Participants:
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY220042A
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00:04 I want to spend my life
00:09 mending broken people. 00:14 I want to spend my life 00:21 removing pain. 00:25 Lord, let my words 00:31 heal a heart that hurts. 00:36 I want to spend my life 00:42 mending broken people... 00:47 I want to spend my life 00:52 mending broken people. 01:06 Hello... I'm Jill Morikone, and I just want to welcome you 01:09 at home to another 3ABN Today program. 01:13 Thank you for joining us. 01:14 Thank you for being part of our family. 01:17 And if you are a man or a woman, 01:19 if you are young, middle-aged, or older 01:23 this program is for you. 01:26 It's specifically centered around women's ministries 01:30 but you know, we're all impacted by women... 01:32 whether a mother or a spouse or a co-worker 01:35 or someone in the church or in the community. 01:40 You know, one of my favorite scriptures is Isaiah chapter 61. 01:44 And it's actually a Messianic prophecy 01:46 and Jesus, when He stands up in Nazareth, 01:48 He reads from the scroll of Isaiah. 01:52 And He reads this portion of Scripture and He says: 01:54 "This day this is fulfilled in your hearing. " 01:57 But you know what? I think in a special way 01:59 this scripture applies to women. 02:01 Isaiah chapter 61 says: "The Spirit of the Lord 02:04 is upon Me. The Lord has anointed Me 02:06 to preach good tidings to the poor, 02:09 sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, 02:12 to proclaim liberty to the captives, 02:14 to the opening of the prison to those who are bound, 02:19 to comfort those who mourn, 02:20 to console those who mourn in Zion, 02:23 to give them beauty for ashes, 02:25 the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise 02:28 for the spirit of heaviness. " 02:31 Today we're going to talk about all things, women. 02:33 Women's issues. What are the specific needs 02:37 that women deal with today? Not just in the US of A 02:41 but on a global scale. 02:43 And what can we do as Christians 02:45 and more specifically as Seventh-day Adventist Christians 02:50 to lift up? To comfort? To help those who are in need? 02:56 It's my great privilege to introduce to you 03:00 the Women's Ministries Director 03:03 for the SDA church. She is the General Conference 03:06 Women's Ministries Director: Mrs. Heather-Dawn Small. 03:09 And if you've watched 3ABN for any length of time 03:12 she's no stranger to you because she's been on the program 03:15 before. But this is my first opportunity 03:17 to interview her. And Heather- Dawn, you're joining us via 03:20 Skype because you could not be here in studio with us. 03:23 But we're so glad to have you here, my sister. 03:26 Thank you so much... I'm glad to be here. 03:29 So why don't you tell us... Maybe someone's saying: 03:32 "Who is Heather-Dawn? " So why don't you tell us 03:34 who is Heather-Dawn? And why is Women's Ministries 03:37 important to you? Well, if you'd asked me that question 03:42 a few years ago I would have said 03:45 "Heather-Dawn is a pastor's wife. 03:48 She's a mother and she's a director. " 03:52 I would have named all these things that I do. 03:55 However, I learned many years ago 03:58 that my identity is connected to my Father in heaven. 04:02 So Heather-Dawn is first a daughter of God. 04:06 And my identity - who I am - 04:09 how precious I am is because I know God is my Father. 04:14 That's the answer that I would give you now. 04:18 Why is Women's Ministries so important to me? 04:21 Because it is something that God has called me to do. 04:25 He has placed it in my hands 04:27 and He has asked me to look after His daughters 04:31 in whatever way I can from the level of the church 04:35 that He has placed me at. 04:37 And I take that very seriously. 04:39 As well I have a heart that's like all women. 04:44 You know, I feel women's pain. 04:47 I cry their tears; I love to hug and comfort 04:53 and just care for other women. 04:56 And of course, that includes children and men as well. 05:00 But women hurt so much in the world in which we live 05:05 that I'm actually glad this is something that God has 05:08 called me to. Amen! That's beautiful! 05:11 God has given you a spirit of compassion 05:13 and a spirit of love and nurturing for other women. 05:17 Tell me... I know we're going to go to a song in just a moment 05:20 but tell me: has life always been easy for you? 05:23 This spirit of compassion & com- fort that you exhibit to other 05:26 people does that come out of "OK, my life was always easy 05:30 and I never encountered any issues? " 05:32 I know when you have been on 3ABN before 05:34 you have shared some of your journey 05:36 so why don't you give us just a little piece of that. 05:40 Well no... life has not been easy for me. 05:43 I don't think it's been easy for anyone 05:45 but I sometimes think that maybe I'm a distant cousin of Job. 05:51 I've had my challenges... I still do 05:54 from my younger days when I was in a car accident. 05:59 At one time injured my back, couldn't walk. 06:02 I lost my first-born son when he was 4 years old 06:07 to an attack by a dog 06:10 and through the years I faced physical challenges. 06:14 In the past 20 years, I have had 06:16 six knee replacement surgeries: 06:19 three on one knee... three on the other. 06:22 I live with pain... you know, chronic pain. 06:28 And that's something that I have not allowed 06:33 to stop me from doing what God wants me to do. 06:36 But it's only because He gives me the strength to do that. 06:41 If not, I would just fall apart at the seams. 