Participants:
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY230023A
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00:04 I want to spend my life mending broken people.
00:15 I want to spend my life removing pain. 00:25 Lord, let my words heal a heart that hurts. 00:36 I want to spend my life mending broken people. 00:47 I want to spend my life mending broken people. 01:06 Hello, welcome to 3ABN Today. 01:08 My name is John Dinzey, along with my wife, Idalia. 01:10 We are rejoicing and praising the Lord for His kindness 01:14 and mercy to each and every one of us. 01:16 And this is an hour of blessing, 01:18 and we hope that you are going to be blessed. 01:20 Amen, I know you will be blessed, because 01:23 we have a special ministry with us during this hour. 01:27 We're going to be sharing about a ministry 01:30 who shares compassion. 01:32 A ministry that serves the very needy. 01:35 And you know what? 01:36 You can be part of this ministry as well. 01:39 As a mother, I am touched by how the Lord uses 01:46 people like you, people like myself, 01:49 to bring hope to children. 01:52 It's a blessing to see how families are mended. 01:55 It's a blessing to see how the Lord provides the needs 01:58 of the very least of these, these little children 02:02 who need your prayers, your support; 02:06 be it financial support, or perhaps you have even 02:10 been a sponsor of these children. 02:12 - Praise the Lord for that. - That's right. 02:14 And we just praise the Lord because this is a ministry 02:17 that has been around for a long time. 02:19 And they already have seen children grow up. 02:23 That's right. 02:24 So it's not a fly by night ministry. 02:26 Because you hear sometimes these stories about 02:29 people taking advantage of situations. 02:32 But this is a ministry that many of you know. 02:36 And some of you will know for the first time. 02:38 And it's time to introduce our guests. 02:40 They're here and they are going to share some wonderful things. 02:44 That's right, we have the one and only Rick Fleck, 02:47 the president of International Children's Care. 02:50 - Welcome back. - Thank you. 02:52 So glad to be here today. 02:54 ~ Amen. Thank you. 02:55 You have been president of International Children's Care 02:58 for about how many years? 02:59 Oh, I have to get a calculator out. 03:03 But yeah, about 40 years. 03:05 ~ Amen. 03:07 It's been a wonderful ministry to be a part of. 03:09 Just a blessing in my life. 03:11 ~ Amen. ~ Amen, amen. 03:12 Well, we have the vice-president. 03:15 Can you introduce him, please? 03:16 We have Brian Manley. So, welcome. 03:19 ~ Thank you so much. It's good to be here. 03:22 ~ Amen. Thank you for coming along. 03:24 And this is going to be an hour of blessing. 03:28 I'm going to say that because we are all children 03:32 in one way or another. 03:33 And when you consider perhaps the way you were brought up, 03:37 it may not have been as difficult and challenging 03:41 as some of these children from some other countries. 03:45 And when you hear how this ministry operates, 03:48 you will be encouraged and inspired. 03:51 So before we continue, we want to go to the Lord in prayer. 03:55 And I want to remind you that you can be a part 03:58 of the 3ABN ministry by becoming a prayer partner. 04:01 You have two options: you can either register and sign up 04:04 to be a prayer partner by going to the 3ABN web page. 04:08 And that way you will go to the pastoral section 04:12 and you can register and become a prayer partner. 04:16 And then you will receive some of the prayer requests 04:19 that we get here at 3ABN. 04:20 We won't send you all 04:22 because we don't want you to be overwhelmed. 04:24 But if you choose, you can just pray for the requests 04:27 that are mentioned during the day 04:28 or that are put on the screen. 04:30 But at this time we invite you to join us. 04:32 Let us go to the Lord in prayer. 04:35 Our loving heavenly Father, 04:38 we are grateful because You love us. 04:40 We are grateful because You have a plan of salvation, 04:45 and we can all take part in being Your children. 04:50 Thank You for Jesus that has made salvation possible. 04:53 And we thank You, Lord, that we can bring this program, 04:57 that we pray You will use to be a blessing to Your children 05:02 all over the world. 05:04 And Lord, we ask You to consider every request 05:08 that comes to 3ABN. 05:10 There are needs all over this world. 05:12 And we know You are not overwhelmed. 05:14 We know that You can do all things. 05:17 So we pray for healing, Lord, for those 05:19 that are ready for healing. 05:22 Some may need to wait, so we pray that You will be with them. 05:25 Help them to trust in You. 05:27 And we pray for those that are going 05:28 through financial difficulties. 05:31 Sometimes this can cause depression, discouragement, 05:35 but we pray that You will help them to know that 05:38 You are able to supply all their needs. 05:42 So we pray also that You will bless with wisdom 05:44 so that we may use every dollar to receive the maximum benefit. 05:50 We pray that You will help us not to be wasteful, but wise. 05:53 And we pray for those going through marital difficulties. 05:57 This is one of the ways the enemy tries to destroy 06:01 and lead people astray. 06:03 So we pray that You will strengthen the homes, 06:05 the fathers and the mothers, and help them to be an example 06:10 to their children, that their children will 06:13 desire to taste and see that the Lord is good. 06:16 And heavenly Father, we pray for those that are praying 06:19 for loved ones that for one reason or another are 06:23 facing some challenge, some difficulties. 