Iris After Hours - Episode 14 - David Farrow

welcome to Aris after-hours casual conversations with inspirational speakers off the clock awesome guys welcome back to iris after hours here we are literally is after hours tonight because it's about 6 o'clock and we're here in our new location in Pasadena in the William Carey University monitory torreón facility if something you probably heard about and we have a awesome special guest today he is a former military colonel I think I got that right did I get that right and he has been for 24 years in the in the US Air Force and he currently is mobilizing ex-military people for missions and it's an exciting new ministry David's been with iris ministries as well and him and his wife have been doing things in ministry for a lot many many years as well so welcome david farrow see you Nathan how are you thank you my friend thanks for coming in today yeah absolutely what a great opportunity and just great to see your face here in Pasadena and just thank you for the opportunity yeah thank you for helping to open the due date open the doors here - you did a lot of groundwork there helping artists to be I would have moved into the offices here right at Pasadena so really thank you for that thank you thank you you know mama Heidi was like David we need to find a place where we can build partnerships and she said that Mozambique and so I was here in Pasadena and Nathan I didn't have to look any any further than here in Pasadena in this campus and dr. Ralph winner and unreached people groups and the 17 acres here and just the number of mission agencies this is the one place on the planet that rejoices when an unreached people group comes off the unreached people group listen tell us about that tell us we're on this campus it's 17 acres right within this offices part of it right right um frontier ventures right right we're here and with the William Carey University how did this all start what what happened here Dan because this is a missions campus isn't it yes yes so dr. Ralph wiener yeah who served three years in World War two as a naval aviator student no way so so the military man military guy so near and dear to our current Ministry of reaching out to military members and believing that they have unique gifts and talents to be able to lay at the foot of the king come on well they used to roughing it yes yes there you stay field conditions and international any any different cultures so yeah come on it's a great idea that military people moving the missions it's really so dr. Ralph winter during World War two he was a Caltech trained engineer no way yes here yesterday we just spoke about that with Roland yeah there's a podcast yeah Celtx just down the road here guys right and Roland gave up a full scholarship right Caltech right to to study instead of studying it with the best in in science he wanted to study with the best about God everybody's best into studying and knowing God and the Bible so dr. Ralph winter came out of World War two when I took in 45 1945 yeah 60 days after a victory over Japan day he left the military he felt called in the mission field he served ten years in Guatemala Central America Wow as a missionary yes as a missionary and then fuller also here in Pasadena we'll go full on which a lot of people know about that Fuller has an amazing missions program doesn't it it does some of our missionaries Brian and Lorena wood who's hot Roland sister right a husband you met Brian everything yes they studied missions at fuller right and they used to teach us in the harbor school and they had a lot of practical really good practical stuff you know about language learning and you know learn a little use it a lot right sort of approach so Fuller was the first place on the planet that created their own Department totally dedicated to global missions never been done before and so there's that was pride to this campus that was prior to this campus dr. Ralph winter after his ten years at Guatemala yeah got pulled over like 55:56 right there right was brought back here to serve on the staff he was he was a whole lot at fuller and then in 1974 Billy Graham was bringing together a World Congress to talk about how we were doing on the Great Commission and a lot of folks were ready to pat themselves on the back of how great we were doing with all these national churches and all these nations and they were ready to check those nations off the reached people groups and dr. Ralph winter with his engineering background stood up on the lectern in 1974 and said it's not enough to just have a church in the capital city because in this one nation here's how many unreached people groups that have not heard the name of Christ minorities in that and he did hear we weren't looking with that perspective prior to that at people group he was looking at the country with that border but right there's lots of people groups within that border isn't there right whatever country it is and he broke down the translation and it was ethnic it was people groups it was not nations if you look at our nation's right now those are man-made lines on a map and he said it's about people groups yes and if it's people groups at the time in 1974 he said there are 14,000 unreached people groups and he said we don't need to be patting ourselves on the back back then he said 14,000 for what are the what are the stats there how many left them so in 40 years of this campus I'm getting a little ahead of myself he focused the the the church body in the mission movement about unreached people groups and it was 14,000 and today it's six thousand six hundred and eighty eight so well so when the when the church body knows who to start praying for along the way a gentleman called Luis Bush focus the world on the 1040 window yes go to the 1040 and so how powerful was that for the church to now know what are you going to pray for let's pray