Second Anniversary Celebration

This weekend was very exciting, as it was the church's 2nd year anniversary.  We had a big bash on the bottom floor of our building in the parking area.  I already uploaded pictures onto facebook so you can see there and get a feel for how it went.  We had a pretty good turn out of people, but the best part was seeing how all the members worked together.  There was no real leader of the whole show, but everyone did their part well and the whole event went relatively smoothly.  I was very proud of the entire team for the hard work and great preparation.

I am also very happy to say that I'm able to step back from ministry in the church until the end of March.  With the wedding just around the corner and my last month of this semester in school, I knew if I did not step back I would go crazy. Joshua, my team leader, will be stepping in for me and taking care of leading everything till I am done school.  This is really great for me because in the last few weeks I was really running out of steam and this just allows me to focus on other big things in my life right now.

Grace and I are well on our way with getting the wedding preparations set, and I look forward to seeing my parents and a few other special guests arrive in the coming weeks.  I have now been gone longer then any of my other trips, so it will be very nice to see family again.

There are some things to be praying about of course, and I think at the top of the list is Grace getting a visa.  But Grace and I are also going to have to make some choices about the coming months, as our lives are about to experience a lot of change.  We are going to need to raise more support - at least another $500 monthly, and we are still praying for a car, and looking at some options for our ministry.

Thank you all for your love and support! Please keep the emails coming as well.  I love hearing from everyone and getting advice and wisdom.  I have got some great emails of encouragement and wisdom and they are very special to me.

Busy Days

It has been a long and hard few weeks. There has been good things as well many very hard things to deal with. I have been very encouraged with the commitment of some youth, and God brought back some of the original youth that I had been working with. Since they are both girls Grace has really stepped in and lead the discipleship, and the one girl has barely left Grace's house in the past week. We also began a morning devotion at 7 am from Tuesday to Friday, and I think we have all felt that really helping us. Since I am so busy I felt that I needed to do something to maintain and continue developing my relationships, and the the morning devotion has done just that. As well as giving everyone one a chance to share, and gain more confidence sharing encouragement or a devotion.

While seeing good things happening, I have also really been struggling. My schedule is daunting and I am constantly running around from one place to the next. I have also discovered that the weight of dealing with tuff decisions is burdening me and I don't enjoy it at all. There have been a lot of strained relationships over the last few weeks and it has left me pretty hurt. I feel let down and betrayed by some peoples actions and foolishness. I've chose to let Mackie go and search for a different church since his issues are far beyond anything I can handle, and he needs a church that can really get behind him and support and restore him.

After some good talks with my family it seems clear that I need to make some changes in my schedule and commitment. I talked with my team leader and told him whether we like it or not we are going to bring someone to help with the pastoring (bringing in an outside pastor is not usually how a new pastor is found in the Philippines) because I am sick of carrying everything on my back. I love the job and the work I have to do but I am also in school which is so critical to my long term effectiveness as a missionary and need to give more attention there. I made it clear that we need to do something very significant, or I will burn out soon.

Grace is doing a wonderful job preparing for the wedding, and being very patient with me because of my schedule, and I really appreciate her so much. This week or next week we will do our civil wedding, and then Grace will get a new passport with my last name and we will begin processing her papers to come to Canada.

Today I am heading off for Tagaytay in a bit to take a rest until Sunday afternoon. I am very excited because I have not had a good motorcycle trip for a while, and being beside the lake and seeking God is just what I need. I really need prayer right now. I have more tuff decisions waiting for me when I get back, and I need to make some real changes in how I am doing things, and it wont be easy.

It's times like these where I appreciate everyones support and prayers so so much!

Brett