Participants:
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY190093A
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00:01 I want to spend my life
00:07 Mending broken people 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:19 Removing pain 00:24 Lord, let my words 00:30 Heal a heart that hurts 00:34 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:46 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people 01:08 Hello, friends, welcome to 3ABN Today. 01:11 My name is John Lomacang. 01:12 If you're part of our family, you probably already know that, 01:15 but if you're just joining us, 01:17 I'd like to encourage you to stay tuned to this program. 01:19 We have a very exciting guest today. 01:22 I have a comradery with him to some degree 01:24 because he's from Trinidad. 01:26 And if you're from Trinidad, you must watch the program. 01:29 We're not giving out buss up shut to roti, 01:31 but there's gonna be something even better than that 01:34 and that you need to really stay tuned for. 01:36 Very exciting life, evangelism, traveling, 01:40 souls being brought to the Lord through this man's life. 01:44 And before I go to the music, 01:46 let me just take a brief moment to introduce President, 01:49 CEO of Train Them 2 Fish, George Lee. 01:51 Good to have you here. Good to be here. 01:53 Yes, how the weather? 01:55 The weather's good, man. Okay. 01:57 It's a little Trinidad vernacular. 01:58 Yes, yes, yes. 02:00 So good to have you here today on our program. 02:02 Now we're gonna talk about 02:03 what the Lord has been doing in your life, 02:05 in a beautiful way. 02:06 I'm excited about what we've... 02:08 What we see is gonna be coming to this program 02:10 and I wanna encourage our viewers and listeners 02:13 to stay tuned for a very informative 02:16 and exciting transformative program 02:19 about missions and conversion, 02:21 but before we do that we have some very good music. 02:24 Our good friend Jaime Jorge is gonna be getting the stage set 02:28 as he plays "Standing on the promises." 05:55 Thank you, Jaime, always inspiring. 05:59 Standing on the promises, 06:00 and that is what our guest has done. 06:03 And he continues to do. 06:05 President and CEO of Train Them 2 Fish. 06:08 Brother George Lee, good to have you here again. 06:10 Good to be here. 06:11 And as I mentioned at the beginning of the program, 06:13 we have an affinity, Trinidad. 06:14 Yes. 06:15 You know the lady that raised me 06:17 was from Port of Spain and you are from? 06:18 From San Juan and Antilles, Martinique. 06:20 Okay, yes. 06:21 And all the West Indians are saying yes. 06:23 You know how that is, you see. Yes. 06:25 West Indian thing is, it's about such a pride. 06:27 Yeah, the comradery. Identity. 06:29 Comradery. Good to have you here today. 06:30 It's good to be here. 06:31 Talk about your conversion briefly 06:33 because you're part of an amazing ministry. 06:34 You've traveled and you've seen lives transformed 06:37 and the Lord has opened many doors for you, 06:39 but let's just take us back 06:40 to your conversion and entering into evangelism. 06:44 When I was younger in Trinidad, 06:47 I wanted to become a priest. 06:50 A priest? Yeah. 06:51 Like a Catholic priest? 06:53 I was a strong Catholic, 06:54 my family is, they are Catholics. 06:56 I am the only one that is Seventh-day Adventist. 07:00 And when I was younger, 07:02 my desire was to become a priest 07:04 and even as I got old and I got married, 07:07 my children, they were altar boys in the Bronx. 07:13 And I was happy because now I'm married, 07:15 I can't be a priest anymore. 07:17 Okay. So... 07:18 I said no, they're serving the Lord 07:20 and everything like that, 07:21 but my wife who was a former Seventh-day Adventist. 07:26 We got married in a Catholic Church 07:28 and she used to go to the church with the... 07:31 We used to go to the church every Sunday, 07:32 and the boys used to be on the altar. 07:34 And she said to me, 07:36 she don't like the way the priest is preaching. 07:38 It's not dynamic, so it wasn't reaching her. 07:42 So she started to go back to the Adventist Church. 07:45 And I took her there 07:46 and she came back crying one day. 07:49 I knew she was gonna get to me for this. 07:51 Okay. 07:52 And she decided 07:56 she was gonna go back to the church 07:58 and I said to her, you know, 08:01 the children were born Catholics. 08:03 They grew up in the Catholic Church 08:05 and then, you know, 08:06 why are you taking them to the Adventist Church. 08:08 And she decided to take them anyway 08:12 and they came back and I realized, 08:14 they were learning the Bible. 08:16 They were learning Bible text. 08:17 They were going to a Catholic school. 08:20 And one of the nun 08:22 was saying something about the Bible, 08:25 my son said, that is not in the Bible. 08:29 And he came and he told me about it. 08:32 The next week she said something again, 08:35 and he told her that is not in the Bible. 08:38 So she called me, 08:39 I was working for Bank of America 08:41 at the time, my office. 08:42 I also worked for Bank of America in New York. 08:44 Yeah. Okay. 08:45 And she said, 08:47 "Where is your son getting these teachings?" 08:49 I said, "From the Bible, he's getting Bible studies." 08:52 And she asked me, "Where?" 08:54 And I said, "From the Seventh-day Adventist Church." 08:55 So she said, 08:57 "Are they the defender of the Adventist faith?" 08:59 I said, "No, they're getting from the Bible." 09:01 Right. 09:02 You know, the third time something happened 09:05 and the nun slapped him in his face. 09:09 And my wife had just got baptized. 09:12 And she was gonna go down there and took it out with the... 09:17 To square away. 09:18 She said, oh, dear, she hit my son, 09:21 you know, and every alerts afterwards 09:23 what was happening that the children being converted. 09:26 And I was still a strong Catholic, 09:27 and I decided after I saw that. 09:31 One day, one Sabbath 09:32 I went to pick up my wife at the church. 09:36 And my daughter who was about eight years old 09:39 and she after her Bible studies, 09:41 she told Sister Naznine, "I want to get baptized." 09:45 And she said, "You cannot, 09:46 your father is a strong Catholic 09:48 and he has to approve." 09:49 And after I saw 09:51 where the Lord was taking the children, 09:53 the Holy Spirit was working, I said, 09:54 "I had to make a change myself." 