I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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I want to spend my life
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Removing pain
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Lord, let my words
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Heal a heart that hurts
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I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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Hello, and
welcome to 3ABN Today.
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My name is CA Murray.
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And allow me once
again to thank you
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for sharing just a
little of your busy day with us.
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And to thank you as always
for your love, your prayers,
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your support of Three
Angels Broadcasting Network.
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As together,
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we are called to lift up
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the mighty and
matchless name of Jesus.
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I am excited today
because our program
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has to do with medical work
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and the work that AMEN
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which is Adventist
Medical Evangelism Network.
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I think I got that
right. That's right.
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Does locally and
around the world,
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I first became
aware of AMEN years ago
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during the Haitian earthquake.
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And number of
people from AMEN came,
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David Catalano
down in Florida...
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Roger Touma,
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all came and
joined hands with us.
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And it was much work to be
done in those days in Haiti,
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and that's when I
became familiar with them.
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And so that's what
we're gonna talk about today,
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what it is, what it
does, what it seeks to do,
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how you can be a part of it,
how you can support their work,
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how you can
join hands with them,
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all of the above and
perhaps a little bit more.
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My guests are Dr.
Brian Schwartz, MD.
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First of all,
good to see you, man.
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Good morning. Good to see you.
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And we have some
history together,
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we are talking about
it just a little bit ago.
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Your wife Lindy,
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fairly famous name
around the Adventist circles
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and her sister
Andy, both doctors.
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Doctors marrying doctors
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so you got stereo
of doctors like I said.
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So we praise the Lord for that.
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And Vinh Trinh, I
like that Vinh Trinh,
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good to have you here, man.
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Thank you. From?
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Yorba Linda, California.
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Yorba Linda, I know Yorba Linda.
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As you're
heading out from LA east,
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we go through Yorba Linda.
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And, Dr. Robert
Hassup... Hessong.
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Right. Okay.
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A dentist? A dentist.
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Praise the Lord.
You know I got a little.
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We will talk about it.
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I guess you get that a
lot. Good to have you here.
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I want to just go
through some of the titles here
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so we get
everybody on the right path.
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Vinh, you are CEO and
executive director of AMEN.
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Yes.
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Again, that's a voted position?
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That's a hard position.
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And, Dr. Brian, you're
a volunteer AMEN doctor.
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And Dr. Hessong is a
volunteer AMEN doctor.
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The position of
executive director and CEO,
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is that for a
specific period of time,
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or is it kind of like
a Supreme Court judge,
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you stay there till you die?
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Until they find
someone, that's a order I leave.
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And we praise the Lord for that.
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I want to get before we go
into the work that AMEN does
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and it's such a great ministry.
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Just a little
history on each of you.
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Brian, your name may
be a little more known
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but you are born where?
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In Michigan. Michigan guy.
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Adventist home? Adventist home.
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So you grew up Adventist.
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Went to Cedar Lake Academy,
now Great Lakes Academy,
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and Andrews University,
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and ultimately out
to Loma Linda University
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for medical school. Okay.
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Was medicine always
sort of in your blood,
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in your DNA,
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or something you
kind of fell into
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as you got a little
bit older? Yeah, it was.
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My grandfather was
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a general
practitioner at Michigan
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and when I was a child,
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every time he asks me
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what I want to
do when I grow up.
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If I said a pastor, or a farmer,
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he would say, "Oh, that's good"
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but if I said a
doctor, he would say,
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"Oh, that's fabulous.
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Here is the dollar"
and so I was brainwashed.
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I was brainwashed
from a very early age.
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Okay, yeah.
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He was sort of lining
you up from as a child.
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But that was a
natural thing for you,
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it wasn't something
that had to be forced,
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it was natural
for you. Yeah, it was.
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And as a child, I
actually struggled with asthma
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and so I had a
little bit of exposure
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to the medical world.
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And it just seem
like a very natural fit,
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something that I
always wanted to do,
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had a desire to challenge myself
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and it's definitely challenging
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but I will sort of
be able to serve people
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and it's been very rewarding.
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And you've been in
the practice of medicine,
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how many years?
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Oh, I graduated
from Loma Linda in 1989.
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Practiced internal
medicine for five years,
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and then went back and
trained as a cardiologist
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at the University of Cincinnati.
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I have been
doing that since 2002
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at Kettering Medical
Center in Dayton, Ohio.
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Why does one,
from your perspective,
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go into
medicine, become a doctor?
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It can be lucrative,
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I mean, you can,
you can make money
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but there are
many fields of endear
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that will pay you well,
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but why medicine for you?
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Certainly growing up Adventist,
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grew up with
many mission stories.
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I remember as a child reading
story of David Livingstone
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and many other missionaries
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that have gone around the world.
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That was really appealing.
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I actually thought that I was
gonna be in overseas missions
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when I first
started my training.
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I like the
challenge that medicine had.
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Definitely,
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there is that stature in society
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that comes with it, that's good.
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But it really wasn't,
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it really did not
became a medical ministry
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like that I now see it,
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that wasn't until
about 13 years ago
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when AMEN first got started.
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We were challenged
by Pastor Mark Finley
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to turn my medical practice
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which at that point was
just a job into actual ministry,
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into a medical ministry
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and that
revolutionized my practice.
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Okay. Praise the Lord.
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Vinh, the only one
I see without doctor
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in front of your name.
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The CEO of AMEN is not a doctor.
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What do you do?
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Well, I have been a
paramedic for over ten years.
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Oh, okay. So you
were in medicine.
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Yeah, until I came to
AMEN about two years ago.
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Born where?
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I was born in Beijing, China.
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My parents came over
here when I was two years old.
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I was sponsored by
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the Seventh-Day
Adventist Church.
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And they all got
baptized in the Adventist
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and I end up
going back to the church
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27 years later.
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Praise the Lord.
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So when you were born,
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they were
Adventists already or were not?
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They were
Buddhists. They were Buddhists.
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Was it a wrenching
thing to come into Adventism
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or is it sort
of easy transition?
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It was a very easy
transition for them
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and then for myself, it
was pretty much the same.
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Were your parents
fully practicing Buddhists
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or were they
kind of like normal?
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They were fully
practicing Buddhists.
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So they really were.
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So all you really know
is Adventism for most part.
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Pretty much,
yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
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Any wilderness years
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or where you kind of a
straight up, bona fide,
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good guy Adventists
all the way through?
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I was more of
the typical Chinese
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growing up in the US
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where, you know, you
have a curfew at 6 o'clock,
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go to work early, you know,
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and on the weekend
and things like that,
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so on like on Sundays
and Sunday is when we meet.
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And other than that at
home studying, you know,
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mom and dad, you know,
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raised both my brother and
I in a very strict household,
00:08:03.21\00:08:06.65
where we couldn't
even walk outside the door
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without even asking permission.
00:08:08.42\00:08:09.85
Oh, wow! Yeah
00:08:09.88\00:08:11.22
Yeah, yeah. Kind of
sounds like our household.
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I am going to the door now.
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No, you're not.
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You can't, that kind of thing.
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Robert, where you're from?
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Gresham, Oregon. Oregon, okay.
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Just east of Portland.
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Adventist home growing up?
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My mom was Adventist.
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My dad became an Adventist
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when I was a
junior in the Academy.
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Okay, okay.
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When did...
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'cause as you all
know, it is one thing
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to sort of grow up
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surrounded by the
accoutrements of Adventism.
00:08:40.78\00:08:42.48
It is another thing
to kind of take that on
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as a personal relationship
between you and Christ.
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When did that
hit for you, Robert?
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I think probably...
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when I was probably
around 14 years old.
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Oh, fairly early. Yeah.
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That I was,
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I knew that that's
what I wanted in my life.
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Praise the Lord.
00:09:06.78\00:09:08.11
Now you're a
doctor of dental surgery?
00:09:08.14\00:09:10.21
Right.
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Okay, you are the guy
that we're all afraid of.
00:09:11.61\00:09:15.48
Me too.
00:09:15.52\00:09:18.95
Was dentistry always
something that you wanted to do,
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or...?
00:09:21.86\00:09:23.19
For a very, very
long time, in the...
00:09:23.22\00:09:25.46
my yearbook in high school
00:09:25.49\00:09:26.83
that says, "I
want to be a dentist."
00:09:26.86\00:09:28.70
But it took me a
while to get there.
00:09:28.73\00:09:31.67
You had some other directions
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initially before
you moved into...?
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I was a med tech
before dentistry.
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Then back to
school to dentistry?
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And have been
practicing how long?
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I practiced 35 years.
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You are too. Praise the Lord.
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Long enough to
know what you doing.
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I hope so. Me too.
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We all do.
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Gentlemen, I want to
get into what AMEN is,
00:09:52.59\00:09:54.82
and what it does,
and what it seeks to do?
00:09:54.86\00:09:56.86
In fact, let's do that now
before we even go to our music.
00:10:01.06\00:10:06.47
Give me some history,
00:10:06.50\00:10:07.84
I don't know who's
gonna weigh into this of,
00:10:07.87\00:10:10.41
when it got
started, how it got started?
00:10:10.44\00:10:12.44
Who was the, we'll say "Brains"
behind the beginning of AMEN?
00:10:12.47\00:10:16.85
Yeah.
00:10:16.88\00:10:18.21
So back in 2003 at an ASI,
00:10:18.25\00:10:21.65
I think in 2004
at an ASI Conference,
00:10:21.68\00:10:23.69
several physicians
were just getting together
00:10:23.72\00:10:25.42
and brainstorming.
00:10:25.45\00:10:27.26
Dr. Niron James,
and Dr. Phil Mills,
00:10:27.29\00:10:29.59
Dr. Michael Orlich,
00:10:29.62\00:10:31.53
and just talking about the fact
00:10:31.56\00:10:33.06
that there was
such a big disconnect
00:10:33.09\00:10:34.60
between the medical work
and in the gospel ministry.
00:10:34.63\00:10:38.37
And they started brainstorming.
00:10:38.40\00:10:40.74
In the spring I
think of 2005, we...
00:10:40.77\00:10:45.51
there was just a
little e-mail chain
00:10:45.54\00:10:47.51
that went out to,
00:10:47.54\00:10:49.48
and I'm not sure
how I got invited
00:10:49.51\00:10:51.51
but to a small
group of physicians mainly
00:10:51.55\00:10:53.25
and a few dentists
00:10:53.28\00:10:54.78
that there were just
gonna get a group together
00:10:54.82\00:10:56.89
and talk about it.
