Brooke's Adventures

Camp and other summer shots

2012-01-29T21:15:00.002-05:00

Family photo by Mish and other fun pics with my mom and JJ over last 3 months

2012-01-29T06:07:00.002-05:00

Brooke's Australia Adventure Update - Summer 2012

2012-01-29T06:06:00.000-05:00

Brooke’s Australia Adventure Update – Summer 2012, January 29, 2012

Dear friends,

Here in Sydney we’ve had the coldest start to summer in 50 years (and it feels like the wettest too!). I know for all my friends in the northern hemisphere, to even hear it is summer in Australia now makes you wish you were here, but when my mom and step-dad Dan came to visit baby Jeremiah (and Brendan and I) in December it was warmer in their native Jacksonville, FL than it was here! Although, I am grateful for the great beach weather we enjoyed on Christmas this year – the best weather in my 5 Christmas’ here. The past few months of maternity leave have been very blessed and amazing, and I have appreciated my family and friends so much. I have also had some time to study and have completed a course as a Pregnancy Support Counselor. I heard about this course while attending the Real Choices Conference with Women’s Forum last May and re-connected with Ali McGraith who was interested in gathering some others to help get a pregnancy support centre up and running in Sydney. The idea is to provide a place where women can access non-biased information about their options when faced with an unplanned pregnancy. It will be a place where information can be obtained, resources accessed, referrals made and woman can be counseled. I was definitely interested! There’s a shop front that is being refitted and we hope to launch in February. I enjoyed completing the online course - it helped me reflect and learn so much about: communication, counseling, values and beliefs, sexuality and the process of in-utero development. Maternity leave has been a great time to reflect on this topic and knowing how much motherhood has changed my life for the better, I hope that my role in this service will be one that brings life into other women’s lives when considering their options.

John 10:10 
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

We have really been enjoying our new home since moving in on the 19th of November and our new neighbourhood of Holroyd and the surrounds. I’ve taken JJ on many walks through the park to our local library and the shops, and I’ve been able to go back to running, an activity I’ve enjoyed for many years. We live a short distance from beautiful Parramatta Park and the river run that connects it to the city. I’ve enjoyed exploring our environs. Our area also has a great bike path that stretches to Homebush and has many kilometers of trails around the Sydney Olympic site; I got a retro bicycle for Christmas with a child seat on the back that I look forward to doing more exploring with JJ when he’s a bit older. My mom and step-dad Dan came to visit for a week in December and that was a huge highlight of my time on maternity leave. It had been almost two years since we had been able to see them and there was much to catch up on in person – with Jeremiah being of course the focus of most of the attention. It was wonderful to learn from my mom how she used to burp me and watch her delight in being a granny, but I also saw a whole new side of Dan, who has been married to my mom for 10 years now. It was probably the longest time I have spent with them in that time period, and it was such a blessing to have them make the sacrifice to travel here. While they were here Brendan was able to take a week off and we made the most of the time showing them the Blue Mountains, going up to Newcastle to visit Brendan’s family and cuddle a koala, and Jeremiah was dedicated at church with our connect group leaders John and Mel praying over us. It was a great week to share our lives in Sydney with my parents and also they were able to share at our monthly Young Life gathering, ‘The Hub’, at Glyn’s, the CEO’s, house. Their message, which is their heart entirely, was devoted to knowing the time we are in and making sure we are using it wisely for the Lord’s work of the kingdom in letting people know of Jesus’ love for them. I was really able to appreciate my mom and Dan’s ministry and hear more of what God has in store for them and the mission they lead: ‘I AM International’. It was sad to see them go, but so wonderful to know that we are partnered in many ways with mission and life and that each visit together is priceless.

Galatians 6:9  “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

It is hard to believe that my maternity leave is now over and as of the 14th of January when we embarked on Young Life’s annual Extreme Summer Camp, I am back to working in the mission of seeing young people get to know Jesus relationally through leaders who love Him. Camp was such a highlight for Brendan and I and a great first of many I’m sure for JJ. He was the youngest Young Lifer on camp at 4 ½ months, but there was one just a little older: Finn Single at 5 months. Together with Finn’s mum Stella, I helped keep the admin going in the camp office with our little boys playing on a blanket behind us. Brendan helped with the tech on camp and since his work was mainly in the evenings and at meals, it meant he was able to spend quite a bit of time with JJ, which was a great blessing for him and for me to be able to share parenting in a more practical way during the day while he is awake. JJ is quite a happy and smiley little boy who enjoys being social so getting cuddles on camp from the kids and leaders made him quite excited. He got his first tooth the day before camp but he didn’t let that stop him at all, though I did have to try and protect him from getting too over-stimulated with so much going on! During the week I was able to take him for walks and show him kangaroos in the bush around the Jindabyne property, take him on his first speed boat ride while kids were waterskiing behind it on Lake Jindabyne, and he even featured with Finn in the program video one night as the shrunken pirate! The absolute best part of camp though is always the ‘Say so’ when campers stand up and are able to let everyone know if they have met Jesus during the week. This camp was an amazing one, especially in comparison to last year’s being such a hard one, and we saw 23 campers indicate they had made a decision on camp for Jesus and an additional 13 say they want to know more about Him. This was quite a large number since we only had 57 kids total on camp this year. A huge highlight for me personally this year was not only witnessing kids I have worked with over the year decide to make those commitments, but also two girls that were in my cabin last year who come from Queensland and who had been hardened to the gospel were working on the Work Crew this year in a service role on camp. One of them I have known over the past 3 years as someone who was always very loud and often rebellious to authority. She came up to me and apologized for the way she acted last year in the cabin and allowed me the privilege of reading her testimony. I was floored and overwhelmed by the honesty and vulnerability of her story of understanding the weight of her sin and the depth of grace and love of Jesus for her. She had only become a Christian a month or so before camp, but her life was obviously different for anyone who had seen her in prior years and was a great witness of the transformed life in Christ. This is the amazing work I am able to be a part of and it was a great time to get re-invigorated for the year ahead! I have started now back in the office 3 days a week and am so grateful to my faithful mother-in-law Barbara, JJ’s nana, who has started making the trek from Newcastle to our home in western Sydney to help look after Jeremiah 2 days. What a blessing for him to get so much time with her. I grew up far from my grandparents and I know their relationship will be so close because of her time with him. The third day JJ will be with me and I have no doubt he’ll be a blessing to the ministry, although I appreciate the headspace of the other two days as well. School starts back up here this week, so I’d love your prayers as our Young Life leaders gear up to head back into schools for contact work and for the clubs as they start back up, and for each of the young people who had seeds planted on camp, may they continue to flourish and grow and not be stolen away.

1 Corinthians 3:5-7
Amplified Bible (AMP)
“What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Ministering servants [not heads of parties] through whom you believed, even as the Lord appointed to each his task:
I planted, Apollos watered, but God [all the while] was making it grow and [He] gave the increase.
So neither he who plants is anything nor he who waters, but [only] God Who makes it grow and become greater.”

While I was away the Ryde youth pastors continued to meet together and have began running some combined youth events, including a night of prayer and worship as well as a service project. This is very exciting for me as I have had unity among the local churches on my heart for so long and to see the youth rising up in this way is powerful. A friend of mine created this video to share with our local State Parliamentarian for Ryde, Victor Dominello (who is also the Minister for Youth for NSW and we met with earlier in the year before I went on leave) what the youth in the church are capable of. To access it, please go to: http://player.vimeo.com/video/32023520?autoplay=1

In reflecting on the day-to-day work as a mum, I think half my work, as a mother in this infant stage is to feed and try to encourage my baby to sleep. Quite often, even when he was a very little newborn he would fall asleep at my breast and he would come off and wake with a start and start rooting frantically for it once again, as if it had been taken from him and he must have it back immediately - not realizing of course that I was right there and it was so simple for me to continue the feed. I have often thought in the past few months about how our heavenly father, being described in the scriptures as generous and loving and even like a mother in some of the nurturing qualities He has, cares for us. Like I try to care for my baby, He is even more caring for me. And I need to realize that I am so much like my son rooting around and getting worked up, feeling my needs are not going to be met, instead of resting and trusting that He is right there and can immediately care for me when I cry out to him, as my son does to me.

Isaiah 49:15 “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!”

As 2011 ended up I am happy to say I finished reading the Bible through using the M'Cheyne reading plan which takes you through the New Testament and Psalms twice and the rest of the Bible once throughout the year. It was a discipline to do as you are reading four chapters a day, but I read it out loud to both myself and Jeremiah, and I found so many rich stories and passages weaving together in the way the scriptures were unfolding through the year. I would highly recommend reading through the Bible in a year to everyone as it really solidifies your knowledge of the scriptures and provides more strength to your sword (of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, Ephesians 6:17). Recently one of my leaders from church and I were meeting with a new Christian lady who wanted to be baptized and yet was struggling with some beliefs she had found comfort in for much of her life regarding reincarnation. She was wondering if she needed to forsake these beliefs in order to be baptized. I encouraged her to read the Bible for herself and see what Jesus says about the problem of pain and suffering in order to have her beliefs match up with what He says, as He is the truth. She rang me just two short weeks later to let me know that while riding the bus she was reading the book of John and the answer to her question was answered. The scripture was John 9:3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” The truth of this resonated through her and although it was simple, it fit in like the puzzle piece she had been missing. What a joy it is to journey with people into the truth that is available in relationship with Jesus. The two words I feel are going to be over this year for me are availability and flexibility. When you are working with people these qualities are definitely needed, as they are in becoming a mum and serving a little one’s continual needs, but most importantly in relying upon and serving the Holy Spirit’s desires for my life. I pray that God’s desires for your year become evident and that you grow closer to His heart in 2012.

Hebrews 4:12 
“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

Thank you friends for continuing to journey with me in life even by reading this update. I want to share with you a photo that we sent out as a thank you to those who gave gifts after Jeremiah’s birth, you all deserve this as you have each given the gift of friendship, which is the most precious. Our friend Mish took the photo and she has a great business doing family photography here in Sydney in case anyone is looking for someone to capture special moments for your family. Here is the photo and also, if you’d like to see others she did of our family, and check out her website go to: www.mishkoh.com and hit the clients tab at the top and enter the password "jj".

With loving friendship,

Brooke

Brooke’s Australia Adventure Update – Spring 2011, October 26, 2011

2011-10-26T05:58:00.001-04:00

Dear friends,

I think the best way to start this update letter is to quote from a song by REM: “It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine.” I feel as if life has changed dramatically in a short time frame, even more than Brendan and I could have anticipated three months ago when I wrote my last update. Yet, God continues to prove His complete faithfulness in each area of our lives.

The first huge news item is of course our gorgeous son’s arrival at 6:01 AM on Friday the 2nd of September. He weighed in at a healthy 3.98 kg (8.7 lbs) and measured 52 cm (20.47 inches) and came out screaming and peeing – which was a great relief to me, and immediately made me cry. His arrival was not the hoped for natural birth we had planned to have in the birth centre. However, we did have a few hours to labour in the centre before we moved to the delivery suite to induce and eventually have an emergency c-section, a whopping 41 hours after my waters broke. It was a mini-marathon and I am so grateful to my amazing husband who was by my side every minute of it and for our doula who was with us for a record 26 hours – her longest birth experience… and for each and every person who helped at the Royal Hospital for Women – truly an amazing team. Instead of heading home a day after the birth like we’d planned, I had to stay in the hospital for 6 days and 5 nights. Thankfully due to the mercy of an Irish nurse Brendan was able to share the last two nights in hospital with me as we established a feeding plan to boost my milk supply. This was probably the hardest part for me, learning how to breastfeed and how painful it can be. Praise God that everything has been healing well and Jeremiah Jasper continues to grow very healthily. We are incredibly blessed to have become parents to this miracle –every baby must be a true miracle as each body part is so perfectly formed and resembles parts of you and your husband. God is so faithful to us! We reckon JJ has more of my colouring in hair and perhaps my nose, but Brendan’s eyes and chin (actually Brendan thinks his blue eyes will become hazel like mine)… but who knows! He’s only 7 weeks old! We so look forward to seeing not only his physical characteristics develop, but also his personality and the gifts God has given him.

Psalm 127:3-5 The Message
“Don’t you see that children are God’s best gift? The fruit of the womb his generous legacy? Like a warrior’s fistful of arrows are the children of a vigorous youth. Oh, how blessed are you parents, with your quivers full of children! Your enemies don’t stand a chance against you; you’ll sweep them right off your doorstep.”

Before Jeremiah’s entrance into our lives I was very grateful to be a part of the hiring process for the maternity leave position at Young Life and am glad to say that Tjaart Kruger and I had a month of working side by side before I went on leave. Tjaart and his wife Madelie are from South Africa and came to Australia to study at Hillsong College. He brings to the position a wealth of youth ministry experience and a passion for the Lord and young people and a calling to one day become a senior minister back in his homeland. What a joy for me to see how God has provided so richly for the area as I am on leave and I have felt that the work is out of my hands and God is carrying it on and growing it in great ways as I am on leave. I was able to have a few weeks before the birth to also rest and prepare for the changes, which I really appreciated. From what I hear from Tjaart, the area continues to flourish and Brendan and I look forward to being a part of the annual Trivia Night fundraiser on the 12th of November (where Brendan will again reprise his role as Quiz Master). It has been a blessing to have the YL kids: text, send Facebook messages and call, wanting to know if JJ had arrived, how he’s doing and when they can see him. I am so grateful to be able to do this ministry and am looking forward to seeing how life will be when I return to this ministry. Our first entry will be the annual Extreme Summer Camp, from the 15th-21st of January 2012 to be held in Jindabyne, NSW. Applications are out now; if you know of any young person that would benefit from a week of camp where Jesus is introduced and the gospel message unpacked, please let me know. Opportunities to serve on camp also exist and you can find out more information on our website: www.younglife.org.au.

In other news, in February Brendan and I moved out to a rented townhouse in Dundas, closer to my work and the community I minister in. This move was dictated by needing more space as we were going to expand our family with JJ’s impending arrival, as well as wanting to save money on rent so we could save to purchase a home. In May, the Strata for the complex (the owner’s association) informed us that they were going to do a pest inspection. They found that there was some old termite damage underneath the floor of the room that we had planned to be JJ’s. At this point, I was 28 weeks pregnant so we asked Strata to make the repairs as soon as possible. Three builders later, fourteen weeks after the inspection, and when JJ was a week and a half old, we were informed that repairs could begin and we were asked to vacate our house for a week. This wasn’t so bad, as Brendan was still on paternity leave and it was a good excuse for us to visit our family in Newcastle and share little Jeremiah with them. The surprise came when after just one day in Newcastle we received a call that when they pulled up the floorboards in the room, the ceiling below caved in… spilling the three construction workers out into the room below. It turns out that there wasn’t just old termite damage, but indeed a live nest with active termites. An engineer was called in and the full damage to the house couldn’t be assessed, so our landlords declared the house unlivable and ended our contract… less than 7 months into the year lease and when our son was just one and a half weeks old… But, we were not in despair. Brendan’s family took us in and accommodated us so generously. What a blessing it is in many ways for me to have been able to live with them at this time as I was unable to drive until 6 weeks after JJ’s birth because of the c-section. My mother-in-law Barbara is so hospitable to help me so much with everything – from laundry (which, let me tell you is a lot for a little baby) to cooking and just sharing life and tips on motherhood. Brendan also was still on paternity leave for a week and a half after we found out, so it meant we had some time together to really talk about our next steps as a family with housing. We took it as an opportunity to try to move forward on purchasing our first family home, rather than rent again. The timing seemed to be right also, as the governments’ first time home owner’s grant for exisiting properties (rather than new ones) ends at the end of this year, as does the stamp duty exemption, both of which can save us a lot of money. So, we began our search for homes to buy and started with the same area we’d just been living in. After only two Saturday’s of house inspections, we made an offer on a unit and I’m happy to report after some negotiations (Brendan is incredible at this!), our offer was accepted! Truly, it is unbelievable how quickly all this has happened! We have a great peace and hope for this place as a home we will grow in as a family, and plan to be living there by mid-November. The new home is located just south of Sydney’s second CBD of Parramatta, in an area called Holroyd Gardens, which is the site of an old brick refractory that has been turned into parkland. There are three children’s playgrounds in this park, one for toddlers, one adventure playground for older kids, and a practice track for children to learn to ride their bicycles. It is a beautiful area and very close to some friends from our Connect group – which is great as we can continue to meet together and hopefully grow in ministry to our neighbours. Please rejoice with us in God’s provision and pray that His favour will rest on the settlement details.

Psalm 16:5-7
“LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.”

All of this change was not always easy for me as there have been many things in the past few weeks or so that I could not control at all and have been very different to my idea of how things should or would be. Yet, I have been amazed again and again at how God is with us, and have been reminded that He will never leave or forsake us, that His plans are for our good and better than the plans we have. Life with a newborn reminds me to take life as it comes, each day is different and can be filled with much joy, some unsettled or tear-filled times, some legitimate needs to be met (hunger, sleep, nappies needing to be changed) and lots of cuddles. I know that some days it will be hard for me even to find the time to take a shower and read my Bible, that routine is hard to find, but that it will not be forever. As a super independent person who likes to give, a season of receiving, forced in many respects by some of the birth story of this little man that I love so much and then due to small bugs that ate our house, has made me again realize and appreciate how interdependent we are created to be. I am dependent in many ways in this season, and my son is even more so. His whole existence in this time is as dependent as it was inside my womb for the 9 months prior. My work right now is to care for him and to relish it… and what happens outside of that is a bonus. What this season has also reminded me of is how incredible it is to be a part of the body of Christ and to see how the provision of God comes through brothers and sisters who step into help when hard times come. I was overwhelmed by people’s generosity around JJ’s birth – from gifts, hand me downs of clothes, to home cooked meals and then with the house drama – many offers of places to stay and houses to house sit in this season. I feel it is just like when I first moved to Australia and was studying in Newcastle and dating Brendan in Sydney and had so many homes opened up to me and was so reliant on the generosity of others. In this season I am even more dependent and with a dependent and therefore, even more grateful.

Proverbs 27:1
Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.

Jeremiah 29:11-14
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

There are many dreams and desires Brendan and I share for this next season, but I truly am learning – or re-learning, to surrender all my dreams and hopes to my Abba Father. He has all the best in mind for us all and as I seek to hear His voice and give Him what my desires are, I can trust that He will not only take care of us as a family, but give us above and beyond what we can ask or imagine, as it is not about us, but His glory. As we see Him provide, it speaks of His faithfulness and love and not our worthiness in any sense.

Ezekiel 34:31
“You my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are my people, and I am your God, declares the Sovereign LORD.’”

With loving friendship,

Brooke

PS, as always, if you are interested to see some photos of what we are up to, check out my blog at: www.brookesintladventures.blogspot.com or my Facebook page (Brooke Filipovski)

A few more photos of our precious son

2011-10-26T05:50:00.002-04:00

Photos from JJ's first 7 weeks

2011-10-26T05:43:00.002-04:00

Pregnancy Photos at 33 weeks at a portrait studio

2011-07-10T04:34:00.000-04:00

Annemaree and I sporting baby bumps; Knibb and Cathy at their gorgeous wedding; photos from the South Coast trip

2011-07-04T18:40:00.002-04:00

Photos from Erin's visit around Sydney; Katherine, Erin, Ally and I during Presence Conference; with Armidale YL girls at NLR

2011-07-04T18:28:00.004-04:00

Brooke's Australia Adventure Update - Winter 2011

2011-07-04T18:28:00.001-04:00

Brooke’s Australia Adventure Update – Winter 2011, July 5, 2011

Dear friends,

I’m now in my third trimester of pregnancy and time seems to be running out for us here and yet we still try and enjoy the moments! Not sure if you can relate but life, as I’ve known it, will soon be changing dramatically. What I hear from almost everyone who asks, “When is the baby due?”, is that life will never be the same… but I think I am ready for this change, although in what form I will find it when it gets here only time will tell. These past few months have been wonderfully full and as we are in the middle of the antipodean winter now, I am grateful once again to be pregnant in the cooler months. Overall the pregnancy has been going well, however, swelling has led to some carpal tunnel forcing me to wear wrist guards 24/7, which make me look like a Power Ranger! I also regularly visit an osteo who delights in giving adjustments and both help me be able to keep doing all the things I need to do with work and play without too much discomfort. The best part of the pregnancy in the last few months are all the secret kicks and movements our little boy is making inside my tummy – yes – we know he is a boy (and in fact we have known since August when we heard in prayer that we’d conceive in December, but we have also confirmed the gender by ultrasound)! Some of you may have seen on Facebook that I call him JJ. Brendan and I have decided on the name Jeremiah Jasper for our son. Both names came from the Lord and have significant meaning. Jeremiah was the name Brendan heard God say to him in prayer last August and it means, “Yahweh exalts”, which is what we would love for our son. The second name, Jasper, my mother received from God in January and it means, “clear as crystal", meaning pure with no guile. Back to all the baby kicks - JJ must be now finding he has less room to move as his movements seem to be getting bigger, and I can now clearly see my stomach rumble and wave, with his bony elbows, arms and legs all making appearances. It is amazing truly! It is a great love affair that Brendan and I have been thrust into! Both baby and I have been healthy in this pregnancy and Brendan and I have been enjoying learning lots through our antenatal classes and getting to know other couples in this stage of life. It is a bit of a learning curve. We have been blessed to be apart of a Midwifery Group, which means all my appointments are with a midwife and that if all goes well, I’ll have our son in the birthing centre naturally. We’ve also hired a doula, which is a “mother’s helper”, to be with us in our birth. As I have learned about doulas, pregnancy and birth, I have started to wonder whether I might be a doula one day, and use it as another part of my ministry to women and families.

Psalm 127:2-4
“Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth.”

Besides preparing for JJ’s arrival, Brendan and I have been trying to spend time together despite hectic work schedules. When Erin visited and our church’s “Presence Conference” was on during the first week of April school holidays, I took the week off work and enjoyed showing off gorgeous Sydney. Brendan and I also took Erin to visit Wentworth Falls and Katoomba in the Blue Mountains. Whenever an international guest is in town I also am awestruck by the beauty of the city as we inevitably take a ferry on the Harbour, and marvel in nature. The Presence Conference was in Darling Harbour this year, which is a great place to be based. The week was amazing – filled with great worship and powerful messages that helped us all seek out God’s face in deeper ways. I feel very spoiled in some ways living in Sydney as there are often amazing conferences on. This week in fact is the Hillsong Conference, the 25th year anniversary of the conference and I am going to attend for the first time. Priscilla Shirer, John Maxwell, Nicky Gumbel and Jentezen Franklin are all speaking, as well as Brian and Bobbi Houston and “Jesus Culture” is coming to do the worship for the conference. It is an amazing opportunity. Besides Erin’s visit, Brendan and I were able to travel over the Easter long-weekend to visit some of his family in Wollongong and continued down to the South Coast to visit one of my former WFA co-workers, Sara, and her family. We also snuck away for a mini baby-moon weekend in the beginning of June to Wiseman’s Ferry, a place neither one of us had been before, but is only an hour north of Sydney but feels like a world away. This historic spot is abounding in natural beauty and has a ferry crossing that operates all-day and night across the Hawkesbury River. We bushwalked along old trails and roads that convicts laid down in the early 1800’s. It was a very peaceful weekend that allowed us time to rest together, and to enjoy the colours of late autumn and the chill of early winter. It also gave us time to catch up on some reading, walking and board games. In June, we visited Brendan’s family up in Newcastle. Although Newcastle is only two hours away, we haven’t had the chance to get up there nearly as often this year and so we went on the Queen’s birthday long weekend and made up for lost time visiting with family. Between weekends away we have continued to be involved in church and have really enjoyed the growing relationships there. Brendan and I recently launched a Connect group for church in our home also. This was a fulfillment of a desire we both have had since coming together as a couple, to be able to provide hospitality and care for others in our area and facilitate a space where together we can meet with God and each other. We loved our last group at the Lee’s house so much, but with the commute being about an hour since we’ve moved, we decided it was time to host one at our new house. We’ve only met twice as a group so far, but are excited to see who God is bringing from our church that also live close to us and to see relationships grow and develop.

Isaiah 52:7
“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

Young Life has had a fruitful term of ministry both in Ryde and Northern Sydney. There was a Northern Leadership Retreat held in Armidale in April that allowed many of us from Sydney to connect with other leaders from across the region and to be trained in cross-cultural ministry principles by Wycliffe Bible translators. The weekend also allowed cross-pollination from the different areas of ministry as we shared and heard what God was doing in different places. This has given some new creativity to the Ryde team this term as they’ve begun holding “Chillfest” clubs a few times this term. The idea behind the Chillfest is to allow the youth that come the freedom to choose an activity that they would enjoy most for the first hour of club that leaders are running in different rooms of the church. For instance, a game of cards could be happening in one area, a basketball game in another, and an art project in another. Through the smaller groups, the teens receive the benefit of deeper relationship building with the leaders. These nights have been very popular and look to continue. The term in Ryde also consisted of a fundraiser with Christian band “Fishbait”, who re-formed for a “one-night only” gig. We also held our annual Sydney fundraising banquet in which one of our Chatswood High boys, Masi and his mom shared about how his involvement in Young Life has changed his life and that of his family through him meeting Jesus. We finished up with an end of term excursion to Camp Kedron for a “Fire Night” (though, due to rain, the smores were done in the oven and we played gymnasium games all night rather than having the scheduled bonfire). The highlight of the term though was probably the YL Vintage Club that was held on the 10th of June. This club was a great opportunity for the current generation of Young Life students to witness a little of the legacy of Young Life ministry in the area. Former leaders and alumni came to share their favourite classic games, skits and songs with us and the founder of Young Life in Australia, Arthur Ongley and his wife Denise, came along. Arthur gave the club talk that included his own call to faith and ministry. His message was simple yet powerful: “consider carefully who Jesus is, as this is the most important decision you can ever make”. Term 2 was also a great term of ministry for the re-formed Northern Sydney club. Four clubs were held at a home in Roseville and the numbers, though small, were always added to week after week. A good core group of students is now a part of this club and the outreach into Chatswood High continues strongly with opportunities into Willoughby Girls still open as well. Please continue to pray for more leaders for this new team, and for new female leaders for both this and the Ryde club. As I plan on going on maternity leave from the 12th of August until the beginning of the 2012 school year, female leaders are very important. Female leaders are best to minister to girls, particularly as cabin leaders at camp. Please also pray for the person who will be my maternity leave replacement. We conducted interviews last week for the position and hope to hire someone this week, with them starting in the first week of Term 3, the third week of July. Pray that I may be able to train them well and pass over the responsibilities, and that their individual skills and gifts will be able to help the area grow.

2 Peter 4:7
“Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer. Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything.”

I have also been able to have a little more to do with Women’s Forum these past few months including attending the “Real Choices” Conference, which covered Evidence, Experience and Pregnancy Support. It was a good opportunity to visit with the staff and board of Women’s Forum. I was also able to help chauffer and take around one of the main presenters, Dr Priscilla Coleman from Bowling Green University in Ohio, who has done extensive research on the impact of abortion on women. I also traveled to the Sunshine Coast in Queensland in May to present at the “Leaders to Go” Conference. This conference was for leaders of children and family based ministeries. I represented Women’s Forum Australia at this event and it was a great chance to also receive input from those who are leading children’s ministry around Australia and New Zealand. These extra work offerings have been life-giving to me, as I seek in my own work and volunteering at church to be continually creative and relevant in reaching young people with the gospel, and their families. I know that as I go on maternity leave, all my experiences will help me to raise our son, and connect with other moms in mother’s groups. I see God’s hand of preparation in all of these ways.

Isaiah 48:10-11
“See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the fire of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this. How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another.”

I have begun another exciting endeavour in the past few months; I am learning the violin. The violin is an instrument I have always wanted to play, but as so often happens in life, time and monetary concerns had kept me from pursuing this dream. However, at Christmas, instead of the typical gifts, I asked Brendan if I could write him a list of things that I knew were too expensive for me to buy any given week, but perhaps could form a gift that would help me pursue some of my interests, such as learning to play the violin, dance lessons, etc. So, he bought me a gift certificate for three hours of violin lessons and from there I purchased a second-hand violin and have been really enjoying this new hobby and discipline. I say discipline because to learn to read music and how to hold the instrument, etc can take a bit of practice. It has been a joy and one that I hope has also fostered a love of music in my son, though since I am a beginner that will be left to be seen! I leave you all with lyrics to a classic hymn I am learning on the violin right now (so excited I actually know a song that I am playing!) and pray that it blesses you.

