9 Letters

God is good.

It’s something that gets said a lot.

I believe my life is a journey on which I continually learn and deepen my understanding of just how true the above statement is. It’s a continual process of realizing the depths of those 9 letters and what appears to be simple is simply so much more.

This last week I got to meet up with one of my dear friends from this country, Lidia.

 

We had met in Chico, two years ago, when I first did my DTS but didn’t interact much or come into contact much with one another. When I joined staff last March, I moved into the same dorm she lived in.

I can remember my first week of being on staff, Lidia was preparing a typical Brazilian meal of rice and beans when she stopped me and said, “Brittaney, I want to talk to you like an older sister.” She invited me to sit down with her for dinner and over the next 3-4 hours (which involved dessert as well- food plays a huge role in Brazilian culture) we talked; exchanging stories, visions for our lives, notes about our cultural and language differences, and whatever else came to mind.  

 

From that day forward, she really did become my older sister.

When my team and I arrived in Pitangui just over a week ago, it had been about a year and a half since I had last seen Lidia. As we talked (again, over food (: ) it really didn’t seem like that long, except for the fact that much had happened in both of our lives and we had a lot to share!

Over the following week, Lidia was one of the main translators for our team and once again we served alongside of one another, laughed, cried, and worshiped together. This time in her country.

 

One night a group of us climbed a hill that overlooked the small town. On one side, the few lights from the town could be seen, on the other side, it was the stars that took precedence. We built a bonfire, brought up a guitar and we worshipped and prayed. As we were praying, I was reminded of a night, last year, in Chico, when I stood next to Lidia and heard her literally cry out for my nation. That night in Pitangui, I got to cry out for hers.

Yesterday, as I was spending a last few minutes with Lidia before she left to be with her family for Christmas, we began to cry as we reflected on the goodness of God and all that he had done.

She had come to Chico to learn English so that she could use it for ministry. It wasn’t easy yet she pushed through and didn’t give up. She knew that God had asked her to do that and she obeyed.

Who knew that the very city she began learning English in would send a team to her city two years later for which she would translate for?

 

God did.

I’m beginning to realize, or realize even more, that what might seem to have a simple explanation and answer, to us at least, really goes far beyond our initial understanding.

God is good.

This statement is straight forward, but really holds so much more than what can be seen upfront.

As Lidia and I parted ways, the word “goodbye” never left my mouth.

Goodbye isn’t necessary when I know I will see her again. God has proven to me that there’s so much more to this than meets the eye, and I strongly believe that I haven’t even seen the half of it yet. Perhaps one day I will be the one translating for her back in my own country. Who knows?

God does.

And he is good.

A Cloudy Night

The other night, here in Pitangui (a small town in the state of Minas Gerais), I went outside to journal.

The night sky was covered with clouds and all that could be seen was the moon.

Penning my emotions and the thoughts in my head and heart out on the pages before me, God spoke,

“Look up at the stars.” He said.

I knew, before I even looked up, that I wouldn't see any.

“How do you know they’re there?” He asked me.

“Cause I’ve seen them before and it’s a fact that the stars come out at night.” I replied.

“It’s the same with my plans for you.” God said. “You may not see them just yet, but they are there. Do you trust me?”

“Well then, God, could you remove the clouds so I can see?” I said.

“I want you to learn to trust me first.” Was his reply.

You would think I had learned how to trust by now with the various things and experiences I have gone through and the lessons he’s taught me and while I have, what he said next showed me that I still have more to learn in this huge area.

“I can’t do all that I want to do in your life if you don’t trust me wholly.”

God told me to look up at the stars again. Honestly, I was scared to.

Why?

I was scared I would be disappointed. I knew the sky was covered with clouds, would I see any stars this time I looked?

“Do you trust me?” God asked again.

I opened my eyes and tilted my head back.

I saw clouds.

“What do you see?” God asked me.

“I see clouds.” I replied.

“Keep looking. What do you see?”

I looked around at the night sky. I still saw only clouds.

But then, I saw a small light.

It was either a star or an airplane.

The clouds began to shift…

Looking around, I saw one, then two, then 3.

STARS.

They were there. Hidden behind the clouds, and while I couldn’t see them, they were still there.

Trusting God, especially concerning future plans, can be hard.

But just as I know the stars are there, I know that his plans are there as well. God’s got great things ahead for me!

 

I just need to keep trusting and holding onto what is true.

God’s plans for my life are beautiful, they are good, and they are best.

In the cloudy night I will still trust.

Brittaney

São Paulo- A place for my toothbrush

“I was born for this.”

I thought as I carried myself through the day of traveling- one plane to the next and then landing in Brasil and breezing through immigration. I had never traveled alone before and was surprised by how easy it was.

