Most Bizarre Speaking Invitation Experience Ever! (In Cyprus) + Lessons Learned

Hi Tim and Katrina.

Glad to see you’ve found a way to make the most of the experience despite your sponsor not being your biggest fan.
It just occurred to me that in the article about 10 Obstacles to escaping to Judea, when Elijah sounds the alarm that what you went through is peer pressure. Now peer pressure will be one of the big problems with obeying Elijah’s command to get out of our home nations. So it helps to withstand peer pressure with that experience and find good out of it, similar to how Joseph managed to turn his slavery experience into a good thing.

Hi Tim & Katrina

I enjoy all your teaching, and as Christians we learn and grow together. ” Test all things” and I believe we should share what the Lord reveals to us as individuals.

We start out on milk and hopefully are enjoying the steak of the word by the time we are called to rest. May our loving Abba continue to Bless your Ministry.

Tim and Katrina, I made also a lot of these experiences. There are people, who support us because they want to control our teaching. This is why I don’t accept money from everybody, if I feel something is wrong. Twenty or more years ago you met many christians in Israel from all the world. Many of them gave up their work, gave up their family, felt very spiritual and were running from experience to experience. My impression was, that many didn’t hear the Lord but their fleschly wishes. And one thing more: christians who became jewish and try to keep all the jewish laws hate us. It’s another spirit, I experienced that sometimes. Who knows, what gave this woman up to be in Israel and now musst see, it was not from God. It’s tragic: you can only pray for these people.

Tim and Katrina, I found your podcast about your experience in Cyprus, very weird indeed, but also very interesting; a few things you said, stuck in my mind.

1. That God allowed you to go to Cyprus, you did pray before the time, and He let you experience the verbal attacks and that you were treated so badly by your sponsor, a co-believer. So I figure that God also allows me to go through very hard and uncomfortable things for a reason; I thought about my daughter and son in law, who laid down their faith a 18 months ago 🙁 At the time it was such a terrible shock, I could not believe that my own daughter, my only child, could do that! But as Tim said, our trials and persecutions will come from those closest to us, and from other believers mostly …. so my experience probably is moulding me to withstand more trials of similar nature in future.
2. To reply or stand in love, and not to react in unloving ways to people who mistreat us; as Katrina said, we are only human and we don’t get it right all the time, but we need to keep praying and keep on trying! I am grateful that I have been reacting and treating my daughter and her husband in love and respect; I pray for them often, and keep on believing that God will remove the veil of receipt from their eyes in His time and His way.
3. Katrina said that we react in certain ways when our buttons are pushed; indeed this is very true! I have been analysing my own responses over the past difficult months in a troubled marriage; and I discovered why I reacted in a certain way; all my insecurities and childhood anxieties jumped to the foreground when my buttons were pushed; it all surfaced. But as you said, its necessary to have our buttons pushed, to go through difficult situations; so we could do some soul searching 🙂

Love and Gods blessings,
Linda van der Vyver – NZ

Life lesson learned!

I have thoroughly enjoyed the Support Team content of your site Tim. It is so nice to hear your wife Katrina’s input as well. Having a wife who is your best friend makes up for many deficiencies in life. That is one other thing we both share.

I especially enjoyed this (timely for me) “Cypus podcast” about your unusal and bizarre speaking engagement in Cyprus. What an awkward time that must have been – being there on a supporter’s dime must have compounded that awkwardness.

I find it interesting how people can share a common goal but how the motivation behind that goal can be vastly different. I have no doubt that Yehovah was building you both up while (your) people were trying to tear you down.

I just went through a similar type of thing this past month. Despite the amount of time effort, support, compassion and $ (she knew I didn’t have) I poured into this widow, her very last harrassing communication was “I hate you more than I have ever hated anyone in my entire life”. (I began to see that she had other motives so I cut off all communications.)

I realized she was tourmented and perhaps didn’t realize how hurtful she was being and though troubling, I felt no anger towards her. Though I stopped praying for her once the harrasment started, it was yours and Katrina’s comment on this podcast that reminded and encouraged me to do exactly what Yeshua said to do – “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Thank you for that encouragement!

Blessings to you both!

BWG

It is very strange what happened in Cyprus . It appears there is something spiritual going on in the woman in Cyprus. I really can’t imagine which parts of your teachings are so offensive that they need to be removed. The problem is many would be offended with your teachings because they aren’t mainstream and are even hard for people to accept because people hate to have their beliefs challenged. I think you handled it well. very bizarre that she knew ahead of time what she didn’t like but didn’t tell you ahead of time or choose the topics.
you handled it so loving.

just wanted to say, i do appreciate, still, the logical approach to your teachings. great job.

Well done to both of you 🙂 I am sure I would have lost my cool 🙁

Marion SA

Hello Tim and Katrina, yes strange experience. Some thoughts from my side.

I would have understood if it was one of her invited “friends” doing this. Something must have happened to her during your presentation to let her turn against you in that way. It is just sad to lose a sheep in that way, hopefully she will return?

On the other hand at least you celebrated your anniversary and had a nice break. And as you said some positive lessons learned.

It is good to have both of you back after your troublesome issues and we are looking forward to your new articles and also the answers on the outstanding questions in the supporter group site.
Thank you for sharing your experience.

Br
Johannes

Thanks for the article and podcast. Wow, what an experience in Cyprus, very interesting. I loved the way you and Katrina presented it.

Very good Podcast. You did well with the individual who invited you to Cyprus and asked for your help.

Thank you Tim and Katrina for sharing that amazing experience with your readers.

I wonder if any of us could have demonstrated the radical love and faith that you did in this challenging case.

Certainly something I aspire to.

May Yehovah bless you both richly with many more speaking engagements and anything else you need!