Brandon & Maddi Metzler Newsletter (Winter 2021)

The Metzler Message:

Wow, 2020 is over! I think it is safe to say that it was not just a year of change for our family, but for every family. In a year that was full of inconsistency, we want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your faithful and consistent support. God used you in big ways when doubt crept into our minds. Your prayers and financial gifts have been a constant reminder of the steadfast love of our Savior. As I’m sure you can imagine, our ministry has certainly been affected by 2020, but we continue to move forward with plans for 2021.

Our Part in the Ministry:

The maintenance crew has been busy to say the least! One big project that Brandon has been a part of is remodeling an entire building for the Bible school students. That job so far has consisted of emptying the building and gutting it totally for construction. The vision for that building is for it to consist of dorms, an apartment for married students, a lounge, classrooms, and a fitness center. Another big project, and probably the most exciting, is the planning and setting up of the Obstacle Course for the 5K Mud Run  coming up in May. Brandon and Jon Barber (another young maintenance guy) have been given total responsibility for the run. They will be repairing obstacles and building new ones in the very near future. If you’re into fun 5K experiences, please plan to come on down and participate! Some smaller projects that have also kept Brandon busy have been building a seawall under a deck, pouring concrete for new floors in a storage warehouse, hauling loads to the local dump, trimming palms in the lift, and contributing to keeping the property an all around clean and well-maintained place. 

The Video Department has seemed to explode with inspiration the past few months! Praise the LORD! There have been so many new things happening that I have actually changed my schedule from two afternoons to now three afternoons a week. Darrell continues to go to his babysitter, Faith Petersen, on those afternoons. I also now have a brand new office to work in! We are cranking out all kinds of videos that are waiting to be posted. Brandon is probably tired of hearing me say, “I want to move to____,” after making a video about that base! We are also totally re-envisioning our plan for Social Media, specifically Instagram. The platform we are given to connect with teens online is a huge one, and a responsibility that we are not taking lightly. In addition to advertising for summer teams, we are going to begin using Instagram as a resource to disciple teens. Part of that plan looks like beginning to film and post weekly devotionals, creating purposeful and entertaining reels (see screenshot photo), and adding posts onto our feed to help encourage and witness to the next generation. If you don’t already follow us on Instagram, now would be an exciting time to start!

We are thrilled to say that Brandon and I have been asked to be the head leaders of the Taiwan team this summer. Please join us in praying for our team members and the preparation this entails. So far, there are over 300 registrations for summer 2021!

Global Teen Missions:

Positive news from the overseas bases continues to come in, despite “2020” circumstances. Here are a few examples:

In Mansa, Zambia, they were still able to host Boot Camp. There were 72 team members, and 25 decisions made for Christ!

Though it is now the rainy season, the Philippines Circuit Riders are faithfully having thriving Sunday schools.

Construction on the newest Bible school in Wangibisha, Zambia, is almost completed.

A shipment of blankets has been received in Cameroon to distribute to the four Rescue Units.

Life in General:

Darrell turns ONE on January 26th. We can hardly believe it. We have definitely entered a stage where the task of parenting seems “real”. Darrell is testing boundaries and rules like never before, but he is also joyful, giggly, and wanting to please like never before. Raising our lively and loveable son is a rollercoaster of a journey that keeps us on our toes. His current favorite things are walking independently (like, please don’t touch me AT ALL), carrying his plastic hammer everywhere (diaper change, bathtub, car, etc.), snuggling after naps, laughing and pointing at things, asking “What’s this?”, dancing to music, and throwing up his hands when you say touchdown or praise the Lord. 

I just wrapped up an impactful Bible study at Trinity Community Church and have already registered to start another one that goes through the book of Psalms every Saturday morning for eight weeks. Brandon and I have also signed up to take the membership classes at Trinity, starting the beginning of February. In addition to those classes, we have now joined a community group through Trinity! We are excited to really be plugging in and making connections at this church!

Over Christmas break, we hosted a mini-team reunion for some of our kids from our Kenya team in 2019. There were a total of five of them staying at our house. We enjoyed reminiscing about our trip and catching up on life with them. That time served as a great reminder to us as to why we are here—for building relationships with and discipling teenagers. It was a great boost of excitement as we prayerfully anticipate summer 2021 teams. 

Prayer Requests:

We can never say thank you enough for your support that allows us to be here at Teen Missions. This ministry means so much to both Brandon and me, having impacted us tremendously as teens, and we feel privileged to now be a part of it. We hope that the Lord blesses you and your family as you continue to bless ours. If you feel led at all to contribute to our financial needs, please find our staff profile on the website, call the ministry, or call us personally. We continually pray for the Lord’s provision through monthly pledges from people like you. Your pledges and prayers are what keep us here!

We also ask that you partner in praying with us for wisdom in parenting, guidance in relationships with those around us, energy and zeal for the workplace, a steadfast spirit in these uncertain times, and good health.

“Only fear the LORD and serve Him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things He has done for you.”

1 Samuel 12:24

Here’s to serving the Lord faithfully in 2021!

In Christ,

Brandon, Maddi, and Darrell Metzler