I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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I want to spend my life
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Removing pain
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Lord, let my words
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Heal a heart that hurts
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I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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Hello and welcome
to 3ABN Family Worship.
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And whether you're
beginning the Sabbath day
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on a Friday
evening or looking forward
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to your workweek
on a Saturday evening,
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we welcome you to our
family and to our worship.
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I am here in
the company of Irma,
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who you will hear me call Boo,
or if I am having a good day,
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Boo-boo, but, Boo,
it's good to have you here.
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Ha, it's good to be here,
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always good to
be with our friends
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and family today.
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Yeah. And friends and family.
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This is a very
special Family Worship
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because everybody
here has a connection
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to the country of Panama.
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Amen.
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That's right.
Some are bilingual.
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They are English
speakers and Spanish speakers,
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then there is me and Marilyn,
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who just speak English,
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and sometimes I wonder
about that a little bit too.
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But you are a native of Panama.
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Yes, I am.
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Yeah, indeed.
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And then we've got your
brother and sister here.
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Yes.
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You want to do
the introductions?
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Yes, really happy to
introduce you to Aura,
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we call her Adhi because she...
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People have a
hard time calling Aura.
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But at home, we call her Adhi.
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So it's Adhi and
her husband Oscar,
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Oscar and Adhi Palacios.
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Yes, nice to meet you.
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Some people call it even Aura.
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Yeah, Americans
have trouble with Aura.
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But Oscar was a treasurer
for the Central American Union.
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Central American Union.
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For many years. Many years.
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And then also a
treasurer for the hospital in...
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In Honduras.
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In Honduras, and then also
treasurer for the university.
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Several times, I went
to the university to serve,
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say, financial,
in-charge of the...
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Yeah, finances. Finances.
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Yeah, Oscar is
kind of a fix-it guy.
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You know, anytime it's broken,
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he can fix it.
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So anytime they ran out
of cash, they called him.
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Excellent wizard
of the exchequer.
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He's a really
good financial guy.
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Yes, it's very true.
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And Adhi was a
teacher for many, many years.
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Yes.
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And for a little stint,
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they put you in
administration charge
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and let you run the whole union,
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but that didn't
work with you too good.
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No.
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I like my classroom.
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Yeah.
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So she went
back to the classroom
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and taught in how many places?
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I know you ended
up in the Bahamas.
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Yes.
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We worked in Costa Rica,
Honduras, and the Bahamas.
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And the Bahamas, okay.
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So she did many,
many great things.
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Let me ask, of all the
ages, you taught high school,
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you taught grade school,
which did you like the best?
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Both.
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It's difficult to choose,
but I love the little ones,
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but also working
with the older ones,
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this is like more easier
because you talk to them,
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you know, two by two.
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But the little
ones, there's more work.
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But at the same
time, it's very, very,
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how can I say, delightful...
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Rewarding. Rewarding, yeah.
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Aha, rewarding and
delightful to work with them.
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Praise the
Lord, praise the Lord.
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And we have Eric
and Marilyn Durant.
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Now, Eric, you've got
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Panamanian
connections too, don't you?
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I do.
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Both my parents,
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both my grandparents
were originally from Panama.
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And my grandfather was
a Civil Rights' person.
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And he was big
on the Civil Rights
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of the Panamanians and
along the Panama Canal.
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And they were not
happy with them as a result.
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So they told him, forcefully,
that you needed to leave Panama
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and you needed
to leave Panama now.
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And as a result, he
grabbed my grandmother
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and fled to the
America in New York City.
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And that's where I was born.
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Yeah, yeah.
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So Marilyn, we are out.
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I know.
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Well, actually, you're out.
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Because I found out
just a few months ago...
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A few years ago
that my mother's mother,
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my grandmother
on my mother's side
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was born in
Panama, was Panamanian.
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Oh.
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And I didn't know that
till just a few years ago.
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Very recent.
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Yeah, we just
never discussed it.
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Yeah, and found out
that she was in Panama.
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So it's all of us and you.
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I live for him.
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All right, you
are connected to him.
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Very true.
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But you still have
a connection, so...
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Right. And amen.
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We're going to be
visiting next year, by the way.
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Amen.
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And while we're down
there, we might visit City Hall
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and see if she has
some bloodlines there.
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There you go.
Excellent, excellent.
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True, you never know.
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You never, ever know.
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On today's
program, we want to discuss,
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and we've done this in the past,
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how much of a blessing it is
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when you see God
do things in your life
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that enhances your testimony
and also encourages you
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as you face trials in your life.
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But one of the
things, excuse me,
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that is also a real blessing
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is to see God work in
the lives of our friends,
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our family
members, those we love,
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to see someone
put down the bottle
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or put down the cigarette
or put down the loose life
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and pick up the
Bible and pick up the Word
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and change their lives.
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They are of course
blessed, but as you watch that
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and if you're a part of
that, you too are blessed.
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Yes. Yes.
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So that's what we
want to kind of talk about.
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We want to look at our lives
and look at the lives of those
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to whom we've seen...
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Through whom we've seen
the Spirit of God worked.
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I've got two scriptures,
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I just wanted to use
to sort of set this up.
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One is Philippians 1,
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just going to read a few verses.
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You can hear Paul's joy
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right into the Philippians
because they're his babies.
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And then I'm going to also go
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to a verse or two of Galatians,
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a church that was
really close to his heart.
00:07:06.55\00:07:08.86
And you will notice
in the Book of Galatians
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as you read that Paul talks
very sharply to the Galatians.
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He talks like a
father scolding his children.
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We talked about
that a little bit ago.
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He talks like a
father scolding his children
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because he knows
that they're getting ready
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to go off the correct path,
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you know, train is
about to leave the track.
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So Paul is saying,
"Get back on the track,
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don't let anybody
fool you or deceive you."
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And that's how you
feel when you see a child
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going the wrong way, you know?
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Sometimes you got to
give him a pat on the back,
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sometimes you got to give
him a tap a little bit lower,
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you know, to get them back.
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And so we see that in
the Book of Galatians,
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we see Paul doing this.
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And let's go to
Philippians just a little bit.
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Okay.
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And read Philippians,
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I'm in chapter 1 of Philippians,
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and I'm going to go quickly to,
oh, I guess I'll go to verse...
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Start at verse 2 because he uses
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what has become
my favorite greeting,
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grace and peace, you know.
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"Grace to you and
peace from God, our Father,
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and the Lord Jesus Christ."
00:08:03.14\00:08:04.48
So in Philippians 1,
picking it up at verse 3,
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"I thank my God upon
every remembrance of you,
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always in every prayer of mine
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making request
for you all with joy,
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for your
fellowship in the gospel,
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from the first day until now,
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being confident
of this very thing,
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that He who has
begun a good work in you
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will complete it until
the day of Jesus Christ."
00:08:30.34\00:08:32.91
So he is saying
there's joy in my heart
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when I think of
you, when I remember you
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because I know that
you're in good hands.
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I know that you are
in the hands of Jesus
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and He who has gotten
this whole thing started,
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which is Jesus, is
going to complete it.
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You know, so
when you see someone
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give their heart to
the Lord, it gives you joy,
00:08:48.36\00:08:50.23
it gives you a sense of
satisfaction, can I say,
00:08:50.26\00:08:54.43
to see someone come to the Lord
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and then grow in the Lord.
00:08:56.20\00:08:58.30
Contrasting, we
go now to Galatians.
00:08:58.33\00:09:02.50
Just quickly to Galatians,
00:09:02.54\00:09:04.14
we're going back just
a few books to Galatians.
00:09:04.17\00:09:07.31
I'm going to start
the very first chapter,
00:09:07.34\00:09:10.45
and we'll pick it up at verse 6.
00:09:10.48\00:09:16.79
Paul says, "I marvel
00:09:16.82\00:09:18.99
that you are turning
away so soon from Him
00:09:19.02\00:09:22.09
who has called you
in the grace of Christ
00:09:22.12\00:09:24.66
to a different
gospel, which is not another,
00:09:24.69\00:09:28.76
but there are
some who trouble you
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and want to pervert
the gospel of Christ."
00:09:31.60\00:09:34.47
You see the tone has changed.
00:09:34.50\00:09:36.14
He's being a little stern.
00:09:36.17\00:09:37.51
He's coming out
right now kind of with a...
00:09:37.54\00:09:40.04
He's got the strap in his hand,
he's spanking a little bit.
00:09:40.08\00:09:43.08
You've left so
quickly from the true gospel
00:09:43.11\00:09:46.65
because there are
those who are, in among you
00:09:46.68\00:09:48.55
who are trying to
pervert the gospel.
00:09:48.58\00:09:50.39
So when you see
someone coming to the Lord,
00:09:50.42\00:09:53.05
and then they
sort of get distracted
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or dissuaded or discouraged
or kind of pushed to the side,
00:09:54.96\00:09:58.49
it hurts you
because you want them
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to be pure in the gospel.
00:10:00.23\00:10:02.10
And those are the kind of things
00:10:02.13\00:10:03.47
we're going to talk about
on tonight's worship together.
00:10:03.50\00:10:07.97
I got to tell you a quick story.
00:10:08.00\00:10:09.54
Then I want to go to Marilyn.
00:10:09.57\00:10:11.17
In fact, I think I'll go
to you first right after me.
00:10:11.21\00:10:13.27
Years ago, I was
doing a tent meeting
00:10:13.31\00:10:14.68
in Freeport, Long Island.
00:10:14.71\00:10:17.05
And in walked a
lady and I'll give...
00:10:17.08\00:10:20.02
Well, maybe I'll
hold on her name.
00:10:23.32\00:10:26.79
But she wasn't interested,
but first of all, she is tall.
00:10:26.82\00:10:29.36
If you take Mollie
Steenson or Shelley Quinn,
00:10:29.39\00:10:31.69
that kind of height,
but add may be 75 pounds.
00:10:31.73\00:10:35.63
So she wasn't...
00:10:35.66\00:10:37.00
You wouldn't call her
fat, she was just a big person,
00:10:37.03\00:10:39.07
you know, very
attractive, dressed very well.
00:10:39.10\00:10:41.40
I remember she had a
blue suit with white piping.
00:10:41.44\00:10:44.41
She was red, white, and blue,
red hat, red shoes, very tall,
00:10:44.44\00:10:47.31
very resting, she
came in and she sat down,
00:10:47.34\00:10:49.41
and she listened to the sermon.
00:10:49.44\00:10:52.25
And I remember, she
kind of ran into the tent,
00:10:52.28\00:10:55.05
and it wasn't until years
later that I found out why.
