Participants: Mollie Steenson (Host), Dennis Perry
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY016074A
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00:01 I want to spend my life
00:07 Mending broken people 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:18 Removing pain 00:23 Lord, let my words 00:30 Heal a heart that hurts 00:34 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:45 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people. 01:07 Hello, and welcome to 3ABN Today. 01:10 As always it's a joy and a privilege 01:13 to be able to bring to you our guest 01:16 as they share their testimonies, 01:18 their ministries and about their lives. 01:20 And you're not going to be disappointed today. 01:22 We have got a gentleman with us 01:25 that's got an amazing life story 01:27 of how God has used him, 01:29 and a ministry that is touching the needs 01:32 of so many around the world. 01:34 And I want to introduce him to you now. 01:37 His name is Dennis Perry. 01:38 Dennis, it is so good to have you with us. 01:41 Thank you, Mollie. It's great to be here. 01:43 You are the president of Operation Food for Life. 01:47 Yes, chief servant of that organization. 01:49 I like that, that's beautiful. 01:51 Well, we want to know all about Food for Life, 01:55 that's got to be a ministry that touches the needs of many. 01:59 As matter fact, I want to just share some scripture 02:04 that kind of encapsulates of what your ministry does. 02:08 And I'm going to share out of Matthew 24, 02:12 I'm going to read verses 34 through 40. 02:15 Let me read that for you. 02:17 "Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 02:22 'Come, you blessed of My Father, 02:25 inherit the kingdom prepared for you 02:27 from the foundation of the world, 02:29 for I was hungry and you gave Me food, 02:32 I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, 02:35 I was a stranger and you took Me in, 02:38 I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me, 02:42 I was in prison and you came to Me.' 02:45 Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 02:49 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, 02:52 or thirsty and give You drink? 02:54 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, 02:58 or naked and clothed You? 03:00 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' 03:04 And the King will answer and say to them, 03:07 'Assuredly, I say to you, 03:10 inasmuch as you did it unto one of these 03:14 the least of My brethren, you did it unto Me.'" 03:18 And I think we're going to find today, 03:20 aren't we, Dennis, 03:22 that this ministry that you're a part of, 03:26 it just absolutely epitomizes these scriptures. 03:29 And I'm looking so forward to hearing all about that, 03:33 but right now we have the most incredible lady here 03:37 to minister to us. 03:39 Her name is Gale Jones Murphy. 03:41 She's going to minister on the piano, 03:43 the song "Come Thou Fount." 03:45 We welcome you, Gale. 07:46 Thank you, Gale. That was beautiful. 07:49 That just always, that song always touches my heart. 07:53 Well, if you're just joining us, 07:55 let me reintroduce our guest. 07:57 His name is Dennis Perry. 07:59 Dennis is the president of Operation Food for Life. 08:02 Dennis, we want to know all about your ministry 08:06 but before you tell us about, 08:08 all of these people you provide food for, 08:11 I want you to tell us a little about yourself. 08:14 Were you raised in a Christian home? 08:16 Mollie, I wasn't. 08:19 I was raised in a non Christian family. 08:21 I have a brother and sister that are not Christians at all. 08:26 I've had an amazing journey in my life, 08:28 and I just give God the glory for that. 08:30 Praise God. 08:32 I know that when you were a youngster, 08:35 and something that you said that I read was 08:41 "My mess is my message." 08:44 Now that caught my attention, my mess is my message. 08:48 And I know it when you were really young, 08:50 you had some health issues. 08:52 Tell us about the health issues 08:56 that have challenged you in the past? 08:58 Sure. 08:59 At age six I contracted a disease 09:02 which medically is fatal. 09:05 It is called encephalitis. 09:07 It's a disease that attacks your brain 09:09 and closes your brain down. 09:12 During the course of contracting that at school, 09:16 I was rushed to hospital and the parents were called. 09:19 And once a diagnosis was given the medical profession said, 09:24 there would be little chance 09:25 that your son will survive this. 09:28 So you were six years old. 09:29 I was six years. Young lad. 09:31 Absolutely, I didn't know Jesus, 09:32 but Jesus knew me. 09:33 Yes. 09:35 And so my parents actually called a local Catholic priest 09:40 to come to bedside to give the last rites. 09:42 Oh, at six years old. At six years old. 09:45 Father could still remember at that age 09:49 even now if he was alive, 09:51 the screams are coming out of the medical ward 09:54 as doctors put a lumbar puncture. 09:57 It's a needle they put at the back of your spine 10:00 and endeavored to draw the poison in your blood 10:03 from this infection out. 10:05 And they did that to you. Absolutely, yeah. 10:08 And he said the screen would have measured 6.5 10:11 on the Richter scale. 10:13 It was just an amazing, Mollie, 10:15 because during the course of the 24 hours 10:19 as 24 hours went to 48 hours, the doctors still suggested 10:25 that won't come through that. 10:28 But over a period of a week, I'm still in a coma. 10:32 One week went to two weeks, which now went to three weeks. 10:36 After three weeks the doctors told my parents 10:40 that I will survive this but will be a vegetable, 10:44 the infection had closed the brain down. 10:46 And the best I could hope for was just intravenous feeding 10:50 and would be paralyzed. 