1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:13,240 Welcome to Real Talk Friday with your hosts Rohan Das and Gus Urban. 2 00:00:13,240 --> 00:00:17,400 In this groundbreaking podcast segment, we delve deep into the lives of individuals whose 3 00:00:17,400 --> 00:00:20,680 journey has been profoundly transformed by their faith. 4 00:00:20,680 --> 00:00:25,200 From the trial of adversity to the triumph of redemption, we explore real stories, real 5 00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:29,400 people whose encounter with God has reshaped their existence. 6 00:00:29,400 --> 00:00:35,120 Join us as we embark on a candid and enlightening journey where authenticity meets spirituality 7 00:00:35,120 --> 00:00:41,560 every Friday on Real Talk Friday, part of Logan City Christian Church. 8 00:00:41,560 --> 00:00:44,560 Hello and welcome to Real Talk Friday. 9 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:45,800 Finally, Gus. 10 00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:51,680 Finally, this is our first episode that we've been planning for a long time and I'm so excited. 11 00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:53,920 Yeah, no, we're here. 12 00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:57,760 Like you said, a lot of planning, a lot of discussing and dreaming as well. 13 00:00:57,760 --> 00:00:58,760 Oh, for sure. 14 00:00:58,760 --> 00:00:59,760 We're here. 15 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:00,960 So welcome everyone. 16 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:02,960 It's great to have you join us. 17 00:01:02,960 --> 00:01:04,920 It's going to be a fantastic time. 18 00:01:04,920 --> 00:01:05,920 Looking forward to it. 19 00:01:05,920 --> 00:01:06,920 Ah, amazing. 20 00:01:06,920 --> 00:01:11,280 You know, I thought of the first episode and I thought we should get a speaker. 21 00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:15,720 But then again, I thought our listeners would also like to know us. 22 00:01:15,720 --> 00:01:16,800 Yeah, that's right. 23 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:25,160 So let's spend some time telling our listeners who we are, because they might hear us and 24 00:01:25,160 --> 00:01:26,920 not know who exactly we are. 25 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:31,360 Our journey with Christ, our journey throughout our life that has brought us to this stage 26 00:01:31,360 --> 00:01:34,040 that we are recording this podcast. 27 00:01:34,040 --> 00:01:38,360 So let's just talk about ourselves and let's just dive deep into it because we don't want 28 00:01:38,360 --> 00:01:40,320 to be talking for a long time. 29 00:01:40,320 --> 00:01:41,440 No, that's right. 30 00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:46,640 Just have a very short podcast, but also very relevant podcast. 31 00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:48,120 Yeah, no, that's right. 32 00:01:48,120 --> 00:01:53,480 I think just keeping it real is what we do through Real Talk Friday. 33 00:01:53,480 --> 00:01:54,480 Well said, Gus. 34 00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:55,480 So let's keep it real. 35 00:01:55,480 --> 00:01:56,480 Well said. 36 00:01:56,480 --> 00:01:57,800 So let's start with you, Gus. 37 00:01:57,800 --> 00:02:04,440 Tell us a little about yourself and what you do with the Logan City Christian Church. 38 00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:08,520 To pretend I don't know you, of course I know you, but just pretend you don't know me. 39 00:02:08,520 --> 00:02:09,520 For sure. 40 00:02:09,520 --> 00:02:14,560 Yeah, well, I'm full-time associate pastor at Logan City Christian Church. 41 00:02:14,560 --> 00:02:16,520 My parents are senior pastors. 42 00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:21,600 I've been ministering in this church since 13 years of age. 43 00:02:21,600 --> 00:02:27,840 I've been a priest up on stage on a drum kit and have been serving God ever since. 44 00:02:27,840 --> 00:02:33,720 So yeah, we work as a great team, myself, my parents. 45 00:02:33,720 --> 00:02:36,680 Yeah, and it's just really, really good. 46 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:38,000 That's amazing. 47 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:44,200 I also grew up in a very church environment, if you say so. 48 00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:49,320 My parents are also in ministry, but I grew up in Kenya, not in Australia. 49 00:02:49,320 --> 00:02:51,840 So it's a bit of a different journey there. 