Grand Announcement or Life is About to Change...a lot

Just a few days ago I got a call that I had been praying about for a few months now.

"You've been accepted!"

What!!!!...

Okay, let me back up.

At the beginning of this month I applied for a mission trip called The World Race. I wasn't really sure what I was doing, but I knew that God was asking me to take a step of faith (remember this post?).  So I stepped out and waited to see what God would do (here).  Little did I know this is what would happen.  I was hoping but...

So as it stands now I will be leaving in September 2014 for eleven months and each month will be spent ministering in a different country.

Here is my tentative route. To learn more hit the banner above.

Haiti




Bolivia




Peru




Ecuador




Malawi




Zambia




Zimbabwe




Thailand




Malaysia




Vietnam




Cambodia

To say I'm excited is an understatement!

I am still in shock at times and yet my brain has kicked into overdrive. Yes I have a year but that's really not all that long to get ready for a whole year of travel!

I wish I could say more but time constrains me at the moment.  I will say that in the coming days I will begin blogging on the World Race site.  As soon as I get that set up I will post the link here so you can keep up with me.

For now I ask for your prayers as I start this process.  I do, as any other missionary, have to raise my own support.  This trip will cost roughly $16,000 plus the gear I will be needing. And I know there will be a lot of changes in store for me and those around me.

I cannot wait to see what God does in the coming weeks and months!

Through Chirst,

Lady B

(Brooke)

Memories. or The One Where I May Have Lost My Mind

A year ago I was getting ready to leave for the land that stole my heart. Today I am getting ready for a Father/Daughter dance I've been a part of coordinating (that I'm really excited about). Last year my heart was bursting with excitement; this year my heart is breaking with longing. It's odd to be excited about the dance and yet so sad about Ukraine at the same time. So as a way to brighten my mood and let y'all laugh at me I give you the things I miss...

Airports- I know right, but there is something about the adventure and exhaustion of being in them and finally arriving at the destination

Ukrainian food- Oh my goodness, stuffed dumplings (w/ potatoes or cherries, yum), campfire in a cup (aka Uzvar- ошав), the juices, more of this below

Chocolate- the best I have ever had!! I couldn't tell you what kinds I had but they were amazing.

The Chocolate Cappuccino- Ukraine has made me a possible coffee drinker, but nothing I've had can compare with the ones there.

Ice cream- I can't even describe it except oh so good!
(see a trend in the last three ;))

Ukrainian bread- Okay I like bread but this had to be my favourite

Tea is better than coffee- No kidding the tea cups were twice the size of the coffee cups, and we got tea every morning with breakfast at the camp!

Salo- (this is one of the parts where you say I'm crazy) Yes. it's nasty (in my American opinion) and yes I almost gagged, but I would eat it in a heartbeat if it meant being back in the Ukraine.

Bogdan's peppers- so hot but so much fun to watch others try to master them.  And the time Alla and I each ate one and then drank our drinks and others because our mouths were on fire.

Photo credit

Squatty potties- (Maybe I have lost it) Okay, I don't actually miss these but just the initial experience (when in Rome...)

The roller coaster drives- rattle your teeth, loosen your joints, and a few bust your head on the ceiling jolts- again the experience

The language(s)- Russian and Ukrainian and something in between. I loved learning new words and just listening to everyone talk, although I hated not being able to reach out and being a listening ear or a word of encouragement.

Futbol- Aka soccer at 7-7:30 in the morning and any other free moment. 

The worship- Some songs I knew (in English) some I only learned a few words (in Ukrainian) but all had the same meaning.  Bringing God the glory and praising Him

Snow- сніг!


More than all the fun and craziness, I miss the people!  I miss getting to know new friends and meeting up with old ones. I miss learning to reach out and be a friend over the barrier of language.  I miss the smiles, the tears, the games, the laughter.  I miss being Jesus to the children and experiencing Him through them. The other counselors were amazing and I'll miss working with them.  I know they are having a great time and I'm praying for them!

PostScript: Since I'm a little behind in posting this I'll say, the Father/Daughter dance turned out fantastic!  Definitely a lasting memory.

