Participants:
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY190002A
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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 00:24 Lord, let my words 00:30 Heal a heart that hurts 00:34 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:46 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people 01:09 Hello, friends, welcome to 3ABN Today. 01:12 I'm John Lomacang, 01:13 and to my left is a beautiful lady. 01:16 Oh, well, I don't know about that. 01:17 Yes, I do. 01:18 My name is Angela Lomacang, and we're so glad to be here. 01:21 We're so glad that you've tuned in today. 01:23 That's right. 01:24 You're gonna be blessed today, aren't they, honey? 01:25 That's right. It's about missions. 01:27 You know, when we think about missions, 01:29 we often ask ourselves a question, 01:31 has God called me to be a missionary. 01:33 And today our guests are going to talk about missions 01:36 in the sense where God has called them. 01:40 But missionary work is something 01:42 that the entire world has been called to benefit 01:45 from the Lord has sent us as missionaries. 01:47 He sent His disciples as missionaries. 01:50 And today, I believe that the Lord would touch your life 01:52 in one way or the other 01:53 to participate in the mission of getting people 01:56 ready for the coming of the Lord. 01:58 And if you're tuning in here for the first time, 02:01 this is your first time watching 3ABN, 02:02 we like to welcome you. 02:04 And make particularly note of this network 02:06 because we believe that God ordained it. 02:08 Don't you believe that honey? Yes, absolutely. 02:09 Not only television but radio which my wife works for. 02:12 God has ordained this network to carry the gospel 02:15 around the world. 02:17 And so this is an exciting program. 02:18 So sit back and invite your family 02:20 or if you're by yourself, 02:22 this is gonna be a very informative 02:24 and blessed program. 02:25 And so thank you for your prayers 02:27 and your financial support of this network 02:29 as we continue going and growing, 02:31 getting people ready for the coming of the Lord. 02:33 But, honey before we go to the program 02:35 and before we introduce our guests, 02:37 we have some music today. 02:38 Tell us what we're gonna have and what it is? 02:40 Okay, we have Pam Lister 02:41 who's gonna share a song called "Written in Red." 02:56 In letters of crimson 03:01 God wrote His love 03:05 On the hillside so long 03:09 Long ago 03:13 For you and for me 03:18 Jesus died 03:23 And love's greatest story 03:28 Was told 03:34 I love you 03:44 That's what 03:46 Calvary said 03:53 I love you 04:08 Written 04:11 In red 04:22 Down through the ages 04:26 God wrote His love 04:31 With the same hands 04:33 That suffered 04:36 And bled 04:40 Giving all 04:45 that he had to give 04:49 A message 04:51 so easily read 04:58 I love you 05:08 That's 05:10 What Calvary said 05:17 I love you 05:34 Oh, Precious 05:39 is the flow 05:43 That makes me 05:47 White as snow 05:53 No other fount 05:58 I know 06:01 Nothing but the blood 06:04 The blood of Jesus 06:10 I love you 06:19 That's 06:21 What Calvary said 06:28 I love you 06:43 Written 06:49 In red 07:10 Thank you so much for that song "Written in Red." 07:12 Amen. Pam did a wonderful job. 07:15 You know, the whole foundation on which we stand 07:19 is the blood of Jesus. 07:21 And what He has done, the doors He has opened for us 07:25 really gives us encouragement every day. 07:27 Absolutely. 07:28 Which is what makes this program special. 07:29 Oh, I'm excited about the program. 07:31 The Lord is continually opening doors. 07:33 So let's not take any much more time 07:37 and introduce to you our guests today. 07:38 I'll stop to my right 07:40 Christopher White, I call you Chris. 07:42 But good to have you here, Chris. 07:43 It is me. 07:44 Yes, for the audience that's tuning in today, 07:48 somebody might say, "Hey, that's Chris. 07:50 I know exactly who that is," 07:51 but somebody might not know you are. 07:53 So briefly tell us who you are, where you're from, 07:56 and what you do right now? 07:57 Well, my name is Christopher White. 07:58 I go by Chris. 08:00 Currently, I am at Indian Creek Youth Camp. 08:03 It's the church camp 08:04 for the Kentucky-Tennessee Conference. 08:06 I'm the assistant manager 08:08 and I've been back for the last six years. 08:12 My family moved there in 1985. 08:16 My father, Herb White, and my mom is Darlene White. 08:21 They've been there this whole time since '85 08:23 and dad's getting ready to retire this year. 08:26 Oh, wow! Yeah. 08:27 Okay, and I'm gonna wait 08:29 till I introduce the person to your right 08:32 and tell us who you are? 08:33 And same thing, where you're from 08:34 and what you do right now? 08:36 My name is Erin White. 08:37 Okay. 08:39 And I work as the emotional support 08:41 for my husband at Indian Creek. 08:43 I like that. 08:45 No, I'm your emotional support, honey. 08:47 Yeah. 08:49 Yeah, camp life can be a little bit stressful so... 08:51 But I'm also a full time mom to our foster son 08:54 and I do some contract work 08:57 as a licensed clinical social worker on the side 08:59 but primarily I'm living there at camp, so. 09:02 Okay, licensed clinical social worker. 09:05 Yeah. 09:06 Wow, that does help when it comes to camp, 09:08 doesn't it? 09:09 Yes. 09:11 To keep you balanced 09:12 and also give the kids some direction there. 09:13 Yeah. Erin is. 09:15 I was gonna say... Go ahead. 09:16 No, no. Tell them, what are the... 09:18 How do you know Erin? 09:20 Oh, Erin is a wonderful young lady. 09:22 We've known her for quite a few years 09:25 through her parents. 09:26 That's right. 09:27 April and Will Wharf, 09:29 they're the members at our church. 09:30 Tell us about Will. 09:32 What does Will do here? What does Will not do? 09:33 Will works with production. 09:35 He works with graphics 09:37 whenever we do any kind of series. 09:38 I'm always glad that Will is on the other end, 09:41 he makes sure that if I design a graphic, 09:43 if it's a mistake, he'll find it, 09:44 if there're no mistakes, 09:45 he'll make sure that it comes up on the screen. 09:47 I call it, 09:48 Will is in the trenches with me. 09:50 So if you ever see me preaching 09:51 and if there's graphics involved, 09:52 Will is making it happen on the screen. 