Participants:
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY018035A
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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 01:10 Hello, and welcome to 3ABN Today. 01:12 My name is CA Murray. 01:14 And allow me once again to thank you for sharing 01:16 just a little of your, no doubt, busy day with us. 01:20 To thank you as always for your love, your prayers, 01:22 your support of Three Angels Broadcasting Network, 01:25 as together we lift up 01:27 the mighty and matchless name of Jesus. 01:29 I'm excited, yea, verily today 01:31 and you'll forgive the giddiness for two reasons. 01:35 One, because we got Sunnydale Academy here, 01:37 and it's always good to be 01:39 in the presence of young people, 01:40 and I'm including Mike in that also. 01:42 Thank you. 01:43 And we're going to be talking about evangelism, 01:45 near evangelism, and far evangelism. 01:48 And we want to give you some encouragement 01:51 as we talk about young people stepping up 01:54 for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 01:55 As I said, Sunnydale Academy is here, 01:57 we've got some good looking students, 01:59 good looking one and all, 02:02 and they come loaded with testimonies 02:04 and encouragement for you. 02:05 So we want you to draw up close and give a listening ear 02:09 because you're going to be inspired today, 02:11 I'm sure as you listen to what we have to say. 02:14 Let me introduce my guest Mike Needles 02:17 who is the C.R.O.S.S Training Director for Sunnydale Academy. 02:20 And we'll walk our way through 02:22 what that means and what his role is? 02:25 Then we go to Gracie Silva. 02:27 Gracie, hi. Hi. 02:28 Followed by Dylan King. Mr. King, good to see you. 02:31 Thank you. 02:32 And then Jonathan Suarez, did I do that correctly? 02:35 Yes. I thought I did. 02:37 Hannah Williams and Doh Htoo. 02:40 Doh Htoo? Yeah. 02:41 Okay, praise the Lord. 02:43 Good to have you all here. 02:44 As we said, good looking group of young people, 02:46 all high school students so we're not going to say 02:48 whether they're single or married 02:49 because they're single because they are in high school 02:51 so don't worry about that. 02:52 But we want to talk about evangelism. 02:54 And before we go to our music, 02:56 I want to sort of put the flashlight on you, Mike, 02:58 for just a little bit. 03:00 You are C.R.O.S.S Training Director. 03:02 Walk us through what that acronym is C-R-O-S-S 03:06 and then what your job is, then we'll go to music, 03:08 come back and talk to our young people. 03:11 Sure. 03:12 C.R.O.S.S Training is a term 03:14 that was coined by Sunnydale students. 03:18 Our evangelism program at Sunnydale Academy 03:22 was just something we started back in 2007, 03:26 and we felt like as we moved into the program, 03:29 and it kind of changed and grew every year. 03:34 The students wanted to have a voice in that, 03:36 and they came up with some great ideas of how to name it. 03:39 But they came up with C.R.O.S.S Training. 03:41 And C.R.O.S.S Training is an acronym 03:43 as well as a play on words. 03:44 Yes. 03:46 The acronym is Christians Reaching Out to Save Souls. 03:49 The play on words is that they're doing two things 03:51 at the same time at Sunnydale. 03:53 They're receiving an excellent education, 03:55 preparing them for college, but at the same time, 03:58 they're also learning how to share their faith, 04:01 how to express their joy, and what God has done for them. 04:05 So two things at the same time. 04:07 Is this something, Mike, 04:08 that the student body has bought into sort of readily? 04:11 Did you have to do hard sell, 04:12 was it sort of a natural evolution 04:14 of what they were doing already? 04:16 I think that question may be better ask to our students 04:19 but what the staff is feeling, is the staff at Sunnydale... 04:25 And we could have brought 04:27 any staff member here to talk about this, 04:29 but the staff members are excited about it, 04:33 and I think because of that 04:34 it gives the students permission 04:36 to be excited about it as well. 04:39 It's a very exciting job that I have at Sunnydale Academy. 04:44 Let me ask you how did the mantle fall on you 04:46 to sort of head up this department? 04:49 Well, that's quite a story. 04:52 Originally, I grew up in a construction family. 04:57 No aspirations to work in ministry 04:59 or pastoral ministry or anything of that nature. 05:04 But the Lord's plans are different. 05:06 So a few years ago, my wife and I decided 05:09 that our life was going to change focus. 05:11 We were going to stop the construction company 05:14 that we had build together. 05:15 We were going to give that away, 05:17 and we were going to move in to service for the church. 05:20 We didn't know what that meant? All right. 05:22 But so that began a journey through mission work, 05:27 then coming to Sunnydale Academy and teaching there, 05:30 and then three years ago accepting the position 05:34 as the C.R.O.S.S Training Director. 05:35 Was that, you know, we have these epiphanies in our lives 05:39 that make these radical changes. 05:40 Was it something you felt that 05:42 you just weren't serving enough, 05:44 that you had no idea exactly where you are going to land 05:47 but you are going to make this leap of faith, 05:48 and wherever the Lord sort of put the carpet down 05:50 that's where you are going to land, 05:52 come back to earth, was it a radical thing 05:53 that you and your wife came to together, 05:55 or were you just feeling uncomfortable 05:57 in what you were doing? 05:59 We were blessed. 06:01 The business was successful. 06:02 We had plenty of work in a time 06:04 when construction was slowing down. 06:06 We didn't experience that, 06:07 so we felt like the Lord was blessing us, but both of us... 06:10 And this is the awesome God that we serve my wife and I, 06:15 individually, separately begin to feel 06:18 that something wasn't quite right in our lives. 06:22 And a couple of weeks went by, we came together 06:25 and we actually shared with each other 06:27 what we were feeling that something isn't right. 06:31 And from that discussion and prayer, 06:34 we realized that it was time to serve God more completely 06:39 in a different capacity than we were. 06:42 We were active church members at the time. 06:44 We actually made an agreement with each other 06:46 that when the church or when ministry call on us, 06:50 we would say yes. 06:52 We had a very busy couple of years 06:55 because whenever the church asked us to do something, 06:57 we said yes. 06:58 But out of that came this idea that that our lives were 07:02 one for service and one for ministry. 