Participants:
Series Code: ASIC
Program Code: ASIC190001S
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00:19 What a blessing to be here with you.
00:21 Welcome to ASI. 00:22 We're excited. 00:24 God is going to do some amazing things 00:25 this weekend as we're here together, 00:28 and the Holy Spirit is going to help us to understand 00:32 the specific message He has for us. 00:35 Philip, you've been a long time 00:36 planning for this in the ASI office, 00:38 give a welcome to our people tonight. 00:39 On behalf of the ASI office of the North American Division, 00:42 it's such a pleasure 00:44 to welcome you to the 2019 ASI Convention. 00:47 I can't wait 00:48 to see all of God's richest blessings unfolding 00:51 at this ASI Convention from the exhibit halls 00:54 to especially our members in action stories 00:57 and our speakers. 00:58 It's going to be an awesome time, 01:00 Steve, I'm so excited. 01:02 Andi, you've been coming to ASI for more than a few years. 01:06 Why do you keep coming anyway? 01:08 I also want to welcome everybody. 01:11 My husband and I began coming to ASI 01:14 probably about 15 years ago. 01:16 And we've been hooked ever since. 01:18 The thing that hooked us was the booze. 01:20 Because we recognize something that we never knew before, 01:23 there are ministries out there that we never heard of, 01:26 and that we recognize 01:28 that we can participate in and help 01:30 even if we may not be able to go. 01:32 Also, we became very, very convicted 01:36 that our comfortable lives were too comfortable. 01:38 And so we like being made uncomfortable 01:41 every year, 01:42 to stretch ourselves to beyond what we're comfortable with, 01:45 to witness for Jesus Christ, 01:47 whether that be personal Bible studies 01:49 or going on mission trips. 01:50 My husband is better at doing that than I am. 01:53 But we are just inspired every year 01:55 to really give it all for Jesus Christ. 01:57 And that's why we come to be perfectly honest. 02:00 For those of you who may not know, 02:02 Dr. Andi Hunsaker is our general vice-president. 02:05 And thank you, Andi, for all your service to ASI. 02:08 I know that God is going to bless us this weekend. 02:11 I'm excited to see 02:13 what He's going to do in my own life personally, 02:16 as I listened to the testimonies, 02:18 and as I hear 02:20 what God is doing in other places 02:22 so, God bless us 02:23 as we work together this weekend. 02:28 Why don't you all...? Why don't we stand for prayer? 02:35 Father in heaven, 02:38 I'm just so thankful that we're all here together. 02:42 Oftentimes, we come and we asked to be blessed. 02:45 But this weekend, Lord, we asked to be transformed, 02:50 our theme is business unusual. 02:54 Or too often we come to these meetings 02:56 and we get good ideas and we hear good sermons 02:59 and we're stood in our souls 03:02 but action does not take place. 03:05 So I just pray, Lord, that we will, 03:08 as we listen, as we see 03:12 that we will feel your heart 03:14 that bleeds for the things that happened on this earth. 03:17 We have the ability 03:19 to end the suffering on this earth 03:21 by being totally committed to You. 03:24 So I pray this weekend 03:25 that our commitment will deepen. 03:27 I ask Your forgiveness for being lukewarm. 03:30 And I thank You for Your forgiveness. 03:32 I thank You that You see us and see what we can become 03:36 and are willing to work with us. 03:38 I thank You for ASI as an organization. 03:41 And I just ask for Your Holy Spirit 03:43 to be with not only the speakers, 03:45 but each of us that are here, 03:46 in Your holy name I pray, amen. 03:50 ASI has given me wings, really. 03:52 It's introduced me to people 03:54 both who are now on my board 03:55 serving in incredible capacities, 03:58 but then also 03:59 people who are willing to support the ministry 04:01 and, you know, no money, no mission. 04:03 And I feel like ASI brings people together, 04:06 who have the calling from God to be in ministry, 04:08 and those that have the calling from God 04:10 to be in business, 04:11 and we unite them, and the synergy is so powerful. 04:14 ASI to me over the years 04:16 has been a very strong encouragement spiritually. 04:19 When I come to ASI, 04:20 I go home with a greater passion 04:23 to see God's work finished. 04:24 ASI is a great convention. 04:27 And it's one that you need to be at, 04:28 I mean, if you haven't started something yet, 04:31 maybe you haven't started a ministry. 04:32 Maybe there's a ministry here 04:34 that would like to have you jump on board. 04:37 Or maybe you'll get an idea for a ministry 04:39 that God is calling you to start 04:41 and you might be able to network 04:43 with likeminded individuals 04:44 who can give you tips and pointers on how to do so. 04:47 It's my first ASI and I am so excited to go. 04:50 The reason why I think we should go 04:52 is because anything we can do 04:53 to help us be more equipped in reaching others 04:56 for Christ is a win. 04:58 ASI to me means 05:00 that I can actually grow in Jesus Christ, 05:03 because we hear amazing messages 05:05 and I'm challenged every time. 05:07 And so to me personally, it drives me, it challenges me, 05:11 it pushes me beyond my comfort zone. 05:14 And I've done things I never thought I'd ever do 05:16 and that is go door to door knocking 05:18 in my own neighborhood. 05:19 I can't wait to see you 05:21 at the ASI Convention this year. 05:24 I can't wait to see you at the ASI Convention. 05:26 ASI is amazing. I'll be there. 05:29 I cannot wait to see you at the ASI Convention. 05:36 Philip, we have Soles for Souls. 05:38 What is this all about? 05:40 That's right. 05:41 We're so excited to launch Soles for Souls 05:43 at this ASI Convention. 05:45 It is an opportunity for you 05:46 to take a pair of brand new shoes 05:49 or gently used shoes 05:51 and give it away to make a difference. 05:53 We have a registration, a big beautiful bin 05:56 and I think it's already been filled 05:59 and refilled many times, 06:01 but we want you to give away your shoes, 06:03 your socks, maybe, you know, some people like my wife, 06:06 she says, "I have too many shoes anyways." 