Saturday, August 2, 2008

I'm home

Well, I made it home. It feels so weird being back in the states. I really do appreciate being an American. We are all very lucky to live in the beautiful country that we live in. God was so amazing on this trip. He showed up in a very big way. I will have to write more about everything later, but just know that your prayers were felt. Thank you to everyone that kept me in your prayers while I was gone. I have decided that I am going back to Peru to stay for a little longer. Probably 6 months to a year. I will let God decide the time, I just know I have to be faithful to go. I am planning on leaving in January. So please continue to pray for me. I will update more later!

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Just an update

I know I have not been writing a lot, honestly I have been forgetting. We have just been running and running so much. Everything is great though! We have been at the house in Jicamarca a lot working. Yesterday I was shoveling huge rocks into a wheel barrel, it was hard work. My arms hurt today! I am definitely going to build muscles while I am here.

Church has been great! I absolutely love the people here. They are so precious. When I get home I will put some pictures up, for some reason my camera will not connect to the computer here in the house, so I am going to have to wait until I get home to the states. Which surprisingly is in only 19 days. I cant believe I have been here for almost 2 weeks. Thats crazy! I really think Iglesia Vida is going to be great. David and Ceci are great people and will be great Pastors. They are in the middle of a transition right now, but once everything is settled then things will be great. God is truly going to bless that church. I can feel it! The children have such a hunger for the Lord. Its awesome to see. The thing is, here they dont have church like we have church in the States, they dont have lights, they dont have a stage, we dont even really have music. We just come completely empty before the Lord and give hime everything we have. If other people looked at us they would think it was nothing, yet they have no idea. God is coming to that church in a stong way! I cant wait to see what He does!

Aside from the church, God has been doing some amazing things in my life, He has been opening my eyes to some things that I needed to see. I have some things that I am in the process of getting rid of!! Even though it is hard to let go of things, it is so worth it! SO WORTH IT! I dont care how long it takes me, I will kill every other lover in my life. We all have them. For some it may be money, for others it may be a relationship, it is different for each person, but we all have other lovers. I dont want to have any other lovers but the Lord! He is the only lover that I want to have. I love God so much and I just want to be in his will! I honestly believe that I am!

Monday, July 7, 2008

Sunday Morning

Yesterday went great! We had service with the children in Jicamarca, they are so cute. It is very sad to see the conditions that they live in, it´s almost depressing. We gave them bread with Peanut Butter and Jelly, none of them had ever tried PB&J. I was shocked. They all loved it, I knew they all wanted more, yet they were so polite and did not ask. The difference between the kids here and the kids in the States is, the kids here are actually grateful for what they have. They appreciate having nothing. I enjoyed playing with them, they are so much fun to watch. They play soccer with an almost flat soccer ball and had the time of their lives. I´ve never seen anything like it before. The happiness that comes from people that have nothing is amazing. We went out to Larcomar lastnight. It is a mall in Miraflores which is the nice area of Lima. We had fun.

I can´t believe I have already been here for a week. Time is going by fast. We are about to leave to go buy the tile for David and Ceci´s house. I love and miss everyone!!

Saturday, July 5, 2008

I am finally here

I know this post is a little late, so please forgive me. Our trip here was a little hectic, we missed our plane and it was not our fault. I will never fly Spirit Air again! We ended up getting here at around 2:30 am. We were exhausted but it was good seeing Ceci´s family. We only slept for a few hours and then woke up to have lunch and go to Jicamarca to see David and Ceci´s house. Jicamarca is exactly what I remember it to be. It looks like Mars. But we loved the house, it is a lot bigger than we thought it was going to be. In Jicamarca we have Prayer and Bible Study on Tuesdays and Thursdays, then we have church on Sunday mornings. The people there are so precious, they are extremely poor yet so happy. Also, they always invite you into their homes even though they have nothing. I really like the people, but not Jicamarca itself. We have had 2 prayer meetings. In the first we prayed with a woman to receive healing. She was elderly and her bones were hurting her. We wanted her to come to the meeting (it was at another house) but she did not want to because it was to hard for her to walk there. But I am believing that she will begin to come to the meetings.

Lima is actually cleaner than it was 2 years ago. I was surprised. There are more people, I dont know how it is possible. It is way overpopullated. Traffic is horrible, and the exhaust is so bad it will pratically choke you. My throat hurt the first 2 days I was here. Ceci´s sister Maria is the cook in the house, and she is a great cook. The only problem is, they eat a lot. Food is like the center of everything. They make huge portions because there are a lot of people here and then there is always some left over that they eat later. They also eat at different times here. Lunch is their main meal and it is usually served at around 3pm. I definitely need to learn some recipes.

So for now everything is going great. I am looking forward to church on Sunday. I will update everything then. Please keep praying for me!!

