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| HOME FROM EGYPT--THANK YOU FOR PRAYING! |
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We have returned from our Mission to Egypt. The capital, Cairo-(in Arabic, Al Qāhirah hالقاهرة-the conqueror) is home to 10,000 mosques. Five times daily, prayers blare from their speakers-50,000 prayers of dedication every day. Despite the promise of the name "conquerer," substance abuse is devastating an entire generation of young people.
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Cairo is also home of the combined strategic initiatives of Freedom Ministries. They are true conquerors, overcoming addiction through the word of GOD & the POWER of Jesus Christ. Rather than surrender to the silent death march of addiction, Dr. Ehab El Kharrat and his team pioneer programs through Freedom Ministries that are impacting the entire nation of Egypt.
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Christian programs, 12-step programs, facilities for Muslims or Hindus, they are commuted to help people find their way to freedom. From there let Jesus find them.
Dr. El Kharrat's unique gifting to impact every part of society has rightly earned him the title "Ehab the Arab from Rehab." Over 21,000 addicts have been served in their residential services over the last 30 years and another 20,000 received nonresidential services.
We met in Cambodia over a decade ago at a meeting of ISAAC (International Substance Abuse and Addiction Coalition). My heart was truly bound to his and we began plans to integrate the Teen Challenge ministry paradigm into their arsenal of outreach. This is our 3rd visit and we have seen consistent growth. |
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We were blessed by the hospitality and love of TC teams in Cairo, Al-Minya, Wadi El Natraun, and 6 October City. Rev. Maher continues to pilot the TC program through turbulent political and religious waters. Please pray for them, especially the Minya Centre. Police and doctors from a syndicate raided the facility.
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Police turned the students onto the streets, unsupervised and arrested TC Staff. They did over $35,000 damage to the center--breaking chairs & windows--confiscating all cell phones and cash from the staff office and telling students it was not safe to stay. They bullied and intimidated the students as staff were handcuffed in front of them and taken to jail. Please see prayer request (4) below for details if you would like to give to help them reopen this center and deal with escalating legal fees. |
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CONQUERING ADDICTION IN EGYPT
Freedom Ministries
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From ministry to over 1,500 at a major youth outreach at Kasr el Dobara Evangelical Church (the largest evangelical church in Egypt & the Arab world) to ministry in Freedom Rehab centers, counseling with addicts, a church service in a closed community, an indigenous A/G Church in Cairo, as well as staff training and outreach-- we are so blessed by all that God did in Egypt. |
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What an incredible blessing to visit centers here in Egypt under the umbrella of Freedom Ministries. |
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The courageous TC Minya students, (above left) after being threatened, intimidated and bullied by police, made the decision to continue the program and build their relationship with Jesus traveling over 5 hours north to the center in 6 October City to finish the program. Please continueto pray for them and the staff. Donations to help them with the damages can be made directly to FREEDOM MINISTRIES. |
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Special thanks to Dr. El Kharrat, Pastor Maher,
& Carmen our delightful translator. |
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We are grateful to the Freedom Ministries leaders and staff, who were a huge blessing. Everyone shared wonderful kindness, as well as delicious Egyptian food with Cathy and me and Joseph our GTC Africa Alumni Coordinator who joined us for this mission trip to Egypt. |
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Over 273 million people worldwide are trapped in the relentless death march of addiction. Help us to open new doors to
freedom through Jesus Christ.
Give securely ONLINE now |
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LOVE HEALS |
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This is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
I John 4:10 |
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With all due respect to St.Valentine -- cupid, hearts and sentiment are not the measure of love. We live in a broken world where we sin and hurt others or we get hurt by others and the cycle continues. Hurt people- hurt people.
We all need to experience the healing of God’s love. That comes through HIS forgiveness. Forgiveness enables us to give and receive love and walk in the healing that God's love brings.
Our culture is filled with images and ideas about love saturated with sentiment & emotion, but they get twisted & distorted by lies and selfishness. Even in the dictionary the first definition of love is "a feeling of affection." |
Our culture trumpets mantra "The heart wants what the heart wants." While that may seem true it is not "TRUTH." |
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In other words, love is what you feel-- but the Bible defines love differently.
