Life is a journey.

I say that so many times to people as I converse about where we have been and what God has done in our lives.  What really matters is not what the ground under our feet looks like, but how walk the road that is set before us.

If only we had some sort of GPS directions from God that said, "Go here for a time and then do this, then go there and do this... " or even just a simple, "you have reached your destination" would be grand.  When in reality, we are drawing the map as we go.

When the Israelites were in the desert, God used a 'cloud by day and a fire by night' to give them direction.  Being a mother, I think about the women who had to cook, clean, and take care of children... I imagine that every morning after waking, they had to look outside of their tent to see if the cloud had moved or stayed.  Did they ask their husbands something like, "Is it still out there? Do we make breakfast or start packing?"

The desert trek was like a rite of passage with lessons to learn and battles to face.  It was about the journey.  So it is for us.  We must follow the cloud and learn as we go.

We should have posted long ago. The truth is, life happens, and then we think, 'Oh, I should have shared this with someone." But then life continues to tick-tock on, and nothing was ever written down. So, I am giving up on the perfect verbiage, and am going to do just that... write things down.

Our memories are all we have, really, because in the end the stuff, pictures, and things will not last and are just things anyway, and will never encapsulate the truth of our lives.  Our children grow so quickly that it is impossible for us to even capture a part of it.  Baby books, even when I did keep up with them (with our first, for about a month) could never show my daughter what she was like as an infant.  It could not tell her what she smelled like, or describe the softness of her skin or could it show her dearly I and her father loved her then.  She may be able to remember, however, the love she felt from us, when we hold her in our arms now, because it may feel the same to her.  She knows what the closeness of her mother and father feels like by the way we continually love her, and then she may remember what it was like when she was new.   These are the things I want to jog in my memory... and these are the kinds of things I want to try and describe as we remember ...of what God is doing in us at this season of our lives.  If only to remember, in times when we tend to forget, that God worked out a miracle, HE showed Himself to us in a way that was just for us... and the people who were around us that experienced it with us, because He still is holding us in his arms, loving His children as He always has done....

and the story goes on...

In less than a month, we are going to County Mayo, Ireland, to seek God's direction for our family. Thank you Simon Morrow and Sarai Morrowfor your encouragement and hospitality in advance! 
Would you like to be a part of what God is doing among the Body of Christ? Please, ask God about how He may use you!

September is here, and for some reason, maybe because of school starting or seasons changing, it always seems like a sense of newness, and change fills the air.

Keep Moving Forward

Time has flown by.  It seems crazy how, when you are busy doing, you can lose track.  One year ago this month, we were lamenting, packing and preparing to leave our beloved home in Panama.  Even now, after being in Texas for almost a year, our hearts want to continually look back, remember, stay in what God did in us, then, how He moved, all the great things we experienced in the three years living there.  So much happened, good, bad, and even miraculous to our family.  God first called us to serve, then lead us to Panama, and although we thought that we would be teaching community development,  the truth is that God allowed us to learn how the body of Christ, and community should really function.  We have to continually remind ourselves that it is imperative to remember what God taught us during our stay in Panama; however, we cannot live in the past as if God will never move or reveal himself to us again.  He is moving, teaching, speaking, guiding, leading, helping, and loving us even still!!!  God has new plans for us! We must keep moving forward, always keeping in our hearts the relationships and the experiences God allowed us to have.


Making Memories

The kids and I (Alisha) on Labor Day weekend went to Oklahoma to celebrate with my Great-Aunt Gladys her 101st birthday.  It was a bitter-sweet time to celebrate her, such a godly, faithful, and dearly loved woman of God, who is the last of a her generation.  It was good for our children to have to opportunity to be there for such a grand occasion as this!  We were sincerely grateful that we were able too be a part of this and see her sweet face!


Learning as We Go


Upon our return from Oklahoma, it was time to start.  We began our homeschool schedule just last week.  Although, it might take us some time to really get used to it, we are working hard at it.  Please pray for our homeschool (Pursuit Academy) to be a fun, challenging, and inspiring environment for all of our children, including Ella and Ezra. 


In addition to our homeschool, Phillip has begun taking classes this semester with Liberty University.  We are thankful that God has allowed Phillip to continue his education in such a way, that he is still working full time and taking classes, too.  It has been and will be a strain on us all, however, we are praying that God will give us all the strength we need to endure this time.  Please pray for Phillip as he works as the sole classroom teacher here at Youth-Reach Houston, takes a full class load from university, and still tries to be the best man God wants him to be as the leader of our family.


Connecting

As God continues to reveal His will for us, He provides us with opportunities to share our most recent experiences in foreign missions. Two weeks ago were invited by our church's mission ministry, Ecclesia 360, to sit on a panel with other missionaries as a part of a Q&A session. It was encouraging to be with others who have similar hearts for global missions. As a part of the discussion panel, we answered a slew of questions relating to cross-cultural living, fundraising, preparing for departure, and re-entry. It was refreshing to share in familiar stories of overcoming fears, living in faith, and experiencing life-changing healing.
More about 360? Please visit http://www.ecclesiahouston.org/pages/serve/global-mission/360/ (We recognize God is telling His story throughout the world and He is inviting us to participate in the story. 360 is the global ministry of Ecclesia that exists to inform, equip, integrate, and send persons into this story around the world.)

