Speaker: 00:00:00

Ultimately, when I moved down here,

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I struggled with

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who I was, especially whenever

I was outside the community.

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When I was visiting old friends

or was with my family, I was like,

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what am I like?

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How do I go?

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Do I go as I used to be,

just like, conservative Christian?

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Or do I go being Mennonite?

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You know, I'm not part of the church.

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How do I dress?

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a big turning point

for me was actually when I was traveling

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with my brother, and we were backpacking.

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I knew I didn't have a lot of space,

and I was like,

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I can't take two different styles

of clothing with me.

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You know, I can't, you know,

I don't have space for that.

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I need to go in one way or the other.

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And I just, I kind of battled

with it for a while, and I was like,

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God, you have to give me

peace in whatever way I go.

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Tirzah, thanks for coming on the podcast

today.

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For a little context,

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we're filming this in Ireland,

which is where you're originally from.

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You were born here.

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And today

I want to get some of your story.

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How you ended up here and the journey God

has had you on over the years.

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So let's just jump right into it.

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Tell me a little about where you're from

and where your family is from originally.

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Sure. Yeah.

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So, my dad is originally from Germany

and my mom from Switzerland, and they,

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were led to Ireland and got married here.

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And raised.

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I mean, we were all born

and raised here in Ireland.

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yeah, it's

kind of an interesting mix of cultures

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there with, just, you know, or

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the different people that we've interacted

with and been around.

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Yeah. So, so you're in Ireland.

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What kind of church then?

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Like you're, you're raised Christian,

I suppose.

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And what kind of church group

were you part of at the time?

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Yeah.

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So, we were raised Christian.

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Our parents would have been

first generation Christians, actually.

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They would

have been involved in a mission,

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like an evangelical mission

that started in India

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and branched out into America

as well and different countries.

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So they would have been involved

in that work.

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And through that,

we never actually ended up

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joining a church in Ireland.

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Thinking back to it,

there were pros and cons to that.

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I think one of the things

that I appreciate about it

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is that we were able to, we felt free

to go around to different churches,

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and not necessarily settle

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with one or like feel

the need to be connected to one.

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But then on the flip side,

it also kind of gave you that sense

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of not really belonging

to one certain place.

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Also just with where we live, there

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wasn't or there wasn't

a lot of different options.

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But yeah,

we did go to different denominations

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and didn't necessarily put ourselves

in the box of one denomination, I'd say.

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Describe some of those denominations.

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I'm just kind of curious

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what the church landscape would have been

like where where you were growing up.

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Sure.

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So with where we lived,

we tended to go to the north of Ireland.

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There was a lot more options up there.

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There was like independent Methodist,

or Baptist,

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a lot of brethren churches as well.

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So there's quite a

there's a bigger range up there

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than there would be in the South.

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And, you know,

you just drive 45 minutes away

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and there was a lot more options

and where we lived.

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So yeah, Yeah.

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So it sounds like you all weren't members

in. Okay.

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We're part of this denomination.

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This is where we go to church.

There's a lot more,

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yeah. Mobility, I guess.

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Or moving about in between.

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Between the options, I suppose. Yeah.

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There were churches

that we tended to attend pretty regularly,

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but then there would go spells

where we wouldn't attend that one as much.

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You know, different things.

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But then as we grew up,

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I saw that as challenging

because then you would have,

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you know, some of the older siblings

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would feel one way about it

and or parents would feel the other way.

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And then there was this

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there could be some tension about where

we would go or even just the stress of,

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you know, our dad had to decide

where would we go each Sunday.

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So there there's definitely

a lot of benefit with having a,

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a steady place

and a place that you're committed to.

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So I'd say

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pretty clearly you're

not in that type of situation anymore.

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And somewhere in this journey

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you encountered Anabaptists

or you know those teachings as values.

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But I don't typically think of Ireland

or really Europe as a whole,

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as a, as a place

that has a lot of Anabaptists

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or that type of teaching

those types of churches

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and I guess you could say Europe

as a whole feels very post-Christian.

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You know, there's not near the amount

of Christian influence

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as it would have been in the past in this,

in this part of the world.

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So tell me that story.

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Like how did you encounter Anabaptist

teaching for the first time?

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so there was a bookshop in our town

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that we lived in a Christian bookshop, and

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there was these little red Bibles

that, like our dad would give each of us

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these little red Bibles,

like a little, children's Bible.

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And I if I remember right,

it was originally

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it was a, like, choice

books is what brought them up there.

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So like, Dan

and Barbara would have brought them up.

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They go around to lots of different

bookstores across Ireland

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and bring Bibles and books

to those bookshops.

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And so, the man who ran the bookshop knew

who had brought the Bibles

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like he knew who it was.

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I can't remember quite how that connection

was with the Anabaptist, but,

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my mom said that we had contacted them

to, you know, to get in touch.

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There was some things

that they were struggling with with,

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some of the older siblings, and they were

just like, you know, they needed help.

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And so they turned to the Anabaptist

or to, you know,

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they turned to the church down here

to to look for some help.

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Somewhere in there as well.

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I have an aunt that lives in the States,

and she has had a connection

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with Mennonites.

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And so she had

she knew about choice books as well.

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And I believe that at some point

she told my dad that there was a community

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in Ireland.

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So there was, you know,

those two different connections.

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I can't remember quite

how long ago it was,

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but it was probably in: 2007

or so was 5 or 7.

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It's it was a quite a while back.

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And so at some point

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my parents got in touch with Dan

and Barbara and they came up and visited.

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So that was our first connection

with them.

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And then over the years,

we would come down and visit,

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we would come for church

some years we would,

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we would just come down on a Sunday

morning and head back in the evening.

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Whoa. Okay.

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And so for context, you're living

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in the north of the country like it's

it's a good

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a decent drive from here because we're all

the way in the southern part of Ireland.

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Now, where the church is here?

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Wow. So, okay, that's

that's the back and forth there.

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That must have taken a lot of effort,

you know, and intentionality.

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How far away was it for you?

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It took anywhere from 4 to 6 hours,

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depending on, you know, there was

different things that played into that.

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But we could do it in four hours.

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And yeah, it it did.

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It took a toll, especially on our parents,

I'd say, because we would want to go.

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We would always want to go.

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But when we came home in the evening,

it probably wasn't such a good idea.

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So I think it made it harder every time to

to keep doing it.

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We didn't do it regularly.

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Some years

we just came down once or twice.

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But no, there was always something special

about coming down.

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We always wanted to,

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and so that's really your

I guess the word that comes to

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mind is like gateway or entry point

into this.

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Again on this podcast, we say,

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anabaptism as a worldview, not necessarily

this, this fixed denomination.

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It's more here's how you view Scripture

and the teachings of Jesus and so forth.

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So these connection points

with the church and,

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and anabaptist community

here in the south of Ireland.

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That would have been an entry point

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in a lot of ways

into this thread of teaching, I guess.

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Is that a fair way of saying it. Yeah.

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And then the church

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here started, a family conference.

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And they have been doing that every year

for a couple of years.

