Participants:
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY018013A
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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 00:29 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 01:09 Hello and welcome to 3ABN Today. 01:11 My name is CA Murray, and allow me once again 01:13 to thank you for sharing 01:15 just a little of your no doubt busy day with us. 01:18 So thank you for your love, your prayers, your support 01:20 of Three Angels Broadcasting Network 01:22 these 30 plus years as together we seek 01:25 to lift up the name of Jesus, to encourage one another 01:29 in the faith and warn the world 01:31 that Christ is coming very, very soon. 01:32 Very excited today because of my guests, 01:34 and the ministry that we're going to talk about, 01:38 so we want you to kind of draw close 01:40 because this is a heartwarming ministry. 01:43 This is a ministry that goes around the world, 01:46 and it's expanding and growing. 01:48 And when you see my two guests... 01:54 I was told that the ministry is about 01:57 13, 14 years old so I had to recalculate 02:00 because they both look so young, 02:01 they don't look much older than 13 or 14, but they are. 02:05 And so we had a little fun with that. 02:07 But the ministry is called Christalis, Christalis, 02:11 and my guests are Shalini David, 02:14 who is the president and CEO and Renee Titus. 02:18 Renee was volunteer, 02:22 now marketing director so praise the Lord. 02:24 So, and kind of just recently in that position. 02:27 Good to have you guys here. Thank you for having us. 02:30 Before we go to our music, I'm going to hit you, you know, 02:33 with the punch line first. 02:35 What does Christalis mean, where did that name come from? 02:37 Sure. 02:39 We are on the word the name Christalis 02:40 from the word chrysalis which is a transformation 02:42 of a caterpillar to butterfly. 02:44 So we just redid the letters to put the word Christ in there 02:49 to signify a transformation through Christ. 02:51 We hope that every life we touch 02:53 we show them the love of Christ. 02:55 Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. 02:57 That come out of your little head 02:58 or a group of people? 03:00 It was a group of our broad members, 03:02 our first set of board members, we took so much time 03:05 agonizing on what we wanted the name to be. 03:08 And one of our board members Violet Pulidindi 03:11 actually came up with it. 03:12 Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. 03:14 As I hinted in the tease, the ministry is about 03:17 13, 14 years old. 03:18 We're starting our 13th year this year. 03:20 All right, praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. 03:22 All because of God. 03:24 You must have started very young. 03:25 Yes. Yes. 03:30 Where are you from? Where were you born? 03:31 I was born in India, came here when I was seven. 03:34 Okay, very early. Yeah. 03:35 Christian family? 03:36 Yes, my father is a pastor, 03:38 third generation pastor I think. 03:40 Third generation pastor I think. 03:42 Wow! Is he in the States? Yes. 03:44 He pastors a church in Maryland. 03:46 Oh, he's still pastoring? Yes. 03:48 Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. 03:49 I think the biggest Indian churches. 03:52 Where did your family found out about Adventism? 03:59 There are missionaries who came to India 04:02 and so my great grandparents were converted to Adventism. 04:08 So you are third generation... Let's say one, two... 04:10 Fourth generation. Yes. 04:12 Yeah. Yeah. 04:13 Praise the Lord. Yeah. 04:14 Renee, where are you from? 04:16 I originally from Washington State. 04:18 Washington State. 04:19 Adventist home? Yes. Adventist home. 04:23 You have brother and sisters? I've one younger brother. 04:25 He just started college this year. 04:27 Okay, okay. Very, very good. 04:30 Brother and sisters? Yeah, a younger sister. 04:32 A younger sister? Yeah. 04:33 So two in a family. Yes. 04:35 Praise the Lord. How does you guys meet? 04:40 She was our first student, that's how we met. 04:43 I don't remember. 04:44 Oh, she was actually in Uganda when we first 04:46 when my friend and I first got there 04:48 as student missionaries, 04:49 so I guess we first met in Uganda. 04:51 Yeah, yeah. 04:52 It was through the Walla Walla Student Association 04:56 who had volunteered to chose and to help us 04:59 build our orphanage 05:01 'cause we were renting for 10 years. 05:03 And then I think through them, through the trip 05:05 you guys found out about or... 05:08 Yeah, so my friend and I had been looking, 05:11 we knew that we wanted to go to the student missionary 05:13 the following year. 05:14 And we had been looking at a lot of different places, 05:16 some orphanages in Tanzania 05:19 and they had just all kind of fallen through 05:21 and we didn't really know where we were going to go, 05:22 and then during our community like our chapel time, 05:26 they showed the promotional video 05:27 for our global service project that year 05:30 which was to build an orphanage for Christalis. 05:33 And my friend that I was going with 05:34 and we were sitting in completely different places 05:36 in the chapel, and then afterwards 05:38 we kind of came together and looked at each other, 05:40 and we were like, you know, I feel impressed that 05:42 this is where we should go 05:43 so we both just had that impression 05:45 during that video and it, we just all worked out 05:48 that we got to go there so very, very happy... 05:50 Now the focus of your ministry at current time is Uganda. 05:54 Yes. Yeah. 05:55 Why Uganda? How Uganda? 05:58 I don't know. God, it's definitely God. 06:00 I mean, you know, I never knew much about Uganda, 06:04 it's just kind of happened. 06:06 I mean, I always thought India, 06:08 I grew up there, you know, seen. 06:11 I think that's, you know, my desire for doing 06:14 this kind of work started when I was a kid. 06:16 And, but then God took me to Uganda. 06:20 I think for me and, obviously, 06:22 I don't know God's infinite mind. 06:24 And so but for me I think I was delaying in 06:27 what I had promised Him when I was young, 06:29 and so He used Uganda to kind of get me on track. 06:33 I used to go on family trips to India, 06:37 like, we came when I was seven 06:38 but we didn't go back there till late 06:40 because we didn't have the money. 06:42 And so I was maybe around 10 or 11 06:45 when we went on our first trip, 06:46 and as we were traveling in the night from airports 06:49 I had seen all these kids in slums. 06:52 And that's the first time in my life 06:53 I had seen children in slums, 06:55 and they were living in these homes 06:56 like just dirty cloth with holes in it, 06:59 and kids without shoes on, 07:01 and I just thought as a child at that moment, 07:03 I just thought to myself, like, I didn't understand, you know, 07:07 why are they living like that, I was like 07:09 where is their shoes, where is their bathroom, 07:11 where is their toys. 07:12 Like I just couldn't understand why they were living like that 07:15 and I got to live in a nice warm apartment 07:18 with loving parents. 