Brooke's Uganda Update #5

Brooke’s Uganda Ministry Update #5
Sunday, February 12, 2006

Dear ones,

What does a birthday mean to you? A day to remember, reflect, regroup, plan, dream, celebrate or are words like mourn, more in your vocabulary? Two important birthdays just passed for me personally, the Southeast White House celebrated its 10th anniversary (birthday) celebration yesterday (February 11,2006) but its actual date of birth is February 6, 1996 – the day I turned 16, so as the Southeast White House turned 10 this year I turned 26. A landmark day for one and a harder day for the other. I know I am loved, but I still have a far way to go to believe it or live in it in daily life and I am not sure how many others can relate to this. One day a year so many people seemingly come out of the woodwork to say “I love you” or “Happy Birthday” but it still seems that I become attacked with questions of identity surrounding this supposedly happy day. It was much easier for me to celebrate the idea of 10 years of ministry and love given to a community hungry for it yesterday during the Southeast White House festivities. So, I will share the joys of that celebration a little later.

In light of the self doubts I was having, my mom sent me a reminder that even my name speaks life and that the Lord has love for me even from the beginning. She told me the meaning of my name and scriptures that are associated with my name, Brooke Belinda, I want to encourage any of you who also struggle with identity, to seek the Lord regarding what your names means to Him and what He has for you, individually.

“Brooke: A brook speaks of supernatural provision ( I Kings 17: 3- 6, Deut. 8: 7- 10 ), of divine protection ( II Chronicles 20:16 + 17 ), of spiritual refreshing and victory ( Ps. 110: 7 Amp.), of unlimited wisdom ( Prov.18: 4 ), of abundant prosperity ( Job 22: 23- 25 + Is. 15: 7 ), of miracle supply ( No.13: 23 + 24 and 21:14- 17 ), of hunger and thirst for more of God ( Ps. 42:1 + 2 ), of the continual flow of the Spirit and Word ( Joel 3:18 Amp.), of the cleansing and sanctification of God's people ( Deut.9: 21 and II Chronicles 29:15 + 16 ), of great harvest of souls ( Is.32: 20 Amp.)
Belinda means doubly beautiful ( Belle = French and Linda = Spanish for beautiful )
Some beautiful scriptures to research and confess over yourself are Ps. 27:4, 29:2, 45:10 + 11, 90:17, 96:6,110:3 Amp., + 149:4. Also, see Is. 4:2 + 3, 28: 5 + 6, 52:1 + 7, 60:13, 61: 3 and 62: 3 Amplified. Others include Eccl. 3:11, S. of Sol. 6: 4 + 7:1, Hos.14: 5 + 6 and Zech.9:11- 17. These verses promise that you are greatly beloved and desired; you shall be fruitful and holy; your works shall be established; you are anointed and strong, with a seeking heart of worship.” – Lynda Rushing commenting on the name she and my father gave me

This past month was filled with some intense soul-searching and revelation from the Lord as to what this year will mean for me, so it is in some ways inevitable that my joy was in some ways hampered just prior to celebrating a birthday. In January as part of my role with Christian Life Ministries I had the opportunity to attend “The Rumble USA.” This was for lack of a better word a gathering to pray and seek the Lord’s face on several important spiritual “giants” that are impacting our country. This time was filled mainly with young people that were seriously interceding for the Father’s heart towards purity in our nation and for immorality to be expelled among believers. It was a very passionate time for me to press into what I believe God wants for my generation and it was in a sense revealing the veil that has been over so many with regard to the deception and seduction of sin that has come into our society. One such issue that has been on my heart is the issue of Internet pornography and how it has bound so many – both men and women. I felt that this year the Lord wants to be for me more a year of fasting and simplicity in preparation for moving overseas at the end of the year to fulfill the path I have had on my heart since I was 13. In order to truly be ready spiritually for what the Lord has, I believe a time of fasting and prayer and a time of being hidden in the Lord is required. Last year the Lord showed that He allowed me to have a lot of wonderful feasting and in some ways upgrading my possessions, but 2006 will be a different year, since all that I have in the physical sense will need to be either given away, sold or packed up as I move across the world with no real knowledge of when or if I will come back to the United States. The Lord gave me great grace last year, and I know that I must have a different grace for this season I am being asked to embrace this year. I would ask you friends to join me in prayer as during this Lenten season I take on a special time of intercession, corporately with some who are launching Houses of Prayer in places as diverse as Boston and Los Angeles. I am so excited for what the Lord has in store and I do believe that by discovering some of the ancient traditions in the church – such as prayer and fasting – in a deeper role in my life that my own chains can fall off and I can be someone who stands in the gap for others.

Isaiah 58:6-10
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter – when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will call for help, and he will say: Here am I. “If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.”