Holy, Holy, Holy by Reginald Heber, 1826

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee; Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty! God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee, Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea; Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee, Who was, and is, and evermore shall be.

Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide Thee, Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see; Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee, Perfect in pow’r, in love, and purity.

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! All Thy works shall praise Thy Name, in earth, and sky, and sea; Holy, holy, holy; merciful and mighty! God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

With loving friendship,

Brooke

Small Cabin group at camp, larger cabin group at camp & Sydney crew at camp

2011-04-03T06:44:00.000-04:00

At Nelson Bay with Johanna, Brendan and I with the local wildlife at Blackbutt Reserve, some snaps from YL's Extreme Summer Camp 2011

2011-04-03T06:34:00.001-04:00

Brooke's Australia Adventure Update - Autumn 2011, April 3, 2011

2011-04-03T06:33:00.001-04:00

Dear friends,

I absolutely love the in-between months of the year – the autumn and the spring… not too hot and not too cold. Today was one of those perfect blue-sky days where you don’t need a sweater and the sun isn’t too hot but you feel comfortable. It was one of those days you want to bottle – what Australians call a ‘bottler’! These are the days I remember from in between the seasons… I have wonderful news to announce… I am 19 weeks pregnant! It is very exciting! And as the summer recedes and the cooler temperatures reach Sydney I am oh-so-grateful! The past three months have meant the fan directly on me as Sydney’s humidity reined supreme. Brendan and I are very much looking forward to this next season of parenthood. I am very blessed to not suffer from much morning sickness, although the past few weeks my hands have been swelling from fluid retention and carpal tunnel has impacted my wrists leaving my hands numb and with pins and needles… but as long as we have a healthy little one! I’d love your prayers for the continued healthy development of our baby and good health for me. If you have any pregnancy health tips – feel free to send them on! You may remember in my last update, that I mentioned my hectic October… Brendan and I had been trying to fall pregnant for a few months at that stage and being so busy and also disappointed that pregnancy had not yet come meant more tears for me than normal. But, it was the catalyst for me to simplify my life and we were so grateful to find out just a week after finishing up with my part-time job for Women’s Forum that indeed, we were pregnant. This has been so great as I’ve only been working four days this year and that day “off” can be used for all my medical appointments and to read up and prepare. To be honest, God had prepared us for the timing of our little one by speaking to us in prayer last August. We heard that we were to conceive in December. I look back and chastise myself for not believing that word and enjoying the months of August to December… but no, I still stressed out each month until December and then sought to rest in that word. Truly, God is in control and He is worthy to be praised!

Matthew 11:28-30
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

2011 has been a year of transition for us, as we knew it would be, and thankfully we were able to find a new place to live and moved in the third week of February. We have moved to a suburb called Dundas, an area between Carlingford and Parramatta, for those of you who know Sydney geography. It is a suburban community, about a 35-minutes drive from Woolloomooloo where we were living previously and means Brendan now has about an hour commute, taking three separate trains, compared to his 10-minute walk before. I, on the other hand, live only 15 minutes from my office and less than 5 minutes from many of the young people I work with and the main high school I minister in, Marsden High. This is a great joy for me to live in the community I work in and seek to have my life be more whole as I focus on this work of Young Life in an almost full-time capacity. Our new place is a 3-bedroom townhouse – complete even with a small yard! And the amazing thing is that we save $70 a week on rent compared to our previous place! It was truly a Godsend to be able to have so much room and yet save some money. We now have space both for a room for the baby, and a room that serves as an office for Brendan’s studies and a guest room, complete with en-suite bathroom! Brendan’s parents have delighted to help us fill the baby room with a crib, change table and bath that date from Brendan’s birth, along with many beautiful new baby clothes and nappies. The guest room provides another incentive for friends from afar to come visit! But if you want to see the new addition, come after the end of August, or if you want a quieter trip – come before! The new area is much quieter, of course, than city life, and is filled with nice trees. The house was not void of small surprises though – including cockroaches, fleas, plumbing issues and other handyman jobs – as well as a large rotten tree falling in the backyard on our second week in the house. But, all those minor jobs have been accomplished now (or unwanted guests chased out) and we are feeling more at home.

“Dance as though no one is watching. Love as though you have never been hurt. Sing as though no one can hear you. Live as though heaven is on earth.”
- Souza

The first term of work with Young Life and ministry to kids and communities has been very rewarding, challenging and fun. I promised you last update to let you know what happened at our annual Extreme Summer Camp. Camp was held in January from the 16th-21st and it was according to my seasoned boss, the hardest Young Life camp in his 20 plus years serving the mission. We had quite a high proportion of kids from extremely troubled circumstances and there were many struggling with physical, emotional, mental and spiritual problems. Out of only 45 kids, there were 10 trips to the hospital that were made through the week as one example of the hardships. But, out of the darkness, Christ’s light emerges, as it always does. Even in the hardest cases of stubborn hearts towards the gospel, the Lord can soften and open up a person to the Good News of His salvation through Jesus and the intimacy of the truth of the plans He has in store for their lives, living as His children. From the Sydney area, I witnessed four young men give their hearts to Jesus and the beauty of seeing this and the privilege of what it has meant in: their lives, their friendship groups and amazingly in the lives of their families. By no means is making a life-changing decision to trust Christ with their future an easy option, many have faced hardships, but what a journey of adventure! It is also great for our leaders to begin the process of discipleship. Please pray for Masi, Kurt, Sam and Ross, and for Tim and Brad as they meet with these new believers. My week at camp was consumed with caring for a group of girls from the Redlands area of Brisbane. The Ryde area I manage did end up having one girl come on camp, but due to the dynamic of the girls in the cabin, I ended up not being her cabin leader but sharing about half my time with her and staying with the Redlands girls the rest of the time. These girls’ attitudes were very tough and in the way they treated themselves, one another, and myself and the other cabin leader, I could tell from the very first night we were in for a rough time. They displayed virtually no respect for themselves, each other and certainly not for authority. Again, through the week, I witnessed God do His redemptive work, and one in the cabin responded to the message. I know that God works in mysterious ways and that I did see each of them respond to learning and hearing throughout the week, but it was a heavy camp in that much was left undone. That is the nature of the relationship ministry of Young Life though… the journey certainly does not end at camp. The leaders go home with the young people to continue to minister Christ’s love through weekly contact at school, at club, at their sporting events, and if they choose at church. I keep up with some of the Redlands girls on Facebook, but please pray for Rachel and the other Redlands leaders who display Christ to them each week and for perseverance in the face of many disappointments and hard circumstances.

2 Timothy 3:1-5
“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.”

The term of ministry in Ryde and Northern Sydney has been a very fruitful one. I am so pleased to report that we’ve seen new kids virtually each week at the Ryde club and although our re-launch for the Northern Sydney club was small, it was fun. One of the great blessings thus far this year is the abundance of leaders the Lord has brought. Truly our prayer for more labourers in the harvest field is bearing good fruit. Although Johanna and Jan-Michel finished up at the end of February, Brad, the senior leader for Northern Sydney has become an intern one day a week and in addition to his taking on of more responsibilities, we have added a few more leaders. They are: Nick, a former Chatswood High student that went on work crew this year at camp for the first time and is a junior leader for Northern Sydney; Eddie, a Canadian working holiday maker that was a Young Life leader for a few years in Alberta also helping with the Northern Sydney team; Les, a Morling Bible School student that loves Young Life’s passion for the unchurched and he drives a van (a great bonus to the team!); Kyle, a junior leader for the Ryde club that’s been involved with this club for 5 years; Becca, a study abroad student at Macquarie Uni who has been a leader in the US for three years and is an answer to prayer for female leaders at Ryde; and Joseph, a Youth Work student at TAFE that is doing a Work Experience with Young Life. He hails from Sri Lanka originally and is a humble and faithful servant in the work. You can still be praying that more female leaders join both teams, and also for someone to come and be in my position as I go on maternity leave, preferably female since both teams are still very male dominated. One of the amazing testimonies from the ministry in the beginning part of the year is the level of trust I have built with moms in the community that are calling for extra support with their teenagers. Most of these moms are in situations where the father of their child isn’t helping out much with their raising and they need someone to listen, care for them, as well as continue to care for their teenagers and teach them about love and respect that they are not necessarily able to do because of the lack of partner support in the parenting process or a myriad of other issues. I am not sure I have all the resources, but I definitely know the One that can comfort them. Perhaps because I am pregnant now, or due to ministering consistently in the same area for over two years now, I see the trust that has been built and am able to see families change through the ministry. Another exciting part of the work that has been flourishing since the beginning of the year is the opportunity to see the body of Christ being more unified in the Ryde area. I’ve been able to start praying regularly with others from several churches at the Ryde Council once a month and with Council member Vic Tagg. It has become a treasured part of my month and has led to the genesis of a youth pastor breakfast and network for the Ryde area that developed out of a new friendship I made with one of the other youth pastors that attends the prayer time. In addition, there have been joint events with churches like our combined “Fun for a Reason” night held on Friday the 1st of April with Macquarie Chapel Presbyterian Church. It was our second event together and was primarily a social event where our youth to get together, play a bunch of retro video games and old school games like Jenga, Uno and ping pong, eat a lot of sugar from fresh doughnuts, fairy floss, ice cream spiders (think Coke floats for Americans) and be able to donate for each portion of the night to help kids in the developing world through the ministry of Compassion Australia. Other events like the Stampede Music Festival which brought together 14 local youth groups for a massive outreach night of music, laser tag, skating and a message and the planning for the annual Easter parade and festival have all been such a blessing as it answers so many of my prayers that the churches would be unified in the building of the kingdom in our community, instead of competing with events. Pray that these relationships continue and that more are added to the numbers who believe because of this unity.

John 17:22-23
“I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one, as we are one. I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

As Brendan and I prepare for all the radical changes that will inevitably come with being first-time parents, we are cherishing this season together. Brendan has had a busy start to the year but we’ve managed to still enjoy the times we share by going together to ultra sound appointments, have a vision day together writing down and praying through our next 5-10 years of marriage, enjoying church, and our family and friends. He is such a faithful husband and I am so grateful to be growing alongside him in this season. We are hosting a dear friend of mine from my hometown that has been teaching English in Cambodia the past two years, Erin McElroy, and this will be a great delight for me to share our worlds after a few years of not seeing one another. It is always a challenge to keep up with friends and family who live far away, but visits like this are so precious. She is coming during our annual Presence Conference for our church. Bill Johnson, from Bethel Church in Redding, California; Kong Hee from Harvest Rock Church in Singapore; Marcos Witt and Kari Jobe from Lakewood Church in Texas and our very own Phil and Chris Pringle from C3 in Sydney are all sharing in ministry at this amazing conference. It will be Brendan’s and my first Presence, but we’ve heard amazing reports about past years and are looking forward to it and to share it with Erin. So friends, there is much to look forward to for us in the coming months! Thank you for journeying with us and for your prayers and sharing your lives through your blogs, updates and personal e-mails. If you’d like our new address, please send e-mail to me directly and I’ll respond. I’ll leave you with some inspirational worship lyrics that came out of Bethel Church’s ‘Jesus Culture’ worship group that our church has fallen in love with in the past few months. If you are looking for an anointed worship CD that will take you to a greater place of intimacy, I would highly recommend it.

‘Rooftops’ by Jesus Culture

I lift my hands cause You set me free
So I shout out Your name, from the rooftops I proclaim
That I am Yours, I am Yours
All that I am, I place into Your loving hands
And I am Yours, I am Yours

With loving friendship,

Brooke

Melbourne shots, with the family & Sydney fireworks 2011

2011-01-02T05:04:00.000-05:00

Sydney harbour, Glyn doing pancakes, Michel brakedancing, Johanna hip hop dancing

2011-01-02T05:01:00.000-05:00

Brooke’s Australia Adventure Update – Summer 2011, January 2, 2011

2011-01-02T05:00:00.001-05:00

Dear friends,

Happy New Year! What a joy it is to be writing you at the dawn not only of a new year but also of a new decade! As I look back on both the past year and decade, I am amazed at all the wonders God has done in my life and I have no doubt that His faithfulness will remain with me as I continue to live in the moment and trust Him with my tomorrows. I pray the same is true for you in your life as you read this. I know for me, the past few months were very hectic and I have made some decisions to create space in my life in 2011 to be more intentional on being present and enjoying the moment I am in. I hope as I share my journey, if you can relate, then you too will be encouraged as we begin a new year to look at what are your priorities and how we all can be living more aligned with them.

“Have no fear for tomorrow, My child. Tomorrow will hold only what I bring or allow in your life.”
- - Echoes of Eternity

October was a breaking point month for me. Both of my part-time jobs had been growing and growing and I came to the spot where I realised my pace of life was not sustainable. I was always feeling like I was in maintenance mode with my work and that I couldn’t get ahead. Part of this was driven by travel and opportunities that took me out of routine, like the HSC study camp to Coffs Harbour, speaking engagements for Women’s Forum in Canberra and Newcastle as well as an event in Brisbane, and a fundraiser and event for Young Life on two consecutive weekends… all in October! Part of it was also that during this hectic work month, one of the girls I have been seeking to disciple and meet with regularly went, as they say in Australia, “off the rails.” This means, the rebellious behaviour, lying, older boyfriend, drugs, etc was found out by her family and she chose to leave home and I became an emergency carer and the one to try and help her find a shelter, as well as seek to help counsel her family in this troubling time. It was a month where there were some victories and also a lot of emotions and I felt like there was no way I could catch up on the administrative loads my work required between all the other important things… It was a month where I cried and as I thought about 2011, I thought, there’s no way I can keep up this pace. So, in that realisation, Brendan and I started praying regularly (I know, we should have put that priority in place long ago), and we decided that I would resign from my part-time work with Women’s Forum. This was a difficult decision to make because I had seen so many incredible opportunities develop and great relationships made, and also the impact of being with high school girls and seeing them receive truth with joy was a great incentive to stay. Thankfully, in speaking with my boss about the weight I was feeling she offered me freedom and was even open to considering my proposal of a consulting role that would allow me to continue the occasional speaking engagement and event and yet free me from the administrative burden I was under. Once this decision was made to create some space and focus on the work with Young Life and life in general, a huge peace came in and I finished up my role with Women’s Forum on the 14th of December. So, 2011 begins with a choice to simplify our lifestyle a bit, where I will add another day on to Young Life, so from 3 to 4 days, with the help of friends and donors, and Brendan and I will be moving in order to be able to save some money on rent in order to accommodate for the lower income I’ll be bringing in. I am so grateful that I have the support of a husband who is willing to leave the beautiful city apartment we’ve shared this first year and a half of marriage, where he only has a 10 minute walking commute, to be able to allow my life more centrality and peace. We are hoping to move into the area where I do Young Life, which will also be a blessing in that (besides a shorter commute for me) we’ll live closer to the girls I am seeking to disciple and will be able to host Bible studies at our house. A blessing too is that in this area around Ryde, we can rent a 2-bedroom apartment and still save money, where we are only in a 1-bedroom now and it can give us room to grow as a family. Please pray for us as we are looking for a place to move in February and are still seeking to know the best area and price.
Psalm 107:7
“He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle.”

One of God’s great blessings to me personally, and also to the ministry of Young Life, is the ability to have an intern from Germany come and work alongside me. Johanna Lohrer, and her husband Jan-Michel, joined us from Stuttgart in early October in order for her to complete a practical traineeship for her Social Work degree in Germany. She has been working full-time and will continue to be with us until the end of February. She has been a blessing in many ways both to the area of Ryde and Northern Sydney, but also to the National staff, as we both have benefited from her labour in the office and also her work with me in schools, at the community centres we do contact work at, and at the various community events we’ve had recently. She is also a talented hip hop dancer, and her husband is an excellent break dancer and we’ve been able to allow these gifts to be used in order to teach the students at the All City Club in December, to entertain at the Ryde Combined Churches Community Carol event and at the Chatswood Youth Centre break –dancing jams that take place monthly. Having her serve alongside me reminds me how much I enjoy being able to teach someone about the incredible ministry we are able to do in Young Life and it has been wonderful to see her become more confident, not only with her English language skills, but in her boldness in speaking to youth at school and with the model of Young Life and ministering to students. Her timing in coming was a real blessing also because we received a Willoughby Council grant to begin doing weekly pancake breakfasts at Chatswood High School and we began those this past term, her help on making the mix each week has been invaluable. This has been a fantastic initiative to help us get to know and serve more students at the school. Approximately 50-100 teens a week enjoy a pancake breakfast with us on a Wednesday morning before school. We were also able to put on a large-scale sausage sizzle BBQ for the girls at Willoughby Girls High School following the Christmas presentation ending scripture for the year. These outreaches have enabled us to meet more youth and help them build trust in us. We are looking forward to re-launching a Young Life club in the Northern Sydney area in early 2011 after having a hiatus this second half of 2010. Please pray for our team as we plan this new beginning and a huge praise God for a family that has agreed to host the club when we start back up. Please also pray that God provides more leaders for this area, as some of our founding leaders in this area have gone overseas or moved to other parts of Sydney.

Psalm 136:1
“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever.”

The ministry in Ryde continues its weekly club and we are all preparing for the annual Extreme Summer Camp to begin. Please remember us from the 16th-21st of January. We will be in Coffs Harbour, the same venue as the HSC Study camp and summer camp is truly an incredible opportunity to have the youth we’ve been ministering to all year out of their comfort zones and in a place where they are able to really think about life and the purpose of it. It is an action-packed and fun week that also provides a safe place for reflection and an opportunity for spiritual questions to emerge and be shared in the cabin. At this point, I hope to go as a cabin leader, but have had a lot of difficulty in recruiting girls this year. I am grateful to report we have a full boys cabin, but would love your prayers that the girls that are meant to come to camp this year will come and that there would be nothing (finances, work, distractions) that would stop them from coming. Camp also sets up opportunities to begin meeting in smaller groups for the new school year with students. Your prayers mean so much on this, so thank you for joining me and I hope to give a good report in my next update. A great joy is that Brendan will be joining me on camp this year as a Summer Staff volunteer – this will be a lot of fun to have him there and to be serving together to build God’s kingdom.

Psalm 89:1&8
“I will sing of the LORD’s great love forever, with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. O LORD God Almighty, who is like you? You are mighty, O LORD, and your faithfulness surrounds you.”

Besides all the work and ministry activities these past few months have brought, Brendan and I have really made the time to prayerfully consider the desire of our hearts. This has led Brendan to apply to begin a part-time Master’s degree this year in Political Economy at the University of Sydney. This will mean we will be living in Sydney for the next few years at least, but will also give us more options for the type of work Brendan might be able to do elsewhere following. So, at a time when I’ll be working less, Brendan will be taking on a little more responsibility, also he is getting more involved with the Financial Services Union at the Reserve Bank. I am a very proud wife of all that Brendan is doing and achieving professionally and will look forward to helping more on the home-front to balance things a bit more these next few years so Brendan can juggle his new roles confidently. We were also very blessed to be able to take a holiday this past week between Christmas and New Year’s with his parents to Melbourne. This was again a great chance to see more of Australia together and have time with his family. The motivation for the trip was for Brendan and his dad to bond at the Ashes cricket tournament, a competition held in Australia every four years between Australia and England. Brendan and Zivko had enjoyed the time together in Melbourne four years ago for three of the five day Boxing Day test match and decided to go again this year, unfortunately for Australia the Ashes were lost to England. But, Barbara (Brendan’s mom) and I didn’t mind doing some shopping at the sales while the boys were at the cricket. Add to this the amazing Italian/Greek/Indian cuisine we enjoyed, the Queen Victoria Markets, going to see Hairspray the musical and a soccer match where the Newcastle Jets played the Melbourne Victory at the new AAMI stadium, rounded out a great week. Brendan and I made it home just in time for the Sydney fireworks on Friday. Johanna, Michel and their friend Sandro joined us on our roof for the 9 PM kiddie fireworks and we all made our way down to Observatory Hill for the midnight famous ones. It was a great end to 2010 and an incredible start to 2011. Having international friends around really reminds me again how blessed we are to live here and the beauty all around us, and reminds me of my joy-filled experience at the Southeast White House, which was always filled with young internationals serving at the house. Please continue to keep Sydney in your travel thoughts and come visit us – we are always glad to show people around! Plus, it is a great destination city for great concerts – Brendan and I have seen Bon Jovi and U2 in the past few weeks!! A last reflection on the blessings of the end of the year is the amazing connect group we’ve grown with in this past year. As we prepare to move, we realise we can’t leave our church as we’ve just began really developing the closeness of relationships that a church is meant to look like, a family. With our connect group this is fleshed out so well with regular catch ups and reliable praying friends. We’ve been so blessed and I hope that for you this is true in your life too. The intimacy that we can have in Christ should be like a family and yes, families have their ups and downs, but God calls us together to love. To love him and to love others, that is what we are here to discover. I will leave you with a part of a verse and the chorus of a song we sing at C3 called “All We Need.” It is on the “Love Is” album that came out earlier this year, check it out at: http://www.myc3church.net/sites/default/files/audio/allweneed.mp3

All We Need (Love Is)

How wide, how deep, how high, how low
It’s from the cross salvation flows
And that is how we know what love is
Chorus
Love is all we need
Jesus Christ in me
Love is all we need today

“Now, to find God, I have to look where God is. Those who want to find God must look where he lives – must live in the same manner, for the same things, for the same reasons. ‘God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him’ (1 John 4:16). Every time we chose to love, we take a step closer to God; it is as if he is right there. Every time we choose something else, we take a step away. I want God so I choose love.”

- John & Stasi Eldredge from Love & War

With loving friendship,

Brooke

Perth, Rottnest Island, Mildura & Broken Hill - August Roadtrip 2010

2011-01-02T00:23:00.000-05:00

Road Trip Photos August 2010 - SA outback on the Nullabor to WA

2011-01-02T00:16:00.000-05:00

Spring 2010 Update

2010-10-04T06:05:00.002-04:00

Brooke’s Australia Adventure Update – Spring 2010 October 4, 2010

Dear friends,

I love warm weather, the sun shining on your skin that is no longer covered up by multiple layers and the ability to wear sandals comfortably... I know this must all be influenced by my growing up in Florida, but I have to say how glad I am that the colder weather seems to have shifted out now. I went swimming this past week for the first time in an outdoor pool in over six months and I have to say I am excited summer is coming! I was in Coffs Harbour this past week – a beautiful place on the northern NSW coast that is filled with banana plantations, tropical birds, beaches and the beginning of warmer weather! I was sitting writing this update at an HSC Year 12 study camp being held in Coffs Harbour. For my American friends, let me just explain that the HSC is a test that students in New South Wales take that gives them a score that will allow universities to know where they should be placed (their test score is also influenced by the prestige of their high school, and they study off certain subjects). This is a camp that Young Life runs annually to allow Year 12 students a chance to come away from their home environment and provides tutors to help them with subjects they might need a bit of extra assistance with and has a mandatory four hour a day study period (often much more time than they would choose to study at home themselves). Of course, since it is a Young Life camp, it is a week also filled with fun activities like a high ropes course, beach trips, and crazy games and skits – which is where I come in. Kelly and I together actually, (Kelly is our newest amazing Ryde leader I mentioned last time). We have come up to help be the Program team which means lots of silly costumes, wigs, laughter and organising group games and competitions during what they have termed “Compulsory Fun.” The time of course is a lot of fun, despite the term compulsory. We’ve been having a blast doing this role even though neither of us knew what we were doing at the beginning. It has been a great learning curve and such a blessing to do this together to strengthen our friendship and ability to lead with Young Life in stronger ways. Being a part of the team behind the scenes of a camp is also a lot of fun as you are able to hear from cabin leaders how students are responding to the message of Jesus from club each night and afterwards in cabin time, being able to pray with the team before club and during cabin time is also such a unique opportunity and makes me so grateful for all the different roles in a Young Life camping team. Each is unique, but all supports the time that ultimately leaders have with kids to clearly present and explain the gospel, the good news. We brought with us one year 12 from Sydney, Lydia to camp. Please keep her and the rest of the 50 some other students that are faced with a big challenge beginning in less than two weeks... to take a test they feel determines their future. For those of us who have been through that end of high school and beyond, we know that there are many things that will determine their future... but the most important is who they choose to follow. Pray with me that the seeds planted this week would reap a good harvest in due season.

Matthew 13:23
“But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

Australia is filled with some unbelievable scenery. Brendan and I were able firsthand to experience some of it as we took a two week holiday in August that coincided with the celebration of our one year wedding anniversary. We decided to take a road trip to visit some places neither of us had been before and to visit some dear family members and friends that aren’t often seen because of how far away they lived. So, we started doing some research and found some cheap flights to a few of the places and some deals on relocating vehicles (think campervans and 4WD’s) to other places in order to have our adventure. Here was our itinerary and a few of the highlights in case you’d ever like to visit these places...
• Flew to Adelaide and picked up campervan from Apollo Rentals – first day drove to Wildunna in South Australia, through Kimba where a giant galah (pink and grey parrot) awaits with a sign that says you’re in the centre of Australia’s south
• Drove through Ceduna, that’s famous for oysters, to the Great Australian Bight National Park where we spotted over 20 whales, all mothers with their babes in pairs, from the cliffs immediately above and stayed that night just outside of Eucla in the beginning of Western Australia. This night was our anniversary night and although Eucla is a place on the map (therefore we were hoping for a good meal), it turned out that there were 172 cars stopping there that were a part of a Variety Bash charity race driving from Victoria in Australia’s east to Margaret River in the west... for their 11 day race, they were all meeting up to have dinner in the one road house for hundreds of kilometres we were meant to... which meant that we got take away burgers and chips (all that was on offer) and ate our anniversary meal in our campervan with the bottle of Moet champagne that we had (thankfully!) packed with us for the occasion.
• Continued across the Nullabor Plain (meaning no trees in Latin, but there were a surprising amount of shrubs) through the stretch of the straightest road in Australia – 90 miles without a turn, and ended up in Kalgoorlie-Boulder for the night. This is the home of the “Golden Mile” and the super pit gold mine. Brendan has cousins here and we spent the night parked in their yard and enjoyed a tour of the town from them, including seeing the historic pubs of Boulder that have recently been rocked by an earthquake in April that has left many beyond repair. Here in Kalgoorlie we journeyed underground to a former gold mining shaft 12 feet underground at the Mining Hall of Fame and were amazed by how massive the trucks are that are now used at the open pit mine.
• On the road again we journeyed through Norseman (where a horse was the one to discover gold) to the beautiful beaches of Esperance on the Southern Ocean. Here we saw a sea lion beside the jetty as the sun was setting and enjoyed a night parked beside the ocean. This was a place I could definitely go back to!
• The next day we drove through Albany, a former whaling city, through the winding roads of the ancient jarrah forests to arrive in Margaret River, a beautiful wine growing region. Here, excellent food and wine awaited us and although we only had time for one winery tour, Vasse Felix, the oldest in the region, it was well worth a taste and with wineries located beside the beach I reckon it might be worth a longer visit again.
• We then spent almost a week exploring Perth and the surrounding environs with Brendan’s cousins and uni friends and our mutual friends Deb and Nick. Perth was an absolutely beautiful city that was very easy to manage and also easy to see why our friends and family love living there. From a Perth Glory soccer match, to lunch at Hillary’s Boat Harbour eating crocodile, emu, kangaroo and buffalo, to sipping wine in the Swan Valley or boutique beer at Little Creatures in Freemantle, it is an amazing city. Brendan especially liked visiting the Perth Mint and seeing a real gold pouring demonstration, in addition to the time with family of course. And we both loved taking a boat down the Swan River, past the multi-million dollar mansions of the mining magnates to Rottnest Island, 20 km off the coast. This beautiful place was perfect for a day of bicycling and exploring. There are these creatures here called quokkas that are miniature wallabies (like tiny kangaroos) and they only stand one foot high. The island was named after them when the Dutch explorers came and thought they were rats – which is what Rottnest means – in Dutch – rat’s nest. It was a beautiful day and another place well worth a trip back to. A highlight of our trip to Perth was being with young families as two of the households have young children in them – Sonny and Luka and Joshua were amazing to spend time with.
• From Perth we flew back to Adelaide and had our first night with my new Young Life friends Hannah and Adam that are beginning Young Life in the Barossa Valley. We were able to go to church with them that night and hear Sy Rogers speak, amazing as usual. Check him out if you haven’t heard him before, he has an incredible testimony. We were also able to visit one of the directors for Women’s Forum Australia, Selena and her family in Adelaide. Selena is such an incredible woman, currently pregnant with their sixth child and it was amazing to see how full and fun their household was!
• The next day we picked up our 4WD in Adelaide and headed to Mildura, an oasis in the desert in the northwest corner of Victoria. This is fruit growing region as the Murray River flows through irrigating the orchards and fields surrounding. We went there for me to present at two Positive Body Image Forums on behalf of Women’s Forum Australia’s research. One was directed at service providers: teachers, counsellors and others working with youth. The second was for parents and their teenagers. It was a wonderful experience speaking in a rural environment and being so warmly received. Brendan and I enjoyed amazing food and wine in this town and again, a place we’d go back to. The cliffs along the Murray River were also stunning and well worth a look.
• From Mildura we travelled through Wentworth to see where the Murray and Darling Rivers come together. Unfortunately we couldn’t see the sediment mixing as they had had so much rain they seemed to look the same. (Just a note about this... we were expecting as we were driving through some of the driest parts of the country to have it be a dusty drive, but since we went in winter, we actually drove through rain almost every day on our trip. This meant we saw amazing yellow fields of canola alongside blue skies and rainbows with the dark clouds, unexpectedly on our trip.) From Wentworth we stopped at the Perry Sand Hills, a well-photographed spot with a huge gum tree in the middle of it and drove up to Broken Hill. This is an old silver mining town that boasts the highest number of pubs per capita anywhere in Australia (although many of the licenses were sold to Sydney for the 2000 Olympics and are now bed and breakfasts). We had a wonderful time in Broken Hill going to a 1950s style milk bar called Bell’s for thick shakes, seeing the living desert garden and the multitude of Sturt Desert Peas in bloom (Brendan’s favourite flower that he had never seen in the wild before because they only bloom in the desert after a rain, not a regular occurrence), and the amazing sculptures overlooking the town. We also enjoyed going to Silverton, a ghost town about 20 km outside of Broken Hill that the majority of the buildings were transported to Broken Hill after more silver was discovered there. All that is left in Silverton are the brick buildings that couldn’t be dragged by horses in the late 19th century. Silverton has been featured in many movies including Mad Max 2 and the pub there has been in ads for so many different products that we had to stop and have a beer there to see the paraphernalia. Brendan can’t wait to go back to Broken Hill and has been telling everyone about it since we’ve been back.
• Finally, we journeyed the 1200 km back to Sydney in one day and found that there really isn’t much between Broken Hill and Dubbo... but with a visit to Bathurst to see Heather, another Young Life friend, and the promise of our bed at the end, the drive was worth it. There are however, quite a lot of emus, wild goats and kangaroos that you will see!

