Mike Silva - Reaching The World From Central Oregon

I invited Mike on the show because he’s one of my Central Oregon heroes. All of us who live here know how special this region is, and one of the things that makes it special is the international impact people from Central Oregon can have. Mike Silva is one of those people.

After losing his father in a tragic car accident when Mike was only six years old, he found the forgiveness and comfort he longed for when he accepted Christ as his personal Savior at the age of 10. By the time he was 19, the Lord had clearly called him to do the work of evangelism.   

Mike’s clear calling for evangelism ultimately led to the launch of Mike Silva Evangelism International in 1994. The Lord has gifted Mike with divine passion and incredible opportunities to bring Jesus’ hope to desperate souls in the hidden corners of the world. “We are driven,” Silva says, “to reach the forgotten cities of the world.” 

Mike has had the privilege of sharing the Gospel with millions of people in at least 35 countries of the world. In addition to his evangelistic festivals, Mike has been a featured speaker at numerous high-profile conferences, Ivy league and college campuses, and the largest men’s events and music festivals in the nation. Silva says of himself, “If God can use me, He can use anyone!” 

Mike loves to convey Biblical truth in print and broadcast media as well. He’s authored spiritual journals for the purpose of driving followers of Jesus more consistently into Bible engagement. He also wrote #1 Man: What Every Dad Desires, What Every Daughter Needs. Mike has been a guest on Moody Broadcasting Network, Focus on the Family, TBN, and NeedHim broadcasts. 

Transcript

Mike Silva: 0:07

Spanish is the number two spoken language in the world. There are more people that speak Spanish than any other language in the world outside of the Chinese, of course, but Spanish is is there are hundreds of hundreds of millions of individuals on every continent that speak Spanish. There's even a country in Africa that we've been to. And people say why would you go to Africa? Answer because connect with God Al is the country they speak Spanish and that's why we go there.

Michael Sipe: 0:40

Welcome to cascade views a discussion with Central Oregon leaders. Your host is Michael SIPE, local business and community leader Best Selling Author of the Avada principle in candidate for Oregon State Representative for House District 53, which encompasses southern Redmon sisters, Tom hello in northern bend. The purpose of these discussions is to share the views and insights of local leaders from a variety of community sectors on a range of timely and important regional and state issues. With that now, here's your host, Michael SIPE. Thanks for joining us on cascade views. My name is Michael SIPE, and I'll be your host. My guest today is my friend, Mike Silva. I invited mike on the show because he's one of my central Oregon heroes. All of us who live here know how special this region is. And one of the things that makes it special is the international impact that people from Central Oregon can have. Like Silva is one of those people after losing his father in a tragic car accident when he was only six years old. Like found the forgiveness and comfort he longed for, when he accepted Christ as his personal Savior at the age of 10. By the time he was 19, the Lord had clearly called him to do the work of evangelism. Mike's clear calling ultimately led to the launch of Mike Silva evangelism International in 1994. The Lord has gifted Mike with divine passion and incredible opportunities to bring Jesus hope to desperate souls in the hidden corners of the world. Were driven Silva says to reach the forgotten cities of the world. Likes had the privilege of sharing the gospel with millions of people in at least 35 countries in the world. In addition to his evangelistic festivals, Mike's been a featured speaker at numerous high profile conferences, Ivy League and college campuses, and the largest men's event and music festivals in the nation. So he says himself if God can use me, he can use anyone. He loves to convey biblical truth in print and broadcast media as well as authored spiritual journals for the purpose of driving followers of Jesus more consistently into Bible engagement. He also wrote number one man, what every dad desires, what every daughter needs. Mike's been a guest on moody Broadcasting Network, Focus on the Family TBN and medium broadcasts. I am super excited to have you on the show.

Mike Silva: 3:02

Thank you so much. I, I can't believe that I get to do this with you. So thank you very much.

Michael Sipe: 3:08

We're gonna have fun. I understand. You're just getting home from the Dominican Republic. Welcome back. What were you doing down there?

Mike Silva: 3:16

We were thanks for asking. We're setting up we're about to attempt this December, God willing, we are about to attempt the most audacious evangelistic outreach in the history of not only our ministry, but in the history of the nation of the Dominican Republic. So it takes us about a year to set all those things up, our team moves in, we've got a team of, of 29 individuals, 29 Latinos from nine different countries of the world, we move into a city that we're going to serve, and we just take up residence and start preparing to get ready for the event. It takes us a year.

