Feb. 5, 2026

Shadows to Light, Part Two

Shadows to Light, Part Two

Have a question or comment for Pastor Plek or one of his guests. Send it here. 380: What does it take to move toward the world’s darkest places and bring people back alive? Covert missionary Bruno DeCanto is back to continue sharing a wild, human story that runs from South Sudan’s conflict zones to Ethiopia’s Tigray region and into the heart of Ukraine’s war. The mission is simple and brutal: extract the vulnerable, outmaneuver traffickers, and keep preaching hope even when the air is thick w...

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Season 4

Have a question or comment for Pastor Plek or one of his guests. Send it here.

380: What does it take to move toward the world’s darkest places and bring people back alive? Covert missionary Bruno DeCanto is back to continue sharing a wild, human story that runs from South Sudan’s conflict zones to Ethiopia’s Tigray region and into the heart of Ukraine’s war. The mission is simple and brutal: extract the vulnerable, outmaneuver traffickers, and keep preaching hope even when the air is thick with dust and gunpowder.

If you care about anti-trafficking, faith under fire, and the real cost of rescue, this story will stay with you. Listen, share with a friend who needs courage today, and if it helps you see hope more clearly, subscribe and leave a review so others can find it.

Support the show

00:00 - Meet The Covert Missionary

01:02 - The South Sudan “Adoption” And Refugee Work

02:06 - What Extraction Really Takes

04:20 - Guns, Checkpoints, And Local Militias

06:05 - Preaching The Gospel Under Fire

09:20 - War, Animism, And Moral Gray Zones

12:08 - Family Roles And Medical Care In Conflict

14:56 - PTSD, Grief, And Sanctified Anger

18:00 - Why They Left South Sudan And Moved On

19:52 - Ethiopia’s War And Anti‑Trafficking Shift

22:40 - Safe Houses, Reintegration, And Restoration

25:56 - Back To The U.S. And Counseling

28:06 - Russia Invades; The Family Heads To Ukraine

31:40 - The Orphanage Lost Behind Russian Lines

36:20 - Mines, Counteroffensives, And A Daring Plan

40:16 - Opening A Corridor And Getting Kids Out

WEBVTT

00:00:05.839 --> 00:00:08.000
Welcome back to Pastor Plex Podcast.

00:00:08.080 --> 00:00:12.400
I'm your host, Pastor Plex, and joining me is none other than Bruno DeCanto.

00:00:13.599 --> 00:00:13.919
Howdy.

00:00:14.880 --> 00:00:16.879
Obviously not his real name, but that's okay.

00:00:17.120 --> 00:00:27.600
He is a covert missionary, uh, engaged in the world of freeing um people that have been sex trafficked and uh pushing back darkness.

00:00:27.760 --> 00:00:33.840
And last time we were here, you sort we we sort of stopped the story in uh was it the Sudan?

00:00:34.079 --> 00:00:34.880
I think it was Sudan.

00:00:35.119 --> 00:00:35.280
Yeah.

00:00:35.359 --> 00:00:36.240
So let's let's talk about.

00:00:36.320 --> 00:00:38.079
I think you took on a little girl.

00:00:38.240 --> 00:00:38.479
Yeah.

00:00:38.640 --> 00:00:40.799
Uh adopt is adopted the right word.

00:00:41.119 --> 00:00:42.880
You know, it it is and it isn't.

00:00:42.960 --> 00:00:48.320
Um so international law and war zones being what it is, you can't actually adopt some of these children.

00:00:48.479 --> 00:00:48.640
Okay.

00:00:48.960 --> 00:00:52.399
Because you don't know if their parents are alive or gosh or what's going on.

00:00:52.479 --> 00:00:54.240
And there's this whole registry thing.

00:00:54.479 --> 00:01:01.840
So um, so there it was a group of people, and we just really connected with this one, and um, we ended up just taking her on as our own.

00:01:02.399 --> 00:01:10.560
And she's not able because of because of the situation being what it is, she was never able to leave Sudan, South Sudan.

00:01:10.719 --> 00:01:20.319
No, she's never able to leave South Sudan, but we we take care of her, we're still in contact with her, and we do all that stuff, and we're actually she's uh part of a mission group out there.

00:01:20.480 --> 00:01:21.840
She's a missionary herself.

00:01:22.000 --> 00:01:22.239
Wow.

00:01:22.400 --> 00:01:25.439
And we we still are in full contact with her, she's real cool.

00:01:25.680 --> 00:01:28.719
Okay, so so you you're married?

00:01:29.200 --> 00:01:29.519
No.

00:01:29.920 --> 00:01:32.159
I was no, meaning at this point.

00:01:32.319 --> 00:01:33.439
Oh yes.

00:01:34.319 --> 00:01:35.920
So you're in South Sudan.

00:01:36.079 --> 00:01:36.640
Yeah.

00:01:36.879 --> 00:01:39.519
You are uh you've taken on a little girl.

00:01:39.599 --> 00:01:42.079
What what kind of work were you doing there again, just to kind of keep us up again?

00:01:42.400 --> 00:01:47.439
Uh so what we were actually doing, it's um we were doing refugee, what's that?

00:01:47.519 --> 00:01:49.200
It's another resettlement.

00:01:49.519 --> 00:01:57.280
Um so it's oh the word is like when you're helping people.

00:01:57.439 --> 00:02:00.480
Uh so we were working with the UN.

00:02:00.560 --> 00:02:02.879
You have to get your little sphere cards and all that.

00:02:03.040 --> 00:02:08.159
Um, and you help with refugees passing through the border and help with that.

00:02:08.319 --> 00:02:11.520
Um, but what we were doing was a lot of extraction work.

00:02:11.840 --> 00:02:12.159
Okay.

00:02:12.479 --> 00:02:13.840
So a lot of extraction work.

00:02:13.919 --> 00:02:16.719
Tell me about like when you say extraction work, what exactly does that mean?

00:02:16.879 --> 00:02:18.159
Like, what are you doing when you extract?

00:02:18.400 --> 00:02:19.599
Can you tell me like a story of one time?

00:02:19.680 --> 00:02:21.599
I was extracting this person, and this is what it looked like.

00:02:21.759 --> 00:02:23.199
Yeah, I so I thought about it, right?

00:02:23.280 --> 00:02:29.599
Because this is all right, so all right, so um extraction work takes a long time.

00:02:29.680 --> 00:02:33.599
It's it's it's it's work with you're working with a lot of different organizations, right?

00:02:33.759 --> 00:02:40.879
Uh, government organizations, law enforcement, a lot of different mission orgs, uh, other nonprofits, bush pilots.

00:02:41.039 --> 00:02:41.360
Right.

00:02:41.599 --> 00:03:00.879
Um so what happens is there are people who are on the ground and they're aware of movement of different groups, whether it's a rebel group, the SPLA, the Dinka, the newer, all these people, and they're like, hey, there's this village over here where we've got contact, and there's some people that are gonna come in there.

00:03:01.039 --> 00:03:04.560
Here's the we can get there in this in this fashion.

00:03:04.719 --> 00:03:06.319
Um and how did you get there usually?

00:03:06.719 --> 00:03:07.840
Were you on on foot?

00:03:08.080 --> 00:03:09.039
Were you jumping in?

00:03:09.360 --> 00:03:11.199
So normally, so normally it's caravans.

00:03:11.439 --> 00:03:11.599
Okay.

00:03:11.759 --> 00:03:14.960
Uh caravanning is the most popular way to go.

00:03:15.120 --> 00:03:19.439
Um, but sometimes there are like bush pilots, you know, that that'll get you out to the city.

00:03:19.599 --> 00:03:21.039
Did you ever do any airborne ops?

00:03:21.199 --> 00:03:22.000
I never did.

00:03:22.159 --> 00:03:25.360
I mean, I'd I've done like yeah practice, but I've never known.

00:03:25.520 --> 00:03:27.439
Oh that because that would have been next level.

00:03:27.759 --> 00:03:28.800
Like I'm not that cool.

00:03:28.960 --> 00:03:32.879
Or maybe helicasting or uh fast rope, you know, something like that.

00:03:32.960 --> 00:03:33.280
Okay.

00:03:33.439 --> 00:03:45.360
So you you you come in, you you come into country, you you you get there by by you know most like caravan, you you come in and like, are you armed?

00:03:46.000 --> 00:03:47.199
So it just depends.

00:03:47.520 --> 00:03:49.360
Again, everything is situational.

00:03:49.439 --> 00:03:56.879
Uh, we're normally working with the local military that's in control of the area, which isn't always the national force.

00:03:57.039 --> 00:04:03.120
Um, uh, for instance, uh, once we had to work with a group that I'm not a big fan of, but we had to work with them anyhow.

00:04:03.199 --> 00:04:03.360
Yeah.

00:04:03.520 --> 00:04:12.800
And they were the ones that were spreading out and laying lines down so that way when they came into contact, we were able to get the children and we weren't armed in that specific one.

00:04:12.960 --> 00:04:17.600
Um, now there was another time when we were in Nuba where we went in armed.

00:04:17.839 --> 00:04:18.079
Okay.

00:04:18.160 --> 00:04:20.319
Um and it just depends on the situation.

