Walking It Out...

Follow Me.

2012-01-23T20:04:00.000-08:00

Mark 2:13-17

New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Calls Levi and Eats With Sinners

¹³ Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. ¹⁴ As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth.“Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.

¹⁵ While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. ¹⁶ When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

¹⁷ On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

"Follow me," Jesus told him (Levi), and Levi got up and followed him. I can envision the disciples surrounding Jesus as they walked along the shoreline of the lake. As Jesus stopped at the tax collector's booth, of course all the disciples stopped as well. I can just see the disciples all spreading around the booth as Jesus began to speak to Levi. When he spoke directly to Levi instructing him to follow, I can just see those words instructing the disciples too. Yes, he was speaking to this tax collector but what if he intended on the instruction implying that the disciples too should follow him and Levi. It's as if he was teaching the disciples simultaneously to follow him into the the presence of the "many tax collectors and 'sinners'." I believe it is just as important to respond to the command Jesus gave Levi to follow him. Plus, look how Levi responded to the authority of Jesus. He got up and followed him. He wants us to follow his direction, his lead. He commands us to respond likewise to His authority. He wants us to GO and fellowship with sinners. Why?

"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

-Off to eat with tax collectors and sinners....

Banner

2011-06-16T23:52:00.000-07:00

The LORD said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live." So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived. - Numbers 21:8-9

A strange story. A strange remedy. Stranger still, the Hebrew word for "pole" (nes) can also be translated as "banner." So the bronze snake was a banner that Moses lifted up over the pople, calling them together to be healed of their faithlessness. Calling them together so that God and they could have the victory over their sin.

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. - John 3:14-15

Later, John's gospel applies this powerful image to Jesus-to the act of his crucifixion. Remember the cross. Remember that it is by his wounds that we are healed and the bite of sin is rendered harmless. Receive his forgiveness. For his banner of you is love.

His banner over me is love. - Song of Songs 2:4

from Praying the Names of God by Ann Spangler.

Gypsy Soul

2011-05-31T15:20:00.000-07:00

I should have known that a plan to stay in Auburn for the Summer wasn't really going to happen. The lyrics of a well known country song by the Zac Brown Band, "I've got a gypsy soul to blame and I was born for leaving" seems to define me. Freshman year- summer in Nicaragua and Hong Kong, Sophomore year-Branson, Missouri, and Junior year- Montana. My Senior summer will be in Missoula, MT as well. I dropped all my summer classes after the realization that I could no longer stand being so bored for a whole summer. Criminal Minds, the pool, cleaning and random creative tasks can only keep someone like me entertained for so long. Instead, I am headed back to Missoula and will work for Cuddle Bugs Daycare until August. I leave June 6th and will be back in Auburn to finish school in the Fall. I will be living with a co-worker and cannot wait to get back to the beautiful mountains, cooler weather, and long days! I will blog some and hopefully get back into the swing of this. Until then...

KatyBug

2011-01-17T11:20:00.001-08:00

I know I don't use this blog much anymore and I don't even know if there are people who ever read it. Some of you may get the blog in an email, I don't know. Anyways, I wanted to use my blog today for an awareness letter. In the pictures above, this is my friend Katy Bug. Katy and I met when she was living at Hosanna Home. She finished her program in March 2010. She and I have kept in touch and continued our friendship. This picture here is from December 2010. In just 9 months, Katy has relapsed very bad. Katy's story is very unfortunate, but here's the gist. She was raised in Alex City with parents who both used recreational drugs. When she was 9 years old, she began on this track as well. She dropped out of school at 13 and was a full blown crack addict by age 15. She completed the year long program at Hosanna Home and did pretty well for a few weeks. Since she still can't retain the knowledge to get her GED, she couldn't find jobs and obviously was back in her old living conditions. While Katy has responsibility in this as well, most of it just seems like a vicious cycle of death. I kept thinking to myself, 'What else do you expect from a child like this, really?' The Lord finally brought Katy to rock bottom.

Join with me in rejoicing that today Katy started a whole new journey for her life. I took her to the Teen Challenge Columbus Women's Home. Teen Challenge is a 12-18 month faith based recovery program. After working in this ministry, I loved the discipline and structure and encouraged Katy to try again to get her life back on track. After 2 months of what felt like a roller coaster, the Lord finally opened this door and made a way for Katy to get some help. As you can see, she is dear to my heart. She has a heart of gold and desires Jesus and wants to know more. Neither of her parents have jobs and she has no home church. I am asking you to help me financially support her as her church. We as the body of Christ are called to be the church and to help those in need. Yes, Katy has been through things and made unwise decisions in her life but so have each of us. And just as 'His mercies never to an end and are new every morning' for us, it is also true for Katy (Lamentations 3:22). If you can sponsor Katy with a monthly gift, that would be awesome. If not, maybe you can send a one-time gift. If you cannot support her financially, please just keep her in your prayers. She is only 21 and is en route to help serve a community instead of destroying it. If you can support here's the address. * * Make sure on the memo line that you put Katy Allen's Sponsorship.

Teen Challenge Columbus Women (make out the check to here as well)

14 Motts Dr.

Seale, AL 36875

If you want to support Katy monthly, contact me and I'll mail you a letter that explains how to pledge and do that.

Thanks for reading and supporting Katy.

Chronological recall of 10/25

2010-10-27T17:26:00.000-07:00

October 25, 2010.

At daycare, my co-worker gave me this awesome mouse cake. Here me and a few kids are marveling over her incredible baking talent.

After work, I went to lunch with Becca and Colleen. I then came over to Becca's house to do one of my favorite activities ever-carving pumpkins!! Here's me and Aidan playing around after we finished our pumpkins!

Becca and baby Tristan!

Me and my pumpkin!

Aidan and his pumpkin.

Then I went home and spent some time playing with Kierra. The ladies here cooked me a Southern dinner of fried chicken, green beans, and cornbread. It was delicious and I'm very thankful for each of them!

After dinner I went bowling with some friends. These two beautiful women have completed the Teen Challenge program since I've been here. Melissa (pink) completed in the Summer and Kery completed in August. Melissa lives here in Missoula and Kery came to visit from Minneapolis.

Me, Colleen, Leannah, and Kery at the bowling alley.

The sweet friends that celebrated with me on my special day. Bowling is fun, especially with these people here.

Colleen made me cupcakes... I was obviously very excited!

Making my wish.... and excited that it will soon come true!! Only 2 months away....

Birthday Gifts...

2010-10-27T16:59:00.000-07:00

When we are little, everyone asks us, "So what did you get for your birthday?" I decided that I would make a picture blog to display the awesome presents I received this week. Thanks to all who loved on me and supported me turning 22. I am one very blessed young lady.

Kierra was quite excited to take out all the items in the goody basket Aunt Deb sent to me. She may enjoy these snacks more than I do!

As you can see, even here my friends already know me well. Colleen got me cupcakes and diet coke. She hit the nail on the head for sure!!

One of the volunteers here made me an incredible cake. She used to be a baker and now does it as a way to bless others. I am so happy for this and feel extremely blessed to have had a wonderful cake.

Once again, my friends here sorta know me. Becca got me an ORANGE shirt because it's obviously the BEST color ever. These are pictures of her two sons that she included in my card. The book she gave me is a little cut out but it's the Little Prince. A friend gave it to her when she turned 22 to remind her to follow her dreams and stay young. So, she passed it on to me. It's very special to me!

As you can see here, Nana and Pop think I am currently residing in Alaska. No, this will be perfect for the winter. The weather is already getting chilly here so these will definitely come in handy.

Beautiful flowers from my ladies at Daycare.

Somehow, Mom not only got balloons delivered to Montana but also got them set up in my room! What a talent!! These are some tall balloons too I must add.

My parents got me two bible studies by Beth Moore and some cute little decors. My favorite gift from them is of course the plane ticket to go see my sister in Colorado in Nov.

This mouse cake was made by my co-worker at daycare. Her name is Amy and I absolutely think this is the coolest cake ever. Hands down.

If I forgot to put your gift on here, please don't be offended or think I didn't love it. These were just a few of many. I am very appreciative of all I was blessed with and can't thank you all enough for sharing another year of life with me! Thanks!!

Glacier National Park

2010-10-07T19:26:00.001-07:00

I don't wanna grow up...

2010-09-25T14:28:00.000-07:00

So, most of my days are highlighted by the time I get to spend with my little friend who lives here. Her name is Kierra and she is 21 months. She and I play almost every day. She runs by my room and knocks on my door every time it's locked (meaning she can't just open it and walk in). She is absolutely the most fun person around and I wanted to show her off a bit.

She and her mom playing with the bubbles I bought her..

I also got her some fun numbers and letters for the bath!

Our attempt to make a cake. For some reason, Kierra kept eating EVERYTHING: the eggs, the dough, the icing, the cake itself..

And this is my other playmate. He belongs to the Thrift Store manager. His name is Aiden and he is 2. This is when we built a fort in the couches and played in it!

Where's Browndy?

2010-09-21T11:18:00.001-07:00

I'm not so sure what's about to come out of this blog but I feel like it's time to update my internet diary. Living in Montana isn't the dream I thought it would be when I moved here. I keep myself busy working 3-4 times a week at a Childcare place called Cuddle Bugs where I wipe snot, change diapers, sing silly songs, and tell kiddos "no" a hundred times a day. Most of my shifts start at 6:45 AM which isn't my favorite time of the day anyways. Then, I work Saturday and Sundays here at the Center of Teen Challenge with the girls. I live with 20 women and usually get up once a week or so in the middle of the night to get someone meds. I watch Auburn football at a bar or in my room all by myself. Actually, due to the lack of community I have, I do most things by myself. Don't get me wrong, I love most of it here. It's getting colder and the views are breathtaking. The children are precious and keep me laughing and going. The ladies here are like sisters and I love seeing them grow and being a part of what the Lord is speaking into their lives on a daily basis. It's just difficult to be somewhere by myself and having the only friends be here or on staff here. For instance, if I wanted to go hang out with one of my friends on staff, another staff would have to take the shift but we don't have that many staff so no one can ever get off together. Most of the evenings I sit in my room and am really lonely and bored because my girls are in their classes so I can't bother them. There is a 21 month old that lives here that has blessed me intently. She and I spend alot of time together playing!! :D

However, it's definitely the hardest thing I've committed to. Many nights are lonely and I question lots of truth. I think boredom is a weakness for me. When I was a child, that's when I would cut my own hair, call Wal Marts, or do something to terrorize my little sister. In high school it was when I would go out and get into things that were entertaining for the moment. Now, it leads to questioning the Lord and trying to figure out things on my own. One of the ways I feel like I'm dealing with it all is every time these moments come, I turn to the Lord in thankfulness. When I feel lonely, I think Him for how many incredible people He has placed in my life. I have so many wonderful friends that I surely don't deserve. I only know what I am missing here friendship-wise because I have experienced real friendships in my life. Not many people experience real Spirit-led friendships. I am so blessed to have know community in college and what community looks like when Jesus is the center of it. Yes, it hurts like crazy because I miss it all but it's beautiful what He has blessed me with. When I am bored, I am thankful for how many things I have gotten to do in my life;trips to Israel, Nicaragua, Mexico, Haiti, Hong Kong, and more that have been used to shape who I am. Sports that taught me so much about team work and loyalty and perseverance. When I feel like I am not equipped to be here I am thankful that I am still learning and He is giving me this opportunity to learn more. I read something today on a friend's blog that rocked my little world. It said:

He gives me grace for what IS, not what IF.

And if one of the what if's happened, then there'd be His supply for that need right then as well.

It's so true. I cannot write down how many what if's I have placed in my head the last few months. He gives me grace for today and promises me good out of every situation and circumstance that occurs. She also said, "He brings about NEW situations so that we can become NEW in character." This is my prayer from the beginning and I am clinging to it today. May I be more like Jesus after every season He takes me through. I am holding tight to this truth today and I hope it encourages others.

Short and Sweet

2010-08-22T21:24:00.001-07:00

Faces I love to see...

Hannah Sumner's children Nathan and Addison hanging at Brendle Rentals

My Beautiful Cousins Brooks and Gray

My Hosanna Home ladies

Hosanna Home graduates and children. SO PROUD OF THEM!!

Felisha and Gracie (remember from Christmas at the Brendles)

Hosanna Home Baby Graduates- Gracie and Emma Grace

My Heart.

My Journey at home was absolutely ridiculous. It went by WAY too fast and I saw as many people as I could during the few days I was there. Here is a quick wrap up...

Monday- flew in late. Christi Wilson picked me up. Hung out with John Pritchard and Zach Benson and saw their new house in Atlanta.

Tuesday- early breakfast with mentors Christi, Hannah Frost, & Mary Reading Overstreet. Mom & Nana picked me up from Atlanta. Doc Apt. in Montgomery. Visited Rebecca Barrett Healey and the kiddos in Wetumpka. Dinner @ Nana's with family.

Wednesday- Dentist early in the AM. Lunch with Hannah Sumner & kids and also Nicole & Mom. Headed to Birmingham to have dinner with Maegan Miller. Visited with Kara Leigh Pritchard who gave some great advice and encouragement. Then stayed with Kristen McKee (sister's bff from Race). Sadly I didn't see Blair but Kristen is close enough.

Thursday- drove from Birmingham to Prattville to get hair cut/straightened. Home to pack. Meeting with the parentals. House meeting in Auburn with roommates at 6. Stayed the night at Hosanna Home with my favorites.

Friday- breakfast and visiting at Hosanna Home in LaFayette. AFternoon break with my baby cousins in Montgomery. Drove back to Auburn to have dinner with two Hosanna home grads and their babies. Night hanging with mom and packing.

Saturday- Mom drove me back to Atl to head out.

Moving to Montana.

2010-08-11T10:47:00.001-07:00

These are pictures from last weekend at Rock Creek. Sonja and I went up and spent the day Saturday with Lindsey and her family.

A cool shot of the train coming thru.

Me and Sonja

Me and Linz

Me and Sonja with the Wise Family

Me and the River

So, I wanted to let those of you who don't already know that I am moving to Montana until December. Teen Challenge has asked me to stay on as staff and work the weekend shifts as well as living here with the girls. I am in the process of interviewing for another part time job somewhere maybe in childcare. This means I will be taking the semester off from Auburn but will resume in the Spring. I'm learning so much here so I don't think taking a semester off quite justifies my learning. There are things I learn here that I could never learn in a class room. However, I want to finish school and love the Social Work program at Auburn so I will definitely be heading back to finish up. This decision came with many prayers and many opened and closed doors. I never actually heard the voice of the Lord instruct me here, but I did pray for opened doors that would point me in the right direction. My parents allowed this to be my decision which really was a blessing to have their approval. Of course, I think they really don't like the whole idea since they value school but they trust my judgment and walk with the Lord. At this point, I honestly don't know if I am making a huge mistake or not but I do know that the Lord promises His children that in all things, He works situations out for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). Not only do I love Him, but I love the work He is doing in and through the women here in Teen Challenge. I also love the work He is doing in me. There are many places in my life that still need healing and discipline and I find that through the staff and the mentors here. He is stretching me beyond what I knew I could do and the leadership I could hold. Being responsible for 20 + women is no joke. Many days I am frustrated, disappointed, angry, and filled with my flesh but He is really teaching me how to love and serve others each day. I love Montana. It's absolutely beautiful and I always like to be a part of an adventure and this probably is one of the biggest adventures of my life yet. I will be home the 16-21 to get some stuff and see my friends and family. Please let me know if you are available and want to hang out. I am trusting that the Lord has His hand in this whole move even if it seems off the wall. I am just letting Him drive while I enjoy Him in the passenger's seat. I would greatly appreciate your prayers as I walk thru this. Thanks for following my blog.