for the 1040 window and I'll put it means 10 degrees above the equator right forty degrees below write it like a ribbon around the whole globe right yeah and what are the poorest people out in the world that's where the poorest people are but that's where the largest preponderance of unreached people groups are so dr. Ralph winter had this steady job at Fuller he was a tenured professor yeah and he gave it all up to come start this campus he said tell us about what happened so this campus you were telling me before was attention that as rain yes and that what happened they were having revival here back in the 40s if you look on Mott auditorium which is this massive yeah auditorium responders over here yeah what can I see several thousand two thousand five hundred two thousand looks like it takes about five thousand it's the largest facility in Pasadena yeah now they built that a 40-watt because they were having revival here yeah yeah so this campus used to belong to the Nazarenes yeah and in 1941 they were having so many revival services here that the the City of Pasadena said you got to build a structure to keep these people in so do the math it was 1941 that was right during the war Wow Ralph we did was fightin wherever he was fought and wild ivy well he was fighting and so that's why when you go into my know the u.s. joined the war in 42 and 42 so he was getting ready he was getting ready so that's why when you go in Mont aureum and you look in this amazing wood structure where there's not a lot of metal well why is that because that metal was used for the war effort yes yeah so so the Nazarenes had this campus if there's one question do you know what happened how did this revival start with the Nazarenes back in he 1841 um any idea III I'm not I'm not right I don't know a lot about that I big dig it back too far yeah yeah yeah but yeah they were just you know revival services late at night I must resent that people hungry yeah because it's the thing where people are hungry for God right and they get together right God turns out right right all right it's simple hi so that's the foundation of this campus and so for 30 years the Nazarenes were here you had distinguished alumni like dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family know why everyone dies that night so he was he judge Dobson he was here he was here and so during the mid 70s the the Nazarenes wanted to move this university down to San Diego port loma and so they had to sell the campus and at the time there was kind of an Eastern cult who wanted to pay triple the amount for this campus and individuals like dr. Dobson found out that they were potentially gonna buy this and so really kind of raised an issue with it and then you had dr. Ralph winner because he's late he's dedicated to the glory of God isn't it yes Amen a man for the Great Commission yes for the Great Commission and when dr. Ralph winter ultimately got this and a Swedish student who was here they said that this campus would be used for nothing more than just the Great Commission so I fast I go back to dr. Ralph Weiner quitting his job and fuller yeah the stability of being a tenured professor there here it is he had just given that lecture in Switzerland Billy Graham brought folks together yes and that was in Switzerland okay it was in Switzerland Lucerne Switzerland and I've been there and so he had a dream and a vision that he needed to quit that and he started with one dollar to his name he came in this building so hang on so they were going to try and sell this to an Eastern coal yes dr. James often said something that other people said stuff because Rupp Arena was looking to buy it was he then HAP do you know what the details are around there yeah so this Swedish student that I spoke to you about yes Eric window and it was interesting because it was put on his heart that this campus he was a student and he said this campus needed to be for global missions meanwhile oh why so it's June a Nazarene student yes had to go and put on his hot this has to be for global missions because they were gonna move and this has had to be trendy to global shirts oh wow he was a fuller student and he went to somebody on faculty named dr. dr. Ralph winter and said dr. Ralph winter I believe you're supposed to start a mission campus over here less than two miles away from fuller oh my good and so the two of them is God working so that is God working and so so forty years later it wasn't enough for dr. winter to just tell the world that it's about unreached people groups he wanted to have a campus he wanted to have one location on the planet that worked on mission mobilization mission training and mission research and that's and this was cool the US Senate for world mission site it was dr. rough wooden night at that he he started it as the world mission center and as a matter of fact November 5th 1976 we're about two weeks away from celebrating the 40th anniversary when he was granted by the state of California his Articles of Incorporation for that nonprofit it started with that name and it started with this building that you're currently in right now he started with this one building and then ultimately he got the whole campus alright so yay tell us that story so he went to the student the Swiss student just sat in in 75 or something went to dr. rough with that right said you meant to start admissions campus here right what happened after that did he did he approach the Nazarene Church or how do you know any the details of how it actually transpired all he really had was his good name really all he had was two people knew about because he was a missionary and he become a teacher of Allah he was ex-military and so and he said it was gonna be more than just him and his ministry that he was gonna come and he was gonna bring other mission agencies here and and and and we were gonna work together these dream