Stepping off the plane, I was met by humidity. “Yup.” I thought to myself. I had arrived in the sub-tropics.

After getting through immigration and now holding a new stamp in my passport, I walked to the entrance of the airport. There were people milling about, some holding signs for the people they were waiting for. Quickly scanning my surroundings and the faces around me, looking for a familiar one, I saw no one.

I walked around for a little bit, my backpack weighing on my shoulders, and mumbled, “Well Brittaney, you’re only in the largest city of Brasil…” Still not seeing my people, I asked God what I should do. I moved over to a corner of the airport, set my backpack down and waited.

Looking around, thinking of how “out of place” I must look, yet trying to keep a confident smile on my face so that I wouldn’t show how confused I was, I wondered if I should move to a more obvious place or if I should keep walking around. I felt like I should stay right where I was. A few minutes later I saw a tall lady with red hair walking towards me, a smile on her face. It was Dayna, the woman I’m leading the team with. A shorter Brazilian man, Sergio, who is part of YWAM (or JOCUM as it is known in Portuguese) was with her.

Relieved, I walked over to her as fast as I could, exclaiming “Oi! I was wondering where you guys were.” They had just come from a church service and had gone to the wrong terminal at first. I was glad to see them.

It was lunch time so we grabbed a bite to eat at McDonalds. Yeah, that’s right, I’m in Brasil and what’s the first thing I eat? It was Sergio’s suggestion and I can now say I’ve eaten McDonalds in 4 different countries (not much of a bragging right).

Standing in line for Mickey D’s, one of the employees says something to me in Portuguese and ushers me along to the next available cashier. I am lost, having no idea what he said, feeling tired and having no idea of what to order (though it be McDonalds and shouldn’t be that difficult- the menu is pretty much the same), I felt overwhelmed.

One of the first thoughts I had, upon arriving in this country, came to me again:

“Am I experiencing culture-shock?”

You would think I would be used to this by now or at least expect it- I have traveled a couple different places, but in most cases I feel as if I’ve never truly experienced a sort of culture shock. For sure, there have been differences and things to get used to, but upon entering Brasil, something felt different.

I have never been in a country where:

1)      I don’t stand out like a sore thumb (Brasil is quite diverse) and

2)      Where English is not spoken. Or very rarely.

In the countries I have been in previously, while they have had their own national language, English is spoken by many and because I have stood out as the obvious foreigner, English has been the first language people speak to me in. To have automatically been spoken to in Portuguese and expected to understand, was a little mind-blowing for me. (Side note- made me think about how foreigners coming into America must feel).

Something one of our DTS speakers said, about learning a new language, came to mind,

“… It is hard, but if you set your heart on it, you will learn a language.”

I will learn Portuguese. I will speak it, breathe it, write it, understand it, and dream in it. I will.

Upon arriving at the JOCUM base, here in São Paulo, I greeted the team members I saw and brought my backpack to my room. Later in the day, the 3 year old on my team heard I was there and came up to see me, I gave him a big hug, apparently he refers to me as his “tiny Brittaney” to his parents- I love the kiddos. (:

I’m learning something about myself- I like to be “settled.” As much as I like to travel, I don’t want to live out of a backpack (unless maybe I’m backpacking). I want to have a “place” for my stuff, even if it’s just a little corner. Seeing my backpack sitting beside my bed, stuffed with my things and having no rhyme or reason seriously irks me. Not having a place to set my toothbrush makes me wonder if it’s all worth it.

 

Seriously.

However, after I’ve settled in and I have made a new “home”, I’m here. My feet are planted and I will imagine staying here for an undetermined amount of time. Even if, in all reality, it’s only a week.

It’s been a whole 24 hours in this new country, new city, and new place. Is it home yet? I can’t say that it is. I have no doubt however, that soon it will be.

I’m going to go make a place for my toothbrush now.

This is me,

Brittaney :)

and the Adventure Continues...

In less than 5 hours, I will be throwing my backpack in the car and on my way to San Francisco where I’ll take a plane to Houston and from there to São Paulo, Brasil.

Just a little nervous, this will be my first time flying by myself- what happened to the family I stayed behind to be with? Their visas have still not arrived.

Do I understand why? No. Have I asked God about it? Yes. Have I been given an answer? No. However, I can’t help but remember that he has been in all of the details up to this point and I don’t doubt he will stop now. Something great is going to happen, it’s what I’ve said for awhile now. Something great is already happening.

I keep thinking to myself how I will update my Facebook status to “The Adventure begins!” in a few hours (yes, I think in social media updates), but this isn’t accurate.

‘Cause, you see, the adventure began over 3 months ago- when the school started and we decided to go to Brasil.

