Participants:
Series Code: IIWC
Program Code: IIWC202109S
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00:55 >> Welcome to
00:56 It Is Written Canada. 00:58 Thank you for joining us here 01:00 at BC Helicopters in beautiful 01:02 Abbotsford, British Columbia 01:04 where you will hear some 01:06 helicopters taking off 01:07 and landing. 01:09 Our special guests are Ruben 01:10 Dias and Misha Gelb who shared 01:14 an epic dream, a passion for 01:17 flying helicopters and they 01:19 united their interests 01:20 launching the Epic Global 01:22 Heli Tour. 01:24 >> This trip around the world 01:25 in a helicopter would carry 01:27 them over 60,000 kilometres 01:30 with 107 stops, traversing at 01:34 least 45 countries on five 01:38 different continents. 01:40 Ruben and Misha, we are 01:42 looking forward to hearing 01:43 your intriguing adventure. 01:45 Welcome to It Is Written 01:46 Canada. 01:48 >> Thank you for having us. 01:48 >> Thank you. 01:50 >> Ruben and Misha, what was 01:52 the objective of this trip 01:54 around the world? 01:56 >> Well, we call it The Epic 01:58 World Tour. 02:00 EPIC stood for Empowering 02:03 something that Ruben came up 02:04 with and it kind of, you know, 02:06 we were thinking about what 02:07 were all the reasons 'cause 02:08 there was a lot of them, as to 02:10 why we wanted to go on this 02:11 trip and, you know, I think we 02:13 wanted to be able to inspire 02:15 people with the lifestyle that 02:16 we live and the passion that 02:18 we have for flying helicopters 02:19 and exploring the world and 02:21 seeing those things and so I 02:22 think that was a springboard, 02:24 but... 02:25 >> Yeah, and also the 02:26 achievement of having actually 02:29 conquered something that was a 02:30 dream for a long time for both 02:32 of us and it came just as a 02:35 normal flight that was being 02:36 trained by Misha and we 02:37 discovered that we both had 02:39 that dream we wanted to do 02:41 some day and we said, "Why we" 02:43 "don't do it right away?" 02:44 "Let's do it right now," 02:45 meaning planning for it, 02:47 preparing for it 'cause it was 02:49 a natural thing we had been 02:50 nurturing for a long time of 02:53 achieving a personal 02:55 accomplishment that we've been 02:56 dreaming for a long time. 02:58 And then we wanna put a 02:59 purpose on this dream so we 03:01 associated entrepreneurship 03:03 and healthy living into the 03:05 whole project. 03:08 >> So, Ruben and Misha, you 03:10 are both Christian businessmen, 03:12 entrepreneurs, and you 03:15 love flying. 03:16 So tell us where this passion 03:19 for flying originated for both 03:21 of you. 03:22 >> Mm, yeah. 03:24 Both of us when we were 03:25 pretty young. 03:26 When I was 16 years old, my 03:27 mom gave me a ten-- well, it 03:28 was a 12-minute flight in a 03:30 helicopter and that was all it 03:31 took to spark the interest and 03:33 from that moment on it was 03:34 like, I have to do this for my 03:36 career, I have to do this for 03:37 a living, I wanna be in the 03:38 air, I wanna fly helicopters. 03:40 And so it was just this, you 03:41 know, this passion that 03:42 snowballed into figuring out a 03:44 way to actually make it happen. 03:45 So, yeah... 03:47 >> And I was probably 03:49 the same age, 03:50 actually probably younger. 03:52 I was living in Uruguay, my 03:53 parents were missionaries 03:55 there and I had this crazy, 03:57 I like to think immature idea 04:00 that I could fly from Uruguay 04:02 to South Africa on a little 04:04 kit plane that I saw that was 04:05 a helicopter on a kit plane 04:08 magazine that I was buying and 04:10 I dreamed about it: "One day" 04:11 "I'm gonna fly to South Africa" 04:14 "and it's gonna be at night," 04:15 so very, very... 04:17 >> More adventurous. 04:18 >> Adventurous even. 04:19 And I was at-- had a passion 04:21 about geography, just going 04:23 around the world and being 04:25 different places, very quickly 04:27 changing culturals and 04:28 changing countries so that, 04:30 just the freedom that it 04:31 gives, just flying like a 04:34 bird, it was just-- inspired 04:36 my imagination of doing all 04:38 these things. 04:39 >> So for both of you it was a 04:40 dream that started when you 04:41 were young and you just 04:43 followed that and it was more 04:45 of a dream when you were 04:46 younger, right? 