Amen. Thank you, Jason, so much.
00:00:01.36\00:00:03.00
And we wanna say
a special thank you
00:00:03.03\00:00:04.73
to Global Missions for
the 30 years of ministry
00:00:04.77\00:00:08.24
that they have been involved
00:00:08.27\00:00:10.54
in making a
difference in people's lives.
00:00:10.57\00:00:12.64
So thank you, guys, so
much for all that you do,
00:00:12.67\00:00:14.94
and we're going to
continue on the theme
00:00:14.98\00:00:17.45
of global missions
00:00:17.48\00:00:18.88
because we have
two very special guests
00:00:18.91\00:00:20.75
that are joining us via Skype,
00:00:20.78\00:00:23.15
and we have Jerry and
Valerie Backus with us.
00:00:23.18\00:00:26.35
How you are guys doing?
00:00:26.39\00:00:28.42
Very well, thank you. Thank you.
00:00:28.46\00:00:29.79
Very good.
00:00:29.82\00:00:31.16
Thank you for
having us. Wonderful Amen.
00:00:31.19\00:00:32.53
Praise the Lord and
where are you Skyping us
00:00:32.56\00:00:34.70
from today?
00:00:34.73\00:00:36.56
We're Skyping from Hagerstown
Seventh-day Adventist Church
00:00:36.60\00:00:39.53
where I was baptized
in February of last year.
00:00:39.57\00:00:44.31
Wow. So that's...
00:00:44.34\00:00:46.31
What state is that located in?
00:00:46.34\00:00:48.34
In Maryland. In Maryland.
00:00:48.38\00:00:49.71
Sorry, Hagerstown No, no, no.
00:00:49.74\00:00:51.11
That's fine. That's
fine. So Hagerstown, Maryland.
00:00:51.15\00:00:54.12
And we're going to get
into just a few moments
00:00:54.15\00:00:58.55
where you really
live most of the time
00:00:58.59\00:01:00.62
because while
you're in Maryland today,
00:01:00.66\00:01:02.66
we understand
that you're not always
00:01:02.69\00:01:04.19
in Maryland, right?
00:01:04.23\00:01:05.99
Right. That's right.
00:01:06.03\00:01:07.70
We understand that Jerry
and Valerie have a powerful,
00:01:07.73\00:01:12.43
powerful ministry
that they're leading out
00:01:12.47\00:01:14.34
in the country
of Tanzania, Africa.
00:01:14.37\00:01:17.44
And we're going to
talk a little bit more
00:01:17.47\00:01:19.11
about that in
just a few moments,
00:01:19.14\00:01:20.48
but, guys, I
just want to thank you
00:01:20.51\00:01:21.84
for joining us today and
coming on to share with us.
00:01:21.88\00:01:24.85
And, you know, there may be
00:01:24.88\00:01:26.21
someone watching right now
00:01:26.25\00:01:27.58
that doesn't know
who Jerry and Valerie is.
00:01:27.62\00:01:30.15
And so give us a
little bit of background on,
00:01:30.19\00:01:33.76
you know, who you
are, where are you from?
00:01:33.79\00:01:35.66
And what's your background
00:01:35.69\00:01:37.53
is as far as
your church activity
00:01:37.56\00:01:40.13
and your ministry and all that.
00:01:40.16\00:01:42.53
Thank you very much.
00:01:42.56\00:01:43.90
Well, I'm Jerry Backus,
00:01:43.93\00:01:45.27
I was originally born and
raised in Amarillo, Texas.
00:01:45.30\00:01:47.30
I'm sure all of you
know the Panhandle of Texas.
00:01:47.34\00:01:49.84
And I first
came out of the water
00:01:49.87\00:01:51.81
in 1983 in Amarillo, Texas.
00:01:51.84\00:01:54.94
When I came out of the water
in 1983, I was an alcoholic.
00:01:54.98\00:01:58.38
If I wasn't an alcoholic
00:01:58.41\00:01:59.75
before I went to Southeast Asia,
00:01:59.78\00:02:01.15
Vietnam, Thailand, et
cetera, I was when I came back
00:02:01.18\00:02:04.52
and after this particular church
00:02:04.55\00:02:06.05
that I was
baptized in by submersion
00:02:06.09\00:02:08.79
found out about my history.
00:02:08.82\00:02:10.56
They told me I was
living in the gray area
00:02:10.59\00:02:12.79
and they didn't think that
00:02:12.83\00:02:14.16
I probably would still be
going to heaven even though
00:02:14.20\00:02:16.83
I confess Jesus
died for my sins.
00:02:16.87\00:02:19.73
And I was
baptized by submersion.
00:02:19.77\00:02:22.04
And right after I
came out of the water,
00:02:22.07\00:02:24.17
I had a couple of visions.
00:02:24.21\00:02:25.64
First vision was that
00:02:25.67\00:02:27.41
I was baptizing
people in a faraway land.
00:02:27.44\00:02:29.98
I didn't realize at the time
00:02:30.01\00:02:31.61
I was called as a missionary
00:02:31.65\00:02:32.98
when I came out
of the water in 1983,
00:02:33.01\00:02:35.62
and I had a picture of that.
00:02:35.65\00:02:37.12
And I saw that
picture in Tanzania
00:02:37.15\00:02:39.59
what nearly 20 years
later after that time period,
00:02:39.62\00:02:43.89
and then I had a burning
desire to teach the Bible.
00:02:43.93\00:02:46.80
And this particular
church had a Bible school
00:02:46.83\00:02:49.46
and I applied
for the Bible school.
00:02:49.50\00:02:51.40
And the response was that
00:02:51.43\00:02:52.77
they didn't allow anybody
attending their Bible school
00:02:52.80\00:02:55.60
that was possibly going to hell.
00:02:55.64\00:02:57.61
And so it was a process of me
00:02:57.64\00:02:59.74
becoming a
Christian in the first place.
00:02:59.77\00:03:02.14
It was a challenge for me
00:03:02.18\00:03:03.51
to keep on studying
and keep on growing.
00:03:03.55\00:03:06.01
And then
finally, one of the elders
00:03:06.05\00:03:07.58
after I had
applied to the Bible school
00:03:07.62\00:03:09.48
several different times
00:03:09.52\00:03:10.99
told me that they
would not allow me
00:03:11.02\00:03:12.55
to go to their school,
00:03:12.59\00:03:13.92
told me that anybody could go
00:03:13.96\00:03:16.19
to the local junior
college and study the Bible.
