As you're well aware,
00:00:01.80\00:00:03.13
we're living in
unprecedented times.
00:00:03.16\00:00:05.80
Join us now for
Today special program.
00:00:05.83\00:00:08.24
I want to spend my life
00:00:12.77\00:00:18.38
Mending broken people
00:00:18.41\00:00:23.49
I want to spend my life
00:00:23.52\00:00:29.39
Removing pain
00:00:29.42\00:00:34.26
Lord, let my words
00:00:34.30\00:00:39.73
Heal a heart that hurts
00:00:39.77\00:00:44.74
I want to spend my life
00:00:44.77\00:00:50.38
Mending broken people
00:00:50.41\00:00:55.35
I want to spend my life
00:00:55.38\00:01:01.02
Mending broken people
00:01:01.06\00:01:05.19
Hello, friends, and welcome
00:01:14.90\00:01:16.24
to another
edition of 3ABN Today.
00:01:16.27\00:01:19.37
And as always, it's a
privilege and an honor,
00:01:19.41\00:01:21.71
a blessing to have you
00:01:21.74\00:01:23.31
our 3ABN family joining us
00:01:23.35\00:01:25.35
from wherever you
are around the world.
00:01:25.38\00:01:27.82
You may be watching us
maybe for the very first time
00:01:27.85\00:01:30.19
and wondering what in
the world am I watching?
00:01:30.22\00:01:31.85
Right?
00:01:31.89\00:01:33.22
This is a special
3ABN Today program
00:01:33.25\00:01:34.96
in which we do
different versions,
00:01:34.99\00:01:36.79
different forms
of the Today program.
00:01:36.83\00:01:38.76
It might be a
Bible theological topic
00:01:38.79\00:01:41.56
that we break down
for one entire hour,
00:01:41.60\00:01:43.93
in which we pick it apart
00:01:43.97\00:01:45.30
and pull back
the scriptural layers
00:01:45.33\00:01:46.77
and study about
a particular topic.
00:01:46.80\00:01:48.70
It may be a 3ABN
Today music program
00:01:48.74\00:01:51.04
that you're watching
00:01:51.07\00:01:52.41
where we praise the Lord
00:01:52.44\00:01:53.78
and uplift the
Lord in music and song.
00:01:53.81\00:01:55.94
It may be our newest 3ABN Today,
00:01:55.98\00:01:59.31
Bible Q and A program
that airs every Monday.
00:01:59.35\00:02:02.88
That's also a special program.
00:02:02.92\00:02:04.35
And then we also do
00:02:04.39\00:02:05.75
different interviews and stories
00:02:05.79\00:02:07.72
of mission and ministry
00:02:07.76\00:02:09.09
that's happening
all around the world.
00:02:09.12\00:02:10.76
And that's exactly
00:02:10.79\00:02:12.13
what we're going
to be doing today.
00:02:12.16\00:02:13.50
We have a very
powerful time together
00:02:13.53\00:02:16.23
in which we're
going to be talking
00:02:16.26\00:02:17.97
with Brother Rick
Fleck and also another Rick,
00:02:18.00\00:02:20.90
Brother Rick Bowes
00:02:20.94\00:02:22.40
from International
Children's Care Ministry.
00:02:22.44\00:02:24.37
How are you guys doing?
00:02:24.41\00:02:25.74
Good to be here, Ryan?
00:02:25.77\00:02:27.11
Amen. Blessing to
have you guys here.
00:02:27.14\00:02:29.04
Before we get right
into our time together
00:02:29.08\00:02:31.41
in which we're
going to be talking
00:02:31.45\00:02:32.78
about this powerful ministry
00:02:32.81\00:02:34.15
and what they're doing
for the kingdom of the Lord.
00:02:34.18\00:02:36.75
We have a very special
song that's going to come to us
00:02:36.79\00:02:39.45
from Miss Hope Velasquez
00:02:39.49\00:02:41.96
and the title of the
song is "By Our Love."
00:02:41.99\00:02:46.19
Brothers, let us come together
00:03:02.28\00:03:07.62
Walking in the Spirit
00:03:07.65\00:03:11.42
There's much to be done
00:03:11.45\00:03:15.56
We will come reaching
00:03:15.59\00:03:19.33
Out from our comfort
00:03:19.36\00:03:24.73
And they will know us
00:03:24.77\00:03:27.24
By our love
00:03:27.27\00:03:31.54
Sisters,
00:03:31.57\00:03:33.48
we were made for kindness
00:03:33.51\00:03:37.18
We can pierce the darkness
00:03:37.21\00:03:41.08
As He shines through us
00:03:41.12\00:03:45.25
We will come reaching
00:03:45.29\00:03:49.19
With a song of healing
00:03:49.22\00:03:54.76
And they will know us
00:03:54.80\00:03:57.23
By our love
00:03:57.27\00:04:00.87
The time is now
00:04:00.90\00:04:04.67
Come Church arise
00:04:04.71\00:04:08.54
Love with His hands
00:04:08.58\00:04:12.61
See with His eyes
00:04:12.65\00:04:16.69
Bind it around you
00:04:16.72\00:04:20.62
Let it never leave you
00:04:20.66\00:04:26.53
And they will know us
00:04:26.56\00:04:29.03
By our love
00:04:29.06\00:04:32.47
Children,
00:04:37.31\00:04:39.21
You are hope for justice
00:04:39.24\00:04:42.94
Stand firm in the Truth now
00:04:42.98\00:04:46.98
Set your hearts above
00:04:47.02\00:04:51.49
You will be reaching
00:04:51.52\00:04:55.29
Long after we're gone
00:04:55.32\00:05:01.23
And they will know you
00:05:01.26\00:05:03.70
By your love
00:05:03.73\00:05:07.64
The time is now
00:05:07.67\00:05:11.44
Come Church arise
00:05:11.47\00:05:15.51
Love with His hands
00:05:15.54\00:05:19.75
See with His eyes
00:05:19.78\00:05:23.89
Bind it around you
00:05:23.92\00:05:27.99
Let it never leave you
00:05:28.02\00:05:33.96
And they will know us
00:05:34.00\00:05:36.56
By our love
00:05:36.60\00:05:40.27
The time is now
00:05:40.30\00:05:44.07
Come Church arise
00:05:44.11\00:05:48.34
Love with His hands
00:05:48.38\00:05:52.71
See with His eyes
00:05:52.75\00:05:57.22
Bind it around you
00:05:57.25\00:06:01.42
Let it never
00:06:01.46\00:06:03.09
Leave you
00:06:03.12\00:06:07.86
And they will know us
00:06:07.90\00:06:10.60
By our love
00:06:10.63\00:06:15.04
Amen.
00:06:25.05\00:06:26.38
Thank you so much,
Hope, for that song. Wow.
00:06:26.41\00:06:28.72
Just beautiful voice,
00:06:28.75\00:06:30.09
beautiful song, beautiful words.
00:06:30.12\00:06:31.45
And I think it
set us up perfectly
00:06:31.49\00:06:33.39
for the time that
we're going to have together
00:06:33.42\00:06:35.02
and the topic that
we're going to be discussing.
00:06:35.06\00:06:37.46
Again, if you're
just now tuning in,
00:06:37.49\00:06:39.03
we have International
Children's Care Ministry
00:06:39.06\00:06:41.90
with us, and we have
two Ricks in the house,
00:06:41.93\00:06:46.23
Rick and Rick.
00:06:46.27\00:06:47.60
But to my immediate
right is the president
00:06:47.64\00:06:49.77
of International
Children's Care Ministry,
00:06:49.80\00:06:51.67
Rick Fleck.
00:06:51.71\00:06:53.04
And it's a blessing to
have you here, brother.
00:06:53.07\00:06:54.81
Thank you, Ryan. Amen.
00:06:54.84\00:06:56.18
And way down there
00:06:56.21\00:06:57.55
at the very far
end of this long table,
00:06:57.58\00:06:58.91
we have the
director of Donor Relations
00:06:58.95\00:07:02.32
for International
Children's Care Ministry,
00:07:02.35\00:07:04.55
Brother Rick Bowes.
00:07:04.59\00:07:05.95
Good to be here. Amen.
00:07:05.99\00:07:07.32
It's a blessing
to have both of you.
00:07:07.36\00:07:08.69
And so, you know what?
00:07:08.72\00:07:10.06
I don't really want
to take too much time
00:07:10.09\00:07:13.40
with introduction
00:07:13.43\00:07:14.76
because I know you guys are
going to get into your story
00:07:14.80\00:07:16.36
and tell us how you
become involved in this.
00:07:16.40\00:07:18.50
But I just want to
get right into this
00:07:18.53\00:07:19.87
because there may be someone
watching and doesn't know
00:07:19.90\00:07:21.90
what in the world International
Children's Care Ministry is,
00:07:21.94\00:07:24.44
how it got started.
00:07:24.47\00:07:25.81
So why don't you
give us a little bit of,
00:07:25.84\00:07:27.51
you know,
history, how it came about
00:07:27.54\00:07:29.34
and how you
became involved with it?
00:07:29.38\00:07:31.58
Well, you know,
00:07:31.61\00:07:33.28
to me, you have to
go back a few years
00:07:33.31\00:07:35.25
to think about this
00:07:35.28\00:07:36.62
and God brings,
00:07:36.65\00:07:38.15
He weaves the
tapestry of our lives.
00:07:38.19\00:07:39.92
It's incredible,
00:07:39.95\00:07:41.29
different
people, different places,
00:07:41.32\00:07:42.66
and it all comes together.
00:07:42.69\00:07:44.03
It's amazing. Amen.
00:07:44.06\00:07:45.39
And it started out
because I would have to say
00:07:45.43\00:07:48.56
when my mother
was a little girl,
00:07:48.60\00:07:51.40
she used to read a comic called
Little Annie, Orphan Annie,
00:07:51.43\00:07:54.80
and she'd come home from school
00:07:54.84\00:07:56.81
and what's the next
thing that's going to happen.
00:07:56.84\00:07:58.94
And this little girl
lived in a, in an orphanage
00:07:58.97\00:08:01.41
and it wasn't a very
nice place, you know.
00:08:01.44\00:08:04.31
The head of the
orphanage was Miss Meanie
00:08:04.35\00:08:06.55
and you know, you
get the picture, right?
00:08:06.58\00:08:07.92
Yeah.
00:08:07.95\00:08:09.28
And so she
determined in her little heart
00:08:09.32\00:08:12.32
way back then
00:08:12.35\00:08:13.72
that someday she would
like to be able to help children
00:08:13.76\00:08:17.46
who needed help like
that, but not like that.
00:08:17.49\00:08:21.73
She wanted to
have it be in a place
00:08:21.76\00:08:23.83
that it was a home and
that had love and caring.
00:08:23.87\00:08:28.20
Amen.
00:08:28.24\00:08:29.57
So fast forward a few years
00:08:29.60\00:08:30.94
and after she was
married to my dad, he's a pastor
00:08:30.97\00:08:35.74
and they were
called to be missionaries
00:08:35.78\00:08:38.45
in Central America.