04:48 And for you, at the age of 16, 04:51 Misha, but then from there you 04:53 just, you just took off with 04:55 it, you started a business. 04:57 >> Yeah, I mean, I always had 04:58 sort of the entrepreneurial 05:00 spirit and so I figured out a 05:02 way, you know, I'm an 05:03 Adventist, and so I figured 05:04 out a way that I wasn't gonna 05:06 have to fly on Saturdays which 05:07 is a really hard thing to do 05:08 and, you know, a lot of people 05:10 said I could never do it and 05:11 it would never happen, I'd 05:12 never be a commercial 05:13 helicopter pilot if I didn't 05:14 fly on Saturdays. 05:16 And so, you know, it takes 05:17 creativity to make something 05:19 like that happen and so I had 05:21 to go a very unusual route 05:23 and, yeah, and it's been a 05:25 blessing the whole way. 05:27 Challenging, incredibly 05:28 challenging, but, you know, 05:30 without challenge I think you 05:32 don't get the opportunities, 05:34 you don't get exposed to the 05:35 opportunities that I think you 05:37 could if you didn't put 05:39 yourself in that situation. 05:40 I think we found that with the 05:41 world trip as well. 05:43 >> So when we talk about this 05:44 world trip, you're going 05:45 around the world in a 05:46 helicopter and so I don't 05:48 think people realize how 05:49 involved that is and the 05:52 planning that goes into that. 05:54 So talk to us about the 05:55 planning, about the risks, 05:56 what you anticipated. 05:59 >> Yeah, well, I mean, before 06:00 we went, 18 other people had 06:03 gone around the world, or 18 06:04 other helicopters had gone 06:06 around the world. 06:07 >> That's very few. 06:07 >> Yeah, it's very few. 06:09 And so planning is a 06:10 significant part of it, you 06:12 know, it took us two years 06:13 from the time that-- I still 06:15 remember as Ruben was talking 06:16 about earlier, when we first 06:17 had that discussion on the 06:18 helicopter while Ruben was 06:20 getting lessons, I asked him 06:22 the next day, I said, 06:24 "So were you actually serious" 06:25 "about this world trip, like," 06:27 "I'll do it, but are you" 06:28 "actually serious about it?" 06:29 And 'cause, you know, you can 06:30 say things and not be fully 06:32 meaning it and I found out 06:33 very quickly that he fully 06:35 meant it and so I was like, 06:36 "Well, we better start" 06:37 "planning this 'cause it's" 06:38 "gonna be a big thing." 06:39 We took two years to plan it 06:41 and I think we probably could 06:43 have used more, yeah. 06:45 >> It was a short planning. 06:46 Two years was short. 06:47 >> See, I think most people in 06:49 their minds they think, "Oh," 06:50 "it's just like getting on a" 06:51 "commercial airliner: buy a" 06:52 "ticket, go around the world." 06:54 This is not like that at all. 06:55 [MISHA] No, no. 06:55 [RUBEN] There's a lot of 06:57 details about logistics from 06:59 fuel, obviously accommodation, 07:02 weather, gotta be flexible, if 07:05 you change plans what happens, 07:07 authorizations throughout a 07:09 lot of air space in the world. 07:11 We had a specialized company 07:13 to get our permits and this is 07:16 a company that only does 07:17 adventure flights around the 07:18 world and other things not 07:20 only around the world, but 07:21 also that has some type of 07:23 very special situation of an 07:25 aircraft so we engaged them 07:28 and they helped us. 07:29 We learned a lot from the 07:30 previous person that did the 07:32 same route and we wanted to 07:34 beat his record and this is, 07:35 as Misha said, a very small 07:37 group of people and they have 07:39 the same vision, the same 07:40 passion and we help each 07:42 other, right, and we already 07:43 have given other advice to 07:45 people who wanted to do it and 07:47 the first advice that we give 07:48 is be very, very serious what 07:50 you get into because it's not 07:51 really something you have to 07:53 take lightly because there's a 07:54 lot of weight on taking that 07:57 responsibility of taking risks 07:59 for the reward. 08:01 And I think that the biggest 08:03 thing about this trip is that 08:05 the reward is huge, but the 08:06 risk was pretty high. 08:09 >> So, Ruben, you just 08:11 mentioned that there was a lot 08:13 of risk involved in this 08:15 world trip. 08:16 Did you face any close calls 08:19 while you were flying around 08:20 the world? 