Aubrey's Composition

Last night we went to a composition concert at Rollins College (where Aubrey is a student) to hear her composition played.  We were surprised to see her composition titled “A Piece for Billy Brown,” who is my Dad and her grandpa.  The piece was inspired by his recent journey through cancer treatments, from which he is now recovering.  It is only about 4 minutes long, and I think you can follow the journey from discord to healing.

I actually thought it was a simple piece that reflected a lot of times in life where God takes us from trouble to peace and healing.  I hope you enjoy it.

When you have time, you can watch it here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4JHo5mmblM&feature=share&list=UU97adzmIIUEwC3GvYXsH6Bg

I’m very proud of Aubrey for her work, and  I’m also proud of my Dad for his battle through a very difficult treatment.

I hope you have a great Thanksgiving, even if you are in the midst of a tough time.

With love,

Barrett and Dayna

Thank you

Thank you

   
  I love November because all month long I anticipate Thanksgiving, and it reminds me almost every day of all there is for which to be thankful.  The list is long.  My Dad's recovery from cancer, my wife Dayna's love, our kids, and our health are all things that I think about.  But I am also humbled by God's constant love, grace, forgiveness, and provision.  We're thankful for you and the team that stands with us to allow us to serve Him with Cru.  It is amazing to me that He calls all of us to work together to invite others to know Him and His love, grace and forgiveness.  

     Thank you for trusting and following God as you invest in us and this ministry.  We are so grateful for your friendship and partnership with us.

   My trip to Germany in October was an example of the kind of work you make possible.  

Unsung Heroes

 
     For a week in early October I was with this group of Cru staff in Geissen, Germany for our Global Crisis Management conference.  We had staff representing 10 of the 13 Campus Crusade for Christ geographic regions around the world.  In this picture are staff from Canada, Ghana, Albania, Cameroon, The Philippines, Korea, and Americans serving the Middle East, Central Asia, Latin America, East Asia, and the U.S.  It is great to be part of a global mission to see everyone know someone who follows Jesus.

The German Headquarters of CCC, where we had our meetings

    We did work like clarifying our global policies for crisis management, but spent a lot of time reviewing some of the crises that we worked through over the past 1 1/2 years.  In Mali there was a coup that impacted our staff in that country, and staff visiting from other countries; we revisited how we responded to the Japan tsunami and nuclear disaster that disrupted our ministry there; we celebrated the end of a 6 year crisis that involved the arrest of over 40 staff in one Southeast Asian country.

     Good crisis management is about caring for our staff, taking steps to ensure ministries avoid the threats that could derail them, and responding to crises in a way that allows ministry to continue.  The folks in this picture step into some of the most challenging situations and help the ministry respond well to any kind of crisis.  It is an honor to work with them.

     And it is an honor to work with you.  We're humbled and grateful for your partnership with our family.

     May your Thanksgiving, and the whole month of November, be filled with thankfulness to God for all He has done.

     With love,

A bit of Germany

     We've had these global conferences in Istanbul, Paris, Bangkok, Cairo, Orlando, and now Germany.  The locations sound exotic, but the reality is that almost all of the time is spent in an office or hotel meeting room for the meetings or trainings.

I liked the narrow streets

     After the first conference I hosted in Istanbul, where we met in a basement conference room for 4 days, I made a point to schedule a half day to go and spend some time looking at the country we are visiting.  Not only does it help us make it through the week, but it is a time to develop the relationships that are so important to working well together.  It is easier to trust someone who is handling a crisis involving your staff when you know the person on the other end of the line.



     And one other reason is that for many of our staff (including me), it is the first time in specific country, and it is nice to see at least a little of the country you are visiting.

 Can you see how crooked this house is?

     This time we took some time to travel to the small town of Wetzler, Germany.  Apparently because of a cover of fog, this town survived most of the WWII bombings, and had the old narrow streets and traditional buildings.  It is the home of the author Goethe and where he wrote his famous novel The Sorrow of Young Werther.

Here are a few pictures, but you can see all of the pictures I took on my Facebook page here

My alter ego

As we have settled Dayna’s father’s estate since he died in June, the inevitable happened:  his Columbus house sold and we needed to clean it out.

I assumed super hero role of mover and trucker to help get everything settled. It is a very cool and powerful feeling to sit so high above the other cars...until you can only go 45 mph up a hill.




Catelin and I flew up and hired movers to load up a truck and drove it back to Orlando.  It was a journey to remember, and one that made both of us appreciate the difficult job truckers have!

 Catelin was so glad to be able to see her grandparent's house one last time, and there is a lot of comfort in having many of their things home with us.


The drive itself was pretty tiring...the truck was loud, and every time I switched lanes I was afraid of crushing a small car!

The gas mileage, at about 7 mpg, was kind of shocking! Fortunately, we had Macy at home to fill up the tank before we returned the truck!

We now have the task of replacing some of our furniture, and going through many boxes to see what we brought home. We have two garages full of things, so ultimately, a lot will need to go, but we'll switch out some of our furniture to donate or sell.  As for now, we'll have to park in the driveway (wait, that is no different than normal!)

