Participants:
Series Code: CR
Program Code: CR001904A
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00:02 I'm John Carter in Moscow.
00:04 In Havana, Cuba. 00:07 Now in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. 00:10 I'm John Carter in Petra. 00:13 Right here in Communist China. 00:16 Reporting from India. 00:18 Hi, I'm John Carter in the Solomon Islands. 00:21 I'm John Carter in Soweto. 00:24 From El Salvador. 00:26 I'm John Carter in Sydney, Australia. 00:30 John Carter investigates a Miracle in Cuba. 00:36 Hello, friend. I'm John Carter. 00:38 Welcome back to the Carter Report. 00:40 Today, we're talking about 00:42 our man in Havana, Pedro. 00:46 My guests today are Susie Piraino. 00:49 Delighted to have you with us today, Susie. 00:51 Glad to be here. 00:52 And Alan De Leon, glad to have you with us today. 00:54 Thank you. 00:56 You've just come back from Cuba. 00:57 Yes. 00:58 You've been telling us about the evangelistic campaign 01:01 that Pedro was conducting and how he was saved 01:05 by the communist official. 01:07 That's right. Pretty amazing. 01:09 Yeah, the communist official had told him, 01:11 "You can use the state auditorium." 01:14 That's right, and at the last moment... 01:17 Because of some pressure that was placed upon him. 01:20 The communist officials said, 01:22 "We're not gonna let you have it." 01:24 Yeah, he took it away from Pedro in the last minute 01:26 and so he had to scramble to put the program together. 01:28 What a tragedy? Apparent a tragedy. 01:30 So we thought... 01:32 So Pedro's given the big heave-ho. 01:35 But he finds the church about a mile down the road. 01:38 Exactly. 01:40 He's running a campaign in that church. 01:42 Is it successful? 01:44 Oh! Tremendously, yes. 01:45 Yeah, pack to the doors, 01:46 and are people coming to Christ? 01:48 Oh! Yes, indeed. 01:50 And Pedro's preaching. Preaching powerfully. 01:52 He got fire in his belly. He's putting out his heart. 01:54 He's just preaching and singing his heart out. 01:57 He laid it all out there. 01:58 He's never been told, "It doesn't work." 02:00 No, obviously not. 02:01 No, he hadn't even if he did that, 02:03 he wouldn't listen. 02:04 Now, if you come to this part of the world, 02:06 or to Australia or Southern California, 02:08 you're gonna to meet so many people who'll say, 02:10 "Don't do it, doesn't work? 02:12 No one will go. No. Have you heard this? 02:14 Yes, no one's gonna come. 02:17 I've heard it over. 02:19 No, we don't do it anymore, brother. 02:21 It doesn't work, brother. 02:23 We don't do evangelism anymore. 02:26 Yeah, fortunately, Pedro hasn't heard this stuff. 02:29 He's like the bumblebee. That's right. 02:31 According to the law of aerodynamics... 02:34 Can't fly. He can't fly. 02:35 But he's never heard of that law, 02:37 he just goes ahead and fly. 02:38 That's right. That's right. 02:39 So Pedro is preaching his heart out 02:41 and people are coming to Christ. 02:43 Exactly. 02:44 Oh, and it's just a beautiful program. 02:45 He put it all together last minute changing... 02:47 And he's a great singer. 02:49 Great. Oh, he's a wonderful singer. 02:51 We've taken him with us to Russia. 02:53 Exactly. 02:54 By the grace of God, we're gonna take him 02:56 to Manila shortly. 02:57 Yes, indeed. People love Pedro. 02:59 But the old communist leader up there 03:01 has got in a great singer putting on a tremendous concert 03:06 and is laughing about Pedro... 03:08 Right. And we keep the Pedro out. 03:11 He's going to be a failure. That's right. 03:13 Yeah, they were taking advantage 03:14 of all of the publicity that Pedro did out. 03:16 Yes, they used our advertising 03:18 that the Carter Report paid for. 03:19 Yeah, exactly. And so they want to capitalize. 03:21 That even makes me mad. 03:23 They figure they could capitalize on that 03:25 and just start a concert. 03:26 And so, as they've got this great communist concept, 03:29 what happens? 