Merry Christmas!

Britton Brigade Christmas Newsletter - Telegram Style 

(because that’s what a busy mom can manage!)

Merry Christmas! ’Tis the season to bring you holiday greetings and family news! We hope you are well as we send much love from Ohio!

Family News

Our family grew! Hosanna Marie joined us on August 19. 7 lbs., 2 oz., 21 inches long. First hospital birth due to continually stalled labor. First helicopter ride to NICU for breathing trouble. 3 days in the NICU under observation. No major problems - praise God! Just working through some ongoing mild health challenges. Everyone LOVES this baby girl!! Happy, sweet, adorable. Producer of big smiles and explosive diapers.

Anniversary trip to Ft. Lauderdale, FL. in April. Included beach wedding for dear friends. Nathan officiated. Loved our R&R as a couple! Lots of beach walking, shell finding, and eating out!

Britton family summer vacation in Maine. Highlights: fishing, hiking, beautiful nature, blueberry pie, ocean views, family time.

Farm News

First batch of baby goats born in the spring! 5 total. Lost one baby. Lost one mama. Many lessons learned. Thankful for fresh milk and eggs. Kept garden simple. Canned green beans and corn. Sweet potatoes laid up for winter. Will return to soap making soon! Sofie the dog grew huge!

Nathan
Preaches, teaches, disciples young men. Loves basketball nights with the guys. Led first men’s retreat in the spring. Took Isaac and Josiah on first fishing/camping trip in the fall. Followed an herbal/dietary Lyme disease protocol for 9 months and experienced great improvement in health! Oversaw gardening and new basement renovations. Takes care of all family finances. Most expensive year to date due to basement project, new heat pump/AC, medical bills, new oven. But God provides abundantly!! We praise Him!

Katrina

Word for the year: Gentleness. (Still working on that one!) Finds motherhood to be greatest joy and greatest challenge. Grew and birthed a baby. So delighted to have a daughter! Greatly enjoyed experience with new midwife (now a good friend)! Homeschools, leads young mom’s Bible study, milks goats, enjoys hosting people, runs 2 little businesses, climbs laundry mountains, loves dates with her husband. Organized 2nd Secret Sisters project at church. Planned and led 2nd ladies’ retreat in the fall in Ohio’s Amish Country. Rarely sleeps (or so it sometimes seems!). 

Isaac, age 6

Creative, intellectual, competitive. Leadership skills growing! Handles all chicken chores for the farm. “Marketing Director” for soap business. Loves to build and create. Especially loves to play games. Reads up a storm! Enjoys reading his Bible at night and memorizing verses through AWANA Sparks Club. Played basketball in the winter. Learned to ride a bike, tie shoes, swim on his own. Lost several teeth. Lego extraordinaire.

Josiah, age 5

Artistic, strong, nurturing. Dotes on youngest members of family. Loves to color/draw, do gymnastics, wrestle, swim, climb trees. Is learning to read and write. Outgrew his nap. Joined Sparks at AWANA. Still enjoys cooking and make-believe. Official class clown of the family!

Adoniah, age 4

Enthusiastic, strong willed, bookworm. Loves preschool, puzzles, and crafts. Often has his nose in a book! Enjoys playing outside and helping with animal chores. Trains, tractors, fire trucks, and diggers are his favorites. Wants to be a deer hunter one day. Loves to go to Cubbies Club!

Silas, age 2

Helpful, cheerful, curious. An opinionated, full-sentence-talking, spit-fire tag-along! Loves to cook, play with play dough, catch stink bugs, play with tools, get into all.the.things. Is finally potty-trained. Dotes on Daddy and loves to wrestle with him! Occasionally snuggly, often bossy. Enjoys being a big brother. 

We pray your Christmas season and new year is full of the HOPE that comes through knowing Jesus as your Messiah and believing in His gift of salvation! “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope…” Romans 15:13

Merry Christmas!

