Greetings from Haiti

Hello friends and family,

I just wanted to let you know I made it to Haiti Thursday afternoon! My flights went as well as they could and only had about 15 mins of wondering if someone stole one of my suitcases in Port-au-Prince.

I am currently living with Daniel's co-worker in her house for the next week or so, which has been a huge answer to prayer because it only takes me a couple mins to walk to Daniel's and it is in a gated community so it is pretty safe. Unfortunately I can't stay living there because there are other guests coming that need a place to live.

I don't have much else to update you on because I have been here for less than 48 hours. But I have some prayer requests if you could keep us in your prayers.

Praise:
-I have a place to live that is safe and close to Daniel for the next week or so.
-I am able to RELAX today after the transition of moving out of my friend's condo and moving my non-Haiti items to my parents attic, finishing up some big wedding plans, and packing for Haiti.
-We found a place to store our car in Michigan and the rest of the items can be stored in my parent's attic.
-My checked suitcases all made it under 50lbs and one of them showed up at 53lbs but then changed to 49.5lbs when the American Airlines agent looked at it!

Prayers:
-That I can find the right housing situation until Daniel & I get married. I have options but none of them stick out to me as being the right option. Please pray that I will be able to listen to what God's plan is and we can feel at peace about it.
-Getting around can be difficult here and we do have a vehicle to use. But I am not comfortable with the area yet to drive myself and if I need to get somewhere then Daniel has to drive me.
-I start my job at MAF on Monday. Pray that I have a smooth transition into work that I will be doing and have unity with my co-workers.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support!

God Bless,
Amy

3 WEEKS LEFT IN THE STATES!!!

Hi Friends & Family,

I am excited to share with you what I have been up to and my future plans. I am looking forward to what is coming up and how God is going to provide. Please join me in my adventure!

To start off my adventure I am getting married October 18, 2014 to Daniel Tredway in Michigan. Daniel works at the Port-au-Prince International Airport, he is an airplane mechanic and works for a contract maintenance company there. He started in October of 2013 and has a 2 year contract. Since we are getting married, I thought I would see what opportunities for missions would be there for me, both while we are engaged and after we are married. When I was visiting Daniel in Haiti last February I was introduced to MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship). They have a volunteer position open to assist the program manager in the office while the office manager is on furlough for a few months.

I am excited to volunteer with MAF and be an example to others in Haiti. MAF's mission is: Sharing the love of Jesus Christ through aviation and technology so that isolated people may be physically and spiritually transformed. I recently spent 3 days at the MAF headquarters in Nampa, Idaho for training and interview process. I really enjoyed meeting all the amazing people there, hearing their stories & how helpful they were. MAF is a great organization and I am proud to be a volunteer with them.

I will be going down to Haiti June 12 and I will be returning to Michigan at the beginning of October to finalize the wedding details and then we will return to Haiti after the wedding for the remainder of Daniel's contract. Right now my contract with MAF is from June 15-October 1. Unless our plans change I will still be volunteering through January of 2015. What I will be doing after that is in God's hands.

As a volunteer I am looking for Ministry Partners to join me in this adventure. I would like you to pray about partnering with me whether it is prayerfully or financially. My estimated expenses will be approximately $1,000 a month for transportation and room/board. I have an account set up within MAF that you can send checks directly to. Send checks to Mission Aviation Fellowship: PO Box 47, Nampa, ID 83653. Please put VLTRBRON in the memo line. You can also go online to www.maf.org/bronsink to donate.

I am very thankful for this opportunity to be able to serve God in Haiti and those who MAF serves. Please continue to keep us in your prayers, as we are making wedding plans long distance, finding housing once we get married, traveling and safety & health concerns.

If you would like to stay updated, enter your email into the "follow by email" option and you will get an update anytime I write a new post!

Blessings,
Amy

Race to 2025 Results!

Greetings friends and family!!!

I thought I would update you on what happened last weekend on my adventure race at Cran-Hill Ranch! If you read my previous post you have a little idea of what I was getting myself into. I didn't know anybody going there. I was put in a team of 4 (me and 3 other guys). One of the guys ended up being from New Zealand. Which I have to say is pretty cool! We were to compete as a team to complete challenges on Saturday and Sunday. There were 4 teams besides mine. 

Saturday's challenges consisted of team skiing, snowshoeing/hiking to find different checkpoints, cross-country skiing, making a fire in the woods, traversing across a road, eating foreign foods (ate some kind of animal heart, not sure what kind though), and translating part of the Bible. 