00:04:20.560 --> 00:04:28.240
And and like how, I mean, how can you walk around with guns when you know you're an I mean, is that like a normal thing?

00:04:28.399 --> 00:04:29.360
Like, does everyone have guns?

00:04:29.439 --> 00:04:31.920
Or like actually okay, because it's just that dangerous.

00:04:32.000 --> 00:04:33.279
Like, if you don't have a gun, you're an idiot.

00:04:33.360 --> 00:04:36.800
Like, well, in that specific uh again, it's circumstantial.

00:04:36.879 --> 00:04:43.680
Uh there, so there are a lot of places where in order to get into it, you've got you've got permits that you need to go to get through checkpoints.

00:04:43.839 --> 00:04:44.000
Right.

00:04:44.160 --> 00:04:48.800
So as you guys are driving through, you're driving through checkpoint and checkpoint, and they're checking your stuff, they're checking your van.

00:04:49.040 --> 00:04:49.279
Yes.

00:04:49.519 --> 00:04:50.720
Do you have what it says you have?

00:04:50.800 --> 00:04:55.360
And this, and as you go through, it's more and more likely that okay, where you're going, we understand.

00:04:55.519 --> 00:04:57.279
Everyone already knows that we're on our way.

00:04:57.439 --> 00:04:57.759
Okay.

00:04:57.920 --> 00:04:59.120
Except for the people who are coming.

00:04:59.600 --> 00:05:01.680
So who was not thrilled about your presence?

00:05:01.920 --> 00:05:05.519
Oh, normally it's the people who are trying to get the kids or right.

00:05:05.680 --> 00:05:08.319
Like, so the government's like, are they is the government on the team or not?

00:05:08.639 --> 00:05:09.279
Not always.

00:05:09.439 --> 00:05:11.439
Um, well, so not always.

00:05:11.600 --> 00:05:12.879
Um, we worked with a group.

00:05:13.040 --> 00:05:14.160
Okay, I'll just throw one out there.

00:05:14.240 --> 00:05:15.519
So we worked with the SPLA.

00:05:15.600 --> 00:05:16.639
Not a big fan of the SPLA.

00:05:16.800 --> 00:05:24.079
All right, you have to for those who are us who don't know what the SPLA is, uh Sudan Sudanese pe Sudan, the Sudan Peoples of the Migration Army, yeah.

00:05:24.319 --> 00:05:24.480
Okay.

00:05:24.800 --> 00:05:30.319
Uh, I'm not a big fan of those guys, but where we were getting into, they were in control of that area.

00:05:30.639 --> 00:05:38.399
And so the best way to get this group, there's a little village, and they were like, hey, we're gonna lose this battle, we can't hold the line.

00:05:38.480 --> 00:05:40.240
Well, you get these kids out of here, right?

00:05:40.480 --> 00:05:45.360
Um, so the we had to we had to have the okay with those people to go in there and get it.

00:05:45.600 --> 00:05:48.240
South Sudan is not a fan of those guys.

00:05:48.399 --> 00:05:58.879
So uh if South Sudan would have saw that we had those stamps, so if South Sudan would have saw we had those stamps, then the government of Sudan would never let us in there, South Sudan would never let us in there, right?

00:05:59.040 --> 00:06:01.279
We would be labeled, you know, bad guys.

00:06:01.519 --> 00:06:02.240
Bad guys, right?

00:06:02.399 --> 00:06:10.879
Um, but the goal isn't to be okay with them, the goal is to save as many children and women and men as possible and to preach the gospel while we're doing it.

00:06:11.040 --> 00:06:12.879
All right, how do you preach preach the gospel while you do it?

00:06:12.959 --> 00:06:19.680
Like say, repent like No Yeah, ha ha no, that's so OT.

00:06:20.000 --> 00:06:26.720
But um no, um a lot of the times what we do is we go in and it just again, it's all very circumstantial.

00:06:26.879 --> 00:06:30.800
Uh sometimes what we do is speaking to the guy on your side, right?

00:06:30.959 --> 00:06:31.199
Right?

00:06:31.279 --> 00:06:33.680
Because the the guy that you're working with isn't always a Christian.

00:06:33.920 --> 00:06:36.639
Um but they're believing, hey, we want to do the right thing.

00:06:36.879 --> 00:06:38.879
They're yeah, well, maybe they're just getting paid.

00:06:39.199 --> 00:06:40.240
They're just mercenaries.

00:06:40.720 --> 00:06:41.199
Yeah.

00:06:41.439 --> 00:06:44.399
Well, how many mercenaries are just out there, like, hey, I'm a gun for hire.

00:06:44.480 --> 00:06:45.120
What do you want done?

00:06:45.360 --> 00:06:46.959
A lot more than we realize, probably.

00:06:47.040 --> 00:06:47.199
Yeah.

00:06:47.439 --> 00:06:49.600
Just but it's all labeled like private security.

00:06:49.680 --> 00:06:51.680
They're just helping security or search and rescue.

00:06:51.920 --> 00:06:52.560
Sure, sure, sure.

00:06:52.800 --> 00:06:59.279
Um, and so when you're sitting there and you're going, you're telling the story, you're talking about the Lord, you're showing that you're willing to put yourself out there.

00:06:59.680 --> 00:07:03.839
At the same time, these children, when they come in, you're like, Hey, I'm a missionary, I love you so much.

00:07:04.000 --> 00:07:04.959
Everyone get in here.

00:07:05.040 --> 00:07:06.399
I want you to know Jesus loves you.

00:07:06.480 --> 00:07:07.360
We're here for you.

00:07:07.600 --> 00:07:09.279
This is like the most tangible.

00:07:09.439 --> 00:07:14.959
The Bible says, you know, there's no greater love than this than someone would lay down their life for another, and I'm willing to do that for you.

00:07:15.120 --> 00:07:15.839
Here we are.

00:07:16.000 --> 00:07:18.879
These guys are laying down their life for you, they're laying down your life from you.

00:07:19.040 --> 00:07:20.560
Everyone in the van, let's go.

00:07:20.879 --> 00:07:22.879
And uh, and the kids are like, What?

00:07:23.040 --> 00:07:37.360
And normally they're aware, you know, and there's it's it's controlled chaos, but it's controlled, and and the message gets out there right away, like, hey, we love Jesus and let's let's let this happen.

00:07:37.439 --> 00:07:42.000
And in perfect world, and and in most times, there's not a point.

00:07:42.240 --> 00:07:44.480
We're able to get in there before there's contact.

00:07:44.800 --> 00:07:47.600
All right, so tell me about like how do you what does contact look like?

00:07:48.079 --> 00:07:50.480
And whenever I say contact, that's usually a firefight.

00:07:50.639 --> 00:08:00.319
Uh so contact with the enemy looked like contact with the enemy looked like because are you sneaking in stealing the girl's back?

00:08:00.480 --> 00:08:02.879
No, or you're like, it's a full assault.

00:08:02.959 --> 00:08:04.639
It's like lay down, suppress a fire.

00:08:04.720 --> 00:08:06.160
Hey, you know, cover me while I move.

00:08:07.519 --> 00:08:09.040
Yeah, so it's similar to that.

00:08:09.199 --> 00:08:13.279
Uh, contact looks like we show up, everyone's moving out, everyone's moving out.

00:08:13.360 --> 00:08:18.399
We have someone who's got drones, so their eyes, hey, there's movement over here, there's this over there.

00:08:18.560 --> 00:08:27.439
We're already set down, and then we have different perimeter lines let up, and then you hear, and then they let us know, hey, there's something over here, we got eyes on them over here, okay.

00:08:27.680 --> 00:08:28.639
Layback fire there.

00:08:29.120 --> 00:08:30.720
So who's command and control in all this?

00:08:30.879 --> 00:08:32.240
It depends on who you're with.

00:08:32.399 --> 00:08:36.639
It it it so if it's with the SPLA, normally the SPLA is gonna have SPLA soldiers.

00:08:36.879 --> 00:08:40.000
But like, are they caring about children?

00:08:40.240 --> 00:08:45.519
Like, you're going there with a mission to get children, and they're like, Oh, we're on board with that.

00:08:45.679 --> 00:08:46.320
Come join us.

00:08:46.399 --> 00:09:00.000
I mean, like, how do you how does that like, you know, when in in the military we had like liaison officers, you had like your, you know, uh we had an Air Force guy in our battalion talk that he would come and he'd coordinate fires with the Air Force because it's a different unit.

00:09:00.240 --> 00:09:13.919
Like, you guys are like a a missionary group that has a do you have a liaison there at the Yes, and so okay, so the way we find out about this is there are mission organizations.

00:09:14.159 --> 00:09:16.960
Um uh you can blank this out if I shouldn't say it.

00:09:17.200 --> 00:09:18.399
MAF is one, right?

00:09:18.720 --> 00:09:23.679
And and MAF, the way that they go about it is they put chaplains in with all of these groups.

00:09:23.840 --> 00:09:39.039
And it's funny because you'll have these two groups who are fighting with each other, and they have missionaries, this Joe Joe over here and Joe George over there, and they're with each group, aware of the movement of you preaching the gospel to both of them as they're fighting with each other.

