FFK Newsletter 2005

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Merry Christmas!!!

November 30, 2005

A Simple, Humble Loving Man

By Alex Hernandez

I have known Fr. Frank for the last

two to three years. Every time he visits

our home, he enlightens us with the good

news of the gospel. He is a simple, hum-

ble, loving man with-

out a doubt; a man

with a vision of help-

ing the poor. Hisgenuine love for our

children is over-

whelming to any onewho meets him. I see

this all the time in our

childrens eyes and in

the way they interact

with Fr. Frank.

We all enjoy being around him; he

always has a smile for all of us andmakes sure that every one has one too.

He pokes your belly, underarms or makes

a funny face. Oh yes!! He has his ways.

Fr. Frank not only has brought tons of

clothing, toys, computers, washers and

dryers machines but most important he

has brought us HOPE to all who have had

the opportunity to share and shake his

hand.A couple of years ago, he donated a

substantial amount of

money to change the

roof of the local com-

munity San JorgeChurch. As you can

see, he has not only

touched our childrens

little hearts but he has

also extended his love

to a whole community.

Note:Alex is a former pequino who at-

tended college in the US and returned to

work at NPH Nicaragua. He is in charge

of the birthday celebrations (see page 3)

and correspondence with the adoptive

God parents.

Fr. Frank receives hugs during mass at Casa Asis

To all my friends and friends of the or-

phans,

I just returned from three months with

the children in Nicaragua. I thank God

for giving me this calling. I cant explain

the joy that comes to me with the success

that I see.

These children come to us with great

needs. They need the basics of food,

shelter and education but most impor-tantly they need love and the need to dis-

cover Jesus. Imagine yourself as a childwho has lost your parents through death

or abandonment; who has possibly been

molested or beaten and has drifted to the

streets to fend for ones self and stealing

to survive. Then a hand reaches out and

gives you food, shelter, education, love

and spirituality. Most of our children

grow with our program but many chal-

lenges remain. It takes time, patience,

love and resources to change a childs

mentality who has been neglected, vio-lated, unloved and does not know Jesus.

My reward has been to see this change

in most of the children. My agony is

those who slip and dont change. My

agony is all who do not get the opportu-

nity because our facilities are not large

enough to take on more.

I am going back to Nicaragua in late

November. The Lord has given me extra

strength while I am with the children.There are so many that need love and

need to know Jesus and in a small way I

think I can help.

Thank you parishioners of St. Isidoresfor your generous help. Please continue

as we need more teachers including cate-

chism. We need larger facilities. We

need to buy books in Spanish in addition

to clothing and food.

With love and Gratitude to Jesus,

Fa t h er F r a n k


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Page 2

The Amphitheatre Is FinishedRemember the amphitheatre that was being built by Father Franks Kids next to the chapel at the orphanage in Rancho Santa Fe,Honduras? As you can see in the pictures above, the pillars have been set in place, the roof has been added and the interior com-

pleted. It now provides 600 additional seats for masses and special events.

Honduras

Workers are unloading two containers thatarrived in Nicaragua while Father Frank was

there. One brought new clothing and a com-

mercial washer and dryer. The other container

had 243 bicycles, tools and bike repair parts for

setting up a repair center where the children

can learn how to repair and maintain bicycles.

12 MONTHS OF EXPENDITURES FOR FATHER FRANKS KIDS

Your donations are the life line of Father Franks Kids. As you can see from this list andthe articles in this newsletter, much is being accomplished through your generosity. Ithank you and encourage you to continue helping these wonderful children.

09/21/2004 $ 324 Air Conditioner for Nicaragua

09/23/2004 $ 3,746 Two ice machines for Nicaragua

10/07/2004 $ 2,122 Icons for Casa Asis Chapel, Nicaragua10/18/2004 $ 1,650 Five Sewing machines for Nicaragua

11/12/2004 $ 1,982 Printing and postage for the newsletter

01/13/2005 $ 435 Cost of CPA for filing non-profit corporation status

01/14/2005 $ 6,371 Shipping 40-foot container to Nicaragua

02/05/2005 $ 673 Medicine for treating lice in Guatemala

02/28/2005 $ 43 Coffee maker for Nicaragua

06/15/2005 $ 4,286 Shipping 20-foot container to Guatemala

06/15/2005 $ 2,976 Shipping 20-foot container to Miami for Honduras

07/05/2005 $ 5,288 3 rubber jump houses for Nicaragua

07/05/2005 $ 427 Digital camera and printer for Nicaragua

07/10/2005 $ 223 Mass Missals for Nicaragua

07/29/2005 $ 7,636 Commercial washing machine and dryer for Nicaragua

09/03/2005 $ 4,100 Shipping 20-foot container with clothing andmerchandise to Nicaragua

