Orlando Dinner Conversation - June 30, 2025

Date: June 30, 2025 Location: Kobe Steakhouse, Orlando, Florida Participants: Gary Sheng, Dr. Barbara Hastie, Marcus Noel, Arielle Noel Context: Dinner after conference day, Dr. Hastie drove from Gainesville to meet the group

Major Themes

1. Dr. Barbara Hastie's Origin Story with Gary

Dr. Hastie shared the full story of how she met Gary through Uber driving, revealing a remarkable journey from academic crisis to entrepreneurial opportunity:

Dr. Hastie: "So I had never taken an Uber, much less driven. And so, like, I got, you know, I mean, I did the 15-minute tutorial, and then off I went. And then I started doing it every weekend. And so I would go down on Thursday night, and I would come back Monday night, and I would stay in Chicago, and I was Ubering... And I almost went offline. I thought, no, I'm going to have one more ride. And then it was Gary."

2. The Power App - Ride-Share Safety Innovation

Dr. Hastie detailed her comprehensive approach to ride-share safety, sparked by universal female passenger concerns:

Dr. Hastie: "Every single woman, I mean, 100% women, that they got in the car and said, oh, I feel so much safer that you're a woman."

The Power app (Protecting Our Women Every Ride) featured:

• Biometric verification for drivers and passengers
• International background checks through Interpol connections
• Medical emergency protocols for healthcare rides
• Later expanded to "Power and Beyond" to include male drivers

Business Validation:

• Runner-up in Wisconsin Governor's business plan contest
• Contracts nearly signed with three medical centers
• United Airlines expressing interest for flight attendant transportation
• Only downgraded by male judges who questioned women-only focus

3. Foreign Service and Human Rights Work

Dr. Hastie revealed her impactful work combating human trafficking while serving in Kuwait:

Dr. Hastie: "In their labor law, it said, if you are an expatriate, in other words, if you're not a Kuwaiti, where are you going to, you are devoid of human rights. So that means they could do anything to you and you have no human rights."

The Underground Rescue Operation: Dr. Hastie orchestrated the rescue of a Filipino woman being abused by an American Foreign Service officer:

Dr. Hastie: "So I said, oh, you know what? Patty... I said, Patty, we've got to go out and celebrate that you're going to Jamaica. I'm going to miss you so much... Meanwhile, I planned for the immigration lawyer and everybody to get this woman moved out."

Systemic Impact: Her human rights report led to:

• Changes in Kuwaiti labor law
• Philippines President Corazon Aquino halting visas for women working in Middle East
• U.S. aid to Kuwait being conditioned on human rights improvements

4. Gary's "Christofuturist Towns" Article Discussion

The group discussed Gary's upcoming July 4th article about building faith-based communities:

Dr. Hastie: "This is like a Billy Graham speech... Kind of, like, really intense, right? And, I mean, he was a little old-school Baptist, but he would get people to go, like, what? Yeah!"

Key Article Concepts Discussed:

• Declaring independence from spiritual and cultural bondage
• Building intentional Christian communities with industry focus
• Full-stack society engineering for human flourishing
• Alternative to lukewarm Christianity in secular environments

Gary: "It's not enough to create faith-based schools. As soon as they leave the school, they're corrupted again. Absolutely. As soon as they look at their phone, they're corrupted."

5. Spiritual Warfare and Biblical Foundation

The conversation included deep theological discussions about spiritual warfare and lukewarm Christianity:

Key Bible Verses Discussed:

• Ephesians 6:11-12 (Spiritual warfare)
• Revelation 3:16 (Lukewarm warning)
• Romans 12:1-2 (Mind renewal)
• John 17:14-16 (In the world, not of it)

Gary: "The biggest lie that the devil told was that he doesn't exist, right?"

Dr. Hastie: "Either be hot or cold. Don't be lukewarm. I'm going to spit you out of my mouth. If you're lukewarm."

6. Marcus and Arielle's Journey

Marcus Noel Background:

• Morehouse College graduate
• Faith-based education throughout life
• GODWAVE Collective co-founder
• Father was early tech pioneer and diplomat
• Studies at London School of Economics in Beijing

Arielle Noel Update:

• Recently stepped down as CEO of health tech company
• Married to Marcus in Bali (December 2024)
• 5 months in Bali for cost-effective living and reset
• Focus on elder care and precision medicine

Arielle: "We found it was so inexpensive to be there. Like, $6 for a meal versus, like, a $30 meal after Postmates."