Day of Prayer

Thank you so very much for keeping us in your prayers.  We have moved from our very eventful summer to our very eventful fall!  School is in full swing, and lot’s is happening with Cru.  I wish we could have time to catch you up with everything, but here are a couple of things!

Worldwide Day of Prayer
    Each fall and spring we set aside a day to seek the Lord for His continued direction for us a global movement.  In the fall we set aside the first Tuesday in October, to remember when Dr & Mrs Bright launched our ministry through prayer back in October of 1951.  What a rich heritage we have!  Yesterday, October 2nd our theme was "My Sheep Hear My Voice."

      As we were meditating on this and praying for our ministry around the world, we were also thinking of YOU.  You have made so much possible through your partnership with us and you have ministered to us!  So, we want to pray for YOU!  If you have prayer requests that we can be praying for, please send them to us at barrett.brown@cru.org.   We would love to pray for you!  If you'd like to pray along with us, you can see many of our prayer requests at our website.

Crisis Management
    Just following our day of prayer Barrett will be on the "road", so to speak.  The week of October 8-12 he will be in Germany meeting with our leaders who have responsibility for crisis management for our regions around the world.  The fellowship and support that this group provides one another is unique because few people can appreciate the stressfulness of having that responsibility.  Some of the situations they have managed in the last 18 months include

• a political coup
•  a suicide
• a tusnami/earthquake/flood
• arrests/interrogations
• possible kidnappings. 

 And those are only the ones that we know about! 

Would you pray for...

• supportive bonds among the team to increase
•  working alliances among regions would develop
• spiritual refreshment
• health and energy

We are so grateful for you and your partnership with me to ensure that "everyone knows someone who truly follows JESUS."

With love and thanks,

Photo Book

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Shutterfly photo books offer a wide range of artful designs and embellishments to choose from.

Our first wedding!

On Saturday August 4, our daughter Cara married Perry Johnson here in Orlando.  It was, seriously, one of the best days of my life.

    As the father of the bride, it was hard to let my little girl go, and wondered if this guy could really love her well enough.  However, when I watched his face as I walked her down the aisle, and saw him hold back tears as he gazed at her face, it gave me the reassurance that this smart young man had a soft heart and was deeply in love with my daughter.  Cara was a beautiful bride and her beautiful spirit came through as well.  Perry was receiving a wonderful gift, and he knew it!

    I sat with my own beautiful bride, and saw my other beautiful daughters, and my handsome son in the wedding, and felt so grateful for the family He has given us.  It was a very special day.
    
    Perry and I were talking a week earlier and I mentioned that a wedding was one of the most holy events in a persons’ life, and it did feel holy as they committed themselves to each other before the Lord.

    Now, not everything went perfectly…there was a downpour just before the wedding and during the ceremony one of the bridesmaids fainted and fell to the ground,  but those things seemed not to matter at all as they stood committing themselves to each other.

    Thank you for being such a big part of our family and ministry.  It has been quite a summer for us.  Thank you for your prayers and support.

        In His love,

...for all of us

A Facebook Wedding

   
Everything surrounding Cara's wedding was documented on her Facebook timeline, so I thought I'd copy several of the more interesting posts so you can share the lead up to the big day!  I'll add more pictures to another post when we get them.

July 26  

Cara Brown was tagged in 27 photos in Aubrey Brown’s album Cara’s Bridal Shower

Barrett Brown, July 28 near Conway:  

My four lovely daughters off to a bridesmaid’s

tea at the Grand Floridian--with Catelin Brown and 2 others.

                Cara Brown, July 27 near Orlando

 “I will trust in the Lord, and I will find my strength in Him

                July 29 Allyson Tiller > Cara Brown

 “6 days!!  :)  Can you believe one week from today you will be Mrs. Perry Johnson!! :)

                July 31 Aubrey Brown > Cara Brown 

“So, apparently all the computer problems I've been having were all due to your wedding slideshow being a corrupt file. So I hope you're happy, you and Perry successfully corrupted my computer.”

Aubrey Brown, August 3 

“Headed to Canterbury to rehearse a few things.” with Cara Brown and Perry Johnson.

Barrett Brown, August 3, 

"Soon they will get tired of each other and say, 'We need another member.'" Macy Brown, referring to Perry Johnson and Cara Brown's future decision to have children.”

Catelin Brown, August 4,

My sister is getting MARRIED to a wonderful man today, and that makes me really happy. I love you very much!! — with Cara Johnson and Perry Johnson.

Barrett Brown, August 4

First tears of this happy day...Cara gave gifts to her siblings that reflect their relationship. Very special time this morning. — with Aubrey Brown and 4 others.

Barrett Brown, August 4 

Photography session before wedding!! — with Aubrey Brown and 3 others at Canterbury Conference & Retreat Center.

Barrett Brown, August 4

Hiding out in the back of grandpa's car waiting for the wedding to start. — with Aubrey Brown and 3 others.

Catelin Brown, August 4

And we have marriage!!! — with Carrie Casden and 10 others.

August 4

Cara Johnson was tagged in 7 photos. 

Last dance before heading off to their secret honeymoon. Thank you Perry and Cara for allowing us to be part of your special day.

 

To view the OFFICIAL wedding photos, check them out on HERE ON FACEBOOK