MANITOBA: Prayer summit

Steve & Margaret Paulson, executive directors of TC Central Canada lead a tremendous team who direct ministries for men & women across North Central Canada from Flin Flon, Saskatchewan to Thunder Bay, Ontario. Over 100 staff and students joined us in the Bush Country at Camp of the Woods for prayer and ministry They have tremendous vision for their region. They have launched Teen Challenge residential centers in every community of more than 50,000 people. They have also launched Living Free, a non-residential discipleship program in all 5 major jails in their region. They also articulated a vision to have one Teen Challenge Ambassador, a First Hope Responder, in every community of over 10,000 people. This will be someone who takes calls, does Living Free and admissions.

TC Central Canada actively embraces the principle of spiritual reproduction.
They have invested in Teen Challenge ministries from Africa, to Europe, Caribbean, South America and around the world.

It was a delight to minister to the staff and students who traveled from up to 8 hours to the Prayer/ Ministry Summit. Terry Thiessen put together some tremendous staff and student worship teams. Worship leaders and worshipers alike had such a hunger for the Lord. They praised enthusiastically, prayed passionately, tarried at the altar after each service. A great time with lots of snow, lots of prayer, lots of love.

It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.
Hebrews 12:7-8~

As I continue my message on
"March Dadness," we want to remind
our hearts of one of the most
important roles of a true Father.

CLICK Photos for enlargements

Terry Theissen assembled both staff and student worship teams for the Prayer Summit .

The snow mobiles were a great way to get around, especially on the lake to get some fish for dinner.

We are looking in our heavenly Father's hands at two clear expressions of His love, blessing and discipline. As a father, I love to lavish gifts on my children and grandchildren.

Two of favorite times of the year are birthdays and Christmas time because I can express my love with those gifts. More than the financial value of the gifts, is the thought expressed as we try to give them things they like. I love that squeal of delight when we connect with that perfect gift. But still, I cannot always give them everything they "want,"

Sometimes they are just not ready for for the things they so petulantly demand. Sometimes, what they think they need right now, is actually dangerous for them. My six-year-old grandson is convinced that he can drive my car. A few weeks ago, I let him "drive the car." He sat on my lap clutching the steering wheel tightly and he thought he was driving, Still, I never surrendered the gas pedal or break, nor did I let go of the bottom of wheel. I let him pretend, but I was in control. I wonder how many times has God given in and let me pretend to be driving as He protected me from my foolishness. He is in complete control.

Along with the hand of love that gives those wonderful gifts, is the hand of discipline. In my generation, we always knew that dad had the responsibility to do the difficult things. My dad did more than just provide for every day needs, he was mom's enforcer. (Just wait till your father gets home!) While God is our Jehovah Jireh, our provider, He is also there to provide the discipline. He holds to His commitment to discipline a son (or daughter) that he loves. In our society with the deterioration of "life covenant," family, and divorce some have lost the relevance of this truth.

Unfortunately, sometimes rather than working together to build discipline in the lives of their children, in many broken or dysfunctional families, we see parents in competition for their children's affection. As a result, sometimes, in an effort to be a friend, the necessary discipline that builds the character for a truly joyful life can be neglected.

That is why Hebrews reminds us that God's discipline is not punishment, but the evidence of His love for us. God's hand of discipline keeps us on the right road to His real provision and blessing. God refuses to compete for our "affections" when He knows only discipline can make us whole.

You may find yourself overshadowed by the the blessing of God or feel overwhelmed by His hand of discipline. Never lose sight of the fact that in the Fathers hand's are two seemingly contradictory, but equally necessary evidences of HIS love, Blessing and discipline ... both are a wonderful demonstration that you are truly a child of God.

Farrell LaVallee purchased three $5 tickets at a Shell located at 655 Notre Dame Avenue in Winnipeg. When he arrived home, he shared the good news with his dog, "We gonna be rich!" He sat down on the couch with Shiloh, his shepherd-collie cross and started scratching the tickets, revealing one, then two, identical symbols. I looked at my dog and said, ‘One more and we can retire, baby!’”

When he scratched the third one, he turned the ticket over and read it. Then flipped it over once more and looked at it. Then turned it back over to read it again in disbelief,” “Wow,"he shouted, "I’m a millionaire!”.

Like so many people, Farrell thought a million dollars would solve all of his problems. When he won the "Set For Life" scratcher, he had no idea that within 14 months he would be broke, homeless, in debt, and nearly dead. His mother desperately called Winnipeg Teen Challenge for help for her suicidal son. It seems that set for life was barely set for a year for him. CLICK HERE FOR CTV News Story on Farrell

Farrell started drinking at the age of 10 with his brother. From there he progressed to marijuana, pills, cocaine, and eventually heroin. He had good jobs, a beautiful wife and family, but lost it all to the bottle, the pills and the pipe. He shared, "I wouldn't put it down, I couldn't put it down." Everything he tried, ended in failure because of his deepening addiction. He regressed from doing drugs, to dealing drugs, to wasting away at the hand of his addiction.

Then in July 2011, he won $1 million in the Canadian lottery. From being alone on the street, suddenly he found himself surrounded by “loyal” friends and “expert" financial advisors, who were addicts like himself. It was a recipe for disaster. He went from living in a basement to living in a penthouse or any hotel room where he could party and share his drugs. His newfound friends were more than happy to spend his money as they chased prostitutes and drugs. He bought houses, hot cars, and took exotic trips, exploring the drug scene in every country that his lust for drugs desired.

Then, in 2012, in debt with all of the so-called friends gone, he found himself , suicidal, in the psychiatric ward. He made his first call to Teen Challenge. He came into the program and encountered Jesus Christ personally.

Farrell sought God with all of his heart and Jesus Christ changed his heart and gave him new vision for his life. Now, years later, he has graduated TC and continues to serve. He is in the Emerging Leaders program offered by Global TC. In addition to working at Winnipeg Teen Challenge daily, he cooks and serves in the Winnipeg Rescue mission ministering to the homeless. He has gone from cutting cocaine to cutting potatoes and sharing the Good News. He tells anyone who will listen, "Jesus did for me what one million dollars could not do. God gave me peace, hope. and security in a way that winning 1 million in the lottery never could.

~ PARTNER PRAYER FOCUS ~

PARTNER

PRAYER

FOCUS

FOR

MARCH

1) Winnipeg, Manitoba/Ontario

Please pray for for the students and vision of Teen Challenge of Central Canada. It is exciting to see their vision for Canada and an emerging partnership between all of the Centers across our blessed neighbor to the North.

2) SENSITIVE NATION

I received this secure message on 3 weeks ago, we still have not been able to get hold of him . . . Please pray.

Brother Berni,

Hi ... Please pray for us, Immigration raid on our building and they are searching P---nis to arrest them and put them into Detention centre. We are hiding and we are very much scared. Someone lock our apartment door from outside we don't know is this the owner of the building or the Police.

3) SOUTH AFRICA

We leave for the ALL Africa Directors Summit in Pretoria, South Africa in less than 2 weeks. We will minister at the Pretoria graduation - Rock the Block, street ministry and schools as well as the Teen Challenge Conference at Khule Lodge, Hosted by Pretoria Teen Challenge Ricardo Heilbron and Teen Challenge Western Cape Executive Director, Jacobus Nomdoe. Please pray for provision for many centers that are making sacrifices to send their leadership to join in a fresh examination of standards of operation, certification, and sustainability for Teen Challenge on the continent of Africa.

Also pray for preparations as Ricardo and the leadership of the TC Pretoria Center are setting up street and school meetings for Cathy and I. We will also travel to Swaziland following our trip to Pretoria. We will minister at Potters Wheel, Teen Challenge EMafinii, Ezulwene, Hawane and Bulembu.

4) TC SAN ANTONIO

Please pray for Floyd Miles and his mission team from San Antonio Teen Challenge who will join us in South Africa and then head on to Zambia with Wafuka Kopelesa. Pray for their provision, preparation and safety as they travel and minister; both in South Africa and Zambia.

5) TC NETHERLANDS

Stephan called me today asking for your prayers. TC Netherlands has been under a spiritual attack the last few months. Many of their staff have been ill (one of them had a pulmonary embolism and was in the hospital). Pray for finances Stephan wants you to know they "are not in despair and have laid all on the altar again. They are not going to fall apart." He and his wife Marianne need God's wisdom and your prayers of support as they go through this time. s.barendse@teenchallenge.nl

6) THE HARVEST

Let's pray for the global advance of the gospel. Pray for workers for the Harvest ...Teen Challenge Centers in 106 countries need staff and we currently have invitations to start Teen Challenge in 32 nations. They are crying out for help. They need the power of God to meet a pressing social need... but we know it has a SPIRITUAL ROOT.
We offer SPIRITUAL RESOURCES to meet the need.
MATTHEW 9: 37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38 Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

MATTHEW 9: 37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38 Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.

Pray with us for the global advance of the gospel and workers for the Harvest ...
Pray for Teen Challenge Centers in 107 countries who need staff and 32 nations who have formally requested help to start a Teen Challenge. They are crying out for help.
Click for 32 Nations VIDEO

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