Holidays in Venezuela

Merry (late) Christmas and HAPPY NEW YEAR! I am really sorry this has pretty much turned into a monthly blog. Ha this is definitely one of my new year resolution… to blog more!

So much has been going on throughout my life this past month. God continues to be merciful to me and shower me with blessings. He is so patient with me and my fleshliness. I owe Him everything. I am reminded daily of what an opportunity this year has been. I still feel like I am living a dream here in Venezuela and I know that I will never be in this same situation again. I have to give this back to God somehow.

Things that have happened in my life and experiences…
- THANKSGIVING… For thanksgiving break the Linn family (who I live with), 3 teachers from school, and I went to stay at a hotel about an hour and a half from here. Venezuelans do not celebrate thanksgiving so there was HARDLY anyone there! So nice and relaxing! It was so good to get out of the city and have some peace and quiet while sitting out by the pool. Adventures in Venezuela. While we were fixing sloppy joe’s for our thanksgiving dinner, the power went out. So we had thanksgiving in the dark that night BUT God was shining bright as we worshiped by singing and thanking Him. Just a few of the things I am thankful for: FAMILY: the ability to keep in contact with them through phone and internet, my family here who has accepted me in and allowed me to stay with them this year; FRIENDS: God has answered my prayers with all my wonderful friendships here at school and church (that was one of my big prayer requests when I first came to Venezuela- praise GOD!), also really thankful for all my awesome friends who have kept in contact with me from the states and have continued to encourage me; BODY OF CHRIST: I am soooooo thankful for the church down here and all the people that have shown me the love of Christ, also so thankful for my church back at home in Indiana and those that have kept in contact with me from there (I AM SOOOOOO BLESSED!), thankful for all my brothers and sisters in Christ who have helped me grow over the years and have spoken truth and wisdom into my life (I AM ETERNALLY GRATEFUL!) OTHER BLESSINGS: praise God for helping me with my Spanish this year! I am not fluent yet.. but it is growing! Also thankful for the Christian schooling I have been able to have and all my teachers who have invested into my life. SOOOOO MUCH MORE! Thanksgiving break was also a little hard because I started to miss my family. I knew they were with my other extended family that weekend and I just missed being with them. Also its hard to take a vacation without your family!
- School recently… well school is school. ☺ history has been interesting as we are studying WW2 and watched some movies about that. Ha and then there is anatomy. We dissected a piglet the last week of school. FUN STUFF!! It reminded me of dissecting a small shark in Sunday school in 5th grade. (we were studying Jonah with Mr. Wright- he was one of my favorite Sunday school teachers… so many memories). There were a few times I felt a little sick, but I figured if I want to go into the medical field I better get used to it now!
- Church recently… baptisms. Wow God is working so much down here. I have heard countless stories of someone becoming a Christian, praying relentlessly for their family to come to Christ, and then God answers and the next thing you know someone they love is being dipped back into the water after making their good confession. ONLY GOD. Only He can do something like that. I love the worship services too. You look around and see 60 yr. olds and above practically jumping while praising God with a big smile. God is so real and so felt. And for me there is just something super special about singing in Spanish and understanding it and praising God. Also thanks to God I have been able to slowly understand during sermons more and more. What a joy it is when you start understand God and his message and sermons in a different language! PRAISE GOD!
- This past week my family has been here! AHHHHHHHH SO GOOD TO HAVE THEM HERE! Just to see them and hug them and be with them has been so extraordinary! My mom brought me a lot goodies, including some her amazing Christmas cookies! Also my friend Alexis was able to come and it’s been so good catching up with her and getting to show her Venezuela! My family was able to got to church on Sunday and see people they have not seen for almost 8 years. It was so much fun introducing them to some of my friends at church as well! After church we went to one of my family’s favorite restaurants in Venezuela that has the BEST roasted chicken and fruit drinks. Then we headed out the camp- the place that has such a big place in my heart! That camp was reason my family came to Venezuela in 2002. My dad was the head constructer so we spent a lot of time there when we lived here in Venezuela…..so many memories! The camp is used my Christian churches in the area for retreats and camps. I heard my uncle say that in the past 8 years over 2000 people have been baptized there. PRETTY SPECIAL HUH? Only God. On Monday we did some work on the camp and then on Tuesday we all went out to the beach. THEN WEDNESDAY. OH Wednesday. I am still feeling the affects of yesterday, Wednesday. My uncle, 3 cousins, my dad, brother, my friend, 2 people from church and I went on the biggest hike of my life. We got up at 5 in the morning, ate a quick breakfast, and started our big adventure. The mountain we climbed just happened to be the 2nd highest biggest mountain in Venezuela. As I am writing this I still cant believe I made it up. We hiked over 10 miles up and down this mountain (called the Avila) and it took us over 10 hours. NEVER AGAIN! Haha so many times I wanted to quit. Getting to the top was such a relief and beautiful as you look to one side and see nearly all of Caracas and then on the other side you see the Caribbean. INCREDIBLE! Then you sadly realize you have to hike down. No helicopter to take you down. No parachute to glide down. And NO ONE TO CARRY YOU DOWN! Almost makes you want to cry! Ha but by the grace of God and his strength, we all made it down. If only you knew how big this mountain is you would feel my pain and joy right now. It was an experience and I am glad I went up. Don’t think I will do that again for a longggggg time!