06:08 So, you know, she's bringing some extra shoes. 06:11 I brought some extra shoes, 06:12 and we're giving it away to some homeless shelters 06:15 right here in Louisville. 06:17 So we're gonna make a difference. 06:19 While we're here, 06:20 we're making an impact right here in this city. 06:22 Isn't that exciting to hear ASI family? 06:25 We're gonna do something right here in our own town 06:28 that we're hosting the convention. 06:30 We praise God for this. 06:32 You know, I did a little bit of research 06:34 and I found out that there are nearly 7,000 06:37 homeless people 06:38 that are here in Louisville. 06:40 Wow! 06:41 It's an amazing, amazing number. 06:43 So we're partnering 06:44 with the Wayside Christian Mission, 06:46 which is actually just down the street from us 06:48 here on Jefferson Avenue. 06:51 So it's an exciting project. 06:53 Anything else that you want to tell anyone 06:55 how they could get involved? 06:57 We, you know, maybe you forgot or maybe you are, 07:01 you know, didn't remember to bring a pair of shoes. 07:03 It's not too late. 07:05 You know, if you look through your shoes 07:06 and you have a extra pair of shoes 07:07 that you think you don't need, 07:09 or if you want it to go to Payless 07:11 and buy a cheap pair of shoes 07:13 and give to someone, 07:15 you know, it really could make a difference 07:16 'cause a lot of homeless people don't have shoes. 07:19 And we want to make a difference 07:21 and socks as well. 07:22 Definitely. 07:23 I just also want to mention the impact 07:26 that this can make, 07:28 you know, at our local home church. 07:31 We like to do ministry 07:33 to the people that are around, and it's amazing 07:37 what a new pair of shoes and socks 07:40 can really do for someone. 07:42 We often take it for granted, don't we? 07:44 I mean, just think about the shoes 07:46 that you're wearing right now. 07:47 Do you appreciate them? 07:49 Yes. 07:50 We can do a lot 07:52 just by a simple task of helping someone 07:55 with a new pair of shoes. 07:56 So we want to encourage you to get involved. 07:59 We're gonna have the booths here, 08:01 or the receptacles all the way until Sunday actually. 08:05 So all the way through the convention, 08:07 we want to encourage you, if you've not yet done so, 08:10 please get one, two, ten pairs of shoes 08:14 and help someone here in Louisville. 08:16 And, you know, there's an Instagram wall 08:18 like right down the hall from registration, 08:21 it's set up with beautiful flowers 08:23 and some shoes. 08:25 And you could take pictures 08:26 and put on social media as well, 08:28 once you donate your shoes. 08:29 So thank you so much. 08:31 So we want to encourage you all to use that wall 08:33 and what hashtag are you gonna put 08:35 on your social media? 08:38 Excellent. 08:39 ASI19. 08:41 Wonderful. Thank you, everyone. Thank you. 08:49 The more and more I've worked with teams, 08:51 the more I realize that truly together 08:53 everyone does achieve more. 08:56 And I've thought about this a lot. 08:57 I thought about the question why a team? 09:01 Why doing something bigger than myself 09:03 is something that that I couldn't do on my own. 09:06 And the more I thought about it, 09:08 the more I realized that as I joined things 09:11 that are bigger than myself, 09:13 I start realizing that I can't do it myself. 09:15 And I have to depend on people around me 09:18 to get larger jobs done. 09:20 Which really ends up feeding the humility in me 09:24 and killing the selfishness and killing the pride, 09:27 which is what Jesus' mission is all about, 09:30 to get rid of me and to fill me up with Him. 09:33 So I think it's awesome to work on a team, 09:36 'cause I truly believe that when we work together, 09:38 we achieve more, 09:40 and our hearts are made more like Jesus. 09:51 I come to ASI to be inspired, 09:53 to be informed, to be motivated. 09:55 To realize that we're all part of a great movement, 09:58 not just making a living 10:00 but making a difference for the kingdom of heaven. 10:03 It's a wonderful thing not to pretend like 10:05 you know everything. 10:07 Here's a ministry tip, a business tip too, I'm sure, 10:10 and that is to surround yourself 10:12 with good people. 10:13 People who can challenge your ideas, 10:15 people who can inform you, 10:17 help you craft new strategies. 10:20 I've been blessed in my new assignment 10:22 as President for Hope Channel 10:24 to have an executive coach and a media coach. 10:27 You say, "Derek, why do you need so much help?" 10:29 The answer is we desire to be excellent for God. 10:33 So here's the ministry tip for you. 10:35 Don't pretend you know everything. 10:37 Surround yourself with good people. 10:39 And when amazing results come, share all of the honor around 10:43 and give most of the honor to God. 10:50 Once again, 10:52 it's one of my favorite parts of the program, 10:54 Members In Action. 10:56 Don't you like hearing the stories 10:57 from the front lines and so tonight, 10:59 we have here with us, Karen Holland, 11:02 the President of Oklahoma Academy. 11:04 Juliette, a student there, 11:07 and Cliff, one of our instructors. 11:09 So, Karen, I have a question for you 11:11 as we get started. 11:12 How do you instill within the students 11:16 and the staff there at Oklahoma Academy 11:18 to love mission service? 11:21 Wow, that's a great question. Thank you for asking it. 11:24 It's a great privilege to be here 11:26 and to be able to share with you. 11:27 Thank you for that opportunity. 11:30 How do you instill... Let me rephrase that question. 11:34 How do you move a person 11:36 from self absorption to self sacrifice? 11:40 Is that what you're asking? Yes, definitely. 11:43 So really, that's the work of the Holy Spirit. 11:46 Nobody can actually do that for anybody else. 11:50 The love of service is something that is caught, 11:54 it's not taught. 11:56 And so we have to model it. 11:59 We have to have staff... 