Participants:
Series Code: IIWC
Program Code: IIWC202110S
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00:01 >> Welcome to It Is Written
00:02 Canada. 00:04 Thank you for joining us again 00:06 at BC Helicopters in beautiful 00:09 Abbotsford, British Columbia 00:11 where you will be hearing some 00:13 helicopters taking off 00:15 and landing. 00:17 Our special guests are Ruben 00:18 Dias and Misha Gelb who shared 00:21 an epic dream, a passion for 00:23 flying helicopters and they 00:25 united their interest, 00:27 launching the Epic Global 00:29 Heli Tour. 00:31 >> This trip around the world 00:32 in a helicopter would carry 00:34 them over 60,000 kilometres 00:37 with 107 stops, traversing at 00:40 least 45 countries on five 00:44 different continents. 00:46 >> Ruben and Misha, thank you 00:48 for joining us at It Is 00:49 Written Canada, we are looking 00:50 forward to continuing the 00:52 sharing of your story. 00:54 >> Thanks for having us again. 00:55 >> Yes. 00:56 [adventurous music] 01:13 [propeller whirring] 01:17 [adventurous music continues] 01:31 [propeller whirring] 01:34 [voice speaking over intercom] 02:01 >> So people are a key 02:02 to your success. 02:04 Can you tell us about how 02:06 people helped you before and 02:08 during to make this trip 02:11 a success? 02:13 >> I'll say that one person we 02:15 are very grateful was Peter 02:18 Wilson, the person that 02:19 actually did the trip before 02:21 us that was the first to touch 02:22 two opposites of the world, as 02:24 Misha said, and we learned a 02:26 lot from him. 02:28 He gave us everything that he 02:30 had at that time, he already 02:32 finished that trip. 02:34 So that was one good example 02:35 of people that helped us on 02:36 the planning; technical 02:38 expertise, have done it 02:39 before, experience. 02:42 Throughout the whole trip we 02:43 also had a small team that 02:45 supported us that was awake 02:47 all the time because we were 02:49 flying at different time 02:50 zones, we had the people, 02:52 especially in Europe, that 02:54 were supporting us on the 02:56 marketing communication side, 02:57 but also logistics and also 02:59 our ops team, the operation 03:00 team in Dubai. 03:02 So those people were key and 03:04 we have a big list of people 03:06 to thank for-- we're very 03:08 thankful, but they were on the 03:10 back scene, or two guys going 03:12 in the helicopter with one of 03:13 my kids, one on one, a 03:15 daughter and a son, now and 03:16 then, but it was just this 03:18 small thing going around the 03:19 world, but we had very good 03:21 human support of our team and 03:23 also people that we met and 03:25 then we made friends. 03:26 [MISHA] Yeah, exactly. 03:27 An interesting one, you know, 03:28 again, I think what's 03:30 interesting about this trip in 03:31 general and one of the big 03:32 things we've learned from it 03:33 is you never know when you 03:35 start a project how it's gonna 03:36 end and how it's gonna open up 03:38 doors for the future. 03:39 You don't know how one thing 03:41 that you do today is gonna 03:42 have a ripple effect in the 03:43 rest of your life. 03:45 And, you know, a quick 03:46 instance of that: I met a 03:48 gentleman and his son at a 03:49 helicopter convention a year 03:51 prior to this world trip and, 03:53 you know, very excited to meet 03:54 us and learn about the trip 03:56 and so forth. 03:57 And so it was one of those 03:58 things, we met a lot of people 03:59 that day, but we could have 04:01 just brushed it off and said, 04:02 "Yeah, that's great, thanks" 04:03 "so much," and then left it 04:04 with that. 04:05 But, you know, there was some 04:06 prompting that said, "You" 04:07 "know what, we should engage" 04:08 "with these people," and so we 04:10 did prior to the trip and, you 04:11 know, through that, he was 04:13 instrumental in so many other 04:15 parts of that trip and he was 04:16 able to arrange things for us 04:18 in many other different 04:19 sections of that part of the 04:21 world and... 04:22 So, yeah, you meet these 04:24 people and you don't