All posts by brianvir

September 2023 Prayer Requests

Here are a few prayer requests for these weeks:

  • For Morgan as she jumps into classes this week and looks for a job.
     
  • Colin and Kaelyn started up school last week (10th and 7th grade). Pray especially or Colin as he transferred high schools and is starting all over (again).
     
  • For resolution with the insurance company related to our car.  We are okay on the vehicle front as far as getting around at this moment, but we hope to resolve things and then begin to look for a replacement. You can pray that God provides for a car that can serve us well over the next decade – and that can handle long drives through the desert 🙂
     
  • Prayers for us as we grieve and try to move forward. We had started a lot of discernment work about the future, but that was derailed. You can pray as we seek to discern what God is doing and what He might be leading us to.
     
  • Our classes and students at IGSL as we are trying to keep up with courses and grades and track with students well. I Brian am working with some IGSL and Asian doctoral students on their dissertations as well right now to help them through the process.

First Day of Christmas!!

         We usually post something every year, but our family has celebrated the 1st day of Christmas in the Philippines (September 1st!) since 2013. Normally we just went to a mall and got ice cream as the Christmas music was launched in such public spaces. We got a text early on Sept 1st from Morgan – a Christmas Tree emoji! She couldn’t be with us, but she remembered and we brought my dad along for our odd little ritual that helps keep us connected to the Philippines. Merry Christmas or Maligayang Pasko!

Taking Morgan to College

          Because so much family time for the 5 of us had been redirected toward the extended family and my mom’s memorial, we took a several-day road trip to slow life down a bit and be together before facing the next big transition (thanks to some free housing!). It was not ideal to do this a week after my mom’s memorial, but it made our time together even more important. It’s a different kind of loss – one with much hope and promise. But it’s another loss that we’re all feeling.  But really proud of her and we miss her tons.  She’s off and running!

Mom’s Memorial Service

       One of the defining events in everything was obviously my mom’s memorial on August 19th. I can’t do that day justice or honor or appreciate everyone who made that a memorable and special day. It was deeply emotional, but so encouraging to see how my mom was remembered and honored  – and how Christ’s work in and through her life was on display. For those of you who were there, I can’t appreciate you enough for being with us on that day. It means the world.  I actually have no pictures from that day, but just this one – that we took after our family gathered to decompress after it was all over.  We’re so proud of each person in this photo because by God’s grace, I think we’ve seen the best of each other in all of this. 

Celebrating 25 Years With Cru in Honor of Mom

          Before she passed, my parents were working to take our family out to a nice dinner to celebrate us hitting the benchmark of 25 years of ministry with Cru AND to celebrate our kids’ contribution to a lot of those years and overall ministry impact. That was important to my mom. My dad still wanted to do it before Morgan left so we did it. It was emotional, but as she did so often, she wanted to be intentional to celebrate what she saw was a meaningful milestone and she wanted to celebrate each member of the family in their contribution to that. That is part of her legacy. It wasn’t the same without her, but it was comforting to do something she wanted to see happen.

Finding Our Footing One Transition at a Time

           How do you move forward after a life-changing loss?  Many of us have asked that question. Not sure if we have the answer. But life isn’t waiting and it’s felt like it’s been coming at us fast. At times that has felt cruel. At other times it’s a comfort that there is directionality to grief as we journey with the the Lord through it. Ministry has taken a bit of a backseat with everything that has happened with my mom, her memorial, and taking Morgan to college. We have taken a couple of weeks of bereavement leave and some vacation to allow room for grief and transition. But we wanted to provide a snapshot of what’s been meaningful to us as we know you and many have been praying.

Since my mom passed, we’ve had regular times together with the rest of the family to grieve, process, and just be together. I’d not thought about it, but our family has a lot of spiritual, emotional, and ministry training with all the pastors, counselors, and missionaries. I think it’s been helpful.

We’ve had heartbreaking benchmarks. My dad’s birthday was a week after my mom’s passing and their 51st anniversary was a week after her memorial. It’s made it harder maybe in some ways, but it’s also been good to be together in those moments.

Morgan’s All-Cousin Sleep-Over
          One of the things Morgan wanted to do as the oldest cousin before she left for college to honor her Nana was to organize a cousin’s sleepover with all of them like my mom would. They are mostly girls so a lot of nail polish as you can see! This was special to watch. It was the night or two before the memorial so Morgan ended up helping some of the cousins prepare for their sharing at the memorial service (in which they all did amazing). 