06:26 We pray that You will also be a Father and a caretaker, 06:30 a protector and a Savior unto them. 06:33 And we ask You to continue to bless 3ABN 06:35 to reach more and more people all around this world. 06:39 We thank You, Lord, for all those that continue to 06:42 pray and support this ministry. 06:45 And we ask, Lord, for all these blessings 06:48 in the holy and blessed name of Jesus. 06:51 - Amen. ~ Amen. 06:53 Well, we have a scripture that we'd like to share with you. 06:56 It is found in the book of Matthew. 06:58 The Gospel According to Matthew, chapter 19. 07:00 And Idalia will read verses 13 and 14 for us. 07:04 It's Matthew 19:13-14. 07:09 And the Word says, "Then little children were brought to Him 07:14 that He might put His hands on them and pray, 07:18 but the disciples rebuked them. 07:20 But Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to Me, 07:25 and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.'" 07:31 - Amen. ~ Amen, amen. 07:33 - What beautiful words. - Amen. 07:35 Yes, and as you continue reading, you will see that Jesus 07:38 put His hands on them and blessed them. 07:41 How does this passage of scripture minister to you? 07:46 Or what would you like to share about it? 07:49 You know, since my mother was a little girl, 07:52 she loved children. 07:54 And she always thought that she would like to 07:56 do something for children someday. 07:59 And then my parents became missionaries. 08:03 Actually, my dad was something like 40 years old, 08:06 and he learned Spanish. 08:07 Which is, you know, not easy. 08:11 But I got to grow up in Spanish countries with them. 08:14 Central America, Dominican Republic. 08:17 And during those years, my mother and father would 08:21 minister to children a lot. 08:23 I remember having children in our home, you know, often. 08:27 Poor children, maybe one of the parents wasn't around. 08:31 And sometimes they celebrated Christmas with us, 08:34 or other things. 08:35 And little by little she became known as the person 08:38 who would take care of children. 08:40 And so, International Children's Care 08:44 sort of came to be as that historical background really. 08:50 There was a devastating earthquake in the late 70's 08:53 in Guatemala. 08:55 That was kind of a catalyst because there became some 08:59 call for there needs to be an Adventist ministry 09:02 for vulnerable abandoned orphaned children. 09:07 And elder Robert Folkenberg was the president of the 09:13 Central American Union at that time. 09:16 And he knew my parents, they had worked together. 09:18 And so he contacted my mother and my father 09:23 and asked if they'd be interested in helping to start 09:26 a ministry for children. 09:28 He said, an orphanage for children. 09:29 She said, "Well, what do you have in mind?" 09:32 "Well," he said, "we'll build a building and we'll get 09:35 some people and bring children in." 09:37 She said, "I'm not interested in that." 09:40 "Well, what do you want to do?" 09:41 And she said, "Well, I've always thought 09:43 I want to start an orphanage that's more like a home. 09:48 So I've thought of a children's village where we would have 09:52 a large campus and homes. 09:55 And each home could have gardens and they'd have house parents 09:59 that were Adventist people that would take care of the children. 10:03 School, church, that sort of thing." 10:05 And he said, "Yeah, I like it. That's great." 10:08 And those of you who remember Brother Bob would remember, 10:14 "Yeah, hey I want to go for that." 10:16 ~ And so, he already had some funds, 10:19 and he said, "Let's start something like this." 10:20 Well that was a hard thing because my mother had never 10:23 done anything like this. 10:25 But she felt like the Lord really 10:27 called her to this ministry. 10:29 That He actually spoke to her and her heart, and my father. 10:34 And so they actually retired in order to start 10:37 that ministry so long ago. 10:40 And that was how it was based. 10:42 The idea of family, the idea of giving children 10:47 something that they didn't have. 10:48 It doesn't just have to do with poverty. 10:52 ~ It has to do with a broken heart. 10:54 It has to do with something inside that 10:57 needs to be repaired. 10:59 Only through the love and mercy of Jesus. 11:02 Tell us the names of your mother and father. 11:04 Alcyon and Ken Fleck. 11:08 Yeah, my dad was a president of different 11:13 conferences, missions in Central America, Dominican Republic. 11:18 That was a long time ago when, you know, we heard 11:22 a lot about missionaries going around to different parts. 11:26 And then they prepared others in those countries 11:29 to then take over and lead out. 11:32 And he was part of that. 11:34 - Amen, amen. - Beautiful. 11:35 Well, Jesus said to "let the little children come unto Me." 11:39 And this is the ministry that has taken on the role of 11:43 Jesus, saying, "Yes, bring those children to Me." 11:46 It's a wonderful, wonderful ministry. 11:48 And we want to hear more about it. 11:50 And I'm sure you do also. 11:52 How it works and what they do. 11:54 And we have a song we'd like to share. 11:59 We have a song. 12:00 And you know, music also ministers to the heart. 12:03 And I'm just praising Jesus for the ministry 12:06 of ICC, International Children's Care 12:09 because they nourish and they introduce the love of Jesus 12:13 in the hearts of these children. 12:15 And I am anxious to hear more about what ICC is 12:20 and the services they provide to each child that they receive. 12:24 And there's a role for you too that you can play 12:27 in this ministry. 12:29 But right now we're going to enjoy the ministry of music 12:31 by Alessandra Sorace. 12:35 She's going to sing, Redeemed. 