06:44 So I think of a Bible verse II Corinthians 1:3-4 06:50 that says: "Blessed be the God and Father 06:53 of our Lord Jesus Christ, 06:55 the Father of mercy and the God of all comfort 06:59 who comforts us in all our tribulation 07:02 that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble 07:07 with the comfort with which we ourselves 07:11 are comforted by God. " 07:13 So when I look at my life 07:15 and I see the many difficulties that I have had in my life 07:19 I see the comfort that God has given me 07:24 is something that He wants me to pass on to others. 07:27 'Cause whatever He gives He gives in abundant measures. 07:31 He doesn't give a little bit here and a little bit there. 07:33 He gives till the cup is overflowing. 07:36 So that comfort that He has given me 07:39 I know it has helped me to experience... 07:44 to have relationships with other women 07:48 even when it's just a passing connection. 07:51 It made a huge difference because of Him comforting me 07:56 and then me in turn being able to comfort other women. 07:59 Amen! I love that, and I love what's right behind you. 08:03 On my side, it's on the right side of the screen. 08:05 It says joy. It's a good word. Yes! 08:09 So what you have walked through and what you have experienced 08:13 and yet you have discovered who you are in Christ 08:16 and He has filled you with comfort 08:18 so you can extend that to someone else. 08:20 So today we're going to talk about all issues pertaining 08:24 to women. What is Women's Ministry? 08:27 How you can become involved. 08:29 We're going to touch on topics of abuse, poverty, 08:33 illiteracy, women's health both physically and mentally. 08:38 So this is a program that is specifically for you. 08:42 But before we go any further 08:43 we're going to have a special song & then we'll have a prayer 08:46 and jump right into our topic. 08:48 But the song is from Pam Lister 08:50 and she will be ministering When I Turn To You. 09:20 When I turn to You 09:25 You are always waiting 09:32 with a heart that understands 09:37 before I speak. 09:43 And I learn from You 09:48 all that really matters: 09:55 though a million years go by 10:00 You'll still love me. 10:06 I no longer look for a place to hide 10:13 'cause I know where I belong. 10:18 When I turn to You, 10:23 when I turn to You, 10:29 when I turn to You, dear Lord, 10:33 I know that I love You. 10:41 When I turn to You 10:45 You are watching over me 10:53 through the eyes that look beyond 10:58 the faults I see. 11:04 And I learn from You 11:09 You are always merciful 11:16 though I remember all 11:19 that You've forgiven me. 11:27 I no longer look 11:31 for a place to hide 11:34 'cause I know where I belong. 11:39 When I turn to You, 11:44 when I turn to You, 11:50 when I turn to You, dear Lord, 11:54 I know that I love You. 12:22 I no longer look 12:26 for a place to hide 12:29 'cause I know where I belong. 12:33 When I turn to You, 12:39 when I turn to You, 12:45 when I turn to You, dear Lord, 12:49 I know that I love You... 12:57 When I turn to You, dear Lord, 13:01 I know that I 13:06 love You. 13:26 Amen! I love that song. Thank you so much, Pam, 13:30 for that song: When I Turn To You. 13:31 I no longer look for a place to hide 13:34 because I know I belong. 13:37 Praise the Lord each one of us know 13:40 that we belong - can belong - in Him as His daughters. 13:44 If you're just joining us, 13:46 it is our great privilege to have with us via Skype 13:49 Heather-Dawn Small, who is the Women's Ministries Director 13:53 for the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. 13:56 And it is such a privilege, Heather, to have you here. 13:59 And before we go any further would you have a word of prayer 14:02 for us that God would just lead and guide in our discussion 14:05 together? Yes, of course. 14:08 Father, we thank You that we have this awesome privilege 14:12 of being able to connect via electronic media. 14:16 We are so thankful for all those who will see this program 14:21 and who because they are watching it 14:25 and they may have a need... They may be going through 14:28 some sort of emotional, physical, or whatever the pain 14:31 may be, may the words we say, may what we talk about 14:36 be something that comforts them and that points them to Jesus 14:41 because being in Jesus is the best place to belong. 14:44 Yes. So thank you so much, Lord, again for this awesome privilege 14:48 and I just thank You 14:51 and I ask You to just guide Jill as she asks me questions 14:55 and as I answer. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Amen! 15:00 Well let's just start with a basic one 15:02 or you might think it basic to start with, Heather-Dawn. 15:04 What is Women's Ministries? 15:06 And as we talk about what is Women's Ministries 15:08 let's talk about what it is and what it is not. 15:11 OK. Well I'm tempted to go to what it's not 15:15 but let me start with what it is. 15:17 You did something at the beginning that 15:21 I didn't know you were going to share this particular 15:24 Bible verse but you did: Isaiah 61 verses 1 to 3. 15:28 Now when I become director for this department 15:32 and I was associate director for four years before 15:35 but when I became director I remember feeling a huge 15:39 weight as to: "Lord, what am I going to do 15:42 for the women of the church? " 15:45 And "How are the women of the church then going to reach 15:48 women in the world? " You know we're talking about 15:51 15 million women in the church - Wow! 15:54 and then in the world you're talking about billions. 