Participants:
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY190063A
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00:02 I want to spend my life
00:08 Mending broken people 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:19 Removing pain 00:24 Lord, let my words 00:30 Heal a heart that hurts 00:35 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:46 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people 01:09 Hello, and welcome to 3ABN Today. 01:12 We're so glad that you're joining us. 01:14 We've got a great report today 01:17 about youth being involved 01:20 in evangelism and it's exciting. 01:22 I'm Shelley Quinn. I'm JD Quinn. 01:24 And we want to thank you for your prayers, 01:28 your love, and your financial support 01:30 of 3ABN, the Mending Broken People network. 01:33 I have a scripture. 01:34 You might know right where I'm going. 01:36 For today's program that what seemed appropriate 01:39 was Paul's advice to Timothy as he wrote to Timothy. 01:43 He said to him in 1 Timothy 4:12, 01:47 "Let no one despise your youth, 01:50 but be an example to the leaders in word, 01:54 in conduct, in love, in spirit, 01:57 in faith, and in purity." 02:00 Amen. And did you know what? 02:02 We've got six guests for this program today. 02:05 So we're going to have to do some changing out, 02:07 we'll during this song. 02:09 But we're very excited. 02:11 Let me introduce our special guest. 02:14 First we have Debbie Young and this is... 02:18 You are now with ASI Youth for Jesus. 02:22 Yes, I'm involved with the ASI Youth for Jesus, 02:24 kind of remotely so. 02:25 Debbie, you've been involved with ASI 02:28 is the Adventist-laymen's Services & Industries 02:31 and it's all about 02:33 how to share Christ in the marketplace. 02:35 You've been involved for over 20 years? 02:37 Yeah, absolutely. 02:38 Yeah, I think you've been everything 02:40 from here to the president. 02:42 Yes. 02:43 Well, we're so glad for you. It's been a blessing. 02:45 Well, we're glad for your service. 02:46 Debbie is a real leader. 02:48 You know, as we were preparing for this, 02:50 you're sitting in her chair, 02:51 you know, she just kind of wants it. 02:53 She is a real leader. 02:54 And so it's obvious that you have worn many hats. 02:59 Well, and you're used to being the one 03:02 who's doing the interviewing. 03:03 So we're gonna turn the tables on you today. 03:05 Yes. Okay. 03:07 Then we have Pastor Wilbur Atwood 03:10 and, Pastor, we're so glad to have you here. 03:14 It's good to be here. Yeah, you are, were you... 03:18 Well, I'm not going to say you're retired, 03:20 there's no retirement in the kingdom 03:23 harvest work is there. 03:24 But you've been pastoring since 1985. 03:28 You are also what, president at Wildwood? 03:31 Yes, for 27 years. Mercy? 03:34 How have you had time to do all this? 03:36 And now, you are the leader of ASI Youth for Jesus. 03:41 And, Debbie, why did you say you all chose him? 03:44 Well, at the time, it was really important for us 03:47 to have someone with wisdom, with some experience, 03:51 someone grounded who understood evangelism 03:55 and could be a good mentor. 03:58 And kind of direct what was going on 04:01 and that we could have some confidence 04:04 in taking the reins 04:06 and just leading for Youth for Jesus. 04:08 And I think the earlier you mentioned too 04:11 to have an even-keeled personality. 04:14 Very low key. Nothing rattles him. 04:17 Oh, that's wonderful. 04:18 Those are some wonderful attributes. 04:21 Pastor, thank you so much. 04:23 And then Joseph Mariano. 04:25 Joseph, where are you from? 04:27 I am from Wildwood Health Institute. 04:32 My parents are staff there. 04:34 So I'm based in Wildwood. 04:36 Okay. 04:37 So we're going to look at some things 04:41 that ASI Youth for Jesus did in 2018 and 2019. 04:45 Yes. 04:47 But before we begin, we've already, we're prayed up. 04:50 Debbie, tell us a little about how Youth for Jesus began 04:56 and what is the mission? 04:57 Well, you know, 04:59 it's a very interesting beginning. 05:01 ASI, as you mentioned, it's all about 05:03 sharing Christ in the marketplace 05:05 and even at our international conventions 05:07 that we hold every year we have a very robust 05:10 and comprehensive youth program 05:12 from kindergarten all the way up to youth. 05:15 So we already have that kind of investment 05:18 and leading our young people to Jesus. 05:20 And it was actually the brainchild of Kim Busl 05:23 and Pastor Louis Torres, 05:25 who thought that we could do something with youth, 05:28 getting them involved on the front lines, 05:31 being warriors for Jesus as you said earlier, JD. 05:34 And so they said, "Well, why not do something 05:37 where we could actually teach them 05:40 how to do evangelism? 05:41 Let's take them through an evangelistic series. 05:43 And so what was originally developed in 1999 05:48 was this as one 05:50 of the previous ASI leaders, 05:54 ASI Youth for Jesus leaders, Lisa Hodges would say, 05:58 a four week field school, 06:00 evangelism field school for youth. 06:01 Amen. 06:03 And so they decided to do this in Florida. 06:07 It originated in Florida at that time. 06:09 And I don't remember exactly how many youth were involved, 06:13 but it was set up as a model 06:15 where we would have Bible workers 06:17 come in a few months ahead of time, 06:19 and we would have worked closely 06:20 with the conference and a church or two, 06:24 to engage them because that was gonna be home base, 06:27 so we really wanted them involved. 