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Leadership Link
Connecting Teen Challenge Leaders around the world |
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May 2012
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Featured Region
 There are Teen Challenge ministries in 21 countries in the LAC region with 4 additional countries where the first steps for a new TC ministry are beginning.
Duane Henders is the Global Teen Challenge (GTC) director for the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region.
Norbert Schenhals
is the LAC representative for GTC in Latin America. Norbert was a missionary in Argentina and founded the TC ministry there. He works in all aspects of TC in Latin America-new center planting, staff training, sustainability development and strategic planning. He is presently assisting in the start of a new TC in Lima, Peru
John Steigerwald
is a LAC representative for GTC in the Caribbean. He was a missionary in Jamaica and founded the TC ministry there. He is focusing on revitalization of TC ministries in the Caribbean as well as new ministry openings, such as TC Guyana
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Upcoming Training Events & Conferences
Russia Training Conferences
May 28 - June 1, Moscow
May 21-25 Barnaul
Teen Challenge USA
National Conference
August 5-7, 2012 Denver, CO
Registration info
Ongoing Trainings
Brazil Staff Training
School
Itamonte, Brazil
March - June 2012
Graduation June 2nd
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Greetings!
Welcome to this month's edition of our Leadership Link. Latin America and the Caribbean is our featured region this month. We have many great testimonies and reports of the work that God is doing in the region through the ministry of Teen Challenge.
Also be sure to check out Jerry's article on being tested by the Lord.
May God bless you and your ministry.
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DO YOU EVER FEEL TESTED BY THE LORD?
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Jerry Nance
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By Jerry Nance PhD, President, Global Teen Challenge
In John 6 we read the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand. In this story you see Jesus testing the disciples-especially Phillip. A great crowd of over 5,000 people were following Jesus because of the miracles he had performed.
When Jesus saw the great crowd, "he said to Phillip, 'Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?' He asked this only to test him, for he already knew what he was going to do." (John 6:5-6)
Jesus wanted to test the faith of Phillip and his disciples. Do you test your staff and those you are mentoring? When you are faced with a great crowd of needs, do you test your staff to see if they have the faith to find a solution?
Phillip looked at the massive need and was overwhelmed. "It would take a half year's wages to feed this crowd." The crowd's size was the overwhelming circumstance he saw. He was counting the number of loaves of bread that would be needed.
Hey, I've been there when the great crowd, or great need was upon me. I have looked too close at the need instead of seeing the faithfulness of God to provide. Phillip's faith wavered, as did all the disciples. When 5,000 people are coming to you in need, it can be overwhelming and seem impossible to meet such a massive need.
Jesus recognized the need even though the crowd had not asked for help. He decided how to meet the need before it was recognized by others. As leaders we often see the need before others do and God gives us the revelation on how to meet the need. Great leaders are always able to see solutions to needs. Leaders step out and envision the need met. That doesn't mean we always, immediately have the solutions, but over time our experience lets us know that we can trust God for the answer or the miracle we need. Jesus had the miracle in mind for the crowd and he wanted to test the faith of his disciples.
I sometimes feel that God allows "large crowds" to come my way, to see if I will continue to believe him. Will I trust him? Will I recall His faithfulness and just rest in the assurance that He is Lord and He has everything under control? God has been so faithful for so many years, why would I ever be like Phillip and just immediately look at the crowd? But, I do, and I know if you are like me, you also find yourself seeing only the overwhelming need. Jesus wanted his disciples to consider the lessons from the past and to exercise a little faith.
In John 6:9 we see Andrew speaking up and saying, "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?" Andrew didn't have any more faith than Phillip did because he just looked at the few resources they had available to them at the time and considered them against the size of the crowd. That's where the mistake was made. You see Jesus can take the few resources we have and do miracles with them if we will only believe and trust him. We have to take advantage of all the resources that are available to us and put them in the hands of Jesus. We must believe God and step out in faith.
There is another part to this story that stands out to me. I had never thought much about the little boy who gave his two fish and 5 loaves of bread to Jesus. Can you imagine what it must have felt like for him? Andrew discovered the boy's provisions and brought them to the attention of Jesus. Apparently this boy was one of the few who had considered that he might get hungry that day. Maybe the boy's mother said to him before he went out for the day, "Hey, son, take your lunch! I don't want you getting hungry. I packed you a little extra for your friends, so take it with you."
