I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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I want to spend my life
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Removing pain
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Lord, let my words
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Heal a heart that hurts
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I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn
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and we welcome
you to 3ABN Today.
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We're so glad
that you are sharing
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a portion of your day with us
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and we believe you
are going to be blessed
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by the testimony
you hear this hour.
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We want to thank you
so much for your prayers,
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and your love, and your
financial support of 3ABN
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because you are
helping us to take the gospel
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to evangelize the entire world.
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So thank you so much.
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Our guest today
has a fascinating story
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and when you listen to
his, the early part of his life,
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the scripture that came
to mind was Matthew 6:33.
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Jesus is speaking to those
who are worrying and He's like,
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why are you worrying.
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He says "Don't worry
about what you're going to eat,
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what you're going to drink,
what you're going to wear."
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But then He
says in Matthew 6:33,
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"But seek first the kingdom
of God and His righteousness
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and all of these things
shall be added unto you."
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Someone today
needs to hear that.
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Christ tells us,
"Don't worry about tomorrow,
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Sufficient for each day
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is the problems
that you are facing."
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But when you look to
God as Jehovah-Jireh,
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your Provider,
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all of your
worries can be cast out.
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Well, let me introduce
you to our very special guest
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and his name is
Pastor Octavian Poenaru.
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And Pastor Octavian
is what I will call you.
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Yes.
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You are the pastor
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for the Colville
District in Washington.
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Yes.
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Well, tell us where Colville is.
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Well, if you'll be
able to find Spokane.
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Okay.
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Probably about an hour
and a half away going north,
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close to Canadian border.
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In the beautiful area then.
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Yes. It's very pretty.
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And how many
churches do you pastor?
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Two, one is Colville,
the other one is Ione..
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Okay.
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We are very glad
that you are here.
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Thank you.
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We can't wait to
hear your testimony.
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Thank you.
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But first, we
know you like music
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and we know everyone at
home always enjoys our music.
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And today, we have someone
that I actually don't know
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a whole lot about
this particular singer.
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I've not met him personally
but I always enjoy him so much.
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His name is Paul Kreisle
and he is going to be singing
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"Be Still and Know."
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Be still and know that He is God
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Be still and
know that He is holy
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Be still Oh,
restless soul of mine
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Bow before the Prince of Peace
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Let the noise and clamor cease
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Be still and know that He is God
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Be still and know
that He is faithful
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Consider all that He has done
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Stand in awe and be amazed
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And know that He
will never change
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Be still
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Be still
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and know that He is God
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Be still and know that He is God
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Be still and know that He is God
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Be still Be speechless
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Be still and know that He is God
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Be still and
know He is our Father
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Come and rest your
head upon His breast
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Listen to the rhythm
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of His unfailing heart of love
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Beating for his little ones
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Calling each of us to come
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Be still
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Be still
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And that was Paul Kreisle
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and I hope those words
minister to your heart.
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You know,
actually, the Lord tells us
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or He is
speaking in Psalm 46:10,
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He says, "Be still
and know that I am God."
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You can put
your worries to rest.
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Just come, lay your head upon
my breast and that is precious.
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Well, if you are just
joining us a little late today,
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our special guest is
Pastor Octavian Poenaru.
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He is the pastor
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at the Colville
District in Washington.
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Yes.
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And we're once again,
we just want to thank you
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for making the
trip here to 3ABN.
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Thank you for inviting me.
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To share this testimony.
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Usually I'll start
off and ask somebody
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when did God become real for you
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but this is all
about your testimony.
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But that's what the purpose is.
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Let me ask you, why do you think
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it's important to share
our personal testimonies?
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Well. Let me start with a story.
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I remember I was
in the fourth year
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at the seminary and
along with two of my colleagues
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we were going home.
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And this was
probably in 1987 or 1987,
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and traveling home by train.
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With us in the same
compartment was a lady,
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she was a middle-aged lady.
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And it happened that she
was a philosophy teacher.
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And we, the three of us
begin to talk to her about God.
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Yes.
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And you get into
this very philosophical
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and controversial
topics and discussions
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and we wrestled with her.
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She was on one side
proving that there is no God.
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Obviously she was an atheist.
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And on the other side
we're three of us trying
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to bring every
possible argument from logic,
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philosophy,
history, archaeology,
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everything to prove
that actually there is a God.
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Finally, the lady
said, "Well, by the way,
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what did this God do for you?"
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"What did He for you?"
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The bottom line, and in the end
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I believe that the strongest
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theological
argument doesn't come
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from years of
studying or from books.
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It comes from
personal experience.
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Amen.
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Not that the
personal experience--
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not that the study of
the Bible is not important.
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I'm not saying that
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but what I'm saying is that
our personal experience of God,
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it's very important for us,
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for ourselves and it's
also the ultimate argument
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we can bring to someone else.
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Well said, Brother.
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And that's
something that they can--
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they can argue and try
to refute anything you say
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but they can't refute
your personal testimony.
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Yeah.
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Now, you grew up
in Communist Romania.
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Right.
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Tell us a
little about the family
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into which you were born
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and what their situation was?
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There are some pictures
with myself when I was little.
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I was probably five years old
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and as you can
see in the background,
00:10:02.13\00:10:06.13
we grew up in,
someone may call it poverty.
00:10:06.17\00:10:09.27
I remember sharing this
experience in one church
00:10:09.30\00:10:13.31
and someone said "Well, those
were primitive conditions."
00:10:13.34\00:10:16.31
I may agree with that.
00:10:16.34\00:10:18.25
We had well, and
outhouse and very, very small,
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tiny house in the
middle of a field.
00:10:22.78\00:10:25.39
And my parents were very busy.
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My mother was a nurse, my
father was a lab technician.
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Both of them coming
from the country side
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and trying to build a life
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around the city, working,
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I remember my mother working
sometimes two shifts and again,
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very busy way of life.
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Trying to survive.
00:10:47.71\00:10:49.04
Trying to survive and
that didn't leave too much time
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for family
religion as you may call it.
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And during my childhood,
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I do not remember
having worship, family worship.
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But your
parents were Christians?
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My parents were Christians.
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Yes, my parents, at least,
00:11:05.36\00:11:08.26
we went to the
Seventh-day Adventist church.
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Okay.
00:11:10.47\00:11:11.80
And I think they have faith,
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they had faith in God and they
had some experiences of God.
00:11:15.04\00:11:19.47
But one thing I
believe it was missing
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and that was the time,
the personal time with God,
00:11:22.14\00:11:26.08
the personal
devotion for themselves
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and for us as a family.
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And that impacted
all of us I believe.
00:11:30.32\00:11:33.76
Many, many years after
that I was talking to my father
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and he
acknowledged the fact saying,
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"Son, I have to tell you that
the first part of our lives,
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we were not very close to God.
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We would go to church
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and we would do
the best we could."
00:11:50.71\00:11:53.98
But that's very important piece,
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which is the devotional
life was actually missing
00:11:56.78\00:11:59.45
and he acknowledged that.
00:11:59.48\00:12:00.82
The effect was that as
a child I do not remember
00:12:00.85\00:12:07.09
God is being present
in my life, almost at all.
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And you don't see that, I mean,
00:12:11.13\00:12:13.03
outside I was like
most of the other kids
00:12:13.06\00:12:15.10
but deep inside of me,
I don't think I had God.
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Okay, you know, I just
want to kind of underscore
00:12:19.03\00:12:21.40
what you're saying here
because what I'm hearing
00:12:21.44\00:12:23.94
at least is you had
parents who were believers.
00:12:23.97\00:12:27.14
Yes. They took you to church.
00:12:27.18\00:12:28.58
Yes. The church wasn't enough.
00:12:28.61\00:12:30.25
You needed that to
be modeled in your home,
00:12:30.28\00:12:33.98
you needed to learn to
have a personal relationship
00:12:34.02\00:12:37.19
with the Lord
and that was missing.
00:12:37.22\00:12:40.26
So you're growing up
kind of in a cultural way
00:12:40.29\00:12:45.76
or there is some
of God in your life.
00:12:45.79\00:12:50.83
You know He's there,
but there's no closeness.
00:12:50.87\00:12:54.47
Is that what you're saying?
00:12:54.50\00:12:56.04
Yes.
00:12:56.07\00:12:57.54
Again, I think the
life of some people,
00:12:57.57\00:13:01.34
if not of many
people gravitates around
00:13:01.38\00:13:06.55
our earthly existence,
00:13:06.58\00:13:09.92
work, coming home,
doing this and doing that
00:13:09.95\00:13:12.95
and busy with
life and the 24 hours
00:13:12.99\00:13:16.62
are actually very
short for a lot of people.