07:21 You know, everything that a child could need 07:23 and at that moment I realized it was 07:26 because of the grace of God, you know, our families 07:29 and my parents always talk about 07:30 how Adventism came to us 07:32 and how that's why God has blessed us. 07:34 And I just thought it was so unfair 07:36 and then seeing the kids that were begging 07:38 on the streets, and kids in shops 07:40 that would get, three-year olds, 07:41 that would get hit and kicked for, 07:43 you know, as they worked and... 07:45 I didn't felt powerless at that time at 9 and 10, 07:48 like, I didn't know that I could help them at that time 07:51 which I think I could have but I just thought I couldn't 07:54 and I just prayed to God at that moment 07:57 because it was very like, it was so instantaneous like 08:01 it sounds like a lot of thinking, 08:02 but it happened so quickly and it was like 08:04 a knife to your heart, you know, and I just, 08:07 I couldn't stop crying just seeing their suffering... 08:09 So at age 10, you're impressed with all of this, I mean, 08:12 this is really weighing on you at that young age? 08:15 Yeah, I think it's because I was at that young age. 08:18 I think like the desire to serve 08:20 really for a lot of people starts young, 08:22 and we just don't know like God pricks our hearts 08:24 at certain things, and I think because I was that young, 08:27 I could see a direct comparison between their life and my life. 08:32 And that's why it hurt so much I think. 08:34 'Cause a lot of these kids were about 08:35 that same age as you. 08:37 Yeah, or younger. 08:38 And so most of them were younger 08:39 and just seeing that is what hurts so much and so, 08:43 at that moment is when I just, I didn't know what else to do, 08:46 but I just promised God when I grow up, 08:48 I'll come back and help these kids. 08:50 And then I grew up, but I never forgot about of it 08:52 but then you get wrapped up in school, 08:54 and then you have friends, and family, 08:56 I was going out, during childhood 08:58 I was very active in church. 08:59 I was Children's Ministries director for five years, 09:03 I did the VBSS, Social Committee, 09:05 Homeless Feeding, 09:06 anybody needed help I was there... 09:08 So you're involved with the church, I mean, 09:09 your time is being occupied. 09:10 Yes, exactly, but not where God wanted me to be. 09:12 And once our church does like a young adult youth Sabbath 09:16 and so they were... 09:18 They asked me to preach and it was evangelism. 09:20 And I really didn't want to do it 09:21 but the associate pastor forced me to do it, 09:24 and I was the closing person. 09:25 And right after that my aunt asked me 09:28 to go with global evangelism now ShareHim 09:30 on a mission trip to Uganda. 09:32 And so I just spoke about it so I didn't know how to say no. 09:37 Yeah, so I was like, 09:39 "All right, if I'm really meant to go, 09:40 God will work out these three miracles." 09:42 I was like for sure this is not going to happen 09:44 so I just got a new job, 09:46 they had to give me two weeks leave, 09:47 and my manager approved it by mistake. 09:49 I didn't have the money at all, it's expensive, 09:52 and my tax return was exactly the amount 09:55 I needed for my expenses. 09:57 Wow, that is two down. 09:58 And then my school days, I was trying to do my masters, 10:00 they said it's fine, you know, you can take a break. 10:03 So I was like, there is like no reason for me not to go. 10:06 So I went there, I told her 10:07 I didn't want to do any preaching, 10:09 I just wanted to do stuff for the kids, 10:10 I would do like a program for the kids. 10:12 And so I went there and that was my focus 10:15 and while I was there, it just kind of felt, 10:18 really I felt like I wasn't making a difference 10:20 because they couldn't understand me, 10:21 I had translators, there was like 100 of them, 10:24 so I just kept praying about it, 10:25 and then the group with us wanted to find an orphanage. 10:28 And while we were walking 10:30 to this orphanage that they found... 10:31 I saw all these kids standing around in the woods 10:34 no clothes on, no shoes on, and in their eyes 10:38 I saw the same kids I had seen in India. 10:41 So here we go again. 10:42 Yeah, and it's just brought it back to me, 10:44 and then in that moment my thoughts were, 10:47 I'm not a little girl anymore, I have an adult job, 10:50 and I have adult money, like, what is stopping me now. 10:53 There is nothing that should stop me 10:55 from helping these kids. 10:57 So I just would talk to my mom every day 11:00 who is in the US, we pray about it. 11:03 It was such a short amount of time those trips are short 11:05 so it was like only like a week left, 11:07 so I interviewed as many, 11:08 I had people take me to the poorest areas, 11:10 I would take them bananas, eggs, 11:11 whatever food feed the kids, interviewed them, 11:14 interviewed their parents. 11:15 I had a pastor bring me children that he needed help, 11:19 and he brought me 200. 11:20 And I was like, "Ah," and they're all like 11:23 there in the dark in this church in the front. 11:26 And I was like, "What am I supposed to do?" 11:28 And they're like say something. 11:29 And I'm like, you know, what. 11:31 So I just said, "You know, we're trying to help, 11:33 thank you for coming, we see the need." 11:36 And so I just prayed about it and by that time 11:37 I was close to the end of my trip, 11:39 I had a $100 left from my expenses 11:41 so I left that with the pastor there 11:42 for one month's rent, 11:43 I spoke to the two ladies helping me, ask them 11:45 what they'd be willing to help if we started a home, 11:47 they said, okay, and then I just came home. 11:49 So the idea of home just occurred to you 11:51 very quickly on that trip. 11:52 So when we went to that orphanage, 11:56 initially I thought let's put all the kids in there. 11:59 There is already an orphanage there, 12:00 it was run by these two men 12:03 and they had some Canadian funders. 12:05 But then every day I had this gnawing feeling inside, 12:07 and I just kept telling my mom like, 12:09 "How do we know they're treated well? 12:11 How do we know they're not getting abused? 12:12 How do we know, I mean, if they'll even learn 12:14 about Jesus if we put them here?" 12:16 So I think just out of prayer we just felt led to... 12:20 To do your own home. To start our own home. 12:21 Yeah. 12:22 And then I came home and my mom raised $2,000 12:25 and we had a family friend Yvonne David 12:27 who worked with us in the hospital, 12:28 and my mom would share about this desire with her, 12:31 and she's actually the one she wanted to... 12:33 She said she had nothing to lose 12:35 and she quit her job and gave away her home 12:37 and her car, and she moved there... 12:40 Moved to Uganda? 12:41 To Uganda. Wow! 12:42 And started projects in the home. 12:45 What did you study in school? Nursing. 12:48 I thought it was the only way I could be a missionary, 12:50 that was my dream to be a missionary. 12:52 And there's no missionary class, you know, 12:54 in college so I thought that was it 12:56 and that's what I did. 12:58 Wow! That is... 13:00 So Yvonne bought into your dream 13:03 right away obviously. 13:04 Yeah. Yeah. 13:06 Wow! 13:07 And it's just a miracle 13:09 if I asked my board now to start something with $2,000 13:12 they'd shut me down, you know but, I mean, I saw God. 13:15 See, a lot of times you don't know, 13:17 you can't do something so you just do it. 13:20 And people tell you, you can't do that. 13:21 Well, I really did it, you know, 13:22 so I know it can done because God has given me. 13:24 And then, of course, when God guides, He provides. 13:28 If God puts that burden on you, He's going to make a way 13:31 to discharge that responsibility. 13:35 So He's put something in your heart, 13:37 and it percolated all those years, 13:39 so now it get a chance to go to fruition. 