Today, a young woman came into our office and shared that she had sent an email a few months ago expressing her frustration over the fact that her boyfriend had not yet proposed.   Her mentor prayed for her.  Just a week later, this young woman’s prayer was answered and the young man proposed.  The girl was thrilled!    After she shared her story with us, we asked her “have you told your mentor this story?”   She said “no… should i?”   We said, “for sure!  Your mentor would love to hear your happy ending.”   She said, “I will definitely do that then”.
This is such a strong reminder to all of us as mentors, that when our mentees receive encouragement and help, that they often move on and just forget to share this information with us.   Be encouraged.  You may never know who you have all helped.

Have a wonderful week ♥
Terri

A counselor was talking with a friend of mine and I want to share this part of their conversation with you.

Counselor: “You might be encouraged to know that one study showed that people who have felt they benefited from counseling say that the relationship components of feeling cared for, empathized with, etc. is what helped the most!
So, y’all are probably doing the part that matters most.”

Walk Along Side…
“I want to share a testimony with what GOD, has done in my life and also he has listen to your prayers for the breakthrough for my marriage has to come to pass,,,we have worked things out. I feel as though we just met the other day. He bought me the
most expensive beautiful leather sofas. It’s amazing. We really serve a GOD of restoration, an amazing GOD. I’m actually in tears as I send this email cause my marriage was totally finish but God was saying it hasn’t begun. Thank You woman of God, sister in Christ! I will never leave or serve any foreign gods. Really, I love GOD he is my daddy, my everything. Thank you. Keep praying for us”

Have a wonderful week ♥
Terri

What would your life look like if you could impact three people for Christ in the next 35 days? For most of us, our faith is very personal and we find it difficult to talk about.  We know that we are called to tell people about Jesus, but how do you even start that conversation? That’s what The 35 Day Challenge is all about.
This challenge will help you think about three people you would like to share Christ with.  It will walk you through a process and give you tools and resources so that you can begin those conversations. Complete the challenge and you will impact three people’s lives in only five weeks.   You can sign-up at http://35daychallenge.ca or by texting 35days to 289-799-3100.

Sometimes sharing your faith is about knowing how to talk to someone.  Other times evangelism is as simple as just knowing where to send them to get help.

What would your life look like if you could connect three people to Christ in the next 35 days? As you reflect on this question, join us!   Register at http://35daychallenge.ca  where you will receive encouragement, practical ideas and resources to help you bring Jesus to the people in your world.
Watch this video to learn more about making the most of your life:   http://thelife.com

Tamara is one of our mentors. Please Pray for them.
“Our house was on fire last Sunday and it burnt to the ground taking everything we owned including my two beloved cats. I do not have daily access to a computer and I must redirect all my people until we can afford another computer. I regret having to do this, as the mentoring was such a source of my joy. As soon as I am back and settled with a computer I will e-mail you and get back to my duties. I ask for all your prayers that we can find a home shortly.
Gratefully yours, Tamara”

God Bless You ♥
Terri

Father, thank you for each mentor and community leader and the significant role that they have in this ministry.
I pray that each one will experience more of You in their lives and be filled with the assurance of You working in them and through them. You know us better than we know ourselves Lord.  So help us to trust You in our situations, whatever they are and to lean on You and your understanding. That we can expect good things from a good God.  And I pray we live life in such a way that it demands a gospel explanation!
Remind us to ask for your wisdom and be lead by your Spirit before we begin to type a reply. Remind us to express empathy and ask open-ended questions so they know that we care.  Remind us to not judge but to listen and walk alongside them, helping them reach their potential in Christ.
Thank you that You choose to accomplish your work through different avenues such as the Internet.  You have given us this online opportunity to help many people who are hurting, lonely and suffering and to point them to your love, hope and peace.  May we share and demonstrate what You have given to us in an effective way so that they too will desire to seek You and to know You.
We love you and cherish our relationship with you Lord. Amen

Walk Along Side…
“I am now going to be 18 soon and my little sister now lives with my dad and my little brother doesn’t run away any more. I also have accepted Christ and I have been baptized. I’ve even started to love my self and I’m so happy. Thank you so much for all your help.”

