Welcome back to
St. Petersburg, Russia.
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Behind me in this
brown building you can see
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where the Bible
Society back at the beginning
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of the 19th century,
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translated the first
Russian version of the Bible.
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For our next stop,
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Uncle Homer will tell us a story
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from the Middle East.
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Qadri was a wild young Muslim.
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Actually he hated
God, he hated religion,
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especially he
hated Christians though.
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Qadri even
though he was a Muslim,
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he was working
in a bar at a hotel.
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And it really frustrated him
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that Christians
would come into his bar,
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wearing a big crucifix,
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but drinking and dancing
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and flirting
with the girls anyway,
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as though they didn't
have any religion at all.
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It bothered him,
he hated them for it.
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But one day, a
strange man came to his hotel.
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He was weird really.
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He was a tourist.
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And he had just
come on vacation,
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but he was the weirdest tourists
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that Qadri had ever seen.
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He didn't
drink, he didn't smoke,
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he was always
happy, he was weird.
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He never had a
hangover in the morning,
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he never flirted with the girls,
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he was really weird.
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But at the end
of that first year,
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something had been going round
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and round in Qadri's mind.
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Something had been
tugging at his heart.
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What was it with this guy?
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Well, he thought
he'd never see him again
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but the guy showed
up again the next year
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for his two week
vacation and this time Qadri
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started to watch
him a little closer.
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By the third
year, Qadri had become
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this man's friend
and was asking questions
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and actually began
studying the Bible.
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Today, Qadri is a
Seventh-day Adventist
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because of the introduction
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of that tourist
that came to his hotel.
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I asked him one day, "Qadri,
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what was it that
made the difference?
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What made you leave
being a non-practicing Muslim
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to become a dedicated
Seventh-day Adventist?"
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All he said it was the
friendship of that tourist.
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I said, "Yes. Okay.
But what specifically?"
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Well, he said,
"After many talks,
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and it wouldn't have
happened without the friendship,
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but after a long
time of talking, one day,
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that man said to me, "Qadri,
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you don't have to
balance the scales.
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Jesus balanced them for you."
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He said all my life,
I thought I had to do
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more good deeds than
bad deeds to offset them.
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So then maybe I could
earn a place in God's love.
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But now I know Jesus
balanced the scales for me
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and I can live for Him."
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I said, "Wow,
Qadri, that's wonderful.
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What did your
family think though?"
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He said even though
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I hadn't been a
practicing Muslim
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they were furious
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when I left that
and became an Adventist.
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But now my mother
thinks differently.
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She says "Adventists didn't take
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my son away from me.
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They gave him back to me.
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He doesn't drink
anymore, he doesn't smoke,
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he loves God and
praise to Him regularly.
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Adventist didn't
take my son away,
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they gave him back to me."
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Qadri is working
for the church today.
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Your tithes and
mission offerings
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and your
donations to Global Mission
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have been
supporting him and his work.
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If you want more
stories of what God is doing
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around the world
in powerful ways,
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then go to our website
at adventistmission.org,
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and you'll see many,
many stories and videos
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that will thrill your heart
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and challenge you to
be involved yourself.
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Next up, we travel
to Frankfurt, Germany
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to visit a unique
center of influence
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that uses the arts to
connect with the community.
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Tonight's activity is cooking
a Mexican dinner with beans,
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tortillas,
guacamole, and homemade sauce.
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Then savor this
delicious meal in a cozy,
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artsy space.
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As you enjoy the
relaxed atmosphere,
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you may make a
new friend or two.
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Are you interested?
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Well, come on
back to the kitchen.
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Tonight, you are a chef
alongside other volunteers.
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Let's get cooking.
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When the meal is ready,
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our host Simret
welcomes the guests.
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He also explains where we are.
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Presence Kulturlounge is a place
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where people can get together,
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experience
different cultural activities,
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and engage in conversations,
and in good human encounters.
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In the highly urbanized
city of Frankfurt, Germany,
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this lounge offers a
variety of activities
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from cooking
and eating together,
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to art
exhibitions, film screenings,
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musical performances,
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and literature and poem readings
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that are followed by
engaging group discussions.
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And all this cultural activities
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are designed for
people to come together,
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learn from each other,
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experience inspiration
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and grow in their
personal journeys.
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For me, this is a
taste of culture and music,
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something that we don't
find easily in this manner.
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Tonight, we even had a
small circle discussion.
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I received a
flier of the opening
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from Presence Kulturlounge.
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And it was a fest with concert.
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To be a part of the Kulturlounge
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is very important for me
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because I met always
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very interesting people
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from different cultures.
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I am very happy
to be part of them.
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Presence
Kulturlounge was inspired
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by conversations
Simret had with friends,
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they often discussed life issues
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and the things they experienced
in their own personal journeys.
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At times, these conversations
happened over a meal
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or were sparked by a
movie, or a book they read.
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With the support of
the Adventist Church,
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Simret made this
a regular gathering
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open to everyone
regardless of their racial
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or religious background.
