>> Welcome to It Is Written
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Canada.
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Thank you for joining us.
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Today we are looking at what it
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means to pray for a miracle.
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>> It is only when you feel your
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need of a saviour that your
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heart will go after the only One
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who can help you.
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>> When Jesus, for example, was
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among men, it was the sick, of
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course, who wanted a physician.
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>> The poor, those who were
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hurting and suffering, hunted
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for Jesus.
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They chased after Him and
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pursued Him to receive the help
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and comfort they knew they could
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not find anywhere else.
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>> One blind man named
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Bartimaeus was waiting alongside
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a busy road for a very
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long time.
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He was waiting to see Jesus.
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>> His heart longed to meet the
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Saviour.
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>> Crowds of people who
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possessed their eyesight walked
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right past Jesus, even brushing
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shoulders with the Saviour.
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But they had no desire to be
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healed by Jesus.
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>> Just one look of faith would
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have touched the Saviour's
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heart of love, and delivered to
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them the blessings of His
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amazing grace.
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But they didn't see the sickness
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and poverty of their souls.
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They felt no need of a saviour.
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>> This was definitely not the
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case with Bartimaeus, the poor
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man who was waiting on the side
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of the road.
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His only hope was in Jesus.
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>> As he waited and watched, he
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heard the pounding of many feet,
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and he eagerly asked, "What is
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happening?"
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[MIKE] And the bystanders
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answered, "Jesus of Nazareth is
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passing by."
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[RENÉ] His heart beat
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uncontrollably and with an
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intense desire, he cried,
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"Jesus, Son of David, have mercy
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on me!"
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>> Imagine the people were
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struggling to silence him, but
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Bartimaeus cried even louder,
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"Jesus, Son of David, have mercy
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on me!"
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>> Jesus heard his appeal and
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his persevering faith was
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rewarded.
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[MIKE] Not only was his physical
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eyesight restored, but the eyes
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of his understanding were
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opened.
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[RENÉ] The first face Bartimaeus
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saw was the face of his
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redeemer, and the Son of
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Righteousness shone into
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his soul.
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>> Everyone who feels their need
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of a saviour, as did Blind
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Bartimaeus, and who will be as
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serious and determined as he
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was, will, like him, receive the
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blessing that they crave.
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>> Today, our special guest on
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It Is Written Canada is Elmer
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Manzanares, who prayed,
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"Lord, show me a miracle."
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>> But he got far more than he
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asked for.
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>> It was definitely not what he
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expected.
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In a moment, you will hear
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his story.
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[theme music playing]
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¤¤
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[hopeful piano music playing]
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¤¤
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>> Pastor Elmer Manzanares,
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welcome to It Is Written Canada.
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>> Thank you very much.
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It's an honour to be here.
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>> Pastor, before we begin, can
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you tell us a little bit about
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yourself and your family and
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where you're from?
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>> Sure. Thank you.
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I was born in Nicaragua and I
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married about 21, 22 years ago,
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I am losing my count already.
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But we have four children.
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A daughter who is a nurse, she
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lives in London, Ontario, and
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three younger sons who are at
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Burman University.
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Two of them are studying
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theology.
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They want to become pastors
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as I am.
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And the-- one of the twins is
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taking psychology.
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I have been in the ministry
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since 1996.
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That-- I think it's about 27
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years since I am working in some
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kind of ministry within
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the church.
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>> We're talking about miracles.
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As a pastor, you've probably
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seen some miracles,
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Pastor Elmer.
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>> Yes, I have seen a few
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miracles, more than a few
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actually.
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Since I am a young person, I
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survived an earthquake when I
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was 12 years old and I saw
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people, you know, houses
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crumbling down and our house
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remained, in the whole
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neighbourhood.
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I also experienced a war in
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Nicaragua when I was 19, and I
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saw people dying, being killed,
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people being burned.
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And I experienced how the Lord
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preserved our lives.
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So I have seen extreme
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circumstances in life and I have
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seen lots of miracles.
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But I haven't seen or
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experienced the-- a personal
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healing in my life.
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And as a pastor, you know, I
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preach about Jesus Christ.
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Very often every weekend I am
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preaching about His miracles and
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how He was able to resurrect
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individuals and give sight to
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the blind.
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And I think yes, I believe that
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I believe all of those stories.
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But I believe that the times in
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which we are living, it's
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necessary for pastors to be able
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to experience miracles so that
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we can pray with greater
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authority and greater faith.
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So there was a point when I
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came and I was convicted that I
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needed to pray to the Lord to
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allow me to experience or to see
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a miracle so that I can tell it
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and preach about it with greater
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authority.
