Participants: Arthur Nowlin (Host), Dr Kim Logan-Nowlin (Host), Brendan and Talia Bryant
Series Code: MIW
Program Code: MIW000017
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00:01 Hi, I'm Dr. Kim Logan-Nowlin. I'm Arthur Nowlin.
00:03 And welcome to "Making it Work." 00:37 Our topic today on "Making it Work" is 00:40 "Learning How to Wait." 00:42 Arthur, when you think about waiting what comes to mind? 00:45 Pausing, making good decisions-- 00:47 Okay. Not moving forward impossibly. 00:50 All right, well, today on "Making it Work" 00:51 we are joining with two wonderful people 00:54 that we have the pleasure of knowing over the years 00:56 Mr. and Mrs. Brendan and Talia Bryant. 00:58 Welcome to "Making it Work." How are you? 01:00 We are fine. Thank you for having us. 01:01 Doing great, Great. Thank you. 01:02 You guys look good, looking as still honeymooners. 01:05 How many years of marriage now? We are going on nine years. 01:09 No, Talia, nine years? Nine years, yes. 01:12 All right let's get right to the mid of it. 01:13 All right, how did you meet and how did Talia you become 01:17 a Seventh-day Adventist? 01:19 How did you meet? You want to take, how we met. 01:21 Well we met at church actually, I was going to church 01:25 at Ephesus SDA Church in Saginaw. 01:28 And she was at that time 01:30 was going to a church in Flint, Michigan. 01:33 And her choir was visiting and she came up, 01:36 and we kind of met after church 01:39 because her choir was there to sing that day. 01:41 Was it love at first sight? 01:43 No, it was not love at first sight. 01:45 But I think about it is we met 01:48 that was my first time speaking. 01:49 Yes, it was his first sermon. That was my first sermon. 01:51 Really, she heard your sermon? Yes. 01:53 Yes. Okay. 01:54 Wow, okay, were you impressed? 01:58 No, not really. Okay. 01:59 He did a good job in his sermon but, you know, 02:03 I wasn't looking for a boyfriend 02:06 or anything at that point time. 02:07 I had just moved to Michigan. 02:08 All right. So-- 02:10 From where? From North Carolina. 02:11 I went to school in North Carolina 02:12 close to Maryland. 02:14 So I just moved to Michigan 02:15 and I wasn't looking for relationship. 02:19 I thought we were gonna last for two weeks. 02:20 Okay. She told you that? 02:22 Yes. Yeah, I told him that. 02:23 You believe that? No. 02:24 Okay. 02:25 And you are doing nine year. Exactly. 02:27 So you, it's looking for a relationship? 02:29 Oh, not really. 02:31 You know, I kind had just into the relationship 02:33 and I just wanted to have fun. 02:36 You know, just want to take an easy 02:38 and just kind of talk and things like that. 02:41 So when she told me that kind of, 02:43 you know, peak my curiosity. 02:44 What do you mean two weeks, you know. 02:46 So I said you have never met anyone in your choir like me. 02:49 So that was the challenge for you? 02:51 Okay, all right, so then you started dating? 02:54 Okay those two weeks went into another week-- 02:56 Five years, we dated five years. 02:57 You dated-- now you know, that is really 03:00 unheard of today five years before marriage. 03:02 Yes. All right. 03:04 Why five years? Yes. 03:06 Well, Brendan was still a school 03:09 and so we didn't know each other prior to, 03:12 so we want to take the time to really 03:14 get to know each other as friends 03:18 and then as we dated and it progressed. 03:21 Okay. Okay, all right. 03:23 So five years-- so the wedding was in Maryland? 03:26 No, it was actually at Saginaw, Michigan. 03:27 It was-- and how did in the world 03:28 did you get moved to Saginaw, now you're from Maryland. 03:30 I was here for so long. 03:31 And you made a lot of new friends. 03:33 And I made a lot of new friends so I decided to go ahead. 03:36 So your family from Maryland? 03:38 My family is from Maryland. And they came? 03:39 And they came, family friends 03:41 and my grandmother, family from Trinidad came up. 03:44 Oh, really? 03:45 It was actually the weekend of the major blackout. 03:47 Okay. Wow. 03:48 Oh, really. In 2003. 03:49 That was your wedding weekend? That was our wedding weekend. 03:51 So did it affect your wedding? 03:55 Actually because our wedding was on Sunday, 03:57 it affected as far as getting people in 04:00 but they made it in time for wedding. 