          As you can see, there have been some great and meaningful moments even though grief has been our companion in all of them. We are spent. Our family went from my mom’s stroke/ICU stay to a somewhat traumatic car accident to my mom’s passing and memorial to sending our first child off to college all in the last couple of months. We’re crashing a bit now that everyone is in school. In one of the books I’ve read since my mom passed, I came across the phrase, “Your tears are His tools.” It speaks to God’s sovereign work as He draws near to the brokenhearted, to those who grieve and cry out to Him. It’s a great comfort when we can sense God at work even if we do not understand all the “whys.” Regardless of what makes sense or doesn’t, we are so thankful for how God keeps reminding us that He is with us, loves us beyond what we can comprehend, and that He is at work for more than we can possibly imagine.                
                 Thank you for praying and journeying with us in this season!  

                                         In Christ,

Brian & Christine

In Memory of Karen Virtue

1950-2023

          You may have learned this news in our hard copy ministry update a couple of weeks ago or via Facebook or social media, but we haven’t shared this here. On July 23rd, my mom went to be with the Lord unexpectedly.  

            It was just a few weeks ago in our last update that we were celebrating a successful procedure and were thankful for what seemed like a huge answer to prayer. In retrospect, it was the gift of a final couple of weeks with her that included a family vacation with my whole side of the family (the trip where we were badly rear-ended). 

            As you can imagine, our world was turned upside down though we have experienced the Lord’s comfort in a number of ways, not the least of which have been through one another in the family through this. We believe we are experiencing the fruits of many prayers as we experience God’s mercy and grace in the pain of this.

Here is the memorial service information if knew her or desired to attend:

Saturday, August 19 at 11:00 AM
Arbor Road Church
5336 Arbor Road  Long Beach, CA 90808
Livestream – https://arborroad.com/watch-us-online/


              There will be a time of fellowship with food immediately after the service.  We would appreciate prayers as we prepare for the service, but we are immensely grateful for how we’ve been blessed by our church and many of you through this.  Please see below for a few timely prayer requests, not the least of which is taking Morgan to college a few days after the memorial.

               Thank you for praying with us in this season.  

                                         In Christ,

                                                Brian & Christine

Prayer Requests
In addition to prayers for our family, for my dad, and for the service, here are a few prayer requests for these weeks:
  • It feels like a tough turnaround from my mom’s memorial on the 19th to leave on the 25th to take Morgan to college. We would appreciate prayer for her and for all of us and there’s a lot of change and loss right now for all of us. 
     
  • Family discipleship – as the questions come, we’ve been spending a lot of time with our kids helping them understand the basics of what the Scriptures teach about death, heaven, hell, what it means to be in Christ in life and death, spiritual bodies, and God’s purposes of restoration. It’s been a help to be comforted by the word of God.
     
  • Last month we asked you to pray a bit more intentionally for us as we were sensing a significant increase or shift in the spiritual intensity in and around us. And that was before my mom passed. Please keep praying for us in this time – for the things we have shared and for the unnamed requests that are many during such a time.
     
  • We’re still navigating insurance companies related to the loss of our van. It’s been an added stress, but it’s been a bit on the back burner with everything else. 
     
  • IGSL has started a new semester so while we’ve been relieved of a lot of responsibilities during this challenging time, we’re still doing some teaching virtually.

 

 

 

 

July 2023 Prayer Requests

  • There’s been a number of strange and unusual interpersonal situations or encounters that collectively and in their impact lead us to believe there is a heightened spiritual warfare for us right now.  We have felt the Spirit’s leading to be praying more intentionally and proactively at this time. We invite you to intercede for us more intentionally in the coming weeks in the wake of what feels like an increase in spiritual resistance. This comes at a time when Christine and I are intentionally seeking to hear God’s voice and lean into some of what He has for us – at a heart level and in terms of future ministry. We came to a point where we realized we need to just ask people to be praying more than usual for us in this season. Would you come alongside us in that way right now? 
     
  • That the settlement from the insurance goes a long way to helping us purchase a family car for the next season of life and ministry. And for financial provision for the funds needed to bridge the gap in this season.
     
  • That we have no long-term physical issues from the accident. Kaelyn and Colin still have some physical soreness, but the rest of us seem to be more or less back to normal.
     
  • That we would grieve well as a family. It’s always hard to convey as I’m sure many don’t talk about grief as much as we seem to be writing about it! In a lot of ways, we’re tired of it. But this car in combination with sending Morgan to college next month all feels like major change and everyone feels it.  It’s been a little more reactive in our house lately as a result with all the feelings going on. Pray we lean on the Lord and keep communicating openly and with grace.
     
  • IGSL is kicking off a new semester in less than 3 weeks. Pray for the over 50 new students from 12 different countries arriving at IGSL.  Christine and I are negotiating some new responsibilities for the moment that you can pray for wisdom about (more forthcoming). 
     
  • I (Brian) have enjoyed testing out a new seminar on conflict and reconciliation at my church – 2 weeks into a 6 session timeline.  Would love prayer as we’ve had over 25 each week pressing into how the gospel informs how we live lives of peacemaking and reconciliation with those around us.