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>> Welcome to It Is Written
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Canada.
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Thank you for joining us.
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>> In some countries around the
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world, sharing the gospel is
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completely forbidden.
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>> Practising Christianity in
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these countries is illegal,
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and participants could face
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fines, imprisonment,
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beatings, or even death.
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>> Our special guest today is
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Don MacLafferty, who knows from
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personal experience how every
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moment matters when you risk
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your life to spend time
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in these countries.
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>> Yes, Don has witnessed
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firsthand how the angel of the
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Lord encamps around all those
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who fear Him and rescues them.
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>> Don, thank you for joining us
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on It Is Written Canada today.
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>> I'm excited to be here again.
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[RENÉ] So, Don, God has called
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you into countries where sharing
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the gospel is prohibited.
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[DON] Yes.
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[RENÉ] You can't preach
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about Jesus, you can't even
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admit that you're a Christian
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and no Bibles are allowed.
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So can you tell us
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how God lead you
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into one of these
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closed countries?
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>> Absolutely.
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While I was living in Canada,
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actually, I got an invitation to
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go to one of these countries.
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And so my wife and I prayed
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about it earnestly, because when
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we heard that Bibles are
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illegal, I thought, "Wow,
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I can't even take my Bible
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on this?"
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And I had to be honest with my
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wife and say, "If I'm caught...
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...making disciples for Jesus,
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it won't go out with me.
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It will be first to prison and
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then probably a torture and then
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probably, you know, lose my life
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off with my head."
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So, and that's not being
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over dramatic, that's just
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the truth.
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So we really prayed as a couple
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and could not deny the fact that
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God was calling.
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And so I sent off
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the paperwork, necessary
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paperwork to that embassy of
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that country and waited
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in Alberta, Canada, where we
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lived at the time, and said,
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"God, we need this visa."
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And it didn't come, it didn't
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come, and I thought, "Well, is
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this an answer?
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Maybe God is saying, don't go
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after all," I was really kind
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of baffled about the timing.
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Finally, just maybe two weeks
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before the trip, it comes.
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Oh, I'm so excited.
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I rip it open and I say, "April,
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it came, it came!"
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And I look at it and I, like,
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my face just fell.
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I was like, "I can't
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believe this."
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They have my name, not just
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misspelled with a letter or two,
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but it was so misspelled I
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couldn't even recognize my name.
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And I thought, "This is not
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gonna work.
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How can I get into to this
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country with such a thing?"
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Because they'll compare it with
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my passport, of course, and
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they'll say this is not a match.
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So I told April, I said, "I'm
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gonna go out into the forest."
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And I said, "God," I said,
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"Here's a situation.
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You know it already, but I'm
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presenting to You my case.
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And the situation is You've
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called me to go to this country
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and we prayed as a couple and I
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know You're calling me to go,
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but this visa
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is not gonna work."
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And I waited on God, and I said,
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"So what do I do?"
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And that still, small voice of
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God said to my mind and to my
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heart, "Don, this visa
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is not what's going to get you
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into this country.
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I'm going to get you into
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this country."
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And by the way, I kissed and
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hugged my wife and held her so
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tight before I went on this trip
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and the same for the kids,
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because I did not know
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honestly, if I'd ever return.
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And I landed into that country.
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My heart was beating like this
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and I thought, "I know what
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they're gonna do
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with my visa.
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They always hold it up
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and they compare it with my
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passport and they look at my
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face in between and see if it
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all matches."
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And so I waited in my long line
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and went up and my heart is just
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racing like this.
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And the man behind the desk
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says, "Next," and I come up
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and, "Passport, visa," I hand it
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to him and he does exactly what
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I knew he was gonna do.
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He holds it up just like this
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and he's seeing my face,
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you know, in the line
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standing there, and he's going
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like this back and forth.
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Now he sees that visually
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there's a match, so there's no
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problem there.
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But I know he's comparing
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the terrible
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name on the visa,
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terribly misspelled
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with my passport.
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And he's going back and forth,
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back and forth.
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It seems like hours, but I know
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it's only seconds.
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And I'm waiting there.
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And I try to give him the
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biggest smile.
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And then I know
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God intervened
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because there's no way
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he should have said, you know,
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you're fine.
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He looks at me and he gives me
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the biggest smile and he says,
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"Welcome to our country,"
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like this.
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And so I said, and I tried not
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to be surprised, I said, "Well,
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thank you so much.
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That's wonderful.
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I am happy to be here."
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And I went marching right in.
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[MIKE] So, God did take care of
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that situation absolutely.
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[DON] Yes, He got me in.
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>> So there was another country
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that, not the same country,
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where it was also dangerous and
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you were training God's people,
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but your life was
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at risk.
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You wanna tell us about that?
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[DON] Yes.
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Yes, you know,
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this is-- there's so many
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countries that are restricted
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against the gospel.
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It's not just a few, it's many,
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many, many countries.
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So I had another invitation to
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go to that country and...
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...I got into the country okay.
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It wasn't anything too scary
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other than that my contact
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person never showed up for about
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an hour, hour and a half.
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And so I was trying to think
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about what to do.
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And the the police
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in the airport
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are watching for people
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that are “strays,” you know,
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the people that are not supposed
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to be there.
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And I can see they were coming
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in closer and closer because I
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wasn't moving and I was a
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foreigner.
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I didn't look like the people in
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that country.
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And they were coming closer and
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closer and I said, "God, my
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contact person hasn't come yet."
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He was a believer that I had
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seen before, I had been to this
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country before.
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And I watched the time.
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A half an hour, an hour goes by.
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And the police are literally,
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you can watch them as their
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suspicion rises.
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They're closing in.
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They have a ring of them.
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And I said, "God, what do I do?"
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This is all silent prayers,
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of course.
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And He told me what to do.
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And I said, "Really, God?
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That council seems too far out
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of bounds for me."
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Stronger He said, "Do what I've
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told you to do."
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So I got the biggest smile on my
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face, marched up at His command,
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at God's command, I marched
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right up to the officer in
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charge of all of those men
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and I said, "Excuse me, sir."
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I said, "I am so delighted to be
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in your country.
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I have a habit of wherever I go
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around the world, I like to get
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a postcard for my wife and for
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my children and send them
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postcards with a beautiful
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picture of your country.
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But I don't speak the language
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here in this airport, and I
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don't know where these are.
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And what can I do?"
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And immediately, the man did
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some kind of secret signal,
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and immediately
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I was surrounded in a tight
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group with all of his officers.
