Participants:
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY190073A
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00:01 I want to spend my life
00:07 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 00:34 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:46 I want to spend my life. 00:51 Mending broken people 01:10 Hello and welcome to 3ABN Today. 01:12 My name is John Lomacang. 01:14 But if you're part of our family, 01:16 you already know that. 01:17 Welcome back if you are a part of the 3ABN family. 01:20 But if this is your first time, 01:22 I'd like to encourage you 01:23 to tune in, lock in this network 01:26 because we do believe 01:27 that this network is of divine origin, 01:30 and we are called to do the will of the Lord 01:32 getting others ready for the soon return 01:35 of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 01:37 Thank you for tuning in today. 01:38 We have a very exciting program. 01:40 If you like music, this program is for you. 01:45 Music is more than just notes and words on a page, 01:49 but music is able to touch parts of our lives 01:52 and times of our lives 01:54 when other things just may not be able to penetrate. 01:58 And so today, we are going to introduce 02:01 three very well-informed musicians, 02:05 ministers of music and people that love the Lord, 02:08 and I know that you are going to be encouraged 02:10 by this program. 02:12 But thank you for your prayers 02:14 and your financial support of 3ABN Network 02:16 as we continue going and growing, 02:18 getting ready for the coming of the Lord. 02:22 But as you know, we always... It's amazing. 02:24 We are introducing a music program today 02:26 with a music. 02:27 And one of my good friends Jaime Jorge 02:30 is going to prime the set or as I would say, 02:34 get our hearts ready for this exciting program 02:37 as he plays the song "Holy Holy Holy." 06:27 Thank you so much, Jaime. 06:29 You know, Jaime is at one with his instrument, 06:32 and he's not just playing a song 06:34 but he's communicating an experience 06:35 that he has with the Lord. 06:37 Thank you so much for laying that foundation. 06:39 And now the time has come to meet our guests. 06:40 I'll begin with the gentleman to my right, David Schmidt. 06:43 Since you're so close, 06:44 I'll extend my hand and welcome you. 06:46 Good to have you here, David. Nice to be here. 06:47 Yes. 06:49 When I saw you this morning in our worship 06:51 that we have here at 3ABN, I thought, 06:53 "Wow, these guys are all dressed alike. 06:55 They must be here for a specific reason." 06:57 And then I noticed the medallion there, 06:59 The Oregon Adventist Men's Chorus. 07:01 And for our viewers and listeners, 07:03 we'd like to welcome you, thank you for coming to 3ABN. 07:06 But in a nutshell, we'll come back to you. 07:08 Tell us who you are I already told them. 07:10 What do you do right now, 07:12 I know that you're probably not full time in music, 07:14 but if you are, let us know. 07:16 No, I'm retired. 07:17 I was been a pastor in Oregon Conference 07:19 for a number of years. 07:21 Okay. 07:23 And now, I am a full-time grandparent. 07:25 That's all. Okay. 07:27 The best occupation. 07:29 Fantastic. You bet. 07:30 You know, somebody once said 07:31 if I knew that grandkids would be so much fun, 07:33 I'd had them first. 07:34 But we're glad to have you here, David. 07:36 Yeah, it's good to be with you. 07:37 And, Ben, 07:38 good to have you here, Ben Purvis. 07:40 Thank you. 07:41 Tell us what you do right now and where you're from. 07:44 I'm a high school music teacher. 07:45 Okay. 07:47 And I live in Caldwell, Idaho. 07:48 Okay. 07:50 And have a fun time hitching up 07:53 with the men's chorus every few weeks. 07:54 Okay. 07:56 I've been to Caldwell a number of times 07:57 when I was in the Heritage Singers. 07:59 Beautiful... 08:00 Beautiful city. Yes. 08:02 And a little bit of mountains around it, but very nice. 08:06 Good to have you here today. 08:07 Thank you. 08:08 And, Paul Dragulin. 08:11 Am I saying that correctly? 08:12 Dragulin? Yeah. 08:14 Okay, good to have you here, Paul. 08:15 And give us a little bit about you. 08:17 Tell us where you're from and what you do right now? 08:19 Well, I'm from Portland, Oregon. 08:21 And right now, I am an assistant caregiver 08:25 at my parent's adult foster care home... 08:27 Okay. 08:28 Helping out with developmentally disabled adults 08:31 that we take care of. 08:32 Okay. Yeah. 08:34 But I found out something about you a moment ago. 08:35 Tell us a little bit about your academic background. 08:39 I have a doctorate in astrophysics. 08:41 Wow! 08:43 It's something that I give God all the glory for 08:46 because I was not going to get that on my own. 08:49 Okay, astrophysics. 08:50 Wow! That's... 08:52 You got to really concentrate. 08:53 That's in the area of 08:56 I wouldn't turn the program into an astrophysics program, 08:58 but just give our viewers and listeners, 09:00 what's a nutshell, astrophysics? 09:03 If you could just put that in layman's terms, 09:04 what do you study? 09:07 What does it focus on? 09:09 Stuff in space, stars, galaxies, planets. 09:12 Okay. 09:13 The universe as a whole and how it all works together. 09:16 Well, I would say on that note, I'm an amateur astronomer. 09:20 So amateur that I use my iPad to look at the heavens. 09:25 We're glad to have you here also. 09:27 And we got to talk about 09:28 the Oregon Adventist Men's Chorus. 