Cali Drive: Day 1

Hello everyone!

So it's here.  Bittersweet.  Sad and happy.  So excited for the new adventure ahead and the incredible plans we know God has for  us.  Sad to leave all our family and friends behind.  We know and believe it is right, and it is only for a season, but it doesn't make leaving easy by any means.  With that being said, I am going to jump right in!

So today was our first day of travel.  Although I don't really think I would call this a "travel day" our van is packed to the brim and we did drive a distance.   Today we went to Atlanta.  Not far, but a very important day.

We got up this morning after only 4 hours of sleep.  We were up late with the help of Aaron (Robin's cousin) and Alan Abdelhadi (more on him in later blogs… stay tuned) packing up the van to the brim.  It was quite a chore but I am quite impressed with the awesome engineering smarts my husband put to use to pack the van with very minimal space left over.   Once we were all up and going we sat down to an awesome meal my (Robin's) parents made.  It was just like my maternal granny used to do when we were leaving her house to go back home after a visit.  It felt great and my family came over REALLY early just to send me off.  Many, many tears were shed.  They weren't tears of upset or hurt, but joy and happiness with a little bit of sorrow for the loss of being close.

Then we were on our way to Atlanta.

We got there right at lunch and ate at a wonderful pizza place with Josh and Brian's mom Julie also met us to take the kids and surprised us by eating with us and treating us all to lunch! Then we were finally able to see our best friend Josh's school, Georgia Tech.  It was great!  He gave us an awesome tour and I included some pictures below to walk you through just some of the highlights of what we saw.  It was great connecting all these stories he had told us with the actual places where the stories took place.  More than that, it was awesome being able to spend a few great hours with one of our best friends right before we leave.  We love you Josh and will miss you not being around all the time.

Josh in front of his dorm room for his LAST year of college!!!

Brian and Josh showing us Josh's (small!) dorm room.  He lives alone in the room but has 6 roommates in one apartment.  It has a common area, kitchen and two bathrooms.  

This was the view of downtown Atlanta from one of the top floors of their work out facility.  That would make me want to work out more! How about you?

This was a very cool bike we saw on campus.  Evidently you use your student ID called your Buzz card and it has money on it.  You rent a bike for an amount of time.  You just wave your card in front of the number "36" you see there near the wheel.  Crazy, right?  We might not have hover cars yet, but this is so awesome!

A beautiful fountain area in the middle of campus.  It was a gorgeous day with a wonderful breeze.  Also Brian and I were thankful to be walking so much the day before a long trip.

One with us and our buddy.  He has meant so much to us through the years.  We love him.  We are so proud of you Josh! :) Thanks again for the amazing tour! 

We then headed to Brian's mom, Julie's house.  We played there with her for a good while.  The kids enjoyed playing with all the old toys that were once Brian and his sister's.  They always have a great time playing with Grandma Joowee (as the kids pronounce it).


Then a couple hours later we headed over to Brian's dad and step-moms house, John and Cathy.  Again, we had such a great time visiting and playing with them.  We ate a wonderful BBQ meal they got us.  We are now here getting a really great night of sleep in a Temper Pedic (be jealous…haha) before we head for a long trip on the road tomorrow.  Make sure and keep checking back for updates!  We look forward to hearing from you!

Living with the Parents

We want to bring all of you along this crazy journey of ours.  That includes the awesome parts and the not so great parts and everywhere in between.  This week we want to share with you a deeper look into  what our lives look like at the moment. 

(If you are wondering how we got here, please take a look back at our previous blogs to see how our we got to this leg in our adventure and what lies ahead!) 

So, our house sold faster than expected.  Way faster (Go Jesus!) than we even thought was possible.  So we were booted out in June.  Ok, not booted but our closing date was in June and we had to get out.  However, we knew we didn't want to leave that early to go to CA with no job.  My parents (this is Robin writing) so graciously opened their home to us and we are living in their 3 bed 2.5 bath home.  It is a wonderful home.  Most of you probably are wondering how in the world have we lived with our parents for almost 10 weeks.  Let me tell you, shockingly, it really hasn't been bad!  The kids LOVE having Nana and Baw Baw (Robin's parents, Rob and Leslie Kelley) around to love on and play with.  It hasn't been without (mostly space) challenges, but we are thankful for a time of closeness before being so far away.

This blog is mostly a picture collage of several of the things we have been doing this summer together.  Some of us selling our place, some in preparation for leaving, and some of just the fun we've been having.  Hope you enjoy!

Our house during the moving out process.