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I was thinking, "God, was this a
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good idea?"
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And he said,
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"Men, this foreigner here
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wants postcards."
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And he went, [claps] "Please
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quickly go out across the
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airport and help this man find
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his postcards."
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And so he had all the officers
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that were closing in on me
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working to help me.
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And so they did and they helped
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me find postcards.
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Just about then, as I found my
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postcards, here comes my
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contact person.
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And he came in and he just
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signaled with his eyes and let
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me know that I need to follow
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him at a distance and we got
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into the country fine.
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But that was a little heart
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stopper there for a bit.
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[MIKE] Oh, yes.
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>> So we get into...
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...where the believers were
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meeting and
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they told me, they said, "Now,
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things have changed
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since you were last here.
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The government has a
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huge camera
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that is mounted
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on our gates
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and it's pointing right down
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to where anybody that enters in
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where our little church is,
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they can see who comes and goes.
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They allow us to have a church
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in this setting, but it is
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highly monitored by the
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government and they don't want
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any new people coming,
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and they certainly don't want
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foreigners teaching us more."
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And so they said, "Here is your
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command and when you walk in
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this time on your visit, you
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cannot turn around.
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They don't need to see your face
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full on in the camera."
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So I got out that way, got my
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luggage, and the sun was just
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going down.
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Isn't that perfect timing?
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So it's kind of a little bit
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dark and I got into their church
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and I began the training
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the very next morning,
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early in the morning, 6 a.m.
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They were praying for the Holy
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Spirit and they were packed
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into that room.
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And then after praying for the
00:09:28.43\00:09:30.60
Holy Spirit to fill our hearts
00:09:30.60\00:09:32.70
and to give us the love of
00:09:32.70\00:09:33.94
Jesus, for believers,
00:09:33.94\00:09:36.20
for unbelievers, everything went
00:09:36.20\00:09:38.37
well in the training as I
00:09:38.37\00:09:39.74
trained them to disciple their
00:09:39.74\00:09:41.04
children for Jesus.
00:09:41.04\00:09:42.44
Day one went fine, two, three,
00:09:42.44\00:09:44.21
four, several days went fine.
00:09:44.21\00:09:45.91
And then one morning I was right
00:09:45.91\00:09:47.35
in the middle of the training
00:09:47.35\00:09:48.45
when someone came in, "Waahhh!"
00:09:48.45\00:09:50.15
like this, just shouting at the
00:09:50.15\00:09:51.32
top of their lungs.
00:09:51.32\00:09:52.45
And I saw total chaos
00:09:52.45\00:09:54.29
in this peaceful setting.
00:09:54.29\00:09:56.09
And I noticed that the older
00:09:56.09\00:09:58.09
people in the room, some of them
00:09:58.09\00:10:00.26
immediately got to their knees
00:10:00.26\00:10:02.43
and started weeping before God
00:10:02.43\00:10:04.97
because of the announcement.
00:10:04.97\00:10:06.67
And I said, "Someone tell me
00:10:06.67\00:10:08.00
what was announced!"
00:10:08.00\00:10:09.44
And they said, "Right now, right
00:10:09.44\00:10:11.21
below our room where we're
00:10:11.21\00:10:12.61
meeting with you, where you're
00:10:12.61\00:10:13.94
training us, is our kitchen.
00:10:13.94\00:10:16.58
And right now, two secret police
00:10:16.58\00:10:19.51
are there and they're
00:10:19.51\00:10:20.88
questioning the cooks.
00:10:20.88\00:10:22.55
'Why all this food?
00:10:22.55\00:10:23.89
Why do you need this food
00:10:23.89\00:10:25.72
in the middle of this week?'
00:10:25.72\00:10:27.52
And they're being questioned
00:10:27.52\00:10:28.92
right now.
00:10:28.92\00:10:29.92
And furthermore,
00:10:30.69\00:10:32.03
someone has tipped them off
00:10:32.03\00:10:34.03
that you are here."
00:10:34.03\00:10:35.70
And so I said,
00:10:36.36\00:10:37.40
"So what do I do?"
00:10:37.40\00:10:38.50
And he said, "Everybody
00:10:38.50\00:10:39.60
must pray.
00:10:39.60\00:10:40.30
We need to intercede right now
00:10:40.30\00:10:41.57
that God intervenes."
00:10:41.57\00:10:42.80
And then after a little bit,
00:10:42.80\00:10:45.54
that same man came in a little
00:10:45.54\00:10:47.08
bit more calmly and he said,
00:10:47.08\00:10:49.14
"They're gone."
00:10:49.14\00:10:50.25
I said, "Oh, good.
00:10:50.25\00:10:51.58
Everything's fine?"
00:10:51.58\00:10:53.05
This is all through a
00:10:53.05\00:10:53.68
translator.
00:10:53.68\00:10:54.52
"Well, not exactly.
00:10:54.52\00:10:56.32
They said, 'We know that you
00:10:56.32\00:10:58.39
have someone illegally teaching
00:10:58.39\00:11:00.99
you more about Jesus here.
00:11:00.99\00:11:02.56
We know it.
00:11:02.56\00:11:03.49
But because we're such a kind
00:11:03.49\00:11:05.26
government and so magnanimous to
00:11:05.26\00:11:07.93
our people, we're going to give
00:11:07.93\00:11:10.37
you a generous offer.
00:11:10.37\00:11:12.13
You take care of him
00:11:12.13\00:11:14.04
over the weekend
00:11:14.04\00:11:15.70
and then when we come back,
00:11:15.70\00:11:17.64
we're going to search
00:11:17.64\00:11:18.61
all your premises.
00:11:18.61\00:11:20.11
We'd advise you that he should
00:11:20.11\00:11:21.41
not be anywhere on your premises
00:11:21.41\00:11:23.18
ever again.'"
00:11:23.18\00:11:24.31
The secret police gave the
00:11:26.35\00:11:28.25
believers a big smile, like
00:11:28.25\00:11:29.42
we're so generous, and they
00:11:29.42\00:11:30.79
walked away.
00:11:30.79\00:11:32.32
I said, "Well,
00:11:32.32\00:11:33.29
do you want me to leave?
00:11:33.29\00:11:34.56
Obviously, I'm causing you
00:11:34.56\00:11:35.62
a risk."
00:11:35.62\00:11:36.26
"Oh," they said, "we have come
00:11:36.26\00:11:37.99
at great cost
00:11:37.99\00:11:40.03
in every way,
00:11:40.03\00:11:40.93
financially and risk and
00:11:40.93\00:11:42.13
everything.
