Life and love in the midst of silence

So much has happened that it is hard to sum up. It is hard to believe that it was three weeks ago that we welcomed our second daughter into our family. That day was monumental in our lives. I hope to summarize a bit about our journey that God led us through that day. My prayer is that you would be encouraged that despite things being beyond your control, that God is there.

"My contractions are about 5 minutes apart honey." It was 3:30 am on Tuesday and a day past our due date. I had only been asleep for a few hours, we knew that our daughter would be coming soon. "Did you call the birth center?" I asked. "Not yet, do you think I should, they aren't as strong yet?" , Brooks answered. Little did we know that we would be welcoming our daughter an hour later.  We called and said we think we should come in, we arrived at the birth center at 4am, and Vivian was born at 4:53am.
It all happened so fast, the whole day is a blur but especially those initial hours. Viv's birth was going smoothly, and then we had our first complication. Her shoulders were stuck. This happened with our first daughter, but thought it was how she was turned. Viv was bigger however. So after some pretty traumatic maneuvering she was out.  And it was silent.....
You always see the movies where the baby comes out and cries......

Nothing prepares you for silence.


Where you feel like in that silence, life is hanging in the balance. Our first daughter was quiet for awhile. Vivian was quiet for longer. You see the nurses rubbing her and trying to get her to breathe.....the only word that comes out is, "Please".  Seconds feel like eternity, an eternity filled with questions. Will she be OK? God what is going on? Why? and it continued.
Finally, she took a breathe, and we heard that beautiful cry.  I will always remember hearing my girls cry for the first time. I am so thankful for that sound, because I realize the gift that it is. A gift that we waited so long to hear during our journey of having children, and that some of our friends are still waiting to hear.
She seemed to want to make up for being quiet and was really active and hungry! She ate twice within the first two hours and we didn't realize that it would be God's provision. We didn't know that over the next few hours, that would sustain her as God sustained us through the dark road ahead.
Around 8am, Brooks started to "feel pressure". They would check and everything would seem ok. We were all encouraged, sending out pictures to family and friends and announcing the joyful news. The pressure kept building. What we didn't know is that during Viv's birth, Brooks had sustained a substantial laceration internally that connected to a blood vessel and was not revealing itself in anyway externally.  The pressure was like when you bend a water hose and it is building. She was starting to act different.
She had to go to the bathroom, and that is when we knew that something else was going on.
She felt light headed and like she was about to pass out. She had to lay down in the floor. The concern kept building and the nurse assured us that this sometimes happens. We started to notice the side glances and whispers that alluded to a deeper concern.
Brooks was able to get back in bed and things seem to subside. We talked about how she was feeling and the excitement of getting to see family soon.
Then the pressure released. Brooks started to hemorrhage badly, it was clear something was wrong but we didn't know what.
She looked at me and said "Honey, I'm scared".  The sense of helplessness that I felt cannot be described. It is the desire of every husband to protect and provide for his wife, yet I was helpless. I couldn't make it stop. I told her it will be ok, all spoken in faith. The medical team was swarming around and they told us that we needed to be transferred.....that Brooks needed to be transferred.
Vivian wasn't cleared to leave yet and Brooks had to go to a different hospital. I had to stay with Viv, while Brooks went via an ambulance.
It was now around 9:30 and Brooks was still bleeding. The ambulance was on it's way. While the medical team swarmed around her, I was in the corner, holding Vivian. We chose Vivian's name because it means life, and after our journey to have children, that is what she represented to us. Yet, I had to watch as my wife's life was slowly leaving her.
"I don't want to loose her, God". That is what I kept thinking and praying. I pictured birthday parties and life without her and it had a hole in it. I don't know how I can do this.... please God....please.
Brooks looked at me from the bed and straight in the eye and said "Honey it will be ok".
I think i married a Navy SEAL.
Even in her state, Brooks' thoughts were of me and the girls. That we would be ok and taken care of.
The ambulance had arrived and they were in an out and she was gone.

I was there holding Vivian....in silence once again, with life hanging in the balance.

