>> Welcome to It Is Written
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Canada.
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Thank you for joining us.
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>> Our guest today is a young
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woman whose big aspirations
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launched her into the world of
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R&B music.
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Those big dreams were gently
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nudged in a different direction
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when an inaudible voice
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confronted her with these
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comforting words...
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>> There is a power that no
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human eye can see and no
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human ear can hear
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and that powerful influence
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can produce a new life in
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the soul, it can create a new
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being in the image of God.
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>> While the work of the Spirit
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is silent and invisible, its
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affects are obvious.
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When the human heart is renewed
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by the Spirit of God, you can
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see it.
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>> You can see a change in the
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character, their habits, and
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their pursuits.
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>> The contrast is like night
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and day between what was
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and what is.
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>> In a moment, you will meet
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Jennifer Alvarado and see how
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the powerful influence of God's
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love changed her heart and
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turned her dreams upside down,
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setting her free to pursue a
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fulfilling life of integrity
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and peace.
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¤¤
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>> Welcome back to It Is Written
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Canada, thank you for
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joining us.
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Our special guest is Jennifer
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Alvarado whose life was all
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about music while eating,
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sleeping, dreaming, working,
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Jennifer says that for her, it
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was music, music, music 24/7.
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>> And then that all changed.
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Not that Jennifer lost her
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interest in music, but the
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influence of music moved from
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centre stage when an invisible
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hand gently nudged her in a
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different direction.
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Jennifer, we are looking forward
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to hearing your story
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and your music.
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Welcome to It Is Written Canada.
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>> Thank you, Mike and René,
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it's a pleasure to be here.
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>> So, Jennifer, it was all
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about music.
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Tell us about the music world
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and why you decided to make
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that your career.
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>> So it all began when I was a
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little girl.
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I had a love for music from a
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very young age.
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I grew up with the likes of
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Mariah Carey, listening to
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Whitney Houston who had amazing
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vocal range and just artistic
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ability, as well as, later as I
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grew up, I really loved
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listening to music from Aaliyah
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and Selena.
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She was a Latina singer on the
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scene and so that was very big
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for us as, you know, the Latin
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culture.
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And as a result, I was able to,
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I guess, see what it would be
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like to go into a career of
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music through these women that I
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so admired for their musical
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ability.
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>> So, Jennifer, where did you
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start your singing career?
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When did you first
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get on the stage?
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>> So I actually used to work at
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St. Alban's Boys and Girls Club
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downtown around Bathurst and
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Palmerston and as a result of
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working there, I actually met a
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lot of different people from
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different walks of life.
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And one person, he actually had
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a friend in Scarborough who had
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a studio and we became very good
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friends, once he knew that I
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sang, he was, you know, inviting
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me to come to the studio
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to try it out.
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And that's where I met the
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producer that I mentioned of
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earlier and we sort of struck up
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a friendship as well.
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He really loved the stage
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presence and whatnot and so he
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decided to take me on and from
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then on we started to work
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together.
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And he was the one who actually
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produced my album.
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And as a result of that, now I
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found myself singing my songs on
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different stages, I would sign
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up to sing at concerts around
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Toronto, I'd sing in bars when I
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could, I was part of a group of
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singers, song-writers,
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producers, sound engineers, and
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the nice thing about it is that
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we would help one another.
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Whenever they needed backup for
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singing at a show, I would be
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someone they'd call on.
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I remember I also helped a
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friend in a music video so I got
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some exposure there, putting
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myself out there as much
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as possible.
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That's pretty much where it
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began.
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>> So in the process of all
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this, getting on the stage,
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mixing with other singers and
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celebrity, did you meet some
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celebrities or some names that
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became celebrities?
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>> Yes, Mike, actually as a
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result of working at St. Alban's
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Boys and Girls Club, there was
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one night when Drake, he's a big
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name now, he's a rapper, a
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Canadian rapper, he came and had
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a little talk with the youth
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there at the centre just, you
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know, about chasing after your
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dreams and not giving up
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on them.
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The youth were very excited to
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have him there.
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And around that time I was also,
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as a result of being a part of
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the group that I had mentioned
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of young aspiring artists, there
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were many of them that were part
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of a program downtown Toronto
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called "The Remix Project."
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And so because I knew them, I
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would go and visit The Remix
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Project and find out what it was
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all about.
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And soon after I had actually
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signed up and gotten into the
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program myself, I was part of
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the alumni of The Remix
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Project 6.0.
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And while there, the nice thing
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that they provide is they bring
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in different music producers who
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are already in the music
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industry to kind of sit down
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with the young aspiring artists
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and to talk to them about what
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it takes to be a musician or a
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singer or an actor in the big
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business.