00:11:42.13\00:11:42.96
We are desperate to learn how to
00:11:42.96\00:11:45.20
disciple our children for
00:11:45.20\00:11:46.53
Jesus Christ.
00:11:46.53\00:11:47.54
You must continue to train us."
00:11:47.54\00:11:49.67
"Well, when are they
00:11:49.67\00:11:50.64
coming back?"
00:11:50.64\00:11:51.91
"We think, as we prayed about
00:11:51.91\00:11:53.64
it, we think that they will not
00:11:53.64\00:11:55.64
come back until Monday morning."
00:11:55.64\00:11:57.71
"Really?"
00:11:57.71\00:11:58.71
"Well, they could also surprise
00:11:58.71\00:11:59.95
us at any time."
00:11:59.95\00:12:01.52
"Well, what should I do?"
00:12:01.52\00:12:02.62
I asked them.
00:12:02.62\00:12:03.82
"We want you to start early in
00:12:03.82\00:12:05.29
the morning and we'll pray for
00:12:05.29\00:12:06.69
the Holy Spirit every morning
00:12:06.69\00:12:07.92
as we're doing.
00:12:07.92\00:12:09.02
Then you must train us all
00:12:09.02\00:12:10.46
through the day,
00:12:10.46\00:12:11.79
and then you must train us
00:12:11.79\00:12:12.86
all through the night,
00:12:12.86\00:12:14.46
as long as you can until you
00:12:14.46\00:12:16.00
need to rest.
00:12:16.00\00:12:17.13
And we are going to pray for
00:12:17.13\00:12:18.20
your strength."
00:12:18.20\00:12:19.50
And so all day Friday and all
00:12:19.50\00:12:21.54
day Saturday, Sabbath, we
00:12:21.54\00:12:23.91
trained all through the time,
00:12:23.91\00:12:26.27
all day Sunday.
00:12:26.27\00:12:28.08
So we literally, we trained
00:12:28.08\00:12:29.58
early in the morning
00:12:29.58\00:12:31.01
till supper time.
00:12:31.01\00:12:32.61
We broke for meals and then as
00:12:32.61\00:12:35.22
long as I could go into the
00:12:35.22\00:12:36.28
night, I would preach.
00:12:36.28\00:12:38.09
And God gave us power and
00:12:38.09\00:12:40.16
strength to do it.
00:12:40.16\00:12:41.69
So finally it was Monday morning
00:12:41.69\00:12:44.09
and the believers gathered and
00:12:44.09\00:12:45.63
met me once again and they said,
00:12:45.63\00:12:47.46
"We're quite sure as we've
00:12:47.46\00:12:49.10
prayed about this, that they're
00:12:49.10\00:12:50.60
going to come and inspect our
00:12:50.60\00:12:52.67
property this morning."
00:12:52.67\00:12:54.60
I said, "Oh, should we not have
00:12:54.60\00:12:56.07
the early morning prayer time?
00:12:56.07\00:12:57.21
Do you want me just
00:12:57.21\00:12:58.31
out of the way?"
00:12:58.31\00:12:59.64
They looked at me with shock.
00:12:59.64\00:13:02.11
"Stop the prayer time?" they
00:13:02.11\00:13:03.98
said through their own language.
00:13:03.98\00:13:05.38
And I said, "Well, did you want
00:13:05.38\00:13:07.15
me to go off site?"
00:13:07.15\00:13:09.12
"No!"
00:13:09.12\00:13:09.82
They said, "You lead us in
00:13:09.82\00:13:11.25
revival, call us to revival
00:13:11.25\00:13:13.46
with Jesus like every morning
00:13:13.46\00:13:15.79
and we'll tell you when you need
00:13:15.79\00:13:17.16
to leave."
00:13:17.16\00:13:18.09
So at 6:00 in the morning we had
00:13:18.09\00:13:20.16
that prayer time just like
00:13:20.16\00:13:21.66
any other day.
00:13:21.66\00:13:23.20
Now, I wanna ask you what would
00:13:23.20\00:13:24.37
you do if you knew that secret
00:13:24.37\00:13:25.97
police would be coming
00:13:25.97\00:13:26.77
any moment?
00:13:26.77\00:13:27.94
Wouldn't it be hard for you to
00:13:27.94\00:13:29.17
gather your friends and loved
00:13:29.17\00:13:31.04
ones and to pray?
00:13:31.04\00:13:32.67
[MIKE] Yeah.
00:13:32.67\00:13:33.41
There would be this sense of
00:13:33.41\00:13:34.91
urgency like you're hanging on
00:13:34.91\00:13:36.34
a string that's gonna be cut at
00:13:36.34\00:13:37.48
any moment.
00:13:37.48\00:13:38.15
[DON] Yes, yes.
00:13:38.15\00:13:39.58
And so we had that prayer time,
00:13:39.58\00:13:41.65
it was precious.
00:13:41.65\00:13:42.72
More precious than usual,
00:13:42.72\00:13:44.12
because we did not know
00:13:44.12\00:13:45.52
if we'd ever meet again.
00:13:45.52\00:13:46.82
We did not know what was about
00:13:46.82\00:13:47.92
to happen.
00:13:47.92\00:13:48.92
And then right before, I think
00:13:48.92\00:13:51.79
it was 7:00 or so,
00:13:51.79\00:13:53.43
the believers stood up
00:13:53.43\00:13:55.83
and came around me
00:13:55.83\00:13:57.27
and they prayed for me.
00:13:57.27\00:13:58.90
This was emotional to me because
00:13:58.90\00:14:01.00
they said, "We don't know what's
00:14:01.00\00:14:02.60
about to happen, but you need to
00:14:02.60\00:14:04.47
follow us now.
00:14:04.47\00:14:05.71
It is time for you to go."
00:14:05.71\00:14:07.61
So I started to walk out the
00:14:07.61\00:14:09.48
door and there's windows on this
00:14:09.48\00:14:12.08
corridor outside the door
00:14:12.08\00:14:13.75
where you can see down to the
00:14:13.75\00:14:15.02
street and they said,
00:14:15.02\00:14:16.32
[sighs] "We're so terri--
00:14:16.32\00:14:18.35
We're horrified to tell you
00:14:18.35\00:14:19.45
this, but you need to get
00:14:19.45\00:14:20.92
down, down, down.
00:14:20.92\00:14:22.26
You need to crawl across the
00:14:22.26\00:14:24.29
floor because we don't want
00:14:24.29\00:14:25.26
anybody to see you out there."
