the makings of a cherry pie...

picking cherries for a homemade pie...

Bridgette

Brittany

Me

Gabriel

Lil' Shasta

My sisters wanted to give me a photoshoot....

sisters + cherries + sunshine + puppies + laughter + cameras = fun!

Love,

Brooke

"May it be done unto me according to Thy word.”

The Lord’s bond servant…

According to law the word bond means an obligation or deed by which a person binds himself, his heirs, and administrators to pay. Its cement, that unites, it’s binding.
To be a servant is to yield obedience to another. To be God’s servant is to be used by God to accomplish His will, we voluntarily serve and submit. Not all servants are voluntary. But as servants of the Most high what is such a beautiful picture is that we willing lay ourselves down at His feet. Willing and ever ready to serve Him with everything in us because of His great sacrifice! He made us, He bought us with a price. He has legal documents signed by the very blood of Jesus Christ declaring that we are His. And then….He gave us our freedom but then who else do we desire to serve but the One who paid the price? (1 Peter 2:16) He saved us from our bonds, He broke our chains, He rescued us out of the miry clay! The only way we can show our gratefulness, our love, our adoration, our appreciation, our wonder for His great mercy and grace is to offer our services, to say, “I covenant myself to Thee my Lord, I bind myself to Thee o Omnipotent Yahweh! ALL I desire to do is serve you all the days of my life, I am at Your disposal my King, use me, flow through me, spend me, call me, consume me!

So, in essence a bond servant of the Lord is someone who makes a covenant, a pledge, a promise to God and cements, binds oneself in EVERY aspect of ones life to God. It is being “devoted to another to the disregard of one’s own interests.” On its basic level a bondservant is simply following your master completely disregarding your own will, emotions, and desires.

“. . . for My sake” Matthew 5:11b

“Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God.” Romans 1:1

“And His bond-servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in
their foreheads.” Revelation 22:3-4

“Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's
elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; In hope of eternal
life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; But hath in due times
manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the
commandment of God our Savior.” Titus 1:1-3

“For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your
bondservants for Jesus' sake.” ~2 Corinthians 4:5


Another word for bondservant is handmaid I just started to touch on the lives of some of the Handmaidens of the Most High…

Mary Mother of Yeshua~ “And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; may it be done unto me according to Thy word.” (Luke 1:38)

Mary’s song of adoration unto her King…“And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.” (Luke 1:46-49)

…other translations say bondslave instead of handmaid.

Abigail~ “And now this blessing which thine handmaid hath brought unto my lord, let it even be given unto the young men that follow my lord. I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thine handmaid: for the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house; because my lord fighteth the battles of the LORD, and evil hath not been found in thee all thy days.” (1 Samuel 25:27-28)

Hannah~ “And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.” (1 Samuel 1:11)

Ruth~ “And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.” (Ruth 3:9)

And so, here I am declaring that I am GIVEN to His cause. I am His blondslave, His handmaiden, wholly and completely consecrated unto His will and His call! I was made for “such a time as this” a time to lay my life down at His feet. I am devoted unto You my King! Let your very heartbeat be found beating within me! I am Yours and Yours alone! I love you! May You be found reigning in this poured out vessel of Yours!

Thank you for Your sacrifice may I ever be found breaking my spikenard at Your feet!

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full into His wonderful face;
And all the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.”
-H. Lemmel

His Handmaiden,
Brooke Rachelle

His Little Feet Update

Well, this update is long in coming. I have so many wonderful stories of God’s faithfulness that I have desired to share with you all. Time has seemed to slip away but most assuredly God has been truly working in our midst with everyone here in His Little Feet.

A scripture that the Lord has pin pointed to me lately as I have been traveling around the U.S.A is found in, 2 Corinthians 2:14-15, “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” This verse captures the very essence of His Little Feet in my mind. My prayer has been, and still is that the Lord’s presence would so saturate every one of us that wherever we go that the fragrance of the Lord would penetrate every place we go to. Not because of 15 precious children from Haiti who stand in the gap for millions of children around the world who have no one interceding for them nor 8 staff members who are surrendered to the Lord’s will but because Christ Himself is there. That His sweet aroma would saturate, lovingly convict, and envelope everyone with whom we come in contact with because the knowledge of Him is evident in our lives that those who are perishing would see and know Christ. May His Glory be seen in a deeper way through this tour and the tours to come!

