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All right, welcome to the Ocean Water Podcast.

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And today I have my good friend, Francisco Rosales.

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Francisco has been a pastor of Life Church in San Salvador for eight years, him and his

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wife Tessie.

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Paco has also been educated here in the United States.

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He was born in El Salvador and has spent some time here in the States getting some education

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and is a wonderful pastor and leader.

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He knows both fluent English and Spanish.

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And then just on a personal note, has grown to be one of my closest friends in the last

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few years.

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We met in 2016.

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I went on a trip with Andrew LaSalle through Saddleback to help Pastor Juan in the Capitol

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do some peace training.

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And he asked me to tag along because I had been to your country a couple years prior

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to that.

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And we met at a pastor's meeting there and you actually asked me to go surfing.

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And then we did and got some great waves.

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In fact, this photo that I have behind me today, yes, it's a good photo, but that's

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a picture of me surfing in Paco's country.

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This is a spot that Paco took, Drew Tevez and I took called Punta Roca.

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That's like the best wave in El Salvador.

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And that was a little shot.

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So just for a little context there.

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And we're such good friends that Paco and his wife Tessie actually traveled to California

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and they have stayed in Maria and I's home for about two weeks a few times.

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And they've also stayed next door to one of our one of my closest friends, Paul Coppice's

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house up in Michigan.

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So it's just awesome to talk with you today, dude.

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And just thank you for your time.

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Thanks for having me, man.

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Yeah, I do.

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I do enjoy being here and I am very happy to help you out in whatever I can.

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And yes, I remember the time we met and it was like a God given thing because you weren't

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supposed to be here like to meet me or to hang out with me.

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But we end up having a great time.

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It's a great story actually.

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And I think I is like, it's unbelievable how God can, how like God put us together.

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Yeah, so much so that so much so that my father went on the last trip when we went down March

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5th to the 10th.

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My dad came with me 74 years old.

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And then he took me and I and I got to meet your dad.

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And so I have a cool photo of us two brothers, two fathers.

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Really fun.

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I am a little bummed that I'm not able to see you.

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We had planned on you and Tessie being up here in San Clemente in June.

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Of course, we had to reschedule that because of all of this.

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I'm sure we're going to get into some other things.

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But for our listeners today who might not know you, when you're at home, what's your

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favorite thing to eat?

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To eat?

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Yeah.

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Well, I like I like fruits.

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I like papayas.

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I like melons.

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I like having, you know, seeds, papayas in the morning, some bacon, you know, I know

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it's a weird mix, but like we were just having brunch with my wife and she cooked bacon,

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French toast with some with some almonds on top and then papaya on the side with melon

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and yogurt.

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So that's a perfect breakfast.

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And I just had it.

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That's awesome.

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That's awesome.

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So Paco, how did you how did you get into being a pastor?

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Well, you got to ask the Lord that question.

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Yeah, because he called me into this.

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It's like, it's like Moses, you know, he called me in.

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I'm like, I don't know.

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I don't know if I I'm a good speaker.

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I don't know if I should do this.

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And then he just kept kept on, you know, pushing me in many ways, you know, how God will speak

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to your life.

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To me, it's not like, well, I had prophets come and say, you know, this is this is what

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you're supposed to be doing.

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But also on the personal level, I needed a confirmation, you know, that God will speak

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to me.

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And it's not like I heard God's voice, but the circumstances led to that.

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And then I got I got baptized in the Holy Spirit.

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And that's when everything like changed.

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And then I realized this is what I really want to do for my life before that.

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You know, before that was when I was 16 years old.

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And before that, it was just like, you know, people telling me this is what you're called

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to do, what you're called to.

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But I mean, all that information just went by.

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You know, I was not relating to that at all.

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Like, it's like God was telling me in advance that that was going to happen, but I didn't

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believe it.

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And then I got baptized in the Holy Spirit to, you know, I mean, after after that situation,

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the whole thing changed.

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And then I then I realized, yes, I'm going to take this.

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I'm going to set this and I'm going to start pursuing that career.

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And then, wow, it's like another 15 years later, I started my own church.

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Yeah, like here in the country full time.

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Your church is awesome.

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Thank you, man.

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Yes, it's great.

