Sharing Jesus In Hard Places and Scary Situations

Brad:
Hey everyone, welcome to GoMad on the Road. That's right. We are sitting here at Warrior Leadership Summit, which is a youth conference for hundreds of Native American young people across North America.

So if you hear some noise in the background, it's a good thing. It means things are happening. We've got a special guest with us today, Sabin, who is going to share some of his story with you.

You don't want to miss out on this one here on Go Mad

Doug:
So here we are at Warrior Leadership Summit. Um, we're at camp, back to camp food. Yeah. Have you ever noticed that it doesn't matter what is being served in the camp food, they always will give you one roll.

Brad:
It's like this it doesn't mean breakfast, lunch, dinner It's because if you can't do any of the other food if you're like I can't eat that. Uh you know I can eat a roll.

Doug:
At least get some carbs going. Now I also wanted to mention Strangely enough, we didn't plan it this way. The three of us are in a baseball fantasy league together. Now we're gonna be silent here and let our audience Figure out who is very much in first right now.

Brad:
At that way, this way Save it and I are Pretty happy that this is a free fantasy league and no monies. Who is in first?

Doug:
Uh rhymes with rug. Well, we're glad that y'all are joining us today. Um, we're talking about sharing the gospel in hard places, in hard situations, talking about on eagle's wings, as we talk with Saban today, who is a great leader for the kingdom.

Um you're gonna hear yourself in this story. Listen for yourself in this story because I look as believers we know it's our responsibility to share the hope of Jesus with people, but we also know that we run into a lot of the same Issues, fear, worries about how are how are people gonna respond? Um so as you listen to the story today Saban story today, listen for yourself because there are some really amazing ways that God is working in Sabin's life and the lives of on Eagleswings leaders.

And if you're in a tough place or in a tough situation, maybe your family doesn't know the Lord, you're in a tough work spot, workplace, and you're in a difficult situation, well You're gonna hear about great ways to confront that uh as you hear Saban's story too.

Brad:
Yeah, and I'll say that uh it's pretty cool because Doug and I have had the uh just honor the joy of Getting to know Saban even better this past year because Saban, why don't you just tell us? Introduce people to you, uh name, tribe, where you're from, and even what you were up to this past year.

Sabin:
Yeah, so uh my name's Avan. Um I'm Anakamala Atum. Uh that's the way how we pronounce it, or the other name people know with Kila.

Uh I'm from Cotdale, Arizona on the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian community. And uh the patch here, I just recently graduated MA from the Leadership Center. Uh it's a life changing experience, I would say, for anyone who ever thought of what to do next in life, whether it'd be graduating from high school, uh, you know, graduating from college or just doing whatever, you know, know what's going on.

Brad:
Uh that was a really good life changing experience. Oh, that's awesome. I I Uh we've loved being able to get to know Saban Moore this past year because when you get to know him, you get to know that yes, he is a great guy with a great story, but You're a pretty funny guy too.

I mean you keep people cracking up a lot. Yeah. Uh which I love because joy of the Lord.

You you know that we can have fun as followers of Christ, as ambassadors of Christ, but you also know that there's a time when you gotta lock in yeah and and be serious about stuff, especially the gospel. As people are watching this We're not sitting around this table as people are seeing this and hearing this. We are out, especially Saban is out on a reservation basketball court somewhere.

that uh he is setting up and he is telling people about Jesus. Now, before we get to what that's all about, tell us a little bit about how you first met Jesus. What's your hope story?

I mean I've heard it, but People need to hear this. Yeah. So uh it all started like before I was born, you know, uh my dad left.

Sabin:
He thought it would be better for me not to I wouldn't say get like knowing who he was, it would just be like his lifebound and what he was doing at that time. So he left before I was born. Oh, he asked my mom when that I kept his last name.

So that's why my last name, Miguel, and indifferent from my other family of when I was born, another umbilical cord wrapped around my neck. It crushed my airway in a sense. And my airway's like that tiny, tinier than a penny.

So uh growing up it was hard to breathe. I still have trouble breathing sometimes when I sleep. So when I sleep I tend to stop breathing for a couple of seconds.

But uh I developed a list because I learned how to talk through my nose and breathe out my mouth. And so growing up it was really hard. I was bullied constantly at cool for it, you know, people who I thought were my friends.

uh ended up joining in on the bullying with me. Uh that would mean up most of the time, even on the bus on the ride home. Uh I uh my mom, she ended up getting married again to our stepfather, you know.