09:31 And, David, I'll start with you. 09:33 Just kind of give us... 09:36 I know, you just mentioned you've been a pastor, 09:38 and I did know that, 09:40 but how long have you been in ministry? 09:43 Well, a long time ago, that's why I'm retired. 09:46 But when I was in the academy, 09:48 I was in a quartet with my two brothers 09:50 and a fellow named Buz Starrett. 09:51 Yes. 09:52 And then at PSC, Buz started a student led men's chorus. 09:58 And years later when I was a pastor, 10:00 I was also in the music committee 10:02 for our camp meeting in Oregon. 10:03 Okay. 10:04 And we had begun a men's group in my church in Salem 10:08 about 20 guys, we decided to sing 10:09 for an Easter program one Sabbath, one year, 10:12 probably 1993 I think it was there about. 10:15 And that went really well. 10:17 People seem to appreciate it. 10:18 So I thought "Well, let's see if we can do some more." 10:20 And being on the music committee 10:21 for a camp meeting, I thought 10:22 "Why don't we get a group together 10:24 and let's sing them for camp meeting." 10:25 So I told my friends, fellow pastors, 10:27 and they put ads in a bulletin. 10:29 So in camp meeting in Oregon in 1994, 10:32 we had 112 men show up to sing, 10:35 a great experience with that. 10:36 We thought "Well, let's do a program of our own." 10:39 So the next spring, 10:41 our next summer at camp meeting, 10:42 no, next spring, 10:44 we had our first festival of praise 10:45 for the Oregon Adventist Men's Chorus. 10:47 Okay. 10:48 We've been doing that for the next 25 years. 10:50 Wow! 10:51 You know, we thought we'd do it three or four years, 10:52 we'd be all done, but the Lord had other ideas, 10:54 so it's been quite a ride we've been on. 10:55 And so then this started while you were in pastoring? 10:58 Yes. 10:59 Okay. 11:00 So that... 11:02 You know, it's amazing as you talk about 11:03 God had other plans. 11:05 Yep. 11:06 Lot of times, the things we do recreationally 11:07 tend to become the longevity of our ministry 11:10 because when I asked the question, 11:11 how long have you been in ministry, 11:13 you're still in ministry. 11:14 Yeah. 11:15 Because pastors although they retire, 11:17 they really never retire. 11:18 Still doing it. 11:19 You know, we never get retired. 11:21 Well, in my church we had a person 11:22 come from California I think, and joined, 11:23 His name is Lou Wildman. 11:25 So he's the co-founder of the chorus. 11:27 He thought it was all done directing, 11:28 he had been directing choirs over the years. 11:30 But again, Lord plugged him in a new way 11:32 and used him for a number of years, 11:33 the first 20 years of our existence 11:35 as a chorus. 11:36 Now was all your ministry in the Oregon area? 11:38 Yes. Okay. Wow! 11:40 That's unusual. You stayed... Were you... 11:42 Okay, now this is the $1,000 question. 11:45 Were you born in Oregon? 11:46 No. 11:48 We were transplanted in California. 11:49 Okay, all right. 11:50 So you're West Coast. West Coast. 11:52 We like California too. 11:53 We'll let you come to Oregon, 11:54 or should I say it the other way around? 11:56 'Cause I enjoy California. It was... 11:58 I lived in California for about 18 years, 12:00 enjoyed it very well. 12:01 The West Coast is a beautiful place to live. 12:04 Okay, back here in Illinois, it's... 12:06 Flying in I couldn't believe all the trees blow us, 12:08 it seemed like Oregon, 12:09 there are so many trees looking down. 12:11 It's beautiful. Very nice. 12:12 Yeah, the Midwest is nice. 12:15 We are in that... 12:16 You know, when the seasons come and go in the Midwest... 12:18 You can tell the change. 12:20 You get those four seasons. You get a lot... 12:22 Are you in the rainy part of Oregon? 12:24 That's the part. 12:25 Okay, where you don't have to worry 12:27 about things getting brown. 12:29 No, maybe in the summer, but not much. 12:31 You can send some of that water to California. 12:34 Unfortunately, we do. 12:35 Well, Pastor Schmidt, good to have you here. 12:37 Now, Ben, 12:39 give us a little bit more about your background. 12:41 You live in Oregon right now but you're from... 12:43 Oh, do you live in Caldwell? 12:45 I live in Caldwell, yes. 12:46 How far is that from Oregon? 12:47 Well, it's about a six-hour drive. 12:49 Okay. 12:50 And a little over an hour flight. 12:52 Well, give us some of your background. 12:54 What got you involved in the... 12:56 In the men's chorus? Yeah. 12:58 Well, I was actually teaching there 13:00 in the Caldwell area number of years ago, 13:02 and the men's chorus was scheduled 13:05 to come and perform on a huge weekend 13:08 at the school. 13:09 And I was terribly busy 13:12 with my own groups and stretched out, 13:14 and I didn't want this men's chorus to come. 13:16 And they kept calling me 13:17 while I was in the middle of doing everything else, 13:20 and really get, at many points irritating me. 13:23 And I was already ready for them to leave 13:25 before they got there even. 13:29 But then, when they actually got there 13:31 and started that first rehearsal, 13:34 I had told some of the young guys 13:36 in my select choir that they needed to come 13:40 to the rehearsal as well and sing with the choir. 13:42 So if I had to be there, 13:43 they needed to be there too, okay? 13:44 So makes it together. 