April 15, 2021

Respected John Sir,

I don't know where to start  and how to start. So let's start from our first meeting. I hope you remember, our first meeting was in my ola cab. On that day you had booked my ola cab to go to the market from Priya's house. That day was also a normal day for me like the rest of my working days. I did not know that God was going to introduce me to a special man today. That man was Dr. John Bickert !

God had sent him to add some color to my colorless life and show the right direction to my directionless life. But I can not know in the first meeting. I picked him up from Priya home and dropped back like a normal customer and I thought that he came from another country and should have taken more business from him, then I had requested him. Sir, whenever you need a cab please call me any time. So this is how my journey Started with Dr. John and I did not realize it. When did he become a part of my family! We can also say that Dr. John's personality is such that he would make everyone his own within minutes. And I strongly believe that he is nothing less than a magician. Because the magician attracts everyone by hypnosis and Mr. John attracts everyone by running a spell of love.

So After first meeting we took many trips. Dr. John also introduced me to CFTW and provided knowledge about CFTW. Vision and Purpose of Cftw is to spread love and help those in need, Providing basic health facilities including healthcare and education in third world countries. And then I understood the reason for Dr. John's arrival in india. 

I always wanted to help others, due to the lack of income and lack of the right path I could hardly help needy people and whenever I had a chance to help a needy person I tried to help. We are human beings and this is the most unique thing created by God. And I strongly believe that God helps those who help others. So, Dr. John showed me the right path and  he started bringing me with him to help needy people. We visited many Places like ruler areas in delhi, punjab for giving treatment for any health related issue. We also visited schools / Colleges to help needy students who want to study, but because of the lack of money in the family, they are unable to study further.

I am thankful to Dr. John because he gave me the opportunity to serve others. Dr. John also helped me and helped my family alot during covid -19 lockdown periods. He helped us financially by buying groceries and paying the children 's school fees.

There are a lot of things to write and speak for him, But for a person like him, the more you write is less for him. There are very few people in the world. Who leave their mark in the hearts of others but you are one of them my dear Dr. John.

In the end it is thanks to God from bottom of my heart that he gifted me a friend like Dr, John. We love you alot. Sir. You are a legend for us.

and wish you a very very happy wedding Anniversary.

With Regards,

Amandeep Singh

Appeals for donations to help the poor are so abundant that the poor and destitute images become overly graphic and prevalent. Every person who has seen these images can quickly bring them forward to consciousness. Often, one must promptly dismiss the images to reduce the impact of the suffering may have on the day. It is preferable only to acknowledge the poverty and hope that one can make some active act of charitable donation when convenient. We maintain a shadow outline of the images to avoid excessive emotions of despair and hopelessness. If we dwell on these images, they may produce feelings of guilt, and since we cannot actively do something to help, one begins to resent the appeals for help to sideline the guilt feelings that may well up. Guilt is uncomfortable but results at times from a failure to act. If you have a charitable heart, then compassionate feelings can be overwhelming.

One cannot entirely dismiss mass media appeals. Ignoring them goes against a compassionate nature. Ignoring the prompts of compassion is highly uncomfortable, especially when an adequate response is not possible. We tend to relegate the tragedy of poverty to a passing image or cursory glance. Like the one my confessor unconsciously gave my abdomen while explaining how some forms of gluttony could be less serious than others, momentary intemperance in eating, for instance.

Perhaps Chesterton saw some deal with the pain of poverty. Rather than seeing the images with a clear, sharp lens, we prefer to see the images in vague outlines or a complex, impenetrable maze without seeing the pain. Chesterton states, “There are two ways of dealing with the dignity, the pain, the prejudice or the rooted humour of the poor; especially of the rural poor. One of them is to see in their tragedy only a stark simplicity, like the outline of a rock; the other is to see in it an unfathomable though a savage complexity."

There might be a particular splendour in poverty that reflects on the pessimist as bravery in the face of poverty. But at this point, the pessimist abruptly stops. They see poverty as a nebulous maze that resembles a forest entangling an unwary person who ventures into it. The pessimist believes the entire problem is beyond the ability of a few people to solve and relegates the issue as a whole to the grinding wheels of the bureaucracy of political channels and government studies and committees.

Meanwhile, in India, we have recently been told the middle-class suffers from lockdowns and social unrest and strikes. Food and fuel prices are soaring while businesses close and salaries are reduced in half. One example is a family who considered themselves “middle-class” in the past. We have helped them with school fees, but now other expenses are mounting. They now must live on 2500 rupees a month and are struggling to provide for their three children on that income.

Please commit to helping. Remember, Charity is the highest, most eminent virtue. You express that virtue with your donation. We struggle daily to help, but we can do nothing without your support.

Charities such as us are working to provide aid to those who need it the most, but the struggle to continuously raise funds is a barrier. With your donations we have been able to do marvelous things that would have inhibited multiple peoples lives and abilities if not completed. Although, we must acknowledge that charities such as ours get assistance from the community and our followers in many ways, and in this blog, I will tell you how you can help. 

2. Raise Awareness!

Need a topic to discuss with your friends? Perhaps consider informing them about issues they may not even be aware of. Did you know Leprosy is still prevalent in India today? Many people think it was an illness eradicated over 100 years ago as we don’t see it in the West. 

7. Become an Ambassador/ Share online

a. Reaching the correct audience is difficult without your help. The number of viewers on our content dramatically determines the amount of money we are able to raise. You can help us by simply pressing share or adding our posts to your story.

Overall, providing aid to your local charity is not as difficult as it may seem, as small actions such as those outlined above can lead to something great. When you are unable to donate, there are many other ways you can help. Remember that there are still people all around the world who need us to work for them to survive. Please consider supporting us on this journey. 

