Participants:
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY018091A
|
00:01 I want to spend my life
00:07 Mending broken people 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:18 Removing pain 00:23 Lord, let my words 00:30 Heal a heart that hurts 00:34 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:45 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people 01:10 Hello and welcome to another 3ABN Today Program. 01:13 My name is Jason Bradley, and I'm so excited to be here 01:17 with our wonderful guests. 01:19 And you know what? 01:20 I just wanna jump right into it 01:22 because we have so much to cover 01:24 in this short amount of time. 01:25 We have Julia O'Carey 01:27 and she is the director of ASAP Ministries. 01:32 And we have Gem Castor 01:35 who is the prayer coordinator for ASAP Ministries. 01:40 Now 01:41 I know that we have a lot to talk about 01:43 and before we jump into what ASAP Ministry stands for 01:48 and what it's all about, 01:49 Pastor Moses Brown is going to bless us 01:53 with a wonderful song entitled "Because He Lives." 02:11 God sent His son 02:16 They called Him Jesus 02:22 He came to live, 02:27 Heal and forgive 02:32 He bled and died 02:37 To buy my pardon 02:42 An empty grave is there 02:47 Just to prove my Savior lives 02:53 Because He lives 02:58 I can face tomorrow 03:03 Because He lives 03:08 All fear is gone 03:13 Because I know, yes I know 03:19 He holds the future 03:24 My life is worth the living 03:28 Just because He lives 03:34 And then one day 03:39 I'll cross that river 03:44 I'll fight life's final war 03:51 With pain 03:55 And then as death 04:00 Gives way to victory 04:05 I'll see the light of glory 04:09 And I'll know that my Lord lives 04:15 Because He lives 04:20 I can face tomorrow 04:26 Because my God lives 04:31 All fear is gone 04:36 Because I know, yes I know 04:42 He holds the future 04:47 My life is worth the living 04:51 Just because He lives 04:57 Because God lives 05:02 You can face tomorrow 05:08 Because He lives 05:12 All fear is gone 05:18 Because I know, yes I know 05:23 He holds the future 05:29 My life is worth the living 05:33 Your life can be worth the living 05:38 Oh, our life is worth the living 05:43 Just 05:45 Because my God lives 06:01 Wow! What a powerful song. 06:03 Powerful song. 06:05 I'm so happy to have you guys here, 06:07 Julia and Gem. 06:09 You know, when I think about ASAP Ministries, 06:12 I think asap, I think as soon as possible, 06:15 I think sense of urgency. What does ASAP stand for? 06:20 ASAP stands for Advocates for Southeast Asians 06:23 and the Persecuted. 06:25 And yes, Jason, there is a sense of urgency 06:28 because Christ is coming so soon, 06:30 we need to reach the world asap. 06:31 Amen. Amen. Yeah. 06:33 And, you know, how did... 06:35 Well, first off, 06:37 Gem, how did you get involved with ASAP? 06:39 This is quite interesting 06:40 because I just got involved in ASAP now, 06:44 but I realize that 06:45 at the beginning of my missionary work, 06:48 the first ministries 06:49 that I volunteered into was ASAP. 06:52 So at the birth of my missionary journey, 06:55 ASAP was there. 06:57 Wow! 06:58 And, Julia, you are the director. 07:00 How did you get involved? 07:01 Well, it happened when I was just a little kid 07:04 because my parents went over to Thailand, 07:07 when I was just turning eight, 07:09 and God called them 07:11 to work in the refugee camps in Thailand 07:14 for those who were pouring in from Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, 07:19 all over the neighboring countries 07:21 in the early '80s. 07:22 And so I grew up working in refugee camps 07:25 alongside my parents. 07:27 And I think at that time that put a love in my heart 07:31 for the people of Asia 07:32 and for the persecuted the poor, 07:35 the unreached refugees... 07:37 Yeah. 07:38 And my mom Judy Aitken 07:39 is actually the founder of ASAP Ministries. 07:42 Oh! Okay. 07:44 And she was so passionate about this working since 1995 07:48 in the ministry. 07:49 And I went in through school 07:51 and became a teacher and educator, 07:53 and I always thought ASAP was more my mom's thing, 07:56 and I'm a teacher. 07:58 But the Lord clearly showed me in His Word 08:02 that this is what He wanted me to do. 08:04 So 14 years ago, I started working with ASAP. 08:07 Wow! Wow! 08:08 Fourteen years ago. Yeah. 08:10 And so your mom started it. 08:11 Yeah. 08:12 And you had that same burden that she had. 08:14 Well, God really started it. 08:16 God's the founder but... 08:17 Yes. Yes. 08:19 She followed along with what God wanted. 08:20 Amen. Amen. 08:22 Well, we have a short two-minute video 08:24 that will show us a little bit more 08:27 about what ASAP is all about. 08:29 Okay. 08:33 In the 10/40 Window, 08:35 live 3 billion unreached people. 08:37 Eighty percent of the world's poor 08:40 and millions are persecuted for their faith. 08:44 ASAP Ministries, believe ethnic missionaries, 08:47 empowered by the power of the Holy Spirit 08:50 are the key for reaching the 10/40 Window for Christ. 08:54 That's why 23 years ago, 08:55 we began training lay people in Southeast Asia 08:58 as church planters, teachers, and medical missionaries 09:02 to fulfill the great commission among their own people groups 09:06 using Christ compassionate methods. 09:09 Today, with God's blessing, 09:12 ASAP supports nearly 600 ethnic missionaries 09:16 and thousands of impoverished and at-risk children 09:19 are learning about Jesus in ASAP funded school 09:22 across Southeast Asia 09:24 and elsewhere in the 10/40 Window. 