PRAISE REPORT!

GOD IS SO GOOD and He never fails!

Even if I wanted to question God's call on our life, it would be no use. He has certainly made himself clear and brings new understanding to us daily. There are so many sayings "Those who God calls he also equips" or " God doesn't call the qualified, he qualifies the called' and many more... and while they may seem cliche, there is certain truth to these statements. God has placed a call on many of us. When you follow God in obedience to those calls, placing your trust in Him, and knowing that you can't do anything apart from His goodness, HE makes a way. He is THE way after all!

We have been blown away in the last few weeks with so many of you, allowing God to speak through you and provide through you for the mission he has given to us. Kindness and selflessness like this can only come from One Spirit. We are blessed to be in the path of the Most High and His purpose and plan for each of us to meet each other, love each other and have an intertwined relationship of obedience and trust in our Heavenly Father. You are solidifying the call of God and we pray that your blessings are returned 100 fold!

We want you to be encouraged at just how amazing God is and how he is working in this time of preparation. See what a blessing it is to trust in God and to obey in faith when he gives us opportunities of growth and surrender! 

A VEHICLE AND A LEGACY

You can tell a lot about the life of a person by their children and the legacy they leave behind, but what is even more telling, is how a person spends the last few months of their life in the face of pain, sickness, and death. I'll never forget reading the caring bridge update on Ms. Gwen, hearing Candace tell how her mother was sharing Christ with everyone who came to tell her goodbye. As her battle with cancer was coming to an end, not a moment was being wasted. She worshiped, she loved her family, and she was unashamed of the Gospel until the day she met her Lord face to face. 

We have been incredibly blessed in having a relationship with the Fry family. (Remember this post?) Camille and John Thomas are our tiny friends who are at times smarter, and more spiritually aware than we could hope to be and are a complete joy in our lives. We began babysitting them a couple days a week after school so Candace could spend time with her mom. God was creating a beautiful web of love and friendship during this time and through it all, we came to know Ms. Gwen for the beautiful spirit God had created her to be. 

Ms. Gwen and Mr. Rodger encouraged us and helped us in our fundraising efforts for AMT in Zambia earlier this summer. In the midst of the battle, she was still focused on the Kingdom of God and wanted to be a part God was doing in us.  Full of gratitude, we went and continued to pray for the Phelps and the Frys. A few weeks into our training, we learned that Ms. Gwen had been called home to be with Jesus. 

When we returned back to the states we shared our story and our next step with our church.  Our Sunday school class asked what we would be needing to get back to Africa and among the things we needed was a 4x4 vehicle. After hugging Candace's neck, she mentioned that her Dad had a jeep that she thought he was thinking of selling and she would check it out for us. 

Not 2 weeks later, we heard from Mr. Rodger, ready and willing to DONATE this beautiful vehicle to us. It is a 1989 Jeep Wrangler with a brand new engine and all kinds of bells and whistles the 4x4 driver needs! And because it's a 1989 the import tax will be so much less than we were anticipating! Even as I type this I am without words to describe how incredibly thankful we are, how incredibly wonderful our God is, and how beautiful the tapestry of the Body of Christ.

So, Ms. Gwen's legacy lives on. Not only through her husband, who carries the same generous and Christlike spirit; or her daughter Candace, who lives her life as a reflection of who her mother was; or through her grandchildren, who talked about her all the time; but also through the gospel. Ms. Gwen's life was modeled after her Savior, and this is the piece of her legacy that each of us can carry on; Sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, and the Peace, Joy and Love of our God to those who haven't heard.

Remembering her and our loved ones who are cheering us on from the clouds (Heb. 12:1-3), we promise to live our lives worthy of His love and sacrifice, and of your love and support. This vehicle will help us reach the unreached in the remote areas of the Zambian Bush and wherever else God may lead us.

Thank you Mr. Rodger and the entire Phelps and Fry clan for loving God and allowing Him to bless us and our ministry through you! We cannot express our gratitude, so allow us to quote Paul in his 2nd letter to the Corinthians. He speaks of how God sees hearts like yours, and what it means to Him and his kingdom when the church gives:

2 Corinthians 10-15

¹⁰ Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. ¹¹ You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

¹² This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. ¹³ Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. ¹⁴ And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. ¹⁵ Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

To all of our family, friends and special support family:

We love you, appreciate you, and thank you for joining us in a journey of obedience, trust, and glorious blessings from our Father!

Do you feel God may be asking you to be obedient in some way?

