Participants:
Series Code: ASIC
Program Code: ASIC180001A
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00:01 Music...
00:19 ASI 2018... 00:23 Andee, who thought we would ever see such a day. 00:25 Exactly, Ellen White thought we should have been home 00:27 a long time ago but here we are. 00:29 But here we are tonight... 00:31 Andee, why do you come to ASI anyway? 00:33 Well, you know, the Apostle Paul who I think wrote Hebrews 00:37 admonished us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together 00:41 particularly as we see the day approaching 00:43 and I believe that the day is approaching 00:46 so I am here to fellowship with you all 00:48 as we see the day approaching. 00:50 Andee, we have a theme this year 00:52 and the theme is: Business Unusual 00:55 what does that mean to you? 00:57 Well, it's interesting, when we met together as a Retreat, 01:00 to plan for the theme, I was not really catching it 01:05 and as it dawned on me, it occurred to me 01:08 that there are a couple of things that we want to hopefully 01:11 impart to you before you leave, 01:13 one of which is Business Unusual includes examining ourselves 01:18 is there something that we need to do ourselves 01:22 to be ready and to be willing to serve the Lord, 01:25 is there something that we need to do ourselves 01:28 to understand better? 01:29 And Number Two... having done that 01:31 to go forth and serve the Lord 01:33 and witness to the best of our abilities 01:36 so I believe, this would be Business Unusual. 01:38 Thank you Andee, 01:40 Friends tonight, we want that you should leave this place 01:45 under the influence of the Holy Spirit. 01:47 We've been praying that God would bless this Convention 01:51 with the power of the Holy Spirit. 01:53 The Program Committee has worked hard and long 01:57 to prepare the event 01:59 but unless our hearts are ready... 02:02 unless we are willing to open our hearts 02:04 to the presence of the Holy Spirit, 02:06 we could leave this Convention the same way that we came in. 02:10 So, tonight, as we open our Convention, 02:13 we've asked Frank Fournier, former President of ASI 02:17 joining us here tonight, thank you Frank for coming 02:21 we've asked Frank to pray for us 02:24 that we would be under the complete influence 02:28 of the Holy Spirit 02:30 as we are here together this weekend, Frank. 02:34 Shall we bow our heads... "Heavenly Father, 02:37 such a blessing to be here. 02:40 It's a blessing to see as many people as are here now, 02:43 we know there's more coming, 02:45 Father, you've blessed us always in these convocations, 02:48 it's always been a blessing to come to ASI 02:51 so now, we can only ask for a double portion 02:54 of the blessing that we've received in the past, 02:57 so that not only do we get a blessing, 03:00 we want to be a blessing. 03:02 We want to leave this place better than when we came, 03:05 we want... isn't it time heavenly Father 03:07 that the Holy Spirit should be poured out upon us? 03:09 We're looking to you, 03:11 we ask you in these few days that we have together, 03:15 that our focus would be on you 03:17 and that you would fill us with your Spirit, 03:19 thank you for hearing our prayer and blessing us, 03:22 in Jesus' name, amen. " 03:24 What a privilege it is to address the 2018 ASI Convention. 03:32 Nancy and I would normally be there 03:35 but because of a change in scheduling, 03:38 I will be with the Global Youth Leadership Congress 03:44 in Kassel, Germany 03:46 with about 1,700 leaders in youth ministry 03:50 all over this globe. 03:52 Please pray for us, I will be praying for you 03:57 as you with your very special theme: Unusual Business 04:01 Unusual Unity... Unusual Focus... 04:04 Unusual Commitment... 04:05 as you focus upon how best to join hands together 04:11 with all those who are focused upon Total Member Involvement 04:15 looking towards Christ's soon coming 04:18 everyone doing something for Jesus. 04:21 I want to thank ASI 04:24 for the tremendous blessing you are worldwide 04:28 and in North America, 04:30 thank you for holding firmly 04:33 to God's precious Biblical principles. 04:35 Thank you for the proclamation 04:37 of sharing the incredible Three Angels' Messages 04:41 in everything that you do in the market place and elsewhere, 04:46 I want to also strongly appreciate 04:50 the tremendous projects... 04:53 I believe about 42 projects that you sponsored last year. 04:57 Thank you for what you're doing 04:59 to help the mission of the church. 05:02 Now, some of you may say, 05:04 "Well, Pastor Wilson... he looks a little bit different. " 05:06 Well, that's because we are focusing upon 05:10 Battle Creek Michigan 05:12 where our Annual Council 05:14 of the Executive Committee of the General Conference 05:17 will take place. 05:18 Normally, we hold it in Silver Spring, Maryland 05:20 but this time, we're going to Battle Creek 05:23 and encourage people to... 05:26 certainly we will be dressing in some period costumes 05:31 and those who wish to can grow a beard 05:34 not of any religious significance 05:37 but of highly spiritual connection in that 05:42 as we go to Battle Creek, 05:44 our theme will be, A Past with a Future... 05:50 looking back to move forward... mission. 05:55 Ellen White has told us in the Spirit of Prophecy 05:59 that we have nothing to fear for the future except 06:02 that we forget how God has led us in the past 06:05 and His teaching in our past history, 06:09 so, pray for us as we will be in Battle Creek 06:12 and as we will be focusing upon the mission of the church 06:16 remembering how God has led us in the past 06:19 and the same thing for ASI 06:21 as you focus upon this Unusual Business 06:25 that God has placed in your hands... 06:28 Unusual Unity and Focus and Commitment. 06:32 God bless each one of you in a very special way. 06:35 Thank you again for what you are doing for God's church. 06:39 We believe in ASI... let's look to the Lord 06:43 as He leads us towards that wonderful soon coming 06:47 of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Maranatha. 