Debora Gaspa Mwaja

I recently sponsored a child through Compassion International. Her name is Debora and she lives in an AIDS infected area in Tanzania. She's nine years old, in the 3rd grade, and she's absolutely beautiful! I received my first letter from her this past week and I can't even express how amazing it was to read it. She even drew me pictures :) I highly recommend sponsoring a child through Compassion International. It only takes about $32 a month to change the entire future for one child.

It's been a while...

Apart from the blog entry I posted the other day, it's been a while since I wrote anything on here. In fact the entry before my most recent one is dated October 2007! I've recently been inspired by various friends to give the art of blogging another try. I thought that perhaps I would give y'all a quick update on my life since October of '07...

In November my uncle David passed away unexpectedly in his sleep. A few years ago, he underwent the gastro-bypass surgery in hopes of loosing a lot of weight. He did indeed loose the weight...in fact he went from about 450 lbs to approx. 200 lbs! At first he was the happiest I had ever seen him, but he soon started to develop unexplainable health issues. He would seizure and black out for long periods of time, he developed sever diabetes, and he would get up in the middle of the night and cook food and do other random things and have no relocation of it at all. He met with several doctors, all of which had no idea what was causing his issues. On the last night that my aunt was with him, their cat jumped up on his lap and then their dog laid across his feet. He said, "wow, I'm really loved aren't I?" and she replied with, "yes, David, you're very loved". That was the last thing they expressed to each other before he died. He passed away the night of his birthday...I miss him terribly.

In December, I bought a car. She's a sapphire blue 2008 Nissan Sentra with gray interior. Oh, and her name is Sophia! I also got a job working at the police department...crappy pay...great benefits...lousy work. However, I AM thankful to have a job!

In January, I found out that I was not accepted for a job that I had applied for at a church in Canada. At first, I was very upset, but I soon realized that God had other plans for me. That very same day that I got the news about the job, I received a "random" e-mail from Tyndale University College and Seminary in Toronto, Ontario (this was especially awesome because at that time I was looking in to various Christian universities in my area). Why they would be sending ME information on their school in Canada is beyond me (actually it's God *wink*). I looked into it and was told that if I applied then they would waive the $150 application fee. I had nothing to lose, so I applied...

On April 9th, I received an email congratulating me on my acceptance into the BRE Youth Ministry program at Tyndale! Since then, I have been getting everything in order to leave. I'm terrified at the thought of going back to school, but thrilled about moving back to Canada.

Just this month (May), I returned to Canada to volunteer at a massive youth event known as Pitch and Praise. This was my 3 consecutive year helping out at this event. My good friend and former YB teammate, Darcie, and I planned out, helped build, and then supervised a giant walk-through maze. It was wonderful to see so many of my Canadian peeps again!!

And that's about it I guess...I hope this blog entry finds you well :)

Love,
Brittany Joy

It's all about love

It's not enough to simply love other people. Anyone can say that they love someone, but it's the actions behind the act of love that touches lives. My older brother, Stephen, is 27 years old and is struggling with life due to a seemingly lack of direction and purpose. For the past few years, Stephen has gradually been heading "down hill". This past week, however was a major turning point for him, as well as for the relationship between him, myself and our younger sister, Christina(23). Some time ago, Stephen got into some serioius debt due to poor decision making and turned to our grandparents for help. Our grandparents have a fortune worth about $1,000,000. They "graciously" paid off his credit cards, but have turned him into their little slave and treat him as such. Stephen is subjected to a VERY unloving environment every time he has to go over to their house. This past Saturday, Stephen reached a breaking point and broke down. He went to Christina to ask her for some money because he had over-drawn on his checking account. That was the moment that started a phase of healing for him. Up until that point, we knew that he was struggling, but he always kept to himself. He wouldn't allow any of us into his life, but by going to Christina for help, he cracked open a doorway that allowed her and I to push through. And that's exactly what we did. Christina and I decided that what our brother needs more than anything is to know that he's LOVED, CARED about, and that he has a PURPOSE in this world. The next night we treated him to Starbucks and we all sat outside under the stars and talked, opened up about our struggles, laughed, and cried with each other for about 2 hours. It was torturous to see my brother in such a misserable and depressing state, but Christina and I could see the relief on his face when he opened up to us and he realised that nothing he said would shock us or push us away. We showed him that he's loved!

I used to tell him occasionally that I love him, but it's times like this when I'm reminded that verbally expressing love can bring about a smile, but acting out love touches the inner soul.

I have a feeling that Stephen's going to alright. God is so evidently working in his life and though the process of spiritual growth has been difficult for him...it's also really quite stunning!

