#fhlbackyardmissions

Monday am, 7/25 Obedience accesses Faith

July 25, 2011 Merlin Gonzales FHL Indiana, FHL Week

My day starts with my daily Bible devotion, tending my garden, checking FHL web, email, etc. I was just reminiscing how the Lord had rescued us from the extreme heat yesterday.
Early Sunday morning, I asked the Lord to provide us cooler weather, with some sprinkling of rain to cool us down and cloudy.

By 1pm, the cloud starting to form and at 1:30p it rained. (Indianapolis had not had rain and it had been in the 90’s in the past several days) I grabbed the mike and asked everyone at University Park to agree with me in prayer that the event will not be stopped by heavy rain. I also announced that we worship the Lord anytime, anywhere, anyhow. Our ministry leader showed me through his iPhone the current forecast with the cloud of rain just circling around the park. Within a few minutes of rain, all of a sudden, the temperature change to 15-20 degrees cooler, with breeze and the cloud lingered.
I heard from others who just came at 2-2:30p that just a mile or two from the park was a downpour and heavy rain.

The Bible states that the Lord gave the Israelites cloud by day to keep them cool and fire by night to keep them warm.

Lord, thank you for honoring our prayer and for showing us your Glory through the changing of the atmosphere and by blessing our land.

Looking forward for more miracles today. “Obedience access faith and faith access grace. Miracles happen because of the grace of God.”

Praise the Lord!

Giving and Serving from the hands of God

July 21, 2011 Merlin Gonzales FHL Week

If you were given a chance of a lifetime, what would you do for your neighbors and for your city? This question has been in my heart even before the Lord had birthed FHL in 2005. It is now happening right in front of our eyes.

This coming FHL Week (July 24-30), our city will see the unconditional love of God through the unselfish acts of kindness from the all sectors of our society. A national-chain restaurant providing thousands of dollars worth of food for the volunteers, ministries who invest their own money even though they are not in their “line item” or in their budget, our local government providing resources to the neighborhoods and individuals taking the entire week as their vacation to serve those people that they don’t even know. All these testimonials are blessings to hear but they are extra blessings for those who are serving. Literally, God gives through hands and He takes care of His people through the “Local Missionaries”.

In Hebrews 11:2, “This is what the ancients were commended for.” I would like to mention that the people who serve unconditional will be commended by God for their ‘faith in action’. As one Bible commentary says, “True Bible faith is confident obedience to God’s Word despite circumstances and consequences.” “The circumstances may be impossible and the consequences frightening and unknown, but we obey God’s Word just the same and believe Him to do what is right and what is best.”

I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to all of you for serving others unconditionally. You are a part of the history of the transformation of our city. I am privileged to work alongside you in the declaration and the demonstration of God’s love.

Please contact us at 317-578-3370 or [email protected] Sign up Online to volunteer and participate.

Ephesians 3:20, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,”

May the Lord bless you abundantly and be a blessing to others,

Merlin

The next stage

July 17, 2011 Merlin Gonzales FHL Indiana

2 Chronicles 30:12, “Also in Judah the hand of God was on the people to give them unity of mind to carry out what the king and his officials had ordered, following the word of the LORD.” – NIV

Only by God’s blessings can we experience the true meaning of UNITY and we can carry out what FHL was called to. If we are to teach and preach unity, it needs to start from within us and from our leadership. We model who and what we are for.

Since early part of this year, my spirit has been anticipating new things coming in May (ministry-being more focused, resources/financial blessings):

in May and June we received 5 donated cars and in June alone, our income/donations was 3 times more than normal.
I sense that after our 7th FHL Week, we have to be ready for unexpected blessings and increased harvests from the years of sowing. We have been proven and tried. Our new season is coming. However, there is price to pay and we need to position ourselves for the growth and for new assignments.
2011 is the preparation for 2012 – (I’ll expound later in this)

Be ready. We will be harvesting where we did now sow and the reaper will overtake the harvesters. From the mountain of the Lord will flow Rivers of Living Water. Streams of Living Water will flow through us and we will continue to be conduits of God’s blessings to His people.

