A Bangladeshi’s Journey of Faith, Family, and Mission

00:27.03
Don
So welcome, Russell, to Reflexio. I'm very much looking forward to this conversation.

00:32.85
Russell
Thank you. Yep.

00:34.55
Don
ah Let's just start off by telling us a little bit about your background, your family, your Muslim faith back in Bangladesh.

00:43.13
Russell
yeah Well, thank you. Thank you for this opportunity to share my story with marriage with Jesus Christ. You know, I was born and raised in Bangladesh.

00:54.63
Russell
I'm 47 years old man now and ah ah in a very prominent Muslim family in Chirigong, Bangladesh, where I was born.

00:59.90
Don
Thank you.

01:03.88
Russell
And I have two other siblings, you know, in my family. so I ended up in Bangladesh after my completing my graduations in Denmark and in And then I found my mind my mom my mom was sick. My mother was sick. and She had had ins some disease.

01:23.38
Russell
It was early 2001. So so ah my mom I found my mom, you know, saw her entire life. She was a very devout Muslim, you know, reciting Quran and also praying five times it as possible.

01:36.88
Russell
My entire family is very devout Muslim. So I grown up in that environment and I'm the first born of my parents. So my ah my mother had always a a big attention on me, you know, and being a first born child.

01:48.66
Jenn
Hmm. Hmm.

01:51.45
Russell
So I discovered that she was reading a very, very strange book on her bed during her bedtime, basically.

01:57.04
Jenn
Hmm.

01:57.79
Russell
She could barely talk. She could barely walk, almost paralyzing her body and losing her waist very, very quickly at that stage.

02:09.37
Russell
And I was devastating, you know. um My family was was suffering for financial crisis at that point, you know, to handle this medical care and treatment.

02:20.38
Russell
make a treatment for my family, for my mother basically at that time.

02:21.42
Don
Thank you.

02:24.20
Russell
So he was like very much worried into that direction. And he was reading a book and on her bed and weeping, praying, that's what she was doing.

02:28.08
Jenn
Hmm. Hmm.

02:33.64
Russell
And one day she says she she gave me the book, she said, hey, Russell, read this book and be blessed. There was book that I had no idea, no cover page on it.

02:40.24
Jenn
in

02:43.48
Russell
you know I accepted the book. you know And a few days later, I turned a few pages of the book and I saw it was a New Testament in my copy, in my language.

02:46.60
Don
Thank

02:53.33
Russell
I was surprised. you know I was a little surprised because every Muslim believed that you know Bible has been corrupted and changed. that ice I used to believe the same way.

03:02.40
Jenn
Mm-hmm. Hmm.

03:02.99
Russell
And I came to my mom, I said, Mom, why you gave me this book rather than giving me a a copy of the Quran or Islamic book to read? And she said, my son, this book tells us about the Messiah, Jesus.

03:14.18
Jenn
Hmm.

03:14.71
Russell
Read it and be blessed. And I took as ah like a and a command from my mother. I began reading the book. ah In about a month, I read the four gospels.

03:26.26
Jenn
yeah

03:26.40
Russell
And this four gospel, I read it in about a month. And i in conclusion, I came to my mom. I said, Mom, i told you this book has been changed and crafted. You know, see the same story again and again in four books, wasting the page there.

03:34.73
Jenn
Wow.

03:39.30
Jenn
Wow.

03:39.62
Russell
That's what my conclusion was. And this is what she said. She said, listen, this four story, four people are witnessing Jesus from four different perspectives.

03:45.21
Don
you

03:51.47
Jenn
e

03:51.67
Russell
In four different times it was written and the story is similar, therefore it is true.

03:57.59
Jenn
e

03:58.38
Russell
That was the first move in my life that I have heard the Bible is truth. And I desired to read more and more about Jesus. And I collected the whole Bible. It was not easy for me to collect the whole Bible, the Old Testament and New Testament together.

04:13.19
Russell
But i somehow I managed it to find the Bible.

04:15.44
Jenn
Wow.

04:16.88
Russell
And then i was as I was reading Bible and reading about Jesus, and I felt like I should read the Quran. which i never read before in my language i only recite Quran you know i memorized some surahs there but i had no knowledge yeah i had yeah it's an arabic yeah i had no knowledge about arab arabic i can recite it i can read Arabic but no without and understanding any word of it so that was my journey began then i i began reading the quran in my language and collected these two books and of my

04:24.76
Jenn
Hmm. Hmm.

04:31.61
Don
in Arabic, right? You would say it in Arabic, not in... but

04:37.06
Jenn
man

04:51.46
Russell
A journey began with finding distinguish between these two books. And in the summary that what I did, I've grabbed five prophets based on Islam, the main key prophets of Islam, the prophet Abraham,

05:05.75
Russell
David, Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed. I collected them from all the sources that were possible. And then read all about their stories, where they are from, ah their their lifestyle, their worldviews, their teachings, you know, with their purpose of their life, you know, and how their characters portrayed in the in the books.

05:28.40
Russell
And then finally, I found Jesus was totally different than anybody. I couldn't even compare him with the rest of

05:33.46
Jenn
Hmm.

05:35.94
Jenn
Hmm.

05:37.07
Russell
So my question was, who is Jesus then?

05:37.38
Don
Thank you.

05:39.71
Russell
As a Muslim, I used to be believe that Jesus is a prophet of God, and every Muslim believed it.

05:40.02
Jenn
Hmm.

05:46.06
Russell
And a Christian believed that he's a son of God, and none of them was fit to my understanding at that time.

05:46.12
Jenn
e

05:56.25
Russell
So I was wrestling in that area. It was not easy journey. you know i I tried to give up this journey many times because I thought it was not good for me. you know I was dealing with shame and guilt and also possible persecutions ahead of me that I have never heard any Muslim converted to Christianity.

06:09.39
Jenn
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

06:15.62
Russell
And I was pursuing. And as I was trying to give up, and I felt a divine connection all the time.

06:22.80
Jenn
e

06:23.42
Russell
As I was reading about Jesus, I already fell in love with Him.

06:27.16
Jenn
me

06:27.59
Russell
I couldn't even you know get away from this ah study and from thinking about Him. And in one particular day, actually, i this is what ah it happened.

06:38.63
Russell
I humbled myself in on my prayer, rag and I yelled it to Allah and to help in a direction.

06:43.38
Jenn
Hmm.

06:45.69
Russell
where to go. And I had Quran in front of me. I had the Bible in front of me. And I grabbed the Bible and I read John chapter 3 and 14 over again and again.

06:55.81
Russell
I read this chapter 79, but that was so special time for me.

06:56.97
Jenn
Hmm.

06:59.72
Russell
I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit helping to dive into the word of God and, you find those answers as I was struggling with. I needed assurance.

07:09.77
Don
Thank

07:11.81
Russell
I was like dealing with the shame of being exposed to my faith. you know And then I discovered myself. I was Thomas. I was Philip.

07:24.98
Jenn
Wow.