know how 04:25 they're gonna effect and how 04:27 that's gonna open up doors in 04:29 the future and we've become 04:30 very good friends since then, 04:31 we keep in contact regularly 04:33 with them and the whole family 04:34 and... 04:35 >> That's a very excellent 04:36 example because you have a 04:37 bell boy, simple person, and a 04:39 very, very successful 04:42 individual, two opposites of 04:43 the society, but both were 04:46 instrumental and extremely 04:48 important in our trip. 04:49 So you can see that we have to 04:51 treat and have a relationship 04:53 with every single human being 04:54 the same way and having that 04:57 engagement that is key that 04:58 you never know how is that 05:00 gonna be very supportive for 05:01 your success of your project. 05:02 >> I'm sure there are many 05:04 more, but I think we need to 05:06 encourage our viewers to read 05:08 your book. 05:09 >> It is something that is 05:11 exciting for all of us because 05:13 Mike wrote it for us and he 05:14 was able to bring that story 05:16 to life for everybody and it 05:18 was an opportunity for us to 05:19 go back through and kind of 05:21 almost debrief the story and 05:23 go into details, yeah, 05:24 moments, yeah. 05:26 >> Moments, yeah, I call them 05:27 "divine appointments." 05:29 I think we had several divine 05:30 appointments during this trip 05:32 and they were very meaningful 05:33 for us and I think that we had 05:34 an impact on people where we 05:36 were used by God. 05:38 >> I remember an occasion 05:40 still in El Salvador that we 05:42 were about to leave this 05:44 family that was actually 05:46 flying with us, went in the 05:47 helicopter and supported us so 05:49 much throughout the trip and 05:52 when we were actually at the 05:54 last stop and from that point 05:56 on we were going to continue 05:58 to Costa Rica, he would be 05:59 flying to the border and then 06:01 leave us. 06:02 I felt impressed that moment 06:04 that we should pray for them 06:07 and we did a little round 06:09 group there around the 06:10 helicopter and I felt 06:12 impressed to pray for them, 06:13 also for us, but especially 06:15 for them and that impacted 06:17 them very much because then 06:19 they told us later they will 06:20 never forget that. 06:22 And it was not any merit that 06:23 we had, but we were used-- 06:25 the Holy Spirit just told us 06:27 there that we had to pray for 06:29 that family. 06:31 But God gives us moments that 06:33 we can use and we can be a 06:35 channel to share our belief 06:38 and our faith that we have 06:39 in Jesus. 06:40 [MISHA] Mm-hmm, yeah, it was 06:41 kind of neat because we did 06:42 short presentations, 45 06:44 minutes or so at different 06:45 universities throughout the 06:46 trip, sharing our experiences 06:48 of the world tour, our 06:49 entrepreneurial lifestyle and 06:51 healthy lifestyle and so forth 06:52 and we'd always throw in our 06:54 belief in God and how that's 06:56 such a large impact for what 06:57 we do and how we live our 06:59 lives and it was, yeah, it 07:00 was neat. 07:01 And a couple occasions in 07:02 Quebec at Laval University and 07:03 a couple others where people 07:04 would come back-- come to us 07:05 afterwards and say, "Wow," 07:06 "that really impacted me," 07:08 "I'm a Christian as well and," 07:09 "you know, just hearing you" 07:10 "guys, what you're doing and" 07:12 "that you guys live this kind" 07:13 "of lifestyle," it was really 07:15 affirming for me. 07:16 So that was kind of neat. 07:17 And, you know, just thinking 07:19 back to, you know, talking 07:20 about close encounters and 07:21 close calls, you know, there 07:23 was moments where we almost 07:25 didn't make it on the trip, 07:26 you know, we almost were 07:28 written about and not the way 07:29 you want to be written about 07:31 and we have firm belief that 07:34 it was only through God and 07:35 the angels keeping that 07:36 helicopter in the air that we 07:38 actually made it through 07:39 that trip. 07:40 So, you know, talking about 07:41 divine encounters with forces 07:44 beyond our control, weather 07:46 and things like that. 07:47 Yeah, definitely impactful. 