POST by RENZY: Seaburg School

Jonny & Lorenzy at Niagara falls (Canada on the left and the USA on the right)

Right now as some of you may know, our group is in Rochester, New York. Since we used to live here when I was really little and have come back to visit, I know some people here.

The people’s house that we are staying in is the Seaburgs and they have four kids. Their oldest child is a little bit older than me so we hang out a lot. His name is Josiah. He is such a fun and weird kid. SO much fun to be around…

They are also homeschooled like us, so we get to hang out even more. Every Friday morning, they go to co-op classes. The first day that we were with them on this trip, my sister and I were invited to go with them if we wanted to, and maybe join in some of their classes too. We both decided to go and see what it was like.

On Friday morning, we woke up and got ready to go. Josiah and Aidan, Josiah’s brother, who is twelve years old, were already at the co-op place because they went earlier with their dad to play basketball.

Mrs. Seaburg , whose first name is Jenny, and her two daughters, Izzy age four and Cora age eight, were in the back with my sister, and I was in the front with Jenny. As we were reversing we all of a sudden heard a big bang and the car stopped because we’d crashed into something.

We were all in shock and I was laughing so hard - I don’t even know why. We looked behind the car and saw that there was another car parked behind us. The other car belonged to one of my dad’s friends, the Hinmans, who were lending it to us so that we could all get around to the places that we have needed to go to.

Jenny jumped out of the car and checked both cars and luckily only the license plate on the other car was damaged. She got back into the car and this time reversed around the other car.

When we got to the co-op place, which is actually a church, we went inside to the basketball area so that Jenny could play. Fran and I took care of Cora and Izzy. Then I took Izzy to her class and on the way I saw my friend’s mum. I said hi to her and then sat down with Aidan.

When Josiah walked into the room, I walked over to him and talked with him until he had to go to his next class, which was science – they were to dissect a fish. He asked Fran and I if we wanted to join the class and I accepted just because I wanted to know how it felt and what it would look like. Then Jen said that we also had the option of going with Aidan to a cooking class. Fran decided to do that instead.

We walked into the class and I sat down next to him. His teacher walked up to me and asked me some questions about myself. Once the room was almost filled with like ten people, the teacher started the class. She told us all to take our fish out of the plastic bags that they were in. She had her own fish in her hand and it had already been cut open so that she could use it as an example.

She told us to look at the fish and she named some of the parts on the fish then told us to open up where the guts were and to take some out. We looked at them and then set the stuff aside. They looked like they were soft but I didn’t want to touch them without my gloves on.

Then the teacher told us to cut open the bottom of the fish. Josiah had already cut up the side as well but I don’t think it made a difference. We cut all of the sides and then took the flap off. Inside there were a bunch of tiny gross organs.

The teacher went around the class observing the work that was being done, and told us to take the stomach out. Since all the fish were a little different, it was sort of confusing to know what to take out.

The classroom smelt horrible. Some people even had to go outside because they could not stand the disgusting stench. Inside of the fish was a bubble. It was kind of purple and had liquid inside of it, but the bubble consisted mostly of air. It was really tempting to pop it but I restrained myself. Then Josiah popped his fish’s purple bubble and this gross liquid came flowing out. It was yucko!

Josiah had told me that last week, when they were dissecting fish, he had poked the eye out and in showing his friends, they had snatched the fish from him and had thrown it at him. At the beginning of the class, the teacher had said that they were not allowed to do that because it was rude and unacceptable.

I was staring at the wall whilst the teacher was talking and then I looked at Josiah and he was using one of the tools to poke at the fish's eye. He was trying to see what was underneath it and he poked something and a gross smelling liquid squirted everywhere. It splattered my cheek and I immediately wiped it off of my face with a paper towel. I almost threw up.

As soon as the class was over, we cleaned up the desks and put the stuff away. Then, I went to the bathroom and scrubbed my face and arms until they were red and painful. It was a gross and smelly experience, but overall a really enjoyable day.

Renz and Leiky in the Ohio Valley

POST by SHANE: Growing Up Brien (Part One - Visiting the Edge)

The Brien Family in 2006

 He looked strangely out of place as he traipsed past us in a spring jacket and maroon leather pants. It was January and 15 degrees Fahrenheit outside in upstate New York (that’s negative 9 in Celsius for those of you not still hanging on to old habits like we in the U.S.). It was also 9:00 AM on a Sunday morning. Our apartment complex housed many college students and he was obviously one of them.

It did strike me odd, though, and I remember wondering aloud to Jenny (my wife) if he was going to church. About three hours later I felt pretty terrible because not only had he been on the way to church, he had been on the way to OUR church, and we’d let him freeze as we drove past. This was my first experience with a Brien.

The Brien children travelling...

 

Despite the presumed hypothermia and frostbitten fingers that day, we did still somehow become friends shortly thereafter and with many trips around the globe since (mostly by the Briens), we’ve stayed that way.

