I Need You!!

I need you to partner with me. 
I have this amazing opportunity to be the Hands and Feet of Jesus in 11 different countries over the course of 11 months with The World Race.
I need your prayers.
I need your encouragement.
I need your support.
My blog, http://brandiwilcox.theworldrace.org/ has more information about me, The World Race, and what I will be a part of. Check it out!
The cost of this missions trip is $15,150, which sounds like a lot, but a donation as small as $20 can go a long way. Would you partner with me in ministry to go on The World Race? 
Stop what you are doing right now and pray. (I know you really don’t want to stop and pray, I mean I normally don’t do it when people tell me to, but literally stop what you are doing and pray for God to lead you in knowing how you can support me.) If he has led you to support me financially go here https://www.adventures.org/give/donate.asp?giveto=worldrace&desc=For%20Brandi%20Wilcox&tuid=10233314.
May the God of this Universe that we know, love, and serve bless you for your financial contribution.
I NEED YOU!

Your Sister In Christ,
Brandi :)

The REAL Jesus

“Let’s put ourselves in the shoes of these eager followers of Jesus in the first century. What if I were the potential disciple being told to drop my nets? What if you were the man whom Jesus told to not even say good-bye to his family? What if we were told to hate our families and give up everything we had in order to follow Jesus? This is where we come face to face with a dangerous reality. We DO have to give up everything we have to follow Jesus. We DO have to love him in a way that makes our closest relationships in this world look like hate. And it is entirely possible that he WILL tell us to sell everything we have and give it to the poor. But we don’t want to believe it. We are afraid of what it might mean for our lives. So we rationalize these passages away. ‘Jesus wouldn’t really tell us not to bury our father, or say good-bye to our family. Jesus didn’t literally mean to sell all we have and give it to the poor. What Jesus really meant was…’ And this is where we need to pause. Because we are starting to redefine Christianity. We are giving into the dangerous temptation to take the Jesus of the Bible and twist him into a version of Jesus we are more comfortable with. A nice, middle-classed, American Jesus. A Jesus who doesn’t mind materialism and who would never call us to give away everything we have. A Jesus who would not expect us to forsake our closest relationships so that he receives all our affection. A Jesus who is fine with nominal devotion that does not infringe on our comforts, because, after all, he loves us just the way we are. A Jesus who wants us to be balanced, who wants us to avoid dangerous extremes, and who, for that matter, wants us to avoid danger all together. A Jesus who brings us comfort and prosperity as we live out our Christian spin on the American dream. But do you and I realize what we are doing at this point? We are molding Jesus into our image. He is beginning to look a lot like us because, after all, that is whom we are most comfortable with. And the danger now is that when we gather in our church buildings to sing and lift up our hands in worship, we may not actually be worshipping the Jesus of the Bible. Instead we may be worshipping ourselves.”

Quoted from David Platt

Let's take a look at how we are viewing our Savior. Are we the ones telling Him, I don't need to do this or that because they only really did that during the first century. Or, are we yielding to His call in our very own lives? I know I'm guilty of making Jesus who I want Him to be and not who He really is.

In Christ,
Brandi :)

3 days!!

In 3 days, I am being sent to training before I leave for my internship in Nairobi, Kenya for the summer. Check out my latest blog about my journey since school has been over here. Subscribe, follow, or bookmark my kenyapray.blogspot.com blog so you can keep up to date with my journey to Nairobi.  Thank you for your prayers and support. God bless you! :)


In Christ,
Brandi :)

Isaiah 6:8

As some of you may know, God has called me to Nairobi, Kenya this summer to share His love to the Mathare Valley. One question that continues to ponder my mind and my thoughts is, "Where will I go after graduation?" I will be graduating from Trine in December of 2011. I don't know where I will go or what I will do after my last final. I do know that God will totally provide me with an amazing opportunity to serve and love Him wherever He leads me. 