07:49 [RUBEN] I think that when you 07:51 are faithful and loyal that 07:53 God always just gives back and 07:56 comfort and gives you 07:59 opportunities to actually 08:00 share your experience with 08:01 others, that's the key part. 08:03 Because you're blessed 08:04 and you have to bless others 08:06 with being a channel of 08:08 that blessing. 08:10 [MIKE] So you took Sabbaths 08:11 off during the trip. 08:12 People are watching this 08:13 online, so you have a 08:15 community online that's 08:16 watching you and you made 08:17 that decision. 08:18 For you, was it a time when 08:19 you felt like you connected 08:21 with God and you had that time 08:22 of rest and it was important 08:23 to you? 08:25 >> It was critical because if 08:26 we were just going on 08:29 basically forever, 97 days, 08:31 we'll just burn out. 08:32 It was, for us, it was-- and I 08:34 think everybody did this and 08:36 somehow when you do a project 08:37 like this, you gotta stop 08:39 some time. 08:40 Our big difference is-- was we 08:41 were in line with the plan of 08:43 our Creator which was six days 08:46 doing your labour and then the 08:48 seventh day resting, having a 08:50 special relationship with Him. 08:52 And we have that as a habit. 08:53 So six days, seventh day, six 08:55 days, seventh day. 08:56 Sometimes you have, you know, 08:57 "I need to rest now." 08:59 We didn't have any rest other 09:00 than weather. 09:01 If the weather didn't allow, 09:02 we couldn't fly, but if it 09:04 will allow, if it was any day 09:06 of the week of those six days, 09:07 we will fly and-- but the 09:09 seventh, independently of what 09:11 was happening, we will stop 09:12 that day. 09:13 So that day was critical on 09:15 forming a habit, also on 09:18 having a balanced, a balanced 09:21 experience on this journey 09:23 that lasted for three months. 09:24 >> I remember a Sabbath that 09:26 we spent in Greenland and, you 09:28 know, you just, you go out 09:29 there, you sit on one of those 09:30 chairs that's overlooking the 09:31 bay full of icebergs and it's 09:33 peaceful and quiet, but the 09:34 only sounds that you're 09:36 hearing is, you know, the 09:37 icebergs crashing against each 09:38 other and it's just pristine 09:40 and beautiful, you know. 09:41 And you just sit there and 09:42 think about, "Wow, God" 09:43 "created all this," you know, 09:44 and it allows you that time to 09:47 slow down and even, 09:49 going back to the beautiful 09:50 beaches, you know, there was 09:51 times where you just sit in 09:52 the sun on the beach and just 09:53 relax for a little bit and you 09:55 just have that time to reflect 09:56 and think about, "Wow," 09:57 you know, "the opportunity" 09:59 "that we have and the things" 10:00 "that we get to see and the" 10:02 "cultures and the people, this" 10:03 "is all created things," you 10:04 know, "created for our" 10:06 "enjoyment and our pleasure." 10:08 And, yeah, it-- really 10:09 incredible to have that time 10:11 to stop and pause and refocus 10:13 because it was such a rush 10:14 trip that we didn't get to 10:16 experience the things that we 10:17 wanted to, I think. 10:19 >> This was a big build up. 10:21 You had dreamed about this, 10:24 you planned it and this is a-- 10:27 you finally had all these 10:29 ideas of what you wanted to 10:30 achieve, do you feel like you 10:32 achieved what you wanted to 10:33 achieve from this trip? 10:35 >> Personally, I think that 10:36 for me I overachieved. 10:39 There was a moment in the trip 10:40 that we thought that 10:42 everything was over 'cause 10:43 when we were stopped by the 10:47 lack of permit in Pakistan and 10:49 Dubai, that we had to wait for 10:51 three weeks, we thought at the 10:54 last, last moment that 10:55 everything was going to be 10:57 cancelled and we had to go back 10:58 around a certain route, 11:00 go back and just ruin the 11:01 whole trip. 11:03 So it's-- you cherish the 11:06 victories when that victory 11:09 becomes extremely hard. 11:11 If it was easy, then it would 11:14 be, "OK, we did around the" 11:15 "world," and kind of, we 11:16 didn't feel that right? 