God has taken my hand and led me, led my team, and when God does that, you won’t experience anything short of adventure.

It has for sure been an adventurous few months and I am looking forward to the next couple.

Continuing to hold his hand,

Brittaney (:

P.S. Love you guys, please keep me in your prayers and if there’s anything I can be praying for YOU about, don’t hesitate to contact me via email or facebook.

He makes everything Glorious

This week, while sort of in a "transition" or "interim" here in Chico, waiting for visas so we can go to Brazil, I have been staying at one of the DTS leader's homes. She's in Brazil with the team so the house is empty.

Last night, sitting down to dinner at the large table with just myself, I began to pretend. My husband sat across from me and our two kids on either side.

Before I started playing this, I prayed for my meal (which was weird cause I normally don’t pray for my meal. I honestly think it was because I was seated at a large table and I was in a home rather than a dorm.) I thanked you for my future family I would one day have- first praying by myself, then extending my hands (acting as if I were holding my husband’s hands across from me) and then extending my hands to the side (as if we had kids and were all praying together.)

I began having a conversation with my husband and with my kids. I told one of my kids that he didn't have to eat the sour orange he had just tried and complained about, I told my husband that we should put the kids to bed and make P-O-P-C-O-R-N and watch a M-O-V-I-E and cuddle on the couch. A little later into our dinner, plans changed, and spontaneously I said, “Hey, wanna go on a hike? It’s only 6, bedtime is at 8. There are stars in the sky and we have a flashlight!” The dishes could wait I decided and we would go on an adventure.

If you would have overheard my conversation, you probably would have thought I was crazy or insane. Or both. Most likely both. At one point I was laughing so much, I was just cracking myself up. Yes, this is a normal day in the life of Brittaney.                                                          

I realized something at one point, “I don’t want to be ‘over glorifying marriage and children.” I said out loud. But no, I wasn't. And I began to think- 

how can you over glorify marriage and children? 

Can you really? 

Yes, there are hard times, children scream and complain, sometimes there’s tension, but really- “over glorify” it? 

Marriage is a glorious thing. Children are a glorious thing. They both come from God right? And you know what? 

Being single is a glorious thing. 

So I thanked God for being single and for being able to sleep in until 10am and not be woken up by a husband who’s a morning bird or by children poking you in the eye.

Whatever stage of life I am in, that is glorious. 

Because God’s called me there and where he is, that’s where I want to be. That in and of itself is glorious.

          

Glitches? Nah, it’s God again- In the DETAILS

I should be leaving for Brazil in 3  hours, but alas, I am not.

What?!

“Why?” You ask.

Cause God knows what he’s doing.

Monday of this week came and we were still waiting for 14 more visas.

11 of them arrived on Wednesday.

The remaining 3 will arrive on the 29^th of November.

So we had to switch that family’s tickets and we switched mine as well, so they wouldn’t have to travel alone.

The crazy thing is, a few days prior to our realization that their visas wouldn’t come in time, the mom had prayed, “God, I just need a week.” A week to process all that’s gone on in the last 3 months (a ton), a week to take care of things back home.

When we told her that she and her boys would be joining up with the team a week later, she was overwhelmed. “It’s like an early Christmas present!” She said, tears in her eyes.

I know this is a blessing to me as well, I was running myself into the ground and becoming overwhelmed at my mounting “to do” list that needed to be completed in not enough time. I now have that time.

If you’ve read my other blog post about supposed “glitches” (find that here), I hope you’ll realize something God has made apparent-

He is in the DETAILS.

And he cares about the little things.

I don’t think I will ever cease to be amazed at how amazing of a planner he is, how he knows the littlest things, and cares about them.

He is crazy awesome.

So the lowdown: the team leaves in 3 hours and the remaining family and I will catch up with them in one week. We will leave on the 30^th of November.

Can’t wait to see what else God has in store,

Brittaney (:

Socks, a Car, and Paradigm Shifts

Last December, while home in Antioch, I journaled,

I’ve noticed something about myself lately- and it annoys me.

Whenever I’ve been at the store, I’ve pointed out things I want and I’ll say something like, “Oh, if you want to buy me a Christmas present, you can get me this.” Even Alex pointed out this tendency of mine I’ve been having lately.

Maybe I’m wrong, but the reason I think I’ve been like this is that, God, I’m feeling desperate, and not content. I’m feeling needy and probably even a bit selfish.

Where is this coming from? I believe, ultimately, from the fact that I guess I don’t trust you to provide. But here’s the thing- for the most part, I believe you’ll provide for my needs. I’ve seen it done countless time (well, maybe it’s not “countless” yet, but it’s a lot). But as far as my wants- and I’m talking about more than my $0.95 sock wants. (find that story here)

Oh God, this is so selfish and rude and disrespectful. I’m sorry. Yet, at the same time, honestly I’m frustrated.