Michael Sipe: 3:54

What a project. Well, listen, a wide variety of listeners tune into this show. And they come from many different faiths and belief systems. So some may not be familiar with the term evangelist. So would you mind just explaining what that is? And how it works out for you in your life?

Mike Silva: 4:13

That's a great question. I've kind of done this all my life. And I guess it for me, it's as simple as somebody can be an evangelist for anything and everything. In fact, I read an article from Apple computer that the they were looking to hire for a season they were looking to hire evangelists. And they defined evangelist is we are looking for people that would broadcast good news about the Apple Computer Corporation. So in the very same way, Mike, an evangelist, somebody that does what I do. I simply broadcast the good news about Jesus, I don't create it. I don't wrap it up and gift wrap it, I simply deliver it. So that's what an evangelist does.

Michael Sipe: 4:54

Well, so tell me just a little bit more about the festivals like you, you tend to use a festival approach for this I think most of the time, so why do you use that platform? And what are those things look like?

Mike Silva: 5:06

It's just a huge, it's a huge Christian Woodstock. I don't know if I'm allowed to say that. But that's what it is. It's just, it's just a huge Christian music festival. You know why Mike because nobody wants to listen. People that don't go to church, people that don't know Jesus, they don't want to come listen to me talk. I mean, who wants to do that? People don't come to hear me. People come to hear the award winning Christian artists and crossover groups. They're Christian, but they their music is played in the secular market as well. Those are the people that draw nonbelievers. Why, so that we can simply share the good news about Jesus with those people. So just picture a massive Music Festival. That's what we do.

Michael Sipe: 5:53

That's so fun. And you do it in English, Portuguese, and Spanish. So why all three languages? Well, I don't once right,

Mike Silva: 6:03

not not all at once, although sometimes it's, it's, we do it twice. And in the Dominican, we're going to do all three languages. Not simultaneously. But we'll do all three languages in different pieces at a time. I was born in this country. I'm an English speaker, as you can tell, my ethnicity is Portuguese and Spanish. We were missionaries in Brazil, my wife and our children. And so we learned Portuguese there. I couldn't learn Portuguese from my father, because because he was killed. And so we learn Portuguese when we were in Brazil as missionaries. And then we've been we minister in Spanish. And so we're, we're speaking in Spanish now to the places that we go. So we don't go people here. Oh, you you do ministry in Spanish? So you'd go to Mexico? And it's like, well, actually, we we've really never been to Mexico yet. We're going this year in April, and just a couple of months. We're going to Mexico. But there are people I mean, Mike, people need to understand a couple of things. Number one, Spanish is the number two spoken language in the world. There are more people that speak Spanish than any other language in the world outside of the Chinese, of course, but Spanish is is there are hundreds of hundreds of millions of individuals on every continent that speak Spanish. There's even a country in Africa that we've been to. And people say why would you go to Africa? Answer because Guinea Equitorial is the country they speak Spanish. And that's why we go there. So we're not assigned as missionaries, if you please, we're not assigned to a specific location, we're assigned to linguistic groups, people that speak English, Spanish and Portuguese.

Michael Sipe: 7:52

Well, I've never thanks for sharing that. I never really thought about it like that before. But go into all these different places, particularly because it's such a wide geography, you've got to have faced some challenges operating in all these different foreign countries in general. And then I can't imagine that it's always easy being an evangelist and sharing the good news. So how's that been for you?

Narrator: 8:18

Well, it's,

Mike Silva: 8:20

it's been the most rewarding, wonderful thing in the world, that I get to do what I was created to do. But it is not without its challenges. And there are some tremendous spiritual enemies that we face and challenges that we face. There are physical challenges that we face, there are economic challenges, there are political challenge, there are denominational challenges. And Mike, believe it or not one of the most difficult things is to be able to move into a city and just be able to try to have denomination or unity or church unity. It's trying to get the political figures in the city. That's why I am so glad by the way, let me just say here on record, I've already cast my vote for you. Now I'm waiting for my ballot. But listen, I'm voting for you. I just want you to know that we need political think about this without for people that do what we do. If we do not have the blessing of the city officials have the political powers in position at that time. For us, the mayor, right now we're trying to ask the president there is a national park in the Dominican Republic. We're trying to get permission, but it can only come from the Office of the President in the Dominican Republic. So we're asking the president of the nation to give us permission to be able to do an evangelistic festival in december two and three of this year 2022 My people need to realize how powerful people and political positions, the power and the influence There's the word I want the influence that people like yourself have, will have and will continue to have in the days of hit and the days ahead. So all of those things have been challenges for us governmental unrest, seeking political blessing from the powers that be so that we can do what we do in political arenas. Keep in mind, it's different from separation of church and state, you go in your building, I'll be in my building know, when we do what we do, we have to be out in the public wide open, we've got to be out there for everybody. So that's why we need to work through those proper channels.