03:31 The winds kick up, and lo and behold, 03:33 a tornado comes right through. 03:34 A tornado? A tornado. 03:36 Now, this is the second time in the history of Cuba 03:38 that tornadoes have hit Cuba. 03:40 Are you serious? Second time. 03:42 The second time in the history of Cuba. 03:44 Exactly, and so... 03:46 And where did the tornado go? 03:47 It just happened to go right over the theater. 03:50 Where the communist official was? 03:51 With the packed house. With the packed house. 03:53 With the Cuban replacement singer. 03:56 I shouldn't be laughing about this. 03:57 I ought to be saying this is dreadful. 03:59 And it absolutely blew the roof off of the place. 04:01 Literally? Literally. 04:02 And then from there it caused a great panic, 04:04 people were running all over the place. 04:06 And you told me they had chandeliers? 04:07 Yes, the chandeliers started falling from the ceiling, 04:09 they are falling on top of the people. 04:11 The communists are big for these chandeliers. 04:12 Oh! 04:13 It was a fancy, it was a very fancy theater 04:15 that's only used for certain concerts. 04:18 It's like Jesus said, "The house came tumbling down." 04:20 Literally, literally. 04:22 And then criminals came in with knives? 04:23 Yes. 04:25 Yes, they started robbing all the people 04:26 that were trying to escape. 04:27 And the lights are out? Exactly. 04:29 And the people are screaming? Yes. 04:30 Yes, it's chaos. 04:31 And it closes down in chaos and in shame? 04:33 Right, people hurt and trampled, 04:35 there was blood, he said on the carpets. 04:37 And a mile down the road? 04:39 Is where we were with Pedro. 04:40 And Pedro is preaching? Yes. 04:42 And people in communist Cuba are coming to Christ? 04:45 Yes. People started coming forward. 04:47 Can you say hallelujah, my friend? 04:49 Amen. Can you say hallelujah? 04:51 Carter Report supported, 04:52 because this was a Carter Report campaign. 04:54 Yes, it was. 04:55 He wouldn't... 04:57 Yeah, he wouldn't have been able to do any of this 04:58 without the support of the Carter Report. 04:59 Why not? 05:01 Because... 05:02 They got plenty of money for evangelism in Cuba, 05:03 haven't they? 05:05 Well, unfortunately not. 05:06 The average salary for a pastor in Cuba 05:08 is actually only $28 a month. 05:11 And listen to this, my friend, listen to this, 05:15 $28 a month is the average salary 05:18 in communist socialistic Cuba. 05:21 Twenty eight bucks a month? Right. 05:24 How much is Pedro paid? 05:26 Well, Pedro, unfortunately doesn't even qualify for $28 05:30 because he's still going to school. 05:32 Yeah, and he's doing evangelism? 05:34 And he's doing evangelism. I mean, goodness me. 05:35 And he's bringing souls to Jesus Christ. 05:37 I mean, goodness me. That's got to be stopped. 05:39 But yet, he only deserves $13 a month. 05:42 That's his salary. 05:44 It's less than half. And he's got a wife. 05:46 He's got a wife 05:48 and he's got a beautiful four-year-old daughter. 05:50 And $13. Thirteen dollars a month. 05:52 Thirteen dollars a month. 05:55 It's absurd. 05:56 How does he live on $13 a month? 05:58 Oh! 06:00 It's a strong partnership that he has with his wife 06:01 as well, and she's a dentist. 06:03 Just as well, she's pulling teeth. 06:04 Yes. 06:05 And she's running around all over Cuba. 06:07 But how much does she earn in a month? 06:09 She only makes about $38 a month. 06:11 So she's... 06:13 As a dentist. As a full dentist. 06:15 Yeah, yeah. 06:16 And so unfortunately, they can't even afford 06:18 to cover their rent. 06:20 So they always have to scrape and save 06:22 and do other outside activities in order to make money. 06:25 Alan and Susie, I was there when communism collapsed 06:29 in Russia. 06:30 I was there. 06:33 I saw it collapsing. 06:34 I saw the great lines of starving people. 06:39 It's terrible. I've seen communism. 