Personal Impact Plan - The Wagars

A Conversation with Jennifer and Keith Wagar
Jennifer and Keith Wagar are friends of CGI.  Their story is a great example of what we mean by "connecting people to people through projects that open up a door for the Gospel".  We thought it might be interesting to let them tell you in their own words how it can work.

Keith, tell us a little about yourself and what led you to become involved with CGI?
First and foremost I am a child of the living God and as well as a husband to my wife Jennifer and a father to our five children Delaney, Berkley, Cordelia, Wolfgang and Thornton.  I currently work at Eli Lilly and Company, but I am in a transition period focused on making a jump into full-time ministry. In preparation for that, I am attending seminary at Cincinnati Christian University (CCU).
As for getting involved with CGI, it was truly a “God thing”.  Last August, I was forwarded a CGI email from a good friend of mine.  Contained within the email was a request for anyone with knowledge of raising and caring for chickens.  Now what I had not mentioned earlier, is the Jennifer and I made a conscious decision 4 years ago to move away from “neighborhood life” to head out to the country in order to begin raising chickens on our own little hobby farm.  At the time we really didn’t know what we were doing, but we felt God leading us in that direction and we decided to “follow Him”.  It was in this moment of reading the email from CGI that I began to see everything come full-circle.   We quickly came to realize that God was not only using our little chicken project to edify our family, but he was also using it to affect others as well.  I would have never thought, even two years ago, that we would be working on a significant mission project here in the states let alone in Cambodia, but God always has bigger and better plans that we can even imagine.  So after replying to CGI with our excitement and desire to help out any way possible, Jennifer and I began meeting with Chris and Donna and started the Chickens4Rapha project and as they say, the rest is history.

Why chickens?
Why not…. Chickens are an amazingly versatile animal and one that needs very little human interaction or care in order to thrive.  Its versatility really shines as we talk about its farming purpose.  The female chicken, if provided enough light and forage/grain will provide on average 1 egg.  For those who are not aware the this one egg contains 13 essential vitamins and minerals in varying amounts, high-quality protein, unsaturated fats and antioxidants, all for just 70 calories.  Furthermore, males can be raised for just 8-10 weeks from hatching and are ready to be processed and either eaten or sold at the market.  Either way, these chickens will begin to provide the girls at the Rapha House a means of excellent nourishment as well as a business plan for creating a micro-enterprise helping them to become self-sufficient once they are re-introduced into Cambodian society.  Another benefit that we’re hoping to take advantage of through this project is to effectively create similar, albeit smaller scale, chicken based micro-enterprises that can be provided to impoverished families around Cambodia. 

Looking at the pictures this is a pretty significant project.  How did you go about raising the funds to make this happen?
This has been an eye-opening experience for us, as we have a new appreciation for those who rely upon  funding from others for support!  To raise the funds, we made use of multiple mediums.  One of the first methods we used was the CGI Gift Catalog where individuals and families could purchase chickens for the project.  Also at the same time, Jennifer and I sent out email blasts to everyone we knew and used Facebook to notify folks about our Chickens4Rapha Project.  We also created a Chickens4Rapha website where people can learn more about the project, see pictures of the current progress and learn how to partner with us on the project.  Besides the use of the internet, we have also raised funds through by capitalizing on our own skills, talents and situations. We have offered training sessions from our home business and sold our dog’s puppies. Proceeds from both have gone toward the project.  Last but not least, Jennifer and I sent out letters.  At first the response was not as we had hoped or necessarily expected, but as time has gone on, we are finally realizing that God is going to provide the funding…we just get to sit back and be overwhelmed by the incredible ways He is indeed providing. As a final push near the end of June, we’re also looking to work with Chick-Fil-A and have a sponsor night where a percentage of all purchases during a specified time will go towards the project.  What better way to wrap up fundraising for the Chickens4Rapha project than at Chick-Fil-A?

Can you educate our readers about the unique set-up of the poultry project?
You’re correct when you say that the poultry project setup is unique, but we cannot take the credit for that as it was really the idea of Chris Alexander through his various contacts and years of experience on the mission field around the world.   The coop itself has a bamboo floor allowing for easy clean up with just a water hose.  The walls and top are made of chain-link fencing which is important in Cambodia in order to protect the chickens from predators (giant rats, hawks, etc) as well as reducing the risk of them contracting avian flu from other birds they may want to mingle with them and eat of their food etc.  As a finishing touch there is also an aluminum canopy that covers the entire coop allowing for shade and cooler air circulation.  The coop placement is also unique in that at least half of the coop sits over an existing catfish pond that is on the Rapha House property and as such creates a mini-ecosystem where the chickens eat their food/grain and the catfish then eat the left over grain that falls through the slats on the floor as well as the remnant of grain that exists within the fecal matter of the chickens. 

Finally, we understand that you will be traveling to Cambodia this summer.  What are your plans for the trip?
Jennifer and I are both traveling over in July and we’re very excited about the trip.  This trip is actually the first “official” missions trip that we’ve both taken and we just know that God is going to work on both of us through it.  We plan to visit various sites in Cambodia such as the killing fields to get a picture of the history of the country.  We will also visit the safe house where our project is located.  There we will visit with the girls and show them the love of Christ by being His hands and feet.  However, I’m guessing it may be Jennifer and I who are also the most blessed recipients of Christ’s love while in Cambodia….

Please pray for the Wagar's as they prepare to travel to Cambodia to see how God is using their interests, skills, and network to make a Global Impact.  If you would like to help them finaicially Click on the Donate Now button above.  Just mention Poultry Project or Chickens4Rapha and it will go to help in this area.