Only 3 months since the last post...we're making some progress! We're back in Seattle and SO happy to be here. We're trying to get adjusted to life back here for a bit and also plan for more travel. It's our desire to stay here but know it's a season of being on the road as we develop our ministry team so we can begin ministry here.
We've enjoyed getting to know the people in our community group with church and look forward to spending time with people here. We're praying and searching for some new road bikes so we can explore the city and be true Seattelites! Our next journey takes us to Idaho and then to Montana in the next month. Rylee got a new Kong frisbee yesterday and brought to bed with her. We think she likes it. Random news from us....until next time...
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
Friday, March 21, 2008
Where have the last 8 months gone?
Whoa!!
So it may have been a while since my last post. A lot has happened in fact. What, you might ask? Nothing major... well, unless you would count (1) moving back to the US, (2) joining the full time staff of Campus Crusade for Christ, (3) getting a dog, (4) dating my sweet (and smokin hot) girlfriend, (5) and moving to Seattle as major events. So it may depend on how you look at things.
But here I am, a Washington resident. I never would have guessed. But all else aside, I can't get over the fact that God has continued to pour out undeserved blessing on me over the last season of life. Along with the above mentioned things, I've had sweet time with old friends, great time with my brother and parents, and a sweet time of sharing my ministry with new and old friends alike. Sweet Jesus!
Perhaps I'll move back into a season of blogging... any takers? Let me know!
So it may have been a while since my last post. A lot has happened in fact. What, you might ask? Nothing major... well, unless you would count (1) moving back to the US, (2) joining the full time staff of Campus Crusade for Christ, (3) getting a dog, (4) dating my sweet (and smokin hot) girlfriend, (5) and moving to Seattle as major events. So it may depend on how you look at things.
But here I am, a Washington resident. I never would have guessed. But all else aside, I can't get over the fact that God has continued to pour out undeserved blessing on me over the last season of life. Along with the above mentioned things, I've had sweet time with old friends, great time with my brother and parents, and a sweet time of sharing my ministry with new and old friends alike. Sweet Jesus!
Perhaps I'll move back into a season of blogging... any takers? Let me know!
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Leaving a Legacy
My decision to come to Venezuela over two years ago was based on a desire to leave a legacy for Christ through changed lives with an eternal impact.
As we sat the other night listening to students share with us at a goodbye party, I heard something from a student who I’ve invested in this year, Jatniel. It was so beautiful and powerful to my ears that it immediately brought me to tears. He said, “Bryon, what I have learned and heard from you, I will entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.” That comes out of 2 Timothy 2:2, a verse which I’ve quoted often to encourage them that they too are capable of a legacy for Christ.
Hearing Jatniel say that he would pass the baton, and knowing that he was serious, was sweet to my soul to know that Christ has so captured Jatniel’s heart that he will invest his life into something that matters- a Christ legacy. I couldn’t have asked for a better gift upon leaving.
Jesus, Jatniel, and I on campus.
As we sat the other night listening to students share with us at a goodbye party, I heard something from a student who I’ve invested in this year, Jatniel. It was so beautiful and powerful to my ears that it immediately brought me to tears. He said, “Bryon, what I have learned and heard from you, I will entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.” That comes out of 2 Timothy 2:2, a verse which I’ve quoted often to encourage them that they too are capable of a legacy for Christ.
Hearing Jatniel say that he would pass the baton, and knowing that he was serious, was sweet to my soul to know that Christ has so captured Jatniel’s heart that he will invest his life into something that matters- a Christ legacy. I couldn’t have asked for a better gift upon leaving.
Jesus, Jatniel, and I on campus.
It's never too late...
As we came back from CM2007, there were only 2 weeks remaining to finish our monster to-do list before we left the ministry in Merida for good. Even with those daunting tasks, we wanted to finish strong and invest our time into what mattered most.
So Sam, Emily, and I committed to spending half of each day on campus so that we could engage with lost students and challenge our disciples to do the same. We realized that it’s never too late for God to do something incredible. Over these last 2 weeks, I had many highlights on campus. Here are a couple:
Juan (not his real name) has been a friend of mine for 2 years. My last afternoon on campus before leaving, I took the opportunity to talk to him about Christ again. He was hesitant as I told him that God really did love him. “That’s how we are different, Bryon” he said. “You see, I’m gay, and I don’t think that can be true for me.”
I took that sweet opportunity to share with Juan about God’s love that is greater than our sin, but we have a choice of whether we repent, receive it, and allow it to change us. He was visibly moved by the message of Christ’s redemption for him. Please pray for Juan- as he clearly understands his choice but needs to make a decision- that he would choose Christ over his current lifestyle.
La Cruz Jesús (yes, his real name!) is an accounting student that was really attracted to the gospel once I shared with him. When he had to leave that afternoon, for some reason I prayed that God would use him as a missionary to tell others about Christ, and hoped that we could connect again.
The next day, I wrote my new friend La Cruz and went to meet him in the library. He was studying hard for finals, but told me to wait for a friend of his, Samantha, to arrive. When I asked why, he told me that he had shared Christ with her and she wanted to talk to me about it! God really did use La Cruz as a missionary, just like I had prayed, and he wasn’t even a believer. Samantha, La Cruz, and I all ended up talking about the gospel for an hour that afternoon in the library, and they later came to one of our english club activities. Pray that God would save them, and that they would both be missionaries to bring the good news to others!
