Thursday, December 30, 2010

End of the Year

Christmas is our favorite time of year, and Briyana and I hope you had a wonderful celebration.  We celebrated Christmas with my family and will celebrate Christmas with Briyana's family on New Years Eve.  It was a blast getting together with family!  We enjoyed breakfast with the family, shared presents, and played games and watched movies the rest of the day.  That evening we received JuneBug's first present to us.  We felt JuneBug kick for the first time.  Even with all the excitement and relaxation it got me to thinking.  Without Christmas, my world would be turned upside down.  If Jesus wasn't born, Christmas would cease to exists.  I wouldn't be a Christian.  I would be a horrible husband, selfish person, and my job would be meaningless.

I was talking with a person the other day that made the comment, "Why don't we just celebrate Christmas like we celebrate the Olympics.  Have Christmas once every four years."  At first I thought he was joking, but as the conversation continued I realized he was serious.  It gave me an awesome chance to witness to him.  Come to find out he was not a Christian and thought of Christmas as just another holiday created by retail stores to entice shoppers to spend more money.  My heart broke for him.  I was able to share the true meaning of Christmas with him and invited him to come to know Jesus as his Lord and Savior. 

I think often times Christians often get confused and distracted about the true meaning of Christmas.  I  know at times I do.  As 2011 approaches we hope that each of you continue to keep your eyes on the prize (Hebrews 12:1-3).

For those of you interested, here's an amazing opportunity February 25 -Sunday February 27 to take a more in-depth view of missions.  For more info contact pcox@onemissionsociety.org or call 317-888-3333 ext. 317


Briyana and I will be in the Austin area at the beginning of the year.  We would love to get together with any of you.
God Bless and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Brent & Briyana

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Getting Back Into the Swing of Things

Thanksgiving was great!  Briyana and I enjoyed looking back on what we had to be thankful for and ate plenty of turkey.  Now we are trying to get back into our daily routines and looking forward to Christmas.  It will be here quicker than we realize.

As the year comes to an end, Men For Missions looks back on a successful year.  By the end of the year, Men For Missions and One Missions Society will have sent out 544 people on 81 teams to 20 different countries.  

The breakdown looks like this:
24 Evangelism teams to 10 countries
11 Medical teams to 20 countries
6 Prayer teams to 6 countries
36 Work teams to 8 countries, and
4 Vision teams to 2 countries

Thank you again for your support and prayers!  These trips would not have occurred and would not have been successful without YOUR prayers and support.  The Kingdom of God is growing each day with YOUR support and prayers.  You are just as involved in what Men For Missions and One Mission Society does as we are.  

Be on the lookout for our December Newsletter.  We have wonderful stories from the mission field and exciting news about us inside our newsletter. It should be arriving in your mailbox in the next couple of weeks.  If you would like to join our mailing list, please email us at bmorrell@onemissionsociety.org.  

God Bless!

Brent and Briyana

Saturday, November 27, 2010

So Much To Be Thankful For

This year is quickly coming to an end, and, like many families like to do around this time of year, Briyana and I stop to take a moment to marvel at all the things we have to be thankful for.

This past year, Briyana and I took the step of faith to accept the position of U.S. Director of Ministry Teams and Follow-Up with One Mission Society and Men For Missions.  During this time, God has worked tremendously showing us his love and care for us as we live by faith.  He has provided for us in times that we had no idea how things were going to work out, and he has blessed us when we had the desire to bless others but did not have the means to.

God has shown us the amazing network of friends and supporters we have that care about the same things God has placed on our heart.  We have shared with so many of you our desires, and it always lifts our spirits to see how the Christian community comes together to help support each other when God has laid something on their hearts. 

We have learned so much of what it means to be thankful for family.  Brie and I have always enjoyed getting together with our families and playing with our nephews.  It always reminds us how thankful we are for families that raised us knowing the Lord, love us, and would do just about anything for us if we needed them to.  Soon, we will be adding a member to our family.  "June Bug", is 11 weeks along and is due June 14th.  We find out if June Bug is a boy or girl in January.  We are so excited and can't wait to join the ranks of parenthood.

On this special week, take some time and think about what you and your family is thankful for.  Once again, thank you so much for your prayers and support.

Brie and I wish each of you a Happy Thanksgiving!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Crazy Times

Briyana and I dressed as Super Mario and Princess Peach at our church's Trunk or Treat.
These past couple of days have been crazy for us.  Last Wednesday the Men For Missions International Cabinet Meetings were held in the DFW area.  People from all over the world came into town for the meetings.  We had people in from Wales, Scotland, Calgary, Ontario, Indiana, North Dakota, Kansas, Iowa, and Waco.  While they were here many of them wanted to see some of the town.  Briyana and I took them to the Stockyards, Cowboy Stadium, Montgomery Plaza, JFK Museum, and my favorite Yogurtland.

We did get a lot of work done though.  The Cabinet was very successful in taking care of old business and looking ahead and setting direction for Men for Missions for the next couple of years. 

