Prayer Update Spring 2007

Dear friends,

It seems like it has been longer than three months since the last time we wrote you all a letter. A lot has happened as winter has turned to spring!

Spring Break:
This past week we have been on Spring Break. We decided to stay in Portland this year and spend a couple days seeing some local sites that we haven’t made it to yet, like the Portland Zoo and OMSI (the local science museum). We had a wonderful week of play and rest. We had good times with friends and alone, and were also able to spend some time catching up on life and preparing for a busy end to our school year.

Getting to Spring Break:
This year we felt the need for a break badly. March was especially challenging. Matthew's internship is going full-swing and his academic semester is his most demanding one yet. Matthew also went through a period of depression that caused him to feel overwhelmed and seriously cut into his productivity for a few weeks. Meanwhile, Emily found herself in a backlog of grading and also very tired. Although it was a very difficult time we are grateful for what God has taught us about ourselves, our need for Him, and how great He is. We have been leaning heavily on your prayers- thank you!
During this time Matthew was blessed with wise counselors and much encouragement (from Emily and others) and was able to continue with his responsibilities depending on God’s grace to face one thing at a time. He also learned a lot about his tendencies toward depression, the contributing factors, the importance of personal transparency, and how to remain faithful even when depression sets in. God gave Emily the grace to know when to listen, when to speak, when to comfort and when to challenge, all the while recognizing that God was in control and she could not be. She also gained new insight into the realities of depression and that even Christians, and especially those in ministry, can be vulnerable to it. Through it all we both learned a lot about how to trust God more and love each other more.
We praise God that Matthew is feeling like his old self again and although the rest of the semester will be challenging for both of us we are feeling encouraged. We continue to be blessed by our church family and the close friends we have made here at Multnomah, and we see ways that God is preparing us for the next phase of our lives.

Looking to Summer:
Summer plans are quickly falling into place! It's going to be another busy one. Matthew is taking two summer school courses so that his academic load will be lighter next year. He'll also be preparing to start looking this fall for a place of ministry that will fit us after he graduates. Emily is going to Spain for 3½ weeks to take classes in Barcelona and Granada (2 weeks in Barcelona are designed for teachers of Spanish) and have a few days to see other parts of the country. This may be our last summer in the Northwest so we’re planning a road trip for August to see friends in Washington, Idaho, and Montana, and camp in Yellowstone for a few days. We’ll also spend about a week in the Sacramento area – we are already looking forward to seeing you who are there!

Praise Updates:
· Praise God for helping us both to have consistent Bible and prayer times.
· Praise God for the peace and unity he’s given us regarding our plan for when to start a family.
· Thank you for praying for Emily that she'll have assurance of worth from God rather than other people. Situations still come up where she feels outside pressure, but they are less frequent and more quickly turned over to God.
· Thank you for praying for Matthew's time management and transparency. God has shown himself faithful and Matthew is growing. Please continue to pray for him in these areas.
· Thank you for praying for our current responsibilities. Matthew is really enjoying his internship and benefiting greatly. Emily is enjoying teaching and was able to reduce the amount of time she spends working each week (by about an hour).

Prayer Requests:
· Please pray for peace as we anticipate our next stage of life, including when we might start a family. We're already starting to wonder what life will look like after graduation in May 2008.
· Please continue to pray for Matthew's semester. His finals are May 7-8.
· Please continue to pray that we would be sensitive to what the Holy Spirit wants to do in our lives. Pray that we would take in God's word and apply it.
· Please pray for the Christian staff at Beaverton High School. We are trying to meet weekly for prayer, but have run into many obstacles. Praise God that the school administration (none are Christians) has not come out against it. Pray that people would come and that we would influence our campus.
· Please pray for “Nexus”, a new ministry Matthew is responsible for at Central Bible Church. The goal is to help visitors get connected with people and ministries in the church.

How can we pray for you?
Thank you for staying in touch with us! We love being connected with you and being able to pray specifically when we pray for you.
United under our big God,


Matthew and Emily

P.S. If you’ve changed addresses (email or physical) recently, please let us know so we’re able to stay in contact with you. Thanks! (mattrbrooks@yahoo.com or cell phones M: 971-678-0375 E: 971-678-0357)