Merry Christmas from the Brazzells!

Family and Friends,

Merry Christmas! We hope that each of you will have a blessed Christmas season with your loved ones as we celebrate the birth of our Savior. This Christmas is an exciting one for us as we celebrate as a family of three! Our little Eden has changed our world, and we are so grateful to the Lord for blessing us with this precious gift. 

This year has held many life-altering changes for our family! God has guided every step of the way, and we rejoice in all that He is doing in our lives. 

The biggest change was the birth of our baby girl. Eden Brielle was born on Friday, November 25th at 8:26am. She weighed 7lbs. 14oz. and was 20 1/2 inches long. I greatly appreciate all those who were praying for Eden and I. My labor and delivery went wonderfully, and Eden was perfectly healthy! We are enjoying every moment we have with our precious little girl! The miracle of a new life is an amazing testament to the incredible design of our Creator God. We are so blessed and honored that the Lord gave Eden to us. 

Another big event was our survey trip to Australia. We have been praying about this trip for years, and God opened the door for us to go at the exact time He wanted us there. Several weeks ago, Simeon wrote a post telling all about our trip and God's call on our future. Read it HERE. We are so thankful for God's clear guidance and direction in showing both Sim and I that He would have us serve Him in the city of Paramatta, NSW, Australia. Many decisions lie ahead, but we know that God is faithful and He will lead as we follow Him.

Simeon has now been with Cellular Sales for one year. This job has been such a blessing for our family, and it is one that Simeon absolutely loves! He has had the opportunity to take on some leadership/mentoring rolls the past few months. He enjoys getting to train new hires and assist them as they begin with the company. I am still working part time as a Mary Kay office assistant and as a piano teacher. Both allow me a lot of flexibility with my schedule and lots of time taking care of my home, husband, and baby girl.

We are enjoying being a part of all that God is doing at the Temple Baptist Church. Simeon and I are a part of the choir, and we have recently began working with the Collegians for Christ ministry at the University of Tennessee campus. It has been so encouraging to see the students devotion to Christ and desire to reach their peers. We know this is great preparation for us as we will one day be the university town of Paramatta, NSW, Australia! We are also very involved serving in our Sunday School class. I have the opportunity to play the piano, and Simeon enjoys sharing the missions updates from time to time.

2017 looks to be another exciting year for our family! Many great things lie ahead, and we can't wait to see all that God has in store. We have been so blessed by all the amazing people God has put into our lives, and we thank you for your love and prayers for our family. We hope that you and your loved ones have a very Merry Christmas and many blessings in 2017!

All for His Glory,
Brettnay Brazzell

Aaaaand....We're Back!

Well, we’ve been back for about a month now, but I assure you we've been very busy.

First, I'd like to thank every one of you who prayed for us as we were away. We had a great time with some new Aussie friends, and more importantly we were able to get some clarification as to what the Lord would have us to do. God is good. Brettnay and Eden stayed healthy throughout all the traveling! We could not have had a better time with the Hullana's and the Marshall's during our stay in Australia.

The Hullana Family

Eaj and Doris Agatep

Our first week was spent with Hernan and Azariah Hullana in the Sydney area. They are Aussie born, not missionaries, so it was great to get their perspective. We spent most of our time tagging along with the Hullana's and helping in their ministry in whatever ways we could be of assistance. We had the opportunity to sing, and I preached once as well. The Hullana's opened their home to us, which was our immense pleasure as spending time with the kids was a riot! We did a few tourist type things as well, but obviously, that was not the focus of this trip. Mainly, we just wanted to experience the people, culture, and most importantly the spiritual need of the area. All those desires were met thanks to the help of the Hullana's and a few other of his friends and staff, namely Eaj Agatep and his lovely wife Doris.

Joe Marshall and Tony Evans

Our second week was spent in the Brisbane area with the Marshall family. Joe and Mellissa Marshall are missionaries from the States who have spent the last several years in Australia in various parts of the country. They have an obvious heart for the people of Australia but more specifically for the quickly growing area of Brisbane. One of the things I most enjoyed about this portion of our trip is that Bro. Marshall took me out one day just to show me all the places where homes are being built in the area. He and another gentleman I'll mention in a minute talked for hours about how many people will be moving right to that ministry's backyard! A great work is ready to be begun if only people will get excited about it, and pray that the Lord send forth laborers into His harvest. I also had the unique experience of meeting a missionary to Japan named Tony Evans (the gentleman I just mentioned) while attending the missions conference at the Marshall's church in Brisbane. Bro. Evans is an Australian born man who has spent the last 25 years ministering in Japan with his wife and family. He also had his daughter along who was a real blessing as well. We've since stayed in touch and I look forward to corresponding with him for many years to come.

