Q&A with ICC President
This is the second installment of a Q&A with ICC President, Rick Fleck. Read Part 1 by clicking here. In addition, watch a continuation of this interview at ICC’s The Gathering Place, Episode 6.
Q:Can you share a recent story that demonstrates how God is blessing the ICC children?
A: Here is a simple one that demonstrates how it can come from any direction. Our partner in Germany had money that they had raised for a special project at the Los Pinos children’s village in Guatemala. They asked what they should use it for.
Just about the time we needed to figure that out, we received a request from Los Pinos saying that one of the refrigerators in a home had broken down. They couldn’t repair it anymore, and they desperately needed a new one. The amount that our German partner had to give was almost exactly what this refrigerator costs. To me that seemed significant. Even the little things like that helped me realize, “Wow, the Lord really helped!”
Q:What are some of things that impress you the most about ICC’s family of supporters?
A: There are several components of the ICC family that make it fascinating and that impress me in different ways. First of all, we have supporters who have been with us from the very beginning, such as founders and people located close to our office. But, over the years, this family of supporters has grown. We have supporters all over the United States, in Canada, in Europe, and Asia. And they all have this intense passion: they love children, and they love people. It inspires me because I see this love, and it inspires and improves my own walk with God.
The other facet is the ICC family of supporters who live in the countries where we have children’s projects. This includes the children themselves who have now grown up and have their own families. It’s exciting to see them become an ICC supporter. And they love it. They tell me, “This is great, and I like doing this.” Some of them sponsor children. Some of them even get together and do things for the children.
For example, in the Dominican Republic some of our older kids who are now independent get together once a year and put on a nice Christmas program for the children. They organize a party, give the children presents, and have a great time with the kids. This ICC family of supporters has gotten to be really big, and it’s fascinating to be a part of it. God is really blessing that family.
Q:If money were not an issue, how would you go about expanding ICC’s ministry to help more children?
A: I really don’t think that money is the issue. I don’t stress about the money. I’m concerned that we follow God’s plan and His leading. I believe that if He leads us to help more children, in the same country or in a different country, then He will provide the funds for that. It’s up to us to follow His leading and guidance.
Q:When you think about the future of ICC, what do you imagine?
A: The first thing I think about is when we are in Heaven and we’re meeting around Jesus’ feet with all these kids and they’re all talking about what a wonderful thing it is that they’re in Heaven. We talk about this with the children when we go and visit, because the children know that there are projects in other countries. We tell them stories about the other countries. Children in the Dominican and Guatemala love to her stories about children in Africa. And the children in Africa love to hear stories about children in Guatemala or Mexico or somewhere else.
I think over the years, as long as we are on this earth, I would like to see more of that unity and more of this family spirit. Because these children have been deeply injured in their early lives in ways that we can’t even understand. But as we bring healing to them, part of the healing is this sense of family. Being a part of ICC’s worldwide family is something that is really important to them.
Kids really like the concept of sponsorship in ways that maybe we don’t understand sometimes. Their own families, for reasons completely out of the children’s control, weren’t able to take care of them. And maybe in some cases they didn’t even love them. And yet, within the ICC family there are people who are reaching out to them and loving them and showing them love in different ways. That is part of the healing process for them.
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