A Long Awaited Journey

Three and a half years ago my life was changed forever after I spent 52 days working with orphans in the Philippines.  While preparing for this trip I knew that my life was going to change, but I wasn’t prepared for the extent to which it was about to change.  The Bible teaches us that we are to care for orphans.  I read these verses and felt convicted to help.  Perhaps I had always felt this way, but I didn’t know what it really meant to love the brokenhearted and care for the orphan.  But after my 52 days in the Philippines I understood good and well what the Bible was talking about and what God was teaching me.  The message is simple: There are children in need; Go help them. 

                This simple revelation, go help them, changed my life and propelled me to move to Louisville where I could learn more about missions and what my options are for service to God.  Along the way I discovered Ninth and O Baptist Church, which has helped me to grow in my faith in ways that I had never grown before.  I would not be where I am today without this church.  Louisville also brought me to Southern Seminary, where I was blessed to spend a year studying under some of the best professors in the world. 

                After a year of full time studies, I stepped away from Southern and began teaching full time.  At first I was uncertain of this path, but now I know that it was the right one.  I felt that God had called me to work with orphans, with the poor, with those who so desperately need God.  So why would God put me at Valor? And why am I working with children who are living in abundance?  Well, their abundance is nothing without the wonderful salvation that God brings.  My students are a blessing to me and I hope that I am a blessing to them as well.  They are my mission field.  It is my job not only to teach them geography and grammar, but how to live lives that are pleasing to God.  Furthermore, I can tell them about the things that I have seen and the lessons that I have learned in hopes that someday they would be inspired to help others in need.  I need to remember that God is my focus and bringing Him glory is my foremost task no matter where He has put me. 

                And so here I am, 3 ½ years later, living in Louisville, feeling completely blessed, surrounded by loving friends, and learning as much as I can about God.  For the past 3 ½ years I have also been praying that God would provide me with another opportunity to work with orphans.  I don’t really care if this opportunity is here in the states or overseas, short term or long term, as long as I am going.  And now God has answered my prayers.  In November Ninth and O announced that our church would be taking a short term trip to a ministry in Ethiopia called ‘Eyes That See.’  And about 5 seconds after the trip was announced I knew that I was going.  I was an answer to my prayer.  I just knew right away that I was going.  The trip is in October and will require me to take about 2 weeks off work in the middle of the school year, but I am going.  The trip is really expensive, and is far beyond my means to go, but God will provide. 

The trip is 8 months and 6 days away and I am impatiently awaiting the day when the plane takes off.  I am praying for the kids, the workers, and the country as I wait.  I am praying for me.  I am praying for my team (whom I have yet to meet).  I am praying for my parent’s nerves. I am praying for the funding to come through.  I am praying for my class next year that I will have to abandon for 2 weeks.  But mostly I am praying that God will use this opportunity for His glory and that He will use me in whatever way pleases Him and that He will give me direction for my life after this trip.  I am praying that God will intervene and use me because I am nothing without Him.

So here we are at the beginning of a new story.  Which will be so brief, yet requires preparation that will take so long.  If you love me and would like to be a part of my story, then please pray for me as I walk this road.  I am not afraid to go overseas as long as I know I have people praying for me here.  So please, if you want to be a part of my journey, pray.  My journey will truly be impossible without prayer.  I don’t know many details about my trip yet, but if you want to know more keep checking this blog. 

“Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the Fatherless; plead the case of the widow.”  Isaiah 1:17

                                          

Unexpected opportunities

I have to admit that it was a bit of a struggle to come up with something to write this week. Not because there is nothing to write about, but because there are so many things I wish I could tell you and not enough time to tell them all. I suppose when I return home there will be time to share all that God has done in the past 2 months. Right now I think I will use my time to share with you one of the things that God has shown us over this summer. Whenever a person is willing to give to God all that they have, whether they have a lot or a little, he will use them, the word of God never is returned void. I think that two weeks ago we started to realize that we would be leaving in two weeks and had started to back off a little bit and just wait it out. But this week we prayed that God would give us more opportunities to share his word and to love the kids. God answered our prayers by giving us not only an opportunity, but a big opportunity to share his gospel in a way we didn't know was possible.

