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Award winning truth cuts through the haze,

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confronts the darkness
in these end times days.

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A single match struck against the fear,
hope ignites, drawing redemption near.

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Can you feel the trembling in the ground?

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A buried heartbeat making sound.

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We all live in Dead America, but the
dawn’s creeping across the Panorama,

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this dead awakens, change begins,
from broken places, hope unpins.

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Yeah, we all live in Dead America.

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One healing spark starts the pyre,
burning brighter, taking it higher.

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Today we’re speaking with Craig
Alsup, he is with Manna Worldwide.

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We are going to record
for Podcasthon today.

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Craig, could you please
introduce yourself?

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And let people know just a
little more about you, please.

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Sure.

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Yeah, I’m, uh, I’m Craig Alsup.

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I’m a full-time missionary with an
organization called Manna Worldwide.

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Uh, we are based in Fort Worth,
Texas and working in about fifty

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different countries around the world.

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Uh, we have about, probably about, I think
three hundred ongoing projects in all

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of those countries serving about twenty
thousand kids and families every day.

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Uh, married to Jennifer.

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Uh, I have two biological
kiddos, Sarah and Jude.

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And then we have four kids in Nepal
that, um, that we’ve sponsored and

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sort of adopted without officially
adopting over the years and they

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range in age from ten to twenty-five.

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That’s pretty awesome.

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So what got you into missionary work?

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Fell into it a little bit.

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Um, my wife and I went and did
an around the world trip in

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2008 that changed our lives.

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Um, we, uh, had grown up in central
Mississippi, southern Mississippi,

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and uh, always wanted to travel
but never got a great opportunity.

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And so after we got married,
we decided that we were gonna

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go travel and see the world.

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And so we worked for about
two and a half years.

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We just, we worked every job we could
possibly find to work to make extra

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money and, uh, saved all of our money.

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And then went and traveled and we ended
up traveling to seventy-six countries

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over, uh, sixteen months or so.

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Uh, six continents,
little bit of everywhere.

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And we were in Asia, in, uh,
Southeastern Asia, and we saw

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poverty like we’d never seen before.

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Uh, poverty of, of stuff, and food, and
all those things, like physical poverty.

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But we also saw a lot of spiritual
poverty in people that were just searching

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for God but struggling to find Him.

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And, um, and so we began to see the need.

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We saw some child trafficking and
some, some real rough stuff down

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there and uh, God used that to grab
our hearts and to say that we were

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supposed to step into something and,
and do, do the next thing, right?

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And, uh, so we made it
home from this crazy trip.

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And with a heart like never before for
missions, we thought it was just to give.

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Um, and so we started to do
that more, uh, faithfully.

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Uh, we got friends involved in giving,
we started leading mission teams and

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one thing led to another and our pastor
introduced us to, um, the founder of

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Manna Worldwide, his name’s Bruce O’Neal.

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And, uh, told us that, you know,
we should go and talk with him

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and just kind of pick his brain.

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And we did and it was a setup.

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Uh, basically our pastor, our pastor saw
it in us before we saw it in us, right?

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That we were supposed to
do this thing full time.

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And so, um, I stepped out of being
a therapist, uh, working with kids

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and teens, uh, in private practice.

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My wife was, uh, head of a public health
program and, uh, we stepped out of

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those roles and stepped into the mission
role, uh, just over ten years ago.

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So right at the end of 2015.

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How did that feel transitioning out
of corporate into missionary work?

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You know, that was interesting.

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Um, we never expected to be
missionaries and, um, so it was, that

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was, you know, all of a sudden I was
put on stage speaking at churches.

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I was meeting with pastors
and stuff all the time.

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I mean, I was Christian, but I was
like, you know, back row Baptist

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Christian a little bit, right?

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So, um, I never sort of
expected that to be my life.

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Um, it was a little bit scary, uh,
because we had to step away from

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salary jobs, we had to step away from,
you know, uh, guaranteed finances,

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almost guaranteed finances, and we
had to go raise our personal support.

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And, um, that was a little bit, uh,
a little bit crazy and interesting.

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And so it, uh, you know, it
took some, took some convincing.

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Uh, actually my wife, uh, was more
on board than me in the beginning,

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and she was like, You know, I, I
feel like God’s saying that we do

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this and we don’t wanna be, uh,
against what God’s calling us to do.

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And, uh, so wise counsel, right?

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Uh, I, uh, definitely a
complimentary wife, right?

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Um, and, uh, and so we stepped into
this role and, uh, really God has

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provided the whole time and our,
our personal support was the biggest

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thing I was concerned about as, as
the provider for the home, right?

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Um, you know, I had two small kids at the
time and, uh, the personal support was

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the nerve wracking thing for me, right?

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Um, but in the first month of meeting
with people, of talking with people

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about supporting us, we ended up having
about twenty-five percent of our overall

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budget filled, um, which was crazy fast.

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And then over the next several
months we went on up and, uh, it’s

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been, it’s been good ever since.

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And so we have ups and downs
with budget, but it’s been good.

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Yeah, that’s, that’s a big part
of missionary work is that budget

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and that’s kind of why I wanted
to reach out and do this today.

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Uh, helping that budget because you
can’t do a lot without having something.

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And intention and, you know, this,
this need to do something, it,

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it really can’t go forward until
people step in and help support the

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role that you’re trying to play.

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And you, you said it, basically you
have to let go and let God and believe

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that He will provide that manna for you.

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And that, that’s why it, it really reached
out to my heart, was Manna Worldwide.

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That, that’s, that’s a
very interesting name.

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Could you talk to us a little
bit about, do you know why

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they landed on Manna Worldwide?

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Yeah.

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I think, um, when Manna started, uh,
just over twenty-five years ago now,

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so we’re on our twenty-fifth year
anniversary stuff this year, um,

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Manna, uh, was started by a missionary,
Bruce O’Neal and his wife Pam O’Neal.

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Uh, they were in the Philippines
with their kids and they kind of

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went there and they planted a church.

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Um, and they started to look outside
the doors of the church and they saw

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kids without shoes, and kids without
education, and kids without food in

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their bellies and they began to say
like, Hey, you know, who’s gonna

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help these kids, if not us, right?

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Um, because Jesus went around
feeding people, and serving

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people, and loving people.

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And so they said, Well, you know, let’s
help a few kids and see what happens.

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And they did.