11:17 "It's not that difficult," 11:19 "going around the world is OK," 11:20 you know, but that was not the 11:22 case, going around the world 11:24 in a helicopter and doing what 11:25 we did was 60,000 kilometres, 11:27 that's 60,165 kilometres, it 11:30 was extremely hard. 11:32 And the fact that it was hard, 11:34 it just, it gives value to the 11:37 achievement that you 11:39 personally want to have in 11:41 your life. 11:42 It went beyond my expectation, 11:44 not only on the experience of 11:46 itself, but also the impact 11:48 that it had on my life on 11:50 gaining experience from other 11:52 things and going out of my 11:53 comfort zone than to do other 11:55 things because you looked back 11:57 and said, "Yes, you achieved" 11:59 "this, it was hard, now you" 12:00 "can do other things that" 12:02 "is harder." 12:03 So that's an inspiration of 12:04 growing as a person. 12:06 [MISHA] Yeah, and, you know, I 12:08 think when I went into it I 12:09 was naive of what we were 12:10 getting into. 12:11 You know, you imagine things 12:12 in your mind a certain way, 12:13 you know, the sky's always 12:15 gonna be blue because, you 12:16 know, it's the summertime and 12:18 of course it's gonna be sunny 12:19 in Guatemala or wherever 12:20 you're gonna be, right. 12:21 And so you go into it, I 12:23 think, naive and I think 12:25 what's interesting, just, you 12:27 know, just looking at the 12:28 spiritual application of what 12:29 you just said there, you know, 12:31 how hard the trip was, I think 12:32 a lot of times people blame 12:34 God and they say, you know, 12:35 "God is putting all these" 12:37 "roadblocks or difficult" 12:38 "things in your life," and, 12:40 you know, "Why is God making" 12:42 "this happen to me," and "Why" 12:43 "are all these bad things" 12:44 "happening to me?" 12:46 And I think we have to reframe 12:47 that, because on this trip, 12:48 you know, we think about 12:50 weather as one example, we 12:52 started heading south from 12:53 British Columbia down to South 12:55 America and we picked up the 12:57 bad weather in Cuba and we 13:00 basically battled the bad 13:01 weather through the entire 13:03 world trip and it spit us out 13:04 on the other end in Alaska. 13:06 And on that last day when we 13:08 were coming home, we had blue 13:09 skies and we had beautiful 13:10 weather. 13:11 But basically the entire trip 13:12 in the middle there, for 13:14 probably 80 of those 97 days 13:16 was just battling bad weather. 13:18 You know, when Ruben talked 13:19 about having to go back, when 13:21 we were already in Dubai and 13:22 having to go back through 13:23 Saudi Arabia and back through 13:24 Egypt and go a different 13:26 route, you know, the moment 13:28 that we were in, we talked 13:30 about this at the very end, 13:31 you know, if we knew all the 13:33 challenges that we were gonna 13:34 face on that trip, would we 13:35 have done it? 13:37 And in the moment when we 13:38 could freshly think about all 13:39 those challenges, the answer 13:41 was just unequivocally no. 13:43 If you know every challenge 13:44 that you're gonna encounter 13:45 over the next five years or 13:46 something, it would be too 13:48 much to handle, we wouldn't be 13:49 able to handle it, and we 13:50 wouldn't know how to go 13:51 forward because it's just too 13:52 much, right, but, you know, I 13:54 think God leads us and He 13:55 helps us through those steps 13:57 and He helps us through those 13:58 battles and like Ruben said, 14:00 you know, did we accomplish 14:01 what we wanted to? 14:03 I think it was just incredibly 14:04 more than we ever wanted to 14:06 accomplish because when you go 14:07 through those challenges, when 14:08 you go through those hard 14:09 times and you experience those 14:10 things and those memories and 14:12 so forth, when you get to the 14:13 end and you get to that finish 14:14 line and you look back at it, 14:16 that achievement is so much 14:17 more worthwhile, you know. 14:19 If we had just hopped in the 14:20 helicopter and flew and 14:21 beautiful weather and 14:22 everything went great, it was 14:23 no problem, we just zipped 14:25 around and got back, it would 14:26 have been a fun trip, but the 14:28 value to that trip wouldn't 14:29 have been there, right. 