Participants:
Series Code: OTR
Program Code: OTR000931
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00:01 Music...
00:10 more music... 00:19 more... 00:26 some more music... 00:32 getting ready to go on the road... 00:55 On the Road... 00:57 ASI Tampa, Florida Friday Night, Youth in Action 01:01 This evening we would like to share with you 01:05 a little bit of what has been happening this week 01:07 at the ASI Youth Convention. 01:09 We put a lot of value on our young people at ASI 01:13 and we try to take the best... 01:16 make the best use that we can of this opportunity 01:18 to provide wholesome, uplifting 01:20 and Christ-Centered programs for our children, 01:24 I want to thank all of our Leaders 01:26 in each Department who have put a great deal of time 01:29 and energy in preparing for all of these meetings, 01:33 and I especially want to thank the Lord 01:35 for His help as He is ultimately the one 01:38 who brings everything together and He blesses our efforts. 01:41 I would like to end with a short quotation 01:44 from one of my favorite books, Child Guidance, 01:48 page 476 which says, "The management and instruction 01:54 of children is the noblest missionary work 01:57 that any man or woman can undertake" 02:00 now we'll hear a little bit from each of our Departments. 02:05 God calls for all of us to know Him 02:14 and this year in the Kindergarten Department, 02:17 our theme has been, 02:18 "Repairers of the breach, God's call to higher ground" 02:24 So what is the breach that we've been learning about? 02:30 Separation from God. Amen. 02:35 And who is the repairer of the breach? 02:37 Jesus... 02:39 Okay, now, why did Jesus come the first time? 02:42 To save us from our sins. All right... 02:46 so what's our call now? Come higher... 02:51 Oh... I believe God is calling all of us to come higher 02:55 and to prepare this generation. 03:01 We shall raise up our foundations 03:06 of many generations 03:09 and thou shalt be called "the repairer of the breach" 03:15 the restorer of pastures dwell. 03:20 We shall raise up our foundations 03:25 of many generations 03:28 and thou shalt be called the repairer of the breach 03:34 the restorer of pasture dwelling. 03:40 Okay, so, now, what is God's call? 03:46 Climb higher... 03:49 oh... and how do we climb higher? 03:52 Let Jesus come into our hearts. 03:56 Okay... 03:59 Open my eyes Lord... open this... 04:06 we're always in your hands... 04:12 the glory of the Lord our King 04:18 in me is living... 04:24 From glory to glory 04:29 even that's what was given 04:34 of our Lord... 04:40 Now is it our choice to climb up higher? 04:44 Yes... 04:46 All right, so we need to make that choice right? 04:48 Jesus watches me by day 04:56 I should follow through the way 05:00 when it's time to fall asleep 05:06 Jesus, always on you I lean. 05:12 Do we each take that call? 05:17 When I sometimes fall, 05:19 climb higher, climb higher... 05:29 Audience clapping... 05:47 The Primary theme this year was "Light bearers for Christ" 05:54 and we focused on different Adventist Pioneers 05:58 like Joseph Bates, Uriah Smith and from them 06:01 we learned how we can be Light bearers for Christ 06:05 and one of the things the children did in Class this year, 06:09 to let their light shine was to prepare boxes 06:13 that have a new outfit in them, and a pair of Crocs 06:18 and these were all put in nice boxes that they decorated 06:22 and it will be sent to an overseas child 06:25 by the Organization, "Dress a child" 06:27 at this time, we would like to sing 06:30 our theme song which goes along with our 06:33 program that was especially written for us this year at ASI. 06:37 Piano playing... 06:42 God cares for us 06:47 we are the light of the world 06:51 sharing the Son into the night... 06:56 we're Light bearers for Christ. 07:00 God cares for us... 07:04 we are the light of the world 07:09 telling the story Jesus our glory 07:14 we're Light bearers for Christ 07:18 God cares for us, 07:22 we are the light of the world 07:27 sharing the Son 07:29 into the night... 07:31 we're Light bearers for Christ... 07:36 we're Light bearers for Christ. 07:41 Audience clapping... 07:49 children leaving the stage 08:01 still leaving the stage... 08:12 Good evening, I'm Cynthia Knecht 08:14 and I've been the Leader of the Junior Department this year 08:18 and Ephesians 5:14 tells us that Christ shall give thee light, 08:22 and our Junior theme has been "To Walk in the Light" 08:26 and the children have been studying 08:29 about the Adventist Pioneers 08:32 the light that God has given us in the past 08:34 that brought this message, 08:35 and study the different pioneers 08:36 that we have had in the past, 08:38 then we have studied the light on the health message 08:41 so that the children can be healthy 08:43 to be children who give the light to the world. 08:47 To give our light to the world, 08:50 we wanted to do something to make a difference in the city 08:53 here... where the Convention is being held, 08:54 and so, we are going to be 08:57 working with Kids Charity of Tampa Bay 08:59 and our children have been bringing school supplies 09:03 and we're filling backpacks 09:04 and giving them to the Foster Children in Tampa. 09:10 They have got about... 09:13 I think we're going to have close to 80 backpacks 09:15 that we're going to have filled to give to the... 09:18 over... there's over 6,000 children 09:20 it will make a little difference. 09:21 Audience clapping... 09:24 One thing though, 09:27 one of our children came up to me and she said, 09:30 "Mrs. Knecht, I am so excited about our service project. " 09:34 I said, "You are, Tasha?" 09:36 And she said, "Yes, I'm very excited" 09:38 and I said, "Tasha, why are you excited?" 09:40 And what did you tell me? 09:42 Because I'm a Foster Kid... I was a Foster Kid. 09:45 She had been a Foster Child, you notice the "was" 09:48 you have a new mom and dad, 09:50 you've been adopted, haven't you? 09:51 Yes. 09:53 And did you get a few brothers and Sisters? 09:55 Nodding yes... Audience clapping... 09:57 How many new brothers and sisters do you have? 09:59 Three... 10:02 Three brothers and sisters but Tasha said, 10:05 that one of the things 10:06 that was tough about being a Foster Child 10:08 she didn't get hardly any new things, so you were excited 10:12 that these children were going to be getting new supplies 10:15 and a backpack that they can keep for themselves, right? 