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We got to meet a lot of people
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who eventually made it big.
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For example, Noah James Shebib,
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he's also known as "40," he is
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currently, I think, still
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Drake's producer and Jessie
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Reyez is another big name artist
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today, she also went through
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The Remix Project.
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It definitely throttled me into
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a bigger realm of exposure and I
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really was able to, even if I
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didn't meet big names
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face-to-face like I am with you,
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I met people who knew them or
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were already in the industry or
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on their way into the industry.
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>> So, Jen, while you were
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carving out your career in the
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music world, did you ever feel
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uncomfortable in the
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entertainment world or was it
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all lots of fun and applause and
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attention?
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>> Well, singing is always, it
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has always been a joy for me,
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however, I did, as I mentioned,
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being part of a group of young
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aspiring artists and helping out
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fellow singers, I remember I was
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at a particular location, I
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think this was more for a friend
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of mine, I was there to support
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her, and that same day,
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actually, we were recording a
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video for one of her songs.
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And I guess they decided to do a
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photo shoot afterwards and so,
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you know, my friend encouraged
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me, "Why don't you take some
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photos? I mean, you're gonna
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need them anyway."
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And it's true, as an artist you
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wanna have a lot of head shots
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and body shots and different
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kind of things like that.
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So I said, "Sure."
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And even though I was a little
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bit like, "I'm not ready for
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this," but I said I'll just keep
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them for fun.
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So, you know, we were shooting
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and the photographer stopped to
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say, "Look a little more
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sensual, a little more sexy,
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give me a little more 'juice',"
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as they say.
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That's where I drew a blank
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because literally what came to
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my mind was the only time I
00:09:13.45\00:09:15.95
could think of being in that
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kind of mood is with
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my husband, right?
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And I'm not married and I wasn't
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married then and I'm not married
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now, it was just a very
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interesting thought and it all
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of a sudden made me feel very
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uncomfortable to try and be in a
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very intimate way in front of a
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camera.
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And I know that maybe it comes
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naturally for others, but for me
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it was-- it just wasn't, it
00:09:44.68\00:09:46.38
didn't feel right.
00:09:46.38\00:09:47.58
And I believe that those were
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the beginnings of me asking
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myself, "I wonder if I'm really
00:09:51.85\00:09:54.12
made for this," because I did
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have morals and I did have
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values.
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As a woman in the entertainment
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industry, we do have to
00:10:01.13\00:10:04.43
sacrifice a lot because the
00:10:04.43\00:10:06.77
reality is that sex sells and so
00:10:06.77\00:10:09.87
I knew, slowly but surely, while
00:10:09.87\00:10:12.47
I could maintain my morals then,
00:10:12.47\00:10:15.44
going down further the line, I
00:10:15.44\00:10:18.01
wasn't sure if that would
00:10:18.01\00:10:19.75
be the case.
00:10:19.75\00:10:20.75
And so I was really beginning to
00:10:20.75\00:10:22.48
think, you know, maybe I need to
00:10:22.48\00:10:25.79
really think this career
00:10:25.79\00:10:27.22
through.
00:10:27.22\00:10:28.16
>> So this was a big challenge,
00:10:28.66\00:10:30.16
how did you deal with the
00:10:30.16\00:10:30.89
challenge?
00:10:30.89\00:10:31.89
>> So I kept asking myself how
00:10:32.49\00:10:34.30
much will I have to give up?
00:10:34.30\00:10:36.06
I really just wanted to sing for
00:10:36.56\00:10:38.47
the love of it and I didn't want
00:10:38.47\00:10:41.64
to have to compromise my morals,
00:10:41.64\00:10:43.71
my values, just to be able to do
00:10:43.71\00:10:45.94
what I loved.
00:10:45.94\00:10:47.31
So it was quite the challenge,
00:10:47.31\00:10:48.88
as you mentioned, it was quite--
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I found myself between a rock
00:10:51.48\00:10:52.95
and a hard place.
00:10:52.95\00:10:54.12
Around the same time in my
00:10:54.98\00:10:56.35
personal life, I was also
00:10:56.35\00:10:58.29
questioning, "What is truth?"
00:10:58.29\00:11:00.46
This time of my life found me
00:11:00.46\00:11:02.99
attending different churches and
00:11:02.99\00:11:04.46
I was attending the Baptist
00:11:04.46\00:11:05.76
church for a while and as much
00:11:05.76\00:11:08.10
as I loved the comradery, the
00:11:08.10\00:11:09.80
fellowship, something just
00:11:09.80\00:11:11.93
didn't sit.
