Nice To Meet You!
Hi there! Thanks for stumbling into my Goer blog. If you're like me, then you're probably new to this page too. So why not spend some time getting to know each other, shall we? Great! Okay, thanks for humoring my cheesy intro to my very first (ever!) Goer blog. On a serious note though, thanks for joining me. My name is Brianne Nix, but that normally gets shortened to Bri. (I actually prefer Bri. It's a little less formal and a lot more friendly.) In May of 2020, I graduated from Belhaven University with a B.F.A in Dance and a B.A. in English. For the past two years, while attending college,... Read more
First-Year Spainiversary Thoughts
One year ago today, I watched the Manhattan skyline disappear through a plane window and asked myself, “is it too late to get out of this?” Hours later, I looked out of a different plane window at the mountains and shoreline framing my new home and wondered what the coming year could possibly have in store for me. It’s tempting to shape my entire year around how it was impacted by covid. The rise of a global pandemic definitely altered my transition to a new culture and took away a lot of opportunities I thought I’d have. It slowed my progress in building relationships and doing ministry,... Read more
A Journey to Mars
On July 30th, NASA launched their Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover. This little rover has an exciting job of exploration and research in front of him. But Perseverance has a long way to go. He won’t actually land on Mars for another 7 months! If rovers have feelings, Perseverance might be feeling a little restless and impatient on his long journey. In many ways, the past 7 months here in Berlin have felt like a journey to Mars. The world has changed from what it was back when I landed in Berlin some of those changes have affected the process of settling into life here. There have been moments... Read more
Does my art matter?
I’ve been thinking lately about the role of art in my life. One of my ongoing struggles in college was feeling like I had to decide between art and missions. With the overwhelming need for the Gospel and the worldwide effects of poverty and injustice, making art seemed like a weak and frivolous thing to invest in. But would God really ask me to deny this part of who he created me to be? I felt incredibly blessed to find this opportunity to do graphic design for a missions organization. It’s been amazing to think that things I create can be used to reach people with the Gospel. However, this... Read more
Remain in My Love
Moving overseas is full of stress, unknowns, and uncomfortable situations. If I can be real for a minute, it’s hard. Somedays it feels like drinking from a fire hydrant. After having a conversation with some coworkers this morning, I walked away with this insight, “Anxiety is a deep fear that threatens your sense of self” (Tim Keller.) I always thought the opposite of love was hate, but it’s actually fear. Fear is self-centered, while love is self-giving. 1 John 4:18 says, "Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear" (NLT.) When I place my value in something other than... Read more
No Easy Answers
I hit my 8-month mark in Spain this week, but it really doesn’t feel like it. It feels like I lived here for 4 months and winter somehow became summer. Two months ago, Spain was the center of the pandemic and you could feel the fear and heaviness in the air. But now, as things start to open up and the anxiety seems to be lifting, the storm has transferred to my home country with full force. There’s the pandemic and all its side effects, the confusion, the horrifying racial injustice, the political turmoil. It’s hard to filter out what’s actually going on from afar through all of the biased... Read more
Fear is a Liar
Fear is a powerful emotion. It can grip our hearts and minds and refuse to let go. There are so many things in this world we could fear, cancer, car crashes, pandemics, natural disasters, and the list could go on and on. But God doesn’t call us to hide in fear. One of the most repeated commands in the Bible is to “fear not” because God is bigger than any storms that come our way and is always by our side. The world was never safe before COVID-19 and it won’t be safe after. We can trust that in the midst of chaos that God is in control and NOTHING takes Him by surprise. Psalm 46: 1-2, 7 says... Read more
Practicing Presence
One thing that I appreciate about Spanish culture is the value it places on relationship. For Spaniards, seeing an event through to its natural completion is generally considered more important than constraining the event within set time limits. In America, for example, it would be rude to show up late to a meeting because it would imply that you don’t respect the other person’s time. In Spain showing up late is completely acceptable, but it would be offensive to leave early because it would suggest that you don’t value the time you’re spending with that person. In other words, relationship... Read more
Lessons from Disney World
As a former Disney Cast Member, I LOVE Disney! However, one thing I dislike about Disney World is the lines. I hate to wait. If I ever went to the parks by myself, you could see me with a book and some snacks in every line **true story**. I don’t like waiting. Does anyone? We live in a culture where instant gratification is king and our attention spans are waning. What happens when we start expecting God to do things instantly or within our plan? God is rarely early, but never late. Life can feel like fighting an uphill battle. No matter the amount of effort and time it takes, it feels as... Read more