May 2001

You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me …
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
Even there your hand will guide me; your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,”
Even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day,
For darkness is as light to you."
Psalm 139:5, 7-12

Dear Saints and Aints.

Shalom.

The miracle I prayed for, to have my visa extended in India, did not materialize and I had to go to Nepal for two weeks for another tourist visa. This time I was given only one for three month ... Yet wherever I am, the psalmist's experience is mine. Wherever I go, God hems me in with wonderful friends who by their caring make "exile" tolerable and at times - enjoyable. Like in Manila, Germany and Canada this held true in Katmandu.

I am not sure what will happen after the three months are up but I am tenacious (or too stupid to quit) and the "kids" are with me on that. They too are exploring all avenues to keep me here. One of the staff quipped, "They adopt kids. Can't we adopt a father?" It might just be possible ...

It seems too many people believe what is impossible to them is impossible to God. We look at a blank wall and believe there is no way through or up because it is impossible to us. But surely, the word impossible is not in God's dictionary, which is precisely what gives me the tenacity and hope to go on when all looks hopeless. May be it is also because I "walked through walls" before and found a way where none was before; walked through the fire unharmed only a bit more refined; woke up in the morning with no money, no food for my little family and, like Manna of old, found it provided. It may be also that when sick and raked with pain, I found "my Father" though unseen, sitting at my bedside radiating out so much love, that being filled with an incredible joy, I wept for wont of any other appropriate form of expression. I have seen too many miracles to doubt, but been awed into speechlessness not by the gift -- but "the love of the Giver."

I perceive God everywhere in the humdrum of life, unseen yet ever present turning the most mundane chores into an act of worship ...

But for a handful, the kids have gone for their summer holidays. The playground lies deserted baking in the noontime sun. The temperatures are over 112° Fahrenheit. Nothing seems to move anywhere, but the leaves touched by a gentle breeze and the dead yet still colorful bloom of bougainvilleas that litter the ground slowly swirling around - a carpet fit for angel's feet. The rosebush in front of my window gave place to a higher bush or is it a tree. Its bell-shaped orange colored flowers beckon bugs and the odd hummingbird for a feast. The lush greenery that characterizes our compound is a haven for all kinds of birds chirping and singing according to their God given abilities. I am encouraged watching the birds - they also have "bills" but they don't worry about them . . .

The odd wind devil, that appears suddenly, deposits paper and plastic - others people's garbage, on our grounds, and picks up ours to deposit it somewhere else. I smile - a perfect picture of a gossip - a dealer in other people's garbage …

The few big boys left are covering with whitewash, the walls of dorms, and the dining room, hiding the multitude of grubby marks made by a multitude of hands that at the time of the event were far from clean. Marks made by balls thrown against the wall and the odd footprint of somebody "trying to scale great heights" also fall victim to this "cover-up job." Of course, two months from now the "real world" of boys will reassert itself and the footprints; fingerprints and attempts by compulsive "artists" to dazzle their friends with an artistic rendering of their perception of life will again adorn these pristine walls. Till then - they'll wear their "Sunday clothes."

While the kids remain indoors during much of the day, hired workers keep working. The entrance to the home has a new look with a good gate and a fancy guardhouse; the school compound wall is completed and the gates are being made and so is the road alongside the school compound. The compound wall along the village is getting an added 3 feet of height; as a deterrent for thieves. Though gates and locks and compound walls are actually to keep the honest people honest ... Work has been started on the second floor of the school building and hopefully will be completed before the kids come back. At the girl's home the dorm - 170 x 35 feet will see its completion before the girls come back in June. Yohan wants to add another 50 girls bringing the total strength up to a 100 and hopefully double it again next year.

He is doing a tremendous job. There is no question now as to who is the boss; he has the support of staff and kids. Of course, there are always those who want his title without the job that goes with it ... As the "local rumor mill" has it, he is looking for a wife and hence his urgency to complete his house. I, as usual, will find out last or at least not before he needs the money for the wedding. Anyhow, the house should be completed in another 5 months.

The checking of the Mawchi New Testament has gone slower than anticipated and so far we reached the end of Acts. Till the end of our summer - July - we do not expect a lot of progress. Our little assembly is doing well though it too is hit by the summer exodus. Rather than being discouraged by a small group in a large hall, we moved to a smaller hall and - it is full …

I have been busy preaching, teaching, and preparing PR material for Yohan. I trust you like the little brochure included. It gives some basic information about the home; you can share one copy with a friend and if you need more copies please contact us. I am also working on a small booklet with color photos of the homes and statements by staff, kids, and friends about our place. It will be more informative and detailed but will take some time to be completed.

The saying of Jesus that "man does not live by bread alone" is frequently misinterpreted as meaning that he "does not need bread at all." Watching our kids eat in the dining hall will certainly correct any misleading views on that saying. The demand outstrips the supply …
The following came from the ChildCare Plus programme and I feel that in all fairness to them and to you I should pass this on to you. Their help to us and the effect of that help on our kids cannot be measured and neither can their genuine care for the needy, hungry, and disadvantaged kids of the world:

"We need to find individual sponsors to try and cover the $8,000 per month that we are currently sending out of where most needed as the CCP general fund can no longer absorb these additional amounts on a continual basis. Would you be able to write a special appeal to your many supporters, asking that they consider committing to group sponsorship of your program for a year? We need to try and get an additional 350 individual sponsorships for the House of Imagination."

So, there it is. I have studiously avoided mentioning finances in my newsletter over all these years and, beyond placing this before you, shall continue to do so. Yet, without apology - you cannot go wrong investing in this place. The resources you provide we stretch beyond what is reasonable - as we stretch our own emotional, mental, and physical resources. Lastly, neither Yohan nor I have "sticky fingers" and if sticky they be - it is from shaking so many grubby little hands. As for me, (to blow your own horn is more hygienic) my personal finances are deposited in the tummies, hearts, and minds of my kids. God is my witness, I possess nothing beyond the clothes I wear. All I crave in return is the spiritual and physical advancement of my kids - with a little 20-room mansion in Heaven thrown in as a perk ...

Thank you for putting up with me over all these years. "Egypt had the plagues and you - have Frank." Though we cannot offer you a medal, we offer you the love and gratefulness of a thousand happy kids.

In His great love.

Frank, Yohan, and Kids.

Ps.
We just received the sad news that Yohan's mother passed away April 28th after a prolonged illness. Yohan went home for a few days to be with his family.