Long Overdue Update

Have you ever been traveling and had to take a detour because the road was temporarily closed? That happened to us recently on a trip from Atlanta to Chicago. Because of a multi-car accident, we found ourselves driving off the beaten track, winding through unfamiliar territory as we followed the signs that would eventually lead us back to the interstate. It was a long detour, but we had the chance to see beautiful countryside that we would not have normally seen. Our destination had not changed because of the detour; we just got there by a different route.

 

That detour reminds me of the path the Lord has taken us on over the last year. Since last summer, we have been at Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL working on our Master's degrees in Evangelism and Leadership. When we first felt God leading us to Wheaton, we thought that we would take a class here and there and work to finish our degrees over the next five years during furloughs. But what started as one summer class turned into full-time grad school and we have now completed 70% of our degrees.

 

When we started this journey of obedience to God's call to minister in Italy, we expected to follow a specified path that would get us there within a certain timeframe. However, God in His ultimate wisdom decided to take us on a detour from the route we expected. It has been long, as detours often are, and in many ways, it has been difficult. The terrain has been unfamiliar and there have been challenges along the way. Because of that, there have been times over the last year when we have wondered if we totally missed the boat. It is easy to doubt God when things don't happen as we think they should. When the unexpected occurs, we often assume that we must not have heard God clearly before.

 

Do you think Joseph felt the same way when he found himself at the bottom of a well about to be sold to slave traders? And what about later when he found himself in prison on false charges? God had given him a dream, but this was probably not how he had pictured everything playing out. However, it was only because of Joseph's supposed detour that he was in place for God to use him to interpret Pharoah's dream and save a civilization, as well as his family, from a horrible drought.

 

The challenges we have faced over the last year cannot even compare to the hardships Joseph endured, but through his story we are reminded that those things we see as detours are all part of God's plan for our journey. While we have often seen our time in Wheaton as a detour that was just delaying us from getting to Italy, it was always part of God's plan. He knew that we would need the knowledge and experience that we have gained here. Our destination has not changed just because the Lord brought us to Wheaton. God is still taking us to Italy and we are better prepared to minister there because of our time here.

 

Our studies at Wheaton are not totally done. We plan to take 4 classes in July and one more at the end of October and then we graduate in December! However, since the remainder of our classes are taught in intensives, it is not necessary for us to live near campus in the future. So, the next step for us is to move back to Georgia to finish raising our support. God has blessed us with a cozy, little rental home right outside Athens, where we will move on June 7. It is partially furnished, and the landlord offered a month-to-month lease, which was a huge answer to prayer. We feel like this will be our last stop as we enter the final leg of our journey to ministry in Italy. But, we trust God to lead us on the path He has laid out for our family - even if it includes more detours. :)

 

Would you please be in prayer with us over the next couple of weeks as we wrap up our time here in Illinois and transition back to Georgia? Below are some specific prayer requests. Thank you for praying and trusting God with us. We are looking forward to seeing many of you in the weeks to come!

Until All of Italy Hears,

Stephen and Brandy

 

 

Prayer Requests

• Please pray for God's provision for our family, especially during this time of transition while we are looking for employment in GA. Pray that the Lord would provide jobs that will meet our family's needs while also allowing us time to raise support and finish grad school.
• Laynie is having an especially hard time accepting the move back to GA. She has made many friends here and does not want to leave. Please pray that God will be her comfort and strength during this time. Also, pray that both Bryson and Laynie would make new friends as we settle into our new neighborhood.
• We are in need of a vehicle to use during our remaining time in the States. Please pray that God would provide an affordable, reliable car for our family.
• Lastly, please pray for God to bring in the remaining monthly support needed so that we can begin our visa process soon.

Welcome to the Jungle!

Most people don’t understand why I am so intense about my calling. I mean it’s only Italy right, how bad can it be? You get to sip cappuccino and admire the wonderful architecture. It’s not like you are going to the jungle or anything. Well, I wonder if demons prefer to gather more in jungles of leaves or jungles of people and ideas. I would think they would congregate at the intersection of human contemplation, endeavoring to influence people’s thoughts and steal their hearts from God.

Nevertheless, anything we do with God to help snatch people out of hell is risky. It doesn’t matter how beautiful the back drop scenery is when you are focused on the broken condition of human hearts. The work of God will always be intense and dramatic. After all, we are dealing with life and death. Maybe it’s easy for us to not take the words of Ephesians 6 seriously because we are not posing that much of a threat to hell. Ephesians 6:12 (NIV) says, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

C.T. Studd, English missionary to China and the Congo in the later 19th and early 20th century nailed it when he said, “Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop, within a yard of hell.” He lived with an intensity that most of us cannot even fathom. We want to say, “hey, dude tone it down a bit. Don’t you think you are taking yourself and this whole Christian thing a little too seriously?” But Studd didn’t let up. His desire was to please God so much that he made himself a threat to hell. He said too, “I want to live in such a way that when I die, all of hell rejoices that I am no longer in the fight.”

