Participants:
Series Code: ASIC
Program Code: ASIC000005A
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00:20 Hello again, and welcome again to this segment of
00:23 ASI Members in Action, where we are listening to what ASI 00:27 members are doing in their part of God's vineyard. 00:29 Have you enjoyed the stories so far this evening? 00:32 Each one of these gentlemen represent different ministries, 00:36 so welcome to all of you who are joining me here on the 00:39 platform also this evening. 00:40 Vaughan Sparrow is the President of Wildwood Institute and 00:47 Lifestyle Center in Clinock. 00:48 Vaughan welcome. We're going to be talking about Wildwood for 00:53 just a minute, but before we do that I'd like to maybe introduce 00:58 you, and perhaps you could tell us where you're from, 01:00 and how you got involved, and how long you've been involved 01:03 as President there at Wildwood. 01:05 I've noticed a little Southern accent in your speech, 01:09 but not the kind of Southern accent that you'd run 01:12 into here in Texas. 01:13 It comes from the deep South. 01:15 Deep South! Okay. Ha! 01:16 South Africa. South Africa. 01:18 I was born to farming parents in South Africa. 01:23 At the end of my high school my father wanted us to 01:28 get some education. 01:29 Went to Heidelberg College in South Africa. 01:31 When I graduated there we went farming. 01:34 And the Lord convicted us to get involved in 01:37 medical missionary work. 01:38 Worked it out that we could come to Wildwood, and we've been 01:42 there for about twelve and a half years. 01:45 Wonderful! Give me a birds-eye view of what Wildwood 01:48 is and what you do there. 01:49 Wildwood is a ministry of dedicated lay people, volunteers 01:56 to service trying to spread God's love and His Word 02:01 to hasten His soon return. 02:03 We have a video that will explain a little bit more about 02:06 what Wildwood does. 02:07 And so perhaps if we could roll that video at this moment, 02:10 and it will give you a good idea as to what Wildwood's about. 02:13 Thank you. 02:18 Hidden among the outskirts of Chattanooga there is a place 02:23 called Wildwood; a community of Seventh-day Adventists that 02:28 focus on the ministry of Christ by claiming lives for His 02:32 Kingdom through medical missionary work, 02:35 health evangelism, and social interactions. 02:38 Ah, the involvement, the mindset of the place is beautiful. 02:44 It's not the money, it's the love, the understanding, 02:48 the person in general; the physical part, 02:51 and the spiritual part. 02:52 We can't come here and not be smiling. 02:55 Everybody waves to you: Hi! 02:58 So it's new, but I love it. 03:00 I hope I can use that to change myself, my people I came from. 03:09 What I love about Wildwood is that Wildwood is so much more 03:13 that what happens here on this campus. 03:15 It may start here, but then people go out from here, 03:18 and they go out and they start lifestyle centers, 03:22 they start projects, they do mission work, they change their 03:26 communities, they work with their churches. 03:28 Wildwood is basically like a launching pad. 03:31 It's somewhere that people come, they get inspired, 03:34 they get trained, but then they go to all corners of the world 03:37 and do amazing things for the Lord. 03:40 How does something like this happen? 03:43 Wildwood is the result of many miracles. 03:46 It's inspiring reading and hearing about those miracles 03:50 from the many resources that we have available. 03:53 The men and women who started Wildwood had a vision. 03:57 They believed in ministry that would impact the world, 04:00 as well as their local community. 04:02 We are now living in the consummation of that vision 04:05 as Medical Missionary work has extended across the globe. 04:15 Vaughan you recently, you celebrated an 04:17 Anniversary there at Wildwood. 04:18 What was your... What year was it? 04:20 75 years. 75 years. 04:22 And in that time there've been many miracles that have 04:24 happened, but some challenges also. 04:27 I understand that this year there was a challenge, 04:29 but you were able to overcome that with God's help. 04:32 Tell us a little bit about it. 04:33 I believe that we are blessed but challenged. 04:38 And this past year we've had challenges on our education 04:43 front with our medical missionary training program. 04:46 We were seeking a different type of Visa, and as we asked 04:51 questions the state decided that they needed to shut us down. 04:56 And they told us to remove our web page, and they did some 05:02 further investigation. 05:03 But by the Lord's grace, we were able to get legal opinion. 05:09 And as we sought that legal opinion we were eventually 05:12 granted religious exemption for our education program. 05:16 I mean that was a real blessing. 05:18 You see the Lord's hand in that decision then? Amen! 05:22 Amen. So the Education Department is 05:24 back up and running? 05:25 Back up and running, and we're training missionaries 05:27 that go all around the world. 05:28 And there is a project that ASI is helping you with. 05:32 What's that all about? 05:34 We have a Community Center that we've started. 05:36 It's a project, and thanks to ASI and our donors, we were able 05:41 to start this project. 05:42 We've had many challenges in location, in licensing, weather, 05:47 but we are ready to roll. 05:49 And, hopefully, by the end of this summer we will have 05:53 at least the earthwork done. 05:55 And so it's been a real blessing. 05:56 And, again, we want to thank you, ASI, for the support that 06:00 is being given to us. 06:02 In that 75 years, again, many, many stories that couldn't be 06:08 recounted, but perhaps you have just one that you 06:10 could share with us. 06:12 We have so many and this; on the education front we have 06:17 lives being changed, character's being formed. 06:20 In our Lifestyle Center though we get to see 06:23 firsthand God's healing. 06:25 And Michelle was experiencing numbness, tingling in her arms, 06:31 hands, and feet, and legs, and eventually she 06:34 was diagnosed with MS. 06:35 And after a lot of medication, a hospital stay, she decided 06:42 that she didn't want to continue with this the rest of her life. 06:44 After she was released from the hospital she decided to go on a 06:49 juice fast, and take things into her own hands. 06:51 She experienced healing in a significant way, 06:54 but a short time after she started to slip again. 06:57 And her own words here: We called Wildwood, and within a 07:01 few hours we arrived. 