00:10:56.92\00:10:58.25
That happened in
Cohutta Springs in Georgia,
00:10:58.29\00:11:00.89
spring of 2005
00:11:00.92\00:11:02.26
and Pastor Mark Finley
came, he challenged the group,
00:11:02.29\00:11:05.89
he laid out aspects
00:11:05.93\00:11:08.96
of how this could
really revolutionize
00:11:09.00\00:11:11.90
the work in our church
00:11:11.93\00:11:13.37
and how it's so
effective for evangelism.
00:11:13.40\00:11:15.30
And it challenged me personally
00:11:15.34\00:11:17.67
to think how can
I turn my practice,
00:11:17.71\00:11:20.88
which at that
point had been a job,
00:11:20.91\00:11:22.98
how can I turn that into
actually a medical ministry.
00:11:23.01\00:11:26.78
And so the first thing that
I learned from him personally
00:11:26.82\00:11:29.72
was that one of
the very easiest ways
00:11:29.75\00:11:33.19
to start having a
spiritual conversations
00:11:33.22\00:11:35.02
with patients is
actually pray with them.
00:11:35.06\00:11:37.46
And I left that conference,
00:11:37.49\00:11:40.53
wasn't really a conference
but just that gathering there
00:11:40.56\00:11:42.50
about 50 of us
altogether including spouses,
00:11:42.53\00:11:46.30
left there challenged
that I needed to go home
00:11:46.33\00:11:50.04
and start praying with patients.
00:11:50.07\00:11:51.74
Now you would think
that coming from Loma Linda,
00:11:51.77\00:11:54.38
I knew how to do that already,
00:11:54.41\00:11:56.14
and that certainly seen
at one or two occasions.
00:11:56.18\00:12:02.78
When I had actually
personally tried to do it,
00:12:02.82\00:12:04.59
that was very uncomfortable
00:12:04.62\00:12:06.29
and I did not feel
comfortable doing that,
00:12:06.32\00:12:10.29
and gave you
some personal examples
00:12:10.33\00:12:11.66
about praying with patients.
00:12:11.69\00:12:13.03
But essentially,
I started doing it,
00:12:13.06\00:12:17.30
started praying with the people
00:12:17.33\00:12:18.67
that I thought
might appreciate a prayer,
00:12:18.70\00:12:20.90
it turns out it's the
people that I had least expected
00:12:20.94\00:12:25.37
would want to have prayer
that had the largest response
00:12:25.41\00:12:27.91
where they would
break down in tears
00:12:27.94\00:12:29.34
and just thank me
for caring about them,
00:12:29.38\00:12:32.08
and just by
expressing a spiritual interest
00:12:32.11\00:12:34.72
in patients,
00:12:34.75\00:12:36.99
all of a sudden the whole...
00:12:37.02\00:12:40.46
whole realm in my
office just changed
00:12:40.49\00:12:42.69
to where I was actually feeling
genuine compassion for patients
00:12:42.72\00:12:46.16
and they were sensing
00:12:46.19\00:12:47.93
more than just a
professional practice
00:12:47.96\00:12:50.27
and a professional service,
00:12:50.30\00:12:51.63
but that I actually
cared and cared about them,
00:12:51.67\00:12:53.60
and it opened the door
00:12:53.64\00:12:54.97
to numerous
spiritual conversations.
00:12:55.00\00:12:56.34
So I mean, it does alter
the dynamic in the room...
00:12:56.37\00:12:59.81
It sure does.
00:12:59.84\00:13:01.24
You are...
00:13:01.28\00:13:02.61
And I will
assume a spiritual guy,
00:13:02.64\00:13:05.88
yet you were not comfortable
00:13:05.91\00:13:07.25
bringing that aspect of
your life into your work.
00:13:07.28\00:13:10.35
Yeah, it was not
generally modeled.
00:13:10.39\00:13:12.19
And so did not learn how
to do it in a comfortable way.
00:13:12.22\00:13:16.83
I knew of one or two
physicians that did that,
00:13:16.86\00:13:19.03
but I didn't
personally know how to do that.
00:13:19.06\00:13:22.06
So but then that
fall, in the fall of 2005,
00:13:22.10\00:13:26.23
we had our first
AMEN formal conference,
00:13:26.27\00:13:29.30
we organized a board,
00:13:29.34\00:13:31.47
appointing an executive director
00:13:31.51\00:13:32.94
and held a
conference in San Diego.
00:13:32.97\00:13:34.98
First two years,
we met in San Diego,
00:13:35.01\00:13:36.54
and then after that we've been
having a conference every year
00:13:36.58\00:13:38.75
back and forth on
the east and west coast.
00:13:38.78\00:13:41.25
Robert, I want to ask you, too,
00:13:41.28\00:13:42.98
to my mind, if there's anybody
I wouldn't praying with me,
00:13:43.02\00:13:45.79
it would be a dentist.
00:13:45.82\00:13:48.82
Was that something that
you were in the habit of doing
00:13:48.86\00:13:51.36
early on
00:13:51.39\00:13:52.73
or whether you got to sort
of work your way into also?
00:13:52.76\00:13:55.36
I worked my way into
00:13:55.40\00:13:57.63
like that still,
it's still hard for me.
00:13:57.67\00:14:00.44
Is it so? Yeah.
00:14:00.47\00:14:04.87
You know, you get a sense,
00:14:04.91\00:14:06.57
at least, I
think I do of someone
00:14:06.61\00:14:09.51
that would be
comfortable with you doing that,
00:14:09.54\00:14:14.65
but I am sure you miss a
lot by doing it that way.
00:14:14.68\00:14:18.85
Do you ask them
can I pray with you
00:14:18.89\00:14:22.42
or do you just?
00:14:22.46\00:14:23.79
Yeah, one of the biggest,
00:14:23.83\00:14:25.16
I know I do a
seminar at our conference
00:14:25.19\00:14:26.53
on praying with patients,
00:14:26.56\00:14:27.90
and one of the biggest
concerns that comes up is,
00:14:27.93\00:14:30.17
am I violating their ethics,
00:14:30.20\00:14:32.60
am I imposing my values on them?
00:14:32.63\00:14:35.44
But Mark from the very beginning
00:14:35.47\00:14:36.91
challenged us to say,
"Just ask their permission"
00:14:36.94\00:14:39.41
and that's
something I've always done.
00:14:39.44\00:14:40.78
And so, what I actually
do with all my patients now
00:14:40.81\00:14:43.14
as I'm getting ready to close
the encounter as I just say,
00:14:43.18\00:14:45.35
by the way one of the things
I often do with all my patients
00:14:45.38\00:14:47.85
is to have a prayer for you.
00:14:47.88\00:14:49.78
Would that be something
that you would appreciate?
00:14:49.82\00:14:51.72
And I am in the Bible Belt
00:14:51.75\00:14:55.06
but it's been in
the last 12 years now,
00:14:55.09\00:14:58.29
less than ten times that
I've had someone say, "No."
00:14:58.33\00:15:01.56
And I've gotten very adept
00:15:01.60\00:15:02.93
at just quickly
changing the subject
00:15:02.96\00:15:04.30
and saying, "Okay, that's fine.
00:15:04.33\00:15:05.83
We will focus on
these other things."
00:15:05.87\00:15:09.37
It's been
amazingly well received,
00:15:09.40\00:15:12.94
Jewish patients, Hindu patients,
00:15:12.97\00:15:15.91
all but Jehovah's
Witnesses and atheists
00:15:15.94\00:15:18.21
are very willing
to allow me to pray.
00:15:18.25\00:15:20.65
Yeah.
00:15:20.68\00:15:22.02
Have you found the same in
your practice, Robert, or no?
00:15:22.05\00:15:23.79
Not really. Not really.
00:15:23.82\00:15:25.75
But I come from, I
come from Portland, Oregon.
00:15:25.79\00:15:29.29
Which is aggressively
secular part of the country.
00:15:29.32\00:15:31.59
Yes.
00:15:31.63\00:15:32.99
Is it apathetic? Are
they upset that you do it?
00:15:33.03\00:15:36.03
What is the response when you,
when you try to approach that?
00:15:36.06\00:15:38.33
I don't know that
I can answer that.
00:15:41.80\00:15:43.81
I have been rejected
00:15:43.84\00:15:47.78
but more, more often than
not they will say, "Okay."
00:15:47.81\00:15:51.58
Yeah, yeah.
00:15:51.61\00:15:52.95
Vinh, in you work, are
you given an opportunity,
00:15:52.98\00:15:55.35
do you have opportunities
00:15:55.38\00:15:56.72
to pray with people
that you come in contact with
00:15:56.75\00:15:58.75
in you
intimately? Oh, absolutely.
00:15:58.79\00:16:00.12
I mean, we see pretty
much about 300 to 500 patients
00:16:00.16\00:16:02.62
at every clinic,
00:16:02.66\00:16:03.99
and the
opportunity to walk around
00:16:04.03\00:16:05.63
for our patients
share us, you know,
00:16:05.66\00:16:08.83
how did you hear
about the clinics,
00:16:08.86\00:16:10.20
and then we would be
able to pray with them.
00:16:10.23\00:16:14.10
More than not,
00:16:14.14\00:16:15.47
I usually get
the answer is "Yes",
00:16:15.50\00:16:17.24
and this is from
all walks of life
00:16:17.27\00:16:19.24
and from every
different denominations
00:16:19.27\00:16:21.61
that come to our
clinics and to get service.
00:16:21.64\00:16:24.91
Praise the
Lord. Praise the Lord.
00:16:24.95\00:16:26.95
So it does, it does work.
00:16:26.98\00:16:28.32
I am interested,
you teach a class
00:16:28.35\00:16:30.49
and that encourages doctors
to pray with their patients.
00:16:30.52\00:16:34.09
I hold a seminar every
year at AMEN conferences.
00:16:34.12\00:16:38.36
I guess since I
was the early adapter
00:16:38.39\00:16:40.63
and disciple of Pastor Finley,
00:16:40.66\00:16:42.50
and I came back and did that,
00:16:42.53\00:16:45.03
every year we have a kind
of a workshop or a seminar
00:16:45.07\00:16:48.20
for people that
are wanting to learn
00:16:48.24\00:16:50.54
how to do it in an easy way
and what the power of it is.
