Oh Senior Year...

So I have heard people say "Don't wish your life away!" and "Oh your senior will fly by!" and at first I was like oh they are just saying that... But I just realized they know what they are talking about! The first six weeks of my senior year are already over which means with only have eleven weeks until the first semester is OVER! I can't believe it!! I have realized a lot of things these past few weeks as I have been trying to just take it all in. I realized that I don't know a lot of the people that I have passed in the halls these last few weeks. Today I realized that when my foreign exchange friend leaves I will probably never see her again and I started to cry! And then tonight I was looking for pictures to put in the year book and it took me back to the days when i was really little! But the weird thing is all of these days seem like they were just yesterday! I also realized tonight that it is hard talking to kids... I had to share about my trip to Honduras with the Awana kids and it was SO hard! I had to explain SO MUCH to them because I forget they don't know what words like "testimony" mean! Tonight I also learned that Father has blessed me with some amazing friends that mean the world to me and that I will really miss when we graduate. My friend Jeremy went with me to brookshires because we both had to get gas and he put the gas in for me! We have had some great conversations these past few years and sometimes I forget how blessed I am to have friends like him! I guess my whole point in sharing this is that we need to take more time to stop and enjoy the present instead of waiting around for the future! So that's about all haha

New Friends, New Faces...

Well this week I started my senior year of high school!! I thought this day would NEVER come!! I started the day Monday walking into the door with an attitude of " I don't like school and I just can't wait for this year to be over with!" But as the week went on I began to make new friends, and meet knew people! My classes are pretty easy as well which helps! One of the girls I have become pretty good friends with is Anna Eliasson. Anna is a foreign exchange student from Sweden! I have spent much time talking with her and learning about her country! I told her the first day of school that she was living my dream and she laughed! Last night Anna, Minta, Lori, and I along with Minta's family went to eat at Texas Roadhouse for Minta's 18th birthday... Then we took Anna to Orange Leaf and to see The Help. I think at first Anna was a bit overwhelmed, but I think she had a good time overall! I knew that sometimes exchange students come to our school, but it really isn't a common thing. The fact that Anna is here just makes my heart SO happy. The new friendship and chances to show someone how wonderful The States are is so exciting to me. On Wednesday my Economics teacher was in the office and I was making copies (I am the office aid)... She came up to me and said " Thank you so much for befriending Anna. I was worried the first day that maybe she wouldn't make many good friends, but I am happy and I trust that you will show her the best of America!" I have always heard people say "Even when you think no one is watching, someone will always be looking." And now I find this statement true. I had no idea that anyone had even seen us together but I guess I was wrong. I can't wait to go on many more adventures this year with Anna! I am eager to continue learning about her country as well! I also ask that The Father would make great conversation between the two of us! I will keep ya'll posted!

Who Knew...

Since I have been in Honduras with the Hopkins family I have seen and learned many things that I have never experienced in my life... One thing is being around a nine and six year old that have pretty much become like my little brother and sister. I must say that even though I have grown to love Emma and Tyler, I am very thankful that God blessed me with being the youngest because I'm not so sure I would have been able to handle being the oldest (props to Sissy and Meagy... Thank you for putting up with me for all of these years and I'm sorry for every time I've been annoying and thrown a fit!! I love ya'll!!) And also something I learned tonight is that moving around a lot (although I thought it would never come in handy) definitely does! We got in the car tonight to go to church and Tyler was crying... I asked him what was wrong and he said that he didn't like moving because he was scared. I told him that I have moved A LOT and although it is hard at first, once you make friends it is fun! I also told him that even though I have moved a lot and have friends all over I will never be able to say that I lived in Honduras and have great friends here which is a pretty cool thing to be able to tell people! We talked for a little bit longer and then he gave me a hug and said thanks for being such a big help! Coming from a nine year old boy that means a lot! So Momma and Daddy even though I have cried and been upset and not understood why we have moved so much, tonight God showed me that maybe it was so I could help a little nine year old boy realize how important it is to listen to him and go where he calls you to go! So thank you!

Love Always,
McKenzie Lane Brown

Crash And Burn...

Sorry I haven't posted in a while... A lot has happened since the last post! But let's fast forward to this morning. Kristi and I got up at 5:30 to go running. Everything was going pretty good besides the fact that it is so much harder to breath here when you run then it is in the states. The plan was to run two miles and we were doing pretty good when all of a sudden I FELL. The roads here are not paved or even gravel, they are like huge rocks and dirt. I was running in my fivefingers and I must have tripped over a rock. I know have two cut up knees, hands, and one cut up elbow... Not what I was expecting to happen at all!! After I got done crying and asking Kristi if anything was broken I started to laugh and think of Meagan and how she always falls! It made me feel so much better!! Anyways that's about all for now!

