Winter Blast This Weekend

This weekend we will be hosting our annual winter camp weekend, "Winter Blast."  There are four people flying up from three different states to help us pull off an unforgettable weekend where over 100 kids will have a chance to hear about Jesus.  Please pray for the kids, the leaders, those leading group times, those volunteering, for safety.  Pray, in everything, that God is glorified, that the truth of the Gospel is made known, and that kids respond to this life-changing message.

Currently at a new blog site

I have moved my writing over to  http://ylsitka.blogspot.com/

This will include updates from the Sitka and from the work we are doing around the state.  I will personally update this blog- but it will be taken directly from ylsitka.blogspot.com

Winter Blast Report

Our February winter camp was a lot of fun and a huge success!  We had two evening lock-ins back to back: middle school with 35 kids, and high school with 55 kids. Each camp had 4  club meetings (with games, songs, and message), 3 cabin time reflections, 2 meals and a snack, 1 crazy gym time, and lots and lots of chances to build relationships and talk about Jesus.  To see pictures, videos and hear more, click HERE.

The weekend started of at 7pm Thursday night with the middle school camp.  Our wacky program team did goofy skits to start off a great club and followed by great cabin time reflection.  Next we headed off to Sitka's very own Ninja Warrior Gym combined Sitka gymnastics gym.  This was the perfect place for kids to bounce off walls as well as climb them. Our middle school kids were challenged to look at it means to let go of control of their lives and give control to God. It was a great time of fun, crazy games, and great conversations with kids and leaders. 

High School camp started at 7pm on Friday.  Most of the students were from Mt. Edgecumbe High School, and they all felt very comfortable.  Again we had 4 clubs times meeting together where our speaker shared about how giving control of our lives to God makes all the difference. In small groups kids really opened up and shared about fears and what they face back home.  The weekend was filled with impromptu Native singing and dancing, Native Youth Olympics, wiffle Ball and 5 star food. It was an 18 hour whirlwind- but it's absolutely amazing what can happen in such a short period.  Here are a few pictures from the weekend....

Upcoming Winter Blast

We have been looking forward to this weekend all year- Winter Blast! Sitka Young Life will host a middle school and a high school lock-in starting on Thursday, February 23^rd and then follow that with a lock-in for high school students Friday, February 24^th. These events are an amazing chance for kids to share experiences, make memories, build friendships and hear about Jesus. Camp is aimed at kids who would not come to church.  Please pray that God would speak through all of camp and especially during the club talks and our cabin times. We want to make camp available to all and we have found that many high school kids have a hard time paying.  To make winter camp accessible to all students we are not charging for kids to attend this event. Camp costs $50 per student, so if you would like join us in making camp available to all kids by making a donation please click HERE. For more details click HERE

Last year we had 45 middle school kids and 55 high school kids come to Winter Blast.  We flew up two people to come do program- which means- design and facilitate games and humor that breaks down walls, creates shared memories, and helps people bond.  This year we have the an all star crew of Young Life staff coming in from Anchorage and Fairbanks.  Our speaker this year is a former Young Life area director in Texas and now travels around speaking in public schools.  Each lock-in will have 4 times where we gather as a large group to gather for games and a message.  Following each message, students will have a chance to break into small cabin groups and talk about how the message applies to their own lives.  Camp is a great time where God really works.  Please pray for safety and that God really moves in the hearts of these kids.

The Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta

The Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta

Mt. Edgecumbe Highs School in Sitka has kids from 120 different communities all over Alaska. Our connection with kids at MEHS can impact communities state wide.  Part of my (Aaron)  job is to help rural communities start youth ministries.  Last week I visited Jason Bavilla (first Alaska Native on YL staff), in Tuntituliak (population 600) and then went to meet with 25 people in Bethel (population 6500) who are interested in helping to start Young Life.  The frozen land is pretty, the passionate people are encouraging, and the dream to reach every kid is God sized.  To see and read more click here

In Tuntutuliak I had a chance to visit an MEHS Graduate (class of 2007) and his wife and 2 kids.  Jason is the first Alaska Native on Young Life staff.  The pace of life is in the village is different and no roads or running water effect how people spend their time. Jason coaches middle school basketball  and knows every kid in the village. He plans on using his home to host Bible studies, and sleep overs. And wants to give kids the opportunity to go to camp. Highlights for me were spending time with the Bavillas, seeing him coach basketball, and eating moose, riding on his 4-wheeler, and going to hunt for fox. Jason's big dream is to help kids in his village understand that God really loves them personally and wants to have a relationship with them individually.  He wants to show them how to learn from the Bible and how to continue their faith when life gets hard. The picture above and below are from Tunt.

I met my friend Dale in Bethel as we met with a group of people who are interested in starting Young Life.  Bethel is the largest "hub" community in Alaska.  6,500 people live there and it services another 19,000 living in 50 surrounding villages. In 5 days we meet with many people who had a deep passion to bring the hope they have found in Christ to the youth in Bethel.  Many of these people are already involved in ministries but hope that Young Life can bring structure and organization to help coordinate outreach and discipleship. efforts, also bring training and support.