10:51 So a vegetable at six years old. 10:53 At six years old. 10:55 And so over a period of the discussions 11:00 they had with my condition to with my parents, 11:02 they said during the course of the procedure 11:05 in terms of putting the lumbar puncture in 11:08 my heart stopped, 11:09 they said to my parents your son was clinically dead 11:13 for a period of two and half minutes. 11:16 There would be no medical reason 11:18 he would be alive today, 11:19 we don't know how that happened. 11:22 So first and foremost you're not supposed to survive 11:24 encephalitis to start with. 11:26 And then your heart stops. Absolutely. 11:30 And they would say it's a miracle 11:32 that your son is alive today. 11:35 But the best miracles is still yet to come, Mollie, 11:38 the most amazing miracles to come 11:41 is six months in the hospital now coming out of the coma. 11:46 That six months in hospital now went to one year to two years. 11:50 During the course, as a youngster 11:52 I can still remember, I could not walk. 11:54 Still being intravenously fed, could not talk. 11:57 I was still remembering the parents coming to the ward, 12:01 dressed like beekeepers. 12:02 They could not touch you 12:04 because of the transferring of that infection, 12:06 even the doctors as well, a very sterile environment. 12:10 Well, two years went to three years. 12:12 And so I was in this isolated ward 12:14 for a long, long time. 12:16 And over a period of four, five years later 12:21 I came out of hospital, 12:23 the issue is that I certainly 12:26 couldn't still not walk or talk, 12:28 but now I was beginning to stutter. 12:32 Stutter, so that would have made you what, 12:33 eleven or twelve years old, when you came out of hospital. 12:36 Yeah, that's correct. 12:38 And of course I missed all the schooling from them. 12:40 I didn't know Jesus 12:41 but Jesus certainly knew me and... 12:43 I love you when you say that. 12:44 Oh, absolutely and sometimes we think 12:47 that God has abandoned you 12:48 at the most difficult trials you've got, 12:51 darkest moments you go through, 12:52 but he's never abandons, he's always with you, 12:55 he's a captain of your cheering squad, 12:57 he will never leave you or what he says forsake you. 13:00 He means what he says. Absolutely. 13:02 But within a week of going back to school, 13:06 now I'm a large boy going to a kind of a kindergarten class. 13:10 And could you speak, you couldn't speak, just stutter? 13:12 I could hardly walk, but I was stuttering now. 13:17 But within a week or two going back to school, 13:22 I went to a local shop to buy a drink. 13:26 That was during school 13:27 with all the other school children 13:29 and as I was in a shop to buy a drink, 13:32 a stranger was in that shop as well. 13:36 And he said would you like an ice cream? 13:39 And of course, parents said don't talk to strangers. 13:43 But sometimes the young people don't know basically 13:45 when the think they do. 13:47 And you're eleven or twelve years old. 13:48 Yeah. 13:49 I said to the stranger who was very unkempt, untidy. 13:52 I said yeah, I love an ice cream. 13:54 So he canvassed over three scoops of ice cream 13:58 and a huge block of chocolate. 14:02 You call them Hershey's over here. 14:04 And said, you can have these, 14:06 but young man you got to come in my car 14:09 and you can have them. 14:12 And so I got in the car, and the car speed off. 14:16 Well, I was enjoying the ice cream 14:17 and by the time the chocolate was coming, 14:20 no school was in sight. 14:21 I was in the middle of a remote area 14:24 in the suburbs of New South Wales, 14:28 in Australia. 14:29 Yeah, how long have you been out of hospital at this time? 14:31 Only matter of weeks. Only a matter of a few weeks. 14:35 You've been confined to the hospital, 14:37 come home and in just a few weeks, 14:40 you're abducted. 14:42 And look, three scoops of ice cream 14:43 after you spend all of your years in hospital 14:46 and big blocks of chocolates is very enticing to a young man 14:50 just out of hospital. 14:53 By now when the chocolate is finished 14:54 and the ice creams are done, I'm saying please take me home. 14:59 You know something's wrong. Sure. 15:01 But of course the area, I mean it's not familiar to me, 15:03 but was familiar to the driver. 15:07 During the course of the day that police were now called, 15:11 I'm being missing. 15:12 And then began one of the biggest searchers 15:14 for a missing young child back in those days, 15:17 which was in Australia's history. 15:20 What it transpired was he took me to a remote area 15:23 of New South Wales into bush land 15:27 where you can scream 6.4 on the Richter scale 15:32 and they never ever hear you. 15:33 He got over off his car and he pulled out his knife 15:36 and his knife was huge. 15:39 And came around the side door and pulled out, 15:42 pulled me out screaming. 15:44 And he got the knife 15:45 and he just ripped down the front of your clothes 15:48 and ripped the skin and then he sexually abused me. 15:52 So sad. Yeah. 15:53 And even now I didn't know Jesus, 15:55 Jesus knew me. 15:56 Yes. 15:58 Sometimes we're put into darkness 15:59 to appreciate his light. 16:00 Oh my. 16:02 He physically abused me for some hours and drove off. 16:06 So I was left in a remote area bush land 16:09 where it would be unlikely I will be found again, 16:12 it's certainly was not his intent. 16:14 So he left you for dying. Yeah, absolutely. 