06:51 Well, I'm glad to be here this evening 06:55 with Leasa and with Josh 06:57 and they're going to tell us what's going on that's unusual 07:00 at ASI... or at Eden Valley. 07:02 Eden Valley... that's right... good evening, 07:06 well, this is Josh and I met Josh five years ago 07:10 I can't believe it's been five years 07:11 but I met him five years ago, 07:13 and Josh was... had a conversion experience 07:16 at Youth for Jesus right here in Orlando 07:20 and right after that, you were baptized 07:23 then what happened after that? 07:25 After that I was invited by Leasa to come to Eden Valley 07:29 and go to their Health Evangelism Training. 07:31 And part of the reason is because in your testimony, 07:37 you were saying that you didn't want to go back 07:40 to your environment. 07:41 Right, yeah, I didn't want to go back with my friends 07:43 and the whole group that I was associated with 07:45 and get stuck there, so... 07:47 So that was August like 3 or something 07:50 and where were you August 6? 07:52 Three days after talking to Leasa, 07:55 I was on a plane to Loveland, Colorado 07:57 where I went to Eden Valley. 07:59 And God worked everything out and He's amazing 08:03 so, what happened at Eden Valley what did you learn there? 08:05 At Eden Valley I learned Health Evangelism and Christ's method 08:09 and we did natural remedies, we did Massage, 08:13 we did Hydrotherapy... 08:15 a bunch of things that I'm using now in my ministry 08:18 and in reaching out to the community 08:20 using that in the Evangelism cycle. 08:22 So, as well as learning Medical Missionary work, 08:26 you learned how to bridge 08:28 from Medical Missionary to Evangelism 08:30 and we used what method? 08:32 Christ's method alone through Wellness Coaching. 08:36 Yeah, through Wellness Coaching 08:38 okay, so tell us what Wellness Coaching is 08:40 and how you're using that in your ministry now. 08:42 So, Wellness Coaching is 08:44 something that any lay person can do 08:47 and it's helping people achieve goals 08:50 following the 8 Laws of Health 08:52 and we use it as a bridge to all sorts of programs, 08:57 we're finding that it's a perfect bridge 08:58 to just about every program that the church does... 09:01 Cooking Classes, Depression Recovery, 09:03 all sorts of programs that we're doing so it's... 09:09 it's really, really nice. 09:11 Yeah, you know for a lot of church members 09:13 they want to do outreach but you're scared, 09:15 you know, doing Bible Studies 09:17 is sometimes intimidating for people 09:19 but you can... 09:20 we all have the health message, is that right? 09:23 And we know what... how people should live healthy, 09:27 and you can... if you're trained... 09:29 you can take what you know and go into people's homes 09:33 and coach them 09:34 and coaching them is different than advising them 09:39 and tell us how it's different. 09:41 So, there are two things that you need to know 09:43 to be a good Wellness Coach 09:45 and that's asking open-ended questions 09:47 and that's being a good listener 09:48 and so that's something that we really focus on in our training. 09:51 You're not telling the person what to do, 09:54 they're creating their own personalized plan 09:57 and so, it's something that is within their range... 10:01 something they feel comfortable with 10:02 and you're just there to guide them 10:04 and help them through the way. 10:05 Yes and all of our students that we've taught 10:07 and even the Wellness Coaching that I am doing 10:10 every single one... 10:12 100 percent of the clients turn into Bible Study Students. 10:16 So, it's a really easy way... you already have a relationship 10:21 and when... and every lesson or every session 10:26 there are spiritual components to it 10:27 so, how are you using this in your church? 10:31 I think there are some pictures of you doing your ministry. 10:36 Yes, there are pictures somewhere 10:37 we're using it through... 10:39 this is a Depression Recovery Class that we did, 10:41 we had seven people in that class 10:43 and four of them were actually doing Wellness Coaching 10:45 we got them doing it so a good number there, 10:48 there are some other slides. 10:50 This is a cooking class that we're doing at our church here, 10:53 we do it downstairs in the school 10:55 and we actually had a guy that the hospital said, 10:58 "You should go to the Adventist Church 10:59 because they're doing things on health 11:01 and as soon as he came in the door, 11:02 I mentioned Wellness Coaching 11:04 and he signed right up just like that... 11:06 this is a hands-on cooking class, 11:07 we were doing at our last church 11:09 and doing Christ's method there... 11:11 we actually became the fastest growing church 11:14 in the North Pacific Union per capita, 11:15 in two years we went from 40 on Sabbath to 90, yeah. 11:21 This is a lady we're working with now 11:23 she's a church member 11:25 and she was diagnosed with colon cancer, 11:27 we had been doing hydrotherapy with her, 11:29 fever treatments twice a week... 11:31 she's juicing... she's totally vegan 11:34 and she doesn't feel the tumor anymore, 11:36 there's no more pain, it's going down 11:38 so pretty soon she'll be going for a CT Scan. 11:41 This is a young lady that was... that is 19 11:44 and she was diagnosed with a fast-growing cancer 11:48 that was from her tailbone to her heart... and they found it 11:51 and within a month doing natural lifestyle... 11:55 following the eight laws of health and chemo 11:59 she is now cancer free a month later. 12:01 So, praise the Lord, it really sped things up 12:04 and helped her... helped it go. 12:06 So, this is... 12:07 this is one method that we teach at Eden Valley as well 12:11 as how to actually do the treatments 12:13 you had an experience recently with Pastor Mark Finley, 12:20 he came to Upper Columbia Conference Camp Meeting 12:23 and he found out that 12:25 your church was the fastest growing church 12:27 and asked you how... what did he ask you actually? 