07:05 It does confirm the idea, the notion, 07:08 given, we understand that you arrived 07:10 at this feeling independently, 07:12 wasn't something you have to talk her into 07:14 or she would talk you into, 07:15 the Lord sort of put the burden on your hearts independently, 07:17 and when you came together 07:19 the seeds are already been planted? 07:20 Absolutely. 07:21 And there is nothing more encouraging to know 07:23 that God is leading something. 07:24 Yes. 07:25 When you have that assurance, the confidence just skyrockets. 07:28 Yeah, yeah. Makes it fun. 07:30 I tell you, it also insulates you against 07:32 when the bumps in a road come. 07:34 In fact, you know, that the Lord has put you here 07:36 so you can kind of weather that storm 07:38 because, you know, this is what God wants you to do. 07:39 Right. Yeah. 07:41 He makes the promises that He'll always be there. 07:43 Precisely. Precisely. Yeah. 07:44 All right, we're going to talk to our young people 07:46 in just a little bit. 07:48 But we want to go to our music just now. 07:50 Our music is coming from just a good friend of this ministry 07:54 and of this program, 07:56 Sandra Entermann who is just a lovely person 08:00 and who God has blessed with a beautiful voice 08:02 and a beautiful countenance. 08:04 And she's going to be singing that "That's The Day." 08:26 There are burdens that I carry everyday 08:33 Sometimes they make me want to cry 08:41 Hopeless feelings harbored deep inside my heart 08:48 And I find it hard to hold my head up high 08:57 But in the middle of the darkness in my life 09:04 I find a strength to carry on 09:12 Because I am holding to a promise Jesus made 09:19 And I know it won't be long 'til we'll be gone 09:28 In a while, we'll be gone 09:35 And we won't have to cry 09:38 Anymore 09:44 All our sorrows 09:46 Left behind 09:52 And that's the day that I am waiting for 10:00 And that's the day that I am longing for 10:11 And if you feel there is no meaning in your life 10:19 And it seems you've lost your way 10:27 Listen closely to the voice's deep inside 10:34 And remember what the Savior has to say 10:43 In a while we'll be gone 10:50 We won't have to cry 10:53 Anymore 10:59 All our sorrows left behind 11:07 That's the day that I am waiting for 11:15 And that's the day that I am longing for 11:34 When Jesus comes to take me home 11:45 Well done, beautifully sung. 11:47 I'm here with the students 11:49 and the C.R.O.S.S Training Director 11:51 from Sunnydale Academy. 11:52 We run through the names quickly. 11:54 This is Mike, Gracie, Dylan, 11:56 Jonathan, Hannah, and Doh. 12:00 Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. 12:02 I want to go right to Gracie. 12:06 Where're you from? 12:07 I'm originally from Florida. 12:09 And I was born and raised there. 12:11 And my family moved to Missouri after my freshman year. 12:15 So... 12:16 So you're now currently from Missouri. 12:19 What year in school? 12:20 I'm a senior. You're a senior. 12:21 Yes. Almost gone. 12:23 Almost. Yeah, praise the Lord. 12:27 Tell me what the C.R.O.S.S Training idea means to you? 12:33 Why is that an important part of what you are doing? 12:35 Because that it's part of your student life, 12:37 it takes from your student life, 12:39 you got to devote time to it, why do you do that? 12:41 Right. 12:42 I strongly believe that C.R.O.S.S Training is, 12:46 it has to do with making us disciples. 12:49 I think it's a lot about discipleship. 12:50 And in the classroom, 12:52 we learn these skills in order to become disciples 12:54 outside of the classroom. 12:57 So you see your education 12:58 as really just equipping you to be a more effective tool? 13:01 Yes. Yeah. 13:02 What have you participated in 13:04 as far as C.R.O.S.S Training is concerned? 13:08 I would say a good example is in English class 13:11 when we do our peer reviews for our essays. 13:14 Our teacher has us find a partner 13:17 and trade papers with them 13:20 and we help each other out in finding mistakes 13:22 that we didn't see ourselves, 13:23 you know, getting that other's perspective from our peers. 13:27 And that kind of reminds me 13:29 of how we help each other out spiritually, 13:32 we try to show each other different perspectives 13:37 because we don't all see the same way. 13:38 Yeah, yeah. 13:40 As most of your experience 13:41 as far as evangelism is concerned 13:43 being on campus 13:45 or have you done some off campus things also? 13:47 I've definitely done both. 13:48 I think I started off on campus, 13:51 but this year I was able to go to Africa 13:54 and do not just off campus, 13:57 but out of the country, which was really wonderful. 13:59 Yeah. 14:01 Give me some perspective of Gracie before Africa 14:06 and Gracie post Africa? 14:08 How did the Africa experience impact and change your life? 14:13 I think God prepared me a lot beforehand. 14:18 I don't think I would have been ready 14:19 if He hadn't presented opportunities on campus. 14:25 For example, being on prayers team 14:31 and helping out in the dorm, 14:33 with my peers with other students, 14:37 reaching out to them personally, 14:39 and that really prepared me 14:41 because I'm a more personal person, 14:43 I work better with people that I know. 14:45 And going to Africa and meeting all these other people 14:48 that I've never seen before 14:49 that was outside of my comfort zone at the time. 14:52 And I think another aspect of C.R.O.S.S Training 14:55 is getting us outside of our comfort zone 14:57 and expanding our circle, you know? 14:59 So the Africa experience stretched you a little bit? 15:02 Yes. 15:03 Yeah, you came back different I suspect. 15:06 The rest of you, you actually do get to talk. 15:08 I'm coming to you. 15:10 I want to go to Dylan 15:11 because I want to hear from you all before our time goes, 15:13 and I've got some other questions. 15:15 I want to ask you at what part of C.R.O.S.S Training 15:17 did you particularly work in, Dylan? 15:21 Well, I've worked 15:22 in a couple of different parts of C.R.O.S.S Training. 15:27 I currently work for the Bible teacher, 15:30 and I help him preparing Sabbath school 15:37 and just activities for the other students 15:41 to take part in. 15:43 I have also traveled 15:45 to different churches in Missouri 15:48 and preached, and helped, tell stories, 15:52 and talk about Sunnydale and C.R.O.S.S Training. 