14:30 And so, for us, we value this 14:32 as a lifelong experience that 14:33 we'll never forget because of 14:35 those challenges that we had. 14:36 And so I think if we can 14:38 reframe the way we think about 14:39 our lives in general and we 14:40 can say, "No, God's not" 14:42 "causing this to happen to" 14:43 "us, this is just a natural" 14:44 "effect of the circumstances" 14:46 "that the world throws at us," 14:49 but we can use those as an 14:50 opportunity to grow and become 14:51 stronger and say, "You know" 14:53 "what, this is a way that I" 14:54 "can become a better person" 14:56 "and through becoming a" 14:57 "better person, I'll feel" 14:59 "more accomplished in life" 15:00 "and I'll feel more" 15:01 "achievement in life." 15:02 And when we get to the end, 15:03 when we get to that finish 15:04 line, we're gonna look back at 15:05 that experience and we're 15:06 gonna go, "That was so" 15:07 "worthwhile," you know. 15:09 >> So, Misha and Ruben, you 15:11 mentioned about the 15:12 difficulties that you had and 15:14 the trials that you 15:15 experienced, is there a Bible 15:17 verse that really spoke to you 15:19 on this trip? 15:21 >> There's a-- it was an event 15:24 that happened in Greenland 15:26 that was very challenging for 15:28 us because we arrive in 15:30 Greenland in Ilulissat and we 15:31 were planning to cross 15:33 Greenland through the icecap, 15:35 which is the quickest, pretty 15:38 long, more than 400 miles, but 15:40 over literally all ice. 15:42 That was our plan, the weather 15:44 planning was that, but then 15:47 when we arrived we quickly 15:49 found out because of extreme 15:51 weather what Mishu just 15:53 described, we found literally 15:55 all over the world, including 15:57 Greenland that that was not 15:59 gonna be possible, we were 16:00 basically gonna be stuck in 16:01 Greenland for a long time, 16:03 waiting for that crossing. 16:04 We did have a second plan, but 16:06 the detail second plan, there 16:08 was a small detail there which 16:10 was the fuel required on a 16:13 certain leg because we were 16:14 three of us, we needed 16:16 basically to haul fuel to a 16:18 certain place, a tip of 16:20 Greenland, leave fuel there 16:22 and come back and continue 16:23 the trip. 16:25 Actually refuel there and 16:26 refuel again and continue 16:27 the trip. 16:28 But we didn't have that plan 16:31 and I remember when we were 16:32 there looking at the weather 16:34 situation the next few days 16:36 and I thought, "We're gonna be" 16:38 "stuck here forever, we're" 16:40 "not gonna leave this place" 16:41 "any time soon." 16:43 So I was-- it was very late at 16:44 night, but no night in 16:46 Greenland that time of the 16:47 year, it's always light so I 16:50 was laying in my bed and I was 16:51 trying to figure out how we're 16:52 gonna solve this thing. 16:53 And I was quite frustrated and 16:55 disappointed and a little bit, 16:57 I'll confess, a little bit 16:59 depressed by the situation 17:01 and I thought, "OK," 17:03 "we're gonna be in a risky" 17:04 "situation, there's gonna be" 17:05 "a lot--" there was a lot of 17:07 turbulence in a certain place 17:08 there we had to pass through, 17:10 and this verse came to my mind 17:12 that was the very well-known 17:15 chapter 23 of Psalms. 17:18 And that part of the Psalms 17:21 that says that, "Even if I" 17:23 "walk in the shadow of the" 17:25 "valley of death, I will fear" 17:26 "no evil..." 17:28 That detail of yes, I'm here 17:30 in this shadow of death that 17:33 I-- we just had gone through 17:35 some severe weather in Canada 17:37 as well, and it was not 17:39 looking bright for us at that 17:40 point, but I felt that-- that 17:42 verse came to my mind, I was 17:44 meditating, praying to God to 17:45 find a solution, but that 17:47 verse came to my mind and it 17:48 gave me so much comfort. 