Participants:
Series Code: JFAN
Program Code: JFAN000127S
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00:00 (dramatic music)
00:21 - Hello and welcome to "Jesus for Asia Now". 00:24 I'm Natalie Wood and my husband, John is here with me today 00:26 and we have again, our special guests, 00:28 Ramon and Shandy Tengkano. 00:30 Welcome back. 00:31 - Thank you. 00:32 - Thank you for having us. 00:33 - We're looking forward to more of the story. 00:34 Last time we were together, 00:36 we talked a little bit about your story, 00:38 coming to learn more about God 00:40 and learning more about faith and how you went to Papua. 00:43 Then you went to FaithCamp 00:45 and that's where we're gonna pick up, 00:47 is right in the FaithCamp timeframe. 00:50 - So one of our speakers 00:51 called a meeting to launch a satellite television 00:57 program networks 00:59 channel full-time, to cover all of Indonesia. 01:02 - Yeah. 01:04 - And you were part of that meeting. 01:05 - Yeah, not the first one. 01:07 I think I came in the second meeting, I think. 01:09 - Right. 01:10 - Or even third. 01:11 - We didn't know that you were that interested in it. 01:14 'Cause we were setting it up 01:16 based on some other people 01:17 that had some expressed some interest 01:19 and actually put some money into 01:22 buying some equipment for that. 01:24 - Yeah. 01:25 - And then they all left. 01:27 - Yeah. 01:28 - And you guys stayed. 01:30 - [Ramon] Yeah. 01:31 - Why did you stay in that ministry? 01:32 Because it's not a cheap ministry. 01:33 - No, but it's easy either. 01:35 - You need to tell the story like, 01:36 why you get into that room 01:39 because we just wanna go to toilet, right? 01:41 - That's why we weren't involved in the meeting 01:45 just because I thought, oh, this is just too technical. 01:50 I wasn't really sure if this is really my thing. 01:53 I thought it was like an exclusive circle of people 01:55 that had already met before and talk about it. 01:57 I don't wanna get involved. 01:59 And then I was just on the way to the restroom 02:01 where you guys were having a meeting inside the room 02:04 and then somebody called me from inside, 02:06 come can and join us. 02:07 And then the meeting kind of paused a little bit. 02:08 Hey, you have to have somebody 02:10 that needs to be involved in this meeting. 02:12 So I sat down, but I was just listening passively. 02:16 - Okay. 02:17 - You told me the prayer that is the calling. 02:19 - Yeah, well. 02:20 - You said like, "Hey, we have a new job." 02:22 - Okay, yeah. Go back a little bit. 02:23 I think it was a prayer that was challenging for me, 02:27 for me to be convinced, well, you know what? 02:28 This is what we we ask for. 02:32 This is what it takes. 02:34 I think the prayer was calling for 02:36 somebody who is willing to just sacrifice everything. 02:38 Yes. 02:39 Maybe houses, cars. 02:40 Anything God is entrusted upon them. 02:43 And then I sort of felt like, you know what? 02:47 This could be me. 02:50 For me to start experimenting God, 02:52 because this is the sort of a life that I had in mind. 02:55 I felt impressed. 02:58 I was impressed that this is it. 02:59 - [John] Right. 03:00 - And we took the work and I told my wife, 03:04 she was like, "Wow, you are really serious about this then?" 03:08 And yeah, now you prepare yourself. 03:10 Now these things I've been telling you for a few years, 03:13 these things are all gonna change. 03:14 Maybe this is it. 03:17 - [John] Wow. 03:19 - And I think she had a prayerful moment. 03:21 - When my husband telling me that, 03:23 "Hey, we have a new job." 03:24 And what is the job? I was like. 03:26 - Television. 03:27 - And he said the television. 03:28 What television is the new job? 03:29 And he said, "The prayer, the calling." 03:31 And when he told me the prayer, 03:35 I was like, "Yes, this is it." 03:35 - [John] Wow. 03:37 - So, kind of, I really, really understand 03:39 and he's really understanding this work. 03:42 Like both of us need to understand. 