09:27 Along with our ongoing projects, 09:29 recently, ASAP has broken ground 09:32 on the first Seventh-day Adventist Academy 09:34 in the communist country of Laos, 09:37 support a new lifestyle center, 09:39 ministering to Muslims in a close country, 09:42 and launched the Reach the World Next Door 09:44 training program in Houston, Texas 09:46 to equip young adults to reach refugees 09:49 and immigrants from the 10/40 Window 09:51 living in North America. 09:53 Thanks to an ASI grant. 09:55 We've also started 09:56 a secret missionary training program, 09:58 serving an outcast population in a close country. 10:03 And by faith, 10:04 we began producing sermon series 10:06 for some of the world's least reached people groups 10:09 so that they can hear the gospel 10:11 in their heart language for the very first time. 10:14 We are driven by a single purpose 10:17 to reach the world ASAP because Jesus is coming soon. 10:23 Now more than ever, mission matters. 10:29 I like how he said 10:30 now more than ever, mission matters. 10:33 You know, again, speaking to that sense of urgency. 10:35 Yes. 10:36 What else would you like to add 10:38 that that video didn't cover about ASAP Ministries? 10:41 Well, Jason, one thing about ASAP 10:43 that it emphasizes 10:45 that ASAP supports the ethnic missionaries 10:47 the people from the countries 10:49 'cause they know the language, the culture, 10:51 they're there to stay, 10:52 and they can go 10:54 into these closed countries and places 10:55 that I could never work as a missionary. 10:58 Yes. 11:00 And what I love about ASAP 11:01 is that the Lord has called us to do the work holistically. 11:05 And so it's a way 11:07 that they work in compassion like Jesus, 11:10 so they assess the needs of where they're at. 11:13 And so they do things like help with wells 11:15 or help with schools 11:17 or help with whatever is needed in the village 11:19 to give them a better quality life, 11:22 but they don't end there 11:23 because the main goal is to share Jesus with them. 11:26 Wow! Yeah. 11:27 And so what it looks like to me is like... 11:29 And what you're saying is that you go into these communities 11:32 and they empower the people and equip the people 11:35 to share the gospel with everyone else. 11:37 Exactly, so we train them and people sponsor them 11:42 and we support what we can, 11:43 but the biggest thing is we pray for them. 11:46 And we do what we can to spread the gospel 11:48 in the most difficult parts of the world 11:50 like the 10/40 Window 11:52 where very few mission dollars and missionaries go. 11:55 This is dark area 11:56 that are mostly Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu 11:59 and that's where ASAP focuses. 12:01 So... 12:03 Unpack... 12:05 I'm a little confused about the 10/40 Window. 12:07 So the 10/40 Window is that... 12:10 What is that? 12:11 It's the 40 degree, 10 degree latitude part of the world. 12:16 If you go to JoshuaProject.net or ASAP Ministries, 12:19 you'll see the exact countries 12:21 that fall within that area of the world. 12:24 And they're the least reached, 12:27 so we really focused on the unreached 12:30 and the persecuted poor and refugees 12:33 from that part of the world. 12:34 Wow! 12:35 Now we have another video that I would like to go to. 12:41 This is roughly about five minutes, 12:43 but it's very sensitive like it made me almost tear up, 12:48 you know, to see the love 12:51 from one human being to the next. 12:54 Let's just go. Let's go to the video. 13:00 In first-century Palestine, 13:02 leprosy was known as the living death. 13:05 Lepers were shunned by their communities 13:07 and often their families as unclean, even dangerous. 13:12 It was commonly believed that God was punishing them 13:15 for their sins. 13:17 Sadly, in spite of advances in science and medical care, 13:21 modern day lepers in many parts of the world 13:24 are still considered untouchables. 13:26 They are cast away from society, left to live, 13:30 and care for themselves in squalid conditions. 13:34 When Jesus came to this earth, 13:35 He showed us a different way to relate to the disease 13:39 and the outcast among us. 13:41 He befriended them, loved them, even healed them. 13:45 ASAP missionaries, like Sister Lily 13:47 are following in the footsteps of Jesus, 13:50 living and working in the leper colonies 13:52 of a close country in Asia. 13:55 Today, I invite you to follow Sister Lily 13:58 to a home of an elderly couple 14:00 and watch 14:01 the ministry of healing in action 14:03 as she tenderly cares for a blind leper and his wife. 14:07 This is ASAP Ministries Mission Matters. 17:21 Scripture says that at His second coming, 17:24 Jesus will say to His true followers, 17:26 "Verily I say unto you, 17:29 inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these, 17:32 my brethren, ye have done it unto me." 17:35 Today, you may not be able to go as a missionary 17:38 to the outcasts of a closed country, 17:41 but you can go as a missionary 17:43 to the suffering and forgotten citizens 17:45 of your hometown. 17:47 You may not be able to speak words of compassion 17:50 to lepers half a world away, 17:52 but your prayers can ascend to heaven on their behalf. 17:56 You may not be able to wash their faces 17:58 or cook them a meal, 18:00 but you can support ASAP missionaries who can. 18:03 It costs $150 a month to pay the salary of an ASAP worker 18:08 in a leper colony. 