12:01 at Oklahoma Academy we have staff who love people, 12:04 who love students, who love working with students, 12:07 who love mission work 12:10 and who live mission work. 12:12 And it's through that modeling then 12:14 that we're able to pass that on to our students. 12:18 But the other thing that you have to have 12:20 is you have to have opportunity. 12:22 They have to have opportunity to serve, 12:25 opportunity to do something 12:27 and so at Oklahoma Academy we've given them 12:29 a myriad of programs that they can be involved in 12:33 for mission service. 12:34 We work alongside Messiahs Mansion, 12:36 which is the full scale model of the Mosaic Sanctuary. 12:40 We have a canvassing program, 12:41 we have a vocational program 12:43 that teaches the hands-on aspect 12:45 of working with people and blessing, 12:48 and being a blessing. 12:50 We have a music program, an outreach program. 12:52 And just this year, 12:54 we are more fully developing 12:57 our mission aviation program. 12:59 We're so excited 13:01 about this opportunity for young people. 13:03 And I wanted Cliff Brooks, 13:04 our mission aviation program director 13:06 to just speak about that a moment. 13:08 Right. 13:10 And this year Oklahoma Academy 13:12 is implementing a mission aviation 13:13 training program. 13:15 You know, God is so good, isn't He? 13:16 Amen. 13:17 He blessed me with the opportunity 13:19 to go overseas 13:20 and serve our Seventh-day Adventist Church work overseas 13:23 through mission aviation, 13:24 and I praise God for that opportunity 13:26 and it's exciting. 13:27 God gives us exciting things to do in His service. 13:31 And at Oklahoma Academy, 13:32 God has given me the privilege of now sharing that passion 13:36 with the next generation. 13:37 So we have a plan to teach kids, 13:40 things that kids really enjoy getting engaged in doing, 13:42 I mean, aviation, how cool is that? 13:44 You know, it's so much fun, 13:45 and we can do it in God's service. 13:47 And that's just a lot of fun. 13:49 That's fantastic. 13:50 Thank you so much for sharing that, Cliff. 13:51 Now, let's come back to the mission service aspect. 13:54 I understand you just recently came from a mission trip. 13:59 Where did you go and what did you do? 14:00 We went to Cuba. 14:02 Cuba? Yes. 14:03 How did you possibly get into Cuba? 14:06 Well, our music director is Cuban. 14:10 And she and her family were visiting in Cuba, 14:12 with family, in Cuba. 14:14 And the conference president of the conference there 14:18 said to her, 14:20 "When are you coming back to Cuba? 14:22 We would like to have you come back 14:24 and do music and do evangelism." 14:26 And so she came back to the school 14:28 and she gave us that vision. 14:31 And we prayed and we said, 14:34 "Yes, this is something that we want to do." 14:37 So we connected ourselves together 14:39 with Henry and Arlene Stubbs 14:43 from the World Youth Group, 14:44 who have an amazing work in Cuba 14:47 and amazing experience. 14:48 They have the structure, the groundwork, 14:51 if anybody wants to work with them 14:52 they're at booth 302. 14:55 And they're just wonderful people to work with 14:57 and an organization to work with. 14:59 And it was a blessing to work with them. 15:01 So that's how we got there. 15:02 That's fantastic. 15:04 And did you have any challenges getting visas 15:06 or how did that all work out? 15:10 Actually, yes, we got our first... 15:13 I think it was 25 visas. 15:16 But then the next group of seven 15:19 they would not give a religious visa for. 15:22 And then what? 15:24 Well, and then what we prayed 15:26 and we decided to go on a tourist visa. 15:29 Okay. 15:31 The power of prayer. 15:32 Yes. And then you just go by faith. 15:34 That's right. And it worked out. 15:36 Praise God. Praise God. Yes. 15:38 So how was music involved in this trip? 15:41 So we took our corral and our bell choir to Cuba 15:45 and the very first weekend we were there, 15:47 we did five concerts across Cuba. 15:50 And I've asked Juliette to tell us 15:52 about that first concert. 15:55 So our first concert was an experience. 16:00 And we had gotten there that day, 16:01 we had started traveling at 12 am that morning 16:04 and we were tired. 16:05 And it was just after dinner and none of us knew 16:08 that we were gonna do this concert, 16:10 at least I didn't know. 16:11 And they tell us it's 7 pm, 16:13 and we have a concert that's starting at 7 pm. 16:17 And so we arrived at the church two hours later 16:19 to find a church packed with people 16:22 expecting a concert from us. 16:25 And on that car trip there and I had a very surreal moment 16:28 where I talked with God 16:30 and I was just praying and connecting myself with Him 16:33 because He had done so much for us 16:35 just to get us to that point. 16:37 And I knew He was gonna bless us. 16:39 And so when we got to the church, 16:41 we had to set up the bell choir, 16:43 it was very different conditions. 16:45 But also the piano was out of tune 16:47 and everything was crazy, 16:48 but the first few notes of that opening song, 16:50 it was as if the angels of heaven 16:52 were singing with us. 16:53 I'd never heard her sing so well. 16:55 Amen. 16:56 That is so exciting to hear. 16:58 Music does us a powerful thing to touch the lives of people. 17:02 So you had a fantastic time on that trip? 17:04 Oh, I love Cuba. I would love to go back. 17:07 You're ready to go back? Anytime. 17:08 Praise the Lord. Amen. 17:10 So the service has been instilled. 17:12 That's fantastic. Amen. 17:13 So another question for you. 17:15 We understand that this was evangelistic kind of program. 17:19 Did you all stay together or how did you organize? 17:24 Well, there was 30 some of us it would be difficult 17:27 to take all of that many people to one place. 17:29 So we divided up into six groups. 17:33 And each group had a Cuban people 17:38 that were working with us, 17:40 they had a translator, they had a Bible worker, 17:42 they had people that helped feed us. 17:48 And then we had our group, we had the evangelists, 17:51 we had the health talk person, 17:55 we had the children's meetings, and together 17:59 in six different cities we did evangelism. 