Outreach Milan

My friends! 

I'm sorry that I am so terrible at the blogging thing! I wish it was easier to remember to do! I hope people actually read this! Haha

I have been in Italy for over a month and am loving it! I spent the first 4 weeks in a little town close to Milan. My team and I stayed with an amazing family! Whom I became so close with and will cherish their friendships forever! We did lots of ministry with a small Baptist church, we built amazing relationships with lots of the youth and young adults within that church. 

An great story!

We met a young man doing a soccer ministry in a city outside if Milan. He didn't grow up in the church and had never even been to a church. We all became very close with him and invited him to come to a youth event with us. He came and was so excited about the event and people he met. He became very interested about the church and who God is. He continued to go to church services and started to be discipled by our team and other people in the church. One night at a youth event God took ahold of his heart and he made the commitment to have a relationship with Jesus! We are so excited for him and what God has and will continue to do in his life! 

I am now in a small city called Acquaviva Delle Fonte, which is in southern Italy. We're doing ministry with a young/small Pentecostal church who has an amazing heart for the city and the kingdom of God. They make us all our meals and want to serve is anyway they can, and in return we serve them anyway we can! We'll be here for the next 2 weeks then we head to Rome! 

I'm so excited about what God has done here so far! And can't wait to see what else He has planned. 

A Bible verse I got today for a young couple in the park is 2 Thessalonians 3:3-5 : 

But The Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one. And we have confidence in The Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command. May The Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ. 

Please keep my team in your prayers. With ministry, travels, and small accounts with each other. (It's not always easy to live and see the same people everyday) that God would continue to speak into our lives and that we would listen and follow His call. 

Love Brenna. 

I Am Making All Things New!!

Dear Friends and Supporters,

Sorry I haven't posted anything in so long. Life gets busy when God keeps speaking to you!
I have a week and a half left in San Francisco than I head off with my DTS team to Italy and Greece for two and a half months for our Outreach. We will first be in Milan and Rom for the majority of our Outreach and than will end in Corinth Greece for two-ish weeks before we head back to San Fran.

During Outreach we will be spending a lot of time in ministry with local churches, helping out in the youth groups and VBS ministries. We will also have a huge presence in the communities, with street outreach, prayer, and evangelism. I am so excited to see what God has planned for this trip!

To give you an idea of what I've learned so far in San Fran.
God has really used Lecture Phase to open areas in my heart that had been closed off for so long. By revealing them to me He gave me an opportunity to deal with them, and give forgiveness and freedom from them. One of the biggest things I've learned is that God wants to be in an intimate relationship with us, and wants us to trust Him enough to give our ALL to Him. Even when it's messy, or even when we think it's not big or small enough for God, He wants it!! We aren't called to carry our burdens, we aren't called to carry other peoples burdens! Jesus died on the cross to carry ALL of our burdens, not just some of them. WOW has that been a process for me, which I'm still trying to grasp and understand. He loves me enough that He died on the cross to carry all my brokenness, so I could have freedom! That's just so beautiful to me. He wants to restore us, and show us how precious we are to Him, we are His children whom He loves and is proud of! He wants to make us new!

And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." REVELATION 22:5

Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually! PSALM 105:4

PRAYER REQUESTS:
- Lots of the DTS students, including myself, are still needing Outreach money. Trusting in the Lord that He'll provide.
- Because Justice Matters just signed a lease to a new women's centre building! This will be a place where women can come and receive support and counsel. Prayer that construction goes well and quickly, and that God will give provision into areas where He wants to move through BJM.
- Sharon our student from Columbia is staying in San Francisco for Outreach because of VISA issues. Prayer that God will really be present for her during this time, and that this will be a fruitful time for her.

Justified

Hey All!