7. International Perspectives and Travel

Dr. Hastie's Global Experience:

• Favorite destinations: Fiji and Vanuatu
• Antarctica expedition with mother
• Extensive Middle East and diplomatic experience
• Current nomadic status seeking next mission location

Marcus's Observations on Asia:

Marcus: "I think a lot of the media is playing into, you know, America's number one and everything. But I don't know. I think it's more like media hype. It's a lot of advanced things in the world."

8. Generational Legacy and Calling

Dr. Hastie's Spiritual Journey: The defining moment of answered prayer at University of Wisconsin:

Dr. Hastie: "Okay God, if you really want me in this field then, you got to make it happen, right... no sooner did I finish that prayer that I hear footsteps walking by in the hallway, then walking back and this little Bangladeshi professor saying, you, you want to work at the United Nations, don't you"

Gary's Emerging Identity: Discussion of Gary's potential role as counselor to powerful people:

Gary: "I suspect I will be a well-known figure amongst very powerful people. Not the masses, but amongst powerful people... I want to be the counselor, the evangelist, the motivator."

Family Heritage Revelation:

Gary: "My great-grandfather was a pastor in China... in the 30s."

Dr. Hastie: "I mean, think of all the prayers that he did for the future generations."

9. Behavioral vs. Spiritual Christianity

A significant discussion about the challenge of living Christian values in secular environments:

Gary: "His heart is so on fire for Christ, but behaviorally he's, like, dragging his kids into the world, right?... Wow, I don't think I've ever heard anyone talk... I don't think I've heard many people talk about behaviorally lukewarmness. Because no one has even an option to not be."

10. Conference Context and Future Vision

The conversation took place during a faith-based entrepreneurship conference where Gary was speaking:

Gary's Speaking Schedule:

• 8 AM first talk
• 10 AM main presentation
• Two office hours sessions for AI tools and business consulting

Conference Theme:

Arielle: "What's great about this ministry is that it's very entrepreneurial-focused. Ministry in the marketplace, really combining both. Faith, like Oba, but actually meeting it with work."

Relationship Dynamics

Gary and Dr. Hastie

• 8-year mentoring relationship since Uber ride encounter
• Dr. Hastie serves as spiritual validator and encourager
• Strong alignment on global impact and spiritual calling
• Dr. Hastie sees Gary's writing as divinely inspired

Marcus and Arielle

• Married couple building GODWAVE Collective together
• Complementary skills in ministry and health tech
• Recent major life transition from startup grind to spiritual focus
• Both providing pastoral counsel to Gary on relationships and calling

Group Dynamics

• Deep spiritual discussions mixed with practical business talk
• Multi-generational wisdom sharing
• International perspectives on faith and society
• Mutual encouragement and validation of callings

Key Takeaways

1. Divine Orchestration: Multiple stories of God's precise timing and provision in career and relationship decisions

2. Integration Challenge: The difficulty of maintaining Christian integrity in secular professional environments

3. Community Solution: The necessity of intentional Christian communities that support full-spectrum living

4. Global Perspective: Understanding America's role and influence from international viewpoints

5. Generational Legacy: The power of ancestral prayers and spiritual inheritance

6. Practical Faith: Moving beyond Sunday Christianity to integrated lifestyle and community building

Action Items Discussed

• Gary to incorporate Bible verses into Christofuturist towns article
• Potential collaboration on global health initiatives
• Continued spiritual mentoring and regular check-ins
• Possible meeting in Philippines in November for conference
• Gary's decision on July 4th location (chose reflection over DC crowds)

Notable Quotes

Dr. Hastie: "God calls on you to refound America now." (Referencing Gary's article title)

Arielle: "God sometimes feels like a hater. He totally does." (On difficult seasons being preparation)

Marcus: "Our answer can't tell you yes or no what to do. Start having those conversations with the father." (On direct relationship with God)

Gary: "Either be atheist... I met this girl in line for this thing. She had a beautiful ruby-encrusted cross... She was like, oh no, match. It's my grandma's cross, and it matched my shoes." (On lukewarm Christianity)

Dr. Hastie: "I think the advocates of discernment. God gives us discernment." (On learning from betrayals and choosing trustworthy partners)

This conversation represents a significant moment of spiritual and strategic alignment between multiple generations of faith-based leaders, each bringing unique global perspectives and expertise to the shared vision of building authentic Christian communities and influence in the modern world.