WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.379 Well, good morning, church. Good morning. It 00:00:02.379 --> 00:00:04.459 is so good to be with you guys this morning. 00:00:04.660 --> 00:00:06.639 I wanna welcome everyone here. I wanna welcome 00:00:06.639 --> 00:00:08.939 those of you in Prescott Valley that are with 00:00:08.939 --> 00:00:11.339 us. I'm so glad that we get to come together 00:00:11.339 --> 00:00:13.599 as one family. We get to worship God. We get 00:00:13.599 --> 00:00:15.580 to celebrate God. We get to celebrate what God 00:00:15.580 --> 00:00:19.260 is doing in our church, around the world, and 00:00:19.260 --> 00:00:21.679 we get to see life change right in front of us 00:00:21.679 --> 00:00:23.679 today as we celebrate baptism, which I'm super 00:00:23.679 --> 00:00:26.239 excited about. But man, I'm still reeling from 00:00:26.239 --> 00:00:28.859 Easter last week. That was incredible. Did you 00:00:28.859 --> 00:00:30.839 guys have a good time out there? That was so 00:00:30.839 --> 00:00:36.320 fun. First year we've ever ran out of parking 00:00:36.320 --> 00:00:40.899 at Watson Lake. It's estimated over 6 ,000 people 00:00:40.899 --> 00:00:42.679 were there last weekend that got to hear the 00:00:42.679 --> 00:00:45.719 gospel. So, yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. And 00:00:45.719 --> 00:00:47.520 that is a huge celebration. We want to celebrate 00:00:47.520 --> 00:00:51.119 that. And one of the reasons we celebrate is 00:00:51.119 --> 00:00:53.500 because it's a way for us to remember what God 00:00:53.500 --> 00:00:55.700 has done. In fact, at Heights, we are... we say 00:00:55.700 --> 00:00:57.119 that there's some things that we are for. If 00:00:57.119 --> 00:00:59.020 you're going, what is heights all about? There's 00:00:59.020 --> 00:01:00.899 some things that we go, this is what we are for. 00:01:00.960 --> 00:01:02.859 We are not gonna deviate from this. This is who 00:01:02.859 --> 00:01:05.299 we are. And one of the things is we are for celebration. 00:01:05.939 --> 00:01:08.000 We're for celebration. And the reason is because 00:01:08.000 --> 00:01:12.599 in Philippians 4, 4, it says, rejoice in the 00:01:12.599 --> 00:01:15.079 Lord always. And then he says, I'll say it again, 00:01:15.260 --> 00:01:17.040 right? And usually when he says it again, it's 00:01:17.040 --> 00:01:18.500 like, okay, we gotta lean in here. And he says, 00:01:18.620 --> 00:01:21.659 rejoice. We should always be rejoicing in the 00:01:21.659 --> 00:01:24.030 Lord. In the Old Testament, it was. It was said 00:01:24.030 --> 00:01:25.829 this way, that when the Israelites were going 00:01:25.829 --> 00:01:28.609 through the wilderness and they were seeing God's 00:01:28.609 --> 00:01:31.489 provision in different places, God would say, 00:01:31.590 --> 00:01:33.109 hey, I want you to build an altar. And they were 00:01:33.109 --> 00:01:35.909 called altars of remembrance. And the altar of 00:01:35.909 --> 00:01:37.650 remembrance was so that when they looked back 00:01:37.650 --> 00:01:40.870 at it, they could remember what God had done. 00:01:41.310 --> 00:01:43.189 And the way that we build altars of remembrance 00:01:43.189 --> 00:01:45.730 is by repeatedly talking about the things that 00:01:45.730 --> 00:01:48.030 God is doing in our life and celebrating God. 00:01:48.129 --> 00:01:50.510 And so this is celebration weekend. And so this 00:01:50.510 --> 00:01:52.609 weekend, we are going to celebrate what God is 00:01:52.609 --> 00:01:54.650 doing in our church, what God is doing around 00:01:54.650 --> 00:01:56.909 the world. We're gonna celebrate all those things. 00:01:56.969 --> 00:01:59.049 And there's this tendency to come in on a day 00:01:59.049 --> 00:02:01.370 like today and go, okay, so I'm not gonna get 00:02:01.370 --> 00:02:03.840 anything out of this. And I don't want you guys 00:02:03.840 --> 00:02:05.599 to have that mindset because here's the thing, 00:02:05.659 --> 00:02:08.039 we can be encouraged by what God is doing. Just 00:02:08.039 --> 00:02:10.439 because we're not gonna hear a full sermon, you're 00:02:10.439 --> 00:02:12.219 gonna hear from multiple people that are telling 00:02:12.219 --> 00:02:14.259 you of amazing things that God is doing. This 00:02:14.259 --> 00:02:16.780 is what families do. This is what the family 00:02:16.780 --> 00:02:19.599 does is we lean into the celebrations and we 00:02:19.599 --> 00:02:22.199 celebrate by building these altars of remembrance 00:02:22.199 --> 00:02:24.939 and realizing, man, this is how good God is. 00:02:25.159 --> 00:02:27.500 This is what God has done. And it can be an encouragement 00:02:27.500 --> 00:02:31.500 to us. as we celebrate together as a family. 