Happenings & Support Letter Amendmant

So quite a bit has been happening lately. Many support letters have been mailed out! I know Amy mailed out at least 50 and I have mailed 54 and have probably 80 more addresses but no more postage but should be getting more soon. God has definitely been on the move in this trip preparation and I would like to thank those of you who have already partnered with us financially! I know Amy has heard from several people from her church who will be supporting us on a monthly basis as well as someone willing to pay airfare for one of us. As for online donations when i last checked late last week we'd received close to $400. We're not quite there yet but God will provide.

Just to add a couple quick amendment to the support letter.
1)We need to hear by early July if you are willing to support us on a monthly basis because in order to purchase tickets we need to at least know that we will have the monthly financial backing necessary to go for a year. So PLEASE send us commitments either via post to:

Crossroads Church

P.O. Box 5829 ,

Wilmington , DE 19808

Or Email us at: capetownproject@gmail.com cause we need to hear from you ASAP.
2) We need to make the payment of $1500/month each, for the first two months to ACTS some time early-mid August ($6,000 Total). So everyone who is making one time donations, a majority of your support I expect to go toward this initial payment and for those of you supporting us monthly, be it for 13 months of 12 Please do not hesitate to begin online supporting because we will be needing the financial backing for the first couple months up front.

A further prayer worthy financial update we've learned of concerns the accessibility of our support while there. Crossroads will be providing ACTS with our monthly $1500 directly as well as our airfare payments however this does not cover the rental car, pay as you go security cell phones, or any other costs we will need to meet while there. Please be praying for Bill Heider and Eric Larson of Crossroads Church, who are helping manage all our finances for this trip, as they are in communication with our SA contacts to work out an arrangement for this necessary access.

Thanks You All for your Generous Prayers and Support! I look forward to posting pictures and Video clips, stories, and blessings on this blog while there to keep you all connected and feeling like you are right there in Cape Town with us sharing in this Life Changing Experience!
Blessings in His Wonderful Grace,
Ronnie

Oops and Coffee

Totally only just noticed I shared the message out of Mark twice...haha
Clearly it had an impact!!
Today I'm experimenting with image posting. This image is one online which pretty much sums up my thoughts lately, Caffeine to get through Finals, and you'll notice the world on the outside of the cup... very appropriate I thought... Tried and could not figure out a way to put a cross on it too but there you Go! :)
I'm off to work now but I will be making another post soon.
Peace and Love in Christ,
Ronnie

Crazyness

So much has been happening and all so quickly. One minute I am trying to figure out where God is leading me, and the next minute my application is accepted and I'm preparing for a one year trip to South Africa. God has a great sense of humor as I have come to find out, as well as being continuously reminded that He holds my life in the palm of His hands and He's got it all under control. Wow! I stand in amazement every day; God is so big-His ways are higher than my ways and His thoughts better than my thoughts.
Life seems to be a world wind right now. Everything is going so fast and I'm trying to just keep up with it all. It's just about time for finals, so between that and all the group projects, and then having SA on my mind 24/7, my mind is constantly occupied haha
Anyway, I am so thrilled for the opportunity to go back and serve in Cape Town, for at least one year. I'm excited to see how God will work in me and through me to reach people for His kingdom. I've found that there are only two things that matter in life. They are LOVING GOD and LOVING PEOPLE, and God has given me the passion and compassion to do that.
Please keep Ronnie and I in your prayers as we wrap up this semester and prepare for what God has set before us.

Finals and Finances

So this will probably be a rather short blog post because as the header says I have finals quickly approaching, aka tomorrow, and I have probably 6-8 papers of varying length to write between now and the 26th. Yes I may be procrastinating by writing a blog post but there are and have been some pretty exciting happenings that I couldn't wait any longer to post about.

First off Amy and I both received an exciting affirmation from God Last Friday at InterVarsity Large group when Ryan Moyer spoke. His message was about just saying, "Yes" to God when he calls you to serve and then trust in him to provide. He read from the passage in Mark which I included at the end of my support letter. Mark 1:16-20 says, "As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him." I did not want to take up much more space on my support letter to elaborate on the significance of these future apostles turning to follow Jesus so I will do so now. Verse 18 says when Jesus called to Simon and Andrew they at once left their nets and turned to follow him. For these two men they would have been raised with fishing as the family business. Their idea of a future no doubt included a fishing net to make a living by and provide for their families. So for them to immediately drop their nets and turn to follow Him at once, with only one summons signifies them not only choosing to follow Jesus but also turning away from what was most likely the only way of life they had ever known. A little further along Jesus cam across James and John in the the boat working with their father. One summons later they had turned not only from their nets, as Simon and Andrew had, but also from their father, representative of their families as well. I'm pretty sure I can speak not only for myself but for Amy also when I say how familiar I feel with the summonings Jesus issues throughout this passage, especially that of Simon and Andrew. For my part I was looking forward to starting classes on main campus in Newark this fall at University of Delaware, having finally completed my associates degree at the Wilmington Campus. I'd registered for classes, gotten into my Professional Writing Major, and even secured a full time Job. However all these were simply My Plans and they clearly did not match God's. When God initially started calling me back to South Africa I had to make a choice, continue on the course I had set for myself or turn and follow him. After Much prayer I decided to take that first step of faith and turn to follow him. Over the last two weeks as I have put my full trust in him he has allowed all the plans for my future following him to fall right into place. My registration for online classes fell right into place, my contacts in Cape Town are prepared to accept me and my service, and Crossroads Church (xrdschurch.com) has most graciously set up an online giving site for this trip agreeing to help manage all our finances.
All this and I'm ashamed to admit that there are still times when I think about all that still must happen for this trip to be successful and feel discouraged. I find myself thinking, 'A year in South Africa...?... You are truly out of your mind', 'You'll never raise enough support and it's just gonna mess up your future and your education'. But Our God is more powerful than any of these doubts and he proves himself to me on a daily basis.

