WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.919 Isn't it so good having our Dominican brothers 00:00:02.919 --> 00:00:10.160 and sisters here today? I love them so much and 00:00:10.160 --> 00:00:12.480 it's so good to have them here. If I don't know 00:00:12.480 --> 00:00:15.060 you, my name is Bob. I am one of the pastors 00:00:15.060 --> 00:00:17.179 here. And I want to tell you a little bit about 00:00:17.179 --> 00:00:20.500 my connection with Dominican Republic. So the 00:00:20.500 --> 00:00:22.500 first time I went on a missions trip there was 00:00:22.500 --> 00:00:25.760 2012. And I went down there thinking, man, we're 00:00:25.760 --> 00:00:27.519 going to help them and we're going to make an 00:00:27.519 --> 00:00:31.859 impact on them. myself and that entire team left 00:00:31.859 --> 00:00:35.380 there being more impacted by them than they possibly 00:00:35.380 --> 00:00:39.039 could have been by us. And it was so good. And 00:00:39.039 --> 00:00:42.880 at that time, I got to meet the man running the 00:00:42.880 --> 00:00:44.799 mission that we went down to, which was Vision 00:00:44.799 --> 00:00:49.420 Trust, Nelson Paulino. And Nelson, if I have 00:00:49.420 --> 00:00:52.380 to say one thing, he is a man after God's heart. 00:00:53.079 --> 00:00:55.520 And I have the privilege now of not just calling 00:00:55.520 --> 00:00:58.679 him a brother in Christ, but a close friend. 00:00:59.119 --> 00:01:02.299 And so as we continue to go down every year, 00:01:02.840 --> 00:01:05.239 probably about five, six years ago, Nelson said, 00:01:05.400 --> 00:01:08.379 I think God's giving me a new mission other than 00:01:08.379 --> 00:01:11.319 vision trust. So what he started doing is he 00:01:11.319 --> 00:01:15.420 started Casa Misionera. And what Casa does is 00:01:15.420 --> 00:01:18.180 he will call churches and schools throughout 00:01:18.180 --> 00:01:21.700 the country and say, hey. Give me a couple of 00:01:21.700 --> 00:01:23.620 your students that are in love with Jesus Christ 00:01:23.620 --> 00:01:26.640 and would love to go to college. And even if 00:01:26.640 --> 00:01:28.180 they don't have the money, we're going to get 00:01:28.180 --> 00:01:30.840 them to college. We'll take care of their college, 00:01:30.900 --> 00:01:32.980 but they have to do a four -year leadership program 00:01:32.980 --> 00:01:37.680 through Casa Misionera. And so we went down the 00:01:37.680 --> 00:01:40.099 first time, and I got to witness what they're 00:01:40.099 --> 00:01:42.780 doing with these students. And so far, about 00:01:42.780 --> 00:01:45.620 20 have graduated after their four years, and 00:01:45.620 --> 00:01:48.379 there's probably 40 more in the program. but 00:01:48.379 --> 00:01:51.420 had the privilege of watching him lead these 00:01:51.420 --> 00:01:55.299 students. And Nelson's goal is this. He wants 00:01:55.299 --> 00:01:57.939 to raise the Christian leaders of tomorrow today. 00:01:59.159 --> 00:02:02.040 That is their vision. And with that, he hopes 00:02:02.040 --> 00:02:06.180 to change an entire country. And so it is exciting 00:02:06.180 --> 00:02:08.599 to watch what they're doing and how he quickly 00:02:08.599 --> 00:02:12.020 changed what he was doing and went on a new mission 00:02:12.020 --> 00:02:16.139 for God. So we are in a collection of talks right 00:02:16.139 --> 00:02:19.530 now. called Snapshots. So would you give a big 00:02:19.530 --> 00:02:24.669 hand for mi hermano y mi amigo, Nelson Paulino. 00:02:27.150 --> 00:02:38.270 Gracias. Muy buenos dias. Yes, we can do this 00:02:38.270 --> 00:02:44.030 in Spanish, right? I know, I know. Thank you 00:02:44.030 --> 00:02:47.039 so much. What an amazing opportunity for our 00:02:47.039 --> 00:02:50.460 students in Casa Misionera, for myself. Thank 00:02:50.460 --> 00:02:53.580 you, High Church, all your leadership. I praise 00:02:53.580 --> 00:02:56.120 the Lord because I had no idea five years ago 00:02:56.120 --> 00:02:59.219 when we started Casa Misionera, no idea that 00:02:59.219 --> 00:03:01.639 this day I was going to be here speaking to you. 00:03:01.740 --> 00:03:04.099 So the Lord has been really good and I praise 00:03:04.099 --> 00:03:11.240 him for each and every one of you. Amen. And 00:03:11.240 --> 00:03:13.680 he brought me today in his will to challenge 00:03:13.680 --> 00:03:16.080 somebody in this room. Might be one person, might 00:03:16.080 --> 00:03:19.319 be 10. Challenge you because you have been given 00:03:19.319 --> 00:03:23.719 talents. You have been given opportunities, experiences. 