18:10 And one time gifts of $6, $12, or $25 18:14 can provide lepers with much needed mats, 18:17 mosquito repellent lamps, and blankets. 18:20 Will you help ASAP Ministries 18:22 extend the hands and the feet of Jesus 18:25 to these precious children of God? 18:27 Because Jesus is coming soon. 18:30 Now more than ever, Mission Matters. 18:39 Wow! 18:40 That is such a touching video to see that care and compassion 18:44 that one human being has for the next. 18:47 And in the day and age in which we live, it seems like, 18:50 you know, that's almost gone out the window, 18:53 you don't see that type of caring 18:56 as often as we should. 18:58 What else can you share and your experience with that? 19:04 I really have seen 19:06 how just those simple acts of love, 19:08 Jason, to the lepers has transformed their lives 19:12 because they experienced so much loss 19:15 because when they got leprosy, 19:18 they were ostracized from their communities. 19:21 So they lost their positions, their status in society, 19:26 their families, 19:27 and they're put in these colonies. 19:29 And it's not only difficult for them to function, 19:33 the government gives them some medicine 19:36 so they're not contagious 19:37 but then they don't have the proper care that they need. 19:41 Just simple things like bathing, 19:43 cleaning their wounds, 19:44 cutting their hair, their nails. 19:46 And so we see that when we send these volunteers 19:50 that love Jesus in, 19:52 these lepers are just blown away by this. 19:55 And they're like, "Why are you here?" 19:57 Like Sister Lily. 19:59 And they said, "Why would you do this?" 20:02 And that's the prime opportunity 20:04 for them to share, it's because of Jesus. 20:07 And then they say, "Who is Jesus?" 20:09 And then they have an opportunity 20:10 to share all about the gospel. 20:13 And these lepers just eat it all up. 20:15 They love it. Yes. 20:16 They fall in love with Jesus. Yes. 20:18 And it's really Christ method. It is. 20:21 You know, because 20:22 they're meeting the needs of the people, 20:24 and then they're leading unto Christ 20:25 ending in evangelism which is beautiful. 20:27 Exactly. 20:28 And as so many things that we take for granted 20:30 on a daily basis, 20:32 you know, being able to, you said, comb your hair 20:35 or cut your nails, 20:38 I mean, all kinds of stuff 20:39 that we take for granted on daily basis 20:41 that they can't do for themselves. 20:43 Right. They're definitely oppressed. 20:46 But I had a chance to visit them. 20:49 And I was so touched, personally. 20:52 I was so impacted by them. 20:57 They taught me so much. 20:59 And so I wanna show you a few little pictures 21:01 of my time there 21:03 and tell you a couple of stories. 21:04 Nice. In the leper colony? 21:06 Yeah. In the leper colony. 21:07 And what's going on in this picture? 21:09 I got there, and I greeted them all. 21:10 And I heard later, they were so surprised 21:13 because they rarely get touched. 21:16 And I would just reach out 21:18 and shake their hands and stuff. 21:20 I didn't think anything of it. Yes. 21:22 But it meant so much to them. Yeah. 21:24 And so it just shows that Jesus makes a difference, 21:29 you know, not me. 21:30 Yes. 21:31 But then when I was there, I met this man, 21:34 we can keep looking at the pictures. 21:36 We can go through these. 21:37 Yeah. Okay. 21:39 Well, you know, I helped with the volunteers 21:41 doing simple things. 21:42 And I thought at first I'd be, 21:44 you know, queasy in my stomach and not able to handle it. 21:47 But I prayed about it. 21:49 And I said, "Lord, give me love. 21:51 It's not about me, it's not about these people, 21:53 just give me love." 21:54 Amen. And He did. 21:56 He took away that queasiness and I was able to love 21:59 so that was a miracle. 22:00 Yes, yes. 22:01 And this man here that I met, 22:04 he is the happiest man 22:06 I've ever met in my whole entire life. 22:08 Wow. 22:09 He was bedridden, Jason, blind, 22:13 and wounds all over his body, 22:16 lost everything. 22:18 But then he told me, 22:21 he said, "I'm glad I got leprosy." 22:23 And I said, "Why is that?" 22:24 And he said, "Because if I never got leprosy, 22:26 I would never have met Jesus." 22:28 Wow! 22:29 And he would sing, and he grabbed my hand, 22:32 and he said, "Can I pray for you?" 22:34 I went there to pray for him, and he wanted to pray for me. 22:36 And he is quoting scriptures. 22:39 And, you know, I think he's the richest man too, 22:43 the richest spiritually. 22:46 And I learned so much from him. 22:48 It doesn't matter what's going on in my life. 22:51 If I have Jesus and I really know His love, 22:54 nothing else matters. 22:57 That's right. 22:59 That's Right. 23:00 And it's amazing how, 23:01 you know, 23:03 it was a tragic event or circumstance 23:07 that led him to be the happiest man alive 23:12 pretty much in his time. 23:14 I mean, you know, sometimes, 23:17 we're allowed to go through certain things 23:20 so that we can recognize our need for Christ. 23:22 Exactly. And that's beautiful. 23:25 Yeah. 23:26 Gem, you're the prayer coordinator. 23:30 So where does prayer come into play with all of this? 23:33 Actually, I think prayer has a lot of... 23:39 What I say is a very important role in ASAP 23:43 because all of us recognize that without God 23:46 we can do nothing. 