50 00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:52,840 Oh, for sure. 51 00:02:52,840 --> 00:02:59,960 But I think we are all one in Christ and we have the same Christian culture, which is 52 00:02:59,960 --> 00:03:05,360 what kind of helps us grow in Christ and helps us. 53 00:03:05,360 --> 00:03:10,960 We might see different cultures, but when I look at Christians, no matter where I go 54 00:03:10,960 --> 00:03:13,600 in this world, I always see the same culture. 55 00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:15,320 Well, that's right. 56 00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:23,360 And it's funny because you are actually of Indian descent, growing up in Kenya. 57 00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:24,720 And I'm Aussie. 58 00:03:24,720 --> 00:03:28,240 I was born in Beaudesert, a little country town. 59 00:03:28,240 --> 00:03:29,240 Not far away from here. 60 00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:30,240 No, not too far. 61 00:03:30,240 --> 00:03:37,480 I grew up in a real, what would you say, a real country feel sort of thing. 62 00:03:37,480 --> 00:03:38,480 I love the bush. 63 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:40,320 I love going out west. 64 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:43,040 And so we are two totally different people. 65 00:03:43,040 --> 00:03:44,040 Yeah. 66 00:03:44,040 --> 00:03:49,200 We are brothers, we get along, we do a podcast together. 67 00:03:49,200 --> 00:03:50,200 It's just God. 68 00:03:50,200 --> 00:03:51,200 It is God. 69 00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:52,640 A little bit about myself. 70 00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:56,640 Of course, as you said, I'm of Indian descent, born in India. 71 00:03:56,640 --> 00:04:04,360 My parents, well, my mum at that point was working for the Assemblies of God in Kolkata, 72 00:04:04,360 --> 00:04:06,280 which is also known as Calcutta. 73 00:04:06,280 --> 00:04:11,280 But after independence, they changed it to Kolkata, which is, I'm not a fan of that word. 74 00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:12,280 I preferred Calcutta. 75 00:04:12,280 --> 00:04:15,000 We got some history for our viewers there. 76 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:17,080 Yeah, yeah, just a little bit of a history. 77 00:04:17,080 --> 00:04:22,200 So I grew up there and then we moved to Kenya, moved to Mombasa first, which is a coastal 78 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:26,360 town in Kenya on the eastern coast. 79 00:04:26,360 --> 00:04:30,080 Beautiful time there on the beach. 80 00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:34,720 I don't know that I believe Kenya also has beautiful beaches there. 81 00:04:34,720 --> 00:04:41,040 Parts of Diani, which is on the northern, I think it's north of Mombasa, a place called 82 00:04:41,040 --> 00:04:42,040 Diani. 83 00:04:42,040 --> 00:04:43,880 It's on the beach and also Mombasa. 84 00:04:43,880 --> 00:04:49,000 So growing up there, it was different. 85 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:56,480 I face a lot of identity issues because, as you may know, I'm an Indian living in Kenya. 86 00:04:56,480 --> 00:05:00,120 And then I didn't know what to call myself because I never knew the culture that was 87 00:05:00,120 --> 00:05:01,120 in India. 88 00:05:01,120 --> 00:05:05,160 I never grew up in that kind of cultural environment. 89 00:05:05,160 --> 00:05:09,200 At the same time, I grew up more in a very Kenyan culture. 90 00:05:09,200 --> 00:05:16,640 But yet I felt that I was a bit excluded because I didn't fit in. 91 00:05:16,640 --> 00:05:22,880 But you see, it took me a while to realise that I have an identity in Christ, which helped 92 00:05:22,880 --> 00:05:24,840 me so much. 93 00:05:24,840 --> 00:05:29,160 But yes, growing up in Mombasa and then we moved to Nairobi. 94 00:05:29,160 --> 00:05:37,120 At that point, we used to call the church Nairobi Pentecostal Church, which now changed 95 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:38,120 to Setham. 96 00:05:38,120 --> 00:05:41,400 It's the church my parents actually work with. 97 00:05:41,400 --> 00:05:47,800 And it's amazing that journey of how the church started off with a tent, and now it's a huge 98 00:05:47,800 --> 00:05:48,800 building. 99 00:05:48,800 --> 00:05:49,800 Yeah, that's incredible. 100 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:50,800 It's God. 101 00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:51,880 Yeah, yeah, absolutely. 102 00:05:51,880 --> 00:06:00,040 But growing up, I've had encounters where I didn't really want to be part of that Christian 103 00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:03,880 environment because I felt that was not cool. 104 00:06:03,880 --> 00:06:11,760 And like any other teenage boy, you want to party and you want to be accepted by other 105 00:06:11,760 --> 00:06:14,760 friends, which is always the case. 106 00:06:14,760 --> 00:06:20,720 But I remember there was a mission trip that I went to through the church. 