Well I better go spend some time with the family. They all went for a walk so I figured I should blog! ☺ There is more I want to write later though!

Thanks for all who are praying for me and who encourage me!
Keep glorifying God with you life,
Love,
mariah

the picture= this is my family at camp along with the friends from church!

All i can say is TIME FLIES when you are having FUN :)

My mother will be so proud of me! I am finally sitting down to write on my blog! MUCH APOLOGIES! I am so sorry it has taken me forever to write another blog. I just kept pushing it back and back until i realized that it was a month later. I had a few people wondering if i was still alive! YES I AM FULL AND WELL! :)

Wow life is busy here. It never stops but i am enjoying every minute of it! I am reminded of Scott Bostick's quote, "Life if too short not to take Jesus at His Word." Think about it! October was the church anniversary month here; which meant my family was busy every weekend with church activities. Its been great though! God is working so much in the lives of the people here and it continually amazes me to see how much faith people put in Christ. My brothers and sisters in Christ are always setting an example for me.

Ok so here a few things i have gotten to do the past month:

- I got to go to Colonial Tavar. This is a old German village up in the mountians. My family went there when we lived in Venezuela 8 years ago and it is one of my dad's favorite places here. I was invited to go with some friends from school over fall break and the girl who took us wanted to do a photo shoot type thing. One of my really good friends from school, Adri, is an AWESOME photographer and so we had a lot of fun taking pictures in nice dresses and just hanging out. I was also able to buy some Christmas presents for my family up there. I CAN NOT WAIT to see them at Christmas!

- Every Friday night my school has youth group and that has been going GREAT! God is working in the lives of my classmates but MUCH prayer is needed as well for my classmates and faith.

- Every Saturday night I go to the church youth group. I LOVE IT. i am pretty sure its one of my favorite times of the week. It is simply like one BIG family and i love seeing people my age who are seeking the Lord with their whole lives. God has blessed me so much with friendships since i have been here. I remember one of the first nights getting to Venezuela and praying "God please help me to connect with people and just make a few good friends." WELL God has sure given me a plethora . THANK YOU! Also thanks to all who have been praying for me and my friendships :)

- Since i have been in Venezuela i have been able to develop a really strong relationship with my English teacher. Her name is Natalie and she is only 24; but a great teacher and friend. I clicked with her since the first day of school and she asked if i was interested in her discipling me. So we meet weekly after school and have great talk time, Bible time, and prayer time. God has extremely blessed me with this friendship. It just reminds me of all my awesome friends back at home and how much i miss talking with them about Christ and our lives. This past weekend Natalie spent the night and in the morning we made pancakes and then we carved a pumpkin and made delicious pumpkin seeds! I had a great time with her and she has been challenging me in many areas of my life.

- Now to last weekend. A NEW EXPERIENCE. AN ADVENTURE. OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE. ONLY SPANISH. NERVOUS. EXCITED. FAITH. So last weekend one of my friends from church, Adriana, invited me to come down and spend the afternoon with her, go to youth group, and then spend the night with her. How could i give up an opportunity like this? Dionna drove me to a bus stop and dropped me off. I waited for about 15 minutes in line. During that time i was thinking, "I have no idea what city i am in, I do not speak very good spanish, but Jesus- all i have and need it You." A step of faith. I felt completely in God's Hands, safe and loved. Once i got off the bus my friend picked me up and we went to her house. Let me remind you of something- SHE ONLY SPEAKS SPANISH! Like i said, what an experience! After youth group we hung out with some other church friends. By the time we got back to her house my brain was FRIED. But my friend was pacient with me and helped me alot! MY FIRST SLEEPOVER IN VENEZUELA! i loved it all! Her family was really fun to be with too!

There are a few details of me life. :) Like i said earlier, the year is going by extremely fast! School has been great. Stressful at times- with homework and all. But i am really enjoying my classes. Anatomy has been a blast- very challenging but i am learning so much! In Bible class we are starting to study Hebrews! GAHH i am SO excited to study it with my Bible teacher- he is a really neat guy with a radically passionate heart for the Lord. Home life has been good. Aunt Donna is a great cook but i miss my mom's good cookin' and my dad's venison every now and then. I love every chance i get to talk to my family on the phone or Skype! I still can not believe i have been away from home almost 3 months! Glory to God for getting me through hard times when i miss them.

Spiritually, God has continued to shape my heart and mold me to be His alone. I have learned so much about humility through my difficulites with Spanish, perseverance with homework, loving people, and giving God complete control. My Spanish tutor has been making me memorize verses in Spanish from Romans that i can use at the hospital. She is yet another blessing in my life! I have also been learning the "behind the scenes work" of missions. I have always said i want to be a missionary and when i look at my life and faith and fears right now, i think: IMPOSSIBLE! I need more faith, more trust in God. But then i also think: GOD IS WITH YOU ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE! I will go wherever He wants me to go. But i must surrender everything to Him. Let go of myself. Let go of the world and its desires. Stop listening to the devil's lies. and FOLLOW HIM.

