Participants:
Series Code: LM
Program Code: LM00122A
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00:30 We're glad you joined us here at Laymen Ministries.
00:33 In our studio today we have Michael McCaffrey. 00:35 He is our studio tech that works here 00:37 at Laymen Ministries. 00:38 This is gonna be the first part of a two series 00:40 of an interview with Mike. 00:42 And Mike, this is your opportunity to be 00:44 in front of the camera for once 00:45 because normally you are the guy behind the scenes 00:47 pushing the buttons and running the cameras 00:49 and doing the editing. 00:51 And how long you've been involved with video editing 00:54 anyhow and working with, 00:55 you know, all these digital technology? 00:58 I started making old movies 01:00 and stuff with my cousins and my brother 01:02 when I was probably about 15 or 16. 01:05 So I have been doing it for a long time 01:06 and so it has been pretty fun. 01:08 You are about what 55 now or 60 some like that? 01:11 Not quite. 01:13 You are in your mid-- just 31 right? Yeah. 01:15 And so you've been doing it then for almost 15 years. Yeah. 01:19 And since you were a kid. 01:20 Anyhow the reason I invited Mike 01:22 to come on the set today was that 01:24 he's got a very interesting and unique story 01:26 and I wanted him to share that with us 01:28 on this first interview. 01:30 The second interview that we're gonna do that 01:32 we following this in a few or watching this on television 01:34 you'll definitely want to contact our ministry 01:37 and get the DVD with more parts on it 01:39 because it's really fascinating 01:40 but we're gonna go to 01:42 the whole concept of digital media 01:43 and the opportunities that are-- 01:45 have made themselves available to 01:48 ministries like ours to be able to reach 01:49 millions of people literally 01:51 be I the internet and video and television 01:54 and that's the direction of the second interview 01:56 is gonna be going. 01:57 But Mike, you have a very unique story 01:59 and, you know, you said you grow up in Minnesota. 02:03 Yeah, you bet. 02:04 You bet here with the mosquitoes are at 02:06 which is state bird of Minnesota somebody told me one time. 02:09 Yeah mosquito. 02:10 Yeah the mosquito, yeah and so how did-- 02:12 where did you go, you had an interest in video 02:14 when you were 15, 16 years old. 02:16 Where did that develop and where did that lead you 02:18 and did you go to church when you were 15 or 16? 02:21 Your folks have any kind of religious preference? 02:24 Yeah, I was raised catholic, 02:26 my brother and I went to 02:29 catholic junior high and high school. 02:31 So six years of catholic school. 02:32 Since like you folks really conservative catholic 02:34 like the Trinitarian type stuff or-- 02:36 No not really conservative. 02:39 We did go to mass weekly and they raised us with, 02:43 you know, catholic upbringing 02:45 but at the same time when I was in high school 02:48 and even in college it was 02:49 spiritually was never really much thought on my mind. 02:53 It was never really occupied any part of mind. 02:55 Like a lot of people. 02:57 Yeah and then my interest in film making 03:01 and in doing video production really took me to-- 03:04 led me to a film school 03:05 and I wound up at film school in Montana. 03:07 They have a film school in Montana? 03:09 Yeah they do. Where at? 03:10 In Bozeman. 03:12 Why would you chose if you're living in Minnesota 03:13 you go to film school for instance in Montana 03:15 rather than going some place like an LA 03:17 or, you know, New York or something? 03:19 Well, that's a good question. 03:20 I was never really keen on going to a big city at that point. 03:24 I was-- and I think also that point my focus 03:29 in what exactly I wanted to do with video wasn't really-- 03:32 hasn't really be found or focused to that point. 03:34 So I was kind of open and I look at some other, 03:37 you know, media communications program and stuff like that. 03:40 So when you went off to college 03:41 what happened to your spirituality? 03:42 I mean, you keep going to church 03:43 and you had a real keen interest in 03:45 religion and thinks like that? 03:47 No, spiritual life was pretty much on the back 03:49 and I didn't really have any kind of-- 03:51 wasn't really practicing anything 03:52 even though I have been raised catholic. 