John & Karren's Update
June 9, 2010
Wow, the beginning of 2010 has already flown by. Here is an update:
I, Karren received my Master's Degree in Christian Counseling from Christian Leadership University on March 29, 2010. Now that I am now longer in school I have been working more with Healing Tree International. John & I are the Ministry Coordinators for Healing Tree International (HTI). In January we participated with HTI in hosting our first Intercessor's Roundtable. You can check out their website at www.healingtreeinternational.com
Since that time I have been writing seminars. John and I have been some of the teachers for 2 of the Loved to Life Classes with the Healing the Heart team at Life Center Ministries International (LCMI). We taught a seminar in November at LCMI on "Developing a Hearing Heart." We did 2 trainings for the LCMI Ministry Team, one in October and one in May. We also helped to lead 2 trainings for HTI, one in January and one in March, to set up and develop the HTI Ministry Team. We recently concluded a 3-part series on "Ministering to the Human Spirit" with HTI at the Londonderrry Inn in Campbelltown, PA.
Currently I am still writing seminar materials ("Boundaries in Marriage and Beyond"). We are doing individual and generational prayer ministry, and holding training seminars to teach people how to do altar ministry in a church setting. This Saturday we are traveling to Immanuel Christian Fellowship in Manheim to train their altar ministry team. For individual or generational prayer ministry, you can download a ministry application at www.lcmi.org/staff/healing-the-heart and mail it to:
John & Karren Turner, c/o Life Center Ministries International, 411 S. 40th St., Harrisburg, PA 17111.
To contact us: jmartinturner@verizon.net
October 24, 2009
Well, we've been to Wolfsberg, Austria and Pemba, Mozambique. What a time we've had!
In September I went to Wolfsberg, Austria for two weeks. The 1st week I helped to teach part of the Loved to Life I & II seminar with the Healing the Heart Ministry team from Life Center. We stayed in the countryside of St. Magarthen outside Wolfsberg in the Gasthof Stoff. We had people from Switzerland, England, and at least 3 different cities in Austria. There were pastors and inner healing leaders in attendance as well as some of Steve Espamer's American leadership team. It was an intensive week of training in inner healing, deliverance, and ministry training along with some small group time for gaining valuable experience.
The 2nd week John joined the team. I did 31 hours of personal ministry. John did 28 hours. Then we held a "mini seminar" in the evenings at Life Center church in Wolfsberg with pastors Rudi and Andrea Trebnik. Each night we had a different crowd, and we adapted our Loved to Life I course to include persoanl examples and stories.
We saw God do amazing things in setting people free and equipping them to carry healing and freedom to others. One family had a supernatural breakthrough begining one day with the father, then the next day the mother, then the next day in another city of Austria with an Austrian healing team, the daughter. Then next day the grandson received a breakthrough in healing and freedom. Talk about generational deliverance! God is awesome!
We also saw people set free from generational curses from the Second World War, from occult influences in their families, from personal lies that they believed, and from their own sin issues. We also dealt with forgiveness issues and issues and wounds from authority figures.
All in all it was a rewarding and jam-packed two weeks of ministry. Along the way we developed and strengthened relationships with people. We also had the special privilege of being hosted by Steve and Kathleen Espamer in their lovely flat in downtown Wolfsberg.
On September 30th I traveled to Pemba, Mozambique to visit with Jessie for 2 weeks before her wedding. It was a time of preparation and just hanging out together. On Saturday, October 17th Jessie and Rui Manjate were married at a ceremony on the beach of the Indian Ocean officiated by Heidi Baker and Charles Stock. The bride was stunningly beautiful. The groom was stately handsome. There were between 350 and 400 people in attendance, many of them children. Not only were there the almost 200 Iris kids, but many of the village kids walked many miles to attend the wedding - to get a free meal. It was a wonderful time of celebration and the many missionaries of Iris Ministries contributed to the wedding celebration and reception. Jessie's comment at the end of the day was that she felt really loved.
As we return to life in Pennsylvania we feel very loved by our heavenly Father. We thank Him that every day we are involved in the greatest adventure of all -- with Him it is always good!
July 22, 2009
Things have settled down somewhat (as if that ever really happens). We now have a son-in-law, Rui Sergio Jamie Manjate! The first church wedding ceremony will be in Pemba on the beach of the Indian Ocean in October. We have booked our tickets and look forward to the celebration. We are truly blessed to welcome Rui into our family.
This month we participated in teaching a Loved to Life class in Finksburg, MD over the course of a Friday night and Saturday. We had a great time teaching and imparting the life of God to His dear saints of Freedom Fellowship.
We also celebrated John's birthday at home this year. Last year at this time we were in Austria, participating in Youth Camp. We missed being with the wonderful youth of Austria and England. However, this year John celebrated his birthday by riding his motorcyle. He was one happy man.
June 9, 2009
Wow, in the past 3 months we moved into our new home, had Jessie return for a visit, had Josham with us for a 2 week visit, met Jessie's boyfriend, I finished my latest course in studying for my master's degree, and we gave our permission for Jessie to marry Rui Manjate. We are delighted to have met Rui. The more we get to know him, the move we love him. Welcome to the family!