For those of you who haven’t heard much about what I have been doing for the past 6 months I will try to give you a summarization. It seems as if everything that happens in a span of one week is so busy that the amount of things done and amount of people met is enough to fill a month comfortably. This is the life the Lord has placed before me to lead in this season of my life, at the moment.

If you want to catch up on how the Lord directed me to become apart of His Little Feet you can read my blog entry titled His Little Feet from this blog-that should do a pretty good job in filling you in a little bit about how I heard about this wonderful ministry and how the Lord opened the doors to give me the honor of allowing me to be apart of it. Also, His Little Feet has its own blog so if you desire to read other entries by all of the wonderful staff members I travel with feel free to check it out on www.hislittlefeet.org!

A typical day of life with HLF, is there really a typical day? Not really, no one really knows what will be found around the bend as we journey across the United States. We have been in 24 states so far this year and to around 50 churches. I have been able to witness how the Lord moves though the voices of these young children whom I have come to love dearly. We are normally in a new host family about every 2 to 3 days, meeting new people all across the U.S. Each day is usually jam packed with something going on whether we are in a bus traveling to a new state, doing school at a church, setting up, tearing down at a concert, having a day, (sometimes two) just with a host family, sight seeing, pouring into the children, being a light to those with whom we come in contact with, and oh, so much more. The bus, is a familiar and welcome sight to each and every one of us. In lots of ways it is our home away from home, our sanctuary, the place where it is just us. It is a place where we wind down, sleep (as much as possible), spend time reading, relaxing, and swapping stories amongst each other about the individual adventures we just had. We have made so many memories along the way that it would take hour to share all the stories! We all have become a family, a family knit together for the same cause, “to preach the gospel to the poor; to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” (Luke 4:18-19) It has been such a blessing to see the transforming work the Lord has done on the children’s lives as well, we have had the honor of seeing several of the children dedicate their lives to their King and Savior. It has truly been life-transforming because Christ is found working in our midst.

Here are a few quotes that are worth sharing…

~Daphney and I were discussing our concerts one day and she declared, “I like the kisses from the sweet old ladies.”

~ I am known to the children as Auntie Brooke, Tee Brooke for short. I have also acquired the name Tee Brooke-quwe, what a lovely sound to hear, quite endearing.

~Likendley and I were talking about our favorite veggies and I asked him what he thought about carrots Likendley’s response was, “Auntie Brooke! I am a gentleman NOT a rabbit.”

~ Falencia and I were talking about giving our hearts to Jesus at the very beginning of the tour she looks at me with wide eyes and in all seriousness says, “But Auntie Brooke, I don’t want to give Jesus my heart, if I do, I’ll die!” It was adorable and yet even though she didn’t mean it in this way, she with her childish mind did grasp the concept of giving her heart to Jesus. You do die. You die to self.


Now, I am facing yet more opportunities to prove to my Lord that I put my trust in Him no matter what! As you know almost a year ago (May 28th to be precise) I started this whole journey at Ellerslie Training Academy. Through a series of events I found myself with the honor of traveling and pouring into 15 children from Haiti. Now that the tour is coming to an end I find myself staring into many possibilities before me. More possibilities to rely in an even greater way upon Him, to release my grasp onto “self” at a greater depth, to full rely on His strength to empower me, and work though me so that many may see and come to Him. Now that this first tour is coming to an end the Lord opened an amazing opportunity to go to the Philippians and then to China after that! The plan was once the tour is over we (HLF Staff), to our great joy and delight; got to bring the children “home” to Haiti! Which in and of itself is a grand display of how the Lord provides and how He is Faithful! About a week after I get back from Haiti, at this very moment to be precise, journeyed to California with two other HLF Staff/Intern (Carrie and Aaron) we are going to make our way by plane to the Philippians and then to China. As the days get closer to our arrival time and our preparations are slowly coming to a close the excitement and expectation grows! Once I arrive back in the United States I believe I will be able to spend the remainder of the summer with my family in Colorado by September (if the Lord so wills) continue with the new group of children and be ready to start a new tour across the U.S!