There wasn't good times with him and there was the bad times. Uh Uh going back to my my breathing, um they looked in my airway. I will go to feature therapy.

I will go to feature therapy They would teach me like all these exercises to do and so one of the exercises I remember to slow down when I peak because How me psychologically how I think it in that I gotta get everything out before I run out of breath. And so I tend to feed up my talking and then I run out of breath. But None of that would work until one day my feet therapist decided to look into my throat and that's when the whole airway thing would be covered.

Uh she called my mom in and I don't really remember that day. I just remember I'll playing with something off to the side and I just remember my mom breaking down crying. Because they'd had no idea.

Um one dinner I remember we were eating steak and steak was always hard for me to eat any type of meat were always hard for me to eat. Uh And to because I want to eat a lot, you know, I was really small, had a really, really fragile body, I guess you could say And um even when I was like ten and uh I would be like smaller than everyone, everyone shot up in size, I was smaller than everyone in our grade. People used to joke that if a gut the wind came, they would just pick me up and take me like that.

That's how small I was. And so Um, one day, going back to the story, one day we're eating meat, I think it was steak one day, and I only took a couple bites and I was finished. And Um my mom uh they got mad at me because I was wasting food and basically wasting food because I wanted to eat it all.

But it was because I would choke on the meat and other types of food is whenever I would eat And so I would be afraid to eat and they sent me home. Uh they not home, I was already home. They sent me the bed because yeah, I wouldn't eat and then they thought I was waiting for food And that's what my mom remembers and that's why she went breaking down crying because they had no idea, they had no clue.

uh fact forward I get tonsil surgery and I got my tonsils removed and um With my stepdad, he he was nice, he was nice on Sundays and then other times there were bad memories, of course. Um but I remember one day I'm outside with Him, my sister and our dogs. We used to have they were German shepherds, so they were big boys.

But um I remember one day uh I told him I'm gonna go inside to get it back. And I was watching my little sister at the time too, because she was a baby. And I told him I'm going inside and getting a snack and he said okay.

And I go inside to get a snack. And I don't know, right here the door. Slab open and I just see a lot of foottips and he grabbed me by my neck and he dragged me outside um I was trying to keep up with him too, but I went too slow and like my feet dragged and I was thrown downstairs um because during that time I went to go get a snack one of the dogs and knocked over my little sister.

And Fast forward, uh my mom and stepdad get divorced. Um back to I have three three older siblings, including my little sister, but I'm the youngest out of the During the time I was the youngest. I was uh I was considered the baby.

Uh I don't know. Then oh man, you know how that's like with that. Saves the best for last.

No. I always say my mom knew she got the right one so she popped. Please don't say that. But um You know, my siblings weren't always nice to me.

We had our oldest one. Uh I kinda I look up to him as my s my savior then. Well we'll say that.

We'll come forward back to that. But um my two older siblings would bully me, he would be the one to find them, get after them. And so one one day my older brother left when he turned eighteen and that kinda left me at the mercy to my two older siblings.

So um and always heard my mom, she was a single mom, of course, before she found my stepdad, you know. Um She would go work early in the morning and then come back late at night and would have the time to take care of it too, but still she would be uh tired of course from coming home and working long days. But um yeah that left me to the mercy of my older brother in Sinclair when he was at work and um my older the older brother too he both the brothers move out And I'm like me and my older sister there.

So um she ends up leaving my older sister ends up leaving two one day, so it just me, my stepdad and my sister and me. Um later on in the future my mom and my stepdad divorced and my mom happened to run into the pasture at uh the grocery store who ended up marrying my mom and stepdad and he asked her how she was doing they caught up a bit and she told them what had happened and he invited her to church. And so she goes to church.

Come back and the next week I'm put uh brought along because I was a teenager at the time or not a teenager, pre-teen they call him. Preaching at the time, I was mad, but at the same but now I'm thankful for it. That the verse first verse she ever heard was After me in my house we will serve the Lord.

So she brought me with her and Uh I've been going there for a year. Uh the next year I during that time I hear about this man named Jesus. Um he loved me.

He I I heard about the stuff he went through with the whole being beaten, being made fun of, and not being able to fit in. Wow. And so I and I figured out that he died for us, of course, and so that way we could have a better life.

And just seeing the love And the happiness to my mom. Like I wanted to feel that too. And so at a young age, uh I accepted the Lord into my heart.

My heart. In my heart. And that relationship, I began that relationship and after that everything been looking up, of course.

