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Progression of Spiritual Demographics
At least 3 people received Jesus as their Savior at the last FHL Mobile Food Pantry at Boys & Girls Club, Indianapolis. Just between the pantry & the Street Evangelism, we are averaging 2 salvations a week. At the same time, we are adding more disciples on a monthly basis through other FHL ministries.
I have sensed the collision of Light and darkness in the spiritual realm at the last Pantry. I asked the Lord what's happening? A thought came to me...we are not the Savior, He is. We leave the judgment to God. Our job is to create an environment where love is overflowing to the extent that people get attracted to us. God is saying,"
The harvest is plentiful and I am sending them to you." The anointing is getting stronger and so is the opposition.
If we show the tangible unconditional love of Christ to the world, they can't help but come to us. It is the manifest Presence of God that brings people to us.
Romans 2:4b: "
God's kindness leads you toward repentance"
There will be more and more non-Christians coming to serve with us, through Kindness Days, Pantry, Farm, other Outreaches, etc. We need to be ready as the harvest is right in front of us. We also need to be alert that the enemy is opportunistic.
God has been showing us new ways to reach out and to bring the message. He had opened doors for us to minister to churches and to the world. There are many new things that He is doing in our ministry. It's mind-boggling for me to see non-Christians literally get attracted to us in serving those in need. The stories in Jesus' time is manifesting in our midst!
Living a lifestyle of unconditional love allows us to live in freedom and bring the Kingdom of God into the hearts of others! What a privilege to experience Heaven expanding in our communities.
Here is a Testimonials from one of the volunteers:
"Bertha and I got up in front this past Sunday and told the Church about the (FHL) food pantry and how awesome it was to be a part of it than I told them about the Citywide prayer and about FHL they are all excited and one of the ladies from our church spoke up and said that what she has a heart for and that she is manager of some apartments in Greenwood that houses 250 refugees and she wants to get something going there." - Debra F.
God bless,
Merlin
Labels: Christ, Faith Hope and Love, FHL, FHL International Inc., God, Jesus, Merlin Gonzales, Mobile Food Pantry, Salvation, Spiritual Demographics
Days 5 and 6: FHL Week 2009
It seems like the days go by so fast during FHL Week and yet it feels like God stretches each minute of the day so that we have all we need to get the work done. Dozens of projects and services were performed by hundreds of volunteers in Central Indiana.
- Light Construction at residential homes, playground clean up and bottle water giveaway at apartment complex were among the many projects in the Urban area
- Visiting Nursing and Retirement Home outreaches by the Greenwood and Nora-Castleton areas
- Gardening in Avon, IN by the West side area and by the Multi-Cultural ministry of FHL
- Continued effort of community restoration of the Noblesvilles area (Riverwood Community) and the Northwest area (Elizaville)
- At least 20 individuals have come to salvation in the Lord to date
There are dozens of untold stories of unconditional love that I have not yet heard. There are people that are part of those untold stories of unconditional love I have not had the opportunity to visit yet. Please send your stories pictures and video coverage to FHL, 8383 Craig St. Ste 335 Indianapolis, IN or email at
info@fhlinternational.org
Of Special Note: Below is the mid-week video that was put together by Jim Ackert, another volunteer that I had the privilege to work with.
There are several projects and services scheduled today, Saturday, July 25th, from Johnson County to Hamilton County. I may have missed some events today, but below are some of them:
- Community Cookout with live music at Metro Baptist Center 952 N. Pennsylvania, noon to 4p (Urban area)
- Single Mom Oil Change (West side area)
- Elizaville Town dedication (Northwest area)
- Fishers Community worship at Holland Park, Fishers, 5:30pm (Nora/Castleton area)
The rain came during the first day of FHL Week and while I am writing this, rain is pouring down again. It seems like a symbolism of God's outpouring of His blessings in our communities. Yes, God had and have been scattering His resources and His love everywhere. You and I have the privilege to join God in distributing His blessings where ever we go...bringing His Presence and Glory anywhere, anytime.
FHL Week is not just a week event but a start of continued flow of God's grace and love in our neighborhoods.
God Bless,
Merlin
Labels: Faith Hope and Love, FHL, FHL International Inc, FHL Week 2009, Merlin Gonzales, The Week of Hope, Volunteers
Faith Hope and Love Habitat House
By Merlin Gonzales, Pres., Faith Hope and Love Recently, Habitat for Humanity asked Faith Hope and Love to partner with them to build a house for a Hispanic family. FHL President, Merlin Gonzales thought it would be good that the house be built by different nationalities. Ralph Taylor, International Affairs Coordinator for Indianapolis Mayors office agreed to call a meeting at WFYI Ch 20 on Monday, May 11th.
