Sometimes you just have to stand still, feel the breeze against your face, and listen to God's voice. Sometimes His voice is soft, but other times it is more audible. He's our comforter, our healer, our friend, and our Father. He will never leave us and He will always guide us. His love is unconditional and everlasting. His arms wrap around us and hold us close. His word guides and instructs us. He protects us from the enemy. He wants good for his children. We must be still and listen to His voice. He's there and He longs for us to talk with him. He wants us to know HIs voice.
For me, this summer has been a lot of standing still and listening. I've asked God to show me the next step to take many times. When sharing with people about Christ, I've even asked him before each sentence to give me the words to say. He hasn't failed me. He's actually done far more than I've asked him to do. I'll admit, at times when I've stood still, I have felt helpless. My faith hasn't been completely strong every moment of every day. Trials have come and there have been tough days. God has continue to prove himself faithful every time. He speaks to me and he encourages me. Through my weakness, He proves His strength.
Colossians 2:6-7 says, "Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving." We are to walk in Christ because he has transformed us. He created us for that reason. As we walk, we should thank him for what he is doing in and through us.
This trip has consisted of a lot of learning. I've learned how to do many things such as learning how to cook(which was something completely new) to learning different ways of teaching. Most importantly, I've been learning a lot about who God is and who He created me to be. In Matthew 11:29, Jesus says to "learn from me." He has continue to show me new things that I never knew before. I'm learning to grow. I'm so thankful for this time in my life.
There are so many things going through my mind as I write my last blog from the Philippines. I'm incredibly excited about seeing my family and friends back home. I'm ready to share stories with other summer missionaries. I'll even admit that I'm ready to eat some good American food(preferably Waffle House) and I'm ready to be able to communicate easily without such a language barrier. As I leave though, I know I'm leaving some sweet people here that I've spent my past two summers getting to know. I won't be eating with 14 children everyday or hearing them sing or laugh outside my window. I'll miss the people's hospitality. That's the hard part. Even though it's time to go home, I know that God has used this time to open my eyes and to grow me. He has allowed the people here to be a blessing in my life and I pray that I have been a blessing to them.
Pray for my last few days at the orphanage. Pray that they will be filled with sweet moments. Pray for us as we travel back to America on the 29th and then back to our homes on the 1st. Thank you for lifting me up in your prayers this summer and for all of your encouragement. I will be in the same time zone as most of y'all in a week!
Brittney
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Recipes
For those of you who know me well enough, it may seem strange to read the title of this blog. You may be thinking: "Recipes? Brittney? Brittney doesn't even know how to boil water." That may have once been true, but this summer my cooking skills have been put the test. I haven't mastered everything, but I've definitely tried a lot. The crazy thing is... I actually like to cook now! I've spent a lot of time in the kitchen watching Ate Susan prepare meals and helping however I can. When I get back home, I plan to start cooking more often. One thing that God has taught me this summer is how to trust in Him and follow His plan. Just like a cook does when he/she prepares a meal, God adds things and changes things as He sees fit. If something needs to be sweeter, the cook may add sugar. If something needs more flavor, the cook may chop up an extra piece of garlic. God does that too. He adds laughter and joy but sometimes He adds the difficulties so we'll learn to trust in Him. God's "recipes" always turn into something wonderful when we follow His instructions and listen to Him.
Serving on a nanny team, it's expected that I would become really attached to at least one child, and I have, but this summer I have become really attached to Ate Susan(the orphanage's cook). She has treated me like a daughter and it has really helped with my homesickness. I spend three meals a day, three times a week preparing meals with her and I love it. Many times in the evenings, I sit down with her to drink coffee. It's our bonding time. She can tell when I'm tired and I can go to her at any point of the day and say, "Ate Susan I'm hungry," and she comes up with something to fill me up. We sit in the kitchen or outside by the stove talking and laughing and she has shared many things with me about her life. I'm constantly asking her to show me how to do things in the kitchen and asking her about recipes. She just smiles at me and lets me in on all of her cooking secrets. God definitely breaks down language barriers when we're together and even though we are from two different parts of the world, we can still relate. I always feel so refreshed, encouraged, and loved when I leave the kitchen. She is someone that would do absolutely anything for anyone. She even went to the market early one morning to buy bananas just because we asked for pinaypie(fried banana) for breakfast. She's a joy to be around and definitely a blessing in my life. Ate Susan is someone I will miss a lot when I leave to go home, and I believe that God placed her in my life for a special purpose.
