Month July 2009

13 Years Ago Today!

Brian Aaby 1 Comment

13 years ago today I started the day on my knees praising the Lord for the gift He gave me in Elisabeth.  Our two years of friendship, dating and being engaged was celebrated in a beautiful wedding at a wonderful chapel in Colorado Springs. Here’s a quick look at what we looked like that day…

July 20, 1996

July 20, 1996

13 years later, I am on my knees once again thanking the Lord for the ever-growing friendship I have with my bride, Elisabeth.  In the days before our wedding we dreamt of one day having a family; we longed for our marriage to be a witness to family and friends who did not know Jesus; we hoped for a long-lasting ministry with students (and staff, parents and congregants);  we desired to learn from our inevitable mistakes and handle each with grace and integrity.

13 years ago we had lots of hopes and dreams, today we are able to look back and see God’s mighty provision.  Our hopes, dreams and prayers continue to grow, but isn’t it fun to look back and see how much He has provided to date? Who says that “13” is unlucky? And better than that, who need “luck” when you have faith in a loving God who has always been faithful?

I’d like to think that I am more wise now than I was 13 years ago, but I will tell you this, I made the wisest decision of my life when I married Elisabeth.  She brings me so much joy; and she’s cute to boot!  She’s a great Mommy and a wonderful encourager of her husband.  She’s a great friend to others, and especially to me!  She’s a gifted writer–and unfortunately needs to use her editing skills more than she’d like with me!  She’s a great daughter; she invests in her family of origin and loves on my family so well too.

Thank you Jesus for my wonderful bride and the 13 years you’ve given us!

Thank you Elisabeth for being my bestest friend ever!

I love you!

Here are a few pics for kicks and whistles!

Our first ministry together, Roseburg, Oregon.

Our first ministry together, Roseburg, Oregon.

Our first home-ownership, Kent, WA

Our first home-ownership, Kent, WA

May 2001, the surprise announcement of our first baby coming in January 2002

May 2001, the surprise announcement of our first baby coming in January 2002

We appreciate your love and support of this Aaby family.  Keep us in your prayers!

Grace,

Brian

Sunday Thoughts

Brian Aaby 2 Comments

Photo 29I’m sitting on my back deck, Will eating a late lunch because he fell asleep on the way home from church, Halle and Audrey are gleefully jumping into the kiddie-pool yelling “Cannon-Bal-timore” (yeah, I am asking the same question you are) and Elisabeth is out looking at bunk beds for the girls room.

Sunday afternoons are a great time to get grounded, think through the things we have going on in the week ahead and perhaps even prioritize a bit… so along those lines, here’s a glimpse into the mind of Brian and what I am thinking about as the week approaches.

Family:

  • Starting Monday the girls are doing swim lessons for the next couple weeks!  Can’t wait to see their confidence grow as they hit the water.
  • Elisabeth and I celebrate our 13th wedding anniversary on Monday, July 20th (and on Tuesday we actually get to celebrate it with a date!)  Quite sure you might guess who I might post about tomorrow…
  • Warm weather will mean I will get up earlier and get work done earlier so I can get into the kiddie pool with the kids in the afternoons!

Ministry:

  • Though Youthmark is “ministry” this little section is the stuff outside of Youthmark… On Wednesday evening I have the opportunity to speak at Family Camp at Lake Retreat; I will be doing an elective on Teen Relationships; get to bust out the chart!
  • I look forward to scheduling a coffee or two to follow-up on the boys from my Young Life cabin who began a relationship with Jesus! Praise the Lord!
  • I’m going to get some time with Alan Andersen as well; he is the Youth Pastor at Mars Hill West Seattle and is quickly becoming a good friend!  I classify this as “ministry” because he asked for the coffee to chat up youth ministry stuff.

Youthmark:

  • Hope to jam out to the airport tonight (Sunday) to see the Burien Free Methodist and Grace Church teams return from the Gulf Coast.
  • Look forward to reading the blogs of all the NorCal teams (as well as the team from Emmanuel Faith serving in New Orleans this week and Pass Christian next week).
  • This week and next are the weeks set aside to write the Mission Prep Workbook for the 2010 training.  Please pray for this as I’m taking a little writing retreat.
  • The Hawaii team gets into Kauai late Friday night; we will do their “launch” on Saturday and then their mission begins on Sunday morning.  I will be spending the evenings helping with the VBS and some of the outreach, but by day I’ll be able to do much of my writing.
  • Some major decisions have to be made in the next 24-48 hours in regard to my “Scrambling” post last week.  God is opening and closing doors for us, so in many ways I am just waiting, and trusting!  Please pray for the right connections with the right people at the right time (I know, I’m vague, but need to be and appreciate your prayers).