08:22 >> Well, more than a couple. 08:23 And I think that probably 08:25 would be a better setting to 08:26 be near the helicopter to tell 08:28 you a couple of them. 08:29 So let's go down there and 08:31 talk about that. 08:34 >> So we had a couple close 08:35 calls on our trip. 08:36 Ruben, I don't know if you 08:37 wanna talk about the first 08:38 one, I'll talk about the 08:39 second one, 08:40 yours involved wire. 08:41 The interesting thing about 08:42 our close calls were they 08:43 affected us each differently 08:45 and go ahead with yours first. 08:46 >> Yeah, you know, when you go 08:47 on a trip like this, I 08:49 remember Misha had the thought 08:50 everything's gonna be smooth 08:52 because we were gonna have an 08:53 under control schedule, not 08:55 gonna take any risks, right, 08:57 and I remember the first one 08:59 that was kind of surprise 09:01 after it happened was-- 09:03 because it was like the 09:04 fourth, fifth day, right. 09:05 >> It was just the beginning 09:06 of the trip. 09:06 >> Beginning of the trip 09:08 and we... 09:08 >> We went a long ways, but it 09:09 was the beginning of the trip. 09:10 >> Exactly. 09:11 So we arrive in Acapulco and 09:12 very, very excited because the 09:15 place is beautiful, going the 09:16 coast, the weather is 09:17 impeccable and I remember that 09:19 you and I, and you just 09:21 talking about these amazing 09:23 hotels all over the place, 09:26 right, and we were so excited. 09:28 And I know that-- I remember 09:29 that I was talking Spanish 09:31 with the tower and I think it 09:32 was a mistake, right. 09:33 >> That was, yeah, yeah. 09:34 >> And because he was more 09:35 comfortable with Spanish and 09:37 just going away with 09:38 the little directions there 09:40 and he said something that I 09:42 understood going through a 09:43 certain bay. 09:45 So we're going through that 09:46 certain bay and I know that 09:47 you and I felt a little bit 09:49 uncomfortable about that, 09:50 wasn't it? 09:51 >> Yeah, because backing up 09:52 just a second, about 15 09:53 minutes earlier he had said 09:54 that there was a restricted 09:55 area coming up ahead and 09:56 you're not allowed below 09:57 500 feet. 09:58 >> Yeah, I remember that, yep. 09:59 >> And now he's telling us 10:00 descend below 500 feet and I'm 10:01 questioning you and you're 10:02 saying, "No, no, no, he's" 10:03 "saying descend below 500" 10:04 "feet," and you confirmed it 10:05 with him. 10:06 >> I think he-- I believe he 10:07 did a mistake. 10:08 But then we go at 500 feet and 10:10 very happy, looking at right 10:12 side, left side and all of a 10:14 sudden I just see-- I was on 10:16 the controls, right. 10:17 >> You were on controls, you 10:18 were flying, yeah. 10:19 >> And I literally see a wire 10:21 in front of me, right, 10:22 like a wire. 10:23 >> But a cable. 10:24 >> It's a big cable. 10:25 >> A cable. 10:26 >> It's a big cart zip line, 10:28 I think, right? 10:29 That is in Acapulco, 10:30 I think it's well-known and 10:32 you can check it out. 10:33 And I see this cable in front 10:35 of me, my reaction I believe 10:37 was a divine moment that I had 10:39 this reaction that I was not 10:41 prepared for. 10:42 And I immediately-- and this 10:43 helicopter you can't push, 10:44 right, you can't push over 10:46 because it has that limitation 10:47 of low G's, but I put the 10:49 collective down, I put the 10:50 cyclic down, immediately, 10:51 like, bam, like we went 10:53 below the wire. 10:54 >> I was actually filming with 10:55 my phone at the time and I 10:56 dropped my phone, did you see 10:57 it happen, I dropped my phone. 10:58 >> Yeah, and you got 10:59 very scared. 11:00 >> And I went and grabbed the 11:01 controls, "What are you doing?" 11:02 >> I thought he-- I thought 11:03 Misha thought of me going 11:04 crazy, right? 11:05 >> I didn't know what was 11:06 going on, yeah. 11:07 >> Something was going on 11:08 'cause, "What were you--" 11:09 "what was happening?" 11:10 And that was a split of a 11:11 second, we went literally 11:13 below the cable and both of us 11:14 look at each other and say, 11:16 "What just happened?" 11:18 "What happened?" 11:20 And after that we had to calm 11:23 down, debrief, decompress, we 11:25 landed, I think it was five or 11:27 ten minutes later in a very-- 11:29 the first spot where media was 11:30 there waiting for us. 11:32 >> Yeah, we had to jump right 11:33 into an interview. 