We were approved in the fall to raise support to help defray our debt from these seminary years. Usually a graduate degree means you'll be making more money when you're finished and can therefore (in theory) afford to take out loans you need for the education, but it's going to be the opposite for us, lol. We expect to be making less than before. Which is fine with us! But at this point we are unable to even make it month to month without help, let alone pay for school. So we're humbly asking for help from others. Brian is mailing this letter to specific people in small batches, but he said I could post it on my blog. If you feel led to support us through prayer, we are eternally grateful! Prayers are carrying us through this experience. Carrying us. But if you feel led to support us financially, we are eternally grateful as well. Thank you, ahead of time. If you know anyone who enjoys giving in this way, feel free to pass it on.
Dear Friend,
St. Louis is really beginning to feel like home to us. We certainly miss Birmingham, but there is no doubt that God’s will to make this drastic change is good. We have established some deep and meaningful relationships at the seminary, in our church, and around our neighborhood, where we can love and care for one another. Many of these relationships are with believers; several are not. It is so exciting to be encouraged and challenged through these new relationships. This is changing my view of God’s Kingdom and my vision for being used by him. These relationships are why I’m here—here on earth as a missionary of Christ to a lost world; and more specifically why I’m here at Covenant Seminary becoming better equipped to serve God in his kingdom as a vocational minister.
The changes have not been easy though. It was an abrupt shock to our family life, spiritual life, and eventually to our financial position. Going back into a classroom after 10 years in the business world was definitely a shock to my system. A full-time schedule of classes, necessary study time, and part-time work during evenings and weekends left little time for family, which was another big adjustment for me. We also found ourselves looking for a local church home for the first time in our marriage, which proved much harder than we ever though it would be. Rebecca has been wonderful in all of these changes, working long hours to help me support the family as much as possible. The children adjusted well after some time, and by God’s grace we are feeling much more settled in as we wrap up this fall semester.
Our needs are many and we would like to ask for your help in couple of areas. The first area is for continued prayer. We need prayer for the relationships we are building with non-believers and for our relationships as a family. The other area of need is financial. Rebecca and I have not been able to earn as much as we would like and we need help. Rebecca’s business is going, but slower that we hoped, and my studies limit my part-time job hours. This has caused us to have to borrow $14,000 to pay for school over the first year and a half. If we continue to borrow we will potentially have to take out $40,000 more before we are finished. We don’t want this. This is where we need your help. Rebecca and I are asking if you would support us with regular giving through Helping Hands Ministries. All donations given through Helping Hands are tax deductible.
Helping Hands is able to receive donations on-line via Master Card, Discover, and Visa or via checks payable to Helping Hands Ministries with the Brian Brown Scholarship project in the memo portion of the check. All mailed donations should be sent to:
Helping Hands Ministries,
PO Box 337
Tallulah Falls, GA 30573.
Thank you for your prayerful consideration of supporting us in this mission.
Grace, Mercy and Peace,
Brian Brown
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