It's here...

I never got to finish the last post, too much was going on and happening for me to conclude my thoughts from my previous post.
Do you ever have times where every scripture you read all you can think is Lord that’s nuts, who does that? I know I have read some of these stories countless times, but lately when I heard them I tell God ‘In the world’s eyes (and even the Church) this stuff is not rational, flat out dumb, foolish and crazy.’ We have all been hearing about the Christmas story and I can’t imagine what was thought about or said to Mary and Joseph following Gods plan. Then going backwards to Hosa, what would the Church think/say and act towards you if you told them “I am going to marry a prostitute?” I mean if a modern day believer told me that I would have some serious questions for them. Going further back- to the book of Judges 7:1-7 God tells Gideon straight up “You have too large an army with you. I can’t turn Midian over to them like this- they’ll take all the credit, saying ‘I did it all myself,’ and forget about me.” WHAT? WHAT? These examples are first and foremost request of trust and faith. It’s not even handing God a situation and saying “ok I trust you and I won’t worry about it.” Its “do this crazy outrageous thing and I am going to use it”. I struggle and believe many others do with requests from God like these. I know I am jumping around a lot, but these scriptures keep circling in my head that God uses the foolish things to shame the wise. How often do I REALLY believe God is going to use the foolish things/ people to do his will? I think about all the crazy things God has asked me to do, little and big. Sometimes I listen, sometimes I think I missed out to see God do something only He could do and I could not take credit for.
With that all said here is the news I know so many of you have been praying, encouraging us and taking steps of your own faith to see happen. We were cleared to go by Wycliffe! Yes we have the go ahead. It feels awesome, it feels crazy, it feels nuts, it feels weird, and it feels sad and joyful. We have not set a date officially however; we are waiting to the end of December report to come in before we buy official plane tickets and turn in our visa application.
Some of you might be confused right about now on how we got here. Considering my earlier post I wrote last week (added today) and we spoke to some of you about feeling discouraged over the last 2 weeks. This is our first longer term trip we have taken, and it has been a huge learning process for us. We had a misunderstanding of the qualifications needed to be released onto the field, we understood 90% to be the ultimate goal of our funding and have communicated that repeatedly with you. However, Thursday Mark received a phone call from Joy our WA main contact. She explained that with over $8,000 that has already been raised ($10,000 by the time we leave) and 3 consecutive months of exceeding (104%) our monthly support goal has WA ready to release us onto the field. So we are asking that you pray for guidance and wisdom as we move forward. Lord willing we will be flying out by the end of January. We still need $360 in monthly pledges/donations for our income in Cameroon and $110 monthly pledges/ donations for exiting money (plane tickets home). We have several people that have verbal committed to pledging monthly along with money we will be supplying from surplus from leaving (vacation time, ect) that have also not been factored into these amounts.

Roller Coaster Week (older post)

Hello again! Merry CHRISTMAS.
The last few weeks have had amazing highs and lows. We were able to enjoy Thanksgiving with my family and a vacation for Mark. He hasn’t had one this year with the exception our anniversary trip. So to have 5 days off together was nice. We were able to go to Walloon Community Church while we visited. The summer I lived in Boyne I attended there, my mother does now. Going this weekend was a definite reminder of why I went there. That Sunday we were feeling focused, joy and motivated for some real changed. Have any of you had times like these? We have shared with you how the Lord has been stretching us by creating more margin in our life. His sermon was on HOW to practice listening to God in all things. We came back from our trip- you know when it says "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:8. Let me tell you friends, satan does not want you to create space, start listing and having intimacy with God. The last week and a half, feels so long and so much has gone on during that time. The last week we have hurt each other’s feelings, been hurt by others, have been discouraged, upset, angry, sad and disappointed. Let me tell you from experience all that starts to make it hard to listen to God over your hurt heart. We have been forgiving to each other, to other, we have been extremely encouraged, joyful, happy, and surprised too this week. Devotionals and praying together with Mark has really given us peace. So I guess it just a mixed bag. Some of this as you may wonder is due to fundraising; I think technology has been playing tricks on me. Anyways starting last week I found errors on our support program- listing people as monthly donors rather than just one time. So I was so thrilled to tell everyone the progress and all the wonderful donations we received this last month. But instead somehow we are basically at the same place as before. So where does this leave us- 560 a month to raise. I know, haven’t we been here, haven’t we gotten new donations? Yes and Yes. We have, sadly we add in a monthly donation that ended up falling through. We have received lots in one time donations this last month that we are so thankful for. Along with several monthly that will start this month. All in all we still have a chance to make it in January depending on how this month goes. It has been madding circles of some reason being stuck around 500.