09:54 I always appreciate that, because I could rely on him. 09:56 That's right. 09:58 But if there's something that's broken on the truck, 09:59 Will's probably fixing it. 10:00 If there's wires that need to be soldered, 10:02 Will's probably doing that. 10:03 If there's something on the stage 10:04 and need to be put in, Will is involved in that. 10:06 Floor directing right now. 10:08 He's is floor directing right now. 10:10 He's got his hand in so many things 10:12 and, you know, 3ABN is blessed to have people like Will 10:16 to know that any particular area 10:19 that needs to be covered, 10:20 he has the rounded experience to help the new guys 10:23 and the new young ladies 10:25 that come on staff to know what they're doing. 10:26 So we appreciate your parents very much. 10:29 And we used to think that she looked like her mom 10:31 but now what do we say? 10:32 Look exactly like her dad. 10:34 You do have a wonderful mother. 10:35 She's a prayer warrior, woman of God. 10:38 Yes. 10:39 We appreciate her 10:40 at Thompsonville Seventh-day Adventist Church. 10:42 Lot of... And you have a brother also. 10:44 I do. Yeah. 10:45 And he's a pastor now. 10:47 He's currently intern pastoring, 10:48 but he's about to finish that. 10:49 So he's about to find out 10:51 where his district is going to be. 10:53 So it's an exciting time in our family. 10:55 That's right. Yeah. 10:57 And we're here today, 10:58 we're gonna talk about your journey 11:00 because right now, you both are preparing, 11:03 and I'll let you go ahead and introduce that. 11:05 What's the great preparation 11:07 that you are now both involved in 11:10 for that which is ahead of you? 11:12 Well, we have accepted a call 11:15 with Adventist Frontier Missions 11:17 to go to West Africa, and to Benin, West Africa, 11:21 in the Pendjari region, 11:23 which is in the northern section of the Benin. 11:26 Wow. 11:27 You excited? 11:29 Yes. Yes. 11:30 Very, it's a long term, 11:31 what we call it a career missionary call. 11:33 It's a long term call. 11:34 So they're expecting 11:37 that the project will take between 8-10 years. 11:39 Wow. Yeah. 11:40 Wow. So we're moving to Africa. 11:42 You're moving. 11:44 So... Yeah. 11:45 Wow, 8-10 years. 11:46 We're gonna really pray for them 11:48 because first of all, 11:49 our prayer is that the Lord comes back 11:51 in less than 10 years. 11:52 Yes. Amen. 11:53 That's our prayer. 11:55 But if He doesn't, we pray for every day 11:56 that God has sent you out there to be a blessing. 11:59 Let's dive into your story. 12:00 There's another part of the story 12:01 that I could identify with. 12:03 Oh, yes. 12:04 You know, which is very... which I think? 12:05 The foster son. 12:07 Let's let you open your story up. 12:09 And I'll give you both an opportunity to begin 12:11 where you feel comfortable beginning. 12:13 Okay, 12:15 I think for me, it started when I was a child, 12:20 my parents knowingly or unknowingly 12:24 always had some sort of missionary literature 12:27 around the house. 12:28 I grew up listening 12:29 to Eric B. Hare's stories of missionaries 12:32 and read all kinds of different books. 12:35 And so I think that was always just kind of part of my makeup. 12:39 And then when I went to academy, 12:42 the academy I ended up graduating 12:44 from was Oklahoma Academy. 12:45 And my senior year instead of doing 12:48 a class trip to Florida or something like that, 12:51 they always coordinated a mission trip 12:53 for the seniors to go on. 12:54 Nice. 12:55 And our mission trip was to Romania. 12:57 And we were focused on orphanages. 12:59 There was an orphanage in one particular town 13:02 that we spent all of our time 13:03 ministering to all of these orphans. 13:05 And just realizing the needs of the children, 13:09 it was just something. 13:11 I remember calling home and telling my mom 13:13 about these two little boys and just telling her, 13:16 "Is there any way that you could take them? 13:18 Is there any way that you could bring these boys home?" 13:20 Because there was just something about them 13:22 that was just so very, very special. 13:25 And so going from that, and into my college career as, 13:31 you know, going to Atlantic Union College, 13:33 we ended up going to India. 13:36 And I ended up being in India, we were helping... 13:39 It was a Maranatha trip. 13:41 So we were enjoying being able to build churches 13:44 and doing that sort of stuff. 13:46 But the thing that always connected 13:47 with me was these children. 13:50 And just, I mean, they were just so simple. 13:53 That's right. 13:55 They had so many needs, 13:56 but there was something about them 13:57 that they were at peace with whatever they were at, 14:00 because they didn't know anything different. 14:02 And so... 14:04 And then after I graduated from college, 14:08 ended up going overseas and living in South Korea 14:10 for a year as a missionary teaching English. 14:15 And so looking back, the Lord was doing 14:17 all of these things to kind of put seeds 14:20 in my mind of something a little bit more long term, 14:24 you know, but when I came back from South Korea, 14:27 there were some other things 14:28 that the Lord needed to put in place like a husband. 14:32 Partly that's where you come in, Chris. 14:36 Excuse me. 14:38 Okay. 14:39 Well, unlike Erin, 14:41 I actually did not have the opportunity to do very much 14:46 overseas to begin with. 14:47 Like I said, we moved to camp when I was... 14:50 back in 1985. 14:52 And so I was very young 14:54 and I got the amazing opportunity to learn 14:58 what youth ministries is like here in the States. 15:03 Growing up in the church camp, 15:05 I was able to see all kinds of children coming in, 15:10 coming in from good homes, 15:12 ones that were coming in from bad homes, or foster homes 15:16 and, just all of these different backgrounds. 15:20 It really opened my eyes to something 15:23 different than the stable home that I was in. 15:27 And as I grew, as I got older, 15:31 God led me into working at the camp 15:35 and learning how to just fix things. 15:37 And 15:40 so a while back I actually was able to go with the GC 15:44 and went to New Zealand as...and did mission work down 15:48 in New Zealand and help to run a Mobile Ropes Course, 15:51 and worked with the youth down there. 