Things Ahead at Teen Challenge:

August 28-30 Spiritual Emphasis Camp for all students, staff, and alumni- Medical Lake in Washington

September 12- Sarah Palin will be here in Missoula to host a one night event fundraising for us to remodel our house. We will get to meet her and hear about her desire for God, Country, and Family

October 25- Brandy's Birthday :)

Perfume and Tears

2010-08-03T13:49:00.000-07:00

When reading the all too familiar story of Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman passage of Luke 7:36-50, God put a completely new meaning on my heart. The word is speaking of a woman who "had lived a sinful life." (guilty, that means me too). This woman stood at the feet of Jesus with her Alabaster Jar. The Alabaster Jar represents something a woman would put her most valuable perfume in. The symbolism is that the jar represents the one thing women valued the most both in cost and in meaning. Perfume was a very highly respected item by women and it wasn't cheap, but very costly. Not only did the woman bring Jesus her Alabaster Jar of perfume but she also wept at his feet. Tears- the powerful sign of pain, suffering, shame, disappointment, fear, or regret. Drops that detailed so much of her "sinful life." She washes Jesus' feet with both the perfume and the tears. She brings both the most valuable thing in her life and the hardest things in her life and sets them both at the feet of Jesus. The jar that could have possibly been the only thing in her life worth any value and the tears that came from anything less than what she should have valued. She brings them bot h. The Lord wants us to bring both as well. He wants us to bring the bad and the good, the valuable, and the crap. He wants what we do well and what we can't. He wants our successes and our failures. He wants it ALL. What better place to bring it ALL than at the foot of our Savior?

learning..

2010-07-18T13:37:00.000-07:00

This may sound weird, but one thing I am learning so much about is the enemy. I know learning about Satan doesn't sound encouraging but it actually is. I am learning about who he is and what he is trying to do to steal the testimony of a believer. You know, he can't steal our salvation so the only thing left is our testimonies. The Lord is opening my eyes to how much he torments and lies to believers and in that, hinders our walk of freedom and redemption in Christ. I see it every single day here at Teen Challenge. This group of women are so incredibly bold, passionate and devoted to their Lord Jesus Christ. However, the enemy knew that the Lord created these women that way. For so long Satan has deceived us with lies and false realities because he knows what an impact these women have on the Kingdom of God. The good news is, Satan is stronger than us but not stronger than Jesus-the one who defeated and conquered death and ripped the power away from sin. And, when these beautiful women of God run to Jesus, He breaks these lies and chains that have entrapped them for so long. Obviously, these are the most passionate people I have ever met. They were created to be! Praise God that the enemy has no power over them and in Jesus' name, they have power over him! Praise to the Lord!

Wow, a Pow Wow!

2010-07-02T10:39:00.000-07:00

Last night I attended my first real Native Pow Wow. I honestly didn't know all this stuff still existed. I would have to hunt to find this in Montgomery!! It was fantastic. One of the old staff from TC, Gena is native and her parents had us out for a "tailgating" type of dinner. It was delicious as you can imagine and the fellowship was fantastic. I was worried to be the only white girl, but Lindsey and I represented well. A few of the older students here joined us. After dinner, Indians actually dance around to the beat of large drums. They have a sort of two step dance going on and wear cool feathers and everything. I hope the video I uploaded works so you can see. Here are some pics from the night...

Sweet Tea and Indian Taco's

2010-06-27T08:50:00.000-07:00

On Friday night one of the staff members, Barb, invited Lindsey and I to her house. She grew up in Virginia and promised me she knew how to make sweet tea. She asked for us to come over and she would cook Indian tacos for us. The tacos were incredible. They are served on an "Indian fried bread," and then you put all your toppings on top. Mine was loaded with sour creme, beans, meat, cheese, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, and I think that's it. They were delicious! However, the sweet tea was absolutely incredible. I was close to making a trip to McDonalds just for a large sweet tea before Barb's house. I didn't know I would miss sweet tea as much as I do.

The evening was wonderful. After dinner we went on a 2 1/2 hour hike in the mountains behind her house. Remember, it doesn't get dark here until 11. The hike was beautiful and I loved just being in awe of our Creator. His mountains, trees, and sunsets just reveal His majesty. Montana is surely a beautiful state.

Weekend in Wyoming.

2010-06-21T16:50:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a blessing. The Lord worked it out so that I could take off and go to Buffalo, WY with my friend Lindsey. Lindsey is on staff here with me and is from Buffalo. She invited me to go home with her for the weekend to see Wyoming and meet her folks. The drive was a good 7 hours, but it was breathtaking. I don't think I'll ever get used to these incredible mountains. There are mountains, valleys, hills, rivers, cliffs, and deer all along the road from Missoula to Buffalo. We spent the weekend relaxing by eating good food, sleeping late, and watching movies. Her dad didn't know we were coming so it was fun to surprise him. I got to meet her grandparents, cousin, friends from home, etc. Buffalo is such a neat city with a cute little downtown. Lindsey has been an incredible blessing for me since I've been here. She's 25 and has been through the Teen Challenge program here in Missoula. She finished the entire program and stayed here to finish college and work alongside the ministry. She does take-in, requests, and really pretty much everything. She's an awesome role model for the girls and myself and perfect to talk to and receive advice. I'm confident the Lord put her here to challenge and disciple me. It's a unique little community they have going on here and my favorite part is that we have all been in bondage to some kind of addiction or controlling issue. It's cool to finally be able to talk and understand more about myself and searching into what the Lord has for my future.

I've began working on Beth Moore's book When Godly People Do Ungodly Things. It's absolutely fantastic but very challenging. I love how the more we think we've got "it," the more He reveals to us that we never fully will. I just wanted to throw that out there to whoever wants to read it. Actually, I don't know who even reads this thing right now since I'm not out of the country but if you do, I pray that it blesses you and that you would feel welcomed to write or encourage me whenever. By the way, my address here is

Brandy Brendle
3815 South 7th W.
Missoula, MT 59804

Hopefully more pictures to come... stay tuned :)

Missoula, MT

2010-06-10T20:24:00.001-07:00

Just a quick update.
I am here in Missoula working at the Teen Challenge Montana Outreach. There are 16 ladies here who are being restored and redeemed with the grace of Jesus Christ. The facility consists of four bedrooms for the ladies (housing 4 each) with one bathroom per bedroom, a classroom, a chapel room, the staff bedroom/bathroom (where I stay), offices, living room, and of course, a kitchen. It's a very nice facility with even nicer people. The staff is absolutely incredible. It consists of about 5 girls close to my age who are extremely devoted in their walks with Jesus, 4 of whom graduated through the Teen Challenge program with incredible testimonies. I love seeing success. No success means more to me than to see people succeed in declaring their freedom and power over the enemy, his lies, and his bondage. This place is full of the Holy Spirit. Many of the women have their own prayer languages, and every morning I feel His presence when we all stand in the living room and worship for 30 minutes before the day begins. He is so faithful to His children. He longs for us to find freedom in Him.

I have horses and mountains for neighbors. Everywhere I turn, mountains.

Things to be prayed for:
-continued easy adjustment for me
-women to open up and allow the Lord to use me to speak truth and love into their lives
-DISCERNMENT and WISDOM!
-fast pace of training
-some kind of transportation for my off days

-GLORY TO HIM FOR WHAT'S BEING DONE HERE.

Taiwan- Taidong

2010-06-03T09:46:00.000-07:00

Our first few days were spent in Taidong, a countryside city with beautiful landscaping. This region is poorer and consists of many Aboriginal people who were the native people in Taiwan before the Chinese came over and established the country. Earlier in the Fall, there was a massive mudslide that damaged much of the land and homes. There were many bridges and roads destroyed which disabled help to come in and out. However, the city is beautiful. Cindy's father pastors a church here where we stayed and hosted an English camp, youth night, and helped in Sunday morning service. Here's some pics..

For English camp, we took our classes to McDonalds and the airport to practice different types of vocabulary.

English camp at the Airport.

My wonderful team.

making glass beads in the Aboriginal village

Hot Springs Spa.. after 40 hours of travelling ... :D

Shout out to Hosanna Home from Taichung

2010-05-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to write real quick and give a shout out to my peeps back home. I just got to talk to some of my Hosanna Homies and their babies. I got all 5 babies voices right. I just love them. I miss my girls though and am praying for you all constantly. There are women here who are inspired by some of the stories I have shared about the Lord's faithfulness to you and His grace that covers us all. The women here are like many of us were before we really understood the Love of our precious Savior. They find it very difficult to receive love. They have a void in their hearts that longs to be filled with anyone or anything that will give momentary satisfaction. Like we all know and study, our Jesus is the real satisfaction and is the only one to make us whole. Maybe someday I can organize a trip for you ladies to come here. I think I just came up with a dream that is well worth looking into. We know that once we know and rely on the love God has for us, we are compelled to share that love with others. Ladies, if you get to read this... Spend some time today to meditate on how much the Lord loves you. Not only did He send His son to die so that you are forgiven of your sins, but He resurrected from the grave so that we could have life-Him in us, us in Him. He desires to be with you, so let Him do that today. Think of the past year and how He has prepared for you, comforted you, protected, and provided for you. You may run from Him from time to time, but He never leaves or forsakes you. Once you have spent some time receiving His love, think of how you can share it with others. I like to think that if you kept all that love from Him inside of you, you will get "spiritually constipated." So, in a strange way, let it out on others. hehe!!! EW! I am so weird, I know. But really, I know there is someone there that you can't stand- in fact, most of you I can name the person that comes to your minds. Share some love with them today. Not because they deserve it, but because Jesus who lives in them deserves it. I am praying for each one of you by name. I appreciate all of your prayers as I continue on this journey. I am doing really well. I miss you. Love you all,

Brandy B. :)

Taiwan #5

2010-05-19T20:26:00.000-07:00

Just a fast update with where we are/where we've been. The past few days we have been staying at an AIDS orphanage in Taipei (the capital city). We helped out and kept about 15 children under the age of 2. One day we even took the to the park and the night market. We also visited the older adult branch of the organization which was so sad because those patients are very sick. Yesterday, we took a two hour bus ride to Taichung. It's another pretty large city but is also more spaced out. Here, we are staying with our host missionary family. They are from America but have 3 daughters all college age or up who were all born and raised here. Most of them are fluent in Chinese. The house is wonderful though, and very much closer to home. We are spending our time here at an English Christian school which is like a boarding school for children whose parents work in China, Taiwan, etc. They all speak English (obviously it's an English school). So it's just about hanging out, forming relationships, and loving on teens. Today we are also going to a halfway house which has some teenage boys. Unfortunately, I am home today because my eyes are so allergy infested that I can't open them outside or in light. I am trying several different remedies and hoping prayer surpasses them all. Maybe I will get some time to just pray and read. Either way, it's no fun being in Asia while confined to indoors. I would really appreciate your prayers for healing. If we have faith, He is more than able to heal. If we agree, He will answer. So please join me in praying these allergies out so I can be effective and at my best to be used to glorify Him in the small amount of time I have left. I appreciate all you who are following the blog. Know I am also praying for you. I know many of you are going through times of change, seasons, and new beginnings so you are each on my heart. I love you! Brandy

Info... Taiwan.

2010-05-19T08:20:00.000-07:00

Just in case you wanted to see a picture of the people I have been speaking of, my facebook profile pic right now is of Olga, Dada, Me and Lindsay. That's all for now. Love you.
Brandy

Salvation in Taiwan.

2010-05-17T19:30:00.001-07:00

I have so much to write about. I have seen three miraculous things but I have to tell you about the one that kept me up last night. The last thing we did yesterday was head to the Taipei Night Market. After dinner and shopping, we headed home on the MRT. Cindy Lee's friend who we had been trying to reach all night finally called us while we were headed home on the train. We decided to go meet her anyways. This friend named Olga is the manager over all the Timberland stores in Taiwan (she's a big deal). She's also a mentor and Christian friend of Cindy's. We met her at one of her stores and this beautiful woman was shining at the first glance. After introductions, the very first thing she asked was if we would pray for her store manager. We had just gotten to the store and thought we would look around but God had bigger things in store. She introduced us to the most precious, naturally beautiful 29 year old friend named Dada. This had to have been the most divine appointment I have ever been apart of. Dada is an unbeliever but said it was ok that we pray for her. Olga wanted so bad for her to know Jesus and felt like the Lord brought us there for that specific purpose. So, she took all of us to the back of the store to a small "warehouse closet". Me, Olga, Cindy and Dada all fit in a little nook while the rest of the team lined the walls. Without knowing anything about her except she was not saved, and with prayer completly by translation, I laid my hands on Dada. As we prayed, the Holy Spirit flowed out of both me and the translator. I just prayed so hard bc I knew this was way to coincidental to not have purpose. I　ｐｒａｙｅｄ　ｂｏｌｄｌｙ　ｉｎ　Ｊｅｓｕｓ’　ｎａｍｅａｓｋｉｎｇ　ｆｏｒ　ｓａｌｖａｔｉｏｎ　ａｎｄ　ａｌｓｏ　ｒｅｌａｙｉｎｇ　ｔｈｅ　ｗｏｒｄｓ　ｔｈｅ　Ｌｏｒｄ　ｌａｉｄ　ｏｎ　ｍｙ　ｈｅａｒｔ　ｔｏ　ｔｅｌｌ　ｈｅｒ　ｈｏｗ　ｍｕｃｈ　ｓｈｅ　ｗａｓ　ｌｏｖｅｄ．　Ｉ　ｔｏｌｄ　ｈｅｒ　ｔｈａｔ　ａｔ　ｓｏｍｅ　ｐｏｉｎｔ　ｍｏｎｅｙ，　ｍａｎ’ｓ　ｌｏｖｅ，　ａｌｃｏｈｏｌ，　ａｎｄ　ｓｅｌｆ　ｗｏｕｌｄ　ｎｏｔ　ｂｅ　ｅｎｏｕｇｈ　ｔｏ　ｓａｔｉｓｆｙ　ｔｈｅ　ｅｍｐｉｔｎｅｓｓ　ｉｎ　ｈｅｒ　ｈｅａｒｔ，　ｂｕｔ　ｔｈａｔ　ｉｎ　ｈｅｒ　ｏｗｎ　ｔｉｍｅ　Ｇｏｄ　ｗｏｕｌｄ　ｂｅ　ｔｈｅｒｅ　ｔｏ　ｄｏ　ｊｕｓｔ　ｔｈａｔ．　Ｈｅ　ｓｐｏｋｅ　Ｈｉｓ　ｓｏｖｅｒｅｉｎｔｙ　ｔｏ　ｍｅ　ｔｈｒｕ　Ｒｏｍａｎｓ　９：１６．　Ｉ　ｊｕｓｔ　ｋｎｅｗ　ｔｈａｔ　Ｈｅ　ｗａｓ　ｒｅａｌｌｙ　ｓｔｉｒｒｉｎｇ　ｈｅｒ　ｈｅａｒｔ．　Ｗｈｅｎ　Ｉ　ｆｉｎｉｓｈｅｄ　ｐｒａｙｉｎｇ，　ｍｙ　ｔｅａｍ　ｌｅｆｔ　ｂｕｔ　ｍｅ，　ｄａｄａ，　ｏｌｇａ，　ａｎｄ　ｃｉｎｄｙ　ｓｔａｙｅｄ　ｉｎ　ｔｈｅ　ｒｏｏｍ．　Ｉasked about her life and she informed me that she lives with her boyfriend and wants to try church. At this time, the Lord moved me to share a little bit of my story and then just that He wants her to be loved, satisfied and complete. My heart raced as she cried and the translators went back and forth. Even though it's completely agaisnt Asian culture, I wrapped my arms around her and told her Iｌｏｅｖｄ　ｈｅｒ．　Ｗｅ　ｌｅｆｔ　ｔｈｅ　ｃｌｏｓｅｔ　ａｎｄ　ａｌｌ　ｗｅｎｔ　ｔｏ　ａ　ｔｅａ　ｓｈｏｐ．　Ｉｎ　ｔｈａｔ　ｔｅａ　ｓｈｏｐ，　ｌａｓｔ　ｎｉｇｈｔ　ａｔ　ｍｉｄｎｉｇｈｔ，　ｖｉａ　ｔｗｏ　ｔｒａｎｓｌａｔｏｒｓ　ａｎｄ　ａ　ｐａｓｓｉｏｎａｔｅ　ｇｒｏｕｐ　ｏｆ　ｂｅｌｉｅｖｅｒｓ，　ｔｈｅ　Ｌｏｒｄ　ｇｏｔ　ａｎｏｔｈｅｒ　ｃｈｉｌｄ　ｂａｃｋ　ｉｎ　Ｈｉｓ　ａｒｍｓ．　