15:58 So how is this group? 16:00 First, how am I going to minister to this large group 16:03 and then how are they going to minister to the world? 16:07 Yes! And God gave me two things: 16:10 He gave me this passage of Scripture 16:12 and He also gave me Ministry of Healing page 143 16:17 where Spirit of Prophecy talks about 16:21 Christ's method alone. If we are to reach others, 16:24 we need to reach them using His method. 16:27 And so from that point on 16:30 everything that we have done in Women's Ministry 16:33 has been following the pattern that Jesus laid down for us. 16:38 And we know that the anointing that the Spirit placed on Jesus 16:42 He places on each one of His daughters and sons 16:45 as well so that we cannot just talk about Him 16:50 but we can show His love in so many ways. 16:53 So Women's Ministry is about 16:56 nurturing our sisters to... We nurture them spiritually 17:02 first because that relationship with God - 17:06 the vertical relationship that we have with Him - 17:09 feeds the horizontal relationship 17:12 and helps us deal with every- thing on the horizontal plane. 17:16 But we've got to get the vertical connected first. 17:20 Yes? Can I? I'm sorry. I know it's hard with Skype 17:24 because it's hard... we can't see each other. 17:25 So can I interrupt? How can you? Before we go on 17:28 to the other type how do you seek to nurture 17:32 that relationship with God vertically? 17:34 Anything specific? Yes, we do talk about 17:38 the relationship with Jesus. So a number of our resources 17:44 are based in the area of spiritual nurturing. 17:50 We have Bible study lessons 17:53 and we have a women's Bible which we produced. 17:57 And we have seminars... a wide range of resources 18:01 that women can be... that are available to our sisters 18:05 that have been translated in many languages 18:08 so that they can be encouraged in their walk with Jesus. 18:12 Because that's number one. 18:14 If you don't have that right, then nothing falls in place 18:18 as it should. And so we nurture spiritually 18:22 but then there's also the physical nurturing 18:25 and the social nurturing and emotional nurturing. 18:28 So all our resources have been created in those various areas. 18:33 So number one for us is nurture. 18:35 Then the second thing is to empower. 18:38 We do this by training... 18:40 training our women to do evangelism. 18:43 How do I give a Bible study? 18:44 How do I first connect with someone? 18:47 How do I talk to someone who is an atheist 18:51 or is of a non-Christian religion? 18:55 So we've got all those resources 18:57 that we train our sisters in those areas 19:00 so that they feel empowered. 19:03 "I can reach out to somebody and tell them about Jesus. " 19:06 And the third area is outreach. 19:09 So once we have nurtured - 19:11 and nurturing is an on-going process - 19:13 empowering is also an on-going process. 19:17 And of course outreach is then fed by what they have 19:21 gotten in the first two areas. 19:23 Now I can reach out. I live my life reaching out. 19:28 So evangelism or outreach is not an event. 19:33 It's not a time or place... it's my life. 19:36 Now... what it isn't. 19:39 It's not a tea party. 19:41 It's not a time for us to sit down and talk about 19:45 our husbands or about men 19:47 and gossip and tear them to pieces. 19:49 It's not a lot of frills 19:53 and lots of foofoo... you know, nice things. 19:57 Now it's not that those don't have a place. 20:00 They certainly do. 20:02 However, that's not our main focus. 20:05 That's what we may do to nurture ourselves 20:07 like we then go to a retreat 20:09 or we actually will have a tea party. 20:11 But that tea party's not just to sit down and drink tea. 20:14 It's an event where we invite other women 20:17 to come and be with us. And when I say, other women 20:21 I'm talking about women in our community. 20:23 You know, so that we have that chit-chat time 20:26 but then it begins with or ends with a spiritual thought. 20:30 So we use those frills. 20:33 That's important because we are women 20:36 but it's not the focus. 20:37 The focus is sharing the love of Jesus. 20:40 I love that! So what I'm hearing 20:42 is you're very intentional. Very much so. 20:45 Intentional about nurture; intentional about empowerment; 20:48 and intentional about outreach. 20:50 What a wonderful like three-pronged approach! 20:53 Can we talk just a moment? You focused on the spiritual 20:56 aspect and the vertical. Let's talk... 20:58 and we kind of glossed over the other... 21:00 what would be some of the resources available 21:02 for the social nurturing and the physical nurturing? 21:07 Some of those nurturing? The emotional nurturing? 21:10 Yes, and emotional is a big area for us... especially 21:14 well even before COVID but COVID has really 21:17 put an emphasis on women's mental health. 21:21 Women suffer with things like depression more than men do 21:26 and now we're seeing our young people 21:28 are faced with it as well. 21:31 I have gone through a period of depression in my life. 21:36 And I say period... it's not stopped 21:39 and I take medication for it 21:44 so I understand what it is to be depressed. 21:47 I understand what it is to be suicidal. 21:49 And so that's a big area of what we do 21:53 when it comes under nurturing. 21:54 It's not just physical health. 21:56 Exercise is good: the food that we eat is good. 22:00 We partner with health ministries 22:03 where those areas are concerned. 