:31.55\00:22:34.45
in Christ.
00:22:34.45\00:22:35.55
[ALEXANDRA] Sometimes, maybe
00:22:36.32\00:22:37.25
even two times a year, go on a
00:22:37.25\00:22:38.82
mini-vacation to Berrien Springs
00:22:38.82\00:22:41.86
to visit that friend that Peter
00:22:41.86\00:22:44.29
encountered in his high school.
00:22:44.29\00:22:47.50
So he's married, he has family
00:22:47.50\00:22:49.50
there and that was like, it's
00:22:49.50\00:22:52.87
such a healing, almost like a
00:22:52.87\00:22:54.70
therapy, like, that trip with
00:22:54.70\00:22:56.84
our children and their children
00:22:56.84\00:22:58.74
to get together and talking and
00:22:58.74\00:23:01.91
just, like, being there,
00:23:01.91\00:23:03.18
understood and heard.
00:23:03.18\00:23:05.41
So I think that helped us to
00:23:05.41\00:23:07.62
come back to the ministry, like,
00:23:07.62\00:23:09.35
into the district with a full
00:23:09.35\00:23:11.85
vigour.
00:23:11.85\00:23:12.52
>> Yeah, and another strategy,
00:23:12.52\00:23:14.06
you know, that we have learned
00:23:14.06\00:23:15.32
from Tuckers when we were
00:23:15.32\00:23:17.99
struggling, you know, in the
00:23:17.99\00:23:19.36
first year of full-time
00:23:19.36\00:23:20.73
ministry, is that he has asked
00:23:20.73\00:23:22.70
us to take weekly dates, just
00:23:22.70\00:23:25.03
for two of us to resolve some
00:23:25.03\00:23:28.74
issues that could be there or
00:23:28.74\00:23:30.81
just to celebrate, you know,
00:23:30.81\00:23:32.27
whatever has happened.
00:23:32.27\00:23:34.28
So, number of things that have
00:23:34.28\00:23:36.44
been helping us, yeah.
00:23:36.44\00:23:38.08
>> So, Peter and Alexandra,
00:23:38.71\00:23:40.05
when-- this is final question,
00:23:40.05\00:23:42.02
when you look forward and look
00:23:42.02\00:23:44.02
back, what do you see?
00:23:44.02\00:23:46.29
>> Some of the toughest that we
00:23:46.96\00:23:48.42
go through, at least what I have
00:23:48.42\00:23:50.13
seen, Mike and René, is that in
00:23:50.13\00:23:53.36
the biggest time, you need the
00:23:53.36\00:23:54.83
bigger God.
00:23:54.83\00:23:56.00
So we have learned that the
00:23:56.00\00:23:57.73
bigger the trouble, the bigger
00:23:57.73\00:23:59.47
the God will come to intervene
00:23:59.47\00:24:01.67
and help us.
00:24:01.67\00:24:02.67
>> And also, like, with that
00:24:03.07\00:24:05.41
Caring for the Heart ministry,
00:24:05.41\00:24:08.08
we received counselling so we
00:24:08.08\00:24:09.91
actually went and got training
00:24:09.91\00:24:12.41
not long after our counselling
00:24:12.41\00:24:14.72
so we helped others and I feel
00:24:14.72\00:24:17.42
like that's our future, we're
00:24:17.42\00:24:18.89
gonna use in ministry that skill
00:24:18.89\00:24:21.79
to counsel people and youth.
00:24:21.79\00:24:24.23
Like, Peter is doing more, but
00:24:24.23\00:24:26.83
I'm usually when there is a
00:24:26.83\00:24:28.63
youth in struggle or something,
00:24:28.63\00:24:31.50
I'm there, like, I can help
00:24:31.50\00:24:33.07
them.
00:24:33.07\00:24:33.50
[MIKE] Because you have your
00:24:33.77\00:24:34.37
masters degree in Youth
00:24:34.37\00:24:36.17
Counselling.