Ｄａｄａ　ａｓｋｅｄ　ａｂｏｕｔ　ｏｕｒ　ｒｅｌｉｇｉｏｎ．　Ｓｈｅ　ｈａｄ　ｇｒｏｗｎ　ｕｐ　ｗｉｔｈ　ｐａｒｅｎｔｓ　ｗｈｏ　ｐｒａｃｔｉｃｅｄ　ｓｏｍｅ　ｔｙｐｅ　ｏｆ　Ｔａｉｏｉｓｍ　ｂｕｔ　ｓｈｅ　ｗａｓｎ’ｔ　ｂｅｌｉｅｖｉｎｇ　ａｎｙｔｈｙｉｎｇ　ｒｅａｌｌｙ．　Ｔｈｅｎ　ｓｈｅ　ｓａｉｄ　ｔｈｅ　ｏｎｅ　ｔｈｉｎｇ　ｔｈａｔ　ｌｉｔｅｒａｌｌｙ　ｍａｄｅ　ｍｅ　ｂｕｓｔ　ｉｎｔｏ　ｔｅａｒｓ．　ｔｈｅ　ｏｎｅ　ｔｈｉｎｇ　ｔｈａｔ　ｈａｓ　ｂｒｏｋｅｎ　ｍｙ　ｈｅａｒｔ　ａｌｌ　ｙｅａｒ．　Ｓｈｅ　ｓａｉｄ　ｔｈａｔ　ｗｈｅｎ　ｓｈｅ　ｈｕｒｔｓ，　ｓｈｅ　ｗｉｌｌ　ｇｏ　ｏｕｔ　ｗｉｔｈ　ｈｅｒ　ｆｒｉｅｎｄｓ　ａｎｄ　ｈａｖｅ　ｄｒｉｎｋｓ　ｕｎｔｉｌ　ｓｈｅ　ｉｓ　ｄｒｕｎｋ．　Ｉ　ａｓｋｅｄ　ｈｅｒ　ｉｆ　ｔｈａｔ　ｒｅａｌｌｙ　ｓｏｌｖｅｄ　ｈｅｒ　ｐｒｏｂｌｅｍ　ｏｒ　ｈｅａｌｅｄ　ｈｅｒ　ｐａｉｎ　ａｎｄ　ｓｈｅ　ｒｅｓｐｏｎｄｅｄ，　Ｎｏ．　Ｉ　ｔｏｌｄ　ｈｅｒ　Ｉwas crying becuase Iｈａｄ　ｂｅｅｎ　ｔｈｅｒｅ　ｂｅｆｏｒｅ．　Ｉ　ｈａｖｅ　ｔｒｉｅｄ　ｆｉｌｌｉｎｇ　ｔｈａｔ　ｖｏｉｄ　ｗｉｔｈ　ａｌｃｈｏｌ　ａｎｄ　Ｉpromised her that just like now, it will never heal her pain. I told her that love from a man would not fill it either, I'd tried that too. At this point, my precious friend, Cindy spoke for a few moments about a relationship with Jesus in Chinese. None of us know what was being said, but our spirits and hearts were intertwined. We all just prayed and prayed for salvation. All of the sudden, Cindy turned to us and said, ok She wants to accept Jesus. Astonished, we all laid hands on her and prayed. Cindy told us that she told Dada that she didn't have to make a decision now but that God was always ready for her. But, Dada insisted that she wanted it now. His kingdom came down and grace was at it's best.

I guess tea will forever remind me of this precious moment. At midnight, my new sister, Dada was born. The Lord answered prayer, and even used me in His bigger plan. We also prayed over Olga and the coninuing of discipleship and friendship. When we were leaving, Iｒｅｃｅｉｖｅｄ　ｔｈｅ　ｍｏｓｔ　ａｍａｚｉｎｇ　ｈｕｇ　ｆｒｏｍ　ａｎ　Ａｓａｉｎ　Ｉhad met in a closet just a few hours before. I'll neverfor get the night salvation came at a Tea Shop in Taipei, Taiwan. Glory to my Jesus.

Taiwan #4- More of You and Less of Me

2010-05-15T23:05:00.001-07:00

This morning, I titled my journal page "More of you and less than me."
You know those days where you wake up and literally nothing goes right? For example, this morning I woke up late. I had to take a shower which here in Asia means nothing really because you sweat the moment you turn the water off. Therefore, my hair never leaves it's ponytail. Anyways, I was late for breakfast which I ate too much and then felt way too full. You all know it's a horrible thing to feel huge on Sunday mornings. haha. We were to lead church this morning by doing a song and also I would share my testimony. I then heard it had to be only 10 minutes so once again, I was a little frustrated. The morning is almost in action when we were practicing our music in the room and I broke a string on my guitar. UH only 6 min. before the service started and the time we've used to practice, all put to waste. Boy oh Boy. Fortuanately the song really only uses this string like once so it didn't affect the sound. (not that I'm aware of)

With all this craziness, I ran to the throne. Literally, as I was journaling and praying over my morning I just could only ask Him to come help. I needed Him to speak. For some reason, I was just really adamant about them understanding what He wanted to tell them. The Christians here are similar to those in America who are just walking around like mummies in the Church. Dead to the actual life that comes when one walks with Jesus. I knew at this point that I had come to an end of myself this morning. I knew it. My teammates knew it. HE knew it. HE LOVED IT.

The Lord loves to be our strength in our weakest moments. "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

Good thing, huh? I was able to finish my testimony and play the song. During the testimony, the Lord really went into action in the lives of the people. I was really glad I stepped out of the way to let Him speak. It's a beautiful thing to see His people hear not only with their ears but with their hearts. The woman who was supposed to lead the verse even got a little choked up. hehe.

To close, I want to tell you what the Lord shared through me this morning. Something I too easily forget. HE REALLY LOVES EACH ONE OF US. He doesn't want us to feel lonely, deserted, unloved, scared, fearful, or caught up in things that can't fill that void in our hearts. He is more than enough to feel that void with life. He loves us so much despite our weaknesses and wants us to follow Him. He wants to be with us. And, He wants to use us.

When asked why I come to Taiwan, my response is always this: I want to share with others the LOVE that Jesus has shared with me. It is only when you really know the Father's love for you that you can truly love others. Please grasp that today. How great the Father's love for us...

1 John 4 "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. We love because he first loved us."

"The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." Galations 5:6
I would encourage you to really love others today. Express Yourself.

Taiwan #3.

2010-05-15T07:46:00.000-07:00

Hello to All...
I would try to do something creative and in Chinese, but at this point of exhaustion, I just can't. haha Sorry!! A few things to report: We are in the middle of leading an English camp. We started yester day when we arrived. We have taught these children (1st-6th graders with very limited English) two songs- Jesus Loves Me and Jesus Loves the Little Children. I have never played my guitar as much as I have so far (even at Hosanna Home-gosh, I miss you girls). Anyways, we also are teaching them different vocab words needed in the Airport, Train Station, and McDonalds. :) My group is the oldest and I have to say... they are LEGIT! Everyone at the Camp has taken notice. It reminds me why I loved teaching! Social Work vs. Education majors... close call. We went all over town today with the children (40 of them). We went to McDonalds to practice vocab, how to order, and a great lunch. Then we went to a museum and the 5 of us Americans got to hang around together and have a break. Then we went to the airport and taught them vocab needed there. The children went home and then we ate dinner with the youth group (15). We played 3 songs for worship, shared testimonies, and games. So far it's been so super busy! I am exhuasted but having fun. My teammate, Adam's girlfriend is Cindy. Her family pastors this church. I absolutely love her. She's the best translator I've ever had and is the most precious, sincere friend. She loves the Lord and it shows in her every move. I am blessed to spend time with her family. They have hosted us, cooked for us, and about everything my mommy would do I suppose. Tomorrow we are playing How He Loves in church and then sharing testimony. Then we will have a closing ceremonies before we depart to another town for a few days. I would ask that you pray for strength, rest (physically and spiritually), and glory to the one upstairs! Love you all!
Brandy.

Taiwan #2

2010-05-14T23:26:00.000-07:00

Due to the lack of time and internet access, here is an email from my team leader to his support team that entails what's going on with us... I will update you later. Love and appreciate all of you!!

Faithful Prayer Team,
Greetings from Taiwan!! I'm writing to you from our train on the way to Taidong. We are still in transit to our final destination and closing in on 40 hours of travel time from home. It was longer than expected but we are all doing well and thankfully, everyone seems to be displaying a spirit of adventure and flexibility. We arrived on time to the Taipei airport, met up with Adam and Cindy Lee and took a bus to the High Speed Rail station where we hurried to catch the last train of the night going to Kaohsiung. Well we caught the train, it just wasn't ours and by the time the friendly passengers managed to communicate that this train was going back to Taipei, we were already on our way and had missed our train. The HSR company kindly refunded the majority of the ticket cost (even though it was our fault) and we ended up taking a 4 and a half hour bus ride down to Kaohsiung (about 2 hours longer than the HSR would have been). But all was made well because by the time we arrived, breakfast shops were opening for the morning and we were able to dine on the local cuisine which I have missed so much! We then walked a few block to the train station and used the wait to do some work on the english camp that will start this afternoon. We will be working with about 40 youth aged 1st-6th grade teaching them vocabulary for the Airport, Train Station and McDonald's. It should be quite the adventure as we are going to be visiting all of these locations with kids. An unexpected blessing did arise during our flight over. Since the demand for English Teachers is so high, the pastor at the church hosting us (Cindy Lee's Dad) wrote a grant to the government to fund our camp so all of our activities, supplies and everything is being covered by the Taiwanese Government (at least for these first few days) !! If God plans for the rest of this trip are anything like His provisions so far, get ready for some AMAZING stories !!
So we are here, we are safe, we are loving it but we are all ready for a nice, clean shower. Keep up the prayers and I'll be sending out another update before we head back to Taipei on Sunday to visit the Harmony Home Orphanage. Thank you all for your continues support in thoughts and prayers. You're blessing us all every moment that we are here.

His hands and feet,

Ryan 來恩 Jacobi

En Route to Taiwan

2010-05-12T14:36:00.001-07:00

Well, I am officially en route to Taipei, Taiwan. Unfortuanately, Big
Bertha is not along for this trip (my computer), and my itouch is
difficult to type on because these nubby thumbs pick up 3 letters at a
time. All of that said, I am unsure how much I'll be able to blog. I
will do my best! I still don't know much of the losgistics but I'll
let you in on my knowledge thus far-
When we arrive in Taipei we will travel to a church/school to do an
English camp for a few days! The first few days we will be staying at
Adams girlfriends house (guy on my team) who Is also the daughter of
the pastor! We will also do a youth night. Then we will go serve in an
AIDS orphanage. We are also doing some college ministry and some other
various activities. One thing you must know when you travel across the
world is flexibility!
I have met my team now, and I would like to cyberlly introduce them to
you so you can be praying for each of us!
-Adam, previously mentioned, is one of my good friends from wetumpka.
He is 24 and is the youth minister at Cains Chapel. He is also a team
leader for us!
-Ryan is our other fearless leader from Pensecola. He is a graduate of
Asbury in Kentucky.
-Ryans sister, Lindsay is also on board from Pensecola. She currently
attends the University of Alabama, so rivalry has already taken place!
-Josh is on board who is in School at West Florida. He has served in
both Peru and Nicaragua.

So, that's us! But, more importantly we are travelling with the Holy
Spirit who has appointed and called each of us to vessel Him to Asia.
I am expecting Him to be the real teammate that matters! And, I pray
that the Lord allows us to leave a part of Him there. That emphasiZes
that we will see someone come to salvation! The bible says that in His
resurrection, our Savior gifted us with the Holy Spirit that would
live and guide our lives. Oh, how I love that same Spirit!
My prayer is similar to that in Haiti- I want to see His glory;
healing, miracles, salvation, prophecy, whatever He allows me to see.
Yes, I have seen so much of His power but like Moses, I want to see
more( Exodus 33:18) more of your glory, Lord, more of YOU! I am really
excited to escape the reality I live in and spend some time with my
preious Jesus. I will end with the same prayer Paul sent to Ephesus:
"Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given
me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for
which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it
fearlessly, as I should." Ephesians 6:19-20

Thankful for all of you, and covet your prayers! Love..
Brandy

Taiwan ... 9 days.

2010-05-03T16:54:00.001-07:00

In just 9 days, I will be getting on a plane to head off to Taiwan. The next two weeks will be quite stressful; I can take it. Last night my precious Mom and sister met me in Auburn and together we served the graduate ladies of Hosanna Home. I have been working on a slideshow for their gift and we watched that after dinner. I am still in love with this ministry as much as I was the day I started. It is incredible the way the Lord will break your heart for where you are. It's funny to think that a little over a year ago, I wrestled with the fact that Jesus loved me. Now, I grasp and cling to the fact and it allows me to pour out and love so many others who are in desperate need. I thought I went out to Hosanna to serve these women. I have received haircuts, prayers, encouragement, countless meals, hugs, laughter, fun times, and plenty of memories. You always are blessed more in return. I am going to be gone while these ladies leave in June, July, and August and the Lord keeps reminding me that even though I want to hold their hands as they walk out the door, His hands are bigger than mine and they are holding them forever. He is also reminding me that it is Him IN each one of the ladies that draws me to them. I am so excited to meet the women in Montana where I am working this summer. First I am excited about being back in Asia. Honestly, I don't know what to think/how to feel/what to say. I just never thought I would be back again. I am excited but I am depending on the Lord to prepare my heart in His timing. I am a little under the weather and finals are this week so I would appreciate your prayers to just persevere through this and then my journey for the summer will begin!

New Brendle in the House....

2010-04-10T11:04:00.000-07:00

Dear All Blog Readers,

I formally introduce to you...

Mr. Brooks Ellis Brendle

April 09, 2010

6 lbs. 11 oz.