Altogether, we felt very blessed to have travelled about 6,000 km on our two week holiday and to have done in at the one year point in our marriage. The time in the car offered lots of reflection space, dreaming time and by going through a book on marriage, Love and War by John and Staci Eldridge and time to talk about deeper things in our relationship. In addition to the blessing of books on tape, CDs like Bruce Springsteen, episode 1 of Kath and Kim and time with friends and family, it will certainly be a trip to remember!

Romans 12:11-13
“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”

Life has seemed especially full the past few weeks we’ve been back from our holidays and there has been many opportunities to serve the Lord, for which we continue to be thankful. Just a few highlight’s I’ll leave you with are that I’ve began teaching Year 7 & 8 scripture classes at Willoughby Girls High School, a school in the Northern Sydney area. This is an area we were running fortnightly Young Life clubs in for the past 15 months, but has recently stopped. This ability to now teach scripture in this new school will hopefully allow us more outreach opportunities and as we are in a transitional time in this area, your prayers for re-building of a team and a new initiative of club here would be great. Another exciting beginning is for Women’s Forum a new initiative this year to celebrate Love Your Body Day with our members. This is an annual event that first began in 1997 in the US with the National Organisation of Women (NOW) to resist the fake and unrealistic images of women seen everywhere in our society and encourage women to love how they’ve been created. We’ll celebrate this on the 21st of October and are encouraging Women’s Forum Australia’s members to host a morning/afternoon tea in honour of this and invite their friends and help raise money for our School Ambassador Program we’ve began in Sydney this year. It’s very exciting to be able to continue to have different initiatives that support women’s wellbeing and freedom! I am sure there is much more I could write, but I do want to be sensitive to how long I write and your eyes on the computer, so I’ll leave you there and thank you for your friendship, prayers and for journeying with me.

Psalm 68:1, 5 & 6a
“May God arise, may his enemies be scattered; may his foes flee before him. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families.”

With loving friendship,

Brooke

Young Life photos: Crows Nest at ACC, Brad, Steph & Shann at Chatswood, beauty of Armidale & Brooke and Erica at Ryde outing

2010-07-04T04:38:00.002-04:00

Brendan's birthday, Kiama blowhole, NSW, with Jamie on working bee in Armidale & Brendan and Brooke at Kiama

2010-07-04T04:26:00.002-04:00

Brooke's Australia Adventure Update - Winter 2010, July 4, 2010

2010-07-04T04:25:00.001-04:00

Brooke’s Australia Adventure Update – Winter 2010 July 4, 2010
Dear friends, Winter has well and truly come to the southern hemisphere! Here in Sydney in the past week we had the coldest night in 61 years! Now, before you start feeling bad for me, I do realize that compared with the majority of winters where you live it is not that bad here, but the temperature dropped to 4.3 degrees Celsius (or 39.74 Fahrenheit). Which, when you don’t have heating can be a bit cold. But of course no snow is threatening our sunny city. It is fun though to see from our third floor balcony across Cook and Philip Park there is an Alpine Festival on right now, in the square immediately in front of St Mary’s Cathedral. They’ve brought in an outdoor ice-skating rink, and food vendors to represent many international cuisines, and of course serve mulled wine! But besides our winter – I must say Happy Independence Day to all my friends and family back in the US! Brendan and I are off to enjoy a fourth of July BBQ with some fellow expatriates this afternoon hosted by my dear friend Leila. And of course, to all my Canadian family I also hope Canada Day was a fun holiday for you too this year. It is so fun that we were able to be there in both nations this year as we celebrate from afar with you at this time of the year.

Romans 13:8
“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.”

These past few months for us have been wonderfully full. We’re both well and truly in the swing of life at work and yet have also been making an effort to be hospitable and enjoy having friends over for dinner quite regularly. Both of us continue to enjoy cooking and since we’ve been married we’ve done a celebrated cookbook of the month that we’d cook out of in order to learn new recipes and challenge our culinary aptitudes. It has been fun and a good way to enjoy staying home and indeed welcoming others into our home. Some favorites in the past few months include Jamie Oliver’s “America” (that we used for today’s 4th of July potato salad & sweet potato pie) & The Columbia Restaurant (my favorite place to eat in Florida, Cuban & Spanish food) that we enjoyed many dishes full of olive oil and garlic. This is a great skill for us to have, but doesn’t help my waistline so much… so in April I decided to train for another marathon – the Blackmores Sydney Marathon, which will take place on the 19th of September. I had run this half marathon in 2007, but haven’t run a full marathon since 2004. I decided though I was up for another physical challenge. I always remember how good it is to see a city by putting in serious training runs, and having had the opportunity to train for my first marathon in St Augustine, FL and my second in Washington, DC – I thought this would be a great way to get to know Sydney. Of course when you decide something like this, you remember all the benefits and good parts of the past runs you’ve done… what you forget is how early you have to get up to do a run before work, how cold and dark it can be to train (in winter!!), and how bored you can get mentally when training alone. But, once I decide to take something on, I am pretty stubborn about staying the course. Plus, a fantastic benefit about distance running is that it does offer time to reflect and pray and I’ve discovered that in a busy life this is a time that is so precious. All was going well with the training until I decided I should have my sore toe checked out by a physio. Turns out I had a ligament injury caused probably by my running on flat feet… I never knew I had those before! Anyways, I am waiting on orthotics and icing the toe and doing all sorts of cross training to keep fit as I rest from running.

2 Timothy 2:2
“And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.”

The work with Young Life continues to fill up much of my life with amazing opportunities to speak words of life from God’s word into teenagers and young adults lives. A few highlights have been our annual Northern Leadership Retreat that was held in April in Scotts Head, on the mid-north coast of New South Wales. This was a chance for all the volunteer leaders to come together with the staff of the northern region – stretching from Bathurst/Sydney to Ipswich in Queensland. I was able to share at the retreat from Women’s Forum research on the female image in young women’s magazines as well as the hard yards within the ministry of Young Life – the things that are hard, but where we find our strength and our motivation from the Lord in those places. Coming together with others who are likeminded in serving God and youth is a huge encouragement to me and makes driving 6 or 7 hours each way in the weekend so worth it. Plus, these road trips also allow for fantastic getting to know you conversations to happen. Kelly, our newest Young Life leader in Ryde, was in the car with Brendan, Brad and I up and back on this trip and it was so fun to hear from her, even if we were playing games most of the way. On the June long-weekend we decided to pack up the car once again and brought Jamie, a year 10 student from Ryde, along with us to go to Armidale and help out on a working bee to fix up a property called Coventry. Coventry has been a place that Young Life has leased from the Anglican Church in Armidale for a number of years, but it was in need of some TLC. The vision is for the property next year is to be used to host a gap-year program for Young Life. This means that students leaving high school can come here to live and be trained in Young Life’s ministry principles, be able to practically do ministry with Young Life in Armidale, and work a part-time job, all with the hopes of them seeing if this type of work is for them. It is a great vision that we wanted to support and so through painting, pulling up tree stumps and having Bible studies around Jesus as a servant leader for the high school students that came to help, we all saw much accomplished in the few short days. One of the best parts of the weekend was seeing a whole community come out to serve on the Saturday. There were over 30 of us for lunch that day, as different churches had heard about the vision and need, and different small groups brought people with both skill and a willingness to work. Plumbers re-tiled and ripped out unused toilets as older members helped with outdoor labor. It was a great picture of the body of Christ working together. Another picture of that for me this term was our All City Club (ACC). We have one of these events each term where the different clubs from the different areas of the city can join together for a larger night of fun and outreach. In Sydney currently we have Young Life held weekly in Ryde, fortnightly in Crows Nest, and we have partners in ministry at two churches in Maroubra. On the 18th of June we held our ACC for Term 2 (of the school year) and it was a Michael Jackson (MJ) Memorial Club. It was the second club that the newly formed ACC Committee helped plan. The ACC Committee is made up of former Young Life leaders that can’t commit weekly to club anymore because of work or family commitments, but are full of great brainstorming ideas and are willing to help plan and be at the occasional quarterly ACC. This term’s club was the most fun one I’ve been involved with and I believe part of that was seeing how so many different people got on board using their gifts to serve. Our night was divided into Michael Jackson’s different eras of music and as the youth were split into 4 different teams (LaToya, Blanket, Tito & Janet), they went to different rooms where games and activities were held with that musical era. It ranged from the “ABC” room where children’s games like Pass the Parcel were played headed up by Steph, to the “Beat It” (or eat it) room where Brendan had the youth playing musical chairs and the one out would have to lift up a photo of MJ on a poster to find instructions to either “beat it” (using many different disgusting ingredients like canned mackerel or creamed corn) or “eat it.” One of the rooms, the “Black or White” room had props and costumes where the youth could film their own version of the song, you can see the finished product where all the videos were edited together on You Tube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFOCOYVnzwQ
From here, we filed in for the club portion of the night where the ACC band led us in song and this band was brought together by our young Ryde leaders who wanted to have a band that spanned the geographic areas and not just were filled by the host club of the night. Then, Erin, an American former YL leader gave a fantastic talk about looking for love in so many places that can only be found in God. Then (I know the night just kept on going and getting better!!) a young man from Chatswood High that we’ve been getting to know during lunchtime contact work, Yovan came with his friend and performed a popping dance for us to MJ’s “Billie Jean.” We’ve been trying to get Yovan to come for so long and it was great to have him involved and from there, the Hip Hop Church, Krosswerdz joined us to do some break dancing and spinning with the J.A.W.R. crew. Seriously it was an amazing night filled with so many sharing so freely – from those who helped film and edit, to the set-up, clean up crew, to those that manned the canteen. The night was so much fun for all the youth that came and I believe revealed to them the love Jesus has for them in such a real way. I love being a part of a ministry that brings people together from different churches to reach teens that are not currently being reached. The last trip I’ll share that I’ve taken with Young Life is to help train, along with my boss and a few other seasoned Young Life veterans, a group of new leaders that are hoping to get Young Life started in the Barossa Valley of South Australia. I was able to work with Fudge, the head of our camping ministry with Young Life, to share about the joys and Biblical principals of contact work, going into the world of a teenager and being Jesus with skin on to those that we meet. We also shared about the rest of the Young Life model, church partnerships, club, camp, and campaigner small group Bible studies. It was fun to also be with them in preparing how to run a club and give them resources for skits and games and watch them run one themselves. The joy of seeing a team come together and get excited about strategically planning how they were going to reach the youth of their community was exhilarating and what a privilege to pray for this fledgling work.

1 Corinthians 12:1
“The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.”

Work with Women’s Forum Australia also continues to interest and challenge me, as I have been working with our pilot School Ambassador Program (SAP) as well as expanding my speaking into schools and community groups in presenting on our research. One fun and interesting speaking engagement was to share at the Ukrainian Catholic Women’s League Association Day. Brendan came along with me since he hasn’t heard me present on Faking It: The Female Image in Young Women’s Magazines before, but it turned out he still didn’t get to, as the priest that was blessing the day, spirited him away to drink whiskey and have men talk. I was also able to present and serve as part of a panel for TeenStreet’s inaugural Sydney camp. TeenStreet is a part of Operation Mobilization’s ministry and the original camp began in Germany and serves thousands of youth each summer. I am always encouraged when I have the opportunity to present the research as I see it brings life into girls lives to realize how much they are believing about themselves comes from media influences and how it limits their free thinking and movement to be caught in the trap of the “beauty myth” as Naomi Wolf says. I’ve been reading many books lately on the topic of girl world and here are a few recommended readings. What’s Happening to our Girls? (and the newly released What’s Happening to our Boys?) by Maggie Hamilton – excellent books that deal with the over selling, over stimulation and over sexualisation of our current culture. Queen Bees and Wannabees by Rosalind Wiseman – excellent resource for parents of teenage daughters or youth workers. Another good read, but a hard one is Victor Malarek’s Johns: Sex for Sale and the Men who Buy It – a book that really reveals the demand side of the equation for why girls and women (and boys too) are bought and sold in prostitution.

“Our culture teaches girls a very dangerous and confusing code of behavior about what constitutes “appropriate” feminine behavior (i.e., you should be sexy, but not slutty; you should be independent, but you’re no one without a boyfriend).”
- Rosalind Wiseman, Queen Bees and Wannabees

Brendan and I have also been getting more involved with our church and have joined a Connect group that has been a source of much joy, deeper friendships, and needed prayer in our life. As I close, I’d ask you friends to keep in prayer both organizations I work for as the financial year has just come to a close. Working with charities means we are reliant on supporters donations, please pray for the resources to continue to pour forth so we can continue to do the work we have set before us. Please also pray for volunteer leaders for the work in Northern Sydney with Young Life, our dear faithful senior leader for Crows Nest, Stephanie, has gone on a European adventure for at least six months, and there is a need and opportunity for God to reform the team. I really appreciate each of your friendship, love and support over the years. Please know that if there is anything I can be praying for you personally, I’d love to be and even if I don’t always respond quickly, I do read e-mails.

I leave you with an encouraging quote from Philip Doddridge, an eighteenth-century minister, and a response from the Wilberforce devotional 365 days with Wilberforce. I pray you too will find encouragement from it.

“For to his Almighty grace nothing is hard, not even to transform a rock of marble into a man or a saint.” ‘So may we become ornaments of grace in the hands of the Master Artist.’

With loving friendship,

Brooke

Photos from the US: dad and Jan in PG, Brendan and Audra at Disney, with mom and Dan in St Augustine, at NPB with Steve & Marie, with Charisma

2010-04-04T04:23:00.003-04:00

Young Life camp snaps of Ryde girls cabin, Mary's leap of adventure, kangaroos at camp, Ciara and Brooke in Harlem & Brendan & Brooke on Empire State

2010-04-04T02:43:00.002-04:00

Brooke's Australia Adventure Update - Autumn 2010, April 4, 2010

2010-04-04T02:42:00.000-04:00

Brooke’s Australia Adventure Update – Autumn 2010, April 4, 2010
Dear friends, We have entered a new season here in the southern hemisphere - autumn. Happy Resurrection Sunday from Sydney! As we woke up this morning we were able to have an extra hour of sleep as Daylight Savings time ends and the weather really did feel a little cooler and refreshing and it was a gentle reminder of a new day. Imagine what it was like to wake up after mourning for the death of Jesus for three days and then finding that he was really alive! That was really the beginning of everything changing on this earth and every Easter we are able to remember that we are free if we have accepted that what Jesus accomplished on the cross was really all that needed to be accomplished. That truly when Jesus said, "it is finished" on the cross (John 19:30), it meant that there was nothing more needed to be done to reunite man to their creator but to accept that this sacrifice of his body and blood being poured out was the perfect sacrifice that would cover all of our sins. But of course all the disciples and his family didn't understand that until early on the third day when news started to leak in that Jesus had been seen and all 322 prophecies from the Old Testament concerning the Christ began to be revealed to them as completed. It is phenomenal to have an opportunity to reflect each year at Easter what was really completed. At church this morning the guest speaker, J John from the UK stated that we (the church) are "Easter people in a Good Friday world." Truly, those of us that believe that Jesus has died and rose again for us are living in celebration in the midst of a world that is mourning and still lost. We must share with others of the love that Jesus had and still has for us. John 6:28 & 29 "Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." This is the challenge for every believer every day - do we believe? And how does that translate to how we live and love? William Wilberforce said, "Above all, measure your progress by your improvement in love to God and man." How has that been worked out in my life lately? Well, for one God I feel has been speaking to me recently about holiness and as I am spiritually covering the leaders underneath me in my role as Area Manager in Young Life I am responsible to a certain degree of how they conduct themselves and how that translates into the ministry to teenagers who may not know Jesus, but are learning about Him through us as leaders going to them into their world at high school. Thus, there is a high standard that we are to take when it comes to holiness. When I speak of this, I do not mean legalism where a form of godliness may exist, but where it is only for the eyes of man, but a deeper conviction that comes from the Holy Spirit that we are not to live in sin. Colossians 2:13-14 "When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross." We are no longer to live dead in our sins, but alive with Christ. I have seen lately how insidious sin can creep into our lives and due to the nature of living very busy lives without what I would call accountability relationships, we can quite often live one way in one environment and a contrary way in another. I have been there myself. But praise be to God that He kept me close and in many ways it was through mentors and those that came alongside me and helped point out the contradictory way I was living. This is the hard duty, but also joyful opportunity I have had lately in relationships that God has given to speak into the lives around me. And I must confess, much prayer was needed to have discernment on how to address what I was seeing and was being brought to me. Yet, God is faithful and I have seen a miraculous turnaround in one particular life because of the Lord’s spirit to convict and their own willingness to realize their brokenness. Discipleship is a costly endeavor my friends, but it is worth every bit of effort.

“Don’t start down the path to evil. There’s a road that leads to destruction. Its first few steps might seem fairly innocent, but sin’s horrible tentacles can grip so tightly. Sin must be destroyed in its embryonic stages. It’s best to err on the side of caution, to run from iniquity. When considering a dubious course of action, rather than asking, “What’s wrong with it?” ask, “What’s right with it?”
- Barry C. Black, Chaplain of the United States Senate, From the Hood to the Hill

As I work with young women in high school who have recently made commitments of faith they are often asking questions like the quote above states. They constantly want to know where the boundaries are of behaviors and how to live as a Christian. It is a much different sort of life to the one that they knew before they went with us to camp and it is very easy to live as if that decision at camp was just a one-day decision and not a daily decision to walk with Jesus. It is through love that we repent and we desire to become holy, because He is holy. Thank you for lifting up the girls I led at camp in January, it was a fantastic week and for four of them, I believe it was the best week of their lives as they decided to say yes, that they did want to know Jesus and have Him become a part of their lives. Now, is the fun and challenging part, to keep choosing to walk in faith on this journey. Please continue to keep them and myself in prayer as I seek to meet with them regularly in the midst of their school and life commitments and to find creative ways, like on Facebook to encourage them to read their Bibles and seek God.

1 Peter 1:14-16
“As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

In terms of what else has been happening in our world, Brendan and I had an incredible trip back home to the US in the end of January and early February. Apologies at the start for not being able to see everyone that we would have liked, but the trip was so full that it would have been difficult to see many more than we did. It was a very wonderful time for us to be together and explore amazing places that I have been to before and share them with Brendan. Our trip began in New York, NY where we enjoyed two nights at the Wellington Hotel near Times Square. The weather was wonderfully mild, with the exception of rain, so we were able to walk for miles exploring the city. In the midst of sightseeing Central Park, Ground Zero, Battery Park, Wall Street, the Empire State Building, the Flat Iron Building (Brendan’s favorite) and seeing Phantom of the Opera on Broadway, we were able to catch up with my former roommate Ciara working in Spanish Harlem, and our friend Michael Laughlin who had lived with Brendan in Killara. From that fun start, we then made our way to my dad’s house in Punta Gorda to spend some quality time with he and Jan and relax in the way my family knows best, to go out on the boat in Charlotte Harbor. Here, it was great to see my stepsister Stacy and her son Ben, as well as catch up with Bill Loy, my Young Life Area Director from my teenage years. Then, off to Orlando with my brother and a fantastic day with Audra park-hopping Disney, courtesy of her neighbor all of us were able to enjoy the day for free – what a blessing! It was great to have that fun day all together and to behave like kids and run around the parks and have some relaxed conversations throughout the day. We caught up with Alex for dinner and the next day went with my mom and Dan to St Augustine to walk around that beautiful city. In Jacksonville, Brendan and I had the privilege of sharing at the mental hospital that Sunday with the clients there in the chapel services and although that was a little bit out of Brendan’s comfort zone, he quickly felt at home and we both were blessed to be able to share in my mother’s work and serve with her. From Florida we journeyed to Washington, DC and were treated to wonderful hospitality at the Southeast White House. It was the week of the National Prayer Breakfast so there was much on, but one amazing friendship Brendan was able to share in was to meet Charisma, the young woman I had mentored since she was ten. Charisma has just turned 18 in January and had given birth to her firstborn, a daughter that we were able to meet, Bless’n. It was amazing to be able to see her again and although having a child while in year 11 in high school may not be the goal we had wanted for her, Charisma seemed so much happier and more stable than when I had seen her a year and a half ago and it was very good to be able to be back in touch and have her meet Brendan and vice versa. We also were honored to join the Oceania contingent for the National Prayer Breakfast events and see so many friends and make new ones there. A highlight of the time was being in a small group of women from Australia and New Zealand and meeting with the Chaplain of the Senate, Barry Black. Hearing his wisdom and from his depth of experience was remarkable and his challenge to all of us to write down God sized goals has been something that Brendan and I have been actively seeking to do since and to dream God sized dreams more. After seeing the beautiful snowfall in DC and just escaping the blizzard by a few hours, we landed in gorgeous and snow-filled Montréal to spend time with my grandfather and his wife Lucille. They were incredibly gracious hosts, despite my being a little sick, and treated me wonderfully in celebration of my 30th birthday. We also were able to catch up with a friend I had worked with in 2001, Theá and her husband Chad and two sons, Aidan and Matteo. Then in Kingston we spent time with my uncle Glen, aunt Margo and cousin John in a winter wonderland of ice and snow and sharing wonderful getting to know you conversations. Our trip was ended with two amazing days and nights in Toronto with my aunt Donna and her hosting a party that enabled my uncle Bill and cousin Emily to visit. So many special places and people all to see and connect with in only two and a half weeks, but that is the reality of living a life where the annual leave and finances only stretch so far and you live on the other side of the world. One of the best gifts of the trip was to be able to show our wedding video to all the family and friends who wanted to watch and couldn’t make it to the ceremony. For Brendan and I, this was almost like re-celebrating and re-committing to one another and it was awesome to pause at the start of the year and again realize the miracle that God has done in creating one out of the two. Truly, as a unit, unimagined things can become possible through God. Only He knows the plans He has for us, but we are also not alone and a trip like this reminds us both of the rich history of friends and family of faith that are with us in the journey, even if geographically far… even friends like you reading this.

2 Corinthians 2:14 "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him."
Since that whirlwind trip, we’ve been settling in more to life in Sydney. Spending our time diligently at our jobs, Brendan doing excellently at the Reserve Bank, and my time split between Women’s Forum and Young Life. One exciting Women’s Forum news is the launch of our School Ambassadors Program that began in Sydney with a training day of 8 ambassadors in years 10 & 11 and 12 mentors that want to work with young women to help them present the modules based around our popular publication, Faking It: The Female Image in Young Women’s Magazines. Check out our blog on it if you are interested at: www.wfasap.tumblr.com.
In addition, we have just launched our latest research entitled, Reality Check: Work Life Balance, which is launching around the country right now. It continues to be exciting to be working towards women’s wellbeing and freedom in cultural issues so relevant in today’s society and this latest research seems so important as women are having more children in Australia, and yet working more than ever. Personally, as I enter my third decade and contemplate the next phase for us as a family, I appreciate that my employer values flexible working conditions and is advocating for paid parental leave in society generally, to learn more about the research, go to: http://www.womensforumaustralia.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=92&Itemid=102.

In general, Brendan and I realize how incredibly blessed our life is and we continue to look for ways to grow and give back. I have decided to take vocal lessons through the church C3 Creative Arts College and so I leave you with some song lyrics of a song we’ve been taught at my class and sing regularly at church, appropriate for today’s Easter theme.

“I see the crown through the suffering. I see the joy that forms my strength. I know the Son in the wilderness, and I know thou has called me blessed.
Christ is risen, in Christ I stand. Forever I praise you, the Great I Am. Christ is with us, Emmanuel. Highest Hosanna, it is well.”
-“It Is Well” by Joel Wardle

May it be well with each of you, starting in your spirits and going out to your family and the world.

Much love,
Brooke
PS – should any of you wish to stop receiving these quarterly updates, please let me know and I will remove you from the list

Recent photos: Young Life events & Brendan and I around gorgeous Sydney, including a sculpture from Sculptures by the Sea at Bondi Beach

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Brooke's Australia Adventure Update - Summer 2010, January 3, 2010

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Brooke’s Australia Adventure Update – Summer 2010, January 3, 2010

Dear friends,

I hope this update finds you all a little more relaxed and full… full of love, family and memories as another Christmas has gone by and the New Year has begun; and I hope you’ve been able to reflect. Being quiet and reflecting is not a discipline common in our day and age. For those of us of faith, I do believe it is an essential one though. I have been challenged in the past two months or so just how fast life can run and how full I can make it on my own strength and of the fact I am not created to do that. One of the Ten Commandments that the Lord gave to his people the Israelites, through Moses was this:
Exodus 20:8-11
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”

William Wilberforce, the English politician and reformer said this about the Sabbath:
“The Sabbath is a season of rest, in which we may be allowed to unbend the mind, and give a complete loose to those emotions of gratitude and admiration, which a contemplation of the works, and a consideration of the goodness, of God cannot fail to execute in a mind of the smallest sensibility.
May every Sabbath be to me, and to those I love, a renewal of these feelings, of which the smallest tastes we have in this life should make us look forward to that eternal rest, which awaits the people of God; when the whole world will be a never-ending enjoyment of those feelings of love and joy and admiration and gratitude, which are, even in the limited degree we experience them, the truest sources of comfort…”
The Life of William Wilberforce (1838)

There is a sickness at work in our modern culture – busyness. November for me was chock full of events, many of them very good and important ones for Young Life. We had a Trivia Night fundraiser; a BBQ fundraiser at Bunnings, the local hardware store; a Barefoot Bowls event to thank donors and bring together friends; a City Connect breakfast to connect people who are committed to the vision of Young Life and who work in downtown Sydney; the All City Club where we bring together the three parts of the city where Young Life’s ministry extends for a larger scale time together to minister to kids… and the list goes on. In addition to these events for Young Life, I had a few also for Women’s Forum. We had our annual board retreat at the Hunter Valley for a weekend (more relaxed than busy, thank God!); our National Dinner in Canberra on the 25th of November, which is White Ribbon Day to remember violence against women; and quite a few speaking engagements around Faking It (www.fakingit.org) just to round out the month. It was also the month that the National Prayer Breakfast occurred down in Canberra, so Brendan and I had the honour of joining the event and I was able to help the organizational team for one small part of the event. All the things I am describing and remembering back on are amazing, unique opportunities and I felt there was favour in all of them from the Lord… yet at the end of the month, I was feeling a bit empty and honestly December brought even a bit of depression… why? I think in part because I so often believe the lie that to be busy is to be successful. I don’t really enter into the Sabbath rest that God gives his people. Why? Perhaps because I feel a pressure to excel that pushes me to work more and not take rest… perhaps I fill up my off-time with activity still that actually isn’t restful… perhaps I don’t believe that God has created me this way to need rest and I don’t trust him to fulfill what he says he will do in the 6 days he has given me to work so I still work the 7th day… perhaps a little bit of all of this. I share all of this with you, in some ways to ask for your prayers for me and to perhaps serve as a mirror into what you too might be facing. My prayer is that we would be willing to stop and trust even more in 2010 that there is a loving God alive and at work in our lives, who has good plans and he wants us to know him and be awakened to them and the blessings that come from obeying His word.