17:50 Yes, absolutely, I should not 17:52 fear no evil. 17:53 And after that, that's 17:55 interesting about what happens 17:56 with prayer, because after 17:58 that, then your mind is more 18:00 open for solutions. 18:01 That's the effect that prayer 18:03 has with you because you have 18:04 the confidence that God is 18:05 with you, He inspires 18:07 solutions to your mind. 18:09 And I thought of, "OK, let me" 18:11 "call a certain friend that" 18:12 "I--," we met, just met when 18:13 we landed with the power of 18:15 nice in the airport of 18:16 Ilulissat who was running a 18:18 small airline there in 18:19 Greenland, I say, "I'm gonna" 18:21 "call operations and find a" 18:22 "way if I can get some Jerry" 18:24 "cans to them to actually" 18:27 "put these Jerry cans in that" 18:28 "certain place then we can" 18:29 "continue this trip on this" 18:31 "second plan B that we wanted" 18:32 "to go around Greenland." 18:34 And then we never thought 18:35 about the solution, but that 18:37 moment of prayer gave me the 18:39 clearness of mind, then I pick 18:40 up the phone at 11-something, 18:41 they were working all night, I 18:43 call them, ask, and they said, 18:44 "Yeah, I think we can" 18:45 "arrange that." 18:46 So that was a solution that 18:47 was very practical, simple, 18:49 but it only came when I had 18:51 peace in my mind and the peace 18:53 of my mind was achieved by 18:55 repeating that verse that we 18:57 can only get through the Holy 18:59 Scriptures. 19:00 That was an amazing experience 19:01 that I had personally. 19:03 [MISHA] Yeah, a big one for me 19:04 was right at the end of the 19:05 trip, you know, we've already 19:07 talked here about the trials 19:08 that we had and, you know, 19:09 we'd been away from our 19:10 families for a very long time, 19:12 we were longing to get 19:13 back home. 19:15 We went through an experience 19:16 on the second to last day 19:18 before we got home in Alaska. 19:19 We had flown through the 19:21 mountains, we hit severe 19:22 turbulence to the point where 19:24 we thought that the helicopter 19:25 was gonna come apart, we 19:26 weren't gonna make it and it 19:28 was a terrifying experience, 19:29 I'm not gonna go through all 19:31 the details, you guys can read 19:32 it in the book if you want to, 19:33 but, you know, it was an 19:35 experience where we knew with 19:37 100% confidence that God and 19:39 His angels were holding that 19:40 helicopter together because 19:42 without that, it would have 19:43 been the end of us. 19:45 Anyways, we flew through that 19:47 traumatic experience and that 19:48 was actually on a Friday and 19:50 so we were gonna stop that 19:52 night and then we were gonna 19:53 take Sabbath off and fly home 19:54 on the last day, 19:56 on the Sunday. 19:57 And I remember, you know, we 19:58 got in just as the sun was 20:00 going down, got everything 20:01 settled and so forth and we 20:03 went out for a walk and 20:05 debriefed and it was a very 20:07 traumatic experience. 20:08 And, you know, coupling that 20:09 emotion with all the previous 20:11 things that we had gone 20:12 through on the trip, you know, 20:13 we started to reflect on all 20:15 those major moments, those 20:16 milestone moments of good and 20:18 bad and terrifying experiences 20:20 and where God had led us and 20:21 how He had kept us safe. 20:23 And we debriefed and we went 20:25 to bed that night, woke up the 20:27 next morning, it was Sabbath 20:28 morning and sure enough, there 20:30 was a text from our friend, 20:31 Michael, and it was a long text 20:34 and I started reading it, I 20:36 didn't wait to go to Ruben, 20:38 you know, I was reading it in 20:40 my bed, and it talks about, 20:42 you know, 'cause we hadn't met 20:43 him at this point, we'd only 20:45 been communications through 20:46 phone calls and through the 20:47 internet, and, you know, 20:49 emails, and different text 20:50 messages and stuff like that, 20:51 and so I'd never met this 20:53 gentleman, but he had been 20:54 faithfully praying for us on 20:56 this whole trip and, you know, 20:57 I think he really, he made a 20:59 major impact on us and the 21:02 message, basically to 21:03 summarize was, you know, "I" 21:06 "know we haven't met yet," 21:08 "but we have this assurance" 21:09 "in the Bible..." 