Dear Friends and Family,

‘Tis the season to extend warm greetings to each and everyone of you as we celebrate together the birth and life and glory of our Savior, Jesus! As the children’s Christmas program at church proclaims, it is truly amazing that the King of kings would come to earth as a humble baby, born in humble surroundings!  His arrival was not at all what the Jewish world was expecting. But God’s ways are not man’s ways. (Aren’t you glad?!)  

I (Katrina) have been contemplating the significance of Jesus’ incarnation a lot this season. We have a banner hanging in our dining room that says, “Happy Birthday, Jesus,” because that is a concept our children can relate to and are so excited about celebrating! However, Christmas is about so much more than simply a birthday. It is about the plan God had from before the foundations of the earth were laid to become a man…a human being…who would pass through all the stages of human life: birth, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and death - without sinning one single time. It is about this God, this Jesus eventually laying down His own human life, suffering with real, human pain, and offering His own, perfect human blood as sacrificial payment for a condemned race - Adam’s race - so that justice could be served while mercy could be extended. How great our joy that the love of God is so deep and His grace so rich! “By this we know love because He laid down His life for us. To as many as did receive him, to those who put their trust in His person and power, He gave the right to become children of God.” (1 John 3:16, John 1:12)

As always, we love to bring you news of life from the Britton Brigade, but the most important news we could ever share is this GOOD news; that God delights in reconciling people back to Himself through the death and resurrection of His Son, Emmanuel, God with us. Have you ever received Him? Have you ever put your trust fully in Who He is and what He has done? If not, that would be the greatest gift you could give Him, and in return, He will give you the greatest gift you could ever receive: salvation.

2018 has been another great year for our family! Our farm has grown, our kitchen has grown, and our church family has grown! It’s been a year full of many blessings and wonderful memories with a few trials along the way as well.

This year, I asked the children to contribute to the Christmas letter what it was that they wanted you to know about them, so here are their descriptions for your enjoyment. :)

My name is Adoniah. I am three. I like to play in the snow! I like to play games and stuff when babysitters are here. My blankie is my favorite thing. Trains and planes are my favorite toys. I also really like to do puzzles. When I grow up, I want to be a farmer and ride a tractor. In school, I am learning my letters. I like to help Mommy make lunch. I also help clean up the living room. I love to read books! At church, I am in Cubbies. I like to play games there. 

My name is Josiah. I am four years old. I like to do art projects like stamping and coloring and making snowflakes out of popsicle sticks and sprinkles (glitter).  I like to play outside with my family and draw on the driveway with chalk. It was special to go to the Bob Evans Farm Festival this year. I liked watching the kiddie pedal tractor pull that Isaac did and watching dogs jump through hoops. We also went to a Fun Farm where I enjoyed going down big slides and climbing on a tractor made out of hay bales. In school, I am learning how to read and do math.  Every week, I go to gymnastics where I climb on bars and balance on balance beams and jump into the pit. It is fun! When I grow up I want to be a fire fighter and a police man. At church, I am in the children’s Christmas program as a superhero and Joseph!

My name is Isaac. I am five and a half. I like to play with friends. And I like to do projects like sticker books and building things with my own tools that I use for lots of important things. They come in handy when it comes to helping Daddy! We built a soap mold for Mommy so we can make soap! I like to play games with people. Chess and Go Fish are some of my favorites! I had a fun time playing with my cousins in Texas. We played hopscotch, rode bikes, and we went to the zoo. We saw big bat caves with bats in them!  We also had lots of fun playing with our friends that came over from Ukraine to America and stayed the night. In school, I’m working on math. I’m more than halfway through my first-grade book. I like language arts best because we play fun games sometimes. This year, I am taking piano lessons from Mommy and doing a homeschool gymnastics class. When I grow up, I want to be a carpenter like Daddy.  At church, I have lots of fun in Sparks. We play games and memorize verses. I finished my handbook and am working more slowly now through my extra credit book.

My name is Silas. I am 21 months. I don’t walk - I run! I like to do whatever my brothers are doing or watch Mommy make meals in the kitchen from my perch on her hip. I am a happy boy who likes to snuggle. Chickens are my favorite animal. I am learning how to talk and how to obey. I love to sing songs during Bible time! Being outside is my favorite thing in the world. Daddy is my favorite person. I am too busy getting into stuff to write anything more. Bye!