00:13:16.66\00:13:19.46
They have to wake up
early in the morning,
00:13:19.49\00:13:20.90
go to work, come back
late evenings and obviously,
00:13:20.93\00:13:24.23
you postpone the things
00:13:24.27\00:13:25.97
which are not
the most important.
00:13:26.00\00:13:28.17
At least apparently and probably
00:13:28.20\00:13:31.17
in the lot of
homes what happens,
00:13:31.21\00:13:33.98
we leave for the last
Easter communion we've got.
00:13:34.01\00:13:39.18
I remember
sometime in the evening
00:13:39.21\00:13:41.05
my parents
wanted to do the study,
00:13:41.08\00:13:43.75
to read some of the Bible
00:13:43.79\00:13:45.12
and basically falling asleep
while you keep the Bible open.
00:13:45.15\00:13:48.86
And there's a
lot of people today
00:13:48.89\00:13:50.23
who'd come home and
they'll say they come from work
00:13:50.26\00:13:52.19
and they are so tired.
00:13:52.23\00:13:53.80
They don't have
the mental energy.
00:13:53.83\00:13:55.16
They'll sit in
front of the television
00:13:55.20\00:13:56.53
and it's okay to
watch 3ABN, but I mean,
00:13:56.56\00:13:58.60
if you're just watching
regular secular programming,
00:13:58.63\00:14:02.70
many times people are
influenced by that because,
00:14:02.74\00:14:07.71
and children are
influenced by that
00:14:07.74\00:14:09.11
because parents are too tired
to do anything else with them.
00:14:09.14\00:14:10.95
Absolutely.
00:14:10.98\00:14:12.31
We, my parents
actually bought a TV.
00:14:12.35\00:14:15.35
I was probably
six or seven years old
00:14:15.38\00:14:17.72
and I remember,
00:14:17.75\00:14:21.69
we didn't like
the Russian movies
00:14:21.72\00:14:23.12
'cause they're very boring
00:14:23.16\00:14:24.49
but we loved
the American movies.
00:14:24.53\00:14:25.89
They are cowboys
and Indians and I,
00:14:25.93\00:14:31.00
the kids are
mimicking what they see
00:14:31.03\00:14:33.20
and they tried to
reproduce in their own life
00:14:33.23\00:14:36.64
at their level
what they actually see.
00:14:36.67\00:14:40.58
There is a well-known
statement by "beholding...
00:14:40.61\00:14:43.65
"We become." "We are changed."
00:14:43.68\00:14:45.61
And probably it was
in one of those days
00:14:45.65\00:14:48.62
in when I watched
the evening a movie
00:14:48.65\00:14:50.09
with cowboys and Indians
and I remember the next day,
00:14:50.12\00:14:53.05
my mother was a
nurse and she had at home
00:14:53.09\00:14:55.02
a syringe and the needles.
00:14:55.06\00:14:56.39
And I got a few
needles and a few sticks
00:14:56.42\00:14:58.73
and I put the needles in,
00:14:58.76\00:15:00.30
at the top of the
sticks and I made my arrows
00:15:00.33\00:15:03.26
and I got outside
and I was the Indian
00:15:03.30\00:15:06.70
and I saw some of
the pigs of my neighbor
00:15:06.74\00:15:08.50
and I start chasing
them and hunting them
00:15:08.54\00:15:10.24
and actually I
shot at one of them
00:15:10.27\00:15:15.81
and pig with arrow
start running back home
00:15:15.84\00:15:19.81
and I realized
that I was in trouble.
00:15:19.85\00:15:22.18
Fortunately, the arrow fell down
00:15:22.22\00:15:27.56
but the point is that media
00:15:27.59\00:15:34.13
actually controlled my
life at that time and I think
00:15:34.16\00:15:38.80
those were the days
when, 40, 50 years ago,
00:15:38.83\00:15:43.64
when the movies were
not as what they are today.
00:15:43.67\00:15:47.64
They were a lot
milder back then.
00:15:47.68\00:15:49.84
Oh, yeah and
black and white. Yeah.
00:15:49.88\00:15:52.51
Then, and the communist,
00:15:52.55\00:15:54.65
they basically had a
pretty strong screening
00:15:54.68\00:15:59.25
what they allowed
to be on the media.
00:15:59.29\00:16:02.02
But I remember,
I knew everything,
00:16:02.06\00:16:03.49
I knew every
movie that was supposed
00:16:03.53\00:16:05.19
to be during the week.
00:16:05.23\00:16:06.86
And basically the worship family
00:16:06.90\00:16:09.43
was when we watched a movie.
00:16:09.46\00:16:12.70
That was when the
family came together.
00:16:12.73\00:16:14.90
That became your
family altar. Exactly.
00:16:14.94\00:16:16.91
That was the time
00:16:16.94\00:16:18.27
when we as a
family came together.
00:16:18.31\00:16:19.64
Okay.
00:16:19.67\00:16:21.01
And that had a
very strong impact
00:16:21.04\00:16:22.51
on my life because very
shortly or in a very short time,
00:16:22.54\00:16:28.08
God was out of the
picture, at least for me.
00:16:28.12\00:16:31.82
Now let me ask you a
question because you grew up
00:16:31.85\00:16:33.82
in an Adventist home
in a communist country.
00:16:33.86\00:16:37.13
Did you, I know that most
of the communist countries,
00:16:37.16\00:16:40.53
they do go to
school on Saturdays.
00:16:40.56\00:16:44.07
Did you attend
school on Saturday
00:16:44.10\00:16:46.67
or did you observe the Sabbath?
00:16:46.70\00:16:50.21
If you can believe in
this 50 percent obedience,
00:16:50.24\00:16:53.81
half of the
time I was in church,
00:16:53.84\00:16:55.68
half of the
time I was in school.
00:16:55.71\00:16:57.25
The morning I was in school,
00:16:57.28\00:16:58.61
in the afternoon
we went to church
00:16:58.65\00:16:59.98
because there were programs
at the church in the afternoon.
00:17:00.02\00:17:03.92
The truth is that
as I say sometime,
00:17:03.95\00:17:10.13
for me at that time,
00:17:10.16\00:17:12.86
the best moments of the Sabbath
were when the Sabbath was over.
00:17:12.89\00:17:17.50
Because the Sabbath
or the Saturday was very,
00:17:17.53\00:17:22.54
in my mind was very restrictive
00:17:22.57\00:17:25.34
and I didn't
have any pleasure in,
00:17:25.37\00:17:27.91
I was not interested in
spiritual things at all.
00:17:27.94\00:17:30.45
And I was looking forward
for the Sabbath to be over
00:17:30.48\00:17:33.62
and watch the
Saturday night movie.
00:17:33.65\00:17:36.38
Were you an excellent student?
00:17:36.42\00:17:39.05
What kind of student
were you as a young boy?
00:17:39.09\00:17:41.22
No, no.
00:17:41.26\00:17:44.66
Actually, the first
grades, one to four,
00:17:44.69\00:17:47.26
I was the bottom
line student in my class
00:17:47.30\00:17:49.63
and I'm not exaggerating at all.
00:17:49.66\00:17:51.63
I was the last
student in my class.
00:17:51.67\00:17:55.30
And things were
not going well at all.
00:17:55.34\00:17:57.77
So you just weren't
interested in studies or...
00:17:57.81\00:18:00.78
You know, I don't
remember exactly why,
00:18:00.81\00:18:04.91
but I know that I had
big problems in school,
00:18:04.95\00:18:06.88
not only learning wise,
in terms of the academics
00:18:06.92\00:18:10.89
but behavior wise.
00:18:10.92\00:18:14.06
I was lying, I mean, lying,
stealing, it was okay for me,
00:18:14.09\00:18:20.50
well, if there is no
God in your life, why not?
00:18:20.53\00:18:26.03
And I remember on a
Sabbath day in the morning,
00:18:26.07\00:18:29.70
I went once to
school and I've stolen a toy
00:18:29.74\00:18:34.31
which was a pistol
from one of my colleagues.
00:18:34.34\00:18:38.88
I don't know, I was so brilliant
00:18:38.91\00:18:40.32
in devising the plans
00:18:40.35\00:18:42.28
to steal things from
this colleague of mine,
00:18:42.32\00:18:45.15
with all the colleagues
present and not being caught
00:18:45.19\00:18:48.52
but I was failing
on every other subject.
00:18:48.56\00:18:52.59
And anyway I was caught
in the afternoon by grammy.