06:29 So it wasn't just we were gonna come in 06:30 and do stuff. 06:32 We were gonna come in and work with the members 06:34 and work together to evangelize 06:38 and to share Christ in the community. 06:41 So it was, we'd have Bible workers come in 06:44 ahead of time and start getting some Bible studies, 06:47 knocking on doors, 06:49 and then the youth would come in about four weeks in advance 06:53 of the ASI Convention. 06:54 So pretty much throughout the last 20 years 06:57 or so, it has always been in the city 07:01 where the ASI Youth Convention was going to be held. 07:05 And they would come in and they would do everything 07:09 for an evangelistic series. 07:10 They did the children's program, 07:12 the meeting, the greeting, 07:14 the ushering, the special music. 07:17 They accompany the Bible workers 07:19 going door to door 07:20 so they would learn that a little bit. 07:22 And they did everything and the speaking. 07:25 So they did everything. That's exciting. 07:28 And when you say youth, what age group? 07:31 So it was starting about at age 15. 07:34 Okay. 07:35 We wanted to have youth that, you know, 07:37 this isn't a babysitting program. 07:38 You know, we really wanted to make sure that 07:40 they were involved. 07:42 And so we thought that was a good age 07:44 to engage them at that time. 07:46 So 15 to 19 or little older. Amen. 07:51 And how many people would say participate, 07:55 say, an average? 07:56 Well, originally it probably may have started 07:58 with about 20. 08:00 We've had as many as 40 or 50 youth, 08:03 as many as 10 evangelistic sites. 08:07 That was really the outside. 08:10 So anywhere in between that, we've scaled back quite a bit 08:13 because it's quite a bit of coordination 08:15 as you would imagine. 08:16 So it's about that many people. 08:18 We had volunteers who did the cooking, 08:22 who were the girls' and boys' 08:25 deans to provide transportation. 08:30 So it was quite a number of people. 08:34 Interestingly, and viewers may know, 08:38 Donna McNeilus who was one 08:40 who was approached by 08:41 Pastor Torres and Kim Busl asked, 08:44 "You know, could you come in and cook for the events, 08:47 you know, for the process?" 08:49 And she said, "Well, I'll come 08:51 if I can bring my children with me." 08:52 And I tell you, 08:54 she brought her children with her 08:55 and they stayed throughout their whole time 08:58 learning Youth for Jesus, going to use for Jesus, 09:01 so and it made an incredible difference in their lives. 09:04 Oh, amen. 09:05 So not just them, but many of the youth. 09:08 So we've probably baptized hundreds, 09:13 not just the people who have come to the Youth 09:15 for Jesus evangelistic series, but the youth are impacted. 09:20 Amen. So it's been a real blessing. 09:23 We were... Oh, I just wanted to say this. 09:26 Interestingly, that first event that we had in Florida, 09:31 we actually held evangelistic series 09:33 in a tent in Florida. 09:35 Yes. 09:37 And the speaker was David Asscherick. 09:39 Oh. 09:40 So that was, you know, his beginning. 09:42 Amen. Wow. 09:44 So we know David Asscherick 09:45 now is a mighty warrior preaching for God. 09:46 Amen. Amen. 09:48 And he was an ASI Youth for Jesus speaker. 09:51 Praise the Lord, how exciting. 09:53 So obviously, good seed 09:55 was sown early in these children, 09:57 or these kids, or these young adults' life. 10:01 Well. Yes, it did, definitely. 10:02 And you know, it is said and it has proven to be true 10:07 over and over again. 10:09 We learn to teach, we teach to learn. 10:14 You know, you can learn something 10:15 and if you don't go out 10:17 and share it and learn how to share it, 10:19 it's in the sharing that it really gets deep into you. 10:23 Now, Pastor Atwood, 10:27 should I call you pastor or Wilbur? 10:28 That's fine. 10:29 Okay, pastor, I was speaking with your wife, Jeanette, 10:33 and she has that, she's got a bubbly personality. 10:36 She said that it took about three times 10:41 for people coming and asking. 10:43 It was the third invitation for you to become involved, 10:46 that you became involved in 2018 with Youth for Jesus. 10:50 What made you decide finally to say yes? 10:54 Well, when I was first asked, 10:57 I was, you know, in a stage of life 11:00 where I was cutting back 11:02 and I was still a pastor of a small church, 11:06 but didn't really look forward to more responsibilities. 11:12 And I never have felt that my best gift 11:15 is in working with teenagers. 11:18 But Harold Lance is a very persuasive person. 11:23 The third time they asked me, he sat me down, 11:26 he said, "You need to take that job." 11:30 And I respect Harold so much. 11:33 I said, "Okay, I'll try." 11:35 And so now I'm really excited about it. 11:38 Praise God. You know, it's a... 11:40 And how long have you been trying? 11:42 For he started in 2018. 2018? 11:44 That's, yeah, that is so exciting. 11:47 Tell us a little of the daily schedule 11:51 when the youth come in, what is the program 11:55 that you're taking them through? 11:57 Well, the first thing in the morning, 11:59 they have some time for their own devotions 12:03 and we strongly encourage them to do it. 12:07 In fact, this year, most of our young people 12:10 already had regular morning devotions. 12:13 Praise God. 12:15 And then we begin with breakfast. 12:19 We don't try to start too early 12:21 because they're often up late at night. 12:24 And then after breakfast, we have our worship 12:29 or a class to get them started 12:33 with the learning process. 