Briens/Seaburgs at Taughannock Falls, New York

Briens/Seaburgs in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales

In the winter of 2001 Jed and Elizabeth Brien were both 24 years old. Meanwhile, their eldest daughter Francesca had just turned 3, and baby sister, Lorenzy, was only 8 months old. As a friend, it has been a joy to see their children grow, but also to see the entire family answer the call placed on their lives by God.

The Brien children: Rafael, Francesca, Lorenzy-Ella & Sezni

In the 12 years I’ve known the Brien family, I’ve observed with great interest and more than a small measure of curiosity as they’ve spent countless hours of time and energy on friends, acquaintances, and strangers with little thought for their own emotional or physical well-being. 

Lizzie in July Party (because Lizzie's birthday is Christmas Day)

During that period, their living room has been a revolving door to whatever community they’ve made their home. In the earliest days of our friendship, when both families were so poor we qualified for an American government program called WIC (free food for lower class families with young children), they were already donating to missions while we were still struggling to part with the money that went into the church offering basket. 

Project Runway in Mexico - the Brien Family (Trashy)

 When given the opportunity, they’ve continually chosen connections with people over tangible ownership of property. I have watched from near and far as their children have given or sold away the vast majority of their earthly possessions 4 separate times. So, when the day finally came that they announced they would be moving to the mission field full-time, I wasn’t surprised. Their life is the Great Commission (Matthew 28: 19-20) and they’ve been missionaries for as long as I’ve known them.

The Brien Family in Mexico

The Brien Family in Mexico

In Nicaragua, they’ve plopped themselves down into the thick of a poor barrio outside the city of Managua called Cedro Galan. Presently, their ministry there is three-pronged. 

First, they are sharing their home with a group of 8 young men between the ages of 15 and 20 who are being schooled so they can earn the equivalent of a high school diploma and trained to be part of the “Nicavangelist” group that will soon be dancing and tricking through churches across the United States.

Each of them has made a commitment to Christ and is being discipled, but as you can imagine, having 8 young men living in your guesthouse together can present a unique set of challenges.

Capital on the Edge boys: Yordy, Stivey, Beycker, Rene, Jonny, Ericson, Eliazer & Yader

Second, they run what I think most closely resembles a Pre-K school 5 days a week. There, children between the ages of 2 and 6 are taught stories from the Bible, basic reading and writing skills as well as being given an introduction to English.

Capital Edge Community School

Finally, every Wednesday and Friday night they “officially” open up their house to members of the community. There’s a swimming pool, basketball, soccer, a ping-pong table, checkers, and a pool table available to all-comers. On Fridays, worship songs and a short message are added to the games.

Capital Edge Community Center

 It used to be that Jed and Liz’s ministry was a partnership, but these days it’s a more of a family endeavor.

Francesca and Lorenzy both speak Spanish more fluently than their parents, so they are regularly used as translators for the people of the center and around the barrio. Additionally, they are both learning dance and taking part in the “Nicavangelist” training. I’ve witnessed them reach out to others in much the same way their mom and dad do. They are equally comfortable talking to other teenagers as well as adults. It’s an impressive sight as 12 and 15 year old girls handle such big tasks with a maturity beyond their years.

Francesca translating at Church

Meanwhile, no one is more helpful when tackling handy-man projects around the house than 10 year-old Sezni, always smiling and pleased to provide a tool when needed. 8 year-old Raffy is generally quieter than his siblings, but more times than I can count, I caught him whispering a translation while everyone else was still trying to figure out what had been said. I also noticed he is uniquely talented at understanding what Billy says (their 4-year old adopted Nicaraguan son who speaks an elusive combination of Spanglish and Masquite). They all pitch in everyday and it’s kind of beautiful to watch them work together.

Rafael pitching in with Sunday School, in El Salvador

By the way, as always, their living room is still that same revolving door. The bell at the gate begins ringing at 6 o’clock every morning and doesn’t stop until 11 or 12 each night (including weekends). A day doesn’t go by where friends and/or community members aren’t welcomed with open arms no matter the time or reason.

They daily juggle a multitude of issues and responsibilities while maintaining attitudes that are remarkably positive. While they prepare lesson plans, they have morning devotions with the boys. While they do devotions, children arrive for school. While pre-K class is in session, they manage homeschool responsibilities for their own kids. As coursework comes to an end, lunch is being prepared. As noon dishes are being washed, practice begins for the boys and on and on and on, only to be done again tomorrow.

Their work is exhausting physically and taxing mentally, but each day they gather their strength to meet what the Lord has made. I observe them as they die to self, over and over. Even though their energy level burns brighter than ever, the lines on their face remind me I’m not staring at the faces of two wide-eyed twenty-somethings any more. This isn’t a game and it’s not about having fun. More than a decade has passed since that cold January morning and my friends are at once the same as always and yet starkly different.

They’ve grown up.

Some Briens/Seaburgs in Managua, Nicaragua