Beautiful Town...

So this week there is a festival downtown in Gracias... I know I wrote about it in my last post but we went today and we are going tomorrow as well! Anyways I got some really great pictures of some pretty cool stuff! We watched some people dressed up do a traditional dance then it was time for them to pick someone out of the crowed to dance with and Shannon got picked! It was pretty much the funniest thing I've seen in a while! Don't worry I got pictures and a video! After walking around there we went around downtown and looked. The people here don't mind if you take their pictures so even though I feel like a total creeper I do it anyways! We saw some really heartbreaking things and it made me appreciate what I have that much more. Today I saw several people backpacking and that was pretty cool! It reminded me of these videos we used to watch in Spanish class when people would go backpacking to different places and sleep in strange places and eat weird things! Then one time we were walking down the road and I saw this guy wearing a New York Yankees hat and I mentioned to Kristi how I think it is funny that the guys here wear hats like that. I saw a boy at church the other night wearing an OU hat and I freaked out! Anyways right after I said that the guy turned around and started talking to us... HE SPOKE ENGLISH! Being in foreign countries and finding people that you can understand is pretty exciting! So we began to speak with him. He is studying abroad for the next two years and he is from Iowa. His family is originally from Honduras but he has never been here. He told us every day he meets someone in his family and he thinks its really cool! It was really exciting talking to him! Anyways tomorrow is the big day at the festival so we are going to check it out again! We also went to a carnival tonight and I must say it was the creepiest thing I've done in a while. I mean normally I don't go to carnivals in the states, but here just walking around was pretty scary. Kristi and I were taking pictures and I came across this cute little girl with nothing but a dirty shirt and a diaper on no shoes or anything. There were two little boys with her as well! I started to take her picture and she posed for me, then the two little boys came over and they were all pushing each other out of the way! They were by far the cutest little kids I've ever seen in my whole life. In the moment I wasn't really thinking about anything except for the fact that they were so cute and I just wanted to take them home and bathe them and give them clothes and food and a comfy place to sleep. My heart was extremely heavy for them. So in closing I would just ask that you begin to pray for those little children. I'm not sure what their names are, but that doesn't matter. Pray that they are safe and taken care of. I know that the Father is going to protect them and that makes me feel better about it. In my short time out today I saw a lot of hurting little children and I just want to ask you to join in doing something as simple as saying a little prayer. Thank you very much! I hope ya'll are all doing well!

Love Always,
McKenzie Lane Brown

Downtown Festival...

Today we went downtown to check out the festival that has come to Gracias! The government of Honduras arrived today to have the fist congress meeting which is a huge deal for the people of Gracias. Downtown they set up a huge stage and there are little kids of all ages dressed up in these awesome outfits! Some of them sing and others do skits that has to do with the history of the country and city. I got some GREAT pictures so when I figure out how I will be able to share them with ya'll I will put them up! Thanks for all of the prayers!

Love Always,
McKenzie Lane Brown

Sunday, Sunday…

So this morning Kristi, Emma, and I went with Armondo and Aurora to the same house church we went to last Sunday! Shannon and Tyler went with their son Ariel to another one! Kristi and I helped Aurora with the children and it was SO much fun! They are all so cute! There was one little girl, she was three and she was there with her brother and sister that were probably eight or nine. I helped her during craft time… She was coloring and every time she would make a mark she would turn around and look at me and just smile as big as she possible could! Then when we were leaving church they were walking down the road and we were getting into the car and she turned around and smiled and waved for about one or two minutes until I finally got into the car… She made my day for sure☺ Then after we got back home we decided to go out to eat with Armondo and his family. There isn’t enough electricity in Honduras for the whole place to have it at the same time so that ration it… Sometimes we go days with it and sometimes we go a few days without it which stinks! But today I’m actually excited we went out to eat! We went to this hotel that is in the middle of downtown and it is VERY nice! We were going to eat there, but they were all full so we couldn’t. When we were walking out we walked past the pool and I noticed a table with some clothes and bags sitting on it and then I looked down to see about five pairs of TOMS. Of course I started to silently freak out because I knew that this summer one of the places the TOMS people were going to was Honduras. So I casually look over at the pool only to see some guys and girls about in their twenties or so. They looked like people that work at Urban Outfitters (if you’ve ever been there you know what I mean) kind of hippieish, definitely people that would wear TOMS. Well I just so happened to be wearing my red TOMS and when I looked over at the people again I saw them all looking at my shoes! I didn’t have time to talk to them, but if I were to guess, I would say they were probably TOMS interns! They definitely fit the part! So that made my day as well! I have seen some people here wearing TOMS and I just can’t help smiling when I do! The very first day when we got to Honduras we left the airport and ate at a place close by… When we walked in I noticed a girl from Honduras standing in line to order… I looked down for some reason and guess what shoes she was wearing… TOMS!! So these are just little things that have excited me very much in the short time I’ve been here! I hope ya’ll are enjoying what I have to say! Pictures should be coming pretty soon! Thanks for the love and prayer!

