Participants: Aaron Chancy (Host), Latoya Holloman
Series Code: TNJ
Program Code: TNJ000044
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00:01 The following program discusses sensitive issues.
00:04 Parents are cautioned that some material 00:05 may be too candid for younger children. 00:10 In part one, we learned about Latoya Holloman's testimony. 00:14 In part two, we're gonna focus on 00:15 an exciting ministry that she has, 00:17 stopped the violence in Chattanooga, Tennessee. 00:20 Join us on The New Journey. 00:53 Welcome back to The New Journey. 00:55 For many of you, you may not have seen 00:56 part one of Latoya Holloman's testimony, 00:59 so we'll give you a quick recap 01:01 so that you can enjoy 01:03 some of the info from her testimony. 01:05 Latoya Holloman, we like to thank you 01:07 for being back on the program. 01:09 Just to recap a little bit, where are you from? 01:12 I'm from Baltimore. Okay, from Baltimore, Maryland. 01:15 And you grew up in a gang life, right? 01:16 Right. 01:17 And talk a little bit about your household involvement 01:20 in the streets and various things 01:22 like that before we move on. 01:23 My household involved in the streets? 01:25 Yes, like your father, your mother, your brothers. 01:30 Well, we were all raised up in that environment. 01:34 Okay. 01:37 Just this life of Baltimore. 01:39 Okay, okay, it's a very hard place to grow up, right? 01:42 Right, right. 01:43 Okay, now eventually, you left Baltimore 01:46 and you moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee. 01:49 Why did you eventually make that move? 01:51 Well, I have been going back and forth so much anyway 01:55 that I just decided 01:56 to go ahead and relocate to Chattanooga, Tennessee. 02:01 And I ended up staying for good 02:04 because my grandmother ended up getting sick. 02:06 Okay, okay, now what eventually happened to your grandmother? 02:10 She was diagnosed with stomach cancer. 02:12 Okay, and she eventually passed away? 02:14 Yeah, she had passed away in 2012 on October the 5th. 02:20 Now when you, when you came down there, 02:22 you were taking care of your grandmother 02:23 and things like that, then she passed away, 02:25 how did that make you feel internally? 02:29 Ah, I was hurt... Okay. 02:32 I was deeply hurt. 02:34 She was my best friend, 02:36 you know, I could tell her about anything, 02:38 so definitely took a lot out of me when I lost her. 02:41 Okay. 02:43 You know, often when a person's loved one dies 02:45 or a very close friend or whatever, 02:46 people often feel resentment to somebody 02:49 or resentment towards God. 02:51 Did you have any of that resentment within you? 02:54 Not towards God, 02:55 but I had a lot of anger towards my family. 02:58 Okay, was it, was it pertaining to your mother's death 03:00 or people taking, not taking care of your mother. 03:04 Yeah. Okay, okay. 03:06 Now eventually, after your grandmother passed, 03:09 you got married, and what happened after that? 03:12 Well, I ended up getting married to, 03:16 you might as well say my husband's... 03:18 Okay, so y'all knew each other for a while? 03:20 Yeah, we knew each other for forever. 03:21 Okay. 03:23 And we ended up getting married 03:24 and unfortunately, he ended up getting sick 03:27 with the MD, which is a muscular dystrophy. 03:30 Okay. 03:31 And he ended up passing away, October 21st. 03:35 Okay, now how old were you when you got married? 03:37 I was 24. 03:39 Twenty four years old, 03:40 so when you left Baltimore, came to Chattanooga, 03:42 your grandmother passes away, 03:44 then you get married, your husband passes away, 03:46 were you still involved in the streets at that time 03:48 or had you already kind of pulled yourself away from? 03:50 I had already kind of pulled back. 03:53 Okay, and what caused you to want to take that step back 03:56 and get away from that lifestyle? 03:58 Just be happy for once. 04:03 I tried everything but the right things, 04:05 so I felt like it was time to just buckle down. 04:08 Okay, now eventually you started a ministry called, 04:12 Stop the Violence. 04:13 I did. 04:14 What motivated you or prompted you 04:16 to want to start a ministry entitled, Stop the Violence? 