12:30 He wanted to know more about it 12:32 and he was really impressed with the method that we were doing 12:36 and so, as a ray of light as he said 12:39 and so he had us come out to Living Hope 12:42 and train his... his Bible Workers there 12:44 and set them on the path 12:46 and now the churches that are around there 12:49 are hearing about it 12:50 and they are wanting to be trained as well. 12:52 And you're going to be doing little bit of training? 12:56 Yes, so, my wife and I... we could come to the churches 13:01 and we can train on a weekend 13:02 and we are also training at Eden Valley as well 13:04 so if you want the short clip, we can come to your church, 13:08 if you want the extensive training that I got, 13:10 Eden Valley is the place to go. 13:12 All right, thank you. 13:14 Thank you so much, amen. 13:17 You've got someone who came to Christ through ASI... 13:22 has come back and is contributing at ASI, 13:26 that's exciting to me. 13:28 Sean Wycliff is here 13:29 and he's going to share a little bit about what they're doing 13:32 at The Fruit Tree. 13:33 What is The Fruit Tree? 13:35 Yes, so The Fruit Tree is an operation 13:39 based out of Berkeley, San Francisco 13:42 where we make and sell organic green smoothies 13:44 at Farmers' Markets. 13:46 We started this about a year ago 13:48 our goal was to figure out a way 13:50 where we could support ourselves financially 13:52 while doing evangelism in our community 13:54 and so we settled on making and selling green smoothies 13:57 initially door-to-door and it worked more or less 14:00 but then we started getting into Farmers' Markets 14:03 and so, now we're actually in 21 Farmers' markets 14:06 across the Bay Area. 14:08 If you show some slides 14:09 I can show you a little bit about what's been happening now 14:12 and so, again, this was founded about a year ago 14:16 we actually just passed over about $40,000 a month in sales 14:19 praise God 14:20 and we're actually selling over 3,000 of these smoothies 14:24 per month at this point, 14:25 and so, there are also six workers that are supported 14:28 as a full-time way of making a primary income 14:31 and so, God has really blessed us 14:33 even just over just the last 12 months. 14:35 Amen, so, tell me a little bit about how much that one costs 14:39 that you're holding in your hand. 14:41 Yes, so, you know, this is the Bay Area 14:43 and so our goal is to meet people where they're at 14:45 for better or worse and so, 14:47 this is a 32-ounce organic green smoothie 14:49 it's kale, spinach, strawberry, apple, pear, lemon and ginger... 14:54 no sugar added... nothing else added... 14:55 it's 14 dollars and we'll give you two dollars back 14:58 if you return the glass jar. 14:59 Wow! 15:01 So tell us why you're there, 15:04 we know what you're doing, tell us why you're really there. 15:07 What are you doing? 15:08 Absolutely, so it's really all about evangelism. 15:10 It's all about evangelism and so we wanted to figure out a way 15:13 where we could reach people where they're at 15:15 and we found that a lot of people at the Farmer's Markets 15:18 and a lot of people want to eat healthy 15:20 and so, I wanted to share a few things that we're doing, 15:22 we have so many things we're doing... but just a few 15:25 if you show the next slide, 15:26 I want to talk a little bit about what we call the 15:29 "Fruit Tree Philosophy" 15:30 and so, we all love Glow Tracts, I'm assuming 15:33 and so, we wanted to reach people with them 15:37 but we felt like there's too big of a jump sometimes 15:40 and so, we ended up developing our own Glow Tracts. 15:42 We call this "The Fruit Tree Philosophy" 15:44 people ask us, "Why do you do this?" 15:46 or "Why can't you make it to my Saturday Farmers' Markets?" 15:49 And so we get in a lot of conversations. 15:51 Well, we put that into a Tract... 15:53 it basically tells our testimony 15:55 and then it gets into a Bible Study on health 15:57 and then from there we invite them to discuss our philosophy 16:01 more with us, aka Bible Studies 16:03 and so, we've been really so excited about this... 16:05 we've handed out 1,000s of these so far 16:07 even over the last few months 16:08 and so, we're excited about what God has us going with that. 16:12 Very good, you know religion and business 16:14 are not two separate things, they're one 16:17 and this is an example of how someone is using 16:19 the gifts that God's given them 16:21 to both be in business successfully 16:24 and to reach souls for the Kingdom. 16:26 We should be excited to see more of that going on as well. 16:29 Amen, amen... and so there are two specific testimonies 16:32 I wanted to share with you, 16:34 if you go to the next slide, 16:35 because it's more than just handing out tracts, 16:37 handing out tracts is amazing 16:39 but it's really about reaching souls for Christ as well 16:42 and so, I want to tell you a little bit about Chorkin, 16:45 she is someone that graduated from UC Berkeley 16:48 she has a Buddhist/Agnostic background 16:51 and so, she needed something to do for work 16:53 and so, we basically gave her a job at The Fruit Tree. 16:57 We're actually now be able to give people jobs 16:59 we are actually recruiting now as well 17:01 and so, she started working with us... 17:03 she wasn't Adventist or Christian... 17:04 started interacting with a lot of the people working with us 17:07 well, long story short, 17:08 she gave her life to Christ after a few months 17:10 and about a month ago, I had the honor to baptize her 17:14 at our local church, amen. 17:15 Interviewer: Amen. 17:16 Amen, one other testimony I want to share, 17:18 the next person is on the next slide, 17:21 and his name's Nandu. 17:22 Now, some people think that's me... that's not me... 17:25 but he looks like me sometimes 17:27 and so, Nandu is a Hindu... or he was a Hindu 17:30 and so, we met him at the Farmers' Market. 