Participants: Diamond Garcia
Series Code: UBR
Program Code: UBR000200A
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00:01 Stay tuned to meet a young man whose dad was a drug dealer
00:04 and his mom was a shoplifter, 00:05 his life is changed and yours can as well. 00:09 My name is Yvonne Lewis 00:10 and you're watching Urban Report. 00:35 Hello and welcome to Urban Report. 00:37 My guest today is Evangelist Diamond Garcia 00:41 one of the youngest Evangelists in the Adventist Church. 00:44 Welcome to Urban Report Evangelist Diamond... yeah... 00:48 Hi... 00:49 May I call you Diamond? 00:51 Sure, absolutely. 00:53 Okay, great, great, great great, 00:55 thank you so much for being with us, 00:56 we're really thankful to have you. 00:58 Well, I'm glad to be here. 01:01 So, your testimony is so intriguing 01:06 and I had the opportunity to talk to you at ASI 01:09 not too long ago, 01:10 and you shared a bit of it with us at the table 01:14 and I thought, "We have to have you on Dare to Dream 01:17 and have you tell about your journey" 01:19 so tell is a bit about yourself, where were you born? 01:22 Well, I was born... right here where I am now, 01:25 I'm in the Island of Hawaii, 01:27 specifically on the Island of O'ahu. 01:29 I was born here about two decades ago, roughly... 01:33 and I've been here ever since. 01:36 Wow, so you've been in Hawaii for your 20 years of life, 01:42 almost 20 years of life. 01:43 Almost 20 years... yeah. 01:45 And... you grew up in what kind of home? 01:48 Well, I was not raised in a 01:52 Christian or Seventh-day Adventist home, 01:54 my dad was a drug dealer and my mom was a thief, 01:58 she robbed houses... robbed stores, 02:01 robbed fast-food joints to feed us... 02:03 Yvonne: Oh... wow! 02:05 Diamond: And... yeah.. so... I was not raised in an environment 02:09 where God was uplifted nor was He the center of it, 02:12 it was just... chaos... it was sin basically 02:17 and I just was in an environment of sinful activities so... 02:21 but God is good and God brought me out of it. 02:24 Yes, yes, so, when you were coming up, 02:26 at what point did you realize that your parents were doing 02:29 things that were against the law... 02:31 at what point did you realize that? 02:32 Well, you know, when you're at a young age, 02:36 you see your friends at school and their parents are doctors 02:40 and their parents are... you know... whatever, 02:42 lawyers or... you know, whatever... 02:44 and you hear your parents just say, 02:46 "Hey, don't tell nobody about this... " 02:48 or "Don't tell no one about this or that... " 02:52 and you kind of suspect in your mind 02:54 "Well, something must be going on that's not right" 02:57 and... and then of course, 02:59 you get to an age where you realize 03:01 "something's going on" and of course you realize it's drugs 03:04 and it came to the point where it was just normal for me 03:08 and that I began to actually deal drugs for my dad, so... 03:12 Yvonne: And how did that... how did that start? 03:14 Diamond: Well, it started from when I was a small boy 03:20 just... "Hey Diamond, why don't you just take some of this... " 03:23 it was drugs... it was Marijuana... 03:25 "And why don't you take it to your... 03:27 to my friend down the road... " 03:29 so I would walk down the road by myself 03:31 and meet this friend there and she would give me money 03:35 and I would give her the drugs and I'd walk back home 03:38 and I'd report back. 03:40 And did you have any idea of what you were doing, 03:43 did you know what it was? 03:45 Absolutely... absolutely... yeah. 03:46 Yvonne: Oh so, you knew... Diamond: Yeah... 03:47 Yvonne: And your dad... did you ever get caught? 03:52 Your dad never... 