04:19 Just wanted to see more done in my community, 04:22 wanted to see the youth do more and the community, 04:25 just letting them know 04:26 that there's a lot more to life than what they see on the TV, 04:30 what they hear on the radio, what they see in the streets. 04:33 Okay, so what are the different facets 04:36 of the Stop the Violence ministry? 04:39 What are you all involved in Chattanooga, Tennessee? 04:42 Well, we're involved in a lot of things. 04:44 We do concerts, marches. Okay. 04:48 My church is very well involved, 04:52 we just recently did a Stop the Violence rally 04:56 at the Carverc Center, 04:58 which I changed the name to, Loving My Community, 05:01 and that went very well, where we gave our clothing. 05:06 We fed the community, 05:08 gave them a little entertainment, 05:10 prayed for them, we do marches. 05:14 At the Salvation Army, 05:17 I did a week long campaign 05:19 and that made a magnificent impact. 05:22 Okay. Praise the Lord. 05:24 So at the Salvation Army, 05:25 what did y'all do at the Salvation Army 05:27 that made that great impact on the community? 05:29 Well, I just reached out to a lot of people and, 05:33 got a lot of people involved, 05:35 I reached out to the Gang Task Force, 05:38 Boyd Patterson, 05:39 and I reached out some, my church Orchard Park 05:43 and the Salvation Army as well, 05:45 so let me use their building 05:47 and the Chattanooga Fire Department, 05:50 and we just made it, 05:51 put our heads together and made a powerful week.. 05:53 Okay, praise the Lord. 05:55 Did a little network and got things going, huh? 05:56 I did. 05:57 Okay, now you talked about the marches. 06:00 What do y'all generally do at the marches? 06:01 Or how do you, how do you even gather people up 06:04 to be involved in a march? 06:06 Well, what I did was I made an appointment 06:08 at a Power 94 radio station 06:11 and I got it planned on the radio, 06:14 and I also got it done and put in an article, 06:19 so that people would know. 06:21 And then I also did by word of mouth, 06:23 you know, what happened was 06:25 this young lady by the name of Kea Shaffoy. 06:28 She was shot in the head due to gang violence, 06:34 but she survived, praise God she's still living. 06:37 And we did a march for her to stand against violence. 06:41 Do you generally see a great turnout 06:44 from the church, 06:46 from other churches in Chattanooga, 06:47 from the community at these marches? 06:51 I do, from my church Orchard Park 06:54 and from the East Lake Community. 06:57 Okay, okay, that's great, that's great. 06:59 Now you also have the street ministry. 07:01 What's the components of the street ministry? 07:04 Well, the street ministry, we're still working on, 07:07 we've already started 07:09 for as the campaigning and pitting our rallies, 07:13 but what I want to happen 07:14 is to have different counselors to come out 07:16 and counsel these women and these young guys 07:20 and have job programs for them, 07:25 just offer job training 07:27 and minister, do door-to-door work 07:30 and just kind of influence the youth 07:33 in a positive way and in innovative way. 07:35 Okay, now at the concerts that you have, 07:38 one, how is the turnout at the concerts 07:40 and two, what's all involved in the concerts 07:43 and how do you get people to come to the concert, 07:45 how do you get various artists 07:47 and things like that at the concerts? 07:48 Well, what I do is I do research 07:52 and actually, the concert, 07:55 I had a flyer on a board at the Salvation Army 07:59 and these two guys 08:00 by the name of a Terry Davis and Michael Kelly, 08:05 they reached out to me 08:06 and said, "We like what you're doing. 08:09 My name, they call me Big Mike, and I do rap, 08:14 you know, I rap 08:15 and I'm out to do the same thing you're doing, 08:18 doesn't make a difference in the community." 08:20 So that's how I started networking with the talent. 