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And those kids’ parents took
note, those kids’ parents got

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connected with the church.

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Um, I had a friend long ago that told
me that sometimes people can’t hear the

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gospel over their stomachs growling and,
um, and I think that’s very true, right?

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And a lot of places that we work
are poverty stricken places,

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physical poverty’s a thing.

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And, um, Bruce and Pam, uh, were
alert enough to notice that in their

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community, and they were caring
enough to do something about it.

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And so Manna came about first
because they were feeding kids.

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And so the Manna named just
stuck with like, okay, God is

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providing this food for these kids.

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And um, and we just get to come alongside
and, and try to help to make that happen.

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So how does that make you feel
when you see actual results?

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Because going to another country,
especially where you’ve been,

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you’ve seen some pretty impoverished
people, especially children.

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And the acts that they do sometimes
is not, you know, what we expect to

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be right, but it’s what they know.

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Sure.

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Yeah.

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Um, I mean, we are working, obviously,
like I said, like fifty countries, right?

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So we’re working in Muslim countries,
we’re working in Hindu countries,

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we’re working in Buddhist countries,
we’re working in more animistic, you

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know, uh, tribal kind of religion
countries, um, we’re working in

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places that are hard places, um,
and so you do see a lot of struggle.

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You see a lot of difficulty,
you see a lot of obviously

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spiritual and physical poverty.

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Um, but, uh, but God, right?

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Um, we get to see, uh, lives change.

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Uh, one of our little girls, uh,
Sun Depa, um, she’s fourteen now.

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She is, uh, I say our little girl,
she’s kind of one of our, one of

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our semi adopted kids in Nepal.

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Um, she grew up, you know, for her, you
know, initial years of life were in a

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very impoverished village situation,
um, with parents that couldn’t, um,

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afford to take care of her in the way
that she needed to be taken care of.

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Um, with a witch doctor casting, you know,
curses and, and, and, and bad juju over

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the kids of the village, especially the
girls, not wanting them to go to school.

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And, uh, Sun Depa, man, she, she actually,
every time they tried to take her to

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school, for a while, she would be sick,
and would have all kinds of issues, and,

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you know, would be all stressed out,
and all like, like these major things.

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And we found out that it was like this
witch doctor tried to like do a curse

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on her and we’re like, What is this?

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Um, but then, fast forward, right?

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She gets to our children’s
home at like eight years old.

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Um, she really has had little
to no formal education up to

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that point, she’s way behind.

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Um, but she gets to our, uh, children’s
home, we start to take her to school.

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She, uh, starts to get sick a little
bit at first and struggles, and then it

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was like a light switch, she heard about
Jesus in our nightly worship sessions.

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Uh, she began to place her faith in Jesus,
she began to sing Christian songs that

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she didn’t even know what all they meant,
but, you know, God was just surrounding

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her with these people that were
serving and loving and protecting her.

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And then all of a sudden it was like,
man, a light, you know, switched on and

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baby girl stopped getting sick, going to
school, she started to excel in school.

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Um, now six years later, she’s two
grades ahead of where she’s supposed

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to be because she literally got in
school, became top of her class, top

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of the school, leapfrogged all of
her peers to shift up two grades,

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and she’s just absolutely killing it.

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She’s brilliant.

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And we get to see stories like
Sun Depa’s play out across Nepal,

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and India, and Thailand, and
Cambodia, and the Philippines,

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and Mongolia, and all throughout
Asia, where I specifically focus.

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But also we’re seeing it, you know,
in thousands of kids in Africa, and

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the Middle East, and Eastern Europe,
and South and Central America.

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We’re seeing it literally all over
the world where we’re seeing lives

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changed and impact happen and God just
showing up in these kids’ lives and

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doing something absolutely incredible.

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And, um, that makes seeing the
need and not, you know, not always

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being able to help even, um, but
it makes it all worthwhile, right?

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It makes it palatable when
you go, You know what?

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Um, I can’t help ’em all,
but I can help one, you know?

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I, I can’t help ’em all, but
we are helping like twenty

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thousand a day somewhere, right?

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In, in the world.

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Um, it kind of reminds me, I, you know,
everybody’s probably heard this story

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by now, it’s kind of, you know, a pastor
story, uh, about, you know, the kid

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walking on the beach and he’s throwing
the starfish back into the ocean.

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And there, there’s thousands upon
thousands on the beach, and some guy walks

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up and says, Dude, what are you doing?

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This is a waste of time.

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And, uh, the kid picks it up and,
you know, he throws it in and he

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says, Well, not for that one, right?

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Like, like that one, I,
I could save that one.

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And, um, and that’s kind of what we
have to remind ourselves, man, when

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we’re doing anything missions focused.

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Um, that man, we, it’s, it’s not our job
to, to save anybody, it’s not our job

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to provide salvation to them, it’s not
our job to, uh, you know, to, to make

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sure that they have all their needs met.

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It’s not up to us, it’s up to God.

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And we just step into it and go,
Okay, God, we’re gonna do everything

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we can with, uh, you know, all
these fishes that you provide us,

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and we’re gonna watch you multiply
these fishes to the thousands, right?

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And the tens of thousands.

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And, um, you know, we just bring our,
we bring our loaves and fishes, right?

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And we go, God, here’s the thing, I got
five and two, let’s, let’s do something.

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00:14:37,205 –> 00:14:39,605
And God goes, Well, you got
way more than five and two.

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And so that’s what we see, man.

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00:14:43,064 –> 00:14:43,425
Yeah.

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You know, He, He always
provides, that’s for sure.

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Even when we don’t think it’s
coming, it’s already there.

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And I, I really enjoy that starfish.

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I like the footprints, uh, analogy also.

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And so, you know, on the website it says
there’s 2.2 billion children, or about

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forty-five percent live in poverty.

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And I, I was raised in what we perceive
as poverty here in the United States,

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but I, I really kind of chuckle at
that in a way, and I don’t mean to

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diminish anyone’s circumstance at all,
but, you know, when, when you see other

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00:15:37,920 –> 00:15:41,505
places, it, it can really shake you up.

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And, you know, those people are
thankful when they get something.

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And I, I really think that we need a
lesson in humility and being thankful for

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what we receive here in the United States.

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And how, how do we shift the
mindset back to that giving

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principle that we talked about?