Here is a boy in a crowd of 5,000 with two small fish and 5 loaves of bread. He was given the opportunity to participate in a miracle. But, he had to give what he had to Jesus. He was a key to the miracle, he gave the few resources he had to Jesus to provide the miracle.
How do you think he felt when he watched what happened with his two little fish and five loaves? I can only imagine that he never forgot that day in his young life, the day he met Jesus and watched him take his provisions and feed 5,000 people.
It might just be that he became a son to Jesus that day. This miracle was a constant reminder of how faithful Jesus is when we just surrender to him the little we have to offer. And what happened to the 12 baskets left over? Could Jesus have decided to give the leftovers to the boy to take home? He would have had to get several of his friends to help him take the baskets home. Can you hear him when he went through the door and explained all of this to his mother? I don't know the end of the story, but I know this boy must have been blessed by that one encounter with Jesus.
As leaders we must recognize that Jesus is the one who makes it possible to meet any need we have. Jesus just needs us to cooperate with him. He needs us to see that out of 5 loaves and 2 fish he can do wonders. So what is it that we have that just needs to be offered to Jesus for the miracle to happen in our life?
Jesus may use the needs we face to test us. Jesus taught his disciples that it only takes a little in his hands to do the miraculous. My prayer is, "Lord, help me remember your faithfulness when I am faced with the 'great crowd.'"
I want you to know that I am praying for you and believing God to give you the miracle you need when facing your "great crowd."
Jerry Nance
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| Teen Challenge is growing in Latin America and the Caribbean!
by Duane Henders, GTC regional director for the Latin America and the Caribbean.
God is doing a great and amazing work through the ministry of Teen Challenge in Latin America and the Caribbean. Teen Challenge is presently established in 21 countries in LAC and we are helping to open new TC ministries in Peru, Guyana, Freeport Bahamas, Grenada and Panama. We also have invitations from 7 other countries who want to see a TC ministry established.
Staff Training-TC Training Schools
GTC is responding to the requests for staff training from TC directors throughout LAC. National directors recognize that students who graduate from the TC resident program and feel called to become staff workers need training. GTC has developed a three month TC Training School curriculum as a first step in helping national TC ministries implement systematic staff training.
The GTC personnel who taught at the TC Training Schools were Duane Henders, Norbert Schenhals, Dave Batty, Daryel Erickson, and Gregg Fischer. National TC directors, local pastors and national missionaries have also made significant contributions to the teaching and training.
TC Training School in Mexico City, Mexico
The first TC Training School in Central America was launched in February 2012 at Mexico City  Teen Challenge. The three month intensive course finished on April 28, 2012. All nineteen students who began the course finished and received a certificate from GTC.
The Mexico TC Training School hosted 19 students who represented nine different ministries, 15 of the students were from Mexico and 4 from Honduras. Almost all of them will be involved in full-time TC ministry. Plans are now being made for a second level of training for TC staff.
Rev. Gamaliel Cerda, Mexico TC executive director said, "This is the fulfillment of a dream we have had since we started TC Mexico in 1978!"
One student said, "Now I have goals and a vision for God's plan for my life as I work for Teen Challenge."
 | | Teen Challenge, Itamonte, Brazil |
TC Training School in Itamonte, Brazil
A 3 month Staff Training School was launched at the TC in Itamonte, Brazil, in March 2012 with
40 students. Luis Fernandes the TC director said that even before the three month course was
finished, he was "already seeing significant results
in the lives of the students and the TC ministry in Itamonte." He said that the training has made such a difference in the students' lives that all prospective staff will be required to go through the training before being accepted as staff.
Plans are being made to launch other TC Training Schools for Brazil.
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Planting Teen Challenge in Peru
"Thank you Global Teen Challenge for the vision of Teen Challenge, and the resources and training you provide to us here in Peru to plant the first Teen Challenge in our country." These were the grateful words, just last month, of the President of Teen Challenge Peru, Pastor Agustin Ciccia.