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And so that was always

a highlight for our family.

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We always made it a point to come down.

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And so far I've been able to attend

every single one that they've had.

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And it's just been like over the years,

just such a special

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time of coming together.

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And yeah,

our family really enjoyed those times.

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So somewhere in this story

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there's a turning point or

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maybe turning

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point is not quite the right word,

but ultimately you now live down here.

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So you moved to this area

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and I'm sure made some changes and,

and became a part of this community.

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Tell me about that.

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Like what what was that turning point?

When did that happen?

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What was happening in your life to say

I think I'm going to consider

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coming down here.

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You're getting more involved

in this community.

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What did that look like for you? Sure. So

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my I used to work with my

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dad, like me

and my mom did, and over Covid,

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a lot of things changed, obviously

with restrictions and things like that.

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And also that same year

my my dad became unwell

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and, near the end of that year,

he passed away.

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So there was just a lot of changes

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in our family's lives over that time.

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I basically didn't have a job anymore.

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And, over Covid, God led me to

to start working as a home care assistant.

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So I had something to do.

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But at the same time,

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our church situation had changed a lot

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because of Covid and because we were,

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you know, churches were being shut down

and everything was just online

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and it was around that time,

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the beginning of, 2021,

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I believe, that Anthony messaged

my mom and was like, hey, you know,

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Would your daughter

be able to come and help us out here?

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Because

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because they were trying to,

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or because of Covid, the,

The visas that the volunteers were needing

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were taking a lot longer

to be processed. And,

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the turnout with the volunteers,

like one was going to be leaving soon

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and they needed someone to cover for that,

that period of time,

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because they didn't know how long

it would take for the replacement to come.

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So they needed someone to come

for the summer, basically.

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And at that time,

I kind of had a lot going

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on, and I, I didn't feel like

I wanted to make that move.

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leaving our family at that time

just felt like a lot.

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And, I decided that I would think

and pray about it.

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And over the course of a couple weeks,

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I felt that the Lord was guiding me

to make that move.

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I think one of the biggest reasons I made

the move was for myself personally

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and just with where my spiritual

life was going at that point,

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after experiencing

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my dad's passing and just how

how much that changed my life.

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I realized that I needed something

steadier.

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I needed people around me,

I needed Christians in a church.

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And so for my spiritual wellbeing,

I felt that I should move.

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And, I had a sister living down here

as well

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at that time. And,

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so there was a lot of,

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you know, a lot of transitions

that happened over that period.

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I was not expecting to stay longer

than the summer. And,

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the Lord just worked on my heart,

like, just slow.

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It was bit by bit.

I didn't really think about it.

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I didn't really realize

what was happening, and it just felt like

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God was using the little things

to just guide me to, to stay longer.

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And, yeah, there was just different things

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that I was always like,

you know, this is a great life.

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I love it here, but it's so different.

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And, you know,

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I felt like we could be Christians

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without having to be that different.

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And I'm not saying now that you can't,

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but there's there is a blessing

in being different.

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And I felt that over the course

of those months that I was here,

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I felt like God was just showing me that

he delights in his people being different.

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And, and standing out in, in ways

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that the world doesn't always understand.

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And it's not that it's easy.

247

00:12:47,099 --> 00:12:49,310

It's not meant to be easy.

248

00:12:49,310 --> 00:12:52,480

But I think that there's a blessing

in being willing to do that.

249

00:12:54,023 --> 00:12:56,859

It seems that a theme

250

00:12:56,859 --> 00:12:59,862

in this part of the story is

251

00:13:00,404 --> 00:13:03,115

the isolation or searching for a place

252

00:13:03,115 --> 00:13:06,118

or something to plug in, to be a part of.

253

00:13:06,827 --> 00:13:11,415

And we have incredible amounts of data

on this now because of Covid.

254

00:13:11,665 --> 00:13:12,041

Right.

255

00:13:12,041 --> 00:13:15,127

And yesterday when we were chatting

about this interview,

256

00:13:15,127 --> 00:13:18,464

you know, just before beforehand,

before filming,

257

00:13:19,089 --> 00:13:21,967

you'd said something like,

you know, when all the churches were

258

00:13:21,967 --> 00:13:24,553

shut down, everybody's

isolating during Covid

259

00:13:24,553 --> 00:13:27,640

and, you know, so online services,

everything goes to zoom.

260

00:13:28,015 --> 00:13:31,060

And it made a comment like, well,

we could have just watched sermons online.

261

00:13:31,060 --> 00:13:33,395

I mean, like, why did

why do we have to go to church on zoom?

262

00:13:33,395 --> 00:13:34,688

That's not the same thing. And

263

00:13:35,689 --> 00:13:37,691

I think

that's a that's a really profound piece.

264

00:13:37,691 --> 00:13:41,445

And I think people now

in a post-Covid world are realizing,

265

00:13:41,445 --> 00:13:45,491

wow, isolation is not good for us,

you know,

266

00:13:45,658 --> 00:13:49,453

just on so many levels emotionally,

spiritually, mentally and so forth.

267

00:13:49,829 --> 00:13:53,749

And it sounds like that's a pretty

significant part of your story as well.

268

00:13:53,749 --> 00:13:56,752

Am I tracking in the right direction?

Yeah.

269

00:13:56,794 --> 00:14:01,382

yeah, I think that our family

was very isolated over the years.

270

00:14:01,382 --> 00:14:05,344

I mean, I know we were, but the thing is,

sometimes you can be part of a church,

271

00:14:05,344 --> 00:14:08,347

sometimes you can attend churches

and still feel isolated.

272

00:14:09,723 --> 00:14:12,852

Because there isn't that that connection

273

00:14:12,852 --> 00:14:16,564

beyond church, there's often just,

oh, it's nice to see you.

274

00:14:16,564 --> 00:14:20,901

How are you and all of that,

but not the real care that comes.

275

00:14:21,402 --> 00:14:24,613

Through living in more of a community

276

00:14:24,613 --> 00:14:27,908

setting

and living amongst believers in this way.

277

00:14:30,327 --> 00:14:33,122

So that that would have been

278

00:14:33,122 --> 00:14:36,876

probably one of the bigger adjustments

then for you coming down here.

279

00:14:36,917 --> 00:14:39,545

Community

life would have been quite different

280

00:14:39,545 --> 00:14:41,463

than what you would have had previously.

281

00:14:41,463 --> 00:14:43,883

Is that is that a fair assessment?

Definitely. Yeah.

282

00:14:43,883 --> 00:14:45,968

There is a lot of challenges

that came with it.

283

00:14:45,968 --> 00:14:47,136

It wasn't all easy.

284

00:14:47,136 --> 00:14:49,889

And there are times that,

285

00:14:49,889 --> 00:14:53,225

I have to remind myself, like,

I'm not used to this, and that's okay.

286

00:14:53,684 --> 00:14:56,687

And I have to give myself grace for that.

287

00:14:56,854 --> 00:14:58,606

There's so many blessings

that have come with it.

