Little surprises and big discoveries

On October 31st, Halloween, Jesse and I pulled up to the hospital to have an ultrasound. Of course, the mid-pregnancy ultrasound is for more things than determining the baby's gender, but we were very excited about finding out if our baby was Charles or Caroline. I wore a maternity t-shirt that my SIL Bethany found, and the whole staff of the office loved it!

Interesting thing about putting together Brohinsky and Beaudry genes: this little baby couldn't sit still for the first half of the ultrasound. The technician had quite the time trying to get a clear picture. Then, the baby swiftly fell asleep in the most problematic position possible, also making it difficult to get a good picture! We wiggled things around, put me on my side, and tried to wake baby up just to get a good picture, and we finally got some great ones! This whole time, though, Jesse and I were watching the screen in complete amazement. This little body was growing inside of me! And we could see it moving! Wow... what a complete miracle of life.

And it's a boy! Charles Xavier Brohinsky (who was certainly not camera shy) gets the great honor of being our firstborn son, and continuing the Brohinsky girl-boy-girl-boy pattern :)

When the tech was showing me the monitor and pointing things out, Xavier had his head down and his legs up by my belly button, all curled up in the corner, and he was pointing past the top of his head. It made me laugh, and I said, "He must be planning his exit strategy." What a ham. He kicks a lot, and I absolutely love it!

In a slightly unrelated note, we had a little surprise today when someone we don't even know dropped off an envelope at our door. Inside was a picture and a note. The note said, "I was driving by one day - Caught this lil 'yellow bus' out of the corner of my eye - So cute...... Couldn't resist a picture - here's one for you!! Thanks, Makes me smile when I go by....."

Here's the picture of the picture, taken by my phone since I don't have a scanner :)

That pretty much made my day, and it wasn't even noon, yet! I guess that little bus has to stay there, now. Also, it makes me think about how thankful I should be that we live in this house. It's not much - heck, it's liable to fall apart any day - but it's exactly what we need to get by comfortably and live within our means. Thank you God for our blessings!

The cost of travel

I'm just going to leave this here...

Airline tickets are expensive.

I get by with a little help from my friends...

Our family is growing! Not only have we added two stinky ferrets to our household, but we have a wonderful little baby scheduled to arrive on March 26th! The babies started earlier than we had planned, but I (not so) secretly really wanted to start growing our family.

This brings us to an interesting topic, however. Because Jesse's workplace is working him 40+ hours a week but not giving him insurance (it's in the employee handbook), and I can't get insurance through the tutoring center, I had to apply for HUSKY. That stands for Healthcare for UninSured Kids and Youth. Yeah, I know... it's a stretch for a catchy acronym. It's essentially medicaid, but it has already been very helpful because it pays for all co-pays and medical bills! If it weren't for this fact, we wouldn't have been able to afford much for the baby. Plus, it pays for medical care for me, too. This is essential for someone who doesn't even remember when the last time was that she went to a doctor. Lucky me, I have an AWESOME immune system ;-)

Pregnancy symptoms are different with everyone, of course. I haven't vomited once this whole time, which is also a darn good thing because I'm afraid of throwing up! I know... strange thing to be afraid of. The biggest thing is that I've been SO TIRED, and gotten tired so fast. I've gotten into a pattern of going to bed around 9:30, waking up around 8:30-9:00, and taking a nap around noon. I wouldn't be able to get by if it weren't for Jesse. He is so helpful. I try not to take advantage of his helpfulness, but I do tend to ask him to do more things for me, now that I'm perpetually pooped. I have an awesome hubby :)

That's all for now. I'm super excited to experience my first pregnancy and see what God has in store for us in these next few months. Please pray that Jesse's job situation gets better, and that baby Gummi Bear (our nickname for the baby) stays safe and healthy!

The Brohinskys

Life Changes

Weddings, name changes, new jobs, moving, and more. All of this is what we've been working through the past many weeks! Needless to say, it's tough to get into a new swing of things, but it's wonderful to be able to do it together. Our wedding went off without a problem (I would've said without a hitch, but... we got hitched.) The ceremony was beautiful, and the reception was amazing, thanks in large part to a group of family members who came and played strings, drums, flutes, and bagpipes! It felt like just a big family party!