23:47 And even Judy, Julia's mom who organized this, 23:51 whenever you ask her "So who started ASAP?" 23:54 She will always say, "God started ASAP." 23:57 And I got really interested with joining ASAP 24:01 and in the previous mission trips 24:04 because prayer is an integral part of it. 24:07 We have a wonderful way of starting the day 24:11 coming together, praying together unitedly. 24:14 And that made an impact, 24:17 actually, in the ministry that I'm at right now 24:19 because I've seen the power of prayer 24:22 in that situation, 24:23 and I've seen people who have survived 24:26 through difficulties through prayer. 24:29 And as our name right now, 24:32 Advocate for the Southeast Asians 24:34 and the Persecuted, 24:36 and when you are in the midst of persecution, 24:39 prayer becomes sweeter. 24:41 And I remember during one time 24:42 when we were in a closed country, 24:45 where I could not mention, we had this convention. 24:47 And the convention got shut down. 24:50 It was an Adventist convention. 24:52 It got shut down in the middle of it all. 24:54 And they were not the lenient on asking us to continue, 24:58 even meeting for election, the officers were not allowed. 25:02 This is an international convention 25:04 so just imagine being stopped. 25:06 So I was leading prayer during the time. 25:09 And my friends came to me and said, 25:12 "So, Gem, what should we do? 25:14 What should we do? Can we still come together? 25:16 Because when we come together, 25:17 there was a threat that we will be put in prison. 25:21 We will lose our freedom." 25:22 So I said, "We could not let this thing 25:25 continue without prayer." 25:26 So we decided to be praying 25:28 in different rooms every day. 25:33 And we will have like... 25:34 We will inform people who would want to join in, 25:37 "Do not come in groups, 25:38 come individually, or come with two or three people 25:42 that do not do something that will attract attention." 25:45 And you will have like secret knocks, Jason, like... 25:48 Wow! 25:50 And then people will come in to room. 25:51 And you know what, this is one amazing thing 25:53 because during those prayer sessions, 25:57 knowing that your life is on the line, 25:59 knowing that your freedom is on the line, 26:01 I've not heard prayers 26:04 that were uttered with the most passionate, 26:07 sincere, desperation to call upon God. 26:10 There's never a dry eye in that prayer. 26:13 And then something spoke to my heart, 26:17 God is giving us a preview 26:18 of what persecution would be like. 26:21 And sometimes, 26:22 we were so afraid to talk about persecution 26:24 because we will be losing our freedom, 26:25 we'll be losing our comfort. 26:27 But one thing that we don't see is 26:29 we'll be gaining something really beautiful. 26:32 Something... 26:34 Which is what? 26:35 Which is a very intimate walk with God. 26:37 Amen. 26:38 And I guess Julia could tell you 26:40 about these people that we have met 26:43 when we had a training session there. 26:46 And as Julia just said, a while ago, 26:48 in ministering to the leper colony, 26:51 she's thinking that 26:52 she will give a blessing to them. 26:54 But in the end, we are the ones who are blessed exponentially 26:58 by seeing the faces of these people 27:01 really experiencing God to the utmost. 27:04 Yes. 27:05 Julia, you know, we've been talking about persecution 27:08 and being persecuted. 27:10 And I think it would be a good time 27:11 to discuss the definition of persecution 27:16 and take a look at why some people are persecuted. 27:21 Yeah. 27:22 So persecution is defined as hostility and ill treatment, 27:26 especially because of race, 27:28 political, or religious beliefs. 27:31 And, you know, us in the West, we think, persecution, 27:35 that doesn't really happen anymore. 27:37 We don't really see it on a day-to-day basis. 27:40 But persecution is at its highest ever 27:44 in Earth's history right now today. 27:48 Wow! Yeah. 27:49 And then I would have no idea that was going on 27:52 if you didn't share that. 27:54 Yeah. 27:55 And so we have to think about why 27:58 and we also have to think about 28:00 our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world. 28:03 And we with ASAP are connected 28:07 to a large amount of believers 28:10 that are in these close countries. 28:12 And like what Gem said, when we meet them, 28:15 we think we're going to end up 28:17 blessing them in these trainings. 28:19 But just hearing from them year after year 28:22 and learning their stories and what they've been through, 28:26 we learned so many lessons. 28:28 And it's actually good because in a way, 28:32 we don't want persecution to come on to us, 28:35 but we want that type of relationship 28:36 that they have. 28:38 Yes. 28:39 You know? Yes. 28:40 But by learning, then it helps me in my life 28:42 to realize, 28:44 "Hey, when hardships do come," which they come to all of us, 28:47 maybe not in the form of government persecution 28:49 or family persecution but maybe in other forms, 28:52 like with illness or difficulties on the job 28:57 or this or that, 28:58 then we know how to approach it. 29:00 Yes. 29:02 We have a different mindset 29:03 in how to approach it, you know? 29:05 So would you say that 29:07 being a part of ASAP Ministry says 29:09 strengthens your walk with God? 29:11 Oh, definitely, definitely. 29:14 It is such a blessing and such a joy, 29:17 you know, to meet these people who will say, 29:21 "You know, I will die for Christ," 29:23 and then we see it in their lives. 