Too Young for the World Race? You Don't Have to Wait!

Happy Easter!

Posted in General by Briana Rene on 4/8/2012

Hey you all! We miss you all dearly and hope all is well with your souls.. I want to start this blog by apologizing for being absent for so long! Please konw that Josh and I think of you guys and pray for you often. And know also that we wouldn't be able to do what we are doing if it weren't for your prayers and support, and we are so grateful for that! The transition down to Georgia has been good, but we hit the ground running! So where should I begin...

Josh and I love what we are doing here at Adventures In Missions. Our boss is very empowering and our team is so united. We are working for the Adventures Youth Department and Josh and I are recruiting college kids for the summer staff positions. We have been learning alot, and our side of the job is very personable, so we love it! And we get to work together, so that's awesome. =). We have been building a great community down here and getting very plugged in with the Church. (We miss all of you guys, but it is cool to feel the connection of family through Christ everywhere we go!) I've been serving with the childrens ministry and Josh has been worship leading here and there and also stepping into more of a leadership position! It's been awesome to see him walk in some of his giftings!

We are actually about to sit down this coming wk to begin planning for Cambodia! We miss it so much.. For a little while I was beginning to get anxious because our plans for Cambodia were not happening as soon as I had wanted them to, but then the Lord reminded me that He has us here for this season, and He will get us to Cambodia WHEN He wants us there. For now, I need to look for the Lord in what He is presently doing, not what will be. I was also reminded that many times in the Bible God told people something He had in mind for them, but then that something didn't come for quite some time.. Like Abraham having a child, or David becomming King.. Now hopefully our plans don't take THAT long, but we are excited to watch these plans unfold! And along with that.. With a baby along the way, I know God's timing is what we need! My hair is growing! Slowly but surely.. And along with my hair, so is my belly~

From joshandbrianarene.theworldrace.org

(Sorry, no matter how hard I tried it would only come out sideways..)

Baby Rene is doing good! Moving around a whole bunch, and it's so wild to think that in only 3 more months we will finally get to meet our little bean! For those of you who don't know, we are waiting to find out if it's a boy or a girl until we have it! Crazy, we know.. But we decided we'd probably never have a surprize just that exciting...! We had an ultrasound this past wk and it was SOOO amazing!
Here is our little bean! It was the first time we got to see it's little face =)!
From joshandbrianarene.theworldrace.org

Isn't that wild?! I can't even understand how anyone can have a child and not believe there is a God. It truly is a miracle!
We miss you all, and hope you are doing well! Happy Easter. We'd love to hear how you all are doing! Feel free to let us know by leaving a comment! God bless!

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Random, but informative

Posted in General by Josh Rene on 1/4/2012

Sorry about the blog silence. These past few weeks have been absolutely nuts for us. The holidays were a blur and with Bri being pregnant I’m not sure which way is up right now…other than that we are doing great!!! Hahahaha…but seriously we are doing good.

We have finally settled into our apartment down in Gainesville, Georgia and love being a normal married couple again. Not that we don’t appreciate the time spent with family because it was awesome, but it’s so nice after a year and four months being alone! For those who don’t know or don’t read facebook, Bri is a little over three months pregnant! We couldn’t be more excited to grow our family and step into this next chapter of life. The pregnancy is going so well. Bri has been such a trooper through it so far and has handled herself which such grace and thankfulness. We also just found out that she still has insurance under her parents so we are super relieved that she can have a baby here in the States and it wont cost us a small fortune. We had overseas insurance on the mission’s trip but that ended shortly after we got home. God is so faithful in providing though. We are going to schedule Bri’s first appointment soon and are excited to find out how that little baby is cooking!