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00:16:08,265 –> 00:16:15,375
Because there’s a stigma with churches
or ministries now where so many are

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00:16:15,375 –> 00:16:25,725
taking advantage and, you know, you’re
not there to change lives or save lives,

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00:16:26,085 –> 00:16:32,025
you are there to provide what the Lord
asks you and you highlighted that.

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How does that work in the real world?

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00:16:36,885 –> 00:16:37,155
Yeah.

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00:16:37,575 –> 00:16:42,705
Um, my pastor, actually, I, I, we base
here in Fort Worth, Texas, um, which

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is where Manna’s headquarters is.

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And then we, we’re back and
forth around the world, right?

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00:16:47,295 –> 00:16:51,735
Um, but my pastor always says, he
says, You know, if, you know, if you

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haven’t been, um, if you haven’t been
frustrated or angered, if you haven’t

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00:16:58,515 –> 00:17:04,340
been disappointed by people in a
church yet, you didn’t go long enough.

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00:17:04,970 –> 00:17:10,790
Um, he said, you know, he says, The thing
is, we are not perfect in the church.

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Nobody is.

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00:17:11,840 –> 00:17:13,160
Nobody but Jesus, right?

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00:17:13,520 –> 00:17:19,910
Um, and so sometimes the church gets a bad
rap because of what some individuals do.

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00:17:20,480 –> 00:17:27,504
Um, and that doesn’t mean that God is not
at work in that church, it doesn’t mean

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00:17:27,504 –> 00:17:29,215
that God’s not at work in this situation,

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00:17:29,544 –> 00:17:34,615
it doesn’t mean that God, um, can’t,
uh, you know, make miracles happen out

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00:17:34,615 –> 00:17:37,584
of, uh, out of what’s happening, right?

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00:17:37,885 –> 00:17:45,725
Um, and it also doesn’t mean that we get
to escape our, um, God given, uh, duty.

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00:17:46,104 –> 00:17:50,985
And, uh, you know, those commandments,
uh, that Jesus gave us to, to love

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00:17:50,985 –> 00:17:56,655
God and to love other people, to
serve people, to give to people.

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00:17:56,925 –> 00:17:59,715
And yes, that means
financially too, right?

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00:17:59,715 –> 00:18:02,625
It means our time, it means our
talent, it means our treasure,

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00:18:02,865 –> 00:18:04,065
and all of those things.

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00:18:04,740 –> 00:18:09,120
And, um, so we don’t get to shirk
the responsibility, um, that God has

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00:18:09,120 –> 00:18:14,760
given us, um, to do those things just
because some people let us down because

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people are always gonna let us down,

261
00:18:16,440 –> 00:18:16,800
right?

262
00:18:17,159 –> 00:18:18,990
Um, and so that’s the first thing.

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00:18:19,050 –> 00:18:21,510
Um, I mean, I grew up in Mississippi.

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00:18:21,810 –> 00:18:25,409
I grew up in the, you know,
the most impoverished state in

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00:18:25,409 –> 00:18:27,000
the nation in a lot of ways.

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Um, and I thought that I
grew up seeing poverty.

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And then I started traveling and I
expected to find that poverty was

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00:18:41,730 –> 00:18:48,855
mostly what I was used to seeing in
Mississippi, um, and that it was very

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00:18:48,855 –> 00:18:51,495
localized to small areas of the world.

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00:18:52,004 –> 00:18:57,615
Um, and that, you know, those kids
in Africa, you know, shirtless with

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00:18:57,615 –> 00:19:03,074
the potbellies and, and, and the
flies landing on them was just a

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00:19:03,074 –> 00:19:05,804
very small part of Village Africa.

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00:19:06,524 –> 00:19:10,814
And then I started traveling and
I went to Thailand, and I went to

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00:19:10,814 –> 00:19:15,084
Cambodia, and I went to Vietnam,
and Laos, and I went to, uh, uh,

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00:19:15,435 –> 00:19:23,355
Indonesia, and I went to, um, Mongolia,
and I went to Nepal, and India, and

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00:19:23,355 –> 00:19:28,274
I started to go into the Middle East,
and Eastern Europe, and Africa, and

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00:19:28,274 –> 00:19:35,355
Central and South America, and I began
to see that far more people live in

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00:19:35,355 –> 00:19:39,794
far greater states of poverty than
I had ever seen before in my life.

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And I started to think,
Man, we’ve got it all wrong.

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00:19:44,280 –> 00:19:47,909
We should be, like you said, we
should be grateful for what we have.

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00:19:48,179 –> 00:19:52,830
We should be grateful that we live in a
country where God is still spoken about.

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00:19:53,070 –> 00:19:56,310
We should be grateful that we live
in a country that was built based

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00:19:56,310 –> 00:20:01,560
off of Judeo-Christian values because
it turns out the countries that were

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00:20:01,560 –> 00:20:06,000
built off of Judeo-Christian values
are doing better than any other

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00:20:06,000 –> 00:20:07,800
country, just about, in the world,

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00:20:08,159 –> 00:20:08,550
right?

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00:20:09,479 –> 00:20:13,709
And, uh, we should be grateful for those
things and shame on us if we’re not.

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00:20:14,129 –> 00:20:18,029
Um, now not to demean anybody’s
poverty, you know, here in the United

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00:20:18,029 –> 00:20:19,860
States, obviously, or anywhere else.

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00:20:20,219 –> 00:20:25,830
Um, but, uh, when you look across the
world, the, uh, the world is a bit

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00:20:25,830 –> 00:20:27,810
different than what we picture it often.

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00:20:28,290 –> 00:20:31,740
Um, the struggle is real for people.

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00:20:32,250 –> 00:20:36,840
And, uh, I think, you know, I think
we have a responsibility, like Acts

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00:20:36,840 –> 00:20:41,250
one, eight tells us that we have a
responsibility for, for Jerusalem, Judea,

295
00:20:41,250 –> 00:20:42,960
Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

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And I often preach, um, in churches,
get to teach a little bit, and,

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00:20:47,400 –> 00:20:50,730
and that’s one of the verses I use
really often because I say, you know,

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Like your Jerusalem is
right around you, right?

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And you can’t neglect that,
you shouldn’t neglect that.

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00:20:56,580 –> 00:21:00,300
It’s, one of the questions we get
when we speak in churches very often

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00:21:00,300 –> 00:21:01,680
is, What are you doing here at home?

