WEBVTT 1 00:00:23.400 --> 00:00:27.500 Hello and welcome to Word and Work an Intersection. 2 00:00:27.500 --> 00:00:34.500 I'm Dale Meyer. Our guest today is Gary Thies the founder of Mission 3 00:00:34.500 --> 00:00:35.700 Central. 4 00:00:35.700 --> 00:00:40.700 We're going to find out all about Gary and Mission Central on today's 5 00:00:40.700 --> 00:00:41.300 program. 6 00:00:41.300 --> 00:00:45.200 I'm glad to welcome you Gary to Word and work. 7 00:00:45.200 --> 00:00:53.400 But I mean, I'm looking at your OshKosh B'gosh overalls and I 8 00:00:53.400 --> 00:00:54.100 have a tie on. 9 00:00:54.100 --> 00:00:56.200 Are you on the farm? 10 00:00:57.000 --> 00:00:59.200 Yes, sir back Dale 11 00:00:59.200 --> 00:01:01.100 our office is in the middle of nowhere. 12 00:01:01.100 --> 00:01:05.700 It's in the hills of Western, Iowa in an old set of farm buildings 13 00:01:05.700 --> 00:01:09.800 that God has given to us and it's a real miracle place. 14 00:01:09.800 --> 00:01:14.800 I want to share with all of your visitors today that the only kind of 15 00:01:14.800 --> 00:01:19.000 people that come to this place are people who are not normal. 16 00:01:20.000 --> 00:01:20.600 Whoa. 17 00:01:20.600 --> 00:01:28.500 Whoa. We don't have normal people that come here. The people that come here are very much like 18 00:01:28.500 --> 00:01:32.400 1st Peter chapter 2 verse 9 in the King James version. 19 00:01:32.400 --> 00:01:37.800 It says we're to be a peculiar people and the only kind of people that 20 00:01:37.800 --> 00:01:42.600 come here by bus loads are people who are not normal there in the 21 00:01:42.600 --> 00:01:45.500 world, but not of the world. See normal people 22 00:01:45.500 --> 00:01:53.200 Dale, you know what normal people say? I'm going to find out. Yeah the congregation ought to do something or the 23 00:01:53.200 --> 00:01:55.000 pastor ought to do something. 24 00:01:55.800 --> 00:01:57.100 But the people that come here 25 00:01:57.100 --> 00:01:58.000 Don't say that. 26 00:01:58.000 --> 00:02:01.100 They say I got to do something. 27 00:02:01.100 --> 00:02:03.700 They take Jesus personally. 28 00:02:04.600 --> 00:02:08.400 One of the big problems we have in the church today excuse me, Dale, 29 00:02:08.400 --> 00:02:12.900 but I I just got to get this out. The biggest problem we got in the 30 00:02:12.900 --> 00:02:17.400 church today as we don't take Jesus personally. When I ask people as I 31 00:02:17.400 --> 00:02:20.300 travel, you know, I've had the privilege of speaking and more than 32 00:02:20.300 --> 00:02:23.800 1.700 Churches in the United States and Canada. 33 00:02:23.800 --> 00:02:30.200 And as I travel I find that people don't take Jesus personally when I 34 00:02:30.200 --> 00:02:33.900 asked him who did Jesus die for they all answer he died for us. 35 00:02:33.900 --> 00:02:39.500 He died for the whole world. But you know who Jesus died for he died 36 00:02:39.500 --> 00:02:39.900 for me. 37 00:02:41.100 --> 00:02:46.000 And a little four-year-old girl when I asked her who did Jesus die for 38 00:02:46.000 --> 00:02:48.200 she said he died for me. 39 00:02:48.200 --> 00:02:49.600 He knows my name. 40 00:02:49.600 --> 00:02:51.100 Okay. 41 00:02:51.100 --> 00:02:57.900 Wow, let's start unpacking that because some of our viewers and 42 00:02:57.900 --> 00:03:03.200 listeners may not know Mission Central or who you are. 43 00:03:03.200 --> 00:03:09.100 So going back to plow this field again. 44 00:03:10.300 --> 00:03:12.100 What's with the overalls? 45 00:03:12.100 --> 00:03:15.500 I mean what Seminary did you go to? 46 00:03:15.500 --> 00:03:20.800 Well, I have no theological or exegetical training. 47 00:03:21.700 --> 00:03:23.500 I just have a high school education. 48 00:03:23.500 --> 00:03:29.300 But if my dear Lord Jesus used fishermen and tax collectors and 49 00:03:29.300 --> 00:03:30.000 shepherds. 50 00:03:30.000 --> 00:03:34.300 He can use people with overalls on like me now. 51 00:03:34.300 --> 00:03:38.500 You know if you looked at my curriculum vitae, you would say why in the world 52 00:03:38.500 --> 00:03:42.000 would. we have a guy like them on here? Wait a minute don't use Latin here 53 00:03:42.000 --> 00:03:43.300 I'm just a son of a Milkman. 54 00:03:43.300 --> 00:03:45.700 Well, I want to tell you something. 55 00:03:46.700 --> 00:03:48.800 You could look at that curriculum vitae 56 00:03:48.800 --> 00:03:51.300 and what you have and Dale 57 00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:55.300 I don't have one day of college. 58 00:03:55.300 --> 00:03:56.700 I never been to college. 59 00:03:56.700 --> 00:04:01.100 All I have is a high school education and to have somebody like you 60 00:04:01.100 --> 00:04:06.100 with all the book learn and you got to get in touch with me itd tells 61 00:04:06.100 --> 00:04:06.800 me one thing. 62 00:04:08.100 --> 00:04:12.000 You're not normal and here you come out in the middle of nowhere. 63 00:04:12.000 --> 00:04:13.800 And for 7 years in a row 64 00:04:13.800 --> 00:04:15.200 you brought students 65 00:04:15.200 --> 00:04:19.390 out here and what an encouragement that's been to me here in the 66 00:04:19.390 --> 00:04:19.890 middle of nowhere. 67 00:04:19.890 --> 00:04:25.100 Did you grow up in Western Iowa, I grew up eight miles south of 68 00:04:25.100 --> 00:04:29.100 this old set of farm buildings in the Hills here in Western, Iowa. 69 00:04:30.100 --> 00:04:35.600 I went to high school graduated from high school class of 13. 70 00:04:37.000 --> 00:04:43.200 And my dad said you got to use the gifts that God has given to you. 71 00:04:43.200 --> 00:04:44.600 I said, well, what should I do 72 00:04:44.600 --> 00:04:45.000 Dad 73 00:04:45.000 --> 00:04:46.000 I want to farm? 74 00:04:46.000 --> 00:04:50.100 He said you got gifts you're good with people and you can speak, 75 00:04:50.100 --> 00:04:52.300 okay. Yeah we found that out. 76 00:04:52.300 --> 00:04:57.200 We found that out Gary. And he said that you got to use your gifts. Well 77 00:04:57.200 --> 00:04:57.600 Dad 78 00:04:57.600 --> 00:04:59.000 I said, what should I do? 79 00:04:59.000 --> 00:05:03.300 Well, he said I've been thinking about this, you know, you said we've 80 00:05:03.300 --> 00:05:06.900 been poor all of our life here in the Hills scratching around trying 81 00:05:06.900 --> 00:05:08.100 to make a living on the farm. 82 00:05:08.100 --> 00:05:10.600 He said they got all that money at the bank 83 00:05:10.600 --> 00:05:12.500 There in Mapleton, Iowa. 84 00:05:12.500 --> 00:05:14.200 You said you should work there. 85 00:05:15.500 --> 00:05:20.000 I started when I was 18 years old filing checks in the bookkeeping 86 00:05:20.000 --> 00:05:21.900 department for a dollar an hour. 87 00:05:23.100 --> 00:05:29.200 God blessed me in a wonderful way and I stayed at that bank 33 years 88 00:05:29.200 --> 00:05:33.800 and I did everything in that bank and God blessed me and I became 89 00:05:33.800 --> 00:05:35.000 president of that bank. 90 00:05:36.100 --> 00:05:38.400 And I sold real estate at night. 91 00:05:38.400 --> 00:05:41.900 I sold more farms after 12 midnight than any man alive. 92 00:05:41.900 --> 00:05:46.000 They got the tired of hearing me talk, but they had to bid to get rid 93 00:05:46.000 --> 00:05:46.300 of it. 94 00:05:47.300 --> 00:05:48.600 That's how God 95 00:05:48.600 --> 00:05:49.300 blessed me. 96 00:05:49.300 --> 00:05:53.700 So you grew up on the farm your your your dad pushed you into a 97 00:05:53.700 --> 00:05:59.100 profession where your gift of gab could be used. you did well in the 98 00:05:59.100 --> 00:06:04.500 banking industry, so how did Mission Central come to be because you're 99 00:06:04.500 --> 00:06:12.900 not banking anymore? No, the last 27 years God has allowed me the privilege of being apart of his kingdom work in a very special way. 100 00:06:12.900 --> 00:06:14.100 Now. 101 00:06:14.100 --> 00:06:15.300 I want to tell you to Dale. 102 00:06:16.300 --> 00:06:20.400 God's been in charge of every single thing that's happened in my life. 103 00:06:21.300 --> 00:06:23.900 You know during those years in the bank. 104 00:06:23.900 --> 00:06:26.400 I had a friend down at 105 00:06:27.800 --> 00:06:31.300 Manning, Iowa and he was a dear friend. 106 00:06:31.300 --> 00:06:37.500 He served at Manilla, Iowa and he put my name in as a member as a 107 00:06:37.500 --> 00:06:41.700 nominee for Board for Mission Services and that's when they're whole 108 00:06:41.700 --> 00:06:42.700 miracle started. 