Michael Sipe: 10:40

Well, I hope to be one of those challenges for you because you know, how much I love what you're doing and how much I love you and, and how much I want to be helped to what you're up to. It's It's so, so critical. And being out there in the open is, is a big deal. That's why we do the central organ leaders prayer breakfasts. That's April 29 1000 People in the river house. And the point of it is, and you spoke there at the at the event last year? It's been a whole year, I hope you remember us.

Mike Silva: 11:11

Wow. I do. I'll be there, I'll see you on the 29th. That's so

Michael Sipe: 11:16

good. Hey, I want to shift gears a minute. And actually, kind of maybe sober this up just a little bit, if you want to call it that, or, or just kind of change the tone of this, because I'd like to talk a bit about a personal topic that that you and I have had a number of discussions about. Some people think that becoming a Christian and you know, there's currently a ton of joy in your voice and a ton of joy in the work that you do. But sometimes people think that becoming a Christian should just eliminate all the problems in your life. And your family's been in a difficult season. So would you mind just sharing a little bit about your daughter, Jenna, the journey that you've been on together? And and the lessons that you're learning that might be a value to some of our listeners who could also be facing some heart rending challenges? I,

Mike Silva: 12:05

you know, I would love to, and we would just say it, I would say thanks for your sensitivity and even asking the question. And I would just like to say for all of those that are listening right now, it doesn't matter what kind of pain you're going through. But you are feeling that pain. It's the kind of pain that wakes you up at night. It's the kind of pain that just doesn't go away real fast, you can just take a couple of vitamin C's and a big gulp of water and have it be gone. It just doesn't go away. And of course, in our family we're referring to, I have the privilege of being the father of four of the most wonderful girls in the world. And one of our daughters, one of our daughters have stage four, inoperable. Colon cancer, that cancer is everywhere. It's in her liver, it's destroyed her liver, and it's in her lungs. And it's in her all of her vital organs, her lymph nodes, it's everywhere. So it's inoperable where we're in stage, we're in round four, I'm sorry, Round Eight of chemo, we probably have two more. And then we're at a decision point as to what we'll do in the future and how we're going to handle this in the future. But it's not been fun. But I would just say to you, Mike, and to all of your listeners. I would say to them, anybody that says, oh, yeah, you come to know Jesus, and life's gonna be easy. It's great, and everything is wonderful. And you get to go to heaven when you die. Well, you know what, there's a lot of living you got to do before you get to heaven. And I would just say this to somebody, please show me in the Bible where it says that there will be no death and that there will be no pain and that there will be no challenges. And the answer is you won't find that in the Scripture because we do have difficulty. I'm convinced now, Mike, that all of these things that we pass through. It's a result of the fallen nature of man, number one, number two, it gets us ready. Because by the time we get to heaven, we are ready to live in a in a better place, a place without the pain without the sorrow. And so I would just say that to you. If we've learned anything, Mike through this time, it's this I would just want to say to you, I've shared it with you privately before. Listen, Jesus Christ, he's my savior. He's not my Santa Claus. I don't crawl up on his lap every time I want something. Give me this give me that. Make sure I get everything I want in life. No, Jesus is my Savior. He died on the cross in my place. Why? For all of my wrong turns for all of my mistakes for all of my sin for all of my another word would be just unrighteous things that I've done. Jesus is my Savior Mandy, not my Santa Claus is my Savior. So at this time, we just kind of what's on my heart right now, as we just released a little article entitled, eyes up, hands open. Because when you're going through pain and difficulty, again, for your listeners, my heart just goes out to you. So I say to all of you that join us on this path of pain at this moment, and here's what I would say, if you want to know, I don't know what to do today, I don't know what to do tonight, I don't know what to do tomorrow, then my my counsel to you my encouragement to you, my friend would be this, keep your eyes up. So that you're focusing on the one that is worthy of our focus, and keep your hands open, because a clenched fist cannot receive a thing. So hands open, eyes up, hands open, to be ready to receive whomever, whatever the Lord has for us in the days to come. I think maybe the last thing, Mike is that great growth happens through great resistance. And, and I know people that go to the gym, people that are in the gym, you know that as well, with with muscle resistance comes muscle growth. And I think the same is true with our faith. So if you're living a passive pain right now, first of all, I ache with you and for you. But second of all, I would say I begged, I beg you, please, eyes up, hands open.

