There is nothing impossible for our God!

Greetings Friends


Another week has come and gone. This week was full of excitement as God showed up again in big ways. It is hard for me to get my head around the unlimited resources that God has and how He is using the community of Winkler to make a huge impact in the city of Guaymas. It is a project that we as a family are truly privileged to to be a part of.
This week we held an information night at the Central Station in Winkler. We hade a great evening of sharing and relationship building. A huge thank you to all those that spent so much time putting the event together. I'd especially like to lift up Jim and Lena Suderman for all the behind the scene work as well as Don Friesen for taking time to share some of his experiences working with Children of Hope over the past years. It is so great to see unity amongst believers here in Winkler. Also a big Thank You to those who came to the info night to hear what is happening in Guaymas. I really appreciate those who took the time out of their schedules to come and listen.
Having said all that, God has provided 30 of the 44 acres that we need sponsored. "PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!!" God continues to blow my mind. I do not know where the remaining acres are going to come from but I am praying that they will be committed to before we go home to Mexico in September 9. Please join me in praying for the remaining acres. Please pray that God would continue to put me in contact with those that He has chosen to give to this ministry.

God bless you all. Thanks so much for following our blog and showing interest in our lives. We love you guys and I am starting to realize how difficult it is going to be to leave again. You are all as much a part of this as we are.
I pray for Gods richest blessing for you are your families.

Brian

 

God is Alive and Moving!!! Another BIG Response!

Hi Friends

So God has been outstanding this week once again. Everyday He continues to provide. Even as I type this I am emotional at Gods provisions. To date God has blessed us with 13 of the 44 acres. We are almost half way there! It blesses my heart to see all the people partner with us to make a loving home for the children of Mexico. It also blows my mind to see Gods endless provisions. Thanks to all of those who have stepped up to the challenge! Really, thank you so much! And thank you to those who are walking with me in promoting this ministry! I pray God blesses you tremendously! Just today a friend called me and said he was able to come up with 5 acres for the orphanage:) Please continue to pray that God will touch the hearts of those he chooses to partner with and that I would come in contact with them one way or another

Check out this video,

Blessings,
Brian


http://youtu.be/YZoVRpjeHHI

God Responds in Big Ways!!!!

Hi Everyone, I am trusting that you are well and enjoying your summer!

I am so excited at the way God is moving. We are busy raising awareness for the orphanage and for the purchase of the land we want to buy in Mexico. I am so excited, in the past week God has blessed this ministry tremendously! To date we have received sponsorship for 7 of the 44 acres we are raising money for.
I want to thank each one that has already committed to sponsor and acre of land! What a blessing you are!

Please pray that God would continue to lead me to the people that He chooses to support this project. We are looking for people that are interested in taking the "buy an acre Challenge." If you are interested in helping the orphaned and abandoned in Mexico, please contact me.
Also pray that each child that comes into our lives through this ministry is blessed and ultimately comes to know the Lord. I thank The Lord for each one of you, and for the encouragement and Love that we feel from all our supporters. It is an honour serving in Mexico and representing our amazing community.

Blessing to each of you.

Brian

Hello Friends

Wow, time flies by when your having fun!!!! It is good to be back in Winkler reconnecting with all our friends and family. We have missed you all so much and are excited to continue our visits.
We are doing well, we are booked most evenings with different families and friends. The Winkler cooking has been great! We have also met new people along the way and it is always a blessing to add to the friends list.
I have been sharing in a few different churches which has gone well. I have the Winkler Grace Church booked for Sept 1 for any of you in the area that are interested in coming out to visit. I am also planning a informal information night where I can share a few more details about the plans to buy land for the orphanage and the plans moving forward. Ill keep you advised of that when the details become available.
So, when I say we are having fun, of course building on relationships is always fun, for me anyways, but the real exciting thing that I am having allot of fun with is talking to people about the land we plan to buy. I am so excited at everyones response. We are giving people the opportunity to sponsor an acre of property for the orphanage. Farmers and business people are really liking the challenge! I am finding that they are not only stepping up but they are talking about the challenge to the friends, neighbours and collogues.  If you are interested in getting involved in the acre challenge please let me know. I can explain in more detail. We are looking for individuals, small groups, youth groups, neighbours, friends, etc. Anyone interested in jumping on board with sponsoring an acre so that we can buy and purchase the land this year. This week alone I have had 6 acres sponsored out of the 44 acre plot we are buying! Praise The Lord! If you or anyone you know is interested in getting in on the fun please contact me. I would love to talk on the phone or set up a meeting.
So I ask you to pray that this challenge will be met. I believe all 44 acres will be sponsored!