The main thing I'd like to speak to in this update, however, is what we believe the Lord has done in our hearts in recent days. Although we'd love to go to every place we had an opportunity to see, we know the Lord has something very specific for us. We believe the Lord wants us in the city of Parramatta, NSW, Australia. Parramatta is a major suburb of Sydney and is a business hub as well as a university town. There are quite a few businesses that call Parramatta their headquarters. As such there is a busy hustle about the place. There's also a large student populous as there are a few universities as well. When we visited with the Hullana's, at first, we were a bit surprised by the size of the "small town" we were visiting. One of the main things that affected me was the many similarities I noted to a little place called Knoxville, TN. It wasn't long before I could hear the still small voice speaking to me letting me know that this was the place. It's a university town, there's a populous business district, and there are beautiful landscapes and sculptures everywhere. Those things are great, but the truth is I didn't even take many pictures (one of the things I regret). I was too busy looking at all the people around who had probably never once heard that Jesus loved them and died for them. Pastor Hullana probably thought I wasn't listening to him as he told me about the population, the area, and the work he'd like to see done there as I was so distracted by what was going on in my heart. Shortly after we got back and were in private, I told Brettnay that I thought that it was the place.

We've taken several weeks to pray, consult with our pastor, and try to get ready for this baby to arrive. Brettnay and I wanted to be sure that this is what the Lord wanted for us before we announced anything publicly. So here it is, Brettnay and I will be going to the city of Parramatta as missionaries for as long as the Lord would have us be there. I do not have specifics on how soon any of this will take place, where exactly in the city we will live and minister, or even what will be our first focus when we get there. I know that the Lord has all those answers. For right now, thanks to the advice of our pastor and parents, we'll be taking things slow and having this baby girl first. We have corresponded with people back in Australia to keep communication open with everyone involved. 

We’ve got a long way to go, and a lot of decisions to make in the next few months regarding deputation, boards, travels, church meetings, mission conferences, etc. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we pray and work through these things. I've attached a link here to all the pictures we took while we were there. Some of them are here in the blog, but I knew many of you would want to see them all. Thanks again for your prayers.

And We're Off!

Psalm 32:8 

"I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye."

As we are just a few hours away from boarding the plane and heading to Australia, my mind thinks back to the years we have spent praying and planning for this trip. God has been so good to Simeon and I as He had led us to this point in our lives. From the beginning, our call has been sure, but there have been many unknown details concerning our future and our ministry plans. Our prayer is that God will use this trip to speak to our hearts and give us clear direction as to what the next step for our family is. 

Our hearts are filled with excitement at the ministry opportunities that we will have while we are visiting in Sydney and Brisbane! The Hullana's (pastor of the Southland Baptist Church) have an exciting, expanding work going in Sydney! We will get to be involved in soul-winning outreach and their youth ministry. We will also get to visit the site of their new church building project. We will be with Joe & Melissa Marshall in Brisbane (missionaries). They are doing a great work at newer church plant, and we get to help and participate in their church's first missions conference. We will also be involved in music, teaching, and preaching. 

We have been so encouraged by each of you that have let us know that you are praying for us! There is nothing like knowing our brothers and sisters in Christ are praying for us along this journey! God's presence has been so real to us through this endeavor, and it is in large part to the faithful prayers of our family and friends!

Specific Prayer Requests

• Safety as we travel
• Filling of the Holy Spirit as we minister to others and seek to be a blessing to the families we will be staying with
• Continued health for me during my pregnancy and for our baby, Eden
• God will give us clear direction as we seek His will

All for His Glory,

Brettnay

Why Australia?

So, I get a question all the time. "Why did you decide on Australia?" Some people are asking out of general curiosity, some ask because they genuinely want to know, and some just plain don't understand the point of mission work. So, to the best of my ability, I'm going to try and break it down.

Australia is not a third world country. In fact, it's very much a first world country! They have skyscrapers, a solid government and political system, and a stable economy. They don't need people to come dig wells or bring medicine and food to the dying. They aren't suffering from a horrible outbreak of a deadly virus or having problems with earthquakes. They are actually very much like America. The hardest thing most Australian people deal with on a daily basis is getting to work on time, just like most Americans. So why are we going?