Have A Heart!

This past week we headed to the Health Museum, where Lily slapped on some rubber gloves for some good, old-fashioned dissecting fun! As a part of our homeschooling, we've been blessed to be able to sign the kids up for some, outside-of-the-home science labs. (Yeah, can you imagine dissecting anything on the dining room table with four kids and a dog? That's comical!) Lily had a blast learning all about the ol' blood pumper. She was blown away when the teacher brought out a real human heart for show and tell. (Way to one-up everyone.) Noah can't wait for his upcoming lesson on bones, maybe the teacher will roll out Keith Richards...by the way, no sheep were harmed in the making of this picture.

Following

We recently talked with our dear friends, the Morrows, in Ireland, and they are as excited as we are about our upcoming trip to visit them in Ballina, County Mayo, Ireland.  They let us know that the forecasts are predicting a very cold winter this year, and we should prepare to dress accordingly, since our trip is scheduled for the end of November.  They also are making a small list of items from the states that they would like us to bring.  Please pray that God will reveal himself  us, the Morrows, and the Body of Christ there in Ballina.  And also, please ask God about how He may be leading you to be a part of this journey with us.


Why Ireland, you ask?

Our desire for this trip is to discover how we may be a part of what God is already doing among the Christian community in Ireland.  Traditionally, it was the west of Ireland that Saint Patrick first evangelized.  And yet in the last several hundred years or so, Christianity has declined significantly in Europe, and atheism and agnosticism have risen.  There is an interesting website dedicated to bringing awarenes to the global church of the spiritual needs of Europe.  Check out the website for more info on this.  http://www.communicationinstitute.us/

Also, Please Pray Specifically For:

Emotional strength.  We miss our friends in Panama. There are some days of sadness, but we are learning to pray though them.

Spiritual, Mental and Physical Health within our family.

Wisdom in teaching our children to be completely committed to seeking God and knowledge.  

That our marriage will continue to be strengthened.

God's continual provision in our lives.  He has shown us that he will never leave us and has always provided everything we need!

For strength to endure and persevere in the midst of the current changes and throughout God's stretching of our faith.

Thank you so much again for keeping up with us.  We would love to hear from you, too!

August Passing...

Some people have suggested to us that we stay more current on the updates about our family.  We did switch to a blog for just that reason.  So, as per requests, we will be posting way more often just to share with you what is going on with us. 

So, last weekend was the long trek to what we know as 'the old house' in Umpire, Arkansas for our family reunion that happens every year on the first Sunday in August.  Eight or so hours for us, to a house that is over a century old, to see family we haven't seen in at least a year, but for us it had been three years, since we hadn't been to the family reunion since we moved to Panama.  Ella, our Panamanian, had never been to the house where her namesake great-grandmother, Clarice, was born.  It was good to see family and for our children to be able to experience the tradition of something that I (Alisha) grew up with every year of my life.  Reconnecting with grandparents, cousins, and family during our time here in the states has been a blessing for our children.  The kids are enjoying special time with grandparents, and daddy and mommy are enjoying a break every now and again.

We even had tie-dye cake!

We came home from Arkansas on Lily's birthday, and then we had her 10th birthday party that Friday night.  She wanted a hippie sleep-over party.  Six girls: tie-dying, chocolate eating, screaming, giggling, movie-watching, hair do-ing, stay up late kind of fun, fun, fun.

The girls in their tie-dye shirts.

Simon and daughter Naomi on Skype

We were able to talk with Simon and Sarai Morrow via Skype the other night.  It is always such an encouragement to be able to talk, pray and connect with them on a regular basis!  They are excited about our coming trip to Ireland in November. They told us that the group of believers there in Ballina is already praying for us and for our visit; that was so very humbling to hear.  It was good to hear about what is happening in Ballina. Please read more about what God is doing on their blog.  http://themorrowsinireland.blogspot.com/2011/07/were-here.html

On the home-front here at Youth-Reach, we are wrapping up the summer and gearing up for the fall. Four days a week, Phillip is in the classroom teaching the Youth-Reach residents, while Alisha continues her exhaustive research to find the most suitable curriculum to support our homeschooling efforts.

Just when we think we might be dragging our feet in providing the best educational experience for our children, we are blown away by what they are actually experiencing. A few days ago, Noah enlightened us on his new favorite color, chartreuse. Uh, I think I had that on a burger once...

Lily is creating something everyday, today it was a fishing pole from an old shovel handle. She's also reading nearly four books at the same time. Tonight, I found her reading by the light of a glow-bracelet, so I offered her a flashlight instead. Why not, it's a book and not a video game.

