God's timing definitely isn't mine...but oh I'm so thankful.

Hello dear friends and family!

I wish I had the time to just sit down with each of you over a cup of coffee and catch up on your life and then catch you up on mine, but until then, a boring update about me will have to suffice!

For those of you who have kept up with my past travels to Nigeria, prayed for, and/or supported me, I know you haven't heard much from me since I was last there in 2010, unless talking to me personally. I went there the second time, praying that God would really make it known to me if I should be there long-term and I came back knowing that that wasn't the plan, and utterly heart broken because of it.

I have spent the last year and a half going through a lot of emotions and experiences: discouragement, anger towards God, confused that I had all these desires that I didn't feel HE was letting me live out, brokenness and humbleness that I was basing my realationship with Christ on whether I was getting to do what I wanted to do, a renewed passion as I got involved with the Children's Home and teaching Sunday School and saw the HUGE needs in my own city (duh!), and just a ton of learning and growing. I've been the manager of a coffee shop for the last year and am so thankful for the growing experience and a place that I've looked forward to coming to every day. Getting back to a place of loving the Word, praying without ceasing(still a work in progress), involvement with my small group, and just being a listening ear(and hopefully a light) to my customers(you wouldn't believe how much they open up to their barista!), reading some mind/heart changing books on mininstry, etc. All of this to say, that although I've questioned and at times hated this time of “limbo”, I see now just how much I needed to grow, learn, mature, question, build relationships and even...hurt.

The annoying cliché, “God's timing isn't ours”, has never been more true than in this period of my life. So, here comes the “good stuff”(even though it wouldn't have happened without the ugly messy stuff!)-

To spare you a ten page letter of details, I will just say that, through ways that are only God's and completely unexpected and surprising to me, I am going back to Nigeria! It will be on a permanent/however long God wants me there basis. Yes, apparently God needed me to learn a lot over a year and a half period just to lead me back full circle...but I am overjoyed, at peace and SO THANKFUL.

I will be going back to work with A Place of Hope(APOHA) orphanage. My primary ministrywill be with the kids, focusing especially on discipleship and Bible study (and hopefully with with women outside of the orphanage as well). This is such a HUGE need. In the specific area where I will be, a HUGE percentage claim to be Christians, but they mix it in with their animistic beliefs and it is rare that even true believers know what it is to live in Christ, that they are new creatures, called to a higher purpose: to die to self, to love and glorify God, to love others as themselves & share His love and hope in everything we do. So much of their physical needs and wants intertwine with their spiritual needs and wants and I am excited to see how God restores both. Of course there will be so many other things that are just a part of daily life there and caring for 30 children...never a dull moment! Here is a post from when I was there in 2010 to give you an idea of what a normal day can look like. I can't wait to build new and better relationships and pray that they can get a glimpse of Christ through that. There will also be other ministries within APOHA that will need starting and/or developed and ran, so that is exciting.

There are many other needs and mininstry opportunities outside of APOHA as well, and I'll be praying about starting something up when I return. I will keep you up to date on that as many of them would require extra funds and all will require extra prayer.

Please be in prayer that I fully rely on Christ and His strength because I truly have nothing to offer them. Over these last few months that God has been leading me in this direction, I have been discouraged, not just by my own insecurities, but by others as well, but I keep coming back to these verses:

“Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things-and the things that are not-to nulify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him.” (1 Cor.1:26-29)

You see, not only do I see myself as being foolish, weak, lowly, not influential, and not of noble birth, but the people I will be living with and trying to show love to are definitely seen in this way. By the world, their own people, themselves, and if I'm brutally honest, by me. But I firmly believe that He chooses them to shame the wise and to be Christ to the very people that see them in this light. And all will know it is because of HIM and we will not be able to boast.

My prayer is that if God wants you involved in this mininstry, that He would strongly lay it on your heart to support me and be a consistent prayer warrior.

I really want to talk personally with each of you. I want to hear what is going on in your lives, give you more details about mine, and answer any questions you might have.

If you would like to get in touch to set up a coffee date, phone date, or to have me come and speak to your small group, church, etc., feel free to use any of these! And if you would like to be added to future updates, please send me your email and/or snail mail!

facebook: Brittni Poore

email: 2.20gal@gmail.com

cell: (316) 200-2107

I will soon be setting up a way that people can support me monthly and or/one time gifts through A Place of Hope, which is tax deductible. I will also breakdown the areas that I will be using the funds for so that you can see it for yourselves. I will let you know when that is up and ready. I will be updating you on my progress, including applying for a resident visa(hopefully that goes smoothly!). 

Thank you so much for your time, friensdhip and reponses!

Brittni