Imagine being
set adrift down here
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in these shark-infested waters
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in the pitch darkness of
night with the thunder crashing,
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the lightning flashing,
and no sign of likely survival.
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Join us today
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as we hear Neil Watts'
incredible story of survival
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and the amazing way
that God heard his prayers
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and assisted Neil in surviving
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and in making
his way to the beach.
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Neil,
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this beach has
special significance to you,
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doesn't it?
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It certainly does, Gary.
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As I sit here today
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and think back to
exactly 11 years ago,
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since I arrived
first on this beach
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in the middle of the night
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and just looking
out over the ocean,
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thinking back as to
what happened that night,
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it brings back lots of memories.
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I'm so glad I'm alive
to tell a story though.
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Yeah.
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Let me, perhaps,
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first go back to the
beginning of the story
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when I was in Espírito Santo
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ready to take the
flight down to Port Vila.
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It was a fine evening,
and the sun had just set,
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and I was
waiting for the flight.
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And just thought it
would be a routine flight
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of about one hour.
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I had, by the way,
left my wife at Santo,
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which was unusual.
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She would normally
only come if I was with her.
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And looking back now,
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of course, I'm so
glad that happened.
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I praise God
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that she wasn't
with me on that flight.
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But we eventually
boarded the plane.
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I had hurt my
back a few days before
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and that had been
very frustrating for me.
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But that night
because of my bad back
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when I entered
the rear of the plane
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where the door was,
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instead of going
right down to the front,
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where I normally would have sat,
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always used to
sit down in the front,
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I just went straight to the seat
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across from the
door and sat down,
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tightened my seat belt up
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as tight as I could
to support my bad back.
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On the seat where my
wife would normally sit,
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I put my computer
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and settled back for the flight.
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Now the other passengers...
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Who was with you on the flight?
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There was 12
people on the flight,
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the pilot and his
engineer and 10 passengers.
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Two of the
passengers were from Perth,
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they sat right in front of me.
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Dr. Nicole
Leeks and Tim Hurford,
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her husband
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and I was
sitting, as I said before,
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the straight opposite the door,
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just behind me was
a man from Vanuatu,
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Wesley Rasu
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and there were other
passengers in front of us.
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And the flight took
off and it was smooth
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for the first half
of the flight, I guess.
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And then it began to get rough.
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A lot of turbulence.
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It was stormy weather outside.
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I could see lightning flashing,
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I could see the rain
beating on the windows
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and the plane was going
from side to side, up and down.
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In fact, I
remember thinking to myself,
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when I get back to Port Vila,
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I'll tell my friend
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who was waiting
for me at the airport,
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"This was the
roughest flight I've ever had."
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Little did I know
what was going to happen
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in the next few hours.
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So it got rougher and
rougher and more turbulence.
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And eventually, we began
to feel a bit apprehensive
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because we're overdue.
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I looked at my
watch, 10 minutes overdue
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and a little while
later, 15 minutes overdue.
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Tim and Nicole in front of me
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are also
looking at their watches
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and the passengers
began to sense an unease.
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And I began to feel that
well maybe we're going to crash.
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There's something wrong here.
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And I remember just
praying to the Lord that
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"Lord, if You want to
save me, You can do that.
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If it's not Your
will or if I die tonight,
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I'm ready but please
look after my wife, Lord."
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And I just sat back
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and tried to wait and
see what would happen.
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It wasn't long after that,
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that the pilot had been
turning from side to side.
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And we knew that
something was wrong.
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He was lost perhaps,
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but he revved up
the engines really,
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really hard, full
power, full throttle.
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And I thought that maybe he
had been coming down to land
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and was a little bit low
and needed some extra lift
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or otherwise,
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perhaps he saw a
mountain in front of him
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and was trying to
get out of the way.
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I wasn't sure what it was,
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but I just sat there
praying and wondering
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what was happening.
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And then he cut the
engines and I went dead silent.
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About two seconds later,
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there was this
great thump and bang.
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We are thrown
forward in our seats.
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Fortunately, I wasn't injured.
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Although, later on,
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I found I had a small
crack in one of my ribs,
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but that wasn't too significant.
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But immediately,
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and this is what shocked me
and it was an awful experience.
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It's like a
nightmare. I can still see it.
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The door between the
cockpit and the cabin,
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where we were, just burst open
and water poured up the aisle.
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And within a few
seconds, it was up to my knee.
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And I thought
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the first
impression of the noise was,
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you know, we were in the forest,
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it was a tree.
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Eventually, I could, you know,
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I could hear and
feel the rushing waves
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coming through the plane,
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even sitting from the backseat.
