The Briles Family

W2's and Comitan, Chiapas, Mexico

2012-01-30T12:10:00.004-06:00

Friends,

As I reflect on how fast January has past I have to give credit to the Lord for all His help in accomplishing everything that had to be done. The first couple of weeks of the New Year it was fun to reflect on the past year and dream about what was to come. Then, reality hits. All the paperwork that must be done to finish out 2011 and then begin 2012.

The biggest and most tedious task is the processing of W2's for the missionaries. Not to bore you with details but believe me that it is one long and involved process. With the help of a great staff we pushed forward and completed this task and made the Jan 31 deadline a couple of days early!

Now I head back out on the road, or should I say in the air. I will be in Comitan, Chaipas for a few days to visit a great family that recently relocated there. I am looking forward to learning about a new part of Mexico and the culture that exists in this part of the world. It will be fun to see what all our God is doing in this part of Chiapas.

Have a blessed day and press on!

2012 A Year of Challenges!

2012-01-11T10:38:00.004-06:00

Friends,

As we move into the New Year it is always good to reflect on where you have been and where you are going. For our family we continue to see God move in our lives. We hope to do better in blogging and keeping you up to date on our lives. As we move through 2012 we know there will be challenges but God will be with us and He is on our side. With that assurance there can be no fear!

Vonda is a steady rock and enjoys her volunteer work at the church food pantry and Carmen's school. She is also putting in about 10 hrs/wk at WIM filling in as necessary. What a special woman she is!!

Aaron continues in his studies at TX State Univ. He has three semesters to go but I think he has Senioritis already! It will be interesting to see where a degree in International Studies, focus on International Relations with a minor in Math, Spanish and Geography will take him!

Jessica did very well in Oaxaca. She is planning on another three month commitment this spring. She is also considering this for a long term commitment in the fall.

Carmen brings joy to everyone and is growing up too fast. She is an excellent student and is part of the school choir and AWANA's at church.

Chris will be traveling extensively again this year preaching, teaching, encouraging and visiting our people around the world. He is also planning a trip to Central Asia where he will investigate future ministry opportunities, short term and long term.

Thank you, our wonderful group of Champions! We are successful because of YOU! May 2012 be full of blessings, peace and joy!

Jessica is doing well

2011-11-11T15:15:00.005-06:00

We just returned from a quick visit to Oaxaca for the WIM Regional Conference and also a visit with Jessica. She is doing very well, loves the children, loves the Casa and loves the variety of responsibilities she has. It is hard to believe she will be home in three weeks. The time has gone by very quickly for her and us. It will be good to hear her stories and what her future plans are.

While in Mexico we celebrated the 10th birthday of Carmen. She had a great time with the other MK's and really enjoyed seeing her sister.

The first photo is Jessica with one of the special children she helps care for. The second photo is Carmen on her special day.

Jessica to Oaxaca, Mexico

2011-08-29T16:04:00.002-05:00

Friends,

Many of you know that our daughter Jessica will be leaving Sept 8 for a 3 month missionary internship serving at an orphanage in Oaxaca, Mexico. We are very proud of her following the leading of the Lord and not being pressured into the university trap that so many young people find themselves. We are praying that the Lord will give her clear guidance and wisdom for what her next education is to be.

Please pray for her to have a quick cultural adjustment and to get use to the lifestyle at the Casa. Pray for her parents not to be too sad and to have the right words to say when necessary. Pray for mom & dad, her brother and sister to make the adjustment of not having a daughter/sibling around all the time.

Thank you for your support of our family. May the Lord bless you all.

Japan

2011-06-11T13:32:00.002-05:00

Sorry it has been so long since we have written. Life is very busy but nothing compared to the pace they keep in Japan. The people of Japan literally run at a break neck speed to work and work is their life.

Japan is a country like no other that I have visited. In Tokyo, there is an estimated 33 million people living in a small area surrounded by mountains and sea. It has hundreds of tall buildings and an incredible mass transit system. The food is very unusual and definitely not my favorite. The people are wonderful and most of them have an understanding of English. They are all polite, they want to please you in everything they do and are very hard working.

While there I was able to meet with the leaders of PAZ Japan, the organization WIM has partnered with. They do church planting, leadership training and also have been working in the disaster relief. I also was able to visit WIM missionary Janine Geekie, whom he and Vonda had trained in Mexico. It was great to see how well she is doing and all that she is involved in. I did a teaching on making disciples with the leaders of the FUSE and shared a little of what God is doing in the places I have traveled. Though time did not allow me to go to the disaster area, I saw photos and heard incredible stories of what has happened since the earthquake/tsunami. The relief effort will be ongoing for the next several years.

The highlight of the trip was ministering with Aaron who has been in Japan for a month. We walked all over the Norborito neighborhood where the church was, shared good laughs and lots of good father/son time. It was neat to see him lead the street band outreaches outside of the train stations or in an area of the city that has thousands of people congregating or passing through in the evenings. He led worship at the FUSE church plant and even sang in Japanese.

I have now completed 5 international ministry trips since February. This would not be possible without faithful people like you who pray for us and give to us. God has supplied for each trip the funds for airfare and ground expenses while in country. We appreciate you all very much and pray God’s blessings for you and your families.

Honduras - Amazing

2011-03-15T13:31:00.000-05:00

I am writing this from Mexico while my thoughts are fairly fresh. I wanted to share an overview of an amazing trip to Honduras. The first 4 days I was with the Destino ministry team, the next 5 days with a group of teens from St. Louis and I ended the trip spending time with our Intern Missionary. Thank you for praying and being an encouragement while I was gone.

The time spent with the Destino Ministry team in La Entrada went very well. This team is an all Honduran and I am a “father figure” to many of them. They are a great team with many things going on. On Tuesday night, the day I arrived, I challenged the church to have great faith, courage and determination. I know I connected because the next day they put into practice what I shared. We went into the mountains and ministered to children and young adults with disabilities. The Pastor (Juanca) has a vision to establish a ministry to these people in a rural area along the Honduran/Guatemalan border.

While in route to the last and most remote village the brakes went out on the pickup truck. Undeterred the Pastor prayed for the vehicle and we pressed on down the “road”. We had no more brake issues with that vehicle. The vehicle I was driving was supposed to have a full reserve tank but when I switched it was empty. We prayed God would provide enough fuel to finish the day and then get back to the city. There was nowhere to leave the vehicle and we had too many people to fit into the other vehicles we had. We finished the day and returned to the city with a flat line empty tank but never running out!!

The ministry time in this remote area was great. We gave out late Christmas presents to 27 children, had a meal together and shared a couple of hours together. We then took out to visit other villages “further down the road” to find others with disabilities and meet their families. The Pastor was determined to get to the end of the road on this trip. Once we arrived, Juanca and I went looking for the children with needs. The rest of the team did an outreach to the children of the village. When we returned there were more than 50 children participating. We left as the sun set and got back to the city 4.5 hours later rejoicing in what God had done during this day.

The next day we went to San Pedro Sula to visit several high schools and invite them to an event that night. There was a huge crowd, more than 3000 young people and the group ministered in a powerful way. This was the first night of a three night campaign by the churches to take this colonia back from the gangs. We did not participate in the other two nights but reports were very positive.

Friday was a slower day but ended with me grilling meat for the leaders of the congregation and teaching on servant leadership. They got to see firsthand what servant leadership looks like in practice.

Saturday I met the group from St Louis and we headed to the girls home near La Esperanza. I was there until Thursday morning. The girl’s home is an amazing work ministering to 25 girls from horrible backgrounds. The group loved on the girls and did special events with them. They also did several outreaches in the schools while I worked on many plumbing issues around the campus. You know how much I love plumbing and the nearest hardware store was an hour away!

On Wednesday we walked down the mountain into a village about 2 hours away. We had an incredible time of ministry at the school and 11 girls from the home participated. It was a blessed time not only for the group but also the children in the school. The worst part was walking out. It was quite a climb but we all made it out and have many stories to share about this part of the trip.

On my last full day in Honduras I went to Siguatepeque by bus to visit our intern who has been studying language. We had a blessed time together sharing about some of my adventures and listening to her Honduran adventures for the last six months. She was greatly encouraged by my visit and I am sure she will finish her time there very well.