288

00:14:58,606 --> 00:15:01,567

But at the same time, it's

it can be challenging,

289

00:15:01,567 --> 00:15:03,903

you know, not growing up in that,

290

00:15:03,903 --> 00:15:07,281

that setting where so many people

know each other and just are always there.

291

00:15:07,281 --> 00:15:10,534

It can be overwhelming and intimidating

sometimes.

292

00:15:10,868 --> 00:15:13,203

that's a really good

you know, that's a really good point.

293

00:15:13,203 --> 00:15:16,040

And I think that's a I'm really glad

you said that.

294

00:15:16,040 --> 00:15:19,043

I think that's an important piece

for people listening who

295

00:15:19,627 --> 00:15:21,837

they've been going to this church,

you know, their whole lives

296

00:15:21,837 --> 00:15:23,255

and this is their stable environment.

297

00:15:23,255 --> 00:15:26,258

And then someone new tries

to enter that environment.

298

00:15:26,467 --> 00:15:28,928

We take so many things

for granted of like, oh, this is

299

00:15:28,928 --> 00:15:31,138

this is how we do things

and this is the way things are.

300

00:15:31,138 --> 00:15:36,268

And you can so quickly miss and maybe a new person entering that environment who is

301

00:15:37,269 --> 00:15:38,020

struggling with,

302

00:15:38,020 --> 00:15:41,440

whoa, this is a lot of changes, it's

difficult, etc., whatever it might be.

303

00:15:41,857 --> 00:15:43,692

What you said there,

I think is very important.

304

00:15:43,692 --> 00:15:46,946

Hopefully it raises an awareness

for listeners to say, oh yeah,

305

00:15:46,946 --> 00:15:50,532

we should pay more attention

when new people enter these environments.

306

00:15:50,532 --> 00:15:54,870

It's a it's challenging

and we need to be gracious and etc..

307

00:15:56,246 --> 00:15:58,832

And it's a, it's a one of the pieces

I want to grab with this.

308

00:15:58,832 --> 00:16:01,502

So it's easy to be isolated in life.

309

00:16:01,502 --> 00:16:03,045

It's not

310

00:16:03,045 --> 00:16:06,840

too difficult to just kind of

do your own thing and, and so forth.

311

00:16:07,591 --> 00:16:11,637

And you mentioned some of the adjustments

and who's had some difficulties.

312

00:16:11,637 --> 00:16:13,681

And, you know, it's it's some change.

313

00:16:13,681 --> 00:16:17,518

But then what have you found that

you value about community life.

314

00:16:17,518 --> 00:16:18,894

Like, name some of the

315

00:16:19,853 --> 00:16:22,856

benefits

that you've gained from this change?

316

00:16:23,107 --> 00:16:25,317

Yeah, I think one of the biggest things

that I have come to

317

00:16:25,317 --> 00:16:28,320

really appreciate is accountability.

318

00:16:29,071 --> 00:16:32,241

Just that connection that you have,

319

00:16:32,408 --> 00:16:36,787

like more than just loving and caring

for each other beyond church life.

320

00:16:37,663 --> 00:16:39,707

But just the

321

00:16:39,707 --> 00:16:43,544

holding us accountable

to things that God values

322

00:16:43,544 --> 00:16:46,922

and the things that he wants

to see from us,

323

00:16:47,548 --> 00:16:51,468

like we're not made to be a church

by ourselves.

324

00:16:51,468 --> 00:16:54,930

We're not made to be a Christian

on our own.

325

00:16:54,930 --> 00:16:57,766

Like we need community.

326

00:16:57,766 --> 00:17:00,352

We need people around us to, yeah, keep

327

00:17:00,352 --> 00:17:00,602

We need people around us to, yeah, keep

328

00:17:00,602 --> 00:17:03,605

encouraging us in the way of the Lord.

329

00:17:04,106 --> 00:17:07,860

The church is supposed to be

there as a body, and it's not

330

00:17:08,402 --> 00:17:12,197

the building that we go to on a Sunday

and then leave for the rest of the week

331

00:17:12,197 --> 00:17:14,700

and hope, you know,

we'll survive the rest of the week.

332

00:17:14,700 --> 00:17:17,619

It's more than that.

It's in our everyday life. It's

333

00:17:18,579 --> 00:17:19,079

yeah, it's

334

00:17:19,079 --> 00:17:22,082

in the hard times and the good times.

335

00:17:22,958 --> 00:17:24,752

That's that's a challenge though

336

00:17:24,752 --> 00:17:29,006

because accountability

can be kind of scary right.

337

00:17:29,381 --> 00:17:29,590

Yeah.

338

00:17:29,590 --> 00:17:32,259

Like was was that part of the part

339

00:17:32,259 --> 00:17:35,262

of the changes that you had to go through

and process through that change?

340

00:17:36,013 --> 00:17:39,558

The accountability side of things

because I'm, I'm from

341

00:17:39,933 --> 00:17:42,728

what's called the Bible Belt, I guess

you could say or whatever in America.

342

00:17:42,728 --> 00:17:46,482

And it seems to me

a lot of the people in my local area,

343

00:17:46,482 --> 00:17:48,192

they go to church on Sunday

and then they kind of

344

00:17:48,192 --> 00:17:49,693

do whatever they do during the week.

345

00:17:49,693 --> 00:17:51,570

And that's kind of that,

346

00:17:51,570 --> 00:17:54,865

and accountability seems to me

347

00:17:54,865 --> 00:17:58,786

that that turns a lot of people off,

like, oh, hey, I no, leave me alone.

348

00:17:58,786 --> 00:18:00,579

I want to do my own thing,

thank you very much.

349

00:18:00,579 --> 00:18:03,123

Don't tell me what to do.

That kind of attitude.

350

00:18:03,123 --> 00:18:06,627

Was that difficult for you to come around

to that, or was or did you feel.

351

00:18:06,627 --> 00:18:09,797

Oh, no, I really need this

for the good of my spiritual life.

352

00:18:09,797 --> 00:18:12,591

Or I'm not even sure quite

how to ask the question,

353

00:18:12,591 --> 00:18:16,178

but I know accountability

is a sticking point for a lot of people?

354

00:18:16,178 --> 00:18:18,055

Because it's not easy. A lot of times,

355

00:18:19,014 --> 00:18:19,473

Yeah.

356

00:18:19,473 --> 00:18:23,393

Oh, I think personally, for me,

I really appreciated it.

357

00:18:24,561 --> 00:18:28,357

I have yeah.

358

00:18:28,357 --> 00:18:30,984

I've just always found it

to be really good.

359

00:18:30,984 --> 00:18:34,530

Like, yes, it's challenging at times

and sometimes you,

360

00:18:35,072 --> 00:18:38,075

you don't really want to hear

what you're about to hear,

361

00:18:38,617 --> 00:18:41,703

but if you're willing to take it

at face value,

362

00:18:41,745 --> 00:18:46,291

if you're willing to accept that

it's for your benefit and that you know

363

00:18:46,291 --> 00:18:50,671

God uses other people

to speak into our lives as well, it just

364

00:18:51,547 --> 00:18:54,133

he can use it for so much more.

