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miracle n. a positive and radical change that occurs when one of God’s laws of nature is called into action by faith and responds to that faith in ways we did not think possible, for the glory of God and the good of all.
THE FAMILY NEWSLETTER A Monthly Publication of The Family:
People Helping People Project
George
was a drug addict who lived on the streets for many years. He went in and out of treatment programs, experiencing recovery over and over again, only to find that after the removal of the drugs in his life, he would still feel meaningless, irritable and just blah. This feeling of emptiness haunted him, and before long, he’d be back on the streets. Terrified, he wanted to give up because he was very depressed and hopeless. In fact, he said he felt so bad about himself that he would only steal from people he knew could kill him. In other words, he was so depressed and suicidal that he took the risk of the theft being successful to get what he wanted, but if it was not, he felt they would do him a favor by killing him.
In this Issue front page
• The Vision of Love
page 2 • Leading Issues Facing the Bahamas: Blindness • Lectio Divina page 3
• Miracles in our Midst back page
• THE FAMILY - Meeting Times & Places
“ august 2016
Coming to THE FAMILY, he was encouraged to share his hurt trail and the powerful shame that governed his life. As he shared his authentic story of pain, despair and hopelessness, he said that the loving environment of THE FAMILY made a deep impact on his life. The sharing of his pain, in the presence of people who truly accepted him and were kind and listened to him in a non-judgmental manner, allowed him to experience a kind of love that he had never encountered before. He began to see that in THE FAMILY, he was valued, and as a result, his life had meaning and purpose, allowing him to reach out and help others. Having experienced discovery, that is, the vision of love in his life pushing him toward meaning and hope, George is training to become a therapist facilitator. He was particularly impressed when he was locked up because he was unable to pay his rent and all his other contacts and employers turned him down. THE FAMILY came through, paid the rent he owed and he was released from prison. He said that being a drug addict is one thing, letting go of the drug in recovery is another. But the real meaning of his life did not appear until he entered discovery and opened to the purpose and meaning of his existence. George changed his mind. He changed his life and he changed his world. TF
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LEADING ISSUE Blindness
Perhaps you see them too. Those “shells-of-a-human being” who seem to occupy every major traffic intersection on the island. They tap on your car window as you wait at the red light, their emaciated hand outstretched. Young, old; male, female; some partly clad, some wearing all their clothes; some articulate in speech, others refusing to speak. But they all look the same to you: Bums! You give them a few coins from the coin tray in your car, even though you know they will use the money to buy more of the drugs or alcohol that landed them on the streets in the first place. You just want to get them away from you. They need to get these druggies off the streets beggin’! you say to yourself. That’s all they are — druggies, drunkards, bums. And then you receive a copy of The Family newsletter and your mouth drops open in disbelief. Isn’t that the man who used to beg at the light by... Isn’t that the gal who used to hang around the... Yes, that’s him, that’s her, sharing how
addiction to drugs or alcohol turned him into a street beggar for so many years, how people abused her when night fell, how he had lost all hope, then something—or Someone—happened to him, to her, and she changed her life, and he is changing his world. Wow! You never saw him, or her, in that way. We are all blind in one way or another to the humanity of the beggars on our streets. We tell ourselves that what we see at our window is all there ever was of them and all there ever will be. And we’re wrong. Maybe our blindness is caused by selfishness, or ignorance, or fear. Whatever the reason, we have to remove the scales from our eyes so that we can see in that filthy beggar the image of God—the person he or she can become through our love. Ask God to bless those coins in your coin tray so that the next time you give them away, they can become channels of God’s grace, to bring deliverance and reconciliation to His child who receives them. TF
We are all blind in one way or another to the humanity of the beggars on our streets.
Lectio Divina
Read. Ponder. Pray.
But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love him’. But God has, through the Spirit, let us share his secret. —1 Corinthians 2:9-10
Miracles IN OUR MIDST
Miracles are to be found not only in the Bible or in ancient times. Miracles are happening today, right in our midst. Over the past six months, The Family newsletter has been sharing miracles with you—stories of people whose lives have been radically changed, through this public counseling project, in ways they could not have imagined. Here is a snapshot of these stories. Let them inspire hope in you and cause you to anticipate miracles in your life, in the lives of your family and friends, today. Andre For 25 years Andre was a vagrant living on the streets of Nassau, doing little favors for passersby in the hope they would give him a tip that he would then use to feed a drug habit developed when he was a teen. Under his sun-etched face and disheveled hair was a man who had grown up in the prestigious community of Lyford Cay and attended St. Andrews School in Nassau, Ridley College in Canada, and Florida Southern College in the United States. On Christmas Day 2009, Andre, much like the prodigal son, came to himself and made a decision, with the help of God, to change his life. On January 19, 2010, he boarded a plane to Florida and spent the next six months making peace with himself and discovering his purpose in life. Upon his return to Nassau in June 2010, Andre submitted himself to working with the youth at Teen Challenge Bahamas, under the mentorship of Pastor Eric Fox, and for three years underwent intensive training in Anger Management. Today, Andre is an associate of world-renowned author and psychiatrist Dr. David Allen in THE FAMILY as one of his protégés in group therapy, psychotherapy, and individual counseling. Danise Five years ago she was barreling toward the cliff at Clifton Pier. “I will give you what you want!” she shouted into the cell phone, and then passed it to her children, “Here, tell Daddy bye!” Deaf to the screams of her children in the car, she heard only the voice of her estranged husband beating her down again. She was at ‘Ground Zero’ and she had made a decision. Just as the car was about to fly off the cliff, her mind went blank, but a voice penetrated the darkness: “It’s not fair!” Danise slammed the brakes. The voice was that of her 11-month-old infant in the front seat. Sometime after Danise’s attempted suicide, a friend invited her to a FAMILY meeting and she shared her story. Danise attended THE FAMILY every Wednesday, and with each meeting she grew stronger, to the point where her problem didn’t seem to be a problem anymore and she wanted to help other people. “I started to realize what my purpose was.” Today Danise Christie is president of THE FAMILY: People Helping People (PHP) and facilitator at THE FAMILY which meets at St. Gregory Anglican Church.
