and she's off.....

What a beautiful morning that our God has allowed!  Em, Caleb, dad and I didn't go to bed till midnight last night.  Em was tired but couldn't sleep and finally hit her moments of panic.  "What if my bags weigh too much?", "What if they are the wrong size?", "I don't think I packed enough socks?", etc.  We prayed together, cried together and hugged.  She slept in our room last night.  She hasn't done that for a long time, and I think we all needed it.  The alarm went off at 3 a.m.  Unbelievable to us, but we were actually cold at 3 am this morning!  All the kids -even Nathan, Lydia & Aaron- got up calmly and got right ready.  Aaron snuggled with Emily on the way to the airport, partly to be affectionate and partly to stay warm!  We arrived safely at the airport by 4:20 and were warmly greeted by our friends, the Staudt family!  Kyra and Em were able to be checked in together.  God has even provided a friend of the Staudt family to be working at that time and made that process so wonderfully smooth and even made sure that the girls were able to sit together.  Only God could provide such wonderful and unnecessary kindnesses!
We are all fine albeit a bit tired.  Here are some pics from this morning as well as a video of us saying goodbye as the plane was taking off.  "Father, You already know the plans that you have for these brave young ladies.  Please allow them to trust You enough to obey you no matter what!  Amen!"  Even as I am typing this, we have received word that they just landed at Dulles!  Our God is amazing to allow such instant technology!  I just talked to her via phone, she while she is ready for a nap, she is otherwise good!  They are at the gate ready for the next leg of the journey!  They will be heading from Broome to Dulles (Washington DC) to Dallas, Texas.  They will have a two-hour shuttle ride from Dallas to Global Expedition HQ in Garden City, where they will train for a few days with their team.  On Tuesday, they'll be Alaska-bound!  Thanks for praying!

Em & Kyra 

one final pic...wow are we tired??

checking the luggage...no aerosol bug spray allowed! :(

praying before we go through the gate!

just waiting....

more hurry up and wait time!  ;)

the plane!

proof that they have to let us on!

Em boarding

everyone watching the takeoff...

waiting for takeoff...

and she's off....

the trip back home...

sleeping Hannah on the way home

I will not fall asleep....

too tired to talk..or sing...

"I'm looking for Emily's plane"

housing, meals and ministry tools...oh my! :)

Housing

AT CAMPUS IN TEXAS: When on the campus of Teen Mania’s Global Expeditions, you will be housed in dome style bunk huts that are cooled with industrial fans. There are lockers available for personal items and community shower centers are a short walk away from the sleeping quarters.

IN ALASKA: The teams will be housed in village community buildings and be sleeping on the floors, so a sleeping mat will be recommended. The shower facilities will vary depending on the village but will usually be at Recreational Centers a short distance away. Please remember we will be in remote villages and accommodations will be set up and maintained by the teams once they arrive!

Meals

Food is ordered ahead of time and dropped off to the villages by the ministry partners and clean drinking water is available through the taps/faucets.

Country Assistants will supervise the making and cooking of meals and will create a rotation sheet for team members to assist in preparing, serving and cleaning.

As well we’ll dine on Peanut Butter and Jelly lunches daily. Better known around Global Expeditions as “PB&J,” this meal staple has actually become one of our well-loved traditions!

Ministry Tools

Ministry tools are practical devices we use to communicate the Gospel and the message of Jesus.

On this trip we will be doing children’s ministry, home-to-home service projects and community outreach events, so in order to be effective we will be equipping teams with story boards, props, puppets, games and a variety of other items to help bring these outreaches to life!

As well, everyone should have the opportunity to share their testimony. We call this “Personal Evangelism” and it will be our greatest ‘ministry tool’ of all!

Emily's schedule beginning tomorrow 7/6/13

Thanks for all of the notes and phone calls today!  We are so blessed by each of you and are grateful for your support.  Here is a schedule taken straight from the Global Expedition website.  This will give you a glimpse of what her next few weeks will look like.  Thanks again for praying.  ~Melissa

Schedule

This schedule will provide a general idea of what you’ll be doing each day on this trip.

• • Day 1 – Arrive to our campus, register and meet your team! We will focus this night on understanding our goals for the mission trip and asking God to prepare us for ministry!
• • Day 2-3 – Train for your mission trip on our campus. You will learn the children’s ministry program you’ll be leading and how to share your testimony effectively.
• • Day 4 – Travel to Alaska and out to the villages you and your team will “adopt!” You will get a chance to meet your ministry partner and they will help you get orientated to your surroundings when you arrive.
• • Day 5-15 – Share your faith in Alaska through service projects, testimony sharing and community outreach events.
• • Day 16 – Spend the day sightseeing and shopping for souvenirs!
• • Day 17 – Travel back to the home campus of Teen Mania’s Global Expeditions.
• • Day 18 – Spend time celebrating with your new friends all God has done! You will also get critical “debriefing” training that will help prepare you to adapt successfully back into your own community and know how to share the story of your mission trip with your friends and family.
• • Day 19 – Travel back home and continue making a difference in your community!