I guess you also did provide money for me to buy an adapter for my camera lens. (One of my friends had given me money to support my hobby and I put it towards my camera.)

But yeah. I highly dislike relying on people for money.

Could you please show me where I need to be on all of this?

Help me to trust you. No matter what and with EVERYTHING.

I felt like I should, or maybe you even want me to write down what it is that I want. I feel  sort of nervous, and well, selfish and kind of stupid. But here goes:

I proceeded to write down in my journal everything I wanted.

-Dentist bill erased/paid off   -new pair of pants       -purse/camera bag

-billfold (mine is worn out)     -car                              -journal

-$ for starbucks and birthday presents/Christmas presents for friends and family

-a few new socks ;)                 -itouch/iphone                        -cell phone

Help me to rely on you with everything, in everything, and for everything.

And please remind me and help me be content and grateful for all you’ve given.

Love you,

Brittaney

About a month later, I had half of the items on that list.

As of July, I had everything on that list.

Except for one thing- a car.

And honestly, I struggled with this, “Of course it’d be the ‘big ticket’ item.” I thought. But God had shown himself so faithful in all of the other things- camera lenses and an iTouch that I couldn’t help but believe he would be faithful in bringing a car as well.

I knew that my car had to be “on its way”. I told one of my friends about it and whenever he saw me, he would put his hand on top of my head and say, “Car in Jesus’ name!” It became partly a joke, at the same time, I was completely serious. My car was coming, I didn’t know how or when, but I knew God was going to bring it.

And he has.

Two days ago I received from some dear friends of mine, my first car. Yeah, I still can’t quite believe it and I cried when I heard they were going to give it to me for free.

God has shown me, through the process of all of this that he cares. He cares not only for our needs, but for our wants as well. Above all that, he cares for my heart, lovingly showing me his faithfulness- providing for my 95 cent socks and providing my Toyota Prius.

He loves us guys, he really loves us!

I want to encourage you to write down and tell God what you want. I’m not trying to make a “theology” or “step by step” plan out of this, ‘cause I don’t think that’s right or possible. However, I do want to challenge you to think outside of the “box” you may be putting God in and challenge you to embrace a paradigm shift.

God cares for your wants, your desires, your dreams, and your heart. The seemingly little things, he cares about them.

“Why?” You ask.

Because He cares about YOU.

So what are you going to do? You’re going to DREAM BIG. God’s been waiting for you. 

Glitches, Coincidences, and God- Invaluable lessons learned.

Ready for a crazy story? Alright, this will be interesting, hopefully I can do it justice by the retelling of it all through written word.

It all started pre-September. I and a few other staff members were preparing for our upcoming DTS and the possibilities we were looking into for our international outreach were Guatemala and Brazil. We ended up deciding on Brazil, for which I was super excited! Our Canadian family was staffing the DTS and had been to Brazil already, so they were excited to be returning.

The school started and about 10 days into it, our Canadian family returned to their country because their 6 month stay (that their visa allowed) was almost up. They had already long been in the process of applying for their U.S. religious visas and we were all hoping and praying that the visas would come soon, that way they could return quickly. They didn't and still haven’t. Sadly, we lost, temporarily, an amazing few staff members.

 

We continued on with our outreach preparations and we began learning how to apply for Brazilian visas. Little did I know how much work it would be and just how much I would learn. After over 25 hours of working visa stuff, sending and re-sending paperwork, multiple trips to FedEx, countless calls to the visa agency (we know each other by name now), and a very tired brain,  I am still learning.

During this whole process, we learn that the Brazilian Consulate takes about 3-4 weeks to process everything. When we sent them out we had about 4-5 weeks before our plane left for Brazil. Yeah, we were cutting it close. After overnight shipping our applications to our visa agency, we get a phone call the next day telling us all the paperwork we were missing. It was a lot. On top of all the things we were missing, we learned that our four Canadian students and their families couldn’t apply through that particular agency. Honestly, it was super discouraging hearing all of this as I thought I had checked and double-checked things (which I had, yet we still missed stuff).

Frustrated and tired we redid the paperwork that wasn’t correct the first time, requested our Canadians’ passports to be returned so we could send them to a different agency, FedExed some more things and prayed that we would be done.

About a week goes by, ever closer to our date of departure, and we receive an email from the Canadian visa agency. It’s not good news- one of the families were missing a few documents and that itself was going to take another few weeks. We began looking at other options and decided that this family would go to Guatemala as we have a lot of contacts/YWAM family there.