17:33 He's selling Indian food 17:35 and so, through dialogue and conversation 17:37 the topic of religion came up 17:39 and through that, we told him what we believe in 17:43 and he told us a little bit about himself 17:45 and there was an invitation for Bible Studies, 17:47 well he accepted and he started studying the Bible with us... 17:50 this is all in real time, 17:52 this just literally happened a few months ago, 17:54 well, through that, he learned about the Sabbath 17:55 and then he said, "I'm going to tell my boss 17:57 that I will never work on Sabbath anymore" 18:00 and so, he did that 18:01 and then a few weeks later he became a Christian 18:03 and then a few weeks later, 18:04 he was baptized in the Seventh-day Adventist... 18:07 in our local church, amen 18:08 and so, this is really what this is about... 18:10 The Fruit Tree... yes, it's about green smoothies, 18:12 we want to spread the health message 18:13 but we want to spread the gospel with that... 18:16 we want to use the health message as the right arm 18:18 to reach people for the gospel, amen. 18:20 Amen, it's exciting to see an invasion of the devil's land, 18:24 we call it the post-Christian triangle 18:27 and he's being able to reach through simple means 18:30 people for the gospel, amen. 18:34 Amen, amen and so the last thing I want to share with you 18:37 is where we're at now and what's happening next. 18:39 If you go to the last slide, this actually talks about 18:42 where we could use help 18:44 and so, this is actually expanding so fast 18:46 by God's grace, and so, we need workers, 18:49 we actually need lots of prayer 18:51 and so, if you can help us with that, 18:53 we're also in the process of trying to secure some land 18:56 so we can not only make our green smoothies on there 18:59 but we can actually farm them as well 19:01 and so, we can have the full experience, 19:03 and so, we're looking for donations or even investment 19:06 on the business side of things for land or even for vans, 19:10 right now in some of the Farmers' Markets 19:12 we're packing a Honda Civic believe it or not 19:14 with the Farmers' Market tent 19:15 and a couple of coolers of green smoothies 19:17 and so, there's a lot of exciting things 19:19 that are happening but we have a booth as well 19:21 and so, it's Booth 1024, 19:24 we have a bunch of free samples for everybody 19:27 for the next few days 19:28 so come by and get your free sample, 19:29 we're also selling these, this is our large size, 19:31 we also have a medium and a small, 19:32 and if you know anybody else 19:34 that would be great for us to talk to, 19:36 we'd love you to connect us with them. 19:37 Very good, thank you so much. 19:40 Thank you so much. 19:41 See, I'm going to be working on getting that one 19:42 after we get backstage, you know. 19:44 Yeah, I'll hand it to you there, thanks. 19:46 Okay, our next group should be coming out any moment 19:48 and we're going to be looking forward to hearing from them. 19:51 We actually have them here all the way from Spain 19:54 and so, come on out guys 19:56 and let's tell them about what you do. 19:57 See, if I get these... these names right... 20:01 it should be Juan Surroca here on my left 20:05 and further over, his friend, Silvu Dema 20:08 and tell us guys a bit about what is Logos TV. 20:12 Logos TV is an Adventist TV channel 20:16 reaching 40 million people in Spain alone 20:20 and covering with the satellite Europe and North Africa 20:25 that means... that means large bills of course 20:28 but we trust in God every day, 20:31 working every day trusting the Lord will provide 20:34 through this Christian family. 20:36 Interviewer: Amen. 20:37 And now we can see the video, we have a two-minute video. 20:39 Interviewer: Sure, yeah, 20:41 if we can get the video running, that would be great. 20:42 Music. 20:46 Jesus said that nobody puts a lamp inside a drawer. 20:49 Instead, they put it up high to provide light for everyone. 20:52 Music. 20:54 There are many still in need 20:56 of hearing about Christ's soon coming. 20:58 Logos TV is a lay ministry focused on this task. 21:02 Music. Bell tolling. 21:08 In a Catholic country, the Adventists are now relevant. 21:12 Logos TV is an Adventist Channel 21:14 that reaches 40 million people in Spain alone. 21:17 April 2017 was a milestone in the Logos TV history. 21:21 Our channel started broadcasting on a new network 21:25 four times larger than an old one 21:27 in addition to Satellite and now work with 50 antennas 21:32 and a free Satellite Channel Hispasat 21:34 that covers Europe and the north of Africa. 21:37 It's more than we could ever have imagined when we started. 21:41 Music. 21:45 We are very pleased with the work Logos TV has done so far. 21:48 We have never had such a powerful ministry before this. 21:51 This network has touched the lives of 5,000 viewers 21:57 that have reached out to us and many have been transformed. 22:00 Music... 22:08 I am Angel Duo 22:09 and for five years I served as the President for ASI Europe 22:12 and I can joyfully say 22:14 that God has worked through this ministry. 22:16 There are Evangelical pastors 22:18 that keep the Sabbath at home now 22:20 while going to their churches on Sunday. 22:22 We wait for great things to happen. 22:25 Congratulations on your channel, so much more instructive 22:29 and educational than most things shown on the other channels. 22:34 Lightning... 22:37 Visible any time anywhere in the world... 22:40 Logos TV.es 22:43 Yeah, it's a privilege to take the message to so many people 22:50 so we want to continue with faith and courage, 22:53 please pray for us. 22:56 In the north of Spain in the city of Faro 22:59 the two pastors from an Evangelical church 23:03 came to see the Adventist Pastor and they said, 23:07 "The whole church is keeping the Sabbath 23:10 because we learned in our channel... our TV channel... 23:14 and we are ready to change... we decided to change" 23:18 and they decided to take the banner out 23:20 and put a new one saying, "Adventist Church. " 23:23 Interviewer: Amen. 23:24 The whole church became Adventist. 