We also taught some of the Loved to Life classes and held a Healing the Heart Connection Seminar. As you can see life can get pretty active.
March 19, 2009
We had a wonderful 2-week trip to Austria. After a battle to get there, we finally arrived after 24 hours of travel (our 1st flight was delayed because of snow in Philadelphia. We missed our 3rd flight in Frankfurt, Germany because of mis-information from 2 Lufthansia employees). We finally arrived in Graz through God's grace, 5 hours later than scheduled.
We felt the power of people's prayers throughout our trip. There was so much grace and favor upon us. I felt like we increased in the anointing upon us. Although we had a slight "bump" on the day we were to go to the Catholic church in Wolfsberg to teach (our notes, mine and John's disappeared. Thankfully, Linda had her Loved to Life manual so we copied the notes again). I was especially hit with fear and discouragement that day after walking into the building earlier in the day. So we prayed, and others were praying for us. It didn't take long to return to reality and regain our courage. God's grace won out, and we had a great time that Tuesday evening.
After having gone to Wolfsberg for the first time, we are expecting a breaking out of the move of God in Wolfsberg. There are many lost and visionless young people who roam the streets looking for life (in all the wrong places). Also, a special partnership is occuring with the Church there. Unity commands God's blessing (Psalm 133).
In summary, John did 29 1/2 hours of personal prayer minstry. Karren did 28 hours of personal prayer ministry. Together we taught in a seminar in Graz and in a seminar in Wolfsberg. We also had the joy of sharing at a youth meeting in Graz. There we saw many young people that we had met in July at the youth camp at Blast Hill. What a delight to see them passionately pursuing God.
We made some new friends in Wolfsberg and in Graz, and we renewed friendships that we made in July. All in all it was an exciting time. We are looking forward to an increasing move of God in Austria. Maybe God would even allow us to return.
February 9, 2009
We are excited about an opportunity to go to Austria in March 2009. We are planning on doing some teaching and demonstrations of the prayer ministry that we are involved in - inner healing and much more. Currently we are seeking to set up the schedule for our trip.Nov. 17, 2008
John and I just celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary on November 10th. In some ways it seems like only yesterday when we were standing before family and friends saying our wedding vows. In other ways it seems like we have been together all the time. We are so grateful to our heavenly Father for allowing us to have 35 years together. Most of the time we have been gloriously happy. We are still so in love with each other, actually our love grows deeper every year. We look forward to continuing this habit.
This week we visited 3 Civil War battlefields. I know it is a strange way to celebrate an anniversary. But who we are as warriors draws us into understanding the strategy of winning battles - our war has already been won! It was intriguing to us to learn of how these battles were fought and won or lost. We were inspired to learn of the tremendous courage of many who fought these battles. It was such a reverent place to stand where so many men had given their last breath for the cause they believed in. Incredible stories of "ordinary" men who accomplished incredible feats because of the stoutness of their hearts still inspires us.
We believe that we share a place with these men (and the women) as we take part in the Final Battle of the Kingdom of God. Our vision has been renewed and strengthened to continue to advance the Kingdom of heaven. Oh Lord, give us the battle strategies!
Oct. 31, 2008
Oct. 25, 2008
We are enjoying this time of year with the cooler weather and the colorful leaves. These last few weeks we have been meeting with people for prayer ministry. We have also taught one of the lessons for Loved to Life - an inner healing curriculum developed by the leader of the Healing the Hearts ministry we are a part of.
This week we had the opportunity to join a friend of ours as she stands and prays and calls out to help women and men going into the Hillcrest Abortion Clinic in Harrisburg. It was a difficult place to go to. We stood for 2 1/2 hours and prayed for God to intervene in the lives of the clinic workers, the abortionist, and the lives of the women clients and the men and women who accompanied them to the clinic. One man was very upset by our presence and was shouting at us (as if we were the problem in making things difficult for his girlfriend). It was easier for him to blame us for her discomfort and pain, than to take responsibility for his part. It got very tense for a few moments as he walked toward us in a threatening manner. We stood our ground, remained calm, and prayed as Karen spoke to him.
Many of the woman were laughing and even smiling (however nervously) while waiting at the door for the clinic to open. We were respectful. We did not try to stop anyone from going inside. We obeyed the law. And we prayed as Karen called out to offer help and an alternative to them.
As we continued to stand there the first of the clients began to come out of the clinic carrying their brown paper bag with their antibiotics. No more smiles. Just a somber silence. You could even see the physical separation between most of the couples. The realization struck me that these women were no longer pregnant. Someone who had gone into the clinic had not come out. Many some ones. What had happened to them? The women had gone in the door pregnant and came out carrying that brown paper bag.
How many victims of evil did I see that day? Every one of us was impacted by what happened behind those closed doors. The babies, their mothers and fathers, their parents, friends, and families, our community, our neighbors, our region, the Church, our nation, and our world: we are all impacted. With irony we noted that Philhaven (a psychiatric institution) was right next door to the abortion clinic. Was this the enemy's plan to destroy the lives of the next generation through denial and despair?
