Participants:
Series Code: OTR
Program Code: OTR000928
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00:01 Music playing...
00:09 some more music 00:16 more music playing 00:24 On the Road... 00:32 more instrumental music 00:43 some more instrumental 00:54 ASI Tampa, Florida Members in Action 01:01 ASI Youth Orchestra playing "Unto Thee O Lord" 04:38 Congregation says, "Amen" and claps. 04:48 Lorayne Barton walking to the stage. 04:57 Thank you very much. 05:04 It's time again tonight for our favorite part of the Program 05:11 that's "Members in Action Time again" 05:14 wouldn't you like to be on here next year? 05:17 You're a member in action as well 05:20 so we are so thankful again that you are here, 05:23 and tonight, we're going to start off our Program 05:26 with Don and Laura Noble, 05:29 how many of you here know who Don and Laura Noble are? 05:34 Oh yes, I see that they do know but Don and Laura, 05:38 I think maybe there is one percent of the audience 05:42 that doesn't know what you do or who you are 05:45 so can you please tell me what Organization do you represent? 05:48 We represent ASI. 05:51 Thank you, they are the largest ASI Organization 05:58 in the Pacific Union, 05:59 so I think that that's a wonderful thing to represent. 06:02 What is the name of your Organization? 06:05 We're Maranatha Volunteers International 06:07 and we're really excited to be 06:10 involved with ASI 06:11 because most of the people that go on the projects with us 06:14 come from other parts of ASI Organizations 06:16 or individual members. 06:18 Actually I see a lot of you out there, so... 06:20 That's right, how many here 06:21 have been on a project with Maranatha, 06:24 could I see your hands? 06:25 Wow, that's at least one-fourth of the audience don't you think? 06:29 Yeah, I think so. Exactly. 06:30 Excellent, well you know, 06:31 my dad and mother were involved with ASI 06:34 for maybe about 20 years, and I promised my dad something 06:38 if I would see you, to say, "Hello" to you 06:40 from my 90-year old father, Jim Gray, 06:43 and I want to say, "Hi" too. 06:44 And I remember your father. You do? 06:46 Absolutely, your father, 06:47 Jim Gray, has been on a lot of projects with us 06:50 so, it's nice to remember that. 06:52 He always tries to get me to go, so I have to say, 06:54 "Hi Dad... out there" 06:56 all right, do you know how many churches, 07:00 schools, orphanages and 07:02 other buildings you've built over the years? 07:04 You know, you would ask me that, it's quite a few thousand, 07:08 I can't tell you exactly but Maranatha started in 1969 07:12 and I know it has involved over 70,000 volunteers at this point 07:16 so it's exciting to see people involved in mission 07:20 because you can see pictures and you can hear stories 07:24 but when you go yourself and you get involved in mission, 07:28 and you watch what God's doing with your own eyes, 07:30 it changes your life 07:32 and that's what Maranatha is about 07:33 not simply the building 07:34 but changing the lives of both the volunteers 07:36 and recipients of the projects. 07:37 Can you tell me what projects that you're currently working on 07:41 that are the most interesting 07:43 or most exciting projects currently? 07:46 Well, we're focused in three 07:49 specific areas right now in the world 07:50 one that we've been involved in for ten years is India, 07:54 and I know quite a few of you have been to India, 07:56 and God's done amazing things in India, 07:58 we've been lucky to watch it, privileged actually 08:02 because when we started in India, 08:03 ten years ago, 08:05 there were only 200,000 members there, 08:07 and so many things have happened there, 08:09 God's brought a lot of different organizations and people there, 08:12 and now there are 1.3 million members in just ten years. 08:15 That's amazing! 08:17 That's really thanks to so many people in ASI 08:21 that really makes the difference. 08:22 Laura, I was going to ask you, 08:24 do you think there is any benefit 08:26 to you personally from having been involved in ASI? 08:31 No benefit whatsoever, nothing, no, yeah, no, 08:35 this has absolutely changed my life, 08:37 there is nothing like doing something for God, 08:41 I mean, I know every person in the chairs out there 08:45 and probably watching TV, 08:46 has been involved in doing something for God 08:49 and really is there anything more exciting than that, 08:51 is there anything more life giving than that? 08:54 You know, Maranatha is probably best known 08:56 for building buildings 08:57 and going back to the first focus area of India 09:00 almost 2,000 churches now 09:02 as well as quite a few schools and those are places 09:05 where people come every day 09:08 to worship God and that's just exciting to know 09:10 that we've been able to be involved in that 09:12 and a lot of people here have also... 09:14 What countries are you most involved with now? 09:16 We're involved in India, like Don was saying, 09:19 we are also involved in the country of Mozambique 09:21 that's in the southern part of the continent of Africa, 09:24 and we're doing hundreds of churches 09:29 and also schools, 09:30 we're also involved with some other Organizations there 09:34 to have training adults and training children, of course, 09:37 in the traditional education of reading, writing and arithmetic 09:41 and that would be a Christian education 09:43 of course, the Seventh-day Adventist Christian education 09:46 and we're also doing some other things in Mozambique. 09:49 One of the things that's probably the most exciting 09:51 people react to the most 09:53 is the fact that we're drilling wells 09:57 and a lot of these people in these villages 09:59 in Africa don't have any water, 10:00 and that causes all kinds of health problems, 10:04 people may carry water on their heads for 3 to 5 miles 10:07 and they do not have enough water 10:10 so we just started drilling wells 10:13 and it's exciting, just below the surface there 10:16 in Mozambique, an average of about a 100 feet, 10:19 there is... like a river of water, 10:22 we've been hitting wells at 100 gallons a minute, 10:25 they drill in about 10:27 less than four hours 10:29 and these people have been carrying water 10:31 their whole lives on their head 10:33 and now they're going to have water right next 10:34 to the new Seventh-day Adventist church... praise the Lord. 10:37 So that will bring a lot of people 10:39 from their surrounding villages won't it? 10:41 Absolutely. You get two kinds of water. 