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>> So from the time you were
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young, you witnessed miracles on
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the outside, war, earthquakes,
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but you were requesting a
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miracle of healing, a personal
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miracle of healing.
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You wanted to see that.
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How was that prayer request
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answered?
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>> Well, first of all, I need to
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explain that I prayed that kind
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of a prayer for several weeks,
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and I was expecting that miracle
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to, not from me, but from
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somebody who is at a hospital
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with some kind of cancer and
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maybe seeing that kind of
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healing.
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One morning I went to visit our
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Red River Junior Academy School,
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and I decided to spend time with
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the young people and play some
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baseball with them.
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My kids, two-- three of my kids
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were playing in the opposite
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team.
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I was pitching and they have a
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friend who is very strong.
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He was at the bat at the moment.
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So I pitched the perfect ball
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and the kid hit the ball and it
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landed right on my forehead.
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It was very painful.
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I felt like crawling on the
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ground.
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It was extremely painful, but I
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didn't want to, you know, make
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the scene and it was
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embarrassing.
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I remained having a headache for
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about 45 minutes, maybe an hour
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after that.
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And then it went-- would go
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away and it came back after.
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It was extremely painful.
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It's one of those hits that you
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take in your body that are
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incomparable in your lives.
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But about two or three weeks
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after, I went to an optometrist
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and he said that I, that he saw
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something strange, I had a lot
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of floaters in my eye.
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And he said that that is a sign
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that I was gonna lose my sight.
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I didn't want to believe that.
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At moments I was seeing a little
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bit blurry and I didn't pay
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further attention to it.
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It was a period of time when
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there was a lot of dust in the
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environment, and I thought it
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was, you know, because of that.
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Eventually, about three months
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after that incident, I went to
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Andrews University
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to take a few classes.
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And while I was in a break,
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I experienced a retinal
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detachment.
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I completely lost my vision.
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I went to the doctor and when I
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was rushed into the hospital,
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the doctor said, "It's too late.
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Your retinal detachment has
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happened for the last 24 hours,
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which means that we don't have
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to rush you into an operation
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because it's too late and we're
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going to--"
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So he made an appointment for
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two or three days after that.
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And of course, it's horrible to
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lose your sight, although it was
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only one side, it was the
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right side.
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It is an extreme emotional
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experience.
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That night I decided to spend
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some time praying in an area of
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the university that has a lot of
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trees, you know, close to
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nature.
00:10:24.99\00:10:26.59
I remember asking the Lord,
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"Lord, I asked You for a
00:10:28.39\00:10:29.96
miracle.
00:10:29.96\00:10:31.13
I didn't remember about this,
00:10:31.13\00:10:33.66
and I think this will be a
00:10:33.66\00:10:35.13
wonderful opportunity."
00:10:35.13\00:10:37.40
But this is not a moment when I
00:10:37.40\00:10:39.00
am smiling.
00:10:39.00\00:10:40.24
I am actually crying during this
00:10:40.24\00:10:42.24
period of time and I'm asking
00:10:42.24\00:10:43.97
the Lord, "It would be wonderful
00:10:43.97\00:10:46.41
if You give me a miracle of
00:10:46.41\00:10:49.58
return my sight again."
00:10:49.58\00:10:51.35
And I prayed for about four
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continuous hours.
00:10:54.62\00:10:56.05
I got up at 4:00 in the morning,
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more or less, and I couldn't cry
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more, I couldn't continue asking
00:11:01.86\00:11:03.89
for more.
00:11:03.89\00:11:05.06
In spite of the pain that I was
00:11:05.73\00:11:07.86
going through, it was one of
00:11:07.86\00:11:10.60
those moments when you feel the
00:11:10.60\00:11:12.50
presence of God.
00:11:12.50\00:11:13.80
And I got up after 4 hours of
00:11:14.84\00:11:17.61
long prayers, feeling that I was
00:11:17.61\00:11:20.48
going to be able to experience
00:11:20.48\00:11:22.28
a miracle.
00:11:22.28\00:11:23.31
Eventually I went to the
00:11:23.88\00:11:25.35
operation and when I got up from
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that operation, I had a massive
00:11:28.55\00:11:31.09
headache.
00:11:31.09\00:11:32.12
And I asked the doctor to allow
00:11:33.12\00:11:34.92
me to continue sleeping.
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I was in terrible pain.
00:11:36.42\00:11:38.26
They gave me medication
00:11:38.26\00:11:41.03
for pain.
