Participants:
Series Code: TDYL
Program Code: TDYL240023B
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00:10 Welcome back.
00:11 I'm Jill Morikone. 00:15 talking with Child Impact International, hearing what the 00:20 Lord is doing in and through this ministry, the amazing rescue 00:24 stories, the stories of hope and healing through Operation Child 00:29 Rescue, which is a part of Child Impact International. 00:33 They have 24 is that correct? 00:35 24 projects in 14 different countries seeking to rescue 00:40 children from child trafficking. 00:43 So if you're for whatever reason, just joining us this hour, you can 00:48 always jump on YouTube later or 3 a .m. 00:50 plus and you can watch the first hour if you missed it. 00:54 And if you are just joining us, we have with us the CEO of Child 00:57 Impact International, Dr. Tom Evans. 01:00 We have Jason Churchwell, who is, I gotta look at your title here. 01:04 I apologize. 01:08 And then we have Nicole Bertelli, who's the Director of Child Impact 01:12 in Brazil. 01:13 And we've been hearing the first hour stories from Bangladesh, 01:16 stories from Brazil, stories from Zambia. 01:20 And now we're going to hear about Columbia, which was the project 01:24 last year. 01:24 Talk to us again about that, Dr. Tom. 01:27 How every year you pick a project specifically there with July 30 and 01:30 World Trafficking. 01:34 probably almost from a year ahead begin to dialogue about what should 01:39 be our project for next year. 01:42 And so we happen to select a project in Columbia. 01:46 And so this was what we raised funds for for July 30. 01:49 And so we're very close to that date now. 01:51 So we're now focused on our next project. 01:54 But this project in Columbia was fully funded and began operations a 01:59 year ago. 02:00 And in fact, God bless with additional funding. 02:04 Because there was a request for a second project in Columbia. 02:08 And we've seen amazing miracles with that second project. 02:11 We're so grateful that the resources came in to start that 02:14 project as well. 02:15 So now we have two major projects in Columbia. 02:17 Amen. 02:17 So talk to us about that. 02:19 What are the projects? 02:20 So, you know, Child Impact started in Asia and then we expanded into 02:24 Africa. 02:25 We said we need to be in South America. 02:27 And so now we have Nicole with us in Brazil and some incredible 02:30 things happening in Columbia. 02:32 So a friend of ours introduced us to a missionary who's from Columbia 02:35 and he was working in what's called the green window. 02:40 Many of our of us have heard about this term, the 1040 window, 10 02:44 degrees latitude to 40 degrees latitude. 02:47 And it's a large group of people who are unreached with the gospel. 02:52 But there's also this new term called the green window. 02:56 Now that I'm not familiar with. 02:57 It's 20 degrees north of the equator and 20 degrees south of the 03:01 equator. 03:06 people around the world. 03:08 And so these missionaries were working in what they called the 03:11 green window, trying to bring the gospel to places that have not ever 03:15 heard the name Jesus and don't know anything about Christianity or 03:19 Seventh -day Adventism. 03:21 And so they were working among indigenous tribes in Columbia and 03:25 wanted to do something for the kids there. 03:27 And they were introduced to Child Impact because that's what we do. 03:31 We try to work with vulnerable kids. 03:32 And so this ministry is called Vida Sana de Redencion. 03:37 And the director there, his name is Michael. 03:38 And Michael and I met. 03:39 He speaks Spanish. 03:41 I speak English. 03:42 My wife was able to translate for us. 03:45 And we spent many hours talking on the phone discussing different 03:48 projects. 03:49 Michael has a missionary training program and they send missionaries 03:52 out to unreached and remote places along different rivers in the 03:56 Amazon. 03:57 Columbia has some of the Amazon. 03:59 Brazil has the Amazon in it. 04:02 And these missionaries were stationed in remote places, living 04:06 among people, trying to share the gospel with them. 04:08 There was no Adventist church in this area. 04:10 You get there by plane that only runs every two or three days of the 04:14 week. 04:14 And so it's very remote. 04:16 And while they were there, they started recognizing that many of 04:20 the girls in these communities were being sexually abused. 04:22 So there's lots of celebrations, lots of parties. 04:27 In South America, it seems like they have a holiday and a festival 04:30 every week. 04:31 I love the culture there. 04:33 And sadly, though, there's a lot of alcohol that comes with these 04:36 parties. 04:40 that. 04:44 place with these kids. 04:45 And so they started recognizing that there's a need to get these 04:49 kids to a safe place. 04:50 And so as Tom said, we made this our focus for July 30 last year, 04:54 but we put it in two phases. 04:56 The first phase, we wanted to take kids out of those situations and 05:00 get them to a safe place, to this Adventist campus where they could 05:03 learn about Jesus, where they could go to school. 05:05 And we could continue working in their community, but provide a safe 05:08 place for these kids. 05:10 And then phase two, which was kind of our ultimate dream, is we wanted 05:13 to buy land and build a rescue center there in the jungle right 05:17 next to their communities. 05:19 And we praise the Lord that he provided the funds for all of these 05:22 things to happen through our July 30 appeals last year. 05:27 And we're so excited to see how those projects are coming to 05:30 fruition now. 05:31 Amen. 05:32 Now you have a video. 05:33 Let's do the video and then we'll talk more about the project. 05:44 A year ago, Child Impact opened our first project in South America in 05:48 the beautiful country of Colombia. 05:49 We had a desire to start a project here, rescuing Indigenous girls who 05:55 were being sexually abused. 05:57 To get to this project, we took a plane that only operates a few days 06:01 a week, landed and rode 45 minutes in a small speedboat snaking down 06:07 one of the rivers of the Amazon. 06:09 When we arrived, we were warmly greeted by an Indigenous community 06:13 and everything seemed to be normal. 06:16 The kids were happy and smiling, but we soon learned that this was 06:20 not the reality for these children. 06:23 They grow up in very close knit, tight communities. 06:27 And in these communities, they celebrate a lot of festivals. 06:32 And in those festivals, there's a lot of alcohol. 06:34 And since then, we've learned that children from a very young age are 06:41 forced to drink with the adults. 06:43 And then when they're drunk, they're sexually abused by those in 06:47 their community. 06:48 It could be family members, relatives, or just friends of the 06:51 family. 06:52 And these kids are in desperate need of a safe place to grow up and 06:57 be children. 07:02 I remember those days vividly. 07:05 And also the girls when they are alone, when no one is there. 07:11 If the family leaves the girls alone in the house and someone or a 07:15 boy comes, they close the door and harm the girl. 07:21 And so we took the children with the parents to the police. 