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My mind actually
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should have
left me a little bit.
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And eventually, I
came back to my sense
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and I knew what was
happening on the water.
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So, you know,
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realizing that the plane
was actually beneath the water.
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I struggled with my seatbelt,
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while I was doing that
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Tim Herford and his
wife went across the door.
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They opened the
door and jumped out,
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Wesley Rasu jumped
out in the water as well,
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and then I think I was next.
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And I dived into the water
and it was dark, it was stormy,
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the rain was pouring down
and the waves were quite rough.
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And then people began to
get out behind me as well,
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a couple more.
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And eight of us eventually
got out into the water,
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four people never
came out of the plane.
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But in this chaos,
it was just very wild.
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There are people
yelling out and screaming,
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as you can imagine
the wind and the rain.
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It was just chaotic.
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It was a real
nightmare experience,
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I can tell you.
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It was dark, it was
gloomy, it was dark.
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It was...
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The wave, you
could feel the wave,
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sort of raging and,
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you know, the feeling
wasn't really too good.
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And that's the first encounter
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that, wow, it's not
only the plane crash,
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but the weather was terrible.
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I decided to get
up onto the wing,
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because the plane was half
under the water at the stage,
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so the wing was down
almost at water level.
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And so I called out
to those near the door
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still to try and
get some life jackets.
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Now I think, it was Wesley Rasu
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that was able to put
his arm in and get one,
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another one floated out.
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And I think that was about all.
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So two people in the
end had life jackets.
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Two out of the eight?
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Two out of the eight.
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There were two men
who didn't come near us.
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They were at the
other end of the plane,
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they went to the tail end.
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And somehow when we called
out, "Let's stay together, "
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they didn't come to us.
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I'm not sure what happened.
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I think one of
them in couldn't swim,
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I was told that later on.
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But six of us were together
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and I remember thinking that
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this is a really
drastic situation.
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We might die tonight.
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And so I cried
out as loud as I could
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over the wind and the waves
to the people in the darkness.
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I couldn't see them.
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And I said, "Look,
we're in trouble here.
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I'm a pastor. I'd
like to pray for us.
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Is that okay?"
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And people called
out, "Yes, please."
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So I lifted my
head above the waves
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as much as I could
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and cried out
as loud as I could,
00:08:58.33\00:08:59.67
and just prayed a simple
prayer that God would hear us
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and give us a strength
and courage to keep going
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and hopefully
reach shore safely.
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Then the plane began to sink.
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And it went down very
quickly in about three minutes.
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It was an eerie sight,
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I can tell you
as I imagine it now.
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You can think of it,
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just going down
below the dark water.
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The lights still inside
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and then the little red
light on the back of the tail
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just spinning and
going down into the darkness.
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Realizing that
there are four people
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including the
pilots still on board.
00:09:36.94\00:09:38.97
There's no one to
tell us what to do,
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no flight
attendant to say anything,
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only two people
had life jackets.
00:09:43.35\00:09:45.28
And it was a pretty
desperate situation.
00:09:45.31\00:09:48.18
In fact, I had to help
Wesley get his life jacket on
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because it
wasn't working properly
00:09:51.79\00:09:53.92
and I had to blow it up for him
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because it wouldn't inflate
00:09:55.59\00:09:57.59
and it wouldn't
strap up properly.
00:09:57.63\00:09:59.06
So even one of
the two life jackets
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wasn't a real good one.
00:10:00.93\00:10:03.13
So Nicole and Tim and myself,
we were without life jackets.
00:10:03.16\00:10:08.14
We decided just to
keep close to Wesley,
00:10:08.17\00:10:11.31
he was the one that had
a light on his life jacket,
00:10:11.34\00:10:14.84
the other man had a
whistle, but no light.
00:10:14.88\00:10:18.01
So we just had this little glow
that went around a few meters.
00:10:18.05\00:10:21.05
And we tried to keep as
close to that as we could.
00:10:21.08\00:10:23.69
And we started swimming
slowly toward Port Vila.
00:10:23.72\00:10:27.66
The waves are
raging, the wind is blowing,
00:10:27.69\00:10:31.56
the rain is falling,
00:10:31.59\00:10:32.93
and it's very hard
00:10:32.96\00:10:34.56
to actually try
to force yourself
00:10:34.60\00:10:37.40
against the current.
00:10:37.43\00:10:40.00
One of the worst thing was that
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you couldn't see anything.
00:10:42.30\00:10:44.27
There is no
star, there is no moon,
00:10:44.31\00:10:46.57
there is no
light, where you can see.
00:10:46.61\00:10:48.91
And even, it's just darkness.