04:01 My grandmother made it right 04:03 before the wedding started she walked in. 04:05 Oh, my goodness. 04:06 So some of our family, they got stuck coming from down South. 04:11 They ran out of gas and they have to wait 04:13 while to, you know, refuel. 04:15 And then some of our family coming from on the West Indies 04:18 and Trinidad got New York and waiting to come and yeah. 04:22 Well, that's something. That's amazing. 04:23 Now let's talk-- let's go back a little bit education. 04:26 Tell me about your educational background. 04:28 Okay. 04:29 Well, I graduated from North Carolina Agricultural 04:32 and Technical State University with a bachelors in IT 04:35 and have a masters in Information Systems Management. 04:38 Wow, okay. 04:39 And my train I'm occupational therapist, 04:42 doing practicing now for almost ten years. 04:45 And I have a bachelor's degree in occupational therapy 04:47 with a minor in psychology. 04:50 Really. That's wonderful. 04:52 you need that. You like your job? 04:53 I love it. Really. 04:54 I love my job. Tell us why? 04:56 Because I earn a continue-- on a daily basis 04:58 I get a chance to help people and shape and mold their lives. 05:02 When they think the down and out and they can, 05:05 you know, come out you know 05:07 I can kind of facilitate for them to rehab 05:10 and go back home or go back to into the community. 05:12 So this is awesome job. 05:13 I sprain my or something my-- my sort of got so maybe 05:17 you and I can communicate about it, you know, 05:20 because I need it man, I need that arm. 05:22 I give home health care too. 05:26 Well, let's talk about so many things 05:27 as transpired in your life leading up to learning 05:30 how to wait. 05:31 There's been some tragedies. Yes. 05:33 Okay, Talia, let's talk about some of the strategies. 05:36 Well, in 2001 I lost my uncle, and at the 9/11 tragedy 05:43 he was one of my closest uncles and so that was devastating. 05:49 And then in 2005 I lost my father 05:53 which was a shocker. 05:57 It wasn't, you know, he was, he was sick 05:59 but it was getting better and so to have him passed 06:03 two days after my birthday was to very tragic for me. 06:07 And you are only child? I am the only child. 06:10 Your uncle was in 9/11? Yes. 06:13 And you had a good relationship with him? 06:16 And that must have been devastating. 06:17 Very, very devastating. 06:19 So much so that I was in denial for a long time. 06:23 I would tell Brendan that he's out there, 06:24 he just has amnesia. 06:25 He doesn't know where he is, 06:27 we got to go we got to go find him. 06:28 Wow. Right. 06:29 But, you know, I've come to the realization 06:33 that you know he has passed. 06:35 But the blessed hope still is there 06:38 that I will see him again. 06:40 You know, when I had opportunity 06:41 last year to go visited, 9/11 06:44 we went to the monuments and I'd text you. 06:47 You did. 06:48 And I still have all that for you. 06:49 I do. Oh, wow. 06:50 And, we went and we took the paper 06:53 and we took the charcoal over Oscar Nesbitt. 06:56 Yes, that's right. 06:57 And I went to-- we looked him up 07:00 on the keypad, saw his picture. 07:02 I took of it picture and I sent it to you. 07:04 You did. 07:05 And it was so moving that I could do that for you, 07:09 that we could do that for you 07:10 because you had not been able to make it. 07:12 And it was an amazing experience. 07:14 It truly was. 07:15 Because we were so excited and Kim said 07:17 we got a call her, we got a call her. 07:18 I did say call her. And you did call. 07:21 I did, I did. Yeah we did. 07:22 And I said what is your uncle's name? 07:24 I'm here. I'm taking pictures. 07:26 I did-- even did a video on that. 07:28 I did a video and wanted you to know 07:31 how much we love you and your family. 07:34 Thank you, its greatly appreciated. 07:36 Let's talk about some issues that you've dealt with, okay. 07:41 You know, just growing up, and I was the youngest child 07:46 and so, I had to-- my siblings, 07:50 my siblings is closet to me is 10 years older than me. 07:54 Wow. 07:55 So in a sense I kind of grew up 07:57 almost in a sense of I'm the only child. 07:59 Only child. 08:00 In a way but as far as I, you know, dealing with that 08:04 and, you know, actually during our marriage, 08:09 probably around the year four? 08:12 Three or four years. 