00:11:41.03\00:11:43.03
Twice I fell asleep and then I
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realized some time after that
00:11:46.97\00:11:50.31
the nurses were saying, "Elmer,
00:11:50.31\00:11:51.91
Elmer, you have to get up.
00:11:51.91\00:11:53.54
You have to get up."
00:11:53.54\00:11:55.14
It's like they were saying you
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cannot continue sleeping.
00:11:57.38\00:11:59.21
It's too long.
00:11:59.21\00:12:00.72
You have to react.
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And so I got up.
00:12:02.42\00:12:03.92
"I was concerned," the doctor
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said, "because people who react
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the way you were reacting means
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that you are rejecting
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completely the operation."
00:12:11.26\00:12:13.26
That-- the process was that they
00:12:13.26\00:12:15.26
will take all the fluid of my
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eye and then they will put a
00:12:17.33\00:12:20.17
liquid or gas in form of liquid.
00:12:20.17\00:12:23.30
I don't really know all the
00:12:23.30\00:12:25.41
procedures or the names of this
00:12:25.41\00:12:27.91
procedure, but basically he
00:12:27.91\00:12:32.31
thought I was rejecting the
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whole process.
00:12:33.65\00:12:35.18
You know, after 15 days, during
00:12:35.18\00:12:39.05
those 15 days, actually, I saw
00:12:39.05\00:12:41.92
liquid, you know, coming down
00:12:41.92\00:12:44.76
on my eye.
00:12:44.76\00:12:46.36
And finally I saw last drop
00:12:46.36\00:12:48.43
there.
00:12:48.43\00:12:49.66
But when I was maybe one quarter
00:12:49.66\00:12:53.44
down, I saw for the first time
00:12:53.44\00:12:57.11
the top of a tree.
00:12:57.11\00:12:58.91
And to me, that was basically an
00:12:59.61\00:13:03.14
answer to my prayer.
00:13:03.14\00:13:05.45
When it was halfway on my
00:13:05.45\00:13:07.55
eyeball, I was able to-- I asked
00:13:07.55\00:13:11.49
one of my classmates to, you
00:13:11.49\00:13:14.09
know, put whatever finger,
00:13:14.09\00:13:16.66
number of fingers he could and I
00:13:16.66\00:13:18.79
counted and we all celebrated.
00:13:18.79\00:13:21.73
Of course, they were also
00:13:21.73\00:13:22.93
praying for me, and we
00:13:22.93\00:13:24.47
celebrated because I was able to
00:13:24.47\00:13:26.30
count the fingers.
00:13:26.30\00:13:27.40
To me that was an answer to a
00:13:27.40\00:13:29.57
miracle.
00:13:29.57\00:13:30.74
However, I had to go through
00:13:30.74\00:13:33.51
several procedures, at least two
00:13:33.51\00:13:35.38
more operations.
00:13:35.38\00:13:36.91
It was a long process, and I
00:13:36.91\00:13:40.72
began to pray again, "Lord,
00:13:40.72\00:13:42.45
please don't allow my vision to
00:13:42.45\00:13:46.42
be lost again."
00:13:46.42\00:13:48.49
And so eventually I went to the
00:13:48.49\00:13:51.33
third intervention, which was a
00:13:51.33\00:13:54.00
laser kind of procedure.
00:13:54.00\00:13:55.66
It has been three years
00:13:56.53\00:13:57.67
since then.
00:13:57.67\00:13:59.20
And every day of my life, for
00:13:59.20\00:14:01.24
the last three years, I have
00:14:01.24\00:14:02.64
been experiencing what I called
00:14:02.64\00:14:05.37
a micro miracle.
00:14:05.37\00:14:07.21
Every day, every day.
00:14:07.21\00:14:09.44
Now, you have to understand,
00:14:09.44\00:14:10.58
when the doctors say you will
00:14:10.58\00:14:12.95
never gain your sight again.
00:14:12.95\00:14:14.65
And after the third
00:14:15.78\00:14:17.12
intervention, they say your
00:14:17.12\00:14:18.79
sight will never be the same.
00:14:18.79\00:14:20.62
And you see certain patterns and
00:14:22.06\00:14:25.33
you are praying with faith
00:14:25.33\00:14:27.50
because you believe the Lord is
00:14:27.50\00:14:29.63
going to give you sight.
00:14:29.63\00:14:31.83
I am able to read my Bible
00:14:31.83\00:14:33.27
without glasses.
00:14:33.27\00:14:34.70
I believe the Lord has done that
00:14:35.87\00:14:39.14
kind of miracle.