Alright, another “glitch” is figured out. Hopefully we can continue to make our outreach plans with no more hassle.

Yeah, not so much.

A couple days later, we get another email about the other Canadian family. Basically the same thing happened. Have I mentioned yet how frustrating all of this was?

It began looking like the Canadians would be having their own outreach in Guatemala. Honestly, I had a really hard time with this, that night as I was talking with God, I journaled,

“Lord, what’s going on? What do you have planned?

The next day it’s somewhat announced that the Canadian families were going to be going to Guatemala and not Brazil. It didn’t feel so good to the class. A couple of them came up to a few of us leaders and asked about it. Some of them hadn’t had a peace about going to Brazil since the beginning and were wondering if it were an option for them to go to Guatemala as well.

Class was about to start when the DTS leader quickly pulled all of the staff out of the room saying, “Let’s talk.” We went to another room and he laid it out for us- the Canadians were going to Guatemala and a couple students weren't feeling good about Brazil. “We need to pray.” Our leader said. “And see what God has for us.” We all began praying and God began speaking.

“I see two fists and they thrust out like this-” said one staff member, pushing her fists away from her body, separate from each other.

“God gave me the verse Joshua 1:9, ‘Have I not commanded you, be strong and courageous, do not be terrified, do not be discouraged for the Lord you God is with you wherever you go.’” I said.

“I don’t know what this means, but I got a picture of a bumble bee.” Said another staff member.

“I see the bumble bee going from flower to flower pollinating it.” Another staff member says.

“When you said that about the pollination, I got the same picture, but I see God going to each member of the team and telling them where they’re going.” Said yet another staff member.

We decided to bring all the students into the room we were in and to pray about it as a group, letting each student hear from God for themselves as to which country they should go.

As one of the staff ran to go get the students the rest of us began setting up chairs in a circle. There was excitement in the air. God was speaking and we were listening and responding.

Once we had gathered all the students, we let them know what was going on and told them we were all going to pray about which country God was telling them to go to.

What transpired was precious and I began to cry at the realization that God was doing something great in the hearts of the team. You can learn so much in class, but not until your heart resonates with the message of the teachings does it really mean something. One of the students put it best, saying, “We’ve learned so much about God being a good father and putting desires in our heart, but I still have this belief that he is going to tell me to do the opposite of what I want.” Tears streamed down her face.

One of the staff members stood up and told the students that if they knew where they were going, to stand up and say it. All around the circle students began standing up saying, “I’m going to Guatemala!” and “I’m going to Brazil!” A few of the students remained seated. One such student spoke up, “I’m a soldier, you tell me where to go and I’ll go.” Another seated student looked up and said, “I feel the same way…” and he began to cry. “I’m used to being a soldier, just tell me what to do and I’ll do it. But I know I am a son.”

Over the next 24 hours the students who had been seated prayed some more, struggled with their own thoughts- mostly of “Could this really be from God if it’s something I want?”- received pictures and confirmation from Him, and told the leadership where they had decided.

We now have a team of 16 going to Guatemala and a team of 27 going to Brazil.

Remember the DTS staff family from Canada that I told you about in the beginning? Well, as we (the staff and the students) were praying, one of the students spoke up, “I don’t think Mike and Joy are out of the game.” Indeed they are not; they are flying from Canada to Guatemala to lead that outreach team!

It’s crazy how God works… honestly the way some visas fell through, others didn’t, Canadians got ‘stuck’ in Canada, a super long process of all this where almost every step of the way we had to ask and wonder, “God, what are you doing?” it was more than glitches or coincidences. It was God.

Through it we have learned invaluable lessons- hearing God’s voice in the moment for the moment and continuing to listen as the plan might change and that we are sons and daughters of God- he loves us and wants us to dream together! He has put passions and desires in our hearts!

I don’t think we could have learned these lessons if we had not gone through all of this.

As for me, where am I going?

I’m going to Brazil!

The Berlin Wall in relationship to Discipleship

A few months ago I was talking to my roommate from Germany. She was telling me the history of the Berlin Wall and its falling. History comes alive and takes on a different meaning when you hear it from the people it affected. At one point in our conversation, while telling me about watching the footage filmed on the day the wall came down, my roommate remarked,

“When you see the face of someone who has just tasted freedom for the first time,

That is powerful.”

This comment struck me and has lingered on in the back of my mind.

Do you see how this can be applied to life and discipleship?