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00:21:02,010 –> 00:21:05,040
And we say, Well, here’s the thing,
we’re connected with churches all

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00:21:05,040 –> 00:21:09,545
over the United States who, we are
helping to encourage missions in their

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00:21:09,545 –> 00:21:11,705
church and outreach in their church.

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00:21:11,975 –> 00:21:15,135
We’re taking people around the world
on mission trips, they’re coming

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00:21:15,185 –> 00:21:17,255
home more on fire for missions.

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00:21:17,435 –> 00:21:19,715
And they’re looking around their
community and they’re saying,

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00:21:19,715 –> 00:21:21,245
Man, we need to do more here.

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00:21:21,635 –> 00:21:26,285
And so in a big way, we are actually
helping what’s happening at home

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00:21:26,675 –> 00:21:29,825
because we’re getting people
fired up for missions overseas.

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00:21:30,335 –> 00:21:34,625
Um, and so what we see in churches
is that when they connect with us,

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00:21:34,625 –> 00:21:39,155
when they go and they give, and they
serve, and they, uh, support projects,

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00:21:39,185 –> 00:21:43,145
and they go on mission trips, is
that their giving increases for

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00:21:43,145 –> 00:21:46,775
their church, for those members and
the people that those members tell.

315
00:21:47,135 –> 00:21:49,925
And so overall, it
lifts the church, right?

316
00:21:50,825 –> 00:21:54,490
And so it’s not an either or, right?

317
00:21:54,760 –> 00:21:57,010
Our Jerusalem, super important.

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00:21:57,010 –> 00:21:58,570
Let’s get it, let’s go, right?

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00:21:58,570 –> 00:22:01,750
There’s tons of organizations
here helping in the United States.

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00:22:01,810 –> 00:22:04,629
And then Judea a little
bit further out, right?

321
00:22:04,720 –> 00:22:10,659
Um, I, I like to say that Samaria,
um, to them, when this was spoken,

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00:22:10,930 –> 00:22:16,830
uh, by Jesus, um, to them this
would’ve said go to the people in

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the places that you’re scared of.

324
00:22:19,500 –> 00:22:23,310
Go to the people in the places that
you don’t like, go to the people in

325
00:22:23,310 –> 00:22:26,670
the places that maybe don’t speak
your language, don’t worship like you,

326
00:22:26,670 –> 00:22:31,570
don’t do the things you do, the people
that it’s easy to, you know, snub

327
00:22:31,810 –> 00:22:34,290
and walk around, go to those people.

328
00:22:35,129 –> 00:22:39,585
And, uh, and I think, man, that speaks
so much truth to us today is that

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if we look around with all the crazy
division in the world today and we

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00:22:43,155 –> 00:22:44,895
look around and go, You know what?

331
00:22:45,315 –> 00:22:49,275
All those people that culture
tells us to hate are the people

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00:22:49,275 –> 00:22:54,135
that we should love because Jesus
said, Go to Samaria too, right?

333
00:22:54,225 –> 00:22:57,375
And then He says, And to
the ends of the earth.

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00:22:57,465 –> 00:23:02,064
And so it’s not an or, it’s an
and so let’s do something for

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00:23:02,064 –> 00:23:05,655
here, there, the people we don’t
like, and literally everywhere.

336
00:23:06,105 –> 00:23:06,650
And, um,

337
00:23:07,725 –> 00:23:09,375
you know, that’s what
we try to do with Manna.

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00:23:09,585 –> 00:23:12,945
That’s what we try to facilitate,
um, through our work with churches,

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00:23:13,065 –> 00:23:15,945
and businesses, and individuals
here in the United States who

340
00:23:15,945 –> 00:23:18,075
come and support our work.

341
00:23:18,105 –> 00:23:22,395
They can jump on board to obviously
support our family and the mission work

342
00:23:22,395 –> 00:23:28,050
we do, but honestly, um, it’s, for us,
it’s about, you know, getting you plugged

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00:23:28,050 –> 00:23:32,850
in and connected with an orphanage, or a
nutrition center, a medical clinic, um,

344
00:23:32,880 –> 00:23:35,340
an anti-child trafficking type project.

345
00:23:35,610 –> 00:23:41,790
Um, it’s, it, it’s getting you connected
with these centers where we’ve got awesome

346
00:23:41,790 –> 00:23:46,275
leadership running these centers day
after day after day that are there, you

347
00:23:46,275 –> 00:23:49,425
know, 24/7, 365, doing the hard work.

348
00:23:49,815 –> 00:23:54,165
Um, and me being able to plug you
in to support some of that work and

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00:23:54,165 –> 00:23:57,645
then hopefully get you on a trip and,
uh, get you over there to meet the

350
00:23:57,645 –> 00:23:59,355
people that are there ’cause you give.

351
00:23:59,805 –> 00:24:04,845
Um, nothing changes your life like
supporting an orphanage and then

352
00:24:04,845 –> 00:24:09,165
going and meeting a little baby
girl or a little baby boy who gets

353
00:24:09,165 –> 00:24:13,170
to live there because you give the
money so that they can live there.

354
00:24:13,950 –> 00:24:16,620
And, um, man, that changes your life.

355
00:24:17,640 –> 00:24:19,290
Yeah, that, that’s huge.

356
00:24:19,830 –> 00:24:23,700
You know, it brings to
mind a couple things here.

357
00:24:24,780 –> 00:24:34,740
The first is, I, I always look at
the very last words Christ spoke, you

358
00:24:34,740 –> 00:24:40,320
know, some of those were, Forgive them
Father, for they know not what they do.

359
00:24:40,860 –> 00:24:44,070
And I, I, I base my life off of that.

360
00:24:44,370 –> 00:24:49,950
Those people that are doing those
things that we don’t necessarily

361
00:24:49,950 –> 00:24:56,865
agree with, they need the help
to show them how to live right.

362
00:24:56,895 –> 00:25:02,775
And this is why you have to reach out
to the thieves, the killers, the, you

363
00:25:02,775 –> 00:25:09,825
know, prostitutes, all of these sinners
in the world because we are all sinners.

364
00:25:10,530 –> 00:25:15,030
And, and a little sin is just
like a big sin, it’s a sin.

365
00:25:15,720 –> 00:25:22,949
And then another thing is Ephesians
six, it talks about, you know, we

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00:25:22,949 –> 00:25:31,020
fight not against flesh and blood, but
spirits, and these principalities, and

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00:25:31,020 –> 00:25:39,210
powers, you know, these are big words
that a lot of people just overlook.