07:25.11
Russell
I was Nicodemus. And in John chapter 14, when it says, don't let your heart be troubled, it was like speaking to me, my troubled heart. I want my heart to be troubled.

07:34.76
Jenn
Wow.

07:36.02
Russell
And I am the way, the truth, and the life. It sounds like a bold statement to me that the word is speaking to me directly.

07:39.88
Don
Thank

07:44.13
Russell
And I just, I was Thomas. I was doubting him.

07:46.52
Jenn
wow

07:47.58
Russell
I was Philip, the relationship between the father and son in that direction. You know, I was like confused about it.

07:52.72
Jenn
e

07:54.99
Russell
And then and in In John chapter 3, when Nicodemus showed up with Jesus at the night, and then he was he saying the simple term that you need to be born again with the water and the spirit.

08:07.50
Russell
and That simple term convinced my heart very quickly. And then that God had so loved the world, he has sent his begotten son, you know, only son.

08:12.29
Don
so

08:16.92
Russell
Those who believe in him, whoever believes in him shall have eternal life. And I am the one among the whoever's. He's not talking about Christian, Muslims, you know, Jain or like Hindu, Buddhist or ah Jewish.

08:26.47
Jenn
Hmm. Hmm.

08:30.71
Russell
He's talking about whoever believes in him. And the light has come to the earth and I was the one rejecting and denying the light. And that very moment, you know, I felt a divine peace in my heart.

08:43.02
Russell
I felt divined with a divine connection. i knew that Jesus was my is my Savior and Lord. And I accepted Him directly right at that moment.

08:52.39
Jenn
That's amazing.

08:52.69
Russell
And I gave up my large life to the Lord in prayer. I said, Lord, I'm here.

08:56.21
Jenn
a

08:56.67
Russell
want to follow you no matter what. No matter what cost I need to pay, I'm ready here. Accept me. I know who you are and I want to follow you from my heart.

09:08.04
Russell
That's how I gave my life at that moment. It's late 2001. I gave my life to the Lord back in Bangladesh.

09:16.52
Jenn
That's amazing.

09:16.71
Don
the You were in your mid-20s then?

09:19.65
Russell
I was 22. Yeah. Yeah.

09:21.20
Don
22. Wow. Wow.

09:21.72
Jenn
on

09:21.83
Russell
yeah but did you write that yeah

09:27.51
Jenn
I'm struck at the miracle, w Russell, that God appeared to you in this way.

09:29.72
Russell
yeah

09:32.95
Jenn
And yeah.

09:34.09
Russell
It is a miracle,

09:41.01
Jenn
I'm curious, what happened to your mom?

09:41.26
Don
so

09:43.84
Russell
yeah. Well, she died soon after my conversion.

09:46.24
Jenn
She did.

09:47.19
Russell
Yeah, she passed away in 2003, and I became very lonely in that direction.

09:47.23
Jenn
Yeah.

09:50.100
Russell
We had a very little conversation in that environment.

09:53.84
Jenn
e

09:54.50
Russell
i household you cannot talk about those issues it's like a very much ah ah secret conversation that I had very few conversations about my family and next morning i I came to my mom and I said mom I had something happen yesterday and I know who Jesus is I think i want to follow you and she said God bless my son you know she laid her hand on my head and just had a smile on her face and then she says bless me there's a few conversations I had and

09:56.33
Jenn
yeah

10:10.12
Jenn
a

10:13.26
Jenn
Wow. Hmm.

10:23.19
Russell
She received a book actually from her high school where she, her high school was, is located in a small ah pocket of a Christian neighborhood in my hometown.

10:23.25
Jenn
wow

10:33.35
Russell
So where where she lived and she had this book for her entire life.

10:38.72
Don
So do you feel like she was a secret believer a long time or she just liked the book?

10:44.66
Russell
I don't know. I believe she was a secret believer.

10:46.91
Jenn
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

10:47.58
Russell
She was. She knew about Jesus. She knew about the Messiah. and know who how

10:53.67
Jenn
That's amazing.

10:54.59
Russell
She read the book and then passed over to me.

10:56.08
Jenn
Yeah.

10:58.57
Don
that's beautiful. Simple thing.

10:59.11
Jenn
Wow, and gave you the greatest blessing. Just, yeah.

11:03.31
Don
Yeah.

11:03.95
Russell
it is It is a gift from heaven.

11:05.65
Don
Yeah.

11:06.38
Jenn
Yeah.

11:07.79
Russell
passed on me. you know That's how I'm blessed to be a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ. and know That's how God has brought me.

11:16.63
Jenn
and

11:16.71
Russell
And that's my journey began from there. And then I met my wife in 2004 through an online chatting, basically. I was looking for somebody that, and she was also born and raised in a Muslim family. I had no idea what what would happen next. you know So we set up a meeting. She's from Dhaka. I'm from Chittagong. And I set up a meeting and I i went to Dhaka to see her.

11:40.35
Russell
So in our in-person meeting, in the first meeting, I explained my faith. I shared my faith, my journey. And she was like, hu what are you talking about?

11:48.38
Jenn
Hmm.

11:50.93
Russell
know How dare you? I have never heard about you can be a Christian.

11:53.58
Jenn
Hmm.

11:55.53
Russell
I thought that was my first and last meeting with her. But thank God, you know, she called me again.

11:59.45
Don
Wow. Wow.

12:00.73
Russell
She said, hey, Russell, I want to see you again tomorrow. And we met next day and she was sharing something an awesome. She said, I had a dream when I was 15 about Jesus.

12:08.75
Jenn
Hmm.

12:12.63
Don
wow

12:13.22
Russell
Then I said, here you go.

12:13.71
Jenn
e

12:14.64
Russell
This is a part of the world. you know And then I introduced her with my friends, my some Christian friends in her town. So he began attending this Bible study with them. And in one day she came, she said, hey, Russell, I know who Jesus is.

12:28.36
Russell
She gave her life to the Lord.

12:28.90
Jenn
Wow. Hmm.

12:30.18
Russell
And we were baptized the same day in the same church.

12:33.28
Jenn
wow

12:33.96
Russell
then And then we fell in love. you know We married in 2007. John came to our life in the same year he came to our life. He's 17 now. So that's the only child that we have.

12:44.10
Jenn
um

12:46.24
Russell
And there was no end, you know, we were rejected from both families, you know, both families came to know about our faith and then they tried to but convince us to get returned to Islam and then confess and then return to Islam again.

12:50.75
Jenn
a

13:01.81
Russell
And it was like and like a rumor all over my hometown and among my family, community, relatives, friends.

13:02.04
Don
Wow. Wow.

13:09.88
Russell
So we were thrown out of the family. And we were living some place.

13:13.03
Jenn
Wow.

13:14.39
Russell
It was switching place to place you know to hide ourselves.

13:18.19
Jenn
Wow.

13:18.73
Russell
So it was, yeah, I was tortured physically.

13:19.12
Jenn
Wow.

13:22.09
Russell
I was mocked by people many times.

13:22.67
Jenn
Hmm.

