Greetings from Portland! A lot has happened since we last wrote, and we're excited about how powerfully God has answered your prayers for us. The end of the school year went well for both of us. We had a wonderful Spring Break visiting the Oregon coast and Seattle (the first time for both of us). We have continued to develop friendships at church and in our student community. Matthew had a great class retreat in May (Emily went for the first couple of days).
Answered Prayer
First of all, thank you for your prayer support! We have been encouraged by your notes and phone calls. We are excited to report that our first letter resulted in commitments from 111 people to pray for us regularly. We have already noticed tangible results! Read on....
We asked you to pray about our summer plans including a possible missions trip for Emily. God closed doors for a trip but has provided Emily with other ways to keep working on her Spanish and the opportunity to minister to Spanish-speaking Basque students here in Portland (see below for more details). God also worked out our summer schedules so that we could spend three weeks in California visiting family and friends, Matthew could complete a required class at Multnomah, and Emily could have time to plan and prepare for the next school year. Even with all of that, we are both finding time to work on projects that are hard to get to during the school year, and we still have time to relax and enjoy some time off.
We also asked you to pray that God would provide Matthew with a good internship for the fall, even though we didn't have any clear sense of what might be a good fit for both Matthew and our church. God has been at work! Pastor David Stevens, our senior pastor at Central Bible Church, is available to be his mentor, as well (he has lots of experience as a pastor and mentor to others in this role). There appears to be a need for leadership in an area of ministry that Matthew is really excited about taking on. Look for more details in our next update.
You have been praying for Emily's teaching, as well, particularly her 5th period class. We have great news! The school year is over. The temporary position she had in March was made permanent (hooray!!) in April, meaning that she is tenure track now and has job security and summer pay. While talking with the other Spanish I teachers, Emily found that all the Spanish I classes had a high failure rate (one of Emily's had 11 Fs at the end of the year), but her fifth period class only had 2 Fs. Praise God for turning this class around! Thank you for your prayers.
Prayer Requests
· For safety, good rest, and valuable times with family and friends as we travel this summer.
· That God will help Matthew balance his schedule for the fall (study time, internship, etc.).
· Praise God for improving relationships with colleagues at Beaverton High for Emily.
· Praise God for our new friendships and his leading with regard to Matthew's internship.
· Praise God for his answers to your prayers, including our summer plans and Emily's teaching.
Contact Information
We’ll be in Portland until July 21st and again after August 14th (503-262-8058). We won't have cell phones in our summer travels, but you can reach us at Matthew’s parents' house (Tim and Kathy: 916-786-3432) or by email (mattrbrooks@yahoo.com). We’d love to hear from you!
Love In Christ,
Matthew and Emily Brooks
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