07:03 I did not think that I could financially afford to stay the 07:05 twenty-five days, but God opened the door. 07:09 It was such a blessing under the care of doctors who are not 07:11 trying to push poison into your veins, but who use God's method 07:15 of healing, combined with a knowledge of the body to 07:18 facilitate healing and restoration. 07:20 And she says, I appreciated the fact that the doctors took time 07:23 to pray with each of us as patients. 07:26 I've seen Him work some miracles in my life, and in the lives of 07:29 the other guests that were with me. 07:31 Before I left Wildwood my symptoms had abated. 07:34 During my time at Wildwood I received not only physical 07:37 healing, but also emotional, and spiritual healing. 07:40 And as we listened to these testimonies of these lifestyle 07:43 guests, it's a highlight every two weeks in our program 07:46 to hear how the Lord is actively healing people, 07:49 and changing lives. 07:51 It's... the physical healing is important. Right. 07:53 But it's the spiritual healing that we're really after, 07:55 isn't it? That's right. 07:57 Well, Vaughan, it's been a pleasure speaking to you. 07:58 Thank you so much. 07:59 John Davidson is the President of Eden Valley. 08:02 Perhaps you could tell me, was let's say five years ago, 08:09 being the President of Eden Valley something that you were 08:12 planning to do, and was on the top of your list? 08:15 Well, five years ago I wouldn't, excuse me. 08:20 Oh, I'm sorry about that. 08:22 Five years ago? No. 08:23 I... one year ago, No. 08:25 Really? Okay. 08:27 It wasn't on... It was not on the radar. 08:29 Okay, tell us how it happened. 08:30 Well, it kind of is a longer story, but it happened by 08:38 Lisa Hodges coming to my house and asking me to do that. 08:41 But there is kind of a lengthy story that goes along with that. 08:45 Yeah, we don't have time for the whole story, of course, 08:49 but the key here is when God calls, you need to be 08:57 ready to answer it. 08:58 And we discussed just a little bit about what 08:59 that means for you. 09:01 Okay, well, being born in a Seventh-day Adventist home, 09:04 and baptized at twelve years old, like many of us, 09:07 you grow up being a Seventh-day Adventist, but really not 09:11 dedicating your life to the Lord. 09:14 You do all the right things, but you don't dedicate yourself. 09:17 And my dad would tell me as I grew up, and even he would tell 09:21 me today, You have to dedicate yourself unconditionally. 09:25 And that's the hard part, isn't it? unconditionally? 09:29 Think about that for a second. 09:31 When a military army surrenders unconditionally; and that's your 09:37 heart giving that to God and saying, Whatever You want 09:40 me to do, I will do. 09:42 Amen. Now we've got a video that explains just a little bit 09:45 about what Eden Valley is about. 09:46 And also you've had some challenges 09:48 in the last year or so. 09:49 And so we want to know what those are. 09:51 But if we could look at the video that will explain what 09:54 Eden Valley is and what you do there. 10:01 In 1962 Eden Valley Institute of Wellness was founded 10:06 at the foothills of the Rocky Mountain National Park. 10:14 A Lifestyle Center was started a few years later to reach out 10:18 to those who were in health crisis. 10:20 Implementing God's natural laws of health outlined in the Bible, 10:24 and our treatments, our guests experience rest, healing, 10:28 and peace in the beautiful nature settings 10:32 surrounding the property. 10:33 More importantly, they were brought to the knowledge of 10:36 Jesus, who only can give true healing, 10:39 both physically, and spiritually. 10:42 Today Eden Valley is blessed with more than thirty dedicated 10:46 volunteers on staff. 10:48 Our two week natural remedies program has helped hundreds of 10:52 people to restore their health, and their faith. 10:55 Our three month educational program, which combines medical 10:59 missionary work and evangelism has provided our students with 11:03 knowledge and tools that have been used to improve the lives 11:06 of believers, and non-believers all across the globe. 11:11 In 2017 we also started a new program geared towards 11:16 health professionals. 11:17 The Natural Remedies program for Health Professionals is an 11:21 intensive one month program designed to equip individuals 11:24 with medical background. 11:28 Here at Eden Valley our mission is to 11:44 But the challenges are big and ever changing. 11:47 In 2010 Eden Valley operations were threatened by some 11:51 requirements imposed by the county. 11:53 Included in their list was a 11:58 By God's grace, since August 2016 the new sewer plant 12:04 has been fully operational. 12:05 The boy's dormitory has been recently renovated with funds 12:09 donated for this purpose. 12:10 All rooms received new carpet, a fresh coat of paint, 12:14 and new furniture. 12:16 Eden Valley's Lifestyle Center must be expanded. 12:19 More space and new equipment means we can accommodate more 12:23 guests and perform treatments and programs that are not 12:26 possible with our current structure. 12:30 Until our Lord and Savior returns, many people still need 12:35 to be touched by the medical missionary work. 12:37 Please pray for Eden Valley as we continue in our journey 12:42 to share God's love through the gift of better health. 12:49 Now John, the video mentioned one challenge, 12:53 but there's another challenge that you mentioned also, 12:55 and you're a recipient of the project offering that will help 12:59 with that challenge. 13:00 Tell us what it is. 13:01 Yeah, that challenge is a new kitchen. 13:04 The county came, just like they did with the sewer plant there, 13:08 and they said we needed to make a change. 13:10 And the change is we needed a commercial kitchen. 13:13 We are cooking there and it's not legal, if you will. 13:19 And so we are working towards building a brand new 13:23 commercial kitchen. 13:24 So they said, We love what you're doing; 13:26 you just need to be legal. 13:27 So we can be legal. 13:28 Okay. It wouldn't be complete if you didn't tell us a little 13:31 bit of a story about what's going on, and what the Lord's 13:35 doing at Eden Valley right now. 13:36 Well you saw a little bit about the education department's 13:39 students learning to do what we do there at Eden Valley, 13:42 our Lifestyle Center. 13:44 I'm just going to tell you a quick story 13:45 at the Lifestyle Center. 13:47 There was a group of people that came. 13:50 It was about a month ago. 13:52 We do an outreach session. 