For the past 9 months I have been following my friend Samantha Allen's blog. This is not just any ordinary blog. She is on her 9th month of a race around the world. This trip is called The World Race where you can go to 11 countries in 11 months. I've been thinking about this trip for the past few months, but within the past week I can really feel God tugging at my heart to go. Let me share a clip about The World Race with you...

Swaziland breaks my heart. If I were to leave on The World Race in January 2012, I would have the opportunity to go to Swaziland. Not only would I have the opportunity to go there, but I would have the opportunity to go to Philippines, China, India, Nepal, Mozambique, South Africa, Moldova, Romania, Haiti, and Dominican Republic. God has placed most of these countries on my heart in different ways in the past several months, or even as early as the day I looked up the route. 

I know my life calling is to be a missionary. I know that God is going to provide for me wherever I go. The World Race would give me the amazing opportunity to see 11 different countries in 11 months. I don't know if God is specifically calling me to do this starting in January of 2012 or if it will be later. I don't know if God will reach out and lay Kenya on my heart, showing me that I need to be there full time. Honestly, I don't know what God is up to, and I'm not suppose to. I am trusting that He will guide me wherever He wants me to go.

For Kenya, I had to raise $5,672 and I raised over $6,700! If I were to go on The World Race, I would have to raise $15,500. This would cover airfare, food, lodging, travel, and all of the other ministry expenses. I know that is a lot of money, but I also know that I serve a providing Lord! When I look at the amount of money it gets me excited to know that I could have my faith stretched that much! 

Please join me in praying for clarity to know what God's calling for my life is post-Kenya. 

Thank you friends!

In Him,

Brandi :)

Marriage

I can tell God is teaching me a lot about marriage here lately. I think that living with a nice elderly couple who has been such an example of a Christ centered marriage has definitely helped in this teaching. The following is on a plaque and hanging up in their house. 

The Art of Marriage

A good marriage must be created.

In the marriage the little things are the big things...

It is never being too old to hold hands.

It is remembering to say "I love you" at least once a day.

It is never going to sleep angry.

It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives.

It is standing together facing the world.

It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family.

It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.

It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.

It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.

It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.

It is not only marrying the right person-

It is being the right partner.

~Wilfred A. Peterson

After reading this quote, I think the only thing I could say was "wow." I really want this for my future. I want my husband and I to do each of these things because it is so important to keep your relationship healthy. I look back at my parents relationship and they don't do half of the things in this quote. Yet, I look at this couple I am staying with and they do every single one, every single day. I desire to be that cute old couple that walks down the road hand in hand. I never want to go a day without telling my husband that I love him. These two pictures are from a little card that I bought to give to one of my Kenyan friends that I will meet this summer. The ABCs of marriage sound very similar to the Peterson quote I have above. I aspire to have these two different principles of marriage in my life one day.

 God has a perfect plan, and even though I do not know who my future husband is, I love him more and more every day. Everything will happen in God's perfect timing and God has my heart right now. I've tried putting my hope in what I think will be my future husband, but ultimately, I don't know if that's what God's plan is. I know God has a perfect plan and I'm stoked to see what it is. Isn't it awesome to know that we have a Creator who is in control of every single thing on this universe. Even all the way down to the number of hairs you have on your head!



The following are some quotes that God has really laid on my heart the past month. I think they pretty much sum up what God has been doing in my heart & my life.

To My Future Husband: Whoever you are, wherever you are, I just want to see you as my brother in Christ before I see you as anything else.

I don't need a church boy who isn't really living for Jesus. I need a Godly man who is head over heels in love with Christ.

Don’t worry if you’re single. God’s looking at you right now saying, “I’m saving this girl for someone special.”

To My Future Husband:: Jesus and I talk about you a lot…just in case your ears were ever burning.

I was skyping with Katrina, one of my future teammates in Kenya tonight and I was showing her gifts that I got for the Kenyan nationals we will be meeting. There are some crosses that I picked up at Family Dollar and I was reading the verses on them to her. This one came across my path...