00:10:48.94\00:10:51.41
It's just about 2 meters
where you couldn't see anybody.
00:10:51.45\00:10:54.75
It was gloomy dark.
00:10:54.78\00:10:57.02
But from my heart,
00:10:57.05\00:10:58.39
I knew that we
were going some way.
00:10:58.42\00:11:01.89
We're going to be
reaching our land.
00:11:01.92\00:11:04.09
If not,
00:11:04.13\00:11:05.46
there will be a
daylight break somewhere
00:11:05.49\00:11:07.10
where it'll give us more hope.
00:11:07.13\00:11:09.70
And having a
team swimming together
00:11:09.73\00:11:14.10
that is a strength
to the whole thing.
00:11:14.14\00:11:18.21
You know, that's the
comfort, that's the strength,
00:11:18.24\00:11:20.31
that the encouragement
that actually keeps you going.
00:11:20.34\00:11:23.61
It seemed at first that
we'd probably get picked up,
00:11:23.65\00:11:27.45
someone would surely
come and look for us.
00:11:27.48\00:11:29.82
And so I remember
thinking to myself,
00:11:29.85\00:11:32.09
well, let's not go
too fast at this stage.
00:11:32.12\00:11:33.99
Let's try and keep
our energy a little bit
00:11:34.02\00:11:36.66
as the six of us swim off,
00:11:36.69\00:11:38.59
because I thought
00:11:38.63\00:11:39.96
they will come and
find us eventually,
00:11:40.00\00:11:41.56
just try and
keep alive till then.
00:11:41.60\00:11:44.60
But, of course, no one
came the whole evening.
00:11:44.63\00:11:47.64
And unfortunately,
00:11:47.67\00:11:49.00
after about an hour or so
00:11:49.04\00:11:51.51
one of our number, a
gentleman from England,
00:11:51.54\00:11:54.08
a British anthropologist,
00:11:54.11\00:11:55.88
who I think had been
injured in the crash.
00:11:55.91\00:11:59.11
He drifted off
into the darkness.
00:11:59.15\00:12:01.38
He called out
once to his friend,
00:12:01.42\00:12:03.32
who's the other
man with a life jacket.
00:12:03.35\00:12:05.65
And I don't think
he could hear him.
00:12:05.69\00:12:08.99
Now I called out
and said, "Don't panic,
00:12:09.02\00:12:11.09
try and just keep afloat.
00:12:11.13\00:12:13.29
You've got as much chance
00:12:13.33\00:12:14.66
as the rest of us
of being picked up."
00:12:14.70\00:12:18.13
Well, that was a last
we saw him, unfortunately.
00:12:18.17\00:12:21.24
We kept swimming
00:12:21.27\00:12:22.60
and eventually
getting tired and tired.
00:12:22.64\00:12:25.21
We were getting
stung on our legs.
00:12:25.24\00:12:29.68
I don't know what they
were, some kind of stingers.
00:12:29.71\00:12:32.51
We were covered in
fuel from the plane,
00:12:32.55\00:12:34.98
which incidentally,
later on, took all my skin off,
00:12:35.02\00:12:37.49
just peeled off
a few days later.
00:12:37.52\00:12:39.55
That burned my skin.
00:12:39.59\00:12:42.06
But I remember
thinking about sharks.
00:12:42.09\00:12:44.39
You know, I don't know
00:12:44.43\00:12:45.76
if you've ever swam
at night in the dark
00:12:45.79\00:12:47.13
and you've got
things stinging your legs
00:12:47.16\00:12:48.96
and you wonder what
might take your toes next.
00:12:49.00\00:12:52.93
And I remember thinking that,
00:12:52.97\00:12:54.74
well, there
might be sharks here.
00:12:54.77\00:12:56.10
And I was just about
to call out the others
00:12:56.14\00:12:58.27
and say something about, I
hope there's no sharks here.
00:12:58.31\00:13:01.48
And I fortunately
didn't say anything.
00:13:01.51\00:13:05.18
But, you know what,
00:13:05.21\00:13:06.72
the Lord must
have taken that from me
00:13:06.75\00:13:08.38
because the rest of the night
00:13:08.42\00:13:09.75
I never even thought of sharks.
00:13:09.78\00:13:11.89
Looking back now,
I'm just so pleased,
00:13:11.92\00:13:15.49
so grateful to God
00:13:15.52\00:13:16.99
that happened because
I would have panicked.
00:13:17.03\00:13:18.89
That would have made
the situation even worse,
00:13:18.93\00:13:21.60
but the fact that I never
even thought of them again
00:13:21.63\00:13:23.47
was just a wonderful thing.