00:14:25.26\00:14:27.00
And so I went down on my hands
00:14:27.00\00:14:29.06
and knees and they said,
00:14:29.06\00:14:29.93
"Lower," they said, "Crawl
00:14:29.93\00:14:31.37
across and we'll do the same.
00:14:31.37\00:14:32.73
We don't want anybody to see
00:14:32.73\00:14:34.64
even a wisp of a shadow or
00:14:34.64\00:14:36.74
anything going across."
00:14:36.74\00:14:38.41
And so we're going like this
00:14:38.41\00:14:39.67
across and we got across
00:14:39.67\00:14:41.54
and they said, "Follow us."
00:14:41.54\00:14:43.18
And we went up, up, up in a maze
00:14:43.18\00:14:45.71
of hallways.
00:14:45.71\00:14:47.35
And they pushed me into a little
00:14:47.35\00:14:49.62
room and they gathered other
00:14:49.62\00:14:51.72
believers around me to pray with
00:14:51.72\00:14:53.29
me so I wouldn't be alone
00:14:53.29\00:14:54.99
while these secret police would
00:14:54.99\00:14:57.06
be coming.
00:14:57.06\00:14:58.06
And there we waited and we
00:14:58.06\00:14:59.36
prayed and we waited and prayed.
00:14:59.36\00:15:01.60
Now they said, "Don, at some
00:15:01.60\00:15:04.10
point, we're either gonna have
00:15:04.10\00:15:06.20
the secret police knock at this
00:15:06.20\00:15:07.70
door searching for you,
00:15:07.70\00:15:09.10
we know they're gonna be
00:15:09.10\00:15:09.94
looking for you.
00:15:09.94\00:15:10.91
Or believers could come
00:15:10.91\00:15:12.94
and say that the coast is clear,
00:15:12.94\00:15:14.84
you know, it's fine.
00:15:14.84\00:15:16.18
But because you don't know and
00:15:16.18\00:15:17.51
we don't know who's gonna be the
00:15:17.51\00:15:19.38
one knocking at the door,
00:15:19.38\00:15:20.68
do not go to the door
00:15:20.68\00:15:22.32
when there's a knock."
00:15:22.32\00:15:23.45
I thought that was a pretty
00:15:23.45\00:15:24.25
simple command.
00:15:24.25\00:15:26.29
But, you know, as the time,
00:15:26.29\00:15:27.59
stretched half an hour, hour,
00:15:27.59\00:15:29.79
hour and a half, two hours,
00:15:29.79\00:15:31.09
it's several hours in a little
00:15:31.09\00:15:32.23
tiny room with believers.
00:15:32.23\00:15:34.00
I was starting to get antsy to
00:15:34.00\00:15:35.43
move, and when there was a knock
00:15:35.43\00:15:37.03
at the door, I was so excited to
00:15:37.03\00:15:38.87
get out of there because I'm a
00:15:38.87\00:15:40.50
man that has to move, that I
00:15:40.50\00:15:42.04
went for the door and they
00:15:42.04\00:15:43.47
whispered, they hissed at me,
00:15:43.47\00:15:45.01
they-- and said, "Pastor Don,
00:15:45.01\00:15:47.51
get back here!" they said in
00:15:47.51\00:15:48.68
their own language.
00:15:48.68\00:15:49.94
And I said, "Oh, that's right."
00:15:49.94\00:15:51.15
So I tiptoed back and I said,
00:15:51.15\00:15:52.88
"What should I do?"
00:15:52.88\00:15:53.95
And the knocking was more
00:15:53.95\00:15:54.95
insistent, and my heart was
00:15:54.95\00:15:56.55
going like this.
00:15:56.55\00:15:57.72
And they said, "See this little
00:15:57.72\00:15:59.45
cubbyhole, you know, like a
00:15:59.45\00:16:01.02
little tiny door?"
00:16:01.02\00:16:02.36
And they said, "Here," and they
00:16:02.36\00:16:03.46
opened up and they stuff me in
00:16:03.46\00:16:04.86
there, I could barely fit,
00:16:04.86\00:16:06.36
like a little tiny room.
00:16:06.36\00:16:08.20
And they stood in front of it...
00:16:08.20\00:16:09.93
...and they waited.
00:16:10.90\00:16:12.77
And then I heard footsteps and
00:16:12.77\00:16:14.30
the door opened and my heart is
00:16:14.30\00:16:15.74
racing like this.
00:16:15.74\00:16:16.74
And, Mike, I literally was
00:16:16.74\00:16:17.97
wondering if the next thing that
00:16:17.97\00:16:19.31
I would feel is a big hand that
00:16:19.31\00:16:21.34
would reach out and, you know,
00:16:21.34\00:16:22.98
grab me by the shoulder.
00:16:22.98\00:16:24.21
I mean, I didn't know what was
00:16:24.21\00:16:25.31
gonna happen.
00:16:25.31\00:16:26.08
And so I prayed and prayed and I
00:16:26.08\00:16:27.32
said, "God help me to be
00:16:27.32\00:16:28.62
faithful, even if I'm taken off
00:16:28.62\00:16:30.25
to prison, just help me
00:16:30.25\00:16:31.59
to be faithful."
00:16:31.59\00:16:32.42
I can't describe to you
00:16:32.42\00:16:34.12
two things,
00:16:34.12\00:16:35.12
that I can't describe to you
00:16:35.12\00:16:37.59
the heart racing moment,
00:16:37.59\00:16:40.06
but I also can't describe to you
00:16:40.06\00:16:42.03
how sweet is a presence of
00:16:42.03\00:16:43.43
Jesus, even in those times.
00:16:43.43\00:16:45.43
My natural humanness was, of
00:16:46.33\00:16:48.14
course, had fear, but then also
00:16:48.14\00:16:49.87
I could tell Jesus was with me.
00:16:49.87\00:16:51.91
And so I just, He just calmed me
00:16:51.91\00:16:53.94
down and I waited.
00:16:53.94\00:16:55.74
And pretty soon, the footsteps
00:16:55.74\00:16:57.05
came right to the door.
00:16:57.05\00:16:59.51
And then I
00:16:59.51\00:17:01.62
heard it turning and
00:17:01.62\00:17:03.02
the little door opened and a
00:17:03.02\00:17:05.32
hand came out and said,
00:17:05.32\00:17:07.79
"Don, come out."