Since about Christmas time, I have really come to a new place of love and appreciation for my family. Now that Blair's home, I come to Wetumpka almost every weekend to spend time with her and my parents. Going to three different colleges and having friends of all ages seems to sometimes get lonely. I am one of those people who really hates change and would rather hold tight to people than to let them go. Over the past year, this letting go process has had a toll on me and it's just hard. It's not bad, but people really are in your life for seasons. If I could change that, I would do it in a heartbeat. Of course I have friends that I keep up with, but it's never really the same as living everyday life together. This really formed a new view for me for my family. Family: the people who will always be family. And not to mention, the Lord has blessed me with so many, wonderful incredible family members both nuclear and extended. Christmas was great having everyone home and seeing my entire Brendle family. Then, my cousin on the Sharker side got married so that whole side of the family united in Atlanta for a wonderful time. My weekends at home have been so fun getting to play in the snow, watch movies, and just hang out with my sister. I have also been able to see my Pop more and with his health conditions, I have absorbed up any time that I can with him. And then, Easter weekend may have been one of my favorites yet. I got to spend time with my family, Uncle Kent and his family, my sister's incredible World Race friends who feel like family,and Grandbuddy & Thomas who always bring a good laugh. And with that, I came home this Friday to a new baby cousin who is one of the most beautiful creatures I have ever seen. I just am so thankful for my family and they mean so much to me. Knowing that we all have a short time on Earth, I just love the time with each of them. So.. here's for bragging rights.

Gray Gray and Cate Scott playing their second softball game!

Easter 2010

Snow day..

Atlanta for Jamie's wedding...

Haiti: The Work.

2010-03-27T09:28:00.000-07:00

“In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive. (Acts 20:35).”

Haiti: The Children.

2010-03-22T19:44:00.000-07:00

Haiti- School Board

2010-03-21T20:02:00.000-07:00

This was on one of the blackboards in the school classroom. The students haven't been in school since January 12, the day of the earthquake. The government is afraid to send them back because of the damage. However, this is the verse of the day on the 12th. The verse in English reads, "So we say with confidence, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" -Hebrews 13:6

HOPE.

Hope for Haiti

2010-03-16T09:50:00.000-07:00

The past few days have been incredible. I love Haiti. I love the people. I love the language. I love the food (except for the goat served two nights ago which I couldn't believe I tried but fortunately didn't like.. don't be mad Billy and Almon). I love the spirit. I love the culture.

Yesterday we painted all morning and then headed to another town for the afternoon. Repatriote is the city that we went to. The people there were greatly impacted by the earthquake. A church that branches off the church that we stay at was just demolished. I was shocked. I have pictures I will post later. The people there said since they are a town out of the middle of no where, they feel like everyone has just forgotten about them. We took about fifty jugs of water that we had used and passed it out the to people there who are living in tents. The huge smiles of gratitude blessed my spirit as I gave something as simple as water. People came from all over to receive. It was really cool because when we ran out of water, the people weren't greedy or anything. We just hung out for a bit and loved on them and prayed with them.

Matthew 10:42, "And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward." This reward is here. It is the fulfillment I find in Jesus. It is the hope that one day I will be singing "Holy Holy Holy" in Heaven with these people.

The rest of the afternoon consisted of a tap tap ride through the city. I wish there were a way to explain the destruction to you. I feel like Cooper Anderson didn't give you justice by video and I certainly can't by blog. Buildings are just pancaked to the ground. Six or seven stories worth just came straight down flat. It is crazy. No one has even gone into these buildings since because it's so dangerous. Every corner you turn and there's mass destruction. Pray for these people. One thing is this, these people have hope. Haiti is not dark. I thought this place would be dark full of witch craft and weird things. Yet, this place is beautiful. I had such a misconception. Even in the midst of horror, these people are back to life. That's incredible.

Today, the Lord has really answered our team prayer for the Holy Spirit to move. We went to the clinic today and prayed over anyone who came forward. So many hurting people here. Many came forward for prayer due to the fear they have and anxiety they face since the earthquake. One young man came forward and told us he had been hearing voices telling him to do such horrible things. We told him that when Jesus lives in your heart, he silences these voices. He asked to receive Jesus and we prayed over him. It was so powerful to be a part of it. Yall, he was really and truly receiving salvation for the first time. (All these prayers via translator). Another woman came forward with her precious 7 year old child who the Lord just broke me for. We prayed and prayed. ALL morning long. One thing I read this morning before the day began was, Acts 316: "It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes thru him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see." We prayed for healing in Jesus' name. He is moving and is so powerful. Later in this chapter in verse 26 it says, "When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways."

May that be an encouragement to all of us believers. He first and foremost came to heal our spiritual sickness. He came to turn us from an eternity of damnation and Hell. He came to not only wipe our sins away so we can enjoy Heaven and his promises, but JESUS CHRIST rose from the dead so that we can have an open means of communication with our Father in Heaven. So that we can even pray to Him for anything. The great divide is now fulfilled that we can ask and receive, praise and glory, and hear and see. Praise and Glory to Jesus for all these things.

Quick Story...

2010-03-14T17:48:00.000-07:00

Hey again. I just wanted to write this real fast. Today, I heard of some earthquake stories. One hit me pretty hard because earlier today I watched some of the kids sing in the church here at Blanchard. During the earthquake, a church collapsed in another city nearby killing an estimated 23 children who were in there for choir practice. Another story was a man who is in graduate school and he and his professor got caught under the rubble and couldn't get out. Some other professors came and got the professor out but told the man they would come right back for him. they didn't. He spent the whole night passing the time by singing and praying out to God. The next day he saw a little girl and got her attention. She crawled down and helped in start getting out. When she got him to the point of visibility, some other people began to help as well. When he finally got out of the rubble, he asked the people where the little girl went so he could thank her. The people turned to him and said, umm there was never a little girl here sir. He said that is when He knew God was completely in control. Just two stories that impacted me today and I thought you may want to read. More to come... Keep Haiti in your prayers, there is definitely a need.

We Are Here!!!

2010-03-14T07:19:00.000-07:00

Hello all who are following my Spring Break 2010.

We are here in Blanchard, a compound about 10 minutes away from the airport. Yes, Blair- we rode a "tap tap." In fact, we stopped at a gas station and were sitting outside and I tapped the top as I was telling my team what you told me about the origin of it's name. The driver heard me and came back there and said, "Yeah?" And I told him I was telling them why you called it a tap tap. Because, you "Tap Tap" and he started dying out laughing. The fly-in was good, a bit rushed. We didn't sleep at all the night before we arrived at the airport at 6. SO we went about 36 hours without sleeping. Anyways, we arrived... two guys right out of college from Georgia are the ones leading us this week so they picked us up excited that it was 5 college kids to hang with all week. They showed us around and then settled us in. The compound we are staying at is awesome. It's really nice from what I have seen and we even have indoor showers/pottys! The compound serves as a school and a church. School hasn't been in session since the earthquake (government decree). In fact, in one of the classrooms the date is the exact date of the earthquake on the chalk board which was a strange thing. We had a great dinner last night by our Haitian cook. Today we went to church at 6AM which was all in french and I could actually understand a good bit of it. I really really enjoy speaking to people because I pretty much understand them, especially when they slow it down for me. There is internet access but it is limited. I think we will start working today. I know we are doing alot of work on the schools trying to get them ready for when school resumes. Keep us in your prayers. We are asking for more and more opportunities to meet the people and hear their stories and try to encourage them. The culture here is very very poor. It is similar to rural Mexico and Nicaragua. I feel like with the opportunity to see many different nations, that now poverty is poverty. However, people are also people. And that my friends, is what I LOVE! So I am excited to report some stories and miracles as they come. Expectant. Tired. but Encouraged. Woooooo Hooooo Spring Break... gettin KRUNK~! Loves!!

p.s. over the doors of the church is painted, "Sortons pour Servir" which means, Leave in order to (or to) Serve or Go out Serving. I liked that.

HAITI: en route...

2010-03-12T23:55:00.000-08:00

I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am for this opportunity. I am sitting here writing at 3 AM ATL time with one hour before we depart for the air port. This night has consisted of an amazing time of prayer, visioning, dreams, worship, encouragement, and stirring. This is the most unique group of people that the Lord predestined to go together to Haiti. 3 girls. 2 guys. 5 hungry, thirsty, and expectant young adults being consumed by the Holy Spirit. The Lord has revealed to us that this trip is nothing ordinary. He is preparing our hearts for miracles, healing, oppression, and an awakening bigger than we can comprehend. I have never been with a group of people so in-tuned to the Lord's voice. We are stepping in confidence that with the power of the Holy Spirit we will see the power of the Lord in miraculous ways in Haiti. We will see this nation rise up in faith. We will witness miracles. We will be stretched beyond our comfort and have to rely on the Spirit, the Comforter. We have not played one game or any activity other than worship and pray over one another since we arrived. I am really beyond words at this point. I am already blown away and humbled to the Lord's guidance and will for each one of the people around me. Acts 2 has become the key chapter in the bible that we are focusing on. We are praying, seeking, and recognizing the Holy Spirit and the power He has in our lives. We depend and rely on Him. I am praying that this week especially, the five of us are known by the Acts 2:42-47 fellowship of believers:

"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of break and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."

Isaiah 26:8 "Yes Lord, walking in the way of your truth, we eagerly wait for name and renown are the desires of our hearts."

Please also pray for my teammates: Katy, Nathan, Wilson, and Tori.

Katy's blog- www.kwcrane.blogspot.com

Spring Break in HAITI

2010-03-10T19:36:00.001-08:00

I wish I had more energy to write about the exciting trip to Haiti but for now I must keep it simple. You see, I was handed the stomach flu for the second time this semester. If you don't know what that is, I will politely tell you it is an overflow in every direction of your body. It's miserable. And somehow, I have gotten it twice in the same semester, the semester to which I am taking 19 hours of classes. In the midst of stress, I have a peace that in two days I will be on an airplane with some of my greatest friends to completely surrender myself to the work of His hands in Haiti. I am so thankful for those of you who gave a financial contribute. I still haven't reached the $600 mark, but I am confident that what I received was exactly His plan for me. Every amount that I opened, I want you to know that I did not pray for it to bless my trip, I did not pray for Him to bless you for giving, but I prayed something that isn't prayed enough. I prayed and asked HIM to be BLESSED. I asked HIM to be blessed by your obedience to give. I asked HIM to allow me to continue to bless Him as I prepare by heart and mind for Haiti. Obedience and giving isn't about us. It's all about HIM! Take some time today and remind yourself of that. As much as we ask Him on our normal day to bless us (bless this food, bless this day, bless this conversation, bless this trip, bless this opportunity, bless this business deal, bless this tithe) how many times do we ask for HIM to be BLESSED? If the word is true in 2 Peter 1:3, "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness," then what more should we really ask for Him to Bless. Take today and offer it to Bless HIM! Thanks so much for all of you who gave and will continue in prayer... I'll keep ya posted!

Fancy That.

2010-02-27T20:35:00.000-08:00

This summer at Kamp, the Lord introduced me to one of my favorite verses of all time. This Fall, Shane & Shane (Contemporary Christian group) wrote a song titled "My Portion," clearly singing the words to my favorite verse. This Spring, I burned a CD for one of my sweet ladies at Hosanna Home. She put the CD in the player and said, "This one is my favorite song of all on here." She flipped through until she got to this very song, "My Portion." I told her it was my favorite as well and explained to her that I had fallen in love with a verse over the summer. I read her the verse which is exactly the words to this song. Later that night, she was rushed to the hospital for a possible heart attack. She is doing fine now but the Lord reminded me how he used this coincidence to encourage her on the very night her heart would weaken her. The verse is found in Psalm 73:26:

"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

Fancy that.

Distracting the Real Goodness?

2010-02-18T19:01:00.000-08:00

Ever tried to eat your favorite dessert right after you put a strong mint flavored piece of gum in your mouth? You love that dessert so much but it doesn't taste quite as good because that mint flavor still roams in your mouth, distracting the real goodness.

The Lord wants us to grow in our spiritual lives, our new lives in Christ. We have tasted and know the Lord is good. Continue to crave that goodness. Desire Him. Desire being holy, being pure. You can't grow in purity and in your walk with Him if you are harvesting any bitter or hard feelings toward others. Lay it at His feet, get that taste out of your mouth.

1 Peter 2:1-3

" Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good."

snow day @ home.

2010-02-13T09:28:00.000-08:00

my ultimate role model...

2010-02-10T08:52:00.000-08:00

Growing up, I was quite obsessed with this individual. And, still today I have to say she is so legit! I love Jennie Finch!! She's an Olympic Gold Medalist, an amazing mother to a beautiful little boy, a wife to the Arizona Diamondbacks's Casey Daigle, and a shinning light for the Kingdom. Here's her most recent blog that I wanted to share...

Victory & Heartache! Super Bowl Recap

Watching the Superbowl my heart was elated for the Saints and Drew Brees but on the other hand I was aching for the Colts and Peyton Manning. I know the feeling before that Gold Medal game, or the Nat'l Championship game. You know there is going to be a winner and a loser in just a few hours. You know you will either walk back into your hotel room as a Champion or not. Its the feeling you train for, the place you want to be, you dream about being there your entire life!

It brought me back to my last 2 years of being a Wildcat. In 2001 (my junior year) we did it, finally! We sent 8 seniors out with a Championship, a ring, we achieved it! We were finally the ones jumping up and down on the field lifting the trophy high! This was a magical year, we were on a mission, we had an AMAZING team! I was undefeated this year on the mound... I can remember fighting the devil telling me in my ear, don't let this final game be your only & first loss of the year/season. I fought that the entire time trying to ignore those negative thoughts! I tried focusing on each pitch, each task, and most importantly battling for my team! We did it! We finally won! It was awesome we were playing UCLA, our biggest rival, our biggest competition back then. And we pulled it off 1-0! Finally the Champions!

Then came the next year 2002 (my senior year), we lost 8 seniors from 2001, I knew it was going to be a challenge getting back there let alone winning again! But we did it, we made it back, we were in the Championship game the following year. Just getting to that final game wasn't enough, we wanted to finish it, win it! Coach Candrea always says, "its tough to win a National Championship and even tougher to repeat!" But We were going to do it, we could it, I wanted nothing more than to prove that statement wrong! This time it ended the complete opposite way, we fell short, way short. Ouch, it hurt, hurt really bad. This isn't the way I wanted to end my career as a Wildcat. The score was brutal, my last game as a Wildcat was ugly. I was devastated and heartbroken. I can remember fighting the tears and losing the battle of holding them in.

After sitting in the dug out for what seemed like 2 hours, I finally gathered my stuff and made my way off the field. I was walking off of the Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City as a Wildcat for the last time and we/I fell short. The Lord used this time to speak to me and speak to me clearly. I didn't make it too far, I was immediately stopped at the gate. I couldn't even get out. All I wanted was my hotel room and bed so badly, to sit and sulk by myself. I then looked up and there was this enormous line wrapped around the stadium, no end in sight. The security guards asked me if I wanted to sign autographs. I replied, "Not really, but how can I say no to this line?" He said, "It's up to you?" I knew in my heart I had to sign, it was the right thing to do.

I dropped my bag and stayed there til the last girl received a signature. Through tears, I signed, I was there for hours... I was floored. I kept thinking we lost, I was the loser. Why are these people wanting my autograph? Through so many hugs and generous people encouraging me that day. It was such a gift! A gift from the Lord. He reminded me its not about winning or losing, its about touching lives, touching others! I received more mail from that day than our perfect season,Nat'l Champs, going 32-0, the previous year. So many sweet thoughtful letters about the way I handled the loss, thanking me for staying and signing. I was in awe and still am thinking about it today.

