We Are OK, Praise The Lord

The US Embassy has advised us to contact our friends and families to tell them that we are OK! 


"U.S citizens in Uganda not directly affected by today's events are strongly encouraged to contact friends and family outside of Uganda to notify them of their well-being."


 We are a couple of hours away from the capital where the bombings took place.  We know from past experiences to be extra careful and watch for local activities that are spurred on from events such as these.  So saying a few extra prayers for us is always helpful, they won't go to waste!


Here is one of the full communications our Embassy has sent us:


On 11 July 2010 at approximately 2310 local time, a bomb exploded at The Ethiopian Village restaurant, which was filled with spectators watching the World Cup finals match.  Approximately 10 minutes later, a second explosion occurred at the Rugby Club, also crowded with customers watching the soccer match.  Initial reports indicate that at least 13 people were killed at the Ethiopian restaurant.  At least 40 were reported by the police as killed at the rugby club site.  Many others were reported injured at both locations.  At least one American was reported killed in the blasts.

U.S citizens in Uganda not directly affected by today's events are strongly encouraged to contact friends and family outside of Uganda to notify them of their well-being.

Bombs are popular for criminals and terrorists because they are easy to conceal or place.  A device does not have to be complex to be effective, and even a small size bomb can cause great damage.

It is critical to remember that a bomb can look like anything.  It is limited only by the bomber's imagination.  Practice good situational awareness by being aware of suspicious objects or individuals around you and remember the "3-R Rule" to responding to a suspicious device:

--Recognize
--Run Away
--Report


The following are other protective measures in response to a suspicious device:

--Do not attempt to move or investigate anything in the vicinity of the device
--Move people away from the immediate area
--Do not move the object
--If you do hear an explosion:
--Move away from windows
--Evacuate to a safe area
--Assist the injured
--Be aware of the potential for secondary devices or explosions

U.S citizens are reminded to maintain a high level of vigilance and to take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness.

The Great Preacher Has Already Come!

  Our radio broadcast this evening focused on one of our familiar verses.  One of my favorite scriptures can be found in several books but I usually go to Matthew 28: 16-20.  It gives us specific instructions:  All authority in heaven has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. 

The Great Commission of the Old Testament! 

What I find very interesting is that this was not the beginning and end of that message.  As we dig deeper we find that we have been directed to do this from the beginning.  Yes, in the Book of Genesis we find in chapter 12: 1-3 The Lord said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.  "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."  

We find in Isaiah 49: 6 “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept.  I will also make you a light for the Gentiles that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.

So where does that leave us?  Surely, this is a big responsibility that we have been given!  How are we all supposed to do this?  We can't all leave our country, can we?  We can get out of our comfort zone.  We can  get out of our favorite chair.  We can go outside and down the street to a neighbor and share the Word of God.  

But we might say; "We are not all great preachers!"  My answer is the great preacher has already come, we are here to reflect the light of Jesus. Christ is the light of the world!  Remember if we are reflecting the light of Jesus, we don’t need to be a "great preacher."  

 You might ask; "How can I get enough strength and confidence to do this?"  The answer will be found here in   Acts: 1:8   But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witness in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Let us all pray that the Lord continues to have you and I work for His purpose, honor, and glory and that the Holy Spirit will come upon us and give us the power!

Working Together For A Common Purpose

Tonight as I was driving a truckload of kids, African style, I thought how amazing God really is.
We had about 18 of us loaded for the journey!  Here this is a pretty normal way to transport from one point to another.  They have school trucks here instead of school buses, if that gives you any indication of our methods of transportation, in fact I have been in the bed of a pickup truck several time.  Actually the journey over our bumpy roads keeps you in about second gear at tops for most of the short trip to the  homes.

We had fellowship tonight at Love In Action's compound.  This is a Sunday event that we participate in, first we have supper and then the fellowship.  We have drums and worship music singing in Lugandan and English, pretty awesome!  We have some talented children sing, drumming, and dancing all to the Lord!  We have  a small sermon on the Word, which tonight was given by Peter our resident advisor for the boys.  What is really cool is this; Love in Actions compound is just up the road from Equator Radio, where Jennifer and I share the Word on Saturday and Sunday evenings.  So After the fellowship we walk or get a lift to the radio station and do our half hour show and then we meet back with the others and we journey home at about 10:00 PM.

So why was I thinking; "God is so amazing" on the way home tonight?  Well, Alan from Love In Action is on his way to the UK and Beryl was taking him to the airport.  So neither one of them was here to do the regular transporting of the kids home after the service.  And I don't have a truck, our ministry fleet is a motorcycle.  I am driving the Eagles Wings Truck, because one of their girls stays with the Love In Action girls (Hosanna House), as they are located about two blocks from Eagles Wings.  Eagles Wings is our very close neighbor, just about  the distance of a city block from our compound.

So why I think God is so amazing is because He has all of us working together for a common cause, His Cause!  We all recognize it is God's ministries that He has appointed us to run.  We all have our specialty services and projects we each offer, but we all have Jesus Christ as our common focus.  So as I was driving I was thinking; He Will Provide Ministries (USA) is driving the Eagles Wings (Canada) truck transporting kids from the three ministries who were fellowshipping at the Love In Action (UK) compound.  In the "real world" we would be competitors!  Could you imagine two companies sharing  their trucks or facilities?

Thank you Jesus, we are truly blessed doing your work and seeing how you provide for our every need!

Ahhh! At last, My Time Has Come!!

Even the Lord took a day off !
Genesis 2:2

 So yes my time has come, but I need some help!