368
00:25:39,735 –> 00:25:48,045
And yeah, uh, mission work is
a big part of doing just that.

369
00:25:48,855 –> 00:25:55,215
So how do you see Manna
helping in the world?

370
00:25:55,215 –> 00:26:00,135
What type of missionary work are
they performing in the world?

371
00:26:01,784 –> 00:26:05,804
Yeah, so in the past twenty-five
years we’ve helped to launch over

372
00:26:05,804 –> 00:26:10,365
a hundred churches alongside our,
um, sometimes missionary partners.

373
00:26:10,365 –> 00:26:14,205
We’ve got partners that are missionaries
that have come from the United States.

374
00:26:14,564 –> 00:26:17,865
Uh, we’ve got partners that are
missionaries from South Korea, from

375
00:26:17,865 –> 00:26:22,725
the Philippines, um, from some places
in Kenya, um, as well as Central and

376
00:26:22,725 –> 00:26:24,794
South America now we’re partnering with.

377
00:26:25,995 –> 00:26:29,625
And then we’ve got pastors that
are local to a place, right?

378
00:26:29,625 –> 00:26:33,645
So we work with a bunch of people in
Nepal and India and, you know, the rest

379
00:26:33,645 –> 00:26:38,445
of Asia that are from a place and then
they look around and they go, Man, I

380
00:26:38,445 –> 00:26:40,065
wish somebody’d plant a church here.

381
00:26:40,395 –> 00:26:42,615
And then they realize,
Wait a minute, it’s me.

382
00:26:43,485 –> 00:26:47,415
And, uh, and so they plant a church
and they have, you know, typically

383
00:26:47,415 –> 00:26:52,305
these guys and, and, and they have
barely any support financially.

384
00:26:52,725 –> 00:26:55,784
Um, there’s living on, you
know, dreams and prayers, right?

385
00:26:56,895 –> 00:26:59,355
And, uh, God is providing.

386
00:26:59,355 –> 00:27:03,765
And so we come alongside these
pastors, these missionaries, um,

387
00:27:03,765 –> 00:27:08,025
to help plant churches, to help,
uh, launch orphanages, nutrition

388
00:27:08,025 –> 00:27:10,185
centers, medical clinics, schools.

389
00:27:10,425 –> 00:27:14,745
I mean, we’ve got schools with hundreds,
and hundreds, and hundreds of kids in

390
00:27:14,745 –> 00:27:18,745
multiple places around the world, um,
that are getting educated so that they

391
00:27:18,745 –> 00:27:23,575
can get themselves out of poverty so that
they can have opportunity, um, right?

392
00:27:23,575 –> 00:27:26,425
That their families and their
parents probably for generations

393
00:27:26,425 –> 00:27:28,255
and generations before have not had.

394
00:27:28,645 –> 00:27:32,695
Um, nutrition centers that are putting
food in the bellies of kids who are

395
00:27:32,695 –> 00:27:37,855
hungry, who are often so in need of
food that they can’t go to school

396
00:27:38,065 –> 00:27:41,845
because they have to work to try to
come up with some extra money for

397
00:27:41,845 –> 00:27:43,720
their family to be able to feed them,

398
00:27:44,300 –> 00:27:44,990
right?

399
00:27:45,080 –> 00:27:49,909
And, um, or, or parents are having to
make decisions between, like, do I feed

400
00:27:49,909 –> 00:27:51,655
my kids or do I send them to school?

401
00:27:52,665 –> 00:27:55,455
Uh, because I only have money
to do one or the other, right?

402
00:27:55,754 –> 00:27:59,175
And so our nutrition centers come
alongside and they help these kids

403
00:27:59,175 –> 00:28:02,534
in schoolwork and they help to feed
their bellies and they’re teaching

404
00:28:02,534 –> 00:28:04,245
’em about Jesus every single day.

405
00:28:04,635 –> 00:28:09,014
Um, and these parents are then
getting connected with these pastors

406
00:28:09,014 –> 00:28:13,245
and the local churches that these
centers are connected with and they’re

407
00:28:13,245 –> 00:28:15,584
coming to faith in Jesus in droves.

408
00:28:15,885 –> 00:28:19,574
Um, we’ve got medical clinics, like
we’ve got big medical clinics in

409
00:28:19,574 –> 00:28:25,455
Cambodia, Central America, and Africa,
and, um, in Eastern Europe that are

410
00:28:25,574 –> 00:28:30,824
supporting villages and communities that
had literally zero access to medical

411
00:28:30,824 –> 00:28:32,595
care in their communities before.

412
00:28:32,804 –> 00:28:35,504
But Manna is stepping in
to say, Hey, you know what?

413
00:28:35,504 –> 00:28:37,095
Jesus cares about that too.

414
00:28:37,815 –> 00:28:41,625
And while we’re helping you with your
medical, we’re gonna tell you about

415
00:28:41,625 –> 00:28:45,014
Jesus, we’re gonna give you the gospel,
we’re gonna connect your kids with a

416
00:28:45,014 –> 00:28:50,504
nutrition center, or a school, or, you
know, for like further assistance, right?

417
00:28:50,774 –> 00:28:54,915
So we’re building out this like
holistic community, um, you know,

418
00:28:54,915 –> 00:29:02,014
support system in communities that
have no support system and, um, and

419
00:29:02,014 –> 00:29:03,695
we’re seeing God do incredible things.

420
00:29:03,995 –> 00:29:07,715
Uh, we’ve got orphanages, right, that
are taking in kids off the street, that

421
00:29:07,715 –> 00:29:11,855
are taking kids that have been taken
out of their family by some sort of,

422
00:29:11,945 –> 00:29:14,075
you know, social services type system.

423
00:29:14,465 –> 00:29:18,245
Um, you know, we’re supporting kids
that have been trafficked, and that

424
00:29:18,245 –> 00:29:24,245
have been abused, and that have
been not fed, and that have, um,

425
00:29:24,635 –> 00:29:26,195
you know, that have no other option.

426
00:29:26,805 –> 00:29:30,735
And so, you know, that, those are
the things that we’re seeing and

427
00:29:30,735 –> 00:29:34,845
all of those things work together
to build up the local church, right?

428
00:29:35,175 –> 00:29:38,475
Um, we are a local church organization.