Love you all lots! Thanks for all prayers, encouraging emails, and support!
Dios te bendiga (God Bless You)

mariah brooke :)

{the pictures is from a church event. The girl on the left of me, Amaris, has been one of my good friends for a LONG TIME! Then there is Adriana- the girl who i spend the night with. Then one of the youth leaders!}

Bread of Life

(this picture is of my class at school.. just 8 of us!)

Hey loved ones, sorry I have been a little late with my blog. I just have not been in the “mood” to do it lately but now I am so, I am taking this opportunity to write now! ☺ I hope you all are doing great and continually drawing closer to Christ! I have been EXTREMELY blessed with people like you in my life. I take so much for granted and I just want to make sure you all know how much I love and appreciate you. Many of you who read my blog are the very ones who have poured truth and love into my life and have helped make me who I am today. THANK YOU! Thank you for each prayer and kind word you have ever given or spoken to me! Also thank you for showing me a life lived for Christ and being a good example for me to follow. I hope you continue to pour into others lives like you have poured into mine. Thanks ☺ Gracias!

The past two weeks have been full of some ups and downs- but mostly ups and through the downs I am learning. So I praise God for the past two weeks of my life! He continues to be faithful in my life and teaching me how to become more like His Son. Last (last) Wednesday, September 23-25, my school went out to a camp called Zion. I had been there before but it has been a loooooooong time and I just had vague memories. One of those memories was trying to climb up a mountain (Mt. Zion) with my mom and some guys from the church. Lets just say we were not quite ready for that hike. ☺ But anyway, the 7th thru 12th graders all went for a time of spiritual revival and fellowship with one another. The bus ride there was long and bumpy but those times are some of my favorite because you get to talk with people and the scenery was incredible. At Zion we broke up into two teams and played a whole bunch of games. One of my favorites was playing ‘Capture the Flag’ at ten at night in the pitch-dark. I was freaked out and scared beyond my wits because I could not see a thing and I did not want to run into any creature that was lurking in the trees or bin the brush. I just kind of stood there and watched people and was extremely relived when a girl from my team found the flag! We also played a gross food game where people had to eat crazy things like onions covered in toothpaste and coffee grounds (DIonna ate that and saw her breakfast soon after!) and someone else had to eat a lime. It was crazy; luckily (or thank God) I only had to eat some crackers! The worship time was amazing. There is something special about worshipping God while you are in the middle of nowhere with mountains surrounding you on every side- like you could reach out and touch God. On Thursday morning we got up extremely early to go hiking up Mt. Zion. What an experience that was! I loved every minute of it! It was tough at times but so rewarding when you could stand at the top and look around and see God’s masterpiece radiating in the sunlight. Dionna and her teacher had taken their guitars up top and they lead one of the coolest worship times ever. Praise God! One of my big prayers right now is to see everyone in the high school come to know Christ and desire to have an intimate relationship with Him. I see God working already in some of my peers’ hearts but we need to be praying hard! Camp was a great experience and I really enjoyed getting to know many people better and praising the God of the universe and God of my life.

Last Sunday I got to return to the cancer hospital that I went to a few weeks ago. WOOOOOOOOOW! God is humbling and teaching me how I need to constantly be telling others about what He is doing in my life. PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW! How foolish is it for me to say I believe in Christ and yet neglect sharing that love with others. My faith is worthless if it is not in action. This time we took a guitar and some sock puppets in. We got to visit a 3-year-old girl whose mom was only 18-years-old. The niña (girl) was absolutely beautiful and precious. She was timid with us but really liked the puppets. In the different rooms we sang and prayed with people and just loved on them with the love poured on us by Christ. Being at the hospital reminds me never to take my health for granted. The people crowded around when we played the guitar and we were simply honored to be Jesus’ hands and feet that day. Please be praying for those suffering and that they may come to know the suffering is temporary and the only hope is found in Jesus Christ. I can not wait to go back!

WOW I can not believe it is already October. Time flies and I have almost been in Venezuela for two months. If I did not believe in Christ I would not be here. Plain and simple. This month is the 10th anniversary for the Casarapa Church. This is the church David and Donna (my aunt and uncle) helped to start. This is also the church my family was part of when we lived here 8 years ago. This is the church that has stolen my heart and the place where Christ is teaching me so much right now. This weekend an evangelist came in speak and I went to hear him with my aunt and uncle. You know when you listen to a sermon and you feel like the preacher is speaking directly into your heart and right at your face? His message was about carencias (the lacks and needs) of our lives. We each have external (human needs- food, sleep, etc) and internal needs (love, joy, peace, etc). God did not make us to be empty inside and He is the only one who can fill us- or else we are miserable. Ps 23:1 (I verse I have known my whole life but forgot its meaning) “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not WANT!” Is God all I want? Jesus says He is the Bread of Life. And the origin of the word “bread” means “everything.” Wow this really spoke to me and this is what God has been working on me lately. I am currently reading a book by John Piper called “A Hunger for God.” This book has challenged me in so many ways, especially with putting God above food. Do I want God more than food? How hungry am I for God? Often times I find myself trying to be “filled” and “satisfied” with everything in life BUT God. This needs to change, God please never stop transforming my heart!