ours being he's part of you our history you are part of his dream and him and his wife used a term called missions Pentagon here it had like the Pentagon diver in Washington right now I shared with you there's three fronts that it was mission mobilization mobilization training and missing research yes so let's talk about that research remember how I told you there's six thousand six hundred and eighty-eight unready groups why is that that's the Joshua Project they're the ones who know down to the detail of how many unreached people groups were there so this was always meant to be a facility that could research and can tell you where the unreached people groups were and so I'm a former military person I'm a mission guy we're used to having a mission and tracking metrics and going to stuff so for us in the body of Christ we started with 14,000 unreached people groups folks like Luis Bush came up with a 1040 window yeah it hopefully by the end of this I'll tell you that these numbers are getting smaller and smaller and now there's a concept called the 250 gateway people groups that if we focus on these 250 gateway people groups I the key to getting into the sequel 6,000 yes and you know there have been many generations docked back to John Mont back to Bill bright I mean bill bright used to signing a signature but bill bright used to sign in his signature and says completing the Great Commission in our generation well Nathan never before have we been close enough to actually physically see that that number is getting smaller and smaller and smaller and so that's the time in the era that we live in and with the technology and the capability and Counting and getting that number smaller and smaller it's just an exciting time to be alive and more importantly your iris being here on this campus as a mission agency is not only a mission agency but a sending organization yes something that they really haven't had on this campus they've done a lot of research they've done a lot of mobilizing but that's the power of Iris being here as a sending organization it's just powerful wow that's amazing I can't believe God working in all this because it feels so good to be here and it feels yeah and and I love I love the whole concept of being in a place because there's a stone in the garden hey that says this place is dedicated well missions and I just love being in place it's dedicated that's been you know one of a better term holy ground right the Nazarenes had this it was dedicated to God through them they had revival here right hate rock was having revival here in the 90s too weren't they right in modern rhetoric the harvest Rock Church was it home was here and it's just amazing to be here with this this place is is gold God's place you know you know you know why I know that I know that I know that this 17 acres is dedicated for the king you know it started with the Nazarene denomination then you had dr. Ralph winter a very good Presbyterian comes here for 40 years he was all about collaboration of the body of Christ so you know Azusa now was planned here last summer you know IIIi can't think of another place in all Christendom where different denominations different streams you have evangelicals you have charismatic for whatever reason they can come together on this 17 acres and do meaningful work but I also believe with all of our doctrines and all of the things that we don't agree upon there's just something powerful about that last five minutes the Christ stood on this planet and said go forth into all the nation and make disciples of all nations he didn't say some he didn't say the ones that are easy he said all and when he said all he meant all and that's the one thing that unites us all as the body of Christ so that's what's powerful about here is we can put our doctrines down and we're all focused on this campus of getting that number down to zero so when a people group comes off the unreached people group we all rejoice here yeah wow that's amazing come on so David listen tell me about what you're doing now you have an office here on the campus I do I do tell us that you're you gave you your card it's really cool mobilizing former military for missions Inc so I you know Irish plays a part in that and yeah and I spent 24 years in the Air Force I was a colonel I could I was I was a Wing Commander in Kuwait of a base of 4,500 people and Kuwait multi services what does it mean wing command adjust for people who got it you're responsible for an Air Wing so we had mobility aircraft we had I I can't give details on the aircraft but we had mobility aircraft we had reconnaissance aircraft and and we I mean it was a it was a very significant air hub but it's not enough just the number of aircraft that we had it was a physical location where 4,500 people from all joint services were so said you mean joint services Army Navy and Air Force yes and so when I keep talking about military members and why rings powder reads apart of the Navy yeah yes yes Java Special Forces they're kind of they come from all the services but that's a whole nother story they're kinda unique they're special but so wing Khmer base commander and then a chief of staff of numbered Air Force where it was kind of half of the aircraft in the Air Force the the non fighter aircraft the mobility the tankers in Air Force One so got out of the Air Force as a retired colonel and you know I was ready to hit the easy button and what is the easy button easy button for a retired colonel is to go in to become a defense contractor I was about ready to go down that journey yeah at the vice-president level and the night prior to one of these significant companies an executive recruiter for a Christian organization reached out to me and this one question changed my entire trajectory he said I saw you on LinkedIn I see you have leadership skills have you ever thought about global missions and