11:34 >> And our faces were not 11:35 prepared for that, I remember 11:36 that because we were landing, 11:37 we were still thinking of that 11:38 moment, it was a split second, 11:40 almost died there. 11:41 >> Yeah, and I recovered from 11:42 that one, it was incredibly 11:44 scary, but I recovered from 11:45 that one a little faster 11:46 because I wasn't flying, I 11:48 wasn't the one making those 11:49 control inputs, but I think 11:51 you held onto that one for a 11:52 long time. 11:53 >> Several days, 11:53 I think weeks. 11:54 Two weeks. 11:55 >> You kept bringing it up, 11:56 "I can't believe that!" 11:57 >> "How did it happen??" 11:58 >> And so forth, yeah. 11:59 Yeah, so I think we each 12:00 experienced our stories a 12:01 little bit differently. 12:02 I remember, you know, we were 12:04 in Japan, leaving Japan, 12:05 hopping over the ocean over to 12:07 Russia, it was a fairly large 12:09 water-hop and this was late in 12:10 the trip, this was getting 12:12 down to the last couple weeks. 12:13 And I remember, you know, it 12:15 was one of those days you wake 12:16 up, you look outside and it's 12:17 blue sky, it's beautiful, but 12:18 we looked at the weather very 12:20 carefully and there was an 12:21 overcast layer that was 12:22 sitting on the ocean kind of 12:23 between where we were and 12:24 where we were trying to go and 12:26 we were trying to make the 12:27 right call; do we go over, 12:28 do we go under, how do we 12:29 work this? 12:30 You know, the ceiling of the 12:31 base of those clouds seemed 12:33 very reasonable, very safe so 12:34 we set out on the journey and 12:36 that could have been the 12:37 fateful day for us, it was 12:39 incredibly dangerous. 12:40 You know, I've been flying for 12:41 a long time, 8000 hours, I've 12:43 instructed hundreds of 12:45 students and through my whole 12:46 career, you know, I've drilled 12:47 into every student that if 12:49 you-- when we're flying visual 12:50 flight rules which is, you 12:52 know, what this helicopter is 12:53 rated for, meaning you have to 12:54 see visually outside either 12:55 terrain or land or water or 12:57 whatever. 12:58 You know, when you're flying 12:59 under those conditions, if you 13:00 fly into cloud accidentally, 13:02 we call it IIMC, so 13:03 inadvertent flying into IMC, 13:05 you lose all your reference, 13:07 you lose all orientation and 13:09 within typically the average 13:10 of 72 seconds the helicopter 13:12 is completely out of control 13:13 and you end up crashing... 13:14 >> Done. 13:15 >> ...on the ground or in this 13:15 case, the water. 13:17 So, you know, we were well 13:18 over the ocean, two hours out, 13:19 too far to turn around and 13:21 come back at that stage, the 13:22 weather was deteriorating on 13:24 us slowly and so it kind of 13:25 lured us in, kind of like the 13:27 frog, you know, boiling in 13:28 water, right, and so it lured 13:29 us in to a point where we 13:31 couldn't turn around, we were 13:33 so low to the water that we 13:35 had to make a choice that the 13:36 clouds were basically right 13:37 above our rotors, we had to 13:38 make a choice what we were 13:40 gonna do. 13:40 And I remember that moment 13:41 because for me, flying into 13:43 the cloud was not an option. 13:44 It was absolutely we have to 13:45 turn around, something has 13:47 to-- we have to land on the 13:48 water, pop our floats and you 13:49 made this call, this momentary 13:51 call that saved our lives and 13:53 it was, "We have to climb, we" 13:55 "have to go into the clouds." 13:56 And it was this quick 13:57 realization that's the only 13:59 way we're gonna live, right. 14:00 >> Yeah, we were so tight, so 14:01 tight, literally almost there. 14:02 >> We were losing reference, 14:03 we almost couldn't see the 14:05 water anymore and so it's this 14:06 momentary decision. 14:07 I was flying at that point and 14:09 I looked up, you know, onto 14:10 the instruments, started 14:12 climbing and I remember we 14:13 just went into survival mode. 14:15 We both talking constantly, 14:17 "OK, watch this, watch this" 14:18 you know, "a little higher," 14:19 "watch the altitude, watch" 14:20 "the turn there," and I flew 14:21 for a few minutes, it was 14:22 maybe five minutes or 14:24 something like that, then you 14:25 took over, and I kinda went 14:26 into instructing mode and 14:27 started talking you through 14:28 it, we kinda both worked our 14:29 way through it. 14:30 After about 15 minutes in the 14:32 clouds we finally broke out 14:34 and we were back into 14:35 visibility. 