16:17 And no clothes, bleeding profusely, 16:20 screaming and for all likes, 16:22 he had left and thought I was dead. 16:24 Well, so happened that during the course 16:27 where the night hunters were in that remote region 16:29 hunting our national animal, the kangaroo. 16:32 Kangaroo. 16:34 In the evening and they came across 16:35 what they thought was a baby kangaroo, 16:38 they call them joeys. 16:39 And one of the hunters came down 16:41 and put his shotgun to the head 16:43 which he thought was a small dead kangaroo, 16:46 but he realized it was a human being, it was me. 16:49 Oh my. 16:50 And of course, then straight to hospital, 16:53 then of course the police straight to hospital, 16:56 then became a matter for life and death. 16:59 And what were the chances 17:00 if the hunters wouldn't have found you? 17:02 Again, Jesus knew you. 17:04 God had already had a plan for my life, 17:06 bigger than whatever I ever thought, Mollie, 17:09 it was incredible. 17:10 And during the course of the operation 17:13 to put the broken body back together again. 17:16 You can imagine the loss of blood, 17:18 the blood transfusions, 17:20 the doctors warned my parents again 17:22 that he would not come through this. 17:25 You weren't gonna make it again. 17:27 No. 17:28 And during the course of the surgery, 17:32 they told my parents 17:33 and I didn't wasn't told these till years later 17:36 that my heart had stopped again, 17:38 and they got the heart going through electric shocks 17:40 to try and get the body going back together 17:42 to try and put those broken pieces 17:44 back together again. 17:46 I didn't know Jesus, 17:48 Jesus certainly knew me and had a plan, 17:50 and that's twice clinically dead. 17:54 Heart stopped. Heart stopped. 17:55 And I didn't know Jesus, but Jesus certainly knew me. 18:00 What a Jesus we have, but wait there's more. 18:06 You can remember you went through the court case 18:09 as we try to find this man. 18:10 Went into, looked at all the police photos, 18:13 books and books of police photos 18:15 over a period of two or three years 18:17 that took me to get over that the court case 18:20 identifying the man police line ups. 18:22 So this makes you about 15 or 16? 18:25 I'm now 16. Sixteen, okay. 18:27 And father says, son... 18:29 haven't been to school. 18:31 He said, "Son let's go fishing and before it got bad 18:34 let us send you to school again." 18:36 And I was taking an empty bottle to a shop 18:42 to get a soft drink for dad, and it started to rain. 18:46 And as the rain came down, 18:48 I was starting to run with the soft drink bottle, 18:50 empty one in my hand. 18:51 Glass bottle? 18:53 Yep, that was a glass bottle in those days. 18:57 And you took the bottle to the shop 18:59 to get a refund on the empty bottle. 19:02 And so it rained and the steps leading up to the shop, 19:05 as a rain came down faster, I ran faster. 19:08 And as I ran up the stairs I slipped. 19:12 And so the hand and the bottle on to the cement. 19:15 Oh, I was just thinking about it. 19:19 And so the hand lands on the counter of the shop. 19:25 And of course I've got no hand, into, 19:28 they packed into all ice then. 19:30 So your hand was completely cut off? 19:32 Sure. Oh. 19:35 And so off to hospital again. Off to the hospital. 19:39 And during the course of that operation 19:42 to put the hand back on, that the race 19:45 was on not only trying to save the hand, 19:47 but save the life. 19:49 Because of perfuse. Yeah, absolutely. 19:53 And as the doctors were trying to put the hand back on, 19:57 the heart gave away. 19:59 Stopped again? 20:01 It stopped and I was clinically dead. 20:04 They actually were moving me out of the operating theater 20:08 to a ward, when I was pretty well of to the morgue 20:12 when a nurse wheeling the trolley saw my toe move, 20:18 and they got back into the operation straight back 20:20 and said, doctor, doctor his toe moved. 20:23 I'm back into the operating theatre, 20:25 and bang the electric shocks unto the heart. 20:30 And then, and then the heart started again. 20:34 Restored the hand and restored, and they restored my life. 20:37 Which hand, which hand? It is this hand here. 20:42 Doesn't completely straighten I think. 20:43 No, it doesn't. But you got your hand. 20:46 One hand for Jesus is enough. Okay. 20:49 Guy behind me back with one hand 20:51 is enough he says. 20:54 And during the course of my recovery 20:56 there in hospital, 20:57 the voice I'm speaking to you now is clear as crystal, 21:00 Mollie, spoke to me, he said Dennis, 21:02 your life is no longer yours. 21:05 I come to you, I own it and I claim it, 21:07 I anoint you and I'm gonna appoint you. 21:09 Now that voice has been speaking today 21:13 as he speaks to me like that everyday. 21:15 He knows your purpose in life. 21:17 He says, Dennis, you've been saved to serve. 21:20 Saved to serve. 21:21 And he said, some of the things I've learned in those, 21:25 in my journey is this, 21:27 a setback is only a setup for a comeback. 21:31 Say that again. 21:32 A setback in your life is only a setup for a comeback. 21:37 All right. 21:38 A setback is a setup for a comeback. 21:40 Absolutely with Jesus Christ, all things are possible. 21:44 Your stumbling blocks can be stepping stones. 21:48 Your trials can be triumphs. 21:51 Your scars in life can be turned into stars. 21:55 A positive outlook. 21:56 Absolutely. Yes. 21:58 And no matter, any viewer watching this today, 22:01 whatever you go so called messes, 22:03 God has got it, 22:05 that mess has got to use by date, 22:07 best before it will not last, he's got good news coming. 22:12 I want you to look into your camera over here. 22:14 Tell the people that, you were looking at me 22:16 but you speak that to the people. 