00:02:31.599 --> 00:02:33.860 And so first I want to start by celebrating just 00:02:33.860 --> 00:02:36.360 locally and celebrating with some folks who've 00:02:36.360 --> 00:02:39.080 been a part of the family for a long time, and 00:02:39.080 --> 00:02:41.120 they are actually moving away. And they're in 00:02:41.120 --> 00:02:43.000 this service right now, Van and Debbie Putman. 00:02:43.060 --> 00:02:45.539 This is their service, and we want to celebrate. 00:02:45.819 --> 00:02:50.520 Yeah, we can celebrate them right now. But we 00:02:50.520 --> 00:02:53.259 want to celebrate their faithfulness. to live 00:02:53.259 --> 00:02:55.539 out what God has called them to. And they've 00:02:55.539 --> 00:02:57.560 served in so many different ways in this church. 00:02:57.639 --> 00:03:00.819 They've served in women's ministry through prayer, 00:03:01.020 --> 00:03:03.740 through planning events, through teaching. They've 00:03:03.740 --> 00:03:05.460 served as life group leaders. They've served 00:03:05.460 --> 00:03:07.460 as handyman ministry. They've served in kids 00:03:07.460 --> 00:03:09.180 ministry when needed. They've served in setting 00:03:09.180 --> 00:03:11.539 up chairs. They've served in every way possible 00:03:11.539 --> 00:03:14.699 in this church. And I want you to just hear from 00:03:14.699 --> 00:03:16.800 them. And I want them to have an opportunity 00:03:16.800 --> 00:03:19.580 to be able to teach you and that you can be encouraged. 00:03:20.219 --> 00:03:22.460 God has given us gifts so that we can serve him 00:03:22.460 --> 00:03:24.659 with those gifts. So not only celebrate them 00:03:24.659 --> 00:03:26.639 and what they have done, but also celebrate as 00:03:26.639 --> 00:03:29.419 a family what God can do through you. And so 00:03:29.419 --> 00:03:31.379 I'd love for you to just turn your attention 00:03:31.379 --> 00:03:40.479 to the screens and watch this. Each of you should 00:03:40.479 --> 00:03:43.860 use whatever gift you have received to serve 00:03:43.860 --> 00:03:47.759 others as faithful stewards of God's grace in 00:03:47.759 --> 00:03:51.449 his various forms. If anyone speaks, they should 00:03:51.449 --> 00:03:54.650 do so as one who speaks the very words of God. 00:03:55.389 --> 00:03:58.569 If anyone serves, they should do so with the 00:03:58.569 --> 00:04:02.349 strength God provides so that in all things, 00:04:02.509 --> 00:04:05.969 God may be praised through Jesus Christ. We serve 00:04:05.969 --> 00:04:09.490 because we want God to be glorified and God to 00:04:09.490 --> 00:04:14.810 be praised through what we do. For me, it's never 00:04:14.810 --> 00:04:17.449 been an obligation. I've always felt compelled 00:04:17.449 --> 00:04:23.019 to serve. My father was a minister, so I was 00:04:23.019 --> 00:04:28.720 one of those PKs that was at church early and 00:04:28.720 --> 00:04:34.959 often. One of the reasons that I am so passionate 00:04:34.959 --> 00:04:42.600 about any men is because we moved 15 times in 00:04:42.600 --> 00:04:48.160 nine years when I was growing up. The homes that 00:04:48.160 --> 00:04:52.379 we lived in were parsonages provided by the church, 00:04:52.560 --> 00:04:57.879 and all of them needed fixing up. And because 00:04:57.879 --> 00:05:02.220 of that, I had to learn how to do stuff. And 00:05:02.220 --> 00:05:07.660 so that brought me an education, but it also 00:05:07.660 --> 00:05:10.540 brought me great joy working side -by -side with 00:05:10.540 --> 00:05:20.199 my father. stilled in me the drive to just help 00:05:20.199 --> 00:05:23.779 do stuff for people. What I've learned in everything, 00:05:24.040 --> 00:05:26.079 especially in the gifting that I have, teaching, 00:05:26.300 --> 00:05:29.399 I have to rely on the Holy Spirit. It's very 00:05:29.399 --> 00:05:32.199 easy for me to know I'm a good teacher, so just 00:05:32.199 --> 00:05:36.920 to plan and do whatever. My teaching is thousands 00:05:36.920 --> 00:05:41.819 times better when I remember to pray first. I 00:05:41.819 --> 00:05:44.519 don't have a gifting for... talking to people 00:05:44.519 --> 00:05:47.439 I don't know, and yet God called me to be a chaplain 00:05:47.439 --> 00:05:50.220 in the hospital due to the lessons I learned 00:05:50.220 --> 00:05:52.420 when my daughter was ill. And so I go and do 00:05:52.420 --> 00:05:54.680 that, and I have to pray in order to go into 00:05:54.680 --> 00:05:58.160 those rooms. I have to rely on the Holy Spirit. 