107 00:06:20,720 --> 00:06:26,160 And that was a very, I think that changed my perspective a lot. 108 00:06:26,160 --> 00:06:33,760 But in this mission trip, we went to a county called Muranga County, which is just north 109 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:35,720 of Nairobi, I believe. 110 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:42,960 And in Muranga County, in this village, it's amazing how people live. 111 00:06:42,960 --> 00:06:49,200 They're not far away from the city, but yet they have this very rural kind of lifestyle, 112 00:06:49,200 --> 00:06:51,400 or village lifestyle, I would say. 113 00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:55,720 Like tribal looking type of, is it? 114 00:06:55,720 --> 00:07:02,240 It's just like, let's put it this way, it'd go like they're living 20 years in the past. 115 00:07:02,240 --> 00:07:03,240 Yeah, wow. 116 00:07:03,240 --> 00:07:04,240 Yeah. 117 00:07:04,240 --> 00:07:05,720 But yet, like it's not far away from the city. 118 00:07:05,720 --> 00:07:07,680 It would take me one hour to get there. 119 00:07:07,680 --> 00:07:08,680 Yeah, okay. 120 00:07:08,680 --> 00:07:12,440 So when I went to this village, we had a crusade. 121 00:07:12,440 --> 00:07:18,400 And I went with a couple of youth from our church and young adults and some pastors. 122 00:07:18,400 --> 00:07:24,320 And we said we're going to have like a crusade, Billy Graham crusade. 123 00:07:24,320 --> 00:07:30,080 And when I went there, one, a part of, because there's three villages at that point. 124 00:07:30,080 --> 00:07:35,520 So we were in the main Muranga village, the Muranga County village. 125 00:07:35,520 --> 00:07:41,620 I can't remember what the village was called, but there were three neighboring villages. 126 00:07:41,620 --> 00:07:48,000 So we had to go basically to this one of these villages and kind of call people and say, 127 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:51,000 we're going to have a crusade, we're going to have food, because of course, food is a 128 00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:52,000 great incentive. 129 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:53,000 It gets everybody. 130 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:54,000 Yeah. 131 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:55,000 Yeah, sure. 132 00:07:55,000 --> 00:08:02,360 Even in Kenya, it's of course, because of a lot of poverty and lack of food sometimes 133 00:08:02,360 --> 00:08:06,600 in families that they do one, they love when it's a free meal. 134 00:08:06,600 --> 00:08:07,600 Who doesn't? 135 00:08:07,600 --> 00:08:08,600 Well, that's right. 136 00:08:08,600 --> 00:08:09,600 We all do. 137 00:08:09,600 --> 00:08:10,600 So. 138 00:08:10,600 --> 00:08:15,960 But we went to different villages to call people to come to this crusade, which was 139 00:08:15,960 --> 00:08:16,960 held on a Sunday. 140 00:08:16,960 --> 00:08:19,240 So we were doing it on a Saturday. 141 00:08:19,240 --> 00:08:23,000 My friend and I, we went to one of the neighboring village. 142 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:29,600 And while walking, Kenya is known for the soil, which is pretty muddy. 143 00:08:29,600 --> 00:08:35,840 And that cracked my shoe because I was told to take boots, but I ignored that. 144 00:08:35,840 --> 00:08:38,520 So I started wearing like a joggers or something. 145 00:08:38,520 --> 00:08:39,920 Yeah, okay. 146 00:08:39,920 --> 00:08:41,100 And cracked the joggers. 147 00:08:41,100 --> 00:08:45,960 So I went to this town and I was trying to look for someone who could repair the shoe. 148 00:08:45,960 --> 00:08:48,520 So there was only one shop there. 149 00:08:48,520 --> 00:08:52,420 And when I went to the shop, there was this guy, his name was Kamau. 150 00:08:52,420 --> 00:08:56,760 And I still remember him because he was the only one who actually knew English, but not 151 00:08:56,760 --> 00:08:58,800 that well, but he knew English. 152 00:08:58,800 --> 00:09:02,280 And I asked him, like, how do you know good English? 153 00:09:02,280 --> 00:09:03,960 He told me Jackie Chan. 154 00:09:03,960 --> 00:09:11,080 I was like, I'm pretty sure he doesn't speak English, but I reckon he meant like Hollywood. 155 00:09:11,080 --> 00:09:12,080 Yeah. 156 00:09:12,080 --> 00:09:13,440 And he used to watch a lot of movie. 157 00:09:13,440 --> 00:09:14,960 I could see a TV screen there. 158 00:09:14,960 --> 00:09:17,600 So he was just repairing my shoe. 159 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:23,360 And for some reason, I thought maybe I should share with him this crusade we are having. 