22:18 I don't care what mess you're in today, 22:21 I want to encourage you that your mess 22:24 can be God's message to lift you from despair, 22:28 giving you hope and dignity. 22:32 Never ever be bitter. I've never been bitter. 22:36 I choose to take a more positive side 22:38 and be better. 22:40 If God has done this for me, 22:42 I promise he'll do that for you too. 22:44 That goes back to, "My mess is my message." 22:47 Yeah, absolutely. What a mess it was. 22:50 But whatever mess you're in, God has got a message for you. 22:54 God loves you and he's got something planned. 22:58 After your winter comes the fall. 23:00 Look out for the birds singing in the fall, 23:03 they're coming soon. 23:04 Absolutely, beautiful. 23:07 Okay, so that your hand is reattached. 23:11 Obviously you made it through that one as well, 23:15 so now that makes you about 16 or 17 years old. 23:19 Where did you go from there? 23:20 Well, I was... 23:23 I went straight to find a job, because schooling was, 23:26 I've missed all the schooling, 23:27 just a labor job just to start earning money. 23:29 But in the mean time, Jesus had told you 23:32 that your life don't belong to you anymore, 23:33 but it belongs to him. 23:35 Yeah, I thought I'd have to go door to door selling Bibles. 23:39 That's what I thought, 23:40 but it's not what Jesus had in plan. 23:42 I thought I'd go into a book center 23:45 and sell Christian literature. 23:48 That's what I thought. 23:49 But to go through that door, 23:51 I had to walk through other doors 23:52 to find out his willing purpose. 23:54 So until he open that door, 23:56 God doesn't give you 23:58 the whole newspaper at the time. 24:00 He gives you one page as you need to know basis. 24:03 And during those journey there's a lot learnings, 24:07 maturity come along the way. 24:10 And so I've done some labor job for a while 24:12 until I was contacted 24:14 by Seventh-day Adventist representative 24:16 for a health food ministry in South Pacific Division, 24:21 Sanitarium Health Food and Well... 24:23 Sanitarium Health and Wellbeing Company. 24:25 And he invited me to go to a Cleveland mission, 24:28 that he, E.E Cleveland was doing in those days 24:31 back in Australia. 24:33 And as I sat 24:34 and listened to his message, I realized... 24:35 E.E Cleveland. 24:37 Oh my. Yeah, in a tent. 24:39 An amazing minister. In a tent. 24:42 Well, and of course that was just an amazing time 24:45 and I know... 24:46 So this was your first contact with not only Christianity 24:50 but with the Seventh-day Adventist. 24:52 Yeah, sure. 24:53 I've been going to church 24:55 from very really as a good feel good experience, 24:59 but it was more like a club rather than personal experience 25:03 until I had God spoke to me in a real way. 25:06 Well, I can't think of a better person 25:08 to introduce you to deeper truth 25:10 than E.E Cleveland. 25:11 Oh, just amazing. Just amazing. 25:14 And from that day I went to work for the church, 25:17 and 36 years later still working for the church. 25:20 So you made Jesus the Lord of your life. 25:22 Absolutely. 25:24 Fell in love with the message 25:25 that God has entrusted to the church. 25:27 Fell in love with Jesus. Okay. 25:29 Yeah, fell in love with the church, 25:31 and still love Jesus everyday in my life. 25:34 And so, the most amazing incredible things is that 25:39 within my responsibility in the church, 25:42 I have had high responsibilities 25:45 doing a reports 25:47 and I'm not capable of doing them with little schooling. 25:49 You've told us 25:51 that you haven't had the basic schooling 25:53 that most people just take for granted. 25:56 But always educated in heaven's atmosphere. 25:58 Yes. 25:59 The university of heaven and that will do me... 26:01 I've got a BA, certainly not a bachelor of arts, 26:05 but I've been born again. 26:06 Amen. I like that. 26:08 And that will do me. 26:10 And when I've been in management situations 26:12 and high responsibilities, 26:14 I've served a church in countries like New Zealand, 26:17 different parts of Australia, United Kingdom, Thailand, 26:21 served a church in terms of promoting our products 26:24 in South East Asia. 26:27 High responsibilities, but when I had to do reports, 26:29 I said, Jesus, here's the pen, 26:32 what do you want me to write and hand over to it. 26:35 And so he has been partnering with me through my journey 26:39 and he's still teaching me today. 26:41 What an incredible God, and if he can do this for me, 26:44 through an uneducated man 26:46 just imagine what he can do for you. 26:49 So you are working for the church 26:52 and I believe you retired from church work. 26:56 Just about 10 years ago, 26:58 really didn't retire, I refired. 27:01 I know you told me that early, you're refired. 27:04 I like that. Recharged, recharged. 27:07 Yeah, during the course of my later years of working 27:10 for the church, I was confronted by poverty, 27:15 in an area of the South Pacific 27:16 where I never expected it, Mollie. 27:20 People in, living on a garbage dump. 27:24 And this was in a country called Tonga. 27:27 It's a small little island in the South Pacific, 27:31 a Christian country. 27:33 And as I saw these people living on a garbage dump, 27:36 that confronted me. 27:37 I had seen pictures of people in poverty. 27:42 How long ago was this? 27:43 That was over 20 years ago. 27:45 So this was while you were still working in the church. 27:46 Sure, sure. 27:49 Saw pictures of people living in poverty 27:51 but with every newspaper you throw it out 27:53 and that's replaced with today's news. 27:56 I had seen images, but never seen it personally. 27:59 And I saw it... 28:00 So you personally went to that garbage dump 28:02 where people were living. 