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Celebrating Season 9 and a Big Announcement · HAVE FAITH LET IT BEGIN®

• 0:00
  So nine years in the making, how do we do an introduction for that?
• 0:04
  Well, let's try a little nostalgia.
• 0:06
  Let's try this. T-minus 20 seconds. Broadcasting live worldwide.
• 0:15
  Check this out. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5.
• 1:06
  Welcome to Have Faith, Let It Begin. My name is Angel Santana,
• 1:11
  and before we begin today's episode, I have a huge announcement to share with
• 1:15
  each and every one of you.
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  Now, before I reveal that announcement, I need to ask you for a favor.
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  Stay with me. Because if you've ever listened to one episode, shared one episode,
• 1:30
  prayed for me, encouraged me, or sent me a message telling me that something
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  you heard on this podcast helped you through a difficult season,
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  then today's episode belongs to you.
• 1:45
  Today marks beginning of season nine.
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  Today, we celebrate nine years. Nine years of faith.
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  Nine years of stories, nine years of laughter,
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  nine years of tears, nine years of victories, nine years of setbacks,
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  nine years of watching God work in ways I never could have imagined.
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  And over those nine years, together, we have created more than 2,400 episodes.
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  When I stop and think about that number, I am humbled.
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  Because there was a time when this podcast didn't exist.
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  And there was a time when I didn't know what my future looked like.
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  Have faith, let it begin. Season 9 starts right now.
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  On June 16th, 2018, a show designed for you, The Daily Commuter, went live.
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  A show with motivational topics, inspirational stories, and personal testimony
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  set out to change the world. A weekly show all about faith.
• 3:22
  Let it begin. This is Ariel Santana. Can you believe I'm seven years old already?
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  I'm old enough now to introduce my dad.
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  Ladies and gentlemen, your host, my dad, Angel Santana. Hello everyone and welcome
• 3:38
  to the very special edition.
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  It is nine years today and today begins our ninth season. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
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  I thought I could keep it together, but I can't. Thank you.
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  Thank you for listening. Thank you for supporting us. And thank you for believing
• 3:57
  in half faith. Let it begin.
• 4:00
  There was a time when I was struggling. There was a time when I was lost.
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  And there was a time when faith was all I had.
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  To understand where half-faith let it begin came from, we have to go back to 2014.
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  2014 was one of the hardest years of my life. I was battling depression.
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  I felt stuck. I felt uncertain.
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  I wasn't sure where God was leading me.
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  I wasn't sure what my purpose was. I knew there was more for me, but I couldn't see it.
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  What I didn't realize at the time was that God was already preparing for me,
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  preparing me for something much bigger than I could even understand or imagine.
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  You know, during that part of my life, I found myself leaning harder into my
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  faith, praying more, studying more, serving more.
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  And slowly, a thought began to enter my heart.
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  Maybe ministry was a part of God's plan after all.
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  Maybe it was a part of God's plan for my life. And maybe I was being called to do more.
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  Maybe I was being called to share my testimony.
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  By 2015, I started recording messages. Not podcasts.
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  Not streams. Not social media content. Just recordings.
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  Simple messages. Yeah. Messages of encouragement. Messages of faith.
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  Messages rooted in personal testimony.
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  I didn't know how they would be distributed, you know, at the time.
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  I didn't know anything about podcasting, nothing about it at all.
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  And I didn't know anything about streaming platforms.
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  Honestly, I thought I might burn them into some CDs and then hand them out.
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  CDs, can you believe I just said that? But I knew I had something to say. I knew.
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  Around that time I was helping with retreats and ministry opportunities and.
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  I was speaking, sharing my testimony, talking about my faith,
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  talking about heartbreak, talking about struggles, talking about lessons learned.
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  Because the truth is, my testimony has never been perfect.
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  I've experienced disappointment. I've experienced betrayal. I've experienced
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  loss. I've experienced seasons where,
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  I questioned everything. And yet God helped and he kept showing up in my life.
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  And at this point, I'd like to share one of the earliest introductions from
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  Half Faith, Let It Begin. Let's roll it.
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  When I was a child, my mom always told me, Angel, when you were born,
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  all the angels came from heaven.
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  Do you know why? Because you're special.
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  On June 16, 2018, I launched my show, Half Faith, Let It Begin.
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  I always wanted to change the world.
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  Share my personal testimony, share real-life stories and motivational topics
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  to set out to go out and change the world.
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  Join me each and every week, Monday through Friday, because this is a show all about faith.
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  My name is Angel, and welcome to Have Faith, Let It Begin.
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  Listening to that now brings a smile to my face. It's amazing to hear what we
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  started, where we started.
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  A little rough around the edges, a little nervous, but filled with hope.
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  As life continued, another opportunity arrived.
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  I was given a chance to rebuild a youth group, a youth group at First Reformed Church.
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  And that experience changed me. You see, while working with those young people,
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  I discovered something about myself. I wanted to be a father.
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  I wanted to be a father more than anything. I wanted children.