00:17:07.79\00:17:09.29
I still don't know if this is
00:17:09.29\00:17:10.19
good or bad news.
00:17:10.19\00:17:10.99
I don't know if the believers
00:17:10.99\00:17:11.79
are just being used by the
00:17:11.79\00:17:13.13
police to get me.
00:17:13.13\00:17:14.20
I come out and I look at their
00:17:14.20\00:17:15.20
faces, I'm trying to see, you
00:17:15.20\00:17:16.93
know, can I get some hint?
00:17:16.93\00:17:18.03
Are we safe or not?
00:17:18.03\00:17:19.73
And they said, "It's okay now.
00:17:19.73\00:17:22.34
Follow us."
00:17:22.34\00:17:23.91
We went all the way back
00:17:23.91\00:17:24.97
down to the room
00:17:24.97\00:17:26.47
and again there was
00:17:26.47\00:17:28.14
just such an array of emotions.
00:17:28.14\00:17:30.31
Some of the older people were
00:17:31.35\00:17:33.38
weeping again, tears of joy
00:17:33.38\00:17:36.12
because they have lived through
00:17:36.12\00:17:38.15
these times many, many times.
00:17:38.15\00:17:39.39
They had known
00:17:39.39\00:17:40.36
how serious it was.
00:17:40.36\00:17:41.32
The young people
00:17:41.32\00:17:42.59
did not know
00:17:42.59\00:17:44.83
how serious it was.
00:17:44.83\00:17:46.29
And so some people were almost
00:17:46.29\00:17:47.96
dancing for joy.
00:17:47.96\00:17:49.16
Some people were weeping before
00:17:49.16\00:17:50.60
God, like, "Thank you, God, that
00:17:50.60\00:17:53.17
we are okay, not just only
00:17:53.17\00:17:54.57
Pastor Don, but that we're all
00:17:54.57\00:17:56.24
able to be here."
00:17:56.24\00:17:58.21
And I said, "What happened?
00:17:58.21\00:17:59.11
What happened?
00:17:59.11\00:18:00.08
Did they not come at all?
00:18:00.08\00:18:01.51
Maybe it was just a
00:18:01.51\00:18:02.48
false scare?"
00:18:02.48\00:18:03.45
They said, "Oh, no, it wasn't a
00:18:03.45\00:18:04.75
false scare."
00:18:04.75\00:18:05.98
And then they told me through a
00:18:05.98\00:18:07.65
translator, they said, "Pastor
00:18:07.65\00:18:09.38
Don, you left just before
00:18:09.38\00:18:12.05
there was a knock at our door.
00:18:12.05\00:18:13.66
And two, those two secret police
00:18:14.32\00:18:16.79
bearing all the authority of
00:18:16.79\00:18:18.23
state came in, walking very
00:18:18.23\00:18:20.66
proudly, and they walked in.
00:18:20.66\00:18:23.33
And these are mighty men.
00:18:23.33\00:18:25.07
All they have to do is make one
00:18:25.07\00:18:26.23
little call and the place can be
00:18:26.23\00:18:27.70
swarming, you know,
00:18:27.70\00:18:28.67
with officers.
00:18:28.67\00:18:29.74
And they came in and they said,
00:18:30.31\00:18:32.71
"We had turned the room upside
00:18:32.71\00:18:34.58
down to make it look
00:18:34.58\00:18:37.01
not like
00:18:37.01\00:18:38.25
a training that you would do,"
00:18:38.25\00:18:39.65
because I do interactive style
00:18:39.65\00:18:40.85
training, "but more like a
00:18:40.85\00:18:42.45
traditional style that we would
00:18:42.45\00:18:43.95
do in our country.
00:18:43.95\00:18:45.25
And we were trying to hold a
00:18:45.25\00:18:47.76
government meeting
00:18:47.76\00:18:50.36
and trying to do our best
00:18:50.36\00:18:52.69
to not cause suspicion.
00:18:52.69\00:18:54.46
And the two police came in and
00:18:54.46\00:18:56.03
they started looking
00:18:56.03\00:18:57.03
up and down the rows,
00:18:57.03\00:18:59.17
up and down."
00:18:59.17\00:19:00.54
And I broke into their
00:19:00.54\00:19:01.54
conversation, I said, "Were they
00:19:01.54\00:19:02.54
looking for me?"
00:19:02.54\00:19:03.34
They said, "Oh, yes, they were
00:19:03.34\00:19:04.94
obviously looking for you.
00:19:04.94\00:19:06.57
They are looking for one face
00:19:06.57\00:19:08.28
in the whole room, it's a large
00:19:08.28\00:19:09.64
room, that didn't fit in.
00:19:09.64\00:19:11.71
They were looking for you.
00:19:11.71\00:19:12.85
They had been tipped that a
00:19:12.85\00:19:14.85
foreigner from North America
00:19:14.85\00:19:17.02
was here somewhere.
00:19:17.02\00:19:18.55
So they looked up and down the
00:19:18.55\00:19:19.59
rows, up and down the rows, and
00:19:19.59\00:19:20.89
their eyes kept on going
00:19:20.89\00:19:22.12
further, further back in the
00:19:22.12\00:19:23.16
room, and they kept searching
00:19:23.16\00:19:24.83
intently, face by face.
00:19:24.83\00:19:27.23
And they got to the very back of
00:19:27.23\00:19:28.40
the room, they were looking like
00:19:28.40\00:19:29.33
this, and all of a sudden
00:19:29.33\00:19:30.10
[gasps] they went like this
00:19:30.17\00:19:31.33
and their faces turned white
00:19:31.33\00:19:32.97
and fear came across their faces
00:19:32.97\00:19:35.40
and they looked and then they
00:19:35.40\00:19:36.71
turned around, did about face,
00:19:36.71\00:19:38.41
and they marched right out of
00:19:38.41\00:19:39.54
the room.
00:19:39.54\00:19:40.24
And they never came back.
00:19:40.24\00:19:41.74
Never came back.
00:19:41.74\00:19:43.24
[MIKE] Hmm.
00:19:44.05\00:19:44.75
I wonder what they saw.
00:19:44.75\00:19:46.25
[DON] Mmm.
00:19:46.25\00:19:47.05
Who do you think they saw?
00:19:47.05\00:19:48.25
Let me ask you.
00:19:48.25\00:19:49.55
[MIKE] I'm thinking God's angels
00:19:49.55\00:19:51.12
were there, too.
00:19:51.12\00:19:52.35
[DON] Yeah, I believe that.