00:14:39.14\00:14:41.11
I am able to see clearly over
00:14:41.11\00:14:44.71
the last few years, two years, I
00:14:44.71\00:14:47.25
have seen people being distorted
00:14:47.25\00:14:49.68
to being completely well-formed
00:14:49.68\00:14:54.46
and I am able to see clearly
00:14:54.46\00:14:57.13
certain, to a certain distance
00:14:57.13\00:15:00.06
better than with my left eye.
00:15:00.06\00:15:02.76
So I can say today that I have
00:15:02.76\00:15:04.83
experienced truly a miracle in
00:15:04.83\00:15:07.30
my life.
00:15:07.30\00:15:08.34
This is, this takes greater
00:15:09.24\00:15:12.07
reality.
00:15:12.07\00:15:13.81
When I hear the specialists say,
00:15:13.81\00:15:17.08
"You won't get your sight," and
00:15:17.08\00:15:19.61
in spite of those diagnosis or
00:15:19.61\00:15:21.82
prognosis, I am able to see,
00:15:21.82\00:15:25.69
I am able to read my Bible.
00:15:25.69\00:15:28.26
You know, the Bible has small
00:15:28.26\00:15:29.66
letters.
00:15:29.66\00:15:30.33
Well, I am able to read them and
00:15:30.33\00:15:32.73
every day continue to improve
00:15:32.73\00:15:36.00
the quality of my vision.
00:15:36.00\00:15:37.93
I praise the Lord for that.
00:15:37.93\00:15:39.73
>> Pastor Elmer, what you have
00:15:41.37\00:15:44.01
experienced is clearly
00:15:44.01\00:15:46.41
a miracle.
00:15:46.41\00:15:47.51
How do you understand what God
00:15:48.14\00:15:50.81
has been doing for you through
00:15:50.81\00:15:52.78
these "micro miracles" that you
00:15:52.78\00:15:55.65
refer to?
00:15:55.65\00:15:56.92
>> I believe the Lord doesn't
00:15:57.39\00:16:00.49
only answer to prayers, but He
00:16:00.49\00:16:03.49
answers to the life of
00:16:03.49\00:16:05.09
individuals.
00:16:05.09\00:16:06.29
God is interested in eternal
00:16:07.13\00:16:09.73
life, in giving us something
00:16:09.73\00:16:12.20
beyond what we asked for, and in
00:16:12.20\00:16:15.80
the process He is interested in
00:16:15.80\00:16:17.84
transforming our lives.
00:16:17.84\00:16:19.91
I believe that micro miracles
00:16:20.74\00:16:23.31
were necessary for me to learn
00:16:23.31\00:16:24.95
many other things.
00:16:24.95\00:16:26.98
It was through these experiences
00:16:26.98\00:16:28.88
that I have come to realize the
00:16:28.88\00:16:31.59
importance of being patient.
00:16:31.59\00:16:34.72
Patience is one of the greatest
00:16:34.72\00:16:36.36
things that I have learned.
00:16:36.36\00:16:37.99
This reminds me of a story in
00:16:37.99\00:16:39.93
the Bible where on one occasion
00:16:39.93\00:16:43.77
a blind man asked to be healed,
00:16:43.77\00:16:46.94
and the Bible says that Jesus
00:16:46.94\00:16:49.67
spat on a little bit of dust and
00:16:49.67\00:16:53.04
He touched the eye of the
00:16:53.04\00:16:54.68
blind person.
00:16:54.68\00:16:56.38
And then He asked, "Are you able
00:16:56.38\00:16:58.31
to see?"
00:16:58.31\00:16:59.55
And the blind man said, "Yes, I
00:16:59.55\00:17:01.92
can see trees like-- I can see
00:17:01.92\00:17:04.92
people like trees walking."
00:17:04.92\00:17:07.49
And so He touched again and then
00:17:07.49\00:17:10.93
he said he was able to see.
00:17:10.93\00:17:12.69
And that is one example of the
00:17:12.69\00:17:16.16
miracles that Jesus made.
00:17:16.16\00:17:17.93
You know, in my growing,
00:17:17.93\00:17:20.10
spiritually growing process in
00:17:20.10\00:17:22.27
life, I always wondered why on
00:17:22.27\00:17:25.41
that occasion Jesus performed a
00:17:25.41\00:17:28.88
miracle and it took two stages.
00:17:28.88\00:17:31.35
And I think that I have
00:17:31.91\00:17:33.82
experienced that at times the
00:17:33.82\00:17:35.55
Lord does that because He wants
00:17:35.55\00:17:37.69
to teach us other things.