109 00:06:42.700 --> 00:06:48.800 I served 11 years on the Synodical Mission Board. Hold it, hold it. The Synodical Mission 110 00:06:48.800 --> 00:06:52.700 Board meaning the mission Board of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod? 111 00:06:52.700 --> 00:07:01.900 Exactly. Just filling in the details here. And I served there as chairman of the Mission Board down in St. 112 00:07:01.900 --> 00:07:05.600 Louis. And I flew down to quarterly meetings and it was a great 113 00:07:05.600 --> 00:07:10.300 experience, but it was God's way of getting me ready for the last part 114 00:07:10.300 --> 00:07:10.900 of my life. 115 00:07:11.800 --> 00:07:17.900 And so as I look back on it, I can see what God had in mind and then I 116 00:07:17.900 --> 00:07:19.700 kept saying to the people in St. 117 00:07:19.700 --> 00:07:20.000 Louis. 118 00:07:20.000 --> 00:07:26.100 We need somebody out in the outlying area to talk to farmers in that 119 00:07:26.100 --> 00:07:31.500 know something about corn and cattle and soybeans and a prolapse in a 120 00:07:31.500 --> 00:07:37.400 cow and something that relates the farming. So you can relate to farm 121 00:07:37.400 --> 00:07:48.200 people. And then in 1994 God provided an opportunity Glenn O'Shoney was chairman of the Synodical 122 00:07:48.200 --> 00:07:51.200 Mission Board, and he called me he said you got your mouth open all 123 00:07:51.200 --> 00:07:55.400 the time saying we need somebody out in the area that knows farmers 124 00:07:55.400 --> 00:07:58.600 and knows knows the people of the Midwest. 125 00:07:58.600 --> 00:08:00.300 He said why don't you try that? 126 00:08:00.800 --> 00:08:04.500 Well, then God called me and that unusual way. 127 00:08:04.500 --> 00:08:05.900 So I thought well Maxine 128 00:08:05.900 --> 00:08:10.000 maybe I could do this for five or six years. Maxine is your wife. 129 00:08:10.000 --> 00:08:14.000 Exactly and 27 years later 130 00:08:14.000 --> 00:08:21.700 God has helped us to develop this miracle in the middle of nowhere. We worked in our basement for 131 00:08:21.700 --> 00:08:27.400 9 years and I traveled around and my calling was very simple. 132 00:08:27.400 --> 00:08:29.700 It was not to raise funding. 133 00:08:29.700 --> 00:08:34.500 It was to raise the awareness of missions and when people know what's 134 00:08:34.500 --> 00:08:39.600 going on in the mission of the church God calls them. Now you you are the 135 00:08:39.600 --> 00:08:43.100 main mission fundraiser 136 00:08:44.000 --> 00:08:47.700 for the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, and I know you don't like to 137 00:08:47.700 --> 00:08:52.200 be called a fundraiser, but but but but what Mission Central does is 138 00:08:52.200 --> 00:08:56.500 raise most of the money for LCMS Missions, is that correct? Well God has done this. 139 00:08:56.500 --> 00:08:57.400 Is that correct? 140 00:08:57.400 --> 00:08:59.600 Well God has done this. 141 00:08:59.600 --> 00:09:00.500 I report regularly. 142 00:09:00.500 --> 00:09:05.400 I've done nothing but I know my boss's pictures by the way his 143 00:09:05.400 --> 00:09:06.400 pictures right back here. 144 00:09:06.400 --> 00:09:09.300 I don't know if you've noticed my boss back here. And he's not saying 145 00:09:09.300 --> 00:09:11.100 anything because you're not giving it a chance. 146 00:09:11.100 --> 00:09:13.800 He's a charge of all that happens Dale and I've been 147 00:09:16.700 --> 00:09:17.900 really really blessed. 148 00:09:17.900 --> 00:09:21.600 We are supporting the majority of all the missionaries in the Lutheran 149 00:09:21.600 --> 00:09:22.600 Church-Missouri Synod. 150 00:09:22.600 --> 00:09:23.200 Okay, 151 00:09:23.200 --> 00:09:28.900 that was my question. Now, but but it but as that happens you are rasing 152 00:09:28.900 --> 00:09:35.100 the zeal and and the passion of people for the mission of the boss, the 153 00:09:35.100 --> 00:09:42.800 Lord Jesus. I've been to Mission Central many times and you have groups that come to Mission Central 154 00:09:42.800 --> 00:09:47.600 when they come what do they experience? 155 00:09:47.600 --> 00:09:55.100 Well, its when people come here their number one comment is you got to see 156 00:09:55.100 --> 00:09:56.500 it to believe it. 157 00:09:57.200 --> 00:10:02.200 And so when they come here, we have been given by the Lord of creation 158 00:10:02.200 --> 00:10:08.000 theater where we have 30 taxidermied animals and their in a jungle 159 00:10:08.000 --> 00:10:14.700 like setting and we tell the story of the sixth day of creation. The 160 00:10:14.700 --> 00:10:18.600 sixth day when God made these and all the animals are very unique 161 00:10:18.600 --> 00:10:24.000 people are shocked when they come here. Take a take us up from the 162 00:10:24.000 --> 00:10:32.900 creation amphitheater into the barn what's in the barn? The barn museum is filled 163 00:10:32.900 --> 00:10:33.800 with artifacts. 164 00:10:33.800 --> 00:10:38.700 God has allowed me to travel to 75 country to film the work of our 165 00:10:38.700 --> 00:10:43.500 missionaries and what a joy we've been able to collect artifacts that 166 00:10:43.500 --> 00:10:44.800 nobody's ever seen. 167 00:10:45.600 --> 00:10:50.500 We've got stuff that people are shocked to see. We have the largest 168 00:10:50.500 --> 00:10:58.200 collection of items for the dead of any Museum in the United States. In 169 00:10:58.200 --> 00:11:00.900 the area of Asia and China 170 00:11:00.900 --> 00:11:05.600 they believe in ancestor worship and they burn things to send to their 171 00:11:05.600 --> 00:11:06.800 deceased relative. 172 00:11:06.800 --> 00:11:12.200 We've got the greatest collection. We've got idols from the jungle. 173 00:11:12.200 --> 00:11:17.800 We've got black magic faces and items. People are shocked when they 174 00:11:17.800 --> 00:11:26.700 come to our Barn Museum. And tell us that this is literally a barn. 175 00:11:26.700 --> 00:11:27.500 Yes. 176 00:11:27.500 --> 00:11:32.400 Would you talk about the transformation of of these old dilapidated 177 00:11:32.400 --> 00:11:37.300 farm buildings, including the barn which now houses all these 178 00:11:37.300 --> 00:11:38.000 artifacts? 179 00:11:38.500 --> 00:11:44.400 Well, it's a huge barn and I wanted to keep it that way because if 180 00:11:44.400 --> 00:11:49.900 Jesus was born in a stable, we should be able to worship in a barn. And 181 00:11:49.900 --> 00:11:50.900 I want to share with you 182 00:11:50.900 --> 00:11:57.000 we hauled 23 loads of manure out of the barn and we had 22 hours to 183 00:11:57.000 --> 00:12:01.200 power washing to get it ready for the Lord Jesus and everything 184 00:12:01.200 --> 00:12:02.100 happened 185 00:12:02.100 --> 00:12:07.700 just the way it was supposed to. So you cleaned out the barn and now if 186 00:12:07.700 --> 00:12:14.600 I walk in will I see all the artifacts? Yes. And what is in 187 00:12:14.600 --> 00:12:16.400 the center of the barn? 188 00:12:16.400 --> 00:12:19.000 Well, we have a very beautiful 189 00:12:20.500 --> 00:12:27.200 a very beautiful altar in that came from a church that built a new 190 00:12:27.200 --> 00:12:31.100 church and they didn't know what to do with their contents of their 191 00:12:31.100 --> 00:12:31.700 old church 192 00:12:31.700 --> 00:12:36.900 so we took it and it's a beautiful beautiful example of an old church 193 00:12:36.900 --> 00:12:38.100 altar. 194 00:12:39.000 --> 00:12:44.400 With a picture of Jesus ascending into heaven and that's when he said 195 00:12:44.400 --> 00:12:47.100 go into all the world and preach the good news. 196 00:12:47.100 --> 00:12:50.300 It's all focused on the mission of the church. 197 00:12:50.300 --> 00:12:52.700 Is there any place in the barn now 198 00:12:52.700 --> 00:12:54.200 I'm done trying to imagine this. 199 00:12:54.200 --> 00:12:54.900 Yeah. 200 00:12:54.900 --> 00:12:57.300 I've been there but maybe our audience hasn't been there. 201 00:12:57.300 --> 00:13:01.600 So you walk into this big old barn and there are artifacts. 202 00:13:01.600 --> 00:13:05.000 There is an altar of Jesus ascending. 203 00:13:05.000 --> 00:13:08.000 Is there any place to sit? 204 00:13:08.900 --> 00:13:14.100 We have seating for about 250 people in our barn that includes the the 205 00:13:14.100 --> 00:13:19.500 pews that are up in the hay mount that look down on this. So we kept the 206 00:13:19.500 --> 00:13:24.500 hay mount too and in the center section and in the whole Barn we have 207 00:13:24.500 --> 00:13:27.900 pews that God sent us just at the right time. 208 00:13:27.900 --> 00:13:32.900 So when a group comes and and you get groups from all over kingdom 209 00:13:32.900 --> 00:13:35.600 come and don't don't jump on that one yet. 210 00:13:35.600 --> 00:13:39.000 Let me let me finish the question. When a group comes 211 00:13:40.900 --> 00:13:47.200 you sit them down in the pews and start talking. 