Last month, Global Teen Challenge Representative Norbert Schenhals conducted a two day Conference in Lima, Peru casting vision and providing training to a great team of leaders that God is raising up from the streets of Lima, Peru, led by Teen Challenge Director, Pastor Oswaldo Calixto Medina.
 | | Norbert with Pastor Oswaldo and Pastor Agustin |
About two years ago, Pastor Oswaldo contacted Global Teen Challenge requesting help to disciple the many addicts that were coming to the Lord and were meeting in his mother's home and garage. After an initial visit by Duane Henders, GTC Regional Rep, and then a follow up visit by Norbert Schenhals, TC Group Studies for New Christians began to be used for Pastor Oswaldo's evangelism outreach and day program. The Teen Challenge Peru Board was established and TC Peru was registered with the government through the guidance of Missionary John Fransisco. Norbert then developed and provided a Strategic Plan to give guidance to the Board and Pastor Oswaldo.
During this time, two young men Pedro and Guino were both rescued by Oswaldo from the drug and gang infested streets of Villa El Salvador, one of the most difficult neighborhoods in Lima. Pedro and Guino were initially discipled by Oswaldo and then God opened the door for them to go through the Teen Challenge program in Argentina for 6 months. Pedro and Guino returned to Lima last month just in time for the Conference and their families and Pastor Oswaldo were amazed to see how these young men had greatly matured in the Lord. Pedro and Guino are ready to serve together with Pastor Oswaldo on the streets of Villa El Salvador of Lima.
The two day Conference in April, had as its main objective to cast the vision of Teen Challenge and provide training in the "next steps" of opening the first residential TC center in Peru. The day after the Conference, Pastor Agustin and the executive board met with Norbert for a strategic meeting laying the objectives and goals for the future. Global Teen Challenge committed to return in September to conduct TC Curriculum Training Conference with the goal of preparing the leaders for opening of the residential TC center in December of this year.
 | | TC Conference in Peru |
Pastor Agustin and Norbert were blessed by the arrival of Assemblies of God Missionary Associate Matt Culipher and family, arriving a week before the Conference. Matt has committed to come along side Oswaldo and the TC team to work together with them to open the residential center and help them develop sustainability solutions both through church relationships and micro-industries.
GTC gives thanks to the Lord for the opportunity to serve alongside these men and women of God that are laying their lives down daily to see many young men like Pedro and Giuno be delivered from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to the power of God.
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Teen Challenge Guyana taking first steps
by John Steigerwald The Teen Challenge Guyana ministry board members recently came together for 12 hours of training to learn and design a strategic plan to move the ministry. The members who participated in the training all provided valuable input. Members went back to the basics and read the book The Cross and the Switchblade to see how God used David Wilkerson to changes lives in NYC. Much discussion centered on learning about TC DNA ministry structure and how to reproduce the DNA within the context of a particular country.
 | | Guyana TC leaders |
Next steps for the ministry in Guyana include hosting a Turning Point training workshop in the fall and welcoming interns to assist promoting TC in Guyana. Please continue to keep the ministry in prayer. God is at work and it's a joy and privilege to join Him in his mission of transforming the lives of people with life controlling problems. A special thank you to Freddy Biesum, Executive Director Aruba TC, who presented and offered insight, knowledge and wisdom to workshop participants. |
Micro-industry development at Jamaica Teen Challenge
 Teen Challenge in Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) has requested "Sustain Hope", an international community development ministry, to assist with assessments for sustainable projects beginning with Teen Challenge Jamaica (TCJ). In December, 2011 Bob Bachman and Andy Rogers from Sustain Hope met with TCJ leaders at the men's TC center in Ocho Rios to make the initial assessments and evaluations. Included in the assessment phase was evaluating the TCJ property, looking at local market viability, appropriate vegetable varieties for the area, compatible livestock and reviewing available agricultural  associations for training and informational resources.