00:19:52.35\00:19:53.72
I believe that God's angels
00:19:53.72\00:19:54.86
were there.
00:19:54.86\00:19:55.92
And I believe someday when Jesus
00:19:55.92\00:19:57.59
comes again, we tell more
00:19:57.59\00:19:58.93
stories, I think He's gonna have
00:19:58.93\00:20:01.10
fun, great delight, telling
00:20:01.10\00:20:02.73
about how He loved hearing all
00:20:02.73\00:20:04.80
those believers pray so that He
00:20:04.80\00:20:06.80
could be invited to send those
00:20:06.80\00:20:08.80
angels right there at just the
00:20:08.80\00:20:11.17
perfect moment.
00:20:11.17\00:20:12.01
[MIKE] Mmm, praise the Lord.
00:20:12.01\00:20:13.17
[RENÉ] You know, Don, I'm just
00:20:13.17\00:20:15.14
in awe how God has
00:20:15.14\00:20:17.28
perfect timing.
00:20:17.28\00:20:18.75
His timing is perfect.
00:20:18.75\00:20:20.95
Can you tell us about another
00:20:21.52\00:20:23.52
time that God's timing
00:20:23.52\00:20:26.52
was perfect for you
00:20:26.52\00:20:28.46
and for the situation
00:20:28.46\00:20:30.26
while you were travelling
00:20:30.26\00:20:31.59
on an airplane?
00:20:31.59\00:20:32.59
>> Absolutely.
00:20:32.59\00:20:33.60
You know, it's so easy, and you
00:20:33.60\00:20:34.93
travel on the airplane a lot,
00:20:34.93\00:20:36.60
too, it's so easy to just travel
00:20:36.60\00:20:38.63
and kind of zone out,
00:20:38.63\00:20:40.50
you know what I mean, and just
00:20:40.50\00:20:41.54
think I'm in between mission.
00:20:41.54\00:20:43.17
And God continually reminds me,
00:20:43.17\00:20:45.17
"Don, you're not ever in between
00:20:45.17\00:20:46.78
mission, you're always on
00:20:46.78\00:20:47.91
mission."
00:20:47.91\00:20:48.64
So I was on this long flight
00:20:48.64\00:20:50.68
and I was praying and I said,
00:20:50.68\00:20:52.81
"God," I said, "Who's on this
00:20:52.81\00:20:54.98
plane that I need to share Jesus
00:20:54.98\00:20:56.75
with or-- and pray with?"
00:20:56.75\00:20:59.05
And God led me to
00:20:59.05\00:21:01.82
notice the flight attendants
00:21:01.82\00:21:04.06
and to care for them.
00:21:04.06\00:21:05.46
So I reached into my bag and
00:21:05.46\00:21:07.13
found some of my little books to
00:21:07.13\00:21:08.60
give as gifts.
00:21:08.60\00:21:09.93
And I went back and I was
00:21:09.93\00:21:12.17
praying for just the right time,
00:21:12.17\00:21:14.10
I went back to the middle of the
00:21:14.10\00:21:16.54
plane and it was a big centre
00:21:16.54\00:21:18.31
for them to gather.
00:21:18.31\00:21:19.27
This is a large plane
00:21:19.27\00:21:20.94
and I think it was a
00:21:20.94\00:21:21.91
double-decker, too, and...
00:21:21.91\00:21:23.08
And anyway, I talked to the head
00:21:23.61\00:21:25.95
of all the flight attendants
00:21:25.95\00:21:27.72
and I said, "I have a gift
00:21:27.72\00:21:29.92
for all of your team.
00:21:29.92\00:21:31.82
Could I give my new book to
00:21:31.82\00:21:34.12
your team?"
00:21:34.12\00:21:35.16
And she was delighted.
00:21:35.16\00:21:37.16
And, of course, the flight
00:21:37.16\00:21:38.19
attendants had all kinds of
00:21:38.19\00:21:39.23
different faith backgrounds or
00:21:39.23\00:21:40.83
no faith at all.
00:21:40.83\00:21:42.00
But she gathered them and I gave
00:21:42.00\00:21:44.20
them the book.
00:21:44.20\00:21:45.33
And I was thinking, "Okay,
00:21:45.33\00:21:46.40
that's enough.
00:21:46.40\00:21:47.17
I don't wanna overdo it."
00:21:47.17\00:21:48.40
And I was getting ready to turn
00:21:48.40\00:21:49.30
back to my chair
00:21:49.30\00:21:51.17
and my seat and
00:21:51.17\00:21:52.54
the Holy Spirit said,
00:21:52.54\00:21:53.38
"Offer to pray with them."
00:21:53.38\00:21:54.41
And so I said, "May I pray
00:21:54.41\00:21:55.61
with you?"
00:21:55.61\00:21:56.38
They are very startled, and
00:21:56.38\00:21:57.88
pretty soon we had a prayer
00:21:57.88\00:21:58.81
meeting there on the plane.
00:21:58.81\00:22:00.78
Well, this happened in different
00:22:00.78\00:22:03.15
sectors of the plane.
00:22:03.15\00:22:04.09
This was a huge plane, so I had
00:22:04.09\00:22:06.25
this happen with different
00:22:06.25\00:22:08.26
people on the plane, the
00:22:08.26\00:22:09.52
passengers, with flight
00:22:09.52\00:22:10.56
attendants, and the flight had
00:22:10.56\00:22:12.86
been amazing that way.
00:22:12.86\00:22:14.60
Many, many, many divine
00:22:14.60\00:22:16.03
appointments.
00:22:16.03\00:22:16.83
So now the flight was nearing
00:22:16.83\00:22:18.87
home and I was settling back in
00:22:18.87\00:22:21.64
and that still, small voice
00:22:21.64\00:22:23.94
said, "Do you think everyone
00:22:23.94\00:22:26.04
here knows Jesus?"
00:22:26.04\00:22:28.11
And I thought, "No, not everyone
00:22:28.11\00:22:30.25
knows, but I sure have had a
00:22:30.25\00:22:31.85
wonderful time on this flight
00:22:31.85\00:22:33.25
sharing You."
00:22:33.25\00:22:34.42
And He said, "Why don't you ask
00:22:34.42\00:22:35.98
Me if there's one more?"
00:22:35.98\00:22:38.39
So I said, "Okay.
00:22:38.39\00:22:40.02
So God, is there one more that
00:22:40.02\00:22:41.46
You want me to pray with?”
00:22:41.46\00:22:43.69
And He said, "Yes, there is."