The children have already started saying, "you're leaving soon; I sure am going to miss you." Two of the boys told me they already have a plan to hide in my suitcase as long as I give them food to eat for the airplane ride. They requested that I leave apples, pineapples, and pinaypie in the suitcase for their snacks. Boy, I'm going to miss these kiddos!
The days are going by quickly, but God continues to work. Please be in prayer for our last two weeks in the country. We have two more home visits and 1 more children's outreach left. This Saturday we will be sharing about how to become a Christian with the children. Pray that language barriers would be broken down and that the children will hear from God. We have 2 more weeks with the children and staff at the orphanage so pray that we can continue to build relationships with them. I thank you all for lifting me up in your prayers. I pray that God will use you at home to bring glory to His name. I will see y'all in a few weeks!
Brittney
Serving on a nanny team, it's expected that I would become really attached to at least one child, and I have, but this summer I have become really attached to Ate Susan(the orphanage's cook). She has treated me like a daughter and it has really helped with my homesickness. I spend three meals a day, three times a week preparing meals with her and I love it. Many times in the evenings, I sit down with her to drink coffee. It's our bonding time. She can tell when I'm tired and I can go to her at any point of the day and say, "Ate Susan I'm hungry," and she comes up with something to fill me up. We sit in the kitchen or outside by the stove talking and laughing and she has shared many things with me about her life. I'm constantly asking her to show me how to do things in the kitchen and asking her about recipes. She just smiles at me and lets me in on all of her cooking secrets. God definitely breaks down language barriers when we're together and even though we are from two different parts of the world, we can still relate. I always feel so refreshed, encouraged, and loved when I leave the kitchen. She is someone that would do absolutely anything for anyone. She even went to the market early one morning to buy bananas just because we asked for pinaypie(fried banana) for breakfast. She's a joy to be around and definitely a blessing in my life. Ate Susan is someone I will miss a lot when I leave to go home, and I believe that God placed her in my life for a special purpose.
The children have already started saying, "you're leaving soon; I sure am going to miss you." Two of the boys told me they already have a plan to hide in my suitcase as long as I give them food to eat for the airplane ride. They requested that I leave apples, pineapples, and pinaypie in the suitcase for their snacks. Boy, I'm going to miss these kiddos!
The days are going by quickly, but God continues to work. Please be in prayer for our last two weeks in the country. We have two more home visits and 1 more children's outreach left. This Saturday we will be sharing about how to become a Christian with the children. Pray that language barriers would be broken down and that the children will hear from God. We have 2 more weeks with the children and staff at the orphanage so pray that we can continue to build relationships with them. I thank you all for lifting me up in your prayers. I pray that God will use you at home to bring glory to His name. I will see y'all in a few weeks!
Brittney
Sunday, July 8, 2012
An Overwhelming Love
Comforts: When we think about comforts, we sometimes think of (insert your definition of comfort here). Maybe it's having an airconditioner, a vehicle, clean clothes, technology, food, hot water; etc, but what happens when we don't have those things to rely on? What if our only source of air is a portable fan and we wear the same outfits every week? What if technology isn't always accessible and sometimes the food makes our stomachs hurt? What if a cold bath is the only way of getting clean? Yes, that is a way of life for many people around the world, but for us that means our normal comforts are being stripped away. I love Psalm 119:76 that says, "May your unfailing love be my comfort." God's love for us is exactly what we need. Let that be our prayer to God that we will find comfort in His love alone. Knowing that nothing can separate us from Christ's love is awesome. In our home visit this week, our Bible study was from Romans 8:31-39. Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. Hallelujah! Let's rest in His love. This song comes to mind:
"I wanna sit at Your feet; drink from the cup in Your hands; lay back against You and breathe; feel Your heartbeat. This love is so deep; it's more than I can stand; I melt in Your peace; it's overwhelming."
Thinking about being wrapped in Christ's arms gives me peace and I go and I rest in His love.
Wednesday evening we came back to the orphange after a short break, and we were greeted by 15 excited children. I walked to the dining hall and found one of the boys sketching. I posed and told him to draw a picture of my face. His little hand began moving all over the paper as he looked up every few seconds. Occassionally he would start laughing so I would make a silly face at him. He finished and wanted to show me his work, but first he made a comment that will make my family and friends laugh. He said, "I've never had to draw such big ears before." I just laughed at him for pointing out the obvious and then made a new pose. We took turns drawing each other's faces for about half an hour that night.