08:23 It's through him. 08:24 Okay, now for the Stop the Violence, 08:26 is it, is it pretty much 08:27 that you're doing the work all alone 08:29 or do you have a team or how does that work? 08:31 Well, I started it all alone by myself, 08:34 started doing networks and stuff by myself and then, 08:37 my church got involved and started helping me, 08:40 like they gave away food, clothing, 08:43 and they even gave away bags at the campaign 08:46 with different hygiene products and stuff. 08:48 Okay, so that's great 08:51 that you got the church support, 08:52 very great that you have the church support. 08:55 In the various things that you do in the ministry, 08:59 what impact have you seen it have on the community? 09:02 I know, I know, of course, we all pretty much know that, 09:04 you know, violence is still going to be around, 09:06 but what kind of impact have you seen thus far? 09:10 I've seen a great impact. 09:12 I got little kids coming up to me saying, 09:14 "Stop the violence." 09:15 You know, when are you gonna do another one 09:17 and violence is definitely, 09:21 definitely still a part of the community, 09:23 but it's not as bad as it was. 09:25 Okay, okay. 09:26 Now somebody, because pretty much 09:28 your ministry is focused 09:30 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, right? 09:32 So if somebody wanted to let's just say in Philadelphia, 09:35 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 09:37 or anywhere in the United States, 09:38 they wanted to start a Stop the Violence program ministry, 09:41 something like yours, 09:43 what steps do they need to take to do something like that? 09:46 Just pretty much stay prayed up, 09:48 know that, know that 09:49 you know that you want to do it. 09:51 Okay, you said, know that you know 09:52 that you want to do it, that's interesting, okay. 09:54 And do network, lot of network. Okay. 09:59 Find different talents from nationwide, 10:02 don't be picky with the talent 10:07 and try to find youth that is, 10:10 that would like to be involved in doing something positive 10:13 'cause what you want to happen is influence youth 10:17 and it start with us, 10:18 so you also want the youth to be a part of it. 10:20 Oh, yeah, oh, yeah, definitely, seems like, you know, 10:23 when they're actually a part of it, 10:24 they're more interested in it. 10:27 And from the, from the young people, 10:29 say around ages 13 to 17, 10:31 do you get a pretty good turnout 10:34 of those ones involved or coming to the rallies 10:36 and different things like that? 10:38 I do. 10:39 Actually, one of the ones that came and performed was 13. 10:43 Thirteen years old? Okay. Okay. 10:46 They one day performed at this last event that we had. 10:48 Okay. 10:49 Now in the work that you're doing, 10:52 does it involve any type of mentoring, 10:55 like kind of sitting down one on one with a young person? 10:59 How could, if a young person wanted to ask you something, 11:02 what do they need to do? 11:03 Can they come sit down, you mentor them, 11:05 give them the word of God, 11:06 what would, what would take place? 11:09 They can definitely come to me. 11:10 I'll pray with them, minister to them, 11:12 invite them to my church. 11:15 Just influence them in a positive way, 11:17 help them in a way that I can. 11:19 Okay, you know, the reason I asked that is, 11:21 I'll tell a quick story. 11:24 I remember when I changed my life 11:26 and the mother of this young man asked me, 11:28 she asked me, to, you know, 11:30 kind of mentor her son 11:32 and so I did, he was 16 at the time, 11:34 and, you know, I tried to share my experiences with them, 11:37 you know, the streets, to being incarcerated, 11:39 various things like that and, you know, 11:41 sometimes we get in our heads that, you know, 11:44 even though somebody is trying to steer me differently, 11:47 we're so bent on doing wrong 11:49 'cause we want to see how it is for ourselves. 11:51 You know what I'm saying, right? 11:52 Right, right. 11:53 My mom used to call me, bull-headed. 