Sealing Time Newsletter - 2019 Year End Report

Hi Visitor,

2019 Sealing Time Ministries - Year End Report

Building Preparation

     At the end of 2018 and beginning of 2019 we were impressed that we needed to work further towards building a dedicated ministry building with studios and offices, etc.  Without the necessary capital to just build a building, we decided that we should just focus on the next step and take things one thing at a time.  To build a building you need to prepare the ground.  So we decided that we needed a backhoe.  Renting a backhoe is a very expensive proposition as they rent locally for $250 a day or better and we knew we would need it for quite a while to get all the work done we want to, so we decided it would be best to try to purchase a used backhoe we could just use indefinitely. 

The Backhoe Miracle

     We found an older one that needed some work for $4,000.  The only problem was we didn't have $4,000.  Before we could even make our need known, God impressed someone to donate that exact amount, right when it was needed!  So the Case 680CK heavy duty diesel backhoe was purchased and delivered, and we began work on it's various systems to get it running and fully functional again.  We have made significant progress on it through this last year and were able to get the engine running and replace a number of seals and hydraulic lines.  Work is still ongoing on this project, and we are excited that it should be fully functional soon.

Tri Angel Media Ministry Assets Acquisition Miracle

     On Sunday, June 16 (Father's Day) we got an amazing phone call.  Little did we know how busy we would be the rest of the year!  That morning Gary Reece (President of Tri Angel Adventist Media) called.  He explained that God had opened up a new door of opportunity for him and a career path teaching at one of our Adventist colleges and that he had accepted.  He told us that he felt that the Lord had impressed him to donate the assets from Tri Angel to Sealing Time Ministries as a result.  The only catch was, we had to move it all from California to Idaho.
     Tri Angel Adventist Media has produced a large number of video programs over the years and was located in Mountain View, California on the campus of Mountain View Academy.  It encompassed a 2,500 square foot building (the old auto shop, for those familiar) with a studio, control room, edit bays, audio room, server room, conference room, reception/office green room, storage room and a loft. 

Moving Miracles

     We thought everything would fit in a large moving truck.  After calling all the truck rental places we could we discovered that just a single, one way rental of a large moving truck from California would be in excess of $4,000!  We were told by multiple moving companies that there was "a mass exodus" going on in California and that all the moving truck companies were "fleet locked", meaning they were having trouble getting their trucks back to California and there was a waiting list for those trucks as well.  We figured that the Lord would not bless us with such blessings if there wasn't a way to move it so we prayed and thought about ways we could get the equipment moved.
     Then we remembered that one of our church members happened to own a large moving truck, so we decided to give them a call.  After a brief discussion they loaned us the truck for as long as we needed it at no cost!  God had provided the means again!
     We proceeded to drive down to Mountain View to pickup the equipment.  At this point we want to express a big thank you to those who made it financially possible to pay for the fuel for the move as well.  Once we arrived at the studio we met with Gary and walked through the studio and offices.  God had obviously blessed Gary and Tri Angel with a lot of equipment and hardware.  The equipment included, video equipment, cameras, television studio equipment, audio, lighting, security (video, building, locks, etc), phone systems, point of sale systems, media duplication, computers, desks, office partitions, etc, and all media masters produced for nearly 20 years!  We began to sort, pack and load shortly after, thinking we could probably get everything moved in 1 or 2 trips.  The moving truck could move 10,000lbs of cargo (25,000lb GVW) so we figured that should be enough.  Little did we know...
     We didn't have a scale to weigh the boxes (so we didn't overload the truck), so we ran down to the local Goodwill store and bought an old bathroom scale for $4.99.  We loaded the boxes and recorded each weight as we went in a spreadsheet.  After loading the first 10,000lb load we realized that we hadn't even made a dent in the amount of equipment that needed to be moved!  It was going to require more than a couple trips, but at this point we just had no idea how many!
     We returned back to Idaho and tried multiple times to rent or purchase a 40' metal shipping container.  For whatever reason, every attempt we made to get one failed.  The money was even providentially donated for us to buy one, and yet still no one could deliver one!  Finally someone showed up with a 20' we could rent, which of course was not ideal, but we were able to finally unload the first load and return to Mountain View.
     We loaded up load number 2 and returned.  (Another full 10,000lbs!)  Still unable to get a 40' storage container we finally had to unload on the ground in our back yard in desperation and cover everything carefully with tarps!  We weren't sure why we were having so much trouble getting storage but as you'll see later God had another plan!
     We moved load number 3, load 4, load 5, ... and finally load 6!  60,000lbs total!  Now at this point we had given up on trying to get a 40' storage container as we had long since realized that would not be enough! 

More Storage Difficulties

     We were now working on trying to get a full size 53' insulated (reefer) semi trailer.  We had located one locally in Boise, and (just like the metal storage containers) had tried to purchase it and have it delivered multiple times.  We were told that "it would be delivered in a matter of hours", but after a month of trying to get it delivered it still hadn't happened despite our best efforts.  With about 50,000lbs of equipment outside on the ground in our back yard under tarps, it was honestly starting to look like a homeless camp and we were really frustrated.