00:11:11.93\00:11:13.30
And I remember one night I was
00:11:13.30\00:11:16.07
walking home and I looked up
00:11:16.07\00:11:19.94
into the sky and, you know, it's
00:11:19.94\00:11:23.14
not very often that you get a
00:11:23.14\00:11:25.11
starry sky in the city because
00:11:25.11\00:11:28.05
of all the smog, but this night
00:11:28.05\00:11:29.75
just happened to be a very
00:11:29.75\00:11:31.29
starry, lovely sky and I looked
00:11:31.29\00:11:32.92
up and I just said, "I just
00:11:32.92\00:11:35.49
wanna know the truth."
00:11:35.49\00:11:37.03
And that was a prayer from
00:11:37.03\00:11:39.83
my heart.
00:11:39.83\00:11:40.70
>> Wow!
00:11:40.70\00:11:41.36
Yeah, so what happened?
00:11:41.36\00:11:43.30
>> So it's amazing how from that
00:11:43.63\00:11:46.50
moment the Lord sort of, you
00:11:46.50\00:11:48.77
know, allowed things to happen
00:11:48.77\00:11:50.77
in a way that eventually
00:11:50.77\00:11:52.31
answered that very prayer.
00:11:52.31\00:11:54.21
And, again, being amongst the
00:11:54.64\00:11:57.85
group of young aspiring artists,
00:11:57.85\00:12:00.42
as I mentioned before, there was
00:12:00.42\00:12:02.28
actually one or two of them who
00:12:02.28\00:12:04.25
kept the Sabbath.
00:12:04.25\00:12:05.75
And it was through them that I
00:12:05.75\00:12:09.02
came to, you know, a knowledge
00:12:09.02\00:12:11.39
of Seventh-day Adventism.
00:12:11.39\00:12:14.10
I had no idea what that was, it
00:12:14.10\00:12:16.00
was like discovering a new
00:12:16.00\00:12:17.23
colour that you've never seen
00:12:17.23\00:12:19.37
before and I had so many
00:12:19.37\00:12:22.27
questions, but I was fascinated
00:12:22.27\00:12:24.14
with the fact that they were
00:12:24.14\00:12:26.78
so dedicated.
00:12:26.78\00:12:28.04
They allotted a whole day to
00:12:28.04\00:12:31.28
just spending time with loved
00:12:31.28\00:12:33.11
ones, with God, going to church,
00:12:33.11\00:12:35.85
and just resting, you know?
00:12:35.85\00:12:38.65
I had never heard of that
00:12:38.65\00:12:39.85
before.
00:12:39.85\00:12:40.66
Even for us, when we would go to
00:12:40.66\00:12:42.22
church on Sunday, afterwards we
00:12:42.22\00:12:44.13
would carry on with business
00:12:44.13\00:12:45.46
as usual.
00:12:45.46\00:12:46.33
We would go to the mall, we
00:12:46.33\00:12:47.46
would go shopping, but this was
00:12:47.46\00:12:49.36
an entire day just wholly
00:12:49.36\00:12:52.00
dedicated to God and I thought
00:12:52.00\00:12:53.70
that was very precious and very
00:12:53.70\00:12:56.24
special.
00:12:56.24\00:12:57.11
And so I would ask them
00:12:57.64\00:12:59.34
questions and there was one
00:12:59.34\00:13:01.21
night where I was supposed to
00:13:01.21\00:13:02.68
meet up with one of the
00:13:02.68\00:13:04.01
producers, a friend of mine, and
00:13:04.01\00:13:06.05
we were going to get together to
00:13:06.05\00:13:07.65
do something and he just said,
00:13:07.65\00:13:10.05
"Follow me somewhere first and
00:13:10.05\00:13:11.42
then we'll do what we have
00:13:11.42\00:13:12.95
to do."
00:13:12.95\00:13:13.89
And so I said, "Okay, sure," you
00:13:13.89\00:13:16.42
know, I said, "Maybe we're going
00:13:16.42\00:13:18.06
to a studio of some sort or..."
00:13:18.06\00:13:20.73
I was up for the adventure.
00:13:20.73\00:13:22.50
And it just so happened that
00:13:22.50\00:13:25.43
we ended up in an
00:13:25.43\00:13:26.74
industrial-looking place right
00:13:26.74\00:13:30.21
at Caledonia and Bentworth, not
00:13:30.21\00:13:32.34
knowing that this would be my
00:13:32.34\00:13:34.18
future church.
00:13:34.18\00:13:35.31
I remember he opened up the
00:13:35.31\00:13:36.91
door, we walked through the
00:13:36.91\00:13:38.48
hallway and next thing I know,
00:13:38.48\00:13:41.78
I'm standing in the foyer of a
00:13:41.78\00:13:45.42
beautiful church.