00:05:58.959 --> 00:06:02.720 There's no other way to do anything with a heart 00:06:02.720 --> 00:06:04.920 of joy if you don't have the Holy Spirit prompting 00:06:04.920 --> 00:06:08.600 you and if you don't obey that voice. I've actually 00:06:08.600 --> 00:06:11.379 been doing the Handyman ministry for probably 00:06:11.379 --> 00:06:20.209 about 35 years. As time went on, I grew and grew 00:06:20.209 --> 00:06:23.490 and grew because the Holy Spirit was grooming 00:06:23.490 --> 00:06:29.509 me, I think, to come here and start a ministry 00:06:29.509 --> 00:06:34.209 here. And for the last couple of years, I've 00:06:34.209 --> 00:06:38.990 been praying that God would raise up some leaders 00:06:38.990 --> 00:06:44.779 that could take over. continue the ministry so 00:06:44.779 --> 00:06:49.160 that it would be a seamless transition and so 00:06:49.160 --> 00:06:54.019 that it would not suffer. Well, we did our most 00:06:54.019 --> 00:07:00.079 recent workday just last week, and we had 46 00:07:00.079 --> 00:07:06.579 volunteers, and we did 14 jobs on that workday, 00:07:06.699 --> 00:07:10.319 and it's the largest number of volunteers that 00:07:10.319 --> 00:07:14.709 we've ever had. And it's the largest single number 00:07:14.709 --> 00:07:18.069 of projects in the field at one time as well. 00:07:18.230 --> 00:07:22.550 That occurred not because I'm great. It occurred 00:07:22.550 --> 00:07:25.949 because the Holy Spirit is raising up leaders 00:07:25.949 --> 00:07:31.670 and team leaders and guys that are willing to 00:07:31.670 --> 00:07:36.610 shepherd other men in the field. And that is 00:07:36.610 --> 00:07:45.180 purely the Holy Spirit. There's no other way 00:07:45.180 --> 00:07:50.720 to put it that God is seeing it through. And 00:07:50.720 --> 00:07:53.220 I would say to anybody that still has no idea 00:07:53.220 --> 00:07:55.899 what should I do, what should I do? I would recommend 00:07:55.899 --> 00:07:57.680 that you find out what your spiritual gifting 00:07:57.680 --> 00:08:02.019 is and then look into ministries where you can 00:08:02.019 --> 00:08:05.779 do that. Usually you're going to need to step 00:08:05.779 --> 00:08:08.680 into a small role and let it expand as God leads 00:08:08.680 --> 00:08:11.699 you. But don't think, well, I don't have any 00:08:11.699 --> 00:08:14.199 gifts. I can't do anything. There are so many 00:08:14.199 --> 00:08:18.279 different ways to serve. And also don't feel 00:08:18.279 --> 00:08:21.759 that you have to do everything. I certainly can't 00:08:21.759 --> 00:08:23.439 do it all. There are things that I'll think, 00:08:23.519 --> 00:08:25.839 oh, I could do that. And God says, and when will 00:08:25.839 --> 00:08:27.759 you find time? And how will you minister to this? 00:08:27.860 --> 00:08:30.160 Well, else we'll let go. So don't always say 00:08:30.160 --> 00:08:32.879 yes. We aren't designed to do it all. It's the 00:08:32.879 --> 00:08:36.860 body. And we need to wait and see what God has 00:08:36.860 --> 00:08:39.460 for us, but we also can't live our life in waiting. 00:08:40.440 --> 00:08:43.899 We need to take action and serve God. When it 00:08:43.899 --> 00:08:51.720 comes to serving, just do it. Just step in. Everybody 00:08:51.720 --> 00:08:54.899 can serve coffee on Sunday morning or Saturday 00:08:54.899 --> 00:08:58.840 night. That's how you get started meeting people. 00:08:59.399 --> 00:09:02.039 and becoming part of the church family. And if 00:09:02.039 --> 00:09:07.000 serving coffee isn't your cup of tea, then as 00:09:07.000 --> 00:09:08.580 you've gotten to know people, they'll say, hey, 00:09:08.600 --> 00:09:11.659 why don't you try greeting at the door or handing 00:09:11.659 --> 00:09:15.299 out the communion cups? Or we need somebody that's 00:09:15.299 --> 00:09:17.840 going to be backstage doing whatever it is. But 00:09:17.840 --> 00:09:20.679 you have to start somewhere. And the place to 00:09:20.679 --> 00:09:24.340 start is by joining something. It doesn't matter 00:09:24.340 --> 00:09:26.080 if you know anybody, you'll get to know them 00:09:26.080 --> 00:09:29.879 really fast. It's worth the effort. It's worth 00:09:29.879 --> 00:09:34.240 the time. Serving coffee will only take you a 00:09:34.240 --> 00:09:36.779 couple hours a week. You can find that time. 00:09:37.100 --> 00:09:40.000 Give up something else instead. It's worth it. 00:09:40.100 --> 00:09:43.799 There's a place for everyone. If you don't know 00:09:43.799 --> 00:09:46.799 which end of a screwdriver is up, we'll still 00:09:46.799 --> 00:09:49.940 find you a place to work. We'll still find you 00:09:49.940 --> 00:09:54.600 something to do. We feed our men twice, breakfast 00:09:54.600 --> 00:09:59.159 and lunch. So food is part of what we do. There's 00:09:59.159 --> 00:10:04.379 all sorts of stuff to do. You might think of 00:10:04.379 --> 00:10:08.820 it even as there are a thousand different jobs 00:10:08.820 --> 00:10:14.720 to do to make the team go forward, to make the 00:10:14.720 --> 00:10:18.899 kingdom work successful. And all of these different 00:10:18.899 --> 00:10:26.680 things have different opportunities for everyone. 