07:25 We did everything legally. 07:27 They signed over custody and paperwork allowing us to take the 07:31 children with us. 07:32 And they rode for the first time on an airplane to our partner's 07:36 project, Vida Sana de Redencion, in another part of Colombia. 07:42 That was one year ago today that we were able to take these children to 07:46 a safe place. 07:47 It was their first time on an airplane. 07:50 They had never traveled outside of their community before. 07:54 And I'm excited to share an update with you on what's been happening 07:57 in their lives over the past year. 08:00 The first time I came here, I immediately liked Vida Sana because 08:05 it helped me with everything I needed. 08:08 It provided me with the support I was looking for and helped me with 08:12 what I had on my mind and more. 08:16 I'm so happy to see the contrast in these kids' lives one year later 08:21 after they came with us out of the jungles of the Amazon. 08:24 Their faces are filled with joy and happiness being here in a safe 08:28 place. 08:29 And it's so exciting and so encouraging to see that by God's 08:34 grace and with your help, healing is possible. 08:40 Amen. 08:48 I love that concept. 08:50 With your help and God's grace, healing is possible. 08:55 And you know, Joe, I'm watching this video for the first time just 08:58 as you. 09:01 And you think, what's the difference between me and her? 09:03 It could have been me in her place just because I was blessed enough, 09:07 lucky enough to be born in a different place. 09:09 That wasn't me. 09:10 But it could have been just any of us. 09:12 It seems to be so far apart from our reality, but it's really not. 09:17 Yeah. 09:22 and then got custody basically of the kids to be able to take them. 09:26 Were the parents excited, like, wow, my kid doesn't have to grow up 09:29 in this environment? 09:30 Or what's the response of the parents? 09:31 That's a great question. 09:34 So we landed in this plane. 09:37 We got in a little speedboat and went 45 minutes down the river to 09:41 this community. 09:43 And that's when we met the family of these kids. 09:46 And so what happened is there was a family with five children and their 09:51 oldest daughter was sexually abused in the community. 09:54 The parents brought a legal case against the perpetrator who was 09:58 abusing their daughter. 10:04 who reported the case to the police. 10:07 So when we get there, we have Bible workers working, they're getting to 10:10 know them, trusting them. 10:12 It's a terrible situation. 10:13 And so as a parent, where do you go? 10:15 Where do you go for help? 10:16 Let me get this straight. 10:20 Exactly. 10:22 And so now the family has four other children, and one of their 10:26 daughters sees their son being sexually abused in the community. 10:30 And so now look what happens last time, you know, that they brought 10:34 this to the police. 10:35 They're afraid to report it. 10:36 Exactly. 10:41 and they asked us if we could take them to a safe place. 10:44 And so they traveled back with us. 10:47 We took the parents to the police station. 10:49 Because they're from an indigenous tribe, they're protected in 10:51 Columbia. 10:53 When these tribes come out of the jungle, when they want to be 10:55 contacted, sadly, many of them, their tribes, their numbers start 11:00 declining very rapidly. 11:02 They're introduced to different diseases, a different way of life, 11:05 and it's very difficult for them to survive. 11:08 And many of them, the tribes have just been cut in half. 11:11 And so they're protected by the government. 11:13 And so you can't take an indigenous child away from the tribe without 11:17 having a legal guardian with you. 11:19 So that could be an older sister, it could be a parent, a relative. 11:22 And so we went with them, they signed over custody, and then the 11:26 oldest sister came with them, and we took them to our Adventist 11:30 Partners campus there. 11:32 There's a lifestyle center, there's a school, there's a missionary 11:35 training program, and now they're in a safe place. 11:37 And you can see the joy on their faces now, a year later. 11:40 They'd never flown in an airplane before, they were very nervous 11:43 taking off and landing, but it was so exciting to get them to a safe 11:47 place with the help of their parents. 11:50 That's an incredible story, wow. 11:52 Do we have a picture of them or we don't have a picture of them? 11:54 So we've chosen not to show their face because of what they've gone 11:57 through, but you can see a couple glimpses of the kids who weren't 12:00 abused, you know, flying on the plane with them. 12:02 So we've rescued now 10 kids, and we're just completing a dormitory, 12:07 which was phase one of our project last year, for 40 kids. 12:11 And so it's almost finished, they're putting the beds in right 12:13 now, and so soon we'll have 40 kids on this campus where they'll 12:17 receive psychological counseling and training, they'll be able to go 12:20 to school, there's vocational training happening, and so it's 12:24 very exciting to see what's happening there. 12:25 Have they had any education or are they starting like at first grade, 12:28 no matter the age? 12:29 That's a great question. 12:30 They have had some education, but they're very far behind. 12:33 So when I was there, the boy actually that I was telling you 12:36 about, he turned 11 and he never celebrated his birthday before, 12:40 kind of like what we were talking about earlier. 12:41 In Brazil, yeah. 12:43 And everyone pitched in, they call it, they made a cow, in Spanish. 12:49 They made a cow. 12:52 Yeah, so they pass around a hat, it's an expression, and everyone 12:55 puts a little money in that. 12:56 They bought him a bicycle, he never had a bicycle before, they bought 13:00 him a cake, they had balloons, and so we had this huge birthday party 13:03 for him, it was his first birthday that was ever celebrated, so it was 13:06 really special to be a part of. 13:08 That's really special, that's incredible, I love that. 13:12 So the dormitory's almost completed. 13:14 So the dormitory's almost completed, and now the next phase 13:17 of that is we're looking for land out in that jungle community to 13:20 build a rescue center where we can take kids and educate them right 13:23 there in their community. 13:25 And the government is actually helping us with that. 13:27 So it's been very difficult to find land, I'm glad you brought that up, 13:30 Tom, it's very expensive what little land is available because 13:33 the government's trying to protect the rainforest there, and so if you 13:36 can find land, it's extremely expensive. 13:39 And so now we have a partner, I'm gonna share a little bit about that 13:42 in just a minute, the government is actually working to help us secure 13:46 land because they love what we're doing so much in a different part 13:50 of Colombia. 13:55 other project. 13:56 So because of God's blessing, last year through our Operation Child 14:00 Rescue fundraising program around July 30, we received additional 14:05 funds to start a second project in Colombia. 14:08 And what's the second project? 14:09 So this one is a safe, it's a total safe house and rescue campus in a 14:14 different state of the Amazon. 