03:53 Diamond: Never did... 03:55 Yvonne: He never seemed like it was... 03:56 he was concerned about you taking the drugs to someone, 04:00 was he concerned about what could happen to you? 04:03 I don't think it crossed his mind at that time, 04:07 I mean... I look back now and I am like, 04:09 "Wow, I would never do that to my kid" if I had a kid... 04:11 and I wouldn't... I would not want someone else's child 04:17 in that position as well because I mean, it's just so dangerous, 04:20 you're holding drugs which is very wanted in the ghettos 04:25 and people could have just jumped you or whatever they did 04:29 and yeah, it was very dangerous 04:32 but I don't think it crossed his mind 04:34 when you are in the bed of sin... 04:36 whenever I preach, I always say this, 04:38 "Sin makes you stupid... " it really does, 04:41 sin makes you stupid and when you're in sin a lot, 04:45 you just don't think... so... 04:47 You know what? That's really true, 04:49 that is... I never thought of it like that 04:52 but that's really true because 04:53 you're really often not reasoning out 04:57 from cause to effect... , 04:59 you just... and you're in the throes of it 05:02 and if you have anything to do with drugs yourself, 05:06 then your mind is not clear, 05:08 your mind isn't clear as you're doing this stuff, 05:10 so I can see... I can see what you're saying 05:13 but wow... he put you in a really bad position 05:16 did you have other siblings 05:18 and were they doing the same things? 05:21 They did... yes... I have five siblings, 05:23 I have four brothers and one sister 05:25 and we were all raised in that same environment 05:27 and it's sad today because 05:30 all of my siblings are down that same road 05:33 and they have chosen to follow the environment 05:36 that surrounded them 05:38 and they are now into drugs and alcohol 05:40 and I have four brothers and they're all homeless... 05:43 on the streets here in Hawaii... 05:45 and then there's me... I just chose to take a different path 05:49 that God led me to and that's where I am today. 05:52 What do your siblings think about where you are 05:56 as compared to where they are? 05:58 Sometimes, I can sense 06:02 they feel really bad about themselves, 06:05 and sometimes they feel jealous, per se... 06:08 it's... it's not me... it's not... 06:12 it's not what I have chosen to separate myself... 06:16 it's simply... I chose to follow a path 06:18 that was God ordained 06:20 and they chose to follow a path which was towards destruction 06:25 and life is all about choices and sin is a choice 06:29 sin is not something where we're born with, 06:32 its... we... we make that choice 06:34 to choose a path and they chose that path 06:38 and I chose to follow God and that's where I am now. 06:41 And interestingly enough 06:43 and I talk about this all the time... on Urban Report 06:47 that both God and Satan have a plan for your life, 06:52 they both have a plan. 06:53 Yes, absolutely... 06:54 So, God's plan is to prosper you 06:56 and to give you the abundant life 06:59 and Satan's plan is to destroy you... 07:00 to take you from here and take you all the way down 07:04 as far as you can go and further than you ever imagined 07:07 and God's plan is to take you 07:09 further than you've ever imagined and so... 07:11 the path that you chose... 07:13 and we'll take about how you got there, 07:15 but the path that you chose has given you the abundant life 07:18 and unfortunately... 07:19 the path that your siblings have chosen... 07:24 that path... is taking them down 07:27 and until they decide to give their lives to the Lord, 07:30 that's how their lives are going to be... utter chaos. 07:33 Diamond: Yes... utter chaos... Yvonne: Utter chaos... 07:36 utter chaos... Diamond: Exactly... 07:37 Yvonne: So, you grew up in this environment, 07:40 your dad was a drug dealer, your mom was shoplifting, 07:44 unpack that a little bit for us, like, what your dad was like, 07:48 what your mom was like... and living in that environment. 07:51 Diamond: Sure, you know, growing up... 07:53 whenever there's a couple who is unequally yoked 07:57 and whenever you're equally yoked 07:59 it always happens through God in the center 08:02 so whenever God is not there, 08:03 the relationship is always unequally yoked 08:06 and, of course, this was... that instance 08:08 and it was fighting after fighting... 08:11 I mean pretty much every day there was an argument, 08:13 they were throwing things at you and just... 08:15 there were things breaking in the house 08:17 and just fighting... cops were coming all the time 08:19 and I was little... and it was a normal thing to happen 08:22 I'd would come home from school and they were fighting, 08:25 I would wake up in the morning... they're fighting, 08:28 or in the middle of the night... they're fighting... 