10:18 Yes... 10:19 So, anyway, I'd like all the boys and girls to turn around, 10:22 looks like we're ready to go hiking 10:24 but actually we're ready to go... 10:25 walk in the light... for Jesus. 10:27 Children leaving the stage with backpacks on their backs... 10:34 children leaving the stage... 11:12 Well good evening ASI, 11:15 my name is Maria Lodencamp 11:16 and I have had the privilege 11:18 of working with the Earliteen Department 11:19 and I have brought up three of our fine students 11:24 and I brought a Mentor up, Luther Whiting, 11:27 and this has been his first time serving in Earliteen 11:30 and we just want to share a little bit about 11:32 what we have been doing in our class. 11:35 Courtney, we've had some special speakers in our room 11:37 and I was wondering if you'd be willing to share 11:40 just a little bit how that has impacted your life. 11:43 Well, my favorite Speakers were 11:45 Don Maclntosh and then Paul Rain 11:48 and Don Maclntosh was talking about 11:51 how he had fallen away from the Lord 11:53 and he was basically... 11:55 I mean, he was an Atheist 11:56 and his patients that he was taking care of 12:01 brought him back to the Lord, 12:03 and for me that was really exciting 12:05 just to know that through anything... 12:08 God can and will do everything. 12:11 And also, Paul was talking about how Satan... 12:17 he just can't stand prayer, or if you're quoting Scripture 12:22 and he has to leave, 12:23 and I thought that was really cool 12:25 because anytime you're tempted you can just be like, 12:28 "God, help me," or you can quote Scripture 12:31 and you know it's really powerful. 12:36 As Mrs. Lodencamp mentioned it has also been my privilege 12:44 to work in the Earliteen Department 12:45 and as I see their energy and their enthusiasm, 12:48 I feel life in there, and their passion for service 12:50 it has also inspired me quite a great deal. 12:53 All right now, Kendall, we've been studying 12:56 some pretty interesting things in the Earliteen Department 12:58 that have meant a lot to me 13:00 and, I'm sure, the rest of the class as well. 13:03 Can you share with me a little bit about the themes 13:05 that we've been studying in the Earliteen Department? 13:08 Our theme in the Earliteen Department this year 13:11 has been "Divine Connection" 13:12 Divine Connection is the connection with Christ 13:15 and He's the vine and we are the branches 13:17 and when we're in Him then He will take care of us 13:21 and we'll bear fruit and we'll be able to grow 13:26 in our relationship with Him and with other people. 13:28 That's excellent Kendall, you know John 15:5 is 13:32 an exceedingly practical text, 13:34 it's about abiding in the vine which is Jesus, 13:37 and I'm convinced that if these young people 13:40 take this message to heart, if they abide in the vine 13:43 which is Jesus, our Church has a bright future. 13:47 Hannah, we've gone on a couple of outings 13:51 but there has been one that especially has impacted you 13:54 would you share a little bit about that? 13:55 Yes, actually it was this afternoon 13:58 it was natural disaster training that we went to 14:04 in this place where they trained us 14:08 how to help when natural disasters hit 14:12 like hurricanes and stuff, 14:14 so it was really interesting and fun 14:17 and it was really beneficial since we know 14:21 in this time and age that we live in 14:24 that those things are ahead 14:25 and that we can prepare to help out... 14:27 to help out with them, 14:29 with a Christian's perspective so, yeah... 14:33 Absolutely, I just wanted to ask one of you 14:36 if you would share anything that you've learned this week 14:39 that you're going to take from the Earliteen Department 14:42 challenging you... that will impact your life 14:45 once you leave this place? 14:47 Luther, is there anything that you can share 14:54 with regards to that? 14:55 Well, along the lines of what I was saying earlier, 14:59 I think, this Church's young people are very capable 15:04 and also as I've mentioned I've seen the motivation 15:08 and the enthusiasm that they've put 15:10 into what they've been doing and so... 15:12 I'm excited to see what God has in store for these people 15:16 when they take this message to heart, 15:19 and we have lots to look forward to. 15:21 Thank you for allowing us to work with your Earliteens. 15:24 Audience clapping... 15:33 Good evening, in the book Education we read, 15:37 "Never was any previous generation called to meet 15:42 issues so momentous, 15:44 never before were young men and women, 15:47 confronted by perils so great, as confront them today" 15:53 I think as you look at the world around, 15:57 you would have to agree with me 15:59 that these words were even more... 16:01 are even more apropos today, 16:03 in this 21st Century world, complex as it is, 16:08 there are pitfalls and perils that abound for young people 16:14 our theme in the Youth Division this year and our goal 16:18 has been to challenge young people 16:21 to live and develop... 16:23 live lives and develop characters 16:26 of uncompromised integrity 16:29 in a world of unparalleled complexity 16:33 I have here with me this evening David Kamma and Michelle Palia 16:39 to share with us about what we've been doing 16:41 in our Youth Division... 16:43 first, David, tell us, what have you learned 16:47 about how to live a life of unparalleled, 16:51 of uncompromised integrity in this day and age. 16:56 Okay, on Thursday evening Samuel Pippin talked to us about 17:02 having a purpose in life and he said that 17:05 if we want to have a purpose, 17:09 then we need to be focused and not let anybody else, 17:12 friends, family, money, whatever... 17:14 distract us from our mission 17:17 and he pointed out the three worthies 17:19 in Daniel chapter 4, I believe, 17:23 how they told King Nebuchadnezzar, 17:27 "We would rather go to the furnace than to disobey 17:36 what God has said, 17:38 'Thou shalt not bow down to any other graven image. '" 17:41 Rather than compromise their integrity... 