03:55 So in film school, pretty much after film school 03:57 doesn't really have any spiritual focus. 04:00 That didn't come along until after I have graduate 04:04 and then after school I moved to Los Angeles 04:07 and it was even after several years in Los Angeles 04:10 when I first had come to have a relationship with Christ. 04:14 What happened to all of a sudden? 04:15 I mean, you're going off to your career 04:17 to work in the "industry" 04:18 and lot of people get down there 04:20 and they just become observed in that whole thing. 04:22 What would all of a sudden cause 04:23 you a take an interest in spiritual things 04:25 and how did that developed? 04:29 Well, I first was in a relationship 04:32 that was very deceptive and I was really deceived 04:36 and it led me to a pretty nasty bad place emotionally 04:40 and that's really when I had got down on my knees 04:45 and prayed to God for probably the first time really seriously 04:47 and said God, if you're out there, 04:50 you know, I need your help and I was at a point 04:54 where I really needed Him in my life 04:57 and then He came into my life dramatically 04:59 I specifically asked for Him for truth. 05:02 I want to know if, you know, I was deceived 05:05 and how I was being deceived 05:06 and what was really going on there. 05:08 Isn't it interesting that sometimes 05:10 we have to be brought to some kind of crisis in our life 05:12 before we really seek God out and then we found out 05:14 that the God's really been seeking us out all along. 05:17 So at that point 05:18 and now you became more serious about your catholic faith 05:20 and started going back to the Catholic Church 05:22 or what happened exactly? 05:23 Well, it was after that experience 05:24 that I really want to know truth 05:26 and I think that God had really given me 05:27 a love for the truth 05:28 because of the experience I have gone through. 05:30 And so I didn't want to make the same mistake 05:32 with my spiritual journey 05:34 that I made with that relationship. 05:36 And so in my spiritual journey 05:38 I studied a lot 05:39 and God had really give me a passion for studying the word 05:42 just came out of nowhere 05:43 is really interesting to me to see that. 05:46 But I started studying the Bible in terms of science 05:49 and archeology and history 05:51 and really was really testing 05:54 the word of God to see if it was truth. 05:57 Hence after realizing overwhelmingly 06:00 that it could be trusted on all these accounts 06:04 I began to see that 06:06 the Bible could be trusted more and more 06:08 and in fact what I had been grown-- 06:10 thought growing up could be trusted less and less. 06:14 And so I was realizing that 06:15 there's always deception in the world 06:16 and the only thing that I could actually trust is the Bible. 06:19 I was gonna say you didn't take the course 06:21 and I don't say this any kind of sarcastic way at all 06:24 you didn't take the course like lot of my catholic friends 06:26 because lot of my catholic friends are steeped in 06:28 the church is the supreme authority for truth 06:30 and the one that can establish doctrine 06:32 in creating tradition you know 06:34 and the questioned that is like you know really serious in 06:37 be studying your Bible like that is 06:39 little bit out of the ordinary. 06:40 So what did you studied that started really getting your 06:43 your gears turning and making realize 06:44 that possibly you were involved in an organization it was-- 06:49 Well, I had first studying Catholicism, 06:51 the Bible is really one of the first things I started studying 06:54 just because I just wanted to understand it better. 06:56 But what I began to see is that 06:57 the Bible teaches a very different message 07:01 than what the Catholic Church was teaching. 07:03 And the more I continued to study 07:04 and understand both perspectives I realized that, 07:07 I could either continue to follow the Bible 07:09 and have to part with Catholicism 07:11 or I could continue with Catholicism 07:14 but then I would have to part with the Bible. 07:16 And so I had already seen, 07:17 you know, from my studies of science and scripture 07:19 that the Bible is an amazing, amazing book 07:22 definitely of divine authority and origin. 07:25 So I decided I want to continue 07:27 pursuing my relationship with God 07:28 and following scripture. 