Please continue to pray for Haiti and the Cholera epidemic.  From news reports One Mission Society gets, it seems to be spreading and getting closer to areas we minister in.  Tension is rising and violence is boiling over.   Below is a short prayer request we received yesterday from the field.

There are 2 major concerns here-- (Prayer Points)
#1  Working people live paycheck to paycheck and businesses are shut down as a result.  And
#2  People contracting cholera and other diseases can now get nowhere to get help as transportation has been largely blocked for 24 hours.

God Bless!

Brent & Briyana

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Hurricane Tomas Update

Here is an update on the status of Haiti after Hurricane Tomas.

Religion Today Summaries - Nov. 8, 2010
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

Tomas Mostly Spares Haiti, May Worsen Cholera

Hurricane Tomas spared Haiti the worst of its wrath, although the storm still dumped large amounts of rain on the country's fragile tent cities. Relief coordinators say the subsequent flooding may have carried an outbreak of cholera  north from its origins in the Artibonite Valley according to

http://www.crosswalkmail.com/akmtksmptbtnmlpwnyzgvnrvmsnldzzlbhmvkkwmttlhpby_rcrkwtgjwvgg.html

ABC News, Ted Steinhauer, of Medical Teams International said 600 people have contracted the waterborne disease in the small town of Gros Morne, and thousands more are probably infected. Poor sanitation in the impoverished country has often forced residents to cook with the same water sources used for waste. Officials report that more than 500 people have died of the disease, which hadn't been seen in Haiti for a half century before it surfaced last month.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Hurricane Tomas

Haiti while already dealing with an epidemic of Cholera, is now having to deal with an approaching Hurricane Tomas which is gaining strength in the Caribbean.  It's expected to bring winds upwards of 80 mph and destroy much of the already ruined capital city Port-au-Prince.  The Cholera epidemic has already claimed over 300 peoples lives and sickened over 4,000.  With this storm it will only increase those numbers.  The tent cities will be destroyed.  Please pray for God to place his hand of protection of this country during this time of need.

You can follow the storm here by clicking on this link.

Monday, October 18, 2010

TWIST

 picture courtesy of http://mysinglemomlife.file
This Week In Short Term

India/South Asia
We have a prayer team of 5 in India and South Asia October 8-24

Ecuador
We have a medical team of 8 in San Juan, Ecuador October 9-17

Haiti
We have an evangelism team from Community Church of Columbus (IN) in Haiti October 13-20
We have a vision team of 7 going to Haiti October 18-23

Thursday, October 7, 2010

TWIST

         picture courtesy of http://mysinglemomlife.files.w
This Week In Short Term


India/South Asia
We have a prayer team of 5 going to India and South Asia October 8-24

Ecuador
We have a medical team of 8 going to San Juan, Ecuador October 9-17

Haiti
We have an evangelism team from Community Church of Columbus (IN) going to Haiti October 13-20

Monday, October 4, 2010

Got to thinking...

    
Picture courtesy of www.pueblounitedway.org
Yesterday at church we talked about Luke 10:25-37in church.  It's a well known story, the parable of the good Samaritan.  We talked about loving our neighbor and what it looks like, and who are neighbor was.  In Sunday School class we looked over several passages, but Matthew 25:14-30 really stuck out to me.  It was the parable of the talents.  After listening to the teaching in the first service on Luke 10 and studying how to be a loving neighbor, Matthew 25:14-30 came alive to me in a new way.  

The good Samaritan took a risk to help the beat up Jew.  Our pastor taught us that his grief was arroused by the misfortune of another man.   He took his time with the hurting man, and spent money to help him.  It was a great sermon!  If you would like to listen to it click on this link.  It was called "Love takes a detour."  With that being said, how are we treating our neighbors?  Who do you feel God is putting a burden on your heart for? 
In Matthew 25, Jesus tells the parable of the talents.  These were not actual talents, but were a form of money.  The first slave he gives 5 talents, the second 2, and the third 1.  Both the first and the second understood the master's desire to make a profit and be responsible for what the master gave him.  The third however was scared, and he did not share the same desires the master did.  The master was pleased with the first two slaves, but dissappointed and angry with the third.


It got me to wondering, are we sharing the same desires God has for our neighbors?  He has given each of us responsibility over what he has blessed us with.  Are we being selfish in this consumer world and missing opportunities to love on our neighbors, instead desiring to spend what we have on clothes or the newest technology that's on the market?  


One day we will see the Lord in Heaven and have to tell him how we used his resources he has entrusted to us.  Will we be like the first two slaves in which he was proud of, or will we be like the third slave who angered and disappointed the master?

Life Update,

We have had a good week fund-raising.  We met with several couples and have enjoyed seeing them become excited about joining our team.  This coming weekend we will be in Austin, Texas again to fund-raise.  Please lift us up in prayer during this time.  We are still waiting to hear back from two local churches to see if they will join our support team.  We would also appreciate your prayers in this matter.