13:46 Yeah, not just leave me hanging out there by myself, you know. 13:49 We were partway through that first song, 13:51 and one of my students turned around 13:53 and just went, "Wow!" 13:56 And they were hooked, 13:57 just the whole concept of men together, 14:02 singing the praises of God and enjoying it 14:06 and doing it with enthusiasm, and energy, and excitement, 14:10 and singing from their heart, and it was just... 14:13 It opened up a whole new world to them. 14:14 In fact, the young man that turned around 14:17 and said wow to me came from a home 14:19 where his father had left years before 14:23 and his mother struggled her hardest 14:26 as a single mother, you know, 14:28 and he just coming into that group 14:31 and the men just mentored those guys 14:34 and just bonded with him, 14:36 and it was just a fantastic spiritual 14:38 and emotional experience for all of us. 14:41 And I was about... 14:42 So you know, you knew from that moment, 14:44 this is what I want to do. 14:45 Yeah. So then we started... 14:46 I started taking guys over to rehearsals 14:49 as often as we could. 14:51 And we ended up actually, 14:53 some of my students and I traveling to South Africa 14:55 with the men's chorus a number of years ago. 14:57 Okay. Well, that's good. 14:59 So you have been with them for about how long now? 15:04 You know, I don't... 15:05 That was quite a while ago, and then I moved to Arizona. 15:09 So I was out for a few years. 15:12 Okay. 15:13 You know, it was interesting what you said about Arizona 15:14 'cause you live in Caldwell, Idaho. 15:17 And I said, "How would you leave 15:19 such beautiful weather in Arizona?" 15:22 And what was your response to that? 15:24 Well, it was not difficult for me 15:26 to leave the beautiful weather in Arizona. 15:28 Okay. 15:29 I like the four seasons, I like the coolness, 15:31 it's wonderful to wake up in the morning 15:32 and put on a jacket to take a walk. 15:35 That's true. I love that. 15:36 That's not very common 15:37 except at high, high altitudes at Arizona. 15:39 Yes, yes, that's right. That's true. 15:40 So it was not difficult for me to move back. 15:43 And when the seasons change, 15:44 there is something that we can appreciate 15:46 about the difference. 15:47 Definitely. 15:49 Find a jacket, putting a jacket on, 15:50 just feeling that little nip in the air. 15:52 But so at Caldwell, you get those four seasons. 15:54 Yes. That's a good thing. 15:56 But now children, family? 15:58 I have two daughters and two grandchildren. 16:01 Okay. 16:02 And... 16:04 So you two are enjoying being the grandfather? 16:06 Yes. Yes. Okay. 16:07 Except they're in Texas so they're a long ways away. 16:10 Okay. But that's good. 16:12 And you've been in the group... 16:14 You guys travel and sing together. 16:15 But then let me ask a question, 16:17 about how many people are in the Oregon Men's Chorus? 16:20 Oh, it depends what the event is we're preparing for. 16:23 Our festivals usually have 70 or 80 singers. 16:27 Our mission trips usually have more like 30 or 40, 16:30 plus those in the country that we're going to. 16:33 But generally, 50-ish is a good size of our group, 16:36 50 to 60 will be in our festivals, yeah. 16:37 Okay, 'cause we go to a church that only sees 125, 16:40 you don't take 100 guys. 16:42 And the platforms can't accommodate 16:43 if you're a large group. 16:45 That's true. So you... 16:46 Depending on the arrangement, like the occasion you do that. 16:50 And, Paul, let me come to Paul. 16:51 Paul would be... 16:53 I say this with total respect to the two of you, 16:55 the younger of the three of you today. 16:56 Just barely. 16:58 Barely younger. 16:59 Paul, tell us about your background. 17:01 I know we found out about your astrophysicist background, 17:05 and I could identify with you as a layman 17:08 on the basis of understanding in the beauty of the heavens. 17:11 Sure. 17:12 But tell us how did you get exposed 17:14 to the Oregon Men's Chorus... 17:16 Adventists Men's Chorus? 17:18 Well, I was privileged to go to Portland Adventist Academy, 17:21 they're in Portland. 17:22 And I joined the corral, and I love to sing. 17:25 And when I got out of there, 17:27 music remained an interest of mine, 17:30 got involved in church choirs. 17:32 And then I ended up joining a smaller men's singing group 17:35 called His Praise, which I'm still a part. 17:39 And back then, 17:40 when the OAMC had their festivals, 17:43 they'd have like kind of breakout groups 17:46 where they'd invite individual smaller groups 17:49 to come up and sing, and His Praise was one of them. 17:52 And so as a member of His Praise, 17:54 I ended up being part of the OAMC that way 18:00 and really my involvement 18:02 with the OAMC started before then 18:04 when I was just a listener in the audience. 18:07 I heard a couple of festivals. 18:11 Long time ago, I helped video one of them. 18:14 And I could remember back then 18:16 that there was something more than music going on. 18:19 I could sense this 18:21 that this brotherhood and camaraderie 18:23 just coming off of the men off the platform, 18:26 and you could sense that as a listener. 18:28 I don't remember much of what they're saying 18:30 but I remember that feeling. 18:33 And when I finally joined the men's chorus, 18:35 it became obvious to me what that was. 18:39 It was came from the brotherhood 18:41 that was within the group. 