From one "Mad farmer" to another

Wendell Berry is a poet, activist, environmentalist, and Jesus follower. In the 1970's he wrote a poem entitled: Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front. I discovered this poem about a year ago & it has become a sort of personal battle cry.

You see, in Berry's poem he calls us to "take all that you have and be poor"; "be joyful though you have considered all the facts"; "everyday do something that won't compute"; and my personal favorite: "Invest in the millenium. Plant sequoias. Say that your main crop is the forest that you did not plant, that you will not live to harvest."

This poem speaks to the Kingdom call within my soul. I feel this poem from my depths because I am a Christ follower & a daughter of man. I understand the truth of generational blessing because I have seen it played out in my life & in my family...in the same way I have known the generational curses of my family. I have come to understand that my part in this world, in reaping what I did not plant, is to plant blessings for those who will reap what I have sown. I plant for more than just my direct line too. God has called me into community life with amazing people whose hearts long to know their Father's. As I sow, I sow with their children in mind. I sow for my nieces & nephew. I sow for my brother & sister. I sow in honor of those who have come before; my mother, grandmothers, aunts & uncles. I sow for the earthly family I have been given, but also for my Heavenly family. Father, may I never despise Your bride; give me Your eyes for the church.

Sequoias are known to grow tall & strong. These trees can grow to be over 350 ft. tall & they can be as big around as a Greyhound bus. They are basically fire resistant, are not easily diseased & manage to keep bugs away. Their root systems are very shallow. They have a lateral system that intertwines with other trees roots to aid in support. I love that even God's designs in nature reflect relationship. He desires that we grow in wisdom & knowledge towards Him; He desires that we build in community & support one another; He desires that our faith be so strong that sickness, plagues, even fire would not threaten our lives. These trees are ancient; & our faith is in THE ancient truth.

I want to plant seeds of faith in the world that will grow into sequoias for those I will never know. I want to count nothing as mine, but offer everything I have been given to those who need it more. I want to love & have a joyful, peaceful spirit regardless of the outward circumstances. I want to travel the world making friends with the least... Because I know the ONE, TRUE Father who created me to love and gave Himself as an example of how it's done.

A New Chapter Begins...

I am now working from home, which I really love. We have been blessed to make amazing relationships with families and singles in the DC metro area. Our family began inviting those relationships into our own family rhythms and festivals when we moved here and we are now bearing the fruit of this practice. We have created a ministry called Planting Sequoias, you can find us on the web at www.plantingsequoias.com. I am now working from home for Planting Sequoias, managing the everyday communication, project development & implementation, and I am pursuing our incorporation and 501(c)(3) status. I have really enjoyed this work so far. It is challenging and fun, and getting me back into full time ministry.

I have also applied to substitute teach in Loudoun County, VA. This is the next county over but there are enough schools close to us that I could work often if I wanted to. I have been to orientation and am now awaiting the results from my background check, from 3 states over the last 6 years, that's what I get for moving around a lot. Em and I sat down with my budget and determined that 2 days teaching equals what I was paid for a full 40 hour week at Starbucks. I hope the checks come through soon. I am eager to get back in the classroom, even if it only for a few days each week.

The best part about pursuing this type of work means that I am free to pursue missions opportunities that arise. I will be headed down to GA this next week for training to become part of a team of alumni/staff who will run future training camps for racers preparing for the field. I have also been asked to consider team leading a group of prospective racers for the month of June. We would be heading down to Haiti to continue work on relief efforts. In order to help in this effort I would need to raise $1000 to cover costs. AIM has been one of the first to respond to needs in Haiti and they will continue until the work is finished there. Another opportunity has also arisen within AIM. The Ambassador department has short term trips each summer that are 3-5 weeks. Ambassadors creates trips for teens 14-18 years old. This ministry is close to my heart because I was in my teens when I was drawn to the importance of missions and it's call on my life. I understand what it is like to be in these kids shoes and have a huge desire to serve but not know exactly how to put it into action. I am excited about the possibility to be a mentor in the lives of these teens, to encourage them to seek God's direction and not worry about anything else besides obedience.

I am still praying through the opportunities that have been presented but I know right now that support is my biggest hurdle. The Lord has shown me that I have not been the best at making my supporters feel as though they have a stake in the work that we do. I have been a terrible communicator and for that I am truly sorry. I am working to turn over a new leaf and to pursue my supporters as much as I want to pursue these ministry opportunities. The truth is, I couldn't do any of the things God has called me to do without those He has called to be a part of my community of supporters. I am blessed to have you and I pray that I will truly honor you as God desires me to for the future. I still have support to raise in order to cover the last of my commitment from H squad. I want to honor my commitment to AIM and turn in my full support amount. I feel this is important for me to accomplish before I take on any other trips. My total still to raise for H- squad is $2000. This is not an impossible goal. If 20 people give $100 the goal would be reached in no time.

Please pray with me as we trust God to bring in the support and as He draws me to the trips He has planned for me this year. I am blessed to have a relationship with each of you and with the folks at AIM, who I know seek God's direction and are good stewards of the resources God brings them. Thanks for your prayers and consideration of joining in what God is doing.

Month 5

Singapore - Teams Koinonia & Spectacle






















Malaysia - Team Koinonia











LAOS - Teams Manna and Indelible

Thailand

Chiang Mai- our home for the month


A night out on the town!

Debrief at Koh Samet; an amazing time with the Lord. We had several who Mike got to baptize.

After a month of ministry in other countries around Southeast Asia we came back to Bangkok for a debrief; my last one while I was with them...






Family Feud was one of the highlights of debrief. We had a great time at the Avana Hotel. To celebrate my final time with the H Squad we had a "Same Same, but Different" party. The winners were Rocio and Taryn with their California Soccer Mom impression. They were amazing!! Everybody did a great job though; Dave and Nate Hood even shaved mirror image sides of their faces...







I love these guys and have been SO blessed to have each of them in my life. I am hoping to see them all soon. I have an opportunity to go to Romania to see them in September. I still have support to raise in order for me to be able to pay for the plane ticket and ground costs for Romania and the final debrief that will take place in November. If you are interested in helping you can support me via my website jennybrown.theworldrace.org and click on the "support me" link on the left side.