>> Welcome to It Is Written
00:00:01.66\00:00:03.00
Canada.
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Thank you for joining us.
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May we ask you a question?
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What are the odds of you
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being born?
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>> Maybe one in a trillion.
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>> Oh, no.
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Much greater than that.
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Think about the probability of
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your parents meeting, marrying,
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and the single reproductive cell
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of the possible trillions from
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your father uniting with the
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precise egg of the average
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hundred thousand viable eggs
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from your mother, uniting
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to make you.
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>> But the same process had to
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take place to create your
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parents and grandparents and all
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your ancestors back to the
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beginning of creation.
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If even one microscopic change
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occurred at any stage in
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history, you would not be here.
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>> So if one of your ancestors
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died in a war, a car crash, or
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from sickness, you would not
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exist.
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So what are the odds of you
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being born?
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The most conservative estimates
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are one in 400 trillion,
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but it's more like one in
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400 quadrillion.
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[MIKE] So you might not realize
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what 400 quadrillion looks like.
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So let me give you an idea.
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If you were to live for one
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million seconds, then you would
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live for 11.57 days.
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Whereas one billion seconds
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equals 31.7 years.
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And one trillion seconds equals
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3,179 years.
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And a quadrillion seconds is
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31,700,700 years.
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So if the odds of you being born
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are one in 400 quadrillion,
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then it's a miracle that you
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are here.
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>> A miracle is an event so
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unlikely that it is almost
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impossible.
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So by that definition, you are
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definitely a miracle.
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The Bible records God saying...
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Isn't it beautiful
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and comforting to know that God
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knew you before you were born?
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>> Today on It Is Written
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Canada, you will meet Ricardo
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Mena, who, as a young person was
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angry with God, acting out
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certain self-destructive
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behaviours, getting caught in a
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cycle of addictions, not
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realizing that he was anything
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special.
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>> In a moment, Ricardo will
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tell you his true story of how
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God completely changed the way
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he saw his life.
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[theme music playing]
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¤¤
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[chains clanking]
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[sound of metal shattering]
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>> Welcome again to It Is
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Written Canada.
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Thank you for joining us.
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>> Sometimes I hear people say,
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"I'm really a nobody,
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I'm just me."
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Do you know that God, your
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Creator, has a different
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perspective?
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He says, "You are not
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just you."
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God says...
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[MIKE] As a young person, our
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special guest today, Ricardo
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Mena, did not believe that he
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was a miraculous chosen child
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of God.
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>> But obviously, something
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happened to change all that.
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Pastor Ricardo, thank you for
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being willing to share your
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story with us today.
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And thank you for joining us on
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It Is Written Canada.
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>> Thank you for inviting me.
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It's a pleasure to be here.
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[MIKE] Pastor Ricardo, we
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received a lot of hope from your
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story, but before we get into
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the details of that, I wonder if
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you can tell us about your past,
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about your family.
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[RICARDO] Of course.
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I was born in South America, in
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Chile, to be more specific.
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I'm a fourth generation
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Seventh-day Adventist, which
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doesn't mean much, because my
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mom married outside the church.
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So for a little bit my dad was
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in the church, but then they
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left the church.
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So I was born outside.
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>> Pastor Ricardo, as a child,
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you started exhibiting certain
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behavioural problems.
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At what age did that begin?
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>> As I go back, it begins about
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five, six years old.
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I started wetting my bed,
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a lot of fighting, getting in
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trouble in school, fighting
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all the time.
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My mom had to go in the school
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almost every other day.
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I was very violent.
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I got kicked out of school.
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Then I had issues trying to find
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a school that would accept me,
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and that's kind of what
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happened.
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I didn't know exactly why all
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these things were happening.
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My parents had no idea.
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They took me to a psychologist
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to see what's going on with this
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kid, and the psychologist
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couldn't find out what was
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happening.
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So nobody knew what was really
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taking place in my life.
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>> When you look back, what do
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you think was the root cause of
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what you were experiencing?
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>> As I look back into my life,
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what was really happening is
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something that nobody knew.
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I was sexually abused.
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I believe somewhere around, I
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have done the math, basically
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looking back at some trips with
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my family to try to realize,
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pinpoint when this happened,
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about five years old, somewhere
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there I was sexually abused
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by a cousin.
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Very unfortunate situation, but
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that's really what happened.
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And based on that, that I didn't
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even know that I was reacting to
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that traumatic event, I was
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involved with drugs very early,
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at a very early age, where I
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began to smoke at the age
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of eight.
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I was just asking, you know,
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some other people to let me have
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a couple of puffs on their
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cigarette.
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I remember my grandpa, he would
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give me money and I would go and
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buy a cigarette in the corner
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store.
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You would do that and they
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wouldn't question.
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This is different times.
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And I remember I started
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drinking with my cousin.
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My cousin, he had a father that
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was an alcoholic and he was kind
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of going into that.
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I had no idea about that either.
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But he would go out on the
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weekends with his friends.
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My cousin is way older than me.
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I would stay at my grandma's
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place and I would just come back
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drunk, wasted with my cousin,
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right, at the age of 13.
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Had no idea.
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At the same age, I started
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smoking marijuana, which my
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parents had no idea that that
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was taking place.
00:07:33.75\00:07:35.32
And at the age of 16, all this
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is progressing very rapidly
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where I'm already experimenting
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with cocaine, with hash,
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and it's just,
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it's just getting bad.
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It's just getting bad.
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>> And then, Pastor Ricardo, at
00:07:47.23\00:07:49.26
the age of 19 you moved from
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Chile to Winnipeg, Manitoba
00:07:51.83\00:07:55.44
in Canada.
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Can you tell us about that
00:07:56.77\00:07:58.71
experience?
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>> Yes, that was a traumatic
00:07:59.87\00:08:02.91
experience, not just because of
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the move, but February is summer
00:08:04.71\00:08:09.05
in Chile.