14:36 I remember that moment when we 14:37 broke out, we-- I think we 14:38 both started crying. 14:39 >> I think so, yeah. 14:40 >> There was definitely tears. 14:41 >> It was too strong of 14:41 an emotion. 14:42 >> It was too strong of an 14:43 emotion and that one stuck 14:45 with me I think, again, harder 14:46 than it stuck with you, it was 14:47 so impactful for both of us. 14:49 >> How come we were in that 14:50 situation, that was your 14:51 problem. 14:52 >> How-- my problem was how 14:53 did I possibly let us get into 14:54 that situation and I remember 14:55 having the thought, "This is" 14:58 "how the whole trip ends," you 14:59 know, "they're gonna read" 15:00 "about us in the newspaper" 15:01 "saying, 'yeah, guys just" 15:02 "about made it around the" 15:03 "world and they crashed as" 15:04 "they were arriving in" 15:05 "Russia.'" 15:06 >> Just one thing, Misha, you 15:07 know, when I was flying in 15:08 that moment as you described, 15:10 everything comes to your mind, 15:11 your family, your kids, your 15:12 wife, and I was thinking, 15:13 "This is it, we're done." 15:16 And it was so intense because 15:18 I was seeing death at any 15:20 second, but, yes, we were 15:21 blessed because obviously after 15:23 that we saw blue skies and just 15:25 start crying out of happiness. 15:26 >> Yeah, yeah, exactly. 15:27 I think there was definitely 15:28 angels guiding the helicopter, 15:30 keeping it stable so that we 15:31 could make it out of there. 15:33 It was quite the journey. 15:34 >> What a moment. 15:37 >> You flew over some 15:38 beautiful places in the world, 15:40 some tropical beaches, South 15:42 America, Malaysia, Philippines, 15:45 you also flew over some very 15:47 cold places like the frozen 15:49 tundra of Canada, of 15:51 Greenland, Russia, and desert 15:54 in the Middle East. 15:56 So of all those areas that you 15:57 flew over, which areas did you 15:59 like the most, did you enjoy 16:01 the most? 16:02 >> Well, it's funny, you know, 16:03 'cause people ask that 16:04 question and you right away go 16:06 to kind of the typical ones, 16:07 you know, the places with the 16:08 beautiful beaches and kind of 16:09 the more exotic type areas, 16:10 but for me it was more, it was 16:12 kinda two different things, it 16:13 was first of all the people 16:14 that you encountered and the 16:15 experience that you had with 16:17 those people and then it was 16:18 also the places that were the 16:19 most unique or different than 16:20 what you have around here, you 16:21 get used to in your own 16:23 surroundings so when you're in 16:24 a completely separate, 16:25 different type of place, 16:27 that's very unique. 16:28 So for me, you know, it's 16:29 places like Greenland where it 16:31 was just, it was very raw, 16:33 very pristine, very beautiful, 16:34 but very, very different than 16:36 what we have here, lots of ice 16:37 and icebergs and things like 16:38 that, so that was really, 16:39 really incredible. 16:41 And, you know, places like far 16:42 east Russia, where there's, 16:44 you now, there's not much out 16:45 there, it's incredible kind of 16:47 scenery, but the people that 16:48 you encounter and the culture 16:49 and kinda getting to know 16:51 people and things like that, I 16:52 think that's, you know, a 16:53 really big one as well. 16:55 So, yeah, lots of memories in 16:57 different places, but those 16:58 are a couple that stand out. 16:59 Yeah. 17:00 >> I have similar places as 17:02 Misha, but also some others to 17:04 add, I really like-- Greenland 17:06 was amazing because it was so 17:07 different, it is-- also I like 17:10 places that don't have a lot 17:12 of people, it was just in 17:14 nature and it looks like 17:15 nobody has been there before. 17:17 Which is not realistic because 17:19 somebody has been there before 17:20 for sure, that place, but we 17:22 think it's not possible that 17:23 anybody was here before. 