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We love going.

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The last time I have one of my favorite, one of my favorite photos of all of all time,

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sitting there in the front of your church after Drew spoke and it was Drew and it was

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you and it was my dad and Adam Watts and Mark Bell and Bobby Ramsey and your church is amazing.

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And it's it's an honor to be your friend and just to see how God's using me there in the

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Capitol.

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What is what is one thing that you that you wish you knew now that you wish you knew when

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you started?

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There are no patterns to follow.

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Like, yeah, I think I think I really fail at the very beginning because I thought this

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is how church looks like and this is what I should be doing.

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So we need a kids ministry, we need a youth ministry, we need this, we need this, we need

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this.

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And that really like, you know, got me really tired, really exhausted.

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And then you realize church is not really about that, you know, and and it was actually

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until I was hanging out with you guys with you that you taught me more about the relationships

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and how relationships could really take you further.

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And that it's not about having a service, a full blown service, although we have seen

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and we've been able to manage that.

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But now that I have it, you know, a full band and the whole thing, and we have a great presentation

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and we have a great time and a great host.

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But you realize, OK, so we already here, but it's not about this.

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It's about relationships and how much you care for people and how much you can do for

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others and how much you you can get into people's life and help them out in their personal stuff.

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And so I think I fell into the trap of.

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Following a pattern just because that's what you see all over the country and that's what

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they're doing.

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And I thought, well, that's what I should be doing.

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In like, I think today, even more so today that you're asking, church is not being held

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in a big auditorium or with a band or all that, you know, so much different.

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And I like it because now it's more like a one on one.

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Yeah.

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And so I do enjoy the one on one time.

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And so I think I was following a pattern more than something personal and custom made for

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who I want to reach.

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Yeah, I'm like you.

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I really enjoy the one on one time that I get with people as a pastor.

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Some of my favorite times with you have been after we served driving around in your truck

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with our shirts off drinking coconuts and just trees on our back.

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That is so true.

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And I wish and I really wish that, you know, not much of my culture, not much of my church

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congregation is a surfer.

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But I do like the relaxed vibe that you get with surfer friends and how do you get to

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relax and like to say, you know, just be in the back of a truck, no shirts, you know,

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after a great session, you're all pumped and then you having a coconut.

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And then you just spend great time.

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And I wish I had more of that with my congregation.

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But you know, it's kind of hard.

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But I really wish I could do that more.

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I really enjoy those times.

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And I think I treasure those times.

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Yeah.

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Yeah, that's one of the reasons so fun to hang out with with Aaron over there in El

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Zante.

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I know he comes to your church.

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He's a he's a bro.

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He's a wonderful guy.

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And so we're thankful when you get a chance to connect with people that way.

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So in this time, just so people understand in El Salvador right now with with COVID-19,

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the restrictions are much stricter there and they're harder.

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And so in this time, so what are you what are you interested in right now?

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Like what are you curious about?

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What are you interested in in life right now and just kind of in this season?

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Well, first of all, it was all about like the first two weeks was about finding a way

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to gather with my church without being physical, without being there with them for gathering

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at the church.

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And so I came up with all this setup.

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I put lights and I put a camera on and I try to figure out the first few days I recorded

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it on a cell phone.

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But then my battery was just dying every time.

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And so now I got a I got a pretty good setup.

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And that was that took like the first three weeks of the quarantine.

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I was just trying to make sure how I could project and have a good time meeting for everybody

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and have participation and we will be doing dynamics or just asking questions through

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the phone and the broadcast and getting people to to to connect with us in this regard.

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And that took most of my time.

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I finally got it done.

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Finally got it nailed and to the point that we can run this thing smoothly because we

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don't know like to say, you know, Salvador, it's been very severe quarantine, very serious,

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serious lockdown.

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It's like the streets are empty.

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You don't get to go out unless you have a purpose.

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And if police will stop you and you don't have a reason to be out there or if you're

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going to the pharmacy or you have a medical issue, then you're not supposed to be out

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there and they'll take you to jail or a quarantine center and you don't want to be there.

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You'd rather be at home.

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And so it's been very, very serious.

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And so we've been stayed with we've stayed inside the house and then after those 15,

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after I was able to set this up, I started fixing my house, you know, because you're

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stuck in your house like, you know, until this thing is over.

