Aaron's 2024, Wrapped.
O unworn world enrapture me, encapture me
In a web of fabulous grass and eternal voices by a beech.
Feed the gaping need of my senses. Give me ad lib
To pray unselfconsciously with overflowing speech
For this soul needs to be honored with a new dress woven
From green and blue things and arguments that cannot be
proven.
— Patrick Kavanagh, from “Canal Bank Walk”
I’ve struggled to know what to focus on in this message to you, my friends! I’d find much more joy having an excuse to schedule a coffee with each of you- spend an hour listening to all that’s happening in your life instead of spewing my thoughts onto a blank document in hopes that it might be of interest to those of you that come across this out of the billion of other things you could be doing on the internet.
Writing is not fun, at least when the purpose is doing it for other people. Copying down some pages from my journal might give you a gist of the last few months, but I can’t promise they’ll be very coherent. I could tell you about what I’ve been reading, about the conversation I had at the Ballard kitchen table after dinner in Murfreesboro, or the back-to-back opportunities to share the gospel in the middle of a jet-lag haze. I could relay an outline of the conversation I had in the Bowers living room about support raising, an impromptu pep talk to a group of college sophomores at a Grace College bible study, and my packing tips for living out of a backpack for 8 weeks, but these would all be just tiny vignettes from a much greater picture of life the last few months.
The last I wrote to you all I was just beginning to process my time at L’Abri and what I felt God was pulling me into in my studies. I’ve continued to wrestle with the nuances of my conclusion- that Jesus is after our hearts, not only our brains. Maybe it’s some lingering skepticism that I still feel justified in holding on to, or questioning just how far Jesus is willing to go to chase after our hearts and how my posture towards him would change based on what I believed the length of that was. Does God pursue the heart that Aaron himself does not know? I would argue yes, but I’m continuing to unravel just what that would mean about salvation and the work of the Cross. A lot of this is being challenged with a book I am currently working through that I will be writing a full essay on once I’m done. If you’d like to help me chew on my thoughts, or help me tease them out over a call, I’d be very grateful for your contribution on the topic.
What I’m reading:
For Christmas this year I received an English translation of the Kanun, or the written code of Albanian traditional customary laws from which a lot of the Albanian social law and customs have derived. It’s a fascinating historical document that is still recognizable by the traces left in modern Albanian culture.
I also picked up a copy of Jordan Peterson’s We Who Wrestle With God. Having read some of his other works and listened to his lectures on religious matters, I’m curious of his analysis on the story of the Bible and how it applies to what (or who) we put our faith in and what that means for living virtuously.
What I’m listening to:
My album of the year was A Dos by Lau Noah. I first heard her Spanish guitar skills from her duet with mandolinist Chris Thile on Lesser Men Would Call It Love and her album has been at the top of my queue every month since. If what you’ve been looking for is a an album that combines classical guitar with wild harmonies, and bilingual poetic lyrics, this is the one for you.
What I’m praying:
I have been challenged recently to think more (and pray more) for God’s mercy. This was somewhat prompted by a few conversations (and a book) that have challenged what I’ve understood God’s mercy to mean or look like when I’ve asked for it. I’m praying for a well rounded understanding of God’s mercy- one from which we can acknowledge the forgiveness of sins and move forward freely in our identity at God’s children.
I’ve been praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for the last week and find great power in the words of the final prayer;
Eternal God, in Whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion — inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.
What I’m talking about these days:
I’ve been surprised how many of my conversations come back to this idea that each season of life has its ‘topic’ that we tend to focus on. While I can’t speak for any older than myself (25), so many of my peers seem to be in this position of analyzing the nature of their relationships and their role as a friend, a lover, a sibling, a churchgoer. Who are we supposed to be in these roles, and what are we to expect from them? How do these relationships change over time and distance? Is there something unique about being embodied, in-person, that is important in our quest for healthy friendship? Where have male friendships fallen short in their potential, and in what ways am I responsible for changing the way I approach my own?
I have more questions than answers.
What I’m working on:
My time in the States was oh-so fruitful in many ways I could not have planned. Part of that was because I did significantly less planning on this trip than the last, but that turned out to be to my advantage (at least I’m telling myself that). I’m grateful for the advice, encouragement, and prayers from so many of you that I had a chance to cross paths with this fall and those of you I hope to see in the next year.
While much of the fruit of recruiting and relationship building can be tough to see, I’m trusting that God can (and will) bring about laborers to the Albanian harvest in His perfect timing. While I can stress myself out when I can’t see tangible progress from my efforts, it’s been the conversations I’ve had with other fundraisers and recruiters that has made me recognize this as a much longer game- that it’s by a move of God, not solely my own work, that makes anything happen in the first place. I’m learning how significant of a role presence itself is in striving to live the way Jesus lived- a posture established on Mark 10:45;
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.
How you can be praying:
The opportunities to talk about Albania as a mission field and to share about GDQ is bringing well over a dozen college students and church partners to Albania for visits in 2025. Please pray that these would produce an abundance of fruit- for my work in planning and preparation, and for the hearts of those coming.
Concerning my personal funding, I am continually grateful for those of you that have faithfully supported me monthly over the last three years. I have felt a confidence to follow where I’ve felt God lead me in my work at GDQ, (and more broadly) in the harvest, which is a direct result of your responsible and kind stewardship of what God has given you to manage. With some changes in supporters that have been in the position to give, I am about $250 short in my recurring monthly funding. With my stateside expenses exceeding that of initial projected living expenses in Albania my month-to-month budget has had to look a little different, but trusting that God will provide what I need, when I need it! If you’re in a position to help me cover some of my recurring deficit, even if for a few months, I’d like to ask you to consider supporting me from the button below.
Please pray for GDQ as we continue to strategize a capital campaign and work to secure funding to hire a few consultants to help us on this endeavor. I’ll admit, I’m in over my head with some of this stuff and would greatly appreciate your prayers. I’m happy for the opportunity to be stretched in this way and trusting that God will give the support, the energy, and the confidence needed to move me in the right direction.
GDQ is also in great need for a qualified 5th grade teacher starting in February. There have been some unexpected roadblocks with those we were expecting to fill this role and have been unable to move forward with a qualified candidate. I want to believe (and I do) that God knows more than we do as to why, but it is still a tough position to be in. Please be in prayer about this, for God’s provision for our 5th grade class.
This has been a full year, and I am tired. I’ll write more soon.
In the meantime, give me a call :)
Aaron