I know this is just a sketch of what all happened and there is so much more I could share but I wanted to let you know some of the high points. You all are special to us and have an important part in our ministry. THANK YOU!

Blessings

Chris

Bolivia

2011-02-20T18:27:00.002-06:00

Hello Friends,

Travel to and in Bolivia is always an adventure and this trip was no different. We were delayed more than a day in getting to Sucre by bad weather but God redeemed the time and we accomplished all of our objectives. It was great to travel with Pastor Gaylon Vinson and enjoy our time together.

We had a great time visiting with our people. They are doing a great work and making an impact for Jesus. One church is about 150 and very solid, another is about 150 all youth and children! What a blessing to see these young people seeking to know more about the Lord. I had the privilege to speak to the teenagers.

Another ministry is a daily radio program, an outreach to children and training for children's workers. Such creativity this couple has and they involve their entire family in the radio broadcasts and outreaches.

Thank you for your prayers. We appreciate them very much. My next trip will be to Honduras and Mexico during the first 3 weeks of March.

May you all have a blessed day!

Update on Aaron

2011-02-11T17:52:00.002-06:00

Wowzers, it's been so long since anybody has posted on here. Well, the short of things is that all three of us kids are still in school, Mom is volunteering at Carmen's school and the church's food pantry, and Dad is still working at WIM throughout the week.
As for the long of it, since this is Aaron writing, I will update everyone a bit on my life. Since I got back from Asia last summer, God has really been working in new ways in my life. Growing up in missions, I always assumed that the calling I was feeling on my life was to full-time mission work. Now I am not so sure. Needless to say, everyday American life has taken its toll on me, but at the same time, I am not feeling the strong call to full-time as I thought I had then. I continue to seek God's will through it all, and I know foreign missions will indeed be a big part of my life in the future, just maybe not the whole of it. In the meantime, I have been fully involved here in Texas. I am now officially a member of Dayspring Christian Fellowship here in New Braunfels. With that taken care of, I continue with my weekly participation on the worship and media team each Sunday. Youth ministry continues to be my main focus, leading worship for them as well on Wednesday nights and co-leading the Jr. High class with Dad. On Tuesdays, I volunteer at the church food pantry the SILO, and once a month lead worship for God's PowerHouse, the kid's ministry on Sunday. So between that, working at Subway, and a full 18 hour semester of schoolwork, I stay pretty busy. Nonetheless, I still find plenty of time to spend with my wonderful family, sweet girlfriend Kelly, or my crazy friends Vince and Jymmi...

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for Dad's update about his current trip to Bolivia!!!

~ Aaron

Where does the time go?

2010-09-30T19:56:00.002-05:00

Hello friends!
Where does the time go? This summer has flown by and we are at October 1. We had a wonderful summer of activities with the highlights being Aaron and Jessica's trips overseas. We are very proud of our children who desire to serve the Lord wherever He leads.

We also oversaw our new missionary orientation/training week in June. What a joy to see new people answering the call to missions. In early August we had our International Conference. It was a great success. Then, the back to school activities. Chris produced a concert by Kingsfall from Dallas for the youth and we were all involved in a Spanish outreach which gave out school supplies.

Chris is planning a Hurricane Karl relief trip to Veracruz in November. There is so much suffering by people of all economic classes. The focus will be to restore the churches and Pastors so they can minister to the people.

Until next time, be blessed.

Uganda!

2010-07-15T11:35:00.004-05:00

Ok well I have been back from Uganda for a few days now, and I'm just getting to this!
Wow! I don't even know where to start! I have so many stories and so many amazing things that God did on the trip! I guess I'll start with telling you guys what we did most of the time we were there.
While I was in Kampala we would do street ministry in the morning we would go to villages and to peoples houses and ask if they needed help with anything, then we would pray for them and shared the gospel with them. In the afternoons we would go to high schools and present an abstinence program which was a huge success! Basically the program talks about why it is important to stay pure until marriage. This is a big deal in Uganda because they have one of the highest percentage rates of HIV/AIDS in the world! We would break up into small groups after the presentation and have them ask us questions and a lot of times in that we were able to share the gospel. At then end we had them sign abstinence pledge cards saying that they were going to stay sexually pure until marriage.
In Gulu we went to a lot of elementary schools and played with little kids and put on skits for them. You can see the hurt in the kids eyes and you can tell that they need to know that they are loved and that's why we were there was to love on the kids and tell them that Jesus loves them as well.
Of course like in all trips we had lots of challenges! One of them being sicknesses! We had 10 people in the hospital sick with typhoid while others were sick with bacterial infections (mostly meaning stomach problems, but sickness did not stop us from spreading the good news and praising God! While they were in the hospital they would pray for other sick patients and they would be singing worship songs and just praising God no matter what!
My team leader had a phrase we used a lot "We plan, God laughs." Boy did we find that out quickly! God changed our plans a lot of times, like one time we were supposed to go to a high school but instead we ended up going prayer walking which was amazing to get a feel for the city and how much they need God.!
During my trip we reached out to 7,000 people (meaning that they all heard the gospel) and 700 got saved! Our work in Uganda is still not done! About half of my team is still there for another month and they are going to continue ministering and reaching out to the broken people of Uganda! They did have a big event happen this past Sunday there were bombings in Kampala about 20 minutes away from were I had been staying and were the team that is still there is staying. Thankfully nobody from my team was hurt, but there were 76 people killed, and the team there decided to go to Gulu (which is northern Uganda) just to wait it out until it's safe to go back. There was supposed to be another team getting there last night, but they had to relocate to South Africa instead because of this. Just be praying for Uganda and for all of the team that's still there that they would be safe and have peace!
Thank you all so much for your prayers and support!!
Jessie

Back from Asia!

2010-06-19T16:15:00.002-05:00

Hello to all!

I am pleased to report that it was safe travels back to the USA. Quite uneventful except for the fact that my very last flight was delayed half an hour 'cause of bad weather in STL. Well, after that, stopped by Garden Valley to drop off Jessie for her trip, then back to New Braunfels. China and Japan were very very good! In China, I was visiting friends that are working there, teaching new brothers the way of the Teacher. I had an opportunity to do quite a bit of sightseeing and prayerwalking. Honestly, it was just a big bath of culture that I was just soaking in! Then in Japan it is more open to do outspoken ministry, it was amazing how the timing worked out, God had it all planned! The day i got there, Allen had just left, and the day I left, Mike arrived! So good is His timing! Lots of new friends were made, and I anxiously await my return. Jessie is already saying the two of us should go next summer together! We'll see... it's a thought ;) Jet lag was kicking my butt for a few days, but once we left St. Louis it seemed to pass. The Fuse Jesus Community is going through a time of transition, so it has been a little tough on them, but God is guiding them through it! Some of the original missionaries that were there from the start about a year ago just left, while other new ones are on their way for a bit longer. Continue to pray for Mark and Yuiko, Joe, Janine, Sally, and Mike as they lead the charge to reach out to a young generation that is desperately looking for hope! Be blessed this summer, and I hope that you had or have a chance to hear from me either at Gracepoint or Dayspring soon! Thank you all for your prayers, they are greatly appreciated!

Aaron

Off to Asia... for Aaron

2010-05-18T19:44:00.002-05:00

Hello to all! Aaron here. And now I'm preparing to leave! I have the chance to visit China and Japan over the next month. I think most of our readers already have had the chance to know this, but for those who hadn't heard... I leave tomorrow! I will be staying in China for just under a week, visiting friends there and investigating future opportunities for me there. In Japan, I will be serving with the FUSE community outreach team, reaching out to the younger generation in Japan. I will be there for about 10 days. Toss in roughly 3 total days of travel, and its a 3 week trip. It will end in St. Louis, where I will have 4 days to recuperate before driving back home with the family. So yes, a busy upcoming month, but I am so excited to see what God does in me and through me. Be blessed!

Aaron

Honduras Report

2010-04-28T16:18:00.004-05:00

What a wonderful but physically challenging trip to Honduras. Temperatures well over 100, intermittent to no electricity and water yet a great time of ministry and fellowship with the leaders of Destino in La Entrada. There was a special bonding with the Pastor,Assistant Pastor and Youth Pastor and their families.