00:17:37.69\00:17:39.92
Some of the things that I have
00:17:39.92\00:17:41.12
learned is how to take care of
00:17:41.12\00:17:42.69
my body.
00:17:42.69\00:17:44.19
You know, there is a close
00:17:44.19\00:17:45.36
connection between body and mind
00:17:45.36\00:17:48.20
and joy and happiness and peace.
00:17:48.20\00:17:51.23
And so in the process, I have
00:17:51.23\00:17:52.70
learned to take care of my body.
00:17:52.70\00:17:54.57
I have been able to lose 50
00:17:55.44\00:17:57.44
pounds in the last three years
00:17:57.44\00:17:59.24
because of the experiences of
00:17:59.24\00:18:02.11
losing my sight.
00:18:02.11\00:18:03.88
And so that meant that I am also
00:18:03.88\00:18:06.25
learning how to be a better
00:18:06.25\00:18:08.82
individual, how to exercise, eat
00:18:08.82\00:18:12.02
properly, and try to understand
00:18:12.02\00:18:15.99
the holistic aspect of health
00:18:15.99\00:18:18.39
in my life.
00:18:18.39\00:18:19.76
And all of that has been a
00:18:19.76\00:18:21.70
blessing to me and consequently
00:18:21.70\00:18:24.47
a blessing to my, the members of
00:18:24.47\00:18:26.70
my family and to the members of
00:18:26.70\00:18:29.27
the churches I pastor for.
00:18:29.27\00:18:31.17
>> As a pastor, how has this
00:18:31.81\00:18:34.48
miracle affected your ministry?
00:18:34.48\00:18:37.48
>> Oh, it has affected
00:18:38.15\00:18:40.22
positively and greatly.
00:18:40.22\00:18:42.35
I am more sensitive to people
00:18:43.15\00:18:45.15
who are suffering.
00:18:45.15\00:18:46.35
I feel a great responsibility to
00:18:47.12\00:18:49.79
visit people who are in the
00:18:49.79\00:18:52.26
hospital or to people who are at
00:18:52.26\00:18:56.33
home unable to come to church.
00:18:56.33\00:18:59.53
This experience has helped me to
00:19:00.77\00:19:02.57
be more loving and caring, more
00:19:02.57\00:19:05.41
sensitive, and how to give
00:19:05.41\00:19:07.74
encouragement to people.
00:19:07.74\00:19:09.34
I remember while I was in the
00:19:09.34\00:19:11.05
hospital, my kids would call me
00:19:11.05\00:19:13.25
sometimes and, as I explained
00:19:13.25\00:19:15.88
before, you go through deep
00:19:15.88\00:19:17.59
depression and feelings of
00:19:17.59\00:19:19.99
loneliness.
00:19:19.99\00:19:21.49
And when my children called me
00:19:21.49\00:19:24.63
several times at the beginning
00:19:24.63\00:19:25.99
of this experience, I asked them
00:19:25.99\00:19:28.06
if they could share a verse of
00:19:28.06\00:19:30.80
the Bible that could
00:19:30.80\00:19:31.90
give me hope.
00:19:31.90\00:19:33.47
And so this time I was the
00:19:33.47\00:19:37.04
patient.
00:19:37.04\00:19:38.57
I needed a pastor.
00:19:38.57\00:19:40.58
And I asked my children to share
00:19:40.58\00:19:43.21
whatever verse of the Bible so
00:19:43.21\00:19:45.88
that they could bring me
00:19:45.88\00:19:47.18
hope again.
00:19:47.18\00:19:48.85
And I experienced the effect of
00:19:48.85\00:19:50.92
sharing those verses that
00:19:50.92\00:19:54.02
strengthened our faith.
00:19:54.02\00:19:56.32
And because of that, every time
00:19:56.32\00:19:59.23
I go and visit a person, a
00:19:59.23\00:20:01.06
family, either while they are
00:20:01.06\00:20:04.30
sick or going through
00:20:04.30\00:20:06.07
difficulties spiritually
00:20:06.07\00:20:07.47
speaking, I always share
00:20:07.47\00:20:09.64
a verse.
00:20:09.64\00:20:11.07
I always pray for them and tell
00:20:11.07\00:20:13.91
them either my personal
00:20:13.91\00:20:15.51
testimony or stories from the
00:20:15.51\00:20:17.78
Bible to strengthen their
00:20:17.78\00:20:19.75
personal life.