Last picture of Brian and me at our first house together.  :' )  

(Cut us some slack it was raining hard while we loaded up the last of our stuff.)

We have tried to do some fun stuff this summer as a family.

Hailee's first real ride on a horse.  She loved it! 

Hailee and her two best friends and her cousins, Kelley and Emlyn.

Mark (our brother-in-law), Robin's dad (Rob Kelley) and Brian 

putting together a swing for mom for Mother's Day.

Getting our room at my parents cleared out, prepped and ready so we could move in.

The kids room at my parents.  It was moved around more after this, but the general idea is there. :)

Hailee had a lot of firsts this year...

Hailee's first trip to vacation Bible school! She had an awesome time. 

Hailee's first trip to the dentist.  We wanted to get this done here in Augusta before moving out to CA.  That way a lot of these things can hold off so we don't have to do them right away once we get there.

Hailee and Brian at a restaurant in Hilton Head.  We all (all 11 of our immediate family) went there for my mom's birthday to celebrate. We had a really awesome time being there as a family.  

Something very important I need to learn because of the big gaping hole that will be my sister: haircuts. (And no Lisa isn't just good for haircuts, but she does it OH so well.)

Before:

Before: side view

After: Look at that blonde that came out.  So handsome.

Lisa showing me how to grip Brian's hair, where my guide is and so much more.  Let's just say I am so thankful for technology such as video recording and skype!

My gorgeous sister singing in her band John & Lisa at the Bean Baskette.  This is one of our favorite things to do is relax, enjoy some coffee and food and hear her sing.  I will miss this dearly.

Hailee playing her first boardgame.  She actually won without anyone letting her win! This has been a very fun memory that we have made and continued since we have been at Nana's (Robin's mom).

This was some of our 4th of July fun.  My kids are so funny!  Caption should read:

Must be a blonde haired, blue eyed, hat wearing, popsicle eating, bathing suit wearing, outie belly button kid to attend this party.  Haha!

Kids all wrestling with Aunt Lisa.  We all love her and the whole Pendlebury crew.  

We will miss all of them dearly while we are in California.  

Well that's all for now.  But I am going to be posting some more pictures as well as having a guest blogger soon!  Hope that you all enjoyed looking through some of our summer fun with us.  :)  

Again, please look through our previous blogs if you haven't and read about what is going on and how you can help, pray and support us during our big move!  Thanks and God bless you all! 

Questions and Concerns?

Hi, this is Brian here. Just as a reminder, read the blog from the bottom entry of the page to the top if you want to go in chronological order.

I am going to answer some commonly asked questions and thoughts about Bethel. I know that it wont completely answer everything but at least you can be comfortable knowing that I have carefully considered the issues I am about to discuss. These issues are also the top couple of things that will come up if you do a quick google search for "Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry" and start reading critics' articles.

Q: Is Bethel a cult?

My personal opinions about cults is that they promote isolation and "worship" of human figureheads. Bethel Church is the Leader of a partnership of many churches called Global Legacy that recognizes that "relationship is the foundation of God's government", as it says on their website. As such they are networked with many other churches and have a high level of accountability. They also passionately promote a culture of honor and empowerment in accordance with Biblical principles. Most accusations against Bethel use scripture out of context while completely ignoring other scriptures that give a clear precedent for why Bethel Church does what it does. You can read a lot of critiques that sound compelling at first and use a lot of scripture, but fall apart quickly upon deeper inspection. If you have questions about any specific article or website please email or message me here and Ill be happy to talk about it. 

Q: Why is "Supernatural" in their name? That sounds cooky…


God is, by nature, supernatural. That is the greatest hope we have... that there is something more than what we see. One of my favorite authors, John Elderedge, calls it "the rest of reality". If the word "supernatural" bothers you, you dont have questions about Bethel, you have questions about Christianity and God as a whole. It is logical for God to do supernatural things!


Q: Why do they act so wierd?


I would like to point out the multitude of absolutely "bizarre" occurrences in the Bible. God appears to Moses (and many others) in the form of a cloud, Samson's strength was dependent on his hair,  God speaks to people about the future (prophecy), God speaks through a donkey, numerous people see visions of all kinds, Elijah gets taken up into heaven by a whirlwind, God's angels carry out his word by fighting wars and influencing the lives of humanity, rivers are parted four times, Paul's apron heals demonized people at Ephesus, Phillip gets "translated" e.g. teleported over 30 miles away, Jesus rubs mud, spits, etc to heal blind people, multiplies food, resurrects dead people, casts demons out of screaming maniacs as they shake violently on the floor… this is just the tiniest fraction of out-of-the-ordinary things that God does (and still does). Wierdness neither qualifies nor disqualifies something as being from God. 