Nathan has had a full plate on both the home and church front this past year. Beginning in January, he contributed countless hours toward a massive kitchen remodel project that, in combination with two local companies we hired, finally ended in July with an incredibly beautiful, completely open-floor-plan kitchen! He never ceases to amaze me with his handy-man abilities! As usual, Nathan oversaw most of the gardening in the spring and summer and even helped me with some of the canning process too. He has done a great job leading our church in a desire to “impact our community for Christ” through relationship-oriented evangelism and discipleship efforts. It has been exciting to see six people of various ages become Christians this year and grow in their relationships with Him as they are being personally mentored by members of our church family.  Nathan’s highlight each week is a one-on-one discipleship time with one of these new Christians who is on fire for the Lord!  Nathan also continues to enjoy an occasional basketball game in our church gym with young men from the community as well as opportunities to have friends over for dinner and game nights.

My theme word for the year was “relationships,” and I have thoroughly enjoyed experiencing many new ones with the young families God has brought to our church over the past 9 months, as well as connecting with dear friends and family whom I had not seen in several years. I had the privilege of leading a church ladies’ retreat in October that was the culmination of a Secret Sisters project we introduced this year, and we had a blast spending time together in a lodge near Hocking Hills! I have also loved leading a small Bible study for young moms/new believers and seeing these ladies grow in their understanding of God’s love!  Of course, discipling my children is one of my greatest joys, so I consider it a true privilege to be able to stay home with them and homeschool them. In April, our farm grew with the addition of four goats, who are primarily in my care. For many months, we enjoyed the delicious milk (and cheese and yogurt) that two of them provided, and now we are eagerly awaiting the birth of their babies this spring!  Every morning that I head out to the barn to do farm chores, I thank God for this good land He has given us to live on. I am also enjoying the new hobby of natural soap making with some of the excess goat’s milk we have in the freezer. Isaac is my helper and he is hoping to start a little business with it soon!  In May, my life took a sudden unexpected turn when a tick bite resulted in Lyme disease. It was a rough couple of months as the disease caused all sorts of troublesome symptoms.  Thankfully, we caught it early, and my body responded well to aggressive treatment from medicine, herbs, and Plexus supplements, so I seem to have made a full recovery. I am so grateful.  

Our farm will be growing again this week with the addition of a puppy! As an early Christmas present for the boys, we are getting a Great Pyrenees to be both a pet and to serve as a livestock guardian dog for our goats and whatever future livestock we acquire. Everyone is very excited to bring home our little white fur ball and pick out a name for her! We also just found out that our family will be growing again next year with the addition of another little Britton!  God’s blessings continue to overflow!

We hope that no matter what joys or trials might be taking place for you at this season of your life, you will look to the Lord, from whom comes our help and strength! May His love be very real to you, may His Word be your guide, and may you know the peace Jesus came to give through His gift of salvation!

A Merry Christmas and A Blessed New Year to you all!

Nathan, Katrina, Isaac, Josiah, Adoniah, Silas, and Baby #5

Family Christmas Newsletter 2017

Dear Friends and Family,

It’s always a joy to arrive at this time of year with all the fun holiday traditions such as decorating a tree, hanging lights, baking yummy treats, listening to Christmas music, reading special Christmas books in front of a cozy fire at night, going caroling, selecting just the right gifts for loved ones, and enjoying the special church activities that accompany the Christmas season.  I just love how the whole country (and beyond!) takes the entire month to celebrate Christmas!  Though not everyone does so because they are celebrating Jesus’ birth, it is still His incarnation that is the underlying foundation for why we even have this holiday.  How fun to spend a whole month engaging in joyous activities and traditions because of our Savior being willing to step down out of heaven and become a little baby…so that He could grow up to be the One who would give His life to redeem broken humanity! 