03:47 It's not just only him or just only me 03:48 because we understand that, 03:50 the blessing will come if you and me check in together 03:55 and then understand that 03:57 we need to go through this kind of crisis. 03:58 We need to go to let go everything. 04:00 If we personally understand one another, 04:03 that we need to go. 04:05 - We have the teamwork, yeah. 04:06 - Through this kind of experience, 04:08 that God will open the way and blessing to us. 04:11 - [Ramon] Yeah. 04:12 - And you were inspired by that prayer. 04:13 And then what happened after that? I mean like. 04:15 - Well, in the beginning of the ministry, 04:17 we were just housing the missionaries 04:21 that are involved already. 04:23 So I started watching them, see what they do, 04:25 because it was completely new work for us. 04:28 Like what? 04:29 These people are really living simple life. 04:31 They demand nothing much for their own selves. 04:35 Like what they have, it's just like. 04:36 - They even sleep on the floor. 04:37 - Backpack, they're sleeping on the floor, really simple. 04:40 And it kind of rubbed in on us a little bit, 04:43 we should really simple, 04:45 we're team work, but look at them and look at us. 04:48 - We have a plan also once to move to the countryside. 04:50 - Yeah, at that time we already purchased 04:52 like a small land out on the countryside, 04:56 just because something in me, 04:58 we knew we were gonna be in the countryside somehow. 05:01 From that point on, 05:03 we started operating within our capacity, 05:08 to get out of the city. 05:11 And I started letting go the work, 05:14 the secular work, the secular business that I had. 05:17 I started focusing on the work for the Lord, 05:21 and that was a prayer that I was asking for particular. 05:24 Lord, take me to a journey that I'm not familiar with. 05:28 If I really belong to You, take me fully unto You, 05:32 so You can receive me. 05:33 It was not a easy journey. 05:37 And it's like the three young men, 05:39 got taken to the fiery furnace 05:41 because their obedience, 05:42 not because they did something wrong. 05:44 They did something right. 05:46 - Right. 05:47 - That's what it felt like. 05:48 God sort of allowed me to experience this hardship. 05:51 - Yeah. 05:52 - Sometimes it's not easy to operate business 05:54 if you are not doing, 05:56 you have to bribe somebody, 05:59 you have to be competitive. 06:00 - [John] Wow. 06:01 - So you got to do everything 06:03 within your power to stay 06:06 a winner in business. 06:08 And that comes with unclean practices. 06:11 When I stopped practicing that, 06:14 I fully surrendered to the Lord. 06:15 I started losing grips on the business. 06:18 I got cheated upon 06:19 and then my partner ran away with my money 06:21 and then I got lawsuits. 06:24 And we had experiences in which God had to prove Himself 06:27 that it's no longer you here. 06:30 God had to actually strip me away 06:33 from everything that I was depending upon all my life, 06:36 only to show what kind of God He was. 06:39 - Okay, so that stripping away. 06:41 - [Ramon] Yeah. 06:43 - It wasn't just like a decision. 06:45 It was like several year process, right? 06:47 - Yeah, it went actually quicker than I anticipated. 06:54 I knew the consequences of following the Lord, 06:57 that there could be that possibility that it's gonna, 06:59 - You lose everything. 07:00 - [Ramon] Strip away. 07:01 - Okay. 07:02 - But when it was actually happening, 07:03 I started to complain. 07:04 I started complain, we started complaining. 07:06 She started to complain, 07:08 but we just stayed on course. 07:11 Trying to believe that this is part of the game, 07:13 maybe part of the process. 07:15 - And during that process, 07:16 God showed up in ways that encourage you 07:18 to continue the process you're on. 07:20 - Yes, of course, yeah. 07:21 I think that's His only purpose for us to 07:23 go through that experience for us to understand. 