The Brown Family Chronicles - December 2005

The following link will take you to our December 2005 newsletter: http://hqmail.agmd.org/~wayne.brown/TheBrownFamilyChroniclesv1n12.pdf

First Assembly of God, Dunnellon, FL

We visited First Assembly of God in Dunnellon, FL, on Sunday morning, December 18, 2005. They have archived a copy of Wayne's missions update in the second service. Click Here to listen.

The Brown Family Chronicles - November 2005

The following link will take you to our November 2005 newsletter: http://hqmail.agmd.org/~wayne.brown/TheBrownFamilyChroniclesv1n11.pdf

The Small Church

Don't let anyone tell you that your church is too small to host a missionary family. We have been in some of the smallest churches in our district over the past three months. Some with as few as nine members in attendance. Several with fewer than 20 attending a service. And these were good turnouts for a few of these churches. However, without regard to the size of the church body, the outflow of blessings made these small churches look like mega-churches. While there may have been fewer who were worshiping there, those who were there simply opened their hearts and poured out love and appreciation all over us. And, surprisingly, they also opened their financial resources and poured out blessings into both our cash budget and our monthly budget. As 2005 draws to a close and we look toward completing our itineration sometime in the first part of 2006, I know we will continue to be blessed by our small churches. We will also have an opportunity to visit several of the large churches in our district over the next several months. Those large churches will have some mighty big footprints to follow in from their smaller brothers.

Impact

There are those skeptics who will question the impact that a children's animated movie will have on the world. We got a small glimpse of that impact at First Assembly in Lake Wales on Sunday evening, October 30, 2005. Pastor Mobley had suggested that we show the full length of The GodMan as part of our itineration service. Since I had a need to understand the impact of the movie on a first-world audience, we agreed to show the movie as he had requested. The impact was greater than I could have expected.

I have repeatedly received reports back from our international team members who are testing The GodMan in various countries in Latin America and Africa. The reports tell of the emotional and spiritual impact the movie is having on children and adults. It seems that age is no differentiator.

The movie showing at First Assembly in Lake Wales yielded similar results. There were cries during the crucifixion and cheers during the resurrection. However, what happened next was unexpected for a first-world environment. When Pastor Mobley closed the service, he asked everyone to stop at our table and get their own personal copy of the Book of Hope. The response was greater than we could have ever expected. Children and adults, side by side, waited in line to get their copy of the Book of Hope and to ask us questions about The GodMan. Some waited for almost an hour. They told stories of how seeing the movie helped them to truly realize the price Jesus had to pay for our sins. The GodMan had a significant impact on them. And their response to it had a great impact on us.

First Sucker

Rebecca almost never gets to enjoy the taste of food. She has a g-tube and lives on an all liquid diet that is fed to her through that tube. While we were assisting at the Heart of Harvest & Missions Conference at New Heights Community Church, Rebecca saw other children enjoying lots of free candy. She gave me that look that communicates to me that she wants to understand that activity. You know, the activity of having something very sweet hit your tongue and the smile it brings to your face.

Being the sucker that I am for my little girl...I helped her to play a game so that she too could win some candy. Then I took the wrapper off the sucker and placed it at her mouth. First she laughed...then she chomped down on the sucker. The first few tastes were somewhat overwhelming for her. By the third or fourth time, she was biting down on the stick so that I couldn't remove the sucker from her mouth. It was her very first sucker and, by all indications, she truly loved it.

P.S. Don't tell her dentist.

Cotton Candy

On Saturday and Sunday, October 29 and 30, 2005, we had the pleasure of joining the congregation at New Heights Community Church in their annual Heart of Harvest Fall Festival & Missions Conference. Our primary responsibility was to simply be there...to help...to watch...to interact with those from the community who came. You see, most of those who visited New Heights for the Saturday festival were not members of this church...or any church. They were simply children and their parents from the community. There were games, food, and yes...cotton candy.

The Brown Family Chronicles - October 2005

The following link will take you to our October 2005 newsletter:
http://hqmail.agmd.org/~wayne.brown/TheBrownFamilyChroniclesv1n10.pdf

A Trail of Destruction

I have just returned from Broward County for the second time in less than a week. And I am facing the prospect of going back again in a day or two.

My first trip was on Thursday of last week. The purpose -- to install storm shutters in preparation for Hurricane Wilma. Well, Wilma did not disappoint. Although arriving a day or two later than expected, she came in stronger and faster than anyone would have expected. In her path, she left a trail of destruction.

Tamarac, the site of our home, will never be the same. It seems as if every tree in the city that was more than five feet tall has been uprooted. Or, as one of the three trees in our yard, decapitated. We had three trees standing...now we have two laying and one stump standing.