13:54 It's one week long. 13:55 And there was a man there that talked to me, and he said, 13:57 I really didn't have a good picture of God. 14:00 I had a picture in my mind of what God was like. 14:03 But after dealing with our people there in the 14:06 Lifestyle Center, and studying the Bible each morning. 14:10 We have worship at 6:30 each morning. 14:11 He says, Now I have a new picture of what God is. 14:15 God is love. The way that you treat me here 14:19 shows what God is like. 14:22 And so his complete picture of God has changed. 14:24 I see a loving God, a God who wants me to 14:29 spend eternity with Him. 14:30 Yeah. That's the picture that we need to leave 14:32 with people, isn't it? 14:33 In fact whether they're Bible believing Christians or not 14:36 Bible believing Christians, they still need to have that picture 14:39 at all of our institutions. 14:40 John thank you for talking to us this evening. Thank you. 14:44 The next organization is a new organization called 14:48 Adventist Help, and in fact it's a, I guess you could say, 14:53 actually a fast moving, up and coming entrepreneurial, 14:56 rough-and-tumble kind of organization. 14:59 And so you're doing some exciting work. 15:01 I'd like to introduce to some of you, probably most of 15:04 you know Kim Busl. 15:06 He's been in mission work for many decades, and a good friend. 15:10 And also a new friend, Dr. Michael Von Horsten. 15:14 I think I mangled your name appropriately. 15:16 And you are also involved in this new work. 15:22 I'd like for Kim to take just a moment to give us the cliff 15:25 notes version of what the work is, 15:28 and how it really came to be. 15:29 It's something that's fairly brand new, 15:31 and just always evolving. 15:33 So give us an overview of it Kim. 15:35 Two years ago at the ASI Europe of Convention 15:38 we went to Budapest. 15:40 We found 3,500 refugees sleeping in the local train station. 15:44 An ASI member from North America came to me and said, Kim, 15:47 can you get me ten minutes with your board? Said, Sure. 15:51 He presented to the board an opportunity to serve these 15:55 hundreds of thousands of people in a tangible way as they were 16:00 fleeing war and terror in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan. 16:05 And we had no idea what would happen. 16:08 Three months later, what you see here, Adventist Help 16:12 initiative was created. 16:14 We ended up with a bus turned into a clinic, 16:16 on the shores of Lesbos. 16:18 This facility was the one and only medical emergency 16:23 facility on that island. 16:25 As you see the picture of the boats here, people coming in, 16:28 just imagine yourself having lived in a 16:31 desert, you end up here. 16:32 We all know that thousands of people have 16:34 drowned on their way. 16:36 The Lord led wonderfully in this ministry. 16:39 Thousands of people have been ministered unto. 16:42 Volunteers from around the world fly themselves, 16:46 they pay for themselves to be there, and they serve 16:50 the needs of these folks. 16:51 When they closed Turkey so the boats couldn't come out, 16:56 they closed the gates of Greece so the refugees 16:58 couldn't enter Europe. 17:00 They asked us to establish a facility at a refugee camp. 17:04 And you saw in that slide a 40 foot container. 17:07 A person whom we all know, Elder Neil Wil... Elder... 17:11 Did I say that right? 17:13 Ted Wilson, sorry Ted! 17:15 I remember your Dad. 17:16 ...heard about Adventist Help. 17:18 He appealed to Vereotho Filao, the President if ASI Europe. 17:22 He said, Can Adventist Health come to Iraq? 17:24 There's a great need in Iraq for this type of ministry. 17:29 We kind of drew sticks to see who would win the trip to Iraq, 17:32 and I won, so I got to go to Iraq. 17:35 And shortly thereafter my good friend here, 17:37 Dr. Michael von Horsten, from South Africa, 17:40 came to spearhead that work in Iraq. 17:43 He was a great strength to us in Greece. 17:47 And so in Iraq, which you're going to see, is a partnership 17:51 between Maana, the Middle East North Africa, right? 17:57 And ADRA, and Adventist Health, and volunteers 18:01 from around the world. 18:03 Dr. Michael, maybe you can give us an idea of what 18:07 typically is going on at this... 18:10 Well, it's a hospital there in Iraq. 18:12 And also how did it get going exactly there in that vicinity? 18:18 And did you do it all by yourself? 18:20 No, definitely not. 18:21 So this has been one of the most exciting projects I've ever 18:24 been involved in my medical career. 18:26 So we came to Iraq in February of this year. 18:30 I went there to possibly open up a small clinic like we've 18:33 opened in Greece; possibly two or three beds. 18:36 And I walked into the ADRA office and we talked about 18:40 the possibilities for opening up this unit, and collaborating 18:43 with ADRA Kyrgyzstan. 18:44 And from there it just skyrocketed. 18:47 I actually don't even know how it all happened. 18:48 But the facility that we have on the ground now is a 45 bed 18:54 hospital, a 6 consultation room Primary Care Units, 18:57 a Mental Health Unit, a Dental Unit that's busy being developed 19:02 at the moment, and 9 bed Emergency Unit with a 3 bed 19:06 Heart Care Unit, and X-ray Units, an Ultrasound Facility, 19:09 and a Laboratory, plus a Pharmacy, which is absolutely 19:13 nothing short of a miracle. 19:14 So, yeah, we're really excited to be on the ground. 19:17 Just to give you an idea of the location, we're actually 19:21 20 kilometers east of the... 20 miles east of the city of 19:25 Morcell, so for those of you who have been following the 19:28 Middle Eastern... Things events happening in the Middle East, 19:31 this is one of the strongholds of Isis. 19:34 And the deliberation process that's been underway for the 19:37 past two months in the area has displaced 19:39 hundreds of thousands of people. 19:41 And currently we... There's a cluster of five IDP, 19:45 Internally Displaced Persons, camps with collected populations 19:49 of 100,000 people; that's 20,000 children sitting with no 19:54 access to emergency care, inpatient 19:56 facilities on the ground. 19:58 And that's where ADRA and Adventist Health have stepped 20:01 in and put this facility together. 20:03 So, yes, it's incredible to be there. 20:06 We, just to give you an idea of people we're dealing with, 20:09 this is a population that has had absolutely no medical 20:12 care for three years. 20:13 You know, there every day we've seen children that are, 20:16 have been starving to death. 