00:16:50.57\00:16:53.41
And that's just the beginning,
that just opens the door.
00:16:53.44\00:16:55.98
But, you know,
as a physician we...
00:16:56.01\00:17:00.42
and as a dentist,
00:17:00.45\00:17:01.78
we see people
from all walks of life
00:17:01.82\00:17:03.75
that we wouldn't
otherwise cross paths with.
00:17:03.79\00:17:05.79
So we might have
the homeless person
00:17:05.82\00:17:08.06
that comes in,
00:17:08.09\00:17:09.42
we might have a veteran,
00:17:09.46\00:17:10.79
but we also have CEO's
of Fortune 500 companies
00:17:10.83\00:17:13.03
and they live in
gated communities,
00:17:13.06\00:17:14.40
they don't even fly
in the same airplanes
00:17:14.43\00:17:15.80
that we fly on,
00:17:15.83\00:17:17.20
and yet they come
to my practice as well.
00:17:17.23\00:17:19.30
And just a really brief story
00:17:19.33\00:17:21.47
but the chief of
the fire department
00:17:21.50\00:17:23.30
of one of our local
towns that I prayed with him
00:17:23.34\00:17:27.58
and he had tears in
his eyes, he thanked me,
00:17:27.61\00:17:31.71
later on he had
heart valve surgery,
00:17:31.75\00:17:33.42
and before the surgery
I prayed with him again.
00:17:33.45\00:17:35.78
And, but in just a
minute after I prayed with him,
00:17:35.82\00:17:38.15
he said, "Doc, that
just meant so much to me.
00:17:38.19\00:17:39.82
Can you do that one
more time before I go back."
00:17:39.85\00:17:41.22
Is that so?
00:17:41.26\00:17:42.59
And then there
wasn't any discussion,
00:17:42.62\00:17:44.39
but I see him year after
year since he has this surgery.
00:17:44.43\00:17:47.90
Two years later, he just,
at the very end of the day,
00:17:47.93\00:17:50.63
he said, "Doc,
you're a spiritual person.
00:17:50.67\00:17:52.60
Can I ask you a question?
00:17:52.63\00:17:55.00
You're educated,
00:17:55.04\00:17:57.01
why do you believe
that the Bible is true?"
00:17:57.04\00:17:59.74
And so that would
never have happened
00:17:59.77\00:18:01.34
if I hadn't
prayed with a patient.
00:18:01.38\00:18:03.91
The next year, he came
back and said, "Doctor,
00:18:03.95\00:18:05.65
there's a lot of people
that believe in evolution
00:18:05.68\00:18:08.35
but you believe in
creation, can you tell me why?"
00:18:08.38\00:18:10.89
And so, he's asking
spiritual questions,
00:18:10.92\00:18:12.55
he's not
connected with the church.
00:18:12.59\00:18:14.39
But when he starts
having these questions,
00:18:14.42\00:18:16.59
I'm the guy that he thinks
that he's comfortable with
00:18:16.62\00:18:18.49
that to
actually ask those about.
00:18:18.53\00:18:20.00
And I've seen that happen
over and over and over and over.
00:18:20.03\00:18:22.10
Amen.
00:18:22.13\00:18:23.47
Yeah, when you direct
back to the history then,
00:18:23.50\00:18:25.13
you mention the
earthquake in Haiti.
00:18:25.17\00:18:27.77
It was at the
earthquake in Haiti
00:18:27.80\00:18:29.14
that AMEN got
mobilized to actually think,
00:18:29.17\00:18:31.01
"Hey, can we start doing
00:18:31.04\00:18:32.87
in that case
international outreach."
00:18:32.91\00:18:35.28
Mobilized the team
and went down there,
00:18:35.31\00:18:36.75
you guys were down there,
00:18:36.78\00:18:38.11
and helped after that.
00:18:38.15\00:18:40.92
There was, as a result of
that that we started thinking,
00:18:40.95\00:18:43.75
"We need some
outreach opportunities
00:18:43.79\00:18:45.59
for physicians and dentists."
00:18:45.62\00:18:46.96
And so out of that came
some international clinics,
00:18:46.99\00:18:52.89
where we would get a team
of volunteers to go overseas
00:18:52.93\00:18:55.63
and then shortly
decided, you know what,
00:18:55.66\00:18:58.03
well, there is a big need
to do this at home as well.
00:18:58.07\00:19:00.60
And so
particularly with dentistry,
00:19:00.64\00:19:03.54
also with
ophthalmology and optometry,
00:19:03.57\00:19:05.74
we do vision
clinics, dentistry clinics,
00:19:05.77\00:19:07.74
and medical clinics,
00:19:07.78\00:19:09.31
and that's really
been very successful
00:19:09.34\00:19:11.45
in the last four years.
00:19:11.48\00:19:13.21
What is interesting
00:19:13.25\00:19:15.22
when we do the
Your Best Pathways
00:19:15.25\00:19:17.65
and I'm on their board,
00:19:17.69\00:19:19.15
two of the things
that you see of a lot of,
00:19:19.19\00:19:21.62
there's a lot of
need for dentistry,
00:19:21.66\00:19:23.12
and there's a great,
great need for eye care.
00:19:23.16\00:19:27.76
Those lines seemed to
be, seemed to be the longest.
00:19:27.80\00:19:31.27
My thought is so the average,
perhaps even Adventist doctor
00:19:31.30\00:19:36.77
is not as a rule of practice
praying with his patients.
00:19:36.81\00:19:40.41
That's something that that,
00:19:40.44\00:19:41.78
I know it's not
taught in schools per se,
00:19:41.81\00:19:44.98
here's how you
pray with your patients
00:19:45.01\00:19:46.35
but that's not
something that is commonly done.
00:19:46.38\00:19:48.58
Well, I've worked at a strongly
Seventh-Day Adventist Hospital.
00:19:48.62\00:19:54.69
When I first
came to train there,
00:19:54.72\00:19:56.36
I knew of two physicians
that prayed with patients.
00:19:56.39\00:20:01.60
But for the vast majority,
I think it's safe to say
00:20:01.63\00:20:03.97
that that's something
that we're not taught,
00:20:04.00\00:20:05.67
we're not comfortable with.
00:20:05.70\00:20:08.54
So one of the
things AMEN is doing
00:20:08.57\00:20:10.11
is trying to do a
little paradigm shift
00:20:10.14\00:20:12.01
in that mode of
practice to try to get it,
00:20:12.04\00:20:14.84
at least, in the
consciousness of people
00:20:14.88\00:20:16.88
that there are
those who may appreciate
00:20:16.91\00:20:18.88
that kind of
service as part of their...
00:20:18.91\00:20:20.48
Absolutely.
00:20:20.52\00:20:21.85
So a core of what AMEN is about
00:20:21.88\00:20:23.22
is actually
inspiring physicians,
00:20:23.25\00:20:25.95
and dentists, and optometrist,
00:20:25.99\00:20:28.22
and other healthcare workers
00:20:28.26\00:20:29.59
to make actual thought process
00:20:29.62\00:20:33.50
about how can I change
my practice of medicine,
00:20:33.53\00:20:35.86
so it's not
just a day-to-day job
00:20:35.90\00:20:37.53
but into a ministry.
00:20:37.57\00:20:38.90
And we do that
through our conferences,
00:20:38.93\00:20:40.54
we put out a
journal twice a year,
00:20:40.57\00:20:43.51
we do seminars,
00:20:43.54\00:20:45.57
and hold our
regional conferences as well,
00:20:45.61\00:20:47.74
and now with the clinics
00:20:47.78\00:20:49.11
we actually have
hands on opportunity
00:20:49.14\00:20:51.05
to get involved and
do that kind of ministry
00:20:51.08\00:20:53.11
where if I'm not
particularly comfortable
00:20:53.15\00:20:56.35
praying or minister
into the spiritual needs,
00:20:56.38\00:20:58.62
I come to the clinic
and with them and the team,
00:20:58.65\00:21:01.42
and we have
chaplains, we have volunteers,
00:21:01.46\00:21:03.53
we have other physicians
who are comfortable with it.
00:21:03.56\00:21:06.03
It just starts
becoming a natural thing to do
00:21:06.06\00:21:07.83
and hopefully then
it turns into something
00:21:07.86\00:21:10.93
we bring back into our practice.
00:21:10.97\00:21:12.63
But more than that
00:21:12.67\00:21:14.00
we intentionally
hold our conferences
00:21:14.04\00:21:16.14
every other year within just
a short drive from Loma Linda,
00:21:16.17\00:21:19.74
and we sponsor and mentor
medical and dental students
00:21:19.77\00:21:23.58
to come to our conference
00:21:23.61\00:21:24.95
so that we can
hopefully engage them early on,
00:21:24.98\00:21:27.88
and that's been
very, very successful.
00:21:27.92\00:21:30.09
Now Mr. CEO, obviously,
you don't have to be a doctor,
00:21:30.12\00:21:35.46
per se, you can
be someone allied
00:21:35.49\00:21:37.79
to the medical
profession to be part of AMEN,
00:21:37.83\00:21:39.63
is that correct? Yes.
00:21:39.66\00:21:41.00
And you can actually be anybody
00:21:41.03\00:21:44.40
that's just have
the love for Jesus
00:21:44.43\00:21:47.20
and wants to express that love,
and just want to get involved,
00:21:47.24\00:21:51.07
get people to know
what we're really about,
00:21:51.11\00:21:53.31
and what Jesus'
love is really about.
00:21:53.34\00:21:55.84
They can just come and
join us, and we can teach them.
00:21:55.88\00:21:59.78
They may not be
teaching, treating patients
00:21:59.81\00:22:01.92
but there's plenty other
aspect of our AMEN clinic,
00:22:01.95\00:22:05.75
where we're
focusing on the lifestyle,
00:22:05.79\00:22:08.19
the spiritual care,
00:22:08.22\00:22:09.56
how do we get people to kind
of continue that relationship
00:22:09.59\00:22:12.79
to come back and to
learn more about Jesus,
00:22:12.83\00:22:16.40
that is our focus.
00:22:16.43\00:22:17.77
And then during that time
00:22:17.80\00:22:19.37
they will get their
physical healing as well.
00:22:19.40\00:22:23.61
Give me some sense,
00:22:23.64\00:22:25.11
because one of the things you do
00:22:25.14\00:22:26.94
is free clinics and
those kinds of things.