00:03:24.460 --> 00:03:27.300 You have studies. You've been working. You have 00:03:27.300 --> 00:03:29.840 a level of influence. You know people. You have 00:03:29.840 --> 00:03:33.120 friends. You have family. You've been trained 00:03:33.120 --> 00:03:36.199 in so many different ways. Just like the man 00:03:36.199 --> 00:03:38.259 that we're going to be reading about in a minute 00:03:38.259 --> 00:03:41.750 in the book of Acts chapter 9. You are equipped 00:03:41.750 --> 00:03:45.969 to do God's work. In the book of Acts chapter 00:03:45.969 --> 00:03:49.770 9, verse 1 and 2, we will begin to read about 00:03:49.770 --> 00:03:54.150 this man whose name at the moment is Saul. And 00:03:54.150 --> 00:03:57.409 the Bible says, meanwhile, I got to say before 00:03:57.409 --> 00:04:01.150 I read this, English is not my first language. 00:04:01.629 --> 00:04:06.349 So if I mispronounce... One or two words here. 00:04:06.389 --> 00:04:08.530 I will just say it in Spanish and you need just 00:04:08.530 --> 00:04:12.669 to follow me on that, okay? Okay. So, meanwhile, 00:04:13.069 --> 00:04:16.649 Saul was still breathing out murderous threats 00:04:16.649 --> 00:04:20.089 against the Lord's disciples. He went to the 00:04:20.089 --> 00:04:23.829 high priest and asked him for letters to the 00:04:23.829 --> 00:04:27.009 synagogues in Damascus so that if he found any 00:04:27.009 --> 00:04:31.250 there who belongs to the way, whether men or 00:04:31.250 --> 00:04:35.110 women, he might take them as prisoners. To Jerusalem. 00:04:37.410 --> 00:04:40.089 Okay. That's the end of verse 2. I'm sorry. And 00:04:40.089 --> 00:04:45.110 so this is the mission that this man has. And 00:04:45.110 --> 00:04:49.050 he's a very equipped, very educated man that 00:04:49.050 --> 00:04:52.149 has been trained for years. And he had all kinds 00:04:52.149 --> 00:04:54.730 of credentials. And he has all kinds of access. 00:04:54.810 --> 00:04:56.850 If you think about it, he had an appointment 00:04:56.850 --> 00:05:00.350 with a high priest. He had doors open to talk 00:05:00.350 --> 00:05:03.430 to such level of authority, which I believe was 00:05:03.430 --> 00:05:06.110 not only a religious authority, but it's also 00:05:06.110 --> 00:05:10.069 a very high in politician authority. So in Dominicans, 00:05:10.110 --> 00:05:13.350 we will say Paul, in this case Saul, he had all 00:05:13.350 --> 00:05:15.529 of his problems resolved. He had probably a nice 00:05:15.529 --> 00:05:18.470 job, good access of information and people that 00:05:18.470 --> 00:05:21.069 he can talk to. Doors open everywhere to the 00:05:21.069 --> 00:05:23.410 point that he can actually meet to this level 00:05:23.410 --> 00:05:25.610 of people by the high priest and get letters 00:05:25.610 --> 00:05:29.209 signed from them. to do this that he calls his 00:05:29.209 --> 00:05:32.629 mission. Later in life, when he's already a Christian 00:05:32.629 --> 00:05:35.629 and he's trying to testify about what happened 00:05:35.629 --> 00:05:38.230 to him, he gives a little bit more details about 00:05:38.230 --> 00:05:40.290 his credentials, about the things that he's been 00:05:40.290 --> 00:05:42.490 through, the things that he has learned, and 00:05:42.490 --> 00:05:44.810 who he really is. And it's interesting to see 00:05:44.810 --> 00:05:47.290 all of those details. So I'd like to invite you 00:05:47.290 --> 00:05:49.750 to read with me in the book of Philippians chapter 00:05:49.750 --> 00:05:53.649 3, verse 4, 5, and 6, some of the things that 00:05:53.649 --> 00:05:56.800 he was... testifying as part of his gift and 00:05:56.800 --> 00:06:00.680 talents that he had. So I myself have reasons 00:06:00.680 --> 00:06:04.259 for such confidence. If someone else thinks they 00:06:04.259 --> 00:06:06.439 have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, 00:06:06.660 --> 00:06:11.620 I have more. Circumcised on the eighth day, on 00:06:11.620 --> 00:06:14.459 the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin 00:06:14.459 --> 00:06:17.639 and Hebrew of Hebrews, in regards to the law, 00:06:17.680 --> 00:06:22.660 a Pharisee. As for seal, persecuting the church, 00:06:22.779 --> 00:06:26.750 as for righteousness, Based on the law, faultless. 00:06:27.230 --> 00:06:29.649 And we read more of that description that he 00:06:29.649 --> 00:06:31.689 gives in another chapter in the Bible, in the 00:06:31.689 --> 00:06:36.209 book of Acts, chapter 22, and verse 3. He elaborates 00:06:36.209 --> 00:06:40.410 a little bit more about his qualifications. Verse 00:06:40.410 --> 00:06:45.930 number 3. I'm a Jew born in Tarsus of Sicilia, 00:06:46.110 --> 00:06:49.949 but brought up in this city. I study under Gamaliel 00:06:49.949 --> 00:06:53.149 and was truly trained in the law of the ancestors. 