UPDATE: School, Missions, and Testimonies!

Just to give a quick update on my life here in Cali:

~ SCHOOL UPDATE ~

This summer I wasn't sure if I really wanted to do Second Year, but now I find that funny. With every message preached, every session of worship, every day of outreach in the community, I am being completely changed and wrecked more by the love of God. I feel like I'm being shaped into the leader I need to be to completely fulfil my calling, and I'm learning more and more how much everything comes down to one thing: love.

I'm on one of the worship teams in school, singing background, and absolutely love it. My team has become quite a family, and I've had so much favor and breakthrough as a musician.

A taste of WORSHIP in Second Year:
Sunday Night at Twin View (or what it's like at least, not sure when this video was taken)
My Team (the one I'm on, although I wasn't singing that day, haha. we have a rapper! how cool is that!)

~ MISSIONS TRIP UPDATE ~

I've been accepted to go to Norway! March 24th to April 6th, 2011. Thank you to everyone who has helped make this possible! We had our first payment due yesterday (which was covered completely, yay!) as well as our first meeting together. It was awesome to get to know my team (there's about 24 of us I think, all students from BSSM) and hear about our trip leaders' vision. We'll be preaching, teaching, and doing ministry on the streets of this gorgeous, ridiculously cold country. We'll be helping with the largest youth conference in the Norway, and there will be opportunities for childrens ministry, which I am VERY excited about because kids don't start learning English until they're in school, so I will be able to practice my Norwegian. :) And I will possibly be doing a video documentary for the trip, if I'm able to get ahold of a camera for those thirteen days. Please keep me in your prayers as I raise funds for this trip, practice my preaching, and get ready. :) If you're interested in seeding into this, please see this post: "Ways to Support Bre" Thank you for your prayers and support! :)

~ TESTIMONIES ~

Wheelchair Lady Healed!
Every Thursday, us Second Years lead teams of First Year students on street ministry. My team does Treasure Hunts, and on our first day out, we went downtown and came across a lady in a wheelchair.
Her story: she was hit by a bus and was PARALYZED from the waist down.
One of our First Year girls laid hands on her and prayed, and the woman was TOTALLY HEALED! She walked home, leaving the wheelchair on the side of the road.

Here's the Facebook Video of the testimony being shared the next day in class (First Year BSSM).

Thank you, Jesus!! You're soooo goood!!!!!

Blind Man Sees!
During our Sunday night services at Bethel, we do baptisms once a month. Last Sunday, a blind man went under the water blind, and came up seeing! Ahh! God is so awesome!!!

Here's the link to watch it happen on iBethel TV! We do baptisms during worship, so this is a link to the whole worship part of the night. (I'm not sure how much you can see either, because I haven't watched it yet myself.)

This is just a taste of what's happening here. :)

Thank you sooooo much everyone for your prayers and support! You're making all of this possible, and I appreciate everything you've poured into me. :) Much love! Bre

Ways to Support Bre :)

Thank you all for your prayers and support! Its because of people like you that I'm getting such an awesome education in the ministry. If you feel led to support me financially, information for that can be found below.
Once again, thanks! You're changing my life. :)

Every dollar makes a big difference.

Even if you just have a spare five bucks, please consider seeding it into me!

I'm good soil. :)

~ Credit or Debit Card ~
(tax-deductable!)

You can pay online here:

Sow into Bre's NORWAY MISSIONS TRIP - total still needed: $2,055 ($555 by 1/5/11)

Donate to Bre's SCHOOL TUITION - monthly payment: $389

~ Check ~

Please make checks payable to "Breanna Patterson" and mail to:
19223 Hollow Ln.
Redding, CA 96003

~ Change and Cash ~

Do you have a jar of spare change? Or maybe a bunch of coins in your car? It would be awesome if you'd consider donating that to me! I've actually raised over $35 with just a jar on my kitchen counter that says "Help Send Me to Norway". Every penny makes a difference!

Gifts submitted online are tax-deductible and you will receive a statement at the end of the year for your tax records. You could also give anonymously, but I’d love to be able to thank you! This gift is non-refundable, and if for any reason I or my team does not go, the money will support another mission trip sponsored by Bethel Church. (If online payment is not an option but you would still like to make it tax-deductable, donations can be mailed to Bethel Church Attn: Bethel International 933 College View Dr. Redding, CA 96003.)

Thank you so much, everyone!
Love!!!
Bre

"Så Dyp en Kjærlighet"

i can't get this song off my mind. sooooo good. this is a lovsang i norsk (worship song in norwegian) by Impuls. i love it.


"I have a father,
a father unlike all others..."

"So deep a love..."

"You are my father, and I am your child..."

"God I'm falling,
God I'm falling
into your arms"



Lyrics:

"Så Dyp en Kjærlighet" - Impuls

jeg har en far
en far ulik alle andre
en som kjente meg før dagen jeg ble til
han ser til meg
om mitt liv er fullt av glede
eller om jeg strever for å helt forstå

så dyp en kjærlighet
en fars hengivenhet
utstilt på et kors
så gjennomtrengende
og livsforvandlene
din omsorg er for meg

du er min far, og jeg er ditt barn

jeg kommer med
mine nederlag og seire
meg mitt jag for selvbehag i dette liv
jeg legger ned
alt jeg er i dine hender
her vet jeg at du vil være god mot meg

Gud jeg faller ned,
å Gud jeg faller ned
i dine armer

The Key to His Secrets

Gold and worn; small and square. I never thought something so simple could speak so loudly.

