Bible Study teacher and author Christine Hoover didn’t realize she would face a severe personal test while writing a study on Second Corinthians. Around the time Hoover, a wife, mom and Bible teacher, began writing, More than Enough, God’s Strength in our Weakness in 2 Corinthians, she and her husband got the call no parent wants to receive.

“Our oldest son was in college in California. We live in Texas. And late one night, he had gone to the ER, and the ER doctor called and said, ‘Your son has cancer, and it has spread all over his body. It’s in his brain, his heart, his lungs, his stomach, everywhere.’ And so, as you can imagine, we were completely shocked,” Hoover recalled.

Their son Will, a college athlete, had always been healthy and strong. The devastating news turned their world upside down.

“He went through four rounds of chemo. He went through surgery. I said, you know what? I want to continue to write this study because it is about weakness and suffering. The themes of weakness and suffering are so strong. And so where I had set out to write really about ministry and service to others, the Lord changed the plan and had me providentially in this book of 2nd Corinthians during a time of probably the greatest suffering that I have ever walked through,” Hoover said.

In 2 Corinthians 12:9 and 10, Paul, after he had famously asked God to take away the mysterious “thorn in his flesh,” wrote the following famous line:

“But He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me, for when I am weak, then I am strong.”

This scripture became Hoover’s anthem and helped her not only take care of her son but also keep writing the Bible study.

“Yes, it absolutely did, especially in the Amplified version. I love that verse, and the reason why it became so special to me, and of course, I had heard that verse so much, but I was experiencing it in real time. Every day I would wake up and I would think, I can’t believe this is happening to us. That word cancer applied to my son and to our family. And so, I would think, I don’t want this,” she explained.

“And my second thought every day was, I can’t do this. I don’t have what it takes to put one foot in front of the other. And I found myself; I would tell myself I needed to be strong. I needed to care for my family. I needed to have what it takes to care for them. And every morning, the Lord would remind me specifically through the verse you just mentioned, He wasn’t asking me to be strong. He was saying, ‘bring your weakness, bring those thoughts to me. Rely on me to give you the strength that you will need for this day to go to the cancer clinic with your son to face the uncertainty.’ He’s asking us to be dependent, not to be strong,” she said.

For many people, weaknesses are something to hide or even be ashamed of, but the Apostle Paul tells us to embrace our weaknesses, which Hoover says is not easy for most of us.

“Well, I think it’s our human nature to want to present well to other people. And I think especially in our American Western culture, we are taught to be self-sufficient, to have it together, to depend upon ourselves. And that’s so counterintuitive or so anti-what scripture is telling us,” Hoover said.

‘God Did a Miracle’

Today, at age 22, Will is back at college and running on the track team. His doctors say the chemo worked miraculously.

“He’s a cross-country runner. He actually had a personal best in his event in track this year. So, the Lord has restored his health in some very miraculous ways. It’s hard sometimes to embrace that word for yourself to say, ‘Did God really do a miracle?’ He used medical intervention, and He did do a miracle in my son’s life. So, he is serving the Lord this summer through FCA in South Africa and just doing really, really, really well. So, we’re just praising the Lord still for his recovery,” she said.

According to Lifeway Research, when asked what has most encouraged their walk with the lord, almost one-third of female churchgoers point to Bible studies. Christine agrees and says the lessons God taught her from 2nd Corinthians and writing More than Enough are priceless.

“And I think really Paul is saying, let your faith work for you, Believers. Let your faith work for you where the rubber meets the road, where faith is lived out specifically in these difficult things in your life. I have needed to hear that. I have needed to study that. And I think most women do that, they’re going to face difficulty, even if it’s just the everyday wear and tear of life, to know how to turn to God as our confidence that He is the strength and the confidence we need no matter what the day entails, what the season entails,” she said.
Sources:CBN News

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വിദ്യാര്‍ത്ഥി വിസയ്ക്ക് അപേക്ഷിക്കുന്ന വിദേശികള്‍ക്കായി നിര്‍ത്തിവച്ച പ്രക്രിയ താല്‍ക്കാലികമായി പുനരാരംഭിക്കുകയാണെന്ന് യുഎസ് സ്റ്റേറ്റ് ഡിപ്പാര്‍ട്ട്‌മെന്റ് ബുധനാഴ്ച അറിയിച്ചിരുന്നു. എന്നാല്‍ എല്ലാ അപേക്ഷകരും ഇപ്പോള്‍ അവരുടെ സോഷ്യല്‍ മീഡിയ അക്കൗണ്ടുകള്‍ സര്‍ക്കാര്‍ അവലോകനത്തിനായി അണ്‍ലോക്ക് ചെയ്യേണ്ടതുണ്ടെന്നും വ്യക്തമാക്കിയിട്ടുണ്ട്.

