(dramatic music)
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- Hello and welcome
to Jesus for Asia Now.
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I'm Natalie Wood and I have
a special guest with me today
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and we will be talking
about God's work in Thailand.
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Welcome to the show Gayle.
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- Thank you.
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- We've had you on before, so
our viewers may recognize you.
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But, I know there's some
stories that we want to hear
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this time that
haven't been shared before.
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So, let's get started.
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What people group
are you working with?
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- Well I working with
Karen people and they are mostly
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from Burma, at least the
ones on that side of Thailand
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and they migrate into
Thailand to avoid the tyranny
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and the torture of
the Burmese soldiers,
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who fought
against them for 65 years.
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- Okay.
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- So consequently
they flee into Thailand,
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they're in refugee
camps along the border
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and it's been
going on for 65 years.
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So during that time they
all, many filter up through
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the mountains all
through the jungles.
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They're little villages
all around and the people
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are living like they lived
in Burma a hundred years ago.
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So very primitive.
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- Right, there are a lot
of challenges with that then.
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They're living in the
jungle, they're living like
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they lived 100 years go, so
there's not a real understanding
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of the need for
hygiene or running water
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or some of these things.
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- No, they are just
steeped in their own traditions
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and customs and they
cannot read or write the adults.
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The young people are going
to school and they learned how
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but the adults cannot.
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And when you try to
explain the Bible to them,
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they don't
understand the way it's written
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because it's
written on the Burmese side.
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So it's a
different tongue on that side
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and it's filled in
with Burmese words.
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And where I am in
the jungles of Thailand,
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it's a different tongue and
it's filled in with Thai words.
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So you have to be
very simple and it's harder
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reach those people and
talk to them on their level
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than it is
intelligent people here because
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you really want them
to understand the gospel
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and everything.
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- Right so the simple
gospel like Jesus talked about
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children understanding.
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- [Gayle] Yes, yes,
exactly. - It's very important.
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- Exactly, they are like
children in more ways than that
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in that they don't
look, project in the future.
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They only see
their present life,
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and like a child if you
say, do you want a dollar now
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or $20 next week, they would
take it right here and now.
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So for them to prepare
for heaven, which is something
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abstract to them what is that.
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- Yeah and in the
future somewhere else
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and in the future
doesn't make sense.
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Wow, and they're also
animist in this area, right?
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- Right, and it
really reflect devil worship.
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To me, there's no difference,
they worship the devil
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and they try to appease
the spirits and they believe
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that if somebody gets
sick it's because their spirit
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has left them and if it
goes too far away, they die.
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So, they have
different rituals and chants
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and many things to
call the spirits back.
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- Wow.
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- I've seen it, it's really sad.
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- Yeah, and you want to
share, there's a different way,
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there's a truth, there's
a real God that loves you.
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- Takes a long time to get
anywhere to see any change.
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- Wow, okay, so let's get
started with your pictures
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because I know that
physically where you are
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is a bit of a challenge.
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How far as you from a main road?
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- Well, we're actually
probably close to 40-some
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kilometers from the
main road, but parts of it
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have been cemented
through the years, a little more
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each year, so
it's easier for us.
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However, if we can't
take the shortcut that we have
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to go two and a
half extra hours around.
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So soon as there's at
least hint of rain we can't take
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the shortcut and so
we have to go around.
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And, you know the roads
are already bad basically
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because they either
very steep or treacherous
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with a precipice and
when the rain starts in June,
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it lasts four or five months
and we have to kind of program
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our truck as to
when is the last trip
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we can bring supplies in
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and when can we, do we
have to get that truck out.
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So we have something
to drive when we get out.
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We go to our
motorbike after that.
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So, this rainy season last
June, it was the 16th of June,
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we'd had the truck in two long.
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We had brought fruit
trees in and I wanted to preach
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my last sermon there.
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So we were late
getting the truck out
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and it had rained a lot.
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So of course, we're
taking the long way.
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We have 23 kilometers
of pure mud and that truck
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and I'm flying out the
next day to come to America.
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- So you have to get out.
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- Yes, but we got stuck
five times, which was really,
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it could have been more
but if we didn't have the wench
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we'd probably still be there.