Nathan that one question stopped me in my tracks why is it that I was a Christian for 20-plus years of my life and why didn't I even think about putting my gifts and talents that I learned in the military at the foot of the King and that saddened me that I didn't even think about that and so I I told this gentleman I said I wouldn't have the first idea of how to go into global missions that question led to a phone call and he said have you ever heard of iris global and Heidi Baker and I said I've heard of them and the work they've been doing in Africa and I said I would take the trash out for that organization Wow and so I think I answered that question correct because next thing I know is being interviewed by Heidi Rowland and the board and just and the experience and what I saw was amazing and ten months of my life just working for the Great Commission being over in Mozambique I mean Nathan I mean I'm seeing deaf ears open yeah for deaf ears in a village and and and you know this isn't like Los Angeles where we move around we're talking those people in that village knew these people for their entire life that they were deaf their entire life and on any given night for whatever reason for deaf ears open and and so much so that that next morning the Deaf village chief said this village will follow Christ I felt like I was in the first century or the book of Acts and so I've traveled to 60 different countries in the air force before many 60 different countries I've been to some very very difficult places but but I have never seen God move in such a way and so it's almost like I feel like one of the disciples you know after I've seen after we've seen what we've seen where can we go now yeah and so I tell you working for the Great Commission and putting your gifts and talents at the foot of the king pales in comparison to anything that you can get after the military so Wow so I'm convinced military members we are used to going after a global campaign much much bigger than ourselves yeah and world war two the military defeated Nazi Germany during the forty one year gone and the 41 years of the Cold War we won the Cold War after 9/11 we global war on terrorism to keep this nation safe so it's in our DNA as military members to be as part of something much much bigger than ourselves and so when they take off the uniform they want to be part of something bigger than himself and what's the bigger than it you can have and going after the Great Commission after every tribe tongue and nation and so why was it that I left the military and nobody ever even came up to me and asked that question so here's my ministry my my ministry my ministry is I want to go every year there are 200,000 people that leave the military the US military I won't repeat that number 200,000 people and I want to get in front of as many people as I can and I want to ask them one question have you ever thought about going into global missions and using your gifts and talents that you learned in the military that could be like the next dr. Ralph winter out there and and and I'm convinced that if you look at these six thousand six hundred and eighty-eight unreached people groups there's are some difficult places to go all could imagine and military members already have experience going to these places yeah so we want to build we're headquarters here because we feel it's important to be here where dr. Renner focused the world on unreached people a perfect place for you have an office gosh and and you know what we want to build chapters and the twenty largest military cities in the nation because we want to build that pipeline out where the military members are so one Norfolk to San Diego three Washington DC for Seattle and build those chapters because we want to build that pipeline why are we building this pipeline okay we want to build this pipeline back to there's 250 gateways that I talked about yes it's more than just us going out and talking about put your gifts and talents at the foot of the king but we want to have a so what and the so what is that 250 gateways and we're still working on that as to work under uh under under work and so thank you for allowing me to speak yes so encouraged I mean I can see it I mean it makes so much sense doesn't it right I mean it's it's a no-brainer that's like why wasn't this obvious of God's land in your lap I mean it just seems so obvious but we haven't seen it God revealed it to you through in your journey and now it's happening it's really cool you know Nathan in the United States for 130 years ever since the student volunteer movement we have been focused like a laser on the college campuses yeah and rightly so think about there's you know just what is a student volunteer movement but keep being here people but I don't exactly know what are these yeah so DL Moody back on Northfield campus where's that in Massachusetts Oh Massachusetts he brought together a hundred students called the mount term and 100 and he's not 100 where our nation was in 1870 okay we were a building economic power but we are still getting our legs underneath us yes we really didn't have a missing mission sending organization here in the United States yeah there was nothing to send people out so these college students got together and made a commitment off of them a hundred and said we want to go into the mission field it started that's the student volunteer moving its mission its missions and it was a hundred and thirty years ago and so that the thousands of missionaries that started from that and so it really started focused on going after students and college campuses rightly so because they're young they got their whole life ahead of them and so really that's been the model that we've used for 130 years yes and praise God that we do that we go to the campuses and look for them but maybe there's six thousand six hundred and eighty eight unreached people