WEBVTT - Dennis Perry (Operation Life)

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<v Speaker 1>Recently, I received an email from seventy seven year old

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<v Speaker 1>Dennis Perry, who for over twenty years has been serving

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<v Speaker 1>some of the most vulnerable people in Papua and New

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<v Speaker 1>Guinea and feeding the poor who lived in appalling conditions.

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<v Speaker 1>So I got to get him on the line. Hi Dennis,

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<v Speaker 1>Hi robend Bill, how are you good? Thanks? Now, all

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<v Speaker 1>this started when you're on a business trip to Papua

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<v Speaker 1>New Guinea.

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<v Speaker 2>What year was that, Yeah, look going back to nineteen

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<v Speaker 2>ninety eight.

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<v Speaker 3>In fact, it was in tom at that time, and

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<v Speaker 3>just before I went to put.

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<v Speaker 2>New Guinea and I found a situation where I witnessed

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<v Speaker 2>a community physically living on a garbage clump.

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<v Speaker 3>That inspired me.

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<v Speaker 2>When we went on to Palm, New Guinea, we found

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<v Speaker 2>exactly the same situation and started down minister.

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<v Speaker 3>In Pam New Guinea.

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<v Speaker 1>So it really shocked you.

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<v Speaker 2>Look, being his shock was an understatement. I never expected

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<v Speaker 2>to see poverty like my witnessed so close to Australia.

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<v Speaker 2>I said to God, what are you doing about this?

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<v Speaker 2>And he said to me, He said to me, Dennis,

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<v Speaker 2>I am doing something about it.

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<v Speaker 3>That's why you're here.

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<v Speaker 1>And you started this ministry called Operation Life.

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<v Speaker 2>Yes, with my colleague David Woody.

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<v Speaker 1>And how bad is life on the ground for the

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<v Speaker 1>poor in p.

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<v Speaker 2>Andng it It has got worse since COVID. There's a

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<v Speaker 2>population of some eleven million people in New Guinea. Nearly

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<v Speaker 2>half the population.

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<v Speaker 3>Live below the poverty line.

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<v Speaker 2>As soon as COVID A hit, as most countries experienced,

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<v Speaker 2>the cost of living went up and that affected put

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<v Speaker 2>New Guinea as it did our country inso much that

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<v Speaker 2>those people who are living on the poverty line were

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<v Speaker 2>now living below the poverty line. It's a disaster on

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<v Speaker 2>Australia's footsteps, with very few know about now.

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<v Speaker 1>Over the years, you've had to rescue children from at

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<v Speaker 1>risk situations. How bad have these been?

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<v Speaker 3>Oh?

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<v Speaker 2>Look, some of the children we have rescued come from

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<v Speaker 2>a dramatic situations. We found children on streets that have

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<v Speaker 2>been abused, they've been raped, they have been abandoned and

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<v Speaker 2>are left to their own means. It's been undescribable. And

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<v Speaker 2>we've been rescuing children for nearly ten years now.

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<v Speaker 1>And what projects have you in place to help the

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<v Speaker 1>poor in PNG?

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<v Speaker 2>We are now feeding the poor on the streets in

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<v Speaker 2>pat New Guinea regularly and.

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<v Speaker 3>That's about seven hundred people each time.

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<v Speaker 2>We have a childress sanctuary where we take the rescued

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<v Speaker 2>children too, and that's our own premises, and we have

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<v Speaker 2>an average of around forty children at any given time,

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<v Speaker 2>and every week. One of these children have their own story.

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<v Speaker 2>Some have burn, as I said, abused, some have been raped,

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<v Speaker 2>some have been just.

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<v Speaker 3>Unloved and unwanted.

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<v Speaker 2>But we transform their lives at our sanctuary to give

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<v Speaker 2>them love, to take them to school, we bring them

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<v Speaker 2>home from still, take them to church, bring them home

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<v Speaker 2>from church, and all their medical bills are covered.

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<v Speaker 1>Mate. Is the government they're doing enough?