29:26 And, you know, it's not just one or two, 29:28 it's a wide gamut that are persecuted, 29:31 even children, 29:32 like we see children 29:34 who won't go to school on Sabbath. 29:37 And they have to stand for hours 29:39 on the skin of a durian, 29:43 and those are really sharp needles. 29:46 And that's their punishment. 29:48 And they're happy to do that for Christ. 29:51 Wow! Yeah. 29:53 And then we see like this one young man, this past year, 29:57 who is in prison for seven months. 30:03 And he thought in such an honor. 30:07 His cell, no electricity, completely dark, 30:11 and he would only get a little bit of crusty rice 30:16 that they would feed to the pigs, 30:17 that's what he ate. 30:18 And they would make him go out 30:20 and work in the fields for 12 hours a day. 30:23 And while he was out there, 30:26 while he was in jail, 30:28 his baby was born 30:30 and because he wasn't at home in the village, 30:32 and they live so remote church planting, 30:37 his wife couldn't get to a clinic 30:39 and so his little baby died. 30:41 And 30:43 while he was in jail, he witnessed to two. 30:47 He shared Jesus with as many but two accepted the Lord 30:51 and were converted. 30:53 And so he says it was all worth it. 30:55 So while he was in jail, he was still witnessing. 30:57 He was witnessing. Yeah. 30:59 And he went two to Christ during that time. 31:01 Nice. Yeah. 31:03 Nice. Man! 31:04 It really makes you think about 31:06 the things that we take for granted, 31:08 the freedoms that we have that we take for granted. 31:11 You know, we've been talking about persecution, 31:14 and we actually have some pictures 31:16 that are related to the topic. 31:19 Let's take a look at those. 31:21 And then why don't you describe 31:22 what's going on in each of those? 31:25 Well, this one actually has to do with the leper colony 31:28 and so if we can backtrack just briefly on that, 31:33 one of the lepers was gardening right outside there 31:38 and he accidentally fell 31:42 into that dry well, 31:45 and he couldn't get out 31:46 and none of the other lepers around. 31:47 He called, called, nobody could get him out. 31:50 And so he didn't know what to do. 31:52 And then one of the volunteers came 31:55 and 31:56 jumped down in that well, 32:00 put him on his shoulders, somehow scrambled out, 32:03 took him to the hospital, he was there day and night, 32:05 he had broken his arm. 32:07 And this leper said, 32:10 "Nobody has ever treated me that way." 32:12 And he said he was so touched, 32:15 he told me personally when we were there. 32:17 And it was really neat to see how that impacted his life 32:22 in such a way that he decided to give his whole heart to God. 32:26 Yes. Yeah. 32:27 And the other one 32:29 that we just came up on the screen. 32:31 This gentleman, he was an addict 32:33 because a lot of times 32:35 when people experience loss and trauma, 32:38 they go to drugs, alcohol, smoking, things like that. 32:42 So he would smoke four packs a day 32:44 and drink gallons of alcohol, and he was an insomniac. 32:47 He couldn't sleep at night. 32:49 Okay. 32:50 And then he found Jesus. 32:51 He's one of the lepers. 32:53 And now you always see him with his Great Controversy 32:58 and his Bible, and he's witnessing. 33:01 It's just really beautiful. 33:03 Wow! Yeah. 33:04 These workers just touch my heart 33:07 because their little sacrifice 33:11 in a way has much reward. 33:14 But the workers lives are changed too. 33:17 I don't have pictures 'cause it wasn't safe to show 33:19 but some of the workers that went there 33:22 were not committed, they weren't fully surrendered. 33:25 But through the act of giving to the oppressed, 33:30 God changed them. 33:32 One that I met was a 16-year-old boy 33:34 and his mom became Adventist four years before. 33:38 And she was so worried about her son 33:40 because he was doing all kinds of things 33:43 that he shouldn't be doing. 33:44 And she had preached him and nothing seemed to work. 33:47 And when I met him there, 33:49 I realized he was always on his cell phone. 33:51 He wouldn't speak to the lepers, nothing. 33:54 And I asked the head person, I said, "Why is he here?" 33:59 You know, real, little old faith. 34:02 But four months later, 34:04 they sent me a testimony of this young man, 34:07 and they said that the act of serving the lepers, 34:11 caring for him changed his life. 34:14 And he said that now he looks at the lepers 34:16 and he just loves them. 34:18 He said he'll never be the same person 34:20 he found what true happiness is at the leper colony. 34:22 What a blessing. 34:23 Yeah. What a blessing. 34:25 And another lady if I can share one more story, Jason? 34:27 Yeah, please do. We have time. 34:29 We have time. 34:31 This other lady was so sick 34:32 with some gastro strange illness, 34:36 and she was going to all sorts of doctors 34:38 and nothing was curing her. 34:41 And then somebody told her about the leper colony. 34:44 And she decided that she would go 34:48 and when she went there and started serving, 34:50 even though she was sick herself, 34:53 Isaiah 58:7-8 was fulfilled in her life. 34:58 Can I read it? Please do. 34:59 Okay. 35:01 Isaiah 58:7-8, says, 35:03 "Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, 35:07 and that you bring to your house 35:09 the poor who are cast out. 35:11 When you see the naked, that you cover him, 35:16 and not hide yourself from your own flesh? 