365

00:18:54,133 --> 00:18:56,510

I like I started out with just, you know,

366

00:18:56,510 --> 00:18:59,471

one on one mentoring

and that really helped me,

367

00:19:00,722 --> 00:19:03,767

going into an accountability

setting where there were more

368

00:19:03,767 --> 00:19:06,770

than, you know,

one person was challenging.

369

00:19:07,980 --> 00:19:11,358

But even in that, there's

blessing in being able to share

370

00:19:11,358 --> 00:19:15,112

what's going on in our life

in an open way, in a safe way,

371

00:19:15,737 --> 00:19:18,991

and not being judged for what's going on.

372

00:19:19,324 --> 00:19:23,871

You know, there's

there's, there's grace and understanding

373

00:19:23,871 --> 00:19:27,166

and there's there's help

that we receive through that as well.

374

00:19:28,792 --> 00:19:29,251

It might

375

00:19:29,251 --> 00:19:32,838

be one of those things

that it's spiritually good for us,

376

00:19:33,046 --> 00:19:36,049

but that doesn't mean it's always easy.

377

00:19:37,217 --> 00:19:40,596

I think about that for my own self

when it comes to accountability

378

00:19:40,637 --> 00:19:43,640

and many of the other things that go with

with church life.

379

00:19:43,891 --> 00:19:44,892

Wow. You know,

380

00:19:44,892 --> 00:19:48,562

some days it just be really easy to just

I just want to do my own thing.

381

00:19:48,562 --> 00:19:50,606

Okay? Just kind of leave me alone.

382

00:19:50,606 --> 00:19:53,442

But in the end, taken on the whole,

383

00:19:53,442 --> 00:19:56,653

would that be the proper

spiritual formation that I actually need?

384

00:19:57,446 --> 00:19:59,031

You know, probably not. You know, like.

385

00:19:59,031 --> 00:20:01,408

And I have to bring myself back to that.

386

00:20:01,408 --> 00:20:04,286

I'm really glad

you mentioned that, though, because that's

387

00:20:04,286 --> 00:20:05,454

that is a sticking point.

388

00:20:05,454 --> 00:20:09,791

You know, it's one of the big difficulties

for, for many of us, myself included.

389

00:20:10,626 --> 00:20:10,834

Yeah.

390

00:20:10,834 --> 00:20:14,755

It's just pretty easy to say, I just want

to do my own thing just leave me alone.

391

00:20:14,755 --> 00:20:15,130

Okay.

392

00:20:15,130 --> 00:20:19,593

You know, I mean, it's still a learning

curve, like, I, I still have to, like,

393

00:20:20,093 --> 00:20:22,512

you know,

there's times that I don't want it.

394

00:20:22,512 --> 00:20:25,807

And so I have to remind myself

that this is what I actually need.

395

00:20:26,225 --> 00:20:28,227

So it's not all roses. Okay? Okay.

396

00:20:29,603 --> 00:20:30,520

Yep, yep.

397

00:20:30,520 --> 00:20:34,691

It's, church is difficult in that,

you know, humans are involved and

398

00:20:35,734 --> 00:20:36,818

humans are complicated.

399

00:20:36,818 --> 00:20:37,819

And we can be selfish

400

00:20:37,819 --> 00:20:40,822

or sometimes not very nice to each other

and all of those things.

401

00:20:41,740 --> 00:20:41,990

Yeah.

402

00:20:41,990 --> 00:20:45,661

So with with all this in mind,

403

00:20:46,078 --> 00:20:48,497

I'm sure there are

people listening to this

404

00:20:48,497 --> 00:20:50,874

because we hear from them

pretty, pretty often.

405

00:20:50,874 --> 00:20:51,875

And they're searching.

406

00:20:51,875 --> 00:20:54,962

They're searching for

I want a place to belong.

407

00:20:55,003 --> 00:20:58,006

I'm trying to find a community

to join, etc..

408

00:20:58,548 --> 00:21:00,717

And we get this from

from around the world.

409

00:21:00,717 --> 00:21:03,679

What would you say to those people

that are on that journey?

410

00:21:03,679 --> 00:21:05,681

You know, they're they're looking for

411

00:21:05,681 --> 00:21:08,684

they're looking for a church

or a community to be a part of.

412

00:21:09,059 --> 00:21:11,353

Is there words of encouragement

that you would want to offer them?

413

00:21:12,688 --> 00:21:13,021

Yeah.

414

00:21:13,021 --> 00:21:16,108

It's challenging when

you come to that place that you realize

415

00:21:16,108 --> 00:21:19,111

you need community,

and you're maybe in a setting where you

416

00:21:19,444 --> 00:21:22,447

where it's not readily available.

417

00:21:23,573 --> 00:21:26,660

But I think what's most important is that

418

00:21:27,953 --> 00:21:31,873

we're willing to lay aside our own will

and that we give it up to the Lord.

419

00:21:31,873 --> 00:21:34,459

I feel like he

420

00:21:34,459 --> 00:21:38,213

ultimately will guide in

whatever way is right for that person.

421

00:21:39,381 --> 00:21:42,926

My journey led me here,

but not everybody's journey does.

422

00:21:43,093 --> 00:21:47,097

And I think it's just important

423

00:21:47,097 --> 00:21:50,600

to seek the Lord and just leave it

up to him, whatever happens.

424

00:21:51,226 --> 00:21:53,770

When I was making my ultimate decision

425

00:21:53,770 --> 00:21:57,274

to join the church or not,

I had to admit that, you know,

426

00:21:57,691 --> 00:22:01,069

giving up to the Lord didn't mean that

he was going to tell me. Yes.

427

00:22:01,528 --> 00:22:03,280

What if he told me no?

428

00:22:03,280 --> 00:22:06,575

What if he told me I was to move somewhere

else, and I had to just

429

00:22:06,575 --> 00:22:10,412

lay that all down and just accept that

in giving it to the Lord,

430

00:22:10,412 --> 00:22:14,041

I was allowing him to ultimately make

the decision.

431

00:22:14,708 --> 00:22:18,211

And I had to be okay with whatever it was,

even though it was scary.

432

00:22:18,211 --> 00:22:20,339

It was hard, but it did.

433

00:22:20,339 --> 00:22:24,259

It did end up with me joining the church

and yeah,

434

00:22:24,968 --> 00:22:29,139

that in itself was it was a special,

very special story for me.

435

00:22:30,724 --> 00:22:33,852

But I think that, you know, we just

436

00:22:34,686 --> 00:22:38,565

sometimes God allows us to build community

in a different way.

437

00:22:39,483 --> 00:22:43,695

And, you know, it doesn't always mean

joining the Anabaptist.

438

00:22:44,321 --> 00:22:47,699

I think that there's

so much blessing in doing that.

439

00:22:47,699 --> 00:22:50,410

But it's not the only way

to be a Christian as well.