In January, the first actually, the Lord told me to start wearing a key on a necklace.

Yupps. A key.

"Ahhh Jesus, why that? Everyone else is wearing one of those."

I'm not one to do things that "everyone else is doing", and it's sooooo common to see that at Bethel, especially among the students. I had been patiently waiting for Him to give me something deep and prophetic to wear, as He said He would months ago, and then He told me this. A key!

Needless to say, I wasn't thrilled.

"Okay," I reluctantly told Him. "I'll do whatever you want. If there's something you want to show me through a key, than I'll wear one. Buuuut... You have to give it to me. I'm not looking for one."

I'm not demanding, that's just how my relationship with God works. He likes how spunky I can be, and I only do it cuz I love Him. Sort of like with some dad's and their daughters.

Three months later, in March, a friend of mine was telling me the story of how God had given her the key that now hangs on her necklace. She had been praying for one, and God gave her one, just cuz He loves her. Jesus is so sweet! I mentioned that I had been praying for one as well, but I didn't really go into it.

Later that week, she came to me on the break during the First Year classes.

"Hey! Ya know how I keep my key in a little box when I'm not wearing it? Well I went to take it out of the box this morning and there were two keys in there!" She placed a small, rusty, gold key in my hand and hugged me.

Ahh!! Don't you love how Jesus does things!

My key is little and the base is pretty square. It looks like one that would go to a locked journal, and I think that's why it's mine. Jesus has been talking to me about keeping secrets with Him, and how the mysteries of everything can be revealed. But it's not about knowing stuff. It's about relationship. It's about love.

Jesus and I share a journal. And no, I can't tell you what's inside. You'll have to ask Him yourself. :)

thinking LOUD

SOooo... I realized something today. I can scream into the second heaven. With my mind.

Isn't that cool?!

I've been wondering how that all works, not that I have it completely figured out now, but today I was talking to an angel across the room and it hit me.

I wasn't talking . . . but it heard me.

How??

Can angels hear your thoughts? Can demons? Ehhhh... I don't think so. Jesus is the only One that can really read your mind. But even so, I've been using my thoughts to talk to angels and stuff for awhile now, and they've been able to hear me quite well it seems.

It does feel different when I'm "speaking" to them and when I'm just thinking. It's like, thinking with purpose. Or thinking really, really loud. Screaming out of me and past my thoughts into the spirit realm. It's hard to explain. My mind still doesn't really understand this but I think my spirit's got it. It's like I'm willfully speaking into the second heaven. My spirit's communicating, not my body.

Most of what I "say" to angels is wordless anyway. Like, instead of saying "thanks" I'll send a strong impression of gratitude. It's because I'm a Feeler, I suppose. That's just how my gifting works and I think the angels in my life know that. They'll even communicate to me in that way. Like the strange night the neighbors smoked pot right in front of our door...

About a year ago, on my way to bed, long before anything happened that night, I passed by the front door to head up the stairs to my room. The "filter angel" (as we called him) that always hung out by our front door was freaking out. As I passed by, a crazy feeling came over me. It was a strong sense of urgency and warning. Not really a fear, but a call to awareness and protection. The feeling made me want to double check to see if the door was locked.

I stopped walking by and turned back to face him. "What's up with you? I didn't think angels got freaked out."

I could still "hear" him. I answered by sending a strong impression of acknowledgement and thankfulness. He calmed down and I went to bed.

(And yes, I realize this probably sounds very, very odd written. I wish you were here so I could just tell you!)

Anyway, that night alot of crazy stuff happened. The guys next door were drunk and high, and had a bunch of their friends over, and decided to party right in front of our front door. It was very strange. But my roommates and I were fine and nothing bad happened. It was nice to have some warning and be able to pray over the house beforehand. Jesus rocks.

I wonder if anyone has this thinking really loud thing figured out.

Freeing Creation

Have you ever talked to a tree?

They're not much for conversation, but they do have something to say. If you'll stop and listen.

And no, I'm not kidding. Nor am I insane. Well, define "insane".

I was thinking today about how much I love forests, they carry so much forgiveness. People come to forests to hike, to camp, to hunt... to get away from the stresses of life and find peace. And no matter how many people come and leave their burdens in the woods, it never builds up. You never go into them feeling the residue of everything the last people left behind. All you feel, is peace. There's also something very cleansing about trees. They're like, atmosphere cleaners. Both in the natural, and the supernatural realms, I suppose.

I've been seeing the number 4 everywhere lately. 4:44pm. Stuff like that. Four represents creation and creativity. The four winds. The four seasons. North, South, East, and West. Earth, air, water, and fire. The four living creatures. So on and so forth.

Lately, God's been talking to me about how He loves everything He's created, not just us. Although, we are His favorites. :) He's been showing me how nature is more a part of our lives than we think. For one, why do we lump "nature" into some big category? Why is it so odd and so different to be friends with a tree and to spend time soaking in the peace that blows with the breeze?

"The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God."
- Romans 8:19-21

Our freedom brings creation freedom. Isn't that cool! Our fates are tied. When we are bound, creation is bound. When we are liberated, it's brought into our glorious freedom with us. That's awesome!!!

It's waiting. Waiting eagerly.

For what?

For you.

Don't believe me? Go ask a tree. :)