06:42 Want to tell my American, 06:43 Australian friends and the rest of you. 06:46 Don't be enamored with communism. 06:49 Oh, no. Goodness me. 06:50 No, I mean, look at Cuba. Look at it. 06:52 It's... 06:54 I mean, communism. Tell me about Cuba? 06:55 I mean, communism, how can they defend communism 06:58 when you go there 07:00 and the place looks like it's been bombed. 07:02 A lot of the buildings are like are devastated, 07:05 crumbling, falling apart. 07:06 Some of them look okay outside. 07:08 Yeah, some of them have a nice façade 07:10 because they've been redone by the government, 07:14 certain buildings, certain areas. 07:15 So they look good. 07:17 So they look good but certain areas 07:18 where a lot of the people live are just totally rundown. 07:21 And you go inside this building... 07:22 I've been inside. 07:24 What do you see inside those buildings? 07:25 Nothing. 07:26 Inside the structures are falling apart because... 07:28 And they're empty. 07:29 Exactly because nobody can afford to visit 07:30 or go out to eat or do anything really. 07:32 I wanna tell the audience, 07:34 this is the fruitage of atheism. 07:38 People say no, no, no, no atheism can be great. 07:41 This is the fruitage of atheism. 07:43 And the people look depressed. 07:45 The people... 07:46 Well, who wouldn't be depressed? 07:48 I mean, you're making 28 on the average $28 a month. 07:50 So people... What do the people live on? 07:52 They have to live together in families. 07:55 The families live together 07:56 so they pull all their money together 07:58 and then the government rations certain staples 08:01 that they get every month. 08:03 So they're on rations. Right. 08:04 Two kilos of sugar... 08:05 What a successful system? 08:07 You get some flours, you get six eggs per person. 08:09 And that only depends on what is available to them 08:11 at that time. 08:13 And beans. And beans, and rice. 08:15 It's not enough for one person for a month. 08:17 So what families will do is come together, 08:20 pool together what they get per month, 08:22 and then they try to make that last as long as they can. 08:24 But let me ask you a question. 08:27 The people are deprived 08:28 as they're living under complete socialism. 08:32 People have forgotten that Russian system 08:35 used to be called 08:37 the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic. 08:43 And we're not talking politics. Right. 08:45 We're talking history. That's correct. 08:47 It was a socialistic system. 08:50 And they had a saying over there 08:52 when I was over there when communism was collapsing. 08:55 They had this saying, "We pretend to work 08:58 and they pretend to pay us." 09:00 Right. 09:01 We pretend to work and they pretend to pay us. 09:06 And Pedro is a Carter Report evangelist. 09:08 He certainly is. 09:10 And while I take my hat off to Pedro, because... 09:12 Take two hats off. 09:14 He's not only... 09:15 He's going to school full time, 09:17 they've given him a church, 09:19 which they gave him, 09:21 probably the poorest church there is. 09:23 Yeah. And he's got a family, a wife. 09:25 Yeah. 09:26 And his mother lives with them, too. 09:28 Yeah. 09:29 So, you know, that's a lot of responsibility 09:31 for this young man. 09:33 But he just, he just marches ahead 09:35 and he keeps going. 09:36 Well, he's got a fire in his belly. 09:38 He does. He sure does. 09:39 I got to see that firsthand. 09:40 And one of... 09:42 Alan, you're just finishing your masters in divinity 09:44 in theology, let me say this to you, 09:47 and all campaigner, 09:51 and some people are not gonna like this. 09:54 But often on occasions, the more degrees preachers get, 09:58 the more boring they become. 10:01 I can understand that. Can you understand it? 10:03 Yeah. And you can see it. 10:04 Yes. 10:06 The more degrees, the more academic they get. 10:09 Right. 10:10 And then they can't get outside of an office. 10:11 Right. 10:13 You know, they think they died and gone to glory, 10:16 because they're sitting in an office. 