00:10:55.08\00:10:57.45
But she came, the next night,
00:10:57.49\00:10:58.82
the next night, and
later on, we baptized her.
00:10:58.85\00:11:00.69
Amen.
00:11:00.72\00:11:02.06
And it was funny
because the person
00:11:02.09\00:11:03.86
who has helped me with baptizing
00:11:03.89\00:11:05.23
was a little tiny
guy, about 135 pounds.
00:11:05.26\00:11:07.66
So she had him by
a good 100 pounds,
00:11:07.70\00:11:09.53
when he took her down,
he couldn't get her up.
00:11:09.56\00:11:12.93
See, in a baptismal game,
it's not getting them down,
00:11:12.97\00:11:15.60
it's getting them back up.
00:11:15.64\00:11:18.27
And he didn't
quite have the leverage.
00:11:18.31\00:11:20.31
So it was kind of a time.
00:11:20.34\00:11:21.74
But her name
was... I'll tell it.
00:11:21.78\00:11:23.11
Her name was Hydria Austin,
beautiful sister in the Lord.
00:11:23.14\00:11:27.05
And she told me
later on, she said,
00:11:27.08\00:11:30.15
"You know, I came to
your evangelistic crusade
00:11:30.19\00:11:33.02
with a bottle of
liquor in my purse."
00:11:33.05\00:11:35.06
She had this big red purse,
and I didn't know, you know.
00:11:35.09\00:11:37.83
She said, "I
was dating this guy,
00:11:37.86\00:11:40.73
and we were out,
and we were in the car
00:11:40.76\00:11:43.90
driving by the tent,
00:11:43.93\00:11:45.27
and all of a sudden, he
wants to get all handsy."
00:11:45.30\00:11:46.63
That's the term she used.
00:11:46.67\00:11:48.00
"He wanted to touch me
and kiss me and kind of thing.
00:11:48.04\00:11:49.37
So I jumped out of the
car and ran into the tent
00:11:49.40\00:11:52.07
because I knew he
wouldn't follow me
00:11:52.11\00:11:53.44
to the evangelistic meeting."
00:11:53.48\00:11:54.91
So I know she ran
into the tent, she said,
00:11:54.94\00:11:56.85
"That's why I
ran into the tent."
00:11:56.88\00:11:58.71
She said, "We
drunk half the liquor
00:11:58.75\00:12:00.52
before the meeting, and
that night, I finished it."
00:12:00.55\00:12:03.75
And she said, "That's
the last liquor I took."
00:12:03.79\00:12:05.89
Praise the Lord. "I
gave it up that night.
00:12:05.92\00:12:09.12
But I got into Lord running
from Mr. Octopus, you know.
00:12:09.16\00:12:15.36
And she was in the
church for many, many years
00:12:15.40\00:12:17.20
and sadly she got Alzheimer's,
and then she passed.
00:12:17.23\00:12:19.80
But she remembered Scripture
right up until the very end.
00:12:19.83\00:12:23.51
She couldn't remember faces,
00:12:23.54\00:12:25.21
and she couldn't
remember certain things,
00:12:25.24\00:12:26.71
but Scripture
tended to stay in her mind.
00:12:26.74\00:12:28.71
And so during her last,
00:12:28.74\00:12:30.45
and I had passed
her to another church,
00:12:30.48\00:12:32.08
but during her last month,
00:12:32.11\00:12:33.45
she was just reciting Scripture.
00:12:33.48\00:12:34.82
Amen.
00:12:34.85\00:12:36.18
Scripture would just come
out, just come out, come out,
00:12:36.22\00:12:37.72
didn't know who
she was talking to,
00:12:37.75\00:12:39.09
just reciting Scripture.
00:12:39.12\00:12:40.46
But I believe
she died in the Lord.
00:12:40.49\00:12:42.79
Amen.
00:12:42.82\00:12:44.16
And I saw her give up
the liquor and give up the...
00:12:44.19\00:12:46.19
'Cause she was a party girl.
00:12:46.23\00:12:47.56
She liked be out on the
street and going to the clubs.
00:12:47.60\00:12:49.03
And she just...
00:12:49.06\00:12:50.40
She gave that up, no problem.
00:12:50.43\00:12:51.83
And it was a wonderful
thing to see her grow in Christ
00:12:51.87\00:12:56.40
and fall in love
with Jesus Christ
00:12:56.44\00:12:57.87
and stay with Christ
00:12:57.91\00:12:59.24
right up until the
time her mind began to fade.
00:12:59.27\00:13:01.34
"And the last thing that
left was Scripture, you know,
00:13:01.38\00:13:04.41
that stayed with
me all those years."
00:13:04.45\00:13:06.35
God is good. Yeah, God is good.
00:13:06.38\00:13:07.98
Indeed, indeed.
That's amazing how God works.
00:13:08.02\00:13:12.49
You know, when I
think about my life
00:13:12.52\00:13:16.02
and then I think about
others' life, it's just...
00:13:16.06\00:13:20.10
Every story, it's a miracle,
00:13:20.13\00:13:23.16
and it's just a
wonderful thing to hear
00:13:23.20\00:13:26.84
and to know about those stories.
00:13:26.87\00:13:28.74
You got the one you
were going to share with us
00:13:31.97\00:13:34.18
about your sister.
00:13:34.21\00:13:35.54
Now you've got
two, you've got Adhi,
00:13:35.58\00:13:36.91
and you've got another sister,
Bethie, that's the baby sister.
00:13:36.95\00:13:41.48
Yes, that's right. We are three.
00:13:41.52\00:13:45.15
And unlike my sister, Adhi,
00:13:45.19\00:13:49.52
who always been
steadfast in the Lord,
00:13:49.56\00:13:54.63
she's always
stayed with the Lord,
00:13:54.66\00:13:56.97
and my younger
sister, she did not.
00:13:57.00\00:14:00.64
She was a little more restless,
00:14:00.67\00:14:03.30
and so it took her many years.
00:14:03.34\00:14:07.91
We have prayed for her.
00:14:07.94\00:14:09.91
We have prayed for
her husband, her family.
00:14:09.94\00:14:13.01
And it just seemed like
00:14:13.05\00:14:15.18
we were never
going to see a change
00:14:15.22\00:14:18.42
because there
were big challenges
00:14:18.45\00:14:21.56
in her marriage
and in her family.
00:14:21.59\00:14:25.43
But, you know,
the credit to the Lord
00:14:25.46\00:14:28.36
that He'll use anything
or anyone to bring you back,
00:14:28.40\00:14:34.00
to bring you into His fold.
00:14:34.04\00:14:37.91
It's just amazing.
00:14:37.94\00:14:39.84
And with my sister,
00:14:39.87\00:14:43.55
I have talked many
times about my father,
00:14:43.58\00:14:46.08
how he gave his
life to the Lord,
00:14:46.11\00:14:49.05
and it was just like two
weeks or less before he passed,
00:14:49.08\00:14:55.52
he finally made
that public statement.
00:14:55.56\00:14:59.36
I never believed that we
just turned from the night,
00:14:59.39\00:15:03.83
you know, to the morning,
all of a sudden, he's just...
00:15:03.87\00:15:07.44
We walk, the Lord
walks us little by little.
00:15:07.47\00:15:10.94
And I think that
that was with my father.
00:15:10.97\00:15:13.61
But with his death,
00:15:13.64\00:15:17.88
the Lord used that to
touch the heart of my sister,
00:15:17.91\00:15:21.85
Bethie, my younger sister and...
00:15:21.88\00:15:25.39
And her husband. And her husband
00:15:25.42\00:15:28.32
because that was
very painful for her.
00:15:28.36\00:15:34.10
She practically cried
through the whole night.
00:15:34.13\00:15:37.20
Yes.
00:15:37.23\00:15:38.57
And her husband
00:15:38.60\00:15:40.94
who was a very
tough person, very tough.
00:15:40.97\00:15:45.27
To say the
least. To say the least.
00:15:45.31\00:15:50.95
The story about
them is just really,
00:15:50.98\00:15:53.92
you know, just
incredible, painful.
00:15:53.95\00:15:58.55
But when he saw her just crying
00:15:58.59\00:16:02.62
and just really
missing my father,
00:16:02.66\00:16:08.46
he sat down and
took her on his lap,
00:16:08.50\00:16:13.87
and that was the miracle
of miracles, just that alone.
00:16:13.90\00:16:18.87
And so they, you know,
00:16:18.91\00:16:22.01
he helped her there
through the whole night.
00:16:22.04\00:16:23.85
In our country,
when someone died,
00:16:23.88\00:16:29.12
you have to bury very quickly
00:16:29.15\00:16:32.32
'cause we don't have...
00:16:32.35\00:16:35.52
It'll become
too much of red tape
00:16:35.56\00:16:37.83
to bring the
person to the morgue
00:16:37.86\00:16:40.70
and get the person out.
00:16:40.73\00:16:43.00
So the doctors
are always telling you
00:16:43.03\00:16:45.90
to just do this quickly,
you know, and bury the person.
00:16:45.93\00:16:51.91
So there was not a
lot of time, you know,
00:16:51.94\00:16:55.61
to preparations and all that.
00:16:55.64\00:16:57.91
And so we also have to take
00:16:57.95\00:17:02.65
the body to a funeral home,
00:17:02.68\00:17:05.59
and they don't provide
anybody to watch over the body.
00:17:05.62\00:17:10.56
So the family has
to come and stay there
00:17:10.59\00:17:13.80
through the night
until the burial time.
00:17:13.83\00:17:17.60
So we were there several hours
00:17:17.63\00:17:20.44
and just this
miracle of the Lord
00:17:20.47\00:17:26.71
just happened between them.
00:17:26.74\00:17:29.84
So by the time the morning came,
00:17:29.88\00:17:33.48
she has told him that she
was giving her life to the Lord
00:17:33.52\00:17:39.09
whether he did or not.
00:17:39.12\00:17:41.02
But then he said
that he would follow her.
00:17:41.06\00:17:45.13
So that was a
miracle of miracles.
00:17:45.16\00:17:48.60
And it was a blessing for them,
00:17:48.63\00:17:54.47
a blessing for us, my mother,
00:17:54.50\00:17:57.21
you know, in spite
of the painful time
00:17:57.24\00:18:02.21
that she's losing her husband,
00:18:02.24\00:18:04.65
it was, the Lord
gave her that experience
00:18:04.68\00:18:10.39
of seeing her daughter
00:18:10.42\00:18:12.62
and her son in law
turning his life around.