God Bless,


Brent and Briyana
  

Friday, October 1, 2010

TWIST

                          picture courtesy of http://mysinglemomlife.files.wordpress.com
This Week In Short Term


Burundi
We have a team of 3 in Burundi to do Literacy Training from Sep. 23 - Oct. 2

Hungary
We have a prayer team of 3 in Hungary from Sep. 26 - Oct. 4

India/South Asia
We have a prayer team of 5 going to India and South Asia October 8-24

Ecuador
We have a medical team of 7 going to San Juan, Ecuador October 9-17

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

ONE Weekend

Picture courtesy of One Mission Society
Have you wondered what it is to be a missionary?  Perhaps you wondered if you had what it takes to be a missionary?  I would recommend you checking out a new event to One Mission Society called One Weekend.  Click on the title "ONE Weekend" to link to more info.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Sharing with friends


I remember when Briyana and I got engaged.  We were down in Austin with her parents when we got engaged, and on the next day we had to drive back to Fort Worth.  We were so excited to share the news with our friends and family.  We would look at each other and immediately smile and giggle.  We t were on cloud 9.  I will never forget those feelings.

Yesterday we had the chance to share our ministry with several couples.  In the morning we shared with a ministry called LAUNCH, and the evening we shared with some close friends at their house.  Both times, couples were so excited to see what we were doing.  They were encouraging, and genuinely interested in the ministry.  It reminded me of how Briyana and I felt when we got engaged. 

We left our friends house late in the evening and praised God for his provision and encouragement.  It's fun to see others get excited about your ministry and want to participate in it with you. 

God Bless,


Brent & Briyana

Briyana and me at the URBANA '09 Missions Conference

Monday, September 20, 2010

Church Multiplication

A couple of years ago I read a book called "Operation Multiplication." It was a great book that encouraged believers to develop a Paul/Timothy relationship with a younger believer. The idea was to disciple the younger believer until they were ready to disciple their own young believer. It was encouraging and fun.

This past month One Mission Society did something similar, but on a much larger scale. They had 40 pastors, from all over the world, come to headquarters in Greenwood, Indiana. While there, these pastors learned techniques to use back at home to help plant churches in areas that have never heard the gospel. The last week of the class, pastors diagrammed their plan and allowed others to review their plans and give feedback.

Today those pastors are hard at work, fulfilling their plans and allowing God to work in the hearts of nationals throughout the world.

I read this quote yesterday and I think it helps us realize the significance of missions and the desire God has for each and every individual to hear and accept the gift of salvation.

"We must be global Christians with a global vision because our God is a global God."- John Stott

As far as a personal update, Briyana and I are excited about what God has for us in the coming week. This coming Sunday Briyana and I get to present our opportunity to a ministry of Christ Chapel Bible Church called LAUNCH. LAUNCH was created to help people learn about missions and help them get involved in missions. We are also hoping to get together with a few couples during the week.

Brie is hard at work on her thesis and is excited to clear several hurdles this week in regards to research. Please pray for her as her schedule often makes her feel overwhelmed and stressed.

We write this often but we really do appreciate your support and prayers. Please let us know by leaving a comment or by emailing us if you know of anybody that would be interested in hearing about our ministry. Perhaps the Lord is challenging you to participate in ministry? Like my friend recently said, "Have you ever considered the fact that your obedience of acting in faith could be someones answer to prayer?"

Blessings,

Brent and Briyana

Friday, September 17, 2010

Power of Prayer

Briyana and I want to thank everybody for their prayers this past week. Much of last week I was on the road meeting couples and churches and sharing about our ministry. The trip was amazing. Your prayers were heard by God and he answered them. Thank you!

So often people think that writing a check and praying every now-and-then is all they can do to help their missionary. But that just isn't the case. God has designed the church body in such an amazing way. Some people are called to go into the field of missions, while others are not. If it weren't for those people who stay at home, missionaries would not be successful. God has given each person a special gift to use for extending the Kingdom. Some might be good at making money and choose to support missionaries. Others might have the gift of hospitality and allow missionaries to stay with them when they come back home. Still others might of a gift of encouragement and write an encouraging note to their missionary at a time when an encouragement is greatly needed. We all come together to form the body of the church. When one takes a look back and realizes how amazing this blessing is, one can't help but be awestruck.

Here is a story of how prayer has recently had a major impact in the missions field. I received this email from a missionary of ours down on the field of Haiti just a couple of days ago. Here is an excerpt of the email.

My mind is just whirling from the past days...no electricity has meant no internet, but I am praising the Lord this morning for some city power, some water, and a chance to share with you! You all must be praying, because these past stretching days have brought some beautiful things to pass.

While we've had some hot days and some shower-less nights, everyone's attitudes have been brilliant, and not one complaint has fallen on my ears. Lily is happy to not be bathing, we've had enough city power at times to pull all the drinking water that the 70+ of us need, we are the only Seminary I know of that now has a designated "pee in the garden" rule, and last night was SO uncharacteristically cool that everyone slept well without fans. EVERY time the situation has neared "urgent", city power has popped on, something our dear friend and maintenance man Abel marvels as a complete miracle. "I have never seen such consistent city power in my life!"