18:01 Praise God, we just want to thank you so much 18:04 for your willingness to go and to serve. 18:07 Can you say amen to that? 18:09 Praise God. Thank you so much. 18:11 We appreciate it. 18:12 Amen. Thank you. 18:19 Okay, we're gonna have a video in just a moment. 18:21 We were waiting for that. 18:23 But with me here is Josh from Heritage Academy. 18:27 And we are so glad you have an affiliate, 18:30 as I was doing some research. 18:32 What's the affiliate about? 18:33 Yes, Heritage Academy has a disaster response ministry. 18:37 In our disaster response ministry 18:39 we have an affiliate that we call to serve 18:42 and that's where we work with disaster response. 18:45 And we send our students into disaster zones. 18:48 So we had a chance to go to Panama City, Florida, 18:52 and we worked with six other academies 18:54 and Southern Adventist University 18:56 and deployed there. 18:58 So they focus on trainings and deployment. 19:00 And they help us with logistics, 19:03 such as lodging and meals, 19:05 and communication 19:07 with organizing 150 volunteers 19:10 all at the same time. 19:12 That's amazing. 19:13 So there was last year, several large hurricanes. 19:18 But there was one in particular that you were called to go to. 19:22 Tell us about that? 19:23 Yes, it's interesting to share with you 19:26 that we got a chance to go to Panama City, Florida. 19:29 And our main purpose of going there 19:31 was to work on pods, 19:33 point of distribution, 19:35 and it's basically like a drive-thru 19:38 grocery store. 19:40 So when people would come up with their cars, 19:41 they would tell us how many people 19:43 were in their family. 19:44 And then we had a chance to load them up 19:47 with what we call MREs or Meals Ready to Eat. 19:51 And then we pass them out bottled water by the case. 19:54 And from that experience, 19:56 we also had people that would come by 19:58 and drop off donations for people 20:01 that needed cleaning supplies, or clothes, 20:04 or anything outside of just MREs and water. 20:09 So we had a chance to work with the National Guard. 20:12 And we had three different pods that we worked with them, 20:16 and three that we helped set up 20:18 so we were running six pods in total. 20:21 That's fantastic. 20:22 So, Josh, I got the thumbs up that our video is ready. 20:26 So let's see if we have our video to watch 20:31 and then we'll come back to the interview. 20:35 In Florida, one of our major jobs 20:38 was to handle pods 20:39 and pods stands for point of distribution. 20:42 And each pod there was a variety of different supplies 20:44 that survivors might need such as food, water, ice, 20:48 baby supplies, hygiene care and cleaning supplies. 20:50 And our job was basically to man these pods 20:53 and give people what they needed. 20:58 It's so awesome seeing someone practicing their faith, 21:00 you know, after this disaster, and that blessed me. 21:08 So I helped her and we worked 21:09 until everything needed was done. 21:11 After I prayed with her, 21:13 and she cried and thanked me for my help. 21:20 But the next day, she came back again 21:21 and she said, "Hey, 21:22 can you please pray for my neighbor, 21:24 I really want you to pray for my neighbor. 21:26 The prayers you prayed for me, 21:27 they helped me and comforted me a lot." 21:33 So I prayed the shortest and sweetest prayer I could. 21:36 And when I opened my eyes, 21:38 all of them were in tears and crying. 21:40 And I remember being shocked 21:42 because I didn't think it was that good of a prayer. 21:45 And it just reminded me 21:47 that when God tells you to do something, 21:49 you should do it and the guy was like, 21:51 "You don't understand. 21:52 When people see us, 21:54 they don't see good, they see bad 21:56 and the fact that you're a young lady 21:58 and you saw goodness, we will never forget." 22:00 So when God tells you to do something, 22:02 it's really important that you do 22:04 what He tells you to do. 22:06 And I'm crying because you guys are here. 22:09 I'm not crying because of the house. 22:12 Money will take care of it, but money can't replace this. 22:38 Okay, Josh, that was some powerful moving videos. 22:41 So how many people were impacted 22:44 by this particular outreach? 22:45 Yeah. 22:47 So through the six different pods that we had, 22:48 we were servicing about 3000 people at each pod. 22:52 So somebody would drive up to the pod, 22:54 and they would ask, we would ask them 22:55 how many people are in their family 22:58 and that would help us to know 22:59 how much food to give them on a daily basis. 23:02 And so we would say that in total, 23:05 maybe about 15,000 people a day. 23:07 And so while we were there, 23:08 we had a chance to pray with each of those vehicles 23:11 that came through. 23:13 And so through that experience, 23:16 the National Guard got to witness our students 23:19 helping out in the community. 23:20 And there's a few stories that I like to share with you. 23:23 And one of those stories is 23:27 we got pulled off of one of the pods. 23:29 And so we had been there for about a week 23:31 and we went somewhere else to another pod. 23:33 And we came back to the pod 23:36 that we were working at the next day 23:37 to continue to help out. 23:39 And the National Guard 23:40 was very thankful that we were there 23:43 and I asked 23:44 what was the big difference for them, 23:46 and they said that the people that were coming through 23:48 were complaining and they were frustrated, 23:50 and they were struggling with them 23:52 cooperating very well. 23:54 And I asked him, "Why do you think that is?" 23:55 He says, "Well, they wanted... 23:57 They kept asking where all the kids were?" 23:59 And so they said they just serve with a smile. 24:01 They're always there to encourage you and help you. 24:04 And then at another pod that we had a vehicle drove up. 24:08 And she asked the question, 24:10 "Is this the pod where you pray with people?" 24:13 And, of course, that has a huge impact. 24:16 And we got to see the work of the Holy Spirit. 