Ambassadors

"And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.  We are therefore Christ's ambassadors as though God were making his appeal through us." - 2 Corinthians 5:20

I love this verse, but it is wrought with significance.  To imagine that God considers all of us his ambassadors to the world - the ones who speak on his behalf.  Wow.  I don't always do such a good job.

Ambassadors represent their home country in foreign lands.  They build relationships hoping to secure allies to their homeland.  Ambassadors are special - they speak with authority released to them by the leader of their country.  Ambassadors build bridges between cultures and governments.

"So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view.  Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them." - 2 Corinthians 5:16-19

This is what I hope for our team as we go into Kenya next month, I want us to represent our Father God in such a way that His presence goes out before us on those trails.  I hope we can look at people through Jesus' eyes, not our own.  It is all about Christ and what he has done, none of this is about us.  We're just the ones blessed with an opportunity to speak on his behalf.

As I prepare for what is ahead, I wonder what opportunities are going to come my way, I wonder about the people I will meet and how I will relate to them.  Most of all I want to be appreciative of everything and look for ways to serve the people.

Because we're not suppose to be ambassadors with fancy words or big speeches, we are to be ambassadors who serve.  The Bible says that people will "know we are Christians by our love" and it also tells us that "God [himself] is love".  The same passage in 2 Corinthians even says that we are "compelled by love" to be his ambassadors.

I was reminded this Sunday of how Jesus, after he had finished his last meal with his disciples, got up from the table, girded himself, knelt down and then washed his disciple's feet [John 13].  The point was made that Jesus knew exactly what he was doing - this act was the start of the "hand-off" - Jesus handing over the message of the gospel into the hands of those who had lived with him, learned from him and had loved him during his season of ministry here on earth.

If this was the "hand-off" then his first piece of advice in how to share the gospel was to be a servant.

"I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you...Now that you know these things you will be blessed if you do them." - John 13:15, 17

You know what?  Jesus doesn't want me to be a servant only when I'm off on a mission trip in a foreign land.  He is calling me to be a joyful servant right here at home amongst the people I know best - my family.  Ouch.  I've got some adjustments to make, but you know what?  God is good all the time; All the time, God is good and he says right here that he wants to bless me.

That blessing is for us all.  Dear Lord Jesus, help us to love well and to serve joyfully all those who come into our reach of influence.  Let them see you through our lives - through our actions.  Open our eyes to see people the way you see them and soften our hearts to love the way you love.  Holy Spirit, fill us with joy and give us the strength to face our frustrations with grace and patience.  I love you Lord - Amen.

Final Deadline Coming Up & Special Announcement

For all our friends who live in the area, David is offering his services for donations towards our trip.  Please contact him at gobondo.jacobsen@gmail.com if you would like to contribute to our fund in this way.  If you know anyone having computer issues, please tell them about Dave's special offer.

There are still funds for our in-country expenses to be raised which are due July 1st.  Please, if you were interested in contributing to our trip financially, now is the time to act.  Remember, no amount is too small in God's economy so please give as you feel led. 

Hope you all have a great week! - Julie

A Must Read!

My friend Brandi just returned from a trip to Uganda with I Choose You Ministries.  Her team had an incredible time and God did wonderful things through them for the lives of the Karamajong people.  The team stayed at a hotel which provided internet access so Brandi had the unique opportunity to maintain a blog throughout the trip.

Please take the time to read her blog.  It isn't terribly long, but it is so wonderful to read a first-hand account in real time of the work God is doing there. 

FYI, I Choose You is a ministry birthed through members of our church in service to the impoverished people of the Karamajong tribe.  Mama Aidah (Pastor Morris' wife) serves an intregal role in loving on the children of her country.  Not only do Morris and Aidah sponsor teams throughout the summer who serve the new church plants, but they helped to start and run the Lulwanda Children's Home, the Bible College and the primary/secondary school that so many children are able to attend thanks to I Choose You.  Even though the exact work isn't the same, I Choose You and the trip we are taking this summer are related through the involvement of Morris and Aidah.  They are an incredible couple!

I can also personally guarantee that if you are interested in sponsoring a child in Africa, the money you send through this ministry is used 100% for your selected child.  This is a trustworthy ministry well worth checking out, but don't take my word for it...read Brandi's blog.

Enjoy the read!  http://ichooseyou2010.blogspot.com/

- Julie

Here's a picture of Aidah Ogenga...isn't she beautiful?

We've Got Tickets!

Just wanted to give a quick update.  The proceeds from this week's garage sale brought our fundraising total high enough that we have our airline ticket money.  In fact, the whole team of 16 has their ticket money!! 

Thank you for praying & please keep it up.  Looks like David and I will, in fact, both be headed to Kenya this summer!  I am now going to press forward confident that God has made the way for us.  No more doubting if it is his will or not.

Please continue lifting our team up in prayer asking God for his protection and provision as we enter these final weeks of preparation.

Thank you again to all who have helped.  Remember, we're parking cars this week at Market Days so come out and support our good cause!

I'll leave you with a picture of Dave's date from last year...a local monkey!  He had a lot of fun with that monkey but I think he'll be glad to have his wife along for companionship this year!

Have a great week -

Julie

May Update: The Good the Bad and the Sad

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 junk uh, I mean treasures
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

Papa Gary

"Papa" Gary Welch, Mukaluka, Uganda '08

It is with great sadness that I announce a shift in our Mission Team Line-up.  Dr. Gary Welch, a veteran team member and the man responsible for bringing this work to Cypress Creek Church, was badly injured in a motorcycle accident last week and will not be able to join us this year.  It was a close call - I mean real close - since he was thrown from the bike and landed flat on his back just inches away from a sawed off metal pipe coming out of the ground.  We're so happy he eluded death, but know that it will be a hard for him to recover from a broken back.  Our prayers are with you Gary!