12:57 Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it. 13:01 Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. 13:06 Redeemed through His infinite mercy, 13:10 His child and forever I am. 13:14 Redeemed, redeemed, 13:18 redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. 13:23 Redeemed, how I love it proclaim it. 13:27 His child and forever I am. 13:37 I think of my blessed Redeemer, I think of Him all the day long. 13:46 I sing for I cannot be silent; 13:50 His love is the theme of my song. 13:54 Redeemed, redeemed, 13:58 redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. 14:03 Redeemed, how I love it proclaim it. 14:07 His child and forever I am. 14:18 I know I shall see in His beauty the King in whose law I delight; 14:27 who lovingly guardeth my footsteps 14:32 and giveth me songs in the night. 14:36 Redeemed, redeemed, 14:41 redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. 14:45 Redeemed, how I love it proclaim it. 14:49 His child and forever I am. 14:53 Redeemed, redeemed, 14:57 redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. 15:02 Redeemed, how I love it proclaim it. 15:06 His child and forever I am. 15:10 His child and forever I am. 15:23 - Amen. Redeemed. - Redeemed. 15:25 What a blessing it is to be redeemed 15:26 by the blood of the Lamb. 15:28 And that was Alessandra Sorace. 15:32 And we thank her so much for coming to 3ABN 15:35 and sharing her ministry of music with us. 15:38 And I am blessed every time I see her. 15:41 And you can see the joy of the Lord in her. 15:43 She loves to praise the Lord in music. 15:45 And I can just think about the children 15:47 of International Children's Care, how they're taught 15:51 different songs and hymns. 15:53 That's what I'm assuming, Rick, right? 15:55 - That's right. - That's what they teach. 15:57 Little songs, and the children just enjoy praising Jesus. 16:01 Well, as we started the program off sharing about 16:06 ICC, there may be some people are just joining us, 16:09 and again we just want to give you a recap. 16:12 The history of the ministry, ICC, and its growth, 16:17 its expansion. 16:18 You mentioned that your parents were missionaries, 16:22 but you were also raised in different parts of the world. 16:25 So please share with us. 16:26 Yes, and as I grew up, I learned that language, 16:30 Spanish especially, and the culture. 16:33 And that has really been a blessing to me as I've 16:35 been able now to work in different countries 16:38 around the world. 16:39 And ICC, my mother would say, "I never expected this to 16:43 go beyond just working in Guatemala." 16:47 But the Lord often has plans for us that we 16:50 don't even can imagine. 16:52 And so, before she passed away, she was able to see 16:56 ICC expanding into 12, 13, 14 different 17:01 countries of the world. 17:02 And you know, now we have to go to Congo, 17:06 we have to go to India, we have to go to other countries. 17:10 And what a blessing to minister, because the hurt in those 17:14 children is the same no matter where you go. 17:17 And only God really can provide a solution to that. 17:23 ~ And every country speaks their own dialect or language, 17:26 but it's interesting that the pain is the same 17:29 in any language. 17:30 And you know, the theme song for 3ABN, 17:33 "I want to spend my life mending broken people." 17:36 And you are ministering, you're mending the broken children. 17:41 So praise Jesus for the people that are 17:45 in your team sponsoring the children 17:48 and working with these children to bring hope. 17:50 This is a call to mission, a call to mission. 17:53 Brian Manley is the vice-president of 17:56 International Children's Care. 17:58 And tell us about your journey. 17:59 How the Lord led in your life to eventually say, 18:03 "You know what, I think I want to be 18:04 a part of this ministry." 18:05 Yes, my wife Lorinda has worked for ICC for about 15 years. 18:12 So I have seen the organization through her eyes, 18:16 through her experience in our children services department. 18:21 But maybe going back a little bit before that, 18:24 my grandparents served the church in India 18:28 for about 20 years. 18:29 And then my parents served the church in east Africa, 18:33 Kenya, for almost 10 years. 18:35 And so, I kind of grew up as a third generation, 18:38 what we might call the third culture kid. 18:41 Really immersed in cross-cultural ministry, 18:44 and a passion for using my talents for God 18:47 in a cross-cultural context. 18:50 And so, we have served abroad in Middle East/North Africa Union 18:55 based in Beirut, Lebanon. 18:58 And also a very interesting and challenging experience. 19:04 And we worked largely with young people, with youth 19:09 outreach initiatives that I think kind of 19:12 fed a growing passion in me that is finding fulfillment at ICC. 19:19 ~ Praise the Lord, praise the Lord. 19:20 The Lord has been preparing you to be a part of this ministry 19:26 that's making such an impact in the lives of children 19:29 that, you know, you hate to think about it, 19:32 but some of these children, had it not been for ICC, 19:36 they may have either wound up being mistreated, 19:39 or died in the streets, or be a part of a gang, 19:44 dying early in some tragedy. 19:48 But praise the Lord for this atmosphere of home they can have 19:53 through International Children's Care. 19:55 It's a safety, it's a safety zone. 19:58 ~ You feel part of a family. - Yes, that's right. 20:01 Now, Rick, I know you have to fund villages, 20:04 but as Brian mentioned, his wife works with the ministry, 20:10 and he has learned of the ministry through her eyes, 20:13 her compassion, her passion for the ministry. 