00:06:53.959 --> 00:06:57.519 So this is the man who, of all of these qualifications 00:06:57.519 --> 00:07:00.439 that he has and all of this background that he 00:07:00.439 --> 00:07:03.120 can exhibit and all the influence that he had, 00:07:03.199 --> 00:07:06.240 the studies and all the resources, he got himself 00:07:06.240 --> 00:07:09.699 on a mission. Can you repeat that word? Mission. 00:07:10.319 --> 00:07:14.079 Mission. He was determined to get that work done. 00:07:14.300 --> 00:07:16.920 He had all the tools and access to do it and 00:07:16.920 --> 00:07:20.860 the possibilities of doing it. One day, everything 00:07:20.860 --> 00:07:23.839 changed for him. The day that he's doing this 00:07:23.839 --> 00:07:26.720 mission, he's on his way to accomplish, in verse 00:07:26.720 --> 00:07:30.540 number 3 of chapter 9 of Acts, he then declares 00:07:30.540 --> 00:07:32.879 what happened. He said, you know, I was on my 00:07:32.879 --> 00:07:35.920 way to Damascus, and in that journey, suddenly, 00:07:36.259 --> 00:07:38.399 and maybe you want to repeat that word with me, 00:07:38.459 --> 00:07:43.680 suddenly, a light came all around him. And now 00:07:43.680 --> 00:07:47.500 he is in the dirt, and he can't see, and he hears 00:07:47.500 --> 00:07:51.759 his voice, soul, soul, why do you persecute me? 00:07:52.170 --> 00:07:56.529 That day, the life of Saul changed forever. That 00:07:56.529 --> 00:07:58.910 was the moment everything begins to change for 00:07:58.910 --> 00:08:02.149 him. Something happened to me also in my life 00:08:02.149 --> 00:08:06.670 when I was 20 years old. If you, well, that's 00:08:06.670 --> 00:08:11.750 29 years ago. I know I look like 35, but I'm 00:08:11.750 --> 00:08:17.399 49. But when I was 20 years old, I was involved 00:08:17.399 --> 00:08:20.579 in every possible ministry opportunity in my 00:08:20.579 --> 00:08:22.519 local church. Since I grew up in my church, since 00:08:22.519 --> 00:08:25.279 I was a kid, I was involved with the kids' ministry, 00:08:25.540 --> 00:08:30.120 the youth, the worship team. I was outside in 00:08:30.120 --> 00:08:32.679 the evangelization work that we were doing. I 00:08:32.679 --> 00:08:34.919 was never involved in the women's ministry. That's 00:08:34.919 --> 00:08:37.919 not the one I did. But in every other ministry 00:08:37.919 --> 00:08:40.519 possible, I was involved in everything. I had 00:08:40.519 --> 00:08:42.919 the blessing to be registered in college, which 00:08:42.919 --> 00:08:45.669 in my family, that was a miracle. Just to give 00:08:45.669 --> 00:08:48.830 you an example, all the way from Adam and Eve 00:08:48.830 --> 00:08:52.250 history, all the way to my father, I was the 00:08:52.250 --> 00:08:55.149 very first one to go to college. And on my mother's 00:08:55.149 --> 00:08:57.649 side, I was the third one to go to college. So 00:08:57.649 --> 00:09:00.730 if you were to ask me, Nelson, where are you 00:09:00.730 --> 00:09:02.470 going? What is your future? What do you think 00:09:02.470 --> 00:09:05.470 to do? I would probably never verbalize, never 00:09:05.470 --> 00:09:07.990 say it out of my mouth. I'll be doing ministry 00:09:07.990 --> 00:09:10.149 full time because that was not part of my vocabulary. 00:09:11.070 --> 00:09:13.169 But something happened on the evening of October 00:09:13.169 --> 00:09:16.720 30, 1996. It was a Wednesday night. And if you 00:09:16.720 --> 00:09:18.320 want to hear the whole testimony, you have to 00:09:18.320 --> 00:09:20.200 come to the Dominican and give me three hours. 00:09:23.580 --> 00:09:27.799 So that night, two guys tried to kill me because 00:09:27.799 --> 00:09:30.379 they wanted my scooter that I was driving. And 00:09:30.379 --> 00:09:33.139 as they tried to kill me, it was a very difficult 00:09:33.139 --> 00:09:35.620 moment. I was taken to three different hospitals. 00:09:35.740 --> 00:09:37.600 Everybody thought I was going to die. But the 00:09:37.600 --> 00:09:41.320 Lord spared my life. And six days later, I was 00:09:41.320 --> 00:09:44.360 declared completely healed. And as that happened, 00:09:44.500 --> 00:09:48.279 now I'm just a guy in my local church being invited 00:09:48.279 --> 00:09:52.159 to share my story. Services after services around 00:09:52.159 --> 00:09:54.779 the country, so many youth groups, so many churches. 