24:18 And then finally, 24:21 the last story that I really like to share with you is 24:25 our group was having worship 24:26 at one of the pods that evening, 24:28 and it was on a Friday night, 24:30 and they asked the National Guard 24:31 to come and sit with them and join in them in worship. 24:35 So they were singing songs, 24:36 but then they started asking a lot of questions about 24:39 why they were doing what they were doing. 24:40 And as the National Guard got to know us a lot better. 24:44 They were really interested in our church. 24:47 And so as they got to know us, 24:50 they wanted to see the whole school group. 24:52 So they came to the pod 24:54 where we were working at the Panama City 24:55 Seventh-day Adventist Church and as we were there, 24:58 they really got to know us 25:00 and I think are excited to see how God has been working. 25:04 Josh, this is so exciting to hear 25:06 what God is doing. 25:08 How many people did you say per day? 25:10 About 3000 per day at each pod. 25:12 At each pod? So about 15,000. 25:14 Fifteen thousand, what an evangelistic series? 25:17 Isn't that amazing? 25:19 God is so good. Thank you, Josh, for your work. 25:21 If people want to learn more about Heritage Academy, 25:24 can they find you here? 25:26 Yeah, we have a booth that's right over here 25:27 and you can go to our website it's just Heritagetn.org. 25:32 Thank you so much. We appreciate your service. 25:34 Thank you. 25:36 So our next member in action is going to be coming 25:41 from DayStar Academy. 25:44 Where is DayStar? 25:46 Castle Valley, Utah. 25:47 Castle Valley, Utah. Yes. 25:49 So how is everything out in the desert? 25:53 Beautiful. Is it really? 25:54 Yes. That's fantastic. 25:56 This time of year we get lots of rainbows. 25:58 So we are so encouraged and so excited 26:02 that you're here with us, Sonia. 26:04 And who do you have with you? 26:06 Rebecca Stone? 26:07 Oh, fantastic. This is my daughter. 26:09 Now, Rebecca, I want to ask you a couple of questions here. 26:12 Okay. 26:14 I understand that you went on a mission trip recently. 26:16 Where was that? 26:17 We went down to Kinlichee, Arizona in February 2018. 26:21 February 2018. You went to where? 26:24 Kinlichee, Arizona. 26:25 Okay, I'm not sure where that is. 26:27 But what is there? What took you there? 26:29 It's on the Navajo Reservation. 26:31 And we were working in the church there painting it 26:34 and doing a VBS. 26:35 You were painting and doing a VBS. 26:38 And what specifically were you involved in mostly? 26:43 I was involved in supervising the painting of the inside. 26:47 Wow, that's fantastic. 26:48 What a wonderful opportunity. 26:51 And question for you. 26:53 Do you do these kind of mission trips 26:55 on a regular basis? 26:57 DayStar has taken at least five mission trips 26:59 to the Navajo Reservation that I know of. 27:02 I don't know if there's more. 27:05 Her senior year was the second to the last one. 27:07 And then this last year in April, 27:09 we had another mission trip down there 27:10 to Kayenta, Arizona. 27:13 Nancy Crosby, 27:15 the Native American ministries Director for the Pacific Union 27:18 directed us to that spot to do 27:23 to help with some projects that were needed in that area. 27:26 One real problem is food security. 27:31 So she wanted to see trees get put in that 27:34 were fruit and nut trees. 27:36 That was a big thing. 27:37 And there were 23 trees that we put in 27:40 with hand tools in to very hard ground. 27:44 The students 27:46 got a good exercise program doing that. 27:47 In Arizona... 27:48 Yes, yes. You're planting fruit trees. 27:50 Fruit and nut trees, yes. 27:52 Now when I see in my mind's eye, 27:54 this is the desert 27:55 that we're talking about, right? 27:56 They put in an irrigation system also. 27:58 Okay. Yes. 27:59 Fantastic. 28:01 Along with that there were projects 28:03 like cleaning up trash 28:04 around the outside of the fence line, 28:06 hauling off some tires, 28:08 doing some landscaping in the front of the church... 28:15 weeding their raised gardens, 28:16 which are also a part of that food program. 28:19 Having raised gardens there at the church. 28:21 Organizing their darkest room, things like that, 28:24 and on Sabbath, they had the opportunity 28:26 to split into two groups. 28:29 One group went to Page, Arizona, 28:31 one stayed in Kayenta. 28:32 And the students did the sermon, 28:35 children's story, 28:37 those kind of things for the church services there. 28:39 So they were very, very involved in this project. 28:43 How long was it again, how long was your mission? 28:46 We were there for one week. 28:47 For one week. Okay. 28:49 And if people want to learn more about DayStar, 28:54 where would they go? 28:56 Booth 563. 28:58 Five sixty three, fantastic. 29:00 And where are the booths, everyone? 29:03 That's right, we want to encourage you again to come. 29:06 Now tell us a little bit more about 29:09 how these kind of mission trips impact you personally, 29:12 I want to hear from Rebecca. 29:14 How did it impact you personally? 29:16 What did it do in your personal life? 29:19 It helped me to want to be a better student, 29:21 because as you're trying to teach people, 29:24 look young kids, 29:25 you realize the frustration teachers can have 29:27 when their students misbehave. 29:29 And so it helps, 29:31 it helped me to want to behave better 29:32 for my teachers. 29:33 And it also gave me appreciation 29:35 for the life I have. 29:38 Fantastic. 29:39 So for all of the educators that are here, 29:41 did you hear that? 29:42 One of the best ways to impact students 29:45 is to help them serve other people. 29:48 Praise God for that, Rebecca, we're so glad, 29:50 we're praying for you 29:52 as you continue on in your life. 29:54 What about you? 29:55 How do these mission trips impact you personally? 29:59 I really appreciated seeing what it did 30:01 in the lives of the students. 30:04 They could have a tendency 30:06 maybe to not work as well together 30:08 but when they had a passion, and they saw a vision, 30:12 they got excited. 30:13 And it was so fun to see them get excited 30:15 and want to help and be on fire for helping. 