Fast forward a few months, I’m in the middle of staffing a type of missionary school which involves people and the baggage they’ve carried for far too long. To be completely honest, there have been times I have asked myself why anyone would want to staff this school. Here’s where my question came out of-

I’ve been support staff of these schools, doing the background work such as housekeeping or teaching the kids, and I have seen the faces of people who have tasted freedom for the first time and it has indeed been powerful.  I have gotten the “feel good” feelings of watching, almost as a bystander, the students experience life in a way they never have before. I have praised God for bringing freedom, and I have even cried thinking about how amazing all of this is.

Now, in a different role, in the midst of the student’s everyday lives, I’m seeing a different side. Freedom doesn’t always happen overnight. And in the midst of everyday life that consists of things such as curfews, relationships, and using the wrong towel to dry your hands, it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture.

The bigger picture that Freedom is being brought and that change is happening.

Thinking of all this, the Berlin Wall comes to mind.

On November 9^th, 1989 as the wall began to be torn down, piece by piece, I’m sure many watched it from a distance, later on their television sets, and felt the feeling of freedom. I’m sure many cried, knowing that this was a day that held great significance and would be recorded in student’s textbooks, forever remembered. They saw freedom, they felt freedom.

Then there were those, whose lives and families had literally been torn apart by the building of this wall. These people flocked to the wall, hammer or pick in hand, and tore at that wall with everything in them. They had waited for this day, dreamed of this day, and as they tore apart that wall, piece by piece, their sweat mixing in with their tears, they experienced freedom firsthand and stood alongside, helping people experience the same. They saw freedom, they felt freedom.

“For whom the Son sets free, is free indeed.”

What am I saying through all of this?

I’m saying that to experience true freedom requires sacrifice. I’m saying I am learning, in helping others receive and experience freedom, that it’s not always going to be a “walk in the park”, it’s gonna get dirty, I’m going to chip a nail, I’m going to do things that are not as effective or as necessary as I thought, I’m going to cry (a lot), but freedom is being brought, change is happening. I have seen the faces and the countenance of students change, and will continue to see them change,

And that is powerful.

Oh Canada.

Oh Canada.

As some of you may know last weekend was Canadian Thanksgiving. Living in such a place as YWAM, where we have people from everywhere (including this great land) we celebrate!

So we had Canadian Thanksgiving, which is pretty much the same as American Thanksgiving (I’m pretty sure they stole the idea from us- but hey, if they want to be grateful too, I guess we’ll let them). Honestly, it was wonderful, especially as I will not be in the States this year to celebrate my country’s day of giving thanks.

Here they are singing their national anthem:

 

Over the last 5 weeks and for the next 15, I have gotten and get the privilege of living with a bunch of these wonderful people.

Here are a few things I have learned about Canadians:

-They don’t look like Eskimos and they don’t live in igloos (don’t let your children’s picture books lie to you).

-A bunch of them speak French
-They have things called “ketchup chips” (Yeah, I don’t know… but I’m gonna get to try some real soon!)
-Our “smarties” (like the candy) are their “rockets”
-They don’t say “eh” as much as you think (though they will say “hey” quite a bit)
-Did you know that just as we have Captain America, they have Captain Canada?

-In school, they learn American geography (bonus points if my American readers can name two Canadian provinces)
-They can be pretty patriotic (at least the ones I have met)
-Canadians are treated better than Americans in other countries (hmm… makes me wonder how I can acquire Canadian citizenship)
-They really are a lot like Americans. Or maybe we’re like them.

Either way, I like this country I have never been to, but I really like (emphasis on the really) its people and hope I can go there soon!

Road Trip Canada 2014?

 

 

 

 

What do you get when...

What do you get when you put:

7 Canadians

 

1 Korean

Newlyweds from Norway

12 kids

A Malaysian who’s lived in the UK for the last 20 years

1 Costa Rican

A bunch of Americans

All adding up to 37 people (emphasis on the 37)

 

 

In a house, all together? Yes, I said all together.

 

Well, let me tell you.

Music- with half the group being musically inclined and the other half loving the music, beautiful noises can usually be heard. Whether it’s in its raw or packaged form, music, and thus, worship happens. It is a wonderful thing.

 

Mess- There is always a mess to be found no matter if you cleaned the entire house just 3.5 minutes before.

Food- People like to eat, we are no exception. The great thing about living with a diverse group of people is that there is a plethora of new foods to try and learn about. I ate octopus for the first time during one of our “Asian nights.”

 

Conflict- You don’t think that we all sit around, holding hands, singing Kumbaya, everyday, all day, do you? As much as I’d like to think we do, we don’t.

Conversation- with 37 people, there is always someone to talk to.

Prayer- While we may not hold hands and sing Kumbaya, we do like to pray. So, if you need prayer, this is the place to go. ;)

Creativity- Whether it be deciding on the most effective spot for the garbage can, editing photos, creating newsletters, or coming up with fund-raising ideas, creative things happen here.