00:10:26.680 --> 00:10:31.960 It doesn't matter how little or how much you 00:10:31.960 --> 00:10:36.820 bring to the table. It's all part of the family 00:10:36.820 --> 00:10:39.519 of God. When I teach my Bible study, because 00:10:39.519 --> 00:10:43.639 it's designed to teach women how to study God's 00:10:43.639 --> 00:10:46.159 Word, I put together a notebook of study materials, 00:10:46.299 --> 00:10:49.000 and then I teach them how I personally study. 00:10:50.539 --> 00:10:52.820 sometimes are overwhelmed and their comment is, 00:10:52.919 --> 00:10:54.779 well, how do I do this like you? I said, you 00:10:54.779 --> 00:10:57.500 don't want to be like me. You want to be like 00:10:57.500 --> 00:11:01.299 Jesus. And ultimately that's where ministry is 00:11:01.299 --> 00:11:04.340 going. We are learning to become more and more 00:11:04.340 --> 00:11:07.080 like Jesus through how we serve. We want the 00:11:07.080 --> 00:11:09.759 people that we serve with and the people that 00:11:09.759 --> 00:11:13.039 we serve to, to become more and more like Jesus. 00:11:13.419 --> 00:11:18.590 So I've seen it as though when you step. on the 00:11:18.590 --> 00:11:21.210 sand of the beach. Your footprints don't last 00:11:21.210 --> 00:11:23.950 very long. They're filled in again by the water 00:11:23.950 --> 00:11:27.169 and eventually by the sand. And it makes it a 00:11:27.169 --> 00:11:31.669 seamless journey. That's what this is. We didn't 00:11:31.669 --> 00:11:34.090 come here to make a name for Van and Debbie Putman. 00:11:34.289 --> 00:11:38.230 We came here to glorify God. And we're leaving 00:11:38.230 --> 00:11:40.909 knowing that he will continue because this is 00:11:40.909 --> 00:11:43.809 his church. These are his ministries. You all 00:11:43.809 --> 00:11:47.039 are his people. And he loves every single person. 00:11:47.059 --> 00:11:49.940 He will not let you down. I can guarantee that. 00:11:50.519 --> 00:11:57.039 Thank you, God, for all that you're doing. Because 00:11:57.039 --> 00:12:03.360 nothing we do is important. Everything God does 00:12:03.360 --> 00:12:10.240 is important. And whatever we've done, it's all 00:12:10.240 --> 00:12:13.899 to the glory of God, not to the glory of us. 00:12:24.299 --> 00:12:26.440 And Van and Debbie will always be a part of our 00:12:26.440 --> 00:12:28.779 church family. They're moving states away, but 00:12:28.779 --> 00:12:31.220 they're part of our family. And it's incredible 00:12:31.220 --> 00:12:33.740 not only what they have done serving wise, but 00:12:33.740 --> 00:12:36.200 that they want to continue to share that with 00:12:36.200 --> 00:12:38.860 us so that we can, as a church, be encouraged. 00:12:39.000 --> 00:12:41.519 And, you know, exactly what they said. God has 00:12:41.519 --> 00:12:44.100 given you a gift for a reason. What is it that 00:12:44.100 --> 00:12:47.629 God is pushing you? to step in and do. It's incredible 00:12:47.629 --> 00:12:49.389 that we get to celebrate locally and we get to 00:12:49.389 --> 00:12:50.970 celebrate what is happening within the church 00:12:50.970 --> 00:12:52.990 and through people serving in the church. But 00:12:52.990 --> 00:12:55.509 we also get to celebrate globally. And Heights 00:12:55.509 --> 00:12:57.850 is incredible because we don't just have an impact 00:12:57.850 --> 00:13:00.629 here locally, we have an impact globally. We 00:13:00.629 --> 00:13:02.889 have an incredible global department that has 00:13:02.889 --> 00:13:05.690 partners all around the world that we work with. 00:13:05.809 --> 00:13:09.190 And we actually got to send teams recently to 00:13:09.190 --> 00:13:11.090 two different locations. And so we wanna celebrate 00:13:11.090 --> 00:13:13.620 some of these. We want to celebrate what happened 00:13:13.620 --> 00:13:17.080 on a trip that was taken to Jordan and a trip 00:13:17.080 --> 00:13:18.820 that was taken to the Dominican Republic. And 00:13:18.820 --> 00:13:21.620 so the leaders of those teams want to just share 00:13:21.620 --> 00:13:23.879 with you, hey, this is what some of the amazing 00:13:23.879 --> 00:13:25.679 things that happened and give you a peek into 00:13:25.679 --> 00:13:28.340 that so that as a family, we can celebrate those 00:13:28.340 --> 00:13:30.120 teams. We can celebrate the work that's being 00:13:30.120 --> 00:13:32.679 done globally. We can celebrate the lives that 00:13:32.679 --> 00:13:35.120 are being changed around the world and the role 00:13:35.120 --> 00:13:37.000 that we get to play in it. So would you just 00:13:37.000 --> 00:13:39.639 help me welcome the leader of our Jordan trip, 00:13:39.740 --> 00:13:49.539 Pastor Ben. Good morning, church. A couple weeks 00:13:49.539 --> 00:13:51.360 ago, y 'all got to hear a little bit about the 00:13:51.360 --> 00:13:55.000 Jordan trip. I was able to share a piece out 00:13:55.000 --> 00:13:58.259 of when we visited Azraq, but that was just one 00:13:58.259 --> 00:14:01.500 day of the trip. We spent nine days in Amman. 