429
00:29:38,685 –> 00:29:43,035
I mean, really, really focused on
how do we build up the local church?

430
00:29:43,245 –> 00:29:45,675
How do we connect the community
with the local church?

431
00:29:45,885 –> 00:29:51,585
How do we make sure that what is done in
a community gets seen by the community

432
00:29:51,675 –> 00:29:57,710
as, this is what this church is doing
here to support our kids and our families.

433
00:29:58,010 –> 00:30:02,570
And uh, when we do that, when we can
do that, what we see is people come to

434
00:30:02,570 –> 00:30:08,480
Jesus and people look and go, Wow, there
is something different about this Jesus.

435
00:30:08,780 –> 00:30:12,104
And, um, and we got, we gotta know, right?

436
00:30:12,465 –> 00:30:16,814
And, uh, and that’s, man, that’s
the name of the game for us is, uh,

437
00:30:16,844 –> 00:30:20,925
getting people connected to Jesus and
making sure that they have their needs

438
00:30:20,925 –> 00:30:25,334
met in, in all the spiritual ways
and all the physical ways as well.

439
00:30:25,695 –> 00:30:30,104
So what are some of the programs
and ways that people can get

440
00:30:30,104 –> 00:30:31,905
involved with Manna Worldwide?

441
00:30:33,000 –> 00:30:33,270
Yeah.

442
00:30:33,270 –> 00:30:37,620
So, um, one of, uh, my, my big jobs
is traveling around the United States

443
00:30:37,649 –> 00:30:41,190
speaking, getting on podcasts like
this one, speaking in churches,

444
00:30:41,190 –> 00:30:45,030
meeting with businesses, uh, business
leaders that want to get involved,

445
00:30:45,090 –> 00:30:48,600
um, meeting with individuals,
um, either online or in person.

446
00:30:49,395 –> 00:30:50,325
They want to get involved.

447
00:30:50,355 –> 00:30:56,535
And so the ways people can get involved
is really to connect with me to, to find

448
00:30:56,535 –> 00:31:01,815
out about the projects that need support
and, um, and to begin to support projects.

449
00:31:01,815 –> 00:31:06,795
We are a 501C3, so it’s tax deductible
and all legitimate, and all that stuff.

450
00:31:07,125 –> 00:31:12,879
Um, but really to partner with a
project long, long term is really,

451
00:31:12,900 –> 00:31:18,240
really, really what, what we’re after,
what we want to, uh, to do to, to

452
00:31:18,240 –> 00:31:21,240
allow people more impact in the world.

453
00:31:21,600 –> 00:31:28,050
Um, and then, next steps to that,
uh, would be hop on a trip with us.

454
00:31:28,350 –> 00:31:33,120
Man, we’ve got, we’ve got a Nepal
mission trip the beginning of June, 2026.

455
00:31:33,480 –> 00:31:37,560
Uh, we’ve got another Nepal
trip, the end of August, 2026,

456
00:31:37,920 –> 00:31:39,360
um, beginning of September.

457
00:31:39,450 –> 00:31:42,540
Um, and then we’ve got, what else?

458
00:31:42,780 –> 00:31:46,530
We’ve got, uh, Thailand and
Cambodia, um, sometime in the

459
00:31:46,530 –> 00:31:49,830
fall, likely October or November.

460
00:31:50,160 –> 00:31:56,485
Um, and then, uh, Nepal and
India the end of December, uh, to

461
00:31:56,485 –> 00:31:58,405
the beginning of January, 2027.

462
00:31:58,824 –> 00:32:02,425
Um, and so that’s just the
trips that I have available.

463
00:32:02,695 –> 00:32:07,165
Um, Manna has about a hundred trips
total that we’re leading this year.

464
00:32:07,465 –> 00:32:10,344
Uh, there’s a lot of people out there
just like me that are leading trips

465
00:32:10,344 –> 00:32:14,304
to Central America, South America,
Middle East, Eastern Europe, um,

466
00:32:14,360 –> 00:32:16,880
Africa, and everywhere in between.

467
00:32:17,150 –> 00:32:22,160
And, um, and so the best ways to,
to get connected is to connect

468
00:32:22,160 –> 00:32:23,630
with me, uh, through email.

469
00:32:24,050 –> 00:32:24,800
Uh,

470
00:32:28,090 –> 00:32:35,095
my email is c.alsup, c.A,L,S,U,P@manna,
that’s M-A-N-N-A, worldwide.com.

471
00:32:35,425 –> 00:32:39,145
Uh, shoot me an email, tell me you heard
me on the podcast, tell me you, uh,

472
00:32:39,415 –> 00:32:41,695
would like to know more information.

473
00:32:42,085 –> 00:32:46,284
Um, I can send you a list of projects
that need support currently, either

474
00:32:46,495 –> 00:32:50,940
projects that we’re wanting to start,
needing to start, or projects that are

475
00:32:50,940 –> 00:32:54,870
currently going that are underfunded
for one reason or another, uh, that you

476
00:32:54,870 –> 00:32:57,270
can jump on to, uh, to support and help.

477
00:32:57,660 –> 00:33:01,080
And, uh, I can also send you a
list of trips and things like that.

478
00:33:01,080 –> 00:33:05,639
Get you connected in, uh, to be able to go
and see the need, see what Manna’s doing.

479
00:33:05,639 –> 00:33:10,980
Listen, I get it, like there’s a lot
of people asking for money, right?

480
00:33:12,030 –> 00:33:14,550
And, uh, there’s a lot of places
that you could put your money.

481
00:33:15,090 –> 00:33:17,160
And you, you earn your money, I get it.

482
00:33:17,700 –> 00:33:21,630
Um, but, uh, I, man, I’m an open book.

483
00:33:21,930 –> 00:33:25,380
Ask me any question you want to
ask me, uh, go on a trip with

484
00:33:25,380 –> 00:33:27,210
me and see what we do first.

485
00:33:27,510 –> 00:33:32,345
Um, lay eye, you know, lay eyes
on the kids that are there, uh,

486
00:33:32,345 –> 00:33:33,725
that, that need the support.

487
00:33:34,085 –> 00:33:39,665
Um, meet the leadership and the pastors
and these missionaries that we work with

488
00:33:40,025 –> 00:33:44,075
and, uh, and I promise, uh, you’ll,
you’ll want to get involved,

489
00:33:44,075 –> 00:33:45,605
especially if you go and meet them.

