We Are Family

We couldn't be more thankful for our family. And we praise God this summer has been filled with family time. We had some great time with Josh's parents before they headed back to South Africa and I (Janea) have already been able to see my sister three times! We met up in Chicago, I drove to Indiana for Nate's 4th birthday party and last week, they came up to Peoria to see our lives. You may have seen the zoo pictures on Facebook. :)

As I write this, Josh's best man, Matt, is here visiting for a few days and we are having a blast! Josh and I are showing Matt some Peoria "hot spots" that we have yet to visit ourselves, so we are all experiencing them together for the first time! In a few weeks my dad and Patty are coming to visit and we'll all see my sister off to Uganda. I'm also planning a visit with my dear friend, Sandi who will be coming out for a few days in the middle of August. As I said, lots of visitors! WE LOVE IT.

There has been more exciting news on the family front. Earlier in the summer we found out some of the most wonderful/miraculous news I've ever had. We found out that my sister is pregnant! For those of you who don't know why this is "miraculous," I'll give a quick sum-up.

My sister and Caleb have been married for sixteen years without any pregnancy. They never felt God leading them to explore infertility options, especially after an initial appointment when the doctor said that things seem to be fine and he didn't know why they weren't getting pregnant. They left it in the Lord's hands and were content with my two adorable adopted nephews. So imagine all of our surprise when my sister found out about this new addition to the family. We are rejoicing with them as my sister's belly grows (slowly, but surely). :)

We are rejoicing at God's great goodness in the lives of our family. We are greatly blessed!

Transition

"Are you feeling settled?"

I can't tell you how many times we've been asked that question both here in Illinois and from people back home in LA. It may sound like a simple question, but really, it's not that easy. How do you "settle" quickly after leaving a lifetime of memories, friends, family, and an amazing church home? It takes time.

We LOVE Peoria, the people, and the church here! And we long to be at a depth of friendship and ministry with people that can take 10 years to build. But God has been gracious. Kind people are reaching out to befriend us, and Josh continues to grow in his preaching. It's a a big adjustment to start preparing two sermons a week. But Josh is a champ and is bringing the Word faithfully. He's definitely busy...there have been lots of church events, including a trip to Six Flags.

All the boxes are gone out of our new apartment and pictures are hung. I (Janea) have been having a blast trying out new decorating ideas and I've discovered that you can find some pretty cool things from the Salvation Army  and Good Will. :) I've pinned some pics of our new apartment. If you're on Pinterest, check it out. I got to visit my sister and her family for my nephew's 4th birthday party, which was a very special time. I also just volunteered to help write content for our church website. They are revamping the entire site and thought my skills would be helpful in the process. I'm excited to start a fun project like this. We've decided to visit the idea of me working part-time, but we'll make that decision in September. For right now, I'm busy as you can tell.

We just got back from an overnight retreat with the graduating sr. high students. They call it a "transition retreat." It's a time to prepare the students for challenges they might encounter in college. We discussed picking a church, and even practical things like study tips. The ironic part about the transition retreat is that all of the leaders are themselves in the midst of big transitions--Josh and I moving here and settling in, and the other leader Dan and his wife Mandy just had a baby a few weeks ago (their second). So, we had fun "transitioning" together. Lots of junk food, good conversations, and we even figured out how to start a pontoon after conquering some battery issues. 

We are so thankful for how God is working here, and we know we are where God wants us, but we still do miss CA for sure! We're excited for what God has planned, that we have yet to discover.

 Pics: Me with Dan and Mandy's oldest--she's such a cutie.
Josh with some youth group guys at Six Flags.
My nephews and their cousins at a Tin Caps baseball game.

Already in Love

As you can imagine, the last few weeks have been a whirlwind (in some ways, literally a whirlwind, but that comes later in the story).

After a bitter-sweet goodbye, we pulled away from my dad's house in California. The only house my family (the Brown) family has ever known. Then we drove (caravan style) with Josh's best man, Matt, to Phoenix, Arizona. There we spent three days at a resort (courtesy of Josh's grandma). We spent time with family, including Josh's grandma, aunt, and his grandpa's twin brother. What a blessing. And a relaxing time as well.

From there we drove fourteen hours to Denver Colorado, where I got to see my longtime friend Holly, her husband Marty, and her two lovely little girls. It was a delightful time. I learned that I'm a pretty good bedtime story reader and dance partier!