00:09:39.200 --> 00:09:40.720
Right, kind of like chaplains-ish.

00:09:41.360 --> 00:09:41.919
Yes, village.

00:09:42.159 --> 00:09:44.639
And they'll say, like, and then so you coordinate with those guys.

00:09:44.799 --> 00:09:51.360
Yeah, and they're like, hey, we got this group, uh, there's this, there's this village, this fight's about to happen, we're coordinating with these sometimes.

00:09:51.600 --> 00:09:55.039
Because you were in the middle of a Sudan Sudan was going still is civil war.

00:09:55.360 --> 00:09:56.159
Yeah, South Sudan.

00:09:56.240 --> 00:09:56.399
Yeah.

00:09:56.559 --> 00:10:03.279
Yeah, South South, you're a South Sudan going through civil war, yeah, and you're in the middle of that just chaos.

00:10:03.600 --> 00:10:04.799
It was chaotic sometimes.

00:10:05.039 --> 00:10:21.279
Because in a sense, like, and I think right now that they're trying to get all the different of South Sudan, they're trying to get all the armies to kind of, you know, they're having chaplains go to kind of minister to kind of consolidate one one big so that's wild.

00:10:21.519 --> 00:10:24.879
Uh would they would you say the South Sudanese were Christian?

00:10:25.279 --> 00:10:26.000
Not all of them.

00:10:26.320 --> 00:10:29.200
Or or like had a So that was a that's a that's a good point.

00:10:29.279 --> 00:10:32.480
So that's actually uh that's a miss it's a misassumption.

00:10:32.559 --> 00:10:32.799
Yeah.

00:10:32.960 --> 00:10:36.559
We hear that South Sudan broke up, it was the Muslim North and the Christian South.

00:10:36.960 --> 00:10:41.679
Maybe that was kind of a thing, but South Sudan is And a lot of people listening don't even know where Sudan is.

00:10:41.759 --> 00:10:44.639
So like you know, yeah, it's in Africa, yeah.

00:10:44.879 --> 00:10:56.240
Um, so uh there are a lot more Christians because it's legal to be a Christian in South Sudan, but it's animism, it's it's it's all the things, it's all the things but they're generally for what you're doing.

00:10:57.600 --> 00:11:00.799
Generally, generally, it's it's hard.

00:11:00.960 --> 00:11:05.440
It's hard because a lot of people don't see anything wrong with taking little boys and making them slaves.

00:11:05.759 --> 00:11:07.120
That's not an issue.

00:11:07.279 --> 00:11:10.480
Um, and they don't see anything wrong with kidnapping girls.

00:11:10.720 --> 00:11:11.919
Uh, some people do.

00:11:12.000 --> 00:11:13.360
It's it really is a toss-up.

00:11:13.600 --> 00:11:16.240
So a lot of these guys they'll they'll throw money around.

00:11:16.399 --> 00:11:21.120
They'll be like, hey, you know, let's uh we're here in the city, we can do this.

00:11:21.279 --> 00:11:25.120
I'll I'll let's if I'll pay you to let me bring some people in and we'll get these kids out.

00:11:25.360 --> 00:11:32.639
Yeah, well, I have missionary in East Africa, and uh well, he he would have to bribe the police all the time to kind of get through to kind of like talking about that, but it's it's true.

00:11:32.879 --> 00:11:36.080
Yeah, it's like uh you it it was like a cost of doing business.

00:11:36.240 --> 00:11:38.080
For me to be able to do missionary work here.

00:11:38.159 --> 00:11:41.200
I have to pay off this guy, or else I'm going to have to whatever.

00:11:41.360 --> 00:11:41.840
Yeah, yeah.

00:11:42.000 --> 00:11:44.399
And so you kind of had to do it to rescue these kids.

00:11:44.639 --> 00:11:47.360
There's a cost involved, they're worth whatever that money is.

00:11:47.519 --> 00:11:47.759
Yes.

00:11:47.919 --> 00:11:52.799
And and so, like, that got me a gate open so that I can go in and pull out these kids.

00:11:52.960 --> 00:11:56.720
Yeah, and and another thing, people, so when you're tithing, you never know what it's going for.

00:11:56.799 --> 00:12:07.360
Your tithe might be going to save some kids somewhere who would have a horrific life, but thank God there are Christians out there who are willing to do something that most people wouldn't in order to save somebody.

00:12:07.600 --> 00:12:08.879
Okay, so let's let's get back to this.

00:12:08.960 --> 00:12:11.679
So you, your family are all hanging out in South Sudan.

00:12:11.840 --> 00:12:14.720
Uh and so the girls never went into the hot zones.

00:12:14.799 --> 00:12:16.720
They were always in by Lake Victoria.

00:12:16.879 --> 00:12:18.720
Uh so no, they were in northern Uganda.

00:12:18.799 --> 00:12:19.039
Yeah.

00:12:19.120 --> 00:12:22.720
Uh so on the just a couple hours south of South Sudan.

00:12:22.879 --> 00:12:23.360
Yeah, okay.

00:12:23.759 --> 00:12:25.279
Um your wife, though, was she there?

00:12:25.440 --> 00:12:25.679
Yeah.

00:12:25.840 --> 00:12:27.120
She was with you in South Sudan.

00:12:27.279 --> 00:12:27.440
Yes.

00:12:27.600 --> 00:12:30.799
Okay, and so she is she's got her M4 strapped to her chest.

00:12:30.879 --> 00:12:31.919
She's no not her.

00:12:32.240 --> 00:12:32.480
Okay.

00:12:32.559 --> 00:12:35.840
She so she was just kind of being the counselor person for yeah.

00:12:36.080 --> 00:12:38.480
She she's also she's also a medical professional.

00:12:39.039 --> 00:12:42.399
So um she checks the w the girls and the boys and makes sure.

00:12:42.720 --> 00:12:43.840
Did she carry a sidearm though?

00:12:43.919 --> 00:12:44.080
Yeah.

00:12:44.240 --> 00:12:47.519
Okay, so she had just uh one on her hip or on her on her thigh.

00:12:47.840 --> 00:12:53.840
All right, so you're you're going in battle with your wife, you guys are getting firefights, you know.

00:12:54.000 --> 00:12:54.960
Did she ever get hit?

00:12:55.120 --> 00:12:55.279
No.

00:12:55.519 --> 00:12:56.240
Did you ever get hit?

00:12:56.480 --> 00:12:59.279
Uh well by like fly rock and stuff, but nothing crazy.

00:12:59.600 --> 00:12:59.840
Nice.

00:13:00.000 --> 00:13:07.679
And so then um you're taking out these guys, because it it I mean, this is like deadly work to pull out free people.

00:13:07.919 --> 00:13:10.639
Did you ever have like any PTSD or any sort of anger?

00:13:10.720 --> 00:13:11.919
Like, like the thing.

00:13:12.240 --> 00:13:22.639
You know, like the anger comes of like because you get kind of when you it's weird in combat, you don't necessarily feel a feel of fear, but you do feel like an aggression of like, yeah, um, I'm here to do business.

00:13:22.879 --> 00:13:24.799
Yeah, you know, so I struggle.

00:13:24.960 --> 00:13:29.279
I think sadness is something that I struggle with.

00:13:29.440 --> 00:13:31.919
I don't get I I struggle for a long time.

00:13:32.080 --> 00:13:36.399
I struggled with not being sad because I didn't normally get sad, I got pissed.

00:13:36.559 --> 00:13:36.879
Yeah.

00:13:37.039 --> 00:13:41.759
Uh if someone gets hurt or someone's like, oh, I hurt my foot, it's anger.

00:13:41.919 --> 00:13:42.159
Yeah.

00:13:42.320 --> 00:13:45.200
Oh, if my daughter cries, I'm mad at the world.

00:13:45.440 --> 00:13:48.639
If something sad happens, I'm like, oh, anger.

00:13:48.960 --> 00:13:55.279
Um, and then there are other things too, you know, smells, noises that just kind of mess with you.

00:13:55.440 --> 00:14:03.279
But um, thank goodness, you know, there they're there's the Lord who helps you, and we've got science and counseling.

00:14:03.519 --> 00:14:07.519
Um but yeah, I mean, there's there's a lot of holdover that people don't realize.

00:14:07.679 --> 00:14:22.720
Like, for instance, no, we're talking about we're talking about combat, but there are other situations when you go into a place where there's a brothel and you know about kids, and you've hired people to watch these kids, and you've got someone who goes in and they like are reading stories and talking about buying somebody, right?

00:14:22.799 --> 00:14:26.480
And then you see these children and you're like, all right, we're gonna we're gonna do this.

00:14:26.720 --> 00:14:31.200
This is this long, long, long thing where you're investing and investing and investing time.

00:14:31.360 --> 00:14:32.399
You've never met the child.

00:14:32.480 --> 00:14:34.320
Oh my goodness, I feel like I'm gonna cry.

00:14:34.480 --> 00:14:39.840
And then someone buys the kid before you can, and you're like, crap, we lost her.

00:14:40.080 --> 00:14:45.840
Um, like, so that also plays, and then again, anger, yeah, right?