And finally, and perhaps the biggest gift because it is that which only HE can provide, is, in the words of Nicole (3rd year student), that "last night, God came down and dwelt among us. It was AWESOME." Around 7:30, Matt, Lily and I checked in on the students to make sure everyone had enough drinking water, and everyone was happily hanging out in the cafeteria with a few flashlights. The plan was for everyone to go to bed early, then get up early with the sun to study for classes that they had been unable to study for that evening. But despite early bedtime, this morning my guys were noticeably exhausted. They did indeed all go to bed at 8 pm. However, at 9:30, Junior (1st year student) was shaken awake by "hands that gripped my face and were chocking me! I was scared, and I couldn't breath or move, and in my mind, I called, 'JESUS!' and I heard his voice clearly tell me to pray." Junior lay in bed praying desperately for several minutes, until he heard Jesus speak again. "Now, get up! Pray!" So he did, bounding out of bed and quickly shaking awake all of his room-mates. They all began to pray, and several heard a voice telling them to "Pray, Pray." They woke up all the men in the dorm, then all the women, and from 9 pm until 1 am, our beautiful student body did just that...PRAY.

They prayed and shared, read and prayed, in deep darkness with only a few flashlights, and all testify this morning to feeling the intimate presence and urgency of the Lord to be praying for Emmaus Biblical Seminary, for Saccanville, and for their Haitian people. They testify to feeling the Spirit intimately with them as they prayed and shared together, and this morning, we have a different student body. Tired, but bound...excited, but burdened...urgent, but full of hope and praise.

Thank you for joining us in prayer for power, for Emmaus, for Haiti...for the world.


Brie and I really do covet the prayers you send out. Thank you again for your support and prayers!

Brent and Briyana

TWIST 09-13-2010


This Week In Short Term

Haiti
We have a work team of 10 going to Haiti September 23-30

Philippines
We have a team of 10 going to the Philippines on a Dynamic Women team from September 16-27.

Burundi
We have a team of 3 going to Burundi to do Literacy Training from Sep. 23 - Oct. 2

Hungary
We have a prayer team of 3 going to Hungary from Sep. 26 - Oct. 4

picture courtesy of http://mysinglemomlife.files.wordpress.com

Monday, September 13, 2010

Guilty Pleasures

Football season is back, much to the dread of Briyana. I love watching football and every now and then can get Briyana to sit and watch it with me. I guess you could say watching football is a guilty pleasure of mine.

Another guilty pleasure Briyana and I share is sharing with couples our heart for ministry. This past week we had a couple meetings with friends. It was very encouraging. One of the couples asked how we felt about being in a transition period, while knowing God has called us to the mission field. We get that question a lot. Briyana and I feel that raising support is a ministry in itself. We get to share with our friends and family about what God is doing overseas and giving them a chance to participate in our ministry. It is fun to see people excited about missions. Though we long for the day when we are 100% funded, we know that God has us right where he wants us. He's preparing our hearts for ministry as well as helping us raise a support and prayer team.

This week I will be traveling to several cities in Texas. I've mentioned this before, but Briyana and I would greatly appreciate your prayers while I'm traveling. God willing, we hope this travel will be fruitful to our ministry.

In His Service,

Brent and Briyana

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Homes For Haiti Update

Labor Day weekend is over and we are getting back in the swing of things. Brie is hard at work on her thesis for her masters degree and I'm working hard at getting together with people to share about our ministry. Next week my bosses, Kent Eller and Warren Hardig, will be in town. We will get a chance to travel around Texas sharing with people. If you know of anybody we can share with let me know. We would love to share with anybody willing to listen. Both Kent and Warren have amazing stories and a passion for what they do.

Our first house down in Haiti is finally complete. Here is the update I received yesterday.

Hi all:
Hope all is well at home. The US team finished its last day of work
on the house today! We had a lot that we wanted to get done, so today
was a long day. We worked on the roof system, installing the
remainder of the rafters, then the perlins and metal. We also worked
on the doors and started the ceiling. We went through the batteries
for our power tools quickly today, so that slowed us down a bit. In
the afternoon, we had a small generator available to recharge
batteries. There is a bit more work to do on the doors, one more small piece of metal to install on the roof and most of the ceiling still needs to be installed, but
Gabriel said that they can finish those things tomorrow. We had about ten
people working at the site today.

At the end of our work day, we gathered with the family and some of
the workers to pray and dedicate the house - it was a special time!
The family is so grateful and the team was a joy to work with.


Praise God for what he is doing all over the world. We hope you have a blessed week!

Brent and Briyana

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

TWIST 08-30-2010


This Week In Short Term



Haiti

We have a team of 2 3 men going to Haiti to finish up the first home in the Homes For Haiti project. They will serve September 1-7.