God's Richest Blessings!!!!!

My contact info

bckrahn@gmail.com
Cell: 204-384-9842

We are almost back to Winkler!!!

Greeting friend and family,

We are almost back in Winkler!

We have been on the road now for a few days. Actually its been almost 2 weeks! We decided to take a little extra time coming home for a couple of reasons. We wanted to take some time to re group as a family but we also knew that when I arrive in Winkler I'll have to hit the ground running. :) This trip back to Manitoba has been a real blessing, we have tented most of the way down and it has really helped us to adjust back to our culture before we arrive so that I can focus on what needs to happen when we get there.

I want to take the opportunity to thank you for all your support this year. As we prepare for the next season, and with the dream and plans to construct the orphanage I ask that you please remember us and the project in your prayers. This truly cannot happen without Gods blessing on it. I believe with all my heart that this is Gods plans and that He will bring it to pass! We are so excited that we have the privilege to continue serving our Lord at this capacity! It has been an absolute privilege! Our lives have changed.

I want you all to know that I will be arriving in Winkler this Saturday afternoon and I am scheduled to give a report in our church (Winkler MB Church) on Sunday the 14th. You are all invited! I know that it is summer time and many will be out on vacation but it sure would be great to have a full house! Even if you are not a MB'er please feel welcome to come! It would be a huge encouragement to Clarissa and I. Although it does add some more pressure to me and my presentation. LOL (i promise, if you are not blessed by my presentation you will be humoured! This is not a strength of mine) :)

Sooo, having said all that please come out and hear what God has been up too in our lives. I will be sharing a few stories, giving an update on what the future holds and stuff like that. Also prayerfully consider how God might use you to be involved! As I mentioned, I can't do this alone. I am currently booked to speak in 3 different churches in MB and hoping to line up some churches in the USA on the way back to Mexico. We are promoting the orphanage plans and raising funds to launch the project this fall. If you know of churches or organizations that may have a desire to help with this need please let me know. I have also started to take reservations with small groups and personal supporters for the month of July and August. We want to connect with as many of you as possible so please let us know if you would like to get together with us.

I pray Gods richest blessings on each of you. You are all constantly in my prayers and I thank The Lord for each one of you and for the blessing you have been to us! We have an amazing support network, it is a privilege for us to know and be a part of your lives as well.

Dios te Bendiga!!! See you next week:)

Brian
   

Words don't cut it

 

James 1:27

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

NLT

This building appeared to be barn stalls. In actuality they are homes.

DIF delivered three boys to Maggie's ministry. They were with her about a week then returned to their parents who live here in one of these.

This is another type of hut made of sticks and tarp. Keep in mind how hot it gets down here. It is very common to be in the 40's. Their is no relief from the heat of summer. I was inside one of the huts and the flies were almost unbearable.

Someone's home

This is a bathroom. I gathered it to be public

Aside from the heat, this day it was quite windy. Their was allot of dust in the air.

This is the mother of the children that were dropped off at Maggies.

This is a little girl eating a cookie delivered by DIF.

A mother and child listen as the President of DIF gives a short presentation.

I wonder what is going through his mind. How is his life going to turn out?

A little girl watches as her mother goes through some donated clothing for their family.

With the temperatures starting to climb, we decided that it would be best to make our visit to the community of Marquez in the morning to avoid the heat of the afternoon. Maggie and I packed up my truck with a load of donated clothing and headed off to visit the family of three children that stayed with Maggie at her ministry for approximately a week. Prior to leaving for Marquez, Maggie mentioned to me several times that this would be an experience I would never forget. She said, "This will be like nothing you have ever seen before." I've seen some pretty ugly places and honestly, thought I had pretty much seen it all. I'm not sure anything can prepare you for walking through a community like this, without question, this was another community that ranked right up there with the worst ones I have visited.

 

In the community of Marquez the men work hard. They are out in the heat working the fields. I am not sure which crops are grown here but the soil looks really good. The men and young boys work long hours to provide income for their families. Families can rent these barn style homes for 400 peso's per month which is a little more that $30.00. I had the opportunity to walk inside one of the homes. It was pretty much empty, a small table and some old dirty 5 gallon pails to sit on. Their was no bed, only some blankets and some old foam for the family of 6. On the small table was a watermelon that had been cut open, half was gone and the remaining half was left, crawling with flies. I am sure that was their lunch. Their are no coolers or refrigerators to keep their food out of the heat or protect it from critters.