23:26 Yeah, Luthero was a Christian woman in Madrid 23:30 and Luthero... when... 23:33 when she passed by the Adventist Church, 23:36 she thought, "I hate Adventists" 23:38 because at her church, 23:40 she was told that the Adventists are bigoted people, 23:44 legalists and... and extremists and when she arrived home, 23:51 she was watching our channel and she enjoyed 23:55 and she was moved by the Holy Spirit 23:58 and she praised God for this channel 24:00 and later she discovered that it was an Adventist one. 24:04 Interviewer: Amen. 24:05 Yes... and she thought, 24:08 "Surprise, well, Adventists are not so bad. " 24:11 So, she was baptized in the Adventist church, Allucha Madrid 24:15 and her sister also. 24:18 Interviewer: The Lord sneaks right in people's TVs 24:20 sometimes... it's great. 24:22 Juan: Yeah, hmmm... 24:23 Interviewer: So tell us a bit about how it is 24:26 that this came to being 24:27 because you told us that you are doing a TV station 24:29 but TV station isn't something that happens like that, 24:32 how did it happen? 24:34 Yes, we started very small nine years ago in just in small city 24:37 but a miracle happened, 24:40 the Lord blessed every step growing 24:43 and last year in April the owner of a national network 24:49 called us and told us that 24:52 our channel has made an impact on him 24:56 and he wanted to make it easier for us to have a larger network 25:02 and he did it and it's working for now 25:05 and now more than 5,000 people reach out to us 25:12 asking for more information or calling with many questions 25:15 and we are making an effort with programming... 25:20 producing programming for the secular mind-set of Europe 25:24 here, Silvu Dema is the Production Director... 25:28 he's making a wonderful work with this. 25:30 Yes, just to tell you that Carmen, for example, 25:35 Carmen was a Jehovah's Witness and she was watching Logos TV 25:42 and she discovered the Bible doctrines 25:46 and then, Jehovah's Witnesses... 25:48 usually they reject information from other churches, 25:52 but when nobody is watching, 25:55 they enjoy our channel... many of them... 25:58 and... and Carmen was baptized and she said, 26:02 "I found the people of the Bible. " 26:04 In several cities, we have this same experience. 26:09 You can visit our Booth... we have a little present for you 26:14 and more information... 26:16 it's the Booth 728 26:19 to help you find your way 26:21 there's a satellite hanging over the booth. 26:23 Our motto is, "Everything is possible to those who believe. " 26:30 Amen. 26:31 Interviewer: Amen... so exciting to see all around the world 26:35 lay people rising up to do the work we're called to do 26:39 and so, be praying for them... encouraging them 26:42 and we hope that it inspires each person to find a way 26:45 to reach people for the kingdom of Christ, thank you so much. 26:48 Juan: Thank you. 26:51 I remember when I went to my first ASI Convention, 26:56 I actually didn't have any idea what ASI even was. 27:00 I only went because I had a friend that was going... 27:03 who invited me but when I went to ASI, 27:07 it opened my eyes to a world that I didn't know existed. 27:11 to be honest, I didn't know 27:13 that there were all these ministries... 27:15 all of these people just doing these different things 27:17 for the Lord and it made a strong... 27:19 strong impact on my life, 27:21 in fact, I can trace my first desires 27:25 to go into doing more ministry for God to... 27:28 to seeing at ASI... 27:30 and people that I met who were working with ASI... 27:33 working with the Youth for Jesus Programs 27:35 and other things like that 27:37 that I would have had no idea about... 27:39 had it not been for ASI. 27:42 I sense a need in our church 27:44 for a way that people can come together 27:48 for a place to... to belong in the church, 27:51 I feel like sometimes it gets portrayed 27:55 like the epitome of Adventism is going to church 27:58 and paying tithe 27:59 and maybe participating in outreach some time, 28:02 but in my personal experience, there's so much more than that 28:05 and there are so many of us that are striving in our daily lives 28:09 to do things for the Lord but... but where do we fit? 28:12 where do we come together, 28:13 I mean, how do we get re-inspired 28:16 and networked and get the support that we need 28:19 and I see that as a huge need, I see that as something that 28:24 if we could really form that kind of a network, 28:28 and do this together, that all of us could benefit, 28:31 that all of us could grow 28:32 and feel like we mean something in the church, 28:35 like, we have a purpose, we have a place in the church 28:38 and that God is really going to be able to use... 28:42 yeah, not just the pastors, not just the elders, 28:46 but those of us in every-day life to do something for him. 28:51 Pause. 28:58 Piano... 29:05 more piano 29:15 On Jordan's stormy banks I stand, 29:18 And cast a wishful eye 29:22 To Canaan's fair and happy land, 29:26 Where my possessions lie. 29:30 piano 29:33 I am bound for the promised land, 29:37 I am bound for the promised land, 29:41 Oh, who will come and go with me? 29:46 I am bound for the promised land. 29:50 Oh, the transporting, rapturous scene 29:55 That rises to my sight! 29:59 Sweet fields arrayed in living green, 30:03 And rivers of delight! 30:08 I am bound for the promised land, 30:13 I am bound for the promised land; 30:17 Oh, who will come and go with me? 30:22 I am bound for the promised land. 30:26 Piano... 30:33 more piano 30:40 Filled with delight, my raptured soul 30:44 Would here no longer stay; 30:48 Though Jordan's waves around me roll, 30:52 Fearless I'd launch away. 30:57 I am bound for the promised land. 31:02 I am bound for the promised land; 31:07 Oh, who will come and go with me? 31:11 I am bound for the promised land. 31:18 Oh, who will come and go with me? 31:25 I am bound for the promised 31:35 piano 31:40 land. 31:46 Audience: Amen. 31:49 For the past 40 years, Weimar Institute 31:52 has brought hope and healing to the world. 31:55 Today we are home to a variety of ministries 31:59 such as the Newstart Lifestyle Center and Weimar College 32:03 where we share health and education and spiritual truths 32:06 through mission trips. 