15:56 In my sophomore year, 15:58 I went to Africa 16:00 and preached on the series there and... 16:06 Is that the picture of you in Africa 16:07 or is that just you speaking at Sunnydale? 16:09 No, that is a picture of me speaking at a different church. 16:16 I believe that's... 16:20 I'm not quite sure what church that is. 16:23 I believe that Sullivan, Missouri, I believe. 16:26 Dylan is a pillar at Sunnydale spiritually. 16:29 He's been modest. He preaches often. 16:32 He has a wonderful testimony, 16:34 he does a fantastic job with that. 16:35 Praise the Lord. 16:36 He's been to so many churches, he looks at a picture 16:39 that probably all were together a little bit. 16:41 And we praise the Lord before that. 16:43 You are in what year, Dylan? 16:44 I'm a senior. A senior? 16:46 Do you want to go into ministry? 16:48 Are you thinking of pastoring? 16:50 When I went to Africa, 16:51 I just got this feeling that I'm doing something that 16:57 I want to keep doing and keep serving God. 17:02 And for a long time, ever since my sophomore year, 17:07 when I went I felt like I wanted to become a pastor. 17:13 And this year however, I have been... 17:16 I'm looking at other options 17:18 and I realize that not only do I like sharing the gospel, 17:23 but I like working with people 17:26 and the idea of helping people not only spiritually, 17:31 but emotionally just encouraging them. 17:34 So I have been looking at 17:38 different options like counseling, 17:40 or being an advisor for a Shelton workshop. 17:46 There are many ways you can incorporate that call 17:48 that's on your life pastor, pastor evangelist, 17:51 pastor evangelist counselor, 17:53 pastor evangelist counselor psychologist, 17:55 you know, there's a lot of different facets 17:57 that you can use. 17:58 And I'm sure the Lord will kind of make it plain to you 18:00 as you, you know, as you go. 18:03 Yonathan! 18:04 Yes. 18:06 Where are you from? 18:07 I was born in Michigan. 18:10 I just moved two years ago to Kansas City, Missouri. 18:12 I see. 18:14 And you are in what year? 18:15 I'm a junior. A junior? 18:17 Okay, you got one more year to go. 18:18 Why did you particularly get involved in C.R.O.S.S Training? 18:24 C.R.O.S.S Training for me it didn't... 18:28 It wasn't me looking for C.R.O.S.S Training, 18:30 it's just opportunities just kind of presented themselves. 18:34 And C.R.O.S.S Training 18:35 is an everyday thing at Sunnydale. 18:37 And you get used to, 18:39 you get used to being asked to do different things 18:43 that you normally wouldn't have thought off. 18:44 So C.R.O.S.S Training for me came through the teachers 18:48 and other older students coming to me 18:51 and asking for me to help out with some stuff. 18:56 Before I go to Hannah, 18:57 Mike, I want to come back to you just a second 18:59 because it looks like, 19:00 and we talked about this a little bit 19:01 before that you are trying to create a culture 19:04 of service and evangelism. 19:06 Talk to me a little bit about that 19:08 what I'm perceiving as a cultural service, 19:10 so it's not something you kind of 19:11 sign it for or step into, 19:13 but there is this culture of service 19:17 that sort of move the students in a certain direction, 19:19 is that not so? 19:20 Yeah, so the first thing we have to recognize 19:23 is that this idea of service to others comes from God, 19:28 that is not a human characteristic. 19:30 So first thing we have to do is allow God to do work in us. 19:33 We have to recognize that. 19:35 But what Yonathan is referring to 19:37 is that Sunnydale is a place 19:38 where we want C.R.O.S.S Training, 19:40 or the idea of service to the others, 19:42 or the idea of sharing your faith 19:43 and we want that to permeate everything that we do. 19:47 We encourage it as the staff, we design programming for. 19:51 But the reality is that the students buy into it. 19:55 The students are comfortable with it. 19:57 They step up and even outside of staff involvement, 20:04 he mentioned, older students coming to him. 20:07 He's got to remember, he's now a junior. 20:08 He is one of the older students. 20:12 But it's the idea that something 20:15 that's very natural organic ongoing. 20:19 So God is just so good, so wonderful. 20:24 As broken people, He allows us to serve, 20:29 He makes us whole again, you know. 20:32 And at Sunnydale we're teachers, 20:34 we're human beings, 20:37 and we get to work with great young people 20:39 who are quick to volunteer, 20:41 quick to do things that benefits someone else. 20:45 Yeah, walk me through, Mike, how this work in, 20:47 is it a program that the students sign up for? 20:50 Or it's just part of the, 20:53 you know, the flavor of the campus? 20:55 How do you... 20:57 Is most of the campus involved in this? 20:59 Or most of the students doing this? 21:02 You know, how does that function day to day? 21:04 Right, so it's a program in the sense that 21:08 we define it as a program. 21:12 Everything that I do, the students volunteer, 21:15 to participate in this idea of C.R.O.S.S Training. 21:21 So for example, we have students that go out every day, 21:24 and they meet with elderly in the community 21:26 and they spend time with them. 21:28 Okay, they volunteer to do that that is part of their choice. 21:32 It's not something we force them to do this 21:35 or an attendance taken or anything. 21:37 So we do have a program, we provide that, 21:41 but the student chooses to be part of those opportunities. 21:44 Understood. 21:45 And it takes place in two places, the classroom, 21:48 so all of our teachers 21:50 or instructors in the school of evangelism, 21:52 meaning our math teacher, 21:54 she's going to tie in some sort of evangelistic method 21:57 to what she teaches. 21:58 Science, obviously with the discussion about creation 22:01 and what that means in today's society, 22:04 that's incorporated into the classroom. 22:06 Music is an easy one. Yeah. 22:09 All those things. 22:10 Gracie mentioned English class. 22:12 So the classroom portion of C.R.O.S.S Training 22:16 isn't separate classes, 22:18 isn't outside of what we're already doing 22:21 but the practical aspects. 22:23 Dylan mentioned going to churches. 22:25 We provide an opportunity... 22:28 We create worship teams. 