Many options were provided as potential projects to be pursued, such as greenhouses for growing tomatoes and peppers, raising meat rabbits, bees for honey and pollination, growing Moringa for use at the center and raising several livestock breeds which are popular for the Jamaican "jerk" market. In addition, these recommendations could be sources of providing vocational  training for the students and interns and a sense of accomplishment through working. These projects can also be a means of providing financial support for the center. Top of Page |
Drug Addicts and Prostitutes receiving Christ in streets in Ocho Rios, Jamaica
Duane Henders recently participated in a nine-day Good News Evangelism Crusade in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. The crusade was hosted by the Jamaica Teen Challenge. GTM, a contemporary gospel music group from Indianapolis, Indiana, provided music, preaching and testimonies and a group of 12 men from Teen Challenge in Dublin, GA worked together with the Jamaica Teen Challenge team.  | | New convert with Duane |
The team participated in evangelism training classes and a worship chapel during which several students were baptized in the Holy Spirit. One worker said the Holy Spirit "flowed freely," as they prayed and worshiped together! The outreach team ministered each night in a street service where hundreds of people heard the music, personal testimonies and preaching. They also ministered in a junior high school to over 1,000 students and in two Teen Challenge chapel services. Over 100 people made personal decisions to accept Christ during the nine day crusade and most of them were drug addicts, alcoholics and prostitutes from the streets. One evening a lady from the evangelism team gave her personal testimony and when she made the invitation for salvation, five prostitutes walked out of the darkness and came to the stage to give their lives to Christ. One of them wept so hard that both of her false eyelashes came off! One young man who was a crack cocaine addict accepted Christ and said he was drawn to the  | | Street ladies accepting Christ in Jamaica |
street meeting "by some strange force." He said the night before, his brother who was a drug dealer had been shot by drug addicts trying to rob him and he said he knew it was only a matter of time and he would be dead. He accepted Christ and the very next day he went to the Jamaica Teen Challenge and began the application process to enter the residential discipleship program. At the street meeting after he accepted Christ, he asked if one of the workers would share Jesus with a drug addict friend who was there with him, but he explained that his friend could not hear or speak. The worker called the Teen Challenge director over and the director then took his cell phone and texted the plan of salvation to the deaf friend and shared Christ with him via text messages! The results of this Good News Crusade in Ocho Rios, Jamaica were over 100 people giving their lives to Christ, Teen Challenge students and staff were trained in street evangelism and the entire team was inspired and encouraged seeing the Kingdom of God advanced in Jamaica. Top of Page |
Lives Transformed in Brazil-Amazing testimony of Chris and Karen
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Chris entering Teen Challenge
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God is at work changing lives and doing miracles in Brazil. Chris, one of the staff leaders at the center where we were teaching, shared his amazing story. He had been using drugs 9 years, since the age of 12, was no longer welcome to visit his family, and had lost everything because of addiction. One day he decided to end his misery by jumping through a second story window to commit suicide. The glass cut open his head while the fall caused his spleen and kidney to burst. Amazingly, one week later he was discharged from the hospital only to continue drug abuse and suicide attempts. Finally, one day he called his parents to say he wanted to come home and it was then his parents told him about Teen Challenge and encouraged him to go there.
At Teen Challenge he heard of God's plan for his life through a personal
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Karen entering Teen Challenge
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relationship with Jesus. He was not interested but he was envious of the relationships other students had with their families. If becoming a Christian could help him restore his relationship with his family, he would try it.
That's when everything changed. He discovered real life in Jesus. He had suffered from depression since he was a child and now it was gone. He had a hunger for reading and studying the Bible and for helping others who needed freedom from addiction. Moreover, his family wanted to see him again.
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Chris & Karen Wedding Day Feb 2012
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Chris not only got his life back and his relationships with his family restored but also met Karen. Karen's life had been very similar to Chris's. Drug's multiple cutting episodes and suicide attempts. Teen Challenge workers met her as she was in the hospital recovering from cutting her wrist. She was nearly dead when she entered the program and then found new life in Christ. They were married in February and both serve as leaders at the Maanaim Teen Challenge. |
About Global Teen Challenge
The mission of Global Teen Challenge is to assist in the development and implementation of Teen Challenge programs around the world. Today there are more than 1100 Teen Challenge programs in 93 countries of the world. It is our desire to provide the best and latest tools available in helping individuals with life controlling addictions. According to the United Nations, more than 200 million people worldwide struggle with drug abuse. Drug users are getting younger and their use is becoming more frequent. Alcohol and drug addictions are plaguing our nations, our cities and invading our homes. We are committed to doing everything we can to reach people around the globe with life controlling problems. For more information on Global Teen Challenge, visit our website at www.GlobalTC.org |
| Contact Information:
Global Teen Challenge
P.O. Box 511
Columbus, Georgia 31902-0511 USA
706-576-6555
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