07:29 So you started heading down 07:30 the traditional road of the Protestant 07:33 idea of Sola Scriptura Bible only. 07:36 So what kind of things were you studying 07:38 that really started really, getting your gears turning? 07:40 Did you get into prophecy or did you get into-- 07:42 Yeah, I had been a freshmen for about a year 07:44 so I year and half-- I got into prophecy 07:47 because prophecy has always been interesting to me 07:50 even as a nonbeliever 07:52 just because it is all kinds of supernatural 07:53 exciting things going on 07:55 and that's always got my interest. 07:57 And so now here I was a Christian 07:59 and I realize that well, prophecy is it's a real thing. 08:02 So all these different beasts and locust and plagues 08:05 and things going on in Revelation 08:06 these are actually real things that are going to happen. 08:07 So when you started studying the Bible 08:08 you could actually figure that out 08:10 all these different beasts and all that stuff? 08:12 Yeah, well, I studied prophecy 08:13 for all these different facets of prophecy like 08:16 the antichrist and Mark of the Beast 08:18 and the seven year tribulations 08:19 and the rapture and the two witnesses 08:21 and the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem 08:23 I just got read everything I could get my hands on 08:25 and comparing the scripture continually. 08:28 And after 10 or 11 months of studying it 08:31 really a lot hours of everyday 08:33 I realized that I didn't want to make the same mistake 08:37 that I had made before 08:38 when I have been deceived in the relationship. 08:40 So I wanted to make sure that 08:41 whatever I was gonna believe it was-- 08:42 I was going to know that it was only the truth. 08:44 So you had this all figured out 08:45 and by the time you spend 11 months 08:46 and you had it all, all figured out. 08:49 Actually a complete opposite I had not nothing figured out. 08:53 Wait a second, after 11 months of studying the Bible 08:55 you didn't-- okay come on help us, help us out here. 08:58 That after all that time the only thing 09:00 that I knew could make a positive conclusion about 09:03 was that I couldn't make any positive conclusions. Wow. 09:06 And so I realized that at that point that I had to-- 09:12 I essentially I kind of given up 09:13 and I didn't know I've studied all this in my perspectives 09:16 and I couldn't make sense of one or the other 09:18 so I eventually told God I was like, 09:20 I don't get it and I guess 09:21 I'm gonna have to look at prophecy as expected 09:24 and just gonna see what happens like everybody else. 09:26 And I got to a point where I knew that 09:28 God had a message in the Book of Revelation 09:30 that He has for us and it's not there for no reason 09:33 and God promises are blessings for those who read it. 09:36 Now I wanted to know what that message was. 09:38 Okay, now I know you pretty well after being here 09:39 for a year and half already 09:41 and I know that you started figuring things out 09:43 and can you share with the viewing audience 09:45 what was the key that all of a sudden like 09:47 put the key into the ignition switch 09:50 and started the motor to get things turning 09:52 and your experiences as far as understanding the Bible? 09:55 Yeah, well, after giving it to God and pretty much giving up 09:58 few weeks after that I came across a principle 10:01 about interpreting the Bible and it was 2 Peter 120, 10:05 "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture 10:07 is of any private interpretation." 10:10 And so that was the key that really unlocked 10:12 all the confusion and that it takes 10:15 the human ingredient of interpretation 10:17 100% out of Bible prophecy. 10:18 What you mean it takes the human-- 10:20 you explain what you are talking about? 10:22 Well, if you look at revelation or even the prophecies in Daniel 10:26 a lot of it symbolic that beast and the locust 10:29 and different things in Revelation. 10:31 It's like the water and the seas and the women and beast. 10:34 Exactly, these are all-- 10:35 these are not literal things these are symbols. 10:37 In fact that's what in the first verse 10:39 in Revelation says that this message has been signified. 10:42 And so these symbols are defined directly 10:45 in other parts of the Bible 10:46 and in the Old Testament by the Old Testament prophets. 