17:43 Yes... yes... 17:44 And by having the same purpose 17:46 you too and me too can have that integrity 17:48 and Michelle, in the mornings we've been together 17:52 and Dr. Tim Reesenburger has been sharing with us 17:56 what have you learned from those meetings 17:58 that have been especially important to you? 18:00 Well, I particularly enjoy 18:03 the key that unlocks the entire Bible 18:06 and basically what he talked about was 18:09 his encounter when he went to South America 18:12 and there were these two church members 18:16 that were just dying to have a copy of The Great Controversy, 18:19 and he asked them, he was curious, 18:22 he asked them, "What would you do 18:26 if you had a copy of The Great Controversy?" 18:28 And they answered, "Oh, we would read it, 18:30 we would study it, 18:31 and we would take it to Bible Study" 18:33 and so he got them a copy of The Great Controversy, 18:36 and not only did they read it and study it, 18:39 they also shared it with all the people that they knew 18:43 now this story is the very epitome 18:46 of what our church should be doing 18:48 we should have this child-like... 18:51 we should have this child-like desire to share God's Word 18:56 these children... these were children, actually, 18:58 they were the ages of 6 and 9, 19:01 they were sharing God's Word at such an early age, 19:04 and they were reading The Great Controversy already. 19:06 So, I learned a lot from this because you need to have... 19:13 you need to be able to have this passion 19:18 and this desire to learn about God, as a child, 19:23 and this will help you find your purpose 19:25 that God wants you to have 19:28 and this will eventually lead to our Theme... which is... 19:32 Uncompromised integrity 19:36 in a world of unparalleled complexity. 19:39 On Thursday, we had the opportunity 19:42 of teaming up with ACTS World Relief, 19:46 an Adventist Disaster Response Organization 19:50 that has a special purpose to engage young people 19:54 to train them, equip them and empower them 19:56 to become the hands and the feet of Jesus, 19:59 to help people in the times of disaster. 20:01 And so, David, where did we go 20:04 on Thursday and what did we have a chance to visit? 20:06 Okay, we went to the Hillsboro Community Emergency 20:12 or EOC... yeah... 20:15 What does that stand for, what is the EOC? 20:17 Emergency Operations Center. 20:21 The Emergency Operations Center for Hillsboro County 20:26 and this is significant because this is hurricane territory 20:29 where do we actually receive the training at? 20:32 We receive the training in the "War Room" as they call it, 20:35 which... they bring all their guys in... you might call them. 20:39 Disaster strikes, this is where it happens, 20:41 this is where disaster relief takes place 20:44 you received your training there, what type of training... 20:46 a little bit... just briefly... 20:48 Well, we were trained how to respond 20:52 when a hurricane or tornado or whatever strikes 20:56 a certain area and what to do... 20:57 Okay, and Michelle, also you received training 21:01 on a little, special device, that is cutting-edge technology 21:05 utilizing young people 21:06 to try to save lives in a disaster, tell us about that. 21:09 Well, we had cell phones and it was very handy 21:12 because we went around the neighborhood 21:14 simulating a disaster and what we did was, 21:17 we recorded information on that cell phone 21:20 and you can hook that up to a computer 21:22 and basically you can see what areas need the most help, 21:27 and it was really handy for us 21:29 because our generation is really good at texting. 21:31 Enjoy that... they can text... 21:33 they blew out some records on texting... 21:35 and it was exciting to see what young people can do 21:38 and how they could save lives in a disaster. 21:41 You know elsewhere in the Spirit of Prophecy, 21:43 we are told, that never before 21:45 was there so much at stake, 21:48 never were there such weighty results 21:52 depending upon a generation as upon those now... 21:55 coming upon the stage of action. 21:57 I believe this is true 21:58 that in the complexity of these last days, 22:01 I believe that there is an army of young people... 22:04 a generation of youth emerging... 22:06 who are responding to the challenge 22:09 to live lives and develop characters 22:12 of uncompromised integrity 22:15 in a world of unparalleled complexity. 22:18 It's been a privilege and a joy to work with many such youth 22:23 this year at ASI in the ASI Youth Department. 22:27 Amen... audience clapping... 22:34 Good evening, happy Sabbath, 22:41 it's wonderful to be back at ASI once again, 22:45 and we are the Youth for Jesus, 22:49 this is an ASI Program, ASI-funded, ASI-managed, 22:54 and well... by volunteers... 22:57 and I just like to welcome you to our Friday evening report 23:02 of what's been happening here in Tampa, Florida, 23:05 for the past six months, 23:08 we've been here since March with Bible Workers, 23:13 and our Evangelistic Meetings began on July 9th 23:17 and we just had a wonderful baptismal harvest 23:22 on this past Tuesday evening, August 5th, 23:27 and I wish that all of you could have joined in 23:30 and experienced this wonderful time that we had there 23:36 and tonight what we want to do is... 23:39 just give you a brief glimpse 23:42 of what has been happening here in Tampa, 23:45 God is working everywhere, 23:47 and even here in Tampa, well especially here in Tampa 23:51 and what I'd like to do now is to introduce 23:54 the Florida Conference President, Mike Cauley, 23:57 and the Florida Conference has been wonderfully 24:01 supportive of us, 24:02 and he is going to share a few words with us. 24:05 We want to welcome you to Florida, 24:08 we're just delighted that ASI could be in our territory 24:12 along with Southeastern Conference 24:14 during these last few weeks 24:16 as we've seen the Holy Spirit working through the 24:20 Youth for Jesus Ministry. 24:21 I praise God that He is raising up an army of youth 24:25 through ASI and that young people are hearing 24:29 the voice of God saying, "Go and make disciples" 24:32 it has been a blessing to us 24:34 and an inspiration to the churches in Tampa 24:36 and a blessing to all of us here in Florida, 24:39 thank you, God bless you. 24:41 Thank you Pastor for your support. 24:43 Well, as you see, this is our Youth for Jesus 2008 24:47 Youth for Jesus crew, and this year we had quite... 24:52 audience clapping... 24:56 this year we've had the biggest number of youth... 25:00 largest number of youth that we've ever had. 25:03 We had 52 youth participants, 19 Bible workers, 25:08 and these young people came from 11 Countries, 25:13 so we are an international movement. 