Lamentations 3:22-23
“Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

December thankfully was a bit calmer and I am beginning to feel more recharged. In Australia, December not only ends the calendar year, but since it is the beginning of summer, it ends the school year for the children. I have just completed my first ten months (basically the school year) in the role of Area Manager for Young Life and it is was interesting to see how things wound down at the end of the school year, and yet there’s a tension that camp is coming very soon after the holidays… this has meant that there has been a continuous logistical challenge to continue to plot and plan throughout this season. I’d love for you to pray with us for our annual Extreme Summer Camp, which will take place from the 17th-22nd of January. For the first time we will be at a new property, Copeton Waters State Park near Inverell in northern New South Wales. Please, lift up the following requests:
- Logistics: transport, hiring of equipment, finances, safety, etc
- Team: work crew, summer staff, assigned team, cabin leaders
- Kids who come: open hearts, ears that would hear…
- Specifically, the cabin of girls I am leading:
o Bree
o Mary
o Jess
o Jenny
o Rachelle
o Tasha

These, and so many more prayers are on my heart as I’ve been helping administratively to prepare for camp this year. One of the greatest blessings I’ve had in this is being able to receive applications from folks that want to serve as Work Crew or Summer Staff for us. In Young Life people volunteer to help run the different elements of camp, and not only do they do it for free, they even pay their way to be there for the week! Why? Well, I was reminded that many of these folks, some of them still teenagers themselves, or now uni (university) aged, have met Jesus for the first time at a Young Life camp! Now, the love of Christ compels them to give back and serve so that the camp experience of another teenager can be just as excellent a caliber as they had and so that Jesus can be glorified. It is an amazing honour to be able to see Jesus affect change in people’s lives and camp is the culmination of a whole year of ministry in the lives of those who come that have been hearing all year about Jesus. May many new births happen this year at camp! Please also friends pray for the finances for the ministry of Young Life, as a national organization, and the continued sustainability in my local area. As part of a faith mission, we believe God to provide for our needs according to His riches and glory. If God lays it on your heart to become a supporter of this mission financially, please sign up online at: www.younglife.org.au. (For more about Young Life, please also read the latest Ryde and Northern Sydney update attached).

Philippians 2: 3 & 4 (all the way to verse 11 is Work Crew memorization)
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interest of others.”

With Women’s Forum Australia work, in December my coworker Tahlia and I created modules to be used in our pilot program for a project entitled, the School Ambassadors Program. The idea behind the program is to recruit a few ambassadors, girls in years 10-12 that would present these modules that flesh out the research presented in Faking It for their peers. These modules cover topics such as: body image, healthy eating, healthy relationships, objectification of women, early sexualisation of girls, etc. It is a very exciting and engaging project and one that is allowing many of the volunteers I’ve been getting to know this past year in Sydney an opportunity to help with a concrete program, and that too is gratifying. This project starts first term of this year (February 2010), so your prayers for that also would be appreciated. Also, if you live in Sydney and know of any girls in a local school that would be interested in the program, or know of a school that may want it run, please let me know.

One of the great joys of the past few months for Brendan and I is choosing to join a local church. It seems for me that although I have actively attended church in Australia since my arrival almost 3 years ago, I still hadn’t found a place to call home. Brendan and I had been praying that once we married and moved into the city the Lord would bring us to a place that was local, cared for our neighborhood and that we would feel at home in. We found it the first Sunday back from our honeymoon, but committed to membership in November. We’ve joined God in the City, located only a few blocks from our house in the neighbourhood of Darlinghurst. It is the city campus of Christian City Church, which is a church that the main campus is located in a northern beach community of Sydney called Oxford Falls (www.myc3church.net). One of the greatest blessings about the church is the worship. They love to praise God and have a creative arts ministry that writes a lot of their own music. Check out our favourite song of the past year from the church, “Send Down Your Love” at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-YU_Mvm668. We look forward in this New Year to becoming more a part of the ministry and we hope together to be able to join a small group to know other believers in the church and grow as a couple more.

Speaking of Brendan, we’ve been very much enjoying the beginnings of our marriage and had a great time of celebration with the festive season in Sydney at Christmas parties, having Kris Kringle’s, seeing the Nights of Lights (the very fun Christmas lights lighting up many of the historic sandstone buildings in the CBD), and eating lots of chocolate with friends and family. Brendan has been an incredible gift to me and I am so grateful at God’s wisdom in choosing the right spouse to complement and support my life and calling. We are embarking on a very fun journey together right after I finish camp… we’ll be coming to the US and Canada for almost three weeks from the 24th of January until the 11th of February. So, friends if you live in New York City, Punta Gorda, Orlando, Jacksonville, Washington, DC, Montreal, Kingston or Toronto – if we can, we’d love to see you! It will be a whirlwind tour undoubtedly, but we wanted to come and show the wedding photos to our friends and family who couldn’t make the wedding Down Under. Plus, the airfares were affordable enough to do it now and allow us to be with family and friends to celebrate my 30th birthday. We will also be in Washington for the week of the National Prayer Breakfast, gratefully staying with my family there at the Southeast White House. We hope to catch up with many of you if we can then. More and more of you are also coming to Sydney, and I promise I am getting to be quite a good tour guide – just ask Zoe from DC, or Geke and Christy from Bermuda who have all visited in the last month. It is such a pleasure to show off the beauty that is Down Under, but I have to admit I am looking so forward to being back on “home turf” for a little while.

Philippians 3:12-14
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

As we reflect on what is behind, let us not stay there, but let us look with joy and boldness as to what this year holds for us all- individually and corporately.

Thank you for your friendship and love,

Brooke Filipovski

Lord Howe Island & Dust Storm in Sydney

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Wedding Snaps in Newcastle - August 15, 2009

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Brooke's Australia Adventure Update - Spring 2009, October 25, 2009

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Brooke’s Australia Adventure Update – Spring 2009, October 25, 2009

Dear friends,

I am amazed at how late in the year it is! These past 5 months since I’ve written you all have gone by so quickly, and yet I definitely want to keep in touch more regularly and apologize for the long silence on my side. My hope is to write these updates once a quarter, in accordance with the calendar seasons… I have been writing updates like this since I graduated Flagler and first began incarnational ministry with the poor in Washington, DC in 2002. Now, just over 7 years later, many of you are still journeying with me in prayer and friendship. I am so honoured! Yet, I recognize in this season of my life I don’t have the same amount of time as I once did, so rather than monthly or bi-monthly updates, my move to quarterly updates seems a bit of a necessity. I am also so amazed when I reflect back, on how communication has changed in the past 7 years. Now it seems, with Twitter and Facebook (FB) chat and uploading photos onto FB, so many of you around the world can know my most intimate thoughts and see the memories I choose to post instantly. So, if you are interested in more regular contact, join Facebook and add me as a friend because with working in Young Life and with teenagers, it is a must that I am on there regularly and I seem to keep up with it faster than e-mails these days!

Colossians 3:15
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”

Now, as I begin, let me just say a massive THANK YOU to all of you who sent cards, gifts, e-mails, FB wall posts, etc. congratulating Brendan and I on our marriage. We are so excited to have made this important milestone and are so grateful for your love and prayers for us to this point in our relationship and what happens from here. It has already been 10 weeks since that momentous day in Newcastle and it has been an incredible journey already. The day itself was picture perfect with not a cloud in the sky – truly our prayers for amazing weather were answered. It was actually a bit warm for the fur stole and muff I had got made in order to wear to the outdoor wedding ceremony. You would have never guessed in the packed King Edward Park, where picnickers were everywhere, that it was actually the middle of winter! We were blessed the entire day and with all the events leading up to it. My mother and step-dad Dan, my father and step-mom Jan, as well as dear friend Rachael Clarey from England, and my friend from Washington, DC Wendy Lee and her mom all journeyed to be with us for the big day and some time surrounding the main event. We also enjoyed time with one of Brendan’s best college mates, Yong and his parents from Korea and after the fact, Brendan’s auntie and cousin from Poland – so it was really an international event! The day was also full of many Macedonian Orthodox traditions that were so special to Brendan’s family. So, if you are happening to look at the photos on FB (at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=147721&id=506256806&l=7b6e1ba88 ) – and you wonder about some things (ie: crowns, candy (lollies being thrown), etc), they are probably related to that tradition. I found it to be a rich cultural experience and even though I was in the dark at times what everything meant, I came to embrace the fact that this is an integral part of my husband’s family and therefore, it is now part of my life. As it turned out, everything from the putting money into my shoes by Brendan’s deverol (his brother Troy), to the amazing live music and circle dancing for hours at the reception were some of the highlights of the day. It was a marathon of a day – with Brendan’s family hosting a breakfast in the morning for 80 odd family members with the tradition of a shaving ceremony for Brendan using an axe and lots of dancing. I was enjoying a more peaceful prep with the Saxton’s having rented an incredible serviced apartment overlooking the foreshore of Newcastle harbour and champagne and pastries were available as the final touches were happening to my hair and make-up. Then, when the red mustang convertibles arrived it was show time! The first ceremony was held in St Mary’s Macedonian Orthodox church and although the congregation remained standing for the hour-long ceremony read out in mostly Macedonian, I believe everyone enjoyed it! From there, although now man and wife, we separated to be joined once more at King Edward Park, where Brendan had proposed five and a half months earlier, and two and a half years earlier first confessed how he felt about me. My mom was able to give the sermon over us at this ceremony and that was so meaningful for us to share with our friends. Then, the party really began! The Maco’s definitely love a party – so with a bottle of Johnny Walker Red on each table and the food freely flowing the dancing didn’t end until late. It was a magical day and although during the engagement I was often emotional as I thought about who wouldn’t be able to attend from the States, Canada and other places far flung, as I reflected on the event in the days following all I felt was love and a gratefulness for all that the Lord has given me in my life at this moment and the sadness was replaced by the fullness of my cup.

Psalm 45: 15
“They are led in joy and gladness; they enter the palace of the king.”

A fantastic honeymoon followed on from the wedding and we enjoyed the beauty of God’s creation at Lord Howe Island – seriously it looks like Never- Never Land from Peter Pan! Check it out for yourself from our photos on FB at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=148273&id=506256806&l=d292a53fc5. Since coming back from the honeymoon, we have been enjoying adjusting to what married life looks like. We were very blessed to find a fantastic apartment in the city that we just love! We are living in a downtown area called Woolloomooloo and our one-bedroom place looks over leafy Hyde Park in Sydney. It is a beautiful spot where colourful rosella parrots come to our balcony, along with Brendan’s favourite coorowong that he has started feeding (looks like a large magpie for those in America). We’ve been enjoying nesting and creating our space here. One decision we made was to forego television at least the first year of marriage – which has been a good choice for us. However, we have discovered we both are loving using all the new kitchen gear and cookbooks we have received for our engagement and wedding and that is becoming a regular part of our lives and time! So, to combat any extra bulge, we’ve been enjoying lots of walking around the city and the joy of discovering a new place to live. Sydney is such a beautiful city and our extended neighborhood includes going for regular runs through the Royal Botanical Gardens and observing views of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. Although our place is small and cozy – we’d welcome visitors – so let us know if you are in the area!

In terms of an update on a professional front, I am still working two part-time jobs with organizations I love. The first, is a surprise in some ways, because I was only on a 6 month contract when I first started, but having transitioned out of doing fundraising after my co-worker Sara returned from maternity leave, and beginning the role of marketing and sales for our research reports, Women’s Forum Australia offered me to come back after the wedding on a new contract. I am really enjoying the work and having the opportunity to see the research really come alive, as I have been giving more talks in school and engaging young women in our research. Specifically, I work with our research on how magazines portray young women and the objectification of their bodies and the pressure to become sexualised early that advertisements and articles often have against their body and self-image and how that impacts them. My friend, and one of the founders of Women’s Forum Australia, Melinda Tankard Reist just published her third book, Getting Real: Challenging the Sexualisation of Girls around this issue. If you are interested, you can sign up to be a subscriber of our newsletter and find out more about the issues we are working on and how our research is bringing about life affirming options for women. Our website is: www.womensforumaustralia.org. In my role I am also able to meet many of our members and help to coordinate local Sydney women interested in putting on events and talks. It is very rewarding and I can see how God prepared me for this type of work through my experience with volunteers at the Southeast White House and in my studies.

Colossians 4:6
“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

My other role is as Area Manager for Ryde and Northern Sydney Young Life Australia. This has been an incredible blessing. I will attach onto this e-mail a PDF version of my latest quarterly newsletter for this ministry and if you are interested in receiving these via e-mail regularly please let me know and I will include you on this list. I have been enjoying going into schools regularly and have seen great doors open up at our newest school, Chatswood High. I even was invited to teach two Spanish classes this past week – which was a very fun way to use my language skills in Australia and do contact work! The work with Young Life always varies, and we have a number of fun activities coming up in this last term of the year – including the Granny Smith Festival (yes, this type of apple really originated near the area I do Young Life in!); a Trivia Night fundraiser; regular club nights; a Barefoot (Lawn) Bowls night for donors, parents and students; All City Club; and a taping of Australia’s Funniest Home Videos… and more! Please do remember to keep us in prayer in the midst of all the busyness that we as leaders particularly can stay attuned to the voice of the Father. This is the part of the role I have been enjoying the most is seeking to lead two teams of volunteer leaders and pour in spiritually to them as they pour into kids who don’t yet know Jesus. I have the privilege of working with very diverse teams – and even those kids we are serving come from a variety of backgrounds, so your prayers for wisdom are always appropriate. An amazing opportunity I was recently afforded to within my role with Young Life was to attend an Area Director School for Asia Pacific Directors. There were 75 of us from 18 nations in attendance in Bangkok for a week in early October. Five of us from Australia came together and it was a phenomenal time of training, devotional time with Jesus and the opportunity to learn from and get to know fellow kingdom workers from around the region. It was for me an incredible time of vision casting and allowed me also to re-connect with my friends at NightLight in Bangkok and meet another incredible after-care ministry caring for women run by a friend of a friend, Bonita Thompson. I sometimes do pinch myself to see if I am really living this life – but it is for real! The dreams God planted deep in my heart so many years ago are actually bearing fruit.

Colossians 1:27
“To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

My friends, it is all about Jesus. I would urge you to pray in your own lives as well as for me to keep coming back to the first love. He is everything we need for life and godliness. He is the answer.

There is much more I could say but I want to honour your time. Thank you for your friendship. Again, please forgive my delay in writing, particularly more personally. Thank you for forgiving me in advance. Your friendship is very important to me and your prayers are priceless and are what I desire and covet so much. Please do keep in touch and let me know also how you are and how I can pray.

Your fellow servant of Christ,

Brooke Filipovski

PS – For those of you who have been praying about our stolen property here’s a little update. My car was found 15 and a half weeks after it was stolen, only blocks from Brendan’s parents house. As you can imagine – this was amazing! It was a blessing as we were able to use it for the last bit before we married with all the final details of engagement, and showing friends and family around. Incredibly, there were still some sentimental items left in the car, but not the expensive or most meaningful, my engagement ring. We still pray over the situation and praise God for how He has blessed us in this and for His full restoration… thank you for standing with us in prayer and for your faith with us.

Backyard bash at engagement

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Intimacy at engagement party in the midst of a crowd

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Brooke's Australia Adventure Update - Autumn 2009, May 17, 2009

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Brooke’s Australia Adventure Update – Autumn 2009, May 17, 2009

Dear friends,

I greet you all in love and thankfulness for your friendship over the years. There has been much happening here in Sydney and it seems that although this season was long anticipated, there is a fullness to it that seems hard to enjoy at times, like a bursting at the seams! I know from other friend’s engagement periods that it is a very hectic season, but to be in the midst of it is a different cup of tea entirely! I want to begin this update with a beautiful scripture that had been spoken over my life just prior to my moving to Australia. It speaks of new seasons in life and as I was leaving a fantastic place and moving to a new unknown, this scripture brought hope and this hope has been fulfilled and continues to offer hope in what lies ahead, now for Brendan and I together.

Song of Songs 2:10-12
“My lover spoke and said to me, “Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me. See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.”

Brendan has chosen a dove motif to be with us in our wedding and I feel this is an appropriate symbol, not only of lovebirds and partnership, but also representing the Holy Spirit that we both seek to live to be guided by under His wisdom. We need this wisdom and discernment so much as we navigate expectations of a wedding and our own differing thoughts about where to live and how to set up a home.

Mark 1:10-11
“As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

The wedding plans continue to march forward and we have chosen the date of the 15th of August to be the day of our wedding. We will wed in Newcastle in the same rotunda where Brendan proposed and celebrate with friends and family in his neighborhood Ex Services Club in Mayfield. We are planning also to have many of Brendan’s Macedonian traditions as a part of the wedding and celebration, including music and dancing. It has been quite a learning curve for me to see how much is involved, coming from a very different cultural background. Once our engagement was announced, Brendan’s Macedonian family members came out of the woodwork to bring over boxes of chocolate, cards and cash (for the bride!) to celebrate the engagement and his parents served as the perfect host and hostess to thank these guests. Since Brendan and I live in Sydney, we were only present for one of these encounters, but reaped the benefits as often as we visit his parents in Newcastle as inevitably there is a stack of chocolates to take with us! It has been amazing to see the love and excitement his family has lavished on us in this season.

We were also very blessed by the amazing family I stay with, the Saxton’s, who hosted for us a fantastic engagement party at the end of April to be able to celebrate with our Sydney community, along with many of Brendan’s family who journeyed down from Newcastle and the Central Coast. It was a wonderful gathering and a preview of how the wedding day will be – a whirlwind! It is fun to have all of these different friends and family converged together to share in our joy. At times, I have gotten a bit sad that my biological family and so many dear friends live so far away, but I know that truly God has provided a rich family in Christ here for me and is knitting me in a physical sense into Brendan’s family in this season.

Psalm 68:6
“God sets the lonely in families …”

Part of this extended family for me these past two months has meant going to the Colour Conference – a women’s conference that HIllsong Church puts on each year with some amazing women from my community here. It has also meant serving with Brendan yesterday as ushers at a wedding of two amazing 60-something year olds that God has given a second chance of love and marriage, a widow and a widower, perfectly matched in this season: Sally Anne and Ken. It looks like having an amazing home group at Dayspring Church that also threw a fantastic joint engagement party for us and another couple in the group, Brooke and David – another American/Aussie couple that are journeying alongside us in this season of cross-cultural wedding planning. God has been so faithful!

In the work side of life, the past few months have been quite a juggle and a time of challenge and growth as I seek to work with excellence at two different roles. Working two different jobs and wedding planning in my spare time (Ha!) is often like switching gears and I often do not get a chance to rest. I would sincerely ask for your prayers as I seek to navigate the different deadlines in all three areas and this sense that I have of always being task-oriented and driven. I am grateful for the cooler temps that keep me feeling it is good to be inside and doing work and less tempted to slack off. And of course I must say, I am very grateful for both roles.

The work with Young Life is such a blessing and it does truly fit me very well. I have loved getting involved so much in the lives of the volunteers that sacrifice so much to the calling of the ministry and to loving teenagers. Please pray for creativity as I seek to recruit more volunteer leaders and committee members for both the Ryde and Crows Nest areas. One huge praise report is that we had our annual National and Ryde area banquet on Friday night and for the first time ever; it was a packed, sold-out event. That is amazing during a time of economic downturn. To see people dig deep and choose to be generous and commit to financially partnering with the ministry is an incredible encouragement. I had the honour of MCing the event, and it is opportunities like this that Young Life has given me that really allow me to rise to the occasion, step out in my gifts and passion, and see God at work in and through my life. In the past two months working with Young Life, I have been able to train volunteer leaders, encourage people to study scriptures, put on a seminar at our Northern Region Leadership Retreat, twice give club talks to teenagers, attend committee meetings and meet and connect with countless donors. It is so much fun!

In regards to my work with Women’s Forum Australia, that too has been rewarding and enjoyable. We have our June fundraising appeal that I am busily working on at the moment and once Sarah, who I have been covering for while she is on maternity leave comes back, I’ll shift gears into the marketing and sales role more fully. I have been enjoying meeting and working beside women of intelligence, passion and incredible work ethic. Our goal is to continue to help create a woman-friendly culture in Australia. The jobs’ perk for me is when I am able to meet with a member or hear one of our directors, or ambassadors, like Melinda Tankard Reist speak. Since I work from home for WFA, and out in the community more for Young Life, it is a good mix of administration and people work. Please pray with me for creativity on how to impact and involve our members and subscribers with this next fundraising appeal. The work of non-profits will always have these fundraising approaches as part of them, and while it can be taxing to do, I know that it is necessary and I am continually trying to be optimistic and learn from them.

Matthew 10:9 &10
“Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep.”

I know I must update you all on our stolen property situation. First, let me thank all of you for your faithful prayers and messages of hope and love you have sent when we let you know our news. We are still very much hoping for a miracle, but at this point, we have not recovered anything. I often wonder if I would have pressed in as much in prayer immediately following our engagement if the situation hadn’t occurred. And, having to share Brendan’s car has been teaching us both a lot about laying down our lives for each other. I think this engagement period is indeed a good lesson in that marriage in many ways will be a dying to ourselves, sometimes easy and fun because of the adrenaline being in love provides, but often a painful, honest process. I am very excited and grateful to be marrying a man with such integrity and faith and in only 13 weeks we’ll be joined. More than likely we’ll buy a new engagement ring with our wedding bands, but we still believe God is protecting our rings and hearts in this union.

John 15:13
“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”
Thank you all for your friendship, prayers and love. Please keep in touch! Until next time… Brooke Gagnon

Engagement Photos

2009-03-02T05:07:00.001-05:00

Brooke and Brendan's Update - Exciting News and Prayer Please

2009-03-02T04:46:00.001-05:00

Brooke and Brendan’s Update – Exciting News and Prayer Please – March 2, 2009

Dear friends,

It is amazing to think it has only been two weeks since I last wrote to you all… but I must write again to let you know some very exciting, long-anticipated news of joy. There is also a serious prayer request too. I won’t make this (too) long, but appreciate you reading this and praying as soon as you finish.

The first bit of news is that I have gotten a job with Young Life Australia to be the Area Manager of Ryde and North Sydney. It is a joy to report this, as so many of you have been praying for me for quite a while to get a job that fits my gifts and experience and would allow me to invest my passion. This feels like exactly the job I have been wanting. I will serve 3 days a week with this role, often at night and on weekends with both teenagers, introducing them to Jesus and also with volunteer leaders, committee members and community folk. It will be a real people job and is fairly flexible and will fit well with my role at WFA. I feel so excited for this next season professionally and can honestly say – the Lord’s timing is perfect.

Psalm 28:7
“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.”

The next amazing piece of news – something if you have not heard already, you might have guessed due to the title of this update, is that Brendan proposed marriage to me on Saturday night the 28th of February and I accepted. We are so excited to enter into this engagement season and just feel the Lord has brought us together and we can’t wait to be married. It has been an incredibly 22 month journey so far, and we know there will be many great things ahead. The way Brendan did it was by taking me out to a lovely dinner at a seafood restaurant, Scratchley’s in his hometown along Newcastle’s foreshore. From there, he took me on a little drive by the beaches we often do when we are in town. We ended up at King Edward Park’s rotunda (gazebo we call them in America), which is where Brendan took me on our one-week anniversary to give me a beautiful silver necklace and to tell me how he felt about me. Here, he proceeded to pull out a picnic blanket, towels, and a backpack (that I found out since had champagne and Lindt chocolate – Brendan’s favorites in it!). He then proceeded to get down on his knees and told me how much he loved me and to pull out the most beautiful ring. It is a ring we saw ring-shopping together a few weeks before and which was my favorite, although he had the freedom to pick anything he wanted after showing me so many different rings in two different shopping dates. It was the ring Brendan had prayed over and felt like God led him to get. It was a magical moment. We prayed immediately after and then celebrated to our future. We are not sure when we will wed yet, but will let you know when we have the date set. Thank you all for your many prayers for us over the past season of our relationship and we especially petition your prayers for protection in this next season.

Song of Songs 8:6
“Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame.”

This leads me to our prayer request. Last night, the day after we got engaged, Brendan and I took a swim at a swimming hole in Newcastle. We decided to leave the engagement ring in the car as we were nervous for swimming with it on, along with my purse and the gorgeous flowers his family had purchased for us and just brought our keys down to the swimming hole. There were a few people there and our keys were wrapped up well in the towel. Our swim wasn’t very long and yet when we went to get our towel, the keys were gone, and so was our car with everything in it. It was quite a shock and although we have reported a police incident with all the details taken, we haven’t heard anything yet. Please pray with us for the Lord’s will to be done in this situation. We desire for the car and the ring to be restored safely. We understand these are material things, but also very much related to heart issues. The car is a necessary for my job serving with young people at Young Life, and I am sure all of you can see the significance of the engagement ring. We are praising God despite the circumstances and know that He is on the throne and still in control, despite it seeming like Satan is having a bit of a whinge (whine) about our relationship. One word we had about our relationship in December from our home group is that God was keeping our rings for safe keeping until it was His time. I am standing on this and have faith that God will keep safe our rings, as well as our relationship, whatever happens and that He is the one that binds us together.

Job 13:15
“Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.”

Please do celebrate with us what God has done – truly the miraculous has been accomplished in this past week… and please join us in prayer also.

Much love and enjoy the photos,
Brooke (still Gagnon) and Brendan Filipovski

Christmas ladies of Brendan's family, the NPB team lunch celebration, baba and dedo, Annemaree and I at New Years & Brendan & I on Boxing Day

2009-02-16T02:15:00.001-05:00

Brooke's Australian Adventure Update - Summer 2009 - February 15, 2009

2009-02-15T06:57:00.001-05:00

Dear friends,

I think I must stop apologizing for my delays in writing and celebrate the fact that occasionally I do overcome my pride in wanting to write some fantastic news (and when that doesn’t happen I may not write), or my procrastination and laziness and just sit to write to you, as I desire to do. Another season has passed since I’ve last written in the physical sense – weather and so on, the holidays have come and gone – including Valentine’s (much love to you all), and I feel as though I am on the verge of a new season in life also. Since I have last written much of my time has been spent working in Hornsby at Blu Water Grill. I also took on an new venture, selling advertising for a public policy magazine associated with the Australian Christian Lobby titled, “Debate.” I had met the owner of the magazine at the National Prayer Breakfast and she gave me a copy of to read and offered me some work to help market the publication (www.debate.net.au). Although a little outside of my comfort zone, I felt it would be a good opportunity to develop myself professionally and meet interesting people. The magazine, based in Canberra, definitely did allow me the chance to network with many others involved in thinking critically on policy issues that affect the public debate. It has been great to be involved with people of passion. The job itself has not been a very big time commitment, as I have been consulting just a few hours a week, but it has helped me to be open to different opportunities outside of work in Hornsby.