Mission work is not about taking care of the physical needs of people. While that can be a crucial part of the work in some mission fields, it should not be the main goal. I am a Christian before I am a missionary. As a Christian, it is my responsibility to share the love of Christ with others and to preach and teach the gospel. A missionary is just someone who decides to do those things in a place other than his home country. Unless you've felt the call of God yourself, you cannot explain to someone what that's like, but as a senior in high school I felt the impression of God on my heart to go to Australia and to reach it's people with the gospel. I'm not a well digger, a medical doctor, or a humanitarian aid worker. I'm just a Christian with a call from God to do His work in Australia.

So, how did I receive my call? If you're expecting to hear that I was riding a horse on my way to Damascus when a bright light blinded me and told me to go, I'm going to have to disappoint you. I'm just an ordinary guy who felt the impression of a great God on his heart. I don't know what God is going to do through me and my wife. I don't know what undertakings we'll take on in the future. All I know is I'm a Christian. That means no matter where God puts me, I have one goal and one objective. I need to reach as many people as I can with the gospel and the love of Christ. That's the end of the story. Why Australia? Because Australians need to hear that God loves them, died for them, rose again for them, and wants to spend eternity with them in Heaven. Pure and Simple!

Missions & Family Update

Many exciting things have been happening around the Brazzell house recently! We are around 2 months away from our trip to Australia, so much preparation is being made. Also, we just found out that our baby is a little girl!! God is so good to us, and He is proving His faithfulness every step of our journey!

We received our travel visas last week which was a huge answer to prayer. Everything is continuing to progress well as we stay in contact with the pastor and missionary family we will be staying with during our trip. We are excited to be participating in different church ministries while in Sydney. We will also get the opportunity to be a part of the first missions conference at the church we will be with in Brisbane. Please be in prayer for all the final details as we draw closer to our departure date!

My pregnancy has been a very easy one, and for that we are grateful. Our baby, Eden, is healthy and strong. We greatly appreciate continued prayers for a safe, healthy pregnancy and baby!

We know that our family and friends are our greatest prayer warriors, and we could never thank you enough for that! We will continue to keep everyone updated as new things develop.


All for His Glory,
Brettnay Brazzell

An Open Letter to My Missionary Wife

To my long time crush and loving wife, Brettnay,


I know I am not normally a fan of being overly romantic in a public manner such as this, but today I feel like making the world see you how I do. I'm not very good at daily expressing my gratitude toward you, though you'd never tell me so. I do feel so very blessed, and as such needed to express that today.

Normally this blog is used as a forum to inform our friends, family, and supporters where we are on our journey as missionaries and to let them know about our plans. I want to do a little of that as well. We're still in the planning stages of our survey trip together, and there's still a lot to do! I'm looking forward to taking that trip with you and finding out everything God has for us on the field to share. You're an amazing woman, and I'm lucky to be able to take you with me. You're willingness to go on this trip as a 7 month pregnant woman is enough to convince me that you're 100% dedicated to me and to Christ! You're desire to raise a family, even under unusual circumstances, is commendable and beautiful to see.

I know you'd love nothing more that to settle down, buy a nice house with a big white wrap-around porch, and watch our babies play in the yard. I'm not saying any of those dreams are bad, or even that we'll have to give up any of them. I'm just glad that you're willing to follow the Lord no matter where that takes us. I don't know where we may end up some day. I don't really know what I'm doing. I just know that what we're doing today is what the Lord wants for us, and that's enough for me. The beautiful thing is that that has been good enough for you too!

We've got a lot of interesting things ahead of us: a baby on the way (that's enough for anyone by itself), a survey trip in September, and my brother's wedding this week. We've had a busy marriage so far and a busier one ahead of us. I'm looking forward to every second of it, because I know I'll have you to help me when it's hard, laugh with me when it's fun, and cry with me when it's sad. Thank you for being everything a man could need and ask for in a wife.

Your adoring husband,

Sim

Coming Soon. . . Baby Brazzell!!!

Simeon and I have some very exciting news to share. . . We are expecting a baby!! Baby Brazzell is due in November! We are so grateful that the Lord has blessed us with this child!

We have talked with our doctor, and our missions plans are still the same. Our survey trip will be in September, and we are praying that from there we can begin the deputation process. The only thing that is changing is that we will have a new missionary recruit joining us on our adventure! :)

Please pray for a safe, healthy pregnancy and baby! Thank you!

All for His Glory,
Brettnay

Alabama Church Plant

   This past week, Simeon and I had the privilege to lead a group of Crown College students to help a pastor start a new church in Chelsea, Alabama. What an amazing weekend we experienced! Pastor Kilpatrick has a burden for church planting. He has bought a store front, and has put much prayer and work into starting this church. We went down to help pass out literature about the church. We covered much of Chelsea in a day and a half and got 20 prospects!