High lights of the trip for me were:  being able to meet such great people, the group interest meeting (the group from the photo), home-made pizza party interest meeting at the Byrnes's, a 15 mile snow machine ride down river to a Bible camp called Camp Hope, and participating in nightly traditional native steam baths with the men of the Fox family.  Dolena Fox graduated MEHS in 2014 and has been involved with Young Life since she first came to Mt. Edgecumbe.  It was during her time in Young Life that she started her relationship with God and since then she has always dreamed that Young Life would come to Bethel and plans on returning to help with youth ministry.  She wants all the kids from her home to experience the love and hope she has found through her relationship with God.

Ice road on the Kuskokwim River

Tundra by Camp Hope

Prayer Requests:

• Wisdom and timing for Bethel Young Life, pray also for more people to be interested in being involved in the support committee and a couple people in Bethel interested in coming on YL staff.
• For Sitka Young Life in recruiting more leaders, prayer team, committee, and donors.

November 2016 Update

Much has happened since my last email. Our family is very appreciative for the prayers and support that you have sent these past months.  THANK YOU ALL FOR EVERYTHING.  Life changes, but God remains the same, and he is worthy to be praised. "O my strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love." Ps 59:17

Here is a quick update of what has been happening in Young Life Alaska:

Rural Alaska - 

September's All State Young Life conference encouraged many people from rural villages.  Since returning from the conference the people of Savoonga have restarted their weekly teen Bible studies. Volunteer leaders in Bethel are providing a variety of teen gatherings, and people in Mekoryuk, and Hooper Bay are exploring avenues of youth outreach in their community.

Here in Sitka-

On October 24th we hosted our 15th annual "Round-up fundraiser banquet." We had a great turn out with 200 people in attendance. Also one of our leaders felt God calling her to start a ministry for kids with special needs called Young Life Capernaum.  Janelle has had a heart for the special needs kids she worked with and felt God say, "just have them over and share your love with them".  She contacted the parents (all of whom were thrilled) and then began club in her house.  The energy and size of the group grows each time they meet. Pray for her as she navigates this new ministry. 

At Mt. Edgecumbe High School-  

We continue to have weekly club and about 35 kids come.  We also continue our weekly guys and girls Bible studies and we have about 10 consistent kids showing up. The first weekend in November we had an all-guys weekend for our Bible study guys and we had a great time as we looked in depth into the Lords Prayer.

Here is a picture from our guys weekend and a picture with the Capernaum group.  

Thanks for your continued prayers and support.  With love from Sitka, 

My dad passes away

I have always tried to capture moments in words or pictures- right now I am at a loss for the right words to convey the impact my father's life had or how I now feel.  Here are a few things I would like to share:

Gary Routon

• It didn't take my brothers very long to make it to Oregon and we were able to spend a full week all together. My brother Micah's wife and family girls were unable to come from Brazil
• Emily, Ruthann and Ezra were medicine for many people
• We had 17 family members fly in from around the country and it was a great time of laughter and tears with many relatives I haven't seen in well over a decade
• Dad wanted to glorify God in his life, and God really moved in the memorial service- between 350-400 people came.
• Dad's life touch many and he helped people in so many ways, especially those people whose lives or marriages were falling apart
• I had a chance to share and represent the family during the memorial.
• All the family has returned to their homes as we are still sorting things out.
• My dad was amazing dad who gave his family two huge blessings: 1- an un-abandoned love that would sacrifice anything, 2- he was very proud of his wife and each of his three sons
• Dad was a great man, not because of talent, wealth, or position- but because he said yes to God daily and sought him above all else.  His life is marked by humility, gratitude, love, and service

My words don't seem adequate, but I would like to point you to some great words that will really encourage you.

A letter from the Oldest grandchild 

My brother Micah's word: He and his family are missionaries to Brazil and he sends regular correspondence to people praying and supporting him. At the bottom of the page is his beautifully written email that reminds describes comfort and God's presence during this time. 

A video of my parents sharing their testimony of how God saved their marriage and our familyclick this link  Unending Love, Amazing Grace  

Dad's entire memorial service including all the people who shared Click here for the service 

A slide show from my Dad's service Dad's slideshow

Dad's obituary Dad's Obituary  

Thank you for all your prayer, love, and support shown over the past weeks.

---------------------

From Micah

I sit down at this keyboard questioning my own resolve to try to put into words the events and the intense emotions of these past couple of weeks.  Through my words do I really want to bring people down the road of mourning through which we have been walking?  Will people want to relive similar moments that they've passed through in their own families?  Will they want to feel again the same feelings they've already had?  Do I want to relive them? 

It would be easier to bury myself in my work here, in my life here in Brazil… but that would be to ignore the hole that was left by my father's passing.  That would be to ignore the commitment with which I started writing these group updates so many years ago.  I started writing wanting to give people the chance to walk with us this life of ministry and to see it all: the good, the bad and the ugly.  I guess some of these e-mails are harder to write than others.  I guess some of these e-mails are harder to read than others. 