11:56 I had to learn the hard way, so anyhow, I, you know, 11:58 I got involved with mentoring the young man, 12:01 really schooling him on how the streets work 12:03 and the reality what I tried to get across to him 12:06 is some people die out there, 12:07 or some people get incarcerated for years and years, 12:11 and the sad thing is last year January 2012, 12:17 he, a week after he turned 19 years old, 12:19 he was murdered, got shot five times, 12:21 and got shot five times and they determined 12:24 that the bullet through the neck 12:26 was the one that killed him. 12:27 And, you know, it was, it really had an impact on me 12:30 because here is one that I spent time with, 12:33 studying the word of God with, 12:35 trying to get him to see 12:37 the reality of the streets and, you know, 12:40 it saddens my heart that it didn't have the impact 12:44 that I hoped or that I expected out of it. 12:48 So what have you seen 12:50 thus far in the ones or one that you have mentored? 12:54 What impact or what have you seen 12:57 from working with individuals? 12:59 Well, I had a next door neighbor, 13:03 her name was Amanda, and she very bull-headed... 13:10 Yeah, that's most of us really. 13:11 Right, right. 13:12 And very outspoken, quick-tempered, 13:17 and I started just going over there to check on her 13:21 and just started mentoring to her, 13:22 started praying with her and it's funny 13:26 because one night, I was in my kitchen 13:30 and some shots went off, 13:32 and she was a victim of being shot. 13:34 Okay, now, let me... 13:37 She was shot but the bullet wasn't intended for her? 13:39 No, it was. 13:41 It was intended, okay, okay. It was, it was. 13:43 And I had the opportunity to leave out my door, 13:46 she called my name as soon as she got shot, 13:49 and I had the opportunity to pray with her, 13:52 while we were waiting on the ambulance, 13:54 and that definitely made an impact on her life 13:57 and it was good to see, 13:59 good for her to see somebody praying with her 14:01 and ministering her and encouraging her. 14:04 We got, is there any decisions 14:06 or any bad thing that she ever did. 14:08 Okay. 14:09 Now let me go back to this, you said, 14:11 if somebody wanted to get involved with like, 14:13 Stop the Violence, 14:14 doing something like this in the city, 14:16 you said that they need to know 14:18 that they know that they want to do it. 14:20 Why do you specifically say, 14:21 know that they know that they want to do it? 14:24 Well, a lot of people are easily influenced. 14:29 A lot of people easily prefers it. 14:31 Yeah, that is true. 14:33 And a lot of people, 14:35 it's in them to want to do the right thing, 14:37 but they're not bold to step up 14:41 and do what it is they want to do 14:43 because they want, don't want to have that title 14:45 of being weak or sorrowful, whatever the case may be, 14:49 so and if you know that you know that you want to do, 14:52 and you're bold about it then it will be success, 14:57 but if you kind of if ye... 14:59 Yeah, if ye about it. 15:01 And kind of still in a state of mind 15:02 where you're worrying about what the next person will say, 15:05 or, you know, you're still in a state of mind 15:08 where you don't wanna be called weak and stuff 15:10 and, might wanna just keep praying and... 15:13 Okay, so being that you have a background in the gangs, 15:17 in streets, in using drugs, and various things like that, 15:20 while you're out there, you know, being in the streets, 15:23 looking for people, knocking on doors, 15:25 whatever you all are doing, 15:27 do you ever find yourself saying to yourself, 15:29 you know, what if I just go back to this type of lifestyle? 15:32 Or have you come to the, come to the conclusion, 15:34 I'm through with it completely? 15:37 We all go through a battle 15:39 and it definitely, it's definitely still a battle 15:43 and I think it to be a battle till the day we die. 15:46 Yeah. 15:48 But to me the important thing is to just keep praying 15:51 and keep that desire, that fire, 15:53 you have people not only do you keep praying, 15:55 have people to pray for you. 15:57 Oh, yeah. 15:58 And, you know, and that's great encouragement 16:00 because some people may say, "Well, I can't overcome this." 16:02 They're trying and they're trying, 16:04 but they can't and they find themselves "backsliding" 16:07 because they don't feel that they can overcome 16:10 whatever, whatever it is 16:11 that they're, that they're dealing with 16:13 and it's encouragement to know that, 16:14 even though that you're tempted, 16:16 you can still overcome and continue to press forward, 16:20 just as the Bible says in the Book of Revelation, 16:22 "Heaven is for the overcomers." 