32:08 Our focus is on our local community 32:11 through our total community involvement 32:14 as we strive to meet those needs. 32:16 We operate from aging buildings. 32:18 Time, use and environmental issues have taken their toll. 32:22 New housing for staff and students is needed 32:25 and multi-story housing unit is the answer to this dilemma. 32:29 ASI support for this project will enable us to attract 32:33 service-minded staff and students. 32:36 We want to also thank you for ASI's previous funding 32:40 of our college ramp addition 32:42 and for the many ways ASI enables ministries 32:46 to become a spiritual home for those we serve. 32:50 At Weimar College, just an hour north of Sacramento 32:55 here... not here... in California 32:57 and with me is Randy Bivens 32:59 who's the Chief Operating Officer 33:01 to share with us a little bit more about how our offerings 33:04 provided some assistance for that project there at Weimar. 33:08 All right, I don't know if you saw some of the Drone shots 33:10 right there at the end 33:12 but we're in the process of building 33:14 a 20-Unit Staff Housing Complex. 33:16 The cost of that building is 3.7 million dollars 33:20 and we're building and we have 1.2 million of it 33:23 and you ask... 33:25 well it's going to take about eight months to finish 33:26 and we believe that God will provide that... 33:28 He has before... He's going to do it again... 33:31 and that's a critical need for us on campus as we're growing 33:33 with an active Nursing Program and expanding college our... 33:38 our academy has pretty much closed applications 33:41 because we're completely full for the academic year 33:44 so we're just kind of busting at the seams 33:46 and we need the staff housing 33:48 and Weimar Institute has been the recipient 33:51 of multiple offerings from ASI... 33:53 the last one... the most significant offering 33:56 we've ever received last year was $200,000 33:58 toward this building 34:00 and we want to thank ASI for that. 34:02 Absolutely, well we're happy to do it. 34:04 Now, you mentioned... 34:05 we are expecting miracles from God 34:07 because He has done it before. 34:09 Can you share with us one experience 34:11 where God has done a miraculous thing to provide for Weimar. 34:14 I... you know it's... I should write a book... 34:17 someone said... I should write a book. 34:19 When I started there five years ago, 34:21 you may have heard this story but re-telling it doesn't... 34:23 doesn't hurt... 34:25 when I started, we had a three-million-dollar debt 34:27 and the big first Board Meeting they kept looking at me 34:30 thinking I was going to solve that problem for them 34:33 and I said, "Well, we can't even balance our budget, 34:35 how are we going to service a debt?" 34:37 And I said, "We have to give this to God, 34:39 if it doesn't work, we might as well lock the gate 34:42 and throw away the key... go home, 34:43 Within 12 hours, we'd received a letter from a Probate Attorney 34:47 granting us 25 percent of an 8.2 million dollar estate. 34:51 So God blessed before you even knowing 34:54 how and when He would... and very soon. 34:56 Absolutely, absolutely. 34:58 Now, you mentioned that... you mentioned Nursing... 35:00 there's a Nursing Program 35:01 and that's one that we've heard a little bit about, 35:03 tell us what has transpired 35:05 since the miracles that God has wrought 35:07 in the establishing of that program. 35:08 Well, when I started, we were in the throes 35:10 of trying to get accreditation for Nursing, 35:12 the State of California... the BRN... 35:14 The Board of Registered Nurses 35:15 actually comes and certifies us 35:17 independent of our accreditation process 35:19 and I actually believe from a financial standpoint, 35:22 it was stupid... I just thought there was no way... 35:24 no way we were ever going to get approved 35:26 and I remember going to the last meeting 35:29 down in southern California 35:30 where we were meeting the... the Committee 35:32 that was going to grant us approval 35:34 and they actually granted us approval and we... we... 35:36 and I remember Dr. Siebold and I went up and spoke 35:39 to the Chairman of the Committee... 35:40 and he said, "I know you Adventists... " 35:43 he goes, "I had an uncle who was a teacher at Oakwood College. " 35:46 God had gone before us 35:49 but since then, we actually started the nursing program... 35:52 we've now graduated our second cohort of nurses 35:55 and I have to tell you that I know 35:58 that there is not one other nursing program 36:01 with a higher success rate than we have had in the entire world 36:05 because 100 percent of our graduates 36:09 have passed their NCLEX on their first attempt. 36:12 Audience: Wow! 36:13 Two years running... praise God. 36:15 Now, I have to say, as a Nurse, that is remarkable 36:19 to have a brand-new nursing program... right out the gate 36:23 to have that level of success is not heard of. 36:26 In fact, the State of California said 36:28 that you have to keep your pass rate above 75 percent 36:31 or you'll be on probation 36:32 and I just wonder if we need our... 36:35 I hope our standards are not so high 36:38 that we're just admitting the most intelligent people 36:41 but I know there have been some struggles with some students 36:43 but God has blessed. 36:44 In fact, there are a minimum of 75 questions on the exam 36:47 and the computer knows that if you've already passed it, 36:50 it will stop asking questions at 75 36:53 and our last cohort of nurses that went through 36:55 every single one of them... at 75 questions, it stopped asking. 36:59 They had already done so well, 37:01 they knew they had already passed 37:02 because it wasn't asking them any more questions. 