Now it's just me and Jesse in the house, which is weird, because we are both used to houses with lots of people in them. (Hopefully, I'll be able to get a ferret soon!) Marriage has been a beautiful journey, and I'm looking forward to more new experiences to come.

Speaking of new experiences, I now have a new job, on top of my old one of tutoring at the Sacred Heart Educational Center. I am now a substitute teacher for three schools. I've only done it one day, but it was ... interesting. I was a substitute "Instructional Assistant," so I went around to a few different classes to help the teachers. This being near the end of the school year, the teachers really needed the help! Jesse also has some prospects into a full time job, which is something we have been praying for. Praise God! We're chugging along, all by God's grace and provision.

Thank you all for your love and support for us as we continue our journey!

Diet and Exercise

Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
-1 Timothy 4:7b-8

  Forgive me if I am taking this verse out of context, but I do believe that the implications of this verse can be very relevant to those preparing for the mission field - or anyone dedicated to the service of Christ. Jesse and I have recently decided to start eating healthier and exercising more. Mostly, it is because we wanted to be better stewards of our money (more on that later), but also because we wanted to take care of our bodies so that we can physically be better equipped to serve God now and in the future.

I have had a poor history with diets, because I was never all that motivated to stick with them. Now that I'm preparing for a wedding, it's much more important to me to look and feel my best and get my body into a healthy state. But what good is all of this diet and exercise that I've just promised myself that I would do? "Bodily training is of some value," as it says above. The changes I am making will get me back on track with how God wants me to maintain my body, but if I am to live healthier and live longer - I have that much longer to serve Christ. How, then, shall I live? All of this "training" is good for me, physically, but without any spiritual training, it is pointless.

With this thought, I am brought to the conviction that whenever I am tempted to cheat on my diet or give up on my exercise, I should go back to God's Word and get back into the mindset that it is all for Him. Yes, I am doing this so that I will be healthier, but I want to be healthier because He wants me to take care of myself, and so that He can use me better and longer than if I were living an unhealthy lifestyle.

The main point of this verse, though, is that discipline in the spiritual realm is more important than discipline in the physical. When we focus on Christ and dedicate our time and efforts to Him, those actions count toward eternity. That is why Jesse and I want to be missionaries and dedicate our lives to Christ daily. That is what we want to invest in - something that lasts.

Go into the world

It has often been said that the Great Commission has never been the "Great Suggestion." In the final parts of the gospel of Matthew, Jesus Christ commands His disciples to "go into all the world" to preach the gospel, which is the story of His birth, death, and resurrection for the redemption of mankind from sin. God calls many people to different paths in order to complete this commission. Our mission is to use what talents God has given us in order to work for Him wherever He calls us.

Jesse:
Jesse's passion, other than Christ, is computers. He has been working around them his entire life, and feels lead to use his abilities in Information Technologies in a support role for Wycliffe Bible Translators. On the field, missionaries from Wycliffe use computer-aided translation tools in order to compile a language and a written bible for those who have neither. People who are good with computers and networking are crucial for these missionaries to complete their work and to effectively minister to their people groups. The need for computer technicians in the mission fields is great, with over 300 open positions and counting.

Jenni:
My passion is people. I have always loved helping and serving others, and God has called me to use this gift in education. My future role on the mission field is twofold: (1) I will be supporting Jesse by being a "worker at home," according to the Titus 2 model; this will include teaching our children myself because of the unpredictable nature of mission work. (2) I will be using my degree in education to help other families on the mission field who are in need of quality, Christian education, which is hard to get in many countries. Being a teacher on the mission field, God will be able to use me wherever He wants me, and we are both praying that He will guide us to the place He needs us most.

As prospective missionaries, we are working toward the goals of Bachelor's degrees in our prospective areas, and a membership with Wycliffe Bible Translators. Because we are doing the Lord's work in this, we ask you to join with us in asking Him for guidance, strength, encouragement, and supply. Prayer warriors are our biggest need, because nothing can be done without prayer. If the Lord leads you to give toward our "missionary" fund, please let us know! We thank each and every one of you for your support, and we look forward to partnering with you in God's work.

Jesse & Jenni