One thing that is really different from my trip last year is where we sleep. We live with the three girls so we usually wake up and go to sleep around the same time. The other night, one of the girls told me she keeps having bad dreams, so I shared with her what my brother and I used to do when we were little. I can't remember what we called it, but for this I'll call it "dream poof." We would first draw the people/characters we wanted in our dream. We would "draw" them out in the air above our heads. Then, we chose the places we wanted to include and we would draw them out the same way. We would talk about what we wanted to happen in the dream and anything else that we wanted. Once we were finished, we would reach into the air with both hands, count to 3 and on 3 we would say "poof" and move our hands to our head. It seemed to work for us a lot since we spent so much time thinking about it before we went to sleep. I told her to try it and then I said a prayer for her before I went to bed. The next morning she told me she had a good dream. It was cool for me to share that childhood experience with her.
Friday night we celebrated Christmas in July with the children. We bought cookies and Milo(hot chocolate) and the four of us made our best Santa, Rudolph, Frosty, and Elf costumes. After dinner, we passed out snacks and with my best Elf expression, I read Twas the Night Before Christmas. After that, we watched The Grinch. It was so much fun.
I ask that you will continue to pray for us. Pray for health, safety, homesickness, but most importantly pray for the people we will meet and be with over the next few weeks. Our time is winding down here. It's crazy to think that we've been here over a month. Pray for the children here at the orphanage, pray for the students and teachers at the school. Pray for the families we visit on Fridays and the children we minister to on Saturdays and Sundays. Pray that the gospel will be shared and that God will speak through us. Pray for opportunities to make His name known.
I thank y'all for everything.
Until next week...
Brittney
"I wanna sit at Your feet; drink from the cup in Your hands; lay back against You and breathe; feel Your heartbeat. This love is so deep; it's more than I can stand; I melt in Your peace; it's overwhelming."
Thinking about being wrapped in Christ's arms gives me peace and I go and I rest in His love.
Wednesday evening we came back to the orphange after a short break, and we were greeted by 15 excited children. I walked to the dining hall and found one of the boys sketching. I posed and told him to draw a picture of my face. His little hand began moving all over the paper as he looked up every few seconds. Occassionally he would start laughing so I would make a silly face at him. He finished and wanted to show me his work, but first he made a comment that will make my family and friends laugh. He said, "I've never had to draw such big ears before." I just laughed at him for pointing out the obvious and then made a new pose. We took turns drawing each other's faces for about half an hour that night.
One thing that is really different from my trip last year is where we sleep. We live with the three girls so we usually wake up and go to sleep around the same time. The other night, one of the girls told me she keeps having bad dreams, so I shared with her what my brother and I used to do when we were little. I can't remember what we called it, but for this I'll call it "dream poof." We would first draw the people/characters we wanted in our dream. We would "draw" them out in the air above our heads. Then, we chose the places we wanted to include and we would draw them out the same way. We would talk about what we wanted to happen in the dream and anything else that we wanted. Once we were finished, we would reach into the air with both hands, count to 3 and on 3 we would say "poof" and move our hands to our head. It seemed to work for us a lot since we spent so much time thinking about it before we went to sleep. I told her to try it and then I said a prayer for her before I went to bed. The next morning she told me she had a good dream. It was cool for me to share that childhood experience with her.
Friday night we celebrated Christmas in July with the children. We bought cookies and Milo(hot chocolate) and the four of us made our best Santa, Rudolph, Frosty, and Elf costumes. After dinner, we passed out snacks and with my best Elf expression, I read Twas the Night Before Christmas. After that, we watched The Grinch. It was so much fun.
I ask that you will continue to pray for us. Pray for health, safety, homesickness, but most importantly pray for the people we will meet and be with over the next few weeks. Our time is winding down here. It's crazy to think that we've been here over a month. Pray for the children here at the orphanage, pray for the students and teachers at the school. Pray for the families we visit on Fridays and the children we minister to on Saturdays and Sundays. Pray that the gospel will be shared and that God will speak through us. Pray for opportunities to make His name known.
I thank y'all for everything.
Until next week...
