5. Jan 29-31: World Mandate Conference.
Nothing beats an 8 hour road trip to San Diego with a couple of my great friends, Ian and Josh. It was the ultimate Kickstarter to the year. 3 days of Jesus and legends-in-the-Faith speakers. There I saw my older brother, got further pumped to go on missions, and heard some life-changing messages. The best thing that came out of that was getting the book Father Heart of God by Floyd McClung. My brother gave it to me and even had it signed by the author himself!
Oddly enough, at World Mandate I felt a call to go to Belgium someday. It was even confirmed by some of my bro’s friends who asked the Lord what country He gave me. They all got that I sensed a call to a country that started with a “B” and one of them got “Belgium.” I’ll be darned then! I’m glad about that, partially because Belgium has good waffles. And chocolate.
4. June 6-8: Hanging out with F Squad before training camp.
It all started with Jason Gebhardt. We pretty much became instant friends when he drove up to my house for the weekend before we flew out to Georgia together. We had many good times. Oh how I miss Jason. Then in Georgia I got to meet Syd and her fam, Libby, Abigail Johansen and her family, the Katlyns, Isaac, Stephanie, Victoria, Callie… and others!
We went driving around and just hung out and we were just so hyped for the race and training camp and there was so much energy I couldn’t sleep. Oh we didn’t know what was coming. I was so young back then, so young and beardless.
3. May 29: Graduation.
It was a weight off my shoulders – literally. Finally FREE! Our infamous state governor gave the graduation speech at my school as sort of a political statement. But hey, it’s all good because he founded Cold Stone Creamery. And I like Cold Stone. And plus, graduating alongside my friends Jack and Joey was the best part of it. We celebrated hard.
Since I’m done with school I can do what I want with no homework holding me back. I have the whole world to explore! Oh, and after graduation I had a great time playing blackjack and other games at the parent-sponsored grad party. My friend Jack won a PS4. I won a 32oz water bottle with a duffle back stuffed inside.
2. Sept. 11-12: Summiting Acatenango.
Ross and I had the opportunity to climb this 13,000ft beast in Guatemala. We started at 11:00pm and reached the summit at 5:30am with a hired guide and 30 others. The worst was that I became so sweaty on the hike up my clothes under by jacket were soaked through. As I finally reached the summit as dawn broke, listening to “Nothing I hold on to” by Will Reagan and United Pursuit, the frigid winds whistled through my clothes. It was 32 degrees up there with colder windchill. I nearly froze in my wet clothes but managed to curl up by a volcanic vent for most of the time up top after taking a few minutes to see best view I have ever seen in my life.
I mean ever — and that’s saying something for an Arizona guy who’s seen many a landscape. I felt Jesus come over me, sensing He took me there to show me this view with Him. I was blown away by the vastness of it all – the volcanoes, mountains, valleys, and lakes scattered about, glistening in the dawn light. I could even see the Pacific Ocean from there. How could I not just worship Jesus even as I was becoming borderline hypothermic?
1. April 12: Asking the girls to Prom.
During tennis practice, my coach Sterling Fetty gave subtle suggestion that some of the girls on the girl’s team were in need of prom dates. An idea swelled up inside of me. So almost all the guys’ on the team didn’t have dates, and almost all the girls’ team didn’t… 6 single guys and 6 single girls. Bingo: the guys team asks the girls team to prom of course!
So after practice one day, we went over to the local Chinese restaurant (which, by the way, I swear is owned by the Chinese mafia) to discuss the secret plan over dinner. We needed to be smooth and strategic as possible. This was the run down of the plan:
1. Set up candles on the path leading to the tennis shed at minimum 1.5 hours before the the girls return from an away match.
2. Set up a table outside the shed with roses for each one of the girls.
3. Coach sterling will drop off the JV girls at the front of the school and tell the varsity girls to go to the shed for a “special meeting.”
4. Wait for the girls to walk to the shed.
5. The girls arrive at the shed.
6. The girls walk in the shed, surprised to see “prom?” and us standing there
7. All the guys, one at a time, say the name of the girl they are asking, and then simultaneously ask, “will you go to prom with us?”
8. The girls all say yes. Hopefully.
9. Mission Accomplished.
Mission accomplished it was! It was one to go to the record books. Indeed, it was a year for the record books. I started this year on a simple journey to explore the Father Heart. This journey has taken me literally across the world. Knowing Father God — the Proud Father — makes me so free; striving and anxieties have mostly transformed from oppressive masters into cringing weaklings. ahh man I’m so much more free! No religion and no condemnation.
I gained more power to be myself this year — To explore the world, be who I want to be, and love like I want to love and do it all alongside Jesus. I am so hopeful for this year as I continue to follow Jesus. Wow. Honestly looking back, He so clearly gets all the credit for 2016 — and there’s no telling where 2017 will take me. By the way, Prom was amazing!
Blessings on your new year,
Brandon