10:43 Yeah, it's a great combination 10:45 and giving people a very practical way of surviving, 10:48 and also, of course, a spiritual life, so... 10:53 Laura, what do you think 10:54 has been your favorite project to work on? 10:57 That's a tough one, 11:00 hey, you didn't tell me you were going to ask that question. 11:02 You know, I would say, 11:03 probably the country that's impacted me most 11:06 is the country of India, 11:07 it might have been the time in my life, 11:11 I'm not really sure, 11:12 but it was such a cultural change for me, 11:16 it definitely gets you out of your comfort zone, 11:18 and makes you realize what you really need... to live, 11:23 you know, if somebody said 11:25 you can have three things to take on this plane 11:26 for the next three weeks, what do you really need? 11:28 And it really got me closer to God and I would say, 11:32 I was probably the closest to God in my life 11:34 in India and there is absolutely 11:38 nothing like it in the world, 11:40 I'd give up everything I own 11:43 to be that close to God every day of my life. 11:45 Thank you so much, 11:47 I know I'm not supposed to say anything 11:49 about this structure over here on the left, 11:52 because we're going to be talking about it 11:54 all through the meetings, 11:56 but Don, do you have anything in relationship 11:59 with this building over here or what should we do, 12:02 shall we talk about it tonight or shall we wait? 12:04 You're going to get me in a lot of trouble, 12:07 some have heard of One-Day Church 12:11 and I hope you're here on Sabbath morning 12:13 to learn more about the One-Day Church 12:16 it's exciting because there's such a need around the world. 12:18 Please come, you're going to hear about it more 12:20 but if you'd like to know a little bit more about it, 12:22 you can stop over at the booths tonight 12:25 and see what the One-Day Church is like. 12:27 Absolutely, can I mention the third area of the world 12:30 that we're working on is South America right now, 12:32 specifically now in Chile and Ecuador 12:36 and that's where, actually, 12:38 most of the volunteers are going right now from North America 12:40 to that part of the world. 12:43 We just had almost 200 youth, 12:45 every year they go on an "Ultimate Workout" project 12:48 in some place in the world, 12:50 and it's changing the lives of young people too. 12:53 Thank you so much, I really appreciate what 12:56 Maranatha is doing and I just hope 12:58 so many more of you will get involved 13:00 with Maranatha or another ministry 13:02 that is working as hard as they are around the world. 13:05 Thanks so much. Thank you. 13:07 Audience clapping. 13:13 Oh, next come my good friends this is Phil and Sherry Mills 13:21 and they brought with them a couple of friends 13:24 James and Sarah Dietrich over here 13:27 and Phil, how did I get to know you, 13:29 what do you think, how long have we known each other? 13:32 We met from ASI and also AMEN, 13:34 we met right here during these conferences 13:38 through our association with AMEN 13:41 which is Adventist Medical Evangelism Network 13:43 which you heard a little bit about last night 13:45 but you're here tonight 13:47 representing a different Organization 13:48 can you tell me about that? 13:50 Yes, "My Bible First" which is also birthed by ASI. 13:55 Why was that, you came to ASI 13:58 and what did you discover? 14:00 Well, I should have Sherry talk about that. 14:03 I discovered a lot of wonderful people 14:07 just sharing their testimonies 14:09 and I was so inspired that I said, 14:11 "Lord, I want a ministry," 14:13 and within a few months, this is what came to us. 14:16 So, what is "My Bible First?" 14:20 Can you please explain just a little bit 14:22 for those who may never have heard of this, 14:24 what does "My Bible First" do 14:27 and by the way, I gave it the name MBF. 14:30 Well, My Bible First, I think all of us are very aware 14:37 that we are at the end of time, 14:38 and I had a great burden for children 14:42 as a Sabbath School Superintendent in our church, 14:45 our families are under severe attack 14:48 and the only safeguard was the Scriptures 14:54 and I asked the Lord, how can we reach our children, 14:59 we have one precious hour one time a week 15:03 that we can give to them, the Bible, 15:06 how are we using it, what are we filling it with, 15:09 are we just entertaining them, 15:11 or are we laying a solid Biblical foundation for them 15:15 and that is what My Bible First is all about 15:18 helping our children know Him better. 15:21 Oh, that's great, I visited Cradle Roll recently 15:26 with my grandson 15:28 and what I noticed was that behind every child 15:31 they are seating two sometimes even three adults 15:35 these are young people 15:37 that may not have been to church for many years, 15:39 and they're bringing their kids back now 15:42 so what do you think we can do with that? 15:45 Well, I teach Cradle Roll in our church 15:48 and I am really thankful as a teacher 15:52 for the built-in audience 15:54 of having parents come with their children to the class. 15:58 It's a great opportunity to teach children and their parents 16:03 about Bible truths, 16:04 we just finished with a Program Theme 16:07 on the Sabbath, and recently 16:10 we have had a new Seventh-day Adventist 16:13 come to our church bringing their little boy 16:16 and as I would teach the class, 16:20 I was helping to teach the children, 16:22 about the Sabbath, 16:23 I was also keen into talking to the parent who was coming 16:29 about how to keep the Sabbath and making key points 16:32 about how to actually keep the Sabbath 16:36 and what to do for Sabbath 16:39 and so, it's been really helpful 16:41 these lessons have helped me to look at my Sabbath School time 16:45 as a real key missionary opportunity. 