A BUSY THREE MONTHS (since my last post)

Normally, I try to get something posted every 6 weeks. Been a little longer this time, so....please KEEP READING until you get to the "MYSTERY PHOTO." Then you'll be caught up with me!

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I spent quite a bit of time in the months preceding the annual May alumni weekend at Barclay College contacting and generating interest among 1970s FRIENDS BIBLE COLLEGE attenders. To my delight we had a great turnout and the Lord blessed our gathering in many ways. A highlight for me was meeting and leading worship with former FBC teacher Frank Fortunato. Among other things, Frank is an ethnomusicologist. He is Operation Mobilization's Director of Music and coordinates Heart Sounds International (http://www.heart-sounds.org/), an awesome ministry that promotes indigenous worship through seminars, song-writing events and recording of non-western worship music, mostly in restricted parts of the world. Check it out on the web. What a blessing.It was so wonderful to see so many of our old friends, teachers and administrators from the 1970s, including Jack Holliday, who was Dean of Students for most of that decade.

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In April, Ramiro Martinez, my friend and World Renewal church planting pastor from Mexico City came to the United States. Janet and I hosted him for several days. He and I traveled a bit to help him make support connections. One thing Ramiro did during his time here was to participate in Love Wichita. Around 75 Northridge Friends Church people joined hundreds of other believers around the city to work on various projects, mostly for individual families in need.

Ramiro jumped right in the middle of it all, and spent an entire Saturday working hard and making friends, being a blessing to all he came in contact with.

In the afternoon, we spent some unplanned time working at this couple's home. As I worked on taping and mudding sheetrock, Ramiro struck up a conversation in Spanish and led this man to make a decision for Christ. Another unexpected blessing! ------------

Over the past several months, hundreds of volunteers have been working hard to complete over $100,000 worth of improvements (material costs) to Camp Quaker Haven in Arkansas City, Kansas. I have spent a few weekends there, and also particiapted in the week long big event "EXTREME CAMP MAKEOVER" with students who gave up their spring breaks to invest an incredible amount of time and energy to this worthwhile project.

Most of my time was spent doing exterior trim on the new windows all the way around the dining hall. The blessings just keep coming...I worked a lot with Robert George from Chandler, Oklahoma. At 83 years young, he never stops! I had a hard time keeping up. He and his wife Anna Lois are wonderful examples of what God can do through faithful people who just keep doing what they can to serve others.
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In between all the busyness of the past few months, Janet and I got to do something very special that we have never really done before. Our old college friend Ed Rehwinkle wanted us to go with him to see some other old college friends in South Dakota and Idaho. So, we got over a week of time in the Black Hills, Yellowstone and the Greenleaf, Idaho area.

Getting ready for a 3 hour train ride with Mark and Doris Wilkins. The five of us had not been together for nearly 30 years!

Don't you think Ed makes a nice addition to this historical landmark?

Yippee!!

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Summer camp at Quaker Haven is always a highlight for me. This year the theme was Camp Marathon - Run YOUR Race (Hebrews 12:1). The staff for kids and junior camp were all coaches. I was Coach Pheidippedes, did a little music and little teaching and had a great time working with great people. Once again, God blessed in some unexpected ways.

Every year we make trading cards of all our staff for the campers to collect.

Ready, set, go! A little music. "Walk on, brother, walk on sister...

if you're ever gonna make it to the promised land, walk on!"

Camp Marathon kids and junior camp staff...what a great crew!

Anybody out there know who Pheidippedes was?

Why would I choose a name like that?

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Another little project I have been working on is getting Paola Martinez to the US for one school year. She is the daughter of Ramiro and Claudia from Mexico City. Please pray that details will be taken care of in order that she might come to Wichita and have a great experience. Paola is 15 years old, fluent in English and full of love for Jesus.

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Pastor Luc calls me from Haiti every once in awhile and says two things, "hey, buddy," and "what is your plan?" I wish you could hear his wonderful accent. What he means about my plan is, when can I come back and help build him a kitchen? I do have some travel funds saved up, but we need lots more money and a way to get electricity and running water to the house where he lives. Small problems, right?

During the rainy season (June-Sep), all 25 children from Christ Compassion Orphanage will be staying in Luc and Rosanna's house. It is a nice home on a large lot, but....the house has 4 bedrooms for 30 plus people and as I said...still no running water or electricity, and no real kitchen. So, keep them in your prayers and on your mind. Your gifts to help us get them the resources they need are always welcome.

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People ask once in awhile how my mother is doing. At 91 she is doing great, made several trips back and forth from CO to KS and TX to see all of us...smiling all the way! What a treasure she is.

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One of the greatest privileges I have with the ministry I am doing, is having the time to enjoy some of God's best servants. I recently stopped by to see Bud and Letha Lawrence in Arkansas City. They managed Quaker Haven for over 30 years. We have thought of them a lot in recent days while working there. What a wonderful legacy God has given us through folks like them. --------------------

Very soon (June 30-July 20) I will be heading to BRAZIL once again with Kenny Smith and a few others (many from Indiana on a medical mission trip). One project we will tackle is cabinets for the school kitchen. Our ability to build more than that will depend on funds that come in until we leave. If you want to help us, contact me at hereinks@yahoo.com or call me at 316-393-2359, or just send your gift to World Renewal International Box 399 Greenfield, Indiana 46140 and tell them it is for Kenny and Frank's Brazil trip.

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And now for the MYSTERY PICTURE. It is here just to see who makes it to the end of this post, and to find out if you paid attention along the way. So, who can guess where this photo of me was taken during the past three months? I hope to hear from you soon. hereinks@yahoo.com.

Thanks for caring! God bless you all.