I have been prayed for, encouraged, and even justified that I am deserving of some help.  This is my first public appeal for finances for myself!  Honestly it is easier to ask for donations for our children. I love our kids and feel very strongly about them and will go to any length to take care of them. Quite frankly that is one reason I do have to ask for help.  We are also a donor to this ministry, like many of you, and actually we have nothing left for ourselves.  We couldn't let the kids go hungry, a place to sleep, school fees, or clothes so we just did what we had to do. I am telling you when we are on the front lines we are called to action!  Of course it didn't help that last year we were robbed of money we were saving towards airfare.

 So now the time has also come for us to make an appeal!  Will you please help us out.   We have targeted needing about $1700.00 between my airline ticket and immigration papers.  The immigration papers include my two year Work Permit that has been approved, but not paid for yet, it will allow me to get back in the country upon my return .  We have installed a donation button right here for your convenience.  Please make a notation that says "LTM Jim Fruehan".

Send A Missionary Home!

Believing He Will Provide,

Jim

He Said "I Will Take Care Of Everything"

When we patiently wait for God's answers

 they will eventually come!

Our first night at the Door of Hope. (January 2009)

God sets the lonely in families Psalm 68:6

We never knew the length of time God wanted us in Africa, so a lot of things in our lives have been up in the air. Our plan has been to be obedient to His calling.   As a matter of fact we both have been spread a little thin, especially lately with Robyn on one end of the world and me on the other.  Basically we manage two ministries to make all this happen, Jireh Ministries Foundation in the USA (the support) and He Will Provide Ministries here in Uganda (the Project).  Robyn has been in America since the end of January and she really has needed me to assist with a few things back home, as many of you know our story, we still have vehicles to sell and belongings that are in storage. We are eager to reunite, especially since this is the longest that Robyn and I have been apart in our 34 years of marriage, and it is time for me to see our "other family" including our six grandchildren!

Since this ministry involves the lives of children it is a non stop operation, in taking care of all of their needs, clothing, food, medical, school, along with their spiritual welfare. The children have not been without at least one of us since we began this home in January 2009, and that is a long stretch without a day off.  Through God's infinite wisdom and mercy, He called upon some friends to offer to help care for our children so we could have a break! Praise God! Yes they offered!  They listened to God!  I don't know for how long and I don't have a flight scheduled or the money for the fare, but for now I will leave that in God's hands too.  I hear him saying; "I Will Take Care Of Everything!" 

Robyn Fruehan and Beryl Went (pictured with Hadra)
For an afternoon of fellowship in 2009

After their offer to assist us, we have made arrangements with Alan and Beryl Went of "Love In Action" to care for and watch over our children in our absence.  Love in Action is a UK charity and a Ugandan NGO who are blessed with a large enough staff to perform their good works, as they have been doing for quite a few years. Our children have known and fellowshipped with Love In Action since our beginning, so they are not strangers.  They will continue with basically the same love and care they are accustomed to and we are assured they will be provided with the proper care!  Of course our children will continue to be financially supported through our sponsorship program.

 This actually is a good step forward in our growth, as most Directors including the Went's are able to leave their project for holiday breaks throughout the year.  Because we are still small in number without a staff we have not had this opportunity until now, but our Lord God has Provided for us!  The Lord has proven that He does not have boundaries and is able to move mountains in order for His will to be done!

Please continue to keep us in your prayers so we receive the necessary funding to make this complete.

Please tell us how God is working in your life!  

Friends, Fellowship, and Jesus!

Thank You Jesus! 

 We Praise You For Providing For Us!

We always need to see the Lord working in everything we do.  The little things are really important because so many times it is all the little things summed up together that makes the big picture!  The Lord has provided friends for us to lean on during times of need, whether it be spiritual fellowship or friends to share a meal with.  We have become friends with other people here that have a ministry similar to ours.  This has become very important to us lately because I am doing this alone as Robyn has been in the states since February.  

On one of our visits to the "English Garden" in 2009, under a magnificent Mango Tree!

We recently began a weekly fellowship for the kids with our friends Alan and Beryl Went at Love In Action, who are from the UK.  If you have ever been here to Uganda you will know them as Masaka Internet Cafe, it is one of the branches of their ministry.  You may remember the English gardens we visited a while back and that is where our group photo / Christmas card was snapped. So on Sunday evenings we have dinner and fellowship.  It makes a nice size group of about 30 and the kids play the drums and sing worship songs and then we have a bible study!  This has been a real gift to me to have some help with our kids.  

I have said it before, but it is amazing seeing the Lord work right before our eyes.  I just shared with you recently of some of our needs that are just not covered by sponsorship money.  In fact it takes a few sponsors to take care of just one child.  By the time we provide shelter, clothes, food, education, healthcare, etc., well it all adds up past the pledged amounts! So each month we wait and see how the Lord is "going to do it"  this time.  To me it is a regular miracle because somehow the Lord puts it on someone's heart to take care of whatever need the Lord sees fit!  Many times it is just the right dollar amount needed to purchase some much needed  supplies, pay for school fees, purchase school uniforms, or even in Robyn's case when someone donated specifically for her airline ticket to get home for a much needed rest!

  So it tells us that the Lord knows our needs
&

we should be patient and have faith in Him! 

I know when we are ready to announce our new direction for growth, it will be at that time that the Lord will begin funding for that project.  I also have faith that the Lord will provide a day off soon so I can kick back and rest a bit, after 16 months I think I am overdue!  But God knows our needs!