00:13:23.50\00:13:25.07
Neil said,
00:13:31.44\00:13:32.77
"Well, you know,
00:13:32.81\00:13:34.54
we are in a
situation that is pretty hard
00:13:34.58\00:13:38.01
and there is a
heaven and there is a God.
00:13:38.05\00:13:44.42
If you believe in God,
we have to make a prayer.
00:13:44.45\00:13:47.06
You know, let's make a prayer."
00:13:47.09\00:13:48.56
And that was very
encouraging to me.
00:13:48.59\00:13:49.92
That's very encouraging
because in a rage of,
00:13:49.96\00:13:52.69
you know, waves and
darkness and gloomy weather,
00:13:52.73\00:13:57.07
that sort of word
gives me the encouragement,
00:13:57.10\00:13:59.33
gives me the passion to
feel positive about myself
00:13:59.37\00:14:02.80
and know that there was
someone that is close to me,
00:14:02.84\00:14:05.57
which, you know, I
thank God about that.
00:14:05.61\00:14:08.11
That was, you know, God's grace.
00:14:08.14\00:14:09.54
So, Neil at this stage,
00:14:13.85\00:14:15.18
how long would
you been in the water?
00:14:15.22\00:14:17.59
Probably about four
hours approximately, Gary.
00:14:17.62\00:14:20.86
And by that stage,
00:14:20.89\00:14:22.22
I had swallowed a
lot of salt water.
00:14:22.26\00:14:24.79
My tongue and my
lips were swollen
00:14:24.83\00:14:27.43
and I was feeling really
weak and cramping allover.
00:14:27.46\00:14:32.77
I really wondered
whether I could make it.
00:14:32.80\00:14:35.10
Every now and then there'd
be a school of heavy rain,
00:14:35.14\00:14:36.91
which was a blessing
00:14:36.94\00:14:38.27
because I could open my mouth
00:14:38.31\00:14:39.87
and just let some
fresh water on to my tongue.
00:14:39.91\00:14:43.21
And that was something
00:14:43.24\00:14:45.48
that I look forward
to the next rain school.
00:14:45.51\00:14:48.55
But I swim on, I
guess, for another half hour,
00:14:48.58\00:14:52.02
I was getting weaker
and my arms were aching,
00:14:52.05\00:14:54.46
my legs are cramping.
00:14:54.49\00:14:56.26
And I lay on my
back for a few moments
00:14:56.29\00:14:58.13
just to rest my
shoulders and arms.
00:14:58.16\00:15:01.06
Not wanting to drift away
too much from where the others
00:15:01.10\00:15:04.07
were in the little
light on the lifejackets.
00:15:04.10\00:15:07.54
And as I lay on my
back, I was thinking,
00:15:07.57\00:15:09.30
"Should I just give up now?"
00:15:09.34\00:15:11.87
I know...
00:15:11.91\00:15:13.24
You know,
00:15:13.27\00:15:14.61
God doesn't
always answer prayer,
00:15:14.64\00:15:15.98
the way we would like.
00:15:16.01\00:15:17.78
Doesn't matter who
you are, people still die.
00:15:17.81\00:15:20.85
I know God has His reasons,
but I wasn't afraid to die.
00:15:20.88\00:15:24.19
And I had the
assurance of salvation.
00:15:24.22\00:15:26.86
I knew that the
next moment if I died,
00:15:26.89\00:15:29.42
I'd open my eyes
and see Jesus coming.
00:15:29.46\00:15:31.43
And that was to me
a tremendous comfort
00:15:31.46\00:15:34.83
to know that I could
go through this experience
00:15:34.86\00:15:36.70
and not be afraid of death.
00:15:36.73\00:15:38.53
And I thank God for that.
00:15:38.57\00:15:40.47
But I lay on my back
and I was just wondering,
00:15:40.50\00:15:42.47
should I keep trying
00:15:42.50\00:15:43.84
because the lights
are still miles away,
00:15:43.87\00:15:46.14
I probably won't make it,
00:15:46.17\00:15:47.51
should I just dive
under now and give up,
00:15:47.54\00:15:49.28
I was exhausted.
00:15:49.31\00:15:50.88
And just as I
was lying on my back,
00:15:50.91\00:15:52.41
looking up above me,
00:15:52.45\00:15:54.82
for the first and
only time in the night
00:15:54.85\00:15:56.92
the clouds just parted.
00:15:56.95\00:15:58.52
And they're right above me
for about 10 seconds or less,
00:15:58.55\00:16:01.52
it was a bright star.