On Sunday which happened to be my 25th Birthday, we started the day off with leading a horse in the woods and then I ended up riding it the rest of the way because one person on the team had become "ill" and couldn't walk anymore. Then we continued the miles of hiking/snowshoeing to find checkpoints. We ended up getting lost for like 3 hours because the map we were given was wrong, but we found 3 other teams that were lost too, so we stuck together to try and find the other clues. Eventually we ended up at our next destination which was using codes for each letter to figure out what the sentence said. Then we walked to the ice climbing wall and 2 people had to complete that. All three guys on my teams made it to the top! I tried it but I had such bad blisters on my heals that I couldn't go any farther. We made it to the finish line and got the survivor award for coming in last. 

I learned a lot this weekend. Probably more than I realize but the one thing that really stood out to me was how God provided just when I wanted to give up from the pain in my heals, and bring the warmth back into my fingers. But I knew God wanted me there for a reason. I was blessed by my teammates, other team members, and the staff. It was such a great community of people and I was sad to leave Sunday night to go home. Don't get me wrong, I was excited to see my own bed after 16 hours of physical activity. 

So you might wonder if I would do this again??? Well, during the time that I was doing it, I was wondering why I even signed up and how I got myself into this situation. But now that I look back on my weekend, it was a crazy adventure and I made some pretty sweet friendships. So sure, why not! :) 

Thank you to those of you who sponsored me to help Cameroon translate the Bible into their language. And also for the prayers and support during this time. It really means a lot to me, and I look forward to see what challenge God is going to put next in my path!

God Bless,

Amy

Race to 2025

Hi family and friends!

I am excited to tell you about my next adventure! However, this one is in Michigan! This next adventure coming up is from February 22-24. I am doing an event with Wycliffe Bible Translators. Basically the race is 2 days at Cranhill Ranch and we (coed teams of 4) have different physical and linguistic challenges to complete during the day.

In order to participate in this exciting adventure, my team must raise a minimum of $2,000 ($500 per racer). This is where your involvement in the global Bible translation movement comes into play! Funds raised through Race to 2025: Cameroon go toward:  Development of the several language training programs in Cameroon, including:

• Linguistic analysis       • Bible translation and Scripture use     

• Community, church-based and school literacy

·   The aim is each language will have: appropriate documentation; a translated New Testament available in printed and oral form; self-supporting literacy and Scripture use programs; and trained, experienced and motivated translators, literacy teachers and scripture use promoters.

·     Emphasis is on capacity building and partnership with local committees and churches. 

Even though I am not physically going overseas, I am glad that I have this amazing opportunity to
make a difference in Cameroon. For more information go to the website below,
http://www.wycliffenextgen.com/page/race-to-2025-1. 

If you would like to sponsor me in this race and support the global Bible translation the information is below. 

If you see me in person, I have a sponsor sheet where you can give me cash or checks (made out to Wycliffe Bible Translators). If you don't see me, then feel free to do the following options below. 

A tax deductible receipt will be issued for gifts of $25 or more. 

Please make checks payable to:

     Wycliffe Bible Translators • PO Box 628200 • Orlando, FL 32862-8200 Designate for the Race to 2025 (Project #0-996687-00)
plus (Amy Bronsink/Sharwa team) on a separate sheet of paper

Want to give by credit card via phone call?
     Wycliffe's Online Giving Services toll free at 866-736-4387. Our office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (EST). Designate for the Race to 2025 (Project #0-996687-00) plus (Amy Bronsink/ Sharwa team)

Want to give online by credit card?
Go to http://www.wycliffe.org/Give/CurrentProjects/--Raceto2025.aspx Or go to http://www.wycliffe.org select Give, select Current Projects, select Race to 2025 (Project #0-996687-00).
Click on Donate to this project ->In Special Instructions (Optional): state for Race to 2025 plus (Amy Bronsink/ Sharwa team) Complete checkout process. 

Whats next? Find out now!

Hello friends and family!

I thought I would update you on what is next for me. It has been a little over 3 weeks since I got home from Central America. I think about my time there and just get really excited about reaching out and making a difference whether it is in Grand Rapids or overseas. While I was gone, I was praying about what to do, and I was amazed by all my different options. I got really overwhelmed and then I thought, "How cool is it that there are so many different missionary options, and people wanting to reach out to others and serve God?". It was a moment that I am very thankful for, and helped me realize that I want to learn Spanish. I want to learn the Spanish language and use that to reach out to Hispanics in the states or go to a Spanish speaking country.

I signed up to take a beginning Spanish class at CC this winter. I am hoping that will give me a better feel as to if I am on the right track. If my class goes well, I am hoping to go to a school in Antigua, Guatemala that I would go to for a month or so in May after my class ends here. I would live with a family right there in the city. It is a very safe city and it would be great to live with a family that is speaking the language, so I learn more Spanish faster.