Personal initiative is part of Spiritual Life. It is part of our freedom to chose how to act. When Charity reflects our love for God, and through that, we assist those in need, it is indisputable evidence of our love for God and, in turn, our love for others.

When giving is difficult, it is a more extraordinary act of your love for others. Mother Theresa is an excellent example of the freedom of action in Spiritual Life. 

Do not miss your opportunity to help those in need with your gift. 

Please Donate Now. 

God Bless,

Thank you

Dr. John Bickert,

President

CFTW 

We have just past the decade anniversary of the gigantic Japanese earthquake/tsunami which occurred on March 11, 2011. A force so strong, it not only shook Japan, but the rest of the world along with it. If you were over the age of 10 you probably remember what you were doing that day, and every news source providing updates on it for weeks afterward.

On that day, a 100-year-old Clock was stopped by the jolt, as one of it’s parts must’ve been knocked out of position. After this the clock has rested at an antique store to present day. However, this year on February 13^th, nearly 10 years after, Japan was struck with another Earthquake, while it was not as damaging as the massive quake of 2011, it still created fear. Many scientists believed this was still an aftershock of the original one. This aftershock must have been the correct amount of force needed, as it somehow turned the clock back on. 

The 58-year-old antique store owner claims this as a sign of restoration. World-wide efforts were made to assist Japans efforts in cleaning up the nuclear damage, along with providing aid to those who lost their homes and businesses. Although, the lasting impacts have still been lingering, in cases like this we must look towards instances such as the clock for hope.

At times we all fail to consider our privilege, and the fact that everything around us, the things, people and places we take for granted can be taken away at any moment. For the families who were impacted by the Tsunami, they are still dealing with radiating damages over a catastrophe which occurred 10 years ago.

But: “Education is the key to opportunity. It's a ticket out of poverty” – Barack Obama

References:

Clock stopped by Japan earthquake restarts decade on. (2021, April 14). Msn. Retrieved from https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/clock-stopped-by-japan-earthquake-restarts-decade-on/ar-BB1fEzMv

Currently, it is 11 Celsius degrees here in Calgary, and we are shocked by just how quickly summer is arriving.  Visibly you can see the relief; the snow is melting, the kids are outside, layers have come off, with few walking around in their shorts and slippers.  As I let the cool spring breeze graze my face, I am grateful as, in contrast, it is incredible how much the weather has improved. About a month ago, it was -30 degrees Celsius, and there was an overwhelming sense of endlessness. 

We visited St. Thomas’s martyrdom site and his tomb in the beautiful city of Chennai overlooking the Bay of Bengal in Tamil Nadu. Even Thomas, who walked, talked, and witnessed the many miracles that Jesus performed, could not believe Jesus’s disciples when they told him that they had seen the Lord. Indeed someone as close to Jesus as he had been would have seen Jesus himself. Thomas was incredulous, “…he said to them, ‘Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

Sr. Joy and Sr. Anusha use the money to buy 100 blankets to be distributed among the poor in the New Delhi Slums and sleeping bags to people who lived under the metro tracks. 

Another CFTW Success!!!

We are amid worldwide changes. 2020 was a great challenge, and we hope that in 2021 we can surmount all the rigours life throws at us.

My 8-year-old grandchild, Joaquin, was interviewed today for a chance to move to a new school in Potomac, MD. He seemed to grasp the importance of the interview. 

The Principal, Mr. M, explained to Joaquin that there would be a lot of freedom at this new school. The Principle went on to ask, “What does this new freedom mean to you, Joaquin?”   

Joaquin is an avid reader and didn’t hesitate to quote from a book[1] he had just completed reading, “Well you know Mr. M, you can’t have freedom without self-discipline. Freedom comes from making good choices.” 

Mr. M., following the interview, reported to my delighted daughter what Joaquin had told him. 

Freedom truly is the freedom from slavery to bad choices and reactions to false pride and egoism. To make good choices is about seeing the need that exists around you and to open yourself to the Love of God, and respond to the impulse he gives us to be genuinely free.

Working in our clinic, a woman named Fozia told me she wanted to do something great, something extraordinary with her life. She is a Muslim woman recently married and waiting for her husband’s immigration to Canada.

“Precisely, that is what it does. It just hangs out in the sky and gives light for us in the dark. That is what you must do to be great. You must reflect God’s Love. You must be a light in the darkness.” I continued to say, “You are Muslim. You have devotion to Mary, the Mother of Jesus. What did she do special? Was she the leader of a country? Was she a corporate leader, an engineer, doctor, great scientist?”

Fozia smiled, “No.”

Mary said 2020 years ago, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices I God my Savior for he has regarded the humility of his handmaid. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. Because he that is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name…”[2]

“So Fozia,” I continued, “to be great in your life, you must reflect God’s Love and become like to moon, a light in the darkness like the moon reflects the light of the sun.”

We all have a choice to make 2021 better than in 2020. We have a choice of freedom to choose good or to remain slaves to capricious whims and passions.

Thank you for your donations to CFTW in 2020.  Please continue to be a light in the darkness and reflect God’s Love. 

Our projects desperately require your continued generosity.

“Well you know Mr. Ross, you can’t have true freedom without self-discipline.”

Please help us help those in need.

John Bickert, B.Ed., D.C.

President,

CFTW

 [1] The Way of the Warrior: An Ancient Path to Inner Peace © 2019 McManus, Erwin Raphael. The Fedd Agency, Inc. Austin TX

 [2]Luke 1:46-49Luke 1:46-49