20:17 So please, describe to us what is so special about 20:20 these children's villages, so we can also understand 20:25 the special projects that you have. 20:28 Well I was mentioning earlier that it's not just a problem 20:32 of poverty with children. 20:34 It's a problem of hurt, it's a problem of loss. 20:38 And so, our goal is to re-establish something 20:44 in their lives that they're missing. 20:45 And that's family, that's a sense of belonging, 20:47 a sense of community. 20:49 And so, the children's village concept is so nice because, 20:55 I mean, it was inspired by God literally. 20:59 That by having these dedicated house parents 21:05 who are Christians, they're Adventists, 21:06 they're taking care of the children just like their own. 21:09 And sometimes they have their own children as well, 21:11 and they all integrate together in a home. 21:13 So they may take care of 10 or 12 of the children that are 21:19 without families and make them part of their family. 21:23 And then right on that same campus we have a church, 21:26 we have our school, typically. 21:30 There's a farm. 21:31 Sometimes we have self-supporting industries, 21:33 you know, where they help grow food and things like that. 21:37 And we even are doing some industries that are more 21:40 commercial to help provide the funding. 21:43 And so, it's real life. Right? 21:46 They're living a real life. 21:48 They're enjoying going to church, going to school, 21:51 playing, you know. 21:52 It becomes something that they didn't have before. 21:55 And that's a real family. 21:57 ~ Amen. ~ Amen. 21:58 There are some pictures. 22:00 Yes, they have a picture of Los Pinos campus. 22:03 Now talk to us about, wow, look at that campus. 22:07 ~ So you have acreage there. 22:09 ~ This was our first project. 22:12 And Brian was just there recently, so you might want to 22:18 hear his perspective because it's a little bit of a new one. 22:21 ~ Give us an eyewitness report of what you saw there. 22:24 What really impacted you about it? 22:25 Yeah, I really had the privilege to visit that as our flagship 22:30 campus first in my time here with ICC. 22:34 I learned that Guatemala has about 500,000 orphaned 22:39 abandoned children in the country. 22:42 And that's an interesting statistic if you consider that 22:45 the population of the country is about 16 million. 22:48 And so, there's a need to take care of children 22:52 there is a long-term nurturing environment. 22:56 I was blessed to see this campus so well developed. 23:00 The architecture, the placement of the homes, 23:02 the way the homes are laid out, all testify of a very thoughtful 23:09 model that is really based on nurturing children 23:15 who have come from traumatic backgrounds, 23:18 and providing a healing process. 23:20 It was a blessing to see the homes on campus 23:23 and the way they're laid out, the church in the middle, 23:27 the gardens, the landscaping, everything kind of 23:30 comes together to show a healing environment. 23:36 ~ Amen. 23:37 So is this the home, one of the homes? 23:41 ~ That one is in the Dominican Republic, 23:43 but yes it's a typical home. 23:45 ~ Beautiful, very nice. 23:47 So you have the dedicated staff of Anabela and Lori? 23:53 Yes. I think there's a picture of my wife Lorinda and Anabela 23:57 who is our country director there. 24:00 ~ Okay, which one of your wife? 24:02 ~ My wife is on the right and Anabela is in the middle. 24:06 Sister Anabela is doing a great work in her role of leadership. 24:10 We also have Joel and Sonya Carpio who are the 24:13 project administrators. 24:14 Dedicated staff. 24:16 We met the house parents, and the teachers, 24:19 and the principal of the school. 24:21 They're very self-sacrificing dedicated people. 24:23 We have a picture of a teacher, and also the children. 24:31 They even give affection. That is beautiful. 24:34 And there's a teacher working with an alumni, 24:37 with a student. 24:38 That's wonderful. Very good. 24:40 So they get their personal attention. 24:42 ~ Absolutely. 24:43 ~ Give us an idea of the structure, like for example, 24:47 the one in Guatemala has the capacity for 24:49 how many children, let's say. 24:51 We have a capacity for over 100 children. 24:54 Right now we're a little bit low on 24:57 how many children we have there. 24:59 It's kind of an ebb and flow, 25:01 depending on political situations and the government, 25:04 and things like that. 25:07 So every country is different too, in terms of that. 25:11 Right now our country with the most children is in Congo, 25:16 Democratic Republic of Congo. 25:18 And we have about 150 on that campus. 25:23 ~ So it's a busy place. 25:26 A lot of singing, a lot of yelling and screaming. 25:31 - Running and jumping. - Running and jumping. 25:33 So a lot of noise. That means they're healthy. 25:37 Yeah, and Brian and I noticed that. 25:40 You know, when we were in the school, we were looking 25:43 how the teachers, as the children would come in, 25:46 would hug each child. 25:48 And there was that physical contact, you know. 25:51 And it's just like they really take it seriously. 25:54 You know, that this is a child who needs this. 25:58 They need that something different, you know, 26:01 even more than maybe your child would need 26:04 when they go to school. 26:06 Wow, tremendous. That's tremendous. 26:08 It's an unforgettable impact on the lives of these children. 26:11 - Unforgettable impact. ~ Yes. 26:12 What I'd like to say is, if these walls could speak 26:16 at every campus where you have ICC. 26:20 I mean, so many stories. 26:23 It must be difficult for you to decide which testimony to share. 26:27 But I understand you have Silvia Maria's testimony, right? 