28:03 Yeah. 28:05 And so I went back to the garbage dump 28:07 later that afternoon. 28:09 And as I was on a main road and as I saw the people 28:13 living on the garbage dump children, 28:15 the thing that was amazed me 28:16 was they were fighting with picking up food 28:18 and eating it. 28:20 But pigs, Mollie, 28:22 were also fighting who could get the best grasp. 28:26 And I sat there and I said, 28:27 God what are you doing about this? 28:31 And he said, I'm doing something about it, Dennis, 28:34 that's why you're here. 28:35 Oh, he sent you there. 28:37 Absolutely, now my mission is becoming clear to me. 28:42 He said get out of the car, get out of the suit. 28:45 I want you to go on to the rubbish dump 28:47 and start feeding these people, because no one else will. 28:51 No one else cares for these people, 28:53 that's why you're here. 28:55 And now, sometimes 28:57 when God puts us to a situations 28:59 where we see people in need, Mollie, 29:01 the person we say is what are other people doing about that? 29:04 What are you doing about that? 29:07 God, when we finally recognize it, 29:09 God is doing something about it, 29:12 he sends you to do something. 29:14 And apple party and neither would do the trick, 29:16 neither the neighbors won't do the trick, 29:19 that's why you're there. 29:21 That's humble beginnings over 25 years ago 29:24 from just getting on to a dump, 29:27 spending a week on the dump with those people, 29:30 transferred my life, 29:31 I found Christ on the rubbish dump. 29:33 I found the real meaning Christianity 29:36 that sitting in the comfort of pew of a church pews 29:39 is not good enough. 29:40 He expected more from me than that. 29:44 And so was born a program so much 29:48 so wonderfully supported by our company, 29:50 the Sanitarium Health and Wellbeing Company, 29:52 they were fantastic. 29:54 And during the course of later years of my service 29:59 they were supporting what I did, 30:01 and then as I retired from the church work, 30:04 I took this on with my colleague 30:07 who is co-founder David Woolley 30:09 as a full time project for ministry. 30:12 Okay, and the name of the project 30:13 is Operation... 30:15 Operation Food for Life. Food for Life. 30:16 And I know you told me earlier, 30:18 you go to the areas of greatest need. 30:21 Sure and what underpins everything that we do is found 30:26 in the verse of Matthew 24:35, 36 30:30 feeding the hungry, cloth the naked, 30:33 these are the second hospital, 30:34 and we'll show you some slides of exactly what we're done. 30:37 We want to see those pictures, 30:39 but you've told me something 30:41 a little earlier talking about the people 30:44 that lived on that garbage dump. 30:47 Share that with the people about how... 30:50 What we would think that we should do 30:53 is take them off of that garbage dump 30:55 and take them to some other place to live, 30:58 but you said that's not the answer. 31:02 And I've tried that in two countries 31:04 where I've ministered, both have been unsuccessful 31:07 and I don't understand why 31:09 is so these people are second generation families... 31:12 So they were born there, that's all they know. 31:15 The word doesn't exist outside the confinements 31:17 of that garbage dump, Mollie. 31:19 Their social activity takes place on the dump. 31:22 All their friends are on the dump. 31:24 Currently there are 1700 families 31:26 living on the dump we're ministering to. 31:28 Seventeen hundred families? Families living on the dump. 31:31 Yeah, that's where abnormal is normal 31:35 if that's all you know. 31:36 Yeah. Yeah. 31:37 And so they're dependent on eating the food for survival 31:42 from the dump. 31:43 They're dependent on getting any empty cans, 31:46 they can walk 10 or 12 miles down to be recycled into town 31:51 to supplement their food income. 31:53 They're dependent on anybody's trash 31:56 to be their treasure 31:58 that they can get any funds from. 32:00 So when they move outside 32:01 of that comfort zone that they're in, 32:04 they're traumatized for it. 32:06 In every case where we've taken people 32:08 to the new facility, 32:10 got the kids arranged for school, 32:12 within 24 hours they've been back on the dump. 32:15 They go back to the dump. Yeah. 32:17 So we have to minister where they needs. 32:20 Jesus always ministered to them where they met. 32:22 If that is where they're going to be, 32:25 then that's where we got to minister. 32:26 Absolute, we don't understand it, 32:28 they've been putting to a darkness, 32:31 Satan owns them, 32:33 he owns the ground that they are there, 32:34 it's up to reclaim there lives, reclaim their ground, 32:39 and give them hope and dignity 32:41 that only Jesus can give to them. 32:43 We don't go to them nobody else will. 32:45 What we do is very confronting 32:47 and, Mollie, nobody else goes near these people, 32:50 where we're currently ministering 32:52 in Papua New Guinea 32:53 is when we're on the dump three weeks ago, 32:56 we had police escorts. 32:58 These people are highly dangerous. 33:01 They have been removed from their village 33:03 because of their criminal activity. 33:06 They're no longer welcome 33:08 so they've got no other way of survival, 33:10 but on a dump, 33:11 and it's part of what we do under Operation Food for Life. 33:14 So they live on the garbage dump, 33:16 a lot of them are criminals. 33:18 Yeah, and we'll show you some pictures. 33:20 Seized and sick I'm sure. Yeah. 33:22 Over the 25 years since the ministry was... 33:26 once we got in the ministry 33:27 we've fed over half a million people. 33:30 We've never, 33:31 we haven't got any major financial sponsor at all, 33:35 we're all volunteers. 