This past week has been crazy! Dionna (my cousin who is my age) got invited by another soccer team in Caracas to go play at a tournament in Brazil! We had been praying for her decision all week, and on Friday morning she took off for Brazil until October 18. I am going to miss her so much! But I am so excited to see how God will use her and just excited about what an experience and opportunity this is for her! Dionna has helped me so much since I have been here in Venezuela. She helps to keep me sane and has encouraged me in some of the difficult times I have had here. Her heart is set on Christ and I am privileged to know her! Please keep her in your prayers!

Also I cannot wait to talk to my dad this weekend! He has been in Africa the past few weeks with a group from my church in Indiana. One of the coolest things about his trip was that he got to put in the water purifier system that my youth group raised money for! God is so awesome. This water system is going to provide clean water for over three schools with over 1600 kids total! HOW INCREDIBLE! Most of those kids suffer from worms because of the unclean water they drink. This water system was totally a God thing and it is so cool to see how my youth group is able to help those in Kenya! I am really looking forward to talking to him sometime this weekend about his trip and about what God did while they were there. I miss my parents so much but I have a peace because I know this is where God and I want to be this year.

That is all about I have for now. Praise God that my Spanish is coming along. I really really like my tutor! She has me memorizing Bible verses in Spanish that I can use at the hospital and we also pray together after my class. Praise God for the friendships I am developing with those at church and school. Praise God for the opportunity I have here. Praise God for the Casarapa Church. Praise God for his love and mercy and for Caracas.

Unworthy servant,
Mariah Brooke

Here is a link to my facebook pictures if you want to look at them :

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2454430&op=1&o=global&view=global&subj=503614515&id=503614515#/profile.php?id=503614515&v=photos

Highs and Lows

The past few week has been like a roller coaster of events. But God is faithful, and i am alive! :) A continual thanks to all who have been so encouraging to me! I have been blessed beyond measure and i have so much to be thankful for! :)

Well for starters, last Thursday I got to go with Donna to Makro! Makro is equivalent to a Sam's Club or Costco in the States. I remember going there with my mom 7 years ago. I got excited seeing all the fresh produce that you can buy in large quantities. :) There is just something inside me that makes me want to cook and bake for people. I think i get it from my mother! :) Along those lines, last week was a bit hard. There came a time when i had a strong urge to go help people. I just wanted to leave school and go care for people, give them a hug, and let them know that Jesus loves them. I don't know. I think with school right now, God is teaching me perseverane and working on my heart for something in the future. I need to keep relying on His strength to get me through school.

On Friday night, I had the opportunity to go to a Vigilia at church. A Vigilia is similiar to a lock-in but, it is a lot more "spiritual." It was for the youth group, so i got to meet some new friends from church. The worship and fellowship was great but at times i got frustrated and tired because of the Spanish. haha at 5 A.M. we had a mini American Idol thing. We all split into groups and someone from each group had to go up and sing in front of everyone. Well lets just say that my group decided to flee and by the time it was my group's turn to send someone up to sing, there was no one left- except me. So i went up there, extremely tired, and took the microphone. They started playing a Hillsong song that i know in English and Spanish. But i couldn't remember the words- in my head i would sing a few words in English and then i would go into Spanish. So i just stood up there. Haha it was bad and i was pretty embarrassed. But life goes on... Aunt Donna picked me up a few hours later and i came home and crashed until 3:30 p.m. Overall it was a great experience, good practice time for my Spanish, and most importantly, a good worship time!

Church on Sunday was yet another great experience filled with heart-felt worship and a touching message. The preacher this week had a great insight on a passage in Genesis 14 about Abraham and Lot. He was talking about our life battles and how what we depend on will determine the victory. This was a message i really needed to hear because i feel like recently i have been going through a spiritual battle. There are so many things i am learning right as well as many simple truths that i need to be reminded of every now and then. I also had a great conversation with my dad on Sunday night that was much needed. I love him and miss him so much. I am excited for him because today he left for Kenya! So cool- and i have to admit i am a little jealous! I can not WAIT to hear about how God is working over there! I am so happy for him because i know Africa has a special place in his heart like Venezuela does in mine.

Also on Sunday after church a few of my teachers came over for a while to hang out and eat lunch with us. I have really started to develop a great friendship with my English teacher, Miss Bullock. She has been a great friend for me to talk to about life and i am able to connect with her. I think we are going to start meeting weekly so she can disciple me and so that we can have some good time to talk. God has blessed me so much with this relationship in my life along with many others! This is such a huge answer to prayer for me as well. :)

Now to last night. Last night my procrastination tendencies led me to working for about 5 hours or more on a paper for U.S. History. I had it all written out and was just getting ready to type it up when my stomach started hurting really bad. I was extremely nauseous and felt horrible.. well it all went down from there. Enough said. So today i stayed home from school to rest and i finished up my paper. Thank God i am slowly starting to feel better because tomorrow my school is heading out to a camp for a few days for a retreat type thing. I am SUPER excited because i have heard that people get really competitive and also one day we get to hike up a mountain. More importantly, i am looking forward to getting to know some of the people in my high school better and develop deeper relationships. :) I just hope that i am feeling up to doing everything and i am glad i got sick here instead of camp!