18:42 Okay. 18:44 How we support each other, and pray together, 18:46 and confide in each other, 18:48 and that has been very important for me. 18:52 Okay. 18:54 So the Oregon Men's Chorus, David, 18:56 is not just a music group, 18:59 give us some more dimensions of... 19:01 Well, one of our goals is to mentor young men. 19:04 When Ben brought men from the academy where he was, 19:06 it was something we aimed to do. 19:09 We have a Milo Academy in Oregon 19:11 that we have a relationship with, 19:13 and every year, we encourage students 19:14 to come up the guys. 19:17 So that is one of our goals. 19:18 And again, not just have them sing with us 19:20 and lower our average age, 19:21 which certainly they do, 19:23 we want them to know that the church needs them, 19:25 that they have something 19:26 to contribute to the Lord's work 19:27 even before they finish their schooling. 19:30 So that's been important to us. 19:31 Okay. 19:32 And then in the group itself, 19:34 not only do we try to do ministry when we sing, 19:36 but as we rehearse, the music grips us 19:39 before we sing it outside to anybody else. 19:41 Okay. 19:42 There are several songs we've done 19:44 that number of us have talked. 19:46 As we're learning the music, we can hardly sing the music 19:48 because it's moving us emotionally. 19:51 Then it has been mentioned, 19:52 we have our worship times during rehearsals, 19:54 and share prayer requests, 19:55 get together by groups of three or four and pray, 19:57 there's a great deal of fellowship that goes on. 20:00 You know, guys don't usually go off 20:01 or retreat like women may do. 20:04 So this has become our form of men's ministry. 20:07 Okay. 20:08 We've had guys share their testimony 20:09 with their group. 20:11 We have one of our members 20:12 just come out of a gay lifestyle 20:14 and shared that with us. 20:15 Another member who has come from drugs and substance abuse, 20:18 and he shared his journey with us 20:20 and his struggles with that. 20:21 And guys relate to that 20:22 if they haven't been through that, 20:24 they still relate to struggle and growth 20:25 and the Lord's work in their lives. 20:27 So that ministry among and within ourselves 20:30 is a very important part of what we try to accomplish, 20:33 we try to formulate 20:35 our rehearsals and events with that 20:37 as a key component of that. 20:40 That's interesting that you pointed out. 20:42 And as a pastor, you see that on a broader scale. 20:46 Are you primarily one of the organizers 20:48 of lot of the events 20:49 when it comes to the mentoring or does it... 20:52 How does it happen? Let's use an example. 20:54 Well, we try, like I said in rehearsal, 20:57 Ben wants to get the most obviously 20:59 that he can on rehearsal time, 21:00 but we set aside not less than half an hour 21:03 for a little devotional talk, 21:05 sharing a prayer requests, 21:06 getting together not as a whole group, 21:08 but as I say, three or four and praying together. 21:11 And it gives guys opportunity 21:12 to share with a smaller group of people 21:13 what's going on in their lives, what their needs are. 21:16 And that's been very important to all of us. 21:18 Okay. So these are... 21:20 There are victories here that are being won as you... 21:21 Yes. 21:23 In other words, as you're ministering 21:24 to other people, exposing them to Christ 21:26 and the Christ of the music, and the Christ of the song, 21:29 the victories in the lyrics as you pointed out, 21:32 that sometimes the lyrics move you 21:34 before it moves anybody else. 21:36 Absolutely. 21:37 And there's a little thing there 21:39 if it doesn't do anything for you, 21:40 how can you communicate it to anyone else. 21:42 Amen. Have you had that experience? 21:43 Oh, I have. 21:45 One of the most overwhelming experiences 21:47 was on the trip to South Africa, 21:48 standing there with all those men, 21:51 black, white, there were Romanians, 21:54 there was a whole... 21:56 Just a plethora of races. Yes. 21:58 And standing there and we're singing 22:01 "I Then Shall Live." 22:02 Oh, wow! 22:04 And that phrase, 22:07 it still brings emotion into my life. 22:10 That phrase, "I then shall live as one that's been forgiven." 22:15 And I just had to quit singing 22:17 because all these men together were singing this. 22:21 And it was just overwhelming 22:23 and tears started for me in my eyes, 22:24 and I just could not continue to see 22:26 because it's like, "Yes, Lord, I want to live that way." 22:30 And that's why I'm here, 22:32 it's 'cause I want to share with others 22:34 that they can also live as one that's been forgiven. 22:37 And so the music... 22:39 As conductor, I intentionally choose music 22:43 that will reach the hearts of people. 22:44 We are not a chorus to entertain, 22:47 we are a chorus to sing a message. 22:50 That's right. 22:51 And if we just want to entertain, 22:56 God wouldn't be keeping us together this long 22:58 I don't believe. 22:59 That's a very important point. 23:01 I'm going to come to Paul in just a moment here, 23:03 but you make a very interesting point. 23:05 I know that song "I Then Shall Live." 23:07 Matter of fact, I was doing a marriage retreat, 23:09 and at the end of that weekend, 23:11 that was the song that was chosen. 23:14 And it's just... It has such a... 23:17 It's a strong message in each of the verses. 23:20 Yes. 23:21 So then it builds to this crescendo, 23:22 and I could hear it, now in my head I'm hearing, 23:25 you know, hundred voices of men. 23:27 And because it has, you know, the Gaither Vocal Band does it, 23:30 and they sound like they really stack 23:32 'cause it sounds like more than just for God. 23:34 Right, right. 