17:25 And I remember some scenes in 17:27 Greenland some places have a 17:30 very tight gorges and with the 17:33 waterfalls and the glaciers 17:35 and all that, but also the 17:37 extreme the other side was 17:39 Saudi Arabia. 17:40 For me, Saudi Arabia, 17:42 especially going Egypt to 17:44 Saudi Arabia crossing and 17:46 there's this desert that has 17:49 some mountain formations. 17:51 And, again, you look at it, 17:53 how is it possible somebody 17:54 will survive here? 17:56 And for me it was just 17:58 shocking to see such a long 18:00 stretch of land that nobody's 18:03 there, nobody lives there. 18:05 We did nine hours I think it 18:07 was in Saudi Arabia and now 18:09 and then we saw some nomad 18:11 camps, but that was it. 18:14 And for us it was like little 18:16 lighthouses of guiding us 18:18 through the trip. 18:19 So those moments, the ones 18:21 that stick forever, I believe. 18:23 And also Columbia, Myanmar. 18:25 Myanmar was extremely dense and 18:28 lush forest that, again, it's-- 18:33 >> Very organized, 18:34 very pristine. 18:35 >> And then organized at the 18:37 same time, when we see 18:38 civilization and urban 18:41 gatherings, you would see a 18:43 very simple and poor houses, 18:48 but extremely clean, 18:50 organized, everything in its 18:51 own place and not only one 18:54 house, every single house was 18:55 that way. 18:56 And seeing-- that's the 18:57 benefit of travelling from the 18:58 air in a helicopter at low 19:00 altitudes from the ground 19:02 because you see things that 19:03 you don't see in an airline. 19:05 And that's big memories that I 19:07 have from these little 19:09 unique places. 19:11 >> And then, Misha and Ruben, 19:14 you relied on something called 19:17 "the power of nice." 19:19 So can you tell us what you 19:21 mean by "the power of nice?" 19:24 >> Yeah, I remember that when 19:25 we coined that term, it was 19:28 kind of natural after midterm 19:31 or after two thirds of the 19:33 trip, it was in practice and I 19:34 think that we first talked 19:36 about it, but we had been 19:38 using it at that time for a 19:41 long time, probably already 19:43 for 30, 40 days of the trip. 19:46 And it is so special when you 19:49 make everybody special, 19:51 I think that's the key. 19:53 We were-- wanted to make sure 19:55 that independently of the 19:56 rank, the position, the 19:58 responsibility of that person 20:02 that we were gonna meet, that 20:03 we'd treat them as a unique 20:05 human being. 20:06 And we know that people like, 20:07 first of all, to be called by 20:08 their own name so we always 20:10 ask when we get some place, 20:12 "What's your name?" 20:13 That was the first thing we 20:14 did, right? 20:15 So, "What's your name?" 20:16 "My name is Ruben," he'd say, 20:16 "My name is Mishu." 20:17 "What's your name?" 20:19 And he would say, "Mohammed." 20:20 So from that point on, we just 20:22 call him, "Hey, Mohammed," 20:23 "Mohammed, Mohammed." 20:24 People like to hear their own 20:26 name and then a big smile on 20:27 the face. 20:28 >> Yeah, body language is a 20:29 big thing, yeah. 20:30 >> Body language, making them 20:31 feel comfortable, 20:33 automatically they don't feel 20:34 threatened because they see 20:36 that you are just talking with 20:38 them at a human-to-human level. 20:41 Some countries have a social 20:44 position that you're the 20:45 captain and they come into a 20:47 position, we're captains, we 20:49 have a small ship, but they 20:50 come to you and say, "Oh," 20:51 "Captain, Captain," right. 20:52 And we left that behind. 20:53 "No, it's just Mohammed," 20:54 "Ruben," right. 20:56 So we make them feel 20:57 comfortable and that thing-- 20:58 that little detail opens so 21:00 many doors along the trip. 21:02 >> So many doors, yeah, and it 21:03 disarms people, too, you know, 21:04 we had a lot of hostile places 21:05 that we went to as well where 21:06 they at least appeared hostile 21:08 when we first got there and, 21:10 you know, you go out with that 21:11 body language, you jump out of 21:12 the helicopter with a big 21:13 smile on your face and you go 21:14 and try and shake their hand 21:15 or whatever you can do to 21:16 greet them and... 21:17 >> Made a party, remember? 21:18 >> And you really make a party 21:19 of the interaction, the first 21:21 interaction and you're meeting 21:22 people that are holding 21:23 machine guns and straight 21:24 faces and, you know, the 21:26 police of whatever. 