I want to spend my life
00:00:01.33\00:00:07.20
Mending broken people
00:00:07.24\00:00:12.07
I want to spend my life
00:00:12.11\00:00:18.28
Removing pain
00:00:18.31\00:00:23.35
Lord, let my words
00:00:23.39\00:00:29.69
Heal a heart that hurts
00:00:29.72\00:00:34.23
I want to spend my life
00:00:34.30\00:00:39.87
Mending broken people
00:00:39.90\00:00:45.37
I want to spend my life
00:00:45.41\00:00:50.91
Mending broken people.
00:00:50.95\00:00:54.68
Hello, and
welcome to 3ABN Today.
00:01:06.36\00:01:08.20
Thank you for joining us today
as you do each and every day.
00:01:08.23\00:01:11.30
I'm here with Dr Yvonne Lewis.
00:01:11.33\00:01:12.67
We've already been having
fun before we went on air.
00:01:12.70\00:01:15.04
I know, I love it.
00:01:15.07\00:01:16.40
And we've been having fun
00:01:16.44\00:01:17.77
because we're here
with friends, right?
00:01:17.81\00:01:19.14
We're here with people we love.
00:01:19.17\00:01:20.54
Brothers and sisters,
and now we've just added you.
00:01:20.58\00:01:22.18
So we'll have fun together.
00:01:22.21\00:01:23.85
But we have some
special guests today.
00:01:23.91\00:01:25.38
Do you know all
these folk, Yvonne?
00:01:25.41\00:01:26.78
I do. Why don't
you introduce them?
00:01:26.82\00:01:28.82
I am privileged to
know Pastor C.A. Murray
00:01:28.85\00:01:31.75
and his lovely wife Irma Murray.
00:01:31.79\00:01:33.86
Okay.
00:01:33.92\00:01:35.62
They've been my
friends for years and years.
00:01:35.66\00:01:37.73
You know many, many
years, I don't know,
00:01:37.76\00:01:39.43
where you get to
a point with women,
00:01:39.46\00:01:41.16
it's tough to know when to say,
00:01:41.20\00:01:42.73
well, how many
years this or that,
00:01:42.76\00:01:44.83
they get little uptight,
you ever noticed that C.A?
00:01:44.87\00:01:46.80
Very much so.
00:01:46.87\00:01:48.20
And so I won't ask
Yvonne, but how many years
00:01:48.24\00:01:50.64
have you and Yvonne
been known each other now?
00:01:50.67\00:01:53.51
Thirty plus. Thirty
plus, thirty some years.
00:01:53.54\00:01:58.25
Yeah, we were
children. A long time.
00:01:58.28\00:02:01.38
And we'll get into the
story a little bit more here,
00:02:01.42\00:02:03.05
a little bit later on,
00:02:03.08\00:02:04.42
but today we have Irma
and C.A. on for a reason.
00:02:04.45\00:02:07.82
Yvonne and I
have been interviewing
00:02:07.86\00:02:09.66
a number of our 3ABN coworkers
00:02:09.69\00:02:12.36
to kind of get their
behind the scene story.
00:02:12.39\00:02:15.06
As I say, let their hair down,
that doesn't work with C.A.
00:02:15.10\00:02:18.17
And I don't have
a lot of that down,
00:02:18.20\00:02:19.83
but that's just a phrase.
00:02:19.87\00:02:21.44
It doesn't,
don't take it literal,
00:02:21.47\00:02:23.47
but we let our hair down
and just, in fact maybe learn,
00:02:23.51\00:02:26.44
our goal is to learn
something about C.A. and Irma.
00:02:26.47\00:02:30.35
Those of you
watched him for years
00:02:30.41\00:02:32.15
that you didn't already know.
00:02:32.18\00:02:33.78
Now Irma of
course is with Latino.
00:02:33.82\00:02:36.22
She works with Latino.
00:02:36.25\00:02:37.59
And C.A., he's
worn a number of hats
00:02:37.62\00:02:40.02
since he's been here.
00:02:40.06\00:02:41.42
Right now as far as
I know he is the boss,
00:02:41.46\00:02:42.92
what do you think?
00:02:42.96\00:02:44.29
Oh yeah. He's the boss.
00:02:44.33\00:02:45.66
We pretty well do what you say.
00:02:45.69\00:02:47.03
What are some of your--
00:02:47.10\00:02:48.40
Of course you're
general manager of Proclaim.
00:02:48.43\00:02:50.60
But you've been over programming
00:02:50.63\00:02:52.40
for many years, you do lives,
00:02:52.43\00:02:54.07
you do all the remote
stuff on road to GC sessions,
00:02:54.10\00:02:58.27
ASI as you produce some
and oversee, all of that,
00:02:58.31\00:03:01.58
you preach, you
sing, what else he do?
00:03:01.61\00:03:05.81
Have you written any
books yet? He host, he host.
00:03:05.85\00:03:07.72
I've written four.
00:03:07.75\00:03:09.08
He's written four books already.
00:03:09.12\00:03:10.49
Four books, he hosts.
00:03:10.52\00:03:11.85
He hosts programs
00:03:11.89\00:03:13.22
and does he sweep
the floor sometimes.
00:03:13.25\00:03:15.92
I haven't seen him do
that. I've seen him do that.
00:03:15.96\00:03:18.03
He's not about doing that.
00:03:18.06\00:03:19.39
I've seen him do
that in basketball
00:03:19.43\00:03:20.90
with some of
the younger players,
00:03:20.93\00:03:22.23
he sweeps the floor when we go.
00:03:22.26\00:03:23.63
Sometimes I sweep with my face.
00:03:23.67\00:03:25.10
Oh, that kind of
sweeping the floor.
00:03:25.13\00:03:27.00
Yeah, that kind of sweep for us,
00:03:27.04\00:03:28.90
that's a little bit different.
00:03:28.94\00:03:30.57
But, Irma, how long you've
been working with the Latino?
00:03:30.61\00:03:34.18
Oh, 10 years
now, going on 11, yes.
00:03:34.24\00:03:38.41
Not going to ask
you if you like it,
00:03:38.45\00:03:39.85
because I see you're smiling.
00:03:39.88\00:03:41.42
You wouldn't be
anywhere ten years
00:03:41.45\00:03:42.78
if you didn't enjoy, right?
00:03:42.82\00:03:44.15
I have enjoyed. And seen it.
00:03:44.19\00:03:45.95
I definitely,
I've been blessed to.
00:03:45.99\00:03:48.79
You've seen a lot of
growth in Latino, right?
00:03:48.82\00:03:50.99
Yes, absolutely.
00:03:51.03\00:03:52.36
She brings me
contracts, I mean often.
00:03:52.39\00:03:54.93
I wish we were
doing that in English.
00:03:54.96\00:03:56.90
In other parts of the
world like we're doing Latino,
00:03:56.93\00:04:00.54
she brings these
cable contracts C.A.
00:04:00.57\00:04:02.74
And I like I enjoy.
00:04:02.77\00:04:04.11
She'll say, "Can I
come," I say, "Come in,
00:04:04.14\00:04:05.81
come in, come in,
let's sign these things."
00:04:05.84\00:04:07.41
Because we've more
people listening, watching 3ABN.
00:04:07.48\00:04:11.71
That's really
what it's all about.
00:04:11.75\00:04:13.62
So today, it's
kind of a fun program
00:04:13.65\00:04:15.88
but we're going to be
interviewing our own folks,
00:04:15.92\00:04:18.12
brothers and
sisters in the Lord.
00:04:18.15\00:04:19.92
We're going to try to
find out some things about them
00:04:19.95\00:04:22.66
that maybe you
don't already know
00:04:22.69\00:04:24.66
and that's always fun.
00:04:24.69\00:04:26.06
And I'm sure, it
will be a good stuff,
00:04:26.09\00:04:27.40
because I'm sure there
is nothing bad ever happen
00:04:27.50\00:04:29.16
to either one of you in
your lives and everything,
00:04:29.20\00:04:31.77
and make no mistakes
everything has been well.
00:04:31.80\00:04:35.00
Honking door forever. Yeah.
00:04:35.04\00:04:36.67
Okay, Give me some
time to show off right now.
00:04:36.71\00:04:40.24
Well, when we think about that,
we have some special music.
00:04:40.28\00:04:43.21
You know who is
doing our special music?
00:04:43.24\00:04:44.85
I do, Jaime Jorge.
00:04:44.88\00:04:46.88
Incredible, isn't he?
The gift God has given him.
00:04:46.92\00:04:49.32
Anointed, he really
is and he's going to play
00:04:49.35\00:04:51.89
'Leaning on the
Everlasting Arms'.
00:04:51.92\00:04:54.26
Amen. You mean Jorge.
I cannot play like that.
00:07:59.37\00:08:01.88
Well, I can tell you why? Why?
00:08:01.91\00:08:03.48
You haven't spent 35 years
00:08:03.51\00:08:06.35
playing the
violin probably, right?
00:08:06.38\00:08:08.42
Absolutely not.
00:08:08.45\00:08:09.78
And hour after
hour, day after day,
00:08:09.82\00:08:12.22
month after
month, year after year
00:08:12.25\00:08:13.92
and that's what you get.
00:08:13.99\00:08:15.32
That's true.
00:08:15.36\00:08:16.69
God gives us each talents,
and gifts, and abilities.
00:08:16.73\00:08:19.49
In whatever we hone in on,
00:08:19.53\00:08:21.16
it seems like
that's what he blesses
00:08:21.20\00:08:23.37
and so the more we do something
00:08:23.40\00:08:24.83
but now, Jaime can't
sing like you either.
00:08:24.87\00:08:27.47
Well, praise the Lord.
00:08:27.54\00:08:28.87
And, you know, and I'm
sure he hasn't sang nearly
00:08:28.90\00:08:31.54
as much as you have.
00:08:31.57\00:08:32.97
But all of us, you know,
00:08:33.01\00:08:34.34
some of us sing
better than others.
00:08:34.38\00:08:37.25
And I put myself in the
others, not the better than.
00:08:37.28\00:08:40.75
But you have spent
many, many years in music.
00:08:40.82\00:08:45.12
And so God
blesses that, doesn't He?
00:08:45.15\00:08:46.55
He does.
00:08:46.59\00:08:47.92
Even when you were in the world,
00:08:47.96\00:08:49.49
God still blessed your gift,
00:08:49.52\00:08:51.83
because you
kept using your gift.
00:08:51.86\00:08:53.60
God is good.
00:08:53.63\00:08:54.93
And now you get back,
come back to the Lord.
00:08:54.96\00:08:57.17
And there's nothing
like it. It doesn't compare.
00:08:57.23\00:08:59.53
Okay. All right.
00:08:59.57\00:09:00.97
We want to talk about,
00:09:01.00\00:09:02.34
Let's start a
little bit of things
00:09:02.37\00:09:03.74
that people may already know.
00:09:03.77\00:09:05.11
But C.A had something
to do with your coming back
00:09:05.14\00:09:07.91
to joining the Adventist church,
00:09:07.94\00:09:10.48
tell us about it?
00:09:10.51\00:09:11.85
Well my grandmother was--
00:09:11.88\00:09:14.48
had been, she was retired
when I went to her church,
00:09:14.52\00:09:17.72
but she had been the
Bible instructor there
00:09:17.75\00:09:20.62
at the Ephesus Church,
00:09:20.69\00:09:22.56
and she said "We're
getting a new pastor."
00:09:22.59\00:09:26.53
And I've been out of the
church for about 12, 13years.
00:09:26.56\00:09:31.13
And, but I didn't consider--
00:09:31.17\00:09:32.87
I always consider
myself still an Adventist,
00:09:32.90\00:09:35.00
I never--
00:09:35.04\00:09:36.37
I just wasn't going to church,
00:09:36.40\00:09:37.74
but I was
delusional, but anyway.
00:09:37.77\00:09:39.41
So that was a little delusional.
00:09:39.44\00:09:41.74
But--
00:09:41.78\00:09:43.45
So I said, okay, let me
just go and check it out.
00:09:43.48\00:09:46.95
And I went and Pastor
C.A was the new pastor.
00:09:47.02\00:09:52.49
And from that Sabbath on, I
was in church every Sabbath.
00:09:52.52\00:09:57.23
The Lord used him to
bring me back to him.
00:09:57.26\00:09:59.86
And, so he became
my spiritual mentor.