10:17 Where they're busy writing books 10:19 of how to win souls 10:20 when they've never won any souls for themselves. 10:22 They're out of practice. 10:24 I mean, they've never done it themselves. 10:26 And they're giving seminars on how to win souls. 10:28 Church growth, and he says, 10:29 how many churches have you grown? 10:31 Oh, nothing, I'm just telling you how to grow... 10:32 No, I can tell you how to do it. 10:34 Yeah. It's pretty sad. 10:36 I know, it's sad, and it's silly. 10:38 It's really. Yeah, it's terrible. 10:40 It's silly, it's spiritual sickness. 10:44 Now I guess Pedro's got a nice car. 10:49 Unfortunately, not with the money 10:51 that he makes every month, 10:53 it's barely enough to cover any of the cost 10:54 that they have for their travel. 10:55 But he is a pastor. 10:57 But he is and so the church that they gave him 10:59 is actually 11 miles away from where he is, 11:02 which doesn't seem like a great distance to you and me 11:04 that have cars. 11:06 But for somebody who doesn't own one 11:07 that's a 22 mile round trip by foot. 11:11 Twenty two mile round foot. 11:13 Exactly, and I got to do that with him 11:14 while we were there... 11:16 One thing about that, he won't be obese. 11:17 Oh, no. Oh, no, definitely not. 11:18 I mean he... 11:20 On beans and... 11:21 Rice. Twenty two miles a day. 11:23 Right. Exactly. 11:24 Because transportation to the church 11:26 where he lives is rare. 11:28 So he either has to get someone to help him get there. 11:31 Or on one occasion, it was 10 o'clock at night 11:34 when he finished his Wednesday night church. 11:36 Yes. 11:37 And no buses, no one around. 11:40 He ended up having to walk home. 11:42 And it took him four hours to get home. 11:44 He got home at two in the morning. 11:46 I understand too that he was in danger 11:49 one night walking home. 11:50 Yes, he told me that he was walking home 11:53 and it's where the road to his church is very isolated. 11:57 It's dark and completely... 12:00 No lights whatsoever. No lights? 12:01 And it's hilly. 12:03 So you're going up and down these hills. 12:04 And he's walking and he said these three guys, 12:08 he turned around and they were following him. 12:10 So he started to walk faster and so did they, 12:12 obviously so he figured... 12:13 So there is crime in this communist country, 12:15 isn't it? Yes, yes. 12:16 But he told me fortunately 12:17 I could run faster than they could so I... 12:19 So he had to run, outrun them. 12:21 He had to outrun them at night. 12:23 This young preacher of the gospel. 12:24 Yeah, full suit and tie and he outran three of them. 12:27 So it's pretty... 12:28 And he wears a suit and a tie? Yes. 12:30 I thought preachers didn't do that anymore. 12:32 Well, he travels and every time he goes to church 12:34 and takes any meeting, 12:36 he's always in full suit and tie. 12:37 I thought preachers went to their churches 12:40 dressed as though they've just been to the beach. 12:42 Yeah, in a lot of places. 12:43 That's what they do in a lot of places. 12:45 Yeah, they're completely liberated. 12:47 Yeah, they don't need to dress up to go worship... 12:49 But the politicians I've noticed in America 12:52 and the sports broadcasters. 12:56 Can you believe they wear suits? 12:57 Exactly, I wonder why. 12:59 Yeah, Pedro takes a whole level of professionalism 13:02 and respect while he's preaching. 13:04 And he respects God, and he respects the people. 13:07 Right, and the church members love him. 13:09 Now, we've made a little a little decision, 13:14 and I want the Carter Report supporters to be in on this. 13:18 We're going to buy Pedro, a motorbike. 13:22 Oh, that's gonna be such a salvation for him. 13:23 Now, we can't get him a car because he'd be... 13:27 So many would be jealous of him. 13:28 Right. 