25:15 They came from Australia, Bermuda, Costa Rica, 25:19 Czech Republic, Hungary, Mexico, Portugal, 25:23 Puerto Rico, Slovakia, Ukraine and 14 different states. 25:27 So God is moving on the hearts of young people 25:31 everywhere, amen... Amen... 25:33 We conducted meetings in five sites 25:37 including one Jewish Seventh-day Adventist Church. 25:41 This was the first time that we've partnered with 25:44 a Jewish church and it was very interesting 25:49 very learning experience and... 25:53 plus we had two supporting off... 25:58 well two sites that we were not directly funded by ASI, 26:03 but two sites that were operated by the NAPS Group 26:08 and so, I'd like to introduce you 26:10 to the Bible Workers... 26:11 if the Bible Workers could wave "Hi" to your ASI family... 26:14 and then our youth... our youth participants... 26:22 say, "Hello" to the family, 26:24 and this year we had a wonderful team of volunteer staff, 26:32 they gave a month of hard, no-rest work, 26:40 we didn't get any breaks, and they were so happy 26:45 and they worked so hard, and they were so willing to give 26:49 and share, and we cried, we prayed, 26:53 we laughed, and we went without sleep 26:57 but we had the most wonderful time... working with our youth. 27:02 So our staff... thank you very much. 27:04 Audience clapping... 27:10 And we're going to be interviewing 27:15 several of the people 27:17 that have been involved with this Program, 27:18 and the first interview 27:23 will be by our Site Coordinator, Kevin Sears, 27:26 Kevin Sears has been here since March organizing the churches 27:35 doing church-member training 27:37 and he is going to give you an overall site report 27:40 overall report for all the sites. 27:42 Good evening everyone. 27:44 Good evening. 27:45 Are you excited to be here tonight? 27:46 Yes... 27:48 We are so excited back here, I can't even explain it to you, 27:50 Here we are again, 27:51 for another ASI Youth for Jesus night here, 27:54 this time in Tampa 27:56 and we just had a tremendous program this year 27:59 and so I have the privilege of giving you the site... 28:03 the overall Site Reports and in our Seminars, 28:07 with all the series going on simultaneously, 28:11 we had over 400 visitors, non-Seventh-day Adventists 28:15 coming to our meetings, did you hear that? 28:19 Over 400 non-Seventh-day Adventists... 28:22 coming to the meetings it was incredible, 28:25 out of those, we had 103 decisions to keep the Sabbath 28:32 in our meetings, 103 decisions... 28:35 we also had 94 decisions... 28:39 people that wanted to get baptized 28:43 94 people... wanted to get baptized this summer 28:47 in this short program and out of those 28:50 22 have already gotten baptized in our first round 28:54 if you would call it that, and then the rest are follow up 28:57 and we have a lot of good follow up for the churches 29:00 and so all the rest... 72 will be followed up 29:06 and they'll be getting baptized over the next few months 29:09 and so we just had a tremendous time... many lives were changed 29:12 as you are going to see this evening 29:15 and I'd like to call up the Bible Worker, Matt Dooley, 29:19 Matt, come on up here, 29:21 Matt Dooley was one of our first Bible Workers 29:23 that arrived, shortly after myself, 29:26 and Matt was working at the Plant City Church, 29:29 that Site... and Matt has got... he wants to share 29:33 he's got a number of incredible testimonies 29:36 but tonight, we just have time for one of those, 29:39 and he's going to talk to us about Gina and Loretta. 29:42 Matt, what is so significant about Gina and Loretta? 29:48 Well, Kevin, Loretta was one of my Bible-Study contacts 29:53 and Gina was her daughter 29:55 and they told me that they would never, 29:58 ever step foot in a church 30:01 that they would never come out to the Series, 30:03 but by a miracle of God, they came out 30:05 and the first night... 30:06 they didn't even come into the Series 30:08 they were outside arguing the whole time 30:10 and so... 30:12 So they said, they would never come out... 30:14 step foot in a church, they come out on opening night 30:17 but they don't step foot in the church, 30:18 They'd never step foot in the church... 30:20 so they called me about 30 minutes after it was over 30:23 and said, "We're not coming back, we're never coming back" 30:26 and so we got the Youth for Jesus together 30:28 we got together and we prayed, 30:30 and we prayed hard for these people and I went home 30:33 and I never felt a burden like this in my heart 30:36 and I prayed for them, I got on my knees and I cried 30:39 for these people and guess what? 30:42 The next night, 30:43 20 minutes before it was going to start, 30:46 she called me, "Matt, can we come back?" 30:50 I said, "Of course, of course you can come back" 30:54 so... and actually despite them telling us 30:56 over and over and over again, 30:58 they weren't going to come back, 30:59 they kept coming back 31:01 and Gina, the daughter, got baptized 31:03 and Loretta is going to get baptized as well. 31:05 It's a miracle to see God work in these people's lives... 31:07 it's awesome. 31:09 Thank you very much Matt, 31:10 you know when God is working in your life, 31:12 never say never, amen, 31:14 and now we have Tatiana, better known to us as 31:18 Tanya, and I'm going to attempt her last name 31:22 it's Rutkouskyy... Rutkouskyy... 31:25 and she's from the Ukraine, we had a number of workers 31:28 from the Ukraine, and Tatiana came 31:32 in March, I believe? 31:34 In the middle of March... 31:36 Middle of March, and her and her husband, Leonard came, 31:38 and Tatiana is going to share with us a story about 31:41 Adriana and Roger and... tell us about Adriana and Roger, 31:45 now Tanya was working at the Carrollwood Site. 31:48 In spring, a colporteur team came from Oshita Hills College 31:53 and they did canvass 31:55 and they did Literature Evangelistic work 31:58 and one lady did businesses one night 32:02 and she... it was late... 32:04 and she decided to do one more business 32:08 so she met a wonderful family, Adriana and Roger, 32:11 and she gave them spiritual books 32:16 and then, they signed up for Bible Studies 32:20 and myself and Leonard followed up with these people 32:23 and we couldn't have Bible studies with them 32:26 almost for a month, we were really busy, 32:29 but then we had some Bible studies every week with them 32:33 especially with Adriana because Roger was taking care of 32:37 phone calls and customers because we had Bible Studies 32:41 in their office, employees saw this, 32:44 customers saw this, 32:45 so it was a great testimony for them also 32:47 and then the Bible answered 32:50 many questions they had at that time, 32:53 and they went to the Revelation Seminar 32:56 and joined the church 32:58 and in the end she told us, 33:00 Leonard and myself, she told us, 33:03 "I am so amazed at the way God led us" 33:07 then this lady came 33:09 who was not supposed to be there... 