Brinkman Adventures

Beachglass Ministries: Kids, have you ever been afraid to try something because you’re afraid you’d fail? Or have you ever been in a situation where you thought for sure you were going to fail? The Brinkman and Fader families don’t realize it now, but they’re heading for some big challenges.

Right now in Sudan, the Fader family is busily preparing for the arrival of their guests. And the Brinkmans are in the Chicago O'Hare airport waiting to board their flight to Sudan.

Isaac Brinkman: Look how big they are! Here comes another one. It's landing! Whoa!

Gracie: Is that our plane?

Jack: I don’t think so, Gracie.

Charlie: Can I have an apple?

Jack: Apples are gone, Charlie. Security took them. Michelle, what you doing over here?

Michelle: Oh, hi, Dad. I'm figuring out how to blog on our family webpage.

Jack: What exactly is a blog again?

Michelle: It's like an online journal that anyone can read. Yeah, I thought I'd write a little every few days or so, so that our family and friends can keep track of us.

Jack: What a great idea! Thanks for doing this.

Michelle: Sure. It's pretty cool. Look, I can even post pictures. Do you think the Faders will mind me using their internet?

Jack: Well, it shouldn't be a problem as long as their satellite phone is working. Good. Speaking of phones. Hello, this is Jack.

Seth: Jack, this is Seth. We have a problem. Somebody broke into your home.

Jack: What? How do you know?

Seth: I took Luke over to feed Wilbur. Your door was wide open. They broke a couple windows, too.

Jack: You're kidding. Well, at least there wasn't much to steal. Thanks for the call, Seth. Man, we'll have to postpone the trip. I'll be back in a couple of hours to deal with it.

Seth: Jack, I'll take care of it.

Jack: Seth, I can't put that on you.

Seth: It's not a problem, Jack. I got it covered.

Jack: I don't know what to say. Thanks, Seth.

Seth: You guys have a great trip!

Lucas: I don’t think we should go back to the house. It’ll raise suspicions.

Veronica: You’re so paranoid, Lucas. I’m his sister. Trust me, they won’t suspect us.

Lucas: Veronica, the cops are here! You’re nuts. We’re both going to end up in jail!

Veronica: Oh, you’re such a wimp. I need to make sure they’re on their way back. Hello, officer. What happened?

Guest (Male): Ma’am, I need to ask you to stay out of the yard. This is a crime scene.

Veronica: This is my brother’s house and he’s out of town. I’d like to know what’s going on.

Seth: Veronica, I thought you left.

Veronica: I was visiting a friend in Milwaukee last night and came back to get something I forgot. What happened?

Seth: Someone broke in and vandalized the house.

Veronica: You’re kidding! Does Jack know?

Seth: Yeah, I called him. I told him I’d take care of it.

Veronica: That’s not, I mean, you can’t. He needs to be here.

Seth: Nah, we got it covered. Hey, you want to stay and clean up?

Veronica: I’d love to.

Lucas: Oh, brother.

Michelle: Well, we had a long and uneventful flight to Sudan. It's about 100 degrees right now, but at least it's a dry heat. We decided to spend the first couple of days getting acquainted while we recovered from the long flight.

The kids are best friends already. Isaac Brinkman and Isaac Fader hit it off big time. Right now, they're off playing cowboys riding Smokey and Teddy, two donkeys.

Isaac Brinkman: Hey, look, Michelle! I'm riding Teddy! Whoa, horsey!

Michelle: Ian and Kitri are strangely fascinated by the 20 resident chickens. They follow them everywhere, giving hourly egg reports.

Ian: Five eggs so far, Ian! Take this one to Mrs. Fader.

Michelle: Gracie is smitten by the white mission cat named Mazungu, which means "white person." As I write this, the adults and Kay are sitting outside talking and watching little Charlie and Joshua play in the dirt.

Gracie: Evan, look! Mazunga has something! Ew, what is that?

Evan: Oh, that's a rat. She doesn't eat them; she just kills them.

Gracie: Yuck! Oh no, here come those chickens again! Evan, save me!

Evan: Run, Gracie! They're going to get you!

Gracie: Daddy, help me!

Jack: Hey, chickens! Stop scaring Gracie! Run, Gracie, run!

Eli: They're harmless.

Jack: Eli, she's terrified. Hey, birds! Leave Gracie alone!

Susan Brinkman: They won't hurt you, honey. Come here, sweetie. Come sit with me.