13:30 And they're hard to come by too. 13:31 Exactly, and they're pretty expensive 13:33 for what they actually are. 13:34 You mean motorcars? Yes. 13:36 So but we can get a... 13:38 We can get a moped. 13:39 We saw a lot of people driving around in mopeds, 13:43 and he said, wow, he said, that would be such a blessing, 13:45 if I could have a moped would save me a lot of time. 13:48 Can I just sidetrack a little? Yeah. 13:50 I never sidetrack as you know. No, obviously not. 13:52 You know, I used to have a motorbike. 13:53 Oh, you do. 13:55 You wouldn't understand this, Alan. 13:56 Guys who get degrees in theology 13:58 don't drive Harleys, 14:00 but I used to have a Harley Davidson. 14:02 Yeah. 14:03 There's nothing much better than riding down a country road 14:07 all by yourself, early in the morning, 14:10 with the birds flying up and the air is cool and crisp, 14:14 and you feel the thunder of a Harley 14:17 between your legs. 14:19 Right. Oh, must be nice. 14:21 It's a long time since I've had a Harley. 14:24 My wife tells me she thinks I'm getting a little too old 14:27 to be out on the freeways on a Harley. 14:30 What sort of bike can we... 14:32 Well, we looked around and we saw a number of people 14:36 on these electric, like little vespas. 14:37 Electric bikes. 14:39 Exactly, it's operated with a lithium battery. 14:41 And they're pretty fast, aren't they? 14:42 Yeah, and they're actually very quiet as well. 14:44 They rarely make any type of noise. 14:45 So that would be... 14:46 Like a Tesla. Exactly. 14:48 Yes. 14:49 Yeah, and that would be the best option. 14:50 The Cuban Tesla. Exactly. 14:52 And I think they run, 14:53 you can get a used one for about 1,500 dollars. 14:56 And brand new, I think they're about $2,000. 14:58 So obviously that's something that's beyond reach for Pedro. 15:01 And that's US as well. 15:02 The Carter Report supporters are gonna help with this. 15:05 Oh, that would be so wonderful. And we're gonna help. 15:06 No, no, our supporters. 15:08 I'm asking you. 15:09 Come on support the Carter Report. 15:11 So we can support the Pedro's of this world. 15:14 That's right. 15:15 You know, as my old friend in Texas Bill May used to say 15:18 for crying out loud. 15:19 Yeah, I know. And we gotta do this. 15:21 If we can help him. 15:22 You know, there's a pastor I met there 15:25 from Guantanamo Bay. 15:27 Yes. Yeah, we remember. 15:28 We remember him. Oh! 15:30 Goodness me, he was so earnest and so pious. 15:33 And he's in Santiago de Cuba, 15:34 which is on the very southern end. 15:36 And so dedicated. 15:37 Yes. 15:39 And so I actually left some money with Pedro. 15:41 I'm glad. And I asked... 15:42 Some Carter Report money. 15:44 Yes, and because you had requested that... 15:45 Yeah, of course. 15:46 To give some money to this pastor and... 15:48 Yeah, we gotta do this. 15:49 Pedro knows him, so he's going to find him 15:51 and give him the little gift that was sent to him. 15:53 We've got to help the starving pastors. 15:56 Yes. 15:57 Now, people are not going to hear about this 15:59 except right here. 16:01 That's right. Exactly and the money... 16:02 We got to help the starving pastors 16:05 to preach the gospel to the starving multitudes. 16:09 Now, he's going to the seminary. 16:12 Yes, we got to visit the campus when we were there. 16:14 Oh, you did? 16:15 Yeah, and it's actually a beautiful campus. 16:17 We could have sent you there for $10 a year. 16:19 Probably it would have been a lot cheaper. 16:22 But he's getting a good education there 16:24 and it's a fully functioning, running seminary. 16:27 And he's studying 16:28 and he's finishing his first year right now. 16:33 Many of the viewers may not be aware of the fact 16:35 that the Adventist run a huge educational system 16:38 around the world. 16:40 Right. 16:41 The biggest church educational system is run by our friends, 16:45 the Roman Catholics, 16:47 and the second biggest church school system 16:50 is run by the Adventists. 