Participants:
Series Code: IIWC
Program Code: IIWC202301S
|
00:03 ♪♪
00:36 [pensive piano music playing] 00:39 ♪♪ 00:43 >> Welcome to It Is Written 00:44 Canada. 00:45 Thank you for joining us. 00:46 >> Ines Telis came home to an 00:48 empty house, her children gone, 00:51 and there was nothing but a note 00:53 that said, "We are sorry, but we 00:56 went to live with Dad." 00:59 She was completely crushed. 01:01 She lost all her strength 01:03 knowing she had lost her reason 01:05 to go on. 01:07 >> Her son, Joel, later admitted 01:08 that he and his twin sister were 01:10 under the delusion that their 01:12 mother's rules were too strict. 01:14 "We convinced ourselves," he 01:15 said, "that we were living under 01:18 a tyrannical oppression. 01:20 Our father, on the other hand, 01:21 had no rules. 01:23 He let his children watch and do 01:26 whatever they wanted." 01:28 >> No longer in the Christian 01:29 environment they had grown up 01:31 in, they started smoking and 01:34 drinking and hanging out with 01:36 their new friends. 01:38 And as the years passed, they 01:40 lost touch with God and didn't 01:42 even know where their 01:44 Bibles were. 01:45 >> Ines Telis felt like the 01:48 devil had robbed her of her 01:50 children and her only hope was 01:52 to cling to Jesus, her Saviour 01:55 and Lord. 01:57 >> Daily, hourly, 01:59 she poured out her heart to God 02:01 in prayer, and He supplied her 02:04 with the strength and hope 02:07 to go on. 02:08 >> Today, our special guests are 02:10 Ines and Joel Telis who have 02:12 agreed to share their story 02:14 with us. 02:15 And to begin with, we will be 02:17 speaking to Joel. 02:19 >> Joel, thank you for joining 02:21 us on It Is Written Canada. 02:23 >> Thank you so much for 02:23 having me. 02:24 It's a privilege. 02:25 [MIKE] Joel, you are a twin. 02:27 You have a twin sister. 02:29 [JOEL] I am a twin, yeah, yeah. 02:30 And we don't look anything alike 02:32 if you've seen her. 02:33 Not identical at all. 02:35 It's funny people will ask. 02:37 We, yeah, our parents were born 02:40 in Montevideo, Uruguay in South 02:41 America, you know, and I think 02:43 in '89 they immigrated to Canada 02:45 in Toronto where my sister and I 02:47 were born in 1991 at Branson 02:50 Hospital in North York, Ontario, 02:52 which was Adventist owned 02:53 at the time. 02:54 [MIKE] So you lived in an area 02:56 that wasn't exactly safe. 02:58 [JOEL] Yeah, Scarborough was 03:00 rough at the time in the 03:01 nineties and-- but my mother 03:03 eventually at one point, about 03:05 seven years old, she found 03:06 bullet casings on our driveway 03:08 and she decided it was probably 03:09 time to get out of there. 03:12 At the same time, they realized, 03:14 my mother realized the 03:15 importance of an Adventist 03:16 Christian education. 03:18 So they collectively, with my 03:20 father, made the decision that 03:22 we would move up to Oshawa, 03:23 where we could attend College 03:24 Park Elementary School with my 03:26 sister and I, and we could 03:27 attain that Christian education. 03:29 >> What did you think of this 03:30 new school, this new church, new 03:32 environment? 03:33 >> I mean, for us, it was 03:36 quite normal. 03:36 I mean, we'd grown up in the 03:37 church, you know, we'd had a big 03:39 Spanish community as Adventists 03:41 in Toronto. 03:44 And then so just moving here was 03:45 pretty seamless, to be honest. 03:47 We really enjoyed it. 03:48 We enjoyed having the-- 03:50 I enjoyed, I enjoyed the 03:51 community and having the 03:52 friendships and being on campus 03:54 and that Adventist feel, 03:56 you know? 03:57 >> So Joel, it sounds like you 04:00 really enjoyed your childhood 04:02 and things were going very well 04:04 with your family. 04:05 You were happy in your new 04:07 environment among like-minded 04:10 people. 