groups maybe we need a different skill set because here's a sad fact that 90% of all Christian missionaries that we currently send out to the field 90 percent go to evangelized reached people groups currently the body of Christ is only sending 10% to unreached people groups so what am I saying I'm just saying that we need to focus on every pool of laborers out there and I'm convinced that there's 200,000 people that leave the military let's just say only 10% of our believers yeah that's still 20,000 people that leave the military every year and I want to get in front of as many of them as I can and say have you ever thought about the Great Commission wow that's awesome we'll have to make a video for you amen thank you yeah thank you well he's been gracious she's been a great supporter of this and so I thank her for you know allowing this opportunity and and you know there was there was enough to do that would have to do a video I fool you so when these guys come here at least you can give them a link just to send something right a little video link about about your ministry and what's happening yeah yeah and you know we had each of Africa in there and the Bolanos opening and you know shameless plug right now but it's really really easy it's it's MF M the number four yeah am calm and so that's our website it's up and running again and it's well here's it em oh yeah MFM number four m MF M 4 M dot-com and and and Nathan it's we're not even two months old so it's funny when when we started this ministry people said David we've heard of soft launches we've heard of hard launches and then what you're trying to do a vertical launch and so and so we're a vertical launch but we're less than two months we already have our IRS designation for a 501c3 we just got that in the mail and I tell you the grassroots getting it from military members how can we help how can we support how can we get involved has has just been amazing i and so I really think like we're really striking on to something of a need out there now I want to say something that it's not just about that gentleman or that lady that's about ready to leave the military because when I go around to the these locations and I go on on campus when I go on to the base to the chapel or when I go to the churches around the base it's not just about that individual that's about ready to leave because I want to speak to that young captain that's in the middle of his career and I want to challenge him and I want to say guess what don't go after your MBA go after ministerial studies or go after a missions degree or start reading biographies about Hudson Taylor's and just start planning that seed in them is good and so when this pipeline at the end and that's really all I wanted to do because for most people in the military then there's a shelf-life to their right service time isn't there right and that use by date that comes up and then here's the last component of what I want to do with this ministry and here's the other thing the number of volunteers coming is just amazing that want to help is I want to go around to as many mission agencies and organizations and I want to advocate on behalf of military members and saying if you graphed one or two military members into your organization here's what they can bring to your organization so there's an advocacy piece as that as well so as people say that they want to come forward it's not enough to just train them up and send them to the mission field but maybe we can put one or two of them in Y way more one or two of them in this mission agency or whatever so I want to advocate because of that and here's my pitch when you bring a military member into your organization and you graph that one or two members into your organization this is what a military member brings and I've just boil it down to three things come on one a spirit of excellence when you bring a military member into your organization you bring somebody who understands the spirit of excellence and all a spirit of excellence really is is doing work of a caliber of a king okay so any organization secular nonprofit Christian needs to know about a spirit of excellence one two you bring somebody who understands commander's intent when we're out doing our military mission away from wherever it is that one soldier away from wherever he is he understands what the commander's intent is yes and the commander doesn't have to be continued to give him instructions and he knows whatever he's doing needs to be aligned with commander's intent so any organization doing what the commander's intent is this important and then the third thing and this is the most important and you spoke about Marines and it's called being a joint force and I believe military members and ever since 1985 goldwater-nichols where the US military was mandated that we would be joined now what does that mean you spoke about Marines yeah I needed to open a Marine base in at a foreign country and I took my civil engineers I took my cooks I took my money and I was an Air Force guy and it was the right thing to do to go set up that base for those Marines I didn't go there not an Air Force guy it's the right thing to do and so when we come together and fight as a joint force prior to 1985 yeah what happened then this is this is where there was too much sig aggression in that yes so I'll give you the example of the Vietnam War yep the air force flew one air war over Vietnam yeah the Navy flew another air war over Vietnam they were in different parts and they wouldn't even combine okay they didn't even know how to fly together and that was pre 1985 yep Congress said you will operate as a joint war fighting entity and so the first opportunity where you could see a joint team coming together was the opening night of Desert Storm yes and on the opening night of Desert Storm 19 1991 January show the TV I can remember that oh my gosh on