It is time for a long overdue blog update – apologies for
having taken so long!
As many of you know, our family anticipated being in Peru
for about two years. We had made Picota
our home, and very much enjoyed serving among such a beautiful community.
Not long after arriving, God surprised us with a healthy
pregnancy much sooner than we ever thought would be possible (given Andrea’s
history). She was on bed rest for part
of the time, and underwent various precautionary medical procedures in Peru to avoid
losing the baby.
In light of some risk factors involved in the pregnancy, we
made the decision to come back to the States for the birth. As it turned out, the baby showed some signs
of cord compression in the last month of pregnancy, and in the end labor was
induced after getting some undesirable readings during a non-stress test. Basically, the doctor wanted to get him out
before anything could go wrong.
Baby Dominic was born in mid-August. He is a sweet,
snuggley, smiley little boy, and our cups are running over with joy and
gratitude for our newest little angel!
Once the baby arrived, we began to turn to the Lord once again,
seeking His direction. As I said, we had
plans that seemed good and holy – but the Lord obviously had something else
good and holy up His sleeve for the Browns.
We began to pray and fast for direction, and got some very clear answers
very quickly.
One of the specific intentions we had been praying for was a
good job for Kevin – at least one that could hold us over for the short-term
until we knew God's “big-picture” plan.
Well, within days Kevin got a call from the Director of Religious
Education at St. John’s Catholic Church in Westminster, MD. He asked Kevin if he would come on board as
the new full-time youth minister (in charge of Life Teen, the Edge, and
confirmation). We took this to prayer, and
both felt that the Lord was speaking to us.
Although our hearts burn for foreign missions, we believe the Lord is asking
us to turn our missionary hearts to this domestic mission field … for the time
being, anyway. Providentially, our
missionary background also enables us to reach out to the very large Hispanic
community at St. John’s as well!
And so, we find ourselves here in Maryland, once again both
surprised and blessed by the Lord’s will for our family. We do not have anywhere to live yet (we are
staying with Andrea’s family) and we do not know the long-term plan. But we do
know that we are sustained in the palm of His hand, and that it is our joy to
serve Him in whatever way and in whatever place He calls us. We will continue to follow Him wherever He
leads us!
Please continue to keep our family’s ministries in your
prayers, and let us pray for you by keeping in touch with your own intentions!
Love in Christ,
The Brown Family
**P.S. As part of our State-side service, I plan to use this blog as a ministry tool, reaching out to my English-speaking brothers and sisters. I am in the house much more now than I am when we are out of the country, so I feel that this is one way that I can continue to proclaim the Good News while we are in the country. I hope to share with others some of the things the Lord puts on my heart, and I hope it can bless them as much as it blesses me. So click on the button to follow our blog, and check in regularly! ~Andrea