00:13:45.42\00:13:47.32
And I was surprised, I almost
00:13:47.32\00:13:50.86
wanted to ask, "What are we
00:13:50.86\00:13:52.16
doing here?"
00:13:52.16\00:13:53.40
But I remember when the doors of
00:13:53.40\00:13:55.56
the sanctuary were opened, he
00:13:55.56\00:13:57.23
actually went in to open up for
00:13:57.23\00:13:59.40
a praise and worship practise.
00:13:59.40\00:14:01.77
And so once those doors of the
00:14:01.77\00:14:06.47
sanctuary were opened, I was
00:14:06.47\00:14:08.84
enamoured with what I saw.
00:14:08.84\00:14:10.88
I saw chairs beautifully lined
00:14:10.88\00:14:13.21
up and plants, life, flowers
00:14:13.21\00:14:16.45
everywhere, and there was
00:14:16.45\00:14:18.59
something so...so unique about
00:14:18.59\00:14:21.89
that experience and it was as if
00:14:21.89\00:14:23.99
I heard a voice saying,
00:14:23.99\00:14:25.63
"This is it."
00:14:25.63\00:14:27.13
And I didn't altogether
00:14:27.13\00:14:28.66
understand that at that moment,
00:14:28.66\00:14:31.00
but by and by the Lord began to
00:14:31.00\00:14:33.47
reveal as a result of that
00:14:33.47\00:14:35.74
prayer, I now realize it was a
00:14:35.74\00:14:38.37
prayer, from my heart that
00:14:38.37\00:14:40.01
night, "I just wanna know the
00:14:40.01\00:14:41.61
truth," He then began to allow
00:14:41.61\00:14:43.75
different things to happen from
00:14:43.75\00:14:45.38
that moment forward that led me
00:14:45.38\00:14:47.88
to where I am today.
00:14:47.88\00:14:49.48
>> So, Jen, how did your parents
00:14:50.05\00:14:51.99
react to your new faith?
00:14:51.99\00:14:53.69
>> So when I was ready to get
00:14:54.29\00:14:56.12
baptized, I was very happy.
00:14:56.12\00:14:58.49
I was on cloud nine because I
00:14:58.49\00:15:02.06
found this new-found faith and I
00:15:02.06\00:15:03.87
had such a love for Jesus and I
00:15:03.87\00:15:05.70
was growing every day in my love
00:15:05.70\00:15:07.54
for Him and in truth.
00:15:07.54\00:15:09.44
And my mother was very
00:15:09.44\00:15:11.74
supportive, but she did come to
00:15:11.74\00:15:13.91
me one day and she said, "If
00:15:13.91\00:15:15.94
this is what makes you happy and
00:15:15.94\00:15:18.45
if this is what you want for
00:15:18.45\00:15:21.85
you, then I support you."
00:15:21.85\00:15:24.65
And my dad was there at my
00:15:24.65\00:15:26.19
baptism as well, but after I got
00:15:26.19\00:15:30.53
baptized, I noticed that it
00:15:30.53\00:15:32.79
began to be a bit of an issue in
00:15:32.79\00:15:34.73
the home.
00:15:34.73\00:15:35.90
So my dad is a big family guy,
00:15:35.90\00:15:37.83
he loves to spend time with his
00:15:37.83\00:15:39.80
daughters, with his wife, and
00:15:39.80\00:15:42.37
Saturdays just happened to be
00:15:42.37\00:15:43.87
the days that he would always
00:15:43.87\00:15:47.08
have us go out together and it
00:15:47.08\00:15:49.64
usually was to one of his
00:15:49.64\00:15:51.25
friends' houses, but what would
00:15:51.25\00:15:54.35
happen there is they would
00:15:54.35\00:15:55.98
drink, they would smoke, there
00:15:55.98\00:15:58.55
was loud music and all that.
00:15:58.55\00:16:00.46
And so for my sister and I,
00:16:00.46\00:16:02.52
because after I had given my
00:16:02.52\00:16:04.73
heart to the Lord, my sister,
00:16:04.73\00:16:07.60
she baptized as a Seventh-day
00:16:07.60\00:16:09.53
Adventist a year later.
00:16:09.53\00:16:11.30
And so we were both in this
00:16:12.03\00:16:15.30
predicament where, "Should we go
00:16:15.30\00:16:17.01
with Daddy and Mom this time?"
00:16:17.01\00:16:19.41
How would we really keep the
00:16:21.64\00:16:23.14
Sabbath?