09/03/2005 $ 6,400 Shipping 40-foot container with bicycles to Nicaragua______

TOTAL $48,682


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Page 3

Paul, on the road to Damascus topersecute Christians, was called uponto serve the Lord. Father Bill Wassonwas studying to become a lawyer and

received a calling to study for thepriesthood in Mexico, which he didand when ordained became a Pastor inCuernavaca. In 1954 a boy was ar-rested for stealing from the poorbox. Father Wasson, rather than presscharges, asked for custody of theboy. A week later the Judge sent himeight more boy thieves (homeless or-phans). This was the beginning ofNuestros Pequenos Hermanos (OurLittle Brothers & Sisters).

Over 15,000 children have beenraised with love and spirituality and

have received an education. Most

complete high school and some go on tocollege. Currently the orphanages inMexico, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Hon-duras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guate-

mala, Peru and Bolivia, have about 3,000orphans in their homes.

Father Frank attended an annualconference as a guest of a St. Isidoreparishioner eight years ago. He receiveda calling and has been blessed by a won-derful response from St. Isidore parish-ioners and friends of the program. FatherFranks Kids is one of many supportgroups which have grown to include sev-eral countries in Europe and Canada inaddition to the United States.

Father Wasson, Father Frank, butmost importantly the children say

Gracias AmigosFather Bill Wasson

The NPH (Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos) Story

There are presents

...and cake thats great for eatingand wearing too!

Birthdays are

special days

and a time for

celebration. At

Casa Asis

(left), since

there are only37 children,

each child gets

his/her own

birthday party

with great

food, a piata

full of candy,

and games to

play.

At Casa Santiago, all of the birthdays for the

month are celebrated on the same day. So youcan imagine the excitement when that day ar-

rives. Besides the good food and celebration, the

birthday celebrants get to go to Managua for theday where they can swim and attend a movie.


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Page 4

Christmas in NicaraguaBy Stan Stokowski

Marthe, my wife, and I spent ourChristmas of 2004 in Nicaragua with35 ninos at the Casa Asis orphanagein San Jorge. It was a wonderful ex-perience being part of a caring familyof Nicaraguan workers and volunteersfrom all over the world. Everyonethere had a mission ofgiving attention and loveto the ninos. Most inspir-ing to the both of us werethe many volunteers whogive their time and moneyto serve orphans and thepoor. They are living thelife of Jesus. They see a need and fillit. Most importantly they live amongthe people, eat their food, and gener-ally live as the people do. The volun-teers we worked with were from theNetherlands, Austria, Russia, USA,and Italy.

The contrast between the USA andNicaragua is considerable in terms of

material wealth. However, there is aslow, quiet pace, a rhythm, a concernwith the basics of life there. There isvery little artificiality; people are veryfriendly. We both felt that our stressfulpursuit of material goods in Americadoesnt necessarily make us any hap-pier. On the other hand, Nicaraguaneeds our help materially and person-ally.

We met the ninos, volunteers, tias,

and staff. Tias (aunts) are the babysit-ters of the children. They are like thechildrens mothers. There are threetias each for the chico group (2.5 to 4years old) and for the grande group(up to 7 years). The Casa consists oftwo dormitories (one with the kitchenand the office), a chapel, a school,playground, an enclosed playground(concha), a laundry area, and bodegas

(storage areas).The dormitories have

2-level bunk beds, ashower, toilets, and aneating area. Each grandehas his/her own electrictoothbrush and a bag fortheir personal stuff. The

clothes are stacked according to sizeand they are used in common, no per-sonal clothes. They are washed daily.

Marthe and I helped out by playingwith the ninos, and working around theCasa. Because of her cooking experi-ence, Marthe ends up in the kitchenoften. Twice a week they have pan-cakes with mango sauce and home-

made yogurt. Oatmeal twice, eggstwice, and corn flakes on Sunday, allwith a big glass of milk and bananas.The children wake up about 6:30, getshowered and dressed. They eataround 7:15. The volunteers and theworkers eat after the children areserved. Then the children go outsideto play. If school is in session, theolder children will attend school on thegrounds

There is always room for ice cream! This

treat came compliments of Father Frank -

no wonder he is so popular.