One other thing that has been pretty frustrating for me is my spanish. I do not remember if i talked about this in earlier blogs, but with my school being English-speaking, my spanish has become almost a discipline. I really have to force myself into working at it but i am having trouble finding the time for that. Weekends are my favorite because i get to be around church people and also practice my spanish! When it comes down to it, it all comes back to balance in life and time management. There are so many things i want to do here but i do not feel like i have enough time for! Priorites, priorites... welcome to life!

Well that is about all i have for this week! I still can not believe i am actually living in Venezuela and that i have been here for over a month! Thanks for everyone's prayers and support!
LOVE YOU ALL!
mariah

Another God-given incredible week :)

Yet another week that God has blessed me with! Thanks to all of you who continually encourage me with your comments and by telling me you read this blog. I pray that this blog not be my words but God's words of how He is working in not only my life but in those around me as well. All glory to Him forever!

The big thing that happened this week was my 17th birthday. No offense to anyone, but I FEEL OLD! I am becoming an adult all too quickly and it scares me a little bit! But it also reminds me of how short my life really is and a reminder to live for what really matters. Ha- i called my mom earlier this week and told her about all that and then i told her of how i could be married in 3 years! I think that scared her a bit but then again she and my dad got married when he was 20 and she had just turned 21! It's a little crazy to think about that but its true! NOW i better make this clear! I am not saying that because i am with anyone right now or have a 'crush' on anyone... just stating reality! :)
So yeah, my birthday was on Thursday. It was hard being away from home and getting to be with my family but God provided family here to surround me in love. Although it hurt deep when my family asked me how they were supposed to celebrate my birthday without me. To start things off, when we got to school i had a good friend walk up to me with a candle in hand and sing 'happy birthday' to me. Adriana is the girl's name and she has been an awesome friend to me since i have been in Venezuela! She is super sweet and has a gift with people- encouraging and including everyone, especially making people feel welcome! :) Then in English, my first class, my classmates and teacher threw me a little party. A few of the girls had made brownies and snickerdoodles and brought fruit drinks! YUM! :) It meant to much to me! On top of that, one of the girls in my class called her dad (who is a radio host in the mornings) and she asked him to wish me a happy birthday on the radio! HE DID and we all gathered around a stereo and listened to it! HOW COOL! :)
The rest of the day people were super sweet and made my birthday really special. In Anatomy, if you are late to class you have to get up in front and sing a song to the class. Well, one of the Korean girls named Lisa was late for class that day. For her song she sang 'Happy Birthday' to me in Korean! That was pretty sweet! Then that night Donna made some awesome skyline chili for my birthday dinner... a little reminder of home. :) After dinner Dionna asked me if i wanted to go to a lookout spot with her and talk for a bit. We went and on the way home Dionna told me we were going to go the back way. Well, i am still new here in Venezuela and come-to-find-out there is no back way home! Instead she took me to one of the girl's house from our school. Her name is Mari and she walked up and said that her grandma wanted to wish me a 'happy birthday.' Well i thought it was just another Venezuelan cutlure thing, so we walked in and then about 15 people from my school popped out and starting singing "Feliz Cumpleazaños!" Wow they got me good! i had no idea they were planning this! They made me dance latin dances (salsa and merengue). But dont worry- it was all clean and fun, just getting a taste of Venezuelan culture! I was horrible at dancing though. I was trying so hard to get the steps and then they were making fun of me becuase i would not move my hips at all! But i think i am ok with that! :) I really enjoyed the night and it was good for me to get to know some of my friends from school better. I felt like i was able to relax and laugh- which was much needed! So overall, my birthday was great and thank you for everyone who sent me a birthday message! This was definetly a birthday i will always remember!

On Saturday morning Aunt Donna took me to downtown Caracas to do a little shopping. This part of Caracas is known to be very dangerous and often you hear about people getting mugged. So Donna and I were careful in what we took and wore. I enjoyed spending some time with her and going into all the venezuelan shops! So cool! i loved seeing all the Venezuelan culture and also getting to try some new food. :) After that we went to watch Dionna play soccer. She is a BEAST at soccer and it was so much fun watching her play! She scored on a indirect kick near the goal! It was hard sitting on the sideline becasue it made me want to get out on the field and rub some shoulders with girls and kick the ball around. :) Yeah i am starting to miss soccer a bit.