Katrina about flipped out when I read the verse to her because it is one of her favorites. After she told me that I realized it fits in perfectly with what God has been teaching me. Joshua 24:15 "As for me and my house we will serve the Lord." I aspire to have a husband who will serve the Lord with me in whatever we do (Colossians 3:23). I desire to be on the missions field for the rest of my life and I want someone to be with me as we journey to save the world for Christ. God's going to be doing some crazy things in preparation for my life as a missionary this summer. I don't doubt for one second that God will be working in future husband's heart this summer as well, wherever He is in the world.

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for the blessings I have right now in my life. I pray that you would continue to give me patience as I wait for the One you have prepared for me. Jesus help my heart to be focused on you and my current ministry. Jesus, I pray that my future husband reaches out to You this summer and that wherever he is in the world he would fall madly in love with You. I pray that you would work in my heart and my life so that these desires of my heart can someday become a reality. All in Your timing. It's in Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.

In Christ,

Brandi :)

Mark 10:21

Mark 10:21 "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

The two piles of clothes that I am selling or giving away to a Non-Profit organization in Angola.

Since I have been reading the book, "The Hole in Our Gospel" by Richard Stearns I have felt God calling me to get rid of all of the clothes that I have in my dorm room that I never ever wear. These clothes are from high school and they do not fit me now nor are they modest. God has changed my heart and my passions since coming to college. In high school I felt that I was defined by my clothes. I literally went an entire school year without wearing the same shirt twice. I have over 400 t-shirts in my dorm room right now. I do not wear more than 40 of them. I am not defined by what I wear, nor am I defined by my possessions, but I am defined in my Savior, Jesus Christ. Mark 10:21 has really just been laid on my heart and I can feel God telling me to just get rid of all of these things. 


Matthew 6:21 "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."


Where is my treasure? Is it in all of these clothes that I have prided myself in owning? Is my treasure in all of the things I own here on earth? Is my treasure in my past and how I have overcome? Is my treasure in the relationships and friendships I have? Or is my treasure in Jesus Christ, the One who created this entire Universe & created me and said that "it was good?" I'm pretty sure I know where my treasure should be. Selling all of my clothes is me moving one step closer to putting my treasure in Jesus Christ.


What does God expect of me? Everything


I can't just sit here in my dorm room and not give everything to Jesus. I need to surrender it all to Him. A complete surrender to Christ is definitely something God has been showing me. I need to lay down my past and take up the cross. God wants it all from me. If I want to be a missionary full-time I can't be lugging around all of this stuff everywhere I go. I don't need it, but I am positive there are people in the Angola, IN area that could use these clothes.


Luke 6:46 "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord' and do not do what I say?"


If I were to truly sit down and read my Bible every single day (something I have been failing at doing) and truly listen to what God is calling me to do, then I would be changing myself daily. I have felt this urge to get rid of my clothes, but why has it taken me two months to do it? Is it because I was "busy," or is it because I was not being obedient to God's call in my life? I'm pretty sure I was not being obedient because I could have taken two hours to clean out my closets. 

Isaiah 6:8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

I am being sent. I am being sent to the place God has called me to: Nairobi, Kenya. I have given up my treasures here in the US to go and be the hands and feet of Christ. Is God calling you to go somewhere? Is God calling you to go and be His disciple here in the US or overseas? Is God calling you to be used by Him, to be stretched and molded to be more Christlike? Are you saying "Here am I. Send me!" Or, are you hesitant to do what God is calling you to do?


Now, here comes the fun part, what is God calling you to do? Is He calling you to get rid of all of your possessions, all of the things you are holding onto? Is there somewhere you have your treasure laid that needs to be refocused to have your treasure in Christ? Are you willing to give God your everything; your time, your possessions, your money, and ultimately your life for the cause of Christ? What is God telling you to do, but you are resistant and not willing to do? Is God calling you somewhere that you are hesitant to go to?


My prayer for you is that you will seek the Kingdom of God and that Jesus Christ in all of His glory will be revealed to you.


In Christ,
Brandi :)

Brandi In Nairobi YouTube Video

Hey followers!