00:09:59.89\00:10:03.87
And I'm so
grateful for his friendship
00:10:03.93\00:10:07.10
and his mentorship over
the years and it's been--
00:10:07.14\00:10:09.87
I was pregnant with Jason
00:10:09.90\00:10:11.87
when and Jason will
be 30 on his birthday.
00:10:11.91\00:10:15.68
Yeah so, I was
praying with Jason
00:10:15.71\00:10:17.75
when I got
baptized by Pastor Murray.
00:10:17.78\00:10:20.62
So that...
00:10:20.68\00:10:22.02
it shows and I even,
and we'll get to that later
00:10:22.05\00:10:24.59
but I was even
with Pastor Murray
00:10:24.62\00:10:27.02
the day he met Irma.
00:10:27.06\00:10:28.39
Oh, really. So we
got to talk about that.
00:10:28.42\00:10:30.59
We can't go way
back. We're gonna go there.
00:10:30.63\00:10:33.76
We're gonna learn a
lot of stuff about C.A.
00:10:33.80\00:10:35.46
Yes.
00:10:35.50\00:10:36.83
One of the things that
I want him to tell about
00:10:36.90\00:10:38.37
that he's
probably never told on TV
00:10:38.40\00:10:40.20
or he might that I
found out about him
00:10:40.27\00:10:43.20
and probably the
audience doesn't know.
00:10:43.24\00:10:45.11
Well, C.A, he can sleep like...
00:10:45.14\00:10:46.94
he can go to sleep,
we were on an airplane
00:10:47.01\00:10:49.61
and like Yvonne, they don't...
00:10:49.64\00:10:51.31
I mean you hardly
get off the runway
00:10:51.35\00:10:52.95
and they can sleep.
00:10:52.98\00:10:54.32
And I mean they like to sleep,
00:10:54.35\00:10:56.05
but you don't sleep when
you're ministering, right?
00:10:56.08\00:10:58.72
You don't set up
front in the chair
00:10:58.75\00:11:01.56
get ready to
preach and go to sleep.
00:11:01.59\00:11:03.56
But I think we've got a story.
00:11:03.63\00:11:05.39
C.A, you feel like confessing,
tell us what happened
00:11:05.43\00:11:08.43
when you were
supposed to be preaching
00:11:08.46\00:11:09.80
at what church, big church?
00:11:09.83\00:11:11.37
Holloway Church in London.
00:11:11.40\00:11:12.73
Oh, the Holloway Church.
Tell us what happened there?
00:11:12.77\00:11:15.70
I flew over to do a short series
00:11:15.74\00:11:19.07
and I've learned since
you don't fly on the day
00:11:19.11\00:11:22.01
you're going to preach.
00:11:22.04\00:11:23.81
So we took off
and flew all night.
00:11:23.85\00:11:28.98
Got to London 11
o'clock or so in the morning.
00:11:29.02\00:11:31.75
And I didn't feel
sleepy, so I'm up.
00:11:31.79\00:11:34.39
You know, when you're up
and you're up and you're up
00:11:34.42\00:11:36.16
and somebody say take a
nap, take a nap, take a nap.
00:11:36.19\00:11:37.99
Well, I'm fine.
00:11:38.03\00:11:39.63
Then you eat this big meal,
00:11:39.66\00:11:41.23
you know just
before you go to church.
00:11:41.26\00:11:44.20
They take you to someone's house
00:11:44.23\00:11:45.57
and they load you
down with food, heavy food.
00:11:45.60\00:11:47.80
Then at 7 o'clock
it's time to preach.
00:11:47.84\00:11:49.94
So I'm sitting on the
pulpit, and there's music,
00:11:49.97\00:11:53.51
and then a scripture then.
00:11:53.54\00:11:55.14
So I hear the music,
00:11:55.18\00:11:56.51
and then the person is
introducing the speaker.
00:11:56.54\00:11:58.41
And I hear them introducing me,
00:11:58.45\00:12:01.52
but I'm leaving the building,
you know, I'm heading out.
00:12:01.55\00:12:05.65
And you can hear
him talking about you,
00:12:05.69\00:12:07.06
you know, but I
couldn't reverse it.
00:12:07.09\00:12:08.76
You know, stomach full of
food, it's warm, you know.
00:12:08.79\00:12:11.46
And I'm just sliding south.
You're the keynote speaker.
00:12:11.49\00:12:13.70
Yeah, I'm the keynote speaker,
00:12:13.73\00:12:15.36
and he said, "All the
way from United States."
00:12:15.40\00:12:17.63
And I was gone. I was gone.
00:12:17.67\00:12:20.30
Now I woke up
and I did 35 minutes.
00:12:20.34\00:12:22.24
To this day I have
no idea what I said.
00:12:22.27\00:12:23.97
You know, I don't know,
but I couldn't reverse it,
00:12:24.01\00:12:26.51
it just caught me.
00:12:26.54\00:12:27.88
And there was nothing
I could do to stop it.
00:12:27.91\00:12:29.24
You know, today they said,
you know, you're on, you know.
00:12:29.28\00:12:32.98
Well, I got up and I
preached, but it was--
00:12:33.01\00:12:34.65
I've known now.
00:12:34.68\00:12:36.38
On the day
you're gonna minister,
00:12:36.42\00:12:37.75
don't fly across
the ocean on that day,
00:12:37.79\00:12:40.16
give yourself one
day, at least one day
00:12:40.22\00:12:41.96
to sort of let
your body get adjusted.
00:12:41.99\00:12:43.43
The same thing
happened to me in London.
00:12:43.49\00:12:46.66
Oh, praise the
Lord, I feel so good.
00:12:46.70\00:12:49.66
I'm so happy. Yeah.
In London, in the '90s.
00:12:49.70\00:12:52.83
And I think, I was at Brixton,
00:12:52.87\00:12:55.07
and I was the musical evangelist
00:12:55.10\00:12:58.07
for one pastor there.
00:12:58.11\00:13:01.61
Well, he was
actually from the States.
00:13:01.64\00:13:03.24
And I flew in on that Sabbath.
00:13:03.28\00:13:06.41
And I got there and I
was okay for a little bit
00:13:06.45\00:13:10.12
but that sitting.
00:13:10.19\00:13:11.52
When you're just
sitting there and you've been.
00:13:11.55\00:13:14.59
And all the adrenalin now
has just kind of calm down.
00:13:14.62\00:13:18.03
And I found myself like,
just like really knocked out,
00:13:18.06\00:13:21.86
so that was, yeah, so
never fly on the day of--
00:13:21.90\00:13:25.20
Yeah. It's a good lesson.
00:13:25.23\00:13:26.57
I'm going to talk
to the white people
00:13:26.60\00:13:27.94
for just a moment.
00:13:27.97\00:13:29.30
Oh my goodness.
I can't believe it.
00:13:29.34\00:13:31.61
Because when you
go to back church,
00:13:31.64\00:13:32.97
I don't care if it's London,
00:13:33.01\00:13:34.34
I don't care if
it's here in America.
00:13:34.38\00:13:36.21
White people,
we get out at noon.
00:13:36.24\00:13:38.05
Usually the churches are noon.
00:13:38.08\00:13:39.55
Now, John, he takes you
to 12:30, 1 o'clock, right?
00:13:39.58\00:13:42.75
So you get a white
person going to a church
00:13:42.78\00:13:46.32
that don't even
start till 1 o'clock,
00:13:46.35\00:13:48.59
they're gonna fall asleep.
00:13:48.62\00:13:49.99
They're either going
to be hungry, fall asleep,
00:13:50.03\00:13:52.16
because they
don't enjoy that setting
00:13:52.19\00:13:54.30
and praising the
Lord and all of that.
00:13:54.30\00:13:56.23
But there's no excuse
for you guys to fall asleep
00:13:56.26\00:13:59.23
because you're used to that.
00:13:59.27\00:14:00.67
You're used to long services,
00:14:00.74\00:14:02.40
and good music, and all of that.
00:14:02.44\00:14:03.81
Oh, my goodness.
00:14:03.84\00:14:05.17
And if you've
gotten some sleep? Yeah.
00:14:05.21\00:14:06.54
Yeah, if you've
gotten some sleep.
00:14:06.57\00:14:07.91
But if you
haven't, it's not gonna--
00:14:07.94\00:14:09.98
When I was at
Ephesus, if I preached...
00:14:10.05\00:14:12.35
Well, first of
all getting out at 12
00:14:12.38\00:14:14.32
meant no sermon,
because I didn't get up till 12.
00:14:14.35\00:14:17.09
Till 12, that's right.
00:14:17.12\00:14:18.55
But, if I preach a 15,
20, and even 30 minute sermon.
00:14:18.59\00:14:21.22
They will say, "Pastor, you're
not feeling so good today,
00:14:21.26\00:14:23.56
you know, did you
have a bad Sabbath?"
00:14:23.63\00:14:25.26
Because they're
expecting a little more,
00:14:25.29\00:14:26.63
but that's just the
different worship experiences.
00:14:26.70\00:14:28.46
It's a cultural thing
00:14:28.50\00:14:29.83
and people tend
to stay in church,
00:14:29.86\00:14:33.00
in black churches
a little bit longer.
00:14:33.03\00:14:34.44
Oh, it's wonderful
over there. I get up.
00:14:34.47\00:14:37.17
When I do the black
churches like London.
00:14:37.21\00:14:39.57
And I get up to preach.
00:14:39.61\00:14:40.94
And I'll say, "I'm
going to tell you something
00:14:40.98\00:14:43.61
I never get to
say at a white church,
00:14:43.65\00:14:45.78
"Good afternoon,"
00:14:45.81\00:14:47.32
because you never get up
to preach after 12 o'clock
00:14:47.38\00:14:51.19
in a white church
that I've been to.
00:14:51.22\00:14:53.19
But it might be 1
o'clock, but you know what,
00:14:53.22\00:14:55.09
nobody's in a hurry.
00:14:55.12\00:14:56.79
And I like that
because we start thinking about
00:14:56.83\00:14:58.79
what's heaven going to be like.
00:14:58.83\00:15:00.36
We're going to get
tired of it, we will say,
00:15:00.43\00:15:01.73
"Well, Jesus,
you know, we have--
00:15:01.76\00:15:03.26
It's kind of been a long
day, we're gonna go rest.
00:15:03.30\00:15:05.87
But these folk come
to worship the Lord.
00:15:05.90\00:15:08.80
They come to have a good time.
People get up and they sing.
00:15:08.84\00:15:12.17
Maybe throw somebody else
in that they hadn't thought,
00:15:12.21\00:15:14.58
hey maybe brother so-and-so.
00:15:14.61\00:15:15.94
Let's sing an extra
song, the preacher is on fire,
00:15:15.98\00:15:18.55
just keep going.
00:15:18.58\00:15:19.91
And people stay
and people worship.
00:15:19.95\00:15:21.78
And I like it so
I have to tell you,
00:15:21.82\00:15:23.69
I'm making confessions good for.
00:15:23.72\00:15:25.42
So I love going to the churches
00:15:25.45\00:15:27.46
where there the
people are serious
00:15:27.49\00:15:28.89
about worshipping the
Lord rather than to go
00:15:28.92\00:15:31.33
and let start exactly
at 9 a.m. or whatever 9:30.
00:15:31.36\00:15:34.83
Now we started at 11 you've got.
00:15:34.86\00:15:36.40
I've had people say you
have 32 minutes to preach,
00:15:36.43\00:15:39.57
31 I mean, why 32?
00:15:39.60\00:15:41.90
It's like, you know,
sometimes like these flights
00:15:41.94\00:15:44.51
you can go
halfway around the world
00:15:44.54\00:15:45.87
and they say 14
hours and 59 minutes.
00:15:45.91\00:15:48.18
Now why didn't they say 15,
00:15:48.21\00:15:49.54
'cause you know
it's not going to be that
00:15:49.58\00:15:51.11
well, that's some
way these churches.
00:15:51.15\00:15:53.15
I was in a big church
00:15:53.18\00:15:54.52
and they gave the
person in front of me
00:15:54.55\00:15:57.05
that was speaking.
00:15:57.09\00:16:00.19
Just I don't know
what he was telling,
00:16:00.22\00:16:01.62
a little mission story.
00:16:01.66\00:16:02.99
They gave him two
minutes and thirty seconds
00:16:03.02\00:16:04.46
and put, put it on
a clock on the pulpit,
00:16:04.49\00:16:07.40
so he could see it.