യുണൈറ്റഡ് സ്റ്റേറ്റ്‌സിനോ, അതിന്റെ സര്‍ക്കാരിനോ, സംസ്‌കാരത്തിനോ, സ്ഥാപനങ്ങള്‍ക്കോ, സ്ഥാപക തത്വങ്ങള്‍ക്കോ എതിരായി കണക്കാക്കാവുന്ന പോസ്റ്റുകളും സന്ദേശങ്ങളും കോണ്‍സുലാര്‍ ഓഫീസര്‍മാര്‍ നിരീക്ഷിക്കുമെന്ന് വകുപ്പ് അറിയിച്ചു.

ബുധനാഴ്ച പരസ്യമാക്കിയ ഒരു അറിയിപ്പില്‍, വിദ്യാര്‍ത്ഥി വിസ പ്രോസസ്സിംഗ് മെയ് മാസത്തില്‍ നിര്‍ത്തിവച്ചത് പിന്‍വലിച്ചതായി വകുപ്പ് അറിയിച്ചിരുന്നു. എന്നാല്‍ അവരുടെ സോഷ്യല്‍ മീഡിയ അക്കൗണ്ടുകള്‍ ‘പൊതുവായി’ എന്ന് സജ്ജീകരിക്കാനും അവ അവലോകനം ചെയ്യാന്‍ അനുവദിക്കാനും വിസമ്മതിക്കുന്ന പുതിയ അപേക്ഷകരെ നിരസിക്കുമെന്നും വകുപ്പ് അറിയിച്ചു. അങ്ങനെ ചെയ്യാന്‍ വിസമ്മതിക്കുന്നത് അവര്‍ ആവശ്യകതയില്‍ നിന്ന് ഒഴിഞ്ഞുമാറാനോ അവരുടെ ഓണ്‍ലൈന്‍ പ്രവര്‍ത്തനം മറയ്ക്കാനോ ശ്രമിക്കുന്നതിന്റെ സൂചനയായിരിക്കാമെന്നും അതില്‍ പറയുന്നു.

യുഎസില്‍ പഠിക്കാന്‍ ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്ന വിദേശ വിദ്യാര്‍ത്ഥികള്‍ക്കുള്ള പുതിയ വിസ അഭിമുഖങ്ങള്‍ ഷെഡ്യൂള്‍ ചെയ്യുന്നത് ട്രംപ് ഭരണകൂടം കഴിഞ്ഞ മാസം താല്‍ക്കാലികമായി നിര്‍ത്തിവച്ചിരുന്നു. അതേസമയം സോഷ്യല്‍ മീഡിയയിലെ അവരുടെ പ്രവര്‍ത്തനങ്ങളുടെ സ്‌ക്രീനിംഗ് വിപുലീകരിക്കാന്‍ തയ്യാറെടുക്കുന്നുവെന്നും ഉദ്യോഗസ്ഥര്‍ വ്യക്തമാക്കി.
Sources:azchavattomonline.com

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In yet another twist for foreign students hoping to study in the U.S., the State Department says it will resume processing student and visiting scholar visa applications for foreign citizens but plans to review their social media accounts as part of the process.

All students applying for a visa will need to set their social media profiles to “public,” according to a post Wednesday on the State Department’s website, saying that the additional screening was part of the vetting process to exclude applicants who “pose a threat to U.S. national security.”

The State Department said failure to allow access to social profiles could be grounds for rejection, and that consular officers have been instructed to look for any indication of “hostility” toward the U.S. or its people, although it did not provide further details of what exactly that could mean.

The announcement comes after the department had previously suspended all student visa application interviews in May, at the time noting it was temporary to prepare for this new social media vetting procedure.

This new policy is the latest in what has been an emotional roller-coaster for foreign students who have been waiting anxiously for visa interview appointments and more information, amid the Trump administration’s assault on universities, immigration and travel.

Earlier in May, the Trump administration revoked Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students, removing the college from the program that allows schools to sponsor foreign students for visas. That effort was quickly challenged in court and for now is blocked by a federal judge.