Check out my YouTube video about my internship to Kenya. The beginning shows what life is like in Kenya and the ending shows a little about my testimony and how God has led me to go to Kenya. Thanks for watching! Feel free to send the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLVYLRCLvik to friends, family, and your church. God bless you!

In Christ,

Brandi :)

The Hole in Our Gospel

I have been reading a book called "The Hole in Our Gospel" by Richard Stearns. A few of the main questions posed to the readers in this book are: "What does God expect of us?" and "Are you willing to be open to God's will for your life?" Richard, the author, was the CEO Lenox, a fine China company. Needless to say, through this position within the company, he was making a lot of money. In the book he discusses how he went through an interview process with World Vision to potentially become their President. Richard did not want to leave his CEO job and become the President of World Vision. The board at World Vision literally felt God calling Richard to the position. Patience had to be key with these people as they went through the waiting process for Richard to open his doors and let God take control of his career path. Richard became the President of World Vision and since then he has traveled all over the world sharing the love of Jesus with others.

This book states that our Gospel, the Gospel of the life of Jesus Christ, has a hole in it. Jesus called those 12 disciples to go out and proclaim the Name of Jesus to the everyone. Jesus has called us to ask God to send out workers into the field. This "field" is the world. The world includes those living in the slums in Africa. The world includes that friend you don't talk to anymore. The world includes your family. The world includes every single person you encounter every single day. This "hole" is the urban poor. Luke 4:18-19 says "He has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." GOD has called each of us to preach the Gospel to the poor. Those homeless people you see on the streets, Jesus wants you to reach out to them. Africa, a country that has a lot of poverty, God wants people to go there and preach the Good News. Where has God called you to share Him?

My professor gave me this book because it talks about having compassion for the poor and ministry oversees. This book is breaking me. It's breaking my heart for the ministry that I will be a part of in Nairobi. It's breaking my heart for the many, many children all over the world that don't have a drop of water to drink let alone a hot meal to eat. It's really made me wonder where I am going to be after I graduate. Has God called ME to be one of these people to go out and proclaim the Good News to the poor? Is God showing me my brokenness for the poor for a reason? These are questions that will be answered in time. 

There are a lot of things in this book that have really stood out to me and made me think and question where my heart is right now. Granted, I am only on page 106 in the book out of 300 pages, but I have been learning so much through these pages. Here are a few quotes that have really hit home with me

"To be a disciple means forsaking everything to follow Jesus, unconditionally, putting our lives completely in His hands. When we say that we want to be His disciple, yet attach a list of conditions, Jesus refuses to accept our terms. His terms involve unconditional surrender. 'Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?'" (page 39)

"Here is the answer to the question, what does God expect? 

• We are to love God.
• We are to love our neighbors.
• We are to go and make disciples of others who will do the same." (page 68)

"God can't give you the blessings He has for you until you first put down the other things you are clutching in your hands." (page 89)

"Two thousand years ago, the world was changed forever by just twelve. It can happen again." -Richard Stearns (page 5)

"The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet." -Frederick Buechner (page 36)

"Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." (Mark 10:21) (page 37)

"Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God." -A prayer by Bob Pierce, founder of World Vision (page 9)

"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." -Micah 6:8 (page 53)

"For the follower of Christ, anything that becomes more precious to us than our relationship with the Lord becomes destructive." .... "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." -Matthew 6:21 (page 43)

"Christ has no body on earth but yours,

no hands but yours, 

no feet but yours.

Yours are the eyes through which

Christ's compassion for the world is to look out;

yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good;

and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now." -Saint Teresa of Avila (page 13)

The GOD of this universe is calling each of us to proclaim the Gospel to not just those around us, but the poor across this universe. What are YOU doing to share Christ's love to others? I'd like to encourage you to go out and purchase this book. I guarantee it will change your perspective on the world. Pray for God to guide and direct you to share the Gospel where you are. Pray for God to give you the boldness you need to proclaim the Good News. 

Be blessed, my friends.