07:26 We had a great team in the beginning of working together, 07:31 but it came to a point where 07:33 we had to pay a satellite bill, I think. 07:35 We had $15,000 bill every month that we signed up for. 07:42 And everything was paid in the beginning, 07:43 everything is okay. 07:45 And then, I think at one point, 07:48 the company called us 07:49 because we were like few days late only. 07:51 Hey, the payment didn't come, 07:54 you got to make payment. 07:55 Yeah, I know. 07:57 But I think we're running short this month. 07:59 Well, you got to make payment next week. 08:00 Otherwise, the accounting is gonna shut down the satellite. 08:05 Like, okay, let's see what God's gonna do. 08:07 And then the following week, 08:10 at the day we were supposed to pay, 08:13 we didn't have money, I think. 08:15 There's really no payment yet. 08:17 And I decided to just get in the car 08:19 and I think I wanna see them, 08:21 see what they can do in person, 08:23 maybe ask for grace period, 08:25 a longer time for us to pay. 08:27 And then, just on the way to see them in the car, 08:30 in the traffic, it was Blackberry then, 08:34 I received an email from a friend saying that, 08:38 "You know what? We got a donation from somebody in England." 08:43 Somebody who's not even probably a Christian. 08:45 Somebody is not a believer. 08:47 This person sent an email notifying that 08:50 they located us, our work through the internet. 08:55 And then the guy, his father just recently passed away 09:00 and inherited him a lot of money 09:02 and then he just had at a hunch 09:04 that he was gonna help a work somewhere in Asia 09:07 and then located our work and then he wired the money. 09:11 And then the money was actually transferred to us 09:14 a few days before that. 09:16 And then just what I was making my way to the office, 09:19 the satellite office and the money came in, 09:22 - Wow. 09:23 - [Ramon] Right on time. 09:23 - Wow. 09:25 - So it was just a miracle that kind of got us both 09:27 in the car crying, you know? 09:28 - Wow. 09:29 - Wow, God is really serious about this work. 09:32 - Wow. 09:33 - He's really, really that serious. 09:35 - That kind of situation is really like, 09:38 strike your heart to think that 09:41 no, you even worthy in the eyes of Him. 09:45 - So God would do that miracle for you. 09:47 - Yeah. 09:48 - Yeah. 09:49 God will do everything to make you understand 09:52 how precious you are. 09:54 So your heart can change, right? 09:56 It seems like impossible. 09:57 Like how come God You are willing to work 10:00 and corporate with people like us 10:03 who has like baggy background. 10:06 - Baggage. 10:07 - Baggage, right? 10:08 - [John] Yeah. 10:09 - So that's why when he have the experience, 10:12 it's really stuck. 10:13 I remember that night, 10:15 he gather are all of the workers 10:17 and we are holding hands together. 10:19 And he told the story and we are crying like, wow. 10:23 - Yeah, we were crying on the street 10:25 while I was reading that even. 10:27 - Even in the studio, 10:29 with the missionary and it just like, wow, 10:32 now we have that story. 10:34 - 'Cause you were sitting in FaithCamp saying, 10:36 "How come I don't have those stories 10:38 that those people have?" 10:39 And now God's giving you your own story. 10:41 - The exact amount that we ask for, that we needed. 10:44 - And your response to that, as soon as you saw that is, 10:47 - Praise the Lord, yeah. 10:47 - [John] God is there. 10:48 God is real. 10:49 - And He cares. 10:51 - And then what it did, it kind of diminishes our fear 10:54 by a great chunk. 10:56 - You see, I had a similar experience 10:58 because I grew up reading Matthew 6:33. 11:01 - Oh, okay. 11:02 - Seek he first the kingdom of God 11:03 and all these things will be added to you. 11:05 - [Ramon] Yeah. 11:07 - And thinking, well, I've heard that, everybody reads that, 11:08 but who really believes that? 11:11 - Yeah. 11:12 - Who really organizes their life on that principle? 