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Because the truck doesn't
want to stay on the high places
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it falls in the ruts
and if it's not deep mud
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that goes to the
body of the truck,
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it's gonna be
like ice and very slick
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and the camber of the
road is always tilted toward
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the precipice or
toward the deepest ruts
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and that truck
goes where it wants to.
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- [Natalie] Wow.
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- So, we pray.
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- Yeah, you pray a
lot and we praise the Lord
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that he brings you
safely. - Every time.
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- On such bad roads.
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Now, I know that you
talk about the roads a lot
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and can you explain
to us because some people
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they have a mission post
and they go to that mission post
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and they're there for a
while and then occasionally
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they'll go out to town
for supplies or something
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and then go back
to the mission post.
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Do you do a lot of driving?
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- Well, I would
safely say a third of my time
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is spent
driving, we travel a lot
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because not only do we
have the clinic there in Beota,
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in our village but we
go to a different village
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three days a week to
treat the sick and to give them,
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teach them about God.
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- And then if
somebody is really, really sick
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and they need a hospital.
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- So many times we have
to take them to the hospital.
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- All that long way.
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- Yes.
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- All the way to
the hospital, okay.
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So traveling is a
huge part of your work.
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- Yeah, it seems like
endless pathways I must admit.
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(both laugh)
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- So once, it's too
muddy for the truck,
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then you have to
use the motorbike.
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- Yes, then we use the
motorbike and that motorbike,
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it's surprising we can get
it through the worst of things,
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but I'm sitting on the
back so I'm always like the tail
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wagging the dog and it
just seems a whole lot more
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dramatic on the back,
'cause your hanging on,
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you only got a little
bar behind you to hang onto
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and it gets really steep.
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So you need to put
your weight forward,
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so you don't do a wheelie.
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- [Natalie] Flip over.
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- But your body is just falling
back and then going downhill
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you need to scoot
back but whenever you wreck
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or hit something
you're gonna flip forward.
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- Wow.
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- So, it is a constant struggle.
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On a nice day, I'm very at
home on the back of that bike,
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but I have totally
flipped off the back three times
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head over heels
and not been hurt.
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But the motor bike is
better with chains on it,
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but after a lot of
rain when the mud is deep,
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it starts looking like
that really, just caked up
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and you have to keep
stopping and dig all the mud out
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and of course the next turn
of a wheel it's back on there.
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(Natalie laughs)
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And then you can hardly push it,
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so many times on the
slippery downhills or things,
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I just wish I were walking,
but it's faster sometimes.
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- [Natalie]
With wheels. (laughs)
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- Yes. (laughs)
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- Well, I know that there's
a lot of hazard on the road
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itself and then
there's hazards to the people
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that you're trying to help.
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Many times you got someone
that's on the verge of dying
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as you're driving
them to the hospital.
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- Yes, indeed we
have a clinic of course
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and we treat the sick.
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We've treated people
from 97 different villages
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and the few days a
week when we go places
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we bring the medicine and
we treat the sick some more.
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And we take to the
hospital and it seems like
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our primary focus is
taking care of the sick
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but it is not because
that's our bridge to reach
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the hearts of the people
and when you help them get well,
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then they want to
know the god you worship.
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So, we feel like the Lord
is helping us because so many
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people when I walk
through the villages,
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I know would have died
if I hadn't been there,
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both you and old.
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- Wow.
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- So, it's real
exciting and I'm really thrilled
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to be doing the medical work.
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- Wow, so now we're
gonna talk about more
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of the spiritual experiences
or the spiritual rewards
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I could say of your work.
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- Yes, when things
happen and you see people coming
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towards God, it's worth
all the leeches, all the mud,
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all the sickness,
whatever you have to go through.
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It's more than worth.
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This story is about the
man in the striped shirt,
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his name is Blee.
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And Blee is over 70 years old.
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He is in a distant
village that we seldom go to
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and he is a head
elder of the Baptist church
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in that village.
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Now, the man on the
end with the white t-shirt,
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his name is Chapo
and he lives in Wasata,
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which is close to Beota.
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He was baptized two
Decembers ago, left the Catholic
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Church to get baptized in
Theeza and he is a real advent,
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Seventh Day Adventist, but
slow to learn like all of them
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and not too sure of
how to tell others about.
