Sitting in the choir loft of First Baptist Church Jackson, she began to cry. It wasn’t because the worship music was sad or that the message was convicting. It was because something beautiful was happening. A member of the church was being commissioned as a Journeyman for the International Mission Board (IMB), and it was moving.
“If I am going to go, I want this church to be the one to send me.”
***
I would argue that what makes a person impactful isn’t simply a personality trait or characteristic, but something deeper. For instance, when speaking about a close friend, you wouldn’t point out their eye color or how they handle stress as an indicator as to why they mean so much to you. It is something not so tangible, but very important in the grand scheme of human relationships.
It is love.
Of course, I am speaking about love in a more profound way than that which is a fluttery feeling or a strong emotion towards someone. The love that I am using in this context can be defined as sacrificial commitment or a lifestyle, an innate desire that all humans have to be fully known and yet still fully loved. This type of love was displayed perfectly by our Creator and is unnatural for us in our fallen state. However, those who have been justified by the blood of Christ should pursue to love others in this way as they are made more holy. Lord willing, we have all had a relationship in our life where we have experienced this type of love and can recall a person who has impacted us in this way.
For many of us here at Union, that is Amiee Brassart.
Whether it is the first day of Welcome Week as a new student, where nervousness, excitement and sadness saturate the air almost as much as the humidity, enjoying a movie on the lawn in the middle of Watters with new friends or dancing your heart out on stage in front of hundreds of people at Variety Show, Brassart has been the mind and soul behind it all. As the assistant director for student leadership and engagement on campus, she has a lot of different jobs and responsibilities. Brassart, however, only has one overarching goal.
“I want students to know that they are loved.”
Everything that Brassart does has this objective as the driving force. From every event to even one-on-one conversations, Brassart’s desire is that no one would slip through the cracks. Students all over campus have stories of times when they have been invested in, mentored and cared for by her.
“Amiee is like a big sister to me,” said Abigail Johnson, sophomore music education major and Student Activities Council president. “Every time we talk together, she wants to know how my life is going. She is so relational and is a role model for me in how relational she is and how much she loves the Lord.”
This is a common experience among students and faculty on campus with Brassart. Her genuine care for people permeates her personality and is translated into every area of her life, not just at Union. Loving others and sharing with them the ultimate love of Christ is a burden that has a mighty grip on her heart.
A burden so compelling that it has led her to move to Nairobi, Kenya in September.
***
Anyone who has spent any significant amount of time around Brassart knows that she is an avid reader. Countless novels and different books line the shelves of her office. The subjects of these works vary in everything from Christian literature to leadership books and even “Harry Potter.” One of her favorites include C.S. Lewis’s “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.”
“It has been influential in my life because of the faith that Lucy has as she goes into this fantastical world. When Aslan asks her to do things, she does it.”
This is how Brassart desires to live her life: like Lucy. She wants to be a vessel that the Lord uses to accomplish His work. For a season, it was on staff at Union. Now, she is feeling called overseas to a truly unknown and mysterious place, a place with a different culture, language, cuisine and climate. Even as Lucy was unsure of what Aslan was calling her to do, Brassart has felt a similar way at times. However, her faith in God has given her the strength to power through the uncertainty and obey even when it is scary.
“There are times when Lucy is timid and asks questions, but she still pushes through,” Brassart says with a smile on her face. A frame that reads “GOOD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN” hangs on the wall beside her.
***
Slowly, Brassart began to think about what “going” would look like.
“I had conversations with my family, looked at the IMB’s website, and said ‘Lord, I am going to start this Journeyman application, and I will do it until you say stop.'”
Page by page, Brassart repeated that prayer until the application was completed and ready to be submitted. Shortly after finishing the application, she was accepted into the program.
In September, Brassart will be packing her bags and moving to Nairobi, Kenya in order to work with unreached people groups there. Her ministry tasks will vary from teaching unreached women skills, such as making banana bread to sell in the local markets, or Brassart herself being taught how to sew and cook native Kenyan cuisine. All of this in hopes of being able to create opportunities in order to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with those who are lost.
Tentatively, Brassart will be spending two years in Kenya with the IMB. However, she is open to staying longer if she feels led.
“I could see what I am doing being long-term, but we will see,” she said with a small grin that communicated uncertainty, but ultimately a trust that God will place her where she needs to be.
This spring semester will be Brassart’s last at Union, as this summer she will begin transitioning into this new chapter of life.
“I am so glad that I am at a place where it is hard to say goodbye. If it were easy, I think that it would be indicative of a bad experience.”
The student body will surely miss her when she leaves. Brassart’s influence on the campus is greater than she probably thinks or believes. Though there may be sadness as Brassart’s final days on campus approach, those who she has impacted are hopeful and excited about how God is going to use her in Kenya.
“I know that she is going to do great things in Kenya, but I’d be lying if I said I haven’t cried about it,” Johnson said, giggling. “I am super excited for her.”
Onward to your next chapter Amiee. Your Union family is cheering you on.