More than a million international students are currently enrolled in American colleges and universities, according to the State Department, contributing more than $40 billion to the country’s economy each year. But the Trump administration’s moves have already had a significant chilling effect. Early data from education application portals show the number of prospective students searching for U.S. universities has already declined sharply since January.

Smaller numbers of international students coming to the U.S. for an education can create major problems for the many schools that rely on these students for tuition as well as social, cultural and academic contributions.
 http://theendtimeradio.com

ജൂൺ 18 ന് ചർച്ച് ഇൻ നീഡ് സംഘടന പുറത്തിറക്കിയ സാമ്പത്തിക റിപ്പോർട്ട് പ്രകാരം, 2024 ൽ 137 രാജ്യങ്ങളിലെ ക്രൈസ്തവരെ പിന്തുണയ്ക്കുന്ന ആയിരക്കണക്കിന് പദ്ധതികൾക്കായി എയ്ഡ് ടു ദി ചർച്ച് ഇൻ നീഡ് (ACN) 150 മില്യൺ ഡോളറിലധികം ചെലവഴിച്ചു. ഉക്രൈനിലെയും മിഡിൽ ഈസ്റ്റിലെയും ആഫ്രിക്കയിലെയും രാജ്യങ്ങളിലെ ക്രൈസ്തവർക്കുള്ള സഹായവും ഇതിൽ ഉൾപ്പെടുന്നു.

കത്തോലിക്കാ സെമിനാരി വിദ്യാർഥികൾ, പുരോഹിതന്മാർ, സാധാരണക്കാർ എന്നിവരുടെ വിശ്വാസ രൂപീകരണത്തെയും അവർ പിന്തുണച്ചു വരുന്നു. കൂടാതെ സഭയുടെ സേവനത്തിനായി ഗതാഗത, നിർമ്മാണ ചെലവുകൾക്ക് ധനസഹായം നൽകി. ജർമ്മനി ആസ്ഥാനമായി പ്രവർത്തിക്കുന്ന, സംഭാവനകളാൽ പിന്തുണയ്ക്കപ്പെടുന്നതും സർക്കാർ ധനസഹായം സ്വീകരിക്കാത്തതുമായ എ സി എൻ, ഏകദേശം 80% ഫണ്ടുകളും മിഷനുമായി ബന്ധപ്പെട്ട ചെലവുകൾക്കായി നേരിട്ട് ചെലവഴിച്ചതായി റിപ്പോർട്ട് ചെയ്തു. 7% ൽ കൂടുതൽ ഭരണപരമായ ചെലവുകൾക്കായി ചെലവഴിച്ചു, ഏകദേശം 13% പരസ്യത്തിനായി ചെലവഴിച്ചു.

23 വ്യത്യസ്ത രാജ്യങ്ങളിൽ നിന്നുള്ള 360,000 ൽ അധികം ദാതാക്കളിൽ നിന്ന് എ സി എൻ ഫണ്ട് സ്വീകരിച്ചു. റിപ്പോർട്ട് പ്രകാരം, മിഷനുമായി ബന്ധപ്പെട്ട ചെലവുകളുടെ ഏകദേശം 85% ആഗോളതലത്തിൽ 5,335 സഹായ പദ്ധതികളെ പിന്തുണച്ചിരുന്നു. മിഷനുമായി ബന്ധപ്പെട്ട ഫണ്ടിംഗിന്റെ ബാക്കി 15% ക്രിസ്ത്യൻ സാഹിത്യ പ്രസിദ്ധീകരണം,ക്രൈസ്തവർക്കുവേണ്ടി വാദിക്കൽ, കത്തോലിക്കാ വിശ്വാസം പ്രഖ്യാപിക്കൽ, പീഡിപ്പിക്കപ്പെടുന്ന ക്രൈസ്തവരുടെ പ്രതിരോധം തുടങ്ങിയ പ്രവർത്തനങ്ങളെ സംഘടന പിന്തുണച്ചു.
Sources:azchavattomonline.com

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ACN’s accounts for 2024 once again reflect the generosity of the foundation’s benefactors from all over the world, to help suffering Christians and the Church in Need. Ukraine, Lebanon, and India were the countries that received the most aid in 2024, while Africa was the continent that received the most support.