00:08:38.48\00:08:40.18
Okay. I was born
during those years.
00:08:40.22\00:08:42.45
So I get to grow
up in those countries
00:08:42.48\00:08:45.75
and she sort of got a reputation
00:08:45.79\00:08:47.86
because we always
had kids in our house
00:08:47.89\00:08:50.73
that weren't part of
our family, you know.
00:08:50.76\00:08:53.60
And my dad would
come home from work
00:08:53.63\00:08:56.43
and he's going like, who's this?
00:08:56.46\00:08:58.60
And, well, you know,
their mom has tuberculosis.
00:08:58.63\00:09:02.40
I had to help her
get to the hospital.
00:09:02.44\00:09:03.84
They have nowhere to go
and, you know, is that okay?
00:09:03.87\00:09:06.61
Oh, yeah. And then
he'd play with them.
00:09:06.64\00:09:08.44
And you know,
00:09:08.48\00:09:09.81
so she just helped people a lot.
00:09:09.84\00:09:13.05
And during that time,
00:09:13.08\00:09:14.42
she even helped
people to adopt children
00:09:14.45\00:09:16.95
that needed it.
00:09:16.99\00:09:18.62
You know fast
forward a few more years.
00:09:18.65\00:09:20.32
And in the late 70s,
00:09:20.36\00:09:22.79
there was a
tremendous earthquake
00:09:22.82\00:09:24.79
in Guatemala City
00:09:24.83\00:09:26.16
that just
devastated that country.
00:09:26.19\00:09:28.76
And during that time
00:09:28.80\00:09:31.37
Bob Falkenberg,
Elder Bob Falkenberg
00:09:31.40\00:09:33.44
that many people remember,
00:09:33.47\00:09:36.00
he was the president
of the union down there.
00:09:36.04\00:09:37.91
He contacted my parents
00:09:37.94\00:09:39.41
who were nearing retirement age
00:09:39.44\00:09:41.48
and asked if my mom
would be interested in helping
00:09:41.51\00:09:44.68
to start an orphanage.
00:09:44.71\00:09:48.05
And she goes,
00:09:48.08\00:09:49.42
"Well I'm not interested
in doing an orphanage."
00:09:49.45\00:09:53.29
And he goes, "What?"
00:09:53.32\00:09:55.16
And she says,
00:09:55.19\00:09:56.52
"Well, if I'm
going to help children,
00:09:56.56\00:09:57.89
it can't be that."
00:09:57.93\00:09:59.26
And he says, "Well,
how would you help them?"
00:09:59.29\00:10:00.63
And she says,
00:10:00.66\00:10:02.00
"Well, it's got to be in homes.
00:10:02.03\00:10:04.13
Children have to
be helped in homes.
00:10:04.17\00:10:05.77
You can't just have an
institution and, you know."
00:10:05.80\00:10:09.24
And he says, "Well,
yeah, great, let's do that,"
00:10:09.27\00:10:12.47
you know, so that
was kind of the beginning
00:10:12.51\00:10:14.18
of
International Children's Care.
00:10:14.21\00:10:15.71
That's kind of
where the seed was born.
00:10:15.74\00:10:18.31
She really
struggled though with that.
00:10:18.35\00:10:19.68
She said,
00:10:19.71\00:10:21.05
"I am not the person
00:10:21.08\00:10:22.42
to lead out in
something like this.
00:10:22.45\00:10:23.99
You know, you got
to find somebody else."
00:10:24.02\00:10:26.49
And so they started, you know,
kind of having this dialogue.
00:10:26.52\00:10:29.86
During this time,
she had a medical problem
00:10:29.89\00:10:32.26
where she had a tumor on
basically her carotid artery.
00:10:32.29\00:10:36.06
And it was, got to the point,
00:10:36.10\00:10:37.90
doctors decided really
couldn't operate on that.
00:10:37.93\00:10:40.87
And it was, made her
health quite fragile.
00:10:40.90\00:10:45.97
Lord, can I even do this?
00:10:46.01\00:10:48.24
And she, you know,
didn't feel like she could.
00:10:48.28\00:10:52.65
Well, it's a long story,
00:10:52.68\00:10:55.28
but the Lord did heal her
of that thing miraculously
00:10:55.32\00:10:58.42
from one day to the next.
00:10:58.45\00:10:59.79
Amazing.
00:10:59.82\00:11:01.16
So she ended up going back
to Loma Linda to her doctor
00:11:01.19\00:11:03.39
and she says, "I
need to see you."
00:11:03.43\00:11:05.33
And so he says,
"Okay, come on in."
00:11:05.36\00:11:07.63
And she goes, "I don't
think I got this anymore."
00:11:07.66\00:11:11.03
You know, can you
tell me what's going on?
00:11:11.07\00:11:12.93
And so they did all these tests.
00:11:12.97\00:11:14.30
He comes back and he says,
00:11:14.34\00:11:15.90
"I really don't
know what to tell you,
00:11:15.94\00:11:17.44
but it's not there anymore."
00:11:17.47\00:11:19.87
And, you know, she
came out of this interview.
00:11:19.91\00:11:24.35
I mean, with her doctor
00:11:24.38\00:11:25.71
and out in the
lobby was Bob Falkenberg.
00:11:25.75\00:11:28.98
She goes, "Bob,
what are you doing here?"
00:11:29.02\00:11:31.95
He goes, "Well,
I got to see you."
00:11:31.99\00:11:33.56
And she says,
"See me, what for?"
00:11:33.59\00:11:35.42
"I need an answer," he said.
00:11:35.46\00:11:36.99
"Answer?"
00:11:37.03\00:11:38.36
Yeah, you know, about
starting that ministry.
00:11:38.39\00:11:40.73
And she goes, well, he
says, "Are you going to do it?"
00:11:40.76\00:11:45.17
And she says,
00:11:45.20\00:11:46.53
"Well, I don't know, what
happens if I don't do it."
00:11:46.57\00:11:48.27
And he says,
00:11:48.30\00:11:49.64
"Well, I have some
money that's been donated.
00:11:49.67\00:11:51.01
I'm going to
have to give it back.
00:11:51.04\00:11:52.37
I don't know
what's going to happen."
00:11:52.41\00:11:53.74
And she goes,
"Yeah, I think so."
00:11:53.78\00:11:57.51
It's like, I guess I'm going
to have to do this, you know?
00:11:57.55\00:11:59.55
Sure.
00:11:59.58\00:12:00.92
And so that was kind
of where it really started
00:12:00.95\00:12:03.18
and with a little
bit of seed money.
00:12:03.22\00:12:05.52
Okay, we got to go for this.
00:12:05.55\00:12:07.39
She went down
there and she started,
00:12:07.42\00:12:09.42
you know,
investigating, looking at this.
00:12:09.46\00:12:11.19
And she was so inspired.
00:12:11.23\00:12:13.46
My mom actually
wrote several songs.
00:12:13.50\00:12:15.93
And, you know, one
of them talked about
00:12:15.96\00:12:19.30
as she was in a
village in Guatemala
00:12:19.33\00:12:23.27
and she saw a child
sleeping outside on a sidewalk
00:12:23.30\00:12:28.14
because, you
know, during the day
00:12:28.18\00:12:29.68
is the best time to sleep,
00:12:29.71\00:12:31.68
during the night it's too cold.
00:12:31.71\00:12:33.35
And, but still the child
would shiver ever so often.
00:12:33.38\00:12:36.62
And she said in her song
00:12:36.65\00:12:38.45
that these children
just have no one to love.
00:12:38.49\00:12:40.66
They shiver from,
from fear and from cold.
00:12:40.69\00:12:45.19
And her heart was touched.
00:12:45.23\00:12:46.90
It went out to these kids.
00:12:46.93\00:12:48.30
We need to help them.
00:12:48.33\00:12:49.90
And so I, during, of course,
00:12:49.93\00:12:53.67
by this time I'm an adult I'm,
00:12:53.70\00:12:56.17
you know, in the business world,
00:12:56.20\00:12:57.54
but they called me and said,
00:12:57.57\00:12:59.27
"Would you be
willing to come and help
00:12:59.31\00:13:01.34
with this
organization to really,
00:13:01.38\00:13:04.31
you know, help move it forward?"
00:13:04.35\00:13:05.68
That was back in 1984.
00:13:05.71\00:13:07.12
So it's been a few years.
00:13:07.15\00:13:09.35
That's how
International Children's Care
00:13:09.38\00:13:11.42
grew into a model
where we care for children
00:13:11.45\00:13:15.46
in individual homes.
00:13:15.49\00:13:16.96
So the idea is to have a campus
with a church and a school
00:13:16.99\00:13:20.73
and industries
and individual homes.
00:13:20.76\00:13:23.23
And we hire
Adventist house parents
00:13:23.26\00:13:25.03
to take care of these kids.
00:13:25.07\00:13:26.77
And we have maybe
10 kids in a home,
00:13:26.80\00:13:29.50
you know, that sort of thing.
00:13:29.54\00:13:30.87
And it's just a place
where these kids can thrive.
00:13:30.91\00:13:35.31
Now, you got to remember,
00:13:35.34\00:13:36.68
these kids have
gone through a lot.
00:13:36.71\00:13:38.05
Sure.
00:13:38.08\00:13:39.41
And no matter what
we do humanly for them,
00:13:39.45\00:13:42.02
they're going to have
that hurt in their heart.
00:13:42.05\00:13:43.59
Sure.
00:13:43.62\00:13:44.95
And so, we do the best we can,
00:13:44.99\00:13:46.76
but of course, we're humans,
we're working with humans
00:13:46.79\00:13:49.86
and, but many of these children
00:13:49.89\00:13:52.03
really are grateful
00:13:52.06\00:13:53.40
for what has been done
through the sponsorships,
00:13:53.43\00:13:56.43
the people that help
and that make this happen.
00:13:56.46\00:14:00.10
That's an awesome,
00:14:00.14\00:14:01.47
I'm just hearing
everything you're saying,
00:14:01.50\00:14:02.84
there, just, it's powerful,
00:14:02.87\00:14:04.21
especially that story
00:14:04.24\00:14:05.57
of how the Lord
healed her miraculously.
00:14:05.61\00:14:07.41
That's something that just,
00:14:07.44\00:14:08.78
you know, you don't
hear a lot of those stories,
00:14:08.81\00:14:10.15
but yet at the same time,
00:14:10.18\00:14:11.51
it's proof that our
Lord is still alive and well,
00:14:11.55\00:14:12.98
and He's still
healing and still at work.
00:14:13.01\00:14:14.98
In fact, I think we
had a couple of pictures
00:14:15.02\00:14:16.55
for this segment here.
00:14:16.58\00:14:18.22
I have here a note,
a picture of Ken and...
00:14:18.25\00:14:22.49
Alycon. Alcyon Fleck. Okay.
00:14:22.52\00:14:24.13
If you want to
pull that one up here.
00:14:24.16\00:14:25.93
And so this is
your mother, right?