We are no longer teaching in the school each day so Tuesday morning we packed up and headed to Sampoluc Lake. There is a park there that we wanted to visit. We did our group bible study and prayed. Then, Brea and Chelsea went one way and Levi, Grace and I went the other. We passed out tracks and shared the gospel with the people we found in the park. We meet some students on their break, parents and children on a playground, a guy who draws comic books and some nice ladies. Everyone was nice and listened to us and I pray that God is dealing with their hearts. When we were finished and went back to meet up with Brea and Chelsea they were talking with some college students. They are not Christians, but have a real desire to know more about God. They were able to talk for a good long time. A minute or two after we left they caught up to us and asked if we would be willing to be interviewed for a sociology class project that they are working on. We were a little apprehensive at first but agreed. We gave them the directions to Open Door and went on our way. Five minutes after returning to Open Door they were at the gates. We shared with them some more and decided that they would return in the morning to video Cookfest, a all day long festival that the school holds every year where the classes each cook a meal and perform a dance number or song. They came and taped us with the kids and interviewed us in the afternoon. It was really a blessing because we were able to share our testimonies and what God has done in our lives over the summer. I feel that God gave us the right words to say. Tomorrow they are coming to church and then to the mission points with us. In a few weeks they will share with their class our video and what we are doing in others lives because of what God is doing in our lives. We have contact information and will stay in touch. I want to thank God for giving us an opportunity that we didn't know we would ever have.

Please pray for us this week as we have many activities planned for this week with the kids and a very long plane ride on Friday night. Thank you for all the prayers this summer and I will talk to you soon from America!

Amy Carmichael's Dream

As a part of our training with Nehemiah teams we have a group time every day. These are usually mission articles or biographies of missionaries that we read before we go to bed at night. We read one this week called "Amy Carmichael's Dream." It is an intense view on world missions and puts what is actually happening around the world in a context that we can easily understand. While here, my team is helping to stand in the gap. Please be in prayer with us for guidance on what God may want us to do in the future. We are all starting to dream more and more about what we can do to stand in the gap. So please read with an open mind and an open heart. I hope you enjoy, this broke our hearts when we read it.

Amy Carmichael's Dream

The tom-toms thumped straight on all night and the darkness shuddered round me like a living, feeling thing. I could not go to sleep, so I lay awake and looked; and I saw, as it seemed, this:

That I stood on a grassy sward, and at my feet a precipice broke sheer down into infinite space. I looked, but saw no bottom; only cloud shapes, black and furiously coiled, and great shadow-shrouded hollows, and unfathomable depths. Back I drew, dizzy at the depth.

Then I saw forms of people moving single file along the grass. They were making for the edge. There was a woman with a baby in her arms and another little child holding on to her dress. She was on the very verge. Then I saw that she was blind. She lifted her foot for the next step . . . it trod air. She was over, and the children over with her. Oh, the cry as they went over!

Then I saw more streams of people flowing from all quarters. All were blind, stone blind; all made straight for the precipice edge. There were shrieks, as they suddenly knew themselves falling, and a tossing up of helpless arms, catching, clutching at empty air. But some went over quietly, and fell without a sound.

Then I wondered, with a wonder that was simply agony, why no one stopped them at the edge. I could not. I was glued to the ground, and I could only call; though I strained and tried, only whisper would come.

Then I saw that along the edge there were sentries set at intervals. But the intervals were too great; there were wide, unguarded gaps between. And over these gaps the people fell in their blindness, quite unwarned; and the green grass seemed blood-red to me, and the gulf yawned like the mouth of hell.

Then I saw, like a little picture of peace, a group of people under some trees with their backs turned toward the gulf. They were making daisy chains. Sometimes when a piercing shriek cut the quiet air and reached them, it disturbed them and they thought it a rather vulgar noise. And if one of their number started up and wanted to go and do something to help, then all the others would pull that one down. "Why should you get so excited about it? You must wait for a definite call to go! You haven't finished your daisy chain yet. It would be really selfish," they said, "to leave us to finish the work alone."

There was another group. It was made up of people whose great desire was to get more sentries out; but they found that very few wanted to go, and sometimes there were no sentries set for miles and miles of the edge.

Once a girl stood alone in her place, waving the people back; but her mother and other relations called and reminded her that her furlough was due; she must not break the rules. And being tired and needing a change, she had to go and rest for awhile; but no one was sent to guard her gap, and over and over the people fell, like a waterfall of souls.

Once a child caught at a tuft of grass that grew at the very brink of the gulf; it clung convulsively, and it called-but nobody seemed to hear. Then the roots of the grass gave way, and with a cry the child went over, its two little hands still holding tight to the torn-off bunch of grass. And the girl who longed to be back in her gap thought she heard the little one cry, and she sprang up and wanted to go; at which they reproved her, reminding her that no one is necessary anywhere; the gap would be well taken care of, they knew. And then they sang a hymn.