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When people come to
Presence Kulturlounge,
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we communicate openly
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that this is a project
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of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church
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and they also hear from me
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that I'm a pastor
and run this place.
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And it is a chance or
a good opportunity for us
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as a church to serve
others and many of the people
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who come here
have never heard that
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the Seventh-day
Adventist Church even exists.
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In a context where people
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aren't attracted to
religion or institutions,
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this urban center of influence
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provides a space
for new experiences.
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Each event is carefully
crafted to encourage the open
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and sincere exchange of ideas.
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Visitors come regularly
to expand their perspectives
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and grow in new ways.
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Many Adventist centers
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of influence
operate across the globe,
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they offer people an opportunity
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to reflect on
life and find answers.
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Although each center's
approach differs in each region,
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Adventist
members see creative ways
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to engage the
people Christ came to love.
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Please pray for Seventh-day
Adventist's urban centers
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of influence.
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And thank you for your
support of Global Mission.
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Well, thanks so much
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for joining us
on today's program.
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And I hope that
you've enjoyed our 360 degree
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view of mission
around the world.
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From rural areas to
the great urban centers,
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we see that men and women,
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boys and girls are finding light
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and life for the
good news of Jesus Christ.
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And I want to thank you so much
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for being part of our
Adventist Mission team.
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You may say, "Well,
I'm not part of your team."
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Well, we consider you to be part
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because every time
you pray for missionaries,
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every time you pray
for church planters,
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every time you pray for
the mission of this church,
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you are partnering
in mission with us.
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And every time you
give your mission offerings
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or give a
donation to Global Mission,
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you're partnering with us.
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And every time
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that you are
personally involved in mission,
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you're partnering with
us so thank you so much.
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And as a small thank you
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for your contribution
to Adventist Mission,
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I'd like to
send you a free book.
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It's called It's Time.
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And it's full of stories
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from the
frontlines of urban mission.
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This is not a book of theology,
00:09:41.94\00:09:43.81
it's not a book
of just doctrines,
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it's a book of
practical stories of people
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involved in urban mission.
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And I'm somewhat biased
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about this book
because my wife edited it.
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For Adventist
Mission I'm Gary Krause.
00:09:53.96\00:09:56.12
And I hope that you
can join me next time
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right here on Mission 360.
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Currently I feel so small
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Smaller than my trials
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They threaten and intimidate
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My faith has seen some miles
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Because there has
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Never been a day
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When You have not come through
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My history makes it known
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That You will prove that
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You are never just enough
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You are more
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It won't be my strength
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But Yours Forever
00:10:41.37\00:10:43.97
The same always
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The ages declare
00:10:48.08\00:10:50.71
You have never changed
00:10:50.75\00:10:53.15
O Father, You're Faithful now
00:10:53.18\00:10:57.29
And You always will be
00:10:57.32\00:11:01.82
Your love is timeless
00:11:01.86\00:11:05.16
Your love has never let me stay
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Worried and afraid
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You use the circumstances
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That I'm in
00:11:21.58\00:11:22.91
To make me free and brave
00:11:22.94\00:11:25.28
You spin me round
00:11:25.31\00:11:26.65
To stand and face
00:11:26.68\00:11:28.02
The mountains in my way
00:11:28.05\00:11:30.45
You smile with me as it moves
00:11:30.49\00:11:32.99
When I sing out Your name
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You're never just enough
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You are more
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It won't be my strength
00:11:42.20\00:11:45.57
But Yours Forever
00:11:45.60\00:11:48.37
The same always
00:11:48.40\00:11:52.34
The ages declare
00:11:52.37\00:11:54.91
You have never changed
00:11:54.94\00:11:57.45
O Father, You're Faithful now
00:11:57.48\00:12:01.38
And You always will be
00:12:01.42\00:12:06.05
Your love is timeless
00:12:06.09\00:12:11.63
You will never cease to be
00:12:11.66\00:12:14.10
My daily bread
00:12:14.13\00:12:15.66
You will always be to me
00:12:15.70\00:12:19.23
My chosen fear in life
00:12:19.27\00:12:22.77
No other pleasure in this world
00:12:22.80\00:12:25.31
Could ever be as great
00:12:25.34\00:12:28.24
You love wearing them
00:12:28.28\00:12:33.48
Forever the same always
00:12:33.52\00:12:38.65
The ages declare
00:12:38.69\00:12:41.26
You have never changed
00:12:41.29\00:12:43.69
O Father, You're Faithful now
00:12:43.73\00:12:47.83
And You always will be
00:12:47.86\00:12:51.37
Forever the same always
00:12:51.40\00:12:56.50
The ages declare
00:12:56.54\00:12:59.17
You have never changed
00:12:59.21\00:13:01.68
O Father, You're Faithful now
00:13:01.71\00:13:05.61
And You always will be
00:13:05.65\00:13:10.45
Your love is timeless.
00:13:10.49\00:13:14.26