Love is more than emotion or feeling. It is action-based, commitment-driven. Jesus Christ gave His life for us—the perfect demonstration of LOVE.
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.
1 John 3:16 NIV.
Our culture trumpets the mantra, "The heart wants what the heart wants." While that seems true, it is not TRUTH, because it ignores the resounding biblical reminder of Jeremiah.
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Jeremiah 17:9 |
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TC WORLDWIDE
PRAYER & PRAISE |
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We are excited to return to FACEBOOK LIVE this week. They removed Bernie's chest tube and he is out of the hospital so we will be streaming LIVE on-line from our Hampton studios to pray.
Join Teen Challenge Centers around the world for TC WORLDWIDE
Prayer & Praise
at 12:30 EDT
on Thursday
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A highlight of the mission was our team, Joseph the GTC Africa Regional Alumni Coordinator and our amazing translator, Carmen. |
Trusting feelings of the heart, without the foundation of the Word of God and the leading of the Holy Spirit, is a fool's errand. Millions have been trapped in delusion by reality TV shows like Love Is Blind, for the die-hard Bachelor -Bachlorette fans, the thrill of catty competition and seduction or the spicy summer favorite, Love Island. Hollywood's fare has deteriorated to the point where marriage and commitment are openly mocked with the catch phrase, "not single but ready to mingle."
What is casually referred to as America’s guilty pleasure is actually a calculated Satanic plan to distract us from what truly matters, redefine real love and water down the promise of real commitment. I've never watched any of these programs but it breaks my heart to see people wasting precious time discussing this week's seductive fare as the world dies all around us searching for real love.
I owe the 52 best years of my life to Jesus Christ and my amazing wife Cathy. A successful marriage is not built on sentiment or feelings, but commitment and forgiveness. It is Cathy's willingness to forgive my shortcomings and our commitment to draw near to Jesus Christ. The closer we get to Him the closer we are to one another. It's not always fun or easy, but it's always worth it.
There is a calculated attack on marriages in this time and Satan's agenda is for children to search for solutions not in the biblical paradigm of communication, healthy relationships and a happy marriage but in shallow physical relationships.
While commitment and forgiveness are real components of a successful marriage, they are also the foundation for meaningful relationships in our family and community. When it comes to evangelism, commitment and forgiveness provide the substance for the meaningful communication of the gospel.
On this Valentine's Day, as people share jewelry, hearts & candy, may we truly share our lives and real love as we communicate to a broken and hurting world.
Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. 1Peter 4:3 |
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UPCOMING
2023
INTERNATIONAL
SCHEDULE |
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2023 STATESIDE
SCHEDULE
HOW ABOUT YOU? |
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MARCH 7-21 2023
ASIA PACIFIC CONFERENCE
AUSTRALIA
Jim & Kathie Lowans
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APRIL 10-17, 2023
TC ARUBA (tbd)
Ivonne & Jason Simon
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MAY 3-7, 2023
Europe Teen Challenge
Rimini, Italy
Tom & Terri Bremer
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MAY 25-June 4, 2023
MISSION SOS
Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
Evangelist Johannes Amritzer
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PENDING INVITATIONS - 2023
Lebanon,
Haiti, Romania Grenada
(return to top) |
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BOOKING SERVICES FOR 2023
email: Bernstuff@aol.com
call Cathy @ 757.869.2812
We are excited to visit you,
share the Good News of God's
love
and
power of transformation
in Jesus Christ.
MINISTRY.MUSIC.TESTIMONY
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We are simply amazed by the incredible things God is doing around the world. We are in the air, on the runways, highways, byways & back alleys. God is changing lives.