Trees...that will be the cause of my next trip, the third in a week. With chainsaw in tow, I will be returning to Tamarac to cut down what is left of my former yard forest. Nothing will remain, save three indentations in the ground where these small but beautiful trees once stood.

While the yard is now more barren than before, I praise God for his grace. All of my neighbors lost trees. Many of them have structural damage of some form -- roof, windows, water, etc. We were blessed. The only thing damaged on the house was the TV antenna. Perhaps God is trying to tell us something there.

I'm not sure what the analogy is, but as is usually the case, I am certain that God will allow my experiences with this storm to grow into a message for a future church visit. After all, this is the fourth direct hit from a hurricane that our family has had to endure in just 15 months. In each storm, we had moderate to serious tree damage, but no damage to our homes. God is good! And we praise Him for His protection...once again.

October 10th Dinner

On October 10th we had a fundraiser dinner for our missions call. The Honorary Host for this event was Governor & Mrs. Jeb Bush (Florida). Governor Bush wasn't able to attend the dinner but sent greetings, " I am sorry I can't be at your fundraiser but I have made a contribution and am so proud that Wayne, your family and you are acting on your faith to work overseas for the LORD. I wish you Godspeed and look forward to hearing of your experiences. Please give the precious Rebecca a hug and kiss from her Governor Jeb".

It was a wonderful evening with friends that we have met over the years. There were people that we have met through foster care, the medical field, political friends, people that you seen for years while doing daily life business, even friends from junior and senior high.

State Representative Dennis Ross reflected on our years in politics, from Wayne's run for the Florida house, to both of us on the Polk County Republican Executive Committee, to my involvement in the Lakeland Republican Club, to volunteering in various local, state & national campaigns. Then Wayne's former boss, Danny Risener, from Publix told about Wayne's work at Publix and with his efforts on behalf of Publix with United Way and school mentoring. Then my best friend, Dawn Dick gave a heart felt recount on our work in foster care and church volunteering and short term mission trips with Victory. Then our guest speaker was Bob Hoskins, founder of Book of Hope. Bob talked about hopeless in the world today and how sending our family around the world will bring hope.

It was a wonderful night and for some it might be the last time we see them for years.

Blessings,
Tammy

Praise Report

Well, after four weeks with a brace on her leg, Rebecca is praising God for her new freedom. The brace is off and the pain appears to be gone. We praise God for a complete healing.

The Brown Family Chronicles - September 2005

The following link will take you to our September 2005 newsletter.

http://hqmail.agmd.org/~wayne.brown/TheBrownFamilyChroniclesv1n9.pdf

Urgent Prayer Need

Rebecca fell from her wheelchair last week. She has been experiencing pain and yesterday we took her to an orthopedic specialist. The diagnosis was a buckle fracture at the top of the tibia. She will be in a knee immobilizer for the next four weeks. Please join us in prayer for a complete and quick recovery.

Indian Blessings

It's 11:00 on Saturday night. We have just returned from the most unique worship experience of our itineration. We were privileged to be invited to attend the Assembly of God Worship Center's Saturday night Bible Study and worship. It is held in the home of Mr. & Mrs. Thomas. It was an incredible experience. The service opened with worship and praise with two contemporary American worship classics. It then transitioned into indigenous Indian worship & praise -- the clapping, the singing, the tambourine, the prayers, the worship. It was exciting, even if the words were foreign to us. Rebecca especially enjoyed the song and prayer times.

At the conclusion of praise and worship, Pastor George turned the service over to Wayne. He preached on taking courage, using Peter's account of walking on the water as found in Matthew 14:22-32. The message was very well received by all who were there.

Following the service, there was an authentic Indian dinner. The food and fellowship was wonderful and flavorful. We look forward to the opportunities God will provide for us to minister with Pastor George and the folks at Assembly of God Worship Center sometime in the future.

Calvary Assembly of God - Winter Haven

Calvary Assembly was our destination for August 31, 2005. It was a tremendous blessing that brought to a close a month of blessings. An interesting fact about Calvary, it is pastored by Denny Postell. He is the son of Pastor Dennis Postell at Abundant Life in Punta Gorda. You may have read about both pastors in a Pentecostal Evangel article after Hurricane Charlie hit Punta Gorda in 2004 (Click Here to read the article).

We had a wonderful time at Calvary. Our itineration table was crowded with children of all ages, and many of their parents. It is always a blessing to see children being drawn in by the movie The GodMan.