This weekend has been pretty chill. Church this morning was awesome like always! :) We sang 'trading my sorrows' and 'Great is thy faithfulness' in spanish. So cool to know those songs in English. I thought of my dad for some reason singing 'Great is thy faithfulness' and just wanted him there standing beside me. :( I enjoyed talking with some friends after church and practicing some spanish. It's coming little by little- i just need to keep talking with people! I still love every minute i get to spend at the church. :)

Well I think i am finally able to pin-point what God wants to teach me: DISCIPLINE. uggggg,,, grrrrrr,,,, ouchhhhh. It hurts and its hard. But this summer i read a book about spiritual discipline and felt like i learned somethings but apparently i have a TON more to learn. For my small group at school we are reading another disciplines book. At first i was really dissapointed i had to read another discipline book beaucse i just read all this stuff. But i am seeing how much i need these things in my life. Last night as i was lying in bed reading, i heard uncle David tell Dawson, "Discipline is a daily choice..." Then i started reading my book called "Having a Mary Spirit" by Joanna Weaver, and of course, the chapter was about spiritual discipline! OK GOD! I GET IT! Ever since i came to Venezuela i started praying that God would allow me and help me grow closer to Him. I keep praying for a closer relationship with Him. Well i don't know if He could be any clearer. I NEED DISCIPLINE!
Here are a few points for the chapter i read last night that really stuck out to me:

• Without discipline and help from God you will remain the same and not grow in your faith
• We tend to want to live a life of ease rather than a life that pleases God
• the Holy Spirit is like your personal trainer and HE is WILLING to help you!
• Whenever I resist the conviction of the Holy Spirit, I am really saying no to God and yes to Satan
• When God asks, He also enables
• The battle is the LORD'S! YESS!

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." Hebrews 12:11

So this is how i grow closer to God, this is how i let go of me and cling onto Him. This is not going to be easy at all! but I am so glad i have the Creator of the Universe to help me!

Venezuela has been amazing. Although it kills me beacuse i want friends and family to experience everything with me. Words can not describle many things nor can a picture. But i hope you all get a taste of what Venezuela is like and come to love it like i do! Thanks for everyone's support and love!

In Christ Alone,
Mariah Brooke

Week beyond words

Thanks for all your continual encouragement and love you all show me! I am so blessed to have people like you all in my life!

The past week has been a LEARNING week!
First, I will tell you about a lesson that I learned. It is not a good idea to stay up til 2:30 a.m. and wake up at 5:30 a.m. for school! Its actually pretty destructive to oneself! Wednesday night last week I had the opportunity to go to a small group for younger people at Casarapa. (that's where my family lived when we lived here 7 years ago!) anyway the small group was held next to the same pond that my siblings and i used to scooter around and around. So many memories came as I sat there with my uncle listening to the Gospel message being taught with an indescribable passion. Praise God for the many ways He is working and making His glory known in Venezuela! Well, i got home that night and got to work on a Bible paper I had to write about if it is possible to be a Christian Pluralist- meaning that you claim to be a Christian yet also believe there are multiple ways to get into Heaven. This was not an easy paper to write, so i was up until 1:45 a.m. with that. Then Dionna and I had to study together for an Anatomy quiz. What fun it is to try to memorize body systems at 2:00 in the morning! We were laughing so hard, so much so that later that morning my Aunt asked us about why we were talking and laughing about "urethra" so late. Apparently we were a little loud! :) Great memories though! So after only getting 3 hours of sleep Wednesday night, I was wiped out on Thursday night. If you know me well you know i do not do well at ALL with little sleep! ( I get that from my dad! :) ) so i got a little homesick that night while i was crying because i was frustrated and just wanted to talk to my mom- talk to someone who could handle the basket-case i was! But its been good to keep in touch with my family and many friends through skype and facebook! :)

Every Saturday morning since i arrived in Venezuela, i have been waking up early to go running with my Aunt Donna. I really enjoy running and talking with her. It's a great way to start off a Saturday because i get energized and am able to get more done than if i would have slept in.

Later on Saturday I got to go to youth group in Casarapa. (this is also where the Church is at). The youth group went out by the grocery store and did the skit "Everything" by Lifehouse. If you have not seen it i suggest you look it up on Youtube.com or Tangle.com! It's been so neat to see how the youth here have a passion for Christ. It encourages me all the more to continually pursue an intimate relationship with my Savior.

Now what i really want to tell you about it what i got be part of yesterday. After church Abraham (a 23-year-old Venezuelan who is really close to the Linns), 2 teachers from school, Dionna, and I were able to visit a cancer hospital. Abraham was leading us all and was the one who invited us all to go. We brought some puppets with us because we thought we might be able to see some kids- well come to find out, those puppets were a blessing! On the way to downtown Caracas, Abraham was sticking the puppets out the window and telling people "God loves you!" while at the same time handing our tracks and just making people laugh (especially us)! I kept thinking, this is one of the reasons I am here in Venezuela, to learn how to tell others about Jesus... who knew it would be with puppets! But more importantly to grow and mature in my faith while seeking Him more and more. On our way into the hospital Abraham was already passing out tracks and talking to people, and of course, waving around the puppets! Abraham led us into the first room and started to talk to the cancer patients and their families about Jesus and the Gospel. He was telling them that Jesus took all our sin and died for us so we could be forgiven. Also telling them that in Heaven there will be no more sickness or disease! WOW! God was teaching me just as much as those we were talking to! In each room we also prayed for them and gave out tracks. Abraham even had us pray in English in a few of the rooms. Some of the patients prayed the salvation prayer, so please keep them in your prayers! We were there until a guard came and told us that visiting hours were over. But our work was not done! We continued to hand out tracks on our way out and tell people that God loves them!

