June 1994

Dear Saints and Aints.

My feet, like a well-trained pair of bullocks, seem to find their own way on the small walkway in our garden. The three little kittens, who's mother never returned alive from a swim, and consequently adopted me, follow me. To them, playing in the garden at 2.00 a.m. - is fun.

A hot, dry wind, laden with dust and debris, scours the landscape. The tall eucalyptus trees moan under the onslaught. The usually welcome carrier of gossip and strange tales from far away is not a welcome guest tonight. It steals the precious moisture extracted with great effort from a dry hard soil. ”Go away," the trees whisper. "Please, go away!” The wind but sighs; the rustling of the leaves - a lament ... From the nearby village comes the whimpering of a child. From somewhere else the creaking of a door. Then a dry, laborious cough … There is a palpable restlessness all about. It is the height of summer – 117° Fahrenheit during the day.

Robbed of his strength and energy, his will to work, to exert himself, by this oven like heat, during the day; man finds no respite at night. Sleep, the restorer, is a stranger to many tonight. And tomorrow - another day with demands ... My mind turns to those placed upon us - tomorrow, the day after, the day after …

We gave out about 500 hundred application forms for prospective new kids. I am not sure how we will handle all of that, but we will see to that when the time comes. We might end up with about 1400 kids when everybody is back by the end of June … But we will manage. The God of Elijah who made a way through the Jordan still makes a way through the impossible. I must believe that or stop believing in God. Yet in the face of mounting debts, I sometimes can very well identify with Jeremiah who in agony asked. "Will you be to me like a deceptive brook, like a spring that fails?”

Tonight is one of those strange nights where the gap between yester-years and today seems to have closed. Maybe it is just the mood I am in, but … The voice of Job seems to come floating on the wind, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him." My heart concurs. This is not whistling in the dark nor wishful thinking. I simply can not and will not accept that God can not or will not help. I am not mad, neither am I stupid nor simply a dreamer. I am an immensely practical person. Yet my heart is totally imprisoned by my faith ...

When I ask God, "Please give me money for three months in advance to run this place.” He tells me. "What difference does it make whether it is in your bank or mine?” When I tell Him, "Lord I will send an SOS to all my friends.” He replies. "Why not to me instead?” What do you reply? "I don't trust you, Lord?” Even were I to do so, He blocks my way for He will not let me dishonor Him by sending out begging letters. I try, it turns into a disaster. When I complain to Him, "Lord, I am always broke.” He tells me. "It is waiting for you Frank, what would you do with it now?”

One day I said, "Father I tell everybody how good you are and that you supply for all our needs. But Lord, where is the money? The situation is bad.” That day He sent his Raven - not one – three …
Then, one morning, knowing what day it could turn out to be, God tells me, "I am your friend, Frank.” The joy of that knowledge colored my day. It was glorious! Only when I forget that He is my friend, that I am His responsibility, that I am His headache, do I become one to myself and to others …

Yohan got most of the materials to start building the Girl's Refuge. Till the place is finally completed we will accommodate them in other hostels. The other day, while we had a bit of a trying time, he said, "This place is like a train, when things run smoothly - somebody pulls the chain.”

The home for little boys in the village still needs a roof. But we are working on that. We also got some building materials for the hostel nearby. We are still looking for the money to buy the land. Part of it will come out of my income tax return. In Nagpur we almost completed the Mini-Technical School, put in the foundation for the new office and did a number of minor things. By the time you receive this letter we will have our new bus. The PAOC gave us $10,000, a loan for the down payment which we pay back in ten installments. The rest of the money we got as a loan locally which we have to pay back over three years. The bus costs $30,000 ... It took a long time before everything got cleared. They must be thinking that all deliveries take nine months … We finally got permission to run our school. It might be easier to get forgiveness than permission but - the former proves more expensive ...

The kids should all be back by the 20th of June - now we have only about 25 kids here who don't have a place to go. Maybe we will have a 1000 plus kids here at Nagpur. The rest will be distributed over the other homes. We have one young man who is a pain. He is good at his job, he works hard, he is intelligent but - he thinks he did it all by himself. Which means - he doesn't think.

When I think of all of you, I am often overjoyed. Each one of you has, in a unique way, contributed to me, to us. I am not the same Frank that came 22 years ago to India; you have enlarged my heart by your largess; you have made out of me a man who cares what happens to others because - you care what happens to us. I often give, even when it hurts because I am sure, many of you give - though it hurts. Thanx for that Saints. Thanx very much.

In return for your love and care I promise you 10,000 kids different homes, young men and young women getting saved, young men and young women in the ministry, others raising beautiful families in the fear of God …

One day Alice came to a fork in the road
And saw a Cheshire cat sitting in a tree
“Which road do I take”? Alice asked.
His response was a question:
“Where do you want to go”?
“I don’t know,” Alice answered
“Then” said the cat “It does not matter.”

Stick with us, Saints. We know where we are going and - we know the road.

Lots of love from us all: The kids - the staff - Yohan and Frank …