13:42 So your, Yvonne is a relative or just a close friend? 13:46 Shares a same last name, 13:48 but we're not really related, just family friends. 13:49 So my mom and her grew up together 13:51 they were friends, you know. 13:53 And your mom bought into this 'cause she has ready money, 13:55 and Yvonne really bought into it and moved over. 13:57 Now when do you come aboard? 13:59 Renee, you actually do get to talk. 14:03 I went in 2014, as a student missionary there, 14:07 and I was there for eight months total. 14:10 The first time? The first time. 14:12 You were in school at Walla Walla? 14:13 Yeah. 14:15 So it was in a chapel you're saying that 14:16 you heard about this or at some... 14:17 Yeah, so it was in our chapel that we saw the video 14:22 promoting our global service team. 14:25 Every year at Walla Walla University 14:26 we raise funds for like a global project. 14:30 And so that year they had chosen 14:31 to help Christalis build their home. 14:32 So that's where we first heard about it, 14:35 and then felt impressed to go there. 14:36 Okay, let me try to connect the dots. 14:37 Now you were out of school, how does Christalis 14:41 get on the radar at Walla Walla? 14:44 Miracle of God. Miracle of God. 14:46 Let me tell you because we've been wanting... 14:49 Yvonne wanted to build a home, and I just, the thought 14:52 because my father built the church that we're in, 14:55 and I just know what goes into building. 14:57 And I was like, "Oh, my gosh, I can't do this, 14:59 I'm not capable of doing this." 15:00 So I would just pray to God, "God, 15:02 send me a big home that's already built, 15:04 I'm sure it's there, just send us that 15:06 we can just purchase it." 15:08 That was my constant prayer and Yvonne wanted to built, 15:11 you know, she had that vision that was good. 15:13 I was like impossible. 15:15 And then one day I was actually, 15:18 I was doing the spring fair at our church, 15:20 I was in charge of the spring fair. 15:22 I got a call on my phone. 15:23 It was my best friend's family who once years ago, 15:26 they put together their Christmas money 15:28 to donate to the kids years ago. 15:31 He called me and he said his niece is on the committee 15:33 at Walla Walla Student Association. 15:37 And they are evaluating orphanages to help built a home 15:40 that they had another one in Peru 15:41 that didn't workout or something like that. 15:43 And they wanted to know more about ours. 15:45 So I was like, yes, I told them everything, 15:47 he was like, okay, my niece might call you, 15:49 and she called me the same day. 15:50 They're like tearing down all the stuff and I'm inside 15:52 like the Sabbath school room talking to them. 15:54 And I told her everything, and literally within two weeks 15:57 they choose to help us build the home out of nowhere. 16:00 God is so amazing. God is so amazing. 16:03 Either you are a better salesperson than you think 16:07 or you're a better sales person than you think. 16:11 Because first of all you're full of your subject, 16:14 but I'm also seeing that the Lord is guiding you 16:17 to the right places, to the right people 16:19 at the right time. 16:20 And then your own sort of infectious nature 16:23 just kind of takes over, you're a really good salesman. 16:25 Oh, my goodness, I cannot take that complement. 16:28 I'm not good at it, it was the worst thing I had to do. 16:31 You cannot say that about me. 16:33 I hate asking people for money, I just can't. 16:37 Yeah, I'm not good at asking people for money either, 16:40 but I'll do it for Jesus and you do it, well, 16:42 you're better at it than you think. 16:45 And when God gives you a burden, 16:48 He also gives you a way to exercise that burden. 16:51 So you got a natural sort of infectious way 16:55 about going through life, and the smile, 16:56 and the whole deal that God has given you. 16:59 So you don't have to beg just be you 17:01 and then money comes. 17:02 I think God bring the money. 17:04 Because He gave you that burden so young, 17:06 you had it all your life. 17:07 So it's part of who you are, it's part of your kind of DNA, 17:10 so we praise the Lord for that. 17:12 Having said that, I want to go to Renee again 17:14 because when we left you, you were at worship 17:17 and you're getting impressed with this thing. 17:18 You've gone from student missionary, 17:20 now you're a full time employee, 17:22 so walk me through what happened 17:24 during that eight-month time that you're in Uganda 17:27 that made you want to do this kind of as an vocation, 17:29 you went from volunteer to employee. 17:31 So something happened during that time 17:33 that you where there that touched your heart? 17:35 Yes, of course, the kids there, I mean, 17:37 they're just incredible kids and you just fall in love 17:39 with them so easily, and you just, you see 17:43 how far they've come and how, you know, 17:45 how much further they have to go in their education, 17:47 you know, and you just want to continue helping them 17:50 to achieve that. 17:51 And one of things that I love about Christalis so much 17:53 is that the kids continue all the way through university 17:56 so you see them, you know, 17:58 come in there in primary school, 17:59 and you get to watch them graduate with a diploma 18:02 and get a job. 18:03 And we actually were able to go to the graduation 18:05 of the first child in the home that graduated from university, 18:08 we were able to take all the kids, 18:10 and got his graduation 18:11 and that was just an amazing thing, 18:13 just to see that accomplishment. 18:14 You know, it's always so great to watch someone succeed 18:17 and just knowing where he came from, 18:19 and just being able to be a part of that. 18:21 It's just amazing so I don't think I ever imagined 18:24 I would work for them full time when I was, you know, 18:26 just three years ago. 18:28 But I just kept volunteering with them after I left Uganda 18:31 and it just worked out, and I'm so thankful I did 18:33 because, I mean, I love them. 18:36 And I keep forgetting the ministry has been around 18:38 long enough for you to see a generation 18:40 go through to graduation. 18:42 I keep, say I keep looking at you 18:44 and I have to push your ages up, 18:46 but I won't ask you how old you are, 18:48 but I keep having to push it up because you look so young, 18:52 but you've been in existence long enough to see 18:55 a group of children come into the system, 18:57 and then move through the system, 18:58 and then go out of the system which is a wonderful thing. 19:01 We're going to look at some of the kids 19:02 in just a little bit. 19:03 So Yvonne is over there? 19:06 She retired from helping us last year or mid-year, 19:09 before she was with us for 10 years. 19:11 She lived in Uganda for 10 years. 19:13 So she grew with us from the orphanage 19:16 to the assistance program, 19:17 we had a small meal program in the old home. 19:20 And she was the one who helped build 19:23 she really, you know, managed building the home 19:26 and then she retired after that. 19:27 So the home is built up and running and established. 19:29 Yes, yes. 19:30 We rented 10 years and then 19:32 we moved into the home last year. 19:34 Oh, praise the Lord. 19:35 Who now is running it over there? 19:38 So I run it from here for the most part 19:41 but we have local staff and, so we have about 19:44 15 to 20 staff and volunteers there who are local. 