00:18:52.63\00:18:57.27
It's interesting how God works.
00:18:57.30\00:18:59.13
Yes.
Grandmothers know, don't they?
00:18:59.17\00:19:01.67
Yes, she, I mean,
I tricked everybody,
00:19:01.70\00:19:04.01
I lied to everybody
and in the afternoon
00:19:04.04\00:19:06.88
I was called by an
old wonderful grandmother.
00:19:06.91\00:19:10.45
That was, that's what I remember
00:19:10.48\00:19:14.68
and I failed and my
father wanted me to play violin
00:19:14.72\00:19:17.82
and he sent me
to the music school
00:19:17.85\00:19:21.72
and I began to play
violin but I was failing again,
00:19:21.76\00:19:25.76
I was not
interested in music theory
00:19:25.79\00:19:27.56
or playing the instrument
and in the sixth grade
00:19:27.60\00:19:31.23
I had to basically
abandon the music school
00:19:31.27\00:19:33.74
because I failed the
exams at the end of the year,
00:19:33.77\00:19:36.81
both of them.
00:19:36.84\00:19:38.17
So how did God
finally get your attention?
00:19:38.21\00:19:42.14
I think some of
us and I'm gonna say
00:19:42.18\00:19:46.11
probably it's very
strong the way I'm gonna say,
00:19:46.15\00:19:48.15
but some of us get
tired of our own stupidity.
00:19:48.18\00:19:50.69
Okay.
00:19:50.72\00:19:52.25
And you see yourself failing
or I believe that God helps us
00:19:52.29\00:19:57.53
see, I don't
know how that happens,
00:19:57.56\00:20:03.50
but I think that God is
very, very patient with us
00:20:03.53\00:20:07.27
and He's trying in
many, many ways to talk to us.
00:20:07.30\00:20:12.77
I think, I was beginning to see
00:20:12.81\00:20:16.88
my own failing at all levels.
00:20:16.91\00:20:22.12
And at what age were you then?
00:20:22.15\00:20:24.12
I was 14.
00:20:24.15\00:20:25.75
It had to be God
who was helping you,
00:20:25.79\00:20:27.52
if you're saying that.
00:20:27.56\00:20:28.89
Yes, I was 14 and at
that age your friends
00:20:28.92\00:20:32.79
are very powerful influence
and they change, I mean,
00:20:32.83\00:20:36.10
you listen to your friends
much more than you listen
00:20:36.13\00:20:38.63
to your parents or
teachers or anybody else.
00:20:38.67\00:20:41.34
And I had a very
good friend of mine
00:20:41.37\00:20:44.94
who was leading me
into all kinds of bad stuff.
00:20:44.97\00:20:47.01
And I was
joining this gang of guys
00:20:47.04\00:20:52.01
and doing all kinds of things.
00:20:52.05\00:20:53.42
And...
00:20:53.45\00:20:54.78
So your friends
were more from the school
00:20:54.82\00:20:57.42
and not from the
church, is that what...
00:20:57.45\00:20:59.22
School, school
was, school is life.
00:20:59.25\00:21:01.26
I mean, church was once a week
00:21:01.29\00:21:02.86
and going to church
was just because I had to
00:21:02.89\00:21:06.23
and I didn't have much
interest in the church.
00:21:06.26\00:21:08.56
But this friend of
mine, the best friend of mine
00:21:08.60\00:21:11.17
at one point that
belong of other guys,
00:21:11.20\00:21:12.80
they mocked me to a point
00:21:12.83\00:21:14.70
and I'm not gonna be too graphic
00:21:14.74\00:21:16.74
but I remember
being in the classroom
00:21:16.77\00:21:19.41
one day after
they of mine at one
00:21:19.44\00:21:20.78
because it was customary.
00:21:20.81\00:21:22.14
Today, they mock
me, tomorrow we mock you
00:21:22.18\00:21:25.45
and make fun of the other ones
00:21:25.48\00:21:27.25
as part of life in the gang,
00:21:27.28\00:21:33.29
not the gang in the real terms
00:21:33.32\00:21:35.02
of doing all kinds of
violent actions but...
00:21:35.06\00:21:38.76
Yeah. Okay.
00:21:38.79\00:21:40.36
And this friend of
mine, he and the other guys,
00:21:40.40\00:21:42.76
they really, really mocked me
00:21:42.80\00:21:44.93
and I remember I was
left in the classroom
00:21:44.97\00:21:47.57
and some tears came to my eyes.
00:21:47.60\00:21:49.14
I said, well, why am I here?
00:21:49.17\00:21:51.11
Why did I end up like this?
00:21:51.14\00:21:52.57
I said, this is what I deserve.
00:21:52.61\00:21:55.88
I chose to go with them
00:21:55.91\00:21:57.25
and now this is
what I, what I get.
00:21:57.28\00:22:01.18
Also, at that
time it was a New Year
00:22:01.22\00:22:05.72
and in the church I grew
up every time at the New Year,
00:22:05.75\00:22:11.13
they will just give
us small piece of paper
00:22:11.16\00:22:13.23
with a promise from the
Bible to all the church members
00:22:13.26\00:22:16.63
and everybody
does just choose one,
00:22:16.67\00:22:18.97
chose one, picked one.
00:22:19.00\00:22:20.87
And I was curious,
it was like lottery.
00:22:20.90\00:22:23.00
And I said, well, let's
see what I get this year.
00:22:23.04\00:22:25.44
And to my surprise,
00:22:25.47\00:22:27.64
I got the passage
from Joshua 24:15,
00:22:27.68\00:22:32.78
which says "And if it seems
evil to you to serve the Lord,
00:22:32.81\00:22:38.02
choose for yourselves
this day whom you will serve."
00:22:38.05\00:22:42.19
Amen.
00:22:42.22\00:22:43.56
When I remember, again,
I was not the godly person
00:22:43.59\00:22:46.63
or interested in religion or God
00:22:46.66\00:22:48.60
but when I read that passage,
00:22:48.63\00:22:51.47
I realized that
God was talking to me.
00:22:51.50\00:22:54.24
I don't know how can you make
that but to me God was saying,
00:22:54.27\00:22:59.17
"Octavian, you are playing
this game for a long time.
00:22:59.21\00:23:04.61
It's time for you to choose."
00:23:04.65\00:23:07.75
And I think at that
point, I was seriously
00:23:07.78\00:23:12.25
considering to change my life.
00:23:12.29\00:23:15.29
And you were 14 years
old. I was 14 years old.
00:23:15.32\00:23:16.66
But the word of God
is alive and active.
00:23:16.69\00:23:20.30
And God was
speaking to you through that
00:23:20.33\00:23:22.66
precious scripture.
00:23:22.70\00:23:25.57
"Choose this day whom
you are going to serve."
00:23:25.60\00:23:27.90
So, now God's got your attention
00:23:27.94\00:23:32.17
and for 14 year old, usually,
00:23:32.21\00:23:33.94
you know, I think typically
you think of 14 is the time
00:23:33.98\00:23:37.28
that children
actually are, especially boys,
00:23:37.31\00:23:40.78
it seems as testosterone
kicks in and everything
00:23:40.82\00:23:43.59
that they are going a little
more off the path at that age.
00:23:43.62\00:23:46.92
They are usually
trying to rein them
00:23:46.96\00:23:48.66
in but I know
that the Holy Spirit
00:23:48.69\00:23:50.53
was working with you.
00:23:50.56\00:23:51.96
So, now God's
got your attention.
00:23:51.99\00:23:54.70
What happened?
00:23:54.73\00:23:56.93
Well, you
mentioned at the beginning
00:23:56.97\00:23:59.37
another Bible passage.
00:23:59.40\00:24:00.74
It was Matthew 6:33.
00:24:00.77\00:24:03.17
"Seek first the kingdom of God."
00:24:03.20\00:24:05.74
I remember beginning to read,
00:24:05.77\00:24:10.78
I truly believe it's
fundamentally important
00:24:10.81\00:24:15.05
for the spiritual
life to spend time with God
00:24:15.08\00:24:18.12
in studying the
Bible, in reading the Bible
00:24:18.15\00:24:19.89
and other spiritual books.
00:24:19.92\00:24:23.29
Probably it's
difficult at the beginning
00:24:23.32\00:24:28.30
to understand the
Bible and even now for me,
00:24:28.33\00:24:30.37
I'm a, you may
call it a professional,
00:24:30.40\00:24:32.93
but there are
portions of the Bible
00:24:32.97\00:24:34.40
which are not
easy to understand.