They will be joining 2 men who are already in Haiti.


Philippines

We have a team of 10 preparing to go to the Philippines on a Dynamic Women team from September 16-27.


picture courtesy of http://mysinglemomlife.files.wordpress.com

Monday, August 30, 2010

Homes for Haiti Update

This past week has flown bye. After graduating from UTA last week, Brie and I went to go see her parents and got away for a couple of days. Now we are back home and hard at work. Brie started school today and I am setting up appointments, working on newsletters, and looking forward to traveling Texas to raise funds. As of today we have raised slightly less than $1000 a month. We have also had numerous one-time donations that help too. In order to move to Indiana we need to raise $3900 a month to pay for our ministry expenses and give me a meager wage. Now that summer is over we hope that people will have more time to meet with us so we could share what God has laid on our hearts.

Recently we posted about One Mission Society's program called "Homes For Haiti." Here is an update.

They have been working for about 6 days now and have the foundation poured, and the team is beginning to lay down blocks to outline the bedroom and load-bearing walls. The team that is down there now has learned a lot, and has made some notes for the future houses. Before most of the team leaves they will lay down the outline for the second house, so the next team that comes in will have a head start.

Here are a few pictures. The first is a picture of the shelter the family of the future house is living in now. The second is a picture of the bucket brigade when they were pouring cement, and finally the third is a picture of the foundation. The house is 20'x21'.

Please continue to pray for good weather for this team and that the project would be completed on time.

Thank you for your support!

Brent and Briyana

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

TWIST 08-16-2010


This Week In Short Term



Haiti

We have a team of 5 men going into Port with the Homes For Haiti project August 22-September 1.


Much love,

Brent and Briyana

picture courtesy of http://mysinglemomlife.files.wordpress.com

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Homes For Haiti


Tuesday January 12, 2010 was a day that changed the lives of many. It was the day of the now famous Haiti Earthquake. An estimated 200,000 people died and over 1 million people became homeless. But God is at work in this small Caribbean country.

Men For Missions is beginning a campaign on August 22, 2010 called "Homes for Haiti." The plan is to go into Haiti and build homes for the needy and homeless. We will start off by building 20 homes in Port Au Prince as a test, and we hope to expand the project even further. Please pray for these teams as the homes are built. Pray that God would use these houses as homes for shelter, but also as places were he can dwell and where people will worship His name.

Briyana and I have had a good week. Yesterday was Briyana's birthday. She is now 24 years old. We baked a cake, had some quality time together, and were able to have a nice dinner with family. Briyana's last day of summer is tomorrow, and I know she is looking forward to having a couple of weeks of rest away from school.

As far as our ministry goes, we are looking forward to sharing our opportunity with a friends small group this Sunday, and we just turned in an application for support from our home church. Please lift up both of these in prayer please. We are also working on finalizing our list of addresses to mail out our first newsletter. You should look forward to receiving this in the next month or so.

Blessings,

Brent and Briyana

Picture courtesy of Le Nouvelliste Haiti via Flickr

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Growing Up


Everybody goes through stages of life. When one is conceived they go through numerous changes until in week 39, a baby is born. Then one goes through more changes as an infant. For the first couple of months babies learn to develop a realistic sleep schedule. Then after a couple of months babies move away from milk and begin eating solid food. From there babies acquire language skills. As they move through school they learn skills and fundamentals that will help them later on in life. They begin to date as they get older, they graduate high school. Some go off to college. Eventually they marry and begin their own families.

I was reading Hebrews today and a verse made me think about these things.

"By this time you ought to be teachers yourselves, yet here I find you need someone to sit down with you and go over the basics on God again, starting from square one - baby's milk, when you should have been on solid food long ago! Milk is for beginners, inexperienced in God's ways; solid food is for the mature, who have some practice in telling right from wrong." Hebrews 5:12-14 The Message

I know many people who claim to have become Christians long ago, but still require "baby food." I say claim, because nobody but God knows who is actually saved. By now they should be on "solid food", making a difference in the world for the name of Christ. All to often we as Christians get comfortable in our lives and become content with the status quo. This is when we have to be the most careful. God didn't call us to be comfortable. He called us to be lights to a world full of darkness. It's not going to be comfortable. Often times it's not even going to be politically and socially correct.

Today, we as Christians, need to wean themselves off of "baby food" and begin digesting the solid stuff. Each of us should be living a life worthy of Christ, leading others towards Christ and discipling younger Christians.

What do you think?


This past week has been jam packed with things to do. Last week we gave away our second car to a family member who could use it more. Now we have to find the title for it to change over ownership. We have met with several families and shared a little bit of what our ministry consist of, and have enjoyed getting to catch up with all of them. Brie finishes summer school next week and is looking forward to a couple of weeks off from school. I finish my bachelors degree on the 19th and am increasingly looking forward to that event, 15 days left (not that we're counting down or anything.) I'm in the process of planning a trip around Texas for fundraising with some other people from One Mission Society that will probably take place in September, and yesterday I finished the final touches on our first quarterly newsletter. Now I have to send it in to be edited and mailed out.