My sister was on her way to help, we were told that we could leave in 40min to go to the hospital.
I didn't get to see Brooks again until 3:30pm that day. I have never been more happy in my life, except maybe when she came down the aisle on our wedding day.
During that time, I wrestled with faith and questions. Not my faith in God, or His provision and protection. But I wrestled with grace. We see and hear the dramatic stories of people falling to their knees and crying out over and over. I wasn't doing that.....am I a bad Christian? Is something wrong.
It was during this time that Jesus liberated me from self inflicted evaluation. He asked " Britton are you an external person or an internal?" I am very much internal. "Do you love Brooks?" Yes, with all of my heart. "Do you trust me?" Yes, even if I don't understand what is happening.  I really did, I told Brooks that all that day, even in the despair, there was always, just out of the corner of view, the light of hope that pierced the darkness.  Faith takes many forms. For some it is an external display, hands raised or worn out knees, for others it is internal, sitting in silence or watching the clouds, and one is not better than the other. When Jesus went through his most trying times before his death, he had moments of quiet. Yet he had faith for God to provide and was willing to accept whatever it was.
Brooks was able to be reunited with Vivian around 4pm. We then started to figure out what all had happened and what that meant for us now. We found out that we were going to be there a night at least to check if she was stable and so they could do some more test. At this point we didn't have all the numbers so they didn't know how much of a transfusion was needed.
That night Brooks mom stayed with her and Viv (who picked right back up feeding), and I went home to sleep. When I came back in the morning it was clear that Brooks needed a transfusion. She ended up getting 3 units of blood over the next few days. With each unit we saw an increase in her regaining color and normal interaction, the sluggishness was wearing off.
The doctor was delayed in coming in that morning and sent a colleague in to check on Brooks. She came in and was acting kind of strange. Turns out, she thought she was in the wrong room. When they checked Brooks, she looked normal, nothing out of the ordinary. She had heard about what all had happened and it didn't make sense. This has happened at about every doctor visit. They are amazed at her body healing. We know that this is because of God's intervention and healing. Brooks is still really weak, but her body is healing, what is also amazing is that her body isn't just taking care of Brooks, it is also taking care of Vivian. They were concerned that things may be difficult given the situation, but Vivian is actually currently ahead of the curve.
We were discharged a few days later. Our nurse, Kim, was incredible and amazed as well. She was a believer and got a little teary a few times as we talked about God and what all He was doing.
We have been back to the doctor since and Brooks is still doing amazingly well. Her strength is still really low as her body is still making up for the blood loss. It will still be a longer recovery, but God is providing in each step.
There were/are so many people praying for us, and we could tell. In the peace and provision, in the hugs and messages, God constantly reminded us that He was there and at work.
If you were to ask me how I feel about this whole thing, I would say "taken care of" That God was with us every step of the way, whether it was crying in the corner holding my newborn daughter, or riding in the ambulance....
He was there.
Even in the silence.

Playing Catch Up

 I’m so sorry that it’s been so long since you’ve heard from us.  The start of the spring semester is always a busy time of year and this one has been busier than most!  We still feel like we’re catching up in work and life.  We’ve traveled for training conferences, traveled to see family when my grandmother went home to be with the Lord, worked our men’s and women’s retreats, hosted Slovak friends as we took part in our church’s Global Missions conference, and now we are getting ready to head to Charleston for spring break.  And a much needed break it is!  Even though we haven't had much down time to rest, the Lord has blessed us so much through each of these events and so many more!  I will do my best to catch you up on what is going on in the lives of us Sharps.

Learning to Live in Babylon

 This past semester we have been doing a study of Daniel living in Babylon with our students.  Daniel did not choose to be in Babylon, yet he could choose how he responded to the situation he was in.  In the same way, we often do not choose the things in our lives.  We have been challenging students to engage with their respective Babylon.  We have been challenging them to take steps of faith and to seek out the prosperity of their city (Jer. 29:7), to invest in the university and not to just attend it.  We have been challenging them to get involved in student government, to become RA’s in the dorms and to make a difference wherever they are.  And it has been so exciting watching them respond.  During the past few weeks we have seen how dark Babylon can be, yet we have been so encouraged to see the light of the gospel in students lives and their desire and obedience in sharing it.  We have also been challenging them to think about how this will go beyond their time in college and striving to prepare them to walk with God for a lifetime.  The college campus is changing and we are finding ourselves deeper and deeper in Babylon.  But we are so thankful that God is raising up a generation of Daniels.

Update

You may remember that in the fall, I shared that a senior named Audrey started attending my  Bible study and shortly thereafter accepted Christ into her life!  She has grown so much and even shared her story at our women’s retreat.  She is also spending the summer with us on   summer project.  She started inviting her     sister Bridget, a sophomore at UT, to Cru and she got plugged into a Bible study and accepted Christ just a few weeks ago! 

Upcoming Events

 Sex Week @ UT  April 7 –13

Many of you may have already heard about Sex Week at UT because it made not only national but international news.  It is a week devoted to sexual education and awareness.  While a few of the events are trying to help stop abuse, most of the week’s events encourage exploration.  We have been praying that God would show us how to engage and share truth in the midst of this.  Students are searching and need to see God’s love for them.  We are hosting three events that will address true, unfailing love and hope found in Jesus.  Britton is also taking part in one of Sex Week’s events.  It’s a religion and sexuality panel and he will be the only conservative/evangelical voice on the panel.  Please pray for wisdom, direction and truth to heard.  Pray that students would not see a God who withholds from them, but a God of love and grace.