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So I remember very vividly that
00:08:10.05\00:08:12.55
day because I left on February
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the 12th with plus 37 in
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Santiago, plus 37 Celsius.
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I arrive in Winnipeg with the
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next day, February the 13th,
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with -37.
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So you can make the math,
00:08:29.40\00:08:30.77
you know?
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So that was a huge change.
00:08:31.74\00:08:33.34
I remember coming out of the
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airport, I couldn't breathe, I'm
00:08:34.64\00:08:36.44
choking, I'm [gasps].
00:08:36.44\00:08:37.68
"What is this?" Right?
00:08:37.68\00:08:39.31
So, yeah, it was a very
00:08:39.31\00:08:40.78
traumatic experience.
00:08:40.78\00:08:41.98
But having said that, also the
00:08:41.98\00:08:45.32
culture was very different.
00:08:45.32\00:08:46.82
I remember that as I got here at
00:08:47.89\00:08:51.99
4:00, around 4:00 in the
00:08:51.99\00:08:54.00
afternoon, I remember that my
00:08:54.00\00:08:55.96
cousin was waiting for me at the
00:08:55.96\00:08:58.00
airport with my uncle and
00:08:58.00\00:08:59.50
whatever, and I arrive at 4:00,
00:08:59.50\00:09:03.94
at 6:00 I was already high,
00:09:03.94\00:09:07.11
I was already smoking weed.
00:09:07.11\00:09:09.08
So it was very easy to kind of
00:09:10.41\00:09:14.92
get your hands on any kind of
00:09:14.92\00:09:16.92
drugs here in Canada.
00:09:16.92\00:09:18.89
>> And that was at a time when
00:09:19.35\00:09:20.66
it wasn't legal.
00:09:20.66\00:09:22.26
[RICARDO] No.
00:09:22.26\00:09:23.43
Of course, now you can go to any
00:09:23.43\00:09:26.76
store that is licensed
00:09:26.76\00:09:27.66
to do that.
00:09:27.66\00:09:28.26
Yeah, no, it wasn't legal.
00:09:28.26\00:09:29.16
We're talking about 20 years
00:09:29.16\00:09:30.73
ago, right?
00:09:30.73\00:09:31.73
>> So everything changed.
00:09:32.33\00:09:33.84
What was the turning point?
00:09:34.64\00:09:36.37
I mean, what happened when
00:09:36.37\00:09:37.84
you were in Canada?
00:09:37.84\00:09:38.94
Did things get better or worse?
00:09:38.94\00:09:41.21
[RICARDO] No, things escalated,
00:09:41.21\00:09:42.84
they got rapidly worse.
00:09:42.84\00:09:45.51
I was already struggling with
00:09:45.51\00:09:47.18
addictions from Chile, I came
00:09:47.18\00:09:50.19
here just as a drug addict.
00:09:50.19\00:09:52.19
I mean, I was smoking every
00:09:52.19\00:09:53.82
single day, I was doing hash, I
00:09:53.82\00:09:55.32
was doing cocaine before I came
00:09:55.32\00:09:57.79
to Canada.
00:09:57.79\00:09:58.63
So here was just like the door
00:09:58.63\00:10:00.20
to all the opportunities,
00:10:00.20\00:10:02.80
very easy.
00:10:02.80\00:10:03.80
So I remember going to high
00:10:04.20\00:10:05.47
school and this was in the
00:10:05.47\00:10:07.30
school yard, you had like
00:10:07.30\00:10:09.50
three, four kids selling
00:10:09.50\00:10:10.57
marijuana, right?
00:10:10.57\00:10:11.94
So yeah, no, I got-- it was very
00:10:12.51\00:10:14.94
easy, things escalated.
00:10:14.94\00:10:16.71
And because I was so hooked to
00:10:16.71\00:10:18.95
this, I was so addicted that I
00:10:18.95\00:10:20.92
couldn't afford it anymore.
00:10:20.92\00:10:22.68
It's expensive, it's very
00:10:22.68\00:10:24.45
expensive.
00:10:24.45\00:10:25.19
And on top of that, I was
00:10:25.19\00:10:26.32
smoking a pack of cigarettes
00:10:26.32\00:10:27.62
a day.
00:10:27.62\00:10:28.62
So I couldn't afford it.
00:10:28.62\00:10:29.79
So then what is the next thing
00:10:29.79\00:10:31.53
you do?
00:10:31.53\00:10:32.53
I started dealing.
00:10:32.96\00:10:34.60
I started selling marijuana.
00:10:34.60\00:10:36.13
And the interesting thing
00:10:36.70\00:10:38.83
is that...
00:10:38.83\00:10:39.97
...I was basically in contact
00:10:40.94\00:10:44.94
with all of these crazy people
00:10:44.94\00:10:47.61
and one of the guys that was
00:10:47.61\00:10:49.41
giving me the marijuana for me
00:10:49.41\00:10:50.78
to sell was a cop
00:10:50.78\00:10:52.98
or a part-time cop.
00:10:52.98\00:10:54.48
So a crooked police.
00:10:54.98\00:10:56.62
So imagine that.
00:10:56.62\00:10:58.95
So this is how bad things were.
00:10:58.95\00:11:00.59
>> So how did things change?
00:11:01.12\00:11:02.39
Was there a specific turning
00:11:02.39\00:11:03.53
point?
00:11:03.53\00:11:04.46
[RICARDO] Yes, of course.
00:11:05.29\00:11:06.83
As I was saying, things got
00:11:06.83\00:11:09.56
really bad to the point that I'm
00:11:09.56\00:11:11.40
now selling marijuana.
00:11:11.40\00:11:13.84
My parents don't know what's
00:11:14.47\00:11:16.60
going on...
00:11:16.60\00:11:17.61
...but I'm just getting
00:11:18.54\00:11:20.94
more hooked due to the
00:11:20.94\00:11:23.35
addiction and...
00:11:23.35\00:11:24.65
And one of the things that began
00:11:25.58\00:11:27.35
to happen is that one night I
00:11:27.35\00:11:29.35
experienced something that is...