Fun Day

We will be working very hard on this trip as we are serving the villages in Alaska, so at the end of the trip we want to take a well-deserved break and experience Alaska in a fun way! We’ll be heading to Denali National Park for an incredible hike with amazing photo opportunities. There will be lots of authentic souvenirs to shop around for at both Anchorage and the National Parks and you’ll be able to pick up gifts for family that they will love!

mom's morning thoughts on the day before Emma leaves

1157 blog views as of this morning!  WOW!!!  I don't really know why that number means so much to me, except that I use it to remind me that God is allowing His children to do their job of praying and encouraging one another.  You all have been such a blessing to Em and to the entire Brink Bunch.  Thank you and please continue to pray for her.



This morning as I was praying for Em, her team, those that she will have opportunity to show Jesus to between here and Dallas and all along the way to Alaska, as well as for our own family as we seek to serve our Father well.  I realized that the thing that I haven't prayed about is safety.
 
Not for her and not for her team and not for us.  So I then let my heart ponder, why?  After a bit, I came up with a reminder that I must have heard somewhere in my life.  "There is no safer place than in the center of our Father's hand!  If we are where God wants us, we are no safer in the midst of a raging war than in our bedroom.  His hand protects us and only allows what is BEST according to His plan and purposes."

My human reaction to that is what about my plan?  I plan to see her graduate, go to college, serve You, get married, have kids...e.t.c.  In response I felt as if our Father lovingly said, "Melissa this is not about you...."

There has been a Corrie Ten Boom quote circling around my world lately.  Facebook, our pastor's wife, radio...I do not believe in coincidence, but I do believe in providence!  God has caught my attention with this; “Hold everything in your hands lightly, otherwise it hurts when God pries your fingers open.” 

The other quote that keeps surfacing from my memory is:

“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.” 
― C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe  

Our Father God is good!  He is all seeing!  He is all knowing, and He is all loving.  He is writing His plan and His story that will bring glory and honor to Himself and He uses us to accomplish His purposes.  This morning I am resting in that.  HE is good!  He IS good!  He is GOOD!  

He loves Emma more than I ever could, and He is using her to write His story.  She may not be choosing the safest plan for her life, but she is in good hands.  Our perfect, all knowing, all seeing and all loving Father's.

So we are not asking for prayers for safety, unless that is how God is leading you of course.  But we are asking that you join us in praying that she would be  ready!  

1 Peter 3:15(NLT) "Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it."

Would you continue to pray with us?

Thanks so much!  I will update as often as I have information or pictures and as often as we both have internet access.

~Melissa for the Bunch 

More PRAISES!!!

Mom saw this quote today and said it reminded her of me and my upcoming trip.  I hope I can truly love others the way that Jesus has loved me!

I just wanted to share some MORE notes of praise!

1121 blog views as of just a few minutes ago!  Thanks so much for keeping up with this journey and for praying!  I am loving seeing how God is using me in His story!

EVERY single one of my needs has been provided for and some of my wants too!  You all know who you are!  You have let me borrow stuff, have stuff to keep or have given me money so that I am fully prepared.  Some of you have shopped, sacrificed your soda bottle money or your allowance, or answered my weird questions.  (Thank you Ally and Bethany)  Everyone, THANK YOU!  You have been such a blessing that I feel like I could never let you know how much God is using you in my life.  I know that God knows what I need, but WOW is it ever proven when His people just give because He told you to do it!  I am praying that God uses me the way that He is using YOU!  ~Emma

Verses to memorize before Saturday

I just received this attachment last night.  I am glad that God has already allowed me opportunities to hide these verses in my heart.  I can't believe that I leave in 5 days.  There is so much to do and I am extremely nervous about the details, but  I am oddly at peace with the knowledge that I am doing exactly what God has for me.  Please keep praying for me that I would live out truth not react based on my fears.

 Romans 3:23 - For all of sinned and fall short of the glory of God.(NIV) 

Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.(NKJV) 

Romans 5:8 - But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (NKJV)

Ephesians 2:8-9 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast.

Mark 8:35 - For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for My sake, and for the sake of the Gospel, will save it.

James 1:2-4 - Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  

Psalms 119:11 - I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. 

Declaration of a World Changer

Good morning everyone,  One of the things that we'll be learning is what Teen Mania has called "The Declaration of a World Changer". This is a pledge that several missionaries before me have committed to live by. We will talk about it when we get to Texas, but I have the opportunity to memorize it while I am still at home. I learned it last year as well as posted it to my blog...but it is such a good reminder that I wanted to share it again.  ~Emma

DECLARATION OF A WORLD CHANGER

Today, I will live honorably through my thoughts, action, and speech. I choose to be full of faith. I will not only be a hearer but a doer of the Word of God. I will serve before I demand, I will love and not hate, and I will give before I take. Today, I choose to make a difference in this world and to be a part of something bigger than myself. I choose to dedicate my life to prayer and to ask God for his miraculous power and the courage to do the impossible. I will make Godly Relationships a priority in my life as I esteem others higher than myself. Today, I will live my life in such a way that I WILL CHANGE THE WORLD.