22:29 And small groups of students can go out on the weekends 22:32 and participate with worship with other churches, 22:36 so that's just a small example 22:38 of opportunity to volunteer to join in. 22:41 So when we talk about culture 22:42 so the idea of service of C.R.O.S.S Training 22:45 is sort of interwoven into all the disciplines 22:47 in all of the classes and all of the curriculum, 22:50 it's all sort of blended 22:52 for one of a better term together? 22:54 By the grace of God. Yeah. 22:56 By the grace of God, yes. That is the goal. 22:58 That is the goal. Okay. 22:59 Praise the Lord. That's exciting. That's exciting. 23:01 Is this something that you see 23:03 as a move of God on all campuses? 23:06 Is this particular to what Sunnydale is doing, 23:08 or academies as you know that are moving in this direction, 23:12 or you sort of groundbreaking some new ground here? 23:16 I can't speak about every academy. 23:18 I have friends that work in different institutions 23:21 around the Midwest. 23:22 And there are different types 23:24 of the same philosophy happening. 23:27 Different name, different, you know... 23:29 But I think there's a grassroots movement 23:32 that our faith, our religion, our beliefs have to be dynamic, 23:37 they have to be active. 23:41 We just had a week of prayer speaker on our campus, 23:43 and he talked about the happiness 23:46 that comes from heaven, 23:48 it escapes out of us as joy, you know. 23:51 And so the idea that there has to be a result 23:55 of this wonderful gift of salvation 23:57 that we accept there has to be result of that, 24:00 so I think that's happening all over. 24:02 I'm praying that that is happening all over. 24:04 Yeah, do you see this philosophy 24:08 having a positive effect 24:10 on the student body as a whole? 24:14 Well, again, that's a question probably better for them 24:19 because students talk more openly with students, 24:22 lets be honest. 24:23 The teachers don't always hear the real stuff. 24:29 I would like to challenge the students 24:31 to answer that question on what they see 24:34 as the effect of C.R.O.S.S Training in our campus. 24:35 Okay, since the stoplight is now on Hannah, 24:39 maybe we can... 24:40 First of all, you are from where, Hannah? 24:42 I'm from originally from St. Louis, 24:45 but now I live in Columbia, Missouri. 24:47 Oh, I see. And what year in school? 24:48 I'm a junior. 24:50 Okay, talk to me a little about the flavor of the campus 24:54 with this evangelistic mindset 24:56 sort of undergirding all that you do. 24:59 How has that impacted student life on campus? 25:02 It definitely has impacted student life 25:05 especially as a whole 25:06 because a lot of times we volunteer 25:09 or other students will get involved. 25:11 And I know, I'm involved a lot in music with praise teams, 25:15 especially over mission trips so my... 25:18 I'm kind of put in charge of getting others students 25:21 involved to help me out with. 25:22 Praise teams or whether going off campus and singing, 25:25 and nursing homes or doing whatever. 25:29 And that kind of gets the whole student body involved. 25:33 And it impacts everybody 25:35 because we'll do praise teams for church 25:37 and other people see and say, "Oh, I want to do praise team." 25:41 And it's just kind of gets everybody involved. 25:42 And it definitely has impacted the whole campus, I feel like. 25:45 Very cool. 25:46 I saw at the corner of my eye, they put up a picture 25:48 while you were talking part of the praise team. 25:50 So is that sort of... 25:52 Where you sort of fit and function praise team, 25:54 it's kind of your thing. 25:55 Yeah, I play guitar. 25:57 I've played guitar for about 10 years now. 25:58 So I'm one of Pastor Eric's main guitarist, he tells me. 26:03 But, yeah, I love doing praise teams. 26:07 I did them over mission trips, which was a huge blessing, 26:10 it was so much fun. 26:11 I mean, doing praise teams at school is fun, 26:13 but doing them over mission trips 26:15 with other kids 26:17 and kind of getting them involved, 26:18 getting them hyped up in the songs 26:20 or whatever we're doing is so much fun for me 26:22 to see them just kind of light up, 26:24 it's a lot of fun. 26:26 Now you've done 26:27 some off campus mission work, haven't you? 26:29 Yeah. Where? 26:31 Where? 26:32 I have done at other churches, 26:36 and I've also done at nursing homes. 26:37 So there's been a couple of Sabbaths in the year 26:41 where Pastor Eric or whoever, 26:43 it will be Mr. Needles will get together 26:45 a group of people to do a praise team 26:48 or just sing a couple of songs. 26:50 In the afternoon, after church so after lunch we'll load up, 26:53 we will get our crew together, 26:54 and then we will go and we'll sing. 26:55 And it's so much fun 26:57 because the elderly people love that 26:59 because they don't get that very much, 27:01 and they love that interaction 27:02 and to know that there's other people 27:04 around them who want to, I don't know, 27:08 just kind of get them involved in and sing with them, 27:10 and talk to them, and get to know them. 27:12 From listening to what you say, 27:14 it seems as though there is an addictive aspect 27:18 to this kind of service, 27:19 it's something that really kind of gets into your psyche, 27:21 into your mindset, is that so? 27:23 Yeah, very much so, I think so. 27:25 I mean, for me at least definitely 27:26 because I love playing guitar 27:28 and so playing for other people, 27:30 it's a joy to see me be able to bring other people joy, 27:33 especially if they are down. 27:35 When we're singing songs 27:37 and especially because I worked, 27:38 I worked at a Camp Heritage in Iowa-Missouri Conference. 27:42 And so I've done a lot of camp songs. 27:44 And to be able to do camp songs with like little kids 27:47 and see them really light up, 27:48 it's so much fun because they get so into it. 27:51 Yeah... Yeah. 27:52 Now you went on. I'm coming to you, Mike. 27:54 You went on a specific mission trip 27:56 sometime ago, did you not? 27:57 Where was that? La Vida, New Mexico. 28:01 And it's La Vida Mission School, 28:03 it's a self-supporting school, 28:06 and it's on a Navajo Reservation. 