We refuse to give in to despair or hopelessness. We honor each life, including the clinic workers, the abortionist, and the mothers and fathers who made a terrible, evil choice. Let us all pray that evil will not be allowed to prosper and be legal in our society.
In closing, let us honor our courageous and faithful friend, Karen Bodle, who goes and STANDS each week calling out to offer help to these desperate men and women. We honor her heart to make a difference and save men, women, and children from destruction. We honor her sacrifice and her determination to demonstrate Christ to the world. She has paid a price to do so. May we all be encouraged to do our part by her example.
Oct. 13, 2008
Our time at Freedom Fellowship was very enjoyable. We love receiving from the body of Christ. Each local fellowship has a unique flavor or aroma of the presence of Christ. It was such a blessing for us to meet each of the dear brothers and sisters in Finksburg, MD. We appreciated the kind words and hospitality of the leadership team: Jim & Zondra and Brian & Kathy. We were also blessed by the worship team led by one of our favorite worship leaders, Jon Aitken.
We shared the morning message about Listening Prayer (really about hearing the voice of God), and we shared briefly about having a safe place to meet with Jesus.
May God bless Freedom Fellowship to fulfill their mandate to their community and wonderfully reflect the glory of God!
Oct. 1, 2008
We are attending the Loved to Life class written by Linda Forster. It is an 8 week course with 16 lessons. We are planning on teaching 4 of the sessions. This month we also are scheduled to teach at Freedom Fellowship in Maryland and at a Ministry Team training session at Life Center. We love to impart the knowledge and wisdom that God has given us.
Sept. 10, 2008
John and I have returned to our "normal" routine of working and prayer ministry or for Karren: going to school and prayer ministry.
We have also been participating in our ungoing education as prayer ministers. We have been listening to a prayer minister from Bethel Church in Redding, CA teaching about how she does ministry. We are also going through the Loved to Life Training program that was written and is being taught by Linda Forster. We are always learning.
July 27, 2008
Austria Trip
In July John & I went on a 15 day missions trip to Austria. As always, the best part of our trip was meeting the wonderful people of Austria, Croatia, and Southampton in the U.K. Our trip began on July 9th. After 21 hours of traveling we drove to the site of the summer youth camp at Blast Hill in St. Ulrich, Steiermark, Austria. The next 2 days our team led and participated in two Vineyard Graz church services.
On Sunday we drove to Leitzen, Austria (2 hours northeast of Graz) and ministered at a church service with the pastor and his wife, two of Life Center's Joshua School graduates, Manfred & Rebekah Tschoner. We drove back to Blast Hill that afternoon and so began the Youth Camp. For 8 days the team we were part of led and trained 5-6 youth ministries (one was from Southampton) in a.) worship, b.) intercession, c.) prophesying through pictures, cards, and the Jesus cards, d.) healing, and e.) treasure hunting - evangelism. The team also did 3 days of outreach with all of the youth in a local park.
On Monday night a leader spoke about the fear of being deceived and led the group in a prayer for repentance and the removal of restraints. The presence of God exploded into the room as the youth encountered Holy Spirit. Some were baptize in the Holy Spirit and most, if not all, received a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit. Every night after that was marked by a powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
For 3 days we had afternoon outreaches. Two of the days we went to a local park and set up our evangelism stations, although the treasure hunters went into the surrounding city as well. We saw people get saved and healed as we shared the good news of Jesus with them. One of my favorite stories is about a Catholic woman who recieved prayer concerning a headache and a sore throat. When people prayed for her, she fell on the ground. Her husband looked over and asked, "What happened to my wife?" Team members assured him that she was fine. When they asked her what happened, she said that she was healed. Then the husband asked for prayer since he had had back pain for 18 years. They prayed for him. He fell on the ground as well. He was also healed! They had never heard of being slain in the Spirit.
Here is a summary of the Youth Camp: There were over 70 youth in attendance. The youth were experiencing the presence of Holy Spirit in powerful ways. We saw 3 people receive healing for scoliosis. Others experienced renewed passion for God for themselves and others. Some received deliverance; some received inner healing ministry. We had great unity among the youth representing 5 different youth groups and also 5 nations.
As an added bonus we were invited to have dinner with the staff of Blast Hill the day after the youth camp ended. We had an impromptu time of learning and practicing Listening Prayer. We also shared about having a Meeting Place with Jesus. Each one around the table received a Meeting Place from Jesus. As we were sharing it was being translated into 2 other languages, German and Croatian. These dear people will carry this concept not only in Austria but also into Croatia.
God gave John & I great favor with the Austrian and British youth and their leaders. We were able to mentor the youth. We also had times of prayer ministry with some of the leaders and the youth.
After the Youth Camp ended we were able to meet with some of the Vineyard Graz leaders to impart to them some of the concepts that we operate in during prayer ministry times. They were hungry for God and the tools that we have. We hope to return with some of our feloow Healing the Heart team members for an extended time of teaching, impartation, and ministry with the Austrian leaders.
We truly were training future leaders to know God, hear His voice, and follow Him. God told us to go and sow into the Austrian revival. It has already begun. We were involved in "historic, never happened before in our time" events. What a privilege to serve Jesus and to represent Him in the nations of the world.