In Christ,
Brandi :)

God > Facebook

Here recently I have been so excited with the way facebook has given me the chance to share with so many people about my internship to Kenya. I have been able to use the site to network with others and share my heart and passion for the ministry all through facebook. In addition to being able to use the site for Kenya purposes, I spend countless hours looking at my friends postings, status updates, and profiles. God has been speaking to me in the past week to stop putting idols before Him. I need to STOP being on facebook 24/7 and start living a life that is not dependent on facebook. Tonight I felt this overwhelming sensation that I need to fast from facebook. Not only do I need to just fast from facebook, but I need to do it for at least a month. My profile is still visible, but I deleted my wall, I stopped all email notifications, and I don't know my password. This semester I have fasted from facebook and I stopped after a week to get on for "support raising." Now, I don't know what my password is and I have no real reason to get on. My goal and purpose in all of this is to show others that facebook is not all that it is cracked up to be. There's more to life than that notification you just received. There's more to life than someone liking your status. In the past couple of months I have found myself updating my status several times a day. You might ask, why? Honestly, most of the time it was to see how many people I could get to "like" my status. Sounds stupid doesn't it? It's the truth.

God has been showing me through various ways that I need to not put anything before Him. God needs to be number one. I can not have any idol before Him: no website, no human, NOTHING before Him. This is hard to completely grasp. Nothing before my relationship with God. That means every time I let my mind wander I have to remember to take every thought captive to Jesus. 2 Corinthians 10:5 "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." This means that I am going to have to lean on Jesus during this time of not knowing. Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge to him, and he will make your paths straight." 

God has big plans for this facebook fast. His plans are so big that I cannot comprehend them, but that's the goodness of the Gospel (that we can't understand how big our God is). This fast will give me time to truly be set free from things that are currently going on in my life and for me to turn my focus towards the One who loves me. This fast will give me time to devote towards praying for the ministry I am going to be a part of and for me to pray for my teammates. Prayer is key with this internship. I need to be faithfully praying with all of my heart (not half of it) for the ministry that I am going to be a part of. God has BIG plans for all of this. I'm trusting in Him to move in my heart and life through this fast. 

Prayer requests:

Pray for my heart to be set right in Christ.

Pray for my desires to get on facebook to vanish.

Pray for God to be at the center of all I do.

Pray for revival on Trine University's campus.

Pray for God to be revealed to me in BIG ways through this fast.

Pray for my support to be raised for Kenya.

Pray for current CMF Missionaries and Kenyan nationals currently in Nairobi.

Pray for my relationships to thrive through this fast.

How can I be praying for you? God has gifted me with a passion for praying and I want to lift you up in His Name. If you don't want to comment with your requests, feel free to email me your requests to kenyapray@live.com.

In Christ,

Brandi :)

4:37 a.m.

I am sitting in my dorm lounge right now trying to finish up homework before my school day starts in 6 hours. I don't really need to be up right now, but I am. I could have easily started my homework earlier in the day instead of taking that 4 hour nap, but there's just something about right now. Being alone without distractions of facebook updates or the girls on my floor talking to me just gives me a lot of time to think. I am overwhelmed with joy right now at how much God is truly working in my life. I do NOT deserve anything that He has given me. I do NOT deserve this opportunity to go to Kenya and share His love. I do NOT deserve all the material items I possess. BUT God has given me all of these items/opportunities for a reason. Do I understand it? Nope, not at all, but I will rejoice in all that God has done, is doing, and will do. There IS no better way than Jesus. 


Two days ago I had the amazing opportunity to share my testimony of the ups and downs of my life in the past four years in front of 300 people.  If you would like to read what I shared go here- Testimony. I was so amazed and blessed by the responses I received after sharing! The ladies that were sitting to the left and to the right of me BOTH supported my internship to Kenya. I had several people walk up to me during the dinner telling me that I was an encouragement to them. Many people approached me to let me know that they would be praying for me and my missions work. God blessed me so much that night. 