Laughter- If laughter extends your life, I think we can all add a few more days to ours. We laugh at (I mean with) each other, we laugh at something funny the kids say, we laugh at our cultural differences, and whatever else there is to laugh about. This crew is pretty hilarious and we know how to laugh at ourselves.

Family- and I thought living in a family of 10 was large… but seriously, though we may not be blood-related, we are learning to relate to each other as family would. We even got our “mamas” and our “little brothers” and just last night I even heard someone say, “Goodnight black dad.” Yeah, we’re family.

 

 

This is just a little taste of what I’m experiencing and the loveliness that surrounds my daily life. And you know, I like these people.

 

I like them a whole lot. :)

A Morning Run

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

 Just a couple weeks ago I went running down our curvy, uneven “base road”. As my feet met the asphalt, falling into a sort of rhythm and the cool morning breeze kissed my face, I began thinking about life and what my future held. I had a feeling that God had something to tell me.

 Running across the second bridge on our road, marking two miles, I turned around and began running back. When I was about one mile away from home, God told me to start walking.

I didn’t want to at first; I was determined to run the entire way.

“I want to teach you something.” God said.

I slowed to a walk and as I did so, I came to a place in the road where there is a sort of turn-out.

The obvious, and most logical, thing to do at this turn-out was to keep walking on the path I was on. My path was straight forward, would take less time, and took no deviation from what I had already planned.

“Take the turn-out.” God whispered to my heart.

“God, this doesn’t make sense.” I thought. “If anyone were watching me, they’d think I was crazy. I can see the path directly ahead of me and it leads me to where I’m headed. It makes absolutely no sense to turn.”

“Do you trust me?” God challenged.

“I trust you.” I replied and turned off the main road.

Soon after I took the turn-out, God began speaking to me even more:

“There’s going to be times when I ask you to do something that doesn’t make sense. It may even look stupid and foolish to those around you watching. But you can trust me.” 

As I continued, I saw a bag of chocolate covered cherries on the side of the road (you never know what you’ll find…). I picked it up; it was trash and I was going to throw it away.

“Put it down.” God said.

“What?” I thought. “God, it’s trash and I want to be responsible for where you’ve placed me”

“Do you trust me? I want to show you something.”

Somewhat reluctantly I put the bag back down on the side of the road.

“That’s not your burden to carry.” God said.

I continued to walk. A few minutes later I saw another bag- this time it was a light grocery bag on the left side of the road.

“Pick it up.”God said. 

I picked up the plastic bag and walked onward.

“This is your burden to carry.”

When I got to the main campus and was now only a very short distance from my home, I threw the grocery bag in a nearby trash can and walked away.

 

“I didn’t tell you to throw the bag in the trash just yet.” I felt God say.

“You have got to be kidding me.” I thought. “I am going to look really crazy walking back to the trash can and pulling out trash I just threw away.”

I walked back, pulled out the plastic bag and walked home, where I then threw the bag away.

“I haven’t called you to carry everything, but I have called you to carry something. And with that, I haven’t called you to carry it half-way, but to carry it to completion.”

Needless to say, I learned something that morning- a lesson, I believe, that was not just for me now, but for the near future.

~*~*~*~*~

One week later, overwhelmed and stressed with things going on in my department (currently I am the head of the House Keeping department for our YWAM campus) and with people coming to me with issues needing to be resolved, I broke down and cried,

“I’m just trying to figure out what burdens are mine to carry!”

Immediately I remembered my morning run from a week previously and God’s word to me, speaking of a specific item, “This is your burden to carry.” It is then I realized that the lesson God was teaching me was being applied, right where I was at, in the leadership position I am in.

As leaders, it is easy to take on too much- “burdens” that are not ours to carry. God has not called us- you or I- to carry everything. However, he has called us to carry something; something that he wants us to carry well and to completion.

I’m still learning, and in the process of learning leadership and gaining new responsibilities, one of my questions has now become, “Is this my burden to carry?”

If it is, I pick it up. If not, I leave it on the side of the road and keep trekking. Eyes focused ahead of me, feet moving forward, carrying me home.

 

 

 

 

Saying Goodbye...

Saying goodbye is never easy. Goodbye means change. Change is hard.

In a place like YWAM where people come and go constantly for schools, missions trips, volunteer opportunities and sometimes just to visit, “Goodbye” is said far too often.

Something I have discovered in the last year and a half of being here is that no matter how many times you’ve said it, it doesn’t get any easier.

We’ve had people of all ages, cultures, and walks of life, and for the few weeks or months they are here, they become family.