00:11:29.35\00:11:30.95
...called, like, this, basically
00:11:32.02\00:11:34.52
the feeling of death.
00:11:34.52\00:11:36.12
I didn't even know what it was.
00:11:36.79\00:11:38.99
Later on, I knew that it was a
00:11:38.99\00:11:40.36
panic attack, but I didn't know.
00:11:40.36\00:11:42.26
It was just like a heart attack.
00:11:42.26\00:11:43.93
Like your throat's, like,
00:11:43.93\00:11:46.07
closing up, you start feeling,
00:11:46.07\00:11:47.70
you know, your heart is racing
00:11:47.70\00:11:49.67
very fast, pain in your chest,
00:11:49.67\00:11:52.34
your arm is just in excruciating
00:11:52.34\00:11:54.48
pain that I thought I was having
00:11:54.48\00:11:57.15
a heart attack, like...
00:11:57.15\00:11:58.55
And at one point, basically
00:11:58.81\00:12:01.35
you're so scared, but at one
00:12:01.35\00:12:02.82
point you just kind of give up
00:12:02.82\00:12:05.55
and you're ready to go.
00:12:05.55\00:12:06.86
That moment just was the
00:12:07.56\00:12:10.76
beginning of the turning point.
00:12:10.76\00:12:12.39
From that moment on, I started
00:12:12.39\00:12:14.23
experiencing this often.
00:12:14.23\00:12:15.96
I couldn't do any drugs, my body
00:12:16.60\00:12:19.10
would start reacting.
00:12:19.10\00:12:20.90
I went through kind of a
00:12:20.90\00:12:23.04
withdrawal process that lasted a
00:12:23.04\00:12:24.87
long time where I'm having these
00:12:24.87\00:12:26.88
panic attacks all the time,
00:12:26.88\00:12:28.38
where I can't sleep, I cannot
00:12:28.38\00:12:29.94
hear my heart.
00:12:29.94\00:12:31.11
I have a-- even till now, I have
00:12:31.11\00:12:32.68
a hard time listening to my
00:12:32.68\00:12:34.48
heart.
00:12:34.48\00:12:35.08
If I put my my head on the
00:12:35.08\00:12:36.25
pillow and I hear my heart, I
00:12:36.25\00:12:37.32
need to change positions.
00:12:37.32\00:12:38.62
And through that moment, I
00:12:39.02\00:12:41.36
remember also that I, I was
00:12:41.36\00:12:43.29
feeling like I was losing it,
00:12:43.29\00:12:44.46
that I was going crazy, that I
00:12:44.46\00:12:46.06
couldn't control my body.
00:12:46.06\00:12:48.30
And I would wake up at night,
00:12:48.30\00:12:50.43
2:00 in the morning and just kin
00:12:50.43\00:12:51.57
of sit by the window.
00:12:51.57\00:12:52.97
I couldn't sleep well, I was
00:12:52.97\00:12:54.10
sleeping in a fetal position,
00:12:54.10\00:12:55.67
hugging a pillow sometimes.
00:12:55.67\00:12:57.04
It was just a scary moment in my
00:12:57.04\00:12:58.37
life where my parents didn't
00:12:58.37\00:13:00.18
know what was happening.
00:13:00.18\00:13:01.44
One of the things that through
00:13:03.14\00:13:04.28
that process was happening is
00:13:04.28\00:13:05.71
that my mom felt the need to go
00:13:05.71\00:13:07.75
back to church and my dad was
00:13:07.75\00:13:10.72
the one that follow after that.
00:13:10.72\00:13:12.42
And then my little sister.
00:13:13.25\00:13:15.76
Meanwhile, I'm just turning to
00:13:15.76\00:13:18.76
drinking now because drinking is
00:13:18.76\00:13:21.13
okay, my body doesn't react.
00:13:21.13\00:13:22.73
So I'm drinking, I'm drinking,
00:13:22.73\00:13:25.00
like, over, you know, more than
00:13:25.00\00:13:26.43
$300 a weekend and I'm just
00:13:26.43\00:13:29.84
grabbing a backpack, getting a
00:13:29.84\00:13:31.21
six pack in my backpack and then
00:13:31.21\00:13:33.71
just walking by myself downtown
00:13:33.71\00:13:35.78
Winnipeg, see if I could pick up
00:13:35.78\00:13:37.65
a fight or something like that.
00:13:37.65\00:13:38.95
Just angry with the world, just
00:13:38.95\00:13:40.55
losing it.
00:13:40.55\00:13:41.48
That's kind of what is happening
00:13:41.48\00:13:42.95
at that time.
00:13:42.95\00:13:44.22
>> And was there something that
00:13:45.55\00:13:49.16
your parents said or how did how
00:13:49.16\00:13:51.56
did they reach you
00:13:51.56\00:13:52.76
in that place?
00:13:52.76\00:13:53.53
They must have been, you know,
00:13:53.53\00:13:54.93
watching something and seeing
00:13:54.93\00:13:57.37
our son is not the same.
00:13:57.37\00:13:58.93
>> So that time as they're going
00:13:58.93\00:14:00.30
back to church, one of the-- of
00:14:00.30\00:14:02.57
course, they are scared for what
00:14:02.57\00:14:03.64
is happening in my life, they
00:14:03.64\00:14:04.87
don't know how to deal with it.
00:14:04.87\00:14:06.44
And they invited me to church.
00:14:06.98\00:14:09.61
And they invited me to church
00:14:11.05\00:14:13.62
and they were persistent
00:14:13.62\00:14:15.05
about it.
00:14:15.05\00:14:16.05
So I went to an evangelistic
00:14:16.05\00:14:18.32
series.
00:14:18.32\00:14:19.32
Now picture the worst
00:14:19.32\00:14:20.62
evangelistic series you can
00:14:20.62\00:14:21.62
imagine.