00:09:54.799 --> 00:09:58.120 And then my pastors and my mentors and my friends 00:09:58.120 --> 00:10:00.159 were like, Nelson, you know, I don't think you're 00:10:00.159 --> 00:10:04.019 going to be doing computer coding anymore. I 00:10:04.019 --> 00:10:06.080 think you need to think about other ideas, other 00:10:06.080 --> 00:10:07.720 choices for you. Maybe you're going to become 00:10:07.720 --> 00:10:10.279 a preacher or an evangelist. You know, we need 00:10:10.279 --> 00:10:12.879 to think about ministry. And that was the moment 00:10:12.879 --> 00:10:14.879 that everything changed for me when I was 20 00:10:14.879 --> 00:10:18.419 years old. I think that the Lord brought me out 00:10:18.419 --> 00:10:21.759 today to give you that moment, to give you that 00:10:21.759 --> 00:10:24.820 suddenly moment. It might be that you realize 00:10:24.820 --> 00:10:26.799 you read something on the Bible recently that 00:10:26.799 --> 00:10:28.220 is like, this is the moment that I was speaking 00:10:28.220 --> 00:10:31.399 to me. Maybe watch a movie, maybe watch a video 00:10:31.399 --> 00:10:34.259 on YouTube or Facebook, or you just listen to 00:10:34.259 --> 00:10:36.360 a crazy Dominican preacher on Sunday morning. 00:10:36.580 --> 00:10:39.200 And then you get inspired to change something 00:10:39.200 --> 00:10:41.769 in your life and ask the Lord. The same questions 00:10:41.769 --> 00:10:45.409 that Saul asked when he was in his mission. Now, 00:10:45.450 --> 00:10:49.649 remember, Saul had a mission. Can you say with 00:10:49.649 --> 00:10:54.750 me, mission? Now, we are Dominicans, and you 00:10:54.750 --> 00:10:58.389 have to shout out loud, mission. There you go. 00:10:59.870 --> 00:11:04.149 He had a mission, but the moment that Jesus comes 00:11:04.149 --> 00:11:07.889 into the scene for him in that way to Damascus, 00:11:08.269 --> 00:11:12.909 His mission changed to a submission. Because 00:11:12.909 --> 00:11:15.990 now the guy who was so powerful, he had all this 00:11:15.990 --> 00:11:18.769 influence, all these resources, is now in the 00:11:18.769 --> 00:11:22.730 dirt. And his posture has changed. He's now speaking 00:11:22.730 --> 00:11:24.889 from a different position. He recognized that 00:11:24.889 --> 00:11:28.330 he's not on top. He's now in a very humble situation. 00:11:28.970 --> 00:11:31.169 Not only his posture has changed, but it's also 00:11:31.169 --> 00:11:33.929 his perspective changed. Now every time he talks 00:11:33.929 --> 00:11:36.309 to this light that he doesn't know who it is, 00:11:36.350 --> 00:11:41.210 he says, Lord. Who are you? Lord, what do you 00:11:41.210 --> 00:11:44.049 want me to do? I think those are very important 00:11:44.049 --> 00:11:48.049 questions that we all have to ask. Lord, what 00:11:48.049 --> 00:11:51.629 do you want me to do? And his priorities changed 00:11:51.629 --> 00:11:54.029 because from there on, everything that he had 00:11:54.029 --> 00:11:56.590 in mind was completely changed. Now he's taken 00:11:56.590 --> 00:11:59.210 to the city by people that he didn't know. Everything 00:11:59.210 --> 00:12:02.830 is new for him. I think this is the kind of things 00:12:02.830 --> 00:12:04.909 that we have to consider in our life today with 00:12:04.909 --> 00:12:07.220 the resources that we have. and the influence 00:12:07.220 --> 00:12:09.379 that we've been given, and the gifts and talents. 00:12:09.500 --> 00:12:14.019 Lord, what is this that you want me to do? You 00:12:14.019 --> 00:12:17.919 see, Saul was a very, very self -sufficient and 00:12:17.919 --> 00:12:20.559 self -oriented man. You can imagine, because 00:12:20.559 --> 00:12:23.519 of all of his resources, that he was very determined 00:12:23.519 --> 00:12:25.679 in the things that he was doing. But in this 00:12:25.679 --> 00:12:27.960 moment, when he has this suddenly situation, 00:12:28.480 --> 00:12:30.879 his mission, can you repeat the word mission? 00:12:31.539 --> 00:12:34.539 His mission. Hey, you did it right this time. 00:12:35.759 --> 00:12:40.159 His mission changed to an admission. And now 00:12:40.159 --> 00:12:42.779 he is in the middle of a situation where he has 00:12:42.779 --> 00:12:45.179 said many, many times, you know, I can see for 00:12:45.179 --> 00:12:49.340 myself. But now he can't see. He's blind. He 00:12:49.340 --> 00:12:52.019 can't see anything unless somebody guides him. 00:12:52.139 --> 00:12:55.460 And he will say many times, you know, I can do 00:12:55.460 --> 00:12:57.580 it. I can steer myself wherever I want to go. 00:12:57.679 --> 00:13:00.539 But now he's found himself in a situation where 00:13:00.539 --> 00:13:03.399 he can't go unless somebody takes him. He could 00:13:03.399 --> 00:13:06.360 have said many times, no, I can go, I can lead, 00:13:06.500 --> 00:13:10.259 I can do things the way I want. But he's in a 00:13:10.259 --> 00:13:13.539 very humble moment where he can do much of that 00:13:13.539 --> 00:13:16.940 but follow this voice. He's sitting in the dark. 00:13:17.779 --> 00:13:21.220 He's in what we would call a solitary confinement. 