No one else’s words seem to capture the seriousness and intensity which God has called me forward. So I say to all who will go bravely out into their spheres of influence with the cause of Jesus written on their hearts and boldly spoken from their lips, “Welcome to the jungle!”

Life in Chicago

Well, we have officially settled into life in the Chicago 'burbs, where we are living and going to school while completing our fundraising. It has now been over a month since we moved and the dust is FINALLY starting to settle.  The first couple of weeks were pretty chaotic as we worked to get the kids and ourselves all registered for school, with all the fun activities that entails (registration forms, physicals, school supply shopping, etc.). However, it's been a few weeks now since school started and we are starting to get used to the new routine. 

This is the first time our whole family has been in school at the same time, which has been an adjustment. (But, it's great prep for language school in Italy!) Stephen and I are each taking 2 graduate classes and are registered for another week-long intensive class during mid-October. Bryson and Laynie both really like their new schools and have already made friends both there and in the neighborhood where we live.  

 

Our family is so blessed to be living with the couple that lead the house church, New Hope Bible Fellowship, where Stephen and I are working part-time. We are both wearing multiple hats, which is great training for church planting. Stephen is leading the student/young adult ministry, as well as handling media/technology for the church. I am working as creative/administrative assistant to the pastor and Stephen and I are working together to plan and lead worship each week.



Some members of New Hope after an outreach to a local assisted living home.

In addition to our work at the church, Stephen has been working in the media department at Wheaton College, which has been a great way for him to connect with other students. Also, I just started a part-time job with World Relief, which helps refugees transition into life in the United States. I an so excited about this opportunity to interact with people from all over the world and serve them during what can be a very challenging time.

Overall we are adjusting to our life here in Illinois, although we are sometimes homesick for Atlanta and all our friends and family. And yet, that is just another way that our time here is preparing us for the work God has called us to do in Italy. I continue to be amazed at the way God has orchestrated our time here not only to allow us to receive the education we'll need in our mission work, but also to get practical, hands-on experience in a variety of ways.

Plans for the Fall

Greetings from Carol Stream, IL where we have been living for the last 4 weeks! Thank you to everyone who has reached out to us with encouraging words and to all of you who have been praying for our family during this time away.

In the process of taking a class at Wheaton College this month, the Lord has really impressed upon our hearts that the education we are receiving here will be essential in our ministry to Italians. Over the last several weeks, Stephen and I had begun to feel that God is calling us to go to school full-time while we finish raising our support and wait on visas. We started praying for God to make a way if this is truly His will.

Last Friday, within about an hour of each other, Stephen and I were both offered part-time jobs here in the area that will allow us to support our family, while also giving us time to fundraise and continue classes at Wheaton. Stephen will be working for Wheaton College as an A/V supervisor over student techs and I will be working as a creative assistant for a thriving house church, which will be great experience for our future church-planting efforts. With this confirmation, we are making plans to relocate to Carol Stream this fall, where we can live in the missionary apartments at TEAM for a minimal cost and be close to the college.

We are excited about this unexpected change of plans, but in no way does this diminish our desire to get to Italy as soon as possible. In fact, we are now meeting regularly with a fundraising mentor who is working with us to raise our remaining support. With his help, we feel confident that we will reach 70% soon and will be able to start our visa process. In the meantime, we are looking forward to heading home to Atlanta for a few weeks next month to see family and friends before starting school at the end of August.

Family Ties

We were so blessed during our roadtrip to see family that we hadn't seen in a really long time. My dad is from Texas and we have a lot of family there that I haven't seen in 25 years!

We stayed with my Great-Aunt Vivian in Frankston for several days and she spoiled us immensely with her hospitality and home cooking! On Sunday morning, we visited church with her and met tons of family that I didn't even know I had. After church, my dad's cousins and their families came over for a big pot-luck lunch so we could get reacquainted with everyone. We caught up on how everybody was doing, heard stories about my dad growing up, and answered lots of questions about the work God has called us to in Italy. It was such a sweet time of reconnecting!

Our family with Cousin Gail, Cousin Judy, and Aunt Vivian

After leaving Frankston, we headed towards Dallas where Stephen's Aunt Mildred and Uncle Max live. Bryson and Laynie had a blast playing in their pool while we adults chatted. We had a wonderful time learning about all Stephen's cousins who live in the Dallas area and hearing stories from their growing-up years.

Enjoying the pool

Stephen with Aunt Mildred and Uncle Max

We are so thankful for the chance during this trip to reconnect with family that lives far away. As we get closer to our time of departure, we are mindful that these opportunities will be fewer and father between, but it was nice to take advantage of the time that we had to strengthen our family ties!