160 00:09:23,360 --> 00:09:26,440 So I asked him, Kamau, do you know Jesus? 161 00:09:26,440 --> 00:09:29,680 He's like, I have heard of that man. 162 00:09:29,680 --> 00:09:30,680 Yeah. 163 00:09:30,680 --> 00:09:33,960 But I'm not great with my accent. 164 00:09:33,960 --> 00:09:35,680 But he did say something like that. 165 00:09:35,680 --> 00:09:36,680 Yeah. 166 00:09:36,680 --> 00:09:43,960 And I said, well, if you want to come tomorrow, there's a beautiful crusade that we have set 167 00:09:43,960 --> 00:09:51,040 up, which has meal and you get to hear about Jesus and everything. 168 00:09:51,040 --> 00:09:54,600 And he's given his life for you. 169 00:09:54,600 --> 00:09:57,080 So he's like, oh, that man has given my life. 170 00:09:57,080 --> 00:09:58,080 Who is this man? 171 00:09:58,080 --> 00:09:59,080 Sounds very important. 172 00:09:59,080 --> 00:10:00,080 Yeah. 173 00:10:00,080 --> 00:10:01,880 He actually was very inquisitive about it. 174 00:10:01,880 --> 00:10:02,880 Yeah. 175 00:10:02,880 --> 00:10:06,680 So I gave him like a leaflet or a flyer that had some information. 176 00:10:06,680 --> 00:10:10,520 And we had like a Kikuyu Bible, which is like the tribal language Bible. 177 00:10:10,520 --> 00:10:11,520 Oh, wow. 178 00:10:11,520 --> 00:10:14,160 So he gave it to him, this New Testament one, gave it to him. 179 00:10:14,160 --> 00:10:15,160 Yeah. 180 00:10:15,160 --> 00:10:17,080 And he said, okay, I will come. 181 00:10:17,080 --> 00:10:20,720 So the next day, I was not expecting him, of course. 182 00:10:20,720 --> 00:10:23,720 I thought he's not going to show up, but he did. 183 00:10:23,720 --> 00:10:24,720 Yeah, cool. 184 00:10:24,720 --> 00:10:30,440 And I have this picture with me that I always keep on my phone, which I'll definitely show 185 00:10:30,440 --> 00:10:33,800 whoever's listening and want to see this. 186 00:10:33,800 --> 00:10:40,360 He wore a suit and a tie and pants, but he had no shoes. 187 00:10:40,360 --> 00:10:46,040 He had like the really weirdest and the oldest shoe he could, and considering he repairs 188 00:10:46,040 --> 00:10:47,760 shoes, I thought he would have good shoes. 189 00:10:47,760 --> 00:10:48,880 Yeah, yeah, that's right. 190 00:10:48,880 --> 00:10:52,960 So I went up to him and said, come on, welcome. 191 00:10:52,960 --> 00:10:54,760 You're here. 192 00:10:54,760 --> 00:10:56,920 And he said, yes, I have come. 193 00:10:56,920 --> 00:11:01,480 And I said, wow, look at you, you're well dressed, better dressed than me, because I 194 00:11:01,480 --> 00:11:04,800 was just wearing like shorts or something at that point. 195 00:11:04,800 --> 00:11:06,040 And he said, yes. 196 00:11:06,040 --> 00:11:08,320 You know what I did, Mr. Rohan? 197 00:11:08,320 --> 00:11:09,480 I had some savings. 198 00:11:09,480 --> 00:11:15,200 I was trying to buy a bicycle, but I thought this man who has given my life, given his 199 00:11:15,200 --> 00:11:18,880 life for me, he deserves a lot more. 200 00:11:18,880 --> 00:11:21,300 So he actually went that day. 201 00:11:21,300 --> 00:11:24,120 He took his savings that he was saving up to buy a bicycle. 202 00:11:24,120 --> 00:11:27,200 He went and bought a suit. 203 00:11:27,200 --> 00:11:28,200 That's crazy. 204 00:11:28,200 --> 00:11:32,840 And he didn't have any more money to buy a good shoe for himself. 205 00:11:32,840 --> 00:11:38,040 So he just used the shoe that he already had. 206 00:11:38,040 --> 00:11:46,560 And all of his life savings into a suit to meet Jesus. 207 00:11:46,560 --> 00:11:47,560 That's just incredible. 208 00:11:47,560 --> 00:11:48,560 It is incredible. 209 00:11:48,560 --> 00:11:53,440 And you know, the scripture that comes into my mind is when, you know, there's treasures, 210 00:11:53,440 --> 00:11:57,160 when you have treasures in heaven, it's a parable. 211 00:11:57,160 --> 00:12:00,040 And you give everything you have to get that treasure. 212 00:12:00,040 --> 00:12:01,040 That's right. 213 00:12:01,040 --> 00:12:02,600 And that is what I learned from Kamau. 214 00:12:02,600 --> 00:12:08,240 And that was this, I at the moment, fast forwarding, he's doing really well. 215 00:12:08,240 --> 00:12:09,920 He has two bicycles. 216 00:12:09,920 --> 00:12:10,920 He's happy. 217 00:12:10,920 --> 00:12:11,920 Yeah, wow. 218 00:12:11,920 --> 00:12:12,920 And he was trying to buy one. 219 00:12:12,920 --> 00:12:16,960 And I think a lot of people in our church donated to it, you know, giving him a bicycle, 220 00:12:16,960 --> 00:12:18,520 giving him a proper house. 221 00:12:18,520 --> 00:12:21,080 And, you know, he has a family now. 222 00:12:21,080 --> 00:12:22,080 Awesome. 