00:14:21.62\00:14:22.62
It's like we had Doug Batchelor,
00:14:22.62\00:14:24.66
it's not that he's a bad
00:14:24.66\00:14:25.59
speaker, he's a great speaker,
00:14:25.59\00:14:27.03
but Doug Batchelor speaking in
00:14:27.03\00:14:28.53
English.
00:14:28.53\00:14:29.43
Now this is translated over,
00:14:29.43\00:14:31.33
like, you can hear the English
00:14:31.33\00:14:32.83
and then you hear the Spanish
00:14:32.83\00:14:35.00
and it's in a satellite so you
00:14:35.00\00:14:36.47
have it on a projector and a
00:14:36.47\00:14:37.84
screen in the basement of a
00:14:37.84\00:14:39.61
church.
00:14:39.61\00:14:40.61
That's the evangelistic series
00:14:40.61\00:14:42.01
that I went to.
00:14:42.01\00:14:43.21
And-- but this is how God works.
00:14:43.21\00:14:46.08
He spoke something that just
00:14:47.15\00:14:48.98
caught my attention.
00:14:48.98\00:14:50.22
Didn't go back to church again,
00:14:50.22\00:14:52.52
but I followed that through the
00:14:52.52\00:14:53.96
computer.
00:14:53.96\00:14:54.96
And that was the beginning
00:14:55.46\00:14:56.99
of a change.
00:14:56.99\00:14:57.99
>> So it wasn't a polished
00:14:58.73\00:15:00.23
message, it was the message that
00:15:00.23\00:15:03.60
you heard, it was the content,
00:15:03.60\00:15:04.87
really, that spoke to you.
00:15:04.87\00:15:06.47
[RICARDO] Yes, the content.
00:15:06.47\00:15:08.14
Basically the appeal to my
00:15:09.27\00:15:10.91
intelligence and I think that
00:15:10.91\00:15:12.44
that's how God works, He appeals
00:15:12.44\00:15:14.31
to our intellect.
00:15:14.31\00:15:15.78
Now, one of the things that
00:15:15.78\00:15:16.64
happened there, Mike, is that as
00:15:16.64\00:15:19.35
time progressed, I felt the need
00:15:19.35\00:15:22.32
to spend-- to get to know God.
00:15:22.32\00:15:26.05
And one day I remember I made
00:15:26.05\00:15:29.16
the decision to go to church.
00:15:29.16\00:15:30.86
And my parents didn't know, they
00:15:31.66\00:15:32.99
were having breakfast so I
00:15:32.99\00:15:34.36
grabbed the towel, I went right
00:15:34.36\00:15:35.66
across the living room to the
00:15:35.66\00:15:36.90
bathroom.
00:15:36.90\00:15:38.07
And they were wondering, "What
00:15:38.07\00:15:39.57
is this guy doing Saturday
00:15:39.57\00:15:40.94
morning?
00:15:40.94\00:15:41.67
Usually he's coming back on
00:15:41.67\00:15:42.64
Saturday morning, so what is he
00:15:42.64\00:15:44.24
doing?"
00:15:44.24\00:15:44.91
So I went to the shower, I said,
00:15:44.91\00:15:45.97
"Oh, I'm gonna take a shower."
00:15:45.97\00:15:47.61
"Where are you going?"
00:15:47.61\00:15:48.51
"I'm going to church."
00:15:48.51\00:15:49.98
And they were super surprised,
00:15:49.98\00:15:50.91
they were, as you can imagine,
00:15:50.91\00:15:52.31
they were happy.
00:15:52.31\00:15:53.62
So we made it to church and one
00:15:53.62\00:15:55.22
of the things that I experienced
00:15:55.22\00:15:56.72
there is that as the service
00:15:56.72\00:16:00.56
ended, the elder of the church
00:16:00.56\00:16:04.16
approached me and he says,
00:16:04.16\00:16:06.23
"Welcome, I knew you would
00:16:06.23\00:16:08.23
come."
00:16:08.23\00:16:09.23
And I'm looking at him all kind
00:16:10.10\00:16:12.47
of suspicious, how this guy knew
00:16:12.47\00:16:14.20
that I was gonna come here
00:16:14.20\00:16:16.14
when I made the decision this
00:16:16.14\00:16:17.24
morning?
00:16:17.24\00:16:18.24
And so I confronted him and I
00:16:18.67\00:16:20.24
asked him, "How do you know?"
00:16:20.24\00:16:22.08
So he said, "I knew you would
00:16:23.11\00:16:24.81
come because we were praying
00:16:24.81\00:16:27.05
for you."
00:16:27.05\00:16:28.08
And that moment, I just knew
00:16:28.92\00:16:31.72
that along that time as my mom
00:16:31.72\00:16:35.09
was going to church, as my dad
00:16:35.09\00:16:36.46
was going to church, people were
00:16:36.46\00:16:37.96
praying for me and that made the
00:16:37.96\00:16:40.33
difference.
00:16:40.33\00:16:41.63
[MIKE] You didn't know they were
00:16:42.53\00:16:43.90
praying for you?
00:16:43.90\00:16:45.17
>> I had no idea.
00:16:45.57\00:16:47.10
I had no idea that people were
00:16:47.10\00:16:48.30
praying for me.
00:16:48.30\00:16:49.44
>> And that really spoke to your
00:16:49.77\00:16:51.67
heart?
00:16:51.67\00:16:52.64
>> I mean, I believe that
00:16:53.34\00:16:54.34
everything that happened, to be
00:16:54.34\00:16:55.94
honest, from the panic attacks
00:16:55.94\00:16:57.75
through the whole journey, that
00:16:57.75\00:16:59.41
was God reaching out, just
00:16:59.41\00:17:01.25
pulling me out of the mess.
00:17:01.25\00:17:02.82
[RENÉ] This is so encouraging,
00:17:04.39\00:17:06.52
Pastor, because it reminds those
00:17:06.52\00:17:10.43
viewing who are parents and
00:17:10.43\00:17:12.96
might be feeling so discouraged
00:17:12.96\00:17:14.76
about their children, but just
00:17:14.76\00:17:17.00
to know that don't stop praying
00:17:17.00\00:17:19.70
for your kids.