00:13:22.059 --> 00:13:25.019 He's being broken. This man, this powerful man 00:13:25.019 --> 00:13:27.460 is being broken so he can be used. And all of 00:13:27.460 --> 00:13:29.179 these gifts and talents that he has received 00:13:29.179 --> 00:13:34.250 now be used for the glory of God. Jesus teaches 00:13:34.250 --> 00:13:38.289 a lot about this self -dependency and all this 00:13:38.289 --> 00:13:41.789 auto, I can do myself things. And how he gives 00:13:41.789 --> 00:13:43.629 us an example. So I want you to read with me 00:13:43.629 --> 00:13:48.110 in the book of John chapter 5, verse 19 and 20 00:13:48.110 --> 00:13:53.250 and verse 30. How Jesus himself, the man, our 00:13:53.250 --> 00:13:56.929 Lord with all the power, how he says about himself. 00:13:57.669 --> 00:14:01.090 Jesus gave them this answer. Very truly I tell 00:14:01.090 --> 00:14:05.059 you. The son can do nothing by himself. He can 00:14:05.059 --> 00:14:07.500 do only what he sees his father doing because 00:14:07.500 --> 00:14:12.039 whatever his father does, he, the son, also does. 00:14:13.279 --> 00:14:16.399 Verse 20, for the father loved the son and chose 00:14:16.399 --> 00:14:20.179 him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even 00:14:20.179 --> 00:14:23.039 greater works than this so that you will be amazed. 00:14:23.379 --> 00:14:28.000 Verse 30, by myself, I can do nothing. I judge 00:14:28.000 --> 00:14:31.950 only as I hear and my judgment is judged. For 00:14:31.950 --> 00:14:36.629 I seek not to please myself, but him who sent 00:14:36.629 --> 00:14:39.590 me. Wow, I think those are great examples of 00:14:39.590 --> 00:14:42.330 all of us to consider how do we make decisions 00:14:42.330 --> 00:14:45.090 and what do we do? Are we doing something that 00:14:45.090 --> 00:14:49.330 is what I want to do? Or Jesus, what do you want 00:14:49.330 --> 00:14:53.289 me to do? Can you repeat one more time? Mission. 00:14:53.789 --> 00:14:57.690 Mission. Saul was in a mission, but then suddenly... 00:14:58.110 --> 00:15:00.509 Jesus comes in the scene and now his mission 00:15:00.509 --> 00:15:04.389 is changed to a co -mission. Let's read one more 00:15:04.389 --> 00:15:06.570 time what was his mission and we will make a 00:15:06.570 --> 00:15:09.309 comparison about his mission and now this new 00:15:09.309 --> 00:15:12.029 co -mission that he has found in Christ. Let's 00:15:12.029 --> 00:15:15.570 read again one more time, verse 1 and 2 of Acts 00:15:15.570 --> 00:15:20.730 chapter 9. Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing 00:15:20.730 --> 00:15:24.129 out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. 00:15:24.570 --> 00:15:27.909 He went to the high priest. and asked him for 00:15:27.909 --> 00:15:30.470 letters to the synagogues in Damascus so that 00:15:30.470 --> 00:15:32.970 if he found any of these who belong to the way, 00:15:33.169 --> 00:15:36.789 whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners 00:15:36.789 --> 00:15:41.250 to Jerusalem. What a mission he had. But now 00:15:41.250 --> 00:15:44.529 with Jesus, he has a co -mission. And let's read 00:15:44.529 --> 00:15:47.029 what that co -mission is that he has and also 00:15:47.029 --> 00:15:50.370 that you and I both has. Matthew chapter 28, 00:15:50.610 --> 00:15:55.570 verse 18, 19, and 20. Then Jesus comes to them 00:15:55.570 --> 00:15:58.779 and said, All authority in heaven and on earth 00:15:58.779 --> 00:16:03.279 has been given to me. Therefore, go and make 00:16:03.279 --> 00:16:06.440 disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the 00:16:06.440 --> 00:16:09.340 name of the Father and of the Son and of the 00:16:09.340 --> 00:16:12.539 Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything 00:16:12.539 --> 00:16:15.700 I have commanded you. And surely I'm with you 00:16:15.700 --> 00:16:21.059 always to the very end of the age. Wow. The mission 00:16:21.059 --> 00:16:24.019 is changed to this commission, and now his authority 00:16:24.019 --> 00:16:27.279 is changed. He has now a higher authority before 00:16:27.279 --> 00:16:30.039 he was submitted to the corrupt and anti -high 00:16:30.039 --> 00:16:33.299 priest, and now he is submitted to the holy Jesus 00:16:33.299 --> 00:16:37.500 Christ himself. First, he was committed to a 00:16:37.500 --> 00:16:42.600 broader scope that was about Damascus, but now 00:16:42.600 --> 00:16:46.679 he's more wide open. Now he's sent to the whole 00:16:46.679 --> 00:16:50.179 world, which is better. He has a much better 00:16:50.179 --> 00:16:52.620 purpose because before he was in the mission 00:16:52.620 --> 00:16:55.610 of introducing Christians. to the prison, but 00:16:55.610 --> 00:16:58.409 now he's introducing prisoners to Jesus Christ 00:16:58.409 --> 00:17:02.990 and be free. What is better? He had a mission 00:17:02.990 --> 00:17:06.769 to go into the city of Damascus, but now he, 00:17:06.869 --> 00:17:09.009 I mean, into Jerusalem, bring those prisoners 00:17:09.009 --> 00:17:11.289 to Jerusalem, but now he's bringing people to 00:17:11.289 --> 00:17:15.269 the new Jerusalem. You see, Jesus has much better 00:17:15.269 --> 00:17:20.130 plans than your own plans. And I encourage you 00:17:20.130 --> 00:17:23.210 today to ask, Lord, what is this that you want 00:17:23.210 --> 00:17:26.109 me to do? In the Dominican Republic, we are training 00:17:26.109 --> 00:17:28.670 the Christian leaders of tomorrow. And I'd like 00:17:28.670 --> 00:17:30.829 to introduce you to two of our students who will 00:17:30.829 --> 00:17:33.269 share their stories about how they, at their 00:17:33.269 --> 00:17:36.349 own age, have been determined now to say, Lord, 00:17:36.450 --> 00:17:38.529 use me with the gifts and talents that you have 00:17:38.529 --> 00:17:41.029 given me. I'd like to introduce you to my friend, 00:17:41.150 --> 00:17:54.180 Cesar, who is coming this way. I met Cesar in 00:17:54.180 --> 00:17:57.180 a very unique way. He was helping in one of our 00:17:57.180 --> 00:17:59.960 dynamics distributing food. But he was in every 00:17:59.960 --> 00:18:01.759 picture that I was taking that night. And I was 00:18:01.759 --> 00:18:03.779 like, who is this big guy in every picture we 00:18:03.779 --> 00:18:06.839 take? And he was very close to one of the girls. 00:18:06.940 --> 00:18:10.019 And I asked, is he trying to be her boyfriend 00:18:10.019 --> 00:18:15.759 or what? Great. God bless you, church. It is 00:18:15.759 --> 00:18:19.579 so awesome to be here. And thank you very much 00:18:19.579 --> 00:18:21.440 for the warm welcome that you have given us so 00:18:21.440 --> 00:18:25.359 far. So, well, as Nelson was saying, I joined 00:18:25.359 --> 00:18:28.400 the ministry in 2023. And the story of how I 00:18:28.400 --> 00:18:31.059 became a student is kind of funny. Because in 00:18:31.059 --> 00:18:33.819 2022, some of the students from the first class 00:18:33.819 --> 00:18:36.599 of the ministry, they went over to my community 00:18:36.599 --> 00:18:39.940 to do some food distribution. And as they were 00:18:39.940 --> 00:18:43.339 there, they needed help and I was there. So, 00:18:43.339 --> 00:18:45.519 and as we were like visiting different churches, 00:18:45.720 --> 00:18:49.660 they were taking pictures of the dynamic. And 00:18:49.660 --> 00:18:51.500 so in every picture that they were taking, I 00:18:51.500 --> 00:18:54.140 was like in each one of them. It was like uncomfortable 00:18:54.140 --> 00:18:55.579 at the moment, you know, like you'd be like, 00:18:55.660 --> 00:18:59.519 yeah, why are they taking pictures? So, but I 00:18:59.519 --> 00:19:02.099 was cool with it. And so a couple of days later, 00:19:02.180 --> 00:19:04.700 I had a meeting with Nelson and my pastors. And 00:19:04.700 --> 00:19:06.720 so I was sure everything about the ministry. 00:19:07.000 --> 00:19:09.859 And so that's how I got to become a student of 00:19:09.859 --> 00:19:13.220 the ministry. So this has been a life changing 00:19:13.220 --> 00:19:16.019 ministry. So it's only been three years. since 00:19:16.019 --> 00:19:18.920 I joined. And so I can tell that my life is not 00:19:18.920 --> 00:19:21.900 the same as it was in 2022. And people around 00:19:21.900 --> 00:19:24.519 me actually tell me that. So my relationship 00:19:24.519 --> 00:19:27.859 with the Lord has grown and has gone deeper. 