00:03:16.22\00:03:18.93
And I did, I studied
the Bible for two years
00:03:18.96\00:03:21.36
there at the junior college,
00:03:21.40\00:03:22.90
received my
undergraduate in gerontology
00:03:22.93\00:03:25.27
because I was
preaching to nursing homes.
00:03:25.30\00:03:27.20
This church wouldn't
allow me to preach in the church
00:03:27.24\00:03:29.27
or teach in the church
or share in the church.
00:03:29.30\00:03:31.44
And I was still in
that church for eight years.
00:03:31.47\00:03:34.11
I was the one
responsible for the PA system
00:03:34.14\00:03:36.24
or doing all the recordings
for the weddings, funerals,
00:03:36.28\00:03:38.65
giving out the
communion every Sunday morning,
00:03:38.68\00:03:41.28
et cetera.
00:03:41.32\00:03:42.65
So it was a process just for me
00:03:42.68\00:03:44.05
to become a
Christian in the first place.
00:03:44.09\00:03:46.19
And then of course I
met Valerie two years ago
00:03:46.22\00:03:49.19
and what a blessing to
understand the full gospel.
00:03:49.22\00:03:52.83
True.
00:03:52.86\00:03:54.20
And right here let
me give an opportunity
00:03:54.23\00:03:56.73
to Valerie to share who she is.
00:03:56.77\00:03:58.10
Yeah.
00:03:58.13\00:03:59.47
Valerie, give us a
little bit of your background
00:03:59.50\00:04:00.84
and where you come from
00:04:00.87\00:04:02.20
and set us up
for how you met Jerry
00:04:02.24\00:04:06.47
and how you
became a witness to him.
00:04:06.51\00:04:09.88
Well, by profession,
00:04:09.91\00:04:12.68
I'm a nurse
practitioner but I love singing.
00:04:12.71\00:04:17.02
I love the ministry.
00:04:17.05\00:04:18.39
I love speaking about
the Lord, but at the church,
00:04:18.42\00:04:21.52
my duties really
encompass the health ministry
00:04:21.56\00:04:25.29
and also music ministry.
00:04:25.33\00:04:27.76
Those are my two
passions when I met Jerry,
00:04:27.80\00:04:32.07
I was at work at the
time and I just wanted to...
00:04:32.10\00:04:36.14
My heart has always
wanted to do missionary work.
00:04:36.17\00:04:40.68
I wasn't sure
whether it was gonna be
00:04:40.71\00:04:42.18
children or adults
or what the mission was.
00:04:42.21\00:04:44.98
I just wanted to be
involved in mission.
00:04:45.01\00:04:46.65
And I asked the Lord to show me
00:04:46.68\00:04:49.95
how or where
00:04:49.98\00:04:51.42
and to prepare
me for the mission.
00:04:51.45\00:04:53.09
So when I met Jerry,
00:04:53.12\00:04:54.46
I thought it was an
answer to my prayer.
00:04:54.49\00:04:56.89
However, when he said he
was a Pentecostal minister,
00:04:56.93\00:05:00.40
it's like, "Oh, I don't
think that's the answer."
00:05:00.43\00:05:04.10
I wanted to have...
00:05:04.13\00:05:05.47
However I said to Jerry,
00:05:05.50\00:05:06.87
"You know although
we're very good friends,
00:05:06.90\00:05:09.77
we cannot continue
unless we share the differences.
00:05:09.80\00:05:14.88
We have significant differences.
00:05:14.91\00:05:16.68
I'm a Seventh-day
Adventist and you are not."
00:05:16.71\00:05:19.48
And when he asked me to share,
00:05:19.51\00:05:21.58
I did, but I was
a little hesitant.
00:05:21.62\00:05:24.69
And the only
thing that he said was,
00:05:24.72\00:05:27.86
"Show me if you're saying that
00:05:27.89\00:05:30.53
Sabbath is Saturday and
you worship on Saturday,
00:05:30.56\00:05:33.60
wherein the Bible is that."
00:05:33.63\00:05:35.53
And all I did
was just showed him.
00:05:35.56\00:05:38.30
And that was the
beginning of his study,
00:05:38.33\00:05:40.54
and he never hesitated.
00:05:40.57\00:05:43.17
He never resisted.
00:05:43.20\00:05:44.54
He just dove in even
more, even more so that
00:05:44.57\00:05:48.08
when he heard
about It is Written,
00:05:48.11\00:05:50.81
I think he went ahead
00:05:50.85\00:05:52.51
and bought the
whole video library
00:05:52.55\00:05:55.12
just to learn a
little bit more about Sabbath
00:05:55.15\00:05:57.82
and more about the Word of God.
00:05:57.85\00:06:00.02
Yeah.
00:06:00.06\00:06:01.39
I actually ordered every video
00:06:01.42\00:06:03.39
that It is Written has
ever had in their inventory.
00:06:03.43\00:06:08.73
Wow.
00:06:08.76\00:06:10.10
See, that's
powerful because you and I
00:06:10.13\00:06:12.53
actually have a little
bit of a similar background
00:06:12.57\00:06:14.87
in the sense that
00:06:14.90\00:06:16.24
I was also born
and raised Pentecostal.
00:06:16.27\00:06:18.61
And of course,
00:06:18.64\00:06:19.97
now I'm a
Seventh-day Adventist Christian,
00:06:20.01\00:06:21.94
but I recognize
very clearly that
00:06:21.98\00:06:23.75
not for everyone coming
00:06:23.78\00:06:25.41
from that
particular background to,
00:06:25.45\00:06:27.98
you know, this
new lifestyle of truth
00:06:28.02\00:06:31.19
and living
according to God's word,
00:06:31.22\00:06:33.25
it's not always
the easiest transition.
00:06:33.29\00:06:35.36
So I have to ask you, brother,
00:06:35.39\00:06:36.93
were there any
personal challenges
00:06:36.96\00:06:38.43
that you dealt
00:06:38.46\00:06:39.79
with as she was sharing with you
00:06:39.83\00:06:41.53
these new truths,
00:06:41.56\00:06:43.87
what was going through
your mind at first and,
00:06:43.90\00:06:45.97
or was there a struggle?
00:06:46.00\00:06:47.34
Was there not a struggle?
00:06:47.37\00:06:48.70
How did that play out?
