A new season

At each season change I get a little too excited. I love living in a climate that allows for four distinct seasons with glories in each one.

Today as I was pondering the joys of autumn, I realized most of what I love about the seasons are things that remind me of my childhood. Then I realized, what an honor to have been raised in a home where to think back on my childhood is a wondrous thought. I thank my parents for the small things they did and allowed us to do.

I am thankful for summer days at grandma's pool and trips to the beach; I am thankful for the warmth the sun gave off as it peered through our sliding glass door in the early spring mornings as I downed my homemade pancakes in the shapes of hearts. I am thankful for fall days of riding big wheels into piles of leaves and little league football games accented by many trips to the concession stand for hot cocoa and laffy taffy. I am thankful for winter sledding on large black trashbags with my dog in the back yard because we broke the sleds mom bought and for days of homemade snowcream with family and friends gathered near.

With autumn upon us, I eagerly gaze out my window, longing for the chill of the season's breeze to float by, anticipating long drives home through the Tennessee foothills painted with reds, oranges and browns, and enjoying each moment spent in a loving environment for which I will forever be grateful.

Honduras Trip 2009

Dear friends,

In 2006, I traveled to a small town in Honduras where I came in contact with hundreds of orphans receiving care from the gracious hand of a dedicated couple from California. My heart was gripped by the children’s hope in the midst of national poverty and by the need for godly men and women to sacrifice time for those children.

A year and a half later, God opened a door for me to return again and spend more than four weeks investing in the children through discipleship, physical labor, cleaning and love. My life was forever changed by the relationships I developed with the children and I have consistently prayed for additional opportunities to return to them (You can read about my experience during this trip through previous posts archived on this site).

God has answered that prayer, and this December, I will return to my heartland once again to pour into the lives of the children there. This time, I will be traveling with a group from Snowbird Wilderness Outfitters, a Christian camp and retreat center in North Carolina that focuses on evangelism and discipleship through creative programs and activities (for more information about Snowbird, visit www.swoutfitters.com).

While the cost of the trip is only $850 per person for the entire week, it is an amount I cannot fully fund alone. I would like to ask you to prayerfully consider joining my team of supporters.

We often pray, “God I am willing to go if you desire,” but the fact of the matter is that God has not called us to be willing to go. He has called us to “go and make disciples of all nations.” For such a time as this, my nation is Honduras, and it is at His Word that I humbly take up this charge.

Even if you do not feel led to support financially, I ask that you commit to praying for our team as we travel Dec. 3–10, as we work and as we share Christ’s love with the children and staff at Orphanage Emmanuel.

I look forward to being a part of God’s continued work at the orphanage and I thank you in advance for your prayers and outpouring of support.

For we know “religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (James 1:27).

In His grip,

Brittany N. Howerton

(Checks may be made payable to “Brittany Howerton,” or to “Snowbird Wilderness Outfitters,” and mailed to 224 Lakeshore Drive, Homewood, AL 35209. A payment of $400 is due Oct. 1.)

A natural pouring

As the rain pours over the earth, moistening everything in its path, I consider the faithfulness of the Father.
As the heavens break open and the rain comes face to face with earth's atmosphere, everything God has made receives its nutrients. The only place to withdraw from the rain is the stand under shelters made by man.
Stand under a tree and the water's drops leak through. Stand under a cliff's overhang and the wind's strength blows the wetness into your face. God designed the rain to pour upon the earth, just as He designed His faithfulness and steadfast love to pour over us. Why do we try to hide in our castles made by man? Why do we try to retreat from the faithfulness God is pouring out for us?