00:14:25.96\00:14:27.30
That's my mother and father.
00:14:27.33\00:14:28.66
Wow. Mother and father.
00:14:28.70\00:14:30.03
So this is the lady that
started it all right here.
00:14:30.07\00:14:32.13
That's her. Praise the Lord.
00:14:32.17\00:14:33.50
And then also we
have another picture here
00:14:33.54\00:14:35.30
of the family home.
00:14:35.34\00:14:37.41
And so, where's this at?
00:14:37.44\00:14:38.97
That's in the
Dominican Republic.
00:14:39.01\00:14:40.98
Wow. Okay.
00:14:41.01\00:14:42.34
Dominican Republic. Yes.
00:14:42.38\00:14:43.71
And it's every
country where we work,
00:14:43.75\00:14:46.78
we have a style of home
00:14:46.82\00:14:49.02
that kind of
fits in that country.
00:14:49.05\00:14:50.95
And so, but the idea is to have
like about a six bedroom home
00:14:50.99\00:14:56.89
and there's
house parents and aunt,
00:14:56.93\00:14:58.76
and the children
all live in this home
00:14:58.79\00:15:01.43
and try to make it as much
like a real family as we can.
00:15:01.46\00:15:05.63
Amen. Praise the Lord.
00:15:05.67\00:15:07.14
So, you know, based on
the general introduction
00:15:07.17\00:15:09.47
that you just gave us,
00:15:09.50\00:15:10.84
I know there's got to
be aspects of this ministry
00:15:10.87\00:15:13.07
that really makes it stand
out, it really makes it special.
00:15:13.11\00:15:15.54
So, you know, what would,
00:15:15.58\00:15:16.91
if somebody was going
to come to you and say,
00:15:16.95\00:15:18.41
you know, what makes
this ministry stand out
00:15:18.45\00:15:21.08
so different and
special from many other,
00:15:21.12\00:15:23.59
what would be your response?
00:15:23.62\00:15:25.12
You know, the children
that we are ministering to
00:15:25.15\00:15:28.06
are what I would consider
00:15:28.09\00:15:30.03
the ones that sort of
fall through the cracks.
00:15:30.06\00:15:32.73
Many of the
countries where we work
00:15:32.76\00:15:34.63
just don't have any
solutions for these kids.
00:15:34.66\00:15:38.43
Sure.
00:15:38.47\00:15:39.80
So, I mean, we're not,
00:15:39.83\00:15:41.44
we're talking
about children that
00:15:41.47\00:15:43.77
whose parents have
died because of wars,
00:15:43.81\00:15:47.08
because of earthquakes,
because of terrible things.
00:15:47.11\00:15:50.71
Or maybe they've gotten
caught up in a lifestyle
00:15:50.75\00:15:53.15
that they've been separated,
maybe they're in prison,
00:15:53.18\00:15:56.52
maybe there's, you
know, other situations.
00:15:56.55\00:15:59.45
And so, it's just
like there's nothing left
00:15:59.49\00:16:02.62
and picking up the pieces,
mending these broken lives.
00:16:02.66\00:16:07.06
That's what we do.
00:16:07.10\00:16:08.46
And so, as best we can,
00:16:08.50\00:16:12.57
I mean, only God can really,
00:16:12.60\00:16:14.90
is a true physician
and can really heal them.
00:16:14.94\00:16:17.21
And so that is one of
our biggest philosophies
00:16:17.24\00:16:22.61
is to bring them to a
knowledge of Jesus Christ.
00:16:22.64\00:16:25.25
Absolutely.
00:16:25.28\00:16:26.82
And that He is the
father of the fatherless,
00:16:26.85\00:16:30.45
and He can heal
that broken heart.
00:16:30.49\00:16:32.42
He can fill that hole
00:16:32.45\00:16:35.19
because there is a
hole in their heart.
00:16:35.22\00:16:37.33
That's kind of the way it is.
00:16:37.36\00:16:38.69
And so the campuses that
we prepare for these kids,
00:16:38.73\00:16:41.80
we call it a children's village.
00:16:41.83\00:16:45.13
You know, I've
mentioned it briefly,
00:16:45.17\00:16:46.80
but it has a church,
00:16:46.84\00:16:48.97
you know, it's a
center of worship,
00:16:49.00\00:16:50.61
it's a center of education
00:16:50.64\00:16:52.74
for Christian
education and school, you know.
00:16:52.77\00:16:57.45
And so the schools,
they learn everything
00:16:57.48\00:17:00.95
from gardening
to math, you know?
00:17:00.98\00:17:04.35
And then within
this, we try to incorporate
00:17:04.39\00:17:08.29
a lot of the kinds of things
that Ellen White talks about.
00:17:08.32\00:17:11.73
And my mother was
especially just had those books,
00:17:11.76\00:17:16.03
like line, like crazy, you know.
00:17:16.06\00:17:18.20
And it's like,
okay, we've got to get,
00:17:18.23\00:17:19.87
got to teach them
some vocational things.
00:17:19.90\00:17:21.60
We've got to
teach them how to live,
00:17:21.64\00:17:24.27
how to be independent,
00:17:24.31\00:17:25.64
you know, from the
time that they come to us
00:17:25.67\00:17:27.78
until they leave,
00:17:27.81\00:17:29.38
our mission is to help them
00:17:29.41\00:17:30.75
to become independent, you know.
00:17:30.78\00:17:32.71
And so eventually
00:17:32.75\00:17:34.52
they need to be able
to live on their own.
00:17:34.55\00:17:36.35
They need to be able
to go back into society
00:17:36.38\00:17:39.69
and break that chain of poverty.
00:17:39.72\00:17:41.12
Sure.
00:17:41.16\00:17:42.49
And so, living in
a village like this
00:17:42.52\00:17:45.83
teaches them incredible skills.
00:17:45.86\00:17:47.76
It's amazing.
00:17:47.80\00:17:49.13
I've heard lots of
these kids later on say, well,
00:17:49.16\00:17:51.60
you know, I get out in life
00:17:51.63\00:17:52.97
and I can do
things nobody else can do.
00:17:53.00\00:17:54.70
I know how to fix a water pipe.
00:17:54.74\00:17:56.07
I know how to...
00:17:56.10\00:17:57.44
I know how to fix
this, it's broken.
00:17:57.47\00:17:59.81
They're going, hey,
Juan, can you fix this?
00:17:59.84\00:18:02.51
Yeah, sure. No problem.
00:18:02.54\00:18:04.31
Because had to
do that, you know,
00:18:04.35\00:18:06.15
they just, they live together,
they learn lots of things.
00:18:06.18\00:18:09.98
I mean, learning is
really the key, right?
00:18:10.02\00:18:12.59
Absolutely. Yeah.
00:18:12.62\00:18:13.96
Christian learning the
truth of loving each other
00:18:13.99\00:18:17.93
and also just
how to live in life.
00:18:17.96\00:18:20.60
Absolutely.
00:18:20.63\00:18:21.96
This really helps
them when they get out,
00:18:22.00\00:18:23.67
they're going
to be on their own.
00:18:23.70\00:18:25.03
They're going to
try to make a living,
00:18:25.07\00:18:28.70
you know, and during this
time we provide an education.
00:18:28.74\00:18:32.17
So obviously just like
everyone who has children,
00:18:32.21\00:18:36.21
not every child wants
to go in the same direction
00:18:36.24\00:18:38.58
maybe that you
want them to go but...
00:18:38.61\00:18:39.95
Right.
00:18:39.98\00:18:41.32
But we help them
to make decisions,
00:18:41.35\00:18:42.68
hopefully good ones.
00:18:42.72\00:18:44.39
And many of these
kids get an education
00:18:44.42\00:18:47.49
even beyond secondary school.
00:18:47.52\00:18:51.13
And so we have, if they want,
00:18:51.16\00:18:54.56
we try to get sponsorships
00:18:54.60\00:18:56.40
and make it available for them
00:18:56.43\00:18:57.80
to continue on
to a more education.
00:18:57.83\00:19:00.54
So this could
include vocational training.
00:19:00.57\00:19:02.87
I mean, we have lots of
them that have become mechanics
00:19:02.90\00:19:05.21
or maybe a hairdresser or chef.
00:19:05.24\00:19:08.14
Right.
00:19:08.18\00:19:09.98
Yeah, just recently was
in the Dominican Republic.
00:19:10.01\00:19:13.88
And one of our
guys has become a chef
00:19:13.92\00:19:15.88
and he proudly had
helped prepare the potluck
00:19:15.92\00:19:18.45
on Sabbath and I was going,
00:19:18.49\00:19:19.95
"Is this one you made?"
"Yeah, I made that one."
00:19:19.99\00:19:21.66
"Yeah, let me try that
stuff. That's good, man."
00:19:21.69\00:19:24.13
And, you know,
00:19:24.16\00:19:25.49
and others have become
doctors, nurses, pastors.
00:19:25.53\00:19:28.43
I mean, you know, after
43 years, you can imagine
00:19:28.46\00:19:31.53
that we have a
couple of generations now.
00:19:31.57\00:19:33.60
Absolutely.
00:19:33.64\00:19:34.97
And so we're seeing the fruit,
00:19:35.00\00:19:36.40
we're seeing
these kids are actually,
00:19:36.44\00:19:39.84
you know, going back into life,
00:19:39.87\00:19:42.44
into society, really making
a difference in paying it back.
00:19:42.48\00:19:45.78
Amen.
00:19:45.81\00:19:47.15
You know, as I'm
hearing all of this,
00:19:47.18\00:19:48.58
I'm just overwhelmed
00:19:48.62\00:19:50.39
by the fact that
you're following.
00:19:50.42\00:19:52.22
And it's very clear
that you're following
00:19:52.25\00:19:53.62
the method of
what Mrs. White calls,
00:19:53.66\00:19:55.36
Christ method alone,
00:19:55.39\00:19:56.79
in which, you know, we don't
just go into people's lives
00:19:56.83\00:19:58.96
into their homes and, you know,
00:19:58.99\00:20:00.50
beat them over the
head with, you know,
00:20:00.53\00:20:03.47
biblical
principles or doctrines,
00:20:03.50\00:20:06.50
while those are all important,
00:20:06.53\00:20:08.17
you first need
to reach the heart,
00:20:08.20\00:20:09.54
minister to their
needs, mingle among them
00:20:09.57\00:20:11.77
as one who sympathizes with them
00:20:11.81\00:20:13.27
and cares for them.
00:20:13.31\00:20:14.64
And that's exactly
what you guys are doing.
00:20:14.68\00:20:16.08
And that's just such a blessing
00:20:16.11\00:20:17.45
to hear
everything you're saying,
00:20:17.48\00:20:18.81
I've got to get across
this big table over here
00:20:18.85\00:20:20.85
to the other Rick.
00:20:20.88\00:20:22.85
Brother Rick Bowes,
00:20:22.88\00:20:24.35
you know, tell us a
little bit about how you,
00:20:24.39\00:20:26.86
you know, you came in contact
00:20:26.89\00:20:28.22
and in connection
with this ministry,
00:20:28.26\00:20:29.59
and how you heard about them?