00:18:12.65\00:18:17.43
And so I really believe
that that was a blessing for her
00:18:17.46\00:18:22.06
and it helped to go
through those painful times.
00:18:22.10\00:18:28.07
And I think about the
story that is so similar
00:18:28.10\00:18:34.31
to many other people's
stories in one way or another,
00:18:34.34\00:18:39.78
that is a joy, it's a blessing.
00:18:39.81\00:18:43.42
And it's just not a blessing
like my husband says for those,
00:18:43.45\00:18:47.69
the two people or the one person
00:18:47.72\00:18:50.63
that turns to God but
for all of those around,
00:18:50.66\00:18:55.16
because the people that know you
00:18:55.20\00:18:58.33
is amazed to see
many times the change.
00:18:58.37\00:19:02.70
So that's a blessing
because then they think
00:19:02.74\00:19:05.81
about their own lives many times
00:19:05.84\00:19:08.54
and not always it's
like, "oh, I will not do that,"
00:19:08.58\00:19:12.21
you know,
sometimes that happens too.
00:19:12.25\00:19:15.12
But the blessing is...
00:19:15.15\00:19:19.09
It covers the
whole number of people
00:19:19.12\00:19:22.06
because that's the
way the God designed it
00:19:22.09\00:19:24.49
and because that's the
testimony that He needs
00:19:24.53\00:19:28.20
so that other
people can also turn to Him
00:19:28.23\00:19:32.87
and be blessed in powerful ways.
00:19:32.90\00:19:37.81
And of course, down the chain
00:19:37.84\00:19:39.74
is the fact that
just several years later,
00:19:39.77\00:19:42.94
Bethie's husband tragically
and very suddenly passed
00:19:42.98\00:19:45.41
at the beach on New Year's Day.
00:19:45.45\00:19:46.88
Yes, yes.
00:19:46.92\00:19:48.62
We were all
shocked to get the call,
00:19:48.65\00:19:51.35
rushed to the
hospital and he was gone.
00:19:51.39\00:19:54.26
But died back, you know,
and so you can rejoice in that.
00:19:54.29\00:19:58.99
And that's the
wonder of what God does
00:19:59.03\00:20:01.80
because we
didn't see that future,
00:20:01.83\00:20:05.57
we could never imagine,
00:20:05.60\00:20:08.10
but his health when deteriorated
00:20:08.14\00:20:12.01
quite rapidly,
00:20:12.04\00:20:13.74
and then his death
was such a sudden thing.
00:20:13.78\00:20:19.55
He was quite ill.
00:20:19.58\00:20:22.72
But the Lord have seen
him through several times.
00:20:22.75\00:20:26.62
Now this time the Lord
allowed him to just rest.
00:20:26.65\00:20:31.23
Yeah. Praise the Lord.
00:20:31.26\00:20:32.79
But he rests in the Lord.
00:20:32.83\00:20:34.46
Amen. Praise the Lord.
00:20:34.50\00:20:36.67
It calls my attention
that God called you sometimes
00:20:36.70\00:20:41.90
in more
difficult times, you know,
00:20:41.94\00:20:44.97
where He really...
00:20:45.01\00:20:47.01
He knows everything.
00:20:47.04\00:20:48.38
Yes.
00:20:48.41\00:20:49.98
At that moment, when
your father was there
00:20:50.01\00:20:53.05
waiting for nothing,
he was resting there,
00:20:56.95\00:21:00.66
but God was working.
00:21:00.69\00:21:02.02
Yes.
00:21:02.06\00:21:03.39
Your sister, she
decided to follow Jesus.
00:21:03.43\00:21:07.40
She was probably
suffering a lot at that moment,
00:21:07.43\00:21:11.07
but that was a right
moment for her to decide
00:21:11.10\00:21:14.77
I will follow Jesus
and then her husband too.
00:21:14.80\00:21:18.41
So this is very interesting.
00:21:18.44\00:21:20.11
Sometimes we should thank...
00:21:20.14\00:21:21.64
I mean, all the
time, we should thank God
00:21:21.68\00:21:24.88
for the difficult times
00:21:24.91\00:21:26.25
because He has a plan
for those difficult times.
00:21:26.28\00:21:28.15
Amen, amen. He surely does.
00:21:28.18\00:21:29.92
And, Adhi,
actually you do get to talk,
00:21:29.95\00:21:32.62
but I'm saving you to
last, save you to the last.
00:21:32.65\00:21:36.36
Thank you.
00:21:36.39\00:21:38.99
But, Eric, you've had
similar experiences, I'm sure.
00:21:39.03\00:21:40.93
Oh, absolutely.
00:21:40.96\00:21:42.33
One of the phrases
that I repeat all the time
00:21:42.36\00:21:44.17
is that faith is
born in the storm.
00:21:44.20\00:21:47.10
Yeah.
00:21:47.14\00:21:48.47
I tell myself that all the time
00:21:48.50\00:21:49.84
because I also
went through experience.
00:21:49.87\00:21:52.37
And Marilyn shared that with me.
00:21:52.41\00:21:54.51
Her mother died, and
then a month and a half later,
00:21:54.54\00:21:58.55
my mother died,
and then a week later,
00:21:58.58\00:22:01.22
my dad died,
and that shook me up
00:22:01.25\00:22:05.09
like nothing has
ever shaken me up before.
00:22:05.12\00:22:07.72
But that's exactly
what I needed at the time
00:22:07.76\00:22:10.23
because I was worldly, I
was doing well in the world,
00:22:10.26\00:22:15.36
and so I had one
foot in the church
00:22:15.40\00:22:17.83
and one foot in the
world, and the Lord said,
00:22:17.87\00:22:20.24
"That's not good enough."
00:22:20.27\00:22:23.71
He wanted all of me
00:22:23.74\00:22:25.27
because he knew
having one foot in the world
00:22:25.31\00:22:27.28
and one foot out of the world,
00:22:27.31\00:22:29.28
you can definitely end
up lost in that condition.
00:22:29.31\00:22:32.98
And so I don't know
why it worked out that way,
00:22:33.01\00:22:36.95
but I can definitely acknowledge
00:22:36.99\00:22:40.16
that it was a Jobian experience,
00:22:40.19\00:22:41.76
it was an experience like Job.
00:22:41.79\00:22:43.56
And it made a big difference
'cause had that not happened,
00:22:43.59\00:22:46.09
I don't know if I
would have answered the call
00:22:46.13\00:22:47.60
to come to 3ABN, and
that's exactly what it was.
00:22:47.63\00:22:52.20
For me, being in the
ministry is extremely,
00:22:52.23\00:22:55.64
extremely
therapeutic in the sense
00:22:55.67\00:22:58.51
that there is nothing better,
and this is my favorite thing
00:22:58.54\00:23:01.58
about being in the ministry.
00:23:01.61\00:23:02.94
It's nothing
better than seeing people
00:23:02.98\00:23:04.55
changed for the better.
00:23:04.58\00:23:06.28
Seeing drug
dealers give up the drugs,
00:23:06.31\00:23:09.48
seeing alcoholics
give up the alcoholism,
00:23:09.52\00:23:13.22
seeing the violent people
no longer want to be violent,
00:23:13.25\00:23:16.29
and just seeing that,
that's one of the reasons
00:23:16.32\00:23:17.86
why I gravitated
towards Prison Ministry
00:23:17.89\00:23:20.73
because I have friends,
I grew up in New York City.
00:23:20.76\00:23:24.10
And it's a very
difficult environment
00:23:24.13\00:23:26.07
for young
teenager to grow up in.
00:23:26.10\00:23:28.20
And I saw a lot of
people end up getting lost
00:23:28.24\00:23:31.17
in the prison system.
00:23:31.21\00:23:33.27
And because I
had a praying mother,
00:23:33.31\00:23:35.41
I gave her all the credit.
00:23:35.44\00:23:36.78
She prayed, and I think
God sent angels to influence me
00:23:36.81\00:23:41.92
and to keep that
seed planted in my head.
00:23:41.95\00:23:44.15
So even though I
did this and that,
00:23:44.19\00:23:45.89
I always had that
seed germinating in my head
00:23:45.92\00:23:49.69
so that when the time
came, God just needed to pour
00:23:49.72\00:23:52.03
a little bit more
water on it, and it sprouted.
00:23:52.06\00:23:55.76
And once the
tree started growing,
00:23:55.80\00:23:58.40
3ABN called, and I
just had to answer.
00:23:58.43\00:24:00.34
That was...
00:24:00.37\00:24:01.70
Praise the Lord.
00:24:01.74\00:24:03.07
I just couldn't say no.
00:24:03.10\00:24:04.44
You know, and one
of the experiences
00:24:04.47\00:24:06.47
that really
triggered, that really...
00:24:06.51\00:24:09.04
From the time
that I was a teenager,
00:24:09.08\00:24:10.41
I read the book of...
00:24:10.45\00:24:12.41
The story of the young
ruler, and the young ruler,
00:24:12.45\00:24:16.38
he came to Jesus saying,
00:24:16.42\00:24:17.75
"What do I have
to do to be saved?"
00:24:17.79\00:24:19.12
Yeah.
00:24:19.15\00:24:20.49
He said, "Give up
everything. Give it to the poor.
00:24:20.52\00:24:21.86
Come follow Me."
00:24:21.89\00:24:23.22
And I said...
00:24:23.26\00:24:24.59
When I read that, I
said, "There is no way
00:24:24.63\00:24:25.96
that I would ever do that."
00:24:25.99\00:24:27.56
And I'm reading
this as a teenager,
00:24:27.60\00:24:29.23
and I'm saying, "He
gave up everything."
00:24:29.26\00:24:33.07
And so when the
Lord called, I said,
00:24:33.10\00:24:35.57
"What are you going to
do?" We were living very well.
00:24:35.60\00:24:37.84
We were living very well.
00:24:37.87\00:24:39.21
You know, you don't
know, Eric was an engineer
00:24:39.24\00:24:41.88
for a large
aerospace corporation.
00:24:41.91\00:24:44.08
So he's making top dollar.
00:24:44.11\00:24:45.45
He's got good
responsibility, he's doing well.
00:24:45.48\00:24:48.78
And many times,
00:24:48.82\00:24:50.19
when you think you
have your life set,
00:24:50.22\00:24:51.89
that's when Lord says,
"No, we're going over here."
00:24:51.92\00:24:56.76
And you've got to be
ready to heed that call.
00:24:56.79\00:24:58.73
Yeah, and that was kind of you.
00:24:58.76\00:25:00.40
Right. Yeah.
