Commemorating ICC’s 44th Anniversary on April 28, 2022
By Rick Fleck, President.
Forty-four years! What an amazing God we serve Who has guided and blessed this ministry during all these years!
During many of those years, my parents, Ken and Alcyon Fleck were the heart and soul of ICC. I was blessed to join this team 37 years ago, and thus personally witnessed the continuing blessings of God. As I looked back at some of the letters my mother wrote over the years, I thought I would share a few thoughts and experiences from a couple of them. In her letter from November of 1988, she talked about the recent close call with bandits who intended to kidnap her and my dad while they were visiting at the Los Pinos Children’s Village in Guatemala. They had left the project a little earlier than planned. A short time later the bandits showed up demanding to see the American directors. When the bandits were later apprehended, they confessed they had planned to kidnap them and hold them for a big ransom.
In that same letter, she talked about attending the primary school graduation (they graduate after six grades) while they were at Los Pinos, especially noting a young boy named Milton.
“One of the graduates was Milton. He is eleven and small for his age. He was finishing fifth grade but had done so well in his studies that his teacher felt he could pass a sixth-grade examination. A month before school was out, he was given a sixth-grade examination. He passed it with superior grades. He carried the flag at the graduation.”
Please note that we featured the grown-up Milton in the November 2021 Que Pasa. As well, we are preparing a “Gathering Place” video series with Milton and his wife, Grizelda. It will begin airing on ICC’s Vimeo channel soon.
My mother also attended a special service in the church, and only children were on the platform;
“The ‘preacher’ was a little boy, 11 years old. He had to stand to one side of the pulpit because only his eyes could be seen above it. With his Bible in his hand, but no notes, he gave a sermon equal to most you would hear from a seasoned pastor.”
He talked about Jesus and His sacrifice for all of us and asked how many would stand to their feet for Jesus and come forward. Most of the audience went forward for a beautiful prayer given by the boy.
She said that a young girl, Maria, came and slipped a piece of paper into her hand.
“She was sent by the court from the worst possible situation. She was 13 and weighed 32 pounds. Her alcoholic father had told her, ‘If you don’t hurry up and die, I’ll toss you over the precipice.’ Her letter was full of love and gratitude, first to God and then to us.”
My mother concluded her message to the ICC family of supporters by saying;
“We can’t solve all the problems of the world, but we can do something. We can’t care for all the starving children, but we can care for some. And each one has infinite worth. God bless each one of you as you share what He has given you.”
Twelve years later, in 2000, my mother wrote at the end of her March ICC letter;
“It is a source of such satisfaction for Ken and me to see these young people who came to us as little children, many times sick and malnourished, homeless and traumatized, to see them now, achieving their goals as bright, Christian young people. The last 21 years haven’t been easy, but it has been worth it! None of this could have happened without our ICC family, people who have sacrificed and shared in our burden for homeless and hurting children. Thank you so much!”
“But the children keep coming. As older ones grow up and leave, little ones take their places. New countries are always begging us to come and help them. We can’t know what God’s plan is for every child or their potential, but we know that God is the Father of the fatherless and He uses us as His hands and feet to care for His abandoned children here on Earth. We still count on you, more than ever, as the program and needs increase. You will be blessed by helping now, but the real reward will be handed out later. God bless each one of you.”
Now, twenty-two years after that message, which was halfway to our current 44-year anniversary, I want to say again that we have repeatedly seen how marvelously God has worked through ICC to save and change lives. And the amazing thing is that He does it through YOU! Yes, it is your faithfulness and your generosity, and your love that fills these broken lives with hope, joy, and love. God has a plan for each of these children, and I thank you for the huge part you play in His plans!
Double The Impact Of Your Gift!
You’ve done so much for the children, and they appreciate it very much. As we mark the 44th year of ICC, you now have an opportunity to make your support go even further. ICC, with the help of an anonymous donor, has established a matching challenge of $44,000 that is designated to provide for the ongoing care of the children during these troubled times of war and rapid inflation. That’s right, your “extra” gift this month will be doubled to create twice the blessing for the children who continue to count on you for support. My mother said it well when she stated, “We still count on you, more than ever.” To match your extra gift this month, designate it as “Matching Care Fund.” Thank you!