Gary has participated in 11 African mission trips.  I get the details confused, but I think he first attended with a church in Houston, then somewhere along the line got his brother involved, who then over time got his church in Colorado Springs involved, then Gary managed to get some guys from our church to attend a trip, which eventually led to our church becoming involved and so on...and so on...Gary has been a man of great influence.

Such is the way of it.  When God works something into a person's life it's usually not just for that person alone but also to benefit that person's circle of influence and ultimately to bring glory to God.  Think of it, this one man has been part of opening Christian churches in 11 different areas of Africa.

That means he has walked the trails in 11 different regions, visited with probably hundreds of people over the years, shared the gospel with hundreds of people, entered prisons and schools all over Africa, entered countless homes, encountered countless orphans and widows, etc.  Gary has seen young men from earlier trips first receive the Lord, then grow in the Lord, enter Bible school and now work as servants for the Lord.

Gary has been a faithful benefactor of these trips, offering not only his time, but his resources as well.  Not only has he helped build up the people of these 11 different regions, but he has oftentimes helped build the physical building as well.  Whenever Morris and Aidah make their yearly visit to the states, it is Gary and his lovely wife Brenda who invite them into their home and share life with them.  The Welch family is a generous family.

As a team member, Gary has encouraged and counseled many, many people as they take their first steps of faith into the mission field.  What I enjoy so much about Gary is that he is not only a very wise man, he also happens to be a very fun man to be around.  They call him "Papa" in Africa and let me tell you, the name fits in more ways than one.

However, if you were to ask Gary to describe himself, he'd probably tell you that he is just a man.  I would agree.  Gary is just a man who said "yes" to what God called him to do and through him, God has done some awesome things!

It is the same for every member of our team.  We're just people.  We're not perfect people with stellar spiritual profiles.  We come from all walks of life and bring to the table our own set of insecurities and flaws.  The one thing we have in common is that for now, we have said "yes" to something we believe God has called us to do.  [Please, my friends, pray for our team!  We need God's protection and provision to get this work done.]

For all of you reading this blog, you too are just a person - one person - but our God is an AWESOME God!  Do you know that God has big plans for you?  Do you know that your life has influence in the world?  Do you know that God loves you?  Do you know that God loves the word "yes"?

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."- Jeremiah 29:11-13

Papa Gary, thank you for all you have done and for touching so many lives, my own included.  We're going to miss you this year.

- Julie

April Report

Hello Again!

After spending March hyper-focused on fundraising, it was nice to relax in April and think about other things for a while.  As mentioned in my last post, I have updated the blog-site with a new look and a new name so for all you "Eating for Africa" subscribers, please don't spam me when you see the new name "Go Bondo 2010".

April was BUSY!  We started the month by celebrating Easter then a couple of weeks later, I had a birthday.  I tried to ignore it and honestly kept forgetting it was even coming, but my loving friends and family kept reminding me that yes, I'm another year older!  The family took me out to eat and blessed me with an awesome gift that we have all been enjoying...a Vitamix blender.  Yes, I wanted it for health reasons, but it sure makes a mean milk-shake! 

Five days after the birthday, Dave and I celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary.  It was a low-key celebration this year and had it not been for dear friends cooking us dinner that night, we probably wouldn't have done much at all.  Now before you start scolding us for letting the romance fizzle, we had spent a very active weekend just prior to the anniversary eating out, seeing movies, etc.  I am so blessed to have Dave in my life.  He is my best friend and it is great living life with him!

Soon after our anniversary, I had the pleasure of attending a Beth Moore workshop with my Mom.  It was really great to study God's Word with my her.  It was a new experience for us and it was so wonderful!  Another fun dynamic of that weekend was that I got to road-trip up there with a girlfriend of mine so that was a ton of fun too.

Yet despite all this fun stuff, the event that has most captured my attention during April was the open heart surgery of Chrissie Patterson [click on her button to link to her story].  Chrissie is the 4 year old daughter of our friends, Matt and Lorraine Patterson.  She was adopted from Serbia and has major heart defects that I won't even begin to explain well.  The Patterson family has been an inspiration to many people this month by sharing very honestly the struggles they have endured with Chrissie's health via their blog.  Most inspiring is how God has been showing His presence each and every day of this ordeal.  Along with many others, I have been praying for Chrissie and it has been awesome to see how God has answered those prayers.  Please take the time to visit Lorraine's blog [again, Chrissie's button found on the right side of this page will link you to it], scroll back to April 19th and check out the story for yourself.

Now May is upon us and once again I must turn my focus to our upcoming trip.  Please pray for our team that we would be spiritually prepared for the work God has for us.  Please also pray for God's continued provision in financing the physical church building and all the team expenses.

A special shout-out of thanks to all of you who have shown support for our trip.  I am blown away your generosity and friendship and hope to one day return the favor to you.  FYI, we only have one month to go for getting our airline ticket money turned in.  So far we are about $1,000 away from airline tickets and an additional $3,000 from being completely financed for in-country expenses.  We need your prayers that Dave and I will be able to discern what else we can or should do to raise more of our funds. 

That's it for now.  Just wanted to let all of you know that I hadn't abandoned the blog, April was just a very full month.

Hoping your May is outstanding!

- Julie