00:16:23.14\00:16:24.18
And it was tough, but we
00:16:24.58\00:16:27.22
mustered up the strength to tell
00:16:27.22\00:16:28.65
him, you know, "We don't think
00:16:28.65\00:16:30.85
we'll go this time because it's
00:16:30.85\00:16:32.39
hard for us to really keep and
00:16:32.39\00:16:34.12
observe the Sabbath in an
00:16:34.12\00:16:36.73
environment where there's a lot
00:16:36.73\00:16:38.23
of stuff that just are not
00:16:38.23\00:16:40.10
conducive to that.
00:16:40.10\00:16:41.30
And he didn't take it very well.
00:16:41.93\00:16:44.23
He got upset and my mother was
00:16:44.23\00:16:46.70
able to, you know, speak to him
00:16:46.70\00:16:48.24
and calm him down and they
00:16:48.24\00:16:49.60
eventually did go, but I
00:16:49.60\00:16:51.77
remember that night very
00:16:51.77\00:16:53.34
vividly, that definitely, you
00:16:53.34\00:16:56.24
know, he wasn't happy with it
00:16:56.24\00:16:58.95
and it was a source of friction
00:16:58.95\00:17:02.38
in the home as well.
00:17:02.38\00:17:04.55
Friday nights, you know, because
00:17:04.55\00:17:06.45
we worship from sunset to
00:17:06.45\00:17:07.92
sunset, so we would do the
00:17:07.92\00:17:09.92
chores, but then all Saturday if
00:17:09.92\00:17:11.96
there was something to do at
00:17:11.96\00:17:13.36
home, my dad would be like,
00:17:13.36\00:17:15.13
"What kind of a God doesn't want
00:17:15.13\00:17:16.67
you to help your mom with the
00:17:16.67\00:17:18.47
chores?"
00:17:18.47\00:17:19.47
And even that night when we had
00:17:19.47\00:17:22.17
told him, "Dad, we don't think
00:17:22.17\00:17:23.67
we'll go with you," he said,
00:17:23.67\00:17:24.87
"What kind of a God doesn't want
00:17:24.87\00:17:26.27
you to be with your family?"
00:17:26.27\00:17:28.34
It did produce some challenges
00:17:28.34\00:17:30.15
as well, but now, I think that
00:17:30.15\00:17:33.65
over time my parents
00:17:33.65\00:17:35.12
realized it wasn't a phase, it
00:17:35.12\00:17:36.89
wasn't something passing, if
00:17:36.89\00:17:38.72
anything we have grown in our
00:17:38.72\00:17:40.12
walk with Christ and as a
00:17:40.12\00:17:41.99
result, now they say, "Happy
00:17:41.99\00:17:44.66
Sabbath, girls," and they've
00:17:44.66\00:17:46.73
warmed up to even asking about
00:17:46.73\00:17:48.96
the Sabbath and wanting to know
00:17:48.96\00:17:50.43
more about it.
00:17:50.43\00:17:51.60
>> That's wonderful.
00:17:52.20\00:17:53.44
So the area of your music,
00:17:53.44\00:17:56.10
did that change?
00:17:56.10\00:17:57.51
>> It did, it did.
00:17:58.41\00:18:00.41
It certainly did, Mike.
00:18:01.31\00:18:02.54
I realized, you know, what I was
00:18:02.54\00:18:07.18
wanting and what I was pursuing
00:18:07.18\00:18:09.52
before, ultimately what it leads
00:18:09.52\00:18:12.02
to is people praising you for
00:18:12.02\00:18:14.62
your gift, saying, "You did a
00:18:14.62\00:18:16.16
great job, you sang that song
00:18:16.16\00:18:18.09
well, you wrote that amazing
00:18:18.09\00:18:20.00
song."
00:18:20.00\00:18:20.63
And so in a very real sense
00:18:20.63\00:18:23.10
what's happening is it's more
00:18:23.10\00:18:25.57
self-focused, right, it's about
00:18:25.57\00:18:27.67
you, whereas when I came to
00:18:27.67\00:18:30.71
Christ, it was now no longer
00:18:30.71\00:18:32.94
about me, it was about Him.
00:18:32.94\00:18:35.11
And I have to say that I am more
00:18:35.11\00:18:37.65
happy now singing for the One
00:18:37.65\00:18:39.58
who gave me the talent than
00:18:39.58\00:18:41.52
doing anything else and I
00:18:41.52\00:18:43.15
wouldn't trade it for the world.
00:18:43.15\00:18:44.82
>> Jennifer, I wonder if you
00:18:45.32\00:18:46.55
would perhaps share one of your
00:18:46.55\00:18:48.72
songs with us right now?
00:18:48.72\00:18:50.73
>> Absolutely.
