Bits and Pieces of Recent Weeks

Don't miss reading the "trio" of blogs below, until you get to the Haiti video at the end...November was crazy but wonderful! Three weeks away from home for World Renewal International ministry in three Friends churches (Shirley, Rush Creek, Fairmount...all in Indiana), receptions for Pastor Luc, the "Welcome Home" radio broadcast (smile, Jack!), training sessions with international leaders and local church planters, yearly WRI banquet and much, much more. Thank you for your prayers and your support. I am privileged to serve the Lord and the church in this way.





What a joy to have fellowship with Tele Moraes and Pastor Anselmo from Brazil in Indiana and Kansas, and to go "on the road" with Pastor Luc, telling the Haiti story, presenting the need there and brushing up on my Creole for a busy schedule in 2009.

God uses many people from many places to accomplish his purposes. We need each other. We each have a ministry. We help each other do God's will. It was our great privilege to be hosted for a meal in the home of one very dear supporter of the work in Haiti who had never met Pastor Luc. God is so good to let us all be in His family, reaching out to His world with His great love and the gospel of Jesus Christ. He gives us little glimpses of heaven when we serve him here below!

KEEP READING...

HAITI...PASTOR LUC...BIRTHDAY PARTY and MORE

GONAIVES, HAITI - September 1, 2008: Flooding from Hurricane Ike devastates the city of 100,000+.

DESTROYED: World Renewal Haiti’s Gonaives church, Christ's Compassion Orphanage and school, Pastor Luc’s home and all their contents.

SAVED BY A MIRACLE (and the faithful obedience of Pastor Luc): 25 orphans and 10 adults who survived many days without food and water.

All the children and several adults who care for them are living in our unfinished mission house (under construction for the past several years) with no electricity, running water or household items. They sleep on these bits and pieces of used plywood.

Help us build them a new church, mission house, school and orphanage...a place of ministry...a place to call home again. Pastor Luc has requested that I come to Haiti often in coming weeks and months. There is much work to do in order to help create a new place that is home again for these orphans and the church in Gonaives. I would appreciate any financial help you can give to get me and others and the resources needed into Haiti multiple times in 2009. We are raising up leaders, and plans are being made to plant 2 churches next year, in spite of the hardship and challenges the believers there are up against on a daily basis. What a blessing it was to have Pastor Luc in the U.S. for the yearly World Renewal Banquet and training sessions, as well as several receptions to tell the story of recent events in Haiti. Many of you helped us purchase him clothes and many other essential items to take back with him. The truth is, Pastor Luc is one of God's heroes. He is a key leader who is faithful to serve the Lord in the worst of conditions, always with a smile on his face and the light of Christ shining through his every word and deed. Thank you for your help in fanning into flame the ministry of World Renewal Haiti.
Last September after the hurricane (and three days on a roof with no food or water), the only possessions the children of Christ's Compassion Orphanage had was the clothes they wore while they waded several miles to safety under Luc's direction through "murky" flood waters. BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR JESUS trunks had been delivered at the wrong time (or so we thought), but God used that timing to safeguard the bags inside. He knew they would need to open them in October, so they could have a BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR JESUS three months early!!


KEEP READING....

because I/we really need your help...

Speaking of BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR JESUS...

My 1996 Aerostar (150,000 miles) is empty of seats, but loaded front to back, top to bottom for a trip to Mexico next week. I will have 400+ bags with presents and money for each BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR JESUS. Those bags have very carefully and lovingly been filled by people from several churches all throughout the midwest. THANK YOU! Some containers will stay with the Friends churches in the north, and the rest I will ship to Mexico City. Those local churches will host parties, feed unchurched children and their parents and present the Gospel in some creative way.

Samuel Vasquez and his family (above) from Agujita in the state of Coahuila will host me for a day and help me ship crates to Mexico City. I will also share with a growing men's ministry and perhaps sing and/or teach a new song in Creole!

My wonderful friends and church planting pastors in Mexico City (above David Martinez and family; below Ramiro Martinez and family pet Roby) will receive the bags and then distribute them at several locations in January, the traditional time there for presenting such gifts.

In January, I hope to travel to Mexico City to take part in the BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR JESUS with Gary Wright and World Renewal Mexico Representative Jim Flood, and assist in a training seminar.

YOU CAN HELP. Travel funds for both these trips into Mexico are "lacking." I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE any help you could give. Any extra monies will go towards travel to Haiti in coming months.

Please consider doing three things:

1) Pray for my safety and travel.

2) Send a financial gift to help me deliver BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR JESUS bags/trunks, and to make the January training trip.

World Renewal International Box 399 Greenfield, Indiana 46140. Write a note designating it for Frank's travel.

3) Send me an email if you intend to respond to either request. I would especially love to hear that you are praying for me as I travel, for those loving gifts as they are given, and for each child who will receive something special for Christmas...and at the same time hear about the reason Jesus came. hereinks@yahoo.com

THANKS! GOD BLESS YOU!! HAVE A WONDER-FILLED CHRISTMAS!!!

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One more thing.

Below is a video we took last spring in Haiti. The place where they are singing was under 10-12 feet of water on September 1. Unfortunately, the backpacks and their contents were most likely washed away in the hurricane and flood, but thank the Lord each and every child was safe. And we have no doubt that many times since they have praised him in the same way you see here.