Eating for Africa Wrap-Up

I want to first thank you all for following our blog during our Eating for Africa fundraising experiment. The blog world can easily err on the side of self-indulgence and let's face it, reading about family eating habits isn't the most exciting thing you could do with your time, but I know some of you have been faithful readers to the end. Again, we thank you for your support.

On April 1st Eli asked, "So Mom, were we successful?" My answer is "yes" and "no".

"No," because I didn't save as much of our personal grocery budget as I had planned. Then again, I lost $100 cash the first week of the month (still hoping it shows up in our car somewhere) and "no" because we didn't gain as many sponsors as we had hoped.

But a resounding "YES" in that our family worked together towards the common goal of raising funds for ministry; "Yes," because through this blog, awareness of what we do on our ministry trips has been raised; and "Yes" because it helped to re-focus our hearts and minds towards the work ahead.

While Eating for Africa is over, the fundraising efforts continue. I'm exploring the possibility of hosting an art camp this summer and Dave is considering offering computer services for donations. Our team continues to park cars at Market Days whenever possible and we may host a garage sale. The bottom line is this: no matter how much effort we put out or how much money we personally use to fund our trip, it really is up to God whether we make it to Kenya this year. We trust him with the outcome and will choose to be content whether we make it back to Africa this year or not.

I'm going to spend the next few days re-structuring our blog then I will continue posting news about our trip. God willing, I will share this adventure with you all the way to Bondo and back again!

For those of you who have expressed interest in sponsoring our eating experiment, here are the donation details:

- Make your check payable to CCCMI (Cypress Creek Church Ministries International)
- Include a note earmarking the check for the Jacobsen account (do not put our names on the check itself)
- Send payment to P.O. Box 1357, Wimberley, TX 78676

I would like to leave you with a little story. This past Saturday we parked cars at Market Days again. My sweet husband, Dave, good sport that he is, donned a coconut bra and hula skirt then danced and waved at the street from 7:30-2:00! I don't think he would have had the nerve had our friend Rick not been wearing a tutu as well. We had a lot of laughs watching the reaction of the people and I can honestly say that each and every person who parked with us on Saturday did so with a smile on their face! It was a long day, but it was so much fun. The coconut bra and tutu opened up many conversations and helped us make connections with people from all over the country. I mean, come on...how many missionaries do you know who look like this?

At the end of our long, fun day, Dave and I were sitting on the back bumper of our car waiting for the parking lot to thin out a little more and I was thinking about our day. It occurred to me that each and every person who parked their car with us were now part of our mission team. At $3 per car, they became part of God's work in Africa! I know it doesn't sound like much and $3 out of their shopping budget really wasn't a big financial sacrifice, but in God's economy it is huge!

Those happy shoppers were doing far more than treasure hunting that day...they were building a church in Kenya and through that church, lives would be changed. David and I may be the ones making the trip, but it definitely is a team effort.

Scripture tells us that his Church is like a body made up of many parts. A healthy body is diverse in its structure...I mean, you would freak if you saw someone walking down the road with 12 heads, wouldn't you?! A body needs a good head, but it also needs arms willing to embrace, hands willing to share, legs willing to work and feet willing to go. We may be the "feet" right now, but it is the generous "hands" that are helping our feet get where they want to go! Remember, those feet don't just show up by themselves...they take the whole body with them and we all share the blessing.

No matter what part of the body you happen to be right now, you are important to God and he has work for you to do. I pray you all find your passion in Him and that together we will "show up" to do His good work.

May God bless you and keep you, make His face shine upon you and give you PEACE.

- Julie & Dave