11:14 And then I started seeing people 11:16 that had that kind of experience in their lives 11:19 and that we're trusting God fully 11:21 for everything and God was coming through. 11:23 I was working at 3ABN. 11:25 - [Ramon] Yes. 11:26 - My paycheck was coming from Danny Shelton's faith. 11:29 I never experienced that before. 11:31 And then the next question was, would God do that for me? 11:35 - Yeah. 11:35 - I see Him doing it for others, 11:37 would He do that for me? 11:38 And so it's exactly the same thing. 11:39 When I started seeing that He would, 11:41 I was like, "Man, we got to spread this around." 11:43 - Yeah. 11:45 - And everybody that I've seen this, 11:46 isn't just like one off or two off theory. 11:48 Everybody that I've seen that has ventured out, 11:50 like you guys did, has had the same experience. 11:54 That God is trustworthy. 11:56 - Yes, He is. 11:56 - And their faith has grown. 11:58 - [Ramon] Yeah. 11:59 - Yeah, I have the experience also, 12:01 like make me realize that. 12:04 - [Ramon] Yeah, God is alive, God is good. 12:06 - God is alive, God is there. 12:08 - [John] Right. 12:09 - Ramon has the experience through the satellite 12:10 and then I have experience my mom funeral 12:14 because we were really willing to let go everything, 12:17 even though it's like 50%, 12:19 like okay, you know? 12:21 Okay. 12:23 But yeah, just do it. 12:24 - [John] Yeah. 12:26 - And then at the moment we don't have any cash at all 12:28 because we use everything, right. 12:30 - [John] Wow. 12:31 - Yeah. And then I got a phone call from my family 12:34 that my mom is dying. 12:36 She almost died and I was like, "Lord, what should I do?" 12:38 Because in our tradition, if you are the first one, 12:41 you need to take care of the pride of the family. 12:44 - So they must have had a lot of pride 12:45 when you were really rich. 12:47 - Well, they did, yeah. 12:48 - Yeah, they did. 12:49 They just like, look at her, the pride. 12:51 - The pride of the family, yeah. 12:52 - Of the family. 12:54 - And now that you've lost, 12:55 you've given away you haven't lost it. 12:56 - Yeah. 12:57 - [John] You've actually intentionally, 12:58 - Well, we kind of did lost a lot 13:00 after following the Lord. 13:01 - But there was a result from that decision. 13:04 - Yeah. 13:05 A a result of that decision. 13:06 - And you invested a lot of what you had, into the work. 13:10 - Yeah, but God did return just in time, 13:12 everything just when we need it. 13:14 (laughing) 13:15 - So you became dependent on Him. 13:16 - As long as you were gonna use it for Him. 13:18 - [Ramon] Yeah. 13:19 - And not for yourself. 13:19 - That's right. 13:21 So at the time of your mom's funeral, you had nothing. 13:24 - I have nothing. And then the family is just, 13:26 everybody's watching like, okay, what she gonna do? 13:30 - [John] Yeah. 13:31 - And I was like, oh, and then, 13:32 of course my husband is really like very, 13:36 - Stressful, yeah. 13:37 - Stressful at the moment because 13:39 he looked at me and he said like, 13:41 "I'm sorry, I need to bring you 13:42 with this kind of situation." 13:43 - [John] Wow. 13:44 - I told him, right, 13:46 "Ramon, I'm the one who say yes too. 13:48 It means that I'm the one who really have the 13:50 deep understanding too." 13:52 - No, we agreed, yeah. 13:53 - We agreed that we gonna get through it this part together. 13:58 So, everything's gonna be okay, 14:00 I'm gonna deal with my family. 14:01 You just stand still there 14:05 and he's like, "No, I need to help you." 14:08 No, no, no. 14:09 - It was kind of embarrassing for a man. 14:11 - That's the pride of the man, right? 14:14 And then I remember, even telling him like, 14:17 "Let's watch the video, maybe we can make something," 14:22 - Like a casket. 14:23 "From the," 14:24 - The plywood, something. 