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We don't know when that's going to be over.

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So I mean, so just just so everyone understands when Paco says that he's been working on his

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house, he has like probably the best home, like wood shop that I've ever seen of anyone

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that I know personally.

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And that guy can build anything.

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And and if you had ever visited his church in the Capitol, then you realize he's done

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a lot of the work himself.

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And it's like the highest quality.

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So you're a man.

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I wouldn't say I wouldn't say that is quality.

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It's just like, you know, I love working with my hands.

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I don't know.

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I don't know if I'm saying thanks, because every time I get done hanging out with you,

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my wife kind of gives me that look like, how come you can't, you know, build stuff like

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that, dude?

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I'm like, I'm done.

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I'm a total idiot.

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No, I don't go for quality.

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I just do for practicality, you know, quality, dude.

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And my house is like, my house is in need of work, and I've been waiting for a long time

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to just, you know, have time to fix the roof, fix whatever.

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And so now that I'm locked in, I've been able finally to do it.

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And I enjoy it.

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It's like a hobby to me.

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It's like surfing.

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I enjoy doing that a lot, too.

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Yeah.

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So speaking of surfing, you and I do love the ocean and both love surfing.

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And you and Drew and I have formed a friendship exclusively around waves.

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Oh, totally.

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Yeah.

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Which is fine.

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Yeah.

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God uses all sorts of different things to help people become friends.

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And but also, you know, what is kind of your understanding of like the current water situation

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in El Salvador?

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Well, I'll say like in the capital, it's like it's completely different than what it is

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back in Palmar Cedar or the coast.

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Yeah.

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Because it's more salty water.

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It's really hard to get clean water unless you have your own system, because like the

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public system, the one that the government gives out is not enough to give good water,

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good quality water, not even let's not even talk about drinking water, because the government's

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able to do that.

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You got to purchase your own water.

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Here in the capital, we have I think we have a pretty good decent amount of flow of water

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that comes through the pipes from the you know, from the streets, and we get to filter

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it in some way, or or put it in a cistern so that whenever there's the water, there's

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there's a water shortage, we can use our system systems to, you know, shower and all that

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stuff.

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But back down in the in the in the in the coastline, it's really rough because people

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don't have systems, and they don't have systems like that to run a reserve a water reservoir

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and and they don't they don't filter the water.

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They usually buy their drinking water.

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So it's like a five gallon jug for her.

241
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Her week maybe that a family has to purchase and you will cost around four or 50 or so.

242
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Yeah.

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And again, the difference is we're at a higher altitude.

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So here is not as hot as it is down there.

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But once you're at sea level, it's like really hot, you're sweating all the time.

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And this guy, like when we talk to when we talk about our community in Palmar Cito, they

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serve every every morning there there were now they're exhausted and given that of that

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shortage of water, they don't drink enough water.

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So they end up with a lot of you know, like headaches, health issues like headaches, insufficiency.

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They get problems in their eyes problems in their in their skin because of not being able

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to drink as much water as they should.

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And also, you made a comment that the price of five gallon water and at the coast in El

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Salvador is $4.50 to $5.

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So here in the US, a $5 container of water would be $1.25.

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So to so people can understand the economic disparity there.

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If you have if you have a family, it like there's there's there's 38 families in Palmar

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Cito and if the average family makes $500, you know, us a month or or three to $500 us

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a month or even less.

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And you have people that are spending four times the amount that someone would spend,

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like saying that in California on water, there's an economic incentive to not drink water.

261
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And so that's why a lot of people drink soda there because it's cheaper than water.

262
00:17:10,680 --> 00:17:15,800
Yeah, so now or beer or beer is cheaper.

263
00:17:15,800 --> 00:17:20,840
Yeah, and I think even in your case, correct me if I wrong, but you guys can drink from

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the top.

265
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Yes.

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And and I wouldn't do that here.

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I mean, we used to do when we were kids, you know, we were playing around on the street

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after you know, playing soccer for a while and we all run into whatever closest up we

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had and we drink water.

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But now that I know what comes from the from the water from the streets, then I I filter

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the water before I drink it.

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And and that's here in the capital.