So Sam, Emily, and I committed to spending half of each day on campus so that we could engage with lost students and challenge our disciples to do the same. We realized that it’s never too late for God to do something incredible. Over these last 2 weeks, I had many highlights on campus. Here are a couple:
Juan (not his real name) has been a friend of mine for 2 years. My last afternoon on campus before leaving, I took the opportunity to talk to him about Christ again. He was hesitant as I told him that God really did love him. “That’s how we are different, Bryon” he said. “You see, I’m gay, and I don’t think that can be true for me.”
I took that sweet opportunity to share with Juan about God’s love that is greater than our sin, but we have a choice of whether we repent, receive it, and allow it to change us. He was visibly moved by the message of Christ’s redemption for him. Please pray for Juan- as he clearly understands his choice but needs to make a decision- that he would choose Christ over his current lifestyle.
La Cruz Jesús (yes, his real name!) is an accounting student that was really attracted to the gospel once I shared with him. When he had to leave that afternoon, for some reason I prayed that God would use him as a missionary to tell others about Christ, and hoped that we could connect again.
The next day, I wrote my new friend La Cruz and went to meet him in the library. He was studying hard for finals, but told me to wait for a friend of his, Samantha, to arrive. When I asked why, he told me that he had shared Christ with her and she wanted to talk to me about it! God really did use La Cruz as a missionary, just like I had prayed, and he wasn’t even a believer. Samantha, La Cruz, and I all ended up talking about the gospel for an hour that afternoon in the library, and they later came to one of our english club activities. Pray that God would save them, and that they would both be missionaries to bring the good news to others!
Friday, May 11, 2007
Update
Enjoy the latest update from Merida! (click here)
Letters (past and current) can be found by clicking the link on the right.
Letters (past and current) can be found by clicking the link on the right.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Our beach condo
You must know what it feels like to have worked so hard that you just need to take a break and crash. We were certainly at that point after all the preparation and work that went into our student conference. So, thankfully, through a couple great connections, we shacked up at a condo on the coast for a few days of R&R. God was good to us this last week! A couple lazy days by the pool, a fun road-trip cross country in the rental car, hot weather, beautiful beaches, a fun team and the list keeps going! (don't worry, car pictured was NOT the rental car)
We spent a day going to Los Cayos, which are some little tiny islands in Morrocoy National Park. We hopped in a little boat, and spent the day cruising around between islands, and exploring the beauty of the national park. A couple of my fun highlights that are pictured here... checking out starfish in the caribbean waters, picking a coconut, and getting 'er open.
National Conference
SOLO UNO happened a couple weeks back. We had 34 students from Merida join other students from around the country at our national conference. Overall, there were 190+ people attending! For us as a staff team, we had been preparing for this week for the whole year, and it was a privilege to see how God used our efforts to impact students lives.
For me, one of the highlights was to serve through the technology and sound during our main programs. It was fun to help create an atmosphere where students could connect with God through worship and teaching.
And in true Venezuelan fashion, everyone had a ton of fun, and new friendships were made between students from different universities!
Praise God for how He used this week to connect people to Himself and to the movement that He's building in Venezuela!
Friday, February 16, 2007
Emily!
Thanks for praying for Em- God has been good in taking care of her, even though the circumstances are different than we anticipated. After a little over a week in Maracaibo, and no answers from test results, Em had to fly back to the states, and she is currently in Wichita with family.
Regarding her health, we're thankful to have an answer! In my own explanation of what's going on, her body's system was messed up due to an infection she had in January, and hasn't been able to set itself up to work properly, hence the symptoms. At this point, she's looking at a strict daily schedule of activities that will help her body's clock and system get functioning properly.
Pray for Emily, that this process would go well, that God would completely heal her so she can come back and join us by March 4th. Also pray for her emotional strength and encouragement being away from us, her team. Pray that the rest would be encouraging, and her time with her family would be a blessing.
We want our sassy Emily back with us soon!
Regarding her health, we're thankful to have an answer! In my own explanation of what's going on, her body's system was messed up due to an infection she had in January, and hasn't been able to set itself up to work properly, hence the symptoms. At this point, she's looking at a strict daily schedule of activities that will help her body's clock and system get functioning properly.
Pray for Emily, that this process would go well, that God would completely heal her so she can come back and join us by March 4th. Also pray for her emotional strength and encouragement being away from us, her team. Pray that the rest would be encouraging, and her time with her family would be a blessing.
We want our sassy Emily back with us soon!
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Pray for the Incredible Emily
I've got a pretty amazing teammate named Emily. Unfortunately, she hasn't been feeling so amazing lately.She's been down for the last few weeks with something that's sapped her strength and she hasn't been able to be as active or mobile as usual.
The doctors we consulted here in Merida didn't lead to much help, so she is currently in Maracaibo with some fellow Crusade staff, seeking better medical care.
While we're glad for Emily to be getting good medical care, and glad that our fellow staff are taking great care of her- we don't like being without her stellar presence on our team. She might be gone for this week.
We would appreciate your prayers for her health, safety, and her encouragement while she's away. We're praying that we find some results and that she's able to return well soon. Thanks.
*Disclaimer: The wheelchair is more for dramatic effect, but the smile is 100% Emily!
The doctors we consulted here in Merida didn't lead to much help, so she is currently in Maracaibo with some fellow Crusade staff, seeking better medical care.
While we're glad for Emily to be getting good medical care, and glad that our fellow staff are taking great care of her- we don't like being without her stellar presence on our team. She might be gone for this week.
We would appreciate your prayers for her health, safety, and her encouragement while she's away. We're praying that we find some results and that she's able to return well soon. Thanks.
*Disclaimer: The wheelchair is more for dramatic effect, but the smile is 100% Emily!
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