04:10 So everything was going well for 04:12 you and it was hunky-dory. 04:14 >> Well, yeah, it sure seemed 04:15 from my perspective, you know, 04:17 it seemed like it was going 04:18 pretty good. 04:19 Unfortunately, at nine years 04:21 old, my parents had been 04:24 fighting quite a bit and arguing 04:25 and my father ended up leaving 04:27 the home. 04:28 They separated, and then a 04:30 couple of years later they got 04:31 divorced. 04:33 It definitely put a strain on my 04:34 sister and I, you know, 04:36 especially me, I'm not sure what 04:38 it is, maybe, about being a boy, 04:40 but I felt that responsibility 04:41 for my mother and my sister, 04:43 you know? 04:44 Especially my twin sister, you 04:45 know, she was everything to me, 04:47 you know, I just made sure that 04:48 she was gonna be okay all the 04:49 time and... 04:51 But yeah, it definitely got, 04:52 it got hard. 04:53 We had to move houses and... 04:57 I do have a very 04:59 significant story. 05:00 I remember one time and I was 05:02 crying in my bedroom... 05:05 ...as I often did at the time. 05:06 And I had an image pop into my 05:09 mind, I feel like it was the 05:11 impression of the Holy Spirit 05:12 now, had an image of a cartoon 05:16 Bible story that we used to watc 05:18 when we were kids and it was-- 05:19 this one in particular was the 05:20 story of Solomon and when he 05:22 took over the throne of 05:23 King David, you know, his father 05:25 He realized the responsibility 05:26 he had, you know, to rule the 05:28 nation, to judge the nation. 05:31 With that image in my mind, you 05:32 know, I remember he had asked 05:33 for wisdom from God. 05:36 I knelt down in my room 05:39 and I prayed for the wisdom of 05:40 Solomon, that I would be able to 05:43 know what was going on and find 05:44 a way to help. 05:46 >> Joel, how do you think that 05:48 that specific prayer had an 05:49 effect on you? 05:51 >> I had one experience later on 05:53 in my life after we-- I 05:55 graduated from elementary, the 05:56 elementary school, I went to 05:57 attend Kingsway College and 05:59 as I enrolled there. 06:01 One Friday night vespers, the 06:05 preacher, the chaplain had made 06:07 an altar call after speaking and 06:09 he had asked for any young 06:10 people in the crowd that felt 06:11 the call to ministry. 06:13 You know, not many of us went 06:14 up, just a few. 06:15 And after he had done praying 06:17 with us, he made us write a note 06:19 in our Bibles of the commitment 06:21 we had made to God that night. 06:22 And I still have that Bible and 06:24 the image. 06:28 >> So Joel, your mother at this 06:30 stage now, being a single mom 06:32 with you and Debora at home, 06:36 she must have been so pleased in 06:38 the direction that your life was 06:40 going at this stage as a 06:42 teenager. 06:43 >> She was very proud, she was 06:44 very happy at the way my life 06:46 was headed. 06:47 And of course, the Devil doesn't 06:49 like that. 06:51 At the age of 16 years old, 06:54 my sister and I, we had felt we 06:56 were old enough to make our own 06:57 decisions. 06:59 We'd felt like we were-- we'd 07:01 been living, you know, under 07:02 kind of repression, you know? 07:04 And we called-- 07:08 we packed some bags. 07:10 We called a taxi that took us to 07:11 the Go Train, the Go Train that 07:13 took us down to Toronto Union 07:15 Station, where we hopped on a 07:17 Greyhound bus that took us to 07:18 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, where 07:20 our father and his wife at the 07:21 time would pick us up to go live 07:22 with them in Alberta. 07:27 You know, obviously, I get 07:28 pretty emotional thinking about 07:29 the time, you know, my mother 07:30 coming home, with nothing but a 07:33 note that said that we had gone 07:34 to go live with our father. 