the TV when I was living back in Queens in Australia always yeah so that wasn't the end of the world was dying so that was the power of a joint force coming together and services putting down their services and on that night that was the first time it really they implemented that combining and so on that night you saw Air Force oh you saw Navy you saw army Apache helicopters taken her out radar sites and you saw Navy Tomahawk missiles and that's 5,000 sorties on the opening night so that's the power of when service is put together they're down there services and they work together as a joint force and I believe that's at the principle when you bring a military person on it's not about my ministry it's not about this ministry it's about ministries working together it's not about my department it's not about my silo it's about us coming together and it's that synergy and so when you bring a military person into your organization so that's why it made perfect sense for Heidi to say David go back and find like-minded organizations which we can partner with so we can develop synergies when the body of Christ gets that principle down and we start operating together as a joint force that the enemy will will scatter yes well I can Desert Storm hahaha never running back fast yeah so Wow yeah that's really cool Wow your honor thing something amazing here David it's you know because we honor the military in this nation I mean honest ever and asked when you're on the final call ensures that you military or ex-service oh yeah there's every way they're bringing all this at Home Depot you can get 10% off if you're military ex-military and I need to tell you so I so Nathan here during Veterans Day I'm gonna have yeah it's November 11th and and one of the local Christian radio stations for the First World War yes because 11-11-11 we have a site thing in Australia we could remember it's Dyke right on the 11th now on the other birth month yeah yeah so a local tomatillo supplement yeah it was it was war one yeah and that's when they had the armistice that's when it finally came down yeah so you you you sparked this question at me and a local Christian radio station you know fortunately I'm gonna have the opportunity to speak on Veterans Day on their own about this ministry and and and and this was the question they said they go David we've been trying to figure out how we can honor military members here at this Christian a radio station and I looked at them and I said and after I shared with him about the Great Commission and you know and I said if you want to honor military members don't have them stand up on Sunday I'm a on Veterans Day and get a one hour a one minute standing ovation we like that but don't honor us by by having a parade on that day don't honor us by giving us free Dodgers tickets or free Lakers tickets don't honor us by giving us a job after the military honor us by pointing us and encouraging us and supporting us and grafting us into the Great Commission oh come on and I said if you really really really want to honor military members help us as many of us as you can to help us put our gifts and talents at the foot of the king that's how you can honor us all those other things are great and I love it yeah but if you really want to honor us we're used to being a part of a global campaign much much larger than itself get as many of us afterwards and it was awesome because they started brainstorming right in front of me and they said Wow could you imagine if we got like wounded warriors together and just allowed them to the significance that they would find a their gifts and talents it's a sort of the king of towards the Great Commission could you imagine how much significance they can have knowing that they're doing something that matters I mean it really matters yeah it totally yeah something that's yeah that's really gonna count yes Wow [Music] David this is really really exciting well I wanted to say thank you to you and this podcast and what you've done for iris and and why the law stands las' matters I mean we're transmitting from here this is an entertainment media capital of the world and it's a technology thing as well yeah the the the times and seasons in which we live it's not by accident that there's six thousand six hundred eighty eight unreached people groups it's like God always puts a technology or capability there before we need it the Roman Road system it was there in existence prior to Christ and these disciples that were going to get persecuted and get shotgun out across the world so we live in a day in time where we can transmit a message and you can give your testimony on Facebook and around and and so it's not by accident and so you hear responsible for Irish media and here what we're doing here and the importance of it and transmitting that message I just wanted to say thank you you've been with Iris for many many years you serve many many years with Iris and so that 10 months and serving with you and Sarah it's just been a great honor to know you so this is a great opportunity thanks right yeah hey my friend absolutely gosh now David I really want to talk to you also about your own journey we've gone man no no we born into a Christian family I wasn't I wasn't and where were you really born yeah so I was born I was born in Washington DC no why Wow I was born in Washington DC was your dad and in politics no no my dad was a humble carpenter who who adopted me and you I was adopted and he didn't have a 401k retirement plan he had hands of leather and I showed up on his doorstep at the age of one month old and he adopted me and so just amazing sacrifice of a family doing that but is amazing as that was I did not grow up knowing Christ yeah and I did not have a personal relationship with him and so I was a success in the world's eyes I was the valedictorian of my high school of 700 students in Washington DC area I