00:14:45.919 --> 00:14:46.879
Because you're mad.

00:14:47.440 --> 00:14:50.159
Because you're like, whoa, why couldn't we do this faster?

00:14:50.320 --> 00:14:56.720
Yeah, and why you know, there's so much paperwork, and there's so oh, that's frustrating.

00:14:56.879 --> 00:14:57.519
Yeah, okay.

00:14:57.600 --> 00:15:00.080
So, how long were you in South Sudan?

00:15:00.240 --> 00:15:01.360
Oh, sheesh.

00:15:01.519 --> 00:15:06.720
So we were there two times, uh, probably about seven months and four months.

00:15:06.960 --> 00:15:10.960
So seven month stint, come back down to Uganda, four-month stint.

00:15:11.279 --> 00:15:14.720
No, so uh we're we go in, we do the work, then we come out.

00:15:14.799 --> 00:15:16.320
We're based out of Uganda.

00:15:16.480 --> 00:15:24.080
Um we have we're here, uh we spent more time in Nuba, actually, uh which is technically Sudan Sudan.

00:15:24.240 --> 00:15:24.559
Yeah, yeah.

00:15:24.799 --> 00:15:30.639
Um and and it just depends on it just depends on where we need to be.

00:15:30.720 --> 00:15:33.919
And we we're very mobile to get where you need to be.

00:15:34.240 --> 00:15:34.559
Okay.

00:15:34.960 --> 00:15:38.879
So you're you're in this area, you're you're doing all this work.

00:15:38.960 --> 00:15:42.399
It's wild to kind of hear about um all this.

00:15:42.720 --> 00:15:47.279
You finally get done, if if done is the right word.

00:15:48.000 --> 00:15:50.879
Um and and then what's the plan?

00:15:51.039 --> 00:15:55.679
Like, what was your like exit strategy or what made you leave South Sudan?

00:15:56.159 --> 00:15:58.000
Oh, well, so this is funny.

00:15:58.159 --> 00:16:00.159
We always say that it was a happy problem.

00:16:00.720 --> 00:16:06.320
Um, we ran into uh a really good problem, which is at first no one cared about South Sudan.

00:16:06.399 --> 00:16:06.720
Right.

00:16:06.879 --> 00:16:08.799
So no one was there, right?

00:16:09.120 --> 00:16:18.159
And then all of a sudden people started hearing about it, and then there was a flood of missionaries, and there were a bunch of people who were willing to go and help, and and we just weren't needed there anymore.

00:16:18.240 --> 00:16:19.600
There were a lot of people who would do that.

00:16:19.679 --> 00:16:26.399
And our prayer was always if there's somewhere that somebody doesn't, if there's somewhere if someone doesn't want to go, Lord, send us.

00:16:27.120 --> 00:16:30.080
And um there and then people started wanting to go there again.

00:16:30.320 --> 00:16:37.840
And so was there there wasn't an issue with freeing sex lives or you know, humanly human trafficked people anymore, or there still is.

00:16:38.000 --> 00:16:38.720
There still is.

00:16:38.879 --> 00:16:46.000
It's just now they have a lot more people who are trained, equipped, they have the teams on the ground, they're trained, they're ready, they're doing it.

00:16:46.080 --> 00:16:46.639
They're doing it.

00:16:46.960 --> 00:16:48.399
So from South Sudan, where'd you go?

00:16:48.639 --> 00:16:49.039
Let's see.

00:16:49.200 --> 00:16:51.039
From South Sudan, we went.

00:16:51.840 --> 00:16:53.039
So this is interesting.

00:16:53.200 --> 00:16:56.559
So from South Sudan, uh the girls went.

00:16:56.639 --> 00:16:58.480
Well, one of the girls stayed with me.

00:16:58.639 --> 00:17:10.720
Um, the girls went back to the US for a couple months, and we started scoping out uh Adis, because that's when the whole Tegrir thing happened with uh Eritrea, the Tigrir people, and then the Amhar in Ethiopia.

00:17:11.039 --> 00:17:12.319
We don't know that story.

00:17:12.640 --> 00:17:19.279
Ah, well uh so there was And just in case every people don't know, Ethiopia borders South Sudan.

00:17:19.519 --> 00:17:20.240
And Somalia.

00:17:20.400 --> 00:17:21.119
And Somalia.

00:17:21.200 --> 00:17:29.279
So so on one side is Somalia, on the other side is Sudan, Sudan, South Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, which is a really funny country name.

00:17:29.599 --> 00:17:49.920
But um, yeah, so uh we were so as we were leaving, the whole Ethiopia thing happened, and we were like, oh and people were talking to us, like, hey, you know, there's there's a lot of anti-trafficking that's needing to go on over here because the the Ethiopians were taking and moving into Jib.

00:17:50.240 --> 00:17:51.680
Nope, nope, into Eritrea.

00:17:51.920 --> 00:17:54.480
And then Eritrea was Eritrea's where?

00:17:54.799 --> 00:17:58.319
Eritrea is right next door to Ethiopia.

00:17:58.559 --> 00:18:03.119
So on the east side, north east, northeast side, kind of towards Djibouti.

00:18:03.759 --> 00:18:06.240
Yeah, yep, not far from uh Saudi.

00:18:06.559 --> 00:18:06.880
Okay.

00:18:07.279 --> 00:18:08.400
Just whoop right over there.

00:18:08.720 --> 00:18:09.119
Nice.

00:18:09.759 --> 00:18:18.720
Um, and so we went over there and we started getting ourselves settled up and uh meeting teams and finding out was there, and we were there for about six months as well.

00:18:18.960 --> 00:18:25.759
But it was just me and my oldest daughter, who at this time she was like 16 or 17, but she's very mature.

00:18:26.000 --> 00:18:29.599
And she took on the role of uh she took on the role of counselor, yeah.

00:18:29.759 --> 00:18:34.640
Yeah, because uh so a lot of what we work with is just trafficking in general.

00:18:34.880 --> 00:18:39.680
Um, but trafficking in general with women, unfortunately, always goes one way.

00:18:39.920 --> 00:18:41.839
It's always sex slavery, you know what I mean?

00:18:41.920 --> 00:18:44.400
They they're not it's not fair for them.

00:18:44.720 --> 00:18:45.039
Okay.

00:18:45.519 --> 00:18:49.359
So all right, you're you you're then in Djibouti for a season.

00:18:49.519 --> 00:18:51.839
Your wife and other daughters go to the US?

00:18:52.000 --> 00:18:53.680
Uh we were in uh Ethiopia.

00:18:54.000 --> 00:18:56.960
So you're in Ethiopia, which is really close to Djibouti.

00:18:57.279 --> 00:18:57.440
It is.

00:18:57.599 --> 00:19:01.759
Uh, and then you uh your your wife and other daughters went home?

00:19:01.920 --> 00:19:02.160
Yep.

00:19:02.319 --> 00:19:03.119
To the United States?

00:19:03.279 --> 00:19:03.519
Yes.

00:19:03.759 --> 00:19:04.799
To Austin?

00:19:05.039 --> 00:19:06.720
No, uh to Wyoming.

00:19:06.960 --> 00:19:07.759
To Wyoming?

00:19:07.920 --> 00:19:08.559
Yep.

00:19:09.200 --> 00:19:10.319
Have they been there before?

00:19:10.559 --> 00:19:10.880
Yeah.

00:19:10.960 --> 00:19:11.279
Yep.

00:19:11.359 --> 00:19:13.119
That's where uh my youngest was born.

00:19:13.359 --> 00:19:13.759
That's right.

00:19:13.839 --> 00:19:14.160
Okay.

00:19:14.400 --> 00:19:14.799
All right.

00:19:14.880 --> 00:19:16.799
So you're they're in Wyoming.

00:19:16.880 --> 00:19:18.240
How long are you guys separated for?

00:19:18.400 --> 00:19:19.359
Uh maybe two months.

00:19:19.519 --> 00:19:19.759
Okay.

00:19:19.920 --> 00:19:22.160
And uh we went there for, then we came back.

00:19:22.240 --> 00:19:25.680
Uh, then we united again and started working again as a family.

00:19:25.920 --> 00:19:26.319
Where?

00:19:26.559 --> 00:19:31.839
Uh in the northern part, just outside of the Tegrier region.

00:19:32.000 --> 00:19:34.720
And so when you say Tegrier, you gotta remind me again.

00:19:34.880 --> 00:19:35.039
Sorry.

00:19:35.279 --> 00:19:37.440
That's up in the northeast part of Ethiopia.

00:19:37.680 --> 00:19:39.920
Okay, so uh is it like Eritrea?

00:19:40.240 --> 00:19:41.039
Is that like that country?

00:19:41.440 --> 00:19:42.319
Very, very close to there.

00:19:42.720 --> 00:19:44.960
All right, so you're then you're working again, still doing that.

00:19:45.039 --> 00:19:47.279
Is this a war-torn area or just a sex slave area?

00:19:47.519 --> 00:19:48.160
That's war.

00:19:48.319 --> 00:19:50.319
A lot of what we do happens in war.