07:37 I'm sure she felt like the Devil 07:38 was winning at this point. 07:43 >> When I saw the note on the 07:45 table, the dining room table, my 07:47 heart was, you know, sinking 07:49 because I said, "Where are 07:51 these kids?" 07:53 It was a tremendous, I mean, I 07:56 cannot describe, you know, the 07:58 pain and the anguish because in 08:01 one moment you have a flash that 08:03 what can happen to them by 08:05 themselves in this world, right? 08:08 I think it's a nightmare for any 08:11 parent, you know, to come home 08:13 to an empty home. 08:15 Just knowing that your kids run 08:17 away and you feel all these 08:20 feelings come together, you 08:21 know, you are angry and you are 08:23 scared and you are betrayed. 08:26 And so many things at once that 08:29 you experience. 08:31 So-- and the same time, 08:33 emptiness and later loneliness. 08:37 I had the kids with me on that 08:40 Sunday because they left on a 08:41 Monday and we-- they went in my 08:45 bedroom, we prayed together. 08:47 And the next day I didn't have 08:50 them, you know? 08:51 So circumstances can change very 08:53 fast in your life. 08:55 So if you don't have the Lord, 08:57 where do you go? 08:58 Where do you go? Right? 09:00 So God really is the only one 09:02 that sustained me and hold me 09:04 together, you know, because it 09:06 was very hard. 09:07 My friends were afraid to leave 09:09 me by myself. 09:12 They take turns to come home and 09:15 stay with me during the night. 09:17 But I was-- even though it was 09:20 terrible times, I never thought 09:22 about anything crazy. 09:24 But yes, you do ask yourself, 09:25 what's the purpose? 09:27 You know? 09:28 I came to this country with my 09:29 husband. 09:30 He left. 09:32 Now I had two kids with him. 09:33 The kids are left, so what is 09:35 the purpose? 09:36 What I am doing here? 09:37 What I should do? 09:39 But the Lord, like I said, He is 09:42 faithful and He sustained me all 09:44 these years through His 09:46 promises, through fasting, 09:47 through prayer. 09:49 I cannot tell you how many 09:50 nights I spent the whole night 09:52 in prayer. 09:58 Tremendous-- only a mother that 10:02 goes through something like this 10:04 will understand my heart. 10:07 And any parents that experience 10:09 this, the only ones who can 10:11 understand how hard this is. 10:14 And you start reciting, like, 10:15 Nehemiah 8:10... 10:20 And also Psalms 30, verse 5. 10:29 All those promises hold me 10:32 together. 10:35 >> Joel, that seems so drastic. 10:39 It was almost-- it didn't just 10:41 happen overnight. 10:42 Obviously, you and Debora 10:43 must've planned it and thought 10:46 it through because you packed, 10:48 you called the taxi, you went 10:49 to the Go Train, went to 10:51 Saskatchewan, your dad picked 10:53 you up there and he came 10:54 from Alberta. 10:55 So it must have all have been 10:57 planned, like... 10:59 Why? Like, why did you do that? 11:01 >> Yeah, it definitely had been 11:02 planned. 11:03 You know, I feel, you know, my 11:05 father had been gone for some 11:06 time now and it seemed, you 11:08 know, he had to keep looking for 11:09 work and so you have to keep 11:10 moving further and further away. 11:11 Eventually moved all the way to 11:12 Alberta, so it's quite a ways 11:13 from Ontario, and he couldn't 11:15 always come visit us so we 11:16 weren't seeing him that much. 11:17 I think we were missing that 11:20 connection with him, you know? 11:21 We hadn't seen him in so long 11:24 and we really longed for that 11:25 connection. 11:27 And at the same time, at home, 11:29 it seemed like, you know, my mom 11:31 had a lot of rules and, you 11:32 know, a lot of things that we 11:33 couldn't do and, it seemed that 11:35 way in any case, right? 11:37 So we, yeah, we just decided we 11:39 were gonna go live with 11:40 our father. 