Monday, May 30, 2011

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 :)

Saturday, May 21, 2011

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 :)

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

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 :)