Charleston Summer Project

 We will be leading our first stateside project in Charleston, South Carolina this summer.  We are so excited to see how God is working and raising up a team of students and staff to reach out to the Charleston area. 

It has been so encouraging to read students applications and see their desire to grow in their walk with the Lord and learn how to reach those around them.  God has raised up such a diverse    project with so many different backgrounds and  races coming together to serve Him.  We feel very blessed to be able to be a part of it.

We would love your prayers for wisdom and direction in leading the students and staff.  We would also love your prayers for our outreach to the community this summer.

Annaleigh’s Corner

Annaleigh is doing well and still bringing so much joy to everyone she’s around.  And the little stinker is walking already!  I don’t know why she’s in a hurry to grow up.  We will celebrate her first birthday this month and it’s hard to believe that this time last year, we were anxiously awaiting her arrival.  Time does fly!  Here she is getting ready for Easter. :) 

Introducing Miss Annaleigh Viera Sharp!!

We welcomed Annaleigh on April 19th at 5:18pm.  She weighed 8 1/2 lbs. and was 21 in. long.  We feel so blessed by God’s gift of our daughter; she is the answer to so many prayers.  Her name is a combination of Brooks’ first name Anna, and her Mother and sisters’ shared name Leigh and together it means “field of grace.”  Viera is the Slovak word for faith.  Brooks and  I met in Slovakia so  it holds a very special place in our hearts, just like Annaleigh.

Summer Cru

 This summer we will be on assignment in Knoxville.  We are trying something new and have formed a partnership with our home church, West Park Baptist Church.  We will be hosting a weekly meeting on Tuesday nights for college students in Knoxville.  We are inviting any student from any of the schools in the area.  We are also inviting recent high school grads in hopes that they will be able to meet and connect with people who are going to the same school that they will be attending.  For these rising freshmen, we will be teaching on transitioning to college and we’ll also have times for any student on being leaders on their respective campuses and how to launch movements where they live!

We will also be getting things ready for UT to start back in the Fall and trying to line up leadership on the campuses that we launched this past year.  We will be spending time with church leaders and students in town trying to set things up to reach students on these campuses.  Please join us in praying for God to raise up leaders and volunteers to help lead and shepherd at the different locations.

Prayer Request:

-Praises for Annaleigh and for Brooks doing well after delivery!

-For Brooks and I to be able to get some rest this   summer and be able to recuperate after a busy year and to get ready for a busy fall coming soon.

-For God to raise up staff to come alongside us (please pray for full time and volunteer staff).

-That the church partnerships that we are        developing would effectively reach out around the Knoxville Area.

-For us to be able to raise some additional  monthly support this summer.

-For our personal walks with God and that we would minister to others out of an overflow of that relationship.

-For Summer Cru taking place between May 22 and August 3rd.

-For the  many students we have all over the world this summer.  We have over 20 students on Cru related projects this summer around the world and many others serving in the church and at camps all around the USA!

Quick Update

Hey Yall,
 Sorry for the delay in writing!

Things have been going really well this semester. We wanted to quickly write and ask for your prayers this weekend. We are having our annual men's/women's retreats this weekend. Would you please be praying for God to work and bless this time? Would you pray for students to come out an have open hearts, and also for safety.

Baby Sharp is doing very well and we are getting ready to come soon! We are 10 weeks away and are so blessed. Brooks is doing very well and the doctor says everything looks good.

We will be sending out a newsletter soon. Thank you so much for your support and prayers!!

B&B

Update on how things have been going...and fun news!

Oct. 9-13, we had 60 staff in town helping us do ministry in locations all over Knoxville and the surrounding areas.  We are very excited about what the Lord is doing on all these campuses!  The conference was a huge success and these are a few of the highlights:

At Maryville College, we discovered 2 Bible study groups (who started on their own since there was nothing offered) who are very excited about Cru being on the campus and want to help start it.  We are currently in the process of becoming an official chartered organization there and are already having leadership meetings.

At Roane State, a guy accepted Christ into his life after someone shared the gospel with him.  

 At Pellissippi State, we now have about 60 people    coming to 3 different Bible studies!

The Knoxville College group met needs by scraping paint off one of their buildings.  They are in the process of revitalizing their campus and were thrilled to have help.  This opened the door for future service and speaking opportunities.

At UT, we were able to meet some key contacts in the Latino community.  Cru has a ministry called Destino for Latino students and this is something we are looking into as it will become a greater need in the coming years.

Valor is Cru’s ministry for military and Britton is currently working with an air force captain at UT who contacted us about helping him start a ministry for ROTC on campus.