11:41 We thought, you know, we were 11:42 kind of-- wanted a change. 11:46 When we got there, you know, 11:48 things were much, much different 11:50 than from here. 11:54 You know, my father was really 11:55 busy with his work and with the 11:57 construction business that he 11:58 had at the time and all these 12:00 things and it just seemed like 12:01 we were kind of left to our own 12:02 devices. 12:04 You know, the first thing we did 12:05 was spend the entire summer on 12:06 the couch just watching movies 12:08 and shows and stuff that we had 12:10 been, you know, I say deprived 12:12 of as children, but let alone 12:14 Christians, you know? 12:16 We started attending the public 12:18 high school down the road in the 12:19 fall and we were far from the 12:22 Christian environment that we 12:23 had grown up in at this point. 12:25 You know, everything was 12:26 different, the language was 12:27 different, the kids were 12:28 different, the attitude was 12:30 different, you know, all the 12:31 influences from the 12:33 outside world. 12:34 You know, we were so naive in a 12:36 way, we really had no idea of 12:38 the outside world. 12:39 We weren't prepared at all. 12:42 >> And so you were thrown 12:43 into this. 12:44 It must have been pretty tough. 12:46 >> Yeah, it really was. 12:48 Yeah, for me, you know, 12:51 especially now, you know, not 12:53 being surrounded by that 12:54 Christian influence, we stopped 12:56 you know, reading our Bibles, 12:57 we stopped going to church, we 12:58 weren't, you know, being the 13:00 Christians that we had grown up 13:02 to be, you know, we really 13:03 detached from all these things. 13:06 Unfortunately, my father, a 13:07 couple of years later, lost his 13:09 business and his home. 13:11 We ended up having to move into 13:13 a house with some friends that 13:14 lived in Edmonton in the city. 13:17 My sister unfortunately had made 13:18 some friends that I didn't quite 13:21 like at the time, and as she 13:23 kind of left the home, I kind of 13:26 got lost. 13:27 You know, up until that point, I 13:28 had felt very responsible for 13:30 her, for her life. 13:32 I almost felt like I had been 13:34 the one that had brought her to 13:36 Alberta with me, you know, I 13:37 don't I don't think she would 13:38 have done it on her own. 13:40 And now that she was gone, I 13:42 was kind of empty, you know? 13:43 I remember looking back at 13:44 pictures of the time and I was 13:45 just wearing all black. 13:47 And... 13:49 I didn't-- I don't remember 13:50 making that decision 13:50 consciously, just manifest how 13:53 I guess I was feeling inside. 13:55 I felt very alone. 13:57 I sunk into this, like, 13:59 functional depression, 14:01 you know what I mean? 14:02 It was like I could go to work, 14:04 I could talk to people, I could, 14:06 you know, have regular 14:08 conversations, but when I was at 14:10 home on my own... 14:12 ...I felt alone, 14:13 you know? 14:14 I just would try and play video 14:16 games or watch movies and try 14:18 and, you know, distract my mind 14:20 from all the pain that I was 14:21 feeling. 14:23 Eventually, you know, I moved 14:24 into drinking, and after I 14:25 graduated, you know, mentioning 14:29 that it's a really tough story I 14:31 always can't forget. 14:34 You know, they were calling all 14:35 the kids to the school 14:37 gymnasium. 14:40 They'd asked us to sit into our 14:42 alphabetical groups so that we 14:43 could be fitted for our robes 14:45 and our caps. 14:48 I remember sitting there in the 14:50 "T" section for my last name, 14:51 and they were calling the last 14:52 names and... 14:53 ...as they finished with the 14:56 T's and moved on and they hadn't 14:59 called my name, I was still 15:00 sitting there, I realized that I 15:03 wasn't gonna have graduation, 15:06 you know, I wasn't gonna have-- 15:09 to be able to go up in cap and 15:11 gown and then accept the 15:12 certificate, you know, a 15:13 ceremony. 