In the meantime while I am here in Grand Rapids, I am working full-time for my family at Starlite Kitchens & Baths doing office work and other random jobs there. Its been great to have the support of my family while doing mission work, and also when I am home, having the stability of a job to replenish all that I spent going to serve God's people.

I am very excited to see where this leads me, and all the different things I am going to learn about God and myself during the process! Thanks for all the prayers and support so far throughout my travels and mission work. May you all have a blessed holiday season with family and friends! I know I am thankful to spend the holidays with my family after being gone the last 2 years!

God Bless,
Amy

Guatemala Adventures

Greetings!

I made it home Friday night after a great week in Guatemala. I had a great time with my friends, Rachel and Gary, and made some new ones! Last weekend we went to a city called Antigua which is a city at the base of a Volcano. It is a very tourist city with lots to see and do. So we shopped in the market, ate some really great food, walked a lot, and saw one of the ruins (which was where Gary and Rachel got married).

During the week I was helping out with Vacation Bible School. There is around 900 kids in this school, so they split up the VBS by doing different grades each week so its not too overwhelming for the teachers. We sang lots of songs, did crafts, Bible lessons, and games. There are 2 very memorable moments I had at the school. The first one was on the first day, all the teachers had to go up front and the director introduced us and said what we would be doing that week. Then we had to sing a song with motions. The song was in Spanish, so of course I didn't know it, but I just went along with what everyone else was doing! I am very thankful for my friend Karla, who is the English teacher at the school, she helped translate a lot of what was happening, so I wasn't completely out of the loop.

The second most memorable moment, which is actually the most memorable was on Wednesday when I was playing games with the little ones and we had the 7.5 Tremor from the earthquake that had hit the coast of Guatemala. I don't think the kids actually realized what was happening, cause we just kept playing. But for what seemed like a really long time, I felt like I was on this giant swing that was swaying back and forth. I actually felt a bit nauseous afterwords. Most of the damage was on the coast, 30 people died so far, and there was 100 people missing. There was a little damage in Guatemala City in the poorer areas where stuff wasn't built as well.

After spending 5 and a half weeks in Spanish speaking countries, I have a huge respect for people that come to America and know English. I would love to become fluent in my Spanish to really connect with the people and children in these countries. I have learned so much while I was gone. The main thing that got me through most of the days was that God was in control, and He was going to teach me whatever I needed, even if it was way out of my comfort zone. I had to trust that whatever happened was what I needed. One of the hardest things to get used to was the laid back culture. Relationships are everything to them, and often I feel like we put a lot of things before our relationships. I had to let go of my control of time and embrace the people I was spending the time with, even if I had no idea what they were saying.

I am very thankful for all my awesome hosts while I was in Honduras and Guatemala City. I would love to go back again when the time works out!

Below are some of my favorite pictures from my trip!

Genesis and Mariana

 

Heydi and I

Emie (which is pronounced Amy there!)

The girls at VBS and their home for the butterfly (mariposa)

Jenny and I in Tegucigalpa

Nap time!

Gary, Rachel and I

Reading time!

Teaching English!

Made it to Guatemala!!!

Hello all!

I made it to Guatemala City last night around 8pm after starting my morning at 5am in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. It was a long day of traveling but thankfully everything went as smoothly as possible. Such as, getting off and on the right buses :) I am looking forward to another week of serving God in a different country and loving the people here.

My last week and a half in Honduras was wonderful! I spent the majority of my time at Casa de Luz with the kids. We sang songs, I taught them more English words and washed dishes. Jenny and I also made them lasagna one day for lunch to see if they would eat it. The kids avoid vegetables like its poison. So we had blended all the veggies and poured them into the lasagna. When we brought out their plates of lasagna they all yelled "pizza!!!". Its actually sad, because they don't even know what pizza or lasagna are. A few of the kids wouldn't even eat it because its not Honduran food. So we gave them something else.

I have learned a lot in Honduras and I am grateful for the time I was able to spend there with Jenny and serve the people and children apart of Casa de Luz. Jenny and I were able to spend last weekend at her boss's house with her and her family. We learned how to hand make tortillas! They weren't quite as good as the Hondurans make, but for my first time, I would say they were pretty good. When I get home, I will work on putting some pictures on here for those that don't have Facebook.

Thanks again for all the prayers and support people have sent my way. I will be home a week from today and would love to share more stories and experiences, just let me know if you would like to meet up!

God Bless,
Amy