00:25:00.43\00:25:01.76
So there was an emptiness there.
00:25:01.80\00:25:03.13
With everything,
there's still that emptiness.
00:25:03.16\00:25:05.07
And being in the ministry,
serving the Lord fills that,
00:25:05.10\00:25:07.90
completely, completely fills it.
00:25:07.94\00:25:09.94
And when I met Marilyn,
00:25:09.97\00:25:12.57
she was in a semi
sort of situation.
00:25:12.61\00:25:14.94
She gravitated
away from the church
00:25:14.98\00:25:17.11
because her and her best friend
were told that, a relative,
00:25:17.15\00:25:21.58
we'll going to burn
in hell forever and ever
00:25:21.62\00:25:23.52
because they weren't
a member of this church.
00:25:23.55\00:25:25.55
Oh, no.
00:25:25.59\00:25:26.92
And so when I met
her, I was an Adventist,
00:25:26.96\00:25:28.99
and I knew better than that.
00:25:29.02\00:25:30.73
I knew that number one,
00:25:30.76\00:25:32.39
nobody burns forever and
ever and ever and ever in hell,
00:25:32.43\00:25:35.26
and we shared
the verses on that,
00:25:35.30\00:25:37.77
and number two,
00:25:37.80\00:25:39.13
there's no
salvation by denomination.
00:25:39.17\00:25:41.77
That's just not.
00:25:41.80\00:25:43.20
You're not saved
because you're a member
00:25:43.24\00:25:44.57
of a particular church.
00:25:44.61\00:25:45.94
You're saved because you've
given your heart to the Lord.
00:25:45.97\00:25:47.38
Amen.
00:25:47.41\00:25:48.74
And we went over
verse and verse about that,
00:25:48.78\00:25:50.75
and seeing the
change in Marilyn over time,
00:25:50.78\00:25:52.88
and I said to
myself, "I'll never tell her
00:25:52.91\00:25:55.68
or ask her to be baptized."
00:25:55.72\00:25:57.59
She has to say that
that's what she wanted herself.
00:25:57.62\00:26:00.46
And I don't
remember how long it was,
00:26:00.49\00:26:02.19
it was a couple of
years, but one day, she said,
00:26:02.22\00:26:04.09
"I want to get baptized."
00:26:04.13\00:26:05.86
And inside, I'm
jumping up and down,
00:26:05.89\00:26:07.53
"Praise the
Lord, praise the Lord."
00:26:07.56\00:26:09.56
But I'm seeing people change,
00:26:09.60\00:26:11.57
seeing them give
their hearts to the Lord
00:26:11.60\00:26:13.13
is the ultimate satisfaction.
00:26:13.17\00:26:15.54
It is.
00:26:15.57\00:26:16.91
And money...
00:26:16.94\00:26:18.64
Nothing, fame, fortune,
none of that can come close
00:26:18.67\00:26:23.08
to the joy that you feel inside.
00:26:23.11\00:26:25.25
When I do Prison Ministry,
I see wonderful young men
00:26:25.28\00:26:28.85
that made a mistake,
like I did and like we all do,
00:26:28.88\00:26:32.75
they're there and some of them
when I started Prison Ministry,
00:26:32.79\00:26:36.32
they sat there with
a frown, kind of just,
00:26:36.36\00:26:38.36
their arms were
crossed, and they just frowned,
00:26:38.39\00:26:39.93
they wouldn't
move, they barely blink.
00:26:39.96\00:26:42.36
And a year later,
they're hungry, you know,
00:26:42.40\00:26:45.83
they've got
Bibles in their hand,
00:26:45.87\00:26:47.27
and they're going
through the pages,
00:26:47.30\00:26:48.64
and they're coming
up asking questions,
00:26:48.67\00:26:50.47
and they're full of the
Spirit, and you see that change,
00:26:50.51\00:26:53.68
that's very,
very inspiring for me.
00:26:53.71\00:26:55.51
Amen.
00:26:55.54\00:26:56.88
Because I used to be
there, and now to see them
00:26:56.91\00:26:58.91
hungry like that is
extremely fulfilling.
00:26:58.95\00:27:00.65
Praise the Lord. So, yeah.
00:27:00.68\00:27:02.02
Eric, I got to ask you,
00:27:02.05\00:27:03.39
when Marilyn made that decision,
00:27:03.42\00:27:05.05
were you married yet?
00:27:05.09\00:27:06.42
Yes.
00:27:06.45\00:27:07.79
You were
married? We were married.
00:27:07.82\00:27:09.96
You took my question.
00:27:09.99\00:27:12.46
That means we're thinking alike.
00:27:12.49\00:27:13.83
Praise the Lord.
00:27:13.86\00:27:15.20
But my follow up is,
how did it make you feel now
00:27:15.23\00:27:17.47
to see the person
you've dedicated your life to,
00:27:17.50\00:27:20.24
you've exchanged
vows, she's your wife now,
00:27:20.27\00:27:22.74
and she's making
that move, that must...
00:27:22.77\00:27:24.84
You must've been doing
cartwheels, you know, inside.
00:27:24.87\00:27:28.74
I knew that she was
going to do it eventually
00:27:28.78\00:27:31.28
because she was full of
love, she loved the Lord.
00:27:31.31\00:27:35.38
I always knew that
she loved the Lord,
00:27:35.42\00:27:37.15
but she was deterred
by what she heard before.
00:27:37.19\00:27:40.82
She didn't understand.
00:27:40.86\00:27:42.32
I knew that God's
not a tyrannical God.
00:27:42.36\00:27:44.39
God's a loving God.
00:27:44.43\00:27:45.76
He does everything He
can to get us into heaven,
00:27:45.79\00:27:48.00
everything He can do.
00:27:48.03\00:27:49.50
And a lot of
common Christian theology,
00:27:49.53\00:27:52.80
sure they preach us
that God's a tough stern God
00:27:52.83\00:27:54.84
and not loving, and I knew
that's what she sort of thought
00:27:54.87\00:27:58.57
based on that.
00:27:58.61\00:27:59.94
And I knew once we
went through the Bible,
00:27:59.97\00:28:02.54
and she understood that
00:28:02.58\00:28:03.91
that she would
want to be baptized.
00:28:03.95\00:28:05.48
So I knew it
was going to happen.
00:28:05.51\00:28:06.85
It was just a matter of when.
00:28:06.88\00:28:08.22
Praise the Lord.
00:28:08.25\00:28:09.58
And I have to say
00:28:09.62\00:28:10.95
I always had a
relationship with the Lord.
00:28:10.99\00:28:14.86
So when that
comment was made, you know,
00:28:14.89\00:28:18.73
I didn't have the knowledge
that studying with Eric.
00:28:18.76\00:28:23.97
And it did make it difficult,
00:28:24.00\00:28:28.84
and it was kind of heartbreaking
00:28:28.87\00:28:32.01
to think that, "What?
00:28:32.04\00:28:33.94
We are going to hell?"
00:28:33.98\00:28:35.31
You know, because we're
not a part of this faith.
00:28:35.34\00:28:38.21
So when I met Eric,
00:28:38.25\00:28:40.28
he was godsend
because I did pray.
00:28:40.32\00:28:43.79
I prayed for
someone that would be
00:28:43.82\00:28:46.96
willing to walk
alongside me in this path.
00:28:46.99\00:28:52.09
But I did not
realize that with that,
00:28:52.13\00:28:55.56
I was going to get a
lot more truth than I had.
00:28:55.60\00:28:58.53
So that was a
blessing. Praise the Lord Yes.
00:28:58.57\00:29:00.34
Yeah.
00:29:00.37\00:29:01.70
The Lord actually puts
you on a different path.
00:29:01.74\00:29:03.30
You're walking alongside,
He puts you on a new path.
00:29:03.34\00:29:04.97
That's right.
And praise the Lord.
00:29:05.01\00:29:06.51
And an integral
part of this ministry,
00:29:06.54\00:29:09.41
even up until this morning,
00:29:09.44\00:29:10.78
Irma had Eric
fixing her computer.
00:29:10.81\00:29:12.28
Yes. She did.
00:29:12.31\00:29:14.28
So we could make...
00:29:14.32\00:29:16.62
He's been on my
computer several times too,
00:29:16.65\00:29:18.25
so we need you, brother.
00:29:18.29\00:29:19.62
Yes.
00:29:19.65\00:29:20.99
Thank you for Eric
because, oh, my goodness,
00:29:21.02\00:29:23.59
I am so computer illiterate.
00:29:23.63\00:29:26.49
And sometimes I couldn't...
00:29:28.53\00:29:30.10
I explained to him, but
he can't quite understand
00:29:30.13\00:29:33.40
what is my problem.
00:29:33.44\00:29:35.27
So he has to work over
it, and sometimes he works...
00:29:35.30\00:29:37.97
Say, "Did you do this?"
00:29:38.01\00:29:39.64
And then he asked to
go back to his office.
00:29:39.67\00:29:41.78
Yeah.
00:29:41.81\00:29:43.14
Well, you push your button
and then go back to office.
00:29:43.18\00:29:44.51
Oh, Lord, because
he has so much to do,
00:29:44.55\00:29:47.72
and here I am...
00:29:47.75\00:29:50.49
Thank you, Eric.
00:29:50.52\00:29:51.85
Thank you for being so kind.
00:29:51.89\00:29:53.22
Like I said before, it is...
00:29:53.25\00:29:54.82
Irma always apologizes,
but it's a joy to work with
00:29:54.86\00:29:59.76
and to serve the
children of the Lord.
00:29:59.79\00:30:03.53
Amen.
00:30:03.57\00:30:04.90
And then to see them
grow, to see them to develop,
00:30:04.93\00:30:07.10
it's not paying for my
mother, my mother, really quick,
00:30:07.14\00:30:10.81
she had a cancer, and
she would always apologize.
00:30:10.84\00:30:14.98
She said, "Eric, I'm so sorry
00:30:15.08\00:30:17.05
you had to drive down
from Alexandria, Virginia,
00:30:17.08\00:30:19.75
down to Richmond, Virginia,"
to take her for chemo therapy.
00:30:19.78\00:30:22.78
And she was always apologizing.
00:30:22.82\00:30:24.89
"I know you had to
leave your job to do this.
00:30:24.92\00:30:27.19
I know you're
getting in trouble at work
00:30:27.22\00:30:28.56
for all the time
that you're taking off."
00:30:28.59\00:30:30.56
And she was always apologizing.
00:30:30.59\00:30:32.79
And I said to her,
and I really meant it,
00:30:32.83\00:30:35.06
"This was the joy of my life."
