I'm not a fan of numbers, dates, or statistics. The closest thing I follow having anything to do with numbers is how many chicken wings to order based on how many I inhaled the last time I got wings. And of course, I follow the wins and losses of those incredible Cleveland Cavaliers. (They play Tuesday night, ya' know!)
Mindee and Mollie are my crack math squad. I thank God for them, because I'm dysfunctional at mathematics. When working with wood, I often call upon them to add and divide fractions for me and find those elusive perimeters and diameters.
A couple weekend's ago, I was trying to figure out the angle of a triangle I wanted to build. I mumbled something about its diameter and Mollie said, "Triangles don't have a diameter, Dad. They have a perimeter. Circles have a diameter."
I stood there...saying nothing...and stared at her like a helpless deer mesmerized by car headlights. I turned, walked out of the kitchen and into the living room to sit on my head like Mork from Ork.
A friend recently asked me about the cafe. I told him we've seen an increase in the number of guests served. He suggested I put together something showing how many guests we serve monthly. It was a great idea. So I gathered the information, fighting through the chills and cold beads of sweat breaking out on my forehead.
But I did it. And all by myself!
Thank you for your support and prayers. By God's grace, we've seen tremendous growth and our cozy cafe feels...crowded. We are seeing a need for more space, more donations of food and supplies, volunteers, and financial contributions. And so far in 2009, we're training three new volunteers and God has provided a new supporting church and a monthly donor for the cafe. God is so good! Here is what we've recorded on our shift reports:
- January 2009: 367 guests
- February 2009: 523 guests
- March 2009: 671 guests
- April 2009: 718 guests
By God's grace and through the strength of the Holy Spirit, the volunteers are loving their neighbors not with "word or talk but in deed and in truth" (ESV, 1 John 3:18). Please continue to pray for the cafe and search your heart to see if God is inviting you to join Him in His work at Cafe 41:11.
Does anyone know a person who can inject the cafe ministry with a million dollar donation?