One of my other favorite holiday traditions is taking time out of our busy life to sit quietly and reflect on this past year; the memories, the changes, the growth we have experienced…and then to share them with all of you in our annual Christmas letter.  It does my writer’s heart good to put things on paper and make the effort to stay in touch with people we care about! I hope you know that you are important to us!

2017 has been a full year bursting at the seams with the busyness that comes with having four little boys ages 4 and under!  “Never a dull moment” would describe our lives well!  

Silas Andrew joined our crew on March 22 after another smooth home birth (for which we praise the Lord!).  He is our first redhead and has the cutest smile!  Silas’ favorite place to be is in Mommy’s arms, although he is getting better about playing independently or with his brothers now that he can crawl. With two teeth to his name, he loves to eat food he can pick up and feed himself.  Nighttime sleep training has had its ups and downs with this little fellow, but I think we have finally made it into smoother waters!  It’s super fun to watch Silas’ personality start to emerge and to hear all the adorable baby babble that accompanies this stage!

Adoniah Wesley is our very active 2-year-old who is full of zest for life and has a knack for getting into mischief whenever possible!  He is fascinated by all things firetruck, tractor, or train related. He loves to play outside, enjoys being read to, and never wants to be left out of anything. His verbal skills have taken off over recent months, and he makes us smile all the time by the way he phrases sentences or pronounces words. After finally mastering his colors, Adoniah is now learning how to count and to go potty like a big boy. He is also still working on learning to obey and play kindly with his brothers. We are so thankful for our cheerful Addy Boy and the enthusiasm, wiggles, and giggles with which he lives life!

Josiah Daniel is now 3 1/2 and developing a genuine spirit of compassion and sensitivity for others that is neat to see!  He has a nurturing soul that gravitates towards babies and animals, loves to make cards for people out of the blue, and is full of affection for his parents.  This sweetness is tempered by a strong stubborn streak coupled with an emotional personality that makes our little boy a challenging one to parent at times, but we are learning together!  Josiah loves to turn toy people, toy animals, and even his food into characters that have long, drawn-out conversations with each other as his imagination dreams up stories for them all.  I suppose that is a natural by-product of being the book-worm that he is!   JoJo Bear thoroughly enjoys his preschool work and is making great strides in simple academics.  His favorite activity continues to be cooking!  He also really looks forward to AWANA Cubbies club every Wednesday night at church.  Watching his understanding of spiritual matters awaken has been a true joy!

Isaac Nathan is growing up so fast as the oldest of our brood (age 4-almost-5)!  Tall and lanky, he no longer needs a nap most days, loves to play grown-up board games, and has just started to take off with reading!  He is my right-hand helper, always quick to run errands throughout the house for me (gotta use all that energy profitably, right?!) or to help play with Silas, whom he dotes on, while I prepare a meal. Watching his responsibility and thoughtfulness grow this past year has been a blessing!  Isaac thrives on being outside and continues to demonstrate remarkable creativity with various building projects, whether they be block towers or pretend houses in the back yard.  He is especially quick to grab his toy tool kit and tag along with Daddy or Grandpa whenever there are real construction projects underway!  He is making good progress in our homeschool lessons and has a genuine love for the Bible.

Nathan is now in his third year as the pastor of Faith Baptist Church and is thankful to have a new assistant who was hired in September to help shoulder the load!  Nathan has spent a lot of time preaching verse-by-verse through the books of John, Philippians, and Revelation during our weekly church services and Bible studies as well as teaching on the topics of ‘systematic theology’ and ‘prayer’.  In addition to studying for sermons, Nathan also spends much of his time shepherding the flock by meeting with those who need pastoral care/counsel and visiting folks in the hospital or in their homes.  When not engaged with church work, there is always plenty to do around the house and farm!  After finishing the boys’ quadruple bunkbeds in February, Nathan’s next project was to install a shower in our guest bathroom by building out part of the walk-in closet to accommodate this addition.  (While he was at it, he also replaced the sink, toilet, and floor for a completely remodeled look!)  He got the shower operational just in time for my mom’s visit in March when she came to help with Silas’ birth!  Nathan also took charge of the family garden as usual during the spring and summer.  His latest task has been finishing a fence on part of our property where future livestock will graze.  I am so thankful for my husband’s amazing handy-man skills, and look forward to the kitchen remodel we have planned for 2018! 