20:17 They've been living on rice water. 20:20 The parents have been eating grass, which they buy 20:23 for $12 a kilogram. 20:25 They've been eating cat meat that they buy 20:28 for $45 per kilogram. 20:29 They've been starving. 20:31 It's been a siege of Biblical proportions. 20:33 And so we're dealing with children with miasmas, 20:36 severe acute malnutrition. 20:37 We're dealing with people with severe mental health issues. 20:40 We're dealing with people who've seen crucifixions 20:43 on a day-to-day basis, people that have had their children 20:46 beheaded, and people who've had their brothers and sisters 20:49 thrown off buildings, and who've been sex slaves, who've been 20:52 tortured, and we see children in our clinics that have been 20:55 electrocuted and tortured by Isis. 20:58 So this is a group of people that are incredibly vulnerable. 21:02 These are not terrorists, these are victims of terrorism. 21:05 And we are here to reach out to them. 21:08 It's a beautiful entering wedge into the 10/40 window. Yeah. 21:12 This type of work is something that you could probably tell 21:16 us stories for hours. 21:20 Unfortunately, we only have a few seconds left. 21:23 So if someone wants to get involved in the work that you're 21:26 doing; if someone here is listening and they'd like to 21:28 get involved, how can they get involved in what you're doing? 21:31 Well, right now we have an Adventist Health booth here 21:33 at the Convention, and I invite you to come see Claus, 21:36 see Michael, see myself. 21:37 This has been a faith venture from day one, 21:40 where we responded to a call that God put before us, 21:43 and it's been a miracle to watch it happen. 21:46 Every two weeks we have bills to pay, and we have no money 21:48 in the bank account. 21:49 We need volunteers from around the world to keep 21:52 this hospital open. 21:53 We went from a 40 foot clinic to a 45 bed hospital. 21:56 We have no administration; we have no paid help. 22:00 It's simply a miracle that we see God working to touch the 22:03 lives of people, to share the love of Christ in a tangible way 22:07 in countries where we have not had success in years past. 22:11 Please come by the booth, or you can visit 22:14 www. AdventistHelp. org 22:16 Thank you so much gentlemen. 22:18 And ASI is praying for each one of your ministries. 22:21 We'll keep you in prayer. 22:23 And we know that God is blessing, and He will continue 22:25 to bless in the future. 22:26 Thank you so much. Thank you, Cal. 22:29 I do what I do because I believe that the gospel is 22:34 compelling thing there is, and at times I don't believe that we 22:38 communicate it as beautifully as we can. 22:40 So I design for ministries of the Adventist Church because 22:44 the message is beautiful. 22:46 The audience doesn't always see it. 22:48 I think ASI is really great because it provides 22:51 an opportunity for me to meet a bunch of really great people 22:55 who have been doing very inspiring work in the church. 22:58 And as I want to work with Adventist ministries, 23:01 and help them communicate what they are doing, I love knowing 23:04 what they are doing, and it inspires me to be a better 23:08 Christian, and I think that's something that we can all 23:11 see as having really 23:21 We're delighted to be here tonight, and to talk about some 23:25 fantastic things that God is doing in the lives of people 23:28 who are ministering right out on the front lines. 23:32 I want to get right to it. 23:34 Fred and Jill Cornforth are here. 23:37 I want you to know that Fred is our new Chapter President 23:40 for the North Pacific Union Conference and ASI, 23:44 our ASI Chapter up there. 23:46 Fred, you were a part of ASI a long time ago, but tells us. 23:49 Yeah, no, it's remarkable to think, to be back involved with 23:53 ASI the last two or three years. 23:55 There's been so much good done by ASI that we felt drawn back 24:00 to it, and we've become very involved, very involved. 24:04 And it's been a wonderful experience. 24:06 We just see so much potential. 24:08 And, as you can tell from all the other people before, 24:11 just wonderful miracles of God happening in 24:13 people's lives every day. 24:15 So in Boise, which is where our home is, we just completed 24:20 an Amen Clinic where we had just under 1,400 people that 24:26 came over a three day period. 24:28 And I think one of the most remarkable things to me was 24:31 that over half of our volunteers were in their 20's and 30's. 24:37 So it was a younger group. 24:39 But it was really remarkable to see these people getting 24:41 involved in people's lives. 24:43 And my wife has some stories that she'd like to tell that 24:46 came from the clinic itself. 24:49 What a pleasure it was to work in the mission field of Boise. 24:53 I know that we hear about the mission field being so far away, 24:57 but really in our home towns you can find mission 25:00 fields wherever you live. 25:01 So, yes, it was a privilege for us to serve there in this 25:05 capacity at this medical clinic. 25:07 I am a Pediatric Nurse by education, and by training, 25:12 and so I gravitate towards the children. 25:14 And one of my stories is about a little girl. 25:17 Her name was Nomi, and her mother, actually their whole 25:22 family; there were three kids, and a mother and a father, 25:25 that came to my attention because they were a 25:27 very special family. 25:29 They had waited in line for five hours to finally get her 25:32 daughter to be seen for vision, only to find out that she didn't 25:35 quite make the age bracket that we'd advertised for, 25:39 and so were turned away. 25:41 Long story short, we... they went back in line and waited 25:46 again, and waited the three hours to get to dental, 25:50 because she also had a toothache. 25:52 So they made it to the front of the line only to find out that, 25:55 you know, it was getting to be the end of the day, 25:57 and these people were so gracious and beautiful about 26:01 having to wait this whole time. 26:03 They weren't angry. 26:04 So we ended up getting them in because we realized she 26:08 really needed her vision done. 26:09 We got her through the process really quick, and she just was 26:13 so excited about finally getting glasses. 26:16 She just said, I just want to see! 26:17 I just want to see! 26:19 So upon testing found out that she had such horrible vision 26:24 that we couldn't help her that day. 26:26 And she was just sobbing, you know, I just want to see! 26:30 Come to find out her family, her parents, her mother was a 26:34 stay at home mom, but her dad had three jobs, and they were 26:38 all part time, so they didn't have any health insurance. 