March 2-4, 2023
Redeemed Women
Calvary Hampton
Lake Anna, VA
May 7-10, 2023
LEAD Conference
Potomac Ministry Network
Washington DC/ Woodbridge VA
May 16-20
Primrose Hill Women's TC
Clark, MO
Jim & Kathie Lowans
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| PRAYER REQUESTS |
PARTNER
PRAYER
FOCUS
Again I say
unto you,
That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask,
it shall be done
for them of
my Father which is in heaven. |
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Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we can ask or think according to the power that works within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Jesus Christ to all generations forever and ever. AMEN
Ephesians 3:20-21 |
1) Valentine's Day prayer
Consumers are expected to spend $25.9 billion on Valentine’s Day this year. An estimated 145 million Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year, making Valentine’s Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year 2nd only to Christmas.
Let us pray we pray that shallow celebrations would grow to a real experience of love. That love would grow beyond Cupid, candy hearts, jewelry, chocolates and cards and that commitment would go deeper than the momentary excitement of romance to life covenant and real love.
God pour out your love and promise
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2) Earthquake in Turkey and Syria
Please pray for the people of Turkey and Syria as they were struck by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake last week. Let us also pray for those relief workers and ministries laboring tirelessly in sub-zero temperatures to find those who may still be alive under the rubble. With a death toll that has climbed to over 36,000 already, please pray for those grieving families as well as the medical people struggling to care for the over10,000 injured people and over 1,000,000 left homeless by this tragedy.
3) Healing Prayer
Cathy & I appreciate your prayers as I continue to battle, trusting God for full and speedy recovery. When I returned from Egypt, I had an open lung biopsy surgery on February 8 as the doctors continue to try to identify the source of the infection and inflammation causing nodules in my lungs. So grateful that "Jehovah Has the Final Say!
Please join us as we pray for healing for our long-time friend Pete in South Wales, UK as he battles colon cancer and so many other friends and partners believing God for healing miracles.
Please let us know how we can pray for you.
4) CAIRO/MINYA EGYPT
The police stormed M~ny* center with the office of the drug control and doctors (who privately treat addicts). The police sent all of the addicts out from the center and took with them the director of the branch, and pointed accusations to the director and to the center. The prosecution summoned Dr. Nora and people to testify.
By the grace of God, all the addicts that were sent away miraculously returned to their homes. We are grateful to God for this; as they were 35 (out of 50) addicts who went out to the streets at night with no money, no mobile phones, not knowing where to go. They could have returned to drugs or we could have lost them forever. It catastrophic for the addicts and for (us) all. We trust the sovereign God is high above all.
Please pray for this ordeal to pass well.
The losses resulting from this intrusion are estimated over $35,000 as a result of damage to furniture, sofas, chairs, the entire kitchen, and the seizure of money and mobile phones belonging to residents, etc. Send your donation below.
Bank Name: Commercial International Bank (CIB)
Address: 53 Shubra Street, Shubra Cairo
Account Name: Freedom Program Acct Address: 120 teraa bolakya st, Cairo
Account Number: 100020791513
SWIFT/SORT Code: CIBEEGCX067
5) VISION & WISDOM
Please pray for wisdom for our travel schedule through 2023. Thanking God that He will lead, guide and order our steps to the places He wants us to be.
We appreciate those who pray for us. As you can see from the above schedule, we face an incredible challenge going into this new year with the number of trips back to back. But the opportunities were so significant and ministry needs were so compelling that we really felt led to step out in faith. Please pray that the Lord will speak to the hearts of people who will help to sponsor these flights.
6) ASIA-PACIFIC CONFERENCE Adelaide Australia
Please pray for the upcoming Asia-Pacific conference bringing together key leaders from across South Island Asia-Pacific region. This will be the 1st "in person" gathering since the Covid pandemic.
Pray for Jim and Kathie Lowans,The GTC Regional Directors and the Global Teen Challenge ministry team… Along with the key leader from the Asia-Pacific region that we can minister effective resources for ministry and encouragement.
7) In obedience to God’s Word . . .
“First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
1 Timothy 2:1-4 NASB
8) "JUST PRAY NO" April 15-16.
Your center can be a part of Just Pray No, an annual event observed on the third weekend of April and this year it will be marked from April 15 - 16. This activity has been observed worldwide since its founding on April 7, 199
Just Pray NO! has brought Christians all over the world together in intercessory prayer to support those who are battling with forms of addiction like alcoholism, drug addiction, and other life-controlling compulsions. |
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