The Semi Truck Miracle

     With no end in sight to the storage problem, and fall weather setting in we began to look at other ways to move the 53' semi trailer we wanted to buy the ~30 miles from Boise to our property.  Our speaker/director, Ryan McCoy has a CDL class A, so we looked into perhaps renting a semi tractor for a day to move the trailer.  After a series of inquiries with local truck rental places, the lowest priced option we could find included a $10,000 deposit!  Realizing that wasn't going to be an option we began the only other thing we could figure out to do, start shopping the various markets for a inexpensive semi tractor to buy that might last long enough to move the trailer.  After a lot of research and even looking at some trucks, and deals that fell through (some people aren't very honest), we located a fleet owned smaller semi truck (a 1999 Freightliner FL80 with a Caterpillar turbo engine and a 34,000lb rear axle) that seemed impossibly low priced in the Portland area.
     After some careful discussions and research we learned that it really was a good truck and it really was only $2,550!  We drove over to Portland and test drove the truck.  It drove great and ran perfectly.  The tires, shocks, batteries, mirror, fluids, filters and more had all just been replaced as well.  The price of the truck most likely was about the same as all the work that had been recently done to it.  The most amazing part about this deal was that we discovered that the truck had mostly just been used for a yard truck and that it's odometer only indicated 9,000 miles!  It's primary job had been just to move trailers around a big fleet yard and it hadn't been used over the road.  (There were a number of other indicators we looked at during the inspection that confirmed the very low mileage as well.)  Then, after a company merger it had just sat in storage for a number of years!  We completed the purchase of the truck and it drove all the way back perfectly.  The steering is tight and it used no oil and leaks no oil!  Thank you to those who helped us obtain this truck so we could move forward.
     Once the truck was back we were able to go to Boise with it the next day and finally pick up the 53' trailer we wanted to purchase!  What we didn't know is that God again had a plan in all of this...

Trailer #1 Miracle

     After God provided a way for us to get the trailer we were finally able to purchase it.  It is a 2000 53' Wabash Reefer.  This means that it is completely insulated (good for heating while you work and for reducing extreme temperatures affects on equipment).  We were able to purchase it for only $3,250, and that included a perfectly running reefer unit.  No, we don't need to cool anything, but what most people don't know is that reefer units also work as heat pumps.  So we can also use the trailer as a work space when needed at any time or place and warm it up in winter, or cool it in summer!  The trailer was in pretty good condition (minus a few scrapes from the years) and also had anti-lock brakes and good tires.  After getting the trailer set up on heavy railroad ties and putting heavy duty pads under the landing gear we began to load everything into it... but we realized after moving about 30,000 lbs on board that there wasn't going to be enough room again...  When you are faithful to God in all areas, He has promised that he will "open ... the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." -Malachi 3:10  And apparently that is not just a saying! 

Trailer #2 Miracle

     We realized we were going to need another trailer to store everything and we needed it as soon as possible!  After checking with the same company that we bought the semi truck from we found another incredible deal for another semi trailer in Montana.  So after some retrenching of assets we were able to drive the semi tractor to Montana and purchase a beautiful 2001 53' Utility Reefer trailer for only $3,000!  The same salesman as before was able to lower the price for us from $3,250!  This trailer is even nicer than the first and includes a "stealth" (quieter) reefer unit with only 9,000 hours (that number keeps coming up) which runs perfectly, the trailer has anti-lock brakes as well and also the side skirt air walls for better gas mileage, aluminum wheels and good tires, as well as air ride axles!
     The trip home was a bit adventurous for our speaker/director as he usually does not drive semi trucks.  (This was his first over-the-road experience with a semi, ever, and it was in snowy conditions and mountain passes!)  God took care of him and the truck, and it drove all the way back, again with no issues!
     It is amazing to look back over this developing story and see how God was providing and planning for us before we even knew what we needed!  Had we not had the semi truck, there would have been no way to go get the second trailer and for such a good price!

Continued Work and Planning

     As we close out this year, I just wanted to express our thanks to God, to our friends, supporters and all those the helped in so many ways in the acquisition and move.  Thank you for allowing us to share with you just a brief version (there is so much more!) of the amazing adventures that God has taken us on this year. 
&     Our continued plans going into 2020 are to retrench some of the assets acquired from Tri Angel, combine them with other retrenched assets from our original equipment, (we already have the land), as well as donations and at some point begin to build a building with studios, a worship center as well as offices and other needed departments and rooms.  This will enable us to create and broadcast many more excellent Adventist programs!
     We want to here express a big thank you to Gary Reece for the blessings of equipment, hardware and video that will be used to produce more quality Adventist programs that will reach untold numbers of people for years to come!
     As you can see, sometimes God is waiting for you to move forward in faith before He blesses.  Sometimes our faith needs to be tried, but God is not slack concerning His promises!  So as we move forward into 2020, please remember to be faithful to God.  And also if God impresses you please consider supporting our efforts to reach people with God's final messages to the last generation!

How you can support our efforts to reach the world:

• Prayer
• https://SealingTime.com/donate
• Purchase one or more products -- or a gift certificate