08:13 Three or four years so we started 08:15 trying to plan to have a family. 08:16 Yes. 08:18 Now Talia, were you Adventists 08:21 before-- you accepted the massage. 08:23 Yes, at 13. 08:24 At 13 and so your family where members back in Maryland. 08:28 Yes. Okay. 08:29 So now you're here, 08:31 you married this two weeks have gone into five years 08:34 you walked down isle, you married. 08:37 Now you thinking about having children, okay. 08:41 Let's talk about that. 08:43 Let's talk about what happened. 08:45 Can you tell your story? 08:46 Well, it was probably around year 08:50 three of our marriage we decided 08:51 "Okay, we're gonna have children," 08:53 and we started going through the process. 08:56 And weren't getting pregnant. You will. 08:59 Right, and then one thing that I wanted to say 09:00 is we are before we went to premarital counseling, 09:05 we went to Seventh-day Adventist Church, 09:06 we went through a lovely premarital counseling. 09:08 We always said, upfront we said "hey, when we have children 09:13 we want to have at least two birth children 09:16 and may be we'll adopt the third child." 09:18 So that was our plan. Wants plan for family. 09:19 So you have already planed? 09:21 Yes. Okay. 09:22 Yes. Okay. 09:23 Yep, so we started trying and we weren't conceiving. 09:28 Brendan was going through some medical issues 09:31 that the doctors still don't know what's wrong 09:34 but is only by the grace of God that he is healed. 09:37 Definitely. 09:38 And so with that after four years of trying 09:43 we decided to adopt first. 09:46 We said, you know, what 09:48 God has a plan for us with children. 09:51 And we are adopted into the body of Christ. 09:55 All right. 09:56 So we went for with an adoption plan. 10:01 And that's here in Michigan? 10:02 In Michigan, yes. In Michigan. 10:03 Let me put something else in there. 10:05 All right. 10:06 How we get to that point is, we had been through, 10:11 you know, different testing and things like that 10:13 and have prayed about it. 10:16 Have prayed and said to God what do You want us to do? 10:19 And the doctors didn't say we couldn't have children 10:23 but pretty much say we couldn't. 10:26 And so, they said the only option 10:27 is for you to do and vitro fertilization. 10:30 And so I started doing it. 10:31 Be in the medical background 10:32 I started doing some research on it 10:34 and I was kind of on the fence. 10:36 I was more gung-ho. You were gung-ho. 10:38 You were like let's do this. I was like let's do this. 10:41 I mean, as many through the treatments 10:43 and going to the doctors and it was painful. 10:46 Very painful and expensive. 10:47 And expensive but I said let's do this, 10:50 and so the doctor sent the preparation kit 10:54 for the vitro to our house 10:57 and Brendan actually got the house before I did. 11:01 Yeah, when I got to the house the box that that it came in 11:05 was primarily this big, this high. 11:07 Yes. Really? 11:08 Yeah, and so, I started going through, the stuff. 11:12 And I'm like Holy Spirit saying it now you know. 11:15 Now you know. 11:16 Now you know and went into the cupboard 11:21 I got a black marker and wrote on it testimony. 11:24 Testimony. You did. 11:26 Wrote on it. Oh, testimony. 11:27 And we still have that box. 11:29 Yeah, still have that box. That is the testimony. 11:31 And I put it away, and I said one this will be my testimony. 11:35 Yes. This will our testimony. 11:36 Never used it? Never used it. 11:38 We never used it. 11:39 Okay, after you investigated 11:41 and found out what it would take for you 11:44 to go forward in that you decided 11:45 that you didn't wanted to go. 11:47 And Holy Spirit said start read the ministry 11:50 and the Adventist and Adventist health message. 11:53 What do you know about that? 11:54 And when I read that and the things that I learned 11:57 and I said I can't let my wife go through that. 12:00 That's was funny because you asked earlier about 12:03 did I always have faith in, you know, 12:06 and during this time I said wait a minute come on now. 12:10 We, we have this box let's move forward with this, 12:14 let's move forward with it. 12:15 And Brendan comes saying no, 12:17 no the Holy Spirit is saying no. 12:19 And I'm saying but when. When is it going to be? 12:22 So you question God? I questioned. 