26:31 ~ Yeah, I'd like to tell you a little bit about her. 26:34 You know, when Brian and I were there, 26:36 and our wives, just a couple of months ago, 26:40 we got together with a bunch of older kids that are 26:42 now independent, you know. 26:44 They wanted to come and see us, because they call me, papa Rick. 26:49 My wife is mama Sharon. 26:51 So they wanted to come and see us, and hug, 26:55 and you know, reminisce. 26:58 Well, Maria and her little brother and her little sister 27:04 came to us quite some time ago. 27:08 Actually in 2000. 27:13 When we were there visiting now, she's grown up, 27:17 went to school. 27:18 Both she and her sister graduated from nursing, 27:22 and then they took respiratory therapy. 27:24 ~ You have pictures of Silvia and her siblings. 27:26 ~ We do when they first came. 27:29 ~ Wow, in 2001. 27:31 So I asked her, "Well, how did things go during the pandemic?" 27:36 Because, you know, she's working in a hospital there. 27:41 So she kind of told me some of her story. 27:43 Brian was there, we were talking with her. 27:46 And I said, "Could you write that to me? 27:49 Because I'd like to share that?" 27:51 And so she did; I'd just like to read part of her testimony. 27:54 She said, "My name is Silvia Maria Herrera. 27:57 I am a respiratory therapist and I am from Guatemala. 28:01 I work at the national hospital in my country 28:03 called, General Hospital San Juan De Dios. 28:07 And during the pandemic our country was affected a lot. 28:12 They didn't have enough beds for so many people. 28:14 I had the opportunity to work with elderly adults 28:17 and younger adults. 28:19 There were moments that were happy, sad, desperate, 28:22 and moments of worry. 28:24 Many people lost their battle with the coronavirus. 28:28 There were moments when we saw the hand of God so real, 28:32 and moments which were painful and difficult, 28:34 such as when a patient would ask for a last video call 28:38 to be able to say goodbye to their families. 28:41 And in the midst of so much pain, suffering, sadness, 28:46 anguish, I had the opportunity to be able to talk with 28:50 all those people about the love of God. 28:53 ~ I was able to hold their hand and pray with them, 28:58 and sometimes give them a few words of encouragement and hope. 29:03 Although, many times the reality was something else. 29:08 Many times I was filled with sadness to see the severity 29:12 of the illness, and sometimes not knowing what to do. 29:15 But I knew that God placed me there 29:19 to be able to help each one who needed my services. 29:23 I love my career, my work, and I love my neighbor." 29:28 ~ Amen. ~ Amen. 29:29 ~ What a beautiful story. ~ Beautiful letter. 29:33 This is she in this picture that we're looking at? 29:37 ~That's Silvia and her sister when they graduated. 29:42 And my wife and I went and were with them at their graduation. 29:46 ~ Beautiful. 29:48 ~ You have a picture of Silvia as well 29:49 with a patient, I understand. 29:52 Oh, look at her. 29:53 ~ She said, she told us, "Sometimes with all the stuff 29:57 that we had on, we had to wear, we didn't eat all day, 30:02 or even hardly drink. 30:03 Because we didn't want to have to take it off. 30:05 We were so busy, it was incredible." 30:08 She said, "You cannot imagine how busy it was." 30:10 And so many people died. 30:13 So this is like Idalia said, how do you decide 30:17 what story to share? 30:19 Because you're talking about each child is a story. 30:22 - Each child is a testimony. ~ Each child is a story. 30:25 It's a wonderful, wonderful testimony. 30:27 But we have some more that we need to share with you, 30:29 because we have some visitors via Skype that are joining us. 30:33 Milton and Grizelda, welcome to this program. 30:39 Thank you so much for taking the time to join us. 30:42 Tell us about your story, where you are. 30:45 Where do you serve, actually, also? 30:50 Let me begin by saying thank you for inviting us 30:53 to share our insights as both of us as children growing up, 30:57 and experiences now as adults. 31:01 So my name is Milton Casasola, I was born in Guatemala. 31:05 I am currently assigned to the aircraft carrier 31:08 USS Abraham Lincoln serving as an aircraft officer. 31:13 We currently live in San Diego. 31:15 Our family will be in San Diego for the foreseeable future. 31:19 My name is Grizelda Casasola. Thank you for inviting us. 31:23 And we have two wonderful daughters. 31:26 The older daughter's name is Carol Casasola. 31:29 She's 14 years old. 31:31 And the youngest is Valarie Casasola, 31:33 and she's 12 years old. 31:35 Well, we'd like to know, you know, you guys have 31:38 such a beautiful testimony. 31:40 The Lord provided so that you can be part of the ministry 31:45 and be received in Los Pinos, right, in Guatemala. 31:49 But, you know, something happened in your life. 31:51 You decided to take on these blessings the Lord 31:54 poured into your lives, and you decided to continue studying 31:58 and become a role model for so many other children 32:03 that are in so many other campuses. 32:05 Milton, please tell us about your story and how you 32:09 came to Los Pinos village in Guatemala. 32:14 So my story is not unique in the sense that 32:18 by the time I was brought to Los Pinos. 32:21 I wasn't the only kid in need. 32:24 I will have to put things into perspective to give you 32:27 a bit of understanding of the situation back then. 32:30 By the time I was born in 1977, 32:33 Guatemala was going through a civil war 32:36 or had gone through a civil war. 32:37 The civil war had been going on for about 17 years. 32:40 And as Rick explained, there was a major earthquake 32:45 that hit Guatemala and about 2000 people died. 32:49 Actually, 23,000 people died 32:51 and about a million people lost their homes. 