Brandon & Maddi Metzler Newsletter (Fall 2021)

Hello all!

There is no other way to start this newsletter than with praise, praise, and more praise. We are praising God for His goodness, His faithfulness, His plans, His provision, and so much more!

Boot Camp:

Starting in June, Boot Camp began and we finally got to meet all of the teens we had been praying for for months. Brandon had the responsibility of being Mr. SB (special blessing) and playing bass on the worship team at the evening rallies. His job as Mr. SB meant that he coordinated work projects for individuals or teams to complete during their free time when they needed a little reminder about following rules and policy. He enjoyed his job and all of the people it allowed him to meet and interact with. I had the responsibility of teaching drama during the odd class periods, filming during the even class periods, and singing on the worship team at the evening rallies. I thoroughly enjoyed using my gifts and skills in all three of those areas! God provided us both with the strength we needed to complete those responsibilities with energy and joy, in addition to leading our team! Those two weeks were a whirlwind of classes and bonding strongly as a team and by the end of it, we genuinely felt like a family. The fact that we grew so close so quickly made it all the more difficult to leave three people behind on Commissioning Day. Our assistant female leader and two team members tested positive for COVID and had to stay back and join the Florida team. Commissioning was bittersweet knowing that our family wouldn’t be whole, but that we were finally headed to South Africa. 

South Africa:

If you didn’t already know, our team destination changed from Taiwan, to Uganda, to South Africa all due to COVID restrictions and ever-changing policies in other countries. We thought we finally knew a definite location in South Africa until even that changed on our way to the airport. Rather than serving at a school in East London (along the southern coast of South Africa), we had to go to the Teen Missions base in Pretoria and join the other South Africa team. All those changes in plans taught us to surrender our wills and to fully embrace God’s, trusting that it was better than anything we could plan. And it was! Being on the base meant that we were in warmer weather (even though some nights we still saw sub-freezing temps!), we had another team to help with the work, we had a full kitchen WITH A REFRIGERATOR AND MICROWAVE, and a perfect location for Darrell to roam safely inside the walls of the compound. 

While at the base, we painted the exteriors on a total of five buildings, repaired a roof, poured concrete in a cracked wall, and did a number of side projects to bring a nice facelift to the base. The staff there remarked several times how thankful they were for the work that we were completing and hoped it would open the door for people to want to rent their property and amenities throughout the year. We also were able to help the staff and students at the base with some of their outreach programs. Our team attended three of the Teen Missions Sunday schools where they sang songs, played games, performed dramas, presented the Gospel message, and simply interacted with the local kids. It was a very impactful experience for them! Brandon and I thoroughly enjoyed leading the team. I served in the kitchen providing meals and he served on the construction sites, guiding and helping the kids. We both led Bible studies and had the opportunity to pour into the kids. We appreciate your prayers and support that made this summer possible. Though we did get sick for a few days (even Darrell, who still thinks it’s fun to pretend to throw-up in a bucket), and there were days we were tired, we definitely felt the Lord’s hand on us!

Deputation:

Upon returning to the states and sending our kiddos back home, we had a few weeks to do some laundry and catch up on sleep before we headed up to Atmore, AL for two weeks. It was a refreshing time of hanging out with family and friends and reconnecting with supporters face to face. We held a Taco Supper for our supporters to thank them for their faithful support throughout our first full year of being on staff. If you were unable to attend that meal, we still want you to know how incredibly thankful we are for you. We love what we do and feel so content and peaceful here at Teen Missions. Without your generous heart and willingness to partner with us, we couldn’t be here doing what we feel called to do. So thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! We have two years left in our commitment of being on staff and we are looking forward to seeing what God has in store!

Big News:

Speaking of things in store, the president of Teen Missions has asked us to go back to the base in South Africa for two months. We are willing to serve the ministry wherever there is a need and we felt that the right thing to do was to say yes. So, we are walking in obedience and headed for South Africa on October 4th. While we are there, Brandon will be helping to head up a few construction projects to get the base in even better operating condition. The goal is that the base can rent out a conference center and we are serving over there for a little while to help them reach that goal! We plan to be back in the States on December 6th.

Another new thing in store is that Teen Missions will be hosting its first ever youth retreat January 14-16. We are inviting local youth groups to our campus and running a program of classes, activities, and worship rallies for a weekend. We are both so excited to minister to teens in this way! I am one of the people coordinating this event, so I will be kept busy planning and communicating in the months ahead!

We covet your prayers for these two big things ahead of us: South Africa and the youth retreat

We hope that this newsletter finds you and your family doing well! 

1 Corinthians 15:58 says, “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” May we all be steadfast and abounding in the work of the Lord!

In Christ,

Brandon, Maddi, and Darrell Metzler