14:16 So here we're working among indigenous tribes that were the 14:19 last contacted in Colombia. 14:21 So they were first contacted in the 1980s coming out of the jungle. 14:26 And they didn't have fire? 14:28 So they never discovered fire, they had no clothes, they would eat raw 14:32 meat like raw monkeys, raw caimans. 14:36 Are you saying they've had no contact with outside civilizations 14:38 since the 80s? 14:39 No. 14:39 Up until 1980. 14:41 Until 80, okay. 14:43 No fire, can you believe this? 14:44 I can't. 14:45 So they just come out of the jungle. 14:47 And this is a traditionally nomadic tribal group that lives in the 14:51 jungle. 14:54 can eat, they know where to get water. 14:56 But now their homeland, the jungles are being destroyed, they're being 15:00 cleared for coca plantations. 15:02 So this is cocaine that's known in this state. 15:06 And now most of it is agricultural land. 15:09 It's pasture land for cows, but not jungles anymore. 15:12 And so you really have a people who I say are internally displaced. 15:16 So they're still in their country, but it doesn't look like what the 15:20 life that they know is anymore. 15:22 And so they're trying to figure out how to live in a more urban society 15:26 when really they know how to survive in the jungle. 15:30 And so what happens is they resort to things like drug abuse, selling 15:35 drugs, alcohol abuse, prostitution, just trying to make money and 15:40 survive. 15:41 And so it's very sad what's happened there. 15:45 And so we have a partner that we identified who's been working among 15:49 these people for many, many years. 15:53 Her job was to develop curriculum when these tribes wanted to be 15:56 contacted, how to integrate them into society. 15:59 And she always had one, two, three girls in her home because she 16:04 wanted to rescue as many girls as she could, but had this dream to 16:08 rescue many more in an official center. 16:10 And so we began working with her and now we've started. 16:14 It is the only rescue center in Colombia like this, and it has 16:18 attracted national attention all the way up to the highest levels of 16:23 government. 16:27 trying to plan a visit there. 16:28 Last week, the president of the Supreme Court visited our project 16:32 and gave his full stamp of approval. 16:34 So that's the number three leader in Colombia. 16:36 The president, vice president, and the leader of the Supreme Court. 16:40 And they just came to your project. 16:42 Exactly. 16:43 And so it's incredible what's happening here. 16:46 We've got over 30 girls in the home right now. 16:48 Already? 16:49 Already. 16:50 Oh, I mean... 16:51 And they live there. 16:52 This is not just like during the day. 16:53 This would be... 16:54 Exactly. 16:55 But we bring them with a family member, with an aunt. 16:59 In some cases, the laws have had to be changed. 17:02 In Colombia, this is it. 17:03 So this is the gate with all the girls, and they've done beautiful 17:07 paintings. 17:13 which is weaving dreams in the Amazon. 17:15 Aww. 17:18 I see the butterfly there. 17:20 How a caterpillar is like a worm and no one pays attention to it. 17:23 That's right. 17:26 transformation that we hope to see in their lives. 17:29 Amen. 17:34 dream and there was an encounter in the bank. 17:38 Oh. 17:41 amazing. 17:42 Sure. 17:45 send funds. 17:46 You know, we're buying the land. 17:47 We're building this rescue center. 17:49 And our project manager, her name is Deli. 17:52 She's in line at the bank to withdraw the funds that Child 17:54 Impact donors had sent there. 17:57 And she's talking to the teller. 18:00 And the lady says, Are you Seventh -day Adventist? 18:01 You know, I heard about this thing that you're doing. 18:03 She says, You know, yes, I am. 18:05 Well, behind her in line is a young lady. 18:08 And the young lady waits till Deli leaves the counter and taps her on 18:12 the shoulder. 18:14 Okay. 18:15 And she said, Yes, I did. 18:16 And she said, Well, I have to tell you a story. 18:18 She said, A few weeks ago, I was laying in bed and I had a dream. 18:23 Oh, wow. 18:27 area. 18:29 And I was dreaming. 18:31 And in my dream, God told me, Find the Seventh-day Adventists. 18:35 They'll show you what's next for your family in ministry. 18:39 She said, I woke up. 18:40 I didn't know any Seventh-day Adventists. 18:42 I don't know anything about Seventh -day Adventists. 18:44 I had no idea what this meant. 18:46 And I heard you tell the teller that you are Seventh-day Adventist. 18:49 So what are you doing in your ministry? 18:52 Exactly. 18:53 Wow. 18:57 girls, for indigenous girls where they can come have a safe place. 18:59 She said, Why don't you come out? 19:01 So she came with her whole family out to the center. 19:04 She showed her everything they were doing. 19:05 And they said, We've had a dream to do something like this for our 19:08 ministry. 19:09 Really? 19:12 They said, We'll use all of our influence. 19:14 We'll send our workers here to be trained. 19:16 And we'll do everything we can to support and help you make this a 19:20 success. 19:20 Wow. 19:21 That's incredible. 19:23 Look how God orchestrates events. 19:25 And even before they met at the bank, the dream occurred. 19:28 Right? 19:28 Exactly. 19:29 That's incredible. 19:31 It's amazing what's happening. 19:32 And so at first, Delis was concerned about the rebels and, you 19:36 know, that's an area that's not always that safe. 19:38 Right. 19:44 the work she was doing to protect children, called all of his 19:47 comrades together. 19:51 are, then we need to stand with this lady and help her in her work. 19:55 We need to be her protectors. 19:57 Wow. 20:01 its difficulties. 20:02 Their lives have been threatened. 20:04 There's been days where they've gone into some of these meetings 20:07 and didn't know if they were going to come out alive. 20:09 Oh, wow. 20:12 kids who are being abused, and we want to help. 20:14 Right. 20:17 people and the locals, because they see them as drug abusers, as 20:21 alcoholics, as prostitutes, when really they've been forced into 20:24 this way of lifestyle, just trying to survive. 20:29 I think we have another picture of the property. 20:33 This is an aerial view? 20:34 This is an aerial view of the entire campus. 20:37 And so, it's out in the jungle, and we've made every effort to keep 20:41 their traditions and culture as a part of the curriculum there. 20:45 I like that. 20:48 methods of weaving, so they know how to make their handicrafts. 20:52 They know how to cook in their traditional methods using 20:55 traditional recipes. 20:57 The girls don't speak Spanish. 20:58 They speak their own dialect from their tribe. 21:02 And so, we have to have special translators who can translate 21:05 between that and even Spanish. 21:06 Yes. 21:08 I know enough Spanish to get in trouble. 21:10 So, it's being translated three times for me while I'm there. 21:14 Wow, that's amazing. 21:15 And so, it's a really special project. 21:17 What's the age group? 21:18 So, we wanted to focus on older kids, but a lot of younger kids 21:23 have come as well. 21:24 And so, we've got kids five, six years old, all the way up to 17, 21:28 18. 21:29 And so, we have 30 there. 