00:19:50.480 --> 00:20:11.119
Um, the sex, so uh war makes people money, but uh there's a very, very, very real thing that happens in war, and that's that people get bought, sold, and stolen a lot in war zones because the law breaks down and people recognize, hey, we can take people here and we can sell them and we could force them and we could whatever.

00:20:11.200 --> 00:20:12.880
There's just not a lot of law.

00:20:13.759 --> 00:20:14.079
Okay.

00:20:14.480 --> 00:20:22.160
So then you're you're so how when you save them, how do you how do you know they're not going back in in in especially in these war-torn areas?

00:20:22.640 --> 00:20:25.200
So, in a sense, that you don't always know that.

00:20:25.440 --> 00:20:26.799
Right, but you might as well try, right?

00:20:26.880 --> 00:20:43.920
But yeah, um, but there so there are organizations in almost every country, um, and we work with those guys who they they know how it works, and we sit and we talk with law enforcement, we talk with these orgs, and they have houses set up, they have programs set up, you know, schools for girls, counseling.

00:20:44.079 --> 00:20:53.759
You know, a lot of the times when a when a woman is stolen from her uh family or her community, she's actually not normally accepted back into our community.

00:20:53.839 --> 00:20:56.799
If we were to save her and send her home, she'd be an outcast.

00:20:56.880 --> 00:21:02.880
She wouldn't be able to have a husband or a life of any way because they would assume that she'd been raped, which means no one wants her as a wife in it.

00:21:03.680 --> 00:21:10.000
Um, so these these programs, they have these other places where they set up a new life for them.

00:21:10.240 --> 00:21:17.440
And and that's kind of like we get them and then we put them in the system where the system starts working and teaching about the Lord.

00:21:17.599 --> 00:21:27.119
We're working on reconciliation, re uh, you know, just re so there's a what is it that says it's no longer I who live but Christ who lives within me, right?

00:21:27.279 --> 00:21:28.319
Yeah, Galatians 220.

00:21:28.559 --> 00:21:30.960
And and I believe that that is also restoring.

00:21:31.039 --> 00:21:41.200
And and you they so they're working on restoration and fixing them and then getting them a new home, new life, new hope, and planting them with a church and helping them grow from what happened.

00:21:41.440 --> 00:21:42.319
Yeah, that's wild.

00:21:42.480 --> 00:21:52.240
Okay, so you're you you're in Djibouti, you're uh up north near the um Eritrea.

00:21:53.119 --> 00:21:55.200
Uh then you head back where?

00:21:55.519 --> 00:21:56.480
We came back to the US.

00:21:56.640 --> 00:21:59.759
Okay, where to that was Austin.

00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:01.119
We were actually in Austin.

00:22:01.359 --> 00:22:01.599
Okay.

00:22:01.680 --> 00:22:04.400
So you're you get back to Austin, and what year was that?

00:22:06.960 --> 00:22:07.599
Sheesh.

00:22:07.839 --> 00:22:08.319
I don't know.

00:22:08.400 --> 00:22:11.279
I think it was like I want to say it was during COVID.

00:22:11.599 --> 00:22:11.920
Okay.

00:22:12.079 --> 00:22:12.240
Yeah.

00:22:12.400 --> 00:22:13.920
And then you're like, life is awful.

00:22:14.000 --> 00:22:15.119
Let's get back to a war zone.

00:22:15.680 --> 00:22:17.039
We actually didn't acknowledge COVID.

00:22:17.200 --> 00:22:17.759
Oh, nice.

00:22:19.279 --> 00:22:22.240
You showed up and people were like, oh, the mess.

00:22:22.480 --> 00:22:24.240
I was like, I'm I've got my vaccination.

00:22:24.319 --> 00:22:25.200
What are you talking about?

00:22:25.359 --> 00:22:26.400
Like the Ebola?

00:22:26.480 --> 00:22:28.559
There wasn't, but there's not even Ebola where I'm at.

00:22:28.720 --> 00:22:29.839
And they're like, no, it's COVID.

00:22:29.920 --> 00:22:31.680
I'm like, no, it's Ebola, I promise.

00:22:31.920 --> 00:22:32.880
And they're like, no, COVID.

00:22:32.960 --> 00:22:34.319
I'm like, what are you even talking about?

00:22:34.480 --> 00:22:36.400
Like, it didn't exist where we were.

00:22:36.559 --> 00:22:37.440
Yo, that's wild.

00:22:37.599 --> 00:22:37.920
Okay.

00:22:38.079 --> 00:22:40.799
So then you're you're hanging out here in during COVID.

00:22:41.119 --> 00:22:42.799
And then are you like, we got to get out of here?

00:22:43.039 --> 00:22:43.759
What was the thought?

00:22:44.000 --> 00:22:45.680
Um, then we were getting counseling.

00:22:45.920 --> 00:22:46.400
Oh, okay.

00:22:46.559 --> 00:22:47.359
Marriage counseling.

00:22:47.599 --> 00:22:48.559
All sorts of counseling.

00:22:48.799 --> 00:22:51.359
Okay, like, hey, uh PTSD counseling.

00:22:51.440 --> 00:22:55.599
Um uh PTSD counseling, marriage counseling, trying to get the kids.

00:22:55.920 --> 00:22:56.720
Where'd you go for that?

00:22:56.799 --> 00:22:59.200
Like, uh, so I'm really lucky.

00:22:59.279 --> 00:23:04.240
Uh I get to go to the uh I actually go out in North Carolina to the veterans' the veteran center.

00:23:04.319 --> 00:23:07.119
Oh nice in uh North Carolina up there, out by Greer.

00:23:07.200 --> 00:23:07.359
Yeah.

00:23:07.599 --> 00:23:08.960
Um yeah, that's where I get to go.

00:23:09.039 --> 00:23:13.839
They do EMDR, they do all sorts of So you were in okay, so but your wife, does she go to the same place?

00:23:14.079 --> 00:23:14.319
She does.

00:23:14.480 --> 00:23:14.640
Okay.

00:23:14.720 --> 00:23:14.880
Yeah.

00:23:15.039 --> 00:23:17.680
So she went same place, you guys are, you know.

00:23:18.319 --> 00:23:20.160
Like, do you have a job at this time?

00:23:20.319 --> 00:23:21.200
I mean, like, yeah.

00:23:21.440 --> 00:23:26.319
I mean, like, did you I mean I don't it's sound like if you were a mercenary, like, oh, that's a tons of money.

00:23:26.400 --> 00:23:29.359
If you're like if people were paying you to rescue their kids, I'm sure there's tons of money there.

00:23:29.440 --> 00:23:30.559
But this is missionary work.

00:23:30.640 --> 00:23:32.480
And so I feel like you paid it very much for it.

00:23:32.559 --> 00:23:32.640
Right.

00:23:32.799 --> 00:23:32.960
Yeah.

00:23:33.039 --> 00:23:34.400
So how are you surviving?

00:23:34.559 --> 00:23:39.119
So when we come, so generally when we're on the mission field, you you pull salary from the church.

00:23:39.200 --> 00:23:41.680
Uh, when we come home, they drop it like top.

00:23:41.839 --> 00:23:42.240
Yeah.

00:23:42.480 --> 00:23:46.559
But um, so I've got a CDL and I'm able to drive truck.

00:23:46.640 --> 00:23:48.960
I am always able to go and work in the oil field.

00:23:49.039 --> 00:23:51.119
I mean, the oil field work is always there.

00:23:51.279 --> 00:23:52.319
Uh, so we come home.

00:23:52.400 --> 00:23:54.720
I work either in the oil field or driving truck.

00:23:54.880 --> 00:24:08.480
Uh, this time actually, I started out driving like these weird cable things and dropping them in cement, uh, helping out building these houses out in uh Georgetown, like Santa Rita, I think the name of the place is.

00:24:08.640 --> 00:24:09.680
Yeah, Santa Rita Ranch.

00:24:09.839 --> 00:24:10.000
Yeah.

00:24:10.079 --> 00:24:11.279
And I was like, just they're like.

00:24:12.960 --> 00:24:18.400
And uh, we were there, and then they were they were so nice, they let us go, and I was like, hey man, I gotta go to do this counseling.

00:24:18.480 --> 00:24:19.279
I'll be back in a few weeks.

00:24:19.359 --> 00:24:20.880
They're like, sure, cool.

00:24:21.680 --> 00:24:23.440
Okay, so you do the counseling.

00:24:23.519 --> 00:24:25.039
How's the marriage at that point?

00:24:25.599 --> 00:24:27.119
I thought it was good.

00:24:28.480 --> 00:24:30.400
I never realized it was bad.

00:24:30.640 --> 00:24:31.680
Right, right, right, right.

00:24:31.839 --> 00:24:32.400
Uh okay.

00:24:32.720 --> 00:24:34.319
Okay, so then, but you're not done.

00:24:34.400 --> 00:24:37.440
It's not like you're like, hey, you know, it's time to retire from the mission field.

00:24:37.599 --> 00:24:41.839
It's like no, you know, so uh my wife had mentioned that.

00:24:42.000 --> 00:24:44.079
She's like, maybe we need to slow down.

00:24:44.640 --> 00:24:47.920
And then uh I was like, yeah, okay, let's slow down.