212 00:13:47.200 --> 00:13:48.300 Is that correct? 213 00:13:48.300 --> 00:13:49.700 Yes, that's true. 214 00:13:49.700 --> 00:13:54.700 And what do you talk about? Well we talk about the mission of the 215 00:13:54.700 --> 00:13:58.500 church and the mission of the church as one little seven-year-old 216 00:13:58.500 --> 00:14:00.400 girls said to me. I said honey 217 00:14:00.400 --> 00:14:01.500 what's the mission of the church? 218 00:14:01.500 --> 00:14:04.300 She said it's telling people about Jesus. 219 00:14:06.100 --> 00:14:11.300 And that's so simple even a child knows that. Don't we all know that? 220 00:14:11.300 --> 00:14:12.100 No. 221 00:14:12.100 --> 00:14:12.200 No. 222 00:14:12.200 --> 00:14:14.000 No, we don't all do that. 223 00:14:14.000 --> 00:14:19.300 Really? Oh yeah you would be surprised. I teed it up for you Gary get into it. 224 00:14:19.300 --> 00:14:24.100 Well, we have to tell people about Jesus and that's the only thing 225 00:14:24.100 --> 00:14:25.900 really important in this life. 226 00:14:25.900 --> 00:14:27.900 That's how come you take a breath Dale. 227 00:14:27.900 --> 00:14:29.700 That's how come I take a breath. 228 00:14:30.700 --> 00:14:35.700 It's telling people about Jesus and that's what we do when people come 229 00:14:35.700 --> 00:14:41.700 here and if such a blessing, you know in 2019, we had over 5.000 230 00:14:41.700 --> 00:14:44.900 visitors that came with over 50 bus loads. 231 00:14:44.900 --> 00:14:47.900 This is not a little deal here. 232 00:14:47.900 --> 00:14:54.000 But see one day we had four busloads one from Michigan, one from 233 00:14:54.000 --> 00:15:00.800 Wisconsin, one from Minnesota and one from South Dakota. And all of 234 00:15:00.800 --> 00:15:05.000 these buses come but they're filled with people that are not normal. 235 00:15:05.000 --> 00:15:09.500 See normal people wouldn't come that far or ride a bus to come to this 236 00:15:09.500 --> 00:15:14.000 place in the middle of nowhere, but God calls his people at just the 237 00:15:14.000 --> 00:15:14.400 right time. 238 00:15:15.500 --> 00:15:19.700 And when they come here, they hear the story of our mission here. 239 00:15:19.700 --> 00:15:24.600 I've found that in visiting congregations and giving my report in 240 00:15:24.600 --> 00:15:29.500 congregations about 90% of the people don't have an idea what's going 241 00:15:29.500 --> 00:15:33.700 on in the Lord's Mission field. Maybe or maybe our audience doesn't so 242 00:15:33.700 --> 00:15:35.200 tell me about some of the missionaries. 243 00:15:36.100 --> 00:15:39.500 God didn't quit calling people with Moses and Abraham. 244 00:15:39.500 --> 00:15:44.300 He still calling people and those missionaries that he calls for 245 00:15:44.300 --> 00:15:45.900 example last Saturday. 246 00:15:45.900 --> 00:15:50.300 We had a wonderful missionary that's going to be going with his family 247 00:15:50.300 --> 00:15:51.200 to Germany. 248 00:15:51.200 --> 00:15:54.600 One of the darkest countries in Europe. 249 00:15:54.600 --> 00:15:58.900 God called that family at just the right time and this coming Saturday for 250 00:15:58.900 --> 00:16:03.400 orientation and training of these missionaries when they come here. 251 00:16:04.900 --> 00:16:08.500 They're going to go to the most Muslim country in the world. 252 00:16:08.500 --> 00:16:10.400 They're going to Indonesia. 253 00:16:10.400 --> 00:16:16.800 So missionaries come here for training instruction orientation, but 254 00:16:16.800 --> 00:16:21.500 they also after they've been on the field come here as their Regional 255 00:16:21.500 --> 00:16:22.100 Center. 256 00:16:22.100 --> 00:16:25.600 So that families that have been praying for missionaries and 257 00:16:25.600 --> 00:16:27.400 personally supporting them. 258 00:16:28.400 --> 00:16:32.500 They come here to hear their missionaries and the missionaries in our 259 00:16:32.500 --> 00:16:37.900 new Ministry Center where we have seating for about 250. 260 00:16:37.900 --> 00:16:43.500 OK this our bus arrives 261 00:16:43.500 --> 00:16:48.400 we got out of the bus. Right. And you have in our virtual tour 262 00:16:48.400 --> 00:16:52.200 taken us to the Creation Theater. 263 00:16:52.200 --> 00:16:55.300 You've taken us up into the barn. 264 00:16:55.300 --> 00:16:59.300 And now the Ministry Center is a third building you're talkin about. Exactly. 265 00:16:59.300 --> 00:17:08.500 Now we built this new to accommodate missionaries when they come and we also have a kitchen in there 266 00:17:08.500 --> 00:17:11.300 where are five groups of volunteer farm 267 00:17:11.300 --> 00:17:14.300 ladies do the cooking and preparation of the meal. 268 00:17:14.300 --> 00:17:19.090 Now, we've never charged anything for meals here because we have 269 00:17:19.090 --> 00:17:23.700 volunteers and LWML Ladies that want to donate they want to donate to 270 00:17:23.700 --> 00:17:24.090 the meal. 271 00:17:24.090 --> 00:17:25.200 Well, I don't. 272 00:17:25.200 --> 00:17:28.300 I'm glad I'm glad to hear that you have 273 00:17:28.300 --> 00:17:34.900 volunteers that prepare the meal in the Mission Center, in the Fellowship Center, 274 00:17:34.900 --> 00:17:37.400 because you know 275 00:17:38.800 --> 00:17:44.300 I have made donations Mission Central but I always think I wonder how 276 00:17:44.300 --> 00:17:48.100 much of this goes to support the big staff you have on the payroll. 277 00:17:48.100 --> 00:17:55.100 Well, I tell you I'm so happy to tell you Dale and you know, this and God has blessed 278 00:17:55.100 --> 00:17:55.200 us. 279 00:17:55.200 --> 00:17:59.500 See God calls volunteers. A lot of people forget 280 00:17:59.500 --> 00:18:04.200 the book of James says you have not because you ask not and I asked 281 00:18:04.200 --> 00:18:04.800 volunteers 282 00:18:04.800 --> 00:18:08.300 could you help us? Would you be willing? We have over a hundred 283 00:18:08.300 --> 00:18:09.200 volunteers 284 00:18:09.200 --> 00:18:11.300 staff people that help us. 285 00:18:11.300 --> 00:18:14.300 I have 20 secretaries that type in their home. 286 00:18:14.300 --> 00:18:19.300 They charge nothing. And I dictate letters with an old dictaphone. 287 00:18:19.300 --> 00:18:20.500 You probably don't even know\ 288 00:18:20.500 --> 00:18:22.000 what a Dictaphone is. 289 00:18:23.100 --> 00:18:28.800 I do. But I tell you, it has a little cassette, I send that in the mail to these volunteers 290 00:18:28.800 --> 00:18:33.100 and they're typing away and listening on their transcriber. 291 00:18:33.100 --> 00:18:36.700 And by the way, you buy those real cheap now cuz nobody wants them. 292 00:18:36.700 --> 00:18:40.400 And and there are typing away like this than they're just thinking I 293 00:18:40.400 --> 00:18:45.500 hope this guy shuts up pretty soon. Well now that I can get a word in. 294 00:18:45.500 --> 00:18:51.400 Okay, I used to be an administrator and I used to worry about budgets 295 00:18:51.400 --> 00:18:55.600 and and over a hundred employees here Concordia Seminary, wonderful 296 00:18:55.600 --> 00:18:55.900 people. 297 00:18:55.900 --> 00:18:56.900 Okay. 298 00:18:56.900 --> 00:19:01.800 So how many you talk about all these volunteers, volunteers that cook the 299 00:19:01.800 --> 00:19:06.100 meals when groups come the volunteers that do the typing and and your 300 00:19:06.100 --> 00:19:07.100 Dictaphone stuff. 301 00:19:07.100 --> 00:19:10.900 How many people are on your payroll? 302 00:19:13.200 --> 00:19:15.700 We have three. 303 00:19:16.800 --> 00:19:19.100 Okay. 304 00:19:19.100 --> 00:19:24.100 I mean and I've been setting you up, you know that I've been setting you 305 00:19:24.100 --> 00:19:29.900 up cuz this is one of the amazing thing audience members about Mission 306 00:19:29.900 --> 00:19:30.500 Central. 307 00:19:31.900 --> 00:19:40.300 It's 99% volunteer and and Gary and I know the answer to this one. 308 00:19:40.300 --> 00:19:45.200 Why do all these people volunteer their time 309 00:19:45.200 --> 00:19:50.100 not to mention their resources for the work of Mission Central. Why? 310 00:19:51.600 --> 00:19:53.300 Because they love the Lord Jesus. 311 00:19:53.300 --> 00:19:57.700 These are special not normal people that are called. 