Q: Brian, where did this decision come from?!?!
All of this will be a big shock to many of you who may not have seen me much the past few years.  God has changed a lot of things in me, and the experiences I have gone through have ignited my passion for what is really important in life. I love Jesus. I love family and friends. I love seeing people's faith in God skyrocket. It is the experiences of the power of God to heal the sick, cast out demons, etc that has made the Bible come alive in my life and steer me in a new direction. Above all I believe God has called me and my family, that He has a plan for us, and that He is fulfilling His promises to us as we obey Him and trust Him.

Like I said earlier, if you have any questions that I haven't answered please email me!

Love,
Brian

Hello and Welcome!!!

Hi everyone!  We are so excited you are here!

I am guessing that you are all coming around here as you are getting our letters and magnets we sent!  We are thrilled you are visiting. I assume a lot of you know this, but for those that don't: blogs generally work by the oldest (and first) post being at the bottom of a page and newest blog being at the top, as is the case here.  So please start at the bottom of the page with our longer version of our support letter we sent out to all of you to give you a little more insight into how we got here.  Then work your way up with our next few posts being on financials and prayer requests.

We are just so excited to see what God is going to do through our lives and the lives of our family and friends helping us along this journey!

So what can you expect from this blog? 

Soon we will have guest bloggers.  At this point Robin has been writing a majority of the blogs, but Brian will be writing, we will be adding pictures of the chaos that has been their life the last few months, and Leslie Kelley (Robin's mom) will be guest writing in the blog soon.  So we have some exciting things coming up.  So please make sure you come back!  We also will be updating you on our moving, new apartment and church out in California, and the support we have received.

One last thing I ask is… comment!!!  

Your love and encouragement mean so much to us.  To know you have visited our site, prayed for us, or even if we have just been on your mind would mean the world to us.  There is an easy way to comment below and you don't even have to have an account.  You simply comment as a guest.

Again, thank you so much for visiting and we are looking forward to sharing our lives with you.
Love and Blessings,
the Walker family

Prayer Requests

One thing that is very important to us as a family is prayer.  We believe in the power of prayer.  Our daughter Hailee asks daily to pray for something.  An ouchie is always lifted up in prayer.  I don't even suggest it anymore, she just commands prayer matter-of-factly now.  "We need to pray for my ouchie." We love that our whole family sees the importance of prayer.  Your prayers, support, and encouragement mean so much to us.  We can't stress enough how much a priority this is.  People tend think that the finances are the most important part when "raising support".   We disagree, because doesn't the word of God tell us that anything is possible with prayer?  Didn't Elijah control the weather in the power of a prayer?  Weren't people healed with just a few words exchanged between them and God?  Hailee has even seen the hand of God move and remembers testimony.  In one instance, she had a stomach flu and she asked us to pray that she wouldn't have any more "throw ups".  We did and sure enough, she didn't throw up again.  Another time Hailee prayed for Robin's mom when she had bronchitis and within several days, mom was on the upswing.  Hailee believes God can do big things because she has seen it firsthand and has faith that God will move again.  If all these things are true then surely God will be feeding and clothing us.  We believe and trust that we will be provided for by those who are led by the Lord to give.  We know not everyone is in a season of being able to freely give financially.  We have also had times of plenty and times of want.  However, we do ask that everyone please be lifting us up in prayer.

With that being said, we have many things that need to be lifted up even before we leave.  Please join us in praying for some specific needs:

1.) Safe travels - We will be driving what Google maps says is 1 day and 20 hours.  We are hoping to make it in 3-4 days so please pray for us and the kids along the way.  Please pray for our cars to hold up well.  Pray for the kids to have comfort and peace while riding in the car. (Trust me- we will NEED your prayers there!)  We need the kids to be as peaceful as possible so we can be calm as well.  

2.) Jobs -  While we aren't sure exactly how much work and who will be working right now.  We are praying for the Holy Spirit to lead us into this truth and be lining up employers hearts.  Pray for the perfect job for us, and that we would get along well with our coworkers and bosses.

3.) Monetary provision - We are praying that we receive tuition payment and either monetary provision or again the ease to get jobs that will easily provide for us.  

4.) Emotions -  Obviously emotions are running high for everyone.  We have lived in the south all our lives.  Both extended families while excited, are still sad.  Please pray for us as we feel distant from our families and homesick.  Please also pray for our families who are staying here.  They will need prayers and support as well.