21:33 We have space for even more girls as funds come in, and we can 21:37 continue to support and learn best practices for them. 21:40 But it's amazing to see the miracles that have been taking 21:44 place there. 21:48 I do. 21:53 that's this particular project, where there was an intervention 21:58 that caused perpetrators to come to justice. 22:01 And so, I think we have a photo. 22:02 We have a photo of some police officers. 22:06 So, this project is very different, as Tom said, than our other 22:10 projects. 22:10 So, this is me. 22:14 So, this is the only project that when I've landed and got off the 22:18 plane, I had a police escort. 22:20 So, there were two police vehicles full of these incredible men and 22:24 women of the police department. 22:25 Because it's so dangerous. 22:26 Exactly. 22:27 They're there to meet us, to take us around, to show us what we 22:30 wanted to. 22:34 Friday night here on 3ABN. 22:36 That's right. 22:39 And I said, can we go to their community and see what their way of 22:42 life is like? 22:43 And they literally told me, you would have to change the color of 22:45 your skin. 22:49 be able to take you. 22:51 There was a ceasefire. 22:52 You would be killed going in? 22:53 I don't know if I would have been killed, but it wouldn't have been 22:55 good. 22:55 Okay. 22:57 You can't go. 22:58 And so, I trust them, and we want to be safe when we're down there. 23:02 Right. 23:06 So, unfortunately, we didn't get to go see their homes and, like, their 23:10 villages. 23:14 home. 23:18 Adventist. 23:19 Really? 23:23 our project leader. 23:27 started, we believe, through divine intervention. 23:30 Look at the hand of God. 23:31 He's well-respected in all the states of Columbia, very high-up 23:36 police official. 23:38 And because of the work and the attention that this has brought 23:41 about in the community there, his police department personally took 23:45 it upon themselves to help stop the abuse and exploitation of these 23:49 children. 23:55 that state. 23:56 One hundred in that state? 23:57 Over one hundred. 23:59 It is incredible, the work that they are doing there. 24:02 And we just applaud them for their bravery and their courage to take 24:06 down this awful crime. 24:08 How did they even find them, or is that a question that you don't get 24:10 involved in? 24:11 You know, I didn't ask him that specifically. 24:14 I did ask, I said, How are these girls getting in this situation? 24:17 Like, how can there be so many? 24:19 And he said, What happens is, they grow up in a one-room home. 24:24 And so, you can imagine a husband and a wife and kids in one room. 24:30 The kids are seeing their parents, and so they become sexualized from 24:34 a young age. 24:35 And then the parents will start selling their children to earn 24:38 income, because they're used to this very rural lifestyle, and they 24:43 know that there's demand for it. 24:44 He said, they sell them to Los Blancos. 24:46 And I was like, you mean like Americans? 24:48 Like, that means, you know, the white people? 24:50 He's like, no, more of like local Colombians who will pay for them. 24:54 Non-Indigenous people? 24:56 Right, non-Indigenous. 25:01 are you talking about? 25:02 He said, I mean like six or seven years old. 25:06 And I literally, I was like, what? 25:09 Like, that can't be possible. 25:11 Yeah, so I have a five and a seven -year-old girl. 25:14 And I couldn't believe him. 25:16 And he said, you know, the other thing is, there's a lot of cocaine 25:19 plantations, and the owners will get the kids addicted to cocaine, 25:22 and then they'll force them to work in the cocaine plantations, you 25:26 know, for more cocaine. 25:28 And so we have a longer video on this project that we show on 3ABN. 25:34 And in the beginning of that video, there's a girl on a table in the 25:37 middle of town. 25:40 And she was literally yelling at us in the car, offering to sell 25:43 herself to us for the equivalent of about 50 cents U.S. 25:49 And so we saw it firsthand. 25:50 She was just a kid, like out in the street at night. 25:53 She was one of the indigenous girls. 25:55 And our team knows most of these kids, they're working with them, 25:58 trying to help them and get them to safety. 26:03 So it was a real problem. 26:04 We saw it firsthand when we were there. 26:06 And we applaud, you know, what the police department there is doing. 26:13 So how can a parent sell their child? 26:17 What leads to that? 26:19 Like in the parent's mind, what leads to that point? 26:22 Desperation, really. 26:25 We have to think that, is this the story of some of their mothers as 26:29 well? 26:30 Is this a cycle that continues? 26:31 A cycle that needs to be broken? 26:33 And a lot of times, we don't want to hear those taboo things. 26:37 We want to live in our perfect little bubbles. 26:39 But it's because of awareness that issues like this can be dealt with. 26:42 That's true. 26:44 You can't hide from it. 26:47 Yeah, no, that's a great point, Nicole. 26:49 Oftentimes it can be generational. 26:50 So one of the staff there was taken by some of the guerrilla forces and 26:55 forced to work as a sex slave for the guerrilla forces there before 27:00 she was rescued out of that situation. 27:02 And now she wanted a better life for her daughter. 27:04 And so she's gotten her into the rescue home. 27:07 So when we were there, we flew back to Bogota. 27:10 We met with the police chief, the colonel there, the Seventh-day 27:12 Adventist man, who's really spearheaded this campaign. 27:16 And he wanted to introduce us to the governor of the state. 27:19 And so we had this divine appointment, I believe, as soon as 27:23 we landed. 27:25 We didn't know who he was. 27:27 But his name is also Jason. 27:29 My name is Jason. 27:29 His name is Jason. 27:30 And so there's this saying in Spanish. 27:33 He said, we're tocayos, which is like we're twins. 27:35 We have the same name. 27:36 So we hit it off immediately. 27:38 And he said, guys, I want to tell you, I'm embarrassed. 27:41 I've lived my entire life in the state of Guaviar. 27:43 And I had no idea this was an issue. 27:46 But since it's come to my attention, we are going to do 27:48 everything we can to support you in this work. 27:51 So while I was there, his wife came and volunteered. 27:54 She was bringing supplies for the girls. 27:56 She was volunteering on site, doing everything she can to help. 27:59 And he's doing everything he can to help administratively. 28:02 So I don't know if you remember, I mentioned that we were having a 28:05 difficult time finding land in another state. 28:08 I do. 28:12 but we can't find land. 28:14 The governor said, that's no problem. 28:16 He said, I know that the governor of that state is called Me Too 28:18 Valpes. 28:19 He said, hang on just a second. 28:20 He pulled his cell phone out, and he called him up. 28:23 He said, hey, I'm here with my friends from Child Impact. 28:25 I mean, we just met a couple minutes ago. 28:27 He said, they're doing incredible work to rescue girls. 28:29 They're looking for land in your state. 28:30 I need you to help them out. 28:32 Will that be possible? 28:33 And he had him on speaker phone. 28:34 And the guy says, of course. 