00:16:01.56\00:16:03.79
And in that
condition I was, you know,
00:16:03.83\00:16:05.43
I just took that as a sign
that God was giving me that
00:16:05.46\00:16:08.70
I've not forgotten you.
00:16:08.73\00:16:10.30
You know, I know your situation,
00:16:10.33\00:16:11.83
I can still see you.
00:16:11.87\00:16:13.44
You might be in the
dark, but you're not alone.
00:16:13.47\00:16:16.14
And that was a
wonderful experience.
00:16:16.17\00:16:18.67
He gave me courage. It
enabled me to keep going.
00:16:23.81\00:16:27.48
And I remember saying,
00:16:27.52\00:16:28.85
"Lord, if you're still
got a work for me to do,
00:16:28.88\00:16:30.55
let me get to shore and
give me the words to speak
00:16:30.59\00:16:35.39
and loosen my tongue
00:16:35.42\00:16:36.76
that I might get
to praise You more.
00:16:36.79\00:16:38.39
Help me to think of my family
00:16:38.43\00:16:39.79
and express my
love to them more."
00:16:39.83\00:16:41.23
And, you know,
00:16:41.26\00:16:42.60
you make certain resolutions
00:16:42.63\00:16:43.97
when you think
00:16:44.00\00:16:45.33
you might be able to come out
of a very desperate situation.
00:16:45.37\00:16:50.24
And so that gave me
fresh courage to swim on.
00:16:50.27\00:16:53.14
We kept swimming on.
00:16:53.17\00:16:54.54
And, you know,
00:16:54.58\00:16:56.01
you're tempted to
still get discouraged
00:16:56.04\00:16:57.65
because it's still same
that we weren't going anywhere.
00:16:57.68\00:17:00.58
And I remember
thinking of the story of Jonah.
00:17:00.62\00:17:03.99
You know, the story in
Old Testament of Jonah,
00:17:04.02\00:17:06.22
who was swallowed by a big fish
00:17:06.25\00:17:08.12
and there in the
belly of this fish
00:17:08.16\00:17:09.89
he cried out to the Lord.
00:17:09.92\00:17:12.19
And he said,
00:17:12.23\00:17:14.93
"In my distress I
called to the Lord,
00:17:14.96\00:17:17.13
and He answered me.
00:17:17.17\00:17:18.73
From the depths of the
grave I called for help
00:17:18.77\00:17:20.97
and you listened to my cry."
00:17:21.00\00:17:22.47
And I think just
quoting that text
00:17:24.97\00:17:27.51
and being reminded
of how Jonah was saved,
00:17:27.54\00:17:29.71
it gave me courage
again to keep going.
00:17:29.74\00:17:32.35
Despite the
cramps and the tiredness
00:17:32.38\00:17:34.08
and the thirst
and everything else
00:17:34.12\00:17:35.95
that was going on,
00:17:35.98\00:17:37.99
I said, "I've got to make it."
00:17:38.02\00:17:39.35
And I said,
00:17:39.39\00:17:40.72
"Lord, if you got
work for me to do,
00:17:40.76\00:17:42.09
let me get to shore soon."
00:17:42.12\00:17:43.73
And it wasn't long after that.
00:17:43.76\00:17:45.09
And I guess by
then we've been swimming
00:17:45.13\00:17:47.16
maybe five hours,
00:17:47.20\00:17:49.60
we noticed that we
just come into a bay.
00:17:49.63\00:17:52.10
We can just see a silhouette
of a peninsula on either side.
00:17:52.13\00:17:56.14
On one side we
saw a bright light,
00:17:56.17\00:17:58.27
on the other side
00:17:58.31\00:17:59.64
we saw a small flickering light.
00:17:59.67\00:18:02.34
And it was hard to
tell which was the closest.
00:18:02.38\00:18:05.35
Now we had to make a
decision of which way to go.
00:18:05.38\00:18:08.78
It was then that
I just prayed to God
00:18:08.82\00:18:10.65
and I said, "Lord,
you can see where we are,
00:18:10.69\00:18:12.85
you know what the
best way to go is.
00:18:12.89\00:18:14.89
Please help us to
come to a consensus
00:18:14.92\00:18:17.29
to know which way to turn."
00:18:17.33\00:18:19.56
And, praise God,
when we talked about it,
00:18:19.59\00:18:21.60
we all said, "Yes, let's
go for the smaller light."
00:18:21.63\00:18:25.27
When Pastor Neil
prayed in the ocean,
00:18:25.30\00:18:27.44
I could feel the courage
00:18:27.47\00:18:28.90
and confidence
rising from within me
00:18:28.94\00:18:32.04
that despite all
the gloomy weather.