Thursday, June 19, 2008

So Soon

Where has the time gone? I swear the days are getting shorter! Or maybe I'm just too busy. I don't know what it is, but either way, time seems to be going by faster these days! I leave in 11 days! I feel like I have so much to do, but I'm not sure what or where to even begin! I'm not really nervous. I guess anxious is probably the best word to describe how I feel right now. It's only for a month, that's really not that hard. I think that my mom is getting a little nervous though. But I have faith that she will be just fine.

They still do not know who is going to replace me at the church! It's really not up to me though. I am going to try to do a few things to help find someone.

After I get back from Peru, I am going to The CALL on August 16th in Washington DC. It's going to be me, my mom and Gina. I think it is going to be a great time. We are going to go up there 2 days earlier so we can hang out and see DC. We have been there before, but Gina has never been. She will love it!

I have a lot of things coming up in the next couple of months! My life is going to be crazy, but I am definitely looking forward to it!!!

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Sunday Morning

It's Sunday morning and I'm sitting in my office doing work! I have been staying at David and Ceci's house this weekend, because David is out of town preaching again. We have been moving boxes of stuff the whole weekend. We are trying to get the house ready before they move, so that we are not doing everything at the last minute. We leave 2 weeks from tomorrow. The time is going by fast!

I have had several people tell me that they would like to support me when I go to Peru. I think that God is already preparing things. I am being faithful to Him, and He is already showing me the benefits of it.

Today is Father's Day, so I am spending the day with my dad. I am going to miss him when I am gone.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Family

I love my family! I am so blessed to have them. I really don't know what I would do without them.

David and Ceci came over to my house last night for dinner. They ended up staying for a while and talking with my family. I think my dad was educated a lot more on Peru. He seems interested in whats going on with GCOI...which is pretty cool, if you ask me!

I've been thinking lately that GCOI is about to take off. I really feel that some major things are around the corner and everything is going to happen a lot quicker than we thought. We are still praying about the Builders without Borders thing, it looks like it is a huge possibility that they might build a school for us. I am just praying that whatever God has in store, nothing will get in the way of. We are all getting excited to leave. I can't believe it is only 19 days away. We have so much to do before we go. But we will survive!

Monday, June 9, 2008

3 weeks...

I leave 3 weeks from today! I can hardly believe it...it's so exciting! I stayed with Ceci all weekend because David was out of town. We had fun. The boys are so hilarious! I love them!

I have been thinking a lot about how I am going to raise support to go to Peru. Honestly, I do not want to ask people for money. Someone once told me that not asking showed a spirit of pride. But I have a different opinion. I am at such a place of trust with the Lord, that I know He will provide for me. I spoke with someone this morning about this issue, and he advised me not to ask for money. He told me to ask for peoples prayers. I agree. Prayer is more important than money. I know that if I am faithful to what God has called me to do, then everything will work out just fine. I still do not know how much I am going to need each month. I am thinking around $500, but I will find out when I get there.

David preached at a church yesterday and received another offering. Thank you Jesus. We submitted our proposal to Builders without Borders, and they are reviewing it. I am not sure what is going to happen with that, but if it is God's will, then it will be. It would be great for them to accept our proposal, then we can have a school. We really need a school in Jicamarca, at least a good one. I know David has been in contact with some people about starting the school and what curriculum to use, I just hope we are not trying to do too much at one time. I don't think so though. God is definitely providing for GCOI, it is exciting to see things actually taking place. Things that have been talked about for years are coming to pass. It is very encouraging.

I can't wait to get down there to see the church. They meet Sunday afternoons, but I think we might change that to Sunday mornings. Also, they have small groups on Tuesday and Thursday night. I do not know how many people attend the small groups, but hopefully they will grow when we get there.

They have a group of guys going on the 21st of this month to finish the house in Jicamarca. I am excited for that. Then, on July 2nd there are 3 people coming from a church to do ministry with us. They will be there for a week. And in August the College and Career group from Life Church is coming with Dr. D and Pastor Marilyn for a week. So I think things with the church (iglesia vida) are going to pick up quickly after we get there. I will not be there when College and Career goes. I wish I could be, but I can't. I am hoping to return around the end of September. I have a lot of work ahead of me, but I am up for the challenge!

Please keep us in your prayers, God is definitely hearing them!!

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Finally....

We have our plane tickets!!! We are leaving June 30th. And then I am returning home on July 31st. Praise the LORD! We were thinking about leaving on the 24th, but David and Ceci decided that they would like to be in church on the 29th, so we will leave the day after! Thats good for me too, then I can be in service on the 29th as well. I am going to get to experience Peru's Independance Day on the 28th of June. David told me that it was a great experience! We are flying with Spirit Airlines, which I am not too happy about, but they are the cheapest, and we wanted cheap.