00:30:35.10\00:30:36.93
And I don't
mean the cancer part,
00:30:36.97\00:30:38.30
it was helping
someone that you love.
00:30:38.33\00:30:40.80
Just helping someone that you...
00:30:40.84\00:30:42.34
You're willing to
sacrifice everything for that,
00:30:42.37\00:30:44.01
it didn't matter.
00:30:44.04\00:30:45.41
And I was happy to do it.
00:30:45.44\00:30:47.01
And it's the same
when you love your brothers
00:30:47.04\00:30:48.61
and your
sisters in the ministry.
00:30:48.64\00:30:49.98
Yes.
00:30:50.01\00:30:51.35
You'll doing anything for them
because they're your brothers,
00:30:51.38\00:30:54.08
and we all
share the same Father.
00:30:54.12\00:30:56.42
Yeah, and it is
really refreshing because
00:30:56.45\00:30:59.49
and He helps you too,
to see that, you know,
00:30:59.52\00:31:02.72
somebody is so kind and
affected by the fact that
00:31:02.76\00:31:07.13
this dummy, "How
can she not learn?"
00:31:07.16\00:31:09.90
You know, but he, you know,
he just doesn't feel that way.
00:31:09.93\00:31:16.34
But many people
do, unfortunately.
00:31:16.37\00:31:19.41
And they are...
00:31:19.44\00:31:20.78
They don't like when
they have to repeat the work,
00:31:20.81\00:31:24.01
you know, to someone.
00:31:24.05\00:31:25.48
And so, yeah, I am
really thankful, yes,
00:31:25.51\00:31:28.05
'cause I feel so lost sometimes.
00:31:28.08\00:31:32.55
Oh, my goodness. Yeah.
00:31:32.59\00:31:35.02
I think we all have those times.
00:31:35.06\00:31:37.33
My mother had a 10-year decline.
00:31:37.36\00:31:40.93
Several strokes, each one...
00:31:40.96\00:31:42.56
Well, many TMAs,
00:31:42.60\00:31:43.93
each one taking a
little further into herself.
00:31:43.97\00:31:46.00
And my sister decided
to take care of her home.
00:31:46.03\00:31:50.31
My sister is a nurse, she said,
00:31:50.34\00:31:51.67
"I don't want to put her in home
00:31:51.71\00:31:53.04
because she's going to
need specialized care."
00:31:53.07\00:31:54.41
And so I had a little
savings at the time, and I said,
00:31:54.44\00:31:56.64
"Well, I'll
dedicate my savings."
00:31:56.68\00:31:58.68
I didn't know it was
going to last 10 years,
00:31:58.71\00:32:00.95
but I don't regret that
because that's your mom,
00:32:00.98\00:32:03.85
you know, you're
invested in that person.
00:32:03.89\00:32:06.76
And there's something wonderful
about the body of Christ,
00:32:06.79\00:32:08.79
we become
invested in each other,
00:32:08.82\00:32:10.86
which is what makes
it so nice to work here
00:32:10.89\00:32:13.80
because you're
working with people
00:32:13.83\00:32:15.23
who are walking the same road,
00:32:15.26\00:32:16.90
who feel for the
most part as you do,
00:32:16.93\00:32:19.03
and who do not
mind the extra work
00:32:19.07\00:32:21.80
and take some time to bring
00:32:21.84\00:32:23.17
a brother and
sister along, you know.
00:32:23.20\00:32:24.84
We're all in
different places in our growth,
00:32:24.87\00:32:26.98
but we're
invested in each other,
00:32:27.01\00:32:28.41
we care about each other.
00:32:28.44\00:32:30.28
So that makes it pleasant,
and there is a quote of love
00:32:30.31\00:32:32.65
that runs from
heart to heart to heart
00:32:32.68\00:32:34.62
of those who love Jesus.
00:32:34.65\00:32:36.28
And speaking of that,
to these lovely retirees,
00:32:36.32\00:32:39.89
they think they're retired.
00:32:39.92\00:32:41.26
Well, they claim retired...
00:32:41.29\00:32:42.62
What's the word
in Spanish, jubi...
00:32:42.66\00:32:44.33
Jubilarse.
00:32:44.36\00:32:45.96
They think they're
that but they're not.
00:32:45.99\00:32:47.83
They're just, because
they have in their house a...
00:32:47.86\00:32:53.00
In Spanish, it's a PC?
00:32:53.03\00:32:55.77
Pequena congregas,
you know, a small group.
00:32:55.80\00:32:58.07
A small group, we would call
it a small group in the States.
00:32:58.11\00:33:01.14
A pequena congregas.
00:33:01.18\00:33:04.11
Praise the Lord.
00:33:04.15\00:33:07.58
But you forgive my
prerogative of English,
00:33:07.62\00:33:09.32
this small group ain't so small.
00:33:09.35\00:33:11.59
It's been growing
00:33:11.62\00:33:13.49
and last count was around forty.
00:33:13.52\00:33:16.83
Yes. Forty-two. Forty-two.
00:33:16.86\00:33:18.19
Forty-two. Forty-two.
00:33:18.23\00:33:19.56
Yeah.
00:33:19.59\00:33:20.93
It's started, and
it's in your home,
00:33:20.96\00:33:22.30
you meet when, Adhi?
00:33:22.33\00:33:23.67
When are we starting?
00:33:23.70\00:33:25.03
Seven.
00:33:25.07\00:33:26.40
You started with seven?
00:33:26.43\00:33:27.77
With seven.
00:33:27.80\00:33:29.14
Three Adventists
and four visitors.
00:33:29.17\00:33:30.64
That's how we started.
00:33:30.67\00:33:32.24
And so now you have 42.
00:33:32.27\00:33:34.78
Of that group,
00:33:34.81\00:33:36.14
how many would you
call a non-Adventists?
00:33:36.18\00:33:39.41
Non-Adventists?
00:33:39.45\00:33:41.48
Probably I would say that...
00:33:41.52\00:33:43.52
Wow, when it
started, probably none.
00:33:43.55\00:33:46.35
Yes, when they
started, none of them.
00:33:46.39\00:33:48.32
Yeah, yeah, and it's...
00:33:48.36\00:33:49.69
I know it's hard too
00:33:49.72\00:33:51.06
because they're
getting baptized so fast.
00:33:51.09\00:33:52.43
Yes.
00:33:52.46\00:33:54.63
Sometimes we
lose, you know, the...
00:33:54.66\00:33:56.10
Yeah, yeah.
00:33:56.13\00:33:57.47
Who is and who is not?
00:33:57.50\00:33:58.83
Yes.
00:33:58.87\00:34:00.20
See, because many of
them have been baptized,
00:34:00.24\00:34:04.34
and the rest
already visiting the church.
00:34:04.37\00:34:10.31
So we don't think on
who is and who is not.
00:34:10.35\00:34:14.45
We are just a group
working with them and...
00:34:14.48\00:34:17.39
We're a family.
00:34:17.42\00:34:18.75
Yes.
00:34:18.79\00:34:20.12
So you started with seven.
Tell us a little bit of the...
00:34:20.16\00:34:22.12
How this group from
seven to now forty-two?
00:34:22.16\00:34:25.09
Did you put out
signs? Did you advertise?
00:34:25.13\00:34:26.53
Did you mail? How did it happen?
00:34:26.56\00:34:27.90
How did it grow?
00:34:27.93\00:34:29.26
Well, that was very interesting.
00:34:29.30\00:34:31.40
And still is interesting.
00:34:31.43\00:34:34.80
Because we, at the
beginning, we were not so...
00:34:34.84\00:34:38.97
We were afraid of
doing it, you know?
00:34:39.01\00:34:43.55
We were there just for a
year or something like that
00:34:43.58\00:34:47.12
from the Bahamas.
00:34:47.15\00:34:49.15
And we were just
still knowing the members,
00:34:49.18\00:34:53.46
and we didn't know our
neighborhood and all that.
00:34:53.49\00:34:57.29
Pastor one day said,
"Well, who wants to start a PC?"
00:34:57.33\00:35:01.76
A small group. A small group.
00:35:01.80\00:35:05.53
And, well, I was
thinking and thinking,
00:35:05.57\00:35:08.70
and then a sister
from that church said,
00:35:08.74\00:35:11.84
"Mr. Palacios,
we're going to have one."
00:35:11.87\00:35:14.28
I didn't say no.
00:35:14.31\00:35:15.64
I say, "Okay, let's go ahead."
00:35:15.68\00:35:20.45
And then we started
organizing the, you know...
00:35:20.48\00:35:24.72
Preparing this
place and what to do
00:35:24.75\00:35:27.79
and things like that.
00:35:27.82\00:35:29.52
And also when she said
we're going have a small group,
00:35:29.56\00:35:31.16
did she know that she
was thinking of your house?
00:35:31.19\00:35:33.40
Did you know you're
volunteering your house?
00:35:33.43\00:35:34.76
Yeah, I think so,
that was the idea.
00:35:34.80\00:35:36.13
Okay.
00:35:36.16\00:35:37.50
Because they were
probably thinking the space
00:35:37.53\00:35:40.10
and things like
that, and so I talked to...
00:35:40.14\00:35:42.20
Yeah, they have
a big house, so...
00:35:42.24\00:35:43.81
I talked to my wife about
that, and she said, "Yes, okay."
00:35:43.84\00:35:47.94
And they were, we used to do it,
00:35:47.98\00:35:50.28
just by having a cooking class.
00:35:50.31\00:35:52.91
And we got a lot
of people coming,
00:35:52.95\00:35:55.08
some of them one hour
from the place where we met,
00:35:55.12\00:35:59.49
you know, and they did it.
00:35:59.52\00:36:01.46
So we started doing it.
00:36:01.49\00:36:04.36
And, you know, we took
time to invite people around.
00:36:04.39\00:36:10.33
But the visitors, they
are who have been bringing
00:36:10.37\00:36:16.00
more people to the
group, the non-Adventists,
00:36:16.04\00:36:20.18
they are bringing their
brother or sister or neighbor,
00:36:20.21\00:36:23.51
someone who is
in need for prayer,
00:36:23.55\00:36:26.61
they invite the
person to the group
00:36:26.65\00:36:28.92
and they come to the group.
00:36:28.95\00:36:30.79
And they like to be there
00:36:30.82\00:36:33.19
and to explain the
needs that they have
00:36:33.22\00:36:36.99
and asked for prayers.
00:36:37.03\00:36:38.49
And they are in charge
00:36:38.53\00:36:39.86
of bringing more people, really.