23:35 But when you hear that really resonating... 23:37 Yes. 23:40 And then it takes it up, boy, 23:41 I could tell you that, that'll be emotionally moving 23:44 because it's a message in the first and foremost. 23:46 Right. 23:47 It's not just, we want you to live that way 23:48 but we're saying that in order for us 23:51 to be a blessing to you, we have to live that way also. 23:52 Yes, amen. 23:54 That's interesting. 23:55 So the music is moving you 23:57 as you're preparing to move others. 23:59 So you're going forth in the armor. 24:01 And if you notice in scripture, 24:03 and I know you've seen this before, 24:05 in many of the instances of the Israelites, 24:08 they go into battle singing. 24:09 Yeah. 24:11 It's a precursor, 24:12 and then they come out of the battles, 24:13 the songs of victory. 24:15 So have you seen that aspect of your ministry? 24:20 Well, as they said, 24:21 we hear testimonies from other guys. 24:23 So we know guys among us, as well as ourselves, 24:26 are singing from their own experience 24:28 and the gratitude they feel for what the Lord has done. 24:31 Our earlier ministry to Ukraine, 24:33 they told us about lives changed, 85 baptisms. 24:36 I mean to have any part in that at all, 24:38 it's just amazing opportunity. 24:40 Wow! 24:42 Praise God. 24:44 Paul, in this group, 24:49 being the single guy, 24:52 how do you find this group ministering to you? 24:56 I know both of these gentlemen are married, grandchildren. 25:00 But as a single man, 25:02 how does the ministry of this group impact your life? 25:06 Well, it gives me a sobering look at marriage 25:09 when I hear other people's stories and... 25:14 Now in a good way, 25:15 it helps me to take it seriously 25:16 and look forward to... 25:18 You know, these guys are looking back 25:19 on ups and downs 25:21 in their lives and their marriages. 25:23 It encourages me to, 25:25 "Okay, when it's in God's will for me 25:29 to go down that road, 25:31 I'll maybe learn some of these lessons." 25:34 Well, that's true. 25:36 And I hope you both are good witness 25:37 to him in that respect 25:39 because it sounds a little ominous, 25:40 he thinks that marriage is an ominous experience, like, 25:43 "Do I have to do this?" 25:44 But... 25:46 It's the best thing that happened to me. 25:47 Exactly. 25:48 And I must say, after many years of marriage, 25:50 praise the Lord, I wouldn't be who I am today 25:53 if I didn't have the wife I have. 25:54 I know and there are many of you 25:56 that share the same experience. 25:58 But now the music wise because how... 26:01 Are you all... 26:03 Let me just ask this other question. 26:04 How many of you go to the same church? 26:07 Paul and I do. 26:09 Okay, you and Paul do. 26:10 So then you have an opportunity to minister at your church 26:13 on a more continuous basis in music. 26:17 Do you sing locally? 26:20 Yeah. 26:21 His Praise is a more local group, 26:23 that smaller group I'm a part of. 26:27 I'm involved in a music group, our praise team at the church, 26:31 at Sunnyside church. 26:32 So yeah, 26:34 I love to take music wherever I go. 26:36 Okay. 26:37 And, David, at that local level, 26:39 he mentioned the group His Praise, 26:41 is that a quartet or... 26:42 No, it's a men's chorus 26:44 based in Vancouver and Portland area, yeah. 26:48 You brought a video with you today. 26:50 Tell me what this video is about 26:52 before we let our audience... 26:54 The one I think is probably about our ministry 26:56 in Romania in 2009, it's made from that. 26:59 Okay. 27:00 Introduce the people there whatnot. 27:02 And if I'm understanding correctly, 27:03 your background is Romanian. 27:05 Yeah, it is. 27:06 Well, okay. 27:08 So let's take a look at this, and then we'll go back 27:09 and make some comments on the other side. 30:05 Thank you so much for that video. 30:06 I want to just kind of recap what we just saw, David. 30:12 Obviously, it was in a foreign language. 30:14 But I know our viewers 30:15 were able to follow the caption below. 30:17 Tell us about that trip that you were on. 30:20 That came from our trip to Ukraine in 2017. 30:23 And the one speaking was the president of the union 30:25 of that portion of Ukraine. 30:29 Since we don't solicit mission trips, 30:31 we would be fine singing in Oregon, 30:34 in the United States. 30:35 But we've gotten requests from Romania, 30:37 twice for South Africa, and then for Ukraine. 30:42 So when we get an invitation, 30:43 we accept that assuming it's coming from the Lord, 30:46 they don't have any reason to bring us over on their own. 30:49 So we get as much information and details as we can. 30:53 In Ukraine, we had a terrific team there 30:56 doing the logistics and making the plans 30:58 of exactly where we would go. 30:59 We send an advanced team over 31:01 to help select venues and whatnot. 31:04 But when that begins to solidify, 31:06 then we see the Lord's hand putting the pieces together. 31:09 And if we get a serious invitation like that, 31:11 if it's enough in the future where we can plan, 31:13 provide forth, and we try to do those. 31:17 How many guys went over with you? 31:18 Twenty-nine was all from our chorus. 31:22 But then we were joined by 50 men in Ukraine, 31:24 another 10 or so from Romania. 31:26 Okay. 31:27 So we had a chorus of 75 or 80 something like that, 31:30 plus an orchestra. 31:31 Now that must be interesting 31:33 because what happens is you're taking those 31:34 who speak English and those who speak Romanian. 