Greetings All!
May was another full month around the Jacobsen household - some of it good, some of it not so good - but the preparations for our Kenya trip continue.
We found out that the specific village where the new church will be located is called Akala. Akala is situated in Nyanza, Kenya - not Bondo (as originally thought) although Bondo is very nearby. I'm not going to change the blog name or anything at this point, but it is great to know the name of the actual place where we will be ministering in. What we don't know yet is the name of the pastor, but I'm sure we'll have it soon. I suspect the new pastor is finishing up his studies at the bible college right now and getting ready for graduation and his move to Akala.
Please note the changes on the blog header, specifically the scripture. This is the passage we chose for our team t-shirts. We will wear it proudly as we travel to Kenya on July 17th and since many of our translators will receive shirts as a thank you gift, this vision of heaven will continue to be seen throughout Kenya and Uganda when our native team members head back to their homes. Cool, huh?
This scripture is a description of heaven and thinking of heaven reminds me of how much I love worshipping with our African brothers and sisters. Every morning in-country we meet together in the new church building to worship and pray together then receive a short devotional before heading out on the trails. Our hosts are very kind to sing some songs in English, but my favorite part is when we sing in Swahili or Luo. I have very little idea of what the actual words are, but it doesn't matter. I just sing in English then listen as our collective languages melt together in harmony and fill those little churches with lush and unabashed worship to God. It is absolutely beautiful!
Now, for some good news, bad news and sad news.
Good News - Papa Gary ended up with back surgery, but is healing well and doing better every day. Even though he is laid out in a rehab hospital, he still took the time to find himself a replacement for the trip. I'm happy to announce that Mr. Tommy Alford will be joining us this year in Kenya. Tommy brings a wealth of life and ministry experience to the team, plus he's just a really nice man so we're excited to have him with us this year.
More Good News - Our team had a garage sale yesterday that went very well. So many people helped to make our fundraiser a success from the generous people who gave us their
to the many, many people who stopped by to shop. It was hard, sweaty work, but it was fun to hang out with team members and I'm so thankful we were able to do it. A special shout-out of thanks to the Wimberley Christian Church who allowed us to have the sale on their property (prime location on the edge of downtown) and to Tom and Brenda Cavazos, two of the most dedicated and hard-working people that I know.
We are parking cars at Market Days NEXT WEEKEND so come by and support our good cause!
Bad News - Many friends and family have blessed us with financial donations towards our trip and I thank you so much for your generosity. I have a long list of thank you notes to write, yet even though our fundraising has gone well, David and I are still not fully funded for this trip. With the knowledge that airline tickets must be purchased this next week we have been scrutinizing whether or not we should both be going this year. We honestly do not feel led by God to cancel out at this point but yikes - the trusting God for provision (in this case, financial provision) is hard for me! Would you please pray for us? Seriously, we need it and this past month, more than any other, God has emphasized how precious and important our prayers are. Which brings me to...
...Sad News - Our friends, the Patterson family, lost a precious daughter this month when God saw fit to bring her home to him much earlier than any of us wanted. You may have noticed Chrissie's prayer button on our blog and hopefully you clicked onto the link and already know about her. If not, please do. Her struggle for life since April 19th was difficult, yet beautiful in so many ways. God worked real miracles in and around the Patterson family and although things didn't go the way I wanted them to, my faith has grown as I have prayed and wrestled with God over the fate of that little girl. I couldn't really give a May update without mentioning Chrissie to you because I have been mentally and spiritually very occupied with her since April.
As my African family has taught me, "God is good all the time - All the time, God is good" so I choose to trust in him alone even when I'm worried and anxious and especially when I am sad.
Hope you all have a great Memorial Day!
- Julie
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