00:36:39.89\00:36:41.26
So the group is
bringing the group.
00:36:41.30\00:36:43.57
I mean the group is
bringing other people.
00:36:43.60\00:36:45.13
Yes, of course.
00:36:45.17\00:36:46.50
It's not like the pastor
bringing or the elder bringing,
00:36:46.53\00:36:48.14
this is the group
growing the group.
00:36:48.17\00:36:49.64
Yeah. Just
through word of mouth.
00:36:49.67\00:36:51.17
Yes. Yes.
00:36:51.21\00:36:53.58
The same visitors we
have inviting other visitors.
00:36:53.61\00:36:58.25
So that's how they come over.
00:36:58.28\00:36:59.71
Praise the Lord.
00:36:59.75\00:37:01.08
Yes, it's very interesting.
00:37:01.12\00:37:02.58
So now we're up to 42. Yeah.
00:37:02.62\00:37:04.22
And pretty much regulars.
00:37:04.25\00:37:05.75
You look for the
same faces every week,
00:37:05.79\00:37:07.12
and they are coming back.
00:37:07.16\00:37:08.49
Every week, every
week. They don't miss it.
00:37:08.52\00:37:10.09
Yes.
00:37:10.13\00:37:11.46
Explain how when the first time
00:37:11.49\00:37:13.16
that we were not able to
probably have the meeting
00:37:13.19\00:37:16.90
at the time that we used
to have it, what happened?
00:37:16.93\00:37:19.70
Yeah, we meet
every Tuesday at seven.
00:37:19.73\00:37:23.91
We start at 6:30, but
because two of them can't
00:37:23.94\00:37:27.04
because one of them is a lawyer,
00:37:27.08\00:37:29.78
and the other one works
also for the government.
00:37:29.81\00:37:33.92
So they...
00:37:33.95\00:37:36.58
Were more easy for them
to be at 7 than at 6:30,
00:37:36.62\00:37:40.19
so we moved a little bit.
00:37:40.22\00:37:41.89
But this day, my
grandson from his school,
00:37:41.92\00:37:44.53
they have a presentation in
the park for Christmas time.
00:37:44.56\00:37:49.30
So we call all of
them, and say "Well,
00:37:49.33\00:37:51.23
we are not able
tonight to have the meeting,
00:37:51.27\00:37:54.70
so let's move
it to another day."
00:37:54.74\00:37:57.51
And all of them called and said.
00:37:57.54\00:37:59.61
"No. We'll wait.
00:37:59.64\00:38:01.38
You go, do what you have to do,
00:38:01.41\00:38:03.65
when you come
back, let us know."
00:38:03.68\00:38:05.65
And when we've
finished with the program
00:38:05.68\00:38:07.72
that they had at this park,
00:38:07.75\00:38:10.32
all of them were at
home waiting for us outside.
00:38:10.35\00:38:14.96
Waiting for us to open
the door and come inside.
00:38:14.99\00:38:16.56
Praise the
Lord. Praise the Lord.
00:38:16.59\00:38:17.93
So that's a group of
mine that God has lifted up.
00:38:17.96\00:38:20.50
They'll say, "We'll wait.
00:38:20.53\00:38:23.60
When you are
done, we'll be here."
00:38:23.63\00:38:24.97
Yes.
00:38:25.00\00:38:26.33
So that is beautiful
00:38:26.37\00:38:28.80
because that not only
helped them to continue
00:38:28.84\00:38:34.14
what we are doing in the...
00:38:34.18\00:38:36.61
Helped us to be
encouraged, to continue,
00:38:36.64\00:38:39.78
and to praise God
because we don't do that,
00:38:39.81\00:38:43.65
God put that in their hearts.
00:38:43.69\00:38:45.19
Amen.
00:38:45.22\00:38:46.55
So that's why I think the
group is growing and growing,
00:38:46.59\00:38:50.69
you know, because they
come, and they feel at home,
00:38:50.73\00:38:54.26
and they feel that we love them,
00:38:54.30\00:38:56.63
and they feel that God is there,
00:38:56.67\00:38:59.33
and they are learning about God.
00:38:59.37\00:39:02.17
And that's what they want.?
00:39:02.20\00:39:03.87
So I think all these together...
00:39:03.91\00:39:06.44
The Holy Spirit put all
these together for the work
00:39:06.47\00:39:10.41
that is done could
flourish, could blossom.
00:39:10.45\00:39:14.02
I have to say my sister,
00:39:17.05\00:39:20.59
she's been humble
about these and her husband.
00:39:20.62\00:39:24.69
They put a lot of work on these,
00:39:24.73\00:39:27.16
their time and their heart.
00:39:27.20\00:39:29.83
One of the things
that she does because...
00:39:29.86\00:39:33.37
As a teacher, she
likes to do things,
00:39:33.40\00:39:38.84
fix things and create things.
00:39:38.87\00:39:41.41
And what they decided to
do is to have a social time
00:39:41.44\00:39:47.82
after the
meeting, the people come,
00:39:47.85\00:39:50.39
they sit, then the
people, they all participate,
00:39:50.42\00:39:55.92
they read the
verses from the lesson,
00:39:55.96\00:39:59.96
young people and the
children that can read
00:40:00.00\00:40:02.53
they already read.
00:40:02.56\00:40:05.03
But every night, she has
always had something to drink
00:40:05.07\00:40:09.47
or something to eat,
sometimes a lot of stuff to eat
00:40:09.50\00:40:14.94
because still I used to cook.
00:40:14.98\00:40:17.21
And when I came in, and I said,
"That's not what I've learned,"
00:40:17.25\00:40:21.85
'cause I had gone through
some meetings about these,
00:40:21.88\00:40:25.02
and the first thing
they said, "Don't make social
00:40:25.05\00:40:28.92
with the Bible study, you know,
00:40:28.96\00:40:31.86
just keep the Bible study,"
00:40:31.89\00:40:35.36
so that they
don't get too familiar.
00:40:35.40\00:40:38.00
So I thought,
"This is different."
00:40:38.03\00:40:41.20
But this is better
00:40:41.24\00:40:42.97
because what
happens is that when she,
00:40:43.00\00:40:46.34
after they finish the meeting,
00:40:46.37\00:40:47.71
everybody knows that
they're going to have
00:40:47.74\00:40:49.08
something to drink
or something to eat,
00:40:49.11\00:40:50.78
sometimes it's a light
snack, sometimes she is creative
00:40:50.81\00:40:54.98
and have a whole
feast, but that's the time
00:40:55.02\00:41:00.62
when they actually
interact with each other,
00:41:00.66\00:41:03.83
and I think that's
the key for their success
00:41:03.86\00:41:07.66
because they not
only get to know them,
00:41:07.70\00:41:11.20
but they get to know
each other in the group.
00:41:11.23\00:41:14.44
And so they become friends.
00:41:14.47\00:41:16.27
They have a
group in the WhatsApp,
00:41:16.30\00:41:21.74
you know,
WhatsApp is a little easy.
00:41:21.78\00:41:23.11
Oh, yeah. All of them. Yes.
00:41:23.14\00:41:25.21
So they all communicate
like when one message goes,
00:41:25.25\00:41:28.58
all of them get the message.
00:41:28.62\00:41:30.42
So it's very easy for, you know,
00:41:30.45\00:41:32.72
communicating things.
00:41:32.75\00:41:34.09
We are here.
00:41:34.12\00:41:35.92
But at the same
time we are over there
00:41:35.96\00:41:39.43
because WhatsApp
keeps us all together.
00:41:39.46\00:41:41.40
When you say here, you
mean you are here in the States?
00:41:41.43\00:41:42.76
Here in the States.
00:41:42.80\00:41:44.13
Yes But still very much in touch
00:41:44.17\00:41:45.50
with the group of Panama.
00:41:45.53\00:41:46.87
Yes. Oh, yeah.
00:41:46.90\00:41:48.24
So we write every single
day, we send messages, we...
00:41:48.27\00:41:51.07
If anybody has a
birthday or something,
00:41:51.11\00:41:53.74
we all have
something for them to say,
00:41:53.78\00:41:56.58
and that keeps us together.
00:41:56.61\00:41:58.71
And that's another thing.
00:41:58.75\00:42:01.12
We not only
give the Word of God,
00:42:01.15\00:42:06.65
just plain like
that, we take care of them.
00:42:06.69\00:42:10.13
If they were sick,
00:42:10.16\00:42:11.66
if anybody's going to
have a baby, we celebrate,
00:42:11.69\00:42:13.90
if anybody has
birthday, we celebrate,
00:42:13.93\00:42:17.87
if the kids have
graduation, we celebrate,
00:42:17.90\00:42:20.90
everything that can be
celebrated, we celebrate.
00:42:20.94\00:42:24.24
And sometimes, we only celebrate
00:42:24.27\00:42:26.21
because we are there.
00:42:26.24\00:42:28.98
But they help.
00:42:29.01\00:42:30.48
It's not just
because I put things,
00:42:30.51\00:42:32.21
no they bring things,
00:42:32.25\00:42:33.72
they bring
things, you know, to...
00:42:33.75\00:42:36.38
And sometimes they say,
00:42:36.42\00:42:37.75
"Don't deal with
doing things, don't do that.
00:42:37.79\00:42:40.36
We're going to bring things so."
00:42:40.39\00:42:42.16
God is good. God
is good, you know.
00:42:42.19\00:42:45.76
I don't know what
you're going to say,
00:42:45.79\00:42:47.13
but I'm going to
go ahead with this,
00:42:47.16\00:42:50.60
one of the ladies
that comes to the group.
00:42:50.63\00:42:54.30
She is a very young lady.
00:42:54.34\00:42:55.97
And she loves to
come, and she loves to sing
00:42:58.64\00:43:01.71
and share with her coworkers
00:43:01.74\00:43:04.71
also whatever she
learns in the group.
00:43:04.75\00:43:08.85
But we were, you know,
00:43:08.88\00:43:11.92
looking at her and
waiting maybe for decision,
00:43:11.95\00:43:16.26
quickly, but no,
00:43:16.29\00:43:17.86
she was taking
time, taking time.
00:43:17.89\00:43:19.63
We didn't know why.
00:43:19.66\00:43:21.90
But then being
here in United States,
00:43:21.93\00:43:24.83
she wrote me, and she
says, "I'm going to be baptized.
00:43:24.87\00:43:28.30
I was waiting
for you to come back.
00:43:28.34\00:43:31.04
But the pastor says that I
should take my decision now."
00:43:31.07\00:43:35.84
So I said, "That's right."