The Lord taught me a big lesson that day! It doesn't make the pain of a loss go away but He reminded me of my purpose. Its not about the trophies or medals, its about touching others, living out God's will! Trying to be a Champion even when we are not the Champ. Through Christ we are all Champions, Jesus died for our sins & our losses, we are able to gain the gift of eternity through His grace! We are fighting for the true prize, the nonperishable prize, the prize of eternity! As my Gold medal tarnishes and gets scratched, I cringe. I cringe and then chuckle... its the Lord reminding me yet again, there is more to it! The trophies & medals will one day fade away.

When I go back to Oklahoma City, it never fails, that line is brought up by someone. The longest line they had ever seen for "the loser!" Thank you Lord for using the losses & heartaches to help mold me and shape me. And Lord, just FYI I prefer winning! ;)

Dreaming & Believing,
#27

MAZEL TOV!!

2010-02-10T08:07:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Jamie and Ben David!!

My first cousin on the Sharker side was married this weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. I am so proud of her and had a blast celebrating this wonderful day with her!~ Here's some pictures of my wonderful family!! I am so blessed.

Jamie and Ben

Mom, me, Blakely, Blair and Dad

My Nana and Pop- love love love them!!!

The beautiful, did I say, beautiful bride and her sister, Stacey who flew in from Israel for the wedding!!~ So excited to spend some time with both of these two!

Jamie had everyone wear converses to the wedding... :)

Me and Blakely

Me and Blair

The sisters and Aunt Debra

We love our Nana and Pop!

The 3 Brendles

The weekend was one of the best times I've had with my family. I enjoyed getting to just rest, catch up and snuggle with my sisters in our hotel room. I love every opportunity I get to spend time with my grandparents who I truly believe are God's gift to the world. I love getting to learn and see my Jewish side of the family and the culture that they are apart of. Even in the midst of confusion, it's a blessing to see their hearts for God and the way they worship Him. I am so thankful to the Lord for such a wonderful family.

My friend, Katie Bartlett

2010-01-20T21:02:00.000-08:00

This Blog was so good.. I just had to "Re-Blog" it.

Say So.

Psalm 107

¹Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
²Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary...

From time to time, my roommates and I have told one another to "just say so!" Implying thefreedom to "be right where you are at" (no judgment here!) and the empowerment that comes from approaching life from the victorious position of being redeemed. (1 John 5:4-5) We have been bought back, brought out of death into life, and set free to live life as He intended: in fellowship with our God. When we hide in our own selves, there is no fellowship. For us to speak what is true about ourselves and God is to speak from the position of being the redeemed children of God. We stand acceptable and accepted because of Christ! Who told you to be ashamed or that you had to have it all together?! It is the "adversary" or the enemy who tempts us to believe this and he has been defeated--powerless towards the people of the Lord. We must remember the Voice that matters most. When we forget we are redeemed and forget to "attend to the steadfast love of the Lord" we feel vulnerable, exposed (experiencing the reality of our not being in control), and afraid to say anything at all. When life isn't seeming line up quite right or the circumstances are unsure, or at the slightest relational discomfort or lack thereof we are quick to forget what He has done on our behalf and who He has made us to be and how He pours out His love into our hearts by the power of His Spirit alone. This is what makes the DIFFERENCE! In these days of our sanctification/transformation into the likeness of Christ we have the choice to LIVE in that reality or to try to live this life in our own feeble resources until the day He returns and completes this beautiful work He has began in us at the moment of salvation. May the reality of our redemption and new life in Christ fall afresh on us:

1 Peter 2

²⁴He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree,

that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.

By his wounds you have been healed.

²⁵For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned

to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

FREEDOM to "say so" comes from believing and receiving for yourself that you are redeemed, first and foremost. There is no way to earn or lose the love and acceptance which God freely gives us in Christ. This experience also happens in loving community. As we work out the reality of our salvation "with fear and trembling" He moves from our head to our heart what that really means. Healing comes as we move through this process by faith, acknowledging our fears and feelings, allowing the grace of God to penetrate our faulty beliefs, often through the gracious response of others towards us. Powerful. Supernatural. True freedom comes in taking off the mask of having to have it all together or be independent of God(dying to sin) and being who He has created you to be: a dependent child on Abba, Father (living to righteousness).

I was meeting with a friend this past week and it seems she has discovered what many of us know, but few of us admit. We wear a "protector" around our lives, keeping people and even God at arm's length. She knows she needs to take it off, but it's not easy. Our souls crave to be known, our Spirits cry out to drink deep from the Living Water, yet we choose to stay in what we've been deceived into believing is "safe." The TRUTH? Our God longs to BE our protector! Our Safety! Our refuge! Our HOME, but we must die to the old way of "safe" living, which is not really living at all. Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, came to this earth with the gospel message: "I have come that you may have life and have it abundantly." When we operate out of the riches and wealth of Spirit that comes from standing on these realities our life IS different! He satisfies us (Psalm 63) in this dry and weary land of the world. The Spiritual reality becomes our reality and we live in the paradigm of the life of Christ! When we stop searching for a formula and live IN CHRIST we find what we were looking for in the beginning...

Psalm 107

⁴³ Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things;
let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD.

Colossians 2

...to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding

and the knowledge ofGod’s mystery, which is Christ,

³ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Our direction, our step-by-step, our wisdom and knowledge, if you will comes as we seek Christ and allow His Spirit to be the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls and respond in faith to Him. When we walk as redeemed children in freedom, healing and wholeness, we WILL shine Christ brightly for the glory of His name. I pray that more and more we are a community that "says so" for the sake of His glory and that more may step into a life in Christ.

awesome testimony

2010-01-13T18:12:00.001-08:00

I feel like I should know her but I don't. However, I was extremely encouraged by this story-

Success Stories :: Mandi

AMANDA WIGGINS

Hi, my name is Mandi and I am 24 years old. My family and I moved to California from Alaska at the beginning of my grade school when my grandfather was dying. After his death we found comfort in a local church but I never completely surrendered my life to Jesus or had a personal relationship with Him. At a young age I started dancing and playing soccer. By junior high I was playing soccer at a very competitive level.

I have two older sisters and when I got into junior high I began to go out with them on the weekends and that is when I began to drink. By high school I was well known in my community for soccer but I had a routine party schedule on the weekends. When I was sixteen I got a DUI in a stolen vehicle. This shocked my community, my coach, and it shamed my family. I was let off with just a little probation because the judge didn't want to hinder my future with my soccer and schooling.

My senior year my coach opened up an opportunity for me to play against high-ranked teams and universities. This was a time to be scouted and to experience soccer at a higher level. But inside I had a huge fear of failure so when I was introduced to meth by a friend of mine, I found my escape in it. I started using quite a bit and people saw a change in me on and off the field. I ended up barely walking with my class because of so many days missed, and my personal coach and scouts were fed-up with no-shows and unreturned phone calls.

After graduation I crashed my friends car while drinking and driving and ended up In a 30 day rehab. Here is where I realized I had ruined everything I had been working my whole life towards. When I got out of rehab I quickly got back into my addiction. I worked and tried to go to junior college but I couldn't do either without being high. My addiction had spiraled out of control and because of being untrustworthy I wasn't allowed in my family's home or allowed to see my niece who I love dearly, and I lost my job of two years. Without many options open to me I moved in with a guy friend not realizing the severity of his drug addiction. It was here that I saw things I wouldn't imagine in my worst nightmare and I met the kind of people I didn't know existed. I remember being up in my room crying. It wasn't like a normal night of crying feeling sorry for myself. Something within me was crying out. For the first time in my life I felt the presence of God. In my complete broken state God spoke to my heart and I knew that He loved me and somehow my life was going to change.

Right after that I ended up in jail for 45 days. In jail I reunited with my family and I dedicated my life to Christ. My parents heard about Teen Challenge and by the grace of God I was granted my release to go to the program.

People always ask me what it was like in Teen Challenge. I tell them it was a year of getting to sit at the feet of Jesus. In the presence of Jesus there is healing, hope, restoration, and one can begin to dream again. At the end of my program God began to speak to me about missions. I heard about Y-WAM (youth-with-a-mission) and knew that I knew this was where God wanted me. It seemed impossible because I was on felony probation and had pretty much no money. However, God opened up door after door and did miracle after miracle. Shortly after I was done with my program I found myself on an airplane to Kona, HI where I would train for three months before going overseas. I ended up going with an amazing team to Australia and American Samoa.

I came home after my time overseas was up and began to seek God for what he had for me next. I currently am an intern at my church at Calvary Christian Center. I work under our Youth Pastor with student ministries and oversee evangelism. I was privileged to help lead a group of our students to Ecuador this past summer in South America. I am also currently getting certified as a chemical dependency counselor.

For me it is extremely humbling to look back at what God has done in my life from that time he spoke to my heart when I was completely broken in my room crying, up until now. I have been so blessed to see different parts of our world and God's unchanging heart for the nations. No matter where I am I am a missionary, because people are everywhere that need to know the love of Christ. I love Jesus and can't do justice with words for all he has done for me. God Bless and dream big!!!

Still Learning Day by Day...

2010-01-10T12:49:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since I've blogged mainly because I am so incredibly busy. However, I want to take a minute and really, record a revelation the Lord has blessed me with today. To give you a bit of a background, I have really struggled this semester with trying to understand how we have a Holy Spirit in us yet sometimes choose a life of sin. Many of you know about the situation from Kamp and then even an experience from a friend in my life that just lead to a wrestle for me with the issue of salvation and if the Spirit really resides in people who live such a completely different lifestyle than what the Lord instructs us to. I am not questioning any particular person's salvation but to be in a Social Work career, I feel it very necessary to discern what exactly a life with the Spirit looks like. I have been hurt by lies, manipulation, and disadvantages over me mainly because I believe the truth people speak about themselves but even more so, the Lord. Why wouldn't we want to believe what is said to be true? So, I wrestle with this not because I think one sin is bigger or worse than another, not because I want to know who is really saved or not, not because I want to look better or think of myself better, but because I feel it is essential for my career and lifestyle as a believer.

Today I read the story of Ananias and Sapphira that can be found in Acts 5. After the Lord ascended into Heaven, the Holy Spirit came down and filled not only the place, but the people who resided in the room (Acts 4:31). The believers began to share everything they had with one another. However, Ananias and his wife gave only a portion of the money they received from a piece of property they sold. "Then Peter said, 'Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God." At these words, Ananias fell dead. Then his wife was questioned and caught in a lie. Peter said to her, 'How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord?"

This is what I took from this: Believers (those who have confessed and believed in Christ and been filled with the Holy Spirit) can lie to the Spirit, essentially to God, and live a life of hidden (from men) sin. But, I see the results here to be serious. Also, in 2 Peter 2:20-21: "If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them."

It is true that we are sealed with Him (the Holy Spirit in us) till the day of repentance. Yet, we are not to grieve the Spirit. The Spirit is grieved when there is a breach in relationship to either God or people. Sin pains the Holy Spirit. (see Eph. 4:25-32)

This may have made no sense to you but it reveals a new perspective for me to look at when it comes to sin and the Holy Spirit. Above it all, it brings me to seriously ask myself this question:

How important is it then to care more about the Spirit's grief than my own? I am praying for that to really sink in for me. I know that many people have different opinions on this subject but I just wanted to journal out my thoughts. I want to be sensitive to the fact that I cannot and will never be able to completely understand the Holy Spirit or the lives of others.

Disappointments.

2009-12-08T23:15:00.001-08:00

An anonymous poem:

"Disappointments- His Appointment,

Change one letter, then I see

That the thwarting of my purpose

Is God's better choice for me.

His appointment must be blessing,

Tho' it may come in disguise,

For the end from the beginning

Open to His wisdom lies.

Disappointments- His Appointment,

No good will He withhold,

From denials oft we gather

Treasures of His love untold.

Well He knows each broken purpose

Leads to fuller, deeper trust,

And the end of all His dealings

Proves our God is wise and just.

Disappointments- His appointment,

Lord, I take it, then, as such,

Like clay in the hands of a potter,

Yielding wholly to Thy touch.

My life's plan is Thy molding;

Not one single choice be mine;

Let me answer, unrepining-

Father, not my will, but Thine."

I could use YOUR help!!

2009-12-06T22:00:00.000-08:00

There is one way you can get involved in this Holiday Season at Hosanna Home. A few of the girls, me, and some staff members are taking a mission trip to Mexico Dec. 15-22. The ministry that runs Hosanna Home, Harvest Evangelism also has a partnership with a church in Mexico. We will be painting, building, and constructing homes and porches. We will also be hanging out and ministering to children on the streets and people in need. The girls and I from Hosanna Home have to raise a certain amount to build a porch for a family. They are already underway praying and asking for support. So, to do my part, I thought I would ask my community, YOU. If you feel led to support this trip, you can mail me or I can come meet you, any financial contribution you would like to do. All checks can be made to Harvest Evangelism. Also, if you have ANY SHOES that you could do without, I am taking a huge stash of them!! Children and adults need shoes there more than anything else. If you would like to contribute, please call and let me know 334-300-5641. If you are mailing anything... 650 Dekalb St. Unit 1311
Auburn, Alabama 36830

I can't wait to let you know how doing ministry alongside some amazing women who have recently come to know the Lord looks like. Women who I thought I was ministering to, will now be working alongside me to further the Kingdom of God in Mexico. WOW! What a blessing that there is none greater or less important in Christ. I love it!

Thanks and love you all!!
Brandy

Get your Hopes UP.

2009-12-06T12:03:00.000-08:00

Today, the advent candle of HOPE was lit. Considering the past month of some very difficult situations, questioning, and tests- I have really gotten down and lost. I have spoken to some of you but for the others, let's just say that working in a drug and alcohol rehab, there is not always full success stories. In the process, I start to lose my hope in this whole thing. I feel like it is pointless what I am doing. Is there really a success story? Is it even possible to live a life completely free of these addictions and shame? I have seen REAL chains. I have seen women who love the Lord still fail and fall into these horrible, devastating pits of life. I started questioning the Lord and admitting that I was losing faith in Him. I was losing HOPE. Then, today I learned...

I. As humans, we place our hope in a lot of wrong places.

A. Personal achievements, human ingredients, what we can control or try to control, our successes, our Impact on others- WORKS.

- "Why do I put myself in jeopardy and take my life in my hands? Though he slay me, yet will I Hope in him" Job 13:14-15

B. Depression, worry, anxiety, uncertainty, anxiousness, time, waiting- FEELINGS.

- "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God." Psalm 42:5

- "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life." Proverbs 13:12

C. Money, Wealth, Jobs, Security-NON-ETERNAL MATTERS

- "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their

hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with

everything for our enjoyment." 1 Timothy 6:17

- "If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men." 1 Cor.

15:19

- "For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what

he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently." Romans 8:24

D. Family, Friends, Ministry, Neighbors, Colleagues, Teammates- PEOPLE

- "Find rest, O my soul, in God ALONE; my hope comes from him. He ALONE is my

rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken." Psalm 62:5-6

II. Placing our Trust in the RIGHT HOPE

A. HIS WORD-

- "May those who fear you rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in your

word." Psalm 119:74

B. HIS WORD is JESUS CHRIST-"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word

was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning." John 1:1

HOPE in Jesus Christ.

- "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.