440

00:22:50,410 --> 00:22:52,371

And so

441

00:22:52,371 --> 00:22:55,791

someone searching,

they need to really seek out

442

00:22:55,791 --> 00:22:59,419

what God is wanting off of them,

and just be willing to lay aside

443

00:22:59,419 --> 00:23:03,548

whatever their own desires are,

and to let God lead.

444

00:23:04,424 --> 00:23:07,719

And I think an important piece

that I keep hearing,

445

00:23:07,719 --> 00:23:11,348

kind of in the undercurrent of this story,

is that it was a journey and a process.

446

00:23:12,015 --> 00:23:13,809

It wasn't like,

447

00:23:13,809 --> 00:23:15,185

boom, you woke up one day.

448

00:23:15,185 --> 00:23:16,520

This is where I'm supposed to be.

449

00:23:16,520 --> 00:23:19,564

And you make the decision and everything's

all good.

450

00:23:20,273 --> 00:23:23,110

This is a long process, right?

451

00:23:23,110 --> 00:23:26,655

I mean, years in, you know,

for at least some parts of this story.

452

00:23:26,988 --> 00:23:27,697

Yeah, definitely.

453

00:23:27,697 --> 00:23:30,700

It was it definitely took a while and it

454

00:23:31,118 --> 00:23:33,703

it wasn't something

that I was actively seeking.

455

00:23:35,205 --> 00:23:36,873

I was not.

456

00:23:36,873 --> 00:23:39,334

I didn't come down here and be like,

okay, God, what do you want of me?

457

00:23:39,334 --> 00:23:42,129

I was not expecting any of this.

458

00:23:42,129 --> 00:23:45,966

And it was just over time

that God used so many little things

459

00:23:45,966 --> 00:23:48,969

to change my heart and just,

460

00:23:48,969 --> 00:23:51,972

you know,

show me the importance of having a church,

461

00:23:53,849 --> 00:23:58,437

even even of baptism and,

you know, things like that, things

462

00:23:58,437 --> 00:24:02,232

that my childhood had affected my view on.

463

00:24:02,983 --> 00:24:05,777

And like I,

464

00:24:05,777 --> 00:24:09,406

I had to admit that there was a point

I was not interested in communion.

465

00:24:09,573 --> 00:24:12,492

Like I watched communion

in other churches.

466

00:24:12,492 --> 00:24:15,996

And it just felt like

there was so much lacking there.

467

00:24:16,872 --> 00:24:20,041

And I remember the first time

that I sat in on a communion here,

468

00:24:21,334 --> 00:24:23,920

I was just like,

God just did something in my heart.

469

00:24:23,920 --> 00:24:27,340

I was like,

I actually want to be part of a church.

470

00:24:27,340 --> 00:24:28,800

I actually

471

00:24:28,800 --> 00:24:33,930

see the value in being a part of church

and in being baptized and all of that.

472

00:24:33,972 --> 00:24:38,226

I was just, you know, before that

there was no desire for it.

473

00:24:39,019 --> 00:24:42,022

But God just used so many little

things to work in my heart.

474

00:24:43,815 --> 00:24:44,232

Even the

475

00:24:44,232 --> 00:24:47,611

thing of being different, like,

I struggled with that for a while

476

00:24:48,153 --> 00:24:51,198

and just coming to realize,

477

00:24:51,198 --> 00:24:54,326

like,

you know, there's there's more to this.

478

00:24:54,367 --> 00:24:57,370

Like, this is actually something

that God delights in.

479

00:24:57,579 --> 00:24:59,539

He doesn't want us to blend in

with the crowd.

480

00:24:59,539 --> 00:25:01,708

He wants us to be different.

481

00:25:01,708 --> 00:25:06,463

And I just found that very powerful

as I was searching or sometimes

482

00:25:06,463 --> 00:25:09,799

not even searching, just kind of like,

you know, noticing and just.

483

00:25:09,799 --> 00:25:10,634

Yeah. Yeah.

484

00:25:10,634 --> 00:25:13,637

I didn't realize what was happening

necessarily, but.

485

00:25:13,887 --> 00:25:16,890

Yeah, But it seems in those

486

00:25:17,933 --> 00:25:20,936

things you were just describing

there is an openness there.

487

00:25:21,937 --> 00:25:22,187

Right.

488

00:25:22,187 --> 00:25:23,188

I mean it feels like that

489

00:25:23,188 --> 00:25:26,191

could have been pretty easy to ignore

and be like oh I don't just don't want to,

490

00:25:26,650 --> 00:25:27,859

I don't really want to think about that.

491

00:25:29,236 --> 00:25:30,487

So would you say a

492

00:25:30,487 --> 00:25:33,698

spirit of openness or, of

of looking for answers?

493

00:25:33,698 --> 00:25:36,493

Was that a part of this picture for you?

494

00:25:36,493 --> 00:25:36,910

Yeah.

495

00:25:36,910 --> 00:25:40,747

I feel like I have always tried

to be willing to let God

496

00:25:40,747 --> 00:25:43,750

guide me in whatever way he wanted.

497

00:25:45,001 --> 00:25:47,587

Ultimately, when I moved down here,

498

00:25:47,587 --> 00:25:50,590

I struggled with

499

00:25:50,590 --> 00:25:54,427

who I was, especially whenever

I was outside the community.

500

00:25:54,427 --> 00:25:57,889

When I was visiting old friends

or was with my family, I was like,

501

00:25:58,640 --> 00:26:00,100

what am I like?

502

00:26:00,100 --> 00:26:00,892

How do I go?

503

00:26:00,892 --> 00:26:06,189

Do I go as I used to be, just like,

you know, conservative Christian?

504

00:26:06,189 --> 00:26:08,024

Or do I go being Mennonite?

505

00:26:08,024 --> 00:26:09,359

You know, I'm not part of the church.

506

00:26:09,359 --> 00:26:11,695

How do I dress? Yeah.

507

00:26:11,695 --> 00:26:17,284

And it was this battle, and a big turning

point for me was actually

508

00:26:17,284 --> 00:26:20,287

when I was traveling with my brother,

509

00:26:20,287 --> 00:26:23,415

and I was we were backpacking.

510

00:26:23,415 --> 00:26:25,208

I knew I didn't have a lot of space,

and I was like,

511

00:26:25,208 --> 00:26:28,295

I can't take two different styles

of clothing with me.

512

00:26:28,295 --> 00:26:31,089

You know, I can't, you know,

I don't have space for that.

513

00:26:31,089 --> 00:26:33,800

I need to go in one way or the other.

514

00:26:33,800 --> 00:26:36,845

And I just, I kind of battled

with it for a while, and I was like,

515

00:26:36,845 --> 00:26:39,931

God, you have to give me peace

in whatever way I go.

516

00:26:40,807 --> 00:26:42,517

Because I was going to see my grandma

and there was like

517

00:26:42,517 --> 00:26:45,186

all these different things,

and I was like, how do I want to be?

518

00:26:45,186 --> 00:26:47,397

How do I want to present myself?

519

00:26:47,397 --> 00:26:48,148

And I just felt that the

that the Lord really guided me

520

00:26:48,148 --> 00:26:49,899

And I just felt that the

that the Lord really guided me

521

00:26:50,942 --> 00:26:54,946

to, to go dressed as a Mennonite.