19:48 And one of the biggest blessings 19:49 for us this year as Renee said so, 19:51 our daughter graduated with business administration 19:54 and accounting in November, 19:56 and she is now the manager of our home, 19:58 which is one of our dreams that eventually our children 20:00 will grow up to take over our organization 20:02 over there, and so... 20:04 Now you said our daughter. 20:05 So she was in our home, she was one of the children 20:07 that grew up in our home. 20:09 Okay, okay. 'Cause now I was getting afraid. 20:11 I was like you got a daughter coming out of college, 20:14 I really got to change what I'm thinking. 20:16 No, I'll never have a daughter coming out of college, 20:20 not be that old ever. 20:23 Well, praise the Lord. Yeah, that's a big dream. 20:24 You're bringing people out of the system 20:26 who are giving back to the system. 20:27 Yes, yes. 20:28 And that's really our desire, you know, even not only for, 20:31 not only for our organization, but in general, you know, 20:34 one of our visions is that our children will give back 20:36 to the community or the world at large, 20:38 like one of the things we do in our home 20:40 is every morning after worship, we have the kids, you know, 20:44 we try to also install positive thinking in them. 20:47 So every morning after worship, we all have to jump up 20:49 and say it's going to be a great day today. 20:51 And if I see someone not jumping, 20:53 I make them jump. 20:54 We don't stop jumping until every single person jumps, 20:57 staff, kids, babies, it doesn't matter. 20:59 And then after that we sing the song 21:01 I made up from Elly the Elephant 21:03 the show here, I don't know 21:04 if you've ever seen it, Elly the Elephant. 21:05 So we dance around and we sing, let's make some magic 21:08 with our day today. 21:10 And then so the kids sing that and magic is something 21:13 good you do for somebody. 21:15 So throughout the day they have to find 21:17 some opportunity to do good and then in the evening 21:19 when we have worship, after worship 21:20 they share the different ways that they did magic that day. 21:23 And we're trying harder now to incorporate, 21:26 get them to do stuff for other kids and they too, 21:30 when they see kids that don't eat 21:31 or not in school, they'll let us know, 21:33 so we hope to really install that desire 21:36 to serve as they grow up. 21:38 So it seems as though the home is unabashedly, 21:41 unashamedly Adventist and those values are sort of 21:45 woven into everything you do with the kids, yeah. 21:47 Yes, I mean, we don't convert anybody, 21:49 government, you know, won't allow anything like that. 21:52 We have children from all different religions 21:54 that come into our home, but if they're in our home, 21:58 it's an Adventist home, we have morning, 21:59 evening worship, they go to church... 22:01 So the exposure is there. You know, on Friday. 22:02 Yes, and we've had little over 15 baptisms of our children 22:06 just their own free will and nothing forced upon them. 22:09 The guardians are allowed, like if there's guardians 22:11 or extended members to come take their kids 22:13 to their own churches, but no one does than our kids, 22:17 you know, like even like our children, 22:18 we had brought children from. 22:20 In the past year or so, we've been able to take 22:22 12 children off the street. 22:24 And one of the most happiest things for me 22:27 is when I saw one of them like just sitting there 22:29 looking through the Bible, we have like a comic Bible, 22:32 just when the other kids are playing 22:34 and he's reading the Bible. 22:36 And, you know, and they love to hear the Bible stories 22:39 and they want to hear more and it's just nice to see. 22:42 So, Shalini, do you split your time between the States 22:45 and Uganda, are you back and forth a lot? 22:47 Yes. Yeah, I'm back and forth a lot. 22:48 I go about three to four times a year is what I try to do 22:51 about a month at a time and sometimes 22:54 two to three weeks, so it's all based 22:55 on the schedule from here and there. 22:57 And we're actually looking for a country director 23:00 to volunteer a missionary over there. 23:03 And even other people too like we're looking for a nurse, 23:06 counselor, teacher, HR specialist, accounts, 23:10 and project manager, really anything 23:13 that you are able to do we need. 23:16 So anyone just as if they have the heart 23:18 or the desire to serve 23:20 or care for children or caretaker to... 23:22 We need you. 23:24 How big is the home and how many children 23:27 are you serving right now? 23:28 So we have... 23:30 We support 30 kids out of our home, 23:32 we can go up to 40, but right now 23:34 because we don't have office space, 23:35 we have caseworkers for the kids in the community, 23:37 an accountant, social worker, a home manager. 23:40 And we don't have a building for an office 23:43 so they use one of the rooms, 23:45 the bedrooms we have for the boys, 23:47 they're all kind of squashed in the little bedroom. 23:50 So we have the capacity to take in 40 kids, 23:52 but right now we support about 30 of them. 23:54 Actually this morning we got a baby of one month 23:57 that they brought to us. 23:58 We have four babies in the home. 24:00 And if God blesses and, you know, 24:04 we can serve more in other homes. 24:07 What ages do you work with? 24:10 There's no minimum, we got one baby at eight hours old. 24:15 We brought her at eight hours old 24:16 her mom had passed away in childbirth. 24:18 And our mission is that we keep them 24:22 till they're self-sufficient, whether that's 20 or 25 24:25 whatever it is. 24:26 You know, one of the things that when 24:28 I talked about the children I saw 24:30 and, you know, when I saw them 24:31 I wanted to take them to my home. 24:33 And when I was a kid, I thought what I wanted 24:34 to give them was the toys and the food 24:36 but really that feeling I had was the support 24:39 my parents gave me, the love, the affection, 24:41 the support. 24:43 And so that's what we want to give our kids. 24:46 If we just take them to elementary or secondary school 24:49 and then leave them, that doesn't leave them anything, 24:52 how do they support themselves, and think of us as parents, 24:55 you know, what our parents give us. 24:58 Why do we see like a 50-year old crying 25:00 when their parent dies 25:01 because it's beyond just what you can do. 25:04 So even after they become self-sufficient 25:06 we want to emotionally be there for them, 25:08 and be their advisers and they're family, 25:10 we're the family, they are children. 25:12 Now your time must be very much occupied, 25:15 you are a wife and mother, and you have a daughter. 25:20 Yes. How old? 25:22 Eva is seven years old. 25:23 Seven years old, so that's kind of the active age. 25:25 Oh, she is very active. 25:26 How you manage your day, and what kind of support 25:29 do you get family wise for... 25:31 Because this is the kind of thing that can sallow you up 25:33 emotionally and time wise, you know, 25:35 it can become your all and all. 25:37 It is. 25:38 And it's hard not to because it's different 25:40 from a regular job, a regular job you go in 25:42 and you do what's needed but when you're serving God, 25:44 it's your life and there's no time clock, 25:47 and there's no anything. 