00:22:26.98\00:22:31.31
How that, and I may want to
start with you on this, Robert,
00:22:31.35\00:22:34.75
how stepping out of
your normal nine to five,
00:22:34.78\00:22:38.62
and doing some volunteer stuff,
00:22:38.65\00:22:41.12
and giving back
to the community,
00:22:41.16\00:22:42.49
how that enhances?
00:22:42.52\00:22:44.23
What kind of
effect does that have
00:22:44.26\00:22:45.59
on your spiritual life?
00:22:45.63\00:22:47.06
And when you go back
to your regular work,
00:22:47.10\00:22:50.40
what kind of spring
does it put in your step?
00:22:50.43\00:22:52.23
It's kind of a leading question.
00:22:52.27\00:22:54.17
But obviously, I know
when you give like that,
00:22:54.20\00:22:56.47
you get back, the Lord
sees that that will happen,
00:22:56.50\00:22:58.21
there's a sort of reciprocity.
00:22:58.24\00:22:59.87
But walk me through
00:22:59.91\00:23:01.24
as a person who does
what you do for a paycheck,
00:23:01.28\00:23:05.11
which is your job
00:23:05.15\00:23:06.48
but then you put that aside
and you go out in the community
00:23:06.51\00:23:08.88
and you do some volunteer work
00:23:08.92\00:23:10.85
which is a spiritual thing.
00:23:10.89\00:23:12.82
How that impacts upon
your life and on your work?
00:23:12.85\00:23:16.19
Well, volunteering has been
00:23:16.22\00:23:20.03
probably, the
most rewarding thing
00:23:20.06\00:23:21.80
that for my wife and I
that we have ever done.
00:23:21.83\00:23:26.40
We've been involved
with AMEN just two years.
00:23:26.43\00:23:31.71
But in 1990,
00:23:31.74\00:23:33.88
we started doing
short term mission trips
00:23:33.91\00:23:36.95
with a physician from Portland
00:23:36.98\00:23:39.21
and we had our own group
00:23:39.25\00:23:40.75
that we went to
different places usually,
00:23:40.78\00:23:44.29
built a church and had
medical, dental clinics,
00:23:44.32\00:23:46.99
and vacation Bible schools,
and took high school kids.
00:23:47.02\00:23:51.29
But in my
practice I had never...
00:23:51.33\00:23:55.16
The first time I went in 1990,
00:23:55.20\00:23:57.80
I had never been on my
practice more than one week.
00:23:57.83\00:24:01.37
And I was scared to
death that I was by myself
00:24:01.40\00:24:06.41
and I thought, you
know, what's going to happen
00:24:06.44\00:24:08.71
and I went,
00:24:08.74\00:24:12.55
and we had a good
time, and it's hard work.
00:24:12.58\00:24:17.02
And I know
always on the way home
00:24:17.05\00:24:19.79
people would say,
"Why are you going back?"
00:24:19.82\00:24:21.32
and you say, "It's
too soon to answer that."
00:24:21.36\00:24:23.56
But within the couple of months
00:24:23.59\00:24:25.63
you were planning the next trip.
00:24:25.66\00:24:28.20
So it grows on you,
it's not for everyone
00:24:28.23\00:24:32.93
'cause I've had
people that has gone with us
00:24:32.97\00:24:35.60
that they would
never do it again,
00:24:35.64\00:24:37.57
and others can't
wait to go the next time.
00:24:37.61\00:24:41.21
But with AMEN, it
happened just two years ago.
00:24:41.24\00:24:47.22
A lady that's a
friend of ours now,
00:24:51.09\00:24:55.76
can't even think of her name,
00:24:55.79\00:24:58.23
Jenny, Jen ran an ad in Portland
00:24:58.26\00:25:03.23
that they were
in church bulletins
00:25:03.26\00:25:05.90
that they were
going to get together
00:25:05.93\00:25:07.50
and think about
having this free clinic.
00:25:07.54\00:25:09.80
And they were having a
meeting, I think in January
00:25:09.84\00:25:13.71
and I went,
00:25:13.74\00:25:15.54
there was 12 of us that
showed up at that meeting,
00:25:15.58\00:25:18.45
12 people.
00:25:18.48\00:25:19.88
I believe I was the
only dentist that day.
00:25:19.91\00:25:23.35
That's how I think
I became the director.
00:25:23.39\00:25:25.85
And then we...
00:25:25.89\00:25:30.96
they were doing one in Yakoma
00:25:30.99\00:25:33.13
and so we went
up there to observe,
00:25:33.16\00:25:36.13
and I believe that was
the first one that Vinh did.
00:25:36.16\00:25:41.17
And it just kind of, we were,
00:25:41.20\00:25:44.77
we're doing one in
Portland in that August
00:25:44.81\00:25:46.84
and it just has kept going.
00:25:46.88\00:25:49.51
This last year,
00:25:49.54\00:25:51.01
my wife and I were
involved in ten clinics
00:25:51.05\00:25:54.85
that we went to, so.
00:25:54.88\00:25:56.99
So this is kind of taken over
a little slice of your life,
00:25:57.02\00:26:00.22
this kind of thing.
00:26:00.26\00:26:01.82
Yes. Yeah.
00:26:01.86\00:26:03.19
It is one thing to go on
an occasional mission trip
00:26:03.22\00:26:08.43
and sort of get
you, you're far as warm.
00:26:08.46\00:26:10.37
When you sign up for AMEN,
00:26:10.40\00:26:12.00
you are kind of
formally signing up
00:26:12.03\00:26:13.87
to give a good section
of your life to this cause.
00:26:13.90\00:26:17.41
What about, what
AMEN does appeal to you
00:26:17.44\00:26:20.68
that you wanted to sort of
make it a formal connection
00:26:20.71\00:26:23.78
with AMEN?
00:26:23.81\00:26:26.72
Well, I think that particularly
in any of the missions
00:26:26.75\00:26:31.32
but AMEN,
00:26:31.35\00:26:32.69
the segment of the population
that we are trying to reach
00:26:32.72\00:26:37.39
that fall through the cracks,
and they're very appreciative.
00:26:37.43\00:26:42.93
It's just is
rewarding to see their need
00:26:42.96\00:26:49.10
and that you're
helping fulfill that.
00:26:49.14\00:26:51.81
And they're very thankful
00:26:51.84\00:26:53.68
and that's usually
expressive about that is just,
00:26:53.71\00:26:57.58
it's, I am not saying you
do it just for the warm fuzzes
00:26:57.61\00:27:01.92
because you actually feel like
you've accomplished something
00:27:01.95\00:27:05.29
at the end of the day. Yeah.
00:27:05.32\00:27:06.65
That's made their
life better. Yeah.
00:27:06.69\00:27:08.02
And there's something to
be said for warm fuzzes too,
00:27:08.06\00:27:10.16
you know,
that's not a bad thing.
00:27:10.19\00:27:12.76
Do you find,
Brian, that most people
00:27:12.79\00:27:16.46
who are medical professionals
00:27:16.50\00:27:18.53
are kind of, Robert,
kind of grinding away
00:27:18.57\00:27:20.70
at their job
and doing their job?
00:27:20.74\00:27:23.41
And something like
AMEN gives them a chance
00:27:23.44\00:27:25.21
to sort of bring
the head above water
00:27:25.24\00:27:26.57
but more than to tap
into a spiritual thing
00:27:26.61\00:27:28.91
to know that
what they're doing now
00:27:28.94\00:27:30.61
has a spiritual component
00:27:30.65\00:27:31.98
that is they're the, sort
of hands and feet of Jesus.
00:27:32.01\00:27:34.68
I don't want to speak for
every physician and dentist
00:27:34.72\00:27:37.65
and provider
out there, I'm sure,
00:27:37.69\00:27:40.12
there's others
motivated for different reasons
00:27:40.16\00:27:41.92
but I know for
myself personally,
00:27:41.96\00:27:44.16
there's a lot of
things about medicine
00:27:44.19\00:27:45.53
that can become a grind
if we just let it happen.
00:27:45.56\00:27:47.36
You're focusing on
meeting certain quotas,
00:27:47.40\00:27:49.46
you got to so much red tape
00:27:49.50\00:27:53.37
and things we have to do
now with insurance companies.
00:27:53.40\00:27:55.40
And that can take some
of the joy out of medicine
00:27:55.44\00:27:57.71
that we went into it for.
00:27:57.74\00:27:59.44
So I do believe
that by giving back
00:27:59.47\00:28:01.44
by particularly volunteering.
00:28:01.48\00:28:04.61
But even the
transition in my mind of now
00:28:04.65\00:28:07.55
thinking that my
practice is a ministry.
00:28:07.58\00:28:10.89
So every Monday morning now
00:28:10.92\00:28:12.72
we start with prayer
with our whole staff,
00:28:12.75\00:28:14.66
we pray for the staff
members, their concerns,
00:28:14.69\00:28:16.73
and then we pray
for our patients.
00:28:16.76\00:28:18.49
I never used to do
that before going to AMEN.
00:28:18.53\00:28:21.80
We have a Bible study
for patients to come to.
00:28:21.83\00:28:25.70
We have a teaching program
in our Kettering Medical Center,
00:28:25.73\00:28:31.44
and I'm the program director
for interventional cardiology.
00:28:31.47\00:28:35.08
But my fellows
that come in training,
00:28:35.11\00:28:37.35
several of them
are actually Muslim,
00:28:37.38\00:28:39.51
one of them, just one of them
00:28:39.55\00:28:41.58
regularly prays
with his patients
00:28:41.62\00:28:43.18
at his hospital in Indiana now.
00:28:43.22\00:28:46.79
He just held a plant
based lifestyle program
00:28:46.82\00:28:51.23
that he tributes back
to training in our program
00:28:51.26\00:28:54.66
and has called me and says,
00:28:54.70\00:28:56.03
"You've changed the
way that I look at patients
00:28:56.06\00:28:58.00
and I now pray with my patients
00:28:58.03\00:28:59.43
because of practicing with you."
00:28:59.47\00:29:01.57
So he's Muslim,
00:29:01.60\00:29:03.41
he still thinks
of himself that way
00:29:03.44\00:29:05.27
but he sees it as very important
00:29:05.31\00:29:06.81
to be doing
ministry and outreach.