Pregnancy is so weird. It’s amazing, and beautiful, but to a man…kinda weird. The cravings she experiences, the crying for no reason, the times at which she gets hungry, the little bump starting to form above her waste line…weird you know? However it humbles me, and puts me in awe. God still forms life inside of us. He still knits babies together in the womb. He is creator and sustainer; the true Author of life. He already knows the babies name, what color eyes it will have, the personality it will develop, and the exact day when he or she will take their first step. That is just awesome.
From joshandbrianarene.theworldrace.org

I haven’t been sleeping the best lately. It could be a weird sleep schedule or being in a new place but I feel it’s much deeper than that. I think it’s the weight of responsibility I feel to raise this baby right. I want to love, provide for, protect, nurture, encourage, and teach my kids to follow Jesus with all their hearts. I know that no parent is perfect but I want to be the best father I can be. I don’t know how anybody does life without God’s help. I guess I can just pray that God makes me into the man I need to be and daily put into practice what I confess to believe. I thank God that I had two amazing and godly examples for parents…and since they are probably the only two people reading this…thanks Mom and Papa. Love you guys!

Sorry that this blog and the pictures in it are so random. Thanks for taking the time to read it. In short…We are doing good, God is great, pregnancy is weird and beautiful at the same time, my sleep schedule is a little off and I love my parents. We start the apprenticeship with AIM on the 9^th and are excited to have some routine again. Pray for us as we continue to transition and rely on God for support to come in.

Grace and Peace to all of you!

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted in Awe filled by Briana Rene on 11/24/2011

14 things we are so thankful for!...
From joshandbrianarene.theworldrace.org

Need I use words... God is perfect LOVE!

If you would like to help support us to get the training we need to bring development to this Childrens Home please click on the link that says, "support us in the apprenticeship" on the top, left side of the screen.. Thanks and God bless!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

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Opposites Attract

Posted in General by Josh Rene on 11/19/2011

I’m writing this from a little “hole in the wall” hotel in the Riverside area of Phnom Penh. It has been an incredible few weeks in a place that feels so real. It feels real because it’s messy. It may be dirty, poor, corrupt, and dark but Bri and I find such a peace here. God is moving and the light of His church here is battling against the darkness we see. Hope is rising. Bri and I would have never picked a place like this but God knows that opposites attract.

From joshandbrianarene.theworldrace.org

The time we've spent with the children here could bring tears to my eyes. These kids are amazing. They have fun and play like every other 8, 9 , and 10 year old yet when it comes to worshipping God they carry a different kind of awe and reverence for Him. We were at the children’s home on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday night was worship practice for the church’s worship band. I sat in on the practice because as most of you know I love corporate worship with the body of Christ! As I sat and listened I noticed one of the boys from our children’s home slip into the back of the church. My first thought was, “I wonder what kind of trouble this little guys is going to cause..?” Maybe he would pull on the electrical chords, stand on the chairs, or be a distraction to the band? What happened next really blew me away…he quietly found a place to sit, closed his eyes, and raised his hands to worship his Heavenly Father. He stayed in the church a good 45 minutes time with his head bowed, eyes closed, and hands raised. I thought to myself… “I want to worship like this kid… No one forced him in there, no one was making him come to church, it was Saturday anyway. He wasn’t playing with Bri and the other kids. He was wrapped up in something much bigger…his Jesus. These kids get it. They believe in the most simple and profound way. They read the bible and then they do what it says. Simple. Faith like children…just what Jesus wanted.
From joshandbrianarene.theworldrace.org

Bri and I drove our rented moto (I call it a moto because scooter sounds so lame..) over to the children’s home to say our goodbyes today. It was so bittersweet to look into the eyes of those kids and say, “We will hopefully see you in a year or so…” The boys were strong, the girls teared up a bit. However sad the moment was it ended with smiles, hugs, and “I love yous” in broken English. We even taught them the “I love you” hand signal in sign language that my Dad taught us as kids. The kids picked it up quick. We see so much hope and potential in this poor little place. Pray for this area of the world and pray for us as we seek wisdom to help it without hurting it.

We can’t wait to get back home and share our stories… for now I will leave you with this pick. It kinda sums it all up…

From joshandbrianarene.theworldrace.org

Grace and Peace

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Life to the fullest...

Posted in Awe filled by Briana Rene on 11/11/2011

I can't even begin to tell you how amazing it is to be back here! God has given us SUCH a love for these kids.