Jack: Hey, guys, we need to do something special for Michelle tomorrow. It's her birthday. She's going to be 17.

Michelle: Oh, you don't have to do anything.

Bethany: I'll make a birthday cake for you. Do you like chocolate?

Michelle: Of course.

Bethany: Okay.

Jack: Wow, our kids are going to sleep tonight. They played so hard today. What's this funny-looking box?

Bethany: Oh, my Eli here is a genius. That's a solar oven made out of mud, bricks, and silver-colored cracker wrappers.

Jack: Wow, that's ingenuity.

Eli: I read the encyclopedia as a kid. I was interested in everything. It's really paid off here in the mission field.

Jack: And now you're building a bridge. Speaking of, could you bring us up to speed on the project?

Eli: Well, we finished the towers on both sides of the river.

Jack: That's great. How many bricks did you end up using?

Eli: I made 3,000 and we used every last one.

Jack: You made 3,000 bricks?

Eli: Well, actually, I hired a bunch of workers. I went to the village leaders and they suggested men I should hire.

Jack: How many guys did you use?

Eli: About 90.

Jack: Whoa, that's a lot of people.

Susan Brinkman: What about Ammod? Has he caused any other problems?

Eli: He's still trying to turn people against us. Yeah, he wouldn't give Eli any names of potential workers from his village. So I just went behind his back and hired people.

Susan Brinkman: Did you order the four cables?

Eli: Yep, they're on the way from India. They should be here any day along with the rest of the materials.

Jack: This is great! Once the cables are strung, we can start on the deck and then we're pretty much done.

Eli: But we have a problem.

Jack: What's that?

Eli: We started to dig a hole next to one of the towers to bury the cables.

Susan Brinkman: Yeah, the anchor to support the bridge. So what's the problem, Eli?

Eli: We hit this huge granite rock the size of a semi-truck trailer.

Jack: Oh no.

Eli: We've been hitting on it with sledgehammers, but it's so hard we can barely chip it.

Susan Brinkman: That's a problem.

Eli: Good morning, Bethany.

Bethany: Good morning!

Eli: What you working on?

Bethany: Oh, I just finished mixing up some batter for Michelle's birthday cake. I thought we could have it for dinner tonight.

Eli: That would be great! Oh good. Okay, well here, you sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee with me. It's my morning ritual.

Susan Brinkman: Oh, thanks. I have the same ritual in the states. Mmm, this is good coffee. Thanks for making Michelle a cake.

Bethany: Oh, it's my pleasure. Susan, your kids have been a tremendous blessing for our three boys and it's hard to be isolated like this. They have just been so happy since you guys arrived.

Susan Brinkman: Oh, yeah. Our kids are having so much fun with your little guys and the animals. Ah, speaking of animals, don’t look now, but there's a chicken in your batter!

Bethany: What? Oh no! Our cake! Stop, you little turkey! Chicken, I mean! Come here, you fat bird! Gotcha! I stopped! Oh, what a mess! What a mess! I can't believe it. Susan, here, you got to get my camera. It's on the counter. Can you take a picture?

Susan Brinkman: Sure, hold it up. Hold it up! Ah, there! What a great picture. Her upper half is white and her lower half is brown. All right, now you get out of here and don't come back, you little bird! Well, I don't see any feathers or poop in the batter, do you?

Bethany: No.

Susan Brinkman: Let's bake it! It'll be our little secret.

Bethany: Oh, I love it!

Eli: See what I mean? Pretty hard rock.

Jack: And big. It makes pretty sparks when you hit it, but I think you're doing more damage to your sledgehammer than to the rock.

Susan Brinkman: This is depressing. I thought maybe we could work around it, but the cable's got to go right there under that dumb rock.

Eli: I was afraid of that. I am so sorry. If only I'd spent a little more time investigating this site before we picked it.

Jack: It's not your fault. We'll just keep chipping away. It has to give up eventually.

Susan Brinkman: If we can't move that rock, we are done.

Jack: Eli, we have a visitor. Ammod! What can I do for you?

Ammod: Eli, I told you not to make this bridge. Yet you keep working. See that rock? God is against you. This never succeed. If you keep building, something bad will happen.

Jack: Yikes.

Eli: That guy scares me. Yeah, I'm sorry about that, guys. He's not a bad man; he just doesn't understand. This isn't the start we were hoping for, is it? Susan, you okay?

Isaac Brinkman: Guys, see how the chickens are eating gravel? Why do they do that?