10:49 And so once I started to take these symbols 10:51 and let the Bible define the symbols itself 10:56 then a whole new picture of prophecy 10:58 started to unfold before me 11:00 unlike anything I'd come across before. 11:02 So you are letting the Bible its own expositor 11:04 that's what some people call it. 11:06 You know, when Bible starts to explain itself 11:08 and so it's not by human interpretation 11:10 it's the Bible explaining itself to a human. 11:13 Yeah, and that was the most amazing thing to me 11:17 because like I said it takes 11:19 the human ingredient of interpretation out 11:21 and secondly it made sense 11:23 what the world around is and what we see today. 11:24 It's like these things had very specific meanings 11:27 and when you put it all together it's just absolutely amazing. 11:30 It does this right where we're in the stream of time 11:32 and it tells us right where we're headed so 11:34 that we're not taken by surprise of what's gonna happen. 11:36 So when you started seeing things fit together 11:39 were you attending churches, 11:40 did you just started going around doing church hunting 11:42 looking for people that maybe 11:43 like started fitting together with the picture of things 11:46 that you saw fitting together in the scripture? 11:48 Not that point I was so kind of on my own 11:51 just trying to figure things out and... 11:52 So what were you doing to research this stuff I mean? 11:55 I was-- different places I was reading articles online, 11:59 I was looking at videos online 12:01 and YouTube and things like that. 12:02 Just kind of a scene was out there. 12:04 By going back to the Bible or having the Bible-- 12:06 And always going back to the Bible 12:07 and seeing it if it make sense 12:09 and one of the things I would come across 12:11 in Bible prophecy was the Sabbath 12:13 and that was kind of an unexpected curve wall for me 12:16 because I knew there is always some kind of issue going on 12:19 between the Sabbath and Sunday and that whole controversy 12:22 and I meant to get to studying it 12:23 but just hasn't done that yet. 12:25 But realizing that it was coming up 12:28 in prophecy it force me to go back and to study the Bible, 12:32 to study that specifically 12:33 and then that it's the fourth commandment 12:35 so then it involves well, 12:37 what about the Ten Commandments. 12:38 Are they still in effect or they have been done away with? 12:40 And there is all these different variables 12:43 when it comes for the Sabbath 12:44 and so after studying that for several months 12:47 I realized that, 12:49 you know, Sabbath is the seventh day 12:51 and that is still holy and it is still blessed. 12:54 And so I've started feeling 12:56 guilty at a certain point for not keeping it 12:59 and so that's when I started keeping the Sabbath. 13:02 And so like when you were in this quest for truth 13:05 and you started setting all these things 13:06 in prophecy as said as you start 13:08 you know, like visiting different churches 13:10 and getting involved with like study groups 13:11 and trying to find if other people believe 13:14 like some of the things you are finding on the scripture. 13:16 Yeah, one of the things that I was-- 13:18 there was when I was in L.A. 13:20 I found a Bible study group 13:21 an undenominational Bible study group 13:23 that was getting towards people and the entertainment industry. 13:26 That was huge blessing and lot of awesome people there. 13:29 Super nice people and you are in that. 13:30 Yeah, and but when I started to study prophecy more 13:33 I started coming across things about, 13:35 you know, where do we go when we die 13:36 and about the millennium and about the Sabbath 13:39 and so I started asking questions. 13:42 Did same happen to you like when I-- 13:44 I wasn't raised a the Seventh-day Adventist 13:45 and when I start searching I started finding out that well, 13:48 I was at different churches 13:49 and visiting with different people that, 13:51 you know, they just kind of look at me like 13:53 I was crazy, you know, what do if and-- 13:55 you know studying that for you know. 13:57 Yeah, I definitely got that feeling with someone says 14:01 and but the-- the more I started understanding both perspectives 14:06 I was less and less satisfied with answers 14:08 I was getting about why the Sabbath was ever changed? 