00:17:19.70\00:17:21.30
Prayer is so powerful and God
00:17:21.30\00:17:25.14
knows each of our children so
00:17:25.14\00:17:27.24
well and He knows exactly how to
00:17:27.24\00:17:29.64
reach them, just like He reached
00:17:29.64\00:17:31.35
you.
00:17:31.35\00:17:32.35
And He's promised in His word
00:17:32.68\00:17:34.45
that He's going to save our
00:17:34.45\00:17:36.22
children.
00:17:36.22\00:17:37.12
[RICARDO] Amen.
00:17:37.12\00:17:38.12
[RENÉ] And so what an experience
00:17:38.12\00:17:39.92
it must have been for your mom
00:17:39.92\00:17:41.22
and your dad.
00:17:41.22\00:17:42.26
>> So did you get involved in
00:17:44.03\00:17:45.96
the church?
00:17:45.96\00:17:46.96
>> Of course.
00:17:47.36\00:17:48.00
This is the amazing thing that
00:17:48.00\00:17:49.16
God does, right?
00:17:49.16\00:17:50.40
He not only changes you inside,
00:17:51.23\00:17:53.94
but He uses you.
00:17:53.94\00:17:56.14
And I began to get involved with
00:17:56.14\00:17:59.67
the youth and we were doing
00:17:59.67\00:18:01.91
different activities, different
00:18:01.91\00:18:03.58
things in the church.
00:18:03.58\00:18:05.55
I remember one of the things
00:18:05.55\00:18:06.68
that changed my life was
00:18:06.68\00:18:09.48
the fact that we used to go to
00:18:09.48\00:18:10.62
the nursing home and we used to
00:18:10.62\00:18:12.69
do this service for a couple
00:18:12.69\00:18:14.52
Hispanic guys that were there.
00:18:14.52\00:18:16.29
And I remember that one day, one
00:18:16.29\00:18:18.63
Saturday afternoon, as I was
00:18:18.63\00:18:21.46
coming home, I was riding in the
00:18:21.46\00:18:23.53
back of the car with my parents
00:18:23.53\00:18:25.20
and I was just reflecting about
00:18:25.20\00:18:26.33
the day.
00:18:26.33\00:18:27.34
I was feeling so... how can I--
00:18:27.34\00:18:30.51
so joyful, so satisfied about
00:18:30.51\00:18:32.57
the day.
00:18:32.57\00:18:33.24
I was happy, I was enjoying what
00:18:33.24\00:18:35.31
I was doing.
00:18:35.31\00:18:36.64
I remember as I'm riding, I'm
00:18:36.64\00:18:39.21
thinking about the whole day and
00:18:39.21\00:18:41.32
I felt that this is what I had
00:18:41.32\00:18:42.92
to do.
00:18:42.92\00:18:43.99
I felt that this is what I need
00:18:44.32\00:18:46.09
to be doing my whole life.
00:18:46.09\00:18:48.02
And I spoke to my parents and I
00:18:48.02\00:18:49.59
said, "I know what I want to do
00:18:49.59\00:18:51.83
with my life."
00:18:51.83\00:18:53.03
I had no idea before, but this
00:18:53.43\00:18:55.26
moment it was just so clear
00:18:55.26\00:18:56.80
to me.
00:18:56.80\00:18:57.57
And they asked, "So yeah, what
00:18:57.57\00:18:58.60
do you want to do?"
00:18:58.60\00:18:59.57
I said, "I wanna be a minister."
00:18:59.57\00:19:01.70
Of course they were super happy
00:19:01.70\00:19:04.11
about that.
00:19:04.11\00:19:05.24
But that moment just
00:19:05.24\00:19:07.38
changed my life.
00:19:07.38\00:19:08.44
It changed my life.
00:19:08.44\00:19:09.84
>> Pastor Ricardo, you really
00:19:11.08\00:19:12.98
had to face a lot.
00:19:12.98\00:19:15.32
Were you ever angry with God for
00:19:15.32\00:19:18.49
what happened to you as a child?
00:19:18.49\00:19:20.32
>> Of course, and I think that
00:19:21.32\00:19:23.26
most and I would say maybe all
00:19:23.26\00:19:25.89
of the victims that go through
00:19:25.89\00:19:28.30
something as dramatic as I did,
00:19:28.30\00:19:30.43
they have questioned God at one
00:19:30.43\00:19:32.37
point or another.
00:19:32.37\00:19:33.64
And one of the things that I
00:19:34.04\00:19:35.27
question is where was God?
00:19:35.27\00:19:37.87
Where was God in that moment?
00:19:38.97\00:19:40.88
Because in that moment, as I
00:19:40.88\00:19:42.44
grew up and as I tried to cope
00:19:42.44\00:19:44.81
with what happened, not telling
00:19:44.81\00:19:46.38
anyone, I felt guilty, I felt
00:19:46.38\00:19:48.32
ashamed, I felt lonely, I felt
00:19:48.32\00:19:52.35
that I was just battling this
00:19:52.35\00:19:54.46
myself, I felt even incapable of
00:19:54.46\00:19:56.83
overcoming all this stuff.
00:19:56.83\00:19:58.46
So I questioned, where was God?
00:19:58.46\00:19:59.96
If there is a loving God,
00:19:59.96\00:20:01.23
where is He?
00:20:01.23\00:20:02.23
Why did He allow that to happen
00:20:02.23\00:20:03.50
to me?
00:20:03.50\00:20:04.47
I was mad at God.
00:20:04.47\00:20:05.33
At one point I just, I became an
00:20:05.33\00:20:07.00
atheist, I didn't care for God
00:20:07.00\00:20:08.94
because if there is a loving God
00:20:08.94\00:20:11.54
somewhere, how He can allow this
00:20:11.54\00:20:14.01
to happen to me?