00:19:28.200 --> 00:19:30.039 I mean, in some ways that I could have never 00:19:30.039 --> 00:19:32.720 imagined before joining the ministry. And I find 00:19:32.720 --> 00:19:35.519 myself now doing things that I never would have 00:19:35.519 --> 00:19:38.279 imagined before joining the ministry. Like being 00:19:38.279 --> 00:19:40.400 here in Arizona, speaking in public in front 00:19:40.400 --> 00:19:42.799 of all of you, that was a challenge for me, especially 00:19:42.799 --> 00:19:45.470 speaking in English. So it's a big testimony 00:19:45.470 --> 00:19:48.750 of how my life has been changing so far. And 00:19:48.750 --> 00:19:57.970 so. So this ministry has encouraged me to do 00:19:57.970 --> 00:20:02.430 things. I mean, like I said, that I've never 00:20:02.430 --> 00:20:05.490 thought I was going to be doing. So like, for 00:20:05.490 --> 00:20:07.859 example. We in the Dominican, we don't have such 00:20:07.859 --> 00:20:10.480 a thing as a reading culture. And so now I find 00:20:10.480 --> 00:20:13.920 myself reading a book every month, which is one 00:20:13.920 --> 00:20:16.500 of the dynamics of the mission house. So that 00:20:16.500 --> 00:20:19.980 is something that has helped me in my walk in 00:20:19.980 --> 00:20:23.779 Christ. And also it has encouraged me to now 00:20:23.779 --> 00:20:27.980 mentor guys in my church and help them keep faithful 00:20:27.980 --> 00:20:33.059 in the walk of the Lord. So, for example, early 00:20:33.059 --> 00:20:36.269 this year, I told Nelson at the beginning, that 00:20:36.269 --> 00:20:38.490 I wanted to be used translating stuff for the 00:20:38.490 --> 00:20:41.730 ministry. And so a couple months later, we had 00:20:41.730 --> 00:20:44.230 a ministry that visited the mission house. And 00:20:44.230 --> 00:20:47.210 so all of a sudden, Nelson just asked me, like, 00:20:47.210 --> 00:20:50.410 Cesar, stand up and translate. It was challenging 00:20:50.410 --> 00:20:53.589 at that moment, but I did it. So then a couple 00:20:53.589 --> 00:20:55.609 months later, that ministry, they reached out 00:20:55.609 --> 00:20:59.109 to me and they asked me to go with them to Puerto 00:20:59.109 --> 00:21:01.450 Plata, which is in the north of the country, 00:21:01.569 --> 00:21:04.250 about five hours from my house. And so I was 00:21:04.250 --> 00:21:07.109 with them for like two weeks, helping translating. 00:21:08.130 --> 00:21:10.970 And that was awesome. It was life changing. And 00:21:10.970 --> 00:21:13.809 so I'm really thankful for the opportunity that 00:21:13.809 --> 00:21:16.130 the Lord gave me to be part of this ministry. 00:21:16.250 --> 00:21:18.230 Because it was something that I cannot expect 00:21:18.230 --> 00:21:21.750 in my life. And it's proof that when we trust 00:21:21.750 --> 00:21:25.829 the Lord, He shifts our plans towards His will. 00:21:25.970 --> 00:21:34.170 Amen. Amen. Thank you. Very, very proud of this 00:21:34.170 --> 00:21:37.750 young man. The next student is actually a graduate 00:21:37.750 --> 00:21:41.109 student. Her name is Chris Bell, and she might 00:21:41.109 --> 00:21:44.150 be coming up this way. She and I met when she 00:21:44.150 --> 00:21:48.309 was only 17 years old. She was a tiny little 00:21:48.309 --> 00:21:51.430 girl in the middle of her congregation, but her 00:21:51.430 --> 00:21:54.349 pastor's thoughts, Pastor Tom Nelson, this girl 00:21:54.349 --> 00:21:56.990 has a fire inside her. Let's find out what that 00:21:56.990 --> 00:22:04.309 is. Let's hear her story. Hello, everyone. My 00:22:04.309 --> 00:22:07.509 name is Chris Spell. I'm very happy I came with 00:22:07.509 --> 00:22:09.190 the team last year as well, and I'm very happy 00:22:09.190 --> 00:22:12.869 to be again and now sharing my testimony with 00:22:12.869 --> 00:22:16.829 all of you. So I come from a small town in the 00:22:16.829 --> 00:22:22.029 Dominican Republic called Nagua, which is two 00:22:22.029 --> 00:22:27.430 and a half hours away from the capital and also 00:22:27.430 --> 00:22:30.529 the town where the Heights team got to serve 00:22:30.529 --> 00:22:35.200 in. So praise the Lord for that. I come from 00:22:35.200 --> 00:22:37.579 a family of five with me being the youngest. 00:22:38.019 --> 00:22:43.559 And I came to Christ when I was 16. It was there. 00:22:43.660 --> 00:22:47.619 I started to serve really quick in worship team 00:22:47.619 --> 00:22:50.339 and also youth leadership team. And that's where 00:22:50.339 --> 00:22:52.220 my pastor found me and said, hey, I have this 00:22:52.220 --> 00:22:55.119 longtime friend that the Lord has called him 00:22:55.119 --> 00:22:57.599 to create this ministry for young people. And 00:22:57.599 --> 00:23:00.430 you will get to practice your English. with American 00:23:00.430 --> 00:23:02.930 people, and I think it will be good for it. And 00:23:02.930 --> 00:23:06.309 I was like, Pastor, hey, I don't know if this 00:23:06.309 --> 00:23:08.750 is good for me. I don't know what you're talking 00:23:08.750 --> 00:23:13.089 about. But if you say that it will be good for 00:23:13.089 --> 00:23:16.329 me and that I'll learn a lot, then I will