33:36 Nobody is paid, which ensures 33:38 that if any funds are given to us, 33:40 the maximum amount of money will go 33:42 to where that donor wanted his money to be made to, 33:45 not to pay for infrastructures or anything, 33:48 just go and help these people and that's what we do. 33:50 And we have a team doing this work 24/7 33:53 in Papua New Guinea today. 33:55 All right, so you have some pictures I believe... 33:57 Yeah, we'll show you some pictures, yeah. 33:59 Well, here I'm on the garbage dump. 34:01 When we go into the garbage dump, 34:03 we take food parcels. 34:04 The food that they eat things like rice, noodles, tin beef, 34:09 tin fish, health product, toothpaste, soap, 34:15 everything they need for family for, 34:18 now that's only enough to feed them for about a week. 34:22 Between now and then they'll have to sell cans and things 34:24 until we can get back. 34:26 You're supplementing that's what you are doing. 34:27 That's right. That's right. 34:29 We can do more if we've had more funds to do, 34:33 but that's a great start. 34:36 We'll show you another picture on the dump. 34:38 This was only a matter of a few weeks ago. 34:41 John is on the right hand side, 34:42 you'll see a food parcel he's carrying, 34:44 he's got a cigarette under him, and Stevens on the left. 34:49 Now I've known both those 34:50 since they were four on the rubbish dump. 34:52 Now John has got the knife and he's coming at with me 34:57 with a bush knife and he'd been on marijuana 35:00 and he did not know what he was doing, 35:02 but he was coming into with a knife and he said, 35:05 I'm gonna kill you, I'm gonna kill you, 35:07 and the knife is just coming down 35:09 to split me in half. 35:11 And Steven just grabs it the knife like that, 35:14 and he said do not kill him, he's a Jesus man. 35:17 Do not kill him, he's a Jesus man. 35:20 Mollie, they know we come in the name of Jesus, 35:22 they know, we know you can have the police there 35:25 but we're now protected by thousands of angels 35:28 because we're doing God's work. 35:30 And he will protect you. He will protect you. 35:34 I've been there three times actually it's fourth, 35:37 I died in Christ the fourth. 35:40 And they can't kill me again, they can kill my body 35:43 but Jesus Christ owns my soul 35:45 and I'm prepared to die for these people 35:48 in order that they know that Jesus Christ 35:50 and love him the same way that I do. 35:53 That's on the rubbish dump 35:54 and we continue to do this ministry 35:56 and they all come out 35:57 from under their horrific conditions 36:01 straight down to our vehicles and there we will have 36:04 a small worship program with them, 36:06 and then we'll tell them come, 36:08 everything that we do we come to Messiah, 36:11 we come in the name of Jesus. 36:12 Jesus loves you. 36:14 Mollie, they've never heard the name of Jesus, 36:17 to them, we are Jesus to them. 36:19 Right. 36:20 They're part of health operation food for life family 36:23 but more importantly we must upgrade them 36:25 to be part of God's family as well. 36:28 And so we bring these people to us, 36:30 then we uplift them to heaven's care. 36:33 What we have to realize 36:35 and it's not that if someone were to ask us, 36:38 we would say yes, we know this 36:41 but sometimes it's like you can take a test 36:44 and make a hundred only but it's not in your heart yet 36:47 is that God loves these people, just as much he loves us, 36:50 he died for them. 36:51 The blood of the Lord Jesus Christ 36:53 was shed for everybody. 36:55 He doesn't love anybody more than someone else. 36:58 Yeah, that's exactly right. 37:00 We go into others areas, 37:01 we'll show you some more slides coming up here, 37:03 and we move the slides along you'll see Mollie, 37:05 the conditions in which we minister to, 37:08 also to diseases on the dump. 37:10 We take the medicals teams in there, 37:11 here we have a great team 37:13 from Pacific Adventist University 37:15 in Port Moresby to come out 37:17 and thy do a basic first aid for those people on the dump. 37:21 And have a look at this girl, this is Denunue, 37:24 she's in a fulltime care, wonderful smile 37:27 and we've been ministering to her, 37:29 another people like her in Papua New Guinea 37:31 for over 15 years and we go in and we... 37:35 She's mentally and physically challenged. 37:37 She's got all these dreadful balls 37:42 all over her body but look at her laugh, 37:44 and she sings Jesus loves me with us in her own voice. 37:49 And we just love ministering to these people. 37:53 After all one of the first things I ask is 37:56 what would Jesus do if he was there? 37:59 I don't think he'll say, Dennis, 38:00 take me to the nearest church I want to preach. 38:03 First, where are the hungry? Where are the sick? 38:06 And here we are in the hospital 38:08 where we're ministering to the most desperately ill. 38:12 This is a large hospital in Papua New Guinea. 38:16 Now these children 38:17 and all the photos you'll see here, 38:19 these people are terminally ill and they're dying of AIDS. 38:22 AIDS. 38:23 And we are the only ministry for 14 years 38:25 who have been allowed to go into that hospital 38:28 and feed them and pray with them, 38:30 give them dignity and hope. 38:32 Here we are in the prisons, this is a criminal sign prison, 38:37 they're 60 men behind that cage and we so, 38:41 we go and minister them, we say, 38:42 we come in the name of Jesus. 38:44 And we have fellowship lunch. 38:46 We take a Sabbath school church 38:49 and have a fellowship lunch in the prison 38:51 both maximum, medium, juvenile and ladies prison 38:56 through prison ministry. 38:57 God loves them so do we? 38:59 We tell them it's no condemnation 39:01 in those who loves Jesus Christ. 