Tasks:

  • Have been able to get a few yard work things done the last couple of weeks, and believe it or not (okay, don’t), I plan to get a couple other things done this week.  We have completely abandoned the idea that our front grass is supposed to be green, in fact, gold can’t even describe the color anymore…However, the back yard has been loving the every-other day kiddie pool emptying!

Well, there ya go, my Sunday afternoon thoughts; and I hope you’re blessed with the second-take picture below!

Grace,
Brian

Sometimes thinking makes your head feel weird.

Sometimes thinking makes your head feel weird.

Introducing…

Brian Aaby 3 Comments

I have hinted at and eluded to the fact that there was something new happening at Youthmark; well, he’s here.  For the last several months I have been in discussions with Kirk Petersen about the possibility of him joining the Youthmark team.  Kirk, for the better part of two decades has served as a Youth Pastor in Oregon.  The last few years he has also ministered with Alpha as well.

n1778734880_1403_2178319Kirk and I became friends back in 1995 while both serving as Youth Pastors in Roseburg, Oregon.  We quickly became friends through the Youth Leader Network there in Roseburg and soon we were coaching Soccer together at the high school and sharing stories with one anther as both of us had just asked our girlfriends to become our brides.  The couple years serving in the same community with Kirk (and subsequently Marlys as well) were a great joy.  We have grown in friendship over the years.

Kirk is going to be be partnering with Youthmark as he continues to team with Alpha as well.  In essence he’ll be contracted with Youthmark and serve as a support-based missionary with Alpha.  Kirk is going to continue to live in Portland and take on the greater Oregon and Southern Washington markets.  He’ll meet with Youth Pastors and share about the Youthmark Mission Ventures and see if we may be able to partner more churches with what we are doing through Youthmark.  In addition Kirk will play a role in the scouting of locations, training of students (spring retreat) and provide leadership at some of the Hubs.

Kirk and Marlys were down in Salem with me for the Launch of the NorCal teams.  It was so much fun to begin the working relationship and to see his gifts and talents being used in this way.

Youthmark has been a faith-adventure from the get-go, we are trusting in God’s provision in bringing on Kirk for this contracted work.  We truly appreciate your prayers for the Aabys, the Petersens and for Youthmark!

Welcome Kirk!

Grace,
Brian

Kirk, Brian and NorCal "Lead," Aaron Bauer

Kirk, Brian and NorCal "Lead," Aaron Bauer

Kirk, sharing a bit of his story (NorCal launch)

Kirk, sharing a bit of his story (NorCal launch)

Scrambling…

Brian Aaby 1 Comment

Would appreciate your prayers today; I’ve had a few phone calls today which have caused a waters to start stirring and I’d love for Jesus to come and calm the storm…

This is a Youthmark prayer request and it is in regard to one of our August 14-23 teams.  God knows all the details, I’d just ask for you to specifically pray that He work out all the details that now need to be worked out in light of this new circumstance.  I will give more details as I can, but certainly do appreciate your prayers.

Hasn’t it been awesome to see, read and hear about all the miracles He has orchestrated thus far?  I am trusting for another one of those “God things” right now!

Grace,
Brian

Singing His Praises

Brian Aaby 1 Comment

The Aaby clan had a great night last night.  I received a phone call from my good friend, Byron, in the early afternoon, he had just received what essentially was a 99.9% “all clear” report from the doctor.  He still has one appointment with an oncologist next week to confirm that he is cancer-free and done with treatments (keep praying).

With that news we decided to celebrate with them.  I headed down to Costco and picked up some great steaks and some veggies.  Went home to pick up the family and drive south to Olympia to spend the evening with Byron and Shannon (and their BBQ).

I’m so thankful for your prayers for Byron and Shannon.  I’m so thankful to God for leading them through this amazing season of reliance and I am so hopeful that he can remain cancer-free.

Great food (Shannon added a great salad and water mellon to the mix); great conversations, kids did great and we got introduced to a great new game, Whoonu! (I even won!)

We’re singing God’s praise! Are you?

Grace,
Brian

1 O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
above the heavens.

2 From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise [b]
because of your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.

3 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,

4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?

5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings [c]
and crowned him with glory and honor.

6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
you put everything under his feet:

7 all flocks and herds,
and the beasts of the field,

8 the birds of the air,
and the fish of the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.

9 O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Psalm 8 (NIV)

Please Pray!