14:26 - The plywood or something. 14:26 - DIY. 14:27 - DIY. 14:29 - I was like, "It's okay, you don't need to put your ears, 14:32 to listen what the family said. 14:35 It's all me, I'm gonna deal with them." 14:40 And then we go to the funeral store, right? 14:45 I ask this casket and everything 14:47 and of course it's expensive. 14:49 - What are you talking about? Like 5,000. 14:52 - I think I remember the casket itself 14:53 was like almost $2,000. 14:55 - $2,000 for a casket. 14:56 - And then, the color is white. 14:59 Because the first time I walked into that funeral store, 15:05 the one thing that I see is the casket, 15:06 like, wow, white, I know is really beautiful for my mom. 15:09 - So that's the one you wanted. 15:10 - Yeah, that's the one that I want, right? 15:13 And then I was like, yeah. 15:14 But then when I asked and the casket was so expensive, 15:16 I was like, forget it. 15:17 - Right. 15:18 - And then the people say like, 15:19 "There's the other funeral store over there. 15:21 Maybe you can go there." 15:23 I was like, "Okay, just check it out." 15:24 - [John] Okay. 15:25 - So I go to that other store 15:27 and then I walk and then the lady 15:29 is already in front of the door. 15:31 Like, "Hey." 15:32 And I was like, "I'm sorry." 15:34 This is already like 3:30 in the morning. 15:36 - 3:30 in the morning? 15:37 - Yeah, it was really. 15:38 - Yeah, it's really like that late. 15:41 - Late or early. 15:42 - 3:30 in the morning. 15:43 - You went casket shopping at 3:30. 15:44 - They opened 24 hours for that. 15:46 - Over there, that's what happens. 15:48 As soon as somebody passes 15:49 you start calling around, 15:51 who's gonna handle all the funeral. 15:54 - She was awake at 3:30. 15:55 - Yeah, she's there. 15:57 - They're always open 24 hours. 15:59 - There's no morgue with refrigeration. 16:01 - Yeah, well, we do it really quick. 16:03 - They have to do it very fast. 16:04 - Yeah, yeah. 16:05 - [John] Okay. 16:06 - And I was like, "I'm sorry, 16:07 I know this is 3:30 in the morning." 16:08 She said like, "It's okay. It's okay. 16:11 You must be Shandy and this is Ramon, right? 16:14 And then I always thought that 16:15 this is the television viewer. 16:18 - Oh yeah. 16:19 - And I was like, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. 16:20 Yeah, ma'am I'm Shandy and this is my husband Ramon." 16:22 - [John] Okay. 16:23 - Yeah, I know that you guys will come. 16:25 So, there's a list that I already prepare for you, 16:30 what you need. 16:31 And I was like, and of course as a human, 16:33 you have the negative thought throws this lady, right? 16:36 - Why is she pushing the sales? 16:38 - I tell like, "Yeah, I need something for my mother." 16:41 Yeah, I know. I just prepare everything for you. 16:44 - Don't worry, I'll take care of everything. 16:47 - Don't worry, I take care of everything. 16:48 And then I just want to make sure 16:50 what the casket that she will give to my mom. 16:53 - Plywood. 16:54 - Yeah, I was like, wow. 16:56 I just wanted to make sure I don't get the white casket 16:59 because I know the white casket is so expensive. 17:01 - It costs a lot of money. 17:02 - And I just like, can I see the casket? 17:05 And she just like, of course. 17:06 And she just like, that's the casket, the white one. 17:09 I was like, "Oh, see, I knew it." 17:10 I was like, "I knew it Ramon, that casket is so expensive." 17:14 I was like, I mean, this lady, really? 17:17 - She like, "Take this, take this, don't worry, take this." 17:19 - Take this, it's okay. 17:20 I was like, oh, okay. 17:21 - [Ramon] Good price. 17:22 - Maybe, Ramon, she really need to on sale. 17:27 - To make a sale, yeah. 17:28 - To make a sale. I was like, okay. 17:29 I just took everything, what you prepare for me. 17:31 - Wow. 17:33 - And then, she bring everything to my. 17:35 - Over there, they do it, 17:37 we do the funeral at home. 17:39 So they set up the tents, the chairs, all, everything. 