The evangelistic event went well with over 2000 people hearing the truth in the spoken word and music. What a privilege to work with a group that was focused on souls. As you can see from the photo the young people all had a good time.

Thank you for your prayers, they were felt and God answered them!

Chris

UGANDA HERE I COME!!

2010-04-24T16:43:00.003-05:00

HEY TO ALL!
Well I just wanted to say that I have raised all the money for my trip to Uganda PTL!!!! Well of course I didn't do it... God provided all of it!! I am amazed at how he works sometimes, and this time he chose to work through each one of you guys who have supported me financially and by praying for me! I just wanted to thank all of you who have been praying and supporting me, I really appreciate it! I will send out a newsletter and thank you cards after my trip telling you all about it so you guys can see how you guys made a difference in Uganda by helping me!
I am getting excited and I know God is going to move greatly there, in each kids and teenagers hearts we minster to! I ask that you guys would continue to pray for me, and all the other people that are going on this trip as well. Pray that God will start to prepare the hearts of the people there, and that he would prepare our hearts as well, because I know we aren't just going to be a blessing, but that we will also be blessed by this trip!
Once again thank you so much for your support! Oh yeah if you are in St. Louis I am looking forward to seeing you all in about 1 month!
Love,
Jessie

Honduras

2010-04-20T16:10:00.002-05:00

Hello,

Chris will be traveling to Honduras this Thursday through next Tuesday. He will be connecting with ministry friends in La Entrada, close to the Guatemalan border. He will also be working with a group for an evangelistic outreach on Saturday night in the city of Tela. Then on Sunday he will be speaking at the local church in La Entrada.

Please pray for safety for him and the family he leaves in New Braunfels. Pray for clear communication with everyone he will come into contact with.

Thank you

Mexico Report

2010-02-20T13:06:00.002-06:00

Friends,

The trip to Mexico was fabulous! I had the opportunity to visit a work in Arriaga, Chiapas run by Bill and Tammy Woods. The are developing a self sustaining ranch with a goal of caring for up to 200 children. God is doing great things in their ministry.

I had 3 days in Altotonga and visited many, many friends. It was very, very cold and rainy and I asked myself how we lived there 9 years. It had to be by God's grace. Overall everyone seems to be doing ok and the food was GREAT!

I finished the trip in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico with our fellow missionaries at the annual prayer conference. It was good to visit with those who have dedicated their lives to sharing the gospel in Mexico and beyond. The prayer times were outstanding and I believe everyone was ministered to by the Lord.

Thank you for being a part and helping us minister to those on the front lines. You are a blessing!

Chris

Mexico

2010-02-09T15:10:00.002-06:00

Having been home long enough to wash clothes, watch the Super Bowl and visit with the family it is now time to head to Mexico. I will be traveling to Chiapas, Altotonga and Cuernavaca. I will be investigating a potential training site for missionaries in Chiapas, visiting friends, taking care of some special business and speaking at our church on Feb 14 in Altotonga and then finish the trip with the WIM missionaries at the annual prayer conference. Please pray for safe travels and an opportunity to visit with everyone I need to see. Thank you for being an important part of our ministry to peoples in many parts of the world.

Bolivia

2010-01-23T13:08:00.003-06:00

Chris is off to Bolivia Jan 26-Feb 2. Please pray for protection, travel mercy and many opportunities to share God's love. Also a special prayer that his luggage will arrive. He is carrying a suitcase full of things for our missionaries in Bolivia besides his stuff.

He will be ministering in several different churches as well as to the missionaries and their families. Since he knows Spanish, he hopes to be able to walk the streets and minister to the people he comes in contact with. Please pray for a refreshing and encouraging time for the three families he will be visiting and remember our family as well.

He hopes to post a blog or 2 while he is gone. Thank you for your prayers and support!

Hey to all and update!

2010-01-15T13:54:00.007-06:00

Hello to all!
Well.. I thought it had been a while since I have written so I thought I would give you an update on what has been going on here...
Let see where to start.. well this past Wednesday through Friday (today) we had our final exams for first semester (at Canyon High School) so I am glad to be over with those! The best part about first semester is... I GOT ALL STRAIGHTS A'S!!! So I am really excited about that! Second semester starts on Tuesday and I hope to have good grades this coming semester as well! I have been involved a lot in church lately. I have started helping out Mom in AWANAS every other week and I love doing that! I am still teaching the 3-5 y. olds Sunday School class each Sunday, and I still love doing that. On the Wednesday nights I am not helping in AWANAS I am in youth group and I have started playing bass guitar for the youth band worship team and I love playing the bass it is so much fun! Ok that wraps it up for me except I really want thank you to all who have donated money for my trip to Uganda I really appreciate that a lot!! I am really excited for my trip as it gets nearer, and I know God is going to do amazing things and thank you so much for your support!
Aaron has been enjoying his month off from college.. well I'm not sure if he is enjoying it because most of the time he is working. He goes back to school on Tuesday, and at least I think he's excited about that! He will continue working two days a week at Subway, once he gets back in school.
Carmen is enjoying school and has been doing pretty good too! She is basically just the same Carmen: gets home from school, does homework, and watches t.v. That is her main schedule haha! She is involved in the AWANAS program we have at our church and she loves it!
Mom is still working at Carmen's school 2 days a week, and is still teaching the cubbies (3-5 y. olds) at AWANAS.
Dad is still serving as a youth helper and does the youth Sunday School every week! Of course he is still working at the WIM office and I know he enjoys it, even though it can be stressing! He just started being a "watchdog" at Carmen's school on Fridays. Basically it's Dads who go and help out at the school in whatever they can, like just doing volunteer work type of stuff.
Well.. I guess that wraps up the Briles family update and I hope you have enjoyed it!
God Bless!
Jessie

Christmas

2009-12-16T15:05:00.003-06:00

Friends,

As we celebrate this wonderful time of year I cannot help but to think about those who do not know of God's great gift to mankind, Jesus. As you gather with your families to celebrate Christmas please remember to pray for the lost who face eternal separation from God. Pray that someone will share the good news of Jesus Christ and they will have open hearts and minds.

Thank you for another year as partners. We love and appreciate you all. May the Lord bless you greatly during this season.

Chris

Trip to Uganda!

2009-11-07T15:56:00.001-06:00

Hello to all!
I just thought I would write since I haven't in a while, and let you all know what's going on with me!
Well to start off I would just like to say that school is going pretty good. I got my report card today and I have all A's!! So I am very happy about that!

Another exciting thing recently is that I got accepted to go on a trip to Uganda this summer! I will be going with an organization called global expeditions which every year they take teens on trips all over the world to minister to people through evangelism, drama and just being a friend to people who may not have any friends.
In Uganda we will basically be ministering to kids that are in migrant camps, who have no one to turn to and they are orphans. We will also be doing street evangelism and drama!

I am very excited about this opportunity and I just ask that you guys would pray for me as I prepare for the trip and raise the money needed!!

Well that's all for now!
Jessie

China

2009-10-31T13:55:00.002-05:00

Friends,

We had the opportunity to minister in the Yunnan Province of Southern China. It was a great visit with our friends. They are exploring the possibilities of working in a new city. There is much need of our message in this area.

The trip home was long but uneventful. Now I am trying to adjust my body clock back to CST. Oh yea, an extra hour to lay in bed awake tonight....

Thank you for being a part of this trip. It was very successful.

Hello from Thailand

2009-10-25T04:49:00.002-05:00

Friends,

This has been a great trip to Thailand. We have exceeded our goals and expectations. We have spent time with Davelyn, a Filipino missionary who works with the Shan people. She has a good work with this people group. Many are refugees who have little to nothing but are open to receive the love of the Lord.

We have met with the Bianchi's who are wonderful people who work tirelessly to help missionaries stay on the field. They provide member care to many organizations here in Chiang Mai. We also visited the Phayao Girls home which is another area of ministry for the Bianchi's near the border with Laos. This home provides a place for at risk girls to keep them out of prostitution. While at the home they learn about the love of God and these girls have been transformed by the power of God into a mighty prayer force. They prayed for us yesterday before we left and there was great power in their prayers.