12:25 I questioned. 12:26 Soon so at that point you made the decision 12:28 not to move forward with this. 12:30 Right. What were you thinking? 12:33 Did you think well, okay, I'm gonna go ahead and adopt? 12:36 It was that your motivation? 12:38 That was it. Okay. 12:39 The Holy Spirit when he sent 12:40 when he allowed that box to come 12:42 and he spoke to me very clearly 12:44 that this is not the thing to do. 12:46 I say He's reversed our plan. Okay. 12:50 He's reversed our plan, 12:51 I said we have to adopt that's what God wants us to do. 12:53 But it supposed to be in our minds 12:54 is number three is number one. 12:56 Is number one. 12:57 Okay, so now you got used to-- begin the adoption process. 13:01 How long did that take? 13:03 We started in-- four months. Four months. 13:07 Which usually they told us it could take-- 13:09 Up to two years. Up to two years. 13:11 It took you four months. Four months. 13:12 And that includes, filling out all the paperwork, 13:16 home visits everything. 13:18 Four months, until we were able to bring a baby girl home. 13:20 Bring your baby girl home. All right. 13:22 How did you feel when you brought her to your home? 13:24 Oh, man. Elated, yes, yes. 13:26 Yes. Yes, very exciting. 13:28 Definitely. 13:29 And then just some nervous. Nervous. 13:33 Because I thought I knew what I was doing. 13:35 And then I realized I don't know 13:36 what in the world I'm doing with the baby. 13:39 So the baby was a infant at that time? 13:41 Yes, she was two weeks old. Two weeks old. 13:42 Yeah, two weeks old. And there are no books. 13:44 Even though people write books 13:45 but when you're going through it, two weeks. 13:48 And the awesome thing about 13:49 that is to go back a little bit, 13:51 when we say we are gonna plan for a family we said, 13:55 we're at that time in a condominium 13:56 which is a little small, we said we need some space. 13:59 And for years we had tried in this market to sell it, 14:02 anyone sell. 14:04 And so we got a real great realtor. 14:06 And during that time 14:07 what we were trying to sell the condo 14:09 we start looking for other homes. 14:12 Looking at a short sales, looking at foreclosures 14:14 but none ever worked out. 14:17 And so God had blessed us. 14:19 He-- what His goals for us were higher than what we thought. 14:24 We were able to build a home. You built a home. 14:27 That's on the day that our daughter was born, 14:32 is the day then we moved into our new house. 14:36 Excellent. 14:37 Oh, that is a blessing, you know-- 14:39 So how old is your daughter now? 14:41 She's two. Two, two-years-old. 14:43 Two-years-old. 14:44 All right, very active, very involved now. 14:47 Okay now that's not the clincher 14:50 of the story all right. 14:52 So now learning the way again meaning into pause, 14:55 listen to God and, you know. 14:57 Both believe in God even when you question God 14:59 was it any type of challenges going on 15:02 when Talia wanted you to used the box. 15:04 And she said come on, you know, 15:06 was that putting pressure on you? 15:08 A little bit, you know, but my faith was strong 15:12 and scripture says "God is a reward of those 15:16 who diligently seek Him." 15:18 So it just made me more prayerful it made me 15:21 fast more, praying more. 15:23 And just to hang in there, and know that 15:26 if it doesn't happen right away God still gonna bless. 15:29 Was Talia asking you on a daily basis 15:31 come on, come on, come on 15:33 or did she just, kind of let it ceased? 15:35 Initialing yes but after a while it was 15:39 maybe a month here, a month there, you know. 15:41 Okay. Yeah. 15:42 So it was basically your faith that kept you be moving? 15:45 Definitely. Okay. 15:46 Nothing but faith. Okay. 15:49 And during that time, you know, had you indicated to yourself 15:53 well, we are not going to be able to give birth 15:56 or what was going through your mind? 15:58 Well, actually I was so serious. 16:03 I did a couple things. 16:05 I made a couple covenants with God. 16:07 It is first time I really speaking of them. 16:10 The first one was that I will not eat sweets 16:14 except natural sweets for until He blessed me with a child. 