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They don't know.
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So, he was visiting Blee
one day in Modokey Village,
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that distant village.
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Now Blee's wife is his
cousin, so once in a great while
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he'll go there.
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So he went and he came
back and found us and said,
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"This man wants to
learn more about the Bible
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"and can you come and
do worship in his house?
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"Because I don't know."
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I told him, "You
know, you can do it."
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because I didn't
know how to explain.
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So, we were thrilled and we went
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and we talked with this man.
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Well, he had just built,
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he'd been 20
years in that village.
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He's from Burma but
he can read the Bible.
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He has a Bible, and not real
well but better than anybody
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else, which is why he's the
head elder, there's no pastor
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there because Americans start it
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and leave it up to
the people in the village.
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So, he is on fire
and so he is in charge
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of this Baptist church and
he just built a small church,
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it's in the background
of the picture by himself.
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And he had just completed it.
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And yet, something is telling,
the holy spirit is telling
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him, I must keep the
Seventh Day before I die
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or I won't make it to heaven.
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Because the Bible tells you,
you gotta keep the seventh day,
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he knew that and so he
wants to ask us more questions.
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And so we go and meet with
him, he shows us this church,
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everything that he's built
but he doesn't want anymore
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to do with any of it and he
will not be able to lead these
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people anymore unless he tells
them what he really believes,
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which I hope he does.
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And so we started
going routinely to his house.
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Well, he doesn't eat
the pig, he learned this.
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This is how people can
learn with just the holy spirit.
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And I say, just but
the holy spirit will do it
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and he's already quit
eating unclean food, meat,
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and he doesn't drink
and he doesn't use opium,
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but he smokes.
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So at the time he tells us,
I know I need to stop smoking.
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He knew, and I'll do that.
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And so we just
talk about the Bible
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and try to go every Sabbath.
00:12:25.51\00:12:27.14
One Sabbath we got him,
his daughter and his wife,
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three different motorbikes
went and brought them to church.
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- Nice.
00:12:33.38\00:12:34.72
- But he, because of him,
his two daughters want to join
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our church also and
the father Blee, he decided
00:12:37.59\00:12:42.66
he's quitting
smoking, so he quit.
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But during the next
week, he decided he wanted
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to try one out and so
to us that's a disaster
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but he didn't want his
daughters to see because he had
00:12:51.10\00:12:54.60
told them he was quitting,
so he didn't want them to see
00:12:54.60\00:12:56.97
that he was trying a cigarette.
00:12:56.97\00:12:59.04
So he went out in the
jungle with this cigarette
00:12:59.04\00:13:01.94
and tried it out.
00:13:01.94\00:13:03.01
He says, "You know
what, it tasted horrible."
00:13:03.01\00:13:05.05
And he threw that away
and he was quit smoking.
00:13:05.05\00:13:08.48
So the next time we get an
ordained pastor in our village,
00:13:08.48\00:13:12.69
I believe he and his two
daughters will be baptized.
00:13:12.69\00:13:16.62
His wife is in a very bad mood.
00:13:16.62\00:13:19.53
She's, what he
calls heartbroken,
00:13:19.53\00:13:21.70
because her family and
her friends that she's there
00:13:21.70\00:13:25.47
with all these years are
Buddhist and she doesn't want
00:13:25.47\00:13:29.07
to change.
00:13:29.97\00:13:31.37
So she's very sullen and very
unhappy, but I really love her
00:13:31.37\00:13:34.81
and so we're praying extra
hard for her to join her family
00:13:34.81\00:13:38.45
because her daughters
even say, okay, even though
00:13:38.45\00:13:42.32
mama doesn't do this,
we're gonna follow dad.
00:13:42.32\00:13:45.49
And even after dad dies,
00:13:45.49\00:13:47.02
we're gonna keep
doing the right thing.
00:13:47.02\00:13:49.42
We will obey the Bible.
00:13:49.42\00:13:51.26
- Wow.
00:13:51.26\00:13:52.29
- So it's all
because of his influence
00:13:52.29\00:13:54.46
and next I believe
you will see a baptism.
00:13:54.46\00:13:58.27
- Awesome, wow, that's neat.