312 00:19:57.700 --> 00:20:03.100 I'm a great believer in the word calling God still calling people and 313 00:20:03.100 --> 00:20:04.400 they want the help. 314 00:20:04.400 --> 00:20:09.100 They want to use their skills and see the neat thing about this is God 315 00:20:09.100 --> 00:20:09.700 has blessed 316 00:20:09.700 --> 00:20:13.800 me and my former life. In my former life God's hand 317 00:20:13.800 --> 00:20:17.800 of blessing was upon me and he gave me farm land. 318 00:20:17.800 --> 00:20:22.000 I own quite a number of farms, and I deeded those all to our 319 00:20:22.000 --> 00:20:25.900 foundation at Mission Central to take care of any expenses here. 320 00:20:25.900 --> 00:20:30.400 So when a gift comes then we don't have to take a penny out for 321 00:20:30.400 --> 00:20:36.300 overhead door Administration, and so God has allowed us to operate 322 00:20:36.300 --> 00:20:41.200 this very very not normal place in a most God pleasing way. 323 00:20:41.200 --> 00:20:48.200 I think it is not normal and and we're going to have a second segment 324 00:20:48.200 --> 00:20:50.700 and and hear a lot more from you about this. 325 00:20:50.700 --> 00:20:51.500 I hope the 326 00:20:51.500 --> 00:20:55.200 audience understands that some of my dumb questions have come out of the 327 00:20:55.200 --> 00:20:59.200 fact that I've been to Mission Central many times and I'm sitting Gary 328 00:20:59.200 --> 00:21:01.000 up to do what he does 329 00:21:01.000 --> 00:21:05.400 so well. So we're going to wrap this first segment up in a few minutes, 330 00:21:05.400 --> 00:21:16.600 but went when we have the meal in the the Ministry Center. 331 00:21:16.600 --> 00:21:21.500 We we have a marvelous meal that the volunteers prepare and then then 332 00:21:21.500 --> 00:21:26.700 you take us around and and and tell the stories of the of the people 333 00:21:26.700 --> 00:21:28.200 the photos that are on the wall. 334 00:21:28.200 --> 00:21:33.800 Could I ask you to go to that last photo of Russia 335 00:21:34.800 --> 00:21:41.200 and the young boy who was in prison for a long time, you know the 336 00:21:41.200 --> 00:21:46.800 photo I'm talking to you. Yes, I do. Tells us that story and that'll take up the couple minutes 337 00:21:46.800 --> 00:21:48.600 that we got left in this segment. 338 00:21:48.600 --> 00:21:53.400 And if that if that doesn't lay heavy on all our hearts, I don't know 339 00:21:53.400 --> 00:21:53.800 what does? 340 00:21:53.800 --> 00:22:01.200 So I give it to you Gary. Well I have a picture of a man and a wife that I met when I was in St. 341 00:22:01.200 --> 00:22:06.600 Petersburg Russia. His name was Ivan. And Ivan taught me more 342 00:22:06.600 --> 00:22:10.100 than any college or university about what we're really doing here. 343 00:22:11.000 --> 00:22:14.200 You see when and Joseph Stalin came to power. 344 00:22:15.600 --> 00:22:16.800 He was an evil man. 345 00:22:18.200 --> 00:22:24.300 And I want you to know that Joseph Stalin said the biggest problem we 346 00:22:24.300 --> 00:22:27.100 have in Russia are these narrow-minded Christians. 347 00:22:27.100 --> 00:22:32.300 They think they're the only ones going to be in heaven and he told his 348 00:22:32.300 --> 00:22:36.700 police and military about the pastors like you Dale. 349 00:22:37.500 --> 00:22:42.300 He said the biggest problem we've got these pastors teaching this 350 00:22:42.300 --> 00:22:46.500 Doctrine and he told his military and police. 351 00:22:46.500 --> 00:22:53.400 He said kill them a lot of people don't realize that. Joseph Stalin 352 00:22:53.400 --> 00:22:58.900 murdered millions of his own people. Christians were persecuted like 353 00:22:58.900 --> 00:23:03.900 never before and when I met this man, he said my dad was a Lutheran 354 00:23:03.900 --> 00:23:08.500 pastor and I was a young man at home when the soldiers came looking 355 00:23:08.500 --> 00:23:11.100 for my father and they found him. 356 00:23:12.500 --> 00:23:17.700 And he said I stood there and cried as they shot my dad and he lay 357 00:23:17.700 --> 00:23:22.800 there on the floor in a pool of blood and then they looked at Ivan 358 00:23:22.800 --> 00:23:27.500 this young Christian, man, and they said do you believe in this Jesus 359 00:23:27.500 --> 00:23:28.100 too? 360 00:23:31.700 --> 00:23:36.200 Our scripture says so clearly that the Lord Jesus said If you deny me 361 00:23:36.200 --> 00:23:39.700 before men, I'll deny you before my Father in heaven. 362 00:23:41.400 --> 00:23:46.600 And old Ivan looked at those policemen then he said I believe that 363 00:23:46.600 --> 00:23:49.900 Jesus is the Son of God and the savior of the world. 364 00:23:49.900 --> 00:23:52.900 He's my Jesus and I believe in him. 365 00:23:53.800 --> 00:24:00.200 And they put him in a hell hole prison for 27 years for saying those 366 00:24:00.200 --> 00:24:00.900 words. 367 00:24:02.200 --> 00:24:05.800 But he didn't deny the Lord Jesus. After 27 years 368 00:24:05.800 --> 00:24:07.600 they finally let him out. 369 00:24:07.600 --> 00:24:11.900 Now I want to tell you Dale and all of you that are listening when we 370 00:24:11.900 --> 00:24:16.300 get to our real home, Ivan a chair much higher than 371 00:24:16.300 --> 00:24:16.700 mine. 372 00:24:17.600 --> 00:24:19.300 He didn't deny the Lord Jesus. 373 00:24:20.500 --> 00:24:21.500 It's really important 374 00:24:21.500 --> 00:24:24.700 we understand that we're living in a dark time right now. 375 00:24:25.900 --> 00:24:30.800 And we have to stand up for Jesus because we live in a country now 376 00:24:30.800 --> 00:24:35.000 where you can go to any church you want to this is a free country, but 377 00:24:35.000 --> 00:24:35.700 you keep your mouth 378 00:24:35.700 --> 00:24:39.500 shut don't you be telling people about Jesus cuz you could offend them. 379 00:24:39.500 --> 00:24:42.800 That's why the church isn't growing today. 380 00:24:43.800 --> 00:24:45.600 It's time to stand up for Jesus. 381 00:24:45.600 --> 00:24:47.800 Obviously 382 00:24:47.800 --> 00:24:50.000 I remember you telling me that story about Ivan 383 00:24:50.000 --> 00:24:53.300 and that's why I wanted are our friends in the audience to hear it. 384 00:24:53.300 --> 00:24:57.900 We're going to take a short break now and and when we come back, I've 385 00:24:57.900 --> 00:25:03.800 got more questions to set Gary up. And to convince you and me that 386 00:25:03.800 --> 00:25:07.400 we are not normal. Stay with us. 387 00:25:09.500 --> 00:25:11.900 Concordia Seminary St. 388 00:25:11.900 --> 00:25:16.700 Louis provides continuing education resources for pastors and lay 389 00:25:16.700 --> 00:25:21.800 people to discover all the Concordia Seminary has for you visit us on 390 00:25:21.800 --> 00:25:24.300 the web at CSL. 391 00:25:24.300 --> 00:25:25.100 EDU. 392 00:25:29.100 --> 00:25:32.500 Welcome back to Word and Work an Intersection. 393 00:25:32.500 --> 00:25:34.200 I'm your host Dale Meyer. 394 00:25:34.200 --> 00:25:40.400 And today our guest is Gary Thies who also is known as old missionary 395 00:25:40.400 --> 00:25:46.600 Gary from Mission Central in Western, Iowa. 396 00:25:46.600 --> 00:25:47.900 First of all, Gary 397 00:25:47.900 --> 00:25:51.700 I want you to say hi to my mother who listens to Word and Work 398 00:25:51.700 --> 00:25:52.400 faithfully. 399 00:25:54.000 --> 00:25:59.600 I want to say a special blessing and a special hello to missionary 400 00:25:59.600 --> 00:26:02.800 Norma Meyer. 94 years 401 00:26:02.800 --> 00:26:07.700 she's had the privilege of telling people about Jesus and Norma you 402 00:26:07.700 --> 00:26:11.800 put up with a great deal over the years and I want to extend my 403 00:26:11.800 --> 00:26:12.900 sympathy to you. 404 00:26:12.900 --> 00:26:17.700 You will have to be a great great mom to put up with the son like Dale 405 00:26:17.700 --> 00:26:19.300 Meyer. 406 00:26:19.300 --> 00:26:24.900 My mom. Absolutely right and and and I love my mom but there were 407 00:26:24.900 --> 00:26:29.300 times when I was less than perfect and she would threaten to send us 408 00:26:29.300 --> 00:26:32.900 to a boarding school for boys now, okay. 409 00:26:34.000 --> 00:26:41.800 Taking that levity down to the serious reason why people need Jesus in 410 00:26:41.800 --> 00:26:45.200 the dark world of unbelief today. 411 00:26:45.200 --> 00:26:47.200 Let's go back to Russia. 412 00:26:47.200 --> 00:26:54.700 Let's go back to where Ivan was in prisoned and you have seen a prison 413 00:26:54.700 --> 00:26:58.100 cell with children in it. A number of years ago 414 00:26:58.100 --> 00:27:02.600 I had a chance to visit the largest children's prison in the world. 