16:47 Thank you, I'm not really sure 16:50 that all of you have gotten the idea 16:52 that this is a set of Bible lessons 16:54 with not only beautiful pictures, 16:56 beautiful color pictures in them, 16:58 they're better than any I've ever seen 17:00 but the content is deep. 17:02 The content is something 17:03 that you can use through the week, 17:05 you could use it for Sabbath School 17:07 but you can also use it 17:09 to teach for worship, is that correct? 17:11 We really designed it... we had a lot of new members 17:15 in our church who designed it for our church 17:17 and we wanted to teach 17:20 parents how to have family worships 17:23 so, My Bible First is designed as a family worship training, 17:28 family-worship friendly kind of Bible lessons. 17:33 When I came to your house once for lunch 17:36 a long ways away from where I lived, 17:39 and you took me of a tour of your basement, 17:42 and I was just amazed, 17:44 their basement is entirely filled with printing presses 17:48 and computer equipment and stacks of lessons 17:51 throughout the whole section, 17:53 I don't know how you're going to get that out of there. 17:55 We have now grown out of two homes 17:58 and we'll be having to go to our third... 18:01 That's okay, you're going to move again 18:03 anyway, so, might as well just expand some more. 18:07 We are grateful for that. 18:08 I really, really appreciate that, 18:11 I think that you really could call, "My Bible First" 18:14 MBF... Moving By Faith 18:17 because this is a program that we can use 18:20 to not only attract our own children 18:24 but children in our neighborhoods don't you think? 18:26 In fact, we have... we've been doing that 18:29 in our church, seeking to get... 18:32 even if the parents don't come, 18:35 we are seeking to have neighborhood children come. 18:38 Sherry, you told me one story about a family in your church 18:44 that is really doing a lot with little kids, 18:47 can you just quickly... we only have a minute left. 18:50 I would love to share the story, 18:51 we have a lady in our church who is a widow 18:54 she was a foster parent with three precious children 18:57 who had been taken out of very abusive homes, 18:59 they would be locked up in their bedroom 19:01 while their parents were shooting drugs 19:03 and they were hungry, dirty, filthy, 19:06 they were removed from their home 19:08 and give to this lady as a foster mother, 19:10 she couldn't bear to let these children go 19:12 she saw their potential and so she prayed 19:15 and the Lord answered her prayers 19:16 and allowed her to adopt these children as her very own 19:20 she said they were like three little heathen girls 19:23 so then... she was praying, 19:32 "Next Lord, how can I lead these children to you?" 19:35 Just at that next Sabbath, we came in... 19:38 and we were new members in the church there 19:42 we had moved to the area, 19:43 we introduced our lessons to her and she said, 19:47 "Oh, thank the Lord, this is an answer to my prayers" 19:50 The lessons are designed as Phil said 19:53 for daily Bible Study, with texts to look up 19:56 and with thought questions. 19:58 She faithfully went through these lessons with her girls 20:01 and I can tell you, 20:02 as one of the teachers in that department 20:05 these girls know as much Bible if not more as many adults do 20:09 and they are just on fire for the Lord, 20:13 they love Jesus with all their hearts 20:16 and we are thrilled for that. 20:18 Thank you so much and God bless you 20:20 as you continue this work. Thank you. 20:22 Audience clapping. 20:32 Hi Mary... Hi... 20:34 How are you tonight? 20:35 Excellent, thank you. 20:37 What is your name and where are you from? 20:39 My name is Mary Berndt and I am from Ardmore, Oklahoma. 20:43 That sounds like a familiar name to me 20:45 Ardmore, Oklahoma, are you associated in any way 20:48 with Nedley Publishing or anything like that? 20:52 Well, I'm not associated with Nedley Publishing, 20:55 although the Nedleys are very good friends 20:57 and a lot of our materials will be at their booth. 21:01 All right, so go by the booth 21:03 and you're going to hear more about what Mary does, 21:05 Mary, I hear you're with a ministry called SHINE. 21:08 Yes. What does that stand for? 21:10 SHINE is an acronym for 21:12 School of Health Integrating Natural Remedies and Evangelism. 21:16 Well, that's a long name what does SHINE actually do? 21:21 Well, SHINE trains mostly young people 21:24 although we've had some "older young people" 21:27 but mostly young people in health evangelism. 21:31 They receive courses in massage and phlebotomy, 21:35 we train them how to run health and nutrition seminars 21:39 they learn how to cook in a restaurant 21:42 and they learn how to cook healthy, tasty, 21:45 delicious vegetarian and in fact, vegan food, 21:47 they learn how to run a health-food store 21:50 we also train them in Daniel and Revelation 21:53 and then we take them 21:55 and we run an Evangelistic series 21:58 with the whole class while they're there. 22:00 So it sounds like they're learning more practical things 22:03 than just only educational things is that correct? 22:06 It's very practical, we're taking these young people 22:09 and really molding the young person 22:12 because we want to... when they go out, 22:15 we want them to be self-motivated, 22:18 hard working and we want them to know 22:20 how to reach souls for the Lord 22:23 and just in every way, shape and form, 22:25 really at SHINE, we touch their lives. 