00:13:58.27\00:14:00.67
So you have worships with
people in their home sometimes
00:14:00.67\00:14:03.77
and then you go and
do the medical work,
00:14:03.77\00:14:05.57
you have worships in
the villages with them,
00:14:05.57\00:14:07.81
but you also have a church
just below where your clinic
00:14:07.81\00:14:10.45
is, your house is.
00:14:10.45\00:14:12.45
So, is this church growing?
00:14:12.45\00:14:14.82
- Yes, it's just
amazing, such a beautiful thing
00:14:14.82\00:14:19.12
because when we first went,
the first four or five years
00:14:19.12\00:14:22.69
we only had four or
five people come to church
00:14:22.69\00:14:26.63
and now, as I sit here
before you I can tell you,
00:14:26.63\00:14:30.50
it's rainy season now
but usually 50-60 people
00:14:30.50\00:14:34.57
come to church and
some of them are very simple
00:14:34.57\00:14:38.61
and don't know anything and
come with all their bad habits.
00:14:38.61\00:14:42.68
And others are church members.
00:14:42.68\00:14:44.05
So, we've seen the Lord
do many wonderful things,
00:14:44.05\00:14:49.25
- Right and one of the amazing
things you had a few years
00:14:50.59\00:14:52.39
ago was a
special evangelism time.
00:14:52.39\00:14:55.39
- Yes, you know I was thinking,
this was two Christmases
00:14:55.39\00:14:59.43
ago before that Christmas
I was thinking what would
00:14:59.43\00:15:02.70
be wonderful to
have evangelism here.
00:15:02.70\00:15:05.10
Because I just wanted more
people to come in and prove
00:15:05.10\00:15:07.84
to our village people
that more than just Blaja
00:15:07.84\00:15:11.97
and I are excited to
obey God's commandments
00:15:11.97\00:15:14.98
and get ready for heaven.
00:15:14.98\00:15:16.31
There's so much joy to
that I wanted them to see
00:15:16.31\00:15:19.21
that there's
more people like this.
00:15:19.21\00:15:21.38
And so when I came
to America that year,
00:15:21.38\00:15:24.65
I met Pastor Jimmy Shway
and he is a Karen pastor.
00:15:24.65\00:15:29.36
He was in Thailand and
Burma and he's acquainted
00:15:29.36\00:15:33.96
with all our villages, even
my area he's acquainted with.
00:15:33.96\00:15:37.03
And then he moved to
America and now he is over
00:15:37.03\00:15:40.24
all the Karen
Adventists Churches in America.
00:15:40.24\00:15:44.11
So, I was very hesitant
to mention anything about
00:15:44.11\00:15:49.18
evangelism to him
because he's so busy.
00:15:50.25\00:15:51.58
But I did and he was
willing to come and he actually
00:15:51.58\00:15:56.28
came two Decembers
ago and during that time
00:15:56.28\00:16:00.89
he also brought another pastor
00:16:00.89\00:16:03.36
to help him with the preaching.
00:16:03.36\00:16:05.53
So we had two pastors
and then we had people come
00:16:05.53\00:16:09.06
to do music and we had a
piano brought, a keyboard,
00:16:09.06\00:16:12.87
for the first
time in our church.
00:16:12.87\00:16:14.97
And something else for
the first time I must mention
00:16:14.97\00:16:17.97
is Jesus for Asia
put together a media van
00:16:17.97\00:16:23.04
to be able to drive,
four-wheel drive truck
00:16:24.15\00:16:27.45
to bring the video
equipment to isolated places
00:16:27.45\00:16:30.92
and record meetings so we
can share it to other people.
00:16:30.92\00:16:34.22
They came to my
village that year.
00:16:34.22\00:16:36.56
- Yeah, that's so
awesome. - It's awesome.
00:16:36.56\00:16:38.39
- It was really right before
that, a month before that.
00:16:38.39\00:16:42.70
- I climbed the mountain
to call John and congratulate
00:16:42.70\00:16:45.10
him because he was
there and finished that van
00:16:45.10\00:16:47.80
and I was just gonna joke
and tell him, oh, it's done
00:16:47.80\00:16:50.87
just in time to come to
Beota and do our evangelism
00:16:50.87\00:16:54.24
and I thought that
would never happen.