09:57 So I decided to get baptized, and we both got baptized. 10:01 The same time my daughter and I, 10:03 and as I was coming out of the water. 10:06 In the pool, I heard a voice from heaven said, 10:08 "This is where I want you to be." 10:11 Wow. 10:12 And from that time on, 10:14 you know, my desire was to do ministry, 10:18 to do pastoral evangelism. 10:19 Wow. 10:21 And the Lord has brought me to that. 10:22 Praise God. What an effective story? 10:25 You know, the way the Lord works is amazing. 10:27 It is amazing. 10:28 And I want to reiterate, 10:30 it's not against any particular person... 10:31 No. 10:32 But when the Lord's word 10:34 begins to be unfolded, you can't ignore it. 10:35 No. 10:36 That's the beautiful thing about the Word of God. 10:38 I had to make that decision and my family thought, 10:39 you know, I was crazy to leave the Catholic Church. 10:43 And I said, "No, the truth has been spoken. 10:46 I cannot deny what the Bible teaches." 10:48 That's right. 10:49 You know, so I had to tell... 10:51 I said to myself, "Lord, 10:54 this is something You've put into me." 10:56 That's right. You know, I cannot deny it. 10:58 So when I made that decision and got baptized, you know. 11:02 At first I had problems with the family 11:05 and then the Lord worked things out afterwards, 11:09 you know, so... 11:10 So from there on, 11:11 I went to Oakwood theology and everything 11:15 and while I was there, I got involved in mission work. 11:20 Okay. 11:21 Mission work, and I, 11:23 the first time I went into Guyana, 11:26 and we were deep into the Rupununi area. 11:29 I went with NAPS, Dr. Paul. 11:31 Yes, NAPS. And we were there. 11:33 And that really showed me 11:36 what the Lord can do and how He can use me to do it. 11:39 And NAPS is the National Association 11:41 for those Prevention of Starvation, 11:43 just for those who may not know what that means. 11:44 Yes, yes. Yeah. 11:46 And that was, that was one of the most important thing 11:50 that happened in my life. 11:51 And then I was working with Dr. Baker. 11:56 And he had gone to India. 12:00 And I had a friend named Guru, Gurunatham. 12:04 He taught, and he was from India. 12:07 And I went to him and I heard 12:09 Dr. Baker said to me, 12:11 "You know, I cannot go to India." 12:12 He wants me to go with him, Guru. 12:14 I went to Guru and said, you know, 12:17 "I can go to India with you." 12:18 So he said, "Okay." 12:22 I got the money. 12:24 Everything ready. 12:25 I went to his office, I said, 12:26 "Okay, I got everything ready. Let's go." 12:28 He said, "I cannot go. 12:31 My wife and I got transferred to Loma Linda." 12:34 To Loma Linda? Loma Linda. 12:35 Wow. 12:36 And I said, "But I don't know the language. 12:39 I don't know where I'm going. 12:41 How can I go to India 12:42 and I don't know, I can't speak the language." 12:44 So he said, "Don't worry. 12:46 I will show you what to do." 12:48 So he showed me a map of the airport. 12:52 We had to go out there, 12:54 couldn't speak the language, People were getting in a bus. 12:58 I was in Mumbai, from Mumbai 13:00 I had to take a bus that goes to a domestic airport. 13:04 So I can fly from Mumbai to Hyderabad. 13:07 Okay, I've been to Hyderabad. 13:08 So I'm there and everyone is just pushing to get their 13:13 luggage into this bus to go to the airport. 13:16 And I'm there standing 13:17 and I'm, then I had a dollar in my hand 13:20 and I knew at that time, 13:22 that one US was worth 50 rupees and that's a lot of money. 13:28 So I took the dollar and I showed it and the guy took it 13:31 and he took my suitcase and made sure he stuck it 13:34 in the back of the bus so, and then went into the bus. 13:40 And now I'm into Hyderabad. 13:41 I met the person and he took me, 13:46 five hours we had to take a... 13:49 Bajaj, those three... Yes, three wheels. 13:52 Yes, three wheeled vehicles, and we went... 13:54 For five hours? No, it took me to the bus stop. 13:56 Okay. 13:58 And then we took this bus, 13:59 it took five hours to go down to... 14:00 Okay, I got you. 14:02 Go down to a place called Khamam. 14:05 And from there, I stayed there 14:07 and that's when I did my first evangelistic meeting. 14:10 Everything there, I saw the need of the people. 14:14 I was in the hotel and left. 14:15 I moved from the hotel, 14:17 and I went into his parent's home, 14:20 called Ammapalem, 14:22 and we were there and I preached from there. 14:24 And it was amazing, 14:25 because I saw how the people 14:28 were really interested into the gospel. 14:31 So many things happened there on that first visit. 14:35 I went there, and I never took any medication with me. 14:40 That's unusual for anyone... It was. I was. 14:42 Because, you know, in India you could get sick, just like that. 14:43 I was so excited to go and do the work over there. 14:47 That when I went there, no medication, nothing at all. 14:51 I ate all over the place. 14:53 Unbelievable. And nothing happened. 14:55 You didn't get sick? I did not get sick. 14:57 I got sick in India. So I know what you mean. 14:59 And you know growing up in Trinidad, 15:02 you eat all these different types of food. 15:05 Right. 15:07 Pepper was one of the things that I loved. 15:08 So in India, I got no problems. 15:11 Right. Because it's very spicy. 15:12 Very spicy and... 15:14 Pepper is a natural antibiotic, I think, it heals anything. 15:16 So I was there and the Lord blessed 15:19 because we were in one village. 15:23 And from there we had to walk, go and do the work, 15:26 but the Lord blessed, 15:28 and after preaching for 10 days, 15:30 the Lord blessed with 150 baptisms. 15:32 Praise God. 15:34 And that was in India? That was in India. 15:35 What about in Zimbabwe? 15:37 Years afterwards, I went to, after India, 15:40 I was in India for six years. 15:41 And from there, I left and I went to Zimbabwe, 15:47 but first I was in... Rwanda. 15:50 Wow, tough area. Yeah. 15:52 I was in Rwanda, from Rwanda the Lord blessed me, 15:55 had a group that, 15:57 the Lord blessed and 2200 people were baptized 16:00 for the group. 16:01 And with Share Him, we went there with Share Him. 16:03 And then the next year, we went to Zimbabwe. 16:07 And in Zimbabwe, where the Lord blessed, 16:09 was almost close about 600 to 800 people got baptized. 16:14 And the group there had a concern about the Congo 16:18 because at that time, the Congo, 16:20 so many things were happening in the Congo. 