Hello, Partners and Friends,
Within Frontline, we have a number of taglines. Face The Children (FTC) often quotes An Opportunity for Life. You would also hear people recite, Reaching and Helping People Find Their Way Back To God. More recently we have coined another slogan… #One Frontline, reminding us of God’s call to maintain the unity of the Spirit and, within the different activities of Frontline, to consider and include the other ministries in what we do.
In our Compassion Ministry, we feed the hungry, care for abandoned or abused kids, and minister to the sick. It is inspiring to see what can result from the synergy of God’s people, as these three avenues often intersect with each other and some of the other ministries of Frontline. I’d like to share a few examples.
In March, 45 of our workers and volunteers from around Frontline spent a day learning in partnership with a local Christian group that specialized in sharing the gospel through creative story-telling. The beauty of this program is that it doesn’t require technology. You need nothing but a Bible and the ability to creatively share stories in a way that children can remember.
At one of our feeding programs, we have already applied this strategy. The team, comprised of a few volunteers from the church and several FTC children, is led by one of our house parents. The older FTC children lead in story-telling and food-distribution. I’m astounded to watch children–not long ago living on the streets–now leading feeding programs.
These feeding programs also open doors to other ministry opportunities. Often we encounter individuals and families with a variety of needs; a young mother who has just given birth and can’t be released from the hospital because of a blood screening she can’t afford… a child, bitten by a stray dog, needing anti-rabies shots. Recently a young mother approached us for help; after giving birth alone in her home, she had not been able to even legally register her baby! One of our staff at FTC is now helping to begin this process. Two couples from our city church are now conducting a Bible study with parents of these children who attend this feeding program. Who knows; God may help us plant a church there, or see children from that community begin to attend our school, or even connect with one of our social enterprise programs. This is #OneFrontline in action. This is advancing the cause of Christ.
Now, I’d like to share what a typical day looks like for my wife, Connie, and I. Early morning I get up to help print any assignments prepared by the FTC students. After printing, I greet the students in two separate “waves”. The first batch (the early risers) sits with me outside while we wait for the school bus. At 6:30 AM, away they go! The next group comes to sit and talk until the 7 AM bus arrives. After seeing the kids off to school, Connie and I engage in normal daily duties; she is a homemaker, and I tend to administrative work for FTC. You would think the normal 9 to 5 would suffice; but, just like a normal household, when the children return home from school, we get even busier. We help with homework, or engage in fun activities. Lately, Connie has been baking cookies and muffins with the girls. My only participation in this is taste-testing! On Sunday evenings, we play a competitive volleyball game, with the winning team members each receiving a chocolate bar. Some days, I play a little improvised golf with the boys, with the prize being 2 of the cookies that the girls bake. At 8:30 PM on weekdays, the children get ready for bed. Connie and I take a breather and look forward to the next day.
You might say that life in mission looks similar to family life; but then, that’s the promise of Christ. Whoever has left their family for the sake of Christ will receive in this life a hundredfold more family.