223 00:12:22,080 --> 00:12:27,440 But it's just his dedication to the Word of God. 224 00:12:27,440 --> 00:12:32,520 Even not knowing about it, he still gave whatever he had to come to Christ. 225 00:12:32,520 --> 00:12:35,880 That was a point that I actually questioned in my life. 226 00:12:35,880 --> 00:12:36,880 Wow. 227 00:12:36,880 --> 00:12:44,960 So you reaching out to him, like you've got something to give, to offer this man. 228 00:12:44,960 --> 00:12:48,440 His life actually brings question on your own faith. 229 00:12:48,440 --> 00:12:49,440 Yeah. 230 00:12:49,440 --> 00:12:52,040 Where isn't that funny how God works? 231 00:12:52,040 --> 00:12:53,320 It's amazing how God works. 232 00:12:53,320 --> 00:12:57,480 And you know, even through this trip, this mission trip, it might have been for a few 233 00:12:57,480 --> 00:13:04,000 days, but it really has helped me because I saw a lot of generosity within the people 234 00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:05,240 in that village. 235 00:13:05,240 --> 00:13:07,000 They don't give money. 236 00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:13,320 They only give things like fruits, vegetables, their crops that they've harvested for the 237 00:13:13,320 --> 00:13:14,320 week. 238 00:13:14,320 --> 00:13:18,440 And, you know, I was sitting then when, you know, the altar call was coming, people were 239 00:13:18,440 --> 00:13:21,360 giving, you know, gifts, and they gave fruit. 240 00:13:21,360 --> 00:13:25,960 So I asked the pastor, like, why are they giving food and corn and oil? 241 00:13:25,960 --> 00:13:33,600 And he said, this is a form of tide that they give us because they can't afford money. 242 00:13:33,600 --> 00:13:39,000 But when I saw the amount that they give is way more, they said they give almost 50 to 243 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:41,400 60% of what they have. 244 00:13:41,400 --> 00:13:44,080 And I questioned myself sometimes. 245 00:13:44,080 --> 00:13:48,120 And I questioned, would I be ever that generous? 246 00:13:48,120 --> 00:13:50,560 And I don't think so. 247 00:13:50,560 --> 00:13:51,560 I'm sorry. 248 00:13:51,560 --> 00:13:55,120 Like, I, in all honesty, I'm not as generous as them. 249 00:13:55,120 --> 00:13:57,280 No, well, I don't give 50, 60%. 250 00:13:57,280 --> 00:13:59,400 I can guarantee you that. 251 00:13:59,400 --> 00:14:06,800 And I consider myself to be very honoring and generous with finances and tithes to God 252 00:14:06,800 --> 00:14:09,240 and offerings and missions and all that. 253 00:14:09,240 --> 00:14:10,880 But it's nowhere near that. 254 00:14:10,880 --> 00:14:11,880 I can guarantee you. 255 00:14:11,880 --> 00:14:13,880 It was an eye opener. 256 00:14:13,880 --> 00:14:19,360 And I'm very happy that God actually put me in that place during that season of my life 257 00:14:19,360 --> 00:14:21,640 where I actually saw these things revealed to me. 258 00:14:21,640 --> 00:14:22,640 I was very emotional. 259 00:14:22,640 --> 00:14:25,720 I can be very emotional at some point. 260 00:14:25,720 --> 00:14:27,200 But that helped me. 261 00:14:27,200 --> 00:14:34,320 And I, you know, our listeners, I would really suggest them to go to places like this that 262 00:14:34,320 --> 00:14:39,640 they can actually see how people give all they have to God. 263 00:14:39,640 --> 00:14:46,320 Like, Kamau, for an example, he gave all the money he saved up for a bike. 264 00:14:46,320 --> 00:14:49,440 It could be us saving up for a house or something. 265 00:14:49,440 --> 00:14:55,640 Imagine giving it all just to come to that crusade dressed up well because he knows the 266 00:14:55,640 --> 00:14:56,960 importance of God. 267 00:14:56,960 --> 00:15:01,080 He knows the importance of Jesus giving his life for us. 268 00:15:01,080 --> 00:15:02,320 Yeah, no, that's right. 269 00:15:02,320 --> 00:15:03,600 And that is amazing. 270 00:15:03,600 --> 00:15:09,120 And that is like a turning point in my life in Kenya where I was like, wow, I want to 271 00:15:09,120 --> 00:15:10,120 be in ministry. 272 00:15:10,120 --> 00:15:11,240 I want to do that. 273 00:15:11,240 --> 00:15:17,560 I guess on the other hand, it's sort of like you and I both grew up in church. 274 00:15:17,560 --> 00:15:23,520 My family started going to church when I was six, so very, very young. 275 00:15:23,520 --> 00:15:26,800 So we both know church from a very young age. 276 00:15:26,800 --> 00:15:35,040 And I guess what we can experience is what's the word, where we just get used to church 277 00:15:35,040 --> 00:15:41,240 and used to God and used to sermons and we get used to praise and worship where we can 278 00:15:41,240 --> 00:15:48,400 treat it lightly and really lose the depth of Christ and what he's done for us. 279 00:15:48,400 --> 00:15:55,120 I think God and his grace really allows us to go through these experiences where we can 280 00:15:55,120 --> 00:16:00,440 truly understand and I guess refresh in a way all the good things God has done. 281 00:16:00,440 --> 00:16:01,720 It's like a reality check. 