13:24.98
Russell
So I was threatened by by my relatives, my distant relatives. But, you know, what this is a journey that i is is took place like 10 years with the torment persecutions.

13:32.37
Don
Thank you.

13:36.100
Russell
I lived inside my home. And I i we began working with the radio ministry in 2006, early 2006.

13:41.44
Jenn
me

13:45.40
Russell
two thousand and six I gave up my my my so my career on that. You know, my I'm an engineer. i i gave up my career, but I just, you know, accepted the call that God had laid out ahead of me.

13:53.65
Jenn
Wow.

13:59.14
Russell
And I was involved with the radio ministry in Bangladesh.

13:59.87
Don
Thank you.

14:02.48
Russell
And in the our late 2008 to 2009, 10 was a crucial time for us.

14:02.86
Jenn
Wow.

14:08.61
Russell
were like, authority was chasing after us. People were chasing after us and trying to force us to convert back to Islam.

14:11.85
Jenn
wow

14:16.28
Russell
And it was like very much, was we were in hardship financially. you know We couldn't focus on our job, our works, our ministry. And then we began praying to have a refuse somewhere.

14:27.84
Jenn
Hmm. Hmm.

14:31.29
Russell
God has... kept the provision for us and I was praying, me and my wife. And eventually God answered our prayer, but at the end of 2011, I an US visa.

14:42.92
Russell
myself received an US visa and I ended up in New York. but No, know ah to some some Christian friends that helped me obtain a visa to come over here.

14:46.87
Don
it Did that come through your brother who was already there? um

14:53.78
Don
okay

14:57.16
Russell
And then I came to America in 2012 and landed with American dream here in America.

15:01.86
Jenn
Wow.

15:04.40
Russell
in know and everyone that My brother was living here before me and he he didn't welcome me.

15:04.89
Jenn
Wow.

15:10.30
Russell
He wanted to send me back home because he couldn't you know control me up down here.

15:10.74
Jenn
wow

15:15.40
Russell
so and this is I had no idea why I was here, you know what but next, you know how to change my status. Yeah.

15:24.94
Don
before you before you get into that can you just share just a bit more about what that was like those 10 years of on the run and persecuted you're living from place to place i mean

15:27.32
Russell
yeah

15:32.87
Jenn
e

15:39.12
Russell
Oh,

15:39.14
Don
Jen and I haven't experienced that. This is not every person's experience.

15:40.100
Jenn
Yeah, yeah.

15:43.55
Don
was, yeah.

15:43.67
Russell
yeah. I mean, yes and you know what, even many Christians,

15:45.04
Don
Yeah.

15:50.13
Russell
that I knew that didn't open the door for us at some point because they were afraid if they would receive this experience, same persecution because of me. So it was very hard to find some places for us, you know.

16:05.10
Russell
So ah ah we had to relocate from other cities and some churches, you know, placed us in a school room for some for some time, in a guest room for some time.

16:08.80
Jenn
Wow. Hmm.

16:14.32
Russell
You know, I had a friend of mine, a Christian friend who just... ah I call him first responder to my life.

16:19.24
Don
Thank you.

16:20.46
Jenn
a

16:20.55
Russell
So he always responded me when i had it I was in trouble. So in in his small one-b bed one room, you know we we stayed there. We slept in that room ah for nights in and and in the guest houses.

16:33.25
Russell
And eventually in my hometown, you know my home my church that my home church that I go to, and I asked pastor give me a small room. And he said, no, I cannot provide you a room.

16:44.13
Russell
it be oh They can attack us.

16:44.43
Jenn
Wow.

16:46.01
Russell
They can call come here. And then finally, you know, I i took it a key from his waist, took a key of a small room, tiny ah room under the stairs, a sports room, basically.

16:48.55
Don
Wow.

17:00.17
Russell
And I cleaned up the room.

17:00.19
Jenn
Wow.

17:01.17
Russell
You can barely stand up there. I cleaned up the room and then me and my son was born. and my was My son was six months old.

17:08.49
Jenn
well

17:08.61
Russell
You can barely stand up the small, tiny room. I still have the picture of it. And we we we lived there for six months.

17:15.70
Jenn
Wow.

17:16.38
Russell
in that one small time, you cannot you you cannot stand up in that small tiny room, yeah.

17:20.95
Don
All three of you are there.

17:22.23
Russell
All three of us, yeah, and we're laying on a bed down there with a fan and on it and a light bulb, that's it.

17:22.66
Jenn
Mm.

17:28.80
Jenn
Mm.

17:29.13
Russell
and We stayed there for three months and and I was running out of money in my cash and one of the one a Christian missionary from American missionary from new New Orleans, you know, that showed up with a bunch of milk formula for my for my son.

17:42.08
Jenn
Mm.

17:44.11
Russell
It was another miracle.

17:45.23
Jenn
Wow.

17:46.22
Russell
God had provided us all the way. And I feel the experience, this is the cool experience in my life. His divine protections on us.

17:55.85
Jenn
Yeah.

17:57.31
Russell
All the way. His signal on us.

17:58.95
Jenn
yeah

18:00.36
Russell
Every time that I have something ahead of me, that's and ah waiting ahead of me, is some bad thing, and I had a signal always um in my mind, there's something is coming up to your way, so please be aware of it.

18:13.69
Russell
you know I just switched the plates and then relocated somewhere else. That's how that God helped us to live and experience His love and His protections, His provisions. And it was not a single moment, you know, I i lived in in out in like an outside in the under the sky.

18:24.11
Jenn
Hmm.

18:29.02
Don
Thank you.

18:30.45
Russell
I always had a room in a garden.

18:33.23
Jenn
a

18:34.79
Russell
And one particular day, my my my dad was like, he was asking Imams about me. Many Imams was giving him some very bad suggestions regarding me. Some of them gave them good suggestions. Some them said, he's a dog, you know, it's nothing to go with you.

18:49.55
Russell
Don't worry about him. Just try to make him understand. Some of them said, slaughter him. when he was those kinds of words, you know, when he said those words in in my living room and I left the room, I've left the home, immediately I left home and I came to my church and and was in that room that I lived

18:54.40
Jenn
Wow.

18:55.74
Don
Thank

19:08.49
Russell
So that's how the life was there. and And phone call from here and there, you know, people like I was ah invited to ah in the parliament building by an a Jama'at-Islami parliamentarian and from my hometown.

19:22.87
Russell
And he tried to convince me like a small threat.

19:25.32
Jenn
Wow. Wow.

19:27.08
Russell
word back to Islam is a shame for the community and I was putting shame into them i was betrayed Islam I should not have those to to be betrayed in Islam that's how that they were like ah portraying my identity there.

19:43.62
Russell
And it's like everywhere the rumor was there.

19:43.87
Don
Thank you.

19:46.74
Russell
I was like beaten before my wife in my backyard.

19:50.19
Jenn
wow

19:50.88
Russell
I was like by my relatives and my all aunties basically there surrounded me and they rescued me out of the mob.

19:58.52
Jenn
Hmm. Hmm.