22:05 But we saw the a need for a specific resource 22:08 that would target women's mental health 22:11 and it's called Thinking Well... Living Well. 22:15 And I just finished doing it with my own church 22:17 about a month or two ago. 22:20 We went through the entire 13-part series 22:23 over about four months. Four Sundays each month. 22:26 And so that's one thing which we do. 22:29 We deliberately partner with other departments 22:32 to create resources because we can't do it all. 22:36 And we have other departments in the church 22:39 that are also focused in these areas. 22:43 I just want to say - just pause for just a moment - 22:47 'cause we kind of glossed over 22:48 that you struggled with depression. 22:50 And you still deal with that - yes - and you take medication. 22:53 I just want to say first of all 22:55 I applaud you for having courage 22:59 to be able to step out 23:01 and share that. I think there's a stigma 23:04 associated with mental health 23:06 in the church. I know people say 23:09 "Oh, well I have physical issues and I can talk about 23:12 those but if I struggle with anxiety 23:15 or I struggle with depression 23:17 or I struggle with mental health" 23:18 we're almost afraid because sometimes in the church 23:22 we're told: "Oh, well you just need to pray more. " 23:25 "You just need to learn to give it to Jesus. " 23:27 So what if someone... I know we have you at home 23:30 we hear from you at home - women AND men - 23:33 who write in and who say: "I'm dealing with 23:36 mental health challenges. " 23:38 What would you tell someone Heather-Dawn? 23:40 What would you say to someone right now 23:42 who's dealing with depression? 23:43 Are there resources? How can they get help? 23:46 What's the first step for them to do? 23:50 Well you know this happens to me all the time. 23:54 I was at a retreat not so long ago 23:56 and I met a dear lady who was suicidal. 24:01 Her depression was that bad 24:03 where she was having suicidal thoughts. 24:05 And the first thing I said to her was: 24:07 "You need to see your doctor as soon as you get back home. " 24:11 So that's the first thing I recommend to people. 24:14 I don't tell them "Go and try a herb. " 24:17 "Take this tea; go and take this medication. " 24:20 No... go and see your doctor 24:23 and let them refer you to someone 24:25 whether it's a psychologist, a psychiatrist. 24:28 Because it depends. Some of us... our depression 24:34 is situational meaning someone has died 24:38 so I'm depressed a period of months. 24:40 Or "I've moved to a new place. I'm depressed because 24:43 I've left my friends and family behind. " 24:45 And so on. But for some of us like myself 24:49 it is clinical... it's a long-term depression 24:52 because whatever chemicals in my brain 24:55 that are supposed to work a certain way just aren't. 24:58 And so the first thing I tell my sisters is: "Please, 25:02 go and see a doctor. " Yes. 25:04 Now that's easy to say... it's not easy to do 25:07 because depending on the culture 25:09 we're thinking of not only globally but America 25:13 is like the globe in the sense of all the different countries 25:16 women will tell you: "I can't go and see a doctor. 25:20 If my family knows that I am depressed and I'm going to 25:23 a doctor, they will tell me I am denying God... 25:26 I am denying the power of God. " 25:28 And I've been through all of that. 25:31 And I want to emphasize to my sisters 25:34 there's nothing wrong with acknowledging 25:39 that something is wrong with you. 25:42 Whether it's hypertension, diabetes... whatever it is... 25:46 get the help that is needed. 25:49 That is so important. 25:51 And so I encourage them and I talk about it 25:54 because God shared with me a long time ago 25:57 I need to share what He's doing in my life. 26:00 Um-hmm. You know I... I talk about the Bible stories. 26:05 They're all wonderful stories 26:07 and they encourage me every day. 26:09 But in this day and age in which we live 26:12 people also need to know: "OK, what has God done for you? " 26:16 Yes! "Tell me how He's helped you in your life. " 26:20 And so I've always been willing 26:23 and even now I will open up and share. 26:26 People say: "Well thank you for being vulnerable. " Yes. 26:29 But I don't see it as vulnerable. 26:31 I see it as letting... encouraging someone. 26:34 I have to tell you all my challenges - 26:37 physical and emotional challenges - 26:39 I know people may look at me and say: 26:44 "How is she a leader? " A leader is supposed to be 26:48 someone strong and who doesn't have all these physical problems 26:52 dealing with... " And so on. 26:54 But you know, my Father told me a long time ago 26:57 when I prayed and asked Him: "Why did He call me 27:02 to this position where I do global travel? " 27:05 Why would He call me to this 27:07 when I have all these weaknesses physically and emotionally? 27:11 You know, I thought if He called me 27:14 He would heal me... that was my thing. 27:16 Yet I answered "yes" because I knew He was going to heal me. 27:19 And He didn't... but what He said to me was: 27:23 "My grace is sufficient. " And you know that verse... 27:26 beautiful verse. II Corinthians 12... yes. 27:28 That's right. But you know what He also said to me? 27:32 "How can you help your sisters if you don't understand 27:35 their pain? " And that really hit home 27:40 because I think I can identify with almost any woman 27:45 on the face of the earth when it comes to physical pain 27:48 or emotional pain or, you know, things 27:51 that they have gone through in their lives. 