Brian Aaby Leave a comment

Over the last couple of days I have been catching wind of something brewing down in Escondido, CA.  Emmanuel Faith Church of Escondido is one of our YMV teams, they have a very unique situation in which they are partnering with two organizations, one servers in inner-city New Orleans, and the other, Youthmark, is taking the team to Pass Christian, MS.

They high school ministry of EFCC just returned from Hume Lake Christian Camp, I read that the trip was fantastic.  The problem, and the MAJOR prayer request is that a few people in their high school group have come down with the flu.  Josh, the High School Pastor, called me to tell me that there are 3-4 on the team who have been hit with this bug.

One of the students who is sick also has a father who is serving as a leader/driver on the team.  If she is unable to go on the trip then he will be forced to stay at home with her as well; so please lift up this situation as well.

Wouldn’t it be awesome to see God heal all of these who have been hit with the bug and have all the team members able to do the 2.5 week mission?  Let’s pray that this happens!

Please spread this news to others you know in your workplace, church, neighborhood, etc. who would like to see God answer in His wonderful ways!

Grace,
Brian

God’s Word @ Work!

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The last couple weeks have been a whirlwind, launching the ID/MT missions (YMV #2), landing the first YMV, traveling around to each of the 7 YMV #2 towns, home for a couple days, over to Spokane for the YMV #2 Landing, off the next morning to Washington Family Ranch (YL camp) and then home just in time to see my girls at their VBS program only to leave the next morning for the YMV #3 Launch in Dallas!  Now, I’m home!  Whew!

One thing I am seeing weaved through all of these adventures:  God’s Word (and Spirit) are at work in MIGHTY ways!

For whatever reason the following pictures tell the story to me.  Psalm 46:10 says “be still and know that I am God.”  As we take the time to acknowledge this, rest in it and then live in response to this great truth we see Him at work.  These students and staff took that time on Saturday morning in Dallas, I pray they (and we) continue to do so…

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” ~James 1:22

May we be doers!

Grace,
Brian

What Would Google Do? (not the book)

Brian Aaby 1 Comment

At about midnight on Sunday, June 28, 2009 I realized I hadn’t printed the map/directions I needed to get from Superior, MT to Riggins, ID.  I had just finished a wonderful day of visiting/watching the two Montana teams participating in our Youthmark Mission Venture.

I jumped online at the church in Superior and Google Maps suggested two different routes I could take.  One taking approximately six hours and the other, about five.  Naturally I chose the six hour route, right?  Of course not.  I think most of us would choose the quicker route…

I didn’t have access to a printer so I simply emailed the directions to my phone so that I had the written directions at my disposal at all times.

I got about five hours of sleep and long before any of the Snohomish Free Methodist students were awake I was out the door and on my way to visit the NW Bible Church team in Riggins.

Headed east on I-90 for about 15 minutes and took the exit that Google told me to take.  Jumped on Fish Creek Road as Google demanded.  Approximately 2-3 miles in the roadway turned to gravel… hmmm?  Fortunately I had my phone and read that I was to stay on Fish Creek Rd. for a good 32 miles until I got to Hwy 12.

What I didn’t anticipate was the 11 times while on Fish Creek Road that I would encounter junctions (sometimes a Y, sometimes a T and even a few times a four way intersection of gravel confusion).  There was not a road-sign/marker to be found; I had no idea which was Fish Creek Road and which was Death Trap Road!  Stopping and asking for directions was not an option, I was in the middle of the forest, with no cell signal and only my XM Radio and Dan Patrick’s voice to comfort me!

82% of the time I made the right choice… however, those 2 wrong turns cost me a lot.  At one intersection I chose what looked to be the wider road, 11 miles later it stopped at a trailhead for what I am sure was a great hike.  After traveling back the 11 miles I then chose the right path only to come to another intersection of three choices… I chose wrong one more time, this time costing me 6 miles each direction.

My non-GPS road-trip cost me an extra two hours (it took me seven hours instead of the five or six Google suggested).

The spiritual analogies are flowing, This material WILL show up in one of my devotionals, training sessions or mission prep workbook, GUARANTEED… in fact, more guaranteed than a Google Map!

Grace,

Brian

CONTEST: What Am I Thinking?

Brian Aaby 3 Comments

It’s been awhile since I posted a WAIT… so, here’s a classic of Will, I need to know what you think he is thinking… and as an added bonus you can post what you think Elisabeth was thinking when she took this picture!

I’ll post my favorites thoughts from you all in a few days!

Hey, what was I thinking?

Hey, what was I thinking?

Have fun, he certainly did!

Grace,

Brian