God is so faithful to give us each a role to play in His Kingdom coming on the earth as it is in heaven and I have been very encouraged to see how His will is being revealed in the places He has taken me this last month. I have spoken at a local Christian school to children learning about Uganda, I have met with many that are interested in the conflict happening in Northern Uganda and have had the opportunity to facilitate some upcoming viewings of the documentary film, “Invisible Children, the Lord keeps opening doors for me to meet with people about to go to Uganda and educate them a little on the country and ideas for prayers to pray, it has been quite a great adventure to see the places the Lord will take you when you seek Him and to watch Him respond to and the way in which He chooses to answer prayers. It seems Africa is on everyone’s mind and heart as of late and even the key note speaker at the National Prayer Breakfast this year was concerned with making everyone aware of what is happening in Africa and challenging us to our role in partnering with and serving the continent. The speaker’s name was Bono, the lead singer of the rock band U2 and a man who has gotten more press this past year for his role in speaking out on debt relief through the One campaign as well as his group DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa) than it seems for his music. He was named one of the people of the year, along with Bill and Melinda Gates last year by TIME magazine and U2 just won 5 Grammy’s last week – so I say it has been a banner year for him, but the fact that he expends his energy for the “least of these” is what I find most impressive and convicting. (If you are interested in reading the whole speech, go to www.one.org or www.data.org/archives/000774.php ).
“This wise man said: stop. He said, stop asking God to bless what you’re doing. Get involved in what God is doing—because it’s already blessed. Well, God, as I said, is with the poor. That, I believe, is what God is doing. And that is what He’s calling us to do.”
- Bono’s speech at the National Prayer Breakfast February 2, 2006
I want to be interested in the things God wants me to be interested in and I believe the way I can do that is by spending more time with Him, reading the words He left us in the Bible and praying – in my closet alone and as He leads corporately with others. I am excited to be spending my professional time working with and among those committed to prayer. I have seen recently this quote, “History belongs to the intercessor” and again a man named Dr. Jim Moore who was at the National Prayer Breakfast and recently wrote a book titled, One Nation Under God, The History of Prayer in America said that the history of our nation would be vastly different and consequently other nations as well had it not been for the prayers of the faithful in our land. He recorded many different evidences of how specific events were shaped and transformed through prayer. He even quoted President Reagan as saying, “If you don’t care who gets the credit, you can get a lot done.” This is so true about prayer since you have probably never heard of many people who were praying and even when we pray we get our attention off ourselves, particularly in intercession since you are truly “standing in the gap” for others and seeking to listen to what God has to say about their situations. I have heard prayer called “the tiny muscle that moves the mighty hand of God” and that this is the way God chooses to work through His people. I am more convicted than ever that by getting into deeper intimacy with Jesus my future will be shaped and will also shape others lives as well.
John 17:11
”I will remain in the world no longer, but they (we as His disciples) are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name – the name you gave me – so that they may be one as we are one.”
How exciting to know that Jesus intercedes for us and believes in us! And if He cares about the poor, as Bono reminded everyone at the National Prayer Breakfast than I know He cares about, and truly is the One leading my work – whether I be researching about the election going on in Uganda on February 22nd – please do pray about this election or volunteering to help the Southeast White House celebrate 10 years on a Saturday with snow on the way. In each little amount of energy expended for the kingdom, the Father is pleased and Jesus’ prayers are being answered. The celebration yesterday was truly amazing. Friends from many different eras came together to celebrate what the Lord has done in the past 10 years through the ministry at the Southeast White House. Local pastors, community members from local boards, children, mothers, volunteers from The Falls Church in Virginia, past interns, current SEDCP board members, you name it were there to enjoy food and fellowship, worship and prayer and a very special event: the groundbreaking of the Q Street Building. This building will house some exciting programs in the community – expanding opportunities for volunteers to come through in the summer and provide a place for the children and families to have a home away from home in their back yard. It has been a long time coming, but it was so wonderful to have Janet Cannon and Hilary Barnett and others who have given so much over the years able to be here to celebrate what God has done and will continue to do. Please continue to pray for the house and the development that the Lord would have for the next 10 years – and beyond. I have created a blog where all my old Southeast White House Update newsletters are archived – dating back from July of 2002 through September of 2005, if you are interested in seeing some of the photos from that time, or reading through the history of life for me and the house during those years, I invite you to go to: www.brookessewhjourney.blogspot.com. (Also, a note to those who have been keeping up with these updates since the beginning… If you have Update #6,9, 12 or 13 could you e-mail it to me – those are the only ones I am missing). I am also in the process of beginning a blog of all of my international work – from the first Uganda update I wrote in October and on from here with photos, so if you are interested in tracking those, go to: www.brookesintladventures.blogspot.com. I recognize that all of this is from the Lord, this experience He has given me and the opportunity to live and love life with all of you and I am so grateful for the diversity of it all – from an at-risk child’s friendship in Southeast Washington to a lawyer’s in Chiapas, Mexico. In every situation, I pray that the Lord is glorified and I continue to be grateful to those that continue alongside me in this journey and encourage and challenge me to grow along the way.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 & 22
”There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.”
”So I saw that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?”
In closing, I do ask for prayers that I would live according to the truth and be protected from the lies of the evil one regarding who I am and whose I am. I ask for prayers for the ministry I am currently serving with and for our team – especially Pastor Jackson Senyonga as he has returned from Uganda and we all continue to discern how the Lord would have us serve effectively and in unity. Pray for the Southeast White House to have an abundance of interns (currently only one is there) and for resources to be supplied for the renovation of the Q Street Building. And again, please let me know how I may be praying for you and your families, new pregnancies, marriages, illnesses or losses. It is only with others that this journey makes sense.
With all my love,
Brooke