00:24:34.44\00:24:37.51
I would say don't
hurry, read it anyway
00:24:37.54\00:24:40.88
because I don't have
to understand everything
00:24:40.91\00:24:44.15
from all the Bible.
00:24:44.18\00:24:45.51
God will speak to you or
to me in the place where I am.
00:24:45.55\00:24:52.25
Amen, amen.
00:24:52.29\00:24:53.62
And reading that passage
00:24:53.66\00:24:56.32
and I was beginning at
that time to read the book,
00:24:56.36\00:25:00.63
The Great Controversy.
00:25:00.66\00:25:03.26
Did someone
encourage you to read?
00:25:03.30\00:25:04.70
Yes. Okay.
00:25:04.73\00:25:06.17
Actually, I have
to say none of us
00:25:06.20\00:25:08.60
is where we are
without the help of God
00:25:08.64\00:25:11.94
and other people.
00:25:11.97\00:25:13.31
Okay.
00:25:13.34\00:25:14.68
A few things happened in
my life right at that moment.
00:25:14.71\00:25:16.68
I remember a man
came in our church
00:25:16.71\00:25:20.55
at that point and I owe
him a lot of my in a sense,
00:25:20.58\00:25:24.32
a lot of change.
00:25:24.35\00:25:26.25
He is just a human
being like everybody else but,
00:25:26.29\00:25:30.49
his name is, I'm
gonna say his name,
00:25:30.53\00:25:32.69
some of the listeners
may recognize his name
00:25:32.73\00:25:35.46
if they are from that
country, Vasiley was his name.
00:25:35.50\00:25:39.73
Well, he
impressed me by his modesty.
00:25:39.77\00:25:42.64
And by his amazing intelligence,
00:25:42.67\00:25:44.54
he knew the whole Book
of Revelation by heart,
00:25:44.57\00:25:47.51
the whole Book
of Isaiah by heart,
00:25:47.54\00:25:48.94
a lot of Psalms,
James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter,
00:25:48.98\00:25:53.72
a lot of portions
of the Bible by heart.
00:25:53.75\00:25:55.78
He has a vast
knowledge of history,
00:25:55.82\00:25:59.99
music and I was impressed.
00:26:00.02\00:26:04.33
And...
00:26:04.36\00:26:06.70
I'm impressed too.
00:26:06.73\00:26:08.06
At that time he organized
the youth in my church.
00:26:08.10\00:26:12.80
We had the small orchestra.
00:26:12.83\00:26:15.80
Finally, he
actually brought us together
00:26:15.84\00:26:18.44
and we had a small orchestra,
a classic type of orchestra,
00:26:18.47\00:26:23.04
first violin, second
violin, viola and cello.
00:26:23.08\00:26:26.01
And we begin to play
classical music and hymns
00:26:26.05\00:26:31.39
and it was a
great time in church.
00:26:31.42\00:26:34.52
In the same time we
begin to study as a church.
00:26:34.56\00:26:37.76
Both parents and
children will study for a week
00:26:37.79\00:26:40.96
The Great Controversy at
home and Sabbath afternoon
00:26:41.00\00:26:44.17
we'll meet, Saturday afternoon
00:26:44.20\00:26:45.83
we'll meet and
discuss the chapter.
00:26:45.87\00:26:47.34
Very interactive,
very interesting for me
00:26:47.37\00:26:49.57
and I was hungry.
00:26:49.60\00:26:50.94
I wanted to, I was
hungry to know more
00:26:50.97\00:26:55.44
about God and I
was very much impressed
00:26:55.48\00:26:58.78
by what I was
finding in this book,
00:26:58.81\00:27:01.12
The Great Controversy,
00:27:01.15\00:27:02.48
how some people love God
like the first Christians.
00:27:02.52\00:27:06.76
They loved God to
the, to the extent
00:27:06.79\00:27:11.19
that they were willing
to give up their lives.
00:27:11.23\00:27:12.56
Yes.
00:27:12.59\00:27:14.10
And I said to
myself, well, am I supposed
00:27:14.13\00:27:17.50
to be in the same heaven
00:27:17.53\00:27:20.47
with those who gave
their lives for Christ
00:27:20.50\00:27:23.07
while my life is like
this, and I began to change,
00:27:23.10\00:27:29.54
actually, I was
baptized very soon.
00:27:29.58\00:27:35.58
Usually people got through
a baptism class but I remember
00:27:35.62\00:27:39.59
they had the wisdom
and the graciousness
00:27:39.62\00:27:43.12
to accept me for the baptism
00:27:43.16\00:27:44.49
without even going
through a baptism class.
00:27:44.53\00:27:46.13
Okay.
00:27:46.16\00:27:47.50
And I was baptized.
00:27:47.53\00:27:48.86
This is you on the inn
with, in a robe, with...
00:27:48.90\00:27:51.40
Tall and skinny as today. Yeah.
00:27:51.43\00:27:53.67
And I even forgot, I remember
00:27:53.70\00:27:55.70
I forgot all my
baptism clothing.
00:27:55.74\00:27:58.71
But I was baptized
and it was visible,
00:27:58.74\00:28:02.84
visible change in
my life in all aspects.
00:28:02.88\00:28:06.95
My parents saw that I
was becoming very different.
00:28:06.98\00:28:13.19
Did this impact
their relationship
00:28:13.22\00:28:16.52
with the Lord as
they saw you changing?
00:28:16.56\00:28:20.90
I'm not sure that that
happened right then and there.
00:28:20.93\00:28:24.50
And I, you know, I was so
much preoccupied by my own life,
00:28:24.53\00:28:30.31
I didn't know exactly
what was happening with them.
00:28:30.34\00:28:34.41
We went to church and
there are some good times
00:28:34.44\00:28:37.85
when I remember my
parents trying to, by that time,
00:28:37.88\00:28:43.32
I have a sister and
they were trying to pull
00:28:43.35\00:28:46.82
the family
together and study more.
00:28:46.86\00:28:48.89
We got out of from the level,
they built the second house.
00:28:48.92\00:28:54.10
It was more comfortable,
in a sense they had more time
00:28:54.13\00:28:59.20
and I think
they begin to change,
00:28:59.23\00:29:04.94
but I do not
remember significant changes.
00:29:04.97\00:29:07.64
Now, Octavian, when you
really became serious about God,
00:29:07.68\00:29:12.78
I know that I've
talked with others
00:29:12.81\00:29:14.32
who grew up in
communist Romania,
00:29:14.35\00:29:16.58
other Adventist
Christians who chose to honor
00:29:16.62\00:29:20.89
God's Sabbath and did
not attend school on Saturday
00:29:20.92\00:29:24.99
even though it was
mandatory and they were punished
00:29:25.03\00:29:27.70
and persecuted for it.
00:29:27.73\00:29:29.30
What was your, did you
finally get to that point
00:29:29.33\00:29:32.07
that you said okay,
00:29:32.10\00:29:33.44
I'm not going to
school on Saturday
00:29:33.47\00:29:34.97
or did you continue to go?
00:29:35.00\00:29:36.34
It's very interesting
00:29:36.37\00:29:37.71
because we
didn't talk about this.
00:29:37.74\00:29:39.07
But you bring this
up and that's exactly
00:29:39.11\00:29:40.98
what happened and I for
most of, for most of my life,
00:29:41.01\00:29:44.71
I went to school on Saturday
00:29:44.75\00:29:47.02
and at the point
where I begin to change,
00:29:47.05\00:29:51.25
I was skipping classes in
school as much as I could.
00:29:51.29\00:29:55.06
But at one point when I was
in the junior year in the high
00:29:55.09\00:29:57.76
I decided to not to go to school
00:29:57.79\00:30:00.93
by my own.
00:30:00.96\00:30:02.33
And I remember we had
some family discussions.
00:30:02.36\00:30:04.00
My parents told me, they said,
"Octavian, you go to school,
00:30:04.03\00:30:05.93
you finish your school."
00:30:05.97\00:30:07.67
And I was in, I was
studying electronics.
00:30:07.70\00:30:09.80
I wanted to become an
engineer in electronics.
00:30:09.84\00:30:11.81
But this was a high school
that prepared you for that.
00:30:11.84\00:30:14.61
It was the profile
00:30:14.64\00:30:15.98
where you study
mathematics and physics
00:30:16.01\00:30:17.41
and other disciplines
related to the field.
00:30:17.45\00:30:21.98
And they were
afraid, they were afraid
00:30:22.02\00:30:23.75
that I'm not
gonna finish the school
00:30:23.79\00:30:25.82
which could have
happened very, very easily
00:30:25.85\00:30:28.42
because we had some
classes Saturdays only.