And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, "This is the covenant that I will make with them, after those days, declares the Lord; I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds," then he adds, "I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more." Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. HEBREWS 1:15-18

The past couple weeks I've been reading through Hebrews, and this week I've really been sitting on what it means to be justified by God. A good definition I heard back at home was "Just-as-if-I-never-sinned". This way to think of justified was so profound for me because, I had never really understood the meaning before that. HEBREWS 9:26 also says, "...he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." The thought that someone could love us enough to not only die on a cross for our sins, but also to forget them! As I've meditated on this thought, I've realized that our world has no examples of such love. No wonder why I don't understand Gods love! Nothing of this world can even hit the surface of God's goodness and love.

But He's called us to be His body. To be Christ-like, to show that love that our world is missing. If we all got together as a unified body in Christ just imagine what God could do?! Just imagine the love of Christ the world would start to see."from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love." EPHESIANS 6:16

We first need to understand the fact that our sins are forgiven, He has swept them clean! We are no longer bogged down, we no longer have to live in them, by the shedding of His blood our hearts are purified! Just sit on that, meditate on that. It's pretty awesome if you think about it. Nothing I could have done would have changed His mind. He loves us that much.


PRAYER REQUESTS:
- Prayer that God will provide for all the students Outreach funds. Trusting in Him.
- Praying about direction for my summer/up coming year, God's put some certain things on my heart. Prayer for direction and discernment.
- I'm having a hard time finding quiet time through out the week, feeling way too busy and I just can't find a Sabbath time. Prayer that I'll find that during my weeks.


Love Brenna.

Because Justice Matters

Hey All!

This is now my third week in San Francisco, and I'm falling in love harder and harder. I want to tell you all about the ministry I'm involved in three times a week here. It's called Because Justice Matters, this is their mission statement:

"To reach women who are victims of sexual exploitation and domestic violence, and offer support to those experiencing isolation due to economic and cultural challenges."

   Heavy topic eh? Well sure was for me! Monday afternoons are Nail Days, where women from the Tenderloin District come in for a manicure, coffee, art activities, and fellowship! Such a great time to get to know the women and help support them in whatever they need. My first nail day was very hard and emotional for me. I wasn't really prepared, didn't know what to expect, and I just dove right in! 
   As you all know San Francisco is known as the "Gay Capital", well we also have a very large Trans gender population here, and these women are also invited to nail day. My first Nail Day was packed with these women who tend to seek a lot of attention and can to be very draining. I am a very observant person and with that, can feel emotions from people very well. To feel the amount of brokenness coming off of these women broke my heart in ways I cannot explain. I finished the day feeling very heavy and drained, asking God where I was supposed to fit in to such a broken culture/ ministry. I expressed my feelings with a leader and she reminded me about how we need to continually be giving these feelings to God. We are not called to carry these heavy burdens, but Jesus is! She also made a comment that really helped with my processing of the experience which was: the way you are hurting for these women is just a glimpse of the Father's heart for them, He cries for our brokenness, He's hurting with us. Wow! So powerful to have a glimpse of how God feels for me in my brokenness and every other person created!
   For the rest of my week I spent time processing what I had experienced, and asking God to open my heart, but also protect my heart for future Nail Days. This past Monday was my second Nail Day and God totally used me and it totally rocked!! I had a lady sit down to get her nails done by me and instantly opened up to me about how she's new to the city and expressing issues she's having in the shelter she's staying at. With tears in both of our eyes, she spilled everything that was on her mind, and God just used me to listen to her and to also give her references for places that can help support her in her situation. That moment for me was a reminder of why I'm here, of the heart I have for women in general, and how God wants to use this gift He's given to me to serve His kingdom. She expressed how thankful she was to just have someone listen to her and how she would be coming back to Nail Day in the future. YAY!! Praise God he's sooo good and really meets us when we least expect it!

PRAYER REQUESTS:
- For future Nail Days, that God will protect my heart and also use me to reach out to these women and to be a light to them.
- My Mom is having a fundraiser for me on Feb.18. Prayer that it will be successful and people will come out and support me. 
- For the women that I connected with on Monday, that she'd come back to Nail Day and that she'd find another shelter to stay in with a healthier environment.