Advent Devotional

wednesday, december 1


On the Way






“...Behold I am a servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
Luke 1:26-38






God appears at the most unexpected times, in the most surprising ways. The young, humble Mary encountered God in an astonishing way as she was "on her way" in life. Many of Jesus' miracles occurred while He was "on the way" somewhere. He called the first disciples while He was "on the way." And many of us first discovered Jesus as we were "on the way" in our lives. We weren't expecting Him, and before we met Him I doubt many of us had ever imagined that there could be such a God, and that He would intervene in our lives by becoming human, of all things.


The incarnation really is a strange and curious thing. What is even stranger to me is that Jesus told us we must be born again to see salvation. Nicodemus didn't understand this, and at times I struggle with this concept as well. What I do understand, though, is that not only is this born-again-ness critical to your and my personal salvation, but it is precisely in this process that God continues sending His salvation message into the world. He does so through us.


I wonder how many people I encounter each day as I am "on the way," who have never met Jesus? How many people I pass by in haste who desperately need me to reach out to them in His name, and invite them to come, adore, and worship Him? Jesus was born to be a light to the nations. It is a sobering thought that so many people remain in spiritual darkness in part because of my failure to completely surrender my life to Him.


There is a new life at work in me, the life of Christ. And He is clamoring to invite others to see God born into the world to save them. When I meditate on the miracle of the incarnation, I am always astonished that God has chosen to continue living on earth through us. What a privilege and a responsibility. This Advent season, let’s celebrate the incarnation by echoing Mary’s response to the angel Gabriel: “Here I am, the servant of the Lord; Let it be with me according to your word.” As we allow Jesus to be continually reborn in our hearts, I wonder what miracles will await us as we go “on our way.”


-----

by Kristi Vrooman. Kristi is a PSC Mid-Term Missionary and classical musician who is currently serving in Germany. {email Kristi}

Where are we at?

We still need around 550 a month in pledges to purchase plan tickets and buy visas.
We have several of verbal commitments for monthly pledges, and they are behind of processing our donations. So we haven't had a lot of clarity on donations lately thus the gap in information. We have all the money we need to buy tickets and starter money but we still need to fill the gap in monthly pledges.

with love
from us

Creative giving

So as the time approaches we are looking for items to be donated if you have any of these items sitting around.

battery alarm clock
cement screws
batteries
clothes pins
camera or camcorder
travel size umbrellas

please email us if you have any of these things laying around
gracebyfaith711@aim.com

Update on where we are with Fundraising

Update on where we are at with pledges: As of current we need approximately $700 more pledged a month for us to book plane tickets and set a date. We would need this by the end of the week to make our goal of leaving by the end of November. Sometimes that number sounds small other days it’s a large wall with no entry. We thank you so much for all the prayers and words of encouragement we receive so much of.
Next week we will put out another financial report of our donations.
If you would like to give go to www.wycliffeassociates.org/links/donatenow. Put any part of the name (Janowiak or Mark and Leah) into the search box to pull up our name and click search. Enter your gift amount and click on the Add to Gift Cart button. Next click on the Continue to Check Out button on upper right. You will have the ability to set up the amount, date, frequency, and method of giving.

Pain and Pride

It’s safe to say in the last 2 weeks I have discovered Mark and I are getting older. My back pain has been slowing me down. It can feel crippling; pain of sin of pride is just like that. Pride outside of God is dependent on self performance, or others view of us; most of the time the latter. My back has been reminding me of pride. I think it's easy to struggle with because it's so very sneaky. You don’t know that there is a problem sometimes until it causes you pain. The whole process of going to Africa has caused me often to feel vulnerable and exposed. I too often wonder what others think of our trip and what we say. I am often hurt by other insensitive comments or judgments. Then the opposite problem occurs compliments and positive feedback never seems to cure the hungry of my pride. Only when I hand myself to Jesus, allow Him to tell me who I am does my pride seem to lessen control on my feelings. I think the pain is a reminder of when we need to adjust our thinking or behaviors to align it with Him.