37:04 Audience: Amen. 37:06 Now, I want you to share with our ASI family 37:09 the experience that you shared with me 37:11 because these Nursing students didn't just learn "book stuff" 37:15 they learned how to really minister 37:17 and you have a great story about them. 37:19 Well, many of these students come to us 37:21 with already a Weimar philosophy of health evangelism 37:25 in fact, they go through an entire 18-Day Newstart Program, 37:29 and they go through an entire residential 37:31 Depression Recovery Program 37:32 as part of their Nursing Program and that's kind of amazing 37:34 because those questions aren't on the NCLEX... 37:36 I mean, that's in addition but we had... 37:38 we had a group of students who were on a clinical rotation 37:43 in Auburn... I believe it was in Auburn Hospital 37:47 and there was a pre-operative patient 37:50 who was very, very anxious and one of the... 37:52 the nursing students recognized that this was a problem 37:56 and she immediately knew what to do. 37:58 She got two or three of her other students around 38:02 and they sang a hymn to this pre-operative patient 38:06 who was so anxiety ridden and that calmed her down 38:10 and the Nursing Supervisor watched this 38:12 kind of like, "I've never seen this happen before. " 38:15 She actually called the entire group into her office 38:18 and she shut her door and she said, 38:20 "I want to tell you, I've never anything so amazing" 38:23 she goes, "You... any one of you 38:25 will always have a job here at this hospital. " 38:28 Audience: Happy to hear this. 38:30 We actually... our first cohort of nurses, 38:33 we had three hospital administrators 38:36 who were willing to hire the entire class 38:38 and so, we have had no lack of getting these... 38:43 these students in the position, 38:45 if they want a job... they've got a job 38:47 and California is one of the hardest markets 38:50 to actually get nursing jobs in 38:52 because the pay is so amazingly high 38:55 but they've all gotten job positions 38:57 that have wanted to be employed. 38:59 So the Lord is using Weimar College and its programs 39:02 to tell about Him by their experience 39:05 and their witnessing to others... 39:07 that's just incredible. 39:08 Is there anything else you want to share with us in 30 seconds? 39:10 I just want to thank ASI in general... five years running 39:14 we have been the recipient of offerings 39:16 and some of the offerings were for the Nursing-Program Startup 39:19 and I just want to thank all of you 39:20 because it's often sacrificial 39:22 and the nice thing about ASI is when you give an offering 39:26 it actually goes... 39:27 and this year, 38 different projects 39:29 but they've all been vetted... 39:30 they've all been carefully tracked 39:33 and... and there is very little administrative overhead, 39:36 it's probably the best place to put your money 39:38 and I just want to thank ASI and all of the members 39:41 for continuing to contribute to all of our programs. 39:44 Thank you very much Randy, God bless Weimar. 39:47 Now coming to the podium is Jeffrey Cobb... 39:50 Jeffrey Cobb runs... 39:52 is the Founder of Shelter from the Storm. 39:55 It's a transitioning housing complex 39:58 in Gainesville, Florida 40:00 for men who have been released from prison 40:03 and you're going to have to catch us up, 40:06 some of us who have been with you a long time know the story, 40:09 but there are some who don't know the story 40:11 so tell us how all of this started. 40:14 How it started was, I was incarcerated 40:17 living in Miami... robbing, kidnapping, shoot outs 40:21 down with crooked lawyers, judges and police officers 40:26 for 20 years so after that I got arrested 40:30 and I was faced in 30-to-life in prison 40:33 so I told the Lord, if He got me out of that one, 40:36 He didn't have to worry about me no more getting in trouble 40:41 so, by God's grace... 40:44 it's been 21 years I've been out and clean. 40:47 Amen, amen... now when is it that... 40:51 Audience: Clapping. 40:53 Interviewer: Yes, amen. 40:54 Where did you meet Jesus in that journey? 40:59 I met Jesus... I was in Miami County Jail 41:02 and a guy came in and he was like... 41:05 I said, "Man, you're going to church Sunday?" 41:08 He was like, "Man, you're going the wrong day?" 41:11 I was like, "Man, you must be getting drunk 41:14 and drugged in prison. " 41:15 You know they got the drugs in the prison 41:17 just like on the street, 41:19 I said, "This guy must be high, he's talking about Saturday" 41:22 so after that, I got mad with him, 41:25 I told him... he wasn't my friend no more, 41:27 as a matter of fact, 41:28 I will finish stabbing him with a knife in prison, 41:31 I said, "He's trying me talking about Saturday... " 41:33 I said, "He got it twisted. " 41:35 And so, you found out that you had it twisted. 41:40 I had it twisted. 41:41 Okay, so then, you met Jesus 41:45 and you actually were released from prison 41:47 and when you were released from prison, 41:49 because you were now new in the Seventh-day Adventist faith, 41:52 you were looking for a specific kind of environment. 41:55 Yes, once you know, you Adventists 41:59 beat me across the head with the Word and about the Sabbath, 42:02 so, when I got ready to get out, 42:05 I was like, "Okay, these people are talking about... 42:07 they got the truth and the Sabbath, okay, I'll accept it. " 42:11 so when I got ready to get out, 42:13 I didn't want to go back to that lifestyle 42:15 because I know if I got back in trouble, 42:18 it was going to start with 30 years on up to life... 42:21 so, I went to the Prison Ministry guy, I said, 42:25 "Hey, do you all have a transition house?" 42:27 And he looked at me and said, "No. " 42:30 I said, "Then he must not have the truth then 42:33 you done brought the Word to me and talk about this truth 42:38 now I done accept the message, 42:40 we became like family... a relationship... 42:43 now it's time for me to get out, 42:45 now you're telling me you don't have no place for me to go. " 42:48 So, fast forward to actually 16 years ago, 42:54 when Jeffrey realized 42:56 that there isn't a place for Adventists to come, 42:58 even if they're coming out of prison, 43:00 then that's not good, 43:02 then they're going to another place 43:03 and getting their support from... from others... 