My days continue to be filled to the fullest with the responsibilities of home and family, the music and children’s ministries I help with at church, and the small business I operate. Homeschooling has been kicked up a notch this year with Isaac now doing more kindergarten level work and Josiah soaking in the preschool learning like a sponge.  Bible, math, and language arts are the main subjects we make time for each school day, but we also incorporate some art, sensory play, and simple science as we are able. Reading LOTS of books is a normal part of our daily rhythm too…which we all really love!  Mothering four little people with all their many needs and the constant training that is part of this season has been incredibly challenging…and humbling…and joyous too!  I am truly thankful for the privilege of staying home with my brood and investing so fully in their lives. I also find great joy in hosting people for meals and game nights on occasion, as well as leading a young wives’ Bible study.  As an Ambassador for Plexus Worldwide, the nooks and crannies of my time are filled with researching health topics and matching the needs customers have with the natural supplements we offer.  I have learned and grown so much through this business endeavor!

This past year has been full of multiple travel experiences for our family, which are always a special highlight! In the spring, Nathan and I enjoyed a restful few days in the heart of Ohio’s Amish country for our annual anniversary get-away where we shopped, fished, and ate like kings!  Over the summer, we took a trip with our church to see the incredible Ark Encounter in nearby Kentucky as well as spent a fun-filled week of vacation in Branson, MO with the Britton clan. We made several trips north to Nathan’s parents’ for a soccer camp mission trip, a Bible conference that Nathan preached, and other family gatherings.  In the fall, we enjoyed a visit from my parents during which time the boys and I accompanied them to Cincinnati to visit relatives and then drove to see the Ark again!  Lots of special memories were made!  Nathan also made a quick trip back to New Mexico for a good friend’s ordination into the ministry.

As 2017 comes to a close, we praise God for His many blessings and the grace to live each day.  We hope you all have a Merry Christmas celebrating the Savior and a Happy New Year living for His honor! Our home is always open if you ever want to come for a visit!  

Love from,

The Britton Brigade

Family Christmas Newsletter 2016

Merry Christmas From the Britton Brigade!!!

Dear Friends and Family,

Warm greetings to you all from cold southeastern Ohio!  We hope and pray that this yearly Christmas letter finds you all rejoicing in those “good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people” - that a Savior was born so long ago to bring redemption to our souls and reconciliation with our Creator!  It is indeed a wonderful time of year for celebrating His birth…and connecting with our loved ones both far and near.

2016 has been a full year for our family in so many ways. After our big move across the country that we wrote about last year, it has felt good to be settled in our new house and church.  This corner of Ohio definitely feels like home now!  We are loving our beautiful property and all the fun that each season brings: baby chicks, turkeys, and a garden in the spring, blackberries in the summer, beautiful leaf colors and walnuts in the fall, and soon, snow in the winter (much to Isaac’s great anticipation)!  In the near future, we hope to add both milk and meat goats to our small homestead that we have dubbed “Hilltop Farm.”

And now for an update on the “Brigade”!

Major General - Nathan

Nathan’s year was full of both challenges and blessings in his role as senior pastor of Faith Baptist Church.  As with any new job or ministry position, there were many new things to learn, some changes to begin instituting, and a couple of tough decisions he was faced with making.  We have truly been blessed with a wonderful church family who have been incredibly supportive of Nathan’s leadership and helpful throughout this year of transition.  It’s been especially exciting to see new folks from the community trust in Christ as their Savior and new families join with our fellowship!  When not engaged with church work, Nathan has spent a lot of time this past year mowing grass, working in the large garden we planted, and keeping up with handy-man projects around the house and property.  He is currently in the process of building quad bunk beds for our growing brood of boys.  He also enjoys playing basketball with a group of guys from the community and keeping up with politics in his spare time.  A highlight for Nathan this past year was an anniversary get-away we took to the Hocking Hills area where we hiked, fished, and relaxed in the hot tub!