Um my brother and sister, they Stop treating me bad, you know. If you see us now, we're like the best of friends. Um And all my brothers, even my older brother too, he's he came back into our life and Uh they've all accepted the Lord too.

They all began that relationship. And from back then compared to now, like it was like the best thing ever. You know, we're all one big happy family now.

Brad:
Oh. You saw in Jesus someone that you related to. Yes.

And the reason you got to see that is because someone told you about who Jesus really was. And all of a sudden because someone talked about him There you are saying that's I I get that. That's the kind of guy that I've I've been through that.

Doug:
And this is on Eagle's wings. I mean this this is what so I I mean as I hear that I'm thinking of I mean I'm on Eagles Wings officially Native young people going to Native American communities across the country into Canada. Sharing the hope they have with other Native Americans.

I've been going for 30 something years, have seen so many come to Jesus through it. Um And and I'm just hearing over and over as I'm hearing your story all of the hope stories that have been brought by Native American young people saying The reason I know I know Jesus is because I could relate to him. I've heard I've I how many times have we heard One of you all go uh sharing your hope story and saying, I had heard he was uh white man's god.

I had heard all of these things, but when I uh when I actually investigated for myself Mm-hmm. I found uh Jesus that a God that that came here, came to this earth as a human so he could relate to me. What so that's that's what on Eagles Wings is officially, but for you, what is on Eagles Wings?

What's your experience been like? Um how would you describe it to somebody that that asked you about it

Sabin:
I would say it's like one big family. Like that's what it truly become like everyone every year. You know, uh They've become closer to me than some of my even my own family.

Um it is a life-changing experience, you know. Ever since joining the team I've been doing things I thought I never would have doing growing up. Uh of course traveling to different reservations, finding the finding the love and hope that we found in Jesus.

You know.

Brad:
I've been so many places. One of our um Cooks once said, she said, when you're with on eagle's wings, it's like you're chasing God's glory. You're you're what's the next thing God's gonna do?

Um and I love what you said about this one family, that is a big family because It it's from tribes across the country. The OEW team is 30 to 40 young people usually that have applied for the team. They've gotten passers references, all this.

And they come together from all over the place. They won't, you just don't know each other when you start. And then all of a sudden, the common bond of you found this Jesus because someone told you about him.

And that's what I love about the team is. You're standing on basketball courts in places you've never been in front of people who are some at sometimes some of the toughest people from that community. But you guys are dauntless, you're courageous, you are bold, and I've seen so many who have learned from you guys that wait, if they can do this, if they can share Jesus in these hard situations, Shouldn't I be doing more of that?

Doug:
We've got folks who are listening to the podcast right now who are going, what is an on Eagle Wing Um uh or and some folks who know what it is, but everyone listening has had that experience of I'm in a tough spot right now. I know this person needs Jesus. I I I'm kinda scared they have no interest in hearing and if you're I we know you guys have faced some tough crowds.

You're sharing your hope story. You're not exactly, people aren't exactly looking at you going, oh Wow, tell me more, you know, but so what i i for f but everybody has been there in a tough spot. You must have felt fear, you must have felt um concerned about what's the response gonna be.

So how do you deal with that? I mean what what do you do? Because you guys don't just share your hope story in front of which is awesome enough in front of hundreds of people sometimes But after that you're going one-on-one, each of you, mu sometimes multiple times in the night, talking with people, sharing your hope story with one person individually.

So for folks who are listening who face some of the same concerns, fear. What would you tell 'em? When do you how do you deal with it?

Um prayer

Sabin:
Prayer of course obviously top of the litter. Uh before every reservation we always pray the three open prayer, the open the door, open their hearts, and open my mouth. Um Starting off with that, of course, you know they're in different verses too.

Talk talk about being courageous, being fearless. Yeah. The one that I always remember in Joshua 1 9.

Be strong, be courageous, and don't be afraid and don't be discouraged for the Lord Your God is on his side. Wherever you go.

Brad:
He's so if you're watching on video, Saban is verser sizing, as my dad calls it, because he will teach the team these different verses every summer as we're traveling with the team. And this was one last year, year before, where be a strong and courageous. So anyway, I love that you just I do the same thing. I can never remember those.

Sabin:
That's pretty awesome, you can remember them. I can never remember those. Uh but Yeah, prayer hearing, always hearing that the lamb that we're gonna be on and prayed for, and that we have people all over praying for us You know, uh I've always been afraid going to new different places and especially different reservations where I don't know Like I only know my reservation, but going to these different places you can see the similarities of back at home and finding finding some like little place you're familiar with and Of course, like I said, prayer.