00:20:29.62\00:20:30.96
I had the
opportunity of pastoring
00:20:30.99\00:20:33.43
these two people,
00:20:33.46\00:20:34.80
Alycone and Ken Fleck.
00:20:34.83\00:20:36.16
When I came to this church,
this is a medically church
00:20:36.20\00:20:38.13
in the Oregon
Conference in Washington State.
00:20:38.17\00:20:41.20
And there were two
of my church members.
00:20:41.24\00:20:43.07
They were part of my
flock and just amazing people.
00:20:43.10\00:20:47.61
And as you talk to them,
00:20:47.64\00:20:49.98
number one,
00:20:50.01\00:20:51.35
they had a personal
relationship with Jesus.
00:20:51.38\00:20:52.91
Number two,
00:20:52.95\00:20:54.28
throughout their lives,
they'd follow the calling.
00:20:54.32\00:20:56.72
And as I got
acquainted with them,
00:20:56.75\00:20:59.59
Alcyon, Rick's
mom has written books
00:20:59.62\00:21:02.16
that are just dramatic,
00:21:02.19\00:21:04.93
just step-by-step
following the Lord.
00:21:04.96\00:21:07.13
God led them here,
God led them there.
00:21:07.16\00:21:10.13
And so anyhow,
they were my church.
00:21:10.17\00:21:12.60
And as I talked to them
00:21:12.63\00:21:14.07
and they told me
about the mission,
00:21:14.10\00:21:15.44
and I'd heard of
International Children's Care,
00:21:15.47\00:21:17.91
but as I talked to
them, it's just amazing.
00:21:17.94\00:21:23.31
And it's a mission
driven organization.
00:21:23.35\00:21:26.65
It's God driven,
it's prayer driven.
00:21:26.68\00:21:28.75
And as I pastored this church,
mission trips from our kids,
00:21:28.78\00:21:34.42
the churches buy
an elementary school,
00:21:34.46\00:21:36.52
buy an academy
00:21:36.56\00:21:37.99
and the academy kids
would go down to mission trips
00:21:38.03\00:21:40.23
to the various
children's villages.
00:21:40.26\00:21:41.80
And these kids
would go down there
00:21:41.83\00:21:43.73
and then they would come back
00:21:43.77\00:21:45.13
and their lives
were transformed.
00:21:45.17\00:21:46.84
These are teenagers and
they're typical teenagers,
00:21:46.87\00:21:49.67
but they would go to
these children's villages.
00:21:49.70\00:21:52.27
And you could tell
their lives were changed.
00:21:52.31\00:21:55.98
I spent some time talking
to some of these young people
00:21:56.01\00:21:59.25
is like, they just said,
this is just life changing.
00:21:59.28\00:22:02.35
Our whole world has opened up.
00:22:02.38\00:22:04.55
And so there was a
young girl in our church
00:22:04.59\00:22:08.12
who was in Pathfinders
and they said to her,
00:22:08.16\00:22:10.46
all the Pathfinder
kids need a project.
00:22:10.49\00:22:12.59
And so she chose a
project of writing letters
00:22:12.63\00:22:17.33
to our church member.
00:22:17.37\00:22:18.70
Well, she wrote
to the senior pastor
00:22:18.73\00:22:20.07
that was me.
00:22:20.10\00:22:21.44
And she said, "You
got to sponsor kids."
00:22:21.47\00:22:23.47
And we had sponsored children
00:22:23.51\00:22:25.57
through different
organizations for years,
00:22:25.61\00:22:28.11
but we said, you
know, this is right here.
00:22:28.14\00:22:31.41
This is us. Why
aren't we sponsoring kids?
00:22:31.45\00:22:33.75
And so we began sponsoring
00:22:33.78\00:22:35.55
and I became a
member of the board
00:22:35.58\00:22:38.69
and for years they,
00:22:38.72\00:22:42.59
I looked at financial sheets
00:22:42.62\00:22:44.83
and we, you do what you
do on a board, you know.
00:22:44.86\00:22:47.10
Sure, sure. Yeah.
00:22:47.13\00:22:48.53
This is what we're
doing over here, over here.
00:22:48.56\00:22:51.00
And I enjoyed that.
00:22:51.03\00:22:53.17
They kept saying
00:22:53.20\00:22:55.07
you got to go to a
children's village.
00:22:55.10\00:22:57.57
You can never really understand.
00:22:57.61\00:23:01.18
And I kept
repelling, well, I'm busy.
00:23:01.21\00:23:04.01
Right. Pastors are busy, right?
00:23:04.05\00:23:05.65
I'm doing ministry,
I'm running a church.
00:23:05.68\00:23:07.98
And so finally we went.
00:23:08.02\00:23:10.72
When we finally got down
there, it was just amazing.
00:23:10.75\00:23:14.52
It is. It was.
00:23:14.56\00:23:17.56
I think we have a picture. Yeah.
00:23:17.59\00:23:18.93
I think we have
actually a few pictures here.
00:23:18.96\00:23:20.70
Let's pull up one of
Sharman with the child, I guess.
00:23:20.73\00:23:25.60
Let's see if we
can pull that one out.
00:23:25.63\00:23:26.97
Yeah, this is my
wife and this is our girl
00:23:27.00\00:23:31.37
and this is special
when you're sponsor.
00:23:31.41\00:23:36.24
Sure.
00:23:36.28\00:23:37.61
You write letters to your child,
00:23:37.65\00:23:38.98
your child writes
letters back to you.
00:23:39.01\00:23:41.12
And they report on,
00:23:41.15\00:23:44.52
well, just how
she's doing academically,
00:23:44.55\00:23:46.52
this is socially,
spiritually and all of that.
00:23:46.55\00:23:48.92
You see a picture of her
00:23:48.96\00:23:50.99
and you know, it just
gets you in your heart
00:23:51.03\00:23:53.36
as you're
exchanging this correspondence.
00:23:53.40\00:23:56.56
And this goes on for years.
00:23:56.60\00:23:58.80
And then the fact that we get
to go down there and see her.
00:23:58.83\00:24:03.27
And when we got to
this children's village,
00:24:03.30\00:24:06.98
all the kids were
wandering all around,
00:24:07.01\00:24:09.04
you know, doing whatever,
some of them were working,
00:24:09.08\00:24:10.85
some of them were in school,
00:24:10.88\00:24:12.21
some of them were
playing on the athletic field.
00:24:12.25\00:24:13.85
And we saw all
these girls in a clump,
00:24:13.88\00:24:16.42
teenagers, 11, 12, 13.
00:24:16.45\00:24:19.92
And we... Where is our daughter?
00:24:19.95\00:24:21.92
Where is...
00:24:21.96\00:24:23.29
Which one is her,
00:24:23.32\00:24:24.66
you know, from the
distance we couldn't see.
00:24:24.69\00:24:26.03
And finally, we
saw the administrator,
00:24:26.06\00:24:28.36
she drew one girl aside
and she was pointing at us.
00:24:28.40\00:24:32.30
And we said, this is
our girl. This is our girl.
00:24:32.33\00:24:35.64
And my wife started
running and she started,
00:24:35.67\00:24:39.11
it was one of these
things I could see slow motion,
00:24:39.14\00:24:41.71
you know, running together.
00:24:41.74\00:24:44.68
And you saw there
on the screen, the hug.
00:24:44.71\00:24:47.42
And we stayed
there for five days.
00:24:47.45\00:24:49.92
And our daughter had
her arm around my wife
00:24:49.95\00:24:55.06
the whole time.
00:24:55.09\00:24:56.42
That's powerful.
00:24:56.46\00:24:57.79
And it was just a blessing.
00:24:57.83\00:24:59.16
And then this next picture,
00:24:59.19\00:25:00.53
I guess, as you speaking
at the Las Palmas Church.
00:25:00.56\00:25:02.90
Yes. Okay.
00:25:02.93\00:25:04.33
There's both of you.
00:25:04.37\00:25:05.70
The two Ricks.
00:25:05.73\00:25:07.07
I had an excellent interpreter.
00:25:07.10\00:25:09.54
So it was just,
it's a beautiful church.
00:25:09.57\00:25:12.17
I don't know who
built the church.
00:25:12.21\00:25:13.54
Was It? Maranatha
built that church.
00:25:13.58\00:25:15.64
Yeah. Beautiful church.
00:25:15.68\00:25:17.05
And to stand up
there and to preach,
00:25:17.08\00:25:19.75
kids looking
great, kids attentive.
00:25:19.78\00:25:22.92
It was just a
great blessing, Amen.
00:25:22.95\00:25:24.89
I think we've got one more
00:25:24.92\00:25:26.25
of the Las Palmas children here.
00:25:26.29\00:25:29.06
Okay.
00:25:29.09\00:25:30.43
So what's happening
here? Is this the church here?
00:25:30.46\00:25:32.76
That's, is that the church? Yes.
00:25:32.79\00:25:34.30
That's the church. Yeah.
00:25:34.33\00:25:35.66
Okay. Praise the lord.
00:25:35.70\00:25:37.30
So that day after church,
we had a potluck together
00:25:37.33\00:25:40.47
and then we had a
bunch of alumni kids.
00:25:40.50\00:25:42.50
So kids that are,
you know, grown up.
00:25:42.54\00:25:44.81
Right.
00:25:44.84\00:25:46.17
I think we have
a picture of them,
00:25:46.21\00:25:47.54
but they came
00:25:47.58\00:25:48.98
and he got the privilege of
meeting a lot of these kids.
00:25:49.01\00:25:52.41
They even had
their own children.
00:25:52.45\00:25:53.78
Now they're married.
00:25:53.82\00:25:55.15
They have some
of their own kids.
00:25:55.18\00:25:57.22
And I know you guys
have, you know, speaking of,
00:25:57.25\00:25:59.29
you know, that picture was,
you know, some of the alumni,
00:25:59.32\00:26:01.22
some of the ones that
00:26:01.26\00:26:02.59
I guess had been
through the program.
00:26:02.62\00:26:03.96
I know you guys have
some success stories.
00:26:03.99\00:26:05.89
And so maybe we can
talk a little bit about some
00:26:05.93\00:26:07.76
that stick out in
your mind as far as,
00:26:07.80\00:26:09.73
you know a perfect example
00:26:09.76\00:26:11.10
of what International
Children's Care is doing.
00:26:11.13\00:26:13.30
Oh, I got one.
00:26:13.34\00:26:15.54
This story is great.
00:26:15.57\00:26:16.91
Again, interwoven lives.
00:26:16.94\00:26:18.71
That's what you got to think of.
00:26:18.74\00:26:20.08
But in Congo we have a project
00:26:20.11\00:26:22.64
and it's on the island
of Idjwi and Lake Kivu.
00:26:22.68\00:26:26.51
And it's in the
Eastern part of the DRC.
00:26:26.55\00:26:31.05
That's called
Patmos Children's Care.
00:26:31.09\00:26:33.25
Okay. All right.
