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

Introduction

As an 18-year-old starting a new job, knowing my largest strength was that I simply had a strong pull to simply help people, I was shockingly superficial to problems I saw all around me. With my problem-solving experience being largely based off of high school mathematics, I understood how to identify an issue, and work towards fixing it, but never stopped to realize, that perhaps I should be considering the root cause. This was a skill I would gradually come to learn and apply in my 16 months after that first day. In this blog I will highlight how my perspective was altered by this change in mindset.

At the Clinic 

It seemed as if pain was everywhere, being a college student with horrible posture, everyone I knew had back pain, my parents dealt with neck pain from driving, the cashier I met at shoppers had lower back pain, and lastly even my bus driver had Sciatica. I began thinking constant pain was the norm, everyone dealt with it, I had to just put it in the back of your mind and try to forget about it.

At this heightened time of acceptance, I conveniently got a job with a Chiropractor, how ironic I know. Something I realized right away was these patients were improving gradually, some quickly, others took longer.  Although this rivaled against what I had thought to be true, I was fascinated.

Chiropractic works on identifying the cause of the pain, rather than treating it. For example, many patients don’t realize that the pain they get shooting down the back of their thigh might have come from their Sacro-iliac joints or even the lower lumbar vertebrae.  After treating the patient at the source, you see relief, as the pain radiating away from the back subsides. This can work for other areas of the body too, such as shoulder pain, which is extremely common, especially if you’re an avid driver or writer, can be coming from a vertebra in the neck. Lastly there are many subluxations (a slight misalignment) that the patient hasn’t even realized yet, but for sure would have built up and caused discomfort later on.

Chiropractic for the World 

Obviously, I had heard about global issues, I had seen ads on TV, or learnt through social studies class that some countries were still considered as “developing”, these nations had an array of struggles, from healthcare, to education, even starvation. As much as I wished I could change this, it felt hopeless as an individual to create a lasting impactful change, when the issues can look so overwhelmingly large. Sadly, a part of me believed, there was no way that the people living in these impoverished states could receive the assistance they deserve.

Similarly, to the Clinic story, I began working with a charitable foundation to raise money and directly assist those in need overseas. I saw how a little bit of assistance can go a long way, when treating a bigger issue.

 Helping small portion of the larger problem, such as an paying an individual’s way through school, or assisting a family with funds to buy dinner, up until purchasing an ambulance for a leprosarium, diminish the radiating consequences. 

The Plan

Radiating pain or discomfort has always been the first symptom, whether it’s a common case of Sciatica or the 78% of India who don’t have access to healthcare.  Although the situation, the presence of back pain, or poverty may appear to be gigantic and unsolvable, even small action, as simple as a chiropractic adjustment, or a donation towards a child receiving a hearing aid can drastically cut down radiating effects. After repeated efforts these small actions can add up to big solutions, getting the required amount of chiropractic adjustments can cure your back pain, in the same way small contributions can provide a mobile health care unit which can provide aid to millions.

So, what is the treatment plan for poverty?

Small actions over time, which allow for big unachievable goals to be reached.

What action are you willing to take?

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

Introduction  

Across the globe, women often find themselves in underprivileged positions when it comes to education. Many women are denied basic access to schooling, and with this comes a lack of ability to read or write. Even if a family contains a man who is literate, women being unable to perform these tasks has wide-ranging impacts on communities and nations.

Some countries continue to struggle with literacy in general; less than 20% of Niger’s population can read and write, and Ethiopia remains under half. Men globally lead women by as much as 8% in terms of literate population, and only approximately 11% of women in African and Indian communities have received sufficient education to read and write.

Developing greater literacy among women is a crucial issue, not only because equal access to education should be a basic human right but also because literacy improves life outcomes. When most nations are made of somewhere around 50% women—and those women are uneducated—the average education level of the population decreases, and problems that could be solved with enough scientists and researchers may be neglected.

Similarly, many women who cannot read or write live in impoverished communities, particularly in Africa and India. If these women were educated, they could turn their abilities into income generation and provide better outcomes for themselves and their families. This would boost their entire community and create positive influences.

Causes and After-Effects of Low Female Literacy

Across the world, women face many challenges in seeking equal education. In areas suffering from poverty, many women cannot spare the time to attend schooling when they must help to care for family—whether their own children or their siblings and older relatives. In India, public schooling facilities do not have separate bathrooms for women; as a result, as many as 23% of girls stop their education once they reach puberty since they do not have the resources they need to cope with menstruation at school. 

For some, physical access to a school is a problem when the only location is far away from their homes. For others, child marriage places a burden on their ability to continue their education. The reasons that women are globally less literate are many, and the effects are lasting.

Women who did not attend schooling tend to raise female children who will also drop out of schooling. This keeps families in a cycle with little to no upward mobility or improvement in their circumstances, as education is not opening the way to greater income opportunities. A nation with half of its population unable to reach their full potential cannot solve problems with the same speed, efficacy, and utility as a nation with a higher literacy rate. In fact, if India were to improve learning outcomes for women and encourage females to study in order to join the workforce like their male counterparts, the country could expect an estimated $770 billion growth in the GDP in the next five years. 

What Can WE Do?

Those of us who have been raised literate—and you have, if you are reading this—may struggle to understand what we can do to bring necessary education to young women around the world. Women in Africa and India continue to struggle to attend schooling due to a number of issues that may seem simple to solve, such as providing needed menstrual products, building schools close to communities, and prohibiting female children from being responsible for housework for the entire day. However, these issues are more complex than they may appear, and many of the communities struggling with this problem live on less than $2 per day—not enough income to generate substantive change for themselves.