15:14 There wasn't gonna be anybody to 15:15 come and congratulate me. 15:16 Even though I had stuck it out, 15:17 you know, because it wasn't 15:18 something I wanted to do, I was 15:19 so over it. 15:21 You know, the worst part was 15:22 thinking of my friends back at 15:23 Kingsway, you know, all these 15:24 kids that I had grown up with in 15:25 the church schools. 15:27 I thought, you know, they were 15:29 all gonna get to graduate 15:30 together on their own and I 15:32 wouldn't be there... 15:34 ...because I had left. 15:37 That was quite devastating. 15:38 I just left the gym, you know, 15:41 I just went across to the mall 15:42 where I usually just hung out 15:44 smoking, you know? 15:46 Just crying, you know? 15:48 Thinking where was my life 15:49 headed, you know? 15:50 After that, I went straight into 15:52 work with construction, with my 15:53 father, you know, I wasn't 15:54 really interested in going to 15:55 any post-secondary education or 15:56 anything, I just wanted to make 15:57 money, I want to get out. 15:59 I did that for a few years. 16:01 I realized I didn't much like 16:02 building houses in Alberta 16:03 winters. 16:04 It gets quite cold out there. 16:07 So I moved back to the city and 16:09 I got a job at Costco. 16:11 >> Joel, can you tell us how you 16:13 met your wife, Nataly? 16:14 [JOEL] Yeah, it. 16:15 ...it's a pretty funny story. 16:16 You know, I had gotten a job at 16:18 Costco there and I'd been 16:20 packing groceries and there was 16:23 a young woman at the till, and 16:25 we had a family of some Hispanic 16:27 couples that came through and 16:29 they were speaking in Spanish. 16:30 And, you know, as my custom is, 16:31 you know, my mom, she talks to 16:32 everybody and especially if she 16:34 knows that they're Spanish. 16:35 And so I started talking to them 16:36 in Spanish, I started saying, 16:38 "Hey, you know, you guys are-- 16:38 where are you guys from?" you 16:39 know, and she said, "Oh, yeah, 16:40 we're from Mexico." 16:41 And I said, "Oh, I'm from 16:42 Uruguay," you know, and... 16:45 You know, the cashier, she turns 16:46 to me and she looks and she 16:47 says, "You're from Uruguay?" 16:49 I said, "Yeah," and she said, 16:50 "I'm from Uruguay!" 16:51 And we were both so stunned, we 16:53 just couldn't believe, you know, 16:54 and then the Mexican people, 16:55 they were like, how is it 16:56 possible that you guys have been 16:57 working together for almost 16:58 three months and you had no idea 17:00 you were from the same country? 17:02 You know, and then so ten years 17:03 later, I married her. [laughte] 17:06 [MIKE] So you get your groceries 17:07 at Costco and you get your wife 17:08 at Costco. 17:09 [JOEL] Hey, that's my favourite 17:10 joke, you know, I get everything 17:11 at Costco, even my wife. 17:12 [laughter] 17:13 [JOEL] Yep. 17:14 [RENÉ] So, Joel, can you tell us 17:16 what caused the change 17:19 in your life? 17:20 >> Yeah, I mean, I'll backtrack 17:21 a little bit. 17:22 I know, you know, I'd still had 17:24 all this depression, you know, 17:25 I had been sinking into it. 17:27 You know, I'd been into the 17:28 party lifestyle, you know, with 17:29 our friends and, you know, not 17:31 heavy, but it was still 17:32 something I was doing a lot, you 17:33 know, the drinking and... 17:36 ...smoking and other things 17:38 and... 17:39 You know, I remember not wanting 17:40 to speak to my mother at the 17:41 time because it felt like she 17:43 only wanted to talk to me about 17:44 Jesus and, you know, how God 17:47 wanted to save me and how, you 17:48 know, the end was coming and I 17:49 had to get ready and... 17:51 I remember telling her, you 17:53 know, I said, "Don't worry, Mom, 17:55 the Bible says, raise up a child 17:56 in the way he should go and when 17:58 he's old, he should not depart 17:59 from it." 18:00 You know? 18:00 I don't know if it was words 18:01 for her or for me, right? 