27:53 And I thank God that He's allowed me to walk this path. 27:57 It's not an easy path... it never has been, 28:01 it never will be. But I walk it with Jesus by my side 28:06 and I know I can do it with Him. 28:09 And I want my sisters to know you can do it with Him too. 28:13 Oh... that's beautiful! I love that. 28:15 If you are watching right now I just want to tell you 28:19 and you're dealing with depression or anxiety 28:21 or some other mental health struggle 28:24 know that you are not alone. 28:27 I loved what you said Heather-Dawn! 28:30 It's so important to go to your doctor to seek help. 28:35 To not hide in shame or some sort of condemnation 28:39 but to reach out. And I think we're kind of morphing into 28:42 how we can help other people 28:44 because you were sharing how you were reaching out 28:47 and how by sharing your testimony 28:49 you can minister and encourage other people maybe 28:53 who are dealing with depression or dealing with mental health 28:56 challenges. So is there anything else? 28:59 Maybe you're watching at home and you're saying 29:01 "OK, well I don't deal with depression but my best friend is 29:05 or my child is. " 29:07 So what would you say to that person? How can 29:09 they come alongside someone and help them with that? 29:13 That's right! You just said it: 29:15 "Come alongside. " OK. We've got to be willing 29:18 to walk the path with someone 29:20 in order to help them through that process. 29:23 If I'm not willing to give of my time 29:26 and my energy to help someone and I just say: "OK, 29:30 here's my doctor's name... go and visit him. " 29:32 That's not enough. Christ is calling us to do more 29:36 than that, you know? It doesn't mean that you get... 29:40 that you've got to get all tied up in that person's life 29:43 if you don't want to. But it DOES mean 29:45 that the person knows that when I think I can't do it 29:48 I know Heather-Dawn's going to be there 29:50 and she's going to call me; Ohh... 29:51 she's going to visit me; she's going to text me; 29:55 she's going to encourage me. That's what people need. 29:58 And that's what God has called us to do. 30:01 And I think - and I say this to my sisters - 30:04 if we would focus on what God has called us to do 30:09 as women to help those in need, 30:12 to help those in pain... whatever that pain may be, 30:15 your own pain becomes so minute in comparison 30:20 it becomes so "doable" 30:24 because you're seeing that I'm doing this. 30:28 Look at what God is doing through me! 30:30 I'm not falling by the wayside 30:32 because He's giving me the power; 30:34 He's giving me the strength; He's giving me the joy 30:37 and the peace of mind. Yes! You know, so that 30:39 even though someone may look at me with my pain 30:43 when I walk and they think: "Oh, she's just not able, " 30:48 I have another thought for them 30:50 because "with Christ I can do all things. " 30:53 Amen! "With Christ I can do all things 30:56 who strengthens me. " That's right! 30:57 Now let's shift focus just a little bit, but 30:59 it's a very similar focus. Let's talk about abuse. 31:03 Now abuse encompasses physical abuse 31:06 and mental abuse... emotional abuse, sexual abuse. 31:10 Let's talk a bit. And we know that abuse is real 31:14 and that abuse happens. Talk to us maybe first of all 31:17 from the victim's perspective. Why does abuse happen? 31:20 And whose fault is it? 'Cause many times 31:23 the victim feels like: "Well, it's my fault... 31:25 I caused it. " So what would you say to that? 31:31 First, let me expand a little bit 31:33 on what you just listed. 31:36 In Women's Ministries we have a program, 31:39 a campaign, an initiative if you want to call it that 31:44 called End It Now. 31:45 And End It Now is Adventists Say No To Violence. 31:49 And all the departments of the church: women, 31:52 family, children, everybody is involved in this. 31:57 Our thought on this is 32:01 abuse is not only in the home. 32:06 OK. It's also in the community. 32:09 When we think of abuse, yes 32:13 family violence is number one 32:16 whether it's between spouses, 32:19 parents abusing children, and so on. 32:23 Yes, that's the number one area. 32:26 But there are other areas. 32:28 And again, because I come from a global perspective 32:32 and I'm saying this more than once because in America 32:37 every part of the globe is here. 32:39 You've got multi-cultures in this country. 32:43 You don't have to go overseas to meet someone from India 32:46 or someone from Australia, that's here 32:51 and their culture is here. 32:53 So when we think of abuse we think of family violence. 32:57 Um-hmm. We think of rape. 32:59 We think of institutional violence 33:02 that happens in prisons where female prisoners 33:07 are raped or beaten by those who should really be 33:12 looking after them so to speak. 33:15 We also think of things like female genital mutilation. 33:19 We think of early childhood marriages 33:22 were little girls ages 9 & 10 are being married off 33:25 to men who are in their 60's and 70's 33:29 who are their uncles and grandfathers. 33:31 And so there are a number of areas of abuse. Yes. 33:35 We think about war, and there's so much abuse 33:39 that's going on now. And I'm not just talking about 33:41 people who are being shot at. I'm thinking about 33:44 those who have had to run: refugees. And if sadly 33:49 they find themselves in a refugee camp 33:51 there is so much abuse that goes on in that environment. 33:55 So... I'm sorry. What about in the church? 34:01 Oh yes... what we call abuse of power. 