39:03 And we saved many of our special friends, 39:05 they come to know Jesus as much was we love him 39:07 through this ministry, while I was hungry you fed me, 39:10 thirsty and gave me something to drink, 39:12 naked and you clothed me, we cloth thousands. 39:14 Now you're going to every category, 39:16 you're going to those poor unfortunates 39:21 that live on a dump, 39:23 that Jesus still loves and has sent you to them 39:26 to those that are sick and infirm, 39:29 to those that are in fact 39:30 the criminally in same area of the prison, 39:34 you're a ministry, God has called you to the ministry, 39:38 and I'm looking at your background 39:40 and where you came from. 39:41 You of all know how much God loves you 39:44 and he can deliver you out of every situation. 39:47 God can do great things for you 39:49 no matter what your background is. 39:51 Our current... 39:53 Our Papua New Guinea volunteer directors 39:55 are marvelous. 39:57 Husband and wife team Philip and Maureen Vaki. 39:59 Philip I ministered to in prison 40:01 in Papua New Guinea, 40:03 sentence to death for murder with violence and robbery, 40:07 committed to 35 years and he came to know... 40:11 Tell me what he is doing now? 40:13 He's now our director of Operation Food for Life. 40:16 And where did you meet him? 40:18 In the biggest prison in Papua New Guinea, 40:20 brought him to Christ. 40:21 And he's still on parole 40:25 but his transformation was remarkable. 40:28 He would tell you, Mollie, if he was sitting here today, 40:31 that he traded his M16 which is a machine gun in 40:35 for John 3:16. 40:38 And his transformation was real. 40:41 He on the rubbish dumps with us today, 40:44 leads his program with his wife 40:46 and does such a magnificent work. 40:48 Consider, I'd consider him today 40:50 Papua New Guinea's leading lay evangelist 40:53 and he's now bringing hundreds to Christ. 40:55 And he was... 40:57 came to the Lord in prison. 40:59 He had the Damascus road experience. 41:02 Yes. Absolutely. 41:03 Paul experience and changed his life forever. 41:07 And is a leading church evangelist in Papua New Guinea. 41:10 A thousand people come to listen to him 41:13 when he does his revelation seminars 41:16 and he preaches the gospel in Papua New Guinea, 41:18 a 1000, 2000 every night 41:20 and he brings people the Christ, 41:21 mega passes baptizing people 41:24 now as a result of his ministry. 41:26 And you never know what God's influence over you 41:29 can do for another person that made pass and met you. 41:33 So you have more pictures. 41:35 Just a few more, and this is children 41:37 that we've just build a sanctuary safe house 41:41 for these kids. 41:42 Many of these kids would be lead into prostitution today, 41:45 unloved, unwanted, abused. 41:48 We've got 16 girls 41:51 and here they are in their new rooms, 41:54 and six boys in the different facility 41:56 on the same complex. 41:57 So these are children that were unloved and unwanted. 42:02 Abused. And abused. 42:04 We had a six year old girl come to us a few months ago 42:06 with a bone sticking out of her arm, 42:08 because her father had a bashed her with an iron rod 42:12 and so we're caring for these. 42:14 And look at the kids today, 42:16 we formed them into a singing group, 42:18 a gospel singing group. 42:20 We call them born free praise. We build a school. 42:23 They look healthy, they look clean. 42:25 Oh, you know, when you think of these kids 42:27 from what they've been through 42:28 and there they're singing praises to God, 42:30 even at the length for what they've been through. 42:32 Their trials are now becoming triumphs. 42:34 And we're changing these kids' lives 42:36 and we're giving them a Christian education 42:39 for eternity. 42:40 And here is the school we built three years ago 42:42 in a very, very poor village for poor kids. 42:45 And we're going to into villages like these 42:48 where these kids, 42:49 these people are mentally and physically challenged 42:52 can hope in it, try your arms around them 42:54 and saying, God loves you. 42:55 Give them a hope and give them dignity 42:58 and introducing them to the love 43:01 and the saving grace and power of the Lord Jesus Christ. 43:04 That's right. 43:05 The most amazing thing is that we, 43:07 we don't seek accolades or applause, 43:09 but you're looking now 43:10 the picture of the current governor general, 43:13 equal to a president of a country. 43:15 That's the governor general of Papua New Guinea. 43:17 His name is Grand Chief Sir Michael Ogio. 43:21 He's of Catholic persuasion 43:23 and he send his people to find me on the rubbish dump. 43:27 And when I met him in the afternoon 43:29 that's taken at his White House. 43:32 He said, Dennis, we as a country 43:34 have been watching what you've being doing 43:36 for many years. 43:37 You are doing a work that we would not do ourselves. 43:41 You are doing work for Jesus Christ, 43:45 and he said I wanted just pay tribute to that 43:49 and could I ask you, 43:51 would you mind being our patron, 43:52 that is an endorsement for the work. 43:55 And so we met with him now regularly 43:58 kneel in his oval office, 44:00 and pray with him for his responsibility. 44:03 He knows we're the Seventh-day Adventist church 44:06 doing great things for God 44:08 and uplifting his name to his people. 44:09 You know the government general of Papua New Guinea 44:12 some years ago was an Adventist, 44:14 his name was Sir Silas Atopare. 44:16 It was, yeah. 44:17 And he came to 3ABN, we introduced... 44:19 What? Did he really? Oh, did he really? 44:22 So we know that there is a Christian foundation 44:25 poured into Papua New Guinea and 3ABN is in Port Moresby. 