282 00:16:01,720 --> 00:16:03,600 There we go, a reality check. 283 00:16:03,600 --> 00:16:04,600 That's it. 284 00:16:04,600 --> 00:16:05,600 Yeah. 285 00:16:05,600 --> 00:16:12,400 So that was my journey in Kenya and then of course I came to Australia, but before Australia 286 00:16:12,400 --> 00:16:14,160 I went to do my studies. 287 00:16:14,160 --> 00:16:17,480 I studied in the British school. 288 00:16:17,480 --> 00:16:24,080 Of course, made kept on doing the worst decisions I could that did not please God. 289 00:16:24,080 --> 00:16:26,120 It's definitely a journey. 290 00:16:26,120 --> 00:16:31,760 I wouldn't say, oh, I was transformed into this new being. 291 00:16:31,760 --> 00:16:33,520 It did take some time. 292 00:16:33,520 --> 00:16:41,360 It did take some time for me to get baptized and reborn in Christ, but when I did, it's 293 00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:46,320 a decision that I will always kind of keep deep into my heart because that was the best 294 00:16:46,320 --> 00:16:49,280 decision I've ever made. 295 00:16:49,280 --> 00:16:51,680 God has worked through me. 296 00:16:51,680 --> 00:16:58,140 At the moment I work in a medical field now, a lot of clinical research and also I'm doing 297 00:16:58,140 --> 00:17:03,840 Bible school, which is amazing because I'm working with Logan City Christian Church at 298 00:17:03,840 --> 00:17:09,960 the moment in a lot of aspect of media, which is why we started this podcast. 299 00:17:09,960 --> 00:17:13,280 Which is why we're here and what we're doing right now. 300 00:17:13,280 --> 00:17:16,840 It's amazing how God's been working on that. 301 00:17:16,840 --> 00:17:20,040 But yeah, that's a little bit about myself. 302 00:17:20,040 --> 00:17:21,040 There's a lot more. 303 00:17:21,040 --> 00:17:27,320 There might be one episode where I talk a lot more about me, my life and go deep into 304 00:17:27,320 --> 00:17:32,520 my life, but I will keep that short for now because this is just an introduction. 305 00:17:32,520 --> 00:17:33,520 There's so much more. 306 00:17:33,520 --> 00:17:37,880 Oh, we could talk for days really, like even the times when you and I meet up at McDonald's 307 00:17:37,880 --> 00:17:45,120 or whatever and we can be there all day, but listeners, we won't keep you here all day. 308 00:17:45,120 --> 00:17:46,480 So yes, for sure. 309 00:17:46,480 --> 00:17:54,000 I think it's very important that we keep this brief and very relevant and that's what 310 00:17:54,000 --> 00:17:55,000 we want this podcast to be. 311 00:17:55,000 --> 00:17:56,000 Exactly. 312 00:17:56,000 --> 00:17:57,000 Very relevant. 313 00:17:57,000 --> 00:17:58,000 Exactly. 314 00:17:58,000 --> 00:17:59,000 Right. 315 00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:04,400 So Gus, coming to you, do you have any kind of journeys that brought you closer to Christ? 316 00:18:04,400 --> 00:18:08,880 Something like the Kamau in my story, do you have something like that that has ever brought 317 00:18:08,880 --> 00:18:10,200 you closer to Christ? 318 00:18:10,200 --> 00:18:17,800 Yeah, like what you said, we can have incredible experiences, but it's still an ongoing journey. 319 00:18:17,800 --> 00:18:23,840 It doesn't just start from one incredible experience and the rest of your life is heaven 320 00:18:23,840 --> 00:18:24,840 on earth. 321 00:18:24,840 --> 00:18:26,440 I understand, yeah. 322 00:18:26,440 --> 00:18:29,040 It's a real journey. 323 00:18:29,040 --> 00:18:34,740 Like I said, our family started going to church when I was six years old. 324 00:18:34,740 --> 00:18:41,680 My mum was a believer, my dad wasn't, and God did an incredible work in the lives of 325 00:18:41,680 --> 00:18:44,040 both my parents. 326 00:18:44,040 --> 00:18:46,560 They became pastors. 327 00:18:46,560 --> 00:18:53,560 And so I've grown up in church, as I've already said, but I remember when I was 13 years of 328 00:18:53,560 --> 00:18:56,800 age, I got born again at home. 329 00:18:56,800 --> 00:18:59,440 I wasn't at any youth ministry. 330 00:18:59,440 --> 00:19:01,640 I wasn't at a church service or anything like that. 331 00:19:01,640 --> 00:19:04,040 I was actually home with a friend. 332 00:19:04,040 --> 00:19:11,880 And I remember there was this Christian movie and I felt that I needed to watch this Christian 333 00:19:11,880 --> 00:19:12,880 movie. 334 00:19:12,880 --> 00:19:17,240 And when you've got a friend over and you've got a PlayStation up in your room, you know 335 00:19:17,240 --> 00:19:19,640 it's God that's calling you to watch a Christian movie. 