00:29:06.84\00:29:08.88
Another fellow that I trained,
00:29:08.91\00:29:11.41
just said, "Dr. Schwartz,
00:29:11.45\00:29:13.25
I know you're
involved with that ministry,
00:29:13.28\00:29:14.82
that we had just
gone to take care
00:29:14.85\00:29:16.32
of the Syrian
refugees in Greece,
00:29:16.35\00:29:18.85
and he's originally from Syria.
00:29:18.89\00:29:20.86
And he just said, "I want..."
00:29:20.89\00:29:22.86
He just wrote me a
blank check, $5,000
00:29:22.89\00:29:25.46
and he said, "I want you
to use that for that ministry
00:29:25.49\00:29:27.43
that you're involved
with that is serving us."
00:29:27.46\00:29:29.36
So I mean, this has
a much greater impact
00:29:29.40\00:29:35.40
on transforming
my whole practice
00:29:35.44\00:29:37.64
to where it's no
longer the mundane
00:29:37.67\00:29:39.57
of day-to-day practice.
00:29:39.61\00:29:41.18
So just to clarify
a couple of things,
00:29:41.21\00:29:43.01
so Bob is able to
give a lot more time,
00:29:43.04\00:29:46.61
he's mostly retired
from his regular practice.
00:29:46.65\00:29:49.58
So he's really fulfilled
to put his time into that.
00:29:49.62\00:29:52.65
I'm still in a busy practice.
00:29:52.69\00:29:54.16
Fortunately, I can
still get away a few weekends
00:29:54.19\00:29:56.26
and several weeks
during the year to do ministry.
00:29:56.29\00:29:59.29
It's actually in my contract
00:29:59.33\00:30:00.66
that I have four weeks
just to do mission ministry.
00:30:00.70\00:30:02.66
Oh, wow.
00:30:02.70\00:30:04.77
And that's because our
administration has seen
00:30:04.80\00:30:06.17
the impact of
being involved with AMEN.
00:30:06.20\00:30:09.77
But for a
physician in full practice
00:30:09.80\00:30:11.77
to still take that time off
00:30:11.81\00:30:13.31
and it could just be
for a weekend, it could,
00:30:13.34\00:30:15.18
we don't do clinics on Sabbath,
we do Thursday or Friday,
00:30:15.21\00:30:18.38
or Friday and
Sunday, or just a Sunday.
00:30:18.41\00:30:20.75
And we have some
volunteers that come in
00:30:20.78\00:30:22.12
for maybe one
weekend the whole year,
00:30:22.15\00:30:23.95
and we have
volunteers that come in
00:30:23.99\00:30:26.45
like Bob and his wife
00:30:26.49\00:30:27.82
who've done 10 to 20
just in the last two years.
00:30:27.86\00:30:30.86
Oh, wow!
00:30:30.89\00:30:32.23
And so there are regulars
00:30:32.26\00:30:33.60
that try to come to
all of them that they can,
00:30:33.63\00:30:35.66
but I think something
we haven't talked about
00:30:35.70\00:30:37.37
and one of the
biggest impacts that we have
00:30:37.40\00:30:40.04
is that when medical ministry
00:30:40.07\00:30:41.90
is coupled with gospel ministry,
00:30:41.94\00:30:44.17
that's where we
really see the power.
00:30:44.21\00:30:46.51
And you've seen
that with Pathways,
00:30:46.54\00:30:48.71
I volunteered to
Pathways as well.
00:30:48.74\00:30:50.71
We have many members
that go back and forth.
00:30:50.75\00:30:53.25
But when we can unite
00:30:53.28\00:30:55.12
the power of what
AMEN does with our clients
00:30:55.15\00:30:57.19
is by bringing it to
the local church level
00:30:57.22\00:31:00.36
and engaging the church,
00:31:00.39\00:31:01.92
and to see young people
get involved in something
00:31:01.96\00:31:04.19
that they're doing service
00:31:04.23\00:31:05.83
that gets them
engaged in the church.
00:31:05.86\00:31:07.80
But it has a huge
impact on opening the awareness
00:31:07.83\00:31:11.67
to what the
church is doing there
00:31:11.70\00:31:13.30
and that really
empowers evangelism
00:31:13.34\00:31:15.87
and maybe Vinh
can talk about that
00:31:15.90\00:31:17.24
but this has been a
very successful tour
00:31:17.27\00:31:19.64
where we partner with churches,
00:31:19.67\00:31:21.94
who then hold an
evangelistic series,
00:31:21.98\00:31:24.05
and we've seen many
baptisms as a result of that.
00:31:24.08\00:31:26.35
And so, this is
the opening wedge
00:31:26.38\00:31:27.95
and in fact if we get time,
00:31:27.98\00:31:29.32
I'd like to read just a
quote from Ministry of Healing
00:31:29.35\00:31:31.15
that makes that
very, very clear.
00:31:31.19\00:31:32.65
We are glad to have you do so.
00:31:32.69\00:31:34.02
Now, you've got,
before we go too far,
00:31:34.06\00:31:35.39
you've got a
video you brought with,
00:31:35.42\00:31:36.76
and I don't know
if we overshot that,
00:31:36.79\00:31:38.13
I would like to take
a moment to set that up.
00:31:38.16\00:31:40.93
While they're setting up,
Vinh, let me ask you a question.
00:31:40.96\00:31:44.53
Do you know approximately
00:31:44.57\00:31:45.90
how many doctors are
under the AMEN umbrella
00:31:45.93\00:31:49.00
or medical personnel
that you have in total?
00:31:49.04\00:31:52.84
In terms of volunteers...
00:31:52.87\00:31:54.58
So in general, overall, we
have over 30,000 volunteers.
00:31:54.61\00:32:00.25
Half of them are
providers for my database,
00:32:00.28\00:32:04.62
and most of them
were in the same state.
00:32:04.65\00:32:08.36
They are returning providers.
00:32:08.39\00:32:11.43
And they invite their friends
00:32:11.46\00:32:13.06
after they experience
the first AMEN clinics
00:32:13.09\00:32:15.60
and it's
continuing to get larger.
00:32:15.63\00:32:17.30
That's part of the
reasons why we continue to have
00:32:17.33\00:32:19.07
more and more clinics each year.
00:32:19.10\00:32:20.44
Praise the Lord.
00:32:20.47\00:32:21.80
Are these things
kind of addictive,
00:32:21.84\00:32:23.17
it's like when you
hold an evangelistic crusade
00:32:23.20\00:32:25.81
and if the Lord bless,
you'll get them some baptisms,
00:32:25.84\00:32:27.91
kind of get a bit in your mouth,
00:32:27.94\00:32:29.28
now you want to do it
again and again and again
00:32:29.31\00:32:30.65
and the same way with that.
00:32:30.68\00:32:32.01
Absolutely.
Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah.
00:32:32.05\00:32:33.72
So many of our volunteers
come back time after time
00:32:33.75\00:32:36.75
when we can work it
into their schedule.
00:32:36.79\00:32:38.25
But I would like
to emphasize to that,
00:32:38.29\00:32:41.29
I've been able to do
this because I am retired.
00:32:41.32\00:32:43.83
But we would like to
know from my perspective,
00:32:43.86\00:32:48.86
just the people
that in the local area
00:32:48.90\00:32:51.10
at this clinic to volunteer,
00:32:51.13\00:32:52.83
that doesn't mean
they have to go to others,
00:32:52.87\00:32:55.10
they are welcome too.
00:32:55.14\00:32:56.47
But we need them to come
00:32:56.50\00:33:00.01
when we have one in Portland
or San Diego or wherever,
00:33:00.04\00:33:04.98
the people in that
area if they will come,
00:33:05.01\00:33:07.55
it makes it
worthwhile and they will...
00:33:07.58\00:33:13.42
I think most of them
enjoy it. That's the backbone.
00:33:13.46\00:33:15.46
I mean, the big thing
that I try to tell people
00:33:15.49\00:33:19.63
that are volunteering is
00:33:19.66\00:33:21.00
you have to think of
this as a mission trip,
00:33:21.03\00:33:24.73
that it's not your office.
00:33:24.77\00:33:27.27
Because...
00:33:27.30\00:33:29.04
We still want to
do ideal dentistry
00:33:29.07\00:33:34.14
as much as possible,
00:33:34.18\00:33:35.74
you know, we are not
trying to do shortcuts.
00:33:35.78\00:33:37.95
We can't do
everything in that setting.
00:33:37.98\00:33:42.52
You may not have the instruments
00:33:42.55\00:33:44.79
or whatever
they're used to using,
00:33:44.82\00:33:47.02
but most of us
because of what we are
00:33:47.06\00:33:50.53
can adapt just
to what's there is.
00:33:50.56\00:33:52.96
Yeah, yeah.
00:33:52.99\00:33:54.33
I think that people are...
00:33:54.36\00:33:55.70
People are
honestly really excited
00:33:55.73\00:33:57.17
about just medical missionary
00:33:57.20\00:33:59.10
and what we do as in AMEN
00:33:59.13\00:34:02.27
is the fact that
00:34:02.30\00:34:03.64
they don't have to
go overseas to do it.
00:34:03.67\00:34:06.44
And just
because we're in the US,
00:34:06.47\00:34:08.04
it doesn't mean it's
not the missionary field.
00:34:08.08\00:34:10.65
And so we're providing
an opportunity for them
00:34:10.68\00:34:13.62
to really cater to their
needs in terms of I want to help
00:34:13.65\00:34:17.89
but I can't travel halfway
across the world to do it.
00:34:17.92\00:34:21.42
They can do it
right in their backyard.
00:34:21.46\00:34:23.49
And by even small towns
00:34:23.53\00:34:25.79
that are able to
hold these clinics,
00:34:25.83\00:34:28.30
they get very involved
and very excited about it
00:34:28.33\00:34:30.40
because it's assessable,
00:34:30.43\00:34:32.70
that's the biggest
part. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:34:32.73\00:34:34.70
That I very much co-sign,
00:34:34.74\00:34:36.34
mission work is
where you find it.
00:34:36.37\00:34:37.74
You know,
mission field is a place
00:34:37.77\00:34:39.71
where people need help.
00:34:39.74\00:34:41.08
That could be any
place on planet earth
00:34:41.11\00:34:42.44
including right
across the street
00:34:42.48\00:34:44.05
or right around the corner.
00:34:44.08\00:34:45.41
Let's take a look at this video
and I got a bunch of questions
00:34:45.45\00:34:47.38
that I want to ask you
guys when we come back.
00:34:47.42\00:34:49.05
Let's take a
look at it just now.