522

00:26:56,656 --> 00:26:59,868

And that was kind of a big turning point

for me, just being willing

523

00:26:59,909 --> 00:27:03,705

to travel

and be seen in the world as different.

524

00:27:03,705 --> 00:27:06,249

And our family was already different.

525

00:27:06,249 --> 00:27:09,252

We dressed conservatively already,

you know,

526

00:27:10,670 --> 00:27:12,339

we would go out and town and be noticed.

527

00:27:12,339 --> 00:27:16,343

And so I had been used to that

and didn't particularly enjoy that.

528

00:27:17,719 --> 00:27:22,891

Growing up and so to be that different

just felt like why is this necessary?

529

00:27:22,932 --> 00:27:26,144

You know, but I feel like the Lord

really blessed me in that.

530

00:27:26,144 --> 00:27:28,355

And just I had so much peace.

531

00:27:28,355 --> 00:27:31,524

I just felt so confident

and never bothered me.

532

00:27:31,524 --> 00:27:34,736

You know, I was just like,

wow, this is definitely of the Lord.

533

00:27:36,029 --> 00:27:38,698

So it felt like

there was a big turning point there.

534

00:27:38,698 --> 00:27:42,952

And when I returned home, from that trip,

all of a sudden

535

00:27:42,952 --> 00:27:47,040

the Lord put it on my heart

that I, you know, why am I

536

00:27:48,041 --> 00:27:50,835

why am I still not committed?

537

00:27:50,835 --> 00:27:53,838

I was very involved in the church

at that time.

538

00:27:53,922 --> 00:27:57,550

I think one of the biggest things for me

was that I was covering my head,

539

00:27:57,550 --> 00:28:00,470

but I was not wearing the veil

that the church wore here.

540

00:28:00,470 --> 00:28:02,013

I was not wearing a white veil.

541

00:28:02,013 --> 00:28:03,973

And that's a decision

I had made from the beginning.

542

00:28:03,973 --> 00:28:05,892

I was like,

I'm not going to wear a white veil

543

00:28:05,892 --> 00:28:09,104

when I moved down here, because I didn't

want to pretend to be something

544

00:28:09,104 --> 00:28:12,399

that I wasn't And I felt that

that was right for me at that time.

545

00:28:12,399 --> 00:28:15,568

But then I was like,

I'm so involved in the church,

546

00:28:16,319 --> 00:28:19,739

and yet why am I not committing to more?

547

00:28:21,366 --> 00:28:24,327

What am I portraying by not,

548

00:28:24,536 --> 00:28:27,664

you know, by wearing something different

than what the church standards were?

549

00:28:29,916 --> 00:28:31,960

And I was just like,

550

00:28:31,960 --> 00:28:34,713

God, you just, like, helped me travel or,

551

00:28:34,713 --> 00:28:37,549

you know, dressed differently. Why?

552

00:28:37,549 --> 00:28:38,425

Why all of a sudden

553

00:28:38,425 --> 00:28:41,553

do I have to deal with this thing

of, like, what head covering I wear?

554

00:28:41,594 --> 00:28:43,388

Like, what's the big deal there?

555

00:28:43,388 --> 00:28:47,183

And I just, you know,

kind of battled with it for a while.

556

00:28:48,184 --> 00:28:51,062

I think the thing that made me struggle

with it was

557

00:28:51,062 --> 00:28:54,649

I wanted to know what God's will was,

and I didn't want to be just changing.

558

00:28:54,649 --> 00:28:57,569

So that I would fit in.

559

00:28:57,569 --> 00:29:00,488

Yeah, because that would be the easy

choice, right?

560

00:29:00,488 --> 00:29:01,740

I just kind of fit in there.

561

00:29:01,740 --> 00:29:03,450

Yeah, yeah, I see that.

562

00:29:03,450 --> 00:29:06,703

And I told my family, I'm like,

if I change my head covering,

563

00:29:06,703 --> 00:29:08,288

you do realize that

564

00:29:08,288 --> 00:29:11,875

I'm, I'm committing to more like,

ultimately I will join the church then.

565

00:29:12,834 --> 00:29:15,378

Because I knew at that point that's

what was going to happen.

566

00:29:15,378 --> 00:29:19,090

I was not going to change my head covering

and then, you know, not join the church.

567

00:29:20,425 --> 00:29:22,177

I didn't want to deal with the fact of

568

00:29:22,177 --> 00:29:25,180

when I'm outside the community,

what am I going to be again?

569

00:29:26,139 --> 00:29:29,142

And so there was just this,

570

00:29:29,476 --> 00:29:33,480

you know, I would Sundays would come

and I would just have this

571

00:29:33,855 --> 00:29:36,816

strong urge

to, like, change my head covering.

572

00:29:37,275 --> 00:29:39,903

And it was intense.

573

00:29:39,903 --> 00:29:41,863

It was interesting.

I didn't really know why.

574

00:29:41,863 --> 00:29:45,158

It was why all of a sudden

I had this this urge.

575

00:29:45,158 --> 00:29:48,578

And, I held off for a while

because I was like,

576

00:29:49,370 --> 00:29:51,915

I don't want to do this on a Sunday

and then not the rest of the week.

577

00:29:51,915 --> 00:29:55,335

Like, I don't want to just wear whatever

I want, you know, during the week,

578

00:29:55,710 --> 00:29:56,669

I wanted to

579

00:29:57,796 --> 00:30:00,799

make a change and actually stick with it.

580

00:30:01,174 --> 00:30:04,719

So I remember one Sunday in our ladies

581

00:30:04,719 --> 00:30:08,807

Sunday School class, the story of Joshua

582

00:30:08,807 --> 00:30:11,810

and the walls of Jericho

was being talked about.

583

00:30:12,060 --> 00:30:15,730

And again, it just felt like the

the Lord was impressing

584

00:30:15,730 --> 00:30:19,192

upon me

that he wanted his people to be different.

585

00:30:19,567 --> 00:30:22,570

He had his people walk around the walls

at Jericho and they were like,

586

00:30:23,071 --> 00:30:25,949

there

they were outside, walking around silently

587

00:30:25,949 --> 00:30:30,119

and everyone within the city

was surely not silently watching them.

588

00:30:30,787 --> 00:30:34,415

You know, I'm sure that they had things

to say and things to throw at them

589

00:30:34,415 --> 00:30:37,418

and whatnot, you know, especially

after a couple of days had passed.

590

00:30:37,836 --> 00:30:40,046

But God made his people go through that.

591

00:30:40,046 --> 00:30:43,508

They had to walk around

for seven days in silence and

592

00:30:44,551 --> 00:30:45,051

so it just

593

00:30:45,051 --> 00:30:48,054

kind of really stood out to me again,

you know, we’re to be different.

594

00:30:48,930 --> 00:30:51,140

And so

595

00:30:51,140 --> 00:30:54,310

I remember ringing my mom and I was just

like, well, what do I do with this?