Professionally what has most recently opened up is that I have just begun a new part-time position with a women’s think tank called Women’s Forum Australia (WFA) www.womensforumaustralia.org. Their desire is to “give voice to a broad coalition of women who will effect life affirming cultural change for women’s well being and freedom.” It is an exciting 6-month commitment to serving in two different roles. The first is as acting development director for a lady on maternity leave for the first few months and learning how to connect with donors. The second task I have been given is a brand new position of helping to disseminate the research that WFA produces and work especially on a publication entitled, “Faking It.” This publication is targeted to young women and is created in a somewhat similar format to beauty magazines that would hold interest to girls. However the research is revealing to young women in an attractive way the truth about how beauty magazines actually contain airbrushed images and make them feel worse about their body image. It contains well-written articles about objectification of women and the early sexualization of girls and offers options for help available for girls suffering from eating disorders, depression and other ailments. It is an empowering and freeing body of research that I have the task of trying to get it into the hands of young women by presenting talks in schools and encouraging schools to purchase it as a resource. It is very exciting research and there will be other opportunities to help with other publications on research that WFA is doing as well; for instance on positive work life balance for women.

Thank you friends for your prayers for my professional life. I am still applying for other roles to fill my other 20 hours or so a week, but there are a few very promising and exciting options that seem to be about to become reality.

Luke 17: 5 & 6
“The apostles said to the Lord, “increase our faith!”
He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.”

Hebrews 11:6
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

I often can feel like the apostles wanting to demand that Jesus just increase my faith, but He says that we only need a little faith. I have had to fight between fear and faith in many areas in the past few months when it comes to questions of where my hope lies and where my identity rests. I know I have so much to be grateful for truly: an incredible family to live with, a source of income when so many are suffering economically, a relationship with a man who I know loves me, and on an on… But there are times when I have found myself thinking pessimistically or only seeing all of my unmet desires. That is when I have needed to get my eyes off of me and return my gaze to the Lord. At this point I have been reminded that all that is required is to have a little faith and keep walking forward. One way I suppose I have done that in that past few weeks is to decide to go and volunteer with Young Life at the annual national camp they put on in Jindabyne, in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales. The camp allowed me to have some time outside of Sydney in the country, some space away from working 6 days a week, and a place to try and hear the Lord’s voice without the usual distractions. Brendan’s grandmother passed away the night before I was to go and that was a sad and yet peaceful passing that sobered the beginning of the trip. Even the six-hour drive to Jindabyne by myself allowed me the chance to pray and prepare my heart for what was coming next… Serving again at a Young Life camp – but in a different country (as I have in the past in the US, Canada and Costa Rica), was like coming home. I served on summer staff at camp as a sailing instructor. Sailing has a very dear place in my past, because of my father’s lifelong love of sailing and my first year and a half spent on a trimaran sailboat in the Caribbean. I was also keelboat sailing certified in DC a few years back in order to take out our mentees from the Southeast White House sailing. So it was a joy to be able to put all of this experience to good use with youth from around Australia. Being out on the water can be a peaceful time for conversations to happen with kids, or it can be a scary time with winds blowing a gale and a time for kids to have to conquer fears of the water. I found both to be true during the week at camp. I was blessed amazed that many of the kids I was naturally drawn to pray for at the beginning of the week as they stepped off the buses, were the same ones I had some space with out on the water later in the week and was able to listen to their stories and love them. I really enjoyed serving at the camp and especially the interaction with other summer staffers and getting to learn about Young Life Australia, where it is working, and what the opportunities are to get involved. Plus, it was fun to climb Australia’s highest mountain, Mt. Kosciusko, and experience the beauty of the alpine environment. The challenge there was to encourage and motivate the kids who didn’t think they could do it and the joy of course was to celebrate with them when they did. On the whole it was an incredible week and one that refreshed and reminded me that I am created with people gifts to use and a passion for young people, and when I have the freedom to share about Jesus and point people to him, I feel so alive.

Some other highlights of the past season include the holidays with both the Saxton’s, as well as Brendan and his family. It was my second Christmas in Australia with both families and it is amazing to see how the relationships have grown and increased in intimacy. Speaking of intimacy, Brendan and I have been deepening in our relationship through really working on honest communication and expectations, being vulnerable and asking for prayer and help from a few others, and have pressed closer to Jesus and continue to commit to working through things together. Over the holidays his family felt that it probably would be his grandmother’s last Christmas, which it ended up being, and they used the time well to really enjoy being a family together this year. We shared a fantastic feast at Angela, Brendan’s sister’s house that culminated in many of us jumping in the pool (remember, Christmas is in Australia’s summer!). The next day, Boxing Day, took the family to Nelson’s Bay, a gorgeous turquoise watered bay surrounded by the ancient rounded tops of former volcanoes and a BBQ was held that again celebrated family. I know Baba’s death (Brendan’s grandma) was, and is still hard on everyone (she died on the 13th of January), but I feel that her last holidays with the family were well spent and she at that point was physically well enough to participate in all of the events. Life at the Saxton’s has been very full and fun, as the eldest Saxton child, Ed, moved back in after the boys’ house here in Sydney had to be closed due to the rental house complications. Ed brought with him Peter Arky, a friend I had gotten to know through volunteering at the National Prayer Breakfast office who also is from the US. He is a North Carolinian, and it has been indeed a full and warm house having these two additions bringing more youth, life and fun. Rupert Saxton, the second eldest has just graduated high school and celebrated his 18th birthday, and it has been fun to observe him mature and hear his dreams. I too celebrated a birthday, turning 29 last week and I continue to be amazed at living in community (all 7 of us) from our different walks of life and sharing together. Friendship has also been celebrated at the beginning of the New Year with a small, intimate group of friends at a party at a friend’s apartment over looking the Sydney harbour. It is our second new years’ together with this group of friends including Annemaree Twyford, Steve Baird, Ryan and Alice Richards and Matt and Kath Gamble. It is so wonderful to know Brendan and I have friends we are walking alongside with here in Sydney and I am excited to enter into a new year with friendships like these continuing to deepen.

Another highlight of friendship has been that my friend Angela from Rez, my DC church home, came to stay for a week. I was able to arrange with the restaurant to not work much and had time to show her around. We ventured to places I hadn’t been yet, including the Blue Mountains and Jenolan Caves – two World Heritage sites. It was spectacular enjoying the beauty of creation here through the bush walks and also experiencing the hospitality of the people here that have become like family – the Saxton’s, Brendan’s parents in Newcastle, and a new young couple I got to know through Young Life, the Sharpe’s who live in Bathurst. Angela was a prayer partner with me during my last days in DC and being able to spend some time in prayer for one another was such a gift for me, especially as it was my birthday week and provided lots of fodder for reflection and the week before beginning my new job. The Lord’s timing for encouraging me with a friend was also perfect in that I was of course beginning to miss DC as the National Prayer Breakfast was happening that same week and was so appreciative to have someone with me to share with me stories of friends back home in the US. I realized again at the end of that week that although it is fun to do things and explore places with other people, that just being together in the mundane times of life often develops lasting friendship also. Relationships, particularly those forged in and formed through prayer have a longevity and intimacy to them that can seldom be achieved through other means in my experience. I am grateful to be able to share my life and prayers with friends like you reading these reflections and hearing back from you over the Internet. But what I also realize is that being present and available to those in the flesh around you in real time is so valuable and necessary. I do have many desires to live a big world life, but am also realizing the desire to go deeper in the life I am living with those around me, particularly with the Lord that loves me… deep calls to deep (Psalm 42:7), even when what I am doing may not seem to me “big world”.

“It is not for you to understand My ways and My delays. It is for you to keep on looking to Me for your daily needs, and to be faithful in holding up the bundle of concerns I have laid on your heart… Turn every sight of pain and hurt into prayer.”
- Echoes of Eternity

Thank you again friends for your faithfulness to our friendship and for your prayers. I continue to look forward to celebrating with you the big dreams that I am hoping for in my life, and those that you are hoping for in your hearts and life. In the in-betweens of life I pray that we all learn to appreciate and celebrate God’s faithfulness in quiet places. He is worthy to be praised and His timing is perfect, regardless if it makes sense to us, or our timetable.

Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Learning together, with love, Brooke

Canberra Parliament House; Ryan and Alice's wedding; B & B in Newcastle at Jets game; with Hanna in Sydney

2008-11-20T00:58:00.002-05:00

B & B enjoy a hike; NSLF Bollywood style; NSLF small group; Josh & Elise Drexler at the Hunter Valley & beautiful Australian spring

2008-11-19T02:57:00.003-05:00

Brooke's Australian Adventure Update - Spring 2008 - November 18, 2008

2008-11-19T02:25:00.001-05:00

Brooke’s Australian Adventure Update– Spring 2008 - November 18, 2008

Dear friends,

It has been a bit of time since I wrote and in part it is because my last update was so long I figured many of you might not have recovered! The other part of it is that I still don’t feel completely settled back here in Australia and it is not easy to write to you all and say I still don’t have my act together professionally. I have honestly been struggling with my pride as I’ve been applying for jobs with non-profits and haven’t had any success with these endeavors. So, you may ask, what have I been spending my time doing? Well in part working at a restaurant in Hornsby and learning to do small things well. Mother Teresa would say that ‘ we can do no great things – only small things with great love.’ I would add it is humbling and difficult to do these small things. But in truth, how can we be trusted with great things, if we have not been faithful in the small things? I have actually really been enjoying working at the restaurant and getting to know the locals that frequent the café, sometimes even multiple times in a day. It has been fun to test my memory about what these repeat customers get and know their life stories that some inevitably want to share. I am enjoying being a part of this ad-hoc community and have also been working out at the local gym and feeling like Hornsby is a home to me. I have also been very much enjoying spending time with the Saxton family and attempting to vary their palates by cooking some good American dishes, particularly Mexican options once a week at the dinner table. It has been fantastic to be back with them and it feels like exactly the right place to be right now.

A huge bonus to working at the restaurant and the flexibility that shift work offers is that it means I often have free time to devote to voluntary work that I enjoy participating in. So, in the past two months, in addition to facilitating a small group with Brendan at the National Student Leadership Forum in Canberra, I have been able to serve as a volunteer quite a few times with a youth leadership organization that goes into schools to teach principles of servant leadership to students. It has been so fun to be in schools and has reminded me of my days studying youth ministry in my undergraduate days with Young Life and we would participate very actively in the school life of students. Rising Generations is the name of the organization and it is very motivational and has been a fantastic part of my time returning to Australia. If you are interested in learning more about this growing organization, their website is: http://www.risinggenerations.org.au/. In terms of volunteering, I was also brought on the team to help with the logistics of the 22nd National Prayer Breakfast (NPB) that was held last Monday in Canberra. Having been involved with the NPB in Washington since 2002, it was a privilege to be asked to help serve here and it was a learning experience as well. The expectation for what these events look like vary from country to country and I have been to prayer breakfasts in Argentina, Uganda and Mexico as well but didn’t know what to expect here in Australia. Our team was quite small and it was intimate working together in the office and having the ability to also get to know quite a few of the participants that came from around the nation for the event. One of the greatest joys of the 2 days of events was to also get to know a little some of the speakers. We had a seminar after the breakfast on the Monday and both the keynote speaker, Mama Maggie (Gobran), called by some the Mother Teresa of Cairo, along with her Norwegian friend Karin Tonnevold, and a member of parliament from Sydney, the Honorable Pat Farmer shared very intimately and their talks were both emotional experiences for me. Mama Maggie’s humble demeanor and complete focus on Jesus and knowing His voice and His Word were very powerful. It was only in and through her relationship with Him that she was brought into the work of serving the children in the garbage dumps of Cairo, not because it was what she particularly wanted to be doing. She also invested in a group of us who had been involved in student leadership in Sydney the day following the NPB and again she pointed us to Jesus and the Word of God. She said many people want to give her gifts for the ministry or ask her what can be done to help. She said to us, the greatest gift we could possibly give to her would be to read our Bibles everyday and if we did that we would change the world. It was a very powerful message and reminder that it is only God who changes us, and thus the world. She also spoke such loving and encouraging words to us about how beautiful we are and powerful and important. She reminded us of our uniqueness and personal identity in Christ and also spoke that there is no competition for us. In Jesus, all things are possible and we are not in competition with anyone else. This was so important for me to be reminded of as I am in this season where I am seeking to do something that uses my gifts and experiences but where I have been a bit frustrated to not be seen to be wanted by any of the organizations to which I have applied (if I take these rejections seriously). If you are interested in hearing Mama Maggie’s comments at the Prayer Breakfast you can hear them here: http://web.me.com/jocko/Site/Blog/Blog.html. Her message, and that of Pat Farmer in which he said his fear was to be ordinary (believe me as an ultra marathon runner amongst other things, he certainly is not), reflected my own motivations that often point me to a desire to live a life bigger than myself. I do desire to be part of a world that is bigger and I want Jesus to be bigger than I often limit Him to be in my worldview. But in order to do this – I need to get out of the way… I need to listen more and talk less… I realize that God is in control, but how much do I trust Him, that He truly knows the best plans and His timing is also right on…? Also, I was challenged as to what is my motivation to want to live a big life, is it for my glory, or the glory of God? If it is for me, it will all pass away, but if it is for God, of course He is concerned about where I am and when and will put me where I need to be, at the right time. I’d appreciate your prayers for this season of continued reflection and seeking where I am to be professionally.

Proverbs 16:3
“Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”

Socially, the past two months have been fantastic to catch up with friends I had missed in the previous six months. The highlight was a fantastic wedding weekend held in the wine region of the Hunter Valley. This event was to celebrate the union of Alice Jones and Ryan Richards. Ryan is Milt Richard’s youngest son, a friend I’ve known since my early days at the Southeast White House. Since Ryan grew up mainly in the US, there was a great conglomerate of friends from the US as well as Australia and all over that gathered for the event. Alice and Ryan are incredibly creative and they pulled out all the stops to make sure their guests had a fun weekend full of activities from a chauffeured wine tour, to cricket, an outdoor BBQ complete with viewing of “Casablanca” under the stars to a jam making competition with scones the morning after the wedding. It was a fabulous time that really celebrated marriage and was a lavish reminder that marriage should be celebrated with all the stops. Brendan and I attended, along with my friends from Bermuda, Hanna and her sister Grace, a relationship seminar the weekend following the wedding at Ellel Ministries and they taught that marriage points us to the hope that Jesus is coming back for His bride. Whenever we celebrate marriage and believe in it, rather than being cynical and pessimistic about it or quoting statistics about divorce, we demonstrate to the world the belief that Jesus is coming back. I found this hope to be alive and well at this wedding and made me very excited for the future. Enjoying time with Hanna and Grace has also been a social highlight in the past 2 months. Hanna and I served together at the SEWH back in 2004-2005 and have maintained our friendship through visits to where each of us has been living. Praying with her is always a highlight for me. Brendan and I were also able to spend time with my dear friend Elise Drexler and her husband Josh and they came through Sydney on a trip in September and share the beauty of the Hunter Valley with them. It has been so fun having friends from my time in DC experience where I am at this stage in my life and get to know Brendan and I together. Another great praise report is that I have been meeting with a small group of young women that is exactly providing some of the intimacy and prayer I was lacking when I was here before. Out of some of these relationships I have also been meeting one-on-one to pray and get to know some of these women both older and in my peer group and this is such a blessing. I can see the Lord in so many ways has been so faithful and kind to me in my return. In terms of Brendan, praise God he has just returned to Sydney to live and work and it is only in the next suburb over, so it makes it very nice for our relationship to be able to see each other during the week now, and not just on weekends. Please keep his grandmother in your prayers. She has recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer and the prognosis is not good. She is not trusting of the doctors and has refused to get any more radiation treatment at the present time. Please pray for wisdom, particularly for Brendan’s parents, as they go with her to doctor’s appointments and try to help her. We know God is a healer, and would welcome your prayers and for God’s will and timing of her life to be accomplished. Pray especially for her emotional state as she has become very angry, pray that this would pass and that peace from God would come upon her. Henri Nouwen says that prayer is breathing with the Spirit of Jesus. So, I hope His spirit leads you.

Psalm 42:5, 7 &8
“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me – a prayer to the God of my life.”

As Canadian Thanksgiving has passed, American Thanksgiving comes next week, financial markets are down, and America has voted in a new administration – it is a time with much to be grateful for and a time in which many are uncertain. Our hope can’t be on the temporal, or just our current circumstances, but must look to Christ, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before him, endured the cross, scorning its shame (Hebrews 12:2). I am so thankful for all of you faithful friends and for your journeying with me in this life. Please keep in touch as I endeavor to do the same.

Humbly yours,
Brooke

Philippians 4:13
“I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

Brooke's Eastern European/Southeast Asian Trip Adventure Update - Summer 2008 - September 15, 2008

2008-09-15T00:17:00.001-04:00

Brooke’s Eastern European/Southeast Asian Trip Adventure Update– Summer 2008 –September 15, 2008

Dear friends,

I have always been able to rejoice and thank God for all the amazing ways He provides and protects and today is no exception. I have much to rejoice over and I just want to begin this update by giving praise.

Psalm 8:1
“O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.”

Friends I have just returned from a five-week journey through six different nations, eight if you count the US and my return to Australia! I have so much to rejoice in – not the least of which is my health and physical protection the entire journey, but there is so much more for which to be grateful.

What I am most grateful for is to have been able to experience the body of Christ in the diverse cultures that I encountered. My first stop on this tour was to Greece. I was picked up at the airport by a friendly face and a familiar accent, by Peggy Lowe, a fellow American. Peggy and her husband Mike came to Greece recently leaving behind in the US their grown children and selling their house and beginning a new life for the sake of the Kingdom of God in Greece. They work with a ministry called Hellenic Ministries (HM), whose aim it is to minister to the Greek people and raise up mission-minded believers to reach their own people for the gospel, as well as the nations. If you are interested, check out the website at: http://www.hmnet.org.gr/. HM operates a Christian guesthouse there in Athens that was my first home away from home on this journey. It was the perfect base for me as Mike and Peggy treated me as a daughter and helped me find my way around this massive city and brought me along to church with them at the Second Greek Evangelical Church. This church is a Greek-speaking congregation, however many internationals attend so translation was available, and here I was able to meet many called to mission work in Greece. In particular I connected with Sam and Fran Holdsambeck who work with refugees that come into Greece with a ministry called Entrust and their website is: http://www.entrust4.org.

Athens is a beautiful city full of ancient wonders and also modern history; as of course the city hosted the 2004 Summer Olympic games. It is a city seeking to grapple with the past (and of course profit from it), as well as modernize. I was delighted to use the new subway trains and found my way quite well using my Lonely Planet guide and happy to see that underneath the Greek characters on street signs were Roman characters also. This was an interesting part of my trip, in the six countries I traversed, only the Philippines used Roman characters, otherwise it was Greek, Cyrillic or Thai and it can be very hard to know where you are if Roman characters aren’t listed as well, let me tell you! After my first few days in Athens I spent two days in Thessaloniki, in northern Greece. I found this city to be delightful and much easier to navigate in its size compared to Athens. It is also rich in history and I found Greek, Roman and then Turkish ruins all over this city. It is a port city also which leant itself to beautiful views as well as fortresses, like the famous White Tower and ancient city walls with towers and viewpoints to explore. In terms of church history, it is also where the apostle Paul came on his second missionary journey in 51 A.D. and subsequently the books of First and Second Thessalonians was written to the fledgling church planted here. I found the history very fascinating as I learned that the main cathedral was built on the site where the first martyr was killed, Saint Demetrius. He was a Roman soldier and was martyred by the pagan Roman governor in the Roman baths, over which the Hagios Demetrios was built (a large basilica church). Then of course, Greece went from being pagan and killing martyrs, to venerating them in the 4th century and building a church over their deathbeds and Orthodoxy reigned for a long time. Then I learned that the Turkish Muslims had ruled for 500 years and turned many of the churches into mosques… and of course now Christianity is back as the ruling religion. It was fascinating!

From Thessaloniki I traveled by train to Sofia, Bulgaria and my dear friend Dimitar and his sister Mariyana met me there. The next 5 days were spent blissfully traveling all over this beautiful Baltic nation with my most amazing indigenous hosts. Dimitar is from the Black Sea coastal town of Bourgas, Bulgaria’s third largest city. We used this area as our base to explore amazing UNESCO World Heritage towns such as Nessebar and Sozopol. These towns contain some of the earliest European history and today are filled with seaside restaurants, excellent places to watch the sunset and lovely beaches. They are also filled with tourists, but from all over Bulgaria and Russia and not so much discovered yet by westerners. Taking in a sunset in Sozopol was as lovely as any I’ve shared in Cinque Terre in Italy and for a fraction of the cost. Bulgaria is a nation that is developing quickly as its entrance to the European Union is helping fuel infrastructure improvements, like highway upgrades. Together Dimitar and I also enjoyed the frantic Sunny Beach, Bulgaria’s version of Miami Beach (and just as busy!) and with Mariyana took a fantastic trip to see old war memorials, a mountainside monastery and the unbelievable ancient city of Veliko Turnovo. This ancient city is set on hills in which a river runs through the middle. It is multi-layered and also contains remains of a large castle set on a hill in which the Bulgarian royalty ruled for almost 300 years. Bulgaria had many charms, but the best part was staying and traveling with my friend and enjoying his family and learning about the culture through being with them. I quickly discovered that Slavic hospitality is amazing and whether it was his parents sharing with me about the years under communism, or watching Bulgarian-dubbed Spanish telenovelas at his grandmother’s square communist-style apartment, I found a warm welcome. I was also able to visit my friend Stayco’s parents there in Bourgas and was again reminded of the importance of making time to just be with people. Quite often in traveling the time can be all about the traveler, what I am going to do next… but there were some wonderful times in my trip where my agenda was decidedly to just be with and I was rewarded (even as Dimitar or others in the journey had to translate for me) to incredible times of connection. I would highly recommend Bulgaria for anyone interested in going to a nation a bit off the beaten path, but one that will be more discovered soon…

I then journeyed back to Athens to await my friend Bethany’s arrival. It was wonderful having Bethany join me in the traveling, as she is a fellow sojourner called to cross-cultural work and one well acquainted with living overseas. She had lived and studied in Croatia for a year and a bit and it was always her dream too to go to the Greek Isles. So together we enjoyed a bit more of Athens, like seeing the Acropolis lit up at night (so romantic), and then headed off to Mykonos. After a four-hour ferry ride we ended up on the sun-drenched and wind-swept island. It has been long photographed for its beautiful white cubed architecture and azure seas. We stayed only one night in Paradise Beach, but were able to enjoy the ocean and walking through the labyrinth streets and getting pushed along by the throngs of people. It was beautiful, but to be honest it was all a little bit over the top for my taste and the fact that Bethany and I had a minor crash on a motorbike didn’t exactly lift our spirits. Praise God we were safe though, albeit a little poorer in the most expensive spot I went on my trip. From here we went back to Athens and on an overnight train to Thessaloniki. Here’s where our trip gets a little harried. It turns out Greece will sell you a train ticket, even if there are no seats left, so an overnight train can turn into a few hours sitting sideways on the floor trying to sleep, or perhaps sleeping for some time in another person’s gracious seat. It was a skit! Then, we had to try and stay awake most of the day before catching our next train to Skopje, Macedonia – all in mid-summer heat of upper 90 degrees! Then of course, our train was delayed by over 4 hours… what a day! We were very glad when at 1 AM we finally made it to Macedonia and got to meet up with Bethany’s former roommate from Croatia, Eli. Eli’s family graciously hosted us in our two nights in Skopje and once again demonstrated the incredible hospitality of the Balkans (which I had of course already known through experience from Brendan’s Macedonian family). Eli showed us around her city and it was clearly a little less developed than Bulgaria, partially because it has not been allowed entrance into the EU or NATO. We learned through new friends Katerina and Susannah, friends of my friend Lynn Dennehy from DC, that the nation has faced trouble entering into these geo-political groups due to a dispute over the name, Macedonia. Greece has a northern province of the same name (where Thessaloniki is located) and even though currently the nation’s official title is Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYRoM) there is a dispute whether they should be allowed to keep that name. It is a hot debate and seems to limit the economic development of the nation. Here in the capital city it is not unusual to see chickens walking around, Roma gypsies collecting rubbish off the streets, and for Roma children to be very aggressively panhandling in the city center or bathing in the nude in the main river downtown. It is fascinating place. I found it amazing to learn that this nation has almost a quarter of its population that is Muslim, mainly of Albanian ethnicity, but also a portion of these Albanians are Catholic. Skopje is the birthplace of Mother Teresa and there is a plaque at the site of her birth home and a statue commemorating her. But overwhelmingly the nation is Orthodox. The city of Skopje contains a very beautiful Turkish quarter where there are old remains of a castle, as well as minarets dotting the sky and old Turkish baths that now house art galleries. It is a place that struggles, yet also flourishes through its diversity. We were able to worship at the Voice of God Baptist church there and again able to meet missionaries from the US there serving with the Roma gypsy population. Bethany and I had talked much about the Roma after seeing whole families of them on the ferry with us in Greece and seeing the way they were treated with disdain by the Greek ferry operator. We learned from these workers that Roma gypsies make up to 10 percent of the population in these European nations, but their acceptance varies from nation to nation. It was great to hear that there are specific programs being targeted by believers at this underserved segment that often doesn’t participate in government programs such as education. I very much enjoyed learning about Macedonia and know it probably is only my first trip to this nation.

It is with sadness that after Bethany and I traveled once again overnight on a bus into Serbia we went our separate ways in Belgrade. Bethany continued onto Croatia, and I went to see Megi. Belgrade is a beautiful and vibrant city with much happening. I stayed with Megi and her family in their apartment on the 20-something floor of the tallest building in the new part of Belgrade. I was given a bit of a riverside tour by her son Paris and enjoyed the company of other 20 and 30 something’s that day on a little island in the Danube. It was incredible discussing politics and literature with this decidedly cosmopolitan population. We were then able to celebrate Megi’s birthday with the rest of the family and Susannah, another friend from Sydney was also visiting. Samuil, Megi’s son and my first entry into this family gave me a bit of a city tour the next day and paired me up with Marko, another peer to give me even more history. Marko and I it turns out have a few friends in common, including the ladies I had just met in Macedonia. Many of these young people are connected across the Balkan region through gatherings of young people called ROM each summer. I enjoyed learning about Serbia from Marko and what are the economic needs in this nation that also has yet to join the EU. I don’t want to sound like joining the EU is the only hope for these nations, it isn’t, but it was evident there was a stark contrast to what I saw in Bulgaria and the optimism there with the harder time friends were having in Serbia for instance… Marko also showed me buildings that had been bombed by NATO (the US) in 1999 that have yet to have been destroyed or repaired. It is always interesting traveling as an American abroad, and Serbia was the nation where I faced the most hostility if it was found that I was American and from seeing this damage firsthand, I was able to understand why. I was glad to be able to get to know the Petrovski family more through this trip, as I know through living in Sydney my relationship with Megi will continue to grow and I really appreciated learning more how to pray for this nation and particularly my peers and that of the younger generation through learning of Samuil’s work.

After three weeks of travel in Eastern Europe I boarded the first of three planes to go to Thailand. I spent five days on the island of Phuket and decided after all the overnight buses and trains that relaxation and reflection would be my goal here. I stayed in a youth hostel in Phuket Town which was a sure fire way to meet some people and I was able to enjoy fellowship with some fellow female travelers from England and whether it was going to the beach, climbing a hill to look at the town, or watching a film when it poured rain outside, I felt blessed to have some new company. The Sunday I spent in Phuket I wasn’t sure if I would be able to find a church, as the landscape is of course dotted with Buddhist temples and there are mosques also in this southern part of Thailand. But my prayers were answered as I saw a sign for an international church at a hotel close to where I was staying. I showed up at the time I thought perhaps it might be on and heard the drums and worship before I entered. It was a Thai-speaking congregation but they were only too happy to give me a headset and translate for me, the only English speaking attendee that morning. They graciously gave me a rose as being a guest and ushered me after the service to a table at the front of the church to share lunch with the pastor and their family. This church is called the Hope of Phuket church, and is part of a church-planting organization throughout Thailand. There was a young man about my age who had just moved from Bangkok, feeling called to Phuket who sat next to me and encouraged me to come to the 2 PM afternoon English-speaking service in which he would be preaching, so I did. This service was filled with Filipinos, which was a pleasant surprise since I was headed to the Philippines just two days later. They gave me the opportunity to share a little bit of my testimony with the congregation and I was able to ask for prayer for the upcoming trip. I experienced such warm friendship and felt so much a part of the body of Christ while I was there. The most touristy thing I did in Phuket was to take a fast-boat trip to Phi Phi Island to experience Maya Bay – the beach that was the site of the Leonardo DiCaprio film “The Beach.” It was magnificent, but packed with tourists like myself, including some Korean young students there on a mission trip… It was amazing, no matter where I went God introduced me to His people, it was so much fun!