Tomorrow we are off for China. I will try to give an update about China after we have departed for home.

Asia Bound

2009-10-15T20:39:00.004-05:00

Friends,

Chris will be off to Asia Monday for a 2 week trip to Thailand and China. He will be ministering in north Thailand to several missionaries who have a wide variety of ministries. He hopes to visit a refugee camp for the Burmese who have fled Burma(Myanmar), visit the house of hope girls home and spend time encouraging the missionaries.

In China he will be meeting with several missionary families and hopefully forming a church planting team. There may also be an opportunity to visit several smaller cities while there.

Please pray for protection, wisdom and great success in all we attempt to do.

Blessings
Chris

College Update

2009-10-13T11:38:00.003-05:00

Hey to all out there!

This is a quick update from Aaron before he starts his English homework...

Today I have officially declared my major. For those of you who had been praying for wisdom for me, thank you very much. God has given me peace with this decision so far and I am looking forward to now having a goal in college. As I type, I think back over all the indecisiveness and uncertainty that I had been facing for a couple years. It was all part of God's process of maturing me and preparing me for what He has in store. I am excited to move ahead in His will, and continue to seek Him day by day. Hopefully, this was the correct decision, and if not, He is in control and will see me through it all! So now... the moment everyone is waiting for.... drumroll.......................

I have decided to pursue studies in International Studies. More specifically, a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies with an International Relations focus. On the side, a Minor in Spanish and a Minor in Math.

Thank you all for your patience at this long-awaited decision! And even more appreciated are all your prayers, support, and friendship during this time. Blessings to all!

Aaron

Update on Jess, and a bit on the family...

2009-09-26T10:17:00.002-05:00

Hi to all!
Well I decided I would write and say hey! No one has written in a while so I thought I would give you an update on what I have been up to.
First of all of course there's school like always the normal routine go to school, get home and eat dinner, do homework and if I have time check facebook and e-mail. Lately I have had a ton of quizzes and tests so that has been a challenge studying and trying to do the best I can. So far I am doing really good I think I have all A's!
Then Wednesdays is a bit different. I get home from school, I am kind of rushed to eat so I can go to youth group at 6:00. I usually have to take my homework to do at youth before we start the meeting, that way I don't have to stay up that late doing it after youth.
Just a few weeks ago I started teaching the 3-5 year old Sunday School class, so Saturdays that is what I do is prepare my class and get ready for that. The kids can be a challenge sometimes, but they are usually pretty good, and I love working with them so it is really a blessing to me being able to serve the church in a simple way.

Let me give you an update on the family...
Dad as normal goes to work every morning, except now he has Friday's off so he usually just does some work around the house on Friday's.

Mom has just recently started helping out at the library in Carmen's school, so Carmen is always excited when Mom comes and sometimes stays and eats lunch with her! She has also started working in the AWANAS program at church and is director of the cubbies group (which is the 3 -5 yr olds I think).

Aaron is doing good at Texas State and has already had a lot of writing projects to do (or so it seems). He is probably the busiest of us all, because on Tuesdays he works after school, then Wednesday is youth group, Thursday he works and has worship team practice, and Saturday he works so yup he is keeping up with everything pretty good, and I am proud of him!

Carmen is liking school and making lot's of new friends. She still has lots of time to watch t.v. and play after she does her homework! On Wednesday she has AWANAS so she is enjoying doing that again this year. Please be praying for her because lately she has been having her asthma act up again so just remember to pray for her!

Well I think I have said enough for now so until next time, you guys have got a pretty good idea of what's going on with the Briles Family!!
love,
Jessie

First Week of School!

2009-08-29T17:38:00.002-05:00

Hey to all from an official 11th grader at Canyon High School!

Well I thought I would give everybody an update on how my first week of school went. I started on Monday and of course first day of school nobody really does anything except handout pieces of paper about the class and class rules, introduce themselves, etc. I had a good first day, all though I get out of school at 3:55 the bus didn't come until 4:40, so I didn't get home until a bit after 5:00, so that was the only bad highlight I guess of my first day/week haha! On Wednesday I saw a person at lunch who had a t-shirt that said: "I compete for the honor of Christ, the reputation of the Holy Spirit, and the glory of the One True God." That really stuck in my mind because it just encouraged and reminded me that I am not alone in this life long race.

Well after one week of school I already have 3 quizzes on Monday! I guess I have kind of gotten used to the routine and all at school, and I have all my classes and stuff memorized so that's good! Well I guess that's about all I have to say and just remember you're not alone and there are other people who are with you in this race!

Until next time
Love to all,
Jessie

The College Kid

2009-08-25T16:55:00.007-05:00

Hello to all! Aaron here, sorry it has taken forever for me to post a new blog! I thought it was about time for me to give anyone out there reading a little update on my life!

During the summer, I continued working at Subway, and actually worked a few 30 hour weeks. The rest of the weeks it was fewer hours because of random days off for college-prep stuff or church ministries. Our family spent a night away in Houston, as we went to a Cardinals game! It was awesome to see a new stadium, and we got within feet of some of the Cards' players! I also spent a weekend at camp with the kids from church. We all had a blast, and got back safely, even if tired.

This week (tomorrow actually), I start school at Texas State U. in San Marcos, about 20 minute drive to the parking lot! I will be living at home and commuting, taking 16 credit hours spread over all 5 weekdays. History, speech, geography, english, music appreciation, and a freshman seminar are the classes I am taking. I am really excited for the opportunity to continue my studies, as well as to make new friends and be light to those around me. I am so grateful to God for providing the money for college! After applying for the FAFSA, and submitting my previous grades to school, I was blessed with a scholarship, as well as financial aid. Combined, all tuition was paid for, as well as a commuter meal plan and car-related expenses! I am thankful that God guided me in my college decision, as well as the blessing of not having to worry about finances for the time being!

During the school year, I will continue being involved at church as well as at Subway. This first week, my boss has me down for 18 hours of work. As always, I will be continuing my service with the church worship team, and also with the youth group. I am happy to report that a new-generation youth worship team is underway! The group is excited to be able to worship together, and though is small for now, is trusting in God to raise up new leaders! Thank you Hannah, Vincent, and Jessie for your commitment so far!

Well, this will wrap up this post. Look for more down the road from me! And if I forget, just remind me!!!

Blessings to all!

Aaron

Registration!!

2009-08-03T18:13:00.002-05:00

Hey to all!!
Well today I went to register for my junior year at the high school I will be going to: Canyon High School. Registration went well, I have 7 classes and 3 credit recovery classes I will have to do online at home. My counselor is very nice and she has handpicked my teachers for me, because she knows which ones will be best for me; from what she was telling me all of the teachers I am supposed to have are really nice and willing to work harder with me if I need it!

I am really excited to be going to public school again, since I was home schooled this past year. It is going to be a challenge at first, because I have never gone to an American public school before other than kindergarten, which I don't think really counts ha! I know God will help me through it and give me strength and wisdom.

I start school on the 24th of August which is exactly 3 weeks from today!! Like I said it is going to be very different from public school in Mexico, but I can do all thing through Christ who strengthens me!! (Philippians 4:13)

Well I am done writing for now until next time!
God bless!!
Jessie

Graduation

2009-07-13T18:13:00.002-05:00

Thank you for your prayers during my trip to Altotonga. Graduation went very well and the young people and their parents were blessed I was there. I visited with several families and shared meals with several others. The trip was a great success!

The photo is the Senior Class of 2006-2009. There were a few others who are not in the photo. Altotonga was rainy and cool, quite a change from Texas and our 105+ temps.

Press on friends and do what God has put in your heart to do. Until next time....

Heading South

2009-07-08T14:29:00.002-05:00

Friends, it has been awhile since I wrote so I thought I would share some thoughts with you.

I will be heading to Altotonga tomorrow to be at the graduation of Morfin High School. This is the school I taught English at for 4 years. I have been asked to be the "Padrino" of the entire group, about 60 students. Friday morning will be the formal ceremony then in the evening will be a dinner. This is an honor and I look forward to sharing with you what all happens on this special day for this group.