Thank you all for your continued prayers and support. Support letters have been mailed out please be praying for the hearts of those they are heading toward. Also pray for my focus through finals these next couple weeks. Also if you could be praying for my Heart and Amy's and that God will continue to defend them against the advances of the Devil who is trying to spread discouragement and doubt.

Prayerfully in His TLC,
Ronnie Fricke

Support Video

So after about 12 takes and Countless cuts here is our Support Video!

Ronnie's Support Letter

Dear Friends and Family,
As many of you probably remember, I was blessed with the opportunity to spend the month of January 2009 on a mission trip in Cape Town, South Africa. I went on this trip with Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship of University of Delaware along with 12 other students. This trip was a huge success and seeing God at work in the lives of the people and children there has changed my life forever. I have really enjoyed traveling and serving on all the mission trips I have been blessed enough to go on, but none of them has so greatly influenced my walk with Christ as Cape Town, South Africa.
I have never felt as at home and in tune with God as I did during the month of January while serving in Cape Town. Upon returning home to the states I knew I would be on what I like to call a “Missions High” for about three months simply from prior mission’s experiences. So I prayed that if God would give me a clear mind and a clear heart for those three months during the fourth month I would start to pray for his guidance on a return visit if I felt so led. Well he did just that and for nearly three months I have felt myself come off my “Missions High” and return to a regular routine of work, school and extra curricular. However, over the last month I have felt God beginning to pull my heart back to Cape Town. I began to pray for his guidance for my future and gathered around me a group of mentors, friends, and family to pray for his guidance concerning a return stay in South Africa. After a few weeks of praying, during worship at church I prayed he would open my heart, and reveal to it his will for my life and future and the next song the worship band played was “Mighty to Save”, which I had learned while in Cape Town in January. I began to sob as his will became clear to my heart and I knew he wanted me to return as soon as possible and that he would make it happen because he can as that song says “Move the Mountains”.
And so I find myself writing you this letter now. God has thus far allowed all the planning and preparations for a long term mission trip to Cape Town, a full year visit, fall right into place. I will be traveling with Amy Whitlock, an amazing Sister in Christ who traveled with our group from UD to South Africa in January and who has also felt God calling her back to Cape Town for a longer stay. We will again be traveling through ACTS (African Christian Tours and Safaris) and working alongside Living Hope Ministries located in Cape Town, South Africa. While there, we will be working with a wide range of people experiencing their culture and, of course, ministering to those there in various ways. For my part, Living Hope plans to use my skills as a Professional Writing Major, Minoring in Journalism to help them run their new website by expanding it and keeping it up to date. I will also be using my writing skills by writing their regular news letters which get mailed out to all their supporters around the world. A further way I will be able to benefit Living Hope is through their new Living Way job training facilities which we helped renovate while there in January. These facilities are now up and running and one of the training program centers around ceramics, which if you are unaware I have a great passion for. I have extensive training on both the pottery wheel and in hand built ceramic forms and am eager to share this knowledge however possible. Furthermore, the lady who runs the ceramics facility is not a Christian and I hope to be able to minister to her while aiding in her classes however possible. I was of course thrilled to learn that our afternoons and evenings will be filled with regular visits to various kids clubs in the Cape Town area, one of which we worked extensively with when there in January. Weekends will be filled with fun excisions and visits to several local churches including the Hillsong Church of Cape Town.
You may be concerned or curious as to what I intend to do for school while there since I am after all just finishing my sophomore year at University of Delaware with a University Studies Associates Degree, and have already been accepted into the Professional Writing Major on main campus this fall (Apparently my will, not God’s). As it turns out Delaware recently started an online Distance Learning Program which I have just enrolled in for two classes a semester. In this program, as with any other online program you are required to take tests at a designated Proctor site with approved personnel. Well God took care of that too by providing for me retired North Carolina Teacher Pat Ball who is currently employed by Living Hope and has filled out UD’s proctor application and has agreed to proctor my exams while there. Our God is Truly Amazing! This continued studying will allow me to best transition onto main campus fall 2010 to finish my bachelor’s degree.
My primary reason in writing you this letter is to ask for your partnership in prayer. Secondly, I write to ask you to partner with me financially. This is not meant to be a burden to you, or to make you feel as though you are required to give. I ask you to prayerfully consider whether God is leading you to support me. I will need at least 20 people that are willing to support me at $100 per month for 12-13 months starting in early July 2009. The reason the extra month is added on is to help take care of plane tickets, which need to be purchased around July 3rd as well as luggage costs. But of course anyone is welcome to give a one time gift or even become a sporadic giver, making donations of varying amounts every so often as you find yourself capable. Amy and I need to raise at least $2000 total by July 2nd so we can purchase plane tickets around July 3rd. Then we need to raise $2000 each by Mid August and for each consecutive month through July 2010 (12 months from August 09). This $2000 each a month will go to cover the cost of living for each of us while there plus a shared car rental, which we have been advised by other volunteers is a necessity that will only cost around $300-$350/month, which includes all insurance, tires, maintenance, etc as well as for pay-as-you go cell phones, which are also a necessity both for communication and security purposes. Hence the importance of gathering a devoted monthly support team of 20 individuals willing to donate a minimum of $100/month.
She and I are pooling our funds, which are being managed by Crossroads Church who has graciously set up an easy access convenient website for online giving and all donations via this site will be tax deductible. Visit: www.xrdschurch.com and in the upper right hand side under the Give category, click on “give with credit/bank card”. A new window will open asking how much you want to give; enter an amount and then where it says “select one” click on Living Hope-S Africa Project. Then make sure to fill out the rest of the form.
If you choose not to use the online method of supporting, check donations are equally as welcome however, checks must be made out to Crossroads Church to be tax deductible AND in the memo line make sure to put Living Hope and/or South Africa Project so they may be directed into the correct fund. Please mail all checks to the following address:
Crossroads Church
P.O. Box 5829 ,
Wilmington , DE 19808
Finally, if there is any money left over from this trip, or should God’s will change and we do not receive enough support to go, all donations will be given to Living Hope who is currently undergoing major budget cuts due to a recent cut straight out of Washington by PEPFAR (Presidential Emergency Plan For Aids Relief) due to our recession. It is for this reason that all donations are Non-Refundable. But please give freely as you feel led knowing that even after our year of volunteering has ended any excess support you have given will go toward a more than worthy cause.
As Amy and I prepare for this trip please keep us in your prayers! I ask that you would pray that God prepare us and our hearts. Pray also for the hearts of those we will come in contact with, for the ministries we will be involved in, and for our safety. Furthermore, please pray that God will guide us as we are taking a huge step of faith, and pray that we constantly seek the Lord with everything that we do.