Three days ago, in a 24 hour period, I received almost $500 in support from three people! I am currently up to 48% of my funds raised in 6 short weeks. Please continue praying for God's provision for my trip. If you would like more information about my trip, please comment. I have such a HUGE heart and passion for the ministry I am going to be a part of in Nairobi. God is currently at work in the Mathare Valley and I am blessed to have this opportunity to go and serve Him there. 


I love you all! Be blessed this week! Share the love of Jesus every moment of every day.


In Christ,
Brandi :)

Kenya Blog

Hey friends!


Check out my new blog www.kenyapray.blogspot.com devoted towards my 8 week long Kenya missions trip this summer. I will be updating this blog before, during, and after my internship. This blog will be set up so that my friends and family can follow what God is doing through me with this opportunity. You are encouraged to follow me! :) 


Thanks!


In Christ,
Brandi :)

REACH Intern 2010

The following is from a REACH intern from Summer '10 who went to Kenya with the same organization that I will be going with. The visuals that she gives in this post are absolutely amazing to me. God is going to do so much in Nairobi this summer! He is good! :)

From: Mirte de Boer
Sent: Saturday, June 19, 2010, 12:34 a.m., from Nairobi, Kenya

My work day is about 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.  I get on the matatus (buses) at 8 a.m. and get to the MoHI [Missions of Hope International] center by 8:15. The matatus are an adventure alone. We jump on them as they are driving by us, already packed. We have to stand as the bus weaves in and out of traffic, not adhering to any traffic laws. Finally, we arrive at the Pangani center where immediately beggars spot us – the mzungus (white people) – and beg for money.

Once at the MoHI center, we take tea … hot chai … anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. Yum. Then we talk about what we are going to do for the day and get started around 10. To go to Kiamaiko slum, we take a matatu. Once there, we follow the translator/CHE trainer through mazes of tin shacks while stopping along the way to greet people (Habari yako!). I’m amazed at the poverty. The smell is sour … like puke, poop, and rotting flesh/food/clothes all mixed together. Burning mounds of trash fill the air with smoke. I find myself fighting tears as I pass young boys with glue bottles stuck to their faces and passed out in alleys.

MoHI schools are like beacons of hope in the slums. All the teachers are incredibly patient and energetic, and you can tell they realize they are more than teachers – they are reflections of Christ. I don’t think I’ll ever be as compassionate as they are. Lillian, the head teacher at Kiamaiko is so funny! She laughs at me a lot because my Swahili is so horrible. She is a very strong lady, and I am so happy to have met her and work with her.

When we find a home to visit, we are greeted very warmly. The homes are about 10 feet by 12 feet, if they’re lucky. We sit on their beds, tables, benches, or anything else they offer as a “seat.” We share our names and ask for theirs; we ask about their families. They share the joy of Christ in their lives as they struggle with HIV. To be honest, I don’t think I’d be sharing about the joy of Christ if I had HIV. While at these home visits, God shows me how insignificant my world is. I can’t speak the language, I can’t relate to the people, and I certainly do not pray as fiercely as they do. Yet, He has me here. I am very humbled and am being blessed far more than doing any blessing. It’s a beautiful thing to be severely humbled and broken and put in a place where I am completely dependent on the people I am trying to help.

Lunch consists of beans, cabbage, rice, and beef stew … and ugali, which is a cornmeal dish that is utterly tasteless. One would think I would blow up like a balloon here with all the rice and ugali, but with all the walking we do (at least 4 miles a day) I am feeling great! Dinner is up to us, so we usually go to the Java House, which is American food but SO good and ALWAYS packed. We need to be home before dark unless a male is walking with us. All the same, we are usually home by 8:30. We are staying at the Ufangamano house, a Christian guest house near the university. There are lots of security guards, and the house is enclosed by a gate, so everything is perfectly safe.

There is so much crazy spiritual warfare every day, which is all pretty new to me considering spiritual warfare in the States is kept behind closed doors. Satan doesn’t stop attacking just because we are done for the day. I find myself praying a lot more.

I realize that I haven’t updated much on my slum experiences. It’s hard for me to say everything that is happening when God is breaking my heart. It’s something I feel that people have to experience for themselves to truly understand. God is here … He is alive and well. And I know this is where I am supposed to be right now.