Info on Cameroon

Here is some basic info that Wycliffe gave us on Cameroon:
SERVING IN CAMEROON
The Land and Its People
Cameroon is located in Western Africa along the Atlantic coast just above the equator. It covers an area slightly larger than California. The climate varies with terrain, from tropical along the coast to semiarid and hot in the north. Cameroon is often called "Africa in miniature" because of its geological and cultural diversity. Natural features include beaches, deserts, mountains, rainforests, and savannas. The highest point is on Mt. Cameroon, a 13,435-foot, active volcano.More than half of Cameroon’s population of almost 19 million lives in urban areas. About 40 percent of the people are Christian. The rest follow other religions or indigenous beliefs.
Official languages are English and French, but there are 24 major African language groupsin Cameroon.Cameroon enjoys relatively high political and social stability. It also has a more prosperous economy than most of the countries in sub-Saharan Africa, exporting raw materials such as oil and timber, as well as abundant agricultural products including coffee, cotton and cocoa.

Bible Translation Needs
The stability in Cameroon makes it an ideal location to support and prepare translators and translation teams for work among the many language groups of West Africa. One example of that support is the Cameroon Rain Forest International School (RFIS), which was founded in 1991 to help meet the educational needs of missionary families. In the beginning, the school served 19 students. Now there are about 125 children attending, and the school building, which was to be a temporary facility, is bursting at the seams and needs some serious improvements.
Wycliffe Associates volunteers are constructing a new facility for the children of our translators. This new facility is desperately needed to ensure that the children receive a quality education in a safe environment while allowing parents to focus on their translation projects, which can take 10 to 20 years to complete. Are you interested in volunteer work overseas? If so, you can help make this happen!

THINGS TO CONSIDER
Considerations When Traveling to Cameroon
Things to Remember When Choosing Items to Bring
Cameroon has rainy and dry seasons, and both can be extreme. The weather may be unpredictable in some parts of the country. You should bring boots and an umbrella and/or rain gear, especially if visiting during the wet season. A rugged flashlight is also important. Bring good sunscreen and a cool hat with a brim for protection from the tropical sun. If you bring a digital camera, bring sufficient storage for your photos, and consider a method to back up your data in case something happens to the camera. Electrical current in Cameroon is 220-240 volt and 50Hz.

Some reading for the day

"But in fact, our images of God are rather different from reality. We are finite being, and God is infinitely greater than any thoughts we can contain about divine reality in our wondrous but tiny minds. We are sinful beings, and God is different from what we conceive in our selfishness and pride. Finite and self-centered as we are, we often forget God's warning through the prophet Isaiah; "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thought than your thoughts" (55:9) When we forget that, we unwittingly reduce God's ways to our ways and thoughts to our thoughts. Our hearts become factories of idols in which we fashion and refashion God to fit our needs and desires." -Free of Charge by Miroslav Volf pg 22.

Walls Between Us and Cameroon

Leah and I have been reading Joshua for our joint devotionals in the past week. If you recall towards the beginning of Joshua we have the story of God leading the people of Israel around the city of Jericho and the walls coming down on the 7th day. After the Lord brings Jericho to the Israelites he requests one thing: burn all the stuff that are idols and items other than gold and silver. Instead a couple Israelites bring back "other stuff" and soon after we see the People of Israel fail to overtake the city of Ai. What is God showing his people in this story. What I see God doing is asking a simple question of the heart: do you trust he can provide EVERYTHING that you need? God had for 40 years provided Manna and now he completely brought Jericho's walls around the city down. God desires us and asks that we love and follow him with our whole being.

Also, in this story is that when you are in God's plan and if you walk with God he will provide and help you through to till his plan is fulfilled. Over these 9 months God opened the door for us to go to Cameroon and even if currently there are walls around our goal for being in Cameroon we know that as we continue to follow God we will in his perfect timing take us to Cameroon. I have faith and trust as I read this story and others through out the Bible that I know God will provide for Leah and I. Since September I have felt God was going to really open the doors financially and has so we are able to go to Cameroon. We are currently just below 65% of our monthly support and we trust that God is working on people's hearts to partner with us in prayer and financial (as they are able) support. I have never before felt the presence of being prayed for as I have since September.

Peace and Joy in Christ
Mark

Failing daily?