415 00:27:02.600 --> 00:27:04.000 Today 416 00:27:04.000 --> 00:27:08.800 the government won't let anybody go there because of the publicity, 417 00:27:08.800 --> 00:27:11.100 But I want to share with you 418 00:27:11.100 --> 00:27:14.500 I had a chance to visit the prison in St. 419 00:27:14.500 --> 00:27:19.190 Petersburg Russia that had more than 1.800 boys. 420 00:27:19.190 --> 00:27:21.300 These were street children. 421 00:27:22.700 --> 00:27:24.200 They have street children 422 00:27:24.200 --> 00:27:27.100 there and naturally they're going to get into trouble. 423 00:27:27.100 --> 00:27:33.700 And in that prison they had all of these boys age 8 to 18. 424 00:27:33.700 --> 00:27:39.100 They were in prisoned in eight-by-ten cells and their in they were in 425 00:27:39.100 --> 00:27:41.700 there for 23 hours a day. 426 00:27:41.700 --> 00:27:48.700 They let him out an hour to empty their waste in a 5 gallon bucket. And 427 00:27:48.700 --> 00:27:50.400 I went into that prison as 428 00:27:50.400 --> 00:27:55.400 I walk down through the prison corridors I could see from the prison 429 00:27:55.400 --> 00:27:56.000 doors. 430 00:27:56.000 --> 00:28:00.200 There was a little opening in their faces were pressed against that 431 00:28:00.200 --> 00:28:00.300 opening. 432 00:28:01.600 --> 00:28:05.500 I came to sell 189 and I stopped the lady Warden. 433 00:28:05.500 --> 00:28:08.300 I said, I want to see inside this prison. 434 00:28:08.300 --> 00:28:14.700 I want to see inside this this cell this eight-by-ten cell she said you 435 00:28:14.700 --> 00:28:19.700 want to you want to see inside I said, yes. Now Dale I want you to 436 00:28:19.700 --> 00:28:19.900 know 437 00:28:19.900 --> 00:28:21.800 I've lived on the farm my whole life. 438 00:28:21.800 --> 00:28:23.600 I've never lived in town. 439 00:28:23.600 --> 00:28:29.200 I'd pitch manure I butchered, I smelled bad things, but I want to 440 00:28:29.200 --> 00:28:33.100 tell you something Dale Meyer when she opened the door to that cell. 441 00:28:33.100 --> 00:28:34.300 I almost threw up. 442 00:28:34.300 --> 00:28:39.800 I never smelled anything like that. And I looked in that 8 by 10 cell 443 00:28:40.700 --> 00:28:47.200 and these boys were in prison for robbery, theft, murder, assault, rape 444 00:28:47.200 --> 00:28:50.500 and they were cast into this prison cell. 445 00:28:51.500 --> 00:28:55.200 Now you're all smart enough to know what an 8 by 10 area is. 446 00:28:55.200 --> 00:28:57.600 You know, how many boys were in there Dale? 447 00:28:57.600 --> 00:29:01.500 11, 11 boys in that cell. 448 00:29:02.400 --> 00:29:07.400 I said bring the boys out and they all lined up together in a line. 449 00:29:07.400 --> 00:29:13.900 And I said how many of you know who Jesus is? None none. 450 00:29:15.900 --> 00:29:22.200 It was an amazing story and I looked at the warden and I said if I 451 00:29:22.200 --> 00:29:24.400 get you medicine for this prison. 452 00:29:25.800 --> 00:29:30.600 Would you allow our missionary to come to this prison and bring some 453 00:29:30.600 --> 00:29:35.100 Russian Bibles and have a Bible study or Sunday school class with 454 00:29:35.100 --> 00:29:35.600 these boys. 455 00:29:35.600 --> 00:29:40.800 She looked at me and she said you get us medicine will let your 456 00:29:40.800 --> 00:29:42.700 missionaries come to that prison. 457 00:29:43.500 --> 00:29:48.300 We don't know anything about suffering in this country, yet. 458 00:29:48.300 --> 00:29:51.800 Okay, let's let let me whoa. 459 00:29:52.700 --> 00:29:57.500 Let me compare that to where we're at today. 460 00:29:57.500 --> 00:30:01.600 So in retirement, I'm spending more time studying. 461 00:30:01.600 --> 00:30:05.800 Okay, I'm an academic type guy. 462 00:30:05.800 --> 00:30:07.500 I didn't grow up on the farm. 463 00:30:07.500 --> 00:30:12.900 Although I'm a blue-collar guy at it heart, but I'm spending more time 464 00:30:12.900 --> 00:30:18.800 studying and one of the things that's impressing me more and more is 465 00:30:18.800 --> 00:30:22.300 is we don't have a clue about reality. 466 00:30:22.900 --> 00:30:26.400 Your right, Dale. Even those of us who go to church and we go to church 467 00:30:26.400 --> 00:30:27.500 very sincerely. 468 00:30:27.500 --> 00:30:31.700 So this is not a put-down, but we're living in a bubble. 469 00:30:32.700 --> 00:30:40.900 We don't know what suffering is. So could you contrast what our missionaries go 470 00:30:40.900 --> 00:30:46.900 through generally experience to the rather cocooned often cushy life 471 00:30:46.900 --> 00:30:49.100 that some of us have in the United States. 472 00:30:49.100 --> 00:30:51.400 Now, it's also true that we have people in this country who are 473 00:30:51.400 --> 00:30:56.600 suffering big time, but I'm thinking of, you know, our listener. Your 474 00:30:56.600 --> 00:30:57.200 average 475 00:30:58.400 --> 00:31:00.300 Missouri Synod Church goer. 476 00:31:01.300 --> 00:31:02.700 Draw the contrast 477 00:31:02.700 --> 00:31:08.100 would you please? Well it's interesting in Africa in many areas the average 478 00:31:08.100 --> 00:31:14.000 income of a family will run around 200 to $250 a year. 479 00:31:15.800 --> 00:31:20.900 When you travel to villages, I've been all over Africa too we don't 480 00:31:20.900 --> 00:31:22.500 know what poverty is. 481 00:31:22.500 --> 00:31:25.800 The definition of poverty here in the United States is someone who 482 00:31:25.800 --> 00:31:29.800 doesn't have a cell phone. But I have to tell you when you go to 483 00:31:29.800 --> 00:31:31.500 Africa you can see 484 00:31:32.900 --> 00:31:38.200 poor people. And it's interesting to me Dale and I'm not an academic. 485 00:31:38.200 --> 00:31:38.800 guy like you. 486 00:31:38.800 --> 00:31:40.700 My dad went to the fourth grade. 487 00:31:41.900 --> 00:31:43.200 I just went to high school. 488 00:31:43.200 --> 00:31:49.200 So we don't have all the exegetical and theological answers, but my 489 00:31:49.200 --> 00:31:50.900 dad had a childlike faith. 490 00:31:50.900 --> 00:31:55.100 He never read the Bible all the way through even. But he knew Jesus 491 00:31:55.100 --> 00:31:56.900 loved him and died for him. 492 00:31:56.900 --> 00:32:02.800 And that's what saves it's a childlike faith that saves and I want you to 493 00:32:02.800 --> 00:32:05.100 know that in the Book of James 494 00:32:05.100 --> 00:32:09.500 It says listen, my dear brothers has God not chosen those who are poor 495 00:32:09.500 --> 00:32:13.700 in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith into inherit the Kingdom 496 00:32:13.700 --> 00:32:18.300 I promised them. Dale in the Lutheran Church of Ethiopia 497 00:32:18.300 --> 00:32:21.200 they're averaging baptizing a thousand people a day. 498 00:32:21.200 --> 00:32:23.600 Let me jump on that because two years ago 499 00:32:23.600 --> 00:32:27.500 I went with President Lawrence Rast of the Fort Wayne Seminary, Concordia 500 00:32:27.500 --> 00:32:32.300 Theological Seminary, and Pastor Jeffrey Skopak of 501 00:32:32.300 --> 00:32:37.300 Jacksonville, Florida, and we went to Ethiopia and was that a mine 502 00:32:37.300 --> 00:32:41.100 mind opening experience a thousand a day. 503 00:32:41.800 --> 00:32:49.300 And I preached in a church, which was populated with probably 2.000 504 00:32:49.300 --> 00:32:51.100 worshippers. 505 00:32:51.100 --> 00:32:53.100 Most of them were young people. Yep. So 506 00:32:53.100 --> 00:32:56.100 go ahead. 507 00:32:56.100 --> 00:32:56.700 Yeah. 508 00:32:56.700 --> 00:32:57.400 I know you're telling the truth. 509 00:32:57.400 --> 00:33:04.200 Yeah and Dale the Lutheran Church of Ethiopia now has in one country 510 00:33:04.200 --> 00:33:07.300 in East Africa over 10 million members. 511 00:33:08.400 --> 00:33:12.300 That's five times the membership of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod 512 00:33:12.300 --> 00:33:20.300 in one country in East Africa. And do you know why Dale? Do you why Dale Meyer? It is because the people are 513 00:33:20.300 --> 00:33:25.000 excited about Jesus Heather telling all of their family, their neighbors 514 00:33:25.000 --> 00:33:29.300 and their friends about a God who loved them so much that he gave his 515 00:33:29.300 --> 00:33:30.900 only son to die for them. 516 00:33:30.900 --> 00:33:33.700 That's the message they are putting out. 517 00:33:33.700 --> 00:33:39.500 It isn't the pastor's it's the people and that's what has to happen 518 00:33:39.500 --> 00:33:42.900 again in this country of the United States of America. 519 00:33:42.900 --> 00:33:46.500 We need what are Baptists Brothers use a lot. 520 00:33:46.500 --> 00:33:49.000 We need a Revival in this country. 