12:35 And then they go out to do some evangelism, 12:39 maybe to pass out GLOW tracks, 12:42 or to go door to door making surveys. 12:46 And then they come back for dinner and after dinner, 12:51 of course, they get a little break here and there, 12:54 after dinner... 12:55 And dinner being the lunch meal, 12:57 'cause you know, 12:58 it depends on what part of the country you're from. 13:00 Dinner, some people think of dinner is night, 13:03 the evening meal, but down south 13:05 they call it lunch too, okay. 13:07 Yeah, that's true. 13:09 So then in the afternoon, they go out again. 13:14 We do have a break now and then 13:16 to do laundry and so on. 13:18 And once the meeting start, then in the evening, 13:21 they're involved in all aspects of the meetings. 13:25 So you're doing community services, 13:27 you're doing kind of the pre work 13:30 for an evangelism series. 13:32 Yes. And, and I know it's exciting. 13:35 So we're going to in just a moment, 13:38 we'll have two young ladies who will be joining us, 13:41 one who, they're sisters actually, 13:44 one was a speaker for an evangelistic meeting 13:49 at the age of 16. 13:51 This is exciting. 13:52 And her sister who is 14 ran children's programs, 13:57 so that's exciting. 13:58 But just what did you do and you were involved 14:02 in 2018 in Avon Park. 14:06 Is that correct? Yes, we were involved. 14:07 Tell us how you came to become involved 14:11 with Youth for Jesus? 14:13 Well, to begin with, my sister, 14:18 she was Youth for Jesus, she joined Youth for Jesus 14:22 in 2013 I believe. 14:25 And then she told me about it. 14:26 I had it in my mind, like, that sounds nice. 14:29 Like sounds like a good idea. 14:30 That's a nice experience. 14:32 And then that year, Pastor Atwood, 14:35 he spoke in our church when it's Friday night vespers, 14:38 and he was talking about like, 14:40 "Oh, so we will be having Youth for Jesus, 14:43 they'll be starting again." 14:44 He was like explaining the program 14:46 and then my mom was like, "I think you should go." 14:49 But I was like, "This summer I have plans." 14:52 I want to hang out with my friends 14:54 'cause this will be the little bit last time 14:56 I could have with them 'cause a lot of them 14:58 were going off to like different academies. 15:01 How old were you? At that time I was 16. 15:05 Sixteen? Yes. 15:06 Okay. So my mom encouraged me. 15:09 She kept saying, "You should go, you should go." 15:11 Like, all right. I'll go. 15:14 So I made the decision to go. 15:15 And then my mom, 15:17 she started trying to ask other people like, 15:19 "Oh, you should go with Joseph," 15:20 some of my friends that I wanted to hang out 15:21 with that summer, like you should hang out. 15:24 You know, you should go to YFJ with Joseph. 15:27 It's a good experience, you should do this. 15:29 And they're sharing the experience 15:31 what we do and things. 15:33 And they're like, "All right, that sounds nice." 15:36 And we were able... 15:38 My mom was able to convince 15:39 three other friends to go with me. 15:40 Wonderful. 15:42 And there was no space for them at first, 15:47 'cause though, there wasn't that many spaces 15:52 for applications. 15:54 But then some dropped out, 15:55 and it made space for some of them to come, 15:58 for more of us to come so, and there was eight of us, 16:02 we started small, it's like a family setting 16:04 Youth for Jesus program. 16:06 And yeah, that's how I came to be there. 16:08 Okay, now, you weren't, you didn't speak, 16:11 but you I understand are very gifted pianist 16:17 and so your job 16:20 was kind of the music coordinator 16:22 and the pianist for the evangelistic series. 16:25 Tell us about that? 16:26 Yes, in the evangelistic series 16:28 since we had meetings every night, 16:31 we would have, I would have to arrange 16:33 the special music's like the choristers 16:38 and who plays 'cause a lot of us 16:41 in the Youth for Jesus program 16:42 that year were musically gifted, 16:44 so it's a blessing 'cause the ones 16:46 who could play the violin, there are like four of them. 16:49 There's like, there's some of them 16:50 can play the piano and sing, so all was good. 16:54 We'd arrange it but since our schedule 16:56 for the day was very busy, 16:57 we wouldn't have much time to practice. 17:00 So for the evenings, we'd come there like about 17:02 half an hour before the program or an hour 17:05 and we'd practice together 17:07 and we arranged the music for the program, 17:10 so I'll be playing for like song service 17:12 or offering in like the theme song. 17:14 Amen. 17:16 You know, people should never underestimate 17:19 the power of music. 17:21 One of our camera people here, Tammy Larson, 17:25 she's with a bluegrass. 17:28 She's a bluegrass singer and beautiful singer. 17:32 But she did one sweet little simple song on 3ABN once 17:36 and somebody called in, 17:38 they gave their heart to the Lord during that song. 17:41 And sometimes music can, I think that music 17:47 when God called us to worship in music 17:49 and music's important to Him, but music kind of plows up 17:54 the heart to make soft soil to get the seed planted in it, 17:59 and it's such an important part. 18:02 Now, I just have to ask you, how did, 18:07 how many nights did you all go? 18:10 Your evangelistic series was how many nights? 18:14 It was about three weeks. 18:16 Three weeks! Okay. 18:19 Did you find that, 18:23 A, you had to rely on the Lord and recognize that? 18:26 And B, just tell us 18:28 how did it impact you personally 18:31 and the friends that came with you? 18:33 Well, it impacted me personally 18:36 because I made the decision there to get baptized. 