He and his twin sister, Makeelie, were born three months early. Because of his prematurity, Brexton suffered brain damage and was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy at two years old. Even so, his big blue eyes could light up an entire room, and his contagious smile could cheer up the downtrodden. Then, when Brexton was four years old, he had a tragic and traumatic event where he stopped breathing. His brain was damaged further, leaving him unresponsive and completely dependent.
After years of caring for Brexton in this fragile state, we learned he had developed severe pneumonia in January 2015 and was in the hospital for several weeks. Then on February 17, 2015, Brexton went to be with Jesus, and our lives were forever changed once again. After a decade of loving this precious boy, our hearts were broken when he left this earth just prior to his tenth birthday. Our lives were eternally impacted by his life, by what he endured, and by the way God used him despite his extreme challenges. His life is a story worth telling and a story worth reading—so thanks for visiting, and please read on!
After Brexton died, the Lord clearly spoke to our hearts, “build Brexton’s House.” We knew immediately what the Lord was referring to as we have some dear friends who are missionaries with Family Legacy in Lusaka, Zambia. For years we had heard them talk about the Tree of Life Children’s Village where they bring orphaned and vulnerable children to live full-time. Several years ago, we even started sponsoring a young boy living at the Tree of Life! The children at the Tree of Life come from the most severe backgrounds of poverty, neglect, and abuse.
Brexton’s House will be built in the Tree of Life Children’s Village—which is located on 130 acres of beautiful land—within a community of homes designed to be a haven of hope and light for orphaned children. This reflects exactly what Brexton was, a haven of hope and light to all who knew him! The boys who will come to live in Brexton’s House will receive both educational and spiritual development that will dramatically transform their futures.
Brexton died on February 17, 2017, the very next day we received our first contribution to Brexton’s House! And just 22 months later, through the generosity of many friends, family and even strangers we reached our goal! And because of the abundance of our God money above and beyond our goal has continued to pour in that will help with ongoing maintenance and services for Brexton's House! It is with great joy that we announce Brexton's House will officially opened in July 2017! Thank you for partnering with us on this journey! Please continue to pray for these boys and for us as we travel this summer to Zambia as a family to be part of this momentous occasion!