One constant theme this year, for me, has been surrender, as well as a great dependency on Christ. One out a many lessons the Lord has been showing me in this jam packed year is found in,

2 Corinthians 3:18, “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

I have beheld my King in wondrous ways in a year and that shall never stop. Now that I have hind sight on this past year I have seen how what is found in this verse is true He is ever changing me, He is bringing me from glory to glory so that I may reflect His image like a crystal clear lake reflects what is around it. I have seen how He has brought me to the end of myself so many times so that He could reveal His power and faithfulness to me time and time again! It is exciting to see as I surrender to Him there is an endless frontier as He takes this image of a daughter of mire clay and transforms her into a clear reflection of Him!

***

-After Haiti-

His faithfulness is so very evident in the whole tour and in the life of each of the children that were hand picked to be a part. There was a reason these children who chosen and His faithfulness and plan for each of them will be revealed in due time.

It was such an honor to be able to bring the children home to Haiti. To see the place they call home, to meet all the people who they hold dear. Hope for Haiti Children’s Center is just that, as soon as you walk through the gate, you see hope. This place our children call home is a haven, a place where the Lord is working in it’s midst.

It was such a blessing to see the excitement of all as we all eagerly awaited for the buses to pull into the compound and the gasps of joy and excitement as the all 15 children piled as quickly as possible out of the vans to greet everyone whom they haven’t seen for almost 7 months. It was without a doubt a joyous reunion! Tears, hugs, stories, and joy abounded!

The children had their last HLF performance on their home soil and as they sang the song “Blessed Be Your Name” the lyrics, “You give and take away, you give and take away, my heart will choose to say, Lord, blessed be your name.” rang in my ears. Oh, what a privilege He has Given to each of us- traveling with all 15 of these children. And as in a sense He has Taken them away from us I know my heart and many others touched by these precious one will forever more choose to say “Lord, blessed be your name.”

After 6 days quickly sped by and the time to say our goodbye arrived. It was a special time, everyone knowing what was looming before us. Right before it was time for us to leave, we each (all the Aunties and Uncles) tried to express with words how dear they were and how honored we had been that the Lord chose to place each of them in our lives. Also, we shared how incredibly proud we were of them as well as sharing words of encouragement and wisdom as the Lord led. It was a bittersweet time. A time I shall not forget, a time overflowing with His blessings and His faithfulness.

Thank You Jesus!


Forever Captured,
Brooke (aka Auntie Brooke)

In The Light Of Eternity

Over the past month the Lord has been placing on my heart and continually bringing to me in many different ways how to live a life totally surrendered to Him and His call and not to live this life for myself but for Him, His Glory, Him Alone. How to live in the light of eternity.

All the things I have worried about… All distractions. Foolishness. This is the moment I should have cared about. This is the moment that should have consumed me all of my life. This is the moment that should have prepared for....my encounter with ... HIM.

How many times have I worried about things that are so trivial? As I look back and compare them to things that matter, things that are eternal they fade in comparison. They are distractions. They are complete foolishness! I desire to be COMPLETELY consumed by my Lord by His agenda, by His commission, His heart, by HIM.

"It is a life that has no time for trifling that counts."