(Older post that wasn't posted)
Have you ever asked for God's presense, not to speak, but to just be near to God. I'm talking about peace, hope and love of God. I am noticing how when it all comes down to it, I don't really long for answers in my life now, I just long for the peace and presense of Jesus. What I hungery and thrist for more than anything is for miricles or impossible (Which God does this) but just to be with Jesus. I just feel beat down most days it seems. Most of which stems for feeling of failure. God used the day I got immunizations to just bathe me in a reality check. MOST PEOPLE FEEL LIKE THEY ARE FAILING. So i have just been praying for Gods love to bathe me in His presense and love.

Here is your reminder: Most everyone feels like they are failing, got uses them and blesses them still!

Status on where we are

In hoping to be as transparent as possible through our fundraising process below you will find our current financial status.

Pre Trip Costs: $3,400 (depending on cost of plane tickets)
Pre Trip Projected Raised: $3,266 (Based on current monthly donations)
Pre Trip Still Needed: $134

Monthly Support Costs: $2,200
Monthly Support Pledged: $1,265.5
Monthly Support Needed: $934.50

As you see we are still looking for more people to begin support before we can purchase plane tickets and visas and all together still looking for 29 people to support us or pledge $30 a month and we will be fully supported. Our goal is still to be fully funded by October and leave for Cameroon in November. If you’re able to support with less than $30 per month that is perfectly fine, we have just been using $30 per month as measuring unit. As a reminder, Wycliffe needs to see a couple of months before we leave to near our support goal so we can purchase our flight tickets and visas. If you prefer to begin supporting us once we leave for Cameroon please reach out to mrjanowiak@gmail.com or gracebyfaith@aim.com so we know what is being pledged and how often you plan on pledging that amount as we are unable to leave until our support is pledged or monthly amounts are coming in.

Day 7 of Detox Day one of Couch to 5K

Wow does that title make us sound like heath freaks.

I have been wanted to do a detox for sometime now, I picked up the book at the Jackson Public Library- Teri Kerr's Ultimate Detox Diet. When I got it I thought I could get some ideas about general health, now here we are trying it. We will be doing it strict for 4 weeks. Its purpose is to detox the liver. I personal think its laid out easy and makes sense.
What I am learning now; discipline, self control and setting goals. Starting it I wasn't really thinking I would be learning these specific things. Inspired by the amount of energy I had and finding free ways to have short term goals. I have worked out on and off with no goal or push to keep at something. I don't think weight loss is a good goal for myself- a great side effect and reward. I think saying I will complete a detox diet, and the couch to 5k are goals I can focus on. A.) because there is an "end date" B.) I have something that works as a plan already laid out for me and tested.

Anyways updates and info people have been asking about it:
It's a plant based diet for 2 weeks, but very laid out for you to eat a balanced amount of food so you don't starve.

Breakfast Shake every morning: citrus fruit, lemon, ginger, flax seed oil, Cayenne pepper, juice (grape or cranberry or pomegranate)
Snack veg juice
lunch veggie, starch, legume
snack fruit and nuts
snack fruit and seeds
Dinner same a lunch

Very general idea for it that the 1st 2 weeks. I would never classify myself or Mark as a emotional eater, but I now notice things I would have eaten simply because...it was social eating, the food was there, evening snacks, and while watching movies.

So no we don't plan on doing it forever, but want to do it again in the fall.

Now on to the C25K

Today we did Day 1
Brisk five-minute warm up walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes. (www.coolrunning.com)

Let me tell you thank goodness for podcast for this. They have a music track for it that chimes when you need to stop and start jogging. www.c25k.com

I think I will be doing them Mon, Wen, Fri. But I just trying to figure that into my schedule. I think since its going to be hot it will become my morning thing, otherwise I would do them in the afternoon.

So yay for Short term Goals

Next Blog will be about Goals for Cameroon.