16:21 It was so volatile 16:23 that the United States government, 16:25 the French government, the Canadian, 16:27 the British government said on their website, 16:29 if you go to the Congo and these places, 16:32 you're going on your own, 16:34 and we can't get you out if anything happened to you. 16:37 So in, in Zimbabwe, Marion Roberts, 16:42 who was talking and she was there with us, 16:45 and said she has a concern about the Congo, 16:47 nobody has been down to Congo yet. 16:49 Then we said, okay, 16:51 let's see what's happening in the Congo. 16:53 So, Pastor David Tobias, who was the head of the group, 16:58 with the Share Him group, 16:59 said, okay, he's going to do some work. 17:01 He did the footwork. 17:03 He went into the Congo, 17:04 he spoke with the president there 17:05 in Lubumbashi 17:08 and found out he would be happy for us to come. 17:11 So he sent a letter out to us saying 17:13 that place is still problematic, 17:16 and if you want to go 17:18 realize that you're going on your own. 17:21 Well, in fact, you're really not on your own, 17:23 the blessing of the Lord, now you had secret service. 17:26 Of course, yes, yes. 17:27 You know, we knew the Lord was in charge 17:29 with this program. 17:31 So we decided, yes, we wanna go. 17:33 So we ended up in Lubumbashi. 17:35 And in Lubumbashi, 17:37 we did evangelistic meeting there. 17:38 I was in a church called the Triana Church, 17:41 which was the largest church in that area, 17:44 like a Cathedral type and the... 17:48 One of the elders of the church came to me, 17:50 we were staying in the Union compound. 17:54 And he came to me and he said, "Pastor Lee, 17:58 this is the first time 17:59 an evangelistic meeting has been held since 1927." 18:05 That's a long time. That was a long time. 18:07 And they were so happy we were there 18:10 that the Lord came. 18:12 And this is in the Congo? 18:13 Yes, in the Congo. Yeah. Okay. 18:15 You were able to also establish your headquarters there? 18:17 Yeah. 18:18 Well, while we were in Lubumbashi, 18:20 we got a phone call from Bukavu, right, 18:24 saying that they want us to come to Bukavu 18:29 to do an evangelistic meeting. 18:31 So we set it up. 18:33 And we had three groups when we did that. 18:36 One group when I was in Goma, I headed a group in Goma. 18:40 There was another group in Bukavu, 18:42 and there was another group in Kisangani. 18:45 Okay, yeah, I've heard of that place. 18:46 Yeah, Kisangani. 18:48 And Kisangani, you have to fly into that area. 18:49 There's over a million people there. 18:51 Wow. Yeah. 18:53 And no kind of land transportation. 18:54 Maybe there is something now but at that time, 18:57 it was very hard to get in there by vehicle. 18:59 And that's where the genesis 19:02 for Train Them 2 Fish was started. 19:04 Talk about that? Yeah. 19:05 The genesis started in Bukavu when we were there. 19:08 And we did, 19:10 part of the mission trip we were doing, 19:12 evangelism and medical work, the right arm of the gospel. 19:18 And while we were there 19:20 doing so much of the medical work, 19:22 we saw people needing the Lord, 19:27 people needing medical work. 19:29 And the church in, 19:33 the Adventist Church wasn't that popular in that area. 19:35 It's only about 2%. 19:37 Wow, very low. 19:38 And we decided that no, 19:40 we need to have an organization here. 19:42 So we passed on Gusser and the rest of the group, 19:46 we had the first board meeting in Bukavu, 19:50 and that is where Train Them 2 Fish started. 19:52 Okay. 19:54 And we came to United States, 19:55 we got all the legal papers going, 19:58 you know and... 19:59 Get the 501c3. 20:00 501c3, we made sure everything was done right. 20:04 And from there, 20:05 we started doing the work, started getting the funding. 20:09 We got the funding for the pastors, 20:12 then we started training those in the Congo 20:18 who wanted to do the work 20:19 so I had to give them Bible studies. 20:20 We didn't have a school at that time, 20:23 but then we raised money and we bought a piece of land 20:26 and we built the compound. 20:30 Okay, which is where the headquarters is? 20:33 Where the headquarters is. 20:34 Describe this picture here about the headquarters? 20:36 Yes, this is the headquarters we built. 20:38 And the first where the trees and the sign is, 20:42 that is where the training center is. 20:44 Okay. 20:45 And we train them for three months, 20:49 and after the three months we send them out. 20:51 And they go and preach in different areas 20:54 wherever they came from. 20:56 Then we also needed to... 20:57 And this is all on the Congo? All in the Congo, yeah. 21:00 And they started going to different areas. 21:02 We started needing funding for them 21:04 because they have to take care of themselves, 21:06 so we raise money and they were given a stipend, 21:12 $95 a month. 21:14 Wow. 21:16 And they go out to different places 21:17 and they started working, 21:18 the Lord started doing things, people getting baptized. 21:22 We had to, in Bukavu, 21:23 we had to rent churches 21:27 because for churches on the Sabbath 21:30 because we had so many people coming in 21:33 that we had to do that, 21:35 and then when we got the piece of land, 21:37 you know, and we started building. 21:40 The Lord just started helping us 21:44 because we started using the land 21:46 for agriculture also to fundraising. 21:49 But you also had some expansion coming in 21:50 because you not only established the headquarters 21:52 but you also started putting new dormitories in there. 21:54 Yes, yes. 21:55 We have now, 21:57 we raised money and we started this dormitory 21:58 that was built, 22:00 and that's a boy's dormitory for the men. 22:04 We're working on the women's dormitory 22:06 the next thing. 22:07 So you have this dormitory there now? 22:09 And now and they're coming there, 22:11 and they stay then they move to the other building 22:13 where they're being taught for three months 22:16 and then they are sent out to do the work of evangelism. 22:19 Wow. And the Lord has been blessing. 22:22 What's the capacity of the dormitory about? 22:24 The dormitory can hold about... 22:27 Well, the first class was about 50 students, 22:29 so we have beds with bunks different area so they... 22:33 It can hold about 50 people. 