16:52 Lot of people don't know that. Wow. 16:53 So they got colleges, universities 16:56 all around the world. 16:57 Right. 16:59 And in Cuba, they have a seminary. 17:01 I'm told it's a good seminary. 17:03 They've a lot of people. Yeah, it's a nice campus. 17:05 They have a lot of people 17:06 that travel from Central and South America 17:08 just to go to this particular seminary. 17:11 Now think about this. 17:12 Pedro is a pastor. 17:15 Okay, he pastors a church. 17:17 Yes. 17:18 And he's building a church. 17:20 Correct. 17:21 We'll come back to this. Right. 17:22 He's a pastor, he's an evangelist, 17:25 he's a singer. Yes. 17:27 And he is studying at the seminary. 17:28 He wears many hats. 17:30 And he's getting $13 a month, beat that my friend. 17:33 Yeah. Yeah. 17:34 That's correct. 17:36 Whenever you feel like complaining, 17:38 he's got a fire in his belly, he believes in evangelism, 17:43 and he hasn't believe the big lie 17:47 that evangelism is finished. 17:49 That's right. 17:50 Because the idea that evangelism is finished, 17:53 is one of the biggest lies that came out of hell, 17:57 that's the truth. 17:59 Now, tell them, seminary. 18:01 You know, Pastor Carter actually, Pedro was influenced 18:05 by the campaign that you ran there in 2016. 18:08 Yeah. 18:09 That's when we met him for the first time. 18:11 And after attending that campaign, 18:14 he actually decided 18:15 that he wanted to go into seminary 18:18 and to continue and to go in to become a pastor. 18:21 And we ran a campaign there, didn't we? 18:22 Yes, in 2016 we went to the church of the Varadero 18:26 which is the serpent. 18:28 Yeah, they gave us the toughest church in Cuba 18:30 because they said, 18:31 we'll see how they get on in the church of the serpent. 18:33 That's right. 18:34 They hadn't had a baptism at that church 18:36 for 10 years prior. 18:37 Yes, that's right. Yeah. 18:39 Yeah, because the pastor said, it doesn't work. 18:41 No one's gonna come. Nobody's going to come. 18:44 I mean it's sad, isn't it? 18:46 And we thought just the opposite once again. 18:48 We sponsored campaigns and run campaigns across Cuba, 18:53 and saw the greatest number of baptisms 18:55 in the history of our church in Cuba. 18:59 That's right. 19:00 We did 10 campaigns across Cuba. 19:01 Yeah, about a thousand baptisms. 19:05 Right. That can't be done, folk. 19:07 Right. It's impossible. 19:09 But fortunately Cuba has... 19:12 Pedro, a man in Havana hasn't heard this nonsense 19:15 that it can't be done. Exactly. 19:16 And like the bumblebee 19:17 who doesn't know that he can't fly. 19:19 He just goes ahead and flies. 19:22 Now he's trying to build a new church structure. 19:27 So he doesn't have enough to do. 19:30 Exactly. 19:31 When we were there, 19:32 I took three of the services for him for his church 19:35 so that he could focus on the campaign. 19:37 How did he do? 19:38 Oh! He did great. He did all right? 19:40 He preached on Wednesday night, 19:42 Friday night and Saturday service. 19:43 So we keep paying him still. 19:44 Yeah. Hopefully. 19:46 So he is earning his keep. 19:47 I won't write to his professors 19:48 at the Fuller Seminary and say he is no good. 19:50 No, no, actually, the people were very blessed, 19:52 the messages that... 19:54 Are you related to this young gun? 19:55 A little. 19:56 Yes, you're his aunt, aren't you? 19:58 Yes, I am. 19:59 So he take what you say with the pinch of salt. 20:00 But somebody did do good. 20:02 Thank you. Yes. 20:03 And the people were very warm and inviting, 20:05 but was most shocking to us is when we arrived, 20:08 his church was a small church, 20:10 probably half the size of a small house, 20:13 on the inside... 20:14 Like our TV studio. 20:16 Lot smaller. Smaller? 20:17 So a lot smaller. 20:19 It could fit, 20:20 I think the capacity was about 50-55 people. 20:23 The inside of the building was just deteriorating, 20:25 falling apart. 