do 00:23:16.329 --> 00:23:22.230 it. Late 2021, I got called by Nelson to go with 00:23:22.230 --> 00:23:26.049 this mission team to translate. So you can imagine, 00:23:26.170 --> 00:23:29.710 17 -year -old. I speak English, but I've never 00:23:29.710 --> 00:23:34.049 translated for anyone at that point. And I was 00:23:34.049 --> 00:23:36.369 a little bit like, hey, okay, Nelson, I will 00:23:36.369 --> 00:23:40.710 go. It was a week long, but by day two, and that 00:23:40.710 --> 00:23:43.789 experience has like something had like exploded 00:23:43.789 --> 00:23:48.069 before my eyes. I went from not had like this 00:23:48.069 --> 00:23:50.250 type of experience before to realize that this 00:23:50.250 --> 00:23:52.930 was something I was being called by God to do, 00:23:53.029 --> 00:23:55.109 that I wanted to be in mission, that I wanted 00:23:55.109 --> 00:23:59.450 to be in ministry. Fast forward to 2022, I get 00:23:59.450 --> 00:24:02.849 contacted by this organization in my country. 00:24:03.390 --> 00:24:06.130 So now I'm traveling all over the country to 00:24:06.130 --> 00:24:08.349 translate and also help with their mission teams. 00:24:08.970 --> 00:24:12.769 And all of a sudden, I'm on a plane to Colombia 00:24:12.769 --> 00:24:16.789 to serve with this same organization in the border 00:24:16.789 --> 00:24:20.950 with Venezuela. That trip for me was another 00:24:20.950 --> 00:24:23.470 confirmation that the Lord was calling me to 00:24:23.470 --> 00:24:28.000 ministry. 2024 and I graduate from the program 00:24:28.000 --> 00:24:32.099 so I'm not one of the students anymore but I 00:24:32.099 --> 00:24:35.039 it became very clear to me that this was the 00:24:35.039 --> 00:24:37.839 Lord's calling for my life that I wanted to be 00:24:37.839 --> 00:24:41.359 in ministry I was I'm going to school to be an 00:24:41.359 --> 00:24:45.720 English teacher and I was done with that um but 00:24:45.720 --> 00:24:48.119 I could realize that the Lord had a bigger plan 00:24:48.119 --> 00:24:52.630 for my life and at that point I like I knew that 00:24:52.630 --> 00:24:54.730 this was something I wanted to do for my whole 00:24:54.730 --> 00:25:00.190 life. 2025, January 2025 comes, and now I am 00:25:00.190 --> 00:25:04.089 working with the ministry in the Dominican Republic. 00:25:04.109 --> 00:25:07.089 I am supporting the ministry with short -term 00:25:07.089 --> 00:25:10.569 mission teams logistics. And I'm convinced, and 00:25:10.569 --> 00:25:13.130 I become more convinced every day that this is 00:25:13.130 --> 00:25:15.869 the Lord's will for my life. That this is really 00:25:15.869 --> 00:25:17.890 what He wants me to do, and it's serve the ministry. 00:25:20.589 --> 00:25:23.069 I cannot tell you how proud I am of this young 00:25:23.069 --> 00:25:26.950 lady who joined us as part of our family and 00:25:26.950 --> 00:25:29.269 began to learn about her gifts and talents could 00:25:29.269 --> 00:25:32.269 be used for the glory of God. And being a teacher 00:25:32.269 --> 00:25:34.690 is great, but the Lord had a much greater plan 00:25:34.690 --> 00:25:38.089 for her. And now we actually welcome in the Dominican 00:25:38.089 --> 00:25:41.130 this year already 10 mission teams. It's a lot 00:25:41.130 --> 00:25:43.730 of work, a lot of logistics that Chris Bell, 00:25:43.930 --> 00:25:49.329 he was in charge of a lot of that. So I challenge 00:25:49.329 --> 00:25:51.869 you this morning. You've been given all these 00:25:51.869 --> 00:25:55.869 possibilities. And I know if you ask me, I don't 00:25:55.869 --> 00:25:58.430 know, but I can see the country and people are 00:25:58.430 --> 00:26:01.130 here. You had all this access, technology and 00:26:01.130 --> 00:26:04.289 education and resources. Just ask yourself, Lord, 00:26:04.450 --> 00:26:07.849 what is that you want me to do? I'd like to lead 00:26:07.849 --> 00:26:10.230 us in a prayer and I will pray for you in the 00:26:10.230 --> 00:26:13.049 Lord's first language, according to my version, 00:26:13.109 --> 00:26:16.269 which is Spanish. So my angels know what I'm 00:26:16.269 --> 00:26:19.380 saying. But I'll be praying for you so you have 00:26:19.380 --> 00:26:22.119 that moment of understanding that you've been 00:26:22.119 --> 00:26:24.380 given the opportunity to serve the Lord with 00:26:24.380 --> 00:26:27.579 your gifts and talents full -time or part -time, 00:26:27.599 --> 00:26:29.839 at least as a volunteer. So would you close your 00:26:29.839 --> 00:27:10.460 eyes and pray with me? May the Lord bless you 00:27:10.460 --> 00:27:12.160 and keep you. Have a wonderful day.