What a week...

Last week ended with a beautiful worship service on Sunday evening with our church family. I was greatly encouraged by the growth we see in our student ministry and church body over the last few months. Every Wednesday and Sunday it seems like as we drive back to "reality" (our lives in Dallas), we long more and more to live in the same community with our church family. After this week, I really can't wait to get to the end of this semester. Only three short months and our lease is up!

This week began as usual... BUSY. Brett was busy with work, and I was busy with school, homework, and my part-time job. We always can't wait until Wednesday when we get to go hang out with our teens and fellowship with some of our co-leaders. These people are so sweet. Once Thursday came around real life began to pile on. I got a text from Brett while I was in class telling me that he had a flat tire. I came home to help him sort that out and soon later back to life we went.

This week, by Friday, had me exhausted, but I was also extremely excited to spend Friday night with my girls. One of my sixth grade girls, Savannah, is turning 12 and her mom (who co-leads the group with me) hosted all of our middle school girls for a slumber party! I was just as excited as they were. I was ready for the make-overs and girl time after a long week. 

 At the party, we all decorated pillowcases and got to draw on each other's a picture of what we thought when we thought of that person. I was excited to get to do one, too.

While at my sleep over, Brett called to mention that our washing machine stopped working that night... :( At that point, I had no energy left to worry about something I could not fix right then, so I waited until I got home Saturday to discuss options for fixing the problem. After a brief emotional break down and my wonderful husband's steady, stress free personality we came up with a plan. Because repairs to our current washing machine would be more expensive, we decided to buy a cheap washer off of craig's list and pray that it would work long enough for us to buy a new set when we move at the end of our lease. We picked it up today, and I am proud to say after the very gracious acts from our neighbors (who we literally met today) we got our "new" washer up the three flights of stairs. AND it works! Halellujah! It's a little "loved" but I am thankful beyond belief. 

Today, after church, I also got to take our small group to a nursing home in Rowlett to love on some elderly people. We made Valentine's cards and handed them our to the people living in the home. I loved seeing these girls love so willingly to people that really needed it. I love being able to be apart of them learning more about Jesus and learning how to live life according to His Word.

 After weeks like this one, I realize how important it is to have people around you. It is that community that we long to be in. I can't wait to be able to drive five minutes to church or be able to host a sleep over with my girls at our home. I know that the Lord is working out everything for our good and all I have to do is be patient. For now, I chose to be thankful for where we are because I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

Brandi

Oh February.

At the beginning of this year, I braced myself for the upcoming craziness that I knew we were about to enter into. Well, I am excited to say that we have nearly made it to the end of the chaos. Next week is the last week of the busiest time of the year for Brett at the Y, and though my life isn't necessarily slowing down, I finally feel like I am back in the flow of school. 

This past week was probably the toughest weeks of the years due to extremely busy schedules. I don't think Brett and I got to eat dinner together at all last week. It seemed like on the nights he was busy, I was at home working on homework, and the nights I worked late, he was actually at home resting from a long day at the office. Now a few weeks in to school, the work load has gotten bigger and this week I really felt the pressure to manage my time well. I spent Thursday working on homework for four hours after school to then go into work until 10:30 that night. I was really ready for some rest come 8 AM class Friday morning. I was greatly encouraged by my 9 o'clock class, English, when I received my first graded paper back. I got a 98!! (Now, this is a big deal because my teacher has said nothing but how hard of a grader he is for 4 weeks straight and how we should all drop his class because the work was so demanding.) To have this very frustrating teacher write on my paper how well it was written definitely gave me the motivation to keep up what I have been doing. 

I was so excited, Brett put it on the refrigerator!

We have also been so encouraged when we get to go have fellowship on Wednesday evenings and Sundays with our church family at Stillwater Community Church in Rowlett. The Lord is exciting both of us with the things that we see happening and changing the past month or so. For example, tonight, at our Night of Worship, many were baptized as a demonstration of their faith in Christ. A couple of teens were baptized and it was so encouraging to see kids we hang out with every week place their faith in Jesus. This is why we are where we are, and it is so humbling and exciting to have the privilege to be a part of God's story. 

The moving of God's Spirit in our church body only makes Brett and I more excited to move Rowlett hopefully near the beginning of this summer. I have been anxious to move for a while now, but I can see the Lord's timing at work in our situation. I know His plan is much greater than my own, and I am confident that He knows our hearts and has a plan in motion to work out things for our good. Nights like tonight really make me yearn for the godly community that we, right now anyways, live so far from. (Feel free to pray for us that we might make the right decisions the next few months regarding where we will live.) 

The Lord truly is showing me patience and while we wait He has been faithful to continue to grow us. One of the promises I felt that the Lord gave me this semester was that He would not only give us the grace to make it through the semester in one piece, but He would allow us to grow through this time of chaos and busyness. I can definitely see this promise in motion especially after a week like last week where I am so exhausted from the demands of life, but yet so refreshed from God's people and His faithfulness. I am just thankful that the Lord has allowed us to be apart of His plan. 

Here is a testimony of God's faithfulness in the life of one of my middle school girls. In small groups a few weeks back I encouraged the girls to write on a post-it note a hope that they wanted to see happen this semester. One girl said that she wanted her dad to come to church on her post-it. Tonight her dad was with his family in church! I am convinced that those are the prayers God loves answering. 

Following the Night of Worship, we walked outside to the first snowfall of the year. Being that this is our first year of marriage I decided to take a few snow fall photos (even though the snow didn't stick). Here you go. 

First 2012 Snowfall

Our apartment complex has a random putt-putt green... not sure why.

We were cold, but I had to take a snow pic.

dreaming...

Happy Wednesday to all of you, hope this week has been wonderful for you. Today I thought I would share about one of my favorite things I like to do. Dream. Now I don't mean sleeping (which is another one of my favorite activities), but I am talking about dreaming about my goals, ambitions, and everything I aspire to be or do in life. This might sound super childish but I always loved the question: "What do you want to be when you grow up?" It was always so much fun to dream about all the possibilities out there. If you know me, you may know my story and how I was called into the ministry at the age of thirteen. I, at first, thought that that was the end, I knew what I was going to do when I grew up: be a minister. I soon found that my assumption was wrong, I couldn't box-in my calling into one category or title, and it certainly was not limited to the time frame of "when I grow up". My calling had to start now. I think the coolest part of saying "yes" to Jesus and to His calling is that He only reveals His plan a little at a time. Yes, the mission is the same, but the journey will never be boring or without room to dream.

The Lord has revealed the next part of my journey and that is to finish my education by getting a degree in International Studies. God has been so cool in how He has shown me the direction He wanted me to go. He literally closed doors to paths that would have left me compromising and confused, and gave peace to the one that seemed more complicated and difficult. The Lord gave me this verse as I battled with finding direction and the "next step" in life: "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7 


Here are somethings I have really been "dreaming" about this week:

• finishing school fast ;)
• future home for our family: I have decided that I want a chalkboard wall in our future kitchen
• babies... nuff said (if you are a newly wedded woman, you know the feeling)

What are some things you dream about? Is it something you aspire to be or do? Message me with your answers!