There are many ways that you can be a part of what God is doing throughout the world.  It may be as simple as a hug or a prayer. Maybe he's asking you to commit to a monthly donation to support missionaries across the globe (I know a couple ;) ). Sometimes it might sound like something crazy, but obedience to the Spirit can bless people in the most unconventional ways! God knows what we need, and He speaks to you just as clearly as He speaks to us! Contact us to find out more of how you can join our support family! Email us at brandonandsallymissions@gmail.com or give us a call anytime at 912-536-4591.

*Stay tuned for another incredible story of how God works in the little things to make a big difference, and how He shows us that in the Body of Christ, there are no 'strangers' - only children of God, obediently working together to fulfill HIS purpose!

Love y'all!

Brandon and Sally 

Be Not Afriad

We sang a beautiful song in choir tonight by Craig Courtney titled, Be Not Afraid. 

As soon as I read the text I thought of a person I grew up with that just found out their mother has stage 3 cancer, another friend who recently lost her mother to cancer, so many of my friends who are struggling to have children... and my mind wandered on... There are so many people going through so much right now. Not just people here, or where you are, but people everywhere.

Christmas can be a wonderful season, but it doesn't negate what is going on in your life, and the holiday itself can't take any of the burden off of you...but the One for whom it is named can.

Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us, is highly celebrated not just because his birth was prophesied of, or because he was born of a virgin, or because he was a King of Heaven coming to earth, but because of what He came to do and why. We celebrate the birth of Jesus because it means God is here with us, God that created the universe loves us, and promises us that he will never leave us or forsake us. That we are worth saving, so much so that he sent part of himself to die for us, so that we may have life and have it abundantly...and when this temporary life is over and our time on earth is finished, that we have hope restored in Heaven through the gift of salvation and redemption that came through Christ Jesus. 

God loves us so much that he sent Jesus to be our savior and redeemer, then we should fear nothing that stands in our paths. He is with us, and walks us through the storms of this life until we can be with him in peace forever.

Be not afraid, but be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified, for the lord your God is on your side.  The fighting is done, the battle has already been won. Victory is free to all who but call on the name of Jesus.  The beauty of Christmas is CHRIST. Not only his birth, not only his life, or his death, but in the purpose of his coming. YOU. me... for us all.

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
    I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
    and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
    and the flame shall not consume you.
For I am the Lord your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior."
                        -Isaiah 43:1-3

I am loving each and every one of you tonight, sharing in your heartache and your pain. Remember, God is listening to you, loving you, and holding you through these times. Trust in His goodness, in His faithfulness, and you will walk on top of these stormy seas with Jesus at your side. 

-Sally

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Faith Trees and Mustard Seeds

I had to share something short and sweet with you, hopefully this little bit of encouragement can speak to you in some way. 

So...There are some amazing trees here in Africa. Right now, most of them are dead and leafless, but randomly there are some beautiful, lush, green trees. I asked our director what kind of tree it was and he told me it was a Faith Tree. He described how all the other trees wait until the rains come before they begin to blossom and bud, but the Faith trees take a chance and bud early, in anticipation of the rain.

What a great example of our lives as Christians. In His word, God tells us to have Faith, to trust His promises, and to GO. So many times we wait until the blessings come, or we wait until we are 100% positive that everything will be taken care of and we have a definite plan before we want to trust God and follow His commands. What a waste... we are called to be people of Faith, to follow without asking questions, to trust without needing proof, and to step out in obedience- show our leaves to the world and GO. 

Faith trees... what a beautiful concept. 

Blossom and bloom. Show your faith without hesitation. Trust in your Heavenly Father and believe that when he says he has plans to prosper and not to harm you He means it. But also remember that He means it when He tells us to obey and to share the Gospel with all who will hear. 

Have Faith in God, He's on His throne. Have faith in God He watches o'er His own. He cannot Fail, He must prevail. Have Faith in God- Have Faith in God. 

Our classes are getting tough, but we are doing our best and working hard. We are officially Wilderness First Responders and know how to weld and cut metal. Our leadership and Culture classes start next week and we've already been given homework assignments. 

We are steadily losing the cool nights, so please pray for us as we will be roasting here pretty soon :) 

We love you all and hope everything is well! 

It hasn't even been 2 weeks???

I can't believe we haven't even been here for 2 weeks! The old saying 'time flies when you're having fun' certainly is not the case here in Zambia. We are having a blast and are so thankful that God is stretching out the days so we can experience him in fullness! The worst thing in the world would be to get to the end of these three months and say 'where did the time go?'.