21:10 There's this verse in the 21:11 Bible that basically says 21:12 that, you know, in the end, 21:14 when we get to heaven, we're 21:15 gonna be able to meet under 21:16 the Tree of Life. 21:17 And the Tree of Life, you 21:19 know, the leaves of the Tree 21:20 of Life are meant for the 21:21 healing of the nations, you 21:23 know, and the healing of the 21:24 nations is those wounds that 21:26 we've struggled through all 21:27 our lives, you know, lost 21:29 family members and friends and 21:31 the different struggles that 21:32 we've had and so forth. 21:33 And he says, you know, 21:35 "I can't wait-- if we don't" 21:36 "get the chance to meet on" 21:38 "this earth, I can't wait to" 21:39 "meet you under the Tree of" 21:40 "Life, we'll have a reunion" 21:41 "there and we'll have" 21:42 "this meeting." 21:43 And that verse, I started 21:45 crying in that moment because 21:47 that verse, you know, we were 21:48 one day away from being home 21:50 and seeing our families and 21:52 that impact of that feeling of 21:54 what it's gonna feel like to 21:56 get home the next day and to 21:58 see my family and to be having 22:00 that experience of that 22:02 reunion and then thinking 22:03 about he ultimate reunion, you 22:05 know, we get to heaven, we get 22:06 under the Tree of Life, the 22:07 people that we're gonna get to 22:08 see, the people that, 22:10 you know, that we've met 22:11 throughout our lives and had 22:12 an impact on and they had an 22:13 impact on us and to be able to 22:15 have that reunion is gonna be 22:16 an experience that's gonna be, 22:18 I think, unmatched, it's gonna 22:20 be so special, you know. 22:21 And so that verse, ever since 22:22 that moment it was-- you know, 22:24 I'd read it so many times in 22:25 my life, but it became so real 22:27 for me in that moment and it 22:29 was incredible. 22:30 When I shared that with Ruben 22:31 it was just like, wow, so 22:33 impactful so, you know, I'll 22:34 never forget that. 22:36 >> It was a pinnacle moment, a 22:38 spiritual moment of the trip. 22:40 Yes. 22:41 >> Any final thoughts? 22:43 You've covered a lot and 22:45 there's so much that we can 22:47 cover and there's so much more 22:48 in the book. 22:50 Any final thoughts that you 22:51 have to share? 22:52 >> Personally, I would say 22:54 that if I knew what I was 22:57 going to encounter, I would 22:59 not have the strength to do 23:01 it, but because I didn't know 23:03 it, I did it and I'm so happy 23:05 I did it. 23:06 The challenges made me, I 23:09 believe, a stronger individual 23:11 in many senses and it was an 23:13 experience of getting closer 23:15 to God in a very practical and 23:18 very tangible way that we were 23:21 saved so many times and we were 23:24 guided as the examples that we 23:26 gave here and so many others 23:28 that you can read in the book. 23:30 We wanted to leave a spiritual 23:33 legacy through this book that 23:34 Mike wrote for us that we 23:36 appreciate so much because we 23:38 chose Mike because of 23:39 different reasons, but one of 23:41 them is that he has had a 23:43 tremendous story teller, but 23:47 with a spiritual tone that we 23:48 wanted in a book. 23:50 So that's the purpose of our 23:51 mission of what we did that we 23:54 leave this experience to 23:57 impact spiritually others. 