00:24:36.17\00:24:37.17
>> I understand them, yes, and I
00:24:37.17\00:24:39.17
do care for youth.
00:24:39.17\00:24:40.74
We have three children that are
00:24:40.74\00:24:42.64
now young adults and I hear from
00:24:42.64\00:24:45.85
them what other young people are
00:24:45.85\00:24:47.92
struggling with, so I love to be
00:24:47.92\00:24:50.35
there, like, they are my number
00:24:50.35\00:24:52.15
one prayer, like, youth of the
00:24:52.15\00:24:54.89
Ontario and whole world, so...
00:24:54.89\00:24:57.03
>> So, Pastor Peter, you started
00:24:57.46\00:24:58.69
off talking about your father
00:24:58.69\00:25:00.70
and how he was an existential,
00:25:00.70\00:25:03.50
secular existentialist.
00:25:03.50\00:25:05.20
What happened to him?
00:25:06.10\00:25:07.70
>> Well, you know, interestingly
00:25:07.70\00:25:08.67
enough, about 34 later, I was
00:25:08.67\00:25:11.77
still in Canada, I was in Canada
00:25:11.77\00:25:13.58
at that time.
00:25:13.58\00:25:14.61
My mom called and she said, you
00:25:14.61\00:25:16.81
know, "I know how-- I knew how
00:25:16.81\00:25:18.21
to deal with your dad when he
00:25:18.21\00:25:19.71
was wrestling with worldly
00:25:19.71\00:25:21.95
values and that lifestyle, but
00:25:21.95\00:25:24.89
this morning he got up and he
00:25:24.89\00:25:27.29
says, 'Enough of drinking and
00:25:27.29\00:25:29.76
smoking and the worldly
00:25:29.76\00:25:31.23
lifestyle, I wanna become
00:25:31.23\00:25:33.40
a Christian.'"
00:25:33.40\00:25:34.46
And so he was baptized as an
00:25:34.46\00:25:36.60
Adventist and he became a
00:25:36.60\00:25:37.97
Christian and that was a
00:25:37.97\00:25:39.90
great joy.
00:25:39.90\00:25:41.14
God can change everybody's
00:25:41.14\00:25:43.24
heart.
00:25:43.24\00:25:44.31
Yes, we need a lot of patience,
00:25:44.31\00:25:45.81
we need a lot of prayer and
00:25:45.81\00:25:47.64
trust in God, but great things
00:25:47.64\00:25:51.81
happen and, you know, I will
00:25:51.81\00:25:53.75
rejoice one day seeing my dad in
00:25:53.75\00:25:55.38
heaven.
00:25:55.38\00:25:56.38
>> Pastor Peter and Alexandra,
00:25:57.49\00:25:59.75
unfortunately we have come to
00:25:59.75\00:26:01.39
the end of our time together,
00:26:01.39\00:26:03.46
but before we let you go, Pastor
00:26:03.46\00:26:05.43
Peter, I wonder if I could ask
00:26:05.43\00:26:06.93
you to please pray for our
00:26:06.93\00:26:09.16
viewers.
00:26:09.16\00:26:10.40
There may be some that are
00:26:10.40\00:26:11.70
struggling with depression, who
00:26:11.70\00:26:14.07
are struggling with believing in
00:26:14.07\00:26:15.77
God and so I wonder if you could
00:26:15.77\00:26:17.91
please lift them up in prayer
00:26:17.91\00:26:19.67
for us.
00:26:19.67\00:26:20.41
[PETER] Sure.
00:26:20.41\00:26:21.44
Let us pray.
00:26:21.44\00:26:22.44
Lord our God, we praise You for
00:26:24.15\00:26:27.28
inviting us to follow You.
00:26:27.28\00:26:29.18
In John 10, verse 10, part B,
00:26:30.25\00:26:34.49
You're inviting us to a journey
00:26:36.02\00:26:38.26
of abundant life and we can have
00:26:38.26\00:26:40.73
it as each morning we allow the
00:26:40.73\00:26:42.86
Holy Spirit to lead us.