00:43:35.88\00:43:37.81
So she said, "But I
have these problems."
00:43:37.85\00:43:40.08
She told me her problems.
00:43:40.12\00:43:41.88
"And that's why I
never have been, you know,
00:43:41.92\00:43:45.09
like able to take this decision.
00:43:45.12\00:43:48.46
So I talked to her, I'd
write, I would pray, I said,
00:43:48.49\00:43:52.56
"Pray about this
and forget about it,
00:43:52.59\00:43:55.86
get baptized.
00:43:55.90\00:43:57.97
The Lord is going to help you.
00:43:58.00\00:43:59.33
He is going to take
care of your problems."
00:43:59.37\00:44:01.44
And then she says, 'Okay."
00:44:01.47\00:44:03.87
And then CA and my
sister were, one day,
00:44:03.91\00:44:09.68
in these
meetings that we were not
00:44:09.71\00:44:12.95
because we were here.
00:44:12.98\00:44:15.12
So they were able to
listen from her this testimony,
00:44:15.15\00:44:20.22
"From that day I got baptized,
all my problems went away."
00:44:20.26\00:44:25.99
Praise the Lord.
00:44:26.03\00:44:27.36
And then I could
sleep all night long.
00:44:27.40\00:44:31.10
So I think the
Lord is working on them,
00:44:31.13\00:44:34.17
and many young people
already have been baptized,
00:44:34.20\00:44:37.84
seven of them.
00:44:37.87\00:44:39.51
So right now, what we
are doing is letting them,
00:44:39.54\00:44:43.55
also learn how to
give message, testimonies
00:44:43.58\00:44:50.49
so they are in
church, every night,
00:44:50.52\00:44:52.19
one different,
give the theme of the...
00:44:52.22\00:44:58.23
Topic for the day, and
they're doing it so well.
00:44:58.26\00:45:01.66
And then they have many ideas.
00:45:01.70\00:45:04.13
So one of them can
play the music, violin,
00:45:04.17\00:45:08.27
or they have her own music
or his own music or someday,
00:45:08.30\00:45:14.48
they are going to
sing, different things.
00:45:14.51\00:45:16.61
But they are
using their own talent,
00:45:16.64\00:45:21.25
by now, that God gave them.
00:45:21.28\00:45:23.08
Yeah.
00:45:23.12\00:45:24.45
Something that
happened in this group
00:45:24.49\00:45:28.29
that I have to bring it up
00:45:28.32\00:45:30.26
because it was just
so impressive to me.
00:45:30.29\00:45:34.26
There is one lady,
00:45:34.30\00:45:35.73
we have two
Raquels in the group,
00:45:35.76\00:45:38.47
so we call one,
Raquel 1 and the other one,
00:45:38.50\00:45:41.34
the one that is being
coming to the group, Raquel 2.
00:45:41.37\00:45:47.54
Raquel 2 has learned
so much in the group,
00:45:47.58\00:45:52.88
so much she had
learned and not only that,
00:45:52.91\00:45:55.38
but she had really embraced it.
00:45:55.42\00:45:58.25
And so she has been so excited,
she's telling her husband,
00:45:58.29\00:46:03.39
and she's telling her
daughter who, by the way,
00:46:03.43\00:46:06.49
just got baptized a
month maybe, not even that.
00:46:06.53\00:46:12.93
Hardly two months
really. Yeah, okay.
00:46:12.97\00:46:15.80
So anyways, so she
brings her neighbor.
00:46:15.84\00:46:19.17
Her neighbor has...
00:46:19.21\00:46:20.84
Four kids.
00:46:20.88\00:46:22.21
Four kids, one
girl and three boys.
00:46:22.24\00:46:25.81
The oldest son is
about 10 years old.
00:46:25.85\00:46:29.72
So the first time they
came, the little boy, you know,
00:46:29.75\00:46:34.86
was listening to people,
they are giving testimonies.
00:46:34.89\00:46:39.16
So he raised his little hand,
and he want to say something.
00:46:39.19\00:46:44.13
And he says
that he needed prayer
00:46:44.17\00:46:48.17
because his mother is trying
to get him to this school,
00:46:48.20\00:46:54.94
and the transition is
because her husband has left.
00:46:54.98\00:47:00.52
Before that, apparently,
00:47:00.55\00:47:01.88
her husband was
making good money,
00:47:01.92\00:47:03.92
and she had him
in a private school.
00:47:03.95\00:47:07.32
But now she cannot afford that.
00:47:07.36\00:47:09.82
So she needed to
move him to another school
00:47:09.86\00:47:13.09
where she doesn't have to pay.
00:47:13.13\00:47:16.80
But there were a lot of
things going on with the fact
00:47:16.83\00:47:20.47
that she had not finished
00:47:20.50\00:47:23.14
to pay for his
getting in this school.
00:47:23.17\00:47:26.57
So this other school
did not want to accept him
00:47:26.61\00:47:29.58
without the credits.
00:47:29.61\00:47:31.68
And so he needed
a prayer for that.
00:47:31.71\00:47:35.08
He needed a prayer
00:47:35.12\00:47:36.45
that they will give him
this credits, so then...
00:47:36.48\00:47:40.82
And that his mom would be
able to register him in there,
00:47:40.86\00:47:44.53
this 10-year-old boy.
00:47:44.56\00:47:47.03
Well, we did all
pray and prayed, you know,
00:47:47.06\00:47:52.73
privately and
all that for the boy.
00:47:52.77\00:47:55.44
And then so two weeks...
00:47:55.47\00:47:57.64
The next week.
00:47:57.67\00:47:59.01
Or the next week,
the following week,
00:47:59.04\00:48:01.41
he came giving
thanks to the Lord
00:48:01.44\00:48:04.51
because the Lord
had answered his prayer.
00:48:04.55\00:48:06.85
And his mother was able
to help some that she got
00:48:06.88\00:48:11.72
and be able to
register him in that school.
00:48:11.75\00:48:14.42
Praise the Lord.
00:48:14.46\00:48:15.79
So this little
boy, 10 years old,
00:48:15.82\00:48:18.16
and the daughter of
this lady, Raquel number 2,
00:48:18.19\00:48:25.17
also had started
walking and listening.
00:48:25.20\00:48:28.94
She is so excited for the Lord.
00:48:28.97\00:48:31.57
She's so full of the spirit.
00:48:31.61\00:48:35.14
And for her baptism?
00:48:35.18\00:48:41.05
I'm not leaving yours.
00:48:41.08\00:48:43.42
But her baptisms are
because it's really exciting.
00:48:43.45\00:48:46.96
I'm very proud of
what they're doing,
00:48:46.99\00:48:49.06
and I'm really proud of the Lord
00:48:49.09\00:48:50.56
how He is using them.
00:48:50.59\00:48:52.39
Yes.
00:48:52.43\00:48:53.76
And so she invited her father,
and her father, to this point,
00:48:53.80\00:48:58.97
had not wanted to come to.
00:48:59.00\00:49:01.50
So her father
came, and we were told
00:49:01.54\00:49:06.01
because we missed that
baptism that he was in tears,
00:49:06.04\00:49:10.45
and he is so
proud of his daughter.
00:49:10.48\00:49:14.58
So we can see him in
the future coming too.
00:49:14.62\00:49:19.22
Praise the Lord.
00:49:19.25\00:49:20.59
There are many stories
00:49:20.62\00:49:22.39
that she probably may
even forget some of them but...
00:49:22.42\00:49:26.49
Many.
00:49:26.53\00:49:27.86
Yeah, I want to say something...
00:49:27.90\00:49:29.36
I want to say
something else that our group...
00:49:29.40\00:49:33.44
In our group, we are having
international people, you know?
00:49:33.47\00:49:37.27
And these are pastor CA
00:49:37.31\00:49:41.88
and Irma Murray.
00:49:41.91\00:49:45.01
We feel like they
are part of our group.
00:49:45.05\00:49:50.22
They are. Yeah, they are.
00:49:50.25\00:49:52.62
When they go there,
00:49:52.65\00:49:53.99
they help us a
lot with the group.
00:49:54.02\00:49:56.32
And, you know,
they are retiring.
00:49:56.36\00:49:59.76
Just as you are retiring.
00:49:59.79\00:50:01.13
But that is going to really...
00:50:01.16\00:50:02.73
We're not retiring.
00:50:02.76\00:50:06.40
So we are going to
have them over there too.
00:50:06.43\00:50:09.20
So this is going
to be a good help.
00:50:09.24\00:50:11.01
But our group is so big place,
00:50:11.04\00:50:13.41
like a big family.
00:50:13.44\00:50:14.78
I feel like that.
It is a big family.
00:50:14.81\00:50:18.18
If we have a need, we
call someone from the group.
00:50:18.21\00:50:21.35
If we have a...
00:50:21.38\00:50:22.72
We need prayer, we
call, you know, to the group,
00:50:22.75\00:50:25.29
and we are in touch
all the time, all the time.
00:50:25.32\00:50:27.86
Even now, that we are
here in the United States,
00:50:27.89\00:50:30.46
we have been here
almost six months,
00:50:30.49\00:50:32.76
but we get in touch
with them every day.
00:50:32.79\00:50:36.03
We know what happened at church,
00:50:36.06\00:50:37.67
we know what happened at
the group and the meetings,
00:50:37.70\00:50:41.57
we know what is happening
with the families, who is sick,
00:50:41.60\00:50:44.67
who is not, is the
baby sick, we know that,
00:50:44.71\00:50:48.88
and we pray for them.
00:50:48.91\00:50:51.28
And they know that
we are praying for them.
00:50:51.31\00:50:53.35
So we are planning to...
00:50:53.38\00:50:55.72
We want to go back
soon as soon as possible to,
00:50:55.75\00:51:01.36
you know, keep
working with the group.
00:51:01.39\00:51:02.96
So I will ask you to pray for us
00:51:02.99\00:51:06.39
so we can have
our things set soon,
00:51:06.43\00:51:09.70
and we can go back the group.
00:51:09.73\00:51:12.43
But really, the story
of this group is very long,
00:51:12.47\00:51:15.07
you know.
00:51:15.10\00:51:16.44
We haven't touched anything
00:51:16.47\00:51:17.81
about how God had blessed
the group with a piece of land
00:51:17.84\00:51:21.11
to start building the church.
00:51:21.14\00:51:24.08
I want to do it
quickly, okay? Okay.
00:51:24.11\00:51:26.61
Quickly, quickly.
00:51:26.65\00:51:28.38
One day, the idea came...
00:51:28.42\00:51:30.82
Oh, your group
is growing so fast.