5.) Place to live-  Please be praying that we find the best place for our family out there!  Pray that it is in a safe area (thankfully we have talked to people and found where those areas are) and it is a great price for us.

As we lift up prayers requests to you, please don't hesitate to let us know if we can be praying for you in some way.  We love all of you and want to join you in prayer for any needs you may have.  This isn't a one sided partnership for us, we are already praying for you all. 

Thanks again for all your prayers.  We feel them already as God has shown us extreme favor. 

God Math

    I (Robin) was talking to my mom when she and I came up with the title of this blog.  At first it was almost in a joking manner, however as we talked more and dwelled on it, the title seemed very appropriate.

We talked about Ephesians 3:20-21 that says, "Now to him who is able to do immeasurable more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

This word "immeasurable" struck something within me.  Without measure.  Surely it makes sense there would be a limit on how much we should receive.  But there isn't!  God wants to give his children an infinite supply of whatever we need.  Not want, mind you, but need.  This isn't just meaning money or physical things, either.  This is talking about spiritual gifts, revelation from the Lord, more of his presence in our lives and so much more. We are asking for a significantly large amount of money, however we have to believe that God is going to give us ALL that we need.  No amount is too large for God!  God math doesn't make sense to man sometimes, but we believe in what His final answer adds up to.


We as a family are looking to God for our supply, and we know he'll provide it!  We would love for you to partner with us and help sustain us in this journey.
There are a number of ways to help.  We will first and foremost need the prayers of our family and friends as we continue to listen to God's call on our lives.  We will be blogging about our prayer needs in our next blog.  We will also need help financially.  If you feel that God has laid it on your heart to give, we very much appreciate you answering.

There are several ways to give:
1.) Tuition for Brian -  Tuition will be $4200.00
2.) Missions trip - The mission trip is dependent on the amount of money given, and also where God lays on Brian's heart.
3.) Living expenses - As stated in the first post, we are both going to be looking for jobs but we would like as much free time from work to be with our family and to dedicate time to learning more about the things of God.  Your gifts in this area would help us to do both.

Feel free to give a one time gift, or if you feel led, a monthly gift.  If you have any questions about giving, please don't hesitate to ask.  You will find a more detailed list of our financials below.  Thanks again for all you are doing in helping us with this adventure.

Financials
Finances: our finances for one year:
Tuition for Brian: $4200
Tuition for Robin: $2900 (if our budget allows that Robin can go, they always encourage spouses to attend alongside their husband/wife)
Rent: $850 (x12) = 10,200
Utilities: $175 avg (x12) = 2,100
Phone/internet: $155 (x12) = 1,860
Food/groceries: $500 (x12) = 6,000
Misc: $200 (x12) = 2,400
____________________________
Total = $29,660/yr

Per month: $2,471/mo

Giving Options: 

1.) Our Church:
Write a check and send to:
Vineyard Church of Augusta
3126 Parrish Road
Augusta, GA 30907
Please memo the check to: Brian and Robin Walker
Please note: You will receive a tax deduction on any gifts given through our church.

2.) Our home:  (Robin's parents) - If you would like to send us something directly.
Brian & Robin Walker
1088 Hampstead Pl
Martinez, GA 30907

3.) Bethel Church
Give online directly to Brian's tuition HERE

4.) Online through Paypal or Square

Thanks again for your help and support in whatever way you are able to give.  Again, any questions, discussions or encouragement are always welcome.  

Bless you all, bless your families and your walks with God.

Love,

The Walkers

Welcome and First Letter

This is our first blog!  Welcome. Our goal with this blog is to give you an insight into the lives of the Walker family as we embark on a great adventure.  Below is an extended version of the first letter we sent out.  If you didn't get the letter and would like to start receiving our letters, please email us with your name and address and we would be glad to get you on our mailing list.  

Hello everyone!

Several months ago we began to sense that God was calling us to some significant changes in our life. Since you have been important in our lives, we are writing to let you know about our journey so that you can pray for us in the days ahead.

In the last few years since we finished college, Brian has worked as a mechanical engineer for the MOX Project at Savannah River Site. Robin first worked as a pediatric nurse, but has been able to stay home with our children, Hailee & Nathaniel, since they were born. A little over two years ago we started leading a young adult Bible study at our church. As Brian developed a hunger for a deeper relationship with God he was discipled by a gentleman at our church. During that time, we were introduced to the ministry of Bethel Church in Redding, California and began to read books by Bill Johnson and its other pastors, watch their teaching and sermons online, and attend local conferences led by their pastors. 