On this trip I want to visit several other teens who graduated these past weeks from other schools. Three more of our teens graduated High School this past week. WOW!

Also, in between the visits I need to meet with the lawyer overseeing the transfer of the property to the church. The transfer process began more than a year ago............need I say more.

It will be a full trip as I return Sunday. I hope to have some new photos to share with you. Thank you for your prayers and support.

Chris

STL trip!

2009-06-06T11:43:00.004-05:00

Hello friends and family!!
As most of you know our family took a short 2 week trip to St. Louis, MO to visit our friends and family up there. It was very short and I would have loved to stay longer, but because of Dad and Aaron's work schedule we couldn't be up there any longer. Even though it was short we were able to fit in a lot of things, including a doctors appointment for me, which went really well! The Doctor's goal was for me to reach 5ft and I have! Thank you God!! Next month I will stop taking the shots I have been taking for the past 6 years! As most of you know I have Turner Syndrome which basically means I don't grow on my own and that is what the shots are for; so when I stop taking them I probably won't grow anymore on my own, but I know God can always help me grow if he wants me to!

I really enjoyed my time there and it always amazes me how fast people grow, not only physically, but also spiritually. While we were there I visited my home church the two Sundays we were in town and it was good to see my friends from there and catch up with them and how they're doing! Dad was able to preach at two churches, one of them our home church "Gracepoint of Webster", and the other one "Oasis." I know Dad always likes to preach at as many churches as possible, but this time he could only fit in two.

Well I don't know what else to write about, so I guess this is all for now!
Until next time,
Jessie

Microwave dinners and dishwashers

2009-05-25T20:11:00.003-05:00

Hey to all! This is Aaron blogging.

As some may know, my parents are in St. Louis and have been gone for almost a week. With them went my sisters, leaving me behind. This worked out ok for an AP test that I had to take Thursday, plus the added work responsibilities I have had at Subway as of late. So, I got a week to try my hand at the bachelor's life. And well... it went well, with only two exceptions.

Being home alone since last Tuesday has been an experience. For starters, my diet changed. Instead of sandwiches for lunch, and Mom's home-cooking for dinner, I got into the routine of a very late breakfast of cereal, then snacks at work, and something small for dinner. This worked ok for a few days. Saturday though, was an adventure. After getting to work slightly late because of an alarm clock mishap, I had an overall good day. I got home and killed a few hours, then got hungry. I took a Salisbury steak frozen dinner out of the freezer and cooked it up. The meat itself was good, but the side dish didn't taste so good. About two hours later, my stomach agreed. I fell asleep on the couch "watching" TV, and when I woke up, was sick. It was around 8:30, and I called Mom and Dad to let them know I was sick and going to bed. I am glad to say that before I even fell asleep, God had healed me! I felt fine. I set my alarm correctly to go to music practice at church the next morning.

Sunday at church was awesome! Both first and second services worship was real. God was moving and touching lives. Phil spoke a good message on wisdom, and the time in Romans in sunday school was good, even if with many rabbit trails. That afternoon, a couple from church (Jerry and Vickie Williams) invited me over for a true home-cooked, Texas meal. It was delicious! I spent a few hours with them, just talking and visiting. Jerry and Vickie run Home of Family Warmth, and I have been able to get to know them and have many sisters-in-Christ thanks to the great work they are doing.

Then today was get-ready-to-leave day. I did the yard work, and was amazed when I got it done before noon. Thank you Lord! Today it was in the 90s here. I had done everything remaining on my list except the dishes. I remembered them as I was watching a movie, so I put in soap and started the washer. An hour or so later, when the movie was over, I got up to get a drink, and was greeted by a lake of suds on the kitchen floor. Thank God that it didn't make as big a mess as it could have! Also, I am thankful that I remembered an old shop-vac. I found it in the garage, plugged it in, and it worked! I vacuumed up the suds and water as best I could, then finished cleaning with a mop, rinse water and a bucket. The dishes have been rinsed again and are now drying. The floor is clean, and I have 3 small things on my to do list that can only be done tomorrow morning before I leave. Oh yeah, I fly out tomorrow from San Antonio to catch up with the rest of the family. So for tonite, these have been my adventures of the week, and I am signing off!

Learning something new every day.

Aaron

CONGRATULATIONS!

2009-05-22T19:01:00.005-05:00

Hi to all!
I just wanted to say to my big brother Aaron, CONGRATULATIONS!! He finished high school, and graduated from "Briles Home Education." He got his diploma (made by Mom) and is looking forward to going to Texas State University in August. Well Aaron, you did it, you graduated! The day everyone had been waiting for finally arrived hahaha!! Well I know from all of the family we are proud of you and once again Congratulations for finishing one phase of your life! I know God has great plans for you in the future and that you will do what he guides you to do! Love you Bro!!

Well I don't have much else to say - just that for whoever is reading this, don't forget to send him a card or an e-mail or you can write to him on facebook if you have one ha!

Until next time!
-Jessie (and also from the rest of the fam)

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T17:04:00.002-05:00

Hello friends and Family!
First of all, I hope you all are having a great Easter! I have been thinking today a lot on what Easter really means. It's not all about getting candy, and having awesome church services and Easter egg hunts. I just wanted to remind all of us what it really is about. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in all the candy and stuff, that we forget what it is all about. It is about a prophecy being fulfilled! Ps 68:18 "When you ascended to the heights, you led a crowd of captives. You received gifts from the people, even from those who rebelled against you. Now the Lord God will live among us there".
That is not the only prophecy about Jesus' resurrection, there are many more! For me this is the greatest day in the year! Jesus is alive again!!
A friend pointed out something to me earlier, because I had made that same reflection on my facebook status. She commented on it and said: He's alive and reigning in glory in heaven, but is He alive and reigning in our hearts? This really struck me because it really makes me think how many people know that He is alive in heaven, but don't really have him alive in their hearts. Another friend made another reflection by saying how most of us have him reigning and alive in our hearts on Sunday mornings, but the rest of the week he gets the back seat... Whoa! that is really deep now! I know all of us are guilty of that! So next year on Easter, remember the true meaning of it all, and that He is alive and that we should be giving him our best, not just on Sundays, but all the time try to give him our best!
Well that's all for now!
'Till next time,
Jessie

Spring Break

2009-04-09T14:59:00.002-05:00

It is now one week into April, well, maybe two...
The family got back from a week long trip to Mexico on Tuesday evening. We left on Tues. the 29th of March, and spent Wednesday afternoon thru Saturday morning visiting with the people we used to live with in Altotonga. After that, we spent Saturday afternoon thru Monday morning in Coscomatepec, where Jim and Ruth Kieffaber now preside and serve. On Tuesday at 7:30, we were back home. So on Wednesday of course, it was back to work for Dad and myself, and back to school for all accept Dad. Our time down south was very good. I enjoyed the time we were able to spend with friends - the people I grew up with. Being able to spend time with the teens was awesome, and I laughed the most I had since being in Altotonga in November. The short time we had in Cosco was just as good. It is very encouraging to see what God is doing in that small little town. The church there is now about 50 persons. Incredible growth for being only about 2 years since the first house meetings started. Praise God! Overall, the time was awesome, even if short. God encouraged me and reminded me how great He is.

Through God's unbelievable peace, I realize a new chapter has started in my life. The time in Altotonga reminded me that we are no longer there. No matter how long we are away though, we still love the people there and have them in our prayers. We know that we will never forget them, and they will never forget us. Still, we know that God has plans for us here. He has plans for me here. And now I believe I am ready for them. Before, it seemed Altotonga was still at the forefront of my mind. Now though, I have peace. Now, I am ready to say 100%, "here I am Lord, send me."

Blessings to all!

Aaron

Stressed, frustrated.... Peace!!