32:54 So the situation in Guatemala was pretty bad in the 70s, 32:59 in addition to the civil war. 33:03 But between 1981 and 1983 the situation 33:08 went from bad to worse. 33:11 In 1982 my father was kidnapped at gunpoint. 33:18 He was tied up, taken away, and never to be seen again. 33:26 So this was late in 1982. 33:30 My mom was 30 and couldn't provide for her young family. 33:37 So two years went by and she learned about ICC. 33:43 And we eventually were brought to Los Pinos, just like 33:47 most children that went to ICC and were brought to 33:51 Los Pinos were victims of the war. 33:54 ~ Wow, I'm sure you could share more about your story. 33:59 It's a painful experience. 34:03 But the Lord provided a place for you. 34:05 And now you can see how the Lord led and blessed in your life. 34:12 I know that time limits us from hearing more about your story, 34:16 but we praise the Lord where you are now. 34:18 Grizelda, tell us a little bit about your story. 34:22 Okay, I was born in February 1981. 34:26 I was born in Guatemala City. 34:29 My mother was between 14 and 15, 34:34 so she was a teen mom. 34:36 And she didn't really care. 34:39 I don't think she was prepared to be a mom. 34:41 So she did the best she could do to support me. 34:47 And she accepted a job in a prostitution place. 34:52 And I was a newborn, couple of months, living in that place, 34:57 crying all day long. 34:59 She didn't care about me because she needed to work. 35:02 Until my aunt was wondering what was happening with me. 35:07 And she came to that place and she heard a baby 35:10 crying and screaming, and asked what was happening. 35:13 And they told my aunt, "Well, your sister left the baby there 35:17 all day long without food, without anything, 35:19 without changing diapers." 35:21 So my aunt quickly rushed to the room, 35:27 and when she picked me up she noticed that I had like 35:30 some worms on my back. 35:32 And I was in really, really bad shape. 35:35 I was really sick. 35:36 And she got scared and she rushed to the hospital 35:40 because she thought I was dying. 35:43 So at the hospital the doctors did whatever 35:45 they could do to help me. 35:47 And when they gave the green light to my aunt 35:50 that she could take me home, my aunt decided, 35:53 "I'm taking care of this baby." 35:54 So she had a baby too as well, and she was nursing her baby. 35:58 So she decided, "Well, I'm going to nurse my niece too." 36:01 So she was taking care actually of two babies. 36:04 But one day when I was actually healed and better, 36:09 my mom came back and knocked on the door. 36:12 And she really told her, "I'm the mom and I'm taking 36:16 my daughter with me." 36:18 And she just took me. 36:19 My aunt never ever knew about me, and she cried 36:22 and she asked, "Where is the baby? Where is the baby?" 36:24 She never said anything. 36:26 And then after that somehow she knew about Los Pinos. 36:35 And Los Pinos has a house for babies in Guatemala City. 36:39 You needed to travel by car in those days at least two days 36:43 to go to Los Pinos, to the big village 36:49 where we have lots of nature and trees, 36:52 and everything that you saw in the pictures. 36:55 And my mom was like, 36:57 "Who is the administrator of this orphanage?" 36:59 And then they said, "I am." 37:01 "Take my baby." She was such in a rush. 37:04 She was just like, "Take my baby. 37:06 I can't take care of her." 37:07 And the administrator was like, "What?" 37:11 And she said, "Well, what is her name?" 37:14 And the administrator's husband said, "What is her name? 37:17 How old is she?" 37:19 And she goes, "What is the birth certificate?" 37:22 And she goes, "I don't have her birth certificate." 37:25 And that was a problem legally for the village, 37:29 bring a kid without a birth certificate. 37:31 And she promised the administrator, 37:33 "Tomorrow I will be here. 37:35 I will bring the birth certificate." 37:37 She never ever showed up. 37:39 So the social worker and the administrator 37:43 traveled almost to all Guatemala. 37:44 They told me, "Oh, we learned all about Guatemala 37:48 because of you." 37:49 Trying to find my mom. 37:51 So on the providence of God, somehow... 37:55 She's not an Adventist. She's not Christian. 37:59 So we don't understand. 38:00 We just understand that that was God's plan, 38:03 how she brought me to Los Pinos without knowing. 38:07 So we are sure that that was God that has a plan for my life 38:11 and saved my life. 38:14 The way God leads in the life, how, you know, we have 38:18 unfortunate in some people, they struggle. 38:22 Sometimes the finances, the difficulties of even supporting 38:26 themselves, they make these decisions 38:29 that sometimes in the future they regret. 38:32 And we don't know the full story. 38:33 It will be revealed eventually in the future. 38:37 But praise the Lord you were able to be a part of this home. 38:41 And there you learned about Jesus. 38:45 And now it's unfortunate we don't have time. 38:48 Maybe you can give us a one-minute 38:50 or 30-second version... 38:52 They are married, you're both married. 38:55 So apparently there's a love story behind this. 38:59 So I don't know who would like to share that. 39:01 Can you give me a little glimpse? 39:04 So we'll do our best. 39:06 Given the sake of time, we'll do our best 39:11 to give a short version of the story. 39:13 So I graduated from high school in 1994 39:18 and left Los Pinos, the children's village. 39:22 My mom had a plan, and two weeks after we graduated from 39:27 high school, my brother and I, 39:29 we moved to Los Angeles, California. 39:31 I was a few years ahead, a few grades ahead of Grizelda. 39:35 She graduated from high school 39:38 about 4 or 5 years later in 1998. 