30:19 And anyway, I just love to see that in them 30:21 and it works something in me. 30:23 I realized that kids need these opportunities, 30:26 it makes a difference. 30:27 So these missionary opportunities 30:29 are so powerful. 30:31 Yes. 30:32 And they have done something in DayStar Academy 30:36 to spark the mission fervor. 30:39 Is there anything else, any other experiences 30:41 that you would like to tell us about? 30:44 Well, there was one thing. 30:46 There was a park not very far away 30:48 from where we had the church 30:50 and we would give the kids opportunity 30:51 to go to this park and play around a little bit 30:56 for a little while every day, run off some energy. 30:59 The kids from the community congregated at that park. 31:02 And it was really neat to see how slowly 31:04 but surely the kids started wanting 31:06 to interact with our kids, 31:08 it takes a little bit of time to earn their trust. 31:11 And it was fun to see 31:13 how they would try to interact with our kids, 31:16 they would start throwing a ball at them 31:17 and then throw a ball back. 31:19 That may not seem significant, 31:21 but it seems significant to me 31:22 knowing how reclusive they can be. 31:25 And the kids really enjoyed 31:27 trying to engage the kids at the park. 31:30 And another thing that was good for them 31:32 is going to a flea market which I'll show a picture of, 31:35 and the flea market was educational 31:39 and that they could see some of the culture 31:41 that we were down there to help. 31:43 Okay, so you do have some pictures, 31:46 you can narrate for us these pictures? 31:49 Okay. 31:51 Can see them there? 31:53 All right. 31:55 This is our young people digging the holes 31:56 in the hard ground. 31:58 That does look like hard ground. 31:59 Yes. 32:00 I've planted trees and that looks tough. 32:02 Putting the final touches 32:04 on one of our fruit trees there. 32:05 Wow. Yeah. 32:07 Beautiful. Yeah. 32:09 Moving gravel for the landscape project 32:11 in the front yard. 32:12 Fantastic. 32:14 Front of the church there 32:15 and that's the Navajo flea market 32:18 and some of our students. 32:19 And this is them 32:21 doing special music at a church service. 32:23 Excellent. Yeah. 32:25 Well, we just want to thank you so much. 32:26 And we're praying for DayStar 32:28 and we want to encourage you to continue 32:30 to share the love of Jesus Christ. 32:32 Thank you so much. Thank you. 35:40 Amen. 35:43 Good evening, ASI. 35:45 We are so happy to be able to bring before you 35:49 two projects that will be recipients 35:51 of this year's offering. 35:54 And so I would like to introduce to you 35:57 first... 35:58 Oh, there you are. 36:01 This is Julie McPherson. 36:03 Julie McPherson is the director of Mission North. 36:06 And, Julie, tell us what is Mission North? 36:08 Mission North is a project where we take some young people 36:11 and we go up to the northern Canada 36:13 to the communities of First Nations people 36:16 that have not yet been reached with the gospel, 36:18 and the soon coming... 36:20 news of the soon coming of Jesus. 36:22 Now that's kind of far, 36:23 exactly how far up is the Yukon? 36:26 Well, I live in the southern, 36:28 most southern part of British Columbia. 36:31 But when we go up to where we're going this year, 36:35 it's going to take us four days of driving, 36:37 and then we're gonna have to fly even farther up. 36:40 And we're going to meet other communities along the way 36:45 as we come back down. 36:47 Now, I understand that there are some challenges 36:49 in reaching the First Nation peoples, 36:50 what are those? 36:52 Well, one of the biggest challenges is that 36:54 between the government 36:56 and some of the non Seventh-day Adventist denominations. 37:01 They have over the last hundred years, 37:04 set up residential schools 37:05 and taken the children away from their parents 37:08 in these First Nation communities 37:11 and indoctrinated them 37:13 and abused them, 37:15 and took away their culture and their language. 37:18 And so there's a lot of anger and bitterness. 37:21 And they don't want missionaries 37:24 to come to them. 37:26 I understand it's not really a cakewalk 37:28 going that far north. 37:30 What are some of the other issues? 37:32 Well, when I go up there with some of the young people, 37:35 we don't necessarily have hotels to go 37:37 and stay in, 37:38 or restaurants to eat in. 37:39 We camp 37:41 and we have to cook our food on a camp stove. 37:45 And sometimes 37:47 we don't even have a place to take a bath 37:49 unless it's in the freezing cold lakes. 37:52 Well, that doesn't sound like a lot of fun. 37:53 Do you have a lot of people that went with you last year? 37:56 We had 10 young people 37:59 and we had two adults. 38:03 Yeah. Okay. 38:04 And how does Mission North envision 38:07 overcoming these particular challenges? 38:10 Like what... 38:12 Give us a story of maybe what happened last year? 38:14 Okay, one of the villages that we went into last year, 38:17 it was really quite impressive 38:19 the way the Lord worked it out for us 38:21 because we didn't have an invitation 38:23 to come into this community. 38:25 But my heart was burdened, 38:27 because there had been a fire 38:28 not too far away in another community. 38:30 And I knew that somehow we must be able 38:33 to help these people and bless them. 38:35 So we arrived there sometime in the night, 38:37 and I couldn't sleep in the van, 38:40 and we had no place to set up the tent right away. 38:43 So I took my dog 38:45 and I started walking up and down the road 38:48 all night long 38:49 in front of this village, 38:52 asking the Lord one thing, 38:53 "Please open this village 38:57 so that we can come in and bless these people." 39:00 And the Lord did. 39:02 Because the next morning we went to several 39:04 of the more official looking buildings 39:06 and asked, "Is there anything we can do to help?" 39:10 And they all looked at us funny, 39:12 but finally they said, 39:13 "There's a building over there called The Haven 39:15 which is a social service and health building. 