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But down there, they they're not they cannot do that.

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It's full of chlorine and it's not good for for their system for their for their bodies.

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And so they got a really rough time.

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I think they don't even understand the need for drinking water like the how our body is

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in need of it.

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And so that's why the prices are so high.

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People are okay with that.

280
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Yeah.

281
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Yeah.

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And so so you and I met in in 2016 you of course, and live in your entire life, I came

283
00:18:20,880 --> 00:18:27,160
on a bicycle ride in two in the early to early 2011.

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I was riding my bicycle through El Salvador.

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And for those of you who are new to this, I was on a journey myself and for about a

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year I rode my bicycle through from Canada, across Canada, the US and then down to Colombia.

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And on that journey, I had gone through El Salvador, I had always wanted to come back.

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And then I had been asked by a friend to go there and then I met you.

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And then we we started a friendship and kind of a journey together as friends, figuring

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out how to best help.

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And I'm very slow.

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And that's been a really good thing.

293
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I think a lot of times people are in a hurry to try to do something, you know, which I

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think is a good intention.

295
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But sometimes if you're in a hurry to do something, and it's not done relationally, especially

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when it's important to do that in a culture where it's important to go slow.

297
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So that's that's a journey that you and I have been on together, praying and being friends

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with with people for a long, long time.

299
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I know you and you and Tessie.

300
00:19:39,480 --> 00:19:44,360
Well Tessie grew up going on vacation to Palmar Cedar with her family when she was a kid,

301
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you know, and a lot of time there you guys, people may or people may not know this, but

302
00:19:49,840 --> 00:19:55,460
you and Tessie have gone to Palmar Cedar are like over for over a year ago, starting to

303
00:19:55,460 --> 00:20:01,920
teach English classes, going surfing with people and just spending time there and being

304
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in people's lives.

305
00:20:02,920 --> 00:20:09,800
And a lot of a lot of a lot of good things have have started to come out of that.

306
00:20:09,800 --> 00:20:17,180
So can you tell people a little bit about like, what our relationship like how you're

307
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involved with ocean water and what our what our relationships like?

308
00:20:23,440 --> 00:20:29,080
Well, I think it was a God given thing to put us together.

309
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We at the moment we were trying to get into the surfing community and we were looking

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for a place and then you mentioned Palmar Cedar.

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And then we started just hanging out at Palmar Cedar because we always knew about this place,

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but we were not hanging out there as much as before we met you guys.

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And, and, and then we started hanging out and with your collaboration, we started making

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good friendships and now we know the entire community.

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Now we we know everybody.

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We have helped them through this quarantine as well.

317
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We have kept in touch.

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We have been doing some meetings with them.

319
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And it's just it feels like a family all together.

320
00:21:08,760 --> 00:21:09,760
Yes.

321
00:21:09,760 --> 00:21:14,160
I couldn't I couldn't even say, you know, like, what's our like if you ask you what

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00:21:14,160 --> 00:21:17,640
the relationship with ocean water, Palmar Cedar and Life.

323
00:21:17,640 --> 00:21:21,120
Church is like, there are no organizations.

324
00:21:21,120 --> 00:21:27,640
It's just a big, really nice group of friends that love hanging out and surfing together.

325
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So that was it.

326
00:21:29,440 --> 00:21:31,240
That's that's our relationship.

327
00:21:31,240 --> 00:21:36,120
Like I, I try to help them and they teach me as well.

328
00:21:36,120 --> 00:21:37,560
And we learn from you guys.

329
00:21:37,560 --> 00:21:43,880
And it's like a very nice dynamic that we got going on.

330
00:21:43,880 --> 00:21:50,440
And so I think, yeah, for me, the relationship that there is, I mean, there's a lot of social

331
00:21:50,440 --> 00:21:51,440
health involved.

332
00:21:51,440 --> 00:21:56,120
We're working with the with the water filtering system.

333
00:21:56,120 --> 00:22:00,720
We also have the ramp ramp.

334
00:22:00,720 --> 00:22:07,720
We have the the there's a roof structure where we can meet.

335
00:22:07,720 --> 00:22:11,920
And there are other plans, you know, for for the next year's coming ahead.