From joshandbrianarene.theworldrace.org

Oh the joy we find as we spend time with them! Whenever we leave them we find ourselves so filled by the Lord!
From joshandbrianarene.theworldrace.org

I've had a revelation while we've been here~ and as I explain this I in no way want it to come off as judgemental, because these "things" are not bad and its not wrong to have them either! But I think I'm beginning to learn what it looks like to live life to the fullest! Im learning that it's not about having the nice car, or the big house.. It's not about carring about what you look like, or earning alot of money.. Though I can say that I already knew that, often times I buy into the lie that those things will truly bring me joy.. ( All the "if only I had... 's") But here we are in the middle of non of that, and we couldn't be more filled! It's hot, dirty, poor and stinky.. But it's absoulely amazing at the same time! That is also how we know it's such a God thing.. Josh and I would have never chosen Cambodia.. It's so the opposite of what we would have picked.. But it's so perfect because it's part of God's plan for us! I suppose I now understand that verse that says, "You should LOSE your life, so you can truly FIND it.." We should throw out our "idea" of what life to the fullest looks like and surrender it to God and allow Him to show us.. Because when we let Him, He does... And it's so much better than we could've ever imagined!
THIS is life to the fullest!!!
From joshandbrianarene.theworldrace.org

Above is a picture of the kids sporting their new sandals and shirts thanks to a generous gift from Mom and Pa Rene. They were so excited and grateful to recieve these gifts.

While we have been at the Children's home we have talked with the Pastor and his family about what this might look like.. (We have called it an Orphanage in the past because most of the kids are true orphans, but we recently learned that they don't adopt these children out because they desire to raise them up to know and love Christ. They bring them in as "part of the family".) As we talked about their dreams and our vision we were reminded that this is going to be a big project. At times it can get overwhelming as we ourselves are learning, and as we think about how this project in and of itself is so much bigger than we are.. But then we remember that God is bigger than it all and that it's okay that we don't have all the answers. He will guide us and direct us as we walk in obedience and faith.
Please continue to pray with us as we seek the Lord on our next steps! We are so excited to come home and seek wise counsel and do some more research. We can't wait to share more details with you guys as they continue to be shaped and formed~ but until then.. Here are just some of their dreams..
~ Discipleship training for the kids and the community.
~ To buy a plot of land so they can grow their own vegetables and to give the kids a place to play.
~ To recieve training in some different skills so they can bring in more of an income.
~ A computer center with classes so they can reach out to the community.
~ To have more resources so they can care for even more orphaned or abandoned children.
So like I said.. These are just a few of the things we might be aiming for in the future..

Grace and Peace!

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We made it!

Posted in General by Briana Rene on 11/7/2011

Hey you all! This ones is going to be short, but we just wanted to let you all know that we made it safely to Phnom Penh! We got in at like 3am this morning. It's SO GREAT to be back! We have not seen the kids yet, but we can't wait to let you know how they are! Love & Peace

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Beautiful Colors..

Posted in General by Briana Rene on 11/5/2011

Hey everyone! We just wanted to let you guys know that we have made it to Thailand safe and sound! Our 2nd flight had a delay, so when we got to Tokyo we literally ran off our plain and ran to the next one that was almost done boarding! Praise the Lord we didn't miss it!
From joshandbrianarene.theworldrace.org

So after about 24hrs. of flight time, we landed! Then we had a little trouble finding a hotel. Since the city is still a bit flooded most of the hotels by the airport our booked. So after about 2 hrs of driving around with a taxi, only to find every hotel full(we felt like Mary and Joseph that night in Bethlehem)~ we finally told the taxi driver to drop us off somewhere to eat at like 1 in the morning. After we ate we asked the Lord to help us find a room, and then these kids on the street asked us our names bc they were excited we were american.. ( I forgot that in most of the rest of the world we are like celebrities!) We talked with them for a little, and then they were so sweet and they said "You stay here, we will go check this one hotel for you on our scooters, and see if they have space." 1st one was full but then they proceeded to another one for us, and came back to tell us the good news! There was ONE room left! So the kid walked with us to the hotel to show us where it was, and then went on his way.. It turned out that we had already been to this hotel while the taxi guy was driving us around.. The receptionist told us that she wanted to give us this room to begin with, but when the taxi man came up and spoke in Thai he told her to charge more for the room and then give him the rest.. She wasnt sure if he spoke english or not, so she shied away from telling Josh right in front the guy, and just said that they were full.. So that taxi man was pretending to help us, but trying to rip us off.. Grrr! Thankfully there are still some honest people in the world. =) One of them being that kid we met, and the other being that nice receptionist at the hotel who didnt want to over charge us! Thank you Lord for your goodness!
There is something so great about being back in Asia..It's so interesting.. I love America, but there are things you miss about foreign counrties that are just so beautiful! Like look at these beautiful colors you just see on the side of the street.. And each of these bags cost about .33 cents!
From joshandbrianarene.theworldrace.org