00:14:01.659 --> 00:14:05.299 It's a city of about 2 .4 million people. And 00:14:05.299 --> 00:14:08.179 we just got to experience so much that God was 00:14:08.179 --> 00:14:10.279 doing through not only Jamel's organization, 00:14:10.320 --> 00:14:12.980 but also other organizations we partnered with. 00:14:13.100 --> 00:14:14.980 So I just wanted to share some more pictures 00:14:14.980 --> 00:14:18.100 with that. And the first picture I got is right 00:14:18.100 --> 00:14:20.639 here. And this is at their community center. 00:14:20.759 --> 00:14:23.740 So many of you know this, but I just always want 00:14:23.740 --> 00:14:25.700 to share it because it's near and dear to my 00:14:25.700 --> 00:14:29.980 heart. is we partner with Jamel and this community 00:14:29.980 --> 00:14:33.419 center through our Park Collective initiative 00:14:33.419 --> 00:14:36.559 down in Prescott Valley. So out of our vision 00:14:36.559 --> 00:14:41.340 fund, we give 10 % of that to Jamel's organization. 00:14:41.580 --> 00:14:45.460 So the community center in Prescott Valley is 00:14:45.460 --> 00:14:48.519 directly partnered with Jamel's community center 00:14:48.519 --> 00:14:51.389 in Amman. And what you'll see here is they're 00:14:51.389 --> 00:14:54.250 holding up some certificates, but they have created 00:14:54.250 --> 00:14:57.769 these skill sets, and they teach them trades 00:14:57.769 --> 00:15:02.720 and computer software. candle making, barbers, 00:15:02.720 --> 00:15:05.639 barbershop salons, and they're teaching them 00:15:05.639 --> 00:15:08.620 trades. Like they're empowering them to be able 00:15:08.620 --> 00:15:11.120 to go and make their own living, make their own 00:15:11.120 --> 00:15:13.720 money to be able to support their families. And 00:15:13.720 --> 00:15:16.759 these are all refugees. And so within that, they're 00:15:16.759 --> 00:15:18.919 able to also do Bible studies throughout the 00:15:18.919 --> 00:15:21.919 week. And one of the amazing things about this 00:15:21.919 --> 00:15:25.039 is that Jordan knows Jamel's a Christian, but 00:15:25.039 --> 00:15:29.139 it's one of the top five organizations. In Jordan, 00:15:29.259 --> 00:15:32.480 that helps refugees. And what the government 00:15:32.480 --> 00:15:35.679 did was is they made those certificates official. 00:15:35.940 --> 00:15:38.100 So just like you could get a certificate through 00:15:38.100 --> 00:15:40.679 a university that's not a degree but still education, 00:15:41.200 --> 00:15:45.440 the government recognizes these. So God is just 00:15:45.440 --> 00:15:48.980 breaking down barriers that even though it's 00:15:48.980 --> 00:15:51.019 a Christian organization, the government says, 00:15:51.139 --> 00:15:53.220 hey, we're going to work with you. We're going 00:15:53.220 --> 00:15:56.159 to recognize these certificates. And we're going 00:15:56.159 --> 00:15:58.100 to do what we can to support these refugees. 00:15:58.440 --> 00:16:00.820 And so it's just an amazing thing that Jamel's 00:16:00.820 --> 00:16:04.580 doing out there. We also have a couple pictures 00:16:04.580 --> 00:16:09.700 of a Syrian refugee camp we visited. And what's 00:16:09.700 --> 00:16:12.759 amazing about this is we partnered with a ton 00:16:12.759 --> 00:16:15.419 of humanitarian organizations that weren't just 00:16:15.419 --> 00:16:18.879 Jamel's organization. We had doctors go out there. 00:16:19.919 --> 00:16:23.840 just how small of a world it is, is when we met 00:16:23.840 --> 00:16:25.960 somebody from the embassy that was dropping some 00:16:25.960 --> 00:16:28.460 stuff off, they go, I heard you were from Arizona. 00:16:28.799 --> 00:16:30.860 And we were like, yeah, yeah. And they go, I 00:16:30.860 --> 00:16:35.700 graduated from Yavapai Community College. I was 00:16:35.700 --> 00:16:39.539 like, shut up. And he goes, yeah, I went and 00:16:39.539 --> 00:16:41.799 got my master's somewhere else, but this is a 00:16:41.799 --> 00:16:44.100 guy that worked at the embassy, and we're having 00:16:44.100 --> 00:16:47.340 a conversation in Amman, Jordan. And he went 00:16:47.340 --> 00:16:49.840 to Yavapai Community College, so go Rough Riders. 00:16:51.059 --> 00:16:54.360 But this is a Syrian refugee camp, and we were 00:16:54.360 --> 00:16:56.919 able to go visit them. It was a camp when I went 00:16:56.919 --> 00:16:59.899 last year of about 400. It was down to about 00:16:59.899 --> 00:17:03.960 150. They moved for a variety of reasons, but 00:17:03.960 --> 00:17:05.720 they were able to get medical attention. We were 00:17:05.720 --> 00:17:09.240 able to hand out food and toys to kids. And just, 00:17:09.240 --> 00:17:11.359 again, just trying to be the hands and feet of 00:17:11.359 --> 00:17:14.359 Jesus, just meeting people where they are at. 00:17:16.440 --> 00:17:19.980 One of the most special things about going there 00:17:19.980 --> 00:17:23.099 was, so you get to experience these home visits. 