00:16:07.46\00:16:08.76
And I didn't know it, but
I was standing in the back,
00:16:08.80\00:16:10.77
it's a huge church,
everybody would know who it is.
00:16:10.80\00:16:13.10
And I was
standing and ready to go in
00:16:13.13\00:16:15.04
and I saw this
red light blinking.
00:16:15.07\00:16:17.31
And I said, oh, oh,
that guy whoever it is,
00:16:17.34\00:16:19.27
there must be some emergency,
I'm thinking there's fire,
00:16:19.31\00:16:22.51
there's something going
on, this red lights blinking.
00:16:22.54\00:16:25.35
So I've got
somebody and elder, I said,
00:16:25.38\00:16:27.72
"What's going on,
there's a red light?"
00:16:27.75\00:16:29.08
He said, "Oh, two
minutes and thirty seconds,
00:16:29.12\00:16:31.32
he went ten seconds over."
00:16:31.35\00:16:32.69
So we, they put
a red light on it.
00:16:32.72\00:16:34.36
Oh, my self.
00:16:34.39\00:16:35.72
So now back to the
services, well, I'm blessed
00:16:35.76\00:16:37.89
when I go to churches
00:16:37.93\00:16:39.26
and we can just have
a good time in the Lord.
00:16:39.29\00:16:40.83
And go home when
the service is over.
00:16:40.90\00:16:42.96
I was a preacher at a
church on the jersey shore.
00:16:43.00\00:16:45.07
Predominately white
church, still not exclusively.
00:16:45.10\00:16:47.50
And they invited me
back so I figured that,
00:16:47.54\00:16:49.17
they like what we were
doing and I would tell them,
00:16:49.20\00:16:51.57
when they got me up
about 10 minutes to 12.
00:16:51.61\00:16:53.64
I said, "Now I want you to
know the Lord answers prayer.
00:16:53.68\00:16:56.44
I want you to know that."
00:16:56.48\00:16:57.91
Because there may be
some of you who are praying
00:16:57.95\00:17:00.85
to get out at 12 o'clock.
00:17:00.88\00:17:03.18
I need to tell you
that on this Sabbath,
00:17:03.22\00:17:05.22
that prayer
will not be answered.
00:17:05.25\00:17:08.36
God answered that prayer today,
00:17:08.39\00:17:10.59
so you give me a quarter to
12, I'll pray for 12 o'clock,
00:17:10.66\00:17:13.73
because the Lord is like, "No."
00:17:13.76\00:17:17.57
So we kind of took
our time. All right.
00:17:17.60\00:17:19.43
But God is good.
00:17:19.47\00:17:20.84
So C.A has got lots of stories,
some he probably won't tell,
00:17:20.87\00:17:23.54
but a lot of things has happened
00:17:23.61\00:17:24.94
when you're in
ministry that long in the cities
00:17:24.97\00:17:27.98
and you have big churches.
00:17:28.01\00:17:29.48
But when you look back,
you've got fond memories.
00:17:29.51\00:17:31.75
Oh, yeah. Of all that you did.
00:17:31.78\00:17:33.18
Now tell us a
little, you and Yvonne,
00:17:33.21\00:17:35.12
do you know anything
about C.A that you could tell
00:17:35.15\00:17:38.82
that maybe he hasn't
told that people don't know.
00:17:38.85\00:17:41.79
We talk about he led you
to the Lord, but did he--
00:17:41.82\00:17:44.39
Let me ask you about
singing, did he sing back then,
00:17:44.43\00:17:47.10
did you ever hear him sing?
00:17:47.13\00:17:48.43
You know, not really.
00:17:48.46\00:17:49.80
I didn't really
hear you sing until here,
00:17:49.83\00:17:52.43
until I came here.
00:17:52.47\00:17:53.80
So why? I sang occasionally.
00:17:53.84\00:17:55.17
But not much. Yeah.
After sermons probably.
00:17:55.20\00:17:57.21
But she won't know that
you weren't known to sing.
00:17:57.27\00:17:59.07
I sang after--
00:17:59.11\00:18:00.84
well, when after you
preached, then, you know,
00:18:00.91\00:18:02.84
the congregation
might move you, nice move,
00:18:02.88\00:18:04.71
you kind of get up and
if you don't hit every note,
00:18:04.75\00:18:06.51
nobody cares, because
they're feeling the spirit,
00:18:06.55\00:18:08.48
you know, that kind
of thing, but I sang.
00:18:08.52\00:18:10.12
I didn't hear you
sing a lot though.
00:18:10.15\00:18:11.65
I mean it wasn't
like here where I say,
00:18:11.69\00:18:13.82
here you sing
on a regular basis.
00:18:13.89\00:18:15.32
But there-- Not as much as here.
00:18:15.36\00:18:16.69
You know. Not as much as here.
00:18:16.76\00:18:18.09
Is there reason for
that? Not really, none.
00:18:18.13\00:18:21.80
I had one or two
songs that I sang--
00:18:21.83\00:18:23.67
You knew you could
sing, you just didn't push it.
00:18:23.70\00:18:25.53
Yeah, we did a lot of singing
at Oakwood, I sang in groups,
00:18:25.57\00:18:28.34
always sang in choirs,
choirs and groups at Oakwood.
00:18:28.37\00:18:32.44
More group
singing than solo stuff.
00:18:32.47\00:18:34.81
I didn't really do a lot
of solo stuff till I got here.
00:18:34.84\00:18:37.18
Okay. And you
sort of needled me.
00:18:37.25\00:18:39.01
Let's go back now.
Okay. We're glad we did that.
00:18:39.05\00:18:42.45
Let's go back, find out
where was C.A Murray born.
00:18:42.48\00:18:45.62
Where were you
raised, what area?
00:18:45.65\00:18:46.99
Born in Buffalo, New York.
00:18:47.06\00:18:48.66
Joined the church at age--
00:18:48.69\00:18:50.46
I got baptized at age 10. Ten?
00:18:50.53\00:18:52.53
Tell you quick story.
00:18:52.56\00:18:53.90
We lived next door to
some people, some kids.
00:18:53.93\00:18:55.60
We play with
them six days a week.
00:18:55.63\00:18:57.27
On Saturday, we'd see
everybody get dressed,
00:18:57.33\00:18:59.40
get in his car and
disappear for the whole day.
00:18:59.43\00:19:01.70
And you know
you're seven, eight, nine,
00:19:01.74\00:19:03.94
you just kind of file that,
00:19:03.97\00:19:05.31
we couldn't play
with them on Saturday.
00:19:05.34\00:19:06.71
We couldn't come in the yard
and play with them on Saturday.
00:19:06.74\00:19:08.78
So we moved to
another part of town.
00:19:08.81\00:19:11.58
Moved right across the street
00:19:11.61\00:19:12.95
from, some people did the
exact same weird activity.
00:19:12.98\00:19:14.78
On Saturday morning,
everybody jumped in the car
00:19:14.82\00:19:16.15
and disappear, you
know, just disappear.
00:19:16.18\00:19:18.69
So I asked the fellow,
00:19:18.72\00:19:20.12
the young boy who was of my age,
00:19:20.19\00:19:21.79
his sister was my sister's age.
00:19:21.82\00:19:23.76
"Where do you guys go,
00:19:23.79\00:19:25.13
when you disappear on Saturday?"
00:19:25.16\00:19:26.49
You know, and they say,
"We go to Sabbath school."
00:19:26.53\00:19:27.96
Right, it meant nothing to me.
00:19:27.96\00:19:29.36
So we became
friends, and one day
00:19:29.40\00:19:30.77
they take me to Sabbath school.
00:19:30.80\00:19:32.47
And so I went and it was fun,
00:19:32.50\00:19:35.40
we had a nice
beautiful young teacher there,
00:19:35.44\00:19:37.24
her name was
Susan Mildred Willis
00:19:37.31\00:19:38.87
then, became Mildred Gill.
00:19:38.91\00:19:40.98
And when you got
your lesson right,
00:19:41.01\00:19:42.91
she would stroke your cheek
00:19:42.94\00:19:44.28
and say "Oh, that
is so nice," you know.
00:19:44.31\00:19:46.38
And I saw this,
just touching that,
00:19:46.41\00:19:47.92
you know, she would just like
"Oh, you studied your lesson."
00:19:47.95\00:19:50.22
I say you're next, you come
and getting a stroke, you know.
00:19:50.29\00:19:52.25
So I was waiting for a
question and answer she says,
00:19:52.29\00:19:56.32
"Oh, very good
you did a nice job."
00:19:56.36\00:19:58.79
And I say, "I
like that." You know.
00:19:58.83\00:20:00.90
So I studied my
lesson every week.
00:20:00.93\00:20:02.53
And, then one
day, I just saw myself,
00:20:02.56\00:20:06.07
the pastor made a call,
00:20:06.10\00:20:07.44
so I'm myself
walking to the front,
00:20:07.50\00:20:08.84
I think I was
ten. I just turned ten.
00:20:08.87\00:20:10.61
And my mother said,
"Well, we're not doing that,
00:20:10.67\00:20:12.57
we're AME.
00:20:12.61\00:20:14.08
But if you want to do that fine,
00:20:14.14\00:20:15.64
and we won't stop you.
00:20:15.68\00:20:17.01
So every Sabbath, I went
to church with this family
00:20:17.05\00:20:18.68
across the street
00:20:18.71\00:20:20.08
and that's how we
sort of got started.
00:20:20.12\00:20:22.32
Okay, so your parents obviously,
00:20:22.35\00:20:24.39
were they Christians,
they weren't Adventist.
00:20:24.42\00:20:25.75
They were Christians, well,
they were holiday Methodist.
00:20:25.79\00:20:28.69
You know.
00:20:28.72\00:20:30.09
Easter, Christmas, half day
on Thanksgiving kind of thing,
00:20:30.13\00:20:34.50
live church, and
my dad was kind of
00:20:34.56\00:20:36.43
old robots on Sunday morning.
00:20:36.46\00:20:37.80
You know that
was enough for him.
00:20:37.83\00:20:39.33
But I baptized my
mom, baptized my dad
00:20:39.37\00:20:43.64
one month before he had
a heart attack and died.
00:20:43.67\00:20:46.47
And then my sister
joined the church too.
00:20:46.51\00:20:47.94
So I kind of led that
whole, you know, Exodus
00:20:47.98\00:20:51.71
into the
Seventh-day Adventist church.
00:20:51.75\00:20:53.21
Wow.
00:20:53.25\00:20:54.58
What was it like being
the only one in your family
00:20:54.62\00:20:58.49
that was Adventist?
00:20:58.52\00:21:01.09
They were supportive,
00:21:01.12\00:21:02.46
but they weren't going
to make any changes for me.
00:21:02.49\00:21:04.86
My mother said if
that's what you want to do,
00:21:04.89\00:21:06.26
we will support you.
00:21:06.29\00:21:07.73
My family were
great football people,
00:21:07.76\00:21:09.26
so I'd come home in the fall.
00:21:09.30\00:21:10.63
My sister watching television
in her bedroom with her own TV.
00:21:10.67\00:21:14.14
My dad watching
television in the living room
00:21:14.20\00:21:16.30
and my mother
watching another TV,
00:21:16.34\00:21:17.81
because they
couldn't watch together.
00:21:17.84\00:21:19.34
Because my mother
wanted it totally quiet.
00:21:19.37\00:21:21.51
And my sister
screamed at the TV.
00:21:21.54\00:21:23.51
She was screaming,
throw stuff at the television.
00:21:23.55\00:21:25.38
And my dad just
couldn't take that
00:21:25.41\00:21:26.78
so I had to wade my way
00:21:26.82\00:21:28.15
past three television
sets to go to my bedroom,
00:21:28.18\00:21:29.98
basically lock myself in
on Sabbath kind of thing.
00:21:30.05\00:21:32.45
And I envy people who
would have Sabbath dinner.
00:21:32.49\00:21:34.86
And you know come home
00:21:34.89\00:21:36.22
and have a whole
Sabbath atmosphere,
00:21:36.26\00:21:37.59
because I didn't have that.
00:21:37.63\00:21:38.96
They didn't fight against me
00:21:38.99\00:21:40.36
but they didn't make any
particular provisions for me.