22:27 Mary, about ten years ago, we met a young man 22:32 that came to ASI, his name is David Asscherick 22:37 and I understand that you had something to do with that, 22:41 can you tell me about that? 22:44 Well, about 15 years ago, 22:46 I first opened a Health-food store 22:50 in Rapid City, South Dakota, and I fell in love 22:52 with four young Punk Rock girls, and I'll be honest with you, 22:57 these girls were really special girls, 23:00 very smart, very bright, 23:02 well, one day these girls came in with some boys 23:05 and I didn't like those boys so much 23:07 those boys had purple hair, 23:09 they had earrings all over the place 23:12 and I said to the girls 23:14 there was one of those young men who especially 23:18 was just kind of a little loud and obnoxious 23:22 and I said to one of the girls, "Who is that young man?" 23:24 And we shouldn't 23:26 try to associate with those kinds of people, should we? 23:29 I associated with them frequently 23:30 to win them, but I said, 23:34 "Who is that young man?" and she said, 23:35 "That's David Asscherick, he's Cara's boyfriend" 23:38 and I thought to myself, 23:39 "Hmmm... not if I have anything to say about it, 23:43 he's not going to be... " 23:44 and later on I felt bad about that and I prayed, Lorayne, 23:49 I asked the Lord to forgive me 23:51 and told Him that I didn't have much love for those young men, 23:54 and I loved the young ladies, but not the young men, 23:56 forgive me that... 23:57 To make the really long story short, 24:00 what happened to those four young men? 24:02 Well, we opened a restaurant, 24:04 they started eating there everyday, 24:06 they had health problems, 24:08 they came to me with their health problems, 24:09 and one day those young men were sitting at a table 24:12 in my restaurant and I heard them say, 24:14 "Whooo hooo" and I said, 24:16 "Well, what are you guys whoo hoooing about?" 24:17 and they said, "We just figured out 24:19 that you're old enough to be our mother" 24:20 and I said, "Yes, I am" 24:22 and they said, "Well, would you adopt us?" 24:24 and I said, "Okay, you're all officially adopted 24:27 by Mary Berndt, young sons of mine, 24:31 we're now going to pray" 24:32 and they looked up at me and were like, "What?" 24:34 and four of those young men actually ended up being pastors 24:40 in the Conference at Michigan. 24:43 Isn't that amazing, and as far as we know... 24:48 what happened to David Asscherick. 24:49 Yes, yes, so, out of that little encounter 24:53 at a health food store, started by one person, 24:56 look what has happened, 24:58 what is happening around the country and around the world 25:00 through one encounter, that we never know... 25:03 you may not know that somebody you have interacted with 25:08 has become an Evangelist but it probably has happened. 25:12 Isn't that amazing? It's very true. 25:14 It's amazing, and Mary, 25:15 do you have anymore Davids in the pipeline? 25:18 Well, I do have a David in the pipeline actually 25:21 and I would appreciate it if all of you would pray for him 25:25 his name is not David, his name is Ryan 25:27 and it's interesting because Ryan is a lot like David 25:31 he's very smart, he's very funny, 25:34 he keeps us laughing all the time, 25:36 and one day he came to me and he said, 25:39 "Mary, would you adopt me?" and I said, "Yes, I would Ryan," 25:46 he said, "No, would you really adopt me?" 25:49 and I said, "Ryan, I would really adopt you, 25:52 you are now my son," 25:54 and I've told him frequently, 25:57 "Son, I'm a Seventh-day Adventist 26:01 and you're a Baptist, 26:02 you wanted to be my son, we need to get with the program" 26:06 and so, the Lord is working there 26:09 and he's coming down the pipeline 26:12 so please pray for Ryan. 26:14 And you know what? I've heard, 26:17 that out of your restaurant and out of your ministry, 26:20 there is a really high rate of people 26:23 that have been baptized. 26:25 One of the things we struggle with... in the Adventist Church, 26:29 is taking the ministries that we do 26:31 through our churches, you know, 26:33 like having a seminar... a health seminar 26:36 and bringing those people right on into the church 26:39 but Mary isn't having that kind of problem 26:41 do you think you could tell me what maybe some of that 26:43 is done, how you do that? 26:46 Well, you know Lorayne, I believe the old saying is true 26:49 "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach" 26:51 and I'm blessed to have a restaurant. 26:55 We need a lot more restaurants around this country, you guys. 26:59 I agree 100 percent, 27:01 there is something about serving people food, 27:03 you become their mother, 27:04 and they could become very united and very close to you 27:10 and then we can help them with their health 27:11 then when we help them with their health, 27:13 then we become like their doctor 27:15 and... do you know Sister White says 27:17 that once they see that we have the health message correct, 27:21 they will know that we have the 27:23 spiritual message correct as well, 27:25 and so it is totally an opening wedge, 27:27 how else would I ever have gotten to know punk rockers? 27:31 Right, but on the other hand, 27:33 I'm sure that it isn't just feeding people food, 27:36 you have to be able to have that heart 27:39 that they can see the love of God in your heart 27:42 and I see that in you and I see the holy spirit 27:45 and I just want to pray for you 27:46 and if any of you want to see what she's doing, 27:49 and learn more about it, 27:50 go by the Nedley Publishing Booth, okay... 27:53 Yes... thank you. 27:54 Thank you so much Mary. Yes, thank you Lorayne. 27:56 Good night. 27:58 New participants walking on stage. 28:02 Hi Danny. Hello Lorayne, how are you? 28:06 Weren't you out here last night? Danny: I was. 28:08 Haven't I seen you at ASI for a lot of years? 28:11 it's been a couple of years in a row, yes. 28:14 Can you tell me how long it's been since you've been with ASI? 28:17 I actually started coming to ASI when I was seven years old, 28:20 and this is my 25th year in a row, I've got this one. 28:24 Wow! yeah, and I know that 28:26 you're involved with netASI, netAdventist, et cetera, 28:30 can you tell me, so what is netAdventist? 