16:24 So it's overcoming everything in our lives 16:27 and it does take time. 16:28 It does. It takes a lot of time. 16:30 My motto is adjust, adapt and overcome. 16:32 Adjust, adapt and overcome. 16:34 And often that's what it is. 16:37 I know for myself, when I was making a change, 16:39 it wasn't easy when I made the change, 16:42 you know, I was so addicted 16:43 and I was used to doing so many things, 16:47 that just saying, "Okay, I'm ready to change now." 16:51 Things then stopped cold turkey for me. 16:53 You know, it was a process that I had to go through 16:56 but praise the Lord, God has brought me to the point 16:58 where I'm not tempted with those things anymore, 17:01 it's kind of like, God has worked on me so much 17:04 that the cigarettes, the alcohol, the drugs, 17:06 those things aren't even temptations to me anymore, 17:09 and I believe that as we continue to resist, 17:13 the Bible says, "Resist the devil 17:15 and he will flee from you." 17:16 So as we continue to resist those things 17:19 time and time again, 17:21 eventually, those things stop becoming a temptation. 17:24 How have you seen that in your own life? 17:28 I definitely agree with you on it. 17:31 So he trembles to the word of Jesus, 17:34 to the name of Jesus. 17:36 So when I found myself going through something 17:39 I don't think I can handle 17:41 well, I think the devil is just out to give me, 17:43 I'll just call His name out. 17:44 Oh, yeah, call on the name of Jesus. 17:47 So your ministry, Stop the Violence ministry, 17:49 how long have you been, 17:51 how long have you been doing this ministry now? 17:53 Well, it started back in October 2012. 17:57 Okay, so from 2012 until? 18:00 Until now. 2013, okay. 18:03 How long do you plan on continuing this ministry 18:06 or are there other facets that you're gonna add to it? 18:10 I don't plan on stopping. 18:11 Okay, praise the Lord. 18:13 I might actually want to go back to my hometown, 18:17 and start it there. 18:18 Okay, in Baltimore, right? 18:20 Okay, now what kind of impact 18:21 do you think, is Baltimore and Chattanooga, 18:23 it's similar but it's a little bit different. 18:25 It is. 18:26 What kind of impact 18:28 do you think it may have in a place like Baltimore? 18:30 I think it would be a great impact. 18:33 I'd say chips of that often 18:36 and I definitely think that it is needed 18:42 and I think that the youth would definitely enjoy it 18:45 to see some, the other youth 18:48 in something that is so powerful 18:50 and that would leave a mark, 18:51 so I definitely think that is good to get out there 18:57 and kind of work the streets of Baltimore. 18:59 Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. 19:00 So do you think your background kind of gives you that passion 19:03 for wanting to see the violence stop? 19:07 Not only my background, 19:08 just having a heart for my community. 19:10 Okay, just that genuine love for people. 19:13 That's the one. 19:14 Yeah, because I've never been a victim 19:19 of losing a family member by the gun or knife 19:24 or stuff like that, 19:26 it's just in my heart 19:27 to just see my community change. 19:29 Okay, as I said, do you get a lot of support 19:31 from other than your church? 19:34 Do you get a lot of support like you go, 19:35 going into projects 19:37 and you're not gonna endorse trying to get people involved, 19:40 do you get a lot of support from various people 19:42 in the project areas you're working 19:44 or do people be like, nah, not really interested in it? 19:47 It's kind of balanced. 19:51 It's 50% here, 50% there. 19:54 Some want and some don't? 19:56 Okay, what have you seen that has made some say, 20:00 "Nah, I don't really want to be involved?" 20:01 Because it seems like a good thing. 