00:21:40.40\00:21:42.93
You know, if you want
to do this, we're fine.
00:21:42.96\00:21:44.93
What I didn't know
00:21:44.97\00:21:46.30
is that they were
watching my behavior,
00:21:46.33\00:21:47.67
you know, over the
years watching my behavior,
00:21:47.70\00:21:49.30
watching my behavior.
00:21:49.34\00:21:50.67
And I did a week of prayer.
00:21:50.74\00:21:52.41
And it was funny
because I was in a ministry,
00:21:52.44\00:21:54.84
did a week of prayer.
00:21:54.88\00:21:56.21
And I wanted my
mother to join the church.
00:21:56.24\00:21:59.25
And I knew she was ready to go.
But she was resisting the Lord.
00:21:59.28\00:22:02.58
So I did an
appeal for 35 minutes.
00:22:02.62\00:22:05.55
I said, "You're getting
out of that chair tonight
00:22:05.59\00:22:08.06
and I feel bad for the
rest of congregation, said,
00:22:08.09\00:22:09.92
she's getting up
tonight after 35 minutes,
00:22:09.96\00:22:12.06
because she's
crying and you know,
00:22:12.09\00:22:13.43
rocking and crying,
and rocking and crying...
00:22:13.50\00:22:15.00
I know she's ready to go.
00:22:15.03\00:22:16.36
You know, I said, I'm gonna--
00:22:16.40\00:22:17.73
I took her to the cross.
00:22:17.77\00:22:19.10
I took her to hell, I
did everything I could,
00:22:19.13\00:22:22.00
and finally she stood up.
00:22:22.04\00:22:23.37
I said, thank God.
00:22:23.41\00:22:24.74
Let stand up for a
benediction. All right.
00:22:24.77\00:22:26.31
And when she joined the church,
it was the greatest thing.
00:22:26.34\00:22:28.58
She loved up until she passed.
00:22:28.61\00:22:30.41
She loved being a
Seventh-day Adventist,
00:22:30.45\00:22:32.45
she loved it.
00:22:32.48\00:22:33.82
But I knew she was ready.
00:22:33.88\00:22:35.22
But the Lord just had
to kind of work on her,
00:22:35.25\00:22:37.15
so I apologized
for the congregation,
00:22:37.19\00:22:39.35
35 minute appeal.
00:22:39.39\00:22:40.72
That's almost another sermon,
00:22:40.76\00:22:42.09
but I said she's
joining the church tonight.
00:22:42.12\00:22:43.49
And she did.
00:22:43.53\00:22:44.86
That's exactly the kind
of stuff we want to find out,
00:22:44.89\00:22:46.53
right?
00:22:46.56\00:22:47.86
That we don't know exactly.
Now you went to college.
00:22:47.93\00:22:50.20
I heard you
played a little hoop,
00:22:50.23\00:22:51.57
did you?
00:22:51.60\00:22:52.93
Went on the
basketball scholarship,
00:22:52.97\00:22:54.30
and you know it's funny
when you know to do right.
00:22:54.34\00:22:56.87
To him that knows to do it right
00:22:56.94\00:22:58.87
and do it right even
his present abomination.
00:22:58.91\00:23:02.44
Broke my ankle,
left ankle, same ankle,
00:23:02.48\00:23:04.48
same break two years in a
row, both on Friday night.
00:23:04.51\00:23:07.02
Hard headed, you know,
and the pastor told me,
00:23:07.05\00:23:08.68
said C.A, "You know better.
00:23:08.72\00:23:10.39
The Lord will let
you break your ankle,
00:23:10.42\00:23:11.75
keep you from
breaking your neck.
00:23:11.79\00:23:13.12
But the first time I
broke it, I didn't know it.
00:23:13.15\00:23:15.02
I got to go back into
the game and I fell over.
00:23:15.06\00:23:17.79
And I knew it was broken,
the second I heard a snap,
00:23:17.83\00:23:19.73
I knew it was the same
break, and the doctor said,
00:23:19.76\00:23:21.50
it's very unusual
to get the same break
00:23:21.53\00:23:23.73
you know the x
rays formally said,
00:23:23.77\00:23:25.17
that's almost the same break.
00:23:25.20\00:23:26.53
Very unusual
because usually it heals,
00:23:26.57\00:23:28.17
you get little
extra calcium there.
00:23:28.20\00:23:29.54
He said, that's
the exact same break.
00:23:29.57\00:23:30.91
And I said, that was the Lord.
00:23:30.94\00:23:32.97
Next time it's
going to be your neck.
00:23:33.01\00:23:34.48
So I got the
message, I heard him.
00:23:34.51\00:23:36.81
And I transferred
from my scholarship
00:23:36.85\00:23:38.91
to Oakwood and
graduated from Oakwood College.
00:23:38.95\00:23:40.88
Okay. Yeah.
00:23:40.92\00:23:42.25
When did you decide you
wanted to be a minister?
00:23:42.28\00:23:44.89
By the age of 11.
00:23:44.92\00:23:46.25
Really? Wow. Yeah.
00:23:46.29\00:23:47.62
I always knew,
00:23:47.66\00:23:48.99
we had a little
birdie fall out of the nest.
00:23:49.02\00:23:50.59
And all of our friends,
00:23:50.63\00:23:52.19
we got together had a
little funeral for him.
00:23:52.23\00:23:54.23
You know and I
did the eulogy. Okay.
00:23:54.30\00:23:56.43
We got little piano, you
know, we had a little drum.
00:23:56.46\00:23:58.63
And it was a
little 12 key pianos,
00:23:58.67\00:24:01.77
and we all had, you know,
we dug, we got a cigar box
00:24:01.80\00:24:04.67
and dug just a little
grave for the little birdie
00:24:04.71\00:24:06.37
and we had this long up.
00:24:06.41\00:24:07.74
Got my Bible out
and had little eulogy
00:24:07.78\00:24:09.28
for the little bird, you
know, that kind of thing.
00:24:09.31\00:24:10.75
And from then on, it
always occurred to me.
00:24:10.78\00:24:12.51
Yeah.
00:24:12.55\00:24:13.92
Yeah, that's kind
of what I want to do.
00:24:13.95\00:24:15.28
It was the
basketball thing gotten away
00:24:15.32\00:24:16.69
and free education.
00:24:16.72\00:24:18.05
You know, Satan can
put all this kind of stuff
00:24:18.09\00:24:19.42
in front of you.
00:24:19.45\00:24:20.79
Sure. So we got
kind of sidetracked.
00:24:20.82\00:24:23.26
But we got back on track
and the Lord helped us out.
00:24:23.29\00:24:25.86
What do you think has
been the biggest challenge
00:24:25.89\00:24:28.76
that you faced in
ministry that you can share?
00:24:28.80\00:24:31.57
Oh, my soul.
Please don't use my name.
00:24:31.60\00:24:36.71
Okay, so the
second biggest challenge.
00:24:36.77\00:24:38.31
Yeah, the second
bigggest challenge.
00:24:38.34\00:24:39.67
Second biggest.
00:24:39.71\00:24:42.74
I think the biggest
challenge for any pastor
00:24:42.78\00:24:46.01
is not getting so caught up
in doing the work of the Lord
00:24:46.05\00:24:50.19
that you forget about your
relationship with the Lord.
00:24:50.25\00:24:52.69
It's very easy for anyone
who is involved in ministry
00:24:52.72\00:24:56.83
to substitute doing
God stuff, for doing God.
00:24:56.89\00:25:02.00
And you can get
involved in the stuff of God,
00:25:02.03\00:25:04.33
the trappings, the accoutrements
00:25:04.37\00:25:06.23
and forget about
your relationship.
00:25:06.27\00:25:07.84
And that has
always been picking,
00:25:07.87\00:25:09.20
I've got to Ephesus,
you got 2000 members.
00:25:09.24\00:25:11.84
You got two days
00:25:11.87\00:25:13.21
when you're just
visiting sick people, you know.
00:25:13.24\00:25:14.94
Then you've got prayer meeting,
00:25:14.98\00:25:16.31
then you've got sermon for
over, then you got Sabbath,
00:25:16.34\00:25:17.68
then you got all
day Sunday in meetings.
00:25:17.71\00:25:19.55
And you can get so up
00:25:19.58\00:25:21.15
on that treadmill
that you forget about,
00:25:21.18\00:25:22.62
you need some one on one
time with you and the Lord.
00:25:22.65\00:25:24.59
And that's the challenge,
and it's a challenge here too
00:25:24.62\00:25:27.06
because 3ABN can envelop you.
00:25:27.09\00:25:28.92
And you've got to take some time
00:25:28.96\00:25:30.33
for a personal development.
00:25:30.36\00:25:31.69
I think anybody
who is in ministry
00:25:31.73\00:25:33.06
needs to separate
the work of the Lord
00:25:33.09\00:25:35.30
from personal
relationship with the Lord.
00:25:35.33\00:25:37.27
And if you don't
have the relationship,
00:25:37.33\00:25:38.80
the work is
actually going to suffer
00:25:38.83\00:25:40.20
because you're not in right
relationship with the Lord.
00:25:40.24\00:25:42.14
It's good. You
get out at Oakwood.
00:25:42.17\00:25:44.74
You're looking, you're ready
for ministry, you graduated.
00:25:44.77\00:25:47.54
Where is your first church?
00:25:47.58\00:25:50.51
A couple of weeks at Stanford,
Connecticut and then Bethel.
00:25:50.55\00:25:54.08
That's where I met
Loamy. In Bethel, isn't it?
00:25:54.12\00:25:56.65
In Brooklyn, Bethel
in Brooklyn New York.
00:25:56.69\00:25:59.09
Membership at that
time was about 1200.
00:25:59.12\00:26:01.59
And met John
Lomacang, Pastor John Nixon,
00:26:01.62\00:26:05.49
the Nixon family.
00:26:05.53\00:26:06.86
You were young
then. That's a big church.
00:26:06.93\00:26:08.53
Yeah, it's a big church.
00:26:08.56\00:26:10.07
I was associate pastor,
and then the senior pastor left
00:26:10.10\00:26:13.13
and they let me pastor
it by myself for a long time
00:26:13.17\00:26:15.80
until the senior
pastor came, but I was thirty,
00:26:15.84\00:26:18.04
no, no, I was 24.
00:26:18.07\00:26:20.41
Yeah. Yeah, yeah, 24.
00:26:20.48\00:26:22.38
And we had a basketball
team and all these guys around,
00:26:22.41\00:26:24.68
Lomacang and all these guys.
00:26:24.71\00:26:26.05
And I kept them in church
00:26:26.08\00:26:27.42
because I realize although
they all had night life.
00:26:27.45\00:26:29.82
You know these guys are
out running on the streets.
00:26:29.85\00:26:31.19
Even Pastor John? Y'all please.
00:26:31.22\00:26:34.79
John used to put party favors.
00:26:34.82\00:26:36.86
The announcements for the new,
00:26:36.93\00:26:38.56
for the parties
inside the church bulletins.
00:26:38.59\00:26:40.43
I just found out a
couple of weeks ago.
00:26:40.50\00:26:42.20
Saturday night parties.
00:26:42.23\00:26:43.57
Yeah, he was to held
Saturday night parties.
00:26:43.63\00:26:44.97
He'd stick them in
the church bulletin,
00:26:45.00\00:26:46.33
so all...
00:26:46.37\00:26:47.70
And I knew those
guys were doing stuff.
00:26:47.74\00:26:49.07
Well, my thing was, if
I can keep them coming,
00:26:49.10\00:26:50.91
if I can keep
them close to the Lord.
00:26:50.94\00:26:53.01
Maybe the Lord can
grab a hold of them,
00:26:53.04\00:26:54.71
so we said if you don't show
up in church in the morning,
00:26:54.74\00:26:57.55
you can't play on
the basketball team
00:26:57.61\00:26:58.98
Saturday night.
00:26:59.01\00:27:00.45
And that was enough to
get them in that building.
00:27:00.48\00:27:03.28
And then I gave,
I made them deacons.
00:27:03.32\00:27:05.22
And I knew they weren't
deacon material, you know.
00:27:05.25\00:27:08.39
But I needed them
to be in the building.
00:27:08.42\00:27:10.39
And they were in the building,
00:27:10.46\00:27:11.79
and most of those guys
are in ministry or teaching
00:27:11.83\00:27:15.46
or doing
something for the Lord now
00:27:15.50\00:27:17.37
because I felt, they
just had to be near the Lord.