~Amy Carmichael

"We live in a constant tension between the urgent and the important. Many important tasks need not be done today, or even this week. Extra hours of prayer and bible study, a visit to an elderly friend, reading an important book: these activities can usually wait awhile longer. But the urgent—though less important – tasks call for immediate response. The appeal of these urgent demands seems irresistible, and they devour our energy. But in the light of eternity their momentary prominence fades. With a sense of loss we recall the important tasks that have been shoved aside. We realize we have become slaves to the tyranny of the urgent."
~Charles E Hummel

Just as Esther prepared for her one night with the King I too have to prepare for the day that I stand before the Lord Almighty the Most High King, the Ruler of all time. To completely saturate myself in the errands and commands of my King, to know Him, to please Him to live every moment given to me by Him for Him and for His glory and renown to be known! How can I prepare?

2 Timothy 2:3-4~
3Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier, his commanding officer.

My Lord is my commanding officer and He has enlisted me for the expansion of His Kingdom so that everything may know HE is Lord. The He alone is worth of adoration. So, as His soldier I should not become entangled with everyday life that is carnally minded but be focused on what is spiritually minded, only focused on Christ and Christ alone.

Romans 8:6-10~
6For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 9But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

Worthy of Affection

Deliverer you brought us out of the miry clay

You set our feet upon a rock and you made us say

Holy is the Lord

We would declare your thoughts about us one by one

It'd be too many to count so we simply come

And sing of your great love So we sing.

We lift our hands and sing!

You are worthy of affection

Your the radiance of all of His glory

Let adoration fill this place

You hold everything together

By the word of your immovable power

We sing a song of praise!

We are the broken down and we are the beaten up

But what could stop us from a song of unending love?

Holy is the lord

You are a treasure, the hope, the bright and morning star

You are the lover of our soul and you've won our hearts

We sing of your great love

So we sing We lift our hands and sing!

Worthy are you Lord

Worthy are you Lord

O worthy are you Lord Of all Praise

All Glory to you Lord

All Glory to you Lord

All Glory to you Lord Forever More

Forever More

Holy are you Lord

Holy are you Lord

Holy are you Lord

Revelation 5~"Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?" But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals."
Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song:
"You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals,because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth."Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang:

"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,

to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength

and honor and glory and praise!"

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:

"To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb

be praise and honor and glory and power,

for ever and ever!"

The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped."

Who is worthy to open the scroll? What is the scroll? The Book of Life? A holy book? Is there any one person on this earth without sin? Can anyone say that they lived a sinless life worthy enough to have the name inscribed on the Book of Life? "No one in heaven or in the earth or bellow the earth could read it or even look inside of it." No one is without sin. Then John wept. But no! "The Lamb of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals." Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, came and took the scroll from "Him who sat on the throne" God Almighty, The Beginning and the End, Infinite Yahweh! With His blood that was shed on the cross He purchased men for God and made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God. We are purchased. We are bought with a price. We are ALL His. Without Him we are in utter destitution. No one is worthy, no one is without sin. We are lost. But then, out of His great and undying love (agape love~undeserving, unyielding, infinite love) He gave of Himself, He gave His very life, so we might live. Live to bring glory and renown to Him Who sits on the throne and to the Lamb! And the elders FELL down in adoration and gratitude and worshiped the ONE who was slain and rose again and TRIUMPHED over evil for eternity!

How inadequately did I portray that!? There is no way to express in words what He has done for me...

Hear the cries of the shackled from the onset of time,

For the chains of defeat theres no key.

See the tears of the broken, the cries of the slaves:

Is there no one worthy to set us free?

Then the crying is stilled as the chorus rings out,

The shackled released from their chains.

And thousands of voices are swelling the song:

Worthy the Lamb that was slain.

Worthy, worthy, Worthy the Lamb that was slain

Then all the archangels, the saints of all time,

Holding their crowns in their hands,

Fall down before Him joining the song:

Worthy, worthy the Lamb!

Worthy, worthy, Worthy the Lamb that was slain

Praise Him, praise Him,Praise the Lamb that was slain!

May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward for His suffering!

Lord, in the light of YOU and can’t help but feel utterly wretched and utterly loved. May we all, may I, NEVER take your love and sacrifice for granted. When I stand before the throne what things in my life -right now will be burned by His consuming power? Wouldn't I rather have Him refine me by His fire now then His Judgment seat?