18:04 You know, and so me and Nataly 18:05 moved in together and, you know, 18:06 it was great at the beginning, 18:08 you know, as it is, you're a 18:09 young couple and it was fun. 18:10 She was going to school 18:11 at the time. 18:13 You know, but as the years went 18:14 by and the struggles of life and 18:16 not having God in our lives 18:18 and... 18:20 You know, the problems started 18:20 piling up and we just 18:21 couldn't... 18:23 ...we couldn't figure it out, 18:24 you know, no matter what I tried 18:26 to do to solve them. 18:27 You know, I remember physically 18:30 trying to be a good person. 18:31 I remember telling myself, you 18:32 know, and it would last for a 18:33 few weeks, but I couldn't keep 18:35 it up. 18:37 In in 2019, COVID started 18:39 spreading and, you know, it made 18:42 everybody kind of lock down 18:43 into our homes and so our 18:44 home with Nataly, really, it 18:47 got kind of worse. 18:47 All these problems, we couldn't 18:48 avoid each other anymore, 18:49 you know? 18:50 And as things started to get 18:53 worse in our home, you know, I 18:55 sunk into more depression, 18:57 drinking more alcohol. 18:59 You know, I... 19:01 ...even though I never 19:02 considered it, like, alcohol 19:04 abuse, you know, it really was 19:06 part of my coping method. 19:08 I had been doing it every day. 19:10 I'd come home and, you know, I'd 19:11 go straight from coffee in the 19:13 morning to alcohol at night. 19:16 As things got worse, you know, 19:18 we eventually decided that we 19:20 weren't gonna be able to keep 19:21 going on like this. 19:23 We had just purchased a home, so 19:24 we were gonna lose our 19:26 relationship, nine years 19:27 together, our home, our newly 19:29 purchased home, you know, our 19:30 dogs, and we'd have to start all 19:33 over again on our own. 19:36 I really finally hit bottom. 19:39 I had nowhere else to look 19:40 but up. 19:42 You know, I had just turned 30 19:45 and my pastor from my church 19:47 tells me that my frontal lobe 19:48 was fully developed, and he-- 19:52 and it was like I wasn't 19:53 thinking about the present 19:54 anymore, I was thinking about 19:56 the future. 19:57 And I, like, immediately knew 20:00 what to do, you know? 20:01 I describe it like the 20:02 Prodigal Son. 20:02 He was-- I was sitting there 20:04 eating with the pigs and I 20:06 realized, wait, I have a home. 20:10 I have somewhere to go to. 20:12 And I immediately called my mom 20:14 and for what I'm sure was a 20:15 miraculous turn of events for 20:17 her, I asked her if she had any 20:19 connections to any good churches 20:20 out in Alberta where I was. 20:23 You know, I had gone to a 20:24 couple, but I said, you know, 20:26 "I need to hear the truth, 20:28 the whole truth, nothing but 20:29 the truth." 20:29 I said, "I'm willing to drive. 20:32 I need to go somewhere where... 20:34 Enough's enough of this life." 20:37 You know? 20:38 [MIKE] And that's when your mom 20:39 called me and she asked me, 20:42 "Tell me a good pastor because I 20:44 trust you." 20:45 And so I gave her Pastor 20:47 Darrell's number and you 20:49 contacted Pastor Darrell and you 20:50 went to church there. 20:52 >> Yeah, I called him on a 20:53 Wednesday, I said, "Hey, Pastor, 20:54 like, you know, I haven't been 20:55 in church a long time," I says, 20:56 "I wanna come back," you know, 20:58 and he says, "Praise God!" 20:59 And he says, "Yeah, we're open," 21:00 you know, "Fort Saskatchewan 21:01 Church in Alberta." 21:04 And after 15 years, I stepped 21:06 back into a Seventh-day 21:07 Adventist church. 