19:59.12
Russell
It was like, a but you know what, I can tell you this, this is what God had done for us. it We had gone through a process of sanctification.

20:09.73
Jenn
e

20:10.59
Russell
as we were experiencing hardship and also persecutions, mockery, my faith was growing strong and strong because of that. And now I can tell you that how that God has molded me, reshaped me for his kingdom work.

20:27.73
Russell
And I had never thought I would be a missionary. I would become a missionary. I had never thought like that, you know, that how God has always stand by us during the journey.

20:31.58
Jenn
Hmm. Hmm.

20:37.12
Don
Wow.

20:40.40
Russell
As his by he says in the Bible, I would never forsake you, never, nor I leave you. you know I was not forsaken. I was not left over in any way, any circumstances.

20:51.50
Russell
He was always spiced by us. you know And in that those prayers, I still remember those prayers that I used to pray, Lord, hide me from the from my enemies.

21:02.50
Jenn
Wow.

21:02.90
Russell
Even I walk among them.

21:05.34
Jenn
Yeah.

21:06.30
Russell
make so make me invisible, make me disappear before me when I i walk among them.

21:06.40
Don
You

21:13.97
Russell
So that's how the God has shown his love, his mercy, and his his plan for us, basically. And I call it super plan for my life.

21:26.18
Jenn
well

21:26.15
Don
had a bigger plan than you can imagine.

21:28.21
Russell
Yep.

21:28.60
Jenn
yeah

21:28.59
Don
Yeah. Wow.

21:34.29
Jenn
Again, it sounds like the miracle just continued that God was ah god was holding you. Yeah. Yeah.

21:41.64
Russell
He is, he is living God, you know, he is living God and he watches, watching over us every time as his child, you know.

21:42.42
Jenn
Yeah.

21:45.03
Jenn
yeah

21:51.97
Russell
so He lifted up as his child accepted as ah as his child in Islam, you know, every Muslim believes that they are the slave of God. and That's how Islamic belief.

22:03.03
Russell
and And when I found that Jesus said in John chapter 1, and everyone who believes in him, he gave him the authority to become a child children of God.

22:03.73
Jenn
Mm.

22:12.28
Russell
So that's like one way that you are entering in a real new relationship with God.

22:13.87
Jenn
Mm.

22:17.57
Jenn
Mm.

22:17.64
Russell
You know?

22:19.62
Jenn
Yeah.

22:19.78
Russell
That's the relationship with, you know, that's what I feel like. and It's not conversion, you know, switching a religion. This is how I feel I found the truth.

22:27.77
Jenn
Mm.

22:30.21
Russell
i I became, I had a new birth with Jesus.

22:30.44
Don
Thank

22:35.40
Russell
That's how I found the truth in Him, and I found peace in my heart, knowing Him as my Lord and my Savior who gave His life for me. You know, in Islam, they don't believe that Jesus was died on the cross, you know.

22:48.63
Jenn
e

22:49.25
Russell
ah des but But I found the truth you know from the book and the eyewitnesses accounts and also from the historical evidence that we have and archaeological evidence that we have.

22:52.36
Jenn
Yeah.

22:59.78
Jenn
Mm. Mm.

23:01.82
Russell
And how can you deny this truth being established?

23:04.24
Jenn
Mm.

23:05.47
Russell
hundred I mean, 600 years ahead of Islam. And now, if I claim 600 years later and 1,000 miles away from the event of the locations, how can I accept this?

23:18.19
Russell
So that's how I know this is not what people should believe. This is something here. It is a concrete evidence that we can trust, believe, and have this man invite into our life as a king, you know?

23:27.88
Jenn
Yeah, yeah. Hmm.

23:33.06
Jenn
me

23:33.75
Don
One of the the dynamics that I have often encountered talking to people like you who come out of Islam and your story, would you say coming to faith was an encounter through reading the scripture and Jesus showing up?

23:51.35
Don
Or was it also an intellectual journey where you had to wrestle with all those questions you just talked about? Or was that come after? Did the reasons for your faith come after your faith or before?

24:00.87
Russell
it was you I had this question always in my mind as I learned as a Muslim child, you know, I was taught in a different way.

24:04.53
Don
yeah

24:07.37
Jenn
hmm

24:09.14
Russell
I was very anti-Christian man.

24:11.65
Jenn
hmm hmm

24:12.35
Russell
I was not into it. You know, I was against Christianity and Judaism. All was there. I said everything was Christian tells about, know, it's wrong. That's what my my understanding was.

24:24.51
Russell
As I was reading and and and I watched the Jesus film one day and then I can tell you, I could i mean, I was whipping when I was watching because it drawn me to the to him.

24:31.68
Jenn
a

24:35.68
Russell
And then when from the historical know background background check that I did through a journey, it was whole journey because I had to find those all answers.

24:37.35
Don
Yeah.

24:43.86
Jenn
Yeah.

24:46.13
Russell
that was and I was taught from my childhood about about Jesus.

24:48.95
Jenn
Yeah.

24:50.97
Russell
His deity is not explained there.

24:53.08
Jenn
Yeah.

24:55.53
Russell
The Holy Spirit is not never explained in in Islam.

24:59.13
Jenn
a

24:59.74
Russell
So it's really hidden there. The tree of life is hidden there.

25:02.16
Jenn
yeah

25:03.88
Russell
It's never explained Islam about the tree of life. There are so many questions that I found. And while I was reading the Bible, I found that the story was not aligned with the story that I've been told.

25:17.18
Jenn
Yeah, yeah.

25:19.57
Russell
Then I had to switch search back to, wow, this is the Bible you know that's 600 years before Islam.

25:19.62
Jenn
Mm. Mm.

25:25.23
Russell
six hundred years before islam

25:28.24
Don
Yeah.

25:28.97
Russell
And there is a chronological order from Genesis to Revelation.

25:31.46
Jenn
Mm.

25:34.05
Russell
And you can read by chapter. You can read from Adam unto Jesus. And when Jesus said, you know, when he said, i came to fulfill the law.

25:43.84
Jenn
m

25:44.60
Russell
And he said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. And he said, I am the Alpha and the Omega. I am the first and the last and the beginning and the end.

25:49.83
Jenn
Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

25:52.26
Russell
And now how can you find someone else after him?

25:55.40
Jenn
me

25:57.45
Russell
How can he align with this?

25:58.33
Jenn
Yeah.

25:59.63
Russell
His claim, as Jesus claimed, when he claimed that I am the breath of your life, I am the light of the world, I am the door. i am this is who Who claimed that?

26:13.94
Russell
So I had to, yeah, exactly, who could claim that?

26:14.100
Don
Who could claim it except for to earn it?

26:16.49
Jenn
yeah

26:18.45
Don
Yeah.

26:19.13
Russell
I had to find those claims, wow, this is authentic claim. It's not as someone that's written in the book, it's an authentic claim.

26:23.39
Jenn
Yeah. Yeah.

26:26.07
Don
Yes.