I went to Virginia Tech and became an aerospace engineer and why and then I got commissioned in the Air Force and it became a second lieutenant and so I was at the age of 25 I was a success in the world's eye and I showed up at work at Air Force Station and I saw that's we it was yeah it was in San Angelo Texas that's a big military yeah it was but I thought I fell off the face of the planet being a Washington DC guy and I was and I was in West Texas this is a promotion what else well but god slows you down and that's where I met God and I'll tell us the story and 25 to get to San Antonio I'm 25 you're working on aircraft are you with people I'm working with Space Command we're tracking satellites and at a radar site come on and so there were two Christians at work they had a relationship with Christ in the military though yeah yep one was an officer one was enlisted and I watched him like a hawk and I just saw that they had something that I didn't have and and through their lifestyle you know and and their verbal I saw whatever they had although I was deemed a success in the worlds I all that success that I saw in them something that I wanted to have and so on September 30th 1992 I pulled over on the side of the road about a mile away from from work and I asked right just before you marry know that it gets better okay so hang on it's like a meal was she a Christian at this stage she was but she in the military but that young airman who I told you said said lieutenant Ferro there's a there's a Bible study with a bunch of young people I think you enjoy going there so I asked Christ into my heart and Nathan I went home at night and I just devoured the Bible on the weekends I just studied it and so I started going to this Bible study and with these young people and my wife Camille she would go on and become my wife she left us that he was just died in it we I didn't even I was meeting her she quit her job in Manhattan New York City she worked for a Christian ministry in the national parks where she would go around to all these seminaries and colleges and get students to go on Sundays in the national park and give church services so she had the best job on the planet and and she would and she was she quit that job to go to San Angelo Texas and take care of her 9 year old grandfather and so you okay yeah and that was a in connection with you did she know you know she didn't know me so that's what her grandfather was aging she came from Manhattan you know yeah to people who thought they fell off the face of the planet in West Texas West so I go to this Bible study and I need this kamil who's just on fire for the Lord and leading it and I said Wow you'd have to be like Billy Graham to ask her out on a date and so I didn't ask her out on a date but I did asked her to marry me and and do you know the date that I asked her to marry me I asked her one year to the day and to the time and the exact location where I asked Christ into my heart one year later September 30 1993 is Camille so the place where I made the most important decision in my life I made the second most important decision of my life and we went on our honeymoon and we went to Israel over Passover and cool and she's been with me for 22 years an amazing woman of God 22 years 15 military moves and just our two sons and just I'm suppose you feel a lot of time away from me family and your boys in you I did so that dies a longest time me it was that time in Kuwait yeah and and and really that had a lot to do with me getting out of the military because do the math they were ten and seven so I was away from them for an entire year in Kuwait and you know what Nathan they will only be ten and seven once in their life and so the joy that I have now of driving my son to school and to just being there and doing homework and so God makes all things beautiful and it's just been great to reconnect with my boys wow you've given up a law for for your country and now God's using it well I tell you I just you know serving something bigger than myself yeah and now putting your gifts and talents at the foot of the King and seeing the body of Christ work together and and in ministries working together and any other yeah I made such a picture of that here isn't it I mean I'll give you an example instacart initiative I heard mark Greene talk about how we want to get that number to zero yeah and he said yeah and so the component of that is every language needs to have a Bible in their own name so currently there's like 2,000 languages that don't have their own Bible you know turn back to o'clock 1920 Townsend who started Wycliffe Bible Translators he's down in Central America and he hands his Spanish Bible to one of the tribesmen and at Rice and says well if your gods so all-knowing how come he can't give me a Bible in my own language and that was in 1920 so right now there's about 2,000 languages that I don't have a Bible and this is how the body of Christ is getting serious now the markering and is the car initiative said all right we want Wycliffe this the company we want Biblica and American Bible Translators these four entities we want to lock you in a room and we want you to decide which ones are going to go after the 2000 and don't duplicate and here's the standard and we need to get busy on this and so that's what I love now in the time in which we live the mobilization of resources everything's coming together and we as the body of Christ going after the things where our strengths and our talents are as an organization and coming together as different how powerful is that to have those four bible translators sitting in a room and saying I'll take these 500 you take these 500 you take these 500 and you take these 500 all with the focus of getting that number down to zero yeah yeah I mean that's what the body of Christ should be doing right now mm-hmm unity working together right Wow David