34:04 Abuse of power is in the church 34:07 where you have someone who is in a position of power 34:09 and they will use that to abuse a child, 34:14 a woman. And so we have sad to say 34:19 but we've got pastors, elders, deacons, 34:23 heads of departments in our churches 34:25 who have abused a woman or a child, 34:29 a young woman in the church. 34:31 And so all of that is included in end it now. 34:35 So when I think abuse, I don't only think family violence. 34:39 Yes. The scope is so much wider. 34:41 Even something as simple as abuse of the elderly. 34:45 Oh, that's true, yes. Children who withhold their parents from 34:50 Social Security checks because they say to them: "I want that 34:55 check so you sign it over to me. If not, I'm not going to give 34:58 you your medication... I'm not going to feed you. " 35:01 You know, these things happen right here in the United States 35:05 and around the world. And so we've got to expand 35:09 our thinking a little bit when it comes to abuse. 35:12 And so when you find someone who's dealing with that 35:15 the first thing you need to ask them is: "How can I help you? " 35:19 Mmm. And I know that from a very bad experience 35:23 that I had where I was giving Bible studies 35:27 to a dear lady, and she wasn't a baptized Christian 35:32 as yet. But I went to give her Bible studies 35:35 one day and she was not in a good place. 35:38 She finally blurted out: "How can you tell me about 35:41 this God of love? Where was He last night 35:44 when my husband was beating me? " 35:46 Ohhh. And as a young pastor's wife 35:49 I did what most of us do: I said to her 35:55 "Well can I pray for you? " 35:58 And we don't really know what to do. 36:00 That's right. And we need to pray for people. 36:03 We DO need to pray for them. Of course. 36:05 But when you meet someone in pain, in sickness, 36:08 the first thing you need to do is: "How can I help you? " 36:12 And that's what I should have said to her. 36:14 "How can I help you? " "Do you need to go to the doctor? " 36:16 "Do you need to go to the police station? " 36:18 "What can I do to help you? " And sadly 36:21 I missed the opportunity. She never called me again 36:25 for Bible studies, and I pray that at some time 36:28 in her life, God brought her back 36:31 face to face with Jesus Christ. 36:33 But it has taught me that when you meet someone in pain 36:37 offer to help. OK. 36:40 That's so important. I'm just sitting here... 36:44 that's a heavy story. 36:46 You know, to think about that. To think about the pain 36:50 she was going through and where was God? 36:52 Because I think that's the problem or one of the problems 36:55 with abuse is that for the victim 36:59 they associate somehow God with that. 37:01 So then they think: "Well then God is abusive. " 37:04 "Well God is hateful. " 37:05 "Well God doesn't love me. " 37:07 Either that or: "Somehow God could have stopped it 37:10 and He didn't. " So then you know there's all these 37:15 questions about God. 37:17 Yeah. And of course because of my own experience 37:20 with my son when he died 37:23 I also went through that period of: "Well God, You could have 37:26 stopped that dog from attacking my son. " 37:29 "You could have stopped the doctor in the hospital 37:32 from putting him to sleep before they asked us 37:35 if he had eaten so that little cornflakes and milk and juice 37:41 he had had that morning wouldn't have come from his 37:44 stomach into his lungs. " Ohh! His heart stopped three times 37:49 and the third time they couldn't get it started again. 37:52 And you know, all those questions go through your mind. 37:55 Right. So I've been there. Yes. 37:56 How have I dealt with that kind of pain? 37:59 Number one: I did turn my back on God 38:03 for a period of time. I was angry with Him. 38:06 You did or you didn't? OK... you did. You were angry. 38:08 I was angry with Him. I was still going to church... 38:11 you know, I was still in church. I was still behaving like 38:15 a Christian. I wasn't reading my Bible 38:17 because I just thought that God didn't love me; 38:20 He didn't care about me. If He did, He would have stopped 38:23 that dog killing my son. Yes! 38:26 But I realized... and this is the thing that I came face 38:30 to face with: when I stopped one day 38:35 crying over my son's death - yes - and asking God why 38:41 some thoughts began coming through my mind. 38:44 And this is what I was thinking. To this day I remember: 38:50 "Bad things happen to people who know Jesus 38:53 and bad things happen to people who don't know Jesus. " 38:56 That's true. You know, the person who 38:59 knows Jesus, they'll get cancer and they may die 39:03 or they may lose somebody in a terrible accident. 39:06 But that same thing happens to the person 39:09 who doesn't know Jesus? You see, the devil can't help himself. 39:12 He gives everybody a hard time. 39:14 And so when I came face to face with that 39:19 I had to realize so what's the difference? 39:22 That's why I remember saying to God out loud 39:26 that day in that room on my son's bed 39:28 "So what's the difference between serving You 39:31 and not serving You if bad things happen to us all? " 39:35 And Jesus said to my heart: "The difference is hope. " 39:40 Hope. You see in Jesus I have hope 39:43 I'm going to see my son again. 39:46 But in order to do that I need to keep that relationship 39:50 with Jesus. Yes! Living a life without hope 39:54 is a life that takes you to drugs & alcohol... living a life 39:59 seeking for happiness when in truth 40:02 joy is what we find in Jesus. 