It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-

controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the

blessed hope- the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus

Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify

for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good." Titus

2:11-14

- "Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear

to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that,

by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled

to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as

an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain,

where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest

forever, in the order of Melchizedek." Hebrews 6:17-20

- "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

Hebrews 11:1

- "Father God, you have brought all things together in Christ-things both in heaven and

on earth. Therefore, we who have put our hope in Jesus our Messiah, praise His glorious

name." Ephesians 1:10,12

- "To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches

of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." Colossians 1:27

- "And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our

hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." Romans 5:5

- "the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.

" Psalm 147:11

III. Result in our lives

A. Love and Redemption

- "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. O' Israel, put your hope

in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption." Psalm 130:5,7

B. Endurance and Strength

- "...But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like

eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

- "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through

endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."

C. Purity in Heart and Mind

- "But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a

breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet." 1 Thess. 5:8

- "Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known

But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who

has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure." 1 John 3:2-3

hope in this world will disappoint every time. take HIS hope

and abandon ALL others.

Party Time.

2009-12-05T15:09:00.000-08:00

Hosanna had their staff Christmas Party this week. We did a skit of the 12 Days of Christmas.. me playing the guitar and them singing.. It was really fun. Here's some pics. I am going to update more later. Until then, Here's some Christmas smiles...

Opportunity.

2009-11-28T14:44:00.000-08:00

"These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name." -Revelation 3:7-8

Pizza Partaay

2009-11-22T23:16:00.000-08:00

There's no better place to learn how to cook a pizza than @Hosanna with the best chefs around...

My heart shaped finale.

It's just so exciting!!!!

Me and Wendy in the kitchen

Katie Bug teaching me how to cook...

Abbey and Wendy

My Theory

2009-11-16T12:09:00.001-08:00

Today in class we reviewed mental disabilities and cognitive learning disabilities. After going over all the theories and definitions, I came up with my own:

I believe that God placed a unique characteristic of Himself in people with mental disabilities. This characteristic, in my opinion, is found only in these precious, wonderful people. I feel like that is one of the purposes of their lives; to display this amazing loving, compassionate, and caring personality that is unique to humankind. Praise the Lord for these individuals who TRULY make the world a better place. I am forever thankful for them.

Inspired By...

2009-11-15T18:20:00.000-08:00

I have finally finished some lyrics I have been working on.... The first is a chorus that I have been playing the past few days on the guitar- It's really a collaboration of what I try to share with my Hosanna Ladies everyday I am there--

"But I know a man who loves with liberty

No weakness or defeat, His strength is mighty.

And in this man, I'm a captive who's set free

No sin, No shame, No guilt will be found on me.

So I choose this man, in Him there's victory

I find healing and life in His grace and mercy.

Forever to this man, All praise and honor be

I'm a new creation and to Him be the Glory."

The second is just some verses I wrote that were inspired by the stories of the Women at Hosanna and the way their lives have resulted in addictions and shame. When you read them, think of cards...

"You've been dealt quite a difficult hand

The Kings abused with the lies they used, left you on shaky land.

The Queens manipulated, they got you in your back

Labelled you a failure with everything you lack.

Always expecting something as they blinded you with love

Those jacks would silence you my dear, with every push and shove.

You became the joker, crumbling inside

Reaching out, you'd try anything just trying to hide.

On the Outside you've done pretty well fitting in with the rest of the deck

But flip your card on over, you see your life is a wreck.

You tried wearing the suit of clubs hoping for the best of luck

But every step forward was two steps back, left you hopeless and stuck.

You battle insecurity, trying to be the prettiest of the girls

In this suit of diamonds, you're worth's in jewels and pearls.

The destruction continues as you attempt to try the spades

Running out of options, all hope begins to fade. "

This past Friday night, I spent 2 hours playing the guitar for the women. One of the interns started crying when we went into the office afterwards. She told me that it is such a blessing for me to come in there and bring in encouragement and allow them to just enjoy a few hours of worship. This intern has become an amazing mentor for me so you can imagine how much this comment meant to me. Here's the real deal- When I, a 21 year old college student spend a Friday night until 11 PM at a drug and rehab center, it has absolutely NOTHING to do with me. At Hosanna, we don't really watch TV, no internet, no phones- just people. We sit around in community and laugh, tell stories, and encourage one another on this journey we call life. This simplicity and time together is what makes my heart beat. Almost every conversation includes Jesus and brings glory to His name. He is why I am there. Every second, every conversation, every laugh, every tear... EVERY MOMENT I pray that HIS NAME is GLORIFIED. I pray that these women see Jesus Christ and the story of redemption HE has brought about in my own life. I never would have dreamed in high school that I would be playing a guitar leading worship in a drug and rehab center on a Friday night. PRAISE GOD that He had bigger dreams than I could ever imagine. Because His spirit now lives IN me, I get to be a part of His story and bring glory to HIS name. All Glory to the King who is changing lives, healing hearts, and redeeming souls.

Share and Tell

2009-11-04T22:19:00.000-08:00

An anonymous poem:

"Disappointments- His Appointment,

Change one letter, then I see

That the thwarting of my purpose

Is God's better choice for me.

His appointment must be blessing,

Tho' it may come in disguise,

For the end from the beginning

Open to His wisdom lies.

Disappointments- His Appointment,

No good will He withhold,

From denials oft we gather

Treasures of His love untold.

Well He knows each broken purpose

Leads to fuller, deeper trust,

And the end of all His dealings

Proves our God is wise and just.

Disappointments- His appointment,

Lord, I take it, then, as such,

Like clay in the hands of a potter,

Yielding wholly to Thy touch.

My life's plan is Thy molding;

Not one single choice be mine;

Let me answer, unrepining-

Father, not my will, but Thine."

Wise Instructions from a Hosanna Resident:

"Even when you feel as if you just wanna give up, hold your head up high and keep going. He will continue to make a way for you. Our God is a faithful God who will always do what He says. We have to remember we are His vessels and we are to let His light shine in us. When someone looks in our eyes they should see Christ and it is up to us to continue to let these lights shine forever."

Catch UP and Birthday

2009-10-29T19:59:00.000-07:00

So I haven't blogged in a while but I wanted to update you on life lately. The past two weeks have gone fast and been hard. The weekend of my birthday consists of this:

* Thursday, Oct. 22- my best friend Cullen, my 3 roommates, and a few friends went to dinner for my birthday

*Friday, Oct. 23- dinner in Montgomery with Mom, grandparents, and Aunt Cin. Then hung out with friends who came into town from Atlanta

*Saturday, Oct. 24- woke up BRIGT and Early and departed Auburn at 8 AM. Some of my favorite people in the world joined me for a terrific day in a small town outside of Auburn called Lochapoka. Once a year, the town holds a festival where they crush sugar crane and make syrup. It's called syrup sopping. There's booths to shop around and lots of music. It's one of my favorite parts of the Fall.

Christi, Hannah and I

John, me and Phillip

My friends here at Syrup Sopping.

* After sopping, we went to the pumpkin patch! It is by far the greatest thing about Fall- I LOVE PUMPKINS!!

* After the pumpkin patch, I had my birthday party at Hosanna with my friends. My mom brought the big twister, a space walk, and the bungee run plus some goodies!! It was also my friend, Wendy's birthday so she celebrated too!! It was a blast and my supervisor let all the women call and see if their kids could come! I couldn't have asked for a better party! :)

It brought literal tears to my eyes when I saw 4 yr. old Jordan run and hug her favorite person in the world, her mommy. This woman right here is so wonderful and loves her little angel. Jordan had pink in her hair because she had been to a church carnival earlier in the day with her grandparents. Jerri and Jordan's day together was the best present I could have ever asked for.

Katy Bug in the Bungee run!

Tammy and Maddox in a cow milking competition.

A bunch of us playing Twister!!

Me and Nikki on Twister game.

Me and Katy Bug

Sweet little Gracie Faith is having a blast hanging out in her stroller! Isn't she precious?!

Sweet Cindy Lou with Wendy on the Bungee Run!

My friends Hannah, Christi, and Shari came to the party, too!!

Jordan had a blast in the Space Walk!!

Cindy Lou wasn't as happy on the Twister!! She's precious!! I just love her.

Some of my blessings, Jerri, Jenny, and Katy Bug. Redemption right in front of my face.
As tradition at Hosanna goes, everyone who celebrates a birthday gets an egged cracked on their head. So, this is the first of my eggs...

Here's number 3, I think.

And, Katy was one of the ones who got me. UGH! haha It's actually hilarious!!

Me and Gracie Faith in the parlor about to have cake and snacks!!

The girls decorated the parlor with a Birthday sign for me and Wendy!!

Jenny

* Sunday, Oct. 25 MY 21st BIRTHDAY!

To start off the day, I was served breakfast in bed by two of the sweet ladies. We got up and went to church at First Baptist. Then, after we ate lunch me and a few friends carved pumpkins!!

Katy, Cindy Lou, and I carving pumpkins out in the front yard on such a beautiful day!

Me and Cindy Maddox hanging around enjoying the sunshine!!

I can't think of many people that express so much joy than these two!

*Monday, Oct. 26th- My roommates and I carved pumpkins with some friends on our front porch!! It was a BLAST!

Birthday

2009-10-24T12:15:00.000-07:00

So, tomorrow is my twenty-first birthday. As I sit here going over my plans, thinking about past bdays, and thoughts on another celebration of life, I came to one conclusion. The best birthday present I have ever received was from my Father over thousands of years ago. The gift was like 3 presents in one box. My Father sent His Son, Jesus Christ down to Earth. In His marvelous plan, God chose to have Jesus crucified. God gave me three things during this time and I'll never forget it as long as I live. He gave me forgiveness of all my sins, grace through faith to stand before Him sanctified and redeemed into a relationship with Him, and an opportunity to share in His story, His plan, His glory! Wow!! I bet you can't beat that!! The best part about this birthday present is that He gives it to anyone who will receive His son. So, as one more birthday is celebrated, I just wanted to explain to you what I am really blessed and thankful for on this very day.

No Not One

2009-10-22T15:21:00.000-07:00

I think one thing that the Lord continues to remind me is there is none righteous. "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one (Rom. 3:10)." But- "This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus (Rom. 3:22-24)."

When a drug addict goes back to drugs, when an alcoholic takes just one sip, when an international student proclaims atheism, when a role model commits adultery, when a leader gets caught in abuse, when a parent abuses a child, when a teenager smokes a cigarette, when a dad leaves his family, when a woman sells her body, when a word slips too fast...

None of us can stop sinning. God can never start.

Our sins magnify His forgiveness.

He doesn't need our sins to be Holy.

He IS holy.

Yet He chose to crucify His son so that these sins would be forgiven.

He chose to raise Jesus so we can stand righteous.

Even though "all have fallen short of God's glory (3:23)," I serve a God who doesn't need humans to get glory. Praise the Lord!

After a week of disappointments. a week of manipulation. a week of distraction. a week of questions. a week of education on homosexuality, rape, elder abuse, child abuse.... I formed a new statement on how I look at social work and just life in general:

"The more I learn about people and their issues, the more I learn about the issue to love people."

passion and grace

2009-10-13T13:53:00.000-07:00

If you haven't gotten it by now, let me say it once more, I LOVE Hosanna. Sunday I was blessed to take four of my friends to the Passion City Church in Atlanta. This is the church I attend twice a month; Louie Giglio speaks and there's many mainstream artists who lead worship (Chris Tomlin, Christy Nockels, Kristian Stanfill...) It was huge that my supervisor allowed me to even do this!! Ashley, Katie, Jenny, Abbey, and I jammed out to music all the way to Atlanta. When we got there, Chris Tomlin opened up with the song, "Your Grace is Enough." This is the song the Hosanna girls have been singing as they travel to different churches to raise support. Of course, knowing the first song was an awesome start to an amazing night. Louie spoke on grace again which is such an awesome subject. It was so humbling to sit and hear these words as I not only thought about the stories of the women I was with but also the testimony of my own life.

There are two impossibilities that are necessary to consider. 1. It is impossible for us to make our way back to a holy, perfect, and righteous God. 2. Living out who we are is impossible without God. - So... We can't live without Him but we can't make our way back to Him. =GRACE-God at work doing something we can't do.

The cross- Sins weren't just forgiven. Sins weren't just taken away. Sins weren't just defeated. That's only half the story missing the main point. Jesus gave us HIS righteousness. (Romans 3:22) When you believe it, you receive it. Look at Isaiah 53. It was intentional that God took every single sin of every single life and crushed His son with it. - God didn't just raise Jesus up in righteousness, but God took our sin (because we can't even do that) and placed it on His son. AND, he put the righteousness of Jesus on US. That's how we live out who we are. That's why there is no more shame, guilt, or condemnation (Romans 8:1). Drop the weight and receive the cross.

This sermon impacted my friends and me. One of my friends stood up to profess that for the first time in her life, she understood why she doesn't have to have shame anymore. She no longer carries this huge massive weight on her back . She is free of condemnation, guilt, and shame. Jesus Christ carried that weight for her a long time ago. Now, she's experiencing real freedom. Another friend gave 5$ to the offering. This is HUGE because they are not allowed money on them unless they take it out and sign for it. My supervisor allowed them to each take out 10$ for supper. Well, for someone to give 5 of their 10 dollars... serving.

They met Chris Tomlin, received free cds, and were treated well by my church. On the way home I heard a comment muffled that really made me feel good inside. After I made them go through a car wash with me (silly mood I was in..) one said... "Wow, I've actually had so much fun tonight and I'm not high or drunk." This came from a mouth I would never have thought I would hear such a comment.

Lives were impacted. Jesus- He is still doing it.

More cardboard Testimonies...

2009-10-07T22:53:00.000-07:00

Not sure how much you can read on these but here are some more pictures of the Cardboard Testimonies my friends did at their Banquet. On one side, they identified themselves before they knew Jesus. On the opposite side, they shared what they know is true in Christ.

This is Amy. The front of her cardboard read, "Dope Dealer." She was arrested for possession of marijuana and was using meth. She is an awesome woman and is interning at Hosanna for the last few months of her program. When you go around her, you just know that she's real and she really loves the Lord and wants to serve Him in all she does.

The "High on Jesus" is Ashley. She is one of my very special friends. She is 25 and was arrested for pot. She is one of the sweetest, kind-hearted people I have ever met. She loves her some Auburn football and just is a joy to be around. After this banquet, this shy and humble servant of the Lord wept uncontrollably. I have never seen her show emotion like that before and it was neat to see the Holy Spirit living and breathing through her.

The "washed by the blod" is Nikki. Nikki is 22 and has a son at Hosanna, Zander. Her charges are all various drug charges but there's a potential she will be tried in court for being under the age of 21 at the time she got arrested. She is so young but does a great job of raising her son and is so fun and carefree.

The "bible smoker" is actually from Montgomery, too. Her name is Tasha. Tasha was doing pot and crack I think. She is such a fun person around Hosanna. She keeps it straight and always makes me laugh with her quiet, under the breath jokes. One of my favorite things about her is she wears the button bracelet we made one day and it's just a cool thing for me to see. Tasha is almost done with the program. I think she finishes in December or early Spring.

This is a picture of me and probably one of my closest friends at Hosanna, Jenny. This woman is one of the most incredible friends I have ever had. Jenny is someone who has taught me alot about addictions, challenges, faith, and serving. I have felt an immediate bond with her since the first day I was there. It's so crazy how much in return she has blessed me and just been so open and trustworthy with me. After some amazing advice and conversations with Jenny and a few other women, the Lord has put it on my heart to celebrate my 21st birthday here at Hosanna with these friends. It's a scary and difficult day for me and there's no other place I would rather be than at Hosanna with women who understand and desire the same things in life and are fighting together to pursue the Lord and trust them with their lives. I have so many more friends and stories to share but this is all for now. Please be praying for these ladies, and for me. The Lord is really evident in their lives and I just want to make sure they know how loved they are by Him. It is such a blessing to hear and see these women on a weekly basis.