28:34 NetAdventist is a way for churches and schools 28:40 to communicate with their communities, 28:42 via the internet. Okay. 28:44 Can I say just a little bit more just a little bit more? 28:48 It actually is a web-based software platform 28:52 that provides websites for churches and schools 28:55 around the globe, 28:57 it can be translated into any left- or right-reading language 29:00 and it was actually made available via a grant 29:03 from Tom and Wisa Park, ASI members. 29:07 So it started out as an ASI Project 29:10 with a lot of support from various Organizations as well 29:16 and I've heard that 29:18 there are a lot of churches using it now 29:20 do you have any idea 29:21 how many churches are now on netAdventist? 29:24 We have over 2,500 churches on three different continents 29:27 that are using netAdventist. 29:29 Wow! and can it be translated into other languages? 29:33 It can be translated in any left- or right-reading language 29:36 and we currently have six languages that are translated. 29:39 And, I've heard that even some churches... 29:42 because they've put this on the web 29:44 they now have baptisms through there... 29:46 That's correct. 29:47 Do you have any stories about that? 29:48 I do, I do, in fact the church just down the road 29:51 from my home church in Fallbrook, California, 29:54 it's in Escondido, California, 29:55 there was a young couple that had moved into the area, 30:00 that had three children, 30:02 they just had a new baby and they wondered 30:04 what they needed to do to consecrate this baby to the Lord 30:08 and so they began to check all the different church websites 30:12 in the Escondido area, 30:13 they stopped at the Seventh-day Adventist church website, 30:16 it happened to be a netAdventist website 30:17 that we had built with them, 30:18 and they were able to find some information on baptism there 30:21 so they sent an e-mail to the pastor through the website, 30:24 and when he received the e-mail he decided to go and visit them, 30:28 very quickly he realized 30:30 that they did not know anything about Seventh-day Adventists 30:33 but he used it as a chance to begin sharing 30:36 our message with them, fast forward three months 30:39 and the entire family was baptized, 30:43 they ended up bringing over 30 family relatives 30:46 with them to the baptism, 30:47 which also created a witnessing opportunity as well. 30:50 It's where so many people are communicating today 30:54 via the web and it's critical that our churches be able to 30:58 talk via this media. 31:00 Right... and John, this is John Beckett, correct? 31:04 Yeah, that's right. 31:05 Okay, and John I understand that you are the former webmaster 31:10 for the General Conference is that correct? 31:13 Yeah, I manage the Adventist. org website and 31:15 the news. adventist. org website 31:17 for quite a number of years. 31:18 Wow! and what's your opinion of netAdventist, altogether? 31:23 Well, as you know, Tagnet has a great history 31:27 of helping churches and ministries work online 31:30 and they've taken this expertise that they've had for many years 31:35 and used it to help 31:38 with their creation of the netAdventist free software 31:41 and they've done... gone to extraordinary lengths 31:44 to make sure that this software is going to work very well 31:46 for local churches to manage their websites 31:49 and for the people that are going to manage the servers 31:53 to have an easy time of it too. 31:54 And so, what do you think are going to be the best benefits 31:59 for the different churches? 32:00 For local churches, I think it's going to make it 32:03 easy for them to do some things 32:06 that they might not have been able to do before, 32:08 and so, that's going to be exciting. 32:10 It's also great that it's going to let 32:14 our church Organizations offer content 32:17 through local church websites, 32:18 if the websites want to have it on there, on their site, 32:21 they'll be able to easily put it on their sites. 32:24 It's going to be useful in a lot of ways. 32:26 And Danny, I hear there are a lot of changes 32:29 going on at netAdventist, 32:31 what's actually happening there currently? 32:33 Well, we're actually finishing the software up 32:36 on September 1st, 32:38 it has taken us a little bit longer to build it, 32:39 it was a bigger chunk to bite off than initially thought 32:42 working with the translation and so many things 32:44 it's complex, but we're finishing it up 32:47 September first, 32:48 and we're actually handing it off to John's office 32:51 at the General Conference 32:52 for distribution for our world church. 32:54 That's wonderful, it's going to now be available 32:57 to everybody, is that right, for every church? 32:58 Yeah, for every church, 33:00 we also have an agreement in place that allows 33:04 ASI Members to use this software as well, 33:06 it's called, netASI 33:08 that will also be available on September 1st as well. 33:11 So, if you have a ministry 33:12 and you would like to have media on the web, 33:15 would like to use that vehicle of communication 33:18 ASI will provide that for you. 33:19 Yeah, didn't we promise that to people last year? 33:23 We did, we did. 33:24 But this year, it's really happening, you guys, 33:26 and everybody who has an Organization 33:30 or a need for ministry, and you don't have a website 33:33 and would really like an up-to-date, wonderful website, 33:37 this is really going to be it isn't it? 33:39 I believe so, yes. Thank you so much Danny and John 33:41 Thank you. 33:43 Audience clapping 33:51 Waiting for the next participant. 33:58 Good evening, Good evening. 34:00 This is Julia O'Carey and you're with what Organization? 34:06 I'm with ASAP. 34:08 Oh, that's a good term, ASAP, 34:11 that means "as soon as possible" right? 34:13 Yes it does, ASAP's motto is: 34:15 "Christ is coming ASAP, reach Asia now" 34:19 and our name actually means, 34:21 "Adventist South East Asia Projects" 34:23 so it has a double meaning. 