Fifteen days ago today I got the call that he had died in the midst of the craziness that has become the normal of my house.  Aaron's voice was hushed on the other end, and I jokingly asked him if he was calling from a library.  He told me he had some bad news.  I went upstairs to hear him better; and when he told me… I went numb; unable to think, unable to feel, unable to believe what I had heard.  Trying to deny its reality as long as possible, I thought about not telling Marla until after her small group.  Like a fog covering my mind, I couldn't see what should be done.  I didn't know what to do.

Marla told me I should go back.  I said ok.  My boss told me to get tickets to stay for a week.  I said ok.  My travel agent sent me the e-tickets.  I said ok.  Within 24 hours of receiving the news I was on an airplane heading back to Oregon still in shock, having cried only twice.  When the tears came, they came in waves.  They came accompanied by gasps for air as if all the oxygen had suddenly been sucked out of the room; I was struggling to simply breathe.

Numbness accompanied me home to Oregon, broken occasionally by Facebook messages that seemed to shake me temporarily to reality.  It was strange being home.  Strange suddenly being in Oregon surrounded by family and loved ones and buried in food.  It was strange not hearing his voice coming down the hall.  When I got home, my Mom told me that it was the second day in a row that he hadn't come home from work.  The house so full of people, and yet it felt empty too.  Like something was missing.  It was weird sitting next to the computer that I had just helped him buy writing his obituary.  It was weird seeing the two dates under his name… as if bookends to his life.  It was harder than I expected seeing his body.  Being a pastor, I've seen bodies before.  Empty shells; not really looking like the people that they once had been.  Yet it did look like him.  It was his hair.  Those were his hands.  Hands that had held me and guided me as I grew up.  They had always been strong hands.  Yet they were cold.  My brothers and I held each other as we wept in the small chapel where his body lay.  We said goodbye in the same order that he had welcomed us into this world.  First Ben, then Aaron, and finally me.  It fun picking out photos to go in the slide show of his life for his memorial service.  It was exhausting going through his closet picking out clothes of his that I would use.  It was hard seeing my brothers cry.  It was hard seeing Marla weep through the screen of a computer, not being able to take her in my arms.  Sometimes physically shaking because I couldn't be there for her and the girls.   Oh, it was a week that I don't wish to relive.  It was hard.  It was difficult.  It was tragic.

But we were blessed too.  Blessed by the mountains of food that just kept arriving at our door day by day.  Blessed by the smell of flowers as we walked in the house.  Blessed by messages that arrived via Facebook, personal visits, e-mail, cards and even checks in the mail.  Blessed by the outpouring of love that evidenced a life that had touched so many others.  Blessed by the miles that were traveled by so many people to simply be present, to honor and to hold.  Blessed by the embrace of others.  Blessed by the tears of so many who also mourned the loss.

There was laughter too. With the people who were present, it'd have been impossible not to laugh.  We joked; we laughed; we gave each other hard times.  We looked at pictures and remembered when.  It was awesome being together.   It was awesome seeing cousins that I hadn't seen for too long.  The have the chance to get to know each other as adults.  To embrace that part of us that, when we get together, will be eternally 12 years old.   We made memories that we hadn't made in years, even decades. 

The Spirit of God was their too; in it all, through it all, giving His comfort…. giving His consolation as only He knows how.  The morning I left for Oregon, as I was making coffee, Marla told me that she had had an interesting dream the night before.  I asked her what it was and she said that in her dream, she saw the coronation ceremony of my dad in heaven.  I asked her to explain more, and she said that she couldn't.  She said that it was holy, that is was beautiful, that it was celebratory and she knew in an instant what it was.  Through tears she told me that she got to see the greatest moment of my Dad's life.  There were dreams that others had too.  Dreams that gave comfort.  Dreams that eased our sadness. 

Then there was his service.  It was a memorial service that, according to the program was given in loving memory of Gary Routon; but it was a service where Jesus Christ was exalted.   It was a service where half way through the first group of songs, I felt the power of so many prayers lift the weight of the sadness of the loss.  A service where we laughed, cried, heard stories and heard of Jesus. Where the redemptive power of His perfect love was proclaimed. 

Something changed in me at that service.  Even now, I can't explain it.  And though the grief continues to roll through me like waves, leaving me exhausted and difficult to focus on anything, something is different since the service.  There is a comfort, there is a sense of consolation.  He lived a life that pointed to Jesus.  He lived a life that touched others.  He ran his race, he finished well.

But there are things that still need to be done.  Things he'd be great at helping us deal with.  Forms that need filled out.  Policies that need to be understood.  Sorting that has to be done.  Leaves that need to be raked.

But his contribution in this life has already been made.  And no words either spoken in a microphone or written on a computer screen will ever sum up the impact of his life in a neat little package.  No text or Facebook post can ever capture what he meant to each of us.  Nor will we ever fully understand the depth nor the breadth of what he meant to his Heavenly Father.  A love which he now experiences fully.

As I close, I would ask for your continued prayers.  Prayers for my family that must now begin the process of learning a new normal.  I ask, because those prayers have already proven powerful.  I ask because we need them still. 

For the only Cause that matters,

Micah         

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Preview YouTube video Gary Routon Funeral slideshow

Gary Routon Funeral slideshow