40:05 So you know, it's not an easy question to answer 40:09 but God brings us to it if we allow Him to. 40:14 Amen! That's beautiful. How many years ago 40:17 was your son killed? 1985. Wow! 40:21 Yeah... he was four years old. 40:24 It was my father's dog that attacked him. 40:27 Oh wow! Bit him in his head twice. 40:30 Rushed him to the hospital. Between the time 40:33 the accident happened and the time he died 40:35 was one minute less than an hour. 40:37 Fifty-nine minutes? Fifty-nine minutes exactly. 40:41 Yeah... yeah. Wow! 40:43 I remember that because it had gone to 60 minutes 40:47 it would have become a police investigation 40:50 and you know a whole legal side would have taken place. 40:54 But it didn't... so, yeah. 40:58 So that's something that you live with, 41:01 but I don't live with the sadness of it. 41:03 Right. I don't live with anger. 41:06 I live with joy because my vision is set future - 41:11 because of hope - upward. 41:13 That's right... because of hope. 41:15 We've got that hope. Yes. 41:16 That is beautiful because I think no matter what 41:19 we deal with in life 41:21 we deal with that issue of the sovereignty of God 41:24 and why do bad things seem to happen 41:27 to seemingly good people. 41:28 Of course, we know none are actually good... 41:30 we're all sinners in need of a Savior. 41:32 But still, there that's conundrum so I like how the Lord 41:37 revealed that to you: bad things happen to those who know Jesus. 41:40 Bad things happen to those who don't know Jesus. 41:43 And the difference is hope... hope. That's right. 41:48 I just want to say... we're going to shift gears again 41:51 but I just want to say there's so much in this interview. 41:54 We could spend the entire hour just on abuse 41:57 or we could spend the entire hour just on mental health. 42:00 We could spend the entire hour just on Heather-Dawn's 42:03 testimony, but I just want to say 42:06 that no matter what you are going through at home 42:09 the Lord Jesus has said He will never leave you. 42:13 He will never forsake you. 42:16 Hold onto Him and the power in His Word. 42:21 Know that your 3ABN family is here for you as well. 42:25 You can reach out to us at ANY time 42:27 and we will also put up the contact information 42:31 for the Women's Ministries Department 42:33 for the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists 42:36 in just a few moments. 42:38 And you can access those resources for yourself 42:42 for spiritual help and mental help and emotional help. 42:47 So we will put up that contact in just a little bit 42:50 so that you can receive that nurturing and empowering 42:55 so that then you can be turned into a missionary 42:58 and start with that outreach. 43:00 So let's talk about... there's so many topics we could cover 43:03 but let's talk a bit about poverty. 43:05 Lack of education and illiteracy for some of our sisters 43:10 here in American and in other parts of the world. 43:13 Let's talk about that. 43:15 Well, Women's Ministry focuses on six challenge issues 43:19 that women face globally. 43:21 Illiteracy; poverty; women's health; 43:26 women's workload; abuse; and the last one is 43:31 lack of education and leadership opportunity. 43:34 So I remember when I first started working 43:38 in Women's Ministries in the United States 43:40 there were people in developed countries who would say: 43:45 "Oh, poverty's not an issue for us. " 43:47 "Illiteracy is not an issue for us. 43:49 But as the years have gone by I think we've all seen 43:52 that each of these issues applies to every country 43:57 in the world. We... The problem of poverty in the US 44:02 is huge. The problem of illiteracy 44:05 is another big one. One of the aspects of illiteracy 44:09 that I like to focus on with my sisters is Biblical illiteracy. 44:15 Ooh. You see, it's not only can't read 44:19 but I'm illiterate where the Word of God is concerned. 44:22 Where I know my Bible... I can find Psalms; 44:26 I can find the gospels; I can find Esther and Genesis. 44:30 I can tell you anything about the stories 44:31 but don't ask me to find Habakkuk. 44:33 I remember one time I was preaching a sermon 44:36 and I called this verse Habakkuk chapter 1 verse 6. 44:41 And a woman in the front row said: "Habakkuk who? " 44:45 You know, she'd never even heard of that book in the Bible 44:48 and I thought: "OK! " 44:50 We've got to... as women of God, we can't afford to 44:55 to be Biblical illiterates. 44:56 So we look at all of those aspects of challenges. 45:01 These are challenge issues that women face. 45:03 Sadly, many women face multiple issues 45:06 because if there's poverty there's most likely illiteracy. 45:11 There's also most likely health problems. 45:14 There's also going to be involved a woman's workload, 45:17 abuse. So you may have four, five, even all six 45:21 challenges in one family 45:23 and a woman is trying to deal with all of that. 45:26 That's why God gave us Isaiah 61:1-3 45:31 and reaching out using the method of Christ. 45:36 So as a world church our theme is I Will Go. Yes. 45:40 And we have adapted that theme. 45:42 The Women's Ministries: Yes, I will go. 45:45 But we've added three more words to it. OK. 45:48 Our three words are I will go reach my world. 45:53 I like that. When we think about I Wil Go 45:56 many people think: "Oh, that's overseas 45:58 or that's miles away. " 46:00 But we want women to think first my world. 46:03 Where does my world start? It's my home, 46:05 my children, my immediate family, 46:09 my extended family, my neighborhood, 46:11 my work family. 