28:36 I will do whatever I can. 28:37 We'll help them get land. 28:38 No problem. 28:39 Just have them come. 28:40 I'll meet them myself personally. 28:41 I'll take them around, and we'll make sure that happens. 28:44 The police chief said, I know the police chief in Me Too. 28:47 I'll call him up and make sure that you have all the safety and 28:50 protection and that they know what's happening. 28:51 He called him up right there on the spot. 28:52 He answered the phone. 28:54 Hello, Colonel. 28:55 He said, hey, I'm here with my friends. 28:57 They want to do a rescue project. 28:58 They're doing a great work in my state. 28:59 I need you to help them. 29:00 Of course. 29:01 Yes, Colonel. 29:01 Anything that you need. 29:02 We're here to help them. 29:04 And so we can just see all these doors that God is opening for us 29:07 with the connections that we've been able to make there in 29:10 Columbia. 29:14 may be possible. 29:16 But to think that a whole country in terms of child safety protocols 29:21 and taking a stand to protect children, we had no idea. 29:26 This has just happened. 29:28 Really, this was last year's project. 29:30 I remember it. 29:31 That's why I'm just sitting here. 29:32 There was nothing to this now at this point. 29:35 And God has just done so many miracles. 29:37 There's one more story related to this that has a supernatural kind 29:41 of the, you know, the supernatural was unveiled to our team there in a 29:47 very powerful way. 29:48 And so, again, I think that story came to Jason. 29:51 I think we have a picture here that we just want to show. 29:55 So Delice was a Bible worker and she was working with the government 29:59 and she was Bible working, church planting among these unreached 30:02 people groups. 30:02 So she knows them very well. 30:04 And here she is having Bible studies with these girls who have 30:07 had no introduction to Jesus in their life. 30:10 And one of the girls was the daughter of one of the leaders of 30:14 the indigenous communities. 30:16 And she was showing real leadership abilities, capabilities. 30:19 She's very smart, very intelligent. 30:21 And she started showing very high interest in the Bible and spiritual 30:24 things. 30:26 And one night she was attacked by demons. 30:28 She became demon possessed. 30:30 And a lot of the girls saw what was happening and became very afraid. 30:34 Was she like writhing on the floor? 30:36 Exactly. 30:39 That's my question. 30:40 Yeah, exactly. 30:42 And they said her whole attitude changed. 30:44 You know, everything changed. 30:45 Her voice changed. 30:46 If I remember, they were telling me correctly. 30:48 They're sending us videos in Spanish explaining everything. 30:51 So I'm getting it translated for me. 30:53 I remember you were overwhelmed by this story. 30:55 Yeah, they said all the girls saw it. 30:57 They said it was very clear. 30:58 And so I said, well, what did you do? 31:01 And they said, well, like David, you know, when Saul became 31:04 possessed, we started singing Christian songs. 31:07 We started praying all around her. 31:10 And so a lot of the girls became afraid when this happened, when 31:14 they saw what happened. 31:15 Of course. 31:21 over the center, the rescue center. 31:23 They looked up and they showed the girls two paths. 31:27 So I have a video with all seven of them talking excitedly at the same 31:30 time explaining what they were seeing. 31:32 And they said, the angel showed us two paths. 31:34 One path was filled with light. 31:37 The angel's face was brilliant. 31:39 And it was a path filled with light. 31:41 It was glorious, shining. 31:43 The other path was dark. 31:45 It was gloomy. 31:47 They took that to mean that there were two paths that their life 31:49 could take. 31:51 They had a choice. 31:52 And they had a choice. 31:53 And these were little girls. 31:57 And so like Tom said, it was like the curtain was kind of removed. 32:02 And these girls could see that there's a spiritual warfare going 32:05 on for these kids' lives. 32:08 And so, as we said, at Child Impact, we want to make sure that 32:11 we're getting these kids to a safe place, but they're also getting an 32:14 opportunity to learn about Jesus, which will impact their lives for 32:18 eternity. 32:23 continually behold the face of the Father in heaven. 32:27 You know, it's like there's a direct connection between earth and 32:31 heaven, a super highway of supernatural beings traveling at 32:35 supernatural speed on super special missions for God. 32:38 And these little girls were able to see a glimpse of that. 32:42 It's just absolutely so beautiful. 32:43 You know, it's so precious because we're involved in the great 32:45 controversy. 32:49 And yet, to recognize that the Lord allowed those seven girls to be 32:53 able to see this experience and to be able to see the angels, to be 32:58 able to see the path that they could take, make that choice, you 33:02 know, follow Jesus. 33:03 That's incredible. 33:04 What a blessing. 33:05 I know we have to go to the new project for this year. 33:09 Before we do, just one question. 33:11 I wrote it down. 33:15 different areas. 33:20 with a partner. 33:20 So how do you find your partners? 33:22 That's a great question. 33:23 A lot of prayer. 33:25 We believe that God divinely leads us to people as he led us to Nicole 33:29 through a mutual friend and someone who was working with us there at 33:32 Child Impact. 33:38 started to grow around the world where we're becoming known as an 33:42 organization leading the fight against human trafficking. 33:45 And so for organizations and ministries and individuals who want 33:48 to work with vulnerable and exploited kids, because of the 33:52 number of projects we have now, that network continues to grow. 33:56 And through that, a network of referrals as well. 33:58 And so it's really been a divine appointment. 34:01 Amen. 34:04 I know we had a viewer who texted in a question and just said they 34:08 want to volunteer. 34:09 So can people volunteer with Child Impact? 34:12 People can absolutely volunteer with Child Impact. 34:15 I know that personally in Brazil we have a few open positions at the 34:18 moment. 34:23 for volunteers to contact us, and we can discuss that further. 34:26 Perfect. 34:28 Child Impact dot O-R-G. 34:31 And is there an area there they could like send a message or an 34:34 email? 34:34 The email, help. 34:35 Help at Child Impact. 34:36 Perfect. 34:37 So email is help at Child Impact dot O-R-G. 34:41 Help, H-E-L-P, at Child Impact dot O-R-G. 34:45 Or you can call Child Impact, 423 -910-0667. 34:52 That's 423-910-0667. 34:56 You can call that number if you want to become involved, if you 34:59 want to volunteer or you want to sponsor or help financially support 35:03 what the Lord is doing. 35:04 Dr. Tom, what is this year's project for July 30th? 35:09 It is in Palawan. 35:11 Oh. 35:15 beautiful island in the world. 35:17 And so when I contacted our partner, our videographer is from 35:21 the Philippines. 35:23 And when we talked about Palawan, I was so excited to go visit because 35:26 I'd heard the reputation of how beautiful it is. 35:29 And he said, Tom, that's the other side of the island. 