We had the benefit of a brief window to present our ministry to the congregation. The response was wonderful. It really is a blessing to go from church to church and continue to have an abundance of love poured out upon us.

After our window, Pastor delivered a service that expressed the need for Christians everywhere to help those in need. His expressed point was to energize the church to get involved in providing aid and relief to those in the southern USA who are struggling from the effects of Hurricane Katrina. It was a moving service, including the presentation of photos that showed examples of the devastation and those struggling to survive.

With service complete, we were able to spend about 45 minutes talking to members of the congregation at our table in the lobby. This is always fun and allows for a more intimate exchange than is possible in the service. As always, Rebecca made many new friends.

The Brown Family Chronicles - August 2005

The following link will take you to our August 2005 newsletter. http://hqmail.agmd.org/~wayne.brown/TheBrownFamilyChroniclesv1n8.pdf.

What is a Jacaranda?

Jacaranda? The first time I saw the word, I had a serious case of huh. I have never heard or see the word before. I began to wonder what exactly a Jacaranda was. We first saw the word Jacaranda as we were driving south on Interstate 75. We were on our way to Port Charlotte for a Sunday morning service. Over the course of the next several weeks, we either crossed or drove down Jacaranda two to three times each week. Then it struck me...Jacaranda must mean "a place from which blessings flow." After all, this was August and we were in our first district-scheduled section. And each service was the revelation of new blessings. Blessings of love! Blessings of worship! And blessings of finances! Every time we crossed or drove down Jacaranda, we received blessings.

As is generally the case, reality is sometimes different than our initial perceptions. It turns out a Jacaranda is a tree, and a guitar, and a golf course, and a hotel. Nevertheless, to the Brown family, Jacaranda will always be a reminder of the tremendous blessings we received from Section 13 in the Pen-FL district of the Assemblies of God. Out gratitude goes out to Pastor Gary Gray of Venice Assembly and all the pastors from Section 13 who came together to make August 2005 a truly blessed month.

Ministry Update

Today marked the restart of one of our ministry efforts - Kids Club and Sidewalk Sunday School. Pastor Teresa Bullard hosted a volunteer breakfast this morning where we explained the various opportunities that exist both throughout the week and on Saturdays. I was able to share our format for Saturday's Kids Club program and encourage those new folks in attendance to get involved with us.
Since we are no longer involved in foster care, Tammy is able to take a more active role in our ministry work. While I will continue to fulfill my every Saturday duties, Tammy will be serving with Pastor Teresa every Monday and as needed on Saturdays. It is exciting to be able to hang on to this tremendous children's ministry opportunity while we complete our itineration.

Ministry Brief - August 2, 2005

Wayne is currently active in co-facilitating a Tuesday night Men's Bible Study at Victory Church. Wayne's work with the Saturday inner-city children's ministry at the Freedom Center in Lakeland is about ready to restart, wtih the annual Back to School bash scheduled for August 6. That outreach, called Kid's Club, is an offshoot of Victory's Sidewalk Sunday School program. Each week between 60 and 200 children enjoy 90 minutes of action-packed ministry with a powerful message about how God loves them.

The Brown Family Chronicles - July 2005

The following link will take you to our July 2005 newsletter.
http://hqmail.agmd.org/~wayne.brown/TheBrownFamilyChroniclesv1n7.pdf.

Itineration Progress - July 25

Candidate School and School of Missions are now complete. The Brown family is back in Lakeland and has returned their focus to itineration and ministry planning.

Wayne's first day back in town included a day-long meeting with the team at Book of Hope to work on the strategy for how The GodMan will be incorporated into the existing Book of Hope ministry infrastructure. It is a blessing to see how God is opening doors for this new ministry tool and how eagerly those in the field are receiving it and are ready to use it in their efforts to reach lost children and youth for Christ.

Rebecca's school started back the last week she was in Springfield, so she returned home with school already in progress. She has settled right into school and is enjoying each day. Rebecca continues to be the light and joy of every church service as her smile and unconditional love for others shines through to everyone she meets.

The Brown Family Chronicles - June 2005

The following link will take you to our June 2005 newsletter.
http://hqmail.agmd.org/~wayne.brown/TheBrownFamilyChroniclesv1n6.pdf.

Foster Care Update - June 13, 2005

Today was a bittersweet day. Our last foster child, Tonisha, went to live with her adoptive family. Tonisha, who is now six-year-old, has been a part of our family since she was one-month-old. Please keep her and her new family in your prayers. Pray for an easy adjustment for everyone.

The Brown Family Chronicles - May 2005

The following link will take you to our May 2005 newsletter.
http://hqmail.agmd.org/~wayne.brown/TheBrownFamilyChroniclesv1n5.pdf.