 Thank you so much for all that you do ♥
Terri

Sometimes, hurting people get stuck in self-pity. When this happens, it seems that no matter what you say or ask them to do, it falls on deaf ears. Have any of you been there? It is frustrating and can also make you feel defeated as their mentor.

To help them get away from ‘stinking thinking’ and begin the process of renewing their mind, send them this link: http://www.ficm.org/index.php?command=whoamiinchrist and tell them to pick out three positive affirmations from this list and begin saying each one OUT LOUD three times, three times per day. Our brain is a muscle and it needs to be exercised, so why not exercise it well by filling it with positive thoughts and what better way to do that then through scripture.

Walk Along Side…
“I feel a lot of love through that message – it’s what I have needed to hear for so long, so thank you so much”

Blessings!
Terri ♥

Online Mentoring Terms of Service

The Mentor Center Program exists to minister, equip and resource thousands of people around the globe.  It is our desire to protect you, the mentor, our visitors and the organizations you are representing.   

With this in mind, these are the guidelines we ask you to follow: 

1) Safety Issues
(a) Never give medical advice.  Instead ask people to take their medical concerns to a qualified physician.

(b) Never give advice about legal obligations. Instead ask people to consult a qualified legal adviser.

(c) Never give away personal information such as your telephone number, address, city location, personal email address, facebook or any other social media that you use.

Use your first name only.  Your safety is of paramount importance.

Never disclose your mentee’s name, personal information or circumstances outside of TMC. It’s vital that everything said in TMC, stays in TMC at all times.

(d) Never tell someone what to do.  Instead encourage, pray for and refer accordingly. You may suggest something saying “this has worked for others”.  Keep the onus on them.   It is their decision whether or not to act.

(e) Never suggest that trusting in God will solve all their problems.   Instead let them know that God will give them grace and hope in their situation.

2) Contacting The Mentor Center Administrator:

If you come across any of the situations listed below, always contact the Administrator immediately, using the following email address for your report urgent@truthmedia.com

Please do not respond to the visitor and leave the email in your TMC inbox until you have heard from the Administrator.

(a)    There is a strong belief that the person may be considering violence or harming self or others;

(b) There is a strong belief that there may be an abusive relationship, especially when there is indication that the person may be less than 18 years old;

(c) There is a strong belief that there is an impending decision regarding an abortion;

(d) You receive information that someone is harassing a mentor or demanding a personal meeting

If you are unsure if a particular email falls into one of these groups, contact the Administrator.

3) Contacting Public Authorities

The Mentor Center is committed to being a safe place. Please do not take matters into your own hands, but use the urgent email address above instead.  The Administrator of The Mentor Center will contact public authorities should it be necessary or appropriate to do so as determined by The Mentor Center.

Walk Along Side…
“Just want to share that this person once again called on God. He felt abandoned by God because of separation and divorce. Here is a quote from his email “…I have asked GOD to take this pain from my heart and to help me move forward.”

Have a great week!
Terri ♥

There are 3 things that are most important in a first response:  SHORT, personal, compassionate.  There will be time enough to write more when they write back…and they write back more often when we can clearly establish a rapport with them at a heart level.

I wonder…if someone just came up to you and started talking to you about the things in their email, not knowing who you were, how would you react? If you began to talk to them using words you normally use in church and saw that they didn’t quite “get it”, would you change your words?  Sometimes we get in the habit of expressing things certain ways, and when we’re talking to pre-believing friends, we have to remember that it’s not in their vocabulary, or in their thinking. We are listened to more, when we are being a peer that’s sharing struggles and how I’ve gone through them, rather than someone who has the answer.

