Snow!

Last Friday we woke up to snow! This was very exciting to me but to my husband and I'm pretty sure every other Montana resident it was not so exciting. Eureka is home to bad weather, fog and rain (year round!) but almost never snow so the whole thing was a new and really beautiful experience. I'm told that in about 3 months I'll hate it....we'll see:)

In other news....Kyle and I have joined the staff of Catalyst, our Church youth group! We we're approached last Sunday about this and asked to pray about it and come check it out on Wednesday night. When Wednesday night came around we had made our decision to be apart of the team. It's a big youth group and really wild...we're excited! This Thursday-Saturday we'll be headed down to Billings for a big youth conference with the staff and about 50 kids from the youth group. We're both really excited about being apart of Catalyst....who knows maybe we can convince a few of them to head over to Maui;)

That's most of what's been happening in the last few weeks. I really need to post some pics...especially of the snow! haha! We'll see if I actually get pictures up this time:)

Six months later...

It's been FOREVER since I last updated my blog! So many things have happened I don't even know where to start!



In March I moved back to California where I was working and getting ready for the wedding! It was a busy time but very special. I feel so blessed that I had a few months to spend with my parents before getting married.

Kyle and I were married on July 25th, 2009! The week before the wedding was one of the most stressful weeks of my life! On the day of I finally settled down (with a little help from champagne!) and decided to just enjoy the day. The day went by so fast and almost seemed like a dream. It was so beautiful and I have so many people to thank for all of the hard work they put into our special day.

After the wedding Kyle and I headed to Puerto Vallarta Mexico!! It was amazing:) Our honeymoon consisted of eating too much at every meal, drinking 'Dirty Monkeys', riding 4-wheelers in the jungle, going on crazy zip-lines in the jungle, hanging out in the pool and of course...other things;) After our honeymoon we headed back to California for a few days and then we drove to Montana to start our new life together.

Kyle and I started working a week after we got home which was a HUGE blessing. Kyle's been doing flooring installation and I've been working as a bank teller. I can honestly say I would never have imagined myself working as a bank teller but here I am counting back cash and writing everything down on carbon paper...haha...the bank I work for is old school!

So far the adjustment has been easier than I thought it would be. Kyle and I are loving being married and having so much fun. I'd love to have a friend or two but I know that takes time so I keep praying! That's our life right now, I'll try and keep the updates coming! I'll post some new pictures soon!

They're Back!!

The fall school returned from their outreaches last week, the teams went to Borneo, Bangladesh and Ch!na. It's always a blessing for me to hear about what they did and how they've changed.

The team that went to Borneo spent much of their time teaching and praying for people. They saw many people healed and 50 people were saved! The teams told stories of coming to a church and praying for people for up to 3 hours. It was such a blessing to hear that God is moving and active in the most highly populated Muslim country in the world.

The team that went to Bangladesh worked with Compassion International working with children. The team was also given an opportunity to minister to many Muslims including a witchdoctor. It was awesome to hear about how this team really pressed into prayer and sought God's heart for this country.

The Ch!na team spent most of their times in English corners and building relationships with university students. I loved how intentional this team was, they got to know people and invested their time and were able to eventually share with them the hope they have. They saw 13 people saved, praise God!

As always, it's so encouraging for all of us to hear about each teams outreach. It's a reminder of what's going on all over the world and how God is moving everywhere!

Kona!

I'm back in Maui and feeling refreshed from an amazing time in Kona! While we were in Kona we had six lectures in total with about 20 hours of teaching time. Our speaker was Kris Vallotton from Bethel Church in Redding, California. Kris is the founder of 'The School of Supernatural Ministry' which now has over 1,000 students each year. Some of our lecture topics were honor, gifts of the spirit, prophecy & healing and freedom in Christ. He was a very straight forward and challenging speaker. I really appreciated his boldness and the ways he challenged us. Kris encouraged us to "follow the ways of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy" 1 Cor 14:1. He has an amazing ministry in Redding and told us some amazing testimonies of what God has done through them.

I also spent a lot of time in the prayer room seeking direction and refreshment. Kyle and I feel called to long term missions and every time we pray and ask God for further direction or more detail he reminds us to be patient and trust him. We are waiting patiently for the details about our future but for now we are content with waiting and trusting the Lord.

I'm always amazed at the perspective I get while I'm in Kona. There are 1,000 people living on the base (that doesn't include the staff living off base) and so many of these people have radical stories of their journeys with God. The founders of YWAM live in Kona and are such people of faith. There's also a man who was imprisoned in Iran and beaten daily and now is leading a DTS to "extreme places" which include Northern Iraq and Afghanistan. There are people from all over the world living at the base in Kona. I was reminded of what I'm a part of and why I've been doing what I do.

If you'd like to know more about YWAM or any of the things I've mentioned feel free to e-mail me! Thank you to all of you who helped me get over to Kona! God Bless!

Aloha,

As most of you know my commitment to YWAM Maui will be ending in the beginning of March. I will be headed to Eureka where I’ll be working and finishing wedding plans. Leaving is defiantly bitter sweet, Maui has become my home in many ways and the people here have become like family. Leaving will be hard but I feel blessed to be able to spend time with my family before moving to Montana.

Leaving Maui does present some last financial needs. I’m still needing to buy a plane ticket to the Mainland, I’m in need of $250 for this ticket. I’m also mailing some of my things to Eureka which will be significantly less expensive than flying with them. This will be another $100 for shipping. These are my needs at the moment. If you would like to support me on this venture back to Eureka you can make checks payable to “YWAM” and post to Leah Brandenburg P.O. Box 790237 Paia, Hi 96779.

Thank you for all of your prayers and financial support over the past 3 ½ years. You have been apart of hundreds of changed lives (including mine!) and bringing the hope of Jesus Christ to Nepal, Thailand, Myanmar and China! Thank you for trusting me and believing in what God has called me to do, we’re investing in the eternal!

Love,

Leah

Engagement Photos!!

Kyle and I had our engagement photos taken last weekend! We had to get up at 5:30am so we'd be there for the sunrise, it was definitely worth it! We'll be getting married at First Covenant Church in Eureka, Ca on July 25, 2009 at 4pm.

Kona!

The second week in February I plan to go to the YWAM base in Kona, Hawaii for a conference. The speaker will be Kris Volloton from Bethel Church in Redding, CA. The week is entitled "When Heaven Meets Earth". The three major YWAM base's DTS schools in Hawaii will be gathered in Kona for the week. The meetings will have around 500 people at each one, with daily worship and prayer.I'm excited for what God has for this week, and what can be learned and received!!! Kyle and I both felt the Lord prompting us to go for this week. Pray that it would be a time of renewal and that it would spark more passion in our lives for the Lord! Thank you to all of you who gave so I would be able to attend this conference, it's such an answer to prayer!