00:17:23.240 --> 00:17:25.859 Like that's a lot of what you do. So your first 00:17:25.859 --> 00:17:28.619 time home visits, you're not praying with them. 00:17:28.839 --> 00:17:32.039 You're not sharing Jesus with them. The country 00:17:32.039 --> 00:17:37.240 is 99 .9 % Muslim. So your first home visits, 00:17:37.339 --> 00:17:40.440 you're just establishing a foundation. You're 00:17:40.440 --> 00:17:44.099 going there with food, food bags. You're going 00:17:44.099 --> 00:17:47.380 there with medication, vitamins, kids' vitamins, 00:17:47.519 --> 00:17:50.200 things like that. And so these first home visits 00:17:50.200 --> 00:17:52.279 are just an introduction, and you're really getting 00:17:52.279 --> 00:17:54.559 to hear all about their story and how they got 00:17:54.559 --> 00:17:57.799 there. And all the stories are the same from 00:17:57.799 --> 00:18:01.019 the refugees. They are leaving these countries 00:18:01.019 --> 00:18:06.579 that have just been worn torn. Or they've been 00:18:06.579 --> 00:18:09.759 pushed out by ISIS, which in their language is 00:18:09.759 --> 00:18:12.859 dash. And you'll hear that in every story. Dash 00:18:12.859 --> 00:18:15.319 this, dash that, dash this. Because if you're 00:18:15.319 --> 00:18:17.940 not an extreme enough Muslim, they'll try to 00:18:17.940 --> 00:18:20.640 kill you just like they will a Christian. And 00:18:20.640 --> 00:18:23.880 so what I got from that was, man, these are just 00:18:23.880 --> 00:18:27.470 normal people that want their kids safe. They 00:18:27.470 --> 00:18:29.769 want to raise their kids in a safe place. They 00:18:29.769 --> 00:18:32.390 don't want bombs going off. They want to be able 00:18:32.390 --> 00:18:35.950 to protect their husband or wife. These are just 00:18:35.950 --> 00:18:38.809 normal people. These are just people that want 00:18:38.809 --> 00:18:41.250 to live a safe life and have their kids get an 00:18:41.250 --> 00:18:44.269 education. And all these people had to leave 00:18:44.269 --> 00:18:47.470 from they were dentists or carpenters or they 00:18:47.470 --> 00:18:50.490 had real jobs and real life. But because of war, 00:18:50.670 --> 00:18:54.309 because of ISIS, they've had to push out. And 00:18:54.309 --> 00:18:57.480 they're in really tough situations. And that's 00:18:57.480 --> 00:19:00.640 what I love what Jamel's doing. And I love that 00:19:00.640 --> 00:19:04.160 we partner with him because we made these shirts 00:19:04.160 --> 00:19:07.200 a few years ago for people. And we're for all 00:19:07.200 --> 00:19:10.039 people. And what that means is we're going to 00:19:10.039 --> 00:19:12.880 accept people right where they're at. But that 00:19:12.880 --> 00:19:16.119 doesn't mean we approve. of their choices. It 00:19:16.119 --> 00:19:18.500 doesn't mean we approve of their belief system, 00:19:18.579 --> 00:19:21.799 but like Jesus came full of grace and truth, 00:19:22.099 --> 00:19:24.319 that's what we're going to do. And we're going 00:19:24.319 --> 00:19:27.640 to love people right where they're at. I was 00:19:27.640 --> 00:19:30.440 able to meet a couple that, husband and wife 00:19:30.440 --> 00:19:33.279 couple that started a prison ministry, and they 00:19:33.279 --> 00:19:37.380 did not see anyone come to Jesus for 10 years. 00:19:38.539 --> 00:19:41.259 They were only allowed to get into one prison 00:19:41.259 --> 00:19:44.660 for several years. They were only able to meet 00:19:44.660 --> 00:19:47.759 with one or two guys within this prison. Ten 00:19:47.759 --> 00:19:53.180 years, they didn't see any fruit. But they knew 00:19:53.180 --> 00:19:56.140 God was calling them. They knew God was calling 00:19:56.140 --> 00:19:58.619 them to these prisons in these Muslim countries. 00:20:00.200 --> 00:20:01.920 And then they started to see a little fruit. 