08:31 so... it was just a normal thing, 08:33 my mom and dad did love each other, I think, 08:36 yeah, they did, because they're still with each other today, 08:40 but... once again... "sin makes you stupid... " 08:43 and they tried to do things... my mom would rob houses 08:48 and she would sell things 08:50 and just to support herself and the family... 08:53 Yvonne: And was your mom on drugs... was she on drugs... 08:55 did she need to support a habit? 08:57 Diamond: Yes... she was, yeah. Yvonne: Okay... hmmm... hmmm... 09:00 Diamond: And so... so was my dad and... 09:03 and my dad was more of the stay-home guy 09:05 and just... deal through the front door 09:07 and then my mom was just... 09:10 she was the one out... just doing things... 09:12 Wow! and so... in the midst of this 09:17 you were caught up in the midst of this 09:22 chaotic kind of environment... 09:25 at any point when you were little, did you say, 09:28 "I do not want to have this kind of life when I grow up. " 09:32 Absolutely, absolutely, 09:34 I saw... I mean, sometimes, we would go hungry, 09:38 I mean, just, I mean... my mom... 09:40 here in Hawaii... I mean... you're there in the Midwest 09:44 but you guys have potatoes, right? That's your staple... 09:47 we don't... we hate potatoes here... 09:49 what we eat is rice... there's rice, 09:52 it's white rice and... and sometimes for dinner 09:56 she would just have to buy a bag of rice for the whole week 09:59 and just put some soya sauce on the rice 10:02 and that was your dinner... and that was your breakfast 10:03 and that was your lunch... 10:05 and that was just the way you grew up and just... cans of Spam 10:08 and other stuff... I mean it was just a normal ghetto life 10:12 and I loved it actually... it was nice and simple 10:15 but, I mean, it was... like you said, 10:17 "utter chaos... " and yeah... 10:20 So, how did you get out? 10:23 Tell us how you went from being in the midst of this whole 10:29 chaotic environment... 10:31 knowing that both of your parents were doing things 10:34 that were wrong but it was... 10:37 it was normal for you... that was normal... 10:39 that was your normal... how did you get out of that? 10:43 Well, before... let me... let me back up one second, 10:46 before I go there, when you went to High School, 10:50 did you... were you caught up in that lifestyle as well 10:54 when you went to High School? 10:55 No... no, I was converted right before I went to High School. 11:00 Okay, tell us about your conversion. 11:03 Sure, so one day... it's a hot Hawaiian day here in Hawaii... 11:06 and I was at my grandmother's house 11:08 and I was in a... mind you, she loves to cook 11:11 so, she has all these cookbooks 11:12 and boxes of just cookbooks and cookbooks and cookbooks 11:16 and so I was bored... it was a boring day in Hawaii 11:19 and I was going through boxes of cookbooks... 11:20 and opening them... looking at them... imagining the food 11:24 and then... on the bottom of a box of cookbooks 11:26 was this book here called "The Great Controversy" 11:29 Yvonne: Ah... 11:31 Diamond: And I found this book and I was like, 11:32 "Wait a minute... hmmm... this is not a cookbook... " 11:35 so, I was like... "Why is this book in the box of cookbooks?" 11:39 So I opened to the first page and the first words 11:42 that Ellen White says, she says, "If THOU hadst known... " 11:46 and she's quoting from Scripture and I was like, 11:48 "You know what? I can't read this... 11:50 this is... I mean... who knows what 11:52 'If THOU hadst known' means?" It makes no sense to me. 11:55 Now, how old were you, how old were you here? 11:57 I was... at this time... I was eleven years old. 12:00 Okay... 12:01 Yeah, and so... yeah... 12:04 and so now I go towards the back of the book 12:06 and I read the last two chapters, 12:08 "God's People Delivered" and "The Controversy Ended" 12:12 those last two chapters and... to make a long story short, 12:17 I became a Seventh-day Adventist. 