In Christ,

Brandi :)

Healing Begins

Healing Begins

By: Tenth Avenue North

So you thought you had to keep this up
All the work that you do
So we think that you're good
And you can't believe it's not enough
All the walls you built up
Are just glass on the outside

So let 'em fall down
There's freedom waiting in the sound
When you let your walls fall to the ground
We're here now

This is where the healing begins, oh
This is where the healing starts
When you come to where you're broken within
The light meets the dark
The light meets the dark

Afraid to let your secrets out
Everything that you hide
Can come crashing through the door now
But too scared to face all your fear
So you hide but you find
That the shame won't disappear

So let it fall down
There's freedom waiting in the sound
When you let your walls fall to the ground
We're here now
We're here now, oh

This is where the healing begins, oh
This is where the healing starts
When you come to where you're broken within
The light meets the dark
The light meets the dark

Sparks will fly as grace collides
With the dark inside of us
So please don't fight
This coming light
Let this blood come cover us
His blood can cover us

This is where the healing begins, oh
This is where the healing starts
When you come to where you're broken within
The light meets the dark
The light meets the dark

This song was laid on my heart a lot during Spring Break. The brokenness God laid on my heart for the poor people in Mexico truly let me reach out to Him. This brokenness was a glimpse at what I will be feeling this summer when I work in the Mathare Valley slum for 8 weeks. I’m so thankful and blessed to have this opportunity! It’s crazy how God works. He led the leaders to go to Mexico, and then He led me to go. Through going down there I feel more prepared for the poverty and brokenness that I will see. God knew my needs and He fulfilled them. He does that a lot. :)

In Christ,

Brandi :)

God Speak

I'll be honest, there has been a lot of "stuff" going on in my life. Some bad stuff, but lots and lots of good stuff. God has given me so many different opportunities to share my life, heart, and vision with others. These conversations have been a huge blessing to me. 


Yesterday, I went on a 3 hour road trip with Megan, one of my friends, just to go to Cici's pizza. On our way there we were able to sing Jesus music and to get know one another more. It was such a blessing to be able to spend time with her. We went to 3 different book stores searching for what I like to call "Jesus books." We successfully found everything at the first stop. At the Bargain Bookstore, I found a God's Word translation of the Bible and since I had given away my other copy, I purchased this one. Little did I know, this Bible was going to be a huge blessing to me and Megan. On our ride back to campus, I was reading through different topics within the passages of the Bible. Here's what the topics look like:

Not too long, or too short, but very convicting. We read through about 6 of the topics and with every one that I read, I could feel God just telling me, "Brandi, listen to me, for my paths are straight. Do not put ANYTHING before me. Give everything to me because I love you more than anyone."  This is what I like to call "a stab in the heart" when God tells me exactly what I need to hear. I hate when He does that, but I love it so much. I think it so awesome how God was able to convict me of what was going on in my very own life through this new Bible. I'm sure I will be learning more and more from this Bible! The best part was that it was not only convicting to me, but it was to Megan too. This opened up doors for us to share about our struggles and things that we were letting control our relationship with Jesus. I was so blessed by our conversation and being able to encourage her on ways I have dealt with some of the very things she is going through. We decided to stop at McDonald's before we got back to campus and dig more into the Bible. We were sitting their reading through passages and I was practically screaming at my Bible and at God for how convicting these things were. One of the ladies that worked there approached me and asked if God was trying to tell me something. In my fit of rage, God was able to bless me because I was able to talk to this lady about Jesus. I shared with her about some of the things God was teaching me and how He was leading me to go to Kenya this summer. She is a leader over the youth at her church and it was awesome to have her encourage me. What a blessing!




I know work in the cafeteria on my campus and I have been able to share with my coworkers about my trip to Mexico that I just got back from. Also, I have been blessed with the opportunity to share with several of my coworkers about my trip to Kenya and my passion for it. It has been a huge blessing to be able to share Jesus with these people. I don't know where any of them stand with their spiritual walk with Christ, but I am trusting that He will use me to continue reaching out to them. 