You always hear about it. So the ground we're on, where we're at, prayed for, knowing you have You're not alone there. You have of course you have the whole team there too and people you can lean back on too that you know like if you were to fall they would catch you.

Doug:
I think that was Charles Spurgeon who said prayer isn't, or might have been Oswald Chambers who said prayer isn't part of the work or even preparing for the work. Prayer is the work. It's crazy to go into a a difficult situation sharing about the Lord without having gotten that ground ready first.

It's so interesting. that you say, um, you know, that scripture that says uh that the Lord goes ahead of us. Um, you know, you guys find that when you go to a community, he's already been there.

He's already prepared the ground and you guys are are there to be the harvesters.

Brad:
But I I think what else we see you with the team, you you m mentioned some as far as the praying the three open prayer and everything is When we're ready, when we've known what to say, when we've thought about the thought that through as far as and yeah, yeah, we we equip the team with

Doug:
kind of a uh simple approach and everything but that that you that they you guys have before you go into the situation you have even practiced with each other, going this is the scripture. If I really want to lead someone to the Lord, this is the scripture. This is I need to at least know the the the and communicate the basics here.

So Y yes, you pray, but you guys do a great job, Raggy Lead of Bootcamp. Maybe if you're listening you need your own kind of personal boot camp, going into the word. These are the scriptures that do a shameless plug.

Brad:
Do a shameless plug. If you are right, a lot of what we teach the team is found on your hope story from our hope story.

Doug:
com.

Brad:
Yes, calm will you can see a lot of what we go through is that because it's about getting to Jesus through your story. And anyone can do that. But your hope story. com and Anyone and can do it.

Doug:
And getting your getting oh getting getting to the hope of Jesus through your story, because everybody has a story

Brad:
Right. And so the when you're going into a community, you're finding common ground. I I can't tell you how many times team members come back from events and it you you kinda got to this where You they come back and they say, I met me out there.

Yeah. There's a lot of people like us out there that are waiting for someone to connect with them Help them to feel seen and all of a sudden that opens doors and tear it tears down walls because you guys are being real You're sharing your story, you're asking them their story, and you're getting to Jesus' story. And when they do that, you're ready.

It's not like, oh, what do I say now? Oh no, I don't know what it's the gospel's the gospel. You can dive on in and share that.

So I appreciate that about this team, that it's always about that. I'm ready. I'm prayed up.

And I'm gonna go out there, no matter what the result is, I'm gonna faithfully keep after it.

Sabin:
And going back to what he said about fighting me, uh that's what Ron always tells us before the trip. Is there's gonna be seven things we found and that the one that always picks out to me is you're gonna find a you. And you're gonna find a you.

Doug:
You know, what one of the things that that um that we've heard dad say so many times is is that uh sometimes the best gospel sharers are people who remember what it's like before they had Jesus, their B C time. The the person you're scared of sharing a gospel with, and maybe this is how you guys get some of your courage, if I'm hearing you right, is that I recognize this is this was just me before Jesus and I may not have had the best look on my face. I may have seen disinterested but deep down I know I needed something Um uh I love that I love that I met me. Um can you tell us um you've shared your hope story.

Brad:
Yeah.

Doug:
Um what What has been important to you as you've shared it? What's going through your mind? How have you prepared yourself when when it's time to go and be in front of people and share your hope?

Sabin:
Uh I think going through my mind, it's to remember that I am Christ's Christ's ambassador and to hope that when people see me they see Jesus. in me and working through me. And I remember one time during one of the reservations after I got done sharing my story, someone came up to me and they said of going through all that stuff you did growing up and to see you now and you just got a big old smile on your face and You know that it sorry if I get emotional, but um of please you know, it ain't crazy seeing How I grew up in a different situation.

And of course there are people who went through that too. And now when They see me, they just see one person who's always smiling and a gorgeous year with you guys too. That's one thing you guys always bring up and then I'm always smiling no matter what the situation.

And just To know me now that I wish I had someone like me now back then when I'm going to do that.

Doug:
So so you the if you're listening if you're listening you can be that if I'm getting my pronouns right i the you can be the me that um they you remember being Um, that's such a huge point remembering your Christ's ambassador, because as we're as we're praying, I'm hearing we're praying, we're being prepared. to know what we're going to say when we share the gospel, use your story because everyone's got a story. Um And and I'm hearing, remember your Christ ambassador, that the people you're sharing the gospel with, it's usually a friend, it's usually a co-worker, uh it's not usually a stranger.

