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