I don't want to live a surrendered life because I am scared of what will happen if I don't.
I don't want to live a life of utter devotion out of moral duty. I want to because I long to. To show HIM I adore Him, to lavish my insignificant love on Him in any way. He is my LIFE, He is my All in All. To declare with my every movement and every thought, every person I converse with...that I am not worthy of the high calling He has placed on my life but that I desire that the Lamb that was slain receive the reward for His suffering, and that I will do everything in my power to rise to the calling He has given me to press toward the mark with determination. I know in my own power that is imposable but He is in me and He will empower me!

So, what will I do with this day? This year? He gave it to me. Today is the present...a present from the Most High. How will I use it? Will I fritter it away on things the will fade in the light of eternity? Will it be consumed and not be able to stand the test of His Holy, Purifying fire? Oh, my dearest Lord Jesus let me live each day for you and you alone. Let me come back to the full realization of WHO YOU ARE and that nothing else matters in the life but YOU. Let you glory be made manifest through me. Lord, purify me with you fire and let nothing stand but what is refined by You. Thank you for the breath you have given me today, let praises be continually on my lips and let all who see me know that YOU are in me.

Lord let me always bask in the light of eternity.

Forever Captured,
Brooke

There is a place...

There is a place...

There is a place...

Where HE is not worshiped!

Where HE is not worshiped!

I can not rest.

There is a place where His banner-

the flag of Zion does not fly!

This is a battle cry!

We are His soldiers. What are we waiting for? Advance! For the Glory of our mighty King!

"Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the Living God?!"

I see a sea of so called "Christians" living a life of compromise whether they want to admit it or not. And while they are sitting comfortably building Christ around their lives while there is a dieing a lost world out there. A Place Where He is Not Worshiped. Does the church care? Doesn't His bride desire to make His love and splendor known to everyone? We should be fully captured by HIM that all we can think about is Him, all we should speak about is Him, we should be consumed by Him! Why are we wasting time on trivial things when people need to know the saving power of God!? Why is it that we are partaking in "the place where He is not worshiped!?" Why are we allowing the enemy to walk unchecked through our ranks!? No More!

We can not sit idly by while the enemy wrecks havoc!

We are called to advance a Kingdom.

-An eternal kingdom. A kingdom that will never pass away.

Oh, Lord empower us. Use us. Let the church arise. We need men & women like the ones of yesteryear of the legendary Irish elks. Men of Valor and a Holy Passion for the Lord's Battle, men who conquer the prowling evil one in the Name of the Rock of Ages & Women of Virtue ready to wage war for the destitute and lost, who pour out themselves for HIS call.

Pick up your weapon. Rise up. Do what you are called to do...answer the CALL!

"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

-Isaiah 6:8

*An old blog post that I was reminded of while writing this one. CLICK HERE TO READ

His Little Feet

I have been debating back and forth whether or not I should try catching you up to everything that happened at Ellerslie or if I should share what has been going on in the life of a servant of the Most High. I don't know how eloquently I will be able to share all my thoughts and the happenings that have been orchestrated by God but I shall try my best...but just in case beware. :)

So, here is a little update into my life as of right now. Ready? Around the last 2 weeks of Ellerslie the Lord had been putting on my heart to seriously consider doing the EALT Ellerslie Advanced Leadership Training. I started to pray "not my will but yours Lord."

Now lets go back to the very beginning....all the way back to the Set Apart Girl Conference...Eric and Leslie showed a video about His Little Feet during the conference. I also clearly remember the message Danita (Founder of Danita's Children an orphanage in Haiti) gave. Well, once I saw the His Little Feet video my heart cried out and said, "Lord, I want to be apart of something like that! Something that will touch the little lives for you. To be an advocate for the Orphan!"



And then Danita spoke about...Absolute surrender.

Luke 18:18-22~
"And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.

Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.

And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.
Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me."

Luke14:27, 33~

"Whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. 33So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple."

Romans 11:29~
"For God's gifts and his call are irrevocable."