Foster Care Update - May 23, 2005

Today was a day of rejoicing. Yadi, our two-year-old foster child, went home to her family today. Mom, dad, and baby have all worked very hard for over two years to ensure a successful reunification. This is truly an answer to prayer. Please continue to lift up Yadi and her family in your prayers. Pray that her health will continue to improve. And pray for an easy adjustment as she rejoins mom, dad, and her little brother as one complete and happy family.

The Brown Family Chronicles - April 2005

The following link will take you to our April 2005 newsletter.
http://hqmail.agmd.org/~wayne.brown/TheBrownFamilyChroniclesv1n4.pdf.

The Brown Family Chronicles - March 2005

The following link will take you to our March 2005 newsletter. http://hqmail.agmd.org/~wayne.brown/TheBrownFamilyChroniclesv1n3.pdf.

Change is good!

The Brown family has recently gone through a tremendous change in their ministry assignment. And the change has been a wonderful answer to prayer. For several weeks, the Brown family and the staff at Assemblies of God World Missions have been struggling with a very difficult question related to how to insure Rebecca outside of the USA. Since Rebecca is an adopted child, all her medical expenses are fully covered within the USA. However, once she leaves the USA, she has no medical coverage. While the Brown family and the staff at Assemblies of God World Missions worked very hard to resolve the insurance issue, there just was no acceptable coverage available. Rebecca is simply too high a risk for an insurance company to assume.

At the same time that the Brown family was struggling with the insurance issue, the team at Book of Hope was struggling with their own issue. They have recently completed a new production called The GodMan. The GodMan is a 52-minute video presentation. It includes a mix of live action that is interwoven into an animated story. The GodMan presents the full gospel message in a modern format that is culturally relevant to the children to whom it is targeted. When fully complete, The GodMan will be available in nine culturally relevant versions and more than 25 different languages. The GodMan is designed to reach out to the more than 1.5 billion children around the world who are illiterate, as well as those who are too young to read, who choose not to read and children living in limited-access nations.

With their new assignment, Wayne, Tammy, and Rebecca will have a new and much larger ministry focus. Gone is the day of being concerned about one country -- replaced by a concern about the entire world. Gone is the day of a target ministry audience of nine million children -- replaced by a target ministry audience of over 1.5 billion. For years, Wayne and Tammy have prayed the Prayer of Jabez as found in First Chronicles 4:10 (NIV):

10 Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request.

What an amazing way for God to answer their prayers. Please join the Brown family in giving thanks to God for this amazing and unexpected answer to their prayers.

To preview The GodMan, visit http://www.thegodman.com and click on the Trailer icon.

The Brown Family Chronicles - February 2005

The following link will take you to our February 2005 newsletter. http://hqmail.agmd.org/~wayne.brown/TheBrownFamilyChroniclesv1n2.pdf.

A Night of Firsts

It is Superbowl Sunday and Tammy, Rebecca, and Wayne are experiencing a wonderful first in their lives. It is the night of their first itineration service as newly appointed missionaries with the Assemblies of God. Although Wayne will not be leaving Publix for several more weeks, he was able to schedule two services prior to officially starting itineration. Branchborough Assembly of God is the very first for the Brown family.

Branchborough Assembly of God is not a large church and it is not located in a large town...however, the folks at this church have a large heart for missions and for missionaries. We were blessed to have this church at the start of our schedule. Although attendance was light, the blessings flowed in terms of worship, and love, and finances. Any way you slice it, we were blessed to be here.

Another first was that Wayne was preaching his first full service. Rather than a missions update, the Lord directed Wayne to preach a Word message. This was confirmed by the direction Wayne received from Pastor Burnard. His message was titled "Don't Get Stuck in the FUD." FUD is Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt. Wayne used the account of Peter walking on the water as found in Matthew 14:22-33 to set the stage for this story. He then explained how being overcome by fear can result in grave consequences, but by overcoming fear and following the Lord's direction, one can expect to see great things happen.

As part of his message, Wayne was able to share how God brought Rebecca into our family. He used the struggles her mother had in bringing her into this world to develop the story of overcoming FUD. Then he explained how because of her courage, Rebecca has been able to bless many in this world and has even been a help in leading lost family members to the Lord.

It was a moving first service, especially for our family. The folks a Branchborough may soon forget who the Browns are, but we will never forget Branchborough and the blessings we received from our first itineration church.

The Brown Family Chronicles - January 2005

The following link will take you to our January 2005 newsletter.
http://hqmail.agmd.org/~wayne.brown/TheBrownFamilyChroniclesv1n1.pdf