16:21 Sugar means no, no candy, no cakes, no pie. 16:26 Because I start to see you lose so much weight. 16:29 Oh, I said what is going on? 16:31 So you didn't eat sweets. No, sweets. 16:34 The other thing was that no, meat. 16:37 No, meat. I love my chicken wings. 16:42 My goodness. 16:43 No, meat and then the other thing was 16:47 I say at that time I had a beard 16:50 and I said I'll trim it 16:52 but I won't cut my beard until You bless me. 16:54 Okay. Wow. 16:56 Made those covenants. Yes, made those covenants. 16:58 Where will we be today if we can make those 17:00 types of covenants with God and hold fast to those? 17:04 And a covenant is a commitment. 17:06 It is a task, is a bond 17:08 that you make an agreement with God 17:11 and then you gonna hold to it until He brings the best. 17:14 So how soon did God act on those covenants? 17:18 That was four years. Four years. 17:19 Four years? 17:20 So where was your beard? So you did that for years? 17:24 You didn't shave your beard cut your beard? 17:26 No, I just trimmed it. 17:27 You trimmed it. I just trimmed it. 17:28 But the sweet thing I mean-- Man, that was rough. 17:31 That you go to, you know, functions, birthday parties 17:34 and I love ice-cream, cake no big deal but ice-cream 17:37 and I will see Haagen-Dazs that would just wave at me. 17:41 Wave, praise the Lord. But no, no, sweets at all. 17:45 Okay. None. 17:46 And it's no way it's gonna break that covenant. 17:48 No, because I said I'm not gonna, 17:50 I'm not gonna let go until You bless me. 17:54 I'm not gonna let go. 17:55 Until You bless me. Until You bless me. 17:56 Even though the doctors and the reports said 17:59 this is pretty much impossible I said no. 18:03 And it is funny because that's the faith 18:05 I had to cling onto. 18:06 When I didn't have the faith 18:08 I needed to carry on I would cling to him. 18:11 Yes. 18:12 And his faith helped bring me through to a point 18:15 where I could depend on my faith within. 18:19 So was it hard for you to cling on to that faith? 18:22 You know, I understand what you're saying, 18:23 you have to cling onto. 18:24 But was this a difficult process for you? 18:27 Yes, sometimes harder than others, 18:29 especially when friends would have children, 18:33 new born babies or they would pregnant 18:35 so I would, when is it gonna be my turn. 18:37 Yes. 18:38 But then there were other times 18:40 when I wouldn't think about it as much. 18:42 And so, especially when the Lord decided to bless us 18:45 with our oldest daughter through adoption. 18:51 You know, I was elated and wasn't thinking about 18:53 immediately having children. 18:55 I said okay, you know, 18:56 maybe another year or two we'll try again. 18:59 Because my faith said, I'm not trust 19:02 what the doctors are saying. 19:03 So I still believe that we can conceive. 19:06 It's just not our time I'm learning to wait. 19:09 Learning how to wait. 19:10 You never felt that you were not going to conceive. 19:14 You believed that because of your husband's faith. 19:17 Yes. Excellent. 19:18 So four years go by. Four years go by. 19:20 And then what happened? 19:23 So 13 weeks after are daughter came home where I was born, 19:29 I found out that I was pregnant. 19:31 Thirteen weeks Thirteen weeks. 19:32 Thirteen weeks later. 19:34 Thirteen weeks. Yes. 19:36 And the awesome thing about it is, 19:39 our first daughter was born in year six, 19:43 almost I think end of the year seven. 19:45 But our second daughter, was born in year seven. 19:49 Seven. Seven. 19:50 God's number, the completion. 19:53 Oh, let me we want to shout up, Hallelujah. 19:56 Hallelujah. Yeah. 19:57 What God, God. 19:59 How did you feel when you finally got the messages 20:03 that are you information that it was there? 20:05 I didn't believe it really. 20:08 I kept taking pregnancy test levels. 20:09 Oh, boy, this cannot be real. 20:11 Were you sick or what? I was but it was weird. 20:14 I was having evening sickness. 20:17 So I was sitting in the back of the car with, 20:19 you know, our daughter. 