00:18:50.73\00:18:52.26
This song is a special song,
00:18:52.26\00:18:53.96
it's called "For You" and it was
00:18:53.96\00:18:56.33
written, actually, a couple of
00:18:56.33\00:18:57.90
years ago when our family got
00:18:57.90\00:19:02.30
the not-so-great news of my
00:19:02.30\00:19:04.54
sister who was diagnosed with a
00:19:04.54\00:19:08.04
particular autoimmune disease.
00:19:08.04\00:19:10.71
I remember when I went to go
00:19:10.71\00:19:12.21
visit her in the hospital, I
00:19:12.21\00:19:13.45
sang a portion of what I had
00:19:13.45\00:19:15.25
written to her and she began to
00:19:15.25\00:19:18.65
cry, she was overwhelmed, but
00:19:18.65\00:19:20.89
she was also very comforted to
00:19:20.89\00:19:23.26
be reminded that God was there
00:19:23.26\00:19:25.76
with her, even through the whole
00:19:25.76\00:19:27.66
ordeal of having been diagnosed
00:19:27.66\00:19:29.96
and finding out what was the
00:19:29.96\00:19:32.37
matter with her.
00:19:32.37\00:19:33.44
So I pray that it will be a
00:19:33.74\00:19:34.97
blessing.
00:19:34.97\00:19:35.97
[gentle piano music]
00:19:37.04\00:19:40.71
¤¤
00:19:40.71\00:19:55.99
¤ I am perfect love
00:19:55.99\00:20:00.53
¤ Love beyond compare
00:20:00.53\00:20:05.43
¤ Take My hand
00:20:05.43\00:20:07.37
¤ and walk with Me
00:20:07.37\00:20:10.01
¤ I have so much to share
00:20:10.01\00:20:14.24
¤ In your darkest hours
00:20:15.11\00:20:19.85
¤ I have held you close
00:20:19.85\00:20:24.05
¤ And I still hold you
00:20:24.05\00:20:27.09
¤ by your hand
00:20:27.09\00:20:29.12
¤ That never will let go
00:20:29.12\00:20:34.30
¤ Oh, My love for you
00:20:35.36\00:20:40.97
¤ Is so strong for you
00:20:40.97\00:20:45.64
¤ I will do for you
00:20:45.64\00:20:49.78
¤ What you cannot do
00:20:49.78\00:20:54.15
¤ I will fight for you ¤
00:20:55.05\00:20:59.95
¤ And I died for you ¤
00:20:59.95\00:21:04.76
¤ So you'd see it's true ¤
00:21:04.76\00:21:08.90
¤ How much I love you ¤
00:21:08.90\00:21:12.63
¤ I have wiped your tears
00:21:14.97\00:21:19.44
¤ When you've been afraid
00:21:19.44\00:21:24.08
¤ And I have helped you
00:21:24.08\00:21:26.88
¤ through your pain
00:21:26.88\00:21:29.05
¤ I'll do it once again
00:21:29.05\00:21:34.19
¤ I'm the One you yearn for
00:21:34.19\00:21:38.99
¤ Though you doubt Me so
00:21:38.99\00:21:43.10
¤ Give Me a chance
00:21:43.10\00:21:45.20
¤ and I will show
00:21:45.20\00:21:48.44
¤ The power of My love
00:21:48.44\00:21:53.71
¤ Oh, my love for you
00:21:54.68\00:21:59.58
¤ Is so strong for you
00:22:00.22\00:22:04.19
¤ I will do for you
00:22:05.02\00:22:09.09
¤ What you cannot do
00:22:09.09\00:22:13.33
¤ I will fight for you
00:22:14.30\00:22:18.47
¤ And I died for you
00:22:19.10\00:22:23.51
¤ So you'd see it's true ¤
00:22:23.91\00:22:28.08
¤ How much I love you
00:22:28.08\00:22:32.21
¤ Oh, my love for you
00:22:33.05\00:22:38.39
¤ Is so strong for you
00:22:38.39\00:22:42.89
¤ And I promise you
00:22:42.89\00:22:46.80
¤ Always to show you
00:22:46.80\00:22:51.33
¤ I will fight for you
00:22:51.90\00:22:56.50
¤ Persevere for you
00:22:56.50\00:23:01.08
¤ So you see it's true
00:23:01.08\00:23:05.51
¤ How much I love you
00:23:05.51\00:23:10.05
>> Jennifer, that was such a
00:23:13.15\00:23:14.82
beautiful song that you sang
00:23:14.82\00:23:16.79
with Sanj accompanying you.
00:23:16.79\00:23:18.83
It was like God speaking to you
00:23:18.83\00:23:22.06
and for you, His words from the
00:23:22.06\00:23:24.80
Bible.
00:23:24.80\00:23:25.93
>> Yes.