00:51:30.85\00:51:33.82
And someone from the conference,
00:51:33.86\00:51:35.36
I think it was the pastor
of our church who said so.
00:51:35.39\00:51:38.23
Then I said, "Yeah, that's true.
00:51:38.26\00:51:39.89
We need a place to
meet together, you know."
00:51:39.93\00:51:44.47
And we're talking about...
00:51:44.50\00:51:48.77
Thinking how are we going to do,
00:51:48.80\00:51:50.61
who we are
going to do with that.
00:51:50.64\00:51:52.04
So we saw a
place, beautiful place,
00:51:52.07\00:51:55.44
at the entrance
of the community.
00:51:55.48\00:51:57.68
It's a huge place.
00:51:57.71\00:51:59.05
It's this...
00:51:59.08\00:52:00.42
Let me see, it is
2,400 square meters,
00:52:00.45\00:52:04.55
and then I saw the
sign there for sale.
00:52:04.59\00:52:08.66
So I called the
owner, and he said,
00:52:08.69\00:52:11.13
"Yes, we are selling this."
00:52:11.16\00:52:12.89
And then he said,
00:52:12.93\00:52:14.26
"We are selling
that piece of land."
00:52:14.30\00:52:16.16
"And how much are
you asking for the land?"
00:52:16.20\00:52:17.77
He said, "Well, this is
going to be $80 a square meter."
00:52:17.80\00:52:22.64
I said, "Well, but
that's too much money for us.
00:52:22.67\00:52:26.88
Can you sell just
half of the piece of land?"
00:52:26.91\00:52:29.91
He said, "Yes, I
could do it, yeah."
00:52:29.94\00:52:32.51
So I called the pastor,
00:52:32.55\00:52:35.02
and I called the
president of the conference,
00:52:35.05\00:52:37.29
and I told them, "We
have seen the piece of land.
00:52:37.32\00:52:39.82
It's just in the
entrance of the community,
00:52:39.85\00:52:43.59
and we would
like to do something."
00:52:43.63\00:52:45.83
And the president
of the conference said,
00:52:45.86\00:52:48.06
"Oh, Mr.
Palacios, this is the land.
00:52:48.10\00:52:50.37
In that piece of
land, we are going to have
00:52:50.40\00:52:53.07
the best church
of the conference."
00:52:53.10\00:52:55.50
That's what he said. Okay.
00:52:55.54\00:52:58.57
I felt so good
00:52:58.61\00:53:00.04
because if the
president of the conference
00:53:00.08\00:53:01.84
is saying that, that means
00:53:01.88\00:53:03.45
that we have his
support, you know.
00:53:03.48\00:53:05.78
So I called the lady,
00:53:05.81\00:53:07.78
and then I tried to
get the price lower, lower.
00:53:07.82\00:53:10.39
So we get a little bit lower.
00:53:10.42\00:53:12.12
Yeah, he is a
treasurer now. Remember that.
00:53:12.15\00:53:13.89
Trying to get it lower.
00:53:13.92\00:53:16.62
Yeah, and then we
started working on that.
00:53:16.66\00:53:18.56
I'm praying for that.
00:53:18.59\00:53:19.93
One day, the president
of the conference called me.
00:53:19.96\00:53:22.00
"Mr. Palacios, guess what?"
00:53:22.03\00:53:25.17
I said, "Guess what? What?
00:53:25.20\00:53:27.14
What is happening?"
00:53:27.17\00:53:29.30
He said, "Someone
in the capital city,
00:53:29.34\00:53:32.01
in Panama City, I
told him about the project
00:53:32.04\00:53:35.51
for the new
church in that place.
00:53:35.54\00:53:37.58
And that man
called me to go over there
00:53:37.61\00:53:39.61
and get $50,000
for that project."
00:53:39.65\00:53:44.49
You know, my skin is like...
00:53:44.52\00:53:49.66
Really, oh I prayed the,
you know, God because of that.
00:53:49.69\00:53:54.63
Praise the Lord.
00:53:54.66\00:53:56.00
And then the president
said, "Out of my own money,
00:53:56.03\00:53:59.93
I'm going to put
$20,000 for that project."
00:53:59.97\00:54:05.14
Yeah, and
someone else gave $2,000.
00:54:05.17\00:54:08.21
And the land is about to be...
00:54:08.24\00:54:13.72
How can I say that?
00:54:13.75\00:54:15.52
We are about to
finish the deal, you know.
00:54:15.55\00:54:17.95
There is a legal
thing that is getting us
00:54:17.99\00:54:20.36
a little bit behind,
but the land is going to be
00:54:20.39\00:54:25.23
in the name of
the conference soon.
00:54:25.26\00:54:27.26
So we're actually
are praying for that
00:54:27.30\00:54:30.17
so we may have the land now,
00:54:30.20\00:54:32.27
but we now need the building.
00:54:32.30\00:54:35.27
We need to keep
praying for that.
00:54:35.30\00:54:36.64
Yes.
00:54:36.67\00:54:38.01
Seriously, if you see
about this kind of thing,
00:54:38.04\00:54:39.37
it's addictive.
00:54:39.41\00:54:40.74
When you see people
giving their heart to the Lord,
00:54:40.78\00:54:42.34
giving their heart to the
Lord, and you see God begin
00:54:42.38\00:54:44.31
to open up miracles,
there are not many ways
00:54:44.35\00:54:46.48
to get into this development,
00:54:46.51\00:54:48.32
it's is called Via Mercedes.
00:54:48.35\00:54:49.78
Via. Via Mercedes.
00:54:49.82\00:54:54.26
But anyway, you come across
this little bridge to come in,
00:54:54.29\00:54:57.29
I think there's
one other way out.
00:54:57.33\00:54:58.83
Yes. But not
many ways in and out?
00:54:58.86\00:55:00.20
No.
00:55:00.23\00:55:01.56
You've got to come
across this bridge.
00:55:01.60\00:55:02.93
So as you come
across this bridge,
00:55:02.96\00:55:04.30
this property sits right there.
00:55:04.33\00:55:05.93
Its palm tree
lined on the one side
00:55:05.97\00:55:08.27
and palm tree
lined on the other.
00:55:08.30\00:55:09.80
It is the perfect spot.
00:55:09.84\00:55:11.17
You cannot get into Via Mercedes
00:55:11.21\00:55:13.58
without coming across
that bridge on that side,
00:55:13.61\00:55:16.08
so you've got to go
00:55:16.11\00:55:17.45
by the
Seventh-day Adventist church.
00:55:17.48\00:55:18.81
So it is the perfect spot.
00:55:18.85\00:55:20.18
And it is a
beautiful piece of land,
00:55:20.22\00:55:21.55
really, really beautiful.
00:55:21.58\00:55:22.92
And someone unknown,
whose name we don't know says,
00:55:22.95\00:55:27.69
"Here's $50,000."
00:55:27.72\00:55:29.06
Now is that God or what? Yes.
00:55:29.09\00:55:32.69
Well, I just said that
00:55:32.73\00:55:34.06
this is just by
the grace of God.
00:55:34.10\00:55:35.76
Amen. Yes, it is.
00:55:35.80\00:55:38.67
I encourage anyone
00:55:38.70\00:55:41.57
who wants to start
on small group at home.
00:55:41.60\00:55:46.11
It's not the blessing that
you can bring to the people
00:55:46.14\00:55:50.18
who comes to your house.
00:55:50.21\00:55:52.88
It's the blessing that we
get for being able to do this
00:55:52.91\00:55:59.12
because it really makes
us feel humble before God,
00:55:59.15\00:56:04.79
happy for the people
who is learning about God.
00:56:04.83\00:56:08.43
So I praise the
Lord for that. Amen.
00:56:08.46\00:56:10.93
That opportunity that
He is putting before us.
00:56:10.97\00:56:14.84
When you do this kind of
thing, truly you are a blessing
00:56:14.87\00:56:18.64
because you're the hands of God.
00:56:18.67\00:56:20.41
But the unknown
part is the blessing
00:56:20.44\00:56:22.11
that you receive
when you become an agent
00:56:22.14\00:56:25.25
of change for the Lord.
00:56:25.28\00:56:26.78
As you give, so you get.
00:56:26.82\00:56:28.42
God makes sure
because you cannot...
00:56:28.45\00:56:31.22
As you all say, you
cannot be God-giving.
00:56:31.25\00:56:33.19
So for everything you give,
you get back more in return.
00:56:33.22\00:56:37.09
And you also get the
satisfaction of seeing
00:56:37.13\00:56:39.29
men and women give
their heart to the Lord.
00:56:39.33\00:56:41.43
And as we've all
said, it is addictive to see
00:56:41.46\00:56:44.07
men and women
put down the bottle,
00:56:44.10\00:56:46.87
pick up the Bible,
and do the work of God
00:56:46.90\00:56:49.34
and become hands
and feet of our Lord
00:56:49.37\00:56:51.24
and Savior Jesus Christ.
00:56:51.27\00:56:52.61
So I know they're
waiting to get back to that PC.
00:56:52.64\00:56:54.88
Yes.
00:56:54.91\00:56:59.11
And the kinds of
people that are coming,
00:56:59.15\00:57:01.75
doctors, lawyers,
people of our influence.
00:57:01.78\00:57:04.19
Nurses. Nurses.
00:57:04.22\00:57:05.55
And then just
people from the streets,
00:57:05.59\00:57:06.92
and young people
are coming and staying.
00:57:06.96\00:57:08.76
And when they come,
00:57:08.79\00:57:10.13
and they're not
ready to just run away,
00:57:10.16\00:57:11.56
you know something
very, very good is happening.
00:57:11.59\00:57:14.03
So we give you encouragement.
00:57:14.06\00:57:16.26
If you start for the Lord,
00:57:16.30\00:57:17.70
the Lord certainly
will keep you going.
00:57:17.73\00:57:19.07
So I want to
thank Adhi and Oscar,
00:57:19.10\00:57:21.14
and I want to
thank Eric and Marilyn,
00:57:21.17\00:57:22.97
and I want to thank
Boo for being with us.
00:57:23.00\00:57:25.84
And we hope that
we said something
00:57:25.87\00:57:27.31
that will encourage you,
00:57:27.34\00:57:28.68
as together we walk this
road that leads to glory.
00:57:28.71\00:57:30.95
We'll see you again soon
for another Family Worship.
00:57:30.98\00:57:34.35
God bless. Amen.
00:57:34.38\00:57:35.85
Happy Sabbath. Happy Sabbath.
00:57:35.88\00:57:38.32