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Tihomir and Dimka Tenev of Sliven, Bulgaria are Certified Pastoral Members of the Sarasota Academy of Christian Counseling and have been International Representatives since January 18, 2012.
Being in the pastoring ministry for 25 years we have always had a heart for people and have been doing our best to helping them be strong in the Lord and to succeed in life and in their relationships. Though we ourselves have tried to live according to the Biblical principals, we have always been looking for something more to know about ourselves, in order to be able to understand many of the situations through which we had been going through and how we could deal with them more effectively and in the best way!
Creation Therapy supplied us with the necessary knowledge and information, in order to be able to explain what we have never been able to understand before, though all our knowledge on the Bible.
It is already more than 10 years since we are using APS for helping people finding solutions for their difficulties in life.
What we realized was that it is very important and foundational to teach people of the Biblical principals, in order they could have a successful life. But what APS supplies, namely the understanding why you do what you do; the possibility of getting to know yourself and to balance your life – is VERY important and useful thing.
We have been impressed how during the APS sessions people have shared that for first time they feel they have been understood and receiving practical help for their problem, though they are coming from a church whose pastors are our friends and we know they are wonderful people and preachers and teachers!
This is just confirming more and more of the necessity of more knowledge that we receive through studying at NCCA.
The truth is, that most of the people’s situations in life need more that just a good loving heart and knowing the Bible!
During the years we have faced up various fates of people and have been witnessing restoring of many relationships.
Sometimes the effort of someone to be excellent before the Lord, including his temperament needs to be principled would push him to extremes.
We had a case with a family and on the very first meeting they shared they had problems in their sexual relationship. Some of the religious books that the young lady had read have turned her to be a fanatic that was not able to fully enjoy making love with her husband.
After having a few conversations with them and prayed for them and gave them to read some good books and watched a family seminar, we managed to help her to start looking at sex as something she could fully enjoy and pray God to bless. The APS of both of them opened their eyes to get to know each other like never before and learn how they could start giving to each other what they need.
We have seen children of 8 or 9 years old, who are so principled and they insist their parents to be the same, just because it is their personality. It was very useful for the parents to understand this, because they would see a new way to bring their kids up, that would build them up without being hurt or have their spirit crushed.
We have worked with parents who have done their best to teach their children to be independent, without realizing their temperament need to be helped, in order to be able to build up their self-confidence and the feeling that they are competent.
The necessity of counseling in Bulgaria is quite big, though the people still do not realize it. More and more people in our Christian world today share the need they feel of professional help.
The modern technology today is giving us a lot of possibilities to counsel both people who live in Bulgaria and out of Bulgaria, by using Skype, FaceTime or Viber applications.
Also, our son is broadcasting a weekly video-show in which there is a lot of discussion about love, sex, marriage relationship, and family. It is a wonderful possibility to advertise the APS and people are calling us asking for help.
We are also working with non-Christian people and have sewn the love of Christ in their lives. After that some of them have visited our church and we pray so that God would finish the good work He has started in them!
God has also opened a door for us to teach the whole subject of Creation Therapy at one of the Bible Colleges in Bulgaria, where one of the students was Macedonian and he decided to study the Creation Therapy and was certified by SACC and now he has his own counseling ministry in Macedonia, counseling through APS.
Being International Representatives gives us the possibility to sign up students, just like this Macedonian, from different countries to be trained as Christian Counselors through Creation Therapy.
Looking back in everything that has happened through our ministry, we see God’s hand over us! So today it is already more than 10 years we are serving people in the area of counseling through Creation Therapy!
We can say nothing more but that we are serving to a Great and Unique GOD! To Him be all the glory forever and ever - AMEN!!!