18:40 Glory to God. Thank you, Jesus. 18:42 So I made the decision there, and a couple of my friends 18:47 made a decision there to get baptized too. 18:50 So it was a blessing and before YFJ, 18:54 I was like, I felt like I'm getting older 18:56 and I just didn't have that much motivation 18:59 like for school. 19:00 I felt my devotional life, my life with God, 19:03 which is not as where it should be. 19:07 And then I felt like I wasn't focusing enough. 19:10 So, after like YFJ, for me, 19:13 it like, gave me so much motivation 19:15 and what I learned from it most was service. 19:18 Amen. 19:20 So I learned that we're here to serve others 19:22 and to use what God has given us 19:24 like our talents to use to serve others. 19:27 So during the evangelistic series, 19:30 like listening to the program, it made me like, 19:33 decide to get baptized, and then when I got back, 19:36 I talked to my pastor, and we were able to have 19:39 a baptism later on in the year and for me, 19:42 it just, I don't know, 19:44 YFJ opened a lot of opportunities for me, 19:47 gave me a lot of motivation to like, 19:49 get my life back together and my relationship with God. 19:51 Amen. 19:53 So yes, it was a very good experience. 19:54 Amen. 19:56 And you met new friends also, did you not? 19:58 Yes. Amen. 20:00 That year we had eight students, 20:03 and five of them got baptized at the end of the program. 20:06 Wow. Praise the Lord. 20:07 And then how many, 20:09 for those who are just attending, didn't you? 20:12 I think, what did you say, Joseph, 20:13 17 were baptized at your series? 20:16 In total, like after we heard from them 20:19 'cause they had from the work of the Bible workers. 20:22 Yes. 20:23 And the rebaptism if I'm correct, it's around 17. 20:28 Praise God. You know, that's something... 20:32 That's an experience 20:34 that I wish I'm not one 20:38 to want to turn back the hands of time too often. 20:41 But oh, what an opportunity for the youth 20:45 to become involved and be trained into... 20:49 It makes God real to them. 20:51 I wish something like that been around when I was younger. 20:55 Well, I think that the key word 20:56 and I think that we all have learned 20:58 this over a period of time is service. 21:00 Amen. 21:01 And one thing, oh, I don't want to do that again 21:04 or I don't want to do that, 21:05 I want to go play here, whatever. 21:08 Whereas you're learning here 21:10 that He has gifted each one of us, 21:12 we do have a desire to make a difference, 21:15 a positive difference in people's lives. 21:17 And if we had the motivation to actually serve 21:22 to make someone else's life easier 21:25 than getting better than that. 21:26 I mean, it's kind of like, you're just blessed doubly 21:29 or triply or whatever. 21:31 But did you find that service brought you real joy? 21:34 Yes. Amen. 21:35 You know, you go out to be a blessing to others 21:38 and God blesses you twice as much, doesn't He? 21:42 Amen. That's amazing. 21:44 Have you seen people, 21:46 young people who were struggling, 21:52 Pastor, when they came, maybe they were struggling? 21:55 And I think you kind of alluded to that, Joseph, 21:58 that you were in a spiritual desert 22:00 more or less. 22:01 So I'm sure you've seen young, other young people 22:04 who've come struggling and ended up 22:07 having a more intimate relationship 22:10 with the Lord because of their involvement. 22:12 Yes, we do seem to gather young people 22:16 that they know better. 22:19 In other words, they don't have the experience 22:22 that they know they should have. 22:25 And so they come hoping that 22:27 Youth for Jesus will do something for them. 22:30 And it does, I mean, we can see when they first come in, 22:35 that they are having struggles and they're not always 22:39 as cooperative as they should be. 22:42 But as the time goes on, 22:45 they start getting more spiritually connected 22:48 and they really change. 22:49 Yeah. 22:50 How has it impacted your life being involved? 22:54 Well, you know, I've always loved working 22:58 with young people. 23:00 I think it keeps us young. 23:01 Amen. And so I enjoy that. 23:05 I didn't really think this was my age group, 23:08 but there is a tremendous battle 23:11 for our youth today through the cell phone. 23:15 And I started thinking, you know, we can give them 23:20 something more exciting than the cell phone, 23:23 if they can just taste salvation of souls 23:27 that they won't be so engrossed in that cell phone. 23:30 Amen and amen. 23:32 You know, I read something the other day that said, 23:35 I believe it was 20% of millennial say 23:37 they had no friends. 23:40 And you know what 23:41 thought occurred to me just now, listen, 23:43 if I can say we don't sound too hokey. 23:46 People are on Facebook all the time 23:49 and they're artificially connected. 23:51 They're not, you know, it's not just 23:54 because somebody's friendship, 23:55 but what we need to do is turn our face to Him 23:58 and get this book. 24:00 That's the Facebook time we really need. 24:03 So, you see, and rightly so, 24:08 that this generation, we are losing kids. 24:14 Even the attention span of youth, 24:18 it seems is kind of like, 24:21 it's like the attention span of a hummingbird. 24:25 They go from one thing to the next so quickly. 24:28 But you see a dramatic change then at the end 24:31 of the four weeks. 24:32 Yes, and this year at ASI, 24:35 I had several come to me 24:39 and so I had been up front, 24:40 they recognized me and they said, 24:43 I want you to know how much 24:45 Youth for Jesus changed my life 24:48 and put me in a whole new direction. 