521 00:33:49.000 --> 00:33:54.200 We need a Revival that people wake up and say I got to tell people 522 00:33:54.200 --> 00:33:54.600 about Jesus. 523 00:33:57.800 --> 00:34:03.900 You take that message out every weekend. 524 00:34:03.900 --> 00:34:11.600 So we said earlier we said earlier that busloads come 5.000 or so a year and 525 00:34:11.600 --> 00:34:15.900 then you take them through the building's the artifacts to talk about 526 00:34:15.900 --> 00:34:21.700 Mission. But now talk about going into a congregation with the message 527 00:34:21.700 --> 00:34:26.300 and you mentioned during our break that you went to a church in 528 00:34:26.300 --> 00:34:35.100 Lincoln? Yeah. Tell us about that? Lincoln Nebraska. Well it's a joy I get to see miracles and I don't want anyone 529 00:34:35.100 --> 00:34:39.100 watching this program to say all we had to listen to that old 530 00:34:39.100 --> 00:34:42.700 missionary to Gary and he just bragged and bragged about what he's 531 00:34:42.700 --> 00:34:43.000 doing. 532 00:34:43.000 --> 00:34:44.800 I'm doing nothing. 533 00:34:46.400 --> 00:34:48.600 But my boss's picture right back here. 534 00:34:48.600 --> 00:34:53.200 He's the one in charge and he's calling people I went to Messiah 535 00:34:53.200 --> 00:34:57.000 Lutheran in Lincoln and had a wonderful experience there. 536 00:34:57.000 --> 00:35:02.000 I told about our newest missionary going to Germany, which is one of 537 00:35:02.000 --> 00:35:04.200 the darkest countries in all of Europe. 538 00:35:04.200 --> 00:35:08.500 What do you mean by dark? Dark? 539 00:35:08.500 --> 00:35:14.100 What do you mean by dark? Less then 2 percent of the people attend church in Germany on 540 00:35:14.100 --> 00:35:21.800 Sunday morning, less then 2 percent. Today in Germany's they are welcoming welcoming refugees 541 00:35:21.800 --> 00:35:23.300 from the Middle East. 542 00:35:23.300 --> 00:35:26.600 They want them to come. They now last year 543 00:35:26.600 --> 00:35:30.300 they had over a half a million refugees from the Middle East. 544 00:35:30.300 --> 00:35:35.400 These are Muslim people and I want to share with you in Germany today. 545 00:35:35.400 --> 00:35:39.500 My grandpa came from Germany. Germany the home of the Reformation. 546 00:35:40.700 --> 00:35:46.000 In Germany today, they have over 3.000 mosque stand over 5 million Muslim 547 00:35:46.000 --> 00:35:46.500 people. 548 00:35:47.400 --> 00:35:52.000 We've got to wake up there begging for missionaries to come there and 549 00:35:52.000 --> 00:35:57.400 I want to tell you I went there to Lincoln to Messiah Lutheran and 550 00:35:57.400 --> 00:36:03.400 they have electric pastors out there. And they gave me all the time I 551 00:36:03.400 --> 00:36:09.900 needed and I spoke in all three services and it was it was a wonderful 552 00:36:09.900 --> 00:36:12.600 experience and I shocked the blazes out of them. 553 00:36:12.600 --> 00:36:16.800 I didn't tell the pastor's, I didn't tell anybody what was going to 554 00:36:16.800 --> 00:36:16.900 happen. 555 00:36:16.900 --> 00:36:22.000 But I've talked about our new missionary couple going to Germany and I 556 00:36:22.000 --> 00:36:26.600 had the m there hidden in the congregation and then when I got through 557 00:36:26.600 --> 00:36:30.500 showing the pictures about him and telling the congregation that their 558 00:36:30.500 --> 00:36:32.700 Free Will offering was going to go to that family. 559 00:36:32.700 --> 00:36:39.800 I raised my hand and I said now come down and there came the family 560 00:36:39.800 --> 00:36:44.700 down and stood in front of everyone and I said, this is where your 561 00:36:44.700 --> 00:36:46.200 gift is going today. 562 00:36:47.300 --> 00:36:52.000 I'm telling you people were shocked and we pray for them and I put my 563 00:36:52.000 --> 00:36:55.400 hands on them and sent them off and prayed for them. 564 00:36:55.400 --> 00:36:59.300 I have people come up to me and say we never saw anything like that. 565 00:36:59.300 --> 00:37:03.900 I I suspect first of all your so old 566 00:37:03.900 --> 00:37:08.900 you must have been trained by PT Barnum. 567 00:37:11.100 --> 00:37:16.100 I wasn't trade by anybody but the Lord Jesus but somebody has got to 568 00:37:16.100 --> 00:37:21.300 go to wake people up and my calling is to wake people up cuz the 569 00:37:21.300 --> 00:37:24.300 majority of people on Sunday morning are dead asleep. 570 00:37:24.600 --> 00:37:29.300 And we've got to wake people up to let them know that the church is 571 00:37:29.300 --> 00:37:30.800 full of missionaries. 572 00:37:30.800 --> 00:37:35.200 I had one guy say to me all we don't need need to be sending these 573 00:37:35.200 --> 00:37:37.700 missionaries to China and Africa and Russia. 574 00:37:37.700 --> 00:37:39.800 We got enough work to do right here. 575 00:37:39.800 --> 00:37:41.400 We need missionaries here. 576 00:37:41.400 --> 00:37:43.900 I looked at him and I said, hey, wait a minute. 577 00:37:43.900 --> 00:37:45.800 It's different here in the United States. 578 00:37:45.800 --> 00:37:49.800 Every little town and tillage has one of those buildings with a cross 579 00:37:49.800 --> 00:37:50.500 on the top. 580 00:37:50.500 --> 00:37:53.400 I said, you know what it's filled with you said what I said 581 00:37:53.400 --> 00:37:58.400 missionaries, but they don't know it. We got plenty of missionaries here 582 00:37:58.400 --> 00:38:05.500 but the problem is everybody in this country knows the name of Jesus 583 00:38:05.500 --> 00:38:07.000 everyone. 584 00:38:07.000 --> 00:38:10.700 All you have to do is have a man hit his thumb with a hammer and you 585 00:38:10.700 --> 00:38:13.200 will find out how quickly he knows about Jesus. 586 00:38:14.000 --> 00:38:18.300 And when I got at the end I said we're going to give a free will 587 00:38:18.300 --> 00:38:22.100 offering today to help that family go because the majority of people 588 00:38:22.100 --> 00:38:26.200 in our churches don't realize our missionaries now are responsible for 589 00:38:26.200 --> 00:38:32.900 raising their own support. Pause and explain that because our 590 00:38:32.900 --> 00:38:36.600 audience may not realize that, explain what you just said. 591 00:38:36.600 --> 00:38:39.900 You're exactly right Dale you're exactly right. 592 00:38:39.900 --> 00:38:45.800 The majority of people don't realize that it was about 15 years ago or 593 00:38:45.800 --> 00:38:47.400 maybe somewhere in that area. 594 00:38:47.400 --> 00:38:51.900 That the church could no longer from its offerings coming in from the 595 00:38:51.900 --> 00:38:57.900 district pay the salary and the profile that we need for each of our 596 00:38:57.900 --> 00:38:58.800 missionaries so 597 00:38:58.800 --> 00:39:03.900 it became their responsibility to raise their funding and that's what 598 00:39:03.900 --> 00:39:06.700 we do here at Mission Central 24/7. 599 00:39:06.700 --> 00:39:10.300 We raise the support for these missionaries and help them. 600 00:39:10.800 --> 00:39:14.400 And so I said folks were going to take this Free Will offering that 601 00:39:14.400 --> 00:39:18.600 every penny of it can go toward this dear family going to Germany. 602 00:39:18.600 --> 00:39:24.500 I remember that missionary from his Seminary days here and he's a 603 00:39:24.500 --> 00:39:31.300 great person, fluent in German, which is that helped him immensely when 604 00:39:31.300 --> 00:39:32.800 when he gets there. So, 605 00:39:34.400 --> 00:39:39.500 what's what's the reception when you get into congregations like this 606 00:39:39.500 --> 00:39:44.000 is it when you leave and go back to Mapleton, Iowa do 607 00:39:44.000 --> 00:39:49.300 they say that was really interesting end of story or is there more that 608 00:39:49.300 --> 00:39:53.100 comes with some of the people who discover they are not normal. 609 00:39:54.300 --> 00:39:59.600 Well Dale again, I want to stress this that God calls his people. 610 00:39:59.600 --> 00:40:01.300 I don't ask people for him. 611 00:40:02.500 --> 00:40:04.100 I'm not a fundraiser. 612 00:40:04.100 --> 00:40:05.700 I'm a faith raiser. 613 00:40:05.700 --> 00:40:08.100 And that's what we need to be. 614 00:40:08.100 --> 00:40:12.700 God will cut do the calling the Holy Spirit touches people's hearts. 615 00:40:12.700 --> 00:40:17.300 I've seen it miraculous by I have if you had seven or eight hours, I 616 00:40:17.300 --> 00:40:27.500 could tell you a few stories. I bet you could. Yeah, of people that God has called. People I don't know. I had one man say you spoke in our church three years ago 617 00:40:27.500 --> 00:40:31.400 I never forgot what you said and now God's calling me. 618 00:40:32.100 --> 00:40:36.400 God's calling me and that man set here and cried at my desk and 619 00:40:36.400 --> 00:40:41.000 he said that's why God called Mom and I that's why I want to give you 620 00:40:41.000 --> 00:40:42.600 a check for $100.000. 