God has been doing amazing things in us and through us this last week and a half. Our new AMT family is wonderful. After sharing our testimonies this week around the campfire, it was unreal to see how intertwined our pasts are and how perfectly God put this team together. We are blessed with beautiful, kind and sweet friends to spend this time with!

Our tent, that seemed small and hot when we first got here seems like a haven after sleeping in a smaller tent in the bush for a week! We are so grateful for the mattress and enough space to be able to stand up in the mornings! And after squatting over a 'long drop' all week... a toilet is the most luxurious item you could imagine! (Especially after my last night in the bush - I threw up all night and my back, knees, and hips were killing me from being on the ground in the cold night!) We were all waiting in line for showers after we returned on Friday. Bush baths just don't quite cut it :) (bathing with 1 liter of water with a bucket and a cup... it's that or baby wipes!) It is truly inspiring how much God can change you and equip you in just 1 week.

Today has been a beautifully restful day. Brandon hiked down to the Gorge again and I've done some laundry and caught up my journal. I also cut his hair this morning because he was getting too hot with the cute little beiber haircut :) We visited the Martin's house this morning and borrowed their clippers and gave him a little faux hawk! Their home is stunning... she is a master crafter and has glass and tile mosaic all over their 2 story african home! It looks like a Caribbean resort! The colorful windows and floors are a drastic change from the brown dirt that surrounds the home. What beautiful and encouraging artistry, and wonderfully encouraging people.

 The breeze coming off the gorge almost cools you down if you're sitting in the shade and the view up here is awe-inspiring. I'm sitting in the 2nd floor living room area of the Main Building on base. I'm procrastinating writing my 1 page testimony of our expedition (haha...some things never change!) but do need to get started on it fairly soon!

The expedition was incredible. God showed himself in so many ways, and I learned even more how to rely on him. I am no preacher, and no evangelist. But when you realize that NO one is fully equipped with out the holy spirit, your prospective changes. When you hear a woman tell you that she has never seen a bible and doesn't know who Jesus is, your prospective changes. When you hear her say through tears, 'but I don't think even a God that big can forgive me for everything I've done', your heart breaks and for the first time you understand why sharing the Gospel is so important. People are dying every day without hope. A hope I have been blessed with from DAY 1 because of my family and circumstance, and a hope that most people around the world would never even dream existed. God gave me a love in that moment and my heart poured out for this woman and the others there in a way I never imagined. He spoke through me for an hour and a half and gave me answers to all of their questions. You can tell the difference between someone repeating the sinners prayer and turning back to their life, and when someone's heart is truly touched by God. That difference makes ALL the difference. Evangelism without love and true compassion for the lost is a waste. Every second of every day we should be broken hearted for those who don't know Jesus. We should live in a constant state of love and compassion so that others might know Him through us. I have honestly never experienced brokenhearted compassion like I did on Wednesday morning in that village hut. From creation to redemption God shared his love story through me and reached into their despairing souls and pulled them from the darkness. It was an experience I will never forget. I walked away from their village 100% confident that they were filled with God's Holy Spirit and that even if they didn't have a bible or a church nearby, that God would make himself known to them and that those people would spur a change in their village and beyond. What an amazing opportunity.

God's timing is always right. I had no clue that Shannon would ask me to preach, and I hadn't prepared anything to share. But God doesn't let us get in the way. We are a vessel for His message, and when we trust in Him, He pulls out everything from within us - things we didn't even know were there. NEVER be discouraged to share your faith. I hid my light under a 'bushel' until now, and I pray that by this experience I never hide it again. When you understand the depths of darkness - you see how imperative the light truly is.

So much... and in less than 2 weeks! We have another restful Sabbath day tomorrow and then Monday morning starts our Wilderness First Responder course.

Thank you so much for all of your prayers. We think about you often but God isn't letting us be homesick! We love you all so much and hope that we can share often what God is doing in and through us, but with so much going on, I feel we will only be scratching the surface! We pray for your health and safety as you pray for us. We love you!

Sally and Brandon

Click here to see Some photos from the expedition this past week

T Minus 4 hours and counting!

SO... we are counting down and having mini panic attacks ( half excitement and half nervousness and half plane ride ) ever half hour or so. I can't believe the day is finally here! We've been talking in the future tense so much with this trip that it is almost surreal to be thinking in the present tense!