00:34:49.08\00:34:50.62
Since 2013,
00:35:06.57\00:35:08.57
AMEN has flung open the doors
00:35:08.60\00:35:10.71
to what it means to be
00:35:10.74\00:35:12.07
a mission minded
medical professional.
00:35:12.11\00:35:15.81
Thousands of patients
have walked into a gym, church,
00:35:15.84\00:35:19.41
convention center,
and even a refugee camp.
00:35:19.45\00:35:24.19
They were greeted and treated
by thousands of volunteers
00:35:24.22\00:35:27.82
who shared the
same earnest desire
00:35:27.86\00:35:29.99
to be Jesus' hands in
helping and healing the sick.
00:35:30.03\00:35:34.90
And then, the patients
left, physical pain eased,
00:35:34.93\00:35:38.90
and hearts a little less
burden than the day before.
00:35:38.93\00:35:43.00
Now, four
incredible years later,
00:35:43.04\00:35:45.67
it's time to circle back
to why all of this matters,
00:35:45.71\00:35:49.74
the patient's journey to Christ.
00:35:49.78\00:35:53.21
Clinic-in-a-Box
00:35:53.25\00:35:54.58
is a scaled down
version of the AMEN Clinic,
00:35:54.62\00:35:57.72
held over just one
day with a few providers
00:35:57.75\00:36:01.06
and all the same free services
00:36:01.09\00:36:02.82
that AMEN clinic
has always featured.
00:36:02.86\00:36:06.36
Why the change?
00:36:06.39\00:36:08.03
Because rather than
being a revolving door
00:36:08.06\00:36:10.13
of medical procedures,
00:36:10.17\00:36:12.13
the clinic must be a
door that opens to the church.
00:36:12.17\00:36:15.64
It's not enough
00:36:20.04\00:36:21.38
that a clinic
meets the physical needs
00:36:21.41\00:36:22.88
of thousands.
00:36:22.91\00:36:24.41
Those thousands of patients
must know God and His love,
00:36:24.45\00:36:28.82
a love that is
capable of healing
00:36:28.85\00:36:31.15
even the greatest pain.
00:36:31.19\00:36:34.09
The mission of Clinic-in-a-Box
is to put a spotlight
00:36:34.12\00:36:37.29
on even the
smallest Adventist church
00:36:37.33\00:36:40.16
and to empower its members
00:36:40.20\00:36:41.60
to become a light
in their community.
00:36:41.63\00:36:45.07
That's really what a
church should be, isn't it?
00:36:45.10\00:36:48.24
A safe place of
hope, healing, and love.
00:36:48.27\00:36:52.81
And that is what
your church can be.
00:36:52.84\00:36:55.58
Maybe all you need
is to plant the seed.
00:36:55.61\00:36:58.05
For more information about how
you can host a Clinic-in-a-Box,
00:37:03.18\00:37:06.55
please email AMEN
at admin@amensda.org
00:37:06.59\00:37:12.46
or call (530) 883-8061.
00:37:12.49\00:37:17.37
Excellent. Exciting stuff.
00:37:23.10\00:37:25.21
Bunch of questions.
00:37:25.24\00:37:26.57
I know that
there is no upper limit
00:37:26.61\00:37:29.08
as far as volunteering
00:37:29.11\00:37:31.31
because Robert does many, many,
00:37:31.35\00:37:33.48
is there a minimum requirement
you have to do so many per year
00:37:33.52\00:37:36.89
when you join AMEN
or anything like that?
00:37:36.92\00:37:38.65
No, absolutely not,
00:37:38.69\00:37:40.02
there's no
restriction in terms of
00:37:40.06\00:37:41.39
even if you come
for couple of hours.
00:37:41.42\00:37:42.76
A couple of hours can
make a huge difference
00:37:42.79\00:37:44.43
in one patient's life or two,
00:37:44.46\00:37:47.46
so we don't have limitations.
00:37:47.50\00:37:49.26
We just appreciate the fact
00:37:49.30\00:37:50.63
that volunteers
from all walks of life
00:37:50.67\00:37:52.10
who want to come
to an AMEN clinic
00:37:52.13\00:37:53.74
and just put their time
00:37:53.77\00:37:55.87
into helping
someone that needs help,
00:37:55.90\00:37:59.01
and needs the physical healing
and the spiritual healing.
00:37:59.04\00:38:02.41
Is your volunteer
base principally Adventist
00:38:02.44\00:38:06.28
or just anyone who
has a missionary mindset
00:38:06.31\00:38:09.65
and loves Christ, can
they be a part of it, or...?
00:38:09.68\00:38:11.95
Majority of our
volunteers are Adventists.
00:38:11.99\00:38:15.19
We need an Adventist
basically to show that
00:38:15.22\00:38:16.73
what we are really about,
and how we live our lifestyle,
00:38:16.76\00:38:18.89
and how we
present Jesus' love so.
00:38:18.93\00:38:21.76
But we do invite other people
00:38:21.80\00:38:23.13
so that they can
experience and kind of join us,
00:38:23.16\00:38:24.50
and we actually had
quite a few providers
00:38:24.53\00:38:26.47
that have come to an
Adventist or an AMEN clinic
00:38:26.50\00:38:30.04
and really start
asking questions,
00:38:30.07\00:38:31.77
"Who are you? What are you?
00:38:31.81\00:38:33.58
What do you mean?
What do you represent?"
00:38:33.61\00:38:35.81
And actually picked up
literatures about Adventists
00:38:35.84\00:38:39.11
and someone who actually
started going to church,
00:38:39.15\00:38:41.65
and someone actually
became Adventist themselves
00:38:41.68\00:38:44.52
through an AMEN clinic
00:38:44.55\00:38:45.89
because they were
exposed to what we do
00:38:45.92\00:38:47.26
and what we're about. Yeah.
00:38:47.29\00:38:48.92
Now here's what is intriguing
00:38:48.96\00:38:50.29
because there
are a lot of churches
00:38:50.33\00:38:52.13
that want to hold small
events in their communities.
00:38:52.16\00:38:55.73
Usually, if they are lucky
00:38:55.76\00:38:57.10
they may have
one nurse, one doctor
00:38:57.13\00:38:58.47
in their
congregation or somebody.
00:38:58.50\00:39:00.34
I don't think
most churches are aware
00:39:00.37\00:39:02.00
that they can
get some outside help
00:39:02.04\00:39:04.81
from you guys.
00:39:04.84\00:39:06.51
If they want to do something
maybe a little bit bigger,
00:39:06.54\00:39:08.34
want to step it
up just a little bit,
00:39:08.38\00:39:11.01
that's a possibility,
00:39:11.05\00:39:12.61
that's something
that's available.
00:39:12.65\00:39:14.02
Absolutely.
00:39:14.05\00:39:15.68
So we have a
database of volunteers
00:39:15.72\00:39:17.12
that are willing to travel.
00:39:17.15\00:39:19.55
Obviously, if the church
itself has a health outreach,
00:39:19.59\00:39:22.22
we want to build
on that foundation
00:39:22.26\00:39:23.76
and we can give them the tools
00:39:23.79\00:39:25.13
in a small scale or a
large scale to do that.
00:39:25.16\00:39:28.16
But they might have two nurses
or they might have a dentist.
00:39:28.20\00:39:33.27
But if we don't have a dentist,
we don't have an optometrist,
00:39:33.30\00:39:36.37
there are people
who want to volunteer
00:39:36.40\00:39:37.74
and come from afar
00:39:37.77\00:39:39.11
to come in and
help them with that
00:39:39.14\00:39:41.14
but certainly, building
on the resources they have,
00:39:41.18\00:39:44.48
bringing in further volunteers,
00:39:44.51\00:39:46.01
and bringing in the
equipment to help them do that
00:39:46.05\00:39:47.75
can be very powerful.
00:39:47.78\00:39:49.15
What kind of requests
load are you facing each year?
00:39:49.18\00:39:54.69
More than we can ever provide.
00:39:54.72\00:39:58.59
It occurred to
me. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
00:39:58.63\00:40:00.90
But we also realize
that our system is designed
00:40:00.93\00:40:05.10
so that we can be scalable,
00:40:05.13\00:40:07.44
that we can reach out
to the small churches.
00:40:07.47\00:40:10.04
In the past it's always been,
00:40:10.07\00:40:11.67
well, you've got
to be a big church,
00:40:11.71\00:40:13.04
you've got to get numerous,
00:40:13.07\00:40:14.41
numerous church
involved in order to hold
00:40:14.44\00:40:17.11
any type of mobile
clinic to be honest with you.
00:40:17.15\00:40:20.02
So we designed a
model that actually works
00:40:20.05\00:40:22.45
where small
churches, for example,
00:40:22.48\00:40:24.09
Clinic-in-a-Box where
you just saw the video.
00:40:24.12\00:40:26.45
Our first one was
held in South Tahoe,
00:40:26.49\00:40:29.62
30 member church
that held a clinic,
00:40:29.66\00:40:32.46
and their Sunday
church joined the event.
00:40:32.49\00:40:35.56
You see what we can do.
00:40:35.60\00:40:38.43
And we're having more requests
out of that because there are
00:40:38.47\00:40:41.80
more small churches
that need the help as well.
00:40:41.84\00:40:44.81
And we're able to provide
00:40:44.84\00:40:46.91
different
scalable models for them.
00:40:46.94\00:40:49.04
Yeah, yeah,
that's kind of refreshing
00:40:49.08\00:40:50.58
that the small
guy gets a shot also.
00:40:50.61\00:40:52.08
That's right.
00:40:52.11\00:40:53.45
How then do you sort
of triage your requests
00:40:53.48\00:40:56.28
'cause if you've
got more requests
00:40:56.32\00:40:58.45
than you have time or personnel,
00:40:58.49\00:41:00.66
how do you determine
who gets who gets the...
00:41:00.69\00:41:03.29
I think pretty much the same way
00:41:03.32\00:41:04.66
we treat our
self or the patient.
00:41:04.69\00:41:06.86
You know, it's first
come first serve basis.
00:41:06.90\00:41:09.53
Coming on to our request
and just sending us an e-mail
00:41:09.56\00:41:12.10
and we start talking
about what are the needs
00:41:12.13\00:41:14.14
and what are the community needs
00:41:14.17\00:41:15.50
and what are the
resources around.