28:08 So we went there, and we did construction work, 28:11 we also did preaching, we did vespers, 28:15 we did morning worships 28:16 and nightly worships with the kids 28:18 and with the staff as well. 28:19 And we also, we were able to help inside the classrooms, 28:23 we were able to help inside the cafe 28:26 and wherever else they needed us really 28:28 and that was a huge blessing to me. 28:29 How long was that mission trip? That was about a week. 28:31 About a week? Yeah. 28:33 Okay, okay. 28:35 In doing things on campus, 28:38 there is one feeling but going off 28:41 and sort of working for the Lord 28:42 in that kind of setting, 28:44 little bit different, wasn't it? 28:46 Yeah, for sure. 28:47 'Cause when you are on campus, 28:49 you have the staff kind of like helping you. 28:50 And the C.R.O.S.S Training trains you 28:52 to be able to go out and do those things. 28:55 So when I went out on the mission trip, 28:56 it was kind of like, 28:57 "You are on your own, you got this." 28:59 Like kind of more of you and Jesus. 29:00 We trained you. So yeah, so... 29:02 It was definitely a great experience though, 29:04 it was so much fun. 29:05 Praise the Lord. Mike, you had something? 29:07 I was going to remind her of La Vida Mission 29:09 because she was, I thought, I was afraid 29:10 she was not going to talk about that 29:12 so that was it, that was it. 29:13 Gracie, we didn't say when you went to Africa, 29:15 what precisely did you do? 29:17 We did a Vacation Bible School 29:20 for the kids at the school there. 29:21 We went to Tanzania, Africa 29:23 and there is this mission station Kibidula. 29:26 And we got to go to Kibidula, 29:30 and we did Vacation Bible School 29:32 for the school that was there. 29:34 We sang with the kids, we did an activity, 29:36 we gave them Bible stories. 29:38 And afterward we spent time painting houses, 29:41 sanding houses... 29:42 Oh, boy we were tired. 29:45 But it was such a blessing, the kids were wonderful, 29:48 the people were wonderful. 29:49 And we got to meet student missionaries there too 29:52 which we got to connect with 29:54 and share our faith with and everything 29:56 and encourage each other. 29:58 Praise the Lord. Really exciting stuff. 30:01 Very, very exciting stuff. 30:02 Everybody is smiling, 30:04 so obviously you had a good time 30:05 and memories are good. 30:06 And something you want to, so you want to repeat. 30:09 Doh? Yeah. 30:10 You are from where? I'm originally from Thailand. 30:13 I live in Des Moines, Iowa. 30:15 From Thailand to Des Moines, Iowa. 30:17 That's a bit of a... A bit of a move. 30:20 Yeah, they actually have winter in Des Moines, Iowa. 30:23 A lot of it. Yeah, a lot of winter. 30:26 What year are you at Sunnydale? I'm a sophomore. 30:29 Sophomore. Okay, all right. 30:31 Where have you served as far as C.R.O.S.S Training 30:36 is concerned? 30:38 Well, on campus I've done leading out 30:41 with the small Bible study group, 30:43 doing Sabbath school. 30:45 I've done praise teams. 30:46 I spoke in front of the students 30:49 in the Sunnydale Church. 30:51 And outside the campus I've done magabooking. 30:54 I had a chance to do magabooking. 30:55 And it was such a great experience, 30:58 it was nine weeks during the summer 31:00 and so that is as a lot of students go out 31:04 and share the faith out in the outside world 31:08 door to door, fearlessly, strong. 31:11 And from that I learned to be more confident with myself 31:14 because before I've done that I was a small shy boy, 31:18 I wouldn't talk much. 31:20 Yes. 31:21 Just after that I was more courageous 31:24 with what I do and more confident sharing 31:27 God's words and my faith. 31:29 Praise the Lord. 31:30 Explain to our audience what magabooks are 31:32 'cause some may not know. 31:33 And I can do but I think 31:35 it will be better coming from you. 31:37 Magabooking for me 31:38 is just that student going door to door 31:41 with Christian literature 31:43 and would just tell the people about the books, 31:47 see if they're interested and if they're interested, 31:49 we give them the book and they give us whatever 31:53 they have or donation for our tuitions, yeah. 31:56 So when you magabook, it's not a specific price 31:59 like regular literature evangelism, 32:01 it's kind of more donation based? 32:03 It's on donation basis and it's also evangelism 32:06 'cause every time we get to talk to somebody, 32:10 we share our faith, 32:11 and we share with them what's in the book 32:14 and what the book can do with the lives and... 32:18 Praise the Lord. How it can change them. 32:19 Yeah. 32:21 Let me salute you man from a shy little boy. 32:25 Because I have great respect for people 32:27 who go door to door with books, 32:30 that kind of makes you my hero, man, 32:32 because I tried that. 32:33 I can't do it. Just miserable... 32:36 When I was in school before 32:38 it's part of the theology training, 32:39 you have to spend a vacation, you pick it summer, 32:42 Easter, or whatever doing door to door selling. 32:46 So I did it, but I wasn't any good at it. 32:49 One, if they gave me a song and dance, I give them a book, 32:51 that means you got to pay for that, you know. 32:53 And then two, I just have a very low rejection quotient. 32:56 I don't like people slamming doors on my face. 32:57 So I wasn't good at that. 33:00 He says shy little boy, 33:01 but one thing Doh did not mention is in the dorm 33:04 something he does for fun is going door to door 33:06 and praying with his students, with his classmates. 33:10 I think that's cool 33:11 because someone who's finds it difficult 33:15 to be outgoing is doing something 33:18 it's very outgoing for Jesus. 33:20 And I think that's cool and that's nice. 33:22 Plus I've come to realize 33:24 that everything you do for the Lord, 33:25 nothing is wasted. 33:27 It becomes part of your resume for later on in life. 33:29 You know, you do other things and you can see 33:31 what this experience way back here 33:33 has given you some preparation for what you're doing now. 33:36 So those kinds of experiences certainly are not wasted. 33:40 When the students are doing different kinds of ministry 33:43 on campus, off campus, 33:45 do they inform you of that so that you can catalog 33:47 the kinds of things that are going on? 33:49 Or a lot of things going on that really, 33:51 they're just doing on their own that you may not even know off? 33:53 Okay. 33:55 Yes, both things happen, both things happen. 33:58 It occurred to me, yeah. 33:59 So at staff meeting sometimes 34:01 we talk about what the students are talking about. 34:04 We find out that 34:05 so and so has been holding a Bible study 34:07 in his room for the past four weeks, we had no clue. 34:10 In fact, the five students 34:12 had been going won't tell anybody. 