20:03 You know, to stop the violence, to stop the murdering, 20:06 to stop the drugs, various things like that, 20:08 that are killing off the community, 20:11 Why have... 20:12 What have you seen thus far, that has made someone say, 20:15 "No, I don't really want to be involved 20:16 in something like this." 20:18 Well, I talked to a young lady a while back... 20:22 Back in November, I believe it was. 20:24 Okay. 20:26 It's good thing you're doing 20:27 but it ain't, violence will never stop 20:30 so, you know, that's what, that's how people are thinking 20:33 and then you've got those ones who have been victim of it, 20:36 lost a child or closed loved ones 20:39 that they just don't, they just don't decide 20:41 to be part of anything like that no more 20:44 'cause they're so deeply ruined it, yeah. 20:46 Yeah, hurt by the situation 20:48 and, you know, they want to see things stop. 20:51 True, the violence will never stop, 20:53 you know, it's going to, 20:55 until Jesus comes it's always going to be so, 20:56 but we can each play our part 20:58 in stopping it a little bit in our areas, right? 21:01 Right, right, absolutely. 21:02 And all we have to do is have that will, 21:04 that determination 21:06 and a trust in God to open up those doors 21:07 to be able to do something like that, right? 21:09 Right, just come together as one. 21:11 Okay, okay. 21:13 For the various people that want to, 21:15 that want to get involved in something like this, 21:19 but they don't have the background 21:21 that you and I have, 21:22 you know, they have an interest for the community, 21:24 they have a love for people, 21:26 but they haven't been incarcerated, 21:27 they haven't used drugs, they haven't sold drugs, 21:31 but they have that loving desire for people. 21:34 Would you encourage them 21:36 to get involved in something like this? 21:37 Absolutely, I would. 21:38 Okay, now my second question that would be. 21:41 Why would you encourage them 21:43 to get involved in something like this? 21:45 There's some positives, it's leaving a mark 21:48 and regardless of your background 21:50 it's always good to spread the word of Jesus. 21:52 Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. 21:53 So how do you all 21:54 in the Stop the Violence program, 21:56 how do you incorporate the biblical aspect 21:58 along with just stopping the violence, 22:00 just you know, say no to guns, say no to drugs, 22:03 how do you incorporate Jesus into this whole ministry? 22:07 Well, ministry, just praying with people. 22:13 Okay. 22:15 Encouraging people, why? 22:17 It goes deep. 22:19 It definitely goes deep. 22:20 You definitely had to have the love for Christ 22:24 as well as for people. 22:25 Okay. 22:26 And God just take you from there, you know. 22:29 Okay, praise the Lord. 22:31 I want to back up a little bit. 22:33 You said, some while ago where you started studying 22:36 the Bible with your grandmother. 22:38 And you know, 22:39 this is what kind of started sparking that change. 22:42 What were you seeing in the Bible 22:44 that was making you want to gravitate to Jesus Christ? 22:48 Well, it was just a lot of stuff 22:51 that was being pointed out to me. 22:53 Actually not with my grandmother, 22:56 Janice Wolman. 22:57 Okay, yeah. 22:58 And she started pointing out different stuff to me 23:02 and it started making sense. 23:04 Okay, what were some of those things 23:06 that she was pointing out 23:07 that, that started to make sense or register? 23:09 Well, I loved the fact that anything she told me, 23:11 she could show me in the Bible... 23:13 Yeah, okay. That especially about that. 23:16 And then she allowed me to see how much Jesus loved me. 23:19 Okay. 23:20 And how much, how important it was to love Him back. 23:23 And how important it was to let go, 23:28 just let go with the God. 23:30 Oh, yeah. 23:31 And she will call me 23:35 and just say, I want to pray for you. 23:37 Amen. 23:39 Or she will come by and say, 23:40 well, did you read your Bible today 23:42 or did you pray about or call whatever issue 23:44 and she, did you pray about it? 23:46 So she taught me the importance of praying and reading. 23:50 And then I was starting to become interested 23:54 in what I was reading and what she was saying, 23:56 I'd ask the lot of questions. 