14:11 Yeah, I remember one time even 14:13 when I was kind of just searching 14:15 and studying I was sharing with my employer 14:19 who was Pentecostal, 14:20 you know, some things about the law 14:22 you know that law was still to binding our own hearts 14:24 and he got upset with me 14:25 and tried to rebuke a demon out of me you know 14:27 and I'm like-- Wow, that's strange. 14:29 This is so there-- truly the Bible talks 14:32 about spiritual Babylon and when you get out there 14:34 and you start a safer truth you can't get lost in Babylon 14:38 because there are so many different people teaching 14:40 so many different things 14:41 and you know you come back to the word 14:43 like you said having the Bible 14:44 be it's own expositor explaining itself 14:47 then its like it starts to all these little pieces 14:49 the puzzle starts to fit together perfectly. 14:51 Yeah, and then people say, you know, for example well, 14:53 the law has been done away with and you know, 14:55 Colossians 2:14 says the law was nailed to the cross 14:58 but if we continued to read 15:00 that was a law contained an ordinances 15:02 that was referring to the laws of the sacrificial system 15:04 that pointed towards Christ that were shadow of things to come. 15:07 Yes, actually the backbone for the whole new coming. 15:09 I will write my laws upon your heart, 15:11 upon your mind, and I will be your guide 15:13 and you will be My people. 15:14 Yeah so-- I will give you the lamb that I promised. 15:16 Yeah, exactly and so the Sabbath keeping interestingly 15:19 not the Sabbath was the sign of the grace 15:21 that we receive from God, 15:23 it's the sign that we acknowledge 15:24 that we're not doing the work of salvation 15:27 that God is doing it in us. 15:29 And you know like it's says that they shall be-- 15:31 they shall keep my Sabbath 15:32 and there shall be a sign between me and them that 15:34 they might know that I am the Lord that sanctifies them. 15:38 So by keeping the Sabbath 15:39 we acknowledge that it's God who sanctifies us 15:42 and we not of ourselves 15:43 that's why we rest as we resting in the work 15:46 that God promises that He will do in us. 15:49 Amen. 15:50 When you started keeping the Sabbath 15:51 were you attending any Sunday keeping churches or-- 15:55 At the point no I was still on my own 15:57 just kind of coming across the Sabbath stuff 15:59 and I think I had been keeping 16:01 the Sabbath for probably four or five may be six months 16:04 and I had come across a video online 16:08 and here is this guy preaching to a whole crowd 16:12 for the people probably 100-200 people 16:13 about the same things 16:14 that I have been studying about Bible prophecy 16:16 about the antichrist and the Mark of the Beast 16:18 and the Sabbath and-- 16:19 So you got me curious who would this guy be? 16:21 And so well, this guy was Pastor Doug Batchelor. 16:24 Really. 16:25 And so I had-- it just shocked me 16:28 because I had never even heard of this stuff hardly 16:31 for not very long but I dint know 16:32 that there is a whole Christian denomination out there 16:34 that actually taught these things. 16:36 And so that was pretty interesting 16:39 and so I think it-- then I had start studying-- 16:41 So was in a situation where you were studying 16:43 with some Adventist and then spoon fed you 16:46 "their theological ideas" 16:48 you came across this directly by your own study 16:50 and then just was making comparison with different things 16:53 you were looking at different churches and-- 16:55 Yeah, it was me trying to make sense of the Bible 16:58 and the Holy Spirit really teaching me 17:00 and just like he promised the word, 17:02 you know, that when, 17:03 he the spirit of truth will come, 17:04 he will lead you into truth and show you things come. 17:07 So was just me God trying to make sense of everything 17:11 but I'm glad also that God let me go 17:14 plough through all that other stuff too 17:16 all the wrong things because that way I knew that 17:19 when I got to the right thing I knew that it was right. 17:21 So did you start after you start keeping the Sabbath you start 17:24 church hoping some looking around for places 17:26 that might be teaching the same kind of message 17:28 that you heard on the internet? 17:31 It was probably a while still before 17:33 I went to an Adventist church. 