15:52 A Mobile what? 15:54 A Mobile Ropes Course, it's a... 15:56 It was actually a trailer that a guy designed down there 15:58 that we hauled around and then we would open it up 16:01 and it turns into a climbing wall. 16:04 Okay. 16:06 A repelling wall, over there they call abseiling. 16:09 We had a trapeze jump, and then a high wire 16:12 that you would walk across while you were strapped in. 16:14 And so that was kind of the fun side. 16:17 We had a classroom setting. 16:20 The kids got to learn 16:21 that they didn't have to rely on themselves. 16:24 We gave them opportunities to learn 16:26 that they had somebody that they could trust. 16:28 Right. 16:29 And it was just opening their eyes 16:31 to being able to rely on somebody else. 16:35 And so that was that. 16:37 And... 16:39 But God has always led me to being able to work 16:43 with my hands everywhere that I went, 16:46 and which leads us up to when Erin and I got together 16:52 and we got married 16:54 and had a passion to go on short term missions. 16:57 Few years ago, God opened up the doors 16:59 to go to Panama and Costa Rica. 17:01 Okay. 17:03 And so we went down there, and my parents went with us. 17:07 And so it was a really good time, very hot, 17:12 but we went with Maranatha. 17:14 And so I got to help lead out in remodeling a church 17:20 and doing the painting, fixing things, 17:22 and was in charge 17:23 of one of the church's projects down there. 17:25 Wow. 17:26 And so that kind of leads us up to where we're at, 17:32 now all that Erin kind of talk about. 17:35 Yeah, getting ready for Benin. 17:36 You mentioned about 17:40 the affection you had in your life, 17:42 seeing the needs of children, 17:44 and I think part of your passion for missions 17:48 has something to do with that. 17:50 I want you to kind of open that door 17:51 and walk us through that. 17:52 Yeah. 17:54 It's very, a special part of your story. 17:55 Yes, 17:57 we had, 18:00 we've always had a very close relationship 18:02 with each other. 18:03 But the one thing that was 18:05 a little bit of a tension in our marriage 18:07 was that I've always wanted children 18:08 from the time I was little and he never wanted children. 18:12 Uh-oh! 18:13 Camp kind of burned that out I think. 18:15 Yeah. 18:16 Always around little kids. Yes. 18:17 And so we spent some time studying and reading the Bible 18:22 and just praying together, just asking the Lord 18:24 what is Your call for us 18:27 as far as caring for the needs of children 18:29 that are not our own. 18:31 And both of us felt strongly convicted 18:33 that, 18:35 that we had a responsibility as Christians to provide a home 18:39 if one was needed. 18:41 And so we became foster parents. 18:43 We had a couple of children come into our home. 18:47 And then we had the little boy that we've had in our home 18:51 for a while now. 18:53 He came into our home when he was five months old. 18:55 Yeah. Wow. 18:56 Five months? 18:57 And at the time, the way the case was going, 18:59 we were told that he was ours, that we would be adopting him. 19:03 And so we have loved him ever since then, 19:06 as if he was our own. 19:09 But the case has never been what they thought it should be. 19:12 And so we've been hearing over and over again 19:14 for several years now. 19:17 We don't know what's going on, 19:18 this case isn't the way that it usually should be. 19:21 And, you know, 19:22 and so there's been a lot of unknowns. 19:24 So I think the biggest part that has kind of led us 19:29 to where we're at today as far as mission work goes, 19:32 is the faith journey 19:33 that this experience has taken us on. 19:35 Because he's the biggest piece of us, you know, 19:38 we've always loved him as our own. 19:40 So he's our child. Of course he is. 19:42 And so the faith building that has occurred 19:46 through just falling on our knees repeatedly 19:49 asking the Lord, 19:50 "What are we supposed to do in this situation, 19:53 please give us this child, but Your will be done 19:56 even if that means we lose him," 19:57 and all that sort of stuff. 19:59 I think the Lord has been able to use that in a way 20:02 that nothing else could have been used 20:05 to open our hearts to allowing ourselves 20:08 to hear His voice guiding us. 20:11 And because we were in a position 20:13 to hear His voice, 20:14 we were able to hear Him call us to go. 20:17 Amen. Wow! 20:18 Yeah. 20:20 And with what she was saying... 20:21 Yes. 20:23 Yeah, when I said yes to being a foster parent. 20:29 Yeah, how was that for you? 20:30 I said, "Yes, we could do this." 20:33 Honestly, I decided to do it for Erin. 20:37 It's like, I really love Erin. 20:40 And I know that God is going to work things out. 20:47 And I always felt 20:48 that if the child was not my own, 20:51 that I wouldn't be able to love the child as my own. 20:54 And 20:57 God has shown me that is not the case. 21:00 God has shown me that when He is leading, 21:03 He can give us that love. 21:04 Yeah. That's right. 21:06 And I opened up, 21:08 I allowed myself to love this little boy as our own. 21:10 Praise the Lord. 21:11 And through the transition 21:14 and accepting the call to be a missionary, 21:16 God showed me, 21:17 "Chris, I allowed you to learn 21:21 how to love this boy just as your own. 21:23 That means those people 21:25 that I am going to be taking you to, 21:27 you can love them just as your family." 21:30 And so there have been so many, 21:34 so many instances that we look back wondering, 21:37 "Why? Why God? 21:39 Why are You allowing this to happen?" 21:43 And now that we have a focus of where we're going. 21:46 Yes. 21:47 We're able to see the picture unfolding and it's amazing, 21:54 painful but amazing. 21:55 That's right, that's right. 21:57 Any questions, honey? 21:58 No, this is beautiful, but your little son, 21:59 he totally changed your life, didn't it? 22:02 Yes. 22:03 And that is a catalyst to your mission. 22:07 Share with us, how little your little son. 22:09 I don't want to say his name. 22:11 How your wonderful little son changed your life 22:13 in such a beautiful way? 22:16 Well. 22:18 There might be some tears. 