May 2005
Dear Saints and Aints.
Shalom.
Just want to get in touch.
I received the sad news that my spiritual father, Bill McDonald, passed into the presence of His Lord on May 13th. Bill was 87. I feel deeply saddened. I was introduced to the Savior by Bill Dec. 1964. Please pray for Kay, his wife, who along with Bill, has supported “this work” while “this work” was still in Bible College and continued to help, care and support over the past forty years. Our hearts go out to her.
With the absence of kids and staff, peace of a sort has descended upon the place. Even Yohan and Bapu have gone for some days. I am holding the Fort ... It seems God wants me to go through the same experiences His saints of old had. How can you sympathize with Abraham unless there are times you believe there is "no fear of God in this place”? Or Moses who led such a rebellious lot to the border of the Holy Land; or Jacob who tried to do it his way and found out that this is not the best way to make friends; or David; or … You name 'em I claim 'em …
However, things are going well. My present mood might not reflect this but that is something that comes and goes. I am just a bit on the weary side and when you look at what we have done and are doing maybe you sympathize with me … Though there are times I seem to hear God’s voice through the prophet Isaiah: “Who has required of thee the trampling of my courts?” Still, somebody has to be a “Martha” … the house needs to be in order; food needs to be on the table … So, I work. The temperatures hover around 116° Fahrenheit ...
The fish tank is completed; it is massive. We are adding some seven feet height to the columns to the new dining hall and time permitting build up the brick wall around it; we bought all the material. The half of the upper floor of the school should be completed in another week; it will look great with the walls plastered, tiles on the floors, doors in place and all the school benches repaired. Time permitting we will even give it a coat of paint. By the end of the month the school office too should finally be completed. The new bath room on the east side of the playground should also be done before the middle of June. Though we will not start using it till we get some sort of a filtration plant to purify the water so we can use it on the field. This will not happen till after the monsoon i.e. November when the soil dries out. The nine rooms in the small dorm have been done up nicely. A lot of other things are also being done. At the girls' home new toilets are built and the water tower is finally completed … In spite of it all, this month again we were able to reduce our debt by about $10,000 and nobody went hungry…
I do not know how in spite our financial situation we managed all that but we do. Surely if God is not with us it would be impossible!
But in all this the spiritual aspect is not neglected. Last Sunday four of our church members followed the Lord through the “Waters of Baptism”. In June we will have 10 or 11 young people in various Bible Colleges in India. One of them got baptized on that Sunday. One College Student told me he wants to go to Bible College to become good. I didn’t want to discourage him by telling him to talk to Dr. Roger Stronstad …
Looking at it all I wonder; if God could restore the sanity of Nebuchadnezzar after seven years, you think there is hope for me?
I am often encouraged because my testimony of God's goodness encourages others; the other day one pastor cried listening to me and went away glad; another friend of mine reading my newsletters, exclaimed, "If God helps Frank, He will help me." I often wonder if it is not the experiences we have with God and the marvelous way He cares and loves and helps us in the midst of often great struggles that are the important thing rather than what we actually accomplish. The things we do are but the props, the stage upon which God can act and display His grace and faithfulness. Surely, such an approach to the will of God for our lives permits anybody, in any employment, in any occupation, and in any position to become a sign, a portent for God; for to be such is the will of God for our lives. The words of William Cowper come to mind:
God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm.
I believe He desires to perform His wonders in the lives of us ordinary, common, simple Saints ... of which I am the least.
I collected 62 of my Newsletters and put them up on my Website: www.frankjuelich.com . The earliest goes back to 1972. Maybe you have some I missed. I put them up in the hope somebody else, who like me stumbles through life, looking for consistency and – not finding it, looking at shattered dreams, unfulfilled promises, hurts inflicted on others, borderline dishonesty, half completed projects – will find a soul mate here. The cry of a Sufi Saint echoes though them all:
“How can you ask me to be perfect
When I am so full of contradictions?”
So, be kind when you judge …
Please continue to pray for my visa which needs to be renewed by June 20th … One of the students calls me a “fighter” but even fighters get weary. Besides my personal battle there is the constant battle for the property and for the welfare of the many against the greed of the few. But the battle is the Lord’s and my trust - Ps.91.
Blessings upon you saints. Without your help and encouragements, faith or no faith, I could not have managed to do what we did and are doing.
In His great Love.
Frank |