I safely left Phuket, just days before protestors ended up closing the airport and stranding tourists, and headed to Manila. I had a one-day layover in Manila in which I explored the city with an Irish man and a Ghanaian woman (who lives in China of all places!) before heading to Dipolog City. What a relief it was to see my parents walking to meet me at the Dipolog City Airport. It was a great reunion with them and so fun to be able to spend the next week ministering together. My mom and step-dad Dan had flown in two days before I had and had preached at the service the night prior. The conference began though the day I arrived and together we were able to speak to the pastors and congregants gathered. There had been some recent violence in the island (Mindanao) and consequently some pastors that would have had to travel through these Muslim autonomous zones where violence had occurred did not come. The church we were partnering with, International Christian Leadership Connections, Inc. has planted over 60 churches throughout the island and so many traveled many hours to be with us. It was so fun to watch my mom and Dan preach and my mom sing anointed worship songs for the church. They allowed me the opportunity to speak to the children and youth and pray for them and I also taught the children at Sunday school. Together, my mom and I spoke to the women pastors and laid hands on them, and we also laid hands on the Bible school students and many others through the days of ministry. It was truly a Spirit-led time with many testimonies of God’s grace and His prophetic word coming forth. I was able to flow in ways that I had hoped to, but not been able to in the past. Part of it I know was just being given the opportunity, and I believe another strategic part was being able to do it with my family, stepping out together. It truly was wonderful being in an international ministry context together with them, after so many years of doing trips separately. I know there was a power in the unity of the family. It seemed especially relevant given that we were ministering in the Philippines, where large families are the norm and we were ministering in partnership, invited by a ministry family in which there are 9 children, one of whom is the pastor that invited my parents. He and his wife are in ministry over a church and helping run one of the homes for orphans. I was able to stay with the family during my visit and got to experience the delight of a big family from the inside – it was great! Of course, my mom, Dan and I were also able to experience together the beauty of the Philippines beaches on a day off and I really hope this won’t be my only visit to this nation. The people are really a delight and that also is what I hope will bring me back. The needs are of course great here as well, but it is the hunger for God that makes the church and the people more attractive to me. I enjoyed fellowshipping with some of the adult children who are my age and learned firsthand from them of the economic hardships they are facing. Unemployment is rampant, despite the population being relatively well educated and literate. Many Filipinos go abroad to work and I remember learning from my masters course last year that 15.6 percent of the Philippines GDP comes from overseas remittances. All of the young people I spoke with wanted to go overseas to work to be able to help their families. So many times on this trip I realized how incredibly blessed I was to come from and live in nations that although may be suffering a bit of economic recession at the moment, do have prosperous economies that offer jobs and opportunities to their young people. Again and again I was reminded that to whom much is given, much is required. I kept thinking, why Lord, have you given me the eyes to see all of these needs and now introduced me to friends in all of these nations… what is your purpose and plan? Those are not easy answers to discern, nor do I believe I will know all right away… but I know that this trip was not just something to take lightly, but rather a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be exposed and now, as the film “Call and Response” (http://callandresponse.com/) has taught me, there is a response that I have to give to all I have witnessed to.

Psalm 8:2
“From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies to silence the foe and the avenger.”

The end of my trip saw one more layover – this one in Bangkok and afforded me the time to go visit NightLight Bangkok – the amazing ministry I had volunteered with last summer (http://www.nightlightbangkok.com/). It was wonderful to meet once again with the women as they worshipped at the start of their day – their work day consisting of creating fantastic jewelry designs rather than dressed in skimpy clothing and waiting for a man to take note. I loved hearing of how the ministry has been expanding and the opportunity to purchase the building space they have been renting in order to become more established. Truly, God is at work everywhere…

Psalm 8:4
“What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?”

I returned to Australia after all of this about a week and a half ago and was gladly reunited with the Saxton family where I will be living once again in Hornsby and to worship in English at Northridge Vineyard with them on Father’s Day. Now I’ve also worshipped with Barbara, Brendan’s mum at New Vine Baptist yesterday and with Brendan at the Newcastle Cathedral last night and I feel like I have come home. My journey has been marked with many nations, tribes and tongues, but saying together the words of the Nicene Creed last night in my native language was welcome on my tongue. It truly feels like home returning to Australia. I will be working at Blu Water Grill in Hornsby in the immediate future and apply for full-time jobs in development. Brendan has returned home now too from his overseas adventures to the UK and we have been joyfully joined and are enjoying time catching up with his family in Newcastle. I’ve also been able to visit the Rotary Club of Newcastle Enterprise and catch them up on my last 9 months since I left Newcastle and visit my old friends at Fitness at Viking. God has been unbelievably faithful to me this year and has not only given me so much I had on my heart, but more than I could have thought possible. He has expanded my borders once again and not only strengthened existing bonds with friends and my family in the US, but allowed me to be repatriated to my adopted family here in Australia. Only the Lord knows the future, but I can say with confidence that I trust Him and that I have seen His plans are for good, not for harm.

Please do keep Brendan and I in your prayers as we continue to settle back into life in Australia and for a job and place to live for Brendan in Sydney. We are heading to Canberra this week to participate as facilitators in the National Student Leadership Forum on Faith and Values (http://www.nslf.org.au/home) and I would also love your prayers for this gathering that will take place September 18-21. Indeed, there is much to be excited about coming up, and grateful for – especially your friendship.

May the God of all peace, continue to give you His mind and vision. His dreams are better than our dreams…

Psalm 2:8
“Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.”

Together on the journey, all my love,
Brooke Gagnon

www.brookesintladventures.blogspot.com

End of the School Year BBQ at SEWH, Rotary Alumni Celebration, Brendan's US visit, PM Kitchen Crew at Sharp Top Cove

2008-08-01T07:41:00.001-04:00

Brooke's US Adventures - Summer 2008

2008-07-30T18:28:00.000-04:00

Brooke’s US Adventures Update– Summer 2008 –July 30, 2008

Dear friends,

I greet you in the name of Jesus and in the fellowship that He offers. It has been one incredible summer and I long to share with you all the blessings of what the Lord has done.

Brendan arrived in mid-June and our trip together began with him getting to experience alongside me the joy of relationships I have established in Washington, DC over the years. It was fantastic to worship together at Church of the Resurrection and be able to both stay at the Southeast White House and be blessed by the tangible presence of Christ that resides in this house. The hospitality of the ministry is such a blessing to everyone in the neighborhood, and indeed blessed us both, as this was our base for him to see the city I love so much and get to know the friends. We were able to serve at the house together a bit with the Tuesday morning prayer breakfast and participate in the house Fun Day activity which was a photo scavenger hunt around Washington, allowing Brendan the chance to get to know my coworkers and vice versa. Some other highlights of these first few days included a fantastic crab dinner with our friends Cricket and John and an Orioles game in Baltimore, and many meals with pastors and friends.

From DC, we rented a car and headed south to Sharp Top Cove, the Young Life camp we served at as Summer Staff cooks. We spent one night in Atlanta with Tom and Alexandra Roddy beforehand and were able to hear wonderful stories of Young Life ministry from many years ago and get Brendan excited for what he was in for. The next day we piled into the bus from the airport with many other young people of high school and college age from around the country and to this beautiful camp nestled at the base of mountains in north Georgia. Our time at Sharp Top was a beautiful time to be together, work hard alongside each other, get to know and minister to those around us, particularly those younger than us, and get to be quiet with the Lord. Our job, being PM cooks, meant we had the morning to have personal and summer staff devotional time, as well as take hikes or go swimming before reporting to our jobs after lunch. It was a fantastic opportunity to enjoy nature, to see deer, appreciate fireflies and for Brendan to also learn more about urban youth culture in America. Coming from Southeast Washington to an urban/multicultural session at Sharp Top gave Brendan a great glimpse into the culture that I have been seeking to know and minister in for many years. It was really fun to see inner city kids from Memphis, Little Rock, Tampa, and Jacksonville all enjoying the camp property and learning to swim and go down a zip line for the first time. It was also fun to have other kids from Bermuda and even some from the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind in St. Augustine join in the mix with Hispanic youth from Immokalee. If you ever need a lesson in faith, you should observe a blind teenager being talked through by her leader on the high ropes course, amazing! We loved the time to invest in those around us and also be invested in by the dedicated camp property staff and our summer staff coordinators who led us through the book of John and focused our attention and service on Jesus during the 3-week assignment. Of course connections and friendships were made there and one of the very fun things was meeting people that were connected to other friends of mine, or that are discipled by friends of mine from college, that have the same Young Life leaders I had in high school, or that even serve alongside my friends in various cities. Martha Shinn, my former college professor was even an adult guest a few days at the end of our time there and it was wonderful to reconnect. Brendan really enjoyed the time together and it was a great chance for us to work even more on keeping shorter accounts in terms of conflict and to learn even more what it means to speak the truth in love as we were spending so much time working with on another and spending other time with each other, things were bound to come up. It was an intense 3 weeks, with no days off and with sore hands and full hearts we were ready to leave at the end of it, although it was a perfect space for us between all the busyness of Washington and before meeting my family in Florida.

John 6:35 “Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”

So, our journey continued after camp to Florida where our first stop was Jacksonville, to stay with my mom and step-dad Dan. Here, I was also able to give a thank you speech to the Rotary Club of Jacksonville that had recently sent me to Los Angeles and once again express my appreciation and continued commitment to the ideals of Rotary. We were blessed also to be able to spend time with my sponsoring counselor and his wife, Dr. Bill and Linda Bainbridge and be hosted at their home for a night. It is always enlightening spending time with them and receiving from their wisdom and gracious hospitality. I was very grateful also for a day Brendan and I were able to spend with my mother in St. Augustine and the three of us were able to explore my old alma mater and enjoy the beauty, history and culture of this lovely city, as well as the beach. Brendan was ready to hit the beach and excited to see the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. We were also able to share time with my dear friend Nan Ellen there in Jacksonville and went from there to Orlando to see my friend Audra. From Orlando, we headed to Lakeland where we were blessed to attend the Florida Outpouring meetings that have been taking place since April when Todd Bentley went to Ignited Church for what was thought to be a few day conference. It has now been over 100 days of daily meetings with the anointing so strong, especially with regards to healings occurring daily. If you haven’t heard about this before, I would recommend you check out: http://www.freshfire.ca/
We were able to attend the Wednesday night meeting in the tent at the airport and also went back up to Lakeland the following Monday for the day meetings being held in Ignited Church and evangelism training in Lakeland. Both Brendan and I were incredibly blessed by the anointing present and were able to serve behind the scenes at the evening service and witness powerful testimonies of how God was healing the sick that were coming from around the nations to this place to get healed. God is doing something here that is an outpouring to all the nations and the vision is that it wouldn’t stay in Lakeland but as people would watch online, or visit in person they would be empowered to have their faith built up and begin to pray for others in their towns and cities and indeed this revival has broken out in other areas. If you are at all near Lakeland or able to visit, I would encourage it, but even just tuning into the live broadcasts online at Fresh Fire’s website or on God TV, has been an amazing blessing to so many, including Brendan’s mom and church in Australia, so he was especially excited to participate in this.

John 4:34-35 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Do you not say, “Four months more and then the harvest? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.”

As we made our way south in Florida we were able to stay with some of my college friends Ruth and Woody and eventually get to my hometown of Punta Gorda and stay with my brother. The three of us then packed into the car and headed even farther south to the Florida Keys, past my birth place of Duck Key and all the way to Key West to meet my dad and step mom, Jan and gather with other friends and family to cheer on my dad as he competed for the 9th time in the Ernest Hemingway Look-A-Like Contest. We were all really hopeful that this would be his year to win and join the Hemingway Society, which is comprised of former winners. However, the title remained elusive despite my dad’s great job, once again making it to the finals and we all had a great time at Sloppy Joe’s together enjoying friendship and being together. It was a very special time for us all to be together and for everyone to meet Brendan on this trip and although there never seemed to be enough time, the time that we were all able to share was priceless time and there was a good spirit that characterized our visits. On our way north we were able to visit with Pastor Dan and Elise from Church of the Rez, who happened to be on sabbatical in Florida, again a very special encounter for Brendan and I and pivotal in helping look at our relationship before we had a little more time with my mom and Dan in Jacksonville. On this trip we were able to be special guests on my parent’s cable access television show, “Second Wind” and share about what the Lord is doing in Australia. It was really fun to be able to speak together and minister with my parents (more about this later). Our Florida trip ended with an overnight Greyhound Bus journey (a first for me!) up to Newport News, Virginia in order to be able to participate in the Family Vacation with a Purpose at Christopher Newport University. This annual gathering has been taking place for over 40 years and this was the 6th year I have been and it is always one of my highlights of the year to be together with these precious friends. Again, I was not disappointed by being together with families I only see perhaps at this once a year gathering, but year after year our friendships grow deeper, as well as new friends being added, like Brendan this year. It was a very relaxed time filled with tennis and the beach and a good wind up for Brendan’s American trip. We returned to DC on Sunday and had once last time of worship together at Church of the Rez and were blessed by being sent off in prayer by faithful friends there. I have often said what I missed the most in Australia was my church and prayer groups I was a part of, I know that I will miss this again, but am so grateful by the season I was granted and that Brendan was able to share in it with me and am hopeful that I will become more grafted into community as I return to Australia and seek to become planted deeper into Sydney. After a night monument tour, Brendan’s time was up and he flew to London on Monday leaving me to now reflect, enjoy a few more days in DC with friends and I leave on Friday for Greece.

Luke 11:3 “Give us each day our daily bread.”

I know it seems like a whirlwind of a trip, and it was in so many ways, but every bit of these past 5 months in America has been incredibly blessed by friends along the way. Thank you to so many who opened your homes, leant your vehicles, invited to dinners, and just really loved on me, and on Brendan when he was here. This next season is again unknown, but I am learning greater confidence in the Lord’s faithfulness each step of the journey and look forward to sharing His provision every step of the way.

Here is my itinerary for the next 5 weeks, please as you read it, keep it in your prayers and as the Lord leads, if you are able, please consider supporting financially this trip, especially the trip to the Philippines. Contact me directly and I will give you details of how to give support. This trip is the culmination of many dreams and friendships coming together over the years and I pray it will be Spirit-led and powerful for the Kingdom of Heaven.

August 2nd – Greece – first stop Athens, then Bulgaria to meet up with my Bulgarian friend Dimitar and his sister and learn his nation & culture & further develop our friendship
August 11th – back to Athens to meet my American friend Bethany who went to Bible school in Croatia to do some traveling in Greece and then to Macedonia together to meet with some different people, missionaries & government workers (and pray for this homeland of Brendan’s family); then to Serbia to visit my friend & youth pastor Samuil and his mother Megi, who is a friend from Sydney
August 20th – fly to Bangkok to reconnect with ministry friends at NightLight and prayerfully visit the women I connected with through this ministry last summer
August 27th – fly to the island of Mindanao in the southern part of the Philippines to meet my parents and participate in a Pastors Conference with them reaching out to over 400 pastors in this Muslim dominant region – this is the first time I’ve been able to minister internationally with my family, it has long been a dream of mine and an answer to prayer – orphanage work will also be what my family will participate in, consider sowing towards this… my expenses will be approximately $1500 and anything more given will be sown into the ministry in the Philippines. If you are interested in seeing details on my parent’s ministry, please go to: http://www.mightywindministryintl.org/index.html

September 3rd – fly back to Bangkok for brief layover
September 5th – return to Sydney

As you can see I’ll be experiencing an amazingly diverse trip with many different cultures and languages to try and be relevant in. Please pray for protection as I travel, often alone. Pray for spiritual protection in every way and for the Lord to richly provide for all of the needs, even those I do not even know about yet. Pray for the Spirit to guide and lead every encounter I would have in the journey and for unity with those I am traveling and ministering with.

“The road before you is purposely obscure. You do not need the burden of knowing the details. Grace abounds in each hard place, and I am with you in all you face.”
- Echoes of Eternity

Also, please pray for the Lord’s clear guiding as I return to Australia concerning housing and job details and revelation on the many decisions that await both Brendan and I, as we return to Australia. I have seen God so mightily at work that truly I can only rejoice for what I know He will do in the future and I am so glad to be able to testify to you of this my friends. Please continue to keep in touch with me about how I can pray and support you in what God is doing in and through your lives and thank you for continuing to walk this journey of faith beside me.

All my love,
Brooke Gagnon

www.brookesintladventures.blogspot.com

With friends in DC - with Kate, Gena, Shannon, Josh and Raquel at the hat party, with Carrie and Steve, at Anna's shower...

2008-07-30T17:45:00.003-04:00

Brooke's Southeast White House Update - Summer 2008

2008-06-15T22:14:00.001-04:00

Brooke’s Southeast White House Update– Summer 2008 –June 13, 2008

Dear friends,

Well, as of yesterday, I am no longer working at the SEWH, but since I’ll still be staying there a few more days I thought this title was still an appropriate one. As I write this I am flying far above the earth in an AirTran jet bound for Los Angeles and I am feeling very, very grateful for God’s faithfulness and where He has led me in these past few months of being back in the US. It has been a very sweet time to be back at the Southeast White House and to have been able to see it end with the end of the school year BBQ yesterday was an exhausting and exhilarating finale’ to the time. Imagine kids everywhere and that is the picture of what it was! The kids started arriving as soon as they finished their last day of school at noon, even though the grill wasn’t going to be fired up until 3:30… This has been a big week at the house, as the summer camp counselors have been having a training and gearing up for the summer’s activities. They were all ready for the children as they descended and it was fantastic to see the cotton candy machine, water balloons and face painting all converge with sugar cookie decorating and hot dog consumption. My time working once again with the friends and families of Southeast was a reminder of how messy life is… when you care about the poor you are bound to be intricately involved with the stories and grief’s that inevitably impact their lives. I have seen how involved especially our full time Friends of the Children (FOTC) mentors are in the lives of the children they work with, and of course consequentially the families these children live in. So, as I have been helping Sammie with administration of this program, I have learned about the situations of these families and tried to help provide support for these mentors with the incredible task they have been given. Homelessness, disease and death, tragedy through violence, grief, joy, celebration, graduation, new life and teenage pregnancy all collide to form the fabric of a community. With my relationship with Charisma I have been brought face-to-face with many of these conflicting emotions and situations, but magnified by 50 in learning these stories the past two months. It has been an immense privilege.

I have to share a few of the many ways God has specifically answered prayers and showed up powerfully in and through the time. In one situation specifically, many of you have been praying for Charisma. I was praying that the Lord would provide another mentor as I prepare to go back overseas and the Lord has indeed done that. Please pray for Carolyn as she takes on the joy and responsibility of stepping into Charisma’s life at this delicate age of 16 – when independence and freedom wars with need for guidance and the conflict of not being fully adult nor fully child emerges. We all three were able to meet together once, but it is unlikely we will again. Our time has been difficult and beautiful this past month as Charisma hasn’t gone to school or made appointments we set, but when she has shown up, like yesterday with her boyfriend and friends in tow to the BBQ, joy and love have come up fully from my heart for her. Another answer to prayer was a successful audit and how all the pieces came together beautifully for that to occur. I’ve also been able to contact many former FOTC mentors and children and receive needed information on their lives for our records. A last and huge answer to prayer was that God provided someone to take the position from me and not only is she a delight and joy, she has been volunteering with us for the past month or so, so she has learned the community a bit and I was able to train her before leaving, which is a huge relief. Raquel Rogers, is a newlywed that married my friend Josh from Church of the Rez. She and I had not met prior to this trip, but she has fast become a great friend and has fantastic experience working in community organizations and I believe she is a God send for the position, to continue to work I was able to begin and to provide stability to the program and support for Sammie. Pray for her in her transition to the community and house and for the resources for all of the programs to continue, which part of her role will include a grant/development component.

“Put aside your fears, open yourself to my love and goodwill, and walk with me today.”
- Echoes of Eternity

Another massive answer to prayer and something, which again reminds me of the Lord’s provision and perfect timing is that I received my yearlong work and holiday visa to return to Australia. I am allowed to re-enter Australia anytime between now and September the 7th (my ticket incidentally is to go back on the 6th of September) and I can stay for a year and work full-time for up to 6 months with the same employer… and who knows what will happen in that year time frame? It is an exciting time indeed! It is amazing to me how fear and anxiety, thoughts of the future can consume us… I knew upon leaving Australia that I would try and go back, however that God was asking me to cease from my strivings and allow His timing to dictate. As I researched the options for visas I saw that as soon as my visa was granted, I would have a 3 month window in which to return… so I waited until 3 months before my ticket was to return and look at how quick it happened– within 8 hours of applying, I was granted the visa request. So many had said how hard it would be, etc. to receive this visa and so many negative thoughts wanted to fill me to the point of questioning even applying, but God’s peace told me to go to bed and apply the next day and it was all beautiful in His time. Why do we struggle so much to live fully in the present?

“If I may prove my case, do you think humans were designed to live in the present or the past or the future?”
“Well,” said Mack, hesitating, “I think the most obvious answer is that we were designed to live in the present. Is that wrong?”
Jesus chuckled. “Relax, Mack; this is not a test, it is a conversation. You are exactly correct, by the way. But now tell me, where do you spend most of your time in your mind, in your imagination, in the present, in the past, or in the future?”
Mack thought for a moment before answering. “I suppose I would have to say that I spend very little time in the present. For me, I spend a big piece in the past, but most of the rest of the time, I am trying to figure out the future.”
“Not unlike most people. When I dwell with you, I do so in the present –I live in the present. Not the past, although much can be remembered and learnt by looking back, but only for a visit, not an extended stay. And for sure, I do not dwell in the future you visualize or imagine. Mack, do you realize that your imagination of the future, which is almost always dictated by fear of some kind, rarely, if ever, pictures me there with you?” (Jesus speaking to Mack)
The Shack by William P. Young http://www.theshackbook.com

My dear boyfriend, Brendan Filipovski, flies into Washington, DC tomorrow and our US adventure will commence. I am very excited to show him around DC and have him get to meet so many that mean so much to me in the next few days before we head down to Georgia to work at Young Life’s Sharp Top Cove and from there on to Florida and to my family. Truly, God has been very faithful to me and I can’t stop thanking Him and being grateful.

“To move more courageously, you have to hold on to hope, and you trust that God has a better script for your life than you could write on your own.”
Sex and the Soul of a Woman, Paula Rinehart pg. 147

I do have much hope for what will come in the future… but I am excited to live in today even with all the questions left unanswered for what will happen tomorrow. Jesus told us not to be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow would have it’s own worries (Matthew 6: 25-27). I am off today to LA to enjoy a Rotary Alumni Celebration. I am grateful that I was given the chance by the Rotary to be an Ambassador of Goodwill and Understanding to Australia and all that the year held for me. I look forward to the people I will continue to meet and connect with through this organization and I see God’s provision in all of it. I am excited to connect with my dear friend Kersten Metzler, years after we lived together at the Cornerstone house in College Park, MD – the place I will be delighted to share with a group of young people, not too far behind me on the journey on Monday night. So much has seemingly come full-circle in the past few months – reminders of how interconnected lives are and how the Lord has a purpose and a plan for every relationship and experience. The book, The Shack, that I quoted above has had a big impact on me in the past week that I soared through its very poignant pages. I would encourage each of you to read it. One small, but very powerful phrase repeated in the novel is: “If anything matters, then everything matters.” It truly has been my experience that God works everything out for good, even all the pain and allows for redemption to take place. I have been so incredibly blessed to come back into relationship with those at the SEWH that I had once enjoyed sweet fellowship with, and at my church, but I also have been able to re-connect to those who I had longings for better endings with that had yet to be recognized until I took this trip… I pray for each of you reading this update that you are able to reflect on those you might need to re-connect with that somehow where the relationship is doesn’t settle well in your spirit. Our God is a God of relationship and none of us can do this life cut off from others…
“Even a piece of paper is lighter when two people lift it together.”
- Korean proverb

I have been so blessed by relationships, even when they are messy and require me to die to myself. Living once again in community has been a painful joy of learning interconnectedness. And I am sure for all the fulfilled longing of reuniting with Brendan, traveling together will have of the same bittersweet moments. Pray for us in our journey and thank you for your friendship. Until next time,
Brooke Gagnon

www.brookesintladventures.blogspot.com

Spring photos in DC - Bill and Cinni, with Annie Barnes, at Young Life's Rockbridge with women from the SEWH: Tina, Tammy, Jamilia, Evelyn & Marilyn

2008-05-04T20:48:00.002-04:00

Punta Gorda Images - dad with car & bike, sunset, Jan and grandbaby Benjamin, Tigger the cat, JP & dad with other stage "son"

2008-05-04T13:26:00.001-04:00

Brooke's Southeast White House Update - Spring 2008

2008-05-04T12:53:00.000-04:00

Brooke’s Southeast White House Update – Spring 2008 – May 4, 2008

Dear friends,
I know for those of you who have been receiving communications from me for several years you may be very surprised to see the heading of this update – but it is true… after two and a half years away from this amazing house, I have renewed my professional relationship with the ministry and taken a short-term commitment to serve here. But let me back up and tell you what has transpired in the past few weeks and how I ended up back in DC after my visit to see my family in Florida.

Romans 12:13
“Share with God’s people that are in need. Practice hospitality.”

So at the time of my last writing, I was in Tallahassee and Jacksonville finishing up at the FSLF and spending time with my mom and step-dad. The time there ended so well and my time in north Florida was capped off by being able to address the Jacksonville Rotary Club’s weekly meeting. The club has been such a supporter of my life this past 3 years as I have been involved in the process of applying for and going as an Ambassadorial Scholar to Australia and it was an honor to be with them and thank them in person. The club is also sponsoring me to attend the first-ever Rotary Foundation Alumni pre-convention gathering in Los Angeles in June that will be a fantastic opportunity to network and get excited even more about the scholarship programs and see what a difference the opportunity has made in so many lives over the past 60 years that scholars have been sent out. I look forward to sharing how this time goes.

From north Florida, I started driving south and spent one priceless night in central Florida with my dear friend Audra. It was precious to catch up on life in person and I was able also to see Mary-Pam, another Orlando friend. Then, I drove down into my hometown of Punta Gorda and for the first time in 9 years, since my mom moved away, I was able to stay in the town itself. My dad and step-mom have moved into the town in these past few months and it was very fun to stay with them in Punta Gorda Isles and borrow their car to check e-mail at a wireless café in the waterfront mall where I first learned to swim as a baby and where I had my first job and reflect so much on where my life has taken me in the past 10 years since I have left this small town. The time was so relaxing and was spent with my brother, Jean-Paul as well as my dad and Jan. Much of the day was spent relaxing in the sun, working out, reading or making my daily e-mail check ins, while at night I had dinner and catch up with my family or friends I haven’t seen in 10 years. It was like a mini-reunion and great timing, since the 10-year reunion is this year, but I will be back in Australia during it. Much has changed in the town since I have been gone, especially in the rebuilding after the devastation of Hurricane Charlie in 2004. It is in many ways a new town. However, it was also hard to see how difficult the current economy has been for the town. Since much of the economy is built on tourism and retirees having their second home (snow-birds coming from the north for the winter) in our town, the housing market has been severely impacted by the recession.

It was a great time for me to be down with my family for a few different reasons. One is that my brother was the lead in a Neil Simon play and my dad was cast as his father and the opening was when I was there. It was incredible to watch them both perform so well in character and there was an irony to the plot in that in the play (Come Blow Your Horn) the father owns a family business that his two sons work with and in real life of course, my father owns a business that my brother has been working with in the past year and a half. It was very funny and true to life in some of the interactions on stage. I was very glad to be able to support both my brother and dad by reading through the lines with them and by cheering them on from the audience. Another great timing was that my dad and I were able to get out on the boat for 2 days – just the two of us and enjoy the beauty of nature. Every time I go back to where I am from, the physical beauty of the place and how pristine it is strikes me. To see manatees, dolphins, horseshoe crabs, pelicans, seagulls, mullet, and alligators in their natural habitat is so fun. Plus, the weather was spectacular, 80-degree days with no humidity and sunshine, I couldn’t complain. I was really open to considering spending the next few months working there but I still had Washington, DC on my heart and was putting it all before the Lord. My dad was encouraging me to stay and so I did apply for a few jobs, including at the restaurant where I worked my first job. The funny thing with that was that the owners were the same and there was even a friend from high school working there, yet, my timing was off. I was told: “If you would have only come in yesterday.” I actually was planning on going in the day before but then, changed my mind… So, as I was leaving the place I was praying and asking God what He wanted next and I got a call that I had been hoping to get to come back and help out at the Southeast White House.