31:38 Well, and their music is... 31:40 Ben could tell you more, 31:41 their music is very different from ours, plus the language. 31:44 So we take their language, put it into phonetics 31:47 and write the phonetics in our language 31:49 so we actually can sing in Ukrainian sort of. 31:51 Okay. 31:52 They take our English songs, 31:54 put it into phonetics for Ukrainian, 31:55 so we're singing... 31:57 We sing probably three or four in Ukrainian 31:59 and the rest they have to learn to do it in English. 32:01 So it's a wonderful mixture that we do. 32:04 So this is not the Bible, 32:05 but you guys were singing in tone. 32:07 Yes. Yeah. 32:08 And the Holy Spirit is helping them 32:10 with our English and helping us with their Ukrainian. 32:13 It's a great, great experience. 32:14 Ben, as a director tell us about that experience. 32:16 It was pretty impressive to pull in to these towns 32:19 with three huge buses 32:21 and, you know, all of that. 32:25 It was an incredible experience to many in the orchestra 32:30 were not even Christians, 32:32 but they were hired to play. 32:33 And of course, you know, 32:35 you do whatever gig you can find 32:36 as an instrumentalist, you know. 32:38 And so they were hired to travel 32:39 and do this tour with us. 32:41 And the interaction and bonding between them and the chorus, 32:47 all of that was incredible to see. 32:51 The challenge I faced was 32:53 every instruction I gave to the chorus 32:56 had to be translated twice. 32:58 So it had to be translated into Romania 33:00 and had to be translated into Ukrainian. 33:02 So that obviously took more time and patience. 33:07 But to me, the greatest experience 33:09 was in one of the towns, 33:11 and I don't remember the name of it. 33:14 The mayor of the town did not want us to come. 33:16 Mariupol'. Okay. 33:18 What was the town? Mariupol'. 33:20 Mariupol'. 33:21 And she did not want us to come, 33:22 and so she had not shut us down 33:24 but in front of the concert venue, 33:26 she had staged a festival day 33:30 with a very well known Ukrainian pop star 33:34 to do a concert 33:35 at the same time our concert was supposed to be done. 33:38 And her stage was set up 33:40 right at the front of the building 33:42 where the people would come in. 33:43 Unbelievable. 33:45 And yet the workings of the Lord, 33:49 we had to turn people away, 33:51 it was standing room only, 33:52 and we had to turn people away, 33:54 even while the rock concert was going on outside 33:56 or the pop concert was going on outside. 33:58 Wow. 33:59 And it was really an incredible experience 34:03 to see the Lord work in such a mighty way 34:06 and people to... 34:07 Many of them introduced to Christianity 34:11 through our concerts. 34:13 I was only... 34:14 I'm thinking about that, 34:15 and I remember the phrase in the Bible, 34:17 the Apostle Paul says, 34:18 "You can do nothing against the truth 34:20 only for the truth." 34:21 Yes. 34:23 So when the Lord establishes something... 34:24 She actually gave you guys free advertised. 34:25 That's right. That's right. 34:27 She set up a venue right in front of the building 34:29 and the people... 34:31 There are probably some people that came, 34:33 "You know, let's go over here instead" 34:35 and you have that outside crowd. 34:38 Paul, tell us about that 34:39 because this is now your language. 34:42 Close, I'm Romanian, and that was in Ukraine. 34:45 Okay. 34:46 And the language is like completely different. 34:48 Okay. 34:49 However, that experience was very special to me. 34:52 I was completely naive. 34:54 I was just walking in the line with guys. 34:56 "Oh, look, a concert. 34:58 Oh, look, guys are in military uniform." 35:00 "Okay, let's just do our thing." 35:02 We showed up, did our thing, came out, I was hungry, 35:05 let's go home, sitting on the bus. 35:08 And here our organizer gets up on the bus, 35:10 you know, the local man there who was helping us. 35:14 Absolutely ecstatic, you know, 35:16 spattering stuff out we couldn't understand him, 35:18 somebody translated. 35:20 Basically, he was saying 35:22 that he was told there was no chance 35:24 he could have any success in this town 35:28 and that he has just seen a miracle 35:29 with his own eyes. 35:31 The neat thing about that, apparently, in Ukraine, 35:35 the Orthodox Church is very strong 35:37 and if you're not orthodox, 35:38 they picture you as hardly Christian, 35:40 whether you're Adventist, or Baptist, 35:42 or Lutheran, or whatever. 35:43 And they said when we got back, the tour, 35:47 the Lord used another way to raise 35:48 not only the public perception of Seventh-day Adventists, 35:51 but also Christianity in general 35:53 which was a neat thing. 35:54 We had no way of working out, but the Lord worked it out. 35:57 It's just smoother way to improve the perception 36:00 of the public of Christianity in general, 36:02 you didn't have to be orthodox for them to think well of you. 36:05 And that's amazing because we know 36:07 in the Eastern Bloc nations, 36:09 you know, the Orthodox Church, 36:11 whether it's Russian Orthodox or whatever nation 36:15 that orthodox faith is established in, 36:17 it's a bulwark, you know, 36:19 you're coming in a wall in reality, 36:22 and they protect their territory 36:25 very, very well not wanting anybody. 36:28 And give us some more insight into that 36:30 because I'm making reference 36:31 to something that's part of your experience. 