00:26:33.29\00:26:34.86
Anyway, years ago,
00:26:34.89\00:26:36.66
when we were kind
of first starting their
00:26:36.69\00:26:39.06
Jerome, a little
girl with other kids.
00:26:39.09\00:26:42.96
She came, she lost her parents
00:26:43.00\00:26:45.10
and she came and
found a new life.
00:26:45.13\00:26:48.40
She found parents.
00:26:48.44\00:26:49.77
That's just her. Yeah.
00:26:49.80\00:26:51.14
There's a picture
of when she was little.
00:26:51.17\00:26:53.61
During the time
that she was with us,
00:26:53.64\00:26:56.78
she got an education.
00:26:56.81\00:27:00.12
She learned about Jesus,
00:27:00.15\00:27:01.52
learned all these
skills, these life skills
00:27:01.55\00:27:03.62
that you and I were
talking about earlier,
00:27:03.65\00:27:05.52
you know, and well,
wouldn't you know it
00:27:05.55\00:27:08.42
that she got married
00:27:08.46\00:27:09.82
and now she's a house parent.
00:27:09.86\00:27:12.03
She's a house
mother in one of the homes
00:27:12.06\00:27:14.00
with her husband.
00:27:14.03\00:27:15.96
And so now that's a story.
00:27:16.00\00:27:18.87
Another story is another
girl whose name is Judith.
00:27:18.90\00:27:21.87
And her story was similar
where she had lost her parents.
00:27:21.90\00:27:26.21
She's, you know, went
through this whole program.
00:27:26.24\00:27:30.68
She learned about Jesus.
00:27:30.71\00:27:32.15
She learned all
these life skills.
00:27:32.18\00:27:33.58
She got an education
00:27:33.62\00:27:35.45
and she started working for a,
00:27:35.48\00:27:37.45
with a partner
organization there
00:27:37.49\00:27:39.65
where we are
helping Pygmies in there,
00:27:39.69\00:27:43.43
there's a colony of them
00:27:43.46\00:27:45.79
and they haven't
had much education
00:27:45.83\00:27:47.53
or even housing.
00:27:47.56\00:27:48.90
And so, she'd been
hired to work in that system
00:27:48.93\00:27:52.30
and with those, with that group.
00:27:52.33\00:27:54.50
Well, one day she was,
00:27:54.54\00:27:57.77
Judith was in a
town on that island
00:27:57.81\00:28:01.48
and she saw a little boy
00:28:01.51\00:28:04.01
and this little boy was forlorn
00:28:04.05\00:28:06.38
and he's kind of alone.
00:28:06.41\00:28:08.18
And she wondered
what was going on.
00:28:08.22\00:28:10.39
She could tell
because of her own experience,
00:28:10.42\00:28:13.02
something wasn't right.
00:28:13.05\00:28:15.52
This was Daniel,
00:28:15.56\00:28:16.89
let me back up now a little bit,
00:28:16.93\00:28:18.26
because a little
while before this,
00:28:18.29\00:28:20.30
Daniel had been on
that lake in a ferry boat
00:28:20.33\00:28:25.53
and with his mom
and dad and his grandma,
00:28:25.57\00:28:29.00
the boat went
down in a furious storm
00:28:29.04\00:28:31.31
in the night.
00:28:31.34\00:28:33.21
And in that storm,
00:28:33.24\00:28:34.84
many people,
many lives were lost,
00:28:34.88\00:28:37.15
but somehow Daniel
managed to grab some things
00:28:37.18\00:28:39.98
that were drifting around.
00:28:40.02\00:28:41.88
He survived.
00:28:41.92\00:28:43.92
He somehow made it to the shore.
00:28:43.95\00:28:46.59
But he had nothing
now, his family's gone.
00:28:46.62\00:28:50.43
He didn't know what to do.
00:28:50.46\00:28:52.53
He's just a little kid.
00:28:52.56\00:28:54.36
And so he tried to
survive around the market there
00:28:54.40\00:28:58.40
and he would get whatever
somebody would hand to him,
00:28:58.43\00:29:02.10
but nobody really
paid much attention to him
00:29:02.14\00:29:05.41
until that day that
Judith happened to see him.
00:29:05.44\00:29:07.88
And she actually went up to him.
00:29:07.91\00:29:12.08
Hey, what's going on?
00:29:12.11\00:29:13.95
What happened?
00:29:13.98\00:29:15.42
And as his story
came out and she found out
00:29:15.45\00:29:19.82
she didn't, she wasn't married.
00:29:19.85\00:29:21.29
She didn't really,
she just starting a job.
00:29:21.32\00:29:23.63
She didn't really have much.
00:29:23.66\00:29:25.19
But she couldn't do
anything except take him
00:29:25.23\00:29:27.96
and take care of him.
00:29:28.00\00:29:29.46
And so she took
him into her own home,
00:29:29.50\00:29:32.87
such as it was
00:29:32.90\00:29:34.34
and started taking care of him.
00:29:34.37\00:29:35.90
Sure.
00:29:35.94\00:29:37.27
My wife and I happened to
be visiting there last year.
00:29:37.31\00:29:43.08
And one day we heard that
00:29:43.11\00:29:48.35
Judith wanted to
talk to us about something
00:29:48.38\00:29:51.99
and that she has this little boy
00:29:52.02\00:29:54.42
and she wonders if
he could be part of,
00:29:54.46\00:29:57.66
you know, the
children's village,
00:29:57.69\00:29:59.03
because she can't really,
00:29:59.06\00:30:00.56
you know, take
care of him forever.
00:30:00.60\00:30:03.23
And so, she came
00:30:03.26\00:30:05.20
and she brought
this little boy, Daniel,
00:30:05.23\00:30:08.10
and as we were talking
with the administrator there,
00:30:08.14\00:30:12.37
we said, "Well, sure, you know,
he can come and live here."
00:30:12.41\00:30:15.11
Right.
00:30:15.14\00:30:16.54
But you know which
home should we put him in?
00:30:16.58\00:30:19.05
Who do you think he said
00:30:19.08\00:30:21.08
Jerome would be
the perfect mother
00:30:21.12\00:30:22.92
for this little kid.
00:30:22.95\00:30:24.45
Wow. We have a picture.
00:30:24.49\00:30:25.95
Yeah. Let's
pull that picture up.
00:30:25.99\00:30:27.32
And that picture shows
Jerome with little Daniel
00:30:27.36\00:30:31.69
and Judith on the left
there in the polka dot dress.
00:30:31.73\00:30:34.43
And so they went off.
00:30:34.46\00:30:38.03
She was very solemn that day.
00:30:38.07\00:30:41.90
But he also knew
that he had come home.
00:30:41.94\00:30:46.01
Sure.
00:30:46.04\00:30:47.38
He had come to a place
where somebody actually
00:30:47.41\00:30:49.18
was going to take care of him.
00:30:49.21\00:30:50.55
And he wasn't
going to have to wonder
00:30:50.58\00:30:51.91
what he's going to
eat tomorrow or next week.
00:30:51.95\00:30:55.65
And so those are the
kinds of stories that happen
00:30:55.68\00:31:00.96
when God is
painting this picture
00:31:00.99\00:31:04.59
with our lives.
00:31:04.63\00:31:06.56
Amen.
00:31:06.59\00:31:07.93
You know, as I'm hearing
this, this is the gospel.
00:31:07.96\00:31:10.27
This is what the
gospel is all about.
00:31:10.30\00:31:12.13
It's all about
making a difference
00:31:12.17\00:31:13.60
in other people's lives,
00:31:13.64\00:31:14.97
sharing the love
and the light of Christ
00:31:15.00\00:31:17.21
from us to someone else.
00:31:17.24\00:31:18.91
As Christ changes us,
and He's working in us
00:31:18.94\00:31:21.48
and makes us want to love
and serve others around us.
00:31:21.51\00:31:23.75
And as I'm hearing
you tell these stories,
00:31:23.78\00:31:25.81
wow, it's powerful.
00:31:25.85\00:31:27.72
In fact, we
were actually blessed
00:31:27.75\00:31:29.72
because you're telling us
all these wonderful stories.
00:31:29.75\00:31:31.79
We actually have a
special guest with us
00:31:31.82\00:31:34.69
coming all the way from
India via Skype we have with us,
00:31:34.72\00:31:38.59
Ms. Sharon Clinton, a chaplain.
00:31:38.63\00:31:41.40
I can say
Chaplain Sharon Clinton,
00:31:41.43\00:31:43.57
because, Sharon, how are you?
00:31:43.60\00:31:45.17
Are you with us?
00:31:45.20\00:31:46.53
Can you hear us? Yes.
00:31:46.57\00:31:47.90
Wonderful.
00:31:47.94\00:31:49.27
It's a blessing
to have you, Sharon.
00:31:49.30\00:31:50.64
And, you know what?
00:31:50.67\00:31:52.01
We want to take
the next few minutes
00:31:52.04\00:31:53.38
just to talk to you
00:31:53.41\00:31:54.74
because we know that
00:31:54.78\00:31:56.11
International
Children's Care Ministry
00:31:56.14\00:31:57.48
has blessed you tremendously
00:31:57.51\00:31:58.85
and has changed your life
00:31:58.88\00:32:00.22
and you probably wouldn't be
where you are today without it.
00:32:00.25\00:32:02.62
And so I just want to just,
00:32:02.65\00:32:03.99
you know, start
off by asking this,
00:32:04.02\00:32:05.35
asking you to tell us a
little bit about yourself
00:32:05.39\00:32:07.56
and, you know, where you
live and where you're serving
00:32:07.59\00:32:10.26
and what you're
doing at this time?
00:32:10.29\00:32:13.70
Thank you so much for
having me, Pastor Ryan.
00:32:13.73\00:32:15.86
It's so wonderful to
meet you and your team.
00:32:15.90\00:32:18.13
Amen.
00:32:18.17\00:32:19.93
And my name is
Sharon, like you mentioned.
00:32:19.97\00:32:21.87
And I've been part of Sweet Home
00:32:21.90\00:32:27.61
for about 10 years.
00:32:27.64\00:32:29.41
And at the moment I work in
Spicer Adventist University,
00:32:29.44\00:32:35.18
situated in India, Pune,
00:32:35.22\00:32:38.39
as the assistant pastor,
00:32:38.42\00:32:41.09
as well as the
associate professor
00:32:41.12\00:32:44.69
in the department of theology
here at Spicer University.
00:32:44.73\00:32:48.23
And I live with my husband,
00:32:48.26\00:32:50.70
who I'm married to for
about one and half year now,
00:32:50.73\00:32:53.57
and the Lord
has been good to me.
00:32:53.60\00:32:55.97
Praise the Lord.
00:32:56.00\00:32:57.34
That's such a
powerful blessing to see
00:32:57.37\00:32:59.31
where God's brought you,
00:32:59.34\00:33:00.68
but I'm curious,
00:33:00.71\00:33:02.04
you know, could you
tell us a little bit
00:33:02.08\00:33:03.41
more as to how
you came in connection
00:33:03.45\00:33:07.78
with International
Children's Care Ministry
00:33:07.82\00:33:10.22
and how also you came in contact
00:33:10.25\00:33:12.05
with the Sweet
Home Village in India.