We would love your prayers in the coming week for strength to finish our summer school classes strong, pray for safety as I travel to tell people about our ministry, pray that God begins to prepare the hearts of the people we will be sharing with, and that we continue to have a strong and healthy marriage that glorifies our Lord.

We thank and praise God for the friends he's blessed us with everyday!

Brent and Briyana

Picture courtesy of http://www.lifedynamix.com

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

One Meeting, Two Meetings, Three Meetings, Four

This week, we have had busy weeks. We've both had a lot of school work and have had to find the balance between school, work, fundraising, and finding time to share together. Yesterday we met with the missions pastor from a local church to inquire about them supporting us. It went well and we are now currently in the application process for their support.
We have enjoyed having people over to our house recently. It never ceases to amaze us how much fun it is to share what the Lord has planned for us. We enjoy knowing that even raising support can be a ministry of ours until we get up to headquarters.
Please pray for us for energy to push through the final weeks of school, for encouraging conversations regarding fundraising, and time for us I to share together.
We thank each of you for your prayers and support. Our ministry wouldn't be possible without the help of friends like you!

Blessings!

Brent and Briyana

Amazing Grace


God directs our paths in ways we often don't understand. He dances to a beat that is different than the world's. When we hear his voice, many times we don't understand where he's leading us, but do we have the faith to trust and follow him? Are we willing to trust him and do the unexpected?

God called us into missions. We are leaving our comfort zone, our family, our jobs, and everything that is familiar to us to trust and follow God's path. To some, it doesn't make sense. They ask, "Why would you leave everything to go somewhere you never lived? For a job that doesn't pay you?" The truth is, it doesn't make sense IF you're looking through the world's eyes, BUT if you look through God's eyes and have faith in him it does make sense.

There was a man named John Newton who used to be a slave-ship captain. He grew up with his father who was a slave-ship captain, so John had been around the slave business nearly his whole life. One day he felt God calling him out of the slave-trading business and to work for the church. While there, he wrote one of the most famous pieces of music the world has ever known. "Amazing Grace" has blessed the world because John Newton left what he was doing to follow God's will for his life. He left his profitable slave-trading to work in the church. To many back then it didn't make sense, but God knew what he was doing.

So what is God calling you to? Are you listening?

Here is a link giving you some background on the song "Amazing Grace"

In Him,

Brent and Briyana

Picture courtesy of http://www.amazinggracemovie.com

Monday, July 19, 2010

ODM Syndrome


This past week was a little bit slower than weeks prior. We've contacted people about getting together with them, but schedules did not allow for us to meet this week. We hope that in coming weeks we can meet with them. We are praying that God leads us in the correct direction regarding meeting with people and asking him to show us how to follow-up with people. We would appreciate your prayers lifting us up too.
Yesterday at church was our Mission's Luncheon. We listened to how one of the missionaries our church supports was impacting the Philippines and that area of Asia. We also ran into some friends that support One Mission Society. We enjoyed eating lunch with them and look forward to upcoming conversations and interactions with them.
Our sermon yesterday was by the missionary that spoke at the Mission's Luncheon. He spoke on Luke 12:13-21. It was a great message that challenged people to look on how people perceive money and how God would like us to use it. He talked about how much money does it take for us to be happy? He called it the "One Dollar More (ODM) Syndrome. He showed us in scripture how God keeps us away from money that we want for our own good and how God gives us money to give to others. He emphasized that the saying, "The man that dies with the most toys, wins" is not true. Jesus, in this passage redefined greed as when a man thinks only of himself. So the question is, who controls your money? Does greed control your view on money? Do you say, "just one more dollar... just one more toy?" or do you say, "God the money is yours and I will do with it as you lead me?"
We'll leave you with a story that was shared during our sermon…
I'll never forget Easter 1946. I was 14, my little sister Ocy was 12, and my older sister Darlene 16. We lived at home with our mother, and the four of us knew what it was to do without many things. My dad had died five years before, leaving Mom with seven school kids to raise and no money.

By 1946 my older sisters were married and my brothers had left home. A month before Easter the pastor of our church announced that a special Easter offering would be taken to help a poor family. He asked everyone to save and give sacrificially.

When we got home, we talked about what we could do. We decided to buy 50 pounds of potatoes and live on them for a month. This would allow us to save $20 of our grocery money for the offering. When we thought that if we kept our electric lights turned out as much as possible and didn't listen to the radio, we'd save money on that month's electric bill. Darlene got as many house and yard cleaning jobs as possible, and both of us babysat for everyone we could. For 15 cents we could buy enough cotton loops to make three pot holders to sell for $1.

We made $20 on pot holders. That month was one of the best of our lives.