00:30:28.46\00:30:31.29
And if you miss those classes,
then you, you basically fail.
00:30:31.33\00:30:36.36
It's interesting how God,
there are many, many stories
00:30:36.40\00:30:39.03
I believe when God worked
in a very interesting way.
00:30:39.07\00:30:44.71
For example, one of
them, I had a teacher.
00:30:44.74\00:30:47.71
He was a very busy man.
00:30:47.74\00:30:49.21
He was the director of huge
00:30:49.24\00:30:51.98
electrical plant
00:30:54.38\00:30:57.49
and very busy man.
00:30:57.52\00:30:59.22
But he was teaching one class
00:30:59.25\00:31:01.62
in the electronic domain.
00:31:01.66\00:31:04.36
Well, this man
missed the whole quarter.
00:31:04.39\00:31:08.83
And there was the last week,
00:31:08.86\00:31:10.43
I mean, in
communism, it is possible.
00:31:10.47\00:31:13.30
He missed, I mean, he
was an extremely busy man.
00:31:13.34\00:31:15.20
He missed the
whole quarter and finally
00:31:15.24\00:31:17.01
there was one week left.
00:31:17.04\00:31:18.57
And he said, everybody be ready,
00:31:18.61\00:31:20.61
I remember, I think
it was on Wednesday,
00:31:20.64\00:31:22.01
we had classes with
him Wednesday and Saturday.
00:31:22.04\00:31:24.41
He said, "Everybody, be ready.
00:31:24.45\00:31:25.78
I'm coming
Wednesday, give you a test
00:31:25.81\00:31:28.18
and Saturday
give you another test.
00:31:28.22\00:31:29.55
You have two grades,
00:31:29.58\00:31:31.69
cumulate both of them
and give you an average grade
00:31:31.72\00:31:34.02
and you finish the quarter.
00:31:34.06\00:31:36.73
I was praying that he
would come on Wednesday.
00:31:36.76\00:31:38.29
He didn't come.
00:31:38.33\00:31:40.63
The only day left was Saturday.
00:31:40.66\00:31:44.90
It was very difficult,
very, very, very difficult
00:31:44.93\00:31:47.60
for me to make a decision,
should I go, should I not,
00:31:47.64\00:31:50.97
should I go, should I not.
00:31:51.01\00:31:52.34
Finally, I decided not to go.
00:31:52.37\00:31:56.24
I was fasting
probably that Sabbath
00:31:56.28\00:31:57.95
and praying for a miracle.
00:31:57.98\00:32:00.68
Are you 18 or you were 17?
00:32:00.72\00:32:02.28
I was 17.
Seventeen at this point.
00:32:02.32\00:32:04.15
And the, finally, in
the evening after sundown
00:32:04.19\00:32:09.06
I went in town,
00:32:09.09\00:32:10.43
I knew that I will find
in town some of my colleagues
00:32:10.46\00:32:13.23
and I met one
them said, "Octavian,
00:32:13.26\00:32:14.60
the teacher told him,
told to give him a call."
00:32:14.63\00:32:17.33
He said, give
him a call tonight.
00:32:17.37\00:32:19.17
Because he wants to
give you a test on Tuesday."
00:32:19.20\00:32:22.84
And I was so happy.
00:32:22.87\00:32:24.21
Tuesday, the school was over,
00:32:24.24\00:32:25.57
the last day of
school and I was so happy.
00:32:25.61\00:32:27.21
I said praise God,
00:32:27.24\00:32:29.14
he will give me a chance
to take an exam by myself.
00:32:29.18\00:32:33.75
I called the teacher,
00:32:33.78\00:32:35.12
that, I remember
called the teacher
00:32:35.15\00:32:36.48
that Saturday night,
00:32:36.52\00:32:38.99
told him who I was and
I remember telling him,
00:32:39.02\00:32:41.36
I said, "I missed the school
00:32:41.39\00:32:42.72
not because I'm
negligent or ignoring you,
00:32:42.76\00:32:47.40
it is because my
moral conventions."
00:32:47.43\00:32:50.87
And he said, "Don't worry.
00:32:50.90\00:32:52.80
I gave you a grade anyway."
00:32:52.83\00:32:56.14
And he gave me a grade anyway.
00:32:56.17\00:32:58.87
Now you judge this
kind of events or things
00:32:58.91\00:33:02.74
but that's what happened.
00:33:02.78\00:33:04.11
So God was
blessing your commitment
00:33:04.15\00:33:06.48
and then as you
graduated from high school,
00:33:06.51\00:33:10.69
you didn't go to
college right away.
00:33:10.72\00:33:13.39
Tell us what happened?
00:33:13.42\00:33:14.76
Well, for most, 99
percent of the young people,
00:33:14.79\00:33:17.63
the next step in
life was the military.
00:33:17.66\00:33:21.10
We were drafted in the military.
00:33:21.13\00:33:22.46
Okay, so that's kind of
like an automatic service.
00:33:22.50\00:33:24.77
Yeah.
00:33:24.80\00:33:26.13
And for the
Seventh-day Adventists
00:33:26.17\00:33:28.30
that was a big, big question.
00:33:28.34\00:33:30.87
As far as I know,
United States, it's very,
00:33:34.28\00:33:39.25
in United States you have,
basically you are not drafted.
00:33:39.28\00:33:41.75
You don't have to
go to the military.
00:33:41.78\00:33:44.15
But if you end
up in the military,
00:33:44.19\00:33:45.69
it is still a tough place to be.
00:33:45.72\00:33:47.16
Yes.
00:33:47.19\00:33:48.52
And it was very difficult.
00:33:48.56\00:33:52.99
I had to make the decision.
00:33:53.03\00:33:56.00
You don't make the
decisions at the time
00:33:56.03\00:33:57.50
when you face the challenge.
00:33:57.53\00:33:59.73
Usually, you make
your mind before that.
00:33:59.77\00:34:04.84
And what you're referring
00:34:04.87\00:34:06.98
to here is the
difficulty of working on Sabbath
00:34:07.01\00:34:12.21
and breaking God's,
00:34:12.25\00:34:14.88
your promise to the
Lord to keep the Sabbath
00:34:14.92\00:34:17.29
when you are in military, right?
00:34:17.32\00:34:18.75
I mean, my question is
00:34:18.79\00:34:21.79
are the Ten Commandments
00:34:21.82\00:34:23.16
always valid
anywhere and at anytime.
00:34:23.19\00:34:26.26
Yes.
00:34:26.29\00:34:27.63
If we truly, if we say no,
00:34:27.66\00:34:29.26
that means there are exceptions.
00:34:29.30\00:34:31.30
Now who judges
00:34:31.33\00:34:33.77
when to make the exceptions?
00:34:33.80\00:34:35.24
Right.
00:34:35.27\00:34:36.60
If there are the word of
God and if they are absolutes,
00:34:36.64\00:34:41.28
then probably they are
valid anytime and anywhere.
00:34:41.31\00:34:46.08
And yeah, I ended up in
the service, in the military
00:34:46.11\00:34:49.68
and because of my
background in electronics,
00:34:49.72\00:34:51.79
they, I was radar operator
00:34:51.82\00:34:56.59
in an entire aircraft unit.
00:34:56.62\00:35:00.96
And it was very
difficult for me.
00:35:01.00\00:35:05.30
But God
prepared me ahead of time
00:35:05.33\00:35:07.00
because,
00:35:07.04\00:35:08.80
with the
challenges in the school
00:35:08.84\00:35:10.54
and then I had to
work for a few months.
00:35:10.57\00:35:13.38
The challenge is
at the workplace.
00:35:13.41\00:35:15.48
All of this, they
were preparing me for...
00:35:15.51\00:35:17.81
And those challenges being
that they were asking you to...
00:35:17.85\00:35:20.72
The Sabbath issue.
00:35:20.75\00:35:22.08
The Sabbath was
the challenge there,
00:35:22.12\00:35:23.45
people want to...
00:35:23.49\00:35:24.82
And the environment,
00:35:24.85\00:35:26.19
working with
different people of,
00:35:26.22\00:35:27.99
many of them of a very ungodly
00:35:28.02\00:35:31.56
behavior and language
00:35:31.59\00:35:33.80
and making jokes
on you as a Christians
00:35:33.83\00:35:37.73
and of your beliefs and...
00:35:37.77\00:35:39.63
So what did
happen in the service
00:35:39.67\00:35:41.64
when they are
demanding that or commanding
00:35:41.67\00:35:44.87
that you work on Sabbath?