17:44 All the flowers, whatever it's needed, all these things. 17:46 - [John] Okay 17:48 - So she comes with the whole package 17:50 delivered at our house. 17:52 - And then when my mom already get. 17:56 - Yeah, after she was buried, yeah. 17:57 - Yeah. 17:58 - So how long. 17:59 - The second, two days. 18:00 - Okay. 18:01 - Two days. 18:02 - All right, so two days. 18:03 - And then I asked her, "Can I ask the bill? I need to pay." 18:04 And then she came with me with the bill. 18:07 It's just only transportation cost. 18:11 - Okay, so what would the bill normally be? 18:13 - The casket. 18:14 - We're expecting to pay, 18:16 maybe in dollars to 3000, 18:18 maybe right around there. 18:20 - Oh, the caskets 2000. 18:21 - [Ramon] Yeah. 18:22 - So all the chairs and tables, all that kind of stuff. 18:24 - [Ramon] Yeah, yeah. 18:26 - Maybe 2 to 3000 on top of that. 18:27 - [Ramon] Something like that. 18:29 - So maybe around 5,000. 18:30 - Yeah, maybe. 18:31 And then when it was charged, only the transportation, 18:33 because she said you don't pay for everything. 18:35 It's just the truck doesn't belong to me. 18:37 I had to rent the truck to bring everything here. 18:40 That's it. 18:42 I think the truck was only like 50, 60, $70, 18:45 somewhere around $60, maybe in us dollars. 18:49 This is ridiculous. 18:50 It has to be more than this. 18:52 - I told her, "No, no, no, no. 18:54 I'm a business background too. 18:55 I know that you need to have money back. 18:58 But look at this, 18:59 this is just only the transportation cost." 19:02 And she said, "Yeah, I know. 19:03 You just pay for the transportation 19:05 because that is not my car. 19:06 I was like, "No, no, no, no, no. 19:07 You need to explain to me why I need to pay 19:09 just only for the transportation, 19:11 because you give me the full service." 19:13 - [John] Yeah. 19:14 - Right. 19:15 - And she said like, "No, no. 19:16 the service is on me, so you don't need to pay for that. 19:20 It's free for me." 19:21 And I was like, "No, no, no, no, no. 19:22 You are not family, you're not even my family. 19:25 How come you give that?" 19:25 - Yeah, what's in it to you? 19:27 - Free for me. 19:28 - Right. 19:29 - You need to explain to me. 19:30 And she's just like, "Listen, Sandy, everything is free." 19:31 I was like, "I know, but I just don't want to accept this." 19:35 And she just like, she holding my shoulders 19:38 and she just like, "Listen to me." 19:41 I was like, "Okay, I want to listen to you. 19:43 You need to explain, right?" 19:44 Okay, she just crying, like, listen to me. 19:47 - [John] She's crying. 19:48 - She's crying. 19:49 - [John] Okay. 19:50 She just like, shaking. 19:52 - [John] Emotional. 19:53 - Emotional, right? 19:54 - [John] Yeah, yeah. 19:56 - She looking at my eyes, she says, "Listen to me." 19:57 I was like, "Okay, I want to listen to you." 19:59 The day before you came, right? 20:01 God come on my dream. 20:04 - Yeah. 20:05 - God give me all of the list. 20:06 Even the color of the casket that you want. 20:10 So that's why I give you the white one, 20:13 because you want that, God says you want that. 20:16 And God says, "Give everything for her 20:20 because her life?" 20:23 - Her soul. 20:24 - "Her soul is really." What God said? 20:25 - Precious. 20:27 - "It's really precious to me." 20:28 - Wow. 20:29 - So you need to accept everything 20:31 because I don't want to charge you 20:33 because God don't let me to charge you. 20:36 And I was like, I just really in tears at the moment, 20:40 because I know like, wow, even the casket color. 20:44 He give the detail, right? 20:46 The detail and I was like, wow, 20:48 He's really the Alpha and Omega. 20:50 He knows that what I want and its really strike me 20:54 and from that moment I was like, 20:56 I'm telling my husband, "Now you are the leader, right?" 