Deputy Commander - Katrina

My job is a never-ending one as I care for three young children, meals, laundry, housework, chickens, and church ministry.  A highlight for me this past year was attending the Great Homeschool Convention in Cincinnati where I learned so much from various workshops I attended and found a fantastic preschool curriculum that has been great fun to implement with the boys!  Even though my oldest is only 3 years old, we have begun homeschooling in earnest and are having a wonderful time enjoying these early years of learning!  Another huge blessing for me was finding an answer to a 7-month health struggle in some amazing, all-natural supplements from a company called Plexus Worldwide.  This in turn has led to a recent business opportunity with the company that fills the nooks and crannies of my spare time.  At church, I love helping with the AWANA Sparks club (K-2nd graders) and serving in the music department.  I’ve also discovered (much to my surprise!) a new-found enjoyment of painting wall murals in the children’s wing!

Little Soldier #1 - Isaac (age 3)

Isaac is our tall and lanky “all-boy” boy whose imagination has come ALIVE this past year!  He is always creating something, whether indoor or outdoor, be it a tree house (on the ground), a castle, a painting, a Duple block construction, or a big box of drawings under the Christmas tree.  He has been gifted with a bright, inquisitive mind that is always processing life around him and coming up with questions that keep us on our toes!  It’s been a fun year of watching him learn and grow in so many ways.  Isaac loves to do school, play outside, have books read to him, and engage in any kind of art/craft activity.  A highlight for Isaac was getting to start Cubbies at AWANA this past August.  He also thoroughly enjoyed a recent airplane trip to Arkansas for Thanksgiving.  Isaac has natural leadership qualities that seem to come with being the first-born, which he is learning to use well instead of in a bossy way.  It’s been especially exciting to see his understanding of the Gospel and spiritual concepts begin to awaken!

Little Soldier #2 - Josiah (age 2)

Josiah-Bear is our sweet, sensitive, and sometimes stubborn little snuggle-bug!  He is full of love and affection, giving out kisses on a regular basis.  Josiah has made great strides in his language abilities this year and can talk quite well now.  He’s still learning to use those words when a brother infringes on his play, rather than shrieks of protest…so hopefully, that will come with time!  He is also learning how to go potty like a big boy.  JoJo’s favorite activity of all is cooking with Mommy in the kitchen.  He also greatly enjoys playing with his own pretend kitchen, being read to, riding his tricycle, playing with cars/vehicles of any kind, helping with chicken chores, and doing school with Isaac.  It’s amazing how much he is picking up by being the tag-along little student!  Highlights for Josiah this year included all the times we went swimming, both at a friend’s pool and at the beach in Virginia.  He has proven to be quite adventurous and daring when it comes to activities, although he can still be quite shy around people.

Little Soldier #3 - Adoniah (age 1)

Adoniah is our blond-haired, blue-eyed, finger-sucking, blanket-toting ray of sunshine who is into EVERYTHING these days!  Busy and wiggly are great words to describe this little mischief-maker!  If I turn my back for one minute, he can have a drawer or cabinet dismantled in no time flat.  Addy Boy has grown up quickly these last few months in his determination not to be left out of anything that his brothers are doing.  He has gotten very good at running and is learning to communicate through attempted words and sign language.  He loves to play outside, feed the chickens, and ride around on feet-propelled cars.  A good eater and a solidly-built child, it won’t be long before Adoniah passes up Josiah in size and strength.  Overall, Addy is a happy boy with a contagious smile and giggle that brings so much joy to all of our lives!

Little Soldier #4 - Baby Boy (due in March)

God has once again blessed our family with another child on the way!  At this rate, it won’t be long before Nathan has the basketball team he was hoping for!  This pregnancy has been the best one yet (thanks to Plexus supplements that have stabilized my blood sugar and caused nausea to be almost non-existent), and we are looking forward to welcoming our fourth boy into the world toward the middle of March.  We have found an experienced, capable midwife in the area and are planning for another home birth, assuming everything stays low risk.  We would appreciate your prayers for a smooth delivery and healthy baby when the time comes!