44:31 We do have a presence through 3ABN 44:34 in that area of the world. 44:36 I want to pay tribute to Pacific Adventist University 44:38 may be and our volunteers in Papua New Guinea today, 44:41 doing some amazing work and their amazing support. 44:43 I want to uplift that church division to us 44:47 and thank them for their support and of course, 44:49 the Sanitarium Health and Wellbeing Company, 44:52 who without their advocacy 44:54 we've not been able to do as much as we can today. 44:56 Really it is very obvious 44:58 that you're doing incredible work for God. 45:01 And what I wanted to do was to allow Dennis 45:06 to introduce to you Operation Food for Life 45:10 for you to get a feel for all that they're doing 45:13 because you need financial support 45:16 for this ministry, don't you? 45:17 And something you said was that every single penny 45:21 that is given to this ministry 45:24 is used strictly for the ministry. 45:26 We have little overheads 45:28 but in the main unlike other charities 45:30 most of it we'll use in need. 45:32 And we desperately do need help to continue this work 45:35 and do even more greater things for God 45:38 and any help that would be given would be so appreciative. 45:42 Well, I want to give your contact information now 45:45 so that people will know how to get in contact with you, 45:48 and I truly believe 45:50 that this would be good soil to plant, 45:52 and as you can see there are bountiful results 45:57 from the seeds that are sown through this ministry. 46:03 If you would like to contact Operation Food for life, 46:06 you can do so in the variety of ways. 46:08 You can write to them at 24 Macquarie Drive, 46:11 Cherrybrook, New South Wales 2126, Australia. 46:15 That's 24 Macquarie Drive, Cherrybrook, 46:19 New South Wales 2126, Australia. 46:23 Or you can call them at +61 2 9875 1406. 46:29 That's +61 2 9875 1406. 46:34 You can also visit them online at offl.org.au. 46:40 That's offl.org.au. 46:48 So if you would like to get in contact with Dennis 46:51 or support this ministry, that's good information 46:55 on how you can do that. 46:56 Dennis, I know our time is quickly drawing to an end. 47:00 Do you have anything else you would like 47:02 to open your heart up to the people? 47:04 I just want to thank the viewers 47:06 for their generous heart 47:08 in helping us accomplish God's work 47:10 reaching the poorest of the poor, 47:12 and with your help we can make a difference. 47:15 We can help so much more. 47:17 So any help that you can give us, 47:18 please contact us on our website. 47:20 We still appreciate any help. 47:23 The other thing I just want to mention, Mollie, 47:24 is volunteers that help us come from all walks of life. 47:29 They come from un-churched and other areas in Australia, 47:32 South Pacific and in Papua New Guinea. 47:35 Within the last two weeks, we had an atheist with us, 47:39 by the end of the week she was praying with us. 47:41 Praise God. 47:42 Want to tell, trip before we had a Buddhist family, 47:46 mother, father, and son. 47:50 And their lives have been transformed, 47:52 we're having people now come with us 47:54 for the second time. 47:56 We got plenty of volunteers all willing to serve God. 48:00 In the community 48:01 doing great things for the community 48:03 and praising Jesus Christ. 48:05 We're transforming lives, making it real difference 48:08 and a sustainable difference to the poor and forgotten, 48:11 giving them physical, spiritual and emotional support. 48:15 I know you, you said that what your ministry does 48:18 it goes to the areas in this world 48:21 that are of the greatest need 48:23 and not only are you ministering to those that, 48:28 you're touching those that are in such great need, 48:31 but even the volunteers 48:32 are coming into a closer relationship 48:34 with the Lord Jesus Christ 48:36 and getting to know the true and the living God, 48:39 that is such an encouragement. 48:42 We have got Gale Jones Murphy with us again. 48:47 And she's going to minister a song "It's Never Too Late" 48:50 and you know, Dennis, I was thinking about this song. 48:54 It so speaks to what you were telling us now 48:58 and the ministry that you have. 49:00 It's never too late for God to reach out, 49:03 touch the needs of those that need him so badly. 49:07 So appreciate, enjoy, receive from Gale 49:11 as she ministers this song to us. 49:22 No matter what I've done 49:27 No matter what I'm doing 49:31 He's ready to remove my guilt and shame 49:39 And no matter where I've been 49:44 No matter where I'm going 49:48 He's standing close to hear me call His name 49:56 He loves me, He wants me 50:00 To be safe in His arms 50:04 He's calling, He's pleading 50:08 To protect me from all harm 50:11 It's never too late to begin again 50:16 And make a brand new start 50:19 It's never too late to return to him 50:24 And let Him heal my heart 50:28 Jesus wants to restore my joy 50:33 And make me new I don't have to wait 50:39 It's never too late 50:49 No matter who I am 50:53 No matter who I should be 50:57 He reassures me 51:00 That I am his own 51:05 And no matter what the path 51:10 And no matter what I've chosen 51:14 He never lets me walk this road alone 51:22 For he loves me, He wants me 51:26 To be safe inside His arms 51:30 He's calling, He's pleading 51:34 To protect me from all harm 51:37 It's never too late to begin again 51:42 And make a brand new start 51:45 It's never too late to return to Him 51:50 And let him heal my heart 51:54 Jesus wants to restore my joy 51:59 And make me new I don't have to wait 52:05 You don't have to wait 52:09 I don't have to wait 52:14 It's never too late. |
Revised 2016-10-17