26:27.03
Russell
And no prophets ever claimed that like Jesus. No prophet even even lived that as Jesus lived. A perfect life, a pure life, a holy life. Sinless, blameless life.

26:40.97
Russell
No scandal even. Yeah.

26:42.82
Jenn
yeah I'm so struck by the curiosity and the desire to learn.

26:49.85
Russell
yeah

26:50.62
Jenn
That's Holy Spirit inspired um to go after the truth.

26:53.97
Don
Yeah.

26:55.45
Jenn
Yeah.

26:57.34
Russell
Yeah, when Muslims accuse me, they accuse me of betrayal.

26:57.77
Jenn
Mm-hmm.

27:03.65
Russell
They accuse me of converted Christianity. And I tell them, hey, brother, I love Jesus the Messiah more than my life. And his his beauty, his deity, his holiness, his perfectness, that's what I love.

27:13.01
Don
Stand up. Yeah.

27:15.68
Jenn
Wow.

27:21.17
Russell
I love him most. And he he is in my heart. And you can ah you can force me to to tell something against you by my mouth, but how can you take out take away my heart that rooted into him, that grounded into my my my faith in Jesus?

27:39.24
Jenn
without

27:41.07
Don
Wow.

27:42.17
Russell
you know i I never try to reject this idea when people attack me off off and on. off and on And finally, one day, that like my whole family, my 21 members of my family, one day they showed up in in New York in my home in 2013.

28:01.100
Russell
There was their last plea to me, please come back.

28:04.45
Jenn
Wow. Hmm.

28:07.28
Russell
And look at my wife and my six-year-old son, and I said, I told my my my brother was there among them.

28:11.27
Jenn
Hmm.

28:13.90
Russell
My sister flew from Australia and my whole relatives. I have a bunch of relatives in New York, the living

28:18.75
Jenn
wow

28:19.35
Russell
And I looked at them, I said, this is what I cannot compromise my faith because of this earthly relationship that I have.

28:30.42
Russell
I love you guys.

28:30.55
Don
Yeah.

28:31.84
Russell
You know, I so thank you that you guys came to see us. And I cannot compromise my faith.

28:35.67
Jenn
Of

28:39.14
Russell
This is my lust statement to them. And my brother stood up and he just went out of home. And that was just, it's the relationship with my relatives is very much as like shaking relationship.

28:47.31
Jenn
course.

28:54.20
Russell
I tried my best to reveal the reconcile my relationship with my family. I love them most. You know, my my dad also living in America with my, my brother.

29:01.60
Jenn
or

29:04.53
Russell
I've never been invited, we've never been invited to their family. And my relatives that that do celebrate birthday parties or any occasions, they don't invite us even here in America.

29:13.98
Jenn
Wow.

29:14.89
Russell
So, but thank God, you know God had provided us a lot of family around the around us you know, precious family, loving family that caring for us, loving for loving us, and also praying for us in this journey.

29:29.44
Don
The believing family.

29:30.83
Russell
Yes, believing family, the Christian family.

29:31.69
Jenn
Yeah, the family of God.

29:31.66
Don
Yeah, that's right.

29:33.53
Russell
Yeah, family of God.

29:34.74
Jenn
Yeah.

29:37.29
Jenn
But I imagine that there were a lot of lonely moments.

29:40.08
Russell
Yeah.

29:41.19
Jenn
Yeah.

29:42.10
Don
oh we still are yeah

29:43.50
Jenn
Yeah. Yeah.

29:48.35
Jenn
Wow.

29:49.17
Don
so without going into the full story of how you ended up getting in ministry when we talked earlier you talked about how covet and the lockdown sort of opened up doors for you don't know if you wanted to just briefly so that story and how that opened up

29:54.13
Russell
Yeah.

29:59.89
Russell
yeah

30:07.18
Don
something really amazing.

30:07.29
Russell
Yeah, that's that's past another miracle. You know what? I mean, I came on board with Global Gates. I met a Global Gates missionary. but They were not formed at that time in 2012. They were about to form the Global Gates as our organizations.

30:22.60
Russell
So I met this gentleman who mentored me, who became my good friend. And I felt the call, the need that the same people that I love behind, they are here in America, in New York.

30:27.11
Jenn
Hmm. Hmm. Hmm.

30:33.37
Russell
150,000 Bangladeshis living in New York.

30:33.50
Jenn
a

30:36.29
Russell
And I was sharing with him and some nights, you know, and then I felt as it was like an openness. You can share with anybody without being fearful of being persecution or something like that.

30:47.07
Jenn
me

30:47.49
Russell
And I felt, wow, what an opportunity here.

30:47.73
Don
Wow.

30:50.78
Russell
And then I felt this call like, wow, I'm not here for ah for an accident. I'm here for a purpose.

30:56.73
Jenn
Hmm.

30:58.35
Russell
That's a part of super plan.

31:00.33
Jenn
Hmm.

31:00.88
Russell
that how I came on board with GlobalGaze and through the journey of GlobalGaze since 2013, we witnessed you know hundreds of people come to faith through our network.

31:12.49
Jenn
Hmm.

31:12.80
Russell
We have a house church that we meet every week. you know There are all Muslim background believers coming. And I baptized many of them like in my backyard you know and and and also

31:20.100
Jenn
a

31:24.92
Russell
in a portable baptistry, in my bathtub during the wintertime, in several other families' bathtubs, those who have a bigger bathtubs.

31:33.52
Jenn
Wow.

31:33.58
Russell
And also sometime in summertime, we take them to the Atlantic Ocean to baptize. So it's like a celebration. It's a joy to see someone coming to faith.

31:41.68
Don
yeah

31:42.59
Jenn
Hmm.

31:45.26
Russell
And those coming to faith here in America, they're reaching out to their family back home.

31:45.79
Jenn
Hmm.

31:51.13
Russell
they are reaching out their family back home. That was the beautiful thing that I have witnessed, you know.

31:55.10
Jenn
Hmm.

31:55.70
Russell
And I baptized many of their family when I i go to visit Bangladesh. You know, I travel often to Bangladesh now because of my ministry. So when COVID hit, then we were like a stuck everyone, what to do, what next, you know.

32:09.33
Russell
i'm i was i um was I was working full-time as a missionary at that time, and what to do.

32:10.24
Don
Thank you.

32:13.66
Russell
And i had a friend in i have a friend in in Toronto, Canada, he's also Muslim background believer, and I had a call with him. And he said, what what can I do? i said He said, let's open a Zoom account.

32:25.33
Russell
Let's see if we can invite our brothers and sisters from across the world. And immediately jumped on a Zoom account, we created an account. And in one month, you know we had hundreds of believers, Muslim background believers from all over the world ah reunited with this Zoom call.

32:37.31
Jenn
Wow.

32:40.22
Don
Wow.

32:44.43
Jenn
a

32:45.48
Russell
There was like an everyday prayer meeting everyday prayer meeting for two years 10 a.m eastern time two years hundreds and hundreds of believers we had a conference was over thousand people's attended the conference

32:56.10
Jenn
Wow.