490
00:33:45,605 –> 00:33:51,155
And, uh, these guys, these guys are
doing a great job and, uh, man, it’s,

491
00:33:51,155 –> 00:33:52,655
it’s a good work to get involved in.

492
00:33:52,805 –> 00:33:57,845
So yeah, there are, there are tons of
orphanages, nutrition centers, schools,

493
00:33:57,845 –> 00:34:02,045
medical clinics, stuff like that around
the world that we either have that need

494
00:34:02,045 –> 00:34:05,825
a little extra support, that we want
to launch and we’re just waiting on the

495
00:34:05,825 –> 00:34:07,805
right people to come along to say yes.

496
00:34:08,304 –> 00:34:12,205
Um, if it’s a church, uh, here
in the US, I’d love to meet you.

497
00:34:12,205 –> 00:34:16,345
I’d love to travel and come and speak,
and share, and, you know, set up

498
00:34:16,345 –> 00:34:20,155
at a missions conference, or maybe
just a regular weekend or an event.

499
00:34:20,574 –> 00:34:23,514
Um, if it’s a business, man, I
can come, I can come sit down

500
00:34:23,514 –> 00:34:24,955
with your team and talk about it.

501
00:34:25,315 –> 00:34:28,885
Uh, if it’s an individual, let me
know, we can try to schedule a call,

502
00:34:28,885 –> 00:34:30,475
video chat, something like that.

503
00:34:30,775 –> 00:34:35,574
Or if I’m in your area, we could stop
by and, and have a chat in person.

504
00:34:37,275 –> 00:34:38,685
Yeah, that’s always good.

505
00:34:38,985 –> 00:34:41,925
Uh, I like what you’re doing out there.

506
00:34:41,925 –> 00:34:47,040
There’s a lot of help in the world
that is needed, that’s for sure.

507
00:34:47,490 –> 00:34:54,000
So is there anything else that you
would like to discuss or highlight

508
00:34:54,000 –> 00:34:56,850
today before we let you outta here?

509
00:34:58,080 –> 00:34:58,830
Let me think.

510
00:34:59,010 –> 00:35:01,800
Uh, yeah, I, I mentioned my
email address a minute ago,

511
00:35:01,800 –> 00:35:01,940
just c.alsup@mannaworldwide.com.

512
00:35:05,980 –> 00:35:09,190
Um, obviously you can go on
the Manna website, find a

513
00:35:09,190 –> 00:35:10,750
bunch of information as well.

514
00:35:11,049 –> 00:35:15,400
Um, it’s just manna,
M-A-N-N-A worldwide.com.

515
00:35:15,850 –> 00:35:18,790
And if you go on there, you’ll be able to
see some of the countries that we work in.

516
00:35:18,790 –> 00:35:21,310
You’ll be able to see some
statistics and you’ll be able to

517
00:35:21,310 –> 00:35:24,045
see a list of all the trips and
stuff like that that are going on.

518
00:35:25,245 –> 00:35:29,925
Uh, you can get, go on our team page
and you can email myself or, or any

519
00:35:29,925 –> 00:35:33,705
of our other leaders from different
areas of the world and, uh, and be

520
00:35:33,705 –> 00:35:38,115
able to find out more information,
see some videos and stuff like that.

521
00:35:38,625 –> 00:35:40,665
Um, man, let me think, man.

522
00:35:41,025 –> 00:35:47,279
Uh, I, honestly, uh, you know, I just
wanna challenge people to take the next

523
00:35:47,279 –> 00:35:53,069
step and, um, you know, whether that’s
towards supporting Manna, uh, supporting

524
00:35:53,069 –> 00:35:57,450
our work, or whether it’s supporting
your local church more, whether it’s

525
00:35:57,450 –> 00:36:01,410
getting involved in your local community
or somewhere else around the world, um,

526
00:36:01,410 –> 00:36:08,970
whatever it is, um, your listeners, uh,
should understand and should know, um,

527
00:36:09,060 –> 00:36:14,805
that uh, Jesus places good works in front
of us that we’re meant to walk into.

528
00:36:15,555 –> 00:36:19,425
And, uh, and the more we walk into
them, the better life gets, I promise.

529
00:36:19,905 –> 00:36:22,815
Um, and the more we walk into
them, the more people we get to

530
00:36:22,815 –> 00:36:26,115
help and the more people we get
to see come to faith in Jesus.

531
00:36:26,115 –> 00:36:29,355
And the more people we get to see
with food in their belly, and shoes

532
00:36:29,355 –> 00:36:33,555
on their feet, and clothes on their
back, and education in their minds

533
00:36:33,795 –> 00:36:35,440
to make this world a better place.

534
00:36:36,180 –> 00:36:41,819
And so, yeah, man, I just wanna challenge
people to, to do the next thing to

535
00:36:41,910 –> 00:36:45,270
be, be, do something Christian, right?

536
00:36:45,660 –> 00:36:50,640
Um, you know, then not to just be
hearers of the word, listeners of the

537
00:36:50,640 –> 00:36:53,130
word, but to be doers of the word.

538
00:36:54,060 –> 00:36:54,900
Yeah, Amen.

539
00:36:54,900 –> 00:36:55,890
I like that a lot.

540
00:36:56,250 –> 00:37:01,920
You know, the good book of
Jeremiah outlines it well, that He

541
00:37:02,250 –> 00:37:05,850
wants good things to come to us.

542
00:37:05,970 –> 00:37:11,430
And if, if you’re accepting
of that, it, it happens.

543
00:37:12,450 –> 00:37:15,629
Craig, I wanna say thank
you for sharing today.

544
00:37:15,720 –> 00:37:21,390
Uh, it’s a good ministry that you’re doing
out there, the world needs more of it.

545
00:37:21,779 –> 00:37:25,230
So I hope in some little
way this helps out.

546
00:37:27,600 –> 00:37:27,900
Yeah.

547
00:37:27,900 –> 00:37:28,860
I appreciate it, man.

548
00:37:29,160 –> 00:37:30,900
Hey, I’m, I’m super thankful.

549
00:37:30,900 –> 00:37:34,290
I’m getting on a bunch of podcasts
this year, really trying to kinda

550
00:37:34,290 –> 00:37:37,950
get the word out more about what
we do, and who we are, and, and how

551
00:37:37,950 –> 00:37:39,870
people can, uh, can get involved.