22:19 Yeah, there might be some tears, 22:21 I mean, it's real this was... 22:24 For a long time, Erin, she opened up. 22:28 She's opened herself up. Yes. 22:30 And I was afraid of getting hurt. 22:33 And so it was probably a couple months 22:37 before I finally decided to allow myself 22:40 to open up to him. 22:43 But when I did, I just there was one morning 22:46 I was still in bed and Erin brought him downstairs 22:49 and 22:51 he just crawled across 22:52 and curled up next to me and everything. 22:54 And I'm like, I don't know about this, 22:57 and he snuggled his head into my neck. 23:02 And it was, yeah, 23:05 I couldn't say no anymore after that. 23:07 No, no. 23:08 And so that started 23:11 the process of create in me a new heart. 23:14 God started creating a new heart in me. 23:17 Wow. 23:18 Through that little boy 23:20 and started getting my eyes off of myself 23:23 and focusing on somebody else, 23:24 and a little child coming into the home. 23:28 I don't know 23:29 if there's anything greater than that, 23:32 that God can use to get through to somebody. 23:35 Wow! 23:36 You know, my good friend Doug Batchelor, 23:38 he said, he told me that years ago, he said, 23:41 "If you wanna kill selfishness in your own heart, 23:46 have a child come into your life." 23:48 He says, it's a real... 23:50 And I think you didn't allude to that, 23:53 you actually pointed it out 23:54 because, I don't wanna have children, 23:56 but you all of a sudden, what do you do with this life 23:58 that this little boy just crawls up next to you 24:00 and nestles himself, it's like, 24:02 "Either I embrace him or repel him." 24:04 And now when you look at what God was, 24:06 God is saying now, Chris, this is just one child, 24:10 I'm about to send you on a 10 year journey. 24:14 Your life is about to be turned upside down. 24:16 And they're gonna be children that are gonna be swarming you 24:19 that you've never touched, you've never talked about, 24:22 you've never met before. 24:24 And your reaction to them will determine 24:27 whether or not their parents are here anything 24:28 you have to say. 24:30 Now I think that's a big part of it. 24:31 So when you think about missions now, 24:33 so this catalyst, do you believe, 24:36 it prepared you to be a better person 24:38 when you go forward and how? 24:40 Absolutely, absolutely because 24:44 just like Chris was saying, 24:46 when he came into our home, 24:48 we have been married for seven years. 24:49 Wow. 24:50 And so we had had seven years of just us. 24:54 Right. 24:55 We had a routine, I went to bed at the same time every night 24:58 and he would follow. 25:00 She couldn't sleep if I wasn't there, 25:02 so I had to go to bed, 25:03 whether I was tired or not. 25:05 That sounds like that. Okay. 25:06 I know what you mean. 25:07 Exactly, exactly. 25:09 Yeah. 25:10 Yeah, so there was just all these routines 25:12 that were in place. 25:13 And then suddenly a five month old 25:15 comes in to the picture. 25:16 And I was telling Chris, just recently, 25:20 I haven't gotten more than six hours of sleep 25:23 in several years now. 25:26 And now, I mean, 25:28 my life had been 25:29 so structured up until that point 25:30 and structure went out the window 25:32 when this infant came into our home 25:33 and all these routines. 25:36 My house suddenly was a mess. 25:38 And... It was okay. 25:40 Yeah, it was okay. 25:41 It had to be, I didn't have a choice. 25:42 Yeah. Yes. 25:44 'Cause I had a dirty diaper to change. 25:45 Yes. 25:47 So there was just this shift in focus 25:48 that had so much to do with somebody outside of us. 25:52 And I really believe 25:53 that that shifted focus was God saying, 25:56 "Okay, now, now, 25:58 now that you aren't looking at yourselves anymore, 26:01 you can see a much bigger picture. 26:03 And you can see that 26:05 the needs are so much bigger than this. 26:09 Right. 26:11 And because he's opened our eyes to that, 26:12 we have a much better focus 26:14 and a much bigger realization of a world in need. 26:19 A child is a perfect cure for OCD. 26:23 You know, he said... 26:24 I'd sense being, you know, structured, 26:26 going to bed the same time everyday 26:28 and maybe in the house everything 26:29 is where it's supposed to be. 26:30 I don't know if that's the reality, 26:32 but then all off a sudden, a child comes in 26:33 and changes you, changes Erin. 26:35 And then at the same time the Lord is saying, 26:37 "Okay, you gonna go to a community now 26:40 that you have to reach them, 26:41 you have to learn their structure, 26:44 so it's really amazing. 26:45 Benin. Benin, yes. 26:47 Is it...? You said North Africa? 26:49 Yeah, it's West Africa. 26:51 North-west. 26:52 Yeah, it's on, when you look at the map of Africa and guess, 26:57 looking at from your perspective 26:58 it kind of comes up and goes this way. 27:00 Benin is on the coast... 27:02 Okay. 27:03 Down in West Africa, 27:05 but it is a long narrow country that goes up and so... 27:09 Coastal, mostly coastal. 27:10 Just the bottom of it. 27:12 Yeah, just the bottom of it, 27:13 and so northern Benin is the Pendjari region 27:15 which is where we'll be going so we won't be near water. 27:19 Have you visited there yet? 27:21 No, we have not. Okay. 27:22 Its class is sub-Saharan. 27:24 So it's hot? Yeah, very hot. 27:27 Okay, so much for that. 27:29 You don't have to worry about taking coats with you? 27:31 Yay! 27:33 You said yay. You like warm weather? 27:34 Oh, I hate the cold... Okay. 27:37 So I'll take the warm anytime. 27:38 How about you Chris? 27:40 God is gracious, 27:42 and He will help me transition to heat, 27:45 so... 27:47 And now, you're gonna be going 27:49 with what organization? 27:51 With Adventist Frontier Missions, 27:53 and that was very interesting, 27:56 because one day, Erin and I, 27:58 we went for a walk one evening 28:00 and we're going along and she said, you know, 28:03 I really feel that God is about ready to change, 28:06 make do a change in our lives. 