Every day we counted the money to see how much we had saved. At night we'd sit in the dark and talk about how the poor family was going to enjoy having the money the church would give them. We had about 80 people in church, so figured that whatever amount of money we had to give, the offering would surely be 20 times that much. After all, every Sunday the pastor had reminded everyone to save for the sacrificial offering.

The day before Easter, Ocy and I walked to the grocery store and got the manager to give us three crisp $20 bills and one $10 bill for all our change.

We ran all the way home to show Mom and Darlene. We had never had so much money before.

That night we were so excited we could hardly sleep. We didn't care that we wouldn't have new clothes for Easter; we had $70 for the sacrificial offering.

We could hardly wait to get to church! On Sunday morning, rain was pouring. We didn't own an umbrella, and the church was over a mile from our home, but it didn't seem to matter how wet we got. Darlene had cardboard in her shoes to fill the holes. The cardboard came apart, and her feet got wet.

But we sat in church proudly. I heard some teenagers talking about the Smith girls having on their old dresses. I looked at them in their new clothes, and I felt rich.

When the sacrificial offering was taken, we were sitting on the second row from the front. Mom put in the $10 bill, and each of us kids put in a $20.

As we walked home after church, we sang all the way. At lunch Mom had a surprise for us. She had bought a dozen eggs, and we had boiled Easter eggs with our fried potatoes! Late that afternoon the minister drove up in his car. Mom went to the door, talked with him for a moment, and then came back with an envelope in her hand. We asked what it was, but she didn't say a word. She opened the envelope and out fell a bunch of money. There were three crisp $20 bills, one $10 and seventeen $1 bills.

Mom put the money back in the envelope. We didn't talk, just sat and stared at the floor. We had gone from feeling like millionaires to feeling like poor white trash. We kids had such a happy life that we felt sorry for anyone who didn't have our Mom and Dad for parents and a house full of brothers and sisters and other kids visiting constantly. We thought it was fun to share silverware and see whether we got the spoon or the fork that night.

We had two knifes that we passed around to whoever needed them. I knew we didn't have a lot of things that other people had, but I'd never thought we were poor.

That Easter day I found out we were. The minister had brought us the money for the poor family, so we must be poor. I didn't like being poor. I looked at my dress and worn-out shoes and felt so ashamed--I didn't even want to go back to church. Everyone there probably already knew we were poor!

I thought about school. I was in the ninth grade and at the top of my class of over 100 students. I wondered if the kids at school knew that we were poor. I decided that I could quit school since I had finished the eighth grade. That was all the law required at that time. We sat in silence for a long time. Then it got dark, and we went to bed. All that week, we girls went to school and came home, and no one talked much. Finally on Saturday, Mom asked us what we wanted to do with the money. What did poor people do with money? We didn't know. We'd never known we were poor. We didn't want to go to church on Sunday, but Mom said we had to. Although it was a sunny day, we didn't talk on the way.

Mom started to sing, but no one joined in and she only sang one verse. At church we had a missionary speaker. He talked about how churches in Africa made buildings out of sun dried bricks, but they needed money to buy roofs. He said $100 would put a roof on a church. The minister said, "Can't we all sacrifice to help these poor people?" We looked at each other and smiled for the first time in a week.

Mom reached into her purse and pulled out the envelope. She passed it to Darlene. Darlene gave it to me, and I handed it to Ocy. Ocy put it in the offering.

When the offering was counted, the minister announced that it was a little over $100. The missionary was excited. He hadn't expected such a large offering from our small church. He said, "You must have some rich people in this church."

Suddenly it struck us! We had given $87 of that "little over $100."

We were the rich family in the church! Hadn't the missionary said so? From that day on I've never been poor again. I've always remembered how rich I am because I have Jesus!

God Bless!

Brent and Briyana
Story courtesy of Eddie Ogan--from: Bill Rayborn

TWIST- 07-19-2010


Here is a list of the short-term missions teams we are sending out this week. Please lift these groups up in prayer during your week.


Haiti

We have 2 people in Haiti July 15-20 working on the x-ray equipment.

We have a team of 7 going to Cap to do VBS from July 24-31.

We have a team of 15 going to Cap to do VBS and Radio Distribution 07/28-08/04 (CCG youth/adults led by Tom Wright)


Hungary

We have a team of 9 in Hungary to help with English Camp from July 6-25.


Ukraine

We have a team of 12 people in Ukraine to help with English Camp from July 10-24. (T Fornwalt)

We have a team of 9 people going to Ukraine July 31 - August 14 for English Camp.


Ireland

We have a team of 3 in Ireland to work with Stephen Williamson from July 15-26. (C & L Long, D Thomas)


Colombia

We have a team of 3 going to Medellin to do evangelism/prayer ministry from July 20 - August 7. (S. Leckie)


Thank you for your prayers and support!


Brent and Briyana


picture courtesy of http://mysinglemomlife.files.wordpress.com

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Baby Steps


I remember a movie called "What About Bob?", where Bob constantly reminds himself he must take baby steps before taking larger ones. That principle can be used in many aspects of life, including fundraising. So many times we want to be finished with the fundraising aspect of ministry so we can jump to the stuff we want to do. It's then that God reminds Briyana and me that, fundraising is part of our ministry and is preparing us for the future.