35:31 Now, the side of the island our project is on is also very 35:35 beautiful, but I actually didn't even have time, I didn't schedule 35:38 enough time to even go see the beautiful part. 35:39 Okay. 35:41 But there in these remote indigenous villages, some of the 35:46 restrictions like not having child marriage, the Philippines actually 35:51 cares about that. 35:55 is such a big problem in the Philippines. 35:58 In those highland areas, none of that is enforced. 36:02 And so we have a trailer, a short video of our project there. 36:09 And we actually are going to be having a Vespers on July 27 on that 36:14 Saturday evening at five o'clock Eastern time. 36:17 And you can find out information about that on Child Impact's 36:20 website. 36:21 It will be in the Collegedale Community Church in Chattanooga, 36:23 but it will be broadcast all over the world, really. 36:27 Okay. 36:32 share about the project. 36:33 But this is the, if you like the trailer, then maybe you'll want to 36:37 see the rest of it. 36:38 Perfect. 36:38 So let's go and see that. 36:44 Palawan has been ranked the number one island in the world. 36:47 Yet here on this magnificent island, there's some inequities 36:51 that are taking place. 36:56 marriage and child brides. 36:58 There is a culture here in the mountains where their parents are 37:02 the ones making the decision for them. 37:04 We should already be married at around 12 years old. 37:08 It's almost a forced marriage. 37:10 It's like they see and think that this is all I am. 37:14 I lost hope of being able to continue my studies. 37:17 There's like a sparkle gone out of their eyes. 37:20 That happens all the time. 37:23 It's heartbreaking. 37:24 But to see these kids getting their certificate that they're proceeding 37:29 to the next level and for them to gain their dignity, that is such a 37:33 wonderful gift. 37:40 Wow, so what age are the children married? 37:44 We have an experience with one that we've heard about that's nine years 37:47 old. 37:49 So, but normally probably about 12 or 13. 37:51 And they're forced? 37:52 Yeah, they don't want to be married. 37:55 So I met, when I went to these remote villages, this is something 37:59 you have to exercise and work up to because it's climbing up a mountain 38:03 for hours. 38:05 But those that live there, they just go up and down. 38:08 I mean, no problem. 38:12 life. 38:14 Tragically, that was the same helicopter that two or three weeks 38:17 later crashed, that's been missing. 38:19 It was the same one? 38:19 Yeah, same one. 38:25 ridges. 38:26 And I remember it was, you know, when you land, they're all there to 38:31 welcome you with these signs and big smiles and looking so nice. 38:36 But the helicopter just blows all that away. 38:39 And so they're all running for cover. 38:41 They're there to welcome you, but running for cover. 38:43 So when I got back to the States, someone messaged me on Facebook 38:48 with a video of the arrival. 38:49 And I got to see what it was like from the other end. 38:52 And this girl is asking me, do you remember me? 38:55 Well, I met probably hundreds of kids. 38:57 And I said, I remember meeting lots of people there. 39:00 And she said, are you coming back to sponsor us so we can go to 39:04 school? 39:08 And so I took her picture, screenshot of it. 39:12 I sent it to Jasper, our partner over there. 39:15 And I said, once we get set up with our sponsorship, I want to sponsor, 39:19 our family wants to sponsor this girl. 39:22 He responded back to me and said, Tom, I had to take a second look at 39:25 that picture because that girl was married at 12 years old. 39:29 So that began a dialogue with this girl who's now 15, who has a dream 39:35 to be a nurse, but her husband and her parents will not allow her to 39:39 be. 39:41 We looked at that and said, is there anything we can do? 39:44 And it's hard to know sometimes. 39:47 The situations are so complex that almost it doesn't seem sometimes 39:51 like there's solutions. 39:53 I met another girl. 39:54 I think we have a picture of her holding a baby, if we can put that 39:58 up. 39:59 Oh, wow. 40:00 So this girl... 40:01 She looks so young. 40:02 Yeah, she's 15. 40:05 Nobody knew she was pregnant until about a week before she was due. 40:09 And so by the time they found out, she very shortly after that had 40:14 significant complications. 40:16 They had to take her off of the mountain to a hospital. 40:18 She barely survived childbirth. 40:21 And so this is the typical journey, but she's still trying to attend 40:25 school, and while she takes exams, the teachers will hold the baby. 40:30 So they're doing everything they can to try to keep her in school so 40:33 she can have a different future. 40:35 And she's one of the girls that was shown at the graduation there with 40:38 tears in her eyes in the very last scenes of that trailer. 40:41 So that's exciting to see. 40:43 Probably one of the most memorable experiences of one of the tragedies 40:49 of being a child bride is the risk to the mom in childbirth. 40:55 Oh, absolutely. 40:56 Because their bodies are not yet prepared to have babies. 40:59 And so we discovered a baby that had been abandoned by the corpse of 41:07 their mother who had passed away. 41:08 The father felt, because the mother died during childbirth as child 41:12 bride, that this baby was bad luck. 41:15 And so he just left the baby in a hut with the corpse of the mom. 41:19 I mean, laying there for over a day. 41:22 One of the teachers heard about what had happened and made the 41:25 journey down from the village where she is at. 41:29 And she herself had been an orphan who had been raised by 41:31 missionaries. 41:33 And she wanted to adopt this baby. 41:35 And so we were able to help her finance that. 41:38 She didn't have the resources to adopt the baby, but we helped with 41:42 that. 41:42 His name is Baby James. 41:44 I've been able to carry him around, and I brought him some toys from 41:48 America. 41:49 But just an adorable kid, and you think, wow, he has a chance. 41:53 But all of that situation was because of this issue of child 41:57 brides. 41:58 But I think the most dramatic story is one that, Jason, that we got 42:02 this week. 42:07 PAMAS, the Philippine Adventist Medical Aviation Services. 42:11 They're doing a fantastic work there. 42:12 They are. 42:17 Palawan. 42:19 And they sent us a message that they've been on summer break. 42:21 And when many of us think about summer break, we think about going 42:24 on vacation, going to the beach, swimming in the pool. 42:27 Lots of fun activities. 42:29 Well, when they came back to school and were having teacher training, 42:33 they discovered nine of the children had not come back because 42:37 their parents were trying to marry them off during the summer break. 42:40 Yeah, these are all child brides, and they all have babies. 42:45 One thing that really struck me as I was hearing the story in the 42:48 office this week is that due to Asian culture, there's a very high 42:52 regard for your elders. 42:53 Of course. 42:58 for help. 43:01 option for them, because they must respect their elders. 43:04 That's true. 43:05 It's so ingrained in the culture. 43:07 So one of the girls, it was her senior year, she was about to 43:11 graduate from the literacy school that they heard about that was 43:15 trying to be married off by her dad. 43:18 And so this girl, sadly, her mom was married at age nine. 43:24 She had her when she was 11. 