34:14 And so we kind of, 34:16 sometimes we find out things 34:17 like that kind of after the fact. 34:21 Sometimes the student will come to myself or Pastor Rick 34:24 or one of the other staff members 34:26 and maybe get some advice on how to do something 34:28 or how to be a part of something. 34:29 So I would say some... 34:32 A lot of it happens with our knowledge or planning, 34:37 but a lot of it happens just... 34:38 I mean, just by the grace of God, 34:40 they're trying to be faithful. 34:43 Understood. 34:44 In addition to the things where sort of just pop up 34:47 which are almost spontaneous acts of evangelism. 34:50 Is there or are there X number of projects or goals 34:54 that you have during a given school year 34:56 that are fostered from your department 34:58 that they can kind of feed into and be involved in? 35:02 We don't have a set number. 35:04 If you have ever been a part of a boarding school, 35:08 our school year is pretty much dictated by the calendar. 35:11 Yeah, very much so. Schedule is everything. 35:13 So something interesting happens 35:16 with programs like mine. 35:17 We have to kind of compete 35:20 for weekends and spots and openings, 35:22 and we find crevasses and we push stuff in, 35:26 and I think that we have become 35:28 more creative over the past few years 35:31 to set aside time 35:32 in different fashions for students 35:34 to be a part of programs. 35:36 I want each of you to just sort of walk 35:38 out of quarters of your own minds now 35:41 and prepare for me the one event 35:44 that you have been involved 35:45 and that had the greatest impact 35:46 on your own personal life. 35:48 Something that sort of stood out for you 35:49 that you remember 35:51 or that has changed you in any significant way. 35:54 If someone were to say, 35:55 "This is the thing that really did it for me," 35:59 what would that be? 36:01 You're following where am I going with that? 36:02 Okay, since you're nodding the most, Yonathan, 36:04 let's start with you. 36:06 For me, it was this year, 36:08 I had the opportunity to go to India 36:11 on a mission trip. 36:13 I went with eight other students I think. 36:17 And well, this is us. This is a little village. 36:21 Now, what was so interesting about our trip to India 36:25 is just over and over I saw prayers answered. 36:28 Even just to raise money, fund raise to go to India, 36:32 prayers were already being answered, 36:33 prayers that I was praying, prayers that other people 36:36 were praying with me and for me. 36:39 Once we got to India as in last picture, 36:44 there was a village 36:45 that didn't have any clean water, 36:48 you know, and the year that went previous 36:51 they had prayed about it and they had started this... 36:56 They had started this... Fund raising. 36:59 Fund raising, right, to try to put the well. 37:03 I wasn't part of that last year. 37:05 But this year I was able to come, 37:07 I was able to see how a prayer 37:09 that not even I prayed was being answered. 37:12 Praise the Lord. 37:13 It was great. Yeah, yeah. 37:15 So that impacted you greatly? 37:16 It impacted me and it changed my life. 37:19 Praise the Lord. Praise the God. 37:21 Anyone else? Gracie? Dylan? 37:24 I think that I have two 37:27 because before coming to Sunnydale 37:31 when I was interested in it, 37:32 this is my first year by the way 37:35 and unfortunately my last. 37:36 But before coming I was interested in it, 37:38 and I didn't really think it a possibility 37:41 because of financial issues and everything. 37:44 But after talking to the principal 37:47 and Mrs. Kelly about scholarships 37:49 and all that type of thing, 37:50 I realized that God's making a way no matter what, 37:53 like if He wants you to be somewhere, 37:55 you're going to be somewhere. 37:56 Oh, yeah. 37:57 And that was really powerful for me. 38:00 And I would say that an event 38:03 that really impacted me was one of the music tours 38:06 that we did early on in the year. 38:08 I believe that it was the first one. 38:10 And I forgot which church we went to, 38:12 but we went and we played. 38:15 I'm in band, so I played in the band, 38:17 but outside of band Mrs. Vee had us, 38:20 some of us to prepare these testimonies to speak 38:22 to the people 38:23 and just share what's God doing in our life and... 38:27 And for the first time, 38:28 I spoke up about depression and about anxiety, 38:34 and all these things 38:35 that I have gone through for the first time 38:38 and how God has helped me through it. 38:41 And sharing that with other people 38:44 was a really growing experience for me. 38:46 Praise the Lord. 38:48 And that was one of the things 38:49 that prepared me to go to Africa 38:50 and start talking to other people about it. 38:52 Had you gone to Adventist education before, 38:55 Adventist school before? 38:56 No. This is your first time? 38:57 Yeah. 38:59 Quickly, give me the sort of Reader's Digest version 39:00 the difference between school and a non-Adventist institution 39:05 and your experience at Sunnydale? 39:07 Oh, boy. 39:10 There is a completely different atmosphere, like, 39:12 we've talked about C.R.O.S.S Training kind of prepares 39:15 this culture of, 39:17 you are able to share your faith freely, 39:19 you are able to step up out of your comfort zone, 39:21 you are encouraged too actually 39:23 and that's different because in public school 39:26 you are discouraged from doing that type of thing. 39:28 It's sort of look down upon by other people. 39:31 So... Praise the Lord. 39:33 Praise the Lord. 39:34 Dylan, Hannah, Doh? What stands on your mind? 39:36 Who wants to take that? 39:38 I have an experience it happened this year 39:41 as, you know, I went on the La Vida Mission trip. 39:44 But I was not planning on going at all. 39:47 I had gone earlier in the year 39:49 in the beginning of the school year 39:51 so in 2017 went in October. 39:54 And I really enjoyed it, and I wanted to go back, 39:56 but I wasn't sure I was going to be able to afford it. 39:59 And I wasn't really sure if I should or not 40:01 because school was crazy, 40:03 I'm involved in a lot at Sunnydale. 40:06 And so it came to like we had a month before 40:10 we left and Mrs. Kelly, 40:13 she works in the office, I was like... 40:14 She went before, and she really wanted me to go 40:17 and so did a lot of other staff members. 40:19 And so I was like, 40:20 "Okay, well, put my name on the list 40:21 and hopefully I can get the money." 