17:36 Hence, once I did 17:38 I was still not satisfied with that point 17:40 and I thought it was in Colorado 17:42 but then later I move to Los Angeles 17:43 one of the first Adventist churches 17:45 I really started going to seriously 17:47 was at the Carter Report in L.A. 17:49 and that was huge blessing because that was one church 17:54 that I found that was really preaching 17:56 the three angels messages, was preaching the truth 17:58 and Pastor John Carter was, 18:01 you know, delivering the message straight 18:02 and that's exactly how I ended here. 18:04 Well, somewhere along in all this 18:05 the spiritual journey of yours 18:07 you were still involved with editing 18:09 and working in the industry, 18:10 you were in Colorado for a while 18:11 and came back and working in LA and you said that, 18:13 your house was literally like a stones throw 18:15 from one of the major film producers. 18:18 Yeah, from Warner Brothers. 18:19 Warner Brothers, they are like down there 18:20 and so you were like right in the middle of all this stuff. 18:23 And you were in the middle of all this 18:24 the industry down there and you're searching 18:27 and you started going through the Carter Report 18:30 and you told me that about somewhere around in this time 18:34 you actually were involved with doing like your own film. 18:36 It was like a short film. 18:37 Was that before this experience 18:39 where you started setting for the truth? 18:40 That was, that was just before I had, 18:44 went through that thing with relationship and come to God. 18:47 I was-- that was in 2005, when I produced and directed 18:49 the short film called "Cabin 6." 18:51 And that was-- 18:52 won several different short film awards, right? 18:54 Yeah, that one went to some different film festivals 18:57 and did pretty well in some cases so-- 19:00 In fact I think if some of you have seen the movie Fireproof, 19:04 Vision Video is packing the production 19:06 that Mick made called "Cabin 6" 19:08 as part of that package now, 19:10 because it's-- what is its story about? 19:12 Yeah, it's the story about a middle aged couple 19:14 go on the verge of divorce. 19:15 And so it deals with marital issues 19:17 and marriage and so I think that's why 19:18 they've decide to package it with Fireproof. 19:20 And that was like right on the very beginning 19:22 of your spiritual journey when you kind of raking 19:24 that you were you started to wake up spiritually with 19:26 as far as wanting to give your life to Christ 19:28 Yeah, it was shortly after I've finished that project that-- 19:30 So how in the world, you know, here you're in LA 19:33 and I have to just really quickly tell the viewers 19:35 one of the big challenges 19:36 that we have here at the ministry is that 19:38 we live in a pretty isolated place in North Idaho 19:41 and we lost our studio tech that September 19:44 of the year that you were down in LA 19:46 having a lot of these things happening 19:47 and we didn't have a studio tech here 19:49 for almost four months. 19:51 And so that means our production was falling behind, 19:53 new programs weren't been made 19:54 and we had videos that needed to be produced for overseas, 19:56 mission projects 19:57 and we were praying and praying as a group here 19:59 praying that somebody would come. 20:01 At this time you are going through this 20:02 spiritual journey down in LA, 20:04 and how is it that we ended up 20:07 getting connected with each other 20:08 and how is it that you ended up 20:10 in North Idaho working with Laymen Ministries? 20:13 Well, it was about the end of 2008 20:15 I just finished a year doing some editing work 20:19 for this Japanese game show in Los Angeles. 20:23 It was a fun job but I was-- 20:27 had done another short job editing after that 20:29 for probably about a month so. 20:31 So remember one day when I was talking 20:32 with these lady Nancy 20:34 and she was working on a project with Dough Bachelor, 20:36 on Amazing Facts for a video series. 20:38 She was doing animation and I had mentioned to her 20:40 you know that we really needed a studio person to work here. 20:42 And I was just wondering 20:44 you know and praying about 20:45 and wondering if she knew anybody. 20:46 And she said I think I know somebody 20:47 there is a guy called Michael McCaffrey. 