00:18:32.07\00:18:35.61
You know, the things
that you couldn't see,
00:18:35.64\00:18:37.81
but surely there is a God
that's able to take us through.
00:18:37.85\00:18:41.42
And that
brought confidence to me
00:18:41.45\00:18:43.45
and even the team, even
those who don't believe.
00:18:43.49\00:18:47.42
That's amazing.
00:18:47.46\00:18:49.26
That is amazing.
00:18:49.29\00:18:50.66
And so we begin to
swim toward this light.
00:18:58.27\00:19:02.54
And I don't know
how long it took,
00:19:02.57\00:19:03.91
probably about
another hour before we saw a,
00:19:03.94\00:19:07.54
like a white beam
across or grayish,
00:19:07.58\00:19:10.35
I guess, it was
in the semi-darkness.
00:19:10.38\00:19:13.05
And we saw that
that was a beach.
00:19:13.08\00:19:15.05
And so we knew we're headed
for the shore and almost there.
00:19:15.08\00:19:19.62
After a while we
got closer to the beach
00:19:19.65\00:19:21.92
and I was able to
actually feel a reef.
00:19:21.96\00:19:24.43
And as I put my hand on
the reef and just sat on it
00:19:24.46\00:19:26.86
for a moment to rest,
00:19:26.90\00:19:28.80
both my legs really cramped up.
00:19:28.83\00:19:31.00
And it was just
agony. I was in tears.
00:19:31.03\00:19:33.23
It was just so painful.
00:19:33.27\00:19:35.24
And I thought then
00:19:35.27\00:19:37.77
if that had happened
00:19:37.81\00:19:39.14
just a few minutes
before in the deep,
00:19:39.17\00:19:40.51
I wouldn't not have made it.
00:19:40.54\00:19:41.88
I would have been so
close, but never made it.
00:19:41.91\00:19:43.68
So I thank God
00:19:43.71\00:19:45.05
that I was able to
keep going till then.
00:19:45.08\00:19:46.75
And after that
I got off the reef
00:19:46.78\00:19:48.82
and we're able to come
across quite smoothly, actually.
00:19:48.85\00:19:53.36
I had fear that
maybe I'd be cut to pieces
00:19:53.39\00:19:55.56
and stand on a
stonefish and get poisoned,
00:19:55.59\00:19:58.29
but I thought
well, it doesn't matter.
00:19:58.33\00:20:00.03
I'm going to be
alive, and I don't care
00:20:00.06\00:20:01.60
if I'm bandaged
from head to foot.
00:20:01.63\00:20:03.26
So we eventually
made it to shore.
00:20:03.30\00:20:05.53
We're collapsed on the
beach. It was just exhausting.
00:20:05.57\00:20:08.64
We just couldn't
stand up for a few minutes.
00:20:08.67\00:20:11.07
Finally, we stood up,
we got each other together,
00:20:11.11\00:20:13.84
we put our arms
around each other.
00:20:13.88\00:20:15.58
And I just prayed
a prayer of thanks
00:20:15.61\00:20:17.41
that God got us to shore.
00:20:17.45\00:20:19.28
And I thank him too that
we've come to this place,
00:20:19.31\00:20:22.38
which was obviously the closest.
00:20:22.42\00:20:24.05
I found out later
00:20:24.09\00:20:25.49
that if we'd gone
to the other light,
00:20:25.52\00:20:26.89
it would have taken us to
a place called Devils point.
00:20:26.92\00:20:29.12
Oh, what a sinister name.
00:20:29.16\00:20:30.49
A very sinister.
00:20:30.53\00:20:31.86
And strong currents,
sharks, rough sea, sharp coral.
00:20:31.89\00:20:36.26
And we're just so fortunate
that God led us to this place.
00:20:36.30\00:20:40.04
Father in heaven,
00:20:54.45\00:20:55.78
we thank You so much
for the gift of life.
00:20:55.82\00:20:59.62
And Wesley and I and others
00:20:59.65\00:21:00.99
who were fortunate to
survive this experience,
00:21:01.02\00:21:04.29
we are so grateful.
00:21:04.33\00:21:05.99
We don't know why we
were saved and others not,
00:21:06.03\00:21:08.23
but we do thank
You for this privilege.
00:21:08.26\00:21:10.57
And today, we just remember
00:21:10.60\00:21:12.00
those who lost their
lives and their families,
00:21:12.03\00:21:14.94
they may even yet
still be mourning.
00:21:14.97\00:21:17.14
And we commit unto
You today in Jesus' name.
00:21:17.17\00:21:20.14
Amen.