22:37 Okay. 22:38 So then getting another one too for women's dormitory. 22:40 For women's dormitory. 22:41 It's still on the... It's still on the work. 22:43 Okay, good, that's an issue of fundraising. 22:45 Fundraising also. 22:46 We need money for that also, 22:47 and then we want to build a clinic 22:49 because the work that we're doing 22:51 with the clinic is very important. 22:54 Because the people that comes to the clinic, 22:57 they get to hear about Jesus. 22:59 Right. 23:00 They get to know about the gospel. 23:01 But they have medical needs? 23:03 And they have medical needs also. 23:04 So they give their lives to the Lord 23:05 when we do that, 23:07 and the Lord has really been blessing. 23:10 And sometimes when I go there, I help with the medical work, 23:15 I help with the dental work, 23:16 I assist the doctor with the dental work, 23:20 holding the flashlight and all the other things. 23:22 Okay, so you're getting involved. 23:23 I'm getting involved. 23:24 Function of respect but hands on. 23:26 Yes, hands on, yes. 23:27 So you know, 23:28 you see all these things are happening and you know, 23:31 Lord, these people don't have any money. 23:34 They live on about a dollar a day. 23:39 There is no medical, 23:41 essential medical health system in the country. 23:45 When you're rich, you can take care of yourself. 23:47 If you're poor, 23:49 you buy the medicine on the street 23:51 whatever is available 23:53 because you cannot afford to go to the doctor. 23:56 And the quality of the medicine could be, maybe not good. 23:58 Yes, we don't know where it's coming from. 23:59 That's right. 24:00 So there was one time, 24:02 I was there in Bukavu and this... 24:05 When we were doing the medical work, 24:07 this woman brought in her son, her daughter. 24:11 Her head had scales, 24:12 all kinds of things on her head, 24:14 she had no hair, 24:15 and I had to take up with my driver 24:19 to the hospital to pay for her treatment, 24:24 for her consultation and for the medicine $7. 24:28 Wow, that's it? 24:29 Seven dollars to take care of her needs. 24:32 It is something I used to see 24:34 that these people don't have the wherewithal. 24:36 The basic things. 24:38 The basic things to take care of themselves. 24:39 Let's talk about some of the graduates too 24:40 because you talk about training, 24:43 the dormitories those who were staying 24:44 at the compound, 24:46 and then they also have graduates, 24:47 people preparing to go on the field. 24:49 Here's a picture of some of the graduates. 24:50 After we train them, of course, they get a certificate 24:55 stating that they've done the work 24:58 and then we send them out to do the work, 25:00 to go and preach in different areas. 25:02 We get the funding 25:04 and we give them the stipend every month. 25:06 So that has to come in on the monthly basis 25:10 to keep them going. 25:11 Keep them going. Yeah. 25:12 But the gospel commission has come and go. 25:15 That's right. 25:16 And these people are from the Congo? 25:18 From the Congo. 25:19 So they understand the language, 25:20 they understand the dialect, 25:22 they understand the people the way they function. 25:23 So they're able to communicate better than you and I, 25:25 how to reach this people 25:26 at the level of their own understanding. 25:28 That's right. That's a beautiful thing. 25:29 And they give their lives to the Lord, they get baptized, 25:33 you know and while that... 25:35 When we have like a group sometimes, there are even, 25:39 we don't have churches anyway. 25:41 So sometimes, the church is kept under a tree. 25:45 And also, we have to find the funding, 25:50 to build the churches. 25:51 You might want to connect with Maranatha, 25:52 they do some amazing things right there. 25:54 I did. 25:55 I spoke with the president 25:57 and I asked him because 25:58 one of the persons at the Oakwood Church 26:00 was donating 1500 to build the church. 26:04 And I spoke with the president, and I said to him, 26:07 "We need some churches in the Congo." 26:10 When he said, 26:11 "You cannot ship one church, 26:13 it has to be multiple churches." 26:14 Multiple churches, that's right. 26:16 So that's what we're looking for. 26:17 We're looking for someone to donate many churches 26:21 so we can start building these churches in this year. 26:23 And the amazing thing about it is 26:24 the people are coming in, 26:26 they just need a place to worship. 26:27 Yes, yes. 26:29 We were in places of Africa 26:30 where people did literally worship under a tree, 26:31 and that tree was the sanctuary, 26:33 and it's amazing what we have here in America 26:35 and these developed countries, 26:36 and the reason is people don't go to church, 26:38 but you go to these countries that they don't have a church, 26:41 people are there. 26:42 It doesn't matter whether it's raining or don't. 26:44 It is a big event for them. That's right. 26:45 And when you come to church, they are happy. 26:47 That's right. 26:49 They're singing, they praise the Lord. 26:50 In Maranatha, we have volunteered 26:52 to go and build the church. 26:53 That's right. 26:55 In the Congo, they built the church themselves. 26:56 Look at that. 26:57 That's right because the people offer the church. 26:59 Talk about the Bibles 27:00 'cause that's a very important need to evangelism. 27:03 We have a lot of donations that are coming in 27:05 and there was a truck 27:07 that we sent a lot of Bibles for. 27:09 Wow. 27:11 And we have used those Bibles 27:12 to those who were getting baptized. 27:14 These are in the language of the people? 27:15 Yes, it's in French 27:17 because French is the language... 27:19 Predominant. Yeah. 27:21 Engle is one of the language on the west side, 27:24 Swahili is the language on the east side, 27:26 but there are about 129 different dialects. 27:29 So I wanna pause again. 27:30 Talk about the facts that you're talking 27:32 about dormitory of the needs there, 27:36 the need to send more evangelists out, 27:38 male and female, 27:40 and then the Bibles to communicate the gospel 27:41 in the language of the people? 27:43 So these are things that do need continuous funding. 27:45 Yes, they do. 27:47 I'm gonna talk about that a little later on 27:48 in the program. 27:49 But evangelism is often an outdoor thing. 27:51 Yeah. Let's talk about? 