35:21 Then your light shall break forth like the morning, 35:23 your healing shall spring forth speedily, 35:27 and your righteousness shall go before the glory of the Lord. 35:30 The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard." 35:33 And so she... 35:35 God healed her 35:36 through the process of loving the lepers. 35:39 And pretty soon she was just healed physically 35:43 and also spiritually and actively involved. 35:46 It was really beautiful. Wow! 35:48 That is beautiful. 35:49 Hey, you know, I don't remember where I heard this, 35:51 but I heard somewhere that 35:53 the fastest way to get over depression 35:55 is by helping somebody else. 35:57 I belie that. 35:58 Then it takes the attention off of yourself 36:00 and you're helping somebody else. 36:02 And basically, you go in, and you go to be a blessing 36:08 but then you end up being blessed. 36:10 And that's what you guys have been saying, 36:11 you know, what you've been talking about. 36:14 Discuss some of the dangers 36:15 of going into these closed countries 36:18 and witnessing to the leper colonies. 36:24 Well, there's a lot of danger in these closed countries 36:27 because their governments, 36:30 most of them are communists 36:32 and don't want evangelism to be spread. 36:36 And so oftentimes, people, 36:38 believers in these closed countries 36:41 experience persecution from the government. 36:44 And so if they share their faith, 36:46 they can be brought into the police station 36:49 and interrogated by the police, 36:51 fined for that, 36:54 a lot of times they have their motorcycles taken away 36:56 if they're caught going to another province, 36:59 another area. 37:01 In difficult areas, like rural areas, 37:04 oftentimes, they're physically abused, 37:07 like hit, put in prison, 37:11 just all manner of evil spoken against them. 37:15 And in these countries, 37:18 if they become Christian, 37:21 oftentimes, their family and community will reject them 37:25 because they say you're not being faithful 37:27 to your tradition or culture. 37:30 And so a lot of the ones that we've met, 37:33 you know, 37:34 have lost their family, lost their community, 37:39 but they've gained Christ. 37:40 Yes. Yeah. 37:42 Yes. That's the worth it. 37:43 The best thing that you could gain ever. 37:44 That's worth it all. Ever. 37:46 Yeah. 37:47 It's crazy to me that people would be persecuted 37:52 or people would persecute others 37:55 for a message of love. 37:56 Like, you know, Christianity, it's a message of love. 38:00 God is love. 38:02 And so for people to persecute other human beings 38:05 because they wanna share a message of love 38:07 and embrace a message of love, 38:09 just blows my mind. 38:11 Jason, it doesn't make common logical sense at all. 38:15 And so you have to know that it's Satan, 38:19 it's evil that's causing that. 38:21 And we have workers that go into the police station 38:24 and are persecuted. 38:26 And they tell the police look at this DVD 38:31 because they share these DVDs 38:33 just like the leaves of autumn all over. 38:35 It's amazing in their sermons of God's truth 38:38 about the three angels' message about, 38:41 you know, the end time, 38:43 you know, on health, everything, all topics. 38:46 And so they share these messages. 38:47 And they say, "Watch it." 38:49 You know, there was a couple recently 38:52 that went into a new area. 38:54 And they were caught by the police 38:56 and the police had never heard of this ministry. 39:00 And so it was an unreached, un-entered territory. 39:05 And so they said, you know, "What are you doing? 39:09 Who are you?" And everything. 39:10 And there was a big crowd, 39:12 like, all the workers 39:13 in the police station came around 39:15 'cause this was something they've never seen before. 39:17 You know, and they were so happy. 39:20 These workers were rejoicing with me. 39:22 And they said, "We were so happy, Julia, 39:25 because they took the DVDs 39:27 and they put them in five different computers 39:31 in the station because we told them watch this. 39:36 This is not going to hurt you." Propaganda. 39:38 It's not propaganda. 39:39 It's not against the government. 39:41 It's a message of love, like you said. 39:42 Yes, yes. 39:44 And so when they heard 39:45 all five computers playing the message 39:47 and people crowded around it. 39:48 It was so worth it. 39:50 They were rejoicing. 39:51 That is beautiful. 39:53 Now I can't help, 39:54 but thank that some of these officers 39:58 came to know the Lord as a result of that. 40:00 Yes, they pray for their persecutors, 40:03 and we do have stories 40:05 of officers who have given their lives to God. 40:08 And some of them lost their position 40:10 in the communist party. 40:12 And they lost a lot but they gained everything 40:16 and they joined the work. 40:18 And they are really helpful because they know the system. 40:24 And so we can use that for God's glory 40:27 and to spread the gospel even further. 40:29 Amen, amen. 40:30 What other stories do you have 40:34 that you've experienced with ASAP Ministries? 40:37 Oh, we have so many. 40:38 I'm talking too much. 40:40 Gem, do you wanna share one? 40:41 I love hearing it. 40:44 And I guess when you're talking about love, 40:48 and I guess this is the reason 40:49 why these workers are doing this 40:51 for the sake of love 40:53 because you could not be risking your freedom, 40:56 risking your comfort, 40:57 and even compromising your comfort 40:59 if you don't love what you're doing. 