We've had a few hiccups with our flight checkin and luggage payment (we love small banks... sometimes...) but we know that God will work everything out and it will be fine once we get to the airport.

We are so thankful for all of the prayers, support, encouragement, and gifts over the last 6 months. It has been a wild spiritual ride and it's only going to get better! We love you all so much and hope that we will be able to keep in touch with you during the trip. But if not, we will make sure to write everything down so we can tell you a million stories when we get back! Keep praying for safety, discernment, health, revelation, limited spider sightings, good attitudes and better food.

Here are some of the images we are looking forward to seeing when we get to Zambia! Just to give you an idea of our accommodations!

an arial view of the Rapid 14 base we will be living on. It is on the edge of the gorge of the Zambezi river

This should be what our safari tents look like from the outside, they have a roof over the top of the tent

This is the restroom/shower building

This is the view from the 2nd floor of the main building

one of the restrooms

view from the 2nd floor of the main building to the first floor

this is one of our classrooms, overlooking the gorge and the river

the view of the river from the classroom

There are many things we are nervous about, but thinking of all the wonderful things we will learn and experience, including the views and landscapes we will see, and of course how incredible our God is makes the fears and worries fade.

We love you!!!

Sally and Brandon

busy love and the countdown

We have been SO blessed to be very busy with some very special things and very special people over the last few weeks! It is so neat to be able to invest in the lives of our brothers and sisters with the extra time God gave us to prepare between Haiti and Africa.

We have been babysitting and spending lots of time with the kids and youth at church as well as taking time to get to know more of the adults in our Sunday School department. It has meant so much to be able to get to know so many of you on a more personal level! We know you will be thinking of us and praying for us while we're gone, and that truly gives us great encouragement and peace!

Here are some of the cuties we have been spending our time with over the last few weeks:


























































And this morning we got to spend some great time with the WMU Adults on Mission Team, so now
the upper age range is represented, AWESOME! Such an outpouring of support and love, and we
enjoyed answering all their questions and receiving lots of hugs and prayers. So thankful for the opportunity and we can't wait to follow up with them after our training!

We love you all so much, will remember you in our prayers, and will miss your smiling faces while we're in Africa!







We are also SO thankful to our wonderful friends for pulling through at the last minute for us. Our babies (4 legged furry kind) will be well taken care of while we're gone! Sean and Lane McCulley are SAINTS... along with Adam and Eva Matthews and Mary Catherine and Michael O'neal, and many other wonderfully sweet offers. You will never know how much this means to us! from the bottom of our hearts, and Kit and Daisy's too... THANK YOU!!!!







SOOO----

The countdown begins! 2 weeks from YESTERDAY we will be flying out! Our plane leaves on Monday night, August 27th at 9pm! We will fly directly to London where we will sit for about 9 hours and proceed on a 14 hour flight to Johannasburg, South Africa, and then 2 more hours to Livingstone, Zambia. WHEW!

We are so fortunate to have met a WONDERFUL couple who will be going with us to AMT (Advanced Missions Training), Nate and Bethany Lusk! We have been skypeing and facebooking and they have just been a huge emotional and practical help to us! They will actually drive down on Saturday before we leave and stay with us at my parents house in Snellville! It will be great getting to finally meet them in person! We are all excited to go to Mount Zion for our last Sunday in the states, and are so grateful to all of you who have been praying for us and supporting us so far. It will be a blessing to see you the day before we take off!

Nate and Bethany Lusk

We have been gathering all of our items and actually started packing last night. I think we're gonna make it! :) I've been dreading putting all my clothes in one place, because I just KNEW that I was going to have this MASSIVE stack and Brandon would look at me like... yeah right... but I did good! I'm taking some extra stuff, but it's definitely reasonable! We may be able to make it with 3 bags instead of 4, which will be great on the wallet, and our backs! It all depends on the weight, so we'll see! We made a trip to Sam's Club and Walmart today for all our toiletry/food items... I can't call them the 'small things' anymore because most of them are in either big bottles or large quantities! Time to start packing again tonight and then Thursday we're off to spend a few days with Aunt Hiddie! (So glad we will get to spend time with her before we leave!)


Again, thank you all for praying us through this journey! We are SO excited to start our training... along with some nervous excitement for things and people we will encounter...but for the most part overwhelmingly blessed to be able to follow God into the world and tell all those who will hear about His love and His Son. That's what it's all about!

Love you all, we will keep you posted as time draws nearer!

Sally