27:53 Well, depending on the air because we have volunteers 27:57 who come to do the evangelistic work with us. 28:00 So what Pastor Ongasa will do is go to the different areas 28:04 and find out where the needs are. 28:07 And sometimes, it will be done in the church, 28:10 it be done in the open area. 28:12 This is outdoor evangelism. This is outdoor evangelism. 28:14 Wow. Right. 28:16 And, so all these... 28:17 Under the canopy of heaven. 28:18 Under the canopy of heaven where the angels are watching. 28:21 That's right. Wow, what an amazing thing. 28:22 And the people are giving their lives to the Lord, 28:25 so a lot of things are happening there 28:27 and we are excited about it 28:30 because so far we have started close to about 70 churches. 28:35 Not 70 yet but about 68, 69 churches so far. 28:37 Okay. 28:39 You know the amazing thing about 28:40 what you just talked about is evangelism happens not, 28:44 and I wanna make this point, 28:46 not because of what we have as far as physical plant, 28:49 but the desire in the heart of the people. 28:52 It's amazing when we go around the country, 28:54 actually around the world, 28:56 people are willing not to sit on a comfortable pew, 28:58 but they're willing to sit on the ground, 29:00 or they'll stand if they need to 29:02 just to hear the Word of God. 29:04 That's what continually drives you 29:06 to continue to be involved in evangelism. 29:08 It does, because I see the interest in the people, 29:11 I see the desire to know about the gospel, 29:14 and as we go to different places, 29:16 you know, we see opposition. 29:18 One time, 29:20 there was a bunch of witches got together. 29:24 And they decided, 29:26 they're gonna cast a spell on one of the preachers. 29:29 So they drew straws, and one woman was selected. 29:33 She walked 15 miles to come to the meeting. 29:37 And when the meeting started, she sat at the back. 29:40 And when the meeting started, she fell asleep. 29:43 When the meeting finished, 29:45 she woke up and she walked 15 miles home. 29:49 The next night she came back, she walked 15 miles again, 29:53 sat at the back and when the meeting started, 29:55 she fell asleep again. 29:57 So she had to walk on 15 miles again. 30:01 The next night she came with an effigy and... 30:04 With the what? 30:06 Image of... 30:08 Okay, like the image. 30:10 And she went in, 30:13 the announcement was made for the appeal for baptism. 30:15 People were going for baptism, and she followed the group, 30:18 and she had the image walking behind them. 30:20 Intending to use it. 30:22 Intending to use it 'cause of spell. 30:23 And when she reached in front of the, 30:26 approach the preacher, 30:29 she saw a ring of fire around the preacher. 30:32 Wow. 30:34 She was the only one who saw it. 30:37 She had the thing in her hand. 30:38 She put her face to the ground, and she said, 30:40 "Jesus is too powerful for Satan. 30:42 I must serve this Lord." 30:44 Wow. 30:45 She gave her life to the Lord, she got baptized, 30:49 and it was in television that the witch got baptized. 30:51 Praise the Lord. 30:52 It was on the newspaper, a witch got baptized. 30:54 Well, that just made the hair on my arm raise. 30:56 But the Lord has been blessing 31:00 and I mean, I can tell you stories of another young man 31:04 who was selling liquor, alcohol, 31:07 and he passed by the meeting, 31:09 and sat down and got interested in meeting. 31:12 His father had a distillery that was making liquor 31:15 and he was the one running selling the liquor. 31:17 Yes. 31:18 So after coming for few nights, 31:20 he went to his father and he told his father 31:21 you know, he wanted to get baptized. 31:23 Father said to him, "If you get baptized, 31:25 I'm gonna put you out." 31:29 He decided to get baptized. 31:31 He went home and the father said to him, 31:33 "Did you get baptized?" 31:35 He said, "Yes." 31:36 The father beat him, 31:39 took all the clothes out of him, 31:41 sent him into the street naked, about 13, 14 years old. 31:46 The church got together and adopted him, 31:49 buy clothes for him and took care of him. 31:51 So some of the things that are happening 31:53 and always you see... 31:54 Disowning of family members. 31:56 Of family members, yes. 31:57 So it's true in the Bible when the Bible says, you know, 31:59 father against children, son against mother, 32:01 you know all these interfamily conflicts, 32:06 the gospel and that's where the gospel becomes a sword. 32:08 Yes. 32:10 Doesn't always bring peace. No. 32:12 It's amazing how in America 32:13 we want the peaceful side of the gospel. 32:15 We ask questions, 32:16 what do I have to give up when in fact, 32:18 people are willing to give up life, family, limb, clothing... 32:20 I have seen it. 32:22 You've seen it? I have seen it. 32:23 When I was in India, 32:24 we had a fight started in the tent 32:29 because the husband did not want 32:31 his wife to be baptized. 32:33 But she got baptized anyway. 32:35 Wow, willing to say, 32:36 I'm choosing the Lord over you in spite of the fight. 32:39 Yes. 32:40 And even in the Congo there's a young man, 32:44 his wife when she got baptized, 32:47 and he came in while baptism was going on, 32:50 beat his wife among everyone and sent her home. 32:53 And told her you're not getting baptized 32:54 but while when we left, 32:57 we got an email afterwards saying that she got baptized. 33:01 When the Holy Spirit touches you... 33:03 Let me tell you something. 33:05 Nothing that man can do to prevent 33:07 the power of the Spirit of God. 33:08 That was an amazing testimony 33:10 about the witch who saw the ring of fire. 33:11 Yes. 33:13 But let's go back to that picture of the lady 33:14 being baptized. 33:15 Is that the 87 year old that being baptized? 33:17 Yes. What's the story here? 33:19 Her name is Fideli. 33:21 She came from a village and, of course, 33:24 with the work we're doing, 33:26 we go to different areas and we keep health messages. 33:30 But while we're doing the health messages 33:32 in the morning, we do preaching in the morning, 33:34 do Bible study, and then in the afternoon 33:37 we do the health messages. 33:39 Yes. 33:40 She came in, while the first thing is 33:42 someone told her years ago about this man called Jesus. 33:47 She heard about Jesus and she said, 33:49 Jesus just goes around with His disciples 33:52 and they go from village to village 33:53 and they heal people. 