Re-start the Countdown!

Hi friends!
The news I have for you today is so exciting! I have been feeling lately that I should go ahead and step out in faith and purchase our plane tickets, or at least pick a new goal date to leave for Kona. Well a couple days ago I received a call from Kris (who works at the Learning Center in Kona) saying that after praying, she felt I was supposed to step out in faith about something. It was a great confirmation for me that I should buy our tickets. Then I received another call from Kris saying that there was a person willing to give me their air miles to come over....but I would have to leave in two weeks!
I felt very thankful and excited, but also overwhelmed at the same time. I began praying right away. It's always the best thing to do when you feel overwhelmed.
I felt like God was urging me to trust Him more and to believe that He IS going to provide for us. I definitely felt that we should be more proactive in pursuing Him and His will, instead of just waiting. Although, I know we were supposed to be in a time of waiting, I felt like God was saying, that time is over...and it is now a time to pursue!
It was such a hard decision to make about whether to accept the air miles or to buy our own tickets. In the end, I didn't feel a peace about flying out in two weeks.
However, I have picked a leave date and will be purchasing the tickets for October 12th!

I am so excited, and I know that by making this commitment, it will provide room for God to show up and get all the glory! I know He wants to bless us!

We are still at 53% of our goal. It is also definite that I will be having a fundraising concert here in Asheville at "Creatures Cafe" on October 7th. Please come out if you are here!
And pray for us!
Love you all!

Satan doesn't make it easy for us to obey God's voice!

This past Saturday I literally felt Satan trying to suffocate my faith and hope and vision of going to Kona. All of a sudden I felt so discouraged, I could hardly breath! I began thinking that God was NOT going to fulfill His promise, and maybe I wasn't going to make it to Hawaii after all. You see, this trip is not just a pipe dream to me. Yes, whenever I tell people that I am moving to Hawaii....they laugh and say "Oh, you have it sooo bad!" But to me, this trip represents not only the beginning of the ministry that Papa wants to do through me, but also a revolution on the education front. In an email I received from the teachers that are currently in Kona this week, they said " Keep the Global mind frame, it is not about just serving a need here, but we need to walk the calling out of each teacher.
"The Learning Center" is not just another private school. We will be recreating how we teach children, and researching the best ideas, challenging the oldest philosophies, and devoting our lives to the children who will soon be carrying us!
I am so passionate about this school, and my calling there. I hope that those of you who are passionate about education will rise up with me.
Okay....back to last Saturday....before I uttered a single word of how I was feeling, two different friends from my Discipleship Training school texted me encouraging words. The next night, God sent me a huge message. I received an email from someone in Kona, whom I don't know at all, saying that they wanted to give me a gift of 500 dollars! It was as if God was screaming to me "Of course you belong in Kona, and I'm going to get you there! Through strangers and ways that I alone know! Hang on!"
It was so very encouraging, and I will admit that I have always wanted to be blessed by someone I don't know. It is such a powerful way for God to show His glory, and remind us that He knows all, and is bigger than the world we can only see.
When I was so discouraged, my sister said..."of course Satan isn't going to make it easy for you to get to Kona!" He is always trying to discourage us, destroy us, and take what belongs to Papa God. BUT, God is bigger and way more powerful!
Love you all!
I also have a new fundraising website up!
http://www.gofundme.com/75llw

News!

Hi friends! As of Sunday we are at 49% of our monthly support goal! How good is my Papa God!

Plans

"For I know the plans that I have for you...plans to prosper you...plans to give you a hope and a future" Jeremiah 29:11

This past week I have been lost in thought about my next steps to take. I have been struggling to figure out what plans I should make. It is getting closer and closer to the beginning of school at the Learning Center in Hawaii, and I am still so far from my financial goal. Do I find a more permanent place to live here? Do I enroll Ava in a preschool here? Do I get a job teaching here??? I have been driving myself...and God...crazy! :)

However, the more I read the old testament, the more I know how faithful and trustworthy God is. His people are constantly questioning Him. They are constantly complaining about circumstances. All the while, He is constantly reminding them in huge ways, in an audible voice, and even in smoke signals that He is GOD! He is all powerful and all knowing and has a plan! The more I think about how many times He says that to the children in the old testament, the more I can hear him saying it to me. Trust me, Brooke. When no one else around you is trusting....Trust me. When you can't see the way....trust me. When it seems like your plans are ruined....trust me!

I have even been humbled to realize that even if I never get to Hawaii to teach....God is still incredibly awesome and good! And His plans are the best.

To top all this off that I have been learning....I watched the movie "Soul Surfer". (Don't watch it if you are a crier...like me...you'll be weeping!) God had such a great and wonderful plan for Bethany Hamilton...that He used a shark attack to get her to it! I am still crying at how humbling that is...God will use whatever He sees best to get us to His perfect plan...even if it means you loose an arm.
(Oh, and I was just kidding...if you haven't seen the movie, you HAVE GOT TO SEE IT!

I love you guys and gals!
Trust Papa with your plans!