00:24:48.000 --> 00:24:50.480
Let's get in a let's do this whole group, yeah.

00:24:51.279 --> 00:24:59.200
Um and then I think it was, I want to say maybe February 24th when Russia invaded.

00:24:59.839 --> 00:25:03.519
And uh two weeks later we were in Ukraine.

00:25:03.839 --> 00:25:11.039
Two weeks later from the start of the war with Russia and Ukraine, you're in where?

00:25:11.440 --> 00:25:15.519
Uh so we started out in what's the name of that little place?

00:25:15.599 --> 00:25:18.880
It's this little city in Romania.

00:25:19.599 --> 00:25:21.039
They have a missionary base there.

00:25:21.119 --> 00:25:22.559
It's a really, really cool city.

00:25:22.640 --> 00:25:26.000
It's not far from the south border of Ukraine.

00:25:26.400 --> 00:25:27.680
Like Bucharest or?

00:25:27.920 --> 00:25:29.759
No, no, it's north of Bucharest.

00:25:29.839 --> 00:25:35.680
Uh like Bakauer or Lassie or Geez, I don't I don't even know the name of the city.

00:25:35.839 --> 00:25:36.880
Like north of Bucharest.

00:25:36.960 --> 00:25:37.599
I'm like, where can you?

00:25:37.759 --> 00:25:39.440
It's definitely north of Bucharest.

00:25:39.599 --> 00:25:41.039
It's it's a big city too.

00:25:41.119 --> 00:25:42.079
Like, oh, Kluj.

00:25:42.400 --> 00:25:42.720
Kluge.

00:25:43.119 --> 00:25:44.000
Kluj-Napoka.

00:25:44.640 --> 00:25:46.000
Kluj Nipolitavi.

00:25:47.119 --> 00:25:48.160
Oh yeah, Kluj-Napoca.

00:25:48.240 --> 00:25:51.759
Okay, so you go to Cluj-Napoca, big city, that's toward the north central.

00:25:51.920 --> 00:25:54.400
And then, you know, you're just west of Moldova.

00:25:54.559 --> 00:25:59.039
And and so then you go from Romania, or you did you headquartered out of Cluj?

00:25:59.440 --> 00:26:01.680
Uh for the first few, like so.

00:26:01.759 --> 00:26:04.960
For two months we were in Cluj, and uh again.

00:26:05.440 --> 00:26:08.000
With how tell me of the ages of your kids at this point.

00:26:08.240 --> 00:26:10.079
Uh oh, let me see.

00:26:10.160 --> 00:26:11.839
That was when was that?

00:26:12.240 --> 00:26:13.359
So 22?

00:26:13.680 --> 00:26:19.279
22, and today's 23, so 14, 15, and 17.

00:26:19.920 --> 00:26:20.240
No.

00:26:21.839 --> 00:26:23.200
Because right now they're 14.

00:26:24.160 --> 00:26:25.119
And you have all daughters.

00:26:25.279 --> 00:26:25.920
All daughters.

00:26:26.079 --> 00:26:28.480
And your girls were like, let's go to war.

00:26:29.279 --> 00:26:29.680
Yeah.

00:26:30.079 --> 00:26:31.119
Except for my youngest.

00:26:31.359 --> 00:26:32.880
She was kind of like, hey, I kind of like it here.

00:26:33.279 --> 00:26:33.599
Yeah.

00:26:34.720 --> 00:26:35.599
I screwed up there.

00:26:35.680 --> 00:26:36.240
Oh man.

00:26:36.559 --> 00:26:38.240
But uh the other two are so gung-ho.

00:26:38.559 --> 00:26:41.119
My oldest daughter still to this day works in that field.

00:26:41.359 --> 00:26:42.000
That's wild.

00:26:42.160 --> 00:26:42.400
Okay.

00:26:42.640 --> 00:26:44.799
So you go to Clues, you hang out there for how long?

00:26:44.960 --> 00:26:45.839
Uh, maybe two months.

00:26:46.079 --> 00:26:50.960
And is this where you're you're back in action, you're you're you're on support.

00:26:51.279 --> 00:26:51.519
Yep.

00:26:51.680 --> 00:26:57.680
So yep, we're we're missionaries, we're being supported, we're trying to figure out because it was a it was a cluster.

00:26:57.920 --> 00:27:00.240
So we have to figure out how can we get in there?

00:27:00.400 --> 00:27:02.000
Who do we need to know in the service?

00:27:02.160 --> 00:27:07.200
Where's what, who's working, what are the operations, what are the issues they're having, trying to figure all that out.

00:27:07.359 --> 00:27:08.880
How can we move a family in there?

00:27:09.039 --> 00:27:10.079
What's the strike zone?

00:27:10.240 --> 00:27:11.680
How quick is the encroachment coming?

00:27:11.839 --> 00:27:12.799
Are they pushing back?

00:27:12.960 --> 00:27:14.000
What's Russia got?

00:27:14.079 --> 00:27:14.960
Are these nukes?

00:27:15.119 --> 00:27:17.759
Are there you know, because they were remembering tactical nukes.

00:27:17.839 --> 00:27:20.559
Yeah, they were like, oh, we're gonna nuke the place, and like, is this a real threat?

00:27:20.720 --> 00:27:21.119
Is it not?

00:27:21.440 --> 00:27:21.519
Right.

00:27:21.839 --> 00:27:28.640
Trying to work together and figure out who is what because there were so many NGOs out there, yeah, and trying to sift through that.

00:27:28.720 --> 00:27:34.400
And then once we were able to go through all of that, which took took a few months, then we slowly made our way into Ukraine.

00:27:34.640 --> 00:27:36.880
Okay, so what city in Ukraine did you get to?

00:27:37.920 --> 00:27:38.880
I can't say.

00:27:39.119 --> 00:27:40.400
All right, what okay?

00:27:40.480 --> 00:27:41.680
So you get into the Ukraine.

00:27:41.759 --> 00:27:42.079
Yeah.

00:27:42.319 --> 00:27:45.039
Uh are you on are you on the front lines?

00:27:45.359 --> 00:27:46.960
Not instantly, no.

00:27:47.279 --> 00:27:49.119
Um, so we started out.

00:27:49.279 --> 00:27:52.319
Oh, well, actually, here's a really, really I'll tell you this story.

00:27:52.400 --> 00:27:57.519
So this is interesting, and this I think if you pull up news stuff, then you'll see this story.

00:27:57.759 --> 00:28:10.640
Um, so there was a friend of ours we hadn't seen since Wyoming, and um they had they'd adopted a Ukrainian girl, and they heard we were going to Ukraine, and they got a hold of us.

00:28:10.799 --> 00:28:16.000
It was like, hey, we wanted to adopt this girl, and she wasn't they stopped the adoption.

00:28:16.079 --> 00:28:16.960
Can you find her?

00:28:17.200 --> 00:28:20.160
We lost contact, so we're like, yeah, we'll do our best.

00:28:20.799 --> 00:28:27.680
Um, and she was in a place called Mik Alive, was the orphanage, and so she's an American.

00:28:27.759 --> 00:28:38.240
This girl is because she was fully adopted, has this fully adopted, and we went over there and the whole orphanage had disappeared when Russia had that quick advance.

00:28:38.480 --> 00:28:42.799
And we were asking around and calling and getting a hold of these people, those people, and the other.

00:28:43.039 --> 00:28:47.119
Um, and finally we did end up tracking them down through the whole.

00:28:47.440 --> 00:28:49.680
This is this is a nut story, man.

00:28:49.839 --> 00:28:52.160
This is probably the coolest story of my life.

00:28:52.400 --> 00:28:53.839
All right, go tell me the story.

00:28:54.079 --> 00:28:57.279
So we went in there and we're like, hey, can you guys give us some?

00:28:57.759 --> 00:29:00.400
We have a pin and we're looking down, we're like, where is this?

00:29:00.480 --> 00:29:01.920
And they're like, it's in Mikkelive.

00:29:02.160 --> 00:29:04.480
So we look down, they're like, that's Russian control.

00:29:04.880 --> 00:29:07.920
Like, oh, well, there's this orphanage there.

00:29:08.079 --> 00:29:10.480
Like, yeah, the orphanage got moved before they came.

00:29:10.799 --> 00:29:14.640
So then we got a hold of the secretary of something.

00:29:14.720 --> 00:29:16.400
They have so many secretaries in Ukraine.

00:29:16.559 --> 00:29:16.880
Right.

00:29:17.039 --> 00:29:20.799
And um of ministerial orphanages.

00:29:21.200 --> 00:29:23.519
And um, so they were like, Yeah, they're over here.

00:29:23.599 --> 00:29:24.079
We got a hold.

00:29:24.319 --> 00:29:25.839
They said, No, they never made it.

00:29:26.000 --> 00:29:32.240
And one thing led to another, and it turns out um that they were taken by Russians?

00:29:32.480 --> 00:29:33.759
By the Russians, oh yeah.

00:29:34.000 --> 00:29:41.440
And um, so we're like, Well, there's an American there, and you know, all this has got to be really quiet because if they find out they have an American, we don't know what's gonna happen.

00:29:41.680 --> 00:29:42.079
Wow.