00:20:19.75\00:20:21.38
I think it is important for a
00:20:21.38\00:20:23.49
pastor to be able to bring hope
00:20:23.49\00:20:26.69
and new beginnings to people.
00:20:26.69\00:20:29.22
>> What would you say to someone
00:20:29.82\00:20:32.13
who has prayed for a miracle
00:20:32.13\00:20:34.60
and they didn't get that?
00:20:34.60\00:20:38.63
>> I appreciate that question
00:20:38.63\00:20:40.94
because we serve a God who knows
00:20:40.94\00:20:44.14
everything from beginning to
00:20:44.14\00:20:45.61
end, and sometimes He answers
00:20:45.61\00:20:48.21
positively what we asked for,
00:20:48.21\00:20:50.51
but other times He doesn't.
00:20:50.51\00:20:52.68
And when He doesn't answer
00:20:52.68\00:20:54.15
according to our expectations,
00:20:54.15\00:20:56.75
we can be sure that He's always
00:20:56.75\00:20:58.52
looking for the best for us.
00:20:58.52\00:21:01.72
And whenever He doesn't answer
00:21:01.72\00:21:04.76
according to our expectations,
00:21:04.76\00:21:06.53
He will give us the strength to
00:21:06.53\00:21:08.80
be able to continue being strong
00:21:08.80\00:21:11.50
and keeping faith without
00:21:11.50\00:21:13.54
receiving that which we
00:21:13.54\00:21:15.40
asked for.
00:21:15.40\00:21:16.50
>> So I'm interested in the
00:21:17.51\00:21:19.71
doctor, the doctor who told you
00:21:19.71\00:21:22.44
you're never gonna be able to
00:21:22.44\00:21:23.45
see again.
00:21:23.45\00:21:24.55
What is he saying now?
00:21:24.55\00:21:26.25
>> Well, I haven't been able to
00:21:26.55\00:21:28.28
see that doctor, the doctor for
00:21:28.28\00:21:30.69
one year already, actually, for
00:21:30.69\00:21:33.46
about six, seven months.
00:21:33.46\00:21:35.62
The last time I saw him, he
00:21:35.62\00:21:37.66
said, "Well, I'm not doing that
00:21:37.66\00:21:39.23
much for you."
00:21:39.23\00:21:40.06
He said, "I'm going to just ask
00:21:40.06\00:21:43.57
the secretary to make an
00:21:43.57\00:21:45.77
appointment for you
00:21:45.77\00:21:47.10
in one year."
00:21:47.10\00:21:48.07
So I said that my eye has
00:21:48.64\00:21:52.37
improved greatly and he was a
00:21:52.37\00:21:55.01
little bit cold and he said,
00:21:55.01\00:21:56.34
"Wonderful, good." [chuckles]
00:21:56.34\00:21:58.55
That was it.
00:21:58.55\00:21:59.75
But since then, my eye, my
00:22:00.85\00:22:03.65
vision has improved amazingly,
00:22:03.65\00:22:06.25
amazingly.
00:22:06.25\00:22:07.22
It's-- I think I'm gonna end up
00:22:07.22\00:22:10.16
seeing much better with my right
00:22:10.16\00:22:11.76
eye than with my left eye.
00:22:11.76\00:22:14.23
So we'll see when I see
00:22:15.03\00:22:16.70
him again.
00:22:16.70\00:22:17.87
>> If you think of a biblical
00:22:17.87\00:22:19.37
character that you can identify
00:22:19.37\00:22:20.90
with, who would that be?
00:22:20.90\00:22:23.00
>> I like to think about, very
00:22:23.64\00:22:26.37
often I think about that
00:22:26.37\00:22:28.28
occasion when Paul asked the
00:22:28.28\00:22:30.68
Lord to take away that thorn in
00:22:30.68\00:22:34.68
the flesh.
00:22:34.68\00:22:36.28
You know, that's amazing,
00:22:36.28\00:22:38.29
because when you consider Paul
00:22:38.29\00:22:40.59
was a huge person in the New
00:22:40.59\00:22:44.76
Testament.
00:22:44.76\00:22:46.43
He was preaching all the time,
00:22:46.43\00:22:47.96
he ended up writing 14 books of
00:22:47.96\00:22:50.73
the 27 books of the New
00:22:50.73\00:22:52.33
Testament.
00:22:52.33\00:22:53.30
He was an amazing person.
00:22:53.30\00:22:55.34
Yet he had an issue physically
00:22:55.34\00:22:58.27
and he asked the Lord
00:22:58.27\00:22:59.94
to take it away.