21:10 [NATALY] The changes were huge 21:12 when they first started 21:13 happening. 21:14 I mean, he used to come home 21:17 straight to play video games and 21:19 drinking beer, and all of a 21:21 sudden he pushed that 21:22 all away. 21:24 I saw a peace in him that I had 21:26 never seen before, that I knew 21:28 that he was looking for for a 21:30 long time. 21:32 And it was amazing. 21:33 It it changed our relationship. 21:36 It made us stronger. 21:38 Our life now compared to before 21:40 is very different. 21:42 You know, we don't have the 21:44 video games in our home anymore. 21:46 We just have a different routine 21:49 and starting to experience new 21:51 things together and a lot of new 21:53 things for me. 21:55 It's a lot calmer, a lot more 21:57 peaceful and... 22:00 ...yeah, it feels a lot better. 22:01 It got us to a place that we 22:03 felt... 22:05 ...in the right place to get 22:07 married and start our lives 22:08 differently together. 22:09 I mean, we were together for 22:11 nine years before that and there 22:13 were always things in the way 22:15 that, yeah, they just got in the 22:17 way and it was very difficult. 22:19 And now we're on a completely 22:22 different wavelength, I think, 22:24 of our relationship. 22:29 It feels, yeah, it feels really 22:31 good to know we've come this far 22:32 and these changes that Joel made 22:35 first really did save our 22:36 relationship and got us to this 22:39 much better place now together. 22:44 >> So, Joel, how did it feel 22:46 coming back to church? 22:47 [JOEL] It was wonderful. 22:48 You know, even though I had 22:50 never met these people in my 22:51 life, I felt like I knew them, 22:54 you know? 22:54 I said, "I recognize you, you're 22:56 Adventists," you know, "I grew 22:58 up with you," you know? 22:59 They had the vegan potluck and 23:02 all the church service was so 23:04 nice, you know? 23:07 Although I still, like, I was a 23:09 bit ashamed, you know, after all 23:11 these years of not studying my 23:12 Bible, you know, I didn't know 23:14 where it was. 23:16 I hadn't a clue what to say when 23:18 we were praying. 23:19 You know, I remember they'd 23:20 asked to turn to a scripture 23:22 reading and I couldn't find the 23:24 book, I couldn't find the verse. 23:26 You know, me who had grown up in 23:27 the church school, who had 23:30 memorized the books, it's-- I've 23:32 grown up with them. 23:34 I couldn't-- I'd have to turn to 23:36 the table of contents, you know, 23:38 to try and find where the book 23:39 was, because I couldn't-- I 23:41 didn't know where it was. 23:42 All those years of being away 23:44 from God, I really had 23:47 forgotten... 23:48 ...all the things that I'd 23:49 grown up with. 23:52 >> But Joel, this is so 23:54 encouraging to hear your story 23:57 for every parent and grandparent 24:02 who is praying for their 24:04 children and for their 24:05 grandchildren. 24:07 God hears and answers 24:12 a mother's prayers. 24:14 So encouraging. 24:15 >> Yeah, I mean, I don't have, 24:17 you know, when I first share 24:18 this testimony, I don't 24:19 necessarily have a title for it, 24:21 except for the only thing that 24:23 suits it, it's the power of a 24:24 mother's prayer. 24:26 I think, you know, because they 24:28 pray that they would die instead 24:31 of enter the kingdom without 24:32 their children. 24:33 You know? 24:34 And I think imagine if we all 24:35 prayed for people like that. 24:38 >> Joel, thank you for 24:40 sharing your story. 24:40 We've come to the end of our 24:41 time together. 