336 00:19:19,640 --> 00:19:20,640 So... 337 00:19:20,640 --> 00:19:22,000 PlayStation's tempting you definitely. 338 00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:23,000 Well, that's right. 339 00:19:23,000 --> 00:19:24,040 That's exactly right. 340 00:19:24,040 --> 00:19:26,720 But in my heart, I knew I had to watch this movie. 341 00:19:26,720 --> 00:19:33,320 I watched this movie about the rapture of the church and the Holy Spirit moved so powerfully 342 00:19:33,320 --> 00:19:43,160 on me where it was such a miracle, an absolute transformation where God touched my life in 343 00:19:43,160 --> 00:19:44,160 such a real way. 344 00:19:44,160 --> 00:19:46,400 He opened my eyes. 345 00:19:46,400 --> 00:19:52,720 I could see spiritually myself being dark and then being made clean by the blood of 346 00:19:52,720 --> 00:19:53,720 Jesus. 347 00:19:53,720 --> 00:19:57,000 I saw that come over my body. 348 00:19:57,000 --> 00:19:59,600 It was incredible. 349 00:19:59,600 --> 00:20:03,760 Yet later on through high school, you sort of fall away and get led away and distracted 350 00:20:03,760 --> 00:20:05,640 and all these things. 351 00:20:05,640 --> 00:20:12,000 But by the age of 17, I was working full time. 352 00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:20,200 And yeah, it was just that stirring where I was committed to God. 353 00:20:20,200 --> 00:20:24,880 And like I said, it's not committed and perfect and done everything right since. 354 00:20:24,880 --> 00:20:28,840 It's just taking that journey seriously. 355 00:20:28,840 --> 00:20:33,360 And it's yeah, making mistakes along the way, but I'm following God. 356 00:20:33,360 --> 00:20:34,720 Amen, amen to that. 357 00:20:34,720 --> 00:20:36,120 So that's basically where it's... 358 00:20:36,120 --> 00:20:39,840 And now I'm in the ministry full time and it's such a blessing and everything that I 359 00:20:39,840 --> 00:20:43,160 have, I try and pass on to the kids and youth on Friday nights. 360 00:20:43,160 --> 00:20:44,160 Amazing. 361 00:20:44,160 --> 00:20:45,160 Yeah. 362 00:20:45,160 --> 00:20:48,000 I've seen amazing work being done by Logan City Christian Church. 363 00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:49,000 Yeah, absolutely. 364 00:20:49,000 --> 00:20:52,880 And that's when I first came, it came during a New Year's Eve service. 365 00:20:52,880 --> 00:20:57,000 And I had no idea how you guys are affiliated with Kenya. 366 00:20:57,000 --> 00:20:58,480 And it's so heartwarming. 367 00:20:58,480 --> 00:21:01,280 And I feel God's actually put me in the right place right now. 368 00:21:01,280 --> 00:21:02,280 Yeah. 369 00:21:02,280 --> 00:21:08,480 And he's definitely orchestrated certain events to happen and definitely put me on that day 370 00:21:08,480 --> 00:21:12,600 during a Christmas Eve of 2023 going to 2024. 371 00:21:12,600 --> 00:21:13,600 New Year's Eve. 372 00:21:13,600 --> 00:21:14,600 New Year's Eve. 373 00:21:14,600 --> 00:21:15,600 Sorry, New Year's Eve. 374 00:21:15,600 --> 00:21:17,080 So not Christmas Eve. 375 00:21:17,080 --> 00:21:23,640 But he did put me in that situation and he put me right here in this place. 376 00:21:23,640 --> 00:21:24,800 And that's for a reason. 377 00:21:24,800 --> 00:21:25,840 Yeah, for sure. 378 00:21:25,840 --> 00:21:28,880 And I see great things being done by this church. 379 00:21:28,880 --> 00:21:31,120 Pastor Rob, amazing man. 380 00:21:31,120 --> 00:21:32,120 Yeah, absolutely. 381 00:21:32,120 --> 00:21:37,000 And I love what they do, your mom and dad for this church. 382 00:21:37,000 --> 00:21:38,120 It's truly amazing. 383 00:21:38,120 --> 00:21:44,560 And also with the aid program that they're having in Kenya, which is the United World 384 00:21:44,560 --> 00:21:45,560 Ministries. 385 00:21:45,560 --> 00:21:46,560 Yeah. 386 00:21:46,560 --> 00:21:48,440 Such a big outreach there. 387 00:21:48,440 --> 00:21:50,440 Such amazing work. 388 00:21:50,440 --> 00:21:55,640 And I also thank the congregation because without their support on this, nothing would 389 00:21:55,640 --> 00:21:56,640 have happened. 390 00:21:56,640 --> 00:21:57,640 Exactly right. 391 00:21:57,640 --> 00:21:58,640 Yeah. 392 00:21:58,640 --> 00:22:02,920 So definitely our listeners here, they're supporting so much of this program. 393 00:22:02,920 --> 00:22:06,320 And you know, God's opening so many doors. 394 00:22:06,320 --> 00:22:09,280 And I'd encourage them to continue to support us in this. 395 00:22:09,280 --> 00:22:10,280 Yeah, for sure. 396 00:22:10,280 --> 00:22:14,160 Because we see God taking us to so many places. 397 00:22:14,160 --> 00:22:18,120 Not even in Kenya, but many parts of Africa, many parts of the world. 398 00:22:18,120 --> 00:22:19,120 Yeah. 399 00:22:19,120 --> 00:22:22,680 And I think God's really doing something. 