So close yet so far

prayer letters, let me say it again, prayer letters.
so close, but so far. Tomorrow should be the big day that we stuff and prepare to hand our heart over in a letter to family and friends.
i sent my passport out
it feels far and close to leaving.

with all that has gone on i have re-passioned my love for creating. mostly due to stress relief. it is such a blessing to create for work, it is something that has been my therapy in hard or stressful times.

i started spending my lunch breaks inspiring myself on the blackberry looking at different types of recycling art. Come home and spend my 10 minutes to build something in a fury that has been building all day. I have a few finished projects, several half projects.

yesterday God answers prayers in still small voices, i just felt overwhelmed all the time that my ability to sit and listen to God or really hear just melted away with 3 year old voices, a crazy schedule and just plain being married. look for inspiration and His word through out my day. Today was just so awesome to think about little ways i planned to sip tea with God. my heart thirst for Him, to sing, to create for him, to be still with Him.

my favorite song right now is Beautiful Things by Michael Gungor. it lifts me up to create for Him and to be in the Spirit with him.

He answered my pray, my desire to be in the spirit with Him more each day.

its been awhile

SO, yes we are super busy with life, work, and planning.
Its been hard to blog due to time and feeling that there is nothing to report more than what we have been saying about Cameroon.
I do have a bit of progress to state on however;
We spent this evening planned to stuff envelopes and the such for our prayer letters. However, we spent most of it re-writing and re-designing. Most of this is due to my (Leah) lack of helping my husband, only later to come in with an opinion.

When we first found out that we were going, it was like getting engaged all over again. Now its like being engaged again. Paperwork, details, meeting, and trying to find that couple time. But the one difference is lack of having a date, now I know some couples have this problem, but Mark and I got married in 6 short months, so this is new to me and to us.

It's hard to imagine, what it will be like to live there, be with some incredible life changing people, struggle with language. I imagine it a bit like Spring Arbor, you can choose to live in the bubble with all the missionaries or you can strike out and learn your community.
I still try to think about it, to understand that yes we are going, sometimes it feels like its still too far away, and we won't get it done.
Through this process, I won't feel there yet till we have plane tickets.
Going to Africa so soon has changed my view on life in funny ways. I start cleaning and ended up with a bag of things to give to friends or someone who would enjoy it, just seems silly to keep it, packet up to sit in storage for 2 years or longer.
I tell my husband, when I see houses that I like my first thought is how easy it would be to move in and out of them. I want to know why someone would live somewhere that is so obviously inconvenient to move into or out of. Result of moving too much and having no concept of living somewhere for a whole lifetime.

I like to have some divine thought to share, but its late, I'm weary and to be honest I have struggled to have enough quite still time to hear from the Lord. In the last 2 or 3 weeks, its like Saturday is the only free day sometimes, and I can't get my brain to stop thinking productive thoughts except when it comes to mind-numbing stopping. I really need to be able think without it needing to be productive?! spiritual thinking, reflection?

please pray for this time that is so needed and vital for both of us.

Remember we are Beloved Children of Christ,
Leah

We need your info!

We are starting to send out updates and prayer letters. If you want to recieve updates just click on link to fill out your info!

Official Invite to Cameroon

This afternoon Leah and I received some great news, that we are officially invited to Cameroon. The site at Cameroon has had our resumes for the last week or so and have been going over the positions that we applied for. Both our positions in Cameroon are through Wycliffe Associates, but specifically with the Rain Forest International School (school for missionary kids). I was seeking the Network Manager position and Leah was seeking to be a librarian or a tutor. I have claimed the Network Manager position and Leah was invited to be a librarian. We have been praying for God to grant us an invite from Cameroon and it is encouraging to see that the door has been fully opened!

Next for the both of us is to begin the process of putting together our initial prayer and support letter in which we will be sending out to friends and family. We also are looking to pull together a distribution list of email addresses for those that want to follow our blog postings and have a more updated way to pray for specific needs and as we are over in Africa to keep all of our friends, family, and supporters up-to-date as to our daily lives in Cameroon.

We hope that those interested will begin to send their email addresses to thejanowiaks@gmail.com

Peace and Love in Christ

Mark J

Whirlwind of Life

Honestly, I cannot get over the fact- Jesus said trust me, I am going to do great things, follow me. Ok yes I will follow you, not understand your ways, not get what I am doing or why. But my struggle is that you weren't joking around when you said great things.

Our dream is to follow God, to share the good news with people who don't have the good news. Our is to go to Africa, now its starting.

Wycliffe has accepted us or approved if you would like. Sent our information to Cameroon to place us in jobs. WOW. More info to come on that. Time frame is however long it takes to fund raise for a 2 year trip. 6 to 10 months is what I am estimating, but as of right now we are just taking one day at a time.