From there we weathered a tornado warning/storm as we drove through Kansas. Fortunately we didn't get caught in the tornado, but it was a VERY windy, stormy drive into Kansas City. At one point we had to stop and get gas. It was hailing, yet there was a hot wind. That made us nervous, but we made it to the Clubb's home--our dear friends--where we warmed up with some deeply encouraging conversation and hot showers!

From there we cruised into Peoria, Illinois. We spent several days looking for a place to live. There were moments of frustration and discouragement, but the Lord is good and faithful! We found a place that we love. It is close to the church, and to grocery stores, etc. The apartment is brand new--it is just being built, so we will be moving into our new home on July 2, 2013. We are very excited. Until then, we are experiencing the wonderful hospitality of a family at our new church. They are allowing us to stay in their basement apartment area--so kind and generous.

We've already jumped right into church life, and ministry with the highschoolers. Tomorrow I will start attending a woman's Bible study on Nehemiah. I'm also signed up to help in the nursery and with vacation Bible school. We just returned from camp with the students on Lake Genevea in Wisconsin. It was a great time. We learned a lot of names and faces, and got to know many of the students, especially the seniors who allowed us to join their senior night out. Yes, we stayed awake until 3 in the morning--we can't break tradition. The students here are great, very encouraging. Three students professed faith in Christ at camp and we have reason to believe there is genuine conversion. Again, God is so good!

Thanks for your prayers, text messages, etc. We miss our CA family, but can already see God's hand here in Peoria. Yes, we are already in love. And as you can see from this picture from camp, the kids are already in love with Josh, for very good reason!

Ciao, until the next update!

Cooking With Gas

Please pray for us!

This past weekend we moved out of our Darby St. apartment (our first home together), and packed all of our earthly belonging (minus a couple of suitcases) into a POD. We'll be staying with my dad and then with Josh's family for the next few weeks until we hop into our Honda Civic and begin our drive across the country to Peoria, IL.

While in some ways it seems like our time in CA is coming to an end, there is still much to do before we pull away on May 25th. I (Janea) am still working part time, but am now able to slow down for a minute and enjoy some of my last times here with friends and family, but the calender is filling up FAST. I'm planning a good bye open house this week on Friday May, 3rd. You are all invited. The details are on Facebook. We'd love to see you and say goodbye. I'm also planning Josh's graduation open house. You are also all invited to that as well, and to graduation if you are interested. Details for that shindig are also on Facebook. :)

Josh is still hard at work, getting ready to preach tomorrow (Tues.), finishing papers and assignments, scrambling to finish some big projects at work, and leading us in the move/charge ahead. His plate is full, sleep is scarce, but God is good!

We'd appreciate your prayers as we close this chapter in our lives, and open up a new one with fresh beginnings.

Josh's Sr. Testimony

If you're more of an audio/visual  learner, here's Josh's Sr. testimony that he gave at a TMS chapel.

Josh's Testimony

"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all." --Isaiah 53:6

I was born in Colorado, as the oldest of four siblings, to parents pursuing success in the business world. Our family moved across the country, as our father followed each new promotion, eventually leading us to Peoria, IL. While our family was based on Christian values, we rarely attended church. I understood guilt at a young age and felt depressed over my actions, which I knew were wrong, and feared the concept of death. I had never heard of Jesus.

My recurrent questions regarding God, eternity, and life after death went relatively unanswered by my parents who wanted to avoid the topics altogether, until their hearts were drastically transformed through the ministry and prayers of neighbors and members of a local church in Peoria, Illinois.

The change in our family was dramatic. We were no longer the center of our lives—Jesus was. God used the faithful witness of my parents to teach me the simple truth of the Gospel: the only deliverance from my sin would be found solely through faith in Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, where he bore God’s wrath on my behalf. I recognized my need for a Savior and placed my trust in Christ’s death and resurrection with a childlike faith. By God’s grace, I believed.

I’m certain my story is shared by many. While the seed of the Gospel was present in my life, as I entered into my teenage years, battles with sin became more fierce. I felt my faith challenged by the offers of the world and was not impervious to temptation. I faced daily battles with integrity, laziness, lust, and pride. But that faith did not die, it grew.

Through the years I can honestly say I have seen evidence of God’s grace continually at work in my life. Disobedience has always brought pain, and walking with God has always brought joy. My heart’s desire is longing to please my heavenly Father. My life has only continued to confirm my confession as a young child: Jesus is my only hope.