But remembering your Christ Ambassador that they're watching you and they're recognizing that's why they want to know Who this Jesus guy is because he changed Saban. My my wife the same thing. Just briefly to remember I'm sure you have run into this The people in her family, she's Navajo, the people in her family, she was the most positive, would never want to hear about Jesus.

And maybe they had denied her before Two of them that I'm thinking of specifically, they were family members. When it was time and they were facing some of the worst things in their life, they came to her And said, tell me about this Jesus, because you're the only one in our family that's always smiling, that's always asking and encouraging. And if you know Savan.

Brad:
You're obedient. You've stepped out in faith. Out of your comfort zone.

You've said I care too much about what happens to that person to not tell them about Jesus. I have to tell them because I know someone told me. And I'm not going to leave others behind.

And I think that one of our OEW team members just recently mentioned to me that she said the biggest challenge for me was I was tempted not so much even by some of the worst things from her past or whatever, as by comfort. She said, comfort is what all of a sudden I was settled in at home. I'm just like, yeah, this I I can still make a difference here.

I can be okay here and everything and still be close to Jesus. And she realized. No, I've got to keep going out.

And I see that in Saban because w Saban has gone from us meeting him at Warrior Leadership Summit Being a part of the Own Eagles Wings team, going to the leadership center graduating, and now he's just about a month away, month and a half from being this year's Leadership Center male RA. Wow. That's obedience and faith.

And confidence and courage.

Doug:
Saban, so someone's listening and Brad, that's a great that's a great point bringing up comfort. That might be the top reason. people don't share their faith. It's a lot easier to sit at home. It's a lot easier to go to church and sing our Christian songs.

Brad:
Let the pastor do it even.

Doug:
Let the pastor do it. Um it of course that's not the plan Jesus gave the disciples, it was it was if you're a follower of me, your job is to go and share the gospel. Um but but you could choose i de some of these places we go to it's hot.

It's humid. Sometimes where you're where you're staying isn't very comfortable. You guys sometimes are, I mean, we look for the best place you can possibly stay, but sometimes in the middle of these places you're you're sleeping on a church floor.

Um so, you know, people are in their summer, people have their own decisions to make about um about comfort. I can sit home in my air conditioning, I can watch Netflix, I can let the pastor do it Here's my my bottom line question for you. At the end of the day, what motivates you?

What motivates you to go and choose to be on this team where it can be hard, where there are challenges, amazing things happening? But people listening who are choosing comfort right now and they're starting to realize it as we're listening, what motivates you to go and jump into the fray like that?

Sabin:
There's a lot of things that could that do motivate me. Um I can't put I can't put them from word, but I think knowing that My name's already written in the Lamb Book of Life and I know that I'ma be Uh with Jesus one day in heaven for eternity and not wanting to see people be left behind and experiencing that hope that we found And I always like the story of how your daddy used the Titanic. You know, there are people on the boats who are gonna be saved and there are the ones who are uh wanting to be helped that are in the water.

And I think just knowing that the world needs w need to be saved like yeah, need to be saved in Just experiencing that love and hope that I've I've experienced and that I've come to know like you want everyone else to be happy and knowing um knowing where they're gonna be spending eternity. And I love it, man. That is a good thing.

Doug:
You did just put it into words, man. Um Thank you for giving that. What an incredible motivation.

Brad:
I think that I if you Have listened to this episode I am artists. Listen to this episode. You've heard a roadmap To being able to share Jesus with others.

And I so thank you, Saban, for taking the time for I know you've been running around this week helping out at Warrior Leadership Summit. I'm glad we got to take this time. to hear your story and the difference you're making even through the Ministry of On Eagles Wings but well beyond that as well.

And I would just tell people, pray for these warriors of On Eagles Wings even the rest of this month. When you hear this Press pause. Keep listening then.

But press pause and pray for the Warriors of On Eagles Wings team. And then go find someone to talk to.

Doug:
And go to onegleswings.

Brad:
com. Right? Can we see Hutchcraft. com.

Doug:
Hutchcraft.

Brad:
com. Yeah, go to Hutchcraft. com.

That's right. So everyone, thank you for tuning in to the book. We gotta invite Saban on this one.

Oh we do. We do. You're joining us.

There we go. Go mad