00:27:17.40\00:27:20.24
One of the gifts
that God has given you
00:27:20.27\00:27:22.40
is the ability to kind
of assess where people are
00:27:22.44\00:27:27.51
and then meet them there.
00:27:27.58\00:27:29.34
And that, and to help to
guide as you're just coming back
00:27:29.38\00:27:35.35
or if you're out in the
world like, you're very,
00:27:35.38\00:27:38.52
God has given you that
gift and it's a wonderful gift.
00:27:38.55\00:27:41.26
Praise the Lord. Really is.
00:27:41.29\00:27:42.62
God bless.
Praise the Lord. Yeah.
00:27:42.66\00:27:44.53
He has numerous gifts
00:27:44.56\00:27:46.13
and he keeps
developing them over the years.
00:27:46.16\00:27:49.46
So, you're pastor
00:27:49.50\00:27:51.93
and you're pastor
for a number of years,
00:27:51.97\00:27:53.80
then Yvonne said
something I caught on my ear
00:27:53.84\00:27:56.97
early in the program.
00:27:57.01\00:27:58.34
She said in fact,
00:27:58.37\00:27:59.71
"I was with C.A
when he met Irma."
00:27:59.74\00:28:01.58
So I think now
it may be the time,
00:28:01.61\00:28:03.58
then we can
bring Irma in on this.
00:28:03.61\00:28:05.21
Good. May be you
tell us that story.
00:28:05.25\00:28:07.68
Well we were in
Kingston I think.
00:28:07.72\00:28:14.09
Ellenville.
00:28:14.12\00:28:15.46
Was it Ellenville,
'cause the Martells...
00:28:15.49\00:28:18.49
That's all New
York. In New York.
00:28:18.53\00:28:19.86
For those of us--
00:28:19.89\00:28:21.20
I'm sorry, I'm
sorry. We don't know.
00:28:21.23\00:28:22.56
Upstate New York. It's
New York. It's New York.
00:28:22.60\00:28:24.80
About 100 miles
north of New York City.
00:28:24.83\00:28:26.37
Yeah, 'cause they
had the Kingston Church
00:28:26.40\00:28:28.54
and they had Ellenville Church.
00:28:28.57\00:28:29.94
It was a district. The Martells.
00:28:30.01\00:28:31.51
And so Pastor Martell,
who is a dear friend of ours
00:28:31.54\00:28:37.75
and, so he invited
Pastor C.A to come and speak.
00:28:37.78\00:28:42.55
And that was it.
00:28:42.58\00:28:44.55
And I don't even know how--
00:28:44.59\00:28:45.99
While I lived
out that way anyway.
00:28:46.02\00:28:47.69
So I want to
support you and them
00:28:47.72\00:28:50.16
and to hear you
speak and everything.
00:28:50.23\00:28:52.83
And there was a
lovely young lady there.
00:28:52.86\00:28:56.13
And I remember Pastor C.A
00:28:56.16\00:28:58.70
saying "Who is that?"
00:28:58.73\00:29:03.44
You know, it happened,
00:29:03.47\00:29:04.81
it was the first night
of an evangelistic crusade.
00:29:04.84\00:29:07.01
So we were all
there to kind of support.
00:29:07.04\00:29:09.04
And she doesn't admit this
but we were all sitting there
00:29:09.08\00:29:12.28
and this little
Honda comes flying by
00:29:12.31\00:29:14.85
with this cloud
of dust, you know.
00:29:14.88\00:29:17.42
She's running a little late.
00:29:17.45\00:29:18.79
And I said, first I
said, "Who is that?"
00:29:18.82\00:29:21.49
You know, there's cloud of dust,
00:29:21.52\00:29:22.89
you know, when she got
out, I said, "Who is that?"
00:29:22.92\00:29:25.79
Kind of thing. In changed tone.
00:29:25.83\00:29:27.50
I've got a picture,
00:29:27.56\00:29:28.96
I think they've got
the very first picture.
00:29:29.00\00:29:31.00
I had my long lens
camera, and during prayer,
00:29:31.03\00:29:34.30
I shot that picture--
00:29:34.34\00:29:35.67
During prayer?
00:29:35.70\00:29:37.04
All the way across the
street, I got to put the word.
00:29:37.11\00:29:38.54
This is true confession.
00:29:38.57\00:29:40.11
During prayer, I said, I
train my camera over there
00:29:40.18\00:29:42.88
and I took that picture.
00:29:42.91\00:29:44.71
I said, "I don't know if
I'm gonna see her again."
00:29:44.75\00:29:46.61
But good night,
00:29:46.65\00:29:47.98
and so I said let me take
this picture during prayer.
00:29:48.02\00:29:50.49
And I've got that
picture up, that picture is...
00:29:50.52\00:29:52.49
that was 1993.
00:29:52.52\00:29:53.86
And your kids
listening, don't listen to that.
00:29:53.89\00:29:55.99
Yeah, don't listen to that part.
00:29:56.02\00:29:57.56
You didn't hear,
don't look up now...
00:29:57.63\00:29:59.23
Just took a picture of
her. Okay, so you got that.
00:29:59.26\00:30:02.76
So how, tell us about how--
00:30:02.80\00:30:04.50
What did you say, your
perspective how did they?
00:30:04.53\00:30:07.77
Well, I think, it
just began to blossom.
00:30:07.80\00:30:10.67
I think you asked a
few questions about her
00:30:10.71\00:30:13.27
and found out about
her from the Martells,
00:30:13.34\00:30:15.64
because the Martells knew Irma.
00:30:15.68\00:30:18.25
And they knew what a
lovely person she was
00:30:18.28\00:30:20.78
and so they were
encouraging, this I believe--
00:30:20.82\00:30:24.15
You didn't talk that first time
00:30:24.19\00:30:25.52
when you were
taking her picture,
00:30:25.55\00:30:26.89
when you were stalking her.
00:30:26.92\00:30:28.26
That night we
talked till midnight.
00:30:28.29\00:30:29.62
What happened was--
00:30:29.66\00:30:30.99
When he was stalking her--
When you were stalking her--
00:30:31.03\00:30:34.36
Now, you know,
taking pictures of her--
00:30:34.40\00:30:37.73
May be that's a little stretch.
00:30:37.77\00:30:39.10
Yeah, that's a
little stretch right there.
00:30:39.13\00:30:40.47
You know, a
long telescope. Okay.
00:30:40.50\00:30:41.84
What had happen,
Kevin had gone to AC,
00:30:41.87\00:30:43.97
and had gotten himself
into a little trouble with AC.
00:30:44.04\00:30:46.17
And Kevin?
00:30:46.21\00:30:47.54
Kevin is her son
00:30:47.58\00:30:48.91
and who is now a
pastor in Bakersfield Church
00:30:48.94\00:30:50.51
and worked here at
3ABN for quite a while.
00:30:50.58\00:30:53.65
And I happen to
know the Dean Bruce Wells
00:30:53.68\00:30:57.75
of the other school who
was a classmate of mine.
00:30:57.79\00:31:00.89
So she was trying to
get some help for Kevin,
00:31:00.96\00:31:04.36
because she knew
he was a good child.
00:31:04.39\00:31:06.49
But he had gotten
himself in some hot water.
00:31:06.53\00:31:08.63
And we're trying to see
if we could work it out,
00:31:08.66\00:31:10.13
and I knew some people,
and she knew some people.
00:31:10.17\00:31:11.80
So in dealing with that, I
was also getting information,
00:31:11.83\00:31:15.30
you know, about stuff.
00:31:15.34\00:31:16.91
And yeah...
00:31:16.97\00:31:20.68
Okay.
00:31:20.74\00:31:22.08
So that was kind of
the first, the first night,
00:31:22.11\00:31:23.95
it went, the conversation
went for a quite a long time.
00:31:24.01\00:31:25.91
Okay, now we get--
00:31:25.95\00:31:27.28
We talked for a while.
00:31:27.32\00:31:28.65
Now we get to switch over
00:31:28.68\00:31:30.05
and that's what we
want to hear from Irma now.
00:31:30.09\00:31:31.59
Now you come flying in
leaving dust everywhere.
00:31:31.62\00:31:35.12
Yes, like Kandy Oakley.
00:31:35.16\00:31:36.49
And now, when did you spot him,
00:31:36.52\00:31:37.93
when did he catch your eye.
00:31:37.96\00:31:39.29
And when did you
take pictures of him
00:31:39.33\00:31:41.23
during prayer?
00:31:41.26\00:31:43.33
I did not. Oh you didn't.
00:31:43.40\00:31:44.73
Okay. No, that's a funny story.
00:31:44.77\00:31:47.40
He always says that I
drove crazy, you know.
00:31:47.47\00:31:50.84
But credit to
that, it was very dusty.
00:31:50.87\00:31:54.34
Oh, okay.
00:31:54.38\00:31:55.71
That because they
had put rocks and gravel
00:31:55.74\00:31:58.81
and whatever.
00:31:58.85\00:32:00.25
So we have to--
00:32:00.32\00:32:01.65
She wasn't going 90,
she was just going 70.
00:32:01.68\00:32:03.02
It was a tent meeting,
00:32:03.05\00:32:04.39
so there was a
lot of dust there.
00:32:04.42\00:32:05.82
Yes, it was. All right.
00:32:05.85\00:32:07.89
The road to get to the back
to the parking was not far away
00:32:07.92\00:32:11.93
but it's right
there next to the tent.
00:32:11.96\00:32:14.73
And I was a little
late. Late. A little.
00:32:14.76\00:32:21.17
The truth comes
out, yes, indeed.
00:32:21.20\00:32:22.64
A little late.
00:32:22.67\00:32:24.01
Cloud of dust in a
hotty high old silver.
00:32:24.07\00:32:27.94
Not because I wanted to be late,
00:32:27.98\00:32:30.01
but my friend stood me up.
00:32:30.05\00:32:32.28
She did remember, you do met...
00:32:32.31\00:32:33.88
Okay. Mona.
00:32:33.92\00:32:36.22
No, not Mona. Elena.
00:32:36.25\00:32:38.09
It was Elena, Elena Borsuk.
00:32:38.12\00:32:40.32
It's our first
introduction on 3ABN
00:32:40.36\00:32:42.62
that she stood you up.
00:32:42.66\00:32:44.23
You are on a
really bad road right now.
00:32:44.29\00:32:45.63
Sorry, sorry.
00:32:45.66\00:32:47.00
It's kind of one
of those programs,
00:32:47.03\00:32:48.36
"This is your life."
00:32:48.40\00:32:51.37
She says, "I'll be right there."
00:32:51.40\00:32:53.67
and he said, "We'll
go to support the pastor,
00:32:53.70\00:32:55.77
'cause pastor might
tell which is our friend.
00:32:55.80\00:32:59.47
We were very good friends,
and it was his first night.
00:32:59.51\00:33:04.81
So I was ready
and waiting for her
00:33:04.85\00:33:07.22
and she never came.
00:33:07.25\00:33:08.85
And I sat watching TV,
and I got up again and I--
00:33:08.88\00:33:12.79
so it's, you know, I
have, my house is clean,
00:33:12.82\00:33:15.46
I'm ready to go.
00:33:15.49\00:33:17.13
I should go.
00:33:17.16\00:33:18.53
But because I wasn't comfortable
00:33:18.56\00:33:22.06
to just drive on myself.
00:33:22.10\00:33:24.07
I fought it, but
the Lord insist on it,
00:33:24.13\00:33:28.24
'cause finally,
you know, I felt like,
00:33:28.27\00:33:30.27
you know, I have to go.
00:33:30.31\00:33:31.74
And so I got in
the car and I went,
00:33:31.77\00:33:33.98
and probably because I
was driving a little fast
00:33:34.04\00:33:38.01
simply because of it.
00:33:38.05\00:33:39.38
Okay, well.
00:33:39.41\00:33:40.78
Cloud of dust, you
would have thought about
00:33:40.82\00:33:42.15
and you erupted,
there's so much there.
00:33:42.18\00:33:43.52
So when you, that
cloud of dust settles down
00:33:43.55\00:33:45.85
and you're, Who was
preaching that night?
00:33:45.89\00:33:47.26
Where you preaching C.A?
00:33:47.32\00:33:48.66
No, actually,
Martell was preaching,
00:33:48.69\00:33:50.03
I came to support him.
