Review by Leah Courtney
I’ve always longed to make my children aware of missionary families and the challenges they face. I think this is very important. To that end, we’ve often looked for missions-focused resources that we use in our homeschool. The Brinkman Adventures is an audio drama series that has given us the opportunity to hear stories of real missionaries who have served in other parts of the world and in the United States.
The Brinkman family is based on a real family—with different names. The children in the family play themselves in the radio drama. The stories tell about missionaries and other stories of faith and courage. These stories are based on real-life events. One of my favorite parts of The Brinkman Adventures website is the area where you can find the full true story behind the audio story. I love to go there after we’ve listened to an adventure and read the real story to the kids.
The Brinkman Adventures feature dramatized stories that are exciting and interesting, and some have suspenseful moments. God’s faithfulness and provision for his people is emphasized.
I have to admit that I may love the adventures even more than the kids. We have many favorite episodes in the three seasons of audio adventures we’ve listened to, but one we all really enjoyed was the story of a shy little girl who took the initiative to begin a shoebox club and pack shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. This is a ministry that takes shoeboxes full of gifts to needy children all over the world. Children receive the boxes and hear the gospel message.
Many children and families are impacted. The little girl in the story stepped out of her comfort zone to begin a club and soon had many, many members who were packing hundreds of shoeboxes. Her efforts were noticed by the organization that leads Operation Christmas Child, and this little girl had the opportunity to travel all over the country with the 100 millionth shoebox as it was symbolically filled. Then she was able to travel to the Dominican Republic to deliver the box. The story showed that, while she was very shy and afraid to speak in front of people, God used her willingness to bless others, and in the process she was blessed and grew personally.
The stories in the Brinkman Adventures are inspiring. They encourage the listener because as you listen, you are impressed by the faith and courage that real people show in adversity, and you are encouraged that you can do the same.
The kids and I have loved listening through the three seasons of Brinkman Audio Adventures that we’ve heard so far. The episodes are all about thirty minutes long, so they’re the perfect length to listen to at one time. I’m hoping to pick up the newest Brinkman season to listen to as well.
Leah Courtney is a homeschooling mom of four. Her days are filled with being a mom, homemaker, and teacher. In her (very rare) free time, she enjoys blogging, reading, and reviewing books and curricula. These days she’s learning the joys of being a mom of teens. You can read about her family and homeschooling life at As We Walk Along the Road.