00:16:54.24\00:16:56.38
- Yeah, that would be a joke.
00:16:56.38\00:16:57.61
- It's very bad out there.
00:16:57.61\00:16:58.91
Well yeah, he said, well,
that's exactly what I was going
00:16:58.91\00:17:00.98
to ask you, we just
need your permission to come
00:17:00.98\00:17:03.62
and I was like, ah.
00:17:03.62\00:17:05.65
- Permission granted.
00:17:05.65\00:17:06.79
So with Pastor Jimmy
there, going and visiting people
00:17:09.02\00:17:12.69
and talking to them about what
they learned about the Bible
00:17:12.69\00:17:15.00
and everything, you
found out that more people
00:17:15.00\00:17:18.60
were ready for
Baptism than you realized.
00:17:18.60\00:17:20.80
- Yeah, we been
teaching to people a long time
00:17:20.80\00:17:23.07
and then in our sermons
it had deeper and deeper
00:17:23.07\00:17:26.04
and more pleading and a
lot of people were interested
00:17:26.04\00:17:30.68
in joining our church.
00:17:30.68\00:17:31.78
And Pastor Jimmy yes,
he's full of enthusiasm.
00:17:31.78\00:17:34.95
He and some others
went to all the villages
00:17:34.95\00:17:37.45
and we'd already
invited all the people.
00:17:37.45\00:17:39.42
But when he went also, the
people came and he had morning
00:17:39.42\00:17:43.22
and evening meetings for a
whole week and the people came.
00:17:43.22\00:17:46.96
There was like 60
people came every time.
00:17:46.96\00:17:49.80
And then at the end
of all those meeting,
00:17:49.80\00:17:54.27
16 people were baptized.
00:17:54.27\00:17:56.10
- [Natalie] Wow, what a
blessing, down in the river.
00:17:56.10\00:17:59.11
- Yes, in the river
just below the church there
00:17:59.11\00:18:02.84
all 16 people baptized and
it was just so moving to me
00:18:02.84\00:18:07.92
all that we had gone through
00:18:09.55\00:18:11.82
to see these
people get baptized.
00:18:11.82\00:18:14.16
Only two people had
been baptized before that.
00:18:14.16\00:18:16.93
And so now so many and I just
couldn't talk, just cry, cry,
00:18:16.93\00:18:21.96
cry, it was wonderful.
00:18:24.10\00:18:26.77
- Well, it a blessing to
see the fruit of baptism.
00:18:26.77\00:18:31.84
- And if, when you get to
heaven, your joy is going to be
00:18:33.14\00:18:35.51
even more than that.
00:18:35.51\00:18:36.88
I'm glad that I'm going
to have a glorified body,
00:18:36.88\00:18:39.58
because I probably couldn't
bear to have any more joy.
00:18:39.58\00:18:43.15
- God is so good to let
us see fruit in our lifetime.
00:18:43.15\00:18:47.59
- Yes, he knows that we
need it for our character
00:18:47.59\00:18:51.29
and to get us and
others ready for heaven.
00:18:51.29\00:18:53.46
- Right, and so recently
you had another set of visitors.
00:18:54.83\00:18:57.87
- Yeah, we had more
visitors this last year
00:18:57.87\00:19:00.20
than we've ever had,
in fact, we haven't had.
00:19:00.20\00:19:02.97
So, this year another
group wanted to come and visit
00:19:02.97\00:19:07.88
and they were going to
do something at the border.
00:19:07.88\00:19:11.05
But they'd also, the president
of Fountainview Academy
00:19:11.05\00:19:15.12
had seen a video of
mine, I don't know which one,
00:19:15.12\00:19:17.82
but had shown it to the senior
class at Fountainview Academy
00:19:17.82\00:19:21.82
in Canada and those
students all wanted to come
00:19:21.82\00:19:26.03
to my village, but he
wouldn't let them all.
00:19:26.03\00:19:28.06
And we probably
couldn't handle them all,
00:19:28.06\00:19:30.03
although I would
have done my best.
00:19:30.03\00:19:32.00
But 17 of them came and
it was only for four days,
00:19:32.00\00:19:37.07
but it was the
experience of a lifetime.