24:50 Praise the Lord. 24:51 So that was very encouraging. 24:53 I've seen it for two years, 24:55 but to hear some of the older ones come back 24:57 and say that is a blessing. 25:00 Yes, that is a blessing. 25:02 And what I understand everything, 25:04 Debbie, is that, okay, they're out working as a group, 25:08 as a youthful group with leadership, 25:10 and they mature and then they come back 25:14 and then they're catching ASI just as it's picking up. 25:16 That's correct. 25:18 And now do they have assignments then 25:19 so there's not kind of like, well, 25:21 we just gone from this and I go back home, 25:24 they'd be able to continue to grow and learn. 25:26 Yes, they do. 25:27 So when they come to ASI, 25:28 so that's one of the benefits 25:30 because then they get to participate 25:31 in the ASI Convention, and the youth program 25:34 that's designed for that age group. 25:37 And I think it's something that reawakens 25:40 or awakens a desire to share Christ 25:43 and to be little ASIers when they go home. 25:46 We've had young people 25:47 who have gone back to their school 25:49 and said we want to do 25:51 an evangelistic program in our school, 25:52 and they have organized an evangelist series 25:56 after the model of ASI Youth for Jesus 25:58 based on their experience. 26:00 Amen. 26:01 We've had young people who I remember, 26:03 Brian was telling me, 26:04 he was a young person in my church 26:07 who had the blessing of participating 26:08 in ASI Youth for Jesus. 26:10 And he says, he'd go out 26:11 and he'd be playing ball with his friends 26:13 and somehow they'd be talking about state of the dead. 26:16 How do young people talk about state of the dead? 26:19 I like really, he says, yeah, we were talking about this 26:22 and I said myself, hold on a second, 26:24 he went back to his car, and he had a Bible guide 26:27 about state of the dead, 26:29 that he gets shared with his friends. 26:30 He said, but that wouldn't have happened 26:32 had I not had Youth for Jesus. 26:34 Youth for Jesus helps you keep sharing Christ on your mind. 26:38 Amen. 26:39 So in everything that you're doing, 26:41 you're always thinking about how you can share Christ. 26:43 Amen. 26:45 And, you know, the good thing is that, 26:46 as you said, they go that four weeks before, 26:49 then once they get 26:50 to the ASI Convention actually starts, 26:53 they're either helping 26:54 with wonderful children's program. 26:56 Right. Oh, stellar. 26:58 I mean, an anointed children's program for all age. 27:02 What age group does Youth for... 27:05 Not Youth for Jesus but for the ASI? 27:07 From the kindergarten. 27:08 Kindergarten up and amazing, 27:10 but then they sit through the meetings 27:13 and they participate with the youth. 27:15 It's really exciting. 27:17 Well, Honey, I know that 27:19 we've got a couple other guests that we need to bring out. 27:22 So we want to do some music. 27:24 We know you love music, 27:26 and we've got some lovely ladies 27:28 from Tennessee and they have beautiful voices. 27:32 Tell us who's going to sing for us? 27:33 It's Message of Mercy. 27:35 That is the group they're gonna be singing, 27:37 "Lift Your Eyes." 27:57 There is someone who sees 28:01 Someone who knows 28:04 All the sacrifice and struggle Here below 28:11 When the future is unclean 28:15 And the road ahead is rough 28:19 Look beyond the darkness here 28:22 To the source of endless love 28:27 Lift your eyes unto the hills 28:34 And you will find Your source of help 28:42 And place your trust In the mighty God 28:49 For there is nobody else 28:58 When evil comes into your life 29:03 Lift your eyes, lift your eyes 29:24 Jesus knows your every need 29:28 He sees the tears you cried 29:32 He is your comfort In the middle of the night 29:39 When your heart is feeling low 29:42 In a time of great despair 29:46 See beyond the pain you know 29:49 Look to heaven Share your prayer 29:54 Lift your eyes unto the hills 30:02 And you will find Your source of help 30:09 Place your trust In the mighty God 30:16 For there is 30:20 Nobody else 30:25 When evil comes into your life 30:31 Lift your eyes, lift your eyes 30:39 When you behold 30:42 A Savior above Savior above 30:47 He will make your heart sing 30:54 Find strength in Him 30:55 You will find strength in Him 30:57 You will rise above 31:01 All the empty promises Of earthly beings 31:11 Lift your eyes unto the hills 31:18 And you will find Your source of help 31:25 Raise your trust In the mighty God 31:33 For there is nobody else 31:41 When evil comes into your life 31:47 Lift your eyes, lift your eyes 31:55 Lift your eyes 32:17 Well, needless to say, 32:19 we just love listening to these precious ladies. 32:21 Oh, they're beautiful, you know, 32:23 on the outside and on the inside. 32:24 Amen. 32:26 Well, we have two new guests with us, 32:28 and we're very excited to have these two young ladies. 32:31 And you all are sisters, right? 32:33 So it's Judith Martin. Yes. 32:36 And then we have your sister Edith, 32:38 and we just want to thank you for joining us. 32:41 And you know, 32:42 I failed to mention in the very beginning 32:44 that Evan Fox 32:46 who is the ASI Youth for Jesus on-site coordinator. 32:52 He's kind of a driving force 32:55 was supposed to be on the program with us today, 32:59 but had a family emergency and couldn't be here. 33:03 So, we're gonna start with you, young ladies. 33:07 Tell us how old were you, 33:11 you were a speaker, Judith. 