This past weekend I had the privilege of going with my husband to Buckner International’s Founder's Day Banquet and Go.Be.Do. Conference. It was a great weekend of giving thanks for all the Lord is doing through Buckner.

There is something about seeing a picture of a child in need. Seeing the faces of so many a large screen, cut through me through the events this weekend. Once again I was reminded of the so many children I have met these past few years in ministry….most through Buckner. Their faces flashed before me on screen and in my mind. And then the images in my head stopped on this little girl pictured above. I photographed her on my first mission trip to Romania almost four years ago.

In many ways, my journey in missions started with this child. The look in her eyes still haunts me now. Her picture hangs in the office as a reminder of where I have been, where I am going, and how great the need is out there with these children. Just as we are encouraged through Buckner, that serves so many least of these in need, we are ALL called to Go…to Be…and to Do. Go somewhere. Be a voice. Do something.

I have always felt her eyes spoke through the picture as if to say, "Help me...Please."


Matthew 28:19 Therefore GO and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Alex

As I felt the sun beaming down on my face, my toes slowly crunched up and sank as deep as they could in the warm sand. I looked around. It was beautiful. I imagined what the Garden of Eden looked like as I wondered if it was close to this. St. Lucia was gorgeous.

We had a wonderful honeymoon and were blessed with the opportunity of being able to get away with some time to relax and have a lot of fun. It was like paradise for us with the breathtaking views, the magnificent sunsets, and time to enjoy what the Lord has created in an island far away.

On the beach, we were approached by many Rastafarians. Many of them selling crafts they made or wanted you to think they made. Some offering to sell us less than legal means of recreation. Some were high…all were friendly and fun to talk with each day. Out of all of them, there is one that I have thought of everyday since my return, one that made my heart shed a tear.

His name is Alex. He wasn’t necessary a Rasta, but was a beach salesman. He walked the beaches selling pure Aloe Vera. He hoped each day for sun and beach goers with burns so his business would flourish. He stopped and talked with us for a bit. We talked with him about quite a few things for some time. He had a tattoo of a large spider on his arm and was telling us about it. He had gotten it at a very young age..a child really. Then he told us about the burn on his arm. “Branding?” I asked. I assumed it was some cultural ritual or something associated with a group he belonged to. “No, I was sitting around one night feeling sad about my friend dying, you know? I just started taking my joint and burning my arm.” Wow…the pain that was hidden underneath his tough exterior.

I felt bad for him. I wondered what potential his life held. I know it is more than getting high and walking the beach all day long. I hesitated to tell him that our hotel gave all guests a free bottle of Aloe. That was probably why he wasn’t selling much on our beach. He wasn’t aware of that and said he was off to another beach where he would have a better chance of selling. Off he went in search of another beach…in search of things his spirit longed for but will never find here on earth.

I wish I could write about what a great witness I was to Alex. I wish I could tell you that I sat him down and shared the Gospel with him. I wish I could tell you that his life was changed by something I did or said that day. I am ashamed to say I didn’t reach out like I probably should have. That night I felt guilty. I worried about Alex and wondered why I didn’t witness to him in some way.

Was it God answering my prayer to quiet me when I need it and to speak only when He feels I should? Or was it me passing up an opportunity …the Lord finding me unwilling to do His work that day. Sadly, I’m guessing it was the second of the two.

I ask you to say a prayer for Alex today. The least I can do now is to bless him in that way today as you read this. Please pray for this young St. Lucian boy. Pray he sees the One who died for him, the One who loves him, and the One who can heal his pain in a way he won’t find here on earth.

It isn’t the first time I have missed an opportunity and probably won’t be the last. I share it with you so you can be reminded to ask the Lord find you willing to do his work and that together we can reach all the Alex types out there. They are out there searching and it is up to us to respond when we come across them in our lives each day.

Wedding Picture

I'm Back...

Much has happened in the last few weeks. Months and months of planning came down to one day..a big day..the wedding day. It was beautiful. On March 28th, I married the love of my life in a ceremony where we felt Him walking side by side with us into the church, down the aisle, and standing before us as we said our vows. It was a great day.