25:49 But, yeah, like you said you're totally right, 25:51 I cannot do it by myself everything that I'm able to do 25:54 is with the support of my parents 25:55 who do a lot of babysitting, and helping, and praying, 25:58 and yelling, and advising me. 26:01 My husband who is very patient with everything 26:03 that I have to do it's not the life 26:05 that he would want for himself, you know, 26:07 but he's very patient and sees, you know, 26:09 what God is doing and his support is 26:12 I couldn't do it without him. 26:13 And then our board members I'm, like you said, a nurse, 26:18 I know I'm a bad salesman, I'm not good, but my board, 26:23 the board that I have is wonderful, 26:25 the advise they give me, the support they give, 26:27 the guidance they give, our volunteers 26:29 we wouldn't be here today. 26:31 Like, even though the home started, right, 26:34 the first four years, I wasn't giving it my all. 26:38 And we had an advisor Mr. John Stanley, 26:41 Dr. John Stanley, he advised us to get volunteers. 26:44 So in 2011 that's when we started getting volunteers. 26:47 And because of the support of the volunteers 26:50 that's when we really started growing and being able 26:53 to do more because we had more manpower. 26:55 And then the miracle grant we got a year ago 26:59 that helped us to pay for Renee and then 2.5 salary here 27:03 is just miracles of God. 27:05 Praise the Lord. Really everything is God. 27:07 The volunteers are very, very important to this ministry 27:10 so we know how volunteers going to put wings to your work 27:14 because, you know, they can do the time. 27:17 Are you able to practice nursing 27:19 and still work and still do this 27:21 and carry along and juggle all those things? 27:23 I was doing it up until February of last year. 27:27 I was dying so it was literally a miracle of God, you know, 27:32 the grant we applied for was to help 200 children 27:35 go to school, and the grantors they want to stay anonymous, 27:38 they came back with, can we give you 2.5 salaries, 27:42 and they were doing it in a span of five years 27:44 in which we have to, you know, 27:46 be able to support it ourselves. 27:48 But I was literally dying, I can't even explain to you, 27:52 I was dying, I was drowning. 27:55 And God just brought that grant at the right time. 27:57 So last year is when we started with that, 28:03 I'm getting all my years mixed up right now 28:04 because we're just. 28:06 Yeah, last year. Praise the Lord. 28:08 I was wondering because this is work 28:11 and then your husband has to be without his wife for a month 28:13 at a time, several times during the year, 28:16 but it also means there's no time to work. 28:18 And when I say work, I mean, to be a nurse. 28:20 Yeah, so there's got to be some other way 28:21 to support yourself because you've got a child 28:23 and you've got family, the whole kind of thing 28:25 so God really did some miracle work 28:27 and it's tough for which we praise the Lord. 28:29 Even when we don't ask Him, He provides what we need. 28:31 Yeah, for He knows your heart. Yeah. 28:34 So, Renee, as marketer what is your job at this point 28:37 in time now as far as Christalis is considered? 28:41 So marketing in general, I guess it would be my job 28:45 so just promoting, you know, 28:47 Shalini has so many great ideas, 28:49 she's such a wonderful person and Christalis 28:50 is such a wonderful organization. 28:52 So just getting that out there, 28:55 the amazing things that Christalis does, 28:58 just making that available to more people, 29:01 expanding outside of Maryland, because I don't think 29:03 they're able to do that a lot so we now have, 29:06 thanks to Walla Walla University, you know, 29:08 supporting their project, we have donors 29:10 on the west coast also. 29:11 So just expanding our base finding other people. 29:16 Yeah, 'cause she's east coast, you're west coast 29:17 so you're going to get to uncover. 29:20 So if someone is watching this program, 29:22 they're even kind of excited, they wanted to come over 29:24 and volunteer some time two weeks, three weeks 29:26 with some particular skills, can you use them? 29:29 Yeah, I think you need at least a few months... 29:33 And you could do two weeks and three weeks 29:34 a lot is lost in travel, but yeah, we can use them 29:37 no matter whatever they want to do, 29:40 we're pleased to talk to them. 29:41 So really the longer stay would be actually 29:42 more beneficial to you and your ministry. 29:45 Let's look at... 29:46 Well, first let's go to this video 29:47 because this kind of gives us a little flavor, 29:49 then we look at some pictures and then we'll kind talk about 29:51 some other stuff. 29:52 So let's go to the video just now 29:53 and this is Christalis, what we're going to see here? 29:56 So it's a video about two of our students 29:59 who were over there talking about, 30:00 one of them talks about our home, the orphanage, 30:03 and a child that came in there. 30:04 And, you know, the one talks about our assistance program 30:06 that we touched on a little bit and kids and the community. 30:08 All right, let's take a look. 30:10 My name is John Browning. My name is Supriya. 30:13 I was born and raised in the beautiful city 30:15 of Bozeman, Montana 30:17 I hope to teach secondary school 30:19 or university someday. 30:21 I thought of it as any other job 30:22 when I first joined Christalis, but to my surprise 30:25 it changed my view about the world. 30:27 I go to the villages, and visit 30:28 the assistance program children. 30:31 The assistance program is for children 30:33 who have a home that can provide them 30:35 with food and shelter but does not have 30:38 the financial ability to send them to school. 30:41 Every child I visit is so very thankful 30:43 that they are able to attend school. 30:45 Each child in the assistance program 30:47 will not be able to attend school 30:49 without the support from Christalis. 30:51 Instead, they would be most likely working 30:54 in the fields with their parents, 30:56 or in the streets trying to make a sustainable living. 31:03 I remember the day he came to the home 31:05 for the first time. 31:07 He was filthy clothes, full of thorns and webs on it, 31:11 had no shoes on and his feet were filled 31:14 with mud from his feet to his knees. 31:18 We bought him a new set of clothes, 31:19 we helped him bath. 31:21 As we were doing that we noticed that 31:22 he had a lot of scars on his back. 31:25 Apparently, Joel was caught stealing 31:28 a little bit of money from his mother, 31:30 she ended up taking him to the police station 31:32 to be beaten. 31:33 And there Joel was beaten terribly, 31:35 and he was left with some heavy scars on his body. 31:39 Then Joel was kicked out of his home 31:41 and he was left to fend on the streets for himself. 31:44 We decided to give him his new bed sheets, 31:47 he hugged them tight and he ended up 31:49 dancing around the room because he was so happy 31:51 that he had a new bed to sleep on for himself. 31:54 We were learning about the story of Joseph 31:57 and Joel's response was heartbreaking. 31:59 Each child told us what they had gone 32:01 from the story, and Joel said that 32:05 no matter what we should always go to our family 32:10 even if they don't love us that we should always go 32:12 back to them. 32:14 And you can tell from that sentence that 32:16 there was a lot more meaning behind it. 32:18 If you were to see Joel today, 32:20 he is a completely different child, 32:23 he is so happy, he has so much love to offer, 32:26 he is always jumping up and down, 32:28 and clinging on to our arms, he is excited to learn, 32:32 keeps begging us to go to school 32:34 so we are just waiting for a sponsor for him. 32:37 It's hard to know that there are so many 32:38 other children out here in the same condition, 32:41 and we hope that they can all be helped through Christalis 32:45 and through our dedicated donors. 