What an experience! On the way home Abraham asked me how i was feeling. I told him that i was learning and thank you for all that he had taught me about sharing your faith that day. He told me that evangelizing should not just be an event that people meet together to go do, but rather an everyday thing. I have continued to be amazed at what God is showing me. I hope to return to that hospital very soon!

"Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God’s words; if help, let it be God’s hearty help. That way, God’s bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he’ll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything—encores to the end of time. Oh, yes!"
-1 peter 4:10-11 (The Message)

This is the verse in my devotions this morning. Just reminding me that God deserves all the credit for everything and it's Him working- not us! My pride is detestable in his sight and i need to continually throw that at His Cross. My life is not my own. He has put me here in Venezuela. I pray that i simply be a servant and put myself completely away. Thank you for grace! I need to keep relying on God for my strength so people see Him alone. NO MORE ME!

I hope you all are doing great! I miss seeing you all face to face and spending time with you! Let me know how i can be praying you all!

Hugs and Kisses,
Mariah Brooke

School begins... yipee

thanks to all who left encouraging comments on my lasts post! I can't tell you just how meaningful it is to know that people are praying for me and care enough to read my blog. MUCHAS GRACIAS! :)

Wow what a week! Church has definitely been my favorites time here so far. The worship is always so genuine and challenges me to lay everything out before God. Even though most of the time I have no idea what they are saying, I love just watching people and knowing that God is so real and present at the time. Today we sang three songs that i know in English: "I am a friend of God- Eres me amigo fiel," "You are good- Eres fiel," and "Breathe" by Michael W. Smith. I love talking with the people there as well. It's also the best place for me to practice mi español! I am already developing some friendships with the youth there but i also am connecting with old friends from 7 years ago! I just like how people are so close.... I don't know... pretty much i love Venezuela. :)
Tonight we also got to eat at La Fogata. Let me tell you about this wonderful restaurant that is so special to me. This restaurant is the same one that my family would take each of the work teams to after church whenever they came it. To sum it all up they that have the best roasted chicken and yucca (a root that is eaten here) and fruit drinks. So if anyone ever comes to Venezuela I will take you there! After that we (David and Donna- my aunt and uncle and I) went to watch some of the guys from church play softball against another church. I really enjoyed watching them play softball because i miss watching the White Sox with my dad and i also knew a bunch of guys on the team. So to wrap it up it has been a great day but the coolest thing that happen today was who came to church with us. Dionna has been playing soccer here in Venezuela for three years and has been praying ever since she started playing that someone on her team would come to church with her. Well today God faithfully answered that prayer as one of her friends joined us at church! Please pray that God continues to work through Dionna on her soccer team and also work on the girl who came today. Also one of our neighbors named Bertí came with us to church. She made a decision for the Lord after Donna invited her to come to camp a week ago. I think she is truly genuine about a relationship with the Lord but it won't be easy and she has been learning a lot. Praise God for another member of the family. Please pray for her to continue to surrender her whole life and be courageous with her family because she doesn't get support from them about her recent decision. Like i said earlier- its been a GREAT day!

And then there is this week.... school starting- my favorite haha. No actually it has not been that bad! There are a lot of changes: wearing a uniform, being in a class of 7 (including me), being with so many Koreans, and having block schedule. But i think so far i have handled everything pretty well thanks to God. This semester i am only taking English, U.S. History, Human Anatomy and Physiology, and Bible. SO next semester i will be taking Pre-Cal and Spanish and still have Bible. Kinda weird how it all works out. But if you know me you know that i have my hardest classes this semester- english and history. But at least i am getting them out of the way! To be honest i kind of miss having a math class.. it kind of keeps me sane in school. haha (some of you probably think i am crazy!-except my dad and Grandpa Smith!) But anyway.. I love Bible class! Its going to be super hard but super challenging at the same time! I think i will learn a lot! Please pray that I will develop strong relationships at school and be able to grow spiritually with kids my age there!
Along with this week i was battling a cold i developed at camp 2 weeks ago. I carried around toilet paper this week to sustain my running nose. It was running so much that i went through 5 rolls of toilet paper! yeah it was that bad! haha but i am finally getting over it. But i have to say it was quite fun to have that cold while meeting people for the first time at school! Great first impressions!

Well Venezuela so far has been incredible! Its really been a putting my relationship with God to the test by testing its authenticity. I just want to be so close to Him and continue to live more and more by faith and not for myself. A Scripture that i have been thinking about a bit is Psalms 86: 11-13 (compliments of Just1Word.com)

Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths of the grave.

I am praying to God for that undivided heart. For Him to have ALL of my heart. I have to stop living by my legalistic and selfish ways. Overall i need to continually be sanctified and transformed to be more like Christ.

Lately I have been missing my friends because they are ones i love talking to about faith and what not. But i need to keep praying for friends here to connect with and i also know that will take time! Its been good to try and keep up with them on facebook though!