In responding to hurt, we use compassionate facial expressions and tones of voice.  Because we don’t have that in TMC, we have to be specific with our words, so that our compassion and empathy are clear.  Even if we can’t empathize with their specific situation you can imagine that they might be feeling, afraid, tired, and discouraged, because you’d feel that way, if you were in it.  And, if someone was showing a bit of their heart, I’m sure you wouldn’t be only giving them a “recipe” for a solution to their problem. What we communicate needs to be done in such a way that it’s clear that whether or not a solution worked for us, they will make their own choice.  (“This worked for me.  Have you thought of trying that?”)

How can we communicate it in a way that will be more personal, rather than more academic?  Do we have any examples from life, or from friends’ or relatives’ lives, that we can use to empathize with them? (“That sounds really frustrating and difficult.  I’m so sorry to hear that. My friend’s daughter went through something similar and I saw how hard it was on her.”)

If they don’t say anything about their faith, I don’t write to them as if they are believers.  Instead I ask the Lord, “What are YOU telling me to say?”  Has what they wrote tell you anything about their faith? You can begin putting faith into your conversation by saying something like, “It wasn’t easy, but my daughter’s friend decided to begin talking to God about it and He helped her to try some things.  Do you believe in God?”

How does my closing invite them to write me back again?  (“I care about you and look forward to hearing from you again….”)

Walking alongside works because it’s love first and information laid on the foundation of that love.  It’s our love that opens them up and helps them trust us.  Half the time, people are lonely and in despair and want a friend, not a solution.

We have a great team of mentors and I know that each one of us wants to have the fullest experience in mentoring. And God will do that as we depend on Him moment by moment
Terri ♥

I believe the Celebrate and Share has added a dynamic dimension to TMC. This window on the left has opened a door for us to see the ministry that is happening inside. And it is amazing to see how God is working!
Note to remember: When adding your comments feel free to use a first name but please do not add any other identifying information, such as last names, addresses, birthdates, work place, or city,  to keep the conversations confidential.  Thank you so much.  ♥

Walk Along Side…
“Thank you for listening and helping me. You are here for us just when we start to believe no person is. Is it important that I pray daily? Also I don’t know where to start reading in the bible. Where do I start? Also how can I become more motivated in walking with the lord?”

Have a wonderful week
Terri

I need to clarify one of the boxes on the Celebrate and Share feature. It’s the very last box in the list.  This is the place where you can share encouraging comments as they happen in the same conversation thread.

The First time you add a comment

• Check the box on the left of  “This conversation has a story that others need to hear”
• Type your comments in the box on the right.

The Second time you want to add a comment

• Delete the old comments on the right
• Type in your new comments

 Walk Along Side…
“This wonderful woman had a powerful response to the Lord, as she was expecting to hear a psychological response to her request for help, and she was shocked to be presented with the Gospel as her Solution. She realized she had gone astray in leaving her relationship with the Lord and rededicated her life to Him, and now her husband has as well!”

Thank you♥ SO much for all that you do!
Terri

You may from time to time receive an email with no comments or questions but it will have a persons name and email address on it.
Sometimes, people will send in a blank form to see if someone is really there to respond to them. We encourage you not to ignore these emails but instead send back a short response that sounds something like this;

• “Thank you for visiting powertochange.com.
  I noticed in your message, there was no comment or question. If you are looking for someone to talk to or pray for you, I would be happy to write you back. My name is _________ and I am an online mentor for this web site. I look forward to your reply.”

On your reply page, you will find the same message under Templates, titled Blank Emails.

Walk Along Side…
“Thank you again, I guess in the darkness of my situation I was not focusing on the light of my God. I am so glad I found this website. I have been so alone for such a long time that I lost focus on what is important. God bless you for asking God to bless us. I am forever grateful for your kindness and the words of encouragement, this website and hopefully I can come to a better place. Your message brings me hope. Thank you.”

Have a wonderful Week ♥
Terri