Romans 13:8-10
“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellow man has fulfilled the law. Love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”

Let me back up a little further and tell you about a dream I had… Before I left Australia and when I was seeking to discern what I was to do next when my visa was coming to an end I was praying about where to go. One night in going to bed, I felt anxious about many things – money, my future, and questions of vocation and went to bed feeling that way. I had a dream that night in which my old boss, Sammie Morrison from the SEWH, offered me a job and I felt that he had offered it because he knew I needed a job. When I woke up I just had this sense from the Lord that He was going to be working things out and would take care of me. When I visited Washington, DC in March, I stayed at the SEWH and the day I arrived, Sammie came out to help me with my luggage and said immediately, “Gagnon, I want to talk to you about a job.” I laughed because I thought my friend Kristi whom I had shared the dream with had told him. But he said he hadn’t talked to anyone about it. So, began our discussions of how I could come back for a season. Then it didn’t look as if funding was going to allow me to come back and therefore when I was in Florida I was seeking to still discern where I was to be in this season. The time with my family was very healing and redemptive and also with friends I haven’t kept up with in so many years, but there was and is a deeper call for me to Washington and I was so blessed to get the call to say come. So, I have now been back almost 3 weeks working and living back at my first home in Washington, almost 6 years ago, my first job out of college.

“Writing can be a true spiritual discipline. Writing can help us to concentrate, to get in touch with the deeper stirrings of our hearts, to clarify our minds, to process confusing emotions, to reflect on our experiences, to give artistic expression to what we are living, and to store significant events in our memories. Writing can also be good for others who might read what we write. Then writing can become lifesaving for us and sometimes for others too. One of the arguments we often use for not writing is this: "I have nothing original to say. Whatever I might say, someone else has already said it, and better than I will ever be able to." This, however, is not a good argument for not writing. Each human person is unique and original, and nobody has lived what we have lived. Furthermore, what we have lived, we have lived not just for ourselves but for others as well. Writing can be a very creative and invigorating way to make our lives available to ourselves and to others. We have to trust that our stories deserve to be told. We may discover that the better we tell our stories the better we will want to live them.”
- Henri Nouwen

My role now is different then it has been in the past. This time around I am helping the YSDC (Youth Service Development Corps.), which runs our full-time Friends of the Children mentoring program, the Peoples House and our volunteer mentoring program. I am helping to administer these programs and complete financial responsibilities such as process reimbursements and help with an upcoming audit (I knew I majored in Business at Flagler for some reason!). I am also seeking to re-connect with children that were at one point involved with our Friends mentoring program but that aren’t currently in touch with us. The goal is to find out how these children (or adolescents) are doing and see if there is a way to continue to involve them in programs happening or connect them to another mentor relationship. It is very exciting work and I am glad to be able to pour my energy into a place that has been such a huge part of my life and passion for so many years. I must say though that there is a lot of work, so your prayers – particularly for getting ready for the audit would be appreciated. Another amazing strategic timed blessing to share with you is that I have been able to reconnect at a very important time with my long-term mentee, Charisma. I mentioned that I saw here when I was visiting in March, and now that I am back living here, her mom has been in touch a lot raising concerns about how late she comes in, that she has been hanging out with an older boy and that she isn’t listening… So, I have the great honor and responsibility of trying to be involved in Charisma’s world for the few months I am back in the US (especially the next month and a half I am in DC), and prayerfully, involve someone else who can help mentor her for the next few years. She is at the end of her sophomore year and will probably fail this year… I met with her teachers this week and her absenteeism and tardiness, combined with cursing and disrespect to teachers make it hard for her to succeed. I believe in her though and I am excited for the time we will have together. Please pray for her and for the tough decisions she needs to make in order to graduate from high school. Please pray for me as I seek to work with her and love her where she is and encourage her to where she should go…

I am sorry this update is so long, but it seems so much has happened in such a short time. Before I end off, I do want to give you a glimpse of what is coming next. My commitment to the SEWH is until mid-June and then Brendan, my wonderful Aussie boyfriend of a year, will be arriving in DC to discover my world a bit. We’ll spend some time here at the SEWH and make our way down to Sharp Top Cove a Young Life camp set in north Georgia. There we will volunteer together on summer staff for 3 weeks in the kitchen. We are both looking forward to this so much and to learning how well we work together in ministry. Young Life has been such a huge part of my life for the last 12 years, so to introduce this relational style ministry to Brendan and share the summer staff experience with him will be so great. From there we’ll be heading down to Florida once again for him to meet up with my friends and family there. So, if I haven’t seen you yet on my whirlwind tour, please know you are welcome to contact me in DC for the next 6 weeks or perhaps in Florida in mid-July, as we’ll both be leaving at the end of the July/early August for separate trips to Europe – heading back west to eventually land in Australia in September. I am very excited that Brendan has made the decision to come to the States and get to be with me in the country I have called home for most of my life. We have been really stretched and grown in the past 9 weeks apart and I know God is using this time in both of our lives in powerful ways. I know the 6 weeks until he comes will pass quickly so I am seeking to make good use of my time here in DC with my work, church and catching up with old friends and so look forward to all of these friends meeting the man that has meant so much to me in this past year. It is amazing how I can be so present and satisfied in two separate spheres, Australia and America, and so torn when I am in one place and not the other, but I’ll be glad to see how they come together in a small way when Brendan comes.

Thank you as always for walking the journey with me. If you want to be in touch while I am in the States, my cell is: 904-537-2230.

God bless,
Brooke

Romans 12:9
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

Link to Rotary Presentation given at the Jacksonville Rotary Club on March 31, 2008

2008-04-05T10:50:00.001-04:00

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=2R96K0CG Just follow link and enter the 3 letter code, after 45 seconds click the download button.

Kara and Kekoa, Kristy & Lilyana, girls group in DC, haven in St. Augustine, FSLF small groups with Senator Hill

2008-03-29T22:51:00.002-04:00

Matt & Kath's wedding photos, Grand Final, celebrating Jets win, with Charisma in DC

2008-03-29T22:10:00.001-04:00

Brooke's Transition Update - Spring/Fall 2008

2008-03-29T21:40:00.000-04:00

Brooke’s Transition Update – Spring/Fall 2008 – March 29, 2008

Greetings friends,
I write this as a spring/fall update, because depending on the part of the world you are in – you have just entered either season. I am seemingly escaping the autumn and winter as I have translated myself out of the southern hemisphere just as the temps were beginning to drop and even though the end of February/beginning of March in the northern hemisphere was a bit of a shock, now with the temperatures rising and the fact I am back in my home state of Florida – I am glad to be on this side of the globe.

Mark 13:28
“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near.”

Well friends, there is much to report from the past two months and I want to thank all of you for your prayers and support during my time of discernment about coming back to the US and even in all the questions I am currently sorting out. I did listen to that still, small voice and the voices of some wise counselors in Australia and decided to come home to the US for a while and be with people who have known me longer than a year to gain some perspective and seek out prayer partners for me in this season. I began talking about seasons at the beginning of this update because the season I am currently in is not one I am very familiar or comfortable with – not in the natural, but in the spiritual in many ways I am in a season of winter. Kris Vallotton, a pastor out of northern California speaks of winter as a season when fruit does not come forth and the roots are required to dig down deep. Although the tree may look very ugly in this season, if the roots didn’t dig down deep there would be no season of fruitfulness when the summer comes. Likewise, in my journey, I am seeking in this season to rest in the Lord and also to re-connect, particularly with my family and continue to do the hard work of healing some past hurts that I have held onto for far too long and allow my roots to go down deep with the Lord. I have to believe in this season that for this work to be done, when the season changes more fruitfulness will ultimately result. It is difficult however to be still and to do the hard work on the inside of me, or rather to give up to the Lord the deep places of pain that still exist and allow Him to do the hard work of bringing them to the light and healing – as only He can. I feel this urgency that if I don’t use this season, as it has been given me, then I won’t be able to get to where I desire to be used with regards to help others who are broken in their healing processes. Please, pray with me that I would rest in the Lord in this season where I don’t feel very pretty, like the winter trees, and that I wouldn’t try to be beautiful or worry about not producing fruit or what others are thinking, but that I would rest in His provision and protection. That this season would accomplish all He desires it to, as He has wooed me back to the US for such a time as this.

2 Peter 1:3
“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”

So the journey continues on. I booked an around the world ticket in order to come back to the US, as it was only $50 more than a roundtrip ticket to DC and left from Australia on the 29th of February. My last month in Australia was filled with wonderful moments with friends – my 28th birthday celebrations, spending time with the Saxton children as their parents were at the US National Prayer Breakfast, Valentine’s Day with Brendan, Matt and Kath’s wedding, the Newcastle Jets winning the Grand Final (like the Super Bowl for Australian soccer) and also great work experience at Opportunity International. It was a great time to reflect and consider so much of what I had learned and gleaned from my 13 months in Australia and to determine if I desired to come back. Brendan and I decided indeed that I would try and come back, but would take a few months for me to return to the US, reconnect with friends and family, discern next steps and then I would travel a bit before hopefully returning on a new visa to Australia. It is new territory for us both to attempt to walk forward together amidst many different opportunities and discerning God’s voice for us individually, and prayerfully, together.

2 Peter 2:8 & 9
“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

Today marks my one month of traveling and being outside Australia. I first landed in San Francisco on this trip and had the pleasure of being hosted by different friends, particularly my friend Laura who had visited me in Sydney in November. During my week in northern California, I was able to reflect and pray with many different people who have encouraged my journey over the past several years. Including, my former roommate and co-worker from the SEWH – Elise and her husband Josh; my former co-worker Julie and boss Pastor Jackson from Uganda; spend time with Laura and many of her prayer friends as well as our mutual friend Maria’s sister Liz from England; and Pastor Terry and Mary Inman whom I had connected with during a trip to Uganda and California a year and a half ago. Each interaction was very significant, and although it was a full time, it felt restful and a good first stop on my US tour. From there, I flew to Washington, DC – my former home for four and a half years and had the incredible privilege of immediately going on my church retreat. Part of what had influenced me to come back to the US in this season was a very caring e-mail I received from my pastor in DC at Church of the Rez. The e-mail reminded me of how much I had missed my church and the community I had known through it during my time in Australia. It was wonderful to re-connect with that community and witness the way it has grown since I have been gone. Not only with new members, but also out of the unions God has brought together with new marriages, pregnancies and births. It was a joyous time and also very significant as the theme of the weekend was Weaknesses (Ours) and Strengths (Jesus’). I felt profoundly ministered to by being able to admit the place of insecurity I was in and to admit my desperate need of Jesus’ strength in my situation. Pastor Dan spoke about the similarity of the Pharisees and our church in terms of buying into the lie that we are strong and independent – as our culture says we are. We are, as he says, part of the cult of the strong. Until we recognize our full dependence on God we won’t be able to fully enter into all that He has for us and this can only come through prayer. I found such freedom in this teaching and the time that was allotted for us to share with one another honestly where we were at and beseech God for healing. It is where I am at and am finding joy in looking to Him through unveiled eyes and surrendered hands in this season. The rest of my trip to DC was the whirlwind I knew it would be. I was able to stay at the Southeast White House for part of my stay and see so many of the beautiful children (who have grown up so much!), including my mentee Charisma. I was able to connect with staff current and former there and hear more of the vision God is putting forth for the neighborhood. I was also able to catch up with old college friends living in the area and meet new additions to their families – little Mia, Lucca, Dante and Kekoa along with Sophia. I was also able to pray, pray, pray with so many groups I have missed so much – Prayer for the City, Prayer for Latin America, attend a Perspectives class and attend so many small gatherings and be with so many beautiful relationships that in some ways being far from home I had stuffed far within my heart so that I wouldn’t remember and be missing them all the time. And of course, along with all of this came all the breakfast, lunch, coffee and dinner dates I had with people and different houses I stayed out experiencing the full hospitality of the DC/Virginia/Baltimore region. Thank you to Cricket and John, Dominic and Mary, Chris and Danni, Allison, Britney and Laura and everyone else who welcomed me into their home in the past few weeks.

“As long as we relate primarily to each other's wealth, health, stability, intelligence, and soul strength, we cannot develop true community. Community is not a talent show in which we dazzle the world with our combined gifts. Community is the place where our poverty is acknowledged and accepted, not as something we have to learn to cope with as best as we can but as a true source of new life.”
– Henri Nouwen

Then, I returned to the state of my birth and to the city that sent me out as an ambassadorial scholar, Jacksonville, Florida. Since being in Jacksonville, I have been spending time with my mom and step-dad Dan and seeking to be with them and learn about what God has been doing in and through them in their ministry. My mom is the chaplain at the North East Florida State Hospital for the mentally ill and together with Dan they minister many places around the region – including to prisons, different evangelistic outreaches and networking many small ministries around the city and the world together under the banner IAM (Independent Apostolic Ministries) International. It has been great to see their hearts and experience their love and that of their friends by attending one of their meetings last Friday night and be prayed for by their friends and going to Easter service together. My mom and I were also able to go together down to St. Augustine and visit some of my friends from my Flagler days and re-visit some of my old spots for some prayer and reflection. It has been a blessing. However, in me some deep wounds have been shown to need healing with my mom’s help. I have been realizing more the depth of the ugliness and rawness of the pain in me that has not been dealt with. What I have been especially dealing with is memories of the past that are painful that I have said I have forgiven, but I haven’t forgotten and have brought up in the past week or so in anger or in self-pity. It hasn’t been a helpful or healing process to remember these things. I have been struggling in some ways to not only forgive these things but wrestling with how much I forgive myself for the past also and how much do I believe God really forgives me. It is very poignant that all of this was emerging particularly on Easter Sunday when, as Christians we celebrate that Jesus was raised up – victorious over death and the grave and that because He died and took all of our sin (that is all that we have done and will ever do) and rose again – it is finished. The Bible says our sins are forgotten – they are removed as far as the east is from the west. So, when I repent, God forgets. However, I seem to have allowed this remembrance, not only my sins, but also the sins of others. When I am with my family it is like the accuser of the saints is shouting in my ear especially loud that our sins are so bad that I have to bring them up (I know ridiculous!), then I feel so bad about my bringing it up because inevitably reconciliation, which is my spirit in being with my family feels like it gets thwarted. Of course this makes sense because the enemy wants to steal, kill and destroy us. I am beginning to claim the truth and what scripture says is true. I am learning to seek to relate in new way, taking captive these lies that seek to divide me from my family, that I believe loves me so much and claim the truth of that and who God is and the power there and forget the past, letting it go and asking God to help us relate in new ways, seeing how He wants this healing to take place. It is a big job, but with God all things are possible and I do appreciate your prayers as I continue to walk through this season with my family. I will be with my mom just a few more days but then will travel to Punta Gorda, my hometown to be with my brother and dad and step-mom and I am encouraged at the journey.

1 Peter 4:8
“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”

Besides this family time, I also have the honor of re-connecting with the Jacksonville Rotary Club that sponsored me for the Ambassadorial Scholarship and my Sponsor Bill Bainbridge and his wife Linda hosted me last week at their home. We were able to enjoy great fellowship with each other and I will be speaking at the Rotary Club of Jacksonville meeting this coming Monday and thanking the club in person for their amazing investment into my life by sending me to Australia to study. This time in Florida also coincided with the Florida Student Leadership Forum on Faith and Values in Tallahassee. The FSLF was such a profound tool for shaping me and influencing me to move to Washington, primarily through my relationship with Grace Nelson and I was so excited to be able to participate again. I had not been back to the forum since 2003 and I was actually able to co-facilitate with Grace this year (US Senator Bill Nelson’s wife) and glean again many important principles from her. An added joy was also connecting with her daughter, and my friend, Nan Ellen by being able to commute from Jacksonville to Tallahassee together for the Forum. I loved being able to connect with students from around the state as well as the Bahamas and see what they are thinking about, struggling with, and how the leadership of Jesus touches their minds and hearts and begins new ideas and relationships for them. It is always an honor to get to know students and to invest what I have been given back into pliable lives. I know I have been given much, and delight to give back, even as I am very much still on the journey myself.

I am amazed at all that has happened this past month, as I have written it all out to you. Thank you again for keeping track of this journey with me and for your prayers. I believe God can and will accomplish in our lives what He set out to accomplish, and what I am seeking to walk in is the obedience of what He asks me to do. Please pray that I hear clearly and follow only His voice. I have seen amazing open doors since arriving back into the US and it confirms to me that I am to be here for this season. If I keep the tickets as I have them, I will be leaving the US to head to Europe and from there west to Australia on August 1st. But my plans between now and then are not firm. I pray blessings and peace to all of you. Be encouraged wherever you are at in your journey of walking by faith.

All my love, and to see photos, go to: www.brookesintladventures.blogspot.com

Brooke

Queensland Trip January 2008

2008-03-22T23:21:00.001-04:00

Sydney Christmas - my tree house, Brendan's family gathering & Hillsong Kids presents

2008-03-22T23:04:00.002-04:00

Brooke's Australia Adventures Update #9

2008-02-04T03:21:00.000-05:00

Brooke’s Australia Adventure Update # 9 – February 3, 2008

Dear friends,

Greetings from the land down under and from a soggy, mild summer here in New South Wales. In so many ways this summer has been an atypical one for this area. Our Christmas was filled with rain and wind and yet at the same time the drought has been broken it seems and levies are filling up with water, even as farms and homesteads have been flooded at times in the process. Australia is an interesting place filled with dramatic weather changes that comes from living on the least habitable continent, but it is an enduring place where the people have come to understand that they have to be adaptable and responsive to the land and climate, perhaps that is one reason Aussies are so laid back. One day last month right when Brendan came over before we were going to church an amazing sound like a boulder hitting my roof sounded. All of a sudden there was hail everywhere, ice pieces the size of golf balls and bigger pounding down. My tin roof made such a racket and it was unreal. Yet, to have the green the country is experiencing now on the coast makes all the unusual weather worth it. There is so little we humans are really in control of in our lives, although we seem to think we are masters of our own destiny. The weather is one constant reminder that we are vulnerable to forces beyond our own control and that we must respond when things change and don’t exactly turn out the way we had planned, even if we expect it will since usually this time of the year the weather is always… As I have began 2008 I have realized that for the first time, in a very long time, I don’t know what this year will bring… although I have hopes, I have no way of knowing concretely even where I will be living this year.

Isaiah 30:19-21
“O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way: walk in it.”

Since I have last written there have been many wonderful things that have filled my days to make me know I am loved and known here in Australia, and given me the opportunity to reflect on my amazing year here. Yet, unexpectedly, even though I wasn’t planning on the feelings coming, I have also in the past two weeks realized how much I miss home. Home, being a word that of course brings up connotations of family, but home also being my church family in DC, all the amazing people I lived life with there for the past 5 years and with the National Prayer Breakfast occurring this week in Washington, missing the people that welcomed me into their world from all over the world. The parents of the family I currently live with, Jeremy and Alison Saxton went over to the US this year for the NPB and it is wonderful being able to spend time with Elna, Rupert and Ed, their three children while they are away, but I am wistful as I remember that was my last US experience before coming here. My one-year anniversary of living in Australia is going to be celebrated on Wednesday, as is my 28th birthday. New years, and birthdays and anniversaries do call for celebration and reflection and consideration on what is coming next. For me, I believe my next trip will be back home. I have realized part of what has been keeping me from entertaining thoughts of returning has often been my pride. Pride that I am not coming home to share news of a fantastic job I will return to Australia with. Pride that I would be coming home the way I hoped I would. Pride… pride… pride and yet, what I have realized and remembered is that so many of you have been praying for me and love me all through all the ups and downs of my life. So, it doesn’t matter if I come back in victory or defeat, I can rest and be renewed and have some perspective in coming home and regroup and plan for what is next, or really just listen.

“On the day of your birth, the Creator filled countless storehouses with rich ointments, luscious tapestries, jewels worthy of a queen’s dowry and antique coins of incredible value. They were set aside for your use and yours alone.”
- Maya Angelou

This quote was on the cover of my mom’s birthday card to me and it does help me be reminded that God has an incredible plan. It is easy to get so caught up in what is not working out that to step away from that and be reminded of the good that is planned seems a bit foreign. What is the truth is that I am loved and there’s a purpose even in the midst of the facts. The facts are that I have to leave this gorgeous country in the next month because my visa is ending. The fact is I have not even gotten interviewed for the development jobs I have put my resume in for, and there haven’t been that many that I have even put in for because the jobs are scarce here. The fact is Brendan and I aren’t certain of our future, but there is love and that is what has kept us walking together, but some definite sacrifices have to be made and decisions in the coming months if we are to be separated by continents and oceans. Yet, the greater truth is God is in control and His plans are for good.

Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

A friend from DC responded to my last update by commenting that the people of God seem to be often in transition. Perhaps that is part of sojourning on this planet. Our lives are short, and we do want them to mean something and often what is required is that we hold everything loosely. Live fully where we are and continue to trust that as we get moved about, it is for a reason.

I have truly had an incredible few weeks and I do need to share those with you also. It is always amazing to me, no matter how much God has always taken care of me, to see Him do it again and again. In these past few weeks when I wasn’t sure how I would be able to take the train even or put fuel into my car, a babysitting job would be offered, or some way the resources would be there. I was even able to have money to spend on Christmas presents and celebrated both with the family I stay with as well as Brendan’s family. What a gift Brendan’s family has been to me this year. We drove up to Newcastle on Christmas Eve and were able to spend the whole day basically with family and food. We started with Brendan’s mom, dad and brother just opening gifts with us first. I was overwhelmed by the beautiful and thoughtful gifts his parents gave me – including earrings, a necklace and a bracelet. Brendan also surprised me with beautiful earrings and wonderful and stimulating books – including one about the Rwandan genocide written by Bishop John Rucyahana – an amazing man I had the privilege of knowing from my time in DC through the Church of the Rez. Then the morning progressed at his sister’s house and all of his dad’s side of the family of 20 people or so (the Macedonian side) came over for a big Aussie BBQ. How different it is to celebrate Christmas in the Southern Hemisphere when all the kids are on summer holidays and everyone is in shorts and thongs (sandals). It was a warm atmosphere and his grandparents also spoiled me with more jewelry – a gold watch and earrings (these Maceos love gold and jewelry!). From there we enjoyed a brief respite to digest before heading out to the country to Brendan’s mom’s side of the family where 40 or so gathered to have an Aussie roast dinner. It was a beautiful spot with lots for the kids to do running around and even having a soccer field set up for a game, along with a pool. After all of that Brendan and I went for a walk along the pier at Stockton Beach looking at old shipwrecks and having the chance for some quiet. It was a great day. After Christmas of course came New Years and what I had been longing to see for quite a while since I was young actually, the opportunity to see the fireworks in Sydney Harbor. We went to our friend Ryan’s house in Drummoyne, a gorgeous waterside suburb for a party out behind his condo. Sydney is great because they actually have 2 sets of fireworks, one at 9 PM for the kids to see before they get shuffled off to bed and of course the late night ones at midnight. It was a great celebration for our friends too because Ryan and Alice had gotten engaged that day, so it was even more special. The fireworks were not disappointing, they lived up to the hype and expectation I had hoped and it was so special to share a kiss with Brendan, the first of the year. We camped out with a few of the friends that night there alongside the water and woke up to the hot sun early the next day. Then, of course came the amazing holiday I was able to begin the year with. As I’ve said before, I have so many thanks to give to Brendan’s family and this holiday is just another major way I am indebted to their hospitality and generosity. Brendan and I left for holiday on the 5th of January and went first to Newcastle. From there we took two days to drive up the north part of the New South Wales coastline, stopping at all sorts of holiday spots I’d heard of through my year. First, we went to Forrester, where my friend Bec was from and saw the little seaside town Brendan’s family had gone for a few years. Then we traversed on to Port Macquarie, where my hall mate Jess this year had done her internship. Finally, that first day we pulled into Coffs Harbor, a lovely spot that is known for a tacky tourist Big Banana – that is incidentally, the first and oldest of many big things in Australia such as the Big Mango, Big Prawn, Big Merino and so on cast around the highways and byways of the land. In Coffs, we spent the night with my friend from International House, Lucy Murtha and her family who live on a banana plantation. She generously gave us a tour through the rain and we spent a nice evening with her and her family. The next day we continued north and stopped in Lennox Heads, another tranquil beach spot that Brendan’s family had holidayed at for many years. Here there is a 12 km beach that is directly across the street from a massive freshwater lake called Lake Ainsworth. This lake is surrounded by Tea Trees so the water is a murky brown from the oil and leaves your skin soft and supple. We enjoyed our dip there and continued to the very famous and popular surf town of Byron Bay, also known for its hippie lifestyle. Here we enjoyed the markets and tie-dye and continued north to Brunswick Heads for lunch at a pub. Finally, our journey ended on the Gold Coast of Queensland in Coolangatta, our destination for holiday with his family. His mother, father, brother and cousin were already there, having flown up the day before and we shared a unit together overlooking the beach. This holiday was definitely a familiar one to me, as it reminded me very much of Daytona Beach in Florida with the high-rise buildings and gorgeous beach. The waters in Queensland are warmer than New South Wales and the beach beckoned us every morning and evening. I was there with the family for five full days of swimming, attempting to surf with Brendan at a lesson, enjoying eating out and movies, and a day at an amusement park with Brendan’s 16-year-old brother, Troy and 17-year-old cousin, Peter at Dream World. It was a very relaxing week. Then, I geared myself back up for driving and began early on Saturday morning the 13th with a Canadian backpacker friend I had met in Sydney and continued north. We drove for eleven and a half hours that day to Mackay in north central Queensland. The next day we reached our destination in Cairns, Queensland’s tropical north and the best jumping off point for the Great Barrier Reef, one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. There in Cairns, I met Olivia, a friend from my IH days and she had flown in from Kansas to have a holiday. Early the next day we started our PADI Open Water Dive certification course with a dozen others or so from 10 countries. Two days in the pool in Cairns allowed us to explore the town and gear us up for the reef adventure. We then had 3 unbelievable days on a dive boat on the reef with even more people from other nations. Our days were basically dive, eat, eat and dive some more with lots of time in the sun and getting to know our fellow passengers. We both ended up deciding to go beyond just the Open Water and become Adventure Dive certified which meant we were able to do a deep water dive of 30 meters, a night dive and an underwater photography dive. We were able to see so much from a white tip reef shark, a hawk billed turtle, clown fish, angel fish, bat fish, star fish, a blue spotted lagoon ray, a trumpet fish, a blow fish and on and on. It was an incredible time to do something I’ve always wanted to do, ever since I was a little girl in my indoor pool in Canada playing with my dad’s regulator and diving for pennies, to be able to explore this underwater world. My father is a commercial diver and my brother even works in the business in Florida, but I had never had the opportunity before, so to be able to become certified in 8 dives in arguably one of the best places in the world felt like a dream come true. My family really funded this trip and I am so grateful for it. It was a great trip to be able to have experienced with Olivia too and get to know her better. Even though we were rocking all the way back down the coast from the experience, it was better than we could have hoped. On the trip down we were able first to stop in Townsville, a very humid and hot city where her friend is at the same YWAM base that my friend served at years ago. It was great to see the base and pray with her friend there for the ministry to youth that is occurring there. On we traversed that first day making great treks and making it to Rockhampton that night. God had a great treat in store for us as we were exhaustedly checking into our hostel and an American guy, Terry was checking in at the same time and invited himself along with us to dinner. It turns out Terry is a solid Christian going on a world adventure and hoping at some point in his journey to end up in Southeast Asia and seeing how he can get involved in helping with similar work I am interested in anti-trafficking of women. We had a fantastic and animated night with him and I was really energized in reflecting on my passions after that. From there we kept driving south and ended up in New South Wales the next day to stop briefly in Byron Bay and see the Lighthouse that marks the most easterly point in Australia and spent the night in Lennox Heads, across from the beach. Our last day took Olivia back to Newcastle and me back to Sydney, realizing that I wanted to go home and now reflecting, as I was in the beginning of this e-mail on what that means.

Perhaps it was hearing stories from home that prompted it, or being in tropical north Queensland the fueled memories of Florida, or diving that reminds me of my dad… but whatever it is, I think it is good to come home for a while and visit with those of you that I can. And of course, thank the amazing Rotary club that has given me this opportunity to learn more about myself and the world and seek to bring peace and goodwill wherever I have gone. Now that I am back in the real world, post-holiday, I am back to working at Opportunity International downtown and in Hornsby and seeking to enjoy however much time I have left.