00:35:44.91\00:35:47.68
How did you handle that?
00:35:47.71\00:35:49.74
It was not only
working on Sabbath
00:35:49.78\00:35:51.38
but it was actually
the military training,
00:35:51.41\00:35:53.21
because every Saturday
you have to go for trainings.
00:35:53.25\00:35:57.35
At the beginning,
00:35:57.39\00:35:59.42
I didn't know what to do.
00:35:59.45\00:36:00.79
I didn't work.
00:36:00.82\00:36:02.16
I refused to work
00:36:02.19\00:36:03.53
which is difficult
enough and hard enough.
00:36:03.56\00:36:04.99
And then
interesting thing happened.
00:36:07.03\00:36:08.36
There was,
00:36:08.40\00:36:10.00
our captain was an
older gentleman who,
00:36:10.03\00:36:16.24
he was a staunch communist.
00:36:16.27\00:36:19.57
And the fact that he was old
00:36:19.61\00:36:21.31
and just with a
grade of captain,
00:36:21.34\00:36:23.51
at least in that environment,
00:36:23.55\00:36:25.15
he was not promoted.
00:36:25.18\00:36:26.51
He was a very stubborn guy.
00:36:26.55\00:36:28.78
And soon enough after
00:36:28.82\00:36:30.75
I was enrolled in
that particular unit,
00:36:30.79\00:36:34.32
he was moved to another unit.
00:36:34.36\00:36:37.83
And I remember meeting him
00:36:37.86\00:36:40.00
almost close to the end of
the service or summer there
00:36:40.03\00:36:43.16
and he told me, "Octavian,
00:36:43.20\00:36:44.87
if they didn't moved
me, I would have moved you."
00:36:44.90\00:36:48.74
Meaning that he
would have probably
00:36:48.77\00:36:50.11
send me to the court-martial,
00:36:50.14\00:36:52.77
but God moved him.
00:36:52.81\00:36:54.14
Amen.
00:36:54.18\00:36:55.54
It was, the point is
00:36:55.58\00:36:56.91
in the beginning I went through
for some military training
00:36:56.95\00:37:00.32
and at one point
I decided not to go.
00:37:00.35\00:37:04.55
And from that time on,
00:37:04.59\00:37:06.15
I did not go to work or
to the military training
00:37:06.19\00:37:10.56
and with a lot of confrontations
00:37:10.59\00:37:14.23
and meeting people
and talking to people.
00:37:14.26\00:37:19.10
I remember one Sabbath morning,
00:37:19.13\00:37:21.24
one Saturday morning
00:37:21.27\00:37:23.17
I was basically taken to a place
00:37:23.20\00:37:27.71
where I didn't know where
00:37:27.74\00:37:29.08
but a political officer came
00:37:29.11\00:37:31.45
and he said, you
need to come with me.
00:37:31.48\00:37:34.55
And my immediate
superior told me, "Octavian,
00:37:34.58\00:37:39.62
" I had with him many,
many debates on religions
00:37:39.65\00:37:42.19
and discussing a lot with him,
00:37:42.22\00:37:44.99
and he came to me and
said, "Octavian, you go there.
00:37:45.03\00:37:47.36
You go to this big
guys, say what they say,
00:37:47.40\00:37:51.23
say whatever they say.
00:37:51.27\00:37:52.60
Don't get yourself in trouble
and don't get us in trouble."
00:37:52.63\00:37:56.60
And I said, "Yes,
Sir. I'll see about that."
00:37:56.64\00:37:58.47
And I left.
00:37:58.51\00:38:01.01
And I remember
waiting for two hours
00:38:01.04\00:38:05.38
in this big building
where the top colonels
00:38:05.41\00:38:09.28
and the top officers were.
00:38:09.32\00:38:11.02
And finally, we were
invited in this big room,
00:38:11.05\00:38:14.99
big table with maybe ten
or eleven of the high officers
00:38:15.02\00:38:19.89
and the General or
the man who replaced him
00:38:19.93\00:38:24.57
were sitting at the
table and he asked me,
00:38:24.60\00:38:29.60
"Why is it, what's up with you?"
00:38:29.64\00:38:30.97
He had the file and he opened
the file and he began to read.
00:38:31.01\00:38:36.24
And he said, "Why did
they disfellowshipped you
00:38:36.28\00:38:40.05
from the Youth
Communist Organization?"
00:38:40.08\00:38:42.42
Basically, every
youth was automatically
00:38:42.45\00:38:46.99
a member of the Youth
Communist Organization."
00:38:47.02\00:38:49.19
I was one, meaning
nothing but everybody was one.
00:38:49.22\00:38:53.46
But at one point
because of the Sabbath,
00:38:53.50\00:38:55.06
they threw me out,
00:38:55.10\00:38:57.17
which I didn't mind.
00:38:57.20\00:38:59.10
It didn't mean anything anyway
00:38:59.13\00:39:00.74
and he said,
"Why did that happen?"
00:39:00.77\00:39:02.60
Probably he had a report
that I was disfellowshipped.
00:39:02.64\00:39:06.11
And I said,
"Because of my beliefs."
00:39:06.14\00:39:10.11
And the General
looked at me and said,
00:39:10.15\00:39:11.61
"What do you believe?"
00:39:11.65\00:39:13.48
And I think this is a
very crucial question,
00:39:13.52\00:39:15.62
"What do you believe?"
00:39:15.65\00:39:17.62
Amen.
00:39:17.65\00:39:19.52
And being an, I mean, I was 19,
00:39:19.55\00:39:23.16
being in front of
all these top people,
00:39:23.19\00:39:27.96
your freedom was in their hands.
00:39:28.00\00:39:31.63
And when he said
"What do you believe?"
00:39:31.67\00:39:33.77
I remember, I
remember what I've said.
00:39:33.80\00:39:36.27
You don't have time to
prepare your sermons or answer.
00:39:36.30\00:39:38.37
You don't study
for that ahead of time.
00:39:38.41\00:39:39.74
Right.
00:39:39.77\00:39:41.11
I said, "I believe
that there is one God,
00:39:41.14\00:39:44.41
the Creator of heaven and earth
00:39:44.45\00:39:46.31
and He will come to
judge everyone of us.
00:39:46.35\00:39:51.22
That's what I believe."
00:39:51.25\00:39:52.59
And once I've
said it, I kind of,
00:39:52.62\00:39:55.66
especially the second part
that He will come to judge...
00:39:55.69\00:39:58.36
Where did this come from, huh?
00:39:58.39\00:39:59.73
Yes. Because...
00:39:59.76\00:40:01.10
The Holy Spirit was directing.
00:40:01.13\00:40:02.46
You don't schedule
that kind of answer.
00:40:02.50\00:40:06.40
And I remember
the General stood up.
00:40:06.43\00:40:09.04
It was a beautiful day in May,
00:40:09.07\00:40:13.31
sunny outside and
he had big windows.
00:40:13.34\00:40:16.81
And he stood up and he
came to me and he said,
00:40:16.85\00:40:18.55
"Young man, you
should know there is no God."
00:40:18.58\00:40:20.98
And I said, dismissed.
00:40:23.18\00:40:25.79
And I left.
00:40:25.82\00:40:28.99
After such a meeting,
00:40:29.02\00:40:31.09
the only logical following
step was to be court-martialed
00:40:31.13\00:40:37.70
because public statements
like that and in front of
00:40:37.73\00:40:41.54
high officials could
not have another end.
00:40:41.57\00:40:47.04
And I was expecting that.
00:40:47.08\00:40:48.41
Well, that didn't happen.
00:40:48.44\00:40:49.78
Why? How?
00:40:49.81\00:40:51.15
I don't know.
00:40:51.18\00:40:53.05
God's hand was over you.
00:40:53.08\00:40:54.68
Yeah.
00:40:54.72\00:40:56.05
And I remember that
00:40:56.08\00:40:57.99
when I was close
to finish the service,
00:40:58.02\00:41:00.16
I had left a few days,
00:41:00.19\00:41:02.32
there were left a few days
00:41:02.36\00:41:04.23
and I ran and I came
into the big dormitory
00:41:04.26\00:41:09.76
where we had for soldiers
and looking for something
00:41:09.80\00:41:12.57
and when I was supposed
to get out, the captain,
00:41:12.60\00:41:14.47
my captain came in
which, with which whom
00:41:14.50\00:41:19.97
I had many discussions
also about God, religion
00:41:20.01\00:41:23.14
and this and that.