23:59 So that's my final thought in 24:01 my achievement, ultimate 24:03 achievement of the trip. 24:06 >> Yeah, I feel the same way. 24:07 You know, the impact that the 24:09 trip has had on us, I hope in 24:12 turn it has the ability to 24:14 have an impact on other people 24:15 and I hope, you know, as 24:17 people read through the 24:18 stories that you were able to 24:19 articulate in such an 24:21 incredible way, I hope they 24:23 have the ability to see in a 24:25 very tangible way because I 24:26 think it was the first time 24:28 for me as a Christian where 24:30 Christianity became incredibly 24:31 tangible, you know. 24:33 I had grown up a Christian 24:35 and, you know, I'd been 24:36 reading my Bible and praying 24:38 and things like that, but this 24:39 was the first time where I 24:40 really encountered incredibly 24:42 difficult things and saw God's 24:44 hand guiding us and helping us 24:45 and strengthening us in the 24:47 times that we needed it. 24:49 And so I think, you know, 24:51 my hope is that as people read 24:53 through these stories and they 24:55 understand the depth of the 24:56 experiences that we went 24:58 through, that they have the 24:59 ability to realize, you know, 25:01 the Creator that we serve and 25:03 how great He is and how much 25:05 He loves each one of us, you 25:06 know, I think that's the 25:07 biggest thing, yep. 25:08 [MIKE] That's amazing that you 25:09 said that, that you 25:11 encountered God through this 25:13 trip and a lot of times people 25:15 think, "Well, the only way I" 25:17 "can encounter God is going" 25:18 "to church," or, you know, and 25:19 you do and you can encounter 25:21 God through going to church 25:22 and reading your Bible and 25:24 praying, but really just going 25:25 on a helicopter trip and God 25:28 was very real to you there. 25:30 So the Lord shows up where we 25:32 are at and speaks to us 25:35 through those experiences. 25:39 [RENÉ] Well, we've come to the 25:41 end of our program. 25:42 Ruben, I wonder if I could ask 25:43 you to please pray for us. 25:45 >> Sure, mm-hmm. 25:47 Dear Heavenly Father, thank 25:48 You for this moment that we 25:49 have together to reason 25:51 together and to think about 25:53 this experience that Misha and 25:55 I had together and that it was 25:57 such an impact in our lives. 26:00 And we praise You for being 26:02 our Creator and our Protector 26:05 and that we can just accept 26:07 You and live eternally with You. 26:08 We ask especially for the 26:09 blessing of this ministry, for 26:12 Mike and René, that they 26:14 impact also others as they're 26:16 doing, that they get this story 26:18 and others so others would 26:21 also embrace this decision of 26:24 serving You as the Creator and 26:26 that this ministry will be 26:28 highly blessed. 26:29 We ask this in Jesus' name, 26:31 amen. 26:31 [ALL] Amen. 26:32 >> Thank you so much, Ruben 26:34 and Misha, for sharing your 26:36 story about your trip around 26:38 the world in the helicopter, 26:39 your epic dream experience, 26:40 thank you so much. 26:41 >> Yeah, thank you both as 26:42 well, yep. 26:45 >> Friends, if you were 26:47 inspired by Ruben and Misha's 26:49 adventure, then you will want 26:51 to get our free offer today. 26:54 >> The information for how to 26:55 get our free offer is on the 26:57 screen right now. 26:59 The book is entitled, The Epic 27:01 Dream: A Round-the World 27:04 Helicopter Adventure of Risk, 27:06 Reward, and the Power of Nice. 27:12 >> Before you go, we would 27:14 also like to invite you to 27:15 follow us on Instagram and 27:17 Facebook and subscribe to our 27:20 YouTube channel and also 27:22 listen to our Podcasts. 27:24 And if you go to our website, 27:26 you can see our latest 27:28 programs, including our 27:30 cooking demonstrations, our 27:32 short spiritual messages 27:33 entitled, Daily Living, and 27:36 our exercise workouts called, 27:38 Experiencing Life. 27:40 >> We also invite you to join 27:42 us every Friday evening live 27:44 on YouTube and Facebook at 27:45 7:30 Eastern Standard Time for 27:48 a few minutes, opening our 27:49 Bibles together because we 27:51 want you to experience the 27:52 truth that is found in the 27:54 words of Jesus when He said, 27:55 "It is written," 27:58 "man shall not live by bread" 28:00 "alone, but by every word" 28:02 "that proceeds out of the" 28:03 "mouth of God. 28:06 ♪♪ 28:25 >> And I can't believe it. 28:26 It's actually happening, after 28:28 so many months of planning 28:30 it's actually here. 28:31 Let's go, I'm ready to go! 28:33 ♪♪ |
Revised 2021-11-30