00:20:02.099 --> 00:20:03.859 And then they started to get into several of 00:20:03.859 --> 00:20:06.700 the prisons. And I'm just here today to say, 00:20:06.859 --> 00:20:10.079 if you have been chasing a dream or something 00:20:10.079 --> 00:20:14.759 you know God has called you to, don't stop. Keep 00:20:14.759 --> 00:20:17.819 pushing forward. Trust that you're doing what 00:20:17.819 --> 00:20:21.759 God has called you to. And he's in charge of 00:20:21.759 --> 00:20:25.119 that timeline. God does not move slow as we like 00:20:25.119 --> 00:20:27.589 to think about it, you know? It says that one 00:20:27.589 --> 00:20:29.910 day is like a thousand years to him and a thousand 00:20:29.910 --> 00:20:32.690 years is like a day. If God's put something in 00:20:32.690 --> 00:20:35.049 your heart that's good and sharing the gospel 00:20:35.049 --> 00:20:37.890 and it's moving too slow for you, trust in him 00:20:37.890 --> 00:20:41.210 and press forward because we celebrate our God 00:20:41.210 --> 00:20:44.269 and everything he does. But we didn't just visit 00:20:44.269 --> 00:20:46.609 Jordan over this year, this beginning of this 00:20:46.609 --> 00:20:49.670 first year. We also got to visit DR. And with 00:20:49.670 --> 00:20:51.269 that, we're gonna have Pastor Bob share some 00:20:51.269 --> 00:21:00.269 things. Good morning. I had the privilege of 00:21:00.269 --> 00:21:04.450 leading a team of 12 to Dominican Republic last 00:21:04.450 --> 00:21:06.769 month. And what we've been doing down there, 00:21:06.809 --> 00:21:08.930 we have a connection down there. His name is 00:21:08.930 --> 00:21:12.049 Nelson Paulino. And Nelson was working with Vision 00:21:12.049 --> 00:21:15.109 Trust. But about five years ago, a little over, 00:21:15.170 --> 00:21:18.309 he felt he got a vision from God to start this 00:21:18.309 --> 00:21:20.750 new ministry, which is called Casa Misionera. 00:21:21.089 --> 00:21:25.390 So what Casa does is Nelson goes to every church. 00:21:26.079 --> 00:21:28.640 In Dominican Republic, where he has a connection, 00:21:28.940 --> 00:21:32.019 he will ask the youth pastor there, give me your 00:21:32.019 --> 00:21:34.640 top two or three kids that are graduating high 00:21:34.640 --> 00:21:38.000 school that are on fire for the Lord. Then he 00:21:38.000 --> 00:21:40.559 says, I'll pay for their college for four years, 00:21:40.640 --> 00:21:42.599 but they have to do a four -year leadership program 00:21:42.599 --> 00:21:47.440 with me. His goal is to raise up leaders in various 00:21:47.440 --> 00:21:51.160 fields in the country with the idea of we're 00:21:51.160 --> 00:21:53.480 going to change this country with this younger 00:21:53.480 --> 00:21:56.210 new generation. So we have the privilege of going 00:21:56.210 --> 00:21:58.089 down there, and it was amazing. We worked beside 00:21:58.089 --> 00:22:00.930 the CASA students. So we'll go with these students, 00:22:01.089 --> 00:22:03.730 do whatever mission it is with them, and then 00:22:03.730 --> 00:22:06.009 they take the ministry over and run these kids. 00:22:06.069 --> 00:22:09.450 So I want to show you a quick video, and I'll 00:22:09.450 --> 00:22:11.250 explain a couple things while the video is going 00:22:11.250 --> 00:22:17.990 on. First of all, the only tough part about doing 00:22:17.990 --> 00:22:20.470 Dominican Republic... We're getting out of this 00:22:20.470 --> 00:22:24.730 bus after 24 hours of travel with very little 00:22:24.730 --> 00:22:39.890 sleep. This is one of the churches in the Dominican. 00:22:41.970 --> 00:22:54.460 That guy is handsome. Don't know. So what they're 00:22:54.460 --> 00:22:57.779 doing here, that is Nelson Paulino. So he's going 00:22:57.779 --> 00:22:59.819 to introduce this group of students that are 00:22:59.819 --> 00:23:02.660 in Casa Misionera, and then they will tell you 00:23:02.660 --> 00:23:06.279 what their major is in college and how they expect 00:23:06.279 --> 00:23:21.980 and hope to change the country. We're coming 00:23:21.980 --> 00:23:24.079 in here. This is pretty interesting, and I'll 00:23:24.079 --> 00:23:25.619 tell you a little bit more about it after. That's 00:23:25.619 --> 00:23:28.500 a public school, so we give a gospel message 00:23:28.500 --> 00:23:34.140 in a public school. The next kid up in the white 00:23:34.140 --> 00:23:38.859 shirt, pay attention to him. That boy, I'll tell 00:23:38.859 --> 00:23:45.460 you about him in a minute. We had so many students 00:23:45.460 --> 00:23:48.220 accept Jesus Christ that day, and that is our 00:23:48.220 --> 00:23:51.700 team and their team praying with them. And then 00:23:51.700 --> 00:23:53.720 those kids will follow up and get them plugged 00:23:53.720 --> 00:23:57.460 in to local churches. So it's amazing. So I want 00:23:57.460 --> 00:23:59.220 to tell you that boy in the white shirt, this 00:23:59.220 --> 00:24:02.460 is a very, it's such a God story. So I was in 00:24:02.460 --> 00:24:05.799 Dominican with Casa Misionera two years ago, 00:24:05.920 --> 00:24:09.009 and we were in that public high school. They 00:24:09.009 --> 00:24:11.009 kind of rushed us out at the end. We had to get 00:24:11.009 --> 00:24:13.009 to the next thing. So I literally took a picture 00:24:13.009 --> 00:24:15.750 with one boy. He came up and he didn't speak 00:24:15.750 --> 00:24:18.190 English. So never got his name, gave him a hug, 00:24:18.250 --> 00:24:21.569 took a picture, went on. This past December, 00:24:21.890 --> 00:24:24.410 Todd and I went down there because Casa Missionero 00:24:24.410 --> 00:24:27.089 was graduating their first four -year class. 