Then through the hymn came another sound like the pain of a million broken hearts wrung out in one full drop, one sob. And a horror of great darkness was upon me, for I knew what it was-the Cry of the Blood.

Then thundered a voice, the voice of the Lord. "And He said, 'What hast thou done, The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.'"

The tom-toms still beat heavily, the darkness still shuddered and shivered about me; I heard the yells of the devil-dancers and weird, wild shriek of the devil-possessed just outside the gate.

What does it matter, after all? It has gone on for years; it will go on for years. Why make such a fuss about it?

God forgive us! God arouse us! Shame us out of our callousness! Shame us out of our sin!

typhoons, flu, and exams

Well, this week has turned out to be a bit of a low key week. It began last Saturday night which me getting intestinal flu while on vacation in Puerto Galera. It's never fun to be sick, but it's even less fun when who have to be sick while riding on a boat across the sea two days before a typhoon. Luckily, good blessed me with awesome teammates who took good care of my on our journey home. He also blessed us with Ate Olive who was willing to take me, Levi and Chelsea (who where sick by Monday) to the doctors office to get medicine. Luckily, we are all well now!

The second thing we had to survive this week was the typhoon. Now the typhoon was a level 2 typhoon and didn't really bother us too much. The church flooded, but that was fairly easy to clean up and the basketball goal fell over but other than that and an uncomfortable night of wind and rain we were fine. School was canceled on Wednesday because of the weather and Ate Nennette and Ate Olive took us to Festival Mall. On the way we did see a lot of flooded streets covered with mud and rice paddies ruined by too much rain. We are lucky that we have strong concrete buildings. I fear that some people were not as lucky as us.

On Thursday and Friday we had the monthly tests at Open Door Christian Academy. I was really worried about my 2nd grade class for this test because I was sick and was not able to review with them before the test. I am praying that they studied on their own for this test! Most of the older girls told me that they think they did well on their exams.

I wish I had a more spiritual update to share with you all, but it has been a slow week I guess you could say. Through it all we can still feel God near and we are beginning to really see all that he is doing here and in our lives. In two weeks we will be back in the United States. We don't want to leave the kids but have faith that God can take care of them whether we are here or not. Please pray for us for the next two weeks as we are preparing to say goodbye. We going to be very busy spreading as much God across this city as we can!

That's all I have for now. Keep us in your prayers!!!

I know it's a mission trip but sometimes it sure looks like a slumber party

Hello everyone!

This weekend I am writing you from Puerto Galera on the island of Mindoro! As a part of the Nehemiah Team program we are given a 3 day vacation to spend some relaxing and refocusing on God. Our vacation started yesterday with a 2 hour van ride, 1 hour boat ride, and 2 hour jeepney ride. That's a lot of traveling but when we saw the beauty of Mindoro and the South China sea it was worth it! Last night we had the opportunity to met the founder of threads for hope, a ministry that employs 250 women here in Puerto Galera. These women are at high risk of falling into poverty and dangerous lifestyles. They make bracelets that are sold in the Philippines and in the United States. God has truly blessed this ministry and it was cool to see how God is working in other parts of the Philippines.

This week at Open Door we have spent a lot of time with the older girls ministering to them and just having a good time. Last weekend we had a tea party with them on the roof of the Orphanage and Church. The girls spent all day preparing and set a really nice table on the roof. We sipped tea as Chelsea shared with the girls how beautiful God thinks they are. Many of them have not been treated good in the past and it is so important that they see important and beautiful they are to God and us. A few nights this week, the girls decided to attack us before bedtime. One night they did our makeup and another night they did Chelseas hair like cindy lou hoo!

These girls are so special to us! Please pray that God would continue to give us opportunities to minister to them. This week we helped the college aged adults at the church start a discipleship biblestudy so they can minister to these orphans when we are gone. We really feel like this is something God wants us to do. Please pray for the bible study. We will hold it on Tuesday night this week.