Isaac Fader: The little rocks help them grind up the food in their stomachs.

Isaac Brinkman: Cool! Look, I'm a chicken!

Ian: When you do that with your neck, you look like a chicken, Isaac!

Isaac Brinkman: I'm a boy chicken!

Kitri: You two are crazy!

Isaac Brinkman: I think I'll eat this rock. Isaac, don't put that in your mouth! It's filthy! Oh now you've done it! Come here!

Susan Brinkman: This is Susan Brinkman. Did you know that right now there are missionaries all over the world facing challenges, opposition, and even danger? We can help these Christian workers by praying for them. Visit our website and find out more about the real people and their stories.

There you can also find behind-the-scenes video, missionary interviews, studio bloopers, fun facts, and more. You can also get your very own copy of today's adventure. Come and visit us at brinkmanadventures.com.

Isaac Fader: Oh, dear! How'd you get that thing in? It's huge! I can't get it out! I'm sorry, Isaac, it's a little funny.

Ian: Hey, guys, Isaac, what happened?

Isaac Brinkman: Your brother got a rock stuck in his mouth.

Ian: Really? Isaac, can you sneeze it out like the pea stuck up your nose?

Kitri: I don't think that'll work.

Ian: I know, let's pray!

Kitri: That's a great idea, Ian. Lord, we don't know what possessed Isaac to put this rock in his mouth, but he did, and now it's stuck. Would you please help us get it out? Or maybe make Isaac's mouth open up wider? Lord, we ask for your help. In Jesus' name, amen.

Isaac Fader: Amen. Isaac, let me try. Twist it this way. There, got it!

Isaac Brinkman: Wow, it came out!

Ian: That was easy!

Isaac Brinkman: It's all slimy. Wow, that's a big rock. You must have a big mouth! Thanks, Gracie! Thanks for praying, guys!

Ian: Let's not forget to thank the Lord. Father, thanks for answering our prayers so quick. We love you. Amen.

Isaac Brinkman: Amen. Hey, guys, how'd that chicken get chocolate all over it?

Ian: I have no idea. But how'd you know it's chocolate?

Isaac Brinkman: I tasted it! Oh, gross! Let's name her Chocolate! I hope Mrs. Fader says she's a bad chicken. She is not bad, are you, Chocolate?

Michelle: Today was my 17th birthday. Mrs. Fader made a chocolate cake. Strangely, it tasted a bit like chicken. Hmm. Mom's really discouraged about the granite boulder down at the bridge site. We can't continue working until they move it. If anyone reading this knows how to get rid of a huge rock, please post a reply.

Gracie: Can I have a kiss goodnight, Michelle?

Michelle: Sure.

Beachglass Ministries: As the days wore on, Eli and Jack wore out. They gave it all they had, but the rock remained unchanged. Several people responded to Michelle's blog. One person suggested building a fire on the rock, which they tried. When the rock cooled down, they resumed hammering to no avail.

Eli: Did you see that, guys? A little piece came off on my last hit!

Jack: Impressive. At that rate, we'll finish in, let's see, about 20 years.

Susan Brinkman: If only I had anticipated this. I should have known that I couldn't. Susan, I'm sorry. I just can't do this. I need to be alone.

Eli: Jack, it's not her fault.

Jack: Yeah, I know. But she feels responsible. It's deeper than this bridge.

Eli: What do you mean?

Jack: Well, she feels like she failed in something else years ago and it still bothers her.

Eli: Another bridge?

Jack: No, no. Susan was an amazing gymnast and hoped to compete in the Olympics one day.

Eli: What happened?

Jack: Her coach pushed her too hard and she quit under the pressure. She felt like she failed herself and her parents.

Eli: So she never resolved it.

Jack: No, no, she never did resolve it. And now she's afraid to try things because she doesn't want to fail. I suspect that's why she didn't want to get involved in this project.

Susan Brinkman: Who is it?

Gracie: Gracie. Can I come in, Mommy?

Susan Brinkman: Sure. Come in, sweetie. What you doing in your room? I'm just thinking. Are you crying, Mommy? A little. What's wrong?

Susan Brinkman: Have you ever tried to do something with all your heart, but you couldn't do it?

Gracie: Yeah.

Susan Brinkman: Well, Mommy's been trying really hard to build a good bridge for these people. But there's a rock in the way and we can't get it out. One stupid rock.

Gracie: "Stupid" is a bad word, Mommy.

Susan Brinkman: You're right, Gracie. I'm sorry.