00:22:43.69\00:22:46.56
And I said, "Well, who would
00:22:46.56\00:22:48.10
that be?"
00:22:48.10\00:22:49.20
And He said, “Notice that flight
00:22:49.20\00:22:51.50
attendant coming towards you
00:22:51.50\00:22:53.03
that has served you.”
00:22:53.03\00:22:54.50
He was a very serious young man,
00:22:54.50\00:22:57.01
and he didn't seem to be very
00:22:57.01\00:22:58.87
friendly, but he was very
00:22:58.87\00:23:00.38
professional in what he did
00:23:00.38\00:23:02.31
and he was doing a fine job.
00:23:02.31\00:23:04.51
And He said, "Go and ask him
00:23:04.51\00:23:07.45
how you can pray for him
00:23:07.45\00:23:09.18
and let him know that
00:23:09.18\00:23:10.15
God loves him a lot."
00:23:10.15\00:23:12.59
I thought I have had no
00:23:12.59\00:23:14.36
indication from him that he
00:23:14.36\00:23:15.96
would be open to such a thing
00:23:15.96\00:23:17.83
at all, such a conversation.
00:23:17.83\00:23:19.13
He was not friendly, he was
00:23:19.13\00:23:20.06
not-- there was no openness.
00:23:20.06\00:23:21.70
You know, his face seemed closed
00:23:21.70\00:23:22.86
to me, you know what I mean?
00:23:22.86\00:23:23.67
Just closed to any such
00:23:23.67\00:23:24.87
conversation.
00:23:24.87\00:23:25.90
Stronger the Holy Spirit said,
00:23:25.90\00:23:28.17
"Go find him."
00:23:28.17\00:23:29.54
Right then over the loudspeaker
00:23:29.54\00:23:31.81
came the voice, "And now buckle
00:23:31.81\00:23:34.28
up and don't leave your seats
00:23:34.28\00:23:36.18
because we are soon going
00:23:36.18\00:23:37.51
to be landing."
00:23:37.51\00:23:38.71
And I said, "Well, Lord,"
00:23:38.71\00:23:40.12
I said, "That's obviously not
00:23:40.12\00:23:41.95
the right time to go now.
00:23:41.95\00:23:43.18
I am so sorry."
00:23:43.18\00:23:44.39
And I was kind of settling back
00:23:44.39\00:23:45.82
in and I don't know if you've
00:23:45.82\00:23:47.59
ever done this, but I was
00:23:47.59\00:23:48.69
thinking maybe I'm off the hook.
00:23:48.69\00:23:51.26
And, because it was an
00:23:51.26\00:23:52.23
uncomfortable thing to do.
00:23:52.23\00:23:53.80
And God said, "Go now!"
00:23:53.80\00:23:56.50
And I said, "They just gave the
00:23:56.50\00:23:57.87
announcement, God.
00:23:57.87\00:23:59.37
How can I go now?
00:23:59.37\00:24:00.70
Everybody's gonna look at me
00:24:00.70\00:24:01.77
like a fool because we're
00:24:01.77\00:24:03.24
supposed to stay in our seats.”
00:24:03.24\00:24:05.24
And just as I was arguing with
00:24:05.24\00:24:07.78
God, stronger across the
00:24:07.78\00:24:10.01
loudspeaker, as people were
00:24:10.01\00:24:12.35
still standing, "Please,
00:24:12.35\00:24:14.42
passengers, everyone needs to be
00:24:14.42\00:24:16.22
in their seat."
00:24:16.22\00:24:17.59
"Oh," I thought, "it's the worst
00:24:18.12\00:24:19.59
time to stand up."
00:24:19.59\00:24:21.39
And finally, praise God,
00:24:21.39\00:24:24.06
I gave in to God
00:24:24.06\00:24:25.99
and I said, "Okay, I'll do it."
00:24:25.99\00:24:27.96
And I started walking towards
00:24:27.96\00:24:29.83
where I just saw up ahead the
00:24:29.83\00:24:31.70
young man had taken the curtain,
00:24:31.70\00:24:33.57
you know, and closed it.
00:24:33.57\00:24:35.20
And that's, of course, a signal
00:24:35.20\00:24:36.97
to passengers, don't disturb me,
00:24:36.97\00:24:38.57
I'm doing the final preparations
00:24:38.57\00:24:40.28
for landing, you know?
00:24:40.28\00:24:41.61
And so I went up there and I
00:24:41.61\00:24:43.95
opened the curtain like this and
00:24:43.95\00:24:45.75
everybody's like, [gasps]
00:24:45.75\00:24:46.92
"What's he doing?"
00:24:46.92\00:24:47.82
You know?
00:24:47.82\00:24:48.58
Was I about to cause trouble
00:24:48.58\00:24:50.09
on the plane?
00:24:50.09\00:24:50.89
Everybody was looking at me
00:24:50.89\00:24:52.25
suspiciously.
00:24:52.25\00:24:53.39
It was not fun.
00:24:53.39\00:24:54.52
And the young man looked at me,
00:24:54.52\00:24:55.66
startled, and he said, "Sir, you
00:24:55.66\00:24:58.09
need to be back in your seat."
00:24:58.09\00:24:59.39
I said, "I know, I know, but I
00:24:59.39\00:25:01.06
need to tell you God loves you
00:25:01.06\00:25:03.06
so much, and how can I
00:25:03.06\00:25:05.07
pray for you?"
00:25:05.07\00:25:06.50
His face went white.
00:25:06.50\00:25:08.80
He was shocked.
00:25:08.80\00:25:10.77
And he said, "What?
00:25:10.77\00:25:12.44
I can't believe that you would
00:25:12.44\00:25:14.21
come and tell me that God loves
00:25:14.21\00:25:16.44
me and that you would ask me how
00:25:16.44\00:25:18.71
you can pray for me."
00:25:18.71\00:25:20.05
He said, "I used to believe in
00:25:20.05\00:25:21.58
God, I really did.
00:25:21.58\00:25:23.28
But bad things have happened in
00:25:23.28\00:25:24.62
my life, discouraging things
00:25:24.62\00:25:26.02
have happened and I've given up
00:25:26.02\00:25:28.09
on this living God.
00:25:28.09\00:25:29.76
I've given up on Him totally.
00:25:29.76\00:25:31.66
But I haven't had peace about
00:25:31.66\00:25:33.06
that at all.