33:55 And she heard about it years ago. 33:58 So one day her daughter came home 34:00 with the advertising we had 34:02 about the medical work we're gonna do 34:04 and she said, she tell her mother 34:08 they're doing a health message and it's gonna be here, 34:11 and the mother ask her, "Do they preach? 34:13 Do they pray?" 34:16 And she said, "Yes." 34:18 So she tells, "She's gonna come." 34:20 She came, she was treated the first day, 34:22 and she listened to the messages 34:25 and every day she came, she listen to the messages. 34:29 So one day she said to the person 34:31 who was giving the Bible studies, said, 34:35 "I want to see Jesus." 34:38 And he said to her, 34:39 "Jesus is not here, He's in heaven. 34:41 And He's coming back to take His children with Him. 34:44 And there would be no more death, 34:46 no more sickness, no more disease." 34:47 Right. 34:49 And she said, 34:50 "That's the Jesus I want to know." 34:51 Wow. 34:54 While we were doing that program, 34:57 18 people got baptized. 34:58 She was one of them who got baptized. 35:00 Amen. 35:02 She was so weak she could not go into the water 35:04 so we have to pick her up bodily, 35:06 and put her into the water. 35:09 She got baptized 35:11 two weeks afterwards, she was gone. 35:14 She died. 35:15 Wow. 35:17 Gave her life to the Lord... 35:18 Before the doors close. Just in time. 35:19 Praise God. 35:21 That's why missions are so vitally important, 35:22 because there are people, you know, Luke 19:10, 35:25 "The Son of man is come to seek 35:26 and to save that which was lost." 35:28 That's the mission of the evangelists 35:29 to seek those who are lost. 35:30 Yes. 35:32 But in these developed countries, 35:33 many people don't think 35:35 because of all the things that we have around us, 35:36 the accoutrements of life, 35:37 we don't think of ourselves as loss. 35:39 We think of ourselves as comfortable, 35:40 and well provided from, 35:42 well taken care of and financially stable, 35:44 when the fact what the condition of our lives 35:46 is really what evangelism is all about. 35:48 But you're not only involved in the medical side, 35:51 you know the headquarters, the dormitory, the graduates, 35:54 but there's some needs. 35:55 Talk about the glasses 35:56 because that's something that you have the need of. 35:58 Yeah, the glasses are very important 36:00 because a lot of them, when they take glasses, 36:03 even the pastors in the church, they can't see. 36:06 And when we give them the glasses, 36:07 they are so happy 36:09 because now they can read the fine lines 36:12 that they could not read before. 36:13 How do you get the glasses? 36:15 We have donations. Okay. 36:16 We have people who donate a lot of glasses. 36:18 We get 300, 400, 500 glasses and we go over there 36:22 and we have despite of the ministry, 36:24 when we're doing the medical work, we 36:25 have one area for glasses and everyone comes in, 36:28 and we test their eyes to see if they can read, 36:32 and which one is good. 36:33 Sometimes if it's too strong, you know, they get headache. 36:35 Right. 36:36 If you get an headache, you know, you can't use it. 36:38 That's worse. 36:40 We find one for them 36:41 that is they're comfortable with. 36:44 And that happened but what happened on this time, 36:48 there was a president, 36:50 the General of the Army in the Congo. 36:55 He told his wife, his family, 36:58 "I don't like these churches and them. 37:01 They don't do anything for me. 37:03 They come, they take the money and all these other things, 37:06 But nothing is being done 37:08 for the people that get all the money for themselves 37:11 and they do nothing for the people." 37:13 He said to his family, 37:15 "Don't go to none of these churches." 37:16 So they never went. 37:18 But one day his wife went to Kinshasa to do something, 37:22 shopping or something. 37:23 She passed where we were doing some medical work. 37:26 And she went there, and when she went back home, 37:29 she came back with a pair of glasses. 37:32 So the husband looked at her and said, 37:33 "Where did you get that?" 37:36 She said, "There is a medical work going on 37:39 and when I get my eyes tested, 37:42 and I got a pair of glass and I can see. 37:44 So the General said, "Those are expensive glasses. 37:48 How could you get such an expensive glass?" 37:50 She said, "Well, it was free." 37:52 He said, "I don't believe it." 37:54 So he told his daughter, right. 37:57 with the bodyguard to go down there and see. 38:01 He said, "I don't believe the wife." 38:04 So the daughter went down there 38:06 and came back with a pair of glasses 38:07 because she had problems, she also. 38:10 So he looked at her and he said, 38:13 "These are expensive glasses." 38:15 The daughter told him it was free. 38:18 So he said... 38:19 The wife said to him, "Why don't you go yourself," 38:22 you know, or send the general, 38:25 not general but send a major 38:27 or colonel to go as representative. 38:29 He said, "No, I'm going to go myself." 38:32 So he went down there, and he saw what was happening. 38:37 And he said, "I want to see the leader." 38:39 So he saw Pastor Ongasa. 38:40 And he said... 38:43 "Why are you giving these things out?" 38:44 He said, "We work on an organization as this." 38:48 He said, "We were a church." 38:50 He said, "What kind of church?" 38:51 He said, "We are Seventh-day Adventist Church." 38:53 He said, the General said, "I never heard of this church." 38:56 He said well, Adventist means that 38:58 we're looking for the Second Coming of Jesus 39:01 and the seventh day means that we worship on the seventh day 39:04 according to what the Bible says. 39:06 So the General said, 39:09 "I want you to come and give me some Bible studies.. 39:11 Praise the Lord, okay. 39:13 So Pastor Ongasa could not do it 39:15 so he sent another person, Bible worker, 39:18 to go to the place. 39:19 And the Bible worker came back. 39:21 He said, 39:22 "The amount of security clearance 39:24 he had to go through." 39:26 I could imagine. He was right. 39:27 To get to this General. 39:29 And now this General, desiring Bible studies. 39:33 Praise the Lord. 39:35 This is the... 39:36 This is one of the areas 39:38 where we're giving the Bible studies. 39:39 Wow. 39:40 Is that the General? 39:42 I think that is the General. 39:43 I think that's on to the left. Yeah. 39:45 With the Bible workers, yes. 39:47 Wow. Yeah. 39:48 It's amazing how God works. 