00:19:38.27\00:19:40.54
It was so precious and
with that group came a dentist
00:19:40.54\00:19:45.55
and a doctor and the
president of Fountainview
00:19:45.55\00:19:48.98
is also like a doctor,
very, very, very intelligent
00:19:48.98\00:19:53.32
and was very
helpful, just lovely.
00:19:53.32\00:19:55.32
I was really happy
because all along you know
00:19:55.32\00:20:00.26
the Lord has
helped me pull teeth.
00:20:00.26\00:20:02.60
And I held off as long
as I could but then when
00:20:02.60\00:20:05.90
I didn't pull somebody's
tooth, they cut it out
00:20:05.90\00:20:09.10
with a machete and it got
infected and then came to me,
00:20:09.10\00:20:11.77
I can do better than that.
00:20:11.77\00:20:13.71
But as I prayed a dentist, you
know Jack and Katie Hamilton,
00:20:13.71\00:20:17.58
from Alaska, they came
and they gave me instruments.
00:20:17.58\00:20:22.65
I was using some
archaic things and just learned
00:20:23.79\00:20:26.86
from the book where
there is no dentist and pray.
00:20:26.86\00:20:30.93
And you know what you
can do, the Lord can do.
00:20:30.93\00:20:34.73
And so because of God and
prayer, I had pulled 30 teeth.
00:20:34.73\00:20:39.00
Then Jack Hamilton came and
he gave me great instruments
00:20:39.00\00:20:43.34
and great instruction and
helped me and we traveled,
00:20:43.34\00:20:46.91
they pulled teeth and
it was so much better.
00:20:46.91\00:20:50.15
And he visited me
again last year too.
00:20:50.15\00:20:52.75
- So, but you shared with
me that while the people were
00:20:52.75\00:20:55.92
waiting to be seen by
the doctor, by the dentist,
00:20:55.92\00:20:59.09
something special was happening.
00:20:59.09\00:21:00.29
You're right, we took
all of them to Likelaw
00:21:00.29\00:21:03.69
another village in
the truck, all of them.
00:21:03.69\00:21:06.66
And the dentist
brought his suitcase,
00:21:06.66\00:21:08.76
actually we had two trucks
we rented a driver from there.
00:21:08.76\00:21:12.27
The dentist brought
his suitcase of dental work
00:21:12.27\00:21:15.80
and set it up in the
village and people just came
00:21:15.80\00:21:19.74
because we hadn't really
been to that village for a while
00:21:19.74\00:21:21.71
ourselves, so a lot of sick
people came and it was a large
00:21:21.71\00:21:25.81
house that we were
treating the sick in,
00:21:25.81\00:21:28.02
lot of people waiting.
00:21:28.02\00:21:29.42
So, in the meantime
Fountainview Academy students
00:21:29.42\00:21:33.29
took all the people
waiting to next area
00:21:33.29\00:21:36.66
and just started
singing in their beautiful way,
00:21:36.66\00:21:39.66
I wish you could hear it.
00:21:39.66\00:21:41.10
And they did song
after song, they even said
00:21:41.10\00:21:44.00
that'd run out of
ideas, so they started singing
00:21:44.00\00:21:46.77
Christmas carols.
00:21:46.77\00:21:47.87
(both laugh)
00:21:47.87\00:21:49.64
And it was a beautiful
atmosphere and a lovely time.
00:21:49.64\00:21:53.51
Just four days but
we'll never forget it
00:21:53.51\00:21:57.01
and we will
continue to remember them.
00:21:57.01\00:22:00.68
- [Natalie] Praise the
Lord and this a group picture.
00:22:00.68\00:22:03.02
- This is the whole
group with the dentist there
00:22:03.02\00:22:05.99
and the students
and the president
00:22:05.99\00:22:10.29
is in the red Karen
shirt, Michael Dunbar.
00:22:10.29\00:22:14.10
He's big blessing,
a really big blessing.
00:22:14.10\00:22:17.67
- All right and the
last story you want to share
00:22:17.67\00:22:19.97
is about hearing
God's voice again.
00:22:19.97\00:22:22.44
- Yes, this is very special
to me and also a bit personal.