Brittney
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Family of 20
I could describe dinner at the orphanage like this: we fix at least twenty plates of food and each child walks up to the counter, grabs his or plate quietly, grabs a fork and a spoon, and sits down at a table patiently waiting for everyone to sit down before someone says the prayer. Nobody tries to eat their food before the prayer and they sit still in their chairs. I could describe it like that, but that would be boring and you wouldn't get the whole picture of what mealtime is really like at the orphanage. Don't forget...these are children. I don't know many children who would behave like that. Instead, meal time is slightly chaotic but that's why it's so interesting to me. We fix about twenty or so plates of rice and whatever meat or vegetable goes with it, we fish out 20 or so forks and spoons and pile the plates onto the counter, always making room for just one more. The kitchen bell rings and the children flood into the dining hall. We are constantly reminding the children to wash their hands, not to feed the dog, and not to eat before the prayer. Some sit down impatiently waiting(some even sneak a bite to eat) and then we pray. As soon as "amen" is heard, the children snatch up their fork and spoon and dig in. It's like a huge family dinner. We trade and share food and we all eat until we're full. Meal times are always an adventure. It's normal.
It's hard for me to believe that we've already been in the country for almost a month. Some days at the orphanage seem routine when I think about a week as a whole, but there is always something that makes each day unique. It may be that a child does something extra sweet or extra funny or we may have one of my favorite meals throughout the day. Whatever it is, God continues to provide and He continues to lift me up and encourage me even when I'm exhausted. In a conversation I had with my mom(who is definitely my biggest cheerleader in life), I told her how homesick I was this summer. As only a mom can do, she reminded me of why I'm here. She reminded me that if I were home I would have to pull weeds, cut the grass, and help birth Yorkie puppies. She knows me well enough to know that reminding me of those things I'm missing would cheer me up. Most importantly, she reminded me of the big reasons: the blessings, the stories, the memories, and the one she hit right on the head: if I were at home, I would be wishing I was back here. That's so true. Aren't moms just wonderful?
I've had a lot of time to think while I've been here and I've thought a lot about how much God has grown me as a person. I am 21 years old and this trip has reminded me of that, and even at times made me feel older than I really am. In the school, I've already perfected my "teacher look" and with the children doing their chores I've mastered the "because-I-said-so" mom voice. My team members joke with me saying I'm old because I occasionally drink coffee at 5 in the evening while I read a book. It's just strange when I think about going back to school in the fall and being a senior in college. Time definitely goes by quick.
There have been many things that I have had to realize or get used to this summer. It's now a normal routine to squish the ants in my bed before getting in at night and I know to watch for mice when I get up at night to use the bathroom. When a geiko scurries along the wall above my head, I don't even flinch. I'm used to flushing the toilet with a dipper of water and I'm used to tucking my mosquito net tightly before going to sleep at night. Waking up at 5am really doesn't phase me, even though at home I would be a zombie if I had to be up that early. Sleeping in until 6 is a treat for us. I've come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as clean feet while I'm here and I will always get black grease all over my arms when I have kitchen duty. As for the children, I now know which ones are going to play the practical jokes, which ones will leave their fork and spoon in the wash bucket after every meal. I know which child will call me the wrong name three or four times and which one will look at me confused when I talk too fast. I can recognize which child is coming around the corner just by his or her laugh or sometimes even his or her footsteps. I know which child will eat the food I don't want and who will ask the same 20 questions during dinner. I know that means we're a family.
Friday afternoon was a beautiful picture of God at work. We went to a home for our weekly ministry, "You Got Served." Most of our home visits involve about 3 or 4 families piled up in a small house reading God's word, praying, and fellowshipping with each other. This visit was much different. We walked into the house with 2 huge loaves of banana bread but only one woman and her two young sons were in the house. We asked our translator what was going on in her life and she told us that her husband's job keeps him away from home often and she's worried about his safety. Tears began rolling down her face as we spoke to her through our translator and we shared scripture with her. I told her about when my dad was in Iraq and how my mom was in constant prayer for his safety. God used that circumstance for me to relate to her in some way and to encourage her. I thank God for bringing us to her and for speaking through us to give her encouragement during this difficult time.
Pictures are worth a thousand words, but because of technology I am not able to share a picture of this next moment with you just yet. This is my journal entry from the other night and I hope you can paint a picture from the words:
Moments I live for--crawling on my hands and knees with three precious children(5,6, and 8 years old) on my back. They wrap their feet around my stomach and after about two steps forward, we crash to the ground. We're all four laughing as we roll in the grass filthy, but it's nothing a quick bucket bath won't fix. It's just the four of us and I'm not thinking about how hot and sweaty I am, I'm thinking of how happy we all are. . Even though they've already worn me out, I get up quickly and chase them around the yard as they squeal and giggle. I know I'll go to bed exhausted, but I wouldn't want to go to bed any other way. I want to be used up by God because that's when I feel closest to God. That's when I can feel His presence and love more than ever. That's worth all of the grass stains, dirty feet and sore muscles any day.