32:47 There are over 300 children waiting for sponsors 32:50 so that they can attend school. 32:52 Christalis does as much as they can, 32:54 but we need sponsors in order to help them. 33:01 Oh, that is so exciting. 33:03 Walk me through, Shalini, 33:05 if you will the sponsorship program? 33:08 What that entails and what you're seeking to do? 33:10 Sure. 33:11 So like in our home we still have about 10 children 33:14 who need sponsorship. 33:15 So a sponsor chooses a child that they wanted to support. 33:19 It really takes about $120 per month, 33:21 but that's not always easy for everybody 33:24 so sometimes we split it like $80, $60, $40 33:26 and we'll give you children to choose from, 33:28 and then you can write letters to them, send pictures, 33:30 the kids love to get it, then they write back, 33:32 and they send their pictures. 33:34 And that's in the home in the orphanage 33:37 that we spoke about, then we have the assistance program 33:39 the one that Dillon spoke about in the video, 33:41 and in that program we have about 700 children 33:44 waiting for help. 33:45 And this year we have 67 kids 33:48 who cannot continue their education 33:50 if we don't get sponsors and school 33:51 just started last week. 33:53 And so there it's $20 per month for a child 33:58 in elementary school we call primary, 34:00 and $40 per month in secondary school, 34:02 and then as the education gets higher 34:04 like if they go for certificate level 34:06 or post-secondary it goes to like $50, $60, $70 34:09 and if you're supporting someone in university 34:11 about a $100 to $120 per month. 34:13 It's still not, in our money, a fabulous sum of money, 34:18 it's manageable, you can do with some level of... 34:23 So these are, they're in public school. 34:25 Not all of them we have, like, our home kids most of them 34:28 are in Adventist schools. 34:29 Okay. Yeah. 34:30 And in the assistance program also we try our level best 34:34 to put them in Adventist schools, 34:35 but sometimes depending on where they live 34:37 there isn't a school nearby, 34:39 and their means of transport is walking, 34:42 so sometimes we don't want like 34:43 six year olds or seven year olds 34:45 walking long distances in the night by themselves, 34:47 so then we try to put them in a school closest to them. 34:50 So we're dealing with two populations, 34:52 we've got in home residents and others 34:56 who are assisting who don't live in the home 34:57 but live in other places, but you're trying to help them 35:00 through the system as well. 35:01 Yeah, because we found that, you know, around us 35:04 there were a lot of kids who needed help, 35:05 sometimes families would lie to get them into the home, 35:08 and sometimes they live, you know, 35:10 they're eating one meal a day 35:11 or they're not going to school at all 35:13 and they need help. 35:15 And that's very sponsor driven because we don't have the money 35:18 if we don't have the sponsor we can't help them. 35:20 You can't do, yeah. Yeah. 35:21 And we support over 200 children 35:24 in that program. 35:26 Wow! 35:27 See your numbers are growing, 35:28 I mean, you're making an impact. 35:33 How is the government impacted 35:36 about what you do, are they assisting you, 35:38 are they, is it a sort of benign kind of thing, 35:40 do you get any hostility from them, 35:42 are they settling into what you're doing? 35:44 We don't get any hostility. Good. 35:46 They're very supportive and they're happy 35:47 for what we're doing, 35:49 but we don't have any kind of help from them, 35:51 they don't help in funding or anything like that. 35:54 But, yeah, there we have no problem. 35:56 Good to you. 35:58 Let's take a look at some pictures 35:59 and then you can tell us what we're seeing. 36:01 Okay. Okay. 36:05 So that's our kids doing activity, 36:08 we have Global Rise there right now 36:09 and they're teaching them about nutrition 36:11 and healthy eating. 36:12 And so we like to do things to help them. 36:15 You know, part of our mission is to give them opportunities 36:18 to succeed, and that's not always necessarily education, 36:21 they also need life skills and, you know, 36:23 how to deal with life so, like, when every time I go 36:26 so for about four times, we do vision boards with them. 36:29 So the kids, you know, do their vision board 36:30 what they want to do and have them put it 36:32 by their bed or their cupboard 36:33 so they pray over it every year. 36:34 So we try to do different things 36:36 to help the kids. 36:37 Okay, next one. 36:39 This is Balaku, he is one of our children 36:41 in our assistance program. 36:43 He was the first child, not first, second child 36:44 with disabilities that we helped. 36:46 He had speech and hearing problems, 36:47 and we put him in a special education school 36:49 thanks to a sponsor. 36:51 Praise the Lord. 36:53 This is Schlori and Viola, they are eight and seven now 36:57 and so there's a picture with them with toys, 36:59 so it's one of the things like in our mission, you know, 37:01 when I saw those kids, it's not just about 37:02 the food and the education. 37:04 We want to give them everything we give our kids here 37:06 so what I give Eva, I want them to have. 37:08 That's one of my happiest things 37:10 is to take them toys because so they're excited for it. 37:13 And these two little girls actually they were abandoned 37:15 by their parents two, three years ago. 37:18 And they were just left there 37:19 and so an old lady in the community 37:21 took them into care for them, 37:22 and she was just getting old, she couldn't care for them. 37:24 We found them in a really bad state, 37:26 they're just so precious. 37:28 I love them. Praise the Lord. 37:31 And that's our kids eating so that's one of the things 37:33 when we first started when Yvonne started 37:35 when she asked them, what is the thing you like most 37:37 about the home? 37:38 And they said three meals a day, 37:40 was what they like the most so that's just a picture 37:42 of the food we give them. 37:44 Praise the Lord. 37:45 And that's our home that Walla Walla University 37:47 helped us build. 37:48 That's our home. 37:50 And if you see there's a shed to the left of it 37:52 that's just made out of a board we're hoping one day 37:54 God will give us another miracle 37:56 that we could build an office space 37:58 and volunteer quarters there. 38:00 And that's Renee and Heidi in the picture walking our kids 38:04 to school when we lived in the old home. 38:08 And that's a group picture so in the middle 38:10 there's our daughter Nusra that I was talking to you about, 38:13 so this was last November. 38:14 And that's all our kids. 38:15 So that's one of the things, you know, 38:17 just like if Eva graduated our whole family would go. 38:20 So we took all her brothers and sisters there 38:23 to see her graduation, and same with Menes, 38:26 and Menes and his stories actually released... 38:29 Amazing. 38:31 When he was a toddler, 38:32 he walked from the Congo to Rwanda 38:34 and that's where his parents passed away in Rwanda, 38:36 and his grandmother came and took all his siblings 38:39 with her to 'cause they say where we are, 38:41 but she can't afford to take care of them 38:42 so she put them in different homes 38:43 and they worked to stay there. 