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