34:25 All right, and I understand you've been with 34:29 this Organization for quite a while, 34:31 tell me, how did you actually get started with ASAP? 34:36 Well, I started actually when I was a little child 34:40 living in Thailand, 34:41 my mother and father worked in the refugee camps 34:45 and I learned a lot about missions through that experience 34:50 and God put it in my heart to help win these people to Christ 34:55 and so, when I became an adult, about three years ago, actually, 35:00 is when I started working with ASAP. 35:02 Well, it's a joy. 35:04 I've heard it said, Julia, 35:07 that you're an American 35:09 with an Asian heart, is that true? 35:11 Well, you know, my husband has gotten used to 35:14 eating a lot of rice 35:15 and I do love the culture and the people, 35:18 but I think God put a passion in my heart 35:21 and the Director of ASAP happens to be my mother, Judy Aikin, 35:25 and she has a passion in her heart also 35:28 for the people of Asia 35:30 and we want to see all of them saved in God's kingdom. 35:32 So, tell me, what are the areas that you're working in most now 35:39 and I've heard that you are doing a lot of work in Laos, 35:42 right now, tell us about Laos. 35:44 Well, we work in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam 35:49 and just last year, we went into Myanmar, 35:52 it's exciting what's happening in Laos, 35:54 there are 1.5 million Lao people here in North America, 35:59 and over 7 million people in this country 36:01 and so many of them are unreached 36:03 and so, ASAP has been working to establish churches in Laos 36:10 praise the Lord, 36:11 six churches were built last year 36:13 but in addition to this, we support church planters 36:17 all over the country that are bringing the gospel 36:20 to the little villages, let me tell you a story 36:23 about this lady, 18-years old, 36:25 married in this village in southern Laos, 36:28 her name is Vaung, 36:30 and Vaung got pregnant, had a baby, 36:33 lost her baby in childbirth, 36:36 this depressed her so much 36:38 that she would not go out of the house, 36:41 an evil spirit, which is common in these countries 36:45 came into her life and her heart 36:48 and she would roam the village naked 36:50 yelling unintelligible words 36:53 and her family did not know what to do, 36:56 they brought her to a Medicine Doctor, 36:59 they gave over $1,000 to try to find a solution 37:05 but nobody had a cure for her until Pastor Kampasong, 37:09 one of the ASI Church Planters went to this village 37:14 to visit one of his Christian friends, 37:16 while he was there, the husband of Vaung 37:19 heard that he was there, and he said, 37:21 "We've tried everything else, there is nothing we can do, 37:24 why don't we see if this Christian can do anything. " 37:26 So, he prayed for her, nothing happened, 37:30 the next Sabbath, he came back, 37:32 prayed again, three Sabbaths... 37:34 the fourth Sabbath when he came back, 37:37 she was dressed, clean, beautiful, 37:41 smile on her face, 37:42 and she was praising the living God 37:45 for taking away that evil spirit and changing her life forever. 37:49 So God is working in Laos. 37:52 That's marvelous. Amen. 37:54 Do we have any special stories about Vietnam? 37:59 Yes, I want to share a text before I talk to you about that, 38:03 Luke 18:27 says, 38:06 "The things which are impossible with men 38:09 are possible with God" and in Vietnam, 38:12 one month ago, Pastor Isah Young 38:15 who runs the underground house church movement 38:19 in this country, was given the awesome privilege 38:22 of speaking on a satellite TV program 38:26 one hour a day. 38:28 In this program, he preaches the Word of God in Vietnamese, 38:33 all over the world 38:34 and it's going into Communist Vietnam 38:37 and one of the lay pastors got a call from the 38:41 police and they said, "Pastor Isah, he's on the... 38:46 you work with... 38:47 Pastor Young must be a very influential man, 38:49 that he would get permission to speak the Word of God 38:52 on TV, one of the 13 most popular 38:56 TV stations in Vietnam, wow!" 39:00 and the lay pastor said, "No, he's not influential, 39:04 his boss is influential and his boss is God. " 39:08 Amen, amen... That's wonderful, you know, 39:11 Pastor Young actually... 39:13 Young actually lives in my Union in the Pacific Union... 39:17 he, not only reaches out to people in Vietnam, 39:21 but to the Vietnamese in this country 39:23 all over, so he produces all of these programs 39:26 and that's just been wonderful, 39:28 any other stories you can tell us? 39:30 Yes, Lorayne, I want to tell you about 39:32 how God is reaching all walks of life, 39:34 from the poor people in the villages 39:36 all the way to influential, 39:38 I heard last week about this Civil Engineer 39:42 who came to know about God 39:45 through the Peace and Happiness radio broadcast 39:47 and that is a project that ASAP and Adventist World Radio 39:52 have partnered in for the last... over ten years. 39:55 He came to know the Lord, 39:57 he became a member of a secret house church in Vietnam, 40:00 and he had this burning desire 40:03 to share with those in his circles, 40:06 so he's a member of the Engineer Society in Vietnam 40:11 so he asked permission from ASAP Lay Pastor 40:15 if he could put Pastor Isah Young's sermons 40:18 on his blog, and so he risked it 40:22 Communist Vietnam, 40:23 and he put a bunch of the sermons on there 40:25 and he was amazed at the response. 40:27 He got 10,000 responses to those sermons 40:31 and most... all of them were positive 40:35 and he said, "You know, people in Vietnam 40:39 are thirsty for spiritual things" 40:42 and the people are influential that responded, 40:46 they are educated, God is reaching all people 40:50 in all walks of life, and it's very exciting 40:52 because God can do the impossible, 40:55 Amen... Amen. 40:57 Amen, you know, we may think that one little 41:02 item that we give to a project, 41:04 one little prayer that we do, 41:06 doesn't have much reach, but God has a way of taking that 41:10 multiplying it, I remember when 41:12 Pastor Young first came, 41:14 when he was just starting out with tiny, 41:17 tiny little radio program in just one little area, 41:21 and now he's entirely over the entire country of Vietnam 41:24 just a couple of years ago, 41:26 he would have been in prison for that, wouldn't he, 41:28 if he had been caught. 