The meeting resulted with several ethnic groups to partner in building the house in the Martindale-Brightwood area starting June 3- July 11. The immediate need is to staff the June 3th –June 5th house build days. Two shifts are offered, from 7:30am to 11:30am and from 12:30pm to 4:30pm. Please contact 317-578-3370 to get involved in this community house build. For more information, please see our Facebook event page
Labels: Christ, FHL FHL International, Habitat for Humanity, Martindale-Brightwood Area, Merlin Gonzales, Ralph Taylor, WFYI
Faith Hope and Love Mother’s Day Celebration 2009
By Merlin Gonzales, President, Faith Hope and Love (FHL International, Inc.)Faith Hope and Love (FHL) joined the Mother’s Day Celebration presented by La Voz de Indiana on Saturday, May 9th. The celebration included FHL Mob
ile Food Pantry, which provided groceries to more than 1000 people. It was truly a collaborative pantry, including many volunteers from different cultures of the world, such as Hispanics, Asians and Europeans. The FHL Mobile Food Pantry is a monthly service that is held at different parts of the city to reach out those who cannot travel far and to encourage the active participation of local communities. The food pantry is joined by churches, businesses, government and education institutions in serving the least, the lost and the last. You are encouraged to serve with FHL by volunteering or by sponsoring families. Your contribution of $15 will feed a family of 5 for a day.
Earlier the same day, as part of the Mother’s Day celebration, Faith Hope and Love provided free oil changes at four Indianapolis locations: Post Road Christian Church on the east side, Chapel Rock Christian Church on the west, and Hubler Express Collision in the North and South locations. More than 100 single moms received free oil changes. Through this community outreach, many volunteers were thankful that their passion was used to serve others. FHL is now looking for volunteers who like to do routine maintenance and minor repair on vehicles. FHL is expanding its car ministry to 4 locations in Indianapolis.
In addition to food pantry and oil changes, the FHL Street Evangelism team shared the Gospel in the 10th Street/Rural
area. As a result, an individual at a bus stop accepted the Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. The individuals involved in this team have been preaching the gospel in the local area for more than 2 years now.
Faith Hope and Love partnered with the Pacer Entertainment–Indiana Fever WNBA to provided indoor entertainment to the disadvantaged families and their friends. FHL is asking the community to sponsor children for the game at Conseco Fieldhouse on June 27th 7pm. A ticket is $14, which includes entrance to the game, vouchers for a free hotdog, a bag of chips, a drink and a t-shirt. Contact FHL at 317-578-3370 for information in sponsoring the disadvantaged.
Labels: Communities Service Outreach, Faith Hope Love International Inc, FHL, FHL INternational, God, Jim Rafferty, Kindness Weekend, LaVoz, Merlin Gonzales, Mother's Day Oil
A Great Week For FHL: ESL Classes, Lamb’s Farm Planting, City-Wide Prayer, Mobile Food Pantry and FHL Week 2009 Planning
Hello everyone,
It's been a great week.
We had the Fishers Area churches (FHL Week 2009) meeting at Christ the Savior Lutheran Church, NW area and Greenwood areas. They were attended by several churches and are now planning to meet again in the next few weeks. The week of 3/22, Nora-Castleton and Carmel areas will meet for FHL Week 2009 vision-casting.
The FHL Lamb's Farm was cultivated and we planted seeds on several garden
plots. The Burmese Refugees adopted the gardens. Later the same day, the Lord provided almost 30 jobs for these refugees at Heartland Growers through FHL connections. It is possible that we may have a few more acres to raise vegetables in the near future.
FHL's ESL (English as a Second Language) has expanded to a Chic-Fil-A restaurant located in the Clearwater area. We will be teaching basic English to the employees at 86th St restaurant starting the first week of April.
On the 21st of March, FHL Mobile Food Pantry was held at Arlington High School. We had more than 100 volunteers including the Arlington High School Baseball Team. We served more than 150 families from several different nationalities including Iraquis, Burmese, and Hispanics. Food was abundantly shared with people but the main focus was the relationships we built with each other. To help these ones build a relationship with their heavenly Father, we also had a 'Prayer Tent' inside the building.
Next weekend, 3/28, we will have a 'Prayer Tent' at a vacant lot at 10th/Rural from 10a-2p. Through April 2 - 4 is FHL's Kindness Weekend at Bread of Life in Avon, IN. We will be giving away clothes provided by the church. On 4/4, the 3rd FHL city-wide prayer meeting will be held at Bread of Life starting at 7:30pm.
I am so blessed to be part of this ministry. I have the privilege of witnessing what God is doing in our community. Thank you so much for coming alongside FHL in serving the least, the lost and last. If you have not been to any of the FHL events, try to come to the next few; you'll witness what God is doing through FHL ministry.