I will have 4 Sunday's to minister while I am in Peru. Iglesia Vida meets on Sunday's in the afternoon, so I will also be able to attend different churches on Sunday Morning's as well. There are a couple of Pastors that I know and want to visit while I am there. I do not know if Ceci has called her family yet to tell them that we are coming. They will be so happy! We have a lot of work to do now! I am not looking forward to that.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

God is GREAT

Well, God has amazed us yet again! I had recently talked with someone that was interested in donating to GCOI, it was a large amount of money, so I have been praying for it. Little did I know that God had other plans. Yesterday I was talking with a husband and wife, they informed me that they were donating $10,000 to David and Ceci. I was shocked! David was equally as shocked when I called him to let him know. He is not speechless very often, but I'm not sure he knew what to say! What a blessing this is! Now we can buy our tickets and GO!!! I am still praying for the other person that was interested in donating. We need all of the prayer, money, resources, etc. that we can get! The vision of GCOI is not a small one. As long as we are faithful to God, He will be faithful to us! Part of this money will help the Hodges family get down to Peru, and get into their new house. Yay! I am so happy!

Monday, June 2, 2008

On hold

Things seem to be "on hold" right now! I don't particularly like using that terminology, however I have come to terms with the fact that I have no idea when I am leaving for Peru. For those of you that are praying, PRAY HARDER! Just joking! I'm ok with waiting, as long as it is God's timing then everything will be ok. David has been contacted about several preaching opportunities over the next month. He has scheduled things to the end of June. So, it is looking like we will now be leaving in July. I'm ok with that. It gives me the opportunity to save more money. Which I have been doing ok with. I could work harder on that though.

I was at David and Ceci's (D&C) house on Friday, literally ALL day! I stayed home on Saturday watching movies, it was great! I am praying that they will get the support they need. Most people do not realize that they need a fairly large amount of monthly support because of the area that they are in. They will have to purchase a generator that runs on diesel fuel to have electricity and also have water shipped in every week. This is not cheap. Also, the money for transportation will be expensive. They really need a car in Jicamarca, but there are other things to worry about first.

I have had many people commit to coming down there to minister with us, I'm hoping that they will not forget about us! I cant wait to get there and start having groups come. It will be great!

I am still praying about some huge financial blessing the could possibly come our way! God knows what He is doing!

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Back Home

What a busy weekend. I flew to Connecticut on Friday and flew back home on Monday. I had a lot of fun with my family, but I still didn't get a chance to relax. Honestly, a vacation right now would consist of me sitting on the couch or laying in my bed for a week, doing nothing but sleeping and watching movies. Now that sounds amazing. haha it's nice to dream. I talked to David yesterday when I got home, he told me because of all the work I had done, the editor was charging them a lot less than before. That's awesome! We are making a lot of progress. I still have a few things to work on. I might go over to their house today. As much as I love to work, I do not want to neglect the other people in my life, I feel like I am doing that. It is hard though, I feel that people do not understand how important Peru is to me.

We still haven't purchased our tickets yet. David has a meeting this week with GCOI's Board Members, after that we should know when we are leaving. I am still thinking it is going to be around the end of June. I would love to get there as soon as possible, but I am leaving it in God's hands and trusting that He knows the best time for us to go.

I need to start thinking about raising support. I have not done anything yet, mainly because I want to wait until I get back here in July and then start. I know that I am going to sell my car, but other than that I'm not sure how I am going to raise the money. I have been thinking about writing support letters, I am not to keen on that idea. I hate asking for money when I feel like I am doing nothing for it. We will see. I am not even sure how much money I am going to need for the year. I am thinking around $10,000 but I will know exactly once I come back in July. It also depends on whether I am going to go to Language School or not. It will cost me around $100 a week, and I'm not sure how long I would need to go for. It is a possibility that I could just learn from the locals. I will talk this over with David and Ceci a little more and then make a decision. Ceci seems to think that I will learn quickly. She taught me for a few weeks a long time ago and she said I am a quick learner. Hopefully that is true!

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Work, work, and more work

I am finally free from my job at the gym! Most of you don't know, but I was working full-time at my church and part-time at Gold's gym. As if that wasn't busy enough, every moment that I wasn't working, I went to David and Ceci's to do MORE WORK! I told my boss at the gym that I was going to be moving soon and he would need to find a replacement for me. Thank God he found one only in 2 weeks. So I no longer work at the gym. To be honest it really does not change anything. I still go over to David and Ceci's everyday. I have become family to them. :)

After I got off of work yesterday, I went straight to their house and worked until 11:15pm. I finally made the decision that I had to go home and sleep. I have begun to forget what sleep actually feels like. I am going out of town this weekend, so my mother is making me stay home tonight to pack my things. It will probably be a good thing to stay home just one night! I will be able to get a lot of work done on the plane. Thank God for that! I am looking forward to a vacation!