Anyways.. We then rested in Thailand for aonther day, ate some DELICIOUS thai food From joshandbrianarene.theworldrace.org

and now we are on our way to catch a nice loooong bus ride to Cambodia! Thank you all for your prayes while we travel... We will let you know once we get there!

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Cambodia... Here We Come!!

Posted in General by Briana Rene on 11/2/2011

So I have to admit.. I find it much harder to blog now that we're home. With the normalness of life, and the fact that we can talk on the phone or see most of you in person~ it really seems to take away from my previouse motivation of getting an encouraging reply to our blog posts! Not because I no longer enjoy them, but because we can hang out now..! Another reason I find it hard is because I have taken about a hand full of pictures in the past two months compared to the usual 500 each month.. There is something about holding an orphan or seeing something that people wouldn't believe unless you had a picture of it that just makes me snap away with the camera.. But here at home I struggle with it.. (I'm not gonna lie, before the race I was never a picture taker..) I did, however, capture a picture of Josh while he was opening at a concert with his AMAZING new songs that God placed on his heart while we were on the trip! I like the lighting on this one..
From joshandbrianarene.theworldrace.org

But you can see Josh a lot better in this one..=)
From joshandbrianarene.theworldrace.org

Oh, and here is another picture of Josh speaking at Northstar Highschool in Chapel!
From joshandbrianarene.theworldrace.org

and then here is a picture of some of the stuff we are selling to raise support!
From joshandbrianarene.theworldrace.org

And we just want to say thanks, for all of you who have bought some of our goods!;) And to those of you who havn't seen them yet, hopefully we will be able to advertise them to you as well! One of the items that we are selling are Threads of Hope bracelets.. It's really cool, bc by selling them we are helping Phillipino's get out of bad situations/lifestyles, and live a better life, and at the same time, we are able to take half the profit and put it towards our support raising! And then some of the other stuff that we are selling are crafts that we have made, like fun headbands and other stuff like that!
It has been so nice to catch up with some of you! We can't believe that we are already headed back to Cambodia TOMORROW! Isn't that wild?! It seems like just yesterday we were coming home... Well, be on the look out for our blogs, bc I guarentee we will be keeping you posted! And also.. During this three week trip to Cambodia we are really going and asking God, "Okay, what does this really look like God?!" So we ask that you would all join with us in prayer for clarity on what this future project will look like, wisdom on how to go about it, and guidence from the Lord on all of it! Thank you all so much!
Love and Peace!

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Oh the memories... 11 months in 8 minutes

Posted in General by Briana Rene on 10/9/2011

Hey you guys! Wow, I can't even believe it's already been a little over a month since we have gotten back.. It's crazy how fast time goes by in America! It has been so good to see everyone..

So I know it's been a month now, but I wanted to post just a recap video of our trip. I've been waiting to post this because I wanted to use a song that Josh wrote with it~ but we have yet to get it recorded.. So I decided I would go ahead and post it and find something else to use his song with!

Also~ please forgive us for not blogging as often. We have just been readjusting to life back home. But we definitely want to keep you guys posted! We leave for our next trip back to Cambodia in just 26 more days! And we are super excited...=) So stay tuned!

Here it is.....