I am now officially living in Texas. After a wonderful honeymoon in St. Lucia (see photo) we packed up the rest of my apartment and headed south for a long day of driving. Now, our new life begins.

As I left my apartment for the last time, I paused and said a quick prayer. “Lord, please bless the next person who lives here as much as you did me while I lived here.” That apartment held many memories. The person I am was not the person that moved in there a few years ago. As I shut the door to it that last time, I opened the door to another adventure.

Phil and I sat in church on Easter morning celebrating the fact that the Lord who took the time to guide the paths of a guy from Texas and a girl from Illinois together, is also the One who conquered death and rose from the grave. I stand in awe of the way He works and the many ways he blesses us.

I will post a few wedding pictures as soon as I can. Thanks for checking on the blog while I was away. I will be back to regular posts as soon. Right now I am unpacking and getting ready for a celebration of the wedding with our friends here in Dallas this weekend.

Almost Mrs

The highest happiness on earth is marriage. ~William Lyon Phelps

On Saturday, March 28th 2009 at 3:30 in the afternoon, Phil and I will be married! I can hardly believe it is almost here. It has been a year in the making, and we are so excited. Only a few more days, and then I will be Mrs. Brinkmeyer.

We are very busy getting the details in order and getting those loose ends tied up before Saturday.

We feel so very blessed and appreciate you all!

The Greatest of These is Love

With the wedding fast approaching, love is on my mind a lot these days. I am so thankful for the Lord’s written teaching that of the three things remaining (Faith, Hope, and Love), the greatest is love. (1 Corinthians 13:13) What a gift!

I recently saw a video of two otters holding hands. It's the sweetest video. Here is a link below. Make sure you watch until the very end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epUk3T2Kfno&NR=1

When it's time to change....

John Maxwell once said, “When it comes to change, there are three seasons of timing: People change when they hurt enough they have to, when they learn enough that they want to, and when they receive enough that they are able to.”

As I sit eating my lunch, at a desk that has never looked so clean or so empty at work, I ponder the many changes that are about to take place in my life. I sit, eat, and oddly have that song from the Brady Bunch playing in my head. You know the one. “When it’s time to change..you’ve got to rearrange.” Yes, Peter’s voice is even cracking in the rendition in my mind. Tomorrow is my last day at work. I have been at WDLM Radio for 3.5 years. It amazes me at how when I walk out the door for the last time as an employee, I will walk through the door a different person than I walked in on my first day in 2005. It’s time to change and to rearrange.

In looking at the quote above, I think I would fall in the “learned enough they want to change” group. I have many changes coming. Name change, career change, house change, climate change, becoming a Texan as well as a wife! It seems my identity is completely changing at times. Change definitely tends to give us anxious feelings. The cool thing is that I have learned a lot the past few years, and I am looking at this whole experience in a positive more than anxious way.

One of the biggest things I have learned is that we were created to be defined by who we are through Christ…not by our jobs, family, friends, etc. If you can reach a point where you realize who you are through Christ, the rest in life will fall into place and it gives you a confidence and peace. It becomes clear that who you are is more about the One you are meant to live this life serving.

I have learned enough that I want to change because I have faith in where He leads me, I’ve seen the Lord’s hand in this change, have prayed about it, and know He has an amazing plan in it all. Does that make it easy to say goodbye to friends? Nope. Does that make it easy to live so far from my family that I love so dearly? No way. But it does make it easier and is helping me to make the transitions.

I will leave WDLM on March 13th, 2009. On June 22nd, 2009, I will start a new position for Fishers of Men Ministries based in the Quad Cities. FOM is a wonderful ministry that runs an orphanage in Kenya, Africa. I will be working in an office out of my home on ministry development, fund raising, and leading short term mission trips with them. I will take all that I have learned in my 28 years to this new ministry and begin a new adventure in serving Him and the least of these. I am so excited to see what the Lord has in store!

With only 16 days until our wedding, I am busy packing, attending to details, finishing up work, etc. My stomach still does flips when I think about the next few weeks. A big smile comes to my face when I think about becoming Phil’s wife. I am so blessed to be marrying such an amazing man. He is an answer to many prayers that have been sent above, and I look forward to our future together. It’s hard to believe the big day is almost here and I am feeling blessed, humbled, and very excited.