00:20:14.01\00:20:15.08
>> And now that you have become
00:20:15.68\00:20:17.51
a pastor, you study the Bible,
00:20:17.51\00:20:19.51
what do you understand about
00:20:19.51\00:20:20.92
where God was when you were
00:20:20.92\00:20:22.92
going through that?
00:20:22.92\00:20:23.95
>> It's amazing, that journey,
00:20:24.55\00:20:26.42
to understand where God was in
00:20:26.42\00:20:28.26
the picture.
00:20:28.26\00:20:29.39
You know, God was always
00:20:29.39\00:20:31.56
in the picture.
00:20:31.56\00:20:32.89
Now, one of the things is that
00:20:32.89\00:20:34.20
we have choice, and I understand
00:20:34.20\00:20:36.16
that we have freedom of choice
00:20:36.16\00:20:38.83
and we live, unfortunately, in a
00:20:38.83\00:20:40.14
world that is sinful.
00:20:40.14\00:20:41.87
And we can exercise that choice
00:20:41.87\00:20:43.44
where God doesn't manipulate,
00:20:43.44\00:20:45.14
God doesn't control, and those
00:20:45.14\00:20:48.21
things that happen to us, they
00:20:48.21\00:20:49.71
are the product of somebody
00:20:49.71\00:20:50.98
else's choice that affect
00:20:50.98\00:20:54.12
your life.
00:20:54.12\00:20:55.52
So in reality, I mean, God was
00:20:55.52\00:20:59.42
there, but in His love He
00:20:59.42\00:21:01.96
allowed choice to take place
00:21:01.96\00:21:04.03
and, unfortunately, because of
00:21:04.03\00:21:05.43
sin, those things come to us
00:21:05.43\00:21:08.00
without us asking for it.
00:21:08.00\00:21:10.00
Now, the cool thing about it is
00:21:10.67\00:21:13.13
that He doesn't leave you there.
00:21:13.13\00:21:14.54
He doesn't leave you broken,
00:21:15.70\00:21:17.57
He mends you, He brings you up,
00:21:17.57\00:21:20.51
He builds you up
00:21:20.51\00:21:21.94
and He heals you.
00:21:21.94\00:21:23.48
Ultimately, He brings healing
00:21:23.48\00:21:24.85
into your life.
00:21:24.85\00:21:26.15
>> How were you able to move
00:21:26.15\00:21:28.25
forward from your past to-- was
00:21:28.25\00:21:31.05
there some kind of mechanism
00:21:31.05\00:21:32.55
for you?
00:21:32.55\00:21:33.46
Was it forgiveness?
00:21:33.46\00:21:34.79
What was it that allowed you to
00:21:34.79\00:21:36.49
move forward and not be ruled by
00:21:36.49\00:21:38.66
your past?
00:21:38.66\00:21:39.66
>> It was tough, it was a tough
00:21:40.23\00:21:41.63
journey.
00:21:41.63\00:21:42.30
Still, like, there are moments
00:21:42.30\00:21:44.50
that is difficult.
00:21:44.50\00:21:45.93
I did a lot of psychology
00:21:46.74\00:21:47.70
classes trying to understand
00:21:47.70\00:21:49.40
what happened, why I reacted the
00:21:49.40\00:21:51.24
way I did, but ultimately it was
00:21:51.24\00:21:54.01
understanding that you are not
00:21:54.01\00:21:56.31
the product of the past, that
00:21:56.31\00:21:59.08
you can create a future, that
00:21:59.08\00:22:01.92
you don't have to be ruled by
00:22:01.92\00:22:03.35
the things of the past.
00:22:03.35\00:22:04.85
Usually when we go through these
00:22:04.85\00:22:07.09
experiences, those experiences,
00:22:07.09\00:22:09.02
they become the things that are
00:22:09.02\00:22:10.56
ruling your present and you
00:22:10.56\00:22:13.36
almost define yourself by those
00:22:13.36\00:22:15.06
things.
00:22:15.06\00:22:16.10
God showed me through His Word
00:22:16.40\00:22:18.57
that I didn't have to define
00:22:18.57\00:22:20.10
myself by what happened to me,
00:22:20.10\00:22:22.74
that I could be a son of God,
00:22:22.74\00:22:24.24
that I could have a future, that
00:22:24.24\00:22:25.84
He could break-- that He could
00:22:25.84\00:22:27.31
let me actually have the
00:22:27.31\00:22:29.38
experience of breaking free from
00:22:29.38\00:22:30.88
that experience and not be ruled
00:22:30.88\00:22:32.55
by it.
00:22:32.55\00:22:33.55
Just, doesn't mean that you're
00:22:33.55\00:22:34.65
gonna forget.
00:22:34.65\00:22:35.82
It's always there.
00:22:35.82\00:22:37.15
You remember, but you're not
00:22:37.15\00:22:39.22
ruled by it, so you break free
00:22:39.22\00:22:40.76
and you can create a future with
00:22:40.76\00:22:42.36
God leading that future.
00:22:42.36\00:22:43.79
And it's amazing, it's amazing
00:22:43.79\00:22:45.03
when that happens, your whole
00:22:45.03\00:22:47.13
world changes.
00:22:47.13\00:22:48.23
[RENÉ] Pastor Ricardo, have you
00:22:49.63\00:22:51.47
had any opportunities to
00:22:51.47\00:22:54.14
minister to others because of
00:22:54.14\00:22:55.60
your traumatic experiences?
00:22:55.60\00:22:57.81
>> That's one of the things that
00:22:59.47\00:23:00.71
is strange.
00:23:00.71\00:23:01.98
You may you may think that how
00:23:02.94\00:23:04.65
can you minister with something
00:23:04.65\00:23:05.78
that, you know, happened to you
00:23:05.78\00:23:06.88
that is so horrible?
00:23:06.88\00:23:08.38
But it's amazing how God turned
00:23:09.05\00:23:10.62
bad things into something that
00:23:10.62\00:23:12.19
can be useful.