26:40 And she wasn't going to be able to get screened for vision till 26:43 second grade, and she was only six years old. 26:46 So she was going to have to wait several 26:48 years to get screened. 26:50 So we ended up giving her the strongest prescription glasses 26:54 that we could and sent her home. 26:56 So she couldn't still see very well, but she was just sobbing 27:00 when she put on her bright yellow glasses 27:02 that she had picked. 27:03 She was so excited. 27:05 So we know in a few weeks later she got her real glasses. 27:07 So we know that we just helped this one family. 27:10 They came back the next day and got all their dental work done. 27:13 And it was just such a privilege to be placed in her life. 27:18 Another super-fast story is we had, it seemed like a lot of 27:22 our people that came for the dental needed extractions, 27:26 and a lot of them had job interviews that they were really 27:29 looking forward to doing, so wanted to do their best. 27:32 So we just really felt like we were empowering people 27:34 by helping their health. 27:36 Our theme in Boise was Love Heals. 27:39 And that's going to be the title of our Northwest Convention 27:43 in the Spring of 2018. 27:46 But we had a home that our company had built 27:50 that was on the market. 27:51 And a realtor had showed the home and had noticed that the 27:54 crawl space cover was not quite in there straight and correct, 27:59 and after the showing went back and looked and found in the 28:02 crawl space that there was a sleeping bag and some clothes. 28:07 And we found out that a young man, 18 years old, who had aged 28:11 out of the foster care program, and was still just a junior in 28:14 high school, had nowhere else to live, and so he had somehow 28:17 found his way into the home and lived there at night. 28:20 And then when he'd go off to school during the day, he would 28:23 put his stuff in the crawl space. 28:24 And so that impacted us. 28:27 And we're setting up some homes in the area that have an older 28:31 couple that will have two or three of these kids that have 28:34 aged out of the foster care system. 28:36 And we're hoping that they're going to be able to live there 28:38 for two or three years till they get on their feet, 28:40 maybe even get into college, is our hope. 28:42 We're also helping with a number of orphanages around the world. 28:46 It's been a huge blessing to us. 28:48 There's been about thirty or so orphanages that we have helped 28:52 in different places. 28:54 And there's just... You know, sometimes there's so much need. 28:57 And I think that's one of the positive factors about ASI is 29:01 that, you know, you can't do it alone. 29:03 And there's so much encouragement that comes when 29:05 you're with people that have that like-mindedness of being 29:08 a conduit for God's love. 29:10 And that's something that Jill and I both, we have committed 29:13 ourselves to, is seeking out people that are like-minded, 29:16 that are like-hearted; and whether it's a clinic, 29:19 an orphanage, a foster home. 29:21 One, two last little things that we're involved with too, 29:26 and I shouldn't say little, but I don't know if we have the 29:30 slide about human trafficking. 29:32 There's millions of people that are caught up 29:34 in human trafficking right now, and only 1% are actually rescued 29:39 from that environment. 29:41 Can you imagine that? 29:42 Just 1% are actually rescued. 29:44 And we, our area in Boise, which has the community of Boise, 29:50 about 700,000 people, has over 70% church attendance, 29:55 but we have one of the highest hit rates for reported 29:58 human trafficking. 30:00 So even though you would think it would be a Christian 30:02 community, we've got a real problem on our hands. 30:05 And we're also reaching out and trying to do 30:06 something there as well. 30:08 So, Fred and Jill, you are actually in the business of 30:12 commercial real estate. 30:13 That's correct. 30:15 But you are finding every way that you can to do ministry. 30:18 Every minute! 30:19 Amen, that's awesome. 30:20 Dee Casper, Dee glad to have you here. 30:23 Now, Dee, it's my understanding that you grew up in the shadow 30:29 of a big satellite dish. 30:30 Ha ha ha, that's true! 30:32 Tell us about that. 30:33 Yeah, I grew up about 25 to 30 miles away from the 3ABN 30:36 world headquarters, and had never actually heard of a 30:38 Seventh-day Adventist for 21 years, and found it on 30:41 television in the Fall of 2006. 30:43 Okay, so the television station next door 30:46 you discovered in 2006. 30:48 So what programs did you start watching? 30:51 Doug Batchelor's, Most Amazing Prophecy series that he did 30:55 at Berrien Springs was the first thing. 30:56 It was super helpful. 30:58 I remember thinking, I wasn't doctrinally rooted. 30:59 I remember thinking, I've never heard this before, 31:01 but that's what the text says. 31:02 And the more I was hearing... 31:04 After that was David Asscherick's, 31:05 Discover Prophecy series. 31:07 And from there I went to find anything of David's that I 31:10 could on the Internet to just learn more. 31:11 You were baptized when? 31:13 At December 4th, 2010. 31:15 Okay, December 4th of 2010 is your Anniversary, and you became 31:18 a Seventh-day Adventist because of the television station next 31:21 door, and their ministry. 31:22 And then you've became involved in ministry. 31:25 In fact, I believe you are now leading a ministry 31:28 right next door to 3ABN. 31:29 Yeah, where the ministry is actually located 31:31 is on Miracle Lane. 31:32 We're on Miracle Lane right next to the original TV studio. 31:35 So UnScene Media Group, the ministry I work for, 31:38 that's where we're located. Yeah. 31:39 Okay, now tell us a little bit about that ministry. 31:42 So we are a professional film making organization, 31:44 so we create content internally, but we're doing a lot of work 31:47 for other organizations. 31:49 So this picture here is some devotional videos that GYC's 31:52 been releasing through Facebook. 31:53 We produced those for them. 31:55 There's another video we, or a picture we have right after 31:57 this of a cooking program we did for a physician here in 32:00 Texas, Dr. Donna Cooper Dockery. 32:03 And she has a television program encouraging people to get 32:07 healthy, and how to use food as medicine. 