21:02 Because God's strike will talk to you. 21:03 Everything that He will bring me and you, 21:07 if God grace, I will be your partner. 21:10 Everything that He wants me to go with you, I will go. 21:13 I will teach the kids, I will teach everything 21:15 I will learn everything because you know, 21:18 that situation is really bring me, 21:21 especially the words, God says, 21:24 "Your soul is precious to Him." 21:26 I was like, wow. 21:28 Yeah, my soul is precious to Him? 21:31 And then when I'm scared in my life, 21:35 scared to believing on Him, 21:37 He's already believing on me. 21:40 - Wow. 21:41 - Yeah. 21:42 - When I don't have that faith to believing on Him, 21:44 He already have the faith of believe in me 21:47 and He said maybe like, "Hey, I know that you can do it." 21:50 - [John] Wow. 21:51 - I know that you can make it. 21:53 - [John] Wow. 21:55 - And I was like, "God, you are amazing." 21:57 And you know like people, 21:58 maybe when people looking at me like, 22:01 why you always crying when you share the testimony. 22:03 I know who I am, right? 22:05 I know I'm a sinful person, 22:08 raised from the messed up in society family. 22:12 And then how God like that want to search me in my position. 22:17 - [John] Yeah. 22:18 - And then tell that, "No, for me, you are so precious." 22:21 - [John] Wow. 22:22 - And it's really like, wow, let me work with you. 22:24 Let me do anything. 22:26 - He won your heart? 22:27 - [Shandy] Anything that you want me to do. 22:27 - So you won your heart? 22:28 - Yeah, yeah. 22:29 He won my heart. 22:30 - And then after God has proven Himself able, 22:32 to provide 1000 ways of which we know not one, 22:37 - [John] Right. 22:38 - Now we become more confident in him. 22:40 - [John] Right. 22:41 - Not in ourselves anymore. 22:42 - Not confidence like the confidence, but we have that. 22:44 - We have confidence in Him, not in us anymore. 22:46 - [John] Right. 22:47 - He is there, everything's gonna be okay. 22:49 Even if He needs to put us in the deep crisis, 22:54 not because He doesn't love us, 22:56 but He want us to understand, 22:58 to see that He never gonna let us go. 23:02 - [John] Wow. 23:03 - So you, at one time in your life, 23:05 you had a lot of faith in your money. 23:08 - Yeah. 23:09 - And now you have faith in your God, 23:11 which one's better? 23:12 - Oh, it's relying upon God, 23:14 it's actually the happiest life. 23:15 - Yeah. 23:17 - When we rely on money, yes, we trust money, 23:19 but it's just like, the worry just never stops. 23:22 That's not a happy life. 23:23 - I look at you now and you guys have this peace 23:27 and you're holding hands. 23:29 And I look at your pictures from when, 23:31 before I knew you. 23:32 - [Shandy] Yeah. 23:33 - [Ramon] Yeah. 23:34 - You have this look where it's not the same. 23:36 - Yeah. 23:37 - From our side, watching you, 23:39 'cause we met you in 2011 and for the next 10 years, 23:43 we watched you and for nine years, we really wanted to help. 23:49 But it felt like God was holding us back. 23:51 Of course we were going through 23:54 the wilderness experience also for ourselves 23:56 and God was sponging out, clearing out 24:01 our attachments to trusting in money. 24:04 I didn't have as much money as you did, but I had some. 24:08 And of course my own, oh, what's the word? 24:11 - Self-reliance. 24:12 - Self-reliance yeah, yeah. 24:13 Being the husband and all that kind of stuff. 24:14 So similar experience. 24:16 But then like 2020, it's like the switch happened. 24:20 You're to point where at the lightning had hit 24:22 your satellite and knocked out some 24:24 - Yeah, it was March 2020. 24:26 - And you were behind in paying the satellite bills. 24:29 You were telling me, he says, 24:30 "I think it's time that we shut it down." 24:33 - That's right. That's what I said, yeah. 24:35 - Yeah and I remember feeling this kind of anger 24:37 'cause righteous indignation. 