“I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him.”  -1 Samuel 1:27

 Great changes that we are very excited about… we will be having a baby in April!  This has been the prayer of our hearts for a while and we couldn’t be more thrilled that the Lord has answered.  So far, everything has gone well.  The sickness has mostly disappeared as we’ve entered into the second trimester and we’ll be finding out if it’s a boy or a girl in the coming weeks.  The due date is April 16th and we are overwhelmed and overjoyed by everything that comes with this — from thinking about decorating a nursery to thinking about how different our life will be.  But even in the overwhelming moments, we have to remind ourselves that the Lord will always be with us for He is faithful and will always provide for us.  Thank you for your prayers… we are so blessed to have so many share in our excitement!   

Prayer Requests:

Pray for the continued health and development of baby Sharp. 

Pray that God would give us wisdom in leading our team as we continue to expand  and take on new areas.  Pray that we would be sensitive to His voice as He leads us.

Our staff account has been in deficit for several months and Britton has taken some time away from campus to focus on raising more.  Please pray that God would raise up people with a heart to reach college students in Knoxville through giving to our ministry.                                    

God goes before us...

I love the verse Ephesians 2:10 - "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ to do good works that He has prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."

I love this verse because of the promise of God's purpose and provision for us.  God has done the good works and we are simply supposed to walk in them.  I can choose to try to do my own thing or submit to where God is wanting to take me.

This is a big week for us.  This week we are hosting a conference and taking teams of staff to 9 campuses around our area to see about starting ministries there either now or sometime in the future.  We would love your prayers for God's provision and blessing.  We would also love your prayers on how to shepherd and lead a growing movement.

Many of you already know that we have somewhat started ministries now at Pellissippi State and Maryville College.  We have about 60 students at each of those locations that have expressed interest in knowing more about getting involved.

Abby, an intern that works with us, started meeting with a few girls at Pellissippi.  Quickly the girls started asking if they could bring friends.  Abby now meets with 18 girls regularly and this is still growing.

It is clear to us that God is working on these campuses and we would love your prayers for His blessing, wisdom and provision.

Below I will list the campuses we are heading to this week and challenge you to be praying with us.  Pray that He would allow us to meet key people that would help us start ministries in these locations.  Thanks so much for praying!!

-Knoxville College - Historical Black College in downtown Knoxville - approx. 100 students

-Pellissippi State - 2nd largest College in the area - 10,000 students, no campus ministries present

-Maryville College - Former Christian College, has become very secularized  - approx 1,200 students

-Roane State (Harriman and Oak Ridge Campuses) - 8,000 students - 4th largest college in the area. No ministry presence to our knowledge

-UTK - looking to start a Latino ministry to the rising number of Latino students on campus. Currently no group is reaching out to this community on campus

-Walter State - 3rd largest College in the area with just under 10,000 students, no ministry presence as far as we are aware

-Johnson Univeristy - Trying to resource students at this University with ministry opportunities

-Tusculum College - 5th largest University with just under 8,000 students , on of the top 25 oldest Universities in America

-TN Tech - in Middle TN area, specifically we are reaching out to the over 500 international students there, specifically the Saudi population.

Get Ready for FALL RETREAT!!

Fall Retreat is one of the most strategic times of our semester and we wanted to send out a quick update and ask for your prayers for this coming weekend.  This is a big weekend when students process a lot because they have time to stop and reflect.
Our speaker is Richard Smith from Spartanburg, SC.  Richard spoke at our big Encounter conference last year and students loved him.
Below I will list things to be praying for this weekend.  Thanks so much for your partnering with us to reach students with the gospel!

Prayer Request
 - Praise God for the 37 Freshmen already registered, please pray that more would sign up and take a step of faith to come. Pray for those who are deciding between coming with us and basically something that will only leave them empty. This is a battle for the hearts of men, pray that God would draw them to Him.
-Please pray for Richard as he speaks this weekend and for his safety as he travels, his health and rest.
-Please pray for all of the staff and volunteers coming to help this weekend. That God would allow His love to shine through and that we would be at the right places at the right times.
-Please pray for the non-believers that are coming with us, that they would have a safe place to process the gospel and an unclouded opportunity to accept it!
-Please pray for safety as we travel and as we play!
-Please pray for the decisions that students make to be lasting and not just emotional.
-Please pray for unity, there have been some students from Pellissippi and Maryville that have expressed desire to come, pray that they would feel welcomed and catch a vision for what God can do on their campus.

Ways to Help:
If you would like to scholarship a student to go please let us know. (We have 3 asking for scholarships at present)
If you would like to help out with a meal or come help serve, you can let us know when you would be available.