Right now, I will admit that I am very, very stressed from having two jobs, 18 credit hours, a leader in CCH, preparing two speeches for CCH, and raising support. BUT I know that God is my provider, my healer, my love, my everything. I know that there is no need to worry or stress about any of these things. God is really stretching me with my time management. I am a Junior in college and I still don't know how to manage my time wisely. I still spend a lot of time on facebook. I still procrastinate my homework until the very last minute. The best part of it all is that God is teaching me to rely on Him more with the busy schedule that I have. Everyday I am walking by faith and trusting that His Will will be done. 


Kenya Update:
I have raised $1,755.03.
I still need $3,916.97.
God is faithful, and He has provided me with so much thus far. 
I'm placing every single dollar in His hands and I know that He will provide.
If you would like more information about my trip, check out my $5,672 blog. 
If you still want more information after reading the blog feel free to email me at telltheworldthatjesuslives@hotmail.com


In Christ,
Brandi :)

2 families. 4 days. 2 houses.

This past week I have been in Acuna, Mexico serving the needs of a family with 13 other college students. 30 students from Trine University took the 2 day trip down to Acuna, Mexico in order to serve two families by building them each a house. The family my group built for was currently residing in a one bedroom house made of plywood and tin. They do not have electricity, they do not have much, but they have a huge blessing now!

Here is a picture of their house that they had:

Here are some pictures of the process of building their new house:

Laying the foundation

Placing the first wall on the foundation

Leveling up the first corner of the house

Chris hammering some nails into the wall.

 All the walls put into place.

Let the chicken wire begin!

The roof crew (minus Tom). That's me on the right.

Oh, the stucco...

Texturing the stucco.

The house at the end of Day 3. Everything is built, now we just had to make final touches on the house.

Juan helping paint his house.

Finishing up painting the house.

The family after our dedication ceremony for their house.

The grandma, mother, and two boys. Santiago is on the left, and Juan is on the right.

Gifts we bought for the family.

God is good, isn't HE? We were all extremely blessed throughout this week with being able to serve this family and be an example of Christ to them. I definitely grew in service and love for kids. We serve an awesome God, can I get an AMEN? :)

In Christ,

Brandi :)

Kenya Pray? Bracelets!

Hello,

As a fundraiser for my internship to Nairobi, Kenya this summer, I was led to purchase bracelets to help with support raising. My support raising goal is $5,672. The bracelets say "Kenya Pray?" on them and they are selling for $3 each or 2 for $5. My vision for these bracelets is for people to wear them and every time they look at it that they will remember to pray for Kenya. Here's my slogan for support raising:

"Kenya pray?

Kenya pray for Kenya?

Kenya pray for Brandi?"

Also, I pray that this will be a unique way to market my trip and to share with others my vision and my heart for Kenya and the ministry I will be a part of for 8 weeks this summer. 

Here's a little bit of what my summer in Kenya will involve:

While in Kenya I will be working alongside the team of CMF missionaries and Kenyan nationals currently serving there. We will be traveling to the Mathare Valley slum each day to be a part of the ministry going on. Mathare Valley is a one square mile slum outside of Nairobi with approximately 800,000 residents living there. The main focus of our ministry is to show God’s love through Community Health Evangelism (CHE). CHE is a holistic program that seeks to transform individual’s lives physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The ministry there involves vocational training, microenterprise, healthcare, education, evangelism, and partnership with local churches to reach the people of Mathare Valley. My team and I will go into the slums each day making home visits, visiting schools and working with children, providing HIV/AIDS education, praying with and discipling families, and ultimately sharing the love of Christ to those who do not know Him. I believe that the ministry I am a part of in Nairobi will bring me one step closer to seeing where God has called me long-term.

Let me know if you have any questions. If you would like to purchase one or more bracelets email me your order at telltheworldthatjesuslives@hotmail.com. Be sure to indicate how many you want and the color. 

In Christ, 
Brandi :)

Contact Info:
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