00:41:15.54\00:41:17.01
It is important that
we always have a church
00:41:17.04\00:41:18.67
that's involved
to get the follow up
00:41:18.71\00:41:21.88
care as well,
00:41:21.91\00:41:23.24
and so that is
part of our requirement.
00:41:23.28\00:41:25.81
And once that whole conversation
00:41:25.85\00:41:27.18
gets started
00:41:27.22\00:41:28.78
and we determine that they
are fit for an AMEN clinic,
00:41:28.82\00:41:31.79
then at that point we
start going through a 108 page
00:41:31.82\00:41:35.72
checklist for them.
00:41:35.76\00:41:37.09
Oh, wow. Is that so, really?
00:41:37.13\00:41:38.46
So we are, our
system is very organized
00:41:38.49\00:41:40.56
in terms of how we plan.
00:41:40.60\00:41:42.40
It takes between six
weeks to eight months
00:41:42.43\00:41:46.10
depending on the
size of the clinic.
00:41:46.13\00:41:48.24
But we provide all the resources
00:41:48.27\00:41:49.84
that they need,
00:41:49.87\00:41:51.21
even our coordinator
pretty much call them,
00:41:51.24\00:41:52.91
hold their hand
through the whole process,
00:41:52.94\00:41:55.48
a roadmap on how to
do it, training videos,
00:41:55.51\00:41:58.48
online training.
00:41:58.51\00:41:59.85
So we are...
00:41:59.88\00:42:01.28
And even all our
softwares are customized
00:42:01.32\00:42:03.08
so we provide all
this information to them.
00:42:03.12\00:42:07.52
They're not in this alone.
00:42:07.56\00:42:08.99
So most people think
that once they try to sign up
00:42:09.02\00:42:11.53
for an AMEN clinic, they
have to figure it all out.
00:42:11.56\00:42:14.16
Actually, we do
almost of the legwork,
00:42:14.20\00:42:15.80
we just need them to recruit
the patient and the volunteer.
00:42:15.83\00:42:18.73
Okay. So that's exciting,
00:42:18.77\00:42:20.44
the fact that
even a small churches
00:42:20.47\00:42:22.14
who doesn't have any expertise,
once they contact you,
00:42:22.17\00:42:24.97
there's sort of a roadmap
or procedure that is following
00:42:25.01\00:42:27.94
that sort of walk
them to the process
00:42:27.98\00:42:29.34
kind of
demystifies it a little bit.
00:42:29.38\00:42:31.01
Absolutely.
Excellent. Excellent.
00:42:31.05\00:42:33.45
How do you
determine how much personnel
00:42:33.48\00:42:35.12
you need at a particular site,
00:42:35.15\00:42:36.85
given the services
they want to provide
00:42:36.89\00:42:38.99
or the size of the congregation?
00:42:39.02\00:42:40.72
It's really the size of
the congregation actually,
00:42:40.76\00:42:42.69
we are, I know
there are some churches
00:42:42.72\00:42:44.49
that would love to
have larger clinics
00:42:44.53\00:42:47.76
and they wanted to do
it at a community center
00:42:47.80\00:42:49.80
or an academy gym.
00:42:49.83\00:42:52.33
And my first
question would always be,
00:42:52.37\00:42:54.77
"How big is your church?
00:42:54.80\00:42:56.40
Do you have a fellowship
hall? Do you have a cafeteria?"
00:42:56.44\00:42:58.77
Because I would always
love to have it in church first
00:42:58.81\00:43:00.54
and foremost, put
our focus on that church.
00:43:00.58\00:43:04.55
And most of the time it works,
00:43:04.58\00:43:07.48
especially for
the small churches
00:43:07.52\00:43:10.85
we put our clinics
00:43:10.89\00:43:12.92
in probably the
most outrageous places
00:43:12.95\00:43:15.92
and turn into a clinic,
parking lots, cafeterias,
00:43:15.96\00:43:19.29
you know, it's
because of that our system
00:43:19.33\00:43:22.56
and the way we
design our system,
00:43:22.60\00:43:24.10
and how we set up.
00:43:24.13\00:43:26.37
We can put it,
pretty much put it anywhere
00:43:26.40\00:43:28.70
except for a closet space,
but if it's big enough space.
00:43:28.74\00:43:33.48
We've turned many, many
different types of rooms,
00:43:33.51\00:43:36.08
open space into a clinic.
00:43:36.11\00:43:38.11
There is no
limitation to what we can do.
00:43:38.15\00:43:43.45
Now for me I would...
00:43:43.49\00:43:44.92
My thinking as a pastor,
I want them in my building,
00:43:44.95\00:43:47.89
if I had the space
00:43:47.92\00:43:49.26
I wouldn't want to
take them to the hotel,
00:43:49.29\00:43:50.63
I want them in my building
so they become familiar,
00:43:50.66\00:43:52.79
with coming through those doors,
00:43:52.83\00:43:54.50
I do want them in my building.
00:43:54.53\00:43:55.90
Are most of the
clinics that you do in churches
00:43:55.93\00:43:58.00
or there any
another kind of areas?
00:43:58.03\00:43:59.40
Majority of our churches
over 80% are in the churches.
00:43:59.43\00:44:01.30
Like that. I like
that. So that's...
00:44:01.34\00:44:02.67
Yeah, the macro work
is the opening wedge...
00:44:02.70\00:44:04.71
So it gets people in the door
00:44:04.74\00:44:06.07
and then they stay
to listen for more.
00:44:06.11\00:44:07.94
So I think calling
evangelistic meetings outside
00:44:07.98\00:44:09.88
and then bringing them to
the church is probably easier
00:44:09.91\00:44:11.68
but holding medical
work in the church...
00:44:11.71\00:44:13.38
Yes. Brings them to the church.
00:44:13.42\00:44:14.75
Precisely.
00:44:14.78\00:44:16.12
And if I could,
I'd like to just read
00:44:16.15\00:44:17.49
from the Ministry of
Healing, that's kind of
00:44:17.52\00:44:19.35
been a guide to us but page 141,
00:44:19.39\00:44:22.16
"Physical healing is bound
up with the Gospel Commission.
00:44:22.19\00:44:25.83
And the work of the gospel,
00:44:25.86\00:44:27.20
teaching and healing
are never to be separated."
00:44:27.23\00:44:30.30
And so often our
evangelistic meetings
00:44:30.33\00:44:32.43
and our health work,
00:44:32.47\00:44:33.80
the two have been
completely divided.
00:44:33.84\00:44:35.30
Yes, yeah.
00:44:35.34\00:44:36.67
So AMEN feels that
we've been called by the Lord
00:44:36.71\00:44:39.44
to actually bring
these two together,
00:44:39.47\00:44:40.81
we want to work with pastors,
we want to work with churches.
00:44:40.84\00:44:43.51
And especially, it's effective
00:44:43.55\00:44:45.25
when there is
already an evangelist effort
00:44:45.28\00:44:46.98
going on at that
church to open that door
00:44:47.02\00:44:49.82
and get the community aware,
00:44:49.85\00:44:51.95
and at that point
they're comfortable.
00:44:51.99\00:44:53.52
Yeah, yeah. Praise the Lord.
00:44:53.56\00:44:54.89
When you put, when
you said one photograph,
00:44:54.92\00:44:56.36
I was thinking about
that big famous statement,
00:44:56.39\00:44:57.89
it's 143, 147, about
Christ is out with them
00:44:57.93\00:45:01.93
before He bade them follow me
as right in the 140, somewhere.
00:45:01.96\00:45:05.17
143! There you go.
00:45:05.20\00:45:06.63
I was gonna read that too."
00:45:06.67\00:45:08.24
But Christ's method alone
00:45:08.27\00:45:09.60
will give true success
in reaching the people.
00:45:09.64\00:45:12.04
The Savior mingled with men
as one who desired their good.
00:45:12.07\00:45:16.04
And He showed His
sympathy for them,
00:45:16.08\00:45:18.68
ministered to their needs,"
00:45:18.71\00:45:20.05
and that's what
we're doing with AMEN.
00:45:20.08\00:45:21.42
Yes. "Won their confidence."
00:45:21.45\00:45:22.98
Then He bade them, "Follow Me."
00:45:23.02\00:45:25.39
And, I mean,
we've mentioned about
00:45:25.42\00:45:27.26
literally people that
I've taken care of in a clinic,
00:45:27.29\00:45:30.19
one gentleman who's
never been to church
00:45:30.23\00:45:32.39
had no prior interests
came in and was just in tears
00:45:32.43\00:45:35.63
to thank that we
would be there to serve Him.
00:45:35.66\00:45:38.07
And his first response is,
"Why do you people do this?
00:45:38.10\00:45:40.87
What church do you belong?
00:45:40.90\00:45:42.24
I want to be a
member of that church."
00:45:42.27\00:45:43.91
And so without even
yet knowing the doctrines
00:45:43.94\00:45:46.68
but seeing the gospel in action
00:45:46.71\00:45:49.68
through our
works, our good works,
00:45:49.71\00:45:52.51
it motivated him to
see that that was love
00:45:52.55\00:45:54.68
and he wanted to
be a part of that.
00:45:54.72\00:45:56.35
And we've had that
happen over and over and over.
00:45:56.38\00:45:58.09
I have seen it at Pathways
00:45:58.12\00:45:59.45
and I have seen
it with AMEN clinics,
00:45:59.49\00:46:02.02
then seen that many times,
00:46:02.06\00:46:04.09
and it just opens
people's hearts to say,
00:46:04.13\00:46:06.23
"What do you people
believe? Why do you do this?
00:46:06.26\00:46:08.16
Nobody in the world's doing this
00:46:08.20\00:46:10.10
free volunteering their time."
00:46:10.13\00:46:11.93
Our world is
gotten very self-focused
00:46:11.97\00:46:14.17
and we're turning that
around through the AMEN clinic.
00:46:14.20\00:46:16.60
Praise the Lord.
00:46:16.64\00:46:17.97
You actually
preempted my next question.
00:46:18.01\00:46:20.31
There is a line of
continuum from the medical care
00:46:20.34\00:46:24.41
to the baptismal pool.
00:46:24.45\00:46:26.41
And it happens enough
to know that it justifies
00:46:26.45\00:46:28.38
what you guys are doing.
00:46:28.42\00:46:29.75
Yes. Yeah, yeah. Well,
you can talk about that.
00:46:29.78\00:46:31.12
Absolutely.