Mark 1:17-20 says, “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, and at once they [Simon and Andrew] left their nets and followed him. When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.” In the same way Amy and I are putting our trust in God and leaving behind our nets, our way of life, our families and friends, and turning to trust and Follow Him.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support! I can not wait to leave for this trip, because God is already working in powerful ways!

Sincerely In His Tender Loving Care,

Ronnie Fricke


For More Info. on the organization we are working with and through refer to the links on the left had side of the screen. Or email us directly at: capetownproject@gmail.com

New Generational Fishers of Men

So Amy and I have both been very busy these last couple weeks as finals will be starting at the end of next week and there are a multitude of end of semester assignments to be completed. However through it all God has been moving and active in the planning of our upcoming trip back to Cape Town. Last week we set aside some time on Friday to put together and send over our volunteer applications then this week as been devoted to writing support letters which we hope to put together and mail out tomorrow. As much planning as has needed to go into this whole process i feel as though God has been an ever present comfort and aide, keeping the stress at bay and allowing all the organization to run smoothly.

Early last week my home church Crossroads set up a fund and has agreed to manage all our support. They have even set up a way to give online. This process is very easy and totally tax deductible. The full directions to do this may be found on the following blog entry's which will contain our Support Letters.

Amy and I both received a confirmation from God Last Friday night at Inter Varsity Large group as the message was all on just saying "Yes" to God when he calls you. The verse Ryan Moyer, the speaker, read from Mark 1:17-20 which says, “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, and at once they [Simon and Andrew] left their nets and followed him. When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.” In the same way Amy and I are putting our trust in God and leaving behind our nets, our way of life, our families and friends, and turning to trust and Follow Him. For these deciples their fishing nets were all they probably knew as a way of life. during that time a son would learn the family trade, in this case fishing, and that would be their 'Bread and Butter' for the rest of their lives. So for them to Immediately drop their nets, and turn from their father to follow Jesus was a huge step of faith. Amy and I too are taking a huge step of faith trusting God to provide the support we need to go to and live in Cape Town for a whole year and so far he has provided for us. He has provided an online distance learning program through UD for me, he has provided Crossroads church to manage our funds, and he has provided programs there which perfectly match our passions so that we can allow our passions to match our actions while we are there.

Please be praying with us that all our financial support will come and that we may complete this semester strong and with as little stress as finals will allow. We are both actively trusting God to provide the necessary funds to support us while there. And pray that he will prepare our hearts to serve long term as well as the hearts of those we hope to serve. Also be praying that he continues to bless the planning process for this trip in amazing ways.

May He Bless You and Guide You Always,

Ronnie Fricke