Instead, it is primarily the role of NGOs and charitable organizations to lend a helping hand to improve outcomes for these young women. CFTW is one organization that is passionate about providing support to the whole person, not just by offering financial assistance and education but also spiritual healing and mental help. CFTW has been hard at work building schools so that more students have greater access; these schools have appropriate facilities, such as separate bathrooms, to encourage young women to continue attendance.

If you would like to do your part to help solve the problem of female literacy around the world, consider a donation to charitable organizations like CFTW. If you are not in a financial position to make this contribution, you can also make a difference by volunteering your time or offering a needed service that you are skilled at so that charities can spend time accomplishing their goals for these young women. 

Illustration 1. Ben Hur searches for his relatives who live in leper colony caves from the 1959 epic movie Ben-Hur.

I recall sailing aboard HMCS Saskatchewan, a Canadian Destroyer Escort in 1962, on our way to the Panama Canal.  The Canal area is densely forested.  The commander informed us of a leper colony situated nearby in a forested area ashore.  I peered across the water, hoping to catch a glimpse of a resident of this Palo Seco leper colony. My imagination soared as we sailed past.  

“Who were these poor souls, and what about their families?” I thought.  I wonder if 2000 years ago, did parents with children and other family members who mysteriously developed unknown skin discoloration or blemishes get to see their loved ones after authorities sent them to a  colony? I  reflect now that my mouth must have been agape as I gazed toward the leprosarium.  It has since closed in 1979, not long after we sailed past.  This colony had developed a unique currency.  The coins used by the past residents are collected today.

Illustration 2. Flying over the Palo Seco leper colony in 1979.  The colony closed the same year.

Who hears or thinks of leprosy today?  Most are surprised when I tell them that I sailed past a colony in Panama.  Many in developed countries cannot imagine that this disease exists in 2020.  I assure you it does!

In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported 208,618 cases of leprosy worldwide in 159 countries.  The WHO states, “India is the top country by leprosy cases in the world.  As of 2018, leprosy cases in India were 120,334, that accounts for 57.69% of the world’s leprosy cases.  The top 5 countries (others are Brazil, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Democratic Republic of the Congo) account for 82.96% of total cases.” 

They see a prevalence of reported cases of the disease is very slowly decreasing,  although the decline is disappointing.

If one compares these numbers to measles for the same period, measles had a worldwide outbreak of 353 236.  Measles, in comparison to Hansen’s Disease (leprosy), is much more contagious.  Nine out of ten persons exposed will contact measles with an incubation period of ten to fourteen days. Leprosy is extremely hard to detect.  The Mycobacterium leprae bacillus is not easy to grow in culture, making confirmation of the disease tricky.  According to The WHO Fact Sheet, it states that the incubation period for leprosy averages five years, but “Symptoms may occur within one year but can also take as long as 20 years or even more to occur”.

It is unbelievable that a disease that can be cured by a two-year course of antibiotics is still affecting hundreds of thousands of people.

I have personally encountered 50 persons with leprosy in India; I met two ladies in Ludhiana, another I treated in New Delhi named Bilasi. In November 2019, I had the fortune to meet 47 living in a Leprosarium in Lucknow run by the Missionary Sisters of Charity.  

Bilasi came for treatment in New Delhi.  She patiently waited as others sought care.  She had neck and left shoulder pain.

Illustration 3. & 4. Bilasi waited patiently and is treated when her turn arrives.

Jesus cured ten lepers, and only one came back to thank him.  Bilasi, a beautiful woman with two fabulous children, came back to give thanks.  Her best friend also has leprosy.  Bilasi brought her friend’s daughter in addition to her children with her to meet me.  Sr. Lavina, a Holy Cross Sister in New Delhi on Sept 27, 2020.  She said, “I just now spoke to Bilasi.  Her wounds have increased”.  

On Oct 2, I received an email from His Excellency, Gerald John Mathias, Bishop of Lucknow, who said, “Thanks for your goodwill to help the needy…with renewed thanks…”  I can do nothing without your positive response of Love to those who suffer.  It is you to whom we must direct the Bishop’s words, “with renewed thanks.”  It belongs to you.  

Let us do what we can this Christmas to create a meaningful impact on all those who suffer.  We cannot all be at their side, but you can provide a meaningful personal gift to each of those who suffer. 

Illustration 5. Bilasi and her two children to my right.  Her best friend’s daughter to the far left.

The project is to raise funds for each of the leper victims to provide a gift to them for Christmas.  The plan is to give each one a warm comforter for their bed, hat, socks, a shawl for the cold winter months.  None of them have heating in their residence, and it gets below freezing level in Northern India in Winter.  We will purchase all items in India.  Give a $50 gift to a leper, please.

Donate Please! 

 Image taken from Ben-Hur  1959 Movie starring Charlton Heston, directed by William Wyler, and produced by Sam Zimbalist

 Areal of the Palo Seco Leprosarium.  From the Child, Jack Collection.  American University Library. Archives and Special Collections.

 Leprosy reported cases, Knoema, World Data Atlas Topics Health Communicable Diseases

 World Health Organization (WHO) Leprosy Fact Sheet 2020:  https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/leprosy.

 CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2020:  https://www.cdc.gov/globalhealth/measles/globalmeaslesoutbreaks.htm 

 World Health Organization (WHO) Leprosy Fact Sheet 2020:  https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/leprosy.