Gracie: Isaac had a rock stuck in his mouth and we prayed and it came right out.

Susan Brinkman: Believe me, I have prayed about the rock, Gracie.

Jack: Thanks, everybody, for meeting down here on the rock. As you know by now, the Brinkmans have decided to leave because we're stuck. But before they go, we're going to have a little prayer meeting here. Thanks, Gracie, for reminding us to pray.

Gracie: Uh-huh.

Jack: Lord, you said if we have faith as small as a mustard seed, we can move mountains. Nothing is impossible for you.

Eli: Father, Ammod is saying that you're against us and that this rock is proof of it. Prove Ammod wrong. Show your power, Lord. Please break this rock.

Gracie: Jesus, help us just like Isaac's rock.

Susan Brinkman: Father, I confess I've made this project about whether I succeed or fail. Would you please forgive me? Thank you. If it be your will, would you cause this stone to become so weak that we can remove it? We'd really like to finish this bridge. In the name of Jesus, we ask these things. Amen.

Jack: Amen. Now what?

Susan Brinkman: Hey, guys, I have an idea.

Eli: What you thinking?

Susan Brinkman: Well, why don't we build a fire on the rock again?

Eli: We already did that.

Susan Brinkman: Yeah, but this time we'll make it huge. And oh, and I can pour all my old cooking oil on it and the kids can collect sticks and you know, it'll be this big, huge bonfire.

Eli: Okay.

Susan Brinkman: Well, and when it cools, you guys can try hitting it again.

Eli: I suppose.

Isaac Brinkman: Wow, it's huge!

Isaac Fader: Yeah, you can't get close to it. Sort of like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Isaac Brinkman: Can we make marshmallows?

Ian: Does anybody know a campfire song?

Kitri: Well, every year at family camp, we sing this one song. Oh yeah, yeah, "My God is So Mighty." Hey, that's perfect! Everyone yells the word "big" and waits for it to echo back. Let's try it. We'll see if it will echo back from across the river. Okay, ready?

All: My God is so big! Big! Big! So strong and so mighty, there's nothing my God cannot do for you!

Michelle: So we stayed up late singing into the night. This morning, after breakfast, we couldn't wait. We left our food half-eaten and all ran back down to the rock. The coals were still smoking. Dad and Mr. Fader picked up their trusty old sledgehammers and we all held our breath.

Eli: It cracked!

Jack: It cracked here too!

Eli: I think we're witnessing a miracle! Praise the Lord! It's amazing! Thank you, Lord.

Michelle: Dad and Mr. Fader spent the next week and a half destroying the rock. Then they buried the ends of the cable in the hole and filled it with cement. We stretched the cables across the river. Mom made sure they were positioned perfectly. Then we built the deck of the bridge. Today we were almost finished. All we needed to do was put up the last 50 feet of fencing that keeps the people from falling off the bridge. But we ran out of fencing.

Isaac Brinkman: What you doing, Dad?

Eli: Hello, Isaac and Isaac. I was just praying, asking God to help us find more fencing for the bridge. And now I'm thinking we'll paint the bridge deck. I'm going to mix a little sand with this paint so the surface isn't slippery when it rains. Boys, go get scissors and carefully cut some hair off the tails of Smokey and Teddy. I want it to be about this long.

Isaac Brinkman: We're going to give them a haircut?

Eli: We're going to make some paintbrushes.

Isaac Brinkman: Awesome!

Isaac Fader: Your dad's really smart.

Isaac Brinkman: Yeah, I know. Oh, hi, Ian. Where you going?

Ian: Ian and I are looking for Chocolate.

Isaac Brinkman: I saw her down by the bridge.

Ian: Thanks! Isaac, am I Ian 1 or Ian 2?

Isaac Fader: I'm not sure, Ian.

Ian: There you are! Don't go out on the bridge, you could fall! Here, girl, come back! Oh, don't make me come out and save you! Gotcha! You could have fallen off, there's no fence here! No, Chocolate! Stop flapping! Ouch, stop it! Whoa! Help me! Help!

Ian: Kitri, do you hear that?

Kitri: What, Ian screaming?

Ian: Yes! It sounds like it's coming from down there! Come on! Help! Help! Someone!

Ian: He's hanging from the bridge! Whoa, he's really high! What'll happen to him if he falls?

Ian: Kitri, run and get help quick!

Kitri: Okay!