00:23:12.19\00:23:13.39
I have had many experiences
00:23:14.29\00:23:15.62
where a young girl or someone,
00:23:15.62\00:23:18.59
even a young male, approached me
00:23:18.59\00:23:21.33
and opens up and say, "This is
00:23:21.33\00:23:23.70
what happened."
00:23:23.70\00:23:24.90
And I said, "I know what you're
00:23:25.53\00:23:27.14
going through."
00:23:27.14\00:23:28.24
And of course, people, they say,
00:23:28.24\00:23:29.70
"No, you don't know what you're
00:23:29.70\00:23:30.77
going through-- what I'm going
00:23:30.77\00:23:31.84
through."
00:23:31.84\00:23:33.01
I say, "Yes, I know what you're
00:23:33.01\00:23:33.81
going through."
00:23:33.81\00:23:34.64
"No, you don't."
00:23:34.64\00:23:35.41
And I'm like, "Yes, I know
00:23:35.41\00:23:36.38
exactly what you're going
00:23:36.38\00:23:37.25
through because I went through
00:23:37.25\00:23:38.15
it also."
00:23:38.15\00:23:39.18
And it gives you an opportunity
00:23:39.18\00:23:41.15
to just not only share how God
00:23:41.15\00:23:44.65
has taken you out of there, but
00:23:44.65\00:23:46.92
to provide hope for people to
00:23:46.92\00:23:48.59
know that you don't have to be
00:23:48.59\00:23:49.99
stuck in the same place that
00:23:49.99\00:23:51.66
you've been for years.
00:23:51.66\00:23:53.26
>> You also have a very creative
00:23:54.60\00:23:56.36
side to you and you've done some
00:23:56.36\00:23:57.77
creative ministry cutting hair.
00:23:57.77\00:23:59.73
Tell us a little bit about that.
00:23:59.73\00:24:01.57
[RICARDO] Yeah, cutting hair is.
00:24:01.94\00:24:03.27
I came to this church when
00:24:03.27\00:24:06.41
COVID started, so everything was
00:24:06.41\00:24:08.71
closed and I'm like, "What do
00:24:08.71\00:24:09.78
you use to get to know people
00:24:09.78\00:24:13.18
when you are just behind
00:24:13.18\00:24:14.22
cameras?"
00:24:14.22\00:24:15.45
[RICARDO] You want zero to two.
00:24:15.45\00:24:16.58
>> Yeah.
00:24:16.58\00:24:17.12
>> Okay, so we'll blend this
00:24:17.25\00:24:18.19
side here and then we'll just
00:24:18.19\00:24:20.22
blend it in.
00:24:20.22\00:24:20.96
Okay.
00:24:20.96\00:24:21.56
>> Sure, yeah yeah, that'll be
00:24:21.66\00:24:22.22
good.
00:24:22.22\00:24:22.82
[RICARDO] So yes, I cut hair.
00:24:22.96\00:24:25.93
I started that as an initiative
00:24:25.93\00:24:27.66
to get to know the youth in the
00:24:27.66\00:24:30.53
church and has worked.
00:24:30.53\00:24:32.47
Of course, that's something that
00:24:33.37\00:24:34.70
began, before that I use this in
00:24:34.70\00:24:37.27
the States, I use this in Cuba
00:24:37.27\00:24:39.84
as creative evangelism.
00:24:39.84\00:24:41.28
It's an awesome opportunity to
00:24:41.28\00:24:42.71
get to know people.
00:24:42.71\00:24:44.01
You know, when you go and you
00:24:44.01\00:24:44.95
sit in a barber chair, you just
00:24:44.95\00:24:47.92
kind of talk and walls come down
00:24:47.92\00:24:51.32
and then you get to get in
00:24:51.32\00:24:52.39
contact with people.
00:24:52.39\00:24:53.62
So, yeah, that's what is
00:24:53.62\00:24:54.62
happening.
00:24:54.62\00:24:55.39
We're thinking about opening
00:24:55.39\00:24:56.36
that to the community, too,
00:24:56.36\00:24:57.39
so...
00:24:57.39\00:24:58.19
So that's where we are
00:24:58.19\00:24:58.99
with that.
00:24:58.99\00:24:59.86
>> So can you tell us a little
00:25:01.26\00:25:02.53
bit more about your church here
00:25:02.53\00:25:05.30
in Winnipeg, Manitoba?
00:25:05.30\00:25:07.40
>> Yes, Henderson Highway Church
00:25:07.40\00:25:09.90
is a very loving church.
00:25:09.90\00:25:12.51
It's a multicultural church.
00:25:12.51\00:25:14.78
We have, I think, if I'm not
00:25:14.78\00:25:17.31
mistaken, over 20 countries that
00:25:17.31\00:25:19.21
are here in this church so it's
00:25:19.21\00:25:22.02
very nice.
00:25:22.02\00:25:23.15
You can find people from a lot
00:25:23.15\00:25:24.52
of places within the church,
00:25:24.52\00:25:26.39
yeah.
00:25:26.39\00:25:27.39
[RENÉ] And so one final
00:25:28.09\00:25:29.86
question.
00:25:29.86\00:25:31.03
Do you have a favourite Bible
00:25:31.53\00:25:33.60
verse that you can share
00:25:33.60\00:25:35.20
with us?
00:25:35.20\00:25:36.20
>> Yes, of course.
00:25:36.20\00:25:37.73
My favourite Bible verse is how
00:25:37.73\00:25:39.40
God spoke to me in those moments
00:25:39.40\00:25:41.77
of darkness and it's Jeremiah
00:25:41.77\00:25:44.21
chapter 1, verses 4 to 9.
00:25:44.21\00:25:46.44
It talks about that before God
00:25:47.11\00:25:49.98
created you, He already knew you
00:25:49.98\00:25:52.48
and He had a purpose for you.