2009-03-23T13:57:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone!!
I just thought I would share a little of what has been going on with me.
These past couple of days I had been stressed out for multiple reasons. One of the reasons is that I am in the process of getting everything I need into the public school for next year. I had to give them my 9th grade report card so they could see how many credits I have, but they won't give me credits for homeschooling (I'm homeschooling 10th grade), so I just had to go with the credits they gave me for my 9th grade year. I had to have 10 credits in order to be a junior in high school next year (11th grade). So I got the results back and I had 8 credits which is really good!!
I still need to get 2 more credits though which will require either testing out of some class, or going to summer school, or also do a credit recovery class during the school year. I had just been completely frustrated about what to do or if I would even be able to get those credits I need.
Yesterday at church Pastor Phil talked about how God fights for and with us and that there is nothing that is to big for him. I just felt that I needed to give all my stress, frustrations and emotions over to God because he is in control of everything. After I did that and trusted 100% that God was going to take care of everything... I felt an incredible peace!!
Philippians 4:7 says "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
I just wanted to share this because I know all of us have a point in our lives where we get so stressed out, and worried, but God gives us peace just like Philippians 4:7 says! So remember that whatever you're going through God is in control!!
Until next time!
Love,
Jessie

Acquire the Fire ---> From Aaron's perspective

2009-03-02T22:33:00.003-06:00

Hello to all!

Wow! It's been forever since my last post. Sorry to all of those waiting for more! Thank you for keeping tuned in.

As Jessie said, Acquire the Fire was in San Antonio this past weekend. It was an amazing time to spend with the teens from our youth group, worshiping God and learning more and more about Him together. Friday started in the evening, and ended the day with a Sanctus Real concert. It was awesome! That night was spent imagining Jesus living in our modern times, born in 1976. It truly made us stop to think more about the way people accepted or rejected Him, even 2000 years ago.

On Saturday, we covered the topics all teenagers need to hear. 1) guy-girl separate workshop, focusing on relationships with the opposite gender. 2) the need to have a passion for extending God's kingdom through missions. 3) the challenge to attack the Bible, reading, memorizing, and living it. 4) learning to relate better with our parents. Those were the main things talked about that day, but curiously enough, God chose a different way to reveal what I most needed to hear that weekend...

On Friday night, both at the event, and even driving back to New Braunfels, I felt God putting something on my heart. I didn't know exactly what to think of it, but I knew it was something I needed to figure out. On Saturday though, God revealed it more and more to me, and I realized that it had truly become an uneeded burden for me. Throughout the day, I couldn't stop thinking of it, and what God was trying to do with my heart at the time. After dinner, we went back into the building from the van where we ate, and started the most amazing time of worship ever. Some of our group went down to be on the main floor for the time, while the rest (including myself) stayed on the 2nd level of the seats. During the worship time, not a single knee of our youth group was unbent. All of us, regardless of where we were, were bowing down, worshiping God, loving Him, receiving His love for us. It was sensational! I myself heard God speaking clearly to me, and later wrote it all down in my notebook using a borrowed cell phone for light. Needless to say, he revealed what was to be done. It wasn't over yet though!

A little while later, after worship, there was a call for us to write down things that were keeping us from getting to where we wanted to be with God. I thought about it first, and then started writing down a couple things.... amazingly, seven things later, I was nailing them (quite literally) to a cross set up on the floor. Even though it was symbolic, I knew God had lifted these things from between us, swept them away. All it took was for me to humble myself and acknowledge them. One of these things was the burden I had discovered the night before. To sum it up, I must say: how amazing and great and powerful is God? He who can reveal a burden, break my heart of it, and have me lay it at his feet in 24 hours is truly an awesome God!!! praise Him!!!

Yesterday in church, I shared a little bit of what God did for me, as well as listened to a couple others give their account of what God taught them. It was really neat to feel closer and closer to God through the weekend. When I look back on it, not only did it draw me closer to Him, but God also allowed me to feel more and more a part of the group than before. I feel like I belong. Thank God for his never-ending mercy, wisdom and love for us. I also thank the church family at Dayspring Christian Fellowship for opening their arms to my family and myself.

God loves us, has a purpose for our life, and will never hesitate to touch us when we need it. The last thing I will mention is the fact that after nailing the paper to the cross, all my barriers were lifted except the one. That one was lifted 5 minutes later, when I lost my focus on all else, and was completely absorbed in God. Never lose your focus, put it where it belongs, 100%, and God will relieve your soul.

Thanks for reading,
Aaron

Aquire the Fire Weekend!!

2009-03-02T17:19:00.003-06:00

Hello friends and family!!
Well this past weekend I had the opportunity to go to a youth event called Aquire the Fire. All I can say is WOW!!!!
First of all I thank God for providing the money to go and just for his amazing love!! He gave everything up for us!!
It was the best weekend of my life, spending in it the presence of God and learning more of him!
One thing that really stuck out to me was how much we need Jesus. I mean sure we want him when it's convenient, or when we're in trouble, but what about when everything's going great, or when we "can do it on our own"? That is the wrong attitude!! We need to transfer Jesus from our "want" list to our "need" list!!
I know I returned from that event on fire for God and my life renewed to him again and realized how much I need him. Honestly I had been spending way to much time on the computer and things and just it distracted me and I decided to make Jesus the center of my life, my priority and not let the distractions get in the way!!
I pray that God will keep the fire burning in me and all the teens that went. Well there's so much that I learned this weekend (I don't have time to put it all in here), but it's time to put them in practice and live them!
Remember make Jesus the center of your life!!!
Love to all!
Jessie

Back from Asia

2009-02-08T16:09:00.002-06:00

Hello Friends,

I had a wonderful trip to Indonesia and China. It was great to be able to minister to our fellow co-workers who sacrifice so much to share the good news. 2008 was a tough year for many but after our get together in Indonesia everyone left refreshed and re focused. Thank you for your support in all aspects. The family did very well while I was gone. Aaron split his head open the night before I left (see other blogs) and Carmen missed her dad but did ok. Jessie likes it when her dad is not around.......

China is an very interesting land. 20% of the worlds population lives in this restricted and brutal country. Please do not fall for the lie they like to show the world, they are hostile towards believers. I was in a modern city that does not show the reality of the Chinese people. Please remember to lift up our brothers and sisters to the Father.

Thanks again for your love and support.

Chris

Stitches... gone.

2009-01-22T15:17:00.003-06:00

Hello to all.

This is just a short little post to let everyone reading know that: my stitches are out! After getting them put in at 1:30 AM last Saturday, today at 11:30 they came out. I still have felt no pain, and when taking them out, there was one small drop of blood. Praise God! I feel so blessed and fortunate to serve such a great God that can make something good out of something that appears to be so bad.

Blessings to all!

Aaron

Head Protection

2009-01-18T17:54:00.005-06:00

Greetings to all!

Of course, once more, Aaron blogging here, but this will be a long one. I warn you in advance, long and possibly overly descriptive, but because of what happened, I must write it all out!

Let's see, where to start. Start with the basics. Myself and Jessie went to an all-night youth lock-in at our church here in New Braunfels. Plans were to eat, have a time of worship, then go broom-balling in San Antonio. Broom-balling is basically street hockey, but with a ball instead of a puck, and on a rink instead of a frozen street. Anyways, the whole thing started with pizza and dodgeball. After that, we had an awesome hour or so of praise and worship. At 10 PM, we left for the San Antonio skating rink, about half an hour away, with my Dad as one of the volunteer drivers. Praise God for that, as the story will later tell! We got on the ice at 10:45, and eventually started a massive game, with about 20 or more people on each team. At say maybe...11:11, I slipped and fell.

Of course, those who saw me say I did a flip, but I just know that I fell too fast to remember, and my head hit the ice... hard. When I got to my knees, I saw a red waterfall coming from my forehead, and all I could think was uh-oh... Mrs. Gracie (one of the youth helpers), took off her sweater to wrap around my head in a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding. I walked off the ice, supported by two others. There at the ice-rink, I got a couple butterfly bandages to help curb the bleeding by drawing my skin back together. It was quickly decided, unanimously, that I had to go to the emergency room. We got to a nearby hospital within 15 minutes, and checked in decently quick. I was conscious the whole time, and in good spirits. I owe that to my dad, sister Jessie, and youth helper Mike. Thanks guys! They were all worried sick about me, and were with me the whole time in the hospital. Through it all though, we joked and laughed and tried to relieve the tension in the air.