33:02.39
Don
That was virtual conference or in person?

33:04.92
Russell
virtual conference during the and hundreds of

33:05.99
Jenn
Wow.

33:06.02
Don
Wow.

33:10.90
Russell
Baptism happened. We took it as an advantage to disciple, mobilize disciple people and train people to reach out their family and oikos. That's how we witnessed hundreds of baptisms through the online. and know We celebrated those baptisms on Zoom calls.

33:27.33
Jenn
Yeah, amazing.

33:27.68
Russell
Some part of the world was someone was baptizing.

33:29.19
Don
and The camera that watched it.

33:29.50
Jenn
Amazing.

33:29.62
Russell
Someone was baptizing there.

33:34.63
Don
Wow.

33:35.18
Russell
And through the Zoom network, and we have I was able to build a network, a worldwide network with my people, wherever they are. And I never been to a theological seminary or college, but that two years was my seminary college.

33:44.17
Don
okay

33:49.27
Jenn
Yes, yes.

33:49.37
Don
okay

33:50.05
Jenn
yeah

33:50.92
Russell
because we heard from all background Christians, all denominations that was preaching and preaching and sharing the God words into that ah Zoom prayer meeting.

34:03.27
Russell
So mean it's not me alone. We all, those who participated throughout the session, we all were in a two-year course of theological seminary for me.

34:11.49
Don
Oh.

34:13.17
Russell
I was excited to see that how God prepared that room and helped to use this ah modern on technology to networking with those people and advance his kingdom.

34:27.90
Jenn
How?

34:28.36
Russell
And when I talk about my people, you know, my people are benalis or Bengalis. Bengali-speaking population, they are 300 million. And through that prayer, sensations, you God gave us a big vision, a big vision we call Vision 2042.

34:44.48
Russell
That's a God-sized vision, to see 10% Christian by 2042.

34:45.22
Jenn
you

34:50.14
Russell
And we have only less than 1% questions. Now you can ask me how? That's a big question.

34:55.51
Don
Okay, how?

34:56.07
Jenn
oh

34:57.74
Russell
How can you get to 10%? He gave us a cool strategy, a wonderful strategy to see it this happen in real life.

35:00.42
Don
Thank you.

35:07.69
Russell
It's not me, it's us.

35:09.84
Jenn
Yeah.

35:10.62
Russell
And I'm asking my audience here to play a role into that vision.

35:14.24
Jenn
Yeah. It's good.

35:15.98
Russell
I'm asking you to play a role into that vision.

35:18.69
Jenn
Mm.

35:18.92
Russell
The strategy is my people have a very least access to the gospel.

35:23.43
Jenn
Mm.

35:23.59
Russell
The contextual Bible, like in their culture, in their language, the Islamic dialogue, the Bible was translated in 1985, and it became available 1994 for people. It's just like 30, 40 before.

35:35.10
Russell
for my people

35:35.44
Jenn
Mm.

35:36.68
Russell
it's just like thirty forty years before But the original but Bengali Bible was translated in, in in I think it's 200 years before by William Carey.

35:45.74
Jenn
Mm.

35:46.13
Russell
Bengali was there was only for Hindu term.

35:49.69
Don
Yes. Yeah.

35:51.46
Jenn
Mm.

35:52.01
Russell
So most Christian, those who became converted from, they are from Hinduism. The Muslim was untouched. Bengali, Bangladesh is tiny, larger than the state of New York.

36:06.30
Russell
170 million populations 91% are Muslims 8% of them are Hindus and remain 1% share with Buddhism and Christianity When we talk about 300 million is including the part of India some states of India are neighboring to us We share the same culture and same language in India

36:12.71
Jenn
Wow. Hmm.

36:16.84
Jenn
Hmm.

36:28.60
Russell
and ah the the amount of Bengali speaking population, there are 100 million total is Hindu and 200 million of them are Muslims. ah Still remain 1%, less than 1%.

36:42.62
Jenn
Hmm.

36:43.58
Russell
So how can you reach these people one-to-one? That's how we are doing now.

36:47.41
Jenn
me

36:48.34
Russell
They're trying to reach one-to-one, one-to-one. How much it takes to reach these 300 million populations? God has given us all the resources. the online resources, social media, television channels, YouTube channels.

37:02.70
Russell
So now we are producing some very contextual gospel presentation for my people.

37:07.09
Jenn
me

37:09.50
Russell
So our goal is to spread the gospel broadly for 10 consecutive years to change the norm of the society.

37:16.51
Jenn
Wow.

37:18.08
Russell
It takes at every human mind's psychology and mindset, it takes 10 years to change the norm of the society.

37:23.90
Jenn
Mm. Mm. Mm.

37:24.85
Russell
We want to keep telling the story. make Bring Jesus public to my five people.

37:30.92
Don
Wow.

37:31.21
Russell
Make him famous to my people.

37:31.64
Don
Wow.

37:33.35
Jenn
e

37:34.21
Russell
Keep telling the story repeatedly. Repeat the story over again and again. And we are now producing the series, gospel series, on a YouTube channel and spreading them.

37:41.53
Jenn
a

37:44.23
Russell
mean for Our first episode just recently launched was viewed by 1.3 million people.

37:50.52
Don
wow

37:51.59
Jenn
That's amazing.

37:52.92
Russell
So that's how we want to go. We want to we want to cover the surface of Bengali people.

37:55.17
Jenn
Wow.

37:57.90
Jenn
Hmm.

37:58.17
Russell
We want to go into their living room, into their bedroom without a permission, seeking a permission from them. If you go and share the gospel, you might build a relationship and then i ask the permission if you can share something about Jesus.

38:10.77
Jenn
Hmm.

38:10.79
Don
Yeah.

38:11.06
Russell
But through this channel, you don't need this permission.

38:14.39
Don
Yes.

38:14.59
Jenn
Hmm.

38:15.52
Russell
we are We are reaching to their bedrooms, in their living room, you know.

38:18.93
Don
So is it is it using satellite or is it internet?

38:22.69
Russell
We said using internet.

38:24.43
Don
Internet.

38:25.63
Russell
We are like Facebook channel facebook pages. in a gospel We have the the good Good News Bangla that our channel name, Good News Bangla channel.

38:34.42
Don
I looked at it on YouTube earlier today.

38:36.18
Russell
Yeah.

38:37.83
Don
The YouTube doesn't have a lot of viewers, but I guess the Facebook does.

38:41.25
Russell
and doesia Facebook does, yeah.

38:42.40
Don
Yeah.

38:43.18
Russell
We just launched it. So we have been now trying to make more kind kind kind sort of consistent on that video production so that we can cover it.

38:44.92
Don
Yeah.

38:49.100
Jenn
Yeah.

38:52.32
Russell
So 10 consecutive years, what happened then in 10 years, at least 50% population would hear the contextual gospel.

38:55.14
Jenn
Mm-hmm.

39:00.32
Jenn
Mm-hmm.

39:01.10
Russell
And then there would be division and into the society. And then God would saturate his people out of the division.