00:33:12.09\00:33:13.82
So tell us a
little bit about that?
00:33:13.86\00:33:16.49
All right.
00:33:16.52\00:33:17.86
It takes me back
to the year 2000.
00:33:17.89\00:33:21.83
I was about nine years old then,
00:33:21.86\00:33:23.77
and it was in 2000, September,
00:33:23.80\00:33:28.64
in the month of September,
00:33:28.67\00:33:30.01
I think around seven or eight
00:33:30.04\00:33:32.21
was the day when I
was brought to Sweet Home
00:33:32.24\00:33:35.44
by an Adventist pastor.
00:33:35.48\00:33:37.68
Now by then my
dad had lost his wife,
00:33:37.71\00:33:41.98
that's my mother.
00:33:42.02\00:33:43.35
And it's been a couple of years
00:33:43.39\00:33:44.72
that my dad was on
his own looking care,
00:33:44.75\00:33:47.19
looking after
three little girls.
00:33:47.22\00:33:49.52
And it was quite a lot on my dad
00:33:49.56\00:33:52.53
trying to meet ends.
00:33:52.56\00:33:54.90
And looking after us
00:33:54.93\00:33:57.30
trying to find a way for
us to have our schooling,
00:33:57.33\00:33:59.73
which was always his priority.
00:33:59.77\00:34:02.64
But unfortunately
00:34:02.67\00:34:04.01
he couldn't
keep up with the pace
00:34:04.04\00:34:05.64
of how things were
working out for him.
00:34:05.67\00:34:10.21
So I would say
00:34:10.25\00:34:13.31
it's the Lord's
leading back to my dad,
00:34:13.35\00:34:15.45
not being an Adventist,
00:34:15.48\00:34:17.59
having an Adventist
pastor as his friend,
00:34:17.62\00:34:21.16
it's the Lord's will.
00:34:21.19\00:34:22.82
And it was on a fine day
00:34:22.86\00:34:26.76
when my dad was almost
not able to do anything
00:34:26.80\00:34:30.13
for his three little girls
00:34:30.17\00:34:31.50
that he met
this Adventist pastor
00:34:31.53\00:34:34.00
who suggested that,
00:34:34.04\00:34:36.64
you know, if you can
send two of your girls
00:34:36.67\00:34:39.91
to a place called Sweet Home,
00:34:39.94\00:34:42.54
which was about
five hours drive away
00:34:42.58\00:34:44.55
from where my dad stays
00:34:44.58\00:34:47.08
and they said, you know,
00:34:47.12\00:34:48.88
your girls could
get free education.
00:34:48.92\00:34:51.25
They could get free clothing.
00:34:51.29\00:34:54.19
They would be able to live lives
00:34:54.22\00:34:58.83
under proper schedule,
00:34:58.86\00:35:00.60
and they would have everything
00:35:00.63\00:35:01.96
that they would ever
think of wanting to have.
00:35:02.00\00:35:04.37
And more than importantly
00:35:04.40\00:35:05.73
the pastor
pointed out, and he said,
00:35:05.77\00:35:07.70
you know if you would like
00:35:07.74\00:35:09.07
to give your
children a better future,
00:35:09.10\00:35:11.51
this home is the right place
00:35:11.54\00:35:14.21
that would give them everything
that you ever want to.
00:35:14.24\00:35:18.08
So it was a battle for my dad
00:35:18.11\00:35:20.05
to leave his
girls in such a place,
00:35:20.08\00:35:22.65
but yet he decided that
00:35:22.68\00:35:25.49
that's the best thing
that he could do for us.
00:35:25.52\00:35:27.86
And so it was in the year 2000
00:35:27.89\00:35:31.03
that he brought us to Sweet Home
00:35:31.06\00:35:34.06
and I grew up in
Sweet Home from then on
00:35:34.10\00:35:36.40
until the year 2010.
00:35:36.43\00:35:38.97
Later on, I went to Pune
for my undergrad studies,
00:35:39.00\00:35:42.84
but I'm still
connected to Sweet Home.
00:35:42.87\00:35:44.87
I talk to all the
kids there to this day
00:35:44.91\00:35:47.64
Wow. Praise the Lord.
00:35:47.68\00:35:49.01
So tell us a little bit,
00:35:49.04\00:35:50.38
what was it like
growing up in the village there?
00:35:50.41\00:35:52.01
What was life
like at the village?
00:35:52.05\00:35:56.32
I would say that was a blessing.
00:35:56.35\00:35:59.25
Yes, being a nine year old,
00:35:59.29\00:36:01.86
my life was
constrained about games
00:36:01.89\00:36:04.59
and enjoying all the
little things in life,
00:36:04.63\00:36:08.10
but at the same time, I
had strong women in life,
00:36:08.13\00:36:13.74
who pointed out the
right direction to my life.
00:36:13.77\00:36:17.21
And the orphanage
director, Mrs. Lily Kaligati
00:36:17.24\00:36:21.04
was looking after
Sweet Home at that time.
00:36:21.08\00:36:23.85
She was a very strong
woman in her own faith.
00:36:23.88\00:36:28.52
And being the
little girl, I was,
00:36:28.55\00:36:31.69
she had to be a
little strict for me
00:36:31.72\00:36:33.42
to get into line
00:36:33.46\00:36:34.79
of being the person
that I should become.
00:36:34.82\00:36:37.36
So my life was
filled with a lot of love,
00:36:37.39\00:36:40.76
a lot of protection,
00:36:40.80\00:36:42.63
and my life was
filled with men and women
00:36:42.66\00:36:47.07
who played role
of being the kind
00:36:47.10\00:36:50.57
of human sacrifice
to them to be like.
00:36:50.61\00:36:53.54
So where I am
today, what I am today
00:36:53.58\00:36:56.34
is because of all that blessings
00:36:56.38\00:36:58.81
that I have received.
00:36:58.85\00:37:00.25
Wow. Praise the Lord.
00:37:00.28\00:37:01.92
That's so awesome.
00:37:01.95\00:37:03.28
So I'm just curious.
00:37:03.32\00:37:04.65
So what inspired
you to take theology
00:37:04.69\00:37:08.42
or to join in the theology track
00:37:08.46\00:37:11.46
in ministry?
00:37:11.49\00:37:15.63
That was a summer's dream.
00:37:15.66\00:37:18.60
As a child growing up, I
had a number of ambitions.
00:37:18.63\00:37:21.14
I wanted to be an
elementary teacher.
00:37:21.17\00:37:23.74
I wanted to be an air hostess.
00:37:23.77\00:37:26.88
I've been so much into reading.
00:37:26.91\00:37:29.28
So whatever
character I could read
00:37:29.31\00:37:31.55
is what I imagined
myself to grow out to be.
00:37:31.58\00:37:34.12
Right.
00:37:34.15\00:37:35.48
But it was this one summer
00:37:35.52\00:37:36.99
after I graduated my
higher secondary school
00:37:37.02\00:37:41.36
that I was reading
through a magazine.
00:37:41.39\00:37:45.13
Like I said, reading has played
an important role in my life.
00:37:45.16\00:37:49.56
And my mom, Mommy Lily
00:37:49.60\00:37:52.07
would receive this
magazine called as Gleaner.
00:37:52.10\00:37:54.94
It's a Seventh-day
Adventist magazine.
00:37:54.97\00:37:58.44
And one fine day,
00:37:58.47\00:37:59.81
I picked up the magazine
00:37:59.84\00:38:01.38
and I said, let me read out
00:38:01.41\00:38:02.74
what the magazine
has to tell me about.
00:38:02.78\00:38:05.15
So I've read interesting stories
00:38:05.18\00:38:09.28
through the magazine,
00:38:09.32\00:38:10.99
I left it on my
bed and went along,
00:38:11.02\00:38:13.69
doing my chores and
things that were assigned to me.
00:38:13.72\00:38:17.76
Then I come back
to my bed that evening
00:38:17.79\00:38:20.63
to find the page
00:38:20.66\00:38:23.16
flipped to a
little advertisement
00:38:23.20\00:38:26.40
that I've seen
00:38:26.43\00:38:27.77
where it says
00:38:27.80\00:38:29.14
come to Korea
00:38:29.17\00:38:31.11
and teach me Bible English.
00:38:31.14\00:38:36.08
I didn't think
much about typically,
00:38:36.11\00:38:38.81
but then this was something
that happened more than once,
00:38:38.85\00:38:43.72
it happened almost
three or four times to me.
00:38:43.75\00:38:46.59
And I wondered,
00:38:46.62\00:38:48.16
what was the book
trying to say to me,
00:38:48.19\00:38:51.83
until later on, I
went to spoke to Mommy Lily
00:38:51.86\00:38:55.40
expressing that this
is what is happening.
00:38:55.43\00:38:57.17
I don't if the Lord
wants me to be in his ministry.
00:38:57.20\00:39:01.40
So she said,
00:39:01.44\00:39:03.30
Sharon, I know you
are a very good girl.
00:39:03.34\00:39:06.17
You are a sweet person.
00:39:06.21\00:39:07.58
You have this, you know,
notorious fight of who you are.
00:39:07.61\00:39:12.68
So I want you to
prayerfully think about
00:39:12.71\00:39:15.68
what you want to become.
00:39:15.72\00:39:18.19
So she gave me
about two weeks to pray
00:39:18.22\00:39:21.82
and ask the Lord
00:39:21.86\00:39:23.19
what His role in my life was.
00:39:23.22\00:39:24.99
At the end of two weeks
00:39:25.03\00:39:27.36
I come back to the same magazine
00:39:27.40\00:39:29.66
and I find the same
beautiful advertisement
00:39:29.70\00:39:34.80
asking the world to
come and teach the Bible
00:39:34.84\00:39:36.91
and English.
00:39:36.94\00:39:38.87
So then my heart was like,
00:39:38.91\00:39:41.94
I said, if this is
what you want me to do
00:39:41.98\00:39:45.11
and this is where I'm headed.
00:39:45.15\00:39:47.32
So that was my first step into
00:39:47.35\00:39:51.25
wanting to get into
theological studies.
00:39:51.29\00:39:54.52
And it didn't stop there.
00:39:54.56\00:39:57.03
When I came to the
theology department
00:39:57.06\00:39:59.09
and I realized
00:39:59.13\00:40:00.80
there were not many
women in the department.
00:40:00.83\00:40:04.03
I felt this is what
the Lord wants to use me
00:40:04.07\00:40:08.20
to open more
doors for young women
00:40:08.24\00:40:10.14
to come and experience
00:40:10.17\00:40:11.81
what we are
experiencing as the women
00:40:11.84\00:40:14.31
in the department today.
00:40:14.34\00:40:16.14
Wow. Praise the Lord.