400 00:22:22,680 --> 00:22:23,680 Well that's right. 401 00:22:23,680 --> 00:22:31,040 I mean, like, we spend a lot of time in Kenya, but we're in quite a lot of other countries 402 00:22:31,040 --> 00:22:32,840 in Africa as well. 403 00:22:32,840 --> 00:22:38,440 So yeah, in India and other places around the world. 404 00:22:38,440 --> 00:22:45,200 And we're sort of just really starting to get off the ground with this. 405 00:22:45,200 --> 00:22:50,960 And so there's so much potential there in United World Ministries. 406 00:22:50,960 --> 00:22:56,240 And yeah, just with running the church, running United World Ministries, which my parents 407 00:22:56,240 --> 00:22:59,160 have been doing for quite a few years now. 408 00:22:59,160 --> 00:23:02,360 Yeah, I'm just glad to be part of it. 409 00:23:02,360 --> 00:23:05,520 And serving God and serving them as well. 410 00:23:05,520 --> 00:23:07,700 And God's brought you along. 411 00:23:07,700 --> 00:23:09,760 And there's many other people that God's bringing in. 412 00:23:09,760 --> 00:23:12,920 And it's just a very exciting time. 413 00:23:12,920 --> 00:23:13,920 Yeah, yeah. 414 00:23:13,920 --> 00:23:14,920 Amen to that. 415 00:23:14,920 --> 00:23:19,120 God's working in so many mysterious ways. 416 00:23:19,120 --> 00:23:20,720 Yeah, mysterious ways for sure. 417 00:23:20,720 --> 00:23:21,720 But good ways. 418 00:23:21,720 --> 00:23:22,720 Yes. 419 00:23:22,720 --> 00:23:25,080 But yeah, thank you for sharing. 420 00:23:25,080 --> 00:23:32,600 And I really love this podcast that we can actually share a lot of things in a safe environment 421 00:23:32,600 --> 00:23:36,120 and have our listeners praying for us. 422 00:23:36,120 --> 00:23:37,120 Yeah, for sure. 423 00:23:37,120 --> 00:23:42,840 And we would encourage our listeners praying for this podcast and also to share this podcast 424 00:23:42,840 --> 00:23:47,920 with family and friends because it's important that we reach out to the ends of the world. 425 00:23:47,920 --> 00:23:48,920 That's right. 426 00:23:48,920 --> 00:23:49,920 Because we want Jesus to come. 427 00:23:49,920 --> 00:23:50,920 That's right. 428 00:23:50,920 --> 00:23:51,920 It's easy to do that with the internet. 429 00:23:51,920 --> 00:23:52,920 Exactly. 430 00:23:52,920 --> 00:23:54,080 That's why we're here. 431 00:23:54,080 --> 00:23:57,360 But first of all, thank you for sharing. 432 00:23:57,360 --> 00:24:02,720 And appreciate what you do here, your parents too. 433 00:24:02,720 --> 00:24:03,720 Thank you. 434 00:24:03,720 --> 00:24:07,400 And also for all the people that support Logan City Christian Church and the United World 435 00:24:07,400 --> 00:24:08,400 Ministries. 436 00:24:08,400 --> 00:24:11,280 We want to thank them for what they do. 437 00:24:11,280 --> 00:24:15,320 And yeah, so we'll keep this podcast short and we will end it right here. 438 00:24:15,320 --> 00:24:18,240 But thank you again, everyone. 439 00:24:18,240 --> 00:24:24,840 Please subscribe to our channel on YouTube because we'll also be posting a podcast there. 440 00:24:24,840 --> 00:24:26,640 And also keep following our socials. 441 00:24:26,640 --> 00:24:30,280 We'll give some more information on who our guest speaker is going to be. 442 00:24:30,280 --> 00:24:31,280 That's right. 443 00:24:31,280 --> 00:24:33,880 And what we're going to do with this podcast. 444 00:24:33,880 --> 00:24:35,440 So stay tuned, guys. 445 00:24:35,440 --> 00:24:36,440 Thank you for joining us. 446 00:24:36,440 --> 00:24:41,760 We're going to pray for all of you guys that the listening that you may be blessed with 447 00:24:41,760 --> 00:24:42,760 this. 448 00:24:42,760 --> 00:24:43,760 Thank you. 449 00:24:43,760 --> 00:24:44,760 Amen. 450 00:24:44,760 --> 00:24:51,680 As we conclude our episode of Real Talk Friday, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to all our 451 00:24:51,680 --> 00:24:55,000 listeners for joining us on this enlightening journey. 452 00:24:55,000 --> 00:24:56,920 But our journey doesn't end here. 453 00:24:56,920 --> 00:25:02,800 Join us every Friday as we continue to uncover the real stories of real people where authenticity 454 00:25:02,800 --> 00:25:06,720 intersects with spirituality in profound ways. 455 00:25:06,720 --> 00:25:10,900 Together we'll navigate the complexities of life, finding inspiration and hope in the 456 00:25:10,900 --> 00:25:15,280 remarkable narratives shared within the walls of Logan City Christian Church. 457 00:25:15,280 --> 00:25:16,280 Thank you for tuning in. 458 00:25:16,280 --> 00:25:20,040 And until next time, may your faith journey be filled with grace, understanding and the 459 00:25:20,040 --> 00:25:22,120 unwavering presence of God. 460 00:25:22,120 --> 00:25:35,280 Stay tuned for more Real Talk every Friday on Real Talk Friday.