00:46:31.15\00:46:32.49
We through our own
software and database
00:46:32.52\00:46:34.92
we collect
information from our patients.
00:46:34.96\00:46:37.69
In the last, just in
the last two years alone,
00:46:37.73\00:46:40.86
we have thousands of
people that have signed up
00:46:40.90\00:46:42.60
for Bible studies.
00:46:42.63\00:46:43.97
There are hundreds of people
that have returned to church.
00:46:44.00\00:46:46.47
Even certain places,
Ogden, Utah and Las Vegas have
00:46:46.50\00:46:51.24
combined was over 100 baptisms.
00:46:51.27\00:46:53.64
And not as a
direct because we were
00:46:53.68\00:46:56.78
just the hook for them,
00:46:56.81\00:46:58.45
we were the
supplements foundation
00:46:58.48\00:47:01.02
for them to bring that...
00:47:01.05\00:47:02.38
Built that
relationship with the patient
00:47:02.42\00:47:04.62
for them to come back to church.
00:47:04.65\00:47:06.15
And as a result of us
00:47:06.19\00:47:08.19
participating in
their evangelistic series.
00:47:08.22\00:47:12.36
They were able to
bring up over 100 baptisms
00:47:12.39\00:47:15.26
and 50 baptisms in Ogden alone.
00:47:15.30\00:47:18.27
And so it shows that
there are needs out there
00:47:18.30\00:47:22.77
and we're going
to continue doing it.
00:47:22.80\00:47:25.17
So there's a power in
combining the gospel ministry
00:47:25.21\00:47:27.71
and the medical
ministry and that's explosive.
00:47:27.74\00:47:30.11
Very much so.
We're finding that out.
00:47:30.15\00:47:31.48
Yeah. And praise the Lord.
00:47:31.51\00:47:32.85
And I've seen this
enough through working with AMEN
00:47:32.88\00:47:34.42
and with Pathways, the fact that
00:47:34.45\00:47:37.09
there is this almost wow factor.
00:47:37.12\00:47:39.29
People saying, "Well, you guys
00:47:39.32\00:47:41.02
will take time out of your life,
00:47:41.06\00:47:43.12
out of your,
whatever you're doing to come
00:47:43.16\00:47:44.89
and do this for me.
00:47:44.93\00:47:46.26
I'd like to know a
little bit more about
00:47:46.29\00:47:47.63
where you're coming from
00:47:47.66\00:47:49.00
and what
motivates you to do that?"
00:47:49.03\00:47:50.37
And of course,
that opens the door
00:47:50.40\00:47:51.77
for all kinds of things
in studying the Word of God
00:47:51.80\00:47:54.40
which is a great thing.
00:47:54.44\00:47:55.80
Some of these
patients drive hours
00:47:55.84\00:47:58.77
to get to these clinics.
00:47:58.81\00:48:00.38
And last year in Portland,
we had a lady and her daughter
00:48:00.41\00:48:05.51
who came from Idaho, you
know, like six hours they drove.
00:48:05.55\00:48:11.59
Somebody had handed
the mother a pamphlet,
00:48:11.62\00:48:16.49
advertising it and
like the day before
00:48:16.52\00:48:19.06
and they got in
the car and drove.
00:48:19.09\00:48:21.30
And, so it gets around.
00:48:21.33\00:48:27.90
You know, I was thinking
just in Haiti I remember,
00:48:27.94\00:48:32.47
they taught me to
do blood pressures
00:48:32.51\00:48:33.84
and every now and again though
we would do that kind of thing.
00:48:33.88\00:48:35.88
And we decided
in my wife's church,
00:48:35.91\00:48:38.08
and my wife's
family's church back in Panama
00:48:38.11\00:48:39.51
we are doing blood pressures.
00:48:39.55\00:48:41.02
And a fellow walked in one,
I remember 189 over 160 some,
00:48:41.05\00:48:47.56
you know, kind of thing.
00:48:47.59\00:48:48.92
And they just did
some simple things
00:48:48.96\00:48:51.99
and I don't know what
medication they applied
00:48:52.03\00:48:54.46
but he said it was
the first time in years
00:48:54.50\00:48:56.36
that he wasn't dizzy,
you know, the fact that
00:48:56.40\00:48:58.47
is he could stand up
straight and do like that
00:48:58.50\00:49:00.34
and not fall over
basically, the idea.
00:49:00.37\00:49:03.47
And he immediately, "I want
to know what church you are.
00:49:03.51\00:49:05.77
I want to know, I
just want to know."
00:49:05.81\00:49:07.48
And he said,
"Next week, I'm coming."
00:49:07.51\00:49:09.44
You know, that kind of thing.
00:49:09.48\00:49:10.81
So there is this
gratitude but you it's...
00:49:10.85\00:49:13.15
And it is addictive to
see people do that, you know,
00:49:13.18\00:49:17.09
to see them say, "Wow!
00:49:17.12\00:49:18.95
I want to know about
the Jesus that you serve."
00:49:18.99\00:49:21.59
That's an
addictive kind of thing.
00:49:21.62\00:49:23.66
Quickly, if a person
wants to be part of AMEN,
00:49:23.69\00:49:26.86
is it a difficult process?
00:49:26.90\00:49:28.23
Are there dues that must be paid
00:49:28.26\00:49:29.60
and then you do some
of logistics and stuff.
00:49:29.63\00:49:31.67
I want to talk
about two aspects.
00:49:31.70\00:49:33.03
So we have an actual
membership for physicians,
00:49:33.07\00:49:35.04
and dentists, and optometrist,
and allied health workers
00:49:35.07\00:49:38.91
who can become
formal members of AMEN.
00:49:38.94\00:49:41.28
They become boarding members.
00:49:41.31\00:49:43.31
They're the ones that typically
come to our conferences,
00:49:43.35\00:49:46.11
they may be
holding events regionally.
00:49:46.15\00:49:48.52
But the volunteer
base for the clinics
00:49:48.55\00:49:50.09
is wide open to anyone
00:49:50.12\00:49:52.69
and that includes
students and laypeople
00:49:52.72\00:49:57.06
and just church
members in general
00:49:57.09\00:49:58.73
and even community members
that just want to get involved
00:49:58.76\00:50:01.26
and so that's a
much wider, there's no...
00:50:01.30\00:50:03.53
Okay, so there are two
levels we are dealing with,
00:50:03.57\00:50:05.43
just people who want to come
00:50:05.47\00:50:06.80
and volunteer and
supply their services,
00:50:06.84\00:50:09.07
and those who want to
become official members of AMEN.
00:50:09.10\00:50:11.77
That's right.
00:50:11.81\00:50:13.14
Like the one
we're doing in Portland.
00:50:13.17\00:50:16.58
The last two years we've had
00:50:16.61\00:50:18.21
from the dental
school in Oregon,
00:50:18.25\00:50:19.88
we've had students,
00:50:19.91\00:50:21.25
last year we had
20 with instructors
00:50:21.28\00:50:24.52
and we're having
them again this year.
00:50:24.55\00:50:28.82
I think maybe, one
of those was Adventist.
00:50:28.86\00:50:33.19
But they're
excited about coming,
00:50:33.23\00:50:36.90
they look forward to doing it.
00:50:36.93\00:50:38.63
That's exciting that you are
00:50:38.67\00:50:40.00
just exposing into
the wider community.
00:50:40.04\00:50:41.37
I would like to tell
just about one patient
00:50:41.40\00:50:43.57
that we have in
Portland if we have time.
00:50:43.61\00:50:46.71
His name is
Norman. He is a Filipino.
00:50:46.74\00:50:49.31
He is seeking
political asylum here.
00:50:49.34\00:50:54.38
He has no arms.
00:50:54.42\00:50:56.05
He was born with no
arms and he's in his 30s.
00:50:56.08\00:51:01.19
He had...
00:51:01.22\00:51:03.36
My understanding
not a lot of education
00:51:03.39\00:51:05.43
because he was persecuted,
00:51:05.46\00:51:08.33
he felt by both the
students and the teachers
00:51:08.36\00:51:12.47
because of his affliction.
00:51:12.50\00:51:15.67
And an Adventist pastor
brought him to the States,
00:51:15.70\00:51:21.88
and I don't know
all of the story.
00:51:21.91\00:51:24.75
He is staying with a
man who was not an Adventist
00:51:24.78\00:51:28.48
and he has come to my
church before this, Elder Sam.
00:51:28.52\00:51:34.69
But he came to this
clinic in 2016 in August.
00:51:34.72\00:51:40.03
And I was intrigued,
00:51:40.06\00:51:45.03
he needed like
16 teeth extracted.
00:51:45.07\00:51:48.10
And he...
00:51:48.14\00:51:52.07
They did about six of them
and the guy gave him the card
00:51:52.11\00:51:55.78
and said, "Come to my office."
00:51:55.81\00:51:57.71
And he has
completely fixed him up
00:51:57.75\00:52:00.65
with partials, the sky
smiles all the time now.
00:52:00.68\00:52:04.32
Changed his
life. Praise the Lord.
00:52:04.35\00:52:07.66
Should you want to make
contact with AMEN to support
00:52:07.69\00:52:11.03
the work that they're doing,
maybe volunteer your services,
00:52:11.06\00:52:13.40
become an official member.
00:52:13.43\00:52:14.86
Here is the contact
information that you will need.
00:52:14.90\00:52:19.10
Jesus' ministry involved
the restoration of the body
00:52:19.13\00:52:22.37
as well as the
reclaiming of the heart,
00:52:22.40\00:52:24.54
and He instructed His
disciples to do the same.
00:52:24.57\00:52:27.74
However one should not
be done without the other.
00:52:27.78\00:52:31.08
Adventist Medical
Evangelism Network
00:52:31.11\00:52:33.52
is looking for
likeminded, medical,
00:52:33.55\00:52:35.52
and dental professionals
00:52:35.55\00:52:37.02
who would like
to work with them.
00:52:37.05\00:52:38.69
For more information,
please visit their website
00:52:38.72\00:52:41.49
AMENFreeClinics.org.
00:52:41.52\00:52:43.79
That's AMENFreeClinics.org.
00:52:43.83\00:52:47.10
Call them at area
code (530) 883-8061,
00:52:47.13\00:52:52.73
or write to them at
AMEN, 570 Business Park Drive,
00:52:52.77\00:52:57.41
Suite 110,
Lincoln, California 956448.
00:52:57.44\00:53:02.88