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

God is Amazing

It is so funny how God works.

I have been planning on going to Peru for the past 3 years now, and it has always been a struggle between my mother and me. It is not that my mother does not support missions, it's just that she doesn't want to see me move to another country. Which is completely understandable. The problem with that is, my mother was the one person that I felt like I needed approval from. I have come to the realization that the Lord had closed my mothers eyes to what I was supposed to do. I believe He did this because it was never the right time before. Even though I knew that I was called to Peru, the right thing at the wrong time is still the wrong thing. So, now that it is happening in God's time, suddenly her eyes are open. And let me just tell you, they are open wide! :) She has been wonderfully supportive lately, and that means the world to me! Aside from her supporting me, she now wants to become more involved with GCOI and this whole "missions thing". God is so good. Everything is finally working out. I know at the time, all I wanted was for God to show my mother what I was called to do. But I honestly believe that if He would have done that when I wanted him to, I don't think I would have seen just how much He was at work in this whole situation. I can honestly say, it has made me so much more aware as to how we need to put our complete trust in the Lord.

Aside from all of that. There is a possibility that we might have some HUGE financial support coming our way soon. My mother has a very good friend that has a lot of contacts with people who support humanitarian aid. I honestly believe that this is not a coincidence. I think God is up to something big. We should find out very soon! Keep us in prayer!

Monday, May 19, 2008

I had a fun weekend hanging out with Ceci and the boys. David was out of town visiting his Aunt and also talking with some more churches to raise money. We have another church that is going to support us on a monthly basis! Yay! I hope that more money and resources come in very soon. Ceci and I had a great weekend though. We laughed a lot and stayed up talking until about 3am every night. She is excited that I am going to be moving with them. So am I!

I have been working on a lot of things for GCOI. One of which is a packet for an organization called Builders without Borders. They are interested in building an educational facility for us. I am almost done with the packet that we are going to present to them. Hopefully it will help. Also, I have developed a Mission's Application, and I am working on a Mission's Manual for David and Ceci. I have 2 jobs, so every moment that I am not working, I spend at David and Ceci's. So I guess I technically have 3 jobs! I have been quite tired lately, but it is all worth it!

We are supposed to leave around the 19th of June, I am hoping that we do not get delayed any longer. I can't wait to get to Lima. I know that I have a lot of work ahead of me as far as raising money/support. But my mother has offered to help, so I think I will do ok. I fully trust that the Lord will provide for me!! I have had to change so many things lately: my hair went from almost bleach blond to DARK brown, I have been trying to get a tan, I have started walking, and I had to take my nose ring out. Now, I actually like my hair better dark, the tan is great, walking is good for me, but I was not happy about removing the nose ring. But I wanted to do it now, so that it would heal before I go to Peru and take a shower in the Ameba water. Oh yes, they have Ameba's in their water! Yuck!

Please continue to keep me in your prayers. I need all the prayer that I can get!!

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Welcome to my blog

Hola. My name is Brittany and I am involved with an organization called Great Commission Outreach International. GCOI is a non-profit organization out of Lima, Peru. We are dedicated to working with the local people in very poor areas. I am currently at home in Fort Myers, FL, but I will be traveling to Peru in June with David and Ceci (the Founders of GCOI) and their 2 boys. I am very close with their family and they are excited that I will be helping them during this transition time. I will be there for 1 month and then I will return home to raise money. I am hoping to return to Peru in September for good.

To understand my passion for Peru, you have to know my story. I first went to Peru on June 9, 2005. I knew the moment that I stepped off of the plane that this place was going to be a huge part of my life. Instantly Peru became part of my destiny. God put such a burning desire in my heart for the people there, I could not get away from this desire no matter how hard I tried. When I left Peru, I left my heart there. I was so distraught over leaving that I decided I had to go back, and soon. I returned to Peru after only 6 weeks of being home. My second trip was even harder than the first. I had an amazing opportunity to travel to a remote village high in the Andes Mountains. We were at about 16,500 ft of elevation. This was an experience that i will never forget. I have been to Peru on 3 different occasions, and I am very anxious to get back. I am excited about what God is doing in my life and where he is taking me.

David and Ceci currently have a church in a town just outside of Lima, called Jicamarca. Jicamarca is a very poor area, with a population of about 10,000. Some areas have electricity, but there is no running water in the entire town of Jicamarca. They have to have their water shipped in on a weekly basis. This is what we will have to do as well when we are living there.

I am a little nervous about the move, because I will be leaving my family and I do not speak the language. But I think I will learn fast. Hopefully. Even though it will be hard, I know it is God's will for my life. Please keep me in your prayers during this time of change. I am so happy to be blessed with such wonderful and supportive people in my life!

I will update you with more information soon.

Brittany (Future Missionary to Peru)