I am so thankful for each day that God allows me to love on the children here at the orphanage and in the villages around us. It's such a blessing. Thank you all for your continued prayers.
Brittney
It's hard for me to believe that we've already been in the country for almost a month. Some days at the orphanage seem routine when I think about a week as a whole, but there is always something that makes each day unique. It may be that a child does something extra sweet or extra funny or we may have one of my favorite meals throughout the day. Whatever it is, God continues to provide and He continues to lift me up and encourage me even when I'm exhausted. In a conversation I had with my mom(who is definitely my biggest cheerleader in life), I told her how homesick I was this summer. As only a mom can do, she reminded me of why I'm here. She reminded me that if I were home I would have to pull weeds, cut the grass, and help birth Yorkie puppies. She knows me well enough to know that reminding me of those things I'm missing would cheer me up. Most importantly, she reminded me of the big reasons: the blessings, the stories, the memories, and the one she hit right on the head: if I were at home, I would be wishing I was back here. That's so true. Aren't moms just wonderful?
I've had a lot of time to think while I've been here and I've thought a lot about how much God has grown me as a person. I am 21 years old and this trip has reminded me of that, and even at times made me feel older than I really am. In the school, I've already perfected my "teacher look" and with the children doing their chores I've mastered the "because-I-said-so" mom voice. My team members joke with me saying I'm old because I occasionally drink coffee at 5 in the evening while I read a book. It's just strange when I think about going back to school in the fall and being a senior in college. Time definitely goes by quick.
There have been many things that I have had to realize or get used to this summer. It's now a normal routine to squish the ants in my bed before getting in at night and I know to watch for mice when I get up at night to use the bathroom. When a geiko scurries along the wall above my head, I don't even flinch. I'm used to flushing the toilet with a dipper of water and I'm used to tucking my mosquito net tightly before going to sleep at night. Waking up at 5am really doesn't phase me, even though at home I would be a zombie if I had to be up that early. Sleeping in until 6 is a treat for us. I've come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as clean feet while I'm here and I will always get black grease all over my arms when I have kitchen duty. As for the children, I now know which ones are going to play the practical jokes, which ones will leave their fork and spoon in the wash bucket after every meal. I know which child will call me the wrong name three or four times and which one will look at me confused when I talk too fast. I can recognize which child is coming around the corner just by his or her laugh or sometimes even his or her footsteps. I know which child will eat the food I don't want and who will ask the same 20 questions during dinner. I know that means we're a family.
Friday afternoon was a beautiful picture of God at work. We went to a home for our weekly ministry, "You Got Served." Most of our home visits involve about 3 or 4 families piled up in a small house reading God's word, praying, and fellowshipping with each other. This visit was much different. We walked into the house with 2 huge loaves of banana bread but only one woman and her two young sons were in the house. We asked our translator what was going on in her life and she told us that her husband's job keeps him away from home often and she's worried about his safety. Tears began rolling down her face as we spoke to her through our translator and we shared scripture with her. I told her about when my dad was in Iraq and how my mom was in constant prayer for his safety. God used that circumstance for me to relate to her in some way and to encourage her. I thank God for bringing us to her and for speaking through us to give her encouragement during this difficult time.
Pictures are worth a thousand words, but because of technology I am not able to share a picture of this next moment with you just yet. This is my journal entry from the other night and I hope you can paint a picture from the words:
Moments I live for--crawling on my hands and knees with three precious children(5,6, and 8 years old) on my back. They wrap their feet around my stomach and after about two steps forward, we crash to the ground. We're all four laughing as we roll in the grass filthy, but it's nothing a quick bucket bath won't fix. It's just the four of us and I'm not thinking about how hot and sweaty I am, I'm thinking of how happy we all are. . Even though they've already worn me out, I get up quickly and chase them around the yard as they squeal and giggle. I know I'll go to bed exhausted, but I wouldn't want to go to bed any other way. I want to be used up by God because that's when I feel closest to God. That's when I can feel His presence and love more than ever. That's worth all of the grass stains, dirty feet and sore muscles any day.
I am so thankful for each day that God allows me to love on the children here at the orphanage and in the villages around us. It's such a blessing. Thank you all for your continued prayers.
Brittney
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