33:11 Came to where? 33:13 To that office... 33:14 You actually had the Bible Studies in her office? 33:17 Right... right... and it was a difficult time 33:21 for the family, they prayed a lot 33:23 for God's wisdom and guidance in their lives 33:25 they had a lot of questions 33:27 and they were searching for God's truth. 33:28 And it was an incredible answer from the Lord to this prayer, 33:33 and I'm so thankful to God 33:35 that these people had open and receptive hearts 33:38 and they were not only listeners 33:40 but also followers of God's truth. 33:42 Amen, thank you Tanya, thank you all... 33:45 you're going to hear some more testimonies, 33:47 we could stay up here for hours tonight 33:49 just talking about testimonies, thank you. 33:51 I have with me here, Damion Miller and Tyler Beaufort 33:59 and they are from Oakwood College 34:02 and they're with a group called NAPS... now NAPS... 34:06 what do you guys do 34:08 do you take lots of naps, 34:09 what is NAPS? 34:12 Well, NAPS stands for the 34:13 National Association for the Prevention of Starvation 34:16 and by the grace of God 34:18 we are able to help people's needs... whether it's feeding, 34:20 or whether it's by spiritual needs 34:21 or whether just being there 34:23 for someone in their time of pain, 34:26 by the grace of God, our Team Leader 34:29 his name is Charles Pettey and Lisa Mahoney, 34:33 they were led by God to come to Tampa this summer 34:36 and by the grace of God, 34:38 right now he's at Loma Linda at Medical School 34:41 and she's at Oakwood working to be... as a teacher. 34:44 Now, you are the Mission Coordinator for NAPS 34:50 what does that mean? 34:51 Well, our Mission Coordinator for this mission in the summer, 34:55 as I said, Charles Pettey and Lisa Mahoney 35:02 were not able to be here so I'm fulfilling that position 35:05 right now while they're away, and what I mean is 35:07 by the grace of God we went to lead out 35:09 to help the team to do Bible work, 35:11 to help the team to do children's program 35:13 and to just work with the team 35:16 to be a blessing to the Community and to the Church. 35:18 Now, you came here on faith, I understand, 35:22 with no budget, no money, how did that work? 35:25 Well, praise God for Literature Evangelism, 35:28 we go door to door and ask... let them know 35:32 that we would like to make a difference in the Community 35:34 we ask them for help, and they give us donations 35:36 and by the grace of God 35:38 we were able to bless them with the literature that we have, 35:40 whether they give money or not 35:41 and we also go to Churches and ask them for their support 35:44 and members like you... 35:46 and we're on the road that helps... 35:47 so we thank you for your support. 35:49 And how many churches were involved in your project? 35:53 Approximately two churches, First University Church in Tampa 35:57 and also Westside Community Church 35:59 with Pastor Bonner and Pastor Chimone Taylor. 36:02 And how many visitors came to your meetings 36:05 and how many baptisms resulted from those meetings? 36:08 By the grace of God we had over 60 visitors 36:12 they were non-Seventh-day Adventists 36:14 and by the grace of God we had 12 people 36:16 that gave their lives to the Lord in baptism. 36:19 Amen, now Tyler, you were one of the Speakers 36:23 now have you ever had any experience before? 36:26 I did speak once but this time 36:29 it was totally different... it was exciting 36:31 and the Lord really brought me out of my comfort zone this time 36:34 and I'd like to share a testimony 36:36 and that testimony is, I was thinking of something 36:39 to say to you guys and all I could think of 36:42 my testimony is: Jesus Christ because if it weren't for Jesus, 36:45 I looked around at all the different booths, 36:47 all the different people 36:48 and if it weren't for Jesus dying on that cross, 36:50 none of this... we wouldn't be able to do 36:53 any of this... and Jesus... He challenges us, He changes us, 36:55 He puts us out of our comfort zone 36:57 and uses us to win souls, one particular time 36:59 we had a meeting and as NAPS, 37:01 we usually target lower income minority neighborhoods 37:05 and we target the youth because you know 37:07 they're the next generation, and so we went 37:09 and we had our meetings at a basketball gym 37:11 it was a little building right next to the basketball gym 37:14 and one particular night I was going to speak 37:16 and I opened my Bible just seeking the Lord, 37:18 and He showed me a text where it talks about 37:21 how it's our obligation to deliver the wicked 37:23 and so we walked in and I saw 37:25 all the kids on the basketball court 37:27 and I used to play basketball all the time 37:28 and as I walked by to go inside 37:30 of where the place of the meeting was, 37:32 it was as if the Holy Spirit said, 37:34 "You are just going to walk by them?" 37:35 So I had to do something so I went on the basketball court 37:38 with my friend, Jeffrey, 37:39 and we just went on the middle of the basketball court 37:42 during the middle of the game and held up a Bible 37:43 and we said, "You know, we're having 37:45 studies right now on the signs of the times 37:48 we're talking about Jesus Christ" 37:50 and all these players just stopped 37:52 and were staring at us, 37:53 and my heart was starting to beat now 37:55 I'm a little nervous, and one of the guys, 37:57 he stood... and he said, 37:59 "Man, you're making me mad, get off the court," 38:02 and I was taken aback, 38:03 and I kept speaking, I kept saying, 38:05 "Is there anyone who wants to come?" 38:06 and you know, we left, no one came that night 38:09 but the next night, those basketball players started 38:11 coming to our meetings and I praise God because 38:13 at the end of our meetings because of Jesus, 38:15 over 12 people gave their lives to Jesus Christ 38:18 in baptism and it's all to the glory of God 38:20 and I saw a church, the church I was working at, 38:23 First University, they got a fire in them now, 38:26 the youth are ready to go spread the gospel 38:28 and because of Jesus also, 38:29 and what He's done in you guys' life, 38:31 the torch has been passed to us and we want to be faithful 38:34 we're the next generation of ASI, 38:36 we are the next generation 38:37 and because of your faithfulness, 38:39 we promise you that we're going to be faithful to His calling, 38:41 we thank you Lisa, for your ministry 38:43 and the Youth for Jesus Program. 