24:42 Your story is really about how 24:45 God never left you. 24:48 He had answered your mother's 24:50 prayers and as I ask you to 24:53 pray, I would like to ask you to 24:55 pray at the end now. 24:56 Pray for those mothers and 24:58 grandmothers and grandparents 25:01 whose whose children may have 25:02 left the faith and pray for 25:05 those who have left the faith, 25:07 that they will know that God has 25:10 never left them, He will never 25:12 forsake them, and that they will 25:13 open their ears to hear 25:14 His voice. 25:15 Even those who have never heard 25:17 His voice before, because He 25:19 loves every single one of us. 25:21 >> Absolutely. 25:22 Yeah, let's bow. 25:24 Dear Lord, Father in Heaven. 25:26 Lord, what a privilege to call 25:28 You, Father. 25:30 Lord, we ask that Your Holy 25:33 Spirit will speak to all our 25:35 hearts, for when we ask that 25:38 this testimony, Lord, this story 25:41 of a man's mistakes may be a 25:43 blessing, Lord, for all that 25:45 hear it. 25:49 Lord, may You be with all 25:50 those parents, grandparents, 25:52 Lord, that are praying day and 25:54 night for their children to come 25:55 back to the Lord. 25:57 Lord, encourage them in this 25:58 story, Lord, encourage them to 26:01 never cease praying for those 26:02 children. 26:03 If they don't pray for them, 26:04 nobody else will. 26:07 Lord, we also pray for those 26:09 that have left the church. 26:11 Lord, so many of my friends, 26:12 Lord, that I grew up with, so 26:15 many of other children in other 26:18 places that have left the 26:20 church, Lord, that have not-- 26:23 have been distracted by the 26:25 world's deceptions. 26:28 Father, speak to their hearts 26:30 as well. 26:32 Help them to realize that the 26:33 peace and true peace only comes 26:35 within You. 26:39 Lord, help them to never forget, 26:41 all of us, to never forget the 26:43 promise of Matthew 28:20, that 26:45 You are with us always, even 26:47 unto the end of the world. 26:49 Lord, we pray these things, we 26:51 pray them in Jesus Christ, amen. 26:54 [MIKE] Amen. 26:56 [RENÉ] Joel, thank you so much 26:57 for joining us and sharing your 27:00 testimony on It Is Written 27:01 Canada today. 27:03 [JOEL] Thank you. 27:03 It's been a blessing and a 27:04 privilege. 27:07 >> I'm sure from listening to 27:09 Joel's story, you could see the 27:11 power of a mother's prayers. 27:14 >> Joel himself could clearly 27:16 see how God transformed his life 27:19 in answer to his mother's 27:21 prayers. 27:22 >> Friends, our free offer is 27:23 a most powerful collection of 27:25 stories entitled The Incredible 27:27 Power of Prayer, that will both 27:29 strengthen your faith in God and 27:31 also introduce you to many 27:34 powerful truths found in the 27:36 Bible that can transform your 27:38 prayer life. 27:41 Before you go, we would like to 27:44 thank all of you who have 27:45 supported the Ministry of It Is 27:47 Written Canada with your prayers 27:49 and financial contributions. 27:51 Without your support, this 27:52 television ministry could not 27:55 have reached so many people for 27:58 so many decades. 27:59 >> Yes, thank you so much. 28:02 >> You, too, can experience the 28:04 fullness of life that is found 28:06 in the words of Jesus when He 28:07 said, "It is written, 'Man shall 28:09 not live by bread alone, but by 28:12 every word that proceeds out of 28:14 the mouth of God.'" 28:19 >> The prayer of so many people, 28:22 people that I met during that 28:24 time, too, people that are still 28:26 with me until today that the 28:28 Lord sent my way to pray with 28:30 me, to hold my hands. 28:32 And one of them recently told 28:34 me, "I thought you will never 28:36 make it." 28:38 But I praise the Lord I did 28:41 because I was so devastated. 28:44 But the Lord picked me up and I 28:46 make a deal with Him. 28:47 I said, "Lord, every time I am 28:49 down, You're gonna pick me up." 28:52 And He is faithful. 28:53 God is a faithful Father. 28:55 And He did and He sustained me 28:57 until this day. |
Revised 2023-09-28