596

00:30:54,310 --> 00:30:57,272

Like, here's this thing again, you know,

so in front of me.

597

00:30:57,730 --> 00:30:58,773

And it was so interesting.

598

00:30:58,773 --> 00:31:03,403

She was like, hey, wait a minute, they're

walking here, Jericho, for seven days.

599

00:31:03,403 --> 00:31:05,613

Maybe you need to walk around Jericho

for seven days.

600

00:31:05,613 --> 00:31:08,074

Like, here you are,

you're battling with this.

601

00:31:08,074 --> 00:31:10,451

You need to make a decision.

602

00:31:10,451 --> 00:31:14,622

And so I was just like, oh, but, like,

that would be terrible, scary, you know?

603

00:31:14,622 --> 00:31:16,499

Like, that would be the ultimatum.

604

00:31:16,499 --> 00:31:19,377

I'd be like, here, God,

you got to give me an answer.

605

00:31:19,377 --> 00:31:23,673

And so I was like, okay, wait,

what more can I do than admit it’s scary.

606

00:31:23,673 --> 00:31:25,592

And just go for it?

607

00:31:25,592 --> 00:31:28,386

So there were there

ultimately three things that I wanted

608

00:31:28,386 --> 00:31:31,431

to know from God,

like I needed him to show me.

609

00:31:32,599 --> 00:31:36,102

Before I just made my own decision.

610

00:31:36,102 --> 00:31:39,063

I needed to know

clearly that it was off of him.

611

00:31:39,188 --> 00:31:42,275

And so I, I did I took the seven days

612

00:31:42,567 --> 00:31:45,570

of walking around Jericho, basically

613

00:31:45,737 --> 00:31:50,199

just really praying about it

and seeking God's face about it.

614

00:31:50,867 --> 00:31:53,786

And one of the things was that

I really wanted

615

00:31:53,786 --> 00:31:56,873

someone to talk to me

about how I felt about the head covering,

616

00:31:57,749 --> 00:32:02,253

I had had some conversations, but,

you know, just I there hadn't been a lot,

617

00:32:02,253 --> 00:32:07,383

but randomly someone asked me and

it was just like, okay, there's an answer.

618

00:32:07,383 --> 00:32:10,762

Like, here someone comes to me

and asks me where I am with it.

619

00:32:11,304 --> 00:32:13,264

And so I just shared them that I was like

620

00:32:13,264 --> 00:32:16,100

shared with them

that I was going through this time.

621

00:32:16,100 --> 00:32:20,188

And, yeah, I was just kind of struggling

with, how is God going to give his answer?

622

00:32:20,188 --> 00:32:22,607

How will I know his answer?

623

00:32:22,607 --> 00:32:25,735

And so a friend had

shared with me this podcast,

624

00:32:27,070 --> 00:32:28,529

it was on Elizabeth Elliot.

625

00:32:28,529 --> 00:32:34,285

She was sharing something

and it just really stood out to me.

626

00:32:34,285 --> 00:32:38,873

And I think what was really special

was this poem that she read in there.

627

00:32:38,873 --> 00:32:41,709

And that kind of is

what ultimately gave me my answer.

628

00:32:41,709 --> 00:32:44,712

I like this is what I'm supposed to do.

629

00:32:45,588 --> 00:32:48,257

So the poem goes like this.

630

00:32:48,257 --> 00:32:50,510

It's going called, “Do the Next Thing”.

631

00:32:50,510 --> 00:32:53,346

from an old English parsonage

down by the sea.

632

00:32:53,346 --> 00:32:56,140

There came in the twilight

a message to me.

633

00:32:56,140 --> 00:33:00,812

It’s quaint Saxon legend, deeply

engraved, hath, as it seems to me.

634

00:33:00,812 --> 00:33:03,731

Teachings from heaven

and on through the hours.

635

00:33:03,731 --> 00:33:06,734

The quiet words ring

like a low inspiration.

636

00:33:06,776 --> 00:33:08,820

Do the next thing.

637

00:33:08,820 --> 00:33:12,532

Many a questioning,

many a fear, many a doubt.

638

00:33:12,657 --> 00:33:15,034

Had its quietning here.

639

00:33:15,034 --> 00:33:17,829

Moment by moment let down from heaven.

640

00:33:17,829 --> 00:33:20,832

Time, opportunity, guidance are given.

641

00:33:21,374 --> 00:33:23,835

Fear not tomorrows, child of the King.

642

00:33:23,835 --> 00:33:28,464

Trust them with Jesus,

do the next thing, do it immediately.

643

00:33:28,923 --> 00:33:30,675

Do it with prayer.

644

00:33:30,675 --> 00:33:33,636

Do it reliantly, Casting all care.

645

00:33:33,636 --> 00:33:35,346

Do it with reverence.

646

00:33:35,346 --> 00:33:39,308

Tracing his hand, who placed it

before thee with earnest command.

647

00:33:40,059 --> 00:33:41,686

Stayed on omnipotence.

648

00:33:41,686 --> 00:33:47,567

Safe neath his wings, leave all resulting

do the next thing looking to

649

00:33:47,567 --> 00:33:50,778

Jesus ever serener, working or suffering,

650

00:33:50,778 --> 00:33:53,865

be thy demeanor in his dear presence.

651

00:33:53,865 --> 00:33:57,910

The rest of his calm,

the light of his countenance, be thy song.

652

00:33:58,578 --> 00:34:00,079

Strong in his faithfulness.

653

00:34:00,079 --> 00:34:01,831

Praise and sing.

654

00:34:01,831 --> 00:34:04,834

Then,

as he beckons thee, do the next thing.

655

00:34:06,419 --> 00:34:08,629

And that just really stood out to me.

656

00:34:08,629 --> 00:34:13,092

And I just yeah, I just knew

that it was the next thing for me

657

00:34:13,092 --> 00:34:16,095

and that it was the right thing

for me to do.

658

00:34:16,596 --> 00:34:19,724

So that was just a really special moment

for me.

659

00:34:19,724 --> 00:34:23,478

And I think what was special

was at the end

660

00:34:23,478 --> 00:34:27,690

of the seven Days of Silence,

the people were supposed to shout,

661

00:34:28,858 --> 00:34:31,110

and I was like,

662

00:34:31,110 --> 00:34:34,280

my way of proclaiming

what God had done for me

663

00:34:34,280 --> 00:34:38,242

was in changing my head

covering and wearing the white then.

664

00:34:38,242 --> 00:34:41,746

And yeah, ultimately taking instruction

665

00:34:41,788 --> 00:34:44,791

class

and committing to to joining the church.

666

00:34:44,999 --> 00:34:48,127

And yeah, I've just found so much blessing

in doing that.

667

00:34:49,754 --> 00:34:52,757

The, the power of the next step

668

00:34:53,007 --> 00:34:55,843

or choosing, okay, I'm

going to take the next step.

669

00:34:55,843 --> 00:34:59,138

I'm going to keep moving forward

with what God is asking me to do.

670

00:35:00,473 --> 00:35:01,933

Wow. That's

671

00:35:01,933 --> 00:35:06,270

you know, that that's hard

oftentimes. Wow.