00:22:59.94\00:23:01.78
And the answer was, "My grace is
00:23:01.78\00:23:04.81
sufficient."
00:23:04.81\00:23:06.05
In other words, he didn't
00:23:06.05\00:23:07.28
receive what he's expected.
00:23:07.28\00:23:09.45
But he was able to keep that
00:23:10.42\00:23:14.06
faith and be faithful to the
00:23:14.06\00:23:16.52
end of his life.
00:23:16.52\00:23:18.49
And that is a great testimony of
00:23:18.49\00:23:20.30
how the Lord gives us the
00:23:20.30\00:23:23.16
strength to continue fighting
00:23:23.16\00:23:25.60
with the issues and difficulties
00:23:25.60\00:23:27.67
of life with faith.
00:23:27.67\00:23:29.87
>> Pastor Elmer, one final
00:23:30.74\00:23:33.04
question.
00:23:33.04\00:23:34.14
Is there a Bible verse that has
00:23:34.14\00:23:36.51
helped you to move forward in
00:23:36.51\00:23:38.48
your faith with God?
00:23:38.48\00:23:40.08
>> There is one verse in Psalms
00:23:40.38\00:23:42.48
37, verse four.
00:23:42.48\00:23:44.59
It says...
00:23:44.59\00:23:45.49
On occasions, we don't have a
00:23:49.92\00:23:52.36
request of miracle in our lives,
00:23:52.36\00:23:55.30
but we might ask the Lord to
00:23:55.30\00:23:56.93
give us success at university to
00:23:56.93\00:23:59.70
obtain a degree or to protect
00:23:59.70\00:24:02.27
our children.
00:24:02.27\00:24:04.04
And that verse really is a
00:24:04.04\00:24:07.24
wonderful light in my life.
00:24:07.24\00:24:09.54
It's conditional.
00:24:09.54\00:24:11.05
It implies first, obedience.
00:24:11.05\00:24:14.18
"Delight yourself in the Lord"
00:24:14.18\00:24:16.35
means have a relationship
00:24:16.35\00:24:18.52
with God.
00:24:18.52\00:24:19.45
And a relationship that brings
00:24:20.26\00:24:22.06
delight to your life and then He
00:24:22.06\00:24:25.59
will give you the desires of
00:24:25.59\00:24:26.53
your heart.
00:24:26.53\00:24:27.36
And what greater desire.
00:24:27.36\00:24:28.56
You know, as a parent, one thing
00:24:28.56\00:24:30.63
that I ask the Lord is, bless my
00:24:30.63\00:24:33.27
children, protect them, surround
00:24:33.27\00:24:36.04
them with Your protection, give
00:24:36.04\00:24:38.51
them success."
00:24:38.51\00:24:39.67
You know, those are the greatest
00:24:39.67\00:24:42.48
requests from a parent.
00:24:42.48\00:24:44.41
But if you are a young person
00:24:44.41\00:24:46.18
trying to achieve success in
00:24:46.18\00:24:48.35
life, well, delight yourself in
00:24:48.35\00:24:51.29
the Lord and He will give you
00:24:51.29\00:24:53.19
the desires of your heart.
00:24:53.19\00:24:54.79
That is the best outcome you can
00:24:54.79\00:24:57.09
expect in this world.
00:24:57.09\00:24:58.73
>> That's beautiful.
00:24:59.09\00:25:00.63
Pastor, as we close off, I
00:25:00.63\00:25:02.30
wonder if you could pray for
00:25:02.30\00:25:03.47
our viewers.
00:25:03.47\00:25:04.53
Maybe there is someone who is
00:25:04.53\00:25:05.83
thinking God only worked
00:25:05.83\00:25:07.97
miracles in Bible times, but I
00:25:07.97\00:25:10.91
haven't seen Him work a miracle
00:25:10.91\00:25:12.64
in my life now, and maybe they
00:25:12.64\00:25:15.64
need to see this.
00:25:15.64\00:25:17.11
>> Sure.
00:25:17.61\00:25:18.78
Let's pray.
00:25:18.78\00:25:19.95
Dear Heavenly Father, we want to
00:25:20.62\00:25:22.38
praise Your name for You are so
00:25:22.38\00:25:24.55
amazing.
00:25:24.55\00:25:25.52
Today I've been asked to pray
00:25:26.76\00:25:29.49
and I think about thousands and
00:25:29.49\00:25:31.79
thousands of individuals who are
00:25:31.79\00:25:34.30
watching It Is Written Canada,
00:25:34.30\00:25:37.07
and they will hear this
00:25:37.07\00:25:38.47
testimony and realize that You
00:25:38.47\00:25:41.27
are real, that You come and
00:25:41.27\00:25:44.31
answer our lives to our lives.