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<v Speaker 3>No?

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<v Speaker 1>Not?

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<v Speaker 2>No? I would love to have the Prime Minister and

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<v Speaker 2>his cabinet come out with us for just one day

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<v Speaker 2>or a full day and help us plead the poor,

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<v Speaker 2>help us serve those of his people that have got

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<v Speaker 2>no dignity, no hope, and don't know how they're going

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<v Speaker 2>to survive the next day.

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<v Speaker 1>I gather, though, I gather though you've got a couple

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<v Speaker 1>of important patrons.

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<v Speaker 2>We're very blessed to have Philip Raddick MP as our

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<v Speaker 2>Australian patron, and very blessed to have the Governor General

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<v Speaker 2>of put New Guinea his name missus exercise Grand Chief,

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<v Speaker 2>Sir Bob day Day our as our patron for Palm

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<v Speaker 2>New Guinea.

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<v Speaker 1>Now, mate, you're seventy seven, right, and you're still serving

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<v Speaker 1>full time?

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<v Speaker 3>Absolutely?

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah. What do you say to others of your age

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<v Speaker 1>that are sitting at home listening to this?

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<v Speaker 2>The first thing I say, Abill is I will aspire

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<v Speaker 2>to inspire before I expire.

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<v Speaker 3>I'm only warming up.

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<v Speaker 2>And Bill, I just I say to people, no matter

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<v Speaker 2>what age you are, you're never too young or you're

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<v Speaker 2>never too old to serve. My God can use you

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<v Speaker 2>to be a blessing to others. God's given us two hands,

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<v Speaker 2>one to help ourselves and one to help others. You

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<v Speaker 2>do not have a university degree in thermodomics, serve well,

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<v Speaker 2>I've got I have got a degree as a BA.

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<v Speaker 2>I've been born again.

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<v Speaker 1>Now Operation Life which you run has a calling.

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<v Speaker 3>What is it? It is.

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<v Speaker 2>To be the hands and feet of Jesus, inspired by

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<v Speaker 2>jesus teachings and his good Samaritan example, giving physical, spiritual,

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<v Speaker 2>emotional and superior superior spiritual support to the poor, for gotten,

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<v Speaker 2>the marginalized and forgotten, regardless of ethenticity. And our mandate

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<v Speaker 2>is Matthew twenty five, thirty five, thirty six for us hungering.

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<v Speaker 2>You fed me thirsty and gave me some to drink,

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<v Speaker 2>naked and you clothed me. I was in prison and

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<v Speaker 2>you came.

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<v Speaker 3>I was hungry and you fed me. And I was

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<v Speaker 3>a stranger and invited me in. Bill. We're doing that

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<v Speaker 3>twenty four segment every day of the week.

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<v Speaker 1>Now that you've just filmed an inspiring nine minute documentary

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<v Speaker 1>on your work. So if anyone wants to watch it,

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<v Speaker 1>or anyone wants to help, what do they do?

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<v Speaker 3>Look dot a documentary. It's easy to do.

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<v Speaker 2>Just type into your serve, your server, our story Operation

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<v Speaker 2>Life on YouTube.

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<v Speaker 3>Our story Operation Life on YouTube.

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<v Speaker 1>And what about someone who wants to help?

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<v Speaker 3>Please go to our website.

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<v Speaker 2>It is called It's all in one word, Operation Food

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<v Speaker 2>for Operationlife dot org dot are you? Operationlife dot org

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<v Speaker 2>dot are you? And with your health and generosity conditions,

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<v Speaker 2>there's so much more Bill to food and educate the poor,

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<v Speaker 2>the disadvantage and breath the hands of food of Jesus.

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<v Speaker 1>I can understand why Rotary, you have given you the

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<v Speaker 1>Paul Harris Award. God bless you, mate, and thanks so

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<v Speaker 1>much for talking to us. Tonight.

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<v Speaker 3>Thank you Bill, thank you God bless thank you, Bye.