41:30 Well, he still could be, 41:31 so keep him and all the lay pastors 41:33 who are persecuted in Vietnam 41:35 in your prayers, it's a very dangerous work 41:38 in Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam because they're all Communist 41:42 but you know God is powerful 41:44 and so, I solicit your prayers if you go on our website 41:48 asapministries. org you can join our prayer team 41:53 and that is the best gift you can give 41:55 is partnering with us in prayer 41:57 for the people in Southeast Asia. 42:00 Thank you Julia and thank you for growing up in ASI. 42:03 Thank you, and I do want to invite all of you 42:06 to a special mission report that we have 42:09 and that's going to be tomorrow in the Marriott Hotel 42:14 and it will be in Salon G and so, please come 42:21 because you'll hear more exciting stories 42:22 of what God is doing in those countries. 42:24 Thank you very much. God bless. 42:26 Audience clapping. 42:28 Good evening ASI, 42:31 there's a story about this family 42:36 whose house caught on fire, and they all got out 42:41 except for this one little boy, 42:43 this little boy somehow managed to get to the roof, 42:49 and he's scared 42:52 because the fire is starting to engulf the house, 42:56 the father is looking up and sees his little boy, 43:00 and he yells, "Son, jump, there's not that much time" 43:04 the little boy is scared, he says, "Father, I can't see, 43:09 but the father says, 43:11 "I can see you and that's all that matters" 43:15 you know, so many times, we have problems 43:19 but do we place it in God's hands? 43:22 It's my prayer that we'll be able to say, 43:26 "Lord, I trust you, I place my life in your hands" 43:31 Piano playing 43:41 Life can be so good and life can be so hard 43:49 Never knowing why each day will bring to where You are 43:57 Sometimes I forget And sometimes I can't see 44:04 That whatever comes my way You'll be with me 44:12 My life is in Your hands My heart is in Your keeping 44:19 I'm never without hope Not when my future is with You 44:27 My life is in Your hands And though I may not see clearly 44:35 I will lift my voice and sing 44:39 'Cause Your love does amazing things 44:45 Lord, I know, my life is in Your hands 44:50 Nothing is for sure 44:59 And nothing is for keeps 45:03 All I know is that Your love Will live eternally 45:09 So I will find my rest And I will find my peace 45:18 Knowing that You'll meet my every need 45:25 My life is in Your hands My heart is in Your keeping 45:33 I'm never without hope Not when my future is with You 45:41 My life is in Your hands And though I may not see clearly 45:49 I will lift my voice and sing 45:53 'Cause Your love does amazing things 45:58 Lord, I know, my life is in Your hands 46:04 When I'm at my weakest Oh, You carry me 46:11 Then I become my strongest 46:15 In Your hands 46:21 Piano playing... 46:27 more piano... 46:33 My life is in Your hands And though I may not see clearly 46:41 I will lift my voice and sing 46:45 'Cause Your love does amazing things 46:50 Lord, I know, 46:52 my life is in Your hands 46:57 I trust You Lord, 47:01 my life is in 47:05 Your 47:09 hands 47:14 ooooooh... 47:21 Audience clapping... 47:25 Participants coming on stage... 47:31 Good evening ASI, 47:32 you know one of my favorite parts of ASI 47:37 has always been the testimonies, 47:39 I remember many things from my first ASI, 47:42 when I was a teenager, I remember some of the sermons 47:45 but what I really remember is the stories 47:47 of Adventist Lay people 47:49 who are sharing Christ in their marketplace, 47:51 tonight I have with me, Volker Schmidt 47:53 and his granddaughter Mary Katherine, 47:55 Volker, tell us where are you from? 47:57 I'm from Lexington, Kentucky. 47:59 And what do you do in Lexington? 48:01 We build special machines for the garment industry. 48:06 Okay, I'm quite certain that 48:09 probably most of us have worn clothes 48:11 that have been built on your machines, in fact. 48:13 I ideally tell people that if you have to take off 48:15 what our machines put on, you might be embarrassed. 48:18 Okay, now you have a particular burden for part of the work, 48:23 it's a burden that, I think you and I share, 48:25 tell us about that burden, 48:27 what is your burden for finishing God's work? 48:30 You know, Chester, our forefathers in the church 48:33 here who started this church, were really disappointed 48:36 because of what they had gone through a 150 years ago, 48:39 but they were sincere and earnest and they searched 48:42 and they asked God to help them understand 48:45 and they studied the Bible and they get on their knees, 48:48 and God revealed to them a wonderful system of truth 48:51 they discovered that Jesus wasn't coming 48:54 but that He actually has gone into the Sanctuary 48:56 interceding for His people 48:58 and then they discovered the Sabbath, 49:00 they discovered healthful living, 49:02 they discovered the great controversy 49:05 that's going on in the world, 49:06 and when they realized what God has given them, 49:08 they said, "We can't believe 49:10 that God is entrusting this to us, 49:12 we must go and share" and so they started a Movement 49:15 that's the Seventh-day Adventist Movement, 49:18 they didn't spare any of their money or time, 49:20 they went, rain or snow, hot or cold, 49:25 they left their homes, they left their farms 49:28 and went and shared the message with everybody, 49:31 today, we're over 150 years down the road, Chester, 49:35 as we look around, there are problems, 49:37 there are no solutions everywhere you look, 49:41 we have hurricanes, earthquakes, 49:44 financially... problems in this country, 49:46 we need solutions, 49:49 I believe, God has entrusted this church 49:53 with a special message, let me read something here 49:56 that we find in this book that you may have picked up 49:59 when you came into ASI, here's what it says, 50:03 "Seventh-day Adventists have been chosen by God 50:06 as a peculiar people," that's you and I, 50:10 "He has made them His representatives 50:13 and has called them to be ambassadors for Him 50:17 in the last work of salvation. 