00:06:48.74\00:06:50.74
Well, there wasn't a
struggle accepting the truth.
00:06:50.77\00:06:53.07
It was just a
habit of thinking you
00:06:53.11\00:06:54.88
go to church on Sundays.
00:06:54.91\00:06:56.28
Okay.
00:06:56.31\00:06:57.65
And still,
sometimes I still refer
00:06:57.68\00:06:59.38
to going to church on a Sunday
00:06:59.41\00:07:01.32
just because it has been
00:07:01.35\00:07:02.68
such a habit
over the last 37 years
00:07:02.72\00:07:05.32
and then of course not
buying anything on Sabbath.
00:07:05.35\00:07:08.69
So it's been a
process for me. Sure.
00:07:08.72\00:07:11.09
So it wasn't as easy as
what it sounds, but I'm there.
00:07:11.13\00:07:15.33
Well, no, I can't say I'm there.
00:07:15.36\00:07:17.13
I'm almost there.
00:07:17.17\00:07:18.57
Okay. Yeah.
00:07:18.60\00:07:20.00
Well, praise the Lord, brother,
and that's a powerful story.
00:07:20.04\00:07:22.97
And, you know, I
can tell, you know,
00:07:23.00\00:07:25.47
based on your story and
getting to speak with you
00:07:25.51\00:07:28.44
that you're a
man who loves truth.
00:07:28.48\00:07:30.25
And the Bible says
those who love truth,
00:07:30.28\00:07:32.55
you know, the truth
shall set you free, right?
00:07:32.58\00:07:34.82
Right.
00:07:34.85\00:07:36.18
It will make you free
according to the Scripture.
00:07:36.22\00:07:37.82
So praise the Lord.
00:07:37.85\00:07:39.35
So you're in Maryland right
now and as I mentioned earlier,
00:07:39.39\00:07:43.02
you're normally
not always in Maryland.
00:07:43.06\00:07:46.29
You guys actually normally
00:07:46.33\00:07:47.83
reside in the
country of Tanzania, Africa,
00:07:47.86\00:07:51.73
and you lead out
in a ministry called
00:07:51.77\00:07:54.77
Falco's Children Africa.
00:07:54.80\00:07:57.57
Tell us a little
bit about the background
00:07:57.61\00:07:59.74
of how you became
involved in the ministerial work
00:07:59.77\00:08:03.38
that you're in
now there in Tanzania.
00:08:03.41\00:08:06.68
Well, I moved
to Tanzania in 2009
00:08:06.72\00:08:09.42
to open another Bible school
00:08:09.45\00:08:11.35
because that was
my heart's desire
00:08:11.39\00:08:12.72
to teach the Word.
00:08:12.75\00:08:14.09
I'm a BA, master's in theology,
00:08:14.12\00:08:16.42
I'm a doctorate in
Christian education.
00:08:16.46\00:08:18.39
So I enjoy teaching.
00:08:18.43\00:08:20.36
But then when we started seeing
00:08:20.40\00:08:21.90
the children
roaming around the streets,
00:08:21.93\00:08:24.00
I mean, and Valerie
00:08:24.03\00:08:25.37
will share here
in a few minutes,
00:08:25.40\00:08:26.74
we see two and
three-year-old children,
00:08:26.77\00:08:28.64
sometimes younger
than two years old,
00:08:28.67\00:08:30.81
walking along the
highway by themselves.
00:08:30.84\00:08:33.14
I mean, just
amazing how children
00:08:33.17\00:08:34.88
are just let
like to do anything.
00:08:34.91\00:08:38.11
No company.
00:08:38.15\00:08:39.48
Go anywhere they wanna go
and there's no adults around.
00:08:39.51\00:08:42.48
We even see
sometimes a small child,
00:08:42.52\00:08:45.15
maybe six years old
that's herding 200 sheep
00:08:45.19\00:08:48.09
by himself out in
the middle of a pasture.
00:08:48.12\00:08:50.53
And so it's just amazing.
00:08:50.56\00:08:53.03
And you'll understand
that once you come to visit us.
00:08:53.06\00:08:56.26
Yeah. That would be awesome.
00:08:56.30\00:08:58.30
So your ministry is to children
00:08:58.33\00:09:01.87
who, you know,
00:09:01.90\00:09:03.77
experienced these unfortunate
events in their lives.
00:09:03.81\00:09:06.04
Maybe they've been abandoned.
00:09:06.07\00:09:08.44
Give us a little bit
more information about,
00:09:08.48\00:09:10.68
I mean, how do you get
these kids to come to be
00:09:10.71\00:09:15.32
on the property or to be there
00:09:15.35\00:09:17.19
as a part of this
Falco's Children Group,
00:09:17.22\00:09:20.26
where you are there in Tanzania?
00:09:20.29\00:09:21.72
So are there any laws
you have to go through?
00:09:21.76\00:09:24.53
Are there any multiple steps
that you have to go through?
00:09:24.56\00:09:27.10
How does that process work?
00:09:27.13\00:09:29.23
There's a lot of red tape,
but we work as social welfare.
00:09:29.26\00:09:32.43
Social welfare
gives us permission
00:09:32.47\00:09:34.60
to be able to
accept the children,
00:09:34.64\00:09:36.04
take care of the children.
00:09:36.07\00:09:37.64
We take care of children
who've been abandoned, abused,
00:09:37.67\00:09:40.51
neglected,
children that have been
00:09:40.54\00:09:42.38
thrown away in toilets.
00:09:42.41\00:09:43.91
They still sacrifice children,
00:09:43.95\00:09:45.61
the witch doctors
sacrifice children
00:09:45.65\00:09:47.85
on altars like they did
00:09:47.88\00:09:49.48
in the Old Testament time period
00:09:49.52\00:09:50.85
Wow.
00:09:50.89\00:09:52.22
Girls are sometimes circumcised
and a large percentage of them
00:09:52.25\00:09:55.72
bleed to death.
00:09:55.76\00:09:57.13
We just picked up a
child here last month.
00:09:57.16\00:09:59.73
And of course, I wasn't there,
00:09:59.76\00:10:01.10
I was here in Maryland
that was thrown in the toilet
00:10:01.13\00:10:03.60
and Valerie was gonna
share a little bit about Moses,
00:10:03.63\00:10:07.54
I adopted four
children before my wife died
00:10:07.57\00:10:11.24
a couple of
years ago, Rachel 16.