336
00:22:11,920 --> 00:22:17,480
Now we're dreaming about doing like a center for the community where they can do so many

337
00:22:17,480 --> 00:22:18,480
other things.

338
00:22:18,480 --> 00:22:20,520
But it's all based on relationships, though.

339
00:22:20,520 --> 00:22:25,840
It's like, like you say, you know, it's been taking a lot of time and then all building

340
00:22:25,840 --> 00:22:26,840
these kind of centers.

341
00:22:26,840 --> 00:22:29,320
It's not it shouldn't take that long.

342
00:22:29,320 --> 00:22:34,760
But at the same time, like you said, you know, we've been facing our rhythm and we are trying

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00:22:34,760 --> 00:22:40,360
to connect, trying to see what's best, if we can find another property, what will help

344
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more the community.

345
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So I like that because it's like very slow.

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And in the meantime, as we try to filter water and to give all this aid to the community,

347
00:22:51,960 --> 00:22:53,720
we are building great relationships.

348
00:22:53,720 --> 00:23:02,880
We're finding now who's a leader, who's a natural born leader and be who has the desire

349
00:23:02,880 --> 00:23:11,080
to help us in this regard, who has a spiritual also inclination to help out.

350
00:23:11,080 --> 00:23:14,880
And I think that's the best way to do any kind of community project.

351
00:23:14,880 --> 00:23:17,840
You know, slow and getting to know.

352
00:23:17,840 --> 00:23:27,080
Yeah, I've just complete I completely enjoyed all my time getting to know you.

353
00:23:27,080 --> 00:23:32,960
And I think sometimes it's so important to remember that, you know, if you just focus

354
00:23:32,960 --> 00:23:38,720
on having great relationships with people, so many great things can happen out of that.

355
00:23:38,720 --> 00:23:46,800
You know, and and I think about how close Drew and I feel I know I know ocean water

356
00:23:46,800 --> 00:23:50,800
and Aloha and life and but it's not about any of that.

357
00:23:50,800 --> 00:23:56,360
It's about our friendship and the brotherhood that we have.

358
00:23:56,360 --> 00:23:58,200
And it's a it's a beautiful thing, man.

359
00:23:58,200 --> 00:24:02,600
It's been a wonderful learning thing for for me as well.

360
00:24:02,600 --> 00:24:07,680
And I just I just enjoy being around you guys so much.

361
00:24:07,680 --> 00:24:09,360
I talked to I talked to you all the time.

362
00:24:09,360 --> 00:24:10,640
I talked to Drew all the time.

363
00:24:10,640 --> 00:24:11,960
I talked to Kurt all the time.

364
00:24:11,960 --> 00:24:14,160
I I surfed with Bobby every other day.

365
00:24:14,160 --> 00:24:16,120
So we just keep we just keep the tribe going.

366
00:24:16,120 --> 00:24:17,320
I see Adam all the time.

367
00:24:17,320 --> 00:24:22,120
Mark, our whole crew, you know, and it's a it's a beautiful thing.

368
00:24:22,120 --> 00:24:26,000
You know, you're a very, very lucky guy.

369
00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:30,640
You have a great I mean, and again, it's like you have a great team around you.

370
00:24:30,640 --> 00:24:32,440
But the same time that you're a friend.

371
00:24:32,440 --> 00:24:35,360
So it's like, man, it's like a win win.

372
00:24:35,360 --> 00:24:38,840
You have so much treasure around you.

373
00:24:38,840 --> 00:24:43,600
And whenever you get we get to hang out with you guys because you're down here,

374
00:24:43,600 --> 00:24:44,680
we have a blast.

375
00:24:44,680 --> 00:24:48,160
And now I can even include some pop points to make.

376
00:24:48,160 --> 00:24:50,600
He enjoys it so much as well.

377
00:24:50,600 --> 00:24:57,080
And we it's such a shame that, you know, we're so far away

378
00:24:57,080 --> 00:25:00,240
and we only get to hang out like twice or three times a year.

379
00:25:00,240 --> 00:25:04,360
Yeah. One of the things that I I.

380
00:25:04,360 --> 00:25:07,320
I agree, God is.

381
00:25:07,320 --> 00:25:12,120
Put the most wonderful people in both of our lives, and I think.