00:40:16.18\00:40:18.21
And it's amazing to see
00:40:18.25\00:40:19.58
how God has used
this powerful ministry
00:40:19.61\00:40:22.35
to inspire you,
00:40:22.38\00:40:23.82
to encourage you
to be where you are.
00:40:23.85\00:40:25.95
I mean, from a child,
now you're a grown adult
00:40:25.99\00:40:28.42
and you're in
ministry serving the Lord
00:40:28.46\00:40:30.76
in so many different aspects.
00:40:30.79\00:40:32.13
And so we're
just so appreciative
00:40:32.16\00:40:33.63
of what God is
doing through you.
00:40:33.66\00:40:35.66
And you know, just
the final question here.
00:40:35.70\00:40:37.73
I'm just curious, you know,
00:40:37.77\00:40:39.10
with all that we're
hearing over here in the US
00:40:39.13\00:40:41.34
in regards to the
conditions and challenges
00:40:41.37\00:40:43.51
that people are facing in India
00:40:43.54\00:40:45.37
with this pandemic and COVID-19,
00:40:45.41\00:40:48.64
you know, what are some
of your experiences there?
00:40:48.68\00:40:50.45
What have you,
maybe some challenges
00:40:50.48\00:40:53.68
or some conditions
that you've had to adjust
00:40:53.72\00:40:57.45
or work around in your
ministry there in India?
00:40:57.49\00:41:02.19
One of the things
that happened to our church
00:41:02.22\00:41:04.93
when the pandemic started was
00:41:04.96\00:41:06.63
not having the
ability to go and work
00:41:06.66\00:41:09.56
with the online
worship services.
00:41:09.60\00:41:11.93
So that was one of
our biggest challenges
00:41:11.97\00:41:16.24
in the beginning of,
00:41:16.27\00:41:17.61
at the
beginning of the pandemic.
00:41:17.64\00:41:19.51
But fortunately we
had the Hope channel
00:41:19.54\00:41:23.58
who came forward
to help us with that,
00:41:23.61\00:41:25.51
which made
things so much easier.
00:41:25.55\00:41:28.05
But moving on one
challenge after the other,
00:41:28.08\00:41:32.09
the second challenge was
00:41:32.12\00:41:34.26
we couldn't
really get our community
00:41:34.29\00:41:37.09
to be acquainted
00:41:37.13\00:41:38.53
with the kind
of worship services
00:41:38.56\00:41:40.10
that we were having because
we have different age groups,
00:41:40.13\00:41:43.77
especially the retirees
00:41:43.80\00:41:46.43
and the seniors
persons of our church,
00:41:46.47\00:41:48.27
they can't really understand
00:41:48.30\00:41:49.64
what this online
services, what do they do,
00:41:49.67\00:41:53.21
how do they get to
watch the services?
00:41:53.24\00:41:57.48
But fortunately
00:41:57.51\00:41:59.41
at the beginning
of the pandemic we...
00:41:59.45\00:42:02.62
This country, India
00:42:02.65\00:42:03.99
did not have as
much of a threat,
00:42:04.02\00:42:07.26
hence we pastors decided that
00:42:07.29\00:42:09.22
we would visit the
homes of our senior citizens.
00:42:09.26\00:42:12.16
Help them out with
how to watch our videos,
00:42:12.19\00:42:15.60
how to watch our
worship services and so on
00:42:15.63\00:42:18.43
which was the response.
00:42:18.47\00:42:21.00
But then, of
course, as time passed by
00:42:21.04\00:42:23.71
outreach ministry has
become an issue for us,
00:42:23.74\00:42:26.17
we are not able to reach out
00:42:26.21\00:42:27.61
to as many people
as we think we want to.
00:42:27.64\00:42:29.61
Sure.
00:42:29.64\00:42:30.98
With the fear of
what can happen to them.
00:42:31.01\00:42:33.62
Of course, the pandemic
has changed a lot of things.
00:42:33.65\00:42:37.05
So outreach ministry
has become a challenge.
00:42:37.09\00:42:41.52
And then we have the ideas
00:42:41.56\00:42:46.29
of what to do and how to do
00:42:46.33\00:42:49.43
and how to reach
different age groups
00:42:49.46\00:42:52.03
with the message of the gospel.
00:42:52.07\00:42:54.30
That's one of the challenges.
00:42:54.34\00:42:55.67
And of course the
recent one is the loss of life
00:42:55.70\00:42:58.94
and helping the
members of our church
00:42:58.97\00:43:01.61
cope up with the loss life
among their own family members,
00:43:01.64\00:43:05.75
just over the telephone call.
00:43:05.78\00:43:07.92
So, these are
some of the challenges.
00:43:07.95\00:43:10.39
Amen. Amen. Wow.
00:43:10.42\00:43:12.22
Well, we're definitely
going to keep that in prayer.
00:43:12.25\00:43:13.89
I know, you know, I just want
to make an appeal real quick
00:43:13.92\00:43:15.66
to all of our viewers at home,
00:43:15.69\00:43:17.23
keep our brothers and
sisters in India in prayer.
00:43:17.26\00:43:20.70
You know, just
some of the things
00:43:20.73\00:43:22.06
I'm watching and seeing
00:43:22.10\00:43:23.43
happening, you know, in the news
00:43:23.47\00:43:24.80
and just reading about it,
it's just really heartbreaking,
00:43:24.83\00:43:26.90
but you know what, we
know the Lord has a plan
00:43:26.94\00:43:29.60
and obviously, Sharon,
He has a plan in your life
00:43:29.64\00:43:32.47
and He's been using you.
00:43:32.51\00:43:33.84
And we are so thankful that
00:43:33.88\00:43:35.21
you've had this
opportunity to join us.
00:43:35.24\00:43:36.75
Thank you for sharing with us.
00:43:36.78\00:43:38.71
And we're going to continue
00:43:38.75\00:43:40.08
to pray for you
and your ministry.
00:43:40.12\00:43:41.58
We know that the
Lord has special things
00:43:41.62\00:43:43.25
for you moving forward.
00:43:43.28\00:43:45.55
Thank you. Amen. God bless you.
00:43:45.59\00:43:47.32
And we'll let
you go at this time.
00:43:47.36\00:43:49.06
Thank you so much. Amen.
00:43:49.09\00:43:51.09
It's just powerful to
see what the Lord is doing
00:43:51.13\00:43:53.70
through this amazing ministry
00:43:53.73\00:43:55.40
and I understand that you guys,
00:43:55.43\00:43:57.47
you guys have some new ventures
00:43:57.50\00:43:59.33
perhaps, maybe in Mexico,
00:43:59.37\00:44:00.70
maybe give us some updates
00:44:00.74\00:44:02.07
on what the ministry
is doing moving forward?
00:44:02.10\00:44:04.14
Well, I wanted to
just touch on a little bit,
00:44:04.17\00:44:07.68
the concept of industry.
00:44:07.71\00:44:09.94
Sure.
00:44:09.98\00:44:11.31
Now, there's kind of
two ideas of industry
00:44:11.35\00:44:12.98
within ministries like this.
00:44:13.01\00:44:14.35
One is sort of
the cottage industries
00:44:14.38\00:44:16.12
where children can learn
00:44:16.15\00:44:17.49
how to do
things and handicrafts,
00:44:17.52\00:44:19.05
and we've done that
00:44:19.09\00:44:20.42
ever since the beginning,
00:44:20.46\00:44:22.59
but one of the things
that we're starting to do
00:44:22.62\00:44:25.43
more recently is to do
00:44:25.46\00:44:27.90
some more
commercial kinds of industry
00:44:27.93\00:44:30.03
to help provide support.
00:44:30.07\00:44:31.63
Sure.
00:44:31.67\00:44:33.00
And so right now we have,
00:44:33.03\00:44:36.30
I would say
three that are fairly
00:44:36.34\00:44:39.61
in pretty good
development stages.
00:44:39.64\00:44:41.44
One is in Congo in Africa
00:44:41.48\00:44:43.88
where we have a
fish industry on the lake
00:44:43.91\00:44:47.32
because that's, of course,
00:44:47.35\00:44:48.68
being that it's an
island on a big, huge lake.
00:44:48.72\00:44:50.92
That is, that's a
really big thing there.
00:44:50.95\00:44:54.02
And so having
these floating net places
00:44:54.06\00:44:58.49
where we can grow the
fish and then sell them
00:44:58.53\00:45:01.66
is, is an industry
that is just starting to go,
00:45:01.70\00:45:05.17
kind of got waylaid
a bit by the pandemic.
00:45:05.20\00:45:08.14
But some donors helped us
00:45:08.17\00:45:12.34
with some funds to help do that.
00:45:12.37\00:45:14.41
Also we have a dairy
in the Dominican Republic
00:45:14.44\00:45:16.95
that is really prospering.
00:45:16.98\00:45:19.05
Okay.
00:45:19.08\00:45:20.42
And we even have
quite a few 3ABN people
00:45:20.45\00:45:24.79
who have been
watching and listening
00:45:24.82\00:45:26.32
to some of the
things that we're doing
00:45:26.35\00:45:28.76
that are helping us to buy
cows and they can name the cow.
00:45:28.79\00:45:32.46
And, you know, it's
kind of almost comical,
00:45:32.49\00:45:35.10
but, you know,
they're having fun with that.
00:45:35.13\00:45:36.70
Yeah, yeah.
00:45:36.73\00:45:38.07
And another one we're doing,
and we have a picture of this,
00:45:38.10\00:45:39.97
I think is in Mexico,
00:45:40.00\00:45:41.70
we have a pretty big farm there.
00:45:41.74\00:45:44.17
We've been
farming about 70 acres
00:45:44.21\00:45:47.38
of jalapeno peppers.
00:45:47.41\00:45:50.45
Mostly jalapeno,
00:45:50.48\00:45:52.11
some other types
of peppers as well.
00:45:52.15\00:45:55.28
And this is, this is
a pretty big industry,
00:45:55.32\00:45:58.92
and we're hoping to grow
00:45:58.95\00:46:00.32
because we're in an area there
00:46:00.36\00:46:02.86
that has a lot
of growth potential,
00:46:02.89\00:46:05.63
and what this is doing for us,
00:46:05.66\00:46:07.06
it's not only helping
00:46:07.10\00:46:08.43
to pay for the
expenses of that project,
00:46:08.46\00:46:11.43
but they're actually,
our hope is, and the plan is
00:46:11.47\00:46:14.70
that they can
send money to Guatemala
00:46:14.74\00:46:17.87
or to Africa or to
India or somewhere else,
00:46:17.91\00:46:20.38
you know, that they
would have a surplus.
00:46:20.41\00:46:23.01
And so we work
on these industries
00:46:23.04\00:46:25.95
to help find the resources
00:46:25.98\00:46:28.58
and, you know, God works
in all kinds of different ways
00:46:28.62\00:46:31.65
to help us do this.
00:46:31.69\00:46:33.15
And I think the industry concept
00:46:33.19\00:46:35.19
is something that
00:46:35.22\00:46:37.53
a lot of people would
prefer to do something
00:46:37.56\00:46:40.66
that is going to
produce something else,
00:46:40.70\00:46:43.03
rather than just give money
00:46:43.06\00:46:44.40
that's going to
be used right away.