It has truly been a great week as God has brought us closer and closer to the kids. One night I was playing with a little girl named Nicole. She is not an orphan, but her Lola works at Open Door and she stays here to attend school. I think she is 7 years old. She was riding on my back and we were spinning around in circles on the basketball court and she was just having a lot of fun and laughing. When I put her down we hugged me around the waist and looked up and said I Love You! I think it was one of the happiest moments of my life. She was so sincere and it just gave me strengh to make it through the rest of the week. I really do love the kids here. We have only been away from them for one day but I already miss them. Leaving yesterday made us realize that in 20 days we will leave Open Door and the Philippines and fly home, and most likely we will never see the kids, the youth, or the Philippines again. July 30th will a sad day. But, luckily we still have 19 more days with them, to love them, to take care of them, and show them God. With this trip I hope that we can show the kids that even though we have to leave, that God will stay with them and never leave them.

God has brought us to San Pablo city for a purpose! Please pray for us and the kids this week! We have monthly tests on thursday and friday. Also feel free to read the Nehemiah team blog as well. This week we will have Malloree from the media team with us and she will update the team blog throughout the week. The address is www.nehemiahteams.blogspot.com, then look for the tab on the left that says Open Door.

I will update you more night week! Thank you everyone for the prayers and support!

Brittany

Showers of Blessings

Yesterday it rained harder than I have ever seen it rain in my life, which was a good thing, because the weather was also hotter than I have ever felt. We stood on the balcony over the basketball court to see the rain, but soon Brea, Levi and I found ourselves out in the rain with the kids. It was so much fun, we danced and played basketball. It was raining so hard that the water on the basketball court was 2 inches deep and the street in front of Open Door was flooded. One girl, Cheska, laid down on the ground and started waving her arms like she was making a snow angel. The rain was such a blessing after a long hot day.

The rain reminded me of how God is constantly showering us with blessings while we are here. When one out team mates is having a bad day he gives them time to rest. When one of the kids are driving us crazy, he sends another one to hug us and remind us of the good we are doing. One of the best things about this week was celebrating Joseph's birthday. He is 12 and hasn't celebrated a birthday since he was 7 and has never had a birthday party. When we gave him his cake I think he almost cried. His big sister couldn't contain her joy when we went to the store and picked out a giant piece of chocolate cake just for him. We take something as simple as a birthday party for granted so often, but for Joseph, it was everything.

Everyday we are here we are being showered with more blessing and learning new things about God and what he wants for our lives. Tonight we are having a tea party with the girls and Ate Tess and Chelsea has been asked to lead a devotion. Some of the children here are Christians and some are not, also some have been very hurt in the past and need healing or just to feel loved. Those who are Christians we are working on discipling. Twice this week we were able to include others in our evening group bible study. We hope to start some kind of bible study for older kids or just the girls soon. Thank you everyone for your prayers! I hope you have a great fourth of July!

Brittany

This week in the Philippines!

Hello everyone! It is a beautiful day in San Pablo City. It is rainy so it is not as hot now. This week has been busy but good. We are now teaching school everyday. We all teach 2 or 3 classes and aid in a classroom when we are not teaching. I aid in the 2nd grade classroom and teach high school speech 2 hours each week, high school Christian ed for 1 hour each week and 2nd grade Christian ed for 3 hours each week. We also have church services a few times a week, time for tudoring and lots of time for play.

The church, school, orphanage, and house are all connected around a center area that is used as a basketball court. The church is located on the 4th floor of one of the buildings. I think it is really cool that their church is on the 4th floor because it is one of the tallest building in the area. On friday nights when we gather for prayer service the sounds of the praise band ring out over the whole city. Talk about a light shining down on the whole city. However my favorite part of the service is when Ron Ron, RJ and Joseph got up in the middle of service and started playing air guitar, drums and singing. Those boys are so funny and are going to good musicians someday!

On Sunday afternoons we go to house churches in the surrounding areas. Last week Chelsea, Levi and I went to one in a town called Conception. As we were leaving Open Door I was asked to lead the adult bible study. I was terrified and completely unprepared but God was able to help me through it and we had a great bible study. On of the youth explained everything in tagalog for me and the one of the natives responded and shared a testimony.

The longer I am here the more I am learning about the kids and getting to know them. They are all different and special in there own ways. I feel like some days are spent playing thumb war over and over again but it is good. Here they play basketball like they play baseball in the Sandlot. The game never really ends or begins, it just keeps going. Everyone can play and it is never about who wins or loses just about playing the game. We were able to celebrate one birthday this week and will celebrate another on July first. Joy turned 14 and Joseph is turning 12!

I have so many things I wish I could share and will do so when I can or when I get home. In the beginning of July we will have a three day vacation so I may be able to update more then as well. Please keep us in your prayers! We have come into an amazing church family and God is doing many great things here.

Good bye!

Brittany