24:39 It's like, okay, well, if we choose to shut it down 24:42 because God directs us to shut it down, then that's fine. 24:46 But just because of lack of money, 24:48 no, that's a defeat. 24:51 And so we prayed really hard. 24:53 Our team prayed here and the Lord gave us the inspiration, 24:58 that it's not time yet. 25:01 And so we presented it to our wonderful viewers 25:07 and the Lord just moved. 25:10 And so now you've got the satellite in a good position 25:14 and now God is fulfilling the other vision. 25:16 And you bought an airplane. 25:17 - Yeah. 25:18 - Yes. 25:19 - Through a miracle. 25:20 - Yeah. 25:21 - Absolute miracle. 25:22 And so God's opening the doors. 25:22 - Yes. 25:24 - Because He's tested us and you, 25:26 it's not about money. 25:28 - Yeah, it's not about money. 25:29 - Yeah. 25:30 - It's about our faith. 25:31 - Right, exactly. 25:32 - It's about how great He is. 25:33 - [All] Yeah. 25:34 - And how capable and trustworthy He is. 25:35 - [All] Yeah. 25:36 - God gives us money, 25:39 but so that we can use it, 25:40 but He doesn't want the money to own us. 25:44 - Right. 25:45 - Honestly, when we get to heaven, 25:46 we're all gonna be billionaires. 25:48 Trillionaires, you know? 25:48 - And then it won't matter. 25:50 - Absolutely not. 25:51 - Because He's the one who owns everything. 25:53 - Right. 25:54 And we have the same experience, 25:55 the same with you guys that, when I had a regular job, 26:00 I stressed more about money, 26:01 - [Ramon] That's right. 26:03 - Than I do now that, 26:05 when we don't have the regular job. 26:07 Because know Him. 26:08 - Yeah. 26:09 - Yeah, we know Him. 26:10 - Like right now, God puts us 26:12 in our previous 26:13 - Society. 26:14 - Society. 26:15 You just cannot understand anymore. 26:17 Like, you know? 26:19 - Why it was so important. 26:21 - [John] Now, that feels foreign. 26:21 - Yeah. 26:23 - Yeah, it's like a foreign concept already. 26:24 - It's just like, why? 26:25 - We would know how to do it anymore. 26:28 - Maybe people think like 26:29 look at her she's enjoying, no, I'm not. 26:30 Sit down there, at the same time, 26:33 you know that the money can buy people food 26:36 in the other side. 26:37 - Oh yeah. 26:39 - In this side they just only buy the drink. 26:41 - [John] Yeah. 26:42 - The drink is so expensive. 26:43 - [John] Yeah. 26:45 - And then the food is so expensive, 26:46 you know that because you've been exposed 26:47 with this kind of the other world, right? 26:49 - Right, it's so much more. 26:51 - It's just like burden. 26:53 - Fulfilling. 26:54 - Fulfilling. 26:55 So that's why, when people say, 26:56 Are you really want to come back to this?" 26:58 I don't think so. 26:59 That's very foreign for us. 27:02 - You seen the emptiness of it. 27:05 And you found where fulfillment lies. 27:07 - [Shandy] Yeah, yeah. 27:08 - Yes, and now God's adding to you 27:09 not only the satellite and the airplane, 27:11 but also the health retreat ministry. 27:14 - Yeah, we're working on it. 27:16 - God's gonna provide, right? 27:18 - Yes. 27:19 - [Shandy] Yeah. 27:20 - He always does. 27:21 - [John] Amen. 27:22 - Well, I wanna thank you so much 27:23 for being here and sharing more of your story 27:25 and I know we could keep talking for hours. 27:27 So next time you come back to America, 27:29 we'll have to talk again. 27:31 But we just really appreciate the glimpses 27:34 into what God has been teaching you in your lives 27:36 about what's really important to him. 27:38 And I would like to invite our viewers 27:40 to pray for Ramon and Shandy and their family 27:42 as they continue you to serve God 27:44 and the people of Indonesia. 27:46 And if you would like more information, 27:48 you can get ahold of us at Jesus for Asia 27:51 P.O. box 1221 College Dale, Tennessee, 37315. 27:57 Call us at (423) 413-7321 28:01 or visit our website at jesusforasia.org. 28:05 May God richly bless you until we see you next time 28:08 on "Jesus for Asia Now." 28:10 (dramatic music) |
Revised 2022-03-08