If The Mattress Fits...

So yesterday we finally got the kids bunk beds to the house! We had trouble (of course) getting them through the doorway, but luckily the handyman that is building the water tower was here so he and his helpers took it apart, got it in the room, and then put it back together! Things were looking up! We put Tyler's mattress on first with no problems at all! Then we got to Emma's which was going to be on top... We had to squish it in and when we did BAM the whole bed cracked. So this means that Shannon and Kristi's bed wasn't the only one that didn't end up working. But no fear, today we went and bought Shannon and Kristi and new mattress and we got the kids a new bunk bed that will hopefully fit! Last night I finally got to talk to Momma, Daddy, and Meagy! It was very nice to talk to all of them! Especially Meagy because some of the first words out of her mouth were "lol" and "aren't you happy you got to talk to me?" I haven't heard that stuff in a while! I am happy to be serving the Father in Honduras. So far it has been fun, hard, and different from last summer, but good! The people of Honduras are eager and excited to learn about the Father which brings joy to my heart. Before I left we stayed at my Mom’s parents house and the one thing I remember the most is that my Papaw told me three or four times “make sure you tell as many people as possible about the Lord and how good he is to us!” The more I go to house churches and see the M’s work here I can see that is exactly what they are doing. They have started 43 house churches and many more are to come in the future. The M’s that have been helping us are amazing! They are older, but so nice and welcoming to us! The day after we arrived in Honduras we met the wife and she told me “The next time you come to Honduras you will stay with us, Our home is your home!” I was blown away by that! How many times have you met someone and told them right then and there that the next time they come to America they can stay with you? I thought that was amazing! The Father has truly blessed this country with the M’s that he has placed here and I can’t wait to hear what he continues to do here! In closing I would like to share my favorite verse that is a constant reminder to me of why I want to do missions.

Romans 10:14-15
“How; then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear unless someone preaches to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!”

Pet Monkey...

So a few days ago we went into downtown Gracias to get some shopping done... Shannon & Kristi took us to see this store that had a pet monkey... It jumped on Tylers head and on the car!! It let me pet it (even though I was SO scared... But this little oy helped me so no worries haha) and then Kristi pet it also!! It was SO funny!! I will upload pictures later!! But the past few days we have just been painting and trying to finish getting the house done... Last night we FINALLY got hot water!! We have been taking FREEZING cold showers the past few days haha!! That's pretty much all. Me and Shannon went to some house churches which is pretty amazing! But we went to one about 2 nights ago and they had something for us to eat and I ended up getting sick, but I'm getting better so that's good!! I will continue to keep y'all up to date!! Thanks for the love and prayers! Please continue to send them our way!

Attack Of The Killer Ants...

Yesterday we went to the Hopkins house and started painting. While we were there the washer, stove, fridge, and mattresses were delivered! We were all having a great time! Kristi and I were painting and Emma and Tyler were playing with their toys. All of a sudden we realized there were a few ants, no big deal right? WRONG! Emma got on her hands and knees and began killing the ants... She actually killed all of them which was a lot! Then we worked a little bit longer and before we knew it dinner time had arrived. So we waited for Shannon and the other M's and then we set out to find good food! We ended up eating at a place owned by this German woman that had lived here for several years... I got nachos which was really good! The cheese was hard, not soft like we eat in America. Then after that we went back to the house to get some clothes because we spent the night at the hotel again and when we got there the floor outside and in the house was COVERED in ants... Millions of them everywhere and they were HUGE!! So the kids of course were freaking out, but hopefully we can get rid of them! So please pray that the ants go away because they are painful and scary! Today Shannon and Kristi are going to see if the actual furniture is finished being made. A bunk bed for Emma and Tyler, Shannon and Kristi's bed, The living room stuff, the wardrobe for the kids (they don't have closets here), and then some other things. If this is finished then we will hopefully be able to sleep in the house tonight! Other than the ant problem Honduras is amazing! We are having a great time! It's fun helping the Hopkins get their home put together! It is beautiful! The house is big and there is a lot of space! That's pretty much all for now! Thanks for the prayers and support!

BAM!