00:10:11.27\00:10:14.21
Sharon is 11, Isaac
is 9 and Moses is 8.
00:10:14.24\00:10:18.65
And Val is gonna
share about Moses.
00:10:18.68\00:10:20.28
Yeah.
00:10:20.32\00:10:21.65
Well, the interesting thing,
00:10:21.68\00:10:23.02
each child has a very
interesting background
00:10:23.05\00:10:27.89
as to how they became
00:10:27.92\00:10:29.26
a part of
Falco's Children Africa,
00:10:29.29\00:10:32.13
but particularly for
Moses, the last of Jerry's four,
00:10:32.16\00:10:36.10
our four
children, he's a vibrant,
00:10:36.13\00:10:39.23
happy nine-year-old
00:10:39.27\00:10:41.10
as every other
healthy nine-year-old is,
00:10:41.14\00:10:43.91
but Moses's history is
particularly endearing to me
00:10:43.94\00:10:48.11
because his name is Moses
00:10:48.14\00:10:50.05
because he was
rescued from a shallow grave.
00:10:50.08\00:10:55.68
One particular day, a
shepherd was mining his sheep
00:10:55.72\00:10:59.49
in a graveyard.
00:10:59.52\00:11:02.36
And as he was passing
through the graveyard,
00:11:02.39\00:11:04.93
he heard the cries of a baby,
00:11:04.96\00:11:07.70
and he couldn't tell initially
00:11:07.73\00:11:10.20
where the sound was coming from.
00:11:10.23\00:11:12.53
And so he followed
00:11:12.57\00:11:13.90
the little
whimperings of the baby,
00:11:13.94\00:11:16.24
and then he came to an
area where the baby was.
00:11:16.27\00:11:20.78
And after calling for help,
00:11:20.81\00:11:23.91
the baby was dug
up from the earth
00:11:23.95\00:11:26.18
and he was still
in a sackcloth, right?
00:11:26.21\00:11:29.48
Was he...
00:11:29.52\00:11:30.85
Yeah, he was the, what happened
was as he was abandoned,
00:11:30.89\00:11:34.09
put in a gunnysack,
wet from childbirth.
00:11:34.12\00:11:36.83
Wow And then the
trash, and then the dirt,
00:11:36.86\00:11:39.66
rocks and to fill the gunnysack.
00:11:39.69\00:11:42.83
So he was completely covered
with dirt inside the gunnysack,
00:11:42.86\00:11:46.50
a trash bag was
wrapped around the gunnysack
00:11:46.53\00:11:48.80
and buried in the shallow grave.
00:11:48.84\00:11:51.57
And after he was rescued,
00:11:51.61\00:11:54.11
he needed to be
hospitalized to get the dirt
00:11:54.14\00:11:56.41
from his mouth
and nose and eyes.
00:11:56.44\00:11:59.61
And, it was quite a
process to get him home
00:11:59.65\00:12:03.12
to the orphanage
because he was rescued,
00:12:03.15\00:12:08.09
I guess the
villagers wanted this baby
00:12:08.12\00:12:11.39
because it was more
like a good luck charm
00:12:11.43\00:12:14.10
to them that they
can exploit him for money
00:12:14.13\00:12:17.60
being that he was
rescued from the grave.
00:12:17.63\00:12:20.74
And I know Jerry, as he told me,
00:12:20.77\00:12:23.07
he had to go
through quite a process
00:12:23.10\00:12:24.71
of protecting the
baby, even the nurse
00:12:24.74\00:12:27.88
who was trying
to protect the baby,
00:12:27.91\00:12:29.94
she was almost killed
00:12:29.98\00:12:31.31
in an attempt to kidnap Moses.
00:12:31.35\00:12:33.68
And so finally,
when Moses was able
00:12:33.72\00:12:35.48
to come to the village,
00:12:35.52\00:12:37.65
he has enjoyed a
remarkable normal life
00:12:37.69\00:12:41.02
since then, very
happy, very intuitive.
00:12:41.06\00:12:44.76
He wants to be a
minister when he grows older
00:12:44.79\00:12:48.33
and he is just a
joy to be around,
00:12:48.36\00:12:50.83
but each child has a
very unfortunate background
00:12:50.87\00:12:55.44
but very, very happy
to be at the Falco's.
00:12:55.47\00:12:58.24
We have children that
have been tossed aside,
00:12:58.27\00:13:01.18
children found in a cesspool,
00:13:01.21\00:13:02.81
children found in the grave,
00:13:02.84\00:13:04.45
children found in
toilets, et cetera,
00:13:04.48\00:13:07.55
or who have just been
abused, but they are so loving.
00:13:07.58\00:13:11.25
The most important thing,
00:13:11.29\00:13:12.62
my experience in going
to the village was that
00:13:12.65\00:13:15.36
just as much as I
planned to show them love,
00:13:15.39\00:13:18.83
they were able to
show me their love.
00:13:18.86\00:13:21.63
And they are just
as willing to witness
00:13:21.66\00:13:23.90
what love can do
from across the continent.
00:13:23.93\00:13:26.90
There are no barriers to love,
00:13:26.94\00:13:29.60
and they are just as happy
00:13:29.64\00:13:31.34
to share it as
well as to receive it.
00:13:31.37\00:13:35.04
And then sometimes, of
course, the number one reason
00:13:35.08\00:13:37.38
why there are so many orphans
in Tanzania is abandonment.
00:13:37.41\00:13:40.65
And we picked up a
young girl from social welfare
00:13:40.68\00:13:45.25
that had been
abandoned to a stranger
00:13:45.29\00:13:47.32
and the
stranger didn't want her.
00:13:47.36\00:13:49.36
So she threw
boiling water on her...
00:13:49.39\00:13:51.96
Wow.
00:13:51.99\00:13:54.53
So you guys see these
type of things all the time.
00:13:54.56\00:13:58.73
And I can't even imagine
00:13:58.77\00:14:01.94
experiencing something like that
00:14:01.97\00:14:03.47
or seeing that, but
you guys have quite,
00:14:03.51\00:14:06.31
I mean, you got
quite a population
00:14:06.34\00:14:07.98
there now at the school.
00:14:08.01\00:14:09.48
How many children did
you say you have there?
00:14:09.51\00:14:12.41
We have 92 children plus
the 4 that's our children now.