This past weekend was a whirlwind. We had 5 meetings with couples over 2 days in Austin, TX. The meetings were very encouraging. It is always fun to catch up with people and share with them our heart for short-term missions and the Great Commission. It wasn't until we arrived back in DFW, laid our heads on our pillows, that we realized how much physical energy the trip took from us. We slept like rocks.

We recently received our support letters and are feverishly addressing and sending those out. We look forward to how God is going to provide through this avenue. In the coming weeks, please pray for Brie and me for energy during the week, a feeling of comfort for us, a continued strengthening of our support and prayer team, and quality time with each other.

Here is a story from Bruce Bennett about what God is doing on the continent of Africa.

"I have just returned from an eventful visit to the Ivory Coast. On January 13, we held our first graduation ceremony for Village Church Planting (VCP) pastors in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Some 750-800 dignitaries and family members attended the joyous graduation of 88 pastors who had met the OMS graduation criteria: successful completion of the Timothy Training Institute and OMEGA programs, planting and pastoring a first generation church, initiating a second generation church and facilitating the training of its leaders.

In just under four years, God has used Pastor Mathieu in the extraordinary expansion of His Kingdom by adding 10,000 villagers to the body of Christ. These believers now meet in 155 first, 96 second, and 9 third generation churches…"

Thanking God for the friends like you,

Brent and Briyana
picture courtesy of http://www.skippypodar.net

Friday, July 9, 2010

TWIST


This Week In Short Term Missions

Here is a list of the groups that One Mission Society is sending out into the world. Please lift these groups up in prayer and thoughts.

Haiti
We have 2 people going to Haiti July 15-20 to work on the x-ray equipment.
We have a team of 5 going to Diquini July 18-25 to do medical/evangelism.

Hungary
We have a team of 9 in Hungary to help with English Camp from July 6-25.

Trinidad
We have a team of 26 going to Trinidad to do work and evangelism from July 10-18.

Ukraine
We have a team of 12 people going to Ukraine to help with English Camp from July 10-24.

His Servants,

Brent and Briyana
picture courtesy of http://mysinglemomlife.files.wordpress.com

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

On The Road Again...

Briyana and I are continuing our journey of faith in preparing our for our ministry by traveling down to Austin, TX this coming weekend. If you happen to be in the area or know of somebody who would be interested in talking with us, please feel free to shoot us a note if we haven't already.

Here is a note of encouragement from a sermon at Traders Point Christian Church in Zionsville, IN.

"When something doesn't work the way it is supposed to, the word we often use to describe it is DEFECTIVE. Have you ever felt defective when it comes to your faith and desire to follow God? Maybe at one time you felt close to Him, but now He feels distant. Things that used to be clear are now hazy. Faith that used to be rock solid is beginning to show signs of distress. Joy has given way to feelings of shame and remorse. You wonder if God could ever use someone as ordinary and imperfect as you. If He could, would he even want to? If you've ever felt that way then your experience isn't at all inconsistent with what we see in Scripture. GOD LOVES DEFECTIVE PEOPLE AND INVITES THEM TO JOIN HIM IN MAKING AN IMPACT ON OUR WORLD."
-for more details, read 1 Cor 1:27, Eph 6:10-18

God Bless!

Brent and Briyana


Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Morrell Update


Things have been going well recently. I am in school, but will be done by mid August. Brie is currently finishing another semester of schooling for her Master's Degree. We've been on the fundraising trail recently, and have enjoyed seeing how God works through the lives of the church body.

A couple of weeks ago, after much prayer by Briyana and I, we felt God was leading me to leave my job to focus on fundraising. This was a huge step-out in faith on our part because we would become a single income family, but God was faithful in his provision. Two days after I put my two-week notice in at my job, Briyana received a letter in the mail informing us she received a scholarship for her schooling paying roughly half of her tuition until she graduates. This was an amazing blessing from the Lord, because we weren't expecting it. We didn't even apply for the scholarship. It was absolutely God showing us his provision and encouragement toward us. God is good!

We have not only seen God work in our lives, but also in the lives of others around the world. Just last week, I read a story from an individual that is in Haiti and working with One Mission Society. Here is his story.

"Sunday I was in Vengione Vital's chuch in Port-au_prince and before anything at all had happened, the Deaconess who was to lead the first song asked if anyone had come that morning to accept Jesus as their Savior. People started flowing to the front of the Church. No preaching, no singing, no urging…just the Holy Spirit moving among people in need. It is a fabulous day to be working in Haiti!"
- Richard Brown

It's exciting to see how God is working throughout the world. If you are interested in learning more about our ministry, please contact us and we would be glad to share with you. Also, if you know of anybody else that may be interested in hearing about our ministry, please pass on those names to us.

God Bless,

Brent and Briyana