I am in the midst of this I am applying for a preschool teacher job at a Christian daycare. Oh my goodness, I am feeling like I am having fun just thinking about all the ideas I have to do with the kids! Working interview on thur, we will see from there. I will be working a lot more and doing like 40 hours a week with them!!

the Lord has been so gracious with us, may it be poured out onto others in our lives.

update

So I haven't been in writing mode, even though lots to talk about and now I have ten minutes to write.

My husband and myself, recently obtained netflix. Which I love with an ungodly amount. So with some major decisions and life changes we want to make, I felt it appropriate to fast from netflix (and my husband video games) and to try creative ways to fast in our life. Fasting is something I have been doing more and more this last year. I have grown into it, slowing seeing the benefits of it, I feel like its one of the last spiritual disciplines people try to implement into their lives. Don't be like me, experience it sooner. Well I am loving it some much, I might try to use netflix much less, simply because it has inspired working out. Now I am sore but feel great to be honest, I think I am picking it up as a hobby now to exercise to kill board-um instead of T.V.

So just be praying for major life choices! To be announced later!

LJ

Inside the Mind of Mark...

So, it has been a few years since I have last blogged. I am not sure why I ever stopped, but I did. Lately I have been posting my environmental, political, and food thoughts on twitter, but all that gives me is 140 characters. So here I go...

Haiti

Lots have been said in the last week about Haiti. I have heard soo much about the countries past, the current situation, and the road blocks. It is really sad to see the current status of the country, the pain of so many people that have lost soo much! So much that I cannot even come close to understanding. My mind drifts to what we can do to help pull Haiti out of this disaster and to a sustainable place. The big need after people receiving food and medical attention is rebuilding the infrastructure: roads and housing. I look at how we can train individuals to re-start their environment. So much of Haiti has been laid bare due to deforestation. Why not begin large scale efforts to bring back the vegetation that is native to the land. The other big issue to help the land is to begin large scale composting to refresh the soil with the nutrients that it once had and to then begin planting produce to help feed the people of Haiti. Now I could go on further, but I will spare everyone from that. I know that so many people have lost what little they had and are in a most difficult position, but I feel that organizations need to help enable the people of Haiti to rebuild the country themselves. They don't need more debt, they don't need handouts in a year from now. What they need is housing, food, and jobs. The problem has been the destruction of the environment in Haiti which has in turn taken away their food and jobs. We need to enable the people to restore these things.

Food

Many things lately have centered around food in my life. Leah and I started a raw milk share and we just watched the movie "Food Matters". What I can say we have found is that our current system of human health and how we treat our body is really screwed up. We as individuals as Leah and I have found have to take the way we eat into our own hands. We can't listen to what the culture claims as healthy... we can't look at food labels and simply count fat and calories. We have to dig deeper. We need to find local natural alternatives to the way we eat. We need to change our eating habits and we need to no longer look to the drug industry to find cures. Chemicals do not cure our body, natural fruits and vegetables help our bodies to not get sick in the first place. So many times we pasteurize and clean our food, but what we end up doing is removing nutrients and destroy the enzyme structure of what makes the foods good for our body. How do we safely intake foods if they are not pasteurized? Well, buy straight from a trusted local farmer. Get in a CSA for local milk, produce, and meat. The great resource we have in our area are the Amish. No better spot to get organic products because they use no artificial chemicals on anything. They do it the natural way. I could go on and on and on, but I need to go make dinner. What's for dinner? Well, broccoli cheddar soup of course!

Take Care Everyone

where to get started if you want to eat organic and/ or local.

Firstly would love comments on ANY good additional info on this topic!

This is how the convo usually goes like:

You work for a CSA? what is that? how do I get involved with one? where can I get: milk, cheese, veggies, pasta, flour, ect?

CSA is a Community Shared Agriculture a great link explaining what that means and why their great:

http://www.prairielandcsa.org/whatisacsa.html

A great Link that we have found for all sorts of CSA is:

http://www.localharvest.org

We have found a number of CSA near us on this very web page! LISTEN UP this is the mother of all web pages for CSA.

here I hope to give someone a great local Jackson resource and to be added to:

MEAT

I work for a great CSA, and as far as I know one of a kinda for Michigan.