The international pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) received a total of $150.4 million in donations and legacies in 2024 – a sign of the enduring trust and generosity of its benefactors worldwide. This value, along with $2.4 million of reserves from the previous year, allowed the foundation to fund activities worth $152.8 million.

The generosity of almost 360,000 benefactors in the 23 countries where ACN has national offices, among others, allowed ACN to fund 5,335 projects in 137 countries. They also continue to allow ACN to function without any financial support from governments and thus keep its independence.

In a message to benefactors, the Executive President of ACN International, Regina Lynch, states: “Thanks to your generosity, ACN has been able to bring hope to hundreds of thousands of our brothers and sisters in faith, who face daily challenges such as persecution or wars or sheer poverty. Many of you experience your own hardships, but still, you have answered God’s call to bring hope to others. At the heart of every project is the desire to help the Church to be an instrument of God’s message of love for all people.”

A total of 79.8 percent of these funds went directly to mission-related expenses. Within this amount, 84.7 percent went to aid projects, allowing the foundation to fund 5,335 projects out of the 7,296 requests received from all over the world. The remaining 15.3 percent of the mission-related expenses, or $18.7 million, went to activities related to information work, proclaiming the faith and the defense of persecuted Christians, including the publishing of religious literature, as well as prayer campaigns and advocacy for the rights and interests of persecuted and suffering Christians. Administrative expenditure accounted for 7.5 percent and advertising a further 12.7 percent, both essential to the functioning of the charity.

Aid with a global reach

The country that received the most aid from ACN in 2024 was Ukraine ($9.1 million), for the third year in a row. Lebanon ($7.4 million) came next, followed by India ($6.7 million).

“Ukraine was again the single country receiving the greatest proportion of our assistance, which has increasingly focused on counseling and supporting those suffering from trauma. At the same time, we are continuing to help priests and religious with basic support for their life and ministry, helping to train seminarians and providing transport to help them carry out their pastoral ministry, and also assisting with essential heating for the winter,” Lynch says.

At the regional level, Africa received the most support, with almost a third of resources, or 30.2 percent, set aside for projects in the continent. Among the main beneficiary countries in this region are Nigeria and Burkina Faso.

“Our help for Africa accounted for the largest slice of our project aid last year. The Church in Africa is growing rapidly and is blessed with large numbers of priestly and religious vocations. Africa suffers not only from deep poverty but also increasingly from violent Islamic jihadist terror in a growing number of countries. To give just one example, in Burkina Faso alone, our aid has increased threefold over the past four years as a result,” Lynch explains.

A further 18.7 percent of ACN funds in 2024 went to Asia-Oceania, the second highest amount per region, especially to India, which in addition to being the country to receive the third-most support from ACN in 2024, is also the country where the foundation provides the largest number of scholarships and Mass stipends.

The Middle East, with 17.5 percent of aid, was the region which received the third-highest amount of support, with Lebanon, Syria, and the Holy Land being the primary beneficiaries, after the escalation of the armed conflicts. Latin America and Europe received 16.8 percent and 15.9 percent of the total aid each. The remaining 0.9 percent went to other regions.

Thousands of projects of concrete help

The charity provided almost 1.85 million Mass stipends to 42,252 priests in 2024, the highest number ever in ACN’s history. Statistically, this means that one in every 10 priests in the world received support from ACN and that every 17 seconds, a Mass was celebrated somewhere around the world for the intentions of ACN benefactors.

ACN also supported the formation of almost 10,000 seminarians during 2024, which accounts for one in every 11 seminarians in the world. Most of these, 5,305, were in Africa, which is now home to highest number of priestly vocations in the world, followed by Latin America with 1,824 seminarians helped by ACN, Asia with 1,752, and Europe with 1,080, of which 700 are in Ukraine.

Support for the formation of priests, religious, and laypeople represented 28.2 percent of all the support, whereas Mass stipends for priests and subsistence aid for women religious amounted to 23.9 percent.

Given the high costs of construction projects, this type of aid is at the top of the list, with a little under a quarter of the aid provided (23.6 percent). In 2024, there were just over 750 construction projects.

ACN also directed 10.5 percent of its aid to transportation, providing 1,141 vehicles to help pastoral agents carry out their missions, including 474 automobiles, 388 bicycles, 264 motorcycles, 11 boats, three buses, and one lorry.

Emergency aid accounted for around 10.7 percent of expenses, a similar percentage as in the previous year.
 http://theendtimeradio.com