 This is the website to Because Justice Matters if you are more interested in the ministry, or if you want to donate as well!
 http://www.becausejusticematters.org/ 

Even though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. PSALM 23:4

Goodbye for now!
Love Brenna

God's Character & Nature

My Dear Family, Friends, & Supporters,

My first blog post in over 2 years!! Ahh crazy!
Anywho, I'll try to make this as short as possible, we've all got busy lives!

A verse that God has really pressed on my heart the past week is from Hebrews:
 So that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain. -HEBREWS 6:18-19
These verses have really given me a peace and hope for myself and my growth in God. I'm really trying to seek refuge in the Lord and to remember that He is my anchor in my darkest of storms.


This week we're learning on God's Character and Nature. Dissecting the different characteristics of God and what that means to us personally. The big questions that keep coming up is, God where are you in the midst of this....? And also, what comes into our minds when we think of what God means to us? Colossians 1:15-17 says: He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.  For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 
I'm really trying to focus on these words. To continue to remind myself of God's goodness and love for me. How He is my creator and savior, and what that really means to me! 
So meaningful, so deep! But so good and true!

Prayer Requests:
- Considering on how quickly we all dove into our lessons and ministries all my DTS friends and I are very exhausted and really need physical and emotional rest.
- Needing continual prayer for Outreach finances for myself and others in my group.
- And a praise item! We had a girl from Columbia come and join us for DTS a week late. Having struggles with VISA and finances at the beginning, we raised the exact amount to pay for her plane ticket to San Fran and now she's here with us! Praise God! Her name is Sharon.


Love you all!
Talk soon,
B


P.S. I hate mice.

Roller Coaster

As many of you know, this week has been a crazy roller coaster for me. I guess I should start from the beginning and make it easier to follow.

Monday evening (Uganda time) I'm talking with Brad on skype like I usually do on evenings.  Talk of home and family, and my Ugandan life are talked about, and I'm not quit sure how but my Granma came up in conversation and I really felt like I had to ask the hard questions. I asked Brad to be honest with me and tell me what he knew about what was going on with my Granma and her health. He was honest, and it wasn't good, at all. To make the story short, she had given up the week before Easter, and was admitted back into the hospital and taken off treatment not too long after that.
I've never been so torn in my life. I didn't know where I should be, OR where God wanted me to be. I wanted to to stay in Uganda, I'd worked so hard to get there and be there that I felt like if I was to leave now I wouldn't have won the fight. So like I'd done for the past 4 weeks, I cried out to Jesus. I begged Him to show me where I should be, what He wanted from me. He knows my heart and He knows deep down where my heart should be. I went to bed knowing that God was in control and all I could do was trust that He'd make the decision for me.
Tuesday morning (Uganda time) I wake up to 2 text messages from my parents saying tat my Granma had passed away Monday afternoon (Canada time) so the time I was talking with Brad basically. I knew right then that I had to be home. I knew that God wanted me home, and that He'd help me get past not staying in Uganda. Another reasurring way of knowing He wanted me home, was that I had a plane ticket that night in 3 hours of knowing my Granma had passed. God is good, even in bad times.
Coming home was not what I expected. Everyone cared I was home, but they had some many things on their plates already they didn't have much time to ask me how my trip was or even how I was doing. Jet leg and culture shock hit me hard, and I broke down Friday morning. With support from friends and talking it out I understood better what was happening in my head and my heart. This of course wasn't going to be easy to come home to. I hadn't prepared myself for coming home, and also I wasn't coming home to the normal, I was coming home to K-OS!
It's now Monday morning, (Canada time) and the memorial has passed and so has my jet leg. I still can't believe the woman I loved and held onto is gone. You never realize how important something is to you until it's gone. My Granma and I shared a great love for each other, and I think we both thought each other was just the best thing. She helped me get through some tough years of my life, and it's sad to think I can't pick up the phone and ask her for help again. I know she will always be with me, and I know she deserves to be where she is, with Jesus walking on streets of gold, partying for eternity. I never realized until now how in control God is of our lives, and how easy it is for Him to take it away. It's kinda mind blowing to me.