As Brian’s hunger for God’s Kingdom continued to grow into a call to vocational ministry, we discovered that Bethel operates a ministry school. We had such a great respect for their teaching, leadership, and value for God’s Kingdom that we decided to apply. 

Let's back up and tell you how we got here. There has been a hunger growing in us to see God heal people's lives and to see God's kingdom advanced.  Neither one of us thought we would ever desire to be pastors or have ministry be our vocation. However in the last couple of years our desire of doing ministry full time has grown.  We began to recognize a call to ministry, but had not known when or where.  A woman of God prayed over us in early 2011 and heard from the Lord that we would pastor a church someday.  This is when the ball started rolling.  We heard some smaller details here and there, then about 6 months ago Brian clearly heard the Lord telling us not to sell our van, which we were trying to do at the time.  Brian asked "Why?"  and the Lord said, "You will need it to move all of your belongings across the country."  Brian wanted to make sure he heard clearly from God so he waited for further confirmation, and didn't feel led to tell Robin at the time.  A month or two later Brian had a dream of himself and Robin at Bethel Church.  In the dream we were in the sanctuary near the front with our arms wrapped around each others sides and crying with joy.  Brian did feel led to tell Robin about this, but Robin thought perhaps it was just a dream of hope that one day we might visit.  

Before we felt the call to ministry school, we felt God asking us to sell our house.  We didn't know that God was preparing us to leave, we only knew that God was asking us to not have a mortgage.  Several months after Brian's previously mentioned dream of Brian and Robin in the Bethel Church sanctuary, Robin was having some time alone and asked God, "Where are we going to go when this house sells?"  God responded clearly:

"You're going to Bethel"

"What?  In Redding?"

"Yes"

"What if we don't go?  What if I say no?"

"You are the one watching the story of Jonah with Hailee this week; what happened to him when he disobeyed?"

*Robin's jaw dropped*

"So what, are we going to get eaten by a whale?"

"No, because I know you will be obedient."

"It's true, if we are supposed to go, Lord, you know we will"

Robin paused for a minute while everything was buzzing through her head.

"Well, do I tell Brian this?"

"Not yet"

"When?"

"You will know; he will ask you."

Sure enough an hour or so later Brian asked Robin what was on her mind and she told him everything. We started filling out the application immediately.  Later in the week we received several more confirmations from the Lord through family and friends, so we knew we were at least supposed to apply.  It is a very rigorous application process with a long, large question form and then three separate recommendations, and then a phone or Skype interview.  At first there were no interviews available for almost a month, however we checked back again and one had opened up for two days later!  We scheduled that one and Brian had a wonderful interview with one of the men on the acceptance team for the school.  He said Brian was a wonderful fit and he would receive an acceptance letter in the next few days, which he did!  God had made his will known, but as Gideon requested of God to give him a second sign in making the fleece dry and covering the ground in dew, we wanted to know for certain that we were hearing clearly that we were to attend ministry school.  There was the issue of the mortage.  In the recent housing market, it would take God's intervention to sell our house. God declared His will by selling our home six (yes…SIX!) days after it was listed for an above full price offer to the first person who viewed the house.  We closed June 7th and my parents graciously allowed us to stay with them until we leave. We are thrilled and confirmed and that has brought us to where we are today.

Now we will tell you more about the school:

The Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry began in 1998 with 36 students and has now increased to 1200 students. Offering the possibility of three years, the first year is comprised of Biblical study, discipleship, and hands-on ministry training. The second year focuses on vocational ministry such as pastoring, evangelism, counseling, or worship. The third year is an internship under the pastors at the church.

We are very excited about the adventure that lies ahead for our family. We have been so impacted by God’s great love and power that we want to serve God in transforming other people’s lives, too. You play a vital role in helping us respond to God’s calling on our lives. There are so many things you can do to help sustain us and be a part of this journey with us. The school is full-time, however Brian is seeking contract/part time work, and Robin will likely work as well. We most of all desire your prayers, encouragement, and phone-calls. If you are able, we would also appreciate your consideration of an offering to assist us in meeting our tuition, housing and basic living expenses. We estimate these basic expenses to be about $30,000. If you feel led to contribute, donations can be sent to our church, or to us at the addresses below. 

We look forward to sharing our journey, testimonies, and other updates.  Please keep checking back here.  Also please feel free to email us if you would like to get in touch with us. 

Thanks again so much for your support.  Please feel free to contact us by phone or email with any questions you might have. You can find out more about the school here http://www.ibethel.org/bethel-school-of-supernatural-ministry

Love in Christ,

The Walker family