Ok, time to backtrack a bit. I was later told I lost around a quart of blood on the ice. I was astounded. The whole time, from hitting my head, to as I write this, I have been pain free. The only burning sensation came when they cleaned it with water and soap at the hospital, and quick shots of pain as I realize certain facial expressions are not advisable to make yet. Also, had my Dad not been a volunteer driver, I wouldn't have gotten into a hospital room until he made it there from New Braunfels, 45 minutes away. God be praised! Ok, let me get back on track. At the hospital, I learned that I would need stitches, and everybody seemed amazed that I wasn't dazed at all. A couple needle pricks with a local anesthetic and 8 stitches later, we were basically free to go. After the required paperwork and clean-up, my Dad, Jessie, Mike and myself walked out of the hospital. It was only 1:45AM. If you don't believe that to be a miracle, how much more do you want?

The whole time, I had remained as cheerful as I could be, hoping it would be contagious. Besides, how not to be cheerful knowing that God had very easily just spared my life? God was with me in such a powerful way that whole time. Not once was I nervous about my head, except when I learned there was to be needles involved in the anesthesia. God gave me incredible peace, and for some reason, stuck the song "Break Free" by Hillsong United in my head all night. The whole time, Mike insisted on my going home after getting out of the ER, but I was only going home if I was tied hands and feet and forced to go! By the time we got back to New Braunfels, Dad had given his assent to my staying at the lock-in as long as I drank lots of water, took it easy, and it was ok with our youth leader Keith. We stopped by Walgreens to get tylenol and an ointment to put on the stitches if needed. When we got to church, it was 2:30. I was allowed to stay! yeah!

Soon after, worship set number 2 began. Keith let me play bass with one condition: sit down to play. OK! As long as I can play! haha. The set was really good, and after TJ (drummer) had to leave, David (worship leader) and Mike played and sang acoustic worship for more than an hour. Everybody who was asleep by that time missed out. God continued to work and minister the way he had the whole night. Towards the end, I asked David to teach me "Break Free", since I still had it in my head! To this hour, I still don't know why that song... hmmm...

By the time Dad came to pick us up at 8, it had been a really awesome time. I was one of about 8 who stayed up allllllll night, and enjoyed it so much. As soon as my head touched pillow when I got home, I was out. I was awakened at 11 or so that morning to take Dad to the airport. He was leaving for Asia! oh yeah! A drive to the San Antonio airport and back gave me lots of time to continue to think about what God has done for me. How great He is! When we got back home, I promptly fell asleep again, until 5:30, when I got up to get ready for one of the Jymmi's (one of the youth) 16th birthday party. I got to bed at 10 Saturday night, and awoke at 6:30 on Sunday to get to church for music practice at 7:15. Church went well, worship was awesome, as God once more came to meet us, and the message from pastor Phil spoke powerfully. Now, it is 6:29 PM on Sunday the 18th, just 43 hours after my fall, and I have yet to experience any pain other than an obnoxious bump on my head! Praise you, Lord!

This whole incident has left me (instead of speechless) without enough opportunities to tell the whole story. It takes time to describe it all, but the main factors were God's protection from serious injury, his plan for Dad to be there, his pain-relieving hand, and his never-ending peace. He is awesome, mighty, powerful, amazing, wonderful!!!! Words cannot describe what he has done the past 48 hours in my life.

That will be all for this post, it is humongous already, and I hope people will take the time to read it! I will post a picture soon of the stitches, then will erase (maybe) this sentence (or maybe not). All I can say for certain is that God is great and his protection and love never cease! As I remember more small details that need to be written, I will include them in future posts. Keep your focus on God, no matter what the circumstance, and keep praising Him!

God bless all!

Aaron

January busy-ness

2009-01-15T17:18:00.003-06:00

Ok, so this is being written in the midst of our media-fast. All I can say is: "what peace and quiet we seem to have!" This fast has been awesome! Instead of spending time watching TV, cruising the internet, or playing video games, our family has used the time to spend together. In the evenings we are all home, we play table games, and lots and lots of Bible Trivia. Family devotions each night draw us together more and more, as well to God. I have started working about 20 hours a week at a Subway 3/4 mile from our house, and have enjoyed it very much.

Dad leaves on Saturday for a 2 week sojourn into southeast Asia. He will be visiting Indonesia and China, much like his visit to Vietnam and Thailand three years ago. He is excited to be able to see the work God is doing in these countries, although he is far from being sold on the idea of a 15-hour plane ride. We are praying that God continue to use him as a blessing to other missionaries in that part of the world.

Well, that's just a little update on what has been going on. To God be the glory forever! Blessings to all!

Aaron Briles

A Challenge

2009-01-02T14:29:00.004-06:00

A belated Merry Christmas and a very happy New Year to all our readers! I know it has taken a long time to write this next blog, but it will have to be short. This month of January, our family is doing a media fast along with others from our church here in New Braunfels. For us, that means that we have no TV, video games or computer for the whole month, unless related to school or work. For those of us with e-mail, we have 1/2 hour each day to read and respond. The purpose of this fast is to 1) draw closer to God, 2) draw closer as a family, and 3) realize how messed up our priorities can sometimes get. In the next month, I will post more little blogs about how that is coming along!

For the rest of you reading out there, we encourage you to do the same. Take time away from your normal, everyday, unnecessary routine activities, and use the time to spend with God and family. We have big goals for our family over this month, and also for the year. What about you?

Thanksgiving Day

2008-11-28T15:07:00.001-06:00

Hey to all!

Happy Thanksgiving Day! This post is actually the Friday after the day, but still, it is a reason to be thankful. We are alive and healthy for another day, and God is blessing us abundantly every day with his love and life. Yesterday, we helped serve food at the community center here in town. It was really cool for our family to be able to serve others on Thanksgiving Day instead of focusing on ourselves and our big meal. We jumped on the chance to be able to help out, and we really enjoyed it. I know I was blessed by it! God has given us so much, how can we not give something back by serving others?

Hope you had a great day!

Aaron

Trip to Mexico

2008-11-26T15:38:00.006-06:00

Hey, Jessie here!

It's been a while since I've written on here. I decided to give a little update on what our family has been doing.

In early November, we took a 10 day trip to Mexico. It was awesome! First, we went to a city called Fortin, where we had the WIM Mexico Conference. We were there for about 3 and a half days. I learned a whole lot at the conference, one of which was this.... I really learned to trust in God more and have faith in Him no matter what the circumstances surrounding me are. I started having very bad headaches the second afternoon at the conference. Basically, I had to sleep during all of our free-time at the conference to be able to stay well. I got a headache ever afternoon for about 5 days, extending to our time in Altotonga. During this time, I had to lie down and sleep for it to go away. Whenever I woke up, headache was gone. At first, I really didn't know if it was the medicine or the sleep that was helping me, but later I realized that it was really God who was taking care of me. I haven't had any more headaches since we got back to New Braunfels, so praise God!!!

There is a lot more I could say about the conference; for me it was one of the best ones I've ever been to. We got to meet new people from the church in Fortin, and were able to interact with the local Christian youth group. I was really impacted by the passion that they have to serve God and share Him with others.

After the conference, it was on to Altotonga! It was really cool to see everyone again and to share with them all the awesome things that have happened since we had last seen them. Overall, it was an awesome trip!

Well, that's all for now and don't forget: God is awesome and does great things!

Jess

Harvest Time

2008-10-27T14:59:00.003-05:00

Hello Friends,

Fall is a wonderful time of year even in south Texas. The weather is cooler though we do not have the nice colors to enjoy as many parts of the United States. Fall is also a time of bountiful harvest across our nation. We are truly blessed to live in a country that can not only feed itself but millions of others around the world.

The fall season also reminds me of our need to harvest for the Kingdom. Take a few minutes and share with others how grateful you are for all God has done for you in your life. Share your personal experiences and show love to everyone you come into contact with. Be different and make a difference in the world you live in.

Thanks for reading and be blessed.

God's Awesomeness

2008-10-22T21:26:00.013-05:00

Wow! Wow! Wow! God is doing crazy stuff in my life!

To start off, up until about 2 weeks ago, I had been kind of down and depressed. Then KABANG!! Things started happening. I got closer to God, for starters, and then everything went uphill from there. Because I was closer to God, I felt school going more smoothly, and I stopped worrying so much about different things. I felt like I got involved more in church, or at least started talking to leaders about getting involved and talking more with other church members.