Packing Light

Since embarking on our summer roadtrip, one of the questions I've heard quite a bit is, "How did you fit everything in your car that you need for a family of 4 spending 2 months on the road?" Well, I will be the first to admit that it's a tight squeeze, especially since we don't have a van or SUV, but we managed it by thinking outside the box. Or in our case, INside the "box"!

When we first started planning our trip, I was pretty concerned that we wouln't be able to fit everything we needed into our car. Then I read a blog post by a woman who packed for a long road trip with her very large family by using plastic containers. I thought it would be a great idea to have a big, clear tote box for each person's clothes, which would make it easy to locate items we needed instead of having to rummage through suitcases. So I measured our trunk to figure out what size our containers needed to be and then headed to Walmart, where I found 4 boxes that fit the bill very nicely.

Our 4 individual containers fit perfectly into the trunk.

After testing to make sure the containers would actually all fit in the trunk, I began to pack. Since we were taking pretty much all of our clothing except winter items, I rolled all the clothes to maximize space in the boxes. After doing that, my husband and kids even had room in their tote boxes for shoes. I, however, did NOT have room for shoes in MY container! No worries though! A large, shallow container held all my shoes and fit nicely on top of the other boxes in the trunk. An identical container held my Miche bags because even on the road, it is imperative that my purse match my outfit! :) No need to sacrifice style because of limited space, right?!?!

Because one of the purposes of our trip is raising support for our missions work, we need materials with us to give out to people we meet with. I packed 1 small tote box as our "church kit" with everything we would need to set up a literature table at churches where we spoke, including a tablecloth. A second container held additional literature to replenish our church kit as needed, along with some office supplies we might need.

The smaller containers stack on top of the 4 big boxes and everything else fits arounds the sides of the trunk.

Since we planned to make multiple stops of varying lengths, I didn't want to have to lug all the boxes into places where we only staying for a few days. Solution: A collapsible duffle bag! For our short stops, we just pack everything we need into the duffle and leave the containers in the trunk. When we don't need the duffle, it folds up into a small size that can be stored easily. (Side note: The duffle makes a great barrier in the back seat to keep 2 kids from driving each other crazy!)

When we make longer stops, we just bring all the containers inside where they stack neatly. Because the tote boxes are all clear, it's easy to figure out which box belongs to whom. This evening when we arrive in Wheaton, IL where we'll be spending the next 5 weeks, we can just unpack all the containers and stack them inside each other for easy storage until we're ready to hit the road again.

Everything stacks neatly for long visits.

Honestly I wasn't sure it could be done, but we managed to pack everything in the car we needed and some things we could have even lived without. Not too shabby, huh? It is definitely great practice for packing for Italy!

Life On the Road

One thing we have learned over the last couple of weeks is that life on the road can have it's advantages. The great thing about being nomadic is all the great places you get to see and the people you meet. Before this trip, Stephen and the kids had never been to Texas. Now, we are all pretty well acquainted with the eastern part of the state since we have been in 5 different cities!

Our first stop in Texas was the small town of Giddings, where my cousin, Summer, and her husband, Jay, opened up their home to us for over a week. One of the first things we did after arriving there was to visit their church, Giddings First Assembly of God. Their pastor did a quick video with us about our mission work to show in their Sunday morning service and we were able to set up a table with all our brochures, etc. We had a great time connecting with members of their church!

Stephen and Bryson talking to a church member after service.

We also had time for some sightseeing during our time with Summer and Jay. They took us over to the Blue Bell Creamery, which was not far away. We got to look around at all the memorabilia and eat ice cream, which was the best part! Then we went to visit Washington-on-the-Brazos State Park, which is called the "Birthplace of Texas" because it's the site where the Texas Declaration of Independence was signed.

Summer and Jay with their kids in front of an old Blue Bell delivery truck.

My crew chowing down on some ice cream!

The next day, we decided to drive over to Austin, which is about an hour and a half away. First stop: lunch at Stubbs BBQ, which is an Austin must-do! After we had stuffed ourselves on BBQ, we walked off our lunch touring the Texas State Capitol, which is the largest state capitol in the US!

Mmm... Stubbs BBQ!

Looking around at the Texas State Capitol.

Our family also had the opportunity to drive down to San Antonio to have dinner with a friend of mine from way back in youth group and her family. They took us to the famous Casa Rio, which is the oldest restaurant on the River Walk and then we followed it up with dessert at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. We talked about everything from missions/ministry to kids/homeschooling and had the best time getting to know their family!

Hanging with our new friends, the Ham family!

While we were in town we had to take the opportunity to sightsee! We spent a whole day exploring the River Walk and visiting the Alamo before heading back to Giddings. Next stops: Frankston and Dallas!

Taking a riverboat tour.

Remember the Alamo!