00:24:27.569 --> 00:24:30.670 So we went to the graduation, really fell in 00:24:30.670 --> 00:24:32.210 love with what they're doing. It is amazing, 00:24:32.309 --> 00:24:34.410 this idea of changing a country with these young 00:24:34.410 --> 00:24:37.130 people. So anyway, we got back and I called Nelson 00:24:37.130 --> 00:24:40.079 up and I said, hey, I would really, me and my 00:24:40.079 --> 00:24:41.839 wife have been talking, we want to sponsor one 00:24:41.839 --> 00:24:44.500 of the kids through college. And so he said, 00:24:44.599 --> 00:24:46.339 okay, well, you're normally, you were in Nagua. 00:24:46.900 --> 00:24:48.640 Most of the stuff you're going to do missions 00:24:48.640 --> 00:24:50.799 -wise will be in Nagua. So he said, I'll find 00:24:50.799 --> 00:24:53.559 a Nagua student. So he sends me a name, and I 00:24:53.559 --> 00:24:56.799 said, that's great. We'll sponsor that boy. So 00:24:56.799 --> 00:24:58.619 this time, when I went down there last month, 00:24:58.700 --> 00:25:00.160 they go, do you want to meet the boy you're sponsoring? 00:25:00.839 --> 00:25:02.960 So I did, and I met him, and I gave him a hug, 00:25:02.980 --> 00:25:06.079 and his name is Yendi. And I go, I'm talking 00:25:06.079 --> 00:25:08.420 to him. I go, Yendi, wait a minute. I pull out 00:25:08.420 --> 00:25:10.559 my phone. I said, I was in Dominican two years 00:25:10.559 --> 00:25:13.339 ago at a public high school. And I showed him 00:25:13.339 --> 00:25:15.240 the picture. I go, is that you? He goes, yes, 00:25:15.299 --> 00:25:18.319 I accepted Jesus that day. And now I am in Casa 00:25:18.319 --> 00:25:24.220 Misionera. Yes. And the amazing part now is Yendi 00:25:24.220 --> 00:25:27.599 and I talk literally every day. Yendi is discipling 00:25:27.599 --> 00:25:30.079 five boys right now. And so I kind of try to 00:25:30.079 --> 00:25:32.779 help him with that from our end. And then I want 00:25:32.779 --> 00:25:34.720 to show you some of the other stuff we do while 00:25:34.720 --> 00:25:36.559 we're in DR because I think pictures and videos 00:25:36.559 --> 00:25:38.900 speak better than I could. So if you could show 00:25:38.900 --> 00:25:47.140 that next video. So in the villages near the 00:25:47.140 --> 00:25:50.119 churches, they know who is needy and who needs 00:25:50.119 --> 00:25:54.500 money or food and prayer. So they send our teams 00:25:54.500 --> 00:25:57.519 in there. And then we bring them food. You'll 00:25:57.519 --> 00:25:59.319 see the kids bringing it in, and we pray with 00:25:59.319 --> 00:26:01.839 them. And then the church makes the connection 00:26:01.839 --> 00:26:04.740 with them after that. We had a couple building 00:26:04.740 --> 00:26:07.339 projects they let us do with people to make that 00:26:07.339 --> 00:26:10.579 connection to the church too. So we got to put 00:26:10.579 --> 00:26:14.920 a roof on, and we got to do cement work, which 00:26:14.920 --> 00:26:25.180 was really fun. You recognize a lot of these 00:26:25.180 --> 00:26:28.460 people on that team from church. This is one 00:26:28.460 --> 00:26:29.900 of the church service they did in the village 00:26:29.900 --> 00:26:34.859 outside. And when they party during a church 00:26:34.859 --> 00:26:37.539 service, they really get into it. It's amazing. 00:26:43.000 --> 00:26:48.960 We also went to four or five other schools. Gave 00:26:48.960 --> 00:26:51.160 gospel messages and kids were coming to Christ 00:26:51.160 --> 00:26:53.519 everywhere. And then the CASA students will connect 00:26:53.519 --> 00:27:06.160 them in. So they continue to keep going. So amazing 00:27:06.160 --> 00:27:09.220 to see what God is doing in Dominican Republic. 00:27:09.940 --> 00:27:13.609 And the privilege we have. It's a continual involvement. 00:27:13.730 --> 00:27:17.390 So literally our team of 12 has been in touch 00:27:17.390 --> 00:27:19.730 with these Dominican students on the weekly, 00:27:19.849 --> 00:27:22.609 keeping in touch, helping them grow and encouraging 00:27:22.609 --> 00:27:25.890 them. And now Pastor Todd will lead a trip down 00:27:25.890 --> 00:27:29.289 to Dominican in June to run a high school camp. 00:27:29.920 --> 00:27:32.519 with Casa Missionary students. So we are just 00:27:32.519 --> 00:27:35.440 amazed at what God is doing, not just here, but 00:27:35.440 --> 00:27:37.799 globally. So one of the things about that, we 00:27:37.799 --> 00:27:39.880 say it all the time, we couldn't do these things 00:27:39.880 --> 00:27:42.859 without your support and your generosity. So 00:27:42.859 --> 00:27:45.140 thank you, because you're a part of this celebration 00:27:45.140 --> 00:27:45.680 too.