39:49 These are hoops 39:51 that could not be have been moved 39:53 by just your authority 39:54 or you just desiring to go to the General. 39:56 You wouldn't get there alive. 39:58 Could not get there. 39:59 The medical work. 40:01 The medical work, that's why. 40:02 Because you couldn't got in there with the gospel first. 40:05 First, no. 40:06 He had to see the gospel in us. He had to see the gospel in us. 40:07 That's important. 40:09 People need to understand 40:10 that the gospel is not just something that's Bible based, 40:14 but it's functional it is in the lives. 40:16 Talk about blood testing? 40:18 Blood testing, well, that's one of the things we do 40:20 in the medical field when we go out there. 40:23 We have different branches, we have different tables, 40:25 one for blood testing. 40:27 We test them there and then we have a clinic. 40:33 We get donations from medical, 40:35 different medicines 40:37 and whatever their needs are after the doctor sees them, 40:40 they go to the clinic, 40:42 the doctor writes out a prescription 40:44 and whatever we have there, 40:45 we give it to them so they can be helped. 40:48 So this picture about sponsored services, 40:50 you could tell us what this is 40:52 because there are more services, 40:53 you have the blood testing, you also have the... 40:55 Well, what we do here is 40:58 that when the children are really sick 41:01 and their parents cannot afford to send them to the hospital, 41:05 we pay for the operation. 41:10 We pay the doctor to take care of them to make sure. 41:12 This little girl here, her eye was swollen. 41:17 She had an infection in the eye, the right eye. 41:19 It was so big, we couldn't show the picture. 41:22 And after the operation and everything, 41:26 the eye, they put a patch on the eye 41:28 and she able to remove it 41:30 because it was one of the biggest I've seen. 41:33 There are so many diseases over there. 41:35 There are some pictures I cannot even show 41:39 because people will cry when they see these things. 41:41 There was one boy, 41:43 whose eye, the white of his eye, 41:45 the pink of his eye, whole thing was out. 41:48 His brain hemorrhage was swollen... 41:51 Pushing the eye out. 41:53 Pushed the eye out 41:54 and he could not see, he was blind. 41:56 And I mean... 41:57 And these are things in America or in developed countries 42:00 at the inception of these diseases that could be handled. 42:03 It could be handled. 42:05 But it was so far gone 42:06 that young man is probably dead by now. 42:09 He was only about nine years. 42:10 His mother had to take him on her back 42:14 and cover his face with a shawl 42:17 or something like so no one can see it. 42:19 And when she opened it up, it was like a horror movie. 42:23 Right. Because such a... 42:24 It was a shock, yes. The deformity. 42:27 Wow. But then you have a clinic. 42:29 You talked about the clinic that sponsored. 42:32 That's one of our future plans. 42:35 We want to build a clinic also, 42:36 so we need sponsoring for that also. 42:39 And then getting around... Yeah. 42:43 This is also the part of the medical work we're doing. 42:45 Okay. Yeah. 42:46 When we have the clinic, 42:48 this is where some of them are treated, 42:50 we got different posts 42:51 and different positions depending on the need. 42:53 Throughout your centers. Yes, throughout our centers. 42:55 Wherever you needs are, 42:57 you're sent there to be treated. 43:00 Okay. Yeah. 43:01 And what about, 43:02 you talk about government trucks, 43:04 talk about that for a moment? 43:05 Oh, when those, the medical, the government, 43:08 so what we're doing so much 43:10 that they lent us those medical trucks. 43:12 Amen. 43:14 And they are like practically ours now 43:16 because whenever we want it, 43:17 whenever we need them, the government said, 43:20 take it because the needs of the people are so great. 43:25 And we have doctors who come in and volunteer 43:27 to do the work that is needed in these areas. 43:31 And while that is being done, evangelism's being done also. 43:35 So that is why so far 43:36 we have about 69, 68 churches started throughout the country. 43:41 Where there was none. Where there was none. 43:43 And all in the arm of the medical evangelism. 43:46 On medical evangelism. 43:47 That's huge. 43:49 That's amazing. 43:50 That's God driven. 43:52 Yes, yes. 43:53 And one of the things we do also at Train Them 2 Fish 43:56 is that we find out the needs of the people. 44:00 They don't have any money, they cannot make a living 44:03 so what we do is we train them to do something 44:05 and what we're doing, 44:06 one of the things that we're teaching them how to sew. 44:09 Okay. 44:10 So we buy machines, teach them how to sew, 44:14 give them the machines, buy the material, 44:17 and let them go out and do the work 44:19 and can provide living for themselves. 44:23 Right, provide an income. Yeah, income. 44:25 You know, it's amazing. 44:26 We think of the generation 44:28 which we live is a very capable, 44:29 very well stocked generation. 44:31 But there are parts of the world 44:33 where the basic necessities of life are missing. 44:36 And in the Republic of Congo, that's in fact... 44:41 It is a dire need. 44:42 A dire need. Yes, yes. 44:44 And you know what's amazing. 44:45 We talk about where you are before. 44:47 I'm sitting here amazed 44:48 because the Lord picked you, the Lord chose you. 44:52 I can never believe at just a little person from Trinidad, 44:57 the Lord can send me all over the world. 45:00 I've been to three continents already. 45:02 Okay. 45:03 You know, and I said, Lord 45:06 I used to teach martial arts before 45:09 and I said, Lord, you know, I used to be proud of myself 45:12 because I was physically fit and I was into my own pride. 45:17 I said, Lord, you know, 45:19 now I gotta keep this body fit to do your work. 45:21 That's right. 45:22 So that's what I'm doing. 45:24 And so, what are some of your needs, 45:25 what are some of the future plans that you have 45:27 that people that are watching this program or listening to it 45:30 can also participate in, because you are a 501c3? 45:33 Yes, we are planning to go 45:35 to the different French speaking countries. 