As we head into the new year, we hope and pray that it will be a blessed one for you all!  

We send much love across the miles with wishes for a very merry Christmas celebrating the Savior!

The Britton Brigade - Christmas Newsletter 2014

 

Nathan’s Corner

Nathan is a wonderful husband and fun daddy!  He is an expert tickler who loves to make us laugh!  His preaching and teaching of God’s Word continues to impact many lives, and we have been blessed to see much growth in the church this past year both numerically and spiritually.  Highlights for Nathan in 2014 included receiving his Master’s degree, being officially ordained as a minister of the Gospel, baptizing several new believers, acquiring an assistant, seeing our church building re-stuccoed, welcoming his second son into the world, and taking family road trips in a new-to-us van that he purchased and fixed up.  After a year off from formal studies, Nathan will soon begin pursuing a Doctorate in Ministry. 

Katrina’s Corner

Katrina absolutely loves her life as a wife, mother, and pastor’s sidekick in church ministry!  She also loves living in the unique town of Taos, surrounded by mountains, cool temperatures, four seasons, and needy people.  Managing her home and raising her little boys fills her days to overflowing.  Additionally, Katrina oversees the children’s ministries of the church, organizes ladies’ fellowships and Bible studies, and plays the piano on Sundays.  There were many highlights for Katrina in 2014, but the two that stand out the most were traveling with her husband to Colorado Springs for their second anniversary and giving birth to their second son, Josiah.  (She also greatly enjoyed visits from family this past year!) 

Isaac’s Corner

2014 was a big year for Isaac!  He completed one year of life, learned to walk (and run), became a big brother, began to talk, acquired more teeth, and fell in love with “church.”  He continues to be a tremendous delight to our family, and is always making us laugh at his hilarious antics!  Isaac’s greatest interests in life right now are balls.  He loves to play with them, read about them, and carry them around the house all day long.  Bouncy balls are a particular favorite.  He also enjoys building with blocks, going to the park, coloring pictures (of balls, of course!), and helping Mommy with chores.  He adores his daddy and his baby brother, although he is still learning to be gentle with Josiah.  He is also learning how to count and recognize colors. 

Josiah’s Corner

Josiah Daniel was born at home on June 29th after a relatively short and pain-free labor for Katrina.  The midwives arrived just in time to deliver him! Josiah has brought much joy to our family with his sweet smiles and snuggles.  He loves to eat, and is a healthy little chunk as a result!  He’s not too fond of sleeping, though, so Mommy is greatly looking forward to the night when he sleeps all the way through!  At five months now, Josiah’s accomplishments include rolling over, grasping for toys, recognizing his name, and carrying on intelligent conversations of baby babble.  We love him to pieces and are so grateful to God for the blessing he is!

Merry Christmas from the Britton Brigade!

May Newsletter

Adventures with Jesus

May 2011

Year in Review at RGBI

Have you ever been overwhelmed by the goodness of God?

The Bible says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” Well, this past year, God’s goodness has been poured forth so abundantly upon my life, I feel like I have done much more than simply taste it...I have been feasting upon it!

Priceless friendships. Growth in Spanish abilities. Laughter around the meal tables. Evening prayer walks. Glorious sunsets. Music ministry. Weekend volleyball. Excellent classes. Street evangelism. Wednesday night devotions with the dorm girls. Prayer times with kindred spirits. Heartache and tears. Trials and tests. Spiritual enrichment. Discipleship of teenage girls. Dancing butterflies. Drama presentations. Rich Latino worship. Flute lessons. Babysitting precious little ones. A campout. Youth rallies. Grateful church members. Surprise parties. Cookouts. Sundays with special people. Answered prayer. Palm trees. Puppet shows. A mission trip. Long phone calls home. Packages received. Soccer games. Riding the waves at South Padre Island. Graduations and weddings. Unforgettable memories.