00:21:20.18\00:21:21.51
Now while we
rejoice in God's deliverance
00:21:52.24\00:21:54.88
of Neil Watts and
the other four survivors
00:21:54.91\00:21:57.05
of this dreadful accident,
00:21:57.08\00:21:59.25
some may reasonably
think, well, that's great.
00:21:59.28\00:22:02.65
This man and four others
survived this dreadful accident
00:22:02.68\00:22:05.99
against incredible odds.
00:22:06.02\00:22:08.06
So praying must
have worked for them.
00:22:08.09\00:22:10.99
But what about the
other seven passengers
00:22:11.03\00:22:13.36
who perished?
00:22:13.40\00:22:14.80
Why did God save five passengers
00:22:14.83\00:22:17.70
and not the others as well?
00:22:17.73\00:22:19.63
This raises the
question of unanswered prayer.
00:22:19.67\00:22:22.94
Why does God seem to answer
some prayers and not others?
00:22:22.97\00:22:28.01
Well, could the answer be this.
00:22:28.04\00:22:30.15
God does hear all our prayers,
He does answer them all.
00:22:30.18\00:22:34.32
He answers all genuine prayers.
00:22:34.35\00:22:37.69
It's just a matter of
how God answers our prayers.
00:22:37.72\00:22:40.96
God answers our
prayers in one of three ways.
00:22:40.99\00:22:45.26
One, yes, right now.
00:22:45.29\00:22:49.16
Two, yes, but not
right now, wait a while.
00:22:49.20\00:22:54.40
And three, no, it's
not what's best for you.
00:22:54.44\00:22:59.21
We all have our own
ideas about what's best for us,
00:22:59.24\00:23:02.51
but there's one major difference
00:23:02.54\00:23:03.95
between our
perspective and God's.
00:23:03.98\00:23:07.45
He knows what the
future holds and we do not,
00:23:07.48\00:23:10.85
so we must trust
in God to guide us.
00:23:10.89\00:23:14.76
It's something like a
headstrong young child
00:23:14.79\00:23:17.33
wanting to play with a
pair of sharp scissors,
00:23:17.36\00:23:20.40
but a wise parent says no
00:23:20.43\00:23:23.26
because the parent sees
the situation from experience
00:23:23.30\00:23:26.67
and sees the bigger picture.
00:23:26.70\00:23:28.67
And because they
love their children,
00:23:28.70\00:23:31.01
parents put boundaries in place
00:23:31.04\00:23:33.51
and don't just
give their children
00:23:33.54\00:23:34.94
what they want
when they want it.
00:23:34.98\00:23:37.71
So it is with God,
00:23:37.75\00:23:39.51
we don't always
understand the situation
00:23:39.55\00:23:42.35
or see the big picture.
00:23:42.38\00:23:44.79
It's no coincidence
00:23:44.82\00:23:46.76
that the Bible invites
us to call God our Father.
00:23:46.79\00:23:52.09
We don't always understand
00:23:52.13\00:23:54.10
what our
Heavenly Father is doing
00:23:54.13\00:23:56.26
and He doesn't
always give us the reason
00:23:56.30\00:23:58.80
for His actions and decisions.
00:23:58.83\00:24:01.24
So we must trust Him
00:24:01.27\00:24:04.01
based on the
knowledge that He loves us
00:24:04.04\00:24:06.51
and will only do
what's best for us.
00:24:06.54\00:24:09.18
God sees the big picture,
the end from the beginning.
00:24:09.21\00:24:13.21
He sees the future and
knows what's best for us.
00:24:13.25\00:24:16.95
Therefore out of
love, he might often say no.
00:24:16.99\00:24:21.46
We can't always
understand why God says no,
00:24:21.49\00:24:24.99
but we must trust
His wisdom and love.
00:24:25.03\00:24:28.06
God's knowledge of
us and of this world
00:24:28.10\00:24:30.97
enables Him to see
what is best for us.
00:24:31.00\00:24:34.10
His wisdom and
knowledge allows Him to give
00:24:34.14\00:24:36.57
what He knows is best for us
00:24:36.60\00:24:39.34
and to give it in the
best way and at the best time.
00:24:39.37\00:24:43.51
We learned this from
Romans 8:28 which says,
00:24:43.55\00:24:48.22
"And we know that all
things work together for good
00:24:48.25\00:24:51.59
to those who love God,
00:24:51.62\00:24:53.66
to those who are called
according to His purpose."
00:24:53.69\00:24:56.59
I hope this
program has shown you
00:25:04.40\00:25:06.63
that prayer can be
one of the most powerful
00:25:06.67\00:25:09.27
and most positive
experiences in life,
00:25:09.30\00:25:12.17
even when we don't
immediately get what we want.