00:14:12.45\00:14:17.25
That's 96
00:14:17.29\00:14:18.95
And then Valerie
has a son, so that's 97.
00:14:18.99\00:14:23.12
He's 25, but now 97.
00:14:23.16\00:14:25.89
And then I have 34
full-time Tanzanian staff
00:14:25.93\00:14:29.13
to help me with the children,
00:14:29.16\00:14:30.50
with the farming
because we raised,
00:14:30.53\00:14:33.20
we raise beans and
maize and we have cattle
00:14:33.23\00:14:35.80
and sheep and goats, et cetera.
00:14:35.84\00:14:37.51
So there's quite a number of us
00:14:37.54\00:14:40.04
and 90% plus are
all Adventists now
00:14:40.08\00:14:44.08
since because whenever I became
00:14:44.11\00:14:46.72
a member of the church
at the Adventist church,
00:14:46.75\00:14:50.12
I stopped the Pentecostal
Sunday services at the village
00:14:50.15\00:14:54.56
'cause we had a church there.
00:14:54.59\00:14:56.46
So now we're Seventh-day
Adventist at the village.
00:14:56.49\00:14:59.09
Oh my. So hold
on. Just a moment.
00:14:59.13\00:15:00.80
Let's press the pause
button on that for a moment.
00:15:00.83\00:15:03.43
That's a big transition.
00:15:03.47\00:15:05.93
So you come to
America, you meet Valerie,
00:15:05.97\00:15:10.17
you come back as
Seventh-day Adventist.
00:15:10.21\00:15:13.11
Am I accurate to say that? Yeah.
00:15:13.14\00:15:15.21
Well, it was...
00:15:15.24\00:15:16.58
I had one trip going
back, then when I came back,
00:15:16.61\00:15:19.05
I was baptized
in February of 2019.
00:15:19.08\00:15:21.75
So we started communicating
in the last of 2018.
00:15:21.78\00:15:25.72
And I was baptized in 2019,
00:15:25.75\00:15:28.32
and then I also was invited
to become a member of ASI.
00:15:28.36\00:15:32.53
But I had a complete
00:15:32.56\00:15:34.23
Pentecostal
board as a nonprofit.
00:15:34.26\00:15:38.03
We've been good,
semi-virus since 1996.
00:15:38.07\00:15:41.17
And I shared with
the board about me
00:15:41.20\00:15:42.97
becoming an
Adventist and the four...
00:15:43.00\00:15:44.84
"And if you love me,
keep my commandments,"
00:15:44.87\00:15:47.28
and the board
members did not want to hear
00:15:47.31\00:15:49.74
or study more about the church.
00:15:49.78\00:15:52.71
So I asked them to resign,
00:15:52.75\00:15:54.58
and I found seven
Adventists members
00:15:54.62\00:15:57.09
that are in good standing
with the Adventist church
00:15:57.12\00:15:59.15
now that's part of our board.
00:15:59.19\00:16:01.02
Wow. Right.
00:16:01.06\00:16:02.39
Praise the Lord But
after Jerry's conversion,
00:16:02.42\00:16:06.06
when he went
back to the village,
00:16:06.09\00:16:08.06
he started to
witness to the employees.
00:16:08.10\00:16:11.20
He has about 40 employees there,
00:16:11.23\00:16:13.80
and he's witnessed to them
00:16:13.84\00:16:15.54
and continues
to study with them.
00:16:15.57\00:16:17.64
And as a result, I'd
say 98% of those 40 members
00:16:17.67\00:16:23.61
and employees have been baptized
00:16:23.65\00:16:25.61
and the children as well,
00:16:25.65\00:16:27.65
those who could
understand have been baptized.
00:16:27.68\00:16:30.35
So now the village
00:16:30.39\00:16:31.72
is a Seventh-day
Adventist village.
00:16:31.75\00:16:34.06
And then on top of
that, about a year ago,
00:16:34.09\00:16:37.53
the Lord told me to
go find the prostitutes
00:16:37.56\00:16:39.59
and in the Karatu area,
00:16:39.63\00:16:40.96
because prostitutes
throw away their children.
00:16:41.00\00:16:43.37
Some of our children are
from, we don't know which ones,
00:16:43.40\00:16:46.77
et cetera, don't have any idea.
00:16:46.80\00:16:49.10
But anyway, I
found all the prostitutes
00:16:49.14\00:16:51.27
in the current area,
there was 33 of them.
00:16:51.31\00:16:54.48
So we sort of
bringing them to the village
00:16:54.51\00:16:56.61
for Sabbath, every Sabbath,
00:16:56.64\00:16:58.51
and 11 of them were
baptized just last year.
00:16:58.55\00:17:01.85
Wow. Amen.
00:17:01.88\00:17:03.22
That's powerful.
00:17:03.25\00:17:04.59
So I just have to
ask here, because again,
00:17:04.62\00:17:06.25
I go back to the
point I made earlier,
00:17:06.29\00:17:07.86
you kind of
started this conversation
00:17:07.89\00:17:11.19
with Valerie 2018 into 2018.
00:17:11.23\00:17:14.36
You're baptized as
a Seventh Adventist
00:17:14.40\00:17:16.46
in February of 2019.
00:17:16.50\00:17:18.30
You come back and then you...
00:17:18.33\00:17:20.47
I guess you kind
of left or at once was
00:17:20.50\00:17:22.67
this Pentecostal
little community.
00:17:22.70\00:17:26.91
And then now you come
back and it's you transition
00:17:26.94\00:17:29.88
and many changes were there,
00:17:29.91\00:17:31.25
now it's a
Seventh-day Adventist community.
00:17:31.28\00:17:32.71
Did you face any adversity
00:17:32.75\00:17:34.22
when you came back
to make that transition?
00:17:34.25\00:17:37.05
I've had some resistance
00:17:37.09\00:17:38.42
from the villages
outside our village of saying,
00:17:38.45\00:17:42.69
complaining that
I've been so religious
00:17:42.72\00:17:45.33
and changing from
Sundays to Saturdays, et cetera.
00:17:45.36\00:17:48.96
But on top of that,
00:17:49.00\00:17:50.33
we lost quite a bit
of a monthly support
00:17:50.37\00:17:53.47
because I became
an Adventist too.
00:17:53.50\00:17:55.30
So it's been a
transition, that's for sure.
00:17:55.34\00:17:58.71
Gotcha. So walk us through here.