33:14 How old were you when you conducted 33:17 your evangelism series? 33:18 I was 16. Sixteen years old. 33:22 So how did you get to ASI Youth for Jesus? 33:27 So we signed up, we volunteered to do 33:31 the ASI Youth for Jesus program. 33:33 Was this something your parents want you to do? 33:35 Or is it somebody you'd heard about and wanted to do? 33:36 Well, we wanted to do it 33:38 and our parents wanted us to do it, so yes. 33:40 Amen. 33:42 Actually Judith wanted to come last year, 33:44 but she got hindered from coming. 33:47 Yes. Okay. All right. 33:49 So you, when you sign up 33:53 for the group, and you go, 33:57 what's the process of selection for whose gonna do speaking? 34:00 Did you say, "Hey, I want to be a speaker?" 34:03 How that worked? 34:04 Yes, I volunteered to be a speaker. 34:07 And I put it as my first choice. 34:11 So they did select me. 34:12 So that was something you wanted to do. 34:15 Yes. 34:16 What did this experience do for you? 34:21 I think it really showed me how to put my dependence 34:25 on God 100%. 34:26 Amen. 34:28 And it showed me how important service is, 34:31 how important it is to serve God, 34:33 and it really is an enjoyable experience 34:37 to serve God. 34:39 So what about the learning process 34:41 'cause you spoke every other night? 34:43 How many times did you speak, 12 times? 34:45 I spoke six times. 34:47 Six times, okay, every other night. 34:50 What was the learning process for you, like, 34:54 as far as getting into the Word and...? 34:57 So we, Mr. Evan Fox handed us our notes 35:01 probably a week before. 35:03 We spoke, and we had to do two sermons per weekend. 35:07 So I would start on the first sermon, 35:09 and he would give us the slides, 35:11 we would look over the notes. 35:12 But what I would do is I would go and go to the Bible, 35:16 and I will read the verses. 35:18 But more of what I did was praying. 35:21 I would go into the room 35:22 and I would kneel down and pray, 35:24 said, "Lord, please help me, 35:26 I know that even if I learned these notes, 35:28 I cannot do it without You." 35:29 Amen. Amen. 35:31 Did it become, you know, I mentioned earlier, 35:34 I don't know if you got to listen 35:36 to the first half of the program. 35:38 But I've always found that as I'm learning, 35:43 I know that God wants us 35:44 as they say you learned to teach, 35:47 but you teach to learn. 35:48 Did you find that as you were preparing 35:52 and then delivering 35:54 these wonderful evangelism messages, 35:57 did it become more real to you? 35:59 Yes. 36:00 When I was studying for the messages, 36:02 I think that was more enjoyable for me. 36:05 And I felt like, 36:07 I felt more enlightened on the subject. 36:09 I did not want to go and just read a script 36:12 on the platform. 36:14 I wanted to say it from the heart 36:16 and I felt that I could connect with the people more. 36:21 And so, I really felt that 36:23 when I studied for these sermons, 36:25 it was like a Bible study. 36:26 Yeah, it really was, and I enjoyed it. 36:28 Amen, Judith, there's, to me, 36:30 there's nothing better than a deep Bible study. 36:34 Yeah. 36:35 And really knowing that you know, that you know. 36:38 Well, go ahead. 36:39 So let me ask, okay, so we've gone through 36:42 Youth for Jesus, we've gone through this period. 36:44 Have you had an opportunity to do another one yet? 36:47 Another series or maybe a program at church? 36:52 Yes, me and my sister are very involved in our church 36:55 and we're, we like to do, we like to work 36:58 with the youth in our church. 36:59 We do singing and all that. 37:01 And we probably will do a series in the future. 37:04 Amen. Praise God. 37:06 Judith told me that she really was hoping 37:10 she could speak. 37:12 But when she got there, she got really scared. 37:17 Well, you know, that's, 37:18 you're stepping outside of your comfort zone. 37:21 This is something totally new. 37:23 But I guarantee you, you'll get to the point. 37:25 One thing I just have to say this. 37:28 The first time I was ever on television 37:31 for the Lord, it was a different network. 37:33 And I remember that I had really long hair 37:37 and I had it all done up and I got out there 37:40 and the lighting was for the host was really short 37:44 and cast horrible shadows all over my face. 37:47 I looked 10 years older. 37:49 I looked up in the monitor and I thought, 37:51 who is this old hag. 37:53 And you know what? 37:55 I heard the still small voice of the Lord say, 37:58 crucify that thought. 38:00 This is not about you, it's about Me. 38:04 And so I've learned that when I'm nervous, 38:07 it means my focus is still kind of, you know, 38:10 once you got out there 38:12 and your focus was totally on the Lord, 38:14 I bet those nerves were completely gone, 38:16 weren't they? 38:17 Mm-hmm. Amen. 38:19 Before I went up to speak the first time, I did have a... 38:22 I was very scared. 38:24 I was so excited at first, but as soon as you see 38:27 the people coming in, you feel a little bit scared. 38:30 And I remember praying and I opened the Bible 38:32 to Jeremiah 1:6, where it said, say not I'm a child, 38:36 for I will give you the words to speak said the Lord. 38:38 Amen. 38:39 And I remember just thinking, wow, God is with me in this, 38:43 God has called me to do this. 38:45 Amen. 38:46 So I did not see the people as people, I saw them as souls. 38:50 Amen, Judith. 