So, it's a little late at night right now, but I had a cup of coffee earlier at mcdonalds with the Seales, so I'm a little awake. It surprised me how much it actually affected me. It was way more coffe than I normally have at once, which is rare anyway. Maybe that's why. But anyway, I was falling asleep driving to the thing in La Grange where they sang, but I thought it was closer than it was, so I didn't call anyone to stay awake. But then on the way home, after the coffee, I had no trouble at all. See, I heard that what caffeine does to your brain is essentially not like pressing the gas pedal, but more like putting a block under the brake pedal. Which I guess that makes sense for me, because usually when I'm tired, I am tired, and caffeine doesn't help that much. I guess it's the equivalent of coasting to a stop. My brain probably does that pretty quickly, because I think it's kinda like our little ranger... pulling a trailer. Sometimes I wonder if I even have a gas pedal. It's definitely a standard, because it stalls a lot. Sometimes I have trouble switching gears, though. Maybe the clutch is getting sticky... Tires are a little worn, but at least the engine is in decent shape. Radio is out of tune, though...
You know what I want for Christmas? Me neither. I would love to get back into model rockets, but I don know how I would make the time for it. It's so nerdy, too, but I think I've accepted my nerdiness. I think I can run farther faster and do more push ups than a bunch of non nerdy people, so I guess it's ok. I also play bass, so... Ok, scratch that...
I'm getting the feeling things are about to change a lot. Maybe that's why I'm feeling like I do right now. I feel really weird. It's not a good feeling, either. It's almost a hurting feeling, but it almost feels like I'm losing things in my life, including people, things I do, stuff like that. Maybe it's cuz the new year is approaching, maybe it's because I'm noticing all these changes that really are happening. But it feels like it's bigger than what's happening right now, that I'm noticing. It's like a weird feeling that there's something way bigger coming. I don't know. I'm not sure it's good, though. Or at least, not easy. What's best is sometimes really hard to accept. It's hard to let some people go, even if you just won't see them as much, but especially when you don't even know if you'll see them again. It's hard to stop doing something that you've been doing for so long, it doesn't seem like it would ever end. It's hard to add something new when you aren't sure what exactly it means for you. It's hard to leave, when the first thing you think about is when you'll get to come back next. And it's hard to go back when the first thing you think about is when you'll get to leave again. They say (and by that I mean I heard someone say once) that nostalgia is related to heaven, because when we feel it, it's for something or someone that reminds our souls of heaven. I don't know if I worded that right, but basically, you have the same feelings for those things that make you nostalgic as you will for heaven. It sounds pretty right to me, because those things for me are the closest things to heaven that I have here on earth. I think some things are going to change this next year, and I'll be missing my little pieces of heaven a lot more.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
Camp LIFE Support letter
This is the current draft for the support letter I will be sending out to lots of peoples very soonlike. Please let me know if you have any ideas for revisions. There isn't much room to add much more to it, though
Zambia is a landlocked country located in south central Africa . Zambia has a population of 12 million people, but a full 1 million of these people are, in fact, children who have been orphaned due to the ravages of AIDS and other extreme poverty-related diseases. The U.N. says that Zambia Zambia
To my Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I am so excited about the amazing ministry opportunity God has given me recently! I have felt led to go on a trip to Zambia, Africa to minister to orphan children next June! God has given me a love for children, and now He has provided this wonderful opportunity to reach out to children in need through this camp in Zambia.
I will be going to minister to the orphaned and vulnerable children of Zambia through an organization called Family Legacy Missions International based in Dallas, TX. Family Legacy Missions International (FLMI) is a federally qualified, tax-exempt public charity whose mission is to alleviate the suffering of children on the other side of the world in Africa, while bringing the Good News of the Kingdom of God to them. They do this through a program called Camp LIFE. We will be working directly with the orphans each day: playing games, teaching Bible lessons, singing songs, and just plain hugging and loving the kids. Every day, we will bus all of the orphan children into a giant recreation facility and give them an incredible day of discipleship, counseling, food, fun, and love – all in the name of Jesus! My prayer is that this time spent with the kids will result in changed lives for Jesus Christ. I am so excited to see what amazing things God has in store for this trip.
I am writing you today to ask you to partner with me on this incredible investment for eternity. God has called me to go and I have committed to trust Him and follow His lead. But going is only part of the investment required to serve these children. Those who can’t go, but can pray for and financially support those who do go are fully equal co-laborers in this ministry project.
First of all, I ask that you pray for me. Please pray that God will provide the financial means for me to go, and also that He would work through me on the trip to win some lives for His Kingdom! While I am on the trip, please pray for the safety of the kids, the other counselors and staff, and myself. Please also pray that God would make the trip a successful ministry and testimony to His love and mercy. Next, please pray about supporting me yourself. The trip is a total of 17 days long, from June 9th through the 26th, and the total cost for it is $5,390. I need to raise $1,000 by January 15th, and then the rest by April 1st. Because I know that God has called me to go to Zambia, I am confident that He will also provide a way for me to go, but I very much want you to be involved with me on this project so that you, too, will be blessed as a result. Proverbs 19:17 says, that “when you give to the poor, you are lending to God, and that God Himself will repay you”. Helping me to help these kids is an investment for which God will surely repay you – maybe in this life, but definitely in eternity. After praying about it, if you feel led, please consider making a financial donation towards this trip for me.
I know that you probably receive many letters similar to this one asking for support for one mission trip or another. I also understand that even if you can’t support me financially at this time, I will still have your prayers while I go. From the testimonies of those who have gone on this trip in previous years, I know that I truly will never be the same for having gone and I will be forever grateful for your willingness to invest in me and in the orphans of Zambia. So, if you feel led to give, please send your tax-deductible gift in the enclosed envelope, and be sure to write my name in the memo section. You can also donate electronically, if you prefer, by visiting www.camplifezambia.com/brandon.
