Steve and Celestia Tracy have been asked to do a three day MTS Training in Baja, Mexico for TEAM Missionaries on the Community-Based Model of Care.

Celestia will be traveling to Kampala, Uganda to present a training to care-givers on using healing curriculum.

Steve and Celestia have been asked to present at the upcoming Pastor’s Conference on Human Sex Trafficking in Portland, Oregon.  In addition to their presentations, there will also be speakers Jessica Richardson, a victim of human trafficking who will share her story of victory, and Kevin Palau.

Wednesday, August 25 2010
11 am to 1:30 pm

The Johnson Chapel at Western Seminary
5511 SE Hawthorne Blvd.
Portland, OR 97215

More information email: lacook881@gmail.com or phone: 503-939-6642

For registration please click link to be directed to the registration form on the Western Seminary site.

Cathy in Liberia

MTS Facilitator Cathy Cupp is traveling to Liberia, Africa with Young Life Expeditions but she is leaving a bit earlier than the rest of her group…this is because she wants to share with the hurting people in Liberia about Mending the Soul.  Cathy visited Liberia last summer and was burdened by the pain and suffering she could see and feel as she worked with the people there.  She knew then and still knows now that Liberia is the place where the Lord wants her to share the healing offered by Jesus and the work He has done in her life using the Mending the Soul model.

Please pray with us for Cathy as she is “jumping off the cliff” for Jesus in this endeavor.  She knows He is sending her and she knows His message because she has lived it in her own life, but there are still many things that are unknown.  We pray for God’s appointments and that she will see into the heart of each person the Lord has selected for her to meet with during the time she is in Liberia.  We pray that spiritual attacks will not get in the way of this mission but will encourage her to be bold in the midst of the oppression she feels.  We ask the Lord to provide Cathy with perseverence and dedication to all He has called her to.  We thank the Lord for the strength and healing He has done to prepare Cathy for a time such as this.  May she offer the hope of His healing just as she has been healed.

Cathy has provided a newsletter that gives additional information about her journey so far, her next steps in Liberia this summer, prayer requests, and some links she wanted to share.  Please click on the link below to download and read Cathy’s newsletter.

Cathy Cupp Liberia 2010

Tracy Ministry Update July 2010

I also can’t thank you and Steve enough for your ministry to the abused. As a marriage and family counselor for the past 25 years, I have heard too many stories of abuse from my clients. It is a great comfort to know there are devout Christian professionals like you and Steve who are laboring to bring comfort, healing, strength, and confidence to victims of abuse. Your book is now next on my list to add to our homestudy program.

Mark W. Durkin, MA, LPC
Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling
Grace Theological Seminary

If you are interested in reading Mending the Soul for CEU credits, please visit studycredit.com.

Filmmaking team with some locals

Feature films have become a powerful resource to both entertain and influence a massive global audience. With this understanding, four young Christian filmmakers named Diego, Brittany, Rob and Phillip were given a story straight from the Lord’s heart to make a movie about a girl in the sex industry, starting with a documentary that will research the key issues. How did they know it was from the heart of God? Great question. Let’s start from the beginning.

Brittany and Diego were on a road trip, LA bound for a job they had on a film production. As their conversation deepened, Diego expressed his desire to make a movie that could unite Latin America with the United States - a sort of bilingual film that would travel to all parts of Latin America and ignite its identity. Though a great idea, the two realized there was something essential missing. Through a little prayer and brainstorming, the idea came loud and clear. “Imagine a girl escaping from the US after being sex trafficked and traveling back home to South America, and in the film it would show strategy to bring unity and an end to sex slavery.” They gave it to the Lord and He said, “Go.”

As the story development began, their lack of education in the issues of sex slavery became evident. They wanted the story to be genuine, but when it came to understanding the need, the team didn’t know where to start.

The idea to make a movie progressed into an idea to make a movement, as the team quickly realized that another movie about sex trafficking might not change anything. So they started seeking the need from primary sources and desired to contact ministries, churches and organizations that are dealing with this on the front lines. But then the question became, “How? We don’t know any contacts down Latin America.”

Six months later after forming the idea, the team was presented an opportunity to travel the exact route God laid on their hearts for the character in their story to travel. Blown away by the opportunity, they gave it to the Lord, and the Lord showed them His desire for the team to video document the journey down Latin America and unravel the key characteristics and needs from the ministries and girls. God rapidly began renewing their minds and humbling their hearts, showing the importance of giving those ministries a platform so speak. The pieces were falling into place, and the documentary was given a strong mission statement: become the voice for the voiceless.

As the dates were closing in on their departure, God spoke another element over the project: healing. Through divine appointment, Brittany met with Celestia Tracy, who targets abuse and focuses on curriculum that helps the brokenhearted. The team was rocked to the core when realizing the importance of healing in order to have unity in the Body of Christ and intimacy with God. Through personal understanding of abuse, the team became aware if they help with freeing these women, they would still be imprisoned in their own trauma and pain. They started to understand how educating people in recognizing abuse (not only in the ministries, but in the body of Christ) will play as a principle role in the strategy of ending sex slavery. The mission became even greater as they saw broken hearts on both the supply and the demand of the sex industry. Now Mending the Soul and its curriculum is one of the key components to these filmmakers’ goal of halting sex trafficking in its tracks. The documentary will strive to unite Mending the Soul and the ministries the team comes across.

As their journey begins and the team is walking by faith, seeing on a daily basis that God is in full control. “To say the least, we are eager to see what the Lord has in store.”

Once again the door has opened for teaching on abuse and healing - this time on the Caribbean island of Jamaica.  MTS facilitator Nora Poling will be a presenter at a four-day women’s conference partnering with the group “Empowering Women for Christ.”   The conference runs from Thursday evening through Sunday evening June 10 - 13.  Nora has been asked to do two presentations on abuse and the redemption offered through Jesus.  She will be teaching on both Friday and Saturday morning.  In addition, she is hoping for some additional time to teach the story of the rape of Tamar.

Please pray for Nora as she presents and as she is available to speak with the woman one-on-one who are suffering and in need of sharing what has been silent for so long.  Pray Nora will be fully connected to the Lord and able to give Him all the pain and hurt she feels for these women and this island.  Additionally, please pray as she works with the team from Empowering Women for Christ.  This will be the first time they will all meet and for most of them their first time to hear these teachings on abuse and healing.