38:52 Boy, the Lord is going to use you 38:54 in a mighty way. 38:55 I already know that. 38:57 His anointing is on you, and praise God 38:59 that you're taking this as seriously 39:05 as you are in developing this intimate connection 39:08 to the Lord. 39:09 Well, down on the very end here we have your sister Edith, 39:15 and Edith has such a sweet smile. 39:17 Edith, tell us what you did and at the ASI Youth for Jesus, 39:23 and how old were you? 39:27 I was in charge of the kids' programs, 39:30 and I was 14 years old. 39:32 You are 14 in charge of the children's programs. 39:34 Tell us what that meant, entailed? 39:39 So we had to plan out. 39:43 I also, me and another one of our leaders Miss Kim, 39:46 we had to plan out the snacks for the kids 39:49 according to every night's theme 39:52 and the activities, the lessons, 39:56 and one night we had forgotten to plan the snacks. 40:02 And the next day we had no idea what we're gonna do. 40:06 It was about, I think it was about 40:09 the Second Coming. 40:12 And we didn't know what to do and we're praying about it. 40:16 My head had been hurting. 40:18 And then right then the other person 40:22 in charge Miss Shadia, 40:24 she was in charge of all the supplies. 40:26 She comes in, she says, "I have everything planned." 40:29 And that was the only day she had everything planned. 40:33 And I was like, "Lord, thank you so much." 40:36 Amen. 40:38 And the children were like, 40:40 young, most of the kids were young. 40:42 Huh? 40:44 How young is young? Like six and under. 40:48 Six and under. 40:49 So these are children 40:50 who have come with their parents 40:52 to the evangelistic series 40:54 and you had a special program for them. 40:56 You know, I don't know if there's... 40:58 I hope this doesn't sound sacrilegious 41:00 but when you said 41:02 preparing snacks for the second coming, 41:04 I thought well, leftovers. 41:05 No. 41:07 Okay, so when you prepared the program, 41:13 you were also like crafts and activities. 41:16 Tell us, were the kids cooperative with you? 41:19 I mean, you're pretty young 41:21 and you've got those young babies. 41:23 So it was hard to keep their attention. 41:26 They wanted to run around and play. 41:28 So I went in dressed up 41:31 in this butterfly costume and it, 41:34 like, with all the wings and stuff 41:36 and antennae like a headband. 41:39 Yeah. And they loved it. 41:40 Amen. 41:42 So some kids thought I was the Holy Spirit. 41:45 And it was a lot of fun entertaining them. 41:47 So what were you doing 41:49 when you came out with that costume? 41:50 Did you paused the video and talk about...? 41:54 Yeah. What was going on? 41:56 I had to walk in a certain way and talk in high pitched voice 42:01 and they really paid attention after that. 42:02 Amen. Yeah. 42:04 Amen, you're very clever. 42:06 Yeah. Good. 42:07 So how did it impact you, 42:13 Edith, being involved with these kids, 42:17 teaching them, did you find that 42:19 as you were teaching them, 42:20 it was getting deeper into your spirit too? 42:23 Yeah, it taught me. 42:26 I also learned a lot from there. 42:28 It taught me how our parents worked hard to teach us. 42:33 They had patience of the saints. 42:35 And it also taught me that you can reach out to others. 42:40 Tell them about the love of God in the most simplest ways. 42:43 Amen. Most simple ways. 42:46 Amen. 42:47 You know something, Judith, I want to ask you about 42:50 because we've seen over the past years, 42:54 I guess we've been going to ASI since 2003, 42:58 at least each year. 43:00 And it seems that when the Youth for Jesus 43:06 is involved in a church, 43:08 it's not just impacting the youth. 43:11 It's not just impacting the people who attend. 43:16 But it really has a major impact 43:19 on the churches that hosted. 43:21 Did you see that in your church where the people revived? 43:24 Yes, they were. 43:26 They were so happy, they were so revived. 43:28 The pastor was just so happy 43:31 that this entire evangelistic series was going 43:35 and the church was so supportive 43:37 of the entire event, 43:39 and I was so happy to see everyone 43:43 just cooperating with us. 43:45 They were all helping us with the people, 43:47 the children, and the church. 43:50 I remember near the end, 43:52 a lady comes up to me and she had... 43:54 She was crying. 43:56 She said, "You do not know what you did for our church." 43:58 Praise God. 44:00 "You do not know what you have done for us, 44:01 and we cannot wait to do more 44:05 of this initiative in the future." 44:07 Praise the Lord. Yes. 44:09 You know, I'll tell you what, you can quote this verbatim. 44:14 I'm sure pastor, an army of youth, 44:17 rightly trained. 44:18 Rightly trained. 44:20 That's what's gonna help finish the work 44:22 because, you know, when you see, 44:24 there are people who are like, 44:26 I don't know about giving a Bible study. 44:29 I've never done that before. 44:30 What if somebody asks a question, I don't know, 44:32 or I don't know if I could do this, 44:35 but when you see youth come out into it, 44:38 you realize, if someone's got a willing heart, 44:44 God can use them. 44:45 Now, we want to tell people how they can become involved 44:49 with ASI Youth for Jesus. 44:51 Your website is 44:53 ASIYouthForJesus.org. 44:58 What's on that website? 45:01 There they can see some videos of the past 45:05 of what has gone on. 45:07 They can make an application to be a part 45:11 and we will be opening that soon for next year. 45:16 And they can see a little bit 45:19 about what the program teaches them. 45:22 Amen. Amen. 45:24 And I think you brought some pictures 45:27 that we wanted to show because we want to show you 45:30 how much it's a fun time, a wholesome time. 45:35 And we just really, you know, you never know this young lady 45:40 could become the next David Asscherick. 