Yesterday was a good day…it was a God day. There were many tears. Our loss of Aaron dominated the day. We ache for Bob and Jackie and their family. Words fail to describe what all of us feel right now. Emotions are all over the place.
God gave us the grace to inch forward as we all dealt with tragedy in our own way. I really want to thank Ryan and our youth staff for the way they have stepped it up for our students. It’s tough when you are processing your own grief and supporting those around you at the same time.
I want to encourage those of you who would like to say a word about Aaron or would like to say something to Bob and Jackie to post it in our comment section this week. Aaron’s sister June is also part of Fellowship. June and her husband Steve are expecting their first baby in about 6 weeks. They are deeply loved by many. Your comments will be an encouragement to the family and this format will also let them read them in the privacy of their home.
We love you Bob and Jackie. June and Steve we love you too. Our hearts break for you. I will never forget my time with Aaron this past summer in Russia. What an awesome guy!
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7 comments:
I never got to meet Ryan, but he sounds like an awesome guy! My heart and prayers go out to the family.
Remember, God will never leave your side through these difficult times. You are never alone. May God's grace give peace.
With much love,
Anita Welsh and Chip Koban
I shared this on Ryan's blog, but I wanted to share it here too. Aaron was the absolute first teenager to welcome me and Heather when we were still just checking out Fellowship. It was soon discovered that we lived in the same development, so we had that "Delaware connection". Like everyone seems to say...Aaron has an infectious smile and I'll never forget it even in the short time that I knew him. It's so cool to me when a student goes out of their way to make a leader feel comfortable. It just shows the heart Aaron had. He actually called me on Halloween night to see if we were handing out candy. I asked what he was still doing trick or treating at his age! He was a kid at heart. Bob and Jackie, we are literally streets away from you guys. We will take advantage of the closeness and be there for you guys. We love you dearly. Love Jeff & Heather.
My Ali knew Aaron from youth group-she says he was always in the chair next to her- just always "there" for her. On Sunday's after breaking down the band equipment he would say "Mrs. B- stop lugging that heavy keyboard around-" and with one swoop he would easily take it out of my hands and take it to the truck for me. He was so strong.
Ali and I had the opportunity to travel to Russia with Aaron this past June. Turns out he really didn't like digging holes at all- but you would never have known. I have so many pictures- and in each one Aaron is working on a new hole. We dubbed him the very best American hole digger that Russia has ever known!
At the end of one particularly long and hard day- we told him he only had "one more hole" to dig! He didn't look too happy- but he picked up his shovel and asked "where"... We all laughed-
Towards the end of the trip- on one of the last days at the work site- I noticed that Aaron kept disappearing with lunchmeat. I figured he could eat a couple of sandwiches- but decided to keep an eye on where he was going. There was a starving dog (who obviously had puppies somewhere). He was giving her lunchmeat- she would disappear and come back- and he'd quietly go and get her more. Aaron had such a wonderful heart.
Aaron- we miss you- what we would give to be able to tell you that today and have you here with us. Your family is in our constant thoughts and prayers.
Love - The Berkeyheiser Family
I remember when Aaron was born. We were so happy for Bob and Jackie. We watched him grow over the years and kept in touch with Scott and June mostly. If it wasn`t for Junes invitation to try Fellowship we might not be here. When Bob and Jackie jumped ship over to Fellowship we were so excited because we knew the pillars they would become.
We`ll never understand the why`s of Aarons death and why this family, but God knows. I pray that He will lift them up and hold them and the family in His hands helping each of them individually feel that He is real and someday all the pain and anguish of this life will be gone.
Aaron, we ALL loved you and will miss you terribly!
Like most of us on last summer's trip to Russia, I think I'll always remember Aaron with a shovel in his hands, digging post-holes for the playground. I actually have a picture of Aaron on my myspace website, worn out but digging just the same, with the caption "Aaron likes digging holes." The caption was an inside joke for all of us who were on that trip, especially for Aaron if he here to have seen it. The fact is Aaron hated digging holes, but I know he loved digging holes for Jesus.
Aaron swore when we finished our work in Russia that he'd never dig another hole the rest of his life, but he'd have dug a hundred more if he thought it would have helped the kids there. That's the kind of person he was. I enjoyed working with Aaron more than just about anybody on that trip, not just because of his big goofy grin and sarcastic sense of humor, but also because he could be counted on to do anything at any time for anyone to complete our mission. No matter what he was asked to do, he wouldn't complain -- well, he wouldn't complain much -- and he would get the job done. He was humble, and committed, and that made him inspirational.
Later in the summer, as I became more active in the youth ministry at Fellowship, Aaron remained one of the people I looked forward to seeing the most, even if it was just to exchange a punch in the arm and say, "Hey, punk." In a time when I was the newcomer to his group, his was a familiar, welcoming face, and those brief moments were, without him knowing it, a comfort in a what was a new and intimidating environment for me.
Aaron had a tremendous heart, and while I, like so many others, will miss him terribly, no one will ever be able to forget him. Aaron has left an indelible mark on us and the world for Jesus Christ.
Like some of the others- I also had the pleasure of going on the Russia trip with Aaron this summer. I'll never forget how he told me one day that when he was little he always wanted to dig a great big hole (little did he know- he'd be digging them the rest of the week). And even though he hated it- he did it with everything he had! He was truly an awesome kid and I only wish I could've known him longer.
Katey
My name is Judi and my son Stephen was a close friend of Aaron's. Aaron spent many weekends at our home, goofing around with Stephen and my husband Andrew. There were always loads of laughing when Stephen and Aaron "hung out" together! I know how much Stephen enjoyed joining Aaron to the services at Fellowship and participating in their youth group. He was thrilled when Aaron asked him to be in one of his civil war re-enactments! Our family is experiencing such a loss and profound sadness since hearing the news of Aaron's death. Stephen truly loved Aaron as a friend, a brother. My husband and I felt Aaron was a wonderful young man, always smiling, always laughing.
As a mother, I cannot even begin to imagine the depths of Jackie and Bob's pain. I want them to know that we have prayed for them and their entire family. We hope that somehow, some way, God will help you through this difficult time. If there is anything we can do, please do not hesitate to ask.
I also want to thank Bob for his very kind words about Stephen. They were of great comfort to him as he tries to understand why he has lost his good friend. Thankyou and God Bless you all.
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