20:20 So I'm thinking I'm getting motion 20:21 sickness in the evening when we will go out. 20:24 So I just said give me a gingery I'm okay. 20:27 My mom she said do you think you need to take it as a-- 20:30 No, I am not pregnant so no. 20:32 And then I kept on going and one my best friend said 20:35 maybe you should take a test. 20:36 I said I'm not pregnant. It's okay let's go. 20:39 And then it was one day 20:41 we had gone to a graduation party. 20:43 I didn't eat anything but I was just sick. 20:45 So I had, you know, felt really bad sinus. 20:47 I was like give me sinus medicines. 20:48 So I took some medicine and it came back up. 20:50 Brendan was like will you just get a test. 20:52 I was like sure go ahead to get a test. 20:54 So he got the test 20:56 but I never took it, not that day. 20:58 So he asked the next day well, did you take the test? 21:01 I was like no, because I'm not pregnant right. 21:04 Why take the test? Why take the test? 21:05 I couldn't sleep that night 21:08 and I was up at like two in the morning. 21:10 Really? And I thought about the test. 21:12 I said well, may be I just go ahead and take the test. 21:14 All right. And I took the test. 21:17 Did you shout? Did you shout? 21:18 I almost fell out. 21:21 It was funny because I woke him up. 21:22 I was like, Brendan, I'm pregnant. 21:25 And he was like that's great and went right back to sleep. 21:29 Went right back to sleep. I knew it. 21:33 I knew when God would do so I was happy 21:35 but I just like thanks, God. 21:38 You just, You just, You did said 21:40 You would do and went back to sleep. 21:41 And at last you got a opportunity 21:43 to eat some ice-cream. 21:44 Ice-cream! 21:48 You know what, not right away, 21:51 I didn't eat it until she was born. 21:54 Until she was born. What, another nine months? 21:56 Yes. 21:57 Boy, you bought all that ice-cream back. 22:00 And so-- 22:01 What ice-cream did you eat? Vanilla Swiss Almond. 22:06 Oh, I get it. 22:07 Now how old is your youngest daughter now? 22:09 She's one. Oh, my goodness. 22:11 A two-year-old and one-year-old. 22:12 Two-year-old and one-year-old. You are all busy. 22:14 So how does the two-year-old relate to the one-year-old? 22:16 Oh, they get along just fine. Really? 22:18 Yeah, they really get along well 22:20 and it's just-- it was God's plan. 22:23 A lot of people, you know, 22:24 they always saying a lot of time 22:26 that people that adopt always have a birth child. 22:29 Well, that's not true. 22:31 The percentage say is about five percent of people 22:35 that adopt actually have a birth child. 22:37 So I wouldn't expecting, 22:38 you know, that blessing right away 22:41 but I knew that someday God would do it. 22:44 And it was just a double blessing. 22:45 And I don't even think about it as an adoption. 22:48 Exactly. 22:49 Anybody somebody asks me I'm like, 22:50 oh, yeah she is my daughter. 22:52 She is your daughter. 22:53 Now what about when she gets older would you ever tell? 22:57 Actually we already told her, so it's not big deal you know, 23:01 when somebody says you're adopted. 23:03 Oh yeah, I'm adopted. 23:04 There are two ways some people are by birth 23:05 and some people are adopted. 23:06 But if you think about it we're all adopted. 23:09 Just we're adopted in God's family. 23:11 I like that the body of the Christ. 23:12 How does she comprehend that when you tell her? 23:14 Yes, being too? Yeah, you know what we do. 23:16 We actually have what's we called life book. 23:19 And so, there're pictures in there 23:22 when she was born, about her birth mom. 23:25 Pictures of us. Pictures of her birth mom? 23:27 So it just tells her story. Yes. 23:28 Also she sees her birth mom? 23:30 She sees, she sees pictures of her. 23:31 Pictures of her. 23:32 Pictures of her and we have an agreement 23:34 that we send her pictures 23:37 and she's able to communicate to us, 23:39 we can communicate to her. 23:41 And it was a great process 23:43 and I encourage other people to adopt. 23:45 Because she actually had to choose us. 23:48 She did. The mother chose you. 23:49 The mother chose us. Wow. 23:51 Through profile. Okay. 23:53 She chose us. Excellent. 23:54 This is amazing. The Lord is surely blessing. 23:58 Did you cry, I mean you Talia, you read that test you said, 24:01 you almost fell out but any point did you all just, 24:05 it could have been a church, driving to gym, 24:07 just start cry and say Lord, You're just an awesome God? 24:10 I've cried many tears. Yes. 24:12 Many tears of thanks. Yes. 24:15 Of joy because I know where He has brought me. 24:19 I know where He is brought us. 24:22 Through dealing with the grief it wasn't just me, 24:25 my husband had to help me through that grief. 