43:26 The mom later developed a heart disease and just passed away at age 43:29 27. 43:31 But the mom's dying wish that she told the leaders at Palmis was to 43:35 keep her daughter in school so that she wouldn't be married off as a 43:38 child. 43:39 And now she's one of these nine that didn't come back to school. 43:42 And so the teachers all prayed together, and then they went out to 43:45 try to get this girl back. 43:47 And so they met with the grandfather, or her father, I can't 43:51 remember which one, and they said, you know, will you please allow her 43:55 to come back? 43:56 And he said, do you want to get married? 43:57 He asked the girl. 43:59 And she said, no, I don't want to be. 44:02 And so then they could tell he was starting to get nervous about the 44:04 payment because there's a dowry system that's paid for these girls. 44:09 They said, well, what is it? 44:10 He said, it's $20. 44:12 And of course they paid the $20. 44:14 Yeah, it's nothing to us. 44:16 But to them it's a big deal. 44:17 So they paid the $20 and they got her back in school. 44:20 But as Nicole said, they're still out trying to get the other girls 44:25 back into school right now. 44:27 So what's the vision for the project for this July 30th date? 44:30 What do you want to accomplish in the next year? 44:32 Sure. 44:34 We have six additional ones, so 11 total. 44:37 Okay. 44:41 their schools as well. 44:42 So we're sponsoring 11 jungle schools that go through to grade 44:46 10. 44:48 But we want to keep these girls all the way to finish high school. 44:51 And so the vision is to have a safe house where they can continue with 44:55 grade 11 and grade 12. 44:57 Where they can live? 44:58 In the lowlands. 44:59 Okay. 45:03 So if we can get them into that setting, and there are some already 45:06 who are living in the homes of teachers, faculty there that are 45:11 connected with Palmis at their headquarters. 45:15 But it's not enough. 45:16 And so we want to build this safe house for girls. 45:20 Amen. 45:21 Absolutely. 45:22 So talk to us about July 27. 45:25 So July 27, 5 p.m. 45:27 Eastern. 45:28 That's it. 45:29 It will be broadcast on our website. 45:32 All you have to do is go to the website at 5 p.m. 45:34 Childimpact.org. 45:36 Go to that website 5 p.m. 45:39 July 27. 45:41 Childimpact.org. 45:42 And you can watch the live presentation. 45:44 Can churches partner and tell us how churches across North America 45:49 and around the world can get involved? 45:51 Yes, so we will be raising funds for the project. 45:55 I think we have the breakdown of what that costs. 45:57 We've actually secured 14 acres of land. 46:00 Okay. 46:03 It's absolutely beautiful. 46:05 Oh, that is beautiful. 46:10 food, right? 46:11 Right. 46:17 And so there's an easement that was purchased so that travel can be 46:21 back and forth between that location. 46:24 There's coconut trees. 46:25 There's mango trees. 46:27 And so this will be a beautiful place. 46:29 We ultimately want to build out a whole campus there for grades 11 46:32 and 12. 46:33 But we'll start with a safe house. 46:36 But if there's an overflow of offering that comes in and 46:39 donations, we can do even more. 46:41 So we do have a bigger vision. 46:43 You know, it'll be nice to have a cafeteria and a boy's dormitory. 46:47 And because these young girls will need to grow up and meet nice young 46:50 men and get married at the right age. 46:52 Right. 46:55 we need to be considering. 46:56 Education, marriage, and baby. 47:00 What order should they come in? 47:01 Yeah, absolutely. 47:02 And many of these cultures, you know, you get it reversed and life 47:05 gets messed up, right? 47:07 So we want them to finish their education. 47:08 Yes. 47:09 Then get married, then have the baby. 47:11 And so everything we can do to help that process, it's just going to 47:14 make their lives so much more beautiful and less filled with 47:17 trauma. 47:18 So that's the goal. 47:20 I think there's another slide that shows the budget for what we're 47:23 needing. 47:24 So the land, $75,000, and then the safe house for $200,000. 47:28 So this is phase one again for $275 ,000. 47:32 We want to get that up and running as soon as we can. 47:35 We don't want another break to happen where girls are proposed to 47:40 and don't come back to school because that is not what they want. 47:43 They're very clear about that. 47:45 They want to pursue their education. 47:47 They feel trapped by their culture. 47:48 We know of a case where a girl was traded for seven pounds of candy. 47:52 I mean, a can of coffee or a goat. 47:54 You mean to get married for seven pounds of candy. 47:57 Yeah. 48:02 share what that's like. 48:03 And by the way, we should mention that we do like to come to churches 48:07 to be able to share what we do. 48:09 And we have several individuals on our team who are available to go 48:11 and preach in local churches. 48:12 We come at our own cost. 48:14 But part of what we want to do is to get the word out. 48:17 We preach a biblical sermon because it is a worship service. 48:19 But we also want to share these stories and give opportunity. 48:24 I think all of us want to be involved in something that makes a 48:27 difference. 48:28 Yes. 48:31 to bring freedom to a child, to deliver hope. 48:34 And it's such a privilege to be part of that. 48:37 Amen. 48:38 Absolutely. 48:39 You know, Jill, in working with these kids, it's such a complicated 48:43 issue. 48:45 As Nicole mentioned, there's cultural issues around even 48:48 identifying who's going to be married off, getting the girls out 48:51 of that situation to even talk about what they're going through in 48:54 their life. 48:58 is fantastic. 48:59 But for them to finish, they need to go through grade 12. 49:01 Yes. 49:05 through grade 10 and they've brought them down into the lowlands 49:08 to finish grades 11 and 12. 49:11 And I know we've heard some stories. 49:12 Tom, do you want to share, like, what do they experience when they 49:14 go down into the lowlands? 49:15 I mean, lots of prejudice. 49:16 I mean, it's thought that the people from the highlands, that 49:19 they have no intelligence, that they treat them basically like 49:22 they're animals. 49:23 That they stink, that they, you know, they're just, it's, the 49:27 prejudice is absolutely horrible. 49:28 And here they're educated. 49:29 I mean, they've had 10 grades in school if they're coming down, 49:32 right? 49:32 Yeah. 49:36 top students in the school. 49:37 Wow. 49:38 And so it's like, yes. 49:40 All they needed was an opportunity. 49:41 That's right. 49:42 That's super exciting. 49:44 And so that's really where we identified like what's the greatest 49:47 need right now where we can impact these girls. 49:50 And so there was two things. 49:52 One, another project that we're really excited about is we're 49:55 opening a child impact industrial school there for the boys. 49:59 So the question is, what are you doing for the boys? 50:01 If we can keep the boys in school, teach them a vocational skill, so 50:05 they'll learn welding, they'll learn construction, they're going 50:08 to put a little bakery in there, just different manual trades to try 50:12 to keep the boys. 50:13 Small engine repair. 