00:22:22.44\00:22:27.04
But I thought to share it
because I think it will help
00:22:27.04\00:22:30.91
others with their walk
with Jesus and in listening
00:22:30.91\00:22:33.95
to his voice and depending
on him instead of ourselves,
00:22:33.95\00:22:37.59
which we're all so apt to do.
00:22:37.59\00:22:39.89
You know last year when I
came, I stayed with my mother
00:22:39.89\00:22:43.53
and she is very old now.
00:22:43.53\00:22:45.33
She was 95 then,
almost 96 this year.
00:22:45.33\00:22:49.06
And last year I went
through a real traumatic period
00:22:49.06\00:22:53.00
in my life to leave her.
00:22:53.00\00:22:54.74
I was here usually two
months and then I leave,
00:22:54.74\00:22:58.14
but this time, every
time you think that's going
00:22:58.14\00:23:00.31
to be the last time
you see her and my mother
00:23:00.31\00:23:03.01
and my sister
and I are very close.
00:23:03.01\00:23:05.38
She read, "Child of
Guidance" through seven times
00:23:05.38\00:23:08.12
when she was training
us and so the Lord just
00:23:08.12\00:23:11.32
has bound our hearts together
in a really special way.
00:23:11.32\00:23:15.02
And it's really such a
privilege to be with my mother
00:23:15.02\00:23:18.59
and my sister, but
last year when I left,
00:23:18.59\00:23:21.13
I felt like it could
almost cause my mother to really
00:23:21.13\00:23:25.03
get worse and maybe
I won't see her again.
00:23:26.13\00:23:29.50
And I was so
oppressed by the devil,
00:23:29.50\00:23:31.84
I started to lose
my hair and everything.
00:23:31.84\00:23:35.04
And I prayed a lot but I
knew God was sending me back.
00:23:35.04\00:23:39.45
But even people will
tell you your responsibility
00:23:39.45\00:23:42.52
is here and try to tell
you so it can shake you up.
00:23:42.52\00:23:47.59
But this year, I felt
something even worse happening
00:23:48.86\00:23:51.09
to me because my mother
had gone through a really hard
00:23:51.09\00:23:53.93
time and the only
reason, really the reason I came
00:23:53.93\00:23:57.50
to America quickly this
year is because my sister said,
00:23:57.50\00:24:01.20
if you don't come now you
might not see mother again.
00:24:01.20\00:24:04.51
- Wow, so she was
doing really poorly.
00:24:04.51\00:24:06.34
- Really poorly and so I
came quickly and I didn't do
00:24:06.34\00:24:10.78
traveling or
presentations in other states,
00:24:10.78\00:24:13.72
I came just to stay
with mother and join up.
00:24:13.72\00:24:16.38
She was very ill coming and
going and sometimes we thought
00:24:16.38\00:24:21.09
that she wasn't going to
make it and then she pulled
00:24:22.86\00:24:24.39
out of it, so we're pivoting
between despair and hope.
00:24:24.39\00:24:29.16
And so I feel myself
getting really, really scared
00:24:29.16\00:24:33.20
and oppressed again.
00:24:33.20\00:24:35.17
And I know that's the
devil, God doesn't do that.
00:24:35.17\00:24:37.74
But how am I gonna leave her?
00:24:37.74\00:24:39.57
So three days I pray about
this, each day I'm more earnest,
00:24:39.57\00:24:44.65
I'm agonized with the Lord more.
00:24:45.68\00:24:47.95
Until the third day
I just told the Lord,
00:24:47.95\00:24:51.79
you know I will do
anything, I will never go back
00:24:51.79\00:24:55.26
to Thailand again, I'll
stay if that's what you want
00:24:55.26\00:24:57.89
me to do and
take care of my mother
00:24:57.89\00:25:00.06
or I'll go back for a
short time and come back
00:25:00.06\00:25:02.46
or I'll go and never
come back, but just tell me
00:25:02.46\00:25:06.63
whatever you want me to
do and that's when God can
00:25:06.63\00:25:10.14
come to you.
00:25:10.14\00:25:11.51
And so after that night
of prayer in the morning,
00:25:11.51\00:25:14.54
my mother gets up and
she's still not doing too well
00:25:14.54\00:25:17.88
and she come to the breakfast
table and as we're eating
00:25:17.88\00:25:21.48
there, she says, "I
need to read you something."