00:17:58.74\00:18:02.14
Let's say I come and I
visit Falco's Children Africa
00:18:02.18\00:18:06.31
there in
Tanzania on your property.
00:18:06.35\00:18:08.12
Now tell us a little bit
of how big is your property
00:18:08.15\00:18:10.49
and what does it encompass
00:18:10.52\00:18:12.69
and what goes
on on a daily basis
00:18:12.72\00:18:15.12
on the property
there at this orphanage?
00:18:15.16\00:18:19.03
Well, we have 70 acres of land
00:18:19.06\00:18:20.66
and we have a 6
foot electric fence
00:18:20.70\00:18:22.66
with 20,000 volts on it,
around the entire property.
00:18:22.70\00:18:26.27
And we
currently have nine homes.
00:18:26.30\00:18:28.30
We have eight
homes for the children
00:18:28.34\00:18:29.80
and one home just for my family
00:18:29.84\00:18:32.11
and the children wake up
00:18:32.14\00:18:33.48
around 5:00 to
5:30 to have breakfast
00:18:33.51\00:18:35.91
and get ready to walk to school.
00:18:35.94\00:18:37.58
And they walk to
school every morning.
00:18:37.61\00:18:40.08
And so it's a
pretty tight schedule.
00:18:40.12\00:18:43.49
And of course, the
mom has to do the laundry.
00:18:43.52\00:18:45.55
We have the older
children do the laundry.
00:18:45.59\00:18:47.36
We also have children
00:18:47.39\00:18:48.72
that are going
to boarding school
00:18:48.76\00:18:51.23
that live in a boarding school,
00:18:51.26\00:18:52.83
et cetera, to
go to school, so...
00:18:52.86\00:18:54.96
Mm-hm.
00:18:55.00\00:18:56.33
And then the afternoon,
00:18:56.36\00:18:57.70
they come home and
they do their chores.
00:18:57.73\00:19:00.04
And after their
chores, they do their homework.
00:19:00.07\00:19:02.47
And after homework,
they have Bible study.
00:19:02.50\00:19:04.94
Wow. Praise the Lord.
So they have a full...
00:19:04.97\00:19:07.08
They're hearing
the gospel of Jesus
00:19:07.11\00:19:08.74
on a daily basis on this nice,
00:19:08.78\00:19:12.21
beautiful
property you guys have out
00:19:12.25\00:19:14.02
in the middle of nowhere.
00:19:14.05\00:19:15.38
I was looking at the
pictures and beautiful place,
00:19:15.42\00:19:18.22
but, man, it looks like out
in the middle of no man's land.
00:19:18.25\00:19:21.76
Well, it is in
the middle of nowhere
00:19:21.79\00:19:23.66
and we're in the
middle of nowhere.
00:19:23.69\00:19:25.69
We're five hours from the local,
00:19:25.73\00:19:27.13
from the airport,
00:19:27.16\00:19:28.50
Kilimanjaro
International Airport,
00:19:28.53\00:19:30.57
but go ahead and
show some pictures.
00:19:30.60\00:19:31.93
Yeah, you got some pictures.
00:19:31.97\00:19:33.30
Let's see the
pictures and walk us through
00:19:33.34\00:19:34.67
these pictures here.
00:19:34.70\00:19:36.04
This is where
Valerie and I got married
00:19:36.07\00:19:37.41
November the
22nd is the first one.
00:19:37.44\00:19:39.57
It hasn't been,
what, 10 days or so.
00:19:39.61\00:19:42.24
And then the next.
00:19:42.28\00:19:44.91
This was when Valerie
was there in July 2019.
00:19:44.95\00:19:49.38
And this is my four children,
00:19:49.42\00:19:51.69
Rachel, Sharon, Isaac and Moses.
00:19:51.72\00:19:53.86
And then we also, of
course, we have a church there
00:19:53.89\00:19:57.33
and this is the
Local Pathfinders
00:19:57.36\00:19:59.36
from the local
community that come sometimes
00:19:59.39\00:20:02.40
if we invite the
people from the community,
00:20:02.43\00:20:05.20
we have up to 250
come to join us for church.
00:20:05.23\00:20:09.00
Praise the Lord.
00:20:09.04\00:20:10.57
And of course, part of that was
00:20:10.61\00:20:12.27
the large number of the women
00:20:12.31\00:20:13.91
that we talked
about from the area.
00:20:13.94\00:20:16.01
And this was one of
the babies we rescued.
00:20:16.04\00:20:18.71
This was a baby Elizabeth.
00:20:18.75\00:20:20.12
As you can see,
in November of 2017
00:20:20.15\00:20:22.88
and the difference
in December of 2018.
00:20:22.92\00:20:25.25
Wow.
00:20:25.29\00:20:26.69
Any time there are
abandoned children.
00:20:26.72\00:20:28.62
Social welfare
gives them my last name.
00:20:28.66\00:20:30.79
So I have about 25
Backus Children there.
00:20:30.83\00:20:34.00
It's because of social
welfare, not because of me.
00:20:34.03\00:20:37.47
Okay. That's awesome.
00:20:37.50\00:20:40.24
Praise the Lord.
00:20:40.27\00:20:41.70
We just recently
received another one
00:20:41.74\00:20:43.61
that was thrown in
the toilet last month
00:20:43.64\00:20:46.68
and his name is
James Simon Backus.
00:20:46.71\00:20:49.84
And so I named him
after Valerie's father,
00:20:49.88\00:20:51.85
which is James.
00:20:51.88\00:20:53.21
And then of course
Simon's her maiden name
00:20:53.25\00:20:55.05
and now it's James Simon Backus.
00:20:55.08\00:20:57.22
Amen. Gotcha.
00:20:57.25\00:20:58.59
I saw a picture
that was up there,
00:20:58.62\00:21:00.39
like a playground of some kind.
00:21:00.42\00:21:02.59
Yes. Yes, yes.
00:21:02.62\00:21:03.96
We have playground equipment
00:21:03.99\00:21:05.33
in the center
of the eight homes.
00:21:05.36\00:21:06.70
And then in the
center of the eight homes
00:21:06.73\00:21:09.13
is where the septic system is.
00:21:09.16\00:21:11.00
Everything drains
into the septic system,
00:21:11.03\00:21:12.93
but the children
have slides and swings,
00:21:12.97\00:21:16.20
merry-go-rounds as you can see.