39:41 And she went to the Adventist college in Costa Rica in 2000. 39:46 And so, I was stationed overseas. 39:50 I had joined the Navy to see the world 39:52 and get a college education. 39:55 So years went by, about 9 years. 39:59 And somehow she got my email address and sent me an email. 40:05 ~ Somehow, huh? 40:06 This was in early 2003. 40:09 And I responded. 40:11 So she can tell you a little about that exchange. 40:14 So I have a friend at college that said, 40:17 "Do you know Milton visited us at Los Pinos?" 40:20 And I said, "Oh, great." 40:21 "Do you remember him?" And I said, "Yes, I do." 40:24 And then because honestly, I did not like Milton at the village, 40:28 because he was this obedient boy excels in grades, 40:34 number one." 40:35 So the administrator always was like, "Look at Milton. 40:39 He's a good boy, he behaves good. 40:41 Look at Milton, he has good grades. 40:43 He's a hard worker. 40:44 Look at Milton. Look at Milton." 40:45 For every meeting they would, "Look at Milton." 40:49 So I kind of disliked him, because you learn about God 40:54 at the orphanage, and then you learn that you 40:56 follow Jesus' example. 40:57 So I was like, "Why do I need to follow this boy's example? 41:00 He's a human being just like me." 41:02 So we never exchanged a word at the village. 41:06 We never, we never... 41:08 She grew up in a different home. 41:10 ...talked like a friendship. 41:12 So when we were in college, my friend said 41:14 "Let's send him an email." 41:16 And I said, "Sure." 41:17 So I sent him one line and a half. 41:19 "Hi Milton, I am Grizelda." 41:21 And I said my single last name, Lopez. 41:24 "Do you remember me? 41:25 I have black hair, I'm skinny," and probably said black eyes. 41:30 And then I never thought he would answer back to me, 41:33 honestly, because we never were friends ever. 41:37 And then he answered me a page and a half, 41:42 like telling me everything about himself. 41:45 And I was like, okay. 41:47 And then, "Here is my number. You can call me." 41:49 So that's how we started. 41:51 We were good friends like for five years. 41:53 ~ Praise the Lord. 41:55 It was always nice to reconnect. 41:58 And to be honest with you, it's been 20 years since 42:02 she sent me that email. 42:05 Praise the Lord, praise the Lord. 42:06 I know there's more to the story, but let's find out about 42:09 your baptism, how you both decided to say, 42:12 "You know, I'm giving my life to the Lord because 42:14 this is the best thing I can do." 42:19 I was in the Pathfinder at the village. 42:21 We had Pathfinders like the United States 42:24 and we had a lot of activities, like 42:25 really, really good activities. 42:28 And we enjoyed it. All kids there love Pathfinders. 42:30 We did enjoy being a Pathfinder. 42:33 So we had a lot of classes learning about Jesus. 42:36 A little bit more deep than just kids that are not in Pathfinder. 42:41 And I remember the story of Joseph. 42:43 And always the story of Joseph was on my brain, 42:47 like Joseph was faithful to God, he was loyal to God, 42:50 he could forgive the brothers. 42:52 And then we learned about Jesus dying on the cross. 42:58 And then I understood the sacrifice He made for us. 43:02 So one day I just felt the Holy Spirit talk to me. 43:05 And I said, "I want to be like Joseph." 43:07 Probably I need to learn more, you know, spiritually. 43:10 But my goal was, "I'm going to give my life to You 43:14 and I want You to help me to be as loyal as Joseph with You." 43:18 And so that's how I accepted Jesus to be my Savior 43:23 and to be baptized. 43:25 Well I want to thank you guys for your time. 43:28 We have a picture of Milton's baptism. 43:30 And your story is so exciting. Praise God. 43:34 Look at Milton in the baptismal water. 43:36 That is a very, very meaningful and inspiring picture. 43:43 God bless you guys and thank you so much 43:46 for what you're doing. 43:48 And you're a perfect example of what the Lord can do 43:52 and will do in the lives of the many children, 43:55 and keeps doing in the lives of the children 43:59 that have been under the care of ICC. 44:01 Internationally, I mean, in so many different countries. 44:05 - So thank you - Thank you so much. 44:08 And you're both an inspiration. 44:12 And it's a testament to the work of the 44:15 International Children's Care, your testimony. 44:17 And thank you for sharing part of your love story. 44:20 Yes, it's wonderful. 44:21 - Thank you so much. - Thank you. 44:23 May God continue to bless you. 44:24 Yes, we want to continue here in the studio with Rick and Brian 44:28 because there are so many things. 44:29 I mean, this program could go for 4 hours, 44:32 there are so many wonderful things. 44:34 But the industry that you have, Rick, you have a pepper farm. 44:40 Talk to us about this. 44:41 ~ Well, it's something that's really a passion for me, 44:44 because I feel like we need to do something 44:48 to help provide the funding. 44:50 Because it's always a challenge. 44:53 Especially with inflation and everything that's 44:55 going on around the world. 44:58 I mean, it's a blessing for people to be able to give funds. 45:03 You know, really, we feel like it's a mission to the donors. 45:06 Because I give money to ICC and to other organizations, 45:12 you know, and it's a blessing when you do that. 45:15 But I think also an organization like that should do everything 45:19 we can, you know, to be able to provide funds, generate funds. 45:23 So one of the things that's working well for us 45:26 is in Mexico, we have quite a bit of land there 45:31 and we've been able to develop a commercial farm 45:34 with jalapeno peppers, tomatillos, and other kinds. 