FRIDLA (Friends of the Disabled Latin America, Inc.)
FRIDLA began in 1996 in Chile. We have established disability ministires in Chile, Peru and Bolivia. We plan to begin work in Uruguay in early 2009.
We collect wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, etc.,and refurbish them to a God honoring condition here in the USA. We then ship them to Latin America to be custom fitted and given to the poor who need them and economically can not afford them. The ministry, once it is established, is ongoing and operated by the nationals in that country. The Gospel is presented and a Bible is given with each piece of mobility equipment. Volunteers in the churches then take up the responsibility of visiting, discipleship and integration into a local church.
The vision of Friends of the Disabled Latin America, Inc. (FRIDLA), is to facilitate ministry spiritually through evangelization and physically through mercy ministries to the disability community of Latin America or other countries as the Lord leads.
The primary mission of Friends of the Disabled Latin America, Inc. (FRIDLA) is to glorify God by seeking out and assisting those affected by disability, presenting the Gospel of Jesus Christ and building them up in the faith.
We accomplish this by equipping and empowering the Bible teaching churches to see, out, evangelize, disciple and assimilate into their congregations those affected by disability.
The physical help can be in the form of custom fitted mobility equipment, medical equipment, pharmaceuticals or whatever other humanitarian aid God provides for the ministry.
1. We believe the Sacred Scriptures (Holy Bible), consisting of the Old and New Testaments, are the inspired Word of God; and they are the only infallible and authoritative Word of God.
2. We believe that there is but one living, sovereign God, existing eternally in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
3. We believe the creation of all things was the direct act of God, for His own glory. God created man, both male and female, in His own image, with immortal souls.
4. We believe in the deity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death by the shedding of His blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return (second coming) in power and glory.
5. We believe that salvation is by the Grace of God (so that all human merit is excluded) through Faith (which is a gift from God) in our Lorde Jesus Christ and that lost and sinful man must come to Him in repentance (so that human response is required) and thus, receive spiritual regeneration (spiritual rebirth) by the Holy Spirit which is absolutely essential.
6. We believe the gift of salvation is freely offered to all men, but only those who come to faith in Jesus Christ and repent are saved.
7. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by Whose indwelling enables the Christian to live a life becoming to a follower of Jesus Christ.
8. We believe there will be a resurrection of both the Believers (saved) and the unbelievers (unsaved). The Believer (righteous) will be eternally blessed in heaven, to the praise of God's infinite Grace; and the unbeliever (wicked) will be punished eternally in hell according to God's perfect justice.
9. We believe that the primary misison of born-again Christians (Believers) is to glorify God by seeking to win lost people to Jesus Christ and disciple them.
10. We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.