38:45 And he would go to school but no one to pay his fees, 38:48 and he was smart so they would give him 38:49 old school books, they took him off the roster, 38:51 and then when we came they brought him to us. 38:53 And so we were so blessed to have him and right now 38:57 he is our first graduate 38:58 in secondary education is what he did. 39:00 And now he's doing on a scholarship 39:02 a master's in South Korea. 39:03 Wow! Yeah. 39:05 Praise the Lord. Yeah. 39:06 It was amazing. Excellent. 39:08 That's the picture of Renee and her kids. 39:12 Renee, you look very happy there. 39:14 I was very happy there. 39:18 This is a picture of us giving mosquito nets and Bibles, 39:21 so once when one of our little girl, 39:23 that's one of our donor, she donated solar lights 39:26 because one of the kids in our assistance program 39:28 said that they don't have, you know, 39:30 almost all of them have electricity 39:31 in the assistance program so they said, 39:33 they would have trouble studying at night. 39:35 So we got these little solar nights 39:37 that, actually, I saw when Heidi and Renee 39:38 brought up for themselves. 39:40 And so we were provided that for all the kids 39:42 in the assistance program. 39:43 And when we were doing that, I was talking to them 39:45 and they were saying... 39:48 I was talking to them about having morning devotion 39:49 before they go to school. 39:51 And they all were saying they don't have Bibles, 39:52 so Washington Adventist University 39:54 raised money to purchase Bibles for them. 39:57 And then once when I was in the airport, 39:59 I wanted to provide mosquito nets 40:00 because malaria is huge there. 40:02 And once when I was in the airport 40:03 just waiting for my connecting flight 40:05 there was these people with this t-shirt 40:07 it says 2400dollar.org. 40:09 And so I asked them what they did 40:10 or it said nets 24 something like that, 40:13 and they provide mosquito nets in Uganda. 40:15 And so they donated mosquito nets for all the kids 40:17 in our assistance program. 40:18 Praise the Lord. Yeah, it's a miracle. 40:20 The Lord seems to provide what you need when you need it. 40:22 Yeah. Sometimes even before you ask. 40:24 Yes. Yeah, do we have any more? 40:26 There we go. 40:28 That's a picture of a family we were trying to help 40:29 through our family development program. 40:31 So, you know, we're not always going to be there 40:33 say there's some sort of war something happens 40:35 and we are gone. 40:36 We want to be able to know that these kids will continue 40:39 to go to school, continue to get help 40:40 so we're thinking if we can equip the parents, 40:43 educate them, help them come up, 40:44 then they can become self-sufficient 40:46 to care of the kids themselves. 40:47 So it's a holistic program where we look 40:50 at all their needs, physical, emotional, financial, 40:54 and help them in each area to take care of themselves 40:57 so the plan is it goes over a span of years, 41:00 maybe three to five years 41:01 till they can become self-sufficient, 41:03 and give them income generating project, 41:04 and they give us certain percentage back 41:06 that goes into helping them for a while, 41:08 and then after that other families, 41:10 but we haven't had the funding to really follow through. 41:13 We started with five or six families, 41:14 but haven't been able to continue. 41:16 Powerful. 41:17 You know, I've got a statement I'm going to make, 41:18 I'll wait till the end of these pictures, 41:20 but I see something that I think 41:22 is really a God blessing. 41:23 But are we out of pictures or we have some more? 41:25 Okay. 41:28 One of the things I see that you're doing is trying to... 41:31 Because you are basically an orphanage, 41:35 but you are casting a very wide net, in fact, 41:38 the widest possible net as far as community 41:42 and social impact above and beyond 41:45 just a place where children come off the streets 41:47 and get three meals and get the knowledge of God. 41:50 You're back in the streets and you are affecting families 41:54 in a very broad, broad way. 41:57 Is that the mandate that you had in your mind 42:00 when you began or did you just kind of mission creep into that 42:04 with the help of your board? 42:05 Because you're more than just a place 42:07 where kids can stay, you're actually moving back 42:10 to the community and casting a really wide net there, 42:14 is that what you had in your mind 42:15 or just kind of grow into that? 42:17 I think that's what I had in mind, 42:19 I think what I have in mind or what God put in my heart 42:22 is even wider than that. 42:25 It's huge. 42:28 I think the desire is to help any kid in need, 42:32 any kid who is crying for help. 42:34 It's not just the ones that don't have a home, 42:37 they're one suffering for no food and suffering 42:40 because they're being abused or exploited 42:42 so it's a desire to help to show our love 42:46 for all those kids in however way 42:49 God enables us to. 42:52 I'm so very, very impressed. 42:53 I've been to Uganda and you don't have to have 42:58 binoculars to see, I mean, with your eyes 43:01 you can see the need on the street 43:03 typically of young children who are either parent less 43:08 or their parents just can't take care of them, 43:10 you can see it so you're addressing that. 43:14 That's a very big need, isn't it? 43:16 Yeah. Yeah, all over the world. 43:19 All over the world. 43:21 Well, one at a time, you know, 43:25 that's what you can do, one at a time. 43:26 And to that one child it's their world, 43:28 they don't know about the other kids. 43:30 Yes, yes, yes, indeed. Praise the Lord. 43:34 I noticed and I was happy to see that the place 43:38 where your house is, your home is, 43:40 it's not in the heart of the city, 43:41 it's out a little ways. 43:43 Yeah, we're about 15 minutes out 43:44 and we're up in the mountains, it's beautiful 43:46 when you come there the next time you go there, 43:48 you will see how beautiful it is. 43:50 I mean, I think it's technically hills, 43:51 but it looks like mountains to me. 43:53 So like all around are green mountains 43:55 when you wake up in the morning... 43:57 And when I go there I love to have Sabbath sundown worship 43:59 in the front 'cause you're just in nature 44:02 as you sing and it's just beautiful. 44:05 Yeah, praise the Lord. That is so very, very fabulous. 44:09 When you go out and make presentations 44:12 is your target audience, do you go to colleges, 44:15 high schools, all of the above, churches, 44:18 who do you try to target 44:20 as far as the kind of assistance that you need? 44:22 Anybody, everywhere wherever God takes us. 44:26 I mean, I have donors who are six 44:30 and seven years old. 44:32 We have one little girl 44:33 who does chores around the house 44:34 and donates like $300, $500 every year 44:37 to support a child. 44:39 She must be eight or nine. 44:40 My daughter gives money and volunteers like, you know, 44:45 from students and, you know, in the university 44:47 I will sign them up for $0.25 per month. 44:50 It makes a difference. 44:52 It doesn't matter how old, how young even volunteering, 44:55 if you cannot go to Uganda and you want to volunteer here, 44:58 you know, retired or high school, 45:02 elementary school we have a place for everyone. 45:05 We're going to put up some contact information 45:07 in just a few moments for those who may want to help. 45:10 But I'm thinking given the broad base kinds of needs 45:15 that an orphanage home would have, 45:19 anybody with stuff to get over there, I mean, 45:23 good stuff could be of assistance. 