00:26:42.86\00:26:44.90
And no matter where we are, that
00:26:44.90\00:26:46.97
the Holy Spirit is willing to
00:26:46.97\00:26:48.97
bring healing, to bring freedom
00:26:48.97\00:26:53.17
from whatever we are struggling
00:26:53.17\00:26:54.88
and, Lord, we just pray that You
00:26:54.88\00:26:57.18
would bless It Is Written Canada
00:26:57.18\00:27:00.05
and the staff, Mike and René and
00:27:00.05\00:27:02.05
all the staff working behind the
00:27:02.05\00:27:04.12
scene to share Christ and the
00:27:04.12\00:27:06.39
hope we have in Jesus Christ and
00:27:06.39\00:27:10.13
our friendship with Him.
00:27:10.13\00:27:11.69
We can have that relationship
00:27:11.69\00:27:13.16
daily as we invite the Holy
00:27:13.16\00:27:15.63
Spirit daily to dwell in the
00:27:15.63\00:27:17.93
room of our hearts and inspire
00:27:17.93\00:27:20.54
our minds, our thoughts, our
00:27:20.54\00:27:23.34
hearts, our emotions so that we
00:27:23.34\00:27:26.31
can give what we have and You're
00:27:26.31\00:27:28.38
willing to use us for the
00:27:28.38\00:27:31.81
betterment of Your Kingdom,
00:27:31.81\00:27:33.42
qualitatively and
00:27:33.42\00:27:34.78
quantitatively.
00:27:34.78\00:27:35.98
Bless us as we accept Your call
00:27:36.55\00:27:38.62
to follow You, for we pray in
00:27:38.62\00:27:40.99
the name of Christ Jesus, our
00:27:40.99\00:27:42.22
Lord, amen.
00:27:42.22\00:27:43.43
[MIKE & RENÉ] Amen.
00:27:43.43\00:27:45.13
>> As he did for Pastor Peter
00:27:47.60\00:27:49.50
and Alexandra Caran, God is
00:27:49.50\00:27:51.43
actively working to rescue you,
00:27:51.43\00:27:54.40
to encourage you, no matter
00:27:54.40\00:27:56.20
what you are facing.
00:27:56.20\00:27:57.61
So we would like to send you a
00:27:58.27\00:28:00.88
collection of true,
00:28:00.88\00:28:02.14
inspirational stories entitled
00:28:02.14\00:28:04.28
The Invitation.
00:28:04.28\00:28:05.65
>> The Invitation is a very
00:28:05.65\00:28:07.58
powerful book containing true,
00:28:07.58\00:28:09.78
encouraging stories of people
00:28:09.78\00:28:12.45
who were destroyed by
00:28:12.45\00:28:13.89
circumstances and rebuilt by
00:28:13.89\00:28:16.89
God's love.
00:28:16.89\00:28:17.89
>> Before you go, we would like
00:28:19.49\00:28:20.93
to invite you to follow us on
00:28:20.93\00:28:22.60
Instagram and Facebook and
00:28:22.60\00:28:24.77
subscribe to our YouTube channel
00:28:24.77\00:28:26.84
and also listen to our Podcasts.
00:28:26.84\00:28:29.77
And if you go to our website,
00:28:29.77\00:28:31.37
you can see our latest programs.
00:28:31.37\00:28:33.94
>> You, too, can experience the
00:28:37.01\00:28:38.98
fullness of life found in the
00:28:38.98\00:28:40.82
words of Jesus when He said,
00:28:40.82\00:28:43.55
"It is written, 'Man shall not
00:28:43.55\00:28:45.89
live by bread alone, but by
00:28:45.89\00:28:48.39
every word that proceeds out of
00:28:48.39\00:28:50.69
the mouth of God.'"
00:28:50.69\00:28:52.49