41:01 And a couple of months ago, 41:03 I was able to witness Julia interviewing one girl, 41:07 a 22-year-old girl, who's a church planter. 41:11 And she drives to go to one contact 41:14 five to six hours on her motorbike. 41:18 Five to six hours on her motor... 41:20 On her motorbike. Wow! 41:21 And she experienced oppression from the village officials, 41:26 so she couldn't go there in the mornings. 41:28 So she has to go in the cover of the night. 41:31 And come to think of it, 41:33 this girl, I think 22 years old, 41:35 she's just wasting her life but she's not. 41:39 When you see her, 41:40 you can see the joy on her face. 41:42 And take note, 41:43 I'm not the one interviewing her, 41:44 I was the one 41:46 like taking pictures in the background 41:48 and seeing the face 41:50 that is shining with joy coming from on high, 41:52 and thinking, "I envy that joy." 41:55 Yes. 41:56 And then I begin to realize that joy could only come 41:59 from being in the presence of God. 42:01 And experiencing those difficult times 42:04 makes them even more closer in the presence of God. 42:08 And you know why she's so happy 42:10 because at the end of that week, 42:12 she has 12 souls waiting for baptism. 42:15 Wow! 42:16 Twelve souls. 42:17 And I remember when Julia was sharing 42:19 about those DVD stories. 42:22 And one story, it inspired me as well in ASAP. 42:25 There's two young men, 18- and 20-year-old, 42:28 distributing DVDs, 42:29 and they got caught by the police. 42:31 That's the trend. 42:33 You know that you'll be caught, you will get caught. 42:37 If not now, in the future, 42:39 but they're still doing it for the love of the ministry, 42:42 for the love of the lost souls. 42:44 So while they were caught, 42:47 they were brought into like the village center 42:49 or the city center, 42:50 and the police somehow interrogated 42:52 and people surrounded because, 42:55 you know, Asians would want to see what is happening. 43:00 So they are being interviewed. 43:04 This policeman wanted to pin them down. 43:08 And they were trying to say that, 43:10 "You are not loyal to your government, 43:11 the government gave you a lot. 43:13 You are not thankful to your government." 43:15 And you know what they said, they were tactful, 43:17 and they were prayerful in their approach. 43:19 Said, you know what, 43:20 "We are thankful to the Lord first 43:22 because the government did not give us rain, 43:26 God gave us rain, and God made the rice to grow. 43:30 And the rice that government gives us, 43:32 the Lord gives them first." 43:35 And the police officials are somehow like 43:39 put to shame by that answer. 43:40 And they grab this two, bring them to the headquarters. 43:45 They don't want to expose their foolishness 43:47 in front of village. 43:49 And this is one thing that came to my mind is verse 43:51 that was in Luke 21:15. 43:55 It says, "I will give you a mouth and wisdom, 43:58 which all your adversaries shall not be able 44:01 to gainsay or resist." 44:04 This is why 44:05 prayer is very important in the ministry. 44:07 Amen. 44:08 You could not just say your own words, 44:10 you could not say your own, you want to vindicate yourself, 44:13 you want to save face, 44:15 everything should be led and guided by the Holy Spirit. 44:18 And as a result of that arrest, their friends were notified. 44:23 And they all gathered together to do united prayer 44:26 for their friends who are going through the interrogation 44:28 in the headquarters. 44:31 Make long story short, 44:33 they were released because 44:34 they could not find anything against them. 44:37 And when they were released, 44:38 this is funny because one of the leaders 44:40 who pick them up saw that they were smiling, 44:43 getting out of the prison. 44:45 Thinking this two young people here, 44:49 this is their first time to go to the prison 44:53 to somehow face those things, but they were not terrified. 44:56 They were smiling. 44:57 And you know why they were smiling? 44:59 Later on they told their supervisor, their leader, 45:03 "We experienced a glimpse of what Christ has gone through 45:07 and to share that suffering, 45:10 it's just like gives us so much peace, 45:12 gives us so much joy." 45:13 And that brings me to one of my favorite quotes 45:19 in one of my favorite books, Desire of Ages. 45:21 It says, 45:23 "Of all the gifts 45:24 that heaven can bestow upon men, 45:26 fellowship with Christ in His suffering 45:28 is the most weighty trust and highest honor." 45:32 Amen. Wow! 45:33 And come to think of it, 45:35 most of the time we cower down when it comes to persecution, 45:40 when you talk about this things but think about this 45:44 when we suffer this things for the name of Christ 45:47 that is the weightiest trust and highest honor. 45:50 Yes. 45:51 That's why it brings so much joy. 45:52 Yes. 45:54 You know, that's powerful. 45:55 You know, the Bible also says, 45:57 "A soft answer turns away wrath." 46:00 And praise the Lord that He spoke through 46:03 those young men, 46:05 you know, to have an impact on the police officers. 46:08 I mean, you would have thought that they were selling drugs. 46:11 But they were just distributing the gospel, 46:15 helping people to come to know Christ. 46:20 It blows my mind. 46:21 I'm amazed 46:23 at all that's going on over there. 46:24 And all that ASAP Ministries is doing 46:28 that God's using you guys to accomplish over there 46:32 in these closed countries. 