21:28 And we noticed, immediately, 21:31 we would disarm them and all 21:32 of a sudden, you know, they'd 21:34 get a smile and we'd start 21:35 talking and we got favours. 21:36 It's amazing how it opens up 21:37 doors and you get things that 21:40 normally if you just got out 21:41 and, "OK, here's my paperwork," 21:42 "what's next," you know. 21:44 >> Nothing will happen. 21:45 >> Nothing will happen and 21:47 you're gonna basically fight a 21:50 lot through every step that 21:51 you have to go through and we 21:52 found that, you know, doors 21:53 would open up for us. 21:55 Just simple examples like when 21:56 we arrived in Mexico, same 21:58 thing, you know, people with 22:00 machine guns and whatever, 22:01 right away we had these 22:03 amazing conversations, really 22:04 struck up a friendship and, 22:06 you know, when the gentlemen 22:07 were asking, "OK, should we" 22:09 "search their helicopter now?" 22:10 They said, "Eh, don't worry" 22:11 "about it, why don't you just" 22:12 "open the door there, yeah," 22:13 "OK, everything's good" 22:14 "alright you guys are good," 22:14 "you're ready to go." 22:15 And, you know, we would have 22:17 never gotten that kind of 22:18 treatment without creating 22:19 that relationship and that was 22:20 already after doing a little 22:21 bit of paperwork with them and 22:22 so forth, but, you know, the 22:23 stories just go on and on 22:25 about how the power of nice 22:27 opened doors for us throughout 22:29 the entire trip. 22:30 I mean, we could go on for 22:31 hours on it, but there's 22:33 lots of good examples. 22:35 >> I wanna just add that in 22:36 the beginning it was something 22:39 spontaneous that we had it 22:40 naturally, we knew that this 22:42 would work, but then after, we 22:44 became-- I think we were doing 22:45 a little bit better and better 22:46 because we plan it. 22:47 OK, now we're gonna land, 22:48 what we gonna do special for 22:49 these guys? 22:50 Let's do a little party here. 22:52 We get out, "OK, Ruben, you" 22:53 "get out, I do this, I do" 22:54 "that and let's dance around" 22:56 "the helicopter," and it's 22:57 gonna impact the person, they 22:58 say, "What's going on," right. 23:00 >> So if you have a boring job 23:02 of just refuelling, all of a 23:03 sudden you have something 23:04 special and you go back home, 23:05 you say, "These guys, crazy" 23:06 "guys, they just jump out of" 23:08 "the helicopter and just" 23:09 "start dancing." 23:10 And so we wanted to make it a 23:11 special event, I think that 23:12 was the case, we want to make 23:13 a special event that they will 23:15 remember and that opened doors. 23:16 >> Yeah, we had an interesting 23:17 time in Saudi Arabia. 23:18 We had been told by the 23:20 previous person that had done 23:21 the trip, same trip as us, 23:22 that you have to plan for 23:23 multiple days in Saudi Arabia, 23:25 each fuel stop is gonna take 23:26 you minimum an hour and a 23:28 half, just because of all the 23:29 red tape that you have to go 23:31 through and so forth and so we 23:32 thought, "OK, we can do this" 23:33 "in one day, let's see how" 23:34 "quickly we can make these" 23:35 "fuel stops." 23:36 And so we used the power of 23:37 nice to the extreme level and 23:40 we timed each fuel stop and 23:42 they were between 11 and 12 23:44 minutes on each fuel stop. 23:45 >> Wow! 23:46 [RUBEN] Even the record 23:47 refuelling is already... 23:48 >> Absolutely. 23:49 And it was just unbelievable, 23:50 you know, how it can open 23:51 doors for you. 23:52 One of biggest examples that 23:54 we don't wanna go into all the 23:55 details right now 'cause it's 23:56 just a very long story, but, 23:58 you know, through a bell boy 24:00 in Dubai at a hotel, we were 24:03 able to obtain authorizations 24:04 that we didn't think we were 24:06 gonna get to get into Pakistan 24:07 and, you know, through his 24:09 connection that he had met 24:10 somebody and the relationship 24:12 that Ruben had formed with him 24:13 in previous trips, just, you 24:15 know, with that power of nice, 24:17 you know, he had already that 24:18 connection, that relationship, 24:19 he did a favour of a dignitary 24:22 that was there at that time, 24:23 he opened the door for us to 24:25 get the permit that we needed 24:26 to get into that country. 