38:45 I don't believe that you are the next generation, 38:47 I believe that you are "this generation" of ASI, amen. 38:51 Thank you so much. Amen, thank you. 38:54 And now we are going to be speaking with some of our youth 38:58 we have four young people, 39:01 if Kevin will bring them out here, 39:04 and, you know, 39:06 sometimes we get youth come to the program 39:08 and they think, "What can I do, 39:10 I'm only 15 years old I'm only 16 years old," 39:14 this year we had six young speakers 39:17 aged 15 through 21 39:21 and our 15-year-old, I just have to tell you, 39:24 he's not with us right now, but I have to tell you 39:28 we had a Speaker lined up who was a little bit older, 39:31 he was 17 and he was supposed to come down here... 39:33 two weeks before he was supposed to come down here, 39:36 he called and said that he had a family emergency, 39:39 he could not come, 39:40 now you have to understand that we gave 39:42 all the materials for them to practice preaching 39:46 like months and months ago, and so, 39:51 we had two weeks before the meeting started 39:54 and what were we going to do, so in a panic, 39:57 I called our ASI President and she said, "Well... " 40:01 I said, "Can an older Bible Worker do this, 40:04 you know, someone who's had experience?" 40:07 and she said, "Absolutely not, 40:09 this is Youth for Jesus" and so, I told her, 40:13 "Well then, you find me a youth" and she did, 40:18 and she made a suggestion and one of our Speakers 40:22 had a 15-year-old brother who had preached 40:24 a partial series with her, so I called the mother 40:28 in a panic and I said, 40:30 "Karen, you have to help me" and I talked to the young man 40:35 and I said, "David, you pray about this okay 40:37 and I'm going to pray that the Holy Spirit will convict you" 40:40 and, you know, God is so good, 40:44 He did, and he called back 40:46 and he said, "Okay, I'll try" 40:49 and you know this young man spoke at our main site 40:52 and he did a phenomenal job and he was... 40:57 you could tell, 40:58 you could tell from the very first sermon to the next 41:03 to the next, he had just improved all the time 41:05 and so, Kevin, who do you have here with you now? 41:08 We have Alvin Cardona with us 41:10 and Alvin was... I thought I lost him... 41:16 Alvin was one of our Speakers at the Spanish site, 41:20 is that correct? That's right. 41:22 And Alvin, how old are you? I'm 18... 41:24 Eighteen... so he's an old-timer here 41:27 in the Youth for Jesus Program 41:29 and tell me, at 18 years old 41:31 what possibility can an 18-year-old do for God? 41:34 You know Kevin, 41:35 as I look at all the mistakes I make, 41:37 especially preaching and all of the rest of the stuff 41:41 I think to myself, 41:42 there really isn't that much I can do, there isn't... 41:45 I really can't make that much of a difference in life, 41:48 but then I look at the promise of what God wants to do 41:51 in the lives of young people through His Holy Spirit, 41:54 and I see, and I have to believe that 41:56 through His power, 41:58 we really can take this message to the whole world. 42:01 Amen, and talking about that message, 42:04 the three angels' message that we have been entrusted to, 42:07 let me ask you a question, 42:09 as you were preaching these messages, 42:11 you were preaching on the Sabbath 42:14 and the change of the Sabbath and the Mark of the Beast 42:16 all these very intriguing and difficult messages, 42:20 what did those messages do for you 42:22 as you were preaching them to others that needed to hear them? 42:25 I would have to say is that the thing that struck me the most, 42:28 was seeing how beautiful, practical and Christ-centered 42:32 our message really is, I'm just seeing that 42:34 this message is way more than theory 42:36 but actually life-changing, life-transforming... 42:40 as I stood there preaching the Word of God 42:43 I saw these visitors, these friends of mine 42:45 coming over night after night, 42:47 seeing the fire that they had in their eyes and 42:50 the thirst that they showed for the truth 42:53 I thought to myself, "Do I have, that same fire 42:56 do I have that same thirst for the Word of God 42:59 that these people have, 43:01 am I willing to put anything aside, 43:03 am I willing to sacrifice anything 43:05 for the Word of God for His truth?" 43:07 Hmmm... so you certainly could say 43:09 as you preached these messages 43:10 you were preaching to yourself as well 43:12 and it has made some changes in your life, amen. 43:15 Thank you very much Alvin, now we have here, Kay Turnbull, 43:18 and Kay, how old are you? I'm 18... 43:21 Eighteen... Kay is from... all the way from Australia 43:25 and she's come here to be a part of the Program 43:28 and how in the world did you end up here from Australia? 43:32 Well, I came to ASI in 2003 and 2004 43:36 and I really enjoyed ASI, 43:39 and I heard about the Youth for Jesus, 43:41 and so... I've been wanting to come ever since 43:43 so... this is my opportunity. 43:45 Amen, so you finally made it here 43:46 and Kay is actually a missionary, her and her family, 43:49 so they've been to many different parts in the world 43:52 doing mission work and she finds herself here 43:54 in the States, right here in Tampa 43:56 doing mission work with us here 43:58 and so we're very grateful for Kay to be here 43:59 now Kay, as you came out, you were part of the Program, 44:03 tell us a little bit about the classes, 44:05 what kind of classes were taught 44:07 at the Youth for Jesus Program? 44:09 Okay, well we had many different Speakers come 44:12 and share different topics with us 44:14 some were about Christian Relationships, 44:17 about dating, music, Christian music, 44:21 and Christian standards and video games 44:24 and how we should have a Christian life 44:27 we should live our Christian life, 44:29 and also about personal devotions, 44:31 how we can strengthen our personal devotions. 