50:14 Small engine repair. 50:14 Support a family. 50:15 In school. 50:16 How to support a family. 50:17 And so hopefully they won't be looking for a young girl to take as 50:20 a wife so soon. 50:21 But for the girls, we had to get them out of that situation because 50:26 they have no voice. 50:27 They have no voice. 50:28 They have no freedom. 50:30 And once they're married off, it's very difficult to get them back. 50:33 There's dowry's exchange, there's cultural things. 50:36 And so we really identified this dorm as the greatest need to get 50:39 these girls to a safe place where they could finish their education. 50:43 Yeah. 50:43 Absolutely. 50:48 for this before July 27. 50:50 Because then we can go phase 2. 50:52 That would be amazing. 50:54 Absolutely. 50:56 That graphic with the QR code. 50:58 Because I love QR codes. 50:59 All you do is you pick up your cell phone and you just take that 51:03 picture and immediately it will take you to the place where you can 51:06 donate. 51:07 So I love that. 51:08 That's the beauty of technology. 51:09 I love to say Jill that the mission is a full body work. 51:14 The mission is made by the knees of those who pray for the feet of 51:18 those who go from the hands of those who give. 51:21 So it's a very practical way to be involved in the mission. 51:24 I like that. 51:25 By using your hands and giving. 51:26 I love that. 51:27 That's beautiful. 51:28 We're coming down to the end of the program. 51:29 I can't believe just five minutes left in this program. 51:32 How has working with Child Impact impacted your life? 51:37 How has it changed your life? 51:40 Oh man. 51:40 In so many ways. 51:42 Being a father of young girls myself and just seeing the 51:46 opportunities that we give our girls every day. 51:50 We have some secret projects in countries that we don't talk about 51:54 openly to protect our workers in those countries. 51:59 one of them sent me a picture of a girl that we rescued at one of 52:02 these projects. 52:03 And when I saw the picture it looked just like my youngest 52:08 daughter who's five years old. 52:10 When you saw the two pictures next to each other. 52:12 So when I speak I show them side by side. 52:14 And I sent them actually a picture of my daughter. 52:16 And they said oh my word like who is this? 52:21 Like she looks identical to this other girl. 52:24 And I feel like God spoke to me and he said this isn't your daughter 52:28 you've never met this girl but she's my daughter. 52:31 And that impacted me tremendously that I feel like as a dad I felt a 52:38 little bit of God's heart for his children. 52:41 When I saw this other girl who I've never met but looks just like my 52:44 daughter who I would give my life for. 52:47 And so it's just driven me to try to help as many kids as I possibly 52:52 can and give them an opportunity like my wife and I are giving our 52:55 kids. 52:58 incredible to me is that that's the heart of God. 53:01 He wants his children to be safe and yet he needs us. 53:08 The hands and feet of Jesus to become involved whether it's 53:12 praying, whether it's volunteering, whether it's donating, whether it's 53:17 physically going and working to rescue one after one after one. 53:23 We can be the hands and feet of Jesus. 53:25 Dr. Tom, how's it impacted you? 53:27 I've had the privilege of meeting the three children that our family 53:31 sponsors in person. 53:33 It is so impactful. 53:35 I remember when I arrived in India this last time with my wife and our 53:40 partner said your son is waiting to meet you. 53:43 I'm like my sons are back in America and he met our sponsor boy 53:47 but that is how he sees us. 53:50 It's like this lifeline of hope that he would not have had 53:53 otherwise. 53:54 His father had passed away, he had a mom, his mom's a farmer, she's 53:57 doing her best but can't there's no possibility for her to provide for 54:02 him to have an opportunity to study, to have a bright future. 54:06 He's going into IT, he's a brilliant kid and I remember going 54:10 to the room where he stays and his two Bibles there and asking him 54:15 what's your favorite book of the Bible and he says the book of 54:18 Hebrews and I'm like yeah right. 54:20 So my wife said can you show me the book of Hebrews and he turned right 54:24 there with the biggest smile on his face. 54:26 Just this brilliant kid and you're thinking about you know there's two 54:30 paths there. 54:31 There's this path because he has a sponsor that gives him this 54:35 incredible future and so I think probably I have felt more driven in 54:41 this role and more fulfillment in this role that I've ever felt in 54:45 any other position I've ever been in and so I do lose a little bit 54:50 more sleep because you always want to do more. 54:54 You see the need. 54:58 you can't do enough but I'm probably taking too many preaching 55:02 appointments, probably having too busy of a schedule because I know 55:06 lives are at stake and my wife and I are in lockstep with this. 55:10 We're both into this mission together and so she's like don't 55:13 slow down. 55:14 There's more kids that need to be saved. 55:17 I very much relate to Tom's experience. 55:20 I've been in ministry for a long time but I've never felt so 55:22 fulfilled. 55:24 Even though I haven't started a family of my own I say that I have 55:26 60 kids that I see every day and I haven't seen them in two weeks and 55:29 I miss them so much. 55:31 These kids are starting to come to church with me. 55:34 Sometimes we're not even supposed to be open on Fridays but they show 55:36 up and I'm like sure just come on in and I'll make you something to 55:38 eat but let's hang out a little bit and it's transformative and I see 55:42 how it transforms my life. 55:43 I see my great need of God. 55:47 I'm like Lord I want to impact these kids for you. 55:49 You need to change my selfish heart. 55:51 You need to change those defects of my heart so that I can serve your 55:54 children more and better. 55:57 So mission work we often think about it as saving others but I can 56:01 see in a great way how it saves me as well. 56:03 Amen that's beautiful. 56:05 I know for my husband Greg and I we sponsor two kids in Ethiopia. 56:09 What a tremendous blessing we just got new updated pictures a little 56:13 boy and girl and just to see how they're growing and to see what God 56:17 is doing in their lives and just to know you can have a small 56:22 opportunity to make a big difference. 56:24 A world of difference. 56:25 In someone's life for eternity. 56:27 So what a tremendous privilege. 56:30 Jason, Dr. Tom and Nicole thank you for being here. 56:34 Thank you for your leadership and your vision and your ministry with 56:38 Child Impact International. 56:40 We stand behind what God is doing and through this ministry so 56:44 excited to hear the stories. 56:46 Thank you for sharing with our viewers at home. 56:48 Thank you for being part of the Thrabian family. 56:51 Thank you for standing with the Ministry of Thrabian and the 56:54 Ministry of Child Impact International. 56:57 We love you. 56:57 We will see you next time. |
Revised 2024-07-19