I’m looking forward to this upcoming FHL Week. Although the Official FHL Week is July 24-30th, our Noblesville area area starting early on Thursday, July 21st and a couple of other areas are extending till July 31st.

Thank you for coming alongside FHL, the ministry that God had birth out of His love for Indianapolis and beyond.

A Few God stories

July 7, 2011 Merlin Gonzales Testimony

Here are a few stories how God used the FHL ministry to share the tangible expression of God’s love:
• In the past 6 weeks, we have received 5 donated vehicles; 3 were already donated to those in need.
• The largest single project (self-funded) during FHL Week is the 3 church build for Haiti (parts are gping to be bought and constructed in Noblesville FHL Area) plus 25,000 meals pack costing about $22,000+
• We are planning to have our biggest-ever Prayer Walk/Celebration on July 24th 3p at University Park. Please join us if you can, you will be blessed.
• We are planning to do foot washing and 500 shoes giveaway on July 30th 4p at HHOOT to the homeless
• We have planted a self-sustained Food Pantry at Boys & Girls Club at Troy Ave., Indianapolis. The pantry is open every 3rd Saturday from 2-4p. I would like to invite you to join us this month.
• We are now looking for creative ways to reach the hungry through a ‘village pantry’ model. We are aiming to start 2 of these pantries during FHL Week.
• 24/7 Prayer Room available at My Father’s House church in Broadripple during FHL Week.
• Our partnership with a non-profit organization for a 4-acre land Grassroots farm right in the Lafayette Sq Mall vicinity. We are expecting 7-10 different nationalities to farm.
• Check out my Podcasts to hear more how the Lord is blessing others through our ministry

God had given FHL grace to connect those in need with those who have resources. He is using us to mobilize hundreds of volunteers and to accomplish many projects and services with a small budget. Here’s what Indianapolis Mayor Ballard say about FHL.

God bless you!

FHL Week 2011 Update 6/17

June 18, 2011 Merlin Gonzales FHL Week

The Coming of the Kingdom of God – Luke 17:20-21, 20 Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, 21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within[a] you.” – NIV

What a privilege we have in Christ. He has chose us to be distributors of the Kingdom treasures and blessings. It’s unfathomable that the Kingdom of God is within us.

Here are the Updates for the FHL Week:

Possible 24/7 Prayer Room in the Midtown area starting 7/24 (Midtown Area)
Several youth and adults from New Castle, Anderson & Pendleton, IN are planning to stay at a church parsonage during FHL Week for a Neighborhood Makeover near the d’town Indy (Pendleton/Anderson area)
The Official Kick off of FHL week is 7/24 at University Park and part of the celebration is Dance Your Shoes Off where hundreds of participants will dance to make God famous and will leave their shoes to be distributed for those in need (FHL Indiana)
FHL is partnering with several homeless ministries for the 7/30 Foot Washing and to give them the shoes that were collected on 7/24 (FHL Indiana)
On 7/28-30 will be feeding both of body and soul in the West side of Indy with unabashed worship, sharing of the Gospel to general public and possible clothing give away (West side Area)
FHL is now recruiting for “Citizen Reporters” who will be simultaneously reporting during FHL Week from different locations. Please sign up on FHL website Volunteer page to find out more about this new initiative (FHL Indiana)
“Hands for Haiti” in which we will construct 3 church buildings and pack 25,000 meals for the people of Haiti (Noblesville area)
Town Hall Meeting in Lamong, In to discuss the plans for the Neighborhood Makeover 6/23 7p at Lamong Christ Community Church (NW Area)

We have many larger projects that could keep many volunteers busy throughout the week. Please contact me if you have local missionaries who would like to join other areas such as d’town Indy, Westfield and ramp building around Mero Indy.

Psalm 115:1, “Not to us O Lord, not to us, but to Your Name be the Glory…”