Through Christ

Lady B

Waiting- A Verb

Waiting, it seems to be my lot in life or so it feels.  I have often struggled and at times still do with waiting, but I have learned something recently and straight from God too (those are the best lessons)- waiting is a verb!  Before I could learn this lesson, though, I had to be broken; more broken than I have been in a long time.  See I was complaining to God about having to wait, “I’m tired of waiting, God.  I want to do something.”  And many such pleadings, but then in that moment when I ran out of things to say God whispered to me, “Are you willing to do nothing for my sake?”  That stopped me; was I?  I pleaded, I thought, I cried and then, oh so sweet, I surrendered.  Was it hard? Yes.  Do I struggle?  More than you can imagine, but I know where my peace is and it is to Him I turn.
As I said I have learned waiting is a verb. It is not just about sitting around twiddling thumbs.  The years of waiting are a time to do.  These are the years we have to learn and serve freely.  Here are a few things that God has provided for me in this waiting period.
Recently my church has started an emergency response team.  We are in the training stage right now, and so far I have been able to get my First Aid/CPR, chainsaw safety, and power line safety certifications.  I am also working on the FEMA IS classes (well, I’m supposed to be).   Who knows how this will be used in the future, but it is definitely good to know!
God has also given me the opportunity to volunteer once a week at our local crisis pregnancy center.  I absolutely love it!  Being a part of saving the lives of many innocent children and helping many women/families that have no where else to go is a blessing.  To see the faces of the girls and women that come in, some are heartbreaking and some are so full of joy.  Also in my free time I have been able to read some of the curriculum for the parenting classes we offer. 
Of course I have been working also.  As of right now I am working at Allstate and cleaning.  I rather enjoy both and I most definitely am learning from both jobs.
Another opportunity God has presented to me is being a part of coordinating our local father/daughter dance.  My dear friend asked me at the beginning of this year to come alongside her and another lovely friend as the third person on the “team”.  It has been so exciting so far and a little daunting, but this is God’s dance and He has everything perfectly planned.
Of course what better to spend my time of waiting than with my family.  I have had the delight to visit with several family members just in the past weeks.  And there is the perk of being a homemaker in training (if that is the path God takes me down). Being able to hone my gardening skills will be fun this year (some day I will be like my Nana)! And as always there are the kids at church I can pour more into. 
As you can see waiting has not caused me to become lax or lazy, but just the opposite.  By surrendering all my time to God (moment by moment preferably), He has opened up many opportunities to serve Him, serve others, and even learn new skills. 
With all of this going on it is sometimes hard to stop, but the sweetest part of this period is by far my time with God.  Spending time with my Beloved Bridegroom could never be matched.  Though I am often distracted, using this time to know Him more will carry me so much farther than any other skill I pick up through life.
In what ways is God asking you to wait? How have you been using the time?

Wait on the Lord;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!
Psalm 27:14

Waiting for God is not laziness. Waiting for God is not going to sleep. Waiting for God is not the abandonment of effort. Waiting for God means, first, activity under command; second, readiness for any new command that may come; third, the ability to do nothing until the command is given.


Waiting on God means power to do nothing save under command. This is not lack of power to do anything. Waiting for God needs strength rather than weakness. It is power to do nothing. It is the strength that holds strength in check. It is the strength that prevents the blundering activity which is entirely false and will make true activity impossible when the definite command comes.
~G. Campbell Morgan
This is definitely the word I needed to hear today.  It is always such a blessing to learn something from those friends that are younger than me.  It gives me hope and shows me there are those that are still actively seeking God.  Thank you, Amber!

Where I’m At

I came out of a indescribable (really, there are so many words to try to describe it but none of them actually fit- a lot of different emotions in one moment) time with my King, Shepherd, The Ancient of Days- God- with this song on my mind.

I want so much to please my King.  To be a warrior, a mighty woman of God but also to have the heart of a five-year-old.  I want that unwavering trust coupled with heavenly audacity and swagger.  I no longer want to live.  I want Jesus to make my every decision and to live His life through me!  He has given me a promise and I will hold to it with hope and trust!
“I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord”
Through Christ,
Lady B