00:46:44.43\00:46:46.87
And so it
appeals to some people.
00:46:46.90\00:46:49.07
And in most of the industries,
00:46:49.10\00:46:50.57
the way we do it is that
00:46:50.61\00:46:52.01
we loan the money to the project
00:46:52.04\00:46:55.44
with the idea that
they will pay it back
00:46:55.48\00:46:57.11
in a year or two.
00:46:57.15\00:46:58.48
And then that way we
can loan that same money
00:46:58.51\00:46:59.98
to another place
00:47:00.02\00:47:01.65
and they can pay it back.
00:47:01.68\00:47:03.15
So it's sort of a
revolving loan thing.
00:47:03.18\00:47:05.72
And it's been working,
00:47:05.75\00:47:07.09
we've been doing
this now for several years
00:47:07.12\00:47:09.09
and it's growing.
00:47:09.12\00:47:10.63
So we're watching the
Lord work in mysterious ways.
00:47:10.66\00:47:13.70
Of course. Wow.
00:47:13.73\00:47:15.33
That is amazing.
00:47:15.36\00:47:16.70
Praise the Lord for that,
00:47:16.73\00:47:18.07
you know, Pastor
Rick, you're a pastor.
00:47:18.10\00:47:20.14
So I just want to...
00:47:20.17\00:47:21.50
I want to take, we have
about four and a half minutes
00:47:21.54\00:47:23.07
before we go to
our address roll.
00:47:23.10\00:47:25.01
But I just want to,
00:47:25.04\00:47:26.37
you know, let's bring this back
00:47:26.41\00:47:27.74
to the spiritual
aspect of this now,
00:47:27.78\00:47:29.78
because there may be
someone watching at home
00:47:29.81\00:47:31.98
who says, this is
just for children.
00:47:32.01\00:47:33.88
But obviously
this is for children,
00:47:33.92\00:47:35.68
this is for adults,
this is for any anyone,
00:47:35.72\00:47:38.22
what is the
spiritual significance
00:47:38.25\00:47:42.16
that is in connection
00:47:42.19\00:47:43.93
or tied to the work
that you guys are doing?
00:47:43.96\00:47:45.59
I'm glad you asked that.
00:47:45.63\00:47:48.23
Jesus said,
00:47:48.26\00:47:49.96
hey, there's
hungry people feed them.
00:47:50.00\00:47:51.77
That's right.
00:47:51.80\00:47:53.13
There's naked
people, cloth them.
00:47:53.17\00:47:54.84
There's all kinds of
people that are struggling
00:47:54.87\00:47:57.37
and stress and depressed.
00:47:57.41\00:47:59.27
And you got to love everyone.
00:47:59.31\00:48:01.28
The scripture says
00:48:01.31\00:48:02.64
the greatest love
is loving orphans.
00:48:02.68\00:48:06.65
And so you got all
these kids all over the world
00:48:06.68\00:48:09.55
and they're broken.
00:48:09.58\00:48:11.65
You talk about
mending broken people.
00:48:11.69\00:48:13.96
Well, these are broken kids.
00:48:13.99\00:48:16.22
And as Rick mentioned
00:48:16.26\00:48:19.76
earthquakes,
wars, natural disasters,
00:48:19.79\00:48:24.27
they've lost their parents.
00:48:24.30\00:48:25.63
They've lost their siblings.
00:48:25.67\00:48:27.00
They've lost their homes.
00:48:27.04\00:48:28.37
And when they're brought
to our children's villages,
00:48:28.40\00:48:31.21
they're frightened,
they're scared to death,
00:48:31.24\00:48:33.48
they're starving.
00:48:33.51\00:48:34.91
And they come
into this environment
00:48:34.94\00:48:36.41
and they just get love,
just tons and tons of love.
00:48:36.44\00:48:41.42
And the spirituality
is these house parents,
00:48:41.45\00:48:44.99
these moms and
dads in these homes.
00:48:45.02\00:48:47.36
These people are godly people.
00:48:47.39\00:48:49.56
They have a
relationship with Jesus.
00:48:49.59\00:48:51.23
And so it's not
just words, it's they,
00:48:51.26\00:48:53.46
they're living
with these house parents
00:48:53.50\00:48:56.67
and these kids, they know Jesus
00:48:56.70\00:49:00.87
and there's texts
that are emphasized.
00:49:00.90\00:49:04.14
Proverbs 3:5-6,
00:49:04.17\00:49:05.51
"Trust in the Lord
with all your heart,
00:49:05.54\00:49:06.91
lean not on your
own understanding,
00:49:06.94\00:49:08.91
and God is going
to direct your path."
00:49:08.94\00:49:11.78
This is just part of
the spiritual foundation
00:49:11.81\00:49:15.25
in Psalm 23 and Psalm 103
00:49:15.28\00:49:19.12
and the Lord's Prayer.
00:49:19.15\00:49:20.86
These kids learn the Bible.
00:49:20.89\00:49:23.43
And when they go out
00:49:23.46\00:49:26.36
after these years and years
00:49:26.39\00:49:28.53
of being loved and educated,
00:49:28.56\00:49:30.80
when they go out,
00:49:30.83\00:49:32.17
they go out to change the world.
00:49:32.20\00:49:33.54
Absolutely.
00:49:33.57\00:49:34.90
And so, they are solid
00:49:34.94\00:49:37.41
Seventh-day Adventist Christians
00:49:37.44\00:49:39.41
and there's a
phrase paying back.
00:49:39.44\00:49:41.68
They pay back to
the organization,
00:49:41.71\00:49:43.65
they get involved,
00:49:43.68\00:49:45.01
they give money
to the organization
00:49:45.05\00:49:46.38
after they get their jobs
00:49:46.41\00:49:47.88
and they pay forward.
00:49:47.92\00:49:49.35
So they're out
in their communities
00:49:49.38\00:49:51.02
making an impact,
making a difference.
00:49:51.05\00:49:53.05
Sure.
00:49:53.09\00:49:54.42
So thank you so
much for that pastor.
00:49:54.46\00:49:55.79
I appreciate that.
00:49:55.82\00:49:57.16
Brother Rick,
00:49:57.19\00:49:58.53
what are some of the
needs of the ministry,
00:49:58.56\00:49:59.89
as we're preparing to
go to this address roll
00:49:59.93\00:50:01.30
in just a moment?
00:50:01.33\00:50:02.66
Tell us a little
bit of some of the needs
00:50:02.70\00:50:04.40
of the ministry?
00:50:04.43\00:50:06.03
People can sponsor children.
00:50:06.07\00:50:09.24
That's really the biggest way
00:50:09.27\00:50:10.77
when Bob Falkenberg
and my mother were talking,
00:50:10.81\00:50:13.98
she said, "How are we
going to pay for this?"
00:50:14.01\00:50:15.34
Right.
00:50:15.38\00:50:16.71
He says, "It's
simple. You get sponsors."
00:50:16.75\00:50:18.41
"Sponsors?" "Yeah.
00:50:18.45\00:50:20.32
You get sponsors."
00:50:20.35\00:50:21.68
And that's what we're doing.
00:50:21.72\00:50:23.18
And it doesn't
necessarily mean that
00:50:23.22\00:50:24.79
you have to connect
with a specific child
00:50:24.82\00:50:26.62
and be a sponsor,
00:50:26.65\00:50:27.99
but sponsoring in the
sense that you are giving
00:50:28.02\00:50:30.13
on a regular
basis or as you can.
00:50:30.16\00:50:33.09
Right now, the
pandemic has created
00:50:33.13\00:50:34.86
a lot of havoc.
00:50:34.90\00:50:36.23
Sure.
00:50:36.26\00:50:37.60
Prices have gone up
00:50:37.63\00:50:38.97
and there's all
kinds of need everywhere.
00:50:39.00\00:50:40.87
Amen.
00:50:40.90\00:50:42.24
It's just something
that is on and on and on.
00:50:42.27\00:50:45.07
And I really believe that
00:50:45.11\00:50:46.44
God is bringing this to a close.
00:50:46.47\00:50:48.14
For sure.
00:50:48.18\00:50:49.51
We're looking so forward
00:50:49.54\00:50:50.88
to meeting with these kids
around Jesus' feet in heaven.
00:50:50.91\00:50:53.62
Amen. Amen.
00:50:53.65\00:50:54.98
Praise the Lord.
00:50:55.02\00:50:56.35
If you've been tuning
in with us this last hour,
00:50:56.38\00:50:58.12
then you know that
we've been talking about
00:50:58.15\00:51:01.69
International
Children's Care Ministry.
00:51:01.72\00:51:04.39
Jesus loves the little children,
00:51:04.43\00:51:06.09
just like the song says, right?
00:51:06.13\00:51:07.83
And as you have
seen this past hour,
00:51:07.86\00:51:10.43
this ministry is
doing powerful things
00:51:10.47\00:51:12.23
to reach the hearts and
minds of the little ones.
00:51:12.27\00:51:14.77
And they're growing up
00:51:14.80\00:51:16.14
and becoming
powerful men and women
00:51:16.17\00:51:18.54
in Jesus Christ.
00:51:18.57\00:51:19.91
You may be watching this
00:51:19.94\00:51:21.28
and the Lord has
impressed upon you
00:51:21.31\00:51:23.24
to donate, to help, to pray
00:51:23.28\00:51:26.28
and maybe you want to get
in contact with the ministry
00:51:26.31\00:51:28.38
further to know
00:51:28.42\00:51:29.78
other further ways
00:51:29.82\00:51:31.15
of how you might
can help as well.
00:51:31.19\00:51:32.95
At this time we want
to go to an address roll
00:51:32.99\00:51:35.12
which you can write
down the information.
00:51:35.16\00:51:36.79
I encourage you, write it
down, take down the address,
00:51:36.83\00:51:39.19
the phone number,
the website, all of that.
00:51:39.23\00:51:41.56
So you can learn
how you can support
00:51:41.60\00:51:43.77
International
Children's Care Ministry.
00:51:43.80\00:51:46.13
International Children's
Care is dedicated to the care
00:51:48.84\00:51:51.81
education and spiritual growth
00:51:51.84\00:51:54.14
of orphaned and
vulnerable children
00:51:54.18\00:51:55.78
in underdeveloped countries.
00:51:55.81\00:51:57.55
For more information about them
or to support their efforts,
00:51:57.58\00:52:00.62
please visit their
website at forhiskids.org
00:52:00.65\00:52:04.82
That's for,
f-o-r, forhiskids.org.
00:52:04.85\00:52:09.52
You may also call
them at (800) 422-7729,
00:52:09.56\00:52:14.06
or email them at
info@forhiskids.org
00:52:14.10\00:52:18.03
Their mailing
address is PO Box 520610,
00:52:18.07\00:52:22.67
Vancouver, Washington 98682.
00:52:22.70\00:52:26.44