00:23:25.93\00:23:27.10
There are-- there is a favourite
00:23:27.10\00:23:29.80
verse of mine, it's found in
00:23:29.80\00:23:32.17
2 Corinthians, chapter 5 and
00:23:32.17\00:23:34.64
verse 15.
00:23:34.64\00:23:36.58
I'll read it here.
00:23:36.58\00:23:38.41
And it says...
00:23:38.41\00:23:39.78
These are words that I live by.
00:23:50.29\00:23:52.29
Just reminding myself that now
00:23:53.23\00:23:56.20
my life is completely for
00:23:56.20\00:23:59.23
Christ, I am sold to Him and He
00:23:59.23\00:24:03.87
is everything to me now and
00:24:03.87\00:24:06.54
whatever I do, I seek to glorify
00:24:06.54\00:24:08.94
Him and to give Him honour, the
00:24:08.94\00:24:11.51
honour that is due as opposed to
00:24:11.51\00:24:15.58
reflecting that back on me.
00:24:15.58\00:24:17.45
>> And, Jennifer, right now
00:24:19.02\00:24:20.79
you've totally changed direction
00:24:20.79\00:24:23.26
with careers, you're studying as
00:24:23.26\00:24:25.26
a nutritionist now.
00:24:25.26\00:24:26.73
[JENNIFER] Yes, I am.
00:24:27.23\00:24:28.63
I have finished my nutritional
00:24:28.63\00:24:30.77
studies and I am now a certified
00:24:30.77\00:24:32.80
nutritionist, very different
00:24:32.80\00:24:34.37
from what I had thought and
00:24:34.37\00:24:36.04
intended; music to health.
00:24:36.04\00:24:38.47
It's been an amazing journey
00:24:38.47\00:24:40.18
just to see how God has taken me
00:24:40.18\00:24:42.48
from where I was to where
00:24:42.48\00:24:43.85
I am now.
00:24:43.85\00:24:45.48
I definitely would have never
00:24:45.48\00:24:47.12
imagined it, but I love it, I
00:24:47.12\00:24:49.15
wouldn't trade it for the world.
00:24:49.15\00:24:51.05
>> So, Jennifer, do you feel
00:24:51.05\00:24:52.79
like you found what you were
00:24:52.79\00:24:54.52
looking for that night when you
00:24:54.52\00:24:56.29
looked up at the stars and you
00:24:56.29\00:24:57.86
said, "I just wanna know the
00:24:57.86\00:24:59.86
truth?"
00:24:59.86\00:25:00.93
>> Absolutely, Mike.
00:25:00.93\00:25:02.13
I would have to say, yes,
00:25:02.13\00:25:04.47
I have.
00:25:04.47\00:25:05.13
I have found peace, I have found
00:25:05.13\00:25:07.10
joy, I have found a purposeful
00:25:07.10\00:25:10.31
life which, when I look back, I
00:25:10.31\00:25:13.84
don't think I would have had,
00:25:13.84\00:25:15.78
seeing how so many artists and,
00:25:15.78\00:25:18.48
you know, entertainers end up
00:25:18.48\00:25:20.55
taking their lives or being on
00:25:20.55\00:25:22.25
drugs, it's very heart-breaking.
00:25:22.25\00:25:24.49
I always thank Him for taking me
00:25:24.49\00:25:26.62
out of darkness into His
00:25:26.62\00:25:28.26
marvellous light because He's
00:25:28.26\00:25:30.13
given me a life I would have
00:25:30.13\00:25:32.26
never thought I'd have and it's
00:25:32.26\00:25:35.83
beautiful because it comes from
00:25:35.83\00:25:38.30
within, it's a peace that comes
00:25:38.30\00:25:39.83
from within, something that the
00:25:39.83\00:25:41.47
world can't take, something that
00:25:41.47\00:25:44.24
no career could really give and
00:25:44.24\00:25:46.94
it's a joy that continues to...
00:25:46.94\00:25:49.58
...grow with every passing day
00:25:50.81\00:25:53.08
as I get to know Him more and
00:25:53.08\00:25:54.58
more, He gets sweeter and
00:25:54.58\00:25:56.08
sweeter all the time.
00:25:56.08\00:25:58.12
And I am so comforted by the
00:25:58.12\00:25:59.75
promise in Psalm 84, verse 11
00:25:59.75\00:26:01.96
that says that He will withhold
00:26:01.96\00:26:03.79
no good thing from those who
00:26:03.79\00:26:05.23
walk uprightly.
00:26:05.23\00:26:06.86
He has definitely proven that in
00:26:06.86\00:26:08.40
my life and I know He will
00:26:08.40\00:26:10.43
continue to do so.