In saying all of this. I"M HOME! So this will be my last blog post until my next adventure, which may not be for a while. Or until I find something else to blog about. I've enjoyed my time, thank-you for ALL of your support and prayers. I've felt every one of them. I still need prayer, and I might for a while, so please keep it up!! I love you all, thank-you again.

Love Brenna

Luke 18:9-14

This past week has been nice, I’ve really started to get in the groove of things, and am starting to feel more at home. The bugs still bug me, but not enough to not sleep through the night. I’m still waking up several times a night though for no real reason, I’m exhausted. On Monday I went into Kampala with Christian (the guy I went with before) it was super easy this time though, a bus picked us up right at the Mukono road and drove us straight into Kampala. Where we wanted to check out a market, man I’ve got pictures you should see them! It wasn’t that great of a market, we didn’t stay but it was cool to see. We then walked over to the mall where we had to get groceries, which is always nice! They have Tons of different “biscuits” (cookies) people really like their biscuits and coffee. So I found this certain one made from Canada and Christian found one from Holland, we were Really happy. LOL this little things I guess. After that Christian had to go to the internet café, so I walked around looked at different clothes shops and a jewelry store, that had some really nice African jewelry and nic’nacs, I couldn’t help myself…. I also bought a book, couldn’t help myself there either. DO you ever find yourself in a book store and realize you’ve been there for over an hour with your hands full of books? I do it ALL the time!

This week is the start of school holidays, the kids are off for 4 weeks! AHH!! But it’s nice cuz the week they go back, I go HOME!! So that’s how I’m keeping track J But through out the week the kids all have activities, one day it’ll be a worksheet or a craft, and another day we’ll play a sport, and for the older kids we have movie nights. So I’ve found my self very involved in this especially for the older kids. This will give me a chance to get to know the kids and hopefully it’ll help my weeks go by faster. SO this afternoon was our first sports and games event. Man I remember not liking P.E. in school. But I think the kids really enjoyed it, played musical chairs, capture the flag, and two other games I’ve never heard of. It’s hard to enjoy myself because the kids don’t really listen to me, I feel like I have no authority over them, it’s very frustrating. Any suggestions? Please I need them! Than also tonight is the first film night, we’re watching Snow White, haven’t seen that movie in years.

The girl that we had picked up from the police station last week was dedicated on Sunday. She is adorable! Really loving it here, getting to know the Aunties and kids, and really trusting us all. They’ve renamed her Kristi, easier than Spaysosia. And Pita gave a story before we prayed over her, she went to the doctor last week to get a check up on her infection. And the doctor asked Kristi how she was liking Noah’s Ark, she said she loves it, she has a new Mama and Papa, and Aunties and Uncles. It almost seems like her old life has been already forgotten, I pray that it does. I pray she’ll never remember the terrible things that has happened to her, and I also pray HIV won’t effect her life, just a painful reminder of what happened. She’s always got a smile on her face, and she’s doing very well, this transition has been very good to her.

We also got 2 new babies for Easter! 1 week old, identical twin baby girls! Fleur and Rose, they’ve been named. The are very premature though and are in an incubator. Rose was so jaundiced that she was rushed to the hospital late Saturday and is still there. She’s getting blood transfusions to get her liver to start working properly, it almost failed on her. So she’s being put under a blue light every half hour and also kept in an incubator. Praying that Fleur won’t get this, and that she wont be attacked by any infections. Also praying that Rose can come home soon and be with her sister! It’s been a tough start but, I pray they’ll make it and live happy lives!