Hello Everyone!
Before reading this if you are sensitive to horrible headlines skip to the bottom and read one of the best letters I have ever received!
I wanted to share with you our greatest need at A.T.P. Ministries. Ok, I know you may be thinking it is money. It is not.
Well, hopefully you have seen a longstanding pattern that we don’t beg, “poor mouth” or do anything that would bring reproach to the Lord in the area of money. We believe where He guides HE provides. We will give you awareness of the need and opportunity and let God direct people’s heart.
Today we have a need that’s greater than moolah. It is the need for people to be added to our ATP weekly prayer list.
Here are some recent headlines which depict the ugliness of what the enemy is doing in some troubled teens’ lives, and a reminder of who we are seeing face-to-face when we visit the prisons:
4 teens held in N.H. slaying
Attack with machete, knife called planned, arbitrary Boston Globe, Oct 7th 2009
Teen Accused of Raping, Killing Girlfriend’s Infant Son; …
Jun 8, 2009 … A Louisiana teen is suspected of raping and beating to death his girlfriend’s 8-month-old son
Police: Teacher stabbed to death at high school in Texas; 1 juvenile taken into custody Bureau News September 23rd, 2009
A 15-year-old boy is being held in a psychiatric hospital after he stockpiled gasoline, propane, fuses and a machete for a planned attack at a New York school on the anniversary of the Columbine High School killings, police said. Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Please don’t ever forget that we go right to the heart of the most troubled, violent, hurting teens in the country to redeem their lives for Christ. And as a result of Jesus changing their hearts, they are no longer used by the enemy to carry out our nation’s most horrible crimes against innocent people.
We want to reach further and more consistently into the enemy’s darkness with the Light of the Gospel, but at times we are severely hindered. More often than not, however, the outcomes are extremely effective and fruitful and we know it is because of prayer.
If you believe in what we do and want to help us impact more troubled youth, please forward this e-mail or share a short email to your friends, family, church group and challenge them to go to our website and sign up for weekly email prayer request and updates. IF you were in our place doing what we do, wouldn’t you would want more folks praying for you as well! I see that hand! Amen and thank you!
We currently hover around 2,000 prayer warriors on the email list. Our goal – lofty but real – is to gain 500 new prayer warriors a month, until we reach 10,000. It can be done with your help!
BE ENCOURAGED: ONE OF THE BEST LETTERS I EVER RECEIVED!
Below is feed back I got from an individual who heard me speak, read my testimony book and responded to Christ!
“I just finished reading your amazing book! God can definitely do amazing things! A few years ago I let Satan take over and I never looked to God because I thought I could handle things with my abusive mother on my own (boy was I wrong.) Eventually I was sent to a teen mental institution for attempted suicide. But the Lord always turns bad things into good! God has reached out to my biological mother and now she and I are great friends and He has healed me (my doctor has taken me off of all medication!)
I never knew that I could feel so much peace until I heard your sermon. I truly hope your story is made into a movie- in these times people need to reestablish hope and faith in God, and with your story it’s hard not to surrender to Him! Thank you for inspiring my sister and me to reach out to God and teaching us that all things are possible with Him- we’re getting re-baptized on the 17th…! God is awesome 
Victor,
I pray that God continues to bless you, your family, and your ministry. Just one rescued soul is worth all our time. What a blessing it is to see you reach so many in need with the good news of Jesus Christ.
God bless and keep you all.
Phil
With you in prayer! “…I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel….” For the glory of God, our Father and His blessed Son, Jesus…and for the souls of those He died for!
Standing in the gap for you and your family and ministry, Victor. I’m going to post about your ministry and your need for prayer partners on my blog tomorrow..!
Victor,
I met you tonight at our church Teen Assembly. I want to thank you again for telling us about the forgiveness you offered your step father. I will work harder on my end to do the same “in God’s time” as you told me. I am honored and humbled to be a part of your email and will proudly spread the word to all my friends.
Love be to the Lord, you, your family and ministry,
Tana
Norwalk, IA
im proud of what you do dad. love you.
Prayers go out to you and all involved in your ministry.
wish i could be a physical part of it. i guess prayer will have to do.
I’m glad to have met you and am really surprised you can respond to emails and Facebook fun.
I look up to you Victor for what you and your family stand for in these times,
Ever since i met you at Man up in Lake havasu 2009 its been on my mind to work with teens in my community.Since then ive been involved with youth group at church and now with the teen center here in Kingman.
I’ve also started to listen to the Lord closer.
again i up lift you guys to the Lord that he may keep producing positive things for your ministry.
I attend Calvary Chapel Murrieta! Yesterday 01/24/10 I saw Victor speak in our pastor’s place during 9:30 service. It amazes me how the LORD brings things into your life through different circumstances when he is trying to heal our hidden hurts that we don’t even know we have…..still! You see, I signed up my youngest daughter months ago for Victor’s self-defense class who is 9, then my oldest daughter who is 19, saw Victor speak a couple of months ago when I had to work on a Sunday and told me his testimony reminded her of my testimony in many areas. I didn’t realize this Victor was related to the self-defense Victor. Yesterday, I got the chance to see Victor speak and I did see similiarities in my childhood compared to Victor’s. It surprised me…….not just because you don’t meet too many people that have similar testimonies like that outside of prison anyway, but because we also have the same quirky humor and can laugh in the end. I briefly went up to Victor after service and asked him about the self-defense class when I realized he was one in the same as the Victor my 19 year old told me about. Then, I asked him for prayer for my family for some very hard challenges we are up against. Surprisingly, he not only prayed for my family, but out of nowhere, touched on something regarding my own healing that he must have sensed from me in our conversation. Again, I was surprised by his discernment. Last night I was at a friends house from church who invited us to dinner and told me she had a book she thought would really be helpful to me and wanted me to read it as soon as possible. It was Victor Marx book. I thought, o.k. God who is this Victor Marx and what are you trying to tell me through his ministry? I brought the book home and read the 1st 100 pages. I realized as I read that God had brought Victor’s story to me to help me heal over some things I thought I had long gotten over from my childhood. However, as I read the similar feelings he had during hard times, I realized that God is trying to purge a few more things out of me from my past so that he can use me affectively and I won’t be hindered by frustration in my circumstances anymore. I’m so ready to be rid of this weight I can’t stand it. I’m so thankful for your ministry, and hope to be actively involved with your family in the cause soon. I can so relate to what Eileen said up above this response about her feelings that she experienced in her marriage as well. Thank you both and GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR MINISTRY!!!!!