  Our hearts were strengthened and encouraged as Pastor Kilpatrick shared his testimony of starting Gospel Light Baptist Church and now the Chelsea Baptist Church. He shared instances where time and time again, God came through just when he needed Him most. To stand there and see all this man has accomplished, but watch him giving God all the glory was amazing. We serve a wonderful God who delights in answering the prayers of His children, and who rewards us for our total surrender and faith!


Please pray for the Chelsea Baptist Church and Pastor & Mrs. Kilpatrick as they prepare for their first service on Easter Sunday!

Update On Our Survey Trip

Most of you know that we've been praying through the planning stages of our survey trip. Well, the big news is that we have flights scheduled for this September! We're very excited to see what all the Lord has in store for us as we take this small step of faith.

We've been working with two missionary families while working out the details of our trip. I'd just like to introduce you to them so you can pray for these dear people when you pray for us. The first step of the journey, we'll be in Sydney for a week. Pastor Hernan Hullana will be hosting us. He's married with three adorable kids. They have a primarily Filipino church as there are many Asian immigrants in Australia. Please pray for these sweet people who are willing to help us even though they don't know us at all. They are doing great things in Sydney!

                                                     

For the second week we are there, we will be  with the Marshall family in Brisbane. They've been incredibly helpful as we've planned this survey trip. Bro. Marshall has aided us in searching for flights, getting us visa information, and introducing us to the Hullana's. He has a great reputation in Australia with local pastors and has provided us with good insight into the state of existing Australian churches. Please pray for this man and his family as they serve in Brisbane!

                                        

We'll give more details soon as we get things worked out with these families. These are great Christian people, and they have been so very helpful to us! Please add them to your prayer lists! Please continue to pray for Brettnay and I as we have a lot more work to do as we prepare for this trip! Thanks for your prayers thus far!

WE ARE AUSTRALIA BOUND!!!

Ephesians 3:20 "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,"

God has been at work in an amazing way!! Simeon and I have been keeping an eye on plane tickets for several months trying to find the best deals. Tickets to Australia are very expensive, and we had several challenges to work out with layovers and flight times.

Our Australia missionary friend contacted us Tuesday to let us know that in celebration of Australia Day, several airlines had discounted tickets. God worked out the details of our flights better than we could've imaged, and we got a very good rate!! Praise the Lord!!

We are Australia bound September 12-26. Please continue to pray for us as we still have many details to work out. God has proven so many times that He is preparing our path in this endeavor! Your prayers mean everything to us!

We will write another post soon with more details about our upcoming survey trip!

All for His Glory,

Brettnay Brazzell

Our Lamp and Light

 Psalm 119:105 "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."

Can it be possible that we are already almost a month into 2016?! Simeon and I have hearts of excitement and expectancy as we begin this year! Lord willing, we will be making a trip to Australia this year. . . we will keep everyone updated as we figure out the details! As we have many decisions and new experiences coming this year, we know that the only place to find the answers our hearts are seeking is in God's Word. Whatever questions you are facing in this year, remember that God says that His Word is our lamp and light. We need not stumble along in the darkness because God has given us light! God gives us enough light to take the next step. As we follow His path for our lives, He continues to give more and more light.

Do you need the light of God's Word to shine in your heart? I believe that all Christians need that light everyday. You may not be facing decisions about leaving the country, but we all have different things on our heart that we need God to guide us in.

It's a new year- I have made resolutions as I'm sure many of you have. One of my resolutions for this year is to read my Bible through cover to cover. A friend from church shared an amazing resource to help stay on track- The KJV Daily Promise Bible.

Read through scripture in a year—and thrill to the promises God makes to you—with The KJV Daily Promise Bible. Featuring the beloved text of the King James Version, every day’s entry features an Old Testament passage, a New Testament passage, and a selection from the Psalms or Proverbs, readable in 15–20 minutes. And each day, a scriptural promise is highlighted, accompanied by a brief devotional thought, inspirational idea, or practical insight. This handsomely-bound volume combines the most trusted and beautiful scripture text with one of the handiest yearly reading formats available. Spend a year with The KJV Daily Promise Bible—it could change your life!

I have been so blessed already this year as I have been daily reading through an Old Testament, New Testament, and Psalm/Proverbs passage each day. There are so many treasures waiting for us in Scripture, all we have to do is read! Our Pastor says, "We need a revolution back to the Bible." How true that is! Let's determine that 2016 will be the year that we all get our hearts deep into God's Word!!

All For His Glory,

Brettnay

Here is a link where you can buy this Bible on Amazon- The KJV Daily Promise Bible