00:41:23.18\00:41:24.98
And he said,
"Octavian, come here."
00:41:25.01\00:41:27.25
"Yes, Sir."
00:41:27.28\00:41:28.62
And he said, "Listen, I
have a question for you."
00:41:28.65\00:41:31.82
He said, "In all this time,
00:41:31.85\00:41:35.62
did you have anybody in
a very, very high position
00:41:35.66\00:41:39.26
that protected you?"
00:41:39.29\00:41:42.53
It was just me and him.
00:41:42.56\00:41:45.10
And I looked at him
and I said, "Yes, Sir.
00:41:45.13\00:41:48.57
I have someone in a very,
very, very, very high position
00:41:48.60\00:41:51.44
and He protected
me all this time."
00:41:51.47\00:41:52.87
Lord.
00:41:52.91\00:41:54.38
And he understood that
I was speaking about God.
00:41:54.41\00:41:56.91
Yes.
00:41:56.95\00:41:59.35
But the funny part is
that I finished the service,
00:41:59.38\00:42:02.98
went back home, got to work,
00:42:03.02\00:42:06.72
and another wonderful thing,
00:42:06.76\00:42:09.86
I was accepted at a seminary
to study to be a pastor.
00:42:09.89\00:42:13.43
So electronics, as
far as you were concerned,
00:42:13.46\00:42:15.83
being an engineer, God
had to be on that part.
00:42:15.86\00:42:18.53
Yeah. I didn't
want to be a pastor.
00:42:18.57\00:42:20.47
I didn't plan to be a pastor.
00:42:20.50\00:42:21.84
I was not interested in
becoming a pastor actually.
00:42:21.87\00:42:24.57
The most
interesting thing for me
00:42:24.61\00:42:26.24
was actually to
talk to people about God.
00:42:26.27\00:42:29.78
That's because I think
00:42:29.81\00:42:32.01
or to lead them
to believe in God.
00:42:32.05\00:42:36.42
That's the most wonderful thing.
00:42:36.45\00:42:37.79
And anyway, I
ended up at the seminary,
00:42:40.56\00:42:45.06
finished the seminary
and moved in my third,
00:42:45.09\00:42:48.86
actually my third district
00:42:48.90\00:42:51.67
away from my home,
00:42:51.70\00:42:54.34
about four, three, four
hours away from my home.
00:42:54.37\00:42:58.67
And one day I was talking
to one of my head deacons
00:42:58.71\00:43:01.91
and I said, "I need to
buy some gas containers.
00:43:01.94\00:43:06.31
Do you know anybody
that sells any of this?"
00:43:06.35\00:43:08.55
He says, "Oh, my neighbor
is cleaning his garage."
00:43:08.58\00:43:11.25
Oh, I said, "Can I buy them?"
00:43:11.29\00:43:12.62
He says, "Sure, come
to me Tuesday morning."
00:43:12.65\00:43:15.92
And I went to him,
00:43:15.96\00:43:18.36
while I was waiting
for the neighbor to come,
00:43:18.39\00:43:22.23
the wife of the head
deacon said, "Pastor Octavian,
00:43:22.26\00:43:25.83
my neighbor is from your area."
00:43:25.87\00:43:28.30
From where I was
00:43:28.34\00:43:29.67
and I did my military
service in my hometown.
00:43:29.70\00:43:32.24
So I said, "Oh,
he's from my area,
00:43:32.27\00:43:34.11
interesting."
00:43:34.14\00:43:35.78
And he said,
"Oh, and by the way,
00:43:35.81\00:43:37.78
he was a high
military official."
00:43:37.81\00:43:39.45
I said, Oh, high."
"Do you know his name?"
00:43:39.48\00:43:41.62
I said, "Sure."
00:43:41.65\00:43:43.82
The man was the General.
00:43:43.85\00:43:45.85
So how many
years was this beyond?
00:43:45.89\00:43:47.26
About 15 years after.
00:43:47.29\00:43:48.62
Fifteen years later.
00:43:48.66\00:43:50.36
The General who said
to you, "There is no God."
00:43:50.39\00:43:53.40
Yes.
00:43:53.43\00:43:55.36
And here the door is
open and the man comes
00:43:55.40\00:43:57.43
and here is the General coming.
00:43:57.47\00:43:59.60
And I looked at him and
he looked at me and he came
00:43:59.63\00:44:01.64
and he had a very
interesting reaction.
00:44:01.67\00:44:04.04
He came and he
embraced me, hugged
00:44:04.07\00:44:05.47
and he said, "Hey,
how are doing, soldier?"
00:44:05.51\00:44:07.98
So you're still living
in Romania at this point?
00:44:08.01\00:44:09.34
Yes. Okay, okay.
00:44:09.38\00:44:11.08
And he hugged me and
said, "Hey, how are you doing?"
00:44:11.11\00:44:13.58
I said, "Well, I'm doing fine.
I'm here in this area now."
00:44:13.62\00:44:17.65
We began to talk and I
bought the container for him
00:44:17.69\00:44:20.22
but then I asked him
00:44:20.26\00:44:21.59
and I said, "How
are you doing, General?"
00:44:21.62\00:44:24.33
He says, "Well, I'm
not doing that well.
00:44:24.36\00:44:29.00
My wife is getting blind
00:44:29.03\00:44:30.90
and I've been
retired for some years."
00:44:30.93\00:44:33.34
Now this is after Revolution,
00:44:33.37\00:44:34.90
about maybe, ten,
yeah, let's see '95,
00:44:34.94\00:44:41.38
ten years after
Revolution or anyway,
00:44:41.41\00:44:45.38
"I'm here by
myself. I'm very lonely.
00:44:45.41\00:44:48.08
I have two sons.
00:44:48.12\00:44:49.45
None of them are
talking to me anymore.
00:44:49.48\00:44:52.02
And I have nobody."
00:44:52.05\00:44:54.82
And he said, "I, once
upon a time I was somebody.
00:44:54.86\00:45:01.76
With a phone call I
could have everything I want.
00:45:01.80\00:45:04.73
Now I'm nobody.
00:45:04.77\00:45:06.10
I get out on the street,
nobody even says hello to me.
00:45:06.13\00:45:09.44
I'm so lonely."
00:45:09.47\00:45:11.57
And I said,
"General, by the way,
00:45:11.61\00:45:13.27
do you believe in God?"
00:45:13.31\00:45:15.74
And he said, "Sure, I do.
00:45:15.78\00:45:17.11
Of course I do, of
course I do believe in God."
00:45:17.15\00:45:20.88
I said, "Interesting."
00:45:20.92\00:45:24.02
Do you have a Bible?"
00:45:24.05\00:45:25.69
"Oh, sure I have a
Bible and I read it everyday."
00:45:25.72\00:45:28.96
I said, "Oh,
that's, that's wonderful."
00:45:28.99\00:45:31.16
I said.
00:45:31.19\00:45:32.89
And I was
debating in my mind to,
00:45:32.93\00:45:36.93
if I, I was thinking to
remind him of what happened.
00:45:36.97\00:45:41.80
But I was
impressed not to do it.
00:45:41.84\00:45:45.81
And I didn't say anything.
00:45:45.84\00:45:47.44
I remember later
on, I visited him.
00:45:47.48\00:45:49.28
We have, my wife,
we took some cookies
00:45:49.31\00:45:53.65
and I took, I think The
Great Controversy for him.
00:45:53.68\00:45:57.32
And basically that was it.
00:45:57.35\00:45:59.82
So you say you
don't know if 15 years
00:45:59.85\00:46:02.76
before if he actually
was just putting on saying
00:46:02.79\00:46:06.66
he didn't believe in God
00:46:06.70\00:46:08.63
or if he didn't had come
to know the Lord afterwards.
00:46:08.66\00:46:13.10
You know,
00:46:13.13\00:46:14.74
I believe that the
picture of life changes.
00:46:14.77\00:46:18.41
Yes.
00:46:18.44\00:46:19.77
And people
change and I don't know,
00:46:19.81\00:46:24.38
only God knows
the hearts of people
00:46:24.41\00:46:27.42
and He's the one
to judge everybody.
00:46:27.45\00:46:29.88
Yes, yes.
00:46:29.92\00:46:31.55
Now you moved from Romania
00:46:31.59\00:46:36.73
to Norway.
00:46:36.76\00:46:38.09
Right.
00:46:38.13\00:46:39.46
Worked in Norway as a pastor?
00:46:39.49\00:46:42.26
Uh, not as a pastor.
Okay, what did you do?
00:46:42.30\00:46:44.27
I worked as a pastor
in Romania for 12 years.
