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.

A Declaration

Monday, April 22, 2013

This is my declaration- of sorts.

The last few weeks I have really desired a family- of my own. A husband, maybe a few kids, you know. This isn’t the only time I have felt this way; it just seemed to come up a lot more this last month. It’s like it was staring me in the face- almost taunting me- reminding me that I’m single and I have not yet found the person with whom I’m supposed to share my life with.

I know I’m only 21, young and “have my whole life ahead of me”. It doesn’t make the waiting any easier.

Back to my declaration-

In this season of my life, I am choosing to be content with being single. I am choosing to be happy and happy for others who are in a different season of life.

I am choosing to lay down this “right” of having a boyfriend and completely give it to God.

  Completely being defined as:

-every day telling God, “I’m yours, my heart is yours, my dreams and desires are yours, I trust you. I know you “have it” and I don’t have to worry about anything.”

-taking my thoughts “captive”. Meaning, when a thought about a guy/potential husband comes to mind, I will stop and give it to God. Telling him again (reminding myself) that I am his and I trust him, he’s got it.

-surrendering my ideas of what my future husband should look like, act like, dress like, smell like, etc. (Haha, no worries I’m not that particular- then again, some of my friends may beg to differ).

I am choosing to enjoy life and get the most out of it that I can.

I am choosing to be and become the woman God has created me to be.

I am choosing to follow God’s voice, doing all that he asks me to do- including the little things.

I am choosing to be “all there” wherever I am; doing everything with excellence, joy, and purpose.

I am choosing to put my focus on Christ. It is for him that I live and serve and love. For HIM alone.

I realize these are a lot of “not so easy” choices- ones that will take deliberate action and thought. I know it won’t be easy. I also know that I won’t get everything right. I will mess up, I will make mistakes, I will fail a few times. However, I will pick myself back up again- or in all actuality-  let God pick me up, set me back on my feet and remind me,

            “I’ve got you. We can do this. I love you. Stay focused on all that I have for you here and now. Trust me. I’ve got your future. I’ve got your heart, dreams, and desires. I have not forgotten them. I have not forgotten you.”

 I choose to be wise with how I spend my time. (yeah, this last one seems “out of place” but it’s gotta go in here somewhere!)

 This is my declaration.

 Brittaney

Experiencing Culture Shock in a Mall

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Hmmmm.... you know something's "wrong" or at least not quite "normal" with you when you go to the local mall and experience culture shock.

This isn't the first time this has happened to me.

I have felt this way when going to a small group at some lady's (from the church I attend) house.

It's this weird feeling of trying to absorb everything and process it all- because it's different than the Chico "I know."

I don't feel the same way, necessarily, when I'm with a group of young people here. I don't know why that's any different. Maybe it's cause I feel like I "fit in" better. Maybe it's because I'm with other people my age and we're just having a fun time, so I'm not worried about "Processing" it all. I'm just living in the moment. Hmmm... I don't know.

It's this feeling, this realization of, "Oh... this is what this city is like. These are its people."

I don't feel this way in Antioch. I'm sure that's because I grew up there. So that is "normal" to me. Whereas- here in Chico, "normal" to me is YWAM Chico and the people, houses, community, and lifestyle there is what I'm used to seeing. Anything different is, well, shocking in a way.

Seems so crazy saying that. I must sound pretty strange to those reading this. Unless you know what I mean and have experienced what I'm experiencing.

It definitely helps me look at this all in a new light... Like this is really my mission field. Maybe.

Or is it? Because I am at YWAM and my ministry is there.

It's also this feeling of, how do I explain it? Some of it's a longing- like a part of me wants to "fit in", wants to have a "real" job where I make a paycheck, have my own car, go to the mall to shop on weekends, rather than go to the mall after finding a ride for the purpose of using relatively decent, free wi-fi.

It's this feeling of- could I say déjà vu? As if I've been here before, as if I at one time did "fit in" and did "belong"- meaning, at one time these same people I'm looking at, was me?

Would I trade what I have?

Heck no, techno.

I'm just realizing something, and it makes me think. A lot.

God's given me the opportunity to "step back" and get an outside view/perspective (in one sense) of my very own culture. Something that, up until this point, I have taken for granted and not paid too much attention to- or at least not in the same way.

I've been given new eyes- to perhaps even see my own people how God sees them.

Living and learning, experiencing old things in a new way,

Brittaney :)

 

 

 

Winter 2013 Newsletter

 

 

The Living Room

I've been wanting to type this up for awhile now...

Every Monday morning, here at YWAM Chico, we have a base meeting where we come together and have a time of worship and a message. It's a great time of "refocusing" and remembering who we live for and the reason why we're here. It's Jesus. Also, what better way to start your week, then by giving the start of it to him?

Usually, I'm doing "tech" (read: powerpoint for the worship lyric slides) or playing djembe (an African hand drum). On one such morning when I was signed up to do tech, I woke up 10 minutes before meeting was supposed to start.

Leaving the house, stressed, worried, and upset with myself for oversleeping, I ran into the hotel (our meeting place). Expecting to find people waiting for me and wondering why I was late (and trying to come up with what I was going to say), I instead walked into the lobby full of our staff members and volunteers, ready to worship- but in a different way this morning.

So, completely unplugged and family style, we sat or stood in the lobby and worshipped while one of our leaders played guitar, his youngest son sitting beside him.

Looking around me, I took a deep breath (more like a sigh of relief) and I was reminded of something that I so very much love about my home- we are family.

We are family, and this is what families do. We worship together, we eat together, we serve together.

And that morning, our hotel lobby was transformed into a giant living room in which we spent time together, drawing nearer to the One who had brought us here.

To be together.