3ABN On the Road

Youth In Action - Friday Night

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

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Series Code: OTR

Program Code: OTR000931


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.


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Revised 2016-02-11