46:35 Really is God's work. 46:37 And we see Him working. 46:39 And I think it's because He really loves His people, 46:44 the persecuted, the poor, the unreached. 46:47 You know, when Saul was persecuting 46:51 the early church, 46:53 and Jesus came to him, and Jesus said, 46:56 "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?" 46:59 So He closely identifies Himself 47:02 to the persecuted because He loves them so much. 47:05 So what we're doing is nothing 47:07 but what Jesus is doing is everything 47:10 because He's defending His people, 47:12 He's the biggest advocate for His people. 47:13 Yes. Yes. 47:15 Yeah. 47:16 You know, we have a couple more pictures 47:17 that we'd like to take a look at. 47:20 And then if you would tell us briefly 47:21 what's going on in each one of those 47:23 as they come up. 47:24 Okay. 47:26 Well, I shared with you a lot of persecution stories. 47:29 And so this picture just symbolizes 47:33 what is happening around the world. 47:35 And so I wanna urge you to do what God asks us 47:39 in Hebrews 13:3. 47:41 And in Hebrews 13:3, it says here, 47:44 I wanna read it for you if that's okay. 47:48 "Remember the prisoners as if chained with them, 47:52 those who are mistreated 47:53 since you yourselves are in the body also." 47:56 And so in remembering the prisoners by prayer 48:02 and by supporting, 48:04 this can be life changing for you 48:06 'cause I know it has been for me. 48:07 Yes. 48:09 And so little later, if we have time, 48:10 I'll share with you some ways that we can get people 48:14 more involved in the believers of the persecuted. 48:17 Amen. Yeah. 48:19 What are some of the needs of ASAP Ministries? 48:22 What do you need? 48:23 Jason, I think our biggest need is for more prayer warriors 48:27 to support the persecuted believers 48:29 around the world 48:30 and really lift them up in prayer, 48:31 claiming promises for them. 48:33 And on our website, 48:34 we have promises for the persecuted 48:37 that people can download and claim daily. 48:40 Okay, okay. Yeah. 48:41 And another thing we're starting is GWIDOP team. 48:44 GWIDOP stands for God's Work in Dangerous Oppressive Places. 48:48 And if people wanna join that team, 48:50 they can donate $100 a month, 48:53 which goes to help with the secret trainings, 48:55 the workers' small stipends, DVDs, 48:58 and then they'll be receive an update, 49:01 a special update once a month 49:03 about the work in these countries. 49:05 And in addition to that, 49:09 while we have different financial needs, 49:11 God always provides, 49:12 but we want to work together in making that happen. 49:15 Yes. Yeah. 49:17 Now do you need missionaries as well? 49:18 Do you need people to go overseas? 49:22 Well, we have short-term mission trips 49:24 that people can go to safe countries. 49:26 Okay. 49:27 And that's always a need. 49:29 And they can find out about those 49:30 on our website as well. 49:32 And we always need ambassadors 49:35 to spread the word to be an advocate for the persecuted. 49:38 So if people have been really moved 49:41 by what they're hearing is happening, 49:43 they can go out, 49:44 and they can spread the word in their churches 49:46 in different places. 49:48 Yes, yes. Yeah. 49:49 And you have materials that they can distribute. 49:51 Yes, we do. On your behalf. 49:52 Yes. Wow. 49:54 So many powerful stories. 49:55 Praise the Lord. Yes. 49:57 So do you have... 49:58 We have a short amount of time left 50:00 before we go to the address roll. 50:03 And I just wanna know if you have any other story 50:06 that you can share with me briefly. 50:08 Oh, we have a lot of stories. 50:10 Do you wanna share the one, Gem, about... 50:14 The group? The gold mine one? 50:15 Oh, sure. Okay. 50:17 Yeah, there was this group, 50:19 who are somehow disheartened because of the persecution, 50:22 and they stopped evangelizing. 50:26 Somehow one of the leaders visited them 50:28 and encouraged them to pray for the burden for souls, 50:31 for the love for souls. 50:33 They prayed for a month, 50:34 and the love for souls begin to grow. 50:36 So somehow, 50:37 one of the members was led to a lady in the market, 50:41 and this lady gave her prayer request. 50:45 And this lady just broke down in front of her and said, 50:48 "My son has been missing for two years. 50:50 He joined the army and we could not find him." 50:53 And she has a suspicion that the black mafia 50:56 somehow kidnapped his son and put him to be slave workers 51:00 in the gold mine. 51:01 So she promised, "I will pray for your son." 51:04 She gathered her members, prayed, 51:06 and at the end of seventh day of praying, perfect number. 51:09 Yes. 51:11 The Lord sent an angel to bring that son 51:14 out of the gold mine 51:16 and lead him to freedom. 51:18 Because of that, she got converted, 51:23 neighbors saw that miracle. 51:24 So that's one powerful. 51:26 What a powerful story. 51:27 Well, let's show people 51:29 how they can get in touch with you. 51:30 Okay. 51:32 Advocates for Southeast Asians and the Persecuted 51:35 or ASAP for short is in need of those 51:39 who will pray for their missionaries 51:41 and support them financially as they work 51:43 in some of the most difficult mission fields 51:45 in the world. 51:47 If the Holy Spirit impresses you, 51:49 you can find out much more information 51:51 on their website ASAPMinistries.org. |
Revised 2019-04-23