20:27 It had a tin roof, held together by wooden beams. 20:29 And overtime, the wood began to rot 20:34 and run with termites and all that and humidity, 20:37 and it started to fall apart. 20:39 But Pedro had noticed 20:40 when he went into the church for the first time, 20:43 and he was able to raise $9,000 20:46 and start building a new church behind the old church. 20:50 Now he's got some help, not from Cuba, 20:52 from out of the country? 20:53 He got an anonymous donation. 20:56 He said, he's told everybody 20:57 that he's trying to build this church 20:59 and he got an anonymous donation. 21:01 I want to say to our supporters. 21:03 Let us help Pedro to build his church 21:06 for the glory of God, 21:09 and for the souls of the people. 21:10 This is our responsibility. It is. 21:13 Now, you got caught in a storm. 21:17 You and Javier? Yes, we did. 21:19 And Javier is a great missionary. 21:20 Yes, he is. 21:22 Thank goodness Javier was there with me. 21:23 Yeah. 21:25 I mean, we headed back to Havana 21:27 on the Sunday night. 21:28 Yes. 21:29 Because it was an hour from where Pedro was 21:31 to get back to Havana. 21:32 Yeah. 21:33 And little did we know 21:35 that the tornado was coming that night. 21:36 Yeah. So we... 21:38 It was hard for us to get a taxi 21:39 because there were none available. 21:40 No taxis. No cars. 21:42 So we went to the corner and we just stood there 21:43 looking for someone that could drive us 21:45 into Havana. 21:47 We finally found this man with this old beater car. 21:50 I mean, you could see 21:52 the ground through the bottom of the car. 21:53 Yeah, yeah. 21:55 It's rusted an old. Yeah. 21:56 So anyway, as we're driving into Havana, 21:57 it starts pouring. 21:59 Literally, it starts pouring, 22:00 and he only had one wiper working. 22:02 Yeah. 22:03 So Javier was sitting on the right side 22:04 and he couldn't see anything with this little wiper's going 22:07 and we're thinking, 22:09 Okay, this is not going to be very safe here. 22:11 So fortunately, further we... 22:13 The closer we got to Havana, the winds were kicking up, 22:16 the rain was now torrential. 22:18 So we hadn't eaten all day long. 22:21 So Javier said, "Let's stop at this restaurant" 22:23 that's like eight blocks from where we were staying. 22:25 And then we'll just walk to our hotel. 22:27 Yeah. So the guy drops us off. 22:30 And when we got into the restaurant, 22:33 the lights went out in all of Cuba, 22:36 it was a blackout. 22:37 So fortunately, we picked the one restaurant 22:40 that had a generator. 22:42 So the lights came back on, 22:43 we were able to get something to eat. 22:45 And then Javier said, "Can you call a taxi, 22:47 so it can take us back because it's pouring." 22:50 And he said, "I'm sorry, 22:51 no taxis are allowed to come this way 22:53 because the rains are so bad. 22:56 The water is just rushing down the street. 22:58 No cars can come in." 23:00 So he said, "What are we going to do?" 23:02 He said, "Well, you just gonna have to walk." 23:04 So you did it? 23:06 It's pitch-black. Yeah. 23:07 It's storming and raining. Yeah. 23:09 And there are big holes in the streets 23:11 everywhere in Cuba. 23:12 So we said, "What are we going to do? 23:14 We're going to walk." 23:15 So Javier got out his cell phone, 23:17 and he sort of lit up the ground. 23:19 And we just, I held on to him 23:21 because the winds were really roaring by this time. 23:24 We had no idea there was a tornado 23:26 that was coming through to Havana. 23:29 So we're walking almost eight blocks 23:31 to get back to our hotel, 23:32 we're seeing these metal things just flying across the air 23:35 and we're thinking, 23:36 "Okay, it's just because of all this garbage 23:37 that's everywhere." 23:39 But fortunately, way down we saw one building lit up 23:42 and it was our hotel. 23:44 Let me tell you something. 23:46 You are now a missionary. 