39:19 Ask them if there's anything you can do to help." 39:21 So we went over there, and we asked them 39:23 and this lady came out of the office 39:24 and she sat down behind me and she started laughing. 39:28 So I turned and I looked at her and she said, 39:30 "Where have you been? 39:32 We've been needing you. 39:33 We've been waiting." 39:36 And I said, "Well, what can I do to help you?" 39:39 And she gave me a key. 39:41 And she said, 39:42 "Go, there's an abandoned building there. 39:44 Go and clean that building with your team, if you would, 39:48 and we have donations coming in 39:50 for all the evacuees from this fire 39:53 that's burning in the next community. 39:55 Would you set up a donation center 39:59 because we need that." 40:01 And so we set to work. 40:03 You know, there was a group of people 40:06 who had also come in from all over Canada, 40:08 a whole bunch of men. 40:10 And they had come to sift the ashes of the homes 40:13 of the people 40:15 that had lost their homes for valuables. 40:18 But they couldn't yet get into that community 40:20 because the fires were still raging. 40:22 And so one of the men said, 40:25 "We've been sent to you because you're in charge, 40:27 what can we do to help you?" 40:29 And I said, "I need trucks." 40:31 He says, "We've got trucks." 40:33 So then they started helping us to build shelves. 40:37 I was able to show them behind this building 40:39 and that building and in this building, 40:40 and this is how you do it. 40:42 And we went to the school, 40:43 we picked up all of the donations 40:46 and we set up the whole donation center 40:49 for them. 40:50 The Lord really blessed in opening the doors for us 40:54 to be able to go in that community. 40:56 Now I understand one of the men said something to you, 41:00 share that with us? 41:01 One of the men who had worked with us 41:03 came to me later and he says, 41:07 "I don't know who you are, 41:08 and the people here don't know who you are 41:11 but I have a question. 41:13 You came into this place, 41:16 and within hours you were in charge 41:20 of this whole village. 41:22 How did you do that?" 41:25 And I said, "There's only one answer to that. 41:28 I spent all night, 41:30 walking up and down the road, 41:32 praying that God would open the village 41:35 so that we could serve the people. 41:37 Amen. Amen. 41:38 Julie, tell us what's in the future 41:40 for Mission North? 41:42 Well, it's really exciting. 41:44 This year 41:45 we're going all the way to the top of the Yukon, 41:47 which is way beyond the Arctic Circle. 41:49 And doing some work up there 41:54 and getting to know the people and making friends up in there 41:57 and then coming back down to different communities. 42:00 But we have had opportunity 42:04 to be able to buy a trailer soon. 42:07 And a dentist has offered 42:10 to completely outfit this trailer 42:13 with all the dental equipment. 42:14 So we will have a mobile dental unit 42:17 to give free mobile dental care 42:20 for all of the communities that we can get to by road. 42:23 Amen. 42:24 Now, I understand you just told me today 42:27 that one of the young people 42:28 that was going to be going with you, 42:31 unfortunately is not going to be able to go 42:32 so you have a vacancy? 42:35 I do. 42:36 Unfortunately, one of my young people 42:39 got injured on her job and is not able to come 42:43 and I have a ticket for her to fly with us. 42:47 But she's not able to use it. 42:48 So if there's any young people who would like to come 42:51 up in that northern northern community, 42:53 the elders told one of my friends 42:57 who related it to me, 42:59 there is the end of the world coming very, very soon. 43:04 But we don't know how to prepare. 43:08 What can we do? 43:10 But who has the answer? 43:11 Yes, we do. 43:13 Amen. Thank you very much, Julie. 43:14 We pray that God will be with Mission North 43:16 as you continue to reach the First Nation people. 43:18 Thank you. Thank you. 43:21 Next coming is Radim Passer 43:24 and his contingent from the Czech Republic. 43:28 And Radim has been to ASI many, many times 43:32 and has been really inspired by the Youth for Jesus Program. 43:35 Radim, tell me what inspired you about that 43:38 and that you want it to take it back 43:39 to Czech Republic. 43:42 Good evening ASI. 43:45 I came first time to ASI in 2003 in Albuquerque, 43:49 and I was inspired and motivated 43:51 amongst other by Youth for Jesus Program. 43:55 And it was my dream 43:56 to bring this program to our county. 43:59 2009, we had first Youth for Jesus Program 44:04 in Czechoslovakia. 44:06 So it means this year it was year number 11. 44:10 And we are so grateful to God 44:11 because we have just 10,000 Seventh-day Adventist 44:16 in Czechoslovakian Union, 44:19 but close to 1,000 young people participated 44:23 in all 11 Youth for Jesus program 44:26 and this brings by three ways, 44:29 benefits to God's work in our county. 44:32 First, 44:33 it is a revival of our churches 44:36 of where this program is happening. 44:39 Secondly, 44:41 it's life changing experience for young people. 44:44 Many of them took a decision to be baptized, 44:48 and they're willing to serve the Lord 44:52 for the rest of the life. 44:54 And the third way, 44:57 it is serving to the community. 45:00 To help people to meet Jesus and His word, 45:04 and that's it. 45:05 So I want to talk with these young people 45:07 'cause they've all been involved. 45:08 And first, Tamar, Tammy, 45:11 tell us some what kind of... 45:14 How is Youth for Jesus 45:15 different than some of the other youth programs? 45:17 What kind of impact is it having on you? 45:19 Well, in my opinion, 45:21 what really makes Youth for Jesus program 45:23 stand out amongst the variety of Czechoslovak youth programs 45:29 is actually the spirituality itself. 45:32 You know, most of the young people 45:35 that come to this program, 45:38 they come from families and generations of Adventists, 45:43 and they may have inherited their religion 45:47 but they're actually lacking their own Christian identity. 