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 :)