32:09 And so we actually filmed some cooking programs for those 32:11 television shows that she has while we were down in 32:14 Texas earlier this year. 32:16 We've done stuff for like NET School of Evangelism. 32:18 We made their promo video in other places. 32:20 So that's the industry that we use to raise funds to 32:24 do a lot of ministry. 32:25 So we do film making professionally, but our burden 32:28 is to raise funds to use internally, 32:31 to be able to do a lot of ministry. 32:33 So we have, basically our burden is to make content to reach 32:36 young people through social media that's principled, 32:39 that's Christ centered, that's modern, but we also have 32:43 training programs to equip young people to do media. 32:45 So the next picture we have here is from 32:48 our Summer Film Camp. 32:49 Basically we have 13 to 17 year olds for two 32:52 weeks in the summers. 32:53 They get a chance to actually learn how to make 32:55 their own short film. 32:56 We teach them how to write the script, how to do the story 32:58 boarding, how to film with 4K cameras, how to edit 33:02 on Final Cut Pro, and we let them use 33:04 MacBook Pros to do that, and then we have a film festival 33:07 through the 3ABN church at the end of those two weeks, 33:09 for them to show what they've made. 33:10 It was a huge success the year that we did it, last year. 33:13 And then we also have a nine month internship training 33:16 program called Idea. 33:17 This is one of our Interns actually giving a devotional 33:20 at Harvard Hills Academy, where we did a 33:22 Week of Prayer this last Fall. 33:23 And the next picture is of small groups happening in Texas, 33:28 where we had a youth event called War Plans, 33:30 basically training churches to start small groups, 33:33 and particularly to grow their youth groups in their community 33:36 dealing with heart issues for young people, short and to the 33:39 point like Ted Talk format. 33:40 Then they break into small groups and start 33:42 to digest even more. 33:43 And then we kind of leave them with materials to watch 33:45 together, then do small groups for the following weeks 33:48 to grow their youth group. 33:49 So that's our burden is media and evangelism. 33:52 The Idea program, the nine months training program is 33:55 basically like film school, and a school of 33:57 evangelism put together. 33:58 So if people have an interest in digital media, 34:01 but also have an interest in how to give a Bible study, 34:03 how to preach, how to share their faith. 34:05 We teach them all of that, and it's an internship format. 34:08 So it's not just sit in a classroom all day, and learning. 34:11 It's very, very hands on. 34:13 So when I travel and do a Week of Prayer, and speak at a 34:15 school somewhere, they come with; they share too. 34:17 When we travel and do film, for GYC and others, our girls last 34:21 year actually filmed that, and did the editing for it. 34:23 So you get to work on hands on projects to advance the 34:26 world church's mission. 34:28 It's an awesome opportunity. 34:29 We're really excited for it. 34:30 So that's the ministry side that we're doing. 34:32 We travel and speak in churches, we do weekends, Week of Prayers, 34:37 and any youth event; things like that. 34:38 That's one of our biggest burdens is to not just make 34:41 content, but also be involved in personal ministry. 34:44 And probably the most amazing testimony I've witnessed in the 34:48 time that I've been at UnScene, since of August of 2015 is 34:52 someone that was given a DVD of a sermon I shared 34:55 at the church locally. 34:56 So running this filmmaking industry has allowed us to do 34:59 lots of personal ministry, and preach in churches, 35:02 and do other things. 35:03 That's what keeps the doors open. 35:04 So one opportunity that came from this was I preached in a 35:06 church, and a family member gave them the DVD, The Message. 35:08 And I covered the sufferings of Christ 35:10 from Gethsemane through the cross. 35:12 And this person has wrestled with homosexuality for years, 35:16 since they were a young person. 35:18 And they heard this message, and they had the most profound 35:22 response to the gospel I've ever seen in my life. 35:24 And they could not turn this message off. 35:28 They literally put it on repeat when the message ended, 35:30 and put that on nonstop repeat for days. 35:33 They even left this thing playing for their dogs to listen 35:36 to when they left their house. 35:37 They couldn't turn it off, because for the first time 35:40 in his life he saw that he could be saved. 35:42 First time in his life! 35:44 He had an awful experience in religion; 35:45 not in Adventism, another church. 35:47 But he'd just been, had received a whole lot of scrutiny, 35:50 and unbelief being heaped upon him by Christians. 35:53 And so he thought, If this is the way Christians feel 35:56 about me, this must be the way that God feels about me. 35:58 But to hear this message he saw that God is not hate, 36:01 and that God actually loves and cares for me. 36:04 And what ended up happening was... 36:06 He told me the most profound thing I've 36:07 ever heard in my life. 36:09 He said, That message separated me from being gay. 36:13 It literally separated him from a former identity he'd had. 36:18 And he said that it was, For the first time in my life I saw 36:20 that I don't have to identify myself as a homosexual; 36:23 that Jesus doesn't see me that way. 36:25 And just an amazing, an amazing story that has continued to 36:30 strengthen my faith in the gospel, and to know that because 36:33 of the work that God has allowed us to do in filmmaking, 36:35 we can actually see this make a difference in people's lives 36:37 all around the country. 36:39 Dee, if I'm hearing correctly, and it's very moving. Thank you. 36:43 There's two really good good passions, 36:46 two really strong passions you have: one is training. Yes. 36:50 You want to train other people, especially young people, 36:52 to be able to utilize the passion that God has given them 36:56 in their skill development, but you're also reaching out and 36:58 touching specific people through your ministry. 37:01 Yeah, personal ministry 100%. 37:03 That's awesome! Thank you very very much for what you're doing. 37:05 Thank you. 37:06 It's my privilege to introduce my good friend Radim Passer. 37:09 Radim hails, he comes from the beautiful city of Prague, 37:15 Czech Republic, and Radim is a businessman. 37:20 He actually is in commercial... 37:22 He makes his living in commercial real estate. 37:24 We have two commercial real estate people up here today. 