00:26:10.43\00:26:11.77
>> Jen, I wonder if you can pray
00:26:12.33\00:26:13.97
as we've come to the end of our
00:26:13.97\00:26:15.50
program?
00:26:15.50\00:26:16.50
>> Absolutely, René.
00:26:16.50\00:26:17.71
Let's pray.
00:26:17.71\00:26:18.71
Loving Father, I want to thank
00:26:19.94\00:26:21.94
You for Your love, Your
00:26:21.94\00:26:25.95
goodness, Your grace.
00:26:25.95\00:26:28.48
I thank You, Father, for how You
00:26:28.48\00:26:30.29
lead us individually in our
00:26:30.29\00:26:32.79
lives and I want to thank You,
00:26:32.79\00:26:35.89
Father, for Your great love for
00:26:35.89\00:26:37.76
each and every soul.
00:26:37.76\00:26:40.33
Father, I pray a special prayer
00:26:41.16\00:26:42.93
for those who are watching
00:26:42.93\00:26:44.17
today.
00:26:44.17\00:26:44.93
Lord, You know where they have
00:26:45.43\00:26:47.00
come from, You know their walks
00:26:47.00\00:26:48.90
of life, and You know, Lord,
00:26:48.90\00:26:51.41
what they need, just as You knew
00:26:51.41\00:26:53.64
what I needed.
00:26:53.64\00:26:54.84
Father, I can truly say with all
00:26:55.51\00:26:58.41
my heart that having said yes to
00:26:58.41\00:27:01.08
You and having turned my back
00:27:01.08\00:27:03.52
from what I thought would have
00:27:03.52\00:27:04.95
been a fulfilling life has been
00:27:04.95\00:27:06.72
the best decision that I have
00:27:06.72\00:27:08.32
ever made and I pray, Lord, that
00:27:08.32\00:27:12.49
somewhere someone today will
00:27:12.49\00:27:14.93
also say yes to You and embark
00:27:14.93\00:27:18.17
on a beautiful journey that only
00:27:18.17\00:27:20.67
You could show them.
00:27:20.67\00:27:23.27
I pray, Lord, that they will
00:27:23.27\00:27:24.51
discover the loveliness of
00:27:24.51\00:27:27.81
Christ and that they will know
00:27:27.81\00:27:29.78
Him as Saviour and Lord.
00:27:29.78\00:27:31.98
Lord, I thank You for this time
00:27:32.41\00:27:35.42
spent together and I ask that
00:27:35.42\00:27:37.45
You will bless us.
00:27:37.45\00:27:38.69
In Jesus' name, amen.
00:27:38.69\00:27:40.72
[MIKE] Amen.
00:27:40.72\00:27:41.62
[RENÉ] Amen.
00:27:41.62\00:27:42.59
>> Thank you very much,
00:27:43.26\00:27:44.03
Jennifer, for sharing your story
00:27:44.03\00:27:45.99
with us on It Is Written Canada.
00:27:45.99\00:27:47.76
>> Amen.
00:27:47.76\00:27:48.50
Thank you, Mike and René, for
00:27:48.50\00:27:50.27
having me.
00:27:50.27\00:27:51.43
It's been a pleasure.
00:27:51.43\00:27:52.67
>> Friends, Jennifer told us how
00:27:55.24\00:27:57.24
her life and music were inspired
00:27:57.24\00:28:00.08
by the Word of God.
00:28:00.08\00:28:02.58
So we want to help you also be
00:28:02.58\00:28:05.58
blessed by God's Word,
00:28:05.58\00:28:07.35
the Bible.
00:28:07.35\00:28:08.38
Our free offer is a set of Bible
00:28:08.38\00:28:11.12
Study Guides.
00:28:11.12\00:28:12.49
>> Whether you want to learn the
00:28:12.49\00:28:14.12
major teachings of God's Word or
00:28:14.12\00:28:16.69
Bible prophecy, we can assist
00:28:16.69\00:28:19.36
you to find answers for how to
00:28:19.36\00:28:21.60
face the challenges you may be
00:28:21.60\00:28:23.83
dealing with today.
00:28:23.83\00:28:25.33
>> Friends, we want you to
00:28:25.67\00:28:27.14
experience the truth that is
00:28:27.14\00:28:28.70
found in the words of Jesus when
00:28:28.70\00:28:30.71
He said, "It is written, 'Man
00:28:30.71\00:28:32.84
shall not live by bread alone,
00:28:32.84\00:28:34.71
but by every word that proceeds
00:28:34.71\00:28:37.35
out of the mouth of God.'"
00:28:37.35\00:28:39.18
¤¤
00:28:39.18\00:28:54.20