12:18 Don't make it short... we have some time... 12:20 Diamond: Okay... 12:22 Yvonne: So you read the book, you saw in the book 12:26 that there were things that just kind of resonated with you 12:30 did you talk to your grandmother about that? 12:33 Diamond: Yeah... Yvonne: Like... what...? 12:36 Diamond: I was like, "Hey, where is this book from, 12:38 why do you have this book?" 12:40 And she was like, "Well, years ago, 12:42 I was baptized into the Seventh-day Adventist Church. " 12:45 Now, this was when she was when she was in her 20s... 12:47 and she was only in the church for a few months 12:50 and then left... for about 35 years... 12:53 but yet, she still had that book in her house 12:56 from all those years... 12:57 Yvonne: Wow! now, had she raised your mom as an Adventist too? 13:00 Diamond: No... no... 13:02 Yvonne: So, she had been out of the church... 13:04 for a while when she has your mom. 13:06 Diamond: Yeah... 13:08 Yvonne: And so, you just happened... 13:11 and I say, "happened... " 13:12 because we know that God orchestrated all of that... 13:15 to read... to find "The Great Controversy" 13:19 at eleven... and it appealed to you at eleven. 13:23 Yeah, and you know, I look back on it now 13:27 and I'm thinking, "Man! what must have been going on 13:30 in the sphere of this great controversy in the house... " 13:32 I mean, I was imagining angels as having me go towards that box 13:36 and keep digging and keep digging... and there is a book 13:39 called, "The Great Controversy" and I believe that... 13:41 that God has ordained that every person should read this book 13:46 because it contains the past, present and future 13:49 of this world and... it's such an amazing book 13:53 and the history, the prophecy, the future events, 13:57 just inspired me and I was intrigued to read more 14:00 and study more and so I told my grandma, I said, 14:02 "Hey, so, what church is this because this is pretty cool" 14:05 and she said, "Well, I was baptized 14:07 in the Seventh-day Adventist Church" 14:08 and I was like, "Well, I want to go there" 14:10 and she said, "Okay, well, I'll drop you off" 14:12 and so, that next Sabbath, she dropped me off at the church 14:17 and I walked in to a sea of gray hair... 14:20 it was all old people... 14:22 Yvonne: Hey watch it... 14:23 of course "old" to you... "old" to you is probably 30... 14:30 but that's another story, so, you walked in... 14:33 a bunch of old folks... and what did you do? 14:36 Diamond: And I just walked right to the front 14:39 on the right pew... I sat down and next to me was this... 14:42 this tall gentleman... his name was Michael Carter 14:45 and we just kind of hanged out and then after a potluck 14:48 he told me, "Hey, do you want to make some money?" 14:50 I was like, "Yeah, sure, why not?" 14:52 And he's like, "Okay, well, 14:54 have you read the book called 'The Great Controversy?'" 14:58 I was like, "Yeah, yeah, I have, 15:00 well, I mean, I read the last two chapters of it... 15:03 and then eventually, I read the whole book" 15:06 and he was like, "Oh, so how did you rate the book?" 15:08 I was like, "Yeah, yeah... " 15:09 and he was like, "Okay, well, why don't you come with me 15:12 and... I go door to door, knocking on doors 15:14 selling that book, 'The Great Controversy' 15:16 and the money that you make 15:18 can go towards you going to a Seventh-day Adventist School" 15:22 I was like, "Oh, that sounds good... " 15:24 and so, I ended up joining him going door to door 15:27 every night of the week for five days 15:29 for about a whole year straight 15:30 and I saved up money 15:32 and I ended up going to the local academy. 15:35 Wow! now, what were some of the experiences you had 15:38 when you were going from door to door? 15:40 Now, this was the first night, 15:43 my first night ever going door-to-door canvassing, 15:46 it was the first night, I'm in O'ahu here 15:49 and we pull up and it's just pouring 15:51 because we are here in Hawaii and it rains a lot 15:53 that's why it's so green here 15:54 and it was raining and raining and raining, 15:56 it couldn't stop pouring and we were parked there in the stall 15:59 and I'm like, "Man! 16:01 are we going to cancel tonight because it's just raining?" 