37:26 But Radim, several years ago you discovered that your passion 37:32 was to see people come to Christ, and evangelism. 37:36 And you heard about a little program called New Beginnings. 37:40 And I want you just to tell us a little bit about how you have 37:45 used New Beginnings, which of course, all of you know is 37:49 the DVD project where we actually teach 37:52 laypeople to preach sermons. 37:55 You've used that extensively in Prague. Tell us about it. 37:58 Good evening guests. 38:01 We would like to thank the ASI family for the amazing tool, 38:06 which is New Beginnings. 38:07 Using this project typically two ways: one of them is public 38:15 meetings, typically five times a week, 38:17 which we are doing once a year. 38:20 And we started about one and a half years ago to do something 38:24 for the business people. 38:25 Because business people very rarely can attend all 38:29 these meetings five times a week. 38:31 So we decided to prepare for people from the business 38:34 community during three days, all 26 lectures, 38:38 plus the life story of the preacher. 38:40 And things got... It's feasible. 38:44 That's awesome. So two ways. 38:46 I just want to point out, the traditional way of preaching 38:48 you've used, where you do the regular programs, 38:51 but also the intensive, and that intensive is something new. 38:55 We've all been very impressed watching that three 38:58 day intensive, Radim. 38:59 You've tested that out. 39:01 Sometimes the Europeans lead the way. 39:03 And we're glad for that. 39:05 But, you know, there was an experience that you had. 39:08 You took a group down to Tanzania. 39:11 And in Tanzania you were going to do a mission trip from 39:15 Central Europe, and you were going to go on that project. 39:19 Tell us a little bit about how many people you took, 39:21 and how this guy sitting next to you, Richard... 39:24 Richard, glad to have you here, too. 39:26 ...how Richard got involved in this. 39:28 I worked with Richard's father a long time for private 39:32 videos, and for the corporation videos for us. 39:34 And his father asked me before we went to Tanzania to take 39:41 also his son with us. 39:43 And my decision was immediate, because I hoped it would be 39:48 a great experience for him. 39:49 Okay, now Richard, I want to direct the question to you now. 39:54 You got to go on this trip. 39:55 What was your situation right at that time in your life? 40:00 Well, Dan, my situation, I can tell you at that 40:04 time I was a big mess. 40:05 I was a big wreck. In my high school years I ended up 40:09 experimenting with some drugs and I ended up being addicted 40:13 for about ten years of my life. 40:15 And right around the time that I met Radim is about the time 40:20 that my Mom had enough with me over here in the 40:22 United States, and she said, Go back to your father and work 40:26 with him for some time. 40:27 Maybe he'll straighten out. 40:28 So thinking that I would just go back to the Czech Republic 40:32 and kind of escape this addiction... 40:35 Um, that did not happen. 40:37 Actually it got even worse. 40:38 I ended up using Heroin and methamphetamines over there. 40:41 I did end up meeting Radim, and started doing some video 40:46 work for him with my father. 40:48 And some of the first work that we had the opportunity to do 40:52 was the New Beginnings. 40:54 And when we started the New Beginnings I started seeing 40:57 some very revolutionary things that I never heard of. 41:01 I mean I've heard of Jesus before, but just as, you know, 41:04 some maybe mythical character. 41:06 But the things that I heard there, the whole 25 lectures 41:10 we had, I mean my world got flipped upside down. 41:13 And so that was the beginning of maybe some sort of at least 41:19 a mental transformation. 41:21 So then soon enough I heard the theory, because I did 41:25 three of those seminars. 41:28 And after that... But my addiction kept 41:31 getting worse and worse. 41:32 I mean I was just a wreck. 41:34 I mean I could still video tape, I could still function and all 41:37 that, but as long as I had my dose. 41:40 That was priority at that time. 41:41 That was my God. So what ended up happening, my father already 41:45 knew of that, so he asked Radim, He said, Look, can I take 41:49 my son with me to Tanzania? 41:51 Maybe that will have an influence, because, I mean, 41:53 trust me, he was hopeless with me. 41:55 I mean he didn't know what to do anymore. 41:57 So Radim said yes, and I appreciated that a lot, 42:00 because they knew about my situation and, you know, 42:02 I was sketchy to say the least. 42:04 So we have, you know, risk takers. 42:06 One of the things about ASI; business people 42:08 have to be risk takers. 42:10 So, Radim, you took a risk that this guy could come and 42:14 still contribute, right? 42:15 Are you glad you did that risk? 42:17 We are all risky people for Jesus. 42:20 That's right. We're looking for Jesus. 42:21 So you were grateful that he took the risk on you, Richard. 42:24 And you recognized that he was taking a risk? 42:26 Yeah, I did recognize that. 42:28 I mean it was a big risk, but at the same time, what ended up 42:31 happening is that I was there for about one month. 42:34 And that was the first time that I was actually in a 42:37 community with Seventh-day Adventists for one month. 42:40 I mean you couldn't go anywhere, you know. 42:42 And I met this other guy, Bill, and he had the same experience; 42:45 or he went through an addiction as well. 42:47 So I talked to him, and he was the first person I 42:50 actually opened up to. 42:51 Because at that time I was kind of hiding it. 42:53 I mean I was kind of embarrassed about it. 42:54 So Bill was like, Man, I was, you know, I was an addict 42:59 as well with my wife, but we gave ourselves to the Lord, 43:01 and from day to day it was just gone. 43:03 From that time, I mean, I was just going through hopelessness. 43:06 I thought it was never going to end. 43:08 I mean they tell you, you know, at all these meetings in AA, 43:10 and all that, that like, Oh, you're an addict for life. 43:12 So that's a very helpless situation. 43:15 But, so he was like, Just give yourself over to Jesus. 43:19 Just talk to Him. Pray. 43:21 So I went back to the Czech Republic after this 43:23 whole inspiring moment. 43:25 And about... It still took me about another two years. 43:27 I mean it was quite some time. 43:28 And I went to rehab there. 43:30 And I did just that when that big withdrawal came through, 43:34 because that was seven years of opiates. 