Well, this month has certainly been an adventure! We know that many of you, our friends and family have said, “wow, the time has come,” when we said we were in the process of packing our stuff and moving to Texas for our school. We certainly felt the same way! We want to thank once again all of you who took time to help us, spend time with us, and encourage us not only since the beginning of this journey, but especially in the past couple of months. There were certainly times where we both felt exhausted and stressed, but your continued love and God’s grace helped us see it through.
Our trip was eventful and long, as most of you can imagine. We were able to visit my (Dylan’s) grandfather as the start of our trip as he was ill in the hospital. It was during the last leg of our trip in Texas that he passed away quietly and painlessly surrounded by loving family. As we were struggling with not being able to be there with the family, my dad put it in perfect perspective, “Go. Go forth and do the work which the Lord has called you to. As one ministry ends (my grandfather’s life), so another begins.” My pop-pop was one of the most loving Christian men I have ever known. He always had a way of making everyone feel special and loved in their individual way as if they were the most important person on the earth. It is in his memory that we are inspired even more for this ministry.
We were able to see my youngest brother graduate high school along the way, which was a special treat. As we have finished our college degrees he is beginning his. We are extremely proud of the things he has achieved and look forward to that which he will accomplish in the future.
During the rest of our trip we encountered some beautiful visual gifts from God as well as much needed intimate time for reflection and discussion as a couple. We always enjoy road trips because it gives us time to talk about the little things that sometimes go unsaid. We are also proud to announce that although it took the entire trip, we made it through the entire album entitled “200 Top Hits of the 90s.” It might have been one of the worst karaoke sessions in history, but certainly a memorable part of the journey.
God certainly blessed us during our trip to Texas by constant protection and provision. Even though there were looming storms overhead, there was always a rainbow on the other side. We even survived our first encounter with fire ants as Dylan nonchalantly stood on an anthill while unloading the car at 11pm the night we arrived to the NLAI School of Mission.
The staff here is amazing. With their experiences in international missions and their child-like delight in serving God however He calls them, we have been made to feel like this is our home and as if God has been preparing this very time for quite awhile. Well, ok, He has been, but it is such a blessing to experience His love in this way. It is exactly how we have felt whenever we get the opportunity to spend time with every one of you. Whether it is 5 minutes before church starts, enjoying lunch together, Skype calls (hit us up if you ever wanna say hi! Missy Skype: mjbrobst615, Dylan Skype: dylan.brobst), and even the occasional facebook interaction. We cannot explain how truly blessed we feel to not only be on this journey, but to be loved by each of you.
We started classes on Monday June 18th, as most of you already know. We started with orientation, evaluations, and (most thankfully) a prayer retreat to prepare our hearts for the instruction God has in store for us over the next 6 months. One of our instructors told us that our learning will not only come from text books and lectures/discussions, but every moment we are down here living: from interacting with the local populace and adapting to a new environment to learning to work together on projects and even finding balance in our personal lives.
Our apartment is smaller than the one we had in York, but still cozy. The caretakers of the school, Mick and Marsha
Whitney have done a fabulous job renovating and beautifying the place. Marsha takes delight in putting together pictures from all over the world to decorate the rooms and has been theming the different abodes with different countries. She admitted that ours did not yet have a theme but we assured her that by the time we leave, it could very well be the “Guatemala Room.”
We are very happy to be here and to finally have started training for the mission to which God has called us. Thank you so much for continuing to pray for us, encourage us, love us, support us, and reach out to us to let us know we are not forgotten. We miss you all!!
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Hi Guys! I’m so sorry about your Pop-Pop, Dylan. I miss you both…and will continue praying for you. Love, Jane
Praising God for his goodness to you! We have such a wonder Father, he knows all our needs and takes such good care of us. Love you both…Katy