50:21 The greatest wealth of truth, ever entrusted to mortals" 50:26 did you catch that? 50:27 "the greatest wealth of truth ever entrusted to mortals, 50:31 the most solemn and fearful warnings ever 50:34 sent by God to man have been committed to them 50:38 to be given to the world" that's you and I, 50:42 and, you know, 50:43 I am so thankful that ASI has made available books 50:46 like The Great Controversy and Ministry of Healing 50:49 or pamphlets that we can give to the people around us, 50:52 to share this wonderful truth that is so unique 50:57 and brings the answers to everyone 50:59 that's having problems today. 51:01 So your special burden, Volker, is the printed page, 51:04 putting those truth-filled materials into people's hands, 51:08 what have you done, personally, maybe in your own community, 51:12 to help get this message out, we don't want to just sit on it, 51:16 it's a greatest wealth ever entrusted to mortals 51:18 what have you done, 51:19 what are some of the experiences you've had? 51:21 Well, Chester, you know, I feel it's very important 51:23 that we care about our neighbors and friends 51:24 and so I've embarked on a program 51:27 where I devote a certain amount of time every week, 51:30 to going and visiting my friends and neighbors 51:33 and basically, I've chosen Wednesday, 51:35 after work, I go out, I get about eight books ready, 51:39 and let me have that a minute, thank you, 51:41 that's what I use, Chester, I use DVDs, 51:45 "Final Events," "Finding Peace with God," 51:48 and a little brochure, 51:50 let me just share how it works, 51:51 as I... before I go... 51:54 I'm getting a little head of myself, 51:56 I get on my knees and say, 51:59 "Lord, you know where the people are, 52:01 please be with me, open the doors, 52:04 and may they read things 52:06 that really will be the answer to their lives" 52:07 then I get out, 52:09 and I go to the first door and I knock on it, 52:11 and I say, "Good afternoon, I'm Volker Schmidt, 52:14 I live over here on this tar road, 52:16 I like to share something with you, 52:17 I attended a Seminar 52:19 and they talked about the prophecies of the Bible, 52:21 and I learned a lot, do you have a Bible? 52:24 then I find out they have one or don't, 52:26 they read it or whatever it is, 52:27 and then I go on and say, "You know, maybe you... 52:29 in the study of my reading the Bible, 52:32 I've come to the conclusion 52:33 we're living at the very end of time, 52:35 Jesus is just about to come back have you found that to be true?" 52:38 Again you find... 52:40 you get different impressions from the people, 52:42 and then I say, "Do you have a DVD player?" 52:44 They say, "Oh yes," I say, 52:46 "I'd like to leave this, 'Final Events' DVD with you, 52:49 and there's a little book I read that I really enjoyed 52:52 and it's called, 'Finding peace within'" 52:53 and you know, people have said sometimes, 52:55 "That's interesting, that's what I need 52:57 I'm glad you came today," 52:59 I said, "Listen, the most important thing you can do 53:02 is... ready and study 53:04 and get ready for Christ's soon coming 53:06 it's really a matter of life and death, God bless you" 53:10 and I go in my car, mark where I've been, 53:12 pray again, "Lord, touch these people's hearts 53:15 as they're reading and looking at this DVD." 53:17 That's really very simple isn't it, 53:19 don't you think you could do that 53:20 with your neighbors and friends? 53:21 Get to know your neighbors, what have you learned 53:24 from your granddaughter Mary Katherine? 53:26 You know, just last Sabbath I was over at my son's place 53:30 and we were eating in the afternoon and I said, 53:31 "Mary Katherine, would you like to take a walk?" 53:33 And what did you say? Yes. 53:35 "Yes, "she said, and so we went out, 53:37 I said, "Mary Katherine, why don't we visit this house 53:39 over here on the end of the block?" 53:41 So we went up, and what did you say? 53:43 Let me ring the bell, right? 53:46 She said, "I want to ring the bell grandpa" 53:47 and so we go in and the lady comes out 53:50 and she said, "Oh good to see you, come on in" 53:52 well we talked a little while, but it didn't take long 53:55 we talked about Christ's soon coming, 53:56 I said to her "Have you seen the 'Final Events' DVD?" 54:00 she said, "No, give me one" I had nothing with me, 54:04 I said, "We'll get one to you" 54:05 and so we ended up visiting together 54:09 actually she hugged our little daughter here, granddaughter... 54:12 and we had said, "Goodbye" 54:14 and as we're going down the steps 54:16 what did you say? "I want to go visit my neighbor" 54:21 she said, "Grandpa, let's visit the neighbor 54:24 on the other side of the road" how about that? 54:27 What an inspiration and then... we went from there 54:30 and then she said, "To the other side of the road" 54:34 I want to say here today, let's get the enthusiasm 54:37 that our little children have, and grandchildren... 54:40 let's take them and visit our friends and neighbors, 54:43 Jesus is coming soon, the best and the greatest thing 54:46 that you and I can do, is... share this wonderful truth 54:49 I have a vision, I have a dream, Chester, 54:53 one day very, very soon, we're going to see 54:56 hundreds and thousands of Seventh-day Adventists, 55:00 going from house to house, 55:01 sharing the message of Christ's soon coming 55:04 may each one of you participate in that, 55:08 and before we know it, Jesus will be here, 55:11 isn't that what you want? Amen. 55:13 Praise God, amen 55:15 thank you Volker and Mary Katherine. |
Revised 2016-01-26