20:49 You know, he's been-- you applied for your work 20:52 may be to get on with the team down there right with 20:54 production with Amazing Facts or some like that was? 20:57 Yeah, I think that was maybe in 2007, 20:59 you know, the year before that 21:01 when I first contacted Nancy at the Amazing Facts. 21:04 And because it was about working on 21:05 what later became the Cosmic Conflict project. 21:08 And so what did Nancy-- And so-- 21:10 well when I was in Los Angeles 21:12 I'd where I started studying prophecy 21:14 and that's, like moving to the country 21:16 and specifically the Abomination of Desolation issue. 21:19 And what the ramifications of that for us 21:22 living here in 2010. 21:25 And so I was realizing that think 21:27 you know God's calling out of the cities. 21:29 So as I began to study that I began to study 21:32 you know well if I was gonna leave the city 21:34 where I would I go because most of my interest 21:38 and objectives were to continue in the film. 21:41 Hence the idea of leaving 21:44 the industry or leaving Los Angeles 21:45 is kind of going into the new other county 21:47 there is like really no film or video 21:49 and media opportunities, out in no other words. 21:53 You are so interesting Mike, you say that because it's just 21:56 the opposite of what we were finding. Yeah. 21:57 As we were contacting all of these college students 21:59 you know that were graduating from 22:02 TV technology courses at the universities 22:05 and they were really excited about coming 22:06 because we want to tap in into 22:08 you know newer type of editing styles 22:11 and really professional really tap in some 22:14 quality production capabilities. 22:16 And some of these young people coming out of the universities 22:18 have that capability. 22:19 And they are like "oh Jeff, we would to come 22:21 and work up in your ministry this would be so great." 22:23 And then they would ask some like 22:24 "so how big is the church that you attend there." 22:27 And I am like, "you know 40 people." 22:30 "Well, how big is the youth group?" 22:31 Youth group? Yeah. 22:33 Well, how far is Taco Bell from your house 22:35 where we work? 22:36 And like Taco Bell is an hour and a halfway 22:38 and the nearest big town. Yeah. 22:41 "Where do you live anyhow?" 22:42 And all of these really talented young people 22:46 didn't want move to woods of Idaho 22:48 because it was too isolated for them socially. 22:50 And here you were studying things 22:53 that were Adventist and biblical related 22:56 and you were wanting to make that move in that direction. 23:00 Yeah, one of the things 23:01 that I just really need to know 23:02 from God was if You wanted me to move 23:05 and if You wanted me to leave 23:06 and that's really what I needed to know. 23:08 And when I was studying 23:09 you know the idea of leaving 23:11 the city for a place in a country 23:13 I quickly realized that that was well beyond my means 23:17 to find a piece of property 23:18 and like 20 acres with wooded property. 23:20 And you know small house with running water 23:22 and no water and all these things. 23:25 And so I basically had prayed to God, 23:28 I said I don't know if you're calling me 23:29 to leave this city. I feel liked it. 23:32 But I have looked at it and researched it 23:36 and its way beyond my ability and my means. 23:39 And so I said, I can't go 23:42 if I wanted to so if You want me to go 23:44 then You have to open up an opportunity for me to go. 23:47 And I said if You do that then I will move. 23:51 And it was just a couple of weeks after that 23:53 when I had heard back from Nancy 23:55 and she emailed me and said 23:56 "hey, I have a friend in Northern Idaho 23:58 who has a studio out there." 24:00 And so and then you said to me one of the things 24:03 you said is that you own a property about 20 acres. 24:05 It's wooded property that has well water 24:07 and small house that I can live in. 24:10 And so in that way God had answered that prayer 24:13 and said to me basically that 24:15 "yes this is it this is where I want you to be " 24:18 And the timing was so amazing 24:19 because you were telling me like the lease was 24:21 just running out for your rental 24:22 and you had just a window of opportunity 24:24 either renew the lease or vacate. Yeah. 24:27 And you flew up here to check out the ministry. 