16:03 And then after Michael Carter prays 16:06 and he says, "Lord, this is Diamond's first night, 16:09 stop the rain in Jesus' name," after he said, "Amen... " 16:13 I opened my eyes and the rain just stopped, 16:15 the rain just stopped... and I was like... 16:18 Yvonne: "Wow!" Diamond: Wow! 16:19 Yvonne: Like, wow! Diamond: Wow! That was... 16:23 that was the first time in my life 16:25 that I experienced a sudden answer to prayer 16:28 and so, I opened the door 16:31 and I did not stop at all to think, 16:34 and I just grabbed the books and I went to the door 16:36 and I knocked on doors and I told them what happened 16:38 and "because of the rain stopping... 16:42 you have to buy my book... " and I mean... 16:45 and they were all kind of thinking I was crazy 16:47 but since I was just this cute little boy, 16:49 I was 12 years old... they're like, 16:51 "Oh, okay, well here is 20 bucks here's 50 bucks... " 16:53 and I ended up paying for my education and yeah... 16:58 You know... look... look at what God did though, 17:02 in that... He answered his prayer immediately 17:05 and it showed you that He is a God who hears 17:09 and who answers and so that... that just bolstered your faith 17:14 and got you going... God is so... He's awesome... 17:17 Right... He is... absolutely amazing God... 17:19 So, that was one... tell us another thing that happened 17:22 when you were selling... selling books. 17:24 Yes, here's another one, so, I was going door to door, 17:27 in the Ewa Beach area here in Hawaii... 17:30 and there was a bunch of Pit Bulls, 17:33 you know, they're big... big thick dogs 17:34 and they were at the door and they were barking, barking, 17:37 barking, barking, in my head, I'm like, 17:39 "I am not going to go in there because I'm going to die" 17:41 and Michael Carter says, "Oh, let's go... " 17:45 I was like, "Are you crazy... what are you doing?" 17:47 He said, "Don't worry, God's with us... " 17:49 I was like, "Okay, well, I'll wait out here 17:51 and you go with God in there... " 17:52 and then after... I realized... the Scripture found in 17:57 Exodus chapter 11 verse 7, let's read it pretty quickly, 18:01 Exodus chapter 11 verse 7, the Bible says, 18:05 let's see, here we go... 18:08 "But against any of my children of Israel 18:11 shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast... " 18:14 and he quotes this verse... 18:17 "against my children... not a dog move his tongue... " 18:21 and he walked in and I was so surprised 18:24 and he just walked right past the dogs... 18:26 the dogs just kind of... didn't really see him 18:29 and they kept barking at me 18:31 and yet, they just let him walk right through 18:33 and when the owner came out of the house, 18:35 he's like, "How did you get past my dogs? 18:38 They bite anyone who... who comes in... " 18:41 And he said, "Well, I'm here with the Lord 18:43 and I have a message for you" 18:45 and that night... the guy bought all the books we had... 18:48 all the books we had... he was so surprised. 18:51 Amen... amen... that Brother, Michael Carter, 18:54 had a lot of faith too, didn't he? 18:55 He did... absolutely... 18:57 He was a great partner for you to start your Evangelism with 19:01 because that... really reinforced, 19:04 I would imagine... your faith as well. 19:06 Right, yeah absolutely. 19:08 So you went from doing the Evangelism work... 19:12 the Literature Evangelism, you went to school, 19:16 that paid for you to go to Academy... 19:21 tell us about your Academy time. 19:22 Since I went to Academy, I had a great time, 19:25 I... of course... it was... 19:27 it was the Hawaiian Mission Academy, 19:29 a wonderful school here in Hawaii... 19:31 a great Principal... 19:33 great teachers... it was a good school... 19:34 and I... of course I had some problems there, 19:38 with some people... like, 19:40 wherever you go there are always problems 19:42 but, nonetheless, it was a great school 19:45 and I graduated two years ago 19:47 and since then, I've been preaching... 