39:10.28
Jenn
Wow.

39:11.09
Russell
For next following 10 years would be the time of harvest. The organic church would be planted and into my people.

39:17.66
Jenn
e

39:19.55
Russell
A wave would create among my people. People would be desired more. This is what i want we want to see. The Bible is not available in Bangladesh. You cannot find a Bible in a bookstore there.

39:30.67
Russell
They don't sell them.

39:30.78
Jenn
well

39:31.90
Russell
It's not officially banned there, but they don't sell them.

39:34.61
Don
Right.

39:35.12
Russell
But I want the bookstore to have them.

39:38.85
Don
Every bookstore to have them.

39:40.44
Russell
have them how they have them when we create a demand on the market yeah that exactly so we are not trying to enforce to create the market so that that will have the bible in their books bookshelf and everyone can have a bible that they want you know this is how the god word can move towards

39:42.78
Jenn
Hmm. Hmm.

39:44.60
Don
Yes, remarkable. The owner will say, need to sell these books.

39:56.81
Jenn
a

40:03.33
Don
Your strategy reminds me of some years back with the previous media that satellite television, right?

40:12.08
Jenn
hmm

40:12.73
Don
The country of Libya, is and was completely unreached.

40:17.46
Russell
or is it.

40:18.90
Don
Nobody knew the gospel. And their only attitude toward Christians was like the Bangla attitude, that their enemies, you know, their faults.

40:23.92
Russell
Yep. Yep. Yep.

40:27.41
Don
And they started doing these satellite television broadcasts, and people were watching these shows. They're just about the church, about Christians for children.

40:34.71
Russell
and

40:34.77
Don
and And a colleague who was living there, he noticed a change over several years when he would meet someone and start having a conversation about religion. instead of being antagonistic, they were curious.

40:46.93
Don
They say, oh, I've heard about this Christianity.

40:48.54
Jenn
Yeah. Yes.

40:49.20
Don
I thought, you know, and they were interested in asking questions when they met a Christian, whereas before they would have just slammed them and ignored them.

40:54.16
Jenn
Yes.

40:56.53
Don
So your your strategy to get the big media picture out there is, yeah, God can do this.

40:56.95
Russell
I

41:02.43
Russell
mean, spreading gospel is and also give them an access to the gospel, very contextual as a gospel, that that access would would would create a wave among my people.

41:04.24
Jenn
Yeah. Mm-hmm.

41:08.02
Don
Yes.

41:08.37
Jenn
yeah yes yeah

41:16.04
Russell
And even this is how we're experiencing through this effort. We have been launching this social media campaign for years now. We are in third years of our journey of this vision 2042. And we have over 30,000 gospel conversation, individual gospel conversation with people.

41:32.54
Jenn
Hmm.

41:34.75
Russell
So we we we are witnessing the seekers as coming to faith. you Seekers, imams are coming to faith. Students are coming to faith from Islamic institutions.

41:40.78
Jenn
Hmm.

41:44.19
Russell
And now it's a two-way game.

41:44.24
Don
Yes.

41:47.01
Jenn
Hmm.

41:47.12
Russell
One way we are spreading a gospel. The other way we help seekers to find us. Our goal is to find the people of peace to make disciples.

41:58.69
Russell
Once we find them, what we do? Once we find them, we have a team of responders, online responders remotely working from all over the world. ah this yeah The responders, they're the evangelists, basically.

42:07.89
Jenn
Okay.

42:10.98
Russell
All of them train evangelists. We train them how to engage with the Muslim, how to engage the Hindu. you know They are very expert on it. So when we launch the campaign, then there's a traffic comes over.

42:18.91
Don
Okay.

42:23.100
Jenn
e

42:24.63
Russell
then their job is to filter and find the people of peace.

42:28.55
Jenn
a

42:28.62
Russell
Once we find them a person of peace, and we do through a a discovery Bible study, and then once they're ready to profess their faith, our next job is to find their address and have them a ah ah background check also.

42:35.70
Jenn
okay

42:43.62
Russell
so and We call it security clearance. You know, this person is it's not harmful to us.

42:46.52
Don
yeah

42:46.100
Jenn
Hmm. Hmm.

42:49.02
Russell
So we have a team of experts. We call them intelligent. So there they do a security background on them. And then we find a local church planter.

42:57.49
Don
Okay. Wow.

42:59.71
Russell
We call them multipliers.

43:02.09
Jenn
e

43:03.10
Russell
So we we hand them over, these individuals. The local church directors, he go, meet them in person, and he began this in-person discipleship.

43:14.48
Russell
He baptized them, he take them to the church, he train them to grow and multiply. So that's the process that we are doing. We are working with all denominations, particularly in Bangladesh.

43:25.75
Jenn
Yeah.

43:26.04
Russell
we are not sticking to one particular denominator because we want to see a movement there.

43:28.04
Jenn
Yeah, that's good. That's good.

43:31.46
Russell
And it is it is God's timing.

43:31.66
Don
Thank you.

43:34.63
Russell
And He's at work ahead of us.

43:34.77
Jenn
Mm.

43:36.34
Russell
It's about Him that He's doing His work.

43:37.55
Jenn
Mm.

43:39.15
Russell
he's not It's not me that He, It's Him that He's doing His work and He's using me as a layman unto His work.

43:43.96
Jenn
Mm.

43:47.51
Russell
And as i as we are witnessing this life transformation of many people coming to faith and I give thanks and glory to Him alone.

43:56.08
Jenn
Yeah.

43:56.60
Russell
All credit goes to him. Because of him, you we are saved.

44:02.21
Jenn
yeah

44:02.54
Don
I'm curious when I hear this is, you know, you're living in New York City and you said 150,000 Banglas in New York City, but you're reaching Bangladesh, Bangalese speaking people, mostly in the subcontinent down in Bangladesh and India.

44:07.74
Russell
Right.

44:18.75
Russell
Yeah.

44:21.41
Don
Would you say the response is stronger there than in New York among the expat community or is it similar?

44:28.76
Russell
They are everywhere. Let me tell you what. I should not, I think I should not say something like this. Yeah. I baptized a Bengali through the social media leads that came to faith in Saudi Arabia.

44:41.81
Don
All right.

44:43.61
Russell
I don't know if you just even post this um online or not.

44:46.21
Don
Yes, we will. You didn't say who it was or where. That's OK. Yeah.

44:49.85
Russell
So that's how God is working. you know we we We hooked people to the social media leads in Australia, in Melbourne, in Sydney, in Malaysia, and in Dubai, in many parts of the Middle East, in North America as well.

45:05.79
Russell
So this is an online thing that's spreading all over.

45:09.74
Don
Wow.

45:09.100
Jenn
good.

45:10.43
Russell
So our goal is to find that person and then the rest, the work done by the local church planter.

45:18.86
Jenn
yeah and skin a

45:22.81
Don
Jan, have you got a question to for our brother?