William For more than 30 years he was “Hot Boy,” a drug addict, vagabond, prolific thief, bully, and jailbird. William’s drug use began with marijuana when he was nine years old and it became his way to deal with his anger and hatred. “But my first experience with shame was when I was 11 or 12 and my friends were teasing a boy about being a sissy. Even though I was teasing him too, I was shame because I knew that pedophiles in my neighborhood had done to me what we were teasing the boy about doing.” William’s shame led to a high-risk lifestyle of drugs, criminality, and “woman chasing” as he grew older. In 2009 William had a spiritual awakening and began the journey of faith he is on today. He was sentenced to three months in prison, and during that time God revealed two things to him: Perfect love drives out fear and he is “the King’s son.” Today William is a youth counselor, mentor, and a training facilitator for THE FAMILY. “The reason I am here is because of what Christ has done in my life. I am 53 years old and what you see now is because of Christ. Everything I do is out of my relationship with Him. I tell students that only when this Power is activated in you can you do what you were ordained by God to do.” TF
ABOUT THE FAMILY Dr. David Allen
People Helping People
Founder
THE FAMILY: PEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE is a program of free, community based therapy groups for adults and adolescents throughout New Providence, using qualified therapists. We are building The Bahamas and reaching out to the world. Our Vision: Helping Our People Everywhere Our Mission: People Helping People If you want to help or share in this great work, ■ Attend a FAMILY group ■ Join our training program to become a Group Facilitator ■ Make a donation via Scotiabank: 70375-3001-602
Donations are under the direction of a distinguished accounting firm.
If you want to: · Join a Family Group / For Counseling or to Become a Group Facilitator: Contact the Family Office at 698-0155 · Start a Family Group: Contact Dr. Allen (Renascence) at 327-8918/9 · Book Dr. Allen: Email <dfallen43@gmail.com> · Request the Monthly Newsletter: Email <info@familyhelpingpeople.com>
VISION: H.o.p.e. (Helping our people EVERYWHERE) Mission: People Helping People
FAMILY MEETING PLACES AND TIMES Family
Royal Bahamas Defence Force Willie Mae Pratt Centre for Girls Collins Avenue Teens Warfare Group Ranfurly Home for Children Glad Tidings Tabernacle Great Commission Ministries P.A.C.E. New Providence Community Church (NPCC) Bahamas Department of Correctional Services East St. Gospel Chapel Hope House Her Majesty’s Prison Guidance Counselors Evangelistic Temple St. Gregory Anglican Church NPCC D. W. Davis Jr High School Cancer Caring Centre Facilitator Training (please call office to register)
Location
Day
Time
Coral Harbour Base
Monday
10:30 a.m.-Noon
Fox Hill
Monday
3:30 p.m.–5:00 p.m.
Collins Ave. Collins Ave.
Monday Monday
4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m.
Mackey St.
Monday
6:00 p.m.– 8:00 p.m.
Kemp Rd.
Monday
6:00 p.m.– 8:00 p.m.
Wulff Rd.
Tuesday
11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Dowdeswell St.
Wednesday
2:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m.
Blake Rd.
Wednesday
6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
Fox Hill
Wednesday
9:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
East St. Carmichael Rd. Fox Hill Min. of Education Collins Ave.
Wednesday Wednesday Wednesday Thursday Thursday
4:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m.–9:30 p.m. 9:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m. 9:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m. 4:00 p.m.–5:30 p.m.
Carmichael Rd.
Thursday
6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
Blake Rd. Wilton St. Collins Ave.
Thursday Thurs. & Fri. Friday
6:00 p.m.–7:30 p.m. 9:05 a.m.–10:05 a.m. 10:30 a.m.-Noon
NPCC Blake Rd.
Saturday
9:00 a.m.-Noon
■ Private Groups
People Helping People
Come and join a family, find people who are ready to help you and train you to help others!
■ Adult & Adolescent Groups
■ Adult Groups
1 (242) 698-0155 or 1 (242) 676-8619 or familyhelpingpeople@gmail.com
Partners
Visit us on the web at www.familyhelpingpeople.com
If you’d like to support THE FAMILY and share in this transformational work, we’d be happy to receive your donations via Scotiabank 70375-3001-602 for more information, contact us at 327-8718/9 or dfallen43@gmail.com
Templeton World Charity Foundation Renascence Institute