First of all, Wednesday (the 8th) I was approached by the youth pastor about doing worship in Sunday school for the teens. I had volunteered to help him out in whatever needed, and apparently, that was what. So I told him I would pray about it, and Sunday (the 19th) was my first time doing it. More on that farther down.

Then, Thursday (the 16th) I went to worship practice at church, figuring I would continue observing and taking it all in as I had the past couple weeks... God had other plans. Adam, a college student that is member of the church was back visiting, sharing his amazing testimony about what is going on in his life. Thursday he shared about what was going on in his to the worship and tech team, and then Sunday he shared in church. Anyway, Thursday night was crazy, the whole time I wanted to get up and shout how great God is, just from hearing such things in person. It's one thing to read in a book, or hear from a third person, but to actually hear it told from the guy himself who went through it was awesome!!! So after he shared his testimony, the worship team did one song to practice for Sunday and that was it....or so I thought....

After Pastor Phil left, the remaining worship team members continued playing. There was one song that was played over and over and over again, as the Spirit just came down upon all of us in the church...during practice! It was totally an increidible experience that strengthened my faith that night. Before I left, Martin (soon-to-be worship team leader) asked me if I was interested in starting to play the bass on Sundays. Of course, I didn't have to decide immediately, but I was to take time to think and pray about it. How many amazing ways God can work in!! I have been praying that God get me involved again, and all of a sudden, everything at once! So, because of how awesomely God moved, I ended up arriving at home 2 hours later than expected. Luckily, I was able to call from church before hand....

My family and I went camping Friday night (the 17th). We had a really good time as a family to cool off... quite literally, as it hit 45 degrees that night....

But when Sunday (the 19th) came....ohohohohoho...... To start it off, I lost a bet and had to wear orange since Mizzou lost to U. Texas and I had to borrow a t-shirt from Jessie... Anyway, TJ (drummer on team) gave me a ride to church, so it was really cool to get 10 minutes to chat with him. At church, I was in watching the team practice, and then I felt drawn towards the kitchen. So I went to investigate, and ended up spending the rest of the time in there lending a hand where needed to help get ready for church and the baptism/picnic to be held afterwards. In Sunday school it was my first week leading worship in class, and it went really well, except I forgot the verses in the first song. As it ends up, the group knew the song well and followed another person easily enough. After that, I was kind of nervous, but luckily that was all the unfortunates. Other than that Sunday school was really good. In the service, my family and about 10 other people were recognized as new members of the church. After praising God for a few songs Adam shared his testimony. As on Thursday, he was super-pumped and excited to share it with everyone, and it was amazing! So many people were just crying out to God. His Spirit just moved among everyone as David (teen worship leader) led a worship time, a time of people just pouring out their hearts to God. It was awesome!!! I felt God speaking to me during this time, but with one problem. Before, I had become too comfortable thinking that I knew what university God was going to put me in. I thought I knew what direction God was wanting for my life, and now it seems He threw it all up in the air again. He made me stop and remember that I can't become complacent, because He wants me to rely on Him for EVERYTHING. Apparently, I was a little too comfortable for Him, and He shook me up.

After church we went to the Guadalupe river for baptism service. Once more, I asked TJ if I could hitch a ride with him. I didn't realize that we would leave the church almost an hour after everybody else!!!! We were basically just hanging out with other teens that had - like Adam - come into town from college for the weekend. Once we got to the river, the baptisms were awesome!!! It was neat to see adults, youth, and kids alike proclaim their faith in God! One thing I found out at the picnic was that I can still joke around and just share laughs with people in church, something I really hadn't felt comfortable to do since we were visiting STL.

It was a long 4 days, but it came with everything.... school, amazing spritual revival, closeness to God, closeness to family, boredom, busyness, awesome testimonies, young men seeing visions and dreaming dreams, baptisms, resting assured in God, and resting confused in God.... everything in such short time!!!! The one biggest thing about is though, is that God is who He says He is. He is faithful and He answers prayers. I had been praying for a strenthening of my faith, and God delivered 1000 times more powerfully than I ever could have dreamt possible!

Serving an awesome God,

Aaron

Texas State University

2008-10-12T21:35:00.006-05:00

Hey there, Aaron blogging.

Well, it's been a while since the last posts, and actually, not much has changed, at least for me. I am still adapting to life away from Mexico, although the adapting to life in USA has come easier. Basically, I just wanted to give a little update on my life, and the possible next step.

Being a senior in high school, I have been on the lookout for potential colleges for the past couple years. It is definitely different than I pictured it when living in Mexico. I had always thought that I would be based out of Saint Louis for my advanced studies, but since then, we - obviously - had a relocation, and college options changed. Texas State University (15 minutes away) and Christ for the Nations (in Dallas) became two very potential schools. Dad, Jessie and I walked the Texas St. campus for about 2 hours a few weeks ago, and I decided to attend what was called a "Bobcat Day." Basically, it is open house day under a different name. The program they had was very good, and gave the hundreds of prospective students that went a chance to find out more about specific areas of study, cost, campus layout, applications, and scholarship opportunities. It was a very good day for myself - not to mention my Dad- especially when we learned that I potentially qualify for various different scholarships. When we got home from our little excursion, we immediately went online, and I started filling out online application request and scholarship forms. Although they probably won't be submitted officially for a couple weeks, during that time I will be writing two different essays for the scholarship committee, and one of them will be used as an application essay. I get to kill two birds with one essay, so to speak.

Even though Texas State is not necessarily final, it does look very promising. Christ for the Nations hasn't been ruled out completely, and I continue researching it and more importantly, praying that God will give me wisdom in this upcoming choice. Right now though, He has given me extraordinary peace whenever I think about choosing Texas St. It is really good to know that whatever I choose, I know I can count on God to be there for me, and I will be with him, as long as I make Him my priority.

Serving the God of wonders,

Aaron

Jessie Update

2008-09-24T21:00:00.009-05:00

Life in Texas, hmmm... where to start? It is pretty good overall. The biggest transition for me has probably been my homeschooling. Before public school in Mexico..... now, homeschool..... different! I have been slowly adjusting to life here, but I have not completely adjusted yet. I have made new friends, which I really enjoy spending time with, and have been going to a cool youth group at a local church. Another big thing is our eating schedule. Like Aaron explained in his post, it is really different from what I'm used to. Other than those couple things, it's going ok. That's about all for me now!

Jessie

Adapting to Life

2008-09-23T10:30:00.008-05:00

Having moved to New Braunfels a couple months ago was a huge transition for our family. Everyday life is different, and the culture shock is, well...shocking. Schoolwork for myself, Jessie, and Carmen can at times be frustrating, especially since Mom is the sole teacher. Dad seems to be adjusting to his office duties day-by-day. The food schedule is what messes me up most though! After being used to eating breakfast at 7:30, having a mid-morning snack, a full lunch at around 2pm., and a small dinner at around 8:30, my eating schedule is completely different! Now I have a small breakfast, usually around 8, a smaller lunch at noon, and a big dinner at 6. I know these kind of things may seem like small trifles, but hey! That's the culture shock. Driving everywhere instead of walking, staying indoors almost all day to avoid the heat (instead of avoiding the rain), and for me personally... having a room in the house, instead of having my one door off the courtyard. Little things like that add up in the change, but the transition is more than just simple stuff. The big thing is to remember, every day - heck, every minute - that God is in control and will use the change to do his will. The hard part is learning to leave everything, not just 99.9% of it, in His hands. That's become my daily lesson for the last few weeks, and I know that He is molding me to his purpose, I just have to let him.

Aaron

Technology

2008-08-12T07:33:00.001-05:00

As I sit here learning more about blogging and computers I am reminded how life is a journey. We all need to continually learn, no matter what age we are, or we will become stagnant. The same is true for the life of a Christian. Everyday we should be learning more about God almighty and His character. If we do not continually learn of God it is an open door for satan to attack and make us "lukewarm" towards God. We all know what happens to those who are lukewarm, right?

Thanks for reading.
Chris