621 00:40:42.600 --> 00:40:46.000 That isn't anything to do with me. 622 00:40:46.000 --> 00:40:50.100 That's God still calling people in a miraculous way. 623 00:40:50.100 --> 00:40:55.300 We get to see miracles here and God sends his people that are not 624 00:40:55.300 --> 00:41:02.000 normal to this place. One of the joys of my 15 years as president of 625 00:41:02.000 --> 00:41:06.600 Concordia Seminary was often to get into a van or bus 626 00:41:08.200 --> 00:41:14.000 with Seminary students in our church planting track and drive out to 627 00:41:14.000 --> 00:41:15.200 Mapleton, Iowa. 628 00:41:15.200 --> 00:41:18.400 Okay, let me set this up 629 00:41:19.400 --> 00:41:21.700 because it's it's precious to me. 630 00:41:21.700 --> 00:41:29.200 So Seminary Students and guys like me all think we're so deep into 631 00:41:29.200 --> 00:41:30.000 theology. 632 00:41:30.000 --> 00:41:32.900 We're studying all the exegesis and systematics 633 00:41:32.900 --> 00:41:38.300 and you know, I'm sure God wants to hear what we put out. So we 634 00:41:38.300 --> 00:41:41.800 get in there and and and the students the whole wait, it's like a like an 635 00:41:41.800 --> 00:41:43.800 eight hour drive something like that. 636 00:41:43.800 --> 00:41:48.400 They're talking Theology and how they would run the church when that 637 00:41:48.400 --> 00:41:50.000 time comes..... 638 00:41:50.000 --> 00:41:56.100 And we pass Omaha and we get into the middle of noplace. 639 00:41:56.100 --> 00:41:58.900 You got to wonder if God is there. 640 00:41:59.600 --> 00:42:04.100 And so so I say hey guys, we're almost there and we're heading up to 641 00:42:04.100 --> 00:42:05.400 Mapleton, Iowa. 642 00:42:05.400 --> 00:42:06.500 Okay... 643 00:42:06.500 --> 00:42:12.300 It's like going to The Great Oz you know, wait a minute. 644 00:42:12.300 --> 00:42:18.000 This is Mapleton, Iowa no offence to people who live in Mapleton but 645 00:42:18.000 --> 00:42:20.200 the students start thinking man. 646 00:42:20.200 --> 00:42:23.900 We're we're going to some place called Mission Central at this town 647 00:42:23.900 --> 00:42:26.500 and we drive through Mapleton, Iowa. 648 00:42:26.500 --> 00:42:29.500 It's not even there and we're back in the boonies. 649 00:42:30.800 --> 00:42:32.900 And we we get there 650 00:42:32.900 --> 00:42:35.400 so now it's doing is not really perplexed. 651 00:42:35.400 --> 00:42:36.900 What is going on? 652 00:42:36.900 --> 00:42:40.800 What are we budding theologians in for? We get there 653 00:42:42.400 --> 00:42:48.200 and the guy wearing bib overalls comes out and meets us. 654 00:42:49.500 --> 00:42:50.700 And says hi, 655 00:42:50.700 --> 00:42:54.400 hi, hi and then takes us into a cornfield. 656 00:42:54.400 --> 00:42:55.400 OK. 657 00:42:55.400 --> 00:43:00.700 I have set up Concordia seminarians go to Mission Central. Now 658 00:43:00.700 --> 00:43:05.200 we're in the cornfield and I'll be quiet Gary and let you continue the 659 00:43:05.200 --> 00:43:05.300 story. 660 00:43:06.500 --> 00:43:10.600 Well, it's a joy to welcome these future pastors. 661 00:43:11.500 --> 00:43:15.800 The pastor's that God has called for word and Sacrament Ministry. 662 00:43:16.700 --> 00:43:20.900 And so they look at this guy in the middle of nowhere and I know what 663 00:43:20.900 --> 00:43:21.600 they're all thinking. 664 00:43:21.600 --> 00:43:22.800 They'll they're all thinking 665 00:43:22.800 --> 00:43:26.900 what in the blazes are we doing out here in the middle of nowhere with 666 00:43:26.900 --> 00:43:30.700 this old set of Farm building and this guy comes over with a pair of 667 00:43:30.700 --> 00:43:35.100 overalls what in the world could he know? And so we get them all 668 00:43:35.100 --> 00:43:40.400 together and we set them all around. And I look at him and I say now folks 669 00:43:40.400 --> 00:43:45.200 I just want you to know that you got all the exegetical and 670 00:43:45.200 --> 00:43:46.500 Theological answers, 671 00:43:46.500 --> 00:43:50.500 now. You know, the Greek and Hebrew and you probably got the Augsburg 672 00:43:50.500 --> 00:43:54.500 Confession the Smallcald Articles and the Book of Concord all 673 00:43:54.500 --> 00:43:55.400 memorized. 674 00:43:55.400 --> 00:43:56.900 Oh you got all the answers. 675 00:43:58.100 --> 00:44:03.300 But I said, I'm an old farmer and I want to give you a little advice. I 676 00:44:03.300 --> 00:44:06.000 said, you know when you become a shepherd 677 00:44:07.100 --> 00:44:11.300 a Shepherd for congregation and God calls you you might be called to a 678 00:44:11.300 --> 00:44:14.400 little Congregation of a hundred members maybe and 679 00:44:15.500 --> 00:44:18.500 and they may even wear overalls like I got on. 680 00:44:19.700 --> 00:44:23.600 And just remember this the rest of the time that you serve as a 681 00:44:23.600 --> 00:44:24.400 shepherd 682 00:44:25.300 --> 00:44:27.400 of a congregation of God's people. 683 00:44:28.400 --> 00:44:33.600 They don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. 684 00:44:33.600 --> 00:44:40.300 If you love the people in your flock and they love you amazing 685 00:44:40.300 --> 00:44:41.500 miracles take place 686 00:44:41.500 --> 00:44:47.500 and that's the key to Ministry is loving people. And Dale Meyer 687 00:44:47.500 --> 00:44:49.900 I want you to know that that's the problem 688 00:44:49.900 --> 00:44:51.900 we've got in this country right today. 689 00:44:51.900 --> 00:44:57.800 We don't have enough love and I want you to know Dale that I love 690 00:44:57.800 --> 00:45:03.900 you and your wife Diane and I love your mom Norma and I want you to 691 00:45:03.900 --> 00:45:07.700 know how much Gary loves Concordia Seminary in St. 692 00:45:07.700 --> 00:45:11.500 Louis, Missouri, and I'll do anything to help you folks at the 693 00:45:11.500 --> 00:45:18.000 Seminary to because you're my friends and I love you folks. And we 694 00:45:18.000 --> 00:45:23.900 return the love and I want to listeners and viewers to understand 695 00:45:23.900 --> 00:45:24.900 how we have been 696 00:45:25.600 --> 00:45:31.600 blessed in the mission of Concordia Seminary by Mission Central. You know 697 00:45:31.600 --> 00:45:36.700 folks make donations to Mission Central. Folks make donations to 698 00:45:36.700 --> 00:45:42.700 Concordia Seminary and it's a wonderful cooperation between these two 699 00:45:42.700 --> 00:45:43.300 institutions. 700 00:45:44.800 --> 00:45:49.800 But that did the real bottom line is students who are on fire for 701 00:45:49.800 --> 00:45:52.100 getting out and sharing the love of Jesus. 702 00:45:52.100 --> 00:45:56.800 So Gary, we got the seminarians there and 703 00:45:56.800 --> 00:46:00.600 this is just a typical of all the the busloads of people that come. 704 00:46:00.600 --> 00:46:04.500 But we got seminarians there and you often walk us into the cornfield 705 00:46:04.500 --> 00:46:07.700 and you pick an ear of corn an 706 00:46:10.500 --> 00:46:14.300 tell us about that and then tell us about the other experiences 707 00:46:14.300 --> 00:46:19.600 briefly, briefly. What before the seminarians pack up and we head back 708 00:46:19.600 --> 00:46:20.200 here to St. 709 00:46:20.200 --> 00:46:25.400 Louis? Well you know coming from the farm 710 00:46:25.400 --> 00:46:33.000 you see how God blesses his creation. For example an ear of corn has many 711 00:46:33.000 --> 00:46:37.600 kernels and it teaches us a lesson if you're going to 712 00:46:37.600 --> 00:46:41.200 plant corn you don't pick the ear and throw the year into the ground. 713 00:46:42.100 --> 00:46:48.200 You shell off the individual kernels of that and you plant individual 714 00:46:48.200 --> 00:46:52.400 kernels that become big corn stalks and produce much fruit. 715 00:46:52.400 --> 00:46:54.800 That's the way it is in life. 716 00:46:54.800 --> 00:47:01.700 That's the way it is with with a pastors we got to plant seeds 717 00:47:01.700 --> 00:47:02.600 individuals. 