00:21:16.24\00:21:18.44
And if you go to
the next picture,
00:21:18.47\00:21:21.58
this is our...
00:21:21.61\00:21:22.94
We have, I'm
guessing, 100 sheep and goats.
00:21:22.98\00:21:26.31
We always have bulls.
00:21:26.35\00:21:27.68
We double our money on bulls.
00:21:27.72\00:21:29.05
We try to
become self-sustainable
00:21:29.08\00:21:31.75
if we possibly can,
but it's been a process.
00:21:31.79\00:21:34.56
And then I'm not sure
what the next picture is.
00:21:34.59\00:21:37.29
And then we'd
have volleyball courts
00:21:37.33\00:21:39.29
and they play volleyball.
00:21:39.33\00:21:40.66
When the older
children are there,
00:21:40.70\00:21:42.03
they play volleyballs,
00:21:42.06\00:21:43.40
and all the
boarding schools students,
00:21:43.43\00:21:45.30
the older children
00:21:45.33\00:21:46.67
are coming back
on December the 18th,
00:21:46.70\00:21:48.80
and Valerie and I are leaving on
00:21:48.84\00:21:50.17
December the 7th to
go back to Tanzania.
00:21:50.21\00:21:52.34
Wow. So that's just a few days.
00:21:52.37\00:21:53.98
And this is a picture
of the eight homes there.
00:21:54.01\00:21:56.34
That is beautiful.
00:21:56.38\00:21:58.08
If anybody wants
to come visit us,
00:21:58.11\00:21:59.78
we have a three-bedroom home
00:21:59.81\00:22:01.85
and we have solar
electricity, solar hot water,
00:22:01.88\00:22:03.85
Wi-Fi.
00:22:03.89\00:22:05.22
That's the only way
we could have electricity
00:22:05.25\00:22:06.59
is through solar system.
00:22:06.62\00:22:08.26
So we have
three-bed home for anybody
00:22:08.29\00:22:10.09
who wants to come
visit us and volunteer.
00:22:10.13\00:22:12.59
And of course, right now
we're in the COVID season.
00:22:12.63\00:22:14.90
So we are not
necessarily allowing anybody
00:22:14.93\00:22:17.37
from the States
coming right now,
00:22:17.40\00:22:19.03
but we don't have
any COVID in Tanzania.
00:22:19.07\00:22:21.20
We don't have to
wear a mask in Tanzania.
00:22:21.24\00:22:23.00
We go about our daily activities
00:22:23.04\00:22:24.47
with no mask.
00:22:24.51\00:22:25.84
We can go shopping.
00:22:25.87\00:22:27.21
We go to town,
we can do whatever
00:22:27.24\00:22:28.58
we wanna do there
00:22:28.61\00:22:29.94
with no issues
of wearing a mask.
00:22:29.98\00:22:31.31
So there's no COVID in Tanzania?
00:22:31.35\00:22:34.72
No. No.
00:22:34.75\00:22:36.38
No. Not at all. Wow.
00:22:36.42\00:22:37.82
It's a blessing
That's fascinating.
00:22:37.85\00:22:41.02
So I remember... Go ahead.
00:22:41.06\00:22:43.73
I'm sorry.
00:22:43.76\00:22:45.09
We live normally,
just like the normal life
00:22:45.13\00:22:47.46
like you used to
here in the States.
00:22:47.50\00:22:49.73
Right. I know.
00:22:49.76\00:22:52.03
I miss it It's in
the middle of nowhere.
00:22:52.07\00:22:56.00
You can still stay connected.
00:22:56.04\00:22:57.41
There is Wi-Fi.
00:22:57.44\00:22:59.61
You can still communicate
00:22:59.64\00:23:01.18
and still have a
wonderful time out there.
00:23:01.21\00:23:03.41
That's amazing.
00:23:03.45\00:23:04.78
You guys are truly making
00:23:04.81\00:23:06.25
a difference in the
lives of these children.
00:23:06.28\00:23:08.05
And it's powerful to hear
what you've shared with us.
00:23:08.08\00:23:12.22
And I've been able to
read a little bit more
00:23:12.25\00:23:14.46
about what you
guys are doing there
00:23:14.49\00:23:16.89
at Falco's Children Africa.
00:23:16.93\00:23:18.59
And it's such a
blessing to see that
00:23:18.63\00:23:20.46
these children are
seeing Jesus through you guys.
00:23:20.50\00:23:23.97
And they're being introduced
00:23:24.00\00:23:25.33
to Jesus to the
truth of His Word.
00:23:25.37\00:23:27.07
And I don't know
00:23:27.10\00:23:28.44
why this keeps
coming back to my mind,
00:23:28.47\00:23:30.07
but you mentioned earlier
00:23:30.11\00:23:31.54
and we have about a
minute and a half here
00:23:31.57\00:23:33.04
before we go to
your address roll.
00:23:33.07\00:23:35.78
But I'm guessing
that electric fence
00:23:35.81\00:23:37.85
you have is to keep the
lions out from the property.
00:23:37.88\00:23:42.08
Nope. It's not lions, okay.
00:23:42.12\00:23:44.15
It's just general protection.
00:23:44.19\00:23:45.99
We have hyenas
try to get through
00:23:46.02\00:23:47.66
every once in a while,
00:23:47.69\00:23:49.02
but our village is
only about 45 minutes
00:23:49.06\00:23:51.43
from the Eighth
Wonder of the World
00:23:51.46\00:23:52.93
is an inverted volcano.
00:23:52.96\00:23:54.76
And the base of the
volcano is 3,000 square miles.
00:23:54.80\00:23:57.83
So, anybody that
comes to visit us,
00:23:57.87\00:23:59.60
they can go to
Ngorongoro crater.
00:23:59.63\00:24:02.90
You can see every African animal
00:24:02.94\00:24:04.87
living their
natural habitat for one day.
00:24:04.91\00:24:07.28
You can see lions hunt.
00:24:07.31\00:24:08.64
You can see the cheetah.
00:24:08.68\00:24:10.01
You can see elephants, giraffes,
00:24:10.05\00:24:11.45
everything in one day,
00:24:11.48\00:24:13.11
living in their natural habitat.
00:24:13.15\00:24:15.05
It's amazing. Amen.
00:24:15.08\00:24:16.82
Wow.
00:24:16.85\00:24:18.19
So you guys are truly following
the council of country living
00:24:18.22\00:24:21.92
and you are
leading these young people.