19:48 oh, mind you... since I began to Colporteur 19:51 or knock on doors since I was 11 years old... 19:53 I began to preach as well 19:55 so... I've been preaching all over the Hawaii Conference, 19:58 the North America Division for the past... oh, I don't know 20:02 ten years... and I've been preaching ever since. 20:06 So you've been... the Lord has been using you 20:09 you're probably the youngest, 20:11 are you the youngest Evangelist in the church? 20:13 Well, I don't know... I don't know if there's a record or... 20:17 Yeah, right... right... that's amazing... 20:20 so, what would you say have been the biggest challenges for you 20:25 in leaving the chaotic life that you had 20:30 and attaching yourself to Christ... 20:34 what have been some of the major challenges 20:37 that you faced in doing that? 20:38 There has always been challenges because, I mean, 20:42 with your family... they think you're crazy 20:44 and one of the biggest challenges was 20:47 how I thought people thought of me... 20:50 if that makes sense... 20:51 Yvonne: Hmmm... 20:53 Diamond: My siblings or my parents... all these guys 20:55 say, "He's a wimp" or whatever, "He's going to follow Jesus... " 20:58 because they think that being a gangster 21:01 and dealing drugs is a cool thing, 21:03 and to me it's stupid because sin makes you stupid, 21:05 you see... sin makes you think that way 21:07 because sin makes you stupid... 21:08 and... anyway... but... once I started to follow Christ 21:13 and I saw all my needs being fulfilled... 21:16 I saw God paying for my school, I mean, feeding me, clothing me, 21:20 surrounding me with people 21:22 who would encourage me and support me, 21:23 I said, "You know what? God promised to take care 21:27 and He has been... ever since I chose to follow Him" 21:30 and so, that... that assurance of having God fill my needs 21:35 just kept me going... it kept me going... 21:38 because I looked back at my family... 21:40 all my siblings, my parents... they were going homeless, 21:43 they were losing their homes, their cars, 21:44 their... whatever it was and that just gave me the assurance, 21:49 "Diamond, just keep looking at Christ 21:51 and keep walking forward" and yeah... 21:53 That's great... that's great, so now your parents... 21:57 are they looking at you differently 21:59 are they perceiving you differently 22:01 because your life is so different or...? 22:04 They are... they are... 22:05 and my mom has a bunch of health issues now, 22:09 because, of course, once again, sin makes you stupid 22:12 and over a life of that... it takes a toll on you... 22:16 and she has some health issues but she loves our church, why? 22:20 Because we have a health message, 22:22 and for the past oh... four months, 22:25 she's actually been on a vegan diet now 22:27 I mean, she's still not totally into Christ but you know... 22:30 she's been on a vegan diet 22:33 and she has been watching all our Programs... 22:35 3ABN, Amazing Facts, all these ministries 22:37 and she's loving it 22:39 and I've been giving her some Bible Studies 22:42 and she's been enjoying it and at first they probably thought 22:46 I was a little crazy... but over time they realized 22:52 the big picture that when God takes care of someone, 22:56 He really does... and if God can do that for me, 23:00 He can do that for them as well 23:02 and so, I think they're realizing it now 23:05 and they're starting to actually come around so... 23:10 Yvonne: Oh, that's wonderful, what an example... 23:14 the Lord has been using you to help them to see 23:17 what the abundant life looks like, 23:19 and that's... it's amazing... God is just... 23:24 He is so faithful and... and... Diamond: Yes, He is... 23:28 Yvonne: If we just realize... if we just hold on to Him... 23:31 He'll get us where we need to go, 23:36 we will have a fulfilling life. Diamond: Yes, absolutely... 23:38 Yvonne: So, what would you say to that young man 23:40 who... or young woman... who, like you, 23:44 like you were... in the middle of a really bad family situation 23:50 a dysfunctional family situation, 23:52 one in which they don't want to participate... 23:55 but they're kind of caught in there... 