28:08 I've been thinking the same thing, like, 28:09 "Well, maybe if there's gonna be 28:11 a different job opportunity come along, 28:13 and she says, "Well, you know, 28:15 I think God's calling us into the mission field," 28:18 and that stopped me. 28:20 And like, "Well, okay, let's pray about that." 28:24 And so we started praying about it 28:26 and I called Adventist Frontier Missions 28:28 about two or three days later and said, 28:31 here are all of our road blocks, 28:32 we have all these mountains 28:34 that we can't get rid of. 28:37 And so tell me yes or no, 28:40 can we do this or can we not, 28:42 expecting them to say no, you've got too much going on. 28:46 So he could come and say to me, 28:47 no, he can't do it. 28:48 Oh, yeah. Yeah. 28:50 Exactly. 28:51 I just needed the authoritative excuse. 28:53 Exactly, so fully expecting to be able to do that, 28:56 and they said, "Oh, that's no problem, 28:58 we can work with that, 29:00 and then I said, "Okay. 29:03 Now what do I do?" 29:04 And so I got back and I told Erin 29:08 that I had called AFM, 29:10 and what was your response? 29:11 I was completely shocked, I was not ready for that. 29:14 Were you happy? Oh, yes. 29:19 I had brought the subject, 29:20 I wasn't expecting 29:22 that kind of a rapid response to it, 29:24 so I wasn't prepared for, 29:25 "Hey, I've actually taken a step towards that." 29:28 Wow! Yeah. 29:29 And I think it's just kind of God showing us 29:31 that this is His will, 29:33 because it has happened so quick, 29:37 and every single door that we thought was locked, 29:42 God was saying "I've got the key to that door," 29:45 because the doors have just opened and opened and opened 29:48 all the way through. 29:50 Wow! 29:51 What's coming to your mind when you think about this? 29:54 What's coming to my mind? 29:56 I'm just happy for them. 29:57 I'm just happy to see the way 29:59 the Lord is leading both of you, 30:01 and the doors He's opening. 30:03 And I wanna know more about Benin. 30:07 I want to know how do you pay for this trip? 30:10 How does all that work? 30:12 I mean, do you look at the area? 30:15 Does AFM show you what to expect? 30:19 The food and housing and things like that? 30:21 Do you get training? 30:23 Share with us? 30:24 Yes. 30:27 We will go to a training 30:30 after a certain portion of our funds are raised. 30:34 They have a training that only happens in the summer. 30:37 And so it, we will go to that training. 30:40 It's three months of intensive training, 30:43 and it covers everything 30:44 from evangelism to an unreached people group, 30:48 to bush medicine, to cultural assimilation and, 30:52 you know, dealing with all of the things 30:54 that have to occur 30:56 when you're going from living in a traditional American house 31:01 to mud hut with a thatched roof. 31:05 So there's a lot of changes that have to occur. 31:08 So yes, we will get extensive training 31:11 and Adventist Frontier Missions is completely donor based. 31:15 Okay. Yeah. 31:17 So we are busy going and sharing with our friends, 31:22 sharing with church families 31:23 about the needs for reaching the unreached, 31:26 and part of that is seeking people 31:28 that are willing to partner with us financially. 31:32 And how long is this mission for? 31:34 I think you mentioned that, 31:35 but reiterate that just in case somebody... 31:37 Eight to ten years. 31:38 Eight to ten years? 31:39 So that means you're going to be giving up 31:41 all the accoutrements, 31:43 all the conveniences of society 31:46 that has been your structure all along. 31:49 You're giving up, 31:50 let's talk about that, I think you mentioned here, 31:52 giving up the world and its comforts here, 31:57 and its entertainment here. 32:00 You won't be able to 32:01 just wake up in the morning and tune in. 32:03 Right. 32:05 Because, 32:06 did you find out about the culture in the sense that, 32:09 is it very archaic, 32:13 is it very developed, is it a structured city, 32:16 is it more countryside? 32:18 Some of those things, 32:19 'cause when you think about going away, 32:21 you don't want to, you know, so to speak, 32:23 be lowered out of the helicopter and say well 32:25 "Hey, find some sticks and start a fire." 32:28 What kind of environment is it gonna be? 32:30 Right. 32:31 What kind of environments is it gonna be for you? 32:32 Well, it's going to be out in the middle of nowhere, 32:37 like I said, we haven't had a chance to go yet. 32:41 There's six tribes in the Pendjari region, 32:43 and we're gonna be going 32:45 and helping another family that's already there. 32:49 Susie and Fidel. 32:50 And so we get to be part of the project with them 32:54 and learn from them, 32:56 which is wonderful to be able to have somebody to help us, 33:00 along the way, learn how to do things. 33:03 But, you know, there's no electrical wires 33:06 which is gonna be beautiful. 33:08 I mean right now 33:09 we walk outside and you have a beautiful sunset 33:12 and here's some power lines that go right across. 33:14 That's true. 33:16 There there's is no power lines because there's no electricity. 33:20 We won't be able to get up in the morning 33:22 and go and take our shower to wake up 33:24 because first you have to go to the community well, 33:28 and fill up your water jugs, so you have water for the day. 33:34 So... 33:35 And then if Erin decides, 33:37 well, let's have a hot meal for breakfast, 33:39 she's got to, we've got to build a fire 33:42 and cook over the fire. 33:45 Wow. 33:46 You ready for this? 33:48 Most people don't have refrigerators. 33:49 That's the part that has just blown my mind. 33:51 I have no idea how to process that. 33:55 I know because when you think about it, 33:57 it's almost like a daily regimen. 33:59 Eat for today, what's gonna... 34:01 It's kind of like being in the wilderness, 34:03 don't lay it over till tomorrow because it might rot. 34:06 Right. 34:07 But it's an arid place, 34:11 when you start thinking 34:12 about how long you're going to be there. 34:14 Have you gotten to the place yet 34:16 where you decide, "Okay, 34:17 we're not gonna need this, 34:18 not gonna need that, are you purging? 34:20 Yes. Oh, yeah. 34:21 Yeah. 34:22 We really don't have much left that we own, 34:25 which has actually been really nice. 34:26 You mentioned the whole entertainment thing before, 34:29 honestly it's actually refreshing 34:33 to know that we're not gonna be bombarded 34:36 by the secular entertainment that you see everywhere now. 34:42 And so, 34:44 so that's gonna be kind of refreshing. 34:46 It's gonna be different not to just get on the phone 34:48 and call family and friends. 