00:25:44.31\00:25:48.04
In other words, prayers don't
00:25:48.04\00:25:50.01
answer only the request, but
00:25:50.01\00:25:52.61
answer to the life of the person
00:25:52.61\00:25:54.68
who is requesting.
00:25:54.68\00:25:55.92
And dear Heavenly Father, as You
00:25:56.58\00:25:58.22
have given me this experience to
00:25:58.22\00:26:00.82
tell a story about Your power
00:26:00.82\00:26:02.76
and Your loving kindness, I
00:26:02.76\00:26:05.29
pray that You will bless each of
00:26:05.29\00:26:08.43
the people who are watching this
00:26:08.43\00:26:10.47
program today, and I pray that
00:26:10.47\00:26:13.07
You will send Your Holy Spirit
00:26:13.07\00:26:15.74
to be close to them, to
00:26:15.74\00:26:17.54
encourage them to ministered to
00:26:17.54\00:26:19.21
them, and to bring peace and to
00:26:19.21\00:26:21.78
give them according to the
00:26:21.78\00:26:23.04
desires of their hearts.
00:26:23.04\00:26:25.25
All of this things we ask in the
00:26:25.25\00:26:27.62
name of Jesus, amen.
00:26:27.62\00:26:29.62
[MIKE & RENÉ] Amen.
00:26:29.62\00:26:30.85
>> Pastor Elmer, thank you so
00:26:31.72\00:26:33.39
much for sharing your story with
00:26:33.39\00:26:35.52
us on It Is Written Canada
00:26:35.52\00:26:37.33
today.
00:26:37.33\00:26:38.36
>> Thank you.
00:26:38.36\00:26:39.13
It is an honour for me to be
00:26:39.13\00:26:41.00
here today.
00:26:41.00\00:26:42.03
>> In the darkest days when
00:26:45.03\00:26:46.63
appearances seem most
00:26:46.63\00:26:48.70
forbidding, have faith in God.
00:26:48.70\00:26:51.67
>> He is working out His will,
00:26:51.67\00:26:53.81
doing all things well in behalf
00:26:53.81\00:26:56.18
of His children.
00:26:56.18\00:26:57.55
>> If you're feeling like the
00:26:57.55\00:26:58.91
wheels are falling off and your
00:26:58.91\00:27:01.12
life is becoming unglued, or if
00:27:01.12\00:27:03.89
your wheels are simply spinning
00:27:03.89\00:27:06.35
and you're not getting anywhere,
00:27:06.35\00:27:08.42
you will find solutions to these
00:27:08.42\00:27:10.73
and many more setbacks in this
00:27:10.73\00:27:12.96
little book, our free offer,
00:27:12.96\00:27:14.83
Help in Daily Living.
00:27:14.83\00:27:16.97
>> This practical guide to
00:27:16.97\00:27:18.57
experiencing abundant life will
00:27:18.57\00:27:20.47
help you face financial fears,
00:27:20.47\00:27:23.10
relationship challenges,
00:27:23.10\00:27:25.17
unexpected crises, people who
00:27:25.17\00:27:27.51
just keep getting on your nerves
00:27:27.51\00:27:29.41
and countless other obstacles
00:27:29.41\00:27:31.88
that periodically block
00:27:31.88\00:27:33.31
your way.
00:27:33.31\00:27:34.35
Before you go, we would also
00:27:34.78\00:27:36.55
like to invite you to follow us
00:27:36.55\00:27:38.65
on Instagram and Facebook and
00:27:38.65\00:27:40.89
subscribe to our YouTube channel
00:27:40.89\00:27:43.12
and also listen to our podcasts.
00:27:43.12\00:27:46.19
And if you go to our website,
00:27:46.19\00:27:48.30
you can see our latest programs.
00:27:48.30\00:27:50.93
>> You, too, can experience the
00:27:50.93\00:27:52.73
fullness of life that is found
00:27:52.73\00:27:54.44
in the words of Jesus when He
00:27:54.44\00:27:56.07
said, "It is written, 'Man shall
00:27:56.07\00:27:58.27
not live by bread alone, but by
00:27:58.27\00:28:00.24
every word that proceeds out of
00:28:00.24\00:28:02.34
the mouth of God.'"
00:28:02.34\00:28:04.05
[inspirational music playing]
00:28:04.05\00:28:07.08
¤¤
00:28:07.08\00:28:11.59