00:33:50.06\00:33:51.39
Okay, I thought it was
you. You were taking pictures.
00:33:51.43\00:33:53.29
I was taking
pictures for the gleaner,
00:33:53.36\00:33:55.13
for the magazine.
00:33:55.16\00:33:56.50
So that kind of explains
why he was taking pictures
00:33:56.53\00:33:58.97
during prayer that day.
00:33:59.00\00:34:00.64
That's a little
better, 'cause you were there
00:34:00.67\00:34:02.10
taking pictures of the event.
00:34:02.14\00:34:03.71
For the union, for the
event. It was all very official.
00:34:03.74\00:34:05.11
Sometimes you get
people praying, we have taken--
00:34:05.14\00:34:08.08
okay.
00:34:08.11\00:34:09.44
Okay, all is forgiven,
right? Praise the Lord.
00:34:09.48\00:34:11.61
Young people,
you can listen again.
00:34:11.65\00:34:13.28
That sounds much
better. Yeah, sounds good.
00:34:13.31\00:34:14.82
So when did he spotted
you, but when did you spot him?
00:34:14.85\00:34:18.09
I didn't spot him
because I was not interested.
00:34:18.12\00:34:21.46
Tell you the truth, I was not,
00:34:21.49\00:34:23.93
I was a very
studious person of the Bible.
00:34:23.96\00:34:28.80
And I had, had a
very bad marriage.
00:34:28.83\00:34:31.87
Okay.
00:34:31.90\00:34:33.23
So you weren't interested
in anybody, it wasn't just him.
00:34:33.30\00:34:35.37
No, I have said to the Lord,
I said "If I'm to marry again,
00:34:35.40\00:34:40.04
you have to bring that
person right in front of me
00:34:40.08\00:34:42.51
that I really know
that, that's the person."
00:34:42.54\00:34:45.01
Because I didn't want to
make another bad mistake.
00:34:45.05\00:34:47.48
I said, "Lord, you
know, I didn't choose right.
00:34:47.52\00:34:49.78
So I don't want
to do it this time."
00:34:49.82\00:34:51.89
So I was not, I
just want to really,
00:34:51.92\00:34:54.82
honestly hear the messages.
00:34:54.86\00:34:57.19
But then they
introduced me to him
00:34:57.23\00:35:00.83
and at night, you
know, after the meeting.
00:35:00.86\00:35:03.87
And it was a wonderful thing
00:35:03.90\00:35:06.03
that this pastor was
so interested in to know
00:35:06.07\00:35:09.87
how my son was doing,
and wanted to help it so...
00:35:09.90\00:35:14.31
Yeah, look at him.
00:35:14.34\00:35:15.68
Wish we had a
camera shot on that.
00:35:15.71\00:35:17.35
He had a little ulterior motive
may be, just a little bit.
00:35:17.38\00:35:20.35
Look, look little
sheepish over there.
00:35:20.42\00:35:22.65
Okay. To me that
was just amazing.
00:35:22.68\00:35:24.39
So that's when you
guys talk for hours.
00:35:24.42\00:35:25.89
Yeah, yeah.
00:35:25.92\00:35:27.26
Yes, so we were talking
and he offered to pray for,
00:35:27.29\00:35:30.63
you knowing to call
me and pray for my son--
00:35:30.66\00:35:32.59
I'm going to
need a phone number,
00:35:32.63\00:35:34.00
because I've got
to minister to you.
00:35:34.00\00:35:35.33
I did know that my
friends on the other end,
00:35:39.07\00:35:42.20
they were all
giggling, and talking, and so.
00:35:42.24\00:35:45.61
Finally when, you know,
it was over the conversation.
00:35:45.64\00:35:48.98
And I was going my
way, and him his way, then,
00:35:49.01\00:35:53.42
you know, Pastor Martell.
00:35:53.48\00:35:57.29
He says, "Well, that's
the long conversation."
00:35:57.35\00:36:00.69
So because Pastor
Martell would always tell you,
00:36:00.72\00:36:04.29
said, boy, "she only says a
lot to the man and she's gone."
00:36:04.36\00:36:09.13
We've been trying to
get her to meet these guys
00:36:09.16\00:36:12.53
and she just so goes.
00:36:12.57\00:36:15.84
So he was amazed
that I spent so much time,
00:36:15.87\00:36:18.51
but I said no way.
00:36:18.54\00:36:19.87
He wants to help
me out with Kevin.
00:36:19.91\00:36:22.51
I'm very worried about Kevin.
00:36:22.54\00:36:24.05
And then you know what happened?
00:36:24.08\00:36:25.41
The next Sabbath, I
came up and preached
00:36:25.45\00:36:28.25
because Martell was
preaching each night,
00:36:28.28\00:36:29.92
he needed a little break.
00:36:29.95\00:36:31.29
I said, "I'll come
and preach for you.
00:36:31.32\00:36:32.65
So I came back up
and I preached from--
00:36:32.69\00:36:34.06
and Kevin, you brought Kevin.
00:36:34.09\00:36:35.56
And at my appeal Kevin took up,
00:36:35.59\00:36:37.46
stood up and gave
a shout to the Lord.
00:36:37.53\00:36:38.86
Wow. Yeah.
00:36:38.89\00:36:40.30
So now I got to study
the Bible with him, you know.
00:36:40.33\00:36:42.90
That's our piece,
00:36:42.93\00:36:44.27
give him harsh words,
so somebody got to talk,
00:36:44.30\00:36:45.63
can't just leave him
out there by himself.
00:36:45.67\00:36:47.14
So now, I've got to
come back again and again
00:36:47.20\00:36:49.27
because we have to
study the word of God.
00:36:49.30\00:36:50.67
That's right, sure. Yeah.
00:36:50.71\00:36:52.04
So you broke through that
whole barrier through her son.
00:36:52.07\00:36:58.45
And Kevin and I got
along very well, very quickly.
00:36:58.48\00:37:00.75
We became fast
friends. That's true.
00:37:00.78\00:37:03.08
Yes. And then there's a picture.
00:37:03.12\00:37:06.49
Yeah.
00:37:06.52\00:37:09.62
All right, look at that
smile on C.A's face, would you?
00:37:09.66\00:37:12.36
I know. I mean,
that's a big smile C.A.
00:37:12.39\00:37:16.13
He was happy to
be in your company.
00:37:16.16\00:37:18.80
You know what, I have
to tell you the truth,
00:37:18.83\00:37:20.27
I still see that
smile on his face with you,
00:37:20.34\00:37:22.24
all these years later.
00:37:22.27\00:37:23.61
Oh, thanks. Ask,
how am I doing C.A?
00:37:23.64\00:37:26.37
You make a point, I love it.
00:37:26.41\00:37:28.81
That's true, and
I see it on hers too
00:37:28.84\00:37:30.75
when he's
preaching when he's upfront.
00:37:30.78\00:37:32.48
I watch the response
and she's really into it.
00:37:32.51\00:37:35.62
So I said, okay, that gives
me confidence in the speaker
00:37:35.65\00:37:38.52
when his wife is on edge
and he's held her attention
00:37:38.55\00:37:41.76
and she's there, you
know, excited about it so.
00:37:41.79\00:37:44.76
You know so.
00:37:44.79\00:37:46.13
Now how long
did this deal go on,
00:37:46.16\00:37:47.50
I mean you can only
study the guy so much,
00:37:47.50\00:37:50.13
you know and with him,
00:37:50.17\00:37:51.50
so what
happened after that Irma.
00:37:51.53\00:37:53.40
Who made the first
move, did he about marriage?
00:37:53.44\00:37:56.50
He kept calling and calling.
And we would study and pray.
00:37:56.54\00:38:01.01
And then my
friends on the other end,
00:38:01.04\00:38:03.78
"He likes you, he's
really interested in you."
00:38:03.81\00:38:06.01
I says, "No, he's
not." "Yes, he is."
00:38:06.05\00:38:09.12
So then finally
I started thinking,
00:38:09.15\00:38:11.02
you know what, I
think it is true,
00:38:11.05\00:38:13.49
that he is calling too often.
00:38:13.52\00:38:15.92
Right. Too often.
00:38:15.96\00:38:19.13
He was a good talker
00:38:19.16\00:38:21.00
so he never sounded like it was,
00:38:21.03\00:38:24.10
you know, trying to
tell me things then.
00:38:24.17\00:38:27.57
He was not, you
know, very engaging
00:38:27.64\00:38:32.01
and so we're talking,
00:38:32.04\00:38:33.48
so then finally when
I realized, then I said,
00:38:33.51\00:38:37.35
"Wow," you know
00:38:37.38\00:38:38.71
and I realize that I
really like his qualities and.
00:38:38.75\00:38:41.58
So I call, you know
and Kevin, and Becky.
00:38:41.62\00:38:46.69
You know we got to
talk. So we sat down and talk.
00:38:46.76\00:38:50.13
So I told them because
I felt I said you know,
00:38:50.16\00:38:52.83
"If they don't like him,
00:38:52.86\00:38:54.20
I'm not even
going to start anything,
00:38:54.20\00:38:57.43
because they're gonna
be part of the family.
00:38:57.47\00:38:59.37
Your son and daughter. Yes.
00:38:59.40\00:39:01.37
Kevin and Becky, my
son and my daughter.
00:39:01.40\00:39:04.51
And of course Kevin
was, you know, sold out.
00:39:04.54\00:39:10.08
Oh, yeah.
00:39:10.11\00:39:11.45
And Becky, she says,
"Well, I said I have to go,
00:39:11.48\00:39:14.78
I have to meet him
very well," and I says,
00:39:14.82\00:39:16.62
so she came to church with us
00:39:16.65\00:39:18.62
and so then she
was dressing me up
00:39:18.65\00:39:22.09
and you know making
me look really good and.
00:39:22.12\00:39:26.09
So we went to
church and she liked them.
00:39:26.13\00:39:29.03
She said, "I think that
you have a very good man there.
00:39:29.06\00:39:33.47
Yes, I think that you should--
00:39:33.54\00:39:35.34
They have such a
really good relationship,
00:39:35.37\00:39:38.64
like you can tell,
when people get along
00:39:38.67\00:39:41.01
and they enjoy each
other and you go guys really.
00:39:41.04\00:39:44.41
I think you
compliment each other.
00:39:44.45\00:39:46.65
Yeah, I think
we do. Yeah, we do.
00:39:46.72\00:39:48.72
I don't think he
has too many things
00:39:48.75\00:39:50.79
that I can say that,
that I don't like, you know.
00:39:50.82\00:39:54.66
There are some
things that I'll say,
00:39:54.69\00:39:58.26
"Well, you know, you
shouldn't do that or something,
00:39:58.29\00:40:00.60
but there is
nothing to really that..."
00:40:00.63\00:40:02.50
She says little
stronger than that,
00:40:02.53\00:40:03.87
she is Spanish.
00:40:03.93\00:40:05.33
She comes out a little stronger.
00:40:05.37\00:40:06.70
Why not tell,
it's old stereotype.
00:40:06.74\00:40:09.70
Irma has this ability,
00:40:09.74\00:40:12.81
she's actually
better than me on this,
00:40:12.84\00:40:14.28
Irma can get upset,
00:40:14.31\00:40:16.04
but she calms down
faster than anybody I know.
00:40:16.08\00:40:19.21
Once she says it, she's done.
00:40:19.25\00:40:21.78
You know, I tend to
stew, you know, a little bit.
00:40:21.82\00:40:24.75
But when we have disagreements,
00:40:24.79\00:40:27.16
she wants to deal
with it right then,
00:40:27.22\00:40:29.06
right at that second.
00:40:29.09\00:40:30.43
And once she does it,
she's ready like hugging,
00:40:30.49\00:40:32.06
she's like okay, now it's like--
00:40:32.09\00:40:33.66
I'm like, "Okay,
give me a second."
00:40:33.70\00:40:36.60
Because I tend to stew on it.
00:40:36.63\00:40:37.97
But once she has
her say, she's fine.
00:40:38.00\00:40:41.34
She doesn't hold grudges
for long periods of time.
00:40:41.37\00:40:43.64
That's good.
00:40:43.67\00:40:45.01
Nothing to hold
you getting all out.