45:26.89
Jenn
Yeah, I'm just curious. I mean, I can see on your face, Russell, just how exciting this is as you're watching and envisioning. But I'm wondering just what is, you know besides the vision that the Lord has given you, what is inspiring you these days to carry on when it feels hard and the vision feels big

45:36.49
Russell
It

45:51.35
Russell
it is a journey.

45:51.81
Jenn
Yeah.

45:52.92
Russell
It is a journey.

45:53.08
Jenn
Mm-hmm.

45:53.39
Russell
A lot of spiritual warfare. you know It's not easy to remain and consistent into his work.

46:00.80
Jenn
Mm-hmm.

46:01.22
Russell
ah But God is the one, the sovereign God, that he is always ahead of us. And he is with us.

46:07.10
Jenn
Mm-hmm.

46:08.61
Russell
He is among us. He is in the midst of us every journey that we are taking up. uh is is a it's sometimes crucial sometimes is sick is a a lot of security bridging there you know but trusting god completely for his work in his kingdom to advance and a joy said it's a joy to have this you know being a witness for people and not i'm not sitting back and that's like i'm into it i'm a labor like that you know that but i have a team i'm not alone working i have it now

46:21.87
Jenn
Mm.

46:25.15
Jenn
Mm.

46:35.95
Jenn
Mm.

46:40.11
Jenn
Yes.

46:41.79
Russell
You have a team of like we, it's not i we we are all working together.

46:41.99
Jenn
So good.

46:42.96
Don
Thank you.

46:44.75
Jenn
Yeah.

46:46.83
Russell
And we not only want global gaze organization, i'm I'm inviting all other organizations also into the vision. Okay, let's put everything set aside, put Jesus first and see how can we push toward this vision and play our roles to see this thing happen in our real life.

47:07.53
Jenn
Yeah, that's so good. Yeah.

47:12.13
Don
Is there any sort of thing you would just like to share with those who watch this podcast?

47:18.88
Russell
Yeah, well, yeah, this is, I have an appeal to you.

47:21.95
Don
Okay.

47:22.66
Russell
and Appeal to like, you know, we are we ah we raise our support. I am not from bank i'm not from here in America. Raising support here in America is really tough for us. So please pray for us and consider supporting our ministry.

47:34.90
Jenn
Mm-hmm.

47:37.38
Russell
And you can go to globalgaze.info, the website that we have, and you can find me from Russell-54000 there.

47:44.10
Jenn
Mm-hmm.

47:48.09
Don
you

47:49.67
Russell
And if you just donate to our ministry, you can donate. Also, if you want to consider donating Vision 2042, please mention Vision 2042 on the memo.

47:53.52
Jenn
Mm-hmm.

47:59.53
Jenn
e

48:00.39
Russell
And we start for us. We raise support for Vision 2042 that people are working with us in Bangladesh.

48:05.54
Jenn
yeah yeah

48:07.88
Russell
And also here I have my coworkers here.

48:08.67
Don
Thank you.

48:10.31
Jenn
yeah

48:10.51
Russell
And also ah for us in New York that we we live and and work. So please, bravely consider us. And also pray and play your role. Not only that, we we also invite you to come to New York. We have a sifting week program in summertime that Global Guys designed.

48:29.96
Russell
Our sifting week programs, we will help you, we will train you in the morning and we will take you to the neighborhoods. You don't need to buy an expensive ticket to go to Bangladesh or Saudi Arabia or Dubai. And even you cannot share the gospel openly there. But the same people are here in our next door.

48:46.55
Jenn
Mm-hmm.

48:47.72
Russell
You can fly to New York and just, you know, we'll we'll help you, with ah train you to how to engage with people. And then you will go to the neighborhood and find an opportunity to share the gospel with anybody.

48:59.44
Russell
This safety program help us to find those people of peace together.

49:03.32
Jenn
Mm-hmm.

49:06.62
Don
i'm i'm so encouraged doing this i uh i wrote some of the stuff for prayer casts about

49:06.68
Jenn
So good.

49:14.64
Don
and Bangladesh and research.

49:16.38
Jenn
a

49:16.40
Don
and It's been a hard slog. and There's been movements. I've heard about movements, but the movements that I'm familiar with are often a little bit questionable in terms of their orthodoxy.

49:28.23
Don
And this sounds like such a solid Bible-based, you know, study the Bible, come to be solid discipleship. So it's very encouraging.

49:37.31
Jenn
Yes, so encouraged.

49:37.77
Russell
Yeah, I mean, we have we we all we we we have a Bible study tools for my people. we We follow a very strict Bible study tools from Discovery Bible study to the 4 field and and the 411 and also the 7 Command of Christ.

49:47.06
Don
Right.

49:56.17
Russell
And all the details can also help a Muslim to saturate, like we we call them cleansing process, clean from their own mindset.

50:02.66
Don
bre

50:03.15
Jenn
good. Mm.

50:04.41
Russell
It's like a transformation of the worldview, two different worldviews.

50:04.42
Jenn
and

50:07.27
Russell
The Islamic worldview and the Christian worldview is thousand miles apart from it one another. So you it it takes a time, you know, it takes time to merge into and one particular worldview, that a Jesus worldview.

50:21.21
Jenn
and so

50:22.80
Don
Wow. Well, thank you so much for sharing.

50:26.76
Russell
Oh, you're welcome.

50:26.78
Jenn
Yeah.

50:27.51
Don
I hope to stay with you in your living room here or in Bangladesh one day.

50:27.60
Russell
Thank you.

50:28.10
Jenn
Yeah.

50:32.32
Russell
I mean, God, I travel Bangladesh often.

50:32.46
Jenn
Yes.

50:35.44
Russell
you know god Now, um my ministry takes me there often time to work with my people there in Bangladesh as well.

50:41.100
Jenn
and

50:43.12
Russell
So...

50:43.31
Jenn
So

50:43.40
Don
i'm going to be flying over it in a few months maybe i'll stop off yeah

50:48.43
Russell
and god God is so good, brother. Thank you so much for this opportunity to share our journey with people, ah with the audience, the beautiful audience that you have.

50:52.43
Jenn
Thank you. Mm-hmm.

50:57.50
Russell
And also the prayer request. I have ah tons of prayer requests, you know, that pray for my people. Once you want, when you just pray, pray just Matthew 9, 38, you know, pray for the lever.

51:05.01
Jenn
a

51:10.49
Russell
Their harvest are plentiful. Like you can put a, you can, I want you to put a ah alarm in your, in your, in your clock for 9.38 a.m. in the morning.

51:21.49
Russell
Matthew 9.38.

51:21.76
Jenn
and

51:23.82
Don
ah

51:24.73
Russell
Pray about this. And yeah.

51:26.20
Don
Pray for the harvest, for the field workers the harvest.

51:27.55
Jenn
Yes, we will.

51:28.06
Russell
Yeah. Yeah. Thank you.

51:29.72
Jenn
Thank you.

51:30.54
Russell
God bless you

51:31.82
Don
Thank you so much. God bless.

51:34.50
Jenn
Yes. Thank you for being with us today, Russell.

51:35.45
Russell
too. thank you god bless you

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