552
00:37:39,870 –> 00:37:45,060
And so, um, I appreciate you letting
me come on and, uh, letting me share a

553
00:37:45,060 –> 00:37:48,750
little bit about Manna and my heart and,
uh, what God’s doing around the world.

554
00:37:49,110 –> 00:37:53,670
Um, it, uh, it never ceases to amaze me.

555
00:37:54,540 –> 00:37:59,640
And, uh, and delight me that I
get to, uh, do the work I do.

556
00:38:00,180 –> 00:38:05,850
And, uh, and that I get to share these
stories of these people that, that I

557
00:38:05,850 –> 00:38:11,070
love so much and, um, and that, and that
more importantly that God loves so much.

558
00:38:11,550 –> 00:38:14,610
And so, man, thank you for
allowing me the, the platform,

559
00:38:15,120 –> 00:38:17,700
um, to, to say that they matter.

560
00:38:18,240 –> 00:38:22,050
And, uh, to make, to, to make
Him known more, hopefully,

561
00:38:22,050 –> 00:38:24,120
and to make them known more.

562
00:38:24,450 –> 00:38:27,630
And, uh, to be able to represent
them means the world to me.

563
00:38:29,460 –> 00:38:31,050
Yeah, I like that a lot.

564
00:38:31,440 –> 00:38:32,790
Uh, we all matter.

565
00:38:32,940 –> 00:38:40,680
And, uh, it, it’s, thank you for being
here today and I wanna say thank you

566
00:38:40,710 –> 00:38:47,820
to Podcasthon for having this event to
help boost charities around the world.

567
00:38:47,850 –> 00:38:51,780
And this is a great charity to look at.

568
00:38:51,870 –> 00:38:57,675
And if, if your tax deduction
needs to go someplace, why

569
00:38:57,675 –> 00:39:00,345
not here to Manna Worldwide?

570
00:39:00,525 –> 00:39:03,915
They help children build a
brighter future for tomorrow.

571
00:39:04,545 –> 00:39:05,230
Thank you, Craig.

572
00:39:06,450 –> 00:39:07,590
Hey, man, I appreciate it.

573
00:39:07,590 –> 00:39:08,270
Thank you so much.

574
00:39:18,095 –> 00:39:22,845
Spreadsheets glow in neon light,
pixels painting purpose bright.

575
00:39:22,845 –> 00:39:28,125
While orphans sleep in moonlit night
beneath the bamboo’s sway, He walks

576
00:39:28,305 –> 00:39:33,855
the line where numbers meet the sacred
call to serve and feed with calculator

577
00:39:33,855 –> 00:39:36,734
in one hand, the Bible in his way.

578
00:39:37,914 –> 00:39:42,285
Where balance sheets meet prayer
sheets in leather bound communion.

579
00:39:42,285 –> 00:39:48,285
Faith and finance intertwine like
rivers merging deep, boardroom doors and

580
00:39:48,285 –> 00:39:51,345
chapel floors both echo with His wisdom,

581
00:39:51,975 –> 00:39:56,205
every pivot table whispers
of the souls He came to keep.

582
00:39:56,924 –> 00:40:03,674
Not either/or but something more- a loom
where heaven’s weaving a tapestry of grace

583
00:40:03,674 –> 00:40:09,024
and trade in golden thread and steel,
where every deal and mercy meal become

584
00:40:09,024 –> 00:40:15,725
redemption’s breathing and quarterly
reports show lives transformed and healed.

585
00:40:15,765 –> 00:40:23,085
Building with both hands, steel and
spirit rise, skyscrapers of compassion

586
00:40:23,265 –> 00:40:24,495
touching eastern skies.

587
00:40:25,214 –> 00:40:32,044
Not just a venture, it’s a sacred,
lasting space, where profit funds the

588
00:40:32,044 –> 00:40:34,934
orphanage and salaries show grace.

589
00:40:34,954 –> 00:40:41,424
Building with both hands, leaving
more than gold, rice fields turned

590
00:40:41,424 –> 00:40:44,474
to churches, stories bought and sold.

591
00:40:47,194 –> 00:40:47,704
The markets

592
00:40:47,984 –> 00:40:53,535
roar like ocean waves against the Manila
piers, while quiet prayers in mountain

593
00:40:53,805 –> 00:40:58,375
towns lift souls from hungry graves,
a lone star light through Shanghai

594
00:40:58,375 –> 00:41:01,515
nights, through Bangkok’s neon tears.

595
00:41:01,515 –> 00:41:05,665
Where spreadsheets become
altars and business cards save.

596
00:41:05,665 –> 00:41:06,055
Ledgers

597
00:41:12,174 –> 00:41:15,105
filled with lives
redeemed in columns wide,

598
00:41:20,485 –> 00:41:25,884
in nutrition centers built
where hopelessness had cried.

599
00:41:27,615 –> 00:41:34,120
From Dallas desks to Asian streets,
The calling never wavers mentoring

600
00:41:34,120 –> 00:41:39,759
young leaders with Solomon’s own
hands, teaching dads to father

601
00:41:39,940 –> 00:41:42,310
while the markets test their favors.

602
00:41:42,880 –> 00:41:46,740
Planting seeds of Kingdom
where the desert meets demand.

603
00:41:48,120 –> 00:41:51,130
Building with both hands, steel
and spirit rise, Kingdom come

604
00:41:54,720 –> 00:41:56,050
in business, burning

605
00:41:56,050 –> 00:41:57,470
in their eyes.

606
00:41:57,470 –> 00:42:00,170
Not just a venture, it’s a harvest
in it’s prime, where revenue

607
00:42:04,029 –> 00:42:07,359
means rescued kids and dividends are time.

608
00:42:07,359 –> 00:42:13,930
Building with both hands, leaving
more than gold, a legacy of

609
00:42:13,930 –> 00:42:17,960
faithfulness in every share controlled.

610
00:42:19,480 –> 00:42:20,810
Column A,

611
00:42:21,160 –> 00:42:27,355
a child fed with rice and living bread,
Column B, a spirit led from darkness

612
00:42:27,355 –> 00:42:33,634
into dawn, the bottom line in light
divine where earthly work and heaven wed.

613
00:42:33,634 –> 00:42:36,144
Where every business meeting

614
00:42:37,920 –> 00:42:39,480
becomes a Pentecost.