00:25:33.06\00:25:34.56
And I was just literally praying
00:25:34.56\00:25:36.13
one more time, seconds ago, and
00:25:36.13\00:25:38.67
I was pleading with God, 'God,
00:25:38.67\00:25:40.14
if You're really there, do
00:25:40.14\00:25:41.70
something on this flight right
00:25:41.70\00:25:43.97
now to show me that You see me
00:25:43.97\00:25:46.84
and that You love me
00:25:46.84\00:25:48.28
and that You care.'"
00:25:48.28\00:25:49.54
And so I prayed with him,
00:25:50.15\00:25:52.48
and the young man was
00:25:52.48\00:25:53.68
shaken to his core,
00:25:53.68\00:25:55.52
as he should have been,
00:25:55.52\00:25:57.85
because the King of Kings and
00:25:57.85\00:25:59.35
Lord of Lords
00:25:59.35\00:26:00.96
did love him and does love him
00:26:00.96\00:26:02.99
and showed him just in the nick
00:26:02.99\00:26:04.56
of time before we landed
00:26:04.56\00:26:06.33
a message he needed to hear.
00:26:06.33\00:26:08.40
[RENÉ] He was obviously pleading
00:26:08.40\00:26:09.96
with God, show me that You're
00:26:09.96\00:26:12.57
real and that You are here.
00:26:12.57\00:26:14.94
And at that time that he was
00:26:14.94\00:26:16.60
pleading with God, God was
00:26:16.60\00:26:18.07
saying to you, "Now, go now."
00:26:18.07\00:26:20.54
[DON] Yes.
00:26:20.54\00:26:21.34
>> You know?
00:26:21.34\00:26:22.24
And even though it was the last
00:26:22.24\00:26:23.41
announcement, "Refrain from
00:26:23.41\00:26:24.65
using the washroom.
00:26:24.65\00:26:25.58
We're gonna land."
00:26:25.58\00:26:27.12
You listened
00:26:27.12\00:26:29.08
and you obeyed and God gave you
00:26:29.08\00:26:30.79
that opportunity.
00:26:30.79\00:26:31.89
[DON] Yes, amen.
00:26:31.89\00:26:33.09
[RENÉ] Wow!
00:26:33.09\00:26:33.76
>> Don, we've come to the end of
00:26:33.76\00:26:34.86
our time, but there are people
00:26:34.86\00:26:36.19
who are listening who need to
00:26:36.19\00:26:38.13
hear the same message.
00:26:38.13\00:26:39.76
And can you pray for them right
00:26:39.76\00:26:42.06
now that they will
00:26:42.06\00:26:44.70
hear Him telling them,
00:26:44.70\00:26:47.27
"You can believe,
00:26:47.27\00:26:48.44
you can trust Me.
00:26:48.44\00:26:49.94
I love you."
00:26:49.94\00:26:50.74
>> Yes.
00:26:50.74\00:26:51.37
Amen.
00:26:51.37\00:26:52.51
Dear God in heaven,
00:26:52.51\00:26:54.01
right now out there, there is
00:26:54.01\00:26:55.94
someone who also has silent
00:26:55.94\00:26:58.81
tears before Your throne
00:26:58.81\00:27:00.65
pleading with You,
00:27:00.65\00:27:01.68
"God, if You're out there,
00:27:01.68\00:27:03.65
please do something to show me
00:27:03.65\00:27:06.35
You love me, that You see my
00:27:06.35\00:27:07.99
tears, that You care about me."
00:27:07.99\00:27:09.99
Be with those that are silently
00:27:09.99\00:27:11.96
crying out to You right now.
00:27:11.96\00:27:14.13
And also
00:27:14.13\00:27:16.23
give us as believers,
00:27:16.23\00:27:18.90
the urgency of You, God,
00:27:18.90\00:27:21.44
to go when You send us
00:27:21.44\00:27:23.07
and to love the people
00:27:23.07\00:27:24.27
You call us to love
00:27:24.27\00:27:25.71
and to care for the people
00:27:25.71\00:27:26.78
You tell us to care for
00:27:26.78\00:27:28.01
and to pray with those You tell
00:27:28.01\00:27:29.38
us to pray with.
00:27:29.38\00:27:30.41
In Jesus' name, amen.
00:27:30.41\00:27:31.88
[MIKE & RENÉ] Amen.
00:27:31.88\00:27:33.21
>> We would like to offer you a
00:27:34.82\00:27:36.48
gift and it is Pastor Don
00:27:36.48\00:27:38.25
MacLafferty's book, God Still
00:27:38.25\00:27:39.92
Lives Even When You Wonder.
00:27:39.92\00:27:42.49
>> Don's true stories and
00:27:43.29\00:27:45.23
testimonies will encourage you
00:27:45.23\00:27:47.23
to trust God more fully
00:27:47.23\00:27:49.86
and completely.
00:27:49.86\00:27:51.53
>> We trust that our gift to
00:27:51.53\00:27:53.44
you, Pastor Don's book, God
00:27:53.44\00:27:55.37
Still Lives Even When You
00:27:55.37\00:27:56.81
Wonder, will inspire you to live
00:27:56.81\00:27:58.61
by faith and not
00:27:58.61\00:28:00.18
by sight alone.
00:28:00.18\00:28:01.91
[gentle piano music playing]
00:28:01.91\00:28:04.18
>> Before you go, we would like
00:28:04.18\00:28:06.11
to thank all of you who have
00:28:06.11\00:28:07.98
supported the ministry of It Is
00:28:07.98\00:28:09.65
Written Canada with your prayers
00:28:09.65\00:28:12.19
and financial contributions.
00:28:12.19\00:28:14.76
Without your support,
00:28:14.76\00:28:16.73
this television ministry could
00:28:16.73\00:28:18.59
not have reached so many people
00:28:18.59\00:28:20.83
for so many decades.
00:28:20.83\00:28:22.50
>> Yes, thank you.
00:28:22.50\00:28:23.53
And we would also like to invite
00:28:23.53\00:28:25.17
you to follow us on Instagram
00:28:25.17\00:28:26.23
and Facebook and subscribe to
00:28:26.23\00:28:28.04
our YouTube channel and also
00:28:28.04\00:28:30.04
listen to our podcasts.
00:28:30.04\00:28:31.51
And if you go to our website,
00:28:31.51\00:28:33.01
you can see our latest programs.
00:28:33.01\00:28:35.48
>> You, too, can experience the
00:28:36.58\00:28:38.58
fullness of life found in the
00:28:38.58\00:28:40.38
words of Jesus when He said...
00:28:40.38\00:28:42.62