23:57 what would you tell that young man or young woman to do? 24:01 Keep your eyes on Jesus and He... I mean... He promises 24:05 to take care of His people, 24:08 keep your eyes on Christ... keep walking... 24:10 don't look back... and when your eyes are on Christ, 24:13 you will be healed from your situation... 24:16 you will be restored back into God's image... 24:19 and at first... there'll be lots of challenges, 24:23 lots of challenges 24:24 because Satan does not want you to follow Christ, 24:27 so he'll try everything in his might to stop you 24:30 but once you... just keep on following Christ... 24:32 and just take hold of His hand and don't let go, 24:35 then, over time... all your enemies will look at you 24:39 and say, "You know what, I want that life" 24:40 and you will be a living testimony, a living witness, 24:44 that the grace and power of God can change each individual 24:49 so... yeah... 24:50 That is great... thank you... what are you doing now, 24:53 tell us what you're doing. 24:54 Well, since... right now... I'm just traveling the world 24:58 just preaching God's message, I've been sharing my testimony, 25:01 talking about how God's power can change our lives 25:04 and that we can have victory in our life over our sin 25:08 et cetera, et cetera, 25:09 and God is taking me all over the world 25:13 I've been to Australia, North America, South America, 25:15 I mean, just all over... just sharing God's gospel 25:18 and it's amazing... it's amazing to see what the Lord does 25:22 and how the Lord leads you and I look forward to the future 25:25 how God will lead... so yeah... 25:28 What do you... well... first of all... 25:30 how can people get in touch with you, do you have a website? 25:33 Yeah, sure, and also you could e- mail me... 25:38 or just call me... or just call 3abn 25:42 and then they can get you in touch with me 25:44 and yeah, I mean, 25:46 if you want me to come share my testimony in your church 25:49 or just have questions or e- mail me 25:52 go ahead... and I'll be more than happy to respond 25:57 or even come down to your church. 25:58 What's your e-mail address? 26:00 We'll put it up on the screen. 26:02 Sure, yeah, it's on the screen and also, it's 26:05 diamondean1844@gmail. com so, diamondean1844@gmail. com 26:13 And we will put that up and have... 26:16 people will be able to communicate with you 26:19 and invite you to their church because I know that... 26:21 there are different youth groups and you come and share 26:26 and let people know what God has done in your life 26:28 and what He's doing... 26:30 what is your vision for your ministry? 26:32 Where do you... 26:33 I know you don't know where God is taking you or what 26:36 but what would you like to see happen? 26:39 I would like to see in my ministry 26:42 that people who came from my situation, 26:45 who are living in families and homes just like me... 26:49 who were raised in drugs and just a bad environment, 26:53 just come to Christ... and I hope that my testimony 26:56 will help others to realize that, "You know what? 27:00 I don't have to go down that road just like my family, 27:03 I don't have to be like all my friends in my neighborhood, 27:07 I can choose Christ... " and yes, it is the unpopular choice 27:10 but if you choose Christ, He promises to take care of you 27:14 just... I mean... in my life... 27:17 since I chose Christ... 27:18 Christ has provided my every need... 27:20 I've never gone hungry, I mean, I've never gone in need, 27:24 and Christ has always been there 27:26 and He will always be there for anyone 27:28 who chooses to follow Him, and yeah, praise God. 27:31 Praise God... absolutely... absolutely... 27:34 thank you so much for being with us, 27:37 I think you are such an inspiration 27:39 to young people, you know, 27:41 it's one thing if somebody my age tells a young person 27:44 that Jesus works... that He works... 27:47 but it's another thing if someone your age reaches out 27:51 so thank you so much... come back again... 27:53 Diamond: Praise God... 27:55 Yvonne: And thank you for being with us, join us next time 27:56 because it just wouldn't be the same... without you. |
Revised 2016-10-24