23:48 You know what a missioner, who a missionary is? 23:51 A person with the mission for God. 23:53 That's right. 23:55 Now, let me tell you, folk, something. 23:57 While you were there, 23:59 my son David was in India. 24:02 Oh, that's great. 24:03 And David was over there 24:05 helping the work of God in India. 24:07 We're on television in India. 24:09 That's right. 24:10 A lot of people don't know this, 24:11 but we're on television in India. 24:13 It's terribly difficult in India. 24:16 And also, we're looking after some children in India. 24:19 Right, we sponsors lot of untouchable girls. 24:23 Some untouchable little girls. 24:25 I want to say to the people who're watching, 24:27 support this work, 24:29 this is the greatest work, this is the best. 24:31 This is the best investment. 24:33 And then we're supporting some children down 24:35 in El Salvador too. 24:37 That's right. Keeping them safe. 24:39 That's right. El Salvador's another country. 24:41 And so, the work goes on. It certainly does. 24:45 And I want to say... 24:46 I want to say to both you folks, 24:48 well done, good and faithful servant. 24:50 It was my pleasure. 24:52 You've done well, and thank God for Pedro. 24:53 Oh, yes. 24:55 And thank God for you, my friend. 24:57 Thank God for you because you make this possible. 25:01 Please write to me today, John Carter, P.O. Box 1900, 25:05 Thousand Oaks, California 91358. 25:08 In Australia, write to me at the address on the screen. 25:12 Support Pedro. 25:15 Help us to support the building of churches. 25:18 Help us to support the preaching of the gospel, 25:22 whether it's in Cuba, 25:24 or in India. 25:26 Support the preaching of the gospel in India, 25:29 where there's persecution. 25:32 And I just want to thank you, Susie, and Alan, and Javier, 25:38 for being true soldiers of the cross. 25:41 Thank you. 25:43 And until next time, 25:45 may the Lord bless you and watch over you. 25:48 And thank you for standing with us. 25:54 There's only one thing 25:56 that really counts in this lifetime, 25:59 your relationship to Christ. 26:01 And then if you have a right relationship 26:03 with Christ, 26:05 you want to tell people about Christ. 26:08 That's why Jesus said, "Go into all the world 26:10 and preach the gospel to every creature." 26:14 By the grace of God, we're going to do that, 26:17 we are doing that. 26:19 That is why we're going back to Cuba, 26:22 to this communist land, to preach Christ. 26:26 We're accepting an invitation to go to the vast, 26:30 huge city of Manila, 26:33 the capital of the Philippines, been there before, 26:36 but by the grace of God, we're going back. 26:40 Please support us. 26:41 And please stand with us 26:44 in the preaching of the everlasting gospel. 26:47 You say, "How do you do it? Who pays the bills?" 26:50 We do. 26:51 "Do you get any help, 26:52 financial help from the church?" 26:54 No, my friend, we don't. 26:56 But we get a lot of help from God and from His children. 27:00 Please support us in the preaching 27:03 of the everlasting gospel. 27:05 It's the most important work in all the world. 27:08 Everything else is almost trivia. 27:11 So would you please write to me? 27:15 John Carter, P.O. Box 1900, 27:19 Thousand Oaks, California 91358. 27:23 Do your best for Jesus. 27:25 Do your best for the gospel. 27:28 And in Australia, write to me at Terrigal. 27:31 And we promise you this, every dime, every dollar 27:37 is going to be used to win souls 27:39 to our Lord Jesus Christ. 27:41 Please write to me today. 27:46 Thank you and God bless you. 27:57 For a copy of today's program, 27:59 please contact us at P.O. Box 1900, 28:02 Thousand Oaks, California 91358. 28:07 Or in Australia, 28:08 contact us at P.O. Box 861, 28:12 Terrigal, New South Wales 2260. 28:16 This program is made possible 28:18 through the generous support of viewers like you. 28:21 We thank you for your continued support. 28:24 May God richly bless you. |
Revised 2019-04-19