The most frustrating thing for me right now has been my spanish.. I KNOW its going to take time but i wish it could come easier. I am at the point where i cant study anymore- i need to just go out and talk to people! Thats another reason i love being with church people- because they are the best to practice with! One guy today was teaching me some spanish slang! He kept calling it the language of the jovenes (which means the young people). I almost feel like i can not be myself at church because i cant say everything i want to. But then again maybe that just a way of humbling myself before Christ. Oh how awesome it will be when the day comes when i can say that i can officially speak Spanish!

Love you all, thanks for reading these ridiculously long notes!
Unworthy servant,
Mariah Brooke

It all starts....

Wow! is all i can say about Venezuela!
I did not realize how much I wanted to come to Venezuela until I got here and felt a huge peace. I know for sure that this is where God wants me right now in my life. Thanks for praying for my (and Dawson's) travel because it could not have been any smoother! Thank God! I feel right at home with my family here but i still miss those at home. I like living the simpler life because it allows me to trust in God all the more!
Since I have been here i don't feel like i have enough time because i want to blog, journal, do my devotions/pray, be social, keep in touch with those on facebook and email, and simply take in the culture. The first few days I got all settled in and just started getting used to things. I have gone to the grocery store a few times to get food for dinner. One time i went with Dawson and we needed to buy some fruit juice. So he told me this one juice looked like strawberry juice even though it was a really dark fusia color. Well.... once we got back, we tried some and come-to-find-out it was BEET juice! ahhh that stuff will take your breath away! ha after drinking that i don't think i will ever have cancer! Dawson and i are getting along great, already like brother and sister!
Sunday was one of my favorite days yet, CHURCH! wow praise God for brothers and sisters around the world. For some reason singing praise to God in a different language is so touching! I got to see a whole bunch of people i have known for a long time as well as meet a lot of new friends. :) One of the songs was about "Manda el fuego" which means "Send the fire," the fire that refines us and makes us more like Christ. Oh and the preaching was just what i needed to hear. It was about a relationship with Christ like the one John had with him when John reclined on Jesus. (so close as to hear his heart beat). I have a feeling Sundays will be my favorite days while i am here!
On Tuesday it was David's birthday so we headed out to a beach called "Cata." (i kept thinking of my friend Kata!) That was the best beach experience i have ever had! It was seated in between rolling mountains with beacutiful blue waters. Dawson and I had fun boogy-boarding on the waves and Deshay and I were able to have some great conversation. God has placed Deshay in my life- she has challenged me so much in my faith and i see Jesus living in her heart :). She heads back for college tomorrow but i am glad to have a week with her before she leaves. At the beach Dionna, Deshay, Dawson and I went on a rough 30 minute hick in flip-flops and swimsuits to another cove where we got to snorkel. I have never done that before but i absolutely loved it! Ha it was nice to get a little tan before school starts as well! :)
The past few days we have all been at camp with the little kids. I have learned so much in the past few days about service, my pride, and simply lessons from little kids. But it has been a little frusterating for me because i could not speak to them- but i tried hard to simply love them from my heart and serve God with everything i have. All glory to Him and absolutely none for myself! Let me tell you an amazing miraculous story: Thursday night while a few guys were leading worship for the kids and all were singing "Romans 16:19 says," the power/lights went out. Ha- I laugh because following the power going out, the kids just screamed. What a sight! After the kids all got calmed down and some carlights were shown on them David got up to speak. He spoke about lions and how the devil is a like a lion looking for someone to devour. He said "Maybe this lion [devil] is the very one who tunred off the lights." My prayer at that point was- God you are in control ov everything, I trust you." Then Dawson (who was acting like the devil wearing a lion mask) came running in to chase David, but another kid named Abel came in to chase Dawson (Abel was like the Lion of Judah). As soon as Abel chased Dawson away, the power came back on! What a miracle! David then said "Who's the first lion? SATAN! But who is the second lion? THE LION OF JUDAH!" WOW WOW WOW! Praise the Lord! God had everything in control all along! He just keeps proving Himself over and over in my life- especially now!

Well thanks for reading this, I hope to keep in touch on here about once a week if I can! I have had some people ask how they could be praying for me- well here it is: please pray that God will comtinue to transform my life and change me. Pray that I would be able to share my faith with others and that i will learn spanish quickly. Also pray that i will develop an extremely intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. PRAISES for all God is doing here in Venezuela! Praise God that i can be here this year! thanks for caring for me!

One last thing, its funny because people keep asking me how long i am staying. And when i tell them a year they cant believe it and act really surprised! I am so glad i have the oppurtunity to be here this year. Being at the camp was so dear to me because that it what my family worked on 9 years ago! Its so good to be here! and the fruit absolutely delicous! :)

MIss you all at home but I am so glad to be here! (ha mom dont read into that too much!- i miss you a ton! haha)

Love,
Mariah Brooke

P.S. sorry i could not put pictures up... but feel free to look at my facebook http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/photos.php?id=503614515

Starting Off

Hey family and friends!
This is the blog i will be using to keep in contact with you all while i live in Venezuela. Today has been pretty stressful with it being the day before i leave. I hope you keep you all updated on pictures and stories that are going on in my life. Thanks to anyone who will ever read this!
LOVE YOU ALL!
mariah