24:30 And I came up in February when it was cold and snowy 24:33 and rainy and you got to see that it's very worst. Yeah. 24:36 Beautiful here at this time of year. 24:37 And you made a decision to come here 24:40 and you were here, you came up with U haul truck, 24:42 with your mom and then loaded your stuff and then boom. 24:45 You know next day you know week later 24:47 we were off on airplane heading to the Philippines 24:50 for three-and-half weeks doing a video shoot. Yeah. 24:53 And so was that a pretty big culture shock 24:55 for you moving to Idaho 24:56 and have you been able to adapt 24:57 to remote wilderness lifestyle up here? 25:01 Yeah, going from a city of like Los Angeles 25:03 all the way up to a small town 25:04 of 2,500 people was a big change. 25:07 And but it's been good. 25:11 You know, I love living in the country 25:14 has it pros and cons 25:15 but clearly I knew that God wanted me here. 25:18 And so that I was really-- 25:19 the only thing that I needed to know is where God wants me. 25:22 So what was it like for you all of a sudden to be 25:25 in some place like the Philippines? 25:27 You know we go over to this 25:28 you know you don't even know me, 25:29 you're going to go really behind the scenes 25:31 the cameraman sees all the good 25:33 or the bad they ugly everything 25:34 and you're shooting video what was your, 25:36 your take on seeing Laymen Ministries 25:38 behind the scenes and starting to see 25:40 what this missionaries were doing 25:41 and putting these videos together? 25:43 Well, when we went to the Philippines 25:45 it was honestly like the cultural aspects 25:49 and differences weren't as surprising to me 25:52 or I think as a contrast between the work 25:55 that the ministry was doing there 25:56 and some of the people and villages on the outskirts 25:59 where the mission project was 26:01 that weren't directly involved with the mission work. 26:04 And the contrast that I saw was that 26:06 the kids in the villages were healthy 26:09 and they were happy and they were bright eyed 26:11 and they were vocal and laughing. 26:13 And so on the outskirts of the villages 26:15 of the mission project though there's other villages 26:17 and the people out there are still living 26:20 even in far more primitive conditions, 26:22 the hygiene isn't is great. 26:24 Their cloths that they have them 26:26 are very rotted and torn and dirty. 26:28 You can see that the missionaries were having 26:30 a profound effect in the areas 26:32 with the people they were working. 26:34 Yeah exactly and so-- 26:35 You said, even affected the dogs. 26:38 Yeah, that was one of the most interesting things 26:40 is that the dogs in the villages had you know bright quotes 26:44 and running around and playing and playful 26:47 and then there was I remember this dog 26:49 that was out in the village somewhere 26:51 outside the mission project and he was just skin and bone 26:55 and he had like his flies are flying around him. 26:56 So even the dogs were benefited by the regulations? 26:59 Yeah, it's just proves to amazing, 27:00 you know when that light of truth comes in 27:03 how it just changes peoples lives 27:05 and its changes people lives around them 27:07 and it even changes the animals it's just amazing. 27:10 Well, our time is just about up for this particular interview 27:12 but Mike story to me is just really fascinating 27:15 to show how God can lead a person, 27:17 who honestly starts to open the Bible for themselves, 27:19 you know, without any outside influences or anything that. 27:21 That starts comparing scripture with scripture 27:23 and then start putting together 27:25 the pieces of the puzzle of truth 27:27 to be able to lead us to a relationship with Christ 27:29 and the precious truth for this time. 27:31 In our next episode we're gonna talk about 27:33 some of the opportunities 27:34 the ministry has in being able to reach out 27:37 to lot of different people using 27:39 the technology that's available today, 27:41 via the internet and video streaming 27:44 and video production. 27:45 We know you're really gonna enjoy the next episode. 27:48 If you really want to get involved with this ministry 27:50 I would just encourage you to write 27:51 or call us at Laymen Ministries, 27:52 that's at 414 Zapada Road, 27:55 St. Maries, Idaho 83861 27:57 or call us on our toll free number 27:58 1-800-245-1844. 28:01 You can also contact on us worldwide web www.lmn.org. |
Revised 2014-12-17