Self-Sustained Food Pantriy

Harvest and sowing

Fresh Corn from the heart of Indiana

Fresh Corn from the heart of Indiana

Early part of this year, we received a large amount of corn seed from one of our ministry partners. They are distributor of corn, soy beans and other seeds. I contacted one of our friends who farms. She agreed to plant the corn, tender and harvest them.

Today, my wife and I were so blessed to see hundreds of fresh newly harvested-corn at their farm. We went around Indianapolis to deliver the corn to 6 different organizations. We were so blessed to see the smiles and the gratitude of the recipients. It is interesting to see how happy people were when they receive the corn! The $ value of the corn was not that much but what made the recipients smile was our thoughts of them. It’s the same thing as giving away bottled water. A bottled water cost less than .50 cents but it’s the thought of giving unconditionally that count.

As the deliveries ended, I was just reminded of how a “Missional Community” would look like – similar to what I had just witnessed. Someone provided the seed, someone planted and tendered it and I was blessed to be the delivery man.

We are all distributors of God’s blessings to people around us. How cool is it to give away God’s unlimited blessings to others. As you go about this weekend or your week, keep thinking that you can be a conduit of God’s blessings to others. It may be just a smile or just giving a cold cup of water to others – just as the Bible says. You may be harvesting blessings for you and your family as you sow simple acts of kindness to others.

Merlin GonzalesHarvest and sowing
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Awareness

Awareness of hunger compel people to action

Awareness of hunger compel people to action

Deep inside all of us is the longing to experience the Bible in our lives. We want to see more of God collaborating in our daily activities. We’d like to talk to Him and hear more from Him. We need to challenge ourselves to be in situations where our only option is to rely on God. This is where faith meets your experience.

Luke 17:20-21, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

Many of us have been praying for revival but if we recognize and honor the God in us, then we carry the revival within us! Wherever the Kingdom of God is, there is revival. It may not look like what we think it should be. Don’t look for a miracle; we are the miracle sent by God through the power of the Holy Spirit. The greatest miracle is seeing someone accept Jesus as their Lord and change their physical and spiritual destiny for eternity. In a blink of an eye, a person’s life was changed forever.

‎”Our awareness directs our action and our collective action changes our culture.”~ Merlin

Awareness directs our action but we need to act on it, then it will have impact on our life. You act on things that are important and according to your priority.

Expanding your awareness of the Kingdom will change all the aspects of your life, your family, your work, your money, your business, and your future. How would your priorities change, and where will your focus be?

We know that there are many benefits in exercising, eating healthy foods, having enough sleep and living a less stressful life. This is good information to be aware of, it could change how you feel, how you look and how you live. But this is only knowledge; unless you act on them, they will remain in your head and they may not have a direct effect in your life. We need the awareness of the Kingdom high in our consciousness if we want to see more of heaven here on earth.

“Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men and women. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then the doings of your work shall be no miracle, but you shall be the miracle.” ~ John F. Kennedy

What are your tasks that seem monumental? Pray for powers equal to your tasks. The ultimate power that we need is heavenly power, power from above, power from the Lord. That’s why we need to put our priority in knowing, believing and acting on God’s will.

Merlin GonzalesAwareness
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Miracles, Signs & Wonders…are they still relevant today?

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Only 6 days to go for the class on the Kingdom. Many people think that the time is ripe for a class like this…living out our faith as a lifestyle rather than an event or program. A Study on Living in God’s Dominion… for more info about the class. There’s an attachment on my enews that you won’t want to miss. Currently, the class is Free onsite and online but you need to RSVP by 1/18.

Merlin GonzalesMiracles, Signs & Wonders…are they still relevant today?
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God wants to answer our prayers

I hope that you will be blessed with the stories below.

We have been busy these past few days with our regular Kindness Days and Food pantries. On October 8, we helped a person in need of yard  clean up, household chores, built a chicken coop and light construction. Thanks to Southport Presbyterian Church for sending 17 Youth and 2 adults to bless an individual who is in need of assistance. After the outreach, we found out that this person has been praying for help.

Our Pantry of Faith was on Oct. 13th at Iglesia Wesleyana Monte de Sion. This church has been praying for ways to serve the community and God has been using FHL to plant a self-sustained pantry since April 2012. They now serve between 40-50 families and have 20+ regular volunteers. 

There are many ways we can communicate with God and one of them is through prayers.

Just this past weekend, FHL partnered with Northview Church in Carmel, IN to mobilize more than 200 volunteers for their “Good Neighbor Weekend.” We brought a few groups to our Heal the Land Project. Before we gave instructions for the neighborhood clean up, I shared with the group that cleaning the streets is only secondary to their collective presence and prayers in the area. Since we have God in our hearts, we can also release His Presence wherever we are. I encouraged them to do prayer walk as well. We prayed together before we started the clean up.

This particular outreach site is in a tough neighborhood with prostitution and drug problems. It seems like the majority of the residents (and/or the residents near the area) do not care for their surrounding since they have chronic problem of trashing the alleys and the vacant and abandoned lots. We have been bringing volunteers in this same area for almost two years on a regular basis but with some progress. However, we believe that God wants to heal this land.

After a few hours of clean up we gathered together for testimonials and debriefing. One of the testimonials was about a couple that badly needs assistance in clearing and cleaning their backyard. The lady of the house is 81 years old. Their backyard was full of overgrown weeds and all kinds of trash. After one of the volunteers prayed for them, I had the opportunity to interview the man of the house. He shared that he was fasting and praying that God would send help to assist in cleaning their yard. He almost broke down when one of the groups showed up in his backyard that afternoon. His prayers reached God and He got his answer immediately.

We ended the outreach with debriefing and prayer. As our Project Manager , Bill was leading the prayer in front of about 70 volunteers on the side of a street, I noticed a woman walking in front of me. She looked depressed and she looked surprised that a bunch of people in her neighborhood is praying together on the street. I continued to pray and forgot about the woman. Soon, all the volunteers left. As I was gathering our tools, I saw the same woman being prayed for by Bill & Donna. She came back and spilled her heart to them. God convicted her to come back to us instead to pursuing her plan to shoplift. She had a black eye and backache because her boyfriend beat her and left her. She did not have anyone in her life because her children were taken away from her a number of years ago while she was in jail. She was going to help herself at one of the grocery stores to clean her apartment because she will be kicked out in the streets in the next few days. She will go to court the following week because of her habitual shoplifting. Bill & Donna led her to the Lord. I asked her if I can pray for healing of her black eye. She hesitantly agreed and within a minute of prayer she said that her eye was not hurting anymore. Bill & Donna ended up providing her assistance for her clothes, supplies and food.

Daniel 9:23, “As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed.” God had heard the prayers of the church who wanted assistance in starting a food pantry, a person in need of assistance for yard work and household chores,  a couple that needed help in their backyard, a woman in desperation and for our group to be a part of what He is doing in a neighborhood.

Be encouraged that your prayers are heard in heaven. God wants to provide the best for His children and He wants to answer your prayers.

Merlin GonzalesGod wants to answer our prayers
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