Ella is counting nearly to fifteen. Her vocabulary exceeds well over 200 words, but is sorely trumped by her all-time favorite, "NO!"

Ezra is proving himself to be a forerunner to the Strong-Man competition. He pulls himself up on his feet and then smiles to the world with a "yeah, look at me!" After he realizes he can't sit down, his smile turns into a worrisome frown.

All-in-all we continue to confidently do the only thing we know how to do: Take it a day at a time, and, keep moving forward.

Thank you for checking in on us and reading this blog.  Thank you for your prayers for our family.

Ireland in our Sights!

It looks like we are going to Ireland!  We found tickets that were really reasonable and have reserved them for November 14 with the return to Houston on Thanksgiving Day.  Thank you so much for those that have begun to give toward our mission scouting trip to Ballina, County Mayo, in the West of Ireland.

We are so very excited and feel honored to have the opportunity to go and investigate the possibilities of what God may have in store for us.  Phillip and I are praying that God will show us definitively during our time there, if this is where He is directing our next steps.

God is revealing to us, more and more, the importance of community.  He has placed us, we believe, purposefully, in a working community here at Youth-Reach Houston in order to teach us how to live with the vulnerability of living with other people very close.

Please pray that God will guide us as we take these steps to seek God's plan for our family.  If when we return from our scouting trip to Ballina God has revealed to us that this is where we should follow him next, we will most likely not leave for Ireland for at least another year.  We will need to pray, to build prayer and financial support, and also to seek council as to the steps to make such a move.

Also, many have asked about Phillip's university courses.  The courses he is taking this semester are all completely online, and he will be able to do work anywhere there is an internet connection.  Praise God for internet!  In regards to any questions, if you have a question for us, you can email us, obviously, or at the bottom of this blog is a section for questions and answers.  You can enter the question in that section, and we can answer there where everyone else can see the conversation as well.

We Are Called to Love and to Share in Christ's Love Through Community.

Hello friends and family!  We pray all is well.  Blogging is new to us, so please bear with us as we learn the ropes. We are hoping this will be easier to update than our shutterfly account, which will now mostly be used for updating our pictures. 

Please become a member, or follower of our blog in order to stay current with how God is moving among our family.

We are called to love and to share in Christ’s love through community. 

Being in transition, and still not truly settled can be taxing in every way. Please pray that God would give us direction as to what steps we should take next.

After exhaustive research, it is nearly impossible to achieve a Bachelors of Music degree 100% online, and yet we move forward in search for something comparable. Phillip is continuing his studies while we are here in the states. He is taking 12 hours this semester, as well as working a full-time.  Thankfully we qualify for the Pell Grant, however as you may know, it only partially covers tuition. We are still in need to cover a third of the tuition and books. Many thanks to those who have already given to support Phillip’s education!

• $1600 – needed for tuition and books

The kids continue to grow, faster than we would like, and are ready to start the next round of schooling. Alisha is doing an incredible job teaching Lily and Noah, while managing the whirlwind, aka Ella and Ezra! We are exploring curriculum for the fall, and are grateful to our brother and sister-in-law, Joel and Heather Brummett, for blessing the kids with school supplies this year!  Thank you Uncle Joel and Aunt Heather!

We continue to serve on staff here at Youth-Reach Houston in various forms: teaching in the classroom, staying overnights, etc. And though we feel that God has set our hearts far away, we believe that our time spent here is preparing us for what is ahead.

After a tremendous 3 years in Panama, it is our desire to draw from our experiences and to share them with others in this next season of our journey. We believe that God is leading us to the United Kingdom/Ireland.

So, in November of this year, Alisha and I will be traveling to Ireland for a mission/scouting trip. Please pray, and if the Lord leads to give in this area, this is what is needed. We have found incredible rates on tickets, but to secure them at this cost would mean purchasing them as soon as possible!

• $1,800 - Airfare to Dublin, Ireland
• $400 – incidentals (food, lodging, travel) while in Ballina, County Mayo, Ireland from November 15-24, 2011
• Prayer! For God’s guidance for the direction and timing of our next step.

While in Ballina, our hope is to spend our time praying and networking with local church and community leaders, and also with local missionaries to Ballina, our dear friends, Simon and Sarai Morrow.

(You can visit their blog at http://www.themorrowsinireland.blogspot.com/)

As you may know, our lives as missionaries will continue during our time on home assignment.  Moreover, because we work for a non-profit organization, we are still able to receive financial support.  Any financial support for our family can easily be made online through Youth-Reach Houston.  It is always tax-deductable.  (For more details on our online giving, please visit our Finances page).  Thank you, thank you, and thank you! We pray that God will bless you in your giving and that you will continue to be faithful with your monthly financial support for us.

Please continue to journey, seek, and pray with us to find where, and what the next step may be.

May The Lord Continue to Be Our Inheritance,

The Brummetts - Phillip, Alisha, Lily, Noah, Ella, and Ezra