46:15 That's what we want us to focus on. Yes. 46:18 Where is the closest place to you? 46:20 Don't go looking too far. 46:23 Look right there where Jesus has put you 46:25 and say: "Lord, who can I reach for You? " 46:28 Reach my world. I will go reach my world. 46:33 I almost need another card. I'm taking a lot of notes here. 46:36 I love that! So we just have a couple of moments 46:38 left before we go to the address there for the General Conference 46:41 Women's Ministry Department. 46:43 Before we do, talk to us. What if someone is in a church 46:46 and they say: "I want to become involved 46:49 in Women's Ministries but my church doesn't have a Women's 46:52 Ministry and I want to get one started. " 46:55 Or maybe: "I'd like to become involved but I'm not sure 46:58 I'm good enough or I know enough. " 47:00 So how would you? Maybe walk us through 47:03 how someone could start a Women's Ministry group 47:06 and start nurturing and empowering and being involved 47:09 in outreach with the women in their community. 47:12 OK... so the first thing I would say to you is: 47:17 just get it started. 47:19 Get a group of ladies who you know and talk to them. 47:24 Invite them to your home or meet with them after church 47:27 and say: "Ladies, why don't we get together 47:29 once a week and maybe have a prayer group? " 47:32 Or "maybe have a Bible study group. " 47:35 "Why don't we have a cooking class? " 47:36 Start it in your own church. 47:39 Also, your division here is the North American Division. 47:44 If you go to NADWM.org 47:49 you will find a lot of resources 47:51 including how to start women's ministries in your own church. 47:56 That's NADWM.org 48:01 You'll find a lot of resources there, and on our website 48:04 you'll find even more. 48:06 So you just begin small. 48:08 Talk to your pastor and say: "Pastor, how come we don't 48:11 have a women's ministry in our church? " 48:13 "What can we do to get one started? " 48:16 The number one thing you can do for your church 48:19 pastor is to pray for him. 48:21 Hmm. To pray for the leadership of the church. 48:24 And that's why I love to encourage our women to begin 48:27 prayer groups. 48:29 When the pastor is preaching the women are praying. 48:32 That's good! When the pastor is preaching 48:35 the women are in the vestry or wherever it is 48:37 praying that the Holy Spirit will move on the hearts 48:42 of women. And I learned that fact from my husband. 48:45 Very quickly when he was pastoring in Trinidad 48:48 where we lived before we came here 48:51 he would come off the pulpit. He'd be sweating 48:54 and he'd be tired. He'd say: "Honey, 48:56 I feel like I'm preaching through a storm. " 48:59 Oh wow! And he said: "That's not good. 49:01 What's going on? " And it occurred to me 49:04 the devil was at work, and we needed to get a group of ladies 49:09 to pray. And so we got a little group of us... just 49:12 about six or seven... it grew over time... 49:14 and we would go into the vestry. While my husband preached 49:18 we were praying. And I could not believe 49:21 the difference in how he was feeling physically afterward. 49:25 Wow! How people were receiving the Word of God. 49:30 And so as a union director at the time we promoted that. 49:34 Let's pray while pastors preach. 49:37 So there's so much ladies that we can do. 49:40 And of course, you have a Conference Women's Ministries 49:44 Leader you can contact to get information also... 49:48 but go online... you know, and just get started. 49:51 Um-hmm! So what are the resources that are available? 49:54 We're going to put it up in just a moment, but 49:56 what are the resources that are available 49:58 at the Women's Ministry website? 50:00 It is Women.Adventist.org 50:03 You've already referenced of course the spiritual resources 50:07 with the Bible studies and some of that. We talked about that 50:10 at the beginning of the program. 50:11 But what would be some of the other resources? 50:13 If people went there, what would they find 50:15 at Women.Adventist.org? 50:18 OK. So if you go to our General Conference website 50:21 at the top of the page you would click on something 50:25 that says NEO: nurture, empower, outreach. 50:29 When you click on that a little box drops down 50:33 nurture, empower, outreach. 50:36 Just click on one of those 50:37 and a whole page of resources is going to open up for you. 50:41 You can download them. 50:43 Some of them are in different languages 50:46 but it's all there. We put as much material as we can 50:49 online so that women can just go and access it for themselves. 50:53 I love that! 50:55 We are not done because what we're going to do 50:57 in just a moment is go to the website 50:59 there for the General Conf. Women's Ministries Department. 51:02 This is Women.Adventist.org 51:05 and we'll have a phone number; we'll have an e-mail 51:07 and a website. 51:09 And if you are interested in contacting Heather-Dawn Small 51:12 for yourself, she does speak globally. 51:15 And I know 3ABN... we have a global audience. 51:18 So if you are interested in having her come to your 51:21 conference or your community or church, 51:24 you're welcome to reach out to her this way. 51:26 Or if you are in pain and you want one of these resources 51:31 for physical health or spiritual health 51:34 or emotional health, or maybe you want to start 51:38 women's ministry in your community- ity and you need resources 51:42 to do that, here is how you can contact 51:45 that department for yourself: |
Revised 2022-11-17