With all the LOVE one can muster,
Brit

Just a quick update on the life of Brittany

I know it's been a while since I've posted anything on here. I don't claim to be the best blogger in the world...or even close for that matter ;) Soooo, I never did buy that Nissan Versa I wanted. For the sake of my sanity I had to make the choice to resign from my job as a pre-school teacher, not because of the teaching aspect, but because of my boss. For many reasons, I feel that she is the complete opposite of a person that should be running a pre-school program...or anything else involving the lives of young people...or just people in general. My goal in this very trying situation is to attempt to love her as Christ does and to resign from my job in a way that would please God rather than please myself and everyone that I work with. The hardest part for me is to refrain from having an attitude of revenge because I would like nothing more than to open the eyes of the church (where I work) to see the true person she is, so that they will reprimand or even better, replace her. I'm quitting on Friday, so I guess I better start trying to figure out exactly how to express my feelings to the church and my boss about my boss in a loving manner...hmmm...ANYWAY...all this just to say that since I'm quitting my job, I can no longer afford to buy a car :( It's just not the right time for me I guess.

I did, however get my tattoo! I feel that some people think my tattoo is a bit foolish, but I'm ok with that :) My time spent at The Meeting House working with the students in theUNDERGROUND is irreplaceable and to have that very special season in my life permanently tattooed on my body is incredibly meaningful for me! I think it's perfect and I can't wait till it's completely healed so I can shave that area of my leg and show it off ;P

Oh, and I'm planning a "surprise" visit to see my Canadian peeps at the end of this month!!!! I'M REALLY EXCITED TO SEE EVERYONE! It feels like I've been away for 10 years! I'm hoping to kinda surprise the students in theUNDERGROUND, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep my mouth shut for that long :S Either way...surprise or no surprise...I'm gonna be there! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My Ride!

So, I have a job as a pre-school teacher for a class of 4 year-olds. I work 9 hour days, then I come home and cook dinner, hence the reason why I haven't blogged in a while. Oh! And I had a friend here from England these past 2 weeks, which has also hendered me from posting anything on here. Anyway, so I'm buying a car! That's right, after selling my car 2 years ago to enter full-time volunteer church ministry in Canada I'm finally able to afford a new car! I'M SO EXCITED! I'm going shopping for a 2007 Nissan Versa Sedan S. I'll be sure to let you know if that's what I end up driving away with ;) Her exterior color will be Sonoma Red and her interior will be Charcoal...until I bring her home of course and deck out the inside with cow print! I'll be making my big purchase next weekend...YAY! Today, I'm getting tattoo number 3, which I'm SOOOOOOOOOO much looking forward to! I'll save the details of my tat for my next blog entry though ;) Sorry to keep ya hanging!

Peace,
Brit

butterflies and the wind

I often enjoy going for long walks at a near by park. I connect best with God when I'm out in nature, so today I went for a 4 mile walk around the lake. Ever since I left Canada, I've been stressing about what I'm going to do, where I'm going to go and how I'm going to get there. My biggest stress has been trying to make sure that I only go where God wants me to be. I've been going crazy trying to figure out what I'm supposed to be doing with my life right now. Am I supposed to just sit tight and work to buy a car or should I be pursuing a career in youth ministry? If I'm to be a youth pastor right now, then which church will I go to and how will I know when I've found the right one. These have been my biggest stressing points. So, today I decided that I needed some alone time with God. As I was walking at the park I was talking to God and I felt him trying to tell me that I didn't need to worry about anything because he's in control and he's always with me. Right then, I saw a black and blue butterfly resting on the edge of the path. I stuck my finger in front of it and it walked right on. Flora (yes, I named her!) walked with me for about half a mile and the whole time I just knew that God was telling me that he was there with me. It was such an amazing feeling, though I'm afraid that there are no words to trully express how I felt. It was like this rush of calming peace swept over me and for the first time in a month and a half, I felt like everything was going to be ok. After Flora flew away, I decided to venture off the path (something I don't usually do) so I could sit by the lake. I found a little hill with a great view of the lake and I sat down and closed my eyes. Usually, when I'm seeking comfort or direction from God I ask him to speak to me...to give me answers (I don't often hear anything), but this time I just simply said, " I want to feel you, Lord". I told him that I had been reasurred that he was with me and that I needed to feel his presence. At that very moment a big gust of wind came seemingly from out of nowhere and blew over me...I knew it was God!

I reminded today that I don't need to stress over my future, but rather I need to work on taking one day at a time...I need to live in the moment! I have a new outlook on my future. I'm not going to worry about it! The other day I was expressing my frustrations to my friend Amanda and she said that no matter what direction I choose to go in or what choices I make, God's plan for my life will never get screwed up...talk about reassuring!!!

Now, everytime I see a butterfly or I feel the wind blow across my skin, I'll be reminded of God's intimate and everlasting presence.

My to do list:

1. watch a volcano erupt
2. vacation in Egypt
3. go on a storm chasing expedition
4. fall hopelessly in love
5. watch the northern lights in Alaska
6. spend the night in a haunted hotel
7. go horse back riding
8. further my education
9. go on a long road trip with friends
10. ride in a helicopter
11. learn sign language
12. go rock climbing
13. camp on the beach
14. go on a hot-air balloon ride
15. go on a cruise
16. visit the 7 wonders of the world
17. fly first class
18. own a pet cow
19. eat sushi
20. be an extra in a movie
21. send a message in a bottle
22. go on a 10 day canoe trip
23. learn to play a hammered dulcimer
24. master unicycling
25. learn to dance