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  But at the time, I wasn't sure that it was in the cards for us.
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  My wife and I had difficult conversations. We weren't sure what the future held,
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  And when I thought fatherhood might never happen I found myself struggling again,
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  Yet God already knew something I didn't He had a plan,
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  The youth group helped fill the void that was in my life.
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  And it gave me purpose, gave me joy, it gave me perspective.
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  And while I was busy helping young people grow, God was preparing for me,
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  and he was preparing me for a blessing I never saw coming.
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  Then, on June 16, 2018, it arrived. Half Faith Let It Begin was born.
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  People often ask me where the name came from.
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  The answer is actually very simple. I was praying as I always do not perfectly,
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  but I do pray And one day while I was praying When I finished praying,
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  actually I didn't say amen.
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  I usually don't like to say amen. I feel like amen is like something nothing
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  was wrong with Saying amen for the record, but to me it felt like a period at
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  the end of a sentence and it felt final and it felt finished And I didn't feel finished,
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  So instead of saying amen, I found myself saying something like this.
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  I said, you know, I'm going to have faith and I'm going to let my day begin. And there it was.
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  The name was born. Have faith. Let it begin. A phrase that would become a part of my life.
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  A phrase that would become part of your life.
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  Our lives. A phrase that would grow into something far bigger than I could ever imagined.
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  Not long after launching the podcast, another blessing arrived.
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  We found out we were going to be parents I still remember that excitement The
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  joy The gratitude The disbelief God Answered A prayer I carried for years,
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  Soon listening Soon listeners would hear.
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  Announcements about our growing family. They would hear Ariel.
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  They would hear, you would hear Ariel grow up.
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  Later, we introduced Noah.
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  Noah entered our lives. And many of you have literally watched my family grow
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  through this microphone.
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  At the time, life wasn't always easy.
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  It was not. There was kidney stone surgeries, Hospital visits,
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  personal struggles, friendships gained, friendships lost, moments of uncertainty,
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  moments of frustration, moments where I didn't know what tomorrow would look like.
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  But through every single month, this podcast remained and reminded me to stay strong.
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  Because this podcast has never been about perfection.
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  It's always been about authenticity.
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  It's always been about faith.
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  Over the years, our introductions evolved. Our sound evolved. Our message expanded.
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  Family members became part of the show.
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  Friends became part of the show. Listeners became family.
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  And what started as a simple idea became a community. Today, we begin Season 9.
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  I look back with tremendous gratitude.
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  Closing in on over 2,400 episodes of a time capsule, not just for you to listen
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  to, but my children to listen to when God calls me home.
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  Countless guests, countless stories, countless prayers, countless blessings.
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  And now the moment that I've been waiting to share with all of you, the big announcement.
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  Ladies and gentlemen, after nine incredible years,
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  and after more than 2,400 episodes,
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  after countless prayers, sacrifices, challenges, and blessings,
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  it is my honor to officially announce that Have Faith, Let It Begin is now federally
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  registered as a trademark.
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  We did it. The dream the ministry this ministry this podcast this community,
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  is officially protected And I could not have done it without all of you,
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  I want to thank god first and foremost I want to thank my wife my children my
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  family my friends Especially those of you that have been guests on this show,
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  My official co-host on monday dr.
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  Tommy and ellie who's been a huge part of my life and rejuvenated my strength in myself.
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  To Nick Lanza, another big, big, big brother of mine. I love you, man. To my listeners.
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  My listeners that never stopped listening to Carol, thank you.
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  To Mansa, to Yesenia, thank you. To Sigfredo, to Selenia, thank you. To Ashley, thank you.
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  To all those that I may have failed to remember off the top of my head,
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  I'm sorry. I will make it up to you.
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  Everyone who believed in this podcast when it just was an idea.
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  And I would like to especially thank my attorney, Zoe Bernstein,
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  Whose guidance and hard work helped make this possible Thank you,
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  Zoe This milestone begins and belongs to all of us We were just getting started.
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  We are starting We have begun And as now we enter our season 9 Our mission remains
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  exactly the same Personal testimony,
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  Motivational topics Inspirational stories And we are set out to change the world,
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  And now we're beginning a brand new chapter A chapter that includes new opportunities,
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  new growth, new merchandise, new look, and a new logo.
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  And the same faith that brought us here in the first place. If you'd like to
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  reach out and share your story, or simply say hello, I'm encouraging and asking
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  all of you to email me, angel at havefaithletitbegin.com.
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  I'd love to hear from you.
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  Nine years ago, I pressed record and hoped someone would listen.
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  Today, I realized this journey was never about numbers. It was never about recognition.
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  It was always about faith.
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  Faith when life was uncertain. Faith when depression tried to win.
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  Faith when doors closed. Faith when blessings arrived.
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  Faith when I couldn't see the road ahead. And that's why, as we begin Season
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  9, Episode 1, I leave you with the same words that started this journey.
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  Never forget, have faith, let it begin.
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  Tomorrow is a crazy date story. See you then.
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  Have faith, let it begin.