00:40:45.04\00:40:46.37
Rush, she gets it, I said,
00:40:46.41\00:40:47.74
"I'll will die of a heart attack
00:40:47.78\00:40:49.11
as you'll be fine,
because she's gonna say it.
00:40:49.14\00:40:50.68
Yeah. And she's through with it.
00:40:50.71\00:40:52.05
And she's not a person
that just stew on things
00:40:52.08\00:40:53.95
and chew and chew and chew.
00:40:53.98\00:40:55.32
She doesn't. But yeah.
00:40:55.35\00:40:58.25
The same time I don't
like to wait to fix things,
00:40:58.29\00:41:02.32
you know, a week later so.
00:41:02.36\00:41:03.86
I want to fix it right away,
you know, know where I'm stand.
00:41:03.93\00:41:07.76
So he pops a
question, tell us about that?
00:41:07.83\00:41:10.83
Oh--
00:41:10.87\00:41:12.70
Did he do it on the phone? No.
00:41:12.73\00:41:14.84
No, he--
00:41:14.87\00:41:16.87
We were at church, at
my church at this time.
00:41:16.91\00:41:20.54
And you were going to baptize.
00:41:20.58\00:41:23.55
You were right, we
were at Jamaican church,
00:41:23.61\00:41:24.95
and I was
baptizing Zondra Lamar.
00:41:24.98\00:41:27.65
And I proposed her
on the baptismal pool.
00:41:27.68\00:41:29.25
That's right. From
the baptismal pool.
00:41:29.28\00:41:31.52
And he did, and I
was so embarrassed
00:41:31.55\00:41:33.25
and I thought, is that
a Christian thing to say.
00:41:33.32\00:41:37.66
Wait, wait. I've to
hear how you did that?
00:41:37.69\00:41:39.23
He's the pastor.
00:41:39.26\00:41:40.66
How did you do that? He did.
00:41:40.70\00:41:42.53
I baptized this
person, as I brought her up,
00:41:42.56\00:41:45.67
and then she was
leaving the pool.
00:41:45.70\00:41:47.07
And I said, you know, I
need to make one more addition
00:41:47.10\00:41:50.04
to the house of the Lord, today.
00:41:50.07\00:41:52.44
And I said, "Irma,"
and she said, you know.
00:41:52.47\00:41:55.78
And I said, you know,
00:41:55.81\00:41:57.18
"Will you marry
me and join my pool?"
00:41:57.21\00:41:59.18
And Kevin went,
"Yes!" He was like that.
00:41:59.21\00:42:02.92
And she kind of stood
there for a few minutes.
00:42:02.95\00:42:04.95
And I don't know
if you ever spoke.
00:42:04.99\00:42:06.32
I think she
nodded, she's kind of like,
00:42:06.35\00:42:08.06
sat back down in a pew.
00:42:08.09\00:42:09.49
Said, this guy asked me
in front of all these people,
00:42:09.52\00:42:11.49
what if I said no,
00:42:11.53\00:42:12.86
church full of
people on Sabbath morning.
00:42:12.89\00:42:14.30
All right, he
was banking on that.
00:42:14.36\00:42:15.70
Yeah. Yeah, very much so.
00:42:15.73\00:42:17.07
He was. I think he knew.
00:42:17.13\00:42:19.00
That was--
00:42:19.03\00:42:21.37
It was nice, but I
was so nervous about it.
00:42:21.40\00:42:23.41
How about the
people clapped? They did.
00:42:23.47\00:42:25.41
Yes, they did. They
were all happy about that.
00:42:25.44\00:42:27.88
So that's how you
learned, was in church.
00:42:27.91\00:42:29.94
In church.
00:42:30.01\00:42:31.35
Glad you're paying attention
00:42:31.38\00:42:32.71
and not asleep
like he was in London.
00:42:32.75\00:42:35.18
Irma, will you
marry me? No, yes.
00:42:35.22\00:42:38.05
Praise the Lord, No, I can't
sleep that easy like he does.
00:42:38.09\00:42:42.22
Oh, my--
00:42:42.26\00:42:43.59
It is true that he can,
just says, give me 15 minutes,
00:42:43.63\00:42:46.86
and he closes his eyes,
and he's gone for 15 minutes.
00:42:46.90\00:42:50.10
Wow. I don't.
00:42:50.13\00:42:51.47
Did you grew up in a
Christian home, Irms?
00:42:51.50\00:42:53.90
No, I grew up--
00:42:53.97\00:42:56.37
Well, part of my childhood
was in the Catholic Church.
00:42:56.40\00:43:01.91
And, but we didn't like...
00:43:01.94\00:43:06.82
I don't remember
being in the church
00:43:06.85\00:43:09.08
all the time like most Catholic.
00:43:09.12\00:43:11.29
My mother was the
youngest of 14 children.
00:43:11.32\00:43:15.39
And they were
absolutely Catholics.
00:43:15.42\00:43:18.26
They are Catholic that,
they live in very small town.
00:43:18.29\00:43:23.83
There was a Catholic Church,
00:43:23.87\00:43:25.87
but there were no
priests as preceding in there.
00:43:25.90\00:43:30.57
They... It is every...
00:43:30.61\00:43:32.81
so often, you know, they
will come and have a mass
00:43:32.84\00:43:37.41
and so, then the whole town
was just there in my family.
00:43:37.45\00:43:42.22
They, you know,
they would always there
00:43:42.25\00:43:44.59
at the altar helping
00:43:44.62\00:43:46.05
and so they were
very, very Catholic.
00:43:46.09\00:43:49.16
And, but my mother
always had a different thinking.
00:43:49.19\00:43:55.83
She likes to
learn, she likes to study,
00:43:55.86\00:43:57.73
she likes to learn things.
00:43:57.77\00:43:59.10
She didn't take things
just because somebody told you.
00:43:59.13\00:44:03.27
And, so she
always have this thing
00:44:03.30\00:44:07.91
that she didn't see everything
being right in the church.
00:44:07.94\00:44:12.25
So as soon as she got
married, and she moved from home
00:44:12.28\00:44:17.02
and went to live in
David where, you know in city.
00:44:17.09\00:44:22.76
And she married,
00:44:22.79\00:44:24.79
she was on her own
studying and soon enough,
00:44:24.83\00:44:28.26
Jehovah
Witnesses came there soon.
00:44:28.30\00:44:30.97
So she started
studying with them.
00:44:31.00\00:44:33.07
But she study
the Bible by herself.
00:44:33.10\00:44:37.81
She learned about
the Sabbath right away.
00:44:37.84\00:44:40.24
And she says, so next, she
talk to the Jehovah Witnesses,
00:44:40.28\00:44:44.51
talk to me about
these, explain to me.
00:44:44.55\00:44:46.98
Oh, no, he says we
don't talk about that,
00:44:47.02\00:44:50.69
and that is...
00:44:50.75\00:44:52.75
I've been done with.
00:44:52.79\00:44:54.46
So my mother did not
accept that, so she says no.
00:44:54.49\00:44:57.83
Says, "If you
cannot sit and tell me
00:44:57.86\00:45:00.53
why we have gone
from Sabbath to Sunday,
00:45:00.56\00:45:03.67
we cannot study anymore."
00:45:03.70\00:45:05.70
So she didn't like that.
00:45:05.73\00:45:07.64
So it went about
eight years later,
00:45:07.67\00:45:11.94
that we moved to another town.
00:45:11.97\00:45:14.71
And then
Adventist teacher was going.
00:45:14.74\00:45:17.78
Every day passed the
house, go to the school,
00:45:17.81\00:45:21.25
you know to teach.
00:45:21.28\00:45:22.75
And so that's how we then
came acquainted with the church,
00:45:22.78\00:45:27.19
then she find out,
wow, there is a church.
00:45:27.26\00:45:29.82
So did you tell
us where this was,
00:45:29.86\00:45:33.60
you were born and raised where?
00:45:33.63\00:45:34.93
So this was in Panama.
00:45:34.96\00:45:36.30
Panama? Yes.
00:45:36.33\00:45:37.67
Okay. The country of Panama.
00:45:37.70\00:45:39.03
Okay.
00:45:39.07\00:45:40.40
That's the little accent, right?
00:45:40.44\00:45:42.77
Yes, a little
accent. Little, little.
00:45:42.80\00:45:45.04
Just a little
accent going on there.
00:45:45.07\00:45:47.94
Now, let me ask you something.
00:45:47.98\00:45:49.48
Have you taught
C.A to speak Spanish?
00:45:49.51\00:45:52.15
I have been.
00:45:52.18\00:45:53.52
And he is a very
good student, I must say.
00:45:53.58\00:45:55.12
Okay.
00:45:55.15\00:45:56.48
Because you get to
flew to Panama quite a bit.
00:45:56.52\00:45:57.85
Yes, he is.
00:45:57.89\00:45:59.22
And Lord
willing when you retire,
00:45:59.25\00:46:00.69
you plan on retiring there,
so you're gonna have to really,
00:46:00.72\00:46:03.46
really work on this language.
00:46:03.49\00:46:04.83
Yeah.
00:46:04.86\00:46:06.19
Speak something
to Yvonne in Spanish,
00:46:06.23\00:46:07.56
see if she understands you.
00:46:07.60\00:46:08.90
He understands. Help me please.
00:46:18.44\00:46:21.31
Now moving on, yeah, okay.
00:46:21.34\00:46:26.65
So, Yvonne, how
do you speak Spanish?
00:46:26.72\00:46:29.68
My dad, my dad was in...
00:46:29.72\00:46:33.29
He took Spanish in school?
00:46:33.36\00:46:34.69
No, he used to...
00:46:34.72\00:46:36.06
Well, I think he did that,
00:46:36.09\00:46:37.43
but he used to play
softball with Puerto Rican team.
00:46:37.46\00:46:40.60
Okay.
00:46:40.63\00:46:41.93
And he would go to their church
on Sabbath and he would...
00:46:41.96\00:46:44.27
My dad spoke fluent
Spanish, he did really.
00:46:44.30\00:46:47.40
I hear she speaks
good Spanish, is that true?
00:46:47.44\00:46:49.27
She does, she really does. Yes.
00:46:49.30\00:46:55.98
I told her I'll
pay her later. Oh.
00:46:56.01\00:46:58.71
I can do pretty good one on one.
00:46:58.75\00:47:00.45
She does.
00:47:00.48\00:47:01.82
But in groups,
00:47:01.85\00:47:03.52
when and it comes
a little fast for me.
00:47:03.55\00:47:05.82
And I can understand
sermons about maybe 60 percent.
00:47:05.85\00:47:08.72
But it's not a
tough language to learn
00:47:08.76\00:47:10.56
once you kind of set
your mind to it, it's not.
00:47:10.59\00:47:11.93
It's not...
00:47:11.96\00:47:13.29
I notice you understand a lot,
00:47:13.33\00:47:14.63
I notice and you're pretty good.
00:47:14.66\00:47:16.00
Yeah.
00:47:16.03\00:47:17.37
Ask me anything
00:47:17.40\00:47:18.73
and I'll show
you I understand it.
00:47:18.77\00:47:20.10
Ask me something like this.
00:47:20.14\00:47:21.47
Do you love somebody?
00:47:21.50\00:47:22.84
No, no, in Spanish.
00:47:22.87\00:47:24.21
Oh, you wanted it in Spanish.
00:47:24.24\00:47:25.57
Yeah, yeah.
00:47:25.61\00:47:26.94
Okay.
00:47:26.98\00:47:28.31
sí, sí...
00:47:28.78\00:47:31.15
You know, sí, I
just fluent Spanish.
00:47:31.18\00:47:34.12
sí, everything is sí. Gracias.
00:47:34.15\00:47:39.75
You see, what is
he asking? Yeah, sí.
00:47:39.79\00:47:42.89
He said no. No, no, no...
00:47:42.92\00:47:46.80
Oh, now, he's under age.
He's asking you for some money.
00:47:46.83\00:47:48.13
He want a raise, I
knew it, I knew it.
00:47:48.16\00:47:50.07
Okay.
00:47:50.13\00:47:51.47
Let's get off of
this, I'm losing.
00:47:51.50\00:47:53.60
Okay, we'll get
into something else.
00:47:53.64\00:47:55.24
Now go back about
12 years or so ago.
00:47:55.27\00:47:59.47
I'm asked to go to a
camp meeting in New York City,
00:47:59.51\00:48:02.51
New York.