718 00:47:02.600 --> 00:47:08.800 And every one of those corn kernels is a is an individual and everyone 719 00:47:08.800 --> 00:47:15.700 of us is a kernel of corn every one of us can grow and that's how the 720 00:47:15.700 --> 00:47:20.400 church grows with individuals who really understand that it isn't just 721 00:47:20.400 --> 00:47:25.100 everybody together like the ear of corn but it's the individual 722 00:47:25.100 --> 00:47:28.000 out here telling people about our savior 723 00:47:28.000 --> 00:47:34.500 Jesus. When you're giving that presentation to the students and 724 00:47:34.500 --> 00:47:36.600 then the subsequent presentations 725 00:47:37.600 --> 00:47:41.400 do you literally see them getting it? 726 00:47:42.600 --> 00:47:48.300 Well, I think there are some light bulbs that come on but I always 727 00:47:48.300 --> 00:47:53.800 look at this. Dale if there's just one or two that get it 728 00:47:53.800 --> 00:47:55.400 then the trip is all worthwhile. 729 00:47:55.400 --> 00:48:02.100 There are people who don't appreciate the ministry here because I'm 730 00:48:02.100 --> 00:48:08.500 not a pastor and I'm being very truthful with you today and it hasn't 731 00:48:08.500 --> 00:48:10.100 been an easy journey for me. 732 00:48:10.100 --> 00:48:16.000 But you know, God uses all kinds of people to get his work done. 733 00:48:16.000 --> 00:48:21.800 And again, I want to lose you the fact that when the Lord God our 734 00:48:21.800 --> 00:48:22.900 heavenly father got 735 00:48:22.900 --> 00:48:26.500 ready to have the announcement made to the world 736 00:48:27.100 --> 00:48:30.400 that he has sent his son to be born in a stable in Bethlehem. 737 00:48:30.400 --> 00:48:35.400 Don't you think you and I would have probably gone to the governor, the 738 00:48:35.400 --> 00:48:38.800 president, the king, the leaders of the church. God 739 00:48:38.800 --> 00:48:39.500 didn't do that. 740 00:48:39.500 --> 00:48:45.100 He went to the lowliest of low people to make the announcement that 741 00:48:45.100 --> 00:48:46.800 the Christ child the promised Messiah. 742 00:48:49.100 --> 00:48:52.000 A messiah that was promised for thousands of years 743 00:48:53.200 --> 00:48:58.900 has been born and who did he go to? The lowliest of low people the 744 00:48:58.900 --> 00:49:04.200 Shepherds and he said to the Shepherds go to Bethlehem and see the 745 00:49:04.200 --> 00:49:07.500 Christ child is born. And when do Shepherds went there 746 00:49:07.500 --> 00:49:11.700 they went everywhere and told Jesus told about Jesus. 747 00:49:11.700 --> 00:49:14.400 They talked about the Messiah. 748 00:49:14.400 --> 00:49:18.500 They were the first missionaries the lowly Shepherds. 749 00:49:18.500 --> 00:49:24.600 I've been around a few years less than you have but then it but I'm 750 00:49:24.600 --> 00:49:29.300 catching up and every time I go to Mission Central, it's a personal 751 00:49:29.300 --> 00:49:37.400 charge for my spirit and my my zeal. Gary some quick quick questions. 752 00:49:37.400 --> 00:49:42.400 First of all, any group can contact you and come visit Mission 753 00:49:42.400 --> 00:49:43.300 Central, correct? 754 00:49:43.300 --> 00:49:44.500 Absolutely. 755 00:49:44.500 --> 00:49:50.400 We take families. I found families wonderful to have families and during this pandemic. 756 00:49:50.400 --> 00:49:53.200 We've had a lot of families that have gotten together and 757 00:49:53.200 --> 00:49:57.900 said we're going to bring our family. And I'm just happy to have them 758 00:49:57.900 --> 00:50:00.000 come to see not what I've done 759 00:50:00.000 --> 00:50:04.000 I've done nothing but what God has done in the middle of nowhere. 760 00:50:04.000 --> 00:50:10.700 Okay, if if I can't make a physical trip the Mission Central or one 761 00:50:10.700 --> 00:50:13.700 day I will but but I want to find out more about this now. 762 00:50:14.800 --> 00:50:15.800 Do you have a website? 763 00:50:15.800 --> 00:50:18.700 Yes Mission Central. 764 00:50:18.700 --> 00:50:21.500 us. Mission Central. 765 00:50:21.500 --> 00:50:23.900 us. And you're welcome to call me. 766 00:50:23.900 --> 00:50:30.000 You can call me right here at our office, and we are office is an old 767 00:50:30.000 --> 00:50:34.700 farmhouse and we have three bedrooms upstairs where you stayed in the 768 00:50:34.700 --> 00:50:39.900 presidential suite Dale, and I want you to know you can come to 769 00:50:39.900 --> 00:50:44.900 Mission Central here and see these old farm buildings. The Barn Museum, 770 00:50:44.900 --> 00:50:50.100 the Ministry Center, the creation theater, and we always try to take 771 00:50:50.100 --> 00:50:54.500 our people down to the little Wayside prayer chapel and have a prayer 772 00:50:54.500 --> 00:50:54.800 there. 773 00:50:54.800 --> 00:50:56.800 It's amazing. 774 00:50:56.800 --> 00:51:03.800 It's a miracle place and you can call us on our office phone is 775 00:51:03.800 --> 00:51:08.300 712-882-1029. 776 00:51:08.300 --> 00:51:10.100 Or you can call me personally. 777 00:51:10.100 --> 00:51:13.200 I'll be happy to take your call on my cell phone. 778 00:51:13.200 --> 00:51:14.700 And that's 712. 779 00:51:16.000 --> 00:51:25.300 251 1264. And go to our website you can see our email address on there 780 00:51:25.300 --> 00:51:29.700 as well and we would love to hear from you because we have to book 781 00:51:29.700 --> 00:51:34.500 these tours because we have a lot of activity going on here. 782 00:51:34.500 --> 00:51:40.800 Wow, isn't that the truth and and and frankly old buddy 783 00:51:40.800 --> 00:51:44.500 I hope you'll have more work coming because of this program. 784 00:51:44.500 --> 00:51:48.300 Could we wrap this up by asking you to say a prayer? 785 00:51:48.300 --> 00:51:53.300 Yes, I would count that as a privilege Dale and thank you for allowing me this opportunity. 786 00:51:53.300 --> 00:51:55.300 Let's pray together. 787 00:51:56.500 --> 00:52:01.900 Lord Jesus we come to you with grateful hearts. Lord, you give us all 788 00:52:01.900 --> 00:52:06.500 that we have and sometimes we forget that forgive us Lord. 789 00:52:07.900 --> 00:52:12.000 You give us all that we have and the greatest gift ever given to 790 00:52:12.000 --> 00:52:15.700 mankind you gave to us in the form of a little baby in the manger 791 00:52:15.700 --> 00:52:17.500 halfway around the world. 792 00:52:18.600 --> 00:52:23.600 And because of that gift and because of God's goodness and Grace and 793 00:52:23.600 --> 00:52:29.000 what Jesus did on the cross Dale and I and his family don't have to 794 00:52:29.000 --> 00:52:31.100 say I hope we'll be together in heaven. 795 00:52:31.100 --> 00:52:35.300 We know for certain not by what we've done 796 00:52:35.300 --> 00:52:40.200 but by what Jesus did for us. Lord, we ask your blessing on this 797 00:52:40.200 --> 00:52:45.200 presentation that someone might listen to this and their hearts might 798 00:52:45.200 --> 00:52:50.000 be changed that they might be drawn a little closer to you so that 799 00:52:50.000 --> 00:52:54.900 all praise and honor and Glory go to you heavenly Father because you 800 00:52:54.900 --> 00:52:58.000 loved it so much. Heavenly Father 801 00:52:58.000 --> 00:53:02.800 we ask your blessing on Concordia Seminary and we ask you especially 802 00:53:02.800 --> 00:53:06.100 to bless the new president there. 803 00:53:07.200 --> 00:53:12.200 We have known Pastor Tom Egger for many years since he was here at your 804 00:53:12.200 --> 00:53:17.400 church at Zion Lutheran in Storm Lake, Iowa many years ago when I had 805 00:53:17.400 --> 00:53:19.600 the privilege of meeting him for the first time. 806 00:53:19.600 --> 00:53:26.000 We ask that you give to Pastor Eggers the wisdom of the discernment 807 00:53:26.000 --> 00:53:27.900 and the love in his heart. 808 00:53:29.000 --> 00:53:35.900 That he might continue the work that Pastor Dale Meyer was so excellent 809 00:53:35.900 --> 00:53:38.900 about doing. And heavenly Father 810 00:53:38.900 --> 00:53:42.000 thank you for the friendship that I've had with 811 00:53:42.000 --> 00:53:42.100 Dr. 812 00:53:42.100 --> 00:53:48.700 Dale Meyer over all these years. Bless he and Diane and their family be with 813 00:53:48.700 --> 00:53:53.200 them to strengthen them each day and help them to remember they must 814 00:53:53.200 --> 00:53:59.100 keep working because that is my dad said we can rest when we're dead. 815 00:53:59.100 --> 00:54:06.400 Don't let anyone retire from telling people about Jesus. Lord 816 00:54:06.400 --> 00:54:10.900 strengthen us and help us to be not normal in this world and all this 817 00:54:10.900 --> 00:54:13.100 we ask in Jesus precious name. 818 00:54:13.100 --> 00:54:14.300 Amen. 819 00:54:14.300 --> 00:54:15.400 Amen. 820 00:54:15.400 --> 00:54:20.100 Thank you very very much Gary and thanks to you for joining us. 821 00:54:20.900 --> 00:54:27.400 May the intersection of Word and Work be busy and a blessing on your 822 00:54:27.400 --> 00:54:27.900 corner.