45:38 Now this year we're doing watermelon, 45:42 and we're doing some other things. 45:45 ~ You can have the jalapenos, I will have the watermelon. 45:48 I would call it the salsa fields, you know. 45:51 ~ Right. ~ The ingredients are there. 45:53 We have several other kinds of peppers too. 45:55 And those products, it's a commercial thing, 46:00 so we actually export them to the United States. 46:03 And this year we're looking at purchasing 46:06 some additional property. 46:09 And so we're reaching out to our donors to help, 46:13 you know, to get the funds for that. 46:16 And our goal is, not only to provide for that project there 46:23 in Mexico, which is in the Baja California area 46:26 down past Ensenada, not only for that project, 46:31 but projects in other parts of the world. 46:33 And so, I've already experimented, 46:35 and a couple of years ago they had enough funds 46:38 that they could send some money. 46:40 We sent some to Guatemala. 46:42 And there's no problem doing that, so as people help 46:47 to invest in that kind of thing, 46:49 that invests in other children too around the world. 46:52 ~ Praise the Lord. 46:54 You know, Rick and Brian, the spiritual aspect 46:59 of the program is very, very important. 47:01 That's why you guys are doing this. 47:02 ~ Yes, exactly. 47:04 There is life eternal to come, and there's life in Jesus. 47:08 There's peace, there's hope, and there's completeness. 47:11 There's healing. 47:12 And this is what you're teaching these children. 47:16 We have a video that is called, Together. 47:19 And when we return, if you don't mind, Brian, 47:21 talk to us about the spiritual elements, okay, of the program. 47:26 So let's watch this, Together, video. 47:30 Can you imagine the suffering of young children 47:33 who have lost both parents? 47:36 Can you imagine the difference we can make for these children 47:38 by working together? 47:42 Together. 47:43 The word itself seems to banish loneliness and despair. 47:48 It empowers us to accomplish much more than we could 47:50 using our own strength. 47:52 Together we can right wrongs, we can bind wounds, 47:56 we can heal broken hearts. 47:59 Ricardo, surviving with his two younger brothers 48:02 on the streets of Ensenada, Mexico 48:05 stole food to keep them alive. 48:07 Ricardo was only four years old. 48:09 People like you gave Ricardo a home with food, 48:12 security, and love. 48:15 When Giorenee was only six months old, 48:18 her parents were killed during a rebel insurgence in DR Congo. 48:22 People like you provided a family when Giorenee 48:25 needed it the most. 48:28 Mabi with no hope for the future and no chance at an education 48:33 experience life just one day at a time. 48:37 People like you offered Mabi hope for both this world 48:41 and the next. 48:43 Thanks to the loving generosity of people like you, 48:47 International Children's Care is able to provide full-time care 48:50 to hundreds of orphaned, abandoned, 48:53 and vulnerable children. 48:55 Your support includes more than just daily meals, 48:57 a place to sleep, visits to the doctor. 49:00 The children are cared for in a family by loving house parents 49:05 Skilled counselors help the children to process their 49:08 trauma, and their teachers, pastors, and family members 49:11 remind them daily of how much they are loved, 49:13 not only by those around them, 49:15 but by their heavenly Father as well. 49:19 By working together, what will be accomplished 49:22 for these children can't be done by working alone. 49:25 Your support will provide orphaned children with a home, 49:28 a family, an education, and a future filled with hope. 49:33 Whether through sponsorship, recurring donations, 49:35 or a one-time gift, you can help an orphaned child today. 49:40 Experience the difference you will make 49:42 by working together with ICC. 49:53 In the Bible we read in James 1:27, 49:56 "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father 50:02 is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, 50:06 and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." 50:10 So it mentions that orphans are in trouble. 50:13 And I believe our spiritual component of this mission, 50:17 our calling is that God Himself has ordained 50:21 orphan care as part of pure religion. 50:25 To take care of the troubled nature 50:28 of these young people's lives, these children's lives. 50:32 ICC fulfills that mission through donors and sponsors. 50:37 In fact, the donors and sponsors themselves are fulfilling 50:40 that mission through ICC. 50:42 We're more just a conduit to do that. 50:46 The children on each campus learns to grow in Jesus. 50:50 We heard about Milton and Grizelda. 50:53 And we're grateful that they pass that legacy onto 50:56 their children and new families that they create. 50:59 ~ Amen. ~ Excellent, praise the Lord. 51:02 Just briefly, Rick and Brian, whichever one would like 51:05 to say, if someone becomes a monthly sponsor, 51:08 do they get information like videos, like this, or pictures? 51:11 Yes, in fact sponsoring is a good way to connect with ICC. 51:16 Although you can just give a donation on a monthly basis, 51:20 or however, you want. 51:21 You can also be connected to a child if you want to sponsor 51:25 on a monthly basis. 51:26 And then you receive information about them regularly. 51:30 So that's a really fun way to sponsor. 51:33 ~ Amen. Praise the Lord. 51:35 Well, our time is escaping from us and we need to go 51:38 to the address roll. 51:39 I'm sure many of you would like to support 51:43 International Children's Care, 51:45 to sponsor or maybe a one-time donation. 51:47 And then after this, we will share news from 3ABN. 51:50 We'll be back in a moment. |
Revised 2024-02-06