00:29:42.319 --> 00:29:51.359
Um, so they we ended up trying to go out there several times, and we were like when you say go out there, are you on patrol, on by foot, on the caravan?

00:29:51.440 --> 00:29:52.000
What are you doing?

00:29:52.240 --> 00:29:57.920
So there's a there are a lot of lines in order to get to the front line, right?

00:29:58.079 --> 00:30:00.480
You know, and you need paperwork to get there.

00:30:00.640 --> 00:30:02.880
And so we're hey, can we go out there?

00:30:02.960 --> 00:30:07.359
We we have this from this such and such general or so-and-so commander says we can go out there.

00:30:07.440 --> 00:30:11.119
We're just gonna look to see what it what can we see with our eyes.

00:30:11.359 --> 00:30:14.400
Can is this possible for us to get into and sneak into?

00:30:14.799 --> 00:30:17.920
Um, can we sneak into this place and get these kids out?

00:30:18.079 --> 00:30:19.440
And everyone's like, no, no, no.

00:30:19.519 --> 00:30:22.960
And then they finally let us in, and sure enough, we definitely couldn't.

00:30:23.119 --> 00:30:26.960
Um and then we heard that they were gonna start fighting.

00:30:27.039 --> 00:30:30.480
Uh that they were like the counteroffensive was coming.

00:30:30.559 --> 00:30:31.839
Like, sweet, cool.

00:30:32.000 --> 00:30:36.000
Um, we're gonna just be with you guys, and we want to be a quick response team.

00:30:36.160 --> 00:30:38.480
Watch out when you guys are using artillery.

00:30:38.559 --> 00:30:42.640
Right here is an orphanage, and it's got kids in it, we believe.

00:30:42.960 --> 00:30:49.440
And um, I don't know if Russia ever got that news because we called and we were like, leave the kids out of this.

00:30:49.599 --> 00:30:56.319
You know, we didn't call Russians specifically, but there are ways to do that, to be like, there are kids here, check it, clear this area.

00:30:56.480 --> 00:31:00.720
And the Ukrainians are like, Okay, we won't, we're we're gonna steer clear of that area.

00:31:00.960 --> 00:31:03.599
And we ended up pushing, pushing, pushing, pushing.

00:31:03.839 --> 00:31:13.519
Um, and then when we were close enough, we had hired a different group who just some crazy knuckleheads that were like, we'll go in right now and go and get these kids.

00:31:13.759 --> 00:31:17.839
And um, they went in.

00:31:18.000 --> 00:31:21.839
Uh one guy got injured pretty bad, like shot up, yeah.

00:31:22.000 --> 00:31:23.759
Well, no, um, so it was just landmines.

00:31:23.920 --> 00:31:24.640
Landmines, yeah.

00:31:24.720 --> 00:31:27.519
Yeah, Russians are crazy with landmines, and uh, so this got hit.

00:31:27.759 --> 00:31:30.480
And they've had years and years and years and years of putting landmines out.

00:31:30.880 --> 00:31:32.079
Yeah, and people don't understand.

00:31:32.160 --> 00:31:34.960
Like, landmines aren't like what you see in the World War II movies.

00:31:35.039 --> 00:31:36.640
It's not like, oh, I could put my foot there.

00:31:36.720 --> 00:31:41.200
I mean, there's sonar, it's radio waves, it's tricky nowadays.

00:31:41.440 --> 00:31:47.119
Um, but uh, so that didn't work, and we tried, we tried, and then eventually they fought back there.

00:31:47.279 --> 00:31:49.119
We got to the place and they were gone.

00:31:49.279 --> 00:31:50.319
And we were able to try to.

00:31:50.480 --> 00:31:52.160
You fought back to the orphanage, yeah.

00:31:52.319 --> 00:31:55.119
Yeah, well, so the Ukrainians fought back to the orphanage.

00:31:55.200 --> 00:32:18.480
We were there just uh we were preaching the gospel, getting water, helping with medicine, uh, you know, healing where we could, helping out, giving the the the combat medics a break, be like, hey, you take a break, I'll be here and just preaching the gospel, just doing in Ukrainian, um, in English, but that said, Yatro Hoslov Yatro Heros will Ukraine's dobre.

00:32:19.599 --> 00:32:19.839
Yeah.

00:32:20.160 --> 00:32:21.839
My Ukrainian is not bad anymore.

00:32:22.079 --> 00:32:22.319
Okay.

00:32:22.720 --> 00:32:28.000
Um, but no, this is so there are translators.

00:32:28.240 --> 00:32:37.599
I mean, it's there's so you know, there I I I want to say that there were probably in the beginning of the war, like one third of their their military was not Ukrainian.

00:32:38.240 --> 00:32:38.960
You know what I mean?

00:32:39.119 --> 00:32:52.720
Yeah, we were all there were so many people over there, and they that's who they like got about the well, there's this name of this group, and it was a bunch of foreigners, and another one, they were a bunch of foreigners like the French Foreign Legion kind of thing, yeah, yeah.

00:32:52.799 --> 00:32:56.880
It's like the International Legion and the Foreign Legion, and yeah, okay.

00:32:57.200 --> 00:33:02.160
So uh, but we got there to the orphanage, to the orphanage, and the kids were gone.

00:33:02.400 --> 00:33:20.400
Um, and uh so this if you if you if you Google um orphanage, I don't know, orphanage and mikeleyve Ukrainian war taken by you Russians or something, you'll see that they have videos of this whole thing.

00:33:20.640 --> 00:33:28.799
And uh one thing led to another, we chased them all the way to Kherson, and then they moved them into this re-education camp in Russia.

00:33:29.279 --> 00:33:36.400
Um and from there we uh just the whole thing got really crazy and really amazing.

00:33:36.480 --> 00:33:44.640
We got a chance to work with some of the most amazing people, uh, some people who work inside of Russia.

00:33:44.960 --> 00:34:03.279
Um and we were able to get out the entire orphanage out of Russia and open up a corridor into a neighboring country, and we got them out of Russia into a different country, uh, chilled out in Tbilisi for a little bit, and then it was just amazing.

00:34:03.519 --> 00:34:08.320
And so the Ukrainian girl, we got her back home in the United States, which is pretty cool.

00:34:08.559 --> 00:34:08.960
That's wild.

00:34:09.119 --> 00:34:11.199
Like, what is the chance of finding one specific person?

00:34:11.679 --> 00:34:12.800
It's like saving Prior Ryan.

00:34:12.960 --> 00:34:18.079
All right, so like how many firefights and stuff did you kind of have to engage in that, or people you had to save or pull out, or any of that?

00:34:18.800 --> 00:34:25.199
So I during that whole time, I wasn't the firefighter guy, I was just helping out medically as much as I could.

00:34:25.360 --> 00:34:26.800
And I I don't count.

00:34:26.960 --> 00:34:30.079
You just you wake up and you go and you help as much as you can.

00:34:30.400 --> 00:34:32.239
And it's like, hey, this guy's bleeding.

00:34:32.320 --> 00:34:34.639
All right, let's do this, let's get him food, let's get bandages.

00:34:34.719 --> 00:34:41.039
Hey, I need someone to run out to Kluj, get more supplies, let's do this, and then the whole time you're like run out to Kluge, like Romania.

00:34:41.360 --> 00:34:41.679
Yeah.

00:34:41.920 --> 00:34:43.760
Well, there's always how far is that?

00:34:43.840 --> 00:34:46.000
That's like Romania, Moldova, Ukraine.

00:34:46.079 --> 00:34:48.480
I mean, like that's that's that's all within the size of Texas.

00:34:48.719 --> 00:34:49.199
Oh, okay.

00:34:49.360 --> 00:34:51.119
So it's like a four-hour drive or something?

00:34:51.360 --> 00:34:51.599
Yeah.

00:34:51.760 --> 00:34:57.840
Okay, like I just, yeah, when you don't know, it's just like countries you think that's far, but yeah, it's like we had to drive to Houston.

00:34:58.000 --> 00:34:58.320
Yeah, okay.

00:34:59.199 --> 00:34:59.840
Okay, that makes sense.

00:35:00.000 --> 00:35:00.480
That makes sense.

00:35:00.719 --> 00:35:01.039
Okay.

00:35:01.280 --> 00:35:01.679
All right.

00:35:01.920 --> 00:35:07.519
So you're you're you're you're rescuing this girl, rescuing girls, you're you're your servant.

00:35:07.679 --> 00:35:10.000
How did you feel about the Russians at the time?

00:35:12.639 --> 00:35:13.840
I love Russians.

00:35:14.000 --> 00:35:14.320
Yeah.

00:35:14.559 --> 00:35:16.639
Um, I felt it's hard.

00:35:16.960 --> 00:35:18.400
It was really difficult.

00:35:18.960 --> 00:35:32.159
So it's difficult to maintain the Christian mindset idea that you're there and these people are made in God's image.

00:35:32.559 --> 00:35:32.800
Right.

00:35:32.960 --> 00:35:41.760
And then you come across in certain houses and stuff when you're running sweeps and trying to find people, and you see just nasty, horrible things that have happened to people, and you're like, err.