00:25:21.48\00:25:24.05
So she goes into the
bedroom and she gets her book.
00:25:24.05\00:25:26.89
She likes to read along
with Balance Repository, Oswald
00:25:26.89\00:25:31.36
Chambers Devotional and it
was the reading for that very
00:25:31.36\00:25:35.93
morning August the 1st
and she sat at the table
00:25:35.93\00:25:39.80
and she read it to me.
00:25:39.80\00:25:41.74
And here's what it said,
Something More About His Ways.
00:25:41.74\00:25:46.24
He comes where He
commands us to leave.
00:25:46.24\00:25:50.01
When Jesus had made an end
of commanding His disciples,
00:25:50.01\00:25:53.92
He departed thence to teach
and to preach in their cities.
00:25:53.92\00:25:58.65
Matthew 11:1.
00:25:58.65\00:26:00.12
If when God said, go, you
stayed because you were so
00:26:00.12\00:26:03.93
concerned about your
people at home, you robbed them
00:26:03.93\00:26:07.40
of the teaching and preaching
of Jesus Christ Himself.
00:26:07.40\00:26:11.07
When you obeyed and
left all consequences to God,
00:26:11.07\00:26:14.90
the Lord went into
your city to teach.
00:26:14.90\00:26:17.77
As long as you would not
obey, you were in the way,
00:26:17.77\00:26:21.01
watch where you
begin to debate and to put
00:26:21.01\00:26:23.81
what you call duty in
competition with your Lord's
00:26:23.81\00:26:27.98
commands. I know He told me
to go but then my duty was here.
00:26:27.98\00:26:31.95
That means you do not
believe that Jesus means
00:26:31.95\00:26:34.86
what he says.
00:26:34.86\00:26:36.62
And with that mom and me,
the burden just rolled off.
00:26:36.62\00:26:41.66
And it was just
beautiful because God will take
00:26:43.00\00:26:46.67
care of them, better than I can.
00:26:46.67\00:26:48.60
The promise was for
her and for my sister
00:26:48.60\00:26:51.87
that the Lord
himself would be there
00:26:51.87\00:26:54.61
and mother tells me ever
since then, now you know,
00:26:54.61\00:26:57.65
we will go and we
will rejoice when you go.
00:26:57.65\00:27:01.22
We will not be sad and
she says, "I'm the happiest
00:27:01.22\00:27:04.22
"mother in the world because
my two daughters work for God
00:27:04.22\00:27:07.69
"and love God."
00:27:07.69\00:27:09.02
And so I'm just so thankful
for my mother and the closeness
00:27:09.02\00:27:13.46
she has with God and
the courage that she has
00:27:13.46\00:27:17.63
for the future.
00:27:17.63\00:27:19.60
- Well, that's a really
neat way for God to lead
00:27:19.60\00:27:22.60
and to show both your
mother and you that you need
00:27:22.60\00:27:25.97
to go back again.
00:27:25.97\00:27:27.34
- Yes, and the Lord has
a thousand ways to answer
00:27:27.34\00:27:29.91
all our problems if
we just take our eyes
00:27:29.91\00:27:32.15
off the crisis and
turn them to Christ.
00:27:32.15\00:27:35.35
- Right, well thank
you so much for being here
00:27:35.35\00:27:38.42
and sharing with us today.
00:27:38.42\00:27:39.65
- Thank you.
00:27:39.65\00:27:40.56
- Please pray for
Gayle and Blaja, as they're
00:27:41.66\00:27:43.63
working for souls in Thailand.
00:27:43.63\00:27:45.76
If you would like to
be part of their ministry,
00:27:45.76\00:27:47.50
you can contact us at
Jesus for Asia, PO Box 1221
00:27:47.50\00:27:52.07
Collegedale, TN 37315.
00:27:52.07\00:27:55.60
Call us at 423-413-7321
or visit our website
00:27:55.60\00:28:00.68
at Jesus4Asia.org.
00:28:01.34\00:28:03.21
May God richly bless you,
until we see you next time
00:28:03.21\00:28:06.51
on Jesus for Asia Now.
00:28:06.51\00:28:08.15
(uplifting music)
00:28:08.15\00:28:11.05