44:34 Oh, so there was a whole slew of different topics 44:36 in the classes... and how did you 44:39 like those classes, did you like them? 44:41 Yes, I enjoyed all of them, they were really good. 44:43 All right, good, so... who was your favorite class 44:46 if you could say you had one or two favorite classes? 44:48 Well, I really enjoyed Sean Brinster's class 44:52 about how to give Bible Studies 44:53 and how to go from door to door doing door-knocking 44:56 and I also really enjoyed Kevin's testimony, 44:59 he gave a testimony during one of our 45:00 class times and it was really good, 45:02 it was really inspiring how God works through him. 45:04 Praise the Lord and so, 45:06 Kay, would you say that this Program 45:09 has impacted you as a young person? 45:12 Yes, it's been a great experience for me, 45:14 while I've been here at Youth for Jesus, 45:17 my spiritual life with God has really deepened 45:20 and my prayer life as well, I've really enjoyed the Program. 45:23 Amen, now if you could... there could be some young people 45:26 right now, watching this, debating on whether they should 45:30 or could be a part of this Program, 45:32 what would you say to them? 45:33 I would say, "If you have the opportunity, 45:35 go ahead, it's really a good Program, 45:37 just take the opportunity and go for it. " 45:38 Amen, thank you. 45:40 Audience clapping... 45:45 Well, I have two more young people here with me, 45:48 oh, where did they go? 45:49 Okay, there they are, okay, 45:54 this is Ariel Pankratz, and Ariel, where are you from? 45:59 I'm from Texas. 46:01 And how old are you? 46:02 I'm sixteen... 46:04 Now, you had kind of an interesting road to 46:07 ASI Youth For Jesus, share it with us. 46:10 Well, I first heard about Youth for Jesus 46:12 from my two friends, Devin and Michael, 46:14 and so I decided to apply to this... the fall of that year 46:20 and at first... well I told all my friends about it 46:24 and they all applied and I was the only one that 46:28 didn't get accepted so I was pretty sad, 46:31 and all my friends... they were praying 46:33 really, really hard for it, for me to be accepted 46:37 and I have some family friends, 46:40 Dr. Carlos Japas and Gracie Japas 46:43 and they really wanted me to go and they were praying for it too 46:46 and we had some ASI meetings at the Fort Worth Church, 46:50 and so, Gracie told me to go home 46:54 and write out another application, 46:58 print it off and go all the way back to church, 47:00 so I did that, and I gave it to Dr. Japas 47:04 and he gave it to somebody, he talked to somebody, 47:07 I don't know who... and later, I got an e-mail 47:10 that said that I was accepted and so, I was super happy. 47:13 Persistence pays off, 47:15 now Ariel, we had a theme this year 47:18 at Youth for Jesus, what was that? 47:20 Prayer... 47:22 And did we pray? 47:25 Yes, we prayed a lot. 47:28 Now you had a very interesting experience, 47:32 first-hand experience about an answered prayer 47:36 on the last day of the Program, 47:39 give us a... tell us what happened. 47:42 Well, it was the night of the baptisms 47:44 and everybody was happy that a bunch of people got baptized 47:48 and I get a message on my friend's phone 47:51 that said that I needed to call my dad, 47:53 so I called my dad and he tells me that 47:55 that day, someone had broken into our house 47:58 and they stole my sister's computer 48:01 and her Viola, and so, I got my friend 48:04 and we prayed about it, 48:07 and my friend prayed that 48:09 God would convict the heart of the thief 48:12 and help him to come to Jesus 48:14 and later in the car I was praying, 48:16 "Yeah, convict him," you know, 48:17 and so the next day I get a message from my sister 48:22 that says that my cousin went home 48:24 and on the front steps were her computer and her Viola 48:29 and so I learned that God does answer prayers 48:35 and it really boosted my faith in God. 48:37 Amen, now I also have with me here, Juraj Turoci, 48:44 Turotzi, okay, well, it's "ci" 48:48 but in Czech Republic it's something else, 48:52 anyway, Juraj, you are from Czech Republic 48:56 I was born in Slovakia 48:59 but I moved to Czech Republic... to my wife, 49:04 because my wife is from Czech. 49:06 Oh, I see, okay, well that's a good plan, 49:09 okay, well, you know, this year 49:13 we started a brand-new Program at Youth for Jesus, 49:17 because we had so many people around the world 49:20 wanting to do what happens here 49:23 in North America and ASI Youth for Jesus 49:25 and so we couldn't go over... 49:27 we couldn't take our team and go over to all these countries 49:30 and hold these meetings, and so we said, 49:32 "Okay, let's start an internship program 49:35 where we invite Bible Workers and Youth Leaders 49:37 to come and join us 49:39 for the whole duration of the Program 49:41 so they know exactly what happens 49:43 and they sit in on our staff meetings 49:44 as we go through all the training 49:47 and so, Juraj was one of our interns, 49:49 and now, Czech Republic has been wanting to do 49:52 a Youth for Jesus Program for quite some time 49:55 and so what were your thoughts 49:58 as you try to organize it in Czech Republic? 50:00 First of all, I would like to say 50:04 that it's a very big privilege that I stay here and I thank God 50:08 that me and my friends from Czech and Slovakia Republic 50:13 we could spend an exciting time in Tampa 50:16 and before... when we came to Florida, to Tampa, 50:21 I heard a lot of information about Youth for Jesus Program 50:26 but I still thought that we cannot make the same project 50:32 in our countries, because you know, it's a very... 50:35 some parts there's a difference, like... in America, 50:38 but when we spent an exciting time in Tampa, 50:45 now I can say that this Program... 50:48 you can make it everywhere, 50:51 and, of course, in our Countries too. 50:54 Amen, and now I understand that you have 50:58 a definite date in mind for the Czech Republic Youth for Jesus. 51:01 I don't know the definite date 51:04 but I know that it will be on next summer. 51:08 Summer of 2009. Exactly. 51:11 Great, well we'll make sure that we keep you in our prayers. 51:15 I would like to say a very important thing, 51:20 me and my colleague from Czech and Slovakia Republic, 51:24 we learned very important things 51:26 that prayer has very strong... very amazing power. 