How amazing that one school year could hold so much! I entered the missionary language program at RGBI in August with great excitement and high hopes for a wonderful year of learning and growth. This past weekend, I left RGBI with profound gratitude for the goodness of God outpoured that made my year there truly one of the best of my life.

Lessons Learned at RGBI

When we arrived at RGBI and had our first orientation with Dr. Manny Gutierrez, the dean of the language school, he informed us that we were not there just to learn Spanish. In reality, studying Spanish would only be a small part of the experience. He was confident that God had brought us there for purposes much deeper than merely learning the grammar and phonetics of another language.

He was right.

In a nutshell, here is just a brief summary of the lessons God had in store for me at RGBI:

~ He taught me to appreciate His amazing intelligence in the creation of different languages and His ability to understand them all at once.

~ He taught me to appreciate and respect the diversity that exists in the Body of Christ and not to judge people on the basis of cultural or personality differences.

~ He taught me to stand firm on the convictions He has built into my life and remain loyal to Him as my first love, even when it meant giving up a certain relationship and all the hopes and dreams connected to it.

~ As a result, He taught me a new dimension of contentment and trust and finding my fulfillment in Jesus Christ alone as a single girl right now.

~ He taught me to hate the pride of my own heart just as He hates it and to embrace the humiliating experiences He allowed to refine my character. Language school is a wonderful place to receive lessons on humility! How I praise the Lord for His patience as He conforms us to the image of His Son.

~ He taught me to cast all my cares upon Him in the midst of stress and pressure and to take life one day at a time.

~ He taught me (at long last!) through sheer necessity with the Spanish language to think before I speak.

~ He taught me through many necessary reminders that grades are not everything, but that honesty and diligent effort are worth more than straight As.

~ Lastly, He taught me just how much I desperately need Him in every area of my life, to be my strength, my wisdom, my delight!

Announcing... the Next Adventure!

It was December, 2010. My family was in Ukraine, visiting my sister and brother-in-law, and welcoming my new little niece into the world. As I cuddled Melissa close and observed five doting adults tending to her every need, I couldn’t help but think of precious babies just like her who lay in overcrowded state-run institutions or dirty alleyways with no one to love them, care for them, stimulate them, or teach them about Jesus. What will become of them?

God had put a burden on my heart for the orphaned, poor, and abandoned several years ago and one of the reasons I had signed up for language school was so that I might be better equipped to serve as Christ’s hands and feet to such little ones somewhere in South America. Now, Melissa’s tiny, helpless frame snuggled in my arms caused the thought to flit across my mind... "What about the babies? How I would love to join forces with a ministry that cares for abandoned babies!”

A New Arrival at Casa de Amor

Fast forward two weeks. I was on the computer doing a search for a particular book that I wanted to use for a teen girls’ Bible study back on campus when I “stumbled” (read: providentially encountered) across a website that caught my attention. Casa de Amor. A children’s home ministry caring for orphaned and abandoned street babies. Located in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Founded and directed by a young woman with a very similar background to my own: home educated and involved in mission work from an early age. Currently operating four homes and in need of more volunteers. I sat back from the computer with eyes as wide as saucers. In that moment, God seemed to say, “This ministry is for you.” I began praying about the possibility and felt continued peace that this was of Him. So, in February, I began the application process and was officially accepted last month.

Founder and Director, Jennifer Thompson

My plans at this point are to stay in Bolivia for a minimum of six months, starting July 1st. In addition to caring for precious little ones at Casa de Amor, I will also have the opportunity to get involved with a local church ministry and participate in music, evangelism, street outreach, or whatever the need may be. At the end of my six month term, I will have the option to extend my commitment there or move to Peru and join forces with my good friends, the Earnharts, in missionary work that will hopefully include the start of an orphanage. But of course, the Lord is in control, and for all I know, He may have something completely different in mind! I am just excited to be His and to be living these adventures with Him!

Thank you all for being such faithful prayer partners each step of the way! Please keep praying, and please stay in touch!