24:27 Without that person, we would 24:29 have never gone into Pakistan 24:30 meaning we would have never 24:31 been able to accomplish the 24:32 full mission of the trip. 24:34 You know, the plan for this 24:35 trip was to go, you know, 24:36 around the world, but to touch 24:38 two opposite points of the 24:39 earth, two antipodes, right? 24:40 And so the first one was in 24:41 Neiva, Columbia, the second 24:43 one was in Pelambang, 24:44 Indonesia and the only way for 24:45 us to get to Indonesia was to 24:47 go through Pakistan and India, 24:49 and so forth and so without 24:51 the opening the doors of that 24:52 one bell boy, we would have 24:54 never been able to accomplish 24:55 that trip and break the world 24:57 record and accomplish the 24:58 mission that we had set out to 25:00 do, you know, so it's amazing 25:01 what that power of nice can do. 25:03 >> Oh, I'm so sorry, we've 25:05 come to a very crucial spot in 25:07 our story and I-- we're gonna 25:09 have to call it time out, 25:11 we've come to the end of our 25:12 time together, but I wonder as 25:14 we close this week if, Misha, 25:16 if you could close with a word 25:17 of prayer for us. 25:18 >> Sure. 25:20 Dear Heavenly Father, I just 25:21 wanna thank You for this 25:22 opportunity to just come 25:23 together and remember a few of 25:25 these experiences, these 25:26 incredible moments in our 25:27 lives and-- where You 25:29 intervened for us, Lord, and 25:31 You were there in a very 25:32 tangible and very crucial way 25:34 for us and I just pray that 25:35 You continue to go through 25:36 every part of our lives 25:37 with us. 25:38 Take care of us, Lord, watch 25:40 over us and I just pray that 25:42 You bless each person that is 25:44 viewing this right now, for 25:45 them for them to be able to 25:46 have a true experience with 25:47 You as well. 25:48 In Your name we pray, amen. 25:49 [ALL] Amen. 25:50 [MIKE] Amen, that really was 25:52 an experience and we look 25:53 forward to continuing the 25:54 story next week so I hope you 25:56 can join us to continue 25:58 telling your story. 25:59 >> OK. 26:00 >> Good. 26:03 >> Friends, if you were 26:05 inspired by Ruben and Misha's 26:07 adventure, then you will want 26:09 to get our free offer today. 26:11 >> The information for how to 26:13 get our offer is on the screen 26:15 right now. 26:16 The book is entitled The Epic 26:19 Dream: around the world 26:21 helicopter adventure of risk, 26:24 reward, and the power of nice. 26:28 >> To request today's offer, 26:30 just log onto 26:31 www.ItIsWrittenCanada.ca. 26:35 That's www.ItIsWrittenCanada.ca 26:39 If you prefer, you may call 26:41 toll free at 1-888-CALL-IIW. 26:45 That's 1-888-CALL-IIW. 26:48 Call any time! 26:49 Lines are open 24 hours daily. 26:52 That's 1-888-CALL-IIW. 26:55 Or if you wish, you may write 26:57 to us at It Is Written, Box 26:59 2010, Oshawa, Ontario, L1H 7V4. 27:03 And thank you for your prayer 27:05 requests and your generous 27:06 financial support. 27:08 That's It Is Written, Box 27:10 2010, Oshawa, Ontario, L1H 7V4. 27:16 >> Before you go, we would 27:17 also like to invite you to 27:19 follow us on Instagram and 27:21 Facebook and subscribe to our 27:23 YouTube channel and also 27:25 listen to our Podcasts and if 27:28 you go to our website, you can 27:30 see our latest programs 27:32 including cooking our 27:33 demonstrations, our short 27:35 spiritual messages entitled, 27:38 Daily Living and our exercise 27:40 workouts called 27:41 Experiencing Life. 27:43 [MIKE] Friends, we want you to 27:44 experience the truth that is 27:46 found in the words of Jesus 27:47 when He said, "It is written," 27:49 "man shall not live by bread" 27:52 "alone, but by every word" 27:54 "that proceeds out of the" 27:55 "mouth of God." 27:58 >> Alright, you guys, we are 28:00 24 minutes away from lift off. 28:02 [crowd cheering] 28:08 >> Unbelievable, guys, 28:09 this is the big moment. 28:10 We're uh...we're officially 28:12 starting, Ruben. 28:36 >> What an amazing country we 28:38 live in, you guys. 28:40 Hard to believe we are where 28:42 we are right now. 28:43 Northern Territories, Nunavut. 28:46 This is amazing. 28:47 >> We're back, my friend 28:48 we're back! 28:51 Oh my goodness, my friend, 28:53 we're here, I can't 28:54 believe it! |
Revised 2021-11-24