Christmas In America Is

... Anticipated from Thanksgiving night until Christmas morning

... A Christmas Album by Amy Grant

... Snow-covered trees and hot cocoa (most years)

... Decorating the house with decorations that were bought the year before during post-Christmas clearances

... Watching Christmas movies while wrapping presents

... ABE post-Christmas gift exchange

... Baking Christmas cookies with my small group

Christmas Cookie Fun

... Working/Serving at 11 Christmas Eve Services at Orchard Hill Church. My family and I have served at Christmas Eve services for the past 11 years (longer for my parents).  I started to cry during the candle-lighting, when I thought of not being there for Christmas next year.

... Being surrounded by family.  This is what I will miss the most about Christmas next year.  Even if it means going to 3 different houses on Christmas Day, I'd rather run around like a fool seeing lots of people that I love than be without them.

... Chasing 2 puppies and 3 little girls while helping to cook dinner at my dad's parents house the day-after Christmas.  All the while laughing, sharing stories, and talking about the Steelers likelihood of making it to the Super Bowl this year.

Annual Christmas Brunch

Every year for the past 3 years, one of the families from the church brings a mouth-watering meal to the student ministry staff as a Christmas present.  It is one of the highlights of the Christmas season for me - a tradition I always anticipate with joy.  Not only do I get to eat delicious food, but it's also a great time to connect with an awesome family.


This year, as I sat around a table eating second and third helpings of brunch while talking and laughing with the other student min team and two great students, I had a moment where it sank in that this would be my last year to participate in this tradition.  :-(  Definitely a sad moment.  I really am going to miss connecting with students the way I have been able to over the past 3 years.  I will still be able to build relationships with students as a teacher, but in a completely different way.  This is the part of my job I have always loved more than anything else.


As the late morning progressed into afternoon, some cool things happened.  One of the students who is now a senior and has grown up in the ministry brought 3 big crosses that he made for his Eagle Scout project to the student chapel.  Those crosses are so impressive -- not just because of how amazing they look or even how hard the student worked at making them, but because they represent how invested he is in the ministry and how much God has done in his life over the past 7 years.  He could have chosen to do ANYTHING for his project; yet, he chose to contribute something to a place where he has experienced growth, love, and God at work in his life.  I see this not just in the crosses but in the way he serves in the middle school program faithfully and joyfully.  It is cool to see God at work in his life.


Another cool moment happened when the other student started pointing to different places in the chapel and recalling memories that happened there.  "Brandon, where you're standing is where I spit crickets!" She said.  "And if you move forward 3 feet that's where, on my 7th grade birthday, I bobbed for turds [snickers bars in mt dew in a clean toilet bowl] and everyone sang happy birthday to me and I hated it."
    "Do you remember that Lauren?" she asked, turning to me.
    "Yes - but I know you secretly enjoyed it," I said.
    "And in that corner," she continued, "Is where I beat Bryce at a coke-chugging contest and I still hold it over his head to this day!"
    "That was for Battle of the Sexes!" I recalled.   She continued with a few other memories of fun moments from youth group that stuck out in her mind -- including catching earthworms in a big gulp cup that a boy from her grade spit out of his mouth during one game.  
   Hearing her recalled those memories warmed my heart.  You see, I was there for most of those memories and often times I planned those games.   And almost every night of youth group I walked away thinking, "That wasn't fun enough...that didn't go as well as I wanted...I wasn't very funny...I'm not good at this."  But really, now that I look back on my time as a youth leader (and as I heard this student look back on that time), I realize that I really was pretty good at my job.  Not because someone remembered a game I planned, but because, though I was harder on myself than I needed to be, God helped me to create a place where students' walls were broken down through fun moments, meaningful relationships, a safe community, and Biblical truths spoken in a way that connected to their lives.  


And that shows me that I don't have to be perfect to be used by God or to make a difference or to be good at what I do.  I don't have to be so hard on myself.  I can and will celebrate how God is using me.

Small Group

This week, when I told the small group of 9th grade girls that I co-lead the news about moving to japan, they stared at me with wide eyes and open mouths, not saying a word.  You could have heard a pin drop. It's funny: I've been so excited to tell my friends and coworkers the news, but I've been dreading telling my small group girls.


When I think of leaving behind these girls, there's a sadness in my heart. Every week for the past year and a half I've gotten to watch God at work in their hearts as they grow in their relationship to him and I've gotten to really step into their lives.  Not many 15 year old girls will be real, open, honest, and genuine like that with an adult.


As much as I love these girls, I know there is One who loves them more who will take care and wants what is best for them.  God let me see this in small ways this week: in the way that one of the girls was able to go to another girl to recieve comfort when something shook her world; in the way God reminded me that he will provide another leader and that I should pray for that leader, not rely on my own means to find the leader; in the way that my co-leader had good news to share on the night I shared my news.  When she announced she was going to have a baby, our small group went crazy with cheers of joy.  That little thing -- of God providing them with something to look forward to and celebrate -- reminded me that He has them in His Hands.


Girls, if you are reading this, know that I am so happy to be your small group leader.  I love you and I'm thankful that God allowed us to walk together in life, even if it was for a brief time.  Continue to follow Him with all your heart, and may He hold you close at all times.

My Girls!

If You Love Us, Please Send Peanut Butter

Lauren and I have spent the last week researching about our upcoming move. Here is a list of some of the weird/funny/depressing things we've found out so far.


- It's almost impossible to find peanut butter over there! This is a disaster for us, especially Lauren. Care packages with peanut butter will be required from everybody who wants to stay our friend.


- The Japanese don't use deodorant, so you can't buy that either! Luckily, Lauren's coupon mania of the last few months has left us well stocked up on free deodorant. (Score 1 for the coupon queen!)


- Public toilets over there are either super modern with heated seats and built in bidets or glorified pit toilets with no toilet paper. Apparently you have to carry around your own TP just in case.


-Walking and drinking water at the same time is extremely rude as is chewing gum in public, sitting anywhere but on a chair or on the floor, putting your hands in your pockets, and rolling your eyes,


-If you wear sunglasses everybody thinks you are in the Yakuza (Mafia).


-Students either wear their school uniforms on Sunday's for no apparent reason or they dress up in a full blown costume, usually of some kind of animal. WTF!?!?!?


-Japanese kitchens don't have ovens. How are we going to make cookies? :-(  (I'm not too worried -- I usually make cookies for the dough anyway!)




And that's just the start of our culture shock. It's a little bit intimidating, but I think we'll be alright.

Great News!!!!

So Lauren and I just got a call from the MeySen Acedemy in Sendai and..... We got the job! We get to go to Japan! When the recruiter called us to tell us the good news Lauren started screaming and jumping up and down on the bed. I was laughing and poor Melissa probably thought we'd lost it. It was a pretty exciting moment. We'll be leaving in February sometime and we'll be gone for 14 months.


One of the things we're most excited about is starting this blog. We've been following the blogs of several current teachers at the school and we always thought it would be fun to write one of our own. Now we get to!


It has been such a long wait since our interview in Chicago. There were sixty applicants this year and we were both wondering how much of a shot we really had. I guess this means God must have something big in store for us over there, because I think He had to pull some strings for us. I think that between Him and the awesomeness of Team Marshall we'll be able to accomplish a lot.


Hopefully we can remember while we're over there that our purpose is to glorify God and spread the Gospel of Christ. Of course, I don't think God will mind too much if we have an amazing adventure together while we do it. Thank you everybody for all your prayers! We're both really excited.