34:51 Or get in the car and go visit them. 34:53 Right, yeah. 34:55 How will you get around? 34:57 Motorcycle. 34:59 And buffalo. A lot of people... 35:02 There is some wild game there, but I don't know about buffalo. 35:06 There wouldn't be buffalo, I guess. 35:07 Yes, more like elephants and lions and... 35:10 Wow! Yeah. 35:12 And, but go ahead and continue, 35:16 way to get around. 35:18 Oh, okay, okay. 35:19 Yeah, motorcycles 35:20 is the primary mode of transportation 35:22 if they have it 35:24 so we'll probably start with a motorcycle. 35:25 I don't know. 35:27 We'll see what the Lord provides. 35:28 Have you ever ridden one? 35:30 Have you ever controlled a motorcycle before, Erin? 35:32 No. No? 35:33 Chris? I have. 35:35 Most guys have. It is true. 35:37 For the most part, I mean, I have, 35:39 I guess when you have, 35:41 we think most guys have, 35:42 but maybe there's some guys that never have. 35:44 But then, you'll have to learn how to do that too. 35:47 Yeah. 35:48 Get yourself a little helmet, 35:49 get you some, you know, lion repellent 35:52 because we've been to Africa couple of times, 35:55 couple, three times, or four times, 35:56 and it's really a very beautiful continent. 35:59 Very rich culturally. 36:01 But this... 36:02 You go from country, somebody once said, 36:04 I'm from the country of Africa. 36:07 It's like saying, I'm from the country of Europe. 36:09 Right. 36:10 It's so segmented and life changes drastically 36:12 from one country to the other. 36:15 So Benin is on the west coast, 36:18 not as close as a coastal country, 36:22 but you're gonna be far from the coast. 36:23 Right. Yeah. 36:25 Now when it comes to... 36:27 You asked the question, I don't think we answered that. 36:29 Is there a church near there, 36:32 Is there a functioning Adventist church out there? 36:34 Susie and Fidel are our partners 36:37 and they have been there for about... 36:39 Three years. 36:40 Well, they've been there for several years now. 36:42 Yeah, they have been working 36:45 and the Holy Spirit has been moving amazingly. 36:48 They have had 130 baptisms. 36:51 A little bit more than that now. 36:54 So they have church groups that are meeting, 36:57 they meet under trees. 37:00 They have one of the church groups 37:01 that does have a one room structure 37:03 that they're meeting in, 37:04 and it's the size of a small house. 37:07 So they do have churches, 37:10 but they're baby babies in the faith. 37:13 You know, we were talking about some of the things 37:15 that we're looking forward to not having here, 37:18 like the secular entertainment and stuff like that. 37:20 But when you consider that 37:21 Benin is the birthplace of voodoo, 37:23 there are some other challenges 37:24 that we're gonna be dealing with on a daily basis 37:26 that we might not have to deal with here 37:29 that we're gonna have to pray for Holy Spirit guidance on. 37:32 Wow. 37:33 So the people that are in these churches 37:36 are dealing with centuries and centuries and centuries 37:38 of demonic oppression. 37:41 And it's part of their culture. 37:43 So they are Seventh Day Adventists, 37:46 they have embraced the truths that they have been learning, 37:50 but now the challenge of separating themselves 37:53 from all of the things 37:55 that go along with their culture of animism and voodoo 37:59 and all the things that... 38:00 I mean it impacts every area of their life. 38:02 Well. 38:03 Now the people that are there, 38:04 that have been there for three years or so, 38:08 have they talked about the impact 38:11 of their voodoo culture, 38:13 on their grasp of Christianity? 38:17 It's been a challenge? 38:18 Because I know there's some people here, honey, 38:19 we have people in our church, not in our church locally here, 38:21 but we've had a church before 38:23 where people will from a more structured society 38:26 and more contemporary modern society. 38:28 And I asked the question, matter of fact, 38:30 not too long ago, 38:32 we were in Colombia in a very contemporary church. 38:35 And I asked, 38:36 "How many of you would spend the night in a cemetery." 38:38 And nobody would raise their hand. 38:39 And I thought, 38:40 "Well, don't you believe that the dead are really dead?" 38:42 And they said, looking at each other 38:43 and laughing, they say, 38:44 "We're not spending the night at the cemetery." 38:46 Oh, yeah. 38:47 And I thought, 38:49 and that's in a structured society, 38:50 but imagine going to one where voodoo is practiced. 38:51 Yeah, and I used to think, 38:54 Haiti was where voodoo came from, 38:58 but it's not the country, 39:00 I always think oh, 'cause Haiti is so full voodoo. 39:03 Right. 39:04 Yeah, it began in Benin 39:06 and then it went from Benin to Haiti. 39:10 So big difference is that here 39:14 the devil just really, 39:17 he hides himself in so much stuff. 39:21 It's so easy to get involved in stuff, 39:25 but over there, he doesn't have to hide. 39:28 'Cause he's embraced. Right. 39:30 So it's just part of who they are. 39:33 And so it'll be very common 39:36 to just see things out in the open. 39:40 The witch doctors, 39:42 the fetishes they tell you that you have to buy 39:46 because your family member is sick and it's your fault 39:48 because they made a dead ancestor upset, 39:53 and so you need to come 39:54 and spend your money on this fetish 39:57 instead of buying food for your family. 39:58 That's terrible. 40:00 And if your family member gets better, 40:03 then you bought a good fetish, 40:04 if your family member dies, 40:05 you didn't give me enough money. 40:07 Wow. 40:08 And so that is what they're struggling with, 40:11 and with Susie and Fidel, with us going over, 40:15 we have the amazing opportunity to show them something else. 40:20 And to show if somebody has malaria, they have malaria 40:24 'cause they got bit by a mosquito 40:25 and not because they upset the dead ancestor, 40:28 and as we have the opportunity 40:30 to give them help to get over the malaria 40:32 and they didn't have to go and spend all their money, 40:36 it opens up opportunities for them to see, 40:39 there is something different about them. 40:41 Exactly. 40:42 And it opens up where we can say, 40:44 "Well, let us tell you about Jesus Christ." 