Prayer is SO cool!

This past weekend Briyana and I went on a marriage retreat.  It was amazing.  It provided us permission to relax, bond, and develop a closer relationship during a stressful semester for us.  On Sunday, the retreat had us do a really cool devotional on prayer and it got me to thinking how cool prayer really is.

Too many times we forget how powerful prayer actually is, and it seems that all to often Christians forget how to pray.  In James 5:13-16, James gives us a great outline of how to pray.  We are to pray for our troubles and concerns, praise the Lord for our Joys and praises, ask for help and healing for illness and pain, ask forgiveness for our sins and offenses, and ask for help for anything else that bothers us.

As a missionaries who relies on the Lord and the support of others, we take great joy at the beginning of every month praying for our supporters.  How can we best pray for you as you support us in our ministry? 

You can contact us by leaving a comment or by emailing us at bmorrell@onemissionsociety.org.

God Bless,

Brent & Briyana

One Weekend

We've posted about this event a couple of weeks ago, but wanted to remind those of you that were interested in it still that it's not to late.  Here is a blurb about the event from our head of Mobilization, Paul Cox.

It's not too late to send someone to this weekend's OneWeekend event!  Our prayer is that the retreat will deepen their relationship with Jesus and help them explore what it's like to be a missionary.   

Here are some of the subjects that will be covered in the general sessions, small groups and one-on-one time with the missionaries:

•    What does it mean to have God's calling? 
•    I feel a tug to the nations.  What should I do next?
•    I have gifts and interests that I could use in another culture.  What are some ways to plug in?
•    What do I do about a mountain of school loans? 
•    The ministry of raising support.  What does it look like? 

The retreat schedule includes worship, training sessions, small group discussions at tables, prayer, and Q&A with missionaries.  For more information and/or registration information, contact Paul Cox at pcox@onemissionsociety.org.

TWIST

This Week In Short Term

Haiti
We have a guy from Portland working in Cap Haitian doing A/C work until Feb. 21

We have a team of 6 in Cap working until Sunday, then they fly to Port to work with Homes For haiti until Feb. 24

We have a guy in Cap Haitian to help get Resounding Hope set up. He's there Feb. 16-23

The End Is Near

Our church recently completed a series that included teachings about the end times.  It was amazing and thought provoking.  Out of the teachings and my personal readings I've learned a lot.  God has really been poking my heart and teaching me that as Christians we should live like what the guy in the picture thinks.  We should "live expectantly because Christ is coming.  Our possessions, status, and power will mean nothing in God's kingdom."  Instead of investing all our money and possessions in getting the newer, better, thinner phone or T.V., we should invest our time and talents where they will make an eternal difference.  We need to invest our time and possessions in people. 

This idea has been big in my head over the past several weeks.  I'm reading the book Radical by David Platt and just finished reading 1 Peter.  The real idea that God is coming back and we are wasting our time with stuff that we can't take to Heaven has been a big idea that I've been wrestling with and wanted to share with you. 

This seems like a simple concept, but as I fund-raise and talk with people, it's becoming more and more apparent that this mindset is often absent in the majority of the American population and, sadly, the Christian American population too.  In today's society, we are taught that you aren't successful without being a home owner, without having a newer car, without having the newest and best technology. 

David Platt put it this way, "Today more than a billion people in the world live and die in desperate poverty.  They attempt to survive on less than $1 a day.  Close to two billion others live on less than $2 a day.  That's nearly half the world struggling today to find food, water, shelter with the same amount of money I spend on french fries for lunch."

Are these people failures?  Does God not love them?  Does God not want them to hear of his wonderful gift of salvation?  I would argue no.  God has given us Americans a tremendous responsibility.  With the wealth and possessions God has given us, we have a duty to use EVERYTHING at our disposal to further the Kingdom of God and share the love God has shown us to others around the world. 

Pray for Briyana and I as we continue to ask God how we can be more focused on His coming return and how we can best use the time and possessions He's given us to further the Kingdom of God.

If you would like to see some opportunities Men for Missions has to go overseas and share please click here to view upcoming trips.

If you would like to hear sermons recently completed at my church on this topic, click here.

TWIST

This Week In Short Term


Haiti
We have a team of 2 in Haiti to teach at EBS from Jan. 22 - Feb. 6

We have a guy going to Haiti to work with Starfish Kids from Jan. 25 - Feb. 1 (Bramley)

On January 21 the a family flew into Port to begin their year of service with the Homes For Haiti project.

A team of 6 from Waco First UMC is going to Port 01/29-02/05 to work with the Homes For Haiti project

We have a work team of 5 going into Cap Haitian February 3-12.

A crazy week!

This week has been very interesting and crazy!  Take a look:

For those of you that don't watch the news or are not interested in the NFL, the Super Bowl is in North Texas this year.  Not only does that mean that lots of money rolling into town, but it also means more people and traffic.  ESPN has taken over nearly 2 blocks of Downtown Fort Worth.  Steelers fans are everywhere!  Fortunately, Briyana works on the far end of Downtown and driving there hasn't been impacted too much.

On Saturday, a couple of my friends and I enjoyed a round of disc golf in the morning.  It was a blast and the weather was amazing (mid 70's and not a cloud in the sky.)  As I sit and write this blog post, at least an inch of ice is stuck to the roads, snow flurries are falling and the wind chill is below 0!  You can't get that much crazier, but one must remember that this is Texas weather for you.

It's only Tuesday so far, I can't wait to see what is in store for the rest of the week.

Brie and I find out if June Bug is a boy or girl tomorrow (weather permitting.)  We can't wait!  We are enjoying this time of life and learning as much as we can while the Lord has us in this position of fund-raising. 

God Bless & STAY WARM!

Brent and Briyana

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

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

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!

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