36:35 I was born in the United States. 36:37 Okay. 36:38 So I've only heard stories. 36:40 But the bigotry can be very strong. 36:48 I heard a story... 36:50 A pastor I met in Florida 36:52 came from that part of the world 36:53 that he said he was working 36:55 in an area where the local priest, 36:58 orthodox priest told his parishioners, 37:01 it's okay for you to throw rocks at this pastor, 37:04 this Adventist pastor. 37:08 Not saying they're all like that of course but... 37:09 Right. 37:11 Now that's just a level of some of what they face. 37:13 Yeah. 37:14 Wow, wow. 37:15 But then you went over there singing 37:17 in practically three different languages, 37:20 in fact, English and... 37:23 Ukrainian. 37:24 Ukrainian and... 37:25 Didn't we do one song in Romanian? 37:28 I don't know. 37:30 No, I don't think we did on this trip. 37:31 But at least in two languages, 37:33 they're learning your language, you're learning their language. 37:35 But it's interesting. 37:36 One of the reasons I think that the Lord puts us together 37:38 in particularly in Ukraine, 37:41 they view us of course as rich Americans. 37:43 They have no idea 37:45 how hard our guys work to raise money. 37:47 A lot of our guys don't go 37:48 'cause they simply can't raise the funds. 37:50 But over the years, we've had people 37:52 travel several hundred miles 37:53 and bring back a trailer full of boxes of apples, 37:56 sell apples to raise money. 37:59 People sold motorcycles, 38:00 they've contacted their relatives and say, 38:02 "When my birthday and Christmas comes, 38:03 please give me a present of cash instead of a gift." 38:07 And they work very hard to raise the money. 38:09 We have one, what I would call major donor, 38:12 but the rest of the guys do their very hardest work. 38:15 But our American dollar goes farther 38:18 in some of those countries. 38:20 In Ukraine, the trip wouldn't have happened 38:22 if we hadn't been able to go 38:24 because we funded the transportation, the buses, 38:28 the food, the lodging, and the orchestra. 38:31 And not that it's easy for us either because it isn't. 38:33 But still the Lord used American contributions and all 38:37 so that the tour could happen. 38:39 I think I mentioned there were 85 baptisms out of that 38:42 because our tour was in cities 38:44 that would follow with Bible studies 38:46 and evangelistic meetings 38:48 to try and raise an interest for that 38:49 which the Lord used it to do. 38:51 So 85 baptisms just financially, 38:56 you know, the tour wouldn't have happened 38:58 without the Lord using us to go over there. 39:00 Wow. 39:02 So we scrimped and saved like anybody would 39:03 but at least they're wonderful results 39:04 that the Lord makes out of that effort. 39:07 Was it on one of these trips that the song 39:08 "I Then Shall Live" was born? 39:12 Oh, it was sung in Romania I think first... 39:14 I don't know that we did that in Ukraine but... 39:16 We didn't do it in Ukraine, we did it in South Africa. 39:18 In South Africa? Yeah. 39:20 And that's an amazing experience 39:21 that I want to be able to share with our viewing audience. 39:25 "I Then Shall Live" 39:26 we talked about it earlier in the program, 39:28 but we're going to roll a video here 39:30 to let you see the power in that song, 39:33 a song that talks about not only the commitments 39:36 that we have as individuals to the gospel 39:38 to representing Christ, 39:40 but what we're also trying to activate 39:42 in the lives of those 39:43 who are listening to the message in song. 39:46 Amen. Sit back and enjoy. 45:55 Were you blessed by that song? 45:57 Can you say amen? Amen. 45:59 Amen. "I Then Shall Live." 46:01 When I first heard that song a number of years ago, 46:04 I sang it as a solo at a spiritual retreat. 46:08 My wife and I did a couple retreat for a weekend, 46:10 I was invited by another conference to do that. 46:13 But then to hear it with how many voices? 46:16 Probably 100 in there. 46:17 Okay. 46:19 To sing, and you're singing there, 46:20 I think you suggested or described 46:23 how when you heard that song a while ago, 46:26 it just paused you as the director to realize 46:29 that this is not only a song that was being sung 46:31 but your own experience. 46:33 Right. 46:34 Now, David, what I want to talk 46:35 about in our time remaining is 46:38 you alluded to the fact that you do mission trips, 46:40 but only as the Lord opens the doors, 46:43 and secondly, only as the funds are available. 46:47 Let's talk about these mission trips 46:50 and how important it is 46:52 as you look to the projects coming up. 46:54 What's down the road? 46:55 Well, the next one, we have it planned, 46:57 Lord has opened the way for us to return to Ukraine. 46:59 Okay. 47:01 When we went before in 2017, 47:02 it was the eastern part, very close to the conflict area 47:05 that was still going on. 47:07 This next time in June of 2020, 47:10 it will be to the western part of Ukraine, 47:12 they've asked us to go back. 47:14 We have not been eager to do that 47:15 in a sense of the stresses of fundraising. 47:18 Now each of these trips costs each participant 47:20 approximately $3,500. 47:22 Wow! 47:23 So it's not like their way is paid to get away and go, 47:25 they lose time from work, time from their families, 47:27 it's quite a commitment. 47:29 So like as I said, they sell some things, 47:31 they try to save up, 47:36 we go because Lord convicts us 47:37 that He wants us to go, and it's amazing. 