40:24 And so I raised about $75 or $100 40:27 and then all of a sudden unanimously 40:31 the whole bill was paid, 40:33 I didn't have to raise any money; 40:34 they wouldn't tell me who it was. 40:37 It was just all of a sudden, 40:38 I went home for a break and I came back 40:40 and everything was paid for it. 40:42 And I still to this date don't know who did it. 40:45 But I was extremely blessed and that made my day big time. 40:48 And I was able to go 40:50 and be more involved in the mission trip 40:53 in La Vida than I was the first time. 40:55 'Cause we were able to do more, 40:56 and I was little bit more comfortable with the area. 40:58 And since they kind of knew who was coming, 41:00 I've been there before, 41:02 and I made friends with the kids. 41:04 I was able to do a lot more. 41:05 So it was a major blessing and it changed my life. 41:09 So, yeah. Praise the Lord. 41:10 Praise the Lord. 41:11 Doh, Dylan? Going once, going twice? 41:15 Well, I have two. 41:20 The first one is at the end of my sophomore year, 41:25 I, when talking to my mom on the phone, 41:29 and she was really stressed 41:32 about how we were going to pay my school bill 41:36 because money is tight in my family. 41:40 And so we were sitting there, 41:42 and we were trying to come up with the ideas 41:44 on how we're going arrange the money. 41:48 And we didn't have any luck like we couldn't think of any, 41:52 like, good ideas or how we are going to pay it. 41:55 And so I wasn't sure if I be able to come back. 42:00 And I think it was the last week of school, 42:07 my mom called me and she said, 42:11 "You will never guess what happened." 42:13 I was like, "Yeah, you're probably right, 42:16 I would never guess, so why don't you tell me." 42:19 And she said, 42:21 "We're down to $1,000 on your school bill, 42:25 like, someone paid..." 42:27 I forgot the exact amount but a large chunk of money 42:32 on my school bill. 42:33 And my mom was just crying over the phone 42:37 and that caused me to crying and it made me realize 42:40 that not only I'm getting 42:43 a good education at Sunnydale, 42:47 having good experiences, 42:49 but people are backing me up 42:52 with money or with prayers, 42:56 and it really gave me a lot of motivation to be 43:01 more involved in C.R.O.S.S Training. 43:05 And the second one is my mission trip to Africa 43:09 or should I say the events prior to that 43:15 because it was just miracle 43:16 after miracle that allowed me to go. 43:21 We had fund raised 43:23 and we had talked to my grandma's church, 43:29 and we were almost there 43:33 to the goal that I had to raise. 43:36 And, again, we didn't know 43:38 how we were going to raise the money. 43:41 And then my grandma told me that her church 43:47 if I would be willing to come to the church 43:51 and give a mission report, 43:53 they would pay the rest of my bill. 43:56 And that really touched me. 43:59 And then my passport it was down to the wire. 44:04 And actually Mr. Needles took me 44:08 to a post office at the very last moment, 44:13 and we were able to get everything prepared 44:17 and my passport came just on time. 44:21 Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. 44:22 So thank you, Mr. Needles. 44:24 In listening to all of you speak, 44:27 I see a pattern of the Lord sort of inserting Himself 44:31 His hand into your lives. 44:32 All of you can recount miracles that have happened to further, 44:37 you know, what you have been trying to do for the Lord. 44:40 My question then is how do those kinds of miracles, 44:43 when you see God moving in such a powerful way 44:46 to do something for you 44:47 so that He can do something through you. 44:50 How does that make you feel about the mission 44:52 and what you are trying to do? 44:53 Does it encourage you? 44:54 Does it make you rely on the Lord more? 44:56 How does that make you feel to see the Lord doing 44:57 such marvelous things in your lives? 45:00 Anybody want to grab that? 45:03 I think it is very encouraging for me personally. 45:08 A lot of times I tend to focus on what's happening around me 45:11 like the visible and everything. 45:13 But when God does these miracles 45:15 when He works these things and makes things happen, 45:18 it makes me think I should be looking at God all the time. 45:22 I should be focusing on Him always like it's 45:25 because He's the one doing it all. 45:29 Anyone else? 45:30 I have something, I agree with Gracie, 45:31 definitely very encouraging 'cause I remember one time, 45:37 I was doing a praise team or like a week of prayer 45:39 for a school nearby, some middle school kids. 45:44 And I remember, I was going through a tough time 45:46 because my brother had fell from a tree 45:48 and cracked his skull and got blood in his brain, 45:51 and I was really down and I didn't think. 45:54 I can't get up fine, 45:55 I'm going to breakdown in front of all these kids, 45:57 and I just remember Mr. Needles praying with us 46:00 in the car, 46:01 and then after we did the praise team, 46:03 he prayed for my little brother. 46:05 And that really touched me and it just helped me remember 46:06 that through everything 46:08 even if I'm trying to do God's work 46:09 and something goes wrong, 46:11 I need to focus on God 46:12 because He's always there through everything, 46:14 no matter what traumatic experience 46:16 or whatever He will always be there. 46:19 So... Yeah. Mr. Needles, all right. 46:22 Just a follow up, direct answer to prayer, 46:25 her little brother very, very serious head injury, 46:29 it was just a few hours they were clearing him 46:32 to leave to go home and so... 46:34 Oh, Praise the Lord. 46:35 From our point of view, nothing short of a miracle. 46:38 And it's fun to be a part of that. 46:39 Here's my question? 46:41 Because you're going to school 46:42 to get a good Christian education 46:44 and the cherry on the sundae is being allowed to do 46:47 some of these things for the Lord. 46:48 How does this impact your schoolwork and your time, 46:50 is this a stretch, 46:52 does that impact it negatively or do you find you 46:54 actually have more energy to do what you have to do 46:56 because you got to come out here 46:58 with a degree you know, 47:00 that's why all that money is being shelling out, 47:02 you know, and this is a very, very important part of it, 47:06 but you got to come out of school with a degree. 47:08 So does this enhance 47:10 your schoolwork, your school time? 47:12 Is it kind of a stretch to try to get your work done 47:14 and is done or does it fit kind of nicely? 