24:27 There was a trying time with my father's passing 24:31 to having to deal with the fact 24:34 that he's not able to see his grandchildren here. 24:36 But again rest in a blessed hope. 24:38 Blessed hope. 24:39 When the trumpet should sound 24:41 and the dead in Christ shall rise first 24:43 and we should be gathered together. 24:45 Oh. 24:46 Even though, you know, he's passed on, you know, 24:50 and you believe in that blessed Hope. 24:52 Her you are your parents of two beautiful young ladies 24:57 and I mean that's motivating when is-- within itself. 24:59 Yeah, that it is. 25:00 You know, so the plans that you have for, 25:03 I mean, you get a chance to do 25:04 all those things that parents do. 25:06 Definitely. 25:07 You know, you should be commended tremendous 25:09 that you even took the opportunity 25:11 to make a decision, you know, to adopt. 25:14 Because you don't find men today. 25:16 Not too many. 25:17 I mean, I am blessed there a lot of good men out there 25:19 but for you to be committed to your wife, 25:23 through the challenges, the difficulties 25:25 but I think the key was 25:26 you two were on the same page with Jesus Christ. 25:29 Right. Definitely. 25:30 You know, and that God was your hope. 25:32 You prayed together you studied together 25:34 and also you are in love with you wife. 25:37 Definitely. 25:38 Brendan, every time I see you, I mean, 25:40 I see men with their wives and, you know. 25:43 And they sit here, they over there or, 25:46 you know, they walk in church they don't-- 25:49 Because I, you know, but you-- 25:52 Wait a minute, what do you know? 25:53 That I love you. Okay. 25:55 Yeah, love, I'm always with you. 25:57 I mean, do you ever see us apart? 25:59 No, really. Rare. 26:00 You see the one you see the other. 26:01 I forgot. 26:02 They are not, they are not forgotten. 26:04 Not yet. 26:06 But every time I don't care where I am if she walks past 26:10 or you passing her the duffle bag 26:12 you just light up, you know, the children you just light up. 26:16 And there was some other thing 26:18 I like the fact that you are on one accord. 26:20 It shows in everything you deal in. 26:22 You know, when we came over to your house to visit. 26:25 We can see how attentive that you both were with the other. 26:29 Each other. 26:30 Even among all the different people that was in the home 26:34 you still cared into each other. 26:35 Well, I think we till our marriages 26:38 we were first friends. 26:39 And so I think because God's planed 26:42 we were able to enjoy each other, 26:44 we could know each other. 26:45 You know, travel the world with each other. 26:47 You have been to the Africa? 26:49 How many times you have been to Wales? 26:51 We've been to Africa six times. 26:52 Six times? Yes. 26:54 Now you know six times. Caribbean, Mexico. 26:57 Why are you looking at me? I'm just saying. 27:01 You know, we have fabulous new trip coming now 27:03 I'm hoping that, you know we are gonna be together. 27:05 We have about one minute 27:07 and call somebody to they going through 27:09 you know learning how to wait. 27:12 When you're in your darkest hour and... 27:18 Sunken. It's all right. 27:23 When you're in your darkest hour 27:25 and you think that you can't hear God 27:29 that you can't see Him know that He still is alive. 27:34 Yes. 27:35 And you know that's fine. Yes. 27:40 If you can't hear Him, if you can't see Him, 27:43 if don't feel His presence, because there was times 27:45 I didn't feel His presence but I knew He was alive. 27:48 Amen. 27:50 Know that He can do something for you 27:53 that's never been done before. 27:55 He did that for us. Oh, God is good. 27:58 Well, listen I want to thank you both. 28:01 We can't come behind that and listen, we want to thank 28:03 Bryant's we love you and we are so happy for you. 28:07 You have been a testimony in our own lives. 28:08 Absolutely. 28:09 I'm Kim Logan-Nowlin. And I'm Arthur Nowlin. 28:12 And we want you to continue to wait on the Lord, 28:15 learn how to wait and make it work. 28:17 God bless. |
Revised 2015-06-04