382
00:25:12,120 --> 00:25:16,080
Something I've understood as I'm getting older is like the responsibility of that,

383
00:25:16,080 --> 00:25:21,840
and that's why when I think about how we've met and I think about how

384
00:25:21,840 --> 00:25:27,200
the culture that we have and how good of friends we are, so much good

385
00:25:27,200 --> 00:25:28,600
can come out of that.

386
00:25:28,600 --> 00:25:30,760
And when I think about.

387
00:25:30,760 --> 00:25:33,720
The 38 families that we've tried to help in Palmar, Cito,

388
00:25:33,720 --> 00:25:38,400
I know that there's other pockets of 38 families in the world.

389
00:25:38,400 --> 00:25:42,160
There are these other places, these little forgotten areas

390
00:25:42,160 --> 00:25:44,400
that have 20 families and 30 families.

391
00:25:44,400 --> 00:25:49,160
And so I really hope we're trying to leaned into the responsibility

392
00:25:49,160 --> 00:25:53,840
of trying to stay open to how God might want to use our friendships,

393
00:25:53,840 --> 00:25:58,480
you know, to see more young people mobilized.

394
00:25:58,480 --> 00:26:02,040
You know, as well as I do, a lot of the young people that are coming up in church

395
00:26:02,040 --> 00:26:05,000
are just bored out of their mind.

396
00:26:05,000 --> 00:26:10,040
And so one of my prayers is that through our relationships and our leadership

397
00:26:10,040 --> 00:26:12,760
that a lot of those young people start to see the world as a place

398
00:26:12,760 --> 00:26:14,440
they can go into and make a difference.

399
00:26:14,440 --> 00:26:18,760
And so that's right.

400
00:26:18,760 --> 00:26:21,360
It's been great. It's been great.

401
00:26:22,440 --> 00:26:25,480
You have so much to share and so much to offer.

402
00:26:25,480 --> 00:26:32,360
And someone told me the other day how good it was.

403
00:26:32,360 --> 00:26:36,040
Well, to have you on, I also interviewed some Papo.

404
00:26:36,040 --> 00:26:40,200
And in so many ways, the listeners here in California

405
00:26:40,200 --> 00:26:43,880
get the most out of hearing you and I talk.

406
00:26:43,880 --> 00:26:48,840
And part of it is because we're cross-cultural and you know two languages.

407
00:26:48,840 --> 00:26:53,560
I should know Spanish. My wife knows Spanish.

408
00:26:53,560 --> 00:26:56,040
That's not cool. That totally needs to change.

409
00:26:56,040 --> 00:27:01,000
But I really, Hermano, I want to thank you for your time.

410
00:27:01,000 --> 00:27:02,920
Yeah. Oh, thank you, man. This has been great.

411
00:27:02,920 --> 00:27:04,600
Thank you for having me. I love it.

412
00:27:04,600 --> 00:27:07,480
Thank you. And we'll do this again soon, brother.

413
00:27:07,480 --> 00:27:11,560
I love you and give my best to test you today.

414
00:27:11,560 --> 00:27:14,840
Thank you, brother. I also want to say that I enjoy, you know, talking to you.

415
00:27:14,840 --> 00:27:16,760
This is almost like talking to you.

416
00:27:16,760 --> 00:27:21,320
And that's why I love about everything that we do is like their organizations behind us.

417
00:27:21,320 --> 00:27:25,080
But it all ends up being a great relationship and just, you know,

418
00:27:25,080 --> 00:27:29,320
talking with my friend, hanging out, you know, learning, getting to know each other,

419
00:27:29,320 --> 00:27:32,520
which is like really what it all should come down to.

420
00:27:32,520 --> 00:27:35,400
And so I enjoy this as well.

421
00:27:35,400 --> 00:27:38,920
And it's almost like a normal conversation that we have every time.

422
00:27:38,920 --> 00:27:40,760
Yeah. So thanks for calling, man.

423
00:27:40,760 --> 00:27:43,320
You got it. Have a great rest of the day, man. Build a way.

424
00:27:44,280 --> 00:27:45,240
You too, brother.

425
00:27:45,240 --> 00:27:52,760
Okay. Bye.