40:46 Amen. 40:47 And so let's get back to the financial side of it, 40:50 because you know, there're those watching the program 40:52 and listening to the program, 40:53 and they're probably thinking, there are some people, 40:55 there could be a gambit of reactions. 40:57 "I'm gonna pray for those young people, 40:59 I don't think they have a clue what they're up against." 41:02 And then are those that are saying, 41:03 "Boy, I love to just partner with them 41:05 and be a part of this venture." 41:08 And here we are in modern times like we're today, 41:11 there are still many unreached places in the world, 41:14 we take them for granted in America. 41:16 You did something at our church not too long ago 41:18 and I'll like you to kind of do that 41:19 because lots of people say, okay, so missionaries. 41:22 What percentage of missionaries are sent to places 41:25 where Christ is already known, 41:26 and then what percentage of missionaries 41:29 are sent to where Christ is not known? 41:31 That impacted me, I thought I knew a whole lot, 41:33 but that Sabbath, 41:34 the vespers program caught me off guard. 41:36 Yeah. 41:37 Let's talk about that for a moment 41:39 because that's a big part of why you are going. 41:42 The people groups are classified 41:44 into two different areas in the world, 41:46 so you've got your unreached people group 41:48 is what you're talking about and where we're going in Benin. 41:51 The reached people groups are those 41:52 that have access to the gospel in some sort of way 41:55 and most places where we go to visit, 41:57 we pass numerous churches on the roads going to 42:00 at where we're gonna be presenting. 42:02 Well, in Benin, they don't have that, 42:05 they don't have an overarching Christian influence 42:07 where they can go to a Christian neighbor 42:10 and say, hey, I noticed that 42:11 you don't sacrifice to the ancestors, 42:16 and you're not fearful of oppression, 42:19 demonic oppression and that sort of thing. 42:21 They don't have neighbors that can share that with them, 42:23 they are considered unreached. 42:26 And so what we've learnt 42:29 is that the statistics of missionaries going out, 42:32 you've got 10 missionaries. 42:33 For every 10 missionaries 42:35 that are going out into the field today, 42:37 only one of those is going to unreached people groups, 42:41 and unreached people groups make up over 42:43 third of the world's 7.6 billion people. 42:46 Wow. 42:47 About a third unreached... 42:50 And the scary part that we've just been learning 42:53 is that the unreached people are growing, 42:57 they're multiplying faster than the reached people are. 43:00 So that number, 43:01 that one-third of the world population 43:03 is not going down. 43:04 It's going up. It's going up. 43:07 So I'll like to think of it this way, hon, 43:10 and I always thought about it this way, 43:12 the Lord is planting seeds around the world. 43:16 You know, when you drive down the highway here 43:18 in Thompsonville 43:19 or in any place this side of the country, 43:21 you see brush all along the side of the road, 43:24 you see brush around the lakes, and you ask yourself, 43:27 did somebody plant all those seeds? 43:29 And in fact no, 43:30 there is an illustration in the Bible 43:32 which I think fits in your life. 43:33 You know the wind blows, 43:34 we don't know where it comes from, 43:36 where it goes, 43:37 and that's how the Holy Spirit works. 43:38 You see all these trees and you see forests 43:40 that are tremendously populated, 43:42 and sometimes, the wind takes the seeds 43:44 where we didn't go and intentionally plant those. 43:47 So the Holy Spirit is taking you both 43:50 like seeds of the gospel, 43:52 planting you in a people group 43:55 that have no idea what you're bringing with, 43:58 I mean, they may have some shallow idea, 43:59 but you're bringing the gospel that is so multifaceted, 44:02 that you first have to build relationships. 44:04 Let's walk, what do you anticipate you have to do 44:07 before you start sharing the gospel? 44:09 I'll let you walk us through that 44:11 because you're going to people 44:12 that don't even know who you are. 44:13 That's right. Right. 44:15 Well, one of the things 44:16 as we're giving them job opportunities 44:21 and so to help meet their needs, 44:23 building tanks for fish farms, 44:26 helping them with animal husbandries, 44:27 there's a lot of goat herding there, 44:29 and so we're giving them 44:32 something that fulfilling a need 44:35 as Christ went from place to place, 44:38 He knew what their needs were 44:40 and He was fulfilling their needs, 44:42 and so we're following that example 44:45 by going and getting to know them, 44:47 living among them, 44:49 we're learning their language. 44:52 Just becoming part of them, and as we're doing that, 44:57 it gives us opportunities to get to know them, 44:59 see what their need is. 45:02 As Erin said, we'll be learning bush medicine, 45:05 we've gone through a medical missionary training course, 45:09 so be able to help with medical needs. 45:13 And so just really being able to connect with them 45:18 person to person, 45:20 and as we do that, 45:22 they're gonna look at us be like, 45:24 why aren't you afraid of this, 45:27 you're sick, 45:28 but you're not going over here, 45:31 what's different? 45:33 And it's really opening up 45:35 conversations. 45:37 Yeah. 45:38 Being the hands and feet of Christ. 45:40 That's right. 45:41 You know Christ, 45:43 much of his ministry was very hands on, 45:44 He didn't... 45:46 Very rarely did He go into a place 45:48 and start with some sort of a gospel message, 45:52 He went in and the sick were brought to Him, 45:54 those that had needs came to Him 45:56 and He ministered to those needs 45:58 and as He ministered to those needs, 46:00 Chris was just reading a quote this afternoon 46:03 that was talking about how He met them 46:06 where they were at, He ministered to their needs 46:08 and because He ministered to their needs, 46:09 they were open to hear the truth. 