00:24:21.96\00:24:25.53
The Lord has used you
to change their lives.
00:24:25.56\00:24:27.56
And to think that
00:24:27.60\00:24:28.93
what these young people of Jesus
00:24:28.96\00:24:30.30
don't come back before then
00:24:30.33\00:24:31.67
what they're going
to grow up to become,
00:24:31.70\00:24:33.34
the positive, powerful influence
00:24:33.37\00:24:35.10
that that
Falco's Children Africa
00:24:35.14\00:24:37.77
is making in their life.
00:24:37.81\00:24:39.41
I just praise the
Lord for your efforts.
00:24:39.44\00:24:40.98
In fact, we have
about 25 seconds here,
00:24:41.01\00:24:44.15
and I just want to make
an appeal to our viewers.
00:24:44.18\00:24:47.25
You know, this is something
that you can participate in.
00:24:47.28\00:24:50.45
If you've been blessed by this
00:24:50.49\00:24:52.05
and you're blessed by
the story and knowing that
00:24:52.09\00:24:53.96
these individuals
are making a difference
00:24:53.99\00:24:56.16
in the lives of others
00:24:56.19\00:24:57.83
and bringing them to Jesus
00:24:57.86\00:24:59.33
and helping
them to live healthy,
00:24:59.36\00:25:01.66
good Christian lives,
00:25:01.70\00:25:03.03
we want to go to
a roll right now,
00:25:03.06\00:25:04.53
the address roll,
right at this moment
00:25:04.57\00:25:06.63
where you can
learn how to donate
00:25:06.67\00:25:08.94
and give to
Falco's Children Africa.
00:25:08.97\00:25:12.11
For more information
about Falco's Children Africa,
00:25:12.14\00:25:14.88
please go to their website
@FalcosChildrenAfrica.org,
00:25:14.91\00:25:19.01
that's FalcosChildrenAfrica.org.
00:25:19.05\00:25:22.98
Their email address is
info@FalcosChildrenAfrica.org,
00:25:23.02\00:25:27.52
that's
info@FalcosChildrenAfrica.org,
00:25:27.56\00:25:32.26
and their mailing
address is PO box 14.
00:25:32.29\00:25:35.13
Sapulpa Oklahoma, 74067,
00:25:35.16\00:25:38.97
that's PO box 14.
00:25:39.00\00:25:40.74
Sapulpa Oklahoma, 74067.
00:25:40.77\00:25:44.34
Amen. Praise the Lord.
00:25:56.75\00:25:58.59
Jerry, Valerie,
00:25:58.62\00:25:59.95
we're so blessed
to have you on today.
00:25:59.99\00:26:01.72
And we thank the Lord
00:26:01.76\00:26:03.86
for what He is
doing through you guys
00:26:03.89\00:26:06.36
and making a difference
00:26:06.39\00:26:07.73
in the lives of
these beautiful children.
00:26:07.76\00:26:09.90
And I just want
to take, you know,
00:26:09.93\00:26:11.27
about a minute,
minute, and 20 seconds
00:26:11.30\00:26:12.93
to share with our viewers
00:26:12.97\00:26:15.90
what the Lord's
laid on your heart.
00:26:15.94\00:26:17.27
Give us a final appeal
as we prepare to close.
00:26:17.31\00:26:19.94
Well, thank you again very much
00:26:19.97\00:26:21.64
for giving us the
opportunity to share.
00:26:21.68\00:26:24.11
The number one request
00:26:24.15\00:26:25.48
is just to
increase in monthly support
00:26:25.51\00:26:27.78
because I did lose
a lot of the support.
00:26:27.82\00:26:30.22
And when I became a member
00:26:30.25\00:26:31.75
of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church,
00:26:31.79\00:26:33.92
and that's really my number
one request besides prayers
00:26:33.96\00:26:37.69
'cause we always need prayers
00:26:37.73\00:26:39.13
to be able to help as
many children as we can.
00:26:39.16\00:26:42.00
We do have PayPal on the website
00:26:42.03\00:26:43.93
for any of you that
are willing to donate
00:26:43.97\00:26:46.20
through PayPal, but
more so than anything,
00:26:46.23\00:26:48.87
no matter how much it is,
it fits on a monthly basis,
00:26:48.90\00:26:52.07
we really appreciate helping.
00:26:52.11\00:26:54.21
Thank you. Absolutely.
00:26:54.24\00:26:55.64
Also for anyone who
wants to just become
00:26:55.68\00:26:59.48
an active member of our family,
00:26:59.51\00:27:01.85
we wanna appeal to you
00:27:01.88\00:27:03.49
to become an
extended family member
00:27:03.52\00:27:06.25
of Falco's Children Orphanage.
00:27:06.29\00:27:08.56
You know, the Lord says,
00:27:08.59\00:27:10.49
you know, true religion
is to support the children,
00:27:10.53\00:27:14.16
support the needy, the widows,
00:27:14.20\00:27:16.00
and the orphans,
00:27:16.03\00:27:17.37
and to spread the
gospel throughout the world.
00:27:17.40\00:27:20.20
These children are
so excited to know that
00:27:20.24\00:27:22.77
they have
partnerships in America.
00:27:22.80\00:27:25.04
They are so loving,
00:27:25.07\00:27:26.47
they just want to
be a part of a family
00:27:26.51\00:27:28.94
that loves them as well.
00:27:28.98\00:27:30.61
They are already disadvantaged
00:27:30.65\00:27:32.38
and not having their immediate
blood relations to them,
00:27:32.41\00:27:36.32
but they're so
happy to know that
00:27:36.35\00:27:38.49
those around
the world still care
00:27:38.52\00:27:40.52
and want to share
00:27:40.56\00:27:41.89
and participate in their gospel.
00:27:41.92\00:27:44.83
Amen. Thank you, guys, so much.
00:27:44.86\00:27:46.19
Thank you.
00:27:46.23\00:27:47.56
My friends,
support this ministry.
00:27:47.60\00:27:49.63
The Lord is using them mightly
00:27:49.66\00:27:51.53
and we just
wanna thank all of you.
00:27:51.57\00:27:53.40
Thank you so much
for joining us today.
00:27:53.44\00:27:55.44
God bless you all.
00:27:55.47\00:27:56.81
Until next time. Thank you.
00:27:56.84\00:27:58.61