An Organic/ natural Meat CSA!!! so crazy I know. You can also purchase quarter/half or whole beef/ pork/ or lamb.

She is located in Manchester (25 min away from Jackson) where you can pick up or in Ann Arbor on delivery days.

http://oldpinefarm.biz/

You want a great contact with local and organic products its her! She makes available eggs, and chicken for share holders along with periodically local fish, cheese (and raw cheese) also we do buffalo, emu, duck and turkeys.

Something to be noted is some veggie CSA sell chicken and eggs to their share holders

VEGGIES

Mark and I use Two Creeks Organic who also do eggs, chickens, and other poultry periodically.

Also in Manchester they do delivery once a week in Ann Arbor at Zingermans at the farmers Market, which is wonderful because you can purchase additional produce and local items there too.

http://www.twocreeksorganics.com/home

Another Veggie share whom I haven't tried but is very successful is Tantre Farms, I mention them, because I believe they might offer raw milk as a part of being a share holder. That might be rumor though.

http://www.tantrefarm.com/

FLOUR/ PASTA/ EVERYTHING DRY GOODS!

Country Life Natural Foods. Period that its. We have ordered organic whole wheat pasta, flour, Quinoa and rice

http://www.clnf.org/

The beauty of this is that its Cheaper than any store for a lot of items. but yes there is fine print on this one you either have to order like $400 (or more) in product or ORDER with OTHER PEOPLE!!!

The Person who we do ordering with Mary Lynne Miller in Jackson. You can contact me and I will give you her email address (since I probably shouldn't put it up without permission)

MILK

no good answer for this, we just joined up with a raw milk CSA share through Amish, if you are looking for answers on this you can also ask me for contact info.

Thats all for now!

EGGS
A lot of CSA will provide you with them or sell them on the side. Ask around their might be a farm that sells them cheaply near you.
We have found on Blackman rd/ country farm (which is north Jackson) we buy local organic eggs for $2. If you go down country farm road you will see signs for Brown Eggs along the road. Its a little stand in someones driveway, but we love it and its great.

CHEESE
Grassfieds Cheese
We have ordered Gouda and a few other cheeses from here. They are mailed delivered (they are near Grand Rapids area). Grassfields will not disappoint, we order around 90 dollors worth(we got a half wheel or 6.5 pounds of Gouda along with several other types for that much) to make it cheaper by group ordering or selling it away afterwords. They sells other food items, so check out web page. They sell specifally Raw Milk Cheese, there are other cheese farms that just sell artisans local cheese, such as; gray stone creamery, and grassy meadow.


http://www.grassfieldscheese.com/cheese.html

typing with gimp finger

new year, new life, new skin.

this week, lets just say i burned my eyes out from looking at numbers for WAAYYY to long. Accounts how do you deal?

but it reminded me of how much and how far i come. now most the time i have more work than i can take. I have to limit my work week or I end up at 70 hours with out my permission.

seriously a bit over a year ago i was sitting at home developing an ulcer, and looking at my phone for work every 5 min.

what holds for this year, good or bad. I don't know. I have been thinking a lot about expectations. We expect life will be increasingly good, increasingly profitable, increasingly beneficial to ourselves and less painful. Being with people in hospice has taught me about life. Life ends, just as it began, it has joy and sorrow. But being american, being human, being flesh we tend to not understand pain, or suffering. Over and over I here: we are not meant to live like this? why do i hurt so bad? read Job. read any bible story.

We don't imagine ourselves paralyzed, in unimaginable pain and unable to do for ourselves.

The world is broken, we are broken, we sin. Sin is dangerous, it spreads over time, causing hunger, pain, broken hearts, war, and murder.

Beyond that though- the problem lay in where you find joy. Everything, everything will fail you in this world. your country, your community, your neighbors, your friends, your technology (as I yell at the computer), your family, yourself. Your joy CANNOT be based in those things, because when it fails, what do you stand on? Joy form Christ, from the perfect, in Him you can enjoy, endure and have hope in all things. To rejoice in Christ, what he has done will never go away, never fail.

When you grow old and life youth fades, friends disappear, your body turns on you, your money cannot put things back together; put your joy and life in Christ.

I have seen what happens to a persons heart who doesn't understand these things.

So for better or worse I will follow.

"Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is ABLE to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if NOT, be it known to you, O king, that we will NOT serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” Daniel 3: 16-18