672

00:35:07,105 --> 00:35:10,608

And again, I think we we touched on this

a little early in its process

673

00:35:10,608 --> 00:35:13,611

and the journey,

clearly, as you're describing,

674

00:35:13,736 --> 00:35:17,281

you know, in this particular case

or maybe there's other cases to you

675

00:35:17,281 --> 00:35:20,284

and I'm sure people listening will think,

oh yeah, I mean, what is that?

676

00:35:20,576 --> 00:35:23,371

What is the next thing

that God wants me to do.

677

00:35:23,371 --> 00:35:26,374

And yeah that's a lot to think about.

678

00:35:27,792 --> 00:35:30,795

I think it's really good

to be sensitive to,

679

00:35:30,878 --> 00:35:33,005

you know, where God is leading us.

680

00:35:33,005 --> 00:35:38,177

And, where it will go, like,

I, I know I could have made that decision

681

00:35:38,636 --> 00:35:41,639

because I felt it was right,

but for me, it just

682

00:35:41,764 --> 00:35:44,308

I just needed to know

that it was right for me now.

683

00:35:44,308 --> 00:35:47,019

But that's actually

what God wanted me to do.

684

00:35:47,019 --> 00:35:50,314

Versus you could have easily said, oh,

I'm just going to fit

685

00:35:50,314 --> 00:35:51,440

and, you know, with the rest of the church

686

00:35:51,440 --> 00:35:54,152

and just kind of just do it

and that that's that.

687

00:35:54,152 --> 00:35:57,155

And you clearly went a lot

deeper than that, you know.

688

00:35:57,155 --> 00:36:00,158

And that's

I think that's pretty important.

689

00:36:00,408 --> 00:36:01,409

Yeah.

690

00:36:01,409 --> 00:36:04,620

So is there anything else

you'd like to leave with our listeners

691

00:36:04,620 --> 00:36:06,747

by way of encouragement or.

692

00:36:06,747 --> 00:36:08,457

Yeah. As we, as we wrap this up,

693

00:36:10,293 --> 00:36:11,460

and or maybe another

694

00:36:11,460 --> 00:36:14,505

part of the story

that, that we should, capture here.

695

00:36:15,256 --> 00:36:17,550

Yeah. I think that

696

00:36:17,550 --> 00:36:21,179

it's important to remember

that ultimately, God's in our story.

697

00:36:22,388 --> 00:36:23,598

He's the one that guides us.

698

00:36:23,598 --> 00:36:26,601

He's the one that, you know,

699

00:36:27,768 --> 00:36:29,896

he's the one that leads us to

where we are now.

700

00:36:29,896 --> 00:36:31,314

And each of us are on,

701

00:36:31,314 --> 00:36:34,358

on different journeys, like, none of us

are going to have the same story.

702

00:36:34,984 --> 00:36:37,862

And I think that's the

the beautiful thing about it,

703

00:36:37,862 --> 00:36:40,865

when we allow God to

704

00:36:41,282 --> 00:36:43,743

be the hero in our story, you know, he's

705

00:36:43,743 --> 00:36:47,288

the one that brings us

to the place that we are today.

706

00:36:47,747 --> 00:36:51,584

And you know, our

my story is not finished.

707

00:36:51,834 --> 00:36:53,085

I have a lot to learn.

708

00:36:53,085 --> 00:36:54,587

I have a lot of growing to do.

709

00:36:55,922 --> 00:36:57,924

There's challenges that I face,

710

00:36:57,924 --> 00:37:01,052

even in living in such a good setting,

711

00:37:01,052 --> 00:37:04,055

in such a healthy setting.

712

00:37:04,096 --> 00:37:07,016

But just remembering that

713

00:37:07,016 --> 00:37:09,602

we just need

to keep doing the right thing.

714

00:37:09,602 --> 00:37:12,521

The thing that's ahead of us,

the thing that God is

715

00:37:12,521 --> 00:37:15,524

guiding us in doing and

716

00:37:15,942 --> 00:37:18,861

yeah, it's it's not about my story,

717

00:37:18,861 --> 00:37:22,365

and it's not about who I am

and where I've come from.

718

00:37:22,365 --> 00:37:26,953

It's ultimately what God has done

in my life and how he's led me.

719

00:37:26,953 --> 00:37:28,079

And just being willing to let our story

720

00:37:28,079 --> 00:37:30,081

And just being willing to let our story

721

00:37:30,081 --> 00:37:33,084

be something that glorifies God.

722

00:37:33,918 --> 00:37:36,170

Yeah, I think that's

that's the biggest thing for me.

723

00:37:36,170 --> 00:37:39,173

I don't want it to be about me and

724

00:37:39,882 --> 00:37:40,508

any of that.

725

00:37:40,508 --> 00:37:44,804

It's just all what the Lord has done

and how he's carried me

726

00:37:44,804 --> 00:37:47,181

through these last,

especially these last four years.

727

00:37:47,181 --> 00:37:51,978

Like there's been

a lot of a lot of grace and,

728

00:37:53,020 --> 00:37:55,564

yeah, a lot of growth.

729

00:37:55,564 --> 00:37:55,815

Yeah.

730

00:37:55,815 --> 00:37:59,235

I have to think of the prophet

Isaiah says something to that effect.

731

00:37:59,235 --> 00:38:02,530

You know, God says of his people,

you are my witnesses

732

00:38:02,530 --> 00:38:05,491

and you'll bear

witness of what I've done for you.

733

00:38:05,783 --> 00:38:08,619

And the whole point

there is, is what God has done for us.

734

00:38:08,619 --> 00:38:11,080

And then we'll share that

then with others.

735

00:38:11,080 --> 00:38:14,041

I feel like that's

what you've done with us here today.

736

00:38:14,583 --> 00:38:18,838

Tirzah, thank you so much for coming

on the podcast and sharing your story.

737

00:38:18,879 --> 00:38:22,550

I hope this is an encouragement

to many people. And,

738

00:38:23,884 --> 00:38:27,430

I'm sure there's people listening that are

in various stages of their own journey.

739

00:38:28,055 --> 00:38:31,142

And I think you gave them a lot

to think about today.

740

00:38:31,142 --> 00:38:33,602

So thank you. Thank you.

741

00:38:34,437 --> 00:38:36,981

Thanks for listening to this episode

with Tirzah.

742

00:38:36,981 --> 00:38:39,942

If you found this interesting,

you should check out this episode

743

00:38:39,942 --> 00:38:41,444

we did with Samantha Bender

744

00:38:41,444 --> 00:38:45,531

on the topic of Is Mennonite

a Faith Culture or an Ethnic Culture?

745

00:38:45,698 --> 00:38:48,701

You can find that

linked in the description down below.

746

00:38:49,076 --> 00:38:49,744

You can, of course,

747

00:38:49,744 --> 00:38:54,206

find all our content on our website

at anabaptistperspectives.org.

748

00:38:54,415 --> 00:38:58,002

Thanks again for listening,

and we'll catch you in the next episode.