43:35 And I can tell you right now that's, it's rough. 43:39 So over there in the detox I said, Lord, I was like, 43:43 if You're out there, and if You're listening to me like 43:45 all these people said that You were, I promise 43:49 I will go the right way. 43:50 Just get me out of this situation. 43:52 And I can tell you that the next day He did just that. 43:55 Amen! Amen! I want you all to know... 43:57 Yeah, thank you! Go ahead! 43:59 Say, express your feelings! 44:01 Um, there's a two part formula that Richard has shared. 44:07 And I want all of you, both those of you who may be watching 44:10 from home right now, those of you who are in the audience, 44:12 you may have struggled with addictions yourself. 44:17 You may have a family member that struggles with addictions. 44:21 Addictions are everywhere in our society. 44:24 But I want you to know that here's a man that had a 44:26 two pronged approach: one was give your heart to 44:30 Jesus and pray, right? 44:31 When a man gives, or a woman gives their heart to Jesus, 44:34 and prays, things happen. 44:35 Secondly, you got professional help, and went into rehab. 44:38 And the prayers were answered, and you have had an incredible 44:42 journey since that time. 44:44 Now I want to take a few more minutes and just talk about 44:46 your journey, okay? 44:49 Now in that journey, since you had that victory, and you began, 44:52 your life has been full of all kinds of things. 44:55 Tell us a little bit about that. 44:57 Okay, so the first thing was after this miraculous healing 45:02 that came about, and this is just after one prayer. 45:05 That, I mean I didn't do anything else, I just prayed. 45:07 So the next day I felt like I was maybe ten years younger. 45:11 So, and I had this like tingle in my spine, and I just knew 45:14 that this was the way. 45:16 I mean everything just clicked from what I learned from the 45:19 New Beginnings, and everything just clicked in altogether. 45:22 And so what happened then is that, obviously, I went through 45:24 the whole rehab and I came out fresh. 45:26 I mean I went out of there, I was like, 45:28 I'm drug free for life. 45:29 I mean people were like, Oh, you're crazy. 45:31 You know, you'll be back here again. 45:32 And, you know, they're doubting, you know that. 45:34 But I knew already in my heart that once I followed Jesus, 45:37 that He'll be able to get me out. 45:39 And, you know, frankly I was like, Well, what I was doing 45:43 back then was bad, so I needed to go the totally 45:45 opposite direction, not just stay off of drugs. 45:47 I mean I needed to go the whole nine yards, 45:50 as far away as I can. 45:51 And I was like, Well, the best thing to do is to follow Jesus. 45:55 I mean He was sinless. 45:57 I mean, you know, He was the definition of good. 45:59 Yeah. So I did just that. 46:02 And from then on I figured, I was like, 46:04 I've got to tell more people about this. 46:06 I mean, obviously, I mean this is, if I would have known this 46:08 earlier I would have done this way back. 46:10 So what ended up happening is I ended up going back to the 46:13 rehab, because there were these AA meetings that you're 46:15 allowed to go back to as a member of 46:18 the rehab; Prague's finest. 46:20 I was able to go back over there and share my 46:25 testimony with them. 46:27 During the wintertime I go there at least once a week, so... 46:30 Okay, good! My last question. 46:32 I just want to ask, If you... 46:34 Lots of people are listening to you right now. 46:36 And your testimony is a very powerful one, Richard. 46:39 If you could say anything you wanted to any of these people, 46:41 or anybody who might be watching on television, 46:43 what would you say? 46:44 Okay, well I would say that we do have to understand that 46:49 it's really difficult with addicts. 46:50 I mean you can't trust them, which is why I was even 46:54 surprised that Radim did. 46:56 I mean knowing that, I would, I could cause a lot of trouble. 46:59 I was very unreliable. 47:01 So I would say to them definitely have 47:05 compassion, and a lot of love. 47:07 You know, the trust part you always have to keep an eye out, 47:11 nut the prayer, I think, is very important. 47:14 The prayer is really important, because I know that Radim and 47:17 a bunch of people from the organization were praying for 47:19 me, because my dad reached out to them. 47:21 I didn't know that until later. 47:23 And so the prayer is definitely very important. 47:25 And then, like you said in the beginning, the involvement 47:29 in the community, I think, was very strong for me. 47:31 I mean that was a big testimony, because you can hear a lot of 47:34 things, let's say on the street, but when you involve somebody 47:38 in like a Seventh-day Adventist community, 47:41 that they can see the true love. 47:43 I mean I was telling myself, I was like, These people have 47:46 something that I've never had. 47:48 I mean they have some kind of love that I really, really want. 47:51 And that's what ended up happening. 47:52 That's what ended up drawing me near to that. 47:55 So the prayer and then the involvement. 47:58 Amen, can you say Amen? Amen! 48:00 Thank you all. Now Radim are you... 48:01 Last question. Are you glad that you invited him to Tanzania? 48:04 I am grateful to God, because He is so good, and always, 48:09 this is experience, by experience. 48:12 He's overcame our expectations. 48:15 Amen, Amen! Thank you! 48:18 I remember once upon a time I was... 48:21 I started Pastoring very early. 48:24 I was about 21 years old. 48:26 And I remember sitting in my first board meeting. 48:29 And I asked them... I didn't know about 48:33 or anything of that kind, and I said, 48:37 That board meeting started at about 6:00 o'clock, and we ended 48:40 at 10:00 o'clock that evening: 4 hours! 48:43 I learned an important thing about organization, and that is 48:50 before we expect to have a great outcome, we must be willing 48:54 to work beforehand. 48:55 The reason why that board meeting took about four hours 48:58 is I realized that I had not, I didn't have the tools to do 49:03 something great, or to organize the meeting. 49:05 And as a result we dragged on and wasted time. 49:09 And I really think things like ASI, GYC, 49:12 help with those things. 49:13 They give you tools. 49:14 They give you a vision so that you're able to work well 49:18 and not waste people's time, and really have a great outcome, 49:22 idea, and be efficient. 49:23 And that is my tip that I want to leave with you: work, and 49:28 work, and work well. |
Revised 2018-02-07