Thank you friends, as always for following these journeys with me and for your prayers, thoughts, encouragements and exhortations. You help me to know that I am not alone.

All my love and friendship,

Brooke Gagnon

www.brookesintladventures.blogspot.com

Speaking at Rotary, with my Rotary host counselor John and wife Anna, with Laura overlooking Canberra, on graduation with BF and Laotian classmates

2007-12-05T18:25:00.000-05:00

Friends in Newcastle from church, Brendan and I, swim instructor party, Thanksgiving at Kim's & Laura Lee

2007-12-05T17:59:00.001-05:00

Brooke's Australia Adventures Update #8

2007-12-05T17:58:00.000-05:00

Brooke’s Australia Adventure Update # 8 – December 6, 2007

Dear friends,

Greetings from Down Under as I trust you are all in the midst of holiday preparations and celebrations that accompany this time of the year. I was able to celebrate not only one – but three Thanksgiving dinners this year and it reminded me triply of how blessed I am that although I am far from home during this season, I am not far from a new family that has received me with open arms and loves me, regardless of nationality or accent. Thanksgiving away from the US and Canada is an interesting phenomenon. The first two Thanksgivings I celebrated were with ex-pat hosts who had a variety of American and Australian guests. The first was held at my friend Kimberly Spragg’s apartment that looks over the Sydney Harbor from her view in Drummoyne. Her sister was in town from DC (where Kimberly and I had first met at Kairos) and had brought along with her the American fare we couldn’t buy here – canned pumpkin, those dried onion rings to put on top of the green bean casserole and real American marshmallows to top the candied yams with. It was a diverse arrangement of people that attended, as Kimberly works for an American study abroad program at an Australian Christian institute. It was Brendan’s first time having this amazing spread and he loved it – especially the cranberry sauce. The second feast was no less amazing in that the wonderful American/Australian women Karen who prepared it all had made pumpkin pie from scratch, without having the option of canned pumpkin. It was a very fun dinner in which my first American guest, Laura Lee was able to join me from San Francisco and we enjoyed once again a diverse variety of people from all ages and citizenships. The third dinner was held in the very home I am now living in – at the Saxton’s in Hornsby. This dinner allowed me the chance to introduce those American favorites I had been sampling at the other two dinners – and this time to prepare them myself from scratch – pumpkin pie (made from fresh butternut squash) and candied yams (made with sweet potatoes and Australian “vanilla” marshmallows). This feast included South Africans and Australians and my friend Kristi from International House that flew back to the US the next day. There goes all the hard work I’ve accomplished with the Around the Waist program – but it has been wonderful to be thankful for what God has done this year.

Ecclesiastes 8:15
“So, I command the enjoyment of life, because nothing is better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany him in his work all the days of the life God has given him under the sun.”

I am in a season of transition and as I write this update I am sitting in my new tree-house style studio apartment, affectionately referred to by the family as the “shed.” I am all moved out of Newcastle, finished with my work there, completed my master’s and as of Monday – graduated from my program… Well, sort of that is. You see, for international students the university holds a special program called an International Student Farewell. This is due to the fact that all of our visas run out in March of next year but the graduation is not held until April – so none of us would be able to attend. So, they give us the opportunity to be recognized separately and on Monday I was one of 100 international students that were invited to attend. So, I rented the cap, gown and hood (green for the faculty of Arts and Education) and donned them with students from 28 different nations who had completed studies ranging from doctorates to bachelors and mainly coming from Asia or the Middle East. I was the only American student that completed with this class and I think due to this, I was singled out to be interviewed and photographed. The day began with a radio interview on the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) – the local version of the national radio station, then an interview in the Newcastle Herald, then for the university’s own publications and the next day with the university’s own radio station… it was truly amazing! In each and every interview I was able to reflect on my time and appreciate it, as well as the amazing opportunity the Rotary awarded me to be able to come and study here this year. I was grateful for the chance to share, but even more grateful for the love I felt from Brendan and his family celebrating with me on that day. The day was a very busy one and in addition to the interviews and ceremony, I was also speaking at the Rotary Club of Newcastle and it was the first time Brendan has heard me give my speech to a Rotary Club. I was in a flurry and rushing out the door to head to the ceremony immediately following and Brendan had had delivered half a dozen beautiful red roses. It was wonderful! Following the ceremony which was punctuated by a terrific lightning storm and the lights flickering on and off and intense rain, we went back to Brendan’s family’s house and there were more flowers awaiting me from his parents and brother and a beautiful picture frame they had engraved for me to remember the day. That wasn’t all, as they hosted a fantastic Aussie BBQ that all of the family – uncle, cousin, grandparents, sister, brother, brother-in-law, niece, nephew and parents attended. I was overwhelmed… to think that just a short 10 months ago I didn’t know this family, to have them celebrating my achievements was incredible. I have not grown up with family living close – as my parents raised my brother and I in Florida, while the rest of our family was in Canada, and I have been very glad to be included in Brendan’s family and seeing what a blessing it is to have lots of people around you.

Ecclesiastes 3:1
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.”

My transition from Newcastle to Sydney, although marked with wonderful memories, like those I have just shared, has not been without its emotions also. It was hard leaving the Rotary Club I had become close with and they too were amazing in saying goodbye and giving me gifts and celebrating my time with them. It was also sad to leave International House and the friends made there – but a little easier since we are all scattering over the globe and many of them returned to America – so there is a good chance I’ll see some of them again. And it was difficult leaving the Viking Center – again great people who really blessed me when I left with chocolates, wine, flowers, bath products and a picture frame with a photo taken at a goodbye cocktail party the swim instructors had thrown. Truly, it was a bit much for me to take in how much I had been so generously welcomed into this culture, society and group of people in less than a year and been able to give and receive so much in return. But, I knew I had exciting things to look forward to in Sydney, so I pressed on. The first great thing that happened was that a friend I’ve known for a few years, Laura, came to visit. She is an incredibly generous woman who has invested in my life spiritually and in many ways since I first met her. We were able to explore Sydney together and appreciate the beauty of the place and people and also dig into our friendship further and some things that the Lord is doing in my heart. It was great to have someone with me that have known me longer than a year, from my own culture, to be able to debrief with, and to talk about what my hopes and anxieties are for the future. And to be able to introduce her to Brendan, who has become such an important person for me this year. We were also able to take a memorable trip to Canberra on the day after the election here when Kevin Rudd was elected Prime Minister. It was a historic day of turn over for the nation, as the Liberal Party had been in power under John Howard’s leadership for 11 years. We attended church at Brendan’s old church from his university days (he studied at Australian National University in Canberra for 5 years) and the sermon was well balanced politically and encouraged the congregation to pray for its leaders. I was reminded of how much I enjoyed living in Washington, DC and the prayer group for the city I was a part of and feeling like I was involved in the spiritual shaping of what was happening. I am interested to see how things will change during the next few months as the new leadership begins to take over and I am reminded once again of how important it is for citizens to pray for their leaders.

Romans 13:1
“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.”

During Laura’s visit, and since she left, I have been trying to look for casual jobs and it has been a faith journey of seeking to rest in God and believe He is the provider and has all that I need. I notice a tension within myself where I desire to be productive and although I don’t desire this to be a part of my identity, I do find it easier to share with people what I am doing, rather than how I am doing. I am sure many of you have heard this said before, but it truly does resonate with me that God has created us to be human beings, not human doings, but what we are is much of the times the human doings. I also find a tension in the receiving I am doing rather than the giving I am used to doing in this season and my pride and independence challenged by this… In this season through different conversations, some areas in my heart that still need healing have been surfacing and I have been surprised how easily I can cry, recognizing perhaps I need to cry. There have been some gentle and challenging conversations with people in this community in Sydney that I have shared and also the timing was good for Laura and I to share some good prayers. I have been thinking perhaps this is why I have not began a job yet – to allow me the space to do the hard work perhaps required to heal and grow… but I find it is much easier for me to get busy, distracted and not do the work – even when the time is available. Please pray with me in this season for God to take away crutches I rely upon and rest solely in Him and for His work to be accomplished in my heart, even if it takes tears to do it.

Song of Songs 2:11 & 12
“See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.”

I do believe there are exciting things on the horizon and the stillness of this season compared to the busyness of the previous ones may indeed amplify what comes. I have began to work as Volunteer Program Manager at Opportunity International and I am very glad to be working in a Christian organization where I truly sense peace and passion in the work that is being done on behalf of the poor. I will be there two days a week for the next three months and look forward to learning and growing through my time there, and to putting to good use the skills and knowledge I have acquired through my master’s. I will be with Brendan and his family for Christmas in Newcastle and in Sydney with friends for New Year’s and then on a holiday with Brendan’s family to Queensland in January for a week and up to the Great Barrier Reef to share a holiday with a former International House friend from America after that, so indeed many fun things to come.

Psalm 37:7
“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.”

I am wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year (this year I’ll be celebrating first!) from far away – yet I pray not too far from your hearts, as you are not far from mine. I pray that you, like me would be able to find some stillness in your hearts this season and that we would be able to reflect on the goodness of the Lord and His love in our lives and share that with those around us.
In case you would like my new address, it is:
Brooke Gagnon
10 Lisgar Lane
Hornsby, NSW 2077

As always, please go to my blog to see photos of the places I’ve mentioned: www.brookesintladventures.blogspot.com

Admiral's Arch, seals, underground church, Melissa & I at Coober Pedy, camel riding at Anna Bay - Brendan and I

2007-10-20T19:39:00.000-04:00

RELAYID graduation, friends from the US visiting, Brendan's parents, kangaroo on Kangaroo Island, Remarkable Rocks

2007-10-20T19:28:00.000-04:00

Brooke's Australia Adventures Update #7

2007-10-20T19:25:00.000-04:00

Brooke’s Australia Adventure Update # 7 – October 21, 2007

Dear friends,

Romans 5:5
“And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

Greetings once again from Down Under and please forgive the gap in my communications. It is amazing how time can go so quickly when you keep busy! I want to first begin by thanking so many of you for responding to my last update with special wishes and prayers for Brendan’s family during the illness of his aunt. Brendan’s mother wanted to express her gratitude to all of you as well. Brendan’s aunt did pass away and now the mourning period is occurring. I know for those of you who have lost a loved one due to any type of cancer, you can relate to how difficult it can be since many do recover that when your family member doesn’t, it is so hard. Please do continue to keep the family in your prayers especially Brendan’s mom, Barbara.

Matthew 5:4
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

The past two months has been filled with many different experiences, emotions, activities and opportunities. Some of the most fun and unique opportunities have had to do with Rotary. I was honored to serve as a facilitator at two leadership camps for young people. The first was entitled RELAYID and stands for Rotary Educational Leadership Award for Young people with an Intellectual Disability. This was a weekend experience and I helped facilitate with three other young people who are involved in Roteract, the young adult version of Rotary, a group of 18-35 year olds that I would never have gotten to know otherwise. Our locale was a beautiful pastoral spot in rural New South Wales about an hour from Newcastle, at an agricultural college called Tocal. We had many hands-on activities throughout the weekend that allowed our students to utilize the campus, explore the dairy cows, and enjoy the nature including the hopping kangaroos, the swooping magpies and the colorful rosellas. It was very rewarding to see the student’s confidence levels rise during the weekend and the shy girl that was assigned to my group who didn’t want to participate and had never been out of home before, get up and give a presentation at the end of the weekend. It was a pretty full-on experience even though there were just a few students per facilitator, but I was again reminded how much patience, love, and listening matter in life and that going a little slower is actually a good thing and you learn a whole different side of life when you do slow down. You get to know the life you’ve been too busy to notice…

The second time I went to Tocal was again for a Rotary event, this one for 18-25 year olds called RYLA, standing for the Rotary Youth Leadership Award. This program is a worldwide program Rotary has adopted, but it originally began in Brisbane. I was actually a recipient of a RYLA in 1997 just before my senior year of high school. I remember the time for me was very significant as it was one of the first leadership camps I had done and I participated in it at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, FL. This year’s RYLA in Tocal was a fantastic experience and it was the second week of uni holidays – so those that came either took a week off work or used one of their vacation weeks to attend. There were 29 students coming from all over the Rotary District – stretching from Dubbo (about 4 hours west of Newcastle, the so-called capital of the Central West of NSW) to the Central Coast. I facilitated with 5 other former RYLArians and it was led by friends Murray and Astrida Scoble who I was introduced to when I first moved to Australia by Armandee, a lady who took over some of my duties working for Pastor Jackson – so truly it is a small world! From California to Australia to Indonesia (where Murray and Astrida met Armandee) God works through relationships and connections! The week was a fantastic opportunity to explore leadership in so many ways ranging from psychological tests to learning from a legal panel to debating and public speaking. There were many talented speakers who came and shared with the students during the week but I think the most impressed I was, was with the students themselves. The students split up into 5 committees that were responsible for different aspects of the week ranging from organizing for a mini-Olympic event, a formal dinner, a concert, a daily editorial report and introducing speakers. It was wonderful to see their creativity come out and the personality of each student begin to be expressed as they were put into different positions of leadership and sometimes forced kicking and screaming, but how much they grew even in a week. It was also a fantastically fun week that also included a high ropes course, bush dance and many laughs at inside jokes. The friendships I was able to make are already bearing fruit as we have had a Roteract meeting this week and a fundraiser/welcome to summer party last night. I just wish RYLA had come earlier in the year for me as I meet all these fantastic locals and I am only a month from moving to Sydney… qué será, será!

Hebrews 11:1
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

It truly is almost over… yet, I am very grateful for this year in Newcastle and to see what will be coming next. I only have 3 more weeks until I finish all my assessments and complete my master’s studies! It is amazing. I am working on final papers and projects in some very interesting subjects. Two of my projects will be focusing on the Washington, DC area – one on the Chesapeake Bay and the sustainability of the projects that are working to protect it’s ecosystem health and the other on my former workplace – the Southeast DC Partners and looking at how the Capacity Building approach is and can be applied to the work there. I am also working on a paper about participatory practices in social program evaluations and the power and empowerment dynamics at work there and about environmental issues in the developing nations and how they are intrinsically tied to the economic relationships with the developed nations. It has been a fascinating year of study and I will be in many ways sad to see it end. We had our International House farewell dinner on Friday night and it was the first goodbye of the year and it was a chance to reflect on all the different cultures and people that have come through here in the year. I haven’t had the chance to get to know as many people this semester as the first, but I have enjoyed living here and I was able to do two line dances recently with 3 other American girls representing our home nation during the Cultural Soiree and it was great being able to express the uniqueness of our nation in such a diverse environment. I know I’ll miss my RA Sarah, Kristi, Lucy and many others in Block 11 but I am glad I have a wonderful place to move into. In 4 weeks time I will be living with a wonderful family in Hornsby, a northern suburb of Sydney. The Saxton’s have taken me in many times during my frequent forays into Sydney. They have a little unit over their garage that is gorgeous and they have generously offered it during my 4 months in Sydney. Jeremy was the committee chairperson for the NSLF this year and his wife Allison and I have gotten close during the year. They also have 3 teenage children – Edward, Rupert and Elna, so it will be great to be living with all of them during the summer. I am also saying goodbye to my work at the Viking Center, which has become a great place for me to work over the year and the relationships there have also become dear. I am not sure what exactly I will do for work yet in Sydney, but will definitely be volunteering at some organizations that I am interested in and one of these I applied for a volunteer job with this week is Opportunity International. This organization does micro-credit loans for folks in developing nations and is a Christian non-profit. I have heard the founder David Bussau speak and would love to serve with them. It is all in God’s hands what will be coming next…

Hebrews 11:39 & 40
“These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.”

I just want to detail one last great adventure that the past weeks have offered me. I was able to travel back to Adelaide and stay with the wonderfully hospitable Dee and Don Fleming, and this time was able to bring Brendan and my friend Melissa from IH with me. Dee and Don opened up their home and heart to us, even when they were already hosting our friends Milt and Karen from San Diego and Ryan and Alice – friends from Sydney (Ryan is Milt and Karen’s son). We had a full house for a few nights, but it was a precious time. Brendan, Melissa and I also were able to take a trip to visit Kangaroo Island, Australia’s third largest island. It is a gorgeous place where we saw in the wild koalas, many kangaroos, wallabies, an echidna (a spiky looking thing), seals, New Zealand fur sea lions and an absolutely gorgeous array of dolphins jumping through the waves. The geography was very diverse also and allowed us the chance to bush walk, run up sand dunes, see remarkable rock formations and drive by beautiful beaches. The three of us also explored Adelaide together but after Brendan returned to work, Melissa and I continued on to the Outback. We drove up to an opal-mining town called Coober Pedy that many have described the scenery like something from the moon. It is an interesting town because many of the homes, churches, etc. are underground. People began living underground because the temperatures can soar so high. We were able to stay in an underground motel and it was remarkably cooler in this place. This town is the opal capital of the world and 70% of the world’s opal supply comes from it. Probably one of the coolest things for Melissa and I was to get to see aboriginal Australia a bit more. It was the highest concentration of aboriginal people I have seen since coming to Australia, but Coober Pedy also has a very diverse international community of people who came from everywhere to work in the mines. The drive through the Outback was also very interesting as we passed saltpan lakes, dehydrated dead cows and bones of kangaroos… a bit eerie actually! Melissa and I also enjoyed driving through the scenic Flinders Ranges Mountains, the Clare Valley wine region and a day in the Barossa wine region. It was a great trip and so fun to share with Melissa. Melissa is a fellow American student who is studying abroad this semester from Kansas. She and I got along fabulously and the Lord really opened up our hearts and lives during the trip. We were also able to meet up with some other Adelaide friends of mine including Mena, a friend I met a year and a half ago at the Asuza Street Centennial that I hadn’t seen since and Michelle, who was my assistant small group facilitator at the NSLF in Canberra in May. It was a great trip!

Hebrews 13:1
“Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.”

My holidays ended up with a great celebratory weekend with Brendan for our 6-month anniversary. Truly the Lord has been faithful and although relationships are never completely easy, it has been a journey worth taking. He and I were able to begin the weekend with a drive to a small town in the Blue Mountains to hear a man he truly respects and honors, Peter Kumar a prophetic leader from South India who is now based in South Carolina. Peter spoke some important words into Brendan and my life and encouraged us greatly. From there we drove through the back mountains and valleys of NSW, through the Hunter Valley wine region and back to Newcastle. Early the next morning I treated him to breakfast on Stockton Beach and we were able to do something I’ve always wanted, we camel rode on Anna Bay sand dunes. The sand dunes of Stockton are the largest moving sand dunes in the Southern Hemisphere and stretch for 32 km and it was a real treat to see them. After this, Brendan treated me to wine and a seafood platter in Shoal Bay and a whale-watching cruise that left from Nelson Bay. It was a fantastic day and really did celebrate God’s faithfulness to us.

Thank you friends for your prayers and encouragement on the journey. Many have been writing to ask when I will be coming back to the US, and the honest answer is, I don’t know. I am trying to live out this season to the full and will return when I feel I am supposed to. At the earliest I think that would be in March 2008, but I am open as to when that will be.

May the Lord bless and keep you and reveal to you what is next on the great adventure for you. Please keep in touch and know you are loved,

Brooke Gagnon

As always, please go to my blog to see photos of the places I’ve mentioned: www.brookesintladventures.blogspot.com

Queensland Student Leadership Forum - Group 9 with PM Chris Foley, ASGF Emily and I, photos from lovely Brisbane, Brendan and I at Newcastle Jets game

2007-09-02T08:53:00.000-04:00

Newcastle Photos - coal ship, Nobby's, kids at the creche at work, Melissa and I - a fellow American at IH, Brendan and I

2007-09-02T08:45:00.000-04:00

Brooke's Australia Adventures Update #6

2007-09-02T08:40:00.000-04:00

Brooke’s Australia Adventures Update #6 – Sunday, September 2, 2007

My dear friends,

Today is Australia’s Father’s Day so I’d like to take this opportunity to wish all the father’s reading this update a congratulations for choosing to play such an important role in so many children’s lives. I recently was doing something called a Unique Self evaluation to learn more about myself: parts of my personality, some things in the past that have shaped me, how I’ve coped with pain, etc. In that evaluation it came out that my dad spoke much into who I was as a young child and beyond and the woman helping me with this said that for girls, 85% of what shapes them is their father’s and how their father’s treat them and speak about them. Know dad’s what a huge role you play and that you are valuable and your words have power and influence and even more your lived out example. Continue to be the dad you always wanted to be and talk to your children.

Luke 11:11-13
“Which of you fathers, if your son ask for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Many, many people unfortunately have a very hard time believing in a loving heavenly Father because of the broken example of their earthly father. We all have suffered pain of one sort or another from people we’ve trusted, and often by parents. For me, coming to the realization that there is a loving and eternal Father has freed me up to walk so much more in my true identity and who I’ve been created to be.

Psalm 139:13 &14; 17 &18
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. How precious to me (concerning me) are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.”

I have been reflecting much on life recently and the importance of family. Since returning for this semester from Thailand, Brendan’s family has taken me in as one of their own. I have been going over to his parents’ house for dinner regularly, going to hear special speakers at their church, and experiencing the joys of celebrating baby christenings and birthdays. I am also walking through an illness with them – that of cancer in Brendan’s aunt’s body that is taking her to the end of her life. I have never had to be this close to death before… those that have died in my family all lived far away and I was young enough not to be very involved. I am reminded how precious life is and how wonderful it is to live close (in your heart) to your family. Even though my family lives far from me right now in geographic terms, I feel close in my heart and through Brendan’s family living close geographically, I am able to feel intimate in the here and now as well.

Psalm 103:13 & 14
“As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.”

Sorry friends to begin on such a somber note, but this is where I am and I felt it was important to share with you these reflections even as I have much joyful and fun reflections as well. For example, the eternal gorgeous sunshine that is Australia is finally getting warmer. The winter’s harsh wind is starting to subside and the glory that is the sunshine here is beginning to warm up my skin, the air and water that all make this nation so glorious. Truly it is part of why I came here! It is wonderful smelling the scent of flowers in the air and observing flowering trees – not so much different from some in Washington, DC – although the cockatoos and kookaburras would look a little out of place in that landscape.

In this past month and a half I have walked through some difficult times, including one in which I was not sure if Brendan and I would continue to walk forward in this relationship. This season of uncertainty caused me to again reflect on the fact that I (and truly none of us) are in control of our lives completely. We must enjoy life and at the same time hold loosely those gifts given to us. I have always said that Brendan is an amazing gift to me and I realized that if he was being taken away I had to freely give him up in my heart. It was a time of re-centering and being reminded who I am and where I am going. It also did lead us back into taking back the relationship and reminding ourselves of why we are in it. We don’t know the future, but are walking together hand in hand seeking to follow God and see if His horizon for us both is the same…

It has also been a time where I have been quite busy with some Rotary talks as well as traveling up to Queensland to participate in the Queensland Student Leadership Forum on Faith and Values. I was very excited to have the opportunity to make the trip up to Queensland because as long as I have been in Australia I have found out that this state – situated north of New South Wales where I live is called “the Sunshine state” and is where Australians go to vacation. I hail from the US version of the “Sunshine State” of Florida and in similar fashion many come to our state for holidays, so needless to say through this winter I was looking forward to a trip to a warmer climate. Well, as it would pan out, the week I went for the Forum – August 22-26 Brisbane (Queensland’s capitol) experienced a deluge of rain, like they haven’t seen for decades. The state has been in a severe drought and the farmers have definitely been suffering for quite a while. But, the heavens decided to open just as I made the trip up and thus the warm temperatures eluded us. Don’t worry, all was not lost, the Forum was a great success and I felt honored to again be able to help facilitate a phenomenal group of young students and professionals into evaluating their leadership and where it stems from. Group 9 was made up of people with amazing stories of overcoming significant odds: beating cancer, amazing family strengths and challenges, business success and failures and the list goes on, yet every person was 27 years old or younger… The weekend was honestly some of the best fun I have had in a very long time. Yes, we did meet in Parliament and were able to listen to the state’s leaders, hear from Peter Cosgrove – the former head of the Australian Defense Force, listen to leaders of non-profits and from the health and business world… but what I will remember most is the fun. From an indoor soccer tournament that left many bruised and bloody, to a bush dance (think barn dance) with many dosey doers, to late night laughs and hiccups, it was a weekend to remember. I felt again, as I have felt many times during my last seven months here in Australia that this is an amazing nation and that there are many here I desire to know better and have as life long friends. I know that will not be my only time spent in Queensland and indeed already have invitations to come and stay with some of the facilitators and speaker’s families I met, as well as a reunion is already planned for the Forum and my small group is angling to get me to fly up for it. In Bill Bryson’s book on Australia, In a Sun burnt Country, he describes Queenslanders as “crazier than cut snakes” but I found that I enjoy that type of crazy…

These opportunities to speak and share around this great country, sometimes coming through the Rotary (next weekend I will be able to facilitate at a Rotary Youth Conference for children with educational learning disabilities) and sometimes coming from other sources, continue to allow me to use my gifts and passions while also getting to know in deeper ways the culture and strengths and deficiencies of this nation. Please pray for me as I continue to serve in this way: especially the youth of this country, many of whom I am finding struggle with depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. One speaker from the National Forum and Queensland Forum, Brian Egan, who began the non-profit Aussie Helpers, was one such man that was a farmer who lost everything in the severe drought in this nation. He attempted suicide and was in hospital for a year seeking to overcome what he calls “The Beast” of depression. What allowed him to move forward was a doctor telling him he needed to get out and find someone worse off than him and help him or her… He didn’t know if it was possible, but with his wife, some food from their pantry and a little creativity they went to the local pub and raffled off this food basket to raise their first money that served another bush family struggling. Since they began this non-profit literally millions of dollars have come through from individuals and corporations to serve those isolated and depressed. It is a wonderful story and a reminder from my own life, often the pains we experience can help us bring hope and healing or even companionship in another’s pain. I know from experience adolescence is not an easy time and so I find it enriching and rewarding to be able to befriend students not so far behind me in the journey called life and encourage them with my stories of struggle and joy.

In terms of my classes this semester I am really enjoying the learning process and have written papers on voluntary simplicity and why more people don’t choose this lifestyle even though environmentally it may be the most just option and on how ecosystem health affects human health. I have also been able to interview two women from Newcastle SWOP (Sex Worker Outreach Program), one a current and one a former sex worker and be honored for them to tell me their stories a little bit and share what they feel are the most important needs for sex workers in Newcastle. I also have some big projects on the horizon and while each is challenging, I feel that I am learning so much about myself in each one.

As the time gets closer to the end of my season in Newcastle I am also feeling so grateful for the chance I have had to work here with the team at the Viking Center. We are currently doing a program at the gym titled, “Around the Waist in 80 Days.” I am always keen to try and keep my waist trim and with bikini season on the way in, it has been nice to team up with other staff and gym patrons to do classes together, have to write down all that I eat and get weighed weekly (even if it is all in kilograms and measured in centimeters). I always enjoy working on all parts of myself: spiritually, mentally and physically and truly this is the latest challenge. Brendan and I ran the Sydney City to Surf – a very large 14 km road race together last month along with 65,000 others and that too was a fun fitness challenge. For Brendan, who hadn’t run a race since a 5 km fun run as a kid, it was a special goal. He got so excited about it that he has already signed up for a 9 km bridge run in a few weeks, so I was persuaded to do the Half Marathon, so on the 23rd of September we’ll both participate in these events – part of the Sydney Marathon.

Life continues to be full here and I am very grateful to all of you friends and family who from afar continue to support me and keep me up to date on your lives. Believe me when I say, I am missing you dearly… I have been more homesick for many of you in the past month and a half perhaps due to all the weddings I have missed and babies born to friends. I know the tension of love I feel in my heart for where I am and where I am not will always continue to be present as I continue to be able to travel and get the incredible opportunity to meet so many amazing people and as we can all only live in one place at one time… In honor of all of you, I say some congratulations: to John and April on the birth of Dante, to Anita and Jerald as you unite, to Laura and Tommy, to Cary and Ben, to Allison and Joel, to Kara and Hunter and the list goes on and on…

Psalm 139:16
“All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

All my love,
Brooke

PS – as always please see photos on my blog: www.brookesintladventures.blogspot.com

Brendan and I pre-trip, people to pray for: Asha and Emily, James and Jill and baby William, Garden of Hope headquarters, Nana Plaza bars...

2007-07-22T06:30:00.000-04:00

Thailand highlights - elephant & motorcycle riding, new friends & places to pray for...

2007-07-22T06:20:00.000-04:00