The Water Tower at Casa Asis. Water

comes from a well and is filtered and UV-

treated. It is good to drink - Stan Stokowski

This covered play area was built for the

children at Casa Asis by Father Franks

Kids to give them a place to play outdoors

protected from the sun. It has swings,

slides and other outdoor toys.

Faces of Casa Asis


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Page 5

Residents at the San Marcos Facility with Father Frank in Nicaragua. There is a special

bond between Father and these young people. While they are difficult for others to

manage, they respect Father and listen to his counsel.

San Marcos

San Marcos offers special care for those

with special needs. Children who were

abused, have disciplinary problems and

are unable to reside with other children arebrought here and helped by specially

trained staff. The facility offers many pro-

grams like jewelry making, pottery, woodworking, farming and many others. They

care for 1000 chickens, 21 cows and grow

the fruits and vegetables that are con-

sumed at both the San Marcos and Santi-

ago facilities. The ratio of adults to stu-

dents is much higher and the educational

experience offers much more personalizedcontact and instruction.

On my latest visit I met a young boy

who came to them with serious anger is-

sues. He was a fighter and uncontrollable.

When he got into the jewelry making class

he became focused and produced the bestjewelry of all the students. The class gave

him self esteem, a sense of purpose and

has helped to turn him around.

As the earth shook and the vol-cano Concepcion started spewing

ash, the decision was made to rent

a ferry and evacuate the 300 chil-

dren from Ometepe island. It

took all day to get the arrange-

ments made. The children

brought their mattresses to the

trucks. Then they were taken by busto the waiting ferry boat. It was a

nervous time as the earthquakescontinued (150 counted that day)

but the evacuation went

smoothly. The children spent the

night in San Jorge and, enjoyed the

new adventure for a while but expressed

concerned that they wouldnt be able to

go back to the orphanage. They were

able to return the next day and back into

their normal routine.Now, as we write

this article, the volcano has erupted

again and the staff is working frantic-ally to evacuate the children. This time

the ferry boats arent as available since

the other inhabitants of the island are

leaving also. The logistics of caring for

300 children away from the facilities

are very complicated and quite expen-

sive. Please be generous with your do-

nations this year and pray for the pro-

tection of the children and staff, and for

the Holy Spirit s guidance as we work

through these difficult times .

Volcano Concepcion shown above standing

1700 meters above lake Nicaragua on Ometepe

Island and shown below currently erupting

behind the girls dormitory. The volcano has

been quite active erupting 25 times in the past

120 years. The 1957 eruption was particularly

violent. The summit of Concepcion has in-

creased in height by 100 meters in recent times

due to eruptive activity. The danger to the is-

land will continue after the volcanic activity

has subsided because heavy rains can cause

fast moving mudslides of volcanic debris.


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Page 6

Father Franks KidsPO Box 478Alamo, California 94507

Father Franks Kids, Inc. has been

regis tered as a non-profit charitable

organization. Your donations are

tax deductible.

Contacts:

Mike Hertel

(925) 855-9407

[email protected]

Ann Ferrante

(925) 743-1935

[email protected]

Grisell Navas(925)735-7733

[email protected]

Lauren Rettagliata

(925) 552-8002

[email protected]

Dick Sanders

(925) 837-0307

[email protected]

Brent Smith

(925) 838-7743

[email protected]

Our Wish List!Father Frank is providing a link between

families in Northern California and

orphanages in Guatemala, Honduras and

Nicaragua. Container shipments are planned

at least once a year to each of them. As you

can see from these pages, the donations are a

tremendous help for the children and theoperation of the orphanages.

The following is a list of some of the

things Father is looking for to include in

upcoming shipments:

Baby items (food, chairs, strollers, beds,

clothing)Powdered Soapfor washing clothesItems for Personal Hygiene (like soaps,

shampoos, tooth brushes, tooth paste)

Childrens Clothing (including socks,

underwear and especially good tennis shoes)

Financial Assistance for shipping and topurchase needed items.

These young ladies with Father Frank are tal-

ented singers and dancers from Casa Asis.

Their dresses were made at the orphanage with

sewing machines that were provided by Father

Franks Kids. As you can see, they enjoy wear-

ing them.

(Father didnt try to dance or sing - but our

cameras were ready just in case!)

As you can imagine, soccer (futbol) is a

very popular sport in South America.

There are several teams including these

girls and boys teams from the orphanage

that travel from the island to play against

teams from other schools. Father Frank

watched the girls practice and was amazed

at how physical they play.

Documents

FFK Newsletter 2005