45:37 Okay. 45:38 We are in Gabon, 45:40 we want to go to Congo-Brazzaville 45:43 which is the smaller country, 45:45 and we have some students coming from there, 45:48 that's gonna be taught, 45:50 until they can go back in internal area. 45:52 We have Central Africa, 45:54 we're working on also on these different areas. 45:56 And we need the funding for these places. 46:00 We need the funding for the churches 46:01 to build the churches. 46:03 We need the funding for the Bibles 46:05 and we even got funding for... 46:07 We're working with AWR also, Adventist World Radio. 46:11 And we got a funding for a license in Togo. 46:16 Okay, to put a broadcast? To put a broadcast over there. 46:19 So all these things are needed and some of the young people, 46:24 we need to provide jobs for them. 46:26 And one of the things we saw is that there was no 46:30 whole wheat bread in the country. 46:34 So we were thinking of 46:36 and also we're trying to start a brick-making factory. 46:41 Okay. 46:42 You can buy their equipment and sell the bricks to people 46:46 who wants and even use it to build our own churches. 46:50 Now what about one day church? 46:52 One day churches, well, 46:54 this church is built in about a day and a half. 46:59 And it's not really from Maranatha, 47:04 these people wanted the church so badly 47:06 that we bought the material, 47:09 and they themselves put the church up. 47:10 Wow and they did it in one day? 47:13 In one day. 47:14 And then if we look at the roof, 47:15 you can see, there is no galvanax. 47:17 They put a tarpaulin, 47:20 you know, and on the side of the church, 47:22 they're gonna put a tarp also or a sheeting to, 47:27 you know, which can block everything 47:29 and could be inclusive. 47:30 Like elements and other. Yes, yeah. 47:32 That's amazing. 47:33 Here we are blessed in America 47:35 and I say America because that's where we are, 47:38 but many parts of the world 47:40 are blessed with very capable facilities 47:44 have the great medical parks, 47:46 but the way that God is impressed you 47:49 and Train Them 2 Fish, 47:51 how many people are involved in Train Them 2 Fish with you? 47:55 Well, we have... 47:59 a lot of people coming 48:00 from different areas and different organizations. 48:02 Lot of volunteers? Yeah, lot of volunteers. 48:04 We have the Bible workers really started the volunteer 48:09 but then we realized the need to take care of themselves, 48:14 so we had to give them a stipend 48:16 so they can live and can go out and spread the gospel 48:18 and that's how the churches are developing. 48:21 So how much time do you spend over in Congo? 48:25 Usually about three weeks. 48:26 I am planning to go there again to see how things are going, 48:31 see what we're doing. 48:32 I'm looking at the... 48:34 I was in Tanzania this year, 48:37 and I saw the need for... 48:41 those who are getting baptized, 48:42 they don't have any living at all. 48:46 So I'm looking to see if we can get a sponsor to buy 48:49 some of the Bajaj, 48:51 the three wheel tuk tuk they call that. 48:54 What is some like that cost generally? 48:57 It costs 1,300. 48:59 I'm buying them wholesale in China. 49:02 Okay. 49:03 If I can get them wholesale in China, 49:05 to 1300 for one. 49:07 In the Congo if you're going to buy, 49:09 it's about $3000-$4000 for one. 49:11 Wow. 49:13 So I have already contacted the company that makes them 49:17 and they contacted me, 49:18 they can ship it in about six at a time 49:23 and they will take it and send it to the Congo 49:25 and the government is gonna help us 49:27 with the licenses and everything. 49:30 And what we're planning to do is that, 49:32 once we get those, 49:34 those who are gonna be using it, 49:36 they're gonna give us back money, 49:38 they gradually pay us for it. 49:40 So at the end, it could become theirs, 49:43 and the money they're giving us, 49:44 we can go and buy more. 49:46 Okay, I like it. 49:47 So while you're providing the need, 49:49 the need is being also reimbursed 49:52 so that the money that 49:54 can go on and take another projects. 49:55 And continue, yes, yes. 49:57 So that is one of the plans we wanna have. 49:59 And so when you think about 50:01 where you were and where you are, 50:05 how do you handle that? 50:07 I can only say God... 50:11 As a matter of fact, 50:12 you know, I know the Lord is with me 50:14 because He spoke to me twice. 50:18 I was with NAPS when Katrina 50:20 happened in couple of years ago, 50:23 and we were on the beach 50:26 and we were moving one of the trucks we brought, 50:30 they know those of U-Haul, 50:32 that you pull, you wanna think so. 50:35 Trailers. Trailers. 50:37 So we wanted to hitch it 50:40 and three or four the guys lifted up 50:43 and they dropped it 50:45 and I tried by myself to lift it 50:48 and I end up tearing my back. 50:52 The lumbar area, my muscles were torn, 50:55 I was sleeping on the beach in a tent 51:00 and I was in excruciating pain. 51:03 And I said, "Lord, you know, the devil's trying to kill me?" 51:05 Because I'm trying to do your work 51:07 and here I am with all this pain, 51:09 You need to help me, Lord. 51:10 Right. 51:12 So I heard a voice in the dark said, 51:14 "I love you, I love you." 51:17 Two weeks afterwards, it was another hurricane 51:20 that came to the country. 51:22 And I went with my friend, 51:24 who was in that area, in the bay area. 51:27 To help him, I had a chainsaw in my hand, and I was... 51:31 Before that, I could hardly move. 51:34 I did not even realize the pain was gone. 51:36 The pain was gone. 51:38 Pain was gone and it never came back. 51:40 Wow. 51:42 Well, you know, Brother George Lee, 51:43 I know I want the people to be able to get in touch with you 51:45 because the things we talked about that, 51:47 that needs to be sponsored. 51:48 This is the information that you need 51:51 to get in touch with Train Them 2 Fish, 51:54 and President and CEO, George Lee 51:56 will be very appreciative. 52:02 Train Them 2 Fish ministers to the French-speaking countries 52:04 of Central Africa and beyond through evangelism, 52:07 medical care and self-sustainability 52:09 as well as one day churches and orphan care. 52:11 If you like to help train and support Bible workers, 52:14 sponsor an orphan 52:15 or buy Bibles or sewing machines, 52:17 please visit TT2FWorld.org. 52:21 That's TT2FWorld.org. 52:26 You may also call them at (304) 279-3158, 52:31 or write to Train Them 2 Fish, PO Box 642, 52:35 Fletcher, North Carolina 28732. |
Revised 2020-02-25