45:26 Clothing for young children, soap, toothpaste, 45:32 those kinds of things, can you use 45:33 that kind of stuff also? 45:35 It's the only problem is taking it over there 45:36 is expensive like shipping is expensive, 45:38 sometimes it doesn't get there, like, we lost two barrels once, 45:41 it never got there. 45:43 And then I take it with me when I take an extra suitcase 45:47 and you have to pay like, you know, $250 or $270 45:50 for each extra suitcase. 45:51 So that's the only challenge with taking stuff over there. 45:55 It's easier if we go there and purchase it, 45:58 some things I try to take over because it's better 45:59 to take from here than there, like, shoes 46:03 and maybe bags and stuff. 46:05 Some things are more expensive there, 46:07 but other things it's just easier to get. 46:09 So it's better really just to send cash 46:11 and then get it locally rather than trying to ship? 46:13 And then we take pictures and send it to donors 46:17 so you'll see it. 46:20 Praise the Lord. This is so very, very exciting. 46:22 As you look back over the 14, 13 years 46:27 that you've been in existence, walk me through 46:31 what to you was the greatest miracle, 46:33 the greatest sign that this was a God thing 46:36 and that God was in it? 46:38 Wow! There is a million signs. 46:41 Well, give your top two. Only top two. 46:46 I think one is a general, I think like Renee said 46:49 every time I go there, and I see the children, 46:52 I know their stories. 46:53 I know what's happened to them. 46:55 I know inside what they've been through, 46:58 and yet you will never see it in their faces 47:01 or in how they behave or anything, the joy, 47:05 the happiness, the security, the love, you know, 47:10 that shows me that all the... 47:12 This is not easy, you know, when you talk about things 47:15 it's easy to think that everything is smooth sailing, 47:17 but it's not, life is so hard but when you see those kids 47:22 and see how it's affecting them, 47:25 that is the biggest sign for me that, you know, 47:28 this is what God, you know, wants us to do. 47:31 And then it's just repeated, I think it's a cycle, 47:35 the first one I think when I kind of 47:37 'cause I was really desperate, I was just it's hard, right, 47:41 when you're doing ministry. 47:42 And I was at a point and I was like, "God, 47:44 am I doing what I want because everyone tells me 47:46 I'm doing what I want. 47:47 And I'm really not doing what you want." 47:49 So I was just on my knees praying, I was like, "God, 47:52 if really I'm being selfish and I'm doing the wrong thing, 47:56 I need you to show me a miracle if it's the right thing, 47:59 and I just want a big donation, just a flat big donation 48:03 'cause I've never received like Yvonne would talk to people 48:05 and she would get a huge donations 48:06 but, you know, like I said, I'm not a good sales person. 48:09 So I was like, "God, I need something huge 48:12 that I know this is what you want me to do." 48:14 And that weekend Pastor Wyclee on behalf of the conference 48:21 donated $5,000 to start our building fund. 48:25 And so for me that was the pivotal like 48:27 'cause I had asked God I need a big sign. 48:30 And then but then, you know, the devil, 48:31 he knows where to get you so I go down 48:35 and God just completely shows miracles 48:37 like the Walla Walla University, like the grant, 48:40 and it's just multiple miracle after miracle. 48:43 I know that pastor and praise the Lord for that. 48:46 It occurred to me sometimes when you bite off 48:49 such a big chunk of social service 48:53 that it can get you down. 48:55 The plane rides, the dealing with day to day activities, 48:59 you know, in time can get you down, 49:00 but I guess the Lord finds a way 49:02 to kind of boost you back up, yeah. 49:04 Yeah, yeah, just when you're about to be done, 49:08 God just brings you something huge 49:10 and you're like, "Oh, yes, back into it. 49:12 Praise the Lord. 49:14 Renee, you've been quiet for a little bit, 49:16 when is the last time you were over? 49:19 So 2016, I got to go back, and I left in 2015, 49:24 and then in 2016 I got to go back just for a week. 49:27 Shalini was over there and she invited 49:29 Heidi and I had to go back. 49:30 And so it was really great to see the kids again. 49:33 We had never actually seen the new orphanage, 49:35 it was still being built while we lived there, 49:37 and so just to see the new home, 49:39 and see all the kids again, just be back in Uganda 49:42 because, I mean, it's one of my favorite places 49:44 in the world. 49:45 Of course, I miss the kids when I'm over here 49:48 so just being able to see them again and... 49:51 And they love them. 49:53 Kids love Renee, Aunty Renee, Aunty Heidi, 49:57 Uncle Dillon, they love the children. 50:00 Yeah, you've got a little fan club there. 50:02 Praise the Lord. And they seem so happy. 50:05 They seem really, really happy. 50:08 Do you ever get any parents or relatives who come 50:12 and say thank you for what you're doing. 50:14 Do you get that kind of affirmation there in Uganda? 50:17 Oh, yeah, they're very grateful. 50:20 Once we even got a goat because we were able to 50:23 because of a donor do a heart surgery for a child, 50:26 congenital defect and they had to wait 50:28 till she was three years old, and it was expensive 50:30 $3,000, $4, 000 and so she brought a goat 50:34 and like plate stuff she made, and they were waiting for me 50:37 to come to kill it and eat it. 50:38 And I was like, "No, I'm not killing the goat." 50:41 So the goat became our pet, we got another one 50:45 and so now we're producing goats 50:47 to sell for the kids. 50:49 Praise the Lord. 50:50 Yeah, they're grateful, they are. 50:51 Anyway you make money to support the program. 50:55 Before our time gets away from us, 50:56 I want to do just couple of things. 50:58 You've gotten sort of now the texture 51:01 of what this ministry does, and the broad net 51:04 that it tosses as we're over the part of Uganda 51:10 that God has given them as their mission field, 51:12 the work that they're doing is wonderful, 51:14 and it is being blessed by the Lord. 51:17 I always like to be involved in things that I know 51:19 are part of what God's plan is, and I assure this is part 51:23 of God's plan not only for Shalini and Renee, 51:27 but for Uganda and for those 51:28 that are part of their volunteer core 51:31 and the work that they're doing. 51:32 Should you want to assist them financially, 51:37 certainly we ask you to pray for them, 51:39 but if you want to assist them financially, 51:40 and we encourage you to do so 51:42 in the strongest terms, this is a great, great work, 51:45 or if you have time and want to make contact 51:47 with this ministry, here's the information 51:50 that you're going to need. 51:53 If you would like to help change 51:55 the life of an orphan child in Uganda, 51:57 the Christalis home provides a family atmosphere 52:01 with family worships, study, and playtime 52:04 as well as worship time each day. 52:06 You may also help provide other children 52:09 with healthcare and education 52:10 through the Christalis assistance program. 52:13 Visit their website, Christalis. org 52:16 to find out more. 52:17 That's Christalis. org. 52:20 You may also call them at area code (240) 772-1131 52:27 or write to them at Christalis 14611, 52:31 Blackburn Road, Burtonsville, Maryland 20866. |
Revised 2018-04-26