She was talking about how the Lord will call you into a season of solitude and sacrifice. Just the Lord and Me. The pursuit of Holiness~the pursuit of Christ~the pursuit of a Set Apart life. A life with no trifling. Trusting in Him and ONLY Him. Then next comes a poured out life...He will lead me into a season of serving. She talked about how promotion comes from God. "What am I willing to walk away from?" has been a question that He has continually brought before me, not only through Danita but through others as well as His word and His still small (yet Thundering) voice.

John 20:21~
"Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you."

She mentioned that the Lord will call me, He will give me an opportunity. I need to be in tune with Christ.

Okay, come back to the 2nd to last week at Ellerslie. I felt the Lord leading me to take steps into the EALT program. He had given me many, many confirmations, great and small. So, I did. In faith. They had a questionnaire thing to fill out listing all the classes and opportunities that you might be interested in serving in during the weeks. One was His Little Feet.

Okay, here comes another story...
About halfway through Ellerslie. I can't give you an exact date but it was around the half point somewhere...give or take. I felt the Lord giving me an ever increasing desire to work with His Little Feet. I felt Him leading me, saying this is an opportunity that I have made for you. I felt like I should tell somebody. Anybody. So, they would know. Know that I felt like He wanted my to work with His Little Feet. But He restrained me. I couldn't tell anyone! He wouldn't let me. "How will I be able to work for them if they don't even know I feel like this is what you want me to do Lord?! They don't even know I feel drawn...let alone called!" And you know what His answer was. "Pray. Trust. Surrender. You will know that it is My Will because you won't have anything to do with it. I will orchestrate it. You won't be able to take any credit when it comes about and you will know without a shadow of a doubt that it is My Will. Not in your might nor power but in the Power of the Most High! So, I prayed, I surrendered, and I didn't say a word. {that is a hard thing to do.}

Back again. I put a check mark next to the His Little Feet column. I felt a peace. Yes, I could check the box. "Lord, your will be done on earth (in this earthen vessel) as it is in heaven." The Next Step was that Mike and Christa called a meeting. To let everyone who showed interest what His Little Feet was about and what they are doing and how we could help. They gave us an application to fill out. They needed 4 young ladies, two young men, and a married couple to become staff interns and to travel with them and the children while they are on tour singing in churches. I called my parents. I prayed. I filled out the application {which was quite long}. I surrendered it all to Him. and I felt His surpassing peace overflowing me! They said our applications needed to be in by Monday that was two days after the meeting and then by Thursday we would know their decision. Thursday came and went. No answer. Just an e-mail saying that they are still praying about it. Tuesday comes and during class Sandi hands me a little tiny note written on a little note book paper. Meeting at Mike and Christa's house. 4:15-6:30. Ask James for a ride. Gasp. What does it mean? At 4:15 two guys named James and Aaron and three girls named Rachel, Carrie, and Brooke meet at James' car. We head over to Mike and Christa's house. Then reality sinks in. We were chosen!

So, to make a really long story a bit shorter. The Lord has led me on an entirely different path then I thought I would be on right now.

I am now an Ellerslie Advanced Leadership student studying Orphan Advocacy. And I am also an Auntie to 16-18 adorable orphans that are coming over from Danita's Children in Haiti. I will be a staff intern for His Little Feet for a year. One year. Who would have ever thought!? I will be doing all the classes but at the same time I will be on the road traveling on tour with the children.

He is teaching me yet more and more of the meaning of surrender.

Surrender. Don't tell anyone.
Surrender. Even if you aren't picked.
Surrender. Your photography business.
Surrender. Your piano students.
Surrender. Your job at the studio.
Surrender. All your jobs
Surrender. Your means of making money
Surrender. Your car
Surrender. My finances.
Surrender. My time
Surrender. My comfort (I know I will be stretched.)
Surrender.

and the list can go on and on. But, I know why He wanted me to not tell anyone. Because then He could lovingly and gently show me that He is in control and even if my circumstances may look bleak HE IS IN CONTROL.