45:42 Judith, you know, because he started there. 45:46 Who is this? 45:47 This is Dillon, and he was one of the speakers 45:53 at the Louisville First Church. 45:56 So you did two different churches. 45:57 Yes. Okay. 45:59 Judith, how many people were baptized? 46:00 Okay. Is this your church? 46:02 No, this was in Avon Park. 46:04 This one is 2018 in Avon Park... 46:09 All right. In Florida. 46:10 And we know there were 17 baptized from that. 46:13 And this is? 46:14 This is Dillon and Judith, standing beside the picture 46:18 that showed the program we're running. 46:21 Oh, Keys to Bible Prophecy. 46:23 That's good. And here's some of the team. 46:28 Not sure exactly where that is. And what's going on here? 46:34 We did some community service projects, 46:37 and this one was fixing up a playground, 46:41 repainting the equipment. 46:43 How wonderful. 46:45 This is a group picture I believe was 46:47 when they went to the bridge. You want to say something? 46:49 And I want to mention something 46:51 when we went to the Natural Bridge, 46:53 it was a very beautiful place. 46:55 And we witnessed there, we gathered around in a circle 46:59 and we started singing How great Thou Art 47:02 in the scenic view and people around us, 47:07 the other people that were around us, 47:08 they started singing along too. 47:10 And we sang a few hymns there 47:12 and it was a great witnessing thing that we did. 47:16 Amen and amen. 47:18 Well, so I'm sure you would encourage 47:23 any youth that's watching, 47:27 get involved in serving the Lord. 47:30 There's so many things 47:32 that we can do that if you just and parents, 47:37 if you don't know what to do with your kids 47:40 to really get them on fire for the Lord, 47:43 you might consider sending them to the ASI Youth for Jesus. 47:48 Essentially, there is a tuition fee 47:50 that covers their... 47:53 I don't know if it's tuition fee 47:54 but it covers their... 47:57 Room and board. 47:59 Room and board while they're there 48:00 for those four weeks. 48:02 And that's, was 700 last year, that's about? 48:04 That's correct. 48:06 And you know, every penny of that goes 48:09 for room and board and more. 48:11 How much did it cost to do the 2019 Youth for Jesus, 48:15 the program? 48:17 Well, we're still doing the accounting 48:18 but I expect it to be between 48:20 and 100,000 overall cost. 48:22 Okay. 48:23 Well, and so this is, you know, 48:27 the fee that you pay is it covers the room and board 48:30 while they're there, but what they are exposed to, 48:34 what they're trained to do. 48:35 You can once again, the website is 48:40 ASIYouthForJesus.org. 48:53 And if you want to email and talk to the pastor 48:58 or get some information, 49:00 it is ASIYouthForJesus@gmail.com. 49:07 So this is something that what would you say, Judith, 49:12 to young people who might be watching 49:14 and think, I don't know. 49:18 I would want to say, it's not about, oh, 49:22 I'm not going to be able to have fun for the summer 49:25 because it was fun. 49:27 When you're doing God's work, you will have fun, 49:30 and you will feel blessed. 49:31 It was a rewarding experience for me. 49:34 At first I was like, but you know, afterwards, 49:37 I don't regret it. 49:39 I really enjoyed the experience. 49:41 It has done much for me, personally. 49:43 In fact, you can't wait to do it again. 49:46 Huh? Yes. 49:48 You know, that's like Joseph 49:49 who was on in the earlier part of the program. 49:52 He was also saying that he just wanted to hang out 49:56 with his family or with his friends 49:59 for this summer, 50:01 but when he got there, it brought him true joy. 50:04 And are you ready to go back again too, Edith? 50:08 Sure. Yeah, you can't. 50:10 It is, it's a joyful thing. 50:12 And I'm sure, Pastor, you're finding out that 50:15 although you thought the age group of young people 50:18 was that you enjoyed with the college age, 50:21 you've fallen in love 50:22 with these younger teenage kids. 50:25 The kind of young people that come are very wonderful 50:28 to work with. 50:30 We're enjoying it very much. Amen and amen. 50:33 Honey, did you have a parting thought or question? 50:35 Well, no, I was just thinking I'm... 50:37 It saddens me that Janette couldn't be out here with us 50:40 'cause, you know, she's just equally as on fire 50:43 as everyone else, and she had a big part to play. 50:48 So maybe next time we'll be able to have her. 50:51 We just need more chairs, anyway. 50:54 Yeah. 50:55 This is a wonderful opportunity. 50:57 I know that if we had children, 50:59 we certainly would love to be involved. 51:01 You know, I was sitting in the fellowship hall 51:05 and these young people got up 51:08 and they started helping to clean. 51:09 Amen. 51:11 And the lady sitting behind me said, 51:14 "These young people are amazing." 51:16 Amen. 51:18 You know, young people who are on fire 51:19 for Jesus are amazing. 51:22 And we want to encourage you once again, 51:25 get your youth involved with ASI Youth for Jesus. 51:29 You can go to their website, ASIYouthForJesus.org. 51:36 And on that website, you will find videos 51:40 what has happened in the past, 51:43 you'll find the next assignment 51:46 or the next program that will be happening, 51:48 and you will have information to get your children involved. 51:52 We encourage you to do that. 51:54 Well right now, we need to go to a news break 51:57 and we'll be right back. |
Revised 2019-12-04