Hope to see everyone at the
Outback Luncheon on 3/25; it's going to be awesome!
God bless,
Merlin
Labels: FHL, FHL INternational, FHL Week 2009, Inc., Merlin Gonzales, Service Projects
FHL Call Out: Volunteers Needed To Shelter the Homeless
Hello,
I pray that this message finds you well.
A couple of weeks ago, I had an opportunity to visit one of the organizations in Metro Indy whose main purpose is to help and/or house the homeless. The Rivers of Living Water in Franklin, IN had house 500+ homeless people in the last 5 years. They use their own resources including their house to help those in need.
Because of their radical generosity (Ed & Jena Figueroa), their house is now in need of upgrade and some minor repairs. The rain in the Spring caused flooding and some water damage on the ceiling of the basement (see attached). The kitchen needs floor and the inside of the house needs painting. The house was built in the 60’s and I found out that the electrical box is still the original box which had caused a few problems in the past.
There are a few more maintenance that need attention but below is the immediate needs:
·
Fuse Box (Needs licensed Electrician)
·
200 sq ft. flooring (preferably tiles)
·
200 sq ft ceiling·
Paint and paint supplies·
Handyman to help in flooring, painting and minor repairsIf you are looking for an opportunity to have an immediate impact in the homeless population, please consider donating your time, materials and/finances through:
Faith, Hope and Love International, Inc. (FHL) Rivers of Living Water 8383 Craig St. Ste 335 Indianapolis, IN 46250 317-372-0371 info@fhlinternational.org
When I visited Ed & Jena and heard from them the stories of hope, I was humbled and speechless to actually be in a place that housed 500+ homeless people. Please pray for the Figueroa’s who are in the frontline and are continually pouring out themselves in helping those in need.
FHL is posting $500 donation towards helping the homeless through the Rivers of Living Water. 100% of your donations will go to this effort. FHL is a non-profit organization and your donation is tax-deductible. If you are available to volunteer, please respond to this email how you could help. We need painters, carpenters, handyman, plumber and electrician. Please feel free to forward this email to those who might be able to help the Rivers of Living Water.
Sincerely,
Merlin Gonzales
President/CEO
FHL
Labels: Ed and Jena Figueroa, Faith Hope and Love Internationa Inc., FHL, FHL INternational, Homeless, Inc., Merlin Gonzales, Rivers of Living Water Ministries, Volunteers
FHL: A Day With Jesus
by Merlin Gonzales, CEO, Faith Hope & Love International, Inc.
I picked up some food from a food bank near the airport for the FHL Mobile Food Pantry. My little trailer was full and I was very happy until on my way back. Just after a mile from the food bank, I found out that the trailer is flat. I managed to drive the truck to a street corner, called AAA only to find out that they do not repair trailer tires. By this time, I was starting to get irritated. I am doing the work of God and why did He allow me to have a flat tire and no help. But later, I found out that there was a tire repair shop nearby and they sent their person to change the tire.
I told the manager that we are a non profit organization and he waived the service charge and he just charged me for the cost of a new tire. I was very happy and thanking the Lord for saving me money and sending me help.
After an hour I was back on the road again, entered I-465 going East to deliver some of the food to a couple of ministries when all of a sudden, I saw white smoke coming out from the back of the trailer. I was on a busy highway and I did not want to park on the side of the freeway, however, a speeding vehicle passed me by and pointed on the trailer. With hesitation, I parked the truck on the side of a busy freeway right at the intersection of I465 and I69. I was bummed out… this day is not my day. I found out that the new tire I just bought was rubbing against a bolt of the trailer and almost sliced in half.
I was so aggravated and I did not have any tools. The highway noise was very irritating with all the sounds of trucks, large semis, sirens from Police and the trash on the side of the road. I asked God why is it that I have these problems when I’m trying to do His will. Then all of a sudden, my eyes noticed a bridge (I69) over I465 and wondered how the homeless people could live under the bridge with all the road noise. How about when it’s raining or snowing? I thought God was saying, I want you to experience for a few minutes being in this place some of my people’s residences.
I appreciated the experience and went to deliver several cases of frozen meat to a couple who literally housed 500+ homeless people in the past 4 years. Then I stopped by at a home on the east side to a lady who is jobless and recently accepted 2 homeless people into her house. I was humbled by God after the day was over. It’s not about me, it’s about Him. This is not your ministry, it’s mine. Are you willing to obey me unconditionally?
God said to love your neighbors. Hmm…I’ve done my duty today, I followed what Jesus said. Then I felt better. But Jesus wants to take us to the next level; the generation of grace and unconditional love. Don’t just love your neighbor, He said…love your enemies as well!
Labels: FHL FHL International, Inc. Faith Hope and Love International, Merlin Gonzales
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