45:51 So they actually have no idea 45:54 how to transfer this Christian theory 45:57 into their practical everyday lives 45:59 and during the last summer, 46:01 I was able to witness 46:03 how these young people they were being pushed out 46:06 of their comfort zone 46:07 because they had to serve 46:10 and accommodate to strangers individual needs 46:14 and somehow that made them turn 46:17 into being codependent on God Himself 46:22 because I was able to see 46:24 how they were actually reading more of the Bible. 46:28 They were interested more in morning devotionals. 46:33 And that itself is something really incredible. 46:37 And actually, 46:38 at the end of their stay, some of them 46:41 because they tasted the atmosphere of heaven. 46:45 They didn't want to leave. 46:47 So they prolonged their stay, and during the second week, 46:50 we actually had 46:51 the total number of 140 participants in total. 46:55 Amen. Amen. 46:57 Dominika, tell us about the two young boys 46:59 in this picture that we're going to see 47:01 that you have a nice testimony about their experience? 47:05 Yes. 47:06 So in the evening, 47:08 we usually at Youth for Jesus, 47:09 we share our testimonies 47:11 and I heard about these two young boys. 47:14 That other group from other town 47:16 was telling us about 47:17 and I had to know them. 47:19 So these boys, 47:21 they showed up at our health expo, 47:24 and not only that, but they became part of us, 47:28 they became friends 47:29 and they showed up every time we were there. 47:32 And they would help us to hand out booklets, 47:37 invitations, even books to people, 47:40 random people on the street. 47:42 And they themselves, 47:43 they show up even on the presentations, 47:46 they attended them. 47:48 So these presentations, 47:50 they are usually conducted and build up for adults, 47:53 but God decided to send 11 47:56 and 8 years old kids. 48:01 So I don't know what God has in mind, 48:02 but it's something incredible. 48:05 And they are always now messaging us 48:08 like "Where are you? 48:09 What are you doing guys? 48:11 And we miss you." 48:12 And I would like to send... 48:15 I would like to read a message. 48:17 Actually today, one of them, Alex, 48:21 he send us. 48:22 He says "Thank you to all Youth for Jesus 48:26 for the best holiday ever. 48:29 You are kind of people I was waiting for so long. 48:35 I really changed when I was with you. 48:37 Before I was so different 48:40 but when I met you, 48:41 I told myself these are true friends. 48:45 I will never forget you 48:46 and you will always have a place in my heart." 48:50 Amen. Amen. 48:52 Radim Jr., 48:54 so tell us about the experience 48:56 that you had personally as a result of Youth for Jesus. 48:59 I would like to share with you my personal, 49:02 short personal experience with Youth for Jesus. 49:06 I was baptized two years ago 49:08 but there was a big problem. 49:12 After my baptism I started to live without God. 49:16 And I didn't want to be with Him, 49:20 I didn't want to listen to Him. 49:23 This year, when I came to Youth for Jesus, 49:26 it changed my mind and my life. 49:31 And Youth for Jesus brought me back. 49:36 And thanks, I am grateful to God, 49:39 that the connection between Him and me 49:41 is stronger than ever. 49:43 Amen, amen. 49:46 And then Lukas, 49:47 Lukas has a personal experience that actually 49:50 transformed the lives of others as well, Lukas? 49:53 Yeah. 49:54 This year on Youth for Jesus, I got baptized. 49:58 As pastor preach about Philip and eunuch, 50:02 there was one young man 50:05 and he was thinking about being baptized. 50:09 And he was praying when he shall do it. 50:14 After my baptism, 50:16 pastor came to the Miro and asked him, 50:19 what hindered you to be baptized? 50:23 And Miro told him nothing. 50:26 After two weeks, 50:28 Miro and five other people get baptized. 50:34 And when we leave, 50:36 some other people asked me 50:39 what they shall to do to be baptized? 50:42 Praise the Lord. 50:44 Amen. 50:45 So Youth for Jesus 50:46 ASI is affecting lives everywhere, 50:48 not just here in the States, 50:50 but also in Czech Republic and Slovakia. 50:52 Thank you. 50:56 I remember when I went to my first ASI Convention, 50:59 I actually didn't have any idea what ASI even was. 51:03 I only went because I had a friend 51:05 that was going who invited me. 51:08 But when I went to ASI, 51:09 it opened my eyes to a world that I didn't know existed. 51:13 To be honest, 51:15 I didn't know that there were all these ministries, 51:18 all of these people just doing these different things 51:20 for the Lord. 51:21 And it made a strong impact on my life. 51:24 In fact, I can trace 51:26 my first desires to go into doing more ministry 51:30 for God to seeing at ASI 51:32 and people that I met who are working with ASI, 51:36 working with the Youth for Jesus programs, 51:38 and other things like that, 51:39 that I would have had no idea about, 51:42 had it not been for ASI. 51:44 I sense a need in our church 51:49 for a way that people can come together. 51:52 For a place to belong in the church. 51:54 I feel like sometimes it gets portrayed 51:57 like the epitome of Adventism 51:59 is going to church and paying tithe 52:02 and maybe participating in outreach sometime. 52:05 But in my personal experience, it's so much more than that. 52:08 And there are so many of us 52:09 that are striving in our daily lives 52:11 to do things for the Lord, 52:12 but where do we fit? 52:14 Where do we come together? 52:16 I mean, how do we get re-inspired 52:19 and networked 52:20 and get the support that we need. 52:22 And I see that as a huge need. 52:25 I see that as something that 52:27 if we could really form that kind of network 52:29 and do this together, 52:31 that all of us could benefit, 52:33 that all of us could grow and feel like, 52:36 we mean something in the church. 52:38 Like we have a purpose, we have a place in the church. 52:41 And that God is going to really be able to use... 52:46 Yeah, not just the pastors, not just the elders, 52:49 but those of us in everyday life 52:52 to do something for Him. |
Revised 2020-01-08