It was a beautiful day to drive up Highway 101 through what we call Tillamook Dairy Farmland. Tucked a couple of miles away from the ocean, rich beautiful fields with grass fed cows. We were on our way to Portland, adding another appointment to the many to get hubby new hearing aids adjusted just right.

One thing about him having hearing aids, is that he can now hear the music and stories in our car. We are all a bit tired of our downloaded songs, so this time I downloaded The Brinkman Adventures  Season 2: Episodes 13-24 to my Kindle HD. We’ve been listening to them at home with Jon, but this way Nate could take a turn to listen as well. Nate had been talking about a movie service and asked what I wanted to watch, when the music and story started in Galveston, Texas as the family was staying with a host and sharing their own missionary stories.  Nate fixed up the Kindle to play over the Radio – so we had some great sound going in the car.

Once these stories get going – it is hard to hit the pause button. There is a perfect mixture of background music and sound effects. This is not your ‘old time radio show’ quality. The voices and descriptions transport you to Texas, China, on trains, traveling, fixing broken RV’s, finding lost rings, and going on their adventures, side by side. A whole host of actors separates this sound from a ‘book on tape’.

Nathan is now my chauffer. This was the first time he drove us to and around Portland.  As we pulled into our friend’s house in Portland, Nathan mentioned that the only bad part of driving was that he didn’t get to watch the movie with me in the back seat. Movie?  Didn’t you know this was an audio adventure? No, He didn’t realize. He said he really liked the way the story went from the present, telling the stories to each other and sharing with their friends, to being transported into the adventure of being a Christian Missionary. He didn’t realize how much persecution could still happen to Missionaries today. He liked hearing how the Lord delivered them time and time again. The way that the folks presented the story, instead of just telling it, made it much more exciting and drew him in.

Nate grew up listening to books on tape – he could listen for hours. He’s not the hard sell. Jon – he’s the one that doesn’t like TV, movies, or listening to stories, save for short funny ones. We’ve been trying to get him to listen to books on tape at home in the afternoon. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t pay attention. Our librarian has been in on the project as well – and picked out several books that have word for word audio to go with them. So he could read and listen at the same time. It’s been arduous, but he’s obedient, it is painful to watch him listen to these tapes. This is why I asked to be on the list to review the Brinkman Adventures. Our family loves missionaries and missionary stories. I thought I’d at least really enjoy them since I love radio shows. I thought Jon might like them as well.

I was right! He not only listens to them, but he doesn’t turn them off when the listening time is over. He’ll go on to listen to the next story. Since the Brinkmans are on a road trip now, while sharing, the story continues in the ‘life right now’ while sharing ‘past missionary trips’. You want to know what will happen next. I came in one day and saw that the episodes had jumped pretty far ahead. I asked hubby if he was skipping around, and he said that Jon just wanted to keep listening while working on his projects.

I can tell you, if you have a reluctant listener, there can be no more greater praise than my busy boy Jon will stop to listen – and continue – on his own will.

There have been audio reviews on Petra School that I have liked, that I have praised for their quality and presentation – but this is the first review that I can say – All Four Members, Dad, 16 and 13 year old sons, and Mom listen to – just for fun and adventure. Their site claims that “These exciting episodes tell modern day missionary stories through the escapades of the wild and crazy Brinkmans.  They are guaranteed to captivate the entire family.” I think their guarantee is valid.

If you are looking for a step beyond car trip entertainment or ways to spend an afternoon with intional story time – You can read about their Stories behind the Stories and print out fun missionary color pages to use while listening that www.ginagraham.com created.

If you have a Christian Radio Station and you’d like them to play the adventures, there is a link on their website – http://www.brinkmanadventures.com/radio “Young and old alike will love the excitement, humor, and Biblical truth packed into each episode. These stories teach, challenge and inspire while remaining highly entertaining. Guaranteed to leave your listeners begging for more, while strengthening their faith and commitment to Christ.”

The Brinkman Adventures operates on a donation basis.  The set includes 4 CD’s which includes 12 episodes and 5 + hours of listening pleasure. The suggested price is $25.00.

Connect with them on  Facebook  – Brinkman Adventures.