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