It is funny as I look back (with hindsight) how He has been preparing me for such a time as this. Not only have I been working with children and teaching them for years. Not only have I gone to orphanages. Not only am I the oldest of 5 kids. I have been doing worship dance for 15 years and teaching for several. I have started my own groups and choreographed many dances. Not only that but He has given my the gift of photography Matthew 10:8~ " freely ye have received, freely give." Not only that He has given me musical talents. I desire to work with Orphans. To be a light in the light. And so so much more.

To add to that I see how He brought me through a season of solitude and sacrifice. Way before I even came to Ellerslie. He was pruning me cutting the things that did not glorify Him nor reflect Him at the roots. I fell on Him. Then Ellerslie was just an even deeper time of Him and Me. Him strengthening me so I could pour myself out. A time where I was in pursuit of Him and Him alone. Of His righteousness, of His Holiness, of Jesus Christ. Galatians 2:20. And know He is taking me...not by my promotion but His!...and I am pouring myself out in a season of serving. I think about the question that Danita had said, "What am I willing to walk away from?" I look at everything I am walking away from. I seems like everything. But I see also what He is giving me. A beautiful opportunity. I know it will be hard. You would think I would almost know the meaning of surrender by now. Not quite. : )

James 1:27 "Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit the orphan and widow in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world."

So, that is the abbreviated summation of what has been happening in the life of Brooke Rachelle Berberich. :D

The children will be coming at the latest by September 15th and I will have to be up in Windsor by the 13th. So, much to do so little time to do it it seems.

His Little Feet WEB SITE

Here are some pictures of the sweet children whom I will soon be "Auntie" to!

Serving Him With You,
Brooke

What is Ellerslie?

The Call. The Commission. The Sending.

Well, I am home and many thought are flowing in and out of my brain. To sum up what the Lord has done for me and for each of us at Ellerslie is a big task. I want to share with you an article by one of my "Ellerslie Brothers" -Nik Ellison. He wrote this article for our Ellerslie Post...

The Gathering of the Mighty

"Just imagine if God gave me 12 young men..." these were the words of Eric Ludy at the outset of the very first semester of Ellerslie Training, taken from a document titled "Men of Honor," which he wrote 17 years ago. God has answered this prayer in a grand way. There are 12 young men here, along with 43 ladies, all of whom are on fire for the glorification of Jesus Christ!

None of us students dared to dream what Ellerslie was going to be like. Certainly we knew about the power of God, but many of us had not met that power face to face. This summer has been a Mount Sinai experience, as we have seen the power of the Most High fall upon His saints and we glow with the likeness of out King. We have seen healing for the brokenhearted, breaking for the high minded, filling for the hungry. We have seen depression traded for joy and discontentedness replaced with the peace that passes all understanding. We have seen timid lambs become roaring lions, selfish men become selfless, and flesh-living become spirit-living.

To realize this is but the first step into the endless frontier known as Christinanity is mind blowing. At Ellerslie we have discovered but the glorious tip of the iceberg.

During the first few weeks, our lives were radically changed. Even if we had all left after the orientation banquet, our worlds would have been shaken. But our God had more planned. The Holy Spirit began taking each and every student though a process of augmented purification, and the fires began to wax hot, pushing us through. Looking back, I am shocked to see how I once was, but am no more. Each one of us has died to ourselves and become strong, not in self, but in faith and in our God.

Then, only a few weeks into the session, came the revival on campus. In a period of four days, everything changed. First came the time of confession, with the realization of how sick we actually are compared to our undefiled Lord. Then 35 of us were baptized. But this was no simple dunking in the water. That day, we all made the statement to the heavens proclaiming that we have chosen our side in this war, and that we are with Jesus - no matter what. Strength was given to us, and the very next day we were called upon to spend it by interceding for nine girls, praying intensely until 4:30 a.m. The principle in heaven was proven true: We are given strength and faith to be poured out for those in need.