In 1999, our family moved to California for my father to attend seminary. Three years later we were serving as missionaries in South Africa. My years in South Africa were filled with invaluable experiences and numerous examples of God’s provision. I cherish those times.

I eventually left South Africa to attend two years of high school in America and studied business at small Christian college in California. I participated in a variety of ministries and grew profoundly in my love for God’s word. I served as the junior high and high school intern at local church and felt a burning desire to preach and study God’s word at a deeper level. I felt weak as a young man, but inevitably trusted that if I could be used in such a way, God would have to shape me.

In 2010, God cleared the path for me to attend seminary and provided a variety of opportunities for me to grow, learn, face trials, and experience His grace. By far, the greatest earthly grace God supplied during my time in seminary was my precious wife, Janea. We were married on May 19^th, 2012. Janea is an embodiment of answered prayer, joyous companionship, and Christlike love. Janea and I prayerfully anticipate serving in full-time ministry leading high school students in Peoria, Illinois after my graduation in May 2013.

Janea's Testimony

"For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness." --Psalms 84:10 

 

By God’s amazing grace I was born into a family that loves Jesus Christ and raised me in the fear and admonition of the Lord. I was brought up in the church, so I learned about Jesus Christ from the time I was little. I also attended private school for most of my education, so I was constantly surrounded by and immersed in the influence of believers. At a young age, I “accepted Jesus into my heart,” understanding as much as a six-year-old possibly could.

As I grew up, I continued going to church each Sunday, but I was basically living for myself. Practically, I lived as though I was saved because I was a “good person.” I had mastered the art of compartmentalizing my life. I was a Pharisee (Matthew 5:20). I would attend church on Sunday and Wednesday night and neglect to acknowledge God for the rest of the week. I was constantly disrespectful, disobedient, and dishonoring to my parents. I sought the approval of man rather than God, which manifested itself in my pursuits and goals. I was intensely involved in gymnastics and planned to train for the Olympics. Gymnastics was an idol in my heart, consuming all of my time and energy. It was my strongest passion, not God. I didn’t count the cost of following Christ (Matthew 10:38).

It wasn’t until I was at a winter camp with the junior high group at Grace Community Church that the Holy Spirit opened my eyes and showed me I was living hypocritically. It was then I realized I couldn’t rely on my parents’ faith to save me. I had to believe and obey the truths in God’s Word (Luke 13:24-30). I learned that true, genuine, saving faith is a relationship with Christ who died as the ultimate sacrifice and payment for my sins. (Romans 10:9). In a response of thanks for what Christ did for me, I am called to give Him every part of my life—not just Sunday (Romans 12:1). I believe it was then that I truly committed my life to the Lord.

Right away the Lord put trials in my life to prune me and shape me into His image. My mom was diagnosed with cancer. This made me evaluate my priorities and put things into perspective. I began to focus more on significant, eternal matters (Colossians 3:1-2). And for me, giving up myself meant giving up gymnastics. I quit the sport that had once consumed my entire life. Now I had a desire to read Scripture and to spend time with the Lord in His Word. My motives for attending church changed radically. I went because I loved God’s Word and His people (1 John 4:7-8).

I knew once I made the decision to follow the Lord, I should be baptized in obedience to His command, but pride held me back. (Acts 2:38). I thought to have an effective testimony you had to be saved from a life of drugs or outward sin. A leader in the youth group helped me understand the error of my thinking. Salvation is God raising someone from the dead (spiritually speaking). It is a miracle only God can perform (Ephesians 2:1). I was just as dead in my sins and praise God he pulled me from the pit of self-deception. I share my testimony to proclaim what a great and powerful God I serve—no salvation story can possibly be “boring.”

Today I am blessed to be a member of Redemption Church of Northridge where I am able to use the spiritual gifts the Lord has given me to serve the body wherever I am needed (teaching Sunday school, women’s ministry, food team, etc.) The Lord has radically changed my goals and pursuits, and has given me a burden for the lost and a desire for a life of ministry. The Lord has used trials in my life, like the death of my mother, to remind me of my constant dependence on Him. Now, as a new wife, I look forward to growing even more in my walk with the Lord as I spend time in His Word daily and seek to honor Him by loving, serving, and helping my husband.