Shadows

2009-10-06T20:42:00.000-07:00

During a study break tonight, I read this out of Luke 1:78-79:

"because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace."

Then, on my drive home I heard this from David Crowder Band:

"When shadows fall on us we will not fear, we will remember

when darkness falls on us we will not fear, we will remember

when all seems lost when we're thrown and we're tossed

we remember the cost we rest in HIM

shadow of the cross."

the rising sun HAS COME. Jesus is the rising son, from heaven to SHINE on those living in a dark dark world who are in the shadow of death- HE has come to guide our feet into the path of peace so that when all seems lost we have a source of strength and rest in HIM- the one who rescued us from darkness on that CROSS. Rest in HIM.

Jesus, guide my feet into the path of peace.

Hosanna Hearts

2009-10-05T21:15:00.000-07:00

Tonight the Ladies at Hosanna attended the ministry's banquet for their sponsors. I got the opportunity to go as well. We all had to dress up and the women sang a song. They also did cardboard testimonies (one side-identity before Jesus other side-identity in Christ). The night was so fun so I had to share some pics with you. I spend more than 8 hours a week with these amazing women who have blessed me tenfold. I am in love with what the Lord is doing in their lives and I honestly can say I have never had such an experience. I love it!! Here are the women the Lord is using to sharpen, renew, and challenge me day to day...

Tonight the pastor was talking about the Harvest Evangelism ministry and he said something that really hit home: "The most important thing isn't helping an addiction, you can go to hell sober; it's providing an opportunity to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior."

I cannot, but I know I CAN

2009-09-22T13:55:00.000-07:00

I am in a major (social work) that I love but seems to consistently break my heart. We are out to solve social problems. So from day to day, hour to hour, class to class, all I hear about are the problems of this dirty and broken world. There's rape, addiction, physical abuse, sexual assault, molestation, poverty, injustice, hunger, disease, mental illness, suicide, homosexuality, abortion... these and more that consume my class time and eventually my mind. It has forced me into the word. It has forced me into truth. It has forced me to the One who works all things together for good. It has led to questions. It has led to doubts. It has lead to frustration. It has lead to brokenness. However, all these things have led to our amazingly sovereign and faithful God. Here's my thought path and peace today...

The Lord spoke to me the exact words he spoke to Joshua.

"Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. (success that I desire is offering peace and salvation) Do not let this Book of the Law (now, Jesus and his commands) depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." 1:6-9.

Then the Lord continued to instruct me by the words Joshua gave to lead his servants:

"...you are to help your brothers until the Lord gives them rest, as he has done for you, and until they too have taken possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving them... (salvation)" 1:14-15. Hmm... so when do we stop caring and helping??

2 Corinthians led me to journal this which I feel is adequate to share:

The comfort I find in Christ can be used to overflow and comfort others. When I am comforted, it produces patient endurance in others who are around me. In my heart, I DO feel their pain and the death they experience without Jesus. This feeling in my heart happens SO THAT I might not rely on myself but on GOD, who raises the dead! I realize that without feeling this hurt and death in my own heart, I would feel able to do or heal others. But since it impacts me, too- I realize that I can't heal them. I can't help them. I can't solve these problems. I can't stop pain. I can't change lives. I can't explain evil. I can't take back what has happened. I can't ensure a future. I can't offer hope. When my heart aches, I realize that I, too am vulnerable, frustrated, and weak BUT...

I KNOW A GOD WHO CAN. He can! He can heal a victim of rape. He can be a parent to these orphans. He can replace substance addiction with an addiction to Himself. He can provide food and shelter. He can stop violence. He can comfort those abused. He can say the right things at the right time. He can love the widow and the abandoned. He can right the wrongs. He can work it all together for good. He can provide answers and reason. He can establish peace in the depths of Hell. He can promise hope. He can ensure an eternity where there is NO MORE hurt, pain, injustice, or social problems.

And...

HE LIVES IN ME.

Therefore...

I CAN.

"I can do everything through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13

update 9/18

2009-09-18T23:45:00.000-07:00

"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our 'God is a consuming fire."

Hebrews 12:28--29

This has been one of the best but hardest weeks I have ever experienced. Monday night was the Passion Launch where 14000 of us connected from 43 nations and over 5000 locations around the globe. The night was amazing filled with awesome worship in the company of some of the most influential Christians in my life. I left the night dealing with some personal issues and just had to surrender some things that I was struggling with to the Lord. The lyrics to Christy Nockels's song rang in my head, "Our mighty fortress is our God. A sacred refuge is your name. Your kingdom is unshakeable, in Him forever we will reign." I set foot on campus on Tuesday with a joy and peace and mission to spread the love of Christ on our campus. Tuesday afternoon was a tough night among the Kanakuk family with news that was released. A few of us spent the entire night in prayer and worship at a friend's house. Wednesday was a day full of questions and strange emotions. I began to ask the Lord so may things. I spend hours in the word and in prayer trying to find a peace in Him. Thursday and Friday I went to Hosanna and continued to hear some crazy stories and testimonies. All of this said, by this time I am beyond exhausted. I am physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally worn out!

I haven't spent as much time with my friends lately doing things I enjoy because as I progress into the field of social work, I hear so many different issues going on in the world around us. I am seeing first hand addictions, prostitution, physical and sexual abuse, adoption, abortion, and many other poverty and oppression issues. It is seriously difficult to do this everyday. When I come home from school, I just want to get into the word and hear truth spoken over these heart breaking things. The Lord is so incredibly faithful in reminding me of His truth:

* His kingdom cannot be shaken, salvation affected, or ministry destroyed by any human efforts. No matter how much we screw up, we cannot mess up God's plan.

* No matter how messed up a circumstance or a person, God will still receive glory in all things and will work things together for the good of those who love the Lord.

* In Christ, there is a hope and a purpose for life.

* This world is broken but we are not called to belong to this world. We are not of it, and won't stay here. This was not intended to be our home, therefore it's ok if we don't feel like we fit.

* Our father loves us so much and wants to pour His love into our hearts so that we will know Him more and make His name known.

poverty

2009-09-15T12:24:00.001-07:00

Five Billion Dollars is spent on diets (to increase choleric intake).

400 million people in the world are hungry.

30 million of those people are Americans.

Acts 2:42-47

2009-09-08T09:20:00.000-07:00

"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."

Pass it On.

2009-09-02T10:52:00.000-07:00

It's as if God is saying, "The thing that has happened to you-go make it happen for others. The freedom from oppression that you are now experiencing-help others experience that same freedom. The grace that has been extended to you when you were at your lowest-extend it to others. In the same way that I heard your cry, go and hear the cry of others and act on their behalf."

-Jesus Wants to Save Christians

Rob Bell.

This Woman.

2009-09-01T13:23:00.000-07:00

This Woman has been in and out of prison for being a meth cook and user.

This Woman has had 3 out of 4 children taken from her and put into foster care.

This Woman's only legal child left is in a foster home until future progress.

This Woman thinks she loves a man who mistreated her, her son, and is stuck in prison.

This Woman grew up in the same private school system that I did in Montgomery.

This Woman yearns for attention and acceptance from anyone around her.

This Woman spent an hour weed eating around the place as her chore.

This Woman asked me to teach her how to make the bracelets and anklets I wear.

This Woman is making her son an orange and blue bracelet for their reuniting.

This Woman is my very good friend who I spend time praying for.

This Woman asked a question in bible study yesterday that blew my mind....

"What is that verse about being a new creation? You know the old has gone and the new has come?"

2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if ANYONE is IN CHRIST, he is a NEW creation; the old has GONE, the NEW has COME!"

Jesus Christ is the only God who can offer a brand new start, a brand new chance, a brand new life. Using my life as a testimony, He can completely make someone a NEW PERSON. HE ALONE can make someone new. No matter how hard we try, nothing else can do this. Jesus Christ has the power to transform a troubled, hell raising, disobedient, and prideful teenager into a follower who loves, forgives, and abides in Christ. Jesus Christ has the power to make a man blind from birth be able to see. Jesus Christ healed a royal official's son who lay sick and close to death. Jesus Christ made the lame man walk. AND JESUS CHRIST MADE THIS WOMAN A NEW CREATION, walking and abiding in Him to heal her addiction from drugs and abuse.

What will He do for you today??

Power

2009-08-30T20:13:00.000-07:00

Hosanna Home (Substance and Life-Controlling Program) has a 75% rate of success for women who leave there and never return to drugs/alcohol. That is an astounding number! Most programs do not amount to that at all. I agree with the director that only Jesus Christ can save and heal scars from addictions and abuse. My practicum teacher and I discussed the issue of religion and profession and how you have to keep them separate but when I told her the success rate of this program she was blown away. My answer, is Jesus Christ has the power and provides the strength to conquer these issues forever! Nothing else will ever really work!

2 Corinthians 12:9

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made PERFECT in weakness.' Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Romans 8:38-39

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Serving a Faithful God

2009-08-29T23:05:00.000-07:00

This weekend I was reminded of how faithful our God is! I always used to say that if I could only use one word to describe the Lord that it would be faithful. During the spring and throughout the summer I spent so much time in prayer for many of my friends and their future plans for this fall. Some of them just graduated, some in grad school, some trying to find jobs, and some just walking in faith until the right opportunity rises. While I knew exactly where I would be this Fall, most of my friends faced uncertainty. It was neat because instead of worrying or praying about or for myself, my prayers were focused on all these friends. I didn't pray that He would show them where they would be or what they would be doing, but that they would all come to know Him more in this time of uncertainty as He held the answers to all their questions. I was confident that His story for their lives and their next steps was far greater and bigger than they could ever imagine. This weekend, I saw and heard so many of those stories unfold right in front of my eyes. I knew His timing was perfect and so was His plan, but when you see people who have stayed obedient to His will for their lives, it is beautiful to watch the show begin. My friend Katy is now in Birmingham in OT grad school, depending on the Lord and knowing without a doubt that this is exactly where He would have her. Emily's plans for Uganda are starting to come together and funds are rising from different places and it's just so great to see Him provide for her every single day in ways that she never knew were possible. My friends Mary, Zach, Katie B., Malorie, Scott, Cat, Jason, and the rest of the Grace Campus staff are seeing the Lord move in Hong Kong and walking right into amazing opportunities to share the love of Christ to a nation that doesn't know His name. Rachel is following after Jesus as she prepares for an amazing opportunity to work alongside our friend Kelli who has some awesome businesses for selling women's crafts from other countries and telling their stories. Hannah and Christi are both working at churches in Atlanta ministering to college and high school girls and impacting lives for the Kingdom. These are only a few of the people that I was talking about, but there are many more that I accidentally left out. It's just so neat to see and hear that He is moving and working everywhere and that my prayers are being answered as all of these friends are seeing their futures and plans being unfolded. He is an incredibly faithful God and knows are hearts and our cares. He wants to meet every single need so that He is glorified in return. What an amazing God we serve!

Here's a few pics of getting to spend time with these friends this weekend:

me and katy crane

Me and Mary

Rachel, Katy, and Me

And then some pics of the rest of these great individuals serving the Lord in different places:

Katie B. and I

Me and Malorie

Zach, Mary, and Me

Bible study girls with Hannah

Already reuniting.

2009-08-22T23:56:00.000-07:00

It has been barely a week since I left Branson, MO. However, there has been quite the reunion in Auburn this weekend. Three of our friends drove in from Branson, two from Atlanta, and then the rest of us from Auburn have all reunited this weekend. Tonight, some of us went to a Braves game and then to the Varsity. The one thing that really excites me about this group of people is that they remind me of memories and stories of Kamp. Most of them worked with me first session when I was a volunteer (V), and that is where I feel like most of my memories were made and my fun was experienced. It is just amazing to see the Lord bring so many individual college students together with one goal and one passion to one place to glorify one Lord. The fact that there is this many legit people living for Jesus is just inspiring and uplifting when I think about my generation. I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to work along side these people and can only pray that He uses our time together to teach and work in our hearts.

Update: Here is a few things that I am excited about for the Fall. The Lord has given me the opportunity to lead a small group Sunday School of third graders at my church here in Auburn. I am so excited to be a teacher and get to know and love these kids! Also, I will be leading a few girls in the community in a small group once a week. I am praying that the Lord continues to orchestrate the logistics of that and starts opening their hearts and growing my wisdom in Him. Last but certainly not least, I will be doing my Social Work field practicum 6 hrs. a week at a Women's Substance Abuse Program. I am overjoyed with this and know that the Lord has placed it in my path with complete purpose. I am so excited to hear these women's life stories and have a chance to share the greatest addiction of all with them: Jesus. Praise Him for allowing me to be a part of any of these things. I am so unworthy and inexperienced but I am praying that He knows what He is doing when He appoints me to these places. I am trusting that He will provide the strength, energy, and wisdom in these things and will allow me to be a beacon of light for His Kingdom.

Breaking the Silence.

2009-08-21T23:29:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends. Remember me? I am so sorry I have been such a horrible blogger these past few months. I am back at school now in Auburn. As I look back over the past 3 months and try to draw a general caption or explanation of the summer at KKountry, I get completely overwhelmed. The past few days I have been really searching and diving into His word to see how this experience of Kamp has changed or transformed me. What did I learn? How was I challenged? How did I impact the Kingdom? What did I learn spiritually? I feel like when you throw these questions out after a 3 month long journey, it is difficult to come up with an answer. It's not even about me. So, I will just give you a gist of what the Lord has been teaching me.

The most recent challenge the Lord has bestowed upon me comes from Colossians 3:1-3, "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, SET YOUR HEARTS on things ABOVE, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. SET YOUR MINDS on things ABOVE, not on earthly things." - I feel like most often this verse is used to focus on our minds and what consumes our thoughts. However, the Lord really pushed out the Heart part to me. Set my heart on things above... I am a very passionate person. When I meet people, have an idea, enjoy a sport, or experience something new, I am extremely passionate about whatever I am doing. Therefore, when something doesn't go right or change occurs, I am frequently left 'heart broken.' Seriously, the hardest part of coming back from Kamp was sincerely missing my friends. It wasn't just a mind thing, but my heart literally ached to not see these people every day. I have plenty of other examples of my heart achings, but I'll spare you. What I am trying to say is I never have thought about how I can set my heart on Christ. I must be 100 times more passionate about Him and knowing Him than about people or experiences. My heart must beat consistently with a love and desire to be in His presence. I realized that what I missed most in all these friends from Kamp was who Jesus is in them. I fell in love with Jesus living and breathing in my group of friends at kamp. The beautiful part about it is, if my heart is set on Him, then I am not actually heart broken when I get home because He never leaves me. I take Him back with me and suffer no loss. Of course, I'll still miss these people but the essential quality that I am drawn to is still living and breathing within me at this moment. That is how He establishes and desires community. He uses Himself to draw others together. My friend Hannah read me a quote that I really liked. It's not exactly the quote but it said something like this," It is a privilege to experience His glorious presence and herald that reality to others." What a beautiful picture of Jesus living and breathing in our lives and in the lives of those around us.