47:40 I could tell you 47:41 how He stretches the funds that we take, 47:43 and we bring back some that we thought we would use. 47:45 It's just amazing what He does. 47:47 But there is address on the screen that... 47:51 We'll give that at the end of the program. 47:53 You can go to our website, there's a donate button, 47:55 there's a post office box, 47:57 they can use an old-fashioned envelope 47:58 and that sort of thing 47:59 if the Lord wills them to do that. 48:01 I know your viewers have supported 48:02 a lot of different ministries, 48:04 we're not the only one on the face of the Earth. 48:06 But where the Lord asks us to go, 48:07 we do our very best to go. 48:09 I personally would be happy 48:10 if we did have another mission trip. 48:12 We're traveling with 90 or 100 people, 48:14 it's quite an expense. 48:15 It is exhausting. Exhausting. 48:17 But when you come back, you have stories to tell 48:20 that resonate for many, many new lives. 48:21 And then you see the Lord working 48:23 in ways you know maybe normally observe. 48:25 That's right. 48:26 When we were in South Africa, 48:28 one of the African men mentioned, 48:29 he said "I thought I was in the wrong church 48:32 because when I participate in music, 48:33 I get very emotional." 48:35 He said, "Look around 48:36 and my wife, brother, and sister 48:37 didn't seem to touch them. 48:39 But then you guys come over 48:40 and you're crying just like I am, 48:41 and reaching for your tissue just like... 48:43 Maybe in the right place after all. 48:44 Wow! 48:46 So just the Lord has done in our lives 48:47 and other lives where He's taken us 48:48 some really, really important things 48:50 that we observed, 48:51 and it's fun to be a part of that. 48:53 And if the Lord moves people to support that by prayer, 48:56 certainly even more than financially, 48:58 it's very, very important. 48:59 And tell us about people that are interested 49:02 'cause they may be individuals 49:04 that are living in the Boise, Idaho, Oregon area, 49:07 California, or may, say, 49:09 I don't live anywhere near that, 49:10 but I am interested in coming 49:13 and being a part of a group like this. 49:14 How do they do that? 49:15 They can contact us through our website 49:17 or the mailing address, it's there. 49:18 We send... 49:20 We make a rehearsal CD every year of the music 49:22 that we're going to be doing. 49:23 We can send them that rehearsal CD by link, 49:26 by computer, we send them the music 49:27 and they can practice at home. 49:29 They really only need to come to what six or... 49:31 No, how many? 49:33 Well, as many of the rehearsals as they can 49:36 unless they're really, 49:38 you know, trained in an experience singers. 49:41 Right. 49:42 Do you have to be able to read music 49:44 to be a part of this group? 49:45 No, you don't. 49:47 You don't even have to be able to sing. 49:48 Okay. 49:49 Well, that's not what I heard. 49:51 This is open to anyone who wants to join. 49:53 Okay. Yes. 49:55 Because the ministry is not just singing. 49:58 Right. 50:00 They will find out that if you do your very best, 50:02 the Lord will bless that, and that's enough. 50:04 He takes that and just expands on it, 50:06 you know, He expands it and makes it beautiful. 50:09 What are you thinking, Paul? 50:10 I'm looking at you over there smiling. 50:12 Well, God has helped us out a lot. 50:16 We have joked two times, 50:18 you have to be able to fog a mirror. 50:19 And if you can fog a mirror, the Lord can do the rest. 50:21 Yes. 50:22 If you can fog a mirror. You have some CDs. 50:25 Now, they're not available on your website, 50:26 but talk about some of the CDs that you have. 50:28 Well, most of our CDs were done some time ago. 50:31 But we can probably find one, 50:33 and we have a few we could send out to people 50:35 or give them other ways to hear. 50:36 Okay. 50:38 We probably will be making new ones 50:40 of live performances in the future. 50:42 Okay. 50:43 And I think that if you go to their website, 50:45 which we'll give you that information in just a minute, 50:47 you'll find that there's a way 50:48 to get in touch with this ministry, 50:50 the Oregon Adventist Men's Chorus. 50:53 David, being a former pastor, 50:55 you're never not a pastor by the way, 50:57 I just want you to know that. 50:58 When you go on the road, 50:59 I know many men are looking to you, 51:01 "Pastor Schmidt, what do we do?" 51:03 And you have that great responsibility. 51:06 And then our chorus... 51:08 Let me not use the wrong term. 51:10 Conductor. Conductor. 51:12 And you teach music? Yes. 51:13 Okay. 51:15 And then whenever you are out on the planes, 51:18 where there's no lights. 51:22 Paul, the astrophysicist kicks in. 51:24 Yeah. 51:25 And says the heavens declare the glory. 51:27 Amen. That's right. 51:28 Then the firmament shows handiwork. 51:30 We're going to give you the information 51:32 that you need to get in touch 51:33 with the Oregon Adventist Men's Chorus, 51:35 and here it is, and after this address roll, 51:38 we'll come back with a few closing thoughts 51:41 following our newsbreak. 51:45 If you would like to support the outreach ministry 51:48 of the Oregon Adventist Men's Choir around the world, 51:51 you can visit their website 51:53 OAMCMinistry.org. 51:57 That's OAMCMinistry.org. 52:02 Or write down at PO Box 216, 52:06 Gladstone, Oregon, 97027. 52:11 Post Office Box 216, 52:14 Gladstone, Oregon, 97027. |
Revised 2019-11-13