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11 Months, 11 Questions

Posted in General by Briana Rene on 9/22/2011

What can I say~ these past 12 months have been the best, worst months of our lives. God has grown us more than we are even aware of I'm sure. It's crazy to think that this chapter is coming to a close~ it's not the end, rather just the beginning of a wild adventure that God has in store for us! We cant wait to see the rest of you, and hear about the things that have been going on in your lives these past 11 months, and share with you more about what God has been doing in ours.. We thought it might be fun to answer 11 questions that some people might have for us!

1. What was your favorite memory of the race?

Josh: It is hard to pinpoint one specific moment but I would say that my favorite time of ministry would be leading worship in a Pilipino Prison (that is the Philippines.) Another favorite life moment on the race was climbing a mountain in Tanzania and then sleeping at the top under the stars with some friends from the race. We saw about 10 shooting stars, a huge Horned Owl and a sunrise that was indescribable.

Bri: Hmm.. Which one to choose? There was a moment in Cambodia where I felt God's presence like I've only felt once before. I was spending time with the Lord and crying out to Him, and then suddenly I felt as though He came down and just touched my heart and started breaking my heart for what broke His. It was such a beautiful feeling, but it was so powerful that it was almost too overwhelming, in a good way. =) Shortly after that Josh and I felt the call to go back to Cambodia!

2. What was your favorite type of food?

Josh: I agree with Bri; Thai and Indian food hands down!

Bri: Thai and Indian~ DELICIOUS!!!!!!

3. Which was your hardest month, and why?

Josh: Malaysia was rough. The bamboo jungle kicked our butts and it was spiritual low point of the trip. Leaches, extreme heat, and ramen noodles didn't help the situation either.

Bri: I think I have 2. Guatemala (month 1) because everything was new and different, including our team and we were traveling so much that month. And Malaysia (month 6) because we kept having manual labor months of ministry, and it was hard to see the purpose behind it at the time~ and we were in the JUNGLE doing manual labor. The last day of that month made it all worth it though=)

4. What was one of the biggest things you have learned this year?

Josh: True love is a day by day, minute by minute choice. Also, we are missionaries all the time. We don't ever take off the "missionary hat." Some of the best ministry this year has been the unplanned, spontaneous times.

Bri: Fruits of the Spirit~ and LOVING others

5. What did you see that was the most heartbreaking?

Josh: We saw so many tough things this year. I think one of the most heartbreaking situations was in our last month. We worked with HIV positive orphans. I don't think I need to explain further.

Bri: One, I'd have to agree with Josh.. And two, while we were in India walking on the streets we saw a man that I will never forget. He was so distorted that I couldn't believe it was a person. (I'll tell you more about him in a future blog!)

6. Out of the 11 countries are there any that you would like to go back to?

Josh: Mine are the same as Bri's...exactly.

Bri: To visit~ Panama, Thailand, Malaysia, India; To do ministry~ Cambodia, and possibly India

7. How many different beds did you sleep in?

Josh &Bri: 52+

8. What is something that you have learned that you would like to take back with you and incorporate into your life?

Josh: Generosity, Loving like Jesus, and Worship is all of life. I also want to incorporate evangelism into my daily walk. I want it to flow naturally out of a pure heart.

Bri: Worship like I've never seen before! Devotion to the Lord in prayer, and more of God's Spirit.

9. Which month was your favorite, and why?

Josh: India for sure. It was such an incredible month. I agree with Bri though, we still feel a strong call back to Cambodia.

Bri: Although we definitely feel called back to Cambodia~ India was my favorite month. Our contacts we had were so honoring, and I learned so much from them! We got to worship for 3-4 hours per day and our ministry that month was working with these amazing HIV/AIDS orphans, and working in the Red light district. It was a beautiful way to end!

10. How was it like living in community all the time?

Josh: Growing. Definitely challenging but such a good time.

Bri: Not easy at all. Very sanctifying~ very growing, but so good at the same time. It's a love hate kind of thing...

11. If you could sum up these 11 months in one sentence what would you say?

Josh: I wouldn't trade it for anything but I would not do it again! I know that sounds strange but I really loved it and hated it at the same time.

Bri: It was nothing that I wanted or expected, but EVERYTHING that I needed~ God's ways our not our ways, but they are so much better for us.

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