As for Kamp, I have gone through my journal I kept during my time there. The main prayer that stuck out was the desire to know Jesus more. I didn't have a spiritual high or a huge lesson learned while I was at Kamp. I don't have many impacting stories that would wow you. I don't have any miracles or wonders to tell. I feel like this summer was a time where I "continued to work out my salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who works in me to will and to act according to his good purpose." -Philippians 2:12-13 I feel like the Lord taught me alot about just being a servant and walking in His will for my life. At the end of the summer, I can truly say I am more intimate in my relationship with Jesus. I pray that He used me to love and minister to others. I pray that at the end of the day, HIS NAME was lifted high and glorified. I pray that He is working in and through the lives that were impacted at Kamp.

More fun and interesting stories from Kamp coming soon. Stay tuned.

Whirlwind.

2009-07-20T20:19:00.000-07:00

Emotions are high as second term of second session is high in gear. Yesterday, I had to say goodbye to my very first group of campers EVER and say hello to a new crew. It was very difficult considering the intimacy established by the last day with my old girls. My first group, the Real Deal was so special. I formed great relationships with all of them and had a hard time grasping the fact that it was over. We had ski trips, real deal trip, late night camp outs, and many more memories. We had one girl come to know the Lord and the other 11 see Jesus in a whole new way. Comments made like, "This is the best year of Kamp I have ever had," or "My counselors are the greatest" and "I don't want to leave" made the term so worth it. We had 5 girls come down with the flu which was a total bummer but in those moments the Lord revealed a new and precious side of them that I wouldn't have gotten to see any other way. Each girl is so unique and fun which is a motivation to invest and hear her heart. The Lord taught me alot about loving them and dying to myself constantly when I have to keep going even though it's hard and I'm tired. I didn't know it was possible to fall in love with 12 eleven year olds and at the same time impact their lives for the Kingdom. When I think about the fact that my Boss is God Himself and that I am working for Him in His harvest, I get so overwhelmed. I am so unworthy to do such a thing, yet the fact that He loves me enough to allow me a place in His HUGE and MIGHTY plan is humbling and encouraging. Some of the hardships that I am dealing with is bonding with the new staff and missing the old. It is so difficult to go from having people who have invested and truly love you so much to new people who are just getting to know you. I miss having people who knew my heart and my passions and having the same. It's not just missing the fun memories and great people, but it's also missing the deep spiritual connection. I trust the Lord is forming those new relationships but just really have a hard time being patient and waiting on His timing. My new girls are great but I am waiting to get to know them. They seem a bit wilder than my last girls but I love the energy and high intensity. I will blog more tomorrow and add pictures but felt the desire to give you a peek into life here and what it's like being a counselor. Please write me if you can, that seems to be the BIGGEST encouragement.
967 Lakeshore Dr.
Branson, MO 65616
Also, please be praying that the Lord would bless me with patience and confidence to serve Him in radical ways. Pray that I will remember to find time with Him and dig my energy from Him alone. I really miss the last term people but I'm still looking forward to growth and time with the friends here now. Love you guys!

Real Deal.

2009-07-08T21:59:00.001-07:00

Welcome to the very first blog about my Barn. Yes, I am officially the proud counselor of Barn 12, the Real Deal. For those of you who don't know, Barn 12 is the oldest group of girls who have attended K Kountry the most years in a row. It's an honor and a privilege to be in this barn and obviously is a huge deal. This barn is full of the oldest and most mature girls at kamp. This will be their last year at our kamp so they also get special privileges and trips. I am so honored to be their counselor. My Co is named Elizabeth Davis and is from Samford University. It's such a blessing to have one of the best counselors of the term living and working with me. She is so great and fun! She's a huge asset to making me a better counselor. I am once again reminded of the Lord's sovereignty and faithfulness. I was pretty nervous about all this and He shines through once again to remind me that He is in control and loves me so much that He would orchestrate all this greatness into my life. It's such a blessing to have a leadership team who prays consistently over the staff and hears and follows what the Lord would have them do to make Him more known about this Kamp. My girls are so incredible!! I never knew that 12 eleven year old would be so cool. I feel like a loser compared to them!! They are so fun to be around and love being here. It's an amazing encouragement to me, especially in a difficult time because all my old staff buddies left the same day my girls arrived. The girls have amazing attitudes and I am just like a proud Mom to call them mine. We have already had dress up, ski trip, scavenger hunts, and great conversations. I'm not just saying this, but I really do feel like I have the BEST group of girls at Kamp. Each one has already began to reveal their personality and I can't wait to see what else they have to offer. I am so thankful for this opportunity and hope that you will join me in praying over this group of ladies. My challenge for myself is to leave this place deeper in love with Jesus and impact at least one life for the sake of His kingdom. Join with me as we run to the Cross in hopes that one day we will meet our Savior who gave it all for us. I can't help but be about Him. I'm super lucky to have this group of girls. Get Excited for More, because I am positive I'll have great stories and awesome pictures!! Term 4- Let the Games Begin!

Kountry Side Photos!

2009-07-08T21:46:00.000-07:00

HAPPY 4th of JULY!

2009-07-05T07:57:00.000-07:00

Happy Fourth to Everyone (late bday cards are always fun so I thought this would be too...) I hope everyone enjoyed their time celebrating all the good things of our country. I know some of you were at the beach, the lake, or the farm. I hope everyone saw enough fireworks to hold you off until New Years. Many of you may have bruises or scars from firework fights or common mistakes in firework shows (Brendles). I know my family enjoyed an amazing firework show on the lake given by my Dad. I'm a bit jealous I missed the lake burgers and fellowship. If you are wondering what I did on my fourth of July, I'll let you know. We had quite a July 3rd because LeCrae and Flame gave our Kamp and two other kamps a free concert. LeCrae is a famous Christian rapper known well around the Kanakuk parts. Most of our kids are too young to really understand the excitement of him being here but all the counselors were going nuts. It was such a fun time to just go crazy and release some endorphins. Plus, every concert I've ever been to I've sweat more than the person on stage surrounded by lights and fog. Therefore, I may have lost a few lbs. as well. :) Since we had the concert I feel like everyone was pretty tired on the fourth. We all got up and put on our best outfits. It's so cute to see kids all decorated in red, white, and blue. I helped Jane decorate the office with a big flag, balloons, and enthusiasm. One of my favorite parts of the day was between lunch and breakfast where Jane and I met the K1 office girls across the bridge. The K1 Kamp is located less than a mile away from our Kamp so you can walk there. We met and shared blueberries and sweet tea and just hung out. Jane and I made a sign for them which was also fun. The day in the office was pretty slow because their was no mail yesterday (or today since its Sunday). In the middle of the day, we played a trivia game with all the girls and some of the staff dressed up. I was dressed as Betsy Ross (made the first American flag), sitting with the Statue of Liberty, Sarah Palin, and Barbi. Maybe I'll be able to post some photos soon. The next fun thing we did was have a big pic-nic down in the lower fields and eat grilled chicken for dinner down by the lake. Dinner was followed by a big parade. The parade was hilarious- Santa Clause, Jane Qui Qui, bands, skit characters, Miss K kountry... etc. It was full of staff members dressed up on cars or golf cart 'floats' to entertain the kids and hand out candy. We wrapped the night up with a huge firework show. Two other kamps came back over to celebrate with us. The fireworks were really great!! No worries Dad, they had nothing on you. :) My favorite thing yesterday was some of my closer friends from Auburn arrived. I went crazy in excitement to just see new faces and be refreshed. It got me excited for my term as a counselor and to just see friends is always a great thing. Today and tomorrow will be my last days in the office for a while and I'm pretty sad about that. However, I am fully trusting the Lord to prepare my heart for my fellow staff and kampers to arrive. I'm not sure when I will have another chance to blog but know that I missed all of you over the Fourth. I hope all of you are still in one piece and had a great time with friends and family. Love and miss you guys!!
Brandy

Start of July.

2009-07-04T14:58:00.000-07:00

Hello to All!!
Well the term is winding down. All of next term counselors arrive tomorrow by 6. Some of them have already trickled in while others are on their way. I'm so excited to see my friends and new faces. On July 7, it has been confirmed that I will be a counselor. I don't know my co or my ages of kids yet but I'll let you know. I will be a counselor for the first 4 weeks and then an office girl the last 2 weeks. I feel like the Lord really blessed this decision and has been so faithful to me and blessed me with a great opportunity to pour love and passion into these kids so that they too may come to know the Lord the way I have. The Lord has blessed Kkountry and healed up a lot of the sicknesses that had been accumulating here. I pray that He continues to protect and watch over our camp. It's going to be hard to say goodbye to all my friends here as they go home when their term is over on the 7th, but I have faith that these relationships are in Him and will continue to produce fruit and glorify the King. I am super happy to report good health on my older sister's behalf. Please read her blog and dive in to her heart for the Lord. She's so talented in poetry and the way the Lord has ministered and made Himself known to her in her last month of ministry is beautiful and contagious. (www.blairbrendle.theworldrace.org) I am hoping to post some pics up of the past few days at Kamp tonight on my last time off. Know everything here is good and I can't wait to see what He has in store. :) Love!!

prayer.

2009-06-26T21:01:00.000-07:00

So, I am sitting here trying to figure out what I would like to blog today. I don't have an inspiration, a lesson I'm learning, a great scripture passage, an encouraging note, or an update on things here really. In fact, I feel like I just want to write to you and ask you to please pray for me. The past couple of days here in Branson have been great, just a bit emotional. I have a few big decisions to make and a great number of people who are on my mind constantly. Here are a few of the bigger things you can be lifting up:

- Blair in Africa (health, hope, and heart for Him).

- Katy in Asia (perseverance and encouragement).

- Direction for my friends for the fall.

- Katie headed to Hong Kong in a few days.

- The group here who has only 1 term left.

- Health here to stay strong.

- For the Lord to continue to work in and through me, preparing my heart for whatever is next and also healing and redeeming it in the process. I need to remember that He is my identity and the provider of all my needs, even relationships. I miss all of you so much and can't tell you how much it means to me that you are all praying alongside me.

fathers day!

2009-06-21T16:25:00.000-07:00

HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!!

I just wanted to take a minute to shout out to all the wonderful daddies out there!! I hate that I can't be with mine on this day. I hope he feels loved and appreciated. I am so thankful for three wonderful men who have raised, loved, encouraged, and put up with my crazy self for 20 years: Dad, Pop, and Grandbuddy!! The older I get, the more I know how blessed I am to have you all in my life! You each mean so much to me and I wish I could be hugging all three of you this very minute. It's a living testimony of obedience for my father to have this day with me and Blair (older sister) both absent. The fact that we are both serving our Heavenly father in different places only reflects our parents' obedience to the Lord as well. It's really a blessing that my Dad would rather us be serving Jesus than serving Him at home today. I am sorry I didn't get to talk to all of you but please know that I am thinking about each of you and so appreciative to have you in my life. I love you so much!!!!

-Brandy

Nothing Ordinary

2009-06-20T13:28:00.000-07:00

I woke up around 8:15 to noise from the nurses station that is right beneath me. I get dressed and head to the dining hall for girls breakfast around 8:30. Breakfast varies from morning to morning.. my favorite is choc. chip pancakes on Saturdays! After breakfast we have flag and a skit for the kick off of the day. Then I head to the office to begin duties that are to be done. Around 10:30 AM the mail arrives. I sit for 2 hours sorting mail into 24 cabins. It's by far my favorite job at camp. It stinks because i don't usually get any mail and little Susie and Tommy get 34 letters a day from mommy and daddy. However, my ADD self is obsessed with tedious jobs and I love it love it love it. Around 12:30 I walk to girls lunch and put the mail in the counselors cubbies. We eat and laugh at different dining hall moments and then head to Bumble Bee. It's an award show for the clinics the kids participate in during the day (bball, soccer, kayak..etc). After the show, I head to do some quiet time on my own and get energized by the Lord and His word. After lunch, I check the schedule and head to the placements I've received for the afternoon. These consist of water slides, zip lines, pool, boat trips, bible class, etc. Around 6 we head to dinner and prepare for the party or the worship night ahead. This is a usual day at KKountry....but-the Lord seems to always amaze me how He turns the ordinary into extraordinary moments. The past couple of days I have gotten to see many friends who are working at other kamps from Auburn. I love hearing how the Lord is moving and working all around Kanakuk kamps. I feel like sometimes I tend to get annoyed with my jobs or with entertaining these kids but He is constantly reminding me it's not about me. The coolest parts of camp are the community and the ministry I share with others through the way the Lord has changed my life. I have gotten to speak and share my testimony with many women here and have had some amazing conversations and open doors with people. I have some of the closest friends here already and the way the Lord is orchestrating our friendships and lives is insane. He is so incredible and is teaching me so much about purity and serving. A verse I am constantly journaling is 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 which says, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in my weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." The way the Lord strips my flesh down and shows me vulnerable to others is a reminder that I have no strength or good in me at all apart from Him. He shines right through my weaknesses and overcomes my fears. I am trusting on Him to continue to push and transform me. Sometimes, kamp is really tough, but I see His supernatural power and strength emerge from these counselors and myself when we can take that one more question, one more skit, one more testimony, one more glass of water, one more song, one more job... He continues to prove He is Lord of the lives here and is working through us. As our bible study here is studying 2 Thessalonians, I am reminded by 2 Thess. 3:13, "And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right." The community of friends and mentors here are also a huge part of my experience. These people are so incredible. I love seeing people so obedient to the Lord that they surrender their desires, their weaknesses, and their lives to walk into what He has called them to do. The Lord is working through the staff and is demonstrating Proverbs 27:17, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." I am excited because it is getting closer to the time where I will be a counselor. However, I am not ready for this group of amazing people to leave. I love the environment and pray that you are also remembering these kids and me while I serve Him in Branson. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement. If you want to (I'll enjoy alot ...) you can write me.. You can send me goody packages but NOTHING edible is allowed. My address is 967 Lake Shore Dr. Branson, MO 65616.
Love!!

Life here

2009-06-09T12:31:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys!!

Kamp is great. The honeymoon stage is definitely over but I still feel like the Lord has me here for a very specific purpose. Serving others has stripped me and sharpened me each and every day. One thing I am learning is how it's so easy to serve and work with people you love. When someone here asks me to do something, regardless of the job if I enjoy that person it's almost an easy chore. I love working for and alongside someone that I enjoy. However, when a person I do not click as well with asks me to do something, it's very difficult to say yes-or to keep a positive attitude in the process. I know the Lord will bless the tougher decisions and make joy out of those times but it is so difficult to walk in that truth. It's hard to love and serve people who drive you nuts. The Lord is so faithful in His rewards. I am learning that I am glorifying Him in serving others and I pray that I will continue to strive toward the right service no matter how difficult the task. Another thing that I am learning is to really see the best in people. A close friend once asked me to assume the best of her at all times. Sometimes as humans, it's so easy to play the victim and feel that a person is just out to get us. However, most of the time the other person has no clue that we've even been hurt. It seems that we are naturally good at assuming the worst of people. I think the Lord is pushing me to always assume the best of others. When we do that, communication is easier, and the Lord gets the glory in the end. These are two of my struggles right now here at Kamp. Pray that I would serve everyone as Jesus did and that I would think the best of people and their intentions.

The kids are great. The way they are always energized and excited to be outside motivates me. I love seeing them worship and surrender small but meaningful things to them to the Lord. It's beautiful to see lives being transformed right in front of me. I really love spending time with the other counselors and people on staff. The Lord is always moving and I love being along for the ride. This past week has been harder but I feel like it's just a time of teaching and I have faith and am trusting that He is refining me and transforming me into a mirrored image of Him. I hope everything is going well with all of you. Let me know if I can be praying for you. Love you all. Missing you! :)