00:46:44.30\00:46:46.97
Then we moved to Norway,
00:46:47.00\00:46:49.27
because I was always interested
00:46:49.30\00:46:50.64
in new ways of
reaching out to people.
00:46:50.67\00:46:52.01
Right.
00:46:52.04\00:46:53.38
And there was
this health institution
00:46:53.41\00:46:55.81
and I wanted to know
00:46:55.84\00:46:57.18
how do they reach out to people
00:46:57.21\00:46:58.98
using health methods.
00:46:59.01\00:47:00.88
And we worked in a health,
in a lifestyle institution
00:47:00.92\00:47:03.02
and then we
moved to United States
00:47:03.05\00:47:07.19
when I came to
study at Loma Linda.
00:47:07.22\00:47:09.66
I came to study health.
00:47:09.69\00:47:11.16
Okay, so you got your
master's in public health there
00:47:11.19\00:47:13.40
and now you're
back pastoring again.
00:47:13.43\00:47:15.86
Yes, I'm back pastoring.
00:47:15.90\00:47:17.23
Just tell us, we've
just got a few minutes left,
00:47:17.27\00:47:20.54
tell us a little bit
about your family now.
00:47:20.57\00:47:24.87
God, He's
brought you full circle.
00:47:24.91\00:47:26.98
You're married
00:47:27.01\00:47:28.34
and how many
children do you have?
00:47:28.38\00:47:29.71
We have one son.
His name is Nathan.
00:47:29.74\00:47:31.25
He finished at Walla Walla
with the health science major.
00:47:31.28\00:47:37.42
He was accepted at Loma
Linda School of dentistry
00:47:37.45\00:47:39.39
but now he took a year
off to go to do mission work
00:47:39.42\00:47:42.26
and he's in Argentina
at La Plata University
00:47:42.29\00:47:45.89
working with them to develop
a health outreach program.
00:47:45.93\00:47:50.87
He'll be back in
the summer to go back,
00:47:50.90\00:47:54.70
to go back to school.
00:47:54.74\00:47:56.07
Okay.
00:47:56.10\00:47:57.44
And Alina, my wife, she's RN
00:47:57.47\00:48:01.74
and works as a nurse
00:48:01.78\00:48:04.55
and helps me with
ministry as much as we can.
00:48:04.58\00:48:07.38
She loves cooking.
00:48:07.42\00:48:11.92
She wrote a
cookbook, vegan cookbook.
00:48:11.95\00:48:14.59
Okay, good.
00:48:14.62\00:48:16.42
So, and I'm assuming that
what your parents did not do,
00:48:16.46\00:48:23.13
you made certain
that with your family
00:48:23.16\00:48:26.23
that you had the
daily devotionals,
00:48:26.27\00:48:28.50
the worship time
so that obviously,
00:48:28.54\00:48:30.94
your son is giving his heart
to the Lord if he has graduated
00:48:30.97\00:48:35.38
and he's doing missionary work
00:48:35.41\00:48:37.05
so was that something that
was terribly important to you
00:48:37.08\00:48:40.08
is to make sure that
you get for your family
00:48:40.12\00:48:42.48
what was not done in yours?
00:48:42.52\00:48:44.89
I think in the
end, and fundamentally,
00:48:44.92\00:48:48.22
being genuine,
it's very important.
00:48:48.26\00:48:50.59
Yes, amen.
00:48:50.63\00:48:52.06
You can't make someone religious
00:48:52.09\00:48:55.90
and we sometime
we fake religion.
00:48:55.93\00:48:58.80
Yes.
00:48:58.83\00:49:00.27
It's not gonna
work and as parents
00:49:00.30\00:49:03.10
if we talk in these terms,
00:49:03.14\00:49:04.81
we have to be
truly, truly genuine.
00:49:04.84\00:49:06.41
Amen.
00:49:06.44\00:49:07.78
And our kids will
see that, they know that.
00:49:07.81\00:49:10.01
Yes. Amen.
00:49:10.05\00:49:11.38
So it's very
important to be authentic.
00:49:11.41\00:49:15.12
One quick question
that I'm gonna reserve.
00:49:15.15\00:49:16.99
First, I want to let you know,
00:49:17.02\00:49:18.85
if you would
like to get in touch
00:49:18.89\00:49:21.12
with Pastor Octavian,
00:49:21.16\00:49:23.53
you can, we got an
address roll for you
00:49:23.56\00:49:25.86
that will let you contact him.
00:49:25.89\00:49:27.96
Maybe you like to have him
come speak even at your church.
00:49:28.00\00:49:31.70
Here's how you may
get in touch with him.
00:49:31.73\00:49:33.17
If you would like
to invite Octavian
00:49:36.00\00:49:37.54
to your church to speak,
or if you like to contact him,
00:49:37.57\00:49:40.24
you can write to
Octavian Poenaru,
00:49:40.28\00:49:42.84
1022 North Elm Street,
00:49:42.88\00:49:44.98
Colville, Washington, 99114.
00:49:45.01\00:49:48.18
That's Octavian Poenaru,
00:49:48.22\00:49:49.78
1022 North Elm Street,
00:49:49.82\00:49:52.05
Colville, Washington, 99114.
00:49:52.09\00:49:55.29
You can call (509) 675-5728.
00:49:55.32\00:49:59.29
That's (509) 675-5728.
00:49:59.33\00:50:03.03
email him at
octavianpoenaru@gmail.com
00:50:03.06\00:50:07.77
octavianpoenaru@gmail.com
00:50:07.80\00:50:14.54
Call or write to him today.
00:50:14.84\00:50:16.44
That's how you may get in touch
with Pastor Octavian Poenaru.
00:50:22.02\00:50:26.65
We only have a
couple of minutes left
00:50:26.69\00:50:28.12
but I have to hear
about your parents.
00:50:28.16\00:50:31.39
Did, when your parents
saw what God did in your life
00:50:31.43\00:50:35.20
and how seeking
first the kingdom of God
00:50:35.23\00:50:38.40
and His
righteousness changed your life,
00:50:38.43\00:50:40.77
what kind of affect
did it have on their's
00:50:40.80\00:50:43.14
or how did God
work in their life?
00:50:43.17\00:50:45.11
I think we all grow in
our relationship with God.
00:50:45.14\00:50:48.64
And I have to say that
00:50:48.68\00:50:50.01
we have to be kind to each other
00:50:50.05\00:50:53.08
and tolerant to each other
00:50:53.11\00:50:54.45
because we have our own,
00:50:54.48\00:50:56.95
God actually is
the one who knows
00:50:56.99\00:50:59.32
what happens in someone's life
00:50:59.35\00:51:01.56
and where do they come from.
00:51:01.59\00:51:03.73
To answer your questions,
00:51:03.76\00:51:05.09
I think my parents have changed.
00:51:05.13\00:51:09.46
I actually have a very good
relationship with my parents.
00:51:09.50\00:51:12.30
They are still alive
00:51:12.33\00:51:13.90
and my father in a special way,
00:51:13.94\00:51:16.40
he has become a very godly man.
00:51:16.44\00:51:18.87
He takes more time, the
fact that he studies more,
00:51:18.91\00:51:23.65
has more time
to commune with God
00:51:23.68\00:51:26.11
in his own personal life,
00:51:26.15\00:51:28.02
that changed him.
00:51:28.05\00:51:29.38
And he confessed that to me.
00:51:29.42\00:51:30.75
He actually said, "Octavian,
00:51:30.79\00:51:33.32
my life has changed by the fact
00:51:33.36\00:51:35.79
that I spend more time
with God in my devotional time."
00:51:35.82\00:51:39.29
Praise the Lord.
00:51:39.33\00:51:40.73
You know, God has,
00:51:40.76\00:51:42.56
I know He must
have had His hand on you
00:51:42.60\00:51:44.33
from the very
beginning because you have a,
00:51:44.37\00:51:49.04
you're compassionate
00:51:49.07\00:51:50.81
but God has given
you uncommon wisdom
00:51:50.84\00:51:52.97
in recognizing human
frailties and dealing with them
00:51:53.01\00:51:56.08
in the way that He does.
00:51:56.11\00:51:57.81
So we're gonna come
back in just a second
00:51:57.85\00:52:00.38
to have a closing
thought from Pastor Octavian.
00:52:00.42\00:52:03.18
But right now,
00:52:03.22\00:52:04.55
we want to go to the
news break and let you know
00:52:04.59\00:52:06.29
what's going on at 3ABN.
00:52:06.32\00:52:07.92