51:32 Amen, amen, well, you know, 51:36 we've impacted the lives of our youth, 51:40 we've impacted the lives of 51:42 the church members that have attended, 51:44 the visitors that have attended, 51:46 but we do this Program to win souls for God, amen... 51:50 and we have at least one person 51:55 who was the brand-new member 51:59 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church family 52:01 and so I would like to have Kevin bring Jim out here 52:05 and let's give an ASI Family welcome to our newest member. 52:09 Audience clapping... 52:14 Here, I would like to introduce to you 52:17 Jim McQuerter, Jim was coming out to the 52:20 meetings almost every night, 52:21 he started a little late and then came just about 52:25 every night and Jim, 52:27 what would you say about this ASI Program, 52:29 now you're coming in from the outside of this Program, 52:32 what would you say about this Program? 52:34 Well, this is an absolutely incredible program 52:36 I've seen a lot of Programs and I've been to a lot of churches 52:41 around the Country, I've been to some mega churches 52:43 and I've heard some very fantastic speakers 52:46 but what these youth have done here 52:49 I certainly want to thank every single one of them, 52:51 what these youth have done here for myself and for my family 52:56 by bringing my family in 52:58 with their love and encouragement 53:02 and enthusiasm, it's just absolutely outstanding 53:06 I've never seen anything like it anywhere 53:08 the Bible Study Workers 53:12 are just absolutely, incredibly well informed. 53:16 My Bible Study Worker, Julie Ford, 53:20 came to my house in March, I guess it was, 53:24 and with her love for Christ and her passion for the Bible 53:31 has convinced me and made it known to me 53:36 how the Adventists 53:39 are Bible believers, 53:41 I've been in a traditional church 53:44 for years and years and years here in Tampa, 53:46 and thought that I was doing things the right way, 53:50 but Julie showed me and Kevin as well, 53:54 I've spent a lot of time with Kevin, 53:57 they've showed me in Biblical fact 54:00 where I've been wrong, my old church has been wrong, 54:04 thousands of us have been wrong 54:07 and I want to thank everyone of you supporters out there 54:12 who support this group of ASI because they saved my life. 54:17 Amen, thank you very much Jim, 54:21 and it was such a pleasure to have Jim and Lucas 54:26 and Priscilla come out each night, 54:29 it was such a blessing for us to have them come 54:32 and his family has just truly inspired us 54:35 and the youth as they come out each night 54:38 and we just love all these guys and so, thank you very much Jim. 54:41 We were going to have... 54:44 Audience clapping... 54:45 Jim's a great guy. 54:47 I want to tell you a story about Carl, 54:50 now I have a hard time saying that name, 54:53 C a r I Carl was coming out 54:57 to the meetings each night as well, 54:59 and he was just on fire for these messages 55:03 as he would hear them, 55:04 and I remember one night in particular 55:07 David Webber, as Lisa talked about, 55:09 the 15-year-old that was preaching, 55:11 he preached... I believe his best message 55:14 was on the health message, he had so much fun 55:16 and in the health message, he was talking about pork 55:20 and he gave a story, he told a story about pigs 55:24 and it was rather disgusting and it was funny 55:27 and it was a good impact 55:30 and then after that he was talking about shrimp 55:33 and he says, 55:34 "Can I tell you a story about shrimp?" 55:36 And Carl jumped up and said, "No, not shrimp," 55:40 and everybody just laughed and so he sat down 55:43 and he was shaking his head 55:45 through this disgusting story about shrimp 55:47 and so Carl continued to come, 55:49 and he won a Vegetarian Cookbook, by the way, 55:52 divine providence... and he took that thing 55:55 like it was gold, and he said, 55:58 "Kevin, you don't understand... I cook... " 56:00 he's a single parent, he says, 56:02 "I cook for my kids and they don't even eat what I cook, 56:04 I can't even cook rice" 56:05 and so he opened up that cookbook, 56:07 and guess what was in there, "How to cook rice" 56:11 and he said, "Kevin, I can't believe it, 56:13 'How to cook rice' and I'm getting... " 56:15 so he went home and he's going to study the book, 56:19 so, we went to clear Carl, I took William with me, 56:23 he was a permanent Bible Worker at Tampa First, 56:27 and William and I went to clear Carl for baptism, 56:30 and everything is going smoothly in Carl's home, 56:34 and we're just about ready to clear him, 56:37 and I said, "Carl, is there anything else, 56:39 anything you'd like to talk about... " 56:41 and he said, 56:42 "As a matter of fact, there is, Kevin," 56:43 and he went in his room and he came out with two bulletins... 56:46 church bulletins, 56:47 I thought this is odd, I'm thinking, 56:49 "Oh, man, maybe he saw something 56:51 in one of our bulletins that he didn't like," 56:53 and he gave one to me and one to William 56:55 so we open up the bulletins and it's not from our church, 56:59 it's from the Baptist Church and as I look, I scroll down, 57:03 it says, "The Reverend Carl so and so" 57:07 he's a Baptist Pastor... we never knew... 57:11 and he said, "Kevin, I never expected 57:13 to be getting baptized, 57:14 it's not why I came out to these meetings, 57:16 I came out to get more information 57:19 on prophecy for my congregation, and here I am getting baptized," 57:24 he couldn't believe it, and so... incredible... 57:28 and so he said, "Kevin, I have a dilemma, 57:31 I don't know what to do now, should I continue 57:34 or should I just tell them I'm not going to come anymore?" 57:37 And so, we left that decision up to him, we prayed about it 57:41 and Carl got baptized and is a member of the 57:43 Seventh-day Adventist Church and... amen... 57:46 so we just... we could tell you story after story, 57:49 it was an incredible program I want to thank all of you, 57:52 all the supporters it's just incredible! 57:56 Thank you ASI, you know Youth for Jesus 57:59 is part of your offering every year, 58:02 and you know... 58:04 I know that God doesn't need our money, 58:07 He doesn't need our resources, 58:09 but He does need our hearts, amen... 58:12 and these young people, these Bible Workers, 58:16 our staff, we put all of our hearts in it 58:19 for you... on behalf of you... the ASI Family. |
Revised 2016-02-11