Since we’re at the beginning stages of our deputation ministry to serve as missionaries, missionary stories are a lot more meaningful to our family. That’s why I was so excited to review the digital version of Season 6: Underground Rising from Brinkman Adventures
This was my second time reviewing Brinkman Adventures. I shared my thoughts about Season 4 last year, and you can see that review here.
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I received a digital download of Season 6: Underground Rising. Unlike previous seasons of Brinkman Adventures, this season is only six episodes. That means it’s about two hours in length instead of the five hours the previous seasons were.
Once I downloaded the episodes, I moved them into iTunes. That way we could stream the episodes in the car and over our Apple TV, making it easier for everyone to listen together.
My kids enjoyed coloring to keep their hands busy while we listened.
The Real Stories
I’ll talk more about the audio in a minute, but one of my favorite components of the Brinkman Adventures audios is the collection of “Real Stories” on their website. These were recently uploaded for Season 6, and I enjoyed them every bit as much as I did previous seasons.
This portion of the website shares a more personal glimpse at the people behind the audios. So you can listen to a podcast interview with Hans’ son. You can see wedding pictures of Reng and Lynn VanKesteren, and look at ration cards from the second world war.
There’s a video to make oliebollen, a recipe mentioned in the first episode. The kids want to make some, and I told them we might after baby is born and we’ve all adjusted.
For each episode, there is so much on this website. You’ll find quotes from original letters, photos of different things, explanations of asthma, and even a video on what it takes to become a green beret. Everything on this page is connected to the people, places, and events of the audios.
These really help bring the people to life in a way that merely listening to their stories can’t do. It also contains a ton of information that can inspire additional projects or research if you wish to continue the learning on your own.
One bit my oldest daughter enjoyed on this site was learning more about the family from the Netherlands who voiced the first two episodes. The site explains how the Dutch accent is hard to imitate, so the producers prayed for a native speaking family who would be willing to help.
They found the Dekkers family, who were able to find actors for every part except one. So the team went to the Netherlands for 10 days to record.
My oldest and I enjoyed seeing how God provided, even in this request. God is abundantly able to connect people, even when they’re across the world.
The Audios
Let’s talk about the heart of this product, the six audio episodes. These all share missionary stories, and bring them to life in an engaging way. https://maggiesmilk.com/
This season has two two-part episodes, the first two and the last two. Then there are two “stand alone” stories in the middle.
Each of the stories is based loosely on events that happened in the lives of missionaries. Since parts of the stories had holes, those have been filled in with fictionalized accounts. But, the premise of each story is based on historic events.
My absolute favorite episode was I Wonder Why. In this one, a family is just leaving to become missionaries in India, to serve in an orphanage. It talks about the struggles one of their children has to give up everything and move away from everything familiar to her.
So many great talking points from this episode, especially as my family will also be making a move after completing deputation. Life will be completely different, though we will stay in the states and not move overseas.
And yet, just like the Wonder family in the episode, we know that God will provide and sustain us through this call He has given us. Even if it doesn’t make sense to anyone else.
Right in the middle of God’s plan is the safest, best place for us. And I know we will listen to this episode over and over again in the coming years as our ministry changes. It provides insight into dealing with culture adjustment (which Missouri will be compared to Washington!) and trusting God. The family sees a lot of things that just don’t make sense, and yet they continue to serve God and share about Jesus with the people of India.
More of What I Thought
The other episodes will also be listened to over and over again. We all really enjoy all of the Brinkman Adventures! They’re a great way to learn more about challenges of missionaries, and the struggles of people serving Christ in the more modern day.
The overarching theme of trusting God and depending on Him spans all the episodes. They’re encouraging, and I highly recommend them. Because these are audio dramas and not just audio books, they’re like listening to a play or something – it’s much more real feeling. They’re high-quality and very easy to listen to.
These do share real adventures, struggles, and achievements of missionaries on the field. There are some moments that might be scary to sensitive kids, like the eating of a bug in one episode and the near-death experience some of the orphans experience. So if you have a highly sensitive or young child, you may want to preview them before hand.
If you’d like to pick up your own copy, Brinkman Adventures is offering a 10% off coupon code through October 31st. Just use the code FALL10 at checkout.
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