Ian: Hang in there, Ian! Don't let go! Ian, hang on! Don't let go! I'm going to grab your shirt! I can't get you up! Oh, Lord, help us!

Susan Brinkman: Ian, Ian! Don't talk, just hang on!

Ammod: I help you!

Susan Brinkman: Ammod, he's too heavy for me!

Ammod: I grab your wrist! Take my hand! Ah! Oh, Ian, you're safe! Praise the Lord!

Ian: Sorry, Mom, I didn't want Chocolate to fall.

Susan Brinkman: Chocolate has wings, unlike you! I'm so glad you're okay. Ammod, you saved my son!

Ammod: I told you something bad would happen if you build this, but I could not stand and watch him die.

Susan Brinkman: Come back, Ammod! Thank you!

Michelle: In my last post, I mentioned that Mr. Fader ran out of fencing. He prayed that God would provide the fence. Guess what? Today two men showed up.

Sudanese Man: Are you the builder?

Eli: One of them!

Sudanese Man: We have some fence for you!

Eli: Praise the Lord! But this'll complete the bridge!

Michelle: I never get tired of seeing God at work. We'll be heading home on Saturday. The bridge dedication begins in an hour. We expect hundreds of people along with the leaders from the villages.

Eli: Once again, thank you all for coming. In God's book, the Bible, Jesus calls himself a bridge. He says that anyone who believes in him has crossed over from death to life. This Unity Bridge here in Yabus helps us in a small way, but only Jesus can help us cross from death to life. I urge you, friends, accept Jesus as your savior. Let's pray now and commit our bridge to God. I've asked Susan Brinkman to give the dedication prayer.

Susan Brinkman: Lord, we thank you for this bridge and we dedicate it to you this afternoon. We pray that all those who walk on this bridge will have unity with each other. But more importantly, we pray that they will have unity with you, heavenly Father. In Jesus' name, amen.

Jack: Ha, what a night! A great ceremony, delicious food, and congratulations are in order, Susan. God used you to build an incredible bridge.

Susan Brinkman: Thanks, Jack. You know, guys, I think I learned a very important lesson on this trip.

Jack: What's that?

Susan Brinkman: Well, for years I've been afraid to try things because I haven't wanted to fail. That's why I didn't want to help with this bridge. But through this experience, I discovered that my responsibility is to obey God. The outcome is up to him.

Jack: That's awesome, Susan.

Susan Brinkman: And when I'm weak, he's strong. Think of all the prayers he answered!

Ian: Yeah, he broke that big rock!

Isaac Brinkman: That's right! And he got that one out of my mouth!

Eli: And he sent the guys with the fence!

Jack: He sure did. You know what I saw? I've been on two mission trips before this. One with you, Dad, and one with Kay. Those were both good, but this time we served together and it brought a unity to our family that I've never seen before. Yeah.

Jack: You know, I'm thinking God might be calling us to do something like this again in the future.

Eli: I agree.

Ian: Do you think you'll build more bridges, Mom?

Susan Brinkman: Maybe. I do love building. But I think right now God would have me put my skills and energies into building this family. Eight kids are a lot of work.

Ian: Eight? There's only seven of us.

Eli: Are you trying to tell us something?

Jack: Kids, we're going to have another baby!

All Kids: I knew it! How'd you know? I just had a sense! I hope it's another brother! No, I want a sister!

Beachglass Ministries: The Brinkmans pack up the next day and say their goodbyes. It's hard to leave their new-found friends, but they're looking forward to sleeping in their own beds again. As the van begins to leave, Susan notices someone is missing.

Susan Brinkman: Bye, guys! See you later! Wait, where's Ian?

Jack: I just saw him! Ian!

Ian: Look, everyone! Chocolate laid an egg and it's chocolate-colored!

Beachglass Ministries: You’ve been listening to the Brinkman Adventures, a brand new audio drama. We're so glad you joined us for part two of the Unity Bridge.

Kids, don't be afraid to try hard things for God. Even though we are weak, he is strong. And he answers prayers and moves mountains. While some of the characters in today's episode are fictitious, the Unity Bridge is based on a true story. Ammod's character is based on a real person who still won't walk on the bridge. Pray that God will soften his heart toward Jesus.

Pray also for the Fader family and their work in Sudan. If you want to contact them or find out more about the Unity Bridge, visit our website, brinkmanadventures.com. And tune in next time for our exciting season finale. Kids, Jesus told us to go and make disciples of all the nations. Let's give ourselves fully to him and share his good news until the whole world hears.