00:25:52.48\00:25:54.05
And He says, "I assign you as a
00:25:54.05\00:25:55.82
prophet for the nations, and
00:25:55.82\00:25:56.99
wherever you go,
00:25:56.99\00:25:58.32
I will be with you."
00:25:58.32\00:25:59.89
That passage has been with me
00:25:59.89\00:26:02.29
throughout my ministry,
00:26:02.29\00:26:03.83
understanding that God knew me
00:26:03.83\00:26:05.63
before He even created me.
00:26:05.63\00:26:07.10
[MIKE] Pastor Ricardo, before we
00:26:08.46\00:26:09.63
go, I wonder if you could pray
00:26:09.63\00:26:11.40
for our viewers.
00:26:11.40\00:26:12.90
There may be someone who is
00:26:12.90\00:26:14.00
watching, who has been through
00:26:14.00\00:26:15.04
something traumatic.
00:26:15.04\00:26:16.47
Could you pray for them
00:26:16.47\00:26:17.64
for healing?
00:26:17.64\00:26:18.77
[RICARDO] Of course.
00:26:18.77\00:26:19.77
Let us pray.
00:26:19.77\00:26:21.01
Father God, we're so thankful
00:26:21.01\00:26:23.28
that we have a safe place, a
00:26:23.28\00:26:25.98
refuge place, where we can come
00:26:25.98\00:26:27.85
and run without brokenness,
00:26:27.85\00:26:29.18
knowing that we accepted,
00:26:29.18\00:26:30.45
that we are loved.
00:26:30.45\00:26:32.09
Father, You never intended for
00:26:32.09\00:26:33.76
us to experience the pain that
00:26:33.76\00:26:36.29
we go through in this world of
00:26:36.29\00:26:37.49
suffering.
00:26:37.49\00:26:38.56
But, Lord, thank You that You
00:26:38.56\00:26:39.56
have manifested Yourself in
00:26:39.56\00:26:41.03
tangible ways, in a way to tell
00:26:41.03\00:26:43.30
us that You love us, that You
00:26:43.30\00:26:44.67
care, that You are in our lives,
00:26:44.67\00:26:46.60
that we are not abandoned, that
00:26:46.60\00:26:47.77
we are not alone.
00:26:47.77\00:26:49.10
And Father, I pray that You will
00:26:49.10\00:26:50.04
break some chains today, that
00:26:50.04\00:26:51.67
You will set some people free.
00:26:51.67\00:26:53.34
You came to set the captives
00:26:53.34\00:26:54.54
free, and I pray that You will
00:26:54.54\00:26:56.14
do that.
00:26:56.14\00:26:56.98
Whoever is struggling, Lord,
00:26:56.98\00:26:58.38
with self esteem issues, whoever
00:26:58.38\00:27:00.98
is struggling with the pain and
00:27:00.98\00:27:02.82
the suffering of abuse, I pray,
00:27:02.82\00:27:04.89
Lord, that You will come into
00:27:04.89\00:27:06.15
their lives and that You will
00:27:06.15\00:27:07.22
let them know how much You love
00:27:07.22\00:27:09.42
them and how valuable they are
00:27:09.42\00:27:11.09
to You, that You gave Your own
00:27:11.09\00:27:12.76
life, the most precious thing
00:27:12.76\00:27:14.66
that you had, You gave it for
00:27:14.66\00:27:16.73
them so that they could actually
00:27:16.73\00:27:18.23
spend eternity with You.
00:27:18.23\00:27:19.93
Father, please put that in their
00:27:19.93\00:27:21.57
minds, in their hearts, make
00:27:21.57\00:27:22.70
that part of their experience,
00:27:22.70\00:27:24.04
for we pray in Jesus' name,
00:27:24.04\00:27:25.57
amen.
00:27:25.57\00:27:26.57
[MIKE & RENÉ] Amen.
00:27:26.57\00:27:27.81
>> Pastor Ricardo, thank you so
00:27:27.81\00:27:29.31
much for joining us on It Is
00:27:29.31\00:27:31.11
Written Canada today.
00:27:31.11\00:27:32.58
>> Thank you.
00:27:33.28\00:27:33.75
It was a pleasure
00:27:33.75\00:27:34.75
to be with you.
00:27:34.75\00:27:35.95
>> Just like Pastor Ricardo's
00:27:38.72\00:27:40.42
story, our free offer, Changed
00:27:40.42\00:27:42.92
For Life, will give you hope.
00:27:42.92\00:27:45.43
>> Changed For Life features the
00:27:45.43\00:27:47.76
incredible true stories of
00:27:47.76\00:27:49.66
people who faced unbelievable
00:27:49.66\00:27:52.03
challenges.
00:27:52.03\00:27:53.20
No matter who you are, where you
00:27:53.20\00:27:55.07
come from, or what kind of pain
00:27:55.07\00:27:57.34
you are facing today, you will
00:27:57.34\00:27:59.81
see how God has a solution
00:27:59.81\00:28:02.18
for you.
00:28:02.18\00:28:03.01
>> Before you go, we would also
00:28:05.31\00:28:06.92
like to invite you to follow us
00:28:06.92\00:28:09.15
on Instagram and Facebook and
00:28:09.15\00:28:11.92
subscribe to our YouTube channel
00:28:11.92\00:28:14.49
and also listen to our podcasts.
00:28:14.49\00:28:17.59
And if you go to our website,
00:28:17.59\00:28:19.69
you can see our latest programs.
00:28:19.69\00:28:22.30
>> You, too, can experience the
00:28:22.30\00:28:23.70
fullness of life found in the
00:28:23.70\00:28:25.37
words of Jesus when He said, "It
00:28:25.37\00:28:27.47
is written, 'Man shall not live
00:28:27.47\00:28:29.37
by bread alone, but by every
00:28:29.37\00:28:31.54
word that proceeds out of the
00:28:31.54\00:28:33.31
mouth of God.'"
00:28:33.31\00:28:34.84
[inspirational music playing]
00:28:34.84\00:28:37.71
¤¤
00:28:37.71\00:28:58.63