43:07 and leaving the truth, 43:09 so you started Shelter from the Storm. 43:12 Amen, the Lord just put on my heart. 43:14 I said, "Lord, we need a transition house. " 43:17 The Lord said, "I want to use you to start one then. " 43:20 So, I was like, "Okay. " I didn't know what I was doing 43:23 you know, I was like, "All right Lord" 43:26 and I was continuing to go forward with the Lord 43:30 because it helped me so much 43:32 going through a transition house. 43:34 These guys getting out of prison, 43:36 they'd been there for 15 years and they get out with $50. 43:40 By the time they come from the prison 43:44 and you know how the Greyhound Bus makes 50 stops 43:47 before they get you to your destination, 43:50 they have been then ate them $50 up. 43:53 So, when they get to their destination, 43:55 they ain't got nothing 43:57 so what they do is, go back to what they know 43:59 because I did it about four or five times, 44:02 so, I was like, "Okay, I need to counteract that" 44:06 so I was saying, "Once we have a transition house, 44:09 they have a place to live, we provide them food, 44:13 we provide them a job and we have them a support group" 44:17 so I was saying, "If somebody don't want to... 44:20 can't do right with that... 44:22 then they don't want to do right. " 44:23 So, you've been operating Shelter from the Storm for men 44:28 for the last 16 years, 44:29 we've got a couple of minutes, 44:31 I want you to share a little bit about 44:33 what this year's offering is going to do 44:35 because there's still a need, but a different need. 44:37 For women... 44:40 when I head north is the largest women facility in the Nation. 44:47 Over 4,000 women 44:50 and a lot of Adventists work in Administration 44:54 and they witnessing to the women 44:57 and then when the women... time to go home... 45:00 they come up to them and say, 45:01 "Hey, do you all have a place for me to go?" 45:05 And they said they feel like they're letting the girls down. 45:09 And I just want to share a quick story. 45:12 One time, I was with the Lawn Service, 45:15 I was doing this Realtor and Broker's lawn, 45:18 and he said, "Jeff, why you don't do women?" 45:21 I said, "Man... " 45:23 I said, "Man, I don't have no money to get a place. " 45:26 He said, "I'll tell you what you should do, 45:28 I got a townhouse, 45:30 I'm going to give you six months to use it free. " 45:33 And I took in three women. 45:36 Two of the women still in the church 45:39 and one of the women... she was a Catholic... 45:42 every Friday she called me, said, "Jeff, we got to talk, 45:46 I don't know about this Sabbath thing... " 45:49 every Friday... 45:50 I said, "But you signed the rules to come to the Program" 45:53 and now you can't beat her out of the 45:55 Seventh-day Adventist Church. 45:57 Every time I go to the church where she goes, 46:00 "Hi Jeff... " 46:01 and then she said, 46:03 "Jeff, when are you going to do a Women's House?" 46:05 She said, "Because I want to give back" 46:07 and there's a lot of women in Gainesville... over three years 46:12 because I'm not free to deal with it. 46:14 So in three years, I've been hearing, 46:17 "Jeff, why don't you get a women's house... 46:19 why don't you start a Women's House?" 46:21 So, about three Sundays ago, they interviewed me... 46:27 Channel 20... our local news 46:29 interviewed me to work that out with Dawn 46:31 so, then I started getting calls from everywhere 46:35 and it's just been a blessing. 46:38 Yesterday, the State Senator of Gainesville, 46:41 he called me and said, 46:42 "Jeff, I heard you're going to start a women's house. " 46:44 I said, "Yeah. " 46:46 He said, "Call me in a week and I want to give a donation 46:49 towards the ministry. " 46:50 Amen, so... Lord will provide and we can help. 46:53 Thank you very much Jeffrey. 46:55 Jeffrey: Amen. 46:57 Audience: Clapping. 46:59 In Matthew 18:19 we're told that if two of you shall agree 47:04 as touching anything that they ask, 47:06 it shall be done for them of our Father which is in heaven. 47:09 Now, regarding this Bible promise, 47:11 Ellen White actually makes an interesting statement, 47:14 she said, "This promise is made on condition 47:16 that the united prayers of the church are offered 47:19 and in answer to these prayers 47:21 there may be expected a power greater 47:23 than that which comes in answer to private prayer 47:26 but this is the key, 47:28 the power given will be proportionate 47:30 to the unity of the members and their love for God 47:33 and for one another. 47:34 I have a couple of pictures 47:36 I want to share with you briefly this evening. 47:38 The first one is from a group of young people in the Philippines 47:42 meeting together to pray every morning at 5:00 o'clock. 47:46 You can see the picture there 47:48 and as you can see there are 100s of them 47:50 gathered there to pray. 47:51 Now, why would these young people 47:53 be willing to get up so early 47:55 to sacrifice sleep and time to pray? 47:58 I believe it's because they recognize 48:01 that we are living in unusual times in earth's history 48:05 and they also recognize their unusual desperate need 48:10 for a closer walk with God. 48:12 Now, it's really exciting to me 48:15 because of what I see happening in the Philippines 48:17 and other countries around the world, 48:18 I also see happening here. 48:20 The second photo that I want to share with you this evening 48:22 from this past GYC Conference this last December. 48:26 We had over 800 people meeting together to pray every morning 48:30 at 6 o'clock in the morning. 48:32 There were so many people... they were actually overflowing 48:35 into the hallways. 48:37 As we are beginning this ASI Convention this evening, 48:41 I have a question for you. 48:42 It's obvious that business cannot continue as usual 48:46 any longer... 48:48 but do we recognize 48:49 that the unusual times in which we're living 48:53 also call for unusual unity and unusual humility 48:57 and these gifts we are only going to find 49:00 as we come together to the foot of the cross. |
Revised 2018-12-12