A tatted up pastor’s kid, who slept under my parent’s kitchen table for a night, with an upbeat personality from Switzerland; a quiet and reserved guy who has a great sense of humor from South Korea; a tall white boy who loves singing Adelle and is beast at making blackberry jam from Missouri; a South Korean girl with a heart for missions like mine; an adventurous and outdoorsy family from Pennsylvania; a girl with a great sense of adventure from Canada; a photographer who claimed he found a “rocket” from Kansas with a heart for Latin America; roommates from Brazil who would let me pour out my heart as we cooked and ate together; a guy from Mexico who inspired me to learn more Spanish; a runner from Alaska who’s biked cross country; and the list could go on…

These people have come and gone, but they’ve left their mark on my heart.

They have inspired, encouraged, and comforted me. We have talked, ate, cleaned, traveled, laughed, sung, and even cried together. We were friends, and we were family.

While I hate saying goodbye, I have found this one fact to be comforting – I now have a home in various areas of the world; on every continent almost. It’s like I told one friend, just the other day, in my broken Spanish, “Mi casa es su casa. Ahora yo tengo un casa en Mexico.” “My house is your house and now I have a house in Mexico.”

I can’t help but think that the people whose lives have crossed my path, isn’t just a coincidence. I believe that while (as much as I hate to admit this) there will be some people I never see again, I think there will be others that I will one day get the privilege of eating, talking, laughing, crying, and ministering alongside with again.

Thinking of that gives me hope and gets me excited.

I know I still have many more goodbyes to say, but I also know that “hellos” are in store as well.
 

So thankful for this journey I’m on and the people I meet along the way,

Brittaney :)

 

My Ministry, YOUR Ministry

Hey Friends!

As you know, I’ve been working as a missionary with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) for the last year, here in Chico, California. Being with YWAM, I rely solely on the support from family and friends (and ultimately God) in order to do the work that he has called me to do.

I have been so blessed by many of you who have supported my dreams, vision, and calling throughout the years. My stories are your stories and my victories are your victories! People are experiencing freedom because of you. Lives are being changed because of you. I’m not just saying this; I have personally seen lives changed through my ministry, which in all reality, is your ministry. My younger brother, Aaron, has been one of those people.

A quick testimony about the goodness and provision of God-

For the last month I have needed jeans; every single pair I have, have been mended at least once. Just yesterday I received two gently used pairs that fit me perfectly (this is amazing in and of itself as I am so short! Haha.) Then last night, I thought about how I needed to buy fruit, but really don’t have the money to do so. This afternoon I was given a bunch of apples and oranges! Wow. Praise God! I felt as if these two things were small reminders to me that he’s watching out for me and that he sees what I need. I serve a good God.

I strongly believe that God provides miraculously and he also provides through the generosity of others. Would you ask God if you may be one of the ones who will support me?

If you believe you are, donations can be sent directly to me via snail mail. Gift cards to grocery/general stores are great too!

I literally cannot do this without you. I appreciate you. Thank you so very much for listening to a piece of my heart.

Brittaney :)

Training Warriors

“Papa, this is where Warriors are trained.”

 

These were the words uttered from one of my youngest students to his father as they walked by our school one day.

This profound statement from a Kindergartener is confirmation to what God told me a few months prior.

In August, right before school was to start, I was sitting at my desk looking over the classroom. Thinking. Praying. In the quietness God spoke to me:    

“This is where warriors will be trained..” He said.

I am training warriors. Warriors.

These aren’t mere children- these are warriors! This sort of stuff gets me excited- hearing God speak, getting confirmation about what he said, realizing the immense responsibility I have been given, and remembering that it is these kids that are going to impact nations and change the world!

During class one day, we were talking about different countries when one of my kindergarteners says to me, “Miss Brittaney, I’m going to go to China.” Another one pipes up, “I’m going to go to China too!” Then I replied, “No way, I’m going to go to China one day too!”* The second child got really excited and said, “We’ll go to China and then we’ll see Miss Brittaney there!”

This brought tears to my eyes, seeing their passion, excitement, vision, and faith. Wouldn’t it be something else if one day, we all ended up in China at the same time? I mean, come on now, that would be more than coincidence! I wouldn’t be surprised though if it happened, God works in crazy amazing ways and he speaks to even the youngest of people- often times they can hear him the best as they haven’t had their minds filled with doubts and very little seems impossible to a child.

Friends, look at the children around you and learn from them, champion them- they believe they can do anything, and really they can. After all, nothing is impossible with God- the dead can be raised, cancer can disappear, relationships restored.

Become like a child today. Believe in the impossible- or rather, the possible that we’ve been told will never happen. 

*When I first felt called to missions, God put the country of China on my heart. I don’t know how, I don’t know when or for how long, but I do know that one day I will go there.