00:48:02.54\00:48:03.88
Big camp meeting,
00:48:03.91\00:48:05.25
I'm told it's going to
be 6, 8, 10, 000 folk there.
00:48:05.28\00:48:07.82
And they asked Melody and me,
00:48:07.85\00:48:09.28
and Melody and I
are going to sing.
00:48:09.32\00:48:11.15
Molly says to me.
00:48:11.19\00:48:13.05
Oh, by the way there
is a preacher out there
00:48:13.09\00:48:14.69
who's gonna sing with you guys.
00:48:14.72\00:48:17.46
And I looked,
and I said, "What?"
00:48:17.49\00:48:18.99
She said, "No,
there's this preacher,
00:48:19.03\00:48:21.50
C.A Murray and he's
going to sing with you guys."
00:48:21.53\00:48:24.43
I said, "No, he doesn't."
00:48:24.47\00:48:25.80
And she said, "Well, he
said he's practiced this song."
00:48:25.83\00:48:28.24
I said, "Which one, was the song
00:48:28.27\00:48:29.74
that Melody had
written, I know the plans."
00:48:29.77\00:48:32.97
And she said, "Well, why
wouldn't you let him sing,
00:48:33.01\00:48:34.74
he might be good."
00:48:34.78\00:48:36.11
I said, "He might be bad."
00:48:36.14\00:48:37.48
And you know, we don't know.
00:48:37.55\00:48:38.88
But I said besides we
got our things planned
00:48:38.91\00:48:40.72
and I said, you
know, "If I don't know him,
00:48:40.75\00:48:42.52
but if I were
going there and I said,
00:48:42.55\00:48:44.29
"hey I'm gonna
preach half of your sermon."
00:48:44.32\00:48:45.95
He's going to say
"No, no, no, I'm sorry.
00:48:45.99\00:48:47.59
You know we've
got a plan." Right.
00:48:47.66\00:48:49.26
So she says, "Well, he
said he wants to sing."
00:48:49.29\00:48:51.86
I said, "That's
not gonna happen."
00:48:51.89\00:48:53.53
So we go out there
00:48:53.60\00:48:54.93
and we do some
programming in the morning,
00:48:54.93\00:48:56.67
then he invites me
to his house, right?
00:48:56.73\00:48:58.53
Irma you were there. Oh, yes.
00:48:58.57\00:49:00.40
And then...
00:49:00.47\00:49:01.80
they feed me,
what are you gonna say
00:49:01.84\00:49:03.17
when somebody feeds you, right?
00:49:03.20\00:49:04.54
And it's a good cooking.
00:49:04.57\00:49:05.91
But then he said something
about the song or I did.
00:49:05.94\00:49:08.44
And what I ask you to do?
00:49:08.48\00:49:09.81
You said, "Sing
it." So you grab the CD.
00:49:09.84\00:49:12.28
So put this in your machine,
let's sing it right now.
00:49:12.31\00:49:14.65
So we sang maybe
just the first little bit.
00:49:14.68\00:49:18.02
And he said,
"Okay, we'll do it."
00:49:18.05\00:49:19.59
So...
00:49:19.62\00:49:20.99
He knew it better than
I did, that's why I agree,
00:49:21.02\00:49:23.06
he knew the song
better than I do.
00:49:23.09\00:49:24.83
Melody and I only
sing once in a while.
00:49:24.86\00:49:26.49
He knew every word.
00:49:26.53\00:49:27.86
He knew the third part
exactly what we needed.
00:49:27.86\00:49:29.83
I said this works.
00:49:29.86\00:49:31.20
So I had apologized,
I said, you know what...
00:49:31.23\00:49:33.37
Irma said, we'll sing
it before and I thought.
00:49:33.44\00:49:35.64
You know, and I said this now...
00:49:35.67\00:49:37.01
that was one of
the proudest days
00:49:37.04\00:49:38.37
of my life, I was so happy.
00:49:38.41\00:49:40.11
Ruben Kara, mutual friend
who had built Danny up so high.
00:49:40.18\00:49:43.98
Ruben just loves you,
00:49:44.05\00:49:45.98
he just has
great respect for you.
00:49:46.01\00:49:47.35
And I love him.
00:49:47.42\00:49:48.75
And I said to Ruben,
"Nobody can be as good
00:49:48.78\00:49:50.72
as you're making this
guy out there with you."
00:49:50.79\00:49:52.39
He said, "No, when you meet him,
00:49:52.42\00:49:53.76
you're gonna love him."
00:49:53.79\00:49:55.12
He is this, he is honest,
he is kind, he's friendly,
00:49:55.16\00:49:56.83
he's nice... you
know Ruben is just,
00:49:56.86\00:49:58.49
he just sold on you.
00:49:58.53\00:50:00.43
So I said okay, "Let me
meet this dude and we'll see."
00:50:00.50\00:50:02.90
you know so he
comes at our house.
00:50:02.93\00:50:04.60
He puts the CD in front of me,
00:50:04.63\00:50:05.97
so then we're
singing but I just...
00:50:06.00\00:50:07.34
It was just it...
00:50:07.40\00:50:08.74
It was on that day that I said,
00:50:08.77\00:50:10.67
if the opportunity
ever came to come to 3ABN,
00:50:10.71\00:50:12.61
I would accept it.
00:50:12.64\00:50:14.04
The Lord spoke to me that day.
00:50:14.08\00:50:15.41
So I knew, I knew I was
going to end up in the peer.
00:50:15.44\00:50:17.98
That afternoon
confirmed it for me.
00:50:18.01\00:50:20.22
And I liked him right off. Yeah.
00:50:20.28\00:50:21.85
And I have ever since just as.
00:50:21.88\00:50:24.29
It's one of those
things, when you meet people
00:50:24.32\00:50:26.05
and you know right away
that you're going to get along.
00:50:26.09\00:50:28.12
Yeah. You're connected.
00:50:28.16\00:50:29.56
Well, and you can kid
each other about things,
00:50:29.59\00:50:31.83
you know, not tight,
and you can just have fun.
00:50:31.86\00:50:34.30
And go out to eat together,
you can go play basketball,
00:50:34.36\00:50:37.57
he plays basketball, we
just do things together,
00:50:37.60\00:50:39.77
and we laugh, I mean literally.
00:50:39.80\00:50:41.47
We were out John and Angie,
we got Kandy and Chris I mean,
00:50:41.50\00:50:45.34
whatever group 3ABN, we're out.
00:50:45.37\00:50:48.08
People at our tables probably
00:50:48.11\00:50:49.54
where we were eating
all looking over like..
00:50:49.58\00:50:50.91
Yeah, what's the
matter with them?
00:50:50.95\00:50:52.28
What's so funny,
'cause these folks,
00:50:52.31\00:50:53.98
I mean we take our
whole when we're traveling.
00:50:54.05\00:50:56.35
Am I telling the truth?
00:50:56.38\00:50:58.02
Oh, yeah. It's very much so.
00:50:58.05\00:50:59.39
And people are looking over
like, wow, what is going on,
00:50:59.42\00:51:00.86
what are we missing?
00:51:00.89\00:51:02.22
Because we're
having fun in the Lord.
00:51:02.26\00:51:03.63
Yeah.
00:51:03.66\00:51:04.99
I never forget when
we were in restaurant,
00:51:05.03\00:51:06.80
remember we were on the train.
00:51:06.83\00:51:08.20
Oh.
00:51:08.23\00:51:09.56
I realized just how loud...
00:51:09.60\00:51:10.93
How they made us to be quiet.
00:51:10.97\00:51:12.33
They made us quiet.
00:51:12.37\00:51:14.30
But thinking, not for
talking, no laughing, yeah.
00:51:14.34\00:51:16.40
But now when you
tell, you can't laugh,
00:51:16.44\00:51:17.77
everything is funny.
00:51:17.81\00:51:19.14
That's right.
00:51:19.17\00:51:20.54
Yeah, we felt
like a bunch of kids,
00:51:20.58\00:51:22.24
traveling five hours on a train,
00:51:22.28\00:51:23.91
and they come
and make us be quiet
00:51:23.95\00:51:25.28
'cause you're
too loud, too loud.
00:51:25.31\00:51:26.65
We probably didn't reflect
well on America that day,
00:51:26.68\00:51:30.35
'cause we're the only ones
making noise and being loud.
00:51:30.39\00:51:33.52
I know, we were too loud.
00:51:33.56\00:51:35.32
You know ministry wise
00:51:35.36\00:51:36.69
and I know we're kind
of running out of time.
00:51:36.73\00:51:38.49
This has been a
the greatest 11 years
00:51:38.53\00:51:41.53
and change of our lives.
00:51:41.56\00:51:42.90
Praise the Lord.
00:51:42.93\00:51:44.27
Having served the
Lord all of my years,
00:51:44.30\00:51:45.63
but Irma and I talk
about this sometimes.
00:51:45.67\00:51:47.40
It's been just a real treat
and a blast and a blessing.
00:51:47.47\00:51:51.07
First of all to know you
and to know this ministry
00:51:51.11\00:51:54.11
and to see what God is doing.
00:51:54.14\00:51:55.48
And, then I always felt
that Yvonne needed to be here,
00:51:55.51\00:51:57.68
I've told her that, I
said that to you that,
00:51:57.71\00:51:59.81
for some reason my heart...
00:51:59.85\00:52:01.55
she needed to be here.
00:52:01.58\00:52:02.92
And of course when she
came and she fit right in,
00:52:02.95\00:52:04.49
"Dare to Dream"
became the product of that.
00:52:04.52\00:52:05.99
But we've had a
really good time Becky,
00:52:06.02\00:52:07.69
our daughter has worked here.
00:52:07.72\00:52:09.06
Kevin has worked here.
00:52:09.09\00:52:10.43
Kevin is now in full
time ministry pastoring.
00:52:10.46\00:52:12.16
Becky is out at
Bakersfield also.
00:52:12.19\00:52:13.70
So this has been just
the ice cream on the Sunday
00:52:13.73\00:52:19.83
or the cherry on the Sunday.
00:52:19.87\00:52:21.50
just working has been a blessing
00:52:21.54\00:52:22.87
and we truly
love everybody here.
00:52:22.90\00:52:25.27
You came in at a critical
time too for us and 3ABN
00:52:25.31\00:52:30.91
and you came in, he's solid.
00:52:30.95\00:52:32.68
He's easy going, he's not
one as we talked earlier up.
00:52:32.71\00:52:37.25
He's got a solid level head.
00:52:37.29\00:52:39.35
So I can tell you there
are many times, I go on him,
00:52:39.39\00:52:42.02
I say, "C.A, help me
here, talk to me a little bit."
00:52:42.06\00:52:45.96
And he does, he
will counsel with me,
00:52:45.99\00:52:47.36
Pastor Lomacang
will do the same thing.
00:52:47.40\00:52:49.40
But the
friendships that we have,
00:52:49.43\00:52:51.07
but what you guys have
brought to this ministry
00:52:51.10\00:52:53.77
has been invaluable.
00:52:53.80\00:52:55.14
The work that you do,
literally not only here,
00:52:55.17\00:52:57.97
but around the
world facilitating
00:52:58.01\00:52:59.87
where 3ABN is going
and where we should go,
00:52:59.91\00:53:02.31
and where maybe we can't go,
00:53:02.34\00:53:03.68
and making all of
those decisions right here,
00:53:03.75\00:53:05.78
you know.
00:53:05.81\00:53:07.15
So we trust him.
00:53:07.22\00:53:08.55
Thank you so
much for what you do.
00:53:08.58\00:53:10.49
Both of you, Irma for Latino
00:53:10.52\00:53:12.69
how invaluable that you are
so God has brought us together.
00:53:12.72\00:53:16.22
And many others and I
hope you're enjoying this
00:53:16.26\00:53:18.09
we're almost...
00:53:18.13\00:53:19.46
It's like a little
series of coworkers of people
00:53:19.49\00:53:22.73
in a ministry for the Lord.
00:53:22.76\00:53:24.17
Yes.
00:53:24.23\00:53:25.57
You know, that have
come here to find out.
00:53:25.60\00:53:27.30
Maybe some things that
you didn't already know
00:53:27.34\00:53:29.84
plus have a little bit of fun.
00:53:29.87\00:53:31.41
We're gonna
have to take a break.
00:53:31.44\00:53:32.97
We'll be back in just a moment.
00:53:33.01\00:53:34.34