Since that day, every student's faith has grown exponentially. Often, God would maneuver the circumstances to perfectly fit the situation of either one student or the whole class. Whenever a temporary student arrived, it seemed as though the entire week was tailor-made for what that student needed. Many would say after one of Eric's teachings, "That was the perfect message for what I'm going though right now." God himself was guiding us.

However, often when there is a progress in the kingdom of heaven, there is an opposing reaction from the kingdom of darkness. The enemy, unable to attack the strong at Ellerslie (though he has attempted and continues to attempt to take us down), began an assault on those closest to the students: out friends and family. News of sickness, discouragement, a total lack of support, depression, anxiety, or financial troubles has stuck nearly every student at some point during the summer, but in true bravehearted valor, we have all stood up to resist the enemy, and her has fled every time. Our focus is Christ, and neither a bad word nor a discouraging circumstance can change that.

Now the summer is coming to a close. but rather than it being out setting sun, it is the dawn that breaks after the darkest of nights. God took 55 people, gathered us together, and is now sending us out once more into this dark and hopeless world. This truly is the best age to live in, and though our war is not bombs or guns, the battle is just as - if not more - intense. I look forward to seeing what God does thought each and every student, now and years to come.

The prophet Joel perfectly sums up what I think about Ellerslie:

Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles;

Prepare war, wake up the mighty men,

let all the men of war draw near; let

them come up: Beet your plowshares
into swords, and your pruninghooks into

spears; let the weak say, I am strong."

{Joel 3:9-10}

The mighty have gathered. They have been strengthened with power from on high, and now they are going forth under the banner of the Name Above ALL Names! So, class of Ellerslie, Session One: Go out into the earth! And know that your brothers and sisters stand beside you, and the Lion of Judah goes before you!

...

As I look back and ponder everything that has happened during the past 11 weeks I stand in awe and wonder! What glorious things God has done here in our midst. Each of us will be and are forever changed! Praise the Lord! I know I don't have a way of expressing myself with words and really and truly there are not many words that can began to describe what grand and epic things happened this summer. But in this post and the ones to follow I shall do my best to convey what unfolded in a little town dubbed Windsor...

Here at Ellerslie there is something full of grandeur and all together lovely. It truly is a mix of Jane Austen meets Lord of the Rings. That is one of the best ways of describing it. Who would have imagined that Mighty Men and Virtuous Women would one day gather in Windsor, Colorado (who's name also shares in the English flair). When I see Ellerslie for some reason I see a Castle across the lake and maidens about the Masters tasks and knights dueling on the grounds preparing for war. One thing that I have seen after coming home from Ellerslie is that the church has lost the majesty of The Word. To see the epic battles unfold, to see hear the Thus Saith the Lord. The church of today trys to bring the Word of God down to the level of today's culture - but we shouldn't change God to fit us we need to change ourselves to fit God. To see how much of the beauty and poetry and majesty of the Word is lost when we try to delude it to fit us is heartbreaking. To see the GOD of the bible is mind boggling and to also know that He is the same GOD of today is breathtaking!


During my time at Ellerslie there has been many things that is so hard to express in words because it was just a beautiful time spent with the Lord and Him revealing Himself to me in a precious and awe inspiring pictures. So, for this post I thought I'd just use pictures instead of a whole mass of my own words...

Ellerslie is the beginning. It is a preparation ground. He is making us strong {strengthening us from power on high} so we can pour out. He has told us to GO ~ proclaim the Good News to ALL people. We are now The Sent.

"Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest."

Luke 10:2

Serving Him with You,

~His Bubbling Brooke

Until I post...

Here some of my Ellerslie Sister who have... enjoy *wink*

http://ellerslie2010.blogspot.com/

http://alifeset-apart.blogspot.com/

http://gabs-missgabi.blogspot.com
http://ellersliestudents.com/Blog/Entries/2010/6/11_Erics_Tears.html

today~ 3 Days Left

I started packing today. Slowly crossing off the long list I have....

It feels strange. My room is as scattered as my thoughts!

I'll be at the Ellerslie campus soon!