that's so encouraging come on you're so fired up but it's so great to see you just being launched into your your destiny here you know and God using everything about your whole past and I love that that God does that doesn't he it takes all of what we've done all about fear in Sebastin and and has a convergence towards our destiny in the great commission in revealing him to those who've never met him and we have the privilege of knowing how King we're in relationship with him and there's millions in the world that don't you have heard of him and there's millions who have never heard of him and how didn't have a chance to know him do you do you mind if I close with just as one vignette Steve Jobs Stanford graduation speech is a real famous graduation speech commencement speech and he says in life you really can't connect the dots going forward you really can only connect the dots going backwards and so nobody would ever known when he flunked out of college that there was one class that he really really loved and it made no sense at the time for him to take it it was called calligraphy class made no sense at the time but fortunately for you and I he took that class because what that calligraphy class when we turn on our computer we have 2000 different fonts to choose from so that one data point brought such beauty into the life it never made sense at the time but going backwards we can see that that was such a big big significant event and I believe Nathan we as Christians so much more this tapestry that we have so we look back and it made no sense at the time for me to get a masters degree in ministerial studies back 16 years ago yeah but but you know God waste nothing absolutely in in in the life of a believer come on and and so all these things all this go left all let's go write all these calligraphy I'm convinced this believers we all have calligraphy classes in our life that we can point back to yes and so when we ask Christ into our life and we want to be a participant in his story history come on because every generation has that choice to play a part in his story and he'll go back and he'll show those things that you are eminently qualified for such a time as this Wow and so thank you for that and and that's a prophetic word right there nice if you're listening that is the prophetic word right now Wow thank you so true I just feel like just to pray quickly ah David you sort of you pray with me and just you just won't release something to any just what you're feeling on your heart God we just thank you for what you've done with David and his life and just how you bring everything together and just the the Great Commission and just how military people when they're released it's just such a great opportunity to serve the world I've been serving their country and now they can serve their God in this practical way we deciced you to bless David's ministry and bless his as may this be a great mobilization and a great salvation for Manning through our military members who were really just loved and we honor them because I've given so much last one but there's so much more opportunity for them Oh in the spirit yes well Larry thank you that you've given all gifts and talents or we thank you for the men and women who serve Lord you go back and you look in the New Testament and you look at those seven different Centurions mentioned in the New Testament Lord and you don't have to look any further than Cornelius the first Gentile believer and Lord it's not by accident these individuals who understand Authority these individuals who understand mission these individuals who understand purpose I thank you Father God that we would just that you would just use this poll of Labor's for such a time as this Lord use this ministry in whatever manner you see fit and and Lord we just thank you Father God we thank you thank you for iris thank you for Nathan thank you for Elijah for for having the vision for having these podcasts that I believe we're on number 13 14 and Lord just continue to use this bless our time here in Los Angeles as we transmit this message around the globe it's in the your son's name we pray amen yes so guys remember if you know anyone in the military or whatever david's website is MF m for number four m MF M before M so mobilizing former military for missions dot-com David thank you so much for coming in it's been amazing to hear at a fuller version of your story because we shared the other day and it was I was so excited but this is great too thank you to really see God doing so much and and and you so excited and passionate about it cuz you've got a lot to be passionate about amen my gosh I mean I'm excited yeah so guys thanks for listening today leave a comment if you want and we'll be back soon with another podcast have a great week this podcast is presented by Iris Bible for more information or to support the work of iris global please visit us on at iris global link you can also text to give simply text the amount you'd like to donate to five three zero three three eight three eight and three seven or to speak to someone at iris global call our office at five three zero two five five two zero seven seven iris global is an international Christian mission and relief organization with a focus on working amongst the poorest of the poor and those most in need we hope this podcast has inspired your journey thanks for joining us for iris after hours

Channel: Iris Global

Views: 3,291

Rating: 4.7948718 out of 5

Keywords: iris after hours, iris after hours podcast, iris global, iris global ministries, iris global africa, Heidi Baker, Rolland Baker, Nathan Kotzur, Crystalyn Human, iris missions, iris missionaries, stop for the one, iris ministries, christian missionary, christian missions, missionary NGO, missions NGO, free, encouraging, testimony

Id: xljFohNQi9w

Length: 50min 37sec (3037 seconds)

Published: Thu Nov 10 2016