46:12 Yeah, didn't they say, 46:13 Jesus hang out with winebibbers and all that. 46:16 He went to where they were 46:19 to show them who He is. 46:21 You know, one of the things 46:23 that we've learnt in our studying 46:25 in asking the Lord, 46:26 what would You have us to do, 46:28 are You really calling us to do this. 46:30 One of the things that came across very clear 46:32 from the scripture is that as a Christian, 46:35 it's not a matter of should I be a missionary 46:39 or maybe this is something that I could do, 46:43 you know the gospel commission, 46:45 The great commission 46:47 in Matthew 28, 46:54 is to go into all the world. 46:56 It is not an option, 46:59 and that's the one thing that we have learnt 47:00 in our walk with the Lord 47:02 as we've drawn closer to Him is that, 47:03 this is a commission, it is a command, 47:06 everyone is called to be a missionary. 47:08 Everyone is called to have a part 47:11 in the body of Christ. 47:12 We just happen to be the hands and feet. 47:15 In this particular adventure to Benin, 47:18 the Lord has called us to be the body on the ground 47:21 but everyone has a part to play. 47:24 That's right, everybody has a part to play 47:26 and the part are not, 47:28 each person is also gifted differently, 47:30 you know some people are more... 47:32 The Lord saw, 47:33 He was developing the both of you, 47:35 isn't it humbling to think that okay, 47:37 your life experiences, Chris' life experiences. 47:40 You strike me as a very hands on type of guy 47:43 that knows how to do things, 47:45 knows how to use a hammer and a saw and all that. 47:47 Is very outdoorsy, athletic, 47:49 so those are the things are gonna... 47:50 You're not the kind of guy that if the light blows, 47:52 you have to call another guy to replace the bulb, 47:55 you know, you're not that kind of guy, 47:56 which is gonna be a blessing 47:57 because you worked at youth camps, 47:59 you saw the pent, you saw chaos at its height, 48:02 but then you're also part of the solution, 48:04 so you're going amongst the people 48:05 where your skills that God developed in you, 48:08 and your caring skills that God developed in you 48:10 are gonna just come into play. 48:11 And you gonna be in situations where you're gonna say, okay, 48:14 we can't call anybody, we can't ask anybody, 48:16 what are we gonna do to help the situation, 48:18 and there're gonna be those days 48:19 when you're stretched to the hilt 48:21 and then you gonna find out, 48:24 God answers prayer. 48:25 So we're really praying for you 48:27 but we want our audience to know... 48:28 Let's get to some real figures here. 48:30 What does something like this cost 48:31 when you send a missionary out? 48:33 Because somebody is probably saying, 48:34 "I got my check book right now. 48:35 I want to partner with this young people 48:37 to go with them." 48:38 What would something, what adventure like this, 48:40 because you're talking about ten years 48:42 and most of the financing is coming from... 48:44 Let us know how that's coming to you. 48:47 How do you get finance over this type of thing? 48:49 Well, we go around, we visit with churches, 48:52 we get a hold of the church members 48:55 and ask if we can come and share with them, 48:56 we've done home visits 48:59 and God has opened up opportunities. 49:01 I'm, very thankful for the Thompsonville Church 49:04 by adopting us, 49:06 and we're very excited to be part of this church, 49:09 and so the finances, 49:13 the total launching, 49:15 well, before we get to the total amounts, 49:17 we have to get to a certain percentage 49:20 for our launching goal, we have a launching goal 49:22 and we have monthly pledge. 49:25 And the monthly pledge is what keeps us in Africa 49:28 for those 8-10 years. 49:30 The launching covers everything 49:31 from the time of orientation last year 49:34 to the time that we land in Benin 49:36 and get settled. 49:37 And so we have to get to at least 60% of our launching 49:41 and be within $1500 of our monthly pledges 49:45 to be able to go to training. 49:47 And as of this last week, 49:50 we're at 63% of our launching, 49:53 but we are about 1200 shy of our monthly pledges. 49:59 So what would that launching be, 50:00 let's say the figure? 50:01 $77,875. 50:04 Okay, that's very specific, 50:06 which is what we're asking for, 50:07 because for some people that's not even an issue, 50:09 for others, they might say hey, 50:11 I wanna be a part of that, you know the monthly giving. 50:16 And where they have been specific is 50:18 because AFM has everything allocated out, 50:23 there's a purpose for every penny. 50:26 And so they don't want it to be something 50:28 where there's a whole bunch of money in the bank 50:31 just in case or whatever, 50:32 because we don't want to waste God's money. 50:35 And we're not the only missionaries. 50:37 I mean, there is missionaries that are all around the world, 50:40 and our hope and our desire 50:42 is that more people will accept the call. 50:47 And so everything is allocated out. 50:50 You know what I want to do right now is, 50:52 I want to talk to those who're watching the program, 50:54 we're gonna take a news break in just a moment 50:55 and we're gonna give you the address information 50:58 where these donations can be sent 50:59 and how you can get in touch with Chris and Erin White. 51:02 But there's probably somebody watching 51:04 or listening in their car or wherever you may be 51:06 that says, that's not an issue for me 51:09 but you may be a person 51:11 who wants to be on a continual donation basis, 51:13 we're talking about ten years of real life, 51:16 real challenges, real actions, that's right, touching hearts, 51:19 transforming people. 51:21 Literally, in baby steps 51:23 and the culture that they're coming up against 51:25 is not one that's native to Christianity. 51:28 So we're really praying for them 51:29 and want to partner with them. 51:31 And right now, 51:32 we're gonna give you the address information, 51:34 but we want you to pray when you get this information 51:36 on what the Lord will have you to do 51:38 to partner with Chris and Erin White, 51:40 to transform the world and get people ready 51:43 for the coming of the Lord. 51:45 Here is the information that you need. 51:49 If you would like to invite Christopher and Erin 51:52 to share their mission field experiences 51:55 or if you would like to support the work 51:57 of Adventist Frontier Missions, 51:59 volunteer missionary candidates, 52:02 then please visit their website, |
Revised 2019-03-13