 

When we arrived in Marquez we happened to run into DIF. (Social Services) They were doing a clothing distribution in the community that day as well. Ironic! We partnered with them as they we headed for the exact same place we were going. God has blessed us with an amazing relationship with DIF. It is so essential in order to work with them in the future. The President of DIF was there as well and her and I connected, I had the chance to share with her for the first time our plans to construct the orphanage. She was very excited and offered assistance to us. It was a divine appointment, I still can't believe how we crossed paths. Even she said to me, "I feel God arranged for us to meet today." WOW!

 

I look back on this experience. I don't know what to say, I don't have words. If I think of the comforts of life that I have, even living in Mexico, it simply blows my mind how good we have  it. I can't believe that there are still people living like this? I think of North American and all the things that we take for granted. This sure could be me in one of those photos, it could be my children, but for whatever reason God chose to put us in North America. A nation that is blessed beyond belief! Wow, can you imagine what it would be like living in a barn stall? I can't imagine and don't even want too.

 

 

Wow, what a challenge. It sure makes me ask myself allot of very hard questions?

 

Be Blessed everyone,

Con Mucho Amor

 

Brian





Dream Big

Hey Folks, how are you all doing? I trust you are well and enjoying the warmer temps.  Well, an update is long overdue and I hardly know where to start, but here we go!

 

Over the past two years Clarissa and I have been exposed to the many needs here in our region, particularly the needs of the children, and so we believe that God has laid it on our hearts to construct and develop an orphanage.  God has already started to open numerous doors affirming that this is God's calling for us and we believe this with all our hearts.

 

In September of 2011 we were heavily involved with the food program in Fatima and it was there that God really spoke to my heart about the possibility of opening an orphanage. I didn't experience any dramatic visions nor was there any climactic experience; it was a simple nudging in my heart, a silent prompting. I shared this with Clarissa and she affirmed the great need for an orphanage, but I think we both had the same thought. What is God up too?

 

We spent a lot of time praying about it and I knew that if God wanted us to be a part of that journey He would open the doors and lead us into it, and that is exactly what He’s been doing.

 

After our decision to follow God’s gentle nudging for an orphanage we knew there were some significant steps that needed to be taken.

 

The first was for me to become a Mexican citizen. I found out that through my Dad’s Mexican Nationality that I was entitled to become a dual citizen of Canada and Mexico. Again, this opens many doors for us personally as well as for the orphanage. I was a bit overwhelmed at the process of applying for my Mexican citizenship but wouldn't you know God had that worked out too! Through a friend I was introduced to a lady who knew the right contacts in Canada and I literally had to do nothing other than mail the documents and I found out a week ago that I am now officially a dual citizen!

 

A second, fairly critical step in this adventure was to partner with a group or organization that has experience with orphanages.  I was introduced to an organization called "Children of Hope" based out of BC Canada who are very interested in working with us on this project. They bring years of wisdom and advice to the table. Right now I am still in the application process with them, so please pray that this process will go smoothly.

 

Once I receive the formal documentation for my citizenship I can begin the process of setting up my Mexican charitable status. We are applying for a highly credited status that is greatly respected and with this higher status comes more accountability, such as monthly minutes and yearly audits. We want to run the Orphanage with the highest integrity and transparency, we want our supporters to feel confident in us that their donations are being used as intended and that God is being honoured through it.

 

Even as I write this letter to you God is moving and opening doors for us in ways I could never even have imagined.

 

The first tangible order of business is for us is to look at the possibility of purchasing some land for us to build on and through an amazing series of events I will be looking at multiple land options for the orphanage.  When God moves, He really moves!  I can hardly wait to share the stories of how God has begun to make this all possible! 

 

We believe that God is asking us to trust Him and to dream big!  So we are!  We don’t want this to be just an orphanage, but a safe place where children can learn life skills, like farming, sewing, cooking, taking care of animals, the options seem endless.  We dream of eventually having a school on the property that would offer these children proper schooling in a Christ centered atmosphere.  With God all things are possible!

 

Please consider how you would like to be a part of this!  This is far bigger than anything we can accomplish alone so we need your help!  We need prayer partners, people who are committed to praying for us continuously!  If you’d like to join our prayer support group please let me know!  We need financial support, whether a one-time gift or ongoing support, it’s all important to God’s kingdom! If you are interested in becoming a financial supporter please contact me and I can walk you through the process!

 

Our passion is that through this orphanage we will be able to give children that come from hopeless and dark situations into a home where they will feel love and security.  A place where we can equip them with life skills that they will take with them for a brighter future.  A future that offers security, hope and a promise of God’s unfailing love for them.

 

I f you would like more information about Children of Hope please feel free to look up there website at www.childrenofhope.info.com