00:25:12.21\00:25:15.51
Remember this, God is
only ever a prayer away,
00:25:15.54\00:25:20.35
no matter where you are,
00:25:20.38\00:25:21.88
no matter what
your circumstance is,
00:25:21.92\00:25:24.09
no matter what your condition,
00:25:24.12\00:25:25.92
no matter how
distant you feel from Him.
00:25:25.95\00:25:28.52
Irrespective of how
unworthy you might feel,
00:25:28.56\00:25:32.39
God is only a
prayer away from you.
00:25:32.43\00:25:35.40
He will hear and He will answer.
00:25:35.43\00:25:37.93
If you're
experiencing challenges in life
00:25:41.40\00:25:44.51
or are in a desperate situation
00:25:44.54\00:25:46.71
and would like
to reach out to God,
00:25:46.74\00:25:49.04
if you'd like to
find out more about prayer
00:25:49.08\00:25:51.81
and how to experience
a relationship with God,
00:25:51.85\00:25:55.25
then I'd like to
recommend the free gift we have
00:25:55.28\00:25:58.19
for all our Incredible
Journey viewers today.
00:25:58.22\00:26:02.42
It's the booklet How to Pray.
00:26:02.46\00:26:05.69
I'm sure you will
enjoy this small booklet
00:26:05.73\00:26:08.53
that shares simple principles
00:26:08.56\00:26:10.03
on how you can
make connection with God
00:26:10.07\00:26:13.00
and make your
prayers more meaningful.
00:26:13.03\00:26:16.24
This booklet is our gift
to you and is absolutely free.
00:26:16.27\00:26:20.58
I guarantee there are no
costs or obligations whatsoever.
00:26:20.61\00:26:25.15
So make the most of
this wonderful opportunity
00:26:25.18\00:26:28.78
to receive the gift
we have for you today.
00:26:28.82\00:26:31.52
Phone or text us at
0436 333 555 in Australia
00:26:33.29\00:26:39.19
or 020 422 2042 in New Zealand
00:26:39.23\00:26:44.17
or visit our website TiJ.tv
00:26:44.20\00:26:47.87
to request today's free offer
00:26:47.90\00:26:49.80
and we'll send it to
you totally free of charge
00:26:49.84\00:26:52.64
and with no obligation.
00:26:52.67\00:26:54.41
Write to us at
GPO Box 274, Sydney,
00:26:54.44\00:26:58.08
New South Wales 2001, Australia
00:26:58.11\00:27:01.22
or P.O. Box 76673, Manukau,
00:27:01.25\00:27:05.55
Auckland 2241, New Zealand.
00:27:05.59\00:27:08.32
Don't delay,
call or text us now.
00:27:08.36\00:27:10.69
If you've enjoyed our
visit to beautiful Vanuatu
00:27:13.86\00:27:17.43
and our reflections on prayer
00:27:17.47\00:27:19.17
and what it means to
communicate with God,
00:27:19.20\00:27:22.04
then be sure to
join us again next week
00:27:22.07\00:27:24.74
when we will share another
of life's journeys together.
00:27:24.77\00:27:28.41
Until then,
00:27:28.44\00:27:29.78
let's pray to the God in heaven
00:27:29.81\00:27:31.95
who does hear and
answer our prayers.
00:27:31.98\00:27:35.65
Dear Heavenly Father,
00:27:35.68\00:27:37.25
we thank You
00:27:37.29\00:27:38.62
that we can come
to You in prayer.
00:27:38.65\00:27:40.42
We are grateful
00:27:40.46\00:27:41.79
that You give us the privilege
00:27:41.82\00:27:43.16
of being able to
talk to You as a friend
00:27:43.19\00:27:45.16
and that we can
send up a request to You
00:27:45.19\00:27:47.76
at any time and in any place.
00:27:47.80\00:27:50.83
Thank You for hearing
and answering our prayers.
00:27:50.87\00:27:53.77
And even though
00:27:53.80\00:27:55.14
You don't always
answer our prayers
00:27:55.17\00:27:56.97
exactly as we wish,
00:27:57.01\00:27:58.67
help us to trust You
00:27:58.71\00:28:00.41
and to remember that You love us
00:28:00.44\00:28:03.08
and will always do
what is best for us.
00:28:03.11\00:28:06.51
We want to keep in
constant touch with You
00:28:06.55\00:28:08.68
through prayer.
00:28:08.72\00:28:10.15
Please teach us how
to pray more effectively.
00:28:10.19\00:28:13.52
And we ask this in Jesus' name.
00:28:13.56\00:28:16.59
Amen.
00:28:16.62\00:28:18.09