Michael Sipe: 16:26

Wow. What great advice and I know you and Jenna both to be some of the strongest people through the difficulty and the resistance that that you faced that I know. And so I acknowledge you for that. And thank you for letting me take this a little different direction. You know, sometimes these these things, these these discussions, interviews are supposed to be all happy and yada yada. But man, you got such a powerful message out of, of your life story that that was just really important for us to to park on that for a minute. So thanks for allowing me to take the conversation that way. Let me let me go back to the to the big work that you do the the evangelistic work, so how can we support you in that? Where do you need help? And what can we do?

Mike Silva: 17:16

Oh, man, I that's that, Mike, we'd have to do a whole new program with that. So let me

Michael Sipe: 17:20

let me just do a second edition.

Mike Silva: 17:24

The simplest thing I mean, you've heard every missionary in the world that you know, say it is very simple, pray given go pray that God would do things like like he wants so desperately to do. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. And then if you want to be able to help us financially, of course you can. But here's the other thing. If there's anybody listening, Mike right now, if there's anyone listening that would say, Man, I want to go to the Dominican Republic in December, I want by the way, when you live in Central Oregon, December's a great time to just burn that out. I'm just throwing it out for whatever is worth. It's December two and three 2022. If you want to be a part of a mission that will radically change your life and literally be able to personally be there and see it and smell it and touch it and experience. Literally, church history in the nation of the Dominican Republic, then you might want to consider going with us on this trip. So that's what I would say. Wow,

Michael Sipe: 18:28

well, hey, you got me all jazzed up here, man. It's why don't we do this here in Central Oregon. I mean, we got Come on. So a nice history. Really? No. And so in my district, District 53. It's about 15% Hispanic. You know, we've got an enormous and wonderful Hispanic population here in Central Oregon and why couldn't we do a bilingual event here?

Mike Silva: 18:53

Absolutely. We could listen, I was born for this Mike. I would love to do that. I don't know how we get started. I don't know who the first person we talked to, but we definitely could do that. We could do something. bilingually here that would just bless our entire the entire region, all of Central Oregon. And I think that would be absolutely absolutely wonderful for our friends that are listening that you you understand Lync you understand English maybe but your first language your heart language, your mother tongue is finished and I just want to say to you, um, you may encounter machismo su su idioma su Cateura. IBAMA, Ghana RMS para Cristo Hey Susan a number they have so crystal Dominica reccommended Okay, so what I basically said to them Mike was I want everybody voting for my friend Michael SIPE. That's what I basically said

Michael Sipe: 19:43

Oh, thanks. Yeah, I wasn't expecting now that's I want everybody voting for my friend Mike Silva. So we got a mutual admiration society going on here. You know, my my main takeaway out of this today it really has been Oh, so much but, but I never thought about a mission work from the standpoint of language. And it's really it's just very cool thought that you could follow the language around the globe and, and be able to interact and touch so many people. So thanks for your time today. Thanks for your message today, thanks for your encouragement to, to those who are going through really difficult times. We've been through a hard couple of years and a lot of people have difficult things going on in their life, not just medical, but all sorts of different things. And so I really appreciate your words of encouragement and appreciate your support my friend, and you can count me in for the for the bilingual event in Central Oregon and maybe, maybe even Dominican Republic, I got a I got an election that's going to be finishing up about them. But but that would be really fun. I've never been to Dominican Republic. I got a buddy and a client that just came back from there and he loves it. So I'm excited to hear more about that and excited to see you at the prayer breakfast on April 29. Thanks for your time and your message today my friend.

Mike Silva: 21:09

Yes, sir. Thank you. I bless you and appreciate your mind. Thanks.

Michael Sipe: 21:13

My guest today has been Mike Silva. You can learn more about Mike's work at Mike silva.org Mike silva.org, or on all the social media platforms. That's Mike silva.org. Thanks for tuning in.

Narrator: 21:29

Thanks for listening to cascade views with Michael SIPE. To find out more about Mike the upcoming election. The key issues he's focused on in his campaign to represent Central Oregon and Salem as a state representative. Visit www dot a voice for Central oregon.com that's www dot a voice for Central Oregon calm. You can get your own copy of Michael sites best selling book the Avada principle@amazon.com. And finally, please vote in the upcoming election. Your Voice Matters