00:35:42.400 --> 00:35:49.599
Um, but you have to remember like this is you know, these these aren't my enemies.

00:35:49.760 --> 00:35:49.840
Right.

00:35:50.159 --> 00:35:54.000
These people specifically are right now because of what's going on.

00:35:54.639 --> 00:35:59.360
But it's it's I love Russians, but it's I can't explain it.

00:35:59.519 --> 00:35:59.679
Yeah.

00:35:59.840 --> 00:36:00.960
It's it's not makes sense.

00:36:01.119 --> 00:36:01.519
It makes sense.

00:36:02.159 --> 00:36:17.280
I mean, the the were you like, you know, the things and you may not have known this on the ground, like several echelons down from like leadership, but like you have um, you know, a lot of you had a lot of Ukrainian corruption, you've got Russian like oligarchy and craziness.

00:36:17.360 --> 00:36:20.159
And like, did you ever get to like did you see any of that?

00:36:20.239 --> 00:36:23.280
Or was it just like bullets flying, rescuing people?

00:36:23.440 --> 00:36:24.719
We don't have time to think about that.

00:36:25.119 --> 00:36:29.519
So, yeah, again, um, it's not all action-packed story.

00:36:29.599 --> 00:36:43.280
It's a lot of chill, it's a lot of extremely tired, it's a lot of preaching the gospel to kids, it's Sundays and worships, and you know, it's really interesting how you can be in a combat zone and then you go just far enough.

00:36:43.440 --> 00:36:44.559
Yeah, I totally understand.

00:36:44.719 --> 00:36:46.639
And people are like, Oh, yeah, it's cool.

00:36:46.800 --> 00:36:50.000
We're just having a Sunday service here, and you're like, all right, cool.

00:36:50.079 --> 00:36:54.639
And then you're like, remember, if you hear these noises, here's the protocol of what we do.

00:36:54.800 --> 00:36:57.280
Um, and so there was a lot of that as well.

00:36:57.519 --> 00:37:09.440
Um it's it's it's not all chaos, it's it's really just showing the like I'm here because I love Jesus and I'm willing to do anything I can to tell you about Christ, to show you Christ.

00:37:09.599 --> 00:37:14.480
I want to show you that I love Jesus so much that I'm willing to do some crazy, crazy stuff to tell you about Jesus.

00:37:14.719 --> 00:37:15.280
Yeah.

00:37:15.519 --> 00:37:18.639
Um, where where is the Ukrainian-Russian war now?

00:37:18.960 --> 00:37:20.719
They're pretty much at a stalemate.

00:37:20.800 --> 00:37:26.079
Well, the last I heard is uh Ukraine has been pushing more and more drones into Russia lately.

00:37:26.320 --> 00:37:27.519
Um, yeah.

00:37:28.079 --> 00:37:29.440
And what do you think?

00:37:29.599 --> 00:37:35.760
Um do you see any end insight, or is that just something you came and say because it's I have no idea.

00:37:35.920 --> 00:37:36.159
Yeah.

00:37:36.400 --> 00:37:39.119
I mean, I I have no idea.

00:37:39.360 --> 00:37:42.320
It's it's you know, that's not my country.

00:37:42.400 --> 00:37:44.079
I would hate to be in their in their shoes.

00:37:44.320 --> 00:37:44.800
Yeah.

00:37:45.039 --> 00:37:45.360
Okay.

00:37:45.679 --> 00:37:46.079
All right.

00:37:46.320 --> 00:37:51.360
So you're tell me about like when things went way south with your marriage when you guys are all in Ukraine.

00:37:51.440 --> 00:37:53.840
You're doing great stuff, but it goes weird.

00:37:54.159 --> 00:37:54.480
Yeah.

00:37:54.639 --> 00:38:05.920
Uh gee shall it was actually this operation when we were getting uh the orphanage.

00:38:06.239 --> 00:38:11.119
Um, we split up as a team, and this is something we don't normally do a ton.

00:38:11.199 --> 00:38:12.960
We try to stay together as long as we can.

00:38:13.679 --> 00:38:15.280
Um, and we split together.

00:38:15.519 --> 00:38:16.159
We split up.

00:38:16.239 --> 00:38:18.239
She ended up taking one half.

00:38:18.400 --> 00:38:29.199
I ended up going home and supporting the service members because that's kind of what I'm comfortable with of teaching medicine, uh, being like a medic on the ground.

00:38:29.920 --> 00:38:32.239
Um, and one thing led to another.

00:38:32.400 --> 00:38:37.280
I think I told you like uh maybe I I think I alluded to this, but maybe not.

00:38:37.519 --> 00:38:47.039
At one point, I was walking down the street and in the middle of Ukraine, just chilling because it was like our our off time, right?

00:38:47.199 --> 00:38:50.400
So, and we were we were based in a safe part of Ukraine.

00:38:50.639 --> 00:38:55.679
So just walking down the street and I heard Spanish, and I'm like, what in the world is this?

00:38:55.920 --> 00:39:07.519
So I turn around and look, and there are all these Latinos, and um crazy enough, so and this is like I don't know, 10 or 15 years later.

00:39:07.760 --> 00:39:10.239
It's I'm like, hola, como estás?

00:39:10.880 --> 00:39:15.679
I actually speak really good Spanish, so but um, and they're like, yo, what's up?

00:39:16.000 --> 00:39:31.119
And I find out that Ukraine was flying in a lot of fighters from Latin America, and these were Colombian fighters from like the FARC, and the same guys FARC, uh, it's it's uh a bad guy group in Colombia.

00:39:31.360 --> 00:39:31.679
Okay.

00:39:31.840 --> 00:39:39.920
Um, and these are the same guys that you had sort of battled against to get the well that we weren't able to cross the you remember I was talking about yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:39:39.920 --> 00:39:40.880
They were the ones that screwed you.

00:39:41.039 --> 00:39:43.760
Yeah, we couldn't cross the dairy and gap because of these guys.

00:39:43.840 --> 00:39:49.280
They're the ones that we were looking in the jungle being like, man, I would love to speak to them about Christ someday.

00:39:49.440 --> 00:39:58.400
And here we are, I don't know how many years later, uh-huh, and they're at our footstep being like, hey, well, uh, and at this point we had like this medical training down.

00:39:58.480 --> 00:40:02.400
We were doing some training, and I was like, hey, you should come through.

00:40:02.480 --> 00:40:04.800
We'll speak to these guys, they'll give you your paperwork.

00:40:04.880 --> 00:40:11.440
You can come through our training, we can get you all of your your IFACs and all of this, uh, to first aid kit.

00:40:11.760 --> 00:40:17.519
Um, and you can well we'll but you have to listen to the gospel.

00:40:17.760 --> 00:40:21.519
Our whole everything is we will we will save your body.

00:40:21.599 --> 00:40:26.320
We care about your body, but I'm doing this because I I want you to save your, I want to save your soul, you know.

00:40:26.480 --> 00:40:28.400
And they're like, Yeah, sure, we'll do this.

00:40:28.559 --> 00:40:35.039
And uh crazy story, so many years later, they're coming to us to hear the gospel.

00:40:35.280 --> 00:40:37.599
Wow, and we're like, so here's how you do a tourniquet.

00:40:37.760 --> 00:40:39.679
I was like, if it doesn't hurt, it ain't working.

00:40:39.760 --> 00:40:42.079
I was like, now let me tell you about Jesus.

00:40:42.239 --> 00:40:51.119
Oh wow, and um, like eight of them ended up becoming Christian and they left the group and they went back home, and it was so crazy cool.

00:40:51.280 --> 00:40:59.760
Uh, they did not fare well because it's a different type of warfare than they're used to, but um but the Christian dudes lived, yeah.

00:41:00.000 --> 00:41:03.679
They lived, but the dudes who went actually to the fighting didn't do so hot.

00:41:03.920 --> 00:41:05.199
That's why okay.

00:41:06.000 --> 00:41:06.320
Wow.

00:41:06.480 --> 00:41:07.920
All right, I want to pause it right there.

00:41:08.159 --> 00:41:09.599
We're gonna have to come back for a part three.

00:41:09.840 --> 00:41:10.239
Sorry.

00:41:10.400 --> 00:41:11.920
Um, because this is so good.

00:41:12.159 --> 00:41:17.840
At the same time, I feel like if we get into this next one, I don't want us to like have to get cut off midway.

00:41:18.079 --> 00:41:26.000
So we're gonna uh pause here and we're gonna come back next time uh to fight follow up the story with Bruno DeCanto.

00:41:27.280 --> 00:41:28.320
Covert missionary.

00:41:28.400 --> 00:41:30.079
Yeah, we black ops missionary.

00:41:31.679 --> 00:41:33.039
We don't talk about Bruno.

00:41:33.440 --> 00:41:34.400
No, no, no.

00:41:34.559 --> 00:41:34.880
All right.

00:41:35.039 --> 00:41:36.960
Hey guys, thanks so much for watching.

00:41:37.119 --> 00:41:38.880
We talk faith, culture, everything in between.

00:41:39.039 --> 00:41:40.159
We'll see you next time.

00:41:40.320 --> 00:41:43.039
Um have an awesome week of worship.