23:57 Okay. 23:59 Now, talk about the experience of being baptized 24:02 into the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 24:03 Talk about the joy that you have, 24:05 because you know, many young people are watching the program 24:09 and, you know, they want to gravitate to the streets. 24:12 You know, they're not interested in ministry, 24:14 you know, they think it's boring, 24:16 there's no excitement in it, 24:18 but talk about that joy 24:20 that you, that you received from being baptized, 24:23 from coming into the church, from doing ministry? 24:26 Well, I was just overwhelmed with joy. 24:31 It really made me feel good, 24:34 my life has been blessed ever since. 24:36 Okay. 24:38 When I'm down, I got tons of church members 24:41 that I can call and they can pray with me. 24:44 And youth, young adult group is awesome, 24:47 we have gang nights 24:49 and it just, it's just awesome to have a church family 24:52 outside of your, your family, right. 24:53 Yeah, outside of your regular natural family. 24:56 So do you think in making that transition in your life, 25:00 being baptized, going to church, 25:03 involved in ministry, 25:06 do you think that all of these things have helped 25:09 keep you into the church, 25:10 because what tends to happen 25:12 is someone may come into the church 25:14 and because maybe they're not rooted enough in Jesus, 25:17 they eventually walk away, 25:19 they have this problem or they have that problem 25:20 and they backslide, they walk away. 25:22 But you on the other hand, you got involved in things, 25:24 you got involved in youth ministry, 25:26 you got involved in your own ministry, 25:29 you're very close with your church family, 25:31 do you think those things 25:32 helped you stay rooted into Jesus Christ? 25:35 I do. 25:37 Okay. 25:39 Just that desire to just want more, 25:41 to want to do better, to know that you can do better. 25:45 And people rooting for you, they're praying for you, so. 25:48 Oh, yeah. 25:50 Now as I stated earlier, there's many young people that, 25:53 you know, they see TV shows, 25:56 they hear the music 25:57 and they have this addiction to that lifestyle, 26:01 I want to try that lifestyle. 26:03 What would you say to that young woman 26:05 or that young boy 26:06 that wants to try things out 26:09 but doesn't find that, 26:13 doesn't find that he can have that joy in church, 26:15 he wants to go out to the streets, 26:16 she wants to go out to the streets. 26:18 What can you give them? 26:19 What word of advice can you give them? 26:22 Stay rooted. 26:23 Stay rooted in Jesus. 26:24 Okay. 26:27 And know that you can do it, don't without a doubt, 26:30 just never doubt yourself, believe in yourself. 26:33 Okay. 26:34 And know that you can overcome anything... 26:37 Oh, yeah, okay. 26:38 With the help of Jesus. Okay. 26:40 And lastly what I want to briefly talk about is, 26:44 pertaining to the ministry Stop the Violence ministry, 26:47 you going into the communities, people's lives are changed 26:52 and people coming to church, 26:54 have you seen the joy yet of someone coming into church 26:58 and accepting Jesus as yet? 27:00 Yes. Okay. 27:02 I have a couple of young ladies in my community. 27:07 Praise the Lord. 27:08 They don't go to my church but they're in a church. 27:11 And just praise God for that. 27:13 Okay. 27:14 And one of the young lady said that, 27:16 "Me talking to her and giving her hug everyday 27:20 and asking, how she was doing 27:21 and seeing me just smile and be happy 27:24 really helped her out a lot." 27:26 Okay. Okay. 27:27 So that's awesome for her. 27:29 You know, Lato, I want to congratulate you 27:31 on your ministry 27:32 and having that determination to want to do right 27:35 and to get active into the church. 27:38 So many people they walk away from God 27:41 because they're not getting involved. 27:43 And the reality is 27:44 that we need more young people like yourself, 27:46 like myself, I'm 30-years old, 27:48 that are interested in seeing lives changed. 27:52 So I just want to encourage you keep on doing the work. 27:55 Stay focused on God and keep going forward. 27:57 I'd like to thank you all 27:59 for tuning into "The New Journey". |
Revised 2017-05-11