47:17 I feel like if you put God first in everything, 47:19 you will have time for everything else. 47:21 Sure, and I agree. So... 47:22 Okay. That's it. How I feel about it. 47:26 I feel like it's, again, it prepares you 47:29 for what we're really here to do 47:31 because in the end, yes, we need a degree, 47:33 and we're going to do what we're going to do, like, 47:35 God has given us specific burdens, like, 47:39 if Dylan wants to be a counselor or pastor 47:42 whatever he wants to be, 47:43 he can take this education of discipleship 47:47 and put into that. 47:49 If someone wants to be an artist, 47:51 they can put it into that career. 47:53 No matter what you go into, 47:55 if you have this education that combines, like, 48:00 classroom experiences with discipleship 48:02 and becoming someone who represents God, 48:05 then it prepares you for what we are here to do, 48:07 what God really wants us to do. 48:10 Yonathan? 48:12 Definitely, homework, you always have to do homework. 48:15 But I think the teachers are very... 48:18 They're really willing to help out the extra help 48:21 if you ever gone on a mission trip, 48:22 you've been gone for a while. 48:24 You come back, they try extra hard, 48:27 but as Hannah said, 48:29 you know, if you get God right, 48:31 you know, everything seems fun to play. 48:34 Well said. Well said. Well said. 48:36 In the time that remains just before we go to newsbreak, 48:39 back to you, Mike, I'm going to ask you 48:40 one of those kind of high concept ontological questions 48:43 we ask every now and again. 48:45 When you listen to these young people... 48:48 And I'm very encouraged by what they're saying 48:49 it's really exciting 48:51 because how does that make you feel 48:52 and the task that you have been given to see 48:54 that C.R.O.S.S Training 48:56 and I'll come back to the word again, 48:58 the culture that you're establishing 49:00 on the campus at Sunnydale. 49:01 How does that make you feel about the job 49:03 that you have been called to do? 49:05 You made this sharp left turn, no, 49:07 sharp right turn in the direction of the Lord 49:11 and now you are put in charge to something 49:12 that kinds gives you a little jumpstart, man, 49:16 to see and to hear what they are doing, 49:17 how does that make you feel about the decision 49:19 that you ultimately made for Jesus? 49:20 Well, again, when you see God working miracles for you. 49:24 Yeah. It's very empowering. 49:28 But here's the reality, 49:30 these students don't understand that they motivate me, 49:33 they hold me accountable. 49:34 Yes. 49:36 Because how dare I come to work and take a day off... 49:40 And get a little frustrated or get little down 49:42 or just not do it I'm supposed to. 49:45 When I see them doing everything that they do, 49:48 they're handling high school which is difficult to do, 49:52 and they are finding ways to share their faith. 49:54 So it holds me accountable to do the same. 49:58 Yeah, yeah. 50:00 So in spite of my position at Sunnydale, 50:02 I need to find ways to share my faith. 50:04 Yes. 50:05 Just like these students are doing that on campus, 50:07 in the dorm around. 50:08 So there is an element of accountability for our staff 50:11 that, you know, when you see students getting fired up 50:13 about God and wanting to be 50:16 a part of sharing that wonderful message, 50:21 they motivate us. 50:23 Just very quickly, 50:24 does the school provide for the staff 50:27 a particular ways to share their faith 50:30 in the community or in the school 50:32 or our staff sort of expected to just sit down think about 50:36 and come of ways to sort do that themselves. 50:38 And I know that they've got to weave 50:40 that into their curriculum, 50:41 it's part of what they're doing in the classroom, 50:43 but did they have other opportunities 50:44 to kind of share and step out and stuff too? 50:47 Right. 50:48 So at Sunnydale we are blessed where we have... 50:51 We're kind of in between three small towns, 50:53 we have local community centers, 50:56 we have bigger cities that are close, 50:58 so the staff can find ways 51:00 to reach out in their community. 51:02 However, a lot of the staff, 51:05 C.R.O.S.S Training wouldn't happen without them. 51:08 So if a student needs to go somewhere 51:10 or needs to do something 51:11 or wants to be part of something, 51:13 they're going to have a staff member go with them. 51:14 They're going to just 51:17 because logistic staff members are involved 51:20 and we have the greatest staff out there. 51:22 They're so quick to step up, 51:24 they're so quick to be a part of this. 51:27 And, again, as staff, 51:30 the idea or the philosophy of C.R.O.S.S Training 51:32 is integrated into the job. 51:35 It's not part of the job, there's no bonus for that. 51:38 It's just needs to be part of what we do. 51:41 Yeah, as you said 51:42 part of the culture of the school. 51:43 Yeah. Yeah. 51:45 We're getting ready to go to the address roll 51:46 for Sunnydale Academy. 51:48 We have done and I say this unapologetically 51:51 a de facto commercial for Sunnydale. 51:54 And that's quite all right 51:55 because you may be looking for a school 51:57 to send your child to and you certainly want one 51:59 that gives them a quality Christian education, 52:01 but as we mention 52:03 that cherry on the sundae is the idea 52:05 that your young person will be immersed 52:08 in a culture of service. 52:09 They will pick up this idea 52:13 that there is more than reading, 52:15 writing, and arithmetic, 52:16 there is a service aspect that will be a blessing to them 52:20 and will round out their Christian experience. 52:23 Should you want to make contact with Sunnydale Academy, 52:25 support what these young people are doing, 52:27 maybe make a financial donation 52:29 to this cause to C.R.O.S.S Training 52:31 or to the school, 52:32 here is the contact information that you will need. 52:37 If you would like to find out 52:38 more about Sunnydale Adventist Academy 52:41 or if you would like to support 52:42 one of their students on the mission trip, 52:45 please visit their website Sunnydale.org. 52:48 Your donation can make a world of difference to a student 52:51 who longs to share about Jesus. 52:53 That website again is Sunnydale.org. 52:57 Or you may call them 52:58 at area code (573) 682-2164 53:04 or write to them at Sunnydale Adventist Academy 53:08 C.R.O.S.S Training 6818, 53:11 Audrain Road 9139 53:15 in Centralia, Missouri 65240. |
Revised 2018-05-16