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FRIEND SHIPS ACTIVITIES REPORT JANUARY 2007 FRIEND SHIPS at PORT MERCY, 1019 North First Avenue, Lake Charles, LA 70601
Tel: 337-433-5022 Fax: 337-433-3433 Email:
info@friendships.org
SPIRIT OF GRACE returns to Port Mercy
On January 2, 2007 after 4 months away on the mission
to Israel, Spirit of Grace and her gallant crew arrived home to
Port Mercy. The ship’s containers were discharged, food stores removed
and lists of work projects prepared in order to ready the ship for her
upcoming mission to Central America later this year.
Great reports continue to come in from the
distribution of goods we delivered to Israel. The Franciscan Foundation
for the Holy Land wrote to say that in December they distributed
furniture, toys
We were also able to provide funds as well as supplies
to assist Calvary Chapel Tel Aviv who is doing a great job of
operating a soup kitchen and providing free medical treatment to homeless
people on a regular basis.
Other groups that received supplies include Latet,
Joseph Storehouse, Christian Embassy and Baptist Village. And
Joseph Project, our main associate and recipient who distributes through
a network of more than 40 organizations, still has tons of supplies to
distribute throughout the year. We’ll keep you posted as the distribution
praise reports continue to come in!
Since our last report, we have celebrated a wonderful
Christmas and New Year, at sea onboard Spirit of Grace, at The
Village in Roatán, at Storehouse One in Los Angeles and here at
Port Mercy in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Most of us were away from our
families but together with our wonderful Friend Ships families.
Here at Port Mercy, we have received donations
of building supplies, toys, food, linens and clothing. We are working on
extra storage space to house all the items the Lord sends our way and doing
some much needed repairs and maintenance to the land base and ships. We are
distributing tarp to two other U.S. humanitarian aid organizations that are
helping their local communities. Our major outreach project in progress is
the building of 18 new mobile medical “Super Clinics” some of which will be
a part of our medical outreach, traveling to many countries onboard ship.
Some will be placed at Trinity Broadcasting Network stations in South
Africa, St.Kitts/Nevis, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Uganda, Namibia
and Tanzania. We are working together with Jan Crouch and Smile of a
Child to construct these new clinics and have now purchased the
refrigerated 20 foot shipping containers needed and the cabinets to be
installed in them. Our team is working on buffing out the interior stainless
steel, installing water and electrical systems, putting in new floors and
cutting doors and windows.
STOREHOUSE ONE, Los Angeles
Food continues to be collected and distributed each
week. This month, we have been assessing each program that is receiving
food and are pleased to report that the food supplies are being utilized to
advance the Kingdom with good stewardship. Here is a sample of a few of the
programs who continue to receive and distribute food each week:
The First International Doers Ministry
feeds 300 people weekly. They run a house to house outreach and operate a
center where people may get their hair cut or washed and/or receive food.
The church prays with each person they see.
Carson Pentecostal Church
feeds 200 people weekly, has a bible study and prayer with everyone who
comes and distributes Bibles. They are able to take some families under
their wing until they can get back on their feet.
Hope Chapel
helps 15 families. The church “adopts” the families they are helping.
Some of the recipients have been able to get back on their feet and no
longer need the food so it goes to a new family. In the past 3 months, 80
percent of the families receiving food have been baptized at the church!
One couple now in their 80’s, has been
working with us for 15 years. They deliver food to feed 35 children and
their families each week.
One charity that receives food, houses
mentally disabled people. Another houses those that are going through drug
and alcohol rehabilitation.
The team in Los Angeles has also distributed supplies
to organizations providing aid in Mexico and have loaded and delivered two
truckloads of equipment and supplies to Port Mercy.
THE VILLAGE, Roatán, Honduras
We continue to have the opportunity to host church
seminars each weekend. For one seminar, a group of teachers came from
Guatemala to Honduras in order to train the over 200 attendees in the final
step of operating “cell” church groups from their homes.
Roatán has
been in the rainy season and so much work on the roads and maintenance has
also been taking place.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO HELP?
If you would like to be involved with
supporting Friend Ships programs,
we have ongoing needs for:
Prayer-
Join “Special Forces”, our team of
prayer warriors.
Crew-
Long and short term individuals and teams.
Finances-
To
support general operations and help purchase the Port Mercy
property.
Supplies-
See website or request a brochure on how you can pack boxes of
supplies to be shipped.
Port Mercy Campaign-
If you would like to help us purchase our
home base, Port Mercy, please mark your gift “Port Mercy”. We are
collecting funds in order to meet a balloon payment of $450,000.00 we have
coming up in early 2008. For about 50 cents a square foot we can
permanently own this invaluable property in Lake Charles, LA where we house
our ships and crew, have warehousing and administrative headquarters.
We have had 32 contributions so far and
the fund now contains $10,154.00!
For those who stand behind the work here at Friend Ships, either by joining
us, giving or praying, remember that your hands push us towards the mark.
Your prints are forever on the Lord’s work here as it goes forth around the
world, showing by your actions, who Jesus is and how much He loves the
people of the world. |
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Updated January 2007 Home / Who Are We? / Join Us / Contact Us / Latest Projects
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and diapers to the needy Christian Arab families living in
Bethlehem. Joseph Project reports that the cities of Sderot, Kiryat
Shomna and Ashdod have received rolls of vinyl to use as shade covering for
kindergartens, homes for the elderly, institutions and emergency shelter.
Asaf HaRofeh Hospital, the largest hospital in Israel, one that
specializes in helping the disabled, received vinyl rolls, wallpaper and
uniform clothing. Battalion of Deborah tells us that families and
individuals (including “lone” soldiers who have no families) were excited to
receive warm clothing, blankets and baskets of needed supplies. Living
Bread Church who helps Arab families living in Jericho reports that the
Muslim Director of a facility that houses abandoned widows and orphans (some
severely deformed, missing feet, burned, or mentally ill) wept as she was
told they she would be receiving hospital beds, mattresses and clothing.