Well we made it safely to Honduras! Our flight left Dallas at 5:45 this morning, lets just say the woman that checked us in wasn't the nicest person I've met in my life. After tear shed and almost having to leave some stuff behind, we made it with everything (including Lucy the dog who almost had to stay in America). Just to give you an idea of how we are feeling it pretty much seems like everyone is out to get us today. The flights went well and no one got sick so that was good! Then we had a five hour drive to the town we are actually living in. The house had no furniture yet so we are staying and probably the coolest hotel I've ever stayed at! Things were finally looking up! Then all of a sudden things took a turn for the worst. I was in my room with Emma and Tyler (The Hopkins children) and we were watching some Disney Channel (in Spanish of course) and all of a sudden the lights went out. We made our way to the lobby area and finally found Shannon and Kristi. So we grabbed my bag and all headed back to my room! Then we got ATTACKED by killer ants. They were EVERYWHERE. I probably have approximately 20 bits on my feet and legs right now. They got ALL over my bed and floor and duffel bag. At that point we were all so tired and frustrated with how things were going! As hard as I tried I couldn't hold back the tears. It was like a flood of stress and tiredness that just took tole. Tomorrow we will be going shopping so we can get beds which means we will be able to sleep in the comfort of our own home! Pretty sure we are all excited about that! As I look back on the terrible things that have have gone wrong today, I realize that it is just Satan moving in and attacking us. Making us second guess why we are here and why we didn't just stay in America. Even though today hasn't been the best, I would say I'm happy things turned out this way because I know we aren't in our comfort zone, but I also know that God will provide and things will get better! Well that's all for now. I'm headed to sleep! Thanks for your love and support. Please pray for us as we continue to dive into this journey that things will go way better than they did today!

Love always,
McKenzie Lane Brown

Finally Here...

Well I have been counting down the days until my trip and guess what... IT'S FINALLY HERE!! I can't wait! My last few days in America have been amazing! I got to spend the 4th of July with one of my best friends Minta and her family. Her uncle taught us how to play washers (which I'm not very good at, but of course she is amazing at haha)... we also got to shoot fire works which mainly her brother and his friend did but hey we did get festive and do sparklers! Then today we got to go to Chucke Cheese! A family that goes to our church that we are very close to has a son Mason that will turn SIX on Thursday! We won't be able to make it to the party so we decided to take him to his most favorite place! The trip was successful! He had a lot of fun (so did we!!) And then tonight I have spent the rest of my time packing which I am not a fan of but you gotta do what you gotta do right? Tomorrow Meagy has to go take a test for the online class she has been taking this summer (she has been studying SO hard and I just know she will do AMAZING!!) then we will head to Dallas! We will be visiting the MVP's (super summer interns), the going to our most favorite store Whole Earth, and then we are going to see a movie! A great way to spend my last few hours here! I am extremely excited to see what the Father is going to do on this trip! I appreciate all of the support that ya'll have given me! I am very blessed and thankful to have such awesome people in my life that follow the Father! I love ya'll and I can't wait to share all about my adventures in Honduras with everyone when I return home!

Going, Going, Going.

Summer just started and for the Brown family it has been crazy! We just finished two weeks of Super Summer and now we are at home for a few days then we head to YEC! In 18 days I head to Honduras and I can't wait! I just know that it will be AMAZING! Well that's all for now! I hope everyone is having a great summer so far!

Summer Sun

Well it's summer time and the crew is at the first week of super summer at HPU! I am beyond excited for this week! Although the dorm I'm in reminds me of a mental institution I think maybe it is Gods way of preparing me for my mission trip to Honduras this summer! I have been talking to the M's I will be traveling with about what to expect and I have found out many things! One fact that I really had no idea about was Honduras is the second most poor country in the world, Haiti is the first. When I found this out I was kind of like "oh great how am I flinch to live forba month in the second most poor place on this earth?" But the God got ahold of me and opened my eyes... Now I can't wait to go there and live like the people of Honduras live. Who knows maybe that is where I will live someday! Anyways I just felt like I needed to share this with y'all! I hope everyone is doing well! Have a beautiful summer!

Amazing God!

I haven't blogged is SO long! Well a lot has happened but the main thing I want to share is about what has been going on in the past few weeks of my life! It has been crazy, painful, and there have been tears but through all of those things I have grown so much closer to God! I already knew how amazing our God is, but I really think that it is when you are in hard positions and think you will not make it any further is when God shows up. He lets us know that he will always be there and sometimes lets admit we doubt him, but he isn't lying! He is so faithful and it is hard to feel or see sometimes but never doubt him! People might fail you but our God is always with you and I guess I just wanted to help ya'll remember this! I know my problems might seem small because I am young but our problems are all the same to God and he takes time to help us all! I hope this can help someone realize he is always with us no matte what! That's pretty much all! I hope everyone has a great week!