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There's a picture of one of the kids from the camp here, but it won't show on the blog.Thank you so much for your prayers and support and may God deeply bless you!!
Serving HIS Kids,
William Brandon Bronaugh
“Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of God is this:
to visit the widows and the orphans in their distress.” -- James 1:27
Wow.
So, after a month of blog silence, I join the ranks of all you people who never update your blogs. My apologies for becoming like you. The only person this excludes is Brian. He updates his blog more than I do (or did), even though it is required for class.
So, anyway, to the blog postingness. I don't know what's happened in the past month. It's been a lot. I've also been asleep for a lot of it. I'd say roughly 10 whole days. Probably less, though. Let's see, Thanksgiving happened again this year. That was cool. Lots of food. On Thanksgiving day, the Aggie Band fed us four times!! We had a huge breakfast (buffet), then they gave us lunch before the parade, then we had a huge Thanksgiving dinner before the game (which we won, by the way!!), and then we had pizza after the game!! It was awesome. The game was really cool, too, even though it was super cold. My hands were numb by halfway through the halftime drill.
So then, dead week happened. That's awesome. If you don't know what dead week is, first go back and read all my old blog posts... There, now you know what dead week is! Isn't it awesome? I told the whole outfit about my Zambia trip at the Christmas dinner, and some people came up and gave me cash right then. It was really encouraging to see. I'll be sending out a support letter soon, hopefully early next week. It's similar to the one I put on here earlier, but I changed a lot, too. That was just the sample letter, without any changes. I'll post the new one once I finish this post. If you're interested in supporting me, and you feel led to, please contact me, or just go to www.camplifezambia.com/brandon but more important than all that, please just pray for me. I think I've been focusing too much on financial support for this when talking about it, instead of simply asking for prayer. So, please pray for me, whether you give or not, because that support is even more valuable. God can handle a little cash just fine.
Also, on a more recent note, I'm going to be working for a company called Vector over the Christmas break. Maybe you've heard of it. They sell Cutco knives. I won't be a door-to-door salesman or telemarketer, though. What I'll do is meet with people, show them the knives, and then ask them to recommend people for me to call. They tell the people to expect a call, I call them, set up a meeting, and do the whole thing with them, too. I should be able to make a pretty decent amount of money from it over the break, and I plan on using most or all of it (after tithes, of course, and gas money if I need it) for my Zambia trip. I really do not want to be a salesman, though, so I'm only doing this over the break. If it works out pretty well, though, the guy said I could keep working for them, which I hope means I can come back next Christmas break if I need to. But I'm definitely not doing it while in school, no matter how flexible it is. But, the Cutco knives are really good quality, so I don't mind selling them, because it's not a scam or anything. So if you want some high quality kitchen knives, just let me know.
Well, I'm off for Christmas break, so let me know if you want to hang out or anything. I'm pretty free in general. I have to go right now, though. Thanks for reading! I hope to update more often, but if I don't before next Saturday, Merry Christmas!!
So, anyway, to the blog postingness. I don't know what's happened in the past month. It's been a lot. I've also been asleep for a lot of it. I'd say roughly 10 whole days. Probably less, though. Let's see, Thanksgiving happened again this year. That was cool. Lots of food. On Thanksgiving day, the Aggie Band fed us four times!! We had a huge breakfast (buffet), then they gave us lunch before the parade, then we had a huge Thanksgiving dinner before the game (which we won, by the way!!), and then we had pizza after the game!! It was awesome. The game was really cool, too, even though it was super cold. My hands were numb by halfway through the halftime drill.
So then, dead week happened. That's awesome. If you don't know what dead week is, first go back and read all my old blog posts... There, now you know what dead week is! Isn't it awesome? I told the whole outfit about my Zambia trip at the Christmas dinner, and some people came up and gave me cash right then. It was really encouraging to see. I'll be sending out a support letter soon, hopefully early next week. It's similar to the one I put on here earlier, but I changed a lot, too. That was just the sample letter, without any changes. I'll post the new one once I finish this post. If you're interested in supporting me, and you feel led to, please contact me, or just go to www.camplifezambia.com/brandon but more important than all that, please just pray for me. I think I've been focusing too much on financial support for this when talking about it, instead of simply asking for prayer. So, please pray for me, whether you give or not, because that support is even more valuable. God can handle a little cash just fine.
Also, on a more recent note, I'm going to be working for a company called Vector over the Christmas break. Maybe you've heard of it. They sell Cutco knives. I won't be a door-to-door salesman or telemarketer, though. What I'll do is meet with people, show them the knives, and then ask them to recommend people for me to call. They tell the people to expect a call, I call them, set up a meeting, and do the whole thing with them, too. I should be able to make a pretty decent amount of money from it over the break, and I plan on using